bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sharing the pain: an observational analysis of Twitter and pain in Ireland
Authors: Mullins Cormac Francis , ffrench-O'Carroll Robert , Lane Justin , O'Connor Therese
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Studies involving Twitter and chronic pain can provide highly valuable patient-generated information. The aim of this paper was to examine pain-related tweets in Ireland over a 2-week period from 22 June 2017 to 5 July 2017 using pain-related keywords. We wished to identify Twitter user gender profile; most common discussion topics; sentiment analysis; and dissemination of tweets.

Methods

A third-party data analytics company conducted a Twitter social media analysis over a randomly chosen 14-day period between the dates 22 June and 5 July 2017. All relevant keywords were included in the search. Author group consensus yielded 24 terms. Geographical location was restricted to Ireland. A computational sentiment dictionary was used to provide a rating of the emotional properties of the text on a 9-point scale from −5 to +4 of negative to positive sentiment. Dissemination was calculated by the number of times the tweet was displayed (‘impressions’).

Results

There were 941 tweets identified during the study from 715 contributors. These generated 2.88 million impressions. The most frequently occurring keywords were headache (n=321); migraine (n=147); back pain (n=123); cannabis (n=114); and chronic pain (n=85). There were 1.94 times as many tweets from females as males. The highest proportion of tweets from female users was in the fibromyalgia (83%) and migraine (60%) categories; and from males in the sciatica (35%), chronic pain (34%) and back pain (32%) categories. Cannabis-related tweets reflected mostly non-personal content (90%), with a highly positive sentiment, and the highest number of impressions per tweet. The largest amount of advice was offered in the back pain category. Reposting of other users’ content (‘retweets’) was more likely to contain a positive sentiment.

Conclusion

A substantial discussion of pain-related topics took place on Twitter during our study period. This provided real-time, dynamic information from individuals on discussion topics in pain medicine. This can be used to gain a greater understanding of the pain experience. As patients are increasingly acquiring healthcare information through online sources, high-quality information from approved sources should be promoted on such platforms.
Quasinormal modes of black holes in Weyl gravity: electromagnetic and gravitational perturbations
Authors: Momennia Mehrab , Hendi Seyed Hossein
Published: June 2020

The recent reported gravitational wave detection motivates one to investigate the properties of different black hole models, especially their behavior under (axial) gravitational perturbation. Here, we study the quasinormal modes of black holes in Weyl gravity. We derive the master equation describing the quasinormal radiation by using a relation between the Schwarzschild-anti de Sitter black holes and Weyl solutions, and also the conformal invariance property of the Weyl action. It will be observed that the quasinormal mode spectra of the Weyl solutions deviate from those of the Schwarzschild black hole due to the presence of an additional linear r-term in the metric function. We also consider the evolution of the Maxwell field on the background spacetime and obtain the master equation of electromagnetic perturbations. Then, we use the WKB approximation and asymptotic iteration method to calculate the quasinormal frequencies. Finally, the time evolution of modes is studied through the time-domain integration of the master equation.
$$\tau \rightarrow \mu \mu \mu $$ at a rate of one out of $$10^{14}$$ tau decays?
Authors: Blackstone Patrick , Fael Matteo , Passemar Emilie
Published: June 2020

We present in a full analytic form the partial widths for the lepton flavour violating decays $$\mu ^{\pm } \rightarrow e^{\pm } e^+ e^-$$μ±→e±e+e- and $$\tau ^{\pm } \rightarrow \ell ^{\pm } \ell '^{+} \ell '^{-}$$τ±→ℓ±ℓ′+ℓ′-, with $$\ell ,\ell '=\mu ,e$$ℓ,ℓ′=μ,e, mediated by neutrino oscillations in the one-loop diagrams. Compared to the first result by Petcov (Sov J Nucl Phys 25:340, 1977), obtained in the zero momentum limit $${\mathcal {P}}\ll m_{\nu } \ll M_W$$P≪mν≪MW, we retain full dependence on $${\mathcal {P}}$$P, the momenta and masses of external particles, and we determine the branching ratios in the physical limit $$m_\nu \ll {\mathcal {P}} \ll M_W$$mν≪P≪MW. We show that the claim presented in Pham (Eur Phys J C8:513, 1999) that the $$\tau \rightarrow \ell \ell ' \ell '$$τ→ℓℓ′ℓ′ branching ratios could be as large as $$10^{-14}$$10-14, as a consequence of keeping the $${\mathcal {P}}$$P dependence, is flawed. We find rates of order $$10^{-55}$$10-55, even smaller than those obtained in the zero momentum limit, as the latter prediction contains an unphysical logarithmic enhancement.
Particle identification for Higgs physics at future electron–positron collider
Authors: Yao Wei-Ming
Published: June 2020

Particle identification (PID) plays a key role in heavy-flavor physics in high-energy physics experiments. However, its impact on Higgs physics is still not clear. In this note, we will explore some of the potential of PID to improve the identification of heavy-flavor jets by using identified charged kaons in addition to the traditional vertexing information. This could result in a better measurement of the Higgs-charm Yukawa coupling at the future [Formula: see text] colliders.
Feasibility study of TPC tracker detector for the circular collider
Authors: Yuan Zhiyang , Qi Huirong , Wang Haiyun , Dai Hongliang , Chen Yuanbo , Ouyang Qun , Zhang Jian , Cai Yiming , Li Yulan
Published: June 2020

