bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acute psychological stress increases paracellular permeability and modulates immune activity in rectal mucosa of healthy volunteers
Authors: Gerdin Linda , González‐Castro Ana M. , Ericson Ann‐Charlott , Persborn Mats , Santos Javier , Walter Susanna A. , Keita Åsa V. , Vicario Maria , Söderholm Johan D.
Published: October 2022

Background

Psychological stress and increased permeability are implicated as contributing factors in the initiation and worsening of gastrointestinal diseases. A link between stress and intestinal permeability has been shown in animal models as well as in human small intestine, but stress effects on the human colorectal mucosal barrier has not been reported.

Objective

To investigate the potential effects of acute psychological stress on colorectal mucosal barrier function and to explore stress‐induced molecular events in the rectal mucosa under healthy conditions.

Methods

Endoscopic biopsies were taken from the rectosigmoid region of healthy volunteers, who had been subjected to dichotomous listening stress and after a control session, respectively. Paracellular and transcellular permeability were assessed in modified Ussing chambers. RNA expression (microarray technology confirmed by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction) and biological pathway analysis were used to investigate the local mucosal response to acute stress.

Results

Dichotomous listening stress induced a subjective and objective stress response, and significantly increased paracellular but not transcellular permeability. We also identified a stress‐induced reduction in RNA expression of genes related to immune cell activation and maturation (CR2, CD20, TCLA1, BANK1, CD22, FDCSP), signaling molecules of homing of immune cells to the gut (chemokines: CCL21, CXCL13, and CCL19, and receptors: CCR7, CXCR5), and innate immunity (DUOX2). Eight of the 10 top down‐regulated genes are directly involved in B cell activation, signaling and migration. The systemic stress response correlated positively with paracellular permeability and negatively with DUOX2 expression.

Conclusion

Dichotomous listening stress increases paracellular permeability and modulates immune cell activity in the rectal mucosa. Further studies are warranted to identify the primary mechanisms of stress‐mediated reduction of mucosal defensive activity and barrier dysfunction, and their potential implications for gastrointestinal disorders.
Recent progress on PEDOT‐based wearable bioelectronics
Authors: Zhang Wanying , Su Zhen , Zhang Xianchao , Wang Wentao , Li Zaifang
Published: October 2022

Bioelectronics, which can perform monitoring and biological signal collection of strain, pressure, and temperature at the same time, have attracted more and more attentions. To meet the unique requirements of wearable characteristics, the bioelectronic device with excellent flexibility is desired. At present, the biggest challenge for the flexible device is the candidate of electrode materials. The classical conducting polymer poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) has showed a promising potential in the field of wearable bioelectronic devices due to its high conductivity, excellent flexibility, aqueous processability, and good biocompatibility. Here, we reviewed the recent progress of PEDOT‐based wearable bioelectronic sensors and focus on the role of different PEDOT‐based flexible materials in addressing the mechanical strain, pressure, and temperature requirements. The impact of contemporary bioelectronic research will be highlighted.
Bayes Factor for Model Choice
Authors: Bozza Silvia , Taroni Franco , Biedermann Alex
Published: October 2022

This chapter addresses the problem of discrimination between competing propositions regarding selected features of a population of interest, also commonly known as “hypothesis testing”. Examples include counting processes when propositions refer to the proportion of items in a given population that show features of forensic interest (e.g., items with illegal content). Another typical example is the discrimination between competing propositions regarding the concentration of a controlled substance, such as drugs in blood, exceeding a given threshold. This chapter develops and explains the use of the Bayes factor for one-sided hypothesis testing involving model parameters in the form of a proportion and a mean. In both situations, additional factors (e.g., errors) are considered as well as aspects of decision making.
Bayes Factor for Investigative Purposes
Authors: Bozza Silvia , Taroni Franco , Biedermann Alex
Published: October 2022

This chapter develops and discusses Bayes factors for investigative purposes, i.e. situations in which no potential source is available for comparison purposes. A typical example for this is the problem of classifying items or individuals into one of several classes or populations on the basis of available data (e.g., measurements of one or more attributes). More specifically, material of interest is analyzed (e.g., the quantity of cocaine present on banknotes) and results are evaluated in terms of their effect on the odds in favor of a proposition according to which the recovered material originates from a given population (e.g., banknotes in general circulation), compared to an alternative proposition according to which the recovered items originate from another population (e.g., banknotes related to drug trafficking). The problem of discrimination between populations is addressed for various types of discrete and continuous data, respectively, including an extension to continuous multivariate data. The examples developed in this chapter involve classification for two or more populations. The assessment of model performance is addressed as well.
Jokes That Illustrate Unethical Business Behaviour
Authors: Bouwmeester Onno
Published: October 2022

