bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Corrigendum to: In situ target strength measurement of the black triggerfish Melichthys niger and the ocean triggerfish Canthidermis sufflamen
Authors: Salvetat Julie , Lebourges-Dhaussy Anne , Travassos Paulo , Gastauer Sven , Roudaut Gildas , Vargas Gary , Bertrand Arnaud
Published: February 2021

Triggerfish are widely distributed in tropical waters where they play an important ecological role. The black triggerfish Melichthys niger may be the dominant species around oceanic tropical islands, whereas pelagic triggerfish, such as the ocean triggerfish Canthidermis sufflamen, can assemble around fish aggregating devices (FADs) where they are a common bycatch of tuna fisheries. In this study we combined acoustic and optical recordings to provide the first in situ target strength (TS) measurement of black and ocean triggerfish. Data were collected in the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha off north-east Brazil. The mean TS of a 27.8-cm-long black triggerfish at 70 and 200kHz was –39.3dB re 1m2 (CV=14.0%) and –38.9dB re 1m2 (CV=14.4%) respectively. The mean TS values of ocean triggerfish (with a size range of 39–44cm) at 70 and 200kHz were –36.0dB re 1m2 (CV=15.7%) and –33.3dB re 1m2 (CV=14.0%) respectively. This work opens up the field for acoustic biomass estimates. In addition, we have shown that TS values for ocean triggerfish are within the same range as those of small tunas. Therefore, acoustic data transmitted from FADs equipped with echosounders can introduce a bias in tuna acoustic biomass estimation and lead to increased rates of bycatch.
Chemokine CCL5 promotes robust optic nerve regeneration and mediates many of the effects of CNTF gene therapy
Authors: Xie Lili , Yin Yuqin , Benowitz Larry
Published: February 2021

Significance

CNTF is a leading therapeutic candidate for glaucoma and other ocular diseases and is widely used experimentally to promote axon regeneration after optic nerve injury. Paradoxically, whereas CNTF gene therapy is neuroprotective for retinal ganglion cells and promotes considerable regeneration following optic nerve injury, recombinant CNTF has little effect. We show that CNTF gene therapy exacerbates the inflammatory reaction to virally mediated gene therapy, leading to widespread expression of chemokine CCL5. Blocking CCL5 signaling abrogates most neuroprotective and axon-promoting effects of CNTF gene therapy, whereas recombinant CCL5 largely mimics the beneficial effects of CNTF gene therapy. Thus, this study identifies a potent, previously unknown agent for optic nerve regeneration and raises general questions about interpreting results of gene therapy studies.
Generating tumor-selective conditionally active biologic anti-CTLA4 antibodies via protein-associated chemical switches
Authors: Chang Hwai Wen , Frey Gerhard , Liu Haizhen , Xing Charles , Steinman Lawrence , Boyle William J. , Short Jay M.
Published: February 2021

Significance

On-target, off-tumor toxicity of anti-CTLA4 checkpoint inhibitors leads to severe adverse events, restricting therapeutic efficacy. We engineered anti-CTLA4 antibodies and generated a new class of antibodies referred to as conditionally active biologic (CAB) antibodies using physiological chemicals (bicarbonate, hydrogen sulfide) as protein-associated chemical switches (PaCS) to reduce binding under normal physiological conditions, while maintaining binding in the tumor. PaCS add a new dimension to drug discovery. PaCS can be applied to a variety of targets and drug formats, improving safety, increasing the number of targets, allowing the development of new therapies, and enhancing the tolerability of existing therapeutics. The PaCS mechanism can be used to tune the binding activity for disease-related microenvironments, including cancer, infection, inflammation, and cellular senescence.
Immunotherapy for breast cancer using EpCAM aptamer tumor-targeted gene knockdown
Authors: Zhang Ying , Xie Xuemei , Yeganeh Pourya Naderi , Lee Dian-Jang , Valle-Garcia David , Meza-Sosa Karla F. , Junqueira Caroline , Su Jiayu , Luo Hongbo R. , Hide Winston , Lieberman Judy
Published: February 2021

Significance

Immunotherapy benefits some aggressive breast cancers, but many breast tumors do not respond to checkpoint blockade. Novel strategies to increase breast cancer immunogenicity are needed to improve immunotherapy. Here, we used epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) aptamer-linked small-interfering RNA chimeras (AsiC) to selectively knock down genes in mouse breast cancers to induce tumor neoantigens or overcome immune evasion. Individual gene knockdown markedly delayed tumor growth and enhanced antitumor immunity.
Cd47
and
Parp1
AsiCs outperformed anti-CD47 antibody and the PARP1 inhibitor Olaparib, respectively. Combining EpCAM-AsiCs targeting multiple pathways worked better than single agents and enhanced tumor inhibition by a checkpoint inhibitor. EpCAM-AsiCs have the potential to boost immunity to tumors that are poorly responsive to checkpoint blockade.
Devices of alignment
Authors: Gao Hua
Published: February 2021

