bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Several explosion behaviours of the emulsion explosives sensitized by cenospheres
Authors: Sang Dam Quang , Anh Nguyen Tuan
Published: June 2020

The paper presents the influence of contents and particle sizes of cenospheres (a product extracted from fly ashes of thermal power plants) on the velocity of detonation (VOD) and brisance of emulsion explosives. Experimental results show that cenospheres are hollow balloons with 95 % of the particles in a range of 60‐270 μm, and their main chemical compositions are SiO2 and Al2O3. With cenosphere contents in a range of 10‐15 % over 100 % of the emulsion matrix, the VOD reaches approximately 4000 m/s at 31.38 mm of charge diameter and the brisance is in a range of 14‐16 mm. In addition, explosives, sensitized by cenospheres smaller than 160 μm, have VOD and brisance are better than which using cenospheres greater than 160 μm or unsieved cenospheres. Emulsion explosives sensitized by 10 % of unsieved cenospheres have maximum VOD of 5409 m/s, explosion heat of 999 cal/g, and work capability of 85 % compared to TNT.
Pregnanes from the leaves of Dregea volubilis
Authors: Phuong Phan Tuan , Thuy Nguyen Thi Kim , Van Huan Nguyen , Nhiem Nguyen Xuan , Van Kiem Phan
Published: June 2020

One known pregnane, 17β‐marsdenin (1), and three pregnane glycosides, stavaroside H (2), hoyacarnoside G (3), and dregeoside A11 (4) were isolated from the leaves of Dregea volubilis. Their chemical structures were determined using NMR spectra and comparing with the reported data. This is the first report of compounds 1 and 3 from D. volubilis and of 2 from Dregea genus.
Synthesis of Ag nano/TiO2 by electron beam irradiation for photo‐degradation of rhodamine B compound in water
Authors: Lan Nguyen Thi Kim , Duoc Nguyen Thanh , Duy Nguyen Ngoc , Van Chung Cao , Du Bui Duy , Hien Nguyen Quoc
Published: June 2020

Study on a thorough treatment of organic compounds in the polluted environment is always a prime concern of each country. In this study, silver nano doped on TiO2 (Ag nano/TiO2) samples with different initial Ag concentrations in the range of 0.5‐3 % were synthesized by electron beam irradiation method. The synthesized Ag nano/TiO2 material was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller measurement (BET). The size of Ag nanoparticles was in the range of 2 ‐ 30 nm. The photocatalytic activity of Ag nano/TiO2 materials with different initial Ag contents for Rhodamine B (RhB) decomposition was also investigated. The photocatalytic efficiency of RhB degradation by Ag nano/TiO2 material was higher than that of TiO2 about 33% after 2.5 hours under visible light irradiation.
Evaluation on antimicrobial potential of dipterocarpol and dammarenolic acid derivatives from Dipterocarpus alatus
Authors: Smirnova Irina E. , Thao Tran Thi Phuong
Published: June 2020

Derivatives of natural dipterocarpol, dammarenolic acid and semisynthetic hollongdione were modified by the Beckman rearrangement 2 type, amination and Willgerodt ‐ Kindler reactions. The structures of new compounds were confirmed by MS, 1H‐NMR and 13C‐NMR spectroscopic analysis. Antibacterial and antifungal activities of the compounds were estimated at the University of Queensland (Australia). The result of the in vitro antimicrobial inhibitory activity revealed N‐methylpiperazinyl amide of dammarenolic acid a new lead compound with significant antifungal activity against Cryptococcus neoformans var. Grubii (MICs ≤ 0.25 μg/ml) being about ≈ 30 fold more active than the reference compound of fluconazole.
Two‐mode Fluorescent Detection of Cyanide by a Simple AIE‐based Chemosensor with Red Emission
Authors: Wang Yijia , Huang Yuansong , Guo Yue , Wang Lili , Cao Zhihai , Wu Minghua
Published: June 2020

TPE‐TCF, a simple TPE‐derivative with red‐emission was used to detect cyanide in the condition of single dispersion as well as under aggregate state. It could be found that TPE‐TCF exhibited excellent fluorescent response to cyanide in both situations, and the mechanism was supposed to be the reaction between cyanide and the double bond in TPE‐TCF as well as the aggregation induced emission property of the reacted TPE‐TCF molecules. What's more, TPE‐TCF could distinguish cyanide with other species, such as common anions and biotiol well, which indicated it as a potential indicator for cyanide with good selectivity and specificity.
Seltene Erkrankungen der Kieferhöhle
Authors: Hildenbrand T. , Klein S. B. , Schramek N. , Weber R. K.
Published: June 2020

Hintergrund

Das Silent-Sinus-Syndrom (SSS), das organisierte Hämatom (OH) und der Pneumosinus dilatans (PD) sind seltene, meist einseitige Erkrankungen der Kieferhöhle. Häufig kommt es aufgrund einer Fehleinschätzung entweder zu einem Übermaß oder zu einer Verzögerung von Diagnostik und Therapie.

Ziel der Arbeit

Erarbeitung sinnvoller und nachvollziehbarer Kriterien für eine verbesserte Diagnosestellung und Therapie dieser Erkrankungen.

Methoden

In einer retrospektiven Fallserie wurden alle im Zeitraum 01.01.2012–30.06.2019 stationär behandelten Patienten mit den Diagnosen SSS, OH und PD identifiziert. Die Anamnese und Diagnostik mit Befunden sowie der postoperative Verlauf wurden ausgewertet und mit der Literatur verglichen.

