bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Visualizing the customization endeavor in product-based-evolving software product lines: a case of action design research
Authors: Díaz Oscar , Montalvillo Leticia , Medeiros Raul , Azanza Maider , Fogdal Thomas
Published: March 2022

Software Product Lines (SPLs) aim at systematically reusing software assets, and deriving products (a.k.a., variants) out of those assets. However, it is not always possible to handle SPL evolution directly through these reusable assets. Time-to-market pressure, expedited bug fixes, or product specifics lead to the evolution to first happen at the product level, and to be later merged back into the SPL platform where the core assets reside. This is referred to as product-based evolution. In this scenario, deciding when and what should go into the next SPL release is far from trivial. Distinct questions arise. How much effort are developers spending on product customization? Which are the most customized core assets? To which extent is the core asset code being reused for a given product? We refer to this endeavor as Customization Analysis, i.e., understanding the functional increments in adjusting products from the last SPL platform release. The scale of the SPLs’ code-base calls for customization analysis to be conducted through Visual Analytics tools. This work addresses the design principles for such tools through a joint effort between academia and industry, specifically, Danfoss Drives, a company division in charge of the P400 SPL. Accordingly, we adopt an Action Design Research approach where answers are sought by interacting with the practitioners in the studied situations. We contribute by providing informed goals for customization analysis as well as an intervention in terms of a visual analytics tool. We conclude by discussing to what extent this experience can be generalized to product-based evolving SPL organizations other than Danfoss Drives.
Hope for the Evolutionary Debunker: How Evolutionary Debunking Arguments and Arguments from Moral Disagreement Can Join Forces
Authors: Tersman Folke , Risberg Olle
Published: March 2022

Facts about moral disagreement and human evolution have both been said to exclude the possibility of moral knowledge, but the question of how these challenges interact has largely gone unaddressed. The paper aims to present and defend a novel version of the evolutionary “debunking” argument for moral skepticism that appeals to both types of considerations. This argument has several advantages compared to more familiar versions. The standard debunking strategy is to argue that evolutionary accounts of moral beliefs generate skeptical implications because they attribute those beliefs to factors that are unrelated to their truth. That strategy is vulnerable to “third-factor” responses, which invoke first-order moral claims to challenge the assumption that Darwinian factors and the moral truths are really unrelated in that way. In contrast, our version is immune to those responses, as it does not proceed via assumptions about how Darwinian factors relate to the moral facts. Instead, it focuses on what evolutionary accounts of moral beliefs have to say about the fact that people often reach divergent moral beliefs. The argument thereby illustrates how the debunking strategy can join forces with the argument from moral disagreement. The combination of those strategies presents, we think, a challenge that is more formidable than when they are considered separately.
Accurate Detection of Occluded Wildfire Boundary
Authors: Feng Licheng , Katupitiya Jay
Published: March 2022

Inaccurate localization of wildfire boundary will adversely affect the efficiency of fire fighting, especially in the case of limited water for aerial dumping. This paper formulates the detection of occluded wildfire boundary as a shape completion problem and introduces a new solution. Different from traditional shape completion algorithms which only consider the contour geometry, the proposed algorithm takes partially visible fire surface geometry into consideration, and generates extrapolated feature points to detect the invisible section. The proposed solution involves two processes: firstly, fire surfaces above the occluded segments are extrapolated to the ground level with a Hurwitz–Radon operator based algorithm to obtain feature points in the invisible segments of the wildfire boundary; secondly, interpolating extra control points with a Bezier curve to reduce uncertainty and improve the accuracy of fire boundary detection. To demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm, a series of numerical simulations were performed. Simulated results show that the proposed algorithm in this study can detect the occluded wildfire boundary that conforms with the ground truth of the invisible fire boundary.
Connected components of Isom($$\varvec{\pmb {\mathbb {H}}^3}$$)-representations of non-orientable surfaces
Authors: Durán Batalla Juan Luis
Published: March 2022

Let $$N_k$$

N
k

denote the closed non-orientable surface of genus k. In this paper we study the behaviour of the ‘square map’ from the group of isometries of hyperbolic 3-space to the subgroup of orientation preserving isometries. The properties of the ‘square map’ and other related maps serve as a technical step towards the counting of the connected components of the variety of representations of $$\pi _1(N_k)$$

π
1

(

N
k

)

in Isom$$(\mathbb {H}^3)$$

(

H

3

)

. We show that the variety of representations hom($$\pi _1(N_k),\mathrm {Isom}(\mathbb {H}^3)$$

π
1

(

N
k

)

,
Isom

(

H

3

)

) has $$2^{k+1}$$

2

k
+
1

connected components, which are distinguished by the Stiefel-Whitney classes of the associated flat bundle.
Assessing learning processes rather than outcomes: using critical incidents to explore student learning abroad
Authors: Davis Kirsten A. , Knight David B.
Published: March 2022

