bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Arc routing problems: A review of the past, present, and future
Authors: Corberán Ángel , Eglese Richard , Hasle Geir , Plana Isaac , Sanchis José María
Published: June 2020

Arc routing problems (ARPs) are defined and introduced. Following a brief history of developments in this area of research, different types of ARPs are described that are currently relevant for study. In addition, particular features of ARPs that are important from a theoretical or practical point of view are discussed. A section on applications describes some of the changes that have occurred from early applications of ARP models to the present day and points the way to emerging topics for study. A final section provides information on libraries and instance repositories for ARPs. The review concludes with some perspectives on future research developments and opportunities for emerging applications.
Predicting needlestick and sharps injuries in nursing students: Development of the SNNIP scale
Authors: Bagnasco Annamaria , Zanini Milko , Catania Gianluca , Watson Roger , Hayter Mark , Dasso Nicoletta , Dini Guglielmo , Agodi Antonella , Pasquarella Cesira , Zotti Carla Maria , Durando Paolo , Sasso Loredana
Published: June 2020

Aim

To develop an instrument to investigate knowledge and predictive factors of needlestick and sharps injuries (NSIs) in nursing students during clinical placements.

Design

Instrument development and cross‐sectional study for psychometric testing.

Methods

A self‐administered instrument including demographic data, injury epidemiology and predictive factors of NSIs was developed between October 2018–January 2019. Content validity was assessed by a panel of experts. The instrument's factor structure and discriminant validity were explored using principal components analysis. The STROBE guidelines were followed.

Results

Evidence of content validity was found (S‐CVI 0.75; I‐CVI 0.50–1.00). A three‐factor structure was shown by exploratory factor analysis. Of the 238 participants, 39% had been injured at least once, of which 67.3% in the second year. Higher perceptions of “personal exposure” (4.06, SD 3.78) were reported by third‐year students. Higher scores for “perceived benefits” of preventive behaviours (13.6, SD 1.46) were reported by second‐year students.
Nanosilicon stabilized with ligands: Effect of high‐energy electron beam on luminescent properties
Authors: Aslanov Leonid A. , Zaytsev Vladimir B. , Zakharov Valery N. , Kudryavtsev Igor K. , Senyavin Vladimir M. , Lagov Petr B. , Pavlov Yuri S.
Published: June 2020

Silicon nanopowders with nitrogen heterocyclic carbene (NHC) and butyl as stabilizing ligands were synthesized by bottom up chemical methods. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to obtain nanoparticle size distribution with 1.8–2.5 mm average diameter. Optical characteristics (photoluminescence and infrared (IR) absorption spectra) of samples were investigated as fabricated and on different steps of irradiation by high‐energy 7‐MeV electrons. The photoluminescence (PL) spectral changes are slightly different for two cases, but in general, we can see a decrease in luminescence amplitude with fluence growth up to 1.2·1016 cm−2, mainly for NHC stabilized nanosilicon. Main mechanisms of radiation‐induced changes in nanosilicon sample optical properties are discussed by the joint use of PL and IR spectra analysis.
Evolution and prospects of the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) package ecosystem
Authors: Mora‐Cantallops Marçal , Sicilia Miguel‐Ángel , García‐Barriocanal Elena , Sánchez‐Alonso Salvador
Published: June 2020

Free and open source software package ecosystems have existed for a long time, but such collaborative development practice has surged in recent years. One of the oldest and most popular package ecosystems is Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN), the repository of packages of the statistical language R, a popular statistical computing environment. CRAN stores a large number of packages that are updated regularly and depend on many other packages in a complex graph of relations. As the repository grows, its sustainability could be threatened by that complexity or nonuniform evolution of some packages. This paper provides an empirical analysis of the evolution of the CRAN repository in the last 20 years, considering the laws of software evolution and the effect of CRAN's policies on such development. Results show how the progress of CRAN is consistent with the laws of continuous growth and change and how there seems to be a relevant increase in complexity in recent years. Significant challenges are raising related to the scale and scope of software package managers and the services they provide; understanding how they change over time and what might endanger their sustainability are key factors for their future improvement, maintenance, policies, and, eventually, sustainability of the ecosystem.
Team‐external coordination in large‐scale software development projects
Authors: Sablis Aivars , Smite Darja , Moe Nils
Published: June 2020

High‐quality work is said to depend on team abilities. However, teams working in large‐scale projects often do not have all expertise to complete their tasks, which are also highly interdependent. Therefore, teams need to rely on coordination with other teams, experts, and supporting roles. In this paper, we explore teams' coordination needs and evaluate the impact of the satisfaction of these needs on team performance. We conducted an embedded multicase study with nine teams in two projects in two companies. We collected qualitative data through nine focus groups and 19 interviews and quantitative data using a questionnaire with 49 members from the studied teams. Our results suggest that project‐, team‐, and task‐related characteristics impact teams' coordination needs. Even in the same project, teams may have different expertise and work coordination needs. We found that the satisfaction of these needs seems to influence teams' performance, although our results are inconclusive and yield a closer look in future research. On the basis of our findings, we recommend the companies to cultivate a networking culture and support teams external coordination with other teams and experts, paying attention to their needs, for example, driven by a lack of experience or increased work complexity.
Exploring the Millimeter Sky
Authors: Kellermann Kenneth I. , Bouton Ellen N. , Brandt Sierra S.
Published: June 2020

