bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design, implementation, and evaluation of learning algorithms for dynamic real‐time network monitoring
Authors: Mijumbi Rashid , Asthana Abhaya , Koivunen Markku , Haiyong Fu , Zhu Qinjun
Published: March 2020

Network monitoring is necessary so as to ensure high reliability and availability in telecom networks. One of the main challenges posed by state‐of‐the‐art monitoring tools is the creation of network baselines. Such baselines include thresholds that can be used to determine whether monitored values (with a given context, e.g., time) represent normal network operation or not. The size and complexity of current (and future) networks make it infeasible to manually determine and set baselines for each network operator and metric, let alone adapting the thresholds to changes in network conditions. This leads to the use of default baselines and/or setting baselines only once and never changing them throughout the lifetime of network elements. This does not only cause inefficient operation but could have implications for network reliability and availability. In this paper, we present the design, implementation, and evaluation of DARN: a collection of analytics and machine learning‐based algorithms aimed at ensuring that network baselines are automatically adapted to different metric evolution. DARN has been comprehensively evaluated on a deployment with real traffic to confirm accuracy of generated baselines, a 22% improvement in accuracy due to baseline adaptation and a 72% reduction in false alarms.
Cover Image
Authors: Tam Jacqueline Chor Wing , Chan Yee Man , Tsang Shui Ying , Yau Chung In , Yeung Shuk Ying , Au Ka Ki , Chow Chun Kin
Published: March 2020

The cover image is based on the Original Article Noninvasive prenatal paternity testing by means of SNP‐based targeted sequencing by Jacqueline Chor Wing Tam et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/pd.5595.

image
Achieving indirect‐to‐direct band gap transition and enhanced photocatalytic performance in blue phosphorene through doping and strain
Authors: Wang Jiajun , Li Shengcai , Yun Fengyi , Zhang Xin , Li Qunxiang
Published: March 2020

Recently, blue phosphorene (BP) has demonstrated great potential in the field of photocatalytic water splitting due to the ultrahigh carrier mobility. However, the practical application of BP as an efficient photocatalyst is greatly limited by its indirect band gap. In this work, we investigate the synergistic effect of substitutional doping and biaxial strain on the electronic and photocatalytic properties of BP using hybrid density functional calculations. The results show that As/Sb doping not only reduces the band gap of BP without introducing any midgap states but also turns it into direct band gap semiconductor, which can be ascribed to the p states of the dopants appearing around the band edges. For these As/Sb‐doped BP systems, the band gaps, band edge positions, and optical absorption abilities can be further tuned by applying a biaxial strain. In particular, we predict that compressive strains are more propitious for the doped systems than the tensile strains since the requirements for water splitting are satisfied, meanwhile preserving the direct band gap characteristics. Besides, our calculations also show that the band gap and the reducing and oxidizing power of multilayer BP are highly dependent on the layer thickness. These results suggest feasible modulation strategies for enabling BP to be a visible‐light‐driven photocatalyst for water splitting.
Multimodal Characterization of Resin Embedded and Sliced Polymer Nanoparticles by Means of Tip‐Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy and Force–Distance Curve Based Atomic Force Microscopy
Authors: Höppener Christiane , Schacher Felix H. , Deckert Volker
Published: March 2020

Understanding the property‐function relation of nanoparticles in various application fields involves determining their physicochemical properties, which is still a remaining challenge to date. While a multitude of different characterization tools can be applied, these methods by themselves can only provide an incomplete picture. Therefore, novel analytical techniques are required, which can address both chemical functionality and provide structural information at the same time with high spatial resolution. This is possible by using tip‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS), but due to its limited depth information, TERS is usually restricted to investigations of the nanoparticle surface. Here, TERS experiments are established on polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NPs) after resin embedding and microtome slicing. With that, unique access to their internal morphological features is gained, and thus, enables differentiation between information obtained for core‐ and shell‐regions. Complementary information is obtained by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and from force–distance curve based atomic force microscopy (FD‐AFM). This multimodal approach achieves a high degree of discrimination between the resin and the polymers used for nanoparticle formulation. The high potential of TERS combined with advanced AFM spectroscopy tools to probe the mechanical properties is applied for quality control of the resin embedding procedure.
Research on the use of algorithms for matrix transformations for encrypting text information
Authors: Khanas Yuriy , Borecki Michał
Published: March 2020

Several algorithms are presented in the article for the transformation of numerical matrices by nonstandard means. These algorithms are shown in the data encryption task, namely, a text message with a certain set of characters. An analysis of the effectiveness of the proposed approach will be demonstrated by comparing open source and encrypted. The algorithms developed by the author are described in as detailed and clear as possible, since they are new. At the same time, they can be difficult to reach or incorrectly interpreted by those who do not have the full amount of information about
them.
Insight into Multi‐Scale Structure and Digestibility of Sugar Palm (Arenga pinnata) Starch Subjected to High Speed Jet Treatment
Authors: Mei Jiang‐Yang , Zhang Lu , Ren Min‐Hong , Lin Ying , Fu Zhen
Published: March 2020

