bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Porous Organic Polymers: Promising Testbed for Heterogeneous Reactive Oxygen Species Mediated Photocatalysis and Nonredox CO2 Fixation
Authors: Giri Arkaprabha , Patra Abhijit
Published: June 2022

Catalysts play a pivotal role in achieving the global need for food and energy. In this context, porous organic polymers (POPs) with high surface area, robust architecture, tunable pore size, and chemical functionalities have emerged as promising testbeds for heterogeneous catalysis. Amorphous POPs having functionalized interconnected hierarchical porous structures activate a diverse range of substrates through covalent/non‐covalent interactions or act as a host matrix to encapsulate catalytically active metal centers. On the other hand, conjugated POPs have been explored for photoinduced chemical transformations. In this personal account, we have delineated the evolution of various POPs and the specific role of pores and pore functionalities in heterogeneous catalysis. Subsequently, we retrospect our journey over the last ten years towards designing and fabricating amorphous POPs for heterogeneous catalysis, specifically photocatalytic reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐mediated organic transformations and nonredox chemical fixation of CO2. We have also outlined some of the future avenues of POPs and POP‐based hybrid materials for diverse catalytic applications.
The Catalyst Design for Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries: Roles and Routes
Authors: Cao Yun , Gu Sichen , Han Junwei , Yang Quan‐Hong , Lv Wei
Published: June 2022

Lithium‐sulfur battery is a promising candidate for next‐generation high energy density batteries due to its ultrahigh theoretical energy density. However, it suffers from low sulfur utilization, fast capacity decay, and the notorious “shuttle effect” of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) due to the sluggish reaction kinetics, which severely restrict its practical applications. Using the electrocatalyst can accelerate the redox reactions between sulfur, LiPSs and Li2S and suppress the shuttling of LiPSs, and thus, it is a promising strategy to solve the above problems, enabling the battery with high energy density and long cycling stability. In this personal account, we discuss the catalyst design for lithium‐sulfur batteries according to the sulfur reduction reaction (SRR) and sulfur evolution reaction (SER) in the discharging and charging processes. The catalytic effects for each step in SRR and SER are highlighted and the homogenous catalysts, the selective catalysts, and the bidirectional catalysts are discussed, which can help guide the rational design of the catalysts and practical applications of lithium‐sulfur batteries.
Document clustering
Authors: Cozzolino Irene , Ferraro Maria Brigida
Published: June 2022

Nowadays, the explosive growth in text data emphasizes the need for developing new and computationally efficient methods and credible theoretical support tailored for analyzing such large‐scale data. Given the vast amount of this kind of unstructured data, the majority of it is not classified, hence unsupervised learning techniques show to be useful in this field. Document clustering has proven to be an efficient tool in organizing textual documents and it has been widely applied in different areas from information retrieval to topic modeling. Before introducing the proposals of document clustering algorithms, the principal steps of the whole process, including the mathematical representation of documents and the preprocessing phase, are discussed. Then, the main clustering algorithms used for text data are critically analyzed, considering prototype‐based, graph‐based, hierarchical, and model‐based approaches.

This article is categorized under:

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Clustering and Classification

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Text Mining

Data: Types and Structure > Text Data
Introduction
Authors: Andreallo Fiona
Published: June 2022

This book is the first of its kind to map Touch as culturally meaningful in digital social networks. In this chapter, the concept of Touch (with a capital T) is briefly introduced as a social and cultural concept, beyond just the physical practice or sensation of touch as we usually understand it. Touch is specifically identified as a key aspect of photography, including selfies and memes. Touch involves relationships of bodies, objects, spaces, connection, disconnection and positioning. As a communication practice, these relationships are meaningful and significant. This chapter includes descriptions of key terms to locate the focus of the book and a map of the book’s content. This introduction frames the great significance of understanding socially networked relationships as Touch.
Mobility and the Middle Kingdom
Authors: Tan K. Cohen
Published: June 2022

This article looks at the difference between global digital nomadism as a disruptive form of mobile sociality within the space of flows and Chinese lifestyle migration as a sedentarist form of lifestyle mobility. Mobile sociality is understood as the ability to remain connected with home despite being on the move while lifestyle mobility is understood as the need to make and unmake homes while on the move. The use of mobilities paradigm as a theoretical lens demonstrates the fundamental difference between the two lies in their orientation towards territority as a homing desire. The article concludes that Chinese lifestyle mobility has yet to achieve the mobile sociality of global digital nomads, despite both being equally imbricated within the state of constant connectivity.
The Production of Knowledge and Preservation of Self-identity: William of Rubruck and Ibn Battuta in Contact with Mongols
Authors: Taylor Claire
Published: June 2022

The chapter discusses the perceptions and constructions of Asia in the Mongol period, focusing on two travellers going eastward in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries: William of Rubruck and Ibn Battuta. By reconstructing the context and motivations for their voyages, the author traces European and Arab perceptions of East Asia and Inner Asia as they emerge from two key travel reports. Particular attention is given to the scope and limit of their curiosities, exploring similarities and differences in both mental attitude and perception of Asian spaces. The scholarly concept of othering so often applied to travellers entering the East is here questioned and problematized. Interestingly, social imageries of Asia often went beyond quoting ancient authorities and repeating known tropes of classical and holy texts. This finding in turn sparks questions about the relationship between changing narratives, mobilities, and agendas behind the production of knowledge.
Travelling Across Late Mediaeval Eurasia: Travel, Curiosity and Knowledge in the Mongol Period
Authors: Askew Joseph Benjamin
Published: June 2022