This chapter explores a new jokes-based illustration method targeting ethical transgressions in the business context. The method question is how well public business jokes published on the Internet can illustrate common ethical business transgressions. The result is that ten common unethical business practices mentioned in interviews with over 100 consultants, can all be illustrated with public business jokes. That shows that jokes are a good source for illustrating common unethical business behaviour. As jokes activate normative standards, they also point at what the ethical issue is. This gives them illustrative value for answering both descriptive and evaluative research questions. Still, the jokes-based illustration method has its limitations. First, it takes time for jokes to be published on the Internet and to get shared. Second, jokes can only be experienced as funny when they illustrate mild norm violation. When behaviour gets very unethical our emotional response turns into anger, and fun gets lost. Third, ethical transgressions need to be somewhat common and recognizable to be good joking material. Fourth, not everyone “gets” a joke. That means, the audience needs to be sufficiently able to interpret well. Finally, for illustration purpose, a topical match between the joke and the ethical issue is important, which puts high demands on searching and selection.
Critical Jokes and Moral Reflection in Interviews
Authors: Bouwmeester Onno
Published: October 2022

This chapter introduces a new jokes-based interview method that uses jokes to reflect on experiences with pressuring leadership in the context of consulting. It finds that the new interview method triggers junior consultants’ memories of experiences with pressuring managers, and managers’ memories on how their juniors deal with overly high leadership demands in consultancies. Some jokes introduce the topic better than others, which makes the selection of jokes an important part of the method. Especially cartoons invite open conversation on ethical transgressions. When doing jokes-based interviews, follow-up questioning is important. The interviewee also needs to get room to freely interpret, associate and elaborate. The method is very well able to create rapport, as the jokes not only introduce the topic, but also serve as an icebreaker. The jokes-based interview method helps to overcome social desirability bias by introducing the topic of a specific moral transgression in a humorous way.
Jokes-Based Survey Questions on Expert Virtues
Authors: Bouwmeester Onno
Published: October 2022

This chapter introduces a new jokes-based survey method that uses rating questions to assess statements expressed in cartoons, next to the rating of traditional statements on the same topic. This mixed-method approach studying flawed consultant expertise and its ethical repercussions finds consistent results for the two methods when comparing stakeholder opinions of five different groups: clients, client employees, consultants, academics studying consultants and outsiders. Clients and consultants are most positive about consultant expertise, client employees are most negative while academics and outsiders hold the middle ground. Advantages of the method are motivational (good response and completion rates) and greater clarity of statements due to the use of visuals. Cartoon-based questions in this mixed-method approach also increase validity by adding a new type of control questions. Limitations of the method are that the statements to be rated are dependent on available cartoon content. Rating questions linked to cartoons are also limited to critical statements.
Content Analysis of Critical Business Jokes
Authors: Bouwmeester Onno
Published: October 2022

This chapter introduces a new jokes-based method of content analysis applied to a larger sample of critical business jokes. Analysing jokes puts higher demands on interpretation than usual for content analysis. The analysis of jokes on the topic of uncertainties in the consultant–client relation indicates that both clients and consultants are active players, with their own tactics to create, use and reduce uncertainty. These results are in line with earlier studies on consultants and uncertainty, but add nuance and detail to earlier findings by illustrating new consultant and client tactics. Benefits of content analysis of a sample of jokes are the rich insights they provide together. The jokes tell about what we can call the grey zone of ethical transgression: common problematic and mostly concealed practices that most insiders are somewhat ashamed of. Limitations of jokes-based content analysis relate to the type of data used, which can be considered biased much like metaphors. There is representation bias related to irony, exaggeration, distortion, stereotyping, exclusion, abstraction and fictional elements. There is also bias related to what topics are funny or not (humour bias). These limitations can all be mitigated by careful interpretation and data triangulation.
Engineering Compact Data Structures for Rank and Select Queries on Bit Vectors
Authors: Kurpicz Florian
Published: October 2022

