bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Free‐breathing 3D cardiac T1mapping with transmit B1correction at 3T
Authors: Han Paul Kyu , Marin Thibault , Djebra Yanis , Landes Vanessa , Zhuo Yue , El Fakhri Georges , Ma Chao
Published: November 2021

Purpose

To develop a cardiac T1mapping method for free‐breathing 3D T1mapping of the whole heart at 3 T with transmit B1() correction.

Methods

A free‐breathing, electrocardiogram‐gated inversion‐recovery sequence with spoiled gradient‐echo readout was developed and optimized for cardiac T1mapping at 3 T. High‐frame‐rate dynamic images were reconstructed from sparse (k,t)‐space data acquired along a stack‐of‐stars trajectory using a subspace‐based method for accelerated imaging. Joint T1and flip‐angle estimation was performed in T1mapping to improve its robustness toinhomogeneity. Subject‐specific timing of data acquisition was used in the estimation to account for natural heart‐rate variations during the imaging experiment.

Results

Simulations showed that accuracy and precision of T1mapping can be improved with joint T1and flip‐angle estimation and optimized electrocardiogram‐gated spoiled gradient echo–based inversion‐recovery acquisition scheme. The phantom study showed good agreement between the T1maps from the proposed method and the reference method. Three‐dimensional cardiac T1maps (40 slices) were obtained at a 1.9‐mm in‐plane and 4.5‐mm through‐plane spatial resolution from healthy subjects (n = 6) with an average imaging time of 14.2 ± 1.6 minutes (heartbeat rate: 64.2 ± 7.1 bpm), showing myocardial T1values comparable to those obtained from modified Look‐Locker inversion recovery. The proposed method generatedmaps with spatially smooth variation showing 21%–32% and 11%–15% variations across the septal–lateral and inferior–anterior regions of the myocardium in the left ventricle.

Conclusion

The proposed method allows free‐breathing 3D T1mapping of the whole heart with transmit B1correction in a practical imaging time.
Beam elements with frictional contact in the material point method
Authors: Kang Jingu , Homel Michael A. , Herbold Eric B.
Published: November 2021

This article presents a novel approach to modeling beam elements that accommodate large displacements/rotations in the context of the material point method (MPM). The MPM is a hybrid Lagrangian/Eulerian approach for solving solid mechanics problems involving extremely large deformations and rotations. A solid body is discretized into a set of Lagrangian material points, called particles in the MPM. The equations of motion are solved on a fixed Eulerian background grid. The beam particle developed herein consists of two end nodes, each possessing three translational and three rotational degrees of freedom (DOF) in 3D. The end nodes are tracked and define the evolving beam particle domain. As in the conventional MPM, the linear momentum is conserved on the background grid, but here we also use this grid to enforce C1 continuity between beam particles by mapping angular velocities and accelerations for the beam rotational DOF to/from the background grid. The contact interactions between the beam particles are treated using multiple velocity fields on the background grid. Spatial nodes representing the spatial extent of the beam particle are introduced, which allows for collision detection and associated frictional contact. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through a series of numerical examples. Beam structures subjected to large displacements and rotations are compared with analytical/numerical solutions, in which good agreement is obtained.
Catalytic effects over formation of functional thermoplastic elastomers for rocket propellants
Authors: Lucio Beatriz , de la Fuente José Luis
Published: November 2021

Rheometry was the main method to characterize the curing process of binders made of functional polyurethanes (PUs). The macroglycols characterization by means of additional techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance, size exclusion chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry, provided further information for the chemorheological description. Materials were based on Butacene ((ferrocenylbutyl)dimethylsilane grafted to hydroxyl‐terminated polybutadiene (HTPB)), used in the solid propulsion field. First, the flow parameters for the uncured reactive mixtures of Butacene and four different diisocyanates were analyzed via viscometry and these were markedly influenced by the chemical structure of the curing agents. Analyzing the rheokinetic constant values of the pre‐gel stage for Butacene‐ and HTPB‐reactive systems, relevant catalysis caused by the ferrocene moiety was detected when aliphatic reactants were used, such as isophorone diisocyanate or 1,6‐hexamethylene diisocyanate (IPDI and HMDI, respectively). No catalytic effect was found for 2,4‐toluene diisocyanate (2,4‐TDI) or even for 4,4′‐methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (4,4′‐MDI). Finally, the use of dynamic rheology was useful to evaluate the critical points during gelation process, where the reactivity of curing agents was associated with the achievement of elastic properties. Both techniques agreed the reactivity order of curing agents with Butacene, which is 4,4′‐MDI > HMDI > > 2,4‐TDI ≥ IPDI. The knowledge of the structure–reactivity relationship and, moreover, the kinetics of the urethane network formation for these metallo‐PUs is paramount in manufacturing processes for advanced thermoplastic elastomer applications.
Investigation of the Thermal Field on Solid Propellant Grain with Cracks by Moving Particle Semi‐Implicit Method
Authors: Wang Bo , Wang Jianqiang , Zhang Xiaobing
Published: November 2021

