bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An approach for calibrating laser‐based N2O isotopic analyzers for soil biogeochemistry research
Authors: Stuchiner Emily R. , Weller Zachary D. , von Fischer Joseph C.
Published: October 2020

Rationale

Technological advances have motivated researchers to transition from traditional gas chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry to rapid, high‐throughput, laser‐based instrumentation for N2O isotopic research. However, calibrating laser‐based instruments to yield accurate and precise isotope ratios has been an ongoing challenge. To streamline the N2O isotope research pipeline, we developed the calibration protocol for laser‐based analyzers described here. While our approach is targeted at laboratory soil incubations, we anticipate that it will be broadly applicable for diverse types of stable isotope research.

Methods

We prepared standards diluted from USGS52 and from a commercial cylinder to develop a calibration curve spanning from 0.3 to 300 ppm N2O. To calibrate over this broad range, we binned each isotopocule (N2O, N15NO, 15NNO, and NN18O) into low, medium, and high concentration ranges and then used mathematically similar polynomial functions to calibrate the isotopocules within each concentration range. We also assessed the temporal stability of the instrument and the capacity for our calibration approach to work with isotopically enriched gas samples.

Results

Our calibration approach yielded generally accurate and precise data when isotopocules were calibrated in concentration ranges, and the measurements appeared to be temporally stable. For all isotopocules at natural abundance, the residual percentage error was smallest in the medium N2O range. There was more noise in the corrected isotopomers and isotopologue at natural abundance in samples with the lowest and highest N2O concentrations. Corrected isotopomer results from isotopically enriched samples were very precise.

Conclusions

Developing our calibration strategy involved learning several key lessons: (1) calibrate isotopocules in distinct concentration ranges, (2) use mathematically similar models to calibrate the isotopocules in each range, (3) calibrated N2O concentrations and δ values tend to be most accurate and precise in the medium N2O range, and (4) we encourage users to take advantage of isotopic enrichment to capitalize on laser‐based instrument strengths.
Evaluation of image quality and assessability of a new flat‐panel 3D C‐arm compared to mobile and fixed computed tomography in posterior spinal fixation
Authors: Keil Holger , Luxenhofer Miriam , Vetter Sven Y. , Beisemann Nils , Grützner Paul A. , Franke Jochen
Published: October 2020

Background

This study evaluates image quality of a new flat‐panel three‐dimensional (3D) C‐arm to the current generation and to intraoperative and stationary computed tomography (CT) in spinal surgery.

Methods

Three‐dimensional‐imaging of 44 posterior screws acquired with two generations of 3D C‐arms (Arcadis Orbic, AO and Cios Spin, CS, Siemens, Germany) and CT scans (mobile intraoperative CT Airo, iCT, Brainlab, Germany and stationary CT Aquilion 32, sCT, Toshiba, Japan) were performed. Evaluation regarded assessability and measurements of implant position.

Results

Assessability score was 0.11 in AO, 0.56 in sCT, 0.91 in iCT and 1.46 in CS (p < 0.0005). AO and CS showed a significant difference in accuracy (p = 0.001) as well as CS and iCT (p < 0.001). Measurements of protrusion over the anterior edge did not show a significant difference (p = 0.341).

Conclusions

Image quality of the new generation of flat‐panel 3D C‐arms competes with CT imaging and offers significant advantages compared to the former generation.
Global consensus of multi‐agent systems with intermittent directed communication in the presence of actuator saturation
Authors: Xie Yijing , Lin Zongli
Published: October 2020

We consider the problem of global leader‐following consensus of a multi‐agent system with intermittent directed communication in the presence of actuator saturation. The dynamics of the follower agents are represented by a chain of integrators of an arbitrary length. The leader agent possesses the same internal dynamics of the follower agents. For each follower agent, a bounded consensus algorithm utilizing the information obtained intermittently through the communication network is constructed. It is shown that these consensus algorithms achieve global leader‐following consensus as long as the communication topology among all agents, when the communication is active, contains a spanning tree rooted at the leader agent. Numerical examples are given to show the theoretical results.
Vertex Ramsey properties of randomly perturbed graphs
Authors: Das Shagnik , Morris Patrick , Treglown Andrew
Published: October 2020

Given graphs F, H and G, we say that G is (F, H )v‐Ramsey if every red/blue vertex coloring of G contains a red copy of F or a blue copy of H. Results of Łuczak, Ruciński and Voigt, and Kreuter determine the threshold for the property that the random graph G(n, p) is (F, H )v‐Ramsey. In this paper we consider the sister problem in the setting of randomly perturbed graphs. In particular, we determine how many random edges one needs to add to a dense graph to ensure that with high probability the resulting graph is (F, H )v‐Ramsey for all pairs (F, H) that involve at least one clique.
How facilitating K–12 professional development shapes science faculty's instructional change
Authors: Hayes Kathryn N. , Inouye Caron , Bae Christine L. , Toven‐Lindsey Brit
Published: October 2020

