bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lettau’s Contribution to the Obukhov Length Scale: A Scientific Historical Study
Authors: Foken Thomas , Börngen Michael 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIt has been repeatedly assumed that Heinz Lettau found the Obukhov length in 1949 independently of Obukhov in 1946. However, it was not the characteristic length scale, the Obukhov length L, but the ratio of height and the Obukhov length (z/L), the Obukhov stability parameter, that he analyzed. Whether Lettau described the parameter z/L independently of Obukhov is investigated herein. Regardless of speculation about this, the significant contributions made by Lettau in the application of z/L merit this term being called the Obukhov–Lettau stability parameter in the future.
Efficacy of intravitreal ziv-aflibercept in patients with macular edema following retinal vein occlusion in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana: a retrospective case series
Authors: Braimah Imoro Zeba , Agyabeng Kofi , Amoaku Winfried M. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAimTo evaluate the efficacy of ziv-aflibercept in Ghanaian patients with macular edema (ME) secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO).MethodologyIn this retrospective study, the medical records of patients with ME secondary to RVO who had been treated with intravitreal ziv-aflibercept (IVZ) (1.25 mg/0.05 ml), as part of routine clinical practice, on pro re nata basis with a minimum follow-up of 6 months were retrieved and analyzed. The main outcome measures are mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central subfield foveal thickness (CSFT) measured on optical coherence tomography from baseline to 12 months post-IVZ, and ocular and systemic safety.ResultsForty-three eyes were included in this study. Their mean age was 62.8 ± 11.9 years, 67.4% had at least 12-month duration of follow-up, 50% had primary open-angle glaucoma and 38 (88.4%) eyes were treatment naive. There was significant improvement in mean BCVA in LogMAR at 1 month post-initiation of IVZ (0.8 ± 0.5 vs. 1.1 ± 0.6), and visual improvement was maintained up to 12 months (p < 0.001). Eyes with ME following BRVO had better mean BCVA at baseline and on subsequent visits compared to eyes with CRVO/HRVO (p = 0.01). There was significant reduction in mean CSFT up to 12 months post-IVZ injection compared to baseline (p < 0.001). Ocular complications observed were consistent with complications associated with RVO.ConclusionWe have observed significant improvement in functional and anatomic outcomes 12 months post-initiation of IVZ. There is the need to confirm long-term efficacy and safety of IVZ in a large prospective study.
Big science and innovation: gestation lag from procurement to patents for CERN suppliers
Authors: Bastianin Andrea , Castelnovo Paolo , Florio Massimo , Giunta Anna 
Published: March 2021

AbstractCERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is the most important laboratory for particle physics in the world. It requires cutting edge technologies to deliver scientific discoveries. This paper investigates the time span needed for technology suppliers of CERN to absorb the knowledge acquired during the procurement relation and develop it into a patent. We estimate count data models relying on a sample of CERN suppliers for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a particle accelerator. Firms in our sample received their first LHC-related order over a long-time span (1995–2008). This fact is exploited to estimate the time lag that separates the beginning of the procurement relationship and the filing date of patents. Becoming a supplier of CERN is associated with a statistically significant increase in the number of patent applications by firms. Moreover, such an effect requires a relatively long gestation lag in the range of five to eight years.
In Vitro and In Vivo Effects of Palmaria palmata Derived Peptides on Glucose Metabolism
Authors: Harnedy-Rothwell Pádraigín A. , McLaughlin Chris M. , Le Gouic Aurélien V. , Mullen Ciaran , Parthsarathy Vadivel , Allsopp Philip J. , McSorley Emeir M. , FitzGerald Richard J. , O’Harte Finbarr P. M. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThree synthetic peptides, ILAP, LLAP and MAGVDHI, derived from a Palmaria palmata protein hydrolysate were assessed for their antidiabetic potential in vitro and in vivo. In addition to inhibiting dipeptidyl peptidase-IV in a cell-based in situ assay all three peptides significantly increased the half-life of the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). ILAP and LLAP mediated a significant increase (p < 0.001) in insulin secretion from BRIN-BD11 cells compared to the glucose control, while MAGVDHI had no insulinotropic activity at an eqimolar concentration (10–6 M). A significant increase in the concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate production in BRIN-BD11 cells mediated by ILAP (p < 0.001) and LLAP (p < 0.01) compared to the basal control, would indicate that insulin secretion may be mediated by membrane based activation. Furthermore, ILAP and LLAP acted as glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) secretagogues, stimulating a significant increase (p < 0.01) in the concentration of GIP released from enteroendocrine STC-1 cells compared to the glucose control. When tested in vivo in healthy male NIH Swiss mice, ILAP and LLAP, mediated a significant increase (p < 0.01) in plasma insulin and decrease (p < 0.05) in blood glucose, respectively, compared to the control. MAGVDHI mediated a significant (p < 0.001) sustained reduction in food intake in food deprived trained mice. These results demonstrate that the Palmaria palmata peptides studied herein have prospective antidiabetic activity and have the potential to act as agents that can be used alone or in combination with drugs, to aid in the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Nature and climate change effects on economic growth: an LSTM experiment on renewable energy resources
Authors: Mele Marco , Gurrieri Antonia Rosa , Morelli Giovanna , Magazzino Cosimo 
Published: March 2021

