bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physiological variation of the vertebral bone marrow water T2 relaxation time
Authors: Ruschke Stefan , Syväri Jan , Dieckmeyer Michael , Junker Daniela , Makowski Marcus R. , Baum Thomas , Karampinos Dimitrios C.
Published: November 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate physiological variations of the water T2 relaxation time in vertebral bone marrow with respect to age, body mass index (BMI), sex and proton density fat fraction (PDFF) based on single‐voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 3 T. Multi‐TE single‐voxel STEAM MRS data of a single lumbar vertebra (L4 or L5) from 260 subjects (160/100 female/male, age: 0.7/37.1/77.7 years, BMI: 13.6/26.2/44.5 kg/m2 [min./median/max.]) with no history of vertebral bone marrow pathologies were retrospectively included. All data were processed using a joint series T2‐constrained time domain‐based water–fat model. Water T2 and PDFF data were analyzed using (a) Pearson's correlation r and (b) multiple linear regression without interactions of the independent variables. Min./median/max. water T2 and PDFF were 11.2/21.1/42.5 ms and 4.0%/36.8%/82.0%, respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficients were significant (P < .05) for water T2 versus age (r = −0.429/−0.210 female/male) and for water T2 versus PDFF (r = −0.580/−0.546 female/male) for females and males, respectively. Females showed significant higher water T2 values compared with males (P < .001). Multiple linear regression for water T2 without interactions revealed a R2 = 0.407 with PDFF (P < .001) and sex (P < .001) as significant predictors. The current study suggests that under physiological conditions vertebral bone marrow water T2 is negatively correlated with age and PDFF and shows significant differences between females and males. The observed systematic trends are of relevance for the evaluation of T2 values and T2‐weighted bone marrow parameters. Further research on the exact mechanisms and drivers of the observed water T2 behavior is required.
Direct numerical simulation of complex nano‐structured composites, considering interface stretching and bending effects, using nano‐computational grains
Authors: Wang Junbo , Yan Peng , Dong Leiting , Atluri Satya N.
Published: November 2020

Driven by the promising applications of nano‐composites, the Steigmann–Ogden (S‐O) interface stress model is used together with the classical Elasticity theory to model the effective mechanical properties of nano‐composites, considering both interface stretching and bending effects. However, no literature has been reported on analytical or numerical solutions for composites containing multiple three‐dimensional nano‐inclusions with S‐O interfaces. In order to overcome this difficulty, a new type of computational grain (CG) is developed with an embedded spherical inclusion and S‐O matrix/inclusion interface. The stiffness matrix of each CG is computed by a new boundary‐type multifield variational principle together with Papkovich–Neuber potentials. By evaluating and assembling stiffness matrices of CGs along with parallel computations, very efficient direct numerical simulations of complex nano‐composites with a large number of inclusions in a Representative Volume Element of the nanocomposite are essentially realized. Numerical examples demonstrate the validity and the power of the currently developed CGs. Especially, material models with 10,000 nano‐inclusions are simulated in around 50 min on the 16‐core workstation. The influence of interface elastic bending parameters and spatial distributions of the nano‐inclusions on the overall properties of nano‐composites is also investigated in this study.
Evidenced‐based practice of decision‐making process in oncofertility care among registered nurses: A qualitative study
Authors: Lien Ching‐Ting , Huang Sheng‐Miauh , Hua Chen Yi , Cheng Wen‐Ting
Published: November 2020

Aim

The purpose of our study was to construct the context of the nursing action/role in oncofertility care.

Design

Qualitative research.

Methods

We applied grounded theory to guide the qualitative study. Data were collected through in‐depth interviews with 12 nurses in Taipei. The data were collected from August 2018 to February 2019.

Results

The core theme that described the role of nurses’ decision‐making in oncofertility care focused on understanding oncofertility from the self to the other. Care roles or actions in oncofertility that involved the process of psychological cognition were divided into four dimensions: perceiving the patient's changes and needs, triggering the self's emotions, empathizing with patient's situations and introspective care roles. Nurses who had experienced the phase of empathizing with the patient's situations developed more diverse roles and had positive actions toward oncofertility care. Based on the psychological changes for oncofertility decision‐making process, implementing contextual training in oncofertility could help nurses create more positive actions in oncofertility care.
Stabilities, Electronic Structures, and Bonding Properties of Iron Complexes (E1E2)Fe(CO)2(CNArTripp2)2(E1E2=BF, CO, N2, CN−, or NO+)**
Authors: Pei Gerui , Zhao Pei , Xu Song , Zhao Xintian , Kong Chuncai , Yang Zhimao , Ehara Masahiro , Yang Tao
Published: November 2020