The Mandarin resultative connective suoyi ‘so’ and adversative connective dan(shi) ‘but’ are found to preface interviewer (IR) questions regularly in Chinese TV news interviews. This study draws on a conversational analysis (CA)-oriented micro-analytical approach and examines the form, placement and function of the two connective-prefaced questions. The findings show that IRs employ, on the one hand, a turn-initial suoyi to preface a declarative, alone or followed by a question tag that invokes a prior interviewee (IE) opinion, and, on the other, a turn-initial dan(shi) to preface either a wh-question or a yes/no question and bring forth a point of contrast and transition for questioning. Both questions not only encode IRs’ epistemic stance, but also display their alignment to IEs’ prior talk in different ways.
“Doing being collegial”
Authors: Reddington Elizabeth , Clemente Ignasi , Waring Hansun Zhang , Yu Di
Published: February 2021

This chapter applies conversation analysis to investigate questioning and responding practices in the understudied context of post-presentation question-and-answer (Q&A) sessions. Participants include speakers who represent a U.S. philanthropic foundation and audiences interested in health issues. Examining a corpus of question-answer sequences from four video-recorded Q&A sessions, we find that participants routinely use their multi-unit questioning and responding turns to minimize asymmetry, positioning themselves and their interlocutors as peers with shared concerns. By documenting how presenters and audience members “do collegiality” through questioning and responding practices, the study contributes to research on question-answer sequences in institutional settings, revealing a complex interactional context in which participants work to blur the line between “expert” and “layperson” identities.
Question–answer sequences in Japanese first encounters
Authors: Shigemitsu Yuka
Published: February 2021

The aim of this investigation is to examine the relationship between information-eliciting questions and their corresponding answers that occur in first encounters between male interlocutors in a Japanese semi-formal academic context. This topic acquires a special significance in the context of Japanese culture, where asking questions is regarded as dispreferred verbal behavior. Five types of constraints on initiating question-based conversations in a Japanese social-cultural context have been identified: (i) questions may compel the recipient to speak; (ii) questions may invade the recipient’s personal territory; (iii) questions may reveal conflict between interlocutors; (iv) questions may interrupt someone’s ongoing talk; and (v) questions may reveal the respondent’s inability to answer. The analysis points to a paradox regarding the discursive behaviour of Japanese males: they show a desire to get acquainted with each other, while at the same time they are reluctant to ask questions which might cause uncomfortable feelings.
Tourism Development in the Trentino
Authors: Ward-Perkins David , Connolly Gaëlle
Published: February 2021

The case study shows the transformation of Trento and its region into a successful tourist destination (from 100,000 overnight stays in 1989 to 1 million in 2015). The economic development was enabled by a progressive strengthening of the bonds between the city and its surrounding territory, the development of a diverse and complementary offering of experiences and business tourism as an important component in the development of the destination. The case study details the development and implementation of the strategy by the destination and its various partners and look at the array of game changers policies and investment undertaken since the 1990s as well as the winning marketing strategies deployed.

Information

TEAM Tourism Consulting, adapted from cases prepared for STRELKA KB (2020) and Scottish Enterprise (2016).

© CAB International 2020
Slave Trade Heritage in Ghana
Authors: Ward-Perkins David , Mou Jessica
Published: February 2021

The recent movements in the United States in favour of African-American rights have highlighted many issues, including a tragic aspect of the slave trade: that millions were robbed not only of their freedom in being transported to another continent but also of their heritage, including their language, their memories and their cultural traditions.

Information

TEAM Tourism Consulting

© CAB International 2020
Women’s Empowerment in an Indian Trekking Company
Authors: Martínez Caparrós Belén
Published: February 2021

The Ladakhi Women’s Trekking Company (LWTC) is a tourism operator based in Leh, India, owned and operated by Ladakhi women. Local guide Thinlas Chorol founded the LWTC in 2009 to give women in Ladakh the opportunity to participate in the traditionally male-dominated areas of trekking and mountain climbing. The treks are completely organized by these women who act as guides, porters and cooks as well as customer service, demonstrating that women can fulfil the roles that are normally reserved for men. By working as trekking guides, these women are challenging gender stereotypes in Ladakh, where a woman is expected to be submissive and conform to a traditional Ladakhi notion of obedience and discipline.

Information

Adapted from ‘Chapter 6 Trekking to Women’s Empowerment: A Case Study of a Female-Operated Travel Company in Ladakh’. In: Cole S. (eds)
Gender Equality and Tourism: Beyond Empowerment
. CABI, pp. 57-66.

© CAB International 2018
Ecotourism on the Navua River, Fiji
Authors: Bricker Kelly S. , Kerstetter Deborah L.
Published: February 2021

Approximately 57% of Fiji’s population are indigenous Fijian, the majority of them living in rural areas, dependent on farming for subsistence and livelihood, working on land that is held under customary law, where environmental considerations are given importance both by tradition and through government legislation.

Information

Adapted from ‘Chapter 2 Ecotourism and environmental management: a case study of a partnership for conservation in Fiji’. In: Modica P. and Uysal, M. (eds)
Sustainable Island Tourism
. CABI, pp. 19-34.

© CAB International 2016
Long-distance Trails Networks: The Brazilian Model
Authors: Menezes Pedro
Published: February 2021

The Brazilian Network of Long-distance Trails is inspired by the North American and European national trail systems. The officially recognized programme acts as a recreational resource but also as a conservation tool, the trails serving as landscape connectors, linking otherwise isolated areas that are protected or of conservation importance. Each national trail is composed of a succession of regional trails, in which the endpoint of one aligns with the trailhead of the next. Over the next 20 years, Brazil intends to implement five national trails, divided into some 30 different regional long-distance trails, making up around 30,000 km of hiking trails in a network of landscape connectors that will be used for recreation, provide ecological services, such as wildlife corridors, as well as creating jobs.

