bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Water management using traditional tank cascade systems: a case study of semi-arid region of Southern India
Authors: Srivastava Aman , Chinnasamy Pennan
Published: February 2021

Most arid and semi-arid regions of the Southern-Indian peninsula experience frequent drought. To combat this, historically many water recharge structures, such as tank cascade systems, have been constructed. However, in recent years, performance of these tanks, especially for irrigation and groundwater recharge, is limited due to impacts of external factors that are not scientifically understood. This study, for the first time, aimed to explore spatio-temporal variation of water mass balance components and their impact on the Vandiyur tank cascade system (VTCS) in the city of Madurai, India. Study estimated water mass balance components for rural, peri-urban, and urban catchments across VTCS. Catchment-specific algorithms and water budget equation were used to estimate the volume of hydrological parameters. Additionally, land use/land cover maps were developed to understand the significance of using a water balance approach in understanding the behavior of hydrological components governing the water budget of a catchment. Results indicated a rapid increase in the urban area, up to 300%, in peri-urban and urban regions. Urbanization was considered the primary cause of high catchment runoff (40–60% of rainfall). Due to this, seasonal water availability within each tank across catchment was observed inconsistent (0–15%), wherein summer recorded approximately the least tank storage (0–8%). In general, study provided an approach for a practical, water‐focused application demonstrating how the principles of mass balance can help to foster robust water accounting, monitoring, and management. It further emphasized the use of a water balance approach in identifying vulnerable catchments for appropriate tank-rehabilitation-based interventions.
Contract Law and Social Morality
Authors: Gerhart Peter M.
Published: February 2021

When people in a relationship disagree about their obligations to each other, they need to rely on a method of reasoning that allows the relationship to flourish while advancing each person's private projects. This book presents a method of reasoning that reflects how people reason through disagreements and how courts create doctrine by reasoning about the obligations arising from the relationship. Built on the ideal of the other-regarding person, Contract Law and Social Morality displays a method of reasoning that allows one person to integrate their personal interests with the interests of another, determining how divergent interests can be balanced against each other. Called values-balancing reasoning, this methodology makes transparent the values at stake in a disagreement, and provides a neutral and objective way to identify and evaluate the trade-offs that are required if the relationship is to be sustained or terminated justly.
Enslaved Financing of Southern Industry: The Nesbitt Manufacturing Company of South Carolina, 1836–1850
Authors: MURPHY SHARON ANN
Published: February 2021

Incorporated on the eve of the Panic of 1837, the Nesbitt Manufacturing Company of South Carolina owned and hired enslaved individuals to labor in their ironworks, but they also leveraged the market value of this enslaved property by exchanging them for shares of company stock and offering them as collateral in loan contracts. These slaveholders actively experimented with increasingly sophisticated financial tools and institutions in order to facilitate investment, market exchange, and profit maximization within the system of enslavement. Although historians have examined the role of enslaved labor in industrial concerns, they have largely ignored their role in the financing of these operations. Understanding the multiple ways that southerners were turning enslaved property into liquid, flexible financial assets is essential to understanding the depth and breadth of the system of enslavement. In doing so, we can move beyond questions of whether slavery was compatible with industrialization specifically and capitalism more broadly, to an understanding of how slavery and capitalism interacted to promote southern economic development in the antebellum period. At the same time, the experience of the Nesbitt Company reveals the limits of enslaved financing. The aftermath of the Panic of 1837 demonstrated that the market value of enslaved property was much more volatile than enslavers cared to admit. Although southerners could often endure this volatility in the case of enslaved laborers working on plantations or in factories, it made the financialization of slavery a much riskier endeavor for an emerging industrial regime.
Self-Proclaimed Human Rights Heroes: The Professional Project of Israeli Military Judges
Authors: Ben-Natan Smadar
Published: February 2021

This article explores the cooptation of human rights discourse by looking into how Israeli military judges in the Occupied Palestinian Territories use human rights as professional capital. Previous research into human rights arguments legitimizing the Israeli occupation remained confined to a unitary image of the state. Here, I dissect the separate professional project of military judges. Optimizing a self-congratulatory argument, judges portray themselves as human rights heroes of Palestinians. But while independent judicial activism would criticize human rights violations by the state, military judges use human rights as synonymous with legal professionalism, while avoiding criticism and sidestepping human rights’ challenge to state power.

Using a multimethod approach including analysis of judicial decisions, academic articles by military judges, and in-depth interviews, I argue that between 2000 and 2010, Israeli military judges were responding to a professional legitimacy crisis by what I call mimetic convergence. Relying on new institutionalism and postcolonial theory, mimetic convergence produces belonging and mobility for a professional subgroup that experiences alienation in the “colony” through convergence with the specific characteristics of the legal community of the “metropole.” Mimicking the state instead of criticizing it permits the two projects— promoting military judges professionally and legitimizing the state’s colonial occupation—to coalesce.
Christian Conversion and Colonial “Native Policy”: The Role of Missionaries in Formulating Reservation Policy in German Southwest Africa
Authors: Morgan Stephen
Published: February 2021

