bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prenatal diagnosis of genetic aberrations in fetuses with short femur detected by ultrasound: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Li Qinqin , Zhang Zhu , Wang Jiamin , Zhang Haixia , Zhu Hongmei , Lai Yi , Liu Shanling , Wang He , Hu Ting 
Published: June 2021

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate the genetic aberrations in fetuses with short femur and explore the relationships with respect to degree of femoral shortening and the initial diagnostic gestational age GA.MethodsSingleton pregnancies with fetal short femur who consented to amniocentesis and to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and Sanger sequencing for G380R mutations in FGFR3 gene were enrolled in this 5‐year period prospective study. Clinical follow‐up assessments were performed after birth.ResultsOf a total of 161 fetuses, the prevalence of genetic aberrations was 16.2% (26/161), comprised of 65.4% (17/26) with chromosomal abnormalities and 34.6% (9/26) with G380R mutations. All fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities had FL 2–4SDs below GA. Fewer chromosomal abnormalities were detected in fetuses with short femurs presenting in the third trimester. Significantly more FGFR3 mutations were detected in fetuses with FL below −4SDs. All fetuses with FL 2–4SDs below GA diagnosed as achondroplasia were between 22 and 24 gestational weeks, and all of those diagnosed in third trimester had FL below −4SDs.ConclusionIn this small cohort study, we demonstrated that different degrees of femur shortness may be attributed to different genetic aberrations. SNP array should be regarded as the first‐tier test for fetuses with FL 2−4SDs below GA. The prognoses for fetuses with FL 2–4SDs below GA was significantly better than those with FL below 4SDs.
The Auto‐Ignition Behaviors and Thermal Safety of the Composite Modified Double Base Propellants under Rapid Heating
Authors: Yang Meng , Liao Caiyue , Mai Zhaoming , Tang Chenglong , Han Wenhu , Wang Cheng , Xu Siyu , Li Heng , Huang Zuohua 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe safety issue of energetic materials (EMs) such as propellants or explosives has been a high concern. When EMs are subjected to rapid thermal stimulus, they will ignite or explode, which may cause personal injury and property loss. Studies on auto‐ignition behaviors and thermal safety of EMs under rapid thermal stimulation provide important guidelines for EMs in their production, transportation, storage, and application. In this work, auto‐ignition experiments of the composite modified double base (CMDB) propellants, which include 1,1‐diamino‐2,2‐dinitroethylene (FOX‐7) and hexahydro‐1,3,5‐trinitro‐1,3,5‐triazine (RDX) mixtures under high initial temperature condition, have been conducted by using a rapid compression machine (RCM). The temperature rise rate can reach up to 2×104 K/s. Pressure evolution recording and high speed‐visualization were synchronized to reveal the auto‐ignition behaviors of CMDB samples. Results show that the end of compression (EOC) temperature and pressure have a significant impact on the ignition delay time (IDT). The IDT increases with a decrease in temperature and pressure. In addition, through tuning the EOC temperature and pressure, the critical condition that separates the ignition region and non‐ignition region is obtained. The critical ignition temperature of CMDB decreases with an increase in pressure. When the pressure is higher than 2.0 MPa, the critical temperature is about 650 K.
Sorghum cover crop and repeated soil fumigation for purple nutsedge management in tomato production
Authors: Yu Jialin , Sharpe Shaun M , Boyd Nathan S 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBACKGROUNDPurple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus L.) is one of the most common and troublesome weeds. Field research trials were conducted in Florida to evaluate the effects of repeated fumigation and a sorghum sudangrass [Sorghum bicolor S. bicolor var. sudanense (Piper) Stapf.] cover crop on purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus L.) populations over time in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production.RESULTSAmong the soil fumigants, DMDS + metam potassium was consistently the most effective treatment in terms of in‐crop purple nutsedge control. Plots with a sorghum cover crop during the fallow period exhibited higher purple nutsedge density during the tomato growing season as well as higher purple nutsedge shoot and tuber densities during the fallow period compared to the chemical fallow.CONCLUSIONDMDS + metam potassium was the most effective fumigant for purple nutsedge control. Unexpectedly, a sorghum cover crop during the fallow period was less effective than chemical fallow for purple nutsedge management, and therefore we do not recommend the use of sorghum cover crops for weed management in fields where purple nutsedge is the major weed species.