In 1962, Frank Drake recruited Texas Instruments physicist Frank Low to come to Green Bank to develop bolometer receiver systems for use at millimeter wavelengths. Under Low’s leadership, NRAO contracted with the Rohr Corporation to manufacture a 36 Foot Telescope designed for use at wavelengths as short as 1 mm. To minimize the effects of tropospheric water vapor, NRAO located the telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona. Fabrication errors led to long delays, and before the 36 Foot Telescope was finished, Low left NRAO to join the University of Arizona, where he could pursue his interests in infrared astronomy. Low’s bolometers never reached the anticipated sensitivity at 1 mm, and manufacturing errors limited the performance of the 36 Foot dish. However, the unanticipated discovery of powerful 2.6 mm radio emission from interstellar carbon monoxide (CO), and later from other molecular species, led to a greatly increased interest in millimeter astronomy. Despite many technical and administrative concerns, the 36 Foot Telescope became the most oversubscribed NRAO telescope. In 1983, NRAO replaced the faulty 36 Foot dish with a more precise 12 Meter surface. Arguably, the 36 Foot/12 Meter telescope became the most productive instrument in the world for millimeter spectroscopy until it was eclipsed by more powerful facilities both in the US and abroad.
Growing Pains
Authors: Kellermann Kenneth I. , Bouton Ellen N. , Brandt Sierra S.
Published: June 2020

The search for the director of NRAO turned out to be unexpectedly difficult, as various astronomers turned down offers, citing the remoteness of the Green Bank site and the need to give up their own research programs. Finally, in 1959, Otto Struve, a distinguished optical astronomer and member of AUI’s Search Committee, agreed to take on the job. But in 1961 both he and AUI President Lloyd Berkner resigned. I.I. Rabi, the new AUI President, appointed Australian Joe Pawsey as NRAO director, but due to a fatal illness he never served, and in 1962, Dave Heeschen became the new NRAO Director.
Is Anyone Out There?
Authors: Kellermann Kenneth I. , Bouton Ellen N. , Brandt Sierra S.
Published: June 2020

In the shadows of the struggles surrounding the construction of the 140 Foot Radio Telescope, Frank Drake, NRAO’s newest and youngest scientist, carried out a small observing project to detect radio signals from nearby stars that would indicate the present of extraterrestrial intelligent life. Naming his program “Project Ozma,” after the mythical princess of the Land of Oz, Drake observed two nearby stars, Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani. This project, the first modern Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), captured the imagination of the public and scientific communities alike. In the following decades, other investigators initiated a variety of SETI programs of ever-increasing capability at NRAO and elsewhere. NASA began a major SETI program, but it became mired in controversy over whether searching for intelligent life in the Universe is a proper scientific pursuit or should be relegated to the realm of science fiction. While no confirmable evidence for extraterrestrial intelligent life has yet been found, the discovery of the widespread existence of other planetary systems combined with the vastly improved sensitivity of radio telescopes has reinvigorated SETI research, and the exciting promise of detection continues to attract the attention of new generations of astronomers and the public.
The Very Large Array
Authors: Kellermann Kenneth I. , Bouton Ellen N. , Brandt Sierra S.
Published: June 2020

Starting in 1961, NRAO scientists began the process of designing a radio telescope that could make images with an angular resolution comparable to the best optical telescopes operating from a good mountain site. In 1967, the Observatory submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the construction of the Very Large Array (VLA). The VLA proposal was for 36, later reduced to 27, fully steerable 25 meter diameter antennas spread over an area some 35 km in diameter. However, there was a competing, much simpler and much cheaper proposal from Caltech for an 8 element array of 130 foot dishes. Several NSF review committees praised the VLA concept but indicated that it was too ambitious, and recommended that NRAO further study the VLA design, and that construction of the Caltech array should begin immediately. Following a confrontational battle among proponents of the NRAO and Caltech arrays, as well as a competing proposal for a 440 foot radome-enclosed antenna proposed by an MIT-Harvard led consortium, support of the VLA by the 1970 National Academy decadal review of astronomy led to approval of its construction.
Evaluating Data Journeys: Climategate, Synthetic Data and the Benchmarking of Methods for Climate Data Processing
Authors: Parker Wendy S.
Published: June 2020

This chapter concerns the benchmarking of methods used to process data in climate science. It explores the nature and value of benchmarking in this context by examining an ongoing initiative – the International Surface Temperature Initiative (ISTI) – that is developing a public databank of temperature observations as well as a system for benchmarking the methods that databank users employ to further process the data. Interestingly, the benchmarking system will make use of “synthetic data” generated with the help of computer simulation models. It is argued here that the benchmarking system has crucial scientific and gatekeeping roles to play in the context of ISTI. It is further suggested that, once we appreciate how synthetic data are to be produced and used by ISTI, we uncover yet another variety of what Paul Edwards (A vast machine: computer models, climate data, and the politics of global warming. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2010) has described as “model-data symbiosis” in the practice of climate science.
Radiocarbon Dating in Archaeology: Triangulation and Traceability
Authors: Wylie Alison
Published: June 2020

