bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spark discharge deposition of au/cu nanoparticles for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering
Authors: El‐Aal Mohamed Abd , Seto Takafumi
Published: June 2021

Au10Cu90 and Au76Cu24 nanoparticles (NPs) were directly fabricated on a glass substrate by spark discharge deposition technique. The prepared NPs were characterized by FE‐SEM, and XPS techniques. The substrate composition was controlled by simply changed the electrode type that connected to a high voltage power supply. The generated substrates were evaluated of surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) by using crystal violet as a molecular probe. The Au76Cu24 substrate showed the highest SERS signals, with a limit of detection could reach to 1 × 10−12 M, and enhancement factor of 2.8 × 108. The high SERS performance of this substrate could be attributed to the high electromagnetic field generated between the connected networking NPs and the chemical enhancement provided by the small amount of CuO.
pH‐Responsive Capsules with a Fibril Scaffold Shell Assembled from an Amyloidogenic Peptide
Authors: Shimanovich Ulyana , Levin Aviad , Eliaz Dror , Michaels Thomas , Toprakcioglu Zenon , Frohm Birgitta , De Genst Erwin , Linse Sara , Åkerfeldt Karin S. , Knowles Tuomas P. J.
Published: June 2021

Peptides and proteins have evolved to self‐assemble into supramolecular entities through a set of non‐covalent interactions. Such structures and materials provide the functional basis of life. Crucially, biomolecular assembly processes can be highly sensitive to and modulated by environmental conditions, including temperature, light, ionic strength and pH, providing the inspiration for the development of new classes of responsive functional materials based on peptide building blocks. Here, it is shown that the stimuli‐responsive assembly of amyloidogenic peptide can be used as the basis of environmentally responsive microcapsules which exhibit release characteristics triggered by a change in pH. The microcapsules are biocompatible and biodegradable and may act as vehicles for controlled release of a wide range of biomolecules. Cryo‐SEM images reveal the formation of a fibrillar network of the capsule interior with discrete compartments in which cargo molecules can be stored. In addition, the reversible formation of these microcapsules by modulating the solution pH is investigated and their potential application for the controlled release of encapsulated cargo molecules, including antibodies, is shown. These results suggest that the approach described here represents a promising venue for generating pH‐responsive functional peptide‐based materials for a wide range of potential applications for molecular encapsulation, storage, and release.
Stretchable and Compressible Si3N4 Nanofiber Sponge with Aligned Microstructure for Highly Efficient Particulate Matter Filtration under High‐Velocity Airflow
Authors: Li Mingzhu , Su Lei , Wang Hongjie , Wan Pengfei , Guo Pengfei , Cai Zhixin , Gao Hongfei , Zhang Zijun , Lu De
Published: June 2021

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most severe air pollutants and poses a threat to human health. Air filters with high filtration efficiency applied to the source of PM are an effective way to reduce pollution. However, many of the present filtration materials usually fail because of their high pressure drop under high‐velocity airflow and poor thermal stability at high temperatures. Herein, a highly porous Si3N4 nanofiber sponge (Si3N4 NFS) assembled by aligned and well‐interconnected Si3N4 nanofibers is designed and fabricated via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The resulting ultralight Si3N4 NFS (2.69 mg cm−3) processes temperature‐invariant reversible strechability (10% strain) and compressibility (50% strain), which enables its mechanical robustness under high‐velocity airflow. The highly porous and aligned microstructure result in a Si3N4 NFS with high filtration efficiency for PM2.5 (99.97%) and simultaneous low pressure drop (340 Pa, only <0.33% of atmospheric pressure) even under a high gas flow velocity (8.72 m s−1) at a high temperature (1000 °C). Furthermore, the Si3N4 NFS air filter exhibits good long‐term service ability and recyclability. Such Si3N4 NFS with aligned microstructures for highly efficient gas filters provides new perspectives for the design and preparation of high‐performance filtration materials.
An ensemble‐based predictive mutation testing approach that considers impact of unreached mutants
Authors: Aghamohammadi Alireza , Mirian‐Hosseinabadi Seyed‐Hassan
Published: June 2021

Predictive mutation testing (PMT) is a technique to predict whether a mutant is killed, using machine learning approaches. Researchers have proposed various methods for PMT over the years. However, the impact of unreached mutants on PMT is not fully addressed. A mutant is unreached if the statement on which the mutant is generated is not executed by any test cases. We aim at showing that unreached mutants can inflate PMT results. Moreover, we propose an alternative approach to PMT, suggesting a different interpretation for PMT. To this end, we replicated the previous PMT research. We empirically evaluated the suggested approach on 654 Java projects provided by prior literature. Our results indicate that the performance of PMT drastically decreases in terms of area under a receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) from 0.833 to 0.517. Furthermore, PMT performs worse than random guesses on 27% of the projects. The proposed approach improves the PMT results, achieving the average AUC value of 0.613. As a result, we recommend researchers to remove unreached mutants when reporting the results.
Long non‐coding RNA DUXAP9 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma cell stemness via directly interacting with sox9
Authors: Zeng Ru , Wang Chunyue , Wang Wenyi , Wang Shuangjia
Published: June 2021

