bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pilot Study to Evaluate Pimavanserin for the Treatment of Motor and Behavioral Symptoms of Tourette Syndrome
Authors: Billnitzer Andrew , Jankovic Joseph 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACTBackgroundPimavanserin is a serotonin 2A receptor inverse agonist and antagonist used for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions in Parkinson's disease psychosis. Numerous studies support a modulatory role of serotonin in Tourette syndrome (TS).ObjectivesTo determine whether or not pimavanserin affects TS symptoms.MethodsIn this open‐label study of TS adult patients, pimavanserin was titrated to 34 mg/day over 1 week and continued for an additional 7 weeks followed by a 2‐week washout. Tic severity, the primary outcome measure, was assessed by the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale Total Tic Severity score (YGTSS‐TTS). Secondary outcome measures included changes in the Yale‐Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y‐BOCS), the Tourette Syndrome Clinical Global Impression of Change (TS‐CGIC), the Tourette Syndrome‐Patient Global Impression of Impact (TS‐PGII), and the Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome – Quality of Life scale (GTS‐QOL).ResultsWe enrolled 12 patients, but 2 dropped out after week 2 due to non‐serious side effects. In the 10 patients, mean (standard deviation (SD)) age 34 (12.9) who completed the study the mean (SD) baseline YGTSS‐TTS was 34 (9.3). This decreased by 3.6 (4.9) points at week 8, a 12% reduction in tic severity (P = 0.03). This improvement is small and may not be clinically important. Significant improvement was noted in the TS‐CGIC, TS‐PGII and GTS‐QO. No serious adverse events were reported.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that pimavanserin is safe and associated with improvement in motor and non‐motor TS symptoms. These findings warrant further study by a larger, placebo‐controlled, trial.
Effect of SunGold Kiwifruit and Vitamin C Consumption on Ameliorating Exercise‐Induced Stress Response in Women
Authors: Ali Ajmol , Mehta Sunali , Starck Carlene , Wong Marie , O'Brien Wendy J. , Haswell Cameron , McNabb Warren , Rutherfurd‐Markwick Kay , Ahmed Nasef Noha 
Published: April 2021

IntroductionMarkers of oxidative and psychological stress are elevated during high‐intensity exercise. Additionally, when energy intake does not match expenditure, women who actively participate in sports and exercise are at risk of developing menstrual dysfunction, infertility, and osteoporosis. Vitamin C is known to reduce exercise‐induced stress. Here, this study investigates the efficacy of consuming vitamin C from SunGold kiwifruit compared to in isolation, in ameliorating exercise‐induced stress in recreationally active women.Methods and ResultsTen eumenorrheic women are recruited in this crossover study and attended three exercise and one rest trial. In the exercise trials, participants consumed 300 mg vitamin C from kiwifruit or drink, or have a placebo drink, followed by 30‐min exercise on a cycle ergometer at 60% power. During rest visit, participants sat quietly and consumed a placebo drink. Salivary uric acid (oxidative stress) and cortisol (psychological stress) are measured before and immediately after exercise for 2 h. Both vitamin C and kiwifruit reduced exercise‐induced uric acid, immediately after exercise. Vitamin C drink continued to decrease uric acid for a further 30 min and slightly attenuated exercise‐induced cortisol.ConclusionsConsuming liquid vitamin C prior to high‐intensity cycling appears more effective than eating kiwifruit, in ameliorating exercise‐induced stress in recreationally active women of reproductive age.
Bilanz 2020: Bayer
Authors: Bulmahn Maren 
Published: April 2021

AbstractDer Bayer‐Konzern setzte im Jahr 2020 mit seiner umsatzstärksten Division, dem Agrargeschäft, mehr um als im Jahr zuvor. Bei rezeptpflichtigen Arzneimitteln sank der Umsatz, bei rezeptfreien Produkten stieg er.
Fingerabdrücke in Blau
Authors: Fischer Rachel , Oetken Marco 
Published: April 2021

AbstractFür die Spurensicherung ist die Kriminaltechnik nicht nur auf das Bestäuben von Oberflächen mit schwarzem Pulver angewiesen: Auf nicht saugenden und elektrisch leitfähigen Unterlagen liefert Berliner Blau, kathodisch abgeschieden, viele Details von Fingerabdrücken. Der Versuch funktioniert auch mit einer elektrochemischen Zelle aus Alltagsgegenständen.
