bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Data Literacy Education für Studierende aller Fächer. Kompetenzziele, curriculare Integration und didaktische Ausgestaltung interdisziplinärer Lehr-Lern-Angebote
Authors: Bandtel Matthias , Kauz Leonie , Weißker Natalia
Published: October 2021

Data Literacy ist eine zentrale Voraussetzung für die aktive Teilhabe an der digitalen Gesellschaft. Allerdings gibt es noch nicht für Studierende aller Fächer Angebote, die ihnen die Entwicklung dieser Schlüsselkompetenz ermöglichen. Der Beitrag diskutiert Herangehensweisen an die Definition von Lernzielen, Möglichkeiten der curricularen Integration und geeignete didaktische Ausgestaltungen von Lehr-Lernsettings. Anhand einer Fallstudie zum Mannheimer Modell Data Literacy Education (modal) und empirischen Befunden aus der Begleitforschung werden potenzielle Umsetzungsstrategien diskutiert. Ziel des Beitrags ist, Impulse und Handlungsempfehlungen für die Integration von Data Literacy Education in Lehre und Lernen für Studierende aller Fächer zu geben.
Medienbildung in der ersten Phase der Lehrkräftebildung und die Bedeutung des medialen Habitus von Lehramtsstudierenden
Authors: Bäsler Sue-Ann
Published: October 2021

Die medienpädagogische Ausbildung und eine positiv erlebte Medienbildung bei angehenden Lehrkräften sind wichtige Voraussetzungen für eine gelungene Medienbildung in Schule und Unterricht. Der Beitrag setzt sich mit den medienbezogenen Vorstellungen von Lehramtsstudierenden in Hinblick auf das Bildungspotenzial von Medien auf der einen und die medienpädagogische Ausbildung in der ersten Phase der Lehrkräftebildung auf der anderen Seite auseinander. Im Beitrag werden Ergebnisse aus einer qualitativ angelegten Forschungsstudie vorgestellt. Ziel der Studie ist die Benennung von Implikationen für die Medienbildung in der Lehrkräftebildung. Das Konzept des medialen Habitus wird dabei als Erklärungsmoment für medienbezogene Vorstellungen herangezogen, empirisch fundiert und weiterentwickelt.
Agiles Lernen digital gestützt: Die Methode eduScrum in der Hochschullehre
Authors: Sturm Nico , Rundnagel Heike
Published: October 2021

Der Beitrag geht, im Rahmen einer explorativen Vorgehensweise, den Fragen nach, inwieweit der Einsatz der digital angereicherten Methode eduScrum in der Hochschullehre den Kompetenzerwerb bei Studierenden sowohl in Bezug auf fachliche und personale als auch im Hinblick auf digitale Kompetenzen fördert. Hierzu werden im Rahmen von Veranstaltungsevaluationen vorgenommene Selbsteinschätzungen der Studierenden über den eigenen Kompetenzzuwachs herangezogen. Als Bezugspunkte für die in der Evaluation erstellten Fragen zur Einschätzung der Kompetenzentwicklung und zur Einordnung der aus diesen Betrachtungen generierten Ergebnisse dienen der „Deutsche Qualifikationsrahmen für Lebenslanges Lernen“ (DQR), der „Qualifikationsrahmen für deutsche Hochschulabschlüsse“ (HQR) und das „Digital Competence Framework for Citizens“ (DigComp 2.1).
Das Wissen und seine Gesellschaft
Authors: Jäckel Michael
Published: October 2021

Als Diderot im 18. Jahrhundert sein Projekt einer Encyclopédie entwickelte, galt es als Versuch, den Kontinent zu erleuchten. Der Zugang zu Wissen sollte sich verändern – ein Beispiel aus vielen, das den Zusammenhang von Wissensordnung und Medienordnung zu verdeutlichen vermag. Dieser Prozess lässt sich historisch auch als eine Zunahme von Formenvielfalt beschreiben.

Eine Formenvielfalt muss Institutionen, die eine Wissensordnung repräsentieren, auch dazu veranlassen, herkömmliche Strukturen mit neuen Optionen zu vergleichen. Das vollzieht sich aktuell im Hochschulwesen. In Lehre und Forschung entwickeln sich dadurch potenziell neue Reputationsfelder, auch außerhalb der herkömmlichen „Räume“. Der Beitrag analysiert diese Übergangssituation und verdeutlicht, wie diese Impulse in existierende Wissensordnungen einfließen.
Supersymmetry algebras in arbitrary signature and their R-symmetry groups
Authors: Gall L. , Mohaupt T.
Published: October 2021

