bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving cancer diagnosis
Authors: Greener Mark
Published: November 2020

Many cancers are most common among older people. So, cancer services need new, less invasive ways to diagnose cancers. Mark Greener reports on some promising recent advances
Changes to the Care Quality Commission's evolving inspection regime under COVID-19
Authors: Halliwell Amanda
Published: November 2020

Care Quality Commission inspections have rightly been reined back to enable providers to focus on the enormity of the COVID-19 task in hand. What has changed and when can you expect your next inspection? Amanda Halliwell explains
Investigation of boron carbide and iridium thin films, an enabling technology for future x-ray telescopes
Authors: Massahi S. , Christensen F. E. , Ferreira D. D. M. , Svendsen S. , Henriksen P. L. , Vu L. M. , Gellert N. C. , Jegers A. S. , Shortt B. , Bavdaz M. , Ferreira I. , Collon M. , Landgraf B. , Girou D. , Sokolov A. , Schoenberger W.
Published: November 2020

We present an experimental examination of iridium and boron carbide thin-film coatings for the purpose of fabricating x-ray optics. We use a combination of x-ray reflectometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to model the structure, composition, density, thickness, and micro-roughness of the thin films. We demonstrate in our analyses how the two characterization techniques are complementary, and from this we derive that an overlayer originating from atmospheric contamination with a thickness between 1.0–1.6 nm is present on the surface. The magnetron sputtered iridium films are measured to have a density of22.4g/cm3. The boron carbide film exhibits a change in chemical composition in the top∼2nmof the film surface when exposed to the ambient atmosphere. The chemical reaction occurring on the surface is due to an incorporation of oxygen and hydrogen present in the ambient atmosphere. Lastly, we present a correlation between the absorption edges and the emission lines exhibited by the thin films in an energy range from 50–800 eV and the impact on the reflectivity performance due to contamination in thin films.
Low-frequency noise measurements as an analysis and prediction tool for the reliability evaluation of 808 nm laser diodes
Authors: Qu Chang , Chen Xiaojuan
Published: November 2020

We investigated the low-frequency optical and electrical noise characteristics and their cross-correlation factor of the 808 nm laser diodes (LDs) samples, whose performances were degraded and stabilized after operating a period of time or during ex-factory reliability lifetime tests. It was shown that the optical noise in unreliable samples exhibited white components in the frequency range from 1 kHz to 10 kHz, while a Lorentzian-type component was superimposed on

1

/

f

electrical noise. Meanwhile, the optical and electrical noise correlation exhibited positive result. In contrast, both low-frequency optical and electrical noise presented pure

1

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f

-type fluctuations in stable samples. These presented results suggest that it is feasible to employ low-frequency noise measurements as a tool for predicting and diagnosing the reliability of LDs.
Simulative assessment of non-linear interference generation within disaggregated optical line systems
Authors: London Elliot , Virgillito Emanuele , D’Amico Andrea , Napoli Antonio , Curri Vittorio
Published: November 2020

Lightpaths within optical line systems (OLS)s that deploy coherent optical technologies are mainly impaired by two additive Gaussian disturbances: the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise from the optical amplifiers and the non-linear interference (NLI) from fiber propagation, together with some amount of phase noise, typically compensated for by the carrier phase estimator module within the digital signal processing (DSP) unit. The main obstacle in accurately modelling the physical layer of a disaggregated optical network arises from the spatially-coherent and spectrally-aggregated general behavior of the NLI generation. Within this paper, we perform an accurate split-step Fourier method (SSFM) physical layer simulation campaign over a wide range of fiber chromatic dispersion values that range from 2 to 16.7 ps / (nm·km) and channel symbol rates from 32 GBd to 85 GBd. For all the explored scenarios, we first show that the NLI generation in an OLS can be spectrally disaggregated in a practical manner by considering a superposition of self-channel (SC) and cross-channel (XC) NLI components only. Secondly, by considering the span-by-span generalized signal-to-noise ratio (GSNR) deterioration, we show that the XC-NLI accumulation components can also be considered as spatially disaggregated, leaving the SC-NLI as the only spatial coherency contribution. Consequently, by appropriately managing these coherent NLI contributions, we find that it is possible to produce a conservative physical layer model that is both spectrally and spatially disaggregated.
A network medicine approach to investigation and population-based validation of disease manifestations and drug repurposing for COVID-19
Authors: Zhou Yadi , Hou Yuan , Shen Jiayu , Mehra Reena , Kallianpur Asha , Culver Daniel A. , Gack Michaela U. , Farha Samar , Zein Joe , Comhair Suzy , Fiocchi Claudio , Stappenbeck Thaddeus , Chan Timothy , Eng Charis , Jung Jae U. , Jehi Lara , Erzurum Serpil , Cheng Feixiong
Published: November 2020

