bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An evolving approach to the laboratory assessment of COVID‐19
Authors: Lu Hongzhou , Stratton Charles W. , Tang Yi‐Wei
Published: April 2020

As the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) outbreak has evolved in each country, the approach to the laboratory assessment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection has had to evolve as well. This review addresses the evolving approach to the laboratory assessment of COVID‐19 and discusses how algorithms for testing have been driven, in part, by the demand for testing overwhelming the capacity to accomplish such testing. This review focused on testing in the USA, as this testing is evolving, whereas in China and other countries such as South Korea testing is widely available and includes both molecular testing for SARS‐CoV‐2 as well as serological testing using both enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay methodology and lateral flow immunoassay methodology. Although commercial testing systems are becoming available, there will likely be insufficient numbers of such tests due to high demand. Serological testing will be the next testing issue as the COVID‐19 begins to subside. This will allow immunity testing as well as will allow the parameters of the COVID‐19 outbreak to be defined.
The prognostic and predictive role of 21‐gene recurrence scores in hormone receptor‐positive early‐stage breast cancer
Authors: Ahmed Shahid , Pati Sukanya , Le Duc , Haider Kamal , Iqbal Nayyar
Published: April 2020

Over the past two decades, gene expression profiling of breast cancer has emerged as an important tool in early‐stage breast cancer management. The approach provides important information on underlying biological mechanisms, breast cancer classification, future risk potential of developing recurrent metastatic disease, and provides beneficial clues for adjuvant chemotherapy in hormone receptor (HR) positive breast cancer. Of the commercially available genomic tests for breast cancer, the prognostic and predictive value of 21‐gene recurrence score tests have been validated using both retrospective data and prospective clinical trials. In this paper, we reviewed the current evidence on 21‐gene expression profiles for HR‐positive HER2‐negative early‐stage breast cancer management. We show that current evidence supports endocrine therapy alone as an appropriate adjuvant systemic therapy for approximately 70% of women with HR‐positive, HER2‐negative, node‐negative breast cancer. Evolving evidence also suggests that 21‐gene recurrence scores have predictive values for node‐positive breast cancer and that chemotherapy can be avoided in more than half of women with nodes 1 to 3 positive HR‐positive breast cancer. Furthermore, retrospective data also supports the predictive role of 21‐gene recurrence scores for adjuvant radiation therapy. A prospective trial in this area is ongoing.
Postoperative complications are associated with poor survival outcome after curative resection for colorectal cancer: A propensity‐score analysis
Authors: Miyamoto Yuji , Hiyoshi Yukiharu , Tokunaga Ryuma , Akiyama Takahiko , Daitoku Nobuya , Sakamoto Yuki , Yoshida Naoya , Baba Hideo
Published: April 2020

Objective

We retrospectively evaluated the impact of postoperative complications on long‐term outcomes after curative resection for colorectal cancer (CRC), using propensity‐score analysis (PSA).

Patients and Methods

We reviewed data from 673 consecutive patients with stage I to III CRC, who underwent curative resections between 2005 and 2017. Patients were divided into the complication group (Clavien‐Dindo [CD] grade ≥ 3) and the control group (others). We performed PSA to obtain unbiased estimates of the effects of the oncological background on each outcome.

Results

We matched for sex, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, location (right colon/left colon/rectum), histology (tub1/tub2/por), pathological tumor depth, and lymph node metastases. Eighty‐five patients (12.6%) developed postoperative complications with CD grade ≥ 3. After PSA, 81 patients were included in each group. The complication group showed significantly worse relapse‐free survival (RFS) than the control group (5‐year RFS rate: 62% vs 77%; P = .047). In multivariate analysis with inverse probability of treatment weights, the complication group had a higher risk of relapse or death than the control group (hazard ratio: 2.08, 95% confidence interval:1.3‐3.3; P = .018).

Conclusions

Postoperative complications (CD grade ≥ 3) could cause poor long‐term outcomes in patients with stage I to III CRC; their presence requires appropriate adjuvant chemotherapy and follow‐up.
Biodiesel production in the presence of heterogeneous catalyst of alumina: Study of kinetics and thermodynamics
Authors: Gholipour Zanjani Nooshin , Kamran Pirzaman Arash , Yazdanian Elmira
Published: April 2020

In the current research, biodiesel production was investigated in the presence of solid catalysts of K2CO3/Al2O3 by transesterification of rapeseed oil. The specifications of produced fatty acid methyl esters like viscosity and flash point were studied, and it was noted that they complied with the requirements of ASTM D6751. In addition, the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were explored considering the temperature changes between 318.15 and 348.15 K. Mass transfer resistance (external diffusion or internal diffusion) over the catalyst was neglected with regard to theWeisz‐Prater criterion and Mears criterion. The kinetic models containing Eley‐Rideal, Langmuir‐Hinshelwood, pseudo–first‐order, pseudo–second‐order, and α‐order models were investigated. Corrected Akaike information criterion was utilized to find the best model fitted with the experimental data. The greatest illustration for the K2CO3/Al2O3‐catalyzed reaction was the nonlinear model with an order of α = 1.287 and the activation energy of 12.12 kJ/mol. Using transition state theory (Eyring‐Polanyi equation), the activation Gibbs free energy, activation enthalpy, and activation entropy were calculated at different temperatures. The equilibrium thermodynamic properties depicted that this process is endothermic and spontaneous toward biodiesel production and tends to be irreversible.
Genetic polymorphisms of pharmacogenomic VIP variants in the Dai population from Yunnan province
Authors: Cheng Yujing , Dai Run , Chen Wanlu , Li Qi , Zhang Chan , Yang Tonghua
Published: April 2020

