bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Numerical Investigation of Mechanical Behavior for Lattice Structure with Effect of Different Nanomaterial Types
Authors: Aljaberi Mohammed Hussein Kadhim , Al-Baghdadi Maher AR Sadiq , Al-Waily Muhannad , Mohammadi-Aghdam M , Goudarzi Taha 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Porous biomaterials have extensively been used as new materials for various bio-implants, particularly for bone and bone interfacing components. In practice, while open-cell/permeable porous materials are used to allow osseointegration in bone implants, they should be mechanically durable and stable for the long term to tolerate human weight together with possible static and dynamic loads on the body. It has been ingrained that porous biomaterials can be made considering defined representative volume elements (RVE) by recent growths in additive manufacturing. In this study, two porous biomaterial models, including unit cell and also lattice structure, are presented. The models applied the finite volume method to discretize and solve by using a multi-physics COMSOL mechanical structure code. The cell is modelled using three materials: titanium alloy Ti_6Al-4V-ELI, and in this study, for the first time, two types of nanomaterials: calcined alpha-alumina (α_ Al2O3) and Glass-infiltrated alumina ceramic. The results obtained from this study revealed that for both unit cell and lattice structure, the minimum displacement occurred with Glass-infiltrated alumina ceramic and increased with calcined alumina (α_ Al2O3) and titanium. Moreover, it could be concluded that the maximum stress occurred with the Glass-infiltrated alumina ceramic and decreased with calcined alumina (α- Al2O3) and titanium for the lattice structure.
GO supported Fe doped Ni(OH)2 hexagonal nanosheets for hydrogen evolution reaction in neutral electrolytes
Authors: Hu Junping , Liu Youxing 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Exploiting non-noble metals catalysts with excellent performance for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has aroused gigantic interest, but still challenges. Herein, we reported the graphene oxide (GO) supported Fe doped Ni(OH)2 hexagonal nanosheets (GO-Fe,Ni HHNs) for HER firstly. SEM and XRD were carried out to investigate the morphology and crystal structure of the GO-Fe,Ni HHNs systematically. The elements and bonding of the sample were measured via using XPS. In addition, we found that the recrystallization treatment could significantly improve the morphology and crystallinity of the nanosheets. Most important, the GO-Fe,Ni HHNs possessed exceptional catalytic performance and stability in PBS solution. The overpotential (10 mA cm−2) and Tafel slope were 190 mV and 110 mV dec−1, respectively, significantly better than that of other non-noble metal catalysts reported before.
Asymptotic 𝐾-soliton-like solutions of the Zakharov-Kuznetsov type equations
Authors: Valet Frédéric 
Published: March 2021

We study here the Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation in dimension

2
2

,

3
3

and

4
4

and the modified Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation in dimension

2
2

. Those equations admit solitons, characterized by their velocity and their shift. Given the parameters of

K
K

solitons

R
k

R^k

(with distinct velocities), we prove the existence and uniqueness of a multi-soliton

u
u

such that
\[

‖
u
(
t
)
−

∑

k
=
1

K

R
k

(
t
)

‖

H
1

→
0

as

t
→
+
∞
.

\| u(t) - \sum _{k=1}^K R^k(t) \|_{H^1} \to 0 \quad \text {as} \quad t \to +\infty .

\]
The convergence takes place in

H
s

H^s

with an exponential rate for all

s
≥
0

s \ge 0

. The construction is made by successive approximations of the multi-soliton. We use classical arguments to control of

H
1

H^1

-norms of the errors (inspired by Martel [Amer. J. Math. 127 (2005), pp. 1103–1140]), and introduce a new ingredient for the control of the

