bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
(S)‐4‐(4‐aminobenzyl)‐2‐oxazolidinone based 2‐azetidinones for antimicrobial application and luminescent sensing of divalent metal cations
Authors: Baruah Shyamal , Aier Merangmenla , Puzari Amrit
Published: March 2020

The impact of linezolid as an antibiotic against gram‐positive bacteria has inspired synthetic chemists to use oxazolidinones as substrate molecule in the synthesis of newer scaffolds with important pharmacological implication. The oxazolidin‐2‐ones are key intermediates in the synthesis of many interesting biologically active compounds. Design and synthesis of a new series of (S)‐4‐(4‐aminobenzyl)‐2‐oxazolidinone based multifunctional azetidinones were accomplished. Synthesis of the scaffolds was performed through a multi‐step reaction process involving protection of amine functional group, conversion of protected (S)‐4‐(4‐aminobenzyl)‐2‐oxazolidinone to its acetic acid derivative and then to acid chloride, and finally coupled with different substituted aromatic imines under mild reaction conditions in presence of an appropriate base. Structural characterization was carried out using conventional spectroscopic techniques. The compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity against gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria and were found to possess better and promising antimicrobial property than some of the reported antimicrobial drugs like disulfonamide and tetracycline. Additionally, the scaffolds also exhibit prominent sensing property for divalent metal cations like Cu2+, Zn2+, and Ni2+, through fluorescence quenching effect.
N‐Hydroxy‐1,6‐methano[10]annulene‐3,4‐dicarboximide/Co(OAc)2: A novel catalytic system for the aerobic oxidation of alkylarenes
Authors: Zuo Shengli , Liu Jianjun , Zuo Ang
Published: March 2020

Alkylbenzenes were aerobically oxidized to their oxygenated products via a novel catalytic system using N‐hydroxy‐1,6‐methano[10]annulene‐3,4‐dicarboximide (2) and cobalt(II) acetate under mild conditions. A radical mechanism has been proposed to account for the aerobic oxidation of these hydrocarbons. The 2/Co(OAc)2 catalytic system was optimized and the reaction scope was explored.
Epitope specificity of two anti‐morphine monoclonal antibodies: In vitro and in silico studies
Authors: Trofimov Alexander V. , Sokolov Alexey V. , Rak Alexandra Y. , Ischenko Alexander M. , Kudling Tatiana V. , Vakhrushev Andrey V. , Gorbunov Alexei A.
Published: March 2020

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against morphine are important in the development of immunotherapeutic and diagnostic methods for the treatment and prevention of drug addiction. By the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and enzyme immunoassay techniques, we characterized two previously obtained mAbs 3K11 and 6G1 and showed their ability to recognize free morphine and morphine‐containing antigens in different ways because of the epitope specificity thereof. Using the defined amino acid sequences, we obtained three‐dimensional models of the variable regions of Fab fragments of these antibodies and compared them with the known sequence and spatial structure of the anti‐morphine antibody 9B1. Docking simulations are performed to obtain models of the antibodies complexes with morphine. Differences in the models of 3K11 and 6G1 complexes with morphine correlate with their experimentally detected epitope specificity. The results, in particular, can be used for the structure‐based design of the corresponding humanized antibodies. According to our modeling and docking results, the very different modes of morphine binding to mAbs 3K11 and 6G1 are qualitatively similar to those previously reported for cocaine and two anti‐cocaine antibodies. Thus, the obtained structural information brings more insight into the hapten recognition diversity.
Stability issues of RT‐PCR testing of SARS‐CoV‐2 for hospitalized patients clinically diagnosed with COVID‐19
Authors: Li Yafang , Yao Lin , Li Jiawei , Chen Lei , Song Yiyan , Cai Zhifang , Yang Chunhua
Published: March 2020

In this study, we collected a total of 610 hospitalized patients from Wuhan between February 2, 2020, and February 17, 2020. We reported a potentially high false negative rate of real‐time reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) testing for SARS‐CoV‐2 in the 610 hospitalized patients clinically diagnosed with COVID‐19 during the 2019 outbreak. We also found that the RT‐PCR results from several tests at different points were variable from the same patients during the course of diagnosis and treatment of these patients. Our results indicate that in addition to the emphasis on RT‐PCR testing, clinical indicators such as computed tomography images should also be used not only for diagnosis and treatment but also for isolation, recovery/discharge, and transferring for hospitalized patients clinically diagnosed with COVID‐19 during the current epidemic. These results suggested the urgent needs for the standard of procedures of sampling from different anatomic sites, sample transportation, optimization of RT‐PCR, serology diagnosis/screening for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, and distinct diagnosis from other respiratory diseases such as fluenza infections as well.
Prevalence of EBV, CMV, and HPV in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients in the Pakistani population
Authors: Naqvi Syeda Uzma , Khan Saeed , Ahmed Ayaz , Lail Amanullah , Gul Saima , Ahmed Sagheer
Published: March 2020

