bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maternal exposure to heparin products and risk of birth defects in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study
Authors: Howley Meredith M. , Fisher Sarah C. , Van Zutphen Alissa R. , Papadopoulos Eleni A. , Patel Jenil , Lin Angela E. , Browne Marilyn L. ,   the National Birth Defects Prevention Study
Published: August 2022

Background

Heparin and low‐molecular‐weight heparin are the preferred anticoagulants during pregnancy as they do not cross the placenta. Although research on the safety of heparin products has been reassuring, previous studies have considered birth defects as a single outcome or by larger organ system and have not examined associations with specific birth defects.

Methods

We analyzed data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a multisite, population‐based case–control study from 1997 to 2011. We used unconditional logistic regression with Firth's penalized likelihood to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and profile likelihood 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for defects with at least five exposed cases. For defects with 3–4 exposed cases, we estimated crude ORs and exact 95% CIs.

Results

Of the 42,743 women in our analysis, 117 (0.4%) case and 44 (0.4%) control mothers reported using a heparin product in early pregnancy. The adjusted ORs ranged from 0.9 to 3.9 and were elevated for anorectal atresia (OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 0.8–4.3), longitudinal limb deficiency (3.5, 1.3–7.8), transverse limb deficiency (1.8, 0.6–4.3), atrioventricular septal defect (3.9, 1.4–9.0), and secundum atrial septal defect (2.2, 1.2–3.8).

Conclusions

We observed elevated associations for some birth defects, although heparin is a rare exposure, which limited our ability to evaluate many associations. Future studies that can explore specific birth defects and adequately control for confounding by indication are needed. Given that women with an indication for heparin products during pregnancy often need to take medication, one must remain mindful of the underlying risk of a birth defect that exists regardless of medication use.
α‐Glucosidase Inhibitory Cycloartanes from the Vietnamese Combretum quadrangulare
Authors: Nguyen Huu‐Hung , Duong Thuc‐Huy , Truong Nguyen Huy , Vo Thanh‐Sang , Mai Dinh‐Tri , Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen , Bui Xuan‐Hao , Nguyen Ngoc‐Hong , Do Thi‐Hong‐Tuoi
Published: August 2022

Leaves of Combretum quadrangulare Kurz showed potent α‐glucosidase inhibition. Two new cycloartane‐type triterpenes, combretic acids D and E were isolated from the bioactive fraction. The chemical structures were determined using NMR and MS methods. Combretic acid D represents for the first cycloartane having a dihydrofuran ring in the side chain. Combretic acids D and E showed significant α‐glucosidase inhibition, with IC50 values of 13.9 and 30.7 μM, respectively. Combretic acid D was determined to be a non‐competitive type in the kinetic study. The docking study in combination with dynamic simulations of this compound provided the molecular understanding of α‐glucosidase inhibition.
About the Consideration of the Inactive Materials and the Meshing Procedures in Computational Models of Lithium Ion Battery Electrodes
Authors: Chouchane Mehdi , Franco Alejandro A.
Published: August 2022

Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) constitute a crucial technology in the ongoing energy transition. Still, the composite porous electrodes in LIBs remain complex systems which still need optimization to meet the requirements from the applications, e. g., high energy density for the automotive sector. To achieve well‐designed LIB electrodes, computational continuum modeling with three‐dimensional (3D) resolution constitutes a powerful tool to gain insights on the working principles of these electrodes. However, due to the complexity of the material properties and geometrical features within the electrodes, until mid‐2010’s such type of models had to make numerous assumptions, especially regarding the carbon additive and binder (all together standing for the so called inactive phase), that was not explicitly resolved in 3D. Recently, the battery modeling field has undergone tremendous progress which allowed the emergence of a new generation of models, more accurate and realistic than ever before. This review presents the latest developments through the prism of the consideration of the inactive phase in these models, and also provides recommendations on how to design modeling studies in order to minimize numerical errors originated by the meshing procedures of the materials and electrode volumes, a crucial step when a continuum model is set.
Discussing color representations and implicit assumptions in Schloss et al.'s (2020) study on conventional notions of color‐emotion associations
Authors: Jonauskaite Domicele , Mohr Christine
Published: August 2022

After controlling for lightness and chroma statistically or colorimetrically, Schloss et al. (2020, JOSA A) showed that yellow hues were not judged to be happier than blue hues. They concluded that high lightness and high chroma rather than yellow hue drive yellow‐happy associations. We agree with their main conclusions but wish to expand on two underdeveloped discussion themes: (i) the notion of experience versus concept, and (ii) implicit assumptions. Our commentary highlights the complexity of psychological studies on color‐affect associations, including possibilities of alternative data interpretations and directions for future studies.
Post‐mortem investigation into a death involving doping agents: The case of a body builder
Authors: Favretto Donata , Stocchero Giulia , Pertile Roberto , Stimamiglio Raffaella , Cirnelli Antonello , Galeazzi Maddalena
Published: August 2022

Introduction

A young male was found dead on the bed of a hotel room. He was expected to take part in a bodybuilding competition the day after. During the site inspection, drugs of different types were found. The next day, an autopsy was performed. The evidence of cardiomegaly with organ congestion involving lung, liver, kidneys, adrenal glands, spleen and brain was confirmed by both the autoptic and the histopathological exam. However, the cause of death needed to be investigated.