H
s

H^s

-norm in dimension

d
≥
2

d\geq 2

, by a technique close to monotonicity.
How biases in sperm storage relate to sperm use during oviposition in female yellow dung flies
Authors: Demont Marco , Ward Paul I , Blanckenhorn Wolf U , Lüpold Stefan , Martin Oliver Y , Bussière Luc F 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Precise mechanisms underlying sperm storage and utilization are largely unknown, and data directly linking stored sperm to paternity remain scarce. We used competitive microsatellite PCR to study the effects of female morphology, copula duration and oviposition on the proportion of stored sperm provided by the second of two copulating males (S2) in Scathophaga stercoraria (Diptera: Scathophagidae), the classic model for sperm competition studies. We genotyped all offspring from potentially mixed-paternity clutches to establish the relationship between a second male’s stored sperm (S2) and paternity success (P2). We found consistent skew in sperm storage across the three female spermathecae, with relatively more second-male sperm stored in the singlet spermatheca than in the doublet spermathecae. S2 generally decreased with increasing spermathecal size, consistent with either heightened first-male storage in larger spermathecae, or less efficient sperm displacement in them. Additionally, copula duration and several two-way interactions influenced S2, highlighting the complexity of postcopulatory processes and sperm storage. Importantly, S2 and P2 were strongly correlated. Manipulation of the timing of oviposition strongly influenced observed sperm-storage patterns, with higher S2 when females laid no eggs before being sacrificed than when they oviposited between copulations, an observation consistent with adaptive plasticity in insemination. Our results identified multiple factors influencing sperm storage, nevertheless suggesting that the proportion of stored sperm is strongly linked to paternity (i.e., a fair raffle). Even more detailed data in this vein are needed to evaluate the general importance of sperm competition relative to cryptic female choice in postcopulatory sexual selection.
Choice of assemblers has a critical impact on de novo assembly of SARS-CoV-2 genome and characterizing variants
Authors: Islam Rashedul , Raju Rajan Saha , Tasnim Nazia , Shihab Istiak Hossain , Bhuiyan Maruf Ahmed , Araf Yusha , Islam Tofazzal 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Background
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global pandemic following its initial emergence in China. SARS-CoV-2 has a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus genome of around 30Kb. Using next-generation sequencing technologies, a large number of SARS-CoV-2 genomes are being sequenced at an unprecedented rate and being deposited in public repositories. For the de novo assembly of the SARS-CoV-2 genomes, a myriad of assemblers is being used, although their impact on the assembly quality has not been characterized for this virus. In this study, we aim to understand the variabilities on assembly qualities due to the choice of the assemblers.

Results
We performed 6648 de novo assemblies of 416 SARS-CoV-2 samples using eight different assemblers with different k-mer lengths. We used Illumina paired-end sequencing reads and compared the assembly quality of those assemblers. We showed that the choice of assembler plays a significant role in reconstructing the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Two metagenomic assemblers, e.g. MEGAHIT and metaSPAdes, performed better compared with others in most of the assembly quality metrics including, recovery of a larger fraction of the genome, constructing larger contigs and higher N50, NA50 values, etc. We showed that at least 09% (259/2873) of the variants present in the assemblies between MEGAHIT and metaSPAdes are unique to one of the assembly methods.

