bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Computing low‐rank approximations of the Fréchet derivative of a matrix function using Krylov subspace methods
Authors: Kandolf Peter , Koskela Antti , Relton Samuel D. , Schweitzer Marcel 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe Fréchet derivative of the matrix function plays an important role in many different applications, including condition number estimation and network analysis. We present several different Krylov subspace methods for computing low‐rank approximations of when the direction term is of rank one (which can easily be extended to general low rank). We analyze the convergence of the resulting methods both in the Hermitian and non‐Hermitian case. In a number of numerical tests, both including matrices from benchmark collections and from real‐world applications, we demonstrate and compare the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed methods.
Tack measurement of bindered rovings for the dry fiber winding process
Authors: Neunkirchen Stefan , Schledjewski Ralf 
Published: June 2021

AbstractFor the winding of dry (e.g., not impregnated) fibers on convex structures, an adhesive force between surface and roving has to be established. Providing friction is necessary to prevent the roving from slipping. Usually, rovings impregnated or coated with (epoxy‐) binder material are used. The investigation of the tack performance of these rovings differs from established studies on pressure‐sensitive adhesives and prepregs. It was found that the common probe test is not suitable for bindered rovings. Instead, shear tests were performed on a heated, flat plate with a robotic winding setup. The horizontal force to pull the roving from the plate was measured. Variation of temperature was in focus. Compaction force, pulling speed, and twisting of the roving were also investigated. It could be seen that compaction and thorough heating are the key factors. Due to the small surface, twisting had no significant effect on the tack behavior.
The immunomodulatory effects of opioids and implications for intensive care unit populations
Authors: Mefford Breanne , Donaldson J. Chris , Bissell Brittany D. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAnalgesia within the intensive care unit (ICU) is often achieved via the utilization of opioids in alignment with current guidelines. Recent evidence has not only demonstrated the potential impact of opioids in suppression of immune function, but also the potential harm of immunosuppression of patients within the ICU. Despite the potential immunosuppression seen with opioids in this at‐risk population, their use remains frequent. In this review, we highlight the potential immunomodulatory impact of opioids within the critically ill and considerations for their use.
Prickle morphogenesis in rose is coupled with secondary metabolite accumulation and governed by canonical MBW transcriptional complex
Authors: Swarnkar Mohit Kumar , Kumar Pawan , Dogra Vivek , Kumar Sanjay 
Published: June 2021

AbstractRose is an economically important flowering plant that holds an essential place in cut flower, medicinal, and aromatic industries. The presence of prickles, epidermal outgrowths resembling trichomes, on rose is highly undesirable as these make harvesting and transportation difficult. Attempts were made for generating rose varieties lacking prickles via breeding and natural selections; however, these approaches obtained only chimeric and genetically unstable prickle‐less mutants. The alternative way to get rid of prickles is via genetic manipulations, but the molecular mechanisms of prickle initiation and development in rose are almost unexplored. Therefore, the present study was carried out to understand the morphological, molecular, and correlated metabolic changes underlining prickle morphogenesis in a prickle‐bearing Rosa hybrida L. cv. “First Red (FR)”. The histological and metabolomic analyses at three distinct stages of the prickle morphogenesis, namely, emerging tiny initiating prickles, partially greenish soft prickles, and brownish hard prickles, demonstrated a gradually increasing deposition of phenolic compounds and lignification with development. Corresponding RNAseq analysis revealed an upregulation of the genes involved in secondary metabolism, especially in the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway. A set of genes encoding a transcriptional network similar to the one regulating epidermal cell differentiation leading to phenylpropanoid accumulation and trichome development, was also upregulated. Differential expression of this transcriptional network in prickle‐less R. hybrida L. cv. “Himalayan Wonder” compared to prickly FR plants substantiated its involvement in prickle morphogenesis. The results collectively supported the proposition that prickles are evolved from trichomes and provided molecular clues towards engineering prickle‐less roses.Significance statementPrickles, the vasculature less epidermal outgrowths resembling trichomes, are defense organs protecting plants against herbivory. Despite biological significance, the mechanism of prickle morphogenesis remains obscure. Here, we show that like trichomes, prickles accumulate secondary metabolites, especially lignin and flavonoids, during morphogenesis. Cognate transcriptome analysis demonstrated that upregulation of a hormone‐regulated transcriptional activation–inhibition network, known to govern trichome morphogenesis, likely triggers the differentiation of epidermal cells to outgrow into prickle.
Overall survival in metastatic melanoma correlates with pembrolizumab exposure and T cell exhaustion markers
Authors: Navani Vishal , Graves Moira C. , Marchett Giovana Celli , Mandaliya Hiren , Bowden Nikola A. , van der Westhuizen Andre 
Published: June 2021

