bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Selection of optimal wavelet features for epileptic EEG signal classification with LSTM
Authors: Aliyu Ibrahim , Lim Chang Gyoon
Published: January 2021

Epilepsy remains one of the most common chronic neurological disorders; hence, there is a need to further investigate various models for automatic detection of seizure activity. An effective detection model can be achieved by minimizing the complexity of the model in terms of trainable parameters while still maintaining high accuracy. One way to achieve this is to select the minimum possible number of features. In this paper, we propose a long short-term memory (LSTM) network for the classification of epileptic EEG signals. Discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is employed to remove noise and extract 20 eigenvalue features. The optimal features were then identified using correlation and P value analysis. The proposed method significantly reduces the number of trainable LSTM parameters required to attain high accuracy. Finally, our model outperforms other proposed frameworks, including popular classifiers such as logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbor (K-NN) and decision tree (DT).
Bacterial adhesion characteristics on implant materials for intervertebral cages: titanium or PEEK for spinal infections?
Authors: Krätzig Theresa , Mende Klaus Christian , Mohme Malte , von Kroge Simon , Stangenberg Martin , Dreimann Marc , Westphal Manfred , Weisselberg Samira , Eicker Sven Oliver
Published: January 2021

Purpose

Surgical intervention with intercorporal stabilisation in spinal infections is increasingly needed. Our aim was to compare titanium and polyetheretherketon (PEEK) cages according to their adhesion characteristics of different bacteria species in vitro.

Methods

Plates made from PEEK, polished titanium (Ti), two-surface-titanium (TiMe) (n = 2–3) and original PEEK and porous trabecular structured titanium (TiLi) interbody cages (n = 4) were inoculated in different bacterial solutions, S.aureus (MSSA, MRSA), S.epidermidis and E.coli. Growth characteristics were analysed. Biofilms and bacteria were visualised using confocal- and electron microscopy.

Results

Quantitative adherence of MSSA, MRSA, S.epidermidis and E.coli to Ti, TiMe and PEEK plates were different, with polished titanium being mainly advantageous over PEEK and TiMe with significantly less counts of colony forming units (CFU) for MRSA after 56 h compared to TiMe and at 72 h compared to PEEK (p = 0.04 and p = 0.005). For MSSA, more adherent bacteria were detected on PEEK than on TiMe at 32 h (p = 0.02). For PEEK and TiLi cages, significant differences were found after 8 and 72 h for S.epidermidis (p = 0.02 and p = 0.008) and after 72 h for MSSA (p = 0.002) with higher bacterial counts on PEEK, whereas E.coli showed more CFU on TiLi than PEEK (p = 0.05). Electron microscopy demonstrated enhanced adhesion in transition areas.

Conclusion

For S.epidermidis, MSSA and MRSA PEEK cages showed a higher adherence in terms of CFU count, whereas for E.coli PEEK seemed to be advantageous. Electron microscopic visualisation shows that bacteria did not adhere at the titanium mesh structure, but at the border zones of polished material to rougher parts.
MRI pelvimetry-based evaluation of surgical difficulty in laparoscopic total mesorectal excision after neoadjuvant chemoradiation for male rectal cancer
Authors: Chen Jianhua , Sun Yanwu , Chi Pan , Sun Bin
Published: January 2021

Purpose

Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (LaTME) is technically demanding in rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). This study aimed to predict the surgical difficulty of LaTME after NCRT based on pelvimetric parameters.

Methods

This study enrolled 147 patients who underwent LaTME after NCRT. The surgical difficulty was graded as high or low according to the operative time, estimated blood loss, conversion to open surgery, postoperative hospital stay, and postoperative complications. Pelvimetry parameters were collected based on preoperative MRI. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of high surgical difficulty, and a nomogram was developed.

Results

Totally, 18 (12.2%) patients were graded as high surgical difficulty. High surgical difficulty was correlated with a shorter interspinous distance (P = 0.014), a small angle α and γ (P = 0.008, P = 0.008, respectively), and a larger mesorectal area and mesorectal fat area (P = 0.041, P = 0.046, respectively). Tumor distance from the anal verge (OR = 0.619, P = 0.024), tumor diameter (OR = 3.747, P = 0.004), interspinous distance (OR = 0.127, P = 0.007), and angle α (OR = 0.821, P = 0.039) were independent predictors of high surgical difficulty. A predictive nomogram was developed with a C-index of 0.867.

Conclusion

A shorter tumor distance from the anal verge, larger tumor diameter, shorter interspinous distance, and smaller angle α could help to predict high surgical difficulty of LaTME in male LARC patients after NCRT.
Can cryoprevention of oral mucositis be obtained at a higher temperature?
Authors: Mahdi A. , Stübner J. , Bergling M. , Jontell M. , Walladbegi J.
Published: January 2021

Objectives

Ice chips (IC) have successfully been used to prevent the development of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis (OM). Although effective, IC entails several shortcomings and may open avenues for systemic infections as the water used may be contaminated by microorganisms, which may jeopardise the medical rehabilitation of an already immunosuppressed patient. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability profile of a novel intraoral cooling device (ICD).

