bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of sacrospinous ligament fixation on pre-existing nocturia and co-existing pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms
Authors: Himmler Maren , Rakhimbayeva Aidana , Sutherland Suzette E. , Roovers Jan-Paul , Yassouridis Alexander , Liedl Bernhard 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Introduction and hypothesis
To evaluate whether nocturia and coexisting pelvic floor symptoms in women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) can be improved by ligamentous fixation of apical vaginal prolapse to the sacrospinous ligament.

Methods
We evaluated the PROPEL study data from 281 women with pelvic organ prolapse stage > 2. Bothersome nocturia and coexisting pelvic floor symptoms were assessed with the Pelvic Floor Disorder Inventory (PFDI) questionnaire preoperatively and at 6, 12 and 24 months after successful vaginal prolapse repair. Women with successful reconstruction (POP-Q stage < 1 at all compartments throughout the 2-year follow-up), defined as anatomical “responders,” were compared to the anatomical “non-responders.”

Results
Among the patients completing all PFDI questions (N = 277), anatomical responders and non-responders were the groups of interest for our analysis. We found the occurrence rates of “moderate” or “quite a bit” of nocturia was significantly reduced after surgery in all subgroups (48.7% at baseline vs. 19.5% after 24 months). The occurrence of nocturia was halved for responders compared to non-responders (45.4% and 48.3% at baseline vs. 14% and 29.5% after 24 months). Anatomical non-responders still had a relevant improvement of POP-Q stages, especially in the apical compartment. Prevalence rates of co-existing over- and underactive bladder, fecal incontinence, defecation disorders and pain symptoms were also significantly reduced postoperatively.

Conclusion
Nocturia can be associated with symptomatic POP, with improvements seen following vaginal ligamentous prolapse repair. We caution providers, however, when advising patients of the possible resolution of nocturia following POP reconstruction, that all other traditional etiologies of nocturia must first be ruled out.
Biodiversity of yeasts isolated during spontaneous fermentation of cool climate grape musts
Authors: Cioch-Skoneczny Monika , Satora Paweł , Skoneczny Szymon , Skotniczny Magdalena 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBiodiversity of native yeasts, especially in winemaking, has hidden potential. In order to use the value of non-Saccharomycesstrains in wine production and to minimise the possibility of its deterioration, it is necessary to thoroughly study the yeast cultures present on grape fruits and in grape must, as well as their metabolic properties. The aim of the study was to characterise the yeast microbiota found during spontaneous fermentation of grape musts obtained from grape varieties ‘Rondo’, ‘Regent’ and ‘Johanniter’. Grapes from two vineyards (Srebrna Góra and Zadora) located in southern Poland were used for the research. Succession of subsequent groups of yeasts was observed during the process.Metschnikowia pulcherrimayeasts were identified both at the beginning and the end of the process.Hanseniaspora uvarum, Wickerhamomyces onychisandTorulaspora delbrueckiistrains were also identified during the fermentation.Torulaspora delbrueckiiandWickerhamomyces onychisstrains were identified only in grape musts obtained from grapes of the Zadora vineyard. These strains may be characteristic of this vineyard and shape the identity of wines formed in it. Our research has provided specific knowledge on the biodiversity of yeast cultures on grapes and during their spontaneous fermentation. The research results presented indicate the possibility of using native strains for fermentation of grape musts, allowing to obtain a product with favourable chemical composition and sensory profile.
Meta-analysis of cognitive functioning in patients with psychotic disorders and obsessive–compulsive symptoms
Authors: Dijkstra Lotte , Vermeulen Jentien , de Haan Lieuwe , Schirmbeck Frederike 
Published: August 2020