Bit vectors are fundamental building blocks of succinct data structures used in compressed text indices, e.g., in the form of the wavelet trees. Here, two types of queries are of interest: rank and select queries. In practice, the smallest (uncompressed) rank and select data structure cs-poppy has a space overhead of $$\approx $$
≈
3.51 % [Zhou et al. SEA 2013] [26]. Using the same overhead, we present a data structure that can answer queries up to 8 % (rank) and 16.5 % (select) faster compared with cs-poppy.
Herausforderung und Grenzen bei der Gestaltung von Datenverträgen
Authors: Straub Sebastian
Published: October 2022

Digitale Ökosysteme leben vom Austausch und der übergreifenden Nutzung von Daten. Dem wirtschaftlichen Nutzen von digitalen Innovationen stehen häufig Sorgen vor Kontrollverlust und missbräuchlicher Verwendung von Daten gegenüber. Abhilfe schaffen technische Lösungsansätze, die den souveränen Umgang mit Daten sicherstellen und Vertrauen zwischen den Akteuren schaffen sollen. Im engen Zusammenhang hierzu steht die Frage, wem Daten rechtlich zuzuordnen sind und wer sie nutzen darf. Die bestehende Rechtsordnung gibt hierauf nur punktuell Antworten. Die Überlassung von Daten erfolgt derzeit vor allem auf Grundlage von Verträgen. Dabei gilt weitgehend das Prinzip der Vertragsfreiheit. Dies ermöglicht eine interessengerechte Ausgestaltung der Vertragsbeziehung, stellt die Vertragsparteien aber gleichzeitig vor Herausforderungen. Die lückenlose und zugleich rechtssichere Gestaltung von Datenverträgen erweist sich mitunter als schwierig. Der folgende Beitrag befasst sich mit Herausforderungen und Grenzen bei der Gestaltung von Datenverträgen.
Unternehmensdaten – Informationen aus gewachsenen, komplexen Systemen herausarbeiten
Authors: Schlunder Philipp , Temme Fabian
Published: October 2022

Viele Datenanalyse-Projekte gehen nicht über die Phase des Prototypings hinaus. Im vorliegenden Kapitel werden Herausforderungen und Lösungsansätze für die Arbeit mit Daten im Unternehmenskontext betrachtet, die bereits frühzeitig eine spätere Inbetriebnahme begünstigen sollen. Besonderer Fokus liegt dabei auf dem Umgang mit unterschiedlichen, fehlerbehafteten Datenquellen sowie der organisatorischen Ebene.

Zu Beginn wird die Planung eines ersten Projekttreffens thematisiert. Dazu gehört, welche Akteure sich zu welchen Fragen austauschen sollten. Anschließend werden verschiedenste Datentypen und typische Probleme mit verbreiteten Datenquellen besprochen. Mit dem Werkzeug der „Live Working Sessions“ wird danach ein schlichtes Konzept vorgestellt, mit dem die gemeinsame Arbeit der Projektpartner so gestaltet werden kann, dass möglichst früh eine durchgängige, praktikable Datenpipeline entsteht. Es wird beschrieben, wie die direkte Umsetzung einer solchen dazu beiträgt, potenzielle Probleme in der IT-Infrastruktur bereits während des Prototypings anzugehen, um erste Tests zur Einbindung der Analyse-Ergebnisse in die Unternehmensstruktur realisieren zu können.
Nationale und internationale Standardisierung und Zertifizierung von Datendiensten
Authors: Mangelsdorf Axel , Demirci Stefanie , Besold Tarek
Published: October 2022

Die Akteure der Datenwirtschaft müssen sich mit dem Thema der Normung, Standardisierung, Zertifizierung und Regulierung beschäftigen, da nicht nur der Regulierungsentwurf der Europäischen Union für KI-Anwendungen Konformitätsbewertungsverfahren vorsieht, sondern auch, weil immer mehr freiwillige Zertifizierungsprogramme am Markt entstehen. Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick zu Normen und Standards sowie freiwilligen oder gesetzlich verpflichtenden Zertifizierungen in der Datenwirtschaft und zeigt, welche Kosten und Nutzen daraus für die Akteure der Datenwirtschaft entstehen können. Ein Beispiel aus dem Gesundheitsbereich zeigt, wie innovative Unternehmen mit regulatorischen Vorgaben umgehen und Entscheidungen zu produktbezogener Zweckbestimmung und Risikoeinschätzung bereits in der Entwicklungsphase getroffen werden müssen. Den Akteuren der Datenwirtschaft wird auf Grundlage dieser Erkenntnisse empfohlen, die Vorteile der Mitarbeit an Normen und Standards (Wissensvorsprung, Verwertungsmöglichkeiten, Networking) mit den Kosten für die Teilnahme abzuwägen. Zertifizierungsprogramme können zu mehr Akzeptanz und Vertrauen am Markt führen, ersetzen jedoch nicht unbedingt die Entwicklung unternehmenseigener Anforderungen an Datenqualität und -sicherheit.
Bewertung von Unternehmensdatenbeständen: Wege zur Wertermittlung des wertvollsten immateriellen Vermögensgegenstandes
Authors: Stein Hannah , Groen in’t Woud Florian , Holuch Michael , Mulryan Dominic , Froese Thomas , Holst Lennard
Published: October 2022