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to unprecedented social and economic consequences. The risk of morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 increases dramatically in the presence of coexisting medical conditions, while the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Furthermore, there are no approved therapies for COVID-19. This study aims to identify SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, disease manifestations, and COVID-19 therapies using network medicine methodologies along with clinical and multi-omics observations. We incorporate SARS-CoV-2 virus–host protein–protein interactions, transcriptomics, and proteomics into the human interactome. Network proximity measurement revealed underlying pathogenesis for broad COVID-19-associated disease manifestations. Analyses of single-cell RNA sequencing data show that co-expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 is elevated in absorptive enterocytes from the inflamed ileal tissues of Crohn disease patients compared to uninflamed tissues, revealing shared pathobiology between COVID-19 and inflammatory bowel disease. Integrative analyses of metabolomics and transcriptomics (bulk and single-cell) data from asthma patients indicate that COVID-19 shares an intermediate inflammatory molecular profile with asthma (including IRAK3 and ADRB2). To prioritize potential treatments, we combined network-based prediction and a propensity score (PS) matching observational study of 26,779 individuals from a COVID-19 registry. We identified that melatonin usage (odds ratio [OR] = 0.72, 95% CI 0.56–0.91) is significantly associated with a 28% reduced likelihood of a positive laboratory test result for SARS-CoV-2 confirmed by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction assay. Using a PS matching user active comparator design, we determined that melatonin usage was associated with a reduced likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 positive test result compared to use of angiotensin II receptor blockers (OR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.54–0.92) or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (OR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.52–0.90). Importantly, melatonin usage (OR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.31–0.75) is associated with a 52% reduced likelihood of a positive laboratory test result for SARS-CoV-2 in African Americans after adjusting for age, sex, race, smoking history, and various disease comorbidities using PS matching. In summary, this study presents an integrative network medicine platform for predicting disease manifestations associated with COVID-19 and identifying melatonin for potential prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
Results of a portfolio approach to intramural research funding at an academic medical center
Authors: Swaminathan Anu , David Frank S. , Geary Lauren N. , Slavik Jacqueline M.
Published: November 2020

In response to stagnant Federal grant funding levels and to catalyze early stage or high-risk research not currently supported by the NIH, many academic medical centers (AMCs) provide supplemental intramural funding to faculty investigators. However, it can be challenging to decide how to deploy these funds for maximum impact. We conducted a retrospective, descriptive analysis to explore trends in applications and awards associated with an institution-wide intramural funding center at a major U.S. AMC. From 2010 to 2017, the Brigham Research Institute at Brigham and Women’s Hospital awarded a total of 354 grants totaling over $9 million to affiliated researchers through six distinct and complementary grant programs. The number of applicants remained essentially stable, despite expansion of the funding program portfolio. Distribution of applicants and awardees by academic rank and gender generally reflected that of medical school faculty at large. This descriptive analysis demonstrates interest in a diverse range of intramural funding programs among AMC faculty, and a lack of overt rank or gender bias in the programs’ awardees. However, it highlights the institution’s need to better understand the amount of residual unmet demand for intramural funding; the degree to which underrepresented constituencies can and should be actively supported; and the “return on investment” of these grants.
Global gene network exploration based on explainable artificial intelligence approach
Authors: Park Heewon , Maruhashi Koji , Yamaguchi Rui , Imoto Seiya , Miyano Satoru
Published: November 2020

In recent years, personalized gene regulatory networks have received significant attention, and interpretation of the multilayer networks has been a critical issue for a comprehensive understanding of gene regulatory systems. Although several statistical and machine learning approaches have been developed and applied to reveal sample-specific regulatory pathways, integrative understanding of the massive multilayer networks remains a challenge. To resolve this problem, we propose a novel artificial intelligence (AI) strategy for comprehensive gene regulatory network analysis. In our strategy, personalized gene networks corresponding specific clinical characteristic are constructed and the constructed network is considered as a second-order tensor. Then, an explainable AI method based on deep learning is applied to decompose the multilayer networks, thus we can reveal all-encompassing gene regulatory systems characterized by clinical features of patients. To evaluate the proposed methodology, we apply our method to the multilayer gene networks under varying conditions of an epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. From the comprehensive analysis of multilayer networks, we identified novel markers, and the biological mechanisms of the identified genes and their reciprocal mechanisms are verified through the literature. Although any biological knowledge about the identified genes was not incorporated in our analysis, our data-driven approach based on AI approach provides biologically reliable results. Furthermore, the results provide crucial evidences to reveal biological mechanism related to various diseases, e.g., keratinocyte proliferation. The use of explainable AI method based on the tensor decomposition enables us to reveal global and novel mechanisms of gene regulatory system from the massive multiple networks, which cannot be demonstrated by existing methods. We expect that the proposed method provides a new insight into network biology and it will be a useful tool to integrative gene network analysis related complex architectures of diseases.
The role of intraoperative microelectrode recording and stimulation in subthalamic lead placement for Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Malinova Vesna , Pinter Anabel , Dragaescu Cristina , Rohde Veit , Trenkwalder Claudia , Sixel-Döring Friederike , von Eckardstein Kajetan L.
Published: November 2020

