bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Performance assessment of pulsating floc blanket clarifiers and conventional clariflocculators in pilot‐scale models
Authors: Srivastava Shashank , Brighu Urmila , Gupta Akhilendra Bhushan 
Published: November 2020

AbstractContinuous upflow pilot plants based on conventional clariflocculation (CC) and pulsating floc blanket clarification (PFBC) technologies were designed and fabricated for a capacity to treat about 8,000 L/day, to understand the fundamental differences in their functioning and assess their relative performance, especially under low turbidity conditions. Influent turbidity varying from 2 to 10 NTU was treated using coagulant alum, and efficiency of CC and PFBC in terms of average turbidity removal was found to be 23% and 48%, respectively. On observing this vast difference, it was postulated that total residual aluminum should also be lower in water treated from PFBC. Experiments and MLR analysis confirmed the hypothesis, with residual aluminum ranging from 0.055 to 0.040 mg/L and 0.036 mg/L to below detectable levels for CC and PFBC, respectively. These findings are of high significance, since minimization of residual aluminum in drinking water is a priority of WHO due to its reported neurotoxicity and can be complied with simple replacement of CC with PFBC.Practitioner points

Pulsating floc blanket clarifier (PFBC) performed better than conventional clariflocculator (CC) in terms of turbidity removal.

Pulsating floc blanket allowed more effective utilization of coagulant alum, resulting in significantly lower residual aluminum in clarified water.

Turbidity levels of influent and effluent are related to residual aluminum in treated water.

PFBCs are more compact and modular, and can facilitate a good alternative to CCs.
Treatment of real domestic sewage in a pilot‐scale aerobic granular sludge reactor: Assessing start‐up and operational control
Authors: Campos Fábio , Guimarães Natália Rodrigues , Maia Fernanda Cunha , Sandoval Marcel Zanetti , Bassin João Paulo , Bueno Rodrigo de Freitas , Piveli Roque Passos 
Published: November 2020

AbstractAerobic granular sludge (AGS) has been considered a breakthrough in the wastewater treatment sector given its key characteristics, such as excellent settleability, simultaneous removal of organic and nutrient pollutants, and compactness. However, the formation of granules often delays the start‐up of granular‐based systems, especially in large‐scale settings. This study addressed the start‐up of a pilot‐scale AGS sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treating domestic sewage, monitored for over 280 days. The challenges faced during aerobic granulation using a mixture of activated sludge and anaerobic granular sludge as inoculum and the performance of the reactor on organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus removal were discussed. Results showed that robust and stable granules were formed after an initial period of around six months, with the settling time playing a key role on granules development. At least 80% of granules had a diameter greater than 0.2 mm and 60% >1 mm. In general, the reactor achieved high nitrogen removal efficiency, as well as satisfactory removal of soluble COD. However, total COD abatement was impaired by the various episodes of suspended solids loss with the effluent. Overall, this study demonstrated that the reactor was efficient in the treatment of domestic sewage, but its performance was adversely affected from sudden changes in the influent quality.Practitioner points

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) applied to small‐scale domestic sewage treatment.

The control of sludge age in AGS can be a problem due to short sedimentation times.

High DO to maintain aerobic granulation can economically make the process economically unfeasible in tropical countries.

A sludge with excellent sedimentation properties was obtained. However, maintaining the granule over time is a challenge.
Two-loop mixed QCD-EW corrections to gg → Hg
Authors: Bonetti Marco , Panzer Erik , Smirnov Vladimir A. , Tancredi Lorenzo 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe compute the two-loop mixed QCD-Electroweak (QCD-EW) corrections to the production of a Higgs boson and a gluon in gluon fusion through a loop of light quarks. The relevant four-point functions with internal massive propagators are expressed as multiple polylogarithms with algebraic arguments. We perform the calculation by integration over Feynman parameters and, independently, by the method of differential equations. We compute the two independent helicity amplitudes for the process and we find that they are both finite. Moreover, we observe a weight drop when all gluons have the same helicity. We also provide a simplified expression for the all-plus helicity amplitude, which is optimised for fast and reliable numerical evaluation in the physical region.
Handlungsempfehlung zur Therapieumstellung von Immunsuppressiva auf Dupilumab bei Patienten mit atopischer Dermatitis
Authors: Wohlrab Johannes , Mrowietz Ulrich , Weidinger Stephan , Werfel Thomas , Wollenberg Andreas 
Published: November 2020

