bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How do bidirectional migration and multinational business networks affect Japanese international royalty and license revenues?
Authors: Tomohara Akinori
Published: December 2020

This study uses bilateral data on Japan and OECD member countries to examine whether migration networks and multinational business networks promote intellectual property trade. The dynamic panel data analyses are distinct in that they comprehensively examine various network effects by integrating two branches of globalization topics: trade–migration relationships and trade–foreign direct investment (FDI) relationships. The results show that international royalty and license revenues are positively related with immigrants residing in Japan, but that networks created through Japanese emigrants, FDI inflows to Japan and Japanese direct investment abroad do not display significant relationships. The results imply that either some network effects do not exist, or that they do exist but are offset by other effects.
Thermal sensitivity of Bullfrog's immune response kept at different temperatures
Authors: Lima Alan S. , Ferreira Letícia de F. , Silva Diego P. , Gomes Fernando R. , Titon Stefanny C. M.
Published: December 2020

Climate change and emerging infectious diseases are often described as the main factors associated with the worldwide amphibian population decline. In this context, rising temperatures due to global warming might act as a chronic stressor for many amphibians, leading to immunosuppression. This study aimed to characterize the thermal sensitivity of the Bullfrog's (Lithobates catesbeianus) immune response and the effect of acclimation at different temperatures on it. Plasma bacterial killing ability (BKA) and phagocytosis activity of blood leukocytes were measured at different incubation temperatures (5–40°C) in individuals kept at 28°C and 34°C. First, all individuals were held under 28°C and sampled on the 16th day. Subsequently, one group was kept at 28°, and the other one was transferred to 34°C. Both groups were sampled at 83 and 106 days of maintenance. Plasma corticosterone (CORT) and testosterone (T) were assessed to evidence thermal stress and possible endocrine correlates of immune changes over time. The incubation temperature affected BKA both on animals kept at 28°C and 34°C, with maximum values at lower temperatures (5–20°C). Phagocytosis activity was constant over the range of assay temperatures. Immune and endocrine variables decreased over time in both thermal regimes, but frogs maintained at 34°C showed lower T and immunosuppression, evidencing stress response. Therefore, exposure to high temperatures might decrease immune function in bullfrogs due to chronic stress response and by exposition to temperatures of lower performance according to the thermal sensitivity curve, which might increase vulnerability to diseases in this anuran species.
A variable time‐step method for a space fractional diffusion moving boundary problem: An application to planar drug release devices
Authors: Garshasbi Morteza , Sanaei Forough
Published: December 2020

In this article, we consider an anomalous diffusion model in a planar polymeric matrix as a space fractional diffusion problem with moving boundary conditions. An iterative implicit finite difference method with variable time‐steps is established to solve the proposed problem. The stability and consistency of the numerical method are proved and the estimation of the numerical error is conducted. The numerical results are compared with the scale‐invariant and homotopy perturbation solutions when the diffusion coefficient is a constant. Furthermore, the numerical results for a test case with time‐dependent diffusion coefficient are reported.
Sub‐10‐fs Timing for Ultrafast Electron Diffraction with THz‐Driven Streak Camera
Authors: Shin Junho , Kim Hyun Woo , Baek In Hyung , Park Sunjeong , Bark Hyeon Sang , Oang Key Young , Jang Kyu‐Ha , Lee Kitae , Rotermund Fabian , Jeong Young Uk , Kim Jungwon
Published: December 2020

Ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) has evolved to be a powerful tool for the study of structural dynamics with subpicosecond temporal resolution and subatomic spatial resolution. Recently, there have been intense research efforts toward femtosecond timing jitter and stability for improving the temporal resolution of UEDs, however, so far there has been no work showing long‐term (e.g., >1 h) stable timing for MeV‐level UED systems. In this article, a comprehensive timing synchronization method, based on optical‐radiofrequency synchronization and THz streaking, is demonstrated to maintain sub‐10‐fs long‐term timing stability for radiofrequency‐gun‐based MeV‐level UED, which results in 5.5 fs root‐mean‐square timing drift maintained over 4600 s. With high electron energy and low timing drift, the demonstrated capability is an important step toward studying ultrafast phenomena in samples with low scattering power, such as volatile gases and 2D materials.
Drug design targeting active posttranslational modification protein isoforms
Authors: Meng Fanwang , Liang Zhongjie , Zhao Kehao , Luo Cheng
Published: December 2020

Modern drug design aims to discover novel lead compounds with attractable chemical profiles to enable further exploration of the intersection of chemical space and biological space. Identification of small molecules with good ligand efficiency, high activity, and selectivity is crucial toward developing effective and safe drugs. However, the intersection is one of the most challenging tasks in the pharmaceutical industry, as chemical space is almost infinity and continuous, whereas the biological space is very limited and discrete. This bottleneck potentially limits the discovery of molecules with desirable properties for lead optimization. Herein, we present a new direction leveraging posttranslational modification (PTM) protein isoforms target space to inspire drug design termed as “Post‐translational Modification Inspired Drug Design (PTMI‐DD).” PTMI‐DD aims to extend the intersections of chemical space and biological space. We further rationalized and highlighted the importance of PTM protein isoforms and their roles in various diseases and biological functions. We then laid out a few directions to elaborate the PTMI‐DD in drug design including discovering covalent binding inhibitors mimicking PTMs, targeting PTM protein isoforms with distinctive binding sites from that of wild‐type counterpart, targeting protein‐protein interactions involving PTMs, and hijacking protein degeneration by ubiquitination for PTM protein isoforms. These directions will lead to a significant expansion of the biological space and/or increase the tractability of compounds, primarily due to precisely targeting PTM protein isoforms or complexes which are highly relevant to biological functions. Importantly, this new avenue will further enrich the personalized treatment opportunity through precision medicine targeting PTM isoforms.
Doubly degenerate diffuse interface models of surface diffusion
Authors: Salvalaglio Marco , Voigt Axel , Wise Steven M.
Published: December 2020

