bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The antimicrobial effect of Rosmarinus officinalis extracts on oral initial adhesion ex vivo
Authors: Günther Mira , Karygianni Lamprini , Argyropoulou Aikaterini , Anderson Annette Carola , Hellwig Elmar , Skaltsounis Alexios Leandros , Wittmer Annette , Vach Kirstin , Al-Ahmad Ali
Published: February 2022

Objective

In the last few decades, there has been a growing worldwide interest in the use of plant extracts for the prevention of oral diseases. The main focus of this interest lies in the identification and isolation of substances that limit the formation of microbial biofilm which plays a major role in the development of caries, periodontitis, and peri-implantitis. In this clinical ex vivo study, we investigated the antimicrobial effects of Rosmarinus officinalis extract against oral microorganisms within in situ initial oral biofilms.

Materials and methods

Initial in situ biofilm samples (2 h) from six healthy volunteers were treated ex vivo with R. officinalis extract at concentrations of 20 mg/ml and 30 mg/ml. The number of viable bacterial cells was determined by counting the colony-forming units. All surviving bacteria were isolated in pure cultures and identified using MALDI-TOF and biochemical testing procedures. Additionally, live/dead staining in combination with epifluorescence microscopy was used for visualizing the antimicrobial effects in the initial biofilms.

Results

The number of colony-forming units in the R. officinalis–treated biofilms was significantly lower than in the untreated controls (p < 0.001). The reduction range of log10 was 1.64–2.78 and 2.41–3.23 for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, respectively. Regarding the bacterial composition, large intra- and interindividual variability were observed. Except for Campylobacter spp., the average amount of all bacterial taxa was lower after treatment with R. officinalis than in the untreated biofilms. A total of 49 different species were detected in the untreated biofilms, while only 11 bacterial species were detected in the R. officinalis–treated biofilms. Live/dead staining confirmed that the R. officinalis–treated biofilms had significantly lower numbers of surviving bacteria than the untreated biofilms.

Conclusions

The treatment with R. officinalis extract has a significant potential to eliminate microbial oral initial biofilms.

Clinical relevance

The results of this study encourage the use of R. officinalis extracts in biofilm control and thus in the treatment of caries and periodontitis as a herbal adjuvant to synthetic substances.
Detecting surface changes in a familiar tune: exploring pitch, tempo and timbre
Authors: Crespo-Bojorque Paola , Celma-Miralles Alexandre , Toro Juan M.
Published: February 2022

Humans recognize a melody independently of whether it is played on a piano or a violin, faster or slower, or at higher or lower frequencies. Much of the way in which we engage with music relies in our ability to normalize across these surface changes. Despite the uniqueness of our music faculty, there is the possibility that key aspects in music processing emerge from general sensitivities already present in other species. Here we explore whether other animals react to surface changes in a tune. We familiarized the animals (Long–Evans rats) with the “Happy Birthday” tune on a piano. We then presented novel test items that included changes in pitch (higher and lower octave transpositions), tempo (double and half the speed) and timbre (violin and piccolo). While the rats responded differently to the familiar and the novel version of the tune when it was played on novel instruments, they did not respond differently to the original song and its novel versions that included octave transpositions and changes in tempo.
Effect of two formulations of recombinant bovine somatotropin on milk production and body condition of cattle under intensive management in Peru
Authors: Gómez Carlos A. , Fernández Melisa , Franco Néstor , Cueva Rudi
Published: February 2022

The effect of recombinant somatotropin (rbST) application in cattle has been demonstrated in temperate climate but very limited studies are available in tropical regions. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of the application of two different formulations of rbST on the milk yield and body condition of dairy cattle in a commercial herd under intensive production in Peru. We evaluated the application of 500 mg of active rbST in a zinc sesame oil (ZSO-rbST; n = 44) or vitamin E lecithin (VEL-rbST; n = 45) vehicle while control cows (n = 42) did not receive any application. The application of rbST was performed by every 14 days for 12 cycles, for a total of 168 days. The application of rbST increased the milk production of primiparous and multiparous cows by 3 and 3.2 kg/day for the VEL-rbST formulation respectively when compared with control cows (p < 0.01) and no difference in milk production was observed between the ZSO-rbST formulation and the control group (p > 0.05). However, no significant difference on milk production was observed between the rbST formulations evaluated. The effect of rbST per injection cycle indicated differences in milk production and economic return for the 12 cycles between rbST and control in primiparous group, while in multiparous, no differences were found between ZSO-rbST and control (p > 0.05), but differences were observed between VEL-rbST and control in 41% of the cycles (p < 0.05). No differences in body condition were found between the two rbST formulations and the control group during the evaluation. In conclusion, the application of rbST promoted higher milk production of cattle which had a positive impact on the economic income of the farmer.
Wohnen, Wohnungslosigkeit und Wohnungslosenhilfe
Authors: Güntner Simon , Harner Roswitha
Published: February 2022