This chapter offers a new, brief yet cohesive introduction to travel across Mongol Eurasia. It is usually assumed that this period resulted in the movement of relatively large numbers of people across vast distances. However, previous studies of this period have not adequately distinguished between different types of movement within the wider Mongol sphere. This essay seeks to develop a thorough discussion of the different forms of movement in this period, by interrogating texts of travel accounts through the lenses of curiosity, motives and redefinition of the self within a description of geographic and social spaces. It critically reconsiders the amount of trade carried out during the so-called Pax Mongolica, and it explores an array of examples of travel writings, penned by both European and intra-Asian authors.
German Dreams of Empire in the Far East: The German Expeditions to the East and Ferdinand von Richthofen’s Encounters with Asia, 1850–1880
Authors: Mueller Christian
Published: June 2022

The article explores German encounters with East Asia in the rise of German nation-state building and imperial ambitions since the Revolutions of 1848 until the inner consolidation of Imperial Germany in the 1880s. It focuses on the scientific explorer Ferdinand von Richthofen and his curiosity and knowledge creation in his writings in relation to the German public debates on Asia. In physically travelling through Asia, Japan, and China in particular, Richthofen observed and constructed a transnational German image of Asia that went beyond crude racial stereotypes or sweeping assumptions of exclusive Eurocentric superiority while drawing upon his own identification of scientific observation and Prussian Kultur. Curiosity even under the guidance of Eurocentric imperial assumptions was open for social observations to construct differentiated images of Asia as spaces of interaction and change.
Integrable branes in generalized λ-deformations
Authors: Pappas Georgios P. D.
Published: June 2022

Abstract

We search for integrable boundary conditions and their geometric interpretation as D-branes, in models constructed as generalized λ-deformations of products of group- and coset-spaces. Using the sigma-model approach, we find that all the conformal brane geometries known in the literature for a product of WZW models solve the corresponding boundary conditions, thus persisting as integrable branes along the RG flows of our sigma-models. They consist of the well known G-conjugacy classes, twisted G-conjugacy classes by a permutation automorphism (permutation branes) and generalized permutation branes. Subsequently, we study the properties of the aforementioned brane geometries, especially of those embedded in the backgrounds interpolating between the UV and IR fixed points.
Entanglement entropy and phase space density: lowest Landau levels and 1/2 BPS states
Authors: Das Sumit R. , Hampton Shaun , Liu Sinong
Published: June 2022

Abstract

We consider the entanglement entropy of an arbitrary subregion in a system of N non-relativistic fermions in 2+1 dimensions in Lowest Landau Level (LLL) states. Using the connection of these states to those of an auxiliary 1 + 1 dimensional fermionic system, we derive an expression for the leading large-N contribution in terms of the expectation value of the phase space density operator in 1 + 1 dimensions. For appropriate subregions the latter can replaced by its semiclassical Thomas-Fermi value, yielding expressions in terms of explicit integrals which can be evaluated analytically. We show that the leading term in the entanglement entropy is a perimeter law with a shape independent coefficient. Furthermore, we obtain analytic expressions for additional contributions from sharp corners on the entangling curve. Both the perimeter and the corner pieces are in good agreement with existing calculations for special subregions. Our results are relevant to the integer quantum Hall effect problem, and to the half-BPS sector of $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 Yang Mills theory on S3. In this latter context, the entanglement we consider is an entanglement in target space. We comment on possible implications to gauge-gravity duality.
Exploitation of epigenetic variation of crop wild relatives for crop improvement and agrobiodiversity preservation
Authors: Varotto Serena , Krugman Tamar , Aiese Cigliano Riccardo , Kashkush Khalil , Kondić-Špika Ankica , Aravanopoulos Fillipos A. , Pradillo Monica , Consiglio Federica , Aversano Riccardo , Pecinka Ales , Miladinović Dragana
Published: June 2022

Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are recognized as the best potential source of traits for crop improvement. However, successful crop improvement using CWR relies on identifying variation in genes controlling desired traits in plant germplasms and subsequently incorporating them into cultivars. Epigenetic diversity may provide an additional layer of variation within CWR and can contribute novel epialleles for key traits for crop improvement. There is emerging evidence that epigenetic variants of functional and/or agronomic importance exist in CWR gene pools. This provides a rationale for the conservation of epigenotypes of interest, thus contributing to agrobiodiversity preservation through conservation and (epi)genetic monitoring. Concepts and techniques of classical and modern breeding should consider integrating recent progress in epigenetics, initially by identifying their association with phenotypic variations and then by assessing their heritability and stability in subsequent generations. New tools available for epigenomic analysis offer the opportunity to capture epigenetic variation and integrate it into advanced (epi)breeding programmes. Advances in -omics have provided new insights into the sources and inheritance of epigenetic variation and enabled the efficient introduction of epi-traits from CWR into crops using epigenetic molecular markers, such as epiQTLs.
Conduction System Pacing in Pediatrics and Congenital Heart Disease, a Single Center Series of 24 Patients
Authors: Gordon Amanda , Jimenez Erick , Cortez Daniel
Published: June 2022

