bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Monte Carlo estimation of the probability of causal contacts between communicating civilizations
Authors: Lares M. , Funes J. G. , Gramajo L. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn this work we address the problem of estimating the probabilities of causal contacts between civilizations in the Galaxy. We make no assumptions regarding the origin and evolution of intelligent life. We simply assume a network of causally connected nodes. These nodes refer somehow to intelligent agents with the capacity of receiving and emitting electromagnetic signals. Here we present a three-parametric statistical Monte Carlo model of the network in a simplified sketch of the Galaxy. Our goal, using Monte Carlo simulations, is to explore the parameter space and analyse the probabilities of causal contacts. We find that the odds to make a contact over decades of monitoring are low for most models, except for those of a galaxy densely populated with long-standing civilizations. We also find that the probability of causal contacts increases with the lifetime of civilizations more significantly than with the number of active civilizations. We show that the maximum probability of making a contact occurs when a civilization discovers the required communication technology.
Analyzing Internal Variability and Forced Response of Subdaily and Daily Extreme Precipitation Over Europe
Authors: Wood R. R. , Ludwig R. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractAt regional to local scales internal variability is expected to be a dominant source of uncertainty in analyzing precipitation extremes and mean precipitation even far into the 21st century. A debated topic is whether a faster increase in subdaily precipitation extremes can be expected. Here we analyzed seasonal maximum precipitation in various time steps (3 hr, days, and 5 days) from a high‐resolution 50‐member large‐ensemble (CRCM5‐LE) and compared them to changes in mean precipitation over Europe. Our results show that the magnitude of change in extreme precipitation varies for season and duration. Subdaily extremes increase at higher rates than daily extremes and show higher scaling with temperature. Northern Europe shows widespread scaling above Clausius‐Clapeyron of subdaily extremes in all seasons and for daily extremes in winter/spring. Scaling above Clausius‐Clapeyron is also visible over Eastern Europe in winter/spring. For most regions and seasons the forced response emerges from the internal variability by midcentury.
Deriving the Magnetopause Position from the Soft X‐Ray Image by Using the Tangent Fitting Approach
Authors: Sun Tianran , Wang Chi , Connor Hyunju K. , Jorgensen Anders M. , Sembay Steven 
Published: August 2020

AbstractImaging is one of the essential techniques to observe astronomical structures. While analyzing the observed images, it is a challenge in many scientific fields to reconstruct the 3‐D structures from 2‐D image(s). This report discusses this challenge in the context of reconstructing the structure of the Earth's magnetosphere from the X‐ray image and presents a new technique. Specifically, it finds the optimum match of tangent directions derived from the X‐ray image and the parameterized magnetopause function. We name this approach as the tangent fitting approach (TFA). TFA is further validated based on the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the X‐ray images with different viewing geometries. TFA enables the reconstruction of the large‐scale magnetopause from a single X‐ray image, applicable to time‐dependent situations such as cases during magnetic storms. It is also noted that TFA has a potential broader application to remote sensing data, for instance, energetic neutral atom (ENA) observations. Lastly, this new approach is compared with other magnetopause reconstruction approaches.
Targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Huang Ao , Yang Xin-Rong , Chung Wen-Yuan , Dennison Ashley R. , Zhou Jian 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe last 3 years have seen the emergence of promising targeted therapies for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Sorafenib has been the mainstay of treatment for a decade and newer modalities were ineffective and did not confer any increased therapeutic benefit until the introduction of lenvatinib which was approved based on its non-inferiority to sorafenib. The subsequent success of regorafenib in HCC patients who progress on sorafenib treatment heralded a new era of second-line treatment and was quickly followed by ramucirumab, cabozantinib, and the most influential, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Over the same period combination therapies, including anti-angiogenesis agents with ICIs, dual ICIs and targeted agents in conjunction with surgery or other loco-regional therapies, have been extensively investigated and have shown promise and provided the basis for exciting clinical trials. Work continues to develop additional novel therapeutic agents which could potentially augment the presently available options and understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for drug resistance, with the goal of improving the survival of patients with HCC.