Many studies have proposed an important role of viruses in the pathogenesis of oral cancer. The present study aimed to find out the prevalence of Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and human papillomavirus (HPV) among patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in a Pakistani cohort. We investigated tissue samples obtained from 58 patients with OSCC using the polymerase chain reaction assay. No sample was positive for HPV. EBV was identified in 15 patients (25.86%), and CMV in three patients (5.17%). Coinfection with one or more viruses was detected in two cases and was coinfection with EBV and CMV. These results suggest a low prevalence of these viruses in OSCC patients in the Pakistani population compared to most other countries where the prevalence of these viruses has been reported in the past. Nevertheless, further studies are necessary to determine the potential role of EBV and the possible importance of CMV as an infection cofactor in oral cancer.
Preferential Partitioning of Rumen‐Protected n‐3 and n‐6 Fatty Acids into Functionally Different Adipose Tissues
Authors: Wolf Christina , Gredig Nicole , Kreuzer Michael , Ulbrich Susanne E. , Berard Joël , Giller Katrin
Published: March 2020

Lipids are stored at various sites inside the body as adipose tissue (AT). These include subcutaneous, abdominal, and intermuscular locations. The AT substantially differ in their metabolic function. It is, however, unclear whether AT have specific requirements for individual essential n‐3 and n‐6 fatty acids (FA). If so, control mechanisms would partition FA from the blood. To investigate the hypothesis of a selective FA incorporation, 18 beef heifers were fed diets supplemented with 60 g/kg diet with lipids from either fish oil (FO) or sunflower oil (SO). The lipids had partially been rumen‐protected to ruminal biohydrogenation of n‐3 and n‐6 FA. The AT analyzed for n‐3 and n‐6 FA by gas chromatography were obtained from pericardial, longissimus thoracis (LT) intermuscular, perirenal, and subcutaneous sites. The greatest proportions of n‐3 and n‐6 FA were found in the pericardial AT. Despite generally low abundance, n‐3 FA proportions increased with FO compared to SO supplementation in all AT, but to a different extent. No such partitioning was found for the n‐6 FA when supplementing SO. Concomitantly, the n‐6/n‐3 FA ratio was reduced with FO in all AT, except in the pericardial AT. The latter has specific metabolic functions and thus appears to be quite resistant to diet‐induced changes in FA profile in order to maintain its function. The present findings showed the special role of specific n‐3 and n‐6 FA in bovine AT.
Phospholipid turnover rates suggest that bacterial community growth rates in the open ocean are systematically underestimated
Authors: Popendorf Kimberly J. , Koblížek Michal , Van Mooy Benjamin A. S.
Published: March 2020

Heterotrophic bacteria in the surface ocean play a critical role in the global carbon cycle and the magnitude of this role depends on their growth rates. Although methods for determining bacterial community growth rates based on incorporation of radiolabeled thymidine and leucine are widely accepted, they are based on a number of assumptions and simplifications. We sought to independently assess these methods by comparing bacterial growth rates to turnover rates of bacterial membranes using previously published methods in a range of open‐ocean settings. We found that turnover rates for heterotrophic bacterial phospholipids averaged 0.80 ± 0.35 d−1. This was supported by independent measurements of turnover rates of a membrane‐bound pigment in photoheterotrophic bacteria, bacteriochlorophyll a (0.85 ± 0.09 d−1). By contrast, bacterial growth rates measured by uptake of radiolabeled thymidine and leucine were 0.12 ± 0.08 d−1, well within the range expected from the literature. We explored whether the discrepancies between phospholipid turnover rates and bacterial growth rate could be explained by membrane recycling/remodeling and other factors, but were left to conclude that the radiolabeled thymidine and leucine incorporation methods substantially underestimated actual bacterial growth rates. We use a simple model to show that the faster bacterial growth rates we observed can be accommodated within the constraints of the microbial carbon budget if bacteria are smaller than currently thought, grow with greater efficiency, or some combination of these two factors.
Performance evaluation of retail banking services: Is there a trade‐off between production and quality?
Authors: Mitropoulos Panagiotis , Mitropoulos Ioannis
Published: March 2020

We propose a two‐stage data envelopment analysis model to give an insight on the internal structure of the banking sector and study the important role of service quality in the production process. The first stage deals with the production performance and is related with the optimal use of resources to produce banking services, whereas the second stage deals with the service quality performance using customer‐reported satisfaction and loyalty measures. This paper analyzes the efficiency and productivity of 36 branches of a single bank of Greece over the period 2016–2018. The results indicate the existence of a strong trade‐off between production and service quality. Further insights of the study indicate that the branch size significantly affects the service quality and overall efficiency. Moreover, the employee assessments by the performance appraisal system of the bank are mainly associated with the service production and not with service quality. Finally, this study presents a managerial decision‐making matrix and makes recommendations to help bank managers to improve the retail network performance.
Factor Analysis and Clustering of the Movement Disorder Society–Non‐Motor Rating Scale
Authors: Martinez‐Martin Pablo , Rojo‐Abuín Jose Manuel , Weintraub Daniel , Chaudhuri Kallol Ray , Rodriguez‐Blázquez Carmen , Rizos Alexandra , Schrag Anette
Published: March 2020

Background

The primary validation of the Movement Disorder Society Non‐Motor Rating Scale was recently published, but 2 important structural analyses were not included. The objective of this study was to examine the structural characteristics of the Movement Disorder Society Non‐Motor Rating Scale by factor and cluster analyses.

Methods

Data came from the validation study, an international multicenter cross‐sectional study of 402 Parkinson's disease patients. Demographic and clinical data, the Movement Disorder Society Non‐Motor Rating Scale, and Hoehn and Yahr staging were used. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and nonhierarchical cluster analysis were performed.