Under extreme operating conditions in gun barrel like high pressure and high temperature, fracture or cracks may propagate on solid propellant grains and become a threat to firing safety. The existence and the propagation of cracks will affect the combustion efficiency of solid propellant, and the thermal field of grain with cracks needs to be simulated. In this paper, we applied one of the Particle Methods, Moving Particle Semi‐implicit Method, to the investigation of the thermal field on solid propellant grain with cracks. An improved MPS operator is first introduced and the treatment on crack boundary including Robin boundary condition is also presented. The application of particle method to heat conduction is verified by the simulation of a seven‐perforated propellant grain under fixed temperature. Then, with different properties of cracks like the length, the number and the boundary conditions, the thermal field distribution of propellant grain and heat transfer efficiency are compared and analyzed.
All‐Dielectric Fabry–Pérot Cavity Design for Spectrally Selective Mid‐Infrared Absorption
Authors: Akin Buket , Linford Matthew R. , Ahmadivand Arash , Altindal Semsettin
Published: November 2021

All‐dielectric metamaterials that exhibit broadband absorption of infrared (IR) radiation are promising platforms for the development of modern and applied nanophotonic technologies ranging from precise biosensing to high‐resolution imaging and high photon‐yield light detection. Herein, bulk meta‐absorbers comprising dielectric layers to provide broadband absorption of mid‐IR light are structured and studied. Through computational investigations and experimental assessments, the geometric parameters of the metastructure are judiciously selected and the peak of absorption is tuned to encompass the mid‐wave IR (MWIR) to long‐wave IR (LWIR) wavelengths, where absorbance of over ≈95% is achieved in the conducted analyses. These results are obtained using numerical optimization to achieve the highest absorption peak values. Thus, based on the mechanistic understanding of the conducted study, the reported percentage is the highest possible absorption efficiency obtained by the absorber metastructure. Importantly, the projected meta‐absorber is polarization insensitive and performs consistently over a wide range of incidence angles. The engineered multilayer architecture based on artificial media provides new possibilities for the broadband manipulation and control of the IR light.
An updated review on the potential antineoplastic actions of oleuropein
Authors: Zheng Yudong , Liu Zhenzhen , Yang Xiulan , Liu Lian , Ahn Kwang Seok
Published: November 2021

Oleuropein is an ester of elenolic acid and hydroxytyrosol (3, 4‐dihydroxyphenylethanol). It is a phenolic compound and the most luxuriant in olives. The detailed information related to the anticancer effects of oleuropein was collected from the internet database PubMed/Medline, ResearchGate, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library, and Cnki using appropriate keywords until the end of October 2021. Oleuropein has been shown to have antioxidant, anticancer, antiinflammatory, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective effects. Previous studies also revealed that oleuropein could effectively inhibit the malignant progression of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and cervical cancer. Recently, the role of oleuropein in inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and migration and inducing tumor cell apoptosis has gained extensive attention. In this review, we have summarized the latest research progress related to the antioncogenic mechanisms and the potential role of oleuropein in targeting different human malignancies. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that oleuropein can function as a promising chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent against cancer, but its more detailed anticancer effects and underlying mechanisms need to be further validated in future preclinical as well as clinical studies.
Postsynthetic Modification of Mixed‐Ligand Metal‐Organic Gels for Adsorbing Nonpolar Organic Solvents
Authors: Xu Meng‐Ying , Wang Tian‐Xiong
Published: November 2021

Metal‐organic gels (MOGs) with different central metals, Al‐ATA were synthesized by using 3‐[4‐(2,4‐dioxopentan‐3‐yl) phenyl]pentane‐2,4‐dione (PDA) and 2‐aminoterephthalic acid (H2ATA) as co‐ligands. Through the post‐synthetic modification (PSM) of perfluorooctanoyl chloride, Al‐ATA‐F with hydrophobic functional groups on both the pore and surface were obtained. It was characterized by NMR that the content of ATA in the modified gel was almost 33 times that of PDA, and the amidation substituent ratio was about 20 %. The Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) specific surface area of the modified materials increases significantly, because many microporous are formed. Al‐ATA‐F is superhydrophobic despite its poor amidation yield. The hydrophobicity helps it having good adsorption effect on oil solvent.
Pd(II)‐Catalyzed Chelation‐Induced C(sp2)‐H Acylation of (Hetero)Arenes Using Toluenes as Aroyl Surrogate
Authors: Joshi Asha , Iqbal Zafar , Jat Jawahar L. , De Saroj R.
Published: November 2021

In the last few years, transition‐metal‐catalyzed chelation‐controlled ortho‐acylation utilizing methyl arene as the acyl partner has emerged as a powerful technique to achieve diverse complexity with diaryl ketone skeleton contrast to the traditional cross‐coupling/Friedel‐Craft reaction. Diaryl ketones are a significant building block that exists in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, natural products, functional materials, and many other useful compounds. In this context, the up‐to‐date developments in Pd(II)‐catalyzed ortho‐acylations of arenes and heteroarenes with toluenes as acyl surrogate are studied with advantages, limitations, mechanistic pathways, and prospective.
Design and Synthesis of Triphenylamine Based Cyano Stilbenes for Picric Acid Sensing and Two Photon Absorption Applications
Authors: Shabashini Arivalagan , Ramar Venkadeshkumar , Karthikeyan Balasubramanian , Panda Manas K , Nandi Ganesh Chandra
Published: November 2021