Der folgende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit dem Verständnis von Wohnen im Kontext der Wohnungslosenhilfe. Angesichts eines sich abzeichnenden Paradigmenwechsels hin zu „Housing First“, der mit dem Recht auf Wohnen begründet wird, scheint es notwendig zu klären, was unter „Wohnen“ verstanden wird. Ebenso ist von Interesse, welchen Beitrag das – selbstständige – Wohnen zur gesellschaftlichen Teilhabe leisten soll und kann. Mit dem Konzept des „prekären Wohnens“ weisen wir auf die Relationalität von Wohnformen und Wohnweisen hin, die u. E. in der Forderung nach mehr Wohnraum oftmals zu kurz kommt. Wenngleich eine gesicherte Wohnung eine existenzielle Bedeutung für die soziale Sicherung hat, sind es gerade auch problematische Wohnformen, die zu sozialen und psychischen Problemen führen können. Mit dieser Fokussierung zielen wir auf die Überwindung der argumentativen Polarisierung zwischen Wohnen und Nicht-Wohnen, um daraus neue Anstöße für die Soziale Arbeit, Sozial- und Wohnungspolitik zu gewinnen.
Magistrates, Mobs, and Moral Disagreement: Countering the Actual Disagreement Challenge to Moral Realism
Authors: Robson Gregory
Published: February 2022

I defend convergentist realism from counterarguments that appeal to apparently deep and widespread moral disagreement.Pacerecent claims by antirealists, I first argue that scenarios such as the prominent “Magistrate and the Mob” case betray cognitive defects in subjects, such as partiality, that we would not find in ideal agents. After this, I defend three reasons to expect cross-cultural disagreement on moral cases even if convergentist realism is true. These defusing explanations concern individual and group moral development and the moral models on which agents rely. While developing my defense of moral realism, I aim for comprehensive engagement with responses to arguments by Doris, Plakias, and others that have been dispersed across several related articles.
A NOTE ON WIELANDT’S THEOREM
Authors: MENG HANGYANG , GUO XIUYUN
Published: February 2022

Let
$\pi $
be a set of primes. We say that a group G satisfies
$D_{\pi }$
if G possesses a Hall
$\pi $
-subgroup H and every
$\pi $
-subgroup of G is contained in a conjugate of H. We give a new
$D_{\pi }$
-criterion following Wielandt’s idea, which is a generalisation of Wielandt’s and Rusakov’s results.
REMARKS ON TECHNOLOGICAL NEUTRALITY IN COPYRIGHT LAW AS A SUBJECT MATTER PROBLEM: LESSONS FROM CANADA
Authors: Drassinower Abraham
Published: February 2022

The paper argues that the principle of technological neutrality in copyright law is best grasped, not as a policy-driven imperative seeking to adapt copyright law to the exigencies of the digital environment, but rather as a principle immanent in the modern concept of copyright subject matter providing that merely technical or non-expressive uses of works of authorship do not attract liability. Technological neutrality is but a corollary of originality; that is, of the elementary proposition that copyright law protects original expression and nothing but original expression.
Visualization and inquiry into mental content in design activity: a case study of design interpretation
Authors: Kahlon Yuval , Fujii Haruyuki
Published: February 2022

The study of interpretation is of major importance for our understanding of design cognition. When interacting with design representations, designers often rely on metaphorical descriptions as interpretive devices, which aid in coping with the task at hand. Consequently, such descriptions can enlighten us regarding the designer's perspective of the situation, and their analysis can deepen our knowledge of design cognition. We observe designers as they metaphorically interpret design representations during a simple task of spatial configuration, and introduce an approach for modeling this practice, as a means for getting insights into the designer's mental world. In this, we draw on traditional practices of protocol analysis, as well as on state-of-the-art theoretical frameworks for situated design and discourse analysis. Our integrated approach demonstrates how important relations between external and internal reality in design activity can be mapped and visualized. This sheds some light on the cognitive process of interpretation in design. The proposed method can both serve as a basis for detailed analyses of design cognition and for the enhancement of current models for situated design agents.
Estimating nutritional needs in paediatric heart failure: beyond the equations
Authors: Lewis Kylie , Khoury Michael , Cunningham Chentel , Lavoie Stephanie , Conway Jennifer
Published: February 2022

Background:

Nutrition optimisation is imperative in paediatric patients with heart failure. Energy needs can be assessed using indirect calorimetry.

Methods:

Presented are two cases of children with clinical heart failure who benefited from indirect calorimetry.

Results:

Using indirect calorimetry, it was determined both cases were hypermetabolic.

Conclusion:

These cases demonstrate the impact of heart failure on metabolic rate and growth. Energy requirements were up to two times higher than estimations from predictive equations.
An empirical study of cyclical learning rate on neural machine translation
Authors: Wang Weixuan , Lee Choon Meng , Liu Jianfeng , Colakoglu Talha , Peng Wei
Published: February 2022

In training deep learning networks, the optimizer and related learning rate are often used without much thought or with minimal tuning, even though it is crucial in ensuring a fast convergence to a good quality minimum of the loss function that can also generalize well on the test dataset. Drawing inspiration from the successful application of cyclical learning rate policy to computer vision tasks, we explore how cyclical learning rate can be applied to train transformer-based neural networks for neural machine translation. From our carefully designed experiments, we show that the choice of optimizers and the associated cyclical learning rate policy can have a significant impact on the performance. In addition, we establish guidelines when applying cyclical learning rates to neural machine translation tasks.
Note on a peculiar Arab-Sasanian coinage of Ibn al-Ashʿath
Authors: Bates Michael L. , Shaddel Mehdy
Published: February 2022