Abstract

String theory, specifically type-II superstring theory, can be formulated in any ten-dimensional signature. To facilitate the study of supergravity and superstring theories in this setting, we present a uniform construction of supersymmetry algebras in arbitrary dimension and signature, which generalizes the ideas underlying symplectic Majorana spinors. In our formalism R-symmetry acts on an auxiliary multiplicity space which makes its action manifest. This allows us to provide extensive tables which list the R-symmetry groups of extended supersymmetry algebras for all signatures together with other useful information. Twisted (‘type-*’) supersymmetry algebras in Lorentz signature with non-compact R-symmetry groups are shown to be part of a general pattern resulting from the interplay between complex superbrackets and reality conditions. As an application we show how the relations between type-II string theories in ten and nine dimensions can be extracted from their supersymmetry algebras. We also use our results to determine the special geometry of vector and hypermultiplet scalar manifolds of four-dimensional$$ \mathcal{N} $$N= 2 and three-dimensional$$ \mathcal{N} $$N= 4 supergravity theories for all signatures.
Holographic JT gravity with quartic couplings
Authors: Rathi Hemant , Roychowdhury Dibakar
Published: October 2021

Abstract

We construct the most general theory of 2D Einstein-dilaton gravity coupled with U(1) gauge fields that contains all the 2-derivative and the 4-derivative interactions allowed by the diffeomorphism invariance. We renormalise the 2D action and obtain the vacuum solution as well as the black hole solution. The vacuum solution in the UV is dominated by Lifshitz2 with dynamical exponent (z = $$ \frac{7}{3} $$

7
3

) while on the other hand, the spacetime curvature diverges as we move towards the deep IR limit. We calculate the holographic stress tensor and the central charge for the boundary theory. Our analysis shows that the central charge goes as the inverse power of the coupling associated to 4-derivative interactions. We also compute the Wald entropy for 2D black holes and interpret its near horizon divergence in terms of the density of states. We compare the Wald entropy with the Cardy formula and obtain the eigen value of Virasoro operator (L0) for our model. Finally, we explore the near horizon structure of 2D black holes and calculate the central charge corresponding to the CFT near horizon. We further show that the near horizon CFT may be recast as a 2D Liouville theory with higher derivative corrections. We study the Weyl invariance of this generalised Liouville theory and identify the Weyl anomaly associated to it. We also comment on the classical vacuum structure of the theory.
O(D,D)-covariant two-loop β-functions and Poisson-Lie T-duality
Authors: Hassler Falk , Rochais Thomas B.
Published: October 2021

Abstract

We show that the one- and two-loop β-functions of the closed, bosonic string can be written in a manifestly O(D,D)-covariant form. Based on this result, we prove that

1) Poisson-Lie symmetric σ-models are two-loop renormalisable and

2) their β-functions are invariant under Poisson-Lie T-duality.

Moreover, we identify a distinguished scheme in which Poisson-Lie symmetry is manifest. It simplifies the calculation of two-loop β-functions significantly and thereby provides a powerful new tool to advance into the quantum regime of integrable σ-models and generalised T-dualities. As an illustrating example, we present the two-loop β-functions of the integrable λ- and η-deformation.
A new kind of anomaly: on W-constraints for GKM
Authors: Morozov A.
Published: October 2021

Abstract

We look for the origins of the single equation, which is a peculiar combination of W-constrains, which provides the non-abelian W-representation for generalized Kontsevich model (GKM), i.e. is enough to fix the partition function unambiguously. Namely we compare it with the scalar projection of the matrix Ward identity. It turns out that, though similar, the two equations do not coincide, moreover, the latter one is non-polynomial in time-variables. This discrepancy disappears for the cubic model if partition function is reduced to depend on odd times (belong to KdV sub-hierarchy of KP), but in general such reduction is not enough. We consider the failure of such direct interpretation of the “single equation” as a new kind of anomaly, which should be explained and eliminated in the future analysis of GKM.
Linearized supergravity with a dynamical preferred frame
Authors: Marakulin Arthur , Sibiryakov Sergey
Published: October 2021

Abstract

We study supersymmetric extension of the Einstein-aether gravitational model where local Lorentz invariance is broken down to the subgroup of spatial rotations by a vacuum expectation value of a timelike vector field called aether. Embedding aether into a chiral vector superfield, we construct the most general action which describes dynamics of linear perturbations around the Lorentz-violating vacuum and is invariant under the linearized supergravity transformations. The analysis is performed both in the off-shell non-minimal superfield formulation of supergravity and in the “on-shell” approach invoking only physical component fields. The resulting model contains a single free coupling, in addition to the standard supergravity parameters. The spectrum of physical excitations features an enhanced on-shell gravity multiplet comprising four states with helicities 2, 3/2, 3/2 and 1 propagating with superluminal velocity. The remaining excitations propagate with the speed of light. We outline the observational constraints on the model following from its low-energy phenomenology.
Well-being of children born after medically assisted reproduction
Authors: Goisis Alice , Myrskylä Mikko
Published: October 2021

Background

The increasing number and proportion of children born after medically assisted reproduction (MAR) has raised concerns and motivated research about the impact of MAR on the well-being and development of children.

Objective

We summarize existing studies on the well-being and development of children conceived through MAR.

Materials and methods

Review of existing studies.

