bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genome comparison reveals that Halobacterium salinarum 63‐R2 is the origin of the twin laboratory strains NRC‐1 and R1
Authors: Pfeiffer Friedhelm , Dyall‐Smith Mike
Published: June 2023

The genome of Halobacterium strain 63‐R2 was recently reported and provides the opportunity to resolve long‐standing issues regarding the source of two widely used model strains of Halobacterium salinarum, NRC‐1 and R1. Strain 63‐R2 was isolated in 1934 from a salted buffalo hide (epithet “cutirubra”), along with another strain from a salted cow hide (91‐R6T, epithet “salinaria,” the type strain of Hbt. salinarum). Both strains belong to the same species according to genome‐based taxonomy analysis (TYGS), with chromosome sequences showing 99.64% identity over 1.85 Mb. The chromosome of strain 63‐R2 is 99.99% identical to the two laboratory strains NRC‐1 and R1, with only five indels, excluding the mobilome. The two reported plasmids of strain 63‐R2 share their architecture with plasmids of strain R1 (pHcu43/pHS4, 99.89% identity; pHcu235/pHS3, 100.0% identity). We detected and assembled additional plasmids using PacBio reads deposited at the SRA database, further corroborating that strain differences are minimal. One plasmid, pHcu190 (190,816 bp) corresponds to pHS1 (strain R1) but is even more similar in architecture to pNRC100 (strain NRC‐1). Another plasmid, pHcu229, assembled partially and completed in silico (229,124 bp), shares most of its architecture with pHS2 (strain R1). In deviating regions, it corresponds to pNRC200 (strain NRC‐1). Further architectural differences between the laboratory strain plasmids are not unique, but are present in strain 63‐R2, which contains characteristics from both of them. Based on these observations, it is proposed that the early twentieth‐century isolate 63‐R2 is the immediate ancestor of the twin laboratory strains NRC‐1 and R1.
Omnichannel expansion for traditional retailers: Considering consumers' privacy concerns
Authors: Song Zhiyuan , Cheng Jinshi
Published: June 2023

Digital economy development is driving the profound revolution in omnichannel retail, yet digital technology inevitably raises privacy concerns. This paper examines the optimal pricing and service strategies for a traditional single‐channel retailer transitioning to omnichannel sales when the market has privacy issues. We construct a nonlinear constrained optimization model to discuss the retailer's optimal gains and pricing when faced with profit‐seeking and privacy‐sensitive consumers during the discount and full‐price periods. Besides, we analyze the influence of item privacy attributes and clients' profit‐seeking or strategic behavior. Several valuable findings are as follows. First, the product's privacy attributes significantly influence retailer's pricing decisions. High‐privacy value goods benefit them in the full‐price period, while common items with low‐privacy attributes are profitable in all sales periods. Second, profit‐seeking (myopic) consumers are the mainstay of the discount period, whereas privacy‐sensitive (strategic) consumers prefer to act in the full‐price period. Lastly, when supported by appropriate privacy services, the strategic actions of privacy consumers also help retailers to optimize profits.
A survey on exact algorithms for the maximum flow and minimum‐cost flow problems
Authors: Cruz‐Mejía Oliverio , Letchford Adam N.
Published: June 2023

Network flow problems form an important and much‐studied family of combinatorial optimization problems, with a huge array of practical applications. Two network flow problems in particular have received a great deal of attention: the maximum flow and minimum‐cost flow problems. We review the progress that has been made on exact solution algorithms for these two problems, with an emphasis on worst‐case running times.
Performance of Non‐EPI DW MRI for Pediatric Cholesteatoma Follow‐Up
Authors: Daoudi Hannah , Levy Raphaël , Baudouin Robin , Couloigner Vincent , Leboulanger Nicolas , Garabédian Eréa‐Noel , Belhous Kahina , Boddaert Nathalie , Denoyelle Françoise , Simon François
Published: June 2023

Objective

To evaluate the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of nonecho planar (non‐EPI) diffusion‐weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect residual cholesteatoma in children.

Study Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

Tertiary comprehensive hospital.

Methods

Children operated on for a first‐stage cholesteatoma procedure from 2010 to 2019 were included. MRIs were performed with non‐EPI DW sequences. Initial reports were collected, indicating the presence or absence of hyperintensity suggestive of cholesteatoma. Three hundred twenty‐three MRIs were correlated with the subsequent surgery (66%) or year‐later MRI (21%), or were considered accurate if performed 5 years or more after the last surgery (13%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of each imaging procedure for the detection of cholesteatoma were calculated.

Results

Two hundred twenty‐four children with mean age of 9 ± 4 years old presented with cholesteatoma. MRIs were performed 27 ± 24 months after surgery. Residual cholesteatoma was diagnosed in 35%. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of MRI were 62%, 86%, 74%, and 78%, respectively. Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity increased significantly over time (multivariate analysis). The mean delay after last surgery was of 30 ± 2.0 months for accurate MRI (true positive or negative) versus 17 ± 2.0 months for nonaccurate (false positive or negative) MRIs (p < .001).