A critical synthesis of the role of the pharmacist in oral healthcare and management of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw
Authors: Sturrock A. , Preshaw P. M. , Hayes C. , Wilkes S. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractObjectiveTo consolidate extant published evidence in relation to the potential of integrating oral healthcare for patients at risk of developing medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ).MethodsA critical synthesis and consolidation of five publications was undertaken. As a mechanism of situating the extant work within the context of primary healthcare provision, the Rainbow Model of Integrated Care was applied as a theoretical lens through which the conceptual findings could be collectively applied to practice.ResultsThe critical synthesis revealed a thematic emergence relating to both formative and normative integration. The most salient of these were the identification of limited shared clinical records, and disconnection of oral healthcare provision from patients’ general medical care. The three levels of the Rainbow Model of Integrated Care reflected a series of issues for address.ConclusionIn the context of collaborative, multi-disciplinary working for patients at risk of development of MRONJ, pharmacists are a professional group which this research reveals to be an underutilised resource. Reduction of oral health inequality at all levels of patient care is a key priority and this research highlights areas for address in relation to requirements for interprofessional education, optimal communication and policies reflective and facilitative of these.
Digestive symptoms of COVID-19 and expression of ACE2 in digestive tract organs
Authors: Xu Jiabin , Chu Mei , Zhong Fan , Tan Xinghua , Tang Guofang , Mai Jianbo , Lai Niangmei , Guan Chenyu , Liang Yujie , Liao Guiqing 
Published: August 2020

AbstractSARS-CoV-2 has resulted in numerous cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide. In addition to fever and respiratory symptoms, digestive symptoms also are observed in some patients with COVID-19. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) was reported to be the receptor for SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this study was to comprehensively investigate the digestive symptoms that occur in COVID-19 patients, and the potential pathogenic route of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in digestive tract organs (from the oral cavity to the gastrointestinal tract). We investigated the digestive symptoms of 48 patients with COVID-19 and explored ACE2 expression in digestive tract and lung cancers, based on a series of bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data obtained from public databases. We found that 25% (12/48) of the patients with COVID-19 suffered from digestive symptoms, among which pharyngalgia (7/48) was the most common manifestation, followed by diarrhea (3/48), anorexia (3/48), and nausea (1/48). The bulk tissue RNA sequencing analysis indicated that digestive tract organs had higher ACE2 expression levels compared to the lung, and the expression of ACE2 in the lung increased with age. Single-cell RNA-Seq results showed that the ACE2-positive-cell ratio in digestive tract organs was significantly higher compared to the lung. ACE2 expression was higher in tumor cells compared to normal control (NC) tissues. While in gastric tissues, ACE2 expression gradually increased from chronic gastritis to metaplasia, to early cancer. Our data might provide a theoretical basis for screening the SARS-CoV-2 susceptible population and for the clinical classification of treatment of patients with COVID-19.
Improving the accuracy of medical diagnosis with causal machine learning
Authors: Richens Jonathan G. , Lee Ciarán M. , Johri Saurabh 
Published: August 2020

AbstractMachine learning promises to revolutionize clinical decision making and diagnosis. In medical diagnosis a doctor aims to explain a patient’s symptoms by determining the diseases causing them. However, existing machine learning approaches to diagnosis are purely associative, identifying diseases that are strongly correlated with a patients symptoms. We show that this inability to disentangle correlation from causation can result in sub-optimal or dangerous diagnoses. To overcome this, we reformulate diagnosis as a counterfactual inference task and derive counterfactual diagnostic algorithms. We compare our counterfactual algorithms to the standard associative algorithm and 44 doctors using a test set of clinical vignettes. While the associative algorithm achieves an accuracy placing in the top 48% of doctors in our cohort, our counterfactual algorithm places in the top 25% of doctors, achieving expert clinical accuracy. Our results show that causal reasoning is a vital missing ingredient for applying machine learning to medical diagnosis.
