bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Location of the cross‐β structure in prion fibrils: A search by seeding and electron spin resonance spectroscopy
Authors: Chu Brett K.‐Y. , Tsai Ruei‐Fong , Hung Chien‐Lun , Kuo Yun‐Hsuan , Chen Eric H.‐L. , Chiang Yun‐Wei , Chan Sunney I. , Chen Rita P.‐Y.
Published: May 2022

Prion diseases are transmissible fatal neurodegenerative disorders spreading between humans and other mammals. The pathogenic agent, prion, is a protease‐resistant, β‐sheet‐rich protein aggregate, converted from a membrane protein called PrPC. PrPSc is the misfolded form of PrPC and undergoes self‐propagation to form the infectious amyloids. Since the key hallmark of prion disease is amyloid formation, identifying and studying which segments are involved in the amyloid core can provide molecular details about prion diseases. It has been known that the prion protein could also form non‐infectious fibrils in the presence of denaturants. In this study, we employed a combination of site‐directed nitroxide spin‐labeling, fibril seeding, and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy to identify the structure of the in vitro‐prepared full‐length mouse prion fibrils. It is shown that in the in vitro amyloidogenesis, the formation of the amyloid core is linked to an α‐to‐β structural transformation involving the segment 160‐224, which contains strand 2, helix 2, and helix 3. This method is particularly suitable for examining the hetero‐seeded amyloid fibril structure, as the unlabeled seeds are invisible by ESR spectroscopy. It can be applied to study the structures of different strains of infectious prions or other amyloid fibrils in the future.
Evaluating post radical prostatectomy mechanisms of early continence
Authors: Sood Akshay , Grauer Ralph , Jeong Wooju , Butaney Mohit , Mukkamala Anudeep , Borchert Alex , Baumgarten Lee , Hensley Patrick J. , Abdollah Firas , Menon Mani
Published: May 2022

Background

To identify the periprostatic structures associated with early return of urinary continence after radical prostatectomy (RP).

Methods

We compared total continence results between four different techniques of robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Specifically, we studied 1‐week and 1‐month zero‐pad continence rates of anterior (n = 60), posterior (n = 59), a novel hybrid posterior‐anterior (n = 12), and transvesical (n = 12) approaches of RARP. Each technique preserved a unique set of periprostatic anatomic structures, thereby, allowing evaluation of the individual impact of preservation of nerves, bladder neck, and space of Retzius with associated anterior support structures on early continence. Urethral length was preserved in all approaches. The space of Retzius was preserved in posterior and transvesical approaches, while the bladder neck was preserved in posterior and hybrid approaches. Nerve sparing was done per preoperative oncological risk. For all patients, 24‐h pad usage rates and 24‐h pad weights were noted at 1 week and 1 month after catheter removal. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of early continence. Data were obtained from prospective studies conducted between 2015 and 2021.

Results

At 1 week, 15%, 42%, 45%, and 8% of patients undergoing anterior, posterior, hybrid, and transvesical RARP approaches, respectively, were totally continent (p = 0.003). These rates at 1 month were 35%, 66%, 64%, and 25% (p = 0.002), respectively. The transvesical approach, which preserved the space of Retzius but not the bladder neck, was associated with the poorest continence rates, while the posterior and hybrid approaches in which the bladder neck was preserved with or without space of Retzius preservation were associated with quickest urinary continence recovery. Bladder neck preservation was the only significant predictor of 1‐week and 1‐month total continence recovery in adjusted analysis, Odds ratios 9.06 (p = 0.001) and 5.18 (p = 0.004), respectively.

Conclusions

The beneficial effect of the Retzius‐sparing approach on early continence recovery maybe associated with bladder neck preservation rather than space of Retzius preservation.
Proarrhythmic risk assessment of drugs by dVm/dt shapes using the convolutional neural network
Authors: Jeong Da Un , Yoo Yedam , Marcellinus Aroli , Kim Ki‐Suk , Lim Ki Moo
Published: May 2022

Comprehensive in vitro Proarrhythmia Assay (CiPA) projects for assessing proarrhythmic drugs suggested a logistic regression model using qNet as the Torsades de Pointes (TdP) risk assessment biomarker, obtained from in silico simulation. However, using a single in silico feature, such as qNet, cannot reflect whole characteristics related to TdP in the entire action potential (AP) shape. Thus, this study proposed a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) model using differential action potential shapes to classify three proarrhythmic risk levels: high, intermediate, and low, considering both characteristics related to TdP not only in the depolarization phase but also the repolarization phase of AP shape. We performed an in silico simulation and got AP shapes with drug effects using half‐maximal inhibitory concentration and Hill coefficients of 28 drugs released by CiPA groups. Then, we trained the deep CNN model with the differential AP shapes of 12 drugs and tested it with those of 16 drugs. Our model had a better performance for classifying the proarrhythmic risk of drugs than the traditional logistic regression model using qNet. The classification accuracy was 98% for high‐risk level drugs, 94% for intermediate‐risk level drugs, and 89% for low‐risk level drugs.
Passivation and Electrical Properties of Alumina Layers Deposited by Atomic‐Layer Deposition with Different Precursors
Authors: Kolkovsky Vladimir , Lange Nicolas
Published: May 2022