Ergebnisse

Im betrachteten Zeitraum wurden 7 Patienten mit SSS, 3 Patienten mit PD und 2 Patient mit OH behandelt und konnten nachuntersucht werden. Durch den Vergleich unseres Patientenkollektivs mit der Literatur konnten typische Diagnosekriterien erarbeitet werden.

Schlussfolgerung

Die anamnestischen, endoskopischen und radiologischen Diagnosekriterien sollen die präoperative Diagnose dieser 3 seltenen Erkrankungen der Kieferhöhle erleichtern und eine Abgrenzung gegenüber weiteren Differenzialdiagnosen erleichtern. Auf diese Weise soll die Morbidität aufseiten der Patienten minimiert werden.
Relaxation analysis in a data driven problem with a single outlier
Authors: Röger Matthias , Schweizer Ben
Published: June 2020

We study a scalar elliptic problem in the data driven context. Our interest is to study the relaxation of a data set that consists of the union of a linear relation and single outlier. The data driven relaxation is given by the union of the linear relation and a truncated cone that connects the outlier with the linear subspace.
Temporary materials: comparison of in vivo and in vitro performance
Authors: Sari Tuğrul , Usumez Aslihan , Strasser Thomas , Şahinbas Abdurrahman , Rosentritt Martin
Published: June 2020

Objective

The aim of this investigation was to compare clinical performance and in vitro wear of temporary CAD/CAM and cartridge crowns. This study is an approach to estimate the influence of in vivo use and laboratory simulation on temporary crowns.

Materials and methods

A total of 90 crowns were fabricated from each temporary CAD/CAM or cartridge material. Also, 10 crowns of each material were clinically applied for 14 days, and 80 identical duplicate restorations were investigated in the laboratory after storage in water (14 days; 37 °C) and subsequent thermal cycling and mechanical loading (TCML, 240.000 × 50N ML, 600 × 5°C/55 °C). After in vivo application or in vitro aging, facture force, superficial wear (mean and maximum), surface roughness (Ra, Rz), thermal weight loss (TGA), and heat of reaction (DSC) were determined for all crowns. Statistics: Bonferroni post hoc test; one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA); α = 0.05).

Results

The fracture resistance of the temporary materials varied between 1196.4 (CAD in vivo) and 1598.3 N (cartridge crown in vitro). Mean (maximum) wear data between 204.7 (386.7 μm; cartridge in vitro) and 353.0 μm (621.8 μm; CAD in vitro) were found. Ra values ranged between 4.4 and 4.9 μm and Rz values between 36.0 and 40.8 μm. DSC and TG analysis revealed small differences between the materials but a strong influence of the aging process.

Conclusions

Comparison of in vivo and in vitro aging led to no significant differences in fracture force and wear but differences in roughness, DSC, and TGA. SEM evaluation confirmed comparability. Comparison of CAD/CAM and cartridge temporary materials partially showed significant differences.

Clinical relevance

In vitro aging methods might be helpful to estimate materials’ properties before principal clinical application. CAD/CAM and cartridge temporary materials provided comparable good clinical performance.
Ototoxicity and Platinum Uptake Following Cyclic Administration of Platinum-Based Chemotherapeutic Agents
Authors: Gersten Benjamin K. , Fitzgerald Tracy S. , Fernandez Katharine A. , Cunningham Lisa L.
Published: June 2020

Cisplatin is a widely used anti-cancer drug used to treat a variety of cancer types. One of the side effects of this life-saving drug is irreversible ototoxicity, resulting in permanent hearing loss in many patients. In order to understand why cisplatin is particularly toxic to the inner ear, we compared the hearing loss and cochlear uptake of cisplatin to that of two related drugs, carboplatin and oxaliplatin. These three drugs are similar in that each contains a core platinum atom; however, carboplatin and oxaliplatin are considered less ototoxic than cisplatin. We delivered these three drugs to mice using a 6-week cyclic drug administration protocol. We performed the experiment twice, once using equimolar concentrations of the drugs and once using concentrations of the drugs more proportional to those used in the clinic. For both concentrations, we detected a significant hearing loss caused by cisplatin and no hearing loss caused by carboplatin or oxaliplatin. Cochlear uptake of each drug was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to detect platinum. Cochlear platinum levels were highest in mice treated with cisplatin followed by oxaliplatin, while carboplatin was largely excluded from the cochlea. Even when the drug doses were increased, cochlear platinum remained low in mice treated with oxaliplatin or carboplatin. We also examined drug clearance from the inner ear by measuring platinum levels at 1 h and 24 h after drug administration. Our findings suggest that the reduced cochlear platinum we observed with oxaliplatin and carboplatin were not due to increased clearance of these drugs relative to cisplatin. Taken together, our data indicate that the differential ototoxicity among cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin is attributable to differences in cochlear uptake of these three drugs.
The role of food transfers in wild golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia): Support for the informational and nutritional hypothesis
Authors: Troisi Camille A. , Hoppitt William J. E. , Ruiz-Miranda Carlos R. , Laland Kevin N.
Published: June 2020

