bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Systematic convergence of nonlinear stochastic estimators on the Special Orthogonal Group SO(3)
Authors: Hashim Hashim A. 
Published: April 2020

SummaryThis paper introduces two novel nonlinear stochastic attitude estimators developed on the Special Orthogonal Group with the tracking error of the normalized Euclidean distance meeting predefined transient and steady‐state characteristics. The tracking error is confined to initially start within a predetermined large set such that the transient performance is guaranteed to obey dynamically reducing boundaries and decrease smoothly and asymptotically to the origin in probability from almost any initial condition. The proposed estimators produce accurate attitude estimates with remarkable convergence properties using measurements obtained from low‐cost inertial measurement units. The estimators proposed in continuous form are complemented by their discrete versions for the implementation purposes. The simulation results illustrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed estimators against uncertain measurements and large initialization error, whether in continuous or discrete
form.
Transition‐Metal‐Free Catalyzed Dearomatizative Esterification of Indole
Authors: Gao Bao , Xu Shasha , Du Tianri , Li Yahui 
Published: April 2020

Abstract3,3‐Disubstituted oxindoles are important intermediates and building blocks in organic synthesis. Herein, a domino procedure for the synthesis of various 3,3‐disubstituted oxindole from indoles has been developed. Without transition metal catalyst, indoles were selectivity dearomatized in an efficient manner without any halogen additives.
Workability, mechanical, and durability properties of self‐compacting concrete using the treated wastewater
Authors: Yahyaei Behnaz , Asadollahfardi Gholamreza , Salehi Amir Masood 
Published: April 2020