The present note offers a new, and hopefully more nuanced, reading for a cryptic marginal legend on an issue of the Umayyad-era rebel ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ashʿath (d. circa 85 ah/704 ce). Comparing this legend with several marginal legends of like character, and contextualising the formulae within contemporary religious idiom as expressed in late ancient Arabic-Islamic epigraphy, it is argued that all these legends contain proper nouns invariably belonging to the issuing authority, in conjunction with invocations addressed to God, in an attempt to establish a hierarchic relationship between the two. Drawing on literary sources, it is then demonstrated that the legend of the Ibn al-Ashʿath issue does indeed mention the name of an individual, the local governor, Kharasha ibn Masʿūd ibn Wathīma, a new name in the repertoire of governors known through Arab-Sasanian coinage. Based on these results, a case for further reliance on literary, epigraphic, papyrological, and other forms of evidence in the study of numismatics is made. A new chronology, based on numismatic evidence, for Ibn al-Ashʿath's rebellion is also proposed.
Notes on the Newly Identified Asperula cankiriense B. Şahin & Sağıroğlu (Rubiaceae) from Turkey Based on a Light and Scanning Electron Microscopic Study
Authors: Kayabaş Ayşenur , Amutkan Mutlu Damla
Published: February 2022

Micromorphological features of vegetative and reproductive organs in plants are considered important because they can be used as taxonomic characters. Asperula cankiriense B. Şahin & Sağıroğlu, commonly known as “Çankırı belumu”, belongs to the family Rubiaceae and generally occurs in gypsum steppes. This research reports for the first time the micromorphological characteristics of the vegetative and reproductive organs of A. cankiriense using light and scanning electron microscopy. Taxonomically critical diagnostic features, such as raphide crystals, presence and shape of trichomes, leaf cross-section shape, flower structure, and epidermal ornamentation, were described in detail. This study provided up-to-date information on the micromorphology of this newly described species and provided additional systematic information on A. cankiriense. New data about the species are reported here and will contribute to the knowledge about the family Rubiaceae.
Surveillance of Hospital-Presenting Intentional Self-Harm in Western Sydney, Australia, During the Implementation of a New Self-Harm Reporting Field
Authors: Bandara Piumee , Page Andrew , Hammond Trent Ernest , Sperandei Sandro , Stevens Garry John , Gunja Naren , Anand Manish , Jones Alison , Carter Greg
Published: February 2022

Abstract: Background: Hospital-presenting self-harm is a strong predictor of suicide and has substantial human and health service costs. Aims: We aimed to identify changes in case ascertainment after implementation of a new self-harm reporting field at a tertiary hospital in New South Wales, and to report event rates, demographic, and clinical characteristics. Method: Self-harm events presenting to the emergency department (October 2017 to August 2020) were identified using clinical documentation and a new reporting field. Changes in the frequency of self-harm in the period after implementation of the self-harm field were assessed through Poisson regression models. Results: A twofold increase in the frequency of self-harm was detected following the implementation of the new reporting field. The annual average age-standardized event rate of self-harm was 110.4 per 100,000 (120.8 per 100,000 for females; 100.1 per 100,000 for males). The highest rates by age and sex were for females aged 15–19 years (375 per 100,000) and males aged 20–24 years (175 per 100,000). Limitations: Self-harm identification relies on clinician coding practice, which is subject to variability and potential under-enumeration. Conclusion: These findings highlight the value of a self-harm reporting field in hospital record systems for accurate recording and long-term monitoring of self-harm event rates.
Stratospheric Kelvin Wave Activity as a Function of Equivalent Depth in AIRS and Reanalysis Datasets
Authors: Gahtan Jennifer , Tian Baijun
Published: February 2022

Stratospheric equatorial Kelvin waves provide a necessary source of momentum to the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation (QBO). In turn, due to distributions of zonal winds and static stability, different modes of variability including the QBO, zonal mean perturbations, the seasonal cycle, and El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influence the activity of the Kelvin waves. While previous literature has observed connections to these modes of variability, we further analyze the relationships of temporal to zonal scales for the waves considering spatial, seasonal, and interannual variability. Kelvin wave activity is identified locally in space and time using a time‐longitude partial Morlet wavelet analysis with temperature from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), the Modern‐Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA‐2), and the fifth generation of the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis (ERA‐5) for comparison, then analyzed as a function of equivalent depth. Results show that, in the mean, AIRS is shifted to higher equivalent depths as compared to MERRA‐2 and ERA‐5, possibly due to differences in the vertical resolutions of the AIRS dataset. Kelvin wave activity near the peak equivalent depths is increased over Africa, the Indian Ocean, and the Maritime Continent with a westward tilt with increasing equivalent depth; during the solstice seasons, but over a larger range of equivalent depths for boreal winter; and for QBO easterlies. El Niño shifts Kelvin wave activity to higher equivalent depths.
Mineral Components of Scleractinian Coral Skeletons Cultured Without Symbionts
Authors: Motai S. , Kawano J. , Harii S. , Seto Y. , Watanabe T. , Nagai T.
Published: February 2022