When radiocarbon dating techniques were applied to archaeological material in the 1950s they were hailed as a revolution. At last archaeologists could construct absolute chronologies anchored in temporal data backed by immutable laws of physics. This would make it possible to mobilize archaeological data across regions and time-periods on a global scale, rendering obsolete the local and relative chronologies on which archaeologists had long relied. As profound as the impact of14C dating has been, it has had a long and tortuous history now described as proceeding through three revolutions, each of which addresses distinct challenges of capturing, processing and packaging radiogenic data for use in resolving chronological puzzles with which archaeologists has long wrestled. In practice, mobilizing radiogenic data for archaeological use is a hard-won achievement; it involves multiple transformations that, at each step of the way, depend upon a diverse array of technical expertise and background knowledge. I focus on strategies of triangulation and traceability that establish the integrity of these data and their relevance as anchors for evidential reasoning in archaeology.
Data Journeys in Art? Warranting and Witnessing the ‘Fake’ and the ‘Real’ in Art Authentication
Authors: Coopmans Catelijne , Rappert Brian
Published: June 2020

This chapter approaches questions about data and data journeys by examining demonstrations of fakery and expertise in popular accounts by forgers and their pursuers. We examine how relations between tellers and audiences are configured – who can be trusted, and what can be relied on when it comes to knowing the real from the forged. The various ambivalences regarding the nature of art, of perception, and of expertise, as well as the ways in which moves and techniques (re)produce the expert-teller in fraught conditions, bring a shiftiness to the constitution of data and evidence in this domain. Taking our cue from STS scholarship on the fixation and circulation of visual evidence in scientific practice, we discuss moves and techniques that point to (particular) features of a work of art to resolve authenticity questions, as well as those that point away from and negate features. More though, at stake in the case of forgery is not just how individual objects get rendered discernible, but also whether there is anything to discern at all. This chapter examines how experts find a place to stand as they account for the potentially unfaithful objects under their care.
A Data Journey Through Dataset-Centric Population Genomics
Authors: Griesemer James
Published: June 2020

I describe a data journey drawn from a case study of research in human population genomics. The case is framed in dialogue with a project on what has been called the “re-situation” of scientific knowledge (Morgan 2014). The kind of journey described elicits a missing concept—“dataset-centric” biology—in the conversation around the emergence of “big data” and data-centric biology (Leonelli 2016) and its contrast, “traditional” or “small data” biology. I distinguish datapoint-centric from dataset-centric practices. The case study is about the development, use, and amendment of data sets in one lab’s pursuit of human genome diversity studies. I offer a model of data journeys to interpret the case. The model is comprised of three kinds of components: scientific data structures, data representations, and data journey narratives. The case study illustrates two visualizations that frame the dataset journey.
A History of Payment by Results: Lowe’s Code (1862) and the Browne Report (2010)
Authors: Bulaitis Zoe Hope
Published: June 2020

This chapter establishes a history of the Payment by Results approach in policymaking, first established in the Revised Code of Education, known as Lowe’s Code (1862), and recently re-introduced in the reforms of the Browne Report (2010). Explaining how educational policy was first economised in England between 1858 and 1888 through explicit government intervention, provides a previously absent history of how economism operates within the very processes of governance. Critical interpretation of the Browne Report reveals its interest in fulfilling a national skills deficit as opposed to the cultivating well-rounded citizens. This chapter also observes how the prioritisation of individualism in higher education raises the potential for liberal values to be reinstated in the direct relationship between the university and individual students.
Impact and the Humanities: The Rise of Accountability in Public Cultural Life
Authors: Bulaitis Zoe Hope
Published: June 2020

This chapter scrutinises the rise of the impact criterion within research assessment and places it within a wider context of market-led cultural policy (1980–90s). Specifically, the chapter addresses the impact agenda of the 2014 REF by drawing upon a wider context of accountability in public museums. The discussion of the public museum demonstrates how, since the nineteenth century, cultural values are configured within a framework of national interests and regulated through mechanisms of accountability and assessment of public impact. The chapter draws from critical scholarship in the field of museology in order to provide a language with which humanities scholars can address the contemporary changes facing research assessment culture in higher education.
Conclusion
Authors: Bulaitis Zoe Hope
Published: June 2020

The conclusion summarises the key findings of each chapter and reflects on the future research required in understanding the place of the humanities in higher education, from explorations of student perceptions of value, interrogations of new hybrid subjects such as the medical humanities and the creative industries, to better sharing knowledge concerning global changes to the value of education through engagement with diverse local contexts. The conclusion to ‘Value and the Humanities’ calls upon scholars to engage in articulations of value that reflect their disciplines. In the present moment, with the rise of populist thinking, this book concludes with the acknowledgement of the vital need for the reinvigoration of articulations of value.
Scope and Objective of This Study
Authors: Kaufmann-Kohler Gabrielle , Potestà Michele
Published: June 2020