There is an increasing emphasis on assessing student learning outcomes from study abroad experiences, but this assessment often focuses on a limited range of outcomes and assessment methods. We argue for shifting to assessing student learning processes in study abroad and present the critical incident technique as one approach to achieve this goal. We demonstrate this approach in interviews with 79 students across a range of global engineering programs, through which we identified 173 incidents which were analyzed to identify common themes. This analysis revealed that students described a wide range of experiences and outcomes from their time abroad. Students’ experiences were messy and complex, making them challenging to understand through typical assessment approaches. Our findings emphasize the importance of using a range of assessment approaches and suggest that exploring students’ learning processes in addition to learning outcomes could provide new insights to inform the design of study abroad programs.
Curcumin attenuates inflammation of Macrophage-derived foam cells treated with Poly-L-lactic acid degradation via PPARγ signaling pathway
Authors: Chen Dongping , Xi Yangbo , Zhang Suzhen , Weng Linsheng , Dong Zhihui , Chen Can , Wu Tim , Xiao Jianmin
Published: March 2022

Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) is considered to be a promising candidate material for biodegradable vascular scaffolds (BVS) in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). But, PLLA-BVS also faces the challenge of thrombosis (ST) and in-stent restenosis (ISR) caused by in-stent neo-atherosclerosis (ISNA) associated with inflammatory reactions in macrophage-derived foam cells. Our previous studies have confirmed that curcumin alleviates PLLA-induced injury and inflammation in vascular endothelial cells, but it remains unclear whether curcumin can alleviate the effect of inflammatory reactions in macrophage-derived foam cells while treated with degraded product of PLLA. In this study, PLLA-BVS was implanted in the porcine coronary artery to examine increased macrophages and inflammatory cytokines such as NF-κb and TNF-α by histology and immunohistochemistry. In vitro, macrophage-derived foam cells were induced by Ox-LDL and observed by Oil Red Staining. Foam cells were treated with pre-degraded PLLA powder, curcumin and PPARγ inhibitor GW9662, and the expression of IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, NF-κb, PLA2 and PPARγ were investigated by ELISA or RT-qPCR. This study demonstrated that the macrophages and inflammatory factors increased after PLLA-BVS implantation in vivo, and foam cells derived from macrophages promoted inflammation by products of PLLA degradation in vitro. This present study was found that the inflammation of foam cells at the microenvironment of PLLA degraded products were significantly increased, and curcumin can attenuate the inflammation caused by the PLLA degradation via PPARγ signal pathway. In addition, curcumin should be further studied experimentally in vivo experiments on animal models as a potential therapeutic to reduce ISNA of PLLA-BVS.
Optimization and validation of multi-state NMR protein structures using structural correlations
Authors: Ashkinadze Dzmitry , Kadavath Harindranath , Riek Roland , Güntert Peter
Published: March 2022

Recent advances in the field of protein structure determination using liquid-state NMR enable the elucidation of multi-state protein conformations that can provide insight into correlated and non-correlated protein dynamics at atomic resolution. So far, NMR-derived multi-state structures were typically evaluated by means of visual inspection of structure superpositions, target function values that quantify the violation of experimented restraints and root-mean-square deviations that quantify similarity between conformers. As an alternative or complementary approach, we present here the use of a recently introduced structural correlation measure, PDBcor, that quantifies the clustering of protein states as an additional measure for multi-state protein structure analysis. It can be used for various assays including the validation of experimental distance restraints, optimization of the number of protein states, estimation of protein state populations, identification of key distance restraints, NOE network analysis and semiquantitative analysis of the protein correlation network. We present applications for the final quality analysis stages of typical multi-state protein structure calculations.
On the Moments of the Partition Function of the C$$\beta $$E Field
Authors: Assiotis Theodoros
Published: March 2022

We obtain a combinatorial formula for the positive integer moments of the partition function of the$$C\beta E_{N}$$CβENfield, or equivalently the moments of the moments of the characteristic polynomial of the$$C\beta E_{N}$$CβENensemble. We then use this formula to establish the largeNasymptotics of these moments in the “moment-supercritical” regime. A key role is played by Jack polynomials.
The effect of technological relatedness on firm sales evolution through external knowledge sourcing
Authors: Guerrero Alex J. , Heijs Joost , Huergo Elena
Published: March 2022

This paper analyzes the impact of knowledge spillovers on firm performance measured through total sales, the percentage of innovative sales and a categorical variable that classifies firms into three different groups depending on the stage of their sales growth evolution: upturn, downturn, or transition. We specifically focus on whether there are asymmetric spillover effects depending on the intermediary role of firms’ technological relatedness, which we proxy by the use of external sources of knowledge. Using data on 5900 Spanish firms for the period 2004–2016, we find that spillover effects from intra-sector and upstream knowledge pools are—in general—positive, although with some differences depending on the measure of firm performance and on the moderating role of technological networking. Our results also suggest the presence of a “business stealing effect” in environments with a high proportion of knowledge-based gross added value. Furthermore, we find that spillover effects are asymmetric depending on the firm’s size and intensity of R&D employment. Knowledge spillovers seem to play a more significant role in the case of SMEs than in large companies, and firms with high intensities of R&D employment benefit more from upstream spillovers and less from horizontal spillovers than firms with low intensities.
S-Adenosylmethionine affects ERK1/2 and STAT3 pathway in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells
Authors: Schmidt Thomas
Published: March 2022

