bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Divorce burnout” among recently divorced individuals
Authors: Hald Gert Martin , Ciprić Ana , Strizzi Jenna Marie , Sander Søren
Published: March 2020

Traditionally, the concept of burnout has been applied to the workspace but recent research suggests its applicability to more general contexts such as the family sphere. The present study applies burnout to the divorce context and (a) proposes and statistically tests the Divorce Burnout Model (DBM), (b) investigates the contribution of sociodemographic variables and divorce characteristics to burnout scores, and (c) investigates the relationship between burnout scores and the number of sick days and days of absence from work. Using a cross‐sectional design and a sample of 1,856 recently divorced Danish citizens, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis verified the DBM´s good fit to data. Using this model, for men, it was found that fewer previous divorces, former spouse initiation of divorce, not having a new partner and a higher degree of conflict significantly predicted higher levels of divorce burnout. For women, lower income, former spouse divorce initiation, not having a new partner, and a higher level of conflict significantly predicted higher levels of divorce burnout. Across gender, burnout scores were found to significantly predict number of sick days and days of absence from work in the past 3 months over and above sociodemographic variables, divorce related characteristics, and depressive symptoms.
Genome-wide CRISPR screen identifies ZIC2 as an essential gene that controls the cell fate of early mesodermal precursors to human heart progenitors
Authors: Xu Jiejia , Zhou Chikai , Foo Kylie S. , Yang Ran , Xiao Yao , Bylund Kristine , Sahara Makoto , Chien Kenneth R.
Published: March 2020

Cardiac progenitor formation is one of the earliest committed steps of human cardiogenesis and requires the cooperation of multiple gene sets governed by developmental signaling cascades. To determine the key regulators for cardiac progenitor formation, we have developed a two-stage genome-wide CRISPR-knockout screen. We mimicked the progenitor formation process by differentiating human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into cardiomyocytes, monitored by two distinct stage markers of early cardiac mesodermal formation and commitment to a multipotent heart progenitor cell fate: MESP1 and ISL1, respectively. From the screen output, we compiled a list of 15 candidate genes. After validating seven of them, we identified ZIC2 as an essential gene for cardiac progenitor formation. ZIC2 is known as a master regulator of neurogenesis. hPSCs with ZIC2 mutated still express pluripotency markers. However, their ability to differentiate into cardiomyocytes was greatly attenuated. RNA-Seq profiling of the ZIC2-mutant cells revealed that the mutants switched their cell fate alternatively to the noncardiac cell lineage. Further, single cell RNA-seq analysis showed the ZIC2 mutants affected the apelin receptor-related signaling pathway during mesoderm formation. Our results provide a new link between ZIC2 and human cardiogenesis and document the potential power of a genome-wide unbiased CRISPR-knockout screen to identify the key steps in human mesoderm precursor cell- and heart progenitor cell-fate determination during in vitro hPSC cardiogenesis.
Correction to: Disrupted Development and the Future of Inequality in the Age of Automation
Authors: Schlogl Lukas , Sumner Andy
Published: March 2020

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Patterns of Transnational Trade Union Cooperation in Europe
Authors: Furåker Bengt , Larsson Bengt
Published: March 2020

This chapter offers an overview of patterns of transnational trade union cooperation—based on empirical data. It begins by providing a brief depiction of the multilevel structures of such cooperation, followed by a presentation of the general views among unions regarding the importance and the potential benefits of cooperating at different levels. A second section entails a more detailed investigation of the importance attributed to various topics to collaborate on. This part also includes an examination of the preferences among unions in different sectors and industrial relations regimes/regions regarding forms of cooperation. The remainder of the chapter section scrutinizes what unions consider to be the most important obstacles to and facilitators for cross-border cooperation.
Revision of the EU Posting of Workers Directive, Social Dumping and Trade Unions’ Position
Authors: Furåker Bengt , Larsson Bengt
Published: March 2020

In 2016, the European Commission proposed a revision of the Posting of Workers Directive and it led to a great deal of debate, with a sharp East–West division in the political reactions. The proposal aimed at eliminating certain kinds of social dumping, arguing that the same work in the same place would get the same pay. Ministers and parliaments in several Central and East European countries raised their voice against the revision. Employers’ organizations were generally negative, while the trade union confederations at European level were positive but not uncritical; they wanted a more radical reform. No manifest East–West cleavage became visible in the trade union movement. Even in countries dismissive of the revision, the main labour organizations supported the dominant trade union responses.
Lifting of level-1 states in the D1D5 CFT
Authors: Guo Bin , Mathur Samir D.
Published: March 2020

Abstract

The D1D5 CFT has a large set of states that are supersymmetric at the ‘free’ orbifold point in moduli space. When we perturb away from this point, some of these states join into long multiplets and lift in energy, while others remain supersymmetric. The count of unlifted states can be bounded below by an index, but the index does not yield the pattern of lifting; i.e., which states join into a long multiplet and how much this multiplet lifts. In this paper we consider the simple case of the D1D5 CFT where the orbifold CFT is a sigma model with targets space (T4)2/S2 and consider states at energy level 1. There are 2688 states at this level. The lifted states form a triplet of long multiplets, and we compute their lift at second order in perturbation theory. Half the members of the long multiplet are in the untwisted sector and half are in the twisted sector. This and other similar studies should help in the understanding of fuzzball states that describe extremal holes, since CFT sectors with low twist describe shallow throats in the dual gravity solution while sectors with high twist describe deep throats.
Epidemiology of complex hand injuries treated in the Plastic Surgery Department of a tertiary referral hospital in Warsaw
Authors: Dębski Tomasz , Noszczyk Bartłomiej Henryk
Published: March 2020

Background

Trauma to the hand is common and potentially serious, impairing daily living and general quality of life. Patients are often unable to work for several months, with hand function improving only gradually. Here, we review the epidemiology of hand injuries treated at a tertiary referral hospital in Warsaw, Poland.