This article examines how German Protestant missionaries to the Herero people influenced colonial “native policy” in German Southwest Africa in the years leading up to the Colonial War of 1904 to 1907. By the late 1890s, burgeoning European settlement increasingly displaced the Herero from their traditional territory. While colonial officials promoted more settlement, missionaries had developed a concept of conversion that linked Christianization with living in self-sufficient agricultural communities, and hoped to place limits on Herero displacement. Thus, missionaries and colonial officials engaged in protracted political negotiations over the creation of inalienable “native reservations” for the Herero. I show that missionaries’ model of Herero conversion prompted them to promote an alternative mode of settler colonialism that would make room in Southwest Africa for self-sufficient Herero settlements. Prior to the Colonial War, missionaries succeeded in convincing the colonial government to begin creating reservations, thus shaping colonial policy according to missionary priorities.
Excess mortality in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in Malaga (Spain): A cohort study
Authors: Moreno-Küstner Berta , Guzman-Parra Jose , Pardo Yolanda , Sanchidrián Yolanda , Díaz-Ruiz Sebastián , Mayoral-Cleries Fermin
Published: February 2021

Aims

There is evidence that patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders present higher mortality in comparison with the general population. The aim of this study was to analyse the causes of mortality and sociodemographic factors associated with mortality, standardised mortality ratios (SMRs), life expectancy and potential years of life lost (YLL) in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in Spain.

Methods

The study included a cohort of patients from the Malaga Schizophrenia Case Register (1418 patients; 907 males; average age 42.31 years) who were followed up for a minimum of 10 years (median = 13.43). The factors associated with mortality were analysed with a survival analysis using Cox's proportional hazards regression model.

Results

The main causes of mortality in the cohort were circulatory disease (21.45%), cancer (17.09%) and suicide (13.09%). The SMR of the cohort was more than threefold that of the population of Malaga (3.19). The life expectancy at birth was 67.11 years old, which is more than 13 years shorter than that of the population of Malaga. The YLL was 20.74. The variables associated with a higher risk of mortality were age [adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) = 1.069, p < 0.001], male gender (AHR = 1.751, p < 0.001) and type of area of residence (p = 0.028; deprived urban zone v. non-deprived urban area, AHR = 1.460, p = 0.028). In addition, receiving welfare benefit status in comparison with employed status (AHR = 1.940, p = 0.008) was associated with increased mortality.

Conclusions

There is excess mortality in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and also an association with age, gender, socioeconomic inequalities and receiving welfare benefits. Efforts directed towards improved living conditions could have a positive effect on reducing mortality.
Strategie bei chronischem Koronarsyndrom
Authors: Kim Seung-Hyun , Behnes Michael , Akin Ibrahim
Published: February 2021

Zusammenfassung. In den neuen Leitlinien der europäischen Gesellschaft für Kardiologie (ESC) wurde der bisherige Begriff «stabile koronare Herzkrankheit (KHK)» durch den neuen Begriff «chronisches Koronarsyndrom (CCS)» ersetzt, um den chronischen, progredienten Krankheitscharakter der KHK hervorzuheben. Bei der Behandlung der Patienten mit CCS nehmen sowohl die medikamentöse Therapie als auch die Myokardrevaskularisation eine zentrale Rolle ein. Aufgrund der Heterogenität des CCS ist es im klinischen Alltag eine Herausforderung zu bestimmen, welche Patienten von einer perkutanen Koronarintervention (PCI) profitieren können. Zudem ist die Bedeutung der PCI gerade bei Patienten mit CCS weiter umstritten. Im vorliegenden Artikel werden das diagnostische und therapeutische Vorgehen bei Patienten mit CCS unter Berücksichtigung der aktuellen ESC-Leitlinien und der ISCHEMIA Trial (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches) diskutiert, um eine optimale Strategie zur Verbesserung der Symptome und Prognose von CSS-Patienten darzulegen.
Intrakoronare Bildgebung
Authors: Bär Sarah , Ueki Yasushi , Otsuka Tatsuhiko , Kavaliauskaite Raminta , Räber Lorenz
Published: February 2021

Zusammenfassung. Die Koronarangiographie ist seit Jahrzehnten die Standardmethode für die Beurteilung der Koronaranatomie und Durchführung der perkutanen Koronarintervention. Die Angiographie ist aber limitiert auf die Darstellung des Lumens mit einer Auflösung von 200 – 300 Mikrometer, und sämtliche darüber hinausgehende Informationen sind nicht erkennbar. Intrakoronare Bildgebungsverfahren wie der intravaskuläre Ultraschall (IVUS) und insbesondere die optische Kohärenztomographie (englisch: optical coherence tomography, OCT) liefern essentielle Zusatzinformationen, die für die Koronardiagnostik oder Therapie entscheidend sein können. Die Plaquemenge und -zuammensetzung (Lipid, fibröses Gewebe, Kalzifikationen, Wandhämatome), kleine intraluminale Strukturen (Thromben) und implantierte Stents kommen nur mit diesen Methoden präzise zur Darstellung. Deren Verwendung führt also zu einer Präzisierung und Individualisierung der Koronardiagnostik und zu einer Optimierung der Stentimplantation, wie wir in der folgenden Übersicht erörtern werden.
Mining Twitter to Detect Hotspots in Psychology
Authors: Bittermann André , Batzdorfer Veronika , Müller Sarah Marie , Steinmetz Holger
Published: February 2021