The electrical and passivation properties of alumina layers deposited by the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique with different precursors at different temperatures are analyzed. Herein, a significantly larger density of the negative fixed charge in alumina layers deposited with ozone in comparison to those prepared with water is observed. A part of this negative charge can be successfully removed by the annealing of the samples already at around 250 °C and this negative charge is tentatively ascribed to oxygen interstitials. The effective surface recombination velocity (s
eff) is below 2 cm s−1 in all as‐deposited alumina layers independent of the deposition conditions and it is significantly smaller in layers prepared with water. The higher s
eff in films prepared with ozone can be explained by the higher density of the interface states in these samples as obtained from impedance measurements performed at different ac frequencies and at different biases. The conduction mechanisms in alumina films are also investigated and their difference is discussed.
Bronchial artery aneurysm presenting with epigastric pain that improves with vomiting
Authors: Hayashi Kazuki , Hanaoka Jun , Kita Yusuke
Published: May 2022

A 64‐year‐old man presented to the emergency department with a chief complaint of epigastric pain that improved with vomiting. He was initially treated for gastrointestinal disease, but computed tomography (CT) showed a mediastinal haematoma and contrast‐enhanced CT and bronchial arteriography showed a bronchial aneurysm. Bronchial artery aneurysm is a rare but potentially life‐threatening condition that can lead to haemorrhagic shock if it ruptures. Patients with bronchial aneurysms may present with symptoms similar to that of gastrointestinal diseases owing to increased pressure in the mediastinum caused by mediastinal haematoma.
Distributed recursive filtering under random access protocols: A multirate strategy
Authors: Liu Shuai , Zhao Xiaoxiao , Tian Engang , Wei Guoliang
Published: May 2022

This article addresses the distributed recursive filtering problem for a class of time‐varying multirate systems in sensor networks with randomly occurring nonlinearities and the communication protocol. A multirate model is considered where the sampling period of the sensors is slower than the updating period of the system state. Accordingly, the lifting technique is proposed to transform the multirate system into a single‐rate system. In order to avoid data collisions, the random access protocol (RAP) scheduling is applied to determine which signal/packet selected by RAP scheduling can access the shared network for each sensor. Attention is focused on the design of a distributed recursive filter such that, in the simultaneous presence of randomly occurring nonlinearities, the multirate strategy and the RAP scheduling, an upper bound for the filtering error covariance is obtained with the help of the mathematical induction method. Furthermore, by utilizing a novel matrix simplification technique, the filter parameters are recursively calculated by minimizing the obtained upper bound. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed distributed recursive filtering scheme is demonstrated via a numerical example.
Translating questions to estimands in randomized clinical trials with intercurrent events
Authors: Stensrud Mats J. , Dukes Oliver
Published: May 2022

Intercurrent (post‐treatment) events occur frequently in randomized trials, and investigators often express interest in treatment effects that suitably take account of these events. Contrasts that naively condition on intercurrent events do not have a straight‐forward causal interpretation, and the practical relevance of other commonly used approaches is debated. In this work, we discuss how to formulate and choose an estimand, beyond the marginal intention‐to‐treat effect, from the point of view of a decision maker and drug developer. In particular, we argue that careful articulation of a practically useful research question should either reflect decision making at this point in time or future drug development. Indeed, a substantially interesting estimand is simply a formalization of the (plain English) description of a research question. A common feature of estimands that are practically useful is that they correspond to possibly hypothetical but well‐defined interventions in identifiable (sub)populations. To illustrate our points, we consider five examples that were recently used to motivate consideration of principal stratum estimands in clinical trials. In all of these examples, we propose alternative causal estimands, such as conditional effects, sequential regime effects, and separable effects, that correspond to explicit research questions of substantial interest.
Facile Preparation of Millimeter‐Sized Sodium Alginate‐Silica Composite Spheres for Highly Selective Adsorption of Heavy Metal Ions
Authors: Zhou Ailing , Chi Chenglong , Jia Aizhong , Li Fang , Wang Yingying , Wang Yanji
Published: May 2022

Millimeter‐sized (∼3.5 mm) sodium alginate‐silica composite spheres with macroporous structure and functional groups of amino‐ (NH2‐SiO2/SA) and sulfhydryl (SH‐SiO2/SA), respectively, were successfully prepared by a simple hydrothermal copolycondensation. The obtained materials were characterized by FT‐IR, SEM, XPS, N2 adsorption‐desorption techniques, and their heavy metal ion adsorption performance was evaluated in detail under different conditions. Characterization results revealed that the functional group plays a key role in the selectivity of metal ions, that is, NH2‐SiO2/SA preferentially adsorbs the relatively hard Pb(II) ions while SH‐SiO2/SA favors the softer Ag(I) ion, which is attributed to the fact that S atoms are softer donor than N atoms. The adsorption kinetics and the adsorption equilibrium fitted well with the pseudo‐second‐order model and Langmuir adsorption isotherms, respectively. The adsorption experiments showed the maximum adsorption capacities of Pb(II) for NH2‐SiO2/SA and Ag(I) for SH‐SiO2/SA are 460 mg/g and 417 mg/g, respectively, giving good stability without a significant decrease in 5 recycles. Therefore, the synthesized materials display promising adsorbents for recycling heavy metal pollutants from wastewater due to their good selectivity, high adsorption capacity, stability and easy recovery due to their large size.
Electrochromism of Main‐Chain Polyazobenzenes Synthesized in Liquid Crystal Template and Its Orientation Behavior
Authors: Otaki M. , Goto H.
Published: May 2022

