bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disentangling effects of local and landscape variables on attractiveness of restored gravel‐sand pits for bat foraging activities
Authors: Kerbiriou Christian , Parisot‐Laprun Marion
Published: March 2020

Despite the impacts of extraction activities, quarries have great potential for conservation of biodiversity, and their restoration can be considered a major task in restoration ecology. A particularly important issue is to quantify the roles of the following various factors that may influence biodiversity and restoration success: (a) local variables, (b) landscape variables and (c) ecological management. Following a multi‐model inference, we identify which variables were the most useful predictors of bat activity in gravel‐sand pits. We used data from 21 French gravel‐sand pits provided by the biodiversity‐monitoring scheme, ROSELIERE. Our results suggest that within these restored gravel‐sand pits, landscape variables appear to be better predictors of the attractiveness of restored gravel‐sand pits for the foraging activity of bats than local variables. Species or community indexes appeared to be more sensitive to landscape variables measured at a large scale (i.e., 1,000 m). Among local variables, the time elapsed after operation was a better predictor of bat foraging activity than the description of the habitat itself. The effect was more obvious within a site with an elapsed time since operation greater than 10 years. Our findings suggest that to increase the attractiveness of gravel‐sand pits for bat foraging activities, planning policies should consider not only the intrinsic characteristics of a project (i.e., local variables) but also the surrounding environment (i.e., landscape variables).
mTOR inhibitor use in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A meta‐analysis on survival, tumor response, and toxicity
Authors: Patel Jaimin , Nguyen Shaun A. , Ogretmen Besim , Gutkind Jorge S. , Nathan Cherie‐Ann , Day Terry
Published: March 2020

Background

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been rising in incidence primarily related to HPV‐associated oropharyngeal cancers. Novel molecular therapeutics are evolving with the mTOR pathway as a new target. Previous studies have shown variable outcomes with relatively low toxicity. This study reports the tumor response, survivability, and toxicity of mTOR inhibitors (mTORi) in HNSCC. Despite expanding research on this pathway, there remains controversy around mTORi use for treatment of HNSCC.

Materials and methods

Studies were included if: (a) Used mTORi alone or in combination with other treatment modalities in HNSCC. (b) Site of cancer included were one of the following: nasopharyngeal, oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx or larynx. (c) All stages of cancer and treatment stage (neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and palliative) were included. The rate of adverse events (AEs), tumor response, progression free survival, and overall survival were meta‐analyzed.

Results

From 1299 publications only 11 studies met inclusion criteria with a combined 232 total patients treated. Two studies used mTORi neoadjuvantly, five adjuvantly, and four in palliative/unresectable/metastatic setting. Monotherapeutic mTORi resulted in stabilization of disease (52.5%), but partial response was the most common response when mTORi were combined with chemotherapy and/or radiation (CRT) (48.1%). Survival rate was the highest in the mTORi combined with CRT. Hyperglycemia of any grade was the most commonly reported toxicity while grade 3 or less AEs were the most common grade of toxicity.

Conclusion

The use of mTORi as monotherapy in HNSCC has thus far not yielded significant tumor response, however, in combination with other agents, an improved partial tumor response is evident that may or may not be associated with the addition of mTORi. Although adverse events were common, grade 4/5 AEs were uncommon. Further prospective, randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm the direct roles of these agents in HNSCC tumor response.

Level of evidence

2a
A critical review of the 15N2 tracer method to measure diazotrophic production in pelagic ecosystems
Authors: White Angelicque E. , Granger Julie , Selden Corday , Gradoville Mary R. , Potts Lindsey , Bourbonnais Annie , Fulweiler Robinson W. , Knapp Angela N. , Mohr Wiebke , Moisander Pia H. , Tobias Craig R. , Caffin Mathieu , Wilson Samuel T. , Benavides Mar , Bonnet Sophie , Mulholland Margaret R. , Chang Bonnie X.
Published: March 2020

Dinitrogen (N2) fixation is an important source of biologically reactive nitrogen (N) to the global ocean. The magnitude of this flux, however, remains uncertain, in part because N2 fixation rates have been estimated following divergent protocols and because associated levels of uncertainty are seldom reported—confounding comparison and extrapolation of rate measurements. A growing number of reports of relatively low but potentially significant rates of N2 fixation in regions such as oxygen minimum zones, the mesopelagic water column of the tropical and subtropical oceans, and polar waters further highlights the need for standardized methodological protocols for measurements of N2 fixation rates and for calculations of detection limits and propagated error terms. To this end, we examine current protocols of the 15N2 tracer method used for estimating diazotrophic rates, present results of experiments testing the validity of specific practices, and describe established metrics for reporting detection limits. We put forth a set of recommendations for best practices to estimate N2 fixation rates using 15N2 tracer, with the goal of fostering transparency in reporting sources of uncertainty in estimates, and to render N2 fixation rate estimates intercomparable among studies.
Field evaluation of a low‐powered, profiling pCO2 system in coastal Washington
Authors: Chu Sophie N. , Sutton Adrienne J. , Alin Simone R. , Lawrence‐Slavas Noah , Atamanchuk Dariia , Mickett John B. , Newton Jan A. , Meinig Christian , Stalin Scott , Tengberg Anders
Published: March 2020