The objective of this study is to examine the multiple intersections between national and international courts in the field of investment protection, and to suggest possible modes for regulating jurisdictional interactions between domestic courts and international tribunals going forward. It seeks to contribute not only to the legal analysis, but also to the policy reflections that are necessarily linked to the ongoing initiatives for the reform of investor-State dispute settlement.
Why Investment Arbitration and Not Domestic Courts? The Origins of the Modern Investment Dispute Resolution System, Criticism, and Future Outlook
Authors: Kaufmann-Kohler Gabrielle , Potestà Michele
Published: June 2020

This chapter reviews the existing criticism of investor-State dispute settlement in relation to the role of domestic courts. In essence, this criticism contends that the IIA investment arbitration regime does not account for situations in which domestic courts offer adequate access to justice and discriminates against domestic investors by granting only (certain) foreign investors a privileged procedural track. In order to place such criticism in a broader context, the study provides an overview of the historical, economic, and political reasons that underpin the creation of the current investment dispute settlement system and discusses whether these motivations still justify the existence of an international system of investment dispute resolution, whether in the form of arbitration or standing adjudicatory bodies.
Constructive Hybrid Games
Authors: Bohrer Rose , Platzer André
Published: June 2020

Hybrid games combine discrete, continuous, and adversarial dynamics. Differential game logic ("Equation missing") enables proving (classical) existence of winning strategies. We introduce constructive differential game logic () for hybrid games, where proofs that a player can win the game correspond to computable winning strategies. This constitutes the logical foundation for synthesis of correct control and monitoring code for safety-critical cyber-physical systems. Our contributions include novel semantics as well as soundness and consistency.
Towards $$ \overline{B}\to {X}_s\gamma $$ at the NNLO in QCD without interpolation in mc
Authors: Misiak Miko-laj , Rehman Abdur , Steinhauser Matthias
Published: June 2020

Abstract

Strengthening constraints on new physics from the

$$ \overline{B}\to {X}_s\gamma $$

B
¯

→

X
s

γ

branching ratio requires improving accuracy in the measurements and the Standard Model predictions. To match the expected Belle-II accuracy, Next-to-Next-to-Leading Order (NNLO) QCD corrections must be calculated without the so-far employed interpolation in the charm- quark mass m

c
. In the process of evaluating such corrections at the physical value of mc, we have finalized the part coming from diagrams with closed fermion loops on the gluon lines that contribute to the interference of the current-current and photonic dipole operators. We confirm several published results for corrections of this type, and supplement them with a previously uncalculated piece. Taking into account the recently improved estimates of non-perturbative contributions, we find ℬ
sγ
= (3.40±0.17)×10
−4 and R

γ

≡

$$ {\mathrm{\mathcal{B}}}_{\left(s+d\right)\gamma }/{\mathrm{\mathcal{B}}}_{c\mathrm{\ell}\overline{v}} $$

ℬ

s
+
d

γ

/

ℬ

c
ℓ

v
¯

= (3.35 ± 0.16) × 10
−3 for E

γ

> 1.6 GeV in the decaying meson rest frame.
$$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 1 conformal duals of gauged En MN models
Authors: Razamat Shlomo S. , Zafrir Gabi
Published: June 2020

Abstract

We suggest three new

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1 conformal dual pairs. First, we argue that the

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 2 E
6 Minahan-Nemeschansky (MN) theory with a USp(4) subgroup of the E
6 global symmetry conformally gauged with an

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1 vector multiplet and certain additional chiral multiplet matter resides at some cusp of the conformal manifold of an SU(2)5 quiver gauge theory. Second, we argue that the

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 2 E
7 MN theory with an SU(2) subgroup of the E
7 global symmetry conformally gauged with an

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1 vector multiplet and certain additional chiral multiplet matter resides at some cusp of the conformal manifold of a conformal

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1 USp(4) gauge theory. Finally, we claim that the

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 2 E
8 MN theory with a USp(4) subgroup of the E
8 global symmetry conformally gauged with an

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1 vector multiplet and certain additional chiral multiplet matter resides at some cusp of the conformal manifold of an

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1 Spin(7) conformal gauge theory. We argue for the dualities using a variety of non-perturbative techniques including anomaly and index computations. The dualities can be viewed as

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1 analogues of

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 2 Argyres-Seiberg/Argyres-Wittig duals of the E

n
MN models. We also briefly comment on an

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1 version of the Schur limit of the superconformal index.
Disk, interval, point: on constructions of quantum field theories with holomorphic action functionals
Authors: Ishtiaque Nafiz , Yagi Junya
Published: June 2020

Abstract

Bosonic quantum field theories with holomorphic action functionals are realized by two types of constructions involving supersymmetric quantum field theories, compactified on an interval in one type and compactified on a disk and deformed in the other. We establish the equivalence between the two types of constructions by reducing the disk to the interval and the interval to a point. As examples, we discuss constructions of zero-dimensional gauged sigma model, gauged quantum mechanics, gauged symplectic bosons in two dimensions, and Chern-Simons theory and its higher-dimensional variants.
One sixth of primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions may undergo reoperation due to complications or new injuries within 2 years
Authors: Lord Lise , Cristiani Riccardo , Edman Gunnar , Forssblad Magnus , Stålman Anders
Published: June 2020

Purpose

To analyse the incidence, types and risk factors for reoperation within 2 years of primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Methods

Our clinic registry was used to identify primary ACLRs, performed from 2005 to 2015, and reoperations performed on the ipsilateral knee within 2 years at our institution. Reoperations were identified using procedural codes and analysis of medical records. A logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate risk factors for reoperation.