Conclusion

However, long the delay after the last surgery, the sensitivity of non‐EPI diffusion sequence MRI in children has limitations for the detection of residual cholesteatoma. Surveillance for residual cholesteatoma should incorporate findings at primary surgery, surgeon experience, a low threshold for second‐look procedures, and routine imaging.
Eco‐friendly three‐dimensional hydrogels for sustainable agricultural applications: Current and future scenarios
Authors: Azeem Muhammad Khalid , Islam Atif , Khan Rafi Ullah , Rasool Atta , Qureshi Muhammad Anees ur Rehman , Rizwan Muhammad , Sher Farooq , Rasheed Tahir
Published: June 2023

Modern world is searching for water efficient agriculture techniques as irrigation is becoming scarce. Limited water resources and more food demand are the two key challenges in agriculture. Hydrogels which can respond intelligently by pH, temperature, light, ionic strength, osmotic pressure, magnetic or electric field changes are termed as intelligent or smart hydrogels which are analogous to conventional hydrogels in preparatory methods and features. Lag phase, constant release and decay phase are three steps involved in release of nutrients from polymeric hydrogels. In fact, hydrogels act as little reservoirs of water and dissolve nutrients that are released in controlled manner anchored by plant roots via capillary action. Hydrogels also sustain optimum amount of water in water stress conditions and reabsorb water in moist conditions which ultimately increases seedling, seed germination, plant growth and crop yield. Fertilizer and salt release are majorly dependent upon pH and temperature followed by diffusion‐controlled mechanism. Cross‐linkers, binders and fillers play pivotal role in determining properties, architecture and hydrogel pores. In comparison to potassium (K+) and phosphate (PO4−3) ions, nitrates (NO3−1) and ammonium (NH4+1) ions exhibited faster release rate. This review spotlights application prospects of three dimensional hydrogel in agriculture. Initially, properties of hydrogels, their classification, preparatory methods, effect of natural‐synthetic‐polymer blending and role of fillers are stated. Afterward, hydrogel functioning, significance, advantages, mechanism of fertilizer release and agriculture specific applications of hydrogels are comprehensively described. In conclusion, extraordinary biocompatible, cheaper, stable, biodegradable, durable, non‐toxic and re‐wettable characteristics of hydrogel systems motivated their utilization in agronomical applications.
Capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry for protein analyses under native conditions: Current progress and perspectives
Authors: Schwenzer Ann‐Katrin , Kruse Lena , Jooß Kevin , Neusüß Christian
Published: June 2023

Native mass spectrometry is a rapidly emerging technique for fast and sensitive structural analysis of protein constructs, maintaining the protein higher order structure. The coupling with electromigration separation techniques under native conditions enables the characterization of proteoforms and highly complex protein mixtures. In this review, we present an overview of current native CE‐MS technology. First, the status of native separation conditions is described for capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE), and capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF), as well as their chip‐based formats, including essential parameters such as electrolyte composition and capillary coatings. Further, conditions required for native ESI‐MS of (large) protein constructs, including instrumental parameters of QTOF and Orbitrap systems, as well as requirements for native CE‐MS interfacing are presented. On this basis, methods and applications of the different modes of native CE‐MS are summarized and discussed in the context of biological, medical, and biopharmaceutical questions. Finally, key achievements are highlighted and concluded, while remaining challenges are pointed out.
Synthesis of hyperbranched polymers by combination of self‐condensing vinyl polymerization and iniferter process
Authors: Guner Samet , Ciftci Mustafa
Published: June 2023

A versatile approach for the synthesis of polystyrene based hyperbranched polymers (hyp‐PS) with tunable branching densities by combination of self‐condensing vinyl polymerization and iniferter processes is reported. The technique is based on the utilization of a dual functional monomer, 2,2,2‐(triphenylethyl)styrene (TPES), that contains both polymerizable and iniferter units. Branching densities of the polymers are regulated depending on the TPES concentration and polymerization time. Moreover, obtained polymers are used as macroiniferter for the copolymerization of a hydrophilic monomer (poly(ethylene glycol) acrylate) to give amphiphilic branched‐core star polymers.
Identifying promising sequences for protein engineering using a deep transformer protein language model
Authors: Frisby Trevor S. , Langmead Christopher James
Published: June 2023