ZusammenfassungBasierend auf neuen Erkenntnissen zur molekularen Pathogenese der atopischen Dermatitis, wurde neben Glukokortikoiden und Ciclosporin mit Dupilumab nun auch eine zielgerichtete antientzündliche Systemtherapie zugelassen. Wegen ihrer Pharmakologie sind weder Glukokortikoide und Ciclosporin noch die außerhalb der Zulassung angewendeten Substanzen Methotrexat, Azathioprin und Mycophenolsäurederivate für eine Langzeittherapie geeignet. Bei der Umstellung der Therapie von den genannten niedermolekularen Substanzen auf Dupilumab sollten verschiedene Faktoren berücksichtigt werden. Hierbei sind sowohl der konkrete Anlass der Umstellung (Unwirksamkeit, unerwünschte Wirkungen oder sich einstellende Kontraindikationen) als auch die pharmakologischen Gegebenheiten zu berücksichtigen. Da es hierzu bisher keine konkreten klinischen Untersuchungen gibt, haben die Autoren auf der Grundlage einer Literaturrecherche Handlungsempfehlungen für den praktischen Alltag erarbeitet.
Impacts of Preoperative Psoas Muscle Mass and Visceral Fat Area on Postoperative Short‐ and Long‐Term Outcomes in Patients with Gastric Cancer
Authors: Taniguchi Yoshiki , Kurokawa Yukinori , Takahashi Tsuyoshi , Saito Takuro , Yamashita Kotaro , Tanaka Koji , Makino Tomoki , Yamasaki Makoto , Nakajima Kiyokazu , Eguchi Hidetoshi , Doki Yuichiro 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBackgroundSarcopenia and obesity are associated with outcomes after surgery. However, few studies have investigated which more accurately predicts postoperative complications or prognosis in patients with gastric cancer.MethodsA total of 567 consecutive patients with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy between 2010 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Psoas muscle mass index (PMI) and visceral fat area (VFA) were measured by CT scan. Patients were divided into two groups based on PMI (PMI‐H group: male ≥ 6.36 cm2/m2, female ≥ 3.92 cm2/m2; and PMI‐L group: male < 6.36 cm2/m2, female < 3.92 cm2/m2) and two groups based on VFA (VFA‐H group: ≥ 100 cm2; VFA‐L group: < 100 cm2). The incidence of postoperative complications and the recurrence‐free survival (RFS) were compared between the two groups.ResultsThe incidence of postoperative complications was significantly higher in the VFA‐H group than in the VFA‐L group (35.1% vs. 20.3%; P < 0.001), whereas there was no significant difference between the PMI‐H and PMI‐L groups. Multivariate analysis showed that PMI‐L and VFA‐H were independent risk factors for pneumonia (odds ratio, 4.49; P = 0.018) and intra‐abdominal abscess (odds ratio, 5.19; P = 0.004), respectively. While there was no significant difference in RFS between the VFA‐H and VFA‐L groups, the PMI‐L group showed significantly worse RFS than the PMI‐H group (P < 0.001).ConclusionsPMI and VFA were useful predictive factors for postoperative pneumonia and intra‐abdominal abscess, respectively. PMI might be a useful prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer, but VFA is not.
Metanephric adenoma with BRAF V600K mutation and a doubtful radiological imaging: pitfalls in the diagnostic process
Authors: Lenci Niccolo , Francesco Pierconti , Scarciglia Eros , Fiorentino Vincenzo , Schino Mattia , Palermo Giuseppe , Racioppi Marco , Bassi Pierfrancesco , Martini Maurizio 
Published: November 2020