Processing has a great influence on starch digestibility and increasing attention has been paid to the application of emerging environmentally friendly starch modification technology. Hierarchical structure and digestibility of sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) starch (APS) following high speed jet (HSJ) treatment are investigated. HSJ treatment (at 200 MPa for different processing cycles) significantly increases the rapidly digestible starch (RDS) content and decreases the slowly digestible starch and resistant starch content and significantly decreases the molecular weight of amylopectin and destroys granular structures with increasing treatment passes. The number of double helices is also reduced. The structural changes alter the digestibility of uncooked APS and transform the slowly digestible and/or resistant starch to the rapidly digestible form.
State fragility and foreign direct investment: The mediating roles of human flight and economic decline
Authors: Seyoum Belay , Camargo Andrea
Published: March 2020

Developing countries view foreign direct investment (FDI) as a vital contributor to economic growth by augmenting domestic capital and enhancing efficiency through transfer of new technology, marketing, and management skills. Even though the factors that influence FDI have been examined in the context of developing countries, the role of state fragility has been underexplored in the literature. Drawing on institutional theory, we develop hypotheses on the link between state fragility and inward FDI. Based on data from 93 fragile countries from different geographical areas, the study shows the influence of state fragility on human flight and brain drain and the role of the latter in causing economic decline. It also explores the mediating roles of human flight and economic decline in the relationship between state fragility and inward FDI flows and identifies economic decline as an important path linking state fragility and FDI.
Wind turbine partial wake merging description and quantification
Authors: Scott Ryan , Viggiano Bianca , Dib Tamara , Ali Naseem , Hölling Michael , Peinke Joachim , Cal Raúl Bayoán
Published: March 2020

Individual turbine location within a wind plant defines the flow characterisitcs experienced by a given turbine. Irregular turbine arrays and inflow misalignment can reduce plant efficiency by producing highly asymmetric wakes with enhanced downstream longevity. Changes in wake dynamics as a result of turbine position were quantified in a wind tunnel experiment. Scale model turbines with a rotor diameter of 20 cm and a hub height of 24 cm were placed in symmetric, asymmetric, and rotated configurations. Simultaneous hub height velocity measurements were recorded at 11 spanwise locations for three distances downstream of the turbine array under two inflow conditions. Wake interactions are described in terms of the time‐average streamwise velocity and turbulence intensity as well as the displacement, momentum, and energy thicknesses. The effects of wake merging on power generation are quantified, and the two‐point correlation is used to examine symmetry in the mean velocity between wakes. The results indicate that both asymmetric and rotated wind plant arrangements can produce long‐lasting wakes. At shallow angles, rotated configurations compound the effects of asymmetric arrangements and greatly increase downstream wake persistence.
A survey of digital circuit testing in the light of machine learning
Authors: Pradhan Manjari , Bhattacharya Bhargab B.
Published: March 2020

The insistent trend in today's nanoscale technology, to keep abreast of the Moore's law, has been continually opening up newer challenges to circuit designers. With rapid downscaling of integration, the intricacies involved in the manufacturing process have escalated significantly. Concomitantly, the nature of defects in silicon chips has become more complex and unpredictable, adding further difficulty in circuit testing and diagnosis. The volume of test data has surged and the parameters that govern testing of integrated circuits have increased not only in dimension but also in the complexity of their correlation. Evidently, the current scenario serves as a pertinent platform to explore new test solutions based on machine learning. In this survey, we look at various recent advances in this evolving domain in the context of digital logic testing and diagnosis.

This article is categorized under:

Algorithmic Development > Structure Discovery

Technologies > Machine Learning

Technologies > Prediction
Contributions of $$ {K}_0^{\ast } $$(1430) and $$ {K}_0^{\ast } $$(1950) in the three-body decays B → Kπh
Authors: Wang Wen-Fei , Chai Jian , Ma Ai-Jun
Published: March 2020

Abstract

We study the contributions of the resonant states $$ {K}_0^{\ast } $$

K
0
∗

(1430) and $$ {K}_0^{\ast } $$

K
0
∗

(1950) in the three-body decays B → Kπh (with h = π, K) in the perturbative QCD approach. The crucial nonperturbative input FKπ(s) in the distribution amplitudes of the S-wave Kπ system is derived from the matrix element of vacuum to Kπ pair. The C P averaged branching fraction of the quasi-two-body decay process B →$$ {K}_0^{\ast } $$

K
0
∗

(1950) h → Kπh is about one order smaller than that of the corresponding decay B →$$ {K}_0^{\ast } $$

K
0
∗

(1430)h → Kπh. In view of the important contribution from the S-wave Kπ system for the B → Kπh decays, it is not appropriate to neglect the $$ {K}_0^{\ast } $$

K
0
∗

(1950) in the theoretical or experimental studies for the relevant three-body B meson decays. The predictions in this work for the relevant decays are consistent with the existing experimental data.
VOAs and Rank-Two Instanton SCFTs
Authors: Beem Christopher , Meneghelli Carlo , Peelaers Wolfger , Rastelli Leonardo
Published: March 2020