Results

A total of 6030 primary ACLRs were included. A total of 1112 (18.4%) reoperations performed on 1018 (16.9%) primary ACLRs were identified. The most common reoperations were screw removal (n = 282, 4.7%), meniscus procedures (n = 238, 3.9%), cyclops removal/notchplasty (n = 222, 3.7%) and reoperations due to graft rupture (n = 146, 2.4%), including revision ACLR. Age < 30 years (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.37–1.80; P < 0.001), female gender (OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.17–1.51; P < 0.001), medial meniscus repair (OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.23–1.97; P < 0.001), lateral meniscus resection (OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.07–1.49; P = 0.005) and lateral meniscus repair (OR 1.38; 95% CI 1.03–1.85; P = 0.02) at primary ACLR were found to be risk factors for reoperation.

Conclusion

One sixth of all primary ACLRs underwent reoperation due to complications or new injuries within 2 years. The most common reoperations were screw removal, meniscus procedures, cyclops removal/notchplasty and reoperations due to graft rupture, including revision ACLR. Younger age (< 30 years), female gender, medial meniscus repair and lateral meniscus resection or repair at primary ACLR were associated with an increased risk of reoperation. This study provides clinicians with important data to inform patients about the short-term reoperation rates, the most common reoperation procedures and risk factors for reoperation after primary ACLR.

Level of evidence

III.
Randomized controlled trial of single incision versus conventional multiport laparoscopic cholecystectomy with long-term follow-up
Authors: Klein Denis , Barutcu Atakan Görkem , Kröll Dino , Kilian Maik , Pratschke Johann , Raakow Roland , Raakow Jonas
Published: June 2020

Background

Within the last years, single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SLC) emerged as an alternative to multiport laparoscopic cholecystectomy (MLC). SLC has advantages in cosmetic results, and postoperative pain seems lower. Overall complications are comparable between SLC and MLC. However, long-term results of randomized trials are lacking, notably to answer questions about incisional hernia rates, long-term cosmetic impact and chronic pain.

Methods

A randomized trial of SLC versus MLC with a total of 193 patients between December 2009 and June 2011 was performed. The primary endpoint was postoperative pain on the first day after surgery. Secondary endpoints were conversion rate, operative time, intraoperative and postoperative morbidity, technical feasibility and hospital stay. A long-term follow-up after surgery was added.

Results

Ninety-eight patients (50.8%) underwent SLC, and 95 patients (49.2%) had MLC. Pain on the first postoperative day showed no difference between the operative procedures (SLC vs. MLC, 3.4 ± 1.8 vs. 3.7 ± 1.9, respectively; p = 0.317). No significant differences were observed in operating time or the overall rate of postoperative complications (4.1% vs. 3.2%; p = 0.731). SLC exhibited better cosmetic results in the short term. In the long term, after a mean of 70.4 months, there were no differences in incisional hernia rate, cosmetic results or pain at the incision between the two groups.

Conclusions

Taking into account a follow-up rate of 68%, the early postoperative advantages of SLC in relation to cosmetic appearance and pain did not persist in the long term. In the present trial, there was no difference in incisional hernia rates between SLC and MLC, but the sample size is too small for a final conclusion regarding hernia rates.

Trial registration

German Registry of Clinical Trials DRKS00012447
Painful and painless mutations of SCN9A and SCN11A voltage-gated sodium channels
Authors: Baker Mark D. , Nassar Mohammed A.
Published: June 2020

Chronic pain is a global problem affecting up to 20% of the world’s population and has a significant economic, social and personal cost to society. Sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) detect noxious stimuli and transmit this sensory information to regions of the central nervous system (CNS) where activity is perceived as pain. DRG neurons express multiple voltage-gated sodium channels that underlie their excitability. Research over the last 20 years has provided valuable insights into the critical roles that two channels, NaV1.7 and NaV1.9, play in pain signalling in man. Gain of function mutations in NaV1.7 cause painful conditions while loss of function mutations cause complete insensitivity to pain. Only gain of function mutations have been reported for NaV1.9. However, while most NaV1.9 mutations lead to painful conditions, a few are reported to cause insensitivity to pain. The critical roles these channels play in pain along with their low expression in the CNS and heart muscle suggest they are valid targets for novel analgesic drugs.
Adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy among breast cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of the qualitative literature using grounded theory
Authors: AlOmeir Othman , Patel Nilesh , Donyai Parastou
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Numerous studies have examined non-adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy in women recovering from breast cancer, but none provides a comprehensive theory to explain the challenges of long-term medication taking and resilience needed to continue. The aim of this study was to source, appraise, and synthesize data from existing qualitative studies to develop an in-depth explanatory model of non-adherence and discontinuation of hormonal medication among breast cancer survivors.

