bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of global postural reeducation on postural control, dynamic balance, and ankle range of motion in patients with hallux abducto valgus. A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Estepa‐Gallego Alejandro , Ibañez‐Vera Alfonso Javier , Estudillo‐Martínez María Dolores , Castellote‐Caballero Yolanda , Bergamin Marco , Gobbo Stefano , Lérida‐Ortega Miguel Ángel , Cruz‐Díaz David
Published: August 2021

Hallux abducto valgus (HAV) is a common musculoskeletal disorder that has been addressed surgically. Nevertheless, the manual therapy approach may play an important role in the management of this condition. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of global postural reeducation (GPR) in subjects with symptomatic mild to moderate HAV in static postural control, dynamic stability, and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (DFROM). A total of 80 patients with mild to moderate symptomatic HAV were allocated to the intervention group (GPR) or control group (CG) (no treatment) for 8 weeks. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline at 4 and 8 weeks including static postural control (Romberg test), dynamic balance (Star Excursion Balance Test [SEBT]), and ankle DFROM (Weight‐Bearing Lunge Test [WBLT]). No improvements were observed at 4 weeks, but there were improvements at 8 weeks in: static postural control mediolateral displacement (X) of center of pressure (CoP) in both eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC): XEO (t(36) = 2.892, p = .006, d = 0.67); XEC (t(68) = 2.280, p = .026, d = 054); and velocity (V) of CoP displacement: VEO (t(68) = 2.380, p = .020, d = 0.57); VEC (t(36) = 2.057, p = .047, d = 0.37). It were also improvements in: WBLT (t(36) = −2.869, p = .007, d = 0.54) and SEBT at three directions (anterior, ANT; posteromedial, PM; and posterolateral, PL): SEBT.ANT (t(36) = −2.292, p = .028, d = 0.23); SEBT.PM (t(36) = −4.075, p < .001, d = 0.43); SEBT.PL (t(62) = −3.506, p = .001, d = 0.34). The present study showed that GPR compared to the CG might be effective in enhancing ankle function including postural control, dynamic balance, and DFROM.
Correlation between CD163 expression and resting pain in patients with hip osteoarthritis: Possible contribution of CD163+ monocytes/macrophages to pain pathogenesis
Authors: Ohashi Yoshihisa , Uchida Kentaro , Fukushima Kensuke , Satoh Masashi , Koyama Tomohisa , Tsuchiya Maho , Saito Hiroki , Uchiyama Katsufumi , Takahira Naonobu , Inoue Gen , Takaso Masashi
Published: August 2021

Expression of CD163, a scavenger receptor specifically expressed by monocytes and macrophages, is elevated in the synovial tissue of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) compared with healthy controls. However, the association between CD163 expression in the synovium and pain in OA patients is unclear. We investigated the correlation between synovial CD163 expression and resting and active pain levels in patients with hip osteoarthritis (HOA). To investigate the possible contribution of CD163+ subsets to pain pathogenesis, we compared pain‐related cytokine expression and M1/M2 macrophage marker expression in CD163+ and CD163− cells. We performed flow cytometric analysis to study the CD163+ cell population. We also examined pain‐related cytokine expression and M1/M2 macrophage marker expression on CD163+ CD14high and CD163+ CD14low cells using cell sorting. Synovial CD163 expression significantly correlated with resting pain levels (p = 0.006; R = 0.321), but not active pain levels (p = 0.155; R = 0.169). Expression of the M1 macrophage marker CD80 was significantly higher in CD163+ than CD163− cells (p = 0.010), as was the expression of M2 macrophage markers CD206 and IL10 (CD206, p = 0.014; IL10, p = 0.005), and TNFA and IL1B (TNFA, p = 0.002; IL1B, p = 0.001). TNFA expression was significantly higher in CD163+ CD14low than CD163+ CD14high cells, while IL1B, IL10, and CD206 expression were comparable among these subsets. Our findings suggest that CD163 expression is associated with higher resting pain scores. As TNF‐α plays a role in the pain process, CD163+ CD14low cells expressing TNFA may be a potent contributor to the pathogenesis of resting pain in HOA.
Circular RNA circ_0011385 promotes cervical cancer progression through competitively binding to miR‐149‐5p and up‐regulating SOX4 expression
Authors: Xu An‐Li , Wang Wen‐Shuang , Zhao Man‐Yin , Sun Jia‐Nan , Chen Xiao‐Ran , Hou Jian‐Qing
Published: August 2021