Callitrichidae is a unique primate family not only in terms of the large number of food transfers to infants but also for the prevalence of transfers that are initiated by the adults. It has been hypothesized that, as well as provisioning infants, callitrichid food transfers might function to teach the receiver what food types to eat. If food provisioning has a teaching function, we would expect successful food transfers to be more likely with food types that are novel to the juveniles. We would also expect juveniles to learn about foods from those transfers. We introduced different types of food (some familiar, some novel) to wild groups of golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia). While novel foods were not more successfully transferred than familiar food in the experiment, transfers were more successful (i.e., the receiver obtained food) when the donor had previous experience with that food. Moreover, we found evidence suggesting that food transfers influenced the future foraging choices of juveniles. Our findings are consistent with the first and third criteria of the functional definition of teaching, which requires that tutors (the adults) modify their behavior in the presence of a naïve individual (a juvenile), and that the naïve individual learns from the modified behavior of the demonstrator. Our findings are also consistent with the provisioning function of food transfer. Social learning seems to play an important role in the development of young tamarins’ foraging preferences.
Chronic kidney disease of unknown origin is associated with environmental urbanisation in Belfast, UK
Authors: McKinley Jennifer M. , Mueller Ute , Atkinson Peter M. , Ofterdinger Ulrich , Cox Siobhan F. , Doherty Rory , Fogarty Damian , Egozcue J. J. , Pawlowsky-Glahn V.
Published: June 2020

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), a collective term for many causes of progressive renal failure, is increasing worldwide due to ageing, obesity and diabetes. However, these factors cannot explain the many environmental clusters of renal disease that are known to occur globally. This study uses data from the UK Renal Registry (UKRR) including CKD of uncertain aetiology (CKDu) to investigate environmental factors in Belfast, UK. Urbanisation has been reported to have an increasing impact on soils. Using an urban soil geochemistry database of elemental concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), we investigated the association of the standardised incidence rates (SIRs) of both CKD and CKD of uncertain aetiology (CKDu) with environmental factors (PTEs), controlling for social deprivation. A compositional data analysis approach was used through balances (a special class of log contrasts) to identify elemental balances associated with CKDu. A statistically significant relationship was observed between CKD with the social deprivation measures of employment, income and education (significance levels of 0.001, 0.01 and 0.001, respectively), which have been used as a proxy for socio-economic factors such as smoking. Using three alternative regression methods (linear, generalised linear and Tweedie models), the elemental balances of Cr/Ni and As/Mo were found to produce the largest correlation with CKDu. Geogenic and atmospheric pollution deposition, traffic and brake wear emissions have been cited as sources for these PTEs which have been linked to kidney damage. This research, thus, sheds light on the increasing global burden of CKD and, in particular, the environmental and anthropogenic factors that may be linked to CKDu, particularly environmental PTEs linked to urbanisation.
Mental Health Outcomes of an Applied Game for Children with Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Non-inferiority Trial
Authors: Schoneveld Elke A. , Wols Aniek , Lichtwarck-Aschoff Anna , Otten Roy , Granic Isabela
Published: June 2020

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health problems in childhood. Engaging, adequate, and appropriate prevention programs are needed. Applied games form a potential alternative delivery model and recent evidence suggests that they could be effective. The present randomized controlled non-inferiority trial investigated the beneficial effects of the applied game MindLight compared to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on mental health outcomes associated with anxiety symptoms: internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and self-efficacy. In addition, we examined who benefitted most from both programs and analyzed baseline levels of anxiety, maternal mental health problems, and self-efficacy as predictors of changes in anxiety symptoms. After being screened for elevated anxiety, 174 selected children (8–12-year-old) were randomized to play MindLight or to receive a prevention program based on CBT. Study variables were assessed before and after the intervention, and at 3- and 6-months follow-up. Intention-to-treat analyses showed a significant reduction in mother-reported internalizing and externalizing problems and an increase in self-efficacy. Importantly, the magnitude of change did not differ between intervention groups. Non-inferiority analyses showed that MindLight was as effective as CBT in affecting internalizing problems and self-efficacy. However, CBT was more effective in decreasing externalizing symptoms than MindLight. Furthermore, baseline anxiety levels, maternal mental health problems, and self-efficacy did not influence the change of anxiety symptoms over time. Applied games, specifically theory-based games such as MindLight, hold potential as effective interventions for not only targeting anxiety symptoms, but also more general mental health outcomes.
New synthesis route of highly porous InxCo4Sb12 with strongly reduced thermal conductivity
Authors: Gostkowska-Lekner N. , Trawinski B. , Kosonowski A. , Bochentyn B. , Lapinski M. , Miruszewski T. , Wojciechowski K. , Kusz B.
Published: June 2020

Highly porous, In-filled CoSb3 skutterudite materials with an attractive thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT ~ 1) and corresponding dense samples were fabricated through the cost-effective method of reduction in oxides in dry hydrogen and the pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) method, respectively. The reduction process was described in detail using in situ thermogravimetric analysis of Co2O3, Sb2O3 and In(NO3)3·5H2O separately and in a mixture. Two methods to synthesise the same material were examined: (a) free sintering of an initially reduced powder and (b) PECS. The free-sintered materials with higher porosities (up to ~ 40%) exhibited lower values of electrical conductivity than the dense PECS samples (porosity up to ~ 5%), but the benefit of an even sixfold reduction in thermal conductivity resulted in higher ZT values. The theoretical values of thermal conductivity for various effective media models considering randomly oriented spheroid pores are in good agreement with the experimental thermal conductivity data. The assumed distribution and shape of the pores correlated well with the scanning electron microscope analysis of the microstructure. The lowest value of thermal conductivity, equal to 0.5 W/m K, was measured at 523 K for In0.1Co4Sb12 with 41% porosity. The highest value of ZTmax = 1.0 at 673 K was found for the In0.2Co4Sb12 sample in which the porosity was 36%.