Protein engineers aim to discover and design novel sequences with targeted, desirable properties. Given the near limitless size of the protein sequence landscape, it is no surprise that these desirable sequences are often a relative rarity. This makes identifying such sequences a costly and time‐consuming endeavor. In this work, we show how to use a deep transformer protein language model to identify sequences that have the most promise. Specifically, we use the model's self‐attention map to calculate a Promise Score that weights the relative importance of a given sequence according to predicted interactions with a specified binding partner. This Promise Score can then be used to identify strong binders worthy of further study and experimentation. We use the Promise Score within two protein engineering contexts—Nanobody (Nb) discovery and protein optimization. With Nb discovery, we show how the Promise Score provides an effective way to select lead sequences from Nb repertoires. With protein optimization, we show how to use the Promise Score to select site‐specific mutagenesis experiments that identify a high percentage of improved sequences. In both cases, we also show how the self‐attention map used to calculate the Promise Score can indicate which regions of a protein are involved in intermolecular interactions that drive the targeted property. Finally, we describe how to fine‐tune the transformer protein language model to learn a predictive model for the targeted property, and discuss the capabilities and limitations of fine‐tuning with and without knowledge transfer within the context of protein engineering.
Microfluidic Immuno‐Serolomic Assay Reveals Systems Level Association with COVID‐19 Pathology and Vaccine Protection
Authors: Kim Dongjoo , Biancon Giulia , Bai Zhiliang , VanOudenhove Jennifer , Liu Yuxin , Kothari Shalin , Gowda Lohith , Kwan Jennifer M. , Buitrago‐Pocasangre Nicholas Carlos , Lele Nikhil , Asashima Hiromitsu , Racke Michael K. , Wilson JoDell E. , Givens Tara S. , Tomayko Mary M. , Schulz Wade L. , Longbrake Erin E. , Hafler David A. , Halene Stephanie , Fan Rong
Published: June 2023

How to develop highly informative serology assays to evaluate the quality of immune protection against coronavirus disease‐19 (COVID‐19) has been a global pursuit over the past years. Here, a microfluidic high‐plex immuno‐serolomic assay is developed to simultaneously measure50 plasma or serum samples for50 soluble markers including 35proteins, 11 anti‐spike/receptor binding domian (RBD) IgG antibodies spanningmajor variants, and controls. This assay demonstrates the quintuplicate test in a single run with high throughput, low sample volume, high reproducibilityand accuracy. It is applied to the measurement of 1012 blood samples including in‐depth analysis of sera from 127 patients and 21 healthy donors over multiple time points, either with acute COVID infection or vaccination. The protein analysis reveals distinct immune mediator modules that exhibit a reduced degree of diversity in protein‐protein cooperation in patients with hematologic malignancies or receiving B cell depletion therapy. Serological analysis identifies that COVID‐infected patients with hematologic malignancies display impaired anti‐RBD antibody response despite high level of anti‐spike IgG, which can be associated with limited clonotype diversity and functional deficiency in B cells. These findings underscore the importance to individualize immunization strategies for these high‐risk patients and provide an informative tool to monitor their responses at the systems level.
How resilient are waterways of the Asian Himalayas? Finding adaptive measures for future sustainability
Authors: Kattel Giri R. , Paszkowski Amelie , Pokhrel Yadu , Wu Wenyan , Li Dongfeng , Rao Mukund P.
Published: June 2023

The high‐mountain system, a storehouse of major waterways that support important ecosystem services to about 1.5 billion people in the Himalaya, is facing unprecedented challenges due to climate change during the 21st century. Intensified floods, accelerating glacial retreat, rapid permafrost degradation, and prolonged droughts are altering the natural hydrological balances and generating unpredictable spatial and temporal distributions of water availability. Anthropogenic activities are adding further pressure onto Himalayan waterways. The fundamental question of waterway management in this region is therefore how this hydro‐meteorological transformation, caused by climate change and anthropogenic perturbations, can be tackled to find avenues for sustainability. This requires a framework that can diagnose threats at a range of spatial and temporal scales and provide recommendations for strong adaptive measures for sustainable future waterways. This focus paper assesses the current literature base to bring together our understanding of how recent climatic changes have threatened waterways in the Asian Himalayas, how society has been responding to rapidly changing waterway conditions, and what adaptive options are available for the region. The study finds that Himalayan waterways are crucial in protecting nature and society. The implementation of integrated waterways management measures, the rapid advancement of waterway infrastructure technologies, and the improved governance of waterways are more critical than ever.

This article is categorized under:

Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water
Slavery in the Western Mediterranean
Authors: Schiel Juliane
Published: June 2023

This chapter discusses household slavery in relation to the urbanization process and Mediterranean colonialism taking place in late medieval Europe. It reassesses the Ehrenkreutz thesis that urban slavery in late medieval Europe was a secondary byproduct of power relations in Central Asia and the Black Sea region by evaluating information on the entry of individuals into slavery from fragmented documents. Furthermore, the chapter shows that urban slavery in the late medieval Mediterranean included far more than domestic services and discusses the value of court papers and wills for the understanding of exit scenarios for slaves.
Slavery in the Mediterranean
Authors: Bonazza Giulia
Published: June 2023

This chapter focuses on slavery in the Mediterranean region from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, and especially in the Northern Mediterranean basin, including the Italian states, France, Spain, and Portugal. Comparing the situation in Southern European states to that in the Ottoman Empire and its satellite states enables an analysis of the forms of reciprocity and the commonalities inherent in slave trade practices around the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean was at the center of larger slave trading networks whose slaves originated from all over the world. More specifically, this chapter examines various forms of enslavement and types of work performed by slaves, along with the different levels of coercion involved in them. In its conclusion, the chapter details some of the exit strategies that enabled slaves to become free—both in socio-economic terms and from a legal perspective.
Slavery in the Holy Roman Empire
Authors: Köstlbauer Josef
Published: June 2023