Methods

A thorough toxicological investigation was undertaken by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS), liquid chromatography‐high resolution mass spectrometry (LC‐HRMS) and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) on samples of urine, blood and hair.

Results and discussion

Clenbuterol, a long‐acting selective beta2 agonist, was found in both blood (1 ng/ml) and urine (1 ng/ml), and evidence of its use was provided by the analysis of the 3‐cm hair (25 pg/mg). The main metabolite of drostanolone (2 alpha‐methyl‐androsterone), an anabolic steroid, was found in the urine (202 ng/ml), where an increased ratio of testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E = 11) emerged. Due to the results of the hair analysis, a long‐term use of various anabolic steroids was supposed. The integrated analysis of the results and the absence of other possible causes (such as trauma or cardiac conduction anomalies) led to the identification of the abuse of doping substances as the underlying cause of death.

Conclusion

Hair analysis has proven to be crucial in identifying drug misuse and the contributing cause of death.
Temperature Stability of Li2TiO3‐Zn2SiO4 Microwave Dielectric Ceramics
Authors: Qi Cong , Wang Fanshuo , Lai Yuanming , Gong Weiping , Huang Fangyi , Li Baoyang , Yang Xizhi , Peng Rui , Wu Chongsheng , Su Hua
Published: August 2022

In this work, microstructure, composition, and microwave dielectric properties of nominal compositions (1‐x)Li2TiO3‐xZn2SiO4 (x=0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4), which were prepared by conventional solid‐state ceramic route, have been investigated. Li2TiO3 and Zn2SiO4 reacted to form Li2ZnSiO4 and Zn2Ti3O8, where Zn2Ti3O8 is formed during Zn2TiO4 cooling. The microwave dielectric properties of samples are mainly affected by the characteristics and relative content of crystal phase and densification. With the increase of x, the relative dielectric constant (ϵr) decreases gradually. The quality factor (Qf) value increases at first, reaches the maximum value at x=0.2, and then decreases. The temperature coefficient of resonance frequency (τf) value has a sharp decrease due to the increase of Li2ZnSiO4. A near zero τf of about −2.0 ppm/°C was obtained in 0.8Li2TiO3–0.2Zn2SiO4 ceramic sintered at 1150 °C for 4 h with ϵr value of 17.67, Qf value of 19,600 GHz. Thus, it could be a candidate for microwave devices.
Syntheses of 7‐, 8‐ and 9‐Bromobenzotropolone, Cross‐Couplings of Their Methyl Ethers, and Deprotection to 7‐, 8‐ or 9‐Substituted Benzotropolones
Authors: Koblischek Philip , Brückner Reinhard
Published: August 2022

Unprotected6,7‐benzotropolone and bromine were known to undergo an electrophilic substitution delivering the 7‐bromo derivative; it was carried on as its methyl ether.O‐Acetyl‐6,7‐benzotropolone added bromine at the C8=C9bond whereupon an amine‐induced E1cbelimination led to the 8‐brominated benzotropolone acetate; ester cleavage with aqueous acetic acid and etherification with diazomethane delivered the corresponding methyl ether.O‐Methylbenzotropolone was brominated withN‐bromosuccinimide giving the 9‐brominated methyl ether. The mentioned bromobenzotropolone methyl ethers underwent Pd‐catalyzed C−C and C−B couplings. They comprised Suzuki‐Miyaura couplings (with R−BF3K, R=Me, Bu, vinyl, Ph), Negishi couplings (with BuZnCl), Sonogashira couplings (with HC≡C−R, R=SiMe3, CH2OH, Ph, Bu), Mizoroki‐Heck reactions (with methyl acrylate, methyl vinyl ketone, styrene, 3‐buten‐2‐ol), a carbonylative coupling, and Suzuki‐Miyaura borylations (with B2Pin2). SubsequentO‐demethylations with BCl3succeeded in most cases; they furnished a library of 34O‐unprotected Br‐free benzotropolones, 31 of which were unknown before.
Assessment of emission and environmental parameters of different commercial high by‐pass turbofan engines throughout landing and take‐off cycle
Authors: Sheikhi Mohammad Rauf , Aygun Hakan
Published: August 2022

Achieving more eco‐friendly aircraft propulsion systems is of paramount importance in the aerospace industry since their exhaust emissions possess an important influence on the depletion of ozone layer. In this work, 24 turbofan engines having the close thrust ranging from 117 to 133 kN are examined using energetic, exergetic, and exergo‐environmental tools throughout the LTO cycle involving take‐off, climb‐out, approach, and taxi‐out phases. According to emission findings, the highest CO emission indexes (CO EIs) of the engines vary from 13.77 to 40.1 g/kg fuel in the idle phase; whereas the highest NOx EIs change from 18.4 to 64.36 g/kg fuel at take‐off phase. Moreover, the highest exergy efficiency (ExEFF) of the turbofan engines vary between 15.88% and 24.31% at the climb‐out phase whilst the lowest ExEFF change between 4.59% and 7.46% at the idle phase. Moreover, the idle phase is observed to have the highest wasted exergy ratio (WExR) varying from 18.5% to 19%; whereas the climb‐out phase enjoys the lowest WExR changing from 15.11% to 16.8%. As a new index, specific irreversibility production (SIP) of the engines is observed to range from 0.297 to 0.497 MW/kN at the taxi‐out phase; while SIP becomes the minimum at the climb‐out phase, changing from 0.138 to 0.269 MW/kN. It could be deduced that since by‐pass ratio and compressor pressure ratio of the engines have significant influences on exergetic and emission values, increasing the thrust of the engine does not mean raising its emission value or wasted exergy ratio. It is thought that this study helps find optimum design variables leading to the lowest environmental effect.
Friends, foes, or “frenemies”: Intercountry relations and cross‐border acquisitions
Authors: Bilgili Tsvetomira V. , Bilgili Hansin , Allen David G. , Loncarich Holly , Kedia Ben L. , Johnson Jonathan L.
Published: August 2022