AbstractMetanephric adenoma (MA) is an uncommon benign renal tumor whose histomorphological aspect resembles that of Wilms’ tumor and papillary renal cell carcinoma. From a diagnostic and therapeutic perspective, recognition of this entity is important as it has a more favorable clinical outcome compared with Wilms’ tumor and papillary renal cell carcinoma. MA should not be treated with nephrectomy if the tumor size is small, opting for a conservative treatment. However, the preoperative diagnosis of this disease is extremely challenging. The present study describes a case of this rare disease, showing an ambiguous radiological imaging and that only after a percutaneous biopsy, was defined as a MA and treated with partial nephrectomy. Moreover, the histological diagnosis of this case was partially complicated by the equivocal immunohistochemical analysis showing negativity for BRAF VE1 staining. Only the mutational analysis demonstrated the presence of the BRAF V600K mutation (for the first time described in a case of metanephric adenoma), highlighting the necessity of sequencing in case of MA with negativity for BRAF VE1 clone.
Reversible Environmental Catastrophes with Disconnected Generations
Authors: Heijdra Ben J. , Heijnen Pim 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe study environmental policy in a stylized economy–ecology model featuring multiple deterministic stable steady-state ecological equilibria. The economy–ecology does not settle in either of the deterministic steady states as the environmental system is hit by random shocks. Individuals live for two periods and derive utility from the (stochastic) quality of the environment. They feature warm-glow preferences and engage in private abatement in order to weakly influence the stochastic process governing environmental quality. The government may also conduct abatement activities or introduce environmental taxes. We solve for the market equilibrium abstracting from public abatement and taxes and show that the ecological process may get stuck for extended periods of time fluctuating around the heavily polluted (low quality) deterministic steady state. These epochs are called environmental catastrophes. They are not irreversible, however, as the system typically switches back to the basin of attraction associated with the good (high quality) deterministic steady state. The paper also compares the stationary distributions for environmental quality and individuals’ welfare arising under the unmanaged economy and in the first-best social optimum.
On decomposition and multiobjective-based column and disjunctive cut generation for MINLP
Authors: Muts Pavlo , Nowak Ivo , Hendrix Eligius M. T. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractMost industrial optimization problems are sparse and can be formulated as block-separable mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problems, defined by linking low-dimensional sub-problems by (linear) coupling constraints. This paper investigates the potential of using decomposition and a novel multiobjective-based column and cut generation approach for solving nonconvex block-separable MINLPs, based on the so-called resource-constrained reformulation. Based on this approach, two decomposition-based inner- and outer-refinement algorithms are presented and preliminary numerical results with nonconvex MINLP instances are reported.
Noble Crayfish Are More Sensitive to Terbuthylazine than Parthenogenetic Marbled Crayfish
Authors: Laurenz Jan , Lietz Lena , Brendelberger Heinz , Lehmann Kai , Georg Arne 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe investigated the sensitivity of two freshwater crayfish species (Astacus astacus and Procambarus virginalis) during embryonic development to chronic exposure to the herbicide terbuthylazine under laboratory conditions. The assessed parameters included time of embryonic development, survival rate, hatching weight and histopathology of hepatopancreas. LC50 (median lethal concentration) and ED50 (median effective concentration) were estimated. We were able to determine effects of terbuthylazine for every investigated parameter. For noble crayfish, the LC50 value after 45 days was 0.11 mg/L, and the histology of the hepatopancreas showed effects starting from 0.025 mg/L. Other parameters revealed effects starting at concentrations of 1.6 mg/L for weight and 6.4 mg /L for embryonic development time and hatching rate. Marbled crayfish only showed effects concerning the hatching rate and survival rate at concentrations without a clear dose-effects curve. As a conclusion, our data shows the risk of terbuthylazine in existing concentrations in freshwater ecosystems to non-target organisms and also the need of toxicological studies on directly affected species in addition to the use of model organisms.
Sex differences in COVID-19: the role of androgens in disease severity and progression
Authors: Mohamed Mohamed S. , Moulin Thiago C. , Schiöth Helgi B. 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Purpose
Throughout the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, multiple reports show higher percentages of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality among men than women, indicating that men are more affected by COVID-19. The pathophysiology of this difference is yet not established, but recent studies suggest that sex hormones may influence the viral infectivity process. Here, we review the current evidence of androgen sensitivity as a decisive factor for COVID-19 disease severity.