The discovery of a SM Higgs boson at the LHC brought about great opportunity to investigate the feasibility of a Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) operating at center-of-mass energy of 240 GeV, as a Higgs factory, with designed luminosity of about [Formula: see text]. The CEPC provides a much cleaner collision environment than the LHC, it is ideally suited for studying the properties of Higgs boson with greater precision. Another advantage of the CEPC over the LHC is that the Higgs boson can be detected through the recoil mass method by only reconstructing [Formula: see text] boson decay without examining the Higgs decays. In Concept Design Report (CDR), the circumference of CEPC is 100 km, with two interaction points available for exploring different detector design scenarios and technologies. The baseline design of CEPC detector is an ILD-like concept, with a superconducting solenoid of 3.0 Tesla surrounding the inner silicon detector, TPC tracker detector and the calorimetry system. Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) have been extensively studied and used in many fields, especially in particle physics experiments, including STAR and ALICE. The TPC detector will operate in continuous mode on the circular machine. To fulfill the physics goals of the future circular collider and meet Higgs/[Formula: see text] run, a TPC with excellent performance is required. We have proposed and investigated the ions controlling performance of a novel configuration detector module. The aim of this study is to suppress ion backflow (IBF) continually. In this paper, some update results of the feasibility and limitation on TPC detector technology R&D will be given using the hybrid gaseous detector module.
Depth-Based Real-Time Gait Recognition
Authors: Ramakić Adnan , Sušanj Diego , Lenac Kristijan , Bundalo Zlatko
Published: June 2020

Each person describes unique patterns during gait cycles and this information can be extracted from live video stream and used for subject identification. In recent years, there has been a profusion of sensors that in addition to RGB video images also provide depth data in real-time. In this paper, a method to enhance the appearance-based gait recognition method by also integrating features extracted from depth data is proposed. Two approaches are proposed that integrate simple depth features in a way suitable for real-time processing. Unlike previously presented works which usually use a short range sensors like Microsoft Kinect, here, a long-range stereo camera in outdoor environment is used. The experimental results for the proposed approaches show that recognition rates are improved when compared to existing popular gait recognition methods.
Positive twist knots and the uniform thickness property
Authors: George Whitney , Myers Mark
Published: June 2020

We extend results of Positive Twist Knots and Thickenings [W. George, Positive twist knots and thickenings, J. Knot Theory Ramifications 22 (2013) 1350046] to show that positive twist knots [Formula: see text], for [Formula: see text], satisfy the Uniform Thickness Property.
Transboundary Emission Under Stochastic Differential Game
Authors: Perera Ryle S.
Published: June 2020

In this study we provide a more robust transboundary industrial pollution reduction strategy for global emission collaborations. We consider the dynamics of each country’s quantity of pollution as a Brownian motion with Jumps to capture the systematic jumps caused by surprise effects arising from policy uncertainties within the economy. When the output of each country’s domestic consumption good production is proportional to the level of pollution emissions, we apply optimal control theory to find the Nash noncooperative, cooperative and Stackelberg optimal emission paths. To formulate this problem we allow each country’s discounted stream of net revenues to be maximized via a Stochastic Differential Game (SDG). We then articulate the Nash noncooperative equilibria, cooperative equilibria and Stackelberg equilibria via a feedback control strategy. We show that the outcome of the game depends on the parameters of the game and the type of equilibrium one considers. Furthermore, in this continuous-time differential game paradigm model we show that the feedback Stackelberg equilibrium will not coincide with the feedback Nash noncooperative equilibrium. In this setting, if the first mover advantage of the leader (Player I) disappears then both equilibria coincide.
Analysis of Structural Vibrations of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Blades via Hamilton’s Principle — Part 2: Exact and Approximate Solutions
Authors: Huang Jianyou , Chang Chia-Ou , Chang Chien-Cheng
Published: June 2020

In this part 2, we provide a detailed solution to the beam equations derived in Part 1 for a VAWT blade. The main results have been outlined in the abstract of Part 1 which includes the effects of various geometrical and physical parameters such as blade length [Formula: see text], chord length [Formula: see text], radius [Formula: see text] and angular speed [Formula: see text] as well as material damping [Formula: see text]. It is shown that among the four dimensions of deformation lateral bending is the dominant factor in determining the natural frequencies of the blade. In case the blade is rotating with a constant angular speed, the dispersion relation of the 1 degree-of-freedom (DOF) motion for lateral bending can be exactly derived that an implicit function of the natural, i.e. resonant frequencies has to be solved by a root-finding method. The mode shape function is then explicitly obtained. In particular, the natural frequencies of the 1-DOF motion for the rotating blade are shown to be conveniently approximated by simple analytical formulas in terms of those for the stationary blade and the angular speed of rotation. The dependence of the natural frequencies on the chord length can also be approximated analytically by a ratio formula for given blade length to chord ratio. In addition, resonance maps of natural frequency plotted versus various parameters are provided to fully exploit the usefulness of the main results. Through a series of analysis of 2-DOF systems, we show the respective importance of the centrifugal force, coupling deformation and the Coriolis force in modifying the natural frequencies of the 1-DOF model rather than simply ignoring any of these effects.
Precessional angular velocity and field strength in the complex octonion space
Authors: Weng Zi-Hua
Published: June 2020