Dieser Beitrag stellt dar, welche Chancen und Herausforderungen mit der Bewertung von Daten sowie der Abbildung monetärer Datenwerte verbunden sind und geht auf mögliche Lösungsansätze zur Bewertung von Unternehmensdatenbeständen, insbesondere im Kontext der industriellen Produktion, ein. Zunächst werden Grundlagen zur Charakterisierung, Nutzung und Verwertung von Daten sowie bestehende Methoden zur Bewertung von immateriellen Vermögensgegenständen dargestellt. Darauf aufbauend werden Chancen und Herausforderungen spezifiziert, potenzielle Lösungsansätze zur Datenbewertung abgeleitet und anschließend Anforderungen für die Datenbewertung beschrieben sowie die nutzenorientierte Datenbewertung skizziert.
Compliant Programming – Rechtssicherer Einsatz von Blockchains und anderen Datentechnologien
Authors: Saive David
Published: October 2022

Es gibt keine rechtsfreien Räume: nicht im „realen“ Leben, nicht im Internet und insgesamt auch nicht bei der Softwareentwicklung. Dieses Mantra kann nicht oft genug wiederholt werden. Das Primat des Rechts gilt fort. Es ist der Grundstein des modernen, rechtsstaatlichen Zusammenlebens. Dennoch werden rechtliche Anforderungen an Software und deren Entwicklungsprozess zumeist stiefmütterlich behandelt. Das ist erstaunlich. Schließlich beeinflusst die zunehmende Digitalisierung unser gesamtes Leben und Arbeiten. Eine korrekt funktionierende Software ist für den Alltag genauso entscheidend wie das Dach über dem Kopf. Doch niemand würde auf die Idee kommen, Häuser ungeachtet der geltenden Bauvorschriften zu planen und zu bauen. In der Softwareentwicklung sieht das leider anders aus. Dieser Beitrag soll als Aufruf für mehr interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit zwischen Recht und Technik verstanden werden und gleichzeitig konkrete Hinweise zu den rechtlichen Herausforderungen moderner Blockchain-Netzwerke geben.
Revisiting the Monge Problem in the Landauer Limit
Authors: Eckmann Jean-Pierre , Mejía-Monasterio Carlos
Published: October 2022

We discuss the Monge problem of mass transportation in the framework of stochastic thermodynamics and revisit the problem of the Landauer limit for finite-time thermodynamics, a problem that got the interest of Krzysztof Gawedzki in the last years. We show that restricted to one dimension, optimal transportation is efficiently solved numerically by well-known methods from differential equations. We add a brief discussion about the relevance this has on optimising the processing in modern computers.
Tutorial on PCA and approximate PCA and approximate kernel PCA
Authors: Marukatat Sanparith
Published: October 2022

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is one of the most widely used data analysis methods in machine learning and AI. This manuscript focuses on the mathematical foundation of classical PCA and its application to a small-sample-size scenario and a large dataset in a high-dimensional space scenario. In particular, we discuss a simple method that can be used to approximate PCA in the latter case. This method can also help approximate kernel PCA or kernel PCA (KPCA) for a large-scale dataset. We hope this manuscript will give readers a solid foundation on PCA, approximate PCA, and approximate KPCA.
Evidence for three distinct climate change audience segments with varying belief-updating tendencies: implications for climate change communication
Authors: Andreotta Matthew , Boschetti Fabio , Farrell Simon , Paris Cécile , Walker Iain , Hurlstone Mark
Published: October 2022