Results

Children conceived through MAR are at increased risk of adverse birth outcomes such as low birthweight and preterm delivery compared to naturally conceived children. The higher rates of multiple births amongst MAR-conceived children continue to represent an important driving factor behind these disparities. Reassuringly, elective single embryo transfer (eSET)—which is associated with more favourable pregnancy outcomes among MAR-conceived children—is becoming more common. Despite the early life health disadvantages, the evidence on later life outcomes such as physical, cognitive and psychosocial development is generally reassuring. On average, MAR-conceived children show similar or better outcomes than naturally conceived children. The selected and advantaged socioeconomic characteristics of parents who conceive through MAR are likely to play an important role in explaining why, on average, MAR-conceived children perform better than naturally conceived children—particularly in terms of cognitive outcomes. In contrast, there is some evidence pointing to potentially increased risks of mental health problems among MAR-conceived children.

Conclusion

There is need for continued monitoring and longer follow-up studies on the well-being of these children in order to better understand whether their outcomes are similar to or different from those of naturally conceived children, and, if so, why.
Medialer und lateraler Meniskuskorbhenkelriss mit vorderer Kreuzbandruptur
Authors: Bernecker Georg-Antonio , Hudetz Damir , Hirschmann Michael T. , Röhm Julian
Published: October 2021

Diese Kasuistik beschreibt den Fall und die Rekonstruktion einer kombinierten medialen und lateralen Korbhenkelläsion des Meniskus mit vorderer Kreuzbandruptur. Als Technik wurde eine Kombination aus Outside-in- und All-inside-Nahttechniken sowie ein ipsilateraler vierfacher Hamstring-Autograft in All-inside-Technik angewendet. Eine 47-jährige Patientin zog sich im Rahmen eines Fahrradsturzes ein Außenrotations-Valgusstress-Trauma des linken Kniegelenks zu. In der Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT) zeigte sich das für die Kombinationsverletzung typische Vierfach-Zeichen, welches auch als Jack-and-Jill-Läsion beschrieben wird. Die Rekonstruktion erfolgte 2 Wochen nach dem Unfall. Eine postoperative Arthrofibrose mit limitierter Knieflexion machte 4 Monate nach initialer Operation eine Revisionsarthroskopie mit Arthrolyse notwendig. Sechs Wochen nach Arthrolyse war die Patientin weiterhin asymptomatisch und erreichte eine aktive Knieflexion von 130°. Die Intention dieser Kasuistik war die Beschreibung dieser seltenen aber komplexen Knieverletzung außerhalb des professionellen Sportbereichs sowie deren operative Versorgung. Die klinischen und radiologischen Verlaufskontrollen zeigten eine regelrechte Rekonstruktion und Reorganisation des medialen und lateralen Meniskus sowie des vorderen Kreuzbands bei freiem und schmerzlosem Bewegungsumfang des Kniegelenks.
Ethics-based auditing of automated decision-making systems: intervention points and policy implications
Authors: Mökander Jakob , Axente Maria
Published: October 2021

Organisations increasingly use automated decision-making systems (ADMS) to inform decisions that affect humans and their environment. While the use of ADMS can improve the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making processes, it is also coupled with ethical challenges. Unfortunately, the governance mechanisms currently used to oversee human decision-making often fail when applied to ADMS. In previous work, we proposed that ethics-based auditing (EBA)—that is, a structured process by which ADMS are assessed for consistency with relevant principles or norms—can (a) help organisations verify claims about their ADMS and (b) provide decision-subjects with justifications for the outputs produced by ADMS. In this article, we outline the conditions under which EBA procedures can be feasible and effective in practice. First, we argue that EBA is best understood as a ‘soft’ yet ‘formal’ governance mechanism. This implies that the main responsibility of auditors should be to spark ethical deliberation at key intervention points throughout the software development process and ensure that there is sufficient documentation to respond to potential inquiries. Second, we frame AMDS as parts of larger sociotechnical systems to demonstrate that to be feasible and effective, EBA procedures must link to intervention points that span all levels of organisational governance and all phases of the software lifecycle. The main function of EBA should, therefore, be to inform, formalise, assess, and interlink existing governance structures. Finally, we discuss the policy implications of our findings. To support the emergence of feasible and effective EBA procedures, policymakers and regulators could provide standardised reporting formats, facilitate knowledge exchange, provide guidance on how to resolve normative tensions, and create an independent body to oversee EBA of ADMS.
Food, farming and trade on the Danube frontier: plant remains from Roman Aelia Mursa (Osijek, Croatia)
Authors: Reed Kelly , Leleković Tino , Lodwick Lisa , Fenwick Rhona , Pelling Ruth , Kroll Helmut
Published: October 2021