The paper aims to apply the octonions to explore the precessional angular velocities of several particles in the electromagnetic and gravitational fields. Some scholars utilize the octonions to research the electromagnetic and gravitational fields. One formula can be derived from the octonion torque, calculating the precessional angular velocity generated by the gyroscopic torque. When the octonion force is equal to zero, it is able to deduce the force equilibrium equation and precession equilibrium equation and so forth. From the force equilibrium equation, one can infer the angular velocity of revolution for the particles. Meanwhile, from the precession equilibrium equation, it is capable of ascertaining the precessional angular velocity induced by the torque derivative, including the angular velocity of Larmor precession. Especially, some ingredients of torque derivative are in direct proportion to the field strengths. The study reveals that the precessional angular velocity induced by the torque derivative is independent of that generated by the torque. The precessional angular velocity, induced by the torque derivative, is relevant to the torque derivative and the spatial dimension of precessional velocity. It will be of great benefit to understanding further the precessional angular velocity of the spin angular momentum.
Social Identity and Economic Policy
Authors: Shayo Moses
Published: June 2020

I review evidence that individuals associate themselves—or identify—with groups in two fundamental ways: ingroup bias and conformity to group norms. The evidence spans many spheres of economic activity, including consumption, production, hiring, promotion, education, cooperation, financial investments, and law enforcement. Group identities are not fixed, even when it comes to ethnic and religious identities. I argue that the choice of identity can be captured by a simple trade-off between gains from group status and costs to distance from the group. I outline a simple conceptual framework that captures the main empirical regularities and illustrate how it can be used to study the two-way interaction between economic policy and social identity. The analysis implies, e.g., that inequality and immigration of low-skilled workers can strengthen nationalism and reduce redistribution, and that changes in the economic environment can produce shifts in identification patterns that feed into trade policy. Finally, I discuss open theoretical questions and domains where the interaction between identity and economic activity is not well understood. This includes the provision of public services, the evolution of gender norms, and the use of identity to motivate workers.
Tailoring the Morphology of Nano-γ-MnO2 Loaded Porous Ti Membrane Electrode for the High Efficiency Oxidation of Cyclohexane Using Double-Cathodic Electrodeposition
Authors: Tian Hao , Zhou Xue , Zhang Yujun , Wang Hong , Yin Zhen , Li Jianxin
Published: June 2020

Potentiostatic electrodeposition with novel double cathodes was employed to fabricate a nano-MnO2 loading porous tubular Ti membrane electrode (γ-MnO2/Ti) used for the selective oxidation of cyclohexane (CHA) to yield cyclohexanol (A) or cyclohexanone (K) (KA oil). The effect of operating voltage on the electrochemical properties and morphology of the MnOx/Ti electrode was investigated in detail. Results showed that γ
-MnO2/Ti electrodes with three uniform morphologies such as nanoparticles (NPs), nanowires (NWs) or nanosheets (NSs) were tailored by regulating the electrodeposition voltage from 0.5 to 2.0 V. The γ
-MnO2 NWs/Ti electrode displayed a high electron transfer rate and large effective electrocatalytic specific surface area as well as the best electrochemical performance. Specifically, the γ
-MnO2NWs/Ti was employed as the anode to constitute an electrocatalytic membrane reactor (ECMR) for KA oil production. Over 99% selectivity for KA oil and 32.4% conversion of CHA were obtained by ECMR. Simultaneously, the γ-MnO2 NWs/Ti electrode also exhibited superior stability as a result of the high binding energy between γ-MnO2NWS catalysts and the Ti substrate, leading to the formation of new Ti–O–Mn bonds. In summary, this work provides a new approach to tailor nanocatalyst-loaded membrane electrodes for heterogeneous electrochemical catalysis.
Cholesterol: A new game player accelerating vasculopathy caused by SARS-CoV-2?
Authors: Cao Xiaoling , Yin Rong , Albrecht Helmut , Fan Daping , Tan Wenbin
Published: June 2020