Although the use of active learning pedagogies in college science courses has been demonstrated to improve student learning and engagement, lecture‐based methods still feature predominantly across university courses. Often lacking meaningful opportunities to learn about and test out new pedagogies, faculty have been slow to adopt and enact new teaching practices. Partnerships in which faculty facilitate teacher professional development may provide an important space for faculty learning and innovation related to college instruction. There is a large body of research examining the impact of such partnerships on teacher instructional change; however, few studies consider the impact of these programs on the instructional practices of science faculty. Moreover, existing studies lack theoretical frames to elucidate the various processes that shape faculty adoption of new teaching practices. This qualitative study examines the processes by which science faculty reshape their pedagogical practices through facilitating professional development for K–12 teachers, and how individual characteristics, social interactions, and organizational contexts influence their choices. We use a theoretical framework that affords an understanding of the iterative process and multiple factors that influence shifts in instructional practice. Implications of findings for grant‐writing and professional development that foster opportunities for relationship building and learning among faculty and teachers are discussed.
Leprosy Patients with Deformities at Post-Elimination Stage: The Bangladesh Experience
Authors: Mowla M. R. , Angkur D. M. , Hasan Z. , Sultana M. N. , Afrin S. , Akhter M. S.
Published: October 2020

Background

Disability assessment in leprosy patients is a very important factor in the evaluation of the effectiveness of a leprosy elimination program. Little information exists on deformities in leprosy patients in Bangladesh.

Objectives

To describe the pattern and prevalence of deformities in leprosy patients after leprosy has been declared eliminated from Bangladesh in 1998.

Methods

A descriptive retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out in Chittagong Medical College Hospital using the registered records of patients for the period 2004–2013.

Results

Out of 670 leprosy patients, 213 (31.79%) had deformities. The prevalence of deformity was for grade 1: 92 (43.20%), for grade 2: 121 (56.80%). Among the patients with deformity, males 144 (67.60%) outnumbered females 69 (32.40%). Four age groups were considered. The calculated age-specific cumulative detection rates showed the highest case detection in >40 years group at 81 (38.02%). The rate of children (<14 years) was less at 7 (3.29%). Of the 213 patients with deformity, the borderline tuberculoid patients were totalled 79 (37.08%), which was higher than other forms of leprosy. Among the 121 patients with limb deformity, 57 (8.50%) had claw hand followed by wrist drop 31 (4.63%), foot drop 30 (4.48%). Three (0.45%) had a nerve abscess, 27 (4.02%) had a trophic ulcer and 7 (1.05%) patients had ocular complications.

Conclusion

The grade 2 deformities among newly detected leprosy patients were still high. Claw hand was the most common deformity in the upper limbs, whereas foot drop and trophic ulcer were the most common deformities in the lower limbs. Although leprosy according to the World Health Organization has been eliminated globally, the disease continues to be a significant cause of peripheral neuropathy, deformity, disability and disfigurement in some developing countries like Bangladesh.
TiC–High Mn Steel‐Bonded Cermets with Improved Strength and Impact Toughness
Authors: Li Guoping , Zhou Haojun , Lu Jing , Wu Ning , Lyu Yinghai , Luo Fenghua
Published: October 2020

TiC–high Mn steel‐bonded cermets are prepared by powder metallurgy techniques. The effects of (Ti0.5W0.5)C or WC on the microstructure, hardness, transverse rupture strength (TRS), and impact toughness (IM) are investigated. The results show that regardless of the additives used, the hardness and TRS of cermets increase with the increase in W content. However, IM is not directly proportional to the W content. Peak IM value is obtained at 5% WC addition. The highest IM of 15.12 J cm−2 is measured from the cermet with (Ti0.5W0.5)C additive with a hardness and TRS of 64.8 HRC and 2510 MPa, respectively. Liquid phase sintering occurs at vacuum sintering. Black core–gray outer rim structure is formed in cermets with WC additives and white inner rims appear in cermets with higher W content. White core–gray rim structure is formed in cermets with (Ti0.5W0.5)C additives. The impact fracture mode of the cermets is the intergranular fracture accompanied by the tearing edges of the binder. The tearing of the high Mn steel binder is the main source of IM. IM peaks are attributed to the contradictory effects of decreased fraction and refined binder microstructure.
An overview of risk investment in the transnational illegal wildlife trade from stakeholder perspectives
Authors: Brown Amber O. , Frankham Greta J. , Bond Luke , Stuart Barbara H. , Johnson Rebecca N. , Ueland Maiken
Published: October 2020

The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a lucrative, clandestine trade that endangers animal welfare, damages native biodiversity and undermines the rule of law. Despite enhanced law enforcement focus and increased litigation, the illicit trade of wildlife and wildlife products has continued to flourish. The increase in the IWT can be attributed to a lack of identifiable relationships, risk functions and reward systems specific to each stakeholder in this illicit market. The increase in the IWT indicates that domestic and international regulations are not effective in their intent of preventing the illegal trade of various wildlife species. Without a clear understanding of stakeholder relationships, resources will continue to be wasted on ineffective prevention and detection methods with regards to the IWT. Law enforcement strategies rely on identifying key stakeholders in the IWT as well as their perceived motivations, risks, and relationships. These definitions may provide further insight into the motivations driving these individuals participating in this illicit market and may contribute to more successful interventions. Stakeholders and their associated roles within the IWT have been defined to serve as a tool to understand the various risk/reward utility functions in global markets. This study provides a framework support for policy makers by establishing baseline risk/reward systems for each stakeholder which can be built upon as intelligence surrounding these stakeholders increases.