Skeletons of contemporary reef‐building scleractinian corals are formed of aragonite, a polymorph of the calcium carbonate (CaCO3), notwithstanding calcite being a more stable phase under the condition of coral habitats. Circumstances developing aragonite in coral calcification have been addressed currently. Considering that the symbiotic relationship between the coral host and dinoflagellate algae (zooxanthellae) is perhaps relevant to coral calcification, we studied the impact of these symbiotic relationships on CaCO3 polymorph selection. Juvenile scleractinian corals (Acropora tenuis and Acropora digitifera) absent symbionts were cultured in seawaters with varied Mg/Ca molar ratios (mMg/Ca), and the mineral phases of the skeletons were detected employing X‐ray diffraction. The findings revealed that diminutive quantities of calcite precipitated as coral skeleton in Acropora digitifera surprisingly in pseudo‐present seawater (mMg/Ca∼5). Additionally, coral developed skeletons from only calcite in seawater with an mMg/Ca < 1. The evidence gathered in this investigation suggests that the symbiotic relationship affects the establishment of aragonite skeletons in the course of coral calcification.
Geomagnetically Induced Current Model in New Zealand Across Multiple Disturbances: Validation and Extension to Non‐Monitored Transformers
Authors: Mac Manus D. H. , Rodger C. J. , Ingham M. , Clilverd M. A. , Dalzell M. , Divett T. , Richardson G. S. , Petersen T.
Published: February 2022

Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) produced during geomagnetic disturbances pose a risk to the safe operation of electrical power networks. One route to determine the hazard of large and extreme geomagnetic disturbances to national electrical networks is a validated model to predict GIC across the entire network. In this study, we improve upon an earlier model for New Zealand, expanding the approach to cover transformers nationwide by making use of multiple storms to develop national scaling factors. We exploit GIC observations which have been made and archived by Transpower New Zealand Ltd, the national grid operator. For some transformers the GIC observations span nearly 2 decades, while for others only a few years. GICs can vary wildly between transformers, particularly due to differences in the electrical network characteristics, transformer properties, and ground conductivity. Modeling these individual transformers is required if an accurate representation of the GIC distribution throughout the network is to be produced. Here we model the GIC during 25 disturbed periods, ranging from large geomagnetic storms to weakly active periods. We adopt the approach of scaling model output using observed GIC power spectra, finding that it improves the correlations between the maximum model and observed GIC by between 10% and 40% depending on the transformer. The modeled GIC at the 73 transformers which have measured GIC are analyzed to create local and national scaling curves. These are used to allow modeling for transformers without in‐situ GIC. We present approaches to utilize this technique for future storms, including non‐monitored transformers.
A New Model for an Old Extinction Event
Authors: Donovan Robin
Published: February 2022

A 3D Earth system model incorporates variables such as temperature and sulfurization to shed light on the end-Permian extinction event.
Convolutional mesh autoencoders for the 3-dimensional identification of FGFR-related craniosynostosis
Authors: O’ Sullivan Eimear , van de Lande Lara S. , Papaioannou Athanasios , Breakey Richard W. F. , Jeelani N. Owase , Ponniah Allan , Duncan Christian , Schievano Silvia , Khonsari Roman H. , Zafeiriou Stefanos , Dunaway David. J.
Published: February 2022

Clinical diagnosis of craniofacial anomalies requires expert knowledge. Recent studies have shown that artificial intelligence (AI) based facial analysis can match the diagnostic capabilities of expert clinicians in syndrome identification. In general, these systems use 2D images and analyse texture and colour. They are powerful tools for photographic analysis but are not suitable for use with medical imaging modalities such as ultrasound, MRI or CT, and are unable to take shape information into consideration when making a diagnostic prediction. 3D morphable models (3DMMs), and their recently proposed successors, mesh autoencoders, analyse surface topography rather than texture enabling analysis from photography and all common medical imaging modalities and present an alternative to image-based analysis. We present a craniofacial analysis framework for syndrome identification using Convolutional Mesh Autoencoders (CMAs). The models were trained using 3D photographs of the general population (LSFM and LYHM), computed tomography data (CT) scans from healthy infants and patients with 3 genetically distinct craniofacial syndromes (Muenke, Crouzon, Apert). Machine diagnosis outperformed expert clinical diagnosis with an accuracy of 99.98%, sensitivity of 99.95% and specificity of 100%. The diagnostic precision of this technique supports its potential inclusion in clinical decision support systems. Its reliance on 3D topography characterisation make it suitable for AI assisted diagnosis in medical imaging as well as photographic analysis in the clinical setting.
Narrowly distributed taxa are disproportionately informative for conservation planning
Authors: Akasaka Munemitsu , Kadoya Taku , Fujita Taku , Fuller Richard A.
Published: February 2022