Trendbericht: Elektronen‐Paramagnetische‐Resonanzspektroskopie
Authors: Schiemann Olav 
Published: April 2021

AbstractDie EPR‐Spektroskopie liefert Einblicke in die elektronischen und geometrischen Strukturen und Dynamiken von Systemen mit paramagnetischen Zentren. Dieser Beitrag präsentiert Beispiele für neue Spektrometer‐ und Methodenentwicklungen sowie deren Anwendungen in der Analytik, den Lebens‐ und Materialwissenschaften.
Ungewöhnliche Oxidationsstufen, (un)gewöhnliche Maßnahmen
Authors: Suta Makus , George Janine 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn einigen Oxidationsstufen zeigen Lanthanoide und Actinoide interessante optische oder magnetische Eigenschaften. Solche Oxidationsstufen zu stabilisieren erfordert oft unkonventionelle Ansätze und Lösungsmittel. Gleichzeitig ist das ein Beispiel für die Gültigkeit chemischer Modelle.
Characterizing nanoplastics‐induced stress and its SERS fingerprint in an intestinal membrane model
Authors: Zhang Qianyun , Reinhard Björn M. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractEpithelium membranes provide important barrier functions, and it is important to understand how nanoparticle (NP) exposure affects their barrier function. In this manuscript, we investigate NP‐induced stress in a Caco‐2 intestinal epithelial membrane model and its effect on the vibrational spectrum of the extracellular medium that can be sampled and investigated without perturbation of the cells. Monolayers of Caco‐2 cells were incubated with 50 nm diameter polystyrene (PS) NPs functionalized with amine or carboxylic acid groups and concentrations of 1 × 1012–1 × 1014PS NPs mL–1for 6 and 18 hours. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, cell viability, and intestinal membrane integrity measurements were performed to detect and quantify PS NP‐induced membrane damage under the acute exposure conditions. After identifying conditions that result in NP‐induced stress, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) was applied to monitor the composition of the medium in direct contact with the intestinal cells and to detect potential PS NP‐induced changes in the cellular metabolism in real time and in a minimally invasive fashion. The analysis of the SERS spectra through artificial intelligence algorithms and chemometric tools revealed concentration‐, exposure time‐, and surface chemistry‐dependent differences in the cellular metabolism in response to PS NPs. The SERS spectral analysis identifies the ring breathing mode of hypoxanthine (C4H4N4O), as a spectroscopic marker for the PS NP‐induced loss in membrane integrity.
On the pyrotechnic ignitors role in dust explosion testing: Comparison between 20 L and 1 m3 explosion vessels
Authors: Portarapillo Maria , Sanchirico Roberto , Di Benedetto Almerinda 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSeveral phenomena (e.g., initial turbulence level, overdriving, underdriving, etc.) affect the measurement of dust explosion parameters in the 20 L and 1 m3 standard test vessels. Estimating the role of each phenomenon is crucial to understand the discrepancies observed over the years between the data collected using these vessels. In this work, we focus on the role of the pyrotechnic ignitors on the pressure trend and the temperature distribution. We run explosion tests in the 20 L vessel to measure the pressure–time history generated by the explosion of pyrotechnic ignitors. Moreover, we performed CFD simulations to simulate the spatial/temporal evolution of the temperature map from the hot core due to the igniter explosion toward the vessel walls. The explosion of the pyrotechnic ignitors shows a significant increase of pressure in the 20 L vessel, suggesting that flame propagation is occurring inside the vessel. Furthermore, the localized increase of temperature due to the ignitor explosions, diffuse, and then uniformize much more rapidly in the 20 L vessel than in the 1 m3 vessel. The flame propagation generated by the ignitors is very relevant in the 20 L sphere leading to the overdriving phenomenon. This result justifies the fact that for many organic dusts, the deflagration index values measured in the 20 L are much higher than those measured in the 1 m3 vessel. CFD simulations show that the hot core generated by the ignitors dissipate much faster in the 20 L vessel than in the 1 m3 vessel, due to the higher turbulence level of the smaller vessel. Therefore, dusts whose combustion is controlled by particle heating are more prone to sustain combustion in the 1 m3 than in the 20 L vessel.