AbstractUrban development, industrialization, and increasing population increase water consumption. Limited water resources, especially in an arid climate, are a challenging issue; therefore, water reuse is vital. A huge amount of treated wastewater is discharged to the rivers and groundwater daily. The construction industry, especially for producing concrete uses a huge amount of tap water. Hence, we studied the feasibility of using the treated domestic wastewater to produce self‐compacting concrete (SCC) with different concrete mix designs, using silica fume, fly ash, slag, zeolite, and a mixture of silica fume and fly ash according to ASTM and BS standards. The experimental work included workability, mechanical, and durability properties of different concrete mix designs using the treated wastewater. The results of workability (filling ability) including Slump flow, T50, and V funnel were 600–800 mm, 2–5 s, and 6–12 s, respectively, and satisfied the European guidelines for SCC. Also, the results of passing ability, including J‐ring and L box experiments, complied with the European guidelines. The compressive strength of different types of the concrete mixes using treated wastewater was found to be one to 8% below using the tap water in 7, 28, 56, and 90 days after the concrete samples were made. Scanning electron microscope images confirmed the results. Using the treated wastewater decreased the electrical resistivity of concrete in the SCC in different concrete mix designs. However, the results of chloride ion permeability remained in the very low range (37–254 Ω/m) of the AASHTO (95) standard.
Understanding and Designing Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitters: Beyond the Energy Gap Approximation
Authors: Eng Julien , Penfold Thomas J. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn this article recent progress in the development of molecules exhibiting Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence (TADF) is discussed with a particular focus upon their application as emitters in highly efficient organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). The key aspects controlling the desirable functional properties, e. g. fast intersystem crossing, high radiative rate and unity quantum yield, are introduced with a particular focus upon the competition between the key requirements needed to achieve high performance OLEDs. The design rules required for organic and metal organic materials are discussed, and the correlation between them outlined. Recent progress towards understanding the influence of the interaction between a molecule and its environment are explained as is the role of the mechanism for excited state formation in OLEDs. Finally, all of these aspects are combined to discuss the ability to implement high level design rules for achieving higher quality materials for commercial applications. This article highlights the significant progress that has been made in recent years, but also outlines the significant challenges which persist to achieve a full understanding of the TADF mechanism and improve the stability and performance of these materials.
T‐cell targeted pulmonary siRNA delivery for the treatment of asthma
Authors: Keil Tobias W. M. , Baldassi Domizia , Merkel Olivia M. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractDespite the large number of drugs available for the treatment of asthma, in 5–10% of the patients this disease is not well controlled. While most treatments palliate symptoms, those suffering from severe and uncontrolled asthma could benefit more from a therapeutic approach addressing the root problem. An siRNA‐based therapy targeting the transcription factor GATA3 in activated T helper cells subtype 2 (TH2 cells), one of the key upstream factors involved in asthma, could therefore represent a promising strategy. However, the difficult‐to‐transfect cell type has not extensively been explored for nucleic acid therapeutics. In this regard, our group first identified a suitable pathway, that is, transferrin receptor mediated uptake, to target efficiently and specifically activated TH2 cells with a transferrin‐polyethyleneimine (PEI) conjugate which forms polyplexes with siRNA. This system, despite efficient uptake in activated T cells (ATCs) in vivo, suffered from poor endosomal release and was later improved by a combination with a melittin‐PEI conjugate. The new formulation showed improved endosomal escape and gene silencing efficacy. Additionally, in order to develop a clinically relevant dosage form for pulmonary delivery of siRNA we have lately focused on a dry powder formulation by spray drying (SD) for the production of inhalable nano‐in‐microparticles. In proof‐of‐concept experiments, DNA/PEI polyplexes were used in order to implement analytics and engineer process parameters to pave the way for SD also siRNA containing polyplexes and more sophisticated systems in general. Ultimately, our efforts are devoted to the development of a novel treatment of asthma that can be translated from bench to bedside and are reviewed and discussed here in the context of the current literature.This article is categorized under:
Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Respiratory Disease
Biology‐Inspired Nanomaterials > Nucleic Acid‐Based Structures
Biology‐Inspired Nanomaterials > Protein and Virus‐Based Structures
Decreased plasma kallikrein activity is associated with reduced kidney function in individuals with type 1 diabetes
Authors:   on behalf of the FinnDiane Study Group, Härma Mari-Anne , Dahlström Emma H. , Sandholm Niina , Forsblom Carol , Groop Per-Henrik , Lehto Markku 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Aims/hypothesis
Plasma kallikrein is the central mediator of the plasma kallikrein–kinin system, which is involved both in vascular control and thrombin formation cascades. The plasma kallikrein–kinin system has also been considered protective in pathological conditions, but the impact of plasma kallikreins on diabetic nephropathy remains unknown. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to explore the association of plasma kallikrein with diabetic nephropathy.

Methods
We measured plasma kallikrein activity in 295 individuals with type 1 diabetes at various stages of diabetic nephropathy, and we tested the genetic association between the plasma kallikrein–kinin system and kidney function in 4400 individuals with type 1 diabetes.

Results
Plasma kallikrein activity was associated with diabetes duration (p < 0.001) and eGFR (p < 0.001), and plasma kallikrein activity was lower with more advanced diabetic nephropathy, being lowest in individuals on dialysis. The minor alleles of the KNG1 rs5030062 and rs710446 variants, which have previously been associated with increased plasma pre-kallikrein and/or factor XI (FXI) protein levels, were associated with higher eGFR (rs5030062 β = 0.03, p = 0.01; rs710446 β = 0.03, p = 0.005) in the FinnDiane cohort of 4400 individuals with type 1 diabetes.