Biological atlas data can be used as inputs into conservation decision-making, yet atlases are sometimes infrequently updated, which can be problematic when the distribution of species is changing rapidly. Despite this, we have a poor understanding of strategies for efficiently updating biological atlas data. Using atlases of the distributions of 1630 threatened plant taxa, we quantitatively compared the informativeness of narrowly distributed and widespread taxa in identifying areas that meet taxon-specific conservation targets, and also measured the cost-efficiency of meeting those targets. We also explored the underlying mechanisms of the informativeness of narrowly distributed taxa. Overall, narrowly distributed taxa are far more informative than widespread taxa for identifying areas that efficiently meet conservation targets, while their informativeness for identifying cost-efficient areas varied depending on the type of conservation target. Narrowly distributed taxa are informative mainly because their distributions disproportionately capture areas that are either relatively taxon rich or taxon poor, and because of larger number of taxa captured with given number of records. Where resources for updating biological data are limited, a focus on areas supporting many narrowly distributed taxa could benefit conservation planning.
Pre-operative iron increases haemoglobin concentration before abdominal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Meyer Jeremy , Cirocchi Roberto , Di Saverio Salomone , Ris Frédéric , Wheeler James , Davies Richard Justin
Published: February 2022

Professional surgical societies recommend the identification and treatment of pre-operative anaemia in patients scheduled for abdominal surgery. Our aim was to determine if pre-operative iron allows correction of haemoglobin concentration and decreased incidence of peri-operative blood transfusion in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. MEDLINE, Embase and CENTRAL were searched for RCTs written in English and assessing the effect of pre-operative iron on the incidence of peri-operative allogeneic blood transfusion in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. Pooled relative risk (RR), risk difference (RD) and mean difference (MD) were obtained using models with random effects. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Q-test and quantified using the I2 value. Four RCTs were retained for analysis out of 285 eligible articles. MD in haemoglobin concentration between patients with pre-operative iron and patients without pre-operative iron was of 0.81 g/dl (3 RCTs, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.33, I2: 60%, p = 0.002). Pre-operative iron did not lead to reduction in the incidence of peri-operative blood transfusion in terms of RD (4 RCTs, RD: − 0.13, 95% CI − 0.27 to 0.01, I2: 65%, p = 0.07) or RR (4 RCTs, RR: 0.57, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.09, I2: 64%, p = 0.09). To conclude, pre-operative iron significantly increases haemoglobin concentration by 0.81 g/dl before abdominal surgery but does not reduce the need for peri-operative blood transfusion. Important heterogeneity exists between existing RCTs in terms of populations and interventions. Future trials should target patients suffering from iron-deficiency anaemia and assess the effect of intervention on anaemia-related complications.
Quasi-quantized Hall response in bulk InAs
Authors: Wawrzyńczak R. , Galeski S. , Noky J. , Sun Y. , Felser C. , Gooth J.
Published: February 2022

The quasi-quantized Hall effect (QQHE) is the three-dimensional (3D) counterpart of the integer quantum Hall effect (QHE), exhibited only by two-dimensional (2D) electron systems. It has recently been observed in layered materials, consisting of stacks of weakly coupled 2D platelets that are yet characterized by a 3D anisotropic Fermi surface. However, it is predicted that the quasi-quantized 3D version of the 2D QHE should occur in a much broader class of bulk materials, regardless of the underlying crystal structure. Here, we compare the observation of quasi-quantized plateau-like features in the Hall conductivity of the n-type bulk semiconductor InAs with the predictions for the 3D QQHE in presence of parabolic electron bands. InAs takes form of a cubic crystal without any low-dimensional substructure. The onset of the plateau-like feature in the Hall conductivity scales with $$\sqrt{2/3}k_{\text {F}}^{z}/\pi$$

2
/
3

k

F

z

/
π

in units of the conductance quantum and is accompanied by a Shubnikov–de Haas minimum in the longitudinal resistivity, consistent wit the results of calculations. This confirms the suggestion that the 3D QQHE may be a generic effect directly observable in materials with small Fermi surfaces, placed in sufficiently strong magnetic fields.
Patents and intellectual property assets as non-fungible tokens; key technologies and challenges
Authors: Bamakan Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini , Nezhadsistani Nasim , Bodaghi Omid , Qu Qiang
Published: February 2022

With the explosive development of decentralized finance, we witness a phenomenal growth in tokenization of all kinds of assets, including equity, funds, debt, and real estate. By taking advantage of blockchain technology, digital assets are broadly grouped into fungible and non-fungible tokens (NFT). Here non-fungible tokens refer to those with unique and non-substitutable properties. NFT has widely attracted attention, and its protocols, standards, and applications are developing exponentially. It has been successfully applied to digital fantasy artwork, games, collectibles, etc. However, there is a lack of research in utilizing NFT in issues such as Intellectual Property. Applying for a patent and trademark is not only a time-consuming and lengthy process but also costly. NFT has considerable potential in the intellectual property domain. It can promote transparency and liquidity and open the market to innovators who aim to commercialize their inventions efficiently. The main objective of this paper is to examine the requirements of presenting intellectual property assets, specifically patents, as NFTs. Hence, we offer a layered conceptual NFT-based patent framework. Furthermore, a series of open challenges about NFT-based patents and the possible future directions are highlighted. The proposed framework provides fundamental elements and guidance for businesses in taking advantage of NFTs in real-world problems such as grant patents, funding, biotechnology, and so forth.
Dense, single-phase, hard, and stress-free Ti0.32Al0.63W0.05N films grown by magnetron sputtering with dramatically reduced energy consumption
Authors: Li X. , Bakhit B. , Johansson Jõesaar M. P. , Petrov I. , Hultman L. , Greczynski G.
Published: February 2022