Objective

Intraoperative microelectrode recording (MER) and test-stimulation are regarded as the gold standard for proper placement of subthalamic (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes in Parkinson’s disease (PD), requiring the patient to be awake during the procedure. In accordance with good clinical practice, most attending neurologists will request the clinically most efficacious trajectory for definite lead placement. However, the necessity of microelectrode-test-stimulation is disputed, as it may limit the access to DBS therapy, excluding those not willing or incapable of undergoing awake surgery.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the MERs and microelectrode-test-stimulation results with regard to the decision on definite lead placement and clinical outcome in a cohort of 67 PD-patients with STN-DBS. All patients received bilateral quadripolar ring electrodes. To ascertain overall procedural efficacy, we calculated the surgical index (SI) by comparing preoperative motor improvement induced by levodopa to that induced by stimulation 7 to 18 months after surgery, measured as the relative difference between ON and OFF-states on the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale motor part (UPDRS-3). Additionally, a side-specific surgical index (SSSI) was calculated using the unilateral assessable items of the UPDRS-3. The SSSI where microelectrode-test-stimulation overruled MER were compared to those where the result of microelectrode-test-stimulation was congruent to MER results.

Results

A total of 134 electrodes were analyzed. For final lead placement, the central trajectory was chosen in 54% of patient hemispheres. The mean SI was 0.99 (± 0.24). SSSI averaged 1.04 (± 0.45). In 37 lead placements, microelectrode-test-stimulation overruled MER in the final trajectory selection, in 27 of these lead placements adverse effects during microelectrode-test-stimulation were decisive. Neither the number of test electrodes used nor the STN-signal length had an impact on the SSSI. The SSSI did not differ between lead placements with MER/microelectrode-test-stimulation congruency and those where the results of microelectrode-test-stimulation initiated lead placement in a trajectory with shorter STN signal.

Conclusion

Intraoperative testing is mandatory to ensure an optimal motor outcome of STN DBS in PD-patients when using quadripolar ring electrodes. However, we also demonstrated that neither the length of the STN-signal on MER nor the number of test electrodes influenced the motor outcome.
Colonisation with extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales in children admitted to a paediatric referral hospital in South Africa
Authors: Ogunbosi Babatunde O. , Moodley Clinton , Naicker Preneshni , Nuttall James , Bamford Colleen , Eley Brian
Published: November 2020

Introduction

There are few studies describing colonisation with extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Colonisation often precedes infection and multi-drug-resistant Enterobacterales are important causes of invasive infection.

Methods

In this prospective cross-sectional study, conducted between April and June 2017, 200 children in a tertiary academic hospital were screened by rectal swab for EBSL-PE and CRE. The resistance-conferring genes were identified using polymerase chain reaction technology. Risk factors for colonisation were also evaluated.

Results

Overall, 48% (96/200) of the children were colonised with at least one ESBL-PE, 8.3% (8/96) of these with 2 ESBL-PE, and one other child was colonised with a CRE (0.5% (1/200)). Common colonising ESBL-PE were Klebsiella pneumoniae (62.5%, 65/104) and Escherichia coli (34.6%, 36/104). The most frequent ESBL-conferring gene was blaCTX-M in 95% (76/80) of the isolates. No resistance- conferring gene was identified in the CRE isolate (Enterobacter cloacae). Most of the Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were susceptible to piperacillin/tazobactam (86.2%) and amikacin (63.9%). Similarly, 94.4% and 97.2% of the Escherichia coli isolates were susceptible to piperacillin/tazobactam and amikacin, respectively. Hospitalisation for more than 7 days before study enrolment was associated with ESBL-PE colonisation.

Conclusion

Approximately half of the hospitalised children in this study were colonised with ESBL-PE. This highlights the need for improved infection prevention and control practices to limit the dissemination of these microorganisms.
Changes in data management contribute to temporal variation in gestational duration distribution in the Swedish Medical Birth Registry
Authors: Modzelewska Dominika , Sole-Navais Pol , Sandstrom Anna , Zhang Ge , Muglia Louis J. , Flatley Christopher , Nilsson Staffan , Jacobsson Bo
Published: November 2020

Multiple factors contribute to gestational duration variability. Understanding the sources of variability allows to design better association studies and assess public health measures. Here, we aimed to assess geographical and temporal changes in the determination of gestational duration and its reporting in Sweden between 1973 and 2012. Singleton live births between 1973 and 2012 were retrieved from the Swedish Medical Birth Register. Gestational duration trends in percentiles and rates of pre- and post-term deliveries were analyzed by plotting the values over time. Temporal changes in gestational duration based on ultrasound and last menstrual period (LMP) estimation methods were compared. Intervals between LMP date and LMP-based due date were analyzed to assess changes in expected gestational duration. In total, 3 940 577 pregnancies were included. From 1973 until 1985, the median of gestational duration estimated based on LMP or ultrasound decreased from 283 to 278 days, and remained stable until 2012. The distribution was relatively stable when ultrasound-based estimates were used. Until the mid-1990s, there was a higher incidence than expected of births occurring on every seventh gestational day from day 157 onward. On an average, these gestational durations were reported 1.8 times more often than adjacent durations. Until 1989, the most common expected gestational duration was 280 days, and thereafter, it was 279 days. The expected gestational duration varied from 279 to 281 days across different Swedish counties. During leap years, the expected gestational duration was one day longer. Consequently, leap years were also associated with significantly higher preterm and lower post-term delivery rates than non-leap years. Changes in data handling and obstetrical practices over the years contribute to gestational duration variation. The resulting increase in variability might reduce precision in association studies and hamper the assessment of public health measures aimed to improve pregnancy outcomes.
Quantifiers and Ontological Fluctuations: A Dialogical and Dynamical Point of View of Existence
Authors: Remond Juan
Published: November 2020