Material and methods

In this single-centre, retrospective study, we reviewed medical records of patients presenting to the A&E Unit of the Plastic Surgery Department, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education in Warsaw, Poland, between January 2001 and December 2005. We assessed a number of patient and injury characteristics, including severity, scored with the Hand Injury Severity Scoring System (HISS), and time off work.

Results

Of 1091 patients with a hand injury, 84% were male and over half were under the age of 40 years. Hand injury commonly resulted in tendon damage (56.1%), especially to finger flexors (79%), and in skin loss (37.8%). Amputations occurred in 24.1% of cases, while fractures (9.6%) and nerve (6.1%) or joint (5.5%) damage were less common. HISS-graded injury severity was moderate in 28.6% of cases, over half of the patients suffered severe (25.5%) or major (26.5%) injuries, and minor injuries were relatively uncommon (19.4%).

Conclusions

Amongst patients admitted to our Department, the most common injuries were tendon damage, skin loss, and amputations. Over half of the patients presented with severe or major injuries and took six months or longer to return to work, suggesting they were likely to face substantial social and economic consequences of their injury.

Level of evidence

IV: retrospective series.
Jungen sterben häufiger an nekrotisierender Enterokolitis
Authors: Schröder A. , Muensterer O. J. , Oetzmann von Sochaczewski C.
Published: March 2020

Hintergrund

In den letzten Jahren verringerte sich die frühgeburtliche Morbidität und Mortalität über Ländergrenzen hinweg deutlich. Allen Untersuchungen gemeinsam ist aber eine höhere Betroffenheit und Sterblichkeit von Jungen gegenüber Mädchen, insbesondere bei der nekrotisierenden Enterokolitis.

Fragestellung

Besteht in Deutschland auf Basis der amtlichen Krankenhausstatistik eine höhere Inzidenz oder Sterblichkeit von Jungen an nekrotisierender Enterokolitis?

Material und Methoden

Die Autoren werteten die Diagnosedaten der amtlichen Krankenhausstatistik für die Jahre 2000–2017 für die Hauptdiagnose P77 – nekrotisierende Enterokolitis –, getrennt nach Geschlechtern und Überleben, aus. Der Zusammenhang zwischen Geschlecht und Versterben resp. Erkrankungshäufigkeit wurde mittels einseitigem χ2-Test auf ein höheres Risiko für Jungen untersucht.

Ergebnisse

Zwischen 2000 und 2017 hatten 3119 Frühgeborene die Hauptdiagnose nekrotisierende Enterokolitis, davon 1769 Jungen (0,27 ‰ der männlichen Lebendgeburten) und 1350 Mädchen (0,22 ‰ der weiblichen Lebendgeburten). Jungen haben ein höheres Risiko, an nekrotisierender Enterokolitis zu erkranken (relatives Risiko 1,24, 95 %-Konfidenzintervall: 1,17–∞, p < 0,001) und zu versterben (relatives Risiko 1,25, 95 %-Konfidenzintervall: 1,02–∞, p = 0,036).

Diskussion

Jungen erkranken und sterben häufiger an nekrotisierender Enterokolitis als Mädchen. Allerdings erfasst die amtliche Statistik nicht die leichteren Fälle einer nekrotisierenden Enterokolitis, da nur die Hauptdiagnose erfasst wird. Überdies ermöglicht die amtliche Statistik keine Adjustierung für verzerrende Faktoren. Die sekundäre Datennutzung der Qualitätssicherungsdaten der Neonatalerhebung könnte eine detailliertere Untersuchung dieser Fragestellung ermöglichen.
Using formal verification to evaluate theexecution time of Spark applications
Authors: Baresi L. , Bersani M. M. , Marconi F. , Quattrocchi G. , Rossi M.
Published: March 2020

Apache Spark is probably the most widely adopted framework for developing big-data batch applications and for executing them on a
cluster of (virtual) machines. In general, the more resources
(machines) one uses, the faster applications execute, but there is
currently no adequate means to determine the proper size of a Spark
cluster given time constraints, or to foresee execution times given
the number of employed machines. One can only run these applications
and use her/his experience to size the cluster and predict expected
execution times. Wrong estimation of execution times can lead to
costly overruns and overly long executions, thus calling for
analytic sizing/prediction techniques that provide precise time
guarantees. This paper addresses this problem by proposing a
solution based on model-checking. The approach exploits a directed
acyclic graph (DAG) to abstract the structure of the execution flows
of Spark programs, annotates each node (Spark stage) with
execution-related data, and formulates the identification of the
global execution time as a reachability problem. To avoid the
well-known state space explosion problem, the paper also proposes a
technique to reduce the size of generated abstract models. This
results in a significant decrease in used memory and/or verification
time making our approach feasible for predicting the execution time
of Spark applications given the resources available. The benefits of
the proposed reduction technique are evaluated by using both timed
automata and constraint LTL over clocks logic to formally
encode and analyze generated models. The approach is also
successfully validated on some realistic case studies. Since the
optimization is not Spark-specific, we claim that it can be applied
to a wide range of applications whose underlying model can be
abstracted as a DAG.
Effect of oestrogen therapy on faecal incontinence in postmenopausal women: a systematic review
Authors: Bach Fiona L. , Sairally B. Zeyah F. , Latthe Pallavi
Published: March 2020

Introduction and hypothesis

Faecal incontinence (FI) is prevalent in postmenopausal women. Oestrogen receptors have been identified in the anal sphincter and have been implicated in the pathogenesis and potential treatment. We sought to evaluate the literature regarding the impact of local and systemic oestrogen therapy on FI in postmenopausal women.