Graphic abstract
The Image of Disease in Religious, Medical–Astrological and Social Discourses: Old Polish Literature as an Example of Early Modern European Mentality
Authors: Krzysztofik Małgorzata
Published: June 2020

Today, the world is struggling with a coronavirus epidemic. People explain differently the causes and sense of this disease. Old Polish literature about diseases is representative for European thought in the modern era. The problem of the disease appears in old Polish literature in various discourses. The three most important are religious, medical–astrological and social discourse. In this article, I discuss basic paradigms of thinking connected with these discourses and the relationship between them. In the religious discourse, it is God who decides about health and illness. The pathological state of the organism can be both a trial and a punishment for the sinner. The medical and astrological discourse is based on ancient medicine, medieval medicine and astrology. It assumes a close dependence of human health on the balance of the fluids in the body and on the planetary system. The social discourse is dominated by epidemics of infectious diseases. It is a collection of advices for organizing a society during a pandemic.
Complexes of marked graphs in gauge theory
Authors: Berghoff Marko , Knispel Andre
Published: June 2020

We review the gauge and ghost cyle graph complexes as defined by Kreimer, Sars and van Suijlekom in “Quantization of gauge fields, graph polynomials and graph homology” and compute their cohomology. These complexes are generated by labelings on the edges or cycles of graphs and the differentials act by exchanging these labels. We show that both cases are instances of a more general construction of double complexes associated with graphs. Furthermore, we describe a universal model for these kinds of complexes which allows to treat all of them in a unified way.
Dreidimensionale Planung und Verwendung patientenspezifischer Instrumentierung (PSI) in der Schultertotalendoprothetik
Authors: Schmalzl J. , Gerhardt C. , Lehmann L. J.
Published: June 2020

Eine dreidimensionale (3D-)Darstellung des Glenoids ermöglicht durch das verbesserte Verständnis der pathologischen Glenoidmorphologie im Hinblick auf Version und Neigung eine genauere Planung und eine optimalere Positionierung der Glenoidkomponente. Die Glenoidkomponente bleibt die häufigste Ursache des späten Versagens nach anatomischer Schultertotalendoprothetik. Mögliche Gründe für eine Fehlpositionierung der Glenoidkomponente sind eine ungenaue Einschätzung der pathologischen Anatomie des Glenoids, falsche Wahl und/oder inkorrekte Positionierung des Implantats und mangelhafte chirurgische Ausführung der präoperativen Planung. Aufgrund der Einschränkungen von Standardröntgenbildern verwenden viele Chirurgen zweidimensionale(2D)-CT-Scans zur Bewertung der Glenoidmorphologie und -version. Mehrere Studien haben jedoch gezeigt, dass 3D-CT-Rekonstruktionen für den Chirurgen die Anatomie genauer und zuverlässiger darstellen als 2D-Scans – insbesondere in Fällen ausgeprägter ossärer Defektsituationen. Mithilfe von 3D-Planungen kann der Chirurg das zu verwendende Implantat auswählen und die optimale Platzierung festlegen, um den pathologischen Zustand zu korrigieren bzw. das Implantat zu fixieren. Wir beschreiben die für die 3D-Planung verfügbaren Planungssysteme, die Planungsprinzipien und die Vorgehensweise.
Artemlavanins A and B from Artemisia lavandulaefolia and Their Cytotoxicity Against Hepatic Stellate Cell Line LX2
Authors: Shen Cheng , Huang Xiao-Yan , Geng Chang-An , Li Tian-Ze , Tang Shuang , Su Li-Hua , Gao Zhen , Zhang Xue-Mei , Hu Jing , Chen Ji-Jun
Published: June 2020

Two new sesquiterpenoids, artemlavanins A (1) and B (3), together with fifteen known compounds (2 and 4−17) were isolated from the EtOH extract of Artemisia lavandulaefolia. The structures of new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses (HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR) and ECD calculations. Compound 1 was a sesquiterpenoid lactone possessing a rearranged eudesmane skeleton; compounds 2–5, 6–8, 9 and 10–12 belonged to the eudesmane, guaiane, oppositane and farnesane sesquiterpenoids, respectively; compounds 13–17 were the phenyl derivatives with a 4-hydroxyacetophenone moiety. Twelve compounds (1–3, 5–7, 10–12, 14, 15 and 17) displayed cytotoxicity against hepatic stellate cell line LX2 (HSC-LX2) with IC50 values ranging from 35.1 to 370.3 μM. Compounds 2, 7, 10–12 and 17 exhibited the stronger cytotoxicity than silybin (IC50, 169.6 μM) with IC50 values of 82.1, 35.1, 95.0, 83.8, 81.6 and 90.1 μM. Compound 7 as the most active one showed significant inhibition on the deposition of human collagen type I (Col I), human hyaluronic acid (HA) and human laminin (HL) with IC50 values of 10.7, 24.5 and 13.3 μM.