Background

The most critical point in the treatment of prostate cancer is the progression towards a hormone-refractory tumour, making research on alternative therapies necessary. This study focused on the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), which is known to act as an antitumourigenic in several cancer cell lines. Though a genome-wide downregulation of proto-oncogenes in prostate cancer cell lines treated with SAM is obvious, the anticancer effects remain elusive. Thus, in this study, the impact of SAM treatment on the cell cycle, apoptosis and cancer-related pathways was investigated.

Methods and results

After performing SAM treatment on prostate cancer cell lines (PC-3 and DU145), a cell-cycle arrest during the S-phase, a downregulation of cyclin A protein levels and an upregulation of p21 cell cycle inhibitor were observed. The proapoptotic Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the caspase-3 activity were elevated; additionally, the apoptosis rate of SAM treated cells increased significantly in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, immunoblots displayed a downregulation of Erk1/2 and STAT3 phosphorylation accompanied by a reduced expression of the STAT3 protein.

Conclusion

SAM caused changes in cancer-related pathways, probably leading to the effects on the cell cycle and apoptosis rate. These results provide deeper insights into the anticancer effects of SAM on prostate cancer cells.
Robust color image watermarking using multiple fractional-order moments and chaotic map
Authors: Hosny Khalid M. , Darwish Mohamed M.
Published: March 2022

Robust watermarking is an effective method and a promising solution for securing and protecting the copyright of digital images. Moments and moment invariants have become popular tools for robust watermarking due to their geometric invariance and favorable capability of image description. Many moments-based robust watermarking schemes have been proposed. However, there is a challenging problem of these schemes that should be addressed. One of these problems is to improve both imperceptibility and robustness. In contrast, the other problem, most of these schemes used inefficient, traditional computation methods of the moments, resulting in an inaccurate and inefficient performance of the watermarking schemes. To overcome these challenges, in this paper, we propose a novel robust color image-watermarking algorithm based on new multiple fractional multi-channel orthogonal moments, fractional-order exponent moments (MFrEMs), fractional-order polar harmonic transforms (MFrPHTs), and fractional-order radial harmonic Fourier moments (MFrRHFMs). Firstly, highly accurate fractional new multi-channel orthogonal moments are computed for the host color images. Then, more stable and accurate coefficients of fractional new multi-channel orthogonal moments are selected. Finally, a robust color image watermarking approach for multiple watermarks images is proposed based on MFrEMs, MFrPHTs, and MFrRHFMs using a 1D Sine chaotic map. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach provides robustness against various attacks and better imperceptibility than the existing methods.
Deep Distributional Sequence Embeddings Based on a Wasserstein Loss
Authors: Abdelwahab Ahmed , Landwehr Niels
Published: March 2022

Deep metric learning employs deep neural networks to embed instances into a metric space such that distances between instances of the same class are small and distances between instances from different classes are large. In most existing deep metric learning techniques, the embedding of an instance is given by a feature vector produced by a deep neural network and Euclidean distance or cosine similarity defines distances between these vectors. This paper studies deep distributional embeddings of sequences, where the embedding of a sequence is given by the distribution of learned deep features across the sequence. The motivation for this is to better capture statistical information about the distribution of patterns within the sequence in the embedding. When embeddings are distributions rather than vectors, measuring distances between embeddings involves comparing their respective distributions. The paper therefore proposes a distance metric based on Wasserstein distances between the distributions and a corresponding loss function for metric learning, which leads to a novel end-to-end trainable embedding model. We empirically observe that distributional embeddings outperform standard vector embeddings and that training with the proposed Wasserstein metric outperforms training with other distance functions.
Wellbeing in Secondary Education (WISE) Study to Improve the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Teachers: A Complex System Approach to Understanding Intervention Acceptability
Authors: Evans Rhiannon , Bell Sarah , Brockman Rowan , Campbell Rona , Copeland Lauren , Fisher Harriet , Ford Tamsin , Harding Sarah , Powell Jillian , Turner Nicholas , Kidger Judi
Published: March 2022