Energy storing bricks for stationary PEDOT supercapacitors
Authors: Wang Hongmin , Diao Yifan , Lu Yang , Yang Haoru , Zhou Qingjun , Chrulski Kenneth , D’Arcy Julio M. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractFired brick is a universal building material, produced by thousand-year-old technology, that throughout history has seldom served any other purpose. Here, we develop a scalable, cost-effective and versatile chemical synthesis using a fired brick to control oxidative radical polymerization and deposition of a nanofibrillar coating of the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). A fired brick’s open microstructure, mechanical robustness and ~8 wt% α-Fe2O3 content afford an ideal substrate for developing electrochemical PEDOT electrodes and stationary supercapacitors that readily stack into modules. Five-minute epoxy serves as a waterproof case enabling the operation of our supercapacitors while submerged underwater and a gel electrolyte extends cycling stability to 10,000 cycles with ~90% capacitance retention.
Giant voltage-controlled modulation of spin Hall nano-oscillator damping
Authors: Fulara Himanshu , Zahedinejad Mohammad , Khymyn Roman , Dvornik Mykola , Fukami Shunsuke , Kanai Shun , Ohno Hideo , Åkerman Johan 
Published: August 2020

AbstractSpin Hall nano-oscillators (SHNOs) are emerging spintronic devices for microwave signal generation and oscillator-based neuromorphic computing combining nano-scale footprint, fast and ultra-wide microwave frequency tunability, CMOS compatibility, and strong non-linear properties providing robust large-scale mutual synchronization in chains and two-dimensional arrays. While SHNOs can be tuned via magnetic fields and the drive current, neither approach is conducive to individual SHNO control in large arrays. Here, we demonstrate electrically gated W/CoFeB/MgO nano-constrictions in which the voltage-dependent perpendicular magnetic anisotropy tunes the frequency and, thanks to nano-constriction geometry, drastically modifies the spin-wave localization in the constriction region resulting in a giant 42% variation of the effective damping over four volts. As a consequence, the SHNO threshold current can be strongly tuned. Our demonstration adds key functionality to nano-constriction SHNOs and paves the way for energy-efficient control of individual oscillators in SHNO chains and arrays for neuromorphic computing.
A high-contiguity Brassica nigra genome localizes active centromeres and defines the ancestral Brassica genome
Authors: Perumal Sampath , Koh Chu Shin , Jin Lingling , Buchwaldt Miles , Higgins Erin E. , Zheng Chunfang , Sankoff David , Robinson Stephen J. , Kagale Sateesh , Navabi Zahra-Katy , Tang Lily , Horner Kyla N. , He Zhesi , Bancroft Ian , Chalhoub Boulos , Sharpe Andrew G. , Parkin Isobel A. P. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIt is only recently, with the advent of long-read sequencing technologies, that we are beginning to uncover previously uncharted regions of complex and inherently recursive plant genomes. To comprehensively study and exploit the genome of the neglected oilseedBrassica nigra, we generated two high-quality nanopore de novo genome assemblies. The N50 contig lengths for the two assemblies were 17.1 Mb (12 contigs), one of the best among 324 sequenced plant genomes, and 0.29 Mb (424 contigs), respectively, reflecting recent improvements in the technology. Comparison with a de novo short-read assembly corroborated genome integrity and quantified sequence-related error rates (0.2%). The contiguity and coverage allowed unprecedented access to low-complexity regions of the genome. Pericentromeric regions and coincidence of hypomethylation enabled localization of active centromeres and identified centromere-associated ALE family retro-elements that appear to have proliferated through relatively recent nested transposition events (<1 Ma). Genomic distances calculated based on synteny relationships were used to define a post-triplicationBrassica-specific ancestral genome, and to calculate the extensive rearrangements that define the evolutionary distance separatingB. nigrafrom its diploid relatives.