Research Summary

We draw on the political institutions approach and relational embeddedness perspective to advance a relational theory of policy risk. We argue that policy risk negatively affects acquisition completion, but the strength of the effect is dependent on home‐host country relations. Home‐host country relations underpin host governments' motivation to commit to policies and influence foreign acquirers' perceptions of the credibility of such commitments. Using longitudinal event data on intercountry interactions, we measure the valence and strength of home‐host country relations and examine the relationship between policy risk and cross‐border acquisition (CBA) completion under cooperative, conflictive, and ambivalent relations. In a sample of 26,124 CBAs, we find that the relationship is negative and strong under conflictive relations, weaker under cooperative relations, and weakest under ambivalent relations.

Managerial Summary

We examine whether acquirers can use intercountry relations to infer and predict host governments' credibility of commitment to policies and evaluate the risk of arbitrary or opportunistic policy changes. Results show that policy risk decreases the likelihood of CBA completion, but the effect depends on home‐host country relations. The negative effect of policy risk is strongest under conflictive intercountry relations, weaker under cooperative relations, and weakest under ambivalent relations. Executives' evaluations of home‐host country relations in high policy risk environments can help assess the risk associated with completing CBAs and develop appropriate strategies to address potential issues.
Extrapolation of Adult Efficacy Data to Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Evaluating Similarities in Exposure–Response
Authors: Balevic Stephen J. , Niu Jing , Chen Jianmeng , Green Dionna , McMahon Ann , Hornik Christoph P. , Schanberg Laura E. , Glaser Rachel , Gonzalez Daniel , Burckart Gilbert J.
Published: August 2022

To streamline drug development, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can consider the extrapolation of adult efficacy data to children when the disease and drug effects are sufficiently similar. This study explored whether the relationship between drug exposure and response for selected drugs in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was sufficiently similar to support a consideration of the extrapolation of adult efficacy data to children of ≥5 years of age. An exposure–response analysis of drugs used to treat SLE was conducted using published exposure versus response and efficacy versus time data. Statistical analyses included noncompartmental analysis of a drug’s area under the effect curve and direct Imax pharmacodynamic (PD) modeling. Six drugs were included: azathioprine, belimumab, cyclophosphamide, hydroxychloroquine, mycophenolate/mycophenolic acid, and rituximab. For belimumab, the net change in responders at week 52 (the primary end point) was nearly identical between 1 adult trial and the pediatric trial. For mycophenolate, PD modeling suggested no significant differences in exposure and SLE disease activity between adults and children. For azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, hydroxychloroquine, and rituximab the data were not sufficient to quantitatively characterize the exposure–response relationship, but the clinical or pharmacologic response between children and adults was similar overall. Adult SLE data should be leveraged to guide pediatric drug development programs and identify areas with residual uncertainty regarding the effectiveness or safety of a drug in children. The degree to which efficacy extrapolation can reduce clinical trial requirements in pediatric SLE should be individualized for each new drug product, depending in part on the mechanism of action of the drug and the similarity of disease manifestations in children and adults.
Examining the role of wide excision margins in pediatric melanoma: A National Cancer Database analysis
Authors: Farrow Norma E. , Kim Jina , Wolf Steven , Thomas Samantha M. , Olson Lindsay , Mosca Paul J. , Beasley Georgia M. , Tracy Elisabeth T.
Published: August 2022

Background

Although adult guidelines are often applied to children, age‐specific surgical margins have not been defined for pediatric melanoma.

Procedure

Patients <20 years of age with invasive, cutaneous melanoma were identified using the 2004–2016 National Cancer Database and categorized as undergoing wide (>1 cm) or narrow (≤1 cm) excision. Unadjusted overall survival (OS) was compared using the Kaplan–Meier method and log‐rank test. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the effect of excision margin on OS after adjustment for available covariates.

Results

In total, 2081 patients met study criteria: 1338 (64.3%) patients underwent wide excision whereas 743 (35.7%) underwent narrow excision. Unadjusted OS was improved in the narrow‐excision group (log‐rank p = .01), which was consistent among patients with thicker (>1 mm) and thinner (≤1 mm) tumors. After adjustment for patient and tumor characteristics, we found no evidence of a difference in OS for patients who underwent narrow excision compared to patients who underwent wide excision (adjusted hazard ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.32–1.01, p = .053). There was no interaction between excision margin width and Breslow depth (p = .85), indicating that the effect of excision margin width on OS does not differ based on Breslow depth.