Azobenzene with a controllable structure is suitable for applications in electronic devices due to its multichromatic and optoelectrical properties. Therefore, in this study, main chain‐type conjugated polyazobenzenes are synthesized via electrochemical polymerization (EP) using liquid crystal (LC) as a template. EP in cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) affords π‐conjugated polyazobezene films with CLC‐like helical morphologies and optical activities due to chirality transfer from CLCs. Further, EP in a macroscopically aligned nematic liquid crystal (NLC) field obtained via a simple rubbing method resulted in macroscopically ordered conjugated polyazobenzene films. Consequently, main chain‐type polyazobenzene films having a controllable structure can be conveniently obtained using LC as a template.
A Simple Hydrothermal Synthesis of Flower‐like NiCo2S4@Biomass‐graded Porous Carbon with Structural Synergy and Excellent Capacitive Performance
Authors: Liu Yuan‐zheng , Chen Ting , Zhang Qiang , Jiang Rong‐yan
Published: May 2022

Flower‐like NiCo2S4@biomass‐graded porous carbon (NiCo2S4@BGPC) material was successfully prepared using a simple hydrothermal method and the pseudocapacitive performance was investigated. The results showed that the composite had good capacitive behavior and electrochemical activity due to the structural synergy of the porous carbon and flower‐like material. In this composite, the flower‐like NiCo2S4 had a large contact area with the electrolyte solution, providing many active sites for pseudocapacitive reactions. Meanwhile, the introduction of the porous carbon skeleton further ensured the structural stability of the composite‘s conductive network. In summary, the flower‐like NiCo2S4@BGPC material showed the high specific capacitance of 1322.5 F g−1 at the current density of 1 A g−1 and excellent coulombic efficiency (96.8 % after 1000 cycles at 10 A g−1). However, it has poor cycling stability (77 % of the initial specific capacitance after 1000 cycles at 10 A g−1), which can be attributed to blockage of the pore structure due to volume expansion during the redox process. In two‐electrode system tests, both NiCo2S4@BGPC//NiCo2S4@BGPC symmetrical supercapacitor and NiCo2S4@BGPC//AC asymmetrical supercapacitor showed good capacitance performance and cycling performance, implying potential applications of NiCo2S4@BGPC in commercial electrochemical energy storage.
Triple Radial Junction Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells with >2 V Open‐Circuit Voltage
Authors: Wang Chaoqi , Foldyna Martin , Johnson Erik V. , Roca i Cabarrocas Pere
Published: May 2022

When solar cells are used as the photoanode for direct water splitting, the output voltage required typically exceeds that of a single‐junction photovoltaic device. Toward this application, in this work, triple radial junction silicon nanowire (3RJ SiNW) solar cells are fabricated via a plasma‐assisted vapor‐liquid‐solid method using hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H) for all the absorber layers, as well as for the doped ones. A high open‐circuit voltage (VOC) of 2.05 V, short‐circuit current density (JSC) of 3.8 mA cm−2, and power conversion efficiency of 4.4% are obtained for solar cells with areas of 0.03 cm2 by optimizing the density of SiNWs grown on ZnO:Al/Ag/Corning glass substrates. For lower‐efficiency devices, however, VOC values as high as 2.2 V are consistently achieved. At these higher voltages, large variations in JSC are observed, attributed to small local variations in SiNW density. Herein, for the first time, the excellent potential of 3D radial junction solar cells for applications requiring high voltages and high surface areas, such as water splitting is demonstrated.
Federated learning based multi‐task feature fusion framework for code expressive semantic extraction
Authors: Deng Fengyang , Fu Cai , Qian Yekui , Yang Jia , He Shuai , Xu Hao
Published: May 2022

Using multi‐task learning to extract code features can effectively increase the information of the features. However, the existing multi‐task learning methods mainly have two limitations: (1) They cannot extract enough code‐related information or only extract similar semantic features. Similar multi‐task makes the information in the features increased insufficiently. However, the high difference multi‐task is challenging to converge. (2) They cannot train multi‐task on heterogeneous datasets. In standard multi‐task training, we need to label all tasks for all data, which consumes enormous labor. To solve the above limitations, we select two high difference tasks, the cross‐language code completion task and variable misuse task, to extract expressive semantic code features. We propose an attention‐based feature fusion module to merge information among high difference tasks, avoiding the convergence dilemma of standard multi‐task learning. We propose a federated learning framework, extracting semantic information and using the feature fusion module to integrate multi‐task information among single labeled datasets. We experiment on C# and Python datasets for the code completion and variable misuse tasks. The results show that the performance of fusion features by FedMTFF improved by up to 22.6% and 15.1% compared to single tasks. We use FedMTFF to perform four cross‐language multi‐task features fusion, exceeding the current best baseline by 24.1%.
Unified approach for reinforcement development length using the partly cracked elastic stage for bond strength
Authors: Zaborac Jarrod , Bayrak Oguzhan
Published: May 2022

Current structural design codes in the United States treat the development of straight bars/lap splices, standard hooks, and deformed headed bars with separate equations. The fib Model Code 2010, on the other hand, uses a more unified approach. Recent changes to the standard hook and headed bar equations in the ACI 318–19 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete have sparked conversation about the discrepancies between ACI 318–19 and the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications within the bridge design community. The objective of this research was to develop and validate a unified approach for the design/evaluation of reinforcement anchorage. A procedure based on the partly cracked elastic stage of bond was proposed. The proposed procedure was validated with 1006 tests from the literature.
Instances of intraspecific nest parasitism in eastern and Rio Grande wild turkeys
Authors: Sullivan Daniel J. , Wightman Patrick H. , Collier Bret A. , Chamberlain Michael J.
Published: May 2022