We analyze the $$\mathcal {N}=2$$

N
=
2

superconformal field theories that arise when a pair of D3-branes probe an F-theory singularity from the perspective of the associated vertex operator algebra. We identify these vertex operator algebras for all cases; we find that they have a completely uniform description, parameterized by the dual Coxeter number of the corresponding global symmetry group. We further present free field realizations for these algebras in the style of recent work by three of the authors. These realizations transparently reflect the algebraic structure of the Higgs branches of these theories. We find fourth-order linear modular differential equations for the vacuum characters/Schur indices of these theories, which are again uniform across the full family of theories and parameterized by the dual Coxeter number. We comment briefly on expectations for the still higher-rank cases.
Using Positive Spanning Sets to Achieve d-Stationarity with the Boosted DC Algorithm
Authors: Artacho F. J. Aragón , Campoy R. , Vuong P. T.
Published: March 2020

The Difference of Convex functions Algorithm (DCA) is widely used for minimizing the difference of two convex functions. A recently proposed accelerated version, termed BDCA for Boosted DC Algorithm, incorporates a line search step to achieve a larger decrease of the objective value at each iteration. Thanks to this step, BDCA usually converges much faster than DCA in practice. The solutions found by DCA are guaranteed to be critical points of the problem, but these may not be local minima. Although BDCA tends to improve the objective value of the solutions it finds, these are frequently just critical points as well. In this paper we combine BDCA with a simple Derivative-Free Optimization (DFO) algorithm to force the d-stationarity (lack of descent direction) at the point obtained. The potential of this approach is illustrated through some computational experiments on a Minimum-Sum-of-Squares clustering problem. Our numerical results demonstrate that the new method provides better solutions while still remains faster than DCA in the majority of test cases.
How to resolve confusion in the clinical setting for the diagnosis of heterozygous COL4A3 or COL4A4 gene variants? Discussion and suggestions from nephrologists
Authors: Imafuku Aya , Nozu Kandai , Sawa Naoki , Nakanishi Koichi , Ubara Yoshifumi
Published: March 2020

Both thin basement membrane nephropathy (TBMN) and autosomal dominant Alport syndrome (ADAS) are types of hereditary nephritis resulting from heterozygous mutations in COL4A3 or COL4A4 genes. Although TBMN is characterized by hematuria and thinning of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) with excellent renal prognosis, some patients develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD) later in life. In contrast, although AS is characterized by progressive nephropathy with lamellation of the GBM, there are some patients diagnosed with ADAS from a family history of ESRD but who only suffer from hematuria with GBM thinning. These findings indicate a limitation in distinction between TBMN and ADAS. Diagnosis of AS is significant because it facilitates careful follow-up and early treatment, whereas diagnosis of TBMN can underestimate the risk of ESRD. However, some experts are against using the term ADAS as the phenotypes of heterozygous variants vary from no urinary abnormality to ESRD, even between family members with the same mutations, indicating that unknown secondary factors may play a large role in the disease severity. These diagnostic difficulties result in significant confusion in clinical settings. Moreover, recent studies revealed that the number of patients with chronic kidney disease caused by these gene mutations is far higher than previously thought. The aim of this article is to review differing opinions regarding the diagnosis of heterozygous COL4A3 or COL4A4 variants, and to highlight the importance for nephrologists to recognize this disease, and the importance of the need to reclassify this disease to minimize the current confusion.
Modeling for supervisor synthesis – a lock-bridge combination case study
Authors: Reijnen Ferdie F. H. , Goorden Martijn A. , van de Mortel-Fronczak Joanna M. , Rooda Jacobus E.
Published: March 2020

Designing supervisory controllers for high-tech systems is becoming increasingly complex due to demands for verified safety, higher quality and availability, and extending functionality. Supervisor synthesis is a method to automatically derive a supervisor from a model of the plant and a model of the control requirements. While supervisor synthesis is an active research topic, only a few reports exist on industrial applications. One of the reasons for this is the lack of acquaintance of control engineers with modeling and specifying in the framework of automata. In addition to this, there are no clear guidelines for obtaining the necessary models for synthesis. In this paper, we describe a general way of modeling for the plant and the requirements in order to contribute towards the acceptance of supervisor synthesis in industry. This way of modeling is illustrated with an industrial case study in which a supervisory controller is synthesized for the Algera complex. The Algera complex consists of a waterway lock and a movable bascule bridge. The supervisor has to control 80 actuators based on the observations from 96 discrete sensors, in response to 63 control commands available from the operator. We show how to model the plant as a collection of extended finite-state automata, how to model the requirement as a collection of event conditions, how to synthesize the monolithic supervisor, and how to validate the resulting supervisor using continuous-time simulation.
Optimal Control of History-Dependent Evolution Inclusions with Applications to Frictional Contact
Authors: Migórski Stanisław
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we study a class of subdifferential evolution inclusions involving history-dependent operators. First, we improve an existence and uniqueness theorem and prove the continuous dependence result in the weak topologies. Next, we establish the existence of optimal solution to an optimal control problem for the evolution inclusion. Finally, we illustrate the results by an example of an optimal control of a dynamic frictional contact problem in mechanics, whose weak formulation is the evolution variational inequality.
Active transitive impersonals in Slavic and beyond: a parallel corpus analysis
Authors: Schlund Katrin
Published: March 2020