His-bundle pacing has demonstrated feasibility in numerous adult studies to reverse and prevent pacing-induced cardiomyopathy, however, is met with higher capture thresholds with deployment sheaths designed for adults with his-bundles in the typical location. To describe 24 pediatric and adult congenital patients post-physiologic pacing.
Patients at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital with congenital complete heart block or congenital heart disease and atrioventricular block presented for pacemaker placement between November 2019 and January 2021. Twenty-four patients had attempted his-bundle placement using either Medtronic’s C315 or C308 sheaths and 3830 leads except for 3 patients who had Boston Scientific’s His system with the Shape 3 sheath and 7842 leads. Twenty-four total patients underwent physiologic pacing (23 his-bundle, 13 female, 11 male) with median age of 14 years (range 8–39 years) with median weight of 51 kg (range 21.2–81 kg) with five right-sided implants performed. Twelve patients had congenital heart disease including atrioventricular canal defects, tetralogy of Fallot, and ventricular septal defect repairs (nine patients with ventricular septal defect repairs). Twelve patients had selective His-bundle pacing (six with congenital heart disease). Median threshold to capture was 0.5 V at 0.4 ms (range 0.4 to 1.1 V at 0.4 ms), impedance 570 ohms (range 456–1140 ohms), and sensing median of 9.7 mV (range 1.5–13.8 mV if present). The median follow-up time was 610 days (range 240–760 days). No complications occurred peri-procedurally or during follow-up. His-bundle pacing is feasible in pediatric and congenital heart disease patients.
Crystal structure and investigation of Bi2TeO6·nH2O (0 ≤ n ≤ $${\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$} \kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em \lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 3$}}$$): natural and synthetic montanite
Authors: Missen Owen P. , Mills Stuart J. , Rumsey Michael S. , Weil Matthias , Artner Werner , Spratt John , Najorka Jens
Published: June 2022

The crystal structure of montanite has been determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction on a synthetic sample, supported by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), electron microprobe analysis (EPMA) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). Montanite was first described in 1868 as Bi2TeO6·nH2O (n = 1 or 2). The determination of the crystal structure of synthetic montanite (refined composition Bi2TeO6·0.22H2O) has led to the reassignment of the formula to Bi2TeO6·nH2O where 0 ≤ n ≤ $${\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$} \kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em \lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 3$}}$$

2

/

3

rather than the commonly reported Bi2TeO6·2H2O. This change has been accepted by the IMA–CNMNC, Proposal 22-A. The PXRD pattern simulated from the crystal structure of synthetic montanite is a satisfactory match for PXRD scans collected on both historical and recent natural samples, showing their equivalence. Two specimens attributed to the original discoverer of montanite (Frederick A. Genth) from the cotype localities (Highland Mining District, Montana and David Beck’s mine, North Carolina, USA) have been designated as neotypes. Montanite crystallises in space group P$$\overline{6 }$$

6
¯

, with the unit-cell parameters a = 9.1195(14) Å, c = 5.5694(8) Å, V = 401.13(14) Å3, and three formula units in the unit cell. The crystal structure of montanite is formed from a framework of BiOn and TeO6 polyhedra. Half of the Bi3+ and all of the Te6+ cations are coordinated by six oxygen atoms in trigonal-prismatic arrangements (the first example of this configuration reported for Te6+), while the remaining Bi3+ cations are coordinated by seven O sites. The H2O groups in montanite are structurally incorporated into the network of cavities formed by the three-dimensional framework, with other cavity space occupied by the stereoactive 6s2 lone pair of Bi3+ cations. While evidence for a supercell was observed in synthetic montanite, the subcell refinement of montanite adequately indexes all reflections in the PXRD patterns observed in all natural montanite samples analysed in this study, verifying the identity of montanite as a mineral.
Puncture accuracy of an optical tracked robotic aiming device—a phantom study
Authors: Scharll Yannick , Letrari Sofia , Laimer Gregor , Schullian Peter , Bale Reto
Published: June 2022

Objectives

To evaluate the targeting accuracy of stereotactic punctures based on a hybrid robotic device in combination with optical tracking—a phantom study.

Methods

CT data sets of a gelatin-filled plexiglass phantom with 1-, 3-, and 5-mm slice thickness were acquired. An optical navigation device served for planning of a total of 150 needle trajectories. All punctures were carried out semi-automatically with help of the trackable iSYS-1 robotic device. Conically shaped targets inside the phantom were punctured using Kirschner wires. Up to 8 K-wires were positioned sequentially based on the same planning CT and placement accuracy was assessed by taking control CTs and measuring the Euclidean (ED) and normal distances (NDs) between the wire and the entry and target point.

Results

Using the StealthStation S7, the accomplished mean ND at the target for the 1-mm, 3-mm, and 5-mm slice thickness was 0.89 mm (SD ± 0.42), 0.93 mm (SD ± 0.45), and 0.73 mm (SD ± 0.50), respectively. The corresponding mean ED was 1.61 mm (SD ± 0.36), 2.04 mm (SD ± 0.59), and 1.76 mm (SD ± 0.45). The mean duration of the total procedure was 27.9 min, including image acquisition, trajectory planning, registration, placement of 8 wires, and the control-CT.