Methods

A systematic review of all studies in postmenopausal women was performed to establish how oestrogen therapy affects FI. Eight articles were deemed eligible for inclusion following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Their quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (RoB-2) and Newcastle–Ottawa quality assessment scale.

Results

One randomised controlled trial (RCT), two cohort studies, one observational and four cross-sectional studies were identified. The RCT showed an improvement in FI with anal oestrogen (p = 0.002), but this improvement was also observed in the placebo arm (p = 0.013) and no difference was seen between these groups. A prospective observational study demonstrated significant improvement with an oestrogen patch (p = 0.004), but had no control group. Conversely, a large prospective cohort study demonstrated an increased hazard ratio of FI with current (1.32; 95% CI, 1.20–1.45) and previous oestrogen use (1.26; 95% CI, 1.18–1.34) compared with non-users.

Conclusion

All studies had a high risk of bias and had conflicting views on the effects of oestrogen on FI in postmenopausal women. This review has identified the need for further research in this area by highlighting the paucity of good research for evidence-based practice. We believe that a further RCT of local oestrogen is mandated to draw a valid conclusion.
An unusual metal-bound 4-fluorothreonine transaldolase from Streptomyces sp. MA37 catalyses promiscuous transaldol reactions
Authors: Wu Linrui , Tong Ming Him , Raab Andrea , Fang Qing , Wang Shan , Kyeremeh Kwaku , Yu Yi , Deng Hai
Published: March 2020

β-Hydroxy-α-amino acids (βH-AAs) are key components of many bioactive molecules as well as exist as specialised metabolites. Among these βH-AAs, 4-fluorothreonine (4-FT) is the only naturally occurring fluorinated AA discovered thus far. Here we report overexpression and biochemical characterisation of 4-fluorothreonine transaldolase from Streptomyces sp. MA37 (FTaseMA), a homologue of FTase previously identified in the biosynthesis of 4-FT in S. cattleya. FTaseMA displays considerable substrate plasticity to generate 4-FT as well as other β-hydroxy-α-amino acids with various functionalities at C4 position, giving the prospect of new chemo-enzymatic applications. The enzyme has a hybrid of two catalytic domains, serine hydroxymethyltransferase (S) and aldolase (A). Site-directed mutagenesis allowed the identification of the key residues of FTases, suggesting that the active site of A domain has a historical reminiscent feature in metal-dependent aldolases. Elemental analysis demonstrated that FTaseMA is indeed a Zn2+-dependent enzyme, the first example of pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) enzyme family fused with a metal-binding domain carrying out a distinct catalytic role. Finally, FTaseMA showed divergent evolutionary origin with other PLP dependent enzymes.
Patterns of tined lead migration in sacral nerve modulation
Authors: Ezra Emmanuel , Siilin A. M. Helene , Gulobovic Milan , Graf J. Wilhelm R.
Published: March 2020

Aim

Lead migration is a common cause of loss of efficacy in sacral nerve modulation. Our aim was to systematically study the migration pattern of tined leads in sacral nerve modulation. Our hypothesis was that tined leads may promote forward migration because of their configuration.

Method

Consecutive patients treated with sacral nerve modulation with a tined lead electrode, who had experienced loss of efficacy and had radiographs both at baseline and after loss of efficacy between 2005 and 2016 were eligible for inclusion.

Results

Twenty-five patients out of 70 with loss of efficacy were studied. Lead migration was measured as percent electrode movement in relation to sacral cortex at lateral projection. All had some degree of lead migration, ranging from 35% backward to 74% forward migration. Sixteen (64%) had forward migration while nine (36%) had backward migration. In seven patients (28%), loss of efficacy was associated with an episode of perceived mechanical strain on the electrode. Fifty percent (4/8) who associated their loss of efficacy with an adverse event had forward migration of the electrode.

Conclusions

Forward lead migration with concomitant loss of efficacy seems to be a common event in patients with tined leads, hence supporting our hypothesis. The retrospective design and that some of the patients with loss of efficacy could not be included because of incomplete data, which is a limitation to the study. Further studies are needed to confirm to what extent the direction and magnitude of the migration relate to loss of efficacy.