Teaching staff report poorer mental health and wellbeing than the general working population. Intervention to address this issue is imperative, as poor wellbeing is associated with burnout, presenteeism, and adverse student mental health outcomes. The Wellbeing in Secondary Education (WISE) intervention is a secondary school-based programme aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and students. There are three components: awareness-raising for staff; a peer support service delivered by staff trained in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA); and Schools and Colleges Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for teachers. A cluster randomised controlled trial with integrated process and economic evaluation was conducted with 25 secondary schools in the UK (2016–2018). The intervention was largely ineffective in improving teacher mental health and wellbeing. This paper reports process evaluation data on acceptability to help understand this outcome. It adopts a complex systems perspective, exploring how acceptability is a dynamic and contextually contingent concept. Data sources were as follows: interviews with funders (n = 3); interviews with MHFA trainers (n = 6); focus groups with peer supporters (n = 8); interviews with headteachers (n = 12); and focus groups with teachers trained in Schools and Colleges MHFA (n = 7). Results indicated that WISE intervention components were largely acceptable. Initially, the school system was responsive, as it had reached a ‘tipping point’ and was prepared to address teacher mental health. However, as the intervention interacted with the complexities of the school context, acceptability became more ambiguous. The intervention was seen to be largely inadequate in addressing the structural determinants of teacher mental health and wellbeing (e.g. complex student and staff needs, workload, and system culture). Future teacher mental health interventions need to focus on coupling skills training and support with whole school elements that tackle the systemic drivers of the problem.
Diversity and interdisciplinarity: Should variety, balance and disparity be combined as a product or better as a sum? An information-theoretical and statistical estimation approach
Authors: Mutz Rüdiger
Published: March 2022

Diversity is a central concept not only in ecology, but also in the social sciences and in bibliometrics. The discussion about an adequate measure of diversity is strongly driven by the work of Rao (Sankhyā Indian J Stat Series A 44:1-22, 1982) and Stirling (J R Soc Interface 4:707-719, 2007). It is to the credit of Leydesdorff (Scientometr 116:2113-2121, 2018) to have proposed a decisive improvement with regard to an inconsistency in the Rao-Sterling-diversity indicator that Rousseau (Scientometr 116:645-653, 2018) had pointed out. With recourse to Shannon's probabilistically based entropy concept, in this contribution the three components of diversity “variety”, “balance”, and “disparity” are to be reconceptualized as entropy masses that add up to an overall diversity indicator dive. Diversity can thus be interpreted as the degree of uncertainty or unpredictability. For "disparity", for example, the concept of mutual information is used. However, probabilities must be estimated statistically. A basic estimation strategy (cross tables) and a more sophisticated one (parametric statistical model) are presented. This overall probability-theoretical based concept is applied exemplarily to data on research output types of funded research projects in UK that were the subject of the Metric Tide Report (REF 2014) and ex-ante evaluation data of a research funding organization. As expected, research output types depend on the research area, with journal articles having the strongest individual balance among the output types, i.e., being represented in almost all research areas. For the ex-ante evaluation data of 1,221 funded projects the diversity components were statistically estimated. The overall diversity of the projects in terms of entropy is 55.5% of the maximal possible entropy.
Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with cognitive impairment in minor ischemic stroke
Authors: Zhu Ruo-lin , Ouyang Chao , Ma Ruo-lin , Wang Kai
Published: March 2022

Objectives

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is commonly seen in stroke patients, and its relationship with cognitive impairment remains poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the roles of OSA in cognition impairment in patients with minor ischemic stroke.

Methods

Patients with minor ischemic stroke were consecutively enrolled from January 2020 to May 2021. Every patient underwent polysomnography (PSG) to assess for OSA. Based on the apnea hypopnea index (AHI), patients were grouped into the no OSA (AHI < 5), mild OSA (5 ≤ AHI < 15), and moderate-to-severe OSA (MS OSA, AHI ≥ 15) groups. Neuropsychological assessments were performed to evaluate cognitive function, and the correlations between cognitive function and OSA were investigated.

Results

Of 94 patients, 35 had no OSA, 32 had mild OSA, and 27 had moderate-to-severe OSA. Compared to the no or mild OSA groups, the moderate-to-severe OSA group performed worse on the Chinese version of the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (CAVLT)-Recognition (p < 0.001), Digital Span Test (DST)-Backward (p < 0.001), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (p < 0.001), and Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT)-Interference (p < 0.001). The severity of cognitive impairment was assessed using the MoCA, which was negatively related to the AHI (p = 0.041) and lowest SpO2 (p = 0.048).

Conclusions

The findings suggest that OSA has significant effects on cognition impairment in patients with minor ischemic stroke and that hypoxemia may be a potential pathophysiological mechanism of OSA-induced cognitive impairment.
Weak Selection and the Separation of Eco-evo Time Scales using Perturbation Analysis
Authors: Gerlee Philip
Published: March 2022

We show that under the assumption of weak frequency-dependent selection a wide class of population dynamical models can be analysed using perturbation theory. The inner solution corresponds to the ecological dynamics, where to zeroth order, the genotype frequencies remain constant. The outer solution provides the evolutionary dynamics and corresponds, to zeroth order, to a generalisation of the replicator equation. We apply this method to a model of public goods dynamics and construct, using matched asymptotic expansions, a composite solution valid for all times. We also analyse a Lotka–Volterra model of predator competition and show that to zeroth order the fraction of wild-type predators follows a replicator equation with a constant selection coefficient given by the predator death rate. For both models, we investigate how the error between approximate solutions and the solution to the full model depend on the order of the approximation and show using numerical comparison, for $$k=1$$

k
=
1

and 2, that the error scales according to $$\varepsilon ^{k+1}$$

ε

k
+
1

, where $$\varepsilon $$
ε
is the strength of selection and k is the order of the approximation.
Prognostic Utility of the Ki-67 Labeling Index in Follicular Thyroid Tumors: a 20-Year Experience from a Tertiary Thyroid Center
Authors: Hellgren L. Samuel , Stenman Adam , Paulsson Johan O. , Höög Anders , Larsson Catharina , Zedenius Jan , Juhlin C. Christofer
Published: March 2022