Archaeobotanical investigations at the Roman town of Aelia Mursa, located near the Danube frontier in modern day Croatia, have revealed an extraordinary assemblage of food remains from a series of pits dated to the early 2nd centuryad. The site yielded a wide array of economically important food remains, including staples such asHordeum(barley),Panicum miliaceum(broomcorn millet),Triticum aestivum(bread wheat),Secale cereale(rye),Lens culinaris(lentil) andVicia faba(broad bean). We also found a range of fruits, nuts, herbs and vegetables, such asDaucus carota(carrot),Cichorium intybus(chicory),Allium sativum(garlic),Ficus carica(fig),Vitis vinifera(grape) andOlea europaea(olive). Further, we found clearly identifiable remains of eggshell, fish bones and scales, unidentifiable fruit flesh and porridge or bread remains, as well as possible animal dung. The site provides important evidence of exotic foods includingPiper nigrum(pepper),Oryzasp. (rice) andPunica granatum(pomegranate). This diverse and unique assemblage provides a tantalising insight into the character of food, farming and trade of the people living on the frontier of the Roman Empire.
Impact of COVID-19 on gynaecological patient care: results of patient’s survey with 327 patients
Authors: Recker F. , Dohmen S. , Egger E. K. , Stope M. B. , Dimitrova D. , Könsgen D. , Ritter M. , Sehouli J. , Bondio M. Gadebusch , Mustea A.
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The pandemic SARS-CoV-2 poses new and unprecedented challenges for health care systems on a national and global level. Although the current situation has been going on for more than 1 year, there is limited data on the impact of the pandemic on general hospital and medical practice care. This survey captures the perspective of patients with gynaecological diseases of this impact.

Methods

Using a paper-based questionnaire, 327 patients were asked about medical care and their experiences during the pandemic at the University Hospital Bonn and the University Hospital Charité Berlin. The study was performed from the 1st June to 30th September 2020.

Results

A total of 327 patients participated in the study: 156 stated to have been tested for coronavirus, and 1 patient reported a positive test. 41.3% of the patients felt insecure about the current situation, 30.4% were concerned about the risk of infection during the hospital stay. The pandemic-specific measures in hospitals and medical practices unsettled 6.8% of patients. 18.1% of patients feared that their gynaecological disease would not be treated adequately due to the pandemic. 55.7% of patients reported that their confidence in their physicians has increased during the pandemic.

Conclusion

The results show that patients’ confidence in the healthcare system and the physicians acting significantly increased during the COVID-19 crisis. Transparent and comprehensive information policy regarding actions and restrictions within the COVID-19 crisis eases patients concerns and improves patients’ confidence in their physicians, which is crucial for a successful treatment’s outcome.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women’s attitudes and fears regarding the COVID-19 vaccination
Authors: Schaal Nora K. , Zöllkau Janine , Hepp Philip , Fehm Tanja , Hagenbeck Carsten
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The COVID-19 vaccination is probably the most important source to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. However, recommendations and possibilities for vaccination for pregnant and breastfeeding women are inconsistent and dynamically changing.

Methods

An anonymous, online, cross-sectional survey was conducted among pregnant and breastfeeding women in Germany between 30th March and 19th April 2021 addressing COVID-19 vaccination attitudes including the underlying reasons for their decision. Additionally, anxiety regarding a SARS-CoV-2 infection and a symptomatic course of the infection were evaluated.

Results

In total, 2339 women (n = 1043 pregnant and n = 1296 breastfeeding) completed the survey. During pregnancy the majority (57.4%) are not in favour of receiving the vaccine, 28.8% are unsure and only 13.8% would get vaccinated at the time of the survey. In contrast, 47.2% would be in favour to receive the vaccine, if more scientific evidence on the safety of the vaccination during pregnancy would be available. Breastfeeding women show higher vaccination willingness (39.5% are in favour, 28.1% are unsure and 32.5% not in favour). The willingness to be vaccinated is significantly related to the women’s anxiety levels of getting infected and to develop disease symptoms. Main reasons for vaccination hesitancy are the women’s perception of limited vaccination-specific information, limited scientific evidence on vaccination safety and the fear to harm the fetus or infant.

Conclusions

The results provide important implications for obstetrical care during the pandemic as well as for official recommendations und information strategies regarding the COVID-19 vaccination.
Investigating time-based expectancy beyond binary timing scenarios: evidence from a paradigm employing three predictive pre-target intervals
Authors: Aufschnaiter Stefanie , Zhao Fang , Gaschler Robert , Kiesel Andrea , Thomaschke Roland
Published: October 2021

When the duration of a pre-target interval probabilistically predicts the identity of the target, participants typically form time-based expectancies: they respond faster to frequent interval-target combinations than to infrequent ones. Yet, previous research investigating the cognitive time-processing mechanisms underlying time-based expectancy assessed time-based expectancy always in situations with a binary set of intervals (i.e. short vs. long). Here we aim to test whether time-based expectancy transfers to more complex settings with three different predictive time intervals (short, medium, long) in which each predicts one of three different target stimuli with 80% probability. In three experiments we varied how the medium interval was computed (arithmetic mean, geometric mean, or in between both). Our results showed that participants were able to learn the time-event contingencies for the short and the long as well as for the medium interval, and were, thus able to flexibly redirect their target expectancy two times during the course of a trial. The evidence concerning the impact of the manipulation of the medium intervals’ absolute duration on time-based expectancy was, however, mixed, as time-based expectancy for the medium interval could only be observed in one of three reported experiments. In sum, the findings of the present study suggest a previously unknown cognitive flexibility underlying time-based expectancy and offer important theoretical implications, challenging future research on the timing mechanisms involved in time-based expectancy.
Impact of germline polymorphisms in genes regulating glucose uptake on positron emission tomography findings and outcome in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: results from the PETAL trial
Authors: Broecker-Preuss Martina , Becher-Boveleth Nina , Müller Stefan P. , Hüttmann Andreas , Hanoun Christine , Grafe Hong , Richter Julia , Klapper Wolfram , Rekowski Jan , Bockisch Andreas , Dührsen Ulrich
Published: October 2021

Background

[18F]Fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is the standard imaging procedure in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Disease presentation, FDG-PET/CT performance, and outcome may be influenced by germline single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in genes regulating glucose uptake.