Conclusion
Our analyses indicate the critical role of assembly methods for assembling SARS-CoV-2 genome using short reads and their impact on variant characterization. This study could help guide future studies to determine the best-suited assembler for the de novo assembly of virus genomes.
Sentencing Multiple- Versus Single-Offence Cases: Does More Crime Mean Less Punishment?
Authors: Dhami Mandeep K 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe ‘totality principle’ in law aims to show mercy to offenders in multiple-offence (MO) cases and retain ordinal proportionality in punishing those who commit different categories of offence. The effect of this principle in practice, however, is largely unknown. The present study involved an analysis of data released by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales to estimate the prevalence of MO cases and compare the penalties they received against comparable single-offence (SO) cases. MO cases represented approximately half of the cases in the sample which included violent, property, drugs and driving offences. Offence-specific regression analyses revealed that MO/SO case status was not a significant predictor of receiving a custodial sentence or of custody length. Thus, by applying the totality principle, sentencers may be letting MO offenders ‘off lightly’. Potential explanations for this unintentional effect on decision-making lies in how the totality principle is defined and interpreted, and recommendations are made for revising the guideline on application of the totality principle.
Regional brain iron and gene expression provide insights into neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Thomas George E C , Zarkali Angeliki , Ryten Mina , Shmueli Karin , Gil-Martinez Ana Luisa , Leyland Louise-Ann , McColgan Peter , Acosta-Cabronero Julio , Lees Andrew J , Weil Rimona S 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The mechanisms responsible for the selective vulnerability of specific neuronal populations in Parkinson’s disease are poorly understood. Oxidative stress secondary to brain iron accumulation is one postulated mechanism. We measured iron deposition in 180 cortical regions of 96 patients with Parkinson’s disease and 35 control subjects using quantitative susceptibility mapping. We estimated the expression of 15 745 genes in the same regions using transcriptomic data from the Allen Human Brain Atlas. Using partial least squares regression, we then identified the profile of gene transcription in the healthy brain that underlies increased cortical iron in patients with Parkinson’s disease relative to controls. Applying gene ontological tools, we investigated the biological processes and cell types associated with this transcriptomic profile and identified the sets of genes with spatial expression profiles in control brains that correlated significantly with the spatial pattern of cortical iron deposition in Parkinson’s disease. Gene ontological analyses revealed that these genes were enriched for biological processes relating to heavy metal detoxification, synaptic function and nervous system development and were predominantly expressed in astrocytes and glutamatergic neurons. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the genes differentially expressed in Parkinson’s disease are associated with the pattern of cortical expression identified in this study. Our findings provide mechanistic insights into regional selective vulnerabilities in Parkinson’s disease, particularly the processes involving iron accumulation.
The Role of Ultrasensitive Molecular Methods for Detecting Malaria—The Broader Perspective
Authors: Kamaliddin Claire , Sutherland Colin J , Houze Sandrine , Cottrell Gilles , Briand Valerie , Castaneda Mogollon Daniel , Pillai Dylan R 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Ultrasensitive molecular diagnostics are lowering the limit of detection for malaria parasites in the blood and providing insights not captured by conventional tools such as microscopy and rapid antigen tests. Low-level malaria infections identified by molecular tools may influence clinical outcomes, transmission events, and elimination efforts. While many ultrasensitive molecular methods require well-equipped laboratories, technologies such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification and recombinase polymerase amplification provide more portable and analytically sensitive solutions. These tools may benefit asymptomatic patient screening, antenatal care, and elimination campaigns. We review the recent evidence, offer our perspective on the impact of these new tests, and identify future research priorities.
Effects of National Adoption of Treat-All Guidelines on Pre-Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) CD4 Testing and Viral Load Monitoring After ART initiation: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis
Authors: Brazier Ellen , Tymejczyk Olga , Zaniewski Elizabeth , Egger Matthias , Wools-Kaloustian Kara , Yiannoutsos Constantin T , Jaquet Antoine , Althoff Keri N , Lee Jennifer S , Caro-Vega Yanink , Luz Paula M , Tanuma Junko , Niyongabo Théodore , Nash Denis 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Background
The World Health Organization’s Treat-All guidance recommends CD4 testing before initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART), and routine viral load (VL) monitoring (over CD4 monitoring) for patients on ART.

Methods
We used regression discontinuity analyses to estimate changes in CD4 testing and VL monitoring among 547 837 ART-naive patients enrolling in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care during 2006–2018 at 225 clinics in 26 countries where Treat-All policies were adopted. We examined CD4 testing within 12 months before and VL monitoring 6 months after ART initiation among adults (≥20 years), adolescents (10–19 years), and children (0–9 years) in low/lower-middle-income countries (L/LMICs) and high/upper-middle-income countries (H/UMICs).

Results
Treat-All adoption led to an immediate decrease in pre-ART CD4 testing among adults in L/LMICs, from 57.0% to 48.1% (−8.9 percentage points [pp]; 95% CI: −11.0, −6.8), and a small increase in H/UMICs, from 90.1% to 91.7% (+1.6pp; 95% CI: 0.2, 3.0), with no changes among adolescents or children; decreases in pre-ART CD4 testing accelerated after Treat-All adoption in L/LMICs. In L/LMICs, VL monitoring after ART initiation was low among all patients in L/LMICs before Treat-All; while there was no immediate change at Treat-All adoption, VL monitoring trends significantly increased afterwards. VL monitoring increased among adults immediately after Treat-All adoption, from 58.2% to 61.1% (+2.9pp; 95% CI: 0.5, 5.4), with no significant changes among adolescents/children.