Conclusions

In this analysis, wide excision (>1 cm) does not appear to be associated with improved survival in children with melanoma regardless of tumor characteristics. Although further studies are needed to define optimal excision margins in pediatric melanoma, this study suggests that more narrow margins (≤1 cm) may be acceptable.
Creating a data commons: The INternational Soft Tissue SaRcoma ConsorTium (INSTRuCT)
Authors: Wyatt Kirk D. , Birz Suzi , Hawkins Douglas S. , Minard‐Colin Veronique , Rodeberg David A. , Sparber‐Sauer Monika , Bisogno Gianni , Koscielniak Ewa , De Salvo Gian Luca , Ebinger Martin , Merks Johannes H. M. , Wolden Suzanne L. , Xue Wei , Volchenboum Samuel L. ,   for the INternational Soft Tissue SaRcoma ConsorTium (INSTRuCT)
Published: August 2022

In this article, we will discuss the genesis, evolution, and progress of the INternational Soft Tissue SaRcoma ConsorTium (INSTRuCT), which aims to foster international research and collaboration focused on pediatric soft tissue sarcoma. We will begin by highlighting the current state of clinical research for pediatric soft tissue sarcomas, including rhabdomyosarcoma and non‐rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma. We will then explore challenges and research priorities, describe the development of INSTRuCT, and discuss how the consortium aims to address key research priorities.
Investigation and optimization of the tensile properties of nanocomposites based on polylactic acid/polyolefin elastomer: Using fuzzy inference system and particle swarm optimization method
Authors: Daneshpayeh Sajjad , Ashenai Ghasemi Faramarz , Panahizadeh Valioallah , Ghasemi Ismail
Published: August 2022

In this paper, tensile properties of polylactic acid/polyolefin elastomer/multiwall carbon nanotubes/carbon black particles (PLA/POE/MWCNT/CB) nanocomposites were investigated. Nanocomposites, including each nano‐filler at 0, 0.5,1, 1.5, 2, and 3 wt% levels were made by an internal mixer. Tensile tests were carried out to extract the tensile properties of samples. Field emission electron microscopy (FESEM) was also performed to observe the dispersion quality of nano‐fillers in the matrix. FESEM images indicate a proper dispersion of all loadings of nanotubes in the matrix, in contrast the presence of more than 2 wt% of carbon black into the matrix is associated with their agglomeration. Based on the tensile tests, the separate and simultaneous addition of nano‐fillers into binary matrix leads to an increase in strength, modulus, and elongation by 72%, 30%, and 22%, respectively. Furthermore, predicted data from the rules section of the fuzzy inference system (FIS) method with the lowest error led to extracting regression models with R2 above 90% for all responses. Finally, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method showed that to achieve balancing between the strength and elongation at break the nano‐fillers must be set at 0.64 wt% for nanotubes and 0.94 wt% for carbon black particles.
Valuating requirements arguments in the online user's forum for requirements decision‐making: The CrowdRE‐VArg framework
Authors: Khan Javed Ali , Yasin Affan , Fatima Rubia , Vasan Danish , Khan Arif Ali , Khan Abdul Wahid
Published: August 2022

User forums enable a large population of crowd‐users to publicly share their experience, useful thoughts, and concerns about the software applications in the form of user reviews. Recent research studies have revealed that end‐user reviews contain rich and pivotal sources of information for the software vendors and developers that can help undertake software evolution and maintenance tasks. However, such user‐generated information is often fragmented, with multiple viewpoints from various stakeholders involved in the ongoing discussions in the Reddit forum. In this article, we proposed a crowd‐based requirements engineering by valuation argumentation (CrowdRE‐VArg) approach that analyzes the end‐users discussion in the Reddit forum and identifies conflict‐free new features, design alternatives, or issues, and reach a rationale‐based requirements decision by gradually valuating the relative strength of their supporting and attacking arguments. The proposed approach helps to negotiate the conflict over the new features or issues between the different crowd‐users on the run by finding a settlement that satisfies the involved crowd‐users in the ongoing discussion in the Reddit forum using argumentation theory. For this purpose, we adopted the bipolar gradual valuation argumentation framework, extended from the abstract argumentation framework and abstract valuation framework. The automated CrowdRE‐VArg approach is illustrated through a sample crowd‐users conversation topic adopted from the Reddit forum about Google Map mobile application. Finally, we applied natural language processing and different machine learning algorithms to support the automated execution of the CrowdRE‐VArg approach. The results demonstrate that the proposed CrowdRE‐VArg approach works as a proof‐of‐concept and automatically identifies prioritized requirements‐related information for software engineers.
DEPO: A dynamic energy‐performance optimizer tool for automatic power capping for energy efficient high‐performance computing
Authors: Krzywaniak Adam , Czarnul Paweł , Proficz Jerzy
Published: August 2022