Subjects and methods

In total, 20 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this randomised crossover study. Intraoral temperatures were registered using an IR camera, at baseline and following 30 and 60 min of cooling with the ICD, set to 8 °C or 15 °C. Following each cooling session, tolerability was assessed using a questionnaire.

Results

A statistically significant difference in the intraoral temperature was observed using 8 °C compared with 15 °C, following both 30 (1.87 °C, p < 0.001) and 60 min (2.48 °C, p < 0.001) of cooling. Thus, the difference of the intraoral temperatures was less than the 7 °C difference between 8 °C and 15 °C. Furthermore, 60 min of cooling with 15 °C compared with 8 °C was better tolerated and preferred by 15 out of 20 participants (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Cooling was better tolerated when the ICD was set to 15 °C compared with 8 °C, although the difference in reduction of the intraoral mucosal temperature was marginal and may not affect cryoprevention of oral mucositis.

Clinical relevance

The ICD has the potential to improve the care for patients with cancer at high risk of developing OM.
Smooth twin bounded support vector machine with pinball loss
Authors: Li Kai , Lv Zhen
Published: January 2021

The twin support vector machine improves the classification performance of the support vector machine by solving two small quadratic programming problems. However, this method has the following defects: (1) For the twin support vector machine and some of its variants, the constructed models use a hinge loss function, which is sensitive to noise and unstable in resampling. (2) The models need to be converted from the original space to the dual space, and their time complexity is high. To further enhance the performance of the twin support vector machine, the pinball loss function is introduced into the twin bounded support vector machine, and the problem of the pinball loss function not being differentiable at zero is solved by constructing a smooth approximation function. Based on this, a smooth twin bounded support vector machine model with pinball loss is obtained. The model is solved iteratively in the original space using the Newton-Armijo method. A smooth twin bounded support vector machine algorithm with pinball loss is proposed, and theoretically the convergence of the iterative algorithm is proven. In the experiments, the proposed algorithm is validated on the UCI datasets and the artificial datasets. Furthermore, the performance of the presented algorithm is compared with those of other representative algorithms, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
To tell a story, you need a protagonist: how dynamic interactive mediators can fulfill this role and foster explorative participation to mathematical discourse
Authors: Baccaglini-Frank Anna
Published: January 2021

This paper focuses on students’ mathematical discourse emerging from interactions in the digital environment GeoGebra, in which one can construct virtual objects that realize mathematical signifiers and then interact with them. These virtual object realizations can becomedynamic interactive mediators(DIMs) that influence the development of the learners’ mathematical discourse. In this case study, I analyze in fine detail the discourse developed by two dyads of students in response to an unfamiliar interview question. One dyad came from a class in which GeoGebra was not part of classroom practice and included students who, according to the teacher’s evaluation, were standard-to-high achieving. The other dyad was from a generally demotivated and low-achieving class in which GeoGebra had become part of classroom practice. The analyses, focused especially on the low-achieving dyad, are guided by the question of how DIMs shaped these students’ discourse. According to the analysis, these students ended up succeeding where standard-to-high-achieving peers did not. Moreover, the detailed analysis of the ways in which the DIMs supported this dyad’s learning showed mechanisms that may be general rather than specific to this one case. This suggests that appropriate integration of DIMs into the teaching and learning of high school algebra can be beneficial for low-achieving students.
Translation from Three-Valued Quantum Logic to Modal Logic
Authors: Takagi Tsubasa
Published: January 2021

We translate the three-valued quantum logic into modal logic, and prove 3-equivalence between the valuation of the three-valued logic and a kind of Kripke model in regard to this translation. To prove 3-equivalence, we introduce an observable-dependent logic, which is a fragment of the many-valued quantum logic. Compared to the Birkhoff and von Neumann’s quantum logic, some notions about observables, the completeness relation for example, in quantum mechanics can be utilized if the observable-dependent logic is employed.
Improving Early Identification and Access to Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Toddlers in a Culturally Diverse Community with the Rapid Interactive screening Test for Autism in Toddlers
Authors: Choueiri Roula , Lindenbaum Asher , Ravi Manasa , Robsky William , Flahive Julie , Garrison William
Published: January 2021

The objective of this study was to test a screening model that employs the Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers (RITA-T), in an underserved community to improve ASD detection. We collaborated with a large Early Intervention (EI) program and trained 4 providers reliably on the RITA-T. Toddlers received the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (MCHAT-R/F), the RITA-T, developmental and autism testing, and a best-estimate clinical diagnosis. Eighty-One toddlers were enrolled: 57 with ASD and 24 with Developmental Delay (DD) non-ASD. Wait-time for diagnosis was on average 6 weeks. The RITA-T correlated highly with autism measures and EI staff integrated this model easily. The RITA-T significantly improved the identification and wait time for ASD in this underserved community.
Vertical eddy diffusivity in the subsurface pycnocline across the Pacific
Authors: Itoh S. , Kaneko H. , Kouketsu S. , Okunishi T. , Tsutsumi E. , Ogawa H. , Yasuda I.
Published: January 2021