Methods
Relevant literature investigating the role of androgens in COVID-19 was assessed. Further, we describe several drugs suggested as beneficial for COVID-19 treatment related to androgen pathways. Lastly, we looked at androgen sensitivity as a predictor for COVID-19 progression and ongoing clinical trials on androgen suppression therapies as a line of treatment.

Results
SARS-COV2 virus spike proteins utilize Transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) for host entry. Androgen receptors are transcription promoters for TMPRSS2 and can, therefore, facilitate SARS-COV2 entry. Variants in the androgen receptor gene correlate with androgen sensitivity and are implicated in diseases like androgenetic alopecia and prostate cancer, conditions that have been associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes and hospitalization.

Conclusion
Androgen’s TMPRSS2-mediated actions might explain both the low fatalities observed in prepubertal children and the differences between sexes regarding SARS-COV2 infection. Androgen sensitivity may be a critical factor in determining COVID-19 disease severity, and sensitivity tests can, therefore, help in predicting patient outcomes.
Application of Constrained Optimization Techniques in Optimal Shape Design of a Freezer to Dosing Line Splitter for Ice Cream Production
Authors: Sarghini Fabrizio , De Vivo Angela 
Published: November 2020

AbstractDesign of multiple branches splitting of equal mass flow rate in complex rheological flows like ice cream near melting point temperature can be a challenging task. Pulsations in flow rate due to air pumping process and small fluctuations in temperature affecting flow rheology can determine a consistent difference in internal pipe velocity distribution, resulting in a significant difference in the distribution of ice cream dosage. Computational sciences and engineering techniques have allowed a major change in the way products and equipment can be engineered, as a computational model simulating physical processes can be more easily obtained, rather than making prototypes and performing multiple experiments. Among such techniques, optimal shape design (OSD) represents an interesting approach. In OSD, the essential element with respect to classical numerical simulations in fixed geometrical configurations relays on the introduction a certain amount of geometrical degrees of freedom as a part of the unknowns. This implies that the geometry is not completely defined, but part of it is allowed to move dynamically in order to minimize or maximize an objective function. From a mathematical point of view, OSD is a branch of differentiable optimization and more precisely the application of optimal control for distributed systems. OSD is still today numerically difficult to implement, because it relies on a computer intensive activity and moreover because the concept of “optimal” is a compromise between shapes that are good with respect to several criteria. In this work, the applications of a multivariate constrained optimization algorithm is proposed in the case of a mechanical ice cream 1 to 5 splitting system, required to distribute in an evenly way from one freezer into five dosing valves. Results allowed to design a retro-fitting system on an existing production plant reducing the dosing error down to 3% on the average.
Robot-assisted adrenalectomy: state of the art
Authors: Materazzi Gabriele , Rossi Leonardo 
Published: November 2020

AbstractCurrently, laparoscopic adrenalectomy is worldwide considered the gold standard technique. Both transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approaches have proved their efficacy with excellent outcomes. Since the introduction of da Vinci System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA), robotic surgery has made many steps forward gaining progressively more diffusion in the field of general and endocrine surgery. The robotic technique offers advantages to overcome some laparoscopic shortcomings (rigid instruments, loss of 3D vision, unstable camera). Indeed, the robotic system is provided of stereoscopic 3D-magnified vision, additional degree of freedom, tremor-filtering technology and a stable camera. Recently, several case series have demonstrated the feasibility and the safety of robot-assisted adrenalectomy in high-volume centers with outcomes comparable to laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Notwithstanding, the technical advantages of the robotic system have not yet demonstrated significant improvements in terms of outcomes to undermine laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Moreover, robotic adrenalectomy harbor inherits drawbacks, such as longer operative time and elevated costs, that limit its use. In particular, the high cost associated with the use of the robotic system is primarily related to the purchase and the maintenance of the unit, the high instruments cost and the longer operative time. Notably, these aspects make robotic adrenalectomy up to 2.3 times more costly than laparoscopic adrenalectomy. This literature review summarizes the current available studies and provides an overview about the robotic scenario including applicability, technical details and surgical outcomes.
Skin Immunology and Rejection in VCA and Organ Transplantation
Authors: Leonard D. A. , Amin K. R. , Giele H. , Fildes J. E. , Wong Jason K. F. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractPurpose of ReviewSkin provides a window into the health of an individual. Using transplanted skin as a monitor can provide a powerful tool for surveillance of rejection in a transplant. The purpose of this review is to provide relevant background to the role of skin in vascularized transplantation medicine.Recent FindingsDiscrete populations of T memory cells provide distributed immune protection in skin, and cycle between skin, lymph nodes, and blood. Skin-resident TREGcells proliferate in response to inflammation and contribute to long-term VCA survival in small animal models. Early clinical studies show sentinel flap rejection to correlate well with facial VCA skin rejection, and abdominal wall rejection demonstrates concordance with visceral rejection, but further studies are required.SummaryThis review focuses on the immunology of skin, skin rejection in vascularized composite allografts, and the recent advances in monitoring the health of transplanted tissues using distant “sentinel” flaps.
Comparative evaluation of pattern mining techniques: an empirical study
Authors: Borah Anindita , Nath Bhabesh 
Published: November 2020