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), emerging as a new type of non‐coding RNAs, play important roles in cancers. Instead, the functions and mechanisms of circ_0011385 in cervical cancer (CC) are still inconclusive. Microarray data GSE102686 was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and were utilized to screen out circRNAs differently expressed in CC tissues. Circ_0011385, miR‐149‐5p, SRY‐box transcription factor 4 (SOX4) mRNA expressions in CC tissues and cells were probed by quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR). CC cell lines with circ_0011385 knockdown were constructed, and he multiplication, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of CC cells were evaluated by cell counting kit‐8 (CCK‐8) method, transwell assay, and flow cytometry. In addition, the targeting relationships between miR‐149‐5p and circ_0011385 or SOX4 mRNA 3′UTR were probed by dual‐luciferase reporter gene assay and RNA pull‐down assay. The regulatory function of circ_0011385 and miR‐149‐5p on SOX4 expression was studied with western blot. Expressions of circ_0011385 and SOX4 mRNA were raised in CC tissues and cells, while miR‐149‐5p expression was decreased. Knocking down circ_0011385 restrained the multiplication, migration, and invasion of CC cells and induced the apoptosis. Circ_0011385 directly targeted miR‐149‐5p, and SOX4 was the target of miR‐149‐5p, which could be positively regulated by circ_0011385. Circ_0011385 elevates SOX4 expression by targeting miR‐149‐5p, thus participating in promoting the malignant biological behaviors of CC cells.
How urban growth changes the heat island effect and human thermal sensations over the last 100 years and towards the future in a European city?
Authors: Vitanova Lidia Lazarova , Kusaka Hiroyuki , Doan Quang‐Van , Subasinghe Shyamantha
Published: August 2021

Urban development exacerbates urban heat island effects of cities and thermal discomfort of the residents worldwide. However, such urban effects vary with the geographical and climatic conditions of the respective cities. This study is the first to quantitatively estimate the impact of past (1878), present (2012), and future (2050) urbanization on surface air temperatures and human thermal comfort in Sofia, the largest city of Bulgaria. We used the state‐of‐the‐art Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) climate model, with a 1‐km horizontal resolution for three cases: LU1878, LU2012, and LU2050. We first validated the results of the control simulation (case LU2012) against actual observations. The model satisfactorily reproduced the diurnal variation of the observed monthly mean surface air temperatures for July (2011–2013) with a mean bias of ±0.6°C. We then estimated the potential impacts of past and future urbanization on surface temperature. Our results suggest that because of urbanization of Sofia, the surface air temperature at 0600 Local Standard Time (LST) has increased approximately 4.0°C in the past (1878–2012) and approximately 0.4°C in future (2012–2050). We also evaluated the impact of the urban thermal environment on human comfort levels. Considering the LU2050 case in the central part of Sofia, the temperature–humidity index during mid‐afternoon (1400–1700 LST) is estimated to be 24–26, indicating that approximately 50% of the residents could feel perceptibly uncomfortable.
Electromagnetic wave scattering from locally perturbed periodic inhomogeneous layers
Authors: Konschin Alexander
Published: August 2021

We consider the scattering problem for locally perturbed periodic penetrable dielectric layers, which is formulated in terms of the full vector‐valued time‐harmonic Maxwell's equations. By assuming a non‐periodic right‐hand side, or, a perturbation in the permittivity, one cannot reduce the problem to one periodic cell in the classical way. In this article we present a method to solve such scattering problems. For that, we apply the Floquet‐Bloch transform to derive a coupled family of quasi‐periodic problems and solve the individual quasi‐periodic problems by combining some standard methods with technical calculations. This approach works as long as we stay away from the singularities in the quasi‐periodicity of the Calderon operator, which we use for the boundary condition. The challenge is to prove the unique existence of the solutions for the quasi‐periodicities inside the one‐dimensional set for which the quasi‐periodic differential operator is singular. The idea to tackle this problem is to construct a limit solution by letting the quasi‐periodicity converge to a singularity while decomposing the quasi‐periodic differential operator using the Sherman‐Morrison‐Woodbury formula. Additionally, we show regularity results of the Floquet‐Bloch transformed solution to the perturbed problem on the unbounded domain with respect to the quasi‐periodicity mode. These results, i.e., contribute to a numerical method to approximate the solution to the unbounded domain problem, which we will describe in a forthcoming work.
Physician Communication and Patient Understanding of Molecular Testing Terminology
Authors: Blee Shannon M. , Shah Rachel Pocock , Pinheiro Ana P.M. , Switchenko Jeffrey , Dixon Margie , Owonikoko Taofeek K. , Hill Charles E. , Szabo Stephen M. , Pentz Rebecca D.
Published: August 2021

Background

The use of molecular testing in oncology is rapidly expanding. The aim of this study was to determine how oncologists describe molecular testing and whether patients understand the terminology being used.

Materials and Methods

Sixty conversations between oncologists and patients about molecular testing were observed, and the used technical terms were noted by the researcher. Patients were interviewed post-conversation to assess their understanding of the noted technical terms. A patient understanding score was calculated for each participant. Comparisons of the terms were conducted using χ2 tests, Fisher's exact tests, or ANOVA when appropriate.

Results

Sixty-one unique technical terms were used by oncologists, to describe seven topics. “Mutation” was a challenging term for patients to understand with 48.8% (21/43 mentions) of participants correctly defining the term. “Genetic testing” and “Gene” were understood a little more than half the time (53.3%; 8/15 and 56.4%; 22/39 respectively). “DNA” was well understood (80%; 12/15). There was no correlation between the terms being defined by the oncologist in the conversation, and the likelihood of the patient providing a correct definition. White participants were significantly more likely to understand both “mutation” and “genetic testing” than non-White participants. Forty-two percent (n = 25) of participants had an understanding score below 50%, and a higher family income was significantly correlated with a higher score.

Conclusion

Our results show that oncologists use variable terminology to describe molecular testing, which is often not understood. Because oncologists defining the terms did not correlate with understanding, it is imperative to develop new, improved methods to explain molecular testing.