Summertime upwelling of deep, corrosive waters on the continental shelf of the northern California Current System can exacerbate ocean acidification conditions, providing unsuitable environments for development of calcifying organisms and finfish that are important to the local economy. To better understand the carbonate system in this dynamic region, two recently developed technologies were combined with other sensors to obtain high‐frequency carbon profile data from July 2017 to September 2017. The compact, low‐power sensor package was composed of an optical sensor for partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2 optode, Aanderaa model #4797) integrated onto a wave‐powered PRofiling crAWLER (PRAWLER). The PRAWLER profiled from 3 to 80 m, stopping at fixed depths for varying lengths of time to allow for pCO2 equilibration. pCO2 derived from a regional empirical algorithm was used to correct optode drift using data at 80 m. Near‐surface adjusted optode pCO2 agreed within 6 ± 42 μatm to surface pCO2 from a nearby Moored Autonomous pCO2 instrument. Throughout the water column, optode pCO2 compared to algorithm pCO2 within −28 ± 66 μatm. Overall, optode uncertainty was 35–72 μatm based on root‐mean‐square errors from all comparison data sets. Errors are attributed to optode calibration, adjustment, algorithm uncertainty, and environmental variability between optode and reference data. Improvements for optode performance within this profiling application include using more stable sensing foils, in situ calibration, and pumped flow over the sensing foil. Additionally, the study revealed undersaturated (corrosive) waters with respect to aragonite below 60 m throughout the deployment that reached up to 40 m by mid‐September.
Expansions of the p‐adic numbers that interpret the ring of integers
Authors: Mariaule Nathanaël
Published: March 2020

Let be the field of p‐adic numbers in the language of rings. In this paper we consider the theory of expanded by two predicates interpreted by multiplicative subgroups and where are multiplicatively independent. We show that the theory of this structure interprets Peano arithmetic if α and β have positive p‐adic valuation. If either α or β has zero valuation we show that the theory of has the NIP (“negation of the independence property”) and therefore does not interpret Peano arithmetic. In that case we also prove that the theory is decidable if and only if the theory of is decidable.
Rapid Identification of Potential Inhibitors of SARS‐CoV‐2 Main Protease by Deep Docking of 1.3 Billion Compounds
Authors: Ton Anh‐Tien , Gentile Francesco , Hsing Michael , Ban Fuqiang , Cherkasov Artem
Published: March 2020

The recently emerged 2019 Novel Coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) and associated COVID‐19 disease cause serious or even fatal respiratory tract infection and yet no approved therapeutics or effective treatment is currently available to effectively combat the outbreak. This urgent situation is pressing the world to respond with the development of novel vaccine or a small molecule therapeutics for SARS‐CoV‐2. Along these efforts, the structure of SARS‐CoV‐2 main protease (Mpro) has been rapidly resolved and made publicly available to facilitate global efforts to develop novel drug candidates. Recently, our group has developed a novel deep learning platform – Deep Docking (DD) which provides fast prediction of docking scores of Glide (or any other docking program) and, hence, enables structure‐based virtual screening of billions of purchasable molecules in a short time. In the current study we applied DD to all 1.3 billion compounds from ZINC15 library to identify top 1,000 potential ligands for SARS‐CoV‐2 Mpro protein. The compounds are made publicly available for further characterization and development by scientific community.
Stability of antiperiodic recurrent neural networks with multiproportional delays
Authors: Huang Chuangxia , Long Xin , Cao Jinde
Published: March 2020

In general, a proportional function is obviously not antiperiodic, yet a very interesting fact in this paper shows that it is possible there is an antiperiodic solution for some proportional delayed dynamical systems. We deal with the issue of antiperiodic solutions for RNNs (recurrent neural networks) incorporating multiproportional delays. Employing Lyapunov method, inequality techniques and concise mathematical analysis proof, sufficient criteria on the existence of antiperiodic solutions including its uniqueness and exponential stability are built up. The obtained results provide us some lights for designing a stable RNNs and complement some earlier publications. In addition, simulations show that the theoretical antiperiodic dynamics are in excellent agreement with the numerically observed behavior.
The substructuring‐based topology optimization for maximizing the first eigenvalue of hierarchical lattice structure
Authors: Wu Zijun , Fan Fei , Xiao Renbin , Yu Lianqing
Published: March 2020

This work presents a generalized substructuring‐based topology optimization method for the design hierarchical lattice structures to maximize the first eigenvalue. In this method, the macrostructure is assumed to be composed of substructures with a common artificial lattice geometry pattern. And two different yet connected scales are considered through a lattice geometry feature parameter. The feature parameter, which can control the material distribution of the substructure, determines the relative density of corresponding substructure. Each substructure is condensed into a super‐element to obtain the associated density‐related matrices. A surrogate model using cubic spline interpolation has been particularly built to map the density to stiffness and mass matrices of condensed super‐elements. The derivatives of super‐element matrices to the associated densities can be evaluated efficiently and accurately. Here, an augmented penalized density for this surrogate model is introduced. And the conventional optimality criteria method is selected as updating method of the density design variables. Numerical examples under two lattice patterns of substructures are shown to validate the correctness and superiority of this substructure‐based topology optimization method.
Back to school with telepresence robot technology: A qualitative pilot study about how telepresence robots help school‐aged children and adolescents with cancer to remain socially and academically connected with their school classes during treatment
Authors: Weibel Mette , Nielsen Martin Kaj Fridh , Topperzer Martha Krogh , Hammer Nanna Maria , Møller Sarah Wagn , Schmiegelow Kjeld , Bækgaard Larsen Hanne
Published: March 2020

Aim

To explore how an AV1 telepresence robot helps school‐aged children and adolescents with cancer to remain socially and academically connected with their school classes during cancer treatment.