Results

The exploratory factor analysis showed that all 13 domains of the Movement Disorder Society Non‐Motor Rating Scale, except 1, and the Non‐Motor Fluctuations subscale performed as unidimensional (variance explained: 0.36, sleep and wakefulness; −0.82, orthostatic hypotension). The confirmatory factor analysis could be carried out in 9 domains and showed that 6 of them and the Non‐Motor Fluctuations subscale adjusted to the model satisfactorily according to the root mean square error of approximation. Furthermore, all domains had comparative fit index values >0.95, except depression and pain (both, 0.94) and sleep and wakefulness (0.90). The Non‐Motor Fluctuations subscale showed satisfactory root mean square error of approximation (0.07), but a low comparative fit index value (0.91). A 5‐cluster solution, correctly classifying 96% of the cases, was found.

Conclusions

Overall, most subscales of the Movement Disorder Society Non‐Motor Rating Scale are unidimensional, and although each subscale is distinct in terms of content covered, factors and clusters that are of clinical relevance are discernible and contribute to our understanding of possible nonmotor subtypes in Parkinson's disease. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Evolution of quaternionic curve in the semi‐Euclidean space E24
Authors: Kızılay Alperen , Yıldız Önder Gökmen , Okuyucu Osman Zeki
Published: March 2020

In this paper, kinematics of semi‐real quaternionic curve in semi‐Euclidean space
is obtained in terms of its curvature functions. The evolution equation of Frenet frame and curvatures of quaternionic curve are obtained. Also, examples of evolution equations of curvatures are given.
On generalized null Mannheim curves in E24
Authors: İlarslan Kazim , Kılıç Aslan Nihal
Published: March 2020

In the present paper, we introduce the notion of Cartan‐framed generalized null Mannheim curves in four‐dimensional semi‐Euclidean space with index 2,
. We obtain the Cartan (or Frenet) frames and curvature functions of the generalized Mannheim mate curve by the help of curvature functions and Cartan frames of the generalized null Mannheim curve. We proved that there are no generalized null Mannheim curves with timelike principal normal N in
. The related examples and their projected images are also given.
New critical behaviors for semilinear wave equations and systems with linear damping terms
Authors: Jleli Mohamed , Samet Bessem
Published: March 2020

We consider the inhomogeneous semilinear wave equation with linear damping ∂ttu−Δu+∂tu=|u|p+w(t,x) in
, where p>1 and w≢0. A general criterium for the nonexistence of global weak solutions is established. In the particular case w=ω(x), we obtain the critical exponent in the sense of Fujita (first critical exponent) and the critical exponent in the sense of Lee and Ni (second critical exponent) for the considered problem. Namely, we show that, if
(p∗(N)=∞ if N∈{1,2}) and ω ≥ 0, then the problem admits no global weak solution; if p>p∗(N), then a global solution exists, for some ω>0 and suitable initial values. Moreover, when N ≥ 3 and p>p∗(N), we prove that for σ<N, if
and ω(x) ≥ C|x|−σ for |x| large, then there is no global weak solution; if σ∗ ≤ σ0 with ω(x) ≤ C|x|−σ for |x| large, and suitable initial values. Next, we extend our study to the case of systems.
Hypoplastic and viscohypoplastic models for soft clays with strength anisotropy
Authors: Jerman Jan , Mašín David
Published: March 2020

This paper presents a new viscohypoplastic model for soft clays accounting for their typical features—strength anisotropy and rate dependency. The model is based on the hypoplastic model for clays enhanced by the anisotropic shape of the asymptotic state boundary surface. It has been shown that if the surface is skewed, the model predicts different ultimate strength in compression and in extension. Additional enhancement makes the tensor L bilinear in the strain rate, which more realistically predicts the stress paths ofK0consolidated samples. The new model has been evaluated by simulating laboratory experiments on soft marine clays (Singapore and Bangkok clays). The model can be easily calibrated using only undrained triaxial and odometer tests. The model is subsequently enhanced by the rate effects. The resulting viscohypoplastic model has been evaluated using experiments of remolded kaolin clay and St. Herblain clay. It is shown that the enhanced model can predict important features of soil viscous behavior, such as rate dependency of strength and preconsolidation pressure, relaxation, and creep.
Active and Passive Optical Fiber Metrology for Detonation Velocity Measurements
Authors: Quaresma Joana , Deimling Lukas , Campos Jose , Mendes Ricardo
Published: March 2020

The reaction rate of an explosive – also called detonation velocity – is the easiest parameter to measure, and also one of the most important in characterizing the process of detonation front propagation in a 1D approach. This paper presents some peculiarities that were observed during the testing of our passive/active optical methods to measure detonation velocity. Both methods were tested using bare optic fiber probes and optic fiber probes protected with a stainless steel tube. The active optical method uses a laser with a wavelength of 660 nm, and the recording system contains a window filter that blocks any radiation outside the wavelength range of 650 to 665 nm. A plastic‐bonded explosive based on PETN (seismoplast) was used to test both experimental methods. For rectangular cross‐section charges using the passive optical method with the two different probes, the detonation velocities obtained ranged from 7233 to 7324 m/s, with standard deviations between 1.1 and 6.0 %; for the active optical method, the experimental results for detonation velocity varied between 7261 and 7351 and were obtained with a standard deviation of 0.6 to 1.7 %.
Theoretical Study on InAlAs/InGaAs Single‐Photon Avalanche Detectors with Self‐Feedback
Authors: Liu Guipeng , Tang Jinjin , Wang Xin , Zhao Jingze , Song Yafeng , Zhao Guijuan , Yang Jianhong
Published: March 2020

