bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Marked themes in spoken Chinese: a discourse semantics perspective
Authors: Gao Yanmei , Lyu Guoyan 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTThis paper focuses on Marked Theme in spoken Chinese. Previous studies have explored the functions of Marked Themes within clauses, but not many researchers have observed this phenomenon from a discourse semantics perspective. Combining the framework of discourse semantics with the use of corpus study, this paper first explores the occurrence of such structures in conversations and then examines their discourse functions. Data from the corpus show that, in line with findings from corpus studies of written texts, the occurrence of Marked Themes is quite low. The inspection of their discourse functions leads to the following preliminary findings: (1) in sequences of activities, Marked Themes often function as lexical cohesive devices to build up taxonomical relations across utterances; (2) from the view point of identification, Marked Themes function as anaphoric devices to help keep track of the Participants in question; (3) from the viewpoint of periodicity, while most Marked Themes convey given information, especially contrastive information, a considerable amount of Marked Themes function as HyperTheme to start new phases of discourse.
A numerical model to introduce students to AC loss calculation in superconductors
Authors: Grilli Francesco , Rizzo Enrico 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
A numerical model implemented in the open-source finite-element method FreeFEM program is presented, with the aim of introducing students to the calculation of AC losses in superconductors. With this simple approach, students can learn about the critical state model used to describe the macroscopic electromagnetic behavior of superconductors and the importance of different factors influencing the AC losses of superconductors.
Contribution of nano-SiC/epoxy coating with nonlinear conduction characteristics to surface charge accumulation under DC voltage
Authors: Pan Zijun , Tang Ju , Pan Cheng , Luo Yi , Liu Qinyi , He Huasuan 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
In order to suppress surface charge accumulation, a nano-SiC/epoxy composite with nonlinear conduction characteristic was employed to coat a pure epoxy substrate in this paper. Surface potential distributions on the insulator were measured after being charged by a pair of finger-shaped electrodes (one was powered at −10 kV, and the other was grounded). For the insulators with and without coating, there were mainly positive potentials on the whole surface, and the area with higher potential located near the high voltage electrode. As the charging time increased, the high potential area began to shrink, indicating a possible charge migration. When the charging time exceeded 60 min, the potential distribution was almost kept unchanged. Compared with the pure epoxy substrate, the amount of surface charges had a slight increment after being coated with 3 wt% nano-particles. The accumulated surface charges were progressively reduced when the content of fillers became higher. Especially for the samples with 7 wt% and 10 wt% ingredients, there was a sharp decrease of accumulated surface charges in the distributed area and magnitude from 40 to 60 min. In terms of surface trapping characteristics and nonlinear conduction of the composite, the effect of coating on the surface charge accumulation was discussed.
Planar microwave retroreflector based on transmissive gradient index metasurface
Authors: Liu Yong-Qiang , Li Sheng , Guo Jie , Li Liangsheng , Yin Hongcheng 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
In this paper, a novel planar microwave retroreflector based on a transmissive gradient metasurface combined with a curved metal mirror is proposed and demonstrated. The transmissive metasurface can efficiently converge a wide-angle incident wave to a pre-designed curved metal mirror behind it with a proper distance, which acts as an effective reflective surface that can greatly enhance the backscattering of the incident wave with a wide-angle view. According to the full-wave simulations, the proposed metasurface retroreflector can perform an excellent retroreflective effect for incident microwaves of angle view between −30° and 30° range. A prototype was fabricated and the experimental results verify that the metasurface retroreflector can realize the monostatic radar cross section (RCS) enhancement with a continuous wide incident angle view from −30° to 30° at 10 GHz within a stable 3 dB RCS level. It is further demonstrated that the excellent wide-angle backscattering performance (absolute RCS enhancement value, operational bandwidth and/or incident angle view) of the proposed microwave metasurface retroreflector is competitive against the traditional trihedral corner reflector with comparable dimensions, thus opening up new possibilities to substitute the traditional bulky radar retroreflector by using a planar compact metasurface structure for microwave engineering. The presented microwave metasurface retroreflector is promising to develop into a low-profile, light weight and planar radar retroreflector which possesses tremendous RCS backscattering enhancement and wide-angle view operation range.
Environmental monitoring and disease detection of plants in smart greenhouse using internet of things
Authors: Khan Fazeel Ahmed , Ibrahim Adamu Abubakar , M Zeki Akram 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
This research implements the idea of automation using Internet of Things (IoT) in a greenhouse environment. The development is focuses on deployment of agicultural greenhouses into small-scale level transforming it into a smart greenhouse. They are to help in monitoring the greenhouse environment conditions, water irrigation management, image collection using installed cameras as well as predicting diseases in the plants on collected leaf datasets. This research focus on development for the purpose of validating a proposed system design and architecture for a suitable IoT based monitoring for environment conditions, managing water irrigation system and a effective method for detecting leaf diseases on the plants inside a greenhouse environment.
Forces between kinks in ϕ8 theory
Authors: d’Ornellas Peru 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
We investigate the dynamics of the kinks that emerge in a one-dimensional scalar field theory with an octic potential containing a quartic minimum and two quadratic minima. We show analytically that kink-antikink and kink-kink pairs interact with a force that scales with the fourth power of the inter-kink distance, and calculate its strength. This is done using two different techniques. The first employs a collective coordinate method to approximately solve the equation of motion for the profile of an accelerating kink. The second is based on modifying the potential to one that is able to support static solutions containing multiple kinks. We show that the two methods give consistent results. All calculations are supported by numerical work that confirms the validity of our results.
Inverse iteration for the Monge–Ampère eigenvalue problem
Authors: Abedin Farhan , Kitagawa Jun 
Published: May 2020