Design

Qualitative pilot study.

Methods

Data were collected through semi‐structured interviews with school‐aged children and adolescents (N = 3, 12–14 years) diagnosed with cancer, their parents (N = 3), teachers (N = 2), classmates (12–14 years, N = 15, focus group interviews) and healthcare professionals (N = 4). Participant observation was performed in the child or adolescents' homes and in the classrooms during education participation via an AV1 telepresence robot.

Results

Five themes emerged: expectations, sociality, learning, spatiality and technology. Participants experienced the robots as facilitating social interaction processes with classmates and inclusion in learning activities, reducing their sense of loneliness and lacking behind educationally. Nevertheless, multiple factors determine whether the robot is perceived as exclusive, including the technical functionality of the robot, spatiality in the classroom and mutual expectations of the parties involved.
Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the mild cognitive impairment questionnaire
Authors: Clement‐Carbonell Violeta , Cabañero‐Martínez María José , Fernández‐Alcántara Manuel , Ruiz‐Robledillo Nicolás , Escribano Silvia , Congost‐Maestre Nereida , Ferrer‐Cascales Rosario
Published: March 2020

The prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has significantly increased in recent years. No specific instruments are available in Spanish for assessing health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with MCI. The aim of this study was to adapt transculturally and validate the mild cognitive impairment questionnaire (MCQ) in Spanish people with MCI. A standardized transcultural adaptation process was carried out, and the structural equivalence of the Spanish version of the scale was examined. In addition, we studied the reliability and construct validity of the instrument. The sample comprised 100 people with MCI, with a mean age of 79.5 years. In a confirmatory factor analysis, we found the instrument had a one‐factor structure and adequate internal consistency. Related to the construct validity, we found meaningful relationships with measures of HRQoL and depression. Our results indicate that the Spanish version of the MCQ is a reliable and valid tool for measuring HRQoL in Spanish patients with MCI. The availability of specific tools, such as the MCQ allows nurses to evaluate new intervention strategies to improve the HRQoL of these patients. Furthermore, this scale can be used by researchers and clinicians to improve the standards of care provided to this population.
Effects of fiber content and resorcinol‐formaldehyde‐latex treatment on composite properties of acrylonitrile‐butadiene rubber reinforced with chopped aramid fibers
Authors: Li Zhuo , Li Yingzhe , Wan Sheng , Cheng Junmei , Li Lin , Yue Cong
Published: March 2020

This paper investigated the effects of the fiber content and the resorcinol‐formaldehyde‐latex (RFL) treatment on characteristics and properties of the aramid fiber (AF)/acrylonitrile‐butadiene rubber (NBR) composites. The relationship between the AF/rubber matrix connection and the mechanical properties/wear resistance of the composites was the main focus. Results showed that the RFL treatment on the AFs significantly increased the elongation at break of the composites via improving the interfacial connection. However, samples with high untreated‐AF content showed the highest tensile strength due to the formation of fiber network during stretching. Moreover, the flexible RFL layer was not conducive to the tear strength of the composites. Furthermore, the addition of the AFs significantly improved the wear resistance of the NBR composites via enhancing the hardness and the tear strength, and the RFL coating was effective in further decreasing the wear rate under low load condition via improving the AF/NBR interaction. Under 20 N load condition, the specific wear rate of the composite with 15‐parts per hundred of rubber (phr)coated AFs was 90% and 40% lower than that of the NBR composites without AF and with 15‐phr untreated AFs, respectively.
Ultrasound Acupuncture for Oxaliplatin‐induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients With Colorectal Cancer: A Pilot Study
Authors: Chien Andy , Yang Chen‐Chia , Chang Sheng‐Chi , Jan Yi‐Min , Yang Ching‐Hsiang , Hsieh Yueh‐Ling
Published: March 2020

Background

Oxaliplatin is frequently used in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. However, peripheral neuropathy is a severe adverse effect of oxaliplatin that may persist and impact quality of life.

Objective

To assess the potential effects of ultrasound acupuncture for the alleviation of symptoms related to oxaliplatin‐induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Design

Prospective cohort pilot study.

Setting

Education and research hospital.

Participants

Patients with a diagnosis of stage II‐IV colorectal cancer undergoing oxaliplatin‐based treatment regimens who experienced OIPN symptoms (n = 17).

Interventions

Pulsed therapeutic ultrasound (1 MHz) at bilateral acupuncture points of PC6, PC7, BL60, and KI1 was administered for 5 minutes per point daily for 12 days.

Main Outcome Measurements

Pain Quality Assessment Scale (PQAS), Chemotherapy‐induced Neurotoxicity Questionnaire (CINQ), quantitative touch‐detection threshold, cold‐trigger pain withdrawal latency, and quality of life (EORTC QLQ‐C30) were measured at baseline (day 0), pre‐intervention (day 12, post wash‐out period), post‐intervention (day 24), and final follow‐up (day 54). A P value of less than .05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Scores of PQAS and CINQ significantly improved after ultrasound acupuncture at post‐intervention and follow‐up compared to both baseline and pre‐intervention. Similar trends were also observed for the quantitative sensory testing, where touch‐detection threshold significantly decreased and cold‐trigger pain withdrawal latency significantly increased after ultrasound acupuncture. Patients also showed an improvement on quality of life outcomes as measured by QLQ‐C30 post‐intervention and at follow‐up.