In the article we propose an automatic power capping software tool DEPO that allows one to perform runtime optimization of performance and energy related metrics. For an assumed application model with an initialization phase followed by a running phase with uniform compute and memory intensity, the tool performs automatic tuning engaging one of the two exploration algorithms—linear search (LS) and golden section search (GSS), finds a power cap optimizing a given metric and sets it for the remaining computations. The considered metrics include energy (E), energy‐delay sum, energy‐delay product. We present experimental results obtained for a set of benchmarks that differ in compute and memory intensity—parallel custom built OpenMP implementations of: numerical integration, heat distribution simulation (HEAT), fast Fourier transform (FFT), and additionally NAS parallel benchmarks: CG, MG, BT, SP, and LU. Tests were performed using multi‐core CPUs that are representatives of modern servers and the desktop family: 2 Intel Xeon E5‐2670 v3 CPU (Haswell‐EP) and Intel i7‐9700K CPU (Coffee Lake). The results show that our approach enabled considerable improvements for the tested metrics, for example, for HEAT and Coffee Lake we minimized energy by 50% at the cost of a 15% increase in execution time (LS), for FFT energy was minimized by 40% at a 25.5% increase in execution time (GSS), for SP and Haswell energy was minimized by 25% at the cost of an 18.5% time increase and for Coffee Lake energy was decreased by 56% with a 12% time increase.
Introduction: Baltic Hospitality, 1000–1900
Authors: Jezierski Wojtek , Nauman Sari , Reimann Christina , Runefelt Leif
Published: August 2022

The introductory chapter presents the thematic, geographical, and chronological scope of the volume and explicates its guiding questions and conceptual framework. Our focus is on the Baltic Sea region, considered as a multi-layered space of intercultural encounter and conflict and its specific legacy of hospitality. In terms of guiding concepts for the empirical chapters, this introduction combines issues of host–guest relations with the problems of securitization. It is our contention that hospitality in Baltic migration contexts, from the turn of the first millennium until the twentieth century and beyond, triggered security issues both on the part of arriving strangers and receiving host communities. Why and how were multifarious categories of guests and strangers—migrants, war refugees, prisoners of war, merchants, missionaries, vagrants, vagabonds, etc.—portrayed as threats to local populations or as objects of their charity? Under what circumstances did hospitality turn into hostility? How was hospitality practiced and contained spatially? By focusing predominantly on coastal contexts as spaces for meetings and confrontations, we decouple the study of hospitality and migration from state-centered methodology. Instead, we offer a close-up view on hospitality dilemmas and practices of dealing with arriving guests and strangers, which we consider in transhistorical perspective. These conceptual themes and problems are fleshed out in the presentation of the individual chapters.
Hospitality and Rejection: Peddlers and Host Communities in the Northern Baltic, 1850–1920
Authors: Sundelin Anna , Wassholm Johanna
Published: August 2022

This chapter examines the ambivalent relations between peddlers and hosts in the Northern Baltic in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In this period of modernization and growing consumption, peddlers played an important role for the distribution of consumer goods in the vast and sparsely populated region. Using the concepts of hospitality and securitization as analytical tools, the article focuses on the threats that peddlers were perceived to pose, the ambiguous relations between mobile traders and their sedentary hosts, and the ambivalent encounters around the goods that the peddlers carried. The sources consist of Finnish and Swedish newspapers, accessed through digital newspaper archives, and the responses to three ethnographic questionnaires. While both material types pose source critical challenges, the article illustrates how the conclusions that can be drawn on hospitality and rejection depend on which types of sources are studied and on the voice of which group in the host community they represent. The situational and relational character of hospitality is reflected in how the four groups of peddlers analyzed—knallar, “Rucksack Russians,” Eastern European Jews and Tatars—were received on a graded scale stretching from warm hospitality to extreme rejection.
Microbial sophorolipids inhibit colorectal tumour cell growth in vitro and restore haematocrit in Apcmin+/− mice
Authors: Callaghan Breedge , Twigg Matthew S. , Baccile Niki , Van Bogaert Inge N. A. , Marchant Roger , Mitchell Christopher A. , Banat Ibrahim M.
Published: August 2022

Sophorolipids are glycolipid biosurfactants consisting of a carbohydrate sophorose head with a fatty acid tail and exist in either an acidic or lactonic form. Sophorolipids are gaining interest as potential cancer chemotherapeutics due to their inhibitory effects on a range of tumour cell lines. Currently, most anti-cancer studies reporting the effects of sophorolipids have focused on lactonic preparations with the effects of acidic sophorolipids yet to be elucidated. We produced a 94% pure acidic sophorolipid preparation which proved to be non-toxic to normal human colonic and lung cells. In contrast, we observed a dose-dependent reduction in viability of colorectal cancer lines treated with the same preparation. Acidic sophorolipids induced apoptosis and necrosis, reduced migration, and inhibited colony formation in all cancer cell lines tested. Furthermore, oral administration of 50 mg kg−1 acidic sophorolipids over 70 days to Apcmin+/− mice was well tolerated and resulted in an increased haematocrit, as well as reducing splenic size and red pulp area. Oral feeding did not affect tumour numbers or sizes in this model. This is the first study to show that acidic sophorolipids dose-dependently and specifically reduces colon cancer cell viability in addition to reducing tumour-associated bleeding in the Apcmin+/− mouse model.

Key points

• Acidic sophorolipids are produced by yeast species such as Starmerella bombicola.

• Acidic sophorolipids selectively killed colorectal cells with no effect on healthy gut epithelia.

• Acidic sophorolipids reduced tumour-associated gut bleed in a colorectal mouse model.