Conclusions/interpretation
Plasma kallikrein activity and genetic variants known to increase the plasma kallikrein level are associated with higher eGFR in individuals with type 1 diabetes, suggesting that plasma kallikrein might have a protective effect in diabetic nephropathy.
Feasibility of an Enhanced Recovery Protocol for Elective Pancreatoduodenectomy: A Multicenter International Cohort Study
Authors: Roulin Didier , Melloul Emmanuel , Wellg Björn Erik , Izbicki Jakob , Vrochides Dionisios , Adham Mustapha , Hübner Martin , Demartines Nicolas 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe first enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) guidelines for pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) were developed in 2012. The study aimed to assess compliance and outcomes of an ERAS protocol for PD, to study correlation between compliance and outcomes, and to identify risk factors for complications.MethodsRetrospective cohort analysis is based on a prospective database, including all consecutive patients undergoing elective PD within an ERAS program in four centers: Lausanne University Hospital (Switzerland), Carolinas Medical Center (United States), Edouard Herriot Hospital (France), and University Medical Center Hamburg‐Eppendorf (Germany). Patients’ characteristics, postoperative outcome and ERAS compliance were assessed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess predictors of postoperative complications.ResultsBetween October 2012 and June 2017, 404 consecutive patients underwent PD. Median length of stay was 14 days with 11.3% readmission rate. Mean overall compliance was 62%, with pre‐, intra‐ and postoperative compliance of 93%, 80% and 30%, respectively. Overall compliance ≥ 70% versus < 70% was significantly associated with a reduction in complications (p = 0.029) and length of stay (p < 0.001). Avoidance of postoperative nasogastric tube (OR = 0.31, p = 0.043), mobilization on day of surgery (OR = 0.28, p = 0.043), and mobilization more than 6 h on postoperative day 2 (OR = 0.45, p = 0.001) were independent predictors of reduced overall complications.ConclusionsImplementation of enhanced recovery for PD is challenging, especially in the postoperative period. Overall compliance with ERAS protocol ≥ 70% was associated with decreased complications and length of stay. Specific ERAS elements, such as avoidance of postoperative nasogastric tube and early mobilization, independently improved outcomes.
Design of resilient socio-technical systems by human-system co-creation
Authors: Sawaragi Tetsuo 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe concept of resilience is commonly used to represent “an ability to adapt to a changing environment and to survive flexibly despite facing difficulties.” This definition of resilience emphasized its aspects of unpredictable responsiveness to external disturbances as well as self-organized phenomena, which seemed to be close to the definition of complex adaptive systems. This article summarizes the technical challenges to consider the implementation of a concept of resilience into systems from a variety of perspectives. Then, challenges to tackle with the resilience to variabilities in production plans, in work quality, in empirical knowledge, in human-automation systems, and in organizations are presented.
Complexity of packing common bases in matroids
Authors: Bérczi Kristóf , Schwarcz Tamás 
Published: April 2020

AbstractOne of the most intriguing unsolved questions of matroid optimization is the characterization of the existence of k disjoint common bases of two matroids. The significance of the problem is well-illustrated by the long list of conjectures that can be formulated as special cases, such as Woodall’s conjecture on packing disjoint dijoins in a directed graph, or Rota’s beautiful conjecture on rearrangements of bases. In the present paper we prove that the problem is difficult under the rank oracle model, i.e., we show that there is no algorithm which decides if the common ground set of two matroids can be partitioned into k common bases by using a polynomial number of independence queries. Our complexity result holds even for the very special case when $$k=2$$

k
=
2

. Through a series of reductions, we also show that the abstract problem of packing common bases in two matroids includes the NAE-SAT problem and the Perfect Even Factor problem in directed graphs. These results in turn imply that the problem is not only difficult in the independence oracle model but also includes NP-complete special cases already when $$k=2$$