Graphic Abstract
Numerical investigation on rigid and flexible pipelines embedded in granular and self-compacting materials
Authors: Abdel-Rahman Khalid , Gerlach Tim , Achmus Martin
Published: June 2020

Self-compacting filling material or controlled low-strength material (CLSM) is a cementitious material which is liquid during filling, and it is used primarily as backfill, e.g., in trenches. Several products are currently used as CLSM such as flowable fill, controlled density fill, flowable mortar and low-strength plastic soil–cement. The low-strength requirement is necessary to allow for future excavation of CLSM. A two-dimensional numerical model was developed using the finite element system ABAQUS. In this model, the material behavior of granular soil and CLSM is described using an elasto-plastic constitutive model with Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion. Rigid and flexible pipes were modeled once embedded in sandy soil and once embedded in self-compacting material. The numerical model allows the modeling of the effect of hardening process on the overall behavior of the pipe–soil system. The main objective of this study is to investigate the behavior of rigid and flexible pipelines embedded in CLSM as a filling material numerically and to show advantages and disadvantages in comparison with the presently widely used filling materials like sand.
Minimum quality standards and benchmarking in differentiated duopoly
Authors: Michaelis Peter , Ziesemer Thomas
Published: June 2020

We study a two-period model of a duopoly with goods differentiated by quality. The periods’ length corresponds to the goods’ useful lifespan, and consumers are heterogeneous in their valuation of quality. In the second period, the regulator fixes a minimum quality standard based either on the quality supplied by the high-quality firm in the first period (strict regulation) or on the average quality supplied in the first period (average regulation). Assuming a covered market, we show that such an approach leads to decreasing qualities in the first period, and increasing qualities in the second one. In both periods, net utility aggregated over consumers is increasing and profits aggregated over firms are decreasing. Taken together, average regulation always leads to an increase in the present value of welfare, whereas strict regulation can cause a decline. If the discount factor exceeds a certain threshold, a policy based on average regulation is even superior to implementing the optimal minimum quality standard already in the first period.
Promouvoir la santé des personnes en situation de handicap
Authors: Ferron Christine
Published: June 2020

Depuis environ une décennie, les acteurs du champ du handicap sont incités, voire contraints, à s’inscrire dans une démarche “evidence based” pour élaborer leurs projets, c’est-à-dire à appliquer sur le terrain des méthodes dont l’efficacité aura été démontrée avec un niveau de preuve élevé, dont la transférabilité aura été vérifiée par une recherche ad hoc, et qui auront fait l’objet de publications scientifiques. Cette exigence soulève plusieurs problèmes: ces méthodes, qui relèvent plus souvent de la prévention que de la promotion de la santé et sont décrites de manière trop succincte dans les revues, ne sont applicables que dans des contextes très précis et sont difficilement adaptables. La mise en œuvre d’une promotion de la santé de qualité nécessite une ouverture vers les résultats de recherches interventionnelles, d’évaluations réalistes, de recherches participatives, mais aussi des capitalisations d’expériences, des rapports d’évaluation, des recensements de pratiques prometteuses, des référentiels de terrain. Cela s’avère particulièrement vrai pour les projets avec les populations en situation de handicap, pour lesquelles très peu de données issues de la littérature scientifique sont disponibles.
Augmented reality and the customer journey: An exploratory study
Authors: Romano Beatrice , Sands Sean , Pallant Jason I.
Published: June 2020

Many firms, including Amazon and IKEA, utilise augmented reality (AR) technology to enhance the consumer experience. In the retail industry, AR is gaining increasing traction as a means of improving the customer experience overall. In this research, we conduct an exploratory analysis to determine whether AR contributes positively or otherwise to customer experience. By means of semi-structured interviews, we identify seven core themes pertinent to the customer journey. Findings suggest that, prior to purchase, AR can broaden consumers’ product consideration set, while narrowing the choice set. Moreover, we find evidence that AR can lessen brand value, thereby giving emerging brands the opportunity to connect with consumers. Findings indicate that, at the point of purchase, AR can help with product curation and drive hedonic value through playfulness. Finally, at the post-purchase stage, findings show that AR can influence consumer choice confidence, and can also amplify cognitive dissonance. From these themes, we draw implications for theory as well as managerial implications in terms of balancing the potential promises and perils of AR as an innovation technology.
Cognitive Behavioral Sex Therapy: An Emerging Treatment Option for Nonorganic Erectile Dysfunction in Young Men: A Feasibility Pilot Study
Authors: Bilal Ahmad , Abbasi Najam ul Hasan
Published: June 2020

Introduction

An increasing number of young men have been found to develop nonorganic erectile dysfunction (NOED) in recent years. The NOED has been shown to respond better to cognitive behavior sex therapy (CBST) in a few past studies.

Aim

The present research aims to establish the efficacy of CBST as a promising treatment option in young men suffering from NOED by administering a feasibility pilot trial.

Methods

28 young men (M = 31 years) out of a total of 39 men (7 excluded, 4 quit treatment) diagnosed with NOED from sexual health clinics in Pakistan were recruited to receive CBST treatment (n = 13) on average twice a week for a period of 50 minutes per session for a period of 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks for the mild, mild to moderate, moderate, and severe forms of NOED, respectively, and sildenafil citrate group (n = 15) receiving sildenafil citrate 50 mg on demand. The trial design was sequential random assignment clinical trial.

Main Outcome Measures

International Index of Erectile Functoning-5 and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 were used before treatment, after treatment, and in follow-up as the main outcome measures.