Conclusions

The optically tracked iSYS-1 robot allows for precise punctures in a phantom. The StealthStation S7 provided acceptable results and may be helpful for interventions in difficult anatomical regions and for those requiring complex multi-angle trajectories. In combination with our optical navigation tool, the trackable robot unit allows to cover a large treatment field and the compact design facilitates placement of needle-like instruments.

Key Points

• The use of a robotic targeting device in combination with optical tracking (hybrid system) allows for accurate placement of needle-like instruments without repeated control imaging.

• The compact robotic positioning unit in combination with a camera for optical tracking facilitates sequential placement of multiple K-wires in a large treatment volume.
Monitoring of cerebrovascular pressure reactivity in children may predict neurologic outcome after hypoxic-ischemic brain injury
Authors: Zipfel Julian , Hegele Dorothea , Hockel Konstantin , Kerscher Susanne R. , Heimberg Ellen , Czosnyka Marek , Neunhoeffer Felix , Schuhmann Martin U.
Published: June 2022

Objectives

Impaired cerebral blood flow is a first-line reason of ischemic-hypoxic brain injury in children. The principal goal of intensive care management is to detect and prevent further cerebral blood flow deficits. This can be achieved by actively managing cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) using input from cerebrovascular autoregulation (CAR). The main objective of the current study was to investigate CAR after cardiac arrest in children.

Methods

Nineteen consecutive children younger than 18 years after cardiopulmonary resuscitation, in whom intracranial pressure (ICP) was continuously measured, were included. Blood pressure and ICP were continuously monitored via ICM + software and actively managed using the pressure reactivity index (PRx) to achieve and maintain an optimal CPP. Outcome was scored using the extended Glasgow outcome scale (eGOS) at discharge and 6 months.

Results

Eight children died in hospital. At 6 months, further 4 children had an unfavorable (eGOS1–4) and 7 a favorable (eGOS5–8) outcome. Over the entire monitoring period, we found an elevated ICP (24.5 vs 7.4 mmHg), a lower CPP (50.3 vs 66.2 mmHg) and a higher PRx (0.24 vs − 0.01), indicating impaired CAR, in patients with unfavorable outcome. The dose of impaired autoregulation was significantly higher in unfavorable outcome (54.6 vs 29.3%). Analyzing only the first 72 h after cardiac arrest, ICP ≥ 10 mmHg and PRx > 0.2 correlated to unfavorable outcome.

Conclusions

Significant doses of impaired CAR within 72 h after resuscitation are associated with unfavorable outcome. The inability to restore autoregulation despite active attempts to do so as well as an elevated ICP may serve as a bad prognostic sign indicating a severe initial hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
Renal water transport in health and disease
Authors: Feraille Eric , Sassi Ali , Olivier Valérie , Arnoux Grégoire , Martin Pierre-Yves
Published: June 2022

Saving body water by optimal reabsorption of water filtered by the kidney leading to excretion of urine with concentrations of solutes largely above that of plasma allowed vertebrate species to leave the aquatic environment to live on solid ground. Filtered water is reabsorbed for 70% and 20% by proximal tubules and thin descending limbs of Henle, respectively. These two nephron segments express the water channel aquaporin-1 located along both apical and basolateral membranes. In the proximal tubule, the paracellular pathway accounts for at least 30% of water reabsorption, and the tight-junction core protein claudin-2 plays a key role in this permeability. The ascending limb of Henle and the distal convoluted tubule are impermeant to water and are responsible for urine dilution. The water balance is adjusted along the collecting system, i.e. connecting tubule and the collecting duct, under the control of arginine-vasopressin (AVP). AVP is synthesized by the hypothalamus and released in response to an increase in extracellular osmolality or stimulation of baroreceptors by decreased blood pressure. In response to AVP, aquaporin-2 water channels stored in subapical intracellular vesicles are translocated to the apical plasma membrane and raise the water permeability of the collecting system. The basolateral step of water reabsorption is mediated by aquaporin-3 and -4, which are constitutively expressed. Drugs targeting water transport include classical diuretics, which primarily inhibit sodium transport; the new class of SGLT2 inhibitors, which promotes osmotic diuresis and the non-peptidic antagonists of the V2 receptor, which are pure aquaretic drugs. Disturbed water balance includes diabetes insipidus and hyponatremias. Diabetes insipidus is characterized by polyuria and polydipsia. It is either related to a deficit in AVP secretion called central diabetes insipidus that can be treated by AVP analogs or to a peripheral defect in AVP response called nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Diabetes insipidus can be either of genetic origin or acquired. Hyponatremia is a common disorder most often related to free water excess relying on overstimulated or inappropriate AVP secretion. The assessment of blood volume is key for the diagnosis and treatment of hyponatremia, which can be classified as hypo-, eu-, or hypervolemic.
Compression of deep neural networks: bridging the gap between conventional-based pruning and evolutionary approach
Authors: Zhang Yidan , Wang Guangjin , Yang Taibo , Pang Tianfeng , He Zhenan , Lv Jiancheng
Published: June 2022

