bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of perceived workplace safety practices and mindfulness in maintaining calm in employees during times of crisis
Authors: Vu Thinh‐Van , Vo‐Thanh Tan , Chi Hsinkuang , Nguyen Nguyen Phong , Nguyen Duy Van , Zaman Mustafeed
Published: February 2022

While prior studies in human resource management have investigated how employee outcomes have been affected in high‐risk workplaces, this study stands out by examining this issue through the role played by COVID‐19 as a specific stressor. We explained how employees' perceived health risks due to COVID‐19 (CV19PHR) and perceived workplace safety practices (PWSPs) affected job performance via burnout and how PWSPs moderated the CV19PHR–burnout and CV19PHR–JP relationships. We also examined how mindfulness moderated the direct effects of CV19PHR and PWSPs on burnout and JP and the indirect effects of CV19PHR and PWSPs on JP via burnout. We performed three studies using an explanatory sequential mixed‐method design. In study 1, a three‐phase survey with 987 respondents was conducted to test the hypotheses. In study 2, by analyzing verbatim from 22 informants, the findings of study 1 and some main points concerning mindfulness and PWSPs were explained. In study 3, using data from 12 informants, we investigated how COVID‐19 affected individuals differently compared with other high‐risk workplaces and whether the impact of COVID‐19 on individuals was curvilinear. We demonstrated that employees' CV19PHR was positively correlated with burnout, negatively influencing JP. Moreover, PWSPs reduced burnout, which adversely affected JP. Interestingly, PWSPs positively moderated the CV19PHR–burnout relationship but not the CV19PHR–JP relationship. We also found that mindfulness moderated the CV19PHR–burnout and PWSPs–burnout relationships. Furthermore, mindfulness significantly moderated the mediating effects of burnout on the CV19PHR–JP and PWSPs–JP relationships.
Bio‐Cyber‐Physical Systems: from concepts to human‐systems integration engineering
Authors: Gechter Franck , Fass Didier
Published: February 2022

Engineering a technical system that must be coupled to humans is generally a tough task. One of the main reasons is that two systems, different by nature, must be coupled. Even if, there has been a strong effort to include Human factors in engineering processes, there is still a lot of issues to tackle with. Indeed, the adaptation of technical centered engineering processes to human concerns is not necessary the best solution. The Human‐machine design process requires then to consider the system as a whole and not as a composition of heterogenous elements. This is the key towards efficient and adaptative systems. The goal of the paper is both a conceptual and theoretical effort to ground Human‐Systems Integration as a discipline_and to propose a framework aimed at helping the engineering of Bio‐Cyber‐Physical Systems (Bio‐CPS).
Influence of Estimated Mission Data on Air Mission Commander Situation Awareness During Datalink Loss
Authors: Meyer Carsten , Kreutz Tobias , Schulte Axel
Published: February 2022

This article presents the impact of displaying accurate or inaccurate position estimates on air mission commanders’ (AMC) situation awareness (SA) during datalink interruptions between AMC and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The lack of current information about UAV state and position during datalink interruptions is suspected to negatively influence the controlling AMC's SA. We assume that the AMC's SA can be supported by displaying a state estimate, based on last transmitted data, instead of displaying last known position. An experimental evaluation in a full‐mission research cockpit simulator showed improvements in subjective SA with estimate shown. Objective SA only improved, if the estimate was accurate. Although we expected a negative impact of inaccurate estimates on objective SA (since the user might falsely trust it), none could be observed. Improvements in SA with accurate estimates, but no observable degradations with inaccurate estimates suggest benefits of showing an estimate in any case.
Model Based HSI & Operational Process Simulation
Authors: Peleg Eran , Gavish Nirit , Zonnenshain Avigdor
Published: February 2022

Human‐Systems Integration (HSI) activities are focused on the human engineering aspects of the systems designing, manufacturing, operation, and maintenance. It is part of the system engineering process. Model‐Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is a concept, which is implemented by languages and software tools, for supporting all activities of development, operation, and system retirement, using a set of coherent models. This paper proposed how MBSE usage can be used to support the holistic HSI, from requirements and operational analysis, through retirement. The suggested methodology, which includes the use of Operational Process (OP) diagrams and model‐based 3D (three dimensional) simulation, can be applied to introduce further discipline and rigor to address complex HSI, marking an improvement over current document‐based practice.
Development of a digital twin for collaborative decision‐making, based on a multi‐agent system: application to prescriptive maintenance
Authors: Lorente Quentin , Villeneuve Eric , Merlo Christophe , Boy Guy André , Thermy François
Published: February 2022

The fourth industrial revolution involves more complexity. This research effort focuses on decision‐making in helicopter engine maintenance activities. Such a decision‐making task is difficult and relies on a variety of experts who only have partial knowledge and incomplete situation awareness, due to the great diversity of everyday operational practices. In this paper, we propose a digital twin multi‐agent approach to collaborative decision‐making in prescriptive maintenance.
Implementing HSI Research in COTS Tools
Authors: Dam Steven H.
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we describe the process for taking Human Systems Integration (HSI) research developed by George Mason University for creating high quality standard operating procedures (SOPs) and using that information to modify a commercial off‐the‐shelf tool, Innoslate®, to create a new tool, Sopatra®, that aids SOP developers in creating and verifying that the procedures work within the Allowable Operational Time Window (AOTW). The tool compares the AOTW with the Time on Procedure (ToP) to create new metrics: Procedure Buffer Time (PBT) and Probability of Failure to Complete (PFtC). A new Natural Language Processing (NLP) technique was developed as well.
Ergonomics 4.0: Human‐Centered Procedure for Ergonomic Design Using Virtual Reality Prototyping
Authors: Li Meng , Yao Xinhe , Aschenbrenner Doris , van Eijk Daan , Vink Peter
Published: February 2022