Three cyanostilbene derivatives bearing a triphenylamine donor and cyano receptor are synthesized and characterized. The molecules exhibited characteristics solvatochromism. The bromo‐derivatives able to sense the explosive picric acid selectively with an excellent naked eye detection limit of 1×10−11 M. Furthermore, the bromo‐derivative showed brilliant non‐linear optical properties.
Surface‐Activated Ti3C2TxMXene Cocatalyst Assembled with CdZnS‐Formed 0D/2D CdZnS/Ti3C2‐A40Schottky Heterojunction for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Zhong Tao , Yu Zebin , Jiang Ronghua , Hou Yanping , Chen Huajiao , Ding Ling , Lian Cuifang , Zou Binsuo
Published: November 2021

2D MXene‐based catalysts, such as Ti3C2Txhave unique, excellent properties and show extraordinary advantages in many catalytic reactions. However, as cocatalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), MXene has insufficient catalytic activity because the active metal sites of H+binding are hidden by passivation −F/−O termination, which hinders postreaction desorption of H2. A simple ultrasonic treatment method is used to expose more active sites and adjust the surface work function of Ti3C2Tx, and additionally inactive −F/−O terminal groups are replaced with diaminoethanethiol, denoted as Ti3C2‐Ax, as the surface terminal group through covalent bonds (Ti−S). The optimized photocatalyst (Cd0.4Zn0.6S/Ti3C2‐A40) demonstrates excellent catalytic activity (HER: 13.44 mmol h−1 g−1), which is about 5.8 and 1.9 times higher than that of pristine Cd0.4Zn0.6S and Cd0.4Zn0.6S/Ti3C2with stability (24 h of cycle experiments), outperforming most of the reported MXene‐based photocatalysts. The results of relevant experiments and density functional theory calculations reveal that the excellent conductivity of Ti3C2‐A40, well‐structured Cd0.4Zn0.6S/Ti3C2‐A40Schottky junction, and the efficient interfacial charge transfer are major factors that contribute to the improved photocatalytic mechanism. This promotes application of surface‐modified MXene as an efficient cocatalyst and provides a new idea for design and synthesis of heterojunction materials.
The Development of Vaccines from Synthetic Tumor‐Associated Mucin Glycopeptides and their Glycosylation‐Dependent Immune Response
Authors: Stergiou Natascha , Urschbach Moritz , Gabba Adele , Schmitt Edgar , Kunz Horst , Besenius Pol
Published: November 2021

Tumor‐associated carbohydrate antigens are overexpressed as altered‐self in most common epithelial cancers. Their glycosylation patterns differ from those of healthy cells, functioning as an ID for cancer cells. Scientists have been developing anti‐cancer vaccines based on mucin glycopeptides, yet the interplay of delivery system, adjuvant and tumor associated MUC epitopes in the induced immune response is not well understood. The current state of the art suggests that the identity, abundancy and location of the glycans on the MUC backbone are all key parameters in the cellular and humoral response. This review shares lessons learned by us in over two decades of research in glycopeptide vaccines. By bridging synthetic chemistry and immunology, we discuss efforts in designing synthetic MUC1/4/16 vaccines and focus on the role of glycosylation patterns. We provide a brief introduction into the mechanisms of the immune system and aim to promote the development of cancer subunit vaccines.
Changing Attitudes to Housing and Residential Location in Cities: The Cultural Clash and the Greyfield Solution
Authors: Newton Peter W. , Newman Peter W. G. , Glackin Stephen , Thomson Giles
Published: November 2021

This chapter explores changes in attitudes and preferences—in other words, the underlying demand—for different types and locations of housing in Australia’s largest cities. Until recently, housing preferences have strongly favoured detached housing and low-density urban settings. This is now changing. This section reports on data from a major household survey that examined the attitudes of resident property owners in the middle suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne to neighbourhood change and medium-density housing development. It examines household preferences and trade-offs related to different ‘living arrangements’ (dwelling and location combinations) and attitudes to lot amalgamation and bottom-up redevelopment between neighbours. The survey identified clear shifts in ‘living arrangement’ priorities in the major capital cities that now reveal equivalent preferences for medium-density housing in established areas with good public transport versus detached housing in car-dependent suburbs.

It highlights the lag in supply-side response by the property-development and building industries, as well as the missed steps by metropolitan and municipal governments in strategic planning and rezoning of established suburban greyfield precincts to accommodate medium-density housing at scale: in essence, GPR.
A cooperative mobile robot and manipulator system (Co-MRMS) for transport and lay-up of fibre plies in modern composite material manufacture
Authors: Yang Manman , Yu Leijian , Wong Cuebong , Mineo Carmelo , Yang Erfu , Bomphray Iain , Huang Ruoyu
Published: November 2021