We discuss two doubly degenerate Cahn–Hilliard (DDCH) models for isotropic surface diffusion. Degeneracy is introduced in both the mobility function and a restriction function associated to the chemical potential. Our computational results suggest that the restriction functions yield more accurate approximations of surface diffusion. We consider a slight generalization of a model that has appeared before, which is non‐variational, meaning there is no clear energy that is dissipated along the solution trajectories. We also introduce a new variational and, more precisely, energy dissipative model, which can be related to the generalized non‐variational model. For both models, we use formal matched asymptotics to show the convergence to the sharp‐interface limit of surface diffusion.
On a fractional Rayleigh–Stokes equation driven by fractional Brownian motion
Authors: Tuan Nguyen Huy , Tri Vo Viet , Singh Jagdev , Thach Tran Ngoc
Published: December 2020

In this work, a stochastic Rayleigh–Stokes equation driven by fractional Brownian motion is considered in both cases
and
. The existence and uniqueness of mild solution in each case are established separately by applying a standard method that is Banach fixed point theorem. The required results are obtained by stochastic analysis techniques, fractional calculus. In addition, the regularity results of mild solution for this problem is investigated.
Blow‐up solutions to nonlinear parabolic equations with non‐autonomous reactions under the mixed boundary conditions
Authors: Chung Soon‐Yeong , Hwang Jaeho
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we study blow‐up solutions to nonlinear parabolic equations

under the mixed boundary conditions. In order to obtain blow‐up solutions, we introduce new conditions as follows:

for some constants α and γ with α > 2, where λ0 is the first eigenvalue for the Laplace operator,
, and
. In fact, the condition (Cρ 1) depends on the domain and the boundary condition because of the first eigenvalue λ0. Also, we provide examples which demonstrate the main results.
Toward data‐efficient learning: A benchmark for COVID‐19 CT lung and infection segmentation
Authors: Ma Jun , Wang Yixin , An Xingle , Ge Cheng , Yu Ziqi , Chen Jianan , Zhu Qiongjie , Dong Guoqiang , He Jian , He Zhiqiang , Cao Tianjia , Zhu Yuntao , Nie Ziwei , Yang Xiaoping
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Accurate segmentation of lung and infection in COVID‐19 computed tomography (CT) scans plays an important role in the quantitative management of patients. Most of the existing studies are based on large and private annotated datasets that are impractical to obtain from a single institution, especially when radiologists are busy fighting the coronavirus disease. Furthermore, it is hard to compare current COVID‐19 CT segmentation methods as they are developed on different datasets, trained in different settings, and evaluated with different metrics.

Methods

To promote the development of data‐efficient deep learning methods, in this paper, we built three benchmarks for lung and infection segmentation based on 70 annotated COVID‐19 cases, which contain current active research areas, for example, few‐shot learning, domain generalization, and knowledge transfer. For a fair comparison among different segmentation methods, we also provide standard training, validation and testing splits, evaluation metrics and, the corresponding code.

Results

Based on the state‐of‐the‐art network, we provide more than 40 pretrained baseline models, which not only serve as out‐of‐the‐box segmentation tools but also save computational time for researchers who are interested in COVID‐19 lung and infection segmentation. We achieve average dice similarity coefficient (DSC) scores of 97.3%, 97.7%, and 67.3% and average normalized surface dice (NSD) scores of 90.6%, 91.4%, and 70.0% for left lung, right lung, and infection, respectively.

Conclusions

To the best of our knowledge, this work presents the first data‐efficient learning benchmark for medical image segmentation, and the largest number of pretrained models up to now. All these resources are publicly available, and our work lays the foundation for promoting the development of deep learning methods for efficient COVID‐19 CT segmentation with limited data.
Psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the clinical learning environment comparison survey
Authors: Olaussen Camilla , Jelsness‐Jørgensen Lars‐Petter , Tvedt Christine Raaen , Hofoss Dag , Aase Ingunn , Steindal Simen A.
Published: December 2020

Aim

To translate The Clinical Learning Environment Comparison Survey (CLECS) into Norwegian and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Norwegian version.

Design

A cross‐sectional survey including a longitudinal component.

Methods

The CLECS was translated into Norwegian following the World Health Organization guidelines, including forward translation, expert panel, back‐translation, pre‐testing and cognitive interviewing. Nursing students at a Norwegian university college were invited to participate in the study (psychometrical testing) based on informed consent. Reliability and validity of the translated version of CLECS were investigated using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), Cronbach's alpha and test–retest analysis.