Follicular thyroid tumors pose a diagnostic challenge on the preoperative level, as the discrimination between follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) and adenoma (FTA) demands careful histopathological investigation. Moreover, prognostication of FTCs is mostly based on tumor size and extent of invasive properties, while immunohistochemical markers pinpointing high-risk cases are lacking. We have routinely established a Ki-67 labeling index for follicular thyroid tumors since 1999. To assess the potential value of Ki-67 as an adjunct tool to (1) correctly separate FTCs from FTAs and (2) help identify poor-prognosis FTCs, we collected histopathological and clinical data from 818 follicular thyroid tumors with a histological Ki-67 labeling index established in clinical routine practice (516 FTAs, 252 FTCs, and 50 follicular thyroid tumors of uncertain malignant potential (FT-UMPs)). The Ki-67 labeling index was higher in FTCs (mean 5.8%) than in FTAs (mean 2.6%) (P < 0.001), and a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a cut-off value of 4% to separate FTC from FTA with a sensitivity and specificity of 65% and 83%, respectively. Similarly, a Ki-67 labeling index above 4% was found to identify FTCs that later metastasized from clinically indolent FTCs with a sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 48%, respectively. Ki-67 constituted an independent predictor of future FTC metastases/recurrence and death of disease, and a value > 4% was a reliable prognostic marker within individual pT staging groups. We conclude that Ki-67 is a potentially valuable marker for the prognostication of FTCs, and future implementation in the histopathological assessments of follicular thyroid tumors could be beneficial if reproduced in international series.
Biofluid Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease: Progress, Problems, and Perspectives
Authors: Huang Shan , Wang Yan-Jiang , Guo Junhong
Published: March 2022

Since the establishment of the biomarker-based A-T-N (Amyloid/Tau/Neurodegeneration) framework in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the diagnosis of AD has become more precise, and cerebrospinal fluid tests and positron emission tomography examinations based on this framework have become widely accepted. However, the A-T-N framework does not encompass the whole spectrum of AD pathologies, and problems with invasiveness and high cost limit the application of the above diagnostic methods aimed at the central nervous system. Therefore, we suggest the addition of an “X” to the A-T-N framework and a focus on peripheral biomarkers in the diagnosis of AD. In this review, we retrospectively describe the recent progress in biomarkers based on the A-T-N-X framework, analyze the problems, and present our perspectives on the diagnosis of AD.
Interpersonal and Collective Affective Niche Construction: Empirical and Normative Perspectives on Social Media
Authors: Nagatsu Michiru , Salmela Mikko
Published: March 2022

This paper contributes to the interdisciplinary theory of collective affective niche construction, which extends the extended mind (ExM) thesis from cognitive to affective phenomena. Although theoretically innovative, the theory lacks a detailed psychological account of how collective affectivity is scaffolded. It has also been criticized for its uncritical assumption of the subject qua the autonomous user of the affective scaffolding as disposable resources, abstracting away from embedded subjectivity in particular techno-political arrangements. We propose that the social motivation hypothesis, an account grounded in recent empirical and theoretical developments in psychology as well as in the classic theory of moral sentiments, will address the former criticism by explicating the basic mechanisms of human social orientation at work in collective affective niche construction. We also begin to address the latter normative criticism in mobilizing a so-called we-mode approach to collective emotion. To make these theoretical dialectics salient, we study social media as a case of collective affective niches, focusing on the impact on subjective well-being. Finally, we briefly identify promising future directions in building a normative theory of affective niche construction on the collective level.
Equidistribution of zeros of some polynomials related to cyclic functions
Authors: Acuaviva Antonio , Seco Daniel
Published: March 2022

In the study of the cyclicity of a functionfin reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces an important role is played by sequences of polynomials$$\{p_n\}_{n\in \mathbb {N}}$${pn}n∈Ncalledoptimal polynomial approximants(o.p.a.). For many such spaces and when the functionsfgenerating those o.p.a. are polynomials without zeros inside the disk but with some zeros on its boundary, we find that the weakly asympotic distribution of the zeros of$$1-p_nf$$1-pnfis the uniform measure on the unit circle.
Mechanisms and Pathogenesis of Adenomyosis
Authors: Rossi Margherita , Vannuccini Silvia , Capezzuoli Tommaso , Fambrini Massimiliano , Vannuzzi Valentina , Donati Chiara , Petraglia Felice
Published: March 2022

Purpose of the Review

The purpose of this review is to provide a synopsis of all the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of adenomyosis. It will summarize recent advances in the field, discussing current controversies, and considering potential future directions.