Composite materials are widely used in industry due to their light weight and specific performance. Currently, composite manufacturing mainly relies on manual labour and individual skills, especially in transport and lay-up processes, which are time consuming and prone to errors. As part of a preliminary investigation into the feasibility of deploying autonomous robotics for composite manufacturing, this paper presents a case study that investigates a cooperative mobile robot and manipulator system (Co-MRMS) for material transport and composite lay-up, which mainly comprises a mobile robot, a fixed-base manipulator and a machine vision sub-system. In the proposed system, marker-based and Fourier transform-based machine vision approaches are used to achieve high accuracy capability in localisation and fibre orientation detection respectively. Moreover, a particle-based approach is adopted to model material deformation during manipulation within robotic simulations. As a case study, a vacuum suction-based end-effector model is developed to deal with sagging effects and to quickly evaluate different gripper designs, comprising of an array of multiple suction cups. Comprehensive simulations and physical experiments, conducted with a 6-DOF serial manipulator and a two-wheeled differential drive mobile robot, demonstrate the efficient interaction and high performance of the Co-MRMS for autonomous material transportation, material localisation, fibre orientation detection and grasping of deformable material. Additionally, the experimental results verify that the presented machine vision approach achieves high accuracy in localisation (the root mean square error is 4.04 mm) and fibre orientation detection (the root mean square error is 1.84∘) and enables dealing with uncertainties such as the shape and size of fibre plies.
Sexual selection of conspicuous consumption
Authors: Koliofotis Vaios
Published: November 2021

Recently, a number of papers draw upon ideas from sexual selection and costly signaling theory to argue that conspicuous consumption has evolved as a sexually selected mating strategy. I outline what are considered to be the criteria for arguing that a trait is the outcome of sexual selection and I explore whether conspicuous consumption is sexual adaptation. Though I share the insight that evolutionary theory can contribute to our understanding of consumption behavior, I argue that existing evolutionary explanations of conspicuous consumption do not examine human evolved psychology and available evidence about past environments. I further argue that cultural evolution theory provides an alternative explanation of conspicuous consumption in modern environments. In particular, conspicuous consumption is understood as a pattern of behavior marked by specific social learning mechanisms. Such an approach reflects the analytical tools of cultural evolution theory and provides a classification of cognitive factors involved in consumption choices.
Comparative anatomy of dissected optic lobes, optic ventricles, midbrain tectum, collicular ventricles, and aqueduct: evolutionary modifications as potential explanation for non-tumoral aqueductal anomalies in humans
Authors: Kier E. Leon , Kalra Vivek B. , Conlogue Gerald J. , Filippi Cristopher G. , Saluja Sanjay
Published: November 2021

Purpose

An extensive literature has postulated multiple etiologies for aqueductal stenosis. No publications were found, discussing that evolutionary modifications might explain aqueductal anomalies. This study’s objectives were to review the evolutionary modifications of vertebrates’ tectum structures that might explain human aqueduct anomalies. Undertaking vertebrate comparative study is currently not feasible in view of limitations in obtaining vertebrate material. Thus, vertebrate material collected, injected, dissected, and radiographed in the early 1970s was analyzed, focusing on the aqueduct and components of the midbrain tectum.

Methods

Photographs of brain dissections and radiographs of the cerebral ventricles and arteries of adult shark, frog, iguana, rabbit, cat, dog, and primate specimens, containing a barium-gelatin radiopaque compound, were analyzed focusing on the aqueduct, the optic ventricles, the quadrigeminal plate, and collicular ventricles. The anatomic information provided by the dissections and radiographs is not reproducible by any other radiopaque contrast currently available.

Results

Dissected and radiographed cerebral ventricular and arterial systems of the vertebrates demonstrated midbrain tectum changes, including relative size modifications of the mammalian components of the tectum, simultaneously with the enlargement of the occipital lobe. There is a transformation of pre-mammalian optic ventricles to what appear to be collicular ventricles in mammals, as the aqueduct and collicular ventricle form a continuous cavity.

Conclusions

The mammalian tectum undergoes an evolutionary cephalization process consisting of relative size changes of the midbrain tectum structures. This is associated with enlargement of the occipital lobe, as part of overall neocortical expansion. Potentially, aqueductal anomalies could be explained by evolutionary modifications.
Imaging functional neuroplasticity in human white matter tracts
Authors: Frizzell Tory O. , Phull Elisha , Khan Mishaa , Song Xiaowei , Grajauskas Lukas A. , Gawryluk Jodie , D’Arcy Ryan C. N.
Published: November 2021

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies are sensitive to biological mechanisms of neuroplasticity in white matter (WM). In particular, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been used to investigate structural changes. Historically, functional MRI (fMRI) neuroplasticity studies have been restricted to gray matter, as fMRI studies have only recently expanded to WM. The current study evaluated WM neuroplasticity pre–post motor training in healthy adults, focusing on motor learning in the non-dominant hand. Neuroplasticity changes were evaluated in two established WM regions-of-interest: the internal capsule and the corpus callosum. Behavioral improvements following training were greater for the non-dominant hand, which corresponded with MRI-based neuroplasticity changes in the internal capsule for DTI fractional anisotropy, fMRI hemodynamic response functions, and low-frequency oscillations (LFOs). In the corpus callosum, MRI-based neuroplasticity changes were detected in LFOs, DTI, and functional correlation tensors (FCT). Taken together, the LFO results converged as significant amplitude reductions, implicating a common underlying mechanism of optimized transmission through altered myelination. The structural and functional neuroplasticity findings open new avenues for direct WM investigations into mapping connectomes and advancing MRI clinical applications.
Investigating mechanisms of cognitive control training: neural signatures of PASAT performance in depressed patients
Authors: Sommer Anja , Fallgatter Andreas J. , Plewnia Christian
Published: November 2021