Information

Adapted from ‘Chapter 4: Trends’. In: Ward-Perkins, D., Beckman, C. and Ellis, J.
Tourism Routes and Trails: Theory and Practice
. CABI, pp. 49–68.

© CAB International 2020
Managing Tourism Expansion in the Soča Valley (Slovenia)
Authors: Connolly Gaëlle , Carter Roger , Ward-Perkins David , Humar Janko
Published: February 2021

The Soča Valley is the fastest-growing destination in Slovenia, with an international reputation that has been rising over the last 10 years. This is largely due to a growing demand Europe-wide for active outdoor tourism, but also to quality product development at the local level, backed by well-coordinated marketing and distribution.

© World Bank 2021

Information

Dr Roger Carter and Gaëlle Connolly, adapted from case study prepared for a Handbook on Destination Management for the World Bank (publication due in 2021)

© World Bank, used with permission, with additional material provided by Janko Humar, Roger Carter, Gaëlle Connolly and David Ward-Perkins, used with permission.
Exploring the Case: Tourism development in the Trentino
Authors: Ward-Perkins David
Published: February 2021

Introduction

This case illustrates how thinking about the development of a destination has evolved over the last 30 years.

In many parts of the world, even in developed economies, strategies are often stuck in the mindset of previous decades. It is therefore useful to see how tourism thinking has changed in the Trentino; then to ask how it will change again following the Covid-19 crisis.
Exploring the Case: How the Singapore Tourism Board Confronted the 2002–2003 SARS Crisis
Authors: Ward-Perkins David
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Following the outbreak and containment of the SARS virus in South-east Asia between 2002 and 2004, parts of the world that were not affected quickly forgot how serious the outbreak could have been. The countries affected, including Singapore and South Korea, did remember, and it is no accident that they reacted the fastest and were most effective in containing the first wave of SARS-CoV-2, more commonly known as Covid-19 or the Coronavirus.

The important role of the tourism authorities in combatting the spread of the disease has also been largely forgotten. This case study tells that story, with a focus on Singapore.

Ample documentation is available on the reactions of tourism authorities and the tourism industry to the Covid-19 crisis. Students of tourism will find it interesting to compare these with the earlier success story of Singapore and SARS-CoV-1.
Exploring the Case: Blue Ridge Music Trails
Authors: Ward-Perkins David
Published: February 2021

Introduction

This is the story of a project driven by people who are passionately interested in the music and culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains – many of them volunteers. The decisions of the partners and supporters are not always taken rationally; therefore, to explore the case, our recommendation is to apply cultural curiosity and intuition rather than just dry analysis.
Exploring the Case: Ecotourism on the Navua River, Fiji
Authors: Ward-Perkins David
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Wherever economic interests are at play in natural areas, indigenous communities may find themselves at a disadvantage, struggling to maintain the balance they have historically enjoyed with their environment. This case describes how some communities of inland Viti Levu (Fiji), initially dependent on their relations with logging and gravel-extraction businesses, find a stronger, more independent voice.

Tourism in the upper Navua River could simply have been an additional layer, unrelated to the concerns of the people of the Viti Levu highlands. However, the founders of Rivers Fiji Ltd. wanted to use their activity to bring some real benefit to the community, rather than exploit it. Through lobbying, persistence and the support of some influential allies, they helped effect some real changes. These actions have had the effect of handing greater control to the local communities and also, through the creation of a Conservation Area, bringing greater resilience to the natural environment of the Upper Navua River.
Exploring the Case: Long-distance Trail Network: The Brazilian Model
Authors: Ward-Perkins David
Published: February 2021

Introduction

The case establishes a connection between the creation of long-distance walking trails and the protection of biodiversity – a connection that suggests other possible partnerships between the outdoor sports community and those charged with protecting the environment.
Materials for the Study of the Locus Operandi in the Search for Missing Persons in Italy
Authors: Barone Pier Matteo , Di Maggio Rosa Maria , Mesturini Silvia
Published: February 2021

Geographic profiling, or locus operandi, is a scientific approach that has been applied to forensic investigations for several years. However, it has never been applied to a phenomenon as complex as the search for missing persons. This article presents three Italian case studies in which geographic profiling was used to narrow the areas to search for missing persons. The geographical data were mapped and processed on a geographic information system platform using computational geometry analysis. However, these disappearances occurred during the Italian lockdown period, imposed to address the COVID-19 outbreak, which made the searches slower and more complex than usual.
Predictive risk estimation for the expectation maximization algorithm with Poisson data
Authors: Massa Paolo , Benvenuto Federico
Published: February 2021