AbstractObsessive–compulsive symptoms (OCS) in psychotic disorders are associated with unfavorable outcomes, whether this extends to cognitive function remains unclear. We conducted meta-analyses on several cognitive domains to investigate overall group differences between patients with a psychotic disorder and co-occurring OCS (OCS +) and those without OCS (OCS−). We used meta-regression to assess possible confounding effects. No overall associations between OCS + and OCS− in any of the 17 investigated cognitive domains were found. We predominantly found large heterogeneity in effect size and direction among studies. Post-hoc analyses of processing speed tasks not purely based on reaction-time showed worse performance in the OCS + group with a small effect size (SMD = − 0.190; p = 0.029). Meta-regression revealed advanced age was significantly correlated with worse performance of the OCS + group in processing speed (R2 = 0.7), working memory (R2 = 0.11), cognitive inhibition (R2 = 0.59), and cognitive flexibility (R2 = 0.34). Patients fulfilling the criteria for an obsessive–compulsive disorder showed less impairment in cognitive inhibition compared to the OCS + group (R2 = 0.63). Overall, comorbid OCS were not associated with cognitive impairment. However, large heterogeneity between studies highlights the complex nature of factors influencing cognition in people with psychotic disorder and comorbid OCS and warrants further research into possible moderating factors.
Who killed my dog? Use of forensic genetics to investigate an enigmatic case
Authors: Roccaro Mariana , Bini Carla , Fais Paolo , Merialdi Giuseppe , Pelotti Susi , Peli Angelo 
Published: August 2020

AbstractGenetic testing of animal biological material has become a valuable tool in forensic investigations, and it is successfully used to identify unknown crime perpetrators, to unmask food frauds, or to clarify cases of animal attacks on humans or other animals. When DNA profiling is not possible due to inadequate amounts of nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing is the only viable alternative, as in the case of shed hair samples. In this case, a dog was allegedly killed by wild animals while being hosted in a boarding house. Extraneous hair fragments recovered from the dog’s mouth and paws were subjected to genetic analysis: the cytochrome b gene located on mtDNA was amplified and sequenced in order to determine the species responsible for the killing. The mtDNA analysis provided evidence that the dog was killed by other dogs, thus unmasking a false wild animal attack and putting the case in an entirely different perspective.
Computation and efficiency of potential function minimizers of combinatorial congestion games
Authors: Kleer Pieter , Schäfer Guido 
Published: August 2020

AbstractWe study the computation and efficiency of pure Nash equilibria in combinatorial congestion games, where the strategies of each player i are given by the binary vectors of a polytope $$P_i$$

P
i

. Our main goal is to understand which structural properties of such polytopal congestion games enable us to derive an efficient equilibrium selection procedure to compute pure Nash equilibria with attractive social cost approximation guarantees. To this aim, we identify two general properties of the underlying aggregation polytope$$P_N = \sum _i P_i$$