AbstractTrial data support an absence of an exposure–survival relationship for pembrolizumab. As these relationships remain unexamined in a real‐world setting, we determined them in metastatic melanoma prospectively in an observational study. Translational objectives included identifying biomarkers of progressive disease (PD). Checkpoint blockade naïve patients receiving 2 mg/kg Q3W pembrolizumab had pharmacokinetic and clinical outcome data collected. Trough, a valid surrogate for drug exposure, was assessed using ELISA. T‐cell exhaustion and chemokine markers were determined using flow cytometry. Geometric means of exposures and biomarkers were tested against objective response groups using one‐way ANOVA. The cohort was split by the median into high versus low pembrolizumab exposure groups. Kaplan–Meier progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) curves were estimated for high versus low exposure, compared using the log rank test. The high pembrolizumab exposure group (n = 14) experienced substantially longer median OS (not reached vs. 48 months, p = .014), than the low exposure group (n = 14). A similar positive exposure PFS relationship was found (median not reached vs. 48 months, p = .045). The frequency of TIM‐3 expression on CD4+ T cells was significantly higher in PD (mean 27.8%) than complete response (CR) (13.38%, p = .01) and partial response (12.4%, p = .05). There was a near doubling of CXCR6 and TIM‐3 co‐expression on CD4+ T cells in PD (mean 23.3%) versus CR (mean 11.4, p = .003) and partial response (9.8%, p = .0001). We describe positive exposure‐PFS and exposure‐OS relationships for pembrolizumab in metastatic melanoma. TIM‐3, alongside co‐expression of CXCR6 and TIM‐3 on circulating CD4+ T cells are potential bio markers of treatment failure.
Evolutionary Computation for Adaptive Quantum Device Design
Authors: Mortimer Luke , Estarellas Marta P. , Spiller Timothy P. , D'Amico Irene 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAs noisy intermediate‐scale quantum (NISQ) devices grow in number of qubits, determining good or even adequate parameter configurations for a given application, or for device calibration, becomes a cumbersome task. An evolutionary algorithm is presented here which allows for the automatic tuning of the parameters of any arrangement of coupled qubits, to perform a given task with high fidelity. The algorithm's use is exemplified with the generation of schemes for the distribution of quantum states and the design of multi‐qubit gates. The algorithm is demonstrated to converge very rapidly, yielding unforeseeable designs of quantum devices that perform their required tasks with excellent fidelities. Given these promising results, practical scalability, and application versatility, the approach has the potential to become a powerful technique to aid the design and calibration of NISQ devices.
Model‐free adaptive consensus tracking control for unknown nonlinear multi‐agent systems with sensor saturation
Authors: Zhao Huarong , Peng Li , Yu Hongnian 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThis article proposes a distributed model‐free adaptive consensus tracking control (DMFACTC) approach for a class of unknown heterogeneous nonlinear discrete‐time multi‐agent systems (MASs) with sensor saturation and measurement disturbance to perform consensus tracking tasks. Meanwhile, both fixed and switching topologies are considered, where only a subset of agents can acquire the desired trajectory information in each topology. A time‐varying linear data model for each agent is first established by utilizing the dynamic linearization method to formulate this algorithm. Merely, the input data and the saturated output data with measurement disturbance of each agent are applied to construct the DMFACTC algorithm without employing any dynamics model information of MASs. The convergence of the designed scheme is strictly proved. It illustrates that the output saturation and switching topologies do not affect the stability of MASs. Moreover, even if the sensor saturation, measurement disturbance, and switching topologies happen simultaneously, the DMFACTC also guarantees that the tracking errors of MASs converge to a small range around the origin. Furthermore, two numerical simulations and a realistic filling system simulation further verify the correctness and effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Laser Therapy for Genital Lichen Sclerosus: A Systematic Review of the Current Evidence Base
Authors: Tasker F. , Kirby L. , Grindlay D. J. C. , Lewis F. , Simpson R. C. 
Published: June 2021