Graphical abstract
Reassessing the polyphase Neoproterozoic evolution of the Punta del Este Terrane, Dom Feliciano Belt, Uruguay
Authors: Silva Lara Hernan , Siegesmund S. , Oriolo S. , Hueck M. , Wemmer K. , Basei M. A. S. , Oyhantçabal P.
Published: August 2022

Some recent models challenge the position and extension of the assumed oceanic basins formed through the break-up of Rodinia, and the tectonic processes involved in the Gondwana assembly, making the investigation of the Early Neoproterozoic record of great relevance. Within the South-American Atlantic margin, the Punta del Este Terrane (PET) of the Dom Feliciano Belt (DFB) comprises a unique Tonian to Ediacaran record, and has a strategic position to reconstruct spatio-temporal relationships with the southern African orogenic belts. Novel zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf data from the PET basement orthogneisses display Tonian magmatic ages (805–760 Ma) and Hf isotopic signatures indicative of mainly crustal/metasedimentary sources, (Nd TDM ages: 2.2–1.9 Ga, and εHf(t): − 12 to − 4). The basement paragneisses yielded late Paleoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic U–Pb ages, but dominantly positive εHf(t) values. The presented results confirm the correlation of the PET with the Coastal Terrane of the Kaoko Belt, and discard the idea of the Nico Pérez Terrane as a source. Detrital zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf data from the Rocha Formation yielded a main peak at ca. 660 Ma, with the Neoproterozoic grains showing a εHf(t) between + 1 and + 14. The deposition age of the Rocha Formation is constrained by the youngest detrital zircon age peak (660 Ma), and the beginning of the deposition of the Sierra de Aguirre Formation (580 Ma). The data indicate common sources with the Marmora Terrane, and it is thus proposed that the Rocha Formation belongs to the Gariep Belt, and it was juxtaposed during the Ediacaran to the DFB.
Probabilistic prediction of rock avalanche runout using a numerical model
Authors: Aaron Jordan , McDougall Scott , Kowalski Julia , Mitchell Andrew , Nolde Natalia
Published: August 2022

Rock avalanches can be a significant hazard to communities located in mountainous areas. Probabilistic predictions of the 3D impact area of these events are crucial for assessing rock avalanche risk. Semi-empirical, calibration-based numerical runout models are one tool that can be used to make these predictions. When doing so, uncertainties resulting from both noisy calibration data and uncertain governing movement mechanism(s) must be accounted for. In this paper, a back-analysis of a database of 31 rock avalanche case histories is used to assess both of these sources of uncertainty. It is found that forecasting results are dominated by uncertainties associated with the bulk basal resistance of the path material. A method to account for both calibration and mechanistic uncertainty is provided, and this method is evaluated using pseudo-forecasts of two case histories. These pseudo-forecasts show that inclusion of expert judgement when assessing the bulk basal resistance along the path can reduce mechanistic uncertainty and result in more precise predictions of rock avalanche runout.
Electrographic flow mapping for atrial fibrillation: theoretical basis and preliminary observations
Authors: Haines David E. , Kong Melissa H. , Ruppersberg Peter , Haeusser Philip , Avitall Boaz , Szili-Torok Tamas , Verma Atul
Published: August 2022

Ablation strategies remain poorly defined for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with recurrence despite intact pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). As the ability to perform durable PVI improves, the need for advanced mapping to identify extra-PV sources of AF becomes increasingly evident. Multiple mapping technologies attempt to localize these self-sustained triggers and/or drivers responsible for initiating and/or maintaining AF; however, current approaches suffer from technical limitations. Electrographic flow (EGF) mapping is a novel mapping method based on well-established principles of optical flow and fluid dynamics. It enables the full spatiotemporal reconstruction of organized wavefront propagation within the otherwise chaotic and disorganized electrical conduction of AF. Given the novelty of EGF mapping and relative unfamiliarity of most clinical electrophysiologists with the mathematical principles powering the EGF algorithm, this paper provides an in-depth explanation of the technical/mathematical foundations of EGF mapping and demonstrates clinical applications of EGF mapping data and analyses.

Graphical abstract

Starting with a 64-electrode basket catheter, unipolar EGMs are recorded and processed using an algorithm to visualize the electrographic flow and highlight the location of high prevalence AF “source” activity. The AF sources are agnostic to the specific mechanisms of source signal generation.
Compact Sets in Petals and Their Backward Orbits Under Semigroups of Holomorphic Functions
Authors: Kourou Maria , Zarvalis Konstantinos
Published: August 2022

Let (ϕt)t≥ 0 be a semigroup of holomorphic functions in the unit disk $\mathbb {D}$
D
and K a compact subset of $\mathbb {D}$
D
. We investigate the conditions under which the backward orbit of K under the semigroup exists. Subsequently, the geometric characteristics, as well as, potential theoretic quantities for the backward orbit of K are examined. More specifically, results are obtained concerning the asymptotic behavior of its hyperbolic area and diameter, the harmonic measure and the capacity of the condenser that K forms with the unit disk.
Micromechanical Fields Associated with Irregular Deformation Twins in Magnesium
Authors: Leu Brandon , Kumar M. Arul , Rottmann Paul F. , Hemker Kevin J. , Beyerlein Irene J.
Published: August 2022