P
N

=

∑
i

P
i

which are sufficient for our results to go through, namely the integer decomposition property (IDP) and the box-totally dual integrality property (box-TDI). Our main results for polytopal congestion games satisfying IDP and box-TDI are as follows: (i) we show that pure Nash equilibria can be computed in polynomial time. In fact, we obtain this result through a general framework for separable convex function minimization, which might be of independent interest. (ii) We bound the inefficiency of these equilibria and show that this provides a tight bound on the price of stability. (iii) We also prove that these results extend to strong equilibria for the “bottleneck variant” of polytopal congestion games. Examples of polytopal congestion games satisfying IDP and box-TDI include common source network congestion games, symmetric totally unimodular congestion games, non-symmetric matroid congestion games and symmetric matroid intersection congestion games (in particular, r-arborescences and strongly base-orderable matroids).
Engineering the cellulolytic extreme thermophile Caldicellulosiruptor bescii to reduce carboxylic acids to alcohols using plant biomass as the energy source
Authors: Rubinstein Gabriel M , Lipscomb Gina L , Williams-Rhaesa Amanda M , Schut Gerrit J , Kelly Robert M , Adams Michael W W 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Caldicellulosiruptor bescii is the most thermophilic cellulolytic organism yet identified (Topt 78 °C). It grows on untreated plant biomass and has an established genetic system thereby making it a promising microbial platform for lignocellulose conversion to bio-products. Here, we investigated the ability of engineered C. bescii to generate alcohols from carboxylic acids. Expression of aldehyde ferredoxin oxidoreductase (aor from Pyrococcus furiosus) and alcohol dehydrogenase (adhA from Thermoanaerobacter sp. X514) enabled C. bescii to generate ethanol from crystalline cellulose and from biomass by reducing the acetate produced by fermentation. Deletion of lactate dehydrogenase in a strain expressing the AOR–Adh pathway increased ethanol production. Engineered strains also converted exogenously supplied organic acids (isobutyrate and n-caproate) to the corresponding alcohol (isobutanol and hexanol) using both crystalline cellulose and switchgrass as sources of reductant for alcohol production. This is the first instance of an acid to alcohol conversion pathway in a cellulolytic microbe.
Molecular mediators of peritoneal metastasis in pancreatic cancer
Authors: Avula Leela Rani , Hagerty Brendan , Alewine Christine 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the USA, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) constitutes 85% of pancreatic cancer diagnoses. PDA frequently metastasizes to the peritoneum, but effective treatment of peritoneal metastasis remains a clinical challenge. Despite this unmet need, understanding of the biological mechanisms that contribute to development and progression of PDA peritoneal metastasis is sparse. By contrast, a vast number of studies have investigated mechanisms of peritoneal metastasis in ovarian and gastric cancers. Here, we contrast similarities and differences between peritoneal metastasis in PDA as compared with those in gastric and ovarian cancer by outlining molecular mediators involved in each step of the peritoneal metastasis cascade. This review aims to provide mechanistic insights that could be translated into effective targeted therapies for patients with peritoneal metastasis from PDA.
Drug efficacy and toxicity prediction: an innovative application of transcriptomic data
Authors: Xia Xuhua 
Published: August 2020

AbstractDrug toxicity and efficacy are difficult to predict partly because they are both poorly defined, which I aim to remedy here from a transcriptomic perspective. There are two major categories of drugs: (1) restorative drugs aiming to restore an abnormal cell, tissue, or organ to normal function (e.g., restoring normal membrane function of epithelial cells in cystic fibrosis), and (2) disruptive drugs aiming to kill pathogens or malignant cells. These two types of drugs require different definition of efficacy and toxicity. I outlined rationales for defining transcriptomic efficacy and toxicity and illustrated numerically their application with two sets of transcriptomic data, one for restorative drugs (treating cystic fibrosis with lumacaftor/ivacaftor aiming to restore the cellular function of epithelial cells) and the other for disruptive drugs (treating acute myeloid leukemia with prexasertib). The conceptual framework presented will help and sensitize researchers to collect data required for determining drug toxicity.
Interaction-based creation and maintenance of continuously usable trace links between requirements and source code
Authors: Hübner Paul , Paech Barbara 
Published: August 2020