Methods

Clinical variables, FDG-PET findings, and outcome were analysed in relation to SNPs in 342 DLBCL patients participating in the ‘Positron Emission Tomography-Guided Therapy of Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas’ (PETAL) trial. Genes analysed included SLC2A1 (SNPs rs1385129, referred to as HaeIII; rs710218, HpyCH4V; rs841853, XbaI), VEGFA (rs3025039), HIF1A (rs11549465, P582S; rs11549467, A588T), and APEX1 (rs1130409, D148E). Statistical significance was assumed atp ≤ 0.05.

Results

The SLC2A1 HaeIII and HpyCH4V SNPs were tightly linked and statistically significantly associated with baseline maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and Ann Arbor stage, with slightly lower SUVmax(HaeIII, median 18.9, interquartile range [IQR] 11.5–26.6, versus 21.6, IQR 14.4–29.7;p = 0.019) and more frequent stage IV disease (HaeIII, 44.5% versus 30.8%;p = 0.011) in minor allele carriers. As previously reported for lung cancer, the association was dependent upon the coexistent APEX1 D148E genotype. The HIF1A A588T SNP was associated with total metabolic tumour volume (TMTV) and time-to-progression, with significantly lower TMTV (median 16 cm3, IQR 7–210, versus 146 cm3, IQR 34–510;p = 0.034) and longer time-to-progression in minor allele carriers (log-rankp = 0.094). Time-to-progression was also associated with the SLC2A1 XbaI and APEX1 D148E SNPs, with shorter time-to-progression in homozygous and heterozygous SLC2A1 XbaI (HR 1.456; CI 0.930–2.280;p = 0.099) and homozygous APEX1 D148E minor allele carriers (HR 1.6; CI 1.005–2.545;p = 0.046). In multivariable analyses including SNPs, International Prognostic Index factors, sex, and B symptoms, HIF1A A588T, SLC2A1 XbaI, and APEX1 D148E retained statistical significance for time-to-progression, and SLC2A1 XbaI was also significantly associated with overall survival.

Conclusions

Common SNPs in genes regulating glucose uptake may impact SUVmax, tumour distribution, tumour volume, and outcome in DLBCL. The effects on SUVmaxare of low magnitude and appear clinically negligible. The results are consistent with findings in other types of cancer. They need to be confirmed in an independent DLBCL population of sufficient size.

Trial registration

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00554164; EudraCT 2006-001641-33. Registration date November 5, 2007,https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00554164
Temperature profile and residual heat of monopolar laparoscopic and endoscopic dissection instruments
Authors: Brinkmann Franz , Hüttner Ronny , Mehner Philipp J. , Henkel Konrad , Paschew Georgi , Herzog Moritz , Martens Nora , Richter Andreas , Hinz Sebastian , Groß Justus , Schafmayer Clemens , Hampe Jochen , Hendricks Alexander , Schwandner Frank
Published: October 2021

Background

Endoscopic and laparoscopic electrosurgical devices (ED) are of great importance in modern medicine but can cause adverse events such as tissue injuries and burns from residual heat. While laparoscopic tools are well investigated, detailed insights about the temperature profile of endoscopic knives are lacking. Our aim is to investigate the temperature and the residual heat of laparoscopic and endoscopic monopolar instruments to increase the safety in handling ED.

Methods

An infrared camera was used to measure the temperature of laparoscopic and endoscopic instruments during energy application and to determine the cooling time to below 50 °C at a porcine stomach. Different power levels and cutting intervals were studied to investigate their impact on the temperature profile.

Results

During activation, the laparoscopic hook exceeded 120 °C regularly for an up to 10 mm shaft length. With regards to endoknives, only the Dual Tip Knife showed a shaft temperature of above 50 °C. The residual heat of the laparoscopic hook remained above 50 °C for at least 15 s after activation. Endoknives cooled to below 50 °C in 4 s. A higher power level and longer cutting duration significantly increased the shaft temperature and prolonged the cooling time (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Residual heat and maximum temperature during energy application depend strongly on the chosen effect and cutting duration. To avoid potential injuries, the user should not touch any tissue with the laparoscopic hook for at least 15 s and with the endoknives for at least 4 s after energy application. As the shaft also heats up to over 120 °C, the user should be careful to avoid tissue contact during activation with the shaft. These results should be strongly considered for safety reasons when handling monopolar ED.
Parameter calibration with stochastic gradient descent for interacting particle systems driven by neural networks
Authors: Göttlich Simone , Totzeck Claudia
Published: October 2021