The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a global threat to public health. Functional impairments in multiple organs have been reported in COVID-19, including lungs, heart, kidney, liver, brain, and vascular system. Patients with metabolic-associated preconditions, such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes, are susceptible to experiencing severe symptoms. The recent emerging evidence of coagulation disorders in COVID-19 suggests that vasculopathy appears to be an independent risk factor promoting disease severity and mortality of affected patients. We recently found that the decreased levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterols (LDL-c) correlate with disease severity in COVID-19 patients, indicating pathological interactions between dyslipidemia and vasculopothy in patients with COVID-19. However, this clinical manifestation has been unintentionally underestimated by physicians and scientific communities. As metabolic-associated morbidities are generally accompanied with endothelial cell (EC) dysfunctions, these pre-existing conditions may make ECs more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 attack. In this mini-review, we summarize the metabolic and vascular manifestations of COVID-19 with an emphasis on the association between changes in LDL-c levels and the development of severe symptoms as well as the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying the synergistic effect of LDL-c and SARS-CoV-2 on EC injuries and vasculopathy.
Within-breath sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity is modulated by lung volume but unaffected by acute intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia in men
Authors: Nardone Massimo , Teixeira André L. , Incognito Anthony V. , Vermeulen Tyler D. , Shafer Brooke M. , Millar Philip J. , Foster Glen E.
Published: June 2020

In resting spontaneously breathing men, the present study observed that sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) was higher during low versus high lung volumes but not different between inspiration and expiration. High- but not low-lung volume BRS was negatively associated with resting muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). Acute intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia increased resting MSNA and diastolic blood pressure, without altering within-breath BRS. These findings provide novel insight into mechanisms controlling within-breath modulation of MSNA in humans.
AMPK activation in pregnant human myometrial arteries from high-altitude and intrauterine growth-restricted pregnancies
Authors: Lorca Ramón A. , Matarazzo Christopher J. , Bales Elise S. , Houck Julie A. , Orlicky David J. , Euser Anna G. , Julian Colleen G. , Moore Lorna G.
Published: June 2020

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) impairs infant well being and increases susceptibility to later-in-life diseases for mother and child. Our study reveals a novel role for AMPK in vasodilating the myometrial artery (MA) from women residing at high altitude (>2,500 m) with appropriate for gestational age pregnancies but not in IUGR pregnancies at any altitude.
Diminution of Weight and Heat Accumulation in Transfemoral Socket Using PE/MWCNT Composite
Authors: Maria Viswasam Broster , Arul Gnana Dhas Anderson
Published: June 2020

The socket plays an important role in prostheses by providing structural integrity and suspension to the distal thigh of an amputee. Heat accumulation and weight of the socket increase the energy consumption in the amputee. To overcome the same, widely used polyester-based sandwich-structured composite was reinforced with 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1 wt% multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and analyzed for the thermal and mechanical properties. MWCNT added in a small weight proportion with polyester enhances the mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposites as they have excellent mechanical and physical properties. The flexural and thermal property was evaluated as per ASTM D790 and ISO 22007-2 standard. It was noticed that the thermal property enhances with increase in wt% of MWCNT and mechanical properties decreased when more than 0.6 wt% MWCNT was reinforced. Hence, the sandwich-structured composite was prepared using polyester resin, 2 to 10 stockinette layers, fiberglass cloth, and 0.6 wt% of MWCNT. The thermal conductivity and flexural strength of 0.6 wt% MWCNT-reinforced sandwich-structured composite were enhanced upto 68.4% and 11.4% for 2-10 stockinette layers, respectively, while comparing to the unreinforced polyester sandwich-structured composite. The 0.6 wt% MWCNT-reinforced sandwich-structured composite may help in reducing the weight and heat build up in the socket. Hence, it is recommended to analyze further on their application in transfemoral socket preparation to bring down an amputee’s metabolic cost.
Lower Bound for the Blow-Up Time for the Nonlinear Reaction-Diffusion System in High Dimensions
Authors: Ouyang Baiping , Fan Wei , Lin Yiwu
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we study the blow-up phenomenon for a nonlinear reaction-diffusion system with time-dependent coefficients under nonlinear boundary conditions. Using the technique of a first-order differential inequality and the Sobolev inequalities, we can get the energy expression which satisfies the differential inequality. The lower bound for the blow-up time could be obtained if blow-up does really occur in high dimensions.
A Bi-Level Probabilistic Path Planning Algorithm for Multiple Robots with Motion Uncertainty
Authors: Wang Jingchuan , Tai Ruochen , Xu Jingwen
Published: June 2020

For improving the system efficiency when there are motion uncertainties among robots in the warehouse environment, this paper proposes a bi-level probabilistic path planning algorithm. In the proposed algorithm, the map is partitioned into multiple interconnected districts and the architecture of proposed algorithm is composed of topology level and route level generating from above map: in the topology level, the order of passing districts is planned combined with the district crowdedness to achieve the district equilibrium and reduce the influence of robots under motion uncertainty. And in the route level, a MDP method combined with probability of motion uncertainty is proposed to plan path for all robots in each district separately. At the same time, the number of steps for each planning is dependent on the probability to decrease the number of planning. The conflict avoidance is proved, and optimization is discussed for the proposed algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm achieves improved system efficiency and also has acceptable real-time performance.
Effect of Gradient Nanostructured Ti on Behaviours of MG63 Cells In Vitro
Authors: Luo Xue , Liang Chen , Li Ning , Zhu Yuhe , Cao Nanjue , Wang Jin , Liu Keda , Zhao Hongwei , Wang Zhenbo , Wang Wei
Published: June 2020