Morphologically unmarked transitive (or accusative) impersonals, often also referred to as Adversity Impersonals or Elemental Constructions, have long been considered a primarily East Slavic phenomenon, with a somewhat marginal status in Polish. More recent research has claimed that these impersonal constructions also occur in other West Slavic languages and even in Slovenian. The present paper refines some of the previous assumptions about morphologically unmarked transitive impersonals in twelve Slavic and two non-Slavic languages by drawing on the results of a parallel corpus study. The analysis of empirical data suggests that it is necessary to identify the Štokavian dialectal continuum as a transitional area with a declining acceptability of morphologically unmarked transitive impersonals from the Northwest (Croatian) to the Southeast (Serbian). Moreover it will be shown that impersonals of this type are not an exclusively Slavic phenomenon.
Vestibular Schwannoma: What We Know and Where We are Heading
Authors: Gupta Vinay Kumar , Thakker Arjuna , Gupta Keshav Kumar
Published: March 2020

Vestibular schwannoma (VS) is a Schwann cell-derived tumour arising from the vestibulocochlear nerve. Although benign, it represents a threat to intracranial structures due to mass effect and carries a small risk of malignant transformation. VS therefore represents an important healthcare burden. We review the literature regarding pathogenesis, risk factors, and diagnosis of VS. The current and future potential management strategies are also discussed. A narrative review of all relevant papers known to the authors was conducted. The majority of VS remain clinically stable and do not require interventional procedures. Nevertheless, various surgical techniques exist for removing VS, the most common of which are translabyrinthine and retrosigmoid approaches. Due to surgical risks such as hearing loss, facial nerve dysfunction, post-operative headache, and cerebrospinal fluid leakage, a "watch and rescan" approach is adopted for most patients. Radiotherapy is a useful alternative and has been shown to have a similar response for growth restriction. Due to the heterogeneous nature of VS, there is a lack of consensus regarding management of tumours that are too large for conservative management but too small to indicate surgery. Emerging biologic therapies, such as Bevacizumab, Everolimus, and Lapatinib, as well as anti-inflammatories like aspirin are promising potential treatments; however, long-term evidence of their efficacy is required. The knowledge base regarding VS continues to improve. With increased understanding of the pathogenesis of these tumors, we believe future work should focus on pharmacologic intervention. Biologic therapies aimed toward improved patient outcomes are particularly promising.
Fabrication of PVA polymer films with improved antibacterial activity by fine-tuning via organic acids for food packaging applications
Authors: Suganthi Sanjeevamuthu , Vignesh Shanmugam , Kalyana Sundar Jeyaperumal , Raj Vairamuthu
Published: March 2020

In this study, organic acids were used as cross-linker with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films prepared by a solution-casting method for food packing applications. The effect of incorporating three different organic acids, i.e., malic acid (MA), tartaric acid (TA), and lactic acid (LA), on the physicochemical and biological properties of PVA was explored in detail. The crystalline phase, optical absorption, and functional groups were examined via UV–Vis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Thermal, microstructural, and surface investigations were conducted by thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy, and the antibacterial activity was evaluated. The surface topography and roughness were found to have a strong effect on the bactericidal properties of the films, as confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Among the considered films, PVA/LA exhibited the highest bacterial inhibition, which was largely due to its capacity to modify the local pH and alter the permeability of the microbial layer by disrupting bacteria–substrate interaction. In general, the composite film was found to have attractive properties and can be considered as a food packaging material with low environmental impact based on polyvinyl alcohol.
Nash Equilibria and Bargaining Solutions of Differential Bilinear Games
Authors: Calà Campana Francesca , Ciaramella Gabriele , Borzì Alfio
Published: March 2020

This paper is devoted to a theoretical and numerical investigation of Nash equilibria and Nash bargaining problems governed by bilinear (input-affine) differential models. These systems with a bilinear state-control structure arise in many applications in, e.g., biology, economics, physics, where competition between different species, agents, and forces needs to be modelled. For this purpose, the concept of Nash equilibria (NE) appears appropriate, and the building blocks of the resulting differential Nash games are different control functions associated with different players that pursue different non-cooperative objectives. In this framework, existence of Nash equilibria is proved and computed with a semi-smooth Newton scheme combined with a relaxation method. Further, a related Nash bargaining (NB) problem is discussed. This aims at determining an improvement of all players’ objectives with respect to the Nash equilibria. Results of numerical experiments successfully demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed NE and NB computational framework.
Labouring for Livelihoods: Gender, Productivity and Collectivity
Authors: Agarwal Bina
Published: March 2020