The quest for lowering energy consumption during thin film growth, as by magnetron sputtering, becomes of particular importance in view of sustainable development goals. A recently proposed solution combining high power impulse and direct current magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS/DCMS) relies on the use of heavy metal-ion irradiation, instead of conventionally employed resistive heating, to provide sufficient adatom mobility, in order to obtain high-quality dense films. The major fraction of process energy is used at the sputtering sources rather than for heating the entire vacuum vessel. The present study aims to investigate the W+ densification effects as a function of increasing Al content in (Ti1-yAly)1-xWxN films covering the entire range up to the practical solubility limits (y ~ 0.67). Layers with high Al content are attractive to industrial applications as the high temperature oxidation resistance increases with increasing Al concentration. The challenge is, however, to avoid precipitation of the hexagonal wurtzite AlN phase, which is softer. We report here that (Ti1-yAly)1-xWxN layers with y = 0.66 and x = 0.05 grown by a combination of W-HiPIMS and TiAl-DCMS with the substrate bias Vs synchronized to the W+-rich fluxes (to provide mobility in the absence of substrate heating) possess single-phase NaCl-structure, as confirmed by XRD and SAED patterns. The evidence provided by XTEM images and the residual oxygen content obtained from ERDA analyses reveals that the alloy films are dense without discernable porosity. The nanoindentation hardness is comparable to that of TiAlN films grown at 400–500 °C, while the residual stresses are very low. We established that the adatom mobility due to the heavy ion W+ irradiation (in place of resistive heating) enables the growth of high-quality coatings at substrate temperatures not exceeding 130 °C provided that the W+ momentum transfer per deposited metal atom is sufficiently high. The benefit of this novel film growth approach is not only the reduction of the process energy consumption by 83%, but also the possibility to coat temperature-sensitive substrates.
Investigating physical and mechanical properties of nest soils used by mud dauber wasps from a geotechnical engineering perspective
Authors: Park Joon S. , Saleh Noura S. , Lin Hai , Alqrinawi Hussein , Lord Nathan P.
Published: February 2022

The quality of nest soils has significant effects on reproductive success in mud dauber species. This study investigated the physical and mechanical properties of the nest soils used by mud daubers from a geotechnical engineering perspective. One hundred thirty-one nests of black and yellow mud daubers were collected from five locations in the south of Louisiana. Moisture and organic contents, densities, void ratios, plasticity, grain size distributions, soil classifications, and penetration resistances of the nest soils were measured. Also, the performance of mud daubers’ nest-compaction method (i.e., repetitive tapping produced by the front legs and mandibles) was evaluated by comparing the densities and penetration resistances between mud dauber nests and Proctor compacted nest soil samples. Scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction were used to measure the morphology, elemental composition, and mineralogy of the nest soils. Mud dauber nests were made of hard and very stiff well-graded silty soils. The high strengths and high densities of mud dauber nests were attributed to repetitive tapping (similar to vibratory compaction in geotechnical engineering) used by mud daubers for nest construction, high capillary cohesion in the nest soils, well-graded soil grain size distribution, and clay minerals serving as cementing agents in the nest soils.
Pathological underestimation and biomarkers concordance rates in breast cancer patients diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ at preoperative biopsy
Authors: Zhou Hemei , Yu Jing , Wang Xiaodong , Shen Kunwei , Ye Jiandong , Chen Xiaosong
Published: February 2022

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) often upgrade to invasive breast cancer at surgery. The current study aimed to identify factors associated with pathological underestimation and evaluate concordance rates of biomarkers between biopsy and surgery. Patients diagnosed with DCIS at needle biopsy from 2009 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with pathological underestimation. Concordance rates between paired biopsy samples and surgical specimens were evaluated. A total of 735 patients with pure DCIS at biopsy were included, and 392 patients (53.3%) underwent pathological underestimation at surgery. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that tumor size > 5.0 cm [odds ratio (OR) 1.79], MRI BI-RADS ≥ 5 categories (OR 2.03), and high nuclear grade (OR 2.01) were significantly associated with pathological underestimation. Concordance rates of ER, PR, HER2 status and Ki-67 between biopsy and surgery were 89.6%, 91.9%, 94.8%, and 76.4% in lesions without pathological underestimation, and were 86.4%, 93.2%, 98.2% and 76.3% for in situ components in lesions with pathological underestimation. Meanwhile, in situ components and invasive components at surgery had concordance rates of 92.9%, 93.8%, 97.4%, and 86.5% for those biomarkers, respectively. In conclusion, lesions diagnosed as DCIS at biopsy have a high rate of pathological underestimation, which was associated with larger tumor size, higher MRI BI-RADS category, and higher nuclear grade. High concordances were found in terms of ER, PR, and HER2 status evaluation between biopsy and surgery, regardless of the pathological underestimation.
A framework to predict the applicability of Oncotype DX, MammaPrint, and E2F4 gene signatures for improving breast cancer prognostic prediction
Authors: Yao Kevin , Tong Chun-Yip , Cheng Chao
Published: February 2022