Major depression disorder (MDD) is characterized by cognitive control (CC) dysfunctions associated with increased attention toward negative information. The paced auditory serial addition task (PASAT) has been used as a targeted training of CC and studies show promising effects on depressive symptoms. However, neural mechanisms underlying its efficacy are still unclear. Based on previous findings of feedback-locked event-related potentials in healthy subjects, we investigated neural signatures during PASAT performance in 46 depressed patients. We found significantly larger amplitudes after negative than positive feedback for the P300 and late positive potential (LPP). However, this difference was not significant for the feedback-related negativity (FRN). Moreover, no associations of valence-specific ERPs and PASAT performance nor depressive symptoms were found. This indicates that depressed patients seem unable to use neural activation in late feedback processing stages (P300, LPP) to adapt accordingly. Moreover, lack of valence-specific neural reaction in early feedback processing stages (FRN) might point toward emotional indifference in depressed patients.

Trial registration number: NCT03518749 Date of registration: May 8, 2018.
Comparison of chronic widespread pain prevalence with different criteria in two cohorts of rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Aronsson M. , Bergman S. , Lindqvist E. , Andersson M. L. E.
Published: November 2021

Objective

This study aims to investigate chronic widespread pain with the 1990 (CWP1990) and 2019 (CWP2019) definitions 6 years after the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in one patient cohort with tight controls and one conventional cohort, and factors associated with reporting CWP1990 and CWP2019, respectively.

Methods

A cohort of 80 RA patients with monthly visits to the physician the first 6 months was compared to a cohort of 101 patients from the same clinic with conventional follow-up. Both cohorts had early RA (< 13 months). The prevalence of CWP1990 and the more stringent CWP2019 were in a 6-year follow-up investigated with a questionnaire, including a pain mannequin and a fear-avoidance beliefs questionnaire.

Results

In the tight control cohort, 10% reported CWP2019 after 6 years compared to 23% in the conventional cohort (p = 0.026). There was no difference when using the CWP1990 definition (27% vs 31%, p = 0.546). When adjusted for important baseline data, the odds ratio for having CWP2019 was 2.57 (95% CI 1.02–6.50), in the conventional group compared to the tight control group (p = 0.046). A high level of fear-avoidance behaviour towards physical activity was associated with CWP2019, OR 10.66 (95% CI 1.01–112.14), but not with CWP1990 in the tight control cohort.

Conclusion

A more stringent definition of CWP identifies patients with a more serious pain condition, which potentially could be prevented by an initial tight control management. Besides tight control, caregivers should pay attention to fear-avoidance behaviour and tailor treatment.

Key Points

• CWP2019 is a more stringent definition of chronic widespread pain and identifies patients with a more serious pain condition.

• Patients with a serious pain condition could be helped by frequent follow-ups.

• This study suggests that a special attention of fear-avoidance behaviour towards physical activity in patients with RA is needed.
Video Compression for Screen Recorded Sequences Following Eye Movements
Authors: Serrano-Carrasco Diego Jesus , Diaz-Honrubia Antonio Jesus , Cuenca Pedro
Published: November 2021

With the advent of smartphones and tablets, video traffic on the Internet has increased enormously. With this in mind, in 2013 the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard was released with the aim of reducing the bit rate (at the same quality) by 50% with respect to its predecessor. However, new contents with greater resolutions and requirements appear every day, making it necessary to further reduce the bit rate. Perceptual video coding has recently been recognized as a promising approach to achieving high-performance video compression and eye tracking data can be used to create and verify these models. In this paper, we present a new algorithm for the bit rate reduction of screen recorded sequences based on the visual perception of videos. An eye tracking system is used during the recording to locate the fixation point of the viewer. Then, the area around that point is encoded with the base quantization parameter (QP) value, which increases when moving away from it. The results show that up to 31.3% of the bit rate may be saved when compared with the original HEVC-encoded sequence, without a significant impact on the perceived quality.
Extracerebral microvascular dysfunction is related to brain MRI markers of cerebral small vessel disease: The Maastricht Study
Authors: van Dinther Maud , Schram Miranda T. , Jansen Jacobus F. A. , Backes Walter H. , Houben Alfons J. H. M. , Berendschot Tos T. J. M. , Schalkwijk Casper G. , Stehouwer Coen D. A. , van Oostenbrugge Robert J. , Staals Julie
Published: November 2021

Background

Cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) is a late consequence of cerebral microvascular dysfunction (MVD). MVD is hard to measure in the brain due to its limited accessibility. Extracerebral MVD (eMVD) measures can give insights in the etiology of cerebral MVD, as MVD may be a systemic process. We aim to investigate whether a compound score consisting of several eMVD measures is associated with structural cSVD MRI markers.