The objective of this article is, from the notion of existence as a function of choice, to propose a dynamic quantifier capable of capturing ontological slides or fluctuations within a logical proof. Indeed, we call ontological sliding the passage from indetermination to the ontological determination of the singular terms involved in a proof. Both notions will be presented in the pragmatic approach of Dialogics that, due to its dual semantics, allows to handle both questions in an optimal fashion.
Prerequisites for a beneficial knowledge transfer between manufacturing plants
Authors: Scherrer Maike , Deflorin Patricia , Szász Levente , Rácz Béla-Gergely , Cardoș Ildikó-Réka , Fábián István
Published: November 2020

The paper aims at exploring the prerequisites for a beneficial knowledge transfer between manufacturing plants of multinational companies (MNCs), by taking the characteristics of the knowledge sending and knowledge receiving plant into consideration. This research seeks to understand how efforts undertaken by manufacturing plants, and how collaborative tools and coordination mechanisms influence a successful knowledge transfer. The study includes thirteen case studies conducted in manufacturing plants from four different European countries (i.e., Switzerland, Romania, Albania, and Macedonia). Given the exploratory nature of this study, the authors used a qualitative research approach. The main method of data collection involved multiple semi-structured interviews at manufacturing plants, uniformly applied in each country in order to observe general patterns across different cases. Their results show that the personal interaction between knowledge sending and receiving plants is more important for a successful knowledge transfer than information systems or prior related knowledge.
How can advanced information and communication technology support corporate environmental performance?
Authors: Nagy Judit , Diófási-Kovács Orsolya
Published: November 2020

In this paper the authors investigate the relationship of advanced information and communication technology (ICT) use and the environmental performance on the company level. Their presumption is that companies with advanced ICT can have better environmental performance as well. The level of ICT development is assessed by Pham’s model, while environmental performance is interpreted along with the model of Schultze and Trommer. The authors tested the models and the relationship of ICT and environmental performance by statistical analysis, using the database of Hungarian Competitiveness Research Centre. Regarding the results, there is a positive connection between high-level ICT use and environmental performance in many aspects. Since advanced ICT allows companies to gather and analyze data extensively, the monitoring of the environmental performance indicators and the intervention, continuous development can be more efficient. Environmental sustainability is not the privilege of large companies, middle size companies are also intensely dealing with this important issue.
Exploiting LightGBM Ensemble Method for Stock Prediction
Authors: Tailor Vatsal Mitesh
Published: November 2020

This paper leverages the LightGBM Ensemble Method to predict stock prices. First, the time features are from the dates and these generated features are used to build a regression model. Experiments are performed on the Tesla and the Coca Cola stock historical data to show the effectiveness of the method in predicting stock prices
Construction of Super Saturated Design Using Hadamard Matrix and Its E(S2) Optimality
Authors: Saheed Salawu
Published: November 2020

Supersaturated design is essentially a fractional factorial design in which the number of potential effects is greater than the number of runs. In this paper, a super-saturated design is constructed using half fraction of Hadamard matrix of order N. A Hadamard matrix of order N, can investigate up to N 2 factors in N/2 runs. Result is shown in N = 16. The extension to larger N is adaptable.
Physical Exercise as a Means of Managing Covid-19; an Insight Review
Authors: Tibebu Awoke , Anjte Birhanu , Mossu Yalemwork
Published: November 2020

The following document provides important information that everybody know about physical exercise as a means of managing COVID-19. It addresses the health benefits of physical exercise on our body’s immune system, and stress reduction. Already today in the entire world, coronavirus is now the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. It kills thousands of peoples per day worldwide and continues its impact on the governments and the society. Nowadays it is the greatest public health problem in most countries in the world. Since its identification on Jan, 7 by the chines scientists named the pathogen as a novel coronavirus. In the current situation COVID-19 is rapidly spreading worldwide and the number of cases and deaths are rising up speedily. The spread of the virus is a headache to the government in general and the society in particular. The nature of the virus disallowed contacting with one another, working together, meeting, and other activities the majority of government and private business organizations are enforced to discontinue their work. The growing burden of the virus would place millions of jobs at risk an additional 8.8 million people in working poverty around the world. The danger of the disease and loss of employment leads the majority at stress. A chronically stressed person impairs the organism’s ability to mount a strong immune response with a resultant increase in morbidity and mortality.
Vertical Motion Optimization of Series 60 Hull Forms Using Response Surface Methods
Authors: Utomo Budi , Iqbal Muhammad
Published: November 2020