Conclusions

Ultrasound acupuncture could be an effective intervention for OIPN symptoms for patients with colorectal cancer. However, larger and randomized clinical trials with placebo controls are needed to confirm such effects.
Evaluation of cultural control and resistance‐breeding strategies for suppression of whitefly infestation of cassava at the landscape scale: a simulation modeling approach
Authors: Parry Hazel , Kalyebi Andrew , Bianchi Felix , Sseruwagi Peter , Colvin John , Schellhorn Nancy , Macfadyen Sarina
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is an important vector of virus diseases, impacting cassava production in East Africa. To date, breeding efforts in this region have focused on disease resistance. Here we use a spatially‐explicit simulation model to explore how breeding strategies for whitefly resistance will influence the population dynamics of whitefly in the context of regional variation in cassava crop management practices.

RESULTS

Simulations indicated that regions with a short cropping cycle and two cropping seasons per year were associated with high whitefly abundance. Nymph mortality and antixenosis resistance mechanisms were more effective than mechanisms that lead to longer whitefly development times. When spatial variation was introduced in heterogeneous landscapes, however, negative consequences of the antixenosis effect were observed in fields containing whitefly susceptible varieties, unless the proportion of whitefly resistant variety in the landscape was low (~10%) or the amount of matrix in the landscape was high (~75%).

CONCLUSION

We show the importance of considering cropping regime and landscape management context when developing and deploying whitefly‐resistant cassava varieties. Recommendations differ significantly between regions. There may also be unintended negative consequences of higher whitefly densities for whitefly susceptible varieties if uptake of the new variety in a landscape is high, depending on the mechanism of resistance and the landscape context. Furthermore, we show that in some cases, such as where there is substantial fallow combined with a short single‐season crop, the management characteristics of the existing cropping regime alone may be effective at controlling whitefly populations. © 2020 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Multiplexed Luminescence Oxygen Channeling Immunoassay Based on Dual‐Functional Barcodes with a Host–Guest Structure: A Facile and Robust Suspension Array Platform
Authors: Guo Qingsheng , Wang Yao , Chen Cang , Wei Dan , Fu Jianping , Xu Hong , Gu Hongchen
Published: March 2020

The development of a powerful immunoassay platform with capacities of both simplicity and high multiplexing is promising for disease diagnosis. To meet this urgent need, for the first time, a multiplexed luminescent oxygen channeling immunoassay (multi‐LOCI) platform by implementation of LOCI with suspension array technology is reported. As the microcarrier of the platform, a unique dual‐functional barcode with a host–guest structure composed of a quantum dot host bead (QDH) and LOCI acceptor beads (ABs) is designed, in which QDH provides function of high coding capacity while ABs facilitate the LOCI function. The analytes bridge QDH@ABs and LOCI donor beads (DBs) into a close proximity, forming a QDH@ABs–DBs “host–guest–satellite” superstructure that generates both barcode signal from QDH and LOCI signal induced by singlet oxygen channeling between ABs and DBs. Through imaging‐based decoding, different barcodes are automatically distinguished and colocalized with LOCI signals. Importantly, the assay achieves simultaneous detection of multiple analytes within one reaction, simply by following a “mix‐and‐measure” protocol without the need for tedious washing steps. Furthermore, the multi‐LOCI platform is validated for real sample measurements. With the advantages of robustness, simplicity, and high multiplexing, the platform holds great potential for the development of point‐of‐care diagnostics.
Nature‐based solutions for urban pluvial flood risk management
Authors: Huang Yijing , Tian Zhan , Ke Qian , Liu Junguo , Irannezhad Masoud , Fan Dongli , Hou Meifang , Sun Laixiang
Published: March 2020

Urban pluvial flooding now occurs more frequently than it has in past decades, mainly due to an increasing number of extreme precipitation events occurring in the context of a changing climate. To limit the evolving risks of urban pluvial flooding in a more environmentally friendly manner, the research community has recently paid increasing attention to Nature‐Based Solutions (NBS), which are based on new green technologies. To meet the urgent demand for a comprehensive review of the most recent literature, this review conducts a systematic survey of the literature to characterize various NBS adopted in different regions of the world and to elaborate on the benefits and limitations of such NBS. The review highlights the role of NBS in urban flood risk management under ongoing climate change and rapid urbanization. It shows that NBS could effectively mitigate urban flooding caused by high‐frequency precipitation events, with additional economic, ecological, and social benefits. However, NBS are less effective at helping cope with pluvial flooding caused by extreme precipitation events over a short period of time, while gray infrastructures also have limitations as a mitigation measure against extreme pluvial flooding. We thus recommend identifying flood risk management strategies by evaluating the performance of alternative combinations of NBS with gray infrastructures in preventing pluvial flooding in the cities. Finally, recent advances made in the applications of NBS are presented with suggestions (e.g., long‐term monitoring) to improve urban flood adaptive management.