In the stratified ocean, vertical eddy diffusivity in the subsurface pycnocline plays a major role in new production through transporting nutrients upwards from the darker/nutrient-rich layer. In order to evaluate the diffusivity that was less available in the subsurface layers where indirect estimations are difficult, we conducted direct microstructure measurements in the upper 300 m of the open Pacific during summer, from 40°S to 50°N along 170°W and from 137°E to 120°W across the subtropical North Pacific (21°30′N–23°N). The subsurface pycnocline in the mid- and low-latitude regions was occupied primarily by the Subtropical Underwaters characterized by high salinity, and the Subtropical Mode Waters appeared with an increasing depth and latitude. In the North Pacific, low-salinity subarctic water with shallow seasonal pycnocline was observed in the high-latitude region. The base level of the diffusivity was 0.14–0.47 × 10–5 m2 s–1, while elevations up to 0.51–13 × 10–5 m2 s–1 were observed at the equator where the Equatorial Undercurrents formed the strong shear in the subsurface layer, and in areas high internal tide energy such as the Hawaiian Ridge. The effect of wind on the diffusivity was less clear, probably because the wind energy is generally low during summer. The shear-to-strain ratio showed dome-shaped profiles with respect to latitude and an increasing trend from west to east in the subtropical North Pacific. The geographical distributions of the diffusivity presented in this study will contribute to better understanding biogeochemical cycles in the stratified upper ocean through improving estimations of the material transport.
A Crisis in Leadership: Transforming Opportunistic Leaders into Leaders that can be Trusted
Authors: Ng Desmond W. , vanDuinkerken Wyoma
Published: January 2021

Business leaders often rely on the power of their authority to influence their employees. Recent workplace surveys however have found a growing distrust in a business leader’s authority. While such distrust has been increasingly associated with abuses in a leader’s authority, leadership research has primarily focused on the positive outcomes of leadership. The task of this study is to develop a conceptual model of leadership to address this shortcoming. In drawing Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), a concept of opportunistic authority was developed to explain employees’ distrust in their leader’s authority. This opportunistic authority is defined by a legal and moral opportunism in which a leader in a position of authority seeks to beguile, cloak and / or deceive employees of their legal and moral responsibilities. Legitimacy is identified as a solution to overcoming this opportunistic authority. Specifically, a leader’s efforts to develop pragmatic and moral forms of legitimacy develop normative expectations in upholding a leader’s legal and moral responsibilities. These normative expectations reduce a leader’s legal and moral opportunism and develop employees’ trust in the leader’s authority. A contribution of this study is that it not only offers a “darker side” explanation of leadership, but it also introduces a legitimizing process that can transform “ass**le” leaders into leaders that can be trusted.
German Professors’ Motivation to Act as Peer Reviewers in Accreditation and Evaluation Procedures
Authors: Ohly Sandra , Schneijderberg Christian
Published: January 2021

Acting as a reviewer is considered a substantial part of the role-bundle of the academic profession (quality assurance (QA) and quality enhancement (QE) role). Research literature about peer review, for example, for journals and grants, shows that acting as a peer reviewer adds to an academic’s reputation. However, little is known about academics’ motivation to act as reviewers. Based on self-determination theory, the multidimensional work motivation scale (Gagné et al. 2015) is used for a survey of German professors acting as reviewers. The results of factor analysis show no intrinsic motivation to act as a reviewer in accreditation and evaluation procedures. Presumably, due to socialization effects, identified motivation among professors is higher compared to introjected motivation or to extrinsic motivation. A preference for HEI leadership/management predicts identified motivation to act as a reviewer, but a preference for teaching does not. Overall, the results suggest that professors acting as peer reviewers in accreditation and evaluation procedures accept the ambivalence of being self-determined in exercising the QA and QE professional role and of involuntarily being a management tool for higher education governance. The findings suggest that peer reviewing – also of research – is based on identified (and introjected) and not intrinsic motivation, for example, socialized acceptance of journal peer review as the best or most suitable mechanism of QA and QE.
GPU-based parallel Shadow Features generation at neural system for improving gait human activity recognition
Authors: Brito Ricardo , Biuk-Aghai Robert P. , Fong Simon
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we propose a new method for improving human activity recognition (HAR) datasets in order to increase their classification accuracy when trained with a certain classifier like a Neural Network. In this paper a novel training/testing process for building/testing a classification model for human activity recognition (HAR) is proposed. Traditionally, HAR is done by a classifier that learns what activities a person is doing by training with skeletal data obtained from a motion sensor such as Microsoft Kinect or accelerometer sensors. These skeletal data are the spatial coordinates (x, y, z) of different parts of the human body. In addition to the spatial features that describe current positions in the skeletal data, new features called Shadow Features are used to improve the supervised learning efficiency and accuracy of Neural Network classifiers. Shadow Features are inferred from the dynamics of body movements, thereby modelling the underlying momentum of the performed activities. They provide extra dimensions of information for characterizing activities in the classification process and thus significantly improving the accuracy. These Shadow Features are generated based on the existing features obtained from sensor datasets. In this paper we show that the accuracy of a neural network classifier can be significantly improved by the addition of Shadow Features and we also show that the generation of Shadow Features can be achieved with little time cost, on the fly, with the NVIDIA GPU technology and the CUDA programming model, this way we can improve the Neural Network accuracy at almost no time cost. GPUs are particularly suitable for generating Shadow Features, since they possess multiple cores which can be taken advantage of, in order to generate Shadow Features for multiple data columns in parallel, therefore reducing a lot of processing time, especially when dealing with huge datasets.
Investigating response time and accuracy in online classifier learning for multimedia publish-subscribe systems
Authors: Aslam Asra , Curry Edward
Published: January 2021