To improve cancer precision medicine, prognostic and predictive biomarkers are critically needed to aid physicians in deciding treatment strategies in a personalized fashion. Due to the heterogeneous nature of cancer, most biomarkers are expected to be valid only in a subset of patients. Furthermore, there is no current approach to determine the applicability of biomarkers. In this study, we propose a framework to improve the clinical application of biomarkers. As part of this framework, we develop a clinical outcome prediction model (CPM) and a predictability prediction model (PPM) for each biomarker and use these models to calculate a prognostic score (P-score) and a confidence score (C-score) for each patient. Each biomarker’s P-score indicates its association with patient clinical outcomes, while each C-score reflects the biomarker applicability of the biomarker’s CPM to a patient and therefore the confidence of the clinical prediction. We assessed the effectiveness of this framework by applying it to three biomarkers, Oncotype DX, MammaPrint, and an E2F4 signature, which have been used for predicting patient response, pathologic complete response versus residual disease to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (a classification problem), and recurrence-free survival (a Cox regression problem) in breast cancer, respectively. In both applications, our analyses indicated patients with higher C scores were more likely to be correctly predicted by the biomarkers, indicating the effectiveness of our framework. This framework provides a useful approach to develop and apply biomarkers in the context of cancer precision medicine.
A discrete relativistic spacetime formalism for 1 + 1-QED with continuum limits
Authors: Sellapillay Kevissen , Arrighi Pablo , Di Molfetta Giuseppe
Published: February 2022

We build a quantum cellular automaton (QCA) which coincides with $$1+1$$

1
+
1

QED on its known continuum limits. It consists in a circuit of unitary gates driving the evolution of particles on a one dimensional lattice, and having them interact with the gauge field on the links. The particles are massive fermions, and the evolution is exactly U(1) gauge-invariant. We show that, in the continuous-time discrete-space limit, the QCA converges to the Kogut–Susskind staggered version of $$1+1$$

1
+
1

QED. We also show that, in the continuous spacetime limit and in the free one particle sector, it converges to the Dirac equation—a strong indication that the model remains accurate in the relativistic regime.
Mesoscopic structural damage and permeability evolution of Shale subjected to freeze–thaw treatment
Authors: Wang Jun-Guang , Xuan Zhang-Qing , Jin Qiao , Sun Wei-Ji , Liang Bing , Yu Qing-Rong
Published: February 2022

To study the mesoscopic damage and permeability evolution characteristics of rock under freeze–thaw (F–T) cycles, freeze–thaw cycle experiments were carried out of shale under different F–T temperatures and numbers of cycles, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and permeability experiments of shale were conducted thereafter. On the basis of these experiments, the pores and permeability of the F–T shale were analyzed, and the existing permeability model is modified and improved; Therefore, the mesoscopic damage evolution characteristics and permeability evolution law of the F–T shale are obtained. It was found that with increasing number of cycles, the pore structure of the rock samples changed as the pore size expanded and the number of pores increased, and the average porosity also increased correspondingly. The influence of the F–T cycle temperature on the shale permeability was not as notable as that of the number of F–T cycles. Based on the SDR-REV permeability model, the spectral area ratio parameters of large pores and fractures in theT2spectrum were considered for correction, and a direct relationship between the permeability, F–T temperature and number of cycles was obtained via regression analysis. Compared to the experimental results, it was found that the modified model achieved a good applicability. The damage and permeability characteristics of shale under different F–T conditions were analysed from a microscopic perspective, which could yield an important reference for engineering construction in frozen soil areas.
Fine microstructure formation in steel under ultrafast heating and cooling
Authors: Yonemura Mitsuharu , Nishibata Hitomi , Fujimura Rina , Ooura Natsumi , Hata Kengo , Fujiwara Kazuki , Kawano Kaori , Yamaguchi Itsuki , Terai Tomoyuki , Inubushi Yuichi , Inoue Ichiro , Yabuuchi Toshinori , Tono Kensuke , Yabashi Makina
Published: February 2022

This study evaluates phase transformation kinetics under ultrafast cooling using femtosecond X-ray diffraction for the operand measurements of the dislocation densities in Fe–0.1 mass% C–2.0 mass% Mn martensitic steel. To identify the phase transformation mechanism from austenite (γ) to martensite (α′), we used an X-ray free-electron laser and ultrafast heating and cooling techniques. A maximum cooling rate of 4.0 × 103 °C s–1 was achieved using a gas spraying technique, which is applied immediately after ultrafast heating of the sample to 1200 °C at a rate of 1.2 × 104 °C s–1. The cooling rate was sufficient to avoid bainitic transformation, and the transformation during ultrafast cooling was successfully observed. Our results showed that the cooling rate affected the dislocation density of the γ phase at high temperatures, resulting in the formation of a retained γ owing to ultrafast cooling. It was discovered that Fe–0.1 mass% C–2.0 mass% Mn martensitic steels may be in an intermediate phase during the phase transformation from face-centered-cubic γ to body-centered-cubic α′ during ultrafast cooling and that lattice softening occurred in carbon steel immediately above the martensitic-transformation starting temperature. These findings will be beneficial in the study, development, and industrial utilization of functional steels.
Compound changes in temperature and snow depth lead to asymmetric and nonlinear responses in landscape freeze–thaw
Authors: Hatami Shadi , Nazemi Ali
Published: February 2022