Current debates in India on work, employment and labour markets have paid rather little attention to three important distinctions: between sustainable livelihoods and labour force participation; between autonomously managing non-family enterprises versus participation in decision-making within the confines of family enterprises; and between cooperation among workers for larger economic returns versus atomised individuals competing for work or livelihoods in unequal markets. This paper conceptually outlines the importance of focusing on work through the lens of livelihoods, autonomy and collectivity, especially for women. Empirically, it analyses whether group farming, wherein women farmers voluntarily pool land, labour, capital and skills to cultivate jointly, while sharing costs and benefits, can help them overcome their production constraints, create viable livelihoods, and gain autonomous identities as farmers? How well can women’s group farms perform in comparison with male-managed small family farms? Based on meticulously undertaken primary surveys of group farming in Kerala and Telangana, the paper compares all-women group farms with largely male-managed small family farms in the same state, in terms of productivity and profits. It also examines the impact on women’s skill capabilities and status, which state is more effective and why, and the lessons these experiences hold for replication elsewhere. New and emerging experiments with farmers’ collectives in eastern India and Gujarat, including all-male and mixed-gender groups, suggest that the group farming model can be adapted effectively to varying contexts. The paper thus demonstrates the importance and potential of transforming the institutions within which work is done, in order to enhance both worker well-being and productivity gains. In conclusion, it reflects on the concept of the Social and Solidarity Economy.
A Cautionary Note on Evidence-Accumulation Models of Response Inhibition in the Stop-Signal Paradigm
Authors: Matzke Dora , Logan Gordon D. , Heathcote Andrew
Published: March 2020

The stop-signal paradigm is a popular procedure to investigate response inhibition—the ability to stop ongoing responses. It consists of a choice response time (RT) task that is occasionally interrupted by a stop stimulus signaling participants to withhold their response. Performance in the stop-signal paradigm is often formalized as race between a set of go runners triggered by the choice stimulus and a stop runner triggered by the stop signal. We investigated whether evidence-accumulation processes, which have been widely used in choice RT analysis, can serve as the runners in the stop-signal race model and support the estimation of psychologically meaningful parameters. We examined two types of the evidence-accumulation architectures: the racing Wald model (Logan et al. 2014) and a novel proposal based on the lognormal race (Heathcote and Love 2012). Using a series of simulation studies and fits to empirical data, we found that these models are not measurement models in the sense that the data-generating parameters cannot be recovered in realistic experimental designs.
Negotiating Mughal Law
Authors: Chatterjee Nandini
Published: March 2020

Based on a completely reconstructed archive of Persian, Hindi and Marathi documents, Nandini Chatterjee provides a unique micro-history of a family of landlords in Malwa, central India, who flourished in the region from at least the sixteenth until the twentieth century. By exploring their daily interactions with imperial elites as well as villagers and marauders, Chatterjee offers a new history from below of the Mughal Empire, far from the glittering courts of the emperors and nobles, but still dramatic and filled with colourful personalities. From this perspective, we see war, violence, betrayal, enterprise, romance and disappointment, but we also see a quest for law, justice, rights and righteousness. A rare story of Islamic law in a predominantly non-Muslim society, this is also an exploration of the peripheral regions of the Maratha empire and a neglected princely state under British colonial rule. This title is also available as Open Access.
Visualizing Law and Justice at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
Authors: Elander Maria
Published: March 2020

The body is falling backwards, facing the sky. The hands are clasped together in a sampeah, as if in greeting, as if in prayer. For the artist of the Cambodian Tragedy Memorial, also called A ceux qui ne sont plus là (For those who are no longer here), the body “speak[s] both to and beyond individual identity.” By standing both as personal testimony of loss and “in memory of the Cambodian genocide and its impossible representation,” the memorial raises longstanding questions on the authority and limits of testimony, on representation, and, importantly for this symposium, on the relation between art and international criminal law.
Dignifying, Restoring, and Reimagining International Law and Justice Through Connections with Arts and Culture
Authors: Bennoune Karima
Published: March 2020

This symposium provides a critical opportunity for international legal scholars to engage with the value and power of certain aspects of culture. The successive holders of the UN mandate on cultural rights have declined to define culture, instead taking a holistic, inclusive approach to its meanings, including inter alia diverse forms of artistic and cultural expressions, languages, worldviews, practices, and cultural heritage. Cultural rights—including the right to take part in cultural life without discrimination, the right to access and enjoy cultural heritage, and freedom of artistic expression—are a core part of the universal human rights framework. They are vital in and of themselves and protect key aspects of the human experience, but they have also been increasingly recognized as important elements of accessing justice and responding to atrocities and as “fundamental to creating and maintaining peaceful and just societies and to promoting enjoyment of other universal human rights.” The artistic and cultural expressions which result from the exercise of these rights likewise have inherent value and can also play significant roles in achieving basic goals of international law and human rights. As I noted in a report to the UN Human Rights Council in my capacity as UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights:

Humanity dignifies, restores and reimagines itself through creating, performing, preserving and revising its cultural and artistic life . . . . Cultural heritage, cultural practices and the arts are resources for marshalling attention to urgent concerns, addressing conflicts, reconciling former enemies, resisting oppression, memorializing the past, and imagining and giving substance to a more rights-friendly future.
Data protection issues in cross-border interoperability of Electronic Health Record systems within the European Union
Authors: Bincoletto Giorgia
Published: March 2020