Results

A total of 122 nursing students completed the questionnaire and Cronbach alphas for the CLECS subscales ranged from 0.69 to 0.89. CFA goodness‐of‐fit indices (χ2/df = 1.409, CFI = 0.915, RMSEA = 0.058) showed acceptable model fit. Test–retest ICC ranged from 0.55 to 0.75, except for two subscales with values below 0.5
Retinoblastoma management in 13q deletion syndrome patients using super‐selective chemotherapies and other cancer‐directed interventions
Authors: Cobbs Lucy V. , Francis Jasmine H. , Dunkel Ira J. , Gobin Y. Pierre , Brodie Scott E. , Abramson David H.
Published: December 2020

Background

This study aimed to identify best practices for treating 13q deletion syndrome (13q−) patients with retinoblastoma in the era of super‐selective ophthalmic artery chemosurgery (OAC) and intravitreal injection therapy (IVIT).

Methods

Retrospective study of 21 eyes from 14 patients with retinoblastoma and 13q− who were treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) between May 2006 and May 2020, with a mean follow up of 3.7 years. Ocular survival, patient survival, and treatment toxicities were assessed.

Results

Nine of the 12 eyes that underwent OAC/IVIT at MSKCC have been progression free for at least 1 year since their last treatments. Fifteen out of 26 OAC cycles resulted in grade 3‐4 hematologic toxicity. There was one death from sepsis in the setting of intravenous chemotherapy (IVC) for metastatic disease that occurred after OAC/IVIT therapy. The 2‐year Kaplan‐Meier ocular survival estimate for the whole cohort was 75% and for the eyes that received OAC or IVIT at MSKCC 83%. For OAC hematologic toxicities, one platelet transfusion and two filgrastim doses were administered, and one patient was hospitalized for neutropenic fevers.

Conclusions

The majority of 13q− eyes treated with OAC/IVIT‐based regimens can be cured, and there were no deaths related to complications from OAC or IVIT. 13q− Patients did have increased risk of systemic treatment complications, even from super‐selective chemotherapies. Despite these toxicities, only one patient developed febrile neutropenia, one patient required a blood product transfusion, and two patients received filgrastim for both OAC and IVC complications.

Précis

Children with 13q deletion syndrome with retinoblastoma managed with intra‐arterial and intravitreal chemotherapy have excellent patient and ocular survival with acceptable toxicity.
How to be successful in an academic interview in pediatric oncology: A survey of Children's Oncology Group (COG) and International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) mentors
Authors: Bryan Gemma , Morgan Jessica E. , Dhall Girish , Esbenshade Adam J.
Published: December 2020

Background

A successful academic interview has been reported as the most important factor contributing to ranking of candidates for residency. However, little published guidance exists to help a prospective oncologist or researcher give such an interview. The International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) Young Investigator (YI) Network and Children's Oncology Group (COG) YI group thus cosponsored a survey of senior investigators seeking their advice.

Methods

An electronic survey covering aspects of the academic interview of both trainees and faculty were sent to all current/past mentors serving in the COG YI mentorship program and those registered as mentors in the SIOP YI mentorship program. The responses were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed.

Results

The response rate was 43.7% (118/270) from 25 countries. Majority of United States (US) interviewers (86.8%) conducted interviews individually, while 74% of non‐US interviewers conducted panel interviews or both types equally (P < .001). Majority of interviewers (83.4%) at least occasionally contacted colleagues for off the record opinions on candidates, and 40.9% conducted an internet or social media search. Enthusiasm for the job (97.2%) and being a team player (95.3%) were the qualities most rated as at least moderately important, while a priority for work‐life balance (45.4%) and having interests/hobbies outside of medicine (29.2%) were considered less important. Interviewers provided interview questions, tips for candidates, and key pitfalls to avoid.

Discussion

Candidates should prepare for their academic interviews in advance, be enthusiastic and honest when giving responses. Detailed guidance for those applying at different career stages and in different countries are provided.
Short‐lived peaks of stem methane emissions from mature black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) – Irrelevant for ecosystem methane budgets?
Authors: Köhn Daniel , Günther Anke , Schwabe Ines , Jurasinski Gerald
Published: December 2020

Tree stems can be a source of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4). However, assessments of the global importance of stem CH4 emissions are complicated by a lack of research and high variability between individual ecosystems. Here, we determined the contribution of emissions from stems of mature black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) to overall CH4 exchange in two temperate peatlands. We measured emissions from stems and soils using closed chambers in a drained and an undrained alder forest over 2 years. Furthermore, we studied the importance of alder leaves as substrate for methanogenesis in an incubation experiment. Stem CH4 emissions were short‐lived and occurred only during times of inundation at the undrained site. The drained site did not show stem emissions and the soil acted as a small CH4 sink. The contribution of stem emissions to the overall CH4 budget was below 0.3% in both sites. Our results show that mature black alder can be an intermittent source of CH4 to the atmosphere. However, the low share of stem CH4 emissions in both investigated stands indicates that this pathway may be of minor relative importance in temperate peatlands, yet strongly depend on the hydrologic regime.
Micellization through complexation of oppositely charged diblock copolymers: Effects of composition, polymer architecture, salt of different valency, and thermoresponsive block
Authors: Gioldasis Christos , Gergidis Leonidas N. , Vlahos Costas
Published: December 2020