Trial registration
The distribution and evolution of fungal symbioses in ancient lineages of land plants
Authors: Rimington William R. , Duckett Jeffrey G. , Field Katie J. , Bidartondo Martin I. , Pressel Silvia
Published: March 2020

An accurate understanding of the diversity and distribution of fungal symbioses in land plants is essential for mycorrhizal research. Here we update the seminal work of Wang and Qiu (Mycorrhiza 16:299-363, 2006) with a long-overdue focus on early-diverging land plant lineages, which were considerably under-represented in their survey, by examining the published literature to compile data on the status of fungal symbioses in liverworts, hornworts and lycophytes. Our survey combines data from 84 publications, including recent, post-2006, reports of Mucoromycotina associations in these lineages, to produce a list of at least 591 species with known fungal symbiosis status, 180 of which were included in Wang and Qiu (Mycorrhiza 16:299-363, 2006). Using this up-to-date compilation, we estimate that fewer than 30% of liverwort species engage in symbiosis with fungi belonging to all three mycorrhizal phyla, Mucoromycota, Basidiomycota and Ascomycota, with the last being the most widespread (17%). Fungal symbioses in hornworts (78%) and lycophytes (up to 100%) appear to be more common but involve only members of the two Mucoromycota subphyla Mucoromycotina and Glomeromycotina, with Glomeromycotina prevailing in both plant groups. Our fungal symbiosis occurrence estimates are considerably more conservative than those published previously, but they too may represent overestimates due to currently unavoidable assumptions.
Variation in ligamentous laxity in well-functioning total knee arthroplasty is not associated with clinical outcomes or functional ability
Authors: Hamilton David F. , Mandziak Daniel , Sehgal Alexandria , Howie Colin R. , Burnett Richard
Published: March 2020

Background

Around 20% of revision knee arthroplasty procedures are carried out for a diagnosis of instability. Clinical evaluation of instability is primarily through physical stress testing of knee ligamentous laxity and joint space opening. It is assumed that increased knee ligament laxity is associated with instability of the knee and, by association, reduced physical function. The range of knee ligament laxity in asymptomatic patients with total knee arthroplasty has however not been reported, nor has the association with measures of physical outcomes.

Methods

Patients who reported being happy with the outcomes of TKA and denied any feelings of knee instability were evaluated at routine follow-up clinicas. Knee ligamentous stability was evaluated seperately by 2 blinded assessors in both coronal and saggital planes. Assessors classified the ligamentous stability as ‘tight’, ‘neutrol’ or ‘loose’. Clinical outcome was evaluated by Oxford Knee Score, patient satisfaction metric, timed performance test, range of motion and lower limb power. Analysis of variance was employed to evaluate variables between groups with post hoc pairwise comparisons.

Results

In total, 42 patients were evaluated. Mean time since index surgery was 46 (SD 8) months. In the coronal plane, 11 (26.2%) were categorised as ‘tight’, 22 (52.4%) as ‘neutral’ and 9 (21.4%) as ‘loose’. In the sagittal plane, 15 (35.7%) were categorised as ‘tight’, 17 (40.5%) as ‘neutral’ and 10 (23.8%) as ‘loose’. There were no between-group differences in outcomes: Oxford Knee Score, range of motion, lower limb power, timed functional assessment score or in satisfaction response in either plane (p = 0.05).

Conclusions

We found a range of ligamentous laxity in asymptomatic patients satisfied with the outcome of their knee arthroplasty, and no association between knee laxity and physical ability.
Trends of incidence and prognosis of gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms: a study based on SEER and our multicenter research
Authors: Hu Ping , Bai Jian’an , Liu Min , Xue Jingwen , Chen Tiaotiao , Li Rui , Kuai Xiaoling , Zhao Haijian , Li Xiaolin , Tian Ye , Sun Wei , Xiong Yujia , Tang Qiyun
Published: March 2020

Background

To investigate the recent epidemiological trends of gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms (GNENs) and establish a new tool to estimate the prognosis of gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma (GNEC) and gastric neuroendocrine tumor (GNET).

Methods

Nomograms were established based on a retrospective study on patients diagnosed with GNENs from 1975 to 2016 in Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. External validation was performed among 246 GNENs patients in Jiangsu province to verify the discrimination and calibration of the nomograms.

Results

The age-adjusted incidence of GNENs has increased from 0.309 to 6.149 per 1,000,000 persons in the past 4 decades. Multivariate analysis indicated independent prognostic factors for both GNEC and GNET including age, distant metastasis and surgical intervention (P < 0.05). In addition, T, N staging and grade were significantly associated with survival of GNEC, while size was a predictor for GNET (P < 0.05). The C-indexes of the nomograms were 0.840 for GNEC and 0.718 for GNET, which were higher than those of the 8th AJCC staging system (0.773 and 0.599). Excellent discrimination was observed in the validation cohorts (C-index of nomogram vs AJCC staging for GNEC: 0.743 vs 0.714; GNET: 0.945 vs 0.927). Survival rates predicted by nomograms were close to the actual survival rates in the calibration plots in both training and validation sets.

Conclusions

The incidence of the GNENs is increasing steadily in the past 40 years. We established more excellent nomograms to predict the prognosis of GNENs than traditional staging system, helping clinicians to make tailored decisions.
Worst-case optimal approximation with increasingly flat Gaussian kernels
Authors: Karvonen Toni , Särkkä Simo
Published: March 2020

We study worst-case optimal approximation of positive linear functionals in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces induced by increasingly flat Gaussian kernels. This provides a new perspective and some generalisations to the problem of interpolation with increasingly flat radial basis functions. When the evaluation points are fixed and unisolvent, we show that the worst-case optimal method converges to a polynomial method. In an additional one-dimensional extension, we allow also the points to be selected optimally and show that in this case convergence is to the unique Gaussian quadrature–type method that achieves the maximal polynomial degree of exactness. The proofs are based on an explicit characterisation of the reproducing kernel Hilbert space of the Gaussian kernel in terms of exponentially damped polynomials.
Inhibitory effects of msFGFR2c on the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of AE2 cells in pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Jieming Guo , Liu Chuan , Yang Yin , Mo Shanyi , Yang Xuesong , Wang Ju
Published: March 2020