Abstract

Background
Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic, inflammatory dermatosis. Initial treatment with superpotent topical corticosteroids is the accepted and evidence-based first-line therapy. For those who do not respond after exclusion of other potentiating factors, the best second-line therapy is unclear. Laser therapy is an emerging treatment for genital LS and despite uncertain efficacy its use is gaining popularity in the private sector.

Objectives
We aimed to review the effectiveness of laser therapy for genital LS in men, women and children.

Methods
We conducted a systematic review of all primary studies reporting the use of laser in genital LS. Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Ovid Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science, CINAHL and PsycINFO were searched from inception to February 2021. The quality of the studies was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials, ROBINS-I tool for non-randomized trials and Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for case studies.

Results
A total of 24 studies, involving 616 adults, met inclusion criteria. These were six randomized controlled trials (RCTs), one non-randomized trial, nine single arm trials and eight case series. Where assessed, most studies suggest that laser therapy in patients with LS may improve symptoms, clinical signs, quality of life and sexual function. However, results were highly heterogeneous and methodological quality was very low, therefore meta-analysis was not possible.

Conclusions
There is poor evidence to support the use of laser therapy for genital LS at present. Effectiveness of laser needs to be robustly investigated in well-conducted RCTs.
A Burgess Shale mandibulate arthropod with a pygidium: a case of convergent evolution
Authors: Izquierdo‐López Alejandro , Caron Jean‐Bernard 
Published: June 2021

AbstractCambrian bivalved arthropods are a polyphyletic group of carapace‐bearing arthropods that includes stem euarthropods, stem mandibulates and crustaceans. Here, we describe Pakucaris apatis gen. et sp. nov., a new stem mandibulate bivalved arthropod from the middle Cambrian (Wuliuan Stage) Burgess Shale (Marble Canyon, Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada). Two morphotypes of this small arthropod (11.6–26.6 mm long) are recognized, which differ mainly in their size and number of segments, possibly reflecting sexual dimorphism or different anamorphic stages. The carapace presents a dorsal crest extending anteriorly into a small recurved rostrum and two anterolateral processes. Around 20% of the posteriormost body segments and limbs are covered by a large spine‐bearing shield. The head bears a pair of eyes, a possible pair of unsegmented appendicular projections and two pairs of segmented appendages. The thorax is multisegmented, homonomous, with weakly sclerotized segments bearing biramous limbs, composed of a stenopodous endopod with c. 20 podomeres and a paddle‐shaped exopod. Pakucaris is interpreted as a nektobenthic suspension feeder. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis implies a position within Hymenocarina as stem mandibulates. The posterior shield is regarded as a pygidium, and represents a case of morphofunctional convergent evolution between mandibulates, artiopodans and mollisoniids. Furthermore, Pakucaris adds to a growing number of pygidium‐bearing arthropods, potentially hinting at a common developmental pattern across early arthropod evolution. This study not only increases our understanding of the early evolution of mandibulates, but also illustrates a unique case of early evolutionary convergence during the Cambrian Explosion.
Estimation of the kinetic parameters of chlorinated polyvinyl chloride waste pyrolysis by particle swarm optimization
Authors: Li Ang , Zhang Wenlong , Huang Biqing , Zhou Ru , Zhang Juan , Ding Yanming 
Published: June 2021

AbstractChlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) is a widely‐used material in various fields with excellent properties. However, CPVC waste is one of the most intractable solids to dispose of. With the development of pyrolysis technology, some advantages have been exhibited, for example, it is flexible to convert solid waste into clean products by pyrolysis, which can be used as energy. Therefore, pyrolysis is considered as an effective method to dispose of solid waste. Especially, kinetic parameters are significant for pyrolysis, which contributes to reactor design and waste management. To better apply the kinetic parameters of CPVC to dispose of waste, thermogravimetric experiments were conducted to obtain the kinetic parameters and establish the reaction mechanism. The Tang, distributed activation energy model, and Advanced Vyazovkin methods were used to calculate the activation energy, and the reaction order was obtained by the Coats‐Redfern method. The results showed that the reaction consisted of two stages, and the average activation energy of the corresponding stage was 153.27 and 290.55 kJ/mol, respectively. However, the abovementioned parameters by traditional methods were not enough to characterize the whole pyrolysis behaviors, then the obtained kinetic parameters were further optimized and extra parameters were computed by the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm.
Vanishing‐viscosity solutions to a rate‐independent two‐field gradient damage model
Authors: Betz Livia 
Published: June 2021

AbstractA rate‐independent damage model which features two damage variables coupled through a penalty term in the stored energy is considered. Since the energy functional is nonconvex, solutions may be discontinuous in time. This calls for suitable notions of (weak) solutions which allow for jumps. We resort to a vanishing‐viscosity approach based on an arclength parametrization, where parametrized solutions arise as a limit of the (reparametrized) graphs of the viscous solutions in the extended state space. This enables us to prove that vanishing‐viscosity solutions exist and belong to the class of parametrized solutions. We show that the latter can be characterized in various different ways. These alternative formulations highlight the influence of the viscous effects at the jump points, while at the continuity points, the evolution displays a rate‐independent behavior. As it turns out, the behavior of the system at each jump point is described by an ordinary differential equation in Banach space during which the physical time is constant.
Unsteady MHD flow due to eccentric rotations of a porous disk and an oscillating fluid at infinity
Authors: Hussain Zahid 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAn exact solution of time dependent Navier‐Stokes equations is constructed by taking the flow due to eccentric rotations of a porous disk and an oscillating fluid at infinity into account under the influence of a uniform magnetic field. Laplace transform technique is utilized to obtain the shear stress components in the fluid and on the disk and analytical solution of the proposed problem. Three cases when the angular velocity is greater than, smaller than or equal to the frequency of oscillation are studied. The impacts of the involved parameters of interest on the velocity profiles are highlighted and discussed through many graphs. Existing results are recovered as the limiting case of the present work.
Introduction
Authors: Oude Groote Beverborg Arnoud , Feldhoff Tobias , Maag Merki Katharina , Radisch Falk 
Published: June 2021