Implications for Practice

The use of molecular testing is expanding in oncology, yet little is known about how effectively clinicians are communicating information about molecular testing and whether patients understand the terminology used. The results of this study indicate that patients do not understand some of the terminology used by their clinicians and that clinicians tend to use highly variable terminology to describe molecular testing. These results highlight the need to develop and implement effective methods to explain molecular testing terminology to patients to ensure that patients have the tools to make autonomous and informed decisions about their treatment.
Enhanced transmembrane transport of reactive oxygen species by electroporation effect of plasma
Authors: Yang Zihao , Liu Dawei
Published: August 2021

Recently, plasma has been proposed as a new efficient tool for various biological and medical applications. The function of plasma is mainly realized through two aspects: Electric field and reactive species. However, because the interactions between plasma and cells are quite complicated, the synergistic effect of electric field and reactive species has not been studied in depth. In this paper, the synergetic effects of electric field and transportation of reactive species on cells are investigated by a two‐dimensional finite element model. The exposure of cells to plasma results in the sufficiently high transmembrane voltage (1 V) and electroporation. When the electric field of plasma is less than 104 V/cm, the radius of nanopores generated by plasma increases with the electric field. The further increase of electric field to 105 V/cm does not cause a significant increase of nanopore radius, whereas the pore density increases by five times. The increase of discharge frequency significantly decreases the time needed to generate stable nanopores. The nanopores enhance the diffusion of H2O2 generated by plasma through the cell membrane significantly. Compared with the reality that H2O2 does not freely diffuse across cell membranes, the “generation and enhanced transportation” effect will further expand the application range of plasma medicine.
A distinct ssDNA/RNA binding interface in the Nsp9 protein from SARS‐CoV‐2
Authors: El‐Kamand Serene , Du Plessis Mar‐Dean , Breen Natasha , Johnson Lexie , Beard Samuel , Kwan Ann H. , Richard Derek J. , Cubeddu Liza , Gamsjaeger Roland
Published: August 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is a novel, highly infectious RNA virus that belongs to the coronavirus family. Replication of the viral genome is a fundamental step in the virus life cycle and SARS‐CoV‐2 non‐structural protein 9 (Nsp9) is shown to be essential for virus replication through its ability to bind RNA in the closely related SARS‐CoV‐1 strain. Two recent studies revealing the three‐dimensional structure of Nsp9 from SARS‐CoV‐2 have demonstrated a high degree of similarity between Nsp9 proteins within the coronavirus family. However, the binding affinity to RNA is very low which, until now, has prevented the determination of the structural details of this interaction. In this study, we have utilized nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) in combination with surface biolayer interferometry (BLI) to reveal a distinct binding interface for both ssDNA and RNA that is different to the one proposed in the recently solved SARS‐CoV‐2 replication and transcription complex (RTC) structure. Based on these data, we have proposed a structural model of a Nsp9‐RNA complex, shedding light on the molecular details of these important interactions.
Minimization of Isoamylase Interference in Size‐Exclusion Chromatography of Debranched Starch Molecular Structure
Authors: Chung Hyung‐Jung , Lee Ju Hun , Shin Hye‐Young , Kwon Ji‐Seon , Kim Jong‐Yea
Published: August 2021

Size‐exclusion chromatography (SEC) of sodium acetate buffer, denatured isoamylase, and debranched starch is used with various NaCl concentration as mobile phase to identify and minimize interference of buffer and isoamylase in analysis of debranched starch molecular structure. Also, superdex (SD) 75, SD 75 + SD 30, or SD 200 + SD 30 is used to compare SEC results under different columns. When a deionized water is used as mobile phase, elution times of each buffer and isoamylase are overlapped with molecular distribution of debranched starch in all column conditions. Higher NaCl concentration of mobile phase delays elution time of isoamylase in all column conditions but does not change fractionation behavior of debranched starch chains. Elution time of isoamylase is overlapped with that of debranched starch at higher than 200 mM of NaCl concentration with SD 75. In SD 75 + SD 30 and SD 200 + SD 30 column, elution of isoamylase completely separate with that of debranched starch when NaCl concentration of mobile phase is higher than 50 mM. Overall, the interference is minimized by addition of NaCl to mobile phase with SD 75 + SD 30 and SD 200 + SD 30 column.
Construction of Oxygen‐ and Nitrogen‐based Heterocycles from p‐Quinone Methides
Authors: Singh Gurdeep , Pandey Rajat , Pankhade Yogesh A. , Fatma Shaheen , Anand Ramasamy Vijaya
Published: August 2021

In the last few years, there has been an explosive growth in the area of para‐quinone methide (p‐QM) chemistry. This boom is actually due to the unique reactivity pattern of p‐QMs, and also their remarkable synthetic applications. In fact, p‐QMs serve as synthons for unsymmetrical diaryl‐ and triarylmethanes, and also for the construction of diverse range of carbocycles and heterocycles. In the last few years, a wide range of structurally complex heterocyclic frameworks could be accessed through the synthetic transformations of structurally modified stable p‐QMs. Therefore, the main focus of this review article is to cover the recent advancements in the transition‐metal, Lewis acid and base‐catalyzed/mediated synthetic transformations of the stable p‐quinone methides (p‐QMs) to oxygen‐ and nitrogen‐containing heterocycles.
Repeated thermo-hydrolytic disintegration of medium density fibreboards (MDF) for the production of new MDF
Authors: Bütün Buschalsky Fahriye Yağmur , Mai Carsten
Published: August 2021