This chapter provides an introduction to the multifaceted history of slavery in the principalities of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation in the early modern period. Utilizing the tripartite structure proposed by the editors, it explains the heterogeneous and often ill-defined character of slavery in the Empire. Besides describing the various entryways of enslaved individuals into the Empire and the disparate expressions of slavery encountered there, the chapter aims to provide readers with a clear understanding of how slavery interacted with and was often obscured by a range of conditions of dependency and hierarchy permeating early modern German society.
Slavery and Serfdom in Muscovy and the Russian Empire
Authors: Nolte Hans-Heinrich , Smolarz Elena
Published: June 2023

This chapter aims to assess forms of strong asymmetric social dependency in early modern Russia, especially with respect to slaves, servants, and serfs, as well as institutionalized bondage and its imperial legislation and local practices. Based on legal documents and administrative records, the legal status of kholopy (servants/slaves) and krepostnye (serfs) will be elaborated. Special attention will be paid to the circumstances of entry into dependent social status, to the living and working conditions, and to possibilities for upward social mobility or even release. In order to grasp the “continuum of dependency,” textual articulation of dependencies and their historical semantics as well as institutional norms and regional practices will be considered.
Slavery in the Indian Ocean World
Authors: Chakraborty Titas
Published: June 2023

This chapter provides a comprehensive history of various forms of slavery in what came to be known in historical works as the Indian Ocean World, or a specific zone of multi-regional connections through maritime practices. It explores the dynamics of enslavement including the trade in slaves, the range of work that enslaved men and women performed, and the possibilities of social mobility for slaves and ex-slaves. In doing so, the chapter familiarizes readers with three major historiographical debates in the field, namely, who/what constituted the figure of a slave; the relationship between slavery in the Indian Ocean world and other forms of bondage such as the Atlantic slavery and indentured servitude; and the relationship between abolition and colonialism in the Indian Ocean world.
Injection: Atlantic Slavery and Commodity Chains
Authors: Weber Klaus
Published: June 2023

South Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe were more closely involved with slavery in the Americas than is commonly assumed. Lower costs for labor, raw materials, and solid fuel gave specific regions a competitive edge in the production of commodities used in the barter trade for slaves from West Africa, as well as in provisioning New World plantations. Ironware from the Rhineland; copper and iron from Sweden; Bohemian glassware; and especially Indian cottons and German linen, all contributed to lowering costs in the acquisition of slaves and in the maintenance of plantations. The purchasing power thus generated in Central Europe contributed to the growth of the population and of proto-industries, and ultimately to industrialization. This injection essay illuminates the impact of commodity chains on New World slavery by focusing on the single most important plantation product destined for Europe—sugar—and the two single most important barter commodities destined for Africa: textiles and metalware.
The Second Slavery in the Americas
Authors: Zeuske Michael
Published: June 2023

This chapter examines the era of “second slavery” from roughly 1800 to 1888. The second slavery in the Atlantic world refers to the renewed expansion and the creation of new frontiers of slavery, with modern capitalist characteristics, especially (but not exclusively) in the nineteenth-century slaveholding societies of the US South, Brazil, and the Spanish Caribbean (especially Cuba). It began during the Age of Revolutions and mirrored the piecemeal abolition of slavery in other parts of the Americas. The chapter starts with the rise of the second slavery in the wake of the Atlantic revolutions, including the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade by the US and Great Britain in 1808. It then discusses the intensification and modernization of plantation agriculture in the main regions of the second slavery, supplemented by the rise of slave trading in the hiddenAtlantic (the Atlantic after the formal abolition of the Atlantic slave trade with its contraband economies) as well as internally within slaveholding societies (especially in the US South and Brazil).
Slavery in Southeastern Europe
Authors: Achim Viorel
Published: June 2023

In Southeastern Europe, slavery was present in various forms from antiquity until the nineteenth century. During the 1800s, slavery as a social reality still existed in the Ottoman Empire (including its European provinces) as well as in the Romanian principalities. Wallachia and Moldavia had slaves and slavery since their founding in the fourteenth century. Around the middle of the nineteenth century, the roughly 250000 slaves living in the two countries represented seven percent of the total population. There were three categories of slaves: state slaves, slaves owned by monasteries, and privately owned slaves. The slave population was diverse in numerous ways. In terms of their ethnicity, most slaves were Roma, while some were of Romanian or other origin. As in previous centuries, they played an important role in the country’s economy—primarily by way of the enslaved craftsmen who practiced their crafts itinerantly in villages. This chapter reconstructs the history of slavery, abolitionism, and emancipation in the Romanian principalities between the 1830s and the 1850s, with reference to previous periods and similar processes taking place around the same time in other geographical areas.
Extinguishing Landscape, Creating Property: Property and Spatial Injustice
Authors: Byer Amanda
Published: June 2023