Recent Findings

Adenomyosis pathogenesis is still a topic under investigation, however advancements in the understanding of disease development and mechanisms have been made. New data coming from new next generation sequencing-based studies and more-in-depth acquisitions on sex hormones imbalance, neuroangiogenesis, inflammation, fibrosis and cell proliferation have been obtained.

Adenomyosis is a uterine disorder that affects women of reproductive age, characterized by a benign invasion of the endometrium basalis (glands and stroma) within the myometrium.

So far, three theories for the pathophysiology of adenomyosis have been proposed:

An invagination of the endometrial basalis into the myometrium by tissue injury and repair.

The development from adult stem cells or displaced embryonic müllerian remnants.

An “invasion from outside to inside”.

In order to invade and develop, endometrial cells require a series of pathogenetic mechanisms which drive to adenomyosis. Altered sex steroids hormones receptors may be the primary event which causes increased endometrial cell proliferations and differentiation from epithelial to mesenchymal cells. Once invaded the myometrium, an inflammatory reaction is displayed, probably driven by local immune changes. The processes of neuroangiogenesis and fibrosis are also involved in the adenomyosis development and may explain some of the associated clinical symptoms (dysmenorrhea, abnormal uterine bleeding, and infertility).
On dynamic analysis method for large-scale train–track–substructure interaction
Authors: Xu Lei
Published: March 2022

Train–track–substructure dynamic interaction is an extension of the vehicle–track coupled dynamics. It contributes to evaluate dynamic interaction and performance between train–track system and its substructures. For the first time, this work devotes to presenting engineering practical methods for modeling and solving such large-scale train–track–substructure interaction systems from a unified viewpoint. In this study, a train consists of several multi-rigid-body vehicles, and the track is modeled by various finite elements. The track length needs only satisfy the length of a train plus boundary length at two sides, despite how long the train moves on the track. The substructures and their interaction matrices to the upper track are established as independent modules, with no need for additionally building the track structures above substructures, and accordingly saving computational cost. Track–substructure local coordinates are defined to assist the confirming of the overlapped portions between the train–track system and the substructural system to effectively combine the cyclic calculation and iterative solution procedures. The advancement of this model lies in its convenience, efficiency and accuracy in continuously considering the vibration participation of multi-types of substructures against the moving of a train on the track. Numerical examples have shown the effectiveness of this method; besides, influence of substructures on train–track dynamic behaviors is illustrated accompanied by clarifying excitation difference of different track irregularity spectrums.
Rolle des Vorwissens beim Lernen mit externalen Repräsentationen
Authors: Erlebach Ralf , Frank Carolin
Published: March 2022

Die Arbeit mit externalen Repräsentationen stellt für Lernende eine ernstzunehmende Herausforderung dar. Empirische Befunde zu den verschiedenen Interventionsmöglichkeiten auf der Grundlage von Material- und Instruktionsdesign bzw. metakognitiver Strategien im Hinblick auf unterschiedliche Eingangsvoraussetzungen zeichnen jedoch kein einheitliches Bild von der Lernförderlichkeit. Daher wird eine eingehende Betrachtung der Rezeptionsprozesse unter Zuhilfenahme des Integrierten Modells für Text-Bild-Verstehen (ITPC) vorgenommen mit Fokus auf die kognitiven Anforderungen, die während des Bearbeitungsprozesses an die Lernenden gestellt werden. Aus einem anschließenden systematischen Literaturreview zu den empirischen Befunden zum Einfluss unterschiedlicher Arten des Vorwissens auf das Verstehen wird ein Framework zur Untersuchung dieser kognitiven Anforderungen entwickelt. Abschließend werden Implikationen für die Planung und Einbindung externaler Repräsentationen in den unterrichtlichen Lernprozess in Kürze dargestellt.
Mainstream encoding–decoding methods of DNA data storage
Authors: Wang Chenyang , Ma Guannan , Wei Di , Zhang Xinru , Wang Peihan , Li Cuidan , Xing Jing , Wei Zheng , Duan Bo , Yang Dongxin , Wang Pei , Bu Dongbo , Chen Fei
Published: March 2022