AbstractTrace links between requirements and code are beneficial for many software engineering tasks such as maintenance, program comprehension, and re-engineering. If trace links are created and used continuously during a project, they need to have high precision and recall to be useful. However, manual trace link creation is cumbersome and existing automatic trace link creation methods are typically only applied retrospectively and to structured requirements. Therefore, they focus on recall and accept manual effort to cope with low precision. Such manual effort is not acceptable continuously. Furthermore, the maintenance of existing links along with changing artefacts in a project is neglected in most automatic trace link creation approaches. Therefore, we developed and evaluated an interaction log-based trace link creation approachILto continuously provide correct trace links during a project.ILlinks unstructured requirements specified in an issue tracker and source code managed in a version control system. In the latest version,ILCom, our approach uses the interactions of developers with files in an integrated development environment and issue identifiers provided in commit messages to create trace links continuously after each commit. In this paper, we presentILCom, its most recent evaluation study, and a systematic literature review (SLR) about trace link maintenance (TM). We also present a TM process forILCombased on two approaches from our SLR. In the evaluation study, we show that precision ofILComcreated links is above 90% and recall almost at 80%. In the SLR, we discuss 16 approaches. Our approach is the first trace link creation approach with very good precision and recall and integrated trace maintenance.
Grazing resistance in phytoplankton
Authors: Lürling Miquel 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPhytoplankton is confronted with a variable assemblage of zooplankton grazers that create a strong selection pressure for traits that reduce mortality. Phytoplankton is, however, also challenged to remain suspended and to acquire sufficient resources for growth. Consequently, phytoplanktic organisms have evolved a variety of strategies to survive in a variable environment. An overview is presented of the various phytoplankton defense strategies, and costs and benefits of phytoplankton defenses with a zooming in on grazer-induced colony formation. The trade-off between phytoplankton competitive abilities and defenses against grazing favor adaptive trait changes—rapid evolution and phenotypic plasticity—that have the potential to influence population and community dynamics, as exemplified by controlled chemostat experiments. An interspecific defense–growth trade-off could explain seasonal shifts in the species composition of an in situ phytoplankton community yielding defense and growth rate as key traits of the phytoplankton. The importance of grazing and protection against grazing in shaping the phytoplankton community structure should not be underestimated. The trade-offs between nutrient acquisition, remaining suspended, and grazing resistance generate the dynamic phytoplankton community composition.
The ability to get everywhere: dispersal modes of free-living, aquatic nematodes
Authors: Ptatscheck Christoph , Traunspurger Walter 
Published: August 2020

AbstractNematodes colonize almost all aquatic habitats worldwide. Despite their small size, restricted locomotion and lack of pelagic larvae, they can reach even isolated habitats within a short time. In this review, we examine the underlying dispersal modes, considering their active movement in substrates and water, their drift by water and wind, rafting, zoochory as well as human-mediated vectors. These modes are limited by morphology and habitat structure, ecological factors and especially by hydrodynamics. Active dispersal is effective over short distances, but with increasing water-flow velocity, passive dispersal modes, which enable long-range transfer, become important. In fact, the transport of nematodes over thousands of kilometers via ship water tanks and by hitchhiking on sea turtles has been documented. Overland dispersal vectors include wind and birds whereas rafting enables an aggregated distribution because food is available, and reproduction is possible onboard the rafts. The diversity of possible dispersal modes is high and offers a reasonably chance for gravid females or groups of nematodes to be transferred even to remote environments. Their immigration is continuous, and supported by their rapid, parthenogenetic reproduction, nematodes are effective pioneers with the ability to (re)colonize new or disturbed habitats or rebalance already existing communities.
Expected effects of the US tax reform on other countries: global and local survey evidence
Authors: Boumans Dorine , Fuest Clemens , Krolage Carla , Wohlrabe Klaus 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act constitutes the largest change to the US tax system since the 1980s and thoroughly alters the way in which multinational companies are taxed. Current assessments on the reform’s international impact vary widely. This article sheds light on the tax reform’s expected effects on other countries. We first use representative German business survey data to analyze the impact of the reform on German firms. Many firms with substantial US revenues or capacities in the USA intend to expand US investment in response to the reform, in particular large firms and manufacturing companies. The effects on investment in Germany are ambiguous: While some firms substitute between investment locations, others expand in both countries. We subsequently extend our analysis to a global level using worldwide survey data. The results suggest a negative impact on tax revenues and investment in countries with close economic ties to the USA.
Mechanical properties of all-cellulose composites from end-of-life textiles
Authors: Baghaei Behnaz , Compiet Sam , Skrifvars Mikael 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThis paper reports the recycling of end-of-life cellulose containing textiles by fabrication of all-cellulose composites (ACCs). Discharged denim fabrics were used as the reinforcement while dissolved cellulose from two different cellulose resources was used as the matrix phase. Virgin cotton fibres and recovered cotton from polyester/cotton (polycotton) waste fabrics were used to form the matrix phase. The process comprises preparing a 6 wt% cellulose solution by dissolving cellulose solution in a ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium acetate ([BMIM][Ac]), this solution acted as a precursor for the matrix component. The denim fabrics were first embedded in the cellulose/IL solution followed by removal of the IL by washing to form the composite. The effect of reuse of the recovered IL by distillation was also investigated. The mechanical properties of the obtained ACCs were determined regarding tensile, impact and flexural properties. Fabricated ACC composite laminates were further characterised regarding structure by scanning electron microscopy.
Tropical limit of matrix solitons and entwining Yang–Baxter maps
Authors: Dimakis Aristophanes , Müller-Hoissen Folkert 
Published: August 2020