This article is categorized under:

Engineering Water > Planning Water

Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water

Science of Water > Water Extremes
Evaluation of wind power forecasts—An up‐to‐date view
Authors: Messner Jakob W. , Pinson Pierre , Browell Jethro , Bjerregård Mathias B. , Schicker Irene
Published: March 2020

Wind power forecast evaluation is of key importance for forecast provider selection, forecast quality control, and model development. While forecasts are most often evaluated based on squared or absolute errors, these error measures do not always adequately reflect the loss functions and true expectations of the forecast user, neither do they provide enough information for the desired evaluation task. Over the last decade, research in forecast verification has intensified, and a number of verification frameworks and diagnostic tools have been proposed. However, the corresponding literature is generally very technical and most often dedicated to forecast model developers. This can make forecast users struggle to select the most appropriate verification tools for their application while not fully appraising subtleties related to their application and interpretation. This paper revisits the most common verification tools from a forecast user perspective and discusses their suitability for different application examples as well as evaluation setup design and significance of evaluation results.
Design und Qualitätskontrolle der zahnmedizinischen Untersuchung in der NAKO Gesundheitsstudie
Authors: Holtfreter Birte , Samietz Stefanie , Hertrampf Katrin , Aarabi Ghazal , Hagenfeld Daniel , Kim Ti-Sun , Kocher Thomas , Koos Bernd , Schmitter Marc , Ahrens Wolfgang , Alwers Elizabeth , Becher Heiko , Berger Klaus , Brenner Hermann , Damms-Machado Antje , Ebert Nina , Fischer Beate , Franzke Claus-Werner , Frölich Stefanie , Greiser Halina , Gies Anton , Günther Kathrin , Hassan Lamiaa , Hoffmann W. , Jaeschke Lina , Keil Thomas , Kemmling Yvonne , Krause Gérard , Krist Lilian , Legath Nicole , Lieb Wolfgang , Leitzmann Michael , Linseisen Jakob , Loeffler Markus , Meinke-Franze Claudia , Michels Karin B. , Mikolajczyk Rafael , Obi Nadia , Peters Annette , Pischon Tobias , Schipf Sabine , Schmidt Börge , Völzke Henry , Waniek Sabina , Wigmann Claudia , Wirkner Kerstin , Schmidt Carsten Oliver , Kühnisch Jan , Rupf Stefan
Published: March 2020

Hintergrund

Karies und Parodontitis sind weltweit hoch prävalente Erkrankungen. Durch ihre Erfassung im Rahmen der NAKO Gesundheitsstudie können Assoziationen zwischen oralen und systemischen Erkrankungen untersucht werden.

Fragestellung

In einer ersten Qualitätsanalyse zur Halbzeit der NAKO-Basiserhebung wird die Plausibilität der zahnmedizinischen Ergebnisse überprüft. Es werden Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung der Datenqualität vorgeschlagen.

Material und Methoden

Ein zahnmedizinisches Interview, eine Speichelprobengewinnung und eine Befunderhebung wurden durchgeführt. Im Rahmen der Level-1-Untersuchung wurden Zahn- und Prothesenanzahl erfasst. In der Level-2-Untersuchung wurden detaillierte parodontologische, kariologische und funktionelle Befunde erhoben. Alle Untersuchungen wurden von geschultem nichtzahnmedizinischen Personal durchgeführt. Es wurden Plausibilitätsprüfungen durchgeführt sowie Verteilungen deskriptiv dargestellt.

Ergebnisse

In die Analysen gingen Daten von 57.967 Interviewteilnehmer*innen, 56.913 Level-1- und 6295 Level-2-Teilnehmer*innen ein. Der Anteil fehlender Werte lag für die einzelnen Parameter der Level-1- und Level-2-Untersuchungen zwischen 0,02 % und 3,9 %. Die Parameter zeigten eine plausible Verteilung; vereinzelt wurden unplausible Werte beobachtet, z. B. beim horizontalen und vertikalen Überbiss (Overjet und Overbite). Anhand der Intraklassenkorrelationskoeffizienten wurden für die einzelnen Parameter Unterschiede zwischen regionalen Clustern, den Studienzentren und verschiedenen Untersucher*innen nachgewiesen.

Diskussion

Die bisherigen Ergebnisse bestätigten die Umsetzbarkeit des Studienprotokolls durch nichtzahnmedizinisches Personal und die erfolgreiche Integration in das Untersuchungsprogramm der NAKO Gesundheitsstudie. Die Studienzentren benötigen eine intensive zahnmedizinische Betreuung für das Qualitätsmanagement.
Genselektive Therapieansätze bei der Huntington-Krankheit
Authors: Mühlbäck A. , Lindenberg K. S. , Saft C. , Priller J. , Landwehrmeyer G. B.
Published: March 2020