Cycles of freeze–thaw (FT) are among the key landscape processes in cold regions. Under current global warming, understanding the alterations in FT characteristics is of a great importance for advising land management strategies in northern latitudes. Using a generic statistical approach, we address the impacts of compound changes in air temperature and snow depth on FT responses across Québec, a Canadian province ~ 2.5 times larger than France. Our findings show significant and complex responses of landscape FT to compound changes in temperature and snow depth. We note a vivid spatial divide between northern and southern regions and point to the asymmetric and nonlinear nature of the FT response. In general, the response of FT characteristics is amplified under compound warming compared to cooling conditions. In addition, FT responses include nonlinearity, meaning that compounding changes in temperature and snow depth have more severe impacts compared to the cumulative response of each individually. These asymmetric and nonlinear responses have important implications for the future environment and socio-economic management in a thawing Québec and highlight the complexity of landscape responses to climatic changes in cold regions.
Fungicidal properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale) essential oils against Phytophthora colocasiae
Authors: Kalhoro Muhammad Talib , Zhang Hong , Kalhoro Ghulam Mujtaba , Wang Fukai , Chen Tianhong , Faqir Yahya , Nabi Farhan
Published: February 2022

Recently, plant essential oils (EOs) have attracted special attention in plant disease control and food preservation. Since ancient times, essential oils extracted from plants have exhibited many biological characteristics, especially antimicrobial properties. Recent studies have described the potentials of EOs and derivatives to inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, mainly in response of overwhelming concerns of consumers about food safety. In the context of returning to nature, with the advancement of science and technology and improved living standards, people have begun to seek solutions for food hygiene without chemical additives. Therefore, biological pesticides and plant-oriented chemicals have received special attention from scientists because they are environmentally friendly and nonhazardous, sustainable, and effective alternatives against many noxious phytopathogens. Present study is intended to appraise the fungicidal properties of ginger EOs to combat leaf blight disease of taro, which threatens global taro production. Farmers often hinge on extremely toxic synthetic fungicides to manage diseases, but the residual effects and resistance of chemicals are unavoidable. The microwave-assisted hydrodistillation method was used for ginger EOs extraction and an FTIR (ATR) spectrometer was used to evaluate their chemical composition and citral was identified as most abundant compound (89.05%) in oil. The pathogen isolated from lesions of diseased taro plants was identified as Phytophthora colocasiae and used as test fungus in the present study. Ginger EO was evaluated in-vitro for antifungal properties against mycelium growth, sporangium production, zoospore germination, leaf, and corm necrosis inhibition. Repeated experiments have shown that the concentration of ginger essential oil (1250 ppm) proved to be the lowest dose to obtain 100% inhibition of fungal growth and spore germination, sporangia formation and leaf necrosis assessment. These results are derived from this fungal species and a hypothesis that involves further research on other plant pathogens to demonstrate the overall potency of essential oils. This study references the easy, economic, and environmental management and control of plant diseases using essential oils and byproducts.
Evaluation of S100A12 and Apo-A1 plasma level potency in untreated new relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis patients and their family members
Authors: Samangooei Mahsa , Farjam Mojtaba , Etemadifar Masoud , Taheri Atefeh , Meshkibaf Mohammad Hassan , Movahedi Bahram , Niknam Zahra , Noroozi Saam
Published: February 2022

Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the spinal cord and brain. Receptor for advanced glycation end products and Apolipoprotein A1 (Apo-AI) have been recommended to have a pathogenic role in the neuroinflammatory disorder as multiple sclerosis. The purpose of this research was to measure the plasma levels of S100A12 and Apo-A1 in the first-degree family of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients. Plasma levels of S100A12 & Apo-A1 were evaluated via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the thirty-five new cases of untreated patients with deterministic RRMS according to the McDonald criteria, twenty-four healthy controls, and twenty-six first-degree members of untreated RRMS patients (called them as high-risk group). The main findings of this study were as follows: the plasma level of S100A12 was significantly lower in the new cases of untreated RRMS (P ≤ 0.05; 0.045) and high-risk (P ≤ 0.05; 0.001) groups. Although the plasma protein level of Apo-A1 was reduced significantly in the high-risk group (P < 0.05, P = 0.003) as compared to the healthy control group, there was no significant difference in the untreated RRMS patients (P = 0.379). The plasma level of vitamin D3 in both RRMS patients and high-risk groups displayed significance reduction, although, there was no significant association between vitamin D and S100A12 & Apo-A1 levels. Given the role of S100A12 and Apo-A1 in the inflammatory process performed in the first-degree family members of the RRMS patients, which revealed a significant decrease in this group, we concluded that they can be considered as one of the contributing factors in the pathogenesis of MS, though more research is needed before assuming them as predictive biomarkers.