We present an iterative method based on repeatedly inverting the Monge–Ampère operator with Dirichlet boundary condition and prescribed right-hand side on a bounded, convex domain

Ω
⊂

R

n

\Omega \subset \mathbb {R}^{n}

. We prove that the iterates

u
k

u_k

generated by this method converge as

k
→
∞

k \to \infty

to a solution of the Monge–Ampère eigenvalue problem

{

d
e
t

D
2

u
=

λ

M
A

(
−
u

)
n

a
m
p
;

in
Ω
,

u
=
0

a
m
p
;

on
∂
Ω
.

\begin{equation*} \begin {cases} \mathrm {det} D^2u = \lambda _{MA} (-u)^n & \quad \text {in } \Omega ,\\ u = 0 & \quad \text {on } \partial \Omega . \end{cases} \end{equation*}

Since the solutions of this problem are unique up to a positive multiplicative constant, the normalized iterates

u
^

k

≔

u
k

|

|

u
k

|

|

L

∞

(
Ω
)

\hat {u}_k \coloneq \frac {u_k}{||u_k||_{L^{\infty }(\Omega )}}

converge to the eigenfunction of unit height. In addition, we show that

lim

k
→
∞

R
(

u
k

)
=

lim

k
→
∞

R
(

u
^

k

)
=

λ

M
A

\lim _{k \to \infty } R(u_k) = \lim _{k \to \infty } R(\hat {u}_k) = \lambda _{MA}

, where the Rayleigh quotient

R
(
u
)

R(u)

is defined as

R
(
u
)

≔

∫

Ω

(
−
u
)

d
e
t

D
2

u

∫

Ω

(
−
u

)

n
+
1

.

\begin{equation*} R(u) \coloneq \frac {\int _{\Omega } (-u) \ \mathrm {det}D^2u}{\int _{\Omega } (-u)^{n+1}}. \end{equation*}

Our method converges for a wide class of initial choices

u
0

u_0

that can be constructed explicitly, and does not rely on prior knowledge of the Monge–Ampère eigenvalue

λ

M
A

\lambda _{MA}

.
Implementation of a pharmacist-led transitional care clinic
Authors: Layman Sara N , Elliott Whitney V , Regen Sloan M , Keough Leigh Anne 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Purpose
To describe a pharmacist-led transitional care clinic (TCC) for high-risk patients who were recently hospitalized or seen in the emergency department (ED).

Summary
The Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) established a pharmacist-led face-to-face and telephone follow-up TCC to improve posthospitalization follow-up care through medication optimization and disease state management, particularly for veterans with high-risk disease states such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF). The clinic’s clinical pharmacy specialists (CPSs) ordered diagnostic and laboratory tests, performed physical assessments, and consulted other providers and specialty services in addition to performing medication reconciliation, compliance assessment, and evaluation of adverse drug events. TCC patients were typically seen within 2 weeks of discharge and subsequently referred back to their primary care provider or a specialty care provider for continued management. A retrospective review of 2016 TCC data found that 7.8% of patients seen in the TCC were readmitted within 30 days of discharge; readmission rates for COPD and HF were reduced to 13% and 10%, respectively, compared to hospital-wide readmission rates of 17% and 24%. A separate observational analysis found that 30-day readmissions for COPD and HF were reduced in TCC patients, with pharmacists documenting an average of 6.2 interventions and 3.3 medication-related problems per patient. To reduce clinic appointment no-shows, the CPSs worked with inpatient providers and schedulers to emphasize to patients the importance of clinic attendance; also, TCC services were expanded to include telehealth appointments to increase access for rural and/or homebound patients.