In this work, we introduce a novel estimator of the predictive risk with Poisson data, when the loss function is the Kullback–Leibler divergence, in order to define a regularization parameter’s choice rule for the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm. To this aim, we prove a Poisson counterpart of the Stein’s Lemma for Gaussian variables, and from this result we derive the proposed estimator showing its analogies with the well-known Stein’s unbiased risk estimator valid for a quadratic loss. We prove that the proposed estimator is asymptotically unbiased with increasing number of measured counts, under certain mild conditions on the regularization method. We show that these conditions are satisfied by the EM algorithm under the hypothesis that the underlying matrix has positive entries and then we apply this estimator to select the EM optimal reconstruction. We present some numerical tests in the case of image deconvolution, comparing the performances of the proposed estimator with other methods available in the literature, both in the inverse crime and non-inverse crime setting.
A collision impact based energy harvester using piezoelectric polyline beams with electret coupling
Authors: Pan Jianan , Qin Weiyang , Yang Yongfeng , Yang Yaowen
Published: February 2021

In this work, a hybrid energy harvester is proposed to broaden the working bandwidth of vibration energy harvesting. This design consists of two piezoelectric polyline beams standing with a gap distance, of which one is bonded with a piezoelectric patch and covered by an electret layer, while an electrode covers the other. The two polyline beams are coupled through the electret and electrode effect, which is beneficial for extending the working bandwidth. The motion with which the two beams bump into each other could extend the harvester’s working bandwidth in the low-frequency area. If replacing the second beam with an inverted beam, the working bandwidth will also be extended. To understand the underlying mechanisms and compare their performance, corresponding theoretical and experimental studies are carried out. The results show that the proposed harvester consists of two polyline beams that possess broader bandwidth with the coupling and collision impact design. Parameter analysis of the tip mass position on the auxiliary beam is conducted. The proposed hybrid energy harvester excited by stochastic excitation could generate an output power of 69.1 µW under an excitation level of 0.0041g2 Hz−1 with an active surface area of 280 mm2.
Effect of Co2+ substitution on the structural, terahertz and magnetic characterization of NiZn ferrites
Authors: Arya Meenakshi , Gandhi Mayuri N , Prabhu S S , Achanta Venu Gopal , Duttagupta Siddhartha P
Published: February 2021

We present detailed studies on spinel structured Ni0.5Co
x
Zn0.5−x
Fe2O4 (x = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3), synthesized by sol–gel combustion method. In addition to the structural properties, we present optical dielectric and magnetic response of this system as a function of x. From x-ray diffraction analysis, a single-phase formation in cubic spinel structure was confirmed with an average crystallite size (D
avg) variation of 46–61 nm. X-ray diffractograms were analyzed to evaluate the lattice constant (a), x-ray density (ρ
x) and porosity (P) in percentage. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy was used to delimit the compositional mass ratios. Terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy measurements were performed to investigate the refractive index (

n
ˆ

s

) of the samples at room temperature in a frequency range from 0.2 to 2.5 THz. Real and imaginary components of complex optical dielectric constant (

ε
ˆ

s

) with the increase of Co2+ content were deduced using THz spectroscopy data. The complex optical dielectric constant for the substitution of Co2+ content at x = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, was determined within 5% error ∼9.6 + i0.07, ∼10.9 + i0.2 and ∼11.7 + i0.5, respectively. The magnetic measurements were performed at a temperature range of 300–50 K using a superconducting quantum interference device vibrating sample magnetometer under an applied magnetic field of ±5 tesla. We found the highest saturation magnetization (M
s) of about 86.7 emu g−1, 83.5 emu g−1 and 80.4 emu g−1 for the substitution of Co2+ content at x = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, respectively at room temperature.
Weak localization and electron-phonon interaction in layered Zintl phase SrIn2P2 single crystal
Authors: Wang Huanhuan , Zhu Xiangde , Chen Zheng , Lu Fangjun , Li Huijie , Han Yuyan , Li Liang , Gao Wenshuai , Ning Wei , Tian Mingliang
Published: February 2021

Recently, the Zintl phase SrIn2P2 single crystal was proposed to be a topological insulator candidate under lattice strain. Here, we report systematic electrical transport studies on the unstrained layered SrIn2P2 single crystals. The resistance presents a minimum value around T
c = 136 K and then increases remarkably at low temperature. Distinct negative magnetoresistance below T
c, combined with the anomalous resistance, implies the carriers are weak localized at low temperature due to strong quantum coherence. Further analysis based on three-dimensional weak localization (WL) model suggests that the electron-phonon interaction dominates the phase decoherence process. Moreover, Hall measurements indicate that the transport properties are mainly dominated by hole-type carriers, and the WL effect is obviously affected by the carrier transport. These findings not only provide us a promising platform for the fundamental physical research but also open up a new route for exploring the potential electronic applications.
Nanoimprinting metal-containing nanoparticle-doped gratings to enhance the polarization of light-emitting chips by induced scattering
Authors: Wang Chunhui , Lai Dengshui , Fan Yu , Tian Hongmiao , Li Xiangming , Chen Xiaoliang , Shao Jinyou
Published: February 2021