AbstractGlobal energy demand increases overtime, especially in emerging market economies, producing potential negative environmental impacts, particularly on the long term, on nature and climate changes. Promoting renewables is a robust policy action in world energy-based economies. This study examines if an increase in renewables production has a positive effect on the Brazilian economy, partially offsetting the SARS-CoV2 outbreak recession. Using data on Brazilian economy, we test the contribution of renewables on the economy via a ML architecture (through a LSTM model). Empirical findings show that an ever-greater use of renewables may sustain the economic growth recovery, generating a better performing GDP acceleration vs. other energy variables.
Assessment of leakage management in small water supplies using performance indicators
Authors: Klosok-Bazan Iwona , Boguniewicz-Zablocka Joanna , Suda Aneta , Łukasiewicz Ewelina , Anders Dorota 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe revision of the Drinking Water Directive (DWD), which the process of consultation by the European Parliament is coming to the end, includes a commitment for all Member States to assess the level of water leakage. The overarching aim of this action is to reduce water loss through leaks. In regard to this, use of performance indicators as suitable to enable assessment of water utility performance with regard to leakage reduction, including impacts on environment and cost-efficiency, is recommended. The paper provides results from water losses evaluation with the set of performance indicators (PI), considering dependence on the availability of resources and specific operating conditions. An analysis of different PI that are necessary to evaluate in most of leakage reduction methods was conducted considering step-by-step approach. Furthermore, the most relevant data for leakage analysis and management on a network level was determined. Presented PI can be used to improve leakage management of small water supply system. Similarly as in the Deming cycle, the described tool provides for planning activities, executing activities in accordance with the plan, checking the degree of execution of objectives included in the plan, and on the basis of conducted analyses and lessons learned, the so-called improvement. The results of the analysis lead to the conclusion that through a comprehensive, systematically improved strategy, the high effectiveness of the system could be reach. The reliable monitoring does not have to be based on advanced technological methods, which are often unavailable for small water supply system, due to high investment and operating costs. The results indicate that integrated IT systems, as SCADA, might not be directly beneficial to water loss management in small networks with moderate leakage levels.
The Development of the Turkish Craving for Online Shopping Scale: A Validation Study
Authors: Savci Mustafa , Ugur Erol , Ercengiz Mustafa , Griffiths Mark D. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn the present study, the Turkish version of the Craving for Online Shopping Scale (TCOSS) was developed by modifying items on the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS). The sample comprised 475 adult volunteers (233 women and 242 men) from three different non-clinical samples recruited online. The structure validity of the TCOSS was examined utilizing exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and criterion validity testing. The EFA showed that the TCOSS had a unidimensional structure that explained 80% of the total variance. The five-item unidimensional structure of the TCOSS then underwent further testing using two different samples. First, the structure of the TCOSS was tested using CFA, which confirmed the unidimensional factor structure. Second, measurement invariance of the TCOSS was conducted through structural invariance, metric invariance, and scalar invariance across different samples. This demonstrated the TCOSS had measurement invariance across different samples (CFA and criterion validity samples). Criterion validity of the TCOSS was tested using the Internet Addiction Test-Short Form, Brief Self-Control Scale, Compulsive Online Shopping Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and self-reported personal information. According to the criterion validity results, the TCOSS assessed the structure it targets. Cronbach’s α internal consistency coefficients of the TCOSS were .94 in the EFA sample, .94 in the CFA sample, and .96 in the criterion validity sample. When validity and reliability analysis of the TCOSS are considered as a whole, it is concluded that the TCOSS is a valid and reliable scale for assessing craving for online shopping among online shoppers.
Real-time FPGA-based implementation of the AKAZE algorithm with nonlinear scale space generation using image partitioning
Authors: Soleimani Parastoo , Capson David W. , Li Kin Fun 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe first step in a scale invariant image matching system is scale space generation. Nonlinear scale space generation algorithms such as AKAZE, reduce noise and distortion in different scales while retaining the borders and key-points of the image. An FPGA-based hardware architecture for AKAZE nonlinear scale space generation is proposed to speed up this algorithm for real-time applications. The three contributions of this work are (1) mapping the two passes of the AKAZE algorithm onto a hardware architecture that realizes parallel processing of multiple sections, (2) multi-scale line buffers which can be used for different scales, and (3) a time-sharing mechanism in the memory management unit to process multiple sections of the image in parallel. We propose a time-sharing mechanism for memory management to prevent artifacts as a result of separating the process of image partitioning. We also use approximations in the algorithm to make hardware implementation more efficient while maintaining the repeatability of the detection. A frame rate of 304 frames per second for a $$1280 \times 768$$