Effect of high aspect ratio flaky aluminum on mechanical properties of epoxy‐based particulate composites
Authors: Rao Chethana P. , Periyapatna Ramakrishna , Haradanahalli Murthy 
Published: June 2021

AbstractEpoxy‐based polymer composites are used in the aerospace industry due to high strength, less shrinkage, and ready availability. However, they are brittle and this limitation is usually addressed by using additives. Soft additives typically increase the toughness at the cost of stiffness and are usually not preferred for high strength applications. On the contrary, rigid additives such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nanoclay increase the stiffness and tensile strength, but at the expense of strain at failure, indicating embrittlement. Also, these additives are expensive and this adds up to the overall product cost, limiting its application. Thus, this study aims to introduce a new low‐cost, high aspect ratio additive that toughens epoxy without compromising on its strength. Tensile test and impact test were conducted to procure mechanical properties for the composite, along with fractography using electron microscopy. These tests revealed that this new additive increased the tensile strength, impact strength, and strain at failure by 56%, 60%, and 200% for a very low weight fraction of 0.5% of the additive.
Trending machine learning models in cyber‐physical building environment: A survey
Authors: Hasan Zahid , Roy Nirmalya 
Published: June 2021

AbstractElectricity usage of buildings (including offices, malls, and residential apartments) represents a significant portion of a nation's energy expenditure and carbon footprint. In the United States, the buildings' appliances consume 72% of the total produced electricity approximately. In this regard, cyber‐physical system (CPS) researchers have put forth associated research questions to reduce cyber‐physical building environment energy consumption by minimizing the energy dissipation while securing occupants' comfort. Some of the questions in CPS building include finding the optimal HVAC control, monitoring appliances' energy usage, detecting insulation problems, estimating the occupants' number and activities, managing thermal comfort, intelligently interacting with the smart grid. Various machine learning (ML) applications have been studied in recent CPS researches to improve building energy efficiency by addressing these questions. In this paper, we comprehensively review and report on the contemporary applications of ML algorithms such as deep learning, transfer learning, active learning, reinforcement learning, and other emerging techniques that propose and envision to address the above challenges in the CPS building environment. Finally, we conclude this article by discussing diverse existing open questions and prospective future directions in the CPS building environment research.This article is categorized under:
Technologies > Machine Learning
Technologies > Reinforcement Learning
Pflegerische Versorgung in der ersten Welle der COVID-19-Pandemie
Authors: Räker Miriam , Klauber Jürgen , Schwinger Antje 
Published: June 2021

ZusammenfassungIm Rahmen der COVID-19-Pandemie gelten pflegebedürftige Menschen als besonders vulnerabel und anfällig für schwere Krankheitsverläufe. In der Folge zielten und zielen viele Maßnahmen zur Eindämmung der Pandemie auf den Schutz dieser Bevölkerungsgruppe, in erster Linie einhergehend mit Kontaktbeschränkungen. Gleichzeitig ist anzunehmen, dass die Pandemiebedingungen und die ergriffenen Maßnahmen Einfluss auf die pflegerische und gesundheitliche Versorgungssituation der pflegebedürftigen Personen haben. Mittels einer Online-Befragung wurden Pflege- und Bezugspersonen aus dem ambulanten und dem vollstationären Pflegesetting retrospektiv zu ihrer Wahrnehmung der Lebens- und Versorgungsbedingungen von ihnen nahestehenden pflegebedürftigen Menschen während der ersten Welle der COVID-19-Pandemie befragt. Die Analysen zeigen auf, dass es neben starken Einschränkungen der sozialen Teilhabe der pflegebedürftigen Personen auch zu Veränderungen in den Pflegearrangements gekommen ist. Die Befragten spiegeln deutliche soziale und psychische Belastungen der pflegebedürftigen Menschen wie auch ihrer gesundheitlichen bzw. ärztlichen Versorgung wider. Auch die Betreuenden selber zeigen deutlich gestiegene emotionale Belastungen.