There are many aspects to analyze seakeeping performance, one of which is the ship's vertical motion. As well-known, vertical motion and its derivatives, vertical velocity and acceleration, will be related to other aspects of seakeeping performance, such as slamming, deck wetness, and MSI. This study discusses optimizing the hull shape with small vertical motion using the Response Surface Methods (RSM). This research aims to minimize the ship's vertical motion so that the ship's performance is better than the initial one. Besides, this research was conducted to apply the RSM in the naval architecture field. The hull's shape used in this study is Series 60 hull form with a length of 31 m. The variables used for the optimization process are the ratio of L/B (X1) and B/T (X2) in the range of ± 10% with fixed displacement. Seakeeping analysis was carried out at a speed of 6.78 knots (Fr 0.2), a heading angle of 180°, and a significant wave height of 0.77 meters. The results show that the optimum model is found in Model 9 where the value of X1 = -2.94 or L/B = 6.71 and X2 = 5 or B/T = 2.75. Model 9 can reduce the vertical motion of the ship by 16.38%.
La subjetividad y la familia que subyacen en las reformas legislativas contemporáneas
Authors: Verónica
Published: November 2020

Con el presente trabajo me propongo analizar, desde el punto de vista de la sociología, las concepcionesde familia y de sujeto que predominan en la sociedad contemporánea occidental, pues el estudio delas categorías analíticas que aquella propone resultan de interés para el jurista, a efectos de abordary comprender los grandes cambios legislativos de este siglo, en particular, los del Código Civil yComercial argentino, aprobado por Ley 26.994, en vigencia desde el 1 de agosto de 2015. Desdeel cambio de posicionamiento que significaron la obra de Descartes y las de otros filósofos que losucedieron, el hombre1 se ubicó en el centro de la escena del pensamiento y de la acción, en el lugarque antes ocupara “Dios”, el “Creador” o la “Madre naturaleza”. Se originó una nueva visión quetransformó la realidad. Las ideas de progreso, los adelantos científicos y tecnológicos, la búsquedapersonal directa de Dios (cisma protestante), la revaloración de la vida privada sobre la pública y elsurgimiento de lo femenino, entre otros, condujeron a la aparición de un nuevo sujeto y de una familia“en desorden”,2 a la que hay que rearmar y reconsiderar. El estudio de la transformación producidaen esos dos ámbitos constituye un paso necesario para advertir en qué medida tales concepcionesse encuentran implícitas en determinados cambios en la legislación.
KI gestern und heute
Authors: Sonar Arne , Weber Karsten
Published: November 2020

Der Einzug Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) in die Medizin scheint angesichts der Nutzenpotenziale unvermeidlich. Durch den Agentencharakter KI-basierter Systeme ergeben sich teils neuartige normative An- und Herausforderungen. Für den hochgradig sensiblen Anwendungsbereich der Medizin erscheint es daher notwendig, den KI-Einsatz mit ethischen Leitlinien einzuhegen. Dies wirft die Frage auf, auf welche Erfahrungsbasis eine ethische Fundierung des Einsatzes KI-basierter Technik gestellt werden könnte. Damit ist kein Schluss vom Sein auf das Sollen gemeint, sondern die Berücksichtigung bereits geführter normativer Debatten. Eine Möglichkeit, sich der normativen Landschaft der KI anzunähern, liegt in der Auseinandersetzung mit der Entwicklungsgeschichte der KI und den damit verbundenen Debatten um ethische und soziale Aspekte. Mit diesem explorativen Ansatz können relevante Problemfelder identifiziert, vorläufige Gestaltungs- und Einsatzempfehlungen für KI-Systeme in der Praxis formuliert und Vorschläge zu deren Einbettung in existierende Organisationsstrukturen generiert werden.
Model-based bone material property identification
Authors: Wilkie Jack , Docherty Paul D. , Möller Knut
Published: November 2020

Correct torqueing of bone screws is important for orthopaedic surgery. Surgeons mainly tighten screws ad hoc, risking inappropriate torqueing. An adaptive torque-limiting screwdriver may be able to measure the torque-rotation response and use parameter identification of key material properties to recommend optimal torques. This paper analyses the identifiability and sensitivity of a model of the bone screwing process. The accuracy with which values of the Young modulus (E) of the bone were identified depended on the value of E, with larger values being less accurately identified. The error in identified

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t
s

{\sigma _{uts}}

(Tensile strength) values was less than 0.5 % over all the cases tested, with no discernible dependence on the co-identified values of E. Experimental validation is still required for the model and identification process, but this approach is feasible and promising from a theoretical perspective.
Learning opportunities in peer-peer interaction: A case study of two L2 Mandarin Chinese learners
Authors: Jiang Dan
Published: November 2020