We propose a neural network approach to model general interaction dynamics and an adjoint-based stochastic gradient descent algorithm to calibrate its parameters. The parameter calibration problem is considered as optimal control problem that is investigated from a theoretical and numerical point of view. We prove the existence of optimal controls, derive the corresponding first-order optimality system and formulate a stochastic gradient descent algorithm to identify parameters for given data sets. To validate the approach, we use real data sets from traffic and crowd dynamics to fit the parameters. The results are compared to forces corresponding to well-known interaction models such as the Lighthill–Whitham–Richards model for traffic and the social force model for crowd motion.
Trastuzumab does not bind rat or mouse ErbB2/neu: implications for selection of non-clinical safety models for trastuzumab-based therapeutics
Authors: Lewis Phillips Gail , Guo Jun , Kiefer James R. , Proctor William , Bumbaca Yadav Daniela , Dybdal Noel , Shen Ben-Quan
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Assessment of non-clinical safety signals relies on understanding species selectivity of antibodies. This is particularly important with antibody–drug conjugates, where it is key to determine target-dependent versus target-independent toxicity. Although it appears to be widely accepted that trastuzumab does not bind mouse or rat HER2/ErbB2/neu, numerous investigators continue to use mouse models to investigate safety signals of trastuzumab and trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1). We, therefore, conducted a broad array of both binding and biologic studies to demonstrate selectivity of trastuzumab for human HER2 versus mouse/rat neu.

Methods

Binding of anti-neu and anti-HER2 antibodies was assessed by ELISA, FACS, IHC, Scatchard, and immunoblot methods in human, rat, and mouse cell lines. In human hepatocytes, T-DM1 uptake and catabolism were measured by LC-MS/MS; cell viability changes were determined using CellTiter-Glo.

Results

Our data demonstrate, using different binding methods, lack of trastuzumab binding to rat or mouse neu. Structural studies show important amino acid differences in the trastuzumab-HER2 binding interface between mouse/rat and human HER2 ECD. Substitution of these rodent amino acid residues into human HER2 abolish binding of trastuzumab. Cell viability changes, uptake, and catabolism of T-DM1 versus a DM1 non-targeted control ADC were comparable, indicating target-independent effects of the DM1-containing ADCs. Moreover, trastuzumab binding to human or mouse hepatocytes was not detected.

Conclusions

These data, in total, demonstrate that trastuzumab, and by extension T-DM1, do not bind rat or mouse neu, underscoring the importance of species selection for safety studies investigating trastuzumab or trastuzumab-based therapeutics.
The changing nature of hydroclimatic risks across South Africa
Authors: Schlosser Adam , Sokolov Andrei , Strzepek Ken , Thomas Tim , Gao Xiang , Arndt Channing
Published: October 2021

We present results from large ensembles of projected twenty-first century changes in seasonal precipitation and near-surface air temperature for the nation of South Africa. These ensembles are a result of combining Monte Carlo projections from a human-Earth system model of intermediate complexity with pattern-scaled responses from climate models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). These future ensemble scenarios consider a range of global actions to abate emissions through the twenty-first century. We evaluate distributions of surface-air temperature and precipitation change over three sub-national regions: western, central, and eastern South Africa. In all regions, we find that without any emissions or climate targets in place, there is a greater than 50% likelihood that mid-century temperatures will increase threefold over the current climate’s two-standard deviation range of variability. However, scenarios that consider more aggressive climate targets all but eliminate the risk of these salient temperature increases. A preponderance of risk toward decreased precipitation (3 to 4 times higher than increased) exists for western and central South Africa. Strong climate targets abate evolving regional hydroclimatic risks. Under a target to limit global climate warming to 1.5 °C by 2100, the risk of precipitation changes within South Africa toward the end of this century (2065–2074) is commensurate to the risk during the 2030s without any global climate target. Thus, these regional hydroclimate risks over South Africa could be delayed by 30 years and, in doing so, provide invaluable lead-time for national efforts to prepare, fortify, and/or adapt.
The democratisation of European nature governance 1992–2015: introducing the comparative nature governance index
Authors: Kingston Suzanne , Wang Zizhen , Alblas Edwin , Callaghan Micheál , Foulon Julie , Lima Valesca , Murphy Geraldine
Published: October 2021

European environmental governance has radically transformed over the past two decades. While traditionally enforcement of environmental law has been the responsibility of public authorities (public authorities of the EU Member States, themselves policed by the European Commission), this paradigm has now taken a democratic turn. Led by changes in international environmental law and in particular the UNECE Aarhus Convention (UNECE, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention (1998). Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Aarhus Convention), signed on June 25, 1998.), EU law now gives important legal rights to members of the public and environmental non-governmental organisations (“ENGOs”) to become involved in environmental governance, by means of accessing environmental information, participating in environmental decision-making and bringing legal proceedings. While doctrinal legal and regulatory scholarship on this embrace of “bottom-up” private environmental governance is now substantial, there has been relatively little quantitative research in the field. This article represents a first step in mapping this evolution of environmental governance laws in the EU. We employ a leximetrics methodology, coding over 6000 environmental governance laws from three levels of legal sources (international, EU and national), to provide the first systematic data showing the transformation of European environmental governance regimes. We develop the Nature Governance Index (“NGI”) to measure how the enforcement tools deployed in international, EU and national law have changed over time, from the birth of the EU’s flagship nature conservation law, the 1992 Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC). At the national level, we focus on three EU Member States (France, Ireland and the Netherlands) to enable a fine-grained measurement of the changes in national nature governance laws over time. This article introduces our unique datasets and the NGI, describes the process used to collect the datasets and its limitations, and compares the evolution in laws at the international, EU and national levels over the 23-year period from 1992–2015. Our findings provide strong empirical confirmation of the democratic turn in European environmental governance, while revealing the significant divergences between legal systems that remain absent express harmonisation of the Aarhus Convention’s principles in EU law. Our data also set the foundations for future quantitative legal research, enabling deeper analysis of the relationships between the different levels of multilevel environmental governance.
Improving fermentation of Saccharina latissima and Alaria esculenta silages with additives for preserving biomass and antioxidants
Authors: Yen Ying , Weisbjerg Martin Riis , Rautenberger Ralf , Fečkaninová Adriána , Novoa-Garrido Margarita
Published: October 2021