DNA storage is a new digital data storage technology based on specific encoding and decoding methods between 0 and 1 binary codes of digital data and A-T-C-G quaternary codes of DNAs, which and is expected to develop into a major data storage form in the future due to its advantages (such as high data density, long storage time, low energy consumption, convenience for carrying, concealed transportation and multiple encryptions). In this review, we mainly summarize the recent research advances of four main encoding and decoding methods of DNA storage technology: direct mapping method between 0 and 1 binary and A-T-C-G quaternary codes in early-stage, fountain code for higher logical storage density, inner and outer codes for random access DNA storage data, and CRISPR mediated in vivo DNA storage method. The first three encoding/decoding methods belong to in vitro DNA storage, representing the mainstream research and application in DNA storage. Their advantages and disadvantages are also reviewed: direct mapping method is easy and efficient, but has high error rate and low logical density; fountain code can achieve higher storage density without random access; inner and outer code has error-correction design to realize random access at the expense of logic density. This review provides important references and improved understanding of DNA storage methods. Development of efficient and accurate DNA storage encoding and decoding methods will play a very important and even decisive role in the transition of DNA storage from the laboratory to practical application, which may fundamentally change the information industry in the future.
Drop impact onto wetted walls: an unsteady analytical solution for modelling crown spreading
Authors: Lamanna G. , Geppert A. , Bernard R. , Weigand B.
Published: March 2022

An unsteady analytical solution is proposed to predict the spreading rate of the crown generated by an impacting droplet onto wetted walls. The modelling strategy is based on the direct integration of the boundary layer correction into the potential flow solution that leads to the well-established square-root time dependence. The original potential flow has the structure of an unsteady, stagnation point flow with decaying strength. For initial strengths of the potential flow $a_0 \geqslant 100\ {\rm s}^{-1}$, we find that a self-similar solution can also be obtained for the boundary layer in the variables $\left (r \sqrt {a(t)/(\nu t)}, z \sqrt {a(t)/(\nu t)} \right )$. The self-similarity of the solution enables a straightforward estimation of momentum losses during the spreading of the liquid layer along the wall. The proposed modelling approach yields an excellent agreement with experiments during the entire spreading phase. Moreover, it enables a smooth transition from the inertia-driven to the shear-controlled regime of crown propagation. In general, the analysis shows that momentum losses arising from viscous effects cannot be neglected during a significant portion of crown propagation, particularly for thin wall films.
Verifying Experimental Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Hindcasts Across the United States
Authors: Ahn Yoonjung , Uejio Christopher K. , Rennie Jared , Schmit Lisa
Published: March 2022

Hot and humid heat exposures challenge the health of outdoor workers engaged in occupations such as construction, agriculture, first response, manufacturing, military, or resource extraction. Therefore, government institutes developed guidelines to prevent heat‐related illnesses and death during high heat exposures. The guidelines use Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), which integrates temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed. However, occupational heat exposure guidelines cannot be readily applied to outdoor work places due to limited WBGT validation studies. In recent years, institutions have started providing experimental WBGT forecasts. These experimental products are continually being refined and have been minimally validated with ground‐based observations. This study evaluated a modified WBGT hindcast using the historical National Digital Forecast Database and the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis v5. We verified the hindcasts with hourly WBGT estimated from ground‐based weather observations. After controlling for geographic attributes and temporal trends, the average difference between the hindcast and in situ data varied from −0.64°C to 1.46°C for different Köppen‐Geiger climate regions, and the average differences are reliable for decision making. However, the results showed statistically significant variances according to geographical features such as aspect, coastal proximity, land use, topographic position index, and Köppen‐Geiger climate categories. The largest absolute difference was observed in the arid desert climates (1.46: 95% CI: 1.45, 1.47), including some parts of Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. This research investigates geographic factors associated with systematic WBGT differences and points toward ways future forecasts may be statistically adjusted to improve accuracy.
Local Air‐Sea Interactions at Ocean Mesoscale and Submesoscale in a Western Boundary Current
Authors: Strobach Ehud , Klein Patrice , Molod Andrea , Fahad Abdullah A. , Trayanov Atanas , Menemenlis Dimitris , Torres Hector
Published: March 2022

We present results from a new, global, high‐resolution (∼3‐km for ocean and ∼6‐km for atmosphere) realistic earth system simulation. This simulation allows us to examine aspects of small‐scale air‐sea interaction beyond what previous studies have reported. Our study focuses on recurring intermittent wind events in the Gulf Stream region. These events induce local air‐sea heat fluxes above Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies with horizontal scales smaller than 500‐km. In particular, strong latent heat bursts above warm SST anomalies are observed during these wind events. We show that such wind events are associated with a secondary circulation that acts to fuel the latent heat bursts by transferring dry air and momentum down to the surface. The intensity of this secondary circulation is related to the strength of small‐scale SST fronts that border SST anomalies. The study of such phenomena requires high‐resolution in both the atmospheric and oceanic components of the model.
A Change in Climate State During a Pre‐Industrial Simulation of the CMIP6 Model HadGEM3 Driven by Deep Ocean Drift
Authors: Ridley J. K. , Blockley E. W. , Jones G. S.
Published: March 2022