Background

Pharmacogenomics plays a crucial role in individualized therapy, but the variant information of pharmacogenomics in the Dai population is limited. We therefore aimed to screen very important pharmacogenetic (VIP) in the Dai population and compared differences between Dai and other 25 populations.

Methods

In this study, we genotyped 73 VIP variants from the PharmGKB and compared genotype distribution of variants in Dai with other 25 populations by χ2 test. To assess the genetic relationship among 26 populations, we performed the structure analysis. In addition, pair‐wise F‐statistics (Fst) was calculated to measure the population differentiation.

Results

We found 12, 10, 13, 17, 11, 39, 46, 46, 45, 43, 49, 46, 46, 46, 49, 45, 41, 42, 48, 53, 45, 50, 50, 51, 47, and 50 significantly different variants in Dai compared with other 25 populations. Genetic structure analysis showed Dai had close relationships with CDX (Chinese Dai in Xishuangbanna), CHB (Han Chinese in Beijing), JPT (Japanese in Tokyo), and KHV (Kinh in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). Moreover, Dai is the most similar to KHV according to Fst analysis.

Conclusions

Our study complement the pharmacogenomics information of Dai population from Yunnan province and provide a theoretical basis for personalized medicine.
Besov maximal regularity for a class of degenerate integro‐differential equations with infinite delay in Banach spaces
Authors: Aparicio Rafael , Keyantuo Valentin
Published: April 2020

The theory of operator‐valued Fourier multipliers is used to obtain characterizations for well‐posedness of a large class of degenerate integro‐differential equations of second order in time in Banach spaces. Specifically, we treat the case of vector‐valued Besov spaces on the real line. It is important to note that in particular, the results are applicable to the more familiar scale of vector‐valued Hölder spaces. The equations under consideration are important in several applied problems in physics and material science, in particular for phenomena where memory effects are important. Several models in the area of viscoelasticity, including heat conduction and wave propagation correspond to the general class of integro‐differential equations considered here. The importance of the results is that they can be used to treat nonlinear equations.
Algebraic multigrid for systems of elliptic boundary‐value problems
Authors: Lee Barry
Published: April 2020

This article develops an algebraic multigrid (AMG) method for solving systems of elliptic boundary‐value problems. It is well known that multigrid for systems of elliptic equations faces many challenges that do not arise for most scalar equations. These challenges include strong intervariable couplings, multidimensional and possibly large near‐nullspaces, analytically unknown near‐nullspaces, delicate selection of coarse degrees of freedom (CDOFs), and complex construction of intergrid operators. In this article, we consider only the selection of CDOFs and the construction of the interpolation operator. The selection is an extension of the Ruge–Stuben algorithm using a new strength of connection measure taken between nodal degrees of freedom, that is, between all degrees of freedom located at a gridpoint to all degrees of freedom at another gridpoint. This measure is based on a local correlation matrix generated for a set of smoothed test vectors derived from a relaxation‐based procedure. With this measure, selection of the CDOFs is then determined by the number of strongly correlated connections at each node, with the selection processed by a Ruge–Stuben coloring scheme. Having selected the CDOFs, the interpolation operator is constructed using a bootstrap AMG (BAMG) procedure. We apply the BAMG procedure either over the smoothed test vectors to obtain an intervariable interpolation scheme or over the like‐variable components of the smoothed test vectors to obtain an intravariable interpolation scheme. Moreover, comparing the correlation measured between the intravariable couplings with the correlation between all couplings, a mixed intravariable and intervariable interpolation scheme is developed. We further examine an indirect BAMG method that explicitly uses the coefficients of the system operator in constructing the interpolation weights. Finally, based on a weak approximation criterion, we consider a simple scheme to adapt the order of the interpolation (i.e., adapt the caliber or maximum number of coarse‐grid points that a fine‐grid point can interpolate from) over the computational domain.
Structure and Properties of 1,4‐Bis(Trinitromethyl)Benzene
Authors: Giles Ian D. , Imler Gregory H. , Deschamps Jeffrey R.
Published: April 2020

The structure, activation energy, onset temperature, heat of formation, and calculated detonation properties of 1,4‐bis(trinitromethly)benzene are reported here. The crystal structure of this compound shows that as other trinitromethyl containing compounds the planes of the three independent C‐NO2 are approximately perpendicular to one another. The crystal density is 1.805 g/cm3. Like other trinitromethyl containing explosives, the onset temperature is relatively low (103.7 °C). The incorporation of two trinitromethly groups yields a reasonable oxygen balance (−25.5 %) which is close to that of RDX (−21.6 %). While the calculated detonation velocity of HNX exceeds that of TNT it is almost 6 % lower than that of RDX.
Cost‐Effective Green Synthesis of Boron‐Rich Carbide Coatings for Infrared Windows and Night‐Vision Optics
Authors: Saritha Devi Hariharan Nair Vaheswari , Swapna Mohanachandran Nair Sindhu , Sankararaman Sankaranarayana Iyer
Published: April 2020