Recently, many studies have been carried out on model compression to handle the high computational cost and high memory footprint brought by the implementation of deep neural networks. In this paper, model compression of convolutional neural networks is constructed as a multiobjective optimization problem with two conflicting objectives, reducing the model size and improving the performance. A novel structured pruning method called Conventional-based and Evolutionary Approaches Guided Multiobjective Pruning (CEA-MOP) is proposed to address this problem, where the power of conventional pruning methods is effectively exploited for the evolutionary process. A delicate balance in pruning rate and model accuracy has been automated achieved by a multiobjective optimization evolutionary model. First, an ensemble framework integrates pruning metrics to establish a codebook for further evolutionary operations. Then, an efficient coding method is developed to shorten the length of chromosome, thus ensuring its superior scalability. Finally, sensitivity analysis is automatically carried out to determine the upper bound of pruning rate for each layer. Notably, on CIFAR-10, CEA-MOP reduces more than 50% FLOPs on ResNet-110 and improves the relative accuracy. Moreover, on ImageNet, CEA-MOP reduces more than 50% FLOPs on ResNet-101 with negligible top-1 accuracy drop.
Governance der deutschen Wasserstoffwirtschaft
Authors: Walker Benedikt
Published: June 2022

Der Artikel analysiert die Governance der deutschen Wasserstoffwirtschaft mit Fokus auf die noch unerforschten geographischen Aspekte aktueller Konflikte, für die der Beitrag Verfahrensvorschläge formuliert. Es wird konstatiert, dass staatliche Förderprogramme die Verbreitung von Wasserstofftechnologien trotz teilweise hinderlicher Marktbedingungen finanzieren. Die Programme sind als Wettbewerbe ausgestaltet, richten sich an alle Industriebranchen und berücksichtigen keine strukturpolitischen Kriterien. Da Wasserstofftechnologien jedoch fossile Technologien in verschiedenen Industriebranchen ersetzen sollen, setzen sie in diesen Branchen einen Strukturwandel voraus und besitzen damit strukturpolitische Relevanz. Deshalb impliziert der Wettbewerb um Fördergelder latente Verteilungskonflikte im politischen Mehrebenensystem und zwischen den beteiligten Industriebranchen.

Der Artikel erörtert exemplarisch einige dieser Konflikte entlang der Wertschöpfungskette von Wasserstoff. Es wird angeregt, die Marktbedingungen zu verbessern, um den Finanzierungsaufwand der Förderprogramme zu reduzieren. Die Programme sollten zudem strukturpolitische Kriterien berücksichtigen und Strukturhilfemaßnahmen branchenübergreifend ausgehandelt werden. Dadurch könnten Synergien zwischen dem Wachstum der Wasserstoffwirtschaft und dem dafür notwendigen Strukturwandel realisiert sowie das Konfliktpotenzial aufgrund von Verteilungsfragen reduziert werden. Zukünftig ist davon auszugehen, dass mit zunehmender Anzahl und Größe von Wasserstoffprojekten lokale Konflikte um deren Standorte sowie zwischen Regionen um die wirtschaftlichen Auswirkungen der Projekte zunehmen werden.
Scalable subspace methods for derivative-free nonlinear least-squares optimization
Authors: Cartis Coralia , Roberts Lindon
Published: June 2022

We introduce a general framework for large-scale model-based derivative-free optimization based on iterative minimization within random subspaces. We present a probabilistic worst-case complexity analysis for our method, where in particular we prove high-probability bounds on the number of iterations before a given optimality is achieved. This framework is specialized to nonlinear least-squares problems, with a model-based framework based on the Gauss–Newton method. This method achieves scalability by constructing local linear interpolation models to approximate the Jacobian, and computes new steps at each iteration in a subspace with user-determined dimension. We then describe a practical implementation of this framework, which we call DFBGN. We outline efficient techniques for selecting the interpolation points and search subspace, yielding an implementation that has a low per-iteration linear algebra cost (linear in the problem dimension) while also achieving fast objective decrease as measured by evaluations. Extensive numerical results demonstrate that DFBGN has improved scalability, yielding strong performance on large-scale nonlinear least-squares problems.
How can we optimize the long-term outcome in children with intracranial cavernous malformations? A single-center experience of 61 cases
Authors: Hirschmann Dorian , Czech Thomas , Roessler Karl , Krachsberger Paul , Paliwal Shivam , Ciobanu-Caraus Olga , Cho Anna , Peyrl Andreas , Feucht Martha , Frischer Josa Maria , Dorfer Christian
Published: June 2022