The Pre‐Industrial climate model simulation is intended as an equilibrium control experiment that uses constant external forcing, yet in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) model HadGEM3‐GC31‐LL a distinct change in climate state occurs around year 500 of the 2000 year simulation. The global mean near surface air temperature increases by almost 0.5 K associated with a reduction in southern hemisphere sea ice area of almost 20%. Here we show this step change in the state of the climate to be a consequence of the onset of deep convection in the Weddell and Ross Sea gyres. The delayed onset of convection in the gyres is a consequence of a positive, downward, top‐of‐atmosphere radiative balance, and continual ocean heat up‐take during the model spin‐up and the initial pre‐industrial control simulation. Consequently, model spin‐up strategy should be revised to initialize pre‐industrial simulations that are in energy balance.
The Height‐Dependent Delayed Ionospheric Response to Solar EUV
Authors: Schmölter Erik , Heymann Frank , von Savigny Christian , Berdermann Jens
Published: March 2022

Based on the analysis of electron density Ne profiles (Grahamstown ionosonde), a case study of the height‐dependent ionospheric response to two 27‐day solar rotation periods in 2019 is performed. A well‐defined sinusoidal response is observed for the period from 27 April 2019 to 24 May 2019 and reproduced with a Thermosphere‐Ionosphere‐Electrodynamics General Circulation Model simulation. The occurring differences between model and observations as well as the driving physical and chemical processes are discussed based on the height‐dependent variations of Ne and major species. Further simulations with an artificial noise free sinusoidal solar flux input show that the Ne delay is defined by contributions due to accumulation of O+ at the Ne peak (positive delay) and continuous loss of in the lower ionosphere (negative delay). The neutral parts' 27‐day signatures show stronger phase shifts. The time‐dependent and height‐dependent impact of the processes responsible for the delayed ionospheric response can therefore be described by a joint analysis of the neutral and ionized parts. The return to the initial ionospheric state (and thus the loss of the accumulated O+) is driven by an increase of downward transport in the second half of the 27‐day solar rotation period. For this reason, the neutral vertical winds (upwards and downwards) and their different height‐dependent 27‐day signatures are discussed. Finally, the importance of a wavelength‐dependent analysis, statistical methods (superposed epoch analysis), and coupling with the middle atmosphere is discussed to outline steps for future analysis.
Parental feeding and childhood genetic risk for obesity: exploring hypothetical interventions with causal inference methods
Authors: Herle Moritz , Pickles Andrew , Micali Nadia , Abdulkadir Mohamed , De Stavola Bianca L.
Published: March 2022

Background

Parental-feeding behaviors are common intervention targets for childhood obesity, but often only deliver small changes. Childhood BMI is partly driven by genetic effects, and the extent to which parental-feeding interventions can mediate child genetic liability is not known. Here we aim to examine how potential interventions on parental-feeding behaviors can mitigate some of the association between child genetic liability and BMI in early adolescence, using causal inference methods.

Methods

Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children were used to estimate an interventional disparity measure for a child polygenic score for BMI (PGS-BMI) on BMI at 12 years. The approach compares counterfactual outcomes for different hypothetical interventions on parental-feeding styles applied when children are 10–11 years (n = 4248). Results are presented as adjusted total association (Adj-Ta) between genetic liability (PGS-BMI) and BMI at 12 years, versus the interventional disparity measure-direct effect (IDM-DE), which represents the association that would remain, had we intervened on parental-feeding under different scenarios.

Results

For children in the top quintile of genetic liability, an intervention shifting parental feeding to the levels of children with lowest genetic risk, resulted in a difference of 0.81 kg/m2 in BMI at 12 years (Adj-Ta = 3.27, 95% CI: 3.04, 3.49; versus IDM-DE = 2.46, 95% CI: 2.24, 2.67).

Conclusions

Findings suggest that parental-feeding interventions have the potential to buffer some of the genetic liability for childhood obesity. Further, we highlight a novel way to analyze potential interventions for health conditions only using secondary data analyses, by combining methodology from statistical genetics and social epidemiology.
Towards standardizing retinal optical coherence tomography angiography: a review
Authors: Sampson Danuta M. , Dubis Adam M. , Chen Fred K. , Zawadzki Robert J. , Sampson David D.
Published: March 2022

The visualization and assessment of retinal microvasculature are important in the study, diagnosis, monitoring, and guidance of treatment of ocular and systemic diseases. With the introduction of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), it has become possible to visualize the retinal microvasculature volumetrically and without a contrast agent. Many lab-based and commercial clinical instruments, imaging protocols and data analysis methods and metrics, have been applied, often inconsistently, resulting in a confusing picture that represents a major barrier to progress in applying OCTA to reduce the burden of disease. Open data and software sharing, and cross-comparison and pooling of data from different studies are rare. These inabilities have impeded building the large databases of annotated OCTA images of healthy and diseased retinas that are necessary to study and define characteristics of specific conditions. This paper addresses the steps needed to standardize OCTA imaging of the human retina to address these limitations. Through review of the OCTA literature, we identify issues and inconsistencies and propose minimum standards for imaging protocols, data analysis methods, metrics, reporting of findings, and clinical practice and, where this is not possible, we identify areas that require further investigation. We hope that this paper will encourage the unification of imaging protocols in OCTA, promote transparency in the process of data collection, analysis, and reporting, and facilitate increasing the impact of OCTA on retinal healthcare delivery and life science investigations.