Pole-skipping and hydrodynamic analysis in Lifshitz, AdS2 and Rindler geometries
Authors: Yuan Haiming , Ge Xian-Hui 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe “pole-skipping” phenomenon reflects that the retarded Green’s function is not unique at a pole-skipping point in momentum space (ω, k). We explore the universality of pole-skipping in different geometries. In holography, near horizon analysis of the bulk equation of motion is a more straightforward way to derive a pole-skipping point. We use this method in Lifshitz, AdS2and Rindler geometries. We also study the complex hydrodynamic analyses and find that the dispersion relations in terms of dimensionless variables$$ \frac{\omega }{2\pi T} $$ω2πTand$$ \frac{\left|k\right|}{2\pi T} $$k2πTpass through pole-skipping points$$ \left(\frac{\omega_n}{2\pi T},\frac{\left|{k}_n\right|}{2\pi T}\right) $$ωn2πTkn2πTat smallωandkin the Lifshitz background. We verify that the position of the pole-skipping points does not depend on the standard quantization or alternative quantization of the boundary theory in AdS2×ℝd−1geometry. In the Rindler geometry, we cannot find the corresponding Green’s function to calculate pole-skipping points because it is difficult to impose the boundary condition. However, we can still obtain “special points” near the horizon where bulk equations of motion have two incoming solutions. These “special points” correspond to the nonuniqueness of the Green’s function in physical meaning from the perspective of holography.
The Optimal Definition of Sarcopenia for Predicting Postoperative Pneumonia after Esophagectomy in Patients with Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Nambara Mikio , Miki Yuichiro , Tamura Tatsuro , Yoshii Mami , Toyokawa Takahiro , Tanaka Hiroaki , Lee Shigeru , Muguruma Kazuya , Shibata Toshihiko , Ohira Masaichi 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBackgroundEsophageal cancer (EC) is associated with malnutrition in the vast majority of patients, and this often leads to sarcopenia, which is characterised by loss of skeletal muscle mass (SMM). Although sarcopenia could be one of the risk factors for postoperative pneumonia (PP), the optimal definition of sarcopenia using skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) remains unknown for predicting PP after esophagectomy in patients with EC. Therefore, this study aimed to identify high‐risk patients for PP after esophagectomy through evaluating SMI by BIA and set an appropriate cut‐off value for this purpose.MethodA total of 73 patients with EC who underwent subtotal esophagectomy with lymph node dissection at Osaka City University Hospital between 2017 and 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. The association between PP and perioperative factors including SMI by BIA were analysed. When SMI was lower than the cut‐off values proposed by two study groups (Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) and original European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP)) or SMM was less than 90% of standard, the patient was diagnosed with sarcopenia. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to set the appropriate cut‐off value of SMI, and a new criterion (modified EWGSOP) was formulated by using the value. Clinicopathological factors and postoperative complications between sarcopenia and non‐sarcopenia groups were compared, which were classified by four different criteria: (1) AWGS, (2) original EWGSOP, (3) < 90% standard and (4) modified EWGSOP criteria.ResultsNine patients (12.3%) were with PP grade III or higher. Total SMI as well as body mass index (BMI), transthyretin and % vital capacity (%VC) were found to be significantly associated with PP (Clavien–Dindo grade ≥ III).BMI, total and appendicular SMI of sarcopenic patients were found to be lower than those of non‐sarcopenic patients. Low serum albumin and %VC were significantly associated with sarcopenia defined by modified EWGSOP criteria. The rate of PP was significantly higher in sarcopenic patients when the original and modified EWGSOP criteria were used (p = 0.0079 and 0.0015, respectively).A multivariate analysis revealed that sarcopenic state by modified EWGSOP criteria was the significant independent predictive factor of PP [p = 0.0031, hazard ratio (HR) = 10.1; 95% confidential interval (CI): 2.12–76.9].ConclusionPreoperative sarcopenia by modified EWGSOP criteria could be the best indicator using BIA for predicting PP after esophagectomy in patients with EC.