The coordination of 10‐electron diatomic ligands (BF, CO N2) to iron complexes Fe(CO)2(CNArTripp2)2[ArTripp2=2,6‐(2,4,6‐(iso‐propyl)3C6H2)2C6H3] have been realized in experiments very recently (Science,2019,363, 1203–1205). Herein, the stability, electronic structures, and bonding properties of (E1E2)Fe‐(CO)2(CNArTripp2)2(E1E2=BF, CO, N2, CN−, NO+) were studied using density functional (DFT) calculations. The ground state of all those molecules is singlet and the calculated geometries are in excellent agreement with the experimental values. The natural bond orbital analysis revealed that Fe is negatively charged while E1possesses positive charges. By employing the energy decomposition analysis, the bonding nature of the E2E1–Fe(CO)2(CNArTripp2)2bond was disclosed to be the classic dative bond E2E1→Fe(CO)2(CNArTripp2)2rather than the electron‐sharing double bond. More interestingly, the bonding strength between BF and Fe(CO)2(CNArTripp2)2is much stronger than that between CO (or N2) and Fe(CO)2(CNArTripp2)2, which is ascribed to the better σ‐donation and π back‐donations. However, the orbital interactions in CN−→Fe(CO)2(CNArTripp2)2and NO+→Fe(CO)2(CNArTripp2)2mainly come from σ‐donation and π back‐donation, respectively. The different contributions from σ donation and π donation for different ligands can be well explained by using the energy levels of E1E2and Fe(CO)2(CNArTripp2)2fragments.
3D hydrogels reveal medulloblastoma subgroup differences and identify extracellular matrix subtypes that predict patient outcome
Authors: Linke Franziska , Aldighieri Macha , Lourdusamy Anbarasu , Grabowska Anna M , Stolnik Snow , Kerr Ian D , Merry Catherine LR , Coyle Beth
Published: November 2020

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumour in children and is subdivided into four subgroups: WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4. These molecular subgroups differ in their metastasis patterns and related prognosis rates. Conventional 2D cell culture methods fail to recapitulate these clinical differences. Realistic 3D models of the cerebellum are therefore necessary to investigate subgroup‐specific functional differences and their role in metastasis and chemoresistance. A major component of the brain extracellular matrix (ECM) is the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan. MB cell lines encapsulated in hyaluronan hydrogels grew as tumour nodules, with Group 3 and Group 4 cell lines displaying clinically characteristic laminar metastatic patterns and levels of chemoresistance. The glycoproteins, laminin and vitronectin, were identified as subgroup‐specific, tumour‐secreted ECM factors. Gels of higher complexity, formed by incorporation of laminin or vitronectin, revealed subgroup‐specific adhesion and growth patterns closely mimicking clinical phenotypes. ECM subtypes, defined by relative levels of laminin and vitronectin expression in patient tissue microarrays and gene expression data sets, were able to identify novel high‐risk MB patient subgroups and predict overall survival. Our hyaluronan model system has therefore allowed us to functionally characterize the interaction between different MB subtypes and their environment. It highlights the prognostic and pathological role of specific ECM factors and enables preclinical development of subgroup‐specific therapies. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Supporting paraprofessionals in schools: Current research and practice
Authors: Reddy Linda A. , Lekwa Adam J. , Glover Todd A.
Published: November 2020

Paraprofessionals are increasingly hired in US schools to support the learning and behavior needs of students with or at risk for disabilities; despite receiving very limited professional development supports to enhance their skills in classrooms. The research base is lacking on effective paraprofessional professional development and intervention provision. This special issue is the first to showcase the current science and knowledge of such practices for paraprofessionals. The six articles included in the special issue offer the range and depth of work in this area. Two articles focus on practices of supervision and assessments for paraprofessionals and one article critically appraises the professional development research for paraprofessionals working with student with challenging behaviors. The final four articles examine the effectiveness of paraprofessional as implementers of interventions in classrooms. The studies in this special series offer insight and ideas on the next generation of paraprofessional research, practice and policy for the field. Finally, the special issue concludes with a commentary synthesizing the current work and offers “big ideas” for future development and validation initiatives.
Hostility in cancer patients as an underexplored facet of distress
Authors: Grassi Luigi , Belvederi Murri Martino , Riba Michelle , de Padova Silvia , Bertelli Tatiana , Sabato Silvana , Nanni Maria Giulia , Caruso Rosangela , Ounalli Heifa , Zerbinati Luigi
Published: November 2020

Objective

In the present study, we aimed to assess hostility and to examine its association with formal psychiatric diagnosis, coping, cancer worries, and quality of life in cancer patients.

Methods

The World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) to make an ICD‐10 (International Classification of Disease) psychiatric diagnosis was applied to 516 cancer outpatients. The patients also completed the Brief Symptom Inventory‐53 to assess hostility (BSI‐HOS), and the Mini‐Mental Adjustment to cancer scale (Mini‐MAC). A subset of patients completed the Cancer Worries Inventory (CWI), the Openness Scale, and the Quality of Life Index.