Mepolizumab asthma treatment failure due to refractory airway eosinophilia, which responded to benralizumab
Authors: Cook Alistair , Harrington John , Simpson Jodie L. , Wark Peter 
Published: April 2021

AbstractMonoclonal antibodies directed against interleukin (IL)‐5, such as mepolizumab and benralizumab, are an effective and established treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma. Here, we present a patient with eosinophilic asthma with a partial clinical response to mepolizumab initially, as measured by these biomarkers, who when investigated was found to have refractory airway eosinophilia. Escalation of the mepolizumab dose led to further but still only partial response. A treatment trial with benralizumab was more successful and led to suppression of airway eosinophilia. We review the literature, focusing on eosinophil biology at the tissues and the different mechanisms of action of the two agents.
Porous Structure Engineering of Iridium Oxide Nanoclusters on Atomic Scale for Efficient pH‐Universal Overall Water Splitting
Authors: Zhuang Linzhou , Xu Fang , Wang Keyu , Li Jianku , Liang Chen , Zhou Wei , Xu Zhi , Shao Zongping , Zhu Zhonghua 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWater electrolysis, which is a promising high‐purity H2 production method, lacks pH‐universality; moreover, highly efficient electrocatalysts that accelerate the sluggish anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are scarce. Geometric structure engineering and electronic structure modulation can be efficiently used to improve catalyst activity. Herein, a facile Ar plasma treatment method to fabricate a composite of uniformly dispersed iridium‐copper oxide nanoclusters supported on defective graphene (DG) to form IrCuOx@DG, is described. Acid leaching can be used to remove Cu atoms and generate porous IrOx nanoclusters supported on DG (P–IrOx@DG), which can serve as efficient and robust pH‐universal OER electrocatalysts. Moreover, when paired with commercial 20 wt% Pt/C, P–IrOx@DG can deliver current densities of 350.0, 317.6, and 47.1 mA cm−2 at a cell voltage of 2.2 V for overall water splitting in 0.5 m sulfuric acid, 1.0 m potassium hydroxide, and 1.0 m phosphate buffer solution, respectively, outperforming commercial IrO2 and nonporous IrOx nanoclusters supported on DG (O–IrOx@DG). Probing experiment, X‐ray absorption spectroscopy, and theoretical calculation results demonstrate that Cu removal can successfully create P–IrOx nanoclusters and introduce unsaturated Ir atoms. The optimum binding energies of oxygenated intermediate species on unsaturated Ir sites and ultrafine IrOx nanoclusters contribute to the high intrinsic OER catalytic activity of P–IrOx@DG.
Person Tracking Using Ankle‐Level LiDAR Based on Enhanced DBSCAN and OPTICS
Authors: Hasan Mahmudul , Hanawa Junichi , Goto Riku , Fukuda Hisato , Kuno Yoshinori , Kobayashi Yoshinori 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAlong with the progress of deep learning techniques, people tracking using video cameras became easy and accurate. However, privacy and security issues are not enough to be concerned with vision‐based monitoring. People may not be tolerated surveillance cameras installed everywhere in our daily life. A camera‐based system may not work robustly in unusual situations such as smoke, fogs, or darkness. To cope with these problems, we propose a two‐dimensional (2D) LiDAR‐based people tracking technique based on clustering algorithms. A LiDAR sensor is a prominent approach for tracking people without disclosing their identity, even under challenging conditions. For tracking people, we propose modified density‐based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) and ordering points to identify cluster structure (OPTICS) algorithms for clustering 2D LiDAR data. We have confirmed that our approach significantly improves the accuracy and robustness of people tracking through the experiments. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Population genetics of wild and captive Trachemysvenusta (Gray, 1856) (Reptilia: Emydidae) in the Usumacinta river basin in Mexico
Authors: Hernández‐García Jorge , Pedraza‐Lara Carlos , Rangel Mendoza Judith A. , Zenteno‐Ruiz Claudia Elena 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe Mesoamerican slider Trachemysvenusta is endemic to Central America and Southern Mexico. Several human‐mediated disturbances, including habitat degradation and illegal hunting for food, have impacted its populations along the Usumacinta river basin. The extent to which these disturbances have affected the genetic diversity and population structure of T. venusta inhabiting the basin remains unresolved. To this end, we analyzed eight microsatellite markers in five wild populations of T. venusta from the middle and lower reaches of the basin as well as one captive population. Our results show high levels of genetic diversity for all analyzed populations, low F
ST values, high gene flow and no genetic structure, indicating an absence of genetic differentiation across sites and, thus, a single panmictic population for the basin. Evidence of a genetic bottleneck was observed in two of the wild populations (and the captive one), indicating some impact from disturbances, whether from poaching or habitat fragmentation, despite the seemingly high connectivity of most populations. Results are discussed in terms of the relative importance of genetic parameters for the conservation of T. venusta, particularly in light of the importance of demographic stochasticity in local conditions undergoing rapid changes.