Long non‐coding RNA (LncRNA) DUXAP9 expression was recently found to be higher in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and cells, and correlated with a shorter overall survival of HCC patients. However, its roles in HCC progression have never been revealed. Here, the roles of DUXAP9 in HCC cell stemness are explored as cancer stem cells (CSCs) contribute to one of the root of cancer progression. We found that DUXAP9 positively regulated HCC cell stemness, as characterized by the change of sphere‐formation ability, ALDH activity and stemness marker expression. Further luciferase reporter, mRNA stability and RNA–RNA in vitro interaction assays indicated that DUXAP9 directly bound to the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of sox9, enhanced the mRNA stability of sox9 and thus increased sox9 expression. Notably, the effects induced by DUXAP9 on HCC cell stemness depended on sox9 expression. Therefore, this work identifies a novel DUXAP9/sox9 axis essential for HCC cell stemness.
Clinical findings in dogs diagnosed with leptospirosis in England
Authors: Raj Jennifer , Campbell Ruth , Tappin Simon
Published: June 2021

Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of worldwide importance. This study describes the clinical findings and outcome of dogs diagnosed with leptospirosis in England.

Methods: Retrospective review of medical records of dogs diagnosed with leptospirosis from a single referral hospital located in Eastern England.

Results: Thirty‐eight dogs met the inclusion criteria. Clinical signs included inappetence (76%), vomiting (68%), lethargy (58%), polydipsia and polyuria (18%) and abdominal pain (16%). Disease manifestations included hepatic and renal involvement (47%), hepatic only (37%), renal only (16%); no dogs were found to have respiratory involvement. Clinicopathological findings at presentation included anaemia (42%), thrombocytopenia (43%), increased alanine transaminase activity (ALT) (66%), hyperbilirubinemia (55%), azotaemia (68%), hypoalbuminaemia (49%) and glucosuria (32%). Seven serovars ofLeptospira interrogansorLeptospira kirschneri weredetected; the most prevalent was Copenhageni (48%). Seventy‐one percent survived to discharge. Dogs in the non‐surviving group had a higher creatinine at presentation compared to survivors (p= 0.02).

Conclusions: Copenhageni was the most prevalent serovar in this population. This supports the use of a vaccine including this serovar, in this region. Renal involvement was associated with reduced survival to discharge. A hepatic only form was common in this population, and leptospirosis should be included as a differential diagnosis for dogs suffering with a hepatopathy. No cases had significant pulmonary involvement, but ongoing clinical vigilance for this disease manifestation is essential.
Brachyspira hyodysenteriae isolate multilocus sequence type dashboard
Authors: Williamson Susanna , Stubberfield Emma , Brzozowska Anna , Thomson Jill
Published: June 2021

This focus article has been prepared by Susanna Williamson, Emma Stubberfield and Anna Brzozowska of the APHA and Jill Thomson of SRUC – Veterinary Consulting Services, Edinburgh.
John Teilo Davies
Authors: de Courcy Giles Marcus Bryce
Published: June 2021

A scholar, pioneering veterinary surgeon, pilot, musician, published poet, a Pete Townshend lookalike and a family man.
Computational methods for predicting hotspots at protein–RNA interfaces
Authors: Mei Long‐Can , Hao Ge‐Fei , Yang Guang‐Fu
Published: June 2021

Protein–RNA interactions play essential roles in many critical biological events. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying these interactions is helpful when studying cellular activities and therapeutic applications. Hotspots are a small portion of residues contributing much toward protein–RNA binding affinity. In pharmaceutical research, the hotspot residues are seen as the best option for designing small molecules to target proteins of therapeutic interest. With the accumulation of experimental data about protein–RNA interactions, computational methods have been produced for hotspot prediction on a large scale. In this review, we first present an overview of the existing databases for protein–RNA binding data. Furthermore, we outline the most adopted computational methods for hotspots prediction in protein–RNA interactions. Finally, we discuss the applications of hotspot prediction.

This article is categorized under:

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein‐RNA Recognition

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein‐RNA Interactions: Functional Implications

RNA Methods > RNA Analyses In Vitro and In Silico
Real-Time Water Movement in a Plant
Authors: Nakanishi Tomoko M.
Published: June 2021

The next approach to research on water was to measure the small amount of water actually moving within a plant. The best method is to utilize radioisotope (RI)-labeled water and measure the radiation from outside of the plant. However, it is rather difficult to label water, since there are only limited kinds of RI for tracing water.

When utilizing 18F to trace water movement, another fundamental question to consider was the features that characterize drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive plants. It is natural to suppose that drought-tolerant plants have strong water absorption; therefore, by analyzing the water absorption mechanism of tolerant plants and by introducing this function to sensitive plants, it might be possible to make the sensitive plants more tolerant.