Medium density fibreboards (MDF) are currently not recycled after service life, but various publications report on recycling by the disintegration of MDF using various techniques and the properties of obtained recovered fibres (RF). In this study, the main aim was to put back RF into the MDF manufacturing process as closed-loop recycling using repeated thermo-hydrolytic disintegration. Compared to previous studies, the focus was on the recycling of MDF with a relatively low F:U molar ratio (1.11). Urea–formaldehyde-bonded MDF with a target density of 700 kg m−3 was subjected to thermo-hydrolytic disintegration in an autoclave using only water at 95 °C for 20–30 min. Afterwards, the properties of RF and virgin fibres (VF), of MDF produced thereof and the composition of the disintegration water (DW) were determined. The nitrogen content (NC) revealed that RF contained about 30% of the initially applied UF. The pH of the DW hardly changed during recycling and it contained considerable amounts of reducing sugars. Using RF did not result in higher formaldehyde emissions than VF. Compared to earlier studies using a higher formaldehyde content (higher F:U ratio), MDF bonded with modern UF resins can be disintegrated under clearly milder disintegration conditions with respect to temperature and time. The properties of recycled MDF were similar to those of reference MDF; up to 100% RF could be used without severely deteriorating the strength and increasing formaldehyde emissions from these panels.
On Existence of Ground States in the Spin Boson Model
Authors: Hasler David , Hinrichs Benjamin , Siebert Oliver
Published: August 2021

We show the existence of ground states in the massless spin boson model without any infrared regularization. Our proof is non-perturbative and relies on a compactness argument. It works for arbitrary values of the coupling constant under the hypothesis that the second derivative of the ground state energy as a function of a constant external magnetic field is bounded.
Adult Benign, Non‐Iatrogenic Bronchoesophageal Fistulae: Systematic Review and Descriptive Analysis of Individual Patient Data
Authors: Mammana Marco , Pangoni Alessandro , Lorenzoni Giulia , Catelli Chiara , Natale Giuseppe , Gregori Dario , Dell'Amore Andrea , Rea Federico
Published: August 2021

Background

Adult, benign, non‐iatrogenic bronchoesophageal fistula (BEF) is a rare condition, which is occasionally described in single case reports. Therefore, little is known about its possible causes, presentation and management.

Methods

A systematic search of the literature in MEDLINE, PubMed Central and EMBASE databases between 1990 and 2020 was carried out to identify all cases of BEF. The initial database search identified 19,452 articles, of which 183 (251 individual patient cases) were included in the final analysis.

Results

Main causes of BEF were congenital malformations (97/251, 38.7%) and infections (82/251, 32.7%), while 33/251 (13.1%) fistulae were regarded as idiopathic and 39/251 (15.5%) attributed to other causes. Esophagograpy was the most sensitive method of diagnosis (97.4%) compared with esophagoscopy (78.9%), computed tomography (49.6%) and bronchoscopy (46.0%). Definitive treatment was surgical for 176 patients (70%), endoscopic for 25 (10%) and medical for 37 (14.7%). Compared with congenital BEFs, infective BEFs had shorter median symptom duration and were distributed more proximally over the bronchial tree. Definitive treatment was almost only surgical for congenital BEFs, while infective BEFs were treated also endoscopically (12%) and by medical therapy (38%). Morbidity, treatment failure and recurrence rates were higher for infective BEFs.

Conclusions

BEFs are rare. Symptoms are non‐specific and a high index of suspicion is necessary for diagnosis. Patients with infective BEF tend to have a more severe clinical picture than those with congenital BEF. Surgery is the main treatment for patients affected by congenital BEF, while infective BEFs may heal conservatively.
Nitrogen uptake capacity of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) only partially depends on tree age
Authors: Simon Judy , Bilela Silvija , Rennenberg Heinz
Published: August 2021

Key message

On calcareous soil, European beech roots prefer organic nitrogen, but only arginine and not glutamine or inorganic nitrogen.

Nitrogen (N) acquisition is a major factor determining the processes and mechanisms involved in tree productivity, development, and competitiveness. However, only few studies have investigated changes in N capturing with tree age. We conducted 15N incubation experiments to quantify inorganic (i.e. ammonium and nitrate) and organic (i.e. glutamine-N and arginine-N) net N acquisition capacity of beech trees of five age classes. Our results showed no general pattern, but that net N uptake capacity was rather N source-specific. Inorganic and glutamine-N uptake did not differ between age classes at all. Arginine-N uptake was highest in the youngest and oldest stands reflecting a high N demand by seedlings for root foraging and biomass production despite low internal N storage capacities and by older trees for storage and reproduction. Organic N was preferred over inorganic N regardless of tree age. Overall, our study shows the high significance of organic N sources for N acquisition in beech trees.
The “right” side of sleeping: laterality in resting behaviour of Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea)
Authors: Spiezio Caterina , Sandri Camillo , Joubert Flavien , Muzungaile Marie-May , Remy Selby , Mattarelli Paola , Regaiolli Barbara
Published: August 2021