This study investigates the data protection concerns arising in the context of the cross-border interoperability of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems in the European Union. The article first introduces the policies on digital health and examines the related interoperability issues. Second, the work analyses the latest Recommendation of the European Commission on this topic. Then, the study discusses the rules and the obligations settled by the General Data Protection Regulation to be taken into account when developing interoperable EHRs. According to the data protection by design and by default provision, EHR systems should be designed ex ante to guarantee data protection rules.
Methionine-balanced diets improve cattle performance in fattening young bulls fed high-forage diets through changes in nitrogen metabolism
Authors: Cantalapiedra-Hijar G. , Ortigues-Marty I. , Sepchat B. , Titgemeyer E. , Bahloul L.
Published: March 2020

Ruminants fed high-forage diets usually have a low feed efficiency, and their performances might be limited by methionine (Met) supply. However, the INRA feeding system for growing cattle does not give recommendation for this amino acid (AA). This study aimed to assess the effects of Met-balanced diets on animal performance and N metabolism in young bulls fed high-forage diets formulated at or above protein requirements. Four diets resulting from a factorial arrangement of two protein levels (Normal (13·5 % crude protein) v. High (16·2 % crude protein)) crossed with two Met concentrations (unbalanced (2·0 % of metabolisable protein) v. balanced (2·6 % of metabolisable protein)) were tested on thirty-four fattening Charolais bulls for 7 months before slaughter. Animal growth rate was greater in Met-balanced diets (+8 %; P = 0·02) with a trend for a greater impact in High v. Normal protein diets (P = 0·10). This trend was observed in lower plasma concentrations of branched-chain AA only when Met supplementation was applied to the Normal protein diet (P ≤ 0·06) suggesting another co-limiting AA at Normal protein level. Feed conversion efficiency and N use efficiency were unaffected by Met supplementation (P > 0·05). However, some plasma indicators suggested a better use of AA when High protein diets were balanced v. unbalanced in Met. The proportion of total adipose tissue in carcass increased (+5 percent units; P = 0·03), whereas that of muscle decreased on average 0·8 percent units (P = 0·05) in Met-balanced diets. Our results justify the integration of AA into dietary recommendations for growing cattle.
“Their debts follow them into the afterlife”: German Settlers, Ethnographic Knowledge, and the Forging of Coffee Capitalism in Nineteenth-Century Guatemala
Authors: Gibbings Julie
Published: March 2020

German coffee planters in nineteenth-century Alta Verapaz, Guatemala were also ethnographers, archaeologists, and geographers who published their works in Germany, the United States, and Guatemala. Their published works, as well as coffee plantation records, government correspondence, judicial records and other archival materials reveal how German coffee planters-cum-ethnographers drew upon ethnographic knowledge and representations to forge a reliable labor force. Like ethnographers in Britain's colonies, German settlers in Alta Verapaz understood the potential symmetry between ethnography and the governance of indigenous peoples. Their ethnographic knowledges also push us to reconsider distinctions drawn between German cosmopolitan ethnographic traditions and British functionalist ones and demonstrate how ethnographic knowledge and cultural difference could be deployed to forge new kinds of racial capitalism. In Guatemala, the intimate relationship between the rise of capitalism and ethnography shaped the anti-communism of mid-twentieth-century anthropology in the region.
Non-pecuniary damages before the European Court of Human Rights: Forget the victim; it’s all about the state
Authors: Fikfak Veronika
Published: March 2020

This article studies how the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR, the Court) adjusts damages for human rights violations. The article empirically analyses 13 years of ECtHR’s case law in relation to Articles 2 (right to life), 3 (torture, inhuman and degrading treatment), and 5 (arbitrary detention) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR, the Convention). The goal is to understand whether the statements made by the Court about the aims pursued through just satisfaction are confirmed in practice. Through an empirical quantitative study relating to non-pecuniary damages, the article analyses the practice of the Court in awarding non-pecuniary damages for human rights violations and compares it to the competing visions of the ECtHR’s function. In particular, I am interested in determining whether just satisfaction is aimed at redressing the suffering of the victim, her circumstances and vulnerability, or whether the focus is more on the respondent state, its conduct and its past human rights record. The answers to these questions will contribute to the debate whether the ECtHR’s role is one of delivering ‘individual justice’ or whether the Court is – as an international court enforcing an international treaty – focused on the ‘state’.
Post-operative acute kidney injury is associated with a biomarker of acute brain injury after paediatric cardiac surgery
Authors: Parsons Michael , Greenberg Jason , Parikh Chirag , Brown Jeremiah , Parker Devin , Zhu Jie , Vricella Luca , Everett Allen D.
Published: March 2020

Introduction:

Children with CHD who undergo cardiopulmonary bypass are at an increased risk of acute kidney injury. This study evaluated the association of end-organ specific injury plasma biomarkers for brain: glial fibrillary acidic protein and heart: Galectin 3, soluble suppression of tumorgenicity 2, and N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide with acute kidney injury in children undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass.