Results

The repeated measures analysis of covariance established a nonsignificant difference between CBST and sildenafil citrate 50 mg in NOED scores improvement, NOED severity reduction, and reduction in depression scores at posttreatment assessment. There were significant differences among different CBST modalities in improving NOED scores, reduction in NOED severity, and depression scores. There was significant difference in CBST and sildenafil citrate 50 mg in anxiety reduction at posttreatment assessment. The covariates age, age groups, and NOED duration did not significantly impact the treatment outcome for both treatment groups except age which impacted the interaction of treatment and anxiety scores.

Conclusion

The CBST is an emerging and promising treatment choice in younger men suffering from NOED.
Exploring Pain-Related Anxiety and Depression in Female Patients With Provoked Vulvodynia With Associated Overactive Pelvic Floor Muscle Dysfunction
Authors: Govind Vaishnavi , Krapf Jill M. , Mitchell Leia , Barela Karissa , Tolson Hillary , Casey Jaqueline , Goldstein Andrew T.
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Vulvodynia is a chronic pain condition with potential associated factors, including musculoskeletal and psychosocial components.

Aim

This study explores the prevalence of pain-related anxiety and depression in women with provoked vestibulodynia with associated overactive pelvic floor muscle dysfunction (PVD-PFD).

Methods

A retrospective chart review of 352 women presenting to 2 urban vulvovaginal specialty clinics over the course of a year was conducted. Women presenting for initial evaluation completed validated questionnaires for pain-related anxiety and depression. Women who completed these questionnaires with a diagnosis of PVD-PFD independently confirmed by a women’s health physical therapist were included in analysis. Information on previously attempted treatments was gathered.

Main Outcome Measures

Pain-related anxiety was measured with the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20 and depression with the Patient Health Questionnaire 8.

Results

Of 79 women with confirmed PVD-PFD, 22% met criteria for pain-related anxiety alone, 4% for depression alone, and 27% for both pain-related anxiety and depression, with a significant association between anxiety and depression (χ2 (1) = 21.44, P < .0005, phi = 0.521). There was also a significant association between anxiety and/or depression and whether prior treatment was attempted (χ2 (2) = 6.81, P = .03, phi = 0.294).

Conclusion

The study found that 49% of women with PVD-PFD experienced pain-related anxiety, with or without depression. In addition, there was a statistically significant association between attempts at prior treatment and greater pain-related anxiety and depression. This is the first study to report a rate of pain-related anxiety specifically in women with PVD-PFD. These findings are consistent with studies showing elevated pain-related anxiety in other chronic musculoskeletal conditions, including lower back pain and fibromyalgia.
SuccSite: Incorporating Amino Acid Composition and Informative k-Spaced Amino Acid Pairs to Identify Protein Succinylation Sites
Authors: Kao Hui-Ju , Nguyen Van-Nui , Huang Kai-Yao , Chang Wen-Chi , Lee Tzong-Yi
Published: June 2020

Protein succinylation is a biochemical reaction in which a succinyl group (-CO-CH2-CH2-CO-) is attached to the lysine residue of a protein molecule. Lysine succinylation plays important regulatory roles in living cells. However, studies in this field are limited by the difficulty in experimentally identifying the substrate site specificity of lysine succinylation. To facilitate this process, several tools have been proposed for the computational identification of succinylated lysine sites. In this study, we developed an approach to investigate the substrate specificity of lysine succinylated sites based on amino acid composition. Using experimentally verified lysine succinylated sites collected from public resources, the significant differences in position-specific amino acid composition between succinylated and non-succinylated sites were represented using the Two Sample Logo program. These findings enabled the adoption of an effective machine learning method, support vector machine, to train a predictive model with not only the amino acid composition, but also the composition of k-spaced amino acid pairs. After the selection of the best model using a ten-fold cross-validation approach, the selected model significantly outperformed existing tools based on an independent dataset manually extracted from published research articles. Finally, the selected model was used to develop a web-based tool, SuccSite, to aid the study of protein succinylation. Two proteins were used as case studies on the website to demonstrate the effective prediction of succinylation sites. We will regularly update SuccSite by integrating more experimental datasets. SuccSite is freely accessible at http://csb.cse.yzu.edu.tw/SuccSite/.
Physical and biological properties of early winter Antarctic sea ice in the Ross Sea
Authors: Tison Jean-Louis , Maksym Ted , Fraser Alexander D. , Corkill Matthew , Kimura Noriaki , Nosaka Yuichi , Nomura Daiki , Vancoppenolle Martin , Ackley Steve , Stammerjohn Sharon , Wauthy Sarah , Van der Linden Fanny , Carnat Gauthier , Sapart Célia , de Jong Jeroen , Fripiat François , Delille Bruno
Published: June 2020

This work presents the results of physical and biological investigations at 27 biogeochemical stations of early winter sea ice in the Ross Sea during the 2017 PIPERS cruise. Only two similar cruises occurred in the past, in 1995 and 1998. The year 2017 was a specific year, in that ice growth in the Central Ross Sea was considerably delayed, compared to previous years. These conditions resulted in lower ice thicknesses and Chl-aburdens, as compared to those observed during the previous cruises. It also resulted in a different structure of the sympagic algal community, unusually dominated byPhaeocystisrather than diatoms. Compared to autumn-winter sea ice in the Weddell Sea (AWECS cruise), the 2017 Ross Sea pack ice displayed similar thickness distribution, but much lower snow cover and therefore nearly no flooding conditions. It is shown that contrasted dynamics of autumnal-winter sea-ice growth between the Weddell Sea and the Ross Sea impacted the development of the sympagic community. Mean/median ice Chl-aconcentrations were 3–5 times lower at PIPERS, and the community status there appeared to be more mature (decaying?), based on Phaeopigments/Chl-aratios. These contrasts are discussed in the light of temporal and spatial differences between the two cruises.
Inscrutability and Its Discontents
Authors: Schroeter Laura , Schroeter François
Published: June 2020