Methods

Cross-sectional data of the population-based Maastricht Study was used (n = 1872, mean age 59 ± 8 years, 49% women). Measures of eMVD included flicker light-induced retinal arteriolar and venular dilation response (retina), albuminuria and glomerular filtration rate (kidney), heat-induced skin hyperemia (skin), and plasma biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction (sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, sE-selectin, and von Willebrand factor). These measures were standardized into z scores and summarized into a compound score. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between the compound score and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, and the presence of lacunes and microbleeds, as measured by brain MRI.

Results

The eMVD compound score was associated with WMH volume independent of age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors (St β 0.057 [95% CI 0.010–0.081], p value 0.01), but not with the presence of lacunes (OR 1.011 [95% CI 0.803–1.273], p value 0.92) or microbleeds (OR 1.055 [95% CI 0.896–1.242], p value 0.52).

Conclusion

A compound score of eMVD is associated with WMH volume. Further research is needed to expand the knowledge about the role of systemic MVD in the pathophysiology of cSVD.
Robot swarm democracy: the importance of informed individuals against zealots
Authors: Masi Giulia De , Prasetyo Judhi , Zakir Raina , Mankovskii Nikita , Ferrante Eliseo , Tuci Elio
Published: November 2021

In this paper we study a generalized case of best-of-n model, which considers three kind of agents: zealots, individuals who remain stubborn and do not change their opinion; informed agents, individuals that can change their opinion, are able to assess the quality of the different options; and uninformed agents, individuals that can change their opinion but are not able to assess the quality of the different opinions. We study the consensus in different regimes: we vary the quality of the options, the percentage of zealots and the percentage of informed versus uninformed agents. We also consider two decision mechanisms: the voter and majority rule. We study this problem using numerical simulations and mathematical models, and we validate our findings on physical kilobot experiments. We find that (1) if the number of zealots for the lowest quality option is not too high, the decision-making process is driven toward the highest quality option; (2) this effect can be improved increasing the number of informed agents that can counteract the effect of adverse zealots; (3) when the two options have very similar qualities, in order to keep high consensus to the best quality it is necessary to have higher proportions of informed agents.
Investigation of Bath/Freeze Lining Interface Temperature Based on the Rheology of the Slag
Authors: Nagraj Samant , Chintinne Mathias , Guo Muxing , Blanpain Bart
Published: November 2021

Freeze lining is a solidified layer of slag formed on the inner side of a water-cooled pyrometallurgical reactor, which protects the reactor walls from thermal, physical, and chemical attacks. Because of the freeze lining's high thermal resistance, the reactor heat losses strongly depend on the freeze lining thickness. In a batch process such as slag fuming, the conditions change with time, affecting the freeze lining thickness. Determining the freeze lining thickness is challenging as it cannot be measured directly. In this study, a conceptual framework based on the morphology and microstructure of freeze lining and the rheology of the slag is discussed and experimentally evaluated to determine the freeze lining thickness. It was found that the bath/freeze lining interface lies just below critical viscosity temperature. The growth of the freeze lining is primarily controlled by the mechanical and thermal degradation of the crystals forming at the interface. The bath/freeze lining interface temperature for the measured slag lies in the range of 1035–1070°C.
Anthropomorphizing Technology: A Conceptual Review of Anthropomorphism Research and How it Relates to Children’s Engagements with Digital Voice Assistants
Authors: Festerling Janik , Siraj Iram
Published: November 2021

‘Anthropomorphism’ is a popular term in the literature on human-technology engagements, in general, and child-technology engagements, in particular. But what does it really mean to ‘anthropomorphize’ something in today’s world? This conceptual review article, addressed to researchers interested in anthropomorphism and adjacent areas, reviews contemporary anthropomorphism research, and it offers a critical perspective on how anthropomorphism research relates to today’s children who grow up amid increasingly intelligent and omnipresent technologies, particularly digital voice assistants (e.g., Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri). First, the article reviews a comprehensive body of quantitative as well as qualitative anthropomorphism research and considers it within three different research perspectives:descriptive,normativeandexplanatory. Following a brief excursus on philosophical pragmatism, the article then discusses each research perspective from a pragmatistic viewpoint, with a special emphasis on child-technology and child-voice-assistant engagements, and it also challenges some popular notions in the literature. These notions include descriptive ‘as if’ parallels (e.g., child behaves ‘as if’ Alexa was a friend), or normative assumptions that human-human engagements are generally superior to human-technology engagements. Instead, the article reviews different examples from the literature suggesting the nature of anthropomorphism may change as humans’ experiential understandings of humanness change, and this may particularly apply to today’s children as their social cognition develops in interaction with technological entities which are increasingly characterized by unprecedented combinations of human and non-human qualities.
Dynamic factor models: Does the specification matter?
Authors: Miranda Karen , Poncela Pilar , Ruiz Esther
Published: November 2021