The structural and electrical characteristics of polyelectrolyte complex micelles (PCMs) formed by mixing of oppositely charged double hydrophilic copolymers are studied by means of molecular dynamics simulations. In mixtures of linear diblock copolymers we found that the preferential aggregation numberNpof PCMs is a universal function of the ratioγ±of the total positive to total negative charges of the mixture. The addition of divalent salts ions induces a secondary micellization. In mixtures of copolymers bearing a common neutral thermoresponsive block, micelles with contracted corona consisting of thermoresponsive blocks and complex polyelectrolyte core are formed at low salt concentration and temperature far away the biphasic regime. At high salt concentration and temperature in the biphasic regime, reversed micelles are obtained. In equimolar mixtures of linear copolymers with miktoarm stars we found thatNpof PCMs decreases as the number of charged branches of miktoarm copolymer increases. The shape of micelles progressively changes from spherical to worm‐like with the increase of number of branches of miktoarm copolymers. Our findings are in full agreement with existing experimental and theoretical predictions and provides new and additional insights.
Polyphenols are potential nutritional adjuvants for targeting COVID‐19
Authors: El‐Missiry Mohamed A. , Fekri Ahmed , Kesar Lakshmi A. , Othman Azza I.
Published: December 2020

The newly emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome, coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is a dangerous pathogen that causes global health problems. It causes a disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) with high morbidity and mortality rates. In SARS‐Cov‐2‐infected patients, elevated oxidative stress and upsurge of inflammatory cytokines are the main pathophysiological events that contribute to the severity and progression of symptoms and death. The polyphenols are natural compounds abundant in fruits and vegetables that are characterized by their high antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects. Polyphenols have potential as an intervention for preventing respiratory virus infection. The beneficial effects of polyphenols on COVID‐19 might be due to multiple mechanisms. Polyphenols can strengthen the body's anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant defenses against viral infection. Targeting virus proteins and/or blocking cellular receptors are other plausible antiviral approaches to prevent the entry of the virus and its replication in the host cells. The results on the antiviral effects of various polyphenols, especially on SARS‐CoV‐2, are promising. The aim of this review is to clarify the role of polyphenols in strengthening antioxidant defenses and upregulating the immune systems of COVID‐19 patients and to prevent replication and spreading of the virus.
Controls for a nonlinear system arising in vision‐based landing of airliners
Authors: Burlion Laurent , Gibert Victor , Malisoff Michael , Mazenc Frederic
Published: December 2020

We use a novel backstepping method to solve a stabilization problem for a nonlinear system with delayed sampled outputs that are not accurately measured. We provide an application to a system arising in vision‐based landing of airliners that includes coupling between the lateral and longitudinal dynamics, for which we provide performance guarantees in the presence of the delay, nonlinearity, and sampling. Our major contributions are (a) designs of lateral and longitudinal controls for our nonlinear model of an aircraft landing on an unequipped runway, (b) mathematical proofs that our controls ensure that the aircraft being modeled achieves desired alignment with the runway during its align phase, under sampling and delays that arise from image processing of visual information, and (c) comparative simulations exhibiting considerable improvement in control performance compared with previous methods that did not take the coupling of the dynamics or imprecise delayed sampled measurements into account.
Distributed continuous‐time constrained convex optimization with general time‐varying cost functions
Authors: Huang Bomin , Zou Yao , Meng Ziyang
Published: December 2020

The distributed time‐varying constrained convex optimization problem over a connected undirected network topology is studied in this article. The proposed distributed optimization algorithm is composed of a projection map term, a consensus term, and a gradient term, and is feasible for any initial condition. We first show that the states of the optimization algorithm uniformly converge to a neighborhood of the constraint set while an approximate global consensus is achieved. Then the states are proven to uniformly converge to a neighborhood of the time‐varying optimal trajectory. The theoretical results are validated by some simulations.
Stem Cells for Next Level Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century
Authors: Fritsche Ellen , Haarmann‐Stemmann Thomas , Kapr Julia , Galanjuk Saskia , Hartmann Julia , Mertens Peter R. , Kämpfer Angela A. M. , Schins Roel P. F. , Tigges Julia , Koch Katharina
Published: December 2020

The call for a paradigm change in toxicology from the United States National Research Council in 2007 initiates awareness for the invention and use of human‐relevant alternative methods for toxicological hazard assessment. Simple 2D in vitro systems may serve as first screening tools, however, recent developments infer the need for more complex, multicellular organotypic models, which are superior in mimicking the complexity of human organs. In this review article most critical organs for toxicity assessment, i.e., skin, brain, thyroid system, lung, heart, liver, kidney, and intestine are discussed with regards to their functions in health and disease. Embracing the manifold modes‐of‐action how xenobiotic compounds can interfere with physiological organ functions and cause toxicity, the need for translation of such multifaceted organ features into the dish seems obvious. Currently used in vitro methods for toxicological applications and ongoing developments not yet arrived in toxicity testing are discussed, especially highlighting the potential of models based on embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells of human origin. Finally, the application of innovative technologies like organs‐on‐a‐chip and genome editing point toward a toxicological paradigm change moves into action.
Dinucleoside‐Based Macrocycles Displaying Unusually Large Chelate Cooperativities
Authors: Serrano‐Molina David , de Juan Alberto , González‐Rodríguez David
Published: December 2020