When designing large‐scale products, like airplanes, involving the opinions from end‐users, like passengers, in conceptualization is difficult. Including user evaluation at the early stage is of foremost importance to develop products or services that reach user satisfaction. Comfort‐related assessments are particularly difficult to implement with digital models that are merely displayed on a desktop of a computer. Digital Human Modelling (DHM) benefited postural comfort analysis in the last three decades, while comfort evaluations are still largely subjective and rely on consulting with end‐users.

This paper applied a human‐centered design process and used VR prototypes for comfort evaluation during concept design. This study focused on applying the Kano model with VR prototypes for concept selection and verification with potential end‐users. The results demonstrated that the first‐person immersion in VR headsets helps to identify the nuances between concepts, thus supports better decision‐making via collecting richer and more reliable user feedback to make faster and more satisfying improvements.
Toward Integrated Automation Status and Alerting Display Management Systems for Vehicles
Authors: Moertl Peter , Shi Elisabeth , Sodnik Jaka , Ebinger Nikolai , Bavendiek Jan , Mirnig Alexander , Pretto Paolo , Sarabia Joseba , Trösterer Sandra
Published: February 2022

With increasing levels of automation on modern vehicles, drivers need more knowledge about their vehicle than ever before. Thereby, the display of vehicle status and alerts are important means for safe and effective use. Nevertheless, there are currently no common and consistent ways of providing such status in‐formation to drivers. This is different from other domains where standardized alert management structure are common such as in modern aviation. In current vehicles, initiation, use, and termination of automated driving assistance differs considerably between vehicle models and brands and require special learning ex‐periences by the driver and alerts are not prioritized and harmonized across the various onboard systems. With higher levels of automation such complexity is expected to increase enormously. To address this problem, we propose a common taxonomy of vehicle display status and alerting terminology that is based on flight deck regulations in aviation and propose simple principles for their use in a man‐aged display status and alerting system.
Comparison of immune responses induced by two or three doses of an alum‐adjuvanted inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine in mice
Authors: Luan Ning , Wang Yunfei , Cao Han , Lin Kangyang , Liu Cunbao
Published: February 2022

Waning antibodies and rapidly emerging variants are challenges for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) vaccine development. Adjusting existing immunization schedules and further boosting strategies are under consideration. Here, the immune responses induced by an alum‐adjuvanted inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine in mice were compared among immunization schedules with two or three doses. For the two‐dose schedule, a 0–28‐day schedule induced 5‐fold stronger spike‐specific IgG responses than a 0–14‐day schedule, with only a slight elevation of spike‐specific cellular immunity 14 days after the last immunization. A third homologous boost 2 or 5 months after the second dose for the 0–28‐day schedule slightly strengthened humoral responses (1.3‐fold for the 0–1–3‐month schedule, and 1.8‐fold for the 0–1–6‐month schedule) 14 days after the last immunization. Additionally, a third homologous boost (especially with the 0–1–3‐month schedule) induced significantly stronger cell‐mediated immunity than both two‐dose immunization schedules for all indexes tested, with a response similar to that induced by a one‐dose heterologous boost with BNT162b2 in clinical trials, according to cellular immunity analysis (1.5‐fold). These T cell responses were Th2 oriented, with good CD4+ and CD8+ memory. These results may offer clues for applying a homologous boosting strategy for alum‐adjuvanted inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccines.
Determination of trans‐fatty acids in food samples based on the precolumn fluorescence derivatization by high performance liquid chromatography
Authors: Wang Fei‐Hua , Guo Xiao‐Feng , Fan Yao‐Cheng , Tang Hai‐Bin , Liang Wei , Wang Hong
Published: February 2022