In interstitial fibrosis, alveolar epithelial type II (AE2) cells fail to repair damaged epithelium. However, whether this dysfunction is related to fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signal pathway and how it affects the fibrotic process remains unclear. In our study, the medium of the human foetal lung fibroblast cell line MRC-5 (Med) can induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in AE2 cells, we also found that TGF-β in Med can induce FGF-2 and CTGF expression in AE2 cells. TGF-β or CTGF exposure trigger a FGFR2 subtype b to c transition which can be supressed by siRNA-CTGF. All together, since FGFR2IIIc have the highest affinity with FGF-2 in all of the FGFRs, we indicate the activation of FGF2 signal pathway was induced by TGF-β, which is the key component of Med Here, we also find the inhibitory effect of msFGFR2c (S252W mutant of soluble FGFR2IIIc extracellular domain) on EMT of mouse primary AE2 cells in pulmonary fibrotic process. In a bleomycin-induced mouse pulmonary fibrosis model, msFGFR2c alleviate pulmonary fibrosis and suppress the decrease in pro-SPC levels. Thus, msFGFR2c can inhibit EMT-induced fibrosis of AE2 cells via FGF-2 signal and AE2 cells is suggested to play an important role in the lung fibrotic process.
The impact of lifestyle and reproductive factors on the risk of a second new primary cancer in the contralateral breast: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Akdeniz Delal , Klaver M. Maria , Smith Chloé Z. A. , Koppert Linetta B. , Hooning Maartje J.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The risk of being diagnosed with contralateral breast cancer (CBC) is an important health issue among breast cancer survivors. There is an increasing interest in the effect of lifestyle and reproductive factors on CBC risk, since these factors may partly be modifiable. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis and aimed to evaluate the impact of lifestyle and reproductive factors on CBC risk in population-based breast cancer studies.

Methods

The PubMed electronic database was searched up to 2nd November 2019, for relevant publications. Of the included studies, a meta-analysis per lifestyle or reproductive factor was performed.

Results

Thirteen out of 784 publications were used for the meta-analysis. Body mass index (≥ 25 vs. < 25 kg/m2; RR = 1.22; 95% CI 1.01–1.47) was associated with increased CBC risk. The estimates for alcohol use (ever vs. never; RR = 1.15; 95% CI 1.02–1.31) and age at primiparity (≥ 25 vs. < 25 years; RR = 1.06; 95% CI 1.02–1.10) also showed an association with increased CBC risk. For parity (≥ 4 vs. nulliparous; RR = 0.56; 95% CI 0.42–0.76) and age at menopause (< 45 vs ≥ 45 years; RR = 0.79; 95% CI 0.67–0.93), results from two studies suggested a decreased CBC risk. We observed no association between CBC and smoking, age at menarche, oral contraceptive use, gravidity, breastfeeding, or menopausal status. Overall, the number of studies per risk factor was limited (n = 2–5).

Conclusions

BMI is a modifiable risk factor for CBC. Data on the effect of other modifiable lifestyle and reproductive factors are limited. For better counseling of patients on lifestyle effects, more studies are urgently needed.
On the Methodological Restriction of the Principle of Characterization
Authors: Sendłak Maciej
Published: March 2020

The subject of this article is the Principle of Characterization—the most controversial principle of Alexius Meinong’s Theory of Objects. The aim of this text is twofold. First of all, to show that Bertrand Russell’s well-known objection to the Principle of Characterization can be reformulated against contemporary unrestricted interpretations of it. Second, to propose an alternative formulation of this principle. This refers to the methodology of metaphysics and is based on the distinction between pre-theoretical and theoretical languages. The proposed formulation fits well with every type of contemporary interpretation of the Theory of Objects and helps to overcome Russell’s criticism.
Effect of Boron Micro-alloying on the Surface Tension of Liquid Iron and Steel Alloys
Authors: Korobeinikov Iurii , Chebykin Dmitry , Seetharaman Seshadri , Volkova Olena
Published: March 2020

Thermo-physical properties of the liquid metals and alloys play an essential role in modeling and controlling metallurgical processes. In particular, surface tension of metals has a strong impact on wetting various surfaces. Boron is added in numerous iron-based alloys as micro-alloying component. In existing literature, there is no general agreement with the effect of boron on the surface tension. The present study focuses on investigations of boron micro-alloying on the surface tension of iron and CrMnNi alloys by the maximum bubble pressure method (MBP). In contrast to other techniques, maximum bubble pressure technique is less affected by the evaporation of surface-active elements and the purity of the atmosphere around the sample. Measurement of the surface tension was accomplished before and after in situ addition of boron to the molten metal phase. Samples were molten in ZrO2 and Al2O3 crucibles and yttria-PSZ capillaries were used for the experiments. Measurements were carried out at 1550 °C in argon atmosphere and argon as bubbles formation media. Results of the experiments indicate a minor effect of boron on the surface tension of liquid iron. Effect of boron on the surface tension of steels is discussed in the context of other surface-active elements present.
Interaction between piperine and genes associated with sciatica and its mechanism based on molecular docking technology and network pharmacology
Authors: Yu Jiu-wang , Yuan Hong-wei , Bao Li-dao , Si Leng-ge
Published: March 2020