Although some studies investigated lateralization in reptiles, little research has been done on chelonians, focusing only on few behaviours such as righting response and escape preference. The aim of this study was to investigate lateralization in Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea), focusing on asymmetrical positioning of the limbs and the head during resting behaviour, called sleep-like behaviour, involving both wild tortoises and individuals under human care. Subjects of the study were 67 adult Aldabra tortoises (54 free ranging on Curieuse, 13 under human care in Mahè Botanical Garden). For each tortoise observed during sleep-like behaviour, we recorded the position of the head (on the left, on the right or in line with the body midline) and we collected which forelimb and hindlimb were kept forward. Moreover, the number of subjects in which limbs were in a symmetrical position during the sleep-like behaviour was recorded. Based on our results, the number of tortoises with asymmetrical position of head and limb was higher (head: 63%; forelimbs: 88%; hindlimbs: 70%) than the number of tortoises with symmetrical position of the head and the limb. Regarding the head, throughout the subjects found with the asymmetrical position of the head during sleep-like behaviour, tortoises positioning the head on the right (42%) were more than those sleeping with the head on the left (21%). We found a relationship between the position of the forelimbs and hindlimbs during sleep-like behaviour. We reported no differences between Mahè (under human care) and Curieuse (wild) tortoises. Findings of this preliminary study underlined traces of group-level lateralization in head positioning during the sleep-like behaviour, possibly due to a left-eye/right-hemisphere involvement in anti-predatory responses and threatening stimuli as reported in reptiles and other vertebrates. This study aims at adding data on brain lateralization, often linked to lateralized behaviours, in reptiles, especially in chelonians.
Discovery of the freshwater sponge genus Corvospongilla Annandale (Porifera: Spongillida) in Australia with the description of a new species and phylogeographic implications
Authors: Manconi Renata , Erpenbeck Dirk , Fromont Jane , Wörheide Gert , Pronzato Roberto
Published: August 2021

A recent discovery of freshwater sponges in an unexplored hydrographic basin in north-western Australia provided the opportunity to investigate the genusCorvospongillaAnnandale (Spongillida: Spongillidae) using integrative systematics. Emendation of the genus diagnosis is provided. A comparative analysis of aCorvospongillaglobal dataset of morphological traits together with biogeographic patterns disclosed a new AustralasianCorvospongillaspecies and along with molecular analyses provided the basis for a phylogenetic and phylogeographic tree for some Asian, Afrotropical and Australasian lineages.
Playground for multi-level modeling constructs
Authors: Somogyi Ferenc A. , Mezei Gergely , Theisz Zoltán , Bácsi Sándor , Palatinszky Dániel
Published: August 2021

In recent years, multi-level modeling has become more and more popular. It is mainly due to the fact that multi-level modeling aims to reduce or even totally eliminate any accidental complexity inadvertently created as by-product in traditional model design. Moreover, besides reducing model complexity, multi-level modeling also improves on general comprehension of models. The key enablers of multi-level modeling are the concepts of clabjects and deep instantiation. The latter is often governed by the potency notion, of which many different interpretations and variations emerged over the years. However, there exist also some approaches that disregard the potency notion. Thus, multi-level modeling approaches tend to take advantage of different theoretical and practical backgrounds. In this paper, we propose a unifying framework, the Multi-Level Modeling Playground (MLMP), which is a validating modeling environment for multi-level modeling research. The MLMP environment is based on our multi-layer modeling framework (the Dynamic Multi-Layer Algebra), which provides useful mechanisms to validate different multi-level modeling constructs. Since beyond the structure also the well-formedness rules of the modeling constructs can be specified, our proposed MLMP environment delivers several practical benefits: i) well-formedness is always verified, ii) multi-level constructs can be experimented with independently of any concrete tool chains, and iii) relationships (i.e., correlations or exclusions) between different multi-level constructs can be easily investigated in practice. Also, the capability of the environment is demonstrated via complete examples inspired by state-of-the-art research literature.
Model-driven engineering for mobile robotic systems: a systematic mapping study
Authors: Casalaro Giuseppina Lucia , Cattivera Giulio , Ciccozzi Federico , Malavolta Ivano , Wortmann Andreas , Pelliccione Patrizio
Published: August 2021

Mobile robots operate in various environments (e.g. aquatic, aerial, or terrestrial), they come in many diverse shapes and they are increasingly becoming parts of our lives. The successful engineering of mobile robotics systems demands the interdisciplinary collaboration of experts from different domains, such as mechanical and electrical engineering, artificial intelligence, and systems engineering. Research and industry have tried to tackle this heterogeneity by proposing a multitude of model-driven solutions to engineer the software of mobile robotics systems. However, there is no systematic study of the state of the art in model-driven engineering (MDE) for mobile robotics systems that could guide research or practitioners in finding model-driven solutions and tools to efficiently engineer mobile robotics systems. The paper is contributing to this direction by providing a map of software engineering research in MDE that investigates (1) which types of robots are supported by existing MDE approaches, (2) the types and characteristics of MRSs that are engineered using MDE approaches, (3) a description of how MDE approaches support the engineering of MRSs, (4) how existing MDE approaches are validated, and (5) how tools support existing MDE approaches. We also provide a replication package to assess, extend, and/or replicate the study. The results of this work and the highlighted challenges can guide researchers and practitioners from robotics and software engineering through the research landscape.
“Old” and “new” contaminants and their management: learning from the past, looking to the future
Authors: Gibson Gillian , Cundy Andrew , Kafwamfwa Nswana , Stewart Alex
Published: August 2021