Schooling and Covid-19: lessons from recent research on EdTech
Authors: Fairlie Robert , Loyalka Prashant 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe wide-scale global movement of school education to remote instruction due to Covid-19 is unprecedented. The use of educational technology (EdTech) offers an alternative to in-person learning and reinforces social distancing, but there is limited evidence on whether and how EdTech affects academic outcomes. Recently, we conducted two large-scale randomized experiments, involving ~10,000 primary school students in China and Russia, to evaluate the effectiveness of EdTech as a substitute for traditional schooling. In China, we examined whether EdTech improves academic outcomes relative to paper-and-pencil workbook exercises of identical content. We found that EdTech was a perfect substitute for traditional learning. In Russia, we further explored how much EdTech can substitute for traditional learning. We found that EdTech substitutes only to a limited extent. The findings from these large-scale trials indicate that we need to be careful about using EdTech as a full-scale substitute for the traditional instruction received by schoolchildren.
Combining expert and crowd-sourced training data to map urban form and functions for the continental US
Authors: Demuzere Matthias , Hankey Steve , Mills Gerald , Zhang Wenwen , Lu Tianjun , Bechtel Benjamin 
Published: August 2020

AbstractAlthough continental urban areas are relatively small, they are major drivers of environmental change at local, regional and global scales. Moreover, they are especially vulnerable to these changes owing to the concentration of population and their exposure to a range of hydro-meteorological hazards, emphasizing the need for spatially detailed information on urbanized landscapes. These data need to be consistent in content and scale and provide a holistic description of urban layouts to address different user needs. Here, we map the continental United States into Local Climate Zone (LCZ) types at a 100 m spatial resolution using expert and crowd-sourced information. There are 10 urban LCZ types, each associated with a set of relevant variables such that the map represents a valuable database of urban properties. These data are benchmarked against continental-wide existing and novel geographic databases on urban form. We anticipate the dataset provided here will be useful for researchers and practitioners to assess how the configuration, size, and shape of cities impact the important human and environmental outcomes.
An annotated fluorescence image dataset for training nuclear segmentation methods
Authors: Kromp Florian , Bozsaky Eva , Rifatbegovic Fikret , Fischer Lukas , Ambros Magdalena , Berneder Maria , Weiss Tamara , Lazic Daria , Dörr Wolfgang , Hanbury Allan , Beiske Klaus , Ambros Peter F. , Ambros Inge M. , Taschner-Mandl Sabine 
Published: August 2020

AbstractFully-automated nuclear image segmentation is the prerequisite to ensure statistically significant, quantitative analyses of tissue preparations,applied in digital pathology or quantitative microscopy. The design of segmentation methods that work independently of the tissue type or preparation is complex, due to variations in nuclear morphology, staining intensity, cell density and nuclei aggregations. Machine learning-based segmentation methods can overcome these challenges, however high quality expert-annotated images are required for training. Currently, the limited number of annotated fluorescence image datasets publicly available do not cover a broad range of tissues and preparations. We present a comprehensive, annotated dataset including tightly aggregated nuclei of multiple tissues for the training of machine learning-based nuclear segmentation algorithms. The proposed dataset covers sample preparation methods frequently used in quantitative immunofluorescence microscopy. We demonstrate the heterogeneity of the dataset with respect to multiple parameters such as magnification, modality, signal-to-noise ratio and diagnosis. Based on a suggested split into training and test sets and additional single-nuclei expert annotations, machine learning-based image segmentation methods can be trained and evaluated.