The roles of interaction have been studied for several decades. Recent studies have turned to investigate “the details of which components of interaction might be more or less effective in which contexts with which learners” (Loewen, Shawn & Masatoshi Sato. 2018. Interaction and instructed second language acquisition. Language Teaching 51(3). 285–329: 286). This case study, based on three unstructured interactions outside the classroom between two L2 Mandarin Chinese learners, investigates the learning opportunities these interactions brought about in terms of helping them to increase in control over forms that had already been encountered inside the classroom. Using the concept of the language-related episode (Swain, Merrill & Sharon Lapkin. 1998. Interaction and second language learning: Two adolescent French immersion students working together. The Modern Language Journal 82(3). 320–337), this study sets focus on learning opportunities for lexis- and grammar-related items. It finds learning opportunities arise as the two peers negotiate for meaning motivated by the need to comprehend, strive to use the L2 to express/co-express themselves, and improve their form through the other’s feedback. In addition, lexis-related learning is found to be very positive in this study. The dictionary played an indispensable role in facilitating the learners when they encountered lexis-related issues. Further, it enabled the learners to learn new vocabulary when driven by communicative needs. In comparison, the grammar-related learning is found to be relatively complicated. And the fact the learners had nowhere to resort to concerning grammatical issues attributed to it. In terms of the different types of interactions, compared to learning through negotiation for meaning and feedback, output and co-construction/collaboration were found to be most productive in promoting the learning.
Feuer und Flamme
Authors: Klettke Cornelia
Published: November 2020

Riassunto

Il contributo prende in esame la poetizzazione dell’elemento ›fuoco‹ nell’aldilà dantesco. Nell’Inferno, l’universo metaforico associato al fuoco fa da contrappunto all’interiorizzazione e alla trascendenza che stanno alla base della concezione del fuoco nel Paradiso, dove esso, in senso astratto, viene trasformato in luce e rappresenta anche l’illuminazione spirituale. Dante mette in scena san Tommaso, presentando nelle varie figure il corpus spirituale, che tuttavia nell’Inferno era stato pervertito e caricato di una connotazione quasi parodistica, se confrontato alla solennità sacrale della luce spirituale nel Paradiso. Nella sua qualità di luce, l’elemento ›fuoco‹ diventa la componente più importante delle sfere del Paradiso. L’idea della permanenza di un regno di Dio è simbolicamente veicolata da un uso virtuosistico della gamma metaforica associata alla luce: la visualizzazione del principio supremo del Divino, come esso si costituisce nella dottrina cristiana, è affidata alla forza suggestiva della travolgente poesia.
Zwischen D’Ancona und Witte: Novati und die Edition der Briefe Dantes
Authors: Montefusco Antonio
Published: November 2020

Riassunto

Il contributo studia l’apporto di Francesco Novati, ufficialmente incaricato dalla Società dantesca di attendere all'edizione critica delle opere minori latine, alla storia dell’edizione critica delle epistole dopo Witte. L’archivio Novati, conservato a Milano, permette di verificare lo stato del lavoro di edizione, che è risultato ancora molto parziale. L’analisi della documentazione permette di chiarire i criteri e la metodologia di Novati, che non mancò di confrontararsi continuamente, ma non esplicitamente, con le scelte critiche di Witte.
Structure and properties of edible packaging film prepared by soy protein isolate-eggshell membrane conjugates loaded with Eugenol
Authors: Li Lulu , Xia Ning , Zhang Hong , Li Tong , Zhang Huajiang , Chi Yujie , Zhang Yinglong , Liu Xixin , Li Hanyu
Published: November 2020

In this study, we reported a facile and economical strategy for producing a functional protein-based composite film that was based on soybean protein isolate (SPI), eggshell membrane (ESM) and eugenol (Eu). The composite films were also characterized by mechanical, water vapor permeability (WVP), UV barrier, water resistance, hydrophobicity, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The results suggested the appropriate content of ESM could significantly enhance the mechanical, barrier, water resistance and hydrophobicity performances of the film. The addition of Eu into the SPI/ESM film could improve not only these properties, but also antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The intermolecular interaction between SPI, ESM and Eu was mainly hydrogen bond confirmed by the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated a good compatibility existed between SPI and ESM, and the Eu could be well emulsified and dispersed into the SPI/ESM film matrices network. Such edible films carried potentially developed in active packaging applications.
First-person and the semantic roots of Moore’s paradox
Authors: Delfitto Denis , Fiorin Gaetano
Published: November 2020

In this contribution, we argue that Moore's paradox has its roots in the semantics of first-person. We build up on some of Frege's concerns about the first-person, recently revived by Kripke as a criticism of the position according to which Kaplan's two-dimensional semantics is all is needed for an adequate semantics of the first-person. First, we discuss the so-called pragmatic approach to Moore's paradox, discussing its possible limitations, in accordance with some ideas expressed on the matter by Shoemaker. Second, we show that sentences where a predicate expressing a “phenomenal” property combines with a first-person pronoun are bound to express Stalnaker's diagonal proposition, and are true a priori. Crucially, the proposition expressed does not correspond to the ascription of a property to an independently established object. Finally, we provide significant empirical evidence to the effect that this emerging “subjective” layer of meaning is actually what is needed to solve some of the puzzles around Moore's paradox: the status of Moore's sentences essentially depends, in fact, on the interaction between the “objective” and the “subjective” layers of meaning.
Laughter through tears: Unprofessional review comments as humor on the ShitMyReviewersSay Twitter account
Authors: Dynel Marta
Published: November 2020