The increasing demand for infrared (IR) window materials for various applications in optical imaging systems necessitates the development of cost‐effective green techniques. Herein, the synthesis of refractory boron carbide (BC) using castor oil, as carbon precursor, and the preparation of IR transparent films by thermal vapor deposition technique is reported. Films are prepared with 1:3, 1:4, and 1:5 ratios of boric acid and castor oil, respectively. The X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier‐transform IR (FTIR) analyses reveal the structure of films prepared to be BC. The morphology of the films is analyzed by the atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique, and its dependence on precursor's ratio is also studied. The spectroscopic characterization by the ultraviolet–visible–near IR (UV–vis–NIR) transmittance study reveals the potential of the films for IR window applications. The bandgap energy of the BC films determined from the Tauc plot yields a value of 2.33 eV. The absorption coefficient, extinction coefficient, refractive index, dissipation factor, and optical conductivity are also studied from the reflectance and transmittance data.
Determination of Out‐of‐Plane Spin Polarization of Topological Surface States by Spin Hall Effect Tunneling Spectroscopy
Authors: Götte Matthias , Dahm Thomas
Published: April 2020

Determining the detailed spin texture of topological surface states is important when one wants to apply topological insulators in spintronic devices. In principle, the in‐plane spin component of the surface states can be measured by a method analogous to the so‐called Meservey–Tedrow technique. Herein, it is suggested that the out‐of‐plane spin component can be determined by spin Hall effect tunneling spectroscopy. An analytical formula that allows to extract the out‐of‐plane spin component from spin Hall effect tunneling spectra is derived. The formula is tested using realistic tight‐binding models of Bi2Se3 and Sb2Te3. It is demonstrated that the extracted out‐of‐plane spin polarization is in very good agreement with the actual out‐of‐plane spin polarization.
The renewable energy and economic growth nexus in European countries
Authors: Kasperowicz Rafał , Bilan Yuriy , Štreimikienė Dalia
Published: April 2020

The study examines the long‐run relationship between renewable energy consumption and economic growth within the framework of the traditional production function in 29 European countries from 1995 to 2016. The study was based on the panel unit root tests, panel cointegration test—the Kao (1999), Pedroni (1999, 2004), Westerlund (2005) and fully modified ordinary least squares estimator and dynamic ordinary least squares estimator. The study found that there is a long‐term equilibrium relationship between economic growth and renewable energy consumption and that renewable energy consumption has a positive impact on economic growth. The results suggest that the use of renewable energy as a global commodity in the process of economic growth is highly significant. Therefore, policies to promote renewables can provide for economic growth, an increase in renewables and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and ensure important sustainable development goals.
Doubly robust estimation and causal inference for recurrent event data
Authors: Su Chien‐Lin , Steele Russell , Shrier Ian
Published: April 2020

Many longitudinal databases record the occurrence of recurrent events over time. In this article, we propose a new method to estimate the average causal effect of a binary treatment for recurrent event data in the presence of confounders. We propose a doubly robust semiparametric estimator based on a weighted version of the Nelson‐Aalen estimator and a conditional regression estimator under an assumed semiparametric multiplicative rate model for recurrent event data. We show that the proposed doubly robust estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal. In addition, a model diagnostic plot of residuals is presented to assess the adequacy of our proposed semiparametric model. We then evaluate the finite sample behavior of the proposed estimators under a number of simulation scenarios. Finally, we illustrate the proposed methodology via a database of circus artist injuries.
The business family 3.0: Dynastic business families as families, organizations and networks—Outline of a theory extension
Authors: Kleve Heiko , Köllner Tobias , von Schlippe Arist , Rüsen Tom A.
Published: April 2020

This paper's point of departure is that business families are permanently confronted with a dual function: They engage in typical family relations yet also have formal decision‐making processes for business and family strategy. However, large business families—which may consist of several hundred shareholders who own one or more family businesses—are confronted with an additional challenge. Alongside being simultaneously a family and an organization, they also have to establish and maintain notions of membership and modes of communication between distantly related shareholders. This we have called family network or family 3.0. The challenges involved in initiating, shaping and maintaining such networks require new strategic reconsideration in the family itself and an extension of the existing theoretical observations regarding family businesses, thereby establishing the basis for a better understanding of large‐scale business families. For this, we try to combine family business research, organization studies and systems theory.
Vertrauen in Journalismus
Authors: Prochazka Fabian
Published: April 2020