Mounting evidence suggests members of the general public are not homogeneous in their receptivity to climate science information. Studies segmenting climate change views typically deploy a top-down approach, whereby concepts salient in scientific literature determine the number and nature of segments. In contrast, in two studies using Australian citizens, we used a bottom-up approach, in which segments were determined from perceptions of climate change concepts derived from citizen social media discourse. In Study 1, we identified three segments of the Australian public (Acceptors, Fencesitters, and Sceptics) and their psychological characteristics. We find segments differ in climate change concern and scepticism, mental models of climate, political ideology, and worldviews. In Study 2, we examined whether reception to scientific information differed across segments using a belief-updating task. Participants reported their beliefs concerning the causes of climate change, the likelihood climate change will have specific impacts, and the effectiveness of Australia’s mitigation policy. Next, participants were provided with the actual scientific estimates for each event and asked to provide new estimates. We find significant heterogeneity in the belief-updating tendencies of the three segments that can be understood with reference to their different psychological characteristics. Our results suggest tailored scientific communications informed by the psychological profiles of different segments may be more effective than a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Using our novel audience segmentation analysis, we provide some practical suggestions regarding how communication strategies can be improved by accounting for segments’ characteristics.
Tailoring climate information and services for adaptation actors with diverse capabilities
Authors: Wilby Robert , Lu Xianfu
Published: October 2022

With louder demands in public discourse for action on adaptation to climate change, efforts to improve the provision and use of climate information and services (CIS) are also gaining prominence. Drawing on literature about uptake of CIS for climate risk assessment and adaptation, plus our own practical experiences, this Essay examines modes of user-provider interaction in CIS. By employing a customer-tailor analogy, three overlapping types of CIS transaction are identified: ‘off-the-peg’, ‘outsourced’ and ‘bespoke’. Evident across all modes are ‘loyalty card’ customers who return to the same provider(s). We then offer a set of prompts to facilitate more meaningful engagement and dialogue between adaptation actors and providers. These questions could also be used to seed discussions within communities that research and provide training in CIS, as well as amongst stakeholders, funders and other institutions involved in the governance of CIS systems. Such searching and timely conversations could advance a more tailored approach to CIS delivery, regardless of the technical and financial starting point of users and providers.
Wedding Amidst War? Armed Conflict and Female Teen Marriage in Azerbaijan
Authors: Torrisi Orsola
Published: October 2022

Does armed conflict influence female teen marriage? Despite increasing attention to early marriage, its drivers and consequences, quantitative research on whether teen unions are affected by situations of armed violence is minimal. This paper addresses this gap by examining the relationship between exposure to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh over 1992–1996 and teen marriage outcomes in Azerbaijan. Using data from the 2006 Demographic and Health Survey and the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, I compare cohorts at risk of teen union before and during the conflict climax years with a modelling strategy that exploits information on forced displacement and spatial variation in conflict violence. Results show that experiencing war violence in adolescent ages, its intensity and frequency are associated with a lower risk of teen marriage. Reductions are largest for the cohorts who spent most of their adolescent ages under conflict and who were displaced as a result. For never-migrant conflict-affected girls, declines extend to the youngest cohorts. The combination of age at conflict occurrence and the experience of disruptive events like forced migration matters for teen marriage outcomes.
From oncoproteins to spike proteins: the evaluation of intramolecular stability using hydropathic force field
Authors: Agosta Federica , Kellogg Glen E. , Cozzini Pietro
Published: October 2022

Evaluation of the intramolecular stability of proteins plays a key role in the comprehension of their biological behavior and mechanism of action. Small structural alterations such as mutations induced by single nucleotide polymorphism can impact biological activity and pharmacological modulation. Covid-19 mutations, that affect viral replication and the susceptibility to antibody neutralization, and the action of antiviral drugs, are just one example. In this work, the intramolecular stability of mutated proteins, like Spike glycoprotein and its complexes with the human target, is evaluated through hydropathic intramolecular energy scoring originally conceived by Abraham and Kellogg based on the “Extension of the fragment method to calculate amino acid zwitterion and side-chain partition coefficients” by Abraham and Leo in Proteins: Struct. Funct. Genet. 1987, 2:130 − 52. HINT is proposed as a fast and reliable tool for the stability evaluation of any mutated system. This work has been written in honor of Prof. Donald J. Abraham (1936–2021).
Universality of the Number Variance in Rotational Invariant Two-Dimensional Coulomb Gases
Authors: Akemann Gernot , Byun Sung-Soo , Ebke Markus
Published: October 2022