Polarized radiative luminous semiconductor chips have huge application potential in many highly value-added fields. The integration of a subwavelength grating is recognized to be the most promising method for the development of polarized chips, but still faces the challenge of low polarized radiative performance. This paper describes a proposal for, and the development of, a scattering-induced enhanced-polarization light-emitting diode chip by directly nanoimprinting a metal-containing nanoparticle-doped grating onto the top surface of a common flip chip. The rate at which quantum-well light emission is used by the developed polarized chip is improved by more than 30%. More attractively, the doped scattering nanoparticles function as a scattering-induced polarization state converter that is sandwiched in between the top aluminum grating and the bottom silver reflector of the chips. The originally non-radiated light, with an electric-field vector parallel to the grating lines, is reflected back and forth inside the sandwich until it changes to the perpendicular vibration mode and is radiated outside the chip. Therefore, the polarization extinction ratio is greatly improved, compared to undoped samples.
Determination of the angular velocity of a simple propeller with a smartphone proximity sensor
Authors: Kapucu Serkan , Şimşek Mertkan
Published: February 2021

This study aims to determine the angular velocity of a simple propeller with a smartphone proximity sensor. The results show that the smartphone proximity sensor can be a useful tool to determine angular velocity in uniform circular motion. Teachers and students are advised to perform the funny and easy physics experiment described in this study.
Studies on the implosion of pinches with tailored density profiles
Authors: Oreshkin V I , Baksht R B , Cherdizov R K , Oreshkin E V , Ratakhin N A , Rousskikh A G , Shishlov A V , Vankevich V A , Zhigalin A S
Published: February 2021

This paper presents the results of experimental and theoretical studies of imploding metal-puff Z-pinches. The experiments were carried out on the MIG high-current pulse generator at a current level of about 2 MA and a current rise time of about 100 ns. A plasma gun was used to produce a plasma column with a tailored density profile through which the main electromagnetic pulse of the MIG generator was passed. The experiments have shown that pinches of this type, being compressed, are resistant to dynamic magneto-Rayleigh–Taylor (MRT) instabilities. The experimental results were analyzed using one-dimensional radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations. It has been shown that in a pinch with a tailored density profile, the formation of a high-temperature plasma at the pinch axis and the generation of x-rays occur at the stagnation stage, i.e. under conditions close to Bennett equilibrium. At this stage, flute-like MRT instabilities develop, causing the pinch to decay.
The effect of input noises on the activity of auditory neurons using GLM-based metrics
*
Authors: Hosseini Maryam , Rodriguez Gerardo , Guo Hongsun , Lim Hubert H , Plourde Éric
Published: February 2021

Objective. The auditory system is extremely efficient in extracting auditory information in the presence of background noise. However, people with auditory implants have a hard time understanding speech in noisy conditions. The neural mechanisms related to the processing of background noise, especially in the inferior colliculus (IC) where the auditory midbrain implant is located, are still not well understood. Understanding the mechanisms of perception in noise could lead to better stimulation or preprocessing strategies for such implants. We thus wish to investigate if there is a difference in the activity of neurons in the IC when presenting noisy vocalizations with different types of noise (stationary vs. non-stationary), input signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and signal levels. Approach. We developed novel metrics based on a generalized linear model (GLM) to investigate the effect of a given input noise on neural activity. We used these metrics to analyze neural data recorded from the IC in ketamine-anesthetized female Hartley guinea pigs while presenting noisy vocalizations. Main results. We found that non-stationary noise clearly contributes to the multi-unit neural activity in the IC by causing excitation, regardless of the SNR, input level or vocalization type. However, when presenting white or natural stationary noises, a great diversity of responses was observed for the different conditions, where the multi-unit activity of some sites was affected by the presence of noise and the activity of others was not. Significance. The GLM-based metrics allowed the identification of a clear distinction between the effect of white or natural stationary noises and that of non-stationary noise on the multi-unit activity in the IC. This had not been observed before and indicates that the so-called noise invariance in the IC is dependent on the input noisy conditions. This could suggest different preprocessing or stimulation approaches for auditory midbrain implants depending on the noisy conditions.
On the geometrical representation of classical statistical mechanics
Authors: Boulougouris Georgios C
Published: February 2021

In this work, a geometrical representation of equilibrium and near equilibrium classical statistical mechanics is proposed. Within this formalism the equilibrium thermodynamic states are mapped on Euclidian vectors on a manifold of spherical symmetry. This manifold of equilibrium states can be considered as a Gauss map of the parametric representation of Gibbs classical statistical mechanics at equilibrium. Most importantly, within the proposed representation, out of equilibrium thermodynamic states, can be described by a triplet consisting of an ‘infinitesimal volume’ of the points on our manifold, a Euclidian vector that points on the equilibrium manifold and a Euclidian vector on the tangent space of the equilibrium manifold. Finally in this work we discuss the relation of the proposed representation to the pioneer work of Ruppeiner and Weinhold at the limit of equilibrium, along with the notion of K–L divergence and its relation to the second law of thermodynamics.
Notes about the macroscopic fluctuating theory
Authors: Garrido P L
Published: February 2021