This article is categorized under:

 Jurisprudence and Regulatory Oversight > Communication Across Science and Law

 Jurisprudence and Regulatory Oversight > Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Turn‐off Fluorescent Sensing of Energetic Materials using Protonic Acid doped Polyaniline: A Spectrochemical Mechanistic Approach
Authors: Patil Veerabhadragouda B. , Ture Satish A. , Yelamaggad Channabasaveshwar V. , Nadagouda Mallikarjuna N. , Venkataraman Abbaraju
Published: October 2020

The trace detection of energetic materials (EMs) is a challenge due to the very low vapor pressure possessed by these compounds. Polyaniline (PAni) possesses variable oxidation and reduction states, which makes it strike different from other conducting polymers in understanding the mechanism of fluorophore‐analyte interaction leads to the designing of selectivity and sensitivity of analytes; also, fluorophore as a sensing device. The present work is aimed at trace detection of some very prominent EMs; nitroarenes viz., 1,3,5‐trinitroperhydro‐1,3,5‐triazine (RDX), trinitrotoluene (TNT); nitramines viz., hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL‐20) and nitro ester viz., pentaerithroltetraniterate (PETN) employing para‐toluenesulfonic acid as a dopant for PAni nanofibers (P‐PAni). The P‐PAni helps overcome the dual difficulties of PAni, i.e., solubility and removal of π stacking when dimethylformamide (DMF) is used as a solvent. P‐PAni showed good quenching response and selectivity towards EMs, with the LOD being the best for CL‐20 (0.717 μM·L–1). The sensing studies further collaborated with the Cyclic Voltammetry, FTIR and Raman Spectroscopy studies gave a detailed understanding of the bipolaron‐polaron transition mechanism accompanying the electron transfer process in the fluorescence quenching study.
Language, Cognition, and Script Effects
Authors: Pae Hye K.
Published: October 2020

This chapter begins with the discussions of what language is and the relationship between spoken language and written language, along with the early view oflanguage-is-speechin linguistics as well as awritten-language bias. A series of questions are posed and answered, covering whether we think differently according to the language we speak, whether language affects thinking or thinking affects language, and what the impact of literacy is. These questions are closely related to the linguistic relativity hypothesis. Based on empirical evidence for linguistic relativity,script relativityis proposed as an extension. Fundamental challenges in research into both linguistic relativity and script relativity are identified. The chapter ends with the introduction to this book, including the scope of the volume, terminology used throughout the book, and intended audiences.
Semantic Description of Data Mining Datasets: An Ontology-Based Annotation Schema
Authors: Kostovska Ana , Džeroski Sašo , Panov Panče
Published: October 2020

With the pervasiveness of data mining (DM) in many areas of our society, the management of digital data, readily available for analysis, has become increasingly important. Consequently, nearly all community accepted guidelines and principles (e.g. FAIR and TRUST) for publishing such data in the digital ecosystem, stress the importance of semantic data enhancement. Having rich semantic annotation of DM datasets would support the data mining process at various choice points, such as data understanding, automatic identification of the analysis task, and reasoning over the obtained results. In this paper, we report on the developments of an ontology-based annotation schema for semantic description of DM datasets. The annotation schema combines three different aspects of semantic annotation, i.e., annotation of provenance, data mining specific, and domain-specific information. We demonstrate the utility of these annotations in two use cases: semantic annotation of remote sensing data and data about neurodegenerative diseases.
Predicting the Health Condition of mHealth App Users with Large Differences in the Number of Recorded Observations - Where to Learn from?
Authors: Unnikrishnan Vishnu , Shah Yash , Schleicher Miro , Strandzheva Mirela , Dimitrov Plamen , Velikova Doroteya , Pryss Ruediger , Schobel Johannes , Schlee Winfried , Spiliopoulou Myra
Published: October 2020

Some mHealth apps record user activity continuously and unobtrusively, while other apps rely by nature on user engagement and self-discipline: users are asked to enter data that cannot be assessed otherwise, e.g., on how they feel and what non-measurable symptoms they have. Over time, this leads to substantial differences in the length of the time series of recordings for the different users. In this study, we propose two algorithms for wellbeing-prediction from such time series, and we compare their performance on the users of a pilot study on diabetic patients - with time series length varying between 8 and 87 recordings.