Methods

A comprehensive search of databases and the literature identified 24 eligible qualitative studies published 2010–2019. Quotations (n = 801) listed within these papers and the original author interpretations were synthesized using NVivo, and grounded theory methodology.

Results

At the beginning, knowledge about adjuvant endocrine therapy, trust in doctors, and worries and expectations, mean agreeing to medication is the only viable option, akin to a Hobson’s choice. Thereafter, women’s ability to deal with medication side-effects, knowledge and support received affect their decision to continue, akin to a horned dilemma where giving up the medication risks cancer recurrence and continuing means reduced contentment. Women stopping medication altogether question treatment necessity, search for normalcy and prioritize quality of life.

Conclusion

Shared experiences and understandings were uncovered by examining commonalities in existing publications. The core category explained the difficulties women face with the initial decision to accept long-term endocrine therapy and then the everyday challenges of continuing or deciding to stop treatment early. An educational tool to inform survivors and health professionals about these challenges could potentially improve women’s experience on treatment and in turn their adherence.
Few-Body Bound States and Resonances in Finite Volume
Authors: König Sebastian
Published: June 2020

Since the pioneering work of Lüscher in the 1980s it is well known that considering quantum systems in finite volume, specifically, finite periodic boxes, can be used as a powerful computational tool to extract physical observables. While this formalism has been worked out in great detail in the two-body sector, much effort is currently being invested into deriving analogous relations for systems with more constituents. This work is relevant not only for nuclear physics, where lattice methods are now able to calculate few- and many-nucleon states, but also for other fields such as simulations of cold atoms. This article discusses recent progress regarding the extraction of few-body bound-state and resonance properties from finite-volume calculations of systems with an arbitrary number of constituents.
Staging more important than grading? Evaluation of malignancy grading, depth of invasion, and resection margins in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Wunschel Michael , Neumeier Miriam , Utpatel Kirsten , Reichert Torsten E. , Ettl Tobias , Spanier Gerrit
Published: June 2020

Objectives

The present study evaluated the predictive value of staging and grading parameters concerning the presence of lymph-node metastases, overall survival (OS), and relapse-free survival (RFS) of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Materials and methods

HE-stains of 135 surgically treated (R0) primary OSCCs were analyzed using a both microscopic and software-based approach. Depth of invasion (DOI) and resection margins (RM) were measured, and each case was graded according to the malignancy grading system as described by Anneroth et al. and Bryne et al. on two different sites of the tumor (surface and invasion front; TS and IF).

Results

Parameters that could be identified as significant predictors of OS and RFS were UICC cancer stage (p = 0.009 andp = 0.012); pT-stage as defined in the 7th edition (p = 0.029 and 0.015) and, after restaging using DOI, 8th edition (p = 0.023 andp = 0.005) of the TNM classification of malignant tumors; the presence of lymphonodular metastases (LM) (p = 0.004 andp = 0.011); degree of keratinization (p = 0.029 andp = 0.042); and pattern of growth (p = 0.029 andp = 0.024) at the TS after applying a binary scale for both parameters. Also, when directly comparing the most extreme subgroups (scores 1 and 4) of lymphoplasmacytic infiltration at the IF, there was a significant difference in OS (p = 0.046) and RFS (p = 0.005). Invasion of blood vessels (p = 0.013) and perineural invasion (p = 0.023) were significantly associated with a lower OS. Age lower than 60 years (univariatep = 0.029, multivariatep = 0.031), infiltration of lymphatic vessels (p = 0.003), infiltration of nerves (p = 0.010), pT-stage (8th edition) (p = 0.014), degree of keratinization at the IF (p = 0.033), and nuclear polymorphism at the IF (p = 0.043) after conversion to a binary scale were found to be significant prognostic parameters regarding the presence of LM. DOI evolved as a significant predictor for OS (p = 0.006), RFS (p = 0.003), and LM (p = 0.032) in metric and grouped analysis.

Conclusions

The current evaluation revealed depth of invasion as strongest histologic predictor of metastatic tumor growth, overall survival, and relapse-free survival in OSCC, confirming the current adaption of the T-classification. Other distinct histologic grading parameters investigated during this study can give valuable indications of a tumor’s potential aggressiveness, but the exact site, mode, and procedure need further exploration.

Clinical relevance

Integrating measurement of DOI also into the pretherapeutic staging process could aid in treatment planning.
Definition of a coefficient to evaluate a moving contact pattern in planetary gearboxes
Authors: Fingerle Andreas , Otto Michael , Stahl Karsten
Published: June 2020

Planetary gearboxes are often used for their high power density. Designs featuring a rotating carrier are popular because of their high gear ratio and potentially good efficiency. Especially in bigger constructions as in wind turbine gearboxes, it has been observed that the contact pattern moves in the width direction while the carrier rotates. This may lead to higher damage on the tooth flanks or reduced lifetime of the planet bearings underneath the mesh due to oscillating loads. The main influences on this phenomenon have yet to be investigated and no characteristic value has been defined to describe the moving contact pattern. It is only with this type of coefficient that the complex results of contact analysis can be evaluated clearly so that disadvantageous constructions can be distinguished from better ones. Therefore in this paper a coefficient to evaluate moving contact pattern is defined and used in a theoretical study about the influence of a radially displaced sun shaft on the contact pattern movement.
Quantitative cost comparison of on-premise and cloud infrastructure based EEG data processing
Authors: Juhasz Zoltan
Published: June 2020