Dynamic factor models (DFMs), which assume the existence of a small number of unobserved underlying factors common to a large number of variables, are very popular among empirical macroeconomists. Factors can be extracted using either nonparametric principal components or parametric Kalman filter and smoothing procedures, with the former being computationally simpler and robust against misspecification and the latter coping in a natural way with missing and mixed-frequency data, time-varying parameters, nonlinearities and non-stationarity, among many other stylized facts often observed in real systems of economic variables. This paper analyses the empirical consequences on factor estimation, in-sample predictions and out-of-sample forecasting of using alternative estimators of the DFM under various sources of potential misspecification. In particular, we consider factor extraction when assuming different number of factors and different factor dynamics. The factors are extracted from a popular data base of US macroeconomic variables, widely analyzed in the literature without consensus about the most appropriate model specification. We show that this lack of consensus is only marginally crucial when it comes to factor extraction, but it matters when the objective is out-of-sample forecasting.
Abolish! Against the Use of Risk Assessment Algorithms at Sentencing in the US Criminal Justice System
Authors: Schwerzmann Katia
Published: November 2021

In this article, I show why it is necessary to abolish the use of predictive algorithms in the US criminal justice system at sentencing. After presenting the functioning of these algorithms in their context of emergence, I offer three arguments to demonstrate why their abolition is imperative. First, I show that sentencing based on predictive algorithms induces a process of rewriting the temporality of the judged individual, flattening their life into a present inescapably doomed by its past. Second, I demonstrate that recursive processes, comprising predictive algorithms and the decisions based on their predictions, systematically suppress outliers and progressively transform reality to match predictions. In my third and final argument, I show that decisions made on the basis of predictive algorithms actively perform a biopolitical understanding of justice as management and modulation of risks. In such a framework, justice becomes a means to maintain a perverse social homeostasis that systematically exposes disenfranchised Black and Brown populations to risk.
Visuelle Leistungen von Leistungssportlern im Vergleich zu Nicht‑/Freizeitsportlern
Authors: Koppelwiser Theresa , Darius Sabine , Böckelmann Irina
Published: November 2021

Visuelle Fähigkeiten und Adaptationsreserven im Bereich der Blickmotorik sind mögliche Einflussfaktoren auf die sportliche Leistung. Sie sind für das Erreichen sportlicher Erfolge von Bedeutung und stehen deshalb im Fokus der Forschung. Ziel der Arbeit war es zu untersuchen, ob Leistungssportler bessere visuelle Leistungen aufweisen als Nicht‑/Freizeitsportler und ob es Unterschiede zwischen Individual- und Mannschaftssportlern gibt.

In einer Querschnittsstudie wurden die periphere Wahrnehmung, Stereosehen und das afferente dynamische Sehen bei 61 Männern und 61 Frauen im Alter zwischen 14 und 59 Jahren getestet. Entsprechend ihrer sportlichen Aktivität erfolgte die Einteilung in die Kontrollgruppe (Nicht‑/Freizeitsportler; n = 42) und Leistungssportler (n = 80) mit mehr als 4‑mal Training pro Woche über mehr als 3 Jahre in den Untergruppen Individualsport (n = 37) und Mannschaftssport (n = 43). Gruppenunterschiede wurden mit dem Mann-Whitney-U-Test bzw. Kruskal-Wallis-Test geprüft.

Die Ergebnisse weisen lediglich vereinzelt signifikante Unterschiede hinsichtlich der visuellen Fähigkeiten auf. Die Leistungssportler haben mit durchschnittlich 74,3 ± 55,2 Winkelsekunden eine bessere Tiefensehschärfe als die Kontrollgruppe mit 97,2 ± 79,8 Winkelsekunden (p < 0,05). Die periphere Wahrnehmung ist bei Leistungssportlern tendenziell besser im Vergleich zu Nicht‑/Freizeitsportlern. Rund 2,5 % der Leistungssportler waren fehlsichtig mit einem Visus unter 0,63. Die vorliegende Arbeit verdeutlicht die Notwendigkeit, die Sehleistung der Sportler zu testen, um z. B. die Konsequenzen für ein gezieltes sportartspezifisches Training dieser Funktionen zu ziehen.
Entrepreneurs’ Exit Strategy Intentions and Their Final Exit Paths
Authors: Hohen Sascha , Schweizer Lars
Published: November 2021

This paper explores entrepreneurs’ initially intended exit strategies and compares them to their final exit paths using an inductive approach that builds on the grounded theory methodology. Our data shows that initially intended and final exit strategies differ among entrepreneurs. Two groups of entrepreneurs emerged from our data. The first group comprises entrepreneurs who financed their firms through equity investors. The second group is made up of entrepreneurs who financed their businesses solely with their own equities. Our data shows that the first group originally intended a financial harvest exit strategy and settled with this harvest exit strategy. The second group initially intended a stewardship exit strategy but did not succeed. We used the theory of planned behavior and the behavioral agency model to analyze our data. By examining our results from these two theoretical perspectives, our study explains how entrepreneurs’ exit intentions lead to their actual exit strategies.
Implementing ‘real’ change: a Bourdieusian take on stakeholder reflections from the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities project in Uruguay
Authors: Wescott Holly , MacLachlan Mac
Published: November 2021