However, when water uptake was studied in naturally developed drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive cowpea, selected from 2000 cowpea plants grown in the field of Africa, the result was unexpected. Under normal conditions, the amount of water absorbed by the drought-tolerant strain was much lower than that absorbed by the sensitive strain, as if showing the low capability of water absorption. When a drought condition was introduced, the tolerant strain began to absorb much more water than usual, whereas the sensitive strain could not absorb as much water as before. This result provided us with an important lesson. Analyzing the mechanism of drought tolerance only by comparing the water absorption of tolerant and sensitive plants might not readily reveal the reason for drought tolerance. The features of the naturally produced plants showed us different mechanisms that might not match our expectations developed in the laboratory.

Next, we performed water measurements using 15O-labeled water, which has an extremely short half-life of 2 minutes. Here, we found another astonishing result, which was “water circulation” in the plant internode. A tremendous amount of water was always leaking from xylem cells, which had been regarded as a mere pipe to transfer water from the root to the aboveground parts. In another subsequent study, it was shown that the water flowing out from the xylem was pushing out the water already present in the stem and then returning to the xylem again to move upward. The water velocity in the internode was kept constant, and through simulation, it took less than 20 minutes to exchange the water already present in the stem with newly absorbed water.
Real-Time Element Movement in a Plant
Authors: Nakanishi Tomoko M.
Published: June 2021

We developed an imaging method utilizing the available RIs. We developed two types of real-time RI imaging systems (RRIS), one for macroscopic imaging and the other for microscopic imaging. The principle of visualization was the same, converting the radiation to light by a Cs(Tl)I scintillator deposited on a fiber optic plate (FOS). Many nuclides were employed, including 14C, 18F, 22Na, 28Mg, 32P 33P, 35S, 42K, 45Ca, 48V, 54Mn, 55Fe, 59Fe, 65Zn, 86Rb, 109Cd, and 137Cs.

Since radiation can penetrate the soil as well as water, the difference between soil culture and water culture was visualized. 137Cs was hardly absorbed by rice roots growing in soil, whereas water culture showed high absorption, which could provide some reassurance after the Fukushima Nuclear Accident and could indicate an important role of soil in firmly adsorbing the radioactive cesium.

28Mg and 42K, whose production methods were presented, were applied for RRIS to visualize the absorption image from the roots. In addition to 28Mg and 42K, many nuclides were applied to image absorption in the roots. Each element showed a specific absorption speed and accumulation pattern. The image analysis of the absorption of Mg is presented as an example. Through successive images of the element absorption, phloem flow in the aboveground part of the plant was analyzed. The element absorption was visualized not only in the roots but also in the leaves, a basic study of foliar fertilization.

In the case of the microscopic imaging system, a fluorescence microscope was modified to acquire three images at the same time: a light image, fluorescent image, and radiation image. Although the resolution of the image was estimated to be approximately 50 μm, superposition showed the expression site of the transporter gene and the actual 32P-phosphate absorption site to be the same in Arabidopsis roots.
Visualization of 14C-labeled Gas Fixation in a Plant
Authors: Nakanishi Tomoko M.
Published: June 2021

We targeted not only the elements we can supply to the nutrient solution but also carbon dioxide gas to visualize the fixation process and the movement of assimilated carbon in a plant. This is another highlight of our study using real-time RI imaging systems (RRIS). The interesting result was that the route of assimilated carbon was different depending on where the fixation took place. In Arabidopsis, most of the metabolites after photosynthesis were transferred to the tip of the main internode and roots when 14CO2 gas was fixed and photosynthates were produced at rosette leaves, whereas most of the metabolites moved to the tip of the branch internode and hardly moved down to the roots when 14CO2 gas was supplied to the aboveground parts of the plant other than rosette leaves. Interestingly, it was possible to visualize and trace which tissue performed the fixation of 14CO2 gas, i.e., carbon could be traced from the fixation site in tissue to tissue formation. However, especially in the case of 14C imaging, image analysis should be carefully performed because of the self-absorption of the β-rays in tissue. To image 14CO2 gas fixation in larger samples, approximately 50 cm in height, a plastic scintillator was introduced, and the assimilation process of the gas was visualized for rice and maize.
3D Images
Authors: Nakanishi Tomoko M.
Published: June 2021

Spatial (3D) image construction from imaging plate (IP) images and the development of the microautography (MAR) method were presented. A rice grain was sliced every 5 μm, IP images were taken for successive slices, and the series of 2D images acquired by an IP were used to construct 3D images. In the case of 109Cd and 137Cs, the spatial distributions in the grain showed that the concentrations increased at the surface of the grain during the maturing process.
Microautoradiography (MAR)
Authors: Nakanishi Tomoko M.
Published: June 2021

MAR was developed to increase the resolution of the image for the sliced plant sample. This revised MAR method showed the detailed distribution of 137Cs accumulation in embryos, which indicated that the plumule and radicle, which grow as a meristem of a root or shoot, were protected from the accumulation of heavy elements. Because of daguerreotype imaging, MAR is now hardly used, and the film emulsion is not available. Here, this method was essentially recreated with a revised processing method for both sample preparation and imaging process.
Other Real-Time Movement
Authors: Nakanishi Tomoko M.
Published: June 2021

In the case of root movement, a very interesting phenomenon was found using the Super-HARP camera, which enabled the visualization of root movement in the dark.