In Deutschland leiden derzeit mindestens 8000, vermutlich aber sogar bis zu ca. 14.000 Menschen an einer klinisch apparenten („manifesten“) Huntington-Krankheit (HK). Zudem tragen schätzungsweise 24.000 Deutsche die der HK zugrunde liegende Mutation im Huntingtin-(HTT)-Gen und werden im Laufe ihres Lebens an der HK erkranken. Obwohl die HK eine seltene neurodegenerative Erkrankung ist, steht sie gegenwärtig im Fokus eines allgemeinen medizinischen Interesses: Klinische Studien, die eine rationale Basis für die Hoffnung bilden, das bislang unaufhaltsame, schicksalhafte Fortschreiten der Erkrankung bis zur vollständigen Pflegebedürftigkeit bremsen und – bei rechtzeitigem Behandlungsbeginn – eventuell sogar die klinische Manifestation der HK mitigieren zu können, haben begonnen. Diese innovativen Therapieansätze sind darauf ausgerichtet, die Nachbildung mutierter HTT-Gen-Produkte zu hemmen. Eine erste klinische Arzneimittelprüfung zum Nachweis der Wirksamkeit (Phase III) intrathekaler Antisense-Oligonukleotide (ASO, Wirkstoff RG6042) hat 2019 begonnen. Klinische Studien zu weiteren, alternativen Behandlungsansätze mit allelselektiven ASOs sowie zu gentherapeutischen Ansätzen mit RNA-Molekülen und Zinkfinger-Repressor-Komplexen stehen kurz bevor. In dem vorliegenden Artikel geben wir einen Überblick über die gegenwärtig diskutierten genselektiven Therapieansätze bei der HK.
Heterogeneous relatedness and firm productivity
Authors: Stavropoulos S. , van Oort F. G. , Burger M. J.
Published: March 2020

In this manuscript, we relate regional structural composition—related and unrelated variety—to firm-level productivity in European regions, applying a Cobb–Douglas production function framework and using firm-, industry- and regional-level mixed hierarchical (multilevel) models. Our analyses indicate that regional-related variety has a positive impact on firm productivity in European regions, especially for firms in high-tech and medium-tech regions. These outcomes have implications for European policies on competitiveness as firms embedded in regions without these technological and institutional circumstances are systematically worse off in terms of productivity, and catching-up is not obvious for such regional economies.
Executive functions in motor imagery: support for the motor-cognitive model over the functional equivalence model
Authors: Glover Scott , Bibby Elys , Tuomi Elsa
Published: March 2020

The motor-cognitive model holds that motor imagery relies on executive resources to a much greater extent than do overt actions. According to this view, engaging executive resources with an interference task during motor imagery or overt actions will lead to a greater lengthening of the time required to imagine a movement than to execute it physically. This model is in contrast to a currently popular view, the functional equivalence model, which holds that motor imagery and overt action use identical mental processes, and thus should be equally affected by task manipulations. The two competing frameworks were tested in three experiments that varied the amount and type of executive resources needed to perform an interference task concurrent with either an overt or imagined version of a grasping and placing action. In Experiment 1, performing a concurrent calculation task led to a greater lengthening of the time required to execute motor imagery than overt action relative to a control condition involving no interference task. Further, an increase in the number of responses used to index performance affected the timing of motor imagery but not overt actions. In Experiment 2, a low-load repetition task interfered with the timing of motor imagery, but less so than a high load calculation task; both tasks had much smaller effects on overt actions. In Experiment 3, a word generation task also interfered with motor imagery much more than with overt actions. The results of these experiments provide broad support for the motor-cognitive model over the functional equivalence model in showing that interfering with executive functions had a much greater impact on the timing of motor imagery than on overt actions. The possible roles of different executive processes in motor imagery are discussed.
Evaluation einer Basisschulung für Patienten mit rheumatoider Arthritis
Authors: Gerlich C. , Andreica I. , Küffner R. , Krause D. , Lakomek H. J. , Reusch A. , Braun J.
Published: March 2020

Hintergrund

Ein neues Rahmenkonzept hat die flexible Ableitung und Nutzung von rheumatologischen Schulungsprogrammen für unterschiedliche Versorgungsbereiche ermöglicht. Auf dieser Grundlage wurde eine 5‑stündige Basisschulung für Patienten mit rheumatoider Arthritis (RA) entwickelt, es wurden rheumatologische Fachärzte und Psychologen trainiert, und dann wurde die Wirksamkeit nach dem Wirkmodell der Patientenschulung evaluiert.

Methoden

Mit dem Studiendesign einer extern randomisierten Wartekontrollgruppenstudie mit 3 Messzeitpunkten wurde geprüft, wie sich die 5‑stündige Basisschulung auf das Erkrankungs- und Behandlungswissen sowie auf die Gesundheitskompetenz von RA-Patienten (n = 249) auswirkt. Weitere Fragen betrafen Einstellungsparameter, Kommunikationskompetenz, Erkrankungsauswirkungen und die Zufriedenheit mit der Schulung. Die Auswertungen erfolgten auf Intention-to-treat-Basis mit Kovarianzanalysen für die Hauptzielgrößen unter Berücksichtigung des Ausgangswertes.

Ergebnisse

Die Analysen zeigen, dass die Basisschulung RA wirksam ist. Noch 3 Monate nach der Schulung verfügten die Schulungsteilnehmer über mehr Wissen und Gesundheitskompetenz als die Wartekontrollgruppe mit kleinem bis mittelgroßem Effekt (d = 0,37 bzw. 0,38). In den Nebenzielgrößen zeigten sich mit Ausnahme der Krankheitskommunikation keine weiteren Schulungseffekte.