The objective is to provide a treatment algorithm for pediatric patients with intracranial cavernous malformations (CMs) based on our experience. Patients < 18 years of age who were treated either surgically or conservatively at the authors’ institution between 1982 and 2019 were retrospectively evaluated. A total of 61 pediatric patients were treated at the authors’ institution: 39 with lobar CMs; 18 with deep CMs, including 12 in the brainstem and 6 in the basal ganglia; and 4 with CMs in the cerebellar hemispheres. Forty-two patients underwent surgery, and 19 were treated conservatively. The median follow-up time was 65 months (1–356 months). In surgically treated patients, lesions were larger (2.4 cm vs 0.9 cm, p < 0.001). In patients with lobar CMs, seizures were more common (72% vs 21%, p = 0.003) in the surgery group than in conservatively managed patients. In deep CMs, modified Rankin scale (mRS) was higher (4 vs 1, p = 0.003) in the surgery group than in conservatively treated patients. At the time of last follow-up, no differences in Wieser outcome class I were seen (86% vs 67%) in lobar CMs, and mRS scores had aligned between the treatment groups in deep CMs (1 vs 0). We encountered no new permanent neurological deficit at time of last follow-up. We propose a treatment algorithm according to lesion location and size, burden of symptoms, epilepsy workup, and further clinical course during observation. A conservative management is safe in pediatric patients with asymptomatic CMs. Gross total resection should be the aim in patients with symptomatic lobar CMs. A less aggressive approach with subtotal resection, when required to prevent neurological compromise, sustainably improves neurological outcome in patients with deep CMs.
Effective grading refinement for locally linearly independent LR B-splines
Authors: Patrizi Francesco
Published: June 2022

We present a new refinement strategy for locally refined B-splines which ensures the local linear independence of the basis functions. The strategy also guarantees the spanning of the full spline space on the underlying locally refined mesh. The resulting mesh has nice grading properties which grant the preservation of shape regularity and local quasi uniformity of the elements in the refining process.
Networks of happiness: applying a Network Approach to Well-Being in the General Population
Authors: Woerkom Marianne van , Constantin Mihai , Janssens Mayke , Reijnders Jennifer , Jacobs Nele , Lataster Johan
Published: June 2022

Even though well-being can be seen as a multidimensional construct, made up of a variety of interacting aspects, most studies examine total scores on well-being measures, treating well-being as a latent variable. This so-called common cause perspective assumes that aspects of well-being are mere effects of a common cause, namely well-being itself. The network approach moves away from this approach by suggesting that research should no longer focus only on the mean level of psychological constructs, but on the relations between the different aspects of a construct over time. Instead of a static, common cause approach to well-being, the network perspective views thoughts and feelings not as reflections but as constituents of well-being, treating them as agents in a causal system instead of passive indicators. In this paper, we applied the network approach to investigate how fluctuations in specific symptoms of well-being are associated with fluctuations in other symptoms of well-being. Based on a sample of 151 working adults with on average 32.66 data points collected over a five-day period, we found that in general, the low arousal emotion of feeling satisfied played a central role in the dynamics between various aspects of well-being in the momentary context of daily life. This means that feeling satisfied cannot just be seen as a passive indicator of well-being, but also as an active agent in a causal system that brings about other aspects of well-being. These results provide insight into daily dynamic processes related to the development of well-being over time and contribute to our understanding of well-being and how to improve it.
Novel Strategy for Hazardous Cement Bypass Dust Removal: Structural, Optical and Nuclear Radiation Shielding Properties of CBD-Bismuth Borate Glass
Authors: Abdel Maksoud M. I. A. , Sallam O. I. , Kassem Said M. , Fahim Ramy Amer , Awed A. S.
Published: June 2022

Herein, this study introduced a novel strategy for hazardous cement bypass dust (CBD) removal via incorporated it into glassy system having the chemical formula 10Li2O–10Bi2O3–(80 − x)B2O3–xCBD, where x = 0, 10, 20 and 30%. The doped glass samples with the CBD were used as a radiation shielding material. The structural, optical and nuclear radiation shielding properties of CBD-lithium bismuth borate (LBB) glass were investigated. The optical energy gap increases from 2.22 eV for LBB + 0% CBD glass sample to 2.66 eV for LBB + 30% CBD glass sample. Also, a comparative study between the experimental data and theoretical interpretation for the attenuation coefficients was addressed via the Phy-X software database. The outcomes unveiled that the shielding parameters such as the linear attenuation coefficient, mass attenuation coefficient, and the effective atomic number were enhanced as CBD content increases. In the same time, the half-value layer, the tenth value layer, and the mean free path are reduced with the enrichment in the CBD content. Furthermore, the exposure build-up factor is inversely related to equivalent atomic numbers. Based on these findings, it was determined that the manufactured bismuth lithium-borate glass system doped cement bypass dust can be used for radiation shielding purposes.
World-class interpretable poker
Authors: Bertsimas Dimitris , Paskov Alex
Published: June 2022

We address the problem of interpretability in iterative game solving for imperfect-information games such as poker. This lack of interpretability has two main sources: first, the use of an uninterpretable feature representation, and second, the use of black box methods such as neural networks, for the fitting procedure. In this paper, we present advances on both fronts. Namely, first we propose a novel, compact, and easy-to-understand game-state feature representation for Heads-up No-limit (HUNL) Poker. Second, we make use of globally optimal decision trees, paired with a counterfactual regret minimization (CFR) self-play algorithm, to train our poker bot which produces an entirely interpretable agent. Through experiments against Slumbot, the winner of the most recent Annual Computer Poker Competition, we demonstrate that our approach yields a HUNL Poker agent that is capable of beating the Slumbot. Most exciting of all, the resulting poker bot is highly interpretable, allowing humans to learn from the novel strategies it discovers.
Goals and guesses as reference points: a field experiment on student performance
Authors: Sabater-Grande Gerardo , Georgantzís Nikolaos , Herranz-Zarzoso Noemí
Published: June 2022