High‐fidelity production of a single self‐assembled species in competition with others relies on achieving strong chelate cooperativities, which can be quantified by the effective molarity parameter. Therefore, supramolecular systems displaying very high effective molarities are reliably formed in a wide range of experimental conditions and exhibit “all‐or‐none” phenomena, meaning that the assembly is either fully formed or fully dissociated into the corresponding monomeric components. We summarize here our efforts in the study and characterization of one of these synthetic systems exhibiting record chelate cooperativities: the self‐assembly of rod‐like dinucleoside molecules into tetrameric macrocycles through hydrogen‐bonding Watson‐Crick interactions.
Collaborative Learning: A Tried and True Active Learning Method for the College Classroom
Authors: Major Claire
Published: December 2020

This chapter considers the essential elements of collaborative learning, reviews research supporting the efficacy of this instructional practice, and argues that students can be more or less active according to the structure of the collaborative task.
Harmonic hybrid inflation
Authors: Carta Federico , Righi Nicole , Welling Yvette , Westphal Alexander
Published: December 2020

Abstract

We present a mechanism for realizing hybrid inflation using two axion fields with a purely non-perturbatively generated scalar potential. The structure of the scalar potential is highly constrained by the discrete shift symmetries of the axions. We show that harmonic hybrid inflation generates observationally viable slow-roll inflation for a wide range of initial conditions. This is possible while accommodating certain UV arguments favoring constraintsf≲MPand ∆ϕ60≲MPon the axion periodicity and slow-roll field range, respectively. We discuss controlled ℤ2-symmetry breaking of the adjacent axion vacua as a means of avoiding cosmological domain wall problems. Including a minimal form of ℤ2-symmetry breaking into the minimally tuned setup leads to a prediction of primordial tensor modes with the tensor-to-scalar ratio in the range 10−4≲r≲ 0.01, directly accessible to upcoming CMB observations. Finally, we outline several avenues towards realizing harmonic hybrid inflation in type IIB string theory.
Fertility versus productivity: a model of growth with evolutionary equilibria
Authors: Foreman-Peck James , Zhou Peng
Published: December 2020

We develop a quantitative model that is consistent with three principal building blocks of Unified Growth Theory: the break-out from economic stagnation, the build-up to the Industrial Revolution, and the onset of the fertility transition. Our analysis suggests that England’s escape from the Malthusian trap was triggered by the demographic catastrophes in the aftermath of the Black Death; household investment in children ultimately raised wages despite an increasing population; and rising human capital, combined with the increasing elasticity of substitution between child quantity and quality, reduced target family size and contributed to the fertility transition.
Bowel wall thickening and hyperemia assessed by high-frequency ultrasound indicate histological inflammation in Crohn’s ileitis
Authors: Goertz Ruediger S. , Hensel Stefanie , Wildner Dane , Neurath Markus F. , Strobel Deike
Published: December 2020

Purpose

We evaluated ileal bowel wall thickness and semiquantitative vascularization by ultrasound in correlation with the presence or absence of histopathological inflammation in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 221 ultrasound examinations of the terminal ileum or neoterminal ileum in CD patients with biopsies of the ileum during colonoscopies within 8 weeks of the ultrasound. Ultrasound data were obtained from an inflammatory bowel disease ultrasound register from 2011 to 2017. Bowel wall ultrasound was performed by a high-frequency, linear transducer (7–12 MHz). Presence of bowel wall thickening (> 3 mm), vascularization by the Limberg score, and presence of ileal histopathological inflammation were analyzed.

Results

In 221 bowel wall ultrasound examinations of CD patients (128 female, 93 male, mean age 37.5 years), a thickened bowel wall was found in 140 (63.3%) and hypervascularization (corresponding to a Limberg score ≥ 2) in 96 (43.4%) cases. In 187 (84.6%) cases, ileal inflammation was confirmed by histopathology and in 34 (15.4%) cases no inflammation was shown. Bowel wall thickening showed a sensitivity of 70.1%, a negative predictive value (NPV) of 30.9%, a specificity of 73.5% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 93.6% for the detection of histopathological ileal inflammation. Hypervasularization had a low sensitivity (49.7%) and NPV (24.8%), but high specificity (91.2%) and PPV (96.9%).

Conclusion

In this CD subcohort of an ultrasound register, pathologic ultrasound findings were quite common. Bowel wall thickening (> 3 mm) and hypervascularization are good predictors of histopathological inflammation within the terminal ileum or neoterminal ileum. Normal ultrasound findings without bowel wall thickening and without hypervascularization do not rule out histopathological inflammation.
The effect of daily walking exercise on sleep quality in healthy young adults
Authors: Wang Feifei , Boros Szilvia
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Walking has beneficial effects on sleep quality in elderly population and patients in clinical settings. However, less is known whether walking improves sleep quality among healthy young adults. This study examined the effectiveness of a 12-week walking intervention on sleep quality among sedentary young adults.