Abstract. For identifying psychological hotspot topics, a mere focus on bibliometric data suffers from a publication delay. To overcome this issue, we introduce Twitter mining of ongoing online communication among scientists for the detection of psychological research topics. Specifically, we collected the entire 69,963 tweets posted between August 2007 and July 2020 from 139 accounts of psychology professors, departments, and research institutes from the German-speaking countries, as well as sections of the German Psychological Society (DGPs). To examine whether Twitter topics are hotspots in terms of indicating future publication trends, 346,361 references in the PSYNDEX database were extracted. For determining the additional value of our approach in contrast to traditional conference analysis, we gathered all available conference programs of the DGPs and its sections since 2010 and compared dates of topic emergence. Results revealed 21 topics addressing societal issues (e.g., COVID-19), methodology (e.g., machine learning), scientific research (e.g., replication crisis), and different areas of psychological research. Ten topics indicated an increasing publication trend, particularly topics related to methodology or scientific transparency. Seven Twitter topics emerged earlier on Twitter than at conferences. A total of four topics could be expected neither by bibliometric forecasting nor conference contents: “methodological issues in meta-analyses”, “playfulness”, “preregistration”, and “mobile brain/body imaging”. Taken together, Twitter mining is a worthwhile endeavor for identifying psychological hotspot topics, especially regarding societal issues, novel research methods, and research transparency in psychology. In order to get the most comprehensive picture of research hotspots, Twitter mining is recommended in addition to bibliometric analyses of publication trends and monitoring of conference topics.
Hotspots in Psychology – 2021 Edition
Authors: Bošnjak Michael , Wedderhoff Nadine , Steinmetz Holger
Published: February 2021

Abstract. This editorial briefly introduces the six articles included in the fifth “Hotspots in Psychology” of the Zeitschrift für Psychologie. The format is devoted to systematic reviews and meta-analyses in research-active fields that have generated a considerable number of primary studies. The common denominator of published papers is the application of research synthesis approaches and not a specific psychological topic or theme that all articles have to address. Moreover, methodological advances in research synthesis methods relevant to any subfield of psychology are being addressed. To foster the open science philosophy, all papers present comprehensive supplemental material via PsychArchives ( www.psycharchives.org ).
Hydrogeophysical Characterization of Nonstationary DNAPL Source Zones by Integrating a Convolutional Variational Autoencoder and Ensemble Smoother
Authors: Kang Xueyuan , Kokkinaki Amalia , Kitanidis Peter K. , Shi Xiaoqing , Lee Jonghyun , Mo Shaoxing , Wu Jichun
Published: February 2021

Detailed characterization of dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source zone architecture (SZA) is essential for designing efficient remediation strategies. However, it is difficult to characterize a highly irregular and localized SZA, because traditional drilling investigations provide limited information. With limited data, the estimation accuracy of traditional geostatistical methods is strongly affected by the parameterization of the prior description of the SZA. To improve characterization performance, we parameterized the DNAPL saturation field using a physics‐based approach. We trained a convolutional variational autoencoder (CVAE) using data from multiphase modeling that captures the physics of DNAPL infiltration. The trained CVAE network was used in SZA inversion to obtain an improved prior DNAPL saturation field, instead of the typical stationary prior covariances. We then integrated the CVAE network into an iterative ensemble smoother (ES), to formulate a joint inversion framework. To overcome difficulties from limited/sparse data, we incorporated hydrogeological and geophysical datasets in the proposed inversion framework. To evaluate the performance of our method, we conducted numerical experiments in a hypothetical heterogeneous aquifer with an intricate SZA. The results show that the CVAE was an effective and efficient parameterization method which can capture the DNAPL infiltration patterns better than a Gaussian prior. The improved prior, combined with multisource datasets, can result in better resolution, and overall improved SZA characterization. In contrast to the standard ES method, the proposed framework reconstructed the SZA more accurately. We also demonstrated that DNAPL depletion behavior and dissolved concentration profiles can be predicted accurately using the estimated SZA.
Finding “Glocal” Solutions to Flooding Problems
Authors: Tripathy-Lang Alka
Published: February 2021

Scientists call for joint efforts to combine real-time global rainfall data with high-resolution local hydrology to better forecast floods.
Chance the Hacker: How Earth Stayed Habitable
Authors: Romero James
Published: February 2021

New analysis indicates that planetary feedbacks alone don’t make habitability an inevitability.
Variable-order fracture mechanics and its application to dynamic fracture
Authors: Patnaik Sansit , Semperlotti Fabio
Published: February 2021