In this paper, we study overconfidence and goal-setting in academic performance, with and without monetary incentives. Students enrolled in a microeconomics course were offered the possibility of setting their own target grade before taking part in the final exam. They were also asked to guess their grade immediately after they had taken the exam (“post-diction”). In general, students overestimated their performance, both at the goal-setting and at the post-diction stages. Controlling for several sources of this bias (cognitive abilities, academic record and self-reported academic confidence), we find that the use of monetary rewards mitigates the overestimation of potential achievements and eliminates overestimation of actual achievements through the improvement of actual performance. Our results suggest that monetary incentives do not cause subjects to put more effort into correct guesses but make them put more effort into academic performance. Using students’ academic records to measure overall skill, we find a strong Dunning–Kruger bias which is intensified in the presence of monetary rewards.
Multi-center federated learning: clients clustering for better personalization
Authors: Long Guodong , Xie Ming , Shen Tao , Zhou Tianyi , Wang Xianzhi , Jiang Jing
Published: June 2022

Personalized decision-making can be implemented in a Federated learning (FL) framework that can collaboratively train a decision model by extracting knowledge across intelligent clients, e.g. smartphones or enterprises. FL can mitigate the data privacy risk of collaborative training since it merely collects local gradients from users without access to their data. However, FL is fragile in the presence of statistical heterogeneity that is commonly encountered in personalized decision making, e.g., non-IID data over different clients. Existing FL approaches usually update a single global model to capture the shared knowledge of all users by aggregating their gradients, regardless of the discrepancy between their data distributions. By comparison, a mixture of multiple global models could capture the heterogeneity across various clients if assigning the client to different global models (i.e., centers) in FL. To this end, we propose a novel multi-center aggregation mechanism to cluster clients using their models’ parameters. It learns multiple global models from data as the cluster centers, and simultaneously derives the optimal matching between users and centers. We then formulate it as an optimization problem that can be efficiently solved by a stochastic expectation maximization (EM) algorithm. Experiments on multiple benchmark datasets of FL show that our method outperforms several popular baseline methods. The experimental source codes are publicly available on the Github repository (GitHub repository: https://github.com/mingxuts/multi-center-fed-learning).
TOPK Activation Exerts Protective Effects on Cisplatin-induced Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Zhang Hui , Dong Qing-qing , Shu Hua-pan , Tu Yu-chi , Liao Qian-qian , Yao Li-jun
Published: June 2022

Objective

T-LAK-cell-originated protein kinase (TOPK), a PSD95-Disc large-ZO1 (PDZ) binding kinase (PBK), is a novel member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family. Studies have shown that TOPK plays a critical role in the function of tumor cells, including apoptosis and mitosis. However, little is known on the effect of TOPK in cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (CP-AKI). This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of TOPK in CP-AKI.

Methods

Cisplatin was administered to C57BL/6 mice and cultured kidney tubular epithelial cells (TECs) to establish the CP-AKI murine or cellular models. TECs were then stimulated with the specific inhibitor of TOPK OTS514 or transfected with the recombinant-activated plasmid TOPK-T9E to inhibit or activate TOPK. The TECs were treated with AKT inhibitor VIII following stimulation with OTS514 or cisplatin. Western blotting and flow cytometry were used to evaluate the cell cycle and apoptosis of TECs.

Results

The analysis revealed that the TOPK activity was significantly suppressed by cisplatin, both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, the pharmacological inhibition of TOPK by OTS514, a specific inhibitor of TOPK, exacerbated the cisplatin-induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and apoptosis of cultured TECs. Moreover, the TOPK activation via the TOPK-T9E plasmid transfection could partially reverse the cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and apoptosis of cisplatin-treated TECs. In addition, AKT/protein kinase B (PKB), as a TOPK target protein, was inhibited by cisplatin in cultured TECs. The pharmaceutical inhibition of AKT further aggravated the apoptosis of TECs induced by cisplatin or TOPK inhibition. TOPK systematically mediated the apoptosis via the AKT pathway in the CP-AKI cell model.

Conclusion

These results indicate that TOPK activation protects against CP-AKI by ameliorating the G2/M cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis.
Ginkgo Biloba Extract Ameliorates Scopolamine-induced Memory Deficits via Rescuing Synaptic Damage
Authors: Zhang Gui-jiao , Zheng Dong , Yu Huan , Luo Xiao-ping , Wu Wei
Published: June 2022

Objective

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder. Emerging evidence suggests that synaptic dysfunction is associated with the onset and progression of AD. Interestingly, Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb) is one of the most frequently investigated herbal medicines for enhancing cognition and alleviating neurodegenerative dementia. This study aimed to investigate the effect and the mechanism of EGb on AD-like synaptic disorders.

Methods

Scopolamine (SCO)-induced rats were used to mimic AD-like memory deficits. Morris water maze test and fear conditioning test were conducted to evaluate the memory status of rats in response to different treatments. Then, the synapse alterations were assessed by Golgi staining, and Western blotting was conducted to assess the protein expression of PSD95, GluN2B, synapsin-1, and synaptophysin. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction was applied to detect the mRNA expression of PSD95 and the levels of miR-1-3p/miR-206-3p.

Results

EGb supplement alleviated the learning and memory deficits induced by SCO in behavioral experiments. Moreover, EGb treatment attenuated synaptic damage elicited by SCO, manifested as increased dendritic spine density and the proportion of mushroom-type spines in hippocampal neurons. Further investigation indicated that EGb rescued the expression of synaptic-related proteins, especially PSD95, and decreased the levels of miR-1-3p/miR-206-3p in the rat hippocampus.

Conclusion

The application of EGb effectively treats SCO-induced memory impairments probably by suppressing miR-1-3p/miR-206-3p and elevating the expression of PSD95.
Debating Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Death in People with Psychiatric Disorders
Authors: Grassi Luigi , Folesani Federica , Marella Marco , Tiberto Elisa , Riba Michelle B. , Bortolotti Lisa , Toffanin Tommaso , Palagini Laura , Belvederi Murri Martino , Biancosino Bruno , Ferrara Maria , Caruso Rosangela
Published: June 2022

Purpose of Review

Over the last 30 years, medical assistance in dying (MAiD) including euthanasia (EU) and physician-assisted death (or suicide, PAS) has become the center of a large debate, particularly when these practices have involved people with psychiatric illness, including resistant depression, schizophrenia, personality, or other severe psychiatric disorders. We performed a review utilizing several databases, and by including the most relevant studies in full journal articles investigating the problem of MAiD in patients with psychiatric disorders but not in physical terminal conditions (non-terminal, MAiD-NT).

Recent Findings

Literature has shown that a small percentage of people with psychiatric disorders died by MAiD-NT in comparison with patients with somatic diseases in terminal clinical conditions (e.g., cancer, AIDS). However, the problem in the field is complex and not solved yet as confirmed by the fact that only a few countries (e.g., the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg) have legalized MAiD-NT for patients with psychiatric disorders, while most have maintained the practices accessible only to people with somatic disease in a terminal phase. Also, how to make objective the criterion of irremediability of a mental disorder; how to balance suicide prevention with assisted suicide; how to avoid the risk of progressively including in requests for MAiD-NT vulnerable segments of the population, such as minors, elderly, or people with dementia, in a productive-oriented society, are some of the critical points to be discussed.

The application of MAiD-NT in people with psychiatric disorders should be further explored to prevent end-of-life rights from contradicting the principles of recovery-oriented care.
MEA-ToolBox: an Open Source Toolbox for Standardized Analysis of Multi-Electrode Array Data
Authors: Hu Michel , Frega Monica , Tolner Else A. , van den Maagdenberg A. M. J. M. , Frimat J. P. , le Feber Joost
Published: June 2022

Functional assessment of in vitro neuronal networks—of relevance for disease modelling and drug testing—can be performed using multi-electrode array (MEA) technology. However, the handling and processing of the large amount of data typically generated in MEA experiments remains a huge hurdle for researchers. Various software packages have been developed to tackle this issue, but to date, most are either not accessible through the links provided by the authors or only tackle parts of the analysis. Here, we present ‘‘MEA-ToolBox’’, a free open-source general MEA analytical toolbox that uses a variety of literature-based algorithms to process the data, detect spikes from raw recordings, and extract information at both the single-channel and array-wide network level. MEA-ToolBox extracts information about spike trains, burst-related analysis and connectivity metrics without the need of manual intervention. MEA-ToolBox is tailored for comparing different sets of measurements and will analyze data from multiple recorded files placed in the same folder sequentially, thus considerably streamlining the analysis pipeline. MEA-ToolBox is available with a graphic user interface (GUI) thus eliminating the need for any coding expertise while offering functionality to inspect, explore and post-process the data. As proof-of-concept, MEA-ToolBox was tested on earlier-published MEA recordings from neuronal networks derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) obtained from healthy subjects and patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. Neuronal networks derived from patient’s hiPSCs showed a clear phenotype compared to those from healthy subjects, demonstrating that the toolbox could extract useful parameters and assess differences between normal and diseased profiles.
Hochaufgelöste Mikrobenporträts mit hoher Tiefenschärfe
Authors: Schmidt Matthias
Published: June 2022

The past decade has seen the advent of a new imaging technique in the life sciences that is ideal for microbiological applications: the helium ion microscope (HIM). Its lateral resolution is better than one nanometre, it has a large depth-of-field and can image non-conductive specimens which renders the tool ideal for studying microbiological objects such as microbes attached to surfaces, microbial biofilms and viruses. Here we compare HIM with electron microscopy techniques and highlight selected examples that demonstrate the new possibilities for microbiology opened up by this technique.
Neuartige, metabolisch aktive Organellen in eukaryotischen Zellen
Authors: Tripp Joanna , Oreb Mislav , Boles Eckhard
Published: June 2022

Microbial production of chemicals is a sustainable alternative to conventional industrial processes. However, the implementation of exogenous metabolic pathways is hampered by slow diffusion rates, competing pathways, or secretion of intermediates. Pre-existing organelles have been harnessed to overcome these problems, but these approaches suffer from interference with endogenous pathways. We have developed a new concept for the compartmentalization of enzymatic pathways in ER-derived vesicles.