Our first approach learns a model from the few users, on which many recordings are available, and applies this model to predict the 2nd, 3rd, and so forth recording of users newly joining the mHealth platform. Our second approach rather exploits the similarity among the first few recordings of newly arriving users. Our results for the first approach indicate that the target variable for users who use the app for long are not predictive for users who use the app only for a short time. Our results for the second approach indicate that few initial recordings suffice to inform the predictive model and improve performance considerably.
Limits on CP-violating hadronic interactions and proton EDM from paramagnetic molecules
Authors: Flambaum V. V. , Samsonov I. B. , Tran Tan H. B.
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Experiments with paramagnetic ground or metastable excited states of molecules (ThO, HfF+, YbF, YbOH, BaF, PbO, etc.) provide strong constraints on the electron electric dipole moment (EDM) and the coupling constant CSP of contact semileptonic interaction. We compute new contributions to CSP arising from the nucleon EDMs due to the combined electric and magnetic electron-nucleon interaction. This allows us to improve limits from the experiments with paramagnetic molecules on the CP-violating parameters, such as the proton EDM, |dp| < 1.1 × 10−23e·cm, the QCD vacuum angle, $$ \left|\overline{\theta}\right| $$

θ
¯

< 1.4 × 10−8, as well as the quark chromo-EDMs and the π-meson-nucleon couplings. Our results may also be used to search for the axion dark matter which produces oscillating $$ \overline{\theta} $$

θ
¯

.
Dark matter bound state formation in fermionic Z2 DM model with light dark photon and dark Higgs boson
Authors: Ko Pyungwon , Matsui Toshinori , Tang Yi-Lei
Published: October 2020

Abstract

If fermionic dark matter (DM) is stabilized by dark U(1) gauge symmetry that is spontaneously broken into its subgroupZ2, the particle contents of the model becomes very rich: DM and excited DM, both of them are Majorana fermions, as well as two dark force mediators, dark photon and dark Higgs boson are naturally present due to the underlying dark gauge symmetry. In this paper, we study the DM bound state formation processes within this scenario, assuming both dark photon and dark Higgs are light mediators and including the effects of excited DM. The Goldstone boson contributions to the potential matrix in the Schrödinger equations are found to be important. The emissions of a longitudinal vector boson (or somehow equivalently a Goldstone boson) during the DM bound state formations are crucial to induce a significant reannihilation process, reducing the dark matter relic abundance. Most of the stringent constraints for this kind of dark matter considered in the literature are simply evaded.
Integrable deformation of ℂPn and generalised Kähler geometry
Authors: Demulder Saskia , Hassler Falk , Piccinini Giacomo , Thompson Daniel C.
Published: October 2020

Abstract

We build on the results of [1] for generalised frame fields on generalised quotient spaces and study integrable deformations for ℂPn. In particular we show how, when the target space of the Principal Chiral Model is a complex projective space, a two-parameter deformation can be introduced in principle. The second parameter can however be removed via a diffeomorphism, which we construct explicitly, in accordance with the results stemming from a thorough integrability analysis we carry out. We also elucidate how the deformed target space can be seen as an instance of generalised Kähler, or equivalently bi-Hermitian, geometry. In this respect, we find the generic form of the pure spinors for ℂPn and the explicit expression for the generalised Kähler potential for n = 1, 2.
Exact results for $$ {Z}_m^{\mathrm{OS}} $$ and $$ {Z}_2^{\mathrm{OS}} $$ with two mass scales and up to three loops
Authors: Fael Matteo , Schönwald Kay , Steinhauser Matthias
Published: October 2020

Abstract

We consider the on-shell mass and wave function renormalization constants $$ {Z}_m^{\mathrm{OS}} $$

Z
m
OS

and $$ {Z}_2^{\mathrm{OS}} $$

Z
2
OS

up to three-loop order allowing for a second non-zero quark mass. We obtain analytic results in terms of harmonic polylogarithms and iterated integrals with the additional letters $$ \sqrt{1-{\tau}^2} $$

1
−

τ
2

and $$ \sqrt{1-{\tau}^2}/\tau $$

1
−

τ
2

/
τ
which extends the findings from ref. [1] where only numerical expressions are presented. Furthermore, we provide terms of order $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
(ϵ2) and $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
(ϵ) at two- and three-loop order which are crucial ingredients for a future four-loop calculation. Compact results for the expansions around the zero-mass, equal-mass and large-mass cases allow for a fast high-precision numerical evaluation.
Thermal dynamic phase transition of Reissner-Nordström Anti-de Sitter black holes on free energy landscape
Authors: Li Ran , Zhang Kun , Wang Jin
Published: October 2020

Abstract

We explore the thermodynamics and the underlying kinetics of the van der Waals type phase transition of Reissner-Nordström anti-de Sitter (RNAdS) black holes based on the free energy landscape. We show that the thermodynamic stabilities of the three branches of the RNAdS black holes are determined by the underlying free energy landscape topography. We suggest that the large (small) RNAdS black hole can have the probability to switch to the small (large) black hole due to the thermal fluctuation. Such a state switching process under the thermal fluctuation is taken as a stochastic process and the associated kinetics can be described by the probabilistic Fokker-Planck equation. We obtained the time dependent solutions for the probabilistic evolution by numerically solving Fokker-Planck equation with the reflecting boundary conditions. We also investigated the first passage process which describes how fast a system undergoes a stochastic process for the first time. The distributions of the first passage time switching from small (large) to large (small) black hole and the corresponding mean first passage time as well as its fluctuations at different temperatures are studied in detail. We conclude that the mean first passage time and its fluctuations are related to the free energy landscape topography through barrier heights and temperatures.
Averages of Products and Ratios of Characteristic Polynomials in Polynomial Ensembles
Authors: Akemann Gernot , Strahov Eugene , Würfel Tim R.
Published: October 2020