This chapter reflects on the ways in which loss of place or landscape destruction can be considered intrinsic to property’s formulation in the law. In summarising the relationship between the common law and land by examining property’s impact on various geographic locations, it becomes clear that private property has benefitted from undemocratic and environmentally harmful activities that have concerning implications for sustainable land use. Failure to consider enduring people–place relations developed in response to local limits means that property operates without regard for the physical environment, including its cultural dimensions, and this has implications for human rights and ecological resilience. The chapter closes by identifying this transition from landscape to property as spatial injustice that is upheld by the law.
Hairy black holes in AdS with Robin boundary conditions
Authors: Harada Tomohiro , Ishii Takaaki , Katagiri Takuya , Tanahashi Norihiro
Published: June 2023

Abstract

We study hairy black holes in Einstein-Maxwell-complex scalar theory in four-dimensional asymptotically global anti-de Sitter (AdS) spacetime when the Robin boundary conditions are imposed on the scalar field. This setup is dual to the double trace deformation of strongly interacting field theory on R × S2 by charged scalar operators. We identify the instability of the Reissner-Nordström-AdS (RNAdS) black holes under the Robin boundary conditions and construct backreacted geometries branching at the onset of the instability. Also considering associated horizonless geometries called boson stars, we obtain phase diagrams with fairly rich structure in the grand canonical ensemble depending on the boundary condition parameter or the deformation parameter, where phase transition occurs between thermal AdS, RNAdS, charged boson stars, and hairy black holes.
A new puzzle in non-leptonic B decays
Authors: Biswas Aritra , Descotes-Genon Sébastien , Matias Joaquim , Tetlalmatzi-Xolocotzi Gilberto
Published: June 2023

Abstract

We build a set of new observables using closely related non-leptonic penguin-mediated Bd and Bs decays: $$ {\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {K}^{\ast 0}{\overline{K}}^{\ast 0},{\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {K}^0{\overline{K}}^0,{\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {K}^0{\overline{K}}^{\ast 0} $$

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K

∗
0

K
¯

∗
0

,

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K
0

K
¯

0

,

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K
0

K
¯

∗
0

and $$ {\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {\overline{K}}^0{K}^{\ast 0} $$

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K
¯

0

K

∗
0

together with their CP conjugate partners. These optimised observables are designed to reduce hadronic uncertainties, mainly coming from form factors and power-suppressed contributions, and thus maximize their sensitivity to New Physics (NP). The deviations observed with respect to the Standard Model (SM) in the ratios of branching ratios of $$ {\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {K}^{\ast 0}{\overline{K}}^{\ast 0}\left(2.6\sigma \right) $$

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K

∗
0

K
¯

∗
0

2.6
σ

and $$ {\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {K}^0{\overline{K}}^0\left(2.4\sigma \right) $$

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K
0

K
¯

0

2.4
σ

can be explained by simple NP scenarios involving the Wilson coefficients $$ \mathcal{C} $$
C
4 and $$ \mathcal{C} $$
C
6 associated with QCD penguin operators and the coefficient $$ \mathcal{C} $$
C
8g of the chromomagnetic operator. The optimised observables for $$ {\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {K}^0{\overline{K}}^{\ast 0} $$

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K
0

K
¯

∗
0

and $$ {\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {\overline{K}}^0{K}^{\ast 0} $$

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K
¯

0

K

∗
0

show distinctive patterns of deviations with respect to their SM predictions under these NP scenarios. The pattern of deviations of individual branching ratios, though affected by significant hadronic uncertainties, suggests that NP is needed both in b → d and b → s transitions. We provide the regions for the Wilson coefficients consistent with both optimised observables and individual branching ratios. The NP scenarios considered to explain the deviations of $$ {\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {K}^{\ast 0}{\overline{K}}^{\ast 0} $$

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K

∗
0

K
¯

∗
0

and $$ {\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {K}^0{\overline{K}}^0 $$

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K
0

K
¯

0

can yield deviations up to an order of magnitude among the observables that we introduced for $$ {\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {K}^0{\overline{K}}^{\ast 0} $$

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K
0

K
¯

∗
0

and $$ {\overline{B}}_{d,s}\to {\overline{K}}^0{K}^{\ast 0} $$

B
¯

d
,
s

→

K
¯

0

K

∗
0

. Probing these new observables experimentally by improving the measurements of individual branching ratios of penguin-mediated decays would confirm the consistency of the deviations already observed and provide a highly valuable hint of NP in the non-leptonic sector.
Outside‐in repair technique is effective in traumatic tears of the meniscus in active adults: a systematic review
Authors: Migliorini Filippo , Pilone Marco , Bell Andreas , Celik Michael , Konrads Christian , Maffulli Nicola
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Meniscal injuries are common. Outside‐in meniscal repair is one of the techniques advocated for the management of traumatic meniscal tears. This systematic review investigated the outcomes of the outside‐in repair technique for the management of traumatic tears of the menisci. The outcomes of interest were to investigate whether PROMs improved and to evaluate the rate of complications.