1280
×
768

image resolution is achieved which is favorably faster in comparison with other work.
Coupling Thermomechanical Processing and Alloy Design to Improve Textures in Mg-Zn-Ca Sheet Alloys
Authors: Berman Tracy D. , Allison John E. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe effect of Ca and Zn additions on the microstructure and texture evolution during thermomechanical processing of Mg-Zn-Ca sheet alloys was systematically investigated and quantified. Plane strain compression testing in a Gleeble thermomechanical simulator was used to physically simulate a 10-pass rolling schedule, while allowing for careful control and monitoring of the processing parameters. Textures in the as-deformed ternary alloy samples demonstrate a weak maximum basal intensity and spreading in the transverse direction. Increasing the Zn content to 3.2 wt.% in the ternary alloys resulted in samples that exhibited weak textures in the as-deformed state. Importantly, static recrystallization (SRX) during post-deformation annealing of these alloys promoted a desirable annular texture, with the c-axis tipped from the normal direction and a lower basal texture intensity. The evolution in texture during SRX is associated with as-deformed microstructures with broad grain orientation spreads and a low degree of recrystallization.
Responsible Learning About Risks Arising from Emerging Biotechnologies
Authors: Bouchaut Britte , Asveld Lotte 
Published: March 2021

AbstractGenetic engineering techniques (e.g., CRISPR-Cas) have led to an increase in biotechnological developments, possibly leading to uncertain risks. The European Union aims to anticipate these by embedding the Precautionary Principle in its regulation for risk management. This principle revolves around taking preventive action in the face of uncertainty and provides guidelines to take precautionary measures when dealing with important values such as health or environmental safety. However, when dealing with ‘new’ technologies, it can be hard for risk managers to estimate the societal or environmental consequences of a biotechnology that might arise once introduced or embedded in society due to that these sometimes do not comply with the established norms within risk assessment. When there is insufficient knowledge, stakeholders active in early developmental stages (e.g., researchers) could provide necessary knowledge by conducting research specifically devoted to what these unknown risks could entail. In theory, the Safe-by-Design (SbD) approach could enable such a controlled learning environment to gradually identify what these uncertain risks are, to which we refer as responsible learning. In this paper, we argue that three conditions need to be present to enable such an environment: (1) regulatory flexibility, (2) co-responsibility between researchers and regulators, and (3) openness towards all stakeholders. If one of these conditions would not be present, the SbD approach cannot be implemented to its fullest potential, thereby limiting an environment for responsible learning and possibly leaving current policy behind to anticipate uncertain risks.
Privacy versus Public Health? A Reassessment of Centralised and Decentralised Digital Contact Tracing
Authors: White Lucie , van Basshuysen Philippe 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAt the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, high hopes were placed on digital contact tracing. Digital contact tracing apps can now be downloaded in many countries, but as further waves of COVID-19 tear through much of the northern hemisphere, these apps are playing a less important role in interrupting chains of infection than anticipated. We argue that one of the reasons for this is that most countries have opted for decentralised apps, which cannot provide a means of rapidly informing users of likely infections while avoiding too many false positive reports. Centralised apps, in contrast, have the potential to do this. But policy making was influenced by public debates about the right app configuration, which have tended to focus heavily on privacy, and are driven by the assumption that decentralised apps are “privacy preserving by design”. We show that both types of apps are in fact vulnerable to privacy breaches, and, drawing on principles from safety engineering and risk analysis, compare the risks of centralised and decentralised systems along two dimensions, namely the probability of possible breaches and their severity. We conclude that a centralised app may in fact minimise overall ethical risk, and contend that we must reassess our approach to digital contact tracing, and should, more generally, be cautious about a myopic focus on privacy when conducting ethical assessments of data technologies.
Migrant Home Care Workers in the UK: a Scoping Review of Outcomes and Sustainability and Implications in the Context of Brexit
Authors: Turnpenny Agnes , Hussein Shereen 
Published: March 2021