Electronic and optical competence of TiO2/BiVO4 nanocomposites in the photocatalytic processes
Authors: Drisya K. T. , Solís-López M. , Ríos-Ramírez J. J. , Durán-Álvarez J. C. , Rousseau A. , Velumani S. , Asomoza R. , Kassiba A. , Jantrania A. , Castaneda H. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractNanocomposites with different ratios of titanium dioxide and bismuth vanadate [TiO2]/[BiVO4] give rise to compatible electronic band structure alignment at their interfaces to ensure enhanced photoactivated charge transfer under visible light. The sol–gel method and suitable post-synthesis thermal treatments were used to synthesize different compositions with stabilized anatase phase of TiO2 and monoclinic scheelite polymorph BiVO4. Structural, electronic and optical characterizations were performed and the results were analysed as a function of the stoichiometry, in which both crystalline structures show a clear junction formation among their characteristic stacking planes. Photocatalytic and (photo) electrochemical responses of the nanocomposites were investigated and tested for the degradation of azo dyes (Acid Blue-113, AB-113) (~ 99%) under visible light radiation. The nanocomposite with a mass ratio of (1:10) shows the highest photocatalytic efficiency compared to the other compositions. HRTEM images showed marked regions in which both crystalline structures form a clear junction and their characteristic planes. However, the increase of BiVO4 content in the network overcomes the photocatalytic activity due to the decrease in the reduction potential of the photo-generated electrons with high recombination rates.
Sedimentary and geochemical characteristics of Triassic new type of polyhalite potassium resources in Northeast Sichuan and its genetic study
Authors: Zhong Jiaai , Zheng Mianping , Zhang Yongsheng , Tang Xueyuan , Zhang XueFei 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPolyhalite has been discovered for years in the Triassic of the Sichuan Basin. However, it is difficult to exploit and utilize such polyhalite because of its deep burial depth and its coexistence with anhydrite or dolomite. Therefore, it has always been regarded as “dead ore”. Based on slice identification, X-powder diffraction, chemical analysis, REEs analysis and strontium isotope test on halite samples from the fourth and fifth member of Jialingjiang Formation to Leikoupo Formation of Wells ZK601 and ZK001 in Xuanhan area, Northeast Sichuan Basin, this paper discovers thick layers of granular polyhalite associated with halite and the polyhalite content accounts for 10–30%. These deep polyhalites can be obtained by water-soluble mining and utilized, so they are called “new type polyhalite potash deposits”. The deposit is deep buried at 3,000 m underground, and the thickness of a single layer can be more than 30 m. It is stable in regional distribution. The discovery of the “new type polyhalite potash deposits” has “activated” polyhalite, which has been considered as deep “dead ore” and has great significance for potash prospecting in China.
Establishment of an experimental model for MHC homo-to-hetero transplantation
Authors: Murata Tomoki , Wada Haruka , Otsuka Ryo , Sasaki Airi , Tsuji Hyuma , Itoh Mizuho , Eguchi Nanami , Kawai Tatsuo , Seino Ken-ichiro 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPreventing rejection is a major challenge in transplantation medicine, even when using pluripotent stem cell-derived grafts. In iPS cell (iPSC)-based transplantation, to reduce the risk of rejection, it is thought to be optimal that preparing the cells from donors whose human leukocyte antigen-haplotype are homozygous. Generally, this approach is referred to as major histocompatibility complex (MHC) homo-to-hetero transplantation, which is MHC-matched but minor antigen-mismatched. To investigate the immune response in the MHC homo-to-hetero transplantation, we established a murine experimental system in which MHC-matched but minor antigen-mismatched tissue (skin) grafts were transplanted into MHC-heterozygous recipients. Unexpectedly, only minor antigen-mismatched grafts were rejected at the same time points as rejection of fully allogeneic grafts. A vigorous anti-donor type T cell response was detected in vitro and conventional immunosuppressants targeting T cell activation had limited effects on controlling rejection. However, anti-donor antibodies were not detected only in the minor antigen-mismatched transplantation. This murine transplantation model can be used to further analyze immunological subjects for MHC homo-to-hetero iPSC-based transplantation.