Polynomial ensembles are a sub-class of probability measures within determinantal point processes. Examples include products of independent random matrices, with applications to Lyapunov exponents, and random matrices with an external field, that may serve as schematic models of quantum field theories with temperature. We first analyse expectation values of ratios of an equal number of characteristic polynomials in general polynomial ensembles. Using Schur polynomials, we show that polynomial ensembles constitute Giambelli compatible point processes, leading to a determinant formula for such ratios as in classical ensembles of random matrices. In the second part, we introduce invertible polynomial ensembles given, e.g. by random matrices with an external field. Expectation values of arbitrary ratios of characteristic polynomials are expressed in terms of multiple contour integrals. This generalises previous findings by Fyodorov, Grela, and Strahov. for a single ratio in the context of eigenvector statistics in the complex Ginibre ensemble.
Laser-induced softening analysis of a hardened aluminum alloy by physical simulation
Authors: Palmieri Maria Emanuela , Lorusso Vincenzo Domenico , Tricarico Luigi
Published: October 2020

The study focuses on the analysis of the softening effects of the work-hardened aluminum alloy sheets EN AW 5754 H32 1.5 mm thick, through the physical simulation of thermal cycles induced in the material by laser heat treatments (LHTs). A numerical-experimental approach was implemented to define the laser thermal cycles and to subsequently reproduce them on the GleebleTM 3180 physical simulator. The obtained softening was measured by microhardness and metallographic analysis tests. For the definition of laser thermal cycles, preliminary tests with a 2.5 kW CO2 laser source have been realized, and a three-dimensional transient finite element thermal models were developed and calibrated with the experimental results. The investigated laser heat treatment parameters explored thermal cycles with different shape, interaction time, and peak temperature. Physical simulation tests were performed using laser thermal cycles that showed the maximum softening of the aluminum alloy. A three-dimensional transient finite element thermoelectric model was developed to design the shape of the Gleeble specimens, which satisfy the heating and cooling rate required by laser thermal cycles. Results obtained show that it is possible to physically simulate the investigated laser thermal cycles, reducing the cross section of the shaped part of the specimen. Softening effects depend on the thermal cycle shape. Greater softening is observed by increasing the interaction time and the peak temperature, but beyond a peak temperature threshold value, negligible effects are detected.
Pelvic organ prolapse surgical training program in Bangladesh and Nepal improves objective patient outcomes
Authors: Hall Barbara , Goh Judith , Islam Maqsudul , Rawat Anubha
Published: October 2020

Introduction and hypothesis

The DAK Foundation (Sydney) has facilitated pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repairs performed by local gynecologists for underprivileged women in Bangladesh and Nepal since 2014. Initially, there was no long-term patient follow-up. When 156 patients were examined at least 6 months after their surgery, an unacceptably high rate of prolapse recurrence and shortened vaginas was identified. This demonstrated the need for surgical up-skilling in both countries. Our hypothesis is that the introduction of a surgical training program in low-resource countries can significantly improve patient outcomes after pelvic floor surgery.

Methods

One-on-one surgical re-training was undertaken to up-skill the gynecologists in fascial vaginal repair and vaginal apical reconstruction utilizing sacrospinous fixation (SSF). Following the surgical up-skilling, a further 289 women (between 6 and 18 months post-operatively) were examined to determine patient outcomes. Outcome measures were:

Prolapse recurrence: POPQ (pelvic organ prolapse quantification [1]) ≥ stage 2

Vaginal length < 4 cm

Results

Prior to implementation of the surgical training program, 76% of patients had recurrent prolapse ≥ stage 2, and 56% had a vagina < 4 cm in length. Following the training program, prolapse recurrence was reduced to 45% with significant reductions in the apical, anterior and posterior compartments. The incidence of unacceptable vaginal shortening was 4%. We could not rely on patient symptoms to determine whether they had recurrences.

Conclusion

Clinical patient follow-up to determine surgical outcome is essential in low-resource settings. We have demonstrated that surgical up-skilling in vaginal hysterectomy, vaginal repair and introduction of SSF were necessary to achieve acceptable prolapse recurrence rates in our programs in Bangladesh and Nepal.
Quantitative Characteristics of Human-Written Short Stories as a Metric for Automated Storytelling
Authors: León Carlos , Gervás Pablo , Delatorre Pablo , Tapscott Alan
Published: October 2020

Evaluating the extent to which computer-produced stories are structured like human-invented narratives can be an important component of the quality of a story plot. In this paper, we report on an empirical experiment in which human subjects have invented short plots in a constrained scenario. The stories were annotated according to features commonly found in existing automatic story generators. The annotation was designed to measure the proportion and relations of story components that should be used in automatic computational systems for matching human behaviour. Results suggest that there are relatively common patterns that can be used as input data for identifying similarity to human-invented stories in automatic storytelling systems. The found patterns are in line with narratological models, and the results provide numerical quantification and layout of story components. The proposed method of story analysis is tested over two additional sources, the ROCStories corpus and stories generated by automated storytellers, to illustrate the valuable insights that may be derived from them.
Homozygous Smpd1 deficiency aggravates brain ischemia/ reperfusion injury by mechanisms involving polymorphonuclear neutrophils, whereas heterozygous Smpd1 deficiency protects against mild focal cerebral ischemia
Authors: Hagemann Nina , Mohamud Yusuf Ayan , Martiny Carlotta , Zhang Xiaoni , Kleinschnitz Christoph , Gunzer Matthias , Kolesnick Richard , Gulbins Erich , Hermann Dirk M.
Published: October 2020