k
=
2

, one of the matroids is a partition matroid, while the other matroid is linear and is given by an explicit representation.
Effects of using certain tree species in forest regeneration on regional wind damage risks in Finnish boreal forests under different CMIP5 projections
Authors: Ikonen V.-P. , Kilpeläinen A. , Strandman H. , Asikainen A. , Venäläinen A. , Peltola H. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractWe studied how the use of certain tree species in forest regeneration affected the regional wind damage risks to Finnish boreal forests under the current climate (1981–2010) and recent-generation global climate model (GCM) predictions (i.e., 10 GCMs of CMIP5, with wide variations in temperature and precipitation), using the representative concentration pathways RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 over the period 2010–2099. The study employed forest ecosystem and mechanistic wind damage risk model simulations on upland national forest inventory plots throughout Finland. The amount of wind damage was estimated based on the predicted critical wind speeds for uprooting trees and their probabilities. In a baseline management regime, forest regeneration was performed by planting the same tree species that was dominant before the final cut. In other management regimes, either Scots pine, Norway spruce or silver birch was planted on medium-fertility sites. Other management actions were performed as for a baseline management. The calculated amount of wind damage was greatest in southern and central Finland under CNRM-CM5 RCP8.5, and the smallest under HadGEM2-ES RCP8.5. The most severe climate projections (HadGEM2-ES RCP8.5 and GFDL-CM3 RCP8.5) affected the wind damage risk even more than did the tree species preferences in forest regeneration. The situation was the opposite for the less severe climate projections (e.g., MPI-ESM-MR RCP4.5 and MPI-ESM-MR RCP8.5). The calculated amount of wind damage was clearly greater in the south than in the north, due to differences in forest structure. The volume of growing stock is much higher in the south for the more vulnerable Norway spruce (and birch) than in the north, which is opposite for the less vulnerable Scots pine. The increasing risk of wind damage should be taken into account in forest management because it could amplify, or even cancel out, any expected increases in forest productivity due to climate change.
Structure-based design, synthesis, and evaluation of the biological activity of novel phosphoroorganic small molecule IAP antagonists
Authors: Łupicka-Słowik Agnieszka , Psurski Mateusz , Grzywa Renata , Cuprych Monika , Ciekot Jarosław , Goldeman Waldemar , Wojaczyńska Elżbieta , Wojaczyński Jacek , Oleksyszyn Józef , Sieńczyk Marcin 
Published: April 2020

SummaryOne of the strategies employed by novel anticancer therapies is to put the process of apoptosis back on track by blocking the interaction between inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) and caspases. The activity of caspases is modulated by the caspases themselves in a caspase/procaspase proteolytic cascade and by their interaction with IAPs. Caspases can be released from the inhibitory influence of IAPs by proapoptotic proteins such as secondary mitochondrial activator of caspases (Smac) that share an IAP binding motif (IBM). The main purpose of the present study was the design and synthesis of phosphorus-based peptidyl antagonists of IAPs that mimic the endogenous Smac protein, which blocks the interaction between IAPs and caspases. Based on the structure of the IAP antagonist and recently reported thiadiazole derivatives, we designed and evaluated the biochemical properties of a series of phosphonic peptides bearing the N-Me-Ala-Val/Chg-Pro-OH motif (Chg: cyclohexylglycine). The ability of the obtained compounds to interact with the binding groove of the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein baculovirus inhibitor of apoptosis protein repeat (XIAP BIR3) domain was examined by a fluorescence polarization assay, while their potential to induce autoubiquitination followed by proteasomal degradation of cellular IAP1 was examined using the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. The highest potency against BIR3 was observed among peptides containing C-terminal phosphonic phenylalanine analogs, which displayed nanomolar Ki values. Their antiproliferative potential as well as their proapoptotic action, manifested by an increase in caspase-3 activity, was examined using various cell lines.
Factors influencing the acceptability of object fronting in German
Authors: Wierzba Marta , Fanselow Gisbert 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn this paper, we address some controversially debated empirical questions concerning object fronting in German by a series of acceptability rating studies. We investigated three kinds of factors: (i) properties of the subject (given/new, pronoun/full DP), (ii) emphasis, (iii) register. The first factor is predicted to play a crucial role by models in which object fronting possibilities are limited by prosodic properties. Two experiments provide converging evidence for a systematic effect of this factor: we find that the relative acceptability of object fronting across subjects that require an accent (new DPs) is lower than across deaccentable subjects (pronouns and given DPs). Other models predict object fronting across full phrases (but not across pronouns) to be limited to an emphatic interpretation. This prediction is also borne out, suggesting that both types of models capture an empirically valid generalization and can be seen as complementing each other rather than competing with each other. Finally, we find support for the view that informal register facilitates object fronting. In sum, our experiments contribute to clarifying the empirical basis concerning a phenomenon influenced by a range of interacting factors. This, in turn, informs theoretical approaches to the prefield position and helps to identify factors that need to be carefully controlled in this field of research.
Not stupid, but lazy? Psychological benefits of disruptive classroom behavior from an attributional perspective
Authors: Kessels Ursula , Heyder Anke 
Published: April 2020