Within the 50 year lifetime of the Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health (SEGH), we have seen a number of contaminants transfer from being the wonder chemical of their day through to becoming current contaminants of concern. This is also true for a variety of emerging contaminants such as plastic microbeads, pharmaceutical residues, and fire retardant chemicals, amongst others. This thought piece discusses the risk associated with a range of these emerging contaminants, their global nature, how existing models and frameworks can be applied to deal with their impacts, and research and management gaps and challenges.

Graphic Abstract
Use of digital health technologies to examine subjective and objective sleep with next-day cognition and daily indicators of health in persons with and without HIV
Authors: Sun-Suslow Ni , Campbell Laura M. , Tang Bin , Fisher Arin C. , Lee Ellen , Paolillo Emily W. , Heaton Anne , Moore Raeanne C.
Published: August 2021

Most previous studies investigating sleep’s association with health outcomes have relied on averaged sleep quality and laboratory-based health measures. This study examines the dynamic within-person relationships between subjective (Ecological Momentary Assessment) and objective sleep (actigraphy) on next-day cognition (subjective and objective), mood, and engagement in daily activities using linear mixed-effects regression modeling. Participants included 94 individuals (59 people with HIV, 35 HIV-) aged 50–74, assessed daily for 14 consecutive days/nights. Subjective and objective sleep were well correlated and were both associated with subjective ratings of cognition, but not objective cognition. Worse subjective sleep was associated with next-day lower happiness and higher depressed mood, and more pain, but was not related to next-day daily activities. Objective sleep was associated with next-day depressed mood and feelings of worry, and was positively associated with next-day television watching. Results provide evidence to support the utility of real-time assessment for sleep and functional outcomes that may lead to potential personalized interventions for individuals with and without HIV.
Oscillations in Planar Deficiency-One Mass-Action Systems
Authors: Boros Balázs , Hofbauer Josef
Published: August 2021

Whereas the positive equilibrium of a planar mass-action system with deficiency zero is always globally stable, for deficiency-one networks there are many different scenarios, mainly involving oscillatory behaviour. We present several examples, with centers or multiple limit cycles.
The immigrant-native wage gap in Germany revisited
Authors: Ingwersen Kai , Thomsen Stephan L.
Published: August 2021

This study provides new evidence on the levels of economic integration experienced by foreigners and naturalised immigrants relative to native Germans from 1994 to 2015. We decompose the wage gap using the method for unconditional quantile regression models by employing a regression of the (recentered) influence function (RIF) of the gross hourly wage on a rich set of explanatory variables. This approach enables us to estimate contributions made across the whole wage distribution. To allow for a detailed characterisation of labour market conditions, we consider a comprehensive set of socio-economic and labour-related aspects capturing influences of, e.g., human capital quality, cultural background, and the personalities of immigrants. The decomposition results clearly indicate a significant growing gap with higher wages for both foreigners (13.6 to 17.6%) and naturalised immigrants (10.0 to 16.4%). The findings further display a low explanation for the wage gap in low wage deciles that is even more pronounced within immigrant subgroups. Cultural and economic distances each correlate strongly with wages. A different appreciation of foreign educational qualifications, however, widens the wage gap substantially by 4.5%points on average. Moreover, we observe an indication of deterioration of immigrants’ human capital endowments over time relative to those of native Germans.
How to do Better N400 Studies: Reproducibility, Consistency and Adherence to Research Standards in the Existing Literature
Authors: Šoškić Anđela , Jovanović Vojislav , Styles Suzy J. , Kappenman Emily S. , Ković Vanja
Published: August 2021

Given the complexity of ERP recording and processing pipeline, the resulting variability of methodological options, and the potential for these decisions to influence study outcomes, it is important to understand how ERP studies are conducted in practice and to what extent researchers are transparent about their data collection and analysis procedures. The review gives an overview of methodology reporting in a sample of 132 ERP papers, published between January 1980 – June 2018 in journals included in two large databases: Web of Science and PubMed. Because ERP methodology partly depends on the study design, we focused on a well-established component (the N400) in the most commonly assessed population (healthy neurotypical adults), in one of its most common modalities (visual images). The review provides insights into 73 properties of study design, data pre-processing, measurement, statistics, visualization of results, and references to supplemental information across studies within the same subfield. For each of the examined methodological decisions, the degree of consistency, clarity of reporting and deviations from the guidelines for best practice were examined. Overall, the results show that each study had a unique approach to ERP data recording, processing and analysis, and that at least some details were missing from all papers. In the review, we highlight the most common reporting omissions and deviations from established recommendations, as well as areas in which there was the least consistency. Additionally, we provide guidance for a priori selection of the N400 measurement window and electrode locations based on the results of previous studies.
Measurement properties of the ICECAP-A capability well-being instrument among dermatological patients
Authors: Rencz Fanni , Mitev Ariel Z. , Jenei Balázs , Brodszky Valentin
Published: August 2021

Background

Capability well-being captures well-being based on people’s ability to do the things they value in life. So far, no capability well-being measures have been validated in dermatological patients.