Conclusion
A pharmacist-led TCC effectively reduced readmissions and prevented medication-related problems for high-risk patients who were hospitalized or seen in the ED.
V-Mango: a functional–structural model of mango tree growth, development and fruit production
Authors: Boudon Frédéric , Persello Séverine , Jestin Alexandra , Briand Anne-Sarah , Grechi Isabelle , Fernique Pierre , Guédon Yann , Léchaudel Mathieu , Lauri Pierre-Éric , Normand Frédéric 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackground and AimsMango (Mangifera indica L.) is the fifth most widely produced fruit in the world. Its cultivation, mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions, raises a number of issues such as the irregular fruit production across years, phenological asynchronisms that lead to long periods of pest and disease susceptibility, and the heterogeneity of fruit quality and maturity at harvest. To address these issues, we developed an integrative functional–structural plant model that synthesizes knowledge about the vegetative and reproductive development of the mango tree and opens up the possible simulation of cultivation practices.MethodsWe designed a model of architectural development in order to precisely characterize the intricate developmental processes of the mango tree. The appearance of botanical entities was decomposed into elementary stochastic events describing occurrence, intensity and timing of development. These events were determined by structural (position and fate of botanical entities) and temporal (appearance dates) factors. Daily growth and development of growth units and inflorescences were modelled using empirical distributions and thermal time. Fruit growth was determined using an ecophysiological model that simulated carbon- and water-related processes at the fruiting branch scale.Key ResultsThe model simulates the dynamics of the population of growth units, inflorescences and fruits at the tree scale during a growing cycle. Modelling the effects of structural and temporal factors makes it possible to simulate satisfactorily the complex interplays between vegetative and reproductive development. The model allowed the characterization of the susceptibility of mango tree to pests and the investigatation of the influence of tree architecture on fruit growth.ConclusionsThis integrative functional–structural model simulates mango tree vegetative and reproductive development over successive growing cycles, allowing a precise characterization of tree phenology and fruit growth and production. The next step is to integrate the effects of cultivation practices, such as pruning, into the model.
A willow drawing from 1786: the earliest depiction of intraspecific trait variation in plants?
Authors: Stegmann Ulrich E 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Background and Aims
The study of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) in plants has a long history, dating back to the fourth century BC. Its existence was widely acknowledged by the end of the 18th century, although systematic and experimental studies commenced only a century later. However, the historiography of ITV has many gaps, especially with regard to early observations and visual documents. This note identifies an early depiction of plant ITV.

Methods
The botanical works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832), a German writer and naturalist, were subjected to close reading. This included all publications and unpublished sources related to botany between 1785 and 1832 (e.g. notes, drafts, diaries, letters, drawings). This material is accessible in the multi-volume historical-critical edition of Goethe’s studies in natural science (Leopoldina-Ausgabe).

Key Results
A diary entry from 9 September 1786 described changes in leaf morphology along an elevation gradient in the Bavarian Alps. The leaves of an unidentified species of willow (Spix sp.) and gentian (Gentiana sp.) were said to become narrower with increasing elevation; leaves also stood further apart on twigs, and the latter became thinner. A crude drawing of two willow twigs illustrated the differences. Goethe conjectured that the differences were due to environmental conditions.

Conclusions
Goethe’s notes were anecdotal, and it is unclear whether the observed plant individuals actually belonged to the same species. Nevertheless, the notes represent an early and clear articulation of the hypothesis that changes in environmental conditions can cause ITV in a natural plant population. The drawing may be the earliest visual record of environmentally caused plant ITV in the wild.
The locality dilemma of Sankoff-like RNA alignments
Authors: Müller Teresa , Miladi Milad , Hutter Frank , Hofacker Ivo , Will Sebastian , Backofen Rolf 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Motivation
Elucidating the functions of non-coding RNAs by homology has been strongly limited due to fundamental computational and modeling issues. While existing simultaneous alignment and folding (SA&F) algorithms successfully align homologous RNAs with precisely known boundaries (global SA&F), the more pressing problem of identifying new classes of homologous RNAs in the genome (local SA&F) is intrinsically more difficult and much less understood. Typically, the length of local alignments is strongly overestimated and alignment boundaries are dramatically mispredicted. We hypothesize that local SA&F approaches are compromised this way due to a score bias, which is caused by the contribution of RNA structure similarity to their overall alignment score.

Results
In the light of this hypothesis, we study pairwise local SA&F for the first time systematically—based on a novel local RNA alignment benchmark set and quality measure. First, we vary the relative influence of structure similarity compared to sequence similarity. Putting more emphasis on the structure component leads to overestimating the length of local alignments. This clearly shows the bias of current scores and strongly hints at the structure component as its origin. Second, we study the interplay of several important scoring parameters by learning parameters for local and global SA&F. The divergence of these optimized parameter sets underlines the fundamental obstacles for local SA&F. Third, by introducing a position-wise correction term in local SA&F, we constructively solve its principal issues.