Nest parasitism can play an important role in processes regulating population dynamics of both hosts and parasites. Inter‐ and intra‐specific nest parasitism are 2 alternative reproductive strategies observed to occur in about 1% of all bird species. Recently, low productivity in wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) populations has resulted in population declines across the southeastern United States. Reproductive output may be influenced by nest parasitism, but the extent of nest parasitism and how it may be related to productivity of wild turkey populations are poorly understood. Herein, we illustrate 6 unreported examples of intraspecific nest parasitism obtained using GPS telemetry data from female wild turkeys in Georgia and Louisiana during 2014−2018. Further, we report 3 occurrences of nest parasitism in Texas using photographic evidence. Our findings suggest that ≥6% of nests are potentially parasitized, and that multiple females may visit and parasitize a single nest. Given recent declines in reproductive output of wild turkeys throughout the southeastern United States, we encourage researchers to continue assessing potential for nest parasitism across wild turkey populations and how this potential may be influenced by predator abundance and activity.
Active and passive disease surveillance in wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) from 2008 to 2018 in Pennsylvania, USA
Authors: MacDonald Amanda M. , Johnson Joshua B. , Casalena Mary Jo , Nemeth Nicole M. , Kunkel Melanie , Blake Mitchell , Brown Justin D.
Published: May 2022

There are increasing concerns about the effects of disease on wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo). Yet, many management agencies lack adequate data on wild turkey diseases and pathogens to address this concern. Toward that end, the Pennsylvania Game Commission increased surveillance efforts on wild turkeys beginning in 2013 (referred to hereafter as the enhanced surveillance period). From 2008–2018, 121 wild turkeys from Pennsylvania were submitted for necropsy, with 102/121 (84.3%) submitted during the enhanced surveillance period (2013–2018). We examined cases to determine causes of morbidity/mortality through gross and microscopic examinations and ancillary tests. The most common causes of morbidity/mortality in the examined wild turkeys were avian pox (66/121; 54.5%), chronic dermatitis (15/121; 12.4%), and trauma (10/121; 8.3%). We diagnosed additional diseases for the first time or more frequently during the enhanced surveillance period, including histomoniasis (7/121; 5.7%) and infectious sinusitis (1/121; 0.8%). Skin lesions were the most common cause of submission (94/121; 77.7%) and were most often attributed to avian pox (66/94, 70.2%), chronic dermatitis (15/94; 16.0%), or lymphoproliferative disease (3/94; 3.2%). During 2013–2018, tissues and sera were collected from any diagnostic cases and hunter‐harvested turkeys to create a tissue repository. We used these samples to test for infection or exposure to specific pathogens. We found that 75.3% (61/81) of wild turkeys were positive for lymphoproliferative disease virus, 61.9% (52/84) for Heterakis gallinarum, 28.6% (10/35) for Toxoplasma gondii, and 15.6% (15/32) for Borrelia burgdorferi. We detected antibodies (indicating exposure) to avian paramyxovirus‐1 in 34.9% (22/63) of the wild turkeys and West Nile virus in 21% (13/62), but none were seropositive to influenza A viruses (0/62; 0%). The presence of diseases and pathogens in wild turkeys in Pennsylvania are being defined through active and passive surveillance approaches. Such data can begin to address the broader questions of disease impacts on wild turkey populations.
Stable bidentate silylene adducts of alkaline‐earth amides
Authors: Sun Xiaofei , Hinz Alexander , Gamer Michael T. , Roesky Peter. W.
Published: May 2022

The coordination chemistry of silylenes is known for a vast number of elements of all blocks of the periodic table. However, only a handful of examples of silylene complexes have been reported for heavy alkaline‐earth elements, which is mainly attributed to the “hard‐soft” mismatch between the “hard” metal center and the “soft” silicon donor. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a series of alkaline‐earth silylene complexes comprising a bidentate pyridyl‐amido‐silylene ligand. The isolated Ca, Sr and Ba complexes show considerably increased stability in comparison to other known alkaline‐earth silylene complexes. The molecular structures of all three complexes are essentially similar. Interestingly, depending on the central metal, the 1H NMR chemical shifts of the ortho‐H atom show unexpected large differences. DFT computations were conducted to elucidate this trend in the NMR resonances.
Einleitung
Authors: Geursen Elisabeth
Published: May 2022