AbstractMigrant care workers play a significant role in meeting the escalating demand for social care in the UK. Workforce shortages create opportunities for new migrants to enter the social care workforce. This scoping review aims to identify and synthesise available evidence on the contribution of migrant workers to the provision of home care in the UK focusing on care worker and service outcomes as well as sustainability, and identify challenges and gaps in the context of Brexit and changing immigration policies. Twenty-two articles were identified for inclusion in the review and extracted using a structured format. The analysis presents a narrative description and synthesis of the research. Findings from the reviewed articles were grouped into five main themes: migrant, user and employer outcomes, effect on workforce, and sustainability—and 15 sub-themes that were described in detail. Much of the existing research on migrant care work is qualitative and focuses on migrant outcomes. The review identified some important gaps in research, namely, the impact of immigration status on migrant care worker outcomes, the cultural and psychological adaptation of migrant care workers to care practices, and the emerging UK live-in care market. Implications of findings are discussed in the context of post-Brexit immigration system.
An Algebraic Brascamp–Lieb Inequality
Authors: Duncan Jennifer 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe Brascamp–Lieb inequalities are a very general class of classical multilinear inequalities, well-known examples of which being Hölder’s inequality, Young’s convolution inequality, and the Loomis–Whitney inequality. Conventionally, a Brascamp–Lieb inequality is defined as a multilinear Lebesgue bound on the product of the pullbacks of a collection of functions $$f_j\in L^{q_j}(\mathbb {R}^{n_j})$$

f
j

∈

L

q
j

(

R

n
j

)

, for $$j=1,\ldots ,m$$

j
=
1
,
…
,
m

, under some corresponding linear maps $$B_j$$

B
j

. This regime is now fairly well understood (Bennett et al. in Geom Funct Anal 17(5):1343–1415, 2008), and moving forward there has been interest in nonlinear generalisations, where $$B_j$$

B
j

is now taken to belong to some suitable class of nonlinear maps. While there has been great recent progress on the question of local nonlinear Brascamp–Lieb inequalities (Bennett et al. in Duke Math J 169(17):3291–3338, 2020), there has been relatively little regarding global results; this paper represents some progress along this line of enquiry. We prove a global nonlinear Brascamp–Lieb inequality for ‘quasialgebraic’ maps, a class that encompasses polynomial and rational maps, as a consequence of the multilinear Kakeya-type inequalities of Zhang and Zorin-Kranich. We incorporate a natural affine-invariant weight that both compensates for local degeneracies and yields a constant with minimal dependence on the underlying maps. We then show that this inequality generalises Young’s convolution inequality on algebraic groups with suboptimal constant.
Detection of Endo-epicardial Asynchrony in the Atrial Wall Using One-Sided Unipolar and Bipolar Electrograms
Authors: van der Does Lisette J. M. E. , Starreveld Roeliene , Kharbanda Rohit K. , Knops Paul , Kik Charles , Bogers Ad J. J. C. , de Groot Natasja M. S. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractEndo-epicardial asynchrony (EEA) is a new mechanism possibly maintaining atrial fibrillation. We aimed to determine the sensitivity and best recording modus to detect EEA on electrograms recorded from one atrial side using electrogram fractionation. Simultaneously obtained right atrial endo- and epicardial electrograms from 22 patients demonstrating EEA were selected. Unipolar and (converted) bipolar electrograms were analyzed for presence and characteristics of fractionation corresponding to EEA. Sensitivity of presence of EEA corresponding fractionation was high in patients (86–96%) and moderately high (65–78%) for the asynchronous surface area for unipolar and bipolar electrograms equally. In bipolar electrograms, signal-to-noise ratio of EEA corresponding fractionation decreased and additional fractionation increased for electrograms recorded at the endocardium. Sensitivity of fractionation corresponding to EEA is high for both unipolar and bipolar electrograms. Unipolar electrograms are more suited for detection of EEA due to a larger signal-to-noise ratio and less disturbance of additional fractionation.
Graphical Abstract
Myocardial Injury Promotes Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Activity in the Renal Cortex in Preclinical Models of Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Qiao Xiaoying , Bhave Shreyas , Swain Lija , Zweck Elric , Reyelt Lara , Crowley Paige , Annamalai Shiva K. , Chennjorwala Aditya , Esposito Michele , Razavi Allen , Foroutanjazi Sina , Machen Cody , Thayer Katherine , Jorde Lena , Karas Richard H. , Kapur Navin K. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractNew mechanistic insight into how the kidney responds to cardiac injury during acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is required. We hypothesized that AMI promotes inflammation and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) activity in the kidney and studied the effect of initiating an Impella CP or veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) before coronary reperfusion during AMI. Adult male swine were subjected to coronary occlusion and either reperfusion (ischemia-reperfusion; IR) or support with either Impella or VA-ECMO before reperfusion. IR and ECMO increased while Impella reduced levels of MMP-9 in the myocardial infarct zone, circulation, and renal cortex. Compared to IR, Impella reduced myocardial infarct size and urinary KIM-1 levels, but VA-ECMO did not. IR and VA-ECMO increased pro-fibrogenic signaling via transforming growth factor-beta and endoglin in the renal cortex, but Impella did not. These findings identify that AMI increases inflammatory activity in the kidney, which may be attenuated by Impella support.