By cleaving sphingomyelin into ceramide, which is an essential component of plasma membrane microdomains, acid sphingomyelinase (Asm) pivotally controls cell signaling. To define how the activation of the Asm/ceramide pathway, which occurs within seconds to minutes upon stress stimuli, influences brain ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, we exposed male and female wildtype mice carrying both alleles of Asm’s gene sphingomyelinase phosphodiesterase-1 (Smpd1+/+), heterozygously Asm-deficient mice (Smpd1+/−) and homozygously Asm-deficient mice (Smpd1−/−) of different age (8, 12 or 16 weeks) to 30, 60 or 90 min intraluminal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). For studying the contribution of brain-invading polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) to I/R injury, PMNs were depleted by delivery of a PMN-specific Ly6G antibody. In male and female mice exposed to 30 min, but not 60 or 90 min MCAO, homozygous Smpd1−/− consistently increased I/R injury, blood–brain barrier permeability and brain leukocyte and PMN infiltration, whereas heterozygous Smpd1+/− reduced I/R injury. Increased abundance of the intercellular leukocyte adhesion molecule ICAM-1 was noted on cerebral microvessels of Smpd1−/− mice. PMN depletion by anti-Ly6G delivery prevented the exacerbation of I/R injury in Smpd1−/− compared with wildtype mice and reduced brain leukocyte infiltrates. Our results show that Asm tempers leukocyte entry into the reperfused ischemic brain, thereby attenuating I/R injury.
Saliva pools for screening of human cytomegalovirus using real-time PCR
Authors: Fernandes Cláudia , Marques Augusta , de Jesus Chasqueira Maria , Braz Mónica Cró , Ferreira Ana Rute , Neto Ana Serrão , Mendes Cândida , Lito David , Menezes Maria-Favila , Sousa Maria José , Paixão Paulo
Published: October 2020

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading congenital infection agent in the world. The importance of screening this infection has been debated, as 10–15% of the asymptomatic newborns with HCMV at birth will present late sequelae. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of using saliva pools from newborns in a screening program for congenital HCMV infection, in two Portuguese hospitals. The screening was based on the use of pools of 10 saliva samples for detection of viral DNA by real-time PCR. Whenever there was a positive pool, the samples were tested individually, and for each positive sample the result was confirmed with a urine sample collected in the first 2 weeks of life. The study involved 1492 newborns. One hundred and fifty pools were screened, with 14 positive results in saliva, but only 10 were confirmed in urine samples, giving a prevalence of congenital HCMV infection in both hospitals of 0.67% (CI95% 0.36 to 1.23%).

Conclusion: The overall prevalence of congenital HCMV infection in both hospitals was 0.67%. The use of saliva pools proved to be effective for the screening of this congenital infection, allowing timely screening and confirmation in a large population, with associated cost reduction.

What is Known:• Newborn screening for HCMV is desirable.• Saliva is a good and practical sample.

What is New:• The feasibility of using saliva pools for a large-scale screening.• The cost reduction of this strategy.
Studies on the synthesis and stability of α-ketoacyl peptides
Authors: Sajapin Johann , Hellwig Michael
Published: October 2020

Oxidative stress, an excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS), may lead to oxidative post-translational modifications of proteins resulting in the cleavage of the peptide backbone, known as α-amidation, and formation of fragments such as peptide amides and α-ketoacyl peptides (α-KaP). In this study, we first compared different approaches for the synthesis of different model α-KaP and then investigated their stability compared to the corresponding unmodified peptides. The stability of peptides was studied at room temperature or at temperatures relevant for food processing (100 °C for cooking and 150 °C as a simulation of roasting) in water, in 1% (m/v) acetic acid or as the dry substance (to simulate the thermal treatment of dehydration processes) by HPLC analysis. Oxidation of peptides by 2,5-di-tert-butyl-1,4-benzoquinone (DTBBQ) proved to be the most suited method for synthesis of α-KaPs. The acyl side chain of the carbonyl-terminal α-keto acid has a crucial impact on the stability of α-KaPs. This carbonyl group has a catalytic effect on the hydrolysis of the neighboring peptide bond, leading to the release of α-keto acids. Unmodified peptides were significantly more stable than the corresponding α-KaPs. The possibility of further degradation reactions was shown by the formation of Schiff bases from glyoxylic or pyruvic acids with glycine and proven through detection of transamination products and Strecker aldehydes of α-keto acids by HPLC–MS/MS. We propose here a mechanism for the decomposition of α-ketoacyl peptides.
Der Offene Dialog in der Behandlung von Patient_innen mit einer Borderline-Persönlichkeitsstörung
Authors: Giertz Karsten , Aderhold Volkmar
Published: October 2020

Im Beitrag stellen die Autoren das Konzept der bedürfnisangepassten Behandlung und des Offenen Dialoges vor. Hierbei handelt es sich um innovative therapeutische Behandlungskonzepte, die ab den 1980er Jahren in Finnland zunächst für Menschen mit psychotischem Erleben entwickelt wurden und später auch in mehreren nordeuropäischen Ländern in vielen Regionen des öffentlichen psychiatrischen Regelversorgungssystems eingeführt wurden. Mittlerweile wird dieser Ansatz auch bei weiteren Gruppen von Patient_innen erfolgreich angewendet und hat sich weiter regional weltweit verbreitet.