Auf unternehmenspraktische Umsetzungen der Nachhaltigkeitsidee reagiert die Öffentlichkeit und die thematisch verbundenen Konzepte werden über die Medien transportiert. Diese öffentliche Aushandlung von thematischen Ausdrücken wie Vielfalt, Frauenförderung oder Führungsstil in Bezug auf nachhaltiges Handeln im Personalmanagement zwischen Unternehmen und Öffentlichkeit bildet den Untersuchungsgegenstand dieser Arbeit. Deren zugrundeliegende konzeptuelle Wissenseinheiten sollen linguistisch analysierbar gemacht werden. Dabei bieten die von den Diskursteilnehmern ausgedrückten Diskursbeiträge in Form von Bewertungen, Forderungen und Handlungsempfehlungen ein geeignetes Mittel, um Konzeptbildungen und Deutungsmuster sowie deren historische Entwicklung, Differenzierung und Veränderung diskurslinguistisch zu untersuchen. Auf Grundlage einschlägiger Fachliteratur wird in Kapitel 1 die wissenschaftliche Vorgehensweise vorgestellt und ein detaillierter Verlaufsplan für die Analyse entwickelt. Aus der Vorgehensweise ergeben sich die einzelnen Arbeitsvorgänge wie die Klärung der Forschungsfrage, die Korpuskonstitution sowie die Analyse, Annotation und Interpretation der Daten.
Forschungsmaterial und Korpuskonstitution
Authors: Geursen Elisabeth
Published: May 2022

In Kapitel 4 werden die methodengeleitete Auswahl des Datenmaterials – der untersuchungsrelevanten Unternehmen und Printmedien – und die Konstitution der beiden Textkorpora beschrieben. Hier ist das Vorgehen zur Ermittlung der Schlüsseltexte aus den Unternehmens- und Medientexten von besonderer Relevanz. Es werden Unternehmenstexte sowie diskurskonstituierende Medientexte recherchiert, die über die Differenzierungstypen der thematischen Kohärenzbeziehungen (Kongruenz, Variation, Elaboration und Kontrastierung) miteinander verbunden sind. Insgesamt werden 77 Unternehmenstexte im Umfang von 14.531 DIN-A4-Seiten recherchiert. Den Geschäfts- und Nachhaltigkeitsberichten wird ein Vergleichskorpus in Form von 577 Medientexten gegenübergestellt.
Ergebnisdiskussion
Authors: Geursen Elisabeth
Published: May 2022

Unter Rückgriff auf die Analyseergebnisse erfolgt in Kapitel 6 die Ergebnisdiskussion anhand der ausgewählten Schwerpunktthemen Frauenförderung, Kampf um Talente und Führungsstil. Ein Fokus liegt auf den Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschieden zwischen den Unternehmen sowie der medialen Resonanz auf die eruierten Themen in Bezug auf die untersuchten Unternehmen über den Untersuchungszeitraum von 20 Jahren (1995–2014). Das Unternehmens- und Medientextkorpus zeichnen sich durch eine wechselseitige Einflussnahme aus: Die in den Unternehmenstexten behandelten Themen werden von den Massenmedien im gesellschaftlichen Diskurs aufgegriffen, wie auch umgekehrt der in den Medien ausgetragene Diskurs die Unternehmenskommunikation beeinflusst. Durch die Sichtbarmachung dieser wechselseitigen Beziehung sowie der unterliegenden Bedeutungsmuster werden neue wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse auf ein anscheinend konsensuelles Thema aufgezeigt.
Muon g − 2, B → K(∗)μ+μ− anomalies, and leptophilic dark matter in U(1)μ−τ gauge symmetry
Authors: Ko P. , Nomura Takaaki , Okada Hiroshi
Published: May 2022

Abstract

We propose a new class of U(1)μ−τ gauged model that can explain recent flavor anomalies such as muon g − 2, b → sμ+μ−, as well as include a scalar dark matter candidate while satisfying all the phenomenological constraints. For this purpose, we add new vectorlike quarks and leptons as well as two inert singlet scalars, one leptophilic and the other leptophobic. In our model b → sμ+μ− anomalies can be explained by loop induced interactions among the SM, exotic quarks, and Z′ gauge boson. In our numerical analysis, we show allowed region of our model to be narrow, and it would be tested soon, for example by searching for 4 muons and dimuon + missing transverse momentum from pp → μ+μ−Z′ and $$ pp\to {\nu}_{\mu, \tau }{\overline{\nu}}_{\mu, \tau }Z^{\prime } $$
pp
→

ν

μ
,
τ

ν
¯

μ
,
τ

Z
′
followed by $$ Z^{\prime}\to {\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-},{\nu}_{\mu, \tau }{\overline{\nu}}_{\mu, \tau } $$
Z
′
→

μ
+

μ
−

,

ν

μ
,
τ

ν
¯

μ
,
τ

at the LHC.
Quantum algorithm for Feynman loop integrals
Authors: Ramírez-Uribe Selomit , Rentería-Olivo Andrés E. , Rodrigo Germán , Sborlini German F. R. , Silva Luiz Vale
Published: May 2022

Abstract

We present a novel benchmark application of a quantum algorithm to Feynman loop integrals. The two on-shell states of a Feynman propagator are identified with the two states of a qubit and a quantum algorithm is used to unfold the causal singular configurations of multiloop Feynman diagrams. To identify such configurations, we exploit Grover’s algorithm for querying multiple solutions over unstructured datasets, which presents a quadratic speed-up over classical algorithms when the number of solutions is much smaller than the number of possible configurations. A suitable modification is introduced to deal with topologies in which the number of causal states to be identified is nearly half of the total number of states. The output of the quantum algorithm in IBM Quantum and QUTE Testbed simulators is used to bootstrap the causal representation in the loop-tree duality of representative multiloop topologies. The algorithm may also find application and interest in graph theory to solve problems involving directed acyclic graphs.
Chitosan–organosilica hybrid decorated with silver nanoparticles for antimicrobial wearable cotton fabrics
Authors: Aboelmagd Lamis Ahmed , Tolba Emad , AbdelAziz Zeinab Ahmed
Published: May 2022