Titanium (Ti) is widely used in oral implants. However, there is still a challenge to promote the osseointegration of bone tissue on the surface of Ti. To solve this problem, we prepared novel gradient nanostructured (GNS) Ti and studied the effect of GNS on the adhesion, proliferation, and apoptosis of MG63 cells in vitro. The results demonstrated that the GNS Ti promoted the adhesion effect and proliferation of MG63 cells better than the annealed Ti, while the ability of GNS Ti to inhibit cell apoptosis was better than that of the annealed Ti, the preliminary mechanism of which indicated by this study might be the enhanced mineralization capacity, protein adsorption ability, and hydrophilicity of the GNS Ti due to its specific nanostructure which improved the cell behaviours. The results in this study provide the theoretical and experimental foundations for the applications of GNS Ti in dental implants and joint replacements.
Discrete-Time 2-Order Sliding Mode Fault-Tolerant Tracking Control for Non-Gaussian Nonlinear Stochastic Distribution Control Systems with Missing Measurements
Authors: Li Lifan , Yao Lina
Published: June 2020

In this paper, a method of fault diagnosis (FD) and fault-tolerant tracking control (FTTC) is investigated for non-Gaussian nonlinear stochastic distribution control (SDC) systems with missing measurements. The phenomenon of the randomly occurring missing measurements is described as a Bernoulli process. The missing measurements during transmission are compensated with the data successfully transmitted at the previous moment. The residual signal of the fault diagnosis observer is different from that of the general system. Using the integral of the error of the output probability density function (PDF) as the driving information, the system state and fault can be estimated by an adaptive fault diagnosis observer. Then, a novel fault-tolerant tracking controller is designed based on a discrete-time 2-order sliding mode to make the post-fault PDF still track the target. Two simulated examples are included to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
O Neto do Francês
Authors: Cenachi Matheus Oliveira
Published: June 2020

Capítulo do romance no qual hoje trabalho, esta poesia é nitida e manifestamente uma conversa com "Tabacaria" de Fernando Pessoa. A ideia central foi precisamente desenvolver certos temas não presentes em Tabacaria, mas com uma voz semelhante à de Pessoa nesse poema.
O Estatuto da intencionalidade na obra A Transcendência do Ego, de Jean-Paul Sartre
Authors: Pizelli Fabrício Rodrigues
Published: June 2020

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar o estatuto da Intencionalidade empregada por Jean-Paul Sartre para demonstrar as teses defendidas em A Transcendência do Ego. Para isso, polemiza-se com algumas aproximações e diferenças do conceito de Intencionalidade utilizado por Husserl e Sartre, e ressalta-se que a grande discrepância entre estes autores consiste na admissão do “Eu” puro como estrutura imanente à consciência, pois o fluxo da consciência intencional husserliana parte de um “Eu” puro fortemente defendido em Ideias I. Contudo, Sartre radicaliza a Intencionalidade husserliana, ao passo que o “Eu” não será admitido na consciência, ele estará no mundo como um objeto transcendente. Portanto, conclui-se o artigo com a tentativa de esclarecer a necessidade da noção de Intencionalidade como sustentáculo da tese do Ego transcendente e etapa para as três consequências conclusivas de A Transcendência do Ego, a saber: a liberação do campo transcendental; uma tentativa de superar o solipsismo e uma possível refutação do idealismo.
A genealogia da vontade de verdade:
Authors: Dias Rafael Gironi
Published: June 2020

No início da década de 1970, a preocupação com uma melhor definição de práticas discursivas permeia o horizonte de pesquisas do filósofo francês Michel Foucault. A noção de acontecimento discursivo ganha proeminência em seu primeiro curso no Collège de France, Aulas sobre a vontade de saber. Apropriando-se daquilo que denomina “sistema Nietzsche”, Foucault volta-se para a emergência de uma ética da verdade na Grécia clássica que não teria sua origem em um sistema filosófico como o de Aristóteles. Nessa perspectiva, o discurso verdadeiro seria um efeito de práticas muito diversas e teria sua conformação a partir de exigências político-econômicas e jurídico-religiosas. Com isso, a exclusão do raciocínio sofístico empreendida por Aristóteles seria o efeito último de uma série de transformações que permeiam os séculos VII e VI a.C. na Grécia, e não um acontecimento discursivo único e lapidar deste tipo de relação para com o discurso verdadeiro. Foucault quer mostrar que “um acontecimento é sempre uma dispersão; uma multiplicidade. É o que passa aqui e ali; é policéfalo”.
Immunity and Stress Responses Are Induced During Ex Situ Heart Perfusion
Authors: Hatami Sanaz , White Christopher W. , Qi Xiao , Buchko Max , Ondrus Martin , Kinnear Alexandra , Himmat Sayed , Sergi Consolato , Nagendran Jayan , Freed Darren H.
Published: June 2020

Background:

Ex situ heart perfusion (ESHP) preserves the donated heart in a perfused, beating condition preventing cold storage–related ischemia and provides a platform to evaluate myocardial viability during preservation. However, myocardial function declines gradually during ESHP. Extracorporeal circulation systems are associated with the induction of systemic inflammatory and stress responses. Our aim was to evaluate the incidence of inflammation and induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress responses during an extended period of ESHP.