The enormous growth of multimedia content in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT) leads to the challenge of processing multimedia streams in real-time. Event-based systems are constructed to process event streams. They cannot natively consume multimedia event types produced by the Internet of Multimedia Things (IoMT) generated data to answer multimedia-based user subscriptions. Machine learning-based techniques have enabled rapid progress in solving real-world problems and need to be optimised for the low response time of the multimedia event processing paradigm. In this paper, we describe a classifier construction approach for the training of online classifiers, that can handle dynamic subscriptions with low response time and provide reasonable accuracy for the multimedia event processing. We find that the current object detection methods can be configured dynamically for the construction of classifiers in real-time, by tuning hyperparameters even when training from scratch. Our experiments demonstrate that deep neural network-based object detection models, with hyperparameter tuning, can improve the performance within less training time for the answering of previously unknown user subscriptions. The results from this study show that the proposed online classifier training based model can achieve accuracy of 79.00% with 15-min of training and 84.28% with 1-hour training from scratch on a single GPU for the processing of multimedia events.
Public policy schools in the global south: a mapping and analysis of the emerging landscape
Authors: El-Taliawi Ola G. , Nair Sreeja , Van der Wal Zeger
Published: January 2021

Public policy education in the Global South has mushroomed in the past 2 decades, concomitant with governance models that provide an alternative to liberal Western democracies. However, not much empirical evidence exists on the drivers and implications of this trend, with few exceptions that point toward a form of internationalization in the policy sciences. This study aims to fill this scholarly gap by comparing 46 public policy schools on various dimensions including degree offerings, institutional establishment and status, and mission. Further, to determine whether a unique model for public policy education is emerging that extends beyond mimicry of longstanding programs in the USA and Western Europe, we surveyed the senior management of the schools in our sample. We find that less than 25% have been directly modeled after a Western school. We discuss the implications of our findings for the practice and study of public policy education.
Illusory attitudes and the playful stoic
Authors: Ridge Michael
Published: January 2021

What we might usefully call “playing full-stop” and playing games plausibly figure in a well-lived life. Yet there are reasons to worry that the two not only do not naturally go hand in hand, but are in fact deeply opposed. In this essay I investigate the apparent tension between playing full-stop and playing competitive games. I argue that the nature of this tension is easily exaggerated. While there is a psychological tension between simultaneously engaging in earnest competitive game play and playing fullstop, there is no logical contradiction between the two. Somewhat surprisingly, seeing how this tension is best understood teaches us something about the nature of willing an end and the “guise of the good.” With a resolution of the apparent tension between playing full-stop and playing competitive games, I turn to the practical worry that playing competitive games is destructive precisely for the very reasons it is opposed to playing full-stop. Here I develop a positive proposal to mitigate the tension between playing full-stop and playing competitive games. This proposal draws on the idea of “striving play” as recently developed by Thi Nguyen and some ideas from classical Stoicism.
Propositions are not representational
Authors: Brown Thomas D.
Published: January 2021

It is often presumed by those who use propositions in their theories that propositions are representational; that is, that propositions represent the world as being some way. This paper makes two claims against this presumption. First, it argues that it does not follow from the fact that propositions play the theoretical roles usually attributed to them that they are representational. This conclusion is reached by rebutting three arguments that can be made in support of the claim that propositions are representational. This paper then advances the further claim that propositions are not representational. It considers several ways to overcome the difficulties traditionally associated with this claim, particularly how to account for falsity.
ELIS++: a shapelet learning approach for accurate and efficient time series classification
Authors: Zhang Hanbo , Wang Peng , Fang Zicheng , Wang Zeyu , Wang Wei
Published: January 2021