Piperine is the main active component of Piper longum L., which is also the main component of anti-sciatica Mongolian medicine Naru Sanwei pill. It has many pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory and immune regulation.
This paper aims to preliminarily explore the potential mechanism of piperine in the treatment of sciatica through network pharmacology and molecular docking. TCMSP, ETCM database and literature mining were used to collect the active compounds of Piper longum L. Swiss TargetPrediction and SuperPred server were used to find the targets of compounds. At the same time, CTD database was used to collect the targets of sciatica. Then the above targets were compared and analyzed to select the targets of anti-sciatica in Piper longum L. The Go (gene ontology) annotation and KEGG pathway of the targets were enriched and analyzed by Metascape database platform. The molecular docking between the effective components and the targets was verified by Autodock. After that, the sciatica model of rats was established and treated with piperine. The expression level of inflammatory factors and proteins in the serum and tissues of rat sciatic nerve were detected by ELISA and Western blot. HE staining and immunohistochemistry were carried out on the sciatica tissues of rats. The results showed that Piper longum L. can regulate the development of sciatica and affect the expressions of PPARG and NF-kB1 through its active ingredient piperine, and there is endogenous interaction between PPARG and NF-kB1.

Graphic abstract
Self-esteem in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Opheim Randi , Moum Bjørn , Grimstad Bjørn Tore , Jahnsen Jørgen , Prytz Berset Ingrid , Hovde Øistein , Huppertz-Hauss Gert , Bernklev Tomm , Jelsness-Jørgensen Lars-Petter
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore self-esteem and associations between self-esteem and sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a disease of chronic relapsing inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. IBD symptoms, including pain, fatigue, and diarrhea, as well as potential life-long medical treatment and surgery, may be demanding, cause significant challenges, and influence self-esteem.

Methods

In this cross-sectional multicenter study, participants were recruited from nine hospitals in the southeastern and western regions of Norway from March 2013 to April 2014. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. Self-esteem was assessed by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, fatigue was assessed by the Fatigue Questionnaire, self-efficacy was assessed by the General Self-Efficacy Scale, and disease activity was assessed by the Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Harvey Bradshaw Index for Crohn’s disease (CD). Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to examine associations between self-esteem and sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors.

Results

In total, 411 of 452 (91%) patients had evaluable data and were included in this study. The mean scores on self-esteem, self-efficacy, total fatigue, anxiety, and depression were similar between UC patients and CD patients. Male gender, being employed, and higher self-efficacy were independently associated with higher self-esteem, whereas anxiety and depression were independently associated with lower self-esteem. Neither disease activity nor fatigue were associated with self-esteem in the final multiple regression analyses.

Conclusion

Patient-centered interventions that improve self-esteem and reduce anxiety and depression seem to be important to optimize IBD management.
Genetic polymorphism association analysis of SNPs on the species conservation genes of Tan sheep and Hu sheep
Authors: EEr Hehua , Ma Lina , Xie Xiulan , Ma Jifeng , Ma Xiaoming , Yue Caijuan , Ma Qing , Liang Xiaojun , Ding Wei , Li Yingkang
Published: March 2020

For further understanding the genetic control mechanisms of growth and development in Tan sheep, and culturing good traits on meat performance, which is very important to both in developing local species and improving economic efficaciously. In our study, we recruited a total of 250 Tan sheep and 174 healthy Hu sheep to detect 32 SNPs in GH, GHR, NPY, Leptin, H-FABP, MSTN, and CAST by using direct sequencing techniques, in order to explore genetic marking loci which were an association with growth characters. From the results, we found different SNPs with an obvious difference for the growth traits. In the different genetic model analysis, we found SNP12, SNP29, SNP41, SNP8, SNP34, SNP35, SNP9, SNP10, SNP36, SNP45, and SNP39 were a significantly negative association with the two kinds of sheep. And SNP46, SNP42, and SNP69 with the positive association between the different trait in sheep were analyzed. From the LD and haplotype analysis, we found three blocks with the positive association in growth traits between Tan sheep and Hu sheep. The block of SNP29, SNP32, SNP34, SNP35, SNP36, SNP39, SNP41, SNP42, SNP45, and SNP46 with the genotype “AATCTACTTA” is the most significantly association with the traits. In summary, the study initially explored the genes for growth and reproduction between Tan sheep and Hu sheep and found some statistically significant results which demonstrate that there are genetic differences. These differential molecular markers may provide a scientific theoretical basis for the preferred species of Tan sheep which with good meat performance and better utilization of species resources.
An Asymptotic Analysis of the Malonyl-CoA Route to 3-Hydroxypropionic Acid in Genetically Engineered Microbes
Authors: Dalwadi Mohit P. , King John R.
Published: March 2020