The self‐quenching and self‐recovery process of the InAlAs/InGaAs single‐photon avalanche detector (SPAD) is demonstrated, during which the percentage of overbias voltage increases from 1% to 10%. The results show that the overbias voltage has a significant impact on the performance of SPAD. It is found that when the percentage of overbias voltage increases from 2% to 10%, both the trigger time and the quench time decrease, whereas the recovery time decreases first and reaches a minimum when the percentage of overbias voltage is 5%, and then increases. It is also clarified the specific mechanism that the device loses its self‐feedback capability when the percentage of overbias voltage is less than 1%.
Effect of Arsenic Depletion on the Silicon Doping of Vapor–Liquid–Solid GaAs Nanowires
Authors: Dubrovskii Vladimir G. , Hijazi Hadi
Published: March 2020

It is well known that chemical potential driving the vapor–liquid–solid growth of nanowires oscillates in synchronization with the monolayer growth. In III–V nanowires, this occurs due to depletion of group V atoms in a catalyst droplet. The amphoteric behavior of silicon doping, which often changes from n‐type in planar GaAs layers to p‐type in nanowires, is attributed to low arsenic concentrations. Herein, we present an analytical model which quantifies the doping oscillations over the monolayer formation cycle, and its impact on the electron‐to‐hole ratio for the silicon doping of GaAs nanowires. It is shown that arsenic depletion can easily double the amphoteric effect and strongly favor the tendency for p‐type doping. On a more general ground, the nanowire doping process appears highly sensitive to the chemical potential oscillations related to a restricted amount of material in a nanoscale catalyst.
Burden‐of‐illness vaccine efficacy
Authors: Callegaro Andrea , Curran Desmond , Matthews Sean
Published: March 2020

In recent years, many vaccines have been developed for the prevention of a variety of diseases. Although the primary objective of vaccination is to prevent disease, vaccination can also reduce the severity of disease in those individuals who develop breakthrough disease. Observations of apparent mitigation of breakthrough disease in vaccine recipients have been reported for a number of vaccine‐preventable diseases such as Herpes Zoster, Influenza, Rotavirus, and Pertussis. The burden‐of‐illness (BOI) score was developed to incorporate the incidence of disease as well as the severity and duration of disease. A severity‐of‐illness score S > 0 is assigned to individuals who develop disease and a score of 0 is assigned to uninfected individuals. In this article, we derive the vaccine efficacy statistic (which is the standard statistic for presenting efficacy outcomes in vaccine clinical trials) based on BOI scores, and we extend the method to adjust for baseline covariates. Also, we illustrate it with data from a clinical trial in which the efficacy of a Herpes Zoster vaccine was evaluated.
On the discrepancy of random matrices with many columns
Authors: Franks Cole , Saks Michael
Published: March 2020

Motivated by the Komlós conjecture in combinatorial discrepancy, we study the discrepancy of random matrices with m rows and n independent columns drawn from a bounded lattice random variable. We prove that for n at least polynomial in m, with high probability the ℓ∞‐discrepancy is at most twice the ℓ∞‐covering radius of the integer span of the support of the random variable. Applying this result to random t‐sparse matrices, that is, uniformly random matrices with t ones and m−t zeroes in each column, we show that the ℓ∞‐discrepancy is at most 2 with probability for . This improves on a bound proved by Ezra and Lovett showing the same bound for n at least mt.
Islanded DC Microgrid Architecture with Dual Active Bridge Converter‐Based Power Management Units and Time Slot‐Based Control Interface
Authors: Chowdhury Dhiman , Hasan A. S. M. Khalid , Khan Md. Ziaur Rahman
Published: March 2020

This article presents an efficient design architecture of an islanded and scalable DC microgrid comprising several power management units (PMUs) and a time slot‐based control interface. There are two primary sections in this manuscript—performance analysis of a microgrid design with phase shift modulation (PSM)‐controlled dual active bridge (DAB) converter‐based PMUs to charge Li‐ion battery energy systems and design of a time slot‐based control scheme to regulate the operation of PMUs for future applications. The batteries can act as the power sources in home energy management systems, transactive energy systems and so on. The PMUs are connected in parallel to a capacitive bus, which is supplied power by a photovoltaic (PV) energy source. There is a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control block, which is constituted by a perturb and observe (P & O) algorithm and boost converter average model. For performance evaluations, the DAB‐based microgrid design is developed and tested in MATLAB/Simulink [textregistered]. In the second section, the control interface design is illustrated and explained with the constituent algorithms. © 2020 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Toward Conceptualizing Education for Sustainability in Higher Education
Authors: Michel Jessica Ostrow
Published: March 2020

This chapter offers a broad description of what upholds education for sustainability in higher education.
Supervised Human-Guided Data Exploration
Authors: Oikarinen Emilia , Puolamäki Kai , Khoshrou Samaneh , Pechenizkiy Mykola
Published: March 2020