Unter Online-Bedingungen hat sich also die Rolle des Journalismus gewandelt. Journalistische Medien sind nicht mehr die einzigen Gatekeeper, die darüber entscheiden, welche Informationen an die Öffentlichkeit gelangen und welche nicht. Neben journalistische Medien treten neue Informationsquellen (Alternativmedien, öffentliche Bürgerkommunikation, Originalquellen), die Informationen über aktuelle politische und gesellschaftliche Ereignisse bieten und damit in Konkurrenz und/oder Komplementarität zum Journalismus treten. Diese Entwicklung ist potenziell folgenreich für das Vertrauen in journalistische Medien. Im folgenden Kapitel werden daher zunächst die Grundlagen für das Verständnis von Vertrauen in Journalismus gelegt.
Einflussfaktoren auf Vertrauen in Journalismus
Authors: Prochazka Fabian
Published: April 2020

Im Folgenden sollen diejenigen Faktoren identifiziert werden, die auf der Individualebene das Vertrauen in Journalismus prägen und insbesondere die Rolle der Informationsnutzung im Internet reflektiert werden. Dazu wird in den Kapiteln 4.1 bis 4.4 schrittweise ein Modell aufgebaut, das drei Gruppen von Einflussfaktoren unterscheidet. Diese sind danach gegliedert, wie stark sie vermutlich das Vertrauen auf der Individualebene prägen (Abbildung 2).
Maxwell equations in curved space-time: non-vanishing magnetic field in pure electrostatic systems
Authors: Nikolaev N.N. , Vergele S.N.
Published: April 2020

Abstract

Solutions of the Maxwell equations for electrostatic systems with manifestly vanishing electric currents in the curved space-time for stationary metrics are shown to exhibit a non-vanishing magnetic field of pure geometric origin. In contrast to the conventional magnetic field of the Earth it can not be screened away by a magnetic shielding. As an example of practical significance we treat electrostatic systems at rest on the rotating Earth and derive the relevant geometric magnetic field. We comment on its impact on the ultimate precision searches of the electric dipole moments of ultracold neutrons and of protons in all electric storage rings.
Current-current deformations, conformal integrals and correlation functions
Authors: Giribet Gaston , Leoni Matias
Published: April 2020

Abstract

Motivated by the recent work on

$$ T\overline{T} $$

T

T
¯

-type deformations of 2D CFTs, a especial class of single-trace deformations of AdS3/CFT2 correspondence has been investigated. From the worldsheet perspective, this corresponds to a marginal deformation of the σ - model on AdS3 that yields a string background that interpolates between AdS3 and a flat linear dilaton solution. Here, with the intention of studying this worldsheet CFT further, we consider it in the presence of a boundary. In a previous paper, we computed different correlation functions of this theory on the disk, including the bulk 1-point function, the boundary-boundary 2-point function, and the bulk-boundary 2-point function. This led us to compute the anomalous dimension of both bulk and boundary vertex operators, which first required a proper regularization of the ultraviolet divergences of the conformal integrals. Here, we extend the analysis by computing the bulk-bulk 2-point function on the disk and other observables on the sphere. We prove that the renormalization of the vertex operators proposed in our previous works is consistent with the form of the sphere N -point functions.
Peccei-Quinn phase transition at LIGO
Authors: von Harling Benedict , Pomarol Alex , Pujolàs Oriol , Rompineve Fabrizio
Published: April 2020

Abstract

The LIGO observatories can potentially detect stochastic gravitational waves arising from phase transitions which happened in the early universe at temperatures around T ∼ 108 GeV. This provides an extraordinary opportunity for discovering the phase transition associated with the breaking of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry, required in QCD axion models. Here we consider the simplest Peccei-Quinn models and study under which conditions a strong first-order phase transition can occur, analyzing its associated gravitational wave signal. To be detectable at LIGO, we show that some supercooling is needed, which can arise either in Coleman-Weinberg-type symmetry breaking or in strongly-coupled models. We also investigate phase transitions that interestingly proceed by first breaking the electroweak symmetry at large scales before tunneling to the Peccei-Quinn breaking vacuum. In this case, the associated gravitational wave signal is more likely to be probed at the proposed Einstein Telescope.
DEGRO practical guideline for partial-breast irradiation
Authors:   Breast Cancer Expert Panel of the German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO), Strnad V. , Krug D. , Sedlmayer F. , Piroth M. D. , Budach W. , Baumann R. , Feyer P. , Duma M. N. , Haase W. , Harms W. , Hehr T. , Fietkau R. , Dunst J. , Sauer R.
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This consensus statement from the Breast Cancer Working Group of the German Society for Radiation Oncology (DEGRO) aims to define practical guidelines for accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI).

Methods

Recent recommendations for relevant aspects of APBI were summarized and a panel of experts reviewed all the relevant literature. Panel members of the DEGRO experts participated in a series of conferences, supplemented their clinical experience, performed a literature review, and formulated recommendations for implementing APBI in clinical routine, focusing on patient selection, target definition, and treatment technique.

Results

Appropriate patient selection, target definition for different APBI techniques, and basic rules for appropriate APBI techniques for clinical routine outside of clinical trials are described. Detailed recommendations for APBI in daily practice, including dose constraints, are given.