Conclusions
While on-ART VL monitoring has improved in L/LMICs, Treat-All adoption has accelerated and disparately worsened suboptimal pre-ART CD4 monitoring, which may compromise care outcomes for individuals with advanced HIV.
Coronavirus Disease 2019–Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Mechanically Ventilated Patients
Authors: Permpalung Nitipong , Chiang Teresa Po-Yu , Massie Allan B , Zhang Sean X , Avery Robin K , Nematollahi Saman , Ostrander Darin , Segev Dorry L , Marr Kieren A 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Background
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) occurs in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Risks and outcomes remain poorly understood.

Methods
A retrospective cohort study of mechanically ventilated adult patients with COVID-19 admitted to 5 Johns Hopkins hospitals was conducted between March and August 2020. CAPA was defined using composite clinical criteria. Fine and Gray competing risks regression was used to analyze clinical outcomes and, multilevel mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression was used to compare longitudinal disease severity scores.

Results
In the cohort of 396 people, 39 met criteria for CAPA. Patients with CAPA were more likely than those without CAPA to have underlying pulmonary vascular disease (41% vs 21.6%, respectively; P = .01), liver disease (35.9% vs 18.2%; P = .02), coagulopathy (51.3% vs 33.1%; P = .03), solid tumors (25.6% vs 10.9%; P = .02), multiple myeloma (5.1% vs 0.3%; P = .03), and corticosteroid exposure during the index admission (66.7% vs 42.6%; P = .005), and had lower body mass indexes (median, 26.6 vs 29.9 [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared]; P = .04). Patients with CAPA had worse outcomes, as measured by ordinal severity of disease scores, requiring longer time to improvement (adjusted odds ratio, 1.081.091.1; P &lt; .001), and advancing in severity almost twice as quickly (subhazard ratio, 1.31.82.5; P &lt; .001). They were intubated twice as long as those without CAPA (subhazard ratio, 0.40.50.6; P &lt; .001) and had longer hospital stays (median [interquartile range], 41.1 [20.5–72.4) vs 18.5 [10.7–31.8] days; P &lt; .001).

Conclusion
CAPA is associated with poor outcomes. Attention to preventive measures (screening and/or prophylaxis) is warranted in people with high risk of CAPA.
Relative risk of arterial and venous thromboembolism in persons with cancer vs. persons without cancer—a nationwide analysis
Authors: Grilz Ella , Posch Florian , Nopp Stephan , Königsbrügge Oliver , Lang Irene M , Klimek Peter , Thurner Stefan , Pabinger Ingrid , Ay Cihan 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Aims
An interrelation between cancer and thrombosis is known, but population-based studies on the risk of both arterial thromboembolism (ATE) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) have not been performed.

Methods and results
International Classification of Disease 10th Revision (ICD-10) diagnosis codes of all publicly insured persons in Austria (0–90 years) were extracted from the Austrian Association of Social Security Providers dataset covering the years 2006–07 (n = 8 306 244). Patients with a history of cancer or active cancer were defined as having at least one ICD-10 ‘C’ diagnosis code, and patients with ATE and/or VTE as having at least one of I21/I24 (myocardial infarction), I63/I64 (stroke), I74 (arterial embolism), and I26/I80/I82 (venous thromboembolism) diagnosis code. Among 158 675 people with cancer, 8559 (5.4%) had an ATE diagnosis code and 7244 (4.6%) a VTE diagnosis code. In contrast, among 8 147 569 people without cancer, 69 381 (0.9%) had an ATE diagnosis code and 29 307 (0.4%) a VTE diagnosis code. This corresponds to age-stratified random-effects relative risks (RR) of 6.88 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.81–9.84] for ATE and 14.91 (95% CI 8.90–24.95) for VTE. ATE proportion was highest in patients with urinary tract malignancies (RR: 7.16 [6.74–7.61]) and lowest in patients with endocrine cancer (RR: 2.49 [2.00–3.10]). The corresponding VTE proportion was highest in cancer of the mesothelium/soft tissue (RR: 19.35 [17.44–21.47]) and lowest in oropharyngeal cancer (RR: 6.62 [5.61–7.81]).