This study presents the formulation, the numerical solution, and the validation of a theoretical framework based on the concept of variable-order mechanics and capable of modeling dynamic fracture in brittle and quasi-brittle solids. More specifically, the reformulation of the elastodynamic problem via variable and fractional-order operators enables a unique and extremely powerful approach to model nucleation and propagation of cracks in solids under dynamic loading. The resulting dynamic fracture formulation is fully evolutionary, hence enabling the analysis of complex crack patterns without requiring any a priori assumption on the damage location and the growth path, and without using any algorithm to numerically track the evolving crack surface. The evolutionary nature of the variable-order formalism also prevents the need for additional partial differential equations to predict the evolution of the damage field, hence suggesting a conspicuous reduction in complexity and computational cost. Remarkably, the variable-order formulation is naturally capable of capturing extremely detailed features characteristic of dynamic crack propagation such as crack surface roughening as well as single and multiple branching. The accuracy and robustness of the proposed variable-order formulation are validated by comparing the results of direct numerical simulations with experimental data of typical benchmark problems available in the literature.
Quantum sensors for microscopic tunneling systems
Authors: Bilmes Alexander , Volosheniuk Serhii , Brehm Jan David , Ustinov Alexey V. , Lisenfeld Jürgen
Published: February 2021

The anomalous low-temperature properties of glasses arise from intrinsic excitable entities, so-called tunneling Two-Level-Systems (TLS), whose microscopic nature has been baffling solid-state physicists for decades. TLS have become particularly important for micro-fabricated quantum devices such as superconducting qubits, where they are a major source of decoherence. Here, we present a method to characterize individual TLS in virtually arbitrary materials deposited as thin films. The material is used as the dielectric in a capacitor that shunts the Josephson junction of a superconducting qubit. In such a hybrid quantum system the qubit serves as an interface to detect and control individual TLS. We demonstrate spectroscopic measurements of TLS resonances, evaluate their coupling to applied strain and DC-electric fields, and find evidence of strong interaction between coherent TLS in the sample material. Our approach opens avenues for quantum material spectroscopy to investigate the structure of tunneling defects and to develop low-loss dielectrics that are urgently required for the advancement of superconducting quantum computers.
An aggregate method for thorax diseases classification
Authors: Nugroho Bayu Adhi
Published: February 2021

A common problem found in real-word medical image classification is the inherent imbalance of the positive and negative patterns in the dataset where positive patterns are usually rare. Moreover, in the classification of multiple classes with neural network, a training pattern is treated as a positive pattern in one output node and negative in all the remaining output nodes. In this paper, the weights of a training pattern in the loss function are designed based not only on the number of the training patterns in the class but also on the different nodes where one of them treats this training pattern as positive and the others treat it as negative. We propose a combined approach of weights calculation algorithm for deep network training and the training optimization from the state-of-the-art deep network architecture for thorax diseases classification problem. Experimental results on the Chest X-Ray image dataset demonstrate that this new weighting scheme improves classification performances, also the training optimization from the EfficientNet improves the performance furthermore. We compare the aggregate method with several performances from the previous study of thorax diseases classifications to provide the fair comparisons against the proposed method.
Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in young children do not differ significantly from those in older children and adults
Authors: Madera Sharline , Crawford Emily , Langelier Charles , Tran Nam K. , Thornborrow Ed , Miller Steve , DeRisi Joseph L.
Published: February 2021

The role of children in the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has become a matter of urgent debate as societies in the US and abroad consider how to safely reopen schools. Small studies have suggested higher viral loads in young children. Here we present a multicenter investigation on over five thousand SARS-CoV-2 cases confirmed by real-time reverse transcription (RT) PCR assay. Notably, we found no discernable difference in amount of viral nucleic acid among young children and adults.
16S rRNA gene-based microbiome analysis identifies candidate bacterial strains that increase the storage time of potato tubers
Authors: Buchholz Franziska , Junker Robert , Samad Abdul , Antonielli Livio , Sarić Nataša , Kostić Tanja , Sessitsch Angela , Mitter Birgit
Published: February 2021

In the past, the potato plant microbiota and rhizosphere have been studied in detail to improve plant growth and fitness. However, less is known about the postharvest potato tuber microbiome and its role in storage stability. The storage stability of potatoes depends on genotype and storage conditions, but the soil in which tubers were grown could also play a role. To understand the ecology and functional role of the postharvest potato microbiota, we planted four potato varieties in five soil types and monitored them until the tubers started sprouting. During storage, the bacterial community of tubers was analysed by next-generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The potato tubers exhibited soil-dependent differences in sprouting behaviour. The statistical analysis revealed a strong shift of the tuber-associated bacterial community from harvest to dormancy break. By combining indicator species analysis and a correlation matrix, we predicted associations between members of the bacterial community and tuber sprouting behaviour. Based on this, we identifiedFlavobacteriumsp. isolates, which were able to influence sprouting behaviour by inhibiting potato bud outgrowth.
Unravelling the nature of magneto-electric coupling in room temperature multiferroic particulate (PbFe0.5Nb0.5O3)–(Co0.6Zn0.4Fe1.7Mn0.3O4) composites
Authors: Bhoi Krishnamayee , Mohanty H. S. , Ravikant  , Abdullah Md. F. , Pradhan Dhiren K. , Babu S. Narendra , Singh A. K. , Vishwakarma P. N. , Kumar A. , Thomas R. , Pradhan Dillip K.
Published: February 2021