The macroscopic fluctuating theory developed during the last 30 years is applied to generic systems described by continuum fields ϕ(x, t) that evolve by a Langevin equation that locally either conserves or does not conserve the field. This paper aims to review well-known basic concepts and results from a pedagogical point of view by following a general framework in a practical and self-consistent way. From the probability of a path, we study the general properties of the system’s stationary state. In particular, we focus on the study of the quasipotential that defines the stationary distribution at the small noise limit. To discriminate between equilibrium and non-equilibrium stationary states, the system’s adjoint dynamics are defined as the system’s time-reversal Markov process. The equilibrium is then defined as the unique stationary state that is dynamically time-reversible, and therefore its adjoint dynamics are equal to those of the original one. This property is confronted with the macroscopic reversibility that occurs when the most probable path to create a fluctuation from the stationary state is equal to the time-reversed path that relaxes it. The lack of this symmetry implies a nonequilibrium stationary state; however, the converse is not true. Finally, we extensively study the two-body correlations at the stationary state. We derive some generic properties at various situations, including a discussion about the equivalence of ensembles in nonequilibrium systems.
Point Defects in InGaN/GaN Core–Shell Nanorods: Role of the Regrowth Interface
Authors: Loeto K , Kusch G , Coulon P-M , Fairclough SM , Boulbar E Le , Girgel I , Shields PA , Oliver RA
Published: February 2021

Core-shell nanorod based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with their exposed non-polar surfaces have the potential to overcome the limitations of planar LEDs by circumventing the quantum confined stark effect. In this experiment, InGaN/GaN core-shell nanorods were fabricated by a combination of top-down etching and bottom-up regrowth using metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy. When viewing the nanorods along their long axis, monochromatic cathodoluminescence maps taken at the GaN near-band-edge emission energy (3.39 eV) reveal a ring-like region of lower emission intensity. The diameter of this ring is found to be 530 (±20)nm corresponding to the ∼510 nm diameter nickel etch masks used to produce the initial GaN nanopillars. Thus, the dark ring corresponds to the regrowth interface. To understand the origin of the ring, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and cathodoluminescence (CL) hyperspectral mapping at 10K were performed. STEM imaging reveals the absence of extended defects in the nanorods and indeed near the regrowth interface. Monochromatic CL maps recorded at 10K show that the ring remains dark for monochromatic maps taken at the GaN near-band-edge emission energy (3.47 eV) but is bright when considering the donor-acceptor pair emission energy (3.27 eV). This peculiar anticorrelation indicates that the dark ring originates from an agglomeration of point defects associated with donor-acceptor pair emission. The point defects are incorporated and buried at the GaN regrowth interface from the chemical and/or physical damage induced by etching and lower the radiative recombination rate; limiting the radiative efficiency close to the regrowth interface.
A survey of mass partitions
Authors: Roldán-Pensado Edgardo , Soberón Pablo
Published: February 2021

Mass partition problems describe the partitions we can induce on a family of measures or finite sets of points in Euclidean spaces by dividing the ambient space into pieces. In this survey we describe recent progress in the area in addition to its connections to topology, discrete geometry, and computer science.
Shilov boundaries determine irreducible bounded symmetric domains
Authors: Chirvasitu Alexandru
Published: February 2021

We prove that irreducible symmetric domains are uniquely determined by the homotopy equivalence classes of their Shilov boundaries.
CAT(0) cube complexes with flat hyperplanes
Authors: Genevois Anthony
Published: February 2021

In this short note, we show that a group acting geometrically on a CAT(0) cube complex with virtually abelian hyperplane-stabilisers must decompose virtually as a free product of free abelian groups and surface groups.
Deterministic equivalence for noisy perturbations
Authors: Vogel Martin , Zeitouni Ofer
Published: February 2021

We prove a quantitative deterministic equivalence theorem for the logarithmic potentials of deterministic complex

N
×
N

N\times N

matrices subject to small random perturbations. We show that with probability close to

1
1

this log-potential is, up to a small error, determined by the singular values of the unperturbed matrix which are larger than some small

N
N

-dependent cut-off parameter.
A new centroaffine characterization of the ellipsoids
Authors: Hu Zejun , Xing Cheng
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we establish an integral inequality on centroaffine hyperovaloids in

R

n
+
1

\mathbb {R}^{n+1}

, in terms of the Ricci curvature in direction of the Tchebychev vector field and the norm of the covariant differentiation of the difference tensor with respect to the Levi-Civita connection of the centroaffine metric. This integral inequality is optimal, and its equality case provides a new centroaffine characterization of the ellipsoids.
Strict plurisubharmonicity of the energy on Teichmüller space associated to Hitchin representations
Authors: Slegers Ivo
Published: February 2021

Let

Σ
\Sigma

be a closed surface of genus at least two and

ρ
:

π
1

(
Σ
)
→
G

\rho \colon \pi _1(\Sigma ) \to G

a Hitchin representation into

G
=
P
S
L
(
n
,

R

)

G=PSL(n,\mathbb {R})

,

P
S
p
(
2
n
,

R

)

PSp(2n,\mathbb {R})

,

P
S
O
(
n
,
n
+
1
)

PSO(n,n+1)

or

G
2

G_2

. We consider the energy functional

E
E

on the Teichmüller space of

Σ
\Sigma

which assigns to each point in

T

(
Σ
)

\mathcal {T}(\Sigma )

the energy of the associated

ρ
\rho

-equivariant harmonic map. The main result of this paper is that

E
E

is strictly plurisubharmonic. As a corollary we obtain an upper bound of

3
⋅
genus
(
Σ
)
−
3

3 \cdot \text {genus}(\Sigma ) -3

on the index of any critical point of the energy functional.
Identification of the gene encoding 3-(5-oxo-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-yl) propionic acid desulfhydrase in Burkholderia sp. HME13
Authors: Muramatsu Hisashi , Maguchi Hiroki , Harada Taisuke , Kashiwagi Takehiro , Kim Chul-Sa , Kato Shin-ichiro , Nagata Shinji
Published: February 2021