Diskussion

Die Basisschulung bietet eine gute Grundlage, auf der weitere Interventionen zur Verbesserung von Einstellungs- und Erkrankungsparametern aufbauen können. Sie eignet sich damit als zentraler Baustein für die rheumatologische Versorgung auf verschiedenen Ebenen.
Autonomic failure in Parkinson’s disease is associated with striatal dopamine deficiencies
Authors: van Deursen Dagmar N. , van den Heuvel Odile A. , Booij Jan , Berendse Henk W. , Vriend Chris
Published: March 2020

Autonomic dysfunction is a common non-motor symptom in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Dopamine and serotonin are known to play a role in autonomic regulation, and, therefore, PD-related degeneration of serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons in these regions may be associated with autonomic dysfunction. We sought to clarify the association between extrastriatal serotonergic and striatal dopaminergic degeneration and the severity of autonomic symptoms, including gastrointestinal, pupillomotor, thermoregulatory, cardiovascular, and urinary dysfunction. We performed hierarchical multiple regression analyses to determine the relationships between (extra)striatal serotonergic and dopaminergic degeneration and autonomic dysfunction in 310 patients with PD. We used [123I]FP-CIT SPECT binding to presynaptic serotonin (SERT) and dopamine (DAT) transporters as a measure of the integrity of these neurotransmitter systems, and the SCOPA-AUT (Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s Disease—Autonomic) questionnaire to evaluate the perceived severity of autonomic dysfunction. Motor symptom severity, medication status, and sex were added to the model as covariates. Additional analyses were also performed using five subdomains of the SCOPA-AUT: cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, urinary, thermoregulatory, and pupillomotor symptoms. We found that autonomic symptoms were most significantly related to lower [123I]FP-CIT binding ratios in the right caudate nucleus and were mainly driven by gastrointestinal and cardiovascular dysfunction. These results provide a first look into the modest role of dopaminergic projections towards the caudate nucleus in the pathophysiology of autonomic dysfunction in PD, but the underlying mechanism warrants further investigation.
Sex-dependent changes in the louse abundance of red-footed falcons (Falco vespertinus)
Authors: Piross Imre Sándor , Solt Szablocs , Horváth Éva , Kotymán László , Palatitz Péter , Bertók Péter , Szabó Krisztián , Vili Nóra , Vas Zoltán , Rózsa Lajos , Harnos Andrea , Fehérvári Péter
Published: March 2020

Permanent ectoparasites live in stable environments; thus, their population dynamics are mostly adapted to changes in the host life cycle. We aimed to investigate how static and dynamic traits of red-footed falcons interplay with the dynamics of their louse subpopulations during breeding and how they affect the colonisation of new hosts by lice. We sampled red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus) nestlings (two breeding seasons) and adults (one breeding season) in southern Hungary. The mean abundance of Colpocephalum subzerafae and Degeeriella rufa lice on the nestlings was modelled with generalized linear mixed models using clutch size and host sex in interaction with wing length. For adults, we used wing length and the number of days after laying the first egg, both in interaction with sex. D. rufa abundances increased with the nestlings’ wing length. In one year, this trend was steeper on females. In adult birds, both louse species exhibited higher abundances on females at the beginning, but it decreased subsequently through the breeding season. Contrarily, abundances were constantly low on adult males. Apparently, D. rufa postpones transmission until nestlings develop juvenile plumage and choose the more feathered individual among siblings. The sexual difference in the observed abundance could either be caused by the different plumage, or by the females’ preference for less parasitized males. Moreover, females likely have more time to preen during the incubation period, lowering their louse burdens. Thus, sex-biased infestation levels likely arise due to parasite preferences in the nestlings and host behavioural processes in the adult falcons.
3D model of a commercial 9V alkaline battery for EMC simulation
Authors: Hackl Herbert , Ibel Martin , Auinger Bernhard , List Dominik , Stockreiter Christian
Published: March 2020

The modeling of batteries for simulation is nowadays of increasing importance because their behavior and performance has significant influence on the operation of many modern systems, such as electric vehicles (EV), mobile devices, energy storage and many more. But batteries also play an important role in daily electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing and measurement tasks, namely if they are used for powering devices under test (DUT) or measurement equipment. In this paper, we demonstrate the impact of a commercial 9V block battery on the result of a bulk current injection (BCI) test when used to supply optical voltage probes attached to the DUT. To illustrate the battery’s impact by simulation, a 3D model of selfsame is developed based on its actual internal structure and applying state-of-the-art approaches for battery modeling and commercial 3D EM simulation software. The model is validated by comparison of measurement and simulation of DUT voltages and input current during an actual BCI test.
Evolutionary algorithms and their applications to engineering problems
Authors: Slowik Adam , Kwasnicka Halina
Published: March 2020

The main focus of this paper is on the family of evolutionary algorithms and their real-life applications. We present the following algorithms: genetic algorithms, genetic programming, differential evolution, evolution strategies, and evolutionary programming. Each technique is presented in the pseudo-code form, which can be used for its easy implementation in any programming language. We present the main properties of each algorithm described in this paper. We also show many state-of-the-art practical applications and modifications of the early evolutionary methods. The open research issues are indicated for the family of evolutionary algorithms.
The evolution of spring fen ecotypes in Rhinanthus: genetic evidence for parallel origins in Scandinavia after the last ice age
Authors: Jonstrup Anneli , Hedrén Mikael , Oja Tatjana , Talve Tiina , Andersson Stefan
Published: March 2020