Trans‐fatty acids are unsaturated fatty acids that are considered to have health risks. 1,3,5,7‐Tetramethyl‐8‐butyrethylenediamine‐difluoroboradiaza‐s‐indacene is a highly sensitive fluorescent labeling reagent for carboxylic acids developed by our lab. In this study, using this precolumn fluorescent derivatization reagent, a rapid and accurate high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection method was developed for the determination of two trans‐fatty acids in food samples. Under the optimized derivative conditions, two trans‐fatty acids were tagged with the fluorescent labeling reagent in the presence of 1‐ethyl‐3‐(3‐dimethyl‐aminopropyl) carbodiimide at 25°C for 30 min. Then, the baseline separation of trans‐ and cis‐fatty acids and their saturated fatty acid with similar structures was achieved with less interference using a reversed‐phased C18 column with isocratic elution in 14 min. With fluorescence detection at λex/λem = 490 /510 nm, the linear range of the TFAs was 1.0‐200 nM with low detection limits in the range of 0.1–0.2 nM (signal‐to‐noise ratio = 3). In addition, the proposed approach was successfully applied for the detection of trans‐fatty acids in food samples, and the recoveries using this method ranged from 96.02 to 109.22% with low relative standard deviations of 1.2–4.3% (n = 6).
Lake salinization drives consistent losses of zooplankton abundance and diversity across coordinated mesocosm experiments
Authors: Hébert Marie‐Pier , Symons Celia C. , Cañedo‐Argüelles Miguel , Arnott Shelley E. , Derry Alison M. , Fugère Vincent , Hintz William D. , Melles Stephanie J. , Astorg Louis , Baker Henry K. , Brentrup Jennifer A. , Downing Amy L. , Ersoy Zeynep , Espinosa Carmen , Franceschini Jaclyn M. , Giorgio Angelina T. , Göbeler Norman , Gray Derek K. , Greco Danielle , Hassal Emily , Huynh Mercedes , Hylander Samuel , Jonasen Kacie L. , Kirkwood Andrea , Langenheder Silke , Langvall Ola , Laudon Hjalmar , Lind Lovisa , Lundgren Maria , McClymont Alexandra , Proia Lorenzo , Relyea Rick A. , Rusak James A. , Schuler Matthew S. , Searle Catherine L. , Shurin Jonathan B. , Steiner Christopher F. , Striebel Maren , Thibodeau Simon , Urrutia Cordero Pablo , Vendrell‐Puigmitja Lidia , Weyhenmeyer Gesa A. , Beisner Beatrix E.
Published: February 2022

Human‐induced salinization increasingly threatens inland waters; yet we know little about the multifaceted response of lake communities to salt contamination. By conducting a coordinated mesocosm experiment of lake salinization across 16 sites in North America and Europe, we quantified the response of zooplankton abundance and (taxonomic and functional) community structure to a broad gradient of environmentally relevant chloride concentrations, ranging from 4 to ca. 1400 mg Cl− L−1. We found that crustaceans were distinctly more sensitive to elevated chloride than rotifers; yet, rotifers did not show compensatory abundance increases in response to crustacean declines. For crustaceans, our among‐site comparisons indicate: (1) highly consistent decreases in abundance and taxon richness with salinity; (2) widespread chloride sensitivity across major taxonomic groups (Cladocera, Cyclopoida, and Calanoida); and (3) weaker loss of functional than taxonomic diversity. Overall, our study demonstrates that aggregate properties of zooplankton communities can be adversely affected at chloride concentrations relevant to anthropogenic salinization in lakes.
Robust control for uncertain variable fractional order differential systems considering time‐varying delays and nonlinear perturbations
Authors: Wang Chunxiu , Zhou Xingde , Shi Xianzeng , Jin Yitong
Published: February 2022

The robust control for uncertain variable fractional order time‐varying delayed differential systems with nonlinear perturbations are concerned in this article. Firstly, by introducing a novel form of the control law which is inspired by the sliding mode design, a new state feedback controller is built. Besides, a specific and comprehensive Lyapunov–Krasovskii function is adopted to deduce the sufficient conditions for the stability and robust stabilization of the system by using some linear matrix inequalities. In addition, the controller gain matrix can also be derived from the point of stability. Finally, two comparison examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control technique. The simulation results show that this method can make the state variables converge to the steady ones more quickly and stably.
Highly clean recovery of natural antioxidants from lemon peels: Lactic acid‐based automatic solvent extraction
Authors: Toprakçı Gizem , Toprakçı İrem , Şahin Selin
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Food industry generates large amounts of waste by‐products rich in natural antioxidants. On the other hand, application of advanced processes for the recovery of these fine chemicals is another popular topic of recent years.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to propose a green extraction method by application of deep eutectic solvent‐based automated solvent extraction (AMSE) from lemon peels.

Methods

The primary polyphenols (hesperidin, naringin, and p‐coumaric acid) and the total polyphenols of the lemon peel extract were quantified and used as response for the optimisation of the AMSE conditions. The Box–Behnken design type of the response surface method (RSM) was chosen for optimisation study. Scavenging activity of the lemon peel extract against 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazil (DPPH) free radical was also measured in vitro.

Results

The optimum conditions for the highest total phenolic (7.47 mg‐gallic acid equivalent [GAE]/g‐lemon peel [LP]), naringin (5.05 mg/g‐LP), p‐coumaric acid (3.27 mg/g‐LP), and hesperidin (0.07 mg/g‐LP) yields were obtained by 1.5 h of extraction time, 46% water (v/v), and 5 g of peel. The antioxidant activity changed between 37.31% and 94.10% in the peels.