This study aims to illustrate the process of implementing a national disability project targeting structural change facilitated by the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD), and analysed through the theoretical lens of Pierre Bourdieu. This paper presents qualitative case study findings from interviews with key representatives from the UNPRPD country project in Uruguay in 2019. Participant responses were coded and analysed using Bourdieu's definitions of field, doxa, capital, habitus and hysteresis as a framework to understand complex inter-institutional experiences. Findings indicate a significant shift in cultural capital within government ministries and United Nations agencies. Immersion into a paradigm of disability rights and programmatic doxa established by the UNPRPD altered fundamental aspects of participant habitus, creating a mismatch between internal and environmental conditions. Furthermore, shifts in political power created concerns about what constitutes ‘real’ change, and increased the disruption between habitus and perceptions about the UNPRPD project achievements.
FRAND Defences Against the Grant of Injunctive Relief: Applying Huawei v ZTE in Singapore and China
Authors: Lau Joseph
Published: November 2021

From the size of A4 paper to 5G in the telecommunications sector, standards are ubiquitous. Standard essential patents (SEPs), which protect technology essential to standards, enable their proprietors to gain significant market power. Antitrust authorities therefore scrutinize the exercise of SEPs for breaches of competition law. In this regard, the ability of SEP proprietors to obtain injunctions against implementers as a remedy for infringement of SEPs where licensing negotiations have broken down or are ‘ongoing’ has proven controversial. Some fear that this enables SEP proprietors to threaten injunctions unless implementers agree to unfair, unreasonable, or discriminatory terms. In Huawei Technologies Co Ltd v ZTE Corp [2015] ECLI:EU:C:2015:477, the Court of Justice of the European Union identified circumstances where a SEP proprietor's application for injunctive relief as a remedy for infringement of its SEP constitutes an abuse of a dominant position, with the classification of the SEP proprietor's application as being abusive forming a ‘FRAND Defence’ which implementers may invoke against the grant of the injunction requested. This article analyzes whether this approach can be replicated by the Singapore Courts and whether the Chinese Courts, which have already dealt with SEP licensing disputes, adopt a similar approach.
Refining the Right to Information in Vietnamese Consumer Law: Insights from Australia
Authors: Lu Lam Uyen , Selvadurai Niloufer
Published: November 2021

In upholding a consumer's right to information, regulations prohibiting misleading or deceptive conduct perform a critical role in supporting consumer welfare and encouraging equity in business and commerce. While Vietnam enacted a Law on Consumer Protection in 2010, its provisions in this area are limited in ambit and application. In order to improve the effectiveness of a consumer's right to information in Vietnam, it is useful to examine the Australia Consumer Law which has a sophisticated regulatory framework in this area. By comparing the laws prohibiting misleading or deceptive conduct in the Vietnamese Law on Consumer Protection and the Australia Consumer Law, this article identifies certain similarities and differences between the two legal systems, thereby clarifying shortcomings that can lead to inadequacies and inefficiencies of this area of the law and providing a platform for law reform in Vietnam.
Medical Care at California Wildfire Incident Base Camps
Authors: Backer Howard D. , Wright Charles , Dong Jialin , Baba Nathaniel , McFadden Honda , Rosen Brett
Published: November 2021

Objective:

The California Emergency Medical Services Authority manages and deploys California Medical Assistance Teams (CAL-MAT) to disaster medical incidents in the state. This analysis reviews diagnoses for ambulatory medical visits at multiple wildland fire incident base camp field sites in California during the 2020 fire season.

Methods:

Clinical data without personal health information were extracted retrospectively from patient care records from all patients seen by a provider. Results were entered into Excel spreadsheets with calculation of summary statistics.

Results:

During the 2020 fire season, CAL-MAT teams deployed 21 times for a total of 327 days to base camps supporting large fire incidents and cared for 1756 patients. Impacts of heat and environmental smoke are a constant factor near wildfires; however, our most common medical problem was rhus dermatitis (54.5%) due to poison oak. All 2020 medical missions were further complicated by prevention and management of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Conclusions:

There is very little literature regarding the acute medical needs facing responders fighting wildland fires. Ninety-five percent of clinical conditions presenting to a field medical team at the wildfire incident base camp during a severe fire season in California can be managed by small teams operating in field tents.
“Every death matters?”: Combat casualties, role conception, and civilian control
Authors: Mukherjee Anit
Published: November 2021

How do combat missions, defined as an armed confrontation that causes casualties, shape civil-military relations and military’s role conception? This article argues that militaries that incur combat casualties gain a stronger hand in the civil-military equilibrium. This is because casualties affect domestic political opinion and give prominence to the views expressed by military officials. Civilians are then more deferential to professional military advice. In turn, the military obtains considerable operational freedom, and can pick and choose missions which they find desirable. Second, the military’s role conception – an important determinant of military missions, is shaped most prominently by its combat experience. Militaries sustaining casualties obtain leveragevis-à-viscivilians and based on their institutional preference, they either prioritise or avoid non-traditional missions. While making these arguments, this article examines combat casualties, role conception, and civilian control in India. These concepts as a whole and, the Indian case study especially are surprisingly understudied considering it is among the few non-Western democracies with firm civilian control, a record of overseas intervention operations and a military with varying roles and missions. Analysing India’s experience therefore adds to the literature and illuminates the mechanism through which casualties affect civil-military relations.