In recent years, time series classification with shapelets, due to the high accuracy and good interpretability, has attracted considerable interests. These approaches extract or learn shapelets from the training time series. Although they can achieve higher accuracy than other approaches, there still confront some challenges. First, they may suffer from low accuracy in the case of small training dataset. Second, they must manually set some parameters, like the number of shapelets and the length of each shapelet beforehand, and some hyper-parameters, like learning rate and regulation weight, which are difficult to set without prior knowledge. Third, extracting or learning shapelets incurs a huge computation cost, due to the huge search space. In this paper, we extend our previous shapelet learning approach ELIS to ELIS++. To improve the accuracy on the small training dataset, we propose a data augmentation approach. To learn the higher quality shapelets, based on the PAA shapelet candidates search technique proposed in ELIS, ELIS++ first propose a novel entropy-based approach shapelet candidate selection mechanism to discover shapelet candidates, and then applies the logistic regression model to adjust shapelets.To avoid setting other parameters manually, we propose a Bayesian Optimization based approach. Moreover, two techniques are proposed to improve the efficiency, coarse-grained shapelet adjustment and SIMD-based parallel computation. We conduct extensive experiments on 35 UCR datasets, and results verify the effectiveness and efficiency of ELIS++.
Variational Bayes Inference Algorithm for the Saturated Diagnostic Classification Model
Authors: Yamaguchi Kazuhiro , Okada Kensuke
Published: January 2021

Saturated diagnostic classification models (DCM) can flexibly accommodate various relationships among attributes to diagnose individual attribute mastery, and include various important DCMs as sub-models. However, the existing formulations of the saturated DCM are not better suited for deriving conditionally conjugate priors of model parameters. Because their derivation is the key in developing a variational Bayes (VB) inference algorithm, in the present study, we proposed a novel mixture formulation of saturated DCM. Based on it, we developed a VB inference algorithm of the saturated DCM that enables us to perform scalable and computationally efficient Bayesian estimation. The simulation study indicated that the proposed algorithm could recover the parameters in various conditions. It has also been demonstrated that the proposed approach is particularly suited to the case when new data become sequentially available over time, such as in computerized diagnostic testing. In addition, a real educational dataset was comparatively analyzed with the proposed VB and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms. The result demonstrated that very similar estimates were obtained between the two methods and that the proposed VB inference was much faster than MCMC. The proposed method can be a practical solution to the problem of computational load.
Evaluation of engineered sorbents for the sorption of mercury from contaminated bank soils: a column study
Authors: Goñez-Rodríguez Leroy , Johs Alexander , Lowe Kenneth A. , Carter Kimberly E. , Löffler Frank E. , Mayes Melanie A.
Published: January 2021

As a global environmental pollutant, mercury (Hg) threatens our water resources and presents a substantial risk to human health. The rate and extent of immobilization of Hg2+ (hereafter, Hg) on engineered sorbents (Thiol-SAMMS®, pine biochar, SediMite™, Organoclay™ PM-199, and quartz sand as a control) was evaluated using flow-through column experiments. The effectiveness of the sorbents was based on (1) the percentage of Hg removed in relation to the total amount of Hg passing the sorbent column, and (2) the rate of Hg uptake compared to the nonreactive tracer bromide (Br−). All sorbents removed Hg to a certain extent, but none of the sorbents removed all the Hg introduced to the columns. Thiol-SAMMS showed the highest mean percentage of Hg removed (87% ± 2.9%), followed by Organoclay PM-199 (71% ± 0.4%), pine biochar (57% ± 22.3%), SediMite (61% ± 0.8%), and the control quartz sand (11% ± 5.6%). Thiol-SAMMS was the only sorbent to exhibit retardation of Hg in comparison to the conservative tracer Br−. For the remaining sorbents, Br− along with low concentrations of Hg were eluted within the first 3 pore volumes, indicating limited retardation of Hg. Overall, removal of Hg by sorbents was substantial, suggesting that sorbents might be suitable for deployment in contaminated environments. High concentrations of DOM leaching from the soil columns likely influenced the speciation of Hg and inhibited sorption to the sorbents. Incomplete removal of Hg by any sorbent suggests that additional optimization is needed to increase efficiency.
Suspended sediment routing through a small on-stream reservoir based on particle properties
Authors: Krajewski Adam , Sikorska-Senoner Anna E.
Published: January 2021

Purpose

A novel concept of suspended sediment (SS) routing through a small reservoir is proposed that relies on the particle properties in the reservoir inflow.

Methods

The SS routing through the reservoir is described following the single continuous stirred tank reactor concept with only one model parameter, the SS decay coefficient. This parameter is linked to the sediment settling velocity and water flow velocity. Hence, the model does not require a direct calibration with recorded data. This model was tested on a small reservoir in Warsaw, Poland, with seven storm events. Suspended sediment samples at the reservoir inflow and outflow were taken manually during the passage of flood flows at irregular intervals. The performance of the proposed method was verified with the approach when the model parameter is estimated directly from recorded events.

Results

The parameter calculated based on particle properties was about 10 times higher than the corresponding parameter optimized from recorded SS events. Hence, there was a need to introduce a correction factor to accurately predict the effluent SS. This led to a high model performance for all events (Nash-Sutcliffe = 0.672 on average).

Conclusions

(i) The proposed SS routing model based on particle properties has been proven to accurately simulate SS in the reservoir outlet. (ii) Thus, the parameter can be estimated from the sediment settling velocity and water flow velocity, but the correction factor must be applied. (iii) Our findings acknowledge difficulties in describing SS routing through small reservoirs and indicate a lack of knowledge on the functioning of these reservoirs.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Obese Patients: a UK Population Analysis
Authors: Erridge S. , Moussa O. , McIntyre C. , Hariri A. , Tolley N. , Kotecha B. , Purkayastha S.
Published: January 2021

Background

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an increasingly common disorder associated with increased cardiovascular disease, mortality, reduced productivity, and an increased risk of road traffic accidents. A significant proportion of patients with OSA in the UK are undiagnosed. This study aims to identify risk factors for OSA in an obese cohort.