This paper explores the nature of public tweets posted on the ShitMyReviewersSay (@YourPaperSucks) Twitter account. The focus is on the content of recontextualized extracts from peer reviews, as well as the formal properties and the socio-pragmatic functions of the sharing practice on Twitter. The examination of a corpus of tweets (n = 397) yields several types of unprofessional review comments which correspond to the academic users’ rationale for sharing them publicly. The most frequent type of review comment is the aggressive one (n = 277), which harshly communicates negative evaluation, quite often in a creative manner (n = 91). This trenchant criticism, also when creatively formulated, represents purposeful acts of impoliteness. Whether or not originally intended to be wittily humorous, review comments publicized on Twitter, prototypically via Tumblr, display humorous potential, which may be boosted through the use of additional verbal commentaries and GIFs. Thus, situated in a different participation framework, the reported review comments are decontextualized and recontextualized in order to be publicly ridiculed and/or disparaged. Thereby, academics engage in solidarity-building, affiliative humor experience, which also gives them a sense of psychological relief.
Performance evaluation of real-time tightly-coupled GNSS PPP/MEMS-based inertial integration using an improved robust adaptive Kalman filter
Authors: Elmezayen Abdelsatar , El-Rabbany Ahmed
Published: November 2020

Typically, the extended Kalman filter (EKF) is used for tightly-coupled (TC) integration of multi-constellation GNSS PPP and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) inertial navigation system (INS) to provide precise positioning, velocity, and attitude solutions for ground vehicles. However, the obtained solution will generally be affected by both of the GNSS measurement outliers and the inaccurate modeling of the system dynamic. In this paper, an improved robust adaptive Kalman filter (IRKF) is adopted and used to overcome the effect of the measurement outliers and dynamic model errors on the obtained integrated solution. A real-time IRKF-based TC GPS+Galileo PPP/MEMS-based INS integration algorithm is developed to provide precise positioning and attitude solutions. The pre-saved real-time orbit and clock products from the Centre National d’Etudes Spatials (CNES) are used to simulate the real-time scenario. The performance of the real-time IRKF-based TC GNSS PPP/INS integrated system is assessed under open sky environment, and both of simulated partial and complete GNSS outages through two ground vehicular field trials. It is shown that the real-time TC GNSS PPP/INS integration through the IRKF achieves centimeter-level positioning accuracy under open sky environments and decimeter-level positioning accuracy under GNSS outages that range from 10 to 60 seconds. In addition, the use of IRKF improves the positioning accuracy and enhances the convergence of the integrated solution in comparison with the EKF. Furthermore, the IRKF-based integrated system achieves attitude accuracy of 0.052°, 0.048°, and 0.165° for pitch, roll, and azimuth angles, respectively. This represents improvement of 44 %, 48 %, and 36 % for the pitch, roll, and azimuth angles, respectively, in comparison with the EKF-based counterpart.
Returns to Scale as an Established Scaling Indicator: Always a Good Advisor?
Authors: Dellnitz Andreas , Rödder Wilhelm
Published: November 2020

In data envelopment analysis (DEA), returns to scale (RTS) are a widely accepted instrument for a company to reveal its activity scaling potentials. In the case of increasing returns to scale (IRS), a company learns that upsizing activities improves its productivity. For decreasing returns to scale (DRS), the instrument likewise should depict a downsizing force, again for improving productivity. Unfortunately, here the classical RTS concept shows misbehavior. Under certain circumstances, it is the wrong indicator for scaling activities and even hides respective productivity improvement potentials. In this paper, we study this phenomenon, using the DEA concept, and illustrate it via little numerical examples and a real-world application consisting of 37 Brazilian banks.
New Law for New Enterprises: Cooperative Law in Germany, 1867–1889
Authors: Guinnane Timothy W.
Published: November 2020

The first modern German cooperatives began operations in the 1840s and faced, among other challenges, unfriendly legal rules. In Prussia, cooperatives experienced official harassment as allies of the then-oppositional Liberals. More importantly, cooperatives lacked the right to act as bodies, forcing them to engage in expensive legal workarounds for simple tasks such as contracting debts. The first German cooperatives law, Prussia’s 1867 Act, made clear the cooperatives had a right to exist and gave them the right to act as entities. Further development in the cooperative movement exposed flaws in the original act. The 1889 (Reich) Cooperatives Act legalized some organizational differences in the newer, rural cooperatives, and introduced compulsory external audits for cooperatives. Most famously, the 1889 Act first allowed cooperatives with limited liability, a step that made German cooperatives more similar to those elsewhere in Europe. The historical literature on cooperatives has neglected two important parts of this story: problems with the way unlimited liability operated under the 1867 Act, and the close connection between cooperative and company law.
Work Creation, Rearmament, Public and Private Investment in Germany 1933–1938: An Input-Output Analysis of their Impact on Employment and Production
Authors: Fremdling Rainer , Stäglin Reiner
Published: November 2020