Locally adapted ecotypes can constitute an important part of the biodiversity, especially in young floras with few endemic species. However, the origins, distinctness and conservation value of many ecotypes remain uncertain because genetic data are lacking or no common-garden study has been carried out. In the present study, we evaluated the distinctness and genetic structure of a phenotypically deviating morph ofRhinanthus angustifolius, growing in calcareous spring fens on the Baltic island of Gotland. Using data from a common-garden experiment and analyses of nuclear microsatellite variation, we compared fen populations on Gotland with conspecific populations from habitats more typical of the study species. We also included the fen specialistR. osiliensisfrom the Baltic island of Saaremaa in the molecular analyses to make further inferences about the origin of the Gotlandic fen morph. Our data indicate that the Gotlandic fen populations constitute a phenotypically and genetically distinct ecotype that most likely has evolved at least two times on Gotland after the last ice age. In congruence with previous studies, we also infer that fen ecotypes have evolved independently on Gotland and Saaremaa. We propose a varietal status for the Gotlandic fen ecotype and give recommendations for the conservation of this taxon.
Effect of Mesh Quality on Flux Reconstruction in Multi-dimensions
Authors: Trojak Will , Watson Rob , Scillitoe Ashley , Tucker Paul G.
Published: March 2020

Theoretical methods are developed to understand the effect of non-uniform grids on Flux Reconstruction (FR) in multi-dimensions. A better theoretical understanding of the effect of wave angle and grid deformation is established. FR is shown to have a smaller variation in properties than some finite difference counterparts. Subsequent numerical experiments on the Taylor–Green Vortex with jittered elements show the effect of localised regions of expansion and contraction. The effect this had on Nodal DG-like schemes was to increase the dissipation, whereas for more typical FR schemes the effect was to increase the dispersion. Some comparison is made between second-order FR and a second-order finite volume (FV) scheme. FR is found to be more resilient to mesh deformation, however, FV is found to be more resolved when operated at second order on the same mesh.
Graph-Representation of Patient Data: a Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Schrodt Jens , Dudchenko Aleksei , Knaup-Gregori Petra , Ganzinger Matthias
Published: March 2020

Graph theory is a well-established theory with many methods used in mathematics to study graph structures. In the field of medicine, electronic health records (EHR) are commonly used to store and analyze patient data. Consequently, it seems straight-forward to perform research on modeling EHR data as graphs. This systematic literature review aims to investigate the frontiers of the current research in the field of graphs representing and processing patient data. We want to show, which areas of research in this context need further investigation. The databases MEDLINE, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore and ACM digital library were queried by using the search terms health record, graph and related terms. Based on the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis” (PRISMA) statement guidelines the articles were screened and evaluated using full-text analysis. Eleven out of 383 articles found in systematic literature review were finally included for analysis in this literature review. Most of them use graphs to represent temporal relations, often representing the connection among laboratory data points. Only two papers report that the graph data were further processed by comparing the patient graphs using similarity measurements. Graphs representing individual patients are hardly used in research context, only eleven papers considered such kind of graphs in their investigations. The potential of graph theoretical algorithms, which are already well established, could help increasing this research field, but currently there are too few papers to estimate how this area of research will develop. Altogether, the use of such patient graphs could be a promising technique to develop decision support systems for diagnosis, medication or therapy of patients using similarity measurements or different kinds of analysis.
Exponential Moments for Planar Tessellations
Authors: Jahnel Benedikt , Tóbiás András
Published: March 2020

In this paper we show existence of all exponential moments for the total edge length in a unit disk for a family of planar tessellations based on stationary point processes. Apart from classical tessellations such as the Poisson–Voronoi, Poisson–Delaunay and Poisson line tessellation, we also treat the Johnson–Mehl tessellation, Manhattan grids, nested versions and Palm versions. As part of our proofs, for some planar tessellations, we also derive existence of exponential moments for the number of cells and the number of edges intersecting the unit disk.
Proudman resonance with tides, bathymetry and variable atmospheric forcings
Authors: Williams David A. , Horsburgh Kevin J. , Schultz David M. , Hughes Chris W.
Published: March 2020

Proudman resonance is a primary amplification mechanism for meteotsunamis, which are shallow-water waves generated by atmospheric forcings. The effect of tides, sloping bathymetry and the speed, amplitude and aspect ratio of the atmospheric forcing on Proudman resonant wave growth are investigated using analytical approximations and numerical models. With tides included, maximum wave growth through Proudman resonance occurred when the atmospheric-forcing speed matched the tidal-wave speed. Growth greater than Proudman resonance occurred with a positive tidal elevation together with a tidal current in the opposite direction to wave propagation, due to linear growth combined with further amplification from wave-flux conservation. Near-Proudman resonant growth occurred when the forced-wave speed or free-wave speed varied by either a small amount, or varied rapidly, around a speed appropriate for Proudman resonance. For a forcing moving at Proudman resonant speed, resultant wave growth was proportional to the total, time-integrated forcing amplitude. Finally, Proudman resonant wave growth was lower for forcings with lower aspect ratios (AP), partly because forced-wave heights are proportional to 1 + A
P
2
, but also because free waves could spread in two dimensions. Whilst the assumptions of strict Proudman resonance are never met, near-Proudman resonant growth may occur over hundreds of kilometres if the effective Froude number is near 1 and the resultant wave propagates predominantly in one dimension.