Although the first data on plants show that the harmful effect is growth inhibition, the first effect of the toxicity was to stop the rotation movement of the roots before growth inhibition occurred.

When there was a chemical change in the environment, although the circumnutation of the root tip ceased, the root was able to elongate, and it was interesting that after a while the root movement resumed. In the case of a rice root, one round of movement of the rice root tip showed a constant time of approximately 50 minutes. However, this movement ceased when Al ion was supplied. The time needed for resuming the movement of the root tip was dependent on the Al ion concentration. It is not known what triggers the resumption of the movement of the root tip.
Dark matter freeze-in from semi-production
Authors: Hryczuk Andrzej , Laletin Maxim
Published: June 2021

Abstract

We study a novel dark matter production mechanism based on the freeze-in through semi-production, i.e. the inverse semi-annihilation processes. A peculiar feature of this scenario is that the production rate is suppressed by a small initial abundance of dark matter and consequently creating the observed abundance requires much larger coupling values than for the usual freeze-in. We provide a concrete example model exhibiting such production mechanism and study it in detail, extending the standard formalism to include the evolution of dark matter temperature alongside its number density and discuss the importance of this improved treatment. Finally, we confront the relic density constraint with the limits and prospects for the dark matter indirect detection searches. We show that, even if it was never in full thermal equilibrium in the early Universe, dark matter could, nevertheless, have strong enough present-day annihilation cross section to lead to observable signals.
Asymptotic factorization of n-particle SU(N) form factors
Authors: Babujian Hrachya M. , Foerster Angela , Karowski Michael
Published: June 2021

Abstract

We investigate the high energy behavior of the SU(N) chiral Gross-Neveu model in 1 + 1 dimensions. The model is integrable and matrix elements of several local operators (form factors) are known exactly. The form factors show rapidity space clustering, which means factorization, if a group of rapidities is shifted to infinity. We analyze this phenomenon for the SU(N) model. For several operators the factorization formulas are presented explicitly.
Note on generalized Archimedes–Borchardt algorithm
Authors: Jarczyk Justyna , Jarczyk Witold
Published: June 2021

We investigate convergence and invariance properties of the generalized Archimedes–Borchardt algorithm. The main tool is reducing the problem to an appropriate Gauss iteration process.
Correction to: Cell-based treatment options facilitate regeneration of cartilage, ligaments and meniscus in demanding conditions of the knee by a whole joint approach
Authors: Angele Peter , Docheva Denitsa , Pattappa Girish , Zellner Johannes
Published: June 2021

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-021-06622-8
Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluation of nasal liposome and nanoparticle based rivastigmine formulations in acute and chronic models of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Rompicherla Sampath Kumar L. , Arumugam Karthik , Bojja Sree Lalitha , Kumar Nitesh , Rao C. Mallikarjuna
Published: June 2021

With the increasing aging population and progressive nature of the disease, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) poses to be an oncoming epidemic with limited therapeutic strategies. It is characterized by memory loss, behavioral instability, impaired cognitive function, predominantly, cognitive inability manifested due to the accumulation of β-amyloid, with malfunctioned cholinergic system. Rivastigmine, a reversible dual cholinesterase inhibitor, is a more tolerable and widely used choice of drug for AD. However, rivastigmine being hydrophilic and undergoing the first-pass metabolism exhibits low CNS bioavailability. Nanoformulations including liposomes and PLGA nanoparticles can encapsulate hydrophilic drugs and deliver them efficiently to the brain. Besides, the nasal route is receiving considerable attention recently, due to its direct access to the brain. Therefore, the present study attempts to evaluate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of nasal liposomal and PLGA nanoparticle formulations of rivastigmine in acute scopolamine-induced amnesia and chronic colchicine induced cognitive dysfunction animal models, and validate the best formulation by employing pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) modeling. Nasal liposomal rivastigmine formulation showed the best pharmacokinetic features with rapid onset of action (Tmax = 5 min), higher Cmax (1489.5 ± 620.71), enhanced systemic bioavailability (F = 118.65 ± 23.54; AUC = 35,921.75 ± 9559.46), increased half-life (30.92 ± 8.38 min), and reduced clearance rate (Kel (1/min) = 0.0224 ± 0.006) compared to oral rivastigmine (Tmax = 15 min; Cmax = 56.29 ± 27.05; F = 4.39 ± 1.82; AUC = 1663.79 ± 813.54; t1/2 = 13.48 ± 5.79; Kel (1/min) = 0.0514 ± 0.023). Further, the liposomal formulation significantly rescued the memory deficit induced by scopolamine as well as colchicine superior to other formulations as assessed in Morris water maze and passive avoidance tasks. PK-PD modeling demonstrated a strong correlation between the pharmacokinetic parameters and acetylcholinesterase inhibition of liposomal formulation.
Strategy-proof mechanism design with non-quasi-linear preferences: ex-post revenue maximization for an arbitrary number of objects
Authors: Sakai Ryosuke , Serizawa Shigehiro
Published: June 2021