An exact map was established by Lacroix-A-Chez-Toine et al. in (Phys Rev A 99(2):021602, 2019) between theNcomplex eigenvalues of complex non-Hermitian random matrices from the Ginibre ensemble, and the positions ofNnon-interacting Fermions in a rotating trap in the ground state. An important quantity is the statistics of the number of Fermions$$\mathcal {N}_a$$Nain a disc of radiusa. Extending the work (Lacroix-A-Chez-Toine et al., in Phys Rev A 99(2):021602, 2019) covering Gaussian and rotationally invariant potentialsQ, we present a rigorous analysis in planar complex and symplectic ensembles, which both represent 2D Coulomb gases. We show that the variance of$$\mathcal {N}_a$$Nais universal in the large-Nlimit, when measured in units of the mean density proportional to$$\Delta Q$$ΔQ, which itself is non-universal. This holds in the large-Nlimit in the bulk and at the edge, when a finite fraction or almost all Fermions are inside the disc. In contrast, at the origin, when few eigenvalues are contained, it is the singularity of the potential that determines the universality class. We present three explicit examples from the Mittag-Leffler ensemble, products of Ginibre matrices, and truncated unitary random matrices. Our proofs exploit the integrable structure of the underlying determinantal respectively Pfaffian point processes and a simple representation of the variance in terms of truncated moments at finite-N.
DIMBA: discretely masked black-box attack in single object tracking
Authors: Yin Xiangyu , Ruan Wenjie , Fieldsend Jonathan
Published: October 2022

The adversarial attack can force a CNN-based model to produce an incorrect output by craftily manipulating human-imperceptible input. Exploring such perturbations can help us gain a deeper understanding of the vulnerability of neural networks, and provide robustness to deep learning against miscellaneous adversaries. Despite extensive studies focusing on the robustness of image, audio, and NLP, works on adversarial examples of visual object tracking—especially in a black-box manner—are quite lacking. In this paper, we propose a novel adversarial attack method to generate noises for single object tracking under black-box settings, where perturbations are merely added on initialized frames of tracking sequences, which is difficult to be noticed from the perspective of a whole video clip. Specifically, we divide our algorithm into three components and exploit reinforcement learning for localizing important frame patches precisely while reducing unnecessary computational queries overhead. Compared to existing techniques, our method requires less time to perturb videos, but to manipulate competitive or even better adversarial performance. We test our algorithm in both long-term and short-term datasets, including OTB100, VOT2018, UAV123, and LaSOT. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our method on three mainstream types of trackers: discrimination, Siamese-based, and reinforcement learning-based trackers. We release our attack tool, DIMBA, via GitHub https://github.com/TrustAI/DIMBA for use by the community.
Why is school leadership key to transforming education? Structural and cultural assumptions for quality education in diverse contexts
Authors: Mincu Monica
Published: October 2022

Failing to recognize the role of leaders in quality and equitable schooling is unfortunate and must be redressed. Leadership is fundamentally about organized agency and collective vision, not managerialism, since it is an organizational quality, not merely a positionality attribute. Most important, if change is to be systemic and transformative, it cannot occur uniquely at the individual teachers’ level. School organization is fundamental to circulating and consolidating new innovative actions, cognitive schemes, and behaviors in coherent collective practices. This article engages with the relevance of governance patterns, school organization, and wider cultural and pedagogical factors that shape various leadership configurations. It formulates several assumptions that clarify the importance of leadership in any organized change. The way teachers act and represent their reality is strongly influenced by the architecture of their organization, while their ability to act with agency is directly linked to the existence of flat or prominent hierarchies, both potentially problematic for deep and systemic change. A hierarchical imposition from above as well as a lack of leadership vision in fragmented school cultures cannot determine any transformation.
Thiamine improves in vitro propagation of sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] – confirmed with a wide range of genotypes
Authors: Vollmer Rainer , Espirilla Janeth , Sánchez Juan Carlos , Arroyo Lineo , Acosta Michel , Flores Gonzalo , Rojas Angel , Ellis David , Azevedo Vania
Published: October 2022