High-density, high-sampling rate EEG measurements generate large amounts of measurement data. When coupled with sophisticated processing methods, this presents a storage, computation and system management challenge for research groups and clinical units. Commercial cloud providers offer remote storage and on-demand compute infrastructure services that seem ideal for outsourcing the usually burst-like EEG processing workflow execution. There is little available guidance, however, on whether or when users should migrate to the cloud. The objective of this paper is to investigate the factors that determine the costs of on-premises and cloud execution of EEG workloads, and compare their total costs of ownership. An analytical cost model is developed that can be used for making informed decisions about the long-term costs of on-premises and cloud infrastructures. The model includes the cost-critical factors of the computing systems under evaluation, and expresses the effects of length of usage, system size, computational and storage capacity needs. Detailed cost models are created for on-premises clusters and cloud systems. Using these models, the costs of execution and data storage on clusters and in the cloud are investigated in detail, followed by a break-even analysis to determine when the use of an on-demand cloud infrastructure is preferable to on-premises clusters. The cost models presented in this paper help to characterise the cost-critical infrastructure and execution factors, and can support decision-makers in various scenarios. The analyses showed that cloud-based EEG data processing can reduce execution time considerably and is, in general, more economical when the computational and data storage requirements are relatively low. The cloud becomes competitive even in heavy load case scenarios if expensive, high quality, high-reliability clusters would be used locally. While the paper focuses on EEG processing, the models can be easily applied to CT, MRI, fMRI based neuroimaging workflows as well, which can provide guidance to the wider neuroimaging community for making infrastructure decisions.
Trace metals contamination in groundwater and implications on human health: comprehensive assessment using hydrogeochemical and geostatistical methods
Authors: Brindha K. , Paul Rajib , Walter Julien , Tan Mou Leong , Singh Mahesh Kumar
Published: June 2020

Monitoring the groundwater chemical composition and identifying the presence of pollutants is an integral part of any comprehensive groundwater management strategy. The present study was conducted in a part of West Tripura, northeast India, to investigate the presence and sources of trace metals in groundwater and the risk to human health due to direct ingestion of groundwater. Samples were collected from 68 locations twice a year from 2016 to 2018. Mixed Ca–Mg–HCO3, Ca–Cl and Ca–Mg–Cl were the main groundwater types. Hydrogeochemical methods showed groundwater mineralization due to (1) carbonate dissolution, (2) silicate weathering, (3) cation exchange processes and (4) anthropogenic sources. Occurrence of faecal coliforms increased in groundwater after monsoons. Nitrate and microbial contamination from wastewater infiltration were apparent. Iron, manganese, lead, cadmium and arsenic were above the drinking water limits prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Water quality index indicated 1.5% had poor, 8.7% had marginal, 16.2% had fair, 66.2% had good and 7.4% had excellent water quality. Correlation and principal component analysis reiterated the sources of major ions and trace metals identified from hydrogeochemical methods. Human exposure assessment suggests health risk due to high iron in groundwater. The presence of unsafe levels of trace metals in groundwater requires proper treatment measures before domestic use.
Ultrafast Ultrasound Imaging for Super-Resolution Preclinical Cardiac PET
Authors: Perez-Liva Mailyn , Yoganathan Thulaciga , Herraiz Joaquin L. , Porée Jonathan , Tanter Mickael , Balvay Daniel , Viel Thomas , Garofalakis Anikitos , Provost Jean , Tavitian Bertrand
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Physiological motion and partial volume effect (PVE) significantly degrade the quality of cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) images in the fast-beating hearts of rodents. Several Super-resolution (SR) techniques using a priori anatomical information have been proposed to correct motion and PVE in PET images. Ultrasound is ideally suited to capture real-time high-resolution cine images of rodent hearts. Here, we evaluated an ultrasound-based SR method using simultaneously acquired and co-registered PET-CT-Ultrafast Ultrasound Imaging (UUI) of the beating heart in closed-chest rodents.

Procedures

The method was tested with numerical and animal data (n = 2) acquired with the non-invasive hybrid imaging system PETRUS that acquires simultaneously PET, CT, and UUI.

Results

We showed that ultrasound-based SR drastically enhances the quality of PET images of the beating rodent heart. For the simulations, the deviations between expected and mean reconstructed values were 2 % after applying SR. For the experimental data, when using Ultrasound-based SR correction, contrast was improved by a factor of two, signal-to-noise ratio by 11 %, and spatial resolution by 56 % (~ 0.88 mm) with respect to static PET. As a consequence, the metabolic defect following an acute cardiac ischemia was delineated with much higher anatomical precision.