Multiferroic composites are promising candidates for magnetic field sensors, next-generation low power memory and spintronic devices, as they exhibit much higher magnetoelectric (ME) coupling and coupled ordering parameters compared to the single-phase multiferroics. Hence, the 3-0 type particulate multiferroic composites having general formula (1 − Φ)[PbFe0.5Nb0.5O3]-Φ[Co0.6Zn0.4Fe1.7Mn0.3O4] (Φ = 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 1.0, (1 − Φ) PFN-ΦCZFMO) were prepared using a hybrid synthesis technique. Preliminary structural and microstructural analysis were carried out using XRD and FESEM techniques, which suggest the formation of 3-0 type particulate composite without the presence of any impurity phases. The multiferroic behaviour of the composites is studied with polarization versus electric field (P-E) and magnetization versus magnetic field (M-H) characteristics at room temperature. The nature of ME coupling was investigated elaborately by employing the Landau free energy equation along with the magneto-capacitance measurement. This investigation suggests the existence of biquadratic nature of ME coupling (P2M2). The magneto-electric coupling measurement also suggests that strain mediated domain coupling between the ferroelectric and magnetic ordering is responsible for the magneto-electric behaviour. The obtained value of direct ME coefficient 26.78 mV/cm-Oe for Φ = 0.3, found to be higher than the well-known single-phase materials and polycrystalline composites.
Assessing spatio-temporal patterns and driving force of ecosystem service value in the main urban area of Guangzhou
Authors: He Yi , Wang Wenhui , Chen Youdong , Yan Haowen
Published: February 2021

Increasing human activity around the world has greatly changed the natural ecosystem and the services it provides. In the past few decades, a series of significant changes have taken place in land use/land cover (LULC) in China due to the rapid growth in population, particularly in the cities of the Zhujiang Deita. However, there have been few attempts to study the co-evolution of land use/land cover change and ecosystem service value (ESV) in the main urban area of Guangzhou. Therefore, based on Landsat TM/OLI images from 1987, 1993, 1999, 2005, 2011 and 2017, the weight vector AdaBoost (WV AdaBoost) multi-classification algorithm was utilized to extract LULC data sets, and the spatiotemporal patterns of LULC over these periods were studied. The ESV was estimated and the driving force was analysed. The effect of LULC dynamics on the ESV was evaluated. The results showed that great changes have taken place in LULC in the main urban area of Guangzhou from 1987 to 2017, of which the most significant was the large-scale expansion of the built-up area that occurred through degradation of the forest and cultivated land. The proportion of forest and cultivated land decreased from 43.12% and 34.23% to 25.88% and 12.59%, respectively. The results between periods revealed a decrease in total ESVs from 5.63 × 109 yuan in 1987 to 5.27, 4.16, 4.62, 3.76 and 4.47 × 109 yuan in 1993, 1999, 2005, 2011 and 2017, respectively. In total, ESVs decreased by 1.16 billion yuan (20.61%) from 1987 to 2017. Water supply, food production, nutrient cycling and gas regulation were the four principal ecosystem service functions that affected the total ESVs. Forest, water body and cultivated land areas played a key role in ecosystem services. Therefore, we advocate that when protecting natural ecosystems in the future land use management in Guangzhou should be prioritized.
The ideological divide in confidence in science and participation in medical research
Authors: Gabel Matthew , Gooblar Jonathan , Roe Catherine M. , Morris John C.
Published: February 2021

In the United States, the wide ideological divergence in public confidence in science poses a potentially significant problem for the scientific enterprise. We examine the behavioral consequences of this ideological divide for Americans’ contributions to medical research. Based on a mass survey of American adults, we find that engagement in a wide range of medical research activities is a function of a latent propensity to participate. The propensity is systematically higher among liberals than among conservatives. A substantial part of this ideological divide is due to conservative Americans’ lower confidence in science. These findings raise important issues for the recruitment of subjects for medical studies and the generalizability of results from such studies.
Fecundity determines the outcome of founding queen associations in ants
Authors: Teggers Eva-Maria , Deegener Falk , Libbrecht Romain
Published: February 2021

Animal cooperation evolved because of its benefits to the cooperators. Pleometrosis in ants—the cooperation of queens to found a colony—benefits colony growth, but also incurs costs for some of the cooperators because only one queen usually survives the association. While several traits in queens influence queen survival, they tend to be confounded and it is unclear which factor specifically determines the outcome of pleometrosis. In this study, we used the ant Lasius niger to monitor offspring production in colonies founded by one or two queens. Then, we experimentally paired queens that differed in fecundity but not in size, and vice versa, to disentangle the effect of these factors on queen survival. Finally, we investigated how fecundity and size differed between queens depending on whether they were chosen as pleometrotic partners. Our results indicate that pleometrosis increased and accelerated worker production via a nutritional boost to the larvae. The most fecund queens more frequently survived the associations, even when controlling for size and worker parentage, and queens selected as pleometrotic partners were less fecund. Our results are consistent with fecundity being central to the onset and outcome of pleometrosis, a classic example of cooperation among unrelated animals.
Explainable drug sensitivity prediction through cancer pathway enrichment
Authors: Tang Yi-Ching , Gottlieb Assaf
Published: February 2021