AbstractSchools are continuously confronted with various forms of change, including changes in students’ demographics, large-scale educational reforms, and accountability policies aimed at improving the quality of education. On the part of the schools, this requires sustained adaptation to, and co-development with, such changes to maintain or improve educational quality. As schools are multilevel, complex, and dynamic organizations, many conditions, factors, actors, and practices, as well as the (loosely coupled) interplay between them, can be involved therein (e.g. professional learning communities, accountability systems, leadership, instruction, stakeholders, etc.). School improvement can thus be understood through theories that are based on knowledge of systematic mechanisms that lead to effective schooling in combination with knowledge of context and path dependencies in individual school improvement journeys. Moreover, because theory-building, measuring, and analysing co-develop, fully understanding the school improvement process requires basic knowledge of the latest methodological and analytical developments and corresponding conceptualizations, as well as a continuous discourse on the link between theory and methodology. The complexity places high demands on the designs and methodologies from those who are tasked with empirically assessing and fostering improvements (e.g. educational researchers, quality care departments, and educational inspectorates).
Concept and Design Developments in School Improvement Research: General Discussion and Outlook for Further Research
Authors: Feldhoff Tobias , Maag Merki Katharina , Oude Groote Beverborg Arnoud , Radisch Falk 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThis book aimed to present innovative designs, measurement instruments, and analysis methods by way of illustrative studies. Through these methodology and design developments, the complexity of school improvement in the context of new governance and accountability measures can be better depicted in future research projects. In this concluding chapter, we discuss what strengths the presented methodologies and designs have and to what extent they do better justice to the multilevel, complex, and dynamic nature of school improvement than previous approaches. In addition, we outline some needs for future research in order to gain new perspectives for future studies.
Introduction: Corruption, Empire and Colonialism in the Modern Era: Towards a Global Perspective
Authors: Kroeze Ronald , Dalmau Pol , Monier Frédéric 
Published: June 2021

AbstractScandal, corruption, exploitation and abuse of power have been linked to the history of modern empire-building. Colonial territories often became promised lands where individuals sought to make quick fortunes, sometimes in collaboration with the local population but more often at the expense of them. On some occasions, these shady dealings resulted in scandals that reached back to the metropolis, questioning civilising discourses in parliaments and the press, and leading to reforms in colonial administrations. This book is a first attempt to discuss the topic of corruption, empire and colonialism in a systematic manner and from a global comparative perspective. It does so through a set of original studies that examines the multi-layered nature of corruption in four different empires (Great Britain, Spain, the Netherlands and France) and their possessions in Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa.
Corrupt and Rapacious: Colonial Spanish-American Past Through the Eyes of Early Nineteenth-Century Contemporaries. A Contribution from the History of Emotions
Authors: Prieto Moisés 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAround 1800, merchants, scientists and adventurers travelled to Latin America with different purposes. Their multifaceted interests in a world region, experiencing a threshold of independence from Spanish colonial rule, inspired new historical and political works about the continent’s recent past. The Enlightenment provided not only the philosophical armamentarium against corruption, but it also paved the way to a new expression of sentiments and to the loss of fear when addressing injustice. Some examples of these are Hipólito Villaroel’s list of grievances and Humboldt’s Political essay. These two authors provide some thoughts on the political landscape of New Spain (now Mexico), while the two Swiss physicians Rengger and Longchamp describe the ruthless and odd dictator Francia of independent Paraguay as a champion of anti-corruption. Finally, Argentine dictator Rosas—and his robberies as described by Rivera Indarte, Sarmiento and other anonymous authors—represent the embodiment of corruption through pure larceny, for whose crimes the Spanish colonial past apparently no longer served as a comparison.
Colonial Normativity? Corruption in the Dutch–Indonesian Relationship in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
Authors: Kroeze Ronald 
Published: June 2021

AbstractKroeze takes the Dutch–Indonesian histories of colonial state formation as a common base to test several hypotheses that are informed by debates in the historiography of corruption and (post-)colonialism. One is that corruption is never a neutral objective term, and that when it is used in a colonial context it serves to set or challenge norms that underly colonial power structures. By invoking scandals and asking for reform, elites challenged existing norms in order to maintain exclusive power structures of (late) colonial state formation and economic exploitation. Kroeze also argues that cases of colonial corruption show how the metropole and colony were interlinked and influenced each other. Political changes in the metropole, such as the growing influence of more morally outspoken Protestant and Liberal politicians, as well as experiences of misuse in the colony, together caused the emergence of the Dutch equivalent of the civilising mission: the so-called “Ethical Policy”.