Eosinophils and eosinophil-associated disorders: immunological, clinical, and molecular complexity
Authors: Valent Peter , Degenfeld-Schonburg Lina , Sadovnik Irina , Horny Hans-Peter , Arock Michel , Simon Hans-Uwe , Reiter Andreas , Bochner Bruce S. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractEosinophils and their mediators play a crucial role in various reactive states such as bacterial and viral infections, chronic inflammatory disorders, and certain hematologic malignancies. Depending on the underlying pathology, molecular defect(s), and the cytokine- and mediator-cascades involved, peripheral blood and tissue hypereosinophilia (HE) may develop and may lead to organ dysfunction or even organ damage which usually leads to the diagnosis of a HE syndrome (HES). In some of these patients, the etiology and impact of HE remain unclear. These patients are diagnosed with idiopathic HE. In other patients, HES is diagnosed but the etiology remains unknown — these patients are classified as idiopathic HES. For patients with HES, early therapeutic application of agents reducing eosinophil counts is usually effective in avoiding irreversible organ damage. Therefore, it is important to systematically explore various diagnostic markers and to correctly identify the disease elicitors and etiology. Depending on the presence and type of underlying disease, HES are classified into primary (clonal) HES, reactive HES, and idiopathic HES. In most of these patients, effective therapies can be administered. The current article provides an overview of the pathogenesis of eosinophil-associated disorders, with special emphasis on the molecular, immunological, and clinical complexity of HE and HES. In addition, diagnostic criteria and the classification of eosinophil disorders are reviewed in light of new developments in the field.
A distorted copula-based evolution model: risks’ aggregation in a Bonus–Malus migration system
Authors: Bernardi Enrico , Romagnoli Silvia 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we put forward a new model to compute the loss distribution of an automobile insurance company’s portfolio evolving by a bonus–malus system. We allow for a continuous evolution of the demographic-economic system based on a migration’s rule which is refreshed in discrete time, i.e., at the monitoring times. Therefore, the migration’s probabilities are discretely updated through a technique based on the combinatorial distributions of claims’ arrival in the rating classes. This technique is hierarchical copula-based, a natural tool permitting us to represent the co-movement between claims’ arrivals and distorted due to the formalization of an arrival policy of claims, that restricts the set of combinatorial distributions to those representing the most probable scenarios, therefore distorting the loss function. At every monitoring date, the copula-based model computes the migration’s probabilities and the loss function which accommodates for a discrete-time dynamic of the claims’ reserving and the capital requirements. An empirical application, the evaluation of the claims’ reserving and the capital requirements for different kinds of hierarchies are analyzed, with real data originating with the General Insurance Association of Singapore.
Online voltage prediction using gaussian process regression for fault-tolerant photovoltaic standalone applications
Authors: Sanz-Alcaine José Miguel , Sebastián Eduardo , Sanz-Gorrachategui Iván , Bernal-Ruiz Carlos , Bono-Nuez Antonio , Pajovic Milutin , Orlik Philip V. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThis paper presents a fault detection system for photovoltaic standalone applications based on Gaussian Process Regression (GPR). The installation is a communication repeater from the Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro (CHE), public institution which manages the hydrographic system of Aragón, Spain. Therefore, fault-tolerance is a mandatory requirement, complex to fulfill since it depends on the meteorology, the state of the batteries and the power demand. To solve it, we propose an online voltage prediction solution where GPR is applied in a real and large dataset of two years to predict the behavior of the installation up to 48 hour. The dataset captures electrical and thermal measures of the lead-acid batteries which sustain the installation. In particular, the crucial aspect to avoid failures is to determine the voltage at the end of the night, so different GPR methods are studied. Firstly, the photovoltaic standalone installation is described, along with the dataset. Then, there is an overview of GPR, emphasizing in the key aspects to deal with real and large datasets. Besides, three online recursive multistep GPR model alternatives are tailored, justifying the selection of the hyperparameters: Regular GPR, Sparse GPR and Multiple Experts (ME) GPR. An exhaustive assessment is performed, validating the results with those obtained by Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Nonlinear Autoregressive Exogenous Model (NARX) networks. A maximum error of 127 mV and 308 mV at the end of the night with Sparse and ME, respectively, corroborates GPR as a promising tool.
Continuous-time state-space modelling of the hot hand in basketball
Authors: Mews Sina , Ötting Marius 
Published: June 2021

AbstractWe investigate the hot hand phenomenon using data on 110,513 free throws taken in the National Basketball Association. As free throws occur at unevenly spaced time points within a game, we consider a state-space model formulated in continuous time to investigate serial dependence in players’ success probabilities. In particular, the underlying state process can be interpreted as a player’s (latent) varying form and is modelled using the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. Our results support the existence of the hot hand, but the magnitude of the estimated effect is rather small as the underlying success probabilities are elevated by only a few percentage points.