Materials and Methods:

We enrolled consecutive children undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Blood samples were collected pre-bypass in the operating room and in the immediate post-operative period. Acute kidney injury was defined as a rise of serum creatinine ≥50% from pre-operative baseline within 7 days after surgery.

Results:

Overall, 162 children (mean age 4.05 years, sd 5.28 years) were enrolled. Post-operative acute kidney injury developed in 55 (34%) children. Post-operative plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein levels were significantly higher in patients with acute kidney injury (median 0.154 (inter-quartile range 0.059–0.31) ng/ml) compared to those without acute kidney injury (median 0.056 (inter-quartile range 0.001–0.125) ng/ml) (p = 0.043). After adjustment for age, weight, and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery category, each natural log increase in post-operative glial fibrillary acidic protein was significantly associated with a higher risk for subsequent acute kidney injury (adjusted odds ratio glial fibrillary acidic protein 1.25; 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.59). Pre/post-operative levels of galectin 3, soluble suppression of tumorgenicity 2, and N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide did not significantly differ between patients with and without acute kidney injury.

Conclusions:

Higher plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein levels measured in the immediate post-operative period were independently associated with subsequent acute kidney injury in children after cardiopulmonary bypass. Elevated glial fibrillary acidic protein likely reflects intraoperative brain injury which may occur in the context of acute kidney injury-associated end-organ dysfunction.
Healthful and less-healthful foods and drinks from storefront and non-storefront businesses: implications for ‘food deserts’, ‘food swamps’ and food-source disparities
Authors: Lucan Sean C , Maroko Andrew R , Patel Achint N , Gjonbalaj Ilirjan , Elbel Brian , Schechter Clyde B
Published: March 2020

Objective:

Conceptualisations of ‘food deserts’ (areas lacking healthful food/drink) and ‘food swamps’ (areas overwhelm by less-healthful fare) may be both inaccurate and incomplete. Our objective was to more accurately and completely characterise food/drink availability in urban areas.

Design:

Cross-sectional assessment of select healthful and less-healthful food/drink offerings from storefront businesses (stores, restaurants) and non-storefront businesses (street vendors).

Setting:

Two areas of New York City: the Bronx (higher-poverty, mostly minority) and the Upper East Side (UES; wealthier, predominantly white).

Participants:

All businesses on 63 street segments in the Bronx (n 662) and on 46 street segments in the UES (n 330).

Results:

Greater percentages of businesses offered any, any healthful, and only less-healthful food/drink in the Bronx (42·0 %, 37·5 %, 4·4 %, respectively) than in the UES (30 %, 27·9 %, 2·1 %, respectively). Differences were driven mostly by businesses (e.g. newsstands, gyms, laundromats) not primarily focused on selling food/drink – ‘other storefront businesses’ (OSBs). OSBs accounted for 36·0 % of all food/drink-offering businesses in the Bronx (more numerous than restaurants or so-called ‘food stores’) and 18·2 % in the UES (more numerous than ‘food stores’). Differences also related to street vendors in both the Bronx and the UES. If street vendors and OSBs were not captured, the missed percentages of street segments offering food/drink would be 14·5 % in the Bronx and 21·9 % in the UES.

Conclusions:

Of businesses offering food/drink in communities, OSBs and street vendors can represent substantial percentages. Focusing on only ‘food stores’ and restaurants may miss or mischaracterise ‘food deserts’, ‘food swamps’, and food/drink-source disparities between communities.
Folate, alcohol, ADH1B and ALDH2 and colorectal cancer risk
Authors: Seol Ju Eun , Kim Jeongseon , Lee Bong-Hwa , Hwang Dae-Yong , Jeong Jinyoung , Lee Hun-Jae , Ahn Yoon-Ok , Lee Jung Eun , Kim Dong-Hyun
Published: March 2020

Objective:

There is limited evidence on the interaction by alcohol dehydrogenase 2 (ADH1B) (rs1229984) and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) (rs671) regarding the associations of alcohol and a methyl diet (low folate and high alcohol intake) with cancer risk, partly because of rare polymorphisms in Western populations.

Design:

In a case–control study, we estimated the ORs and 95 % CIs to evaluate the associations of ADH1B and ALDH2 genotypes with colorectal cancer (CRC) and the joint association between methyl diets and ADH1B and ALDH2 polymorphisms with CRC risk using logistic regression models.

Setting:

A hospital-based case–control study.

Participants:

In total, 1001 CRC cases and 899 cancer-free controls admitted to two university hospitals.

Results:

We found that alcohol intake increased the risk of CRC; OR (95 % CI) was 2·02 (1·41, 2·87) for ≥60 g/d drinkers compared with non-drinkers (Ptrend < 0·001). The associations for two polymorphisms with CRC were not statistically significant. However, we found a potential interaction of ALDH2 with methyl diets and CRC. We observed a 9·08-fold (95 % CI 1·93, 42·60) higher risk of CRC for low-methyl diets compared with high-methyl diets among individuals with an A allele of ALDH2, but the association was not apparent among those with ALDH2 GG (Pinteraction = 0·02).