Our main focus in this paper is Herman Cappelen’s claim, defended inFixing Language, that reference is radically inscrutable. We argue that Cappelen’s inscrutability thesis should be rejected. We also highlight how rejecting inscrutability undermines Cappelen’s most radical conclusions about conceptual engineering. In addition, we raise a worry about his positive account of topic continuity through inquiry and debate.
Changing the Subject
Authors: Sundell Timothy
Published: June 2020

InFixing Language,Herman Cappelen defends the project of conceptual engineering from a family of objections that he calls “the Strawsonian challenges.” Those objections are all versions of this: “If I ask you a question about theF’s, and you give me an answer that’s not about theF’s but rather about theG’s, then you haven’t answered my question. You have changed the subject.” I argue that Cappelen’s responsesucceedsin reply to one understanding of the Strawsonian challenge—on which it is motivated by ordinary judgments of samesaying and continuity of topic—but that itfailsas a response to another version—on which a parallel objection is motivated by philosophical considerations and is stated in a theoretical register.
Do Paramedics Have a Professional Obligation to Work During a Pandemic? A Qualitative Exploration of Community Member Expectations
Authors: Anderson Cameron , Pooley Julie Ann , Mills Brennen , Anderson Emma , Smith Erin C.
Published: June 2020

Objectives:

Previous research has identified a lack of clarification regarding paramedic professional obligation to work. Understanding community expectations of paramedics will provide some clarity around this issue. The objective of this research was to explore the expectations of a sample of Australian community members regarding the professional obligation of paramedics to respond during pandemics.

Methods:

The authors used qualitative methods to gather Australian community member perspectives immediately before the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Focus groups were used for data collection, and a thematic analysis was conducted.

Results:

The findings revealed 9 key themes: context of obligation (normal operations versus crisis situation), hierarchy of obligation (individual versus organizational obligation), risk acceptability, acceptable occupational risk (it’s part of the job), access to personal protective equipment, legal and ethical guidelines, education and training, safety, and acceptable limitations to obligation. The factors identified as being acceptable limitations to professional obligation are presented as further sub-themes: physical health, mental health, and competing personal obligations.

Conclusions:

The issue of professional obligation must be addressed by ambulance services as a matter of urgency, especially in light of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Further research is recommended to understand how community member expectations evolve during and after the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Sequential introduction of a multistep testing algorithm and nucleic acid amplification testing leading to an increase in Clostridioides difficile detection and a trend toward increased strain diversity
Authors: Skinner Andrew M. , Yu Brian , Cheknis Adam , Pacheco Susan M. , Gerding Dale N. , Johnson Stuart
Published: June 2020

Background:

Most clinical microbiology laboratories have replaced toxin immunoassay (EIA) alone with multistep testing (MST) protocols or nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) alone for the detection of C. difficile.

Objective:

Study the effect of changing testing strategies on C. difficile detection and strain diversity.

Design:

Retrospective study.

Setting:

A Veterans’ Affairs hospital.

Methods:

Initially, toxin EIA testing was replaced by an MST approach utilizing a glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and toxin EIA followed by tcdB NAAT for discordant results. After 18 months, MST was replaced by a NAAT-only strategy. Available patient stool specimens were cultured for C. difficile. Restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) strain typing and quantitative in vitro toxin testing were performed on recovered isolates.

Results:

Before MST (toxin EIA), 79 of 708 specimens (11%) were positive, and after MST (MST-A), 121 of 517 specimens (23%) were positive (P < .0001). Prior to NAAT-only testing (MST-B), 80 of the 490 specimens (16%) were positive by MST, and after NAAT-only testing was implemented, 67 of the 368 specimens (18%) were positive (P = nonsignificant). After replacing toxin EIA testing, REA strain group diversity increased (8, 13, 13, and 10 REA groups in the toxin EIA, MST-A, MST-B, and NAAT-only periods, respectively) and in vitro toxin concentration decreased. The average log10 toxin concentration of the isolates were 2.08, 1.88, 1.20 and 1.55 ng/mL for the same periods, respectively.

Conclusions:

MST and NAAT had similar detection rates for C. difficile. Compared to toxin testing alone, they detected increased diversity of C. difficile strains, many of which were low toxin producing.
Authoritarian media and diversionary threats: lessons from 30 years of Syrian state discourse
Authors: Alrababa'h Ala’ , Blaydes Lisa
Published: June 2020

Scholars have long argued that leaders manipulate foreign policy, sometimes even initiating wars in order to enhance their domestic political position. But diversionary wars are relatively rare given the high costs of conflict. In this project, we examine data from major Syrian daily newspapers over a 30-year period (1987–2018) to explore how autocratic regimes use diversionary rhetoric. We find that before the 2011 Arab Uprisings, Syria's state-controlled media concentrated on Israel as a security and political threat. Emphasis on Israel as a diversionary threat decreased during peace negotiations between Syria and Israel, probably in a bid to prepare the Syrian public for normalization of bilateral relations. After 2011, scrutiny of Israel—and other long-standing topics of state discourse—was displaced by discussion of foreign plots and conspiracies against the Syrian state. Our analysis illustrates how authoritarian regimes make use of diversionary strategies as well as how political shocks generate discontinuities in authoritarian rhetoric.
Detrital zircon provenance of north Gondwana Palaeozoic sandstones from Saudi Arabia
Authors: Meinhold Guido , Bassis Alexander , Hinderer Matthias , Lewin Anna , Berndt Jasper
Published: June 2020