Methods:

Cardiac function, myocardial tissue injury, markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress were assessed in healthy pig hearts, perfused for 12 hours either in nonworking mode (non-WM=7) or working mode (WM, n=6).

Results:

Cardiac function declined during ESHP but was significantly better preserved in the hearts perfused in WM (median 11-hour cardiac index/1-hour cardiac index: WM=27% versus non-WM=9.5%,
P
=0.022). Myocardial markers of endoplasmic reticulum stress were expressed higher in ESHP hearts compared with in vivo samples. The proinflammatory cytokines and oxidized low-density lipoprotein significantly increased in the perfusate throughout the perfusion in both perfusion groups. The left ventricular expression of the cytokines and malondialdehyde was induced in non-WM, whereas it was not different between WM and in vivo.

Conclusions:

Myocardial function declines during ESHP regardless of perfusion mode. However, ESHP in WM may lead to superior preservation of myocardial function and viability. Both inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum stress responses are significantly induced during ESHP and may contribute to the myocardial functional decline, representing a potential therapeutic target to improve the clinical donor heart preservation.
Enhanced Generation of Induced Cardiomyocytes Using a Small‐Molecule Cocktail to Overcome Barriers to Cardiac Cellular Reprogramming
Authors: Singh Vivek P. , Pinnamaneni Jaya Pratap , Pugazenthi Aarthi , Sanagasetti Deepthi , Mathison Megumi , Wang Kai , Yang Jianchang , Rosengart Todd K.
Published: June 2020

Background

Given known inefficiencies in reprogramming of fibroblasts into mature induced cardiomyocytes (
iCM
s), we sought to identify small molecules that would overcome these barriers to cardiac cell transdifferentiation.

Methods and Results

We screened alternative combinations of compounds known to impact cell reprogramming using morphologic and functional cell differentiation assays in vitro. After screening 6 putative reprogramming factors, we found that a combination of the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium butyrate, the
WNT
inhibitor
ICG
‐001, and the cardiac growth regulator retinoic acid (RA) maximally enhanced
iCM
generation from primary rat cardiac fibroblasts when combined with administration of the cardiodifferentiating transcription factors Gata4, Mef2C, and Tbx5 (
GMT
) compared with
GMT
administration alone (23±1.5% versus 3.3±0.2%;
P
<0.0001). Expression of the cardiac markers cardiac troponin T, Myh6, and Nkx2.5 was upregulated as early as 10 days after
GMT
–sodium butyrate, ICG‐001, and RA treatment. Human
iCM
generation was likewise enhanced when administration of the human cardiac reprogramming factors
GMT
, Hand2, and Myocardin plus miR‐590 was combined with sodium butyrate, ICG‐001, and RA compared with
GMT
, Hand2, and Myocardin plus miR‐590 treatment alone (25±1.3% versus 5.7±0.4%;
P
<0.0001). Rat and human
iCM
s also more frequently demonstrated spontaneous beating in coculture with neonatal cardiomyocytes with the addition of sodium butyrate, ICG‐001, and RA to transcription factor cocktails compared with transcription factor treatment alone.

Conclusions

The combined administration of histone deacetylase and
WNT
inhibitors with RA enhances rat and human
iCM
generation induced by transcription factor administration alone. These findings suggest opportunities for improved translational approaches for cardiac regeneration.
The linguistic relationships between Greek and the Anatolian languages
Authors: Bianconi Michele
Published: June 2020

This summary presents the main findings of my DPhil. thesis, written under the supervision of Andreas Willi at the University of Oxford, on the linguistic relationships (with a particular emphasis on language contact) between Greek and the Anatolian languages between the second millennium and the first half of the first millennium BCE.
A Disagreeable Text
Authors: Leigh Devin
Published: June 2020

Bryan Edwards’s The History of the British West Indies is a text well known to historians of the Caribbean and the early modern Atlantic World. First published in 1793, the work is widely considered to be a classic of British Caribbean literature. This article introduces an unpublished first draft of Edwards’s preface to that work. Housed in the archives of the West India Committee in Westminster, England, this preface has never been published or fully analyzed by scholars in print. It offers valuable insight into the production of West Indian history at the end of the eighteenth century. In particular, it shows how colonial planters confronted the challenges of their day by attempting to wrest the practice of writing West Indian history from their critics in Great Britain. Unlike these metropolitan writers, Edwards had lived in the West Indian colonies for many years. He positioned his personal experience as being a primary source of his historical legitimacy.
The impact of natural and artificial weathering on the anatomy of selected tropical hardwoods
Authors: Mamoňová Miroslava , Reinprecht Ladislav
Published: June 2020