AbstractDisruptive student behavior is a frequent part of school life, most often shown by male students and related to many negative academic outcomes. In this study, we examined the psychological benefits of engaging in disruptive behavior for low-achieving students from an attributional perspective. In an experimental vignette study of 178 ninth graders from Germany, we tested whether the students’ ratings of a target student who displayed disruptive behavior (instead of unobtrusive behavior) in a vignette would evoke lack-of-effort attributions for academic failure through students’ expectations of teachers’ reprimands. In order to account for the nested data structure (vignettes nested in participants), we applied multilevel analysis while testing for mediation effects. Results showed that the disruptive behavior of a target student triggered lack-of-effort attributions in students instead of lack-of-ability attributions for low academic achievement. This effect was mediated by students’ expectations of teachers’ reprimands. In addition, low-achieving students showing disruptive behavior were perceived as more popular but less liked personally and as more masculine and less feminine. The study adds to the understanding of disruptive behavior in class as an attempt of poor-performing students to elicit face-saving attributions for academic failure and enhance their peer status.
An Examination of the Lived Experience of Attending Twelve-Step Groups for Co-dependency
Authors: Bacon Ingrid , McKay Elizabeth , Reynolds Frances , McIntyre Anne 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThis research project aimed at obtaining an in-depth analysis of the experiences of self-identified co-dependents, who chose twelve-steps groups as a way for dealing with difficulties identified as co-dependency. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used as the methodology for the research. Eight participants volunteered from local support groups for co-dependency in the UK. Data were collected through 3 in-depth interviews with each participant over a period of 3–6 months. A visual method was used to gain a more in-depth phenomenological perspective. It included photographs, drawings and images chosen by the participants to describe their experiences. The analysis revealed 2 contradicting and complementary themes: (1) representations of the twelve-step group as a helpful tool and (2) representations of the twelve-step group as no longer meaningful. It demonstrated that the participants found their groups useful as an initial pathway for recovery; however, it did not feature as a central aspect in their recovery, as different levels of engagement were described. The results of this study provide a base for developing a more empathic and contextualised understanding of the experience of individuals who attend twelve-step groups for co-dependency, which in turn will enable health professionals to offer support which is relevant to these individuals’ experiences.
Crowdworking: Neue Realitäten der Führung
Authors: von der Oelsnitz Dietrich , Staiger Anna-Maria , Schmidt Johannes 
Published: April 2020

ZusammenfassungDieser Beitrag in der Zeitschrift „Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation.“ erhellt im Rahmen einer aktuellen qualitativen Befragung von Crowdworkern, welche Motive und Erwartungen in diesem gegenwärtig stark wachsenden Bereich der sog. neuen Arbeitswelt auf deren Seite bestehen. Deutlich wird u. a., dass die Personalführung im plattformbasierten Raum diffuser wird. In unpersönlichen, digitalen Arbeitswelten existiert neben der zunächst offensichtlichen Führungssubstitution durch Selbstmanagement letztlich dennoch eine dem virtuellen Raum angepasste Führungserwartung der Crowdworker. Diesen Erwartungen müssen Portale wie Kunden im Sinne einer für alle Seiten effektiven Leistungsbeziehung gerecht werden.