Method

A population-based study was conducted of obese patients (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). A logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for developing OSA according to other clinicopathological characteristics. Multivariate analysis was conducted of individual factors that affect the propensity to develop OSA. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.050.

Results

From 276,600 obese patients identified during a data extraction of the CPRD in July 2017, the prevalence of OSA was 5.4%. The following risk factors were found to be independently associated with increased likelihood of OSA: male sex (OR = 3.273; p < 0.001), BMI class II (OR = 1.640; p < 0.001), BMI class III (OR = 3.768; p < 0.001), smoking (OR = 1.179; p < 0.001), COPD (OR = 1.722; p < 0.001), GERD (OR = 1.557; p < 0.001), hypothyroidism (OR = 1.311; p < 0.001), acromegaly (OR = 3.543; p < 0.001), and benzodiazepine use (OR = 1.492; p < 0.001). Bariatric surgery was associated with reduced risk of OSA amongst this obese population (OR = 0.260; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

In obese patients, there are numerous comorbidities that are associated with increased likelihood of OSA. These factors can help prompt clinicians to identify undiagnosed OSA. Bariatric surgery appears to be protective against developing OSA.
Off-the-Shelf, Immune-Compatible Human Embryonic Stem Cells Generated Via CRISPR-Mediated Genome Editing
Authors: Kim Annie , Lee Kun-Gu , Kwon Yeongbeen , Lee Kang-In , Yang Heung-Mo , Habib Omer , Kim Jihun , Kim Sang-Tae , Kim Sung Joo , Kim Jin-Soo , Hwang Dong-Youn
Published: January 2021

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) hold promise in regenerative medicine but allogeneic immune rejections caused by highly polymorphic human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) remain a barrier to their clinical applications. Here, we used a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated HLA-editing strategy to generate a variety of HLA homozygous-like hESC lines from pre-established hESC lines. We edited four pre-established HLA-heterozygous hESC lines and created a mini library of 14 HLA-edited hESC lines in which single HLA-A and HLA-B alleles and both HLA-DR alleles are disrupted. The HLA-edited hESC derivatives elicited both low T cell- and low NK cell-mediated immune responses. Our library would cover about 40% of the Asian-Pacific population. We estimate that HLA-editing of only 19 pre-established hESC lines would give rise to 46 different hESC lines to cover 90% of the Asian-Pacific population. This study offers an opportunity to generate an off-the-shelf HLA-compatible hESC bank, available for immune-compatible cell transplantation, without embryo destruction.
Current and Prospective Targets of Pharmacologic Treatment of Hereditary Angioedema Types 1 and 2
Authors: Fijen Lauré M. , Bork Konrad , Cohn Danny M.
Published: January 2021

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare disease that causes episodic attacks of subcutaneous and submucosal edema, which can be painful, incapacitating, and potentially fatal. These attacks are mediated by excessive bradykinin production, as a result of uncontrolled activation of the plasma kallikrein/kinin system, which is caused by a C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency or dysfunction in HAE types 1 and 2, respectively. For many years, treatment options were limited to therapies with substantial adverse effects, insufficient efficacy, or difficult routes of administration. Increased insights in the pathophysiology of HAE have paved the way for the development of new therapies with fewer side effects. In the last two decades, several targeted novel therapeutic strategies for HAE have been developed, for both long-term prophylaxis and on demand treatment of acute attacks. This article reviews the advances in the development of more effective and convenient treatment options for HAE and their anticipated effects on morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. The emergence of these improved treatment options will presumably change current HAE guidelines, but adherence to these recommendations may become restricted by high treatment costs. It will therefore be essential to determine the indications and identify the patients that will benefit most from these newest treatment generations. Ultimately, current preclinical research into gene therapies may eventually lead the way towards curative treatment options for HAE. In conclusion, an increasing shift towards the use of highly effective long-term prophylaxis is anticipated, which should drastically abate the burden on patients with hereditary angioedema.
Backbone assignment of E. coli NfsB and the effects of addition of the cofactor analogue nicotinic acid
Authors: Hyde Eva I. , Chau Alex Ka-Wing , Smith Lorna J.
Published: January 2021