The effect of natural and artificial weathering on the anatomy of seven tropical hardwoods: Bangkirai (Shorea obtusa Wall.), Cumaru (Dipteryx odorata (Aubl.) Wild.), Cumaru Rosa (Dipteryx magnifica (Ducke) Ducke), Ipé (Tabebuia serratifolia Nichols.), Jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril L.), Kusia (Nauclea diderrichii Merill) and Massaranduba (Manilkara bidentata A. Chev.), was studied. As a result of weathering some characteristic anatomical changes occurred: the weakening of connections between cell elements related to the degradation of the middle lamella; micro-cracks in cell walls; total degradation of parenchyma cells in xylem rays, or significant thinning of parenchyma cell walls and their extreme shrinkage; micro-cracks in the vicinity of xylem rays; significant transversal disruptions in libriform fibres; ablation of pit membranes in vessels and parenchyma cells; changes in the secondary wall of libriform fibres, for example, their defibrillation and weathering-degradation of the S1 layer; and spherical formations on the S3 layer of cell walls produced from condensing compounds of degraded lignin and hemicelluloses as well as thermo-mechanical wrinkling. The highest incidence of micro-cracks after both modes of weathering was found in the densest species; Cumaru, Ipé, and Massaranduba.
The amazing library race
Authors: Yap Joseph Marmol , Peñaflor Janice
Published: June 2020

In this time of disinformation and misinformation, libraries remain a reliable source of truthful and factual information. As they fervently support the agenda of lifelong learning, libraries recognise that there are various influences that redefine the process of student learning. Admittedly, librarians need to be more creative in motivating post-millennial students to help them fully develop their Media and Information Literacy (MIL) skills. This paper explores how games are adopted and utilised by academic libraries as an interactive approach to entice students to learn essential MIL competencies. It shows how games can be a viable tool not only to deliver information literacy (IL) instruction in a collaborative learning environment but to also effectively engage and attract students to use the library resources and services. While the use of games is not novel, the way it is delivered and re-purposed to meet MIL competencies is vital for today’s young generation of learners. This report demonstrates how two academic libraries in the Philippines and Kazakhstan were able to embed MIL skills through a library race challenge. Furthermore, this paper discusses the practical steps undertaken in the preparation of the game as well as the observations made during and after the activity was conducted. From this, other libraries may gain insights and best practices on how to leverage this method to further champion MIL in their own communities.
Dynamics of the Diurnal Warm Layer: Surface Jet, High-Frequency Internal Waves, and Mixing
Authors: Wijesekera Hemantha W. , Wang David W. , Jarosz Ewa
Published: June 2020

Evolution of a thermally stratified diurnal warm layer (DWL), including the formation and decay of a daytime surface-layer jet, high-frequency internal waves, and mixing were examined from observations collected during July 2016, near 93.75°W, 28°N, on the outer Louisiana–Texas continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico, when the ocean surface was experiencing a weak sea breeze (<5 m s−1) and strong solar insolation. While winds and surface waves were weak, the DWL was formed with stratification strengthening and stability frequency reaching 14 cycles per hour at 2-m depth, while inhibiting turbulence below the DWL. A surface-intensified jet developed during afternoon hours. The jet, oriented to the right of the wind stress with a speed of about 10 cm s−1 at 2 m, veered and decreased with depth. The magnitude of the diurnal jet was correlated with the heat content anomaly in the DWL. Internal waves with periods ranging from 5 min to 4 h were observed in the upper 4 m. Temperature fluctuations were ~ ±0.2°C, and the corresponding vertical displacements varied from 0.5 to 1 m. These fluctuations appeared during afternoon hours when the Richardson number dropped below the critical value of 0.25 followed by energetic mixing. The daytime jet and the high-frequency fluctuations disappeared a few hours after sunset. Internal waves were likely excited by Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities and by surface wave and internal wave interactions. Mixing resulting from the dissipation of daytime internal waves is an important factor in regulating sea surface temperature in the DWL.
Who, What, Where, When, and How? A Typology of Drought Decision-Making on Public and Tribal Lands in the North-Central United States
Authors: Beeton Tyler A. , McNeeley Shannon M.
Published: June 2020

Although drought is a natural part of climate across the north-central United States, how drought is experienced and responded to is the result of complex biophysical and social processes. Climate change assessments indicate drought impacts will likely worsen in the future, which will further challenge decision-making. Here, a drought management decision typology is empirically developed from synthesis of three in-depth case studies using a modified grounded-theory approach. The typology highlights 1) the entity or entities involved, 2) management sectors, 3) decision types, 4) spatial and temporal scale(s) of decision-making, and 5) barriers that inhibit decision-making. Findings indicate similarities in decision types and barriers across cases. Changes in operations, practices, or behaviors; information and technology; and legal or policy changes were the most common decision types, while commonly cited barriers were institutional constraints, fragmented decision-making, and limited personnel and financial resources. Yet barriers and responses also differed within and between sectors and jurisdictions. Several barriers inhibited anticipatory, regional, and interagency drought response, such as limited institutional support, competing mandates, limited resources, lack of usable information, limits to interagency fund transfers, and historical context and distrust among entities. Findings underscore the importance of documenting nuanced decision-making in local places and broader generalizations in decision-making across scales. This contributes to the goal of developing drought science that is actionable for decision-making.
Unpacking the Roles of Religion and Partisanship on Support for Same-Sex Marriage: Evidence from South Korea
Authors: Rich Timothy S , Dahmer Andi , Eliassen Isabel
Published: June 2020