An exploratory data analysis system should be aware of what a user already knows and what the user wants to know of the data. Otherwise it is impossible to provide the user with truly informative and useful views of the data. In our recently introduced framework for human-guided data exploration (Puolamäki et al. [20]), both the user’s knowledge and objectives are modelled as distributions over data, parametrised by tile constraints. This makes it possible to show the users the most informative views given their current knowledge and objectives. Often the data, however, comes with a class label and the user is interested only of the features informative related to the class. In non-interactive settings there exist dimensionality reduction methods, such as supervised PCA (Barshan et al. [1]), to make such visualisations, but no such method takes the user’s knowledge or objectives into account. Here, we formulate an information criterion for supervised human-guided data exploration to find the most informative views about the class structure of the data by taking both the user’s current knowledge and objectives into account. We study experimentally the scalability of our method for interactive use, and stability with respect to the size of the class of interest. We show that our method gives understandable and useful results when analysing real-world datasets, and a comparison to SPCA demonstrates the effect of the user’s background knowledge. The implementation will be released as an open source software library.
The effect of cutting tool coating on the form and dimensional errors of machined holes in GLARE® fibre metal laminates
Authors: Giasin K. , Hawxwell J. , Sinke J. , Dhakal H. , Köklü U. , Brousseau E.
Published: March 2020

Fibre metal laminates (FMLs) are multilayered metal composite materials currently used in aeronautical structures, especially where fatigue and impact resistance are required. FMLs are produced in large panels and often require assembly using the drilling process for riveting purposes. Hole making is a critical machining process in the joining and assembly of aeronautical components, which has to meet stringent tolerance requirements. This paper reports a systematic analysis of hole integrity when drilling an FML known as GLARE®. In particular, the primary objective is to investigate the impact of three different drill coatings (TiAlN, TiN and AlTiN/TiAlN), against several important hole parameters: thrust force, hole size, circularity, cylindricity and perpendicularity. The results show that TiAlN-coated drills produced the highest thrust force, while TiN-coated drills produced holes with the lowest deviation between the hole diameter measured at the entry and the exit and that the drill coating was the most influential parameter for the resulting hole size. TiAlN-coated drills resulted in the highest circularity at the upper part of the hole, while hole cylindricity tended to be best when using AlTiN/TiAlN- and TiN-coated drills. The ANOVA analysis shows that the drill coating and the spindle speed had a significant influence on hole size and circularity, while drill coating was the only influential parameter on hole cylindricity, and spindle speed was the only contributing parameter on hole perpendicularity. Finally, scanning electron microscopy analyses showed two distinct hole wall surface damage phenomenon due to broken fibres and evacuated metallic chips.
The lexicographic method in preference theory
Authors: Mandler Michael
Published: March 2020

Lexicographically ordered sets of binary criteria provide a uniform measure of how concisely a preference can be represented and how efficiently an agent can make decisions. This measure leads to: (1) sharper conclusions about which preferences are easy to represent than the economics test of checking if a preference has a utility representation, (2) a generalization of the classical result that a preference has a utility representation if and only if it has a countable order-dense subset. Lexicographically ordered binary criteria can also generate preferences that strictly order every pair of bundles in $${\mathbb {R}}^{n}$$

R

n

and have utility representations, thus reconciling utility theory with behavioral theories that rule out indifference. Finally, the lexicographic method provides simple proofs that transitive orders can be extended to linear orders.
Calretinin is a novel candidate marker for adverse ovarian effects of early life exposure to mixtures of endocrine disruptors in the rat
Authors: Johansson Hanna Katarina Lilith , Svingen Terje , Boberg Julie , Fowler Paul A. , Stead David , Vinggaard Anne Marie , Filis Panagiotis
Published: March 2020

Disruption of sensitive stages of ovary development during fetal and perinatal life can have severe and life-long consequences for a woman’s reproductive life. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals may affect ovarian development, leading to subsequent reproductive disorders. Here, we investigated the effect of early life exposure to defined mixtures of human-relevant endocrine disrupting chemicals on the rat ovary. We aimed to identify molecular events involved in pathogenesis of ovarian dysgenesis syndrome that have potential for future adverse outcome pathway development. We therefore focused on the ovarian proteome. Rats were exposed to a mixture of phthalates, pesticides, UV-filters, bisphenol A, butyl-paraben, and paracetamol during gestation and lactation. The chemicals were tested together or in subgroups of chemicals with anti-androgenic or estrogenic potentials at doses 450-times human exposure. Paracetamol was tested separately, at a dose of 360 mg/kg. Using shotgun proteomics on ovaries from pup day 17 offspring, we observed exposure effects on the proteomes. Nine proteins were affected in more than one exposure group and of these, we conclude that calretinin is a potential key event biomarker of early endocrine disruption in the ovary.
The Impact of N-Acetylcysteine on Autologous Fat Graft: First-in-Human Pilot Study
Authors: Pietruski Piotr , Paskal Wiktor , Paluch Łukasz , Paskal Adriana M. , Nitek Żaneta , Włodarski Paweł , Walecki Jerzy , Noszczyk Bartłomiej
Published: March 2020

Background

Our goal was to determine whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC) administered to the tumescent solution can reduce oxidative stress and increase autologous fat graft (AFG) viability.