Objectives

To validate the adult version of the ICEpop CAPability measure (ICECAP-A) in patients with dermatological conditions. We aimed to test floor and ceiling effects, structural, convergent and known-group validity, and measurement invariance.

Methods

In 2020, an online, cross-sectional survey was carried out in Hungary. Respondents with self-reported physician-diagnosed dermatological conditions completed the ICECAP-A, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), WHO-5 Well-Being Index and two dermatology-specific measures, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Skindex-16.

Results

618 respondents (mean age 51 years) self-reported a physician-diagnosed dermatological condition, with warts, eczema, onychomycosis, acne and psoriasis being the most common. ICECAP-A performed well with no floor and mild ceiling effects. The violation of local independence assumption was found between the attributes of ‘attachment’ and ‘enjoyment’. ICECAP-A index scores correlated strongly with SWLS and WHO-5 (rs = 0.597–0.644) and weakly with DLQI and Skindex-16 (rs = − 0.233 to − 0.292). ICECAP-A was able to distinguish between subsets of patients defined by education and income level, marital, employment and health status. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis indicated measurement invariance across most of these subgroups.

Conclusions

This is the first study to validate a capability well-being measure in patients with dermatological conditions. The ICECAP-A was found to be a valid tool to assess capability well-being in dermatological patients. Future work is recommended to test measurement properties of ICECAP-A in chronic inflammatory skin conditions.
Sphingolipids as a Novel Therapeutic Target in Radiation-Induced Lung Injury
Authors: Jacobson Jeffrey R.
Published: August 2021

Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is a potential complication of thoracic radiotherapy that can result in pneumonitis or pulmonary fibrosis and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The pathobiology of RILI is complex and includes the generation of free radicals and DNA damage that precipitate oxidative stress, endothelial cell (EC), and epithelial cell injury and inflammation. While the cellular events involved continue to be elucidated and characterized, targeted and effective therapies for RILI remain elusive. Sphingolipids are known to mediate EC function including many of the cell signaling events associated with the elaboration of RILI. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and S1P analogs enhance EC barrier function in vitro and have demonstrated significant protective effects in vivo in a variety of acute lung injury models including RILI. Similarly, statin drugs that have pleiotropic effects that include upregulation of EC S1P receptor 1 (S1PR1) have been found to be strongly protective in a small animal RILI model. Thus, targeting of EC sphingosine signaling, either directly or indirectly, to augment EC function and thereby attenuate EC permeability and inflammatory responses, represents a novel and promising therapeutic strategy for the prevention or treatment of RILI.
Intracerebral Iron Accumulation may be Associated with Secondary Brain Injury in Patients with Poor Grade Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Helbok Raimund , Rass Verena , Kofler Mario , Talasz Heribert , Schiefecker Alois , Gaasch Max , Scherfler Christoph , Pfausler Bettina , Thomé Claudius , Beer Ronny , Lindner Herbert H. , Schmutzhard Erich
Published: August 2021

Background

The amount of intracranial blood is a strong predictor of poor outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Here, we aimed to measure iron concentrations in the cerebral white matter, using the cerebral microdialysis (CMD) technique, and to associate iron levels with the local metabolic profile, complications, and functional outcome.

Methods

For the observational cohort study, 36 patients with consecutive poor grade SAH (Hunt & Hess grade of 4 or 5, Glasgow Coma Scale Score ≤ 8) undergoing multimodal neuromonitoring were analyzed for brain metabolic changes, including CMD iron levels quantified by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The study time encompassed 14 days after admission. Statistical analysis was performed using generalized estimating equations.

Results

Patients were admitted in a poor clinical grade (n = 26, 72%) or deteriorated within 24 h (n = 10, 28%). The median blood volume in the subarachnoid space was high (SAH sum score = 26, interquartile range 20–28). Initial CMD iron was 44 µg/L (25–65 µg/L), which significantly decreased to a level of 25 µg/L (14–30 µg/L) at day 4 and then constantly increased over the remaining neuromonitoring days (p < 0.01). A higher intraventricular hemorrhage sum score (≥ 5) was associated with higher CMD iron levels (Wald-statistic = 4.1, df  = 1, p = 0.04) but not with the hemorrhage load in the subarachnoid space (p = 0.8). In patients developing vasospasm, the CMD iron load was higher, compared with patients without vasospasm (Wald-statistic = 4.1, degree of freedom = 1, p = 0.04), which was not true for delayed cerebral infarction (p = 0.4). Higher iron concentrations in the brain extracellular fluid (34 µg/L, 36–56 µg/L vs. 23 µg/L, 15–37 µg/L) were associated with mitochondrial dysfunction (CMD lactate to pyruvate ratio > 30 and CMD-pyruvate > 70 µM/L, p < 0.001). Brain extracellular iron load was not associated with functional outcome after 3 months (p > 0.5).