We consider the multi-object allocation problem with monetary transfers where each agent obtains at most one object (unit-demand). We focus on allocation mechanisms satisfying individual rationality, non-wastefulness, equal treatment of equals, and strategy-proofness. Extending the result of Kazumura et al. (J Econ Theory 188:105036, 2020b), we show that for an arbitrary number of agents and objects, the minimum price Walrasian is the unique ex-post revenue maximizing mechanism among the mechanisms satisfying no subsidy in addition to the four properties, and that no subsidy in this result can be replaced by no bankruptcy on the positive income effect domain.
Mucosal blood flow in the remaining rectal stump is more affected by total than partial mesorectal excision in patients undergoing anterior resection: a key to understanding differing rates of anastomotic leakage?
Authors: Back Erik , Brännström Fredrik , Svensson Johan , Rutegård Jörgen , Matthiessen Peter , Haapamäki Markku M. , Rutegård Martin
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Anterior resection is the procedure of choice for tumours in the mid and upper rectum. Depending on tumour height, a total mesorectal excision (TME) or partial mesorectal excision (PME) can be performed. Low anastomoses in particular have a high risk of developing anastomotic leakage, which might be explained by blood perfusion compromise. A pilot study indicated a worse blood flow in TME patients in an open setting. The aim of this study was to further evaluate perianastomotic blood perfusion changes in relation to TME and PME in a predominantly laparoscopic context.

Method

In this prospective cohort study, laser Doppler flowmetry was used to evaluate the perianastomotic colonic and rectal perfusion before and after surgery. The two surgical techniques were compared in terms of mean differences of perfusion units using a repeated measures ANOVA design, which also enabled interaction analyses between type of mesorectal excision and location of measurement. Anastomotic leakage until 90 days after surgery was reported for descriptive purposes.

Results

Some 28 patients were available for analysis: 17 TME and 11 PME patients. TME patients had a reduced blood perfusion postoperatively compared to PME patients in the aboral posterior area (mean difference: −57 vs 18 perfusion units; p = 0.010). An interaction between mesorectal excision type and anterior/posterior location was detected at the aboral level (p = 0.007). Two patients developed a minor leakage, diagnosed after discharge.

Conclusion

Patients operated on using TME have a decreased blood flow in the aboral posterior quadrant of the rectum postoperatively compared to patients operated on using PME. This might explain differing rates of anastomotic leakage.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02401100
Finding Temporal Paths Under Waiting Time Constraints
Authors: Casteigts Arnaud , Himmel Anne-Sophie , Molter Hendrik , Zschoche Philipp
Published: June 2021

Computing a (short) path between two vertices is one of the most fundamental primitives in graph algorithmics. In recent years, the study of paths in temporal graphs, that is, graphs where the vertex set is fixed but the edge set changes over time, gained more and more attention. A path is time-respecting, or temporal, if it uses edges with non-decreasing time stamps. We investigate a basic constraint for temporal paths, where the time spent at each vertex must not exceed a given duration $$\varDelta $$
Δ
, referred to as $$\varDelta $$
Δ
-restless temporal paths. This constraint arises naturally in the modeling of real-world processes like packet routing in communication networks and infection transmission routes of diseases where recovery confers lasting resistance. While finding temporal paths without waiting time restrictions is known to be doable in polynomial time, we show that the “restless variant” of this problem becomes computationally hard even in very restrictive settings. For example, it is W[1]-hard when parameterized by the distance to disjoint path of the underlying graph, which implies W[1]-hardness for many other parameters like feedback vertex number and pathwidth. A natural question is thus whether the problem becomes tractable in some natural settings. We explore several natural parameterizations, presenting FPT algorithms for three kinds of parameters: (1) output-related parameters (here, the maximum length of the path), (2) classical parameters applied to the underlying graph (e.g., feedback edge number), and (3) a new parameter called timed feedback vertex number, which captures finer-grained temporal features of the input temporal graph, and which may be of interest beyond this work.
Hydrochemistry and environmental isotopes of spring water and their relation to structure and lithology identified with remote sensing methods in Wadi Araba, Egypt
Authors: Wannous Manal , Theilen-Willige Barbara , Troeger Uwe , Falk Marianne , Siebert Christian , Bauer Florian
Published: June 2021