Rapid deterioration of harvested macroalgal biomass is a challenge for macroalgal industry and can be overcome with the inexpensive ensiling preservation. To improve silage quality, Saccharina latissima and Alaria esculenta biomass was subjected to ensiling conditions following a 2 × 4 factorial design, with 2 prewilting treatments (no-prewilting and prewilted to 300 g DM kg−1 fresh biomass) and 4 additive treatments (no additive, formic acid, single and two species of Lactobacillus inoculant), and ensiled for 3 or 12 months at 15 °C. Acetate was the main fermentation product in these seaweed silages. Prewilting reduced the acetate, mannitol, and NH3 content in silages. In S. latissima silages without additives, prewilting led to less acidification (pH = 5.7). Also, prewilting caused protein and phlorotannin degradation. When treated with formic acid, the silage pH was below 4 regardless of the biomass’s moisture content. The use of Lactobacillus spp. inoculants was essential for lactate production in seaweed silages, and it significantly lowered silage pH in S. latissima and prewilted A. esculenta compared to silages with no additives. A high level of the phlorotannin content was preserved (> 90%) in the 3-month A. esculenta silages without prewilting. However, major reduction of antioxidant activity was observed in 12-month silages in both seaweed species. In conclusion, ensiling is a viable method for preserving Alaria and Saccharina biomass. Prewilting restricted silage fermentation, and both formic acid and bacterial additives facilitated silage acidification. However, there was no clear benefit of these treatments in preserving the antioxidant activity.
Fundamental studies on shear-induced nucleation and beta-phase formation in the isotactic polypropylene—effect of the temperature
Authors: Bednarek W. H. , Paukszta D. , Szostak M. , Szymańska J.
Published: October 2021

The complex and incompletely understood phenomenon of shear-induced crystallization of polymers may be nowadays analysed via the in situ POM-shear stage methodology. In this research, the two main issues were investigated with the use of the Linkam CCS450 shear stage connected with POM microscope. It was found that the secondary nucleation in the tree well-known temperature regimes plays the greater role in the overall crystallization kinetics than the shear induced primary nucleation. Furthermore, it was found that the tendency towards β-phase formation in shear conditions is dependent on the temperature value during shear treatment. It may be concluded that the temperature is the key parameter in the primary and secondary nucleation process and beta-phase formation in the iPP melts.
Quick and robust feature selection: the strength of energy-efficient sparse training for autoencoders
Authors: Atashgahi Zahra , Sokar Ghada , van der Lee Tim , Mocanu Elena , Mocanu Decebal Constantin , Veldhuis Raymond , Pechenizkiy Mykola
Published: October 2021

Major complications arise from the recent increase in the amount of high-dimensional data, including high computational costs and memory requirements. Feature selection, which identifies the most relevant and informative attributes of a dataset, has been introduced as a solution to this problem. Most of the existing feature selection methods are computationally inefficient; inefficient algorithms lead to high energy consumption, which is not desirable for devices with limited computational and energy resources. In this paper, a novel and flexible method for unsupervised feature selection is proposed. This method, named QuickSelection (The code is available at: https://github.com/zahraatashgahi/QuickSelection), introduces the strength of the neuron in sparse neural networks as a criterion to measure the feature importance. This criterion, blended with sparsely connected denoising autoencoders trained with the sparse evolutionary training procedure, derives the importance of all input features simultaneously. We implement QuickSelection in a purely sparse manner as opposed to the typical approach of using a binary mask over connections to simulate sparsity. It results in a considerable speed increase and memory reduction. When tested on several benchmark datasets, including five low-dimensional and three high-dimensional datasets, the proposed method is able to achieve the best trade-off of classification and clustering accuracy, running time, and maximum memory usage, among widely used approaches for feature selection. Besides, our proposed method requires the least amount of energy among the state-of-the-art autoencoder-based feature selection methods.
Are American Indian/Alaska Native Adolescent Health Behaviors Different? A Review of AI/AN Youth Involved in Native STAND Curriculum, 2014–2017 United States
Authors: Skye Megan , Craig Stephanie , Donald Caitlin , Kelley Allyson , Morgan Brittany , Rajani Kavita , Singer Michelle , Zaback Tosha , Lambert William
Published: October 2021

Objectives

To explore health behavior profiles of AI/AN youth involved in native students together against negative decisions (STAND), a national culture-based curriculum.