There has been recent interest in creating an efficient microbial production route for 3-hydroxypropionic acid, an important platform chemical. We develop and solve a mathematical model for the time-dependent metabolite concentrations in the malonyl-CoA pathway for 3-hydroxypropionic acid production in microbes, using a combination of numerical and asymptotic methods. This allows us to identify the most important targets for enzyme regulation therein under conditions of plentiful and sparse pyruvate, and to quantify their relative importance. In our model, we account for sinks of acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA to, for example, the citric acid cycle and fatty acid biosynthesis, respectively. Notably, in the plentiful pyruvate case we determine that there is a bifurcation in the asymptotic structure of the system, the crossing of which corresponds to a significant increase in 3-hydroxypropionic acid production. Moreover, we deduce that the most significant increases to 3-hydroxypropionic acid production can be obtained by up-regulating two specific enzymes in tandem, as the inherent nonlinearity of the system means that a solo up-regulation of either does not result in large increases in production. The types of issue arising here are prevalent in synthetic biology applications, and it is hoped that the system considered provides an instructive exemplar for broader applications.
Coxeter Triangulations Have Good Quality
Authors: Choudhary Aruni , Kachanovich Siargey , Wintraecken Mathijs
Published: March 2020

Coxeter triangulations are triangulations of Euclidean space based on a single simplex. By this we mean that given an individual simplex we can recover the entire triangulation of Euclidean space by inductively reflecting in the faces of the simplex. In this paper we establish that the quality of the simplices in all Coxeter triangulations is $$O(1/\sqrt{d})$$O(1/d) of the quality of regular simplex. We further investigate the Delaunay property for these triangulations. Moreover, we consider an extension of the Delaunay property, namely protection, which is a measure of non-degeneracy of a Delaunay triangulation. In particular, one family of Coxeter triangulations achieves the protection $$O(1/d^2)$$O(1/d2). We conjecture that both bounds are optimal for triangulations in Euclidean space.
Advances and Perspectives in the Treatment of T-PLL
Authors: Braun Till , von Jan Jana , Wahnschaffe Linus , Herling Marco
Published: March 2020

Purpose of Review

T cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is a rare mature T cell tumor. Available treatment options in this aggressive disease are largely inefficient and patient outcomes are highly dissatisfactory. Current therapeutic strategies mainly employ the CD52-antibody alemtuzumab as the most active single agent. However, sustained remissions after sole alemtuzumab-based induction are exceptions. Responses after available second-line strategies are even less durable. More profound disease control or rare curative outcomes can currently only be expected after a consolidating allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in best first response. However, only 30–50% of patients are eligible for this procedure. Major advances in the molecular characterization of T-PLL during recent years have stimulated translational studies on potential vulnerabilities of the T-PLL cell. We summarize here the current state of “classical” treatments and critically appraise novel (pre)clinical strategies.

Recent Findings

Alemtuzumab-induced first remissions, accomplished in ≈ 90% of patients, last at median ≈ 12 months. Series on allo-HSCT in T-PLL, although of very heterogeneous character, suggest a slight improvement in outcomes among transplanted patients within the past decade. Dual-action nucleosides such as bendamustine or cladribine show moderate clinical activity as single agents in the setting of relapsed or refractory disease. Induction of apoptosis via reactivation of p53 (e.g., by inhibitors of HDAC or MDM2) and targeting of its downstream pathways (i.e., BCL2 family antagonists, CDK inhibitors) are promising new approaches. Novel strategies also focus on inhibition of the JAK/STAT pathway with the first clinical data. Implementations of immune-checkpoint blockades or CAR-T cell therapy are at the stage of pre-clinical assessments of activity and feasibility.

The recommended treatment strategy in T-PLL remains a successful induction by infusional alemtuzumab followed by a consolidating allo-HSCT in eligible patients. Nevertheless, long-term survivors after this “standard” comprise only 10–20%. The increasingly revealed molecular make-up of T-PLL and the tremendous expansion of approved targeted compounds in oncology represent a “never-before” opportunity to successfully tackle the voids in T-PLL. Approaches, e.g., those reinstating deficient cell death execution, show encouraging pre-clinical and first-in-human results in T-PLL, and urgently have to be transferred to systematic clinical testing.
Integrin-Linked Kinase Activation Prevents Ventricular Arrhythmias Induced by Ischemia/Reperfusion Via Inhibition of Connexin 43 Remodeling
Authors: Zhou Ping , Yang Xiaoli , Yang Dezhong , Jiang Xin , Wang Wei Eric , Yue Rongchuan , Fang Yuqiang
Published: March 2020

Ischemia reperfusion (I/R)-induced arrhythmia is a serious complication in patients with cardiac infarction. Remodeling of connexin (Cx) 43, manifested as phosphorylation, contributes significantly to arrhythmogenesis. Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) attenuated ventricular remodeling and improved cardiac function in rats after myocardial infarction. We hypothesized that ILK, through Cx43 phosphorylation, would be protective against I/R-induced ventricular arrhythmias. Our study showed that I/R-induced ventricular arrhythmias were attenuated by an ILK agonist LPTP and worsened by the ILK inhibitor Cpd22. I/R disrupted Cx43 distribution, but it was partially normalized in the presence of LPTP. Compared with I/R, the phosphorylation of Akt was increased significantly after pretreatment with LPTP. The increase in phosphorylated Akt was physiologically significant because, in the presence of the Akt inhibitor MK2206, the protective effects of LPTP were blocked. This indicated that ILK activation prevented I/R-induced-ventricular arrhythmia, an effect potentially related to inhibition of Cx43 remodeling via Akt activation.
Tailoring molecular island shapes: influence of microscopic interaction on mesostructure
Authors: Aeschlimann Simon , Lyu Lu , Stadtmüller Benjamin , Aeschlimann Martin , Kühnle Angelika
Published: March 2020