Springs located at the historical sites of Wadi Araba (Eastern Desert of Egypt) and emerging from the escarpments of the Northern and Southern Galala Plateaus were investigated. A combination of methods, including hydrochemistry, stable and radioisotope composition, and structural analyses based on satellite data, provided information about the structure of the subsurface and the derived groundwater flow paths. Satellite images reveal karst features within the northern plateau, e.g. conical landforms. Karstic caves were documented along both escarpments. Chemical analysis of floodwater from Wadi Araba indicates higher concentrations of terrestrial salts compared to floodwaters from central and southern parts of the desert. δ18O and δ2H signatures in spring waters resemble those of floodwater and fall on the global meteoric water line, confirming their fast infiltration with minor influence of evaporation. The aquifer feeding the springs of the Northern Galala Plateau has low retention and the springs dry out quickly, even after heavy rainfall. Contrastingly,3H activities in springs emerging from the Southern Galala Plateau refer to much slower subsurface passage. With respect to3H content (3.8 TU) in recent flood waters, the spring water at Southern Galala Plateau contains about 40% recently recharged groundwater. However, its largest spring—the St. Antony spring—discharges water with a radiocarbon age of about 15,000 years. In combination with this spring’s constant and high discharge over a period of several months, that age estimate suggests a large reservoir with moderate to high retention.
The EU Industrial Strategy: Towards a Post-Growth Agenda?
Authors: Renda Andrea
Published: June 2021

Along with the Green Deal, the von der Leyen Commission immediately started to look at how to adopt an industrial strategy that would promote EU competitiveness and support the Commission’s self-assigned “geopolitical” role by boosting strategic autonomy.
EU Trade Policy in Light of the New Industrial Strategy for Europe
Authors: Schaus Malorie
Published: June 2021

EU trade policy, which is essential to a prosperous European economy and industry, has an important role to play in tackling the major challenges of our times relating to worsening geo-economic and trade tensions, enduring global sustainability issues and a deteriorating multilateral order.
Is a European Recovery Possible Without High-Tech Public Corporations?
Authors: Archibugi Daniele , Mariella Vitantonio
Published: June 2021

Pervasive new technologies associated with information and communication technologies and software are dominated by a restricted oligopoly of US-based corporations. The challengers are no longer European firms, but rather Japanese or Chinese companies. The actions taken by the EU to fill this technology gap, including the Framework Programmes for research and technological development, are beneficial but still insufficient in terms of the resources committed. This article argues that the EU urgently needs to add another economic policy instrument to defy these incumbent firms, namely to create a few publicly supported large corporations in the areas of greater scientific and technological opportunities. This will be complementary to the already ongoing mission-oriented innovation policies. While there are the political and economic difficulties of implementing such a strategy, one recalls the pioneering venture of Airbus, established more than 50 years ago that has successfully managed to challenge the dominant US-based passenger aircraft producers despite several economic and political controversies. Could similar attempts be replicated for green technologies, healthcare services and artificial intelligence?
Improving the usability of climate indicator visualizations through diagnostic design principles
Authors: Gerst Michael D. , Kenney Melissa A. , Feygina Irina
Published: June 2021

Visual climate indicators have become a popular way to communicate trends in important climate phenomena. Producing accessible visualizations for a general audience is challenging, especially when many are based on graphics designed for scientists, present complex and abstract concepts, and utilize suboptimal design choices. This study tests whether diagnostic visualization guidelines can be used to identify communication shortcomings for climate indicators and to specify effective design modifications. Design guidelines were used to diagnose problems in three hard-to-understand indicators, and to create three improved modifications per indicator. Using online surveys, the efficacy of the modifications was tested in a control versus treatment setup that measured the degree to which respondents understood, found accessible, liked, and trusted the graphics. Furthermore, we assessed whether respondents’ numeracy, climate attitudes, and political party affiliation affected the impact of design improvements. Results showed that simplifying modifications had a large positive effect on understanding, ease of understanding, and liking, but not trust. Better designs improved understanding similarly for people with different degrees of numerical capacity. Moreover, while climate skepticism was associated with less positive subjective responses and greater mistrust toward climate communication, design modification improved understanding equally for people across the climate attitude and ideological spectrum. These findings point to diagnostic design guidelines as a useful tool for creating more accessible, engaging climate graphics for the public.
Disruptive online communication: How asymmetric trolling-like response strategies steer conversation off the track
Authors: Paakki Henna , Vepsäläinen Heidi , Salovaara Antti
Published: June 2021

Internet trolling, a form of antisocial online behavior, is a serious problem plaguing social media. Skillful trolls can lure entire communities into degenerative and polarized discussions that continue endlessly. From analysis of data gathered in accordance with established classifications of trolling-like behavior, the paper presents a conversation analysis of trolling-like interaction strategies that disrupt online discussions. The authors argue that troll-like users exploit other users’ desire for common grounding – i.e., joint maintenance of mutual understanding and seeking of conversational closure – by responding asymmetrically. Their responses to others deviate from expectations for typical paired actions in turn-taking. These asymmetries, described through examples of three such behaviors – ignoring, mismatching, and challenging – lead to dissatisfactory interactions, in that they subvert other users’ desire for clarification and explanation of contra-normative social behavior. By avoiding clarifications, troll-like users easily capture unsuspecting users’ attention and manage to prolong futile conversations interminably. Through the analysis, the paper connects trolling-like asymmetric response strategies with concrete data and addresses the implications of this nonconformist behavior for common grounding in social-media venues.
In Search of the Trinity: A Dilemma for Parfit’s Conciliatory Project
Authors: Baumann Marius
Published: June 2021