Computational approaches to predict drug sensitivity can promote precision anticancer therapeutics. Generalizable and explainable models are of critical importance for translation to guide personalized treatment and are often overlooked in favor of prediction performance. Here, we propose PathDSP: a pathway-based model for drug sensitivity prediction that integrates chemical structure information with enrichment of cancer signaling pathways across drug-associated genes, gene expression, mutation and copy number variation data to predict drug response on the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer dataset. Using a deep neural network, we outperform state-of-the-art deep learning models, while demonstrating good generalizability a separate dataset of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia as well as provide explainable results, demonstrated through case studies that are in line with current knowledge. Additionally, our pathway-based model achieved a good performance when predicting unseen drugs and cells, with potential utility for drug development and for guiding individualized medicine.
Applying artificial intelligence to longitudinal imaging analysis of vestibular schwannoma following radiosurgery
Authors: Lee Cheng-chia , Lee Wei-Kai , Wu Chih-Chun , Lu Chia-Feng , Yang Huai-Che , Chen Yu-Wei , Chung Wen-Yuh , Hu Yong-Sin , Wu Hsiu-Mei , Wu Yu-Te , Guo Wan-Yuo
Published: February 2021

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been applied with considerable success in the fields of radiology, pathology, and neurosurgery. It is expected that AI will soon be used to optimize strategies for the clinical management of patients based on intensive imaging follow-up. Our objective in this study was to establish an algorithm by which to automate the volumetric measurement of vestibular schwannoma (VS) using a series of parametric MR images following radiosurgery. Based on a sample of 861 consecutive patients who underwent Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) between 1993 and 2008, the proposed end-to-end deep-learning scheme with automated pre-processing pipeline was applied to a series of 1290 MR examinations (T1W+C, and T2W parametric MR images). All of which were performed under consistent imaging acquisition protocols. The relative volume difference (RVD) between AI-based volumetric measurements and clinical measurements performed by expert radiologists were + 1.74%, − 0.31%, − 0.44%, − 0.19%, − 0.01%, and + 0.26% at each follow-up time point, regardless of the state of the tumor (progressed, pseudo-progressed, or regressed). This study outlines an approach to the evaluation of treatment responses via novel volumetric measurement algorithm, and can be used longitudinally following GKRS for VS. The proposed deep learning AI scheme is applicable to longitudinal follow-up assessments following a variety of therapeutic interventions.
Development of a robust protocol for the characterization of the pulmonary microbiota
Authors: Dumont-Leblond Nathan , Veillette Marc , Racine Christine , Joubert Philippe , Duchaine Caroline
Published: February 2021

The lack of methodological standardization diminishes the validity of results obtained and the conclusions drawn when studying the lung microbiota. We report the validation of a complete 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing workflow, from patient recruitment to bioinformatics, tailored to the constrains of the pulmonary environment. We minimize the impact of contaminants and establish negative controls to track and account for them at every step. Enzymatic and mechanical homogenization combined to commercially available extraction kits allow for a fast and reliable extraction of bacterial DNA. The DNA extraction kits have a significant impact on the bacterial composition of the controls. The bacterial signatures of extracted cancerous and healthy human tissues from 5 patients are highly distinguishable from methodological controls. Our work expands our understanding of low microbial burdened environments analysis. This article is to be a starting point towards methodological standardization and the implementation of proper sampling procedures in the study of lung microbiota.
Unraveling the deep learning gearbox in optical coherence tomography image segmentation towards explainable artificial intelligence
Authors: Maloca Peter M. , Müller Philipp L. , Lee Aaron Y. , Tufail Adnan , Balaskas Konstantinos , Niklaus Stephanie , Kaiser Pascal , Suter Susanne , Zarranz-Ventura Javier , Egan Catherine , Scholl Hendrik P. N. , Schnitzer Tobias K. , Singer Thomas , Hasler Pascal W. , Denk Nora
Published: February 2021

Machine learning has greatly facilitated the analysis of medical data, while the internal operations usually remain intransparent. To better comprehend these opaque procedures, a convolutional neural network for optical coherence tomography image segmentation was enhanced with a Traceable Relevance Explainability (T-REX) technique. The proposed application was based on three components: ground truth generation by multiple graders, calculation of Hamming distances among graders and the machine learning algorithm, as well as a smart data visualization (‘neural recording’). An overall average variability of 1.75% between the human graders and the algorithm was found, slightly minor to 2.02% among human graders. The ambiguity in ground truth had noteworthy impact on machine learning results, which could be visualized. The convolutional neural network balanced between graders and allowed for modifiable predictions dependent on the compartment. Using the proposed T-REX setup, machine learning processes could be rendered more transparent and understandable, possibly leading to optimized applications.
Spectroscopic evidence of the C–N covalent bond formed between two interstellar molecules (ISM): acrylonitrile and ammonia
Authors: Sun Fufei , Xie Min , Zhang Yu , Song Wentao , Sun Xiaonan , Hu Yongjun
Published: February 2021

A new CN covalent bond was formed between acrylonitrile and ammonia in ionization state.
Hydrophobic thiol coatings to facilitate a triphasic interface for carbon dioxide reduction to ethylene at gas diffusion electrodes
Authors: Perry Samuel C. , Mavrikis Sotirios , Wegener Moritz , Nazarovs Pāvels , Wang Ling , Ponce de León Carlos
Published: February 2021