AbstractPattern mining has emerged as a compelling field of data mining over the years. Literature has bestowed ample endeavors in this field of research ranging from frequent pattern mining to rare pattern mining. A precise and impartial analysis of the existing pattern mining techniques has therefore become essential to widen the scope of data analysis using the notion of pattern mining. This paper is therefore an attempt to provide a comparative scrutiny of the fundamental algorithms in the field of pattern mining through performance analysis based on several decisive parameters. The paper provides a structural classification of the widely referenced techniques in four pattern mining categories: frequent, maximal frequent, closed frequent and rare. It provides an analytical comparison of these techniques based on computational time and memory consumption using benchmark real and synthetic data sets. The results illustrate that tree based approaches perform exceptionally well over level wise approaches in case of dense data sets for all the categories. However, for sparse data sets, level wise approaches performed better than the former ones. This study has been carried out with an aim to analyze the pros and cons of the well known pattern mining techniques under different categories. Through this empirical study, an endeavor has been made to enable the researchers identify some fruitful and promising research directions in one of the most remarkable area of research, pattern mining.
The epidemiology of lymphoma in Jordan
Authors: Aladily Tariq N. , Khreisat Wiam , Ashukhaibi Omar , Alkhatib Sohaib M. , Annab Hassan , Tarawneh Musleh S. , Salman Thaher S. , Farsakh Hussam Abu , Mahgoub Randa , Bustami Nadwa , Mansour Ahmad T. , AlRyalat Saif Aldeen , Abbadi Abdalla S. , Al-Fararjeh Feras , Sughayer Maher , Jaber Omar 
Published: November 2020

Objective/Background:
Lymphoma is a common human cancer that shows a variable geographic incidence worldwide. It is the fourth most common cancer in Jordan. Systemic reports of descriptive epidemiology on lymphoma from the Middle East are limited.

Methods:
A nationwide multi-institutional retrospective study was conducted covering all major hospitals and laboratories that provide diagnostic services. We collected data on all cases diagnosed with lymphoma between 2014 and 2019. The included variables were patients’ age, gender, anatomic site, and the histologic type according to the World Health Organization classification system.

Results:
A total of 4189 cases were diagnosed with lymphoma. There was a statistically significant gender difference (p < .05), as 57.5% of patients were males. The peak incidence occurred at age 25-55 years. There were 1,652 (39%) cases of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and 2,537 (61%) of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), where nodular sclerosis (67%) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (53%) were the most common subtypes, respectively. The average age-adjusted incidence rates per 100,000 population were 8.01 for all lymphomas, 4.33 for NHL, and 3.16 for HL and all remained stable over the 6 years.

Conclusion:
HL is the most common lymphoma in Jordan, with a percentage higher than most of reported studies in Asian and Western countries. It also shows a unimodal distribution of age-specific incidence rates, with a single peak in young adults. The incidence rate of HL is higher than Eastern countries but comparable to the West. In contrast, NHL demonstrates a lower incidence rate than Western countries but a similar distribution of subtypes, as mature T/natural killer-cell lymphomas were rare.