Conclusion
The RR of both ATE and VTE are significantly higher in persons with cancer. Our population-level meta-data indicate a strong association between cancer, ATE and VTE, and support the concept of shared risk factors and pathobiology between these diseases.
Relative risk of ATE and VTE in persons with a cancer diagnosis code versus persons without a cancer diagnosis code.
Tobacco taxes for improving welfare and distributional outcomes: the case of Georgia
Authors: Fuchs Tarlovsky Alan , González Icaza María Fernanda 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Background
Georgia has one of the highest smoking prevalence and tobacco-related morbidity and mortality rates in Europe and Central Asia. Nonetheless, tax increases on tobacco products are often opposed due to concerns of regressive fiscal effects. This article provides evidence on the long-term welfare and distributional impacts of increasing cigarette taxes in Georgia.

Methods
An Extended Cost-Benefit Analysis is used to simulate the distributional effect of raising taxes on cigarettes. It weighs short-term losses due to higher tobacco prices with long-term benefits related to reduced medical expenses and additional earnings associated with extended life expectancy. Household expenditure data are used to estimate decile-specific price elasticities of demand for cigarettes, accounting for heterogeneous behavioral responses by income-group.

Results
Consistent with previous literature, cigarettes price elasticity decreases with income. A simulated 50% cigarette price increase would yield positive net gains for the lowest three deciles; increase the available income of the poorest 10% of the population by an average of 1% and, as a result, lift up to 7000 people out-of-poverty in 2017. The effects would be highly progressive.

Conclusions
As lower-income households tend to be more responsive to price changes on cigarettes, they stand to benefit most from the health and economic consequences of taxing tobacco. This article shows that in addition to boosting fiscal revenues, increasing cigarette prices would lead to progressive and positive net gains for the poorest households in Georgia.
False Readiness: Expanding the Concept of Readiness in Conflict Resolution Theory
Authors: Schwartz Adi , Gilboa Eytan 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis study introduces a new theoretical concept, “false readiness” (FR), to fill a lacuna in theories of conflict resolution (CR). Existing theories focus mostly on successful cases and opening phases and suggest conditions and variables to determine whether a conflict is “ripe” or “ready” for resolution. The prevailing assumption is that if disputants decide to enter negotiations, they must have “crossed the Rubicon” and wish to reach agreement. This is not always the case in protracted conflicts where parties enter negotiations for reasons other than reaching peace. Existing CR theories do not adequately address this phenomenon. Negotiation theories do explore dishonest intentions but describe them as side effects, short lived and tactical. They also offer too many overlapping and confusing concepts that for the purposes of this study had to be clarified, categorized, and modified. The main goal of this work is not to create an entirely new theory, but rather to add a new theoretical layer to the readiness theory of CR that would be capable of investigating failures to resolve protracted conflicts. The layer is based on the integration of the readiness theory with concepts from negotiation theory that explore conditions where parties negotiate without intention to achieve agreement. FR addresses dubious intentions as strategic and long run that can span multiple stages in CR processes, not only the opening one.
Detection of Monema flavescens (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) Cocoons Using Small Unmanned Aircraft System
Authors: Park Yong-Lak , Cho Jum Rae , Lee Gwan-Seok , Seo Bo Yoon 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Current unmanned aircraft system (a.k.a. drone) technology is an effective tool for aerial survey of pests including weeds, plant diseases, and insects. This study was conducted to develop an aerial survey method that can locate cocoons of the oriental moth, Monema flavescens Walker, for precise and accurate detection of the cocoons in winter to prevent defoliation in the subsequent summer. We used a rotary-wing drone for an aerial survey of M. flavescens cocoons on 15 trees at 3–5 m above the tree canopy. We also conducted a conventional ground survey of M. flavescens cocoons on the same trees for two different conditions of cocoons: open (i.e., adult moths already emerged from cocoons) and closed (i.e., adult moths were not emerged yet). A validation census with destructive sampling was conducted to determine the precision and accuracy of the aerial and ground survey methods. The results of this study showed that from the aerial survey with the drone, images of open cocoons differed from those of closed cocoons. We found higher precision and accuracy and lower type I and II error rates for closed cocoons by the aerial survey with the drone than those by the ground survey. No significant relationships of the number of cocoons with tree height and diameter at breast height were found. This is the first study to demonstrate direct detection of insects with an aerial survey by using a drone.