In this work, we report the use of hydrophobic 1-octadecanethiol coatings at copper coated gas diffusion electrodes to enhance the production of ethylene.
Tight-binding investigation of the structural and vibrational properties of graphene–single wall carbon nanotube junctions
Authors: Srivastava Juhi , Gaur Anshu
Published: February 2021

The phonon mode frequencies of SWNT and SLG in hybrid nanostructures are sensitive to various interactions, such as vdW forces, structural deformation and/or charge transfer between SWNT and SLG.
A near-infrared fluorescent probe for monitoring viscosity in living cells, zebrafish and mice
Authors: Zhan Jingting , Geng Chen , Hao Xinya , Song Wenhui , Lin Weiying
Published: February 2021

A novel NIF fluorescent probe, ZM-V, was designed, in which interior imidazole and benzopyrene moieties serve as rotators, which can spin around multiple C–C bonds in the conjugated skeleton.
Ionic liquids: “normal” solvents or nanostructured fluids?
Authors: Marullo Salvatore , D'Anna Francesca , Rizzo Carla , Billeci Floriana
Published: February 2021

This review provides an overview of the literature from 2010 to the present day, covering the effect of ionic liquids (ILs) on organic reactivity. Two major viewpoints emerge, based on linear solvation energy relationships or nanostructure of ILs.
A far-red emissive two-photon fluorescent probe for quantification of uracil in genomic DNA
Authors: Wang Bingyao , Chen Yi , Zhang Xiong , Jiang Zhuoran , Wang Yafen , Chen Kun , Wang Fang , Weng Xiaocheng , Zhou Xiang
Published: February 2021

A far-red emissive and two-photon probe offered a new method to detect uracil in genomic DNA.
Tilting and twisting in a novel perovzalate, K3NaMn(C2O4)3
Authors: He Xiaolong , Zhang Xinyuan , Ji Bifa , Yao Wenjiao , Lightfoot Philip , Tang Yongbing
Published: February 2021

A unique variant on the perovskite structure, K3NaMn(C2O4)3, has been identified with unconventional octahedral tilting, interpenetration of two topologically identical perovskite-like frameworks and an unusual, twisted oxalate ligand.
L’activité agricole, une ressource pour la circulation ou l’ancrage des migrants ? Exploration bibliographique du lien entre agriculture et migration en France
Authors: Darly Ségolène , Hochedez Camille , Le Gall Julie , Poulot Monique , Aragau Claire
Published: February 2021

Après un retour sur des écrits de géographie économique et de sociologie du travail qui ont traditionnellement analysé la place des migrants comme travailleurs de l’activité agricole, l’article envisage la bibliographie issue des recherches sur la mobilité pour questionner le rôle de l’agriculture comme ressource au cœur du projet migratoire des populations observées. Ce changement de perspective soulève de nouveaux enjeux et appelle une nécessaire réflexion sur la façon de rendre compte et de qualifier les formes d’agricultures investies, voire créées, par les migrants, lesquelles témoignent de la variété et de la complexité de la relation entre agriculture et migrations. Dans une perspective de géographie sociale, nous proposons enfin de reformuler des questions de recherche construites initialement en dehors du champ des recherches sur l’ancrage et les migrations mais qui reprennent des objets identifiés dans les débats sur les liens entre agriculture et vulnérabilités.
Global gradient estimates for nonlinear parabolic operators
Authors: Dipierro Serena , Gao Zu , Valdinoci Enrico
Published: February 2021

We consider a parabolic equation driven by a nonlinear diffusive operator and we obtain a gradient estimate in the domain where the equation takes place. This estimate depends on the structural constants of the equation, on the geometry of the ambient space and on the initial and boundary data. As a byproduct, one easily obtains a universal interior estimate, not depending on the parabolic data. The setting taken into account includes sourcing terms and general diffusion coefficients. The results are new, to the best of our knowledge, even in the Euclidean setting, though we treat here also the case of a complete Riemannian manifold.
Lithium im Trinkwasser – Lithium ins Trinkwasser
Authors: Rüger Alexander , Graf Heiko
Published: February 2021

Eine im Jahr 2009 veröffentlichte Studie aus Japan berichtete von einem inversen Zusammenhang zwischen den Lithiumkonzentrationen im Trinkwasser und den Suizidraten in der jeweiligen Region und erreichte damit großes öffentliches Interesse. Etwa 10 Jahre danach war es unserer Ansicht nach an der Zeit zu prüfen, ob sich ein protektiver Effekt von höheren Lithiumkonzentrationen im Trinkwasser auf Suizidraten in der Allgemeinbevölkerung in weiteren Untersuchungen bestätigte. Seit 2009 wurden mehrere, überwiegend ökologische Studien zu diesem Thema veröffentlicht und konnten zumeist den protektiven Effekt einer höheren Lithiumkonzentration im Trinkwasser auf Suizide in mehreren Ländern nachvollziehen. Darüber hinaus berichtete eine Studie von einem möglichen protektiven Effekt von höheren Konzentrationen an Lithium im Trinkwasser auf die Inzidenz von demenziellen Erkrankungen. In diesem Artikel soll die Studienlage zu diesem inversen Zusammenhang zusammenfassend dargestellt, jedoch gleichzeitig auch auf die methodischen Schwächen dieser Untersuchungen hingewiesen werden.
Neuronale Oszillationen als elektrophysiologischer Marker für Defizite der kognitiven Kontrolle bei psychischen Erkrankungen
Authors: Klaiber Ingo , Schönfeldt-Lecuona Carlos , Kiefer Markus
Published: February 2021