We present the first comprehensive detrital zircon U–Pb age dataset from Palaeozoic sandstones of Saudi Arabia, which provides new insights into the erosion history of the East African Orogen and sediment recycling in northern Gondwana. Five main age populations are present in varying amounts in the zircon age spectra, with age peaks at 625 Ma, 775 Ma, 980 Ma, 1840 Ma and 2480 Ma. Mainly igneous rocks of the Arabian–Nubian Shield are suggested to be the most prominent sources for the Ediacaran to middle Tonian zircon grains. Palaeoproterozoic and Archaean grains may be xenocrystic zircons or they have been recycled from older terrigenous sediment. A primary derivation from Palaeoproterozoic and Archaean basement is also possible, as rocks of such age occur in the vicinity. Approximately 4 % of the detrital zircons show Palaeozoic (340–541 Ma) ages. These grains are likely derived from Palaeozoic post-orogenic and anorogenic igneous rocks of NE Africa and Arabia. A few single grains gave up to Eoarchaean (3.6–4.0 Ga) ages, which are the oldest zircons yet described from Arabia and its vicinity. Their origin, however, is yet unknown. Detrital zircons with U–Pb ages of 1.0 Ga are present in varying amounts in all of the samples and are a feature of terrigenous sediment belonging to the Gondwana super-fan system with an East African – Arabian zircon province.
Omnisubjectivity and the problem of creepy divine emotions
Authors: MULLINS R. T.
Published: June 2020

Over the past century, divine passibility has become the majority view within Christian theology and philosophy of religion. Yet it faces a serious objection from proponents of impassibility that I shall call the Problem of Creepy Emotions. In this article, I shall develop the objection in detail, and explore two ways for divine passibilists to answer this objection. I shall do this in several steps. First, I will offer some brief historical remarks to help readers understand that divine empathy is the watershed issue in the debate over impassibility and passibility. In particular, impassibility denies that God has empathy, whereas passibility affirms that God has empathy. Second, I provide definitions of important concepts for this debate such as impassibility, passibility, emotions, and empathy. I shall articulate Linda Zagzebski's recent account of passibility called omnisubjectivity, or perfect empathy. Third, I shall examine the Problem of Creepy Emotions that arises from the affirmation that God has perfect empathy. Fourth, I shall explore two different strategies that divine passibility can employ to avoid the Problem of Creepy Emotions.
Telepsychiatry in the Age of COVID: Some Ethical Considerations
Authors: CHIN H. PAUL , PALCHIK GUILLERMO
Published: June 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a rapid escalation in the use of telepsychiatry. Herein we revisit some of the ethical issues regarding its use, including patient benefice, distributive justice, privacy, and autonomy. Based on these considerations we would hold that telepsychiatry is a vital aspect of providing psychiatric care, and ethically should be offered as a format for treatment, likely beyond the pandemic period. Investigative and advocacy efforts will need to continue to determine its exact role within psychiatric care, and expand its availability for those most in need.
Towards the Kohayakawa–Kreuter conjecture on asymmetric Ramsey properties
Authors: Mousset Frank , Nenadov Rajko , Samotij Wojciech
Published: June 2020

For fixed graphs F1,…,Fr, we prove an upper bound on the threshold function for the property that G(n, p) → (F1,…,Fr). This establishes the 1-statement of a conjecture of Kohayakawa and Kreuter.
Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with liver injury markers in the US adult population
Authors: He Xiaowei , Xu Cheng , Lu Zheng-Hong , Fang Xiao-Zheng , Tan Juan , Song Yingjian
Published: June 2020

Objective:

To examine the associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and serum liver enzymes in a representative sample of US adults.

Design:

The cross-sectional study sample consisted of 24 229 adults with data on serum 25(OH)D levels and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma-glutamyl transaminase (GGT) concentrations, in addition to data on other potential confounders. Multivariate logistic regression and linear regression were applied to assess the associations between serum 25(OH)D levels and ALT, AST, ALP and GGT concentrations.

Setting:

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001–2006.

Participants:

The cross-sectional study sample consisted of 24 229 adults.

Results:

We found a significant association between low serum 25(OH)D levels (<30 nmol/l) and ALP levels in all participants (OR 2·67; 95 % CI 1·98, 3·59; P < 0·001), a confirmed healthy population (OR 3·02; 95 % CI 2·25, 4·07; P < 0·001) and individuals with viral hepatitis (OR 2·87; 95 % CI 1·52, 5·44; P = 0·006) compared with those who had normal 25(OH)D levels (>50 nmol/l). Moreover, in both the logistic regression and linear regression, the associations between 25(OH)D levels and ALP levels were stronger in the subgroups with obesity. No association was present between ALT, AST or GGT levels and serum 25(OH)D levels in this population.

Conclusions:

The results of the present study provide epidemiological evidence that vitamin D deficiency is associated with liver ALP levels in humans. This finding suggests a potential adverse effect of low 25(OH)D levels on human liver function. However, the underlying mechanisms still need further investigation.