Bei Erstbehandlungen und Krisen steht die Frühintervention durch Netzwerkgespräche im Vordergrund. Dabei fokussieren die Netzwerkgespräche auf die Förderung von Dialogen indem jede(r) gehört wird, damit neue psychologische Bedeutungen von Symptomen und eine gemeinsame Erfahrung dieses Prozesses entstehen können. Die Netzwerkmitglieder helfen, damit ein vielstimmiges Bild der Vorgeschichte und wichtiger Ereignisse entsteht und verständigen sich darüber, was zu tun ist, um so die Handlungsfähigkeit der Betroffenen in ihrem eigenen Leben zu fördern. So kann ein individuell angepasster Behandlungsprozess entstehen, bei dem die jeweiligen Akteur_innen im Rahmen von Netzwerkgesprächen miteinander in Verbindung gebracht werden, so dass sich die verschiedenen für sinnvoll erachteten Ansätze gegenseitig ergänzen und eine Konkurrenz vermieden wird.

Obwohl sich die Mehrzahl der existierenden naturalistischen Evaluationsstudien auf die Behandlung von Menschen mit erster psychotischer Episode beziehen, werden die Prinzipien dieses Ansatzes seit vielen Jahren bei allen Krisensituationen und bei Bedarf darüber hinaus angewendet und sind daher nicht als diagnosespezifisch anzusehen. Wesentliche evidenzbasierte Elemente multiprofessioneller psychotherapeutischer und psychiatrischer Behandlung werden somit ergänzt durch eine systemisch dialogische Praxis. In diesem Beitrag vertiefen die Autoren die Methodik des Offenen Dialoges im Kontext der psychotherapeutischen und psychiatrischen Behandlung von Borderline-Patient_innen.
Utility of Hounsfield unit in the diagnosis of tandem occlusion in acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Mühl-Benninghaus Ruben , Dressler Julia , Haußmann Alena , Simgen Andreas , Reith Wolfgang , Yilmaz Umut
Published: October 2020

Background

Tandem occlusions can complicate medical and endovascular stroke treatment. To identify these occlusions, computed tomography angiography (CTA) represents the best imaging modality. However, CTA is still not initially performed in some patients not admitted directly to stroke centers. Early identification of an additional occlusion of the proximal extracranial internal carotid artery may improve the best suitable treatment strategy. The purpose of this study was to find a valuable threshold of thrombus attenuation in a non-contrast head CT (NCCT) scan to facilitate a safe diagnosis of tandem occlusions.

Materials and methods

Consecutive patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusions who underwent endovascular treatment were identified from our registry of neuroendovascular interventions. Thrombus attenuations of the affected MCA and contralateral vessel were measured by NCCT. To compare individual baseline blood attenuations, the difference between the thrombus attenuation and the contralateral MCA attenuation (referred to as ΔTM) was calculated.

Results

Three hundred and twenty-five patients were included. There was a highly significant difference between mean thrombus attenuation with isolated MCA occlusion and additional extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion (49.9 ± 8 vs. 56.2 ± 10 Hounsfield units (HU); P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of ΔTM was 0.72. The optimal threshold value was 13.5 HU, with a sensitivity of 67.5% and a specificity of 68.6%.

Conclusion

Despite a significant difference in thrombus attenuation in MCA occlusions with an additional extracranial ICA occlusion compared with isolated MCA occlusions, a relevant threshold of thrombus attenuation was not found.
Secondary metabolites from the Burkholderia pseudomallei complex: structure, ecology, and evolution
Authors: Klaus Jennifer R , Coulon Pauline M L , Koirala Pratik , Seyedsayamdost Mohammad R , Déziel Eric , Chandler Josephine R
Published: October 2020

Bacterial secondary metabolites play important roles in promoting survival, though few have been carefully studied in their natural context. Numerous gene clusters code for secondary metabolites in the genomes of members of the Bptm group, made up of three closely related species with distinctly different lifestyles: the opportunistic pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei, the non-pathogenic saprophyte Burkholderia thailandensis, and the host-adapted pathogen Burkholderia mallei. Several biosynthetic gene clusters are conserved across two or all three species, and this provides an opportunity to understand how the corresponding secondary metabolites contribute to survival in different contexts in nature. In this review, we discuss three secondary metabolites from the Bptm group: bactobolin, malleilactone (and malleicyprol), and the 4-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-alkylquinolines, providing an overview of each of their biosynthetic pathways and insight into their potential ecological roles. Results of studies on these secondary metabolites provide a window into how secondary metabolites contribute to bacterial survival in different environments, from host infections to polymicrobial soil communities.
Production of d-Glyceric acid from d-Galacturonate in Escherichia coli
Authors: Fox Kevin J , Prather Kristala L J
Published: October 2020