Understanding and controlling the development of deformation twins is paramount for engineering strong and stable hexagonal close-packed (HCP) Mg alloys. Actual twins are often irregular in boundary morphology and twin crystallography, deviating from the classical picture commonly used in theory and simulation. In this work, the elastic strains and stresses around irregular twins are examined both experimentally and computationally to gain insight into how twins develop and the microstructural features that influence their development. A nanoprecession electron diffraction (N-PED) technique is used to measure the elastic strains within and around a $$\left\{ {10\overline{1}2} \right\}$$

10

1
¯

2

tensile twin in AZ31B Mg alloy with nm scale resolution. A full-field elasto-viscoplastic fast Fourier transform (EVP-FFT) crystal plasticity model of the same sub-grain and irregular twin structure is employed to understand and interpret the measured elastic strain fields. The calculations predict spatially resolved elastic strain fields in good agreement with the measurement, as well as all the stress components and the dislocation density fields generated by the twin, which are not easily obtainable from the experiment. The model calculations find that neighboring twins, several twin thicknesses apart, have little influence on the twin-tip micromechanical fields. Furthermore, this work reveals that irregularity in the twin-tip shape has a negligible effect on the development of the elastic strains around and inside the twin. Importantly, the major contributor to these micromechanical fields is the alignment of the twinning shear direction with the twin boundary.
An experimental study to evaluate the efficiency of silicate drilling fluids on the stabilization of shale layers
Authors: Fan Jiawei , Ebadati Amirhossein , Metwally Ahmed Sayed M.
Published: August 2022

Regarding the increasing production from unconventional reservoirs, especially shale reservoirs, it is essential to determine appropriate drilling fluid in drilling operations to have maximum efficiency. Selective performance of drilling fluids may increase the formation penetration rate and increase the drilling efficiency. This paper compares the three types of drilling fluids to compare their rheological properties and provide the best drilling fluid composition for shale stabilization. This paper can bring reliable experimental results for petroleum industries, especially drilling operations, to reduce the formation damage and shale instabilities in subsurface formations. To perform the tests under the same conditions, the formulation of all samples is the same in terms of both utilized polymers to determine the effect of other compositions in selected drilling fluids. For the silicate drilling fluid, since silicates perform well at higher pH (potential of hydrogen), the pH of the silicate drilling fluid is increased to 11 by the addition of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The lowest decrease in fluid viscosity is related to silicate fluids, indicating the more excellent thermal stability of these types of drilling fluid than glycol and potassium chloride (KCl). Plastic viscosity (PV) is about 20 cP for silicate drilling fluids, while it has the minimum value for glycol drilling fluids after heating. It is about 7.5 cP. Apparent viscosity (AV) is about 23 cP for silicate drilling fluids, while it has the minimum value for glycol drilling fluids after heating. It is about 11 cP. The yield point (YP) before heating is almost the same for different fluids, but after heating the drilling fluids, the reflux point for silicate and glycol drilling fluids is significantly reduced. The yield point is about 6.5 Ib/100ft2 for silicate drilling fluids, while it has the maximum value for glycol drilling fluids after heating. It is about 8 Ib/100ft2.
Sharing Economy: Challenges for the Labor Market and the Labor Law in China and Globally
Authors: Zhang Chenguo
Published: August 2022

The sharing economy has had a substantial impact on the labor market and created challenges for companies in traditional industry and businesses. In conducting micro-comparative research on the existing standards that test the employment relationship between Uber and Uber drivers, this study reveals how different traditional labor law dogmas deal with the conundrum brought about by the sharing economy. The test of personal dependence derived from German labor law has been a model for China, Japan, and other civil law countries as the main standard to identify an employee. This test encounters a failure in the context of the sharing economy. Unlike China, the latest court decisions in the jurisdictions of the UK, the EU, and the US tend to increasingly categorize Uber drivers as employees. This study proposes that a new test or standard in labor law should be developed ‘bottom-up’ through the increasingly consistent development of local court decisions and local regulators’ efforts. A category that lies midway between the employee and the semi-employee is proposed for Uber drivers and other workers intermediated by sharing firms. The sharing firms (platforms), rather than individual workers, would have the ability to undertake the social cost and economic burden incurred when they are categorized as employers in labor law. Only these platforms can invoke their technological and organizational power to reasonably allocate such costs and burdens.
Leopard Panthera pardus camera trap surveys in the arid environments of northern Namibia
Authors: Portas Ruben , Wachter Bettina , Beytell Piet , Uiseb Kenneth H. , Melzheimer Joerg , Edwards Sarah
Published: August 2022

In Namibia, leopards (Panthera pardus) are widely distributed, used commercially as trophy animals and are often persecuted for perceived or real predation on livestock and valuable game species outside protected areas. Therefore, leopard populations living in protected areas might be important source populations and for maintaining connectivity. Little data on their population sizes and densities﻿ are available from the northern part of the country, particularly from protected areas. Here, we estimated leopard densities using a spatial capture–recapture approach in northern Namibia: (i) the Khaudum National Park (KNP) in north-east Namibia with an annual average rainfall of 450 mm and (ii) the Lower Hoanib River (LHR) in north-west Namibia with an annual average rainfall of 25 mm. With an effort of 2430 and 2074 camera trap nights in the KNP and LHR, respectively, 11 adult female and six adult male leopards were identified in the KNP, whilst only one adult female leopard was detected once in the LHR. For the KNP, a maximum likelihood approach (using the package SECR) revealed a density estimate of 2.74 leopards/100 km2, whereas a Bayesian approach (using the package SPACECAP) revealed a density estimate of 1.83 leopards/100 km2. For the LHR, no density estimate could be determined and it is suggested that the leopard density in such an arid environment is low. These are the first leopard density estimates based on camera trap surveys provided for these protected areas and thus of importance for further monitoring programs to understand leopard population dynamics. We discuss our findings with current habitat changes and conservation measures in both study areas.
Production technology, efficiency, and productivity of cereal farms: Prospects for enhancing farm performance in Ghana
Authors: Tsiboe Francis , Asravor Jacob , Owusu Victor , Mensah-Bonsu Akwasi
Published: August 2022