In vitro propagation of Plant Genetic Resources is a basic step for routine genebank and biotechnology research activities. Accelerating growth and rooting of in vitro plants contributes to an improvement in process efficiency and plant quality. In the present study the effect of supplemental thiamine and explant size on biometric variables, ion content in plant sap, chlorophyll content in leaves and moisture content in plants were assessed in a replicated trial on a group of seven in vitro sweetpotato accessions and validated in a set of other 45 accessions. It was shown that adding 0.1 mg L −1 of thiamine to modified Murashige and Skoog culture medium significantly increased plant height, root length, and number of nodes of in vitro sweetpotato shoot culture plants. No significant differences were observed for N03−, K+, Na+ and Ca++—ion content in plant sap, nor in leaf area, chlorophyll, or moisture content between plants grown with or without thiamine. Uninodal stem segments showed on thiamine-free medium a significantly lower root and plant growth, and reduced number of nodes, than plants grown from uni- and binodal segments on thiamine-supplemented medium. A subsequent experiment tested all the parameters above in a non-replicated screen with a set of 45 diverse sweetpotato accessions. With this diverse set of germplasm, the average plant and root length increased by 41 and 51%, respectively on thiamine-supplemented culture medium compared to the control treatment, confirming that supplemental thiamine is generally beneficial to sweetpotato in vitro shoot culture.
An investigation of low-protein diets’ qualification rates and an analysis of their short-term effects for patients with CKD stages 3–5: a single-center retrospective cohort study from China
Authors: Zhang Xian-long , Zhang Min , Lei Nuo , Ouyang Wen-wei , Chen Hui-fen , Lao Bei-ni , Xu Yan-min , Tang Fang , Fu Li-zhe , Liu Xu-sheng , Wu Yi-fan
Published: October 2022

Background

The feasibility and efficacy of low-protein diets (LPD) treatment in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is controversial. Based on the characteristics of the Chinese diet, we observe the qualification rates and short-term clinical effects of LPD for CKD patients in our center.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study. CKD stages 3–5 patients who were regularly followed up 5 times (over 2 years) and treated with LPD were included. We collected clinical data to observe the changes in LPD qualification rates and divided patients into LPD and non-LPD group according to the average dietary protein intake (DPI) of 5 follow-up time points and compared the changes in primary and secondary outcome measures between the two groups.

Results

We analyzed data from 161 eligible CKD stages 3–5 patients. From baseline to the 5th follow-up time point, the LPD qualification rates of all patients were 11.80%, 35.40%, 47.82%, 53.43% and 54.04%, respectively. For primary outcome measures, the urine protein/creatinine ratio (UPCR) decreased more in the LPD group than in the non-LPD group [Median (interquartile range, IQR) of the difference between the 5th follow-up time point and baseline: 0.19 (− 0.01–0.73) vs. 0.10 (− 0.08–0.27), P < 0.001]. We constructed three classes of mixed linear models (model I, II, III). The UPCR slopes were all negative in the LPD group and positive in the non-LPD group (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, in model I, the estimate glomerular filtration rate(eGFR) decline slope in the LPD group was lower than that in the non-LPD group [slope (standard error): − 1.32 (0.37) vs. − 2.35 (0.33), P = 0.036]. For secondary outcome measures, body mass index (BMI) triglycerides (TG), body weight, and fat free mass (FFM) showed stable statistical differences in the comparison of LPD and non-LPD groups, with greater declines in the former.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that LPD treatment can reduce UPCR in patients with CKD stages 3–5, and may also delay the decline in eGFR. Meanwhile, it also reduces BMI, TG, body weight, and FFM, thus the need to prevent malnutrition in clinical implementation.
The bounding effect of the water retention curve on the cyclic response of an unsaturated soil
Authors: Azizi Arash , Kumar Ashutosh , Toll David Geoffrey
Published: October 2022

The water retention properties of soils present in formation layers of roads and railways continuously vary due to repeated traffic loads and periodic rainfall events. This is important because the accumulated deformation and resilient modulus of such soils under cyclic loading are profoundly affected by water retention properties. This paper discusses the cyclic and water retention response of a clayey sand subjected to repetitive cyclic loading and wetting stages. The results show that the accumulated permanent strains and resilient modulus of the tested soil are dependent on the suction level while the main wetting water retention curve of the soil dictates the variation of the suction measured during cyclic loading and wetting. This bounding effect of the water retention curve is found to be dependent on the void ratio where the suction can even increase due to the accumulation of strains under cyclic loading while the degree of saturation increases. This contradicts the suction reduction typically observed with an increase in the degree of saturation. A void ratio dependent water retention model is developed accounting for the observed bounding effect and employed to predict the measured suction during repetitive cyclic loading and wetting. The suction values predicted by the void ratio dependent water retention model are in good agreement with the experimental data. The predicted suctions are then used in semi-empirical formulations to obtain the accumulated permanent strains and resilient modulus. A better correlation between model predictions and experimental data is achieved where the suction values predicted by the void ratio dependent water retention model are used. The results imply that predictive frameworks proposed for the cyclic behaviour of road and railway formation layers require water retention counterparts that incorporate the bounding effect of void ratio on soil water retention curves.
Point-of-care ultrasound improves clinical outcomes in patients with acute onset dyspnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Szabó Gergő Vilmos , Szigetváry Csenge , Szabó László , Dembrovszky Fanni , Rottler Máté , Ocskay Klemetina , Madzsar Stefanie , Hegyi Péter , Molnár Zsolt
Published: October 2022