Conclusions:

Our data support the evidence that gene–methyl diet interactions may be involved in CRC risk in East Asian populations, showing that a low-methyl diet increased the risk of CRC among individuals with an A allele of ALDH2.
ON DEL PEZZO FIBRATIONS IN POSITIVE CHARACTERISTIC
Authors: Bernasconi Fabio , Tanaka Hiromu
Published: March 2020

We establish two results on three-dimensional del Pezzo fibrations in positive characteristic. First, we give an explicit bound for torsion index of relatively torsion line bundles. Second, we show the existence of purely inseparable sections with explicit bounded degree. To prove these results, we study log del Pezzo surfaces defined over imperfect fields.
The Right-Wing Backlash in Brazil and Beyond
Authors: Payne Leigh A. , de Souza Santos Andreza Aruska
Published: March 2020

Who is entitled to have rights? This essay examines how right-wing movements attempt to prevent individuals, especially women and members of LGBT groups, from accessing equal rights through the use of terms such as “moral worth” and “family values.” At the core of our discussion of the backlash against social rights in Latin America is the need to compare and contrast the case examined here with similar movements outside the region. The vast enterprise of studies on right-wing movements in Western Europe rarely travels outside a few national boundaries. Eastern Europe and the United States are occasionally included. For the most part, right-wing movements are not seen as comparable. Sometimes the reason for excluding Latin America is expressly stated, particularly because the historical experiences are so distinct—for example, the long duration of personal or military dictatorships. Interpretations of right-wing movements in Latin America by scholars outside the region tend to view them as associated with the period of authoritarian rule in the 1970s and 1980s or misunderstand them as having little impact on political life (Meyer and Staggenborg 1996, 1630). Analysis within the region has tended to focus on right-wing political parties, religious groups, or the military (Fortes 2016, Goldstein 2019; Hunter 1997; Luna and Rovira 2014). There are few studies of right-wing movements comparing regions. Latin America is thus seen as largely irrelevant to the comparative study of right-wing movements.
Guided electromagnetic waves for damage detection and localization in metallic plates: numerical and experimental results
Authors: Moll Jochen
Published: March 2020

Electromagnetic waves in the microwave and millimeter-wave frequency range are used in non-destructive testing and structural health monitoring applications to detect material defects such as delaminations, cracks, or inclusions. This work presents a sensing concept based on guided electromagnetic waves (GEW), in which the waveguide forms a union with the structure to be inspected. Exploiting ultra-wideband signals a surface defect in the area under the waveguide can be detected and accurately localized. This paper presents numerical and experimental GEW results for a straight waveguide focusing on the detection of through holes and cracks with different orientation. It was found that the numerical model qualitatively replicates the experimental S-parameter measurements for holes of different diameters. A parametric numerical study indicates that the crack parameters such as its orientation and width has a significant influence on the interaction of the incident wave with the structural defect. On top, a numerical study is performed for complex-shaped rectangular waveguides including several waveguide bends. Besides a successful damage detection, the damage position can also be precisely determined with a maximum localization error of less than 3%.
Caloric restriction triggers morphofunctional remodeling of astrocytes and enhances synaptic plasticity in the mouse hippocampus
Authors: Popov Alexander , Denisov Pavel , Bychkov Maxim , Brazhe Alexey , Lyukmanova Ekaterina , Shenkarev Zakhar , Lazareva Natalia , Verkhratsky Alexei , Semyanov Alexey
Published: March 2020

Calorie-restricted (CR) diet has multiple beneficial effects on brain function. Here we report morphological and functional changes in hippocampal astrocytes in 3-months-old mice subjected to 1 month of the diet. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were performed in the CA1 stratum (str.) radiatum astrocytes of hippocampal slices. The cells were also loaded with fluorescent dye through the patch pipette. CR did not affect the number of astrocytic branches but increased the volume fraction (VF) of distal perisynaptic astrocytic leaflets. The astrocyte growth did not lead to a decrease in the cell input resistance, which may be attributed to a decrease in astrocyte coupling through the gap junctions. Western blotting revealed a decrease in the expression of Cx43 but not Cx30. Immunocytochemical analysis demonstrated a decrease in the density and size of Cx43 clusters. Cx30 cluster density did not change, while their size increased in the vicinity of astrocytic soma. CR shortened K+ and glutamate transporter currents in astrocytes in response to 5 × 50 Hz Schaffer collateral stimulation. However, no change in the expression of astrocytic glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) was observed, while the level of glutamine synthetase (GS) decreased. These findings suggest that enhanced enwrapping of synapses by the astrocytic leaflets reduces glutamate and K+ spillover. Reduced spillover led to a decreased contribution of extrasynaptic N2B containing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) to the tail of burst-induced EPSCs. The magnitude of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the glutamatergic CA3–CA1 synapses was significantly enhanced after CR. This enhancement was abolished by N2B-NMDARs antagonist. Our findings suggest that astrocytic morphofunctional remodeling is responsible for enhanced synaptic plasticity, which provides a basis for improved learning and memory reported after CR.