Methods

Following the 2020 PRISMA statement, in May 2023, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Embase were accessed with no time constraints. All the clinical investigations which reported data on meniscal repair using the outside‐in technique were considered for inclusion. Only studies which reported data on acute traumatic meniscal tears in adults were considered. Only studies which reported a minimum of 24 months of follow‐up were eligible.

Results

Data from 458 patients were extracted. 34% (155 of 458) were women. 65% (297 of 458) of tears involved the medial meniscus. The mean operative time was 52.9 ± 13.6 min. Patients returned to their normal activities at 4.8 ± 0.8 months. At a mean of 67‐month follow‐up, all PROMs of interest improved: Tegner scale (P = 0.003), Lysholm score (P < 0.0001), International Knee Documentation Committee (P < 0.0001). 5.9% (27 of 458) of repairs were considered failures. Four of 186 (2.2%) patients experienced a re‐injury, and 5 of 458 (1.1%) patients required re‐operation.

Conclusion

Meniscal repair using the outside‐in technique can be effectively performed to improve the quality of life and the activity level of patients with acute meniscal tears.

Level of evidence

Level IV.
Stepwise asynchronous telehealth assessment of patients with suspected axial spondyloarthritis: results from a pilot study
Authors: Hannah Labinsky , von Sophie Rohr , Gabriella Raimondo Maria , Daniela Bohr , Harriet Morf , Britta Horstmann , Felix Seese , Fabian Proft , Felix Muehlensiepen , Katharina Boy , Sebastian Kuhn , Marc Schmalzing , Nicolas Vuillerme , Georg Schett , Andreas Ramming , Johannes Knitza
Published: June 2023

Patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) suffer from one of the longest diagnostic delays among all rheumatic diseases. Telemedicine (TM) may reduce this diagnostic delay by providing easy access to care. Diagnostic rheumatology telehealth studies are scarce and largely limited to traditional synchronous approaches such as resource-intensive video and telephone consultations. The aim of this study was to investigate a stepwise asynchronous telemedicine-based diagnostic approach in patients with suspected axSpA. Patients with suspected axSpA completed a fully automated digital symptom assessment using two symptom checkers (SC) (bechterew-check and Ada). Secondly, a hybrid stepwise asynchronous TM approach was investigated. Three physicians and two medical students were given sequential access to SC symptom reports, laboratory and imaging results. After each step, participants had to state if axSpA was present or not (yes/no) and had to rate their perceived decision confidence. Results were compared to the final diagnosis of the treating rheumatologist. 17 (47.2%) of 36 included patients were diagnosed with axSpA. Diagnostic accuracy of bechterew-check, Ada, TM students and TM physicians was 47.2%, 58.3%, 76.4% and 88.9% respectively. Access to imaging results significantly increased sensitivity of TM-physicians (p < 0.05). Mean diagnostic confidence of false axSpA classification was not significantly lower compared to correct axSpA classification for both students and physicians. This study underpins the potential of asynchronous physician-based telemedicine for patients with suspected axSpA. Similarly, the results highlight the need for sufficient information, especially imaging results to ensure a correct diagnosis. Further studies are needed to investigate other rheumatic diseases and telediagnostic approaches.
A combinatorial proof of a sumset conjecture of Furstenberg
Authors: Glasscock Daniel , Moreira Joel , Richter Florian K.
Published: June 2023

We give a new proof of a sumset conjecture of Furstenberg that was first proved by Hochman and Shmerkin in 2012: if $$\log r/\log s$$

log
r
/
log
s

is irrational and X and Y are $$\times r$$

×
r

- and $$\times s$$

×
s

-invariant subsets of [0, 1], respectively, then $$\dim _{\text {H}}(X + Y ) = \min (1, \dim _{\text {H}}X + \dim _{\text {H}}Y )$$

dim
H

(
X
+
Y
)

=
min

(
1
,

dim
H

X
+

dim
H

Y
)

. Our main result yields information on the size of the sumset $$\lambda X + \eta Y$$

λ
X
+
η
Y

uniformly across a compact set of parameters at fixed scales. The proof is combinatorial and avoids the machinery of local entropy averages and CP-processes, relying instead on a quantitative, discrete Marstrand projection theorem and a subtree regularity theorem that may be of independent interest.
GPU-based similarity metrics computation and machine learning approaches for string similarity evaluation in large datasets
Authors: Baloi Aurel , Belean Bogdan , Turcu Flaviu , Peptenatu Daniel
Published: June 2023