A microbial production platform has been developed in Escherichia coli to synthesize d-glyceric acid from d-galacturonate. The expression of uronate dehydrogenase (udh) from Pseudomonas syringae and galactarolactone isomerase (gli) from Agrobacterium fabrum, along with the inactivation of garK, encoding for glycerate kinase, enables d-glyceric acid accumulation by utilizing the endogenous expression of galactarate dehydratase (garD), 5-keto-4-deoxy-D-glucarate aldolase (garL), and 2-hydroxy-3-oxopropionate reductase (garR). Optimization of carbon flux through the elimination of competing metabolic pathways led to the development of a ΔgarKΔhyiΔglxKΔuxaC mutant strain that produced 4.8 g/l of d-glyceric acid from d-galacturonate, with an 83% molar yield. Cultivation in a minimal medium produced similar yields and demonstrated that galactose or glycerol serve as possible carbon co-feeds for industrial production. This novel platform represents an alternative for the production of d-glyceric acid, an industrially relevant chemical, that addresses current challenges in using acetic acid bacteria for its synthesis: increasing yield, enantio-purity and biological stability.
Angiogenesis, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and COVID-19
Authors: Riera-Mestre Antoni , Iriarte Adriana , Moreno Manuela , del Castillo Raul , López-Wolf Daniel
Published: October 2020

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a rare autosomal-dominant disease characterized by pathologic angiogenesis that provokes vascular overgrowth. The evidence about the influence of Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in patients with rare diseases is scarce. We aimed to know the prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in HHT patients. The HHT pathogenic angiogenesis and endothelial injury in COVID-19 are discussed using data from RiHHTa (Computerized Registry of Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia) registry. RiHHTa is an open, multicenter, prospective, observational registry including adult patients with HHT. A 27-item survey that captured clinical data of admitted HHT patients for COVID-19 was distributed to all RiHHTa investigators from June 8th to June 24th 2020. Only one out of 1177 HHT patients was admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia. She is a 74 years-old woman with a pathogenic variant in ACVRL1 gene. Her clinical course did not involve mechanical ventilation or worsening epistaxis, and she was successfully discharged after two weeks. The endothelial damage and the consequent angiogenic process in COVID-19 patients deserve further investigation.
Empirical vulnerability curves for Italian mansory buildings: evolution of vulnerability model from the DPM to curves as a function of accelertion
Authors: Zuccaro Giulio , Perelli Francesca Linda , De Gregorio Daniela , Cacace Francesco
Published: October 2020

In the framework of the emergency management in the case of seismic events, the evaluation of the expected damage represents a basic requirement for risk informed planning. Seismic risk is defined by the probability to reach a level of damage on given exposed elements caused by seismic events occurring in a fixed period and in a fixed area. To this purpose, the expected seismic input, the exposed elements and their vulnerability have to be correctly evaluated. The aim of the research is to define a correct model of vulnerability curves, in PGA, for masonry structures in Italy, by heuristic approach starting from damage probability matrices (DPMs). To this purpose, the PLINIVS database, containing data on major Italian seismic events, has been used and supported by “critical” assumption on missing data. To support the reliability of this assumption, two vulnerability models, considering or not the hypothesis on the missing data, have been estimated and used to calculate the seismic scenario of the L’Aquila 2009 earthquake through the IRMA (Italian Risk MAp) platform. Finally, a comparison between the outcomes elaborated by IRMA platform and the observed damage collected in the AEDES forms, has been done.
PorePy: an open-source software for simulation of multiphysics processes in fractured porous media
Authors: Keilegavlen Eirik , Berge Runar , Fumagalli Alessio , Starnoni Michele , Stefansson Ivar , Varela Jhabriel , Berre Inga
Published: October 2020

Development of models and dedicated numerical methods for dynamics in fractured rocks is an active research field, with research moving towards increasingly advanced process couplings and complex fracture networks. The inclusion of coupled processes in simulation models is challenged by the high aspect ratio of the fractures, the complex geometry of fracture networks, and the crucial impact of processes that completely change characteristics on the fracture-rock interface. This paper provides a general discussion of design principles for introducing fractures in simulators, and defines a framework for integrated modeling, discretization, and computer implementation. The framework is implemented in the open-source simulation software PorePy, which can serve as a flexible prototyping tool for multiphysics problems in fractured rocks. Based on a representation of the fractures and their intersections as lower-dimensional objects, we discuss data structures for mixed-dimensional grids, formulation of multiphysics problems, and discretizations that utilize existing software. We further present a Python implementation of these concepts in the PorePy open-source software tool, which is aimed at coupled simulation of flow and transport in three-dimensional fractured reservoirs as well as deformation of fractures and the reservoir in general. We present validation by benchmarks for flow, poroelasticity, and fracture deformation in porous media. The flexibility of the framework is then illustrated by simulations of non-linearly coupled flow and transport and of injection-driven deformation of fractures. All results can be reproduced by openly available simulation scripts.