Functional cotton fabrics using silver-based nanoparticles (AgNPs) have attracted a lot of attention as a new generation of healthcare wearable textile. In this study, cotton fabrics were coated via impregnation with silver nanoparticles using chitosan (Cs) and (or) chitosan–organosilica (Cs-OSH) solutions as adhesives matrices. The physicochemical properties were studied using UV–VIS spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscope coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy methods (SEM–EDX). The antibacterial activity of the silver-treated fabrics was determined using agar diffusion method. However, nanosize spherical AgNPs were observed in Cs and Cs-OSH solution. The average particle diameter was around 10 nm for Cs/AgNPs sample and close 21 nm for Cs-OSH/AgNPs. Microscopy images showed the deposition of Ag NPs on the surface of cotton fibers. The results indicated that the cotton fibers treated with Cs-OSH/AgNPs solution showed good stability against washing and maintained higher antimicrobial activity even after being exposed to 10 consecutive home laundering conditions. Thus, this work suggests the use of chitosan–organosilicon matrix to improve the bonding between AgNPs and cotton fibers for better and long-term antimicrobial activity.
Fast, accurate and robust registration of multiple depth sensors without need for RGB and IR images
Authors: Mühlenbrock Andre , Fischer Roland , Schröder-Dering Christoph , Weller René , Zachmann Gabriel
Published: May 2022

Registration is an essential prerequisite for many applications when a multiple-camera setup is used. Due to the noise in depth images, registration procedures for depth sensors frequently rely on the detection of a target object in color or infrared images. However, this prohibits use cases where color and infrared images are not available or where there is no mapping between the pixels of different image types, e.g., due to separate sensors or different projections. We present our novel registration method that requires only the point cloud resulting from the depth image of each camera. For feature detection, we propose a combination of a custom-designed 3D registration target and an algorithm that is able to reliably detect that target and its features in noisy point clouds. Our evaluation indicates that our lattice detection is very robust (with a precision of more than 0.99) and very fast (on average about 20 ms with a single core). We have also compared our registration method with known methods: Our registration method achieves an accuracy of 1.6 mm at a distance of 2 m using only the noisy depth image, while the most accurate registration method achieves an accuracy of 0.7 mm requiring both the infrared and depth image.
Quantification of gastric tube perfusion following esophagectomy using fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green
Authors: von Kroge Philipp , Russ Detlef , Wagner Jonas , Grotelüschen Rainer , Reeh Matthias , Izbicki Jakob R. , Mann Oliver , Wipper Sabine H. , Duprée Anna
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Anastomotic leakage (AL) remains a prevalent and life-threatening complication after esophagectomy. Gastric tube perfusion assessment using indocyanine green fluorescence imaging (ICG-FI) has been published in several studies and appears to be a promising tool to reduce AL rates by changing the surgical approach, namely by an intraoperative evaluation of the anastomosis localization.

Methods

In this study, gastric tube perfusion was quantified by using ICG-FI in 20 high-risk patients undergoing esophagectomy. From a time-dependent fluorescence intensity curve, the following three parameters were evaluated: slope of fluorescence intensity (SFI), background subtracted peak fluorescence intensity (BSFI), and time to slope (TTS).

Results

The values between pyloric region and tip showed a similar downward trend and SFI and BSFI significantly correlated with the distance to the pyloric region. SFI and BSFI were significantly decreased at the tip of the gastric tube. The placement of anastomosis in an area with homogenous fluorescence pattern was correlated with no AL in 92.9% of cases. An inhomogeneous fluorescence pattern at anastomotic site was a risk factor for the occurrence of an AL (p < 0.05). Reduction of perfusion up to 32% using SFI and up to 23% using BSFI was not associated with AL.

Conclusion

ICG-FI can be used to quantify the gastric tube perfusion by calculating SFI, BSFI, and TTS. The anastomosis should be created in areas with homogeneous fluorescence pattern. A reduction in blood flow of up to 32% can be accepted without causing an increased rate of insufficiency.
Rapid centralised randomisation in emergency setting trials using a smartphone
Authors: Badurdeen Shiraz , Hodgson Kate A. , Santomartino Georgia A. , Stevens Luke , Donath Susan , Roberts Calum T. , Manley Brett J. , Polglase Graeme R. , Hooper Stuart B. , Davis Peter G. , Blank Douglas A.
Published: May 2022

Randomised trials in emergency settings must quickly confirm eligibility and allocate participants to an intervention group without delaying treatment. We report rapid randomisation during two neonatal resuscitation trials using the non-commercial REDCap platform accessed via smartphone. This simple, reliable method has wide applicability for trials in emergency settings.

What is Known:• Randomised trials in emergency settings need to rapidly allocate participants to an intervention group.• This process should not delay treatment.