The digital era brings up on one hand massive amounts of available data and on the other hand the need of parallel computing architectures for efficient data processing. String similarity evaluation is a processing task applied on large data volumes, commonly performed by various applications such as search engines, biomedical data analysis and even software tools for defending against viruses, spyware, or spam. String similarities are also used in musical industry for matching playlist records with repertory records composed of song titles, performer artists and producers names, aiming to assure copyright protection of mass-media broadcast materials. The present paper proposes a novel GPU-based approach for parallel implementation of the Jaro–Winkler string similarity metric computation, broadly used for matching strings over large datasets. The proposed implementation is applied in musical industry for matching playlist with over 100k records with a given repertory which includes a collection of over 1 million right owner records. The global GPU RAM memory is used to store multiple string lines representing repertory records, whereas single playlist string comparisons with the raw data are performed using the maximum number of available GPU threads and the stride operations. Further on, the accuracy of the Jaro–Winkler approach for the string matching procedure is increased using both an adaptive neural network approach guided by a novelty detection classifier (aNN) and a multiple-features neural network implementation (MF-NN). Thus, the aNN approach yielded an accuracy of 92% while the MF-NN approach achieved an accuracy of 99% at the cost of increased computational complexity. Timing considerations and the computational complexity are detailed for the proposed approaches compared with both the general-purpose processor (CPU) implementation and the state-of-the-art GPU approaches. A speed-up factor of 21.6 was obtained for the GPU-based Jaro–Winkler implementation compared with the CPU one, whereas a factor of 3.72 was obtained compared with the existing GPU implementation of string matching procedure based on Levenstein distance metrics.
Statistical approach to identify variables predicting sulphide clay occurrence in southern Finland
Authors: Saresma Maarit , Löfman Monica , Kosonen Emilia , Ojala Antti E. K. , Korkiala-Tanttu Leena
Published: June 2023

Acid sulphate soil and sulphide-bearing sediments cause various challenges in construction projects and land use planning, as well as harmful environmental effects. Fine-grained sulphide sediments were mainly formed in coastal areas during the Litorina Sea water phase at approximately 7000 BP in the capital region of Finland, but not all these sediments contain sulphide clay. In this study, environmental and material property variables related to the depositional conditions of sulphide clay were selected for statistical analyses to find their association with the occurrence of sulphide. The datasets consisted of sulphide investigations by the City of Espoo, the City of Helsinki, and the Geological Survey of Finland. Statistically significant associations were found in the study area between the occurrence of sulphide and enumerative variables (i.e., sediment organic content, total clay depth, topographic class in the Litorina Sea phase, and water depth) in the Litorina Sea phase. Locations where sulphide clay is especially likely to occur consist of organic-rich (≥ 2%) thick clay (≥ 15 m) deposits in a topographically narrow depression with deep Litorina water (≥ 30 m), or where there is a moderate depth clay (3–5 m) in a local depression with shallow Litorina water (10–20 m). The best individual predictor for sulphide clay occurrence in the study area was found to be the sediment organic content, and, together with sediment water content, these variables very accurately predicted the occurrence of sulphide clay. In addition, clay depth is a very good predictor and, together with the topographic class narrow depression and the Litorina water depth or current elevation, can be used to predict sulphide occurrence.
Poor health-related quality of life in postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome in comparison with a sex- and age-matched normative population
Authors: Seeley Marie-Claire , Gallagher Celine , Ong Eric , Langdon Amy , Chieng Jonathan , Bailey Danielle , Dennis Annabelle , McCaffrey Nikki , Lau Dennis H.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

The effect of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) on health-related quality of life (HrQoL) remains poorly studied. Here, we sought to compare the HrQoL in individuals with POTS to a normative age-/sex-matched population.

Methods

Participants enrolled in the Australian POTS registry between 5 August 2021 and 30 June 2022 were compared with propensity-matched local normative population data from the South Australian Health Omnibus Survey. The EQ-5D-5L instrument was used to assess HrQoL across the five domains (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression) with global health rating assessed with a visual analog scale (EQ-VAS). A population-based scoring algorithm was applied to the EQ-5D-5L data to calculate utility scores. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were undertaken to explore predictors of low utility scores.

Results

A total of 404 participants (n = 202 POTS; n = 202 normative population; median age 28 years, 90.6% females) were included. Compared with the normative population, the POTS cohort demonstrated significantly higher burden of impairment across all EQ-5D-5L domains (all P < 0.001), lower median EQ-VAS (p < 0.001), and lower utility scores (p < .001). The lower EQ-VAS and utility scores in the POTS cohort were universal in all age groups. Severity of orthostatic intolerance symptoms, female sex, fatigue scores, and comorbid diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome were independent predictors of reduced HrQoL in POTS. The disutility in those with POTS was lower than many chronic health conditions.

Conclusions

This is the first study to demonstrate significant impairment across all subdomains of EQ-5D-5L HrQoL in the POTS cohort as compared with a normative population.

Trial registration

ACTRN12621001034820
Improved distinct bone segmentation in upper-body CT through multi-resolution networks
Authors: Schnider Eva , Wolleb Julia , Huck Antal , Toranelli Mireille , Rauter Georg , Müller-Gerbl Magdalena , Cattin Philippe C.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Automated distinct bone segmentation from CT scans is widely used in planning and navigation workflows. U-Net variants are known to provide excellent results in supervised semantic segmentation. However, in distinct bone segmentation from upper-body CTs a large field of view and a computationally taxing 3D architecture are required. This leads to low-resolution results lacking detail or localisation errors due to missing spatial context when using high-resolution inputs.