AbstractWe consider a matrix refactorization problem, i.e., a “Lax representation,” for the Yang–Baxter map that originated as the map of polarizations from the “pure” 2-soliton solution of a matrix KP equation. Using the Lax matrix and its inverse, a related refactorization problem determines another map, which is not a solution of the Yang–Baxter equation, but satisfies a mixed version of the Yang–Baxter equation together with the Yang–Baxter map. Such maps have been called “entwining Yang–Baxter maps” in recent work. In fact, the map of polarizations obtained from a pure 2-soliton solution of a matrix KP equation, and already for the matrix KdV reduction, is not in general a Yang–Baxter map, but it is described by one of the two maps or their inverses. We clarify why the weaker version of the Yang–Baxter equation holds, by exploring the pure 3-soliton solution in the “tropical limit,” where the 3-soliton interaction decomposes into 2-soliton interactions. Here, this is elaborated for pure soliton solutions, generated via a binary Darboux transformation, of matrix generalizations of the two-dimensional Toda lattice equation, where we meet the same entwining Yang–Baxter maps as in the KP case, indicating a kind of universality.
Existence of n-cycles and border-collision bifurcations in piecewise-linear continuous maps with applications to recurrent neural networks
Authors: Monfared Z. , Durstewitz D. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPiecewise linear recurrent neural networks (PLRNNs) form the basis of many successful machine learning applications for time series prediction and dynamical systems identification, but rigorous mathematical analysis of their dynamics and properties is lagging behind. Here, we contribute to this topic by investigating the existence ofn-cycles$$(n\ge 3)$$(n≥3)and border-collision bifurcations in a class ofm-dimensional piecewise linear continuous maps which have the general form of a PLRNN. This is particularly important as for one-dimensional maps the existence of 3-cycles implies chaos. It is shown that thesen-cycles collide with the switching boundary in a border-collision bifurcation, and parametric regions for the existence of both stable and unstablen-cycles and border-collision bifurcations will be derived theoretically. We then discuss how our results can be extended and applied to PLRNNs. Finally, numerical simulations demonstrate the implementation of our results and are found to be in good agreement with the theoretical derivations. Our findings thus provide a basis for understanding periodic behavior in PLRNNs, how it emerges in bifurcations, and how it may lead into chaos.
The Lorenz system: hidden boundary of practical stability and the Lyapunov dimension
Authors: Kuznetsov N. V. , Mokaev T. N. , Kuznetsova O. A. , Kudryashova E. V. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractOn the example of the famous Lorenz system, the difficulties and opportunities of reliable numerical analysis of chaotic dynamical systems are discussed in this article. For the Lorenz system, the boundaries of global stability are estimated and the difficulties of numerically studying the birth of self-excited and hidden attractors, caused by the loss of global stability, are discussed. The problem of reliable numerical computation of the finite-time Lyapunov dimension along the trajectories over large time intervals is discussed. Estimating the Lyapunov dimension of attractors via the Pyragas time-delayed feedback control technique and the Leonov method is demonstrated. Taking into account the problems of reliable numerical experiments in the context of the shadowing and hyperbolicity theories, experiments are carried out on small time intervals and for trajectories on a grid of initial points in the attractor’s basin of attraction.