Do-It-Yourself Flood Risk Adaptation Strategies in the Neighborhoods of Kano City, Nigeria
Authors: Barau Aliyu , Wada Aliyu Sani 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe urban poor in developing countries is hit hardest by climate-related extreme events such as flooding. Also, informal settlements lacking municipal support and immediate public response to flooding incur losses and thus exacerbate their sufferings. Left out or left alone, the vulnerable people from some parts of the ancient city of Kano develop their own efforts to protect themselves against the recurrent flood events. Hence, this chapter examines the nature of community-driven do-it-yourself (DIY) adaptation The data was collected through field-based surveys, interviews, and questionnaires to enable in-depth analysis of the problem from socioecological point of view. The results identified flood drivers to include the nature of surface topography, torrential rainfalls, lapses, and inadequacies in the availability of drainage infrastructure and human behavioral lapses in drainage management. On the other hand, the DIY adaptation manifests in the use of sandbags, de-siltation of drainage, construction of fences, and drainage diversions. It is important to highlight that DIY adaptation is a good strategy; however, municipal authorities must come to the aid of such communities and revisit the absence of urban planning by supporting them through capacity building to find more effective solutions to the challenges of the changing climate and environment.
Experimental Platform
Authors: Sattari Amir Shoarian , Frühwirt Thomas , Maßmann Jobst , Nest Mathias , Naumann Dirk , Pötschke Daniel , Ruf Matthias , Kneuker Tilo , Vowinckel Bernhard , Furche Markus , Ziefle Gesa 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn order to investigate the barrier rocks, such as saltstone, claystone and crystalline, response under the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes, a series of laboratory and field tests in the scope of the GeomInt project are carried out.
Negative Spillovers in International Corporate Taxation and the European Union
Authors: Ates Leyla , Harari Moran , Meinzer Markus 
Published: April 2021

AbstractJurisdictions can engage in different types of aggressive tax policies to varying degrees. These policies can have negative spillover effects on other jurisdictions. In the realm of corporate taxation, these effects consist of base erosion and profit shifting and perceived pressures to reduce corporate taxes. Both direct and indirect effects undermine the efforts especially of developing countries at mobilising domestic resources to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We analyse the intensity of corrosive tax policies by exploiting a new legal dataset compiled for the Corporate Tax Haven Index (CTHI). Relying on rigorously defined indicators, the dataset allows comparative analyses of negative and positive spillover pathways in the corporate income tax systems of 64 jurisdictions. Tax policies under review comprise, for example, preferential tax regimes, extremely low tax rates agreed through secretive tax rulings, economic zones and tax holidays. Comparing the 27 European Union (EU) member states with five African developing countries, we find important differences. Except for two indicators (loss utilisation and economic zones/tax holidays), the European Union members are found to consistently engage in more aggressive corporate tax policies than the African countries. These heightened risks for negative spillovers emanating from the EU27 corporate tax rules stand in conflict with the stated intentions by the European Union to support good governance in tax matters and its commitment to ensure policy coherence for development. The chapter provides recommendations on how to reduce the risks for negative spillovers in corporate taxation and to exit the race to the bottom in corporate taxation.
Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development in International Tax Matters: A Way Forward for Donor Countries?