I outline a dilemma for Derek Parfit’s project to vindicate moral realism. InOn What Matters, Parfit argues that the best versions of three of the main moral traditions agree on a set of moral principles, which should make us more confident about the prospects of truth in ethics. I show that the result of this Convergence Argument can be interpreted in two ways. Either there remain three separate and deontically equivalent theories or there remains just one theory, the Triple Theory. Both interpretations fail to deliver what Parfit is looking for. The first interpretation leads to a situation of underdetermination of theory choice that gives rise to a skeptical challenge. The second interpretation jettisons Parfit’s Conciliatory Project, that is, the reconciliation of the three moral traditions. The dilemma, I contend, is the result of Parfit failing to resolve two antithetical lines of thought. His search for the Trinity of moral theorizing must thus fail.
Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of a Dutch Version of the Actions and Feelings Questionnaire in Autistic and Neurotypical Adults
Authors: van der Meer Hedwig A. , Sheftel-Simanova Irina , Kan Cornelis C. , Trujillo James P.
Published: June 2021

The actions and feelings questionnaire (AFQ) provides a short, self-report measure of how well someone uses and understands visual communicative signals such as gestures. The objective of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the AFQ into Dutch (AFQ-NL) and validate this new version in neurotypical and autistic populations. Translation and adaptation of the AFQ consisted of forward translation, synthesis, back translation, and expert review. In order to validate the AFQ-NL, we assessed convergent and divergent validity. We additionally assessed internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha. Validation and reliability outcomes were all satisfactory. The AFQ-NL is a valid adaptation that can be used for both autistic and neurotypical populations in the Netherlands.
Application of Pulsed Thermography and Post-processing Techniques for CFRP Industrial Components
Authors: Panella F. W. , Pirinu A.
Published: June 2021

Several studies demonstrate the effectiveness of pulsed thermography for detection and visualization of sub-superficial flaws in composites. Continuous improvement of thermal data manipulation makes active thermography an attractive and powerful inspection method for industrial process control and maintenance aims. Therefore, temperature image-processing is the major ongoing challenge in the thermographic research field. However, the particular interest for thermographic inspections is to be more addressed to its simple and relatively fast industrial application; an appropriate image processing tool should be implemented and verified on industrial components, containing manufacturing and in-service defects. In the proposed research, well-established and previously proposed methods were analysed and compared for different defect typology inside three CFRP components. The main goal is not solely focused on establishing the suitable data processing approach, providing detection limits of processed data in terms of damage type, size and distribution. The aim of proposed work is to present detailed examples of thermal imaging methods applied on similar critical defects, evaluating different results among methods in terms of defects mapping capabilities and Tanimoto evaluation criterion, coupled also with the signal-to-noise ratio as assessment of defect detectability.
Proton Therapy for HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancers of the Head and Neck: a De-Intensification Strategy
Authors: Taku Nicolette , Wang Li , Garden Adam S. , Rosenthal David I. , Gunn G. Brandon , Morrison William H. , Fuller C. David , Phan Jack , Reddy Jay P. , Moreno Amy C. , Spiotto Michael T. , Chronowski Gregory , Shah Shalin J. , Mayo Lauren L. , Gross Neil D. , Ferrarotto Renata , Zhu X. Ronald , Zhang Xiaodong , Frank Steven J.
Published: June 2021

Opinion statement

The rise in the incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPC), the relatively young age at which it is diagnosed, and its favorable prognosis necessitate the use of treatment techniques that reduce the likelihood of side effects during and after curative treatment. Intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) is a form of radiotherapy that de-intensifies treatment through dose de-escalation to normal tissues without compromising dose to the primary tumor and involved, regional lymph nodes. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that HPV-positive squamous cell carcinoma is more sensitive to proton radiation than is HPV-negative squamous cell carcinoma. Retrospective studies comparing intensity-modulated photon (X-ray) radiotherapy to IMPT for OPC suggest comparable rates of disease control and lower rates of pain, xerostomia, dysphagia, dysgeusia, gastrostomy tube dependence, and osteoradionecrosis with IMPT—all of which meaningfully affect the quality of life of patients treated for HPV-associated OPC. Two phase III trials currently underway—the “Randomized Trial of IMPT versus IMRT for the Treatment of Oropharyngeal Cancer of the Head and Neck” and the “TOxicity Reduction using Proton bEam therapy for Oropharyngeal cancer (TORPEdO)” trial—are expected to provide prospective, level I evidence regarding the effectiveness of IMPT for such patients.
Active source seismic imaging on near-surface granite body: case study of siting a geological disposal repository for high-level radioactive nuclear waste
Authors: Li Wen , Liu Yi-Ke , Chen Yong , Liu Bao-Jin , Feng Shao-Ying
Published: June 2021