Methods

We propose to solve this problem by using end-to-end trainable segmentation networks that combine several 3D U-Nets working at different resolutions. Our approach, which extends and generalizes HookNet and MRN, captures spatial information at a lower resolution and skips the encoded information to the target network, which operates on smaller high-resolution inputs. We evaluated our proposed architecture against single-resolution networks and performed an ablation study on information concatenation and the number of context networks.

Results

Our proposed best network achieves a median DSC of 0.86 taken over all 125 segmented bone classes and reduces the confusion among similar-looking bones in different locations. These results outperform our previously published 3D U-Net baseline results on the task and distinct bone segmentation results reported by other groups.

Conclusion

The presented multi-resolution 3D U-Nets address current shortcomings in bone segmentation from upper-body CT scans by allowing for capturing a larger field of view while avoiding the cubic growth of the input pixels and intermediate computations that quickly outgrow the computational capacities in 3D. The approach thus improves the accuracy and efficiency of distinct bone segmentation from upper-body CT.
The politics of international testing
Authors: Kijima Rie , Lipscy Phillip Y.
Published: June 2023

How does quantifying and ranking national performance influence state behavior? Cross-national assessments in education, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) promoted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), have become increasingly prominent in recent years. However, cross-national assessments are politically contentious, and their impact remains underexplored. We argue that assessment participation has a meaningful, positive impact on education outcomes and evaluate three hypotheses related to elite, domestic, and transnational mechanisms. Our mixed-method approach draws on a panel dataset covering all cross-national assessments and all countries as well as an original survey of education officials directly responsible for planning and implementation in 46 countries. We find that assessment participation increases net secondary enrollment rates even after accounting for potential self-selection. The magnitude of this increase is large: on a global basis, it is equivalent to improved access to higher education for 27–32 million students annually. The empirical evidence suggests elite-level mechanisms are primarily responsible for these findings.
Scaling limits of fluctuations of extended-source internal DLA
Authors: Darrow David
Published: June 2023

In a previous work, we showed that the 2D, extended-source internal DLA (IDLA) of Levine and Peres is δ3/5-close to its scaling limit, if δ is the lattice size. In this paper, we investigate the scaling limits of the fluctuations themselves. Namely, we show that two naturally defined error functions, which measure the “lateness” of lattice points at one time and at all times, respectively, converge to geometry-dependent Gaussian random fields. We use these results to calculate point-correlation functions associated with the fluctuations of the flow. Along the way, we demonstrate similar δ3/5 bounds on the fluctuations of the related divisible sandpile model of Levine and Peres, and we generalize the results of our previous work to a larger class of extended sources.
On the relationship between school mathematics and university mathematics: a comparison of three approaches
Authors: Scheiner Thorsten , Bosch Marianna
Published: June 2023

This paper examines how different approaches in mathematics education conceptualise the relationship between school mathematics and university mathematics. The approaches considered here include: (a) Klein’s elementary mathematics from a higher standpoint; (b) Shulman’s transformation of disciplinary subject matter into subject matter for teaching; and (c) Chevallard’s didactic transposition of scholarly knowledge into knowledge to be taught. Similarities and contrasts between these three approaches are discussed in terms of how they frame the relationship between the academic discipline and the school subject, and to what extent they problematise the reliance and bias towards the academic discipline. The institutional position implicit in the three approaches is then examined in order to open up new ways of thinking about the relationship between school mathematics and university mathematics.
The effects of lignin structure on the multiscale properties and electrochemical performance of activated carbons
Authors: Guizani Chamseddine , Sorsa Olli , Siipola Virpi , Ohra-Aho Taina , Paalijärvi Riina , Pasanen Antti , Mäkelä Mikko , Kalliola Anna , Vilkman Marja , Torvinen Katariina
Published: June 2023

Lignin is a nature’s wonder most abundant aromatic biopolymer and a promising precursor for a wide range of sustainable carbon materials (CMs). However, the effects of lignin structural heterogeneity on the properties and performance of lignin-based CMs are still poorly understood. In this paper, we address the influence of the lignin structural heterogeneity on the properties of lignin-based activated carbons (ACs). Taking two structurally different kraft (KL) and hydrolysis (HL) lignins, we show that they result into ACs with different properties and electrochemical performance in supercapacitor application. In similar carbonization and activation conditions, ACs from HL showed higher specific capacitances than ACs from KL. The difference between the two groups of ACs could not be solely attributed to the difference in their specific surface areas. They were rather found to result from different particle morphologies, pore size distributions, pore wall nanostructures, and surface chemistries, as revealed by multivariate data analyses. Moreover, we observed that KL and HL had different thermophysical behaviors and reactivities during the thermal treatment, which would have influenced the porosity development and surface oxygenation levels and consequently the electrochemical performance of the derived ACs. This work also shows that it is possible to engineer ACs from HL with electrochemical performance close to the commercial YP-50F Kuraray AC, which implies that less pure, carbohydrate-containing lignins are no less advantaged compared to purer KL to produce high-performance ACs for supercapacitor application.