Methods

Fifty-four healthy adults aged 19 to 36-years old participated a pedometer based aerobic walking intervention, a cross-over randomized control trial. Participants were assigned into two groups (group A and group B) randomly. The 12-week intervention was divided into three sessions equally. Sleep quality was assessed by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) before and after session 1 and session 3. Omron HJ-112 pedometer and daily walking diary facilitated the intervention process. Within group and between group comparisons were made for statistical analysis.

Results

Within group comparison by repeated measures showed that sleep duration (p < 0.01, F-test 22.79), sleep medication (p < 0.05, F-test 5.22), subjective sleep (p < 0.05, F-test 5.51) and global sleep quality (p < 0.01, F-test 12.19) were significantly improved. The comparison between intervention group and control group showed that sleep disturbance was significantly improved (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Daily walking exercise has a significant effect on facilitating sleep quality and sleep components among young adults. Further studies are suggested to examine the impact of walking intensity on sleep quality.
Health Consequences of an Elite Sporting Career: Long-Term Detriment or Long-Term Gain? A Meta-Analysis of 165,000 Former Athletes
Authors: Runacres Adam , Mackintosh Kelly A. , McNarry Melitta A.
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Exercise is widely accepted to improve health, reducing the risk of premature mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. However, several epidemiological studies suggest that the exercise-longevity relationship may be ‘J’ shaped; with elite athlete’s likely training above these intensity and volume thresholds. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to examine this relationship in former elite athletes.

Methods

38,047 English language articles were retrieved from Web of Science, PubMed and SportDiscus databases published after 1970, of which 44 and 24 were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, respectively. Athletes were split into three groups depending on primary sport: Endurance (END), Mixed/Team, or power (POW). Standard mortality ratio’s (SMR) and standard proportionate mortality ratio (SPMR) were obtained, or calculated, and combined for the meta-analysis.

Results

Athletes lived significantly longer than the general population (male SMR 0.69 [95% CI 0.61–0.78]; female SMR 0.51 [95% CI 0.40–0.65]; both p < 0.01). There was no survival benefit for male POW athletes compared to the general population (SMR 1.04 [95% CI 0.91–1.12]). Although male athlete’s CVD (SMR 0.73 [95% CI 0.62–0.85]) and cancer mortality (SMR 0.75 [95% CI 0.63–0.89]), were significantly reduced compared to the general population, there was no risk-reduction for POW athletes CVD mortality (SMR 1.10 [0.86–1.40]) or END athletes cancer mortality (SMR 0.73 [0.50–1.07]). There was insufficient data to calculate female sport-specific SMR’s.

Discussion

Overall, athletes live longer and have a reduced incidence of both CVD and cancer mortality compared to the general population, refuting the ‘J’ shape hypothesis. However, different health risks may be apparent according to sports classification, and between sexes, warranting further investigation.

Trial registration PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42019130688).
Using a porous-media approach for CFD modelling of wave interaction with thin perforated structures
Authors: Feichtner Anna , Mackay Ed , Tabor Gavin , Thies Philipp R. , Johanning Lars , Ning Dezhi
Published: December 2020

This work presents the use of a porous-media approach for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling of wave interaction with thin perforated sheets and cylinders. The perforated structures are not resolved explicitly but represented by a volumetric porous zone where a volume-averaged pressure gradient in the form of a drag term is applied to the Navier–Stokes momentum equation. The horizontal force on the structures and the free-surface elevation at wave gauges around the cylinder model have been analysed for a range of porosities and regular wave conditions. The CFD results are verified against results from a linear potential-flow model and validated against experimental results. The applied pressure gradient formulation produces good agreement for all porosity values, wave frequencies and wave steepnesses investigated. It is demonstrated that an isotropic macroscopic porosity representation used for large volumetric granular material can also be used for thin perforated structures. This approach offers greater flexibility in the range of wave conditions that can be modelled compared to approaches based on linear potential-flow theory and requires a smaller computational effort compared to CFD approaches which resolve the flow through the openings. The approach can therefore be an efficient alternative for engineering problems where large-scale effects such as global forces and the overall flow-behaviour are of the main interest.
Ranking high schools using university student performance in Italy
Authors: Aina Carmen , Bratti Massimiliano , Lippo Enrico
Published: December 2020

The Eduscopio project is the first attempt to build school performance indicators based on the university performance of high school leavers in Italy. It provides stakeholders (students and their families) with publicly available school performance indicators, and school rankings. A potential weakness of Eduscopio is that it relies on first-year student performance only. In this study, we extend its methodology to include longer-term academic outcomes, such as cumulative third-year performance and the probability of on-time graduation. Our results demonstrate that differences in university students’ performance across high schools are not temporary and limited to the first-year, but persist in the following academic years, and that the ranking of high schools based on longer-term indicators remains rather stable. Moreover, our analysis highlights non-negligible differences of between-school track dispersion in the Eduscopio index across cities, which hints on geographical differences in student selection mechanisms into school tracks or in the level of dispersion of school value added within tracks.
It’s a matter of confidence. Institutions, government stability and economic outcomes
Authors: Bettarelli Luca , Cella Michela , Iannantuoni Giovanna , Manzoni Elena
Published: December 2020