What is New:• This non-commercial, smartphone-accessible application enabled rapid, accurate randomisation at the bedside.• This has broad applicability for emergency setting trials.
The role of big data in network public opinion within the colleges and universities
Authors: Xu Bin , Liu Ying
Published: May 2022

The online public opinion of colleges and universities, which utilizes social opinion, is a type of college student’s individualism that exists on campus and is a societal hot concern. With the advancement of Internet skills and uses, public perception of the network has changed significantly in terms of data quantity, sophistication, and production speed. The current public opinion assessment and monitoring system is hard to adapt to the variations occurring in this situation. It must be created under the guise of big data investigation. Furthermore, with the use of social opinion by colleges and universities, the problem of online public opinion is becoming more serious. The academic community has also been very interested in the college's early warning research on online public opinion. This manuscript examines the role of big data in guiding network public opinion in colleges as well as in universities. It is based on the analysis of the current state of college online public opinion. Our proposed model builds multi-level and comprehensive guidance metrics for new media through dynamic monitoring. It will help colleges and universities prevent early warning, processing, and analysis of online public opinion. Besides, it will promote the professionalism of online public opinion management in colleges and universities accurately and effectively.
Positive personal resources and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: resilience, optimism, hope, courage, trait mindfulness, and self-efficacy in breast cancer patients and survivors
Authors: Chiesi Francesca , Vizza Deborah , Valente Moira , Bruno Rosy , Lau Chloe , Campagna Maria Rosita , Lo Iacono Melania , Bruno Francesco
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This study aims to understand the association between positive personal resources (i.e., optimism, hope, courage, trait mindfulness, and self-efficacy), resilience, and psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, stress) in women with breast cancer and breast cancer survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that personal positive resources can directly influence resilience, which in turn prevented psychological distress.

Methods

The research sample consisted of 409 Italian women (49% patients, 51% survivors) who were administered a questionnaire to assess positive resources, resiliency, and distress. structural equation model (SEM) analysis was carried out to confirm the hypothetical-theoretical model.

Results

Personal positive resources had a direct positive effect on resilience, which prevented from distress. These results were observed across cancer patients and survivors, and regardless the level of direct exposure to COVID-19.

Conclusions

In both patients and survivors, the relationships between positive personal resources, resilience, and psychological distress is strong enough to be not influenced by the level of exposure to COVID-19 and despite COVID-19 pandemic caused the disruption of active treatment plans and delays in routine check-ups.

Implications for cancer survivors

Implications of this study suggest the urgency to screen positive resources and to identify women with lower resilience and a potentially higher susceptibility to develop psychological distress. For these women, our findings suggest the implementation of psychological interventions that build resilience.
Use of mycophenolate mofetil in patients with pediatric and adult primary nephrotic syndrome: information from a Japanese hospital claims database
Authors: Funatogawa Takashi , Narita Yusuke , Tamura Aya , Mii Kazuma , Sugitani Yasuo , Uchida Tomoaki
Published: May 2022

Background

Current treatment for frequently relapsing, steroid-dependent, or steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome focuses on immunosuppressive therapies. Although the clinical guideline suggests the use of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), limited information is available on patients with primary nephrotic syndrome who receive off-label treatment with MMF in Japan.

Method

The dose, treatment duration, previous treatment, and characteristics of primary nephrotic syndrome patients receiving MMF were investigated using data from a Japanese hospital claims database (April 2008–September 2021).

Results

Data on 424 primary nephrotic syndrome patients receiving MMF (146 patients < 18 years old; 278 patients ≥ 18 years old) were captured. The most common initial daily doses of MMF capsules (% of patients < 18 and ≥ 18 years old) were 1000 mg (31.9%, 36.8%), 1500 mg (16.0%, 23.8%), and 500 mg (23.6%, 17.3%), and the most common maximum daily doses were 1000 mg (43.8%, 32.9%), 1500 mg (23.6%, 28.9%), and 2000 mg (6.3%, 16.2%). Most patients (97.9%, 99.3%) were treated with a daily dose of 2000 mg or less. Among patients < 18 years old, the younger the patient, the lower the dose. MMF was used for more than 1 year in 30.8% of patients < 18 years old and in 28.8% of patients ≥ 18 years old.

Conclusions

Our study suggested that off-label use of MMF for primary nephrotic syndrome has increased since 2012 in Japan. The dose of MMF used in patients with primary nephrotic syndrome was generally within the approved dose range for lupus nephritis and transplant-related diseases in Japan.
Alarm Technologies to Wake Sleeping People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Authors: Smedberg Erik , Ronchi Enrico , Hutchison Victoria
Published: May 2022

Traditional fire alarms emit a high-frequency sound to alert the occupants of an imminent threat, which may be less appropriate for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. To address this issue, the scientific literature concerning alternative alarm technologies has been reviewed to evaluate their effectiveness in awakening people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The results show that low-frequency alarms, bed shakers and/or pillow shakers seem to be the most reliable existing technologies for this group of people. The main codes and standards relevant to these technologies have also been screened. This highlighted that a new standard for alarm technologies incorporating tactile signals might be needed. In addition, this paper presents the responses of 36 people who were deaf or hard of hearing participating to a survey in which their experiences and preferences in relation to fire alarm technologies were investigated. While some technologies have been identified in the literature as potentially effective, the survey responses indicate that people who are deaf or hard of hearing do not necessarily use them.
Perceived Changes of Attitudes and Behaviors of Seventh-Day Adventists During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey in Germany
Authors: Büssing Arndt , Recchia Daniela Rodrigues , Starck Lorethy , van Treeck Klaus
Published: May 2022