Conclusions

Our results provided a proof-of-concept that image quality of cardiac PET in fast-beating rodent hearts can be significantly improved by ultrasound-based SR, a portable low-cost technique. Improved PET imaging of the rodent heart may allow new explorations of physiological and pathological situations related with cardiac metabolism.
Microplastic ingestion by tadpoles of pond-breeding amphibians—first results from Central Europe (SW Poland)
Authors: Kolenda Krzysztof , Kuśmierek Natalia , Pstrowska Katarzyna
Published: June 2020

Microplastics (MPs) are one of the major threats to aquatic ecosystems. Surprisingly, our knowledge of its occurrence and its impact on the organisms that dwell in small water bodies is still scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and chemical composition of MPs in tadpoles of pond-breeding amphibians. In total, 201 tadpoles belonging to 5 species were collected from 8 ponds located in southwestern Poland. MPs were found in all examined sites and in all studied species. Among those tested, 53 (26%) tadpoles ingested a total of 71 MPs. IR-ATR analysis revealed that particles were of anthropogenic origin and included nylon, polyurethane, polyisoprene and 1,2 polybutadiene.
Increase in blood–brain barrier leakage in healthy, older adults
Authors: Verheggen Inge C. M. , de Jong Joost J. A. , van Boxtel Martin P. J. , Gronenschild Ed H. B. M. , Palm Walter M. , Postma Alida A. , Jansen Jacobus F. A. , Verhey Frans R. J. , Backes Walter H.
Published: June 2020

Blood–brain barrier (BBB) breakdown can disrupt nutrient supply and waste removal, which affects neuronal functioning. Currently, dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI is the preferred in-vivo method to quantify BBB leakage. Dedicated DCE MRI studies in normal aging individuals are lacking, which could hamper value estimation and interpretation of leakage rate in pathological conditions. Therefore, we applied DCE MRI to investigate the association between BBB disruption and age in a healthy sample. Fifty-seven cognitively and neurologically healthy, middle-aged to older participants (mean age: 66 years, range: 47–91 years) underwent MRI, including DCE MRI with intravenous injection of a gadolinium-based contrast agent. Pharmacokinetic modeling was applied to contrast concentration time-curves to estimate BBB leakage rate in each voxel. Subsequently, leakage rate was calculated in the white and gray matter, and primary (basic sensory and motor functions), secondary (association areas), and tertiary (higher-order cognition) brain regions. A difference in vulnerability to deterioration was expected between these regions, with especially tertiary regions being affected by age. Higher BBB leakage rate was significantly associated with older age in the white and gray matter, and also in tertiary, but not in primary or secondary brain regions. Even in healthy individuals, BBB disruption was stronger in older persons, which suggests BBB disruption is a normal physiologically aging phenomenon. Age-related increase in BBB disruption occurred especially in brain regions most vulnerable to age-related deterioration, which may indicate that BBB disruption is an underlying mechanism of normal age-related decline.

Netherlands Trial Register number: NL6358, date of registration: 2017-03-24.
Im Zerrspiegel des Populismus
Authors: von Nordheim Gerret , Rieger Jonas
Published: June 2020

Die vorliegende Studie betrachtet die Praxis des Teilens von Texten durch politische Akteure auf Twitter und analysiert den thematischen Geltungsanspruch, der sich darin spiegelt: zugespitzt populistisch oder vielfältig und inklusiv im Stil einer Volkspartei. Konkret wurde das ‚Verlinkungsverhalten‘ deutscher Bundestagsabgeordneter auf Twitter untersucht – mit besonderem Augenmerk auf der rechtspopulistischen AfD. Hierzu wurden mit Hilfe eines adaptiven Scrapers 56.107 Texte gesammelt, die Bundestagsabgeordnete in der laufenden Legislaturperiode in Tweets geteilt hatten. Der Analyse ihrer Vielfalt diente eine Maßzahl, die thematische Heterogenität auf Basis von Topic-Modellen ermittelt. Die Resultate zeigen, dass populistische Akteure zwar häufiger als andere auf Medien verlinken und dabei heterogene Quellen nutzen, dass sich dies jedoch nicht in thematische Vielfalt übersetzt, im Gegenteil: Die Themenagenda der AfD-Parlamentarier ist weniger vielfältig als die der Politiker anderer Parteien. Die klar populistische Themenselektion korreliert zudem stärker mit metrischem Erfolg (in Form von Likes, Retweets), als dies bei den Themen anderer Parteien der Fall ist.
The microbiome in inflammatory bowel diseases: from pathogenesis to therapy
Authors: Liu Sheng , Zhao Wenjing , Lan Ping , Mou Xiangyu
Published: June 2020

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has become a global disease with accelerating incidence worldwide in the 21st century while its accurate etiology remains unclear. In the past decade, gut microbiota dysbiosis has consistently been associated with IBD. Although many IBD-associated dysbiosis have not been proven to be a cause or an effect of IBD, it is often hypothesized that at least some of alteration in microbiome is protective or causative. In this article, we selectively reviewed the hypothesis supported by both association studies in human and pathogenesis studies in biological models. Specifically, we reviewed the potential protective bacterial pathways and species against IBD, as well as the potential causative bacterial pathways and species of IBD. We also reviewed the potential roles of some members of mycobiome and virome in IBD. Lastly, we covered the current status of therapeutic approaches targeting microbiome, which is a promising strategy to alleviate and cure this inflammatory disease.