In this paper we analyse the effect of constitutional structures over policy outcomes. In particular, we exploit the heterogeneity in parliamentary systems deriving from the presence and the use of the confidence vote to investigate whether stable and unstable parliamentary systems behave differently in terms of the policies they implement. This finer partition of parliamentary systems allows us to identify effects that are more robust than the ones previously discussed in the literature. We show that the difference between presidential and parliamentary systems documented in previous works is driven by a difference between presidential and stable parliamentary systems. We suggest that possible transmission channels are legislative cohesion and (the absence of) selection.
Asymmetric decentralization: distortions and opportunities
Authors: Fiorillo Fabio , Giuranno Michele G. , Sacchi Agnese
Published: December 2020

This paper studies the interplay between central and local governments in defining the optimal degree of decentralization in terms of public goods supply. The choice between full centralization and asymmetric decentralization implies a trade-off between the possibility to provide public goods at a lower cost, wherever this is possible by decentralizing, and the possibility to fully internalize spillovers by full centralization. We find that asymmetric decentralization introduces distortions into the public decision-making process. We also demonstrate that the power to interfere in the central government’s ruling mechanisms should be reduced for the jurisdictions that have decentralized, in order to make their decentralization choice convenient even for the citizens in the less efficient jurisdictions. Finally, we find the conditions under which asymmetric decentralization can be simultaneously advantageous for both rich and poor regions through the design of appropriate equalization transfers.
Trajectory of problematic internet use across the college years: The role of peer internet overuse behavior and peer attitude toward internet overuse
Authors: Jia Jichao , Tong Wei , Zhang Jintao , Liu Fenge , Fang Xiaoyi
Published: December 2020

Introduction

College students are at high risk of problematic internet use (PIU). A great amount of research has focused on the PIU among college students. However, little is known about the change pattern of PIU across the college years. Moreover, how peer internet overuse behavior and peer attitude toward internet overuse work together to shape college students’ PIU trajectory, and whether such peer contagion effects are equal for all students remain unclear. The present study used latent growth curve model to examine these issues.

Methods

A total of 2572 Chinese college students (Mage = 18.37, SD = 0.85; 65% girls) participated in the study. They completed questionnaires regarding demographics, peer internet overuse behavior, peer attitude toward internet overuse, and friendship satisfaction at Wave 1, and PIU at Waves 1–4.

Results

After controlling for covariates, the findings revealed that (a) PIU slightly increased before the second year of college and then declined rapidly; (b) both peer internet overuse behavior and peer attitude toward internet overuse were related to the PIU at baseline; however, only peer internet overuse behavior was associated with the change of PIU; and (c) the effect of peer internet overuse behavior on PIU change was moderated by friendship satisfaction and gender.

Conclusions

These findings emphasized the dynamic and context‐sensitive nature of PIU and clarified how peer contagion unfolded with peer internet overuse behavior and peer attitude toward internet overuse. Theoretical implications and application of these findings are discussed.
Evaluation of Cell Type Annotation R Packages on Single-Cell RNA-Seq Data
Authors: Huang Qianhui , Liu Yu , Du Yuheng , Garmire Lana X.
Published: December 2020

Annotating cell types is a critical step in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data analysis. Some supervised or semi-supervised classification methods have recently emerged to enable automated cell type identification. However, comprehensive evaluations of these methods are lacking. Moreover, it is not clear whether some classification methods originally designed for analyzing other bulk omics data are adaptable to scRNA-seq analysis. In this study, we evaluated ten cell type annotation methods publicly available as R packages. Eight of them are popular methods developed specifically for single-cell research, including Seurat, scmap, SingleR, CHETAH, SingleCellNet, scID, Garnett, and SCINA. The other two methods were repurposed from deconvoluting DNA methylation data, i.e., linear constrained projection (CP) and robust partial correlations (RPC). We conducted systematic comparisons on a wide variety of public scRNA-seq datasets as well as simulation data. We assessed the accuracy through intra-dataset and inter-dataset predictions; the robustness over practical challenges such as gene filtering, high similarity among cell types, and increased cell type classes; as well as the detection of rare and unknown cell types. Overall, methods such as Seurat, SingleR, CP, RPC, and SingleCellNet performed well, with Seurat being the best at annotating major cell types. Additionally, Seurat, SingleR, CP, and RPC were more robust against downsampling. However, Seurat did have a major drawback at predicting rare cell populations, and it was suboptimal at differentiating cell types highly similar to each other, compared to SingleR and RPC. All the code and data are available from https://github.com/qianhuiSenn/scRNA_cell_deconv_benchmark.
To Make Better Hurricane Models, Consider Air Pollution
Authors: Fritts Rachel
Published: December 2020

New research uses Hurricane Harvey as a case study to demonstrate the devastating power of aerosols to supercharge tropical storms.
Passing the framework skeleton and properties of coordination materials onto organic framework materials
Authors: Wang Xuan , Dong Ming-Jie , Chen Kai , Liu Zi-Kun , Wu Chuan-De
Published: December 2020