Conclusion

Guidelines are mandatory to assure optimal results of APBI using different techniques.
Evaluation of LC-MS and LC×LC-MS in analysis of zebrafish embryo samples for comprehensive lipid profiling
Authors: Xu Mengmeng , Legradi Jessica , Leonards Pim
Published: April 2020

In this study, both conventional one-dimensional liquid chromatography (1DLC) and comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2DLC) coupled to a high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer (HR-TOF MS) were used for full-scale lipid characterization of lipid extracts from zebrafish embryos. We investigated the influence on annotated lipids and different separation mechanisms (HILIC, C18, and PFP), and their different orders arranged in the first and the second dimensions. As a result, the number of lipid species annotated by conventional one-dimensional LC-MS was between 212 and 448. In contrast, the number of individual lipids species annotated by C18×HILIC, HILIC×C18, and HILIC×PFP were 1784, 1059, and 1123, respectively. Therefore, it was evident that the performance of comprehensive 2DLC, especially the C18×HILIC method, considerably exceeded 1DLC. Interestingly, a comparison of the HILIC×C18 and C18×HILIC approaches showed, under the optimized conditions, similar orthogonality, but the effective separation power of the C18×HILIC was much higher. A comparison of the HILIC×C18 and the HILIC×PFP methods demonstrated that the HILIC×PFP separation had superior orthogonality with a small increase on its effective peak capacity, indicating that the HILIC×PFP combination maybe a promising platform for untargeted lipidomics in complex samples. Finally, from the comprehensive lipid profiling respective, the C18×HILIC was selected for further studies.
Practical guidance for the evaluation of disease progression and the decision to change treatment in patients with advanced gastric cancer receiving chemotherapy
Authors: Iwasa Satoru , Kudo Toshihiro , Takahari Daisuke , Hara Hiroki , Kato Ken , Satoh Taroh
Published: April 2020

After failure of first-line chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidines and platinum compounds for advanced gastric cancer, second-line chemotherapy with ramucirumab plus paclitaxel, which elicits a durable response, and third-line or later chemotherapy with nivolumab have been shown to lead to a more favorable prognosis in advanced gastric cancer patients. As new and more effective drugs are now available, sequential chemotherapy would contribute to prolonged survival. From this point of view, the patient’s disease course should be frequently monitored in order to adapt treatment regimens. This review summarizes the points to note in regard to radiological assessment, and discusses the integration of prognostic factors, tumor markers, and clinical symptoms that need to be taken into account to change treatment at an appropriate timing.
Improvement of the fatigue behaviour of cellulose/polyolefin composites using photo-chemical fibre surface modification bio-inspired by natural role models
Authors: Müssig Jörg , Kelch Milan , Gebert Beate , Hohe Jörg , Luke Michael , Bahners Thomas
Published: April 2020

Based on the knowledge that plant structures often have graded stiffness transitions between strengthening elements and the surrounding matrix, which result in good damping behaviour and high toughness of the plant structure, the fatigue behaviour of composites made from rayon fibre and polypropylene (PP) as a matrix could be enhanced by photochemical surface modification of the regenerated cellulose fibres. The surface modification was achieved by deposition of UV-polymerized organic thin layers using pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) as the monomer. It has been shown earlier that the photochemical modification yields a decrease in wettability of the highly hydrophilic and water adsorbing viscose fibres and an increase in their affinity towards non-polar substances, thus promoting fibre-matrix adhesion. The presented experiments proved that the distinguished mechanical properties of the deposited layer structure also mimic the graded transition and provide good damping and fatigue behaviour superior to either untreated rayon/PP or rayon/maleic anhydride-modified PP composites.
A comparison of measures to validate scales in voting advice applications
Authors: Bruinsma Bastiaan
Published: April 2020

Voting advice applications (VAAs) are online tools providing voting advice to their users. This voting advice is based on the match between the answers of the user and the answers of several political parties to a common questionnaire on political attitudes. To visualize this match, VAAs use a wide array of visualisations, most popular of which are the two-dimensional political maps. These maps show the position of both the political parties and the user in the political landscape, allowing the user to understand both their own position and their relation to the political parties. To construct these maps, VAAs require scales that represent the main underlying dimensions of the political space. This makes the correct construction of these scales important if the VAA aims to provide accurate and helpful voting advice. This paper presents three criteria that assess if a VAA achieves this aim. To illustrate their usefulness, these three criteria—unidimensionality, reliability and quality—are used to assess the scales in the cross-national EUVox VAA, a VAA designed for the European Parliament elections of 2014. Using techniques from Mokken scaling analysis and categorical principal component analysis to capture the metrics, I find that most scales show low unidimensionality and reliability. Moreover, even while designers can—and sometimes do—use certain techniques to improve their scales, these improvements are rarely enough to overcome all of the problems regarding unidimensionality, reliability and quality. This leaves certain problems for the designers of VAAs and designers of similar type online surveys.
Insight into selection of appropriate formulation for colloidal gas aphron (CGA)-based drilling fluids
Authors: Pasdar Mohsen , Kazemzadeh Ezatallah , Kamari Ehsan , Ghazanfari Mohammad Hossein , Soleymani Mohammad
Published: April 2020