Controlling the structure formation of molecules on surfaces is fundamental for creating molecular nanostructures with tailored properties and functionalities and relies on tuning the subtle balance between intermolecular and molecule-surface interactions. So far, however, reliable rules of design are largely lacking, preventing the controlled fabrication of self-assembled functional structures on surfaces. In addition, while so far many studies focused on varying the molecular building blocks, the impact of systematically adjusting the underlying substrate has been less frequently addressed. Here, we elucidate the potential of tailoring the mesoscopic island shape by tuning the interactions at the molecular level. As a model system, we have selected the molecule dimolybdenum tetraacetate on three prototypical surfaces, Cu(111), Au(111) and CaF2(111). While providing the same hexagonal geometry, compared to Cu(111), the lattice constants of Au(111) and CaF2(111) differ by a factor of 1.1 and 1.5, respectively. Our high-resolution scanning probe microscopy images reveal molecular-level information on the resulting islands and elucidate the molecular-level design principles for the observed mesoscopic island shapes. Our study demonstrates the capability to tailor the mesoscopic island shape by exclusively tuning the substrate lattice constant, in spite of the very different electronic structure of the substrates involved. This work provides insights for developing general design strategies for controlling molecular mesostructures on surfaces.
Informiertheit und Datenschutz beim Smart Metering
Authors: Hellmuth Nils , Jakobs Eva-Maria
Published: March 2020

Smart Meter (moderne Messeinrichtungen, intelligente Messsysteme) sollen in naher Zukunft deutschlandweit implementiert werden (Smart-Meter-Rollout). Ein erfolgreicher Rollout bedingt hohe Akzeptanz der Letztverbraucher – vor allem in Bezug auf Datenschutz- und Datensicherheitsaspekte der Technologie. Die interviewbasierte Studie untersucht Einstellungen von Bürgern zu Smart Metering mit den Foki Informiertheit, Kommunikations- bzw. Informationsbedarfe sowie Datenschutz und Datensicherheit. Befragt wurden Mieter zwischen 24 und 40 Jahren mit einem mittleren Einkommen und akademischen Hintergrund. Die Studie deutet auf starke Informationsdefizite und -bedarfe zu Messsystemen und Rollout. Datenschutz und Datensicherheit haben hohe Relevanz und werden kritisch gesehen. Unsicherheit und wahrgenommene Risiken betreffen insbesondere den Umgang mit Daten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der beabsichtigte Rollout einer sorgfältigen kommunikativen Einführung und Begleitung bedarf, die die Erwartungen und die Lebenswelt der beteiligten Akteure berücksichtigen.
2D and 3D Shape Sensing Based on 7-Core Fiber Bragg Gratings
Authors: Lai Tianting , Cheng Pu , Yan Congliao , Li Chi , Hu Wenbin , Yang Minghong
Published: March 2020

A fiber-optic shape sensing based on 7-core fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The investigations are presented for two-dimensional and three-dimensional shape reconstruction by distinguishing bending and twisting of 7-core optical fiber with FBGs. The curvature and bending orientation can be calculated by acquiring FBG wavelengths from any two side cores among the six outer cores. And the shape sensing in three-dimensional (3D) space is computed by analytic geometry theory. The experiments corresponding of two-dimensional (2D) and 3D shape sensing are demonstrated and conducted to verify the theoretical principles. The resolution of curvature is about 0.1m−1 for 2D measuring. The error of angle in shape reconstruction is about 1.89° for 3D measuring. The proposed sensing technique based on 7-core FBGs is promising of high feasibility, stability, and repeatability, especially for the distinguishing ability on the bending orientation due to the six symmetrical cores on the cross-section.
A simulated annealing approach for resolution guided homogeneous cryo‐electron microscopy image selection
Authors: Shi Jie , Zeng Xiangrui , Jiang Rui , Jiang Tao , Xu Min
Published: March 2020

Background

Cryo‐electron microscopy (Cryo‐EM) and tomography (Cryo‐ET) have emerged as important imaging techniques for studying structures of macromolecular complexes. In 3D reconstruction of large macromolecular complexes, many 2D projection images of macromolecular complex particles are usually acquired with low signal‐to‐noise ratio. Therefore, it is meaningful to select multiple images containing the same structure with identical orientation. The selected images are averaged to produce a higher‐quality representation of the underlying structure with improved resolution. Existing approaches of selecting such images have limited accuracy and speed.

Methods

We propose a simulated annealing‐based algorithm (SA) to pick the homogeneous image set with best average. Its performance is compared with two baseline methods based on both 2D and 3D datasets. When tested on simulated and experimental 3D Cryo‐ET images of Ribosome complex, SA sometimes stopped at a local optimal solution. Restarting is applied to settle this difficulty and significantly improved the performance of SA on 3D datasets.

Results

Experimented on simulated and experimental 2D Cryo‐EM images of Ribosome complex datasets respectively with SNR=10 and SNR=0.5, our method achieved better accuracy in terms of F‐measure, resolution score, and time cost than two baseline methods. Additionally, SA shows its superiority when the proportion of homogeneous images decreases.

Conclusions

SA is introduced for homogeneous image selection to realize higher accuracy with faster processing speed. Experiments on both simulated and real 2D Cryo‐EM and 3D Cryo‐ET images demonstrated that SA achieved expressively better performance. This approach serves as an important step for improving the resolution of structural recovery of macromolecular complexes captured by Cryo‐EM and Cryo‐ET.