bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How firms use coordination activities in university–industry collaboration: adjusting to or steering a research center?
Authors: Isaeva Irina , Steinmo Marianne , Rasmussen Einar
Published: September 2021

University–industry collaboration (UIC) is an important source of knowledge and innovation for firms but is often challenging due to the partners’ different goals. Thus, formal research centers have become a key policy instrument to foster stronger UIC whereby strong mutual relationships are created. This study investigates the establishment of a university–industry research center to gain insights into the coordination activities the focal firms used to achieve their goals with UIC. We find that the firms with goals related to specific innovations and technology development took a more active role by using structured coordination activities in the preformation phase of the research center, whereas the firms with goals related to general knowledge development mainly coordinated through unstructured activities when the center began operations. We map the specific coordination activities used in UIC and theorize on how the partners’ different organizational goals influenced their use of these activities. Our findings have important implications for how activities in UIC, particularly in research centers, can be designed to strengthen the collaboration between universities and their firm partners to enhance knowledge development and innovation.
Lender representatives on board of directors and internationalization in firms: an institutionalized agency perspective
Authors: Panicker Vidya Sukumara , Upadhyayula Rajesh Srinivas , Mitra Sumit
Published: September 2021

From an agency perspective, the Anglo-Saxon features of corporate governance are predominantly explored by various studies in extant literature. However, it has recently been established that diverse and unique institutional configurations exist in different economies across the world and hence, the attitude of different actors within a firm, as shaped by institutional logics, can vary. Our study applies the institutionalized agency perspective to understand how the behaviour of different actors, within firms in the Indian institutional context, are shaped, consequently determining their roles in the strategic decisions of firms. We examine the representation of lenders in the board of directors, which is a characteristic of corporate governance in India. Our sample for this study consists of 985 unique Indian firms and 5513 firm year observations across the 2006–2017 time-period. We find a negative association between the proportion of lender representatives on board of directors and internationalization of firms. In addition, we also find that family ownership positively moderates this relation, whereas foreign institutional investors and domestic banks and financial institutional investors moderate this relationship negatively. In this manner, we explore the impact of institutional environment on a very specific actor (lenders) and their representatives towards internationalization.
Deep space optical communications (DSOC) downlink simulation with varying PPM order
Authors: Aboagye Emmanuel Domfeh , Chen Shun-Ping
Published: September 2021

During the course of a typical deep space mission like the Mars Earth mission, there exist a wide range of operating points, due to the different changes in geometry that consequently cause different link budgets in terms of received signal and noise power. These changes include distance range, Sun-Earth-Probe angle, zenith angle and atmospheric conditions. The different operating points, with different losses (background noise, pointing losses and atmospheric losses), lead to different capacities and data rates over the course of a typical deep space mission. Consequently, different engineering parameters are adjusted and optimized to combat some of these varying losses in order to get acceptable data rates and bit error probabilities. This is a useful reason to analyze and simulate various operating conditions that occur with the varying spatial orbital time periods of the resulting received signal power level, noise power level, capacity, data rates and bit error probabilities. This paper details results of simulations of typical deep space optical communication link operation.
Maximum heat ratio: bi-directional method for fast and slow sap flow measurements
Authors: Lopez Jose Gutierrez , Pypker Thomas , Licata Julian , Burgess Stephen S. O. , Asbjornsen Heidi
Published: September 2021

Background

As sap flow research expands, new challenges such as fast sap flows or flows co-occurring with freeze/thaw cycles appear, which are not easily addressed with existing methods. In order to address these new challenges, sap flow methods capable of measuring bidirectional, high and slow sap flux densities (Fd, cm3cm−2 h−1), thermal properties and stem water content with minimum sensitivity to stem temperature are required.

Purpose

In this study we assessed the performance of a new low-power ratio-based algorithm, the maximum heat ratio (MHR) method, and compare it with the widely known heat ratio (HR) method using a cut-tree study to test it under high flows usingEucalyptus grandistrees, and a freeze/thaw experiment usingAcer saccharumtrunks to test its response to fast changing stem temperatures that result in freeze/thaw cycles.

Results

Our results indicate that MHR and HR had a strong (R2 = 0.90) linear relationship within aFdrange of 0–45 cm3 cm−2 h−1. Using the MHR algorithm, we were able to estimate wood thermal properties and water content, while extending the measuring range of HR to approximately 0–130 (cm3cm−2 h−1). In our freeze/thaw experiment, the main discrepancy between MHR and HR was observed during freezing, where HR had consistently lowerFd(up to 10 cm3 cm−2 h−1), with respect to MHR. However, both algorithms identified similar zero flows.

Conclusion

Consequently, MHR can be an easy-to-implement alternative algorithm/method capable of handling extreme climatic conditions, which can also run simultaneously with HR.
Improving cold-start recommendations using item-based stereotypes
Authors: AlRossais Nourah , Kudenko Daniel , Yuan Tommy
Published: September 2021

Recommender systems (RSs) have become key components driving the success of e-commerce and other platforms where revenue and customer satisfaction is dependent on the user’s ability to discover desirable items in large catalogues. As the number of users and items on a platform grows, the computational complexity and the sparsity problem constitute important challenges for any recommendation algorithm. In addition, the most widely studied filtering-based RSs, while effective in providing suggestions for established users and items, are known for their poor performance for the new user and new item (cold-start) problems. Stereotypical modelling of users and items is a promising approach to solving these problems. A stereotype represents an aggregation of the characteristics of the items or users which can be used to create general user or item classes. We propose a set of methodologies for the automatic generation of stereotypes to address the cold-start problem. The novelty of the proposed approach rests on the findings that stereotypes built independently of the user-to-item ratings improve both recommendation metrics and computational performance during cold-start phases. The resulting RS can be used with any machine learning algorithm as a solver, and the improved performance gains due to rate-agnostic stereotypes are orthogonal to the gains obtained using more sophisticated solvers. The paper describes how such item-based stereotypes can be evaluated via a series of statistical tests prior to being used for recommendation. The proposed approach improves recommendation quality under a variety of metrics and significantly reduces the dimension of the recommendation model.
Making the use of scenarios in LCA easier: the superstructure approach
Authors: Steubing Bernhard , de Koning Daniel
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Much progress has recently been made in modelling future background systems for LCA by including future scenario data, e.g. from Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), into life cycle inventory (LCI) databases. A key problem is, however, that this yields potentially dozens of scenario LCI databases (i.e. LCI databases that represent different scenarios and reference years), instead of a single background database, which is very impractical for LCA modelling purposes. This paper proposes an approach to overcome this problem.

Methods

The approach consists of transforming all scenario LCI databases into a single superstructure database and an associated scenario difference file. The superstructure database is also a regular LCI database, but is constructed to contain all unique exchanges (elementary and intermediate flows) and processes that exist across all scenario LCI databases. The scenario difference file stores the differences between all scenarios and can be used to turn the superstructure into a specific scenario LCI database. This is very fast as it can be done in memory during LCA calculations.

Results and discussion

A key advantage of the superstructure approach is that a single LCI database can be used to represent different background systems. Therefore, the practitioner does not need to re-link a foreground system to multiple LCI databases, which is work-intensive and invites modelling errors. LCA results for all scenarios and reference years can be calculated automatically. We also illustrate how the superstructure approach has been implemented in the Activity Browser open source LCA software. Although this paper introduces the superstructure approach for background scenarios, it can also be used to model foreground scenarios, and even, as implemented in the Activity Browser, combinations of background and foreground scenarios. Finally, we briefly discuss further challenges that need to be addressed for a more widespread use of background scenarios in LCA.

Conclusions

The superstructure approach presents a practical solution for making the use of future background scenarios more wide-spread and, therefore, to overcome the problem of performing prospective LCA with temporally inconsistent foreground and background systems. The implementation in the Activity Browser makes the approach available for anyone and may serve as inspiration for other LCA software to implement the superstructure approach or a similar concept. While this may be an important technical milestone, additional coordination between data providers, scenario generators, LCA practitioners, and software developers will be required to further facilitate the use of background scenarios in prospective LCA studies.
Impact of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis on the Outcome of Patients Undergoing Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery: a Propensity Score–Matched Analysis
Authors: Abbassi Ziad , Orci Lorenzo , Meyer Jeremy , Sgardello Sebastian Douglas , Goossens Nicolas , Rubbia-Brandt Laura , Spahr Laurent , Buchs Nicolas Christian , Mönig Stefan Paul , Toso Christian , Hagen Monika Elisabeth , Jung Minoa Karin
Published: September 2021

Purpose

It is currently unknown whether NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis), as compared to simple steatosis, is associated with impaired postoperative weight loss and metabolic outcomes after RYGB surgery. To compare the effectiveness of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on patients with NASH versus those with simple nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL).

Materials and Methods

We retrospectively retrieved data from 515 patients undergoing RYGB surgery with concomitant liver biopsy. Clinical follow-up and metabolic assessment were performed prior to surgery and 12 months after surgery. We used multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and propensity score matching and we assessed for changes in markers of hepatocellular injury and metabolic outcomes.

Results

There were 421 patients with simple NAFL, and 94 with NASH. Baseline alanine and aspartate aminotransferases were significantly higher in patients with NASH (p < 0.01). Twelve months after the RYGB surgery, as determined by both MANOVA and propensity score matching, patients with NASH exhibited a significantly greater reduction in alanine aminotransferase (ß-coefficient − 12 iU/l [− 22 to − 1.83], 95% CI, adjusted p = 0.021) compared to their NAFL counterparts (31 matched patients in each group with no loss to follow-up at 12 months). Excess weight loss was similar in both groups (ß-coefficient 4.54% [− 3.12 to 12.21], 95% CI, adjusted p = 0.244). Change in BMI was comparable in both groups (− 14 (− 16.6 to − 12.5) versus − 14.3 (− 17.3 to − 11.9), p = 0.784).

Conclusion

After RYGB surgery, patients with NASH experience a greater reduction in markers for hepatocellular injury and similar weight loss compared to patients with simple steatosis.
Views on level $$\ell $$ curves, K3 surfaces and Fano threefolds
Authors: Garbagnati Alice , Verra Alessandro
Published: September 2021

An analogue of the Mukai map $$m_g: {\mathcal {P}}_g \rightarrow {\mathcal {M}}_g$$

m
g

:

P
g

→

M
g

is studied for the moduli $${\mathcal {R}}_{g, \ell }$$

R

g
,
ℓ

of genus g curves C with a level $$\ell $$
ℓ
structure. Let $${\mathcal {P}}^{\perp }_{g, \ell }$$

P

g
,
ℓ

⊥

be the moduli space of 4-tuples $$(S, {\mathcal {L}}, {\mathcal {E}}, C)$$

(
S
,
L
,
E
,
C
)

so that $$(S, {\mathcal {L}})$$

(
S
,
L
)

is a polarized K3 surface of genus g, $${\mathcal {E}}$$
E
is orthogonal to $${\mathcal {L}}$$
L
in $${{\,\mathrm{Pic}\,}}S$$

Pic

S

and defines a standard degree $$\ell $$
ℓ
K3 cyclic cover of S, $$C \in \vert {\mathcal {L}} \vert $$

C
∈
|
L
|

. We say that $$(S, {\mathcal {L}}, {\mathcal {E}})$$

(
S
,
L
,
E
)

is a level $$\ell $$
ℓ
K3 surface. These exist for $$\ell \le 8$$

ℓ
≤
8

and their families are known. We define a level $$\ell $$
ℓ
Mukai map $$r_{g, \ell }: {\mathcal {P}}^{\perp }_{g, \ell } \rightarrow {\mathcal {R}}_{g, \ell }$$

r

g
,
ℓ

:

P

g
,
ℓ

⊥

→

R

g
,
ℓ

, induced by the assignment of $$(S, {\mathcal {L}}, {\mathcal {E}}, C)$$

(
S
,
L
,
E
,
C
)

to $$ (C, {\mathcal {E}} \otimes {\mathcal {O}}_C)$$

(
C
,
E
⊗

O
C

)

. We investigate a curious possible analogy between $$m_g$$

m
g

and $$r_{g, \ell }$$

r

g
,
ℓ

, that is, the failure of the maximal rank of $$r_{g, \ell }$$

r

g
,
ℓ

for $$g = g_{\ell } \pm 1$$

g
=

g
ℓ

±
1

, where $$g_{\ell }$$

g
ℓ

is the value of g such that $$\dim {\mathcal {P}}^{\perp }_{g, \ell } = \dim {\mathcal {R}}_{g,\ell }$$

dim

P

g
,
ℓ

⊥

=
dim

R

g
,
ℓ

. This is proven here for $$\ell = 3$$

ℓ
=
3

. As a related open problem we discuss Fano threefolds whose hyperplane sections are level $$\ell $$
ℓ
K3 surfaces and their classification.
Modified chess patterns: handcrafted feature descriptors for facial expression recognition
Authors: Kartheek Mukku Nisanth , Prasad Munaga V. N. K. , Bhukya Raju
Published: September 2021

Facial expressions are predominantly important in the social interaction as they convey the personal emotions of an individual. The main task in Facial Expression Recognition (FER) systems is to develop feature descriptors that could effectively classify the facial expressions into various categories. In this work, towards extracting distinctive features, Radial Cross Pattern (RCP), Chess Symmetric Pattern (CSP) and Radial Cross Symmetric Pattern (RCSP) feature descriptors have been proposed and are implemented in a 5 $$\times $$
×
5 overlapping neighborhood to overcome some of the limitations of the existing methods such as Chess Pattern (CP), Local Gradient Coding (LGC) and its variants. In a 5 $$\times $$
×
5 neighborhood, the 24 pixels surrounding the center pixel are arranged into two groups, namely Radial Cross Pattern (RCP), which extracts two feature values by comparing 16 pixels with the center pixel and Chess Symmetric Pattern (CSP) extracts one feature value from the remaining 8 pixels. The experiments are conducted using RCP and CSP independently and also with their fusion RCSP using different weights, on a variety of facial expression datasets to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed methods. The results obtained from the experimental analysis demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed methods.
Model Order Reduction with Neural Networks: Application to Laminar and Turbulent Flows
Authors: Fukami Kai , Hasegawa Kazuto , Nakamura Taichi , Morimoto Masaki , Fukagata Koji
Published: September 2021

We investigate the capability of neural network-based model order reduction, i.e., autoencoder (AE), for fluid flows. As an example model, an AE which comprises of convolutional neural networks and multi-layer perceptrons is considered in this study. The AE model is assessed with four canonical fluid flows, namely: (1) two-dimensional cylinder wake, (2) its transient process, (3) NOAA sea surface temperature, and (4) a cross-sectional field of turbulent channel flow, in terms of a number of latent modes, the choice of nonlinear activation functions, and the number of weights contained in the AE model. We find that the AE models are sensitive to the choice of the aforementioned parameters depending on the target flows. Finally, we foresee the extensional applications and perspectives of machine learning based order reduction for numerical and experimental studies in the fluid dynamics community.
Gut Microbiome Alterations in COVID-19
Authors: Zuo Tao , Wu Xiaojian , Wen Weiping , Lan Ping
Published: September 2021

Since the outset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the gut microbiome in COVID-19 has garnered substantial interest, given its significant roles in human health and pathophysiology. Accumulating evidence is unveiling that the gut microbiome is broadly altered in COVID-19, including the bacterial microbiome, mycobiome, and virome. Overall, the gut microbial ecological network is significantly weakened and becomes sparse in patients with COVID-19, together with a decrease in gut microbiome diversity. Beyond the existence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the gut microbiome of patients with COVID-19 is also characterized by enrichment of opportunistic bacteria, fungi, and eukaryotic viruses, which are also associated with disease severity and presentation. Meanwhile, a multitude of symbiotic bacteria and bacteriophages are decreased in abundance in patients with COVID-19. Such gut microbiome features persist in a significant subset of patients with COVID-19 even after disease resolution, coinciding with ‘long COVID’ (also known as post-acute sequelae of COVID-19). The broadly-altered gut microbiome is largely a consequence of SARS-CoV-2infection and its downstream detrimental effects on the systemic host immunity and the gut milieu. The impaired host immunity and distorted gut microbial ecology, particularly loss of low-abundance beneficial bacteria and blooms of opportunistic fungi including Candida, may hinder the reassembly of the gut microbiome post COVID-19. Future investigation is necessary to fully understand the role of the gut microbiome in host immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as the long-term effect of COVID-19 on the gut microbiome in relation to the host health after the pandemic.
Total thyroidectomy with and without prophylactic central compartment neck dissection in early papillary thyroid cancer: A comparative study
Authors: Omran Hisham , Ali Fadl Ehab Mohammed , El Aal Sultan Ahmed Abd
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACT

Back ground:

Among all types of cancer, thyroid cancer is regarded as the most prevalent endocrine cancer with a high incidence. This is due to the fact that papillary carcinomas can be largely detectable sub-clinically. Occult lymph node metastasis in PTC have a high-rate incidence. Ideal management of such a type of thyroid cancer requires a central compartment neck dissection (pCCND), despite the fact that the contribution of pCCND to manage PTC is controversial with regard to its merits as well as risks.

Subject and method:

In this study, we compared total thyroidectomy with or without pCCND in case of papillary thyroid cancer with a clinically negative cervical LN metastasis. The study concentrates mainly on the complication rate and the risk of disease recurrence.

A prospective comparative study was conducted by collecting 40 cases of papillary thyroid cancer with clinical negative LNs operated between March 2017 and March 2019, 20 of them (group1) underwent total thyroidectomy and 20 cases (group2) underwent total thyroidectomy and pCCND.

Results:

The average operative time in group (1) was estimated of (122.1 ± 19.1 min), while in group (2) it was (182.2 ± 15.3 min) with a statistically significant relationship. Only one case 5% in group (2) cases suffered from hoarseness of voice. 5% of group (1) and 10% of group (2) suffered from transient hypocalcemia, one case (5%) in group (1) had recurrence and 4 cases (20%) of group (2) cases suffered from recurrence.

Conclusion:

Total thyroidectomy with pCCND done in cases suffering from PTC with clinically negative cervical LNs increases time of operation and post-operative hospital stay compared to total thyroidectomy with no statistical difference as regard to surgical complications and post-operative recurrence especially with the presence of post-operative radioactive ablation.

Highlights
Re-operation for symptomatic cholelithiasis with a double gallbladder: A rare case report in a limited imaging setup
Authors: Hailu Seyoum , Gebremariam Mintesnot , Girma Timsel , Regasa Teshome
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACT

Introduction and importance:

A double gallbladder is a rare congenital anomaly of the hepatobiliary system and its incidence is estimated at around 1 per 4000 autopsies with a higher incidence rate in females than males. Most of the time gallbladder duplication is diagnosed on intraoperative time or at the time of reoperation.

Case presentation:

A 39 years old female patient (Weight-74 kg, Height- 165 cm) was admitted to a surgical referral clinic with right upper abdomen colicky pain of two weeks duration, she had a history of open cholecystectomy six months back when she was diagnosed to have a double gallbladder, and otherwise, she doesn't have yellowish discoloration. She was diagnosed with symptomatic Cholelithiasis and scheduled for open cholecystectomy.

Clinical discussion:

Clinicians are expected to be alert of the very rare biliary anatomy of a double gallbladder, particularly that this finding is often missed on preoperative abdominal ultrasonography as it has been seen with our patient. Overall pre-operative assessment of the anatomy with emphasis on the biliary ductal anatomy is needed to minimize potential injury to the ductal system. The presence of a double gallbladder brings diagnostic dilemmas for the radiologists and might cause challenges during the open cholecystectomy. Unable to recognize the existence of a double gallbladder in a symptomatic patient might cause a repeat cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallstone disease in some situations to remove the missed second gallbladder.

Conclusion:

The existence of two gallbladders is a rare congenital anomaly, which is related to other congenital findings of the bile duct and vascular system. Surgeons should have precautions during open cholecystectomy as these anomalies might cause serious damage to the hepatobiliary system.

Highlights
Awareness, attitude and associated factors of labor analgesia among pregnant women attending antenatal care: A cross sectional study
Authors: Negash Tadese Tamire , Sewunet Aschalew , Ayele Tamiru Tilahun
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACT

Background:

Labor pain is a physiologic pain that encountered during uterine contractions of childbirth. Neglected labor pain has various complications for both mother and her fetus. Lack of awareness and negative attitude to labor analgesia are the main problem to reduce labour pain and improve normal outcomes. The aim of study was to assess awareness; attitude and associated factors of labor analgesia among pregnant women visited the antenatal care facility at xx referral hospital.

Methods:

An institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted. Participants were selected by systematic random sampling technique and the data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires. Data was entered in to EPI info version 7 and transferred to SPSS version 20 computer program for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was computed to identify factors associated with awareness and attitude towards labor analgesia. Independent variables with P-value less than 0.2 were selected for multivariable logistic regression. On the multivariable logistic regression, a p-value of <0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.

Results:

A total of 310 pregnant women with response rate of 95.7% were participated in this study. Nearly thirty five percent, (34.5%) of participants had information about labour analgesia. Approximately 40.3% of participants had positive attitude to labour analgesia. However, 27.3% pregnant women did not want to receive labour analgesia and 36.6% of participants believed that labor pain is natural event. Being urban in residency and previous vaginal delivery showed significant association with awareness towards labor analgesia (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI (1.22–9.08)) and (AOR = 0.64, 95% CI (0.48–0.87)) respectively. On the other hand, education level showed statistically significant association with positive attitude towards labor analgesia (AOR = 0.1, 95% CI (0.04–0.24).

Conclusion:

The awareness and attitude of the study participants towards labor analgesia were found to be low. Pregnant women's residence, educational status and vaginal delivery were associated with awareness of labor analgesia.

Highlights
The Dynamics of Public Opinion
Authors: Atkinson Mary Layton , Coggins K. Elizabeth , Stimson James A. , Baumgartner Frank R.
Published: September 2021

A central question in political representation is whether government responds to the people. To understand that, we need to know what the government is doing, and what the people think of it. We seek to understand a key question necessary to answer those bigger questions: How does American public opinion move over time? We posit three patterns of change over time in public opinion, depending on the type of issue. Issues on which the two parties regularly disagree provide clear partisan cues to the public. For these party-cue issues we present a slight variation on the thermostatic theory from (Soroka and Wlezien (2010); Wlezien (1995)); our “implied thermostatic model.” A smaller number of issues divide the public along lines unrelated to partisanship, and so partisan control of government provides no relevant clue. Finally, we note a small but important class of issues which capture response to cultural shifts.
Dynamics of freely rising spheres: the effect of moment of inertia
Authors: Will Jelle B. , Krug Dominik
Published: September 2021

The goal of this study is to elucidate the effect the particle moment of inertia (MOI) has on the dynamics of spherical particles rising in a quiescent and turbulent fluid. To this end, we performed experiments with varying density ratios

$\varGamma$

, the ratio of the particle density and fluid density, ranging from

$0.37$

up to

$0.97$

. At each

$\varGamma$

the MOI was varied by shifting mass between the shell and the centre of the particle to vary

$I^*$

(the particle MOI normalised by the MOI of a particle with the same weight and a uniform mass distribution). Helical paths are observed for low, and ‘three-dimensional (3-D) chaotic’ trajectories at higher values of

$\varGamma$

. The present data suggest no influence of

$I^*$

on the critical value for this transition

$0.42<\varGamma _{{crit}}<0.52$

. For the ‘3-D chaotic’ rise mode, we identify trends of decreasing particle drag coefficient (

$C_d$

) and amplitude of oscillation with increasing

$I^*$

. Due to limited data it remains unclear if a similar dependence exists in the helical regime as well. Path oscillations remain finite for all cases studied and no ‘rectilinear’ mode is encountered, which may be the consequence of allowing for a longer transient distance in the present compared with earlier work. Rotational dynamics did not vary significantly between quiescent and turbulent surroundings, indicating that for the present configuration these are predominantly wake driven.
Wall-induced translation of a rotating particle in a shear-thinning fluid
Authors: Chen Ye , Demir Ebru , Gao Wei , Young Y.-N. , Pak On Shun
Published: September 2021

Particle–wall interactions have broad biological and technological applications. In particular, some artificial microswimmers capitalize on their translation–rotation coupling near a wall to generate directed propulsion. Emerging biomedical applications of these microswimmers in complex biological fluids prompt questions on the impact of non-Newtonian rheology on their propulsion. In this work, we report some intriguing effects of shear-thinning rheology, a ubiquitous non-Newtonian behaviour of biological fluids, on the translation–rotation coupling of a particle near a wall. One particularly interesting feature revealed here is that the wall-induced translation by rotation can occur in a direction opposite to what might be intuitively expected for an object rolling on a solid substrate. We elucidate the underlying physical mechanism and discuss its implications on the design of micromachines and bacterial motion near walls in complex fluids.
Egg intake moderates the rate of memory decline in healthy older adults
Authors: Lee Grace J. , Oda Keiji , Morton Kelly R. , Orlich Michael , Sabate Joan
Published: September 2021

Eggs contain important compounds related to enhanced cognition, but it is not clear if egg consumption, as a whole, has a direct impact on memory decline in older adults. This study aimed to determine whether egg intake levels predict the rate of memory decline in healthy older adults after sociodemographic and dietary controls. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from 470 participants, age 50 and over, from the Biospsychosocial Religion and Health Study. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire, which was used to calculate egg intake and divide participants into Low (<23 g/week, about half an egg), Intermediate (24–63 g/week, half to 1½ eggs) and High (≥63 g/week, about two or more eggs) tertiles. Participants were administered the California Verbal Learning Test – 2nd Edition (CVLT-II) Short Form in 2006–2007, and 294 of them were again tested in 2010–2011. Using linear mixed model analysis, no significant cross-sectional differences were observed in CVLT-II performance between egg intake levels after controlling for age, sex, race, education, body mass index, cardiovascular risk, depression and intake of meat, fish, dairy and fruits/vegetables. Longitudinally, the Intermediate egg group exhibited significantly slower rates of decline on the CVLT-II compared to the Low egg group. The High egg group also exhibited slower rates of decline, but not statistically significant. Thus, limited consumption of eggs (about 1 egg/week) was associated with slower memory decline in late life compared to consuming little to no eggs, but a dose-response effect was not clearly evident. This study may help explain discrepancies in previous research that did not control for other dietary intakes and risk factors.
Formal and Informal Institutions: The Independent and Joint Impacts on Firm Innovation
Authors: Weng Cuifen , Li Xuanye , Yang Hongyan , Ren Ting
Published: September 2021

We study the impact of formal and informal institutions perceived and experienced by firms on their innovation using the 2012 World Bank Enterprise Survey data in China. We propose a framework to identify different innovator types of firms. Our analysis shows that (1) perceived constraints from the governmental system make firms more likely to be innovators than non-innovators; (2) perceived constraints from the legal system make firms more likely to be imitators than innovators; (3) lack of formal finance makes firms more likely to be non-innovators than innovators; (4) prevalence of bribery makes firms more likely to be non-innovators than innovators but less likely to be innovation pretenders than innovators. Our study enriches institutional theory and innovation research by establishing a framework that encompasses multiple dimensions of formal and informal institutions perceived and experienced by firms and the impacts of such perception and experience on firms’ propensity to become certain type of innovator.
Regional Fracture and Its Intractability in World Politics: The Case of the Late Ottoman Empire
Authors: Ohanyan Anna
Published: September 2021

Scholars have long grappled with the puzzle as to why some regions become peaceful and resilient while others crumble into perpetual insecurity. Much of the scholarship that they produced viewed regional formations as extensions of the state system. This work argues that state-centric tools to study regionalism have precluded us from uncovering regional forms of engagement under hierarchical relations of empires. They have privileged great power politics, at the expense of the political agency of non-state actors, such as minority communities, constitutional assemblies, and political parties, among others. This work highlights the lack of conceptual tools to capture historical continuity in the regional fabric of world politics. The bulk of the article engages in the methodology of concept development for regional fracture, in an effort to advance comparative regional studies historically and systematically. The concept development is then applied in the context of the Eastern Anatolian region of the late Ottoman Empire.
Astrometric accuracy of snapshot fast radio burst localisations with ASKAP
Authors: Day Cherie K. , Deller Adam T. , James Clancy W. , Lenc Emil , Bhandari Shivani , Shannon R. M. , Bannister Keith W.
Published: September 2021

The recent increase in well-localised fast radio bursts (FRBs) has facilitated in-depth studies of global FRB host properties, the source circumburst medium, and the potential impacts of these environments on the burst properties. The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) has localised 11 FRBs with sub-arcsecond to arcsecond precision, leading to sub-galaxy localisation regions in some cases and those covering much of the host galaxy in others. The method used to astrometrically register the FRB image frame for ASKAP, in order to align it with images taken at other wavelengths, is currently limited by the brightness of continuum sources detected in the short-duration (‘snapshot’) voltage data captured by the Commensal Real-Time ASKAP Fast Transients (CRAFT) software correlator, which are used to correct for any frame offsets due to imperfect calibration solutions and estimate the accuracy of any required correction. In this paper, we use dedicated observations of bright, compact radio sources in the low- and mid-frequency bands observable by ASKAP to investigate the typical astrometric accuracy of the positions obtained using this so-called ‘snapshot’ technique. Having captured these data with both the CRAFT software and ASKAP hardware correlators, we also compare the offset distributions obtained from both data products to estimate a typical offset between the image frames resulting from the differing processing paths, laying the groundwork for future use of the longer duration, higher signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) data recorded by the hardware correlator. We find typical offsets between the two frames of${\sim}0.6$and${\sim}0.3$arcsec in the low- and mid-band data, respectively, for both RA and Dec. We also find reasonable agreement between our offset distributions and those of the published FRBs. We detect only a weak dependence in positional offset on the relative separation in time and elevation between target and calibrator scans, with the trends being more pronounced in the low-band data and in Dec. Conversely, the offsets show a clear dependence on frequency in the low band, which we compare to the frequency-dependent Dec. offsets found in FRB 200430. In addition, we present a refined methodology for estimating the overall astrometric accuracy of CRAFT FRBs.
Association between dietary inflammatory index and cardiometabolic risk factors among Brazilian adolescents: results from a national cross-sectional study
Authors: Todendi Pâmela Ferreira , Salla Rafaela , Shivappa Nitin , Hebert James R. , Ritter Julianna , Cureau Felipe Vogt , Schaan Beatriz D.
Published: September 2021

Dietary factors play a role in modulating chronic inflammation and in the development of CVD. We aimed to investigate the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and cardiometabolic risk factors among adolescents. A total of 31 684 Brazilian adolescents (aged 12–17 years) from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA) were included. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24-h dietary recall. The energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) score was calculated based on data for twenty-five available nutrients. The anthropometric profile, blood pressure, lipid profile, glucose, Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and glycated Hb were measured. Poisson regression models were used to examine the associations between sex-specific quartiles of the E-DII and cardiometabolic risk factors. In the energy-adjusted models, when comparing a high pro-inflammatory diet (quartile 4) with an anti-inflammatory diet (quartile 1), there was a positive association with high HOMA-IR among boys (prevalence ratios (PR)Q4= 1·37, 95 % CI: 1·04, 1·79); and with high fasting glucose (PRQ4= 1·96, 95 % CI: 1·02, 3·78), high TAG (PRQ4= 1·92, 95 % CI: 1·06, 3·46), low HDL-cholesterol (PRQ4= 1·16, 95 % CI: 1·02, 1·32) and high LDL-cholesterol (PRQ4= 1·93, 95 % CI: 1·12, 3·33) among girls. Additionally, a moderately pro-inflammatory diet was positively associated with high HOMA-IR (PRQ2= 1·14, 95 % CI: 1·02, 1·29) among girls and high total cholesterol (PRQ3= 1·56, 95 % CI: 1·20, 2·01) among boys. In conclusion, this study provides new evidence on the association between inflammatory diets with cardiometabolic risk factors among adolescents.
The Effects of Naming and Shaming on Public Support for Compliance with International Agreements: An Experimental Analysis of the Paris Agreement
Authors: Tingley Dustin , Tomz Michael
Published: September 2021

How does naming and shaming affect public support for compliance with international agreements? We investigated this question by conducting survey experiments about the Paris Agreement, which relies on social pressure for enforcement. Our experiments, administered to national samples in the United States, produced three sets of findings. First, shaming by foreign countries shifted domestic public opinion in favor of compliance, increasing the political incentive to honor the Paris Agreement. Second, the effects of shaming varied with the behavior of the target. Shaming was more effective against partial compliers than against targets that took no action or honored their obligations completely. Moreover, even partial compliers managed to reduce the effects of shaming through the strategic use of counter-rhetoric. Third, identity moderated responses to shaming. Shaming by allies was not significantly more effective than shaming by non-allies, but Democrats were more receptive to shaming than Republicans. Overall, our experiments expose both the power and the limits of shaming as a strategy for enforcing the Paris Agreement. At the same time, they advance our understanding of the most significant environmental problem facing the planet.
Composition of Carbon Clusters in Implanted Silicon Using Atom Probe Tomography
Authors: Dumas Paul , Duguay Sebastien , Borrel Julien , Hilario Fanny , Blavette Didier
Published: September 2021

Atom probe tomography was employed to observe and derive the composition of carbon clusters in implanted silicon. This value, which is of interest to the microelectronic industry when considering ion implantation defects, was estimated not to exceed 2 at%. This measurement has been done by fitting the distribution of first nearest neighbor distances between monoatomic carbon ions (C+ and C2+). Carbon quantification has been considerably improved through the detection of molecular ions, using lower electric field conditions as well as equal proportions of 12C and 13C. In these conditions and using another quantification method, we have shown that the carbon content in clusters approaches 50 at%. This result very likely indicates that clusters are nuclei of the SiC phase.
Income Support in an Eco-Social State: The Case for Participation Income
Authors: McGann Michael , Murphy Mary P.
Published: September 2021

Contemporary models of welfare capitalism have frequently been critiqued about their fit-for-purpose in provisioning for people’s basic needs including care, and longer-term ecological sustainability. The Covid-19 pandemic has also exposed the need for better institutions and a new welfare architecture. We argue a post-productivist eco-social state can deliver sustainable well-being and meet basic needs. Arguing Universal Basic Services are an essential building block and prerequisite for a de-commodified welfare state, we focus on examining the form of income support that might best complement UBS. The article develops, from the perspective of feminist arguments and the capabilities approach, a case for Participation Income. This, we argue, can be aligned with targeted policy goals, particularly reward for and redistribution of human and ecological care or reproduction and other forms of socially valued participation. It may also, in the short term, be more administratively practical and politically feasible than universal basic income.
BNS INVARIANTS AND ALGEBRAIC FIBRATIONS OF GROUP EXTENSIONS
Authors: Friedl Stefan , Vidussi Stefano
Published: September 2021

Let G be a finitely generated group that can be written as an extension
$$ \begin{align*} 1 \longrightarrow K \stackrel{i}{\longrightarrow} G \stackrel{f}{\longrightarrow} \Gamma \longrightarrow 1 \end{align*} $$
where K is a finitely generated group. By a study of the Bieri–Neumann–Strebel (BNS) invariants we prove that if
$b_1(G)> b_1(\Gamma ) > 0$
, then G algebraically fibres; that is, admits an epimorphism to
$\Bbb {Z}$
with finitely generated kernel. An interesting case of this occurrence is when G is the fundamental group of a surface bundle over a surface
$F \hookrightarrow X \rightarrow B$
with Albanese dimension
$a(X) = 2$
. As an application, we show that if X has virtual Albanese dimension
$va(X) = 2$
and base and fibre have genus greater that
$1$
, G is noncoherent. This answers for a broad class of bundles a question of J. Hillman ([9, Question 11(4)]). Finally, we show that there exist surface bundles over a surface whose BNS invariants have a structure that differs from that of Kodaira fibrations, determined by T. Delzant.
Optimal Persuasion under Confirmation Bias: Theory and Evidence From a Registered Report
Authors: Christensen Love
Published: September 2021

Political actors face a trade-off when they try to influence the beliefs of voters about the effects of policy proposals. They want to sway voters maximally, yet voters may discount predictions that are inconsistent with what they already hold to be true. Should political actors moderate or exaggerate their predictions to maximize persuasion? I extend the Bayesian learning model to account for confirmation bias and show that only under strong confirmation bias are predictions far from the priors of voters self-defeating. I use a preregistered survey experiment to determine whether and how voters discount predictions conditional on the distance between their prior beliefs and the predictions. I find that voters assess predictions far from their prior beliefs as less credible and, consequently, update less. The paper has important implications for strategic communication by showing theoretically and empirically that the prior beliefs of voters constrain political actors.
Dementia Care Nurse
Authors: Heinrich Stephanie , Schiller Christine , Grünzig Manuela , Klatt Thomas , Geyer Jennifer , Meyer Gabriele
Published: September 2021

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Case Management bei Demenz wird in der Nationalen Demenzstrategie Deutschlands gefordert. Dessen Wirksamkeit ist vielfach untersucht, die Ergebnisse sind widersprüchlich. Demgegenüber sind Umsetzungsprozesse von Case Management-Konzepten bislang kaum beschrieben. Ziele: Ziel der Machbarkeitsstudie war es, die Umsetzung einer aufsuchenden Hilfe für Menschen mit Demenz zu analysieren sowie Veränderungen in der Versorgung, Akzeptanz sowie förderliche und hemmende Faktoren der Umsetzung zu explorieren. Methoden: Die aufsuchende Hilfe für Menschen mit Demenz wurde im Zeitraum 08 / 2018 bis 07 / 2019 umgesetzt. Einbezogen wurden Menschen mit Demenz und pflegende Angehörige. Es erfolgte eine prospektive Erfassung quantitativer und qualitativer Daten anhand von halbstandardisierten Interviews im Rahmen der aufsuchenden Hilfe. Ergebnisse: Die aufsuchende Hilfe konnte bei 113 Menschen mit Demenz umgesetzt werden und größtenteils konnten pflegende Angehörige einbezogen werden. Im Mittel fanden acht Kontakte im Zeitraum von 74 Tagen statt. Die Bedarfs- und Unterstützungsbereiche waren vielfältig. Die Inanspruchnahme von Unterstützungsangeboten steigerte sich nach Interventionsabschluss um 19 %. Schlussfolgerungen: Die Umsetzung einer kontinuierlichen und prozesshaften Begleitung von Menschen mit Demenz und Angehörigen ist möglich, wobei Struktur und Prozedere transparent sein sollten. Förderlich ist eine umfangreiche Ausrichtung und vernetzte Arbeit. Die Wirksamkeit der Intervention bleibt in einer kontrollierten Studie zu untersuchen.
A Spherical Harmonic Martian Crustal Magnetic Field Model Combining Data Sets of MAVEN and MGS
Authors: Gao J. W. , Rong Z. J. , Klinger Lucy , Li X. Z. , Liu D. , Wei Y.
Published: September 2021

This study presents a new spherical harmonic (SH) model of the crustal magnetic field of Mars, based on the magnetic field data set measured by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. To minimize the influence of external fields due to solar wind interaction with Mars, we rejected data that were observed dayside and above an altitude of 500 km. The data points of MAVEN were reduced by using a proxy of solar wind activity that identified and rejected any data measured during magnetically disturbed intervals. We used a conventional least squares technique to estimate the Gauss coefficients fitted to the reduced data set and made a compromise between model misfit and model roughness by truncating the SH model at degree 110. This model is capable of representing crustal fields with a spatial resolution approaching ∼200 km at 120 km altitude and ∼260 km at the Martian surface. Since our model fits MAVEN's observational data better than previous models, especially the data obtained during MAVEN's low altitude periapsis passes, we conclude that it may more accurately approximate the low‐altitude crustal field. We calculate the crustal field power spectrum of various models and find that small‐scale fields at low altitudes were underestimated by most previous models. This new model could benefit future studies associated with the Martian crustal field and its interaction with the solar wind.
A New Focus on the Neglected Carbonate Critical Zone
Authors: Martin Jonathan , De Grammont Paloma , Covington Matthew , Toran Laura
Published: September 2021

Studies of Earth’s critical zone have largely focused on areas underlain by silicate bedrock, leaving gaps in our understanding of widespread and vital carbonate-dominated landscapes.