Tau and TDP-43 synergy: a novel therapeutic target for sporadic late-onset Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Latimer Caitlin S. , Liachko Nicole F. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is traditionally defined by the presence of two types of protein aggregates in the brain: amyloid plaques comprised of the protein amyloid-β (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles containing the protein tau. However, a large proportion (up to 57%) of AD patients also have TDP-43 aggregates present as an additional comorbid pathology. The presence of TDP-43 aggregates in AD correlates with hippocampal sclerosis, worse brain atrophy, more severe cognitive impairment, and more rapid cognitive decline. In patients with mixed Aβ, tau, and TDP-43 pathology, TDP-43 may interact with neurodegenerative processes in AD, worsening outcomes. While considerable progress has been made to characterize TDP-43 pathology in AD and late-onset dementia, there remains a critical need for mechanistic studies to understand underlying disease biology and develop therapeutic interventions. This perspectives article reviews the current understanding of these processes from autopsy cohort studies and model organism-based research, and proposes targeting neurotoxic synergies between tau and TDP-43 as a new therapeutic strategy for AD with comorbid TDP-43 pathology.
Exploring the diversification benefits of US international equity closed-end funds
Authors: Fletcher Jonathan 
Published: June 2021

AbstractI use the simulation approach of Jobson and Korkie (J Portfolio Manag 7:70–74, 1981), combined with Michaud optimization (Michaud and Michaud, Efficient asset management: a practical guide to stock portfolio optimization and asset allocation, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2008), to evaluate whether US international equity closed-end funds (CEF) provide out-of-sample diversification benefits. My study finds that international CEF do not provide diversification benefits across the whole sample period. However, the out-of-sample diversification benefits of international CEF do vary across economic states. I find that there are significant diversification benefits when the lagged one-month US Treasury Bill return is lower than normal, and when higher than normal, regardless of the benchmark investment universe used.
Economic lot-sizing problem with remanufacturing option: complexity and algorithms
Authors: Arulselvan Ashwin , Akartunalı Kerem , van den Heuvel Wilco 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn a single item dynamic lot-sizing problem, we are given a time horizon and demand for a single item in every time period. The problem seeks a solution that determines how much to produce and carry at each time period, so that we will incur the least amount of production and inventory cost. When the remanufacturing option is included, the input comprises of number of returned products at each time period that can be potentially remanufactured to satisfy the demands, where remanufacturing and inventory costs are applicable. For this problem, we first show that it cannot have a fully polynomial time approximation scheme. We then provide a polynomial time algorithm, when we make certain realistic assumptions on the cost structure.
Der Gang in den Schatten der Macht
Authors: Bartels Jan-Eric , Springer Frederik 
Published: June 2021

ZusammenfassungEin erheblicher Anteil der Parteimitglieder in Deutschland entfällt auf Klein(st)parteien. So stellt die Gruppe der Klein(st)parteien summiert die drittmeisten Parteimitglieder in Deutschland. In Anbetracht einer wachsenden Anzahl und eines zunehmenden Stimmenanteils von Klein(st)parteien ist von einer steigenden Relevanz ihrer Mitgliedschaft auszugehen. Über diese große Gruppe ist, trotz vieler Untersuchungen von Parteimitgliedern im Allgemeinen, bisher sehr wenig bekannt. Dieser Beitrag ermittelt mit Schwerpunkt auf dem General-Incentives-Modell die Motivationen für den „Gang in den Schatten der Macht“. Mittels Rückgriff auf Daten der Deutschen Parteimitgliederstudie 2009 wird gezeigt, dass die Mitgliedschaft in einer Klein(st)partei vor allem durch die Unzufriedenheit mit politischen Akteuren und dem System insgesamt sowie aus ideologischer Motivation gespeist wird. Klein(st)parteimitglieder sind ferner aktiver in ihrer Partei, verknüpfen mit ihrer Mitgliedschaft eher die Übernahme von Parteiämtern und ziehen eine größere Befriedigung aus ihrer Mitgliedschaft.