We ask to what extent opposition to same-sex marriage in South Korea is driven by Protestant identification and how this differs from Catholic and non-Christian views. Furthermore, is there a separate demographic, partisan or ideological influence beyond that captured by religious identity? Analysis of the 2016 Korean General Social Survey (KGSS) data finds not only clear perceptual distinctions between Protestants versus Buddhists and Catholics, but that partisan distinctions endure, even after controlling for the more popular non-LGBT-specific anti-discrimination legislation. In addition, younger and female respondents were more supportive of legalization, while education did not have the same effect as in the broader LGBT literature.
Stereotypes, Who to Blame? Exploring Individual-Level Determinants of Flemish Voters’ Political Gender Stereotypes
Authors: Devroe Robin
Published: June 2020

The gender of political candidates is associated with particular personality traits, capacities and opinions. The extent to which voters apply these political gender stereotypes to their evaluation of political candidates is influenced by both contextual- and individual-level attributes. This article, based on an experimental study conducted among a representative sample of the Flemish (Belgian) population, examines the individual-level determinants of voters’ political gender stereotypes. Our results indicate that political gender stereotypes are only present to a limited extent in Flanders, even among the most likely groups such as older and lower educated voters. Furthermore, stereotype reliance is generally not conditioned by individual-level determinants. Most importantly, the finding that respondents’ perceptions of female candidates is primarily based on their level of agreement with the content of the presented policy position, demonstrates that other cues outweigh the importance of candidate gender.
Understanding the Role of Neighborhood Typology and Sociodemographic Characteristics on Time to Recidivism Among Adjudicated Youth
Authors: Campbell Christina A. , Barnes Ashlee , Papp Jordan , D’amato Christopher , Anderson Valerie R. , Moses Natasha
Published: June 2020

This study examined the effect of neighborhood disadvantage and criminogenic risk on juvenile recidivism. The sample included 893 youths involved in the delinquency/formal probation division of one Midwestern county juvenile court between 2004 and 2010. Juveniles were classified into one of three neighborhood typologies (i.e., Distressed/Disadvantage, Resilient/Mixed, Benchmark/Advantaged) based on the socioeconomic conditions in their neighborhoods. Survival models revealed that when examining the effect of neighborhood type, youth who lived in Resilient/Mixed neighborhoods, characterized by having the most transient residents, yet high graduation rates, were at greatest risk of recidivism. However, neighborhood effects disappeared after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and criminogenic risk. Although there was no significant interaction between neighborhood and risk group classification, there was a significant interaction between risk group, age, and gender. These findings suggest the need for advanced statistical models that can disentangle the conflated effects of socioeconomic conditions and sociodemographic characteristics.
Residual foreign body in the foot causing chronic osteomyelitis mimicking a pseudotumor: A case report
Authors: Huang Yin-Ming , Yang Shan-Wei , Chen Chun-Yu , Hsu Chine-Jen , Chang Wei-Ning
Published: June 2020

Osteomyelitis from a retained foreign body should be included in the differential diagnosis of any osteolytic lesion of the foot. We report here a case of a 59-year-old man who presented with swelling over the dorsolateral aspect of the right foot. Plain x-ray showed an osteolytic lesion that mimicked a pseudotumor. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed multilocular fluid collection over the right cuboid with a hypointense lesion over the plantar fascia. The patient underwent surgery and a rubber fragment (1 cm × 0.8 cm) was removed from his foot that had been present for two years following a stabbing injury. The patient fully recovered without complication or disability.
Pulse assessment is important with blood pressure measurement in individuals with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices
Authors: Marcos-Abdala Hernan G , Cruz-Solbes Ana S , Hussain Imad , Trachtenberg Barry , Ashrith Guha , Torre-Amione Guillermo , Bruckner Brian , Suarez Erik E , Estep Jerry D , Bhimaraj Arvind
Published: June 2020

While Doppler and cuff blood pressure techniques are prevalent methods of assessing blood pressure in patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices, the impact of pulsatility on measurement is not well established. Retrospective chart analysis of clinical variables including pulse perception, blood pressure (Doppler and standard cuff), and aortic valve opening on echo at clinic visit were abstracted. Stable outpatients on continuous flow left ventricular assist devices support with concomitant portable echo assessment were included. Mean average difference was calculated and Pearson’s correlation performed for all those patients who had both Doppler and cuff pressure obtained. In all, 74 Heartmate-II patients with a median time from implant of 380 days were analyzed. A pulse was perceived in 82% of patients with persistent aortic valve opening on portable echo and also in 30% of those who had a persistently closed aortic valve. The mean average difference between the Doppler and systolic cuff pressure was ~13 mmHg ( r = 0.5, p = 0.004) when a pulse was present and ~11 mmHg when aortic valve was open ( r = 0.68, p < 0.0001). Pulse presence seems to reflect aortic valve opening a majority of the time but not always. In the presence of a prominent pulse or persistent aortic valve opening, the Doppler pressure seems to be more reflective of a systolic pressure than mean perfusion pressure. Hence, assessment of pulsatility needs to be incorporated into blood pressure measurement methods for patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices.