bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Motion detection with NMR markers using real‐time field tracking in the laboratory frame
Authors: Aranovitch Alexander , Haeberlin Maximilian , Gross Simon , Dietrich Benjamin E. , Reber Jonas , Schmid Thomas , Pruessmann Klaas P.
Published: December 2019

Purpose

To enhance the utility of motion detection with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) markers by removing the need for sequence‐dependent calibration.

Methods

Two sets of NMR markers are used for simultaneous observation of magnetic field dynamics during imaging procedures. A set of stationary markers at known positions in the laboratory frame serves to determine the field evolution in that frame. Concurrent recording from a set of head‐mounted markers then permits calculating their lab‐frame positions and derived rigid‐body motion parameters. The precision and accuracy of this approach are evaluated relative to current calibration‐based solutions. Use for prospective motion correction is then demonstrated in high‐resolution imaging of long scan duration.

Results

Motion detection with real‐time field tracking overcomes the need for explicit calibration without compromising precision, which is assessed at 10 to 30 µm. Relative to full conventional calibration, it is found to offer superior robustness against thermal drift. Relative to more economical modes of calibration, it achieves substantially higher accuracy. Prospective motion correction based on real‐time field tracking resulted in consistently high image quality even when head motion exceeded the image resolution by one order of magnitude.

Conclusion

Real‐time field tracking enables motion detection with NMR markers without calibration overhead and thus overcomes a key obstacle toward routine use. In addition, it renders this mode of motion tracking more robust against system imperfections.
Cerebrovascular MRI in the mouse without an exogenous contrast agent
Authors: Fouquet Jérémie P. , Lebel Réjean , Cahill Lindsay S. , Sled John G. , Tremblay Luc , Lepage Martin
Published: December 2019

Purpose

To assess the effect of a variety of anesthetic regimes on ‐weighted MRI of the mouse brain and to determine the optimal regimes to perform ‐weighted MRI of the mouse cerebrovasculature without a contrast agent.

Methods

Twenty mice were imaged with a 3D ‐weighted sequence under isoflurane, dexmedetomidine, or ketamine‐xylazine anesthesia with a fraction of inspired oxygen varied between 10% and 95% + 5% CO2. Some mice were also imaged after an injection of an iron oxide contrast agent as a positive control. For every regime, whole brain vessel conspicuity was visually assessed and the apparent vessel density in the cortex was quantified and compared.

Results

The commonly used isoflurane anesthetic leads to poor vessel conspicuity for fraction of inspired oxygen higher or equal to 21%. Dexmedetomidine and ketamine‐xylazine enable the visualization of a significantly larger portion of the vasculature for the same breathing gas. Under isoflurane anesthesia, the fraction of inspired oxygen must be lowered to between 10% and 14% to obtain similar vessel conspicuity. Initial results on automatic segmentation of veins and arteries using the iron oxide positive control are also reported.

Conclusion

‐weighted MRI in combination with an appropriate anesthetic regime can be used to visualize the mouse cerebrovasculature without a contrast agent. The differences observed between regimes are most likely caused by blood‐oxygen level dependent effects, highlighting the important impact of the anesthetic regimes on cerebral blood oxygenation of the mouse brain at rest.
Improved Use of Human Milk, Growth, and Central Line Utilization With Standard Feeding Roadmap in an Academic NICU
Authors: Kohler John A. , Fowler Jennifer O. , Moore Ryan T. , Higginson Jason D.
Published: December 2019

Background

Before the initiation of a standardized feeding roadmap in our regional, level IV academic neonatal intensive care unit, utilization of central lines was high, and initiation of enteral feeds delayed in the very low‐birth‐weight population (<1500 g). Given our review of the literature, it appeared that the standardization of feeding advancement would likely result in improved performance in both issues.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort comparison of very low‐birth‐weight patients before initiation of any feeding roadmap with a second cohort following completion of the final roadmap. Infants were examined retrospectively in 2 historical cohorts: Phase 1, infants fed before roadmap development and rollout, October 1, 2012–March 31, 2013; and Phase 2, following promulgation of the final feeding roadmap, January 1, 2017–June 30, 2017.

Results

During Phase 2, we observed a significant reduction in median (interquartile range) days to first feed (3 [1] vs 1 [1] [P < 0.0001]) and utilization of a second central line (35% vs 12% [P < 0.01]). Weight gain was significantly improved from before roadmap implementation to final, mean (SD) (g/d, 21 [5] vs 24 [4]; [P < .0001]). Percentage of first enteral feedings that were human milk also increased significantly from 71% to 91% (P = 0.0007).

Conclusion

Implementation of a standardized feeding roadmap was associated with a reduction in days to first enteral feeds, an increase in the primary use of human milk for initiation of enteral feeds, and a decrease in the utilization of central lines while improving weight gain in very low‐birth‐weight infants.
Effect of Oral Nutrition Supplements and TGF‐β2 on Nutrition and Inflammatory Patterns in Patients With Active Crohn's Disease
Authors: Ferreira Talita Mayra Resende , Albuquerque Annanda , Cancela Penna Francisco Guilherme , Macedo Rosa Rodrigo , Correia Maria Isabel Toulson Davisson , Barbosa Alfredo José Afonso , Salles Cunha Aloísio , Ferrari Maria de Lourdes Abreu
Published: December 2019

Background

Crohn's disease (CD) is often associated with nutrition disorders. Many nutrition therapeutic alternatives have been studied. Nevertheless, the actual role of nutrition therapy is still controversial. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of nutrition supplementation with and without transforming growth factor‐beta 2 (TGF‐β2) on inflammatory, endoscopic, histopathologic, and nutrition parameters in active CD.

Materials and methods

Thirty‐eight patients were allocated into 3 groups: group 1 (patients who received only nutrition orientation), group 2 (nutrition orientation and a normoproteic, normocaloric nutrition supplement), and group 3 (nutrition orientation and the nutritional supplement with TGF‐β2). Clinical and nutrition evaluation, C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels, and assessment of endoscopic and histologic parameters in the intestinal mucosa were performed before and after nutrition intervention.

Results

The mean follow‐up period was 3 months. In the beginning of the study, groups were homogeneous regarding age, gender, CD behavior and localization, and medication in use. In the end of the study, the Clinical Disease Activity Index score was reduced in groups 2 and 3; in group 3, a reduction in CRP levels and an improvement in histologic findings were observed. Among patients who received nutritional supplement, some anthropometric patterns were improved.

Conclusion

The results of the study indicate that nutritional supplementation improved nutrition and inflammatory patterns in patients with active CD. However, only patients receiving TGF‐β2–enriched formula showed improvement in histologic parameters and significant reduction in CRP levels.
Pathophysiology of Acute Liver Failure
Authors: Dong Victor , Nanchal Rahul , Karvellas Constantine J.
Published: December 2019

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare syndrome resulting from an acute insult to the liver in patients without known underlying chronic liver disease. It is characterized by loss of synthetic function in the form of jaundice and coagulopathy and development of hepatic encephalopathy. Multiorgan failure (MOF) eventually develops, leading to death. Many different etiologies have been identified, with acetaminophen (APAP) overdose and viral hepatitis being the most common causes worldwide. The pathophysiology of ALF can be divided into cause‐specific liver injury pathophysiologies and pathophysiology related to occurrence of secondary MOF. In terms of liver injury pathophysiology, APAP toxicity is the most well known. Secondary MOF is often a result of the initial massive proinflammatory response generating a systemic inflammatory response syndrome followed by a compensatory anti‐inflammatory response leading to immune cell dysfunction and sepsis. As the liver is a tremendously important metabolic organ involved in energy metabolism, protein synthesis, fat metabolism, and glycemic control, multiple aspects of nutrition also need to be considered as part of the overall pathophysiology of ALF.
Acoustic measurements of marine sediments with pebbles and cobbles
Authors: Holland Charles W. , Dettmer Jan , Steininger Gavin , Dosso Stan E. , Lowrie Allen
Published: December 2019

The majority of sediment acoustics research has focused to date on sediments with sand‐sized particles or smaller; measurements for sediments containing cobbles (6–26 cm) are rare. This paper presents the first measurements (to the authors’ knowledge) over a wide frequency range of compressional‐wave velocity and bulk density for a sediment with cobbles. The in situ velocity from inversion from wide‐angle reflection‐coefficient data at 0.4–2 kHz for cobbles suspended in sand is found here to be 1800 m/s with 95% credibility interval bounds of [1787–1828] m/s and for cobbles suspended in clay 1532 [1528–1536] m/s. Measured core velocities at 50 kHz and 200 kHz are lower for each sediment due to multiple scattering. The in situ bulk density for cobbles suspended in sand is 2.25 [2.21–2.28] g/cm3 and for cobbles suspended in clay 1.83 [1.78–1.87] g/cm3. Though cobbles in the upper few metres of sediment may be considered unusual on the mid‐shelf at mid‐latitudes, they appear to be present over tens of square kilometres on the Malta Plateau in a several metre thick layer starting at about 1 m below seafloor. In fact, geologic process considerations suggest that cobbles may be generally more common in mid to outer shelf environments than the paucity of measurements would suggest. Increased interest in the Arctic continental shelf environment, where pebbles and cobbles are expected to be prevalent, provides an additional motivation for this work.
Studies on electro‐optical properties of polymer matrix/LC/ITO nanoparticles composites
Authors: Zhang Cuihong , Ge Yuan , Huo Xiaoping , Xue Jing , Li Kexuan , Zhang Yongming , Miao Zongcheng
Published: December 2019

In this paper, polymer‐dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films consisting of liquid crystal (LC)/monomers/indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles with good near‐infrared absorption property had been fabricated, and the influence of the ITO nanoparticles modified with 3‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (KH570) on the PDLC films was systematically studied. First, different liquid crystal content was studied to obtain PDLC films with good electro‐optical properties. And then, various weight ratio of ITO nanoparticles was added to samples. While the content of ITO nanoparticles was increased, the saturation voltage increased and the CR decreased. Though the electro‐optical properties of PDLC samples reduced with the addition ITO nanoparticles, the near‐infrared absorption property of films was enhanced.
Polypropylene–nano‐silica nanocomposite foams: mechanisms underlying foamability, and foam microstructure, crystallinity and mechanical properties
Authors: Kumar Anish , Patham Bhaskar , Mohanty Smita , Nayak Sanjay Kumar
Published: December 2019

We investigate the production and characterization of foams prepared from polypropylene (PP) as well as PP–silica nanocomposites containing different loadings of nano‐silica. This study was carried out to investigate the mechanisms underlying the production of foams with a regular cell structure through the use of nano‐scale fillers. Foaming was carried out in batch mode using an autoclave with CO2 as the physical blowing agent; high pressures of the order of 14 MPa were achieved through a combination of active pressurization and the use of high foaming temperatures. The resulting PP nanocomposite foams were characterized in detail to quantify the effect of the nano‐silica loading on the foam density and mechanical, morphological and thermal properties. The addition of nano‐silica in PP resulted in the improvement of foam quality – as assessed from the well‐defined and regular cell structures with absence of cell coalescence – as well as an increase in expansion ratio and decrease in foam density. Careful analyses of trends in cell size, cell density and expansion ratio of the foams were correlated with measurements of melt rheology and nano‐filler morphology of the unfoamed specimens in order to identify subtle details regarding the role of silica nanoparticles in improving foam quality. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Design and Damage Performance Ability of Supercavitation Projectile with Shaped Charge
Authors: Wang Kang‐Jian , Rong Guang , Yi Wen‐Jun
Published: December 2019

The traditional supercavitation projectile depends on its kinematics to damage targets. However, the bullet penetration ability is greatly restrained by the range. To improve the damage performance of underwater projectiles, the shaped charge and supercavitation technology are combined in this paper, which called shaped charge supercavitation projectile. The projectile is designed and analyzed through ANSYS/LS‐DYNA software in the preliminary stage. The simulation results turn out that the structures have many advantages with reasonable design. The paper divides the design into three steps: the first step is to design the shaped charge according to the requirements or shaped charge structure designed; the second step is to determine the optimum stand‐off that is obtained by numerical analysis. The stand‐off is set as the length of the projectile head; the third step is to calculate the cavitator diameter by the Logvinovich equation. These results will provide a new idea for the design of underwater weapons.
Effective Schottky Barrier Height Model for N‐Polar and Ga‐Polar GaN by Polarization‐Induced Surface Charges with Finite Thickness
Authors: Suemitsu Tetsuya , Makabe Isao
Published: December 2019

The nitrogen‐polar GaN material system is a promising candidate for high‐frequency applications, such as those in the millimeter‐wave range. Schottky barrier height is one of fundamental parameters necessary for device applications of N‐polar GaN. Herein, vertical Schottky diodes for both N‐polar and Ga‐polar GaN are prepared, and it is found through experiments that the barrier height of N‐polar GaN is smaller than that of Ga‐polar GaN by 0.21 V. This difference in the barrier height stems from the polarization‐induced surface charge layer of a few angstroms thickness under the surface. Numerical calculation of band profiles suggests that a significant band bending caused by the large amount of polarization charges pushes the conduction band energy downward (upward) in the N‐polar (Ga‐polar) surface depending on the sign of the polarization charges, which results in two different effective Schottky barrier heights. This difference is explained by assuming the polarization‐charge layer thickness of about 5 Å. A simple analytical model to estimate the difference in barrier heights between the two polarities is also proposed.
Protective effects of glycycoumarin on liver diseases
Authors: Zhang Enxiang , Yin Shutao , Zhao Shuang , Zhao Chong , Yan Mingzhu , Fan Lihong , Hu Hongbo
Published: December 2019

Licorice, an edible and medicinal plant, has long been used to treat various diseases, including liver diseases. Glycycoumarin (GCM) is a representative coumarin compound in licorice with favorable bioavailability feature. Recent studies by us demonstrated that GCM is highly effective against alcoholic liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, acetaminophen‐induced hepatotoxicity, and liver cancer through mechanisms involved in activation of Nrf2 antioxidant system, stimulation of AMPK‐mediated energy homeostasis, induction of autophagy degradation process, and inhibiting oncogenic kinase T‐lymphokine–activated killer cell‐originated protein kinase activity. In this review, we summarize the findings on the hepatoprotective effect of GCM, discuss the signaling pathways underlying GCM‐induced protective effect on liver diseases, and propose the issues that need to be addressed to promote further development of GCM as a clinically useful hepatoprotective agent.
Improvement of m/z accuracy for linear matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer
Authors: Yu Jiajun , Chudinov Alexey , Li Lei , Liu Jinzhao , Gao Wei , Huang Zhengxu , Zhou Zhen , Nikiforov Sergey , Kozlovskiy Viatcheslav
Published: December 2019

Rationale

Linear matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOFMS) is widely used in analytical and biomedical applications. The use of delayed extraction increases the resolution, but the roughness of the matrix crystals and the misalignment of the target plate in the order of a few micrometers cause a substantial spread in the ion TOF values and a decrease in mass accuracy.

Methods

The method of mass spectra correction based on the correlation of matrix fragment peaks in MALDI mass spectra was used. Experiments were performed using the MALDI‐TOF instrument CMI‐1600. SIMION 8.1 and MATLAB were used for ion motion simulations. Data analysis was done using the home‐built custom‐developed software and MATLAB.