Kognitive Kontrollprozesse sind wichtig, um eine Vielzahl an Alltagssituationen erfolgreich zu bewältigen. Bei psychischen Erkrankungen wie Schizophrenie oder Depression wurden Defizite in diesen Kontrollfunktionen beschrieben, wobei das kognitive Syndrom bei Depression in der klinischen Praxis häufig weniger Beachtung findet. In den vergangenen Jahren wurde den neuronalen Oszillationen als Korrelat für kognitive Kontrollleistungen vermehrt Aufmerksamkeit gewidmet und deren Veränderungen bei psychischen Erkrankungen untersucht. Die oszillatorische elektrische Hirnaktivität, also rhythmische Veränderungen neuronaler Aktivität, kann mit dem Elektroenzephalogramm (EEG) gemessen werden. In der Forschung kristallisierte sich dabei die oszillatorische Aktivität im Theta-Frequenzband als neuronales Korrelat von kognitiven Kontrollfunktionen und als wichtig für neuronale Kommunikation heraus. Befunde zeigen, dass Patienten mit Schizophrenie während der Lösung kognitiver Konflikte pathologische Veränderungen in diesem Frequenzband aufweisen. Bei Patienten mit Depression konnten diese Veränderungen noch nicht in solcher Deutlichkeit beschrieben werden. Der vorliegende Artikel führt in grundlegende Konzepte ein und beschreibt neuronale Oszillationen als Biomarker psychischer Erkrankungen, der zur Verbesserung der Diagnostik und Behandlung kognitiver Defizite beitragen könnte.
Palisade technique as an effective endoscopic submucosal dissection tool for large colorectal tumors
Authors: Suzuki Yuichiro , Ohata Ken , Sakai Eiji , Negishi Ryoju , Takita Maiko , Minato Yohei , Muramoto Takeshi , Chiba Hideyuki , Tsuji Yosuke , Matsuhashi Nobuyuki
Published: February 2021

Background and study aims Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has become the standard treatment for colorectal ESD, but large colorectal tumors remain difficult to remove. We developed a new method, called the palisade technique, by modifying the multiple tunneling technique. In this method, a palisade of submucosal tissue is left beneath the tumor to anchor a dissected specimen, maintaining effective submucosal traction.

Patients and methods The study included 11 patients with large colorectal tumors that were over half the circumference of the colorectal lumen which were treated using the palisade technique from August 2017 to October 2019. Overall resection outcomes were assessed.

Results All 11 lesions were removed en bloc. The R0 resection rate was 45.6 % because of marginal burning of the specimen, but no local recurrence was found after a median observation period of 31 months. The median submucosal dissection time (SDT) and submucosal dissection speed (SDS) were 170 minutes and 23.1 mm2/min, respectively. One case of post-ESD hemorrhage was successfully managed endoscopically, and two cases of post-colorectal ESD coagulation syndrome were managed conservatively.

Conclusion The palisade technique can be an effective and safe technique for treating large colorectal tumors that extend over half the luminal circumference.
White bile in patients with malignant biliary obstruction is an independent factor of poor survival
Authors: Dʼalmeida Rosario , Barbe Coralie , Untereiner Valérie , Ramaholimihaso Fidy , Renard Pascal , Sockalingum Ganesh D. , Garnotel Roselyne , Thiefin Gérard
Published: February 2021

Background and study aims White bile is defined as a colorless fluid occasionally found in the biliary tract of patients with bile duct obstruction. Its significance is not clearly established. Our objective was to analyze the prognostic value of white bile in a series of patients with biliary obstruction due to biliary or pancreatic cancer.

Patients and methods The study was conducted on a series of consecutive patients with malignant obstructive jaundice. They all underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with collection of bile and biliary stent insertion. White bile was defined as bile duct fluid with bilirubin level < 20 µmol/L. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify variables associated with overall survival (OS).

Results Seventy-three patients were included (32 pancreatic cancers, 41 bile duct cancers). Thirty-nine (53.4 %) had white bile. The mean bile duct bilirubin level in this group was 4.2 ± 5.9 µmol/L vs 991 ± 1039 µmol/L in patients with colored bile (P < 0.0001). In the group of 54 patients not eligible for surgery, the multivariate analysis demonstrated an association between the presence of white bile and reduced OS (HR 2.3, 95 %CI 1.1–4.7; P = 0.02). Other factors independently associated with OS were metastatic extension (HR 2.8, 95 %CI 1.4–5.7) and serum total bilirubin (HR 1.003, 95 %CI 1.001–1.006). There was a significant inverse correlation between serum and bile duct bilirubin levels (r = –0.43, P = 0.0001).

Conclusion White bile in patients with inoperable malignant biliary obstruction is an independent factor of poor survival.