Authors: Meyer-Nandi Sathi 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe actual implementation of Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) in the area of international tax matters has some room for improvement undisputedly. Though civil servants agree that giving with one hand but taking with the other is inefficient and that seeking synergies between different policy areas is a good thing to do, the holistic dialogue between all relevant ministries and stakeholders is often missing. A big hurdle here is the technical subject matter, which makes a productive dialogue among different ministries and stakeholders often tricky, next to a different understanding of what benefits sustainable development. This is why PCSD is often lost in translation and stays a concept that constitutes the neglected hot potato despite being internationally endorsed. This chapter tries to provide some food for thought regarding potential measures donor countries could introduce to improve the alignment between their tax policy and their development effort. Suggestions will be given regarding tax treaty and tax transparency policies of donor countries and mechanisms to enhance cooperation between the tax administration of donor and developing countries. These measures aim at raising the revenues in developing countries, provide skill transfer while also contributing to a favorable investment climate through boosting tax certainty for companies and reducing the risk of double taxation.
Augmented Reality in Assembly Systems: State of the Art and Future Perspectives
Authors: Dalle Mura M. , Dini G. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAssembly represents a fundamental step in manufacturing, being a time-consuming and costly process, on which the final quality of the product mostly depends. Augmented Reality (AR) may represent a key tool to assist workers during assembly, thanks to the possibility to provide the user of real-time instructions and information superimposed on the work environment. Many implementations have been developed by industries and academic institutions for both manual and collaborative assembly. Among the most remarkable examples of the last few years are applications in guidance of complex tasks, training of personnel, quality control and inspection. This keynote paper aims to provide a useful survey by reviewing recent applications of AR in assembly systems, describing potential advantages, as well as current limitations and future perspectives.
Data Capture and Visualisation on a Shoestring: Demonstrating the Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring Project
Authors: McNally Michael J. , Chaplin Jack C. , Martínez-Arellano Giovanna , Ratchev Svetan 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe adoption of digital manufacturing in small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector in the UK is low, yet these technologies offer significant promise to boost productivity. Two major causes of this lack of uptake is the high upfront cost of digital technologies, and the skill gap preventing understanding and implementation. This paper describes a common approach to data capture and visualisation that is cheap and simple. Cheap through the utilisation of low cost and readily available consumer technologies, and simple through the pre-defined flexible approaches that require a minimum of configuration. This approach was implemented on three demonstrators to showcase the flexibility of the approach. These were a tool condition monitoring system, a job and machine status monitor, and a robotic process monitor. The development process resulted in a software architecture where processes were separated and communicated by message queues. We conclude that a service oriented architecture would be the best system for carrying forward the development process. This research was conducted as part of the wider EPSRC Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring project.
Gegen den Zufall anschreiben. Zu Tradition und Funktion des unzuverlässigen Erzählens in Alfred Anderschs Efraim (1967)
Authors: Aumüller Matthias 
Published: April 2021

ZusammenfassungDer Beitrag besteht aus drei Teilen. Zuerst wird erörtert, dass und inwiefern Anderschs Roman Efraim unzuverlässig erzählt ist. Die Zufallstheorie, die er über weite Strecken vertritt, soll als falsche Theorie verstanden werden. Im zweiten Teil wird dargelegt, welcher Tradition Andersch mit seiner Konzeption narrativer Unzuverlässigkeit folgt. Es ist nicht die Tradition Samuel Becketts, auf den im Roman wiederholt angespielt wird, sondern diejenige Max Frischs, auf den sich Andersch in Interview-Äußerungen auch selbst beruft. Im letzten Abschnitt werden drei Funktionen vorgestellt, die mit der Unzuverlässigkeit des Erzählers Efraim verknüpft sind, eine kognitive, weil sein reflektierendes Schreiben ihm einen Erkenntnisfortschritt beschert, eine emotionale, weil er auf diese Weise mit seiner Verzweiflung umgehen kann, und eine transtextuelle Funktion, die darin besteht, den Widerspruch der Leser zu provozieren.
Fundamental Elements of the Strategy Concept
Authors: Yu Xiu-bao 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThis chapter answerers and elaborates on the question of “what is strategy” which has been controversial in the discipline of strategic management over the past half a century. On the basis of proposing the “problem-oriented strategy” and “goal-oriented strategy”, the theory of three elements of the strategy concept is put forward, and is introduced in detail. The chapter suggests that the lack of any element of the three cannot constitute a complete strategy. A strategy without “development goal” is undirected and one that cannot identify “development problem” is confusing, while one without a “guideline” is unrealistic. The chapter also discusses the integrated relationship among the three elements.