Application of light-weight drilling fluids is essential to develop depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs. Recently, colloidal gas aphron (CGA)-based fluids have been introduced for such applications due to their ability in controlling fluid losses. In this work, a comprehensive experimental study was performed to choose the best formulation for CGA fluids by implementing static stability tests, rheological behavior measurements, and bubble size analyses of CGAs. Xanthan gum polymer and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), an anionic surfactant, and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant, were utilized to prepare CGAs. For the range of experiments conducted, the performance of CGA fluids prepared with SDBS was improved by increasing the polymer and surfactant concentrations. However, for CTAB, it was improved by an increase in the polymer concentration and a decrease in the surfactant concentration. The formation of white, long hair-like precipitates observed at high levels of CTAB caused CGA fluid to become rapidly unstable. Also, it was observed that the size of CGAs was significantly influenced by the polymer and surfactant concentrations. The most stable bubbles were formed at 6.86 g/L of polymer concentration. The results of this study provide insights into appropriate formulation for CGA-based fluids which could be potentially applicable in drilling operations.
A Systematic Review of Behaviour-Related Outcome Assessments for Children on the Autism Spectrum with Intellectual Disabilities in Education Settings
Authors: Howell Melanie , Bradshaw Jill , Langdon Peter E.
Published: April 2020

A systematic review was completed to identify assessments used with children with intellectual disabilities to assess adaptive behaviour, challenging behaviour and autism-related behaviour and consider their appropriateness for use by special education teachers with autistic pupils. The findings of this review led to the recommendation that the Pervasive Development Disorder Behavior Inventory, Aberrant Behavior Checklist, Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist and the Teacher Autism Progress Scale are currently the most appropriate assessments for these purposes, although some limitations of these assessments exist. Additional recommendations included teacher input during the development of robust assessments to show progress for autistic children with intellectual disabilities and further evaluation of commonly used assessments with an appropriate sample in a relevant education setting.
To Buy or Not to Buy? The Moral Relevance of the Individual Demand in Everyday Purchase Situations
Authors: Gesang Bernward , Ullrich Rebecca
Published: April 2020

The question of the moral relevance of the individual demand is fundamental to many purchase decisions of daily consumer life. Can a single purchase make a difference for the better or worse? Each individual consumer could argue that companies are unlikely to adjust their production due to one single item more or less being sold. He might therefore decide not to change his consumption behavior but instead to rely on the effort of others, a pattern commonly referred to as collective action problem. In this article, we study collective action problems with regard to everyday purchase situations. We base our discussion on Shelly Kagan’s famous article “Do I make a difference?” and critically discuss a central assumption of his model: the symmetric relationship between supply and demand. We find that Kagan’s solution to collective action problems is not true a priori but has to be evaluated in certain empirical surroundings. We therefore discuss the approach in the context of the European meat market and demonstrate that Kagan’s argument does not provide a universal solution to cases of meat purchasing. We conclude with an outlook regarding the role of consumer ethics.
Undergraduate Student Concerns in Introductory STEM Courses: What They Are, How They Change, and What Influences Them
Authors: Meaders Clara L. , Lane A. Kelly , Morozov Anya I. , Shuman J. Kenny , Toth Emma S. , Stains Marilyne , Stetzer MacKenzie R. , Vinson Erin , Couch Brian A. , Smith Michelle K.
Published: April 2020

Introductory STEM courses represent entry points into a major, and student experiences in these courses can affect both their persistence and success in STEM disciplines. Identifying course-based student concerns may help instructors detect negative perceptions, areas of struggle, and potential barriers to success. Using an open-response survey question, we identified 13 common concerns expressed by students in introductory STEM courses. We converted these student-generated concerns into closed-ended items that were administered at the beginning and middle of the semester to students in 22 introductory STEM course sections across three different institutions. Students were asked to reflect on each item on a scale from very concerned to not concerned. A subset of these concerns was used to create a summary score of course-based concern for each student. Overall levels of student concern decreased from the first week to the middle of the semester; however, this pattern varied across different demographic groups. In particular, when controlling for initial concern and course grades, female students held higher levels of concern than their peers. Since student perceptions can impact their experiences, addressing concerns through communication and instructional practices may improve students’ overall experiences and facilitate their success.
Children’s Sociability in Institutional Contexts: Theoretical Reflections on Cognitive Development Within Peer Interactions
Authors: Ferreira Juliene Madureira , Moura Gabriella Garcia , de Melo Mieto Gabriela Sousa
Published: April 2020