An organic framework material OFM-1 is synthesized by substitution of the coordination moieties in metal–organic framework CZJ-6 with organic moieties.
An efficient kinetic Monte Carlo to study analyte capture by a nanopore: transients, boundary conditions and time-dependent fields
Authors: Qiao Le , Ignacio Maxime , Slater Gary W.
Published: December 2020

We introduce an efficient KMC algorithm to simulate voltage-driven translocation, as well as a new pulsed-field method to selectively translocate molecules.
First-principles study of carbon nanothreads derived from five-membered heterocyclic rings: thiophene, furan and pyrrole
Authors: Demingos Pedro G. , Balzaretti Naira M. , Muniz André R.
Published: December 2020

Structural, mechanical and electronic properties of carbon nanothreads derived from five-membered ring heterocyclic compounds are presented and discussed, demonstrating their enhanced stability and promising set of features.
Pnictogens in medicinal chemistry: evolution from erstwhile drugs to emerging layered photonic nanomedicine
Authors: Liu Chuang , Shin Jinwoo , Son Subin , Choe Youmi , Farokhzad Nika , Tang Zhongmin , Xiao Yufen , Kong Na , Xie Tian , Kim Jong Seung , Tao Wei
Published: December 2020

This review highlights pnictogen-based therapeutic agents, from ancient clinical drugs to recently emerging layered photonic nanomedicines. In addition, an update on recent biosafety studies of layered pnictogen is also provided.
Construction of high-performance electrode materials of NiCo2O4 nanoparticles encapsulated in ultrathin N-doped carbon nanosheets for supercapacitors
Authors: Zhou Yaju , Li Chunyan , Li Xin , Huo Pengwei , Wang Huiqin
Published: December 2020

The highly dispersed nitrogen doped carbon (N–C) is decomposed by 2-methylimidazole (C4H6N2) and uses as the composite material with nickel cobaltite (NiCo2O4).
A multifunctional ingredient for the management of metabolic syndrome in cafeteria diet-fed rats
Authors: Martín-González Miguel Z. , Palacios-Jordan Héctor , Mas-Capdevila Anna , Rodríguez Miguel A. , Bravo Francisca I. , Muguerza Begoña , Aragonès Gerard
Published: December 2020

A novel dietary multifunctional ingredient improves glucose and lipid homeostasis and exhibits antihypertensive properties in cafeteria-fed obese rats.
Unexpected selective alkaline periodate oxidation of chitin for the isolation of chitin nanocrystals
Authors: Liu Peiwen , Liu Huan , Schäfer Timmy , Gutmann Torsten , Gibhardt Holger , Qi Houjuan , Tian Lin , Zhang Xizhou Cecily , Buntkowsky Gerd , Zhang Kai
Published: December 2020

No periodate oxidation on chitin? For the first time, direct selective alkaline periodate oxidation of chitin led to the isolation of ordered domains as uniform anisotropic and zwitterionic ChNCs after simultaneous removal of non-ordered domains.
Microfluidic-based capture and release of cancer-derived exosomes via peptide–nanowire hybrid interface
Authors: Suwatthanarak Thanawat , Thiodorus Ivan Adiyasa , Tanaka Masayoshi , Shimada Taisuke , Takeshita Daiki , Yasui Takao , Baba Yoshinobu , Okochi Mina
Published: December 2020

A peptide–nanowire interface that can effectively capture cancer-derived exosomes and release captured intact exosomes was constructed.
Synthesis, structure, and catalytic activity of dinuclear aluminium bis(amidinate) and bis(guanidinate) complexes
Authors: Rösch Andreas , Seifert Fabian , Vass Valentin , Görls Helmar , Kretschmer Robert
Published: December 2020

The ring-opening polymerization grand prix: Bis(amidinate)s outpaced their bis(guanidinate) competitors and won the race, while the drivers’ engines using acidic co-initiators collapsed before take-off.
Visualization of nano-localized and delocalized oxidation sites for plasmon-induced charge separation
Authors: Ogata Rui , Nishi Hiroyasu , Ishida Takuya , Tatsuma Tetsu
Published: December 2020

Plasmonic reactions with relatively positive oxidation potentials occur locally at resonance sites, while reactions with more negative potentials proceed nonlocally.
Host–guest interaction-induced emission enhancement of amphiphilic AIEgens: a computational study
Authors: Yang Junfang , Peng Qian , Xue Ruide , Li Zesheng , Zheng Xiaoyan
Published: December 2020

Host–guest interactions, including hydrophobic interactions, intermolecular H-bonds and O–H⋯π interactions, play important roles in the photophysical properties of amphiphilic AIEgens.
Current developments and future trends in photocatalytic glycerol valorization: process analysis
Authors: Karimi Estahbanati M. R. , Feilizadeh Mehrzad , Attar Farid , Iliuta Maria C.
Published: December 2020

Challenges and opportunities in photocatalytic glycerol valorization to hydrogen and value-added liquid products: process analysis and parametric study.
High-performance polymer field-effect transistors: from the perspective of multi-level microstructures
Authors: Yao Ze-Fan , Wang Jie-Yu , Pei Jian
Published: December 2020

The multi-level microstructures of conjugated polymers, including solution-state aggregation and crystal structures, are reviewed due to their influence on charge transport in polymer field-effect transistors.