Here, we report the identification of the gene encoding a novel enzyme, 3-(5-oxo-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-yl) propionic acid desulfhydrase, in Burkholderia sp. HME13. The enzyme converts 3-(5-oxo-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-yl) propionic acid and H2O to 3-(2,5-dioxoimidazolidin-4-yl) propionic acid and H2S. Amino acid sequence analysis of the enzyme indicates that it belongs to the DUF917 protein family, which consists of proteins of unknown function.
Quantitative Radiomic Features as New Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease: An Amyloid PET Study
Authors: Ding Yanhui , Zhao Kun , Che Tongtong , Du Kai , Sun Hongzan , Liu Shu , Zheng Yuanjie , Li Shuyu , Liu Bing , Liu Yong ,   Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: February 2021

Growing evidence indicates that amyloid-beta (Aβ) accumulation is one of the most common neurobiological biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The primary aim of this study was to explore whether the radiomic features of Aβ positron emission tomography (PET) images are used as predictors and provide a neurobiological foundation for AD. The radiomics features of Aβ PET imaging of each brain region of the Brainnetome Atlas were computed for classification and prediction using a support vector machine model. The results showed that the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.93 for distinguishing AD (N = 291) from normal control (NC; N = 334). Additionally, the AUC was 0.83 for the prediction of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) converting (N = 88) (vs. no conversion, N = 100) to AD. In the MCI and AD groups, the systemic analysis demonstrated that the classification outputs were significantly associated with clinical measures (apolipoprotein E genotype, polygenic risk scores, polygenic hazard scores, cerebrospinal fluid Aβ, and Tau, cognitive ability score, the conversion time for progressive MCI subjects and cognitive changes). These findings provide evidence that the radiomic features of Aβ PET images can serve as new biomarkers for clinical applications in AD/MCI, further providing evidence for predicting whether MCI subjects will convert to AD.
Serological Profiling of Group A Streptococcus Infections in Acute Rheumatic Fever
Authors: Lorenz Natalie , Ho Timothy K C , McGregor Reuben , Davies Mark R , Williamson Deborah A , Gurney Jason K , Smeesters Pierre R , Baker Michael G , Moreland Nicole J
Published: February 2021

Rheumatic fever is a serious post-infectious sequela of group A Streptococcus (GAS). Prior GAS exposures were mapped in sera using a large panel of M-type specific peptides. Rheumatic fever patients had serological evidence of significantly more GAS exposures than matched controls suggesting immune priming by repeat infections contributes to pathogenesis.
The Impact of the Auckland Cellulitis Pathway on Length of Hospital Stay, Mortality Readmission Rate, and Antibiotic Stewardship
Authors: Ritchie Stephen R , Cutfield Tim , Lee Arier , Walter Hannah , Gow Robert , Gammie Todd , Punnoose Christy , Nagarkar Suyog , Thomas Mark G
Published: February 2021

Background

The Dundee classification of cellulitis severity, previously shown to predict disease outcomes, provides an opportunity to improve the management of patients with cellulitis.

Methods

We developed and implemented a pathway to guide the management of adults with cellulitis based on their Dundee severity class, and measured its effect on patient outcomes. We compared the outcomes in patients admitted to Auckland City Hospital (ACH) between July 2014 and July 2015 (the baseline cohort) with those in patients admitted between June 2017 and June 2018 (the intervention cohort).

Results

The median length of stay was shorter in the intervention cohort (0.7 days, interquartile range (IQR) 0.1 to 3.0 days) than in the baseline cohort (1.8 days, IQR 0.1 to 4.4 days; P < .001). The 30-day mortality rate declined from 1.8% (19/1092) in the baseline cohort to 0.7% (10/1362; P = .02) in the intervention cohort. The 30-day cellulitis readmission rate increased from 6% in the baseline cohort to 11% (P < .001) in the intervention cohort. Adherence to the ACH cellulitis antibiotic guideline improved from 38% to 48% (P < .01) and was independently associated with reduced length of stay.

Conclusions

The implementation of the Auckland cellulitis pathway, readily generalizable to other settings, improved the outcomes in patients with cellulitis, and resulted in an annual saving of approximately 1000 bed days.
Influenza vaccination: a ‘shot’ at INVESTing in cardiovascular health
Authors: Bhatt Ankeet S , Vardeny Orly , Udell Jacob A , Joseph Jacob , Kim KyungMann , Solomon Scott D
Published: February 2021