To analyze which pandemic related changes of attitudes and behaviors were perceived by Seventh-day Adventists (SDA) and how these relate to wellbeing, a cross-sectional survey with standardized questionnaires was performed. Participants (n = 1,494) stated changes for Relationships, Digital media usage and Nature/Silence/Contemplation, but not for Spirituality or Reflection of life. Best predictors of psychological wellbeing (WHO-5) were Spiritual wellbeing, perceived Restrictions and Awe/Gratitude (R2 = .32). Mediation analyses (R2 = 0.51) revealed a mediation effect of Awe/Gratitude between spiritual to psychological wellbeing (β = 0.11, p < 0.0001). Perceived changes were less relevant to buffer the negative effects of the pandemic; instead, they were related to fears of future. More relevant to stabilize SDAs´ wellbeing was their spirituality.
Perpetual American Double Lookback Options on Drawdowns and Drawups with Floating Strikes
Authors: Gapeev Pavel V.
Published: May 2022

We present closed-form solutions to the problems of pricing of the perpetual American double lookback put and call options on the maximum drawdown and the maximum drawup with floating strikes in the Black-Merton-Scholes model. It is shown that the optimal exercise times are the first times at which the underlying risky asset price process reaches some lower or upper stochastic boundaries depending on the current values of its running maximum or minimum as well as the maximum drawdown or maximum drawup. The proof is based on the reduction of the original double optimal stopping problems to the appropriate sequences of single optimal stopping problems for the three-dimensional continuous Markov processes. The latter problems are solved as the equivalent free-boundary problems by means of the smooth-fit and normal-reflection conditions for the value functions at the optimal stopping boundaries and the edges of the three-dimensional state spaces. We show that the optimal exercise boundaries are determined as either the unique solutions of the associated systems of arithmetic equations or the minimal and maximal solutions of the appropriate first-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations.
Multidimensional frailty and quality of life: data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Authors: Veronese Nicola , Noale Marianna , Cella Alberto , Custodero Carlo , Smith Lee , Barbagelata Marina , Maggi Stefania , Barbagallo Mario , Sabbà Carlo , Ferrucci Luigi , Pilotto Alberto
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Frailty has been found to be associated with poor quality of life (QoL) in older people, but data available are limited to cross-sectional studies. We therefore aimed to assess the association between multidimensional frailty, determined by Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI), with mortality and good QoL expectancy (GQoLE) in a large representative sample of older adults, over 10 years of follow-up.

Methods

In the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, using the data from 2004–2005 and 2014–2015, MPI was calculated using a weighted score of domains of comprehensive geriatric assessment, i.e., number of difficulties in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL, depressive symptoms, number of medical conditions, body mass index, physical activity level, and social aspects. Mortality was assessed using administrative data, GQoLE indicators were used for longitudinal changes in QoL.

Results

6244 Participants (mean age 71.8 years, 44.5% males) were followed up for 10 years. After adjusting for potential confounders, compared to people in the MPI low-risk group, people in the moderate (hazard ratio, HR = 4.27; 95% confidence interval, CI 3.55–5.14) and severe-risk group (HR = 10.3; 95% CI 7.88–13.5) experienced a significantly higher mortality rate. During the follow-up period, people in the moderate and severe-risk groups reported lower GQoLE values than their counterparts, independently from age and gender.

Conclusions

Multidimensional frailty was associated with a higher risk of mortality and significantly lower GQoLE, suggesting that the multifactorial nature of frailty is associated not only with mortality, but also poor QoL.
Embedded Nano Relay for Intra-Body Network-Based Molecular Communications
Authors: Abd El-atty Saied M. , Bidar Reda , El-Rabaie El-Sayed M.
Published: May 2022

We propose an embedded synthetic relay transport protein (RTP) approach for communication between the external environment (blood vessels) and internal targeted nanonetworks (cells/tissues) within the intra-body network. In fact, we designed a bioengineered relay protein-based facilitated diffusing to be an alternative protein in the case of biological transport proteins (such as protein channels, e.g. Pores) failing. The proposed approach is inspired by the traditional wireless communication system-based relay concept, in which embedded nanodevices known as donor, relay, and acceptor bionanomachine construct a molecular communication system. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer nanocommunications are used to connect the embedded bionanomachines, and the therapeutic drug is transferred in the form of exciton. The performance analysis of the proposed approach is evaluated in terms of channel capacity of RTP as function of intrinsic environmental parameters and the location of the relay between the donor, and acceptor bionanomachines. The numerical results show that the proposed approach improves channel capacity by 16.7% over previous work.
Generalised exponential-Gaussian distribution: a method for neural reaction time analysis
Authors: Marmolejo-Ramos Fernando , Barrera-Causil Carlos , Kuang Shenbing , Fazlali Zeinab , Wegener Detlef , Kneib Thomas , De Bastiani Fernanda , Martinez-Flórez Guillermo
Published: May 2022

Reaction times (RTs) are an essential metric used for understanding the link between brain and behaviour. As research is reaffirming the tight coupling between neuronal and behavioural RTs, thorough statistical modelling of RT data is thus essential to enrich current theories and motivate novel findings. A statistical distribution is proposed herein that is able to model the complete RT’s distribution, including location, scale and shape: the generalised-exponential-Gaussian (GEG) distribution. The GEG distribution enables shifting the attention from traditional means and standard deviations to the entire RT distribution. The mathematical properties of the GEG distribution are presented and investigated via simulations. Additionally, the GEG distribution is featured via four real-life data sets. Finally, we discuss how the proposed distribution can be used for regression analyses via generalised additive models for location, scale and shape (GAMLSS).