Human beings are constituted through the presence and actions of others whom they encounter during the course of their lives. We are constituted by all the interactions we enact in different social contexts and through all the meanings we create together about the experiences we share. Therefore, in order to understand the ontogenesis of cognition, one must understand how meanings are constructed with the others we encounter. A substantial amount of research has addressed how infants and toddlers—when in interaction with adults—are able to understand others’ actions and engage in social dynamics by coordinating and regulating adults’ actions. This knowledge has advanced the field of developmental psychology significantly. However, not many efforts have been made to understand the origins of social cognition via peer interactions or explore how peer interactions constitute cognitive development. In this theoretical article, we use the microanalysis of three peer interaction episodes to discuss how the constitutive role of peer experiences can be analysed beyond isolated individual processes. The encounter, the situation and the social and relational process are used as a unit of analysis. This analytical approach considers the contributions and insights provided by the enactive theory, which offers a perspective to understand the processes of cognitive development in interactive experiences.
Electron irradiation induced aging effects on radiative recombination properties of quadruple cation organic-inorganic perovskite layers
Authors: Aversa Pierfrancesco , Ӧz Senol , Jung Eunhwan , Plantevin Olivier , Cavani Olivier , Ollier Nadège , Bourée Jean-Eric , Geffroy Bernard , Miyasaka Tsutomu , Mathur Sanjay , Corbel Catherine
Published: April 2020

Understanding the role of defects in hybrid organic inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) is critically important to engineer the stability and performance of photovoltaic devices based on HOIPs. Recent reports on multi-cation compositions of general formula (A1,A2,A3,A4)Pb(X1,X2,X3)3, where the A sites can be occupied by a distribution of 2–4 metallic/organic cations and X sites with halide anions have shown stabilization effects against the well-known methyl ammonium lead triiodide (CH3NH3PbI3), although the underlying mechanism is not fully elucidated. Herein, polycrystalline layers of 4APb(IBr)3 perovskite, where A is occupied by a combination of Cs+ (cesium ion), GA+ (guanidinium), MA+ (methylammonium), and FA+ (formamidinium) ions were synthesized. To gain insight on the role of intrinsic defects, electron irradiation was used for introducing point defects in a controlled way in the quadruple-cation HOIPs. Our results show that the engineered defects in perovskites strongly influenced the absorption, photoluminescence, and time-resolved photoluminescence of these materials, probably due to introduction of additional energy levels that modify electronic and light emitting properties of the material. Furthermore, the irradiation-induced defects were found to strongly affect the aging behavior of HOIPs and modify their radiative recombination properties.
Limit theorems for process-level Betti numbers for sparse and critical regimes
Authors: Owada Takashi , Thomas Andrew M.
Published: April 2020

The objective of this study is to examine the asymptotic behavior of Betti numbers of Čech complexes treated as stochastic processes and formed from random points in the d-dimensional Euclidean space
${\mathbb{R}}^d$
. We consider the case where the points of the Čech complex are generated by a Poisson process with intensity nf for a probability density f. We look at the cases where the behavior of the connectivity radius of the Čech complex causes simplices of dimension greater than
$k+1$
to vanish in probability, the so-called sparse regime, as well when the connectivity radius is of the order of
$n^{-1/d}$
, the critical regime. We establish limit theorems in the aforementioned regimes: central limit theorems for the sparse and critical regimes, and a Poisson limit theorem for the sparse regime. When the connectivity radius of the Čech complex is
$o(n^{-1/d})$
, i.e. the sparse regime, we can decompose the limiting processes into a time-changed Brownian motion or a time-changed homogeneous Poisson process respectively. In the critical regime, the limiting process is a centered Gaussian process but has a much more complicated representation, because the Čech complex becomes highly connected with many topological holes of any dimension.
Transient analysis for exponential time-limited polling models under the preemptive repeat random policy
Authors: De Haan Roland , Al Hanbali Ahmad , Boucherie Richard J. , Van Ommeren Jan-Kees
Published: April 2020

Polling systems are queueing systems consisting of multiple queues served by a single server. In this paper we analyze two types of preemptive time-limited polling systems, the so-called pure and exhaustive time-limited disciplines. In particular, we derive a direct relation for the evolution of the joint queue length during the course of a server visit. The analysis of the pure time-limited discipline builds on and extends several known results for the transient analysis of an M/G/1 queue. For the analysis of the exhaustive discipline we derive several new results for the transient analysis of the M/G/1 queue during a busy period. The final expressions for both types of polling systems that we obtain generalize previous results by incorporating customer routeing, generalized service times, batch arrivals, and Markovian polling of the server.
An elementary derivation of moments of Hawkes processes
Authors: Cui Lirong , Hawkes Alan , Yi He
Published: April 2020

Hawkes processes have been widely used in many areas, but their probability properties can be quite difficult. In this paper an elementary approach is presented to obtain moments of Hawkes processes and/or the intensity of a number of marked Hawkes processes, in which the detailed outline is given step by step; it works not only for all Markovian Hawkes processes but also for some non-Markovian Hawkes processes. The approach is simpler and more convenient than usual methods such as the Dynkin formula and martingale methods. The method is applied to one-dimensional Hawkes processes and other related processes such as Cox processes, dynamic contagion processes, inhomogeneous Poisson processes, and non-Markovian cases. Several results are obtained which may be useful in studying Hawkes processes and other counting processes. Our proposed method is an extension of the Dynkin formula, which is simple and easy to use.
A Double Whammy for the History of Evangelical Protestantism
Authors: Hollinger David A.
Published: April 2020