In order to research whether it is suitable to set a geological disposal repository for high-level radioactive nuclear waste into one target granite body, two active source seismic profiles were arranged near a small town named Tamusu, Western China. The study area is with complex surface conditions, thus the seismic exploration encountered a variettraveltimey of technical difficulties such as crossing obstacles, de-noising harmful scattered waves, and building complex near-surface velocity models. In order to address those problems, techniques including cross-obstacle seismic geometry design, angle-domain harmful scattered noise removal, and an acoustic wave equation-based inversion method jointly utilizing both the and waveform of first arrival waves were adopted. The final seismic images clearly exhibit the target rock’s unconformable contact boundary and its top interface beneath the sedimentary and weathered layers. On this basis, it could be confirmed that the target rock is not thin or has been transported by geological process from somewhere else, but a native and massive rock. There are a few small size fractures whose space distribution could be revealed by seismic images within the rock. The fractures should be kept away. Based on current research, it could be considered that active source seismic exploration is demanded during the sitting process of the geological disposal repository for nuclear waste. The seismic acquisition and processing techniques proposed in the present paper would offer a good reference value for similar researches in the future.
Survey of Emotions in Human–Robot Interactions: Perspectives from Robotic Psychology on 20 Years of Research
Authors: Stock-Homburg Ruth
Published: June 2021

Knowledge production within the interdisciplinary field of human–robot interaction (HRI) with social robots has accelerated, despite the continued fragmentation of the research domain. Together, these features make it hard to remain at the forefront of research or assess the collective evidence pertaining to specific areas, such as the role of emotions in HRI. This systematic review of state-of-the-art research into humans’ recognition and responses to artificial emotions of social robots during HRI encompasses the years 2000–2020. In accordance with a stimulus–organism–response framework, the review advances robotic psychology by revealing current knowledge about (1) the generation of artificial robotic emotions (stimulus), (2) human recognition of robotic artificial emotions (organism), and (3) human responses to robotic emotions (response), as well as (4) other contingencies that affect emotions as moderators.
Valorisation of Agricultural Digestate for the Ammonium Sulfate Recovery and Soil Improvers Production
Authors: Battista Federico , Masala Chiara , Zamboni Anita , Varanini Zeno , Bolzonella David
Published: June 2021

This work investigates an innovative process to valorise agricultural digestate by the exploitation of solar energy. Digestate has been located in a lab-scale greenhouse to evaporate the liquid phase. Digestate vapours, rich in ammonia, are sent in a Drechsler trap, filled with 38%w/wsulfuric acid solution, through three solar air fans. A concentration of about 2 M of ammonium sulphate solution was recovered. The remaining dried solid phase, rich in phosphorous compounds, was evaluated as alternative to the commercial fertilizers (46% P2O5) in the growth of maize plants. Equal amount of P was applied to each pot (25 mg/kg soil). The plants were evaluated along the 8 weeks in a greenhouse monitoring the growth parameters and leaf SPAD index, micro-, macronutrients and non-essential heavy metals. The results evidenced that the dried solid phase of digestate can be used as an alternative source of P.

Graphic Abstract
Role of 18F-PET-CT to predict pathological response after neoadjuvant treatment of rectal cancer
Authors: Caruso Riccardo , Vicente Emilio , Quijano Yolanda , Duran Hipolito , Fabra Isabel , Diaz Eduardo , Malave Luis , Agresott Ruben , Cañamaque Lina García , Ielpo Benedetto , Ferri Valentina
Published: June 2021

Objectives

Neoadjuvant chemoradiation (nCRT) is universally considered to be a valid treatment to achieve downstaging, to improve local disease control and to obtain better resectability in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). The aim of this study is to correlate the change in the tumour 18F-FDG PET-CT standardized uptake value (SUV) before and after nCRT, in order to obtain an early prediction of the pathologic response (pR) achieved in patients with LARC.

Data description

We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with LARC diagnosis who underwent curative resection. All patients underwent a baseline 18F-FDG PET-CT scan within the week prior to the initiation of the treatment (PET-CT SUV1) and a second scan (PET-CT SUV2) within 6 weeks of the completion of nCRT. We evaluated the prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET-CT in terms of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with LARC.A total of 133 patients with LARC were included in the study. Patients were divided in two groups according to the TRG (tumour regression grade): 107 (80%) as the responders group (TRG0-TRG1) and 26 (25%) as the no-responders group (TRG2-TRG3). We obtained a significant difference in Δ%SUV between the two different groups; responders versus no-responders (p < 0.012). The results of this analysis show that 18F-FDG PET-CT may be an indicator to evaluate the pR to nCRT in patients with LARC. The decrease in 18F-FDG PET-CT uptake in the primary tumour may offer important information in order for an early identification of those patients more likely to obtain a pCR to nCRT and to predict those who are unlikely to significantly regress.
A robust discontinuous Galerkin scheme on anisotropic meshes
Authors: Kashiwabara Takahito , Tsuchiya Takuya
Published: June 2021

Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods are extensions of the usual Galerkin finite element methods. Although there are vast amount of studies on DG methods, most of them have assumed shape-regularity conditions on meshes for both theoretical error analysis and practical computations. In this paper, we present a new symmetric interior penalty DG scheme with a modified penalty term. We show that, without imposing the shape-regularity condition on the meshes, the new DG scheme inherits all of the good properties of standard DG methods, and is thus robust on anisotropic meshes. Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical error estimates obtained.