Methods

The study included 15 women with a mean age of 31.8 years (range 23–39 years) who underwent breast asymmetry correction with AFG harvested from both thighs. One thigh was infiltrated with a standard tumescent fluid (control graft) and other with a NAC-enriched tumescent fluid (NAC-treated graft). Each participant had breast MRI imaging before and 6 months after the procedure. Also, adipose tissue samples from each graft were subjected to biochemical analysis, flow cytometric assay and qRT-PCR to determine the markers of oxidative stress, angiogenesis and adipogenesis.

Results

Concentration and activity of superoxide dismutase in the NAC-treated grafts turned out to be significantly higher than in the control grafts, in both fresh (p = 0.041 and p = 0.023, respectively) and frozen samples (p = 0.004 and p = 0.003, respectively). The level of nitric oxide in frozen samples from the control grafts was significantly higher than in the NAC-treated grafts (p = 0.009). iNOS was the only qRT-PCR target showing significant intergroup differences, with higher transcription levels observed in the control grafts (p = 0.027). Breast volumetric analysis demonstrated that the NAC-treated group had a 12.19% lower resorption rate than the control group, although it was found to be statistically insignificant (p = 0.149). No postoperative complications were observed during a 6-month follow-up.

Conclusions

Some results of this study are promising. Further studies on larger groups are needed to determine NAC impact on AFG.

Level of Evidence IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Trial registry name

The Impact of N-Acetylcysteine on Volumetric Retention of Autologous Fat Graft for Breast Asymmetry Correction.

Registration identification number

NCT03197103.

URL for the registry

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03197103?term=acetylcysteine&rank=6
Fronto-orbital advancement and reconstruction using reverse frontal bone graft without the use of orbital bar: a technical note
Authors: Robins James M. W. , Sheikh Asim J. , Shastin Dmitri , Schramm Moritz W. J. , Carter Paula , Russell John L. , Liddington Mark , Chumas Paul D.
Published: March 2020

Introduction

We describe our technique of using reverse frontal bone graft for FOAR for patients with metopic or coronal synostosis and present our complications using the Leeds classification system for complications in craniosynostosis surgery.

Methods

Since April 2015, seventeen patients have been operated using this technique. We perform a frontal bone graft that is then reversed, and supraorbital margins are drilled out. The orbital bar is then removed and drilled down to make bone dust and on-lay bone grafts which are then used to fill gaps on exposed dura and fill in around the temporal region.

Results

All 17 patients who underwent this technique have good cosmetic results. We report 5 (29%) complications and 8 (47%) blood transfusions (7 exposures, 1 cell salvage).
Seasonal to decadal predictions of regional Arctic sea ice by assimilating sea surface temperature in the Norwegian Climate Prediction Model
Authors: Dai Panxi , Gao Yongqi , Counillon François , Wang Yiguo , Kimmritz Madlen , Langehaug Helene R.
Published: March 2020

The version of the Norwegian Climate Prediction Model (NorCPM) that only assimilates sea surface temperature (SST) with the Ensemble Kalman Filter has been used to investigate the seasonal to decadal prediction skill of regional Arctic sea ice extent (SIE). Based on a suite of NorCPM retrospective forecasts, we show that seasonal prediction of pan-Arctic SIE is skillful at lead times up to 12 months, which outperforms the anomaly persistence forecast. The SIE skill varies seasonally and regionally. Among the five Arctic marginal seas, the Barents Sea has the highest SIE prediction skill, which is up to 10–11 lead months for winter target months. In the Barents Sea, the skill during summer is largely controlled by the variability of solar heat flux and the skill during winter is mostly constrained by the upper ocean heat content/SST and also related to the heat transport through the Barents Sea Opening. Compared with several state-of-the-art dynamical prediction systems, NorCPM has comparable regional SIE skill in winter due to the improved upper ocean heat content. The relatively low skill of summer SIE in NorCPM suggests that SST anomalies are not sufficient to constrain summer SIE variability and further assimilation of sea ice thickness or atmospheric data is expected to increase the skill.
Correction to: Gait variability as digital biomarker of disease severity in Huntington’s disease
Authors: Gaßner Heiko , Jensen Dennis , Marxreiter Franz , Kletsch Anja , Bohlen Stefan , Schubert Robin , Muratori Lisa M. , Eskofier Bjoern , Klucken Jochen , Winkler Jürgen , Reilmann Ralf , Kohl Zacharias
Published: March 2020

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The name of one author is not presented correctly in the author group.
The intracellular domain of BP180/collagen XVII is intrinsically disordered and partially folds in an anionic membrane lipid-mimicking environment
Authors: Tuusa Jussi , Koski M. Kristian , Ruskamo Salla , Tasanen Kaisa
Published: March 2020

The trimeric transmembrane collagen BP180, also known as collagen XVII, is an essential component of hemidesmosomes at the dermal–epidermal junction and connects the cytoplasmic keratin network to the extracellular basement membrane. Dysfunction of BP180 caused by mutations in patients with junctional epidermolysis bullosa or autoantibodies in those with bullous pemphigoid leads to severe skin blistering. The extracellular collagenous domain of BP180 participates in the protein’s triple-helical folding, but the structure and functional importance of the intracellular domain (ICD) of BP180 are largely unknown. In the present study, we purified and characterized human BP180 ICD. When expressed in Escherichia coli as glutathione-S-transferase or 6 × histidine tagged fusion protein, the BP180 ICD was found to exist as a monomer. Analysis of the secondary structure content by circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that the domain is intrinsically disordered. This finding aligned with that of a bioinformatic analysis, which predicted a disordered structure. Interestingly, both anionic detergent micelles and lipid vesicles induced partial folding of the BP180 ICD, suggesting that in its natural environment, the domain’s folding and unfolding may be regulated by interaction with the cell membrane or accompanying proteins. We hypothesize that the intrinsically disordered structure of the ICD of BP180 contributes to the mechanism that allows the remodeling of hemidesmosome assembly.
Message randomization and strong security in quantum stabilizer-based secret sharing for classical secrets
Authors: Matsumoto Ryutaroh
Published: March 2020

We improve the flexibility in designing access structures of quantum stabilizer-based secret sharing schemes for classical secrets, by introducing message randomization in their encoding procedures. We generalize the Gilbert–Varshamov bound for deterministic encoding to randomized encoding of classical secrets. We also provide an explicit example of a ramp secret sharing scheme with which multiple symbols in its classical secret are revealed to an intermediate set, and justify the necessity of incorporating strong security criterion of conventional secret sharing. Finally, we propose an explicit construction of strongly secure ramp secret sharing scheme by quantum stabilizers, which can support twice as large classical secrets as the McEliece–Sarwate strongly secure ramp secret sharing scheme of the same share size and the access structure.
The Existence Value of a Distinctive Native American Culture: Survival of the Hopi Reservation
Authors: Carson Richard T. , Hanemann W. Michael , Whittington Dale
Published: March 2020

We measure the value placed by the American public on ensuring the continued existence of the traditional Hopi culture and way of life at the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. The Hopi are the oldest living culture in the United States. The continued existence of the Reservation is threatened by depletion of the groundwater resource underlying the reservation. In the future, without a new source of water, the Hopi will run out of water to support the villages and continue their traditional Hopi agricultural practices. Many Hopi will have to move off the Reservation and give up their traditional culture and way of life. The Reservation will no longer serve as a permanent home for the Hopi Tribe. An expensive pipeline would be required to convey a new source of water to the Reservation, for which the Federal government might pay. The question is: would the expenditure by the federal government to convey water that would ensure the continued existence of the traditional Hopi culture at the Hopi Reservation be justified by the existence value of that culture to the American people? This paper describes the results of a study undertaken to measure that existence value. We show that a simple stated preference design, using only a single monetary amount, is sufficient to provide a bound.
No Man is an Island: Social Coordination and the Environment
Authors: Nyborg Karine
Published: March 2020

Humans are fundamentally social. Social activities require coordination, possibly leading to multiple equilibria in the form of self-reinforcing patterns of herd behavior. When alternative equilibria differ substantially with respect to environmental damage, they represent virtuous and vicious cycles from an environmental perspective. Such cycles can be sustained by network effects, social pressure to conform, or other mechanisms directly or indirectly yielding coordination benefits. Breaking the vicious cycles can be an important task for environmental policies. I present a stylized model of social coordination with environmental externalities, using it to discuss how environmental policies may help agents coordinate in more environment-friendly ways.
Atypical Development of Attentional Control Associates with Later Adaptive Functioning, Autism and ADHD Traits
Authors:   the Eurosibs Team, Hendry Alexandra , Jones Emily J. H. , Bedford Rachael , Andersson Konke Linn , Begum Ali Jannath , Bӧlte Sven , Brocki Karin C. , Demurie Ellen , Johnson Mark , Pijl Mirjam K. J. , Roeyers Herbert , Charman Tony
Published: March 2020

Autism is frequently associated with difficulties with top-down attentional control, which impact on individuals’ mental health and quality of life. The developmental processes involved in these attentional difficulties are not well understood. Using a data-driven approach, 2 samples (N = 294 and 412) of infants at elevated and typical likelihood of autism were grouped according to profiles of parent report of attention at 10, 15 and 25 months. In contrast to the normative profile of increases in attentional control scores between infancy and toddlerhood, a minority (7–9%) showed plateauing attentional control scores between 10 and 25 months. Consistent with pre-registered hypotheses, plateaued growth of attentional control was associated with elevated autism and ADHD traits, and lower adaptive functioning at age 3 years.
Co-precipitation synthesized nanostructured Ce0.9Ln0.05Ag0.05O2−δ materials for solar thermochemical conversion of CO2 into fuels
Authors: Takalkar Gorakshnath , Bhosale Rahul R. , AlMomani Fares , Rashid Suliman
Published: March 2020

Synthesis, characterization, and application of Ce0.9Ln0.05Ag0.05O2−δ materials (where, Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er) for the thermochemical conversion of CO2 reported in this paper. The Ce0.9Ln0.05Ag0.05O2−δ materials were synthesized by using an ammonium hydroxide-driven co-precipitation method. The derived Ce0.9Ln0.05Ag0.05O2−δ materials were characterized via powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and electron diffraction spectroscopy. The characterization results indicate the formation of spherically shaped Ce0.9Ln0.05Ag0.05O2−δ nanostructured particles. As-prepared Ce0.9Ln0.05Ag0.05O2−δ materials were further tested toward multiple CO2 splitting cycles by utilizing a thermogravimetric analyzer. The results obtained indicate that all the Ce0.9Ln0.05Ag0.05O2−δ materials produced higher quantities of O2 and CO than the previously studied pure CeO2 and lanthanide-doped ceria materials. Overall, the Ce0.911La0.053Ag0.047O1.925 showed the maximum redox reactivity in terms of O2 release (72.2 μmol/g cycle) and CO production (136.6 μmol/g cycle).
Sufficiency and the Threshold Question
Authors: Huseby Robert
Published: March 2020

In this paper I address the objection to sufficientarianism posed by Paula Casal and Richard Arneson, that it is hard to conceive of a sufficiency threshold such that distribution is highly important just below it, and not required at all just above it. In order to address this objection, I elaborate on the idea that sufficientarianism structurally can be seen to require two separate thresholds, which may or may not overlap. I then argue that a version of such a view is plausible. Lastly, I distinguish this view from related proposals in the literature.
An evaluation of the Acromegaly Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (Acro-TSQ) in adult patients with acromegaly, including correlations with other patient-reported outcome measures: data from two large multicenter international studies
Authors: Fleseriu Maria , Fogelfeld Leon , Gordon Murray B. , Sisco Jill , Crosby Ross D. , Ludlam William H. , Haviv Asi , Mathias Susan D.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The Acromegaly Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (Acro-TSQ) is a new patient-reported outcome (PRO) measure for patients with acromegaly receiving injectable somatostatin analogs (SSAs) to assess clinical symptoms and adverse drug reaction interference, treatment satisfaction, and convenience. We evaluated its scale structure, reliability, validity, responsiveness, and what constitutes clinically meaningful change.

Methods

Data from two longitudinal studies (N = 79 and 82) of patients receiving a stable injectable SSA dose for ≥ 6 months who completed the Acro-TSQ and other collateral measures (e.g., AcroQoL, AIS, WPAI:SHP, EQ-5D-5L) were analyzed.

Results

The first study demonstrated internal consistency of the Acro-TSQ. However, several items had high ceiling effects, responsiveness could not be established, and the minimally important difference (MID) was not estimable. In the second study, factor analysis revealed six scales: Symptom Interference, Treatment Convenience, Injection Site Interference, GI Interference, Treatment Satisfaction, and Emotional Reaction. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were confirmed; most scales demonstrated significant differences in mean scores by disease severity. Correlations between Acro-TSQ scales and other collateral measures exceeded 0.30 in absolute value, confirming convergent validity. Responsiveness in Acro-TSQ scale scores reflected improved disease control. The MID was estimated for Symptom Interference (10–12 points), Treatment Convenience (9–11) and GI Interference (8–10).

Conclusions

The Acro-TSQ is a brief, yet comprehensive tool to monitor important outcomes associated with injectable acromegaly SSA treatments. Its content reflects both disease and treatment burden as well as patient satisfaction, and its relevant for use in clinical studies.
Voluntary Vs Nominated Peer Educators: a Randomized Trial within the NoTrap! Anti-Bullying Program
Authors: Zambuto Valentina , Palladino Benedetta Emanuela , Nocentini Annalaura , Menesini Ersilia
Published: March 2020

There is a debate in scientific literature about the effectiveness of a peer-led approach to anti-bullying interventions. In order to understand which circumstances and for whom these approaches work best, the present study was carried out within the NoTrap! anti-bullying program. Using a cluster design, classes were randomly assigned into two different peer educator recruitment strategies: volunteering (N = 500; 48% females; mean age = 13.5 years, ds = 1.3) vs peer nominated (N = 466; 38% females; mean age = 13.9 years, ds = 1.3). Results showed that voluntary peer educators suffered a higher level of victimization, while the nominated ones tended to be more popular and likable. Furthermore, a set of linear mixed-effect models showed that the program was effective in reducing bullying and victimization, and in increasing defending behaviour only in the voluntary recruitment condition. On the contrary, in classrooms under the peer nominated recruitment condition, bullying and victimization remained stable, and defending behaviour increased only for peer educators, but not for their classmates. This implies that the step of peer selection and recruitment must be kept into consideration in developing and validating an intervention, because of its possible impact on the effectiveness of the whole intervention.
An application of hypergeometric functions to heat kernels on rectangular and hexagonal tori and a “Weltkonstante”-or-how Ramanujan split temperatures
Authors: Faulhuber Markus
Published: March 2020

In this work we investigate the heat kernel of the Laplace–Beltrami operator on a rectangular torus and the according temperature distribution. We compute the minimum and the maximum of the temperature on rectangular tori of fixed area by means of Gauss’ hypergeometric function $$_2F_1$$

2

F
1

and the elliptic modulus. In order to be able to do this, we employ a beautiful result of Ramanujan, connecting hypergeometric functions, the elliptic modulus and theta functions. Also, we investigate the temperature distribution of the heat kernel on hexagonal tori and use Ramanujan’s corresponding theory of signature 3 to derive analogous results to the rectangular case. Lastly, we show connections to the problem of finding the exact value of Landau’s “Weltkonstante”, a universal constant arising in the theory of extremal holomorphic mappings; and for a related, restricted extremal problem we show that the conjectured solution is the second lemniscate constant.