Conclusions

This study suggests that iron accumulates in the cerebral white matter in patients with poor grade SAH. These findings may support trials aiming to scavenger brain extracellular iron based on the hypothesis that iron-mediated neurotoxicity may contribute to acute and secondary brain injury following SAH.
Physical activity, dietary intake and quality of life during COVID-19 lockdown in patients awaiting transcatheter aortic valve implantation
Authors: van Erck D. , Dolman C. D. , Snaterse M. , Tieland M. , Driessen A. H. G. , Weijs P. J. M. , Scholte op Reimer W. J. M. , Henriques J. P. , Schoufour J. D.
Published: August 2021

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a national lockdown in the Netherlands, which also affected transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) patients. The objective of the study was to describe physical activity, dietary intake and quality of life (QoL) in patients on the waiting list for TAVI pre-lockdown and during lockdown.

Methods

Consecutive patients awaiting TAVI at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers, the Netherlands were included. Measurements were self-reported effect of lockdown, physical activity, dietary intake and QoL.

Results

In total, 58 patients (median age 80, interquartile range (IQR) 76–84, 45% female) were observed pre-lockdown and 16 patients (median age 78, IQR 76–82, 25% female) during lockdown. Ten of the 16 patients during lockdown reported a decline in physical activity. However, we observed a median number of 5861 steps a day (IQR 4579–7074) pre-lockdown and 8404 steps a day (IQR 7653–10,829) during lockdown. Median daily protein intake was 69 g (IQR 59–82) pre-lockdown and 90 g (IQR 68–107) during lockdown. Self-rated health on a visual analogue scale was 63 points (IQR 51–74) pre-lockdown and 73 points (IQR 65–86) during lockdown.

Conclusions

More than half of the patients during lockdown reported less physical activity, while we observed a higher number of steps a day, a similar dietary intake and a higher QoL. Therefore, patients on the TAVI waiting list appeared to be able to cope with the lockdown measures.
Nuclear cGAS: sequestration and beyond
Authors: Bai Juli , Liu Feng
Published: August 2021

The cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) has been identified as a cytosolic double stranded DNA sensor that plays a pivotal role in the type I interferon and inflammation responses via the STING-dependent signaling pathway. In the past several years, a growing body of evidence has revealed that cGAS is also localized in the nucleus where it is associated with distinct nuclear substructures such as nucleosomes, DNA replication forks, the double-stranded breaks, and centromeres, suggesting that cGAS may have other functions in addition to its role in DNA sensing. However, while the innate immune function of cGAS is well established, the non-canonical nuclear function of cGAS remains poorly understood. Here, we review our current understanding of the complex nature of nuclear cGAS and point to open questions on the novel roles and the mechanisms of action of this protein as a key regulator of cell nuclear function, beyond its well-established role in dsDNA sensing and innate immune response.
On a new distribution based on the arccosine function
Authors: Chesneau Christophe , Tomy Lishamol , Gillariose Jiju
Published: August 2021

This note focuses on a new one-parameter unit probability distribution centered around the inverse cosine and power functions. A special case of this distribution has the exact inverse cosine function as a probability density function. To our knowledge, despite obvious mathematical interest, such a probability density function has never been considered in Probability and Statistics. Here, we fill this gap by pointing out the main properties of the proposed distribution, from both the theoretical and practical aspects. Specifically, we provide the analytical form expressions for its cumulative distribution function, survival function, hazard rate function, raw moments and incomplete moments. The asymptotes and shape properties of the probability density and hazard rate functions are described, as well as the skewness and kurtosis properties, revealing the flexible nature of the new distribution. In particular, it appears to be “round mesokurtic” and “left skewed”. With these features in mind, special attention is given to find empirical applications of the new distribution to real data sets. Accordingly, the proposed distribution is compared with the well-known power distribution by means of two real data sets.
Il ruolo della renina plasmatica nella titolazione della terapia sostitutiva con mineralcorticoidi in pazienti affetti da insufficienza surrenalica primaria
Authors: Pofi Riccardo , Giannetta Elisa
Published: August 2021

Sommario

L’ottimizzazione della terapia con mineralcorticoidi in pazienti con insufficienza surrenalica primaria non ha ancora trovato consenso universale. Questa rassegna riporta i dati di una vasta coorte di pazienti affetti da insufficienza surrenalica primaria con l’obiettivo di esplorare la relazione tra la dose sostitutiva dei mineralcorticoidi (MC), la concentrazione plasmatica di renina (CPR) e variabili cliniche ambulatoriali (elettroliti, pressione sanguigna, PA, e parametri antropometrici) al fine di identificare marcatori utili per guidare la titolazione della dose MC. I risultati hanno mostrato un’estrema variabilità nei valori di CPR e nella dose di MC. Nell’analisi univariata, la dose di MC era direttamente proporzionale alla CPR ma non correlava con i livelli di PA. Utilizzando modelli di regressione multipla, il sodio era l’unica variabile utile a predire la CPR. Nell’analisi longitudinale, la variazione della dose di MC era correlata alla variazione dei livelli sierici di potassio ma non alla PA o alla CPR. In conclusione, la relazione tra la dose di MC e la CPR è complessa e, pertanto, la titolazione dei MC non dovrebbe essere basata solo sulla normalizzazione della CPR, ma anche su parametri clinici come la PA e la concentrazione di elettroliti.