The link between viral respiratory infection and non-pulmonary organ-specific injury, including cardiac injury, has become increasingly appreciated during the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Even prior to the pandemic, however, the association between acute infection with influenza and elevated cardiovascular risk was evident. The recently published results of the NHLBI-funded INfluenza Vaccine to Effectively Stop CardioThoracic Events and Decompensated (INVESTED) trial, a 5200 patient comparative effectiveness study of high-dose vs. standard-dose influenza vaccine to reduce cardiopulmonary events and mortality in a high-risk cardiovascular population, found no difference between strategies. However, the broader implications of influenza vaccine as a strategy to reduce morbidity in high-risk patients remain extremely important, with randomized controlled trial and observational data supporting vaccination in high-risk patients with cardiovascular disease. Given a favourable risk-benefit profile and widespread availability at generally low cost, we contend that influenza vaccination should remain a centrepiece of cardiovascular risk mitigation and describe the broader context of underutilization of this strategy. Few therapeutics in medicine offer seasonal efficacy from a single administration with generally mild, transient side effects, and exceedingly low rates of serious adverse effects. Infection control measures such as physical distancing, hand washing, and the use of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic have already been associated with substantially curtailed incidence of influenza outbreaks across the globe. Appending annual influenza vaccination to these measures represents an important public health and moral imperative.
Common genetic variants with fetal effects on birth weight are enriched for proximity to genes implicated in rare developmental disorders
Authors: Beaumont Robin N , Mayne Isabelle K , Freathy Rachel M , Wright Caroline F
Published: February 2021

Birth weight is an important factor in newborn survival; both low and high birth weights are associated with adverse later-life health outcomes. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 190 loci associated with maternal or fetal effects on birth weight. Knowledge of the underlying causal genes is crucial to understand how these loci influence birth weight and the links between infant and adult morbidity. Numerous monogenic developmental syndromes are associated with birth weights at the extreme ends of the distribution. Genes implicated in those syndromes may provide valuable information to prioritize candidate genes at the GWAS loci. We examined the proximity of genes implicated in developmental disorders (DDs) to birth weight GWAS loci using simulations to test whether they fall disproportionately close to the GWAS loci. We found birth weight GWAS single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) fall closer to such genes than expected both when the DD gene is the nearest gene to the birth weight SNP and also when examining all genes within 258 kb of the SNP. This enrichment was driven by genes causing monogenic DDs with dominant modes of inheritance. We found examples of SNPs in the intron of one gene marking plausible effects via different nearby genes, highlighting the closest gene to the SNP not necessarily being the functionally relevant gene. This is the first application of this approach to birth weight, which has helped identify GWAS loci likely to have direct fetal effects on birth weight, which could not previously be classified as fetal or maternal owing to insufficient statistical power.
Oncostatin M Is a Biomarker of Diagnosis, Worse Disease Prognosis, and Therapeutic Nonresponse in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Verstockt Sare , Verstockt Bram , Machiels Kathleen , Vancamelbeke Maaike , Ferrante Marc , Cleynen Isabelle , De Hertogh Gert , Vermeire Séverine
Published: February 2021

Background

Oncostatin M (OSM) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and as a marker for nonresponsiveness to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy. We further unraveled the potential of OSM and related receptors as markers of diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy response in IBD.

Methods

We collected inflamed mucosal biopsies and serum from patients with Crohn disease (CD) and with ulcerative colitis: (1) newly diagnosed patients who were treatment-naïve, (2) patients initiating anti-TNF or (3) vedolizumab therapy, (4) postoperative patients with CD, and (5) multiple-affected families with IBD including unaffected first-degree relatives (FDRs). We measured the gene expression of mucosal OSM and its receptors OSMR/LIFR and co-receptor IL6ST, and the protein expression of serum OSM. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05.

Results

Newly diagnosed patients showed significantly increased mucosal OSM/OSMR compared with control patients, with the highest enrichment for OSM (fold change [FC] >17.9). Likewise, ileal OSM/OSMR were significantly upregulated in postoperative recurrent CD. Serum OSM was increased in newly diagnosed patients and postoperative patients with recurrent CD (FC ≥ 2.6). In families with IBD, higher serum levels were observed in FDRs than in control families (FC = 2.2). Furthermore, elevated colonic OSM/OSMR (but not serum OSM) were associated with the early need for biologic therapy (FC ≥ 1.9), and higher OSM was also predictive of primary nonresponse to both anti-TNF and vedolizumab therapy (FC ≥ 2.4). Immunohistochemistry highlighted mucosal OSM expression in macrophages.

Conclusions

We found that OSM is a diagnostic biomarker in the tissue and serum not only of newly diagnosed patients with IBD and postoperative patients with recurrent CD but also of their FDRs. Higher colonic OSM levels are furthermore associated with poor prognosis and with primary nonresponse to biologic therapies. Therefore, OSM could guide clinical decision-making.
bootComb—an R package to derive confidence intervals for combinations of independent parameter estimates
Authors: Henrion Marc YR
Published: February 2021

Motivation

To address the limits of facility- or study-based estimates, multiple independent parameter estimates may need to be combined. Specific examples include (i) adjusting an incidence rate for healthcare utilisation, (ii) deriving a disease prevalence from a conditional prevalence and the prevalence of the underlying condition, (iii) adjusting a seroprevalence for test sensitivity and specificity. Calculating combined parameter estimates is generally straightforward, but deriving corresponding confidence intervals often is not. bootComb is an R package using parametric bootstrap sampling to derive such intervals.

Implementation

bootComb is a package for the statistical computation environment R.

General features

Apart from a function returning confidence intervals for parameters combined from several independent estimates, bootComb provides auxiliary functions for 6 common distributions (beta, normal, exponential, gamma, Poisson and negative binomial) to derive best-fit distributions for parameters given their reported confidence intervals.

Availability

bootComb is available from the Comprehensive R Archive Network (https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=bootComb).