Most histories fail to convincingly explain why 81 percent of American white evangelical voters supported Trump in the 2016 election. Many scholars, like political pundits, hold an idealized vision of the evangelical past, which leads them to assume that “real” evangelicals are actually not so enthusiastic about the deeply anti-intellectual, frankly authoritarian, materialistic, and sexually promiscuous media personality who won the White House. The history of evangelical thought and action after all includes many examples of sensible, humane, and intellectually creative work. How could such a wholesome religious tradition as evangelical Protestantism possibly share responsibility for the political success of Donald Trump?
X-ray powder diffraction data for three new 3-ethylanilinium molybdates
Authors: Rafalska-Łasocha Alicja , Duda Michał , Łasocha Wiesław
Published: April 2020

X-ray powder diffraction data for new metal-organic compounds: tetrakis(3-ethylanilinium) octamolybdate Mo8O26(C8H12N)4 [a = 10.682(4), b = 16.589(5), c = 7.307(2) Å, α = 92.79(2)°, β = 97.99(3)°, γ = 103.89(3)°, V = 1240.27 Å3, Z = 1, space group P−1]; tetrakis(3-ethylanilinium) octamolybdate tetrahydrate Mo8O26(C8H12N)4·(H2O)4 [a = 18.801(7), b = 17.943(6), c = 7.334(3) Å, β = 98.50(5)°, V = 2446.99 Å3, Z = 2, space group P21/m] and bis(3-ethylanilinium) pentamolybdate Mo5O16(C8H12N)2 [a = 34.643(6), b = 5.5796(7), c = 14.200(3) Å, β = 96.20(2)°, V = 2728.69 Å3, Z = 4, space group I2/a] are reported in this paper. The investigated compounds were synthesized from molybdic acid and 3-ethylaniline in acidic solution. In the first two cases, we obtained octamolybdates, while the last compound crystallized as pentamolybdate.
A REVISION OF JASMINUM (OLEACEAE) IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE, WITH CONSERVATION ASSESSMENTS
Authors: Kiew R. , Tan J. P. C.
Published: April 2020

The species of Jasminum Tourn. ex L. (Oleaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia are revised. Eighteen species are recognised, of which eight are endemic. Five of these species have been recorded from Singapore. A key to species is provided, all names are typified, and all species are described. Conservation assessments are given for all species in Peninsular Malaysia. One species is Extinct in Peninsular Malaysia, eleven are Endangered and one is Data Deficient. Jasminum shahii Kiew is described as a new species. In Singapore, two species are certainly Extinct.
QTc prolongation after haloperidol administration in critically ill patients post cardiovascular surgery: A cohort study and review of the literature
Authors: Ibrahimi Burbuqe , Boettger Soenke , Schubert Maria , Bettex Dominique , Rudiger Alain
Published: April 2020

Objective

From case reports, haloperidol administration has been associated with QTc prolongation, torsades de pointes, and sudden cardiac death. In a vulnerable population of critically ill patients after cardiac surgery, however, it is unclear whether haloperidol administration affects the QTc interval. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore the effect of haloperidol in low doses on this interval.

Method

This retrospective cohort study was performed on a cardio-surgical intensive care unit (ICU), screened 2,216 patients and eventually included 68 patients with delirium managed with oral and intravenous haloperidol. In this retrospective analysis, electrocardiograms were taken prior and within 24 h after haloperidol administration. The effect of haloperidol on QTc was determined with a Person correlation, and inter-group differences were measured with new long QT comparisons.

Results

In total, 68 patients were included, the median age was 71 (64–79) years and predominantly male (77%). Haloperidol administration followed ICU admission by three days and the cumulative dose was 4 (2–9) mg. As a result, haloperidol administration did not affect the QTc (r = 0.144, p = 0.23). In total, 31% (21/68 patients) had a long QT before and 27.9% (19/68 patients) after haloperidol administration. Only 12% (8/68 patients) developed a newly onset long QT. These patients were not different in the route of administration, cumulative haloperidol doses, comorbidities, laboratory findings, or medications.

Significance of results

These results indicated that low-dose intravenous haloperidol was safe and not clinically relevant for the development of a newly onset long QT syndrome or adverse outcomes and support recent findings inside and outside the ICU setting.
Cognitive therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder following critical illness and intensive care unit admission
Authors: Murray Hannah , Grey Nick , Wild Jennifer , Warnock-Parkes Emma , Kerr Alice , Clark David M. , Ehlers Anke
Published: April 2020

Around a quarter of patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs) will develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Given the dramatic increase in ICU admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians are likely to see a rise in post-ICU PTSD cases in the coming months. Post-ICU PTSD can present various challenges to clinicians, and no clinical guidelines have been published for delivering trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy with this population. In this article, we describe how to use cognitive therapy for PTSD (CT-PTSD), a first line treatment for PTSD recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Using clinical case examples, we outline the key techniques involved in CT-PTSD, and describe their application to treating patients with PTSD following ICU.

Key learning aims

(1)

To recognise PTSD following admissions to intensive care units (ICUs).

(2)

To understand how the ICU experience can lead to PTSD development.

(3)

To understand how Ehlers and Clark’s (2000) cognitive model of PTSD can be applied to post-ICU PTSD.

(4)

To be able to apply cognitive therapy for PTSD to patients with post-ICU PTSD.