E. coli nitroreductase NfsB (also called NfnB) has been studied extensively, largely due to its potential for cancer gene therapy. A homodimeric flavoprotein of 216 residues, it catalyses the reduction of nitroaromatics to cytotoxic hydroxylamines by NADH and NADPH and also the reduction of quinones to hydroxyquinones. Its role in vivo is not known but it is postulated to be involved in reducing oxidative stress. The crystal structures of the wild type protein and several homologues have been determined in the absence and presence of ligands, including nicotinate as a mimic of the headpiece of the nicotinamide cofactors. There is little effect on the overall structure of the protein on binding ligands, but, from the B factors, there appears to be a decrease in mobility of 2 helices near the active site. As a first step towards examining the dynamics of the protein in solution with and without ligand, we have assigned the backbone 13C, 15N, and 1HN resonances of NfsB and examined the effect of the binding of nicotinate on the amide 15N, and 1HN shifts.
Replicability, Repeatability, and Long-term Reproducibility of Cerebellar Morphometry
Authors: Sörös Peter , Wölk Louise , Bantel Carsten , Bräuer Anja , Klawonn Frank , Witt Karsten
Published: January 2021

To identify robust and reproducible methods of cerebellar morphometry that can be used in future large-scale structural MRI studies, we investigated the replicability, repeatability, and long-term reproducibility of three fully automated software tools: FreeSurfer, CEREbellum Segmentation (CERES), and automatic cerebellum anatomical parcellation using U-Net with locally constrained optimization (ACAPULCO). Replicability was defined as computational replicability, determined by comparing two analyses of the same high-resolution MRI data set performed with identical analysis software and computer hardware. Repeatability was determined by comparing the analyses of two MRI scans of the same participant taken during two independent MRI sessions on the same day for the Kirby-21 study. Long-term reproducibility was assessed by analyzing two MRI scans of the same participant in the longitudinal OASIS-2 study. We determined percent difference, the image intraclass correlation coefficient, the coefficient of variation, and the intraclass correlation coefficient between two analyses. Our results show that CERES and ACAPULCO use stochastic algorithms that result in surprisingly high differences between identical analyses for ACAPULCO and small differences for CERES. Changes between two consecutive scans from the Kirby-21 study were less than ± 5% in most cases for FreeSurfer and CERES (i.e., demonstrating high repeatability). As expected, long-term reproducibility was lower than repeatability for all software tools. In summary, CERES is an accurate, as demonstrated before, and reproducible tool for fully automated segmentation and parcellation of the cerebellum. We conclude with recommendations for the assessment of replicability, repeatability, and long-term reproducibility in future studies on cerebellar structure.
Shock Metamorphic Features in the Archean Simlipal Complex, Singhbhum Craton, Eastern India: Possible Remnant of a Large Impact Structure
Authors: Singh Ajay K. , Upadhyay Dewashish , Pruseth Kamal Lochan , Mezger Klaus , Nanda Jayanta K. , Maiti Sabyasachi , Saha Dilip
Published: January 2021

The Simlipal complex in eastern India is an elliptical structure with diameter of ca. 50 km coinciding with an elliptical region of high gravity. It overlies the Archaean basement of the Singhbhum craton and has a ring structure characterized by complex series of concentric ridges with inward dipping slopes. Quartz clasts in melt-breccias from the complex display diagnostic shock metamorphic features such as two to three sets of decorated and annealed planar deformation features (PDFs), spall and concussion micro-fractures, and the presence of coesite. They also preserve microstructures suggestive of crystallographically-controlled melting/amorphization along two or three planar directions, and within concussion micro-fractures. The inferred shock pressures in excess of 40–60 GPa are possible only during bolide impact. The Simlipal structure is possibly the remnant of a large complex impact crater having an original diameter of at least 50 km. Although zircons from an impact melt rock furnish a concordia age of 3107±14 Ma, in the absence of any unambiguous shock metamorphic effects in them, it is difficult to assign the age to the impact event. Therefore, the age of the impact is currently unconstrained.
Hillichnus agrioensis and Associated Trace Fossils from Hettangian to Bajocian Thaiat Member of Lathi Formation, Jaisalmer Basin, Western Rajasthan
Authors: Parihar V. S. , Nama S. L. , Meghwal V. K. , Khichi C. P. , Mathur S. C.
Published: January 2021

The present paper describes the abundant and very well preserved ichnotaxon complex Hillichnus agrioensis, as established by four different morphological levels of exposures. Associated trace-fossils such as Jamesonichnites heinbergi and Ancorichnus ancorichnus are also being reported from the Hettangian to Bajocian Thaiat Member of Lathi Formation of Jaisalmer basin, western Rajasthan, India. The ichnospeices Hillichnus agrioensis is being documented for the first time in India. Morphologically, Hillichnus agrioensis includes straight to gently curved, branched or feather-like (almost flat) structures with a central tube. It is interpreted as a deep-burrowing bi-siphonate or tellinaceans bivalves. The ichnotaxon Jamesonichnites heinbergi is interpreted as a burrow made by an infaunal deposit-feeder (fodinichnion), while Ancorichnus ancorichnus is domichnion and may also solely be the result of locomotion (repichnion). This study suggests the presence of shallow or marginal-marine environment for the abovementioned trace-fossil bearing horizons as trace-fossils characterized by such features have also been found from other parts of the world.
Seasonal Distribution Trends of Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblages from the Saurashtra Coast, Western India
Authors: Buragohain Dipankar , Ghosh Anupam
Published: January 2021