Availability and implementation
The benchmark data, detailed results and scripts are available at https://github.com/BackofenLab/local_alignment. The RNA alignment tool LocARNA, including the modifications proposed in this work, is available at https://github.com/s-will/LocARNA/releases/tag/v2.0.0RC6.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Karyotype evolution and flexible (conventional versus inverted) meiosis in insects with holocentric chromosomes: a case study based onPolyommatusbutterflies
Authors: Lukhtanov Vladimir A , Dantchenko Alexander V , Khakimov Fayzali R , Sharafutdinov Damir , Pazhenkova Elena A 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe Polyommatus butterflies have holocentric chromosomes, which are characterized by kinetic activity distributed along the entire chromosome length, and the highest range of haploid chromosome numbers (n) known within a single eukaryotic genus (from n = 10 to n = 226). Previous analyses have shown that these numbers most likely evolved gradually from an ancestral karyotype, in accordance with the Brownian motion model of chromosome change accumulation. Here we studied chromosome sets within a monophyletic group of previously non-karyotyped Polyommatus species. We demonstrate that these species have a limited interspecific chromosome number variation from n = 16 to n = 25, which is consistent with the Brownian motion model prediction. We also found intra- and interpopulation variation in the chromosome numbers. These findings support the model of karyotype evolution through the gradual accumulation of neutral or weakly underdominant rearrangements that can persist in the heterozygous state within a population. For Polyommatus poseidonides we report the phenomenon of flexible meiosis in which the chromosome multivalents are able to undergo either conventional or inverted meiosis within the same individual. We hypothesise that the ability to invert the order of the meiotic events may be adaptive and can facilitate proper chromosome segregation in chromosomal heterozygotes, thus promoting rapid karyotype evolution.
Reduced Thalamus Volume and Enhanced Thalamus and Fronto-Parietal Network Integration in the Chess Experts
Authors: Wang Yanpei , Zuo Chenyi , Wang Daoyang , Tao Sha , Hao Lei 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
The ability of chess experts depends to a large extent on spatial visual processing, attention, and working memory, all of which are thought to be mediated by the thalamus. This study explored whether continued practice and rehearsal over a long period of time results in structural changes in the thalamic region. We found smaller gray matter volume regions in the thalami of expert Chinese chess players in comparison with novice players. We then used these regions as seeds for resting-state functional connectivity analysis and observed significantly strengthened integration between the thalamus and fronto-parietal network in expert Chinese chess players. This strengthened integration that includes a group of brain regions showing an increase in activation to external stimulation, particularly during tasks relying on working memory and attention. Our findings demonstrate structural changes in the thalamus caused by a wide range of engagement in chess problem solving, and that this strengthened functional integration with widely distributed circuitry better supports high-level cognitive control of behavior.
Loss of SIRT1 in diabetes accelerates DNA damage-induced vascular calcification
Authors: Bartoli-Leonard Francesca , Wilkinson Fiona L , Schiro Andrew , Serracino Inglott Ferdinand , Alexander M Yvonne , Weston Ria 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Aims
Vascular calcification is a recognized predictor of cardiovascular risk in the diabetic patient, with DNA damage and accelerated senescence linked to oxidative stress-associated pathological calcification. Having previously shown that systemic SIRT1 is reduced in diabetes, the aim was to establish whether SIRT1 is protective against a DNA damage-induced senescent and calcified phenotype in diabetic vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs).

Methods and results
Immunohistochemistry revealed decreased SIRT1 and increased DNA damage marker expression in diabetic calcified arteries compared to non-diabetic and non-calcified controls, strengthened by findings that vSMCs isolated from diabetic patients show elevated DNA damage and senescence, assessed by the Comet assay and telomere length. Hyperglycaemic conditions were used and induced DNA damage and enhanced senescence in vSMCs in vitro. Using H2O2 as a model of oxidative stress-induced DNA damage, pharmacological activation of SIRT1 reduced H2O2 DNA damage-induced calcification, prevented not only DNA damage, as shown by reduced comet tail length, but also decreased yH2AX foci formation, and attenuated calcification. While Ataxia Telanglectasia Mutated (ATM) expression was reduced following DNA damage, in contrast, SIRT1 activation significantly increased ATM expression, phosphorylating both MRE11 and NBS1, thus allowing formation of the MRN complex and increasing activation of the DNA repair pathway.

Conclusion
DNA damage-induced calcification is accelerated within a diabetic environment and can be attenuated in vitro by SIRT1 activation. This occurs through enhancement of the MRN repair complex within vSMCs and has therapeutic potential within the diabetic patient.