Results

It was shown that the peak position drift in the MALDI‐TOF mass spectra depends linearly on the TOF in a wide mass range. While using the linear correction of the TOF scale, an increase in m/z accuracy of more than 10 times was achieved. The mass accuracy was limited by the resolution of the fast Analog‐to‐Digital Converter (ADC) used.

Conclusions

It is expected that the proposed method will significantly increase the dynamic range, since it becomes possible to sum up corrected individual mass spectra without a significant loss of resolution. Timescale adjusting can be used for both linear TOF instruments and reflector systems of various configurations.
State‐limiting PID controller for a class of nonlinear systems with constant uncertainties
Authors: Konstantopoulos George C. , Baldivieso‐Monasterios Pablo R.
Published: December 2019

Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controllers still represent the core control method for achieving output regulation of either linear or nonlinear systems in the majority of industrial applications. However, conventional PID control cannot guarantee specific state constraint requirements for the plant, when the system introduces uncertainties. In this paper, a novel nonlinear PID control that achieves output regulation and guarantees a desired state limitation below a given value for a wide class of nonlinear systems with constant uncertainties is proposed. Using nonlinear ultimate boundedness theory, it is shown that the proposed state‐limiting PID (sl‐PID) control maintains a given bound for the desired system states at all times, ie, even during transients, whereas an analytic method for selecting the controller gains is also presented to ensure closed‐loop system stability and convergence at the desired equilibrium. Two nonlinear engineering examples that include an electric motor and a dc/dc converter are investigated using the conventional PID and the proposed sl‐PID to validate the superiority of the proposed controller in achieving the desired output regulation with a given bounded state requirement.
Detecting northern peatland vegetation patterns at ultra‐high spatial resolution
Authors: Räsänen Aleksi , Aurela Mika , Juutinen Sari , Kumpula Timo , Lohila Annalea , Penttilä Timo , Virtanen Tarmo
Published: December 2019

Within northern peatlands, landscape elements such as vegetation and topography are spatially heterogenic from ultra‐high (centimeter level) to coarse scale. In addition to within‐site spatial heterogeneity, there is evident between‐site heterogeneity, but there is a lack of studies assessing whether different combinations of remotely sensed features and mapping approaches are needed in different types of landscapes. We evaluated the value of different mapping methods and remote sensing datasets and analyzed the kinds of differences present in vegetation patterns and their mappability between three northern boreal peatland landscapes in northern Finland. We utilized field‐inventoried vegetation plots together with spectral, textural, topography and vegetation height remote sensing data from 0.02‐ to 3‐m pixel size. Remote sensing data included true‐color unmanned aerial vehicle images, aerial images with four spectral bands, aerial lidar data and multiple PlanetScope satellite images. We used random forest regressions for tracking plant functional type (PFT) coverage, non‐metric multidimensional scaling ordination axes and fuzzy k‐medoid plant community clusters. PFT regressions had variable performance for different study sites (R2 −0.03 to 0.69). Spatial patterns of some spectrally or structurally distinctive PFTs could be predicted relatively well. The first ordination axis represented wetness gradient and was well predicted using remotely sensed data (R2 0.64 to 0.82), but the other three axes had a less straightforward explanation and lower mapping performance (R2 −0.09 to 0.53). Plant community clusters were predicted most accurately in the sites with clear string‐flark topography but less accurately in the flatter site (R2 0.16–0.82). The most important remote sensing features differed between dependent variables and study sites: different topographic, spectral and textural features; and coarse‐scale and fine‐scale datasets were the most important in different tasks. We suggest that multiple different mapping approaches should be tested and several remote sensing datasets used when maps of vegetation are produced.
Study on the Movements of Organometallic Halide Perovskite Crystals on their Films
Authors: Song Tingyu , Bi Huan , Wei Qi , Yan Su , Wang Shiwei
Published: December 2019

Recently, organometallic halide perovskites (OMHPs) have attracted significant attention due to their high light absorption coefficient, high charge carrier mobility, and long carrier lifetime. One of the key shortcomings of the OMHP device application is its poor stability under humid conditions. Thus, it is important to study the relationship between humidity and OMHP crystals in their thin films. In this work, the large‐scale movement behavior of CH3NH3PbI3‐xClx crystals in their films is discovered. It is concluded that the number of moving CH3NH3PbI3‐xClx crystals can be controlled by the humidity of the external environment. The movement behavior of the perovskite grains is attributed to the asymmetric decomposition of perovskite under high relative humidity (RH) conditions.
How does family support facilitate job satisfaction? Investigating the chain mediating effects of work–family enrichment and job‐related well‐being
Authors: Chan Xi Wen , Kalliath Parveen , Chan Christopher , Kalliath Thomas
Published: December 2019

While a direct relationship between family support and job satisfaction has received empirical support, few work–family studies have examined how family support leads to job satisfaction. Drawing on the work–home resources model, we investigate the chain mediating roles of work‐to‐family enrichment (WFE), family‐to‐work enrichment (FWE), and job‐related well‐being on the relationship between family support and job satisfaction. Based on data collected from 439 social workers across Australia, structural equation modeling results revealed that the chain mediating effects of WFE and job‐related well‐being were supported. Our findings emphasize the important combination of work–family enrichment and job‐related well‐being in helping employees to harness support from their family members to achieve job satisfaction. We discuss both the theoretical and practical implications of the WFE, FWE, and job‐related well‐being mechanisms underlying the family support–job satisfaction relationship.
The Regulatory Functionality of Exosomes Derived from hUMSCs in 3D Culture for Alzheimer's Disease Therapy
Authors: Yang Lingyan , Zhai Yuanxin , Hao Ying , Zhu Zhanchi , Cheng Guosheng
Published: December 2019

Reducing amyloid‐β (Aβ) accumulation could be a potential therapeutic approach for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Particular functional biomolecules in exosomes vested by the microenvironment in which the original cells resided can be transferred to recipient cells to improve pathological conditions. However, there are few reports addressing whether exosomes derived from cells cultured on scaffolds with varying dimension can reduce Aβ deposition or ameliorate cognitive decline for AD therapy. Herein, both 3D graphene scaffold and 2D graphene film are used as the matrix for human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell culture, from which the supernatants are obtained to isolate exosomes. The levels of 195 kinds of miRNAs and proteins, including neprilysin, insulin‐degrading enzyme and heat shock protein 70, in 3D‐cultured exosomes (3D‐Exo) are dramatically different from those obtained from 2D culture. Hence, 3D‐Exo could up‐regulate the expression of α‐secretase and down‐regulate the β‐secretase to reduce Aβ production in both AD pathology cells and transgenic mice, through their special cargo. With rescuing Aβ pathology, 3D‐Exo exerts enhanced therapeutic effects on ameliorating the memory and cognitive deficits in AD mice. These findings provide a novel clinical application for scaffold materials and functional exosomes derived from stem cells.
There ain’t no doubt about it: Teaching EAL learners to recognize variation and switch/shift between varieties and registers is crucial to communicative competence
Authors: Schaefer Vance , Warhol Tamara
Published: December 2019

The field of English as an additional language (EAL) advocates using authentic materials and meeting the needs of students. Yet often language in the EAL classroom appears to not reflect the linguistic variation (e.g., ethnic, regional, gender, sexual orientation, generational) of English typically encountered outside of the classroom. Therefore, teaching about different varieties of English offers many advantages. Through making comparisons, learners boost their awareness of differences in grammar, vocabulary, and pragmatics among dialects and registers. Additionally, learners gain an understanding of beliefs associated with these varieties. Furthermore, knowledge of linguistic variation provides students with additional communicative resources, which they can then deploy as they codeswitch, codemix, and styleshift between dialects, registers, and styles, and thereby more faithfully express themselves and confidently interact with others. In short, learners enhance their communicative competence. This article offers an overview of a communicative repertoire approach (Rymes, Flores, & Pomerantz, 2016) with a template of activities to aid instructors in integrating language variation into an EAL curriculum, referencing the five Cs (communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities) of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (n.d.), explicit instruction, and enhanced awareness.
The top 5 FERPA sections: Practical applications, Part 2
Authors: Rainsberger Richard
Published: December 2019

Discernment = the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure.
Regulation of rhythmic behaviors by astrocytes
Authors: Jackson F. Rob , You Samantha , Crowe Lauren B.
Published: December 2019

Glial astrocytes of vertebrates and invertebrates are important modulators of nervous system development, physiology, and behavior. In all species examined, astrocytes of the adult brain contain conserved circadian clocks, and multiple studies have shown that these glial cells participate in the regulation of circadian behavior and sleep. This short review summarizes recent work, using fruit fly (Drosophila) and mouse models, that document participation of astrocytes and their endogenous circadian clocks in the control of rhythmic behavior.

This article is categorized under:

Gene Expression and Transcriptional Hierarchies > Regulatory Mechanisms

Nervous System Development > Flies
Statistical post‐processing of turbulence‐resolving weather forecasts for offshore wind power forecasting
Authors: Gilbert Ciaran , Messner Jakob W. , Pinson Pierre , Trombe Pierre‐Julien , Verzijlbergh Remco , van Dorp Pim , Jonker Harmen
Published: December 2019

Accurate short‐term power forecasts are crucial for the reliable and efficient integration of wind energy in power systems and electricity markets. Typically, forecasts for hours to days ahead are based on the output of numerical weather prediction models, and with the advance of computing power, the spatial and temporal resolutions of these models have increased substantially. However, high‐resolution forecasts often exhibit spatial and/or temporal displacement errors, and when regarding typical average performance metrics, they often perform worse than smoother forecasts from lower‐resolution models. Recent computational advances have enabled the use of large‐eddy simulations (LESs) in the context of operational weather forecasting, yielding turbulence‐resolving weather forecasts with a spatial resolution of 100 m or finer and a temporal resolution of 30 seconds or less. This paper is a proof‐of‐concept study on the prospect of leveraging these ultra high‐resolution weather models for operational forecasting at Horns Rev I in Denmark. It is shown that temporal smoothing of the forecasts clearly improves their skill, even for the benchmark resolution forecast, although potentially valuable high‐frequency information is lost. Therefore, a statistical post‐processing approach is explored on the basis of smoothing and feature engineering from the high‐frequency signal. The results indicate that for wind farm forecasting, using information content from both the standard and LES resolution models improves the forecast accuracy, especially with a feature selection stage, compared with using the information content solely from either source.
Improving Technology‐Driven Patient Care Coordination: Toward aTechnefor Community‐Based Organization Involvement
Authors: Opel Dawn S.
Published: December 2019

Health‐care systems increasingly collect and aggregate patient data from electronic medical record systems to aid in their decision making. Community‐based organizations that support patients' health and well‐being have been left behind in the development and use of technologies for coordinating patient care, despite policies that encourage cross‐sector coordination. This article presents the author's work as a rhetorician on a community‐engaged action research project to seek grant funding and health‐care partners to implement a tool that enables community‐based organization professionals to connect to health‐care providers to coordinate care for under‐resourced older adult patients. The team's practices from the project are used to inform atechne, or set of rhetorical strategies, for community‐based organizations to participate in population health management initiatives. Understanding these strategies as atechneto train other community‐based organizations to participate in cross‐sector initiatives may be critical to effectuating the goals of the Affordable Care Act and other health policies that seek to improve population‐level health outcomes.
Iron(I)‐Based Carbonyl Complexes with Bridging Thiolate Ligands as Light‐Triggered CO Releasing Molecules (photoCORMs)
Authors: Suchland Benedikt , Malassa Astrid , Görls Helmar , Krieck Sven , Westerhausen Matthias
Published: December 2019

A series of thiolate ligands were used to synthesize diiron(I) hexacarbonyl bis(thiolates) for structural studies. Conversion of the corresponding thiols with triiron(0) dodecacarbonyl yields complexes of the type [{(CO)3Fe(μ‐SR)}2] [R = C6H5 (1), C6H4‐4‐CH3 (2), C6H4‐4‐F (3), C6F5 (4), C6H4‐4‐CF3 (5), C6H2‐2,4,6‐(CH3)3 (6), CH2–C6H4‐4‐Cl (7)]. These complexes were isolated and fully characterized, including X‐ray crystal structures of complexes 2–7. The bridging thiolate ligands mainly influence the Fe–CO bond which is trans‐positioned to the second iron(I) center. In solution, the anti‐isomer with one axially and one equatorially oriented thiolate is the major species; severe steric strain induced by mesityl groups only allows the formation of syn‐endo‐isomeric molecules of 7. Furthermore, light‐induced CO release at solid material at the three representative complexes 1, 3, and 6 verify suitability as photoCORMs.
On the Frequency and Severity of Interstate Wars
Authors: Clauset Aaron
Published: December 2019

Lewis Fry Richardson argued that the frequency and severity of deadly conflicts of all kinds, from homicides to interstate wars and everything in between, followed universal statistical patterns: their frequency followed a simple Poisson arrival process and their severity followed a simple power-law distribution. Although his methods and data in the mid-20th century were neither rigorous nor comprehensive, his insights about violent conflicts have endured. In this chapter, using modern statistical methods and data, I show that Richardson’s original claims are largely correct, with a few caveats. These facts place important constraints on our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that produce individual wars and periods of peace and shed light on the persistent debate about trends in conflict.
The Decline of War Since 1950: New Evidence
Authors: Spagat Michael , van Weezel Stijn
Published: December 2019

For the past 70 years, there has been a downward trend in war sizes, but the idea of an enduring ‘long peace’ remains controversial. Some recent contributions suggest that observed war patterns, including the long peace, could have resulted from a long-standing and unchanging war-generating process, an idea rooted in Lewis F Richardson’s pioneering work on war. Focusing on the hypothesis that the war sizes after the Second World War are generated by the same mechanism that generated war sizes before the Second World War, recent work failed to reject this ‘no-change’ hypothesis. In this chapter, we transform the war-size data into units of battle deaths per 100,000 of world population rather than absolute battle deaths – units appropriate for investigating the probability that a random person will die in a war. This change tilts the evidence towards rejecting no-change hypotheses. We also show that sliding the candidate break point slightly forward in time, to 1950 rather than 1945, leads us further down the path toward formal rejection of a large number of no-change hypotheses. We expand the range of wars considered to include not just inter-state wars, as is commonly done, but also intra-state wars. Now we do formally reject many versions of the no-change hypothesis. Finally, we show that our results do not depend on the choice of war dataset.
The BTZ black hole violates strong cosmic censorship
Authors: Dias Oscar J.C. , Reall Harvey S. , Santos Jorge E.
Published: December 2019

Abstract

We investigate the stability of the inner horizon of a rotating BTZ black hole. We show that linear perturbations arising from smooth initial data are arbitrarily differentiable at the inner horizon if the black hole is sufficiently close to extremality. This is demonstrated for scalar fields, for massive Chern-Simons fields, for Proca fields, and for massive spin-2 fields. Thus the strong cosmic censorship conjecture is violated by a near-extremal BTZ black hole in a large class of theories. However, we show that a weaker \rough" version of the conjecture is respected. We calculate the renormalized energymomentum tensor of a scalar field in the Hartle-Hawking state in the BTZ geometry. We show that the result is finite at the inner horizon of a near-extremal black hole. Hence the backreaction of vacuum polarization does not enforce strong cosmic censorship.
Form factors of V′ → V″ transition within the light-front quark models
Authors: Chang Qin , Wang Li-Ting , Li Xiao-Nan
Published: December 2019

Abstract

In this paper, we calculate the matrix element and form factors of vector-to- vector (V

I

→ V

II
) transition within the standard light-front (SLF) and covariant light- front (CLF) quark models (QMs), and investigate the self-consistency and Lorentz covari- ance of the CLF QM within two types of correspondences between the manifest covariant Bethe-Salpeter approach and the LF approach. The zero-mode and valence contributions to the form factors of V

I

→ V

II
transition in the CLF QM and their relation to the SLF results are analyzed, and the main conclusions obtained via the decay constants of vector and axial-vector mesons and the form factors of P → V transition in the previous works are confirmed again. Furthermore, we present our numerical predictions for the form factors of c → (q, s) (q = u, d) induced D

*

→ (K

*

, ρ), D

∗

→ (ϕ, K

*
), J/Ψ →

$$ \left({D}_s^{\ast },{D}^{\ast}\right) $$

D
s
∗

D
∗

,

$$ {B}_c^{\ast}\to \left({B}_s^{\ast },{B}^{\ast}\right) $$

B
c
∗

→

B
s
∗

B
∗

transitions and b → (c, s, q) induced B
∗ → (D
∗, K
∗, ρ),

$$ {B}_s^{\ast}\to \left({D}_s^{\ast },\phi, {K}^{\ast}\right) $$

B
s
∗

→

D
s
∗

ϕ

K
∗

,

$$ {B}_c^{\ast}\to \left(J/\varPsi, {D}_s^{\ast },{D}^{\ast}\right),\varUpsilon (1S)\to \left({B}_c^{\ast },{B}_s^{\ast },{B}^{\ast}\right) $$

B
c
∗

→

J
/
Ψ

D
s
∗

D
∗

,
ϒ

1
S

→

B
c
∗

B
s
∗

B
∗

the relevant phenomenological studies of meson decays.
Testing non-standard sources of parity violation in jets at the LHC, trialled with CMS Open Data
Authors: Lester Christopher G. , Schott Matthias
Published: December 2019

Abstract

The Standard Model violates parity, but only by mechanisms which are invisible to Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments (on account of the lack of initial state polarisation or spin-sensitivity in the detectors). Nonetheless, new physical processes could potentially violate parity in ways which are detectable by those same experiments. If those sources of new physics occur only at LHC energies, they are untested by direct searches. We probe the feasibility of such measurements using approximately 0.2 fb
−1 of data which was recorded in 2012 by the CMS collaboration and made public within the CMS Open Data initiative. In particular, we test an inclusive three-jet event selection which is primarily sensitive to non-standard parity violating effects in quark-gluon interactions. Within our measurements, no significant deviation from the Standard Model is seen and no obvious experimental limitations have been found. We discuss other ways that searches for non-standard parity violation could be performed, noting that these would be sensitive to very different sorts of models to those which our method would constrain. We hope that our initial studies provide a valuable starting point for rigorous future analyses using the full LHC datasets at 13 TeV with a careful and less conservative estimate of experimental uncertainties.
On the Equality of Bajraktarević Means to Quasi-Arithmetic Means
Authors: Páles Zsolt , Zakaria Amr
Published: December 2019

This paper offers a solution of the functional equation$$\begin{aligned}&\big (tf(x)+(1-t)f(y)\big )\varphi (tx+(1-t)y)\\&\quad =tf(x)\varphi (x)+(1-t)f(y)\varphi (y) \qquad (x,y\in I), \end{aligned}$$(tf(x)+(1-t)f(y))φ(tx+(1-t)y)=tf(x)φ(x)+(1-t)f(y)φ(y)(x,y∈I),where$$t\in \,]0,1[\,$$t∈]0,1[,$$\varphi :I\rightarrow \mathbb {R}$$φ:I→Ris strictly monotone, and$$f:I\rightarrow \mathbb {R}$$f:I→Ris an arbitrary unknown function. As an immediate application, we shed new light on the equality problem of Bajraktarević means with quasi-arithmetic means.
A stabilized finite element method for inverse problems subject to the convection–diffusion equation. I: diffusion-dominated regime
Authors: Burman Erik , Nechita Mihai , Oksanen Lauri
Published: December 2019

The numerical approximation of an inverse problem subject to the convection–diffusion equation when diffusion dominates is studied. We derive Carleman estimates that are of a form suitable for use in numerical analysis and with explicit dependence on the Péclet number. A stabilized finite element method is then proposed and analysed. An upper bound on the condition number is first derived. Combining the stability estimates on the continuous problem with the numerical stability of the method, we then obtain error estimates in local $$H^1$$H1- or $$L^2$$L2-norms that are optimal with respect to the approximation order, the problem’s stability and perturbations in data. The convergence order is the same for both norms, but the $$H^1$$H1-estimate requires an additional divergence assumption for the convective field. The theory is illustrated in some computational examples.
Outcome of primary deltoid ligament repair in acute ankle fractures: a meta-analysis of comparative studies
Authors: Salameh Motasem , Alhammoud Abduljabbar , Alkhatib Nedal , Attia Ahmed K. , Mekhaimar Mohamed M. , D’Hooghe Pieter , Mahmoud Karim
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The indications of deltoid ligament repair in ankle injuries with widened medial clear space in the absence of medial malleolus fracture remain controversial. Many authors reported no difference in long-term functional outcomes, while others stated that persistent medial clear space widening and malreduction are higher when deltoid ligaments went without repair. This meta-analysis aims to report the current published evidence about the outcomes of deltoid ligament repair in ankle fractures.

Methods

Several databases were searched through May 2018 for comparative studies. The primary outcome was the medial clear space correction, while secondary outcomes included maintenance of medial clear space reduction, pain scores, functional outcome, and total complications if any. Three comparative studies met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The analysis included a total of 192 patients, 81 in the deltoid ligament repair group and 111 in the non-repair group.

Results

The medial clear space correction and maintenance of the said correction on final follow-up radiographs were superior in the deltoid ligament repair group. Although the pain scores were better in the repair group at the final follow-up, this did not result in a better functional outcome, with similar total complication rates.

Conclusion

In conclusion, those who had their deltoid ligament repaired had superior early and late radiological correction of the medial clear space, an indicator of the quality of ankle reduction with better pain scores. However, no differences in the functional outcome and complications rate were reported.
Patient Experience and Outcomes of the Locally Organized ApriDec Medical Outreach Group
Authors: Katz Micah G. , Tabiri Stephen , Gyedu Adam , Price Raymond R. , Abantanga Francis A.
Published: December 2019

Background

Access to safe and effective surgery is limited in low and middle‐income countries. Short‐term surgical missions are a common platform to provide care, but the few published outcomes suggest unacceptable morbidity and mortality. We sought to study the safety and effectiveness of the ApriDec Medical Outreach Group (AMOG).

Methods

Data from the December 2017 and April 2018 outreaches were prospectively collected. Patient demographics, characteristics of surgery, complications of surgery, and patient quality of life were collected preoperatively and on postoperative days 15 and 30. Data were analyzed to determine complication rates and trends in quality of life.

Results

260/278 (93.5%) of patients completed a 30‐day follow‐up. Of these, surgical site infection was the most common complication (8.0%), followed by hematoma (4.1%). Rates of urinary tract infection were 1.2% while all other complications occurred in less than 1% of patients. There were no mortalities. With increasing time after surgery (0 to 15 days to 30 days), there was a significant improvement across each of the dimensions of quality of life (p < 0.001). All patients reported satisfaction with their procedure.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that the care provided by AMOG group to the underserved populations of northern Ghana, yielded complication rates similar to others in low‐resourced communities, leading to improved quality of life.
Interobserver reproducibility of the PRECISE scoring system for prostate MRI on active surveillance: results from a two-centre pilot study
Authors: Giganti Francesco , Pecoraro Martina , Stavrinides Vasilis , Stabile Armando , Cipollari Stefano , Sciarra Alessandro , Kirkham Alex , Allen Clare , Punwani Shonit , Emberton Mark , Catalano Carlo , Moore Caroline M. , Panebianco Valeria
Published: December 2019

Objectives

We aimed to determine the interobserver reproducibility of the Prostate Cancer Radiological Estimation of Change in Sequential Evaluation (PRECISE) criteria for magnetic resonance imaging in patients on active surveillance (AS) for prostate cancer (PCa) at two different academic centres.

Methods

The PRECISE criteria score the likelihood of clinically significant change over time. The system is a 1-to-5 scale, where 1 or 2 implies regression of a previously visible lesion, 3 denotes stability and 4 or 5 indicates radiological progression. A retrospective analysis of 80 patients (40 from each centre) on AS with a biopsy-confirmed low- or intermediate-risk PCa (i.e. ≤ Gleason 3 + 4 and prostate-specific antigen ≤ 20 ng/ml) and ≥ 2 prostate MR scans was performed. Two blinded radiologists reported all scans independently and scored the likelihood of radiological change (PRECISE score) from the second scan onwards. Cohen’s κ coefficients and percent agreement were computed.

Results

Agreement was substantial both at a per-patient and a per-scan level (κ = 0.71 and 0.61; percent agreement = 79% and 81%, respectively) for each PRECISE score. The agreement was superior (κ = 0.83 and 0.67; percent agreement = 90% and 91%, respectively) when the PRECISE scores were grouped according to the absence/presence of radiological progression (PRECISE 1–3 vs 4–5). Higher inter-reader agreement was observed for the scans performed at University College London (UCL) (κ = 0.81 vs 0.55 on a per-patient level and κ = 0.70 vs 0.48 on a per-scan level, respectively). The discrepancies between institutions were less evident for percent agreement (80% vs 78% and 86% vs 75%, respectively).

Conclusions

Expert radiologists achieved substantial reproducibility for the PRECISE scoring system, especially when data were pooled together according to the absence/presence of radiological progression (PRECISE 1–3 vs 4–5).

Key Points

• Inter-reader agreement between two experienced prostate radiologists using the PRECISE criteria was substantial.

• The agreement was higher when the PRECISE scores were grouped according to the absence/presence of radiological progression (i.e. PRECISE 1–3 vs PRECISE 4 and 5).

• Higher inter-reader agreement was observed for the scans performed at UCL, but the discrepancies between institutions were less evident for percent agreement.