The coastland of Saurashtra is represented by several estuaries, islands and cliffs. Taxonomy and seasonal distribution of the recent benthic foraminifera along the coastal tracts of the Saurashtra region have been documented. Surface sediments were collected from the fifteen stations of this coast in both pre and post-monsoon. A total of 35 calcareous wall structure bearing species are identified. Characteristically, two shallow larger benthic foraminifera Nummulites venosus and Amphistegina radiata are observed. The assemblages are more diverse during the pre-monsoon than the post-monsoon season. The cluster analysis shows two different clusters based on sediment preference and diversity of the assemblages.
Morphotectonic Studies of Ghaggar Basin in the Northwestern Frontal Part of the Himalaya Based on Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques
Authors: Pandey Pooja , Sharma L. N.
Published: January 2021

The sub-Himalayan zone of the Himalaya is bounded by the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) in the northern side and by the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) in the southern side. HFT is the youngest major tectonic boundary of the Himalaya, separating the Siwalik Hills from the Indo-Gangetic plains. The HFT and Piedmont fault make the densely populated foothill region vulnerable to seismicity. A morphotectonic study of active faults and frontal anticlines was carried out near the Ghaggar basin along the NW part of the Himalaya. To investigate morphotectonic setup during tectonic deformation, spatial imagery and morphometric parameters extracted from DEM were used along with field investigation. The analysis divulges an important active tectonic setting of the Siwalik foothills, which governs the morphology of the Ghaggar basin and fluvial processes in the area. Variations in the topographic pattern and the interaction of the river drainage system with faults and folds were measured to describe the evolution of tectonic landforms. Drainage pattern development, drainage basin asymmetry young stage of hypsometric curve, active mountain fronts and vigorous down cutting of river indicate active anticline growth. This active fold growth is advanced by the movements along the blind thrust system of the HFT. Morphotectonic evidence such as fracture, fault scarp, river terraces, and active anticlines during field investigation further confirms the recent tectonic activity due to fault-propagated fold growth.
Statistical Study of the Factors Affecting Outdoor Gamma Dose Rate and Impact of Season
Authors: Jindal Manoj Kumar , Sar Santosh Kumar , Baghel Triambak , Singh Wadhwa Daljeet
Published: January 2021

The objective of the study was to find the significant impact of season on the outdoor gamma dose rate including statistical analysis. Outdoor gamma dose rates were studied for 52 locations of the Balod district, Chhattisgarh, India, in summer and winter. Statistical analysis confirmed that there was no significant difference in dose rate between summer and winter. Geology of the area was the most important factor, and meteorological parameters had less influence; consequently, in this investigation, the impact of these parameters were checked through linear regression, cluster, principal component and factor analysis.
Understanding the relation between travel duration and station choice behavior of cyclists in the metropolitan region of Amsterdam
Authors: van Kampen Jullian , Pauwels Eric , der Mei Rob van , Dugundji Elenna R.
Published: January 2021

With 35,000 km of bicycle pathways, cycling is common among persons of all ages less than 65 years in the Netherlands. Bicycle is often seen as a standalone travel mode but when integrated as part of a multimodal trip with train, it can be an important solution for long distance journeys, offering increased flexibility and faster access time compared to other travel modes. In this paper we investigate which factors influence departure station choice on combined bicycle–train and bicycle-metro trips in the metropolitan region of Amsterdam. Data from a mobile app was used to track an individual’s travel behavior over the years 2018 and 2019. A discrete choice model was estimated to see whether people prefer to park their bicycle at the station with the shortest travel duration or one of the stations with a longer travel duration. The final results show that level of education and age negatively influence the choice for cycling to the second closest station. Furthermore, the results show that people with an origin inside Amsterdam prefer to travel to a train station regardless of their destination.
Tribological behavior of black phosphorus nanosheets as water-based lubrication additives
Authors: Wang Qingjuan , Hou Tingli , Wang Wei , Zhang Guoliang , Gao Yuan , Wang Kuaishe
Published: January 2021

Black phosphorus (BP) with a layered structure has been used gradually as a lubrication additive in the tribological area. In this study, BP powders are produced via an easy method of high-energy ball milling using red phosphorus as a raw material. Subsequently, BP nanosheets are prepared via liquid exfoliation in N-methyl pyrolidone solvent. The tribological behavior of BP nanosheets as water-based lubrication additives (BP-WL) is evaluated under Ti6Al4V (TC4)/GCr15 contact. The results suggest that the 70 mg/L BP-WL sample exhibits excellent lubrication performance, whose coefficient of friction (COF) and ball wear rate reduced by 32.4% and 61.1%, respectively, compared with those of pure water. However, as the load increased, the tribological properties of BP-WL reduced gradually because of the agglomeration of BP nanosheets. Based on tribological experiments and worn surface analysis, boundary lubrication mechanisms are proposed. The friction reduced, which is primarily attributed to the low interlaminar shear and adsorption of BP nanosheets. In addition, a tribochemical reaction film comprising TiO2, Al2O3, and Fe2O3 effectively protects the surface of titanium alloy/steel from wear. This new water-based lubrication additive can be used to process titanium alloys.