Conclusions

Extraction time was the most effective process factor for the total phenolic and p‐coumaric acid yields, while water addition was statistically very important (p < 0.0001) for the naringin and hesperidin yields in the current AMSE system. The second‐order models generated for the selected systems represent the data satisfyingly based on the high coefficients of determination (> 0.99), statistically significant p‐values (<0.0001), coefficient of variation values (< 10%), and non‐significant lack‐of‐fit values (p > 0.05).
Determination of the molecular weight between cross‐links for different ambers: Viscoelastic measurements of the rubbery plateau*
Authors: Kong Dejie , Meng Yan , McKenna Gregory B.
Published: February 2022

While much is known about the chemistry of amber, there are, to our knowledge, no quantitative estimates of the molecular weight between cross‐links or quantitative estimates of the amount of cross‐linking. In the present study we provide new data that advances our understanding of ancient ambers through an investigation of the network structure based on measurements of the rubbery modulus. Then, using rubber elasticity theory, we provide semiquantitative insights into the network structure. The work provides direct mechanical evidence of the chemically cross‐linked structure of a Burmese amber, a Dominican amber, a Fushun amber, and two Baltic ambers by quantifying the molecular weight between cross‐links . The values of of the studied ambers ranges from 1800 to 3000 g/mol, and the number of monomers between two cross‐link junctions is estimated to be between 6 and 10.
Microwave‐Driven Construction of MoS2/Graphene Heterostructure for Enhanced Photodegradation under Natural Light
Authors: Zhang Wen , Gao Mingyang , Zhu Huaiyang , Hui Yifan , Cao Qinzhe , Zhai Chunxue , Zhang Zhiyong
Published: February 2022

2D materials‐based heterostructure has an abundant charge transport channel and shortened charge transport distance, which can realize the effective transfer and separation of photo‐generated carriers. Herein, heterostructures of MoS2/graphene are fabricated for photocatalytic degradation under natural light. An excellent performance of methylene blue (MB) photodegradation is found, which surpassed the ability of the monomer materials of 2D MoS2 and graphene. Furthermore, the optimal mass ratio of the precursors and the micromorphology of the as‐constructed heterostructures are also confirmed.
From Doping to Dilution: Local Chemistry and Collective Interactions of La in HfO2
Authors: Szyjka Thomas , Baumgarten Lutz , Rehm Oliver , Richter Claudia , Matveyev Yury , Schlueter Christoph , Mikolajick Thomas , Schroeder Uwe , Müller Martina
Published: February 2022

Lanthanum (La) doping is considered as a promising route to overcome reliability issues of switchable ferroelectric HfO2‐based devices. This study links the local chemistry at the La lattice sites with local and collective electronic properties of the La:HfO2matrix using hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The satellite structure of the La 3dcore level, the plasmonic excitation energies, and core‐level rigid binding energy shifts are investigated for La:HfO2samples with a wide range of La doping, ranging from 3.5% to 33%, i.e., from the doping to dilution level. The emerging chemical phases and electronic properties are discussed as a function of La content. From the evolution of the plasmon excitation energies and rigid binding energy shifts, it is concluded that electronic charge compensation by oxygen vacancies occurs for increasing La content.
Enhanced chemotaxis through spatially regulated absolute concentration robustness
Authors: Biswas Debojyoti , Bhattacharya Sayak , Iglesias Pablo A.
Published: February 2022

Chemotaxis, the directional motility of cells in response to spatial gradients of chemical cues, is a fundamental process behind a wide range of biological events, including the innate immune response and cancer metastasis. Recent advances in cell biology have shown that the protrusions that enable amoeboid cells to move are driven by the stochastic threshold crossings of an underlying excitable system. As a cell encounters a chemoattractant gradient, the size of this threshold is regulated spatially so that the crossings are biased toward the front of the cell. For efficient directional migration, cells must limit undesirable lateral and rear‐directed protrusions. The inclusion of a control mechanism to suppress these unwanted firings would enhance chemotactic efficiency. It is known that absolute concentration robustness (ACR) exerts tight control over the mean and variance of species concentration. Here, we demonstrate how the coupling of the ACR mechanism to the cellular signaling machinery reduces the likelihood of threshold crossings in the excitable system. Moreover, we show that using the cell's innate gradient sensing apparatus to direct the action of ACR to the rear suppresses the lateral movement of the cells and that this results in improved chemotactic performance.
Landscapes of rizq: Mediating worldly and otherworldly in Lahore's speculative real estate market
Authors: Rahman Tariq
Published: February 2022

The city of Lahore, Pakistan, has expanded by 20% in the past twenty years alone. Lahore's exponential growth is fueled by a speculative real estate market that incentivizes quick trades of plots of land rather than constructing buildings. At the city's ever‐expanding periphery, real estate developers armed with village maps and legal teams scout for cheap land, while agricultural landowners negotiate within extended families over whether to sell and demand higher prices based on their knowledge of market rates. In WhatsApp groups, overseas Pakistani investors carefully monitor land acquisition efforts by sharing news articles, personal photos and videos, Google Earth images, and copies of government documents to make their own assessments about the value of land. But although real estate is the most popular financial investment in Lahore, it is also extraordinarily risky. Developers sell land before they have acquired it; investors make high‐risk, high‐reward purchases in illegal projects; and even gains become losses due to an unstable national currency. On the basis of twenty‐eight months of ethnographic fieldwork, this article analyzes how developers and investors navigate risk through the concept of rizq, or the Islamic belief that material wealth is provided by God. I show how rizq mediates the worldly economy of real estate and the otherworldly economy of Islam, dual economies between which all credits and debts are eventually settled. Reducible to neither Islam nor capitalism, I argue that rizq enables a uniquely audacious form of risk taking that is transforming the landscape of Lahore.
“We ain't never stolen a plant”: Livelihoods, property, and illegal ginseng harvesting in the Appalachian forest commons
Authors: Farley Katherine
Published: February 2022

In the southern Appalachian Mountains, wild American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) has been harvested for commercial sale for nearly 250 years. Ginseng is vulnerable to overexploitation but can be harvested according to regulations implemented to prevent a tragedy of the commons. Despite regulations, much ginseng is harvested illegally. Conservationists, supported by American property law, tend to believe illegal ginseng harvesters are thieves interested in quickly obtaining cash. This article argues instead that many illegal ginseng harvesters believe one cannot “steal” a wild plant. Many Appalachian forest users believe the owner of a ginseng root is the person who harvests it and not the landowner. Efforts to protect ginseng often rely on excluding harvesters from accessing lands historically considered to belong to the commons, which can also exclude them from an important strategy for earning income in a region where formal living‐wage jobs are scarce. This article adds complexity to understandings of the rural poor who make a living at the edges of the global capitalist system and contributes to a more nuanced understanding of poor rural Appalachians by exploring the reasons for ginseng harvesting, a behavior that otherwise might appear consistent with negative stereotypes of Appalachian culture.
Synthesis of Stable Lead‐Free Cs3Sb2(BrxI1−x)9 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) Perovskite Nanoplatelets and Their Application in CO2 Photocatalytic Reduction
Authors: Wu Daofu , Huo Benjun , Huang Yanyi , Zhao Xusheng , Yang Jiayu , Hu Ke , Mao Xinchun , He Peng , Huang Qiang , Tang Xiaosheng
Published: February 2022

Exploring photocatalysts to foster CO2 photoreduction into high value‐added chemicals is of great significance. Lead halide perovskites (LHPs) have recently been extensively investigated as photocatalysts, owing to their facile fabrication and prominent optoelectronic properties. However, the toxicity of lead and instability will hinder their future large‐scale applications. To address these challenges, a series of lead‐free Sb‐based all‐inorganic mixed halide perovskite Cs3Sb2(BrxI1−x)9 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) nanoplatelets (NPLs) is synthesized. The perovskite NPLs are prepared using a ligand‐assisted re‐precipitation approach at 50 °C. The authors observe the tunability of their optical band gaps from 2.1 to 2.5 eV, and they can maintain the excellent stability over 120 h under heating at 100 °C or UV light irradiation. The resultant materials are employed as efficient photocatalysts for visible‐light driven CO2 reduction at the gas–solid interface. The Cs3Sb2(Br0.7I0.3)9 perovskite NPLs afford an impressive overall yield of 27.7 µmol g−1 for the selective photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into CO. This study represents a significant demonstration for practical artificial photosynthesis by using LHP materials as photocatalysts.
Senses of Discomfort: Negotiating Feminist Methods, Theory and Identity
Authors: van den Berg Karijn , Rezvani Leila
Published: February 2022

Our chapter builds upon feminist understandings of the more-than-human, using our experiences of working with peasant farmers involved in seed saving (Leila) and activists’ relation to individual environmental practices (Karijn). Through a dialogue around our experiences, we reflect on feelings of discomfort, and how, rather than resolving our anxieties, discomfort has the potential to open up conventional ways of being a researcher. Focusing on relationality through embodied and processual research challenges the notion of method as a tool used by a disembodied researcher observing an inert or external world, a central concern of feminist-oriented research. We show how participating in plural and more-than-human worlds also challenges multiple binary positionings and allows for unwarranted surprises that might undo the assumptions and categories underpinning our research.
Embodying Cyberspace: Making the Personal Political in Digital Places
Authors: Harcourt Wendy , Argüello Calle Ximena
Published: February 2022

Our chapter builds on an intergenerational transnational exchange about how feminists can create safe places of engagement via the internet as part of embodied active research processes. We tell two stories separated by over two decades that illustrate how safe feminist and queer places are co-created and embodied as vital for connections and communication in cyberspace. Inspired by feminist geographies, we employ the term “place” as a term to explain a virtual sense of belonging where people could explore possibilities of embodied politics within cyberspace. Our two stories illustrate how embodied sexuality and gender power relations are shaped in the digital world. It explores the potential for feminists in online worlds to create places where individual and collective transformative processes are possible.
Methodologies for Collaborative, Respectful and Caring Research: Conversations with Professional Indigenous Women from Mexico
Authors: Cadaval Narezo Marina
Published: February 2022

This chapter presents the methodological process built during my doctoral research about the expectations on graduate education and the consequent professional and community journeys of a group of indigenous women from Mexico. In this text, are explored the encounters with two women with masters degrees—a Zapotec from Oaxaca and a Maya from Yucatan—as an exercise to reflect on how to generate knowledge that considers multiple standpoints, that is collaborative, anti-oppressive, caring and follows a constant self-reflectivity. The text is also an exercise for a narrative that shows and shapes a methodological path throug time, exposing temporalities and contexts that are not fixed yet connected.
HKLL bulk reconstruction for small ∆
Authors: Aoki Sinya , Balog János
Published: February 2022

Abstract

We discuss the extension of the HKLL (Hamilton, Kabat, Lifschytz, and Lowe) bulk reconstruction for non-interacting scalar fields corresponding to conformal weights ∆ smaller than the original condition ∆ > d − 1. We give explicit formulas for the cases d − 2 < ∆ ≤ d − 1 and ∆ = d − s with integer s. In the latter case we show that smearing CFT fields over a region of the boundary consisting of points light-like separated from the bulk point is sufficient for bulk reconstruction, whereas in general smearing over all light-like and space-like separated points is required.
Environmental influence on life-history traits in male squid Uroteuthis edulis with alternative reproductive tactics
Authors: Pang Yumeng , Chen Chih-Shin , Kawamura Tomohiko , Iwata Yoko
Published: February 2022

Squid are characterized by flexible life-history traits (LHTs) that change in response to changing oceanic parameters. Male alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs), characterized by large-sized ‘consorts’ versus small-sized ‘sneakers’, are commonly observed in loliginid species. This study reports on LHTs flexibility in male squids displaying ARTs. LHTs of consorts and sneakers in Uroteuthis edulis, including body size, age, growth rate and gonado-somatic energy allocation, were compared among seasonal and geographical groups from Japan and Taiwan. The ratio of consorts to sneakers was highest in the group spawning in the ‘Japan-warm’ season (June–November), followed by that of the ‘Japan-cold’ season (December–May), and lowest in Taiwan (spring and autumn). LHTs were compared among cohorts separated by hatching season and catch location (Jwarm, Jcold and Taiwan cohorts). Mean body size of consorts showed no difference among cohorts, although Taiwan consorts were relatively younger than Japan consorts. Mean size and age of sneakers decreased with increased water temperature at hatching. Growth rates of consorts and sneakers were slightly different among cohorts, in accordance with differences of statolith increment widths during their early life stage (50–150 days). Growth rates of both consorts and sneakers were highest in the Taiwan cohort, followed by the Jwarm cohort, with the Jcold cohort lowest. Sneakers invested more both in mantle and gonadal weights than consorts in all cohorts. Gonado-somatic energy allocation patterns of consorts and sneakers were consistent at different temperatures. LHTs of U. edulis consorts and sneakers were strongly influenced by temperature, with higher flexibility in sneakers than consorts.
Enhanced habit formation in Tourette patients explained by shortcut modulation in a hierarchical cortico-basal ganglia model
Authors: Scholl Carolin , Baladron Javier , Vitay Julien , Hamker Fred H.
Published: February 2022

Devaluation protocols reveal that Tourette patients show an increased propensity to habitual behaviors as they continue to respond to devalued outcomes in a cognitive stimulus-response-outcome association task. We use a neuro-computational model of hierarchically organized cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loops to shed more light on habit formation and its alteration in Tourette patients. In our model, habitual behavior emerges from cortico-thalamic shortcut connections, where enhanced habit formation can be linked to faster plasticity in the shortcut or to a stronger feedback from the shortcut to the basal ganglia. We explore two major hypotheses of Tourette pathophysiology—local striatal disinhibition and increased dopaminergic modulation of striatal medium spiny neurons—as causes for altered shortcut activation. Both model changes altered shortcut functioning and resulted in higher rates of responses towards devalued outcomes, similar to what is observed in Tourette patients. We recommend future experimental neuroscientific studies to locate shortcuts between cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loops in the human brain and study their potential role in health and disease.
On the Morse index of critical points in the viscosity method
Authors: Michelat Alexis
Published: February 2022

We show that in viscous approximations of functionals defined on Finsler manifolds, it is possible to construct suitable sequences of critical points of these approximations satisfying the expected Morse index bounds as in Lazer–Solimini’s theory, together with the entropy condition of Michael Struwe.
Digital shinrin-yoku: do nature experiences in virtual reality reduce stress and increase well-being as strongly as similar experiences in a physical forest?
Authors: Reese Gerhard , Stahlberg Jasmin , Menzel Claudia
Published: February 2022

Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing refers to a therapeutic, immersive nature experience that aids to improve well-being. The goal of the current research was to compare the effects of a physical urban nature versus virtual nature experience on stress, affect, vitality, and restoration. Previous research suggested that an immersive nature experience—such as shinrin-yoku—can be beneficial for health, but direct comparisons between physical and virtual reality (VR) experiences are scarce. In the current study, fifty participants navigated self-paced through a forest scene that was either an urban physical forest or an immersive VR forest with similar characteristics as the physical one. Before and after the intervention, we measured positive and negative affect, subjective vitality, and perceived daily stress. After the intervention, we measured perceived restorative outcomes. Results revealed that both VR and physical nature experience resulted in expected effects on well-being indicators: Affect was more positive and less negative, subjective vitality increased slightly, and stress decreased slightly after both interventions. There were no significant differences between the two settings on any of the variables, but slightly stronger effect sizes over time within the physical condition. Overall, these findings suggest that immersive VR nature experiences can have restoration effects similar to physical nature experiences, suggesting intervention strategies when physical nature options are scarce.
Generating EQ-5D-5L health utility scores from BASDAI and BASFI: a mapping study in patients with axial spondyloarthritis using longitudinal UK registry data
Authors: Neilson Aileen R. , Jones Gareth T. , Macfarlane Gary J. , Pathan Ejaz MI , McNamee Paul
Published: February 2022

Background

Preference-based health-state utility values (HSUVs), such as the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L), are needed to calculate quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for cost-effectiveness analyses. However, these are rarely used in clinical trials of interventions in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). In these cases, mapping can be used to predict HSUVs.

Objective

To develop mapping algorithms to estimate EQ-5D-5L HSUVs from the Bath Ankylosing Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI).

Methods

Data from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register in Ankylosing Spondylitis (BSRBR-AS) provided 5122 observations with complete BASDAI, BASFI, and EQ-5D-5L responses covering the full range of disease severity. We compared direct mapping using adjusted limited dependent variable mixture models (ALDVMMs) and optional inclusion of the gap between full health and the next feasible value with indirect response mapping using ordered probit (OPROBIT) and generalised ordered probit (GOPROBIT) models. Explanatory variables included BASDAI, BASFI, and age. Metrics to assess model goodness-of-fit and performance/accuracy included Akaike and Bayesian information criteria (AIC/BIC), mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE), plotting predictive vs. observed estimates across the range of BASDAI/BASFI and comparing simulated data with the original data set for the preferred/best model.

Results

Overall, the ALDVMM models that did not formally include the gap between full health and the next feasible value outperformed those that did. The four-component mixture models (with squared terms included) performed better than the three-component models. Response mapping using GOPROBIT (no squared terms included) or OPROBIT (with squared terms included) offered the next best performing models after the three-component ALDVMM (with squared terms). Simulated data of the preferred model (ALDVMM with four-components) did not significantly underestimate uncertainty across most of the range of EQ-5D-5L values, however the proportion of data at full health was underrepresented, likely due in part to model fitting on a small number of observations at this point in the actual data (4%).

Conclusions

The mapping algorithms developed in this study enabled the generation of EQ-5D-5L utilities from BASDAI/BASFI. The indirect mapping equations reported for the EQ-5D-5L facilitate the calculation of the EQ-5D-5L utility scores using other UK and country-specific value sets.
Cost-minimisation analysis of oritavancin for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections from a United Kingdom perspective
Authors: Zinzi Daniela , Vlachaki Ioanna , Falla Edel , Mantopoulos Theo , Nathwani Dilip
Published: February 2022

Background

Early discharge (ED) from hospital and outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) are effective approaches for the management of a range of infections, including acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). Strategies that facilitate ED, thereby reducing complications such as healthcare-acquired infection whilst enhancing patient quality of life, are being increasingly adopted in line with good antimicrobial stewardship practice. This study presents a cost-minimisation analysis for the use of oritavancin at ED versus relevant comparators from a National Health Service (NHS) and personal and social services United Kingdom perspective.

Methods

A cost-minimisation model considering adult patients with ABSSSI with suspected or confirmed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, was developed based on publicly available NHS costs, practice guidelines for ABSSSI and clinical expert’s opinion. Cost of treatment and treatment days were compared for oritavancin at ED to dalbavancin, teicoplanin, daptomycin and linezolid.

Results

Following the empiric use of either flucloxacillin or vancomycin in the inpatient setting, oritavancin was compared to OPAT with dalbavancin, teicoplanin and daptomycin, and oral linezolid from day 4 of treatment. Oritavancin at ED reduced treatment duration by 0.8 days and led to cost savings of £281 in comparison to dalbavancin. In comparison to teicoplanin, daptomycin and linezolid, oritavancin reduced treatment duration by 5 days, with marginally higher costs (£446, £137, and £1,434, respectively).

Conclusion

Oritavancin, used to support ED, is associated with lower costs compared with dalbavancin and reduced treatment duration relative to all comparators. Its use would support an ED approach in MRSA ABSSSI management.
Networks as mediating variables: a Bayesian latent space approach
Authors: Di Maria Chiara , Abbruzzo Antonino , Lovison Gianfranco
Published: February 2022

The use of network analysis to investigate social structures has recently seen a rise due to the high availability of data and the numerous insights it can provide into different fields. Most analyses focus on the topological characteristics of networks and the estimation of relationships between the nodes. We adopt a different perspective by considering the whole network as a random variable conveying the effect of an exposure on a response. This point of view represents a classical mediation setting, where the interest lies in estimating the indirect effect, that is, the effect propagated through the mediating variable. We introduce a latent space model mapping the network into a space of smaller dimension by considering the hidden positions of the units in the network. The coordinates of each node are used as mediators in the relationship between the exposure and the response. We further extend mediation analysis in the latent space framework by using Generalised Linear Models instead of linear ones, as previously done in the literature, adopting an approach based on derivatives to obtain the effects of interest. A Bayesian approach allows us to get the entire distribution of the indirect effect, generally unknown, and compute the corresponding highest density interval, which gives accurate and interpretable bounds for the mediated effect. Finally, an application to social interactions among a group of adolescents and their attitude toward substance use is presented.
Improving Healthy Living in Residential Care Facilities: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Appropriateness of Implementing a Multicomponent Intervention for Diabetes Risk Reduction in Adults with Serious Mental Illnesses
Authors: Sommerfeld David H. , Brunner Amy M. , Glorioso Danielle , Lee Ellen E. , Ibarra Cynthia , Zunshine Elizabeth , Daly Rebecca E. , Zoumas Christine , Jeste Dilip V.
Published: February 2022