Results

By analyzing the distribution of the responses 25% of the patients had moderate and 11% high levels of hostility, with about 20% being BSI‐HOS “cases.” Hostility was higher in patients with a formal ICD‐10 psychiatric diagnosis (mainly major depression, other depressive disorders, anxiety disorders) than patients without ICD‐10 diagnosis. However, about 25% of ICD‐10‐non cases also had moderate‐to‐high hostility levels. Hostility was associated with Mini‐MAC hopelessness and anxious preoccupation, poorer quality of life, worries (mainly problems sin interpersonal relationships), and inability to openly discuss these problems within the family.

Conclusions

Hostility and its components should be considered as dimensions to be more carefully explored in screening for distress in cancer clinical settings for its implications in negatively impacting on quality of life, coping and relationships with the family, and possibly the health care system.
Silencing the odorant coreceptor (Orco) disrupts sex pheromonal communication and feeding responses in Blattella germanica: toward an alternative target for controlling insect‐transmitted human diseases
Authors: He Peng , Ma Yun‐Feng , Wang Mei‐Mei , Wang Hong , Dewer Youssef , Abd El‐Ghany Nesreen M , Chen Guang‐Lei , Yang Gui‐Qing , Zhang Fan , He Ming
Published: November 2020

BACKGROUND

The German cockroach, Blattella germanica, is one of the most severe pests of urban and rural areas. High‐throughput genetic screening approaches indicate that the olfactory system of this pest is extremely powerful because it has an extensive array of olfactory receptor genes compared with many other insect species. Several of these genes have been identified previously, but their functions have not yet been characterized.

RESULTS

This study describes the sequence of five transcriptomes of B. germanica adult male antennae, female antennae, maxillary palps, legs, and fifth‐instar nymph antennae to investigate expression patterns of odorant receptors (ORs). Approximately 90% of ORs were found to be the most highly expressed genes in adult or nymph antennae. Additionally, every OR requires an odorant co‐receptor (Orco) to become fully functional, and this was selected and successfully inhibited by injection of the corresponding double‐stranded (ds)RNA targeting the Orco. A strong RNA interference (RNAi) effect was observed in which > 75% of Orco messenger RNA (mRNA) was clearly suppressed after 72 h of treatment. Olfactory behavioral assays showed that Orco‐impaired B. germanica respond more slowly and show less attraction to one volatile sex pheromone and food resources compared with a control group.

CONCLUSION

The results show that Orco plays a pivotal role in both sex pheromone and food‐seeking olfactory processes, and provide an alternative genetic technique for controlling this urban pest species by olfactory disruption. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Investigational Treatments for COVID‐19 may Increase Ventricular Arrhythmia Risk Through Drug Interactions
Authors: Varshneya Meera , Irurzun-Arana Itziar , Campana Chiara , Dariolli Rafael , Gutierrez Amy , Pullinger Taylor K. , Sobie Eric A.
Published: November 2020

Many drugs that have been proposed for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) are reported to cause cardiac adverse events, including ventricular arrhythmias. In order to properly weigh risks against potential benefits, particularly when decisions must be made quickly, mathematical modeling of both drug disposition and drug action can be useful for predicting patient response and making informed decisions. Here, we explored the potential effects on cardiac electrophysiology of four drugs proposed to treat COVID‐19: lopinavir, ritonavir, chloroquine, and azithromycin, as well as combination therapy involving these drugs. Our study combined simulations of pharmacokinetics (PKs) with quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) modeling of ventricular myocytes to predict potential cardiac adverse events caused by these treatments. Simulation results predicted that drug combinations can lead to greater cellular action potential prolongation, analogous to QT prolongation, compared with drugs given in isolation. The combination effect can result from both PK and pharmacodynamic drug interactions. Importantly, simulations of different patient groups predicted that women with pre‐existing heart disease are especially susceptible to drug‐induced arrhythmias, compared with diseased men or healthy individuals of either sex. Statistical analysis of population simulations revealed the molecular factors that make certain women with heart failure especially susceptible to arrhythmias. Overall, the results illustrate how PK and QSP modeling may be combined to more precisely predict cardiac risks of COVID‐19 therapies.
Advances in heat‐pulse methods: Measuring soil water evaporation with sensible heat balance
Authors: Heitman J.L. , Zhang X. , Xiao X. , Ren T. , Horton R.
Published: November 2020

Soil water evaporation is an important process in hydrology, engineering, and agriculture. Few techniques are capable of measuring soil water evaporation in situ. An approach has been developed to measure in situ subsurface soil water evaporation using a soil sensible heat balance (SHB) with measurement data obtained from multi‐needle heat‐pulse sensors. Terms in the SHB (i.e., sensible heat flux and change in sensible heat storage) are calculated from heat‐pulse sensor derived soil temperature and thermal property (i.e., thermal conductivity and heat capacity) measurements for a thin soil layer with thickness corresponding to the sensor geometry. The quantity of latent heat required for soil water vaporization can be determined as the residual to the SHB (i.e., change in heat flux with depth minus change in sensible heat storage with time) for the soil layer. Dividing latent heat (per unit time) by heat of vaporization for water allows data to be converted to evaporation rate. Numerical analysis indicates that the SHB approach is most sensitive to the heat flux component of the SHB. Laboratory and field tests indicate that SHB results compare favorably with mass‐balance and micrometeorologic approaches for evaporation measurement, with SHB typically differing by <0.2 mm d−1 from the reference methods.
Net global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity
Authors: Sainju Upendra M.
Published: November 2020

Agricultural practices contribute significant levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Methods to measure net global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) that account for all sources and sinks of GHG emissions in agroecosystems are still evolving. Sources of GHGs include soil CO2, N2O, and CH4 emissions and CO2 emissions associated with farm operations, N fertilization, and other chemical inputs. Sinks of GHGs include CH4 uptake, soil C sequestration, and crop residue returned to the soil. This chapter discusses the methods of measuring net GWP and GHGI using two approaches: In the soil organic C (SOC) method, net GWP and GHGI are calculated by using N2O and CH4 emissions (or CH4 uptake), as well as CO2 emissions from farm operations, N fertilization, and other chemical inputs as GHG sources and C sequestration rate (ΔSOC) as GHG sink. In the soil respiration method, soil respiration (excluding root respiration) is included as another GHG source, and the previous year's crop residue returned to the soil instead of ΔSOC is included as GHG sink in addition to the above parameters. Advantages and drawbacks of each method of calculating net GWP and GHGI are also discussed.
Rapid Synthesis of Pure Phase Bismuth Ferrite through Modified Sol‐gel Auto‐ignition Method: Impact of Different Chelating Agents
Authors: Mhamad Shakhawan Ahmad , Aziz Farhana , Aziz Madzlan , Chandren Sheela , Ali Arman Abdalla
Published: November 2020

Pure phase bismuth ferrite has been successfully prepared in this research using a modified method of sol‐gel auto‐ignition. This method is a fast and economical synthesis technique since it can produce fine as‐synthesis powder for less than 4 hours. Also, the influences of diverse chelating agents on the physicochemical properties of the synthesized samples were examined using various characterization techniques. XRD revealed that pure bismuth ferrite nanoparticles with rhombohedral perovskite structure were produced by using ascorbic acid (AA) as a chelating agent. From the UV spectra, a blue shift observed in the presence of AA and citric acid (CA). Moreover, the specific surface area of the as‐prepared BFO‐EDTA, BFO‐AA and BFO‐CA samples was 1.694, 1.134 and 1.627 m2/g, respectively, consistent with the XRD findings. Raman analysis shows that the synthesized BFO samples exhibit 4 A1 and 8E modes confirming Rhombohedral R3c geometry of bismuth ferrite nanoparticles. Finally, FTIR spectra depicted three absorption peaks at 410, 450, and 548 cm−1 corresponding to Fe−O stretching and bending, respectively, which is a characteristic of FeO6 octahedral in perovskite. The findings of this study would assist the researcher in the selection of chelating agents in the auto‐combustion method for the processing of nanoparticles for particular applications.
Progress in the Synthesis of Oxindole‐Naphthoquinone Molecular Hybrid Scaffolds: A Concise Review
Authors: Thakur Ganesh A. , Kadu Rupashri K. , Patil Vishwanath R. , Thakur Pramod B.
Published: November 2020

Oxindole and 1,4‐Naphthoquinone both are the versatile heterocyclic scaffolds which not only found in many naturally occurring and pharmaceutically imperative compounds but also have explored as an important precursor in the synthesis of a library of structurally diverse molecular frameworks desirable for biological studies. For a few decades, significant emphasis is given on the synthesis of both of these important privileged scaffolds to accomplish promising new heterocycles with chemical and biomedical relevance. Due to such prevalence and prominence of oxindole and 1,4‐naphthoquinone frameworks in medicinal and synthetic chemistry, many researchers have taken efforts to synthesize the oxindole‐naphthoquinone molecular hybrid in a single nucleolus. These efforts have led to the development of different approaches and green technologies in recent years, which includes nano catalysts, microwaves and, ultrasound irradiation. In this review, we have focused our attention, specifically, to provide insight into the modern approaches to the synthesis of oxindole‐1,4‐naphthoquinone molecular hybrid and technical advances in this research field till April 2020. The review is mainly made up of four main parts which contain 2‐component, 3‐component, 4‐component, and other multistep miscellaneous approaches utilized to synthesize this oxindole‐1,4‐naphthoquinone molecular hybrid. These four main parts are also subdivided according to different substituents present on oxindole‐1,4‐naphthoquinone molecular hybrid. This review focused specifically on the collection of literature on the reaction of isatin with 2‐hydroxyl‐1,4‐naphthoquinone(Lawsone) to afford oxindole‐1,4‐naphthoquinone molecular hybrid.
Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants and Anticorrosion of Mild Steel by Vanadium Modified Titanate Nanotubes (X%V‐TiNTs)
Authors: Ameur Nawal , Brahimi Fawzia Taieb , Bensaada Naima , Gouhas Halima , Ferouani Ghaniya
Published: November 2020

The present work aims to study the anticorrosion and the photodegradation properties of titanate nanotubes (TiNTs) and vanadium doped‐titanate nanotubes (V‐TiNTs). Moreover, this article seeks to investigate the effect of doping TiNTs by vanadium species at different amount (2, 5 and 10 wt %). The raw materials (i.e:TiO2 and V2O5‐TiO2) are obtained by a sol gel process, while the hydrothermal treatment is chosen to achieve the hollow structure. The structural evolutions and morphological characteristics of materials have performed using various techniques such as: Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X‐ray (MEB/EDS), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), UV‐Visible in Reflection Diffuse spectroscopy (RD/UV‐Vis) and Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. However, the anticorrosion properties of the synthesized nanotubes are evaluated on mild steel corrosion in 1 N HCl using a weight loss method. All materials showed a potential inhibitor effect (up to 90 %) depending on the vanadium percentage and the inhibitor concentration. The photodegradation activity of the prepared materials is evaluated in the photodegradation of two organic pollutants: Methylene Blue (MB) and Malachite Green (MG) under UV‐Visible irradiation. The obtained results underlined the improvement of photocatalytic activity of TiNTs by vanadium species. A conversion rate up to 96 % is achieved at reduced time. Therefore, the prepared materials could be suitable for the anticorrosion of mild steel and the photodegradation of organic pollutants.
Boosting Activity and Selectivity of CO2 Electroreduction by Pre‐Hydridizing Pd Nanocubes
Authors: Chang Qiaowan , Kim Jeonghyeon , Lee Ji Hoon , Kattel Shyam , Chen Jingguang G. , Choi Sang‐Il , Chen Zheng
Published: November 2020

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to syngas represents a promising solution to mitigate CO2 emissions and manufacture value‐added chemicals. Palladium (Pd) has been identified as a potential candidate for syngas production via CO2RR due to its transformation to Pd hydride under CO2RR conditions, however, the pre‐hydridized effect on the catalytic properties of Pd‐based electrocatalysts has not been investigated. Herein, pre‐hydridized Pd nanocubes (PdH0.40) supported on carbon black (PdH0.40 NCs/C) are directly prepared from a chemical reduction method. Compared with Pd nanocubes (Pd NCs/C), PdH0.40 NCs/C presented an enhanced CO2RR performance due to its less cathodic phase transformation revealed by the in situ X‐ray absorption spectroscopy. Density functional theory calculations revealed different binding energies of key reaction intermediates on PdH0.40 NCs/C and Pd NCs/C. Study of the size effect further suggests that NCs of smaller sizes show higher activity due to their more abundant active sites (edge and corner sites) for CO2RR. The pre‐hydridization and reduced NC size together lead to significantly improved activity and selectivity of CO2RR.
1D to 2D Transition in Tellurium Observed by 4D Electron Microscopy
Authors: Londoño‐Calderon Alejandra , Williams Darrick J. , Ophus Colin , Pettes Michael T.
Published: November 2020

A new microwave‐enhanced synthesis method for the production of tellurium nanostructures is reported—with control over products from the 1D regime (sub‐5 nm diameter nanowires), to nanoribbons, to the 2D tellurene regime—along with a new methodology for local statistical quantification of the crystallographic parameters of these materials at the nanometer scale. Using a direct electron detector and image‐corrected microscope, large and robust 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy datasets for accurate structural analysis are obtained. These datasets allow the adaptation of quantitative techniques originally developed for X‐ray diffraction (XRD) refinement analyses to transmission electron microscopy, enabling the first demonstration of sub‐picometer accuracy lattice parameter extraction while also obtaining both the size of the coherent crystallite domains and the nanostrain, which is observed to decrease as nanowires transition to tellurene. This new local analysis is commensurate with global powder XRD results, indicating the robustness of both the new synthesis approach and new structural analysis methodology for future scalable production of 2D tellurene and characterization of nanomaterials.
Multimedia resources as a support for requirements engineering and software maintenance
Authors: Santos Anne Caroline Melo , Júnior Methanias Colaço , de Carvalho Andrade Edna
Published: November 2020

Textual documentations are frequently used in the software development process to outline features and behaviors of an application. For some people, textual descriptions may not be enough to understand what is being developed. In this scenario, multimedia resources appear as an option for software documentation, providing other ways to observe and interpret information.

Objective

To identify and characterize the approaches and techniques which promote the use of multimedia in requirements engineering (RE) to support software development and maintenance.

Method

A systematic mapping was conducted to find the primary studies in the literature and collect evidence for directing future research.

Results

Only 27.66% of the approaches found validated their solutions through controlled experiments, showing the need to increase the use of scientific method in this area, with replications of studies that will allow to evaluating if other researchers independently will come up with the same results. In this context, the approaches/techniques identified were TRECE, MURMER, Wiki System Multimedia, Storytelling, Virtual World Environment, VisionCatcher, PRESTO4U, ReqVidA, CrowdRE, AVW, The Software Cinema Technique, Dolli Project, UTOPIA, and approaches without explicit names, which, as a rule, use multimedia resources as an additional support.

Conclusions

There was a favorable consensus regarding the use of multimedia in RE. The selected studies demonstrated to be favorable to the adoption of media to persist and store the requirements of a system. Moreover, multimedia resources can improve the process of understanding the code and decrease evolution and maintenance costs.

General terms are design, documentation, experimentation, human factors, multimedia, reliability, software engineering, verification, and security.
Mass irregularity effect on seismic response of moment‐resisting steel frame by nonlinear time history analysis using force analogy method
Authors: Ningthoukhongjam Sukumar Singh , Singh Konjengbam Darunkumar
Published: November 2020

Nonlinear time history analysis (NTHA) is widely considered to be the most accurate and robust method of seismic analysis and, when performed with force analogy method (FAM), can result in significant reduction in computational time, as compared to the conventional displacement‐based finite element (FE) solution technique. Taking this advantage of efficient FAM, this paper investigates the effects of location (along building height) and intensity (150–225%) of single‐floor mass irregularity on seismic response of mid‐rise moment‐resisting steel frames. Three building heights (6, 8, and 10 storeys) have been considered, and the analysis results are presented in the form of floor displacements, storey drift ratio, and plastic energy dissipation. Based on the analysis, it has been observed that critical location (for the maximum seismic response) of mass‐irregular floor corresponds to the level that exhibited the maximum seismic response (i.e., storey drift ratio) in the reference mass‐regular frame. Further, criticality of the irregular frame to seismic excitation has been found to decrease when mass‐irregular floor moves towards the top of the building. The criticality of the irregular frame has been found to increase with the increase in mass‐irregular intensity. Collapse of the irregular frame has been seen to initial first near the storey level where mass‐irregular floor is located.
Applications of Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Substitution in Total Synthesis of Natural Products: An Update
Authors: Mohammadkhani Leyla , Heravi Majid M.
Published: November 2020

Metal‐catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution (AAS) reaction is one of the most synthetically useful reactions catalyzed by metal complexes for the formation of carbon‐carbon and carbon‐heteroatom bonds. It comprises the substitution of allylic substrates with a wide range of nucleophiles or SN2′‐type allylic substitution, which results in the formation of the above‐mentioned bonds with high levels of enantioselective induction. AAS reaction tolerates a broad range of functional groups, thus has been successfully applied in the asymmetric synthesis of a wide range of optically pure compounds. This reaction has been extensively used in the total synthesis of several complex molecules, especially natural products. In this review, we try to highlight the applications of metal (Pd, Ir, Mo, or Cu)‐catalyzed AAS reaction in the total synthesis of the biologically active natural products, as a key step, updating the subject from 2003 till date.
Climate change and freshwater ecology: Hydrological and ecological methods of comparable complexity are needed to predict risk
Authors: John Andrew , Horne Avril , Nathan Rory , Stewardson Michael , Webb J. Angus , Wang Jun , Poff N. LeRoy
Published: November 2020

Many freshwater ecosystems are in decline because of anthropogenic disturbance including climate change, yet our understanding of ecological vulnerability to future conditions including climatic variation is limited. Understanding climate risks to freshwater ecosystems requires combining hydrological and ecological knowledge. While there have been significant advances in ecohydrological approaches when applied within the large array of methods available for undertaking impact assessments, the ecological and hydrological elements are often not well‐integrated. This results in a mismatch in their ability to accommodate the inherent uncertainty in both impacts and responses. We examine published literature that assesses climate change impacts on freshwater ecosystems using both hydrological and ecological models to better understand method choices. We identify four fundamentally distinct modeling approaches used to assess climate change risk. We discuss which approaches are less useful for predicting ecological impacts under climate change, and highlight approaches of comparable complexity that can maximize the utility of dynamic, process‐based modeling while capturing the effects of climate uncertainty and variability. Using an illustrative case study of riparian vegetation health under climate change, we show how the four alternate modeling approaches feature different degrees of information in their outcomes and inferences about future risk. Most current studies that examine climate change risks to freshwater ecosystems use simplified methods or inadequately combine key elements. However, unless the interactions between changing hydrologic variability and ecological responses are explicitly captured in scale‐sensitive modeling methods, the risks of climate change to freshwater ecosystems will likely be substantially misrepresented, with negative consequences for effective management responses. Capturing these interactions requires combining ecological and hydrological methods of comparable complexity.

This article is categorized under:

Climate, Ecology, and Conservation > Modeling Species and Community Interactions
Charm physics confronts high-pT lepton tails
Authors: Fuentes-Martín Javier , Greljo Admir , Camalich Jorge Martin , Ruiz-Alvarez José David
Published: November 2020

Abstract

We present a systematic survey of possible short-distance new-physics effects in (semi)leptonic charged- and neutral-current charmed meson decays. Using the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) to analyze the most relevant experimental data at low and high energies, we demonstrate a striking complementarity between charm decays and high invariant mass lepton tails at the LHC. Interestingly enough, high-pT Drell-Yan data offer competitive constraints on most new physics scenarios. Furthermore, the full set of correlated constraints from K, π and τ decays imposed by SU(2)L gauge invariance is considered. The bounds from D(s) decays, high-pT lepton tails and SU(2)L relations chart the space of the SMEFT affecting semi(leptonic) charm flavor transitions.
miR-146a regulates insulin sensitivity via NPR3
Authors: Roos Julian , Dahlhaus Meike , Funcke Jan-Bernd , Kustermann Monika , Strauss Gudrun , Halbgebauer Daniel , Boldrin Elena , Holzmann Karlheinz , Möller Peter , Trojanowski Bernadette M. , Baumann Bernd , Debatin Klaus-Michael , Wabitsch Martin , Fischer-Posovszky Pamela
Published: November 2020

The pathogenesis of obesity-related metabolic diseases has been linked to the inflammation of white adipose tissue (WAT), but the molecular interconnections are still not fully understood. MiR-146a controls inflammatory processes by suppressing pro-inflammatory signaling pathways. The aim of this study was to characterize the role of miR-146a in obesity and insulin resistance. MiR-146a−/− mice were subjected to a high-fat diet followed by metabolic tests and WAT transcriptomics. Gain- and loss-of-function studies were performed using human Simpson–Golabi–Behmel syndrome (SGBS) adipocytes. Compared to controls, miR-146a−/− mice gained significantly more body weight on a high-fat diet with increased fat mass and adipocyte hypertrophy. This was accompanied by exacerbated liver steatosis, insulin resistance, and glucose intolerance. Likewise, adipocytes transfected with an inhibitor of miR-146a displayed a decrease in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, while transfecting miR-146a mimics caused the opposite effect. Natriuretic peptide receptor 3 (NPR3) was identified as a direct target gene of miR-146a in adipocytes and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of NPR3 increased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and enhanced de novo lipogenesis. In summary, miR-146a regulates systemic and adipocyte insulin sensitivity via downregulation of NPR3.
Dissecting the non-neuronal cell contribution to Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis using induced pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Pons-Espinal Meritxell , Blasco-Agell Lucas , Consiglio Antonella
Published: November 2020

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an incurable age-linked neurodegenerative disease with characteristic movement impairments that are caused by the progressive loss of dopamine-containing neurons (DAn) within the substantia nigra pars compacta. It has been suggested that misfolded protein aggregates together with neuroinflammation and glial reactivity, may impact nerve cell function, leading to neurodegeneration and diseases, such as PD. However, not many studies have been able to examine the role of human glial cells in the pathogenesis of PD. With the advent of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, it is now possible to reprogram human somatic cells to pluripotency and to generate viable human patient-specific DA neurons and glial cells, providing a tremendous opportunity for dissecting cellular and molecular pathological mechanisms occurring at early stages of PD. This reviews will report on recent work using human iPSC and 3D brain organoid models showing that iPSC technology can be used to recapitulate PD-relevant disease-associated phenotypes, including protein aggregation, cell death or loss of neurite complexity and deficient autophagic vacuoles clearance and focus on the recent co-culture systems that are revealing new insights into the complex interactions that occur between different brain cell types during neurodegeneration. Consequently, such advances are the key to improve our understanding of PD pathology and generate potential targets for new therapies aimed at curing PD patients.
A Note on the $$L^p$$ Integrability of a Class of Bochner–Riesz Kernels
Authors: Wheeler Reuben
Published: November 2020

For a general compact variety $$\Gamma $$
Γ
of arbitrary codimension, one can consider the $$L^p$$

L
p

mapping properties of the Bochner–Riesz multiplier $$\begin{aligned} m_{\Gamma , \alpha }(\zeta ) \ = \ \mathrm{dist}(\zeta , \Gamma )^{\alpha } \phi (\zeta ) \end{aligned}$$

m

Γ
,
α

(
ζ
)

=

dist

(
ζ
,
Γ
)

α

ϕ

(
ζ
)

where $$\alpha > 0$$

α
>
0

and $$\phi $$
ϕ
is an appropriate smooth cutoff function. Even for the sphere $$\Gamma = {{\mathbb {S}}}^{N-1}$$

Γ
=

S

N
-
1

, the exact $$L^p$$

L
p

boundedness range remains a central open problem in Euclidean harmonic analysis. In this paper we consider the $$L^p$$

L
p

integrability of the Bochner–Riesz convolution kernel for a particular class of varieties (of any codimension). For a subclass of these varieties the range of $$L^p$$

L
p

integrability of the kernels differs substantially from the $$L^p$$

L
p

boundedness range of the corresponding Bochner–Riesz multiplier operator.
All-inside arthroscopic modified Broström-Gould procedure for chronic lateral ankle instability with and without anterior talofibular ligament remnant repair produced similar functional results
Authors: Feng Shi-Ming , Maffulli Nicola , Ma Chao , Oliva Francesco
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The Broström-Gould procedure, with the repair of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) combined with the transfer of the extensor retinaculum, is considered the gold standard procedure for the management of chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI). Lateral ligament reconstruction is considered if the ATFL remnant quality is poor or the ATFL has been damaged beyond the ability to suture it. It remains unclear whether not repairing the ATFL remnant produces comparable functional outcomes to the classical Broström-Gould procedure.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included 84 patients with CLAI undergoing either repair or non-repair of the ATFL remnant using an all-inside arthroscopic Broström-Gould procedure from 2015 to 2018. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores, American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores, Karlsson Ankle Functional Score (KAFS), Anterior Talar Translation (ATT), Active Joint Position Sense (AJPS), and the rate of return to sports were compared in both groups.

Results

All the functional scores (VAS, AOFAS, KAFS, ATT, AJPS) significantly improved in both groups at 1 and 2 years after surgery. At all the follow-up time points, the VAS, AOFAS, KAFS, ATT, AJPS, and the rate of return to sport scores were comparable between the repair and non-repair group.

Conclusion

There are no statistically significant differences in postoperative outcomes between ATFL remnant repair and non-repair for the management of CLAI using the all-inside arthroscopic Broström-Gould procedure. From the clinical viewpoint, the present study shows that the potential differences in clinical outcomes between ATFL remnant repair and non-repair are likely not relevant when performing an all-inside arthroscopic Broström-Gould procedure for CLAI.

Level of evidence

III.
Uniqueness, stability and global convergence for a discrete inverse elliptic Robin transmission problem
Authors: Harrach Bastian
Published: November 2020

We derive a simple criterion that ensures uniqueness, Lipschitz stability and global convergence of Newton’s method for the finite dimensional zero-finding problem of a continuously differentiable, pointwise convex and monotonic function. Our criterion merely requires to evaluate the directional derivative of the forward function at finitely many evaluation points and for finitely many directions. We then demonstrate that this result can be used to prove uniqueness, stability and global convergence for an inverse coefficient problem with finitely many measurements. We consider the problem of determining an unknown inverse Robin transmission coefficient in an elliptic PDE. Using a relation to monotonicity and localized potentials techniques, we show that a piecewise-constant coefficient on an a-priori known partition with a-priori known bounds is uniquely determined by finitely many boundary measurements and that it can be uniquely and stably reconstructed by a globally convergent Newton iteration. We derive a constructive method to identify these boundary measurements, calculate the stability constant and give a numerical example.
Solution of second kind Fredholm integral equations by means of Gauss and anti-Gauss quadrature rules
Authors: Díaz de Alba Patricia , Fermo Luisa , Rodriguez Giuseppe
Published: November 2020

This paper is concerned with the numerical approximation of Fredholm integral equations of the second kind. A Nyström method based on the anti-Gauss quadrature formula is developed and investigated in terms of stability and convergence in appropriate weighted spaces. The Nyström interpolants corresponding to the Gauss and the anti-Gauss quadrature rules are proved to furnish upper and lower bounds for the solution of the equation, under suitable assumptions which are easily verified for a particular weight function. Hence, an error estimate is available, and the accuracy of the solution can be improved by approximating it by an averaged Nyström interpolant. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated through different numerical tests.
Normal fat mass cannot be reliably estimated in typical pharmacokinetic studies
Authors: Wasmann Roeland E. , Svensson Elin M. , Schalkwijk Stein J. , Brüggemann Roger J. , ter Heine Rob
Published: November 2020

Purpose

An influential covariate for pharmacokinetics is (body) size. Recently, the method of estimation of normal fat mass (NFM) has been advocated. Here, the relative contribution of fat mass, estimated as a fraction fat (Ffat), is used to explain differences in pharmacokinetic parameters. This concept is more and more applied. However, it remains unclear whether NFM can be reliably estimated in these typical studies.

Methods

We performed an evaluation of the reliability of NFM estimation in a typical study size (n = 30), otherwise best-case scenario, by means of a pharmacokinetic simulation study. Several values of Ffat were investigated.

Results

In a typical pharmacokinetic study, high imprecision was observed for NFM parameter estimates over a range of scenarios. For example, in a scenario where the true value of Ffat on clearance was 0.5, we found a 95% confidence interval of − 0.1 to 2.1, demonstrating a low precision. The implications for practice are that one could conclude that fat-free mass best describes the relationship of the pharmacokinetics with body size, while the true relationship was between fat-free mass and total body weight. Consequently, this could lead to incorrect extrapolation of pharmacokinetics to extreme body sizes.

Conclusion

In typical pharmacokinetic studies, NFM should be used with caution because the Ffat estimates have low precision. The estimation of Ffat should always be preceded by careful study design evaluation before planning a study, to ensure that the design and sample size is sufficient to apply this potentially useful methodology.