Over the past three decades, the cereal subsector in Ghana has contributed immensely to food security in the country. However, limited evidence exists on the production performance of this subsector, particularly in terms of heterogeneities across agro-ecological zones. This paper analyzes the production technology and performance of the cereal subsector in Ghana using a nationally representative data set from 26,449 cereal farms and the meta-stochastic frontier approach. The empirical results suggest that the estimated factor inputs contribute substantially to cereal output, with land and seed exerting the highest impacts across all agro-ecological zones. The evidence further shows that the agro-ecology of cereal farms plays a crucial role in the performance of the subsector. The mean technical efficiency estimates strongly suggest that cereal farms in all agro-ecologies exhibit some degrees of production inefficiency. The findings further reveal total output from the meta-frontier to be much superior to those generated by cereal farms in all agro-ecologies of Ghana, indicating the existence of opportunities for cereal output gains in all agro-ecologies. We find heterogeneities in farm management practices and production technology across the various crops and agro-ecological zones to be relevant sources for cereal productivity growth in Ghana.
Race in Security
Authors: Ramji-Nogales Jaya
Published: August 2022

In “Making Sense of Security,” J. Benton Heath pushes the reader to tangle with two unresolved foundational questions about the use of security in international law: who decides questions of security, and on what grounds.1 This essay examines the role of race in both of those questions, identifying structures and mechanisms of racial subordination that must be surfaced to fully make sense of security.2 In particular, it foregrounds the tension between reformist reforms and abolitionist reforms to which Heath makes reference. By rendering visible the historical and contemporary work performed by white supremacy in security, this essay seeks to elucidate and problematize that dilemma. Rather than retaining the exclusionary security frame, a turn to solidarity offers the possibility of a more inclusive approach to international law that creates connection based on our shared humanity.
How does two-way coupling modify particle settling and the role of multiscale preferential sweeping?
Authors: Tom Josin , Carbone Maurizio , Bragg Andrew D.
Published: August 2022

For one-way coupled (1WC) flows, Tom & Bragg (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 871, 2019, pp. 244–270) advanced the analysis of Maxey (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 174, 1987, pp. 441–465), which applied to weakly inertial particles, to particles of arbitrary inertia, and the new theoretical result revealed the role that different scales play in the preferential sweeping mechanism that leads to enhanced particle settling in turbulent flows. Monchaux & Dejoan (Phys. Rev. Fluids, vol. 2, 2017, 104302) showed using direct numerical simulations that, while for low particle loading the effect of two-way coupling (2WC) on the global flow statistics is weak, 2WC enables the particles to drag the fluid in their vicinity down with them, significantly enhancing their settling, and they argued that 2WC suppresses the preferential sweeping mechanism. We explore this further by considering the impact of 2WC on the contribution made by eddies of different sizes on the particle settling. In agreement with Monchaux & Dejoan, we show that even for low loading, 2WC strongly enhances particle settling, and we show how 2WC modifies the contribution from different flow scales. However, contrary to their study, we show that preferential sweeping remains important in 2WC flows. In particular, for both 1WC and 2WC flows, the settling enhancement due to turbulence is dominated by contributions from particles in straining regions of the flow, but for the 2WC case, the particles in these regions also drag the fluid down with them, leading to an enhancement of their settling compared with the 1WC case.
Liquidation, Bailout, and Bail-In: Insolvency Resolution Mechanisms and Bank Lending
Authors: Lambrecht Bart M. , Tse Alex S. L.
Published: August 2022

We present a dynamic, continuous-time model in which risk averse inside equityholders set a bank’s lending, payout, and financing policies, and the exposure of bank assets to crashes. We examine whether bailouts encourage excessive lending and risk taking compared to liquidation or bail-ins with debt-to-equity conversion or debt write-downs. The effects of the prevailing insolvency resolution mechanism (IRM) on the probability of insolvency, loss in default, and the bank’s value suggest no single IRM is a panacea. We show how a bailout fund financed through a tax on bank dividends resolves bailouts without public money and without distorting insiders’ incentives.
Discounting Restricted Securities
Authors: Umar Tarik , Yimfor Emmanuel , Zufarov Rustam
Published: August 2022

We examine the costs of trading restrictions by exploiting an SEC rule change eliminating an approximately 80-day restriction period in private placements for small issuers. Using a difference-in-differences specification, we find that the restriction is binding, as dollar volume increases 19 percentage points vis-à-vis proceeds, and costly, as offering discounts fall by 8 percentage points. Discounts fall more for issuers with higher information asymmetry or longer restriction periods. We account for endogenous responses to the rule change. Overall, our findings suggest that trading restrictions are costly and have large effects on firms’ cost of capital.