Persons with serious mental illnesses experience high rates of medical comorbidity, especially diabetes. This study examined initial implementation feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of a new 6-month Multicomponent Intervention for Diabetes risk reduction in Adults with Serious mental illnesses (MIDAS) among persons in residential care facilities (RCFs). We conducted a mixed-methods study using four types of quantitative and qualitative data sources (administrative data; structured facility-level observations; resident assessments including blood-based biomarkers, 24-h dietary recalls, and self-report physical activity; and focus groups/interviews with staff and participants), to assess evidence of and factors affecting intervention feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness. It was feasible to provide a high percentage of MIDAS class sessions (mean 50 of 52 intended sessions delivered) and make nutrition-related RCF changes (substitutions for healthier food items and reduced portion sizes). Class attendance rates and positive feedback from residents and staff provided evidence of MIDAS acceptability and appropriateness for addressing identified health needs. The residents who attended ≥ 85% of the sessions had greater improvement in several desired outcomes compared to others. Implementing a fully integrated MIDAS model with more extensive changes to facilities and more fundamental health changes among residents was more challenging. While the study found evidence to support feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of individual MIDAS components, some challenges for full implementation and success in obtaining immediate health benefits were also apparent. The study results highlight the need for improving health among RCF populations and will inform MIDAS adaptations designed to improve intervention fit and effectiveness outcomes.
Gadolinium Doped Layered Double Hydroxides for Simultaneous Drug Delivery and Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Zhang Ziwei , Wells Connor J. R. , Liang Ruizheng , Davies Gemma-Louise , Williams Gareth R.
Published: February 2022

In this study, gadolinium (Gd) doped MgAl layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were synthesized via a ‘bottom-up’ method and fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and relaxivity measurements. Two cytotoxic agents were then intercalated via ion-exchange. X-ray diffraction patterns exhibit expanded interlayer spacings as a result of successful drug intercalation. Infrared spectra also showed characteristic peaks of the incorporated methotrexate (MTX) or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The LDHs were found to be highly stable under physiological conditions, while in acidic conditions a small proportion of Gd was freed into the immersion medium. Dissolution tests revealed that both 5FU and MTX were rapidly released from the LDH carrier. The longitudinal relaxivity of Gd-LDHs remains largely stable during drug release over 24 h, and was higher in acidic environments. Overall, the drug-loaded Gd-LDH systems prepared in this study could serve as pH-sensitive theranostic platforms for MRI-guided anti-cancer therapy.
Psychological Distress in Australian Onshore and Offshore Immigration Detention Centres from 2014–2018
Authors: Essex Ryan , Kalocsányiová Erika , Young Peter , McCrone Paul
Published: February 2022

This study examines the impact of length of detention and location of detention on psychological distress amongst Australian immigration detainees. This study employs a repeated measures cross-sectional study, utilising Australian government data from 2014 to 2018 that relied on the Kessler-10 (K10) to measure psychological distress. There were 21,703 assessments conducted which included 15,264 assessment onshore over a 5 year period and 6439 assessments offshore over a 3 year period. The mean overall K10 score onshore was 18.85, while offshore it was 24.37. K10 scores increased with length of time detained both onshore and offshore, with K10 scores offshore generally higher at each time point. The results of this study add to a growing body of evidence that suggests that length of time detained and particularly offshore detention has a substantial impact on mental health.
A Strong Version of the Skorohod Representation Theorem
Authors: Pratelli Luca , Rigo Pietro
Published: February 2022

For each $$n\ge 0$$

n
≥
0

, let $$\mu _n$$

μ
n

be a tight probability measure on the Borel $$\sigma $$
σ
-field of a metric space S. Let $$(T,{\mathcal {C}})$$

(
T
,
C
)

be a measurable space such that the diagonal $$\bigl \{(t,t):t\in T\bigr \}$$

{

(
t
,
t
)
:
t
∈
T

}

belongs to $${\mathcal {C}}\otimes {\mathcal {C}}$$

C
⊗
C

. Fix a measurable function $$g:S\rightarrow T$$

g
:
S
→
T

and suppose $$\mu _n=\mu _0$$

μ
n

=

μ
0

on $$g^{-1}({\mathcal {C}})$$

g

-
1

(
C
)

for all $$n\ge 0$$

n
≥
0

. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of S-valued random variables $$X_n$$

X
n

, defined on the same probability space and satisfying $$\begin{aligned} X_n\overset{\text {a.s.}}{\longrightarrow }X_0,\quad X_n\sim \mu _n\,\text { and } \,g(X_n)=g(X_0)\,\text { for all }n\ge 0, \end{aligned}$$

X
n

⟶
a.s.

X
0

,

X
n

∼

μ
n

and

g

(

X
n

)

=
g

(

X
0

)

for all

n
≥
0
,

are given. Such conditions are then applied to several examples. The tightness condition on $$\mu _0$$

μ
0

can be dropped at the price of some assumptions on S and g.