Methods

We analyzed data from 1236 surveys conducted among AI/AN youth at 40 native STAND implementation sites located in 16 states throughout the US from 2014 to 2017. Health profiles included demographics, sexual orientation, sexual activity, STI testing, cigarette use, and suicide attempts in the past 12-months. We used t-tests and chi square tests of independence to compare risk behavior prevalence among the sample.

Results

Health behavior profiles of AI/AN youth indicate that 45.6% of youth did not use condoms the last time they had sex, and 82.7% have never been tested for STIs. Differences in cigarette smoking were observed in questioning youth (questioning: 80.3%, straight/heterosexual: 63.8%, LGBTQ2S + : 49.9%, p = 0.03).

Conclusions for Practice

Health behaviors related to sex, substance, violence and self-harm, are at least as common for AI/AN youth as those observed in other US teens. Future research should consider similarities and differences in health profiles of AI/AN youth when designing interventions that affect them. Further, our findings underscore the need for culturally-relevant curricula like native STAND, not because their health behavior is different, but because their socio-ecologic environment is different.
A simplistic computational procedure for tunneling splittings caused by proton transfer
Authors: Tikhonov Denis S.
Published: October 2021

In this manuscript, we present an approach for computing tunneling splittings for large amplitude motions. The core of the approach is a solution of an effective one-dimensional Schrödinger equation with an effective mass and an effective potential energy surface composed of electronic and harmonic zero-point vibrational energies of small amplitude motions in the molecule. The method has been shown to work in cases of three model motions: nitrogen inversion in ammonia, single proton transfer in malonaldehyde, and double proton transfer in the formic acid dimer. In the current work, we also investigate the performance of different DFT and post-Hartree–Fock methods for prediction of the proton transfer tunneling splittings, quality of the effective Schrödinger equation parameters upon the isotopic substitution, and possibility of a complete basis set (CBS) extrapolation for the resulting tunneling splittings.
Self-assessment of competences and their impact on the perceived chances for a successful university-to-work transition: the example of tourism degree students in Poland
Authors: Piróg Danuta , Kilar Wioletta , Rettinger Renata
Published: October 2021

Competences are the most important career capital a university graduate can have. The objective of the paper is to determine which competences acquired at tourism degree programmes affect students’ self-assessment regarding their own competitive advantage on the labour market. The data was collected during a nationwide diagnostic survey (N = 476) carried out at ten Polish universities among students finishing their tourism degree courses. Principal component analysis allowed us to identify a set of competences that have a significant impact on the students’ perception of their chances of finding employment in the tourism industry. These are: ability to cope with challenges and stress; writing and speaking skills in a foreign language; public speaking; planning and implementation of subject-specific projects; ability to conduct subject-specific research and perseverance. The higher the assessment of each of the above, the more confident of their competitive advantage on the labour market the students were.
Climate change impact uncertainty assessment and adaptations for sustainable maize production using multi-crop and climate models
Authors: Yasin Mubashra , Ahmad Ashfaq , Khaliq Tasneem , Habib-ur-Rahman Muhammad , Niaz Salma , Gaiser Thomas , Ghafoor Iqra , Hassan Hafiz Suboor ul , Qasim Muhammad , Hoogenboom Gerrit
Published: October 2021

Future climate scenarios are predicting considerable threats to sustainable maize production in arid and semi-arid regions. These adverse impacts can be minimized by adopting modern agricultural tools to assess and develop successful adaptation practices. A multi-model approach (climate and crop) was used to assess the impacts and uncertainties of climate change on maize crop. An extensive field study was conducted to explore the temporal thermal variations on maize hybrids grown at farmer’s fields for ten sowing dates during two consecutive growing years. Data about phenology, morphology, biomass development, and yield were recorded by adopting standard procedures and protocols. The CSM-CERES, APSIM, and CSM-IXIM-Maize models were calibrated and evaluated. Five GCMs among 29 were selected based on classification into different groups and uncertainty to predict climatic changes in the future. The results predicted that there would be a rise in temperature (1.57–3.29 °C) during the maize growing season in five General Circulation Models (GCMs) by using RCP 8.5 scenarios for the mid-century (2040–2069) as compared with the baseline (1980–2015). The CERES-Maize and APSIM-Maize model showed lower root mean square error values (2.78 and 5.41), higher d-index (0.85 and 0.87) along reliable R2 (0.89 and 0.89), respectively for days to anthesis and maturity, while the CSM-IXIM-Maize model performed well for growth parameters (leaf area index, total dry matter) and yield with reasonably good statistical indices. The CSM-IXIM-Maize model performed well for all hybrids during both years whereas climate models, NorESM1-M and IPSL-CM5A-MR, showed less uncertain results for climate change impacts. Maize models along GCMs predicted a reduction in yield (8–55%) than baseline. Maize crop may face a high yield decline that could be overcome by modifying the sowing dates and fertilizer (fertigation) and heat and drought-tolerant hybrids.