Empirically, we apply the input-output table of Germany for the benchmark year of 1936 to assess the impact of work creation, rearmament, public and private investment on employment and production in Germany during the 1930s. Our analytical framework integrates the Keynesian multiplier into Leontief’s traditional model. Of course one can speculate about the counterfactual scenario of whether or not the NS-upswing would have taken place even without Hitler’s economic policy. On basis of our reassessment we can safely claim, however, that these programmes were a sufficient condition to create full employment as early as 1936.
HPREP: a comprehensive database for human proteome repeats
Authors: Mary Rajathei David , Parthasarathy Subbiah , Selvaraj Samuel
Published: November 2020

Amino acid repeats are found to play important roles in both structures and functions of the proteins. These are commonly found in all kingdoms of life, especially in eukaryotes and a larger fraction of human proteins composed of repeats. Further, the abnormal expansions of shorter repeats cause various diseases to humans. Therefore, the analysis of repeats of the entire human proteome along with functional, mutational and disease information would help to better understand their roles in proteins. To fulfill this need, we developed a web database HPREP (http://bioinfo.bdu.ac.in/hprep) for human proteome repeats using Perl and HTML programming. We identified different categories of well-characterized repeats and domain repeats that are present in the human proteome of UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot by using in-house Perl programming and novel repeats by using the repeat detection T-REKS tool as well as XSTREAM web server. Further, these proteins are annotated with functional, mutational and disease information and grouped according to specific repeat types. The developed database enables the users to search by specific repeat type in order to understand their involvement in proteins. Thus, the HPREP database is expected to be a useful resource to gain better insight regarding the different repeats in human proteome and their biological roles.
Comparison of the rates of preterm birth and low birth weight of vanishing twin and primary pregnancies conceived with assisted reproductive technology
Authors: Guo Yongbing , Sun Yu , Yang Huixia , Xu Yang , Xue Qing , Kuai Yanrong , Gao Yan , Dai Fangfang , Guo Ying
Published: November 2020

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to compare the rate of preterm birth, low birth weight, and foetal growth restriction in assisted reproductive technology (ART) singleton pregnancies diagnosed with vanishing twin (VT) syndrome to those of ART pregnancies that were originally singleton pregnancies.

Methods

In this retrospective study, 177 pregnancies diagnosed with VT syndrome were matched and compared with 218 primary singleton pregnancies. The preterm birth and low birth weight rates of these two groups were evaluated. All pregnancies were conceived through ART and delivered at Peking University First Hospital and Hebei Xingtai Infertility Hospital from 2014 to 2016.

Results

The preterm delivery rate (20.90 vs. 8.72%, p<0.05) was significantly higher in the ART singletons with VT syndrome than in the control singleton group. The proportion of low-birth-weight (<2500 g) infants was also higher in the VT group than in the primary singleton group (10.73 vs. 3.67%, p<0.05). In addition, the preterm birth rate of the naturally conceived singletons was significantly lower than that of the ART singletons (6.00 vs. 14.18%, p<0.05).

Conclusions

ART singleton pregnancies with VT syndrome have higher rates of preterm birth and low-birth-weight new-borns than ART pregnancies that were originally singleton pregnancies.
Dasein and World: Heidegger’s Reconceiving of the Transcendental After Husserl
Authors: Keane Niall
Published: November 2020

The following examines Heidegger’s analysis of world and Dasein from a transcendental perspective. It is argued that Heidegger’s reflections on the interconnected themes of world and Dasein reveal the tensions that exist between the transcendental claims before and after Being and Time and the analysis of worldliness. It begins by looking at Heidegger’s early analysis of Husserl’s critique of psychologism and naturalism, assessing what this tells us about Heidegger’s analysis of world and nature. It subsequently addresses Heidegger’s transformation of Husserlian phenomenology, and intentionality in particular, arguing against interpreters who claim Heidegger’s interconnected concepts of Dasein and world are reducible to one another and hence phenomenologically problematic. In order to respond to this reading, the article examines the twin themes of, on the one hand, transcendental constitutive analysis in Heidegger’s work, Dasein as disclosive and ‘world entering’, and, on the other hand, the centrality of the world and the realm of nature as always more than Dasein’s constitutive relationship to it. In order to understand what Heidegger means by worldliness, the article will look at Heidegger’s reflections on nature as the world’s other, which nonetheless needs to be understood on the basis of worldliness.
Procurator rationis patrimonii: An Autonomous Equestrian Procuratorship or an Alternative Title of the procurator patrimonii?
Authors: Kłodziński Karol
Published: November 2020

The way patrimonial procuratorships (of the patrimonium, ratio privata, and res privata) functioned at the beginning of the 3rd century CE remains controversial. A recently published inscription from Proconsular Africa featuring a new equestrian procurator rationis patrimonii of ducenarius rank, combined with re-interpreting the patrimonial procuratorships held by M. Aquilius Felix, argues convincingly that the reform of the administration of imperial property carried out at the beginning of Septimius Severus’ reign may have been more comprehensive than previously believed.