The early, appropriate management of acute onset dyspnea is important but often challenging. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the use of Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) versus conventional management on clinical outcomes in patients with acute onset dyspnea. The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE and reference lists were searched to identify eligible trials (inception to October 14, 2021). There were no language restrictions. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and prospective and retrospective cohort studies that compared PoCUS with conventional diagnostic modalities (controls) in patients with acute onset dyspnea were included. Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. The primary study outcomes were time to diagnosis, time to treatment, and length of stay (LOS). Secondary outcomes included rate of appropriate treatment, 30-day re-admission rate, and mortality. We included eight RCTs and six observational studies with a total of 5393 participants. Heterogeneity across studies was variable (from low to considerable), with overall low or moderate study quality and low or moderate risk of bias (except one article with serious risk of bias). Time to diagnosis (mean difference [MD], − 63 min; 95% CI, − 115 to − 11 min] and time to treatment (MD, − 27 min; 95% CI − 43 to − 11 min) were significantly shorter in the PoCUS group. In-hospital LOS showed no differences between the two groups, but LOS in the Intensive Care Unit (MD, − 1.27 days; − 1.94 to − 0.61 days) was significantly shorter in the PoCUS group. Patients in the PoCUS group showed significantly higher odds of receiving appropriate therapy compared to controls (odds ratio [OR], 2.31; 95% CI, 1.61–3.32), but there was no significant effect on 30-day re-admission rate and in-hospital or 30-day mortality. Our results indicate that PoCUS use contributes to early diagnosis and better outcomes compared to conventional methods in patients admitted with acute onset dyspnea.

Graphical abstract
On functional logistic regression: some conceptual issues
Authors: Berrendero José R. , Bueno-Larraz Beatriz , Cuevas Antonio
Published: October 2022

The main ideas behind the classic multivariate logistic regression model make sense when translated to the functional setting, where the explanatory variableXis a function and the responseYis binary. However, some important technical issues appear (or are aggravated with respect to those of the multivariate case) due to the functional nature of the explanatory variable. First, the mere definition of the model can be questioned: While most approaches so far proposed rely on the$$L^2$$L2-based model, we explore an alternative (in some sense, more general) approach, based on the theory of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHS). The validity conditions of such RKHS-based model, and their relation with the$$L^2$$L2-based one, are investigated and made explicit in two formal results. Some relevant particular cases are considered as well. Second, we show that, under very general conditions, the maximum likelihood of the logistic model parameters fails to exist in the functional case, although some restricted versions can be considered. Third, we check (in the framework of binary classification) the practical performance of some RKHS-based procedures, well-suited to our model: They are compared to several competing methods via Monte Carlo experiments and the analysis of real data sets.
Perceptions of Context. Epistemological and Methodological Implications for Meta-Studying Zoo-Communication
Authors: Ongstad Sigmund
Published: October 2022

Although this study inspects context in general, it is even intended as a prerequisite for a meta-study of contextual time&space in zoo-communication. Moving the scope from linguistics to culture, communication, and semiotics may reveal new similarities between context-perceptions. Paradigmatic historical moves and critical context theories are inspected, asking whether there is aleast-common-multiplefor perceptions of context. The short answer is that context is relational – a bi-product of attention from a position, creating a focused object, and hence an obscured (back-)ground – the attention’s context. A more comprehensive one is that when the focused phenomenon is culture, semiotics, or communication, context becomes embodied. This recognition triggers new questions: What is the relation between embodied, immanent context and this perception’s external, physical context (its surroundings)? If utterances are regarded as constituted by the triad form-content-actandthe dyadic chronotope time&space, what and where is then context? Which challenges will empirical (zoo-)communicational research face if context is split in internal and external versions of context? These questions raise some epistemological and methodological issues. These are discussed based on a framework that regards communication as a micro-macro interplay between utterance and genre. Genres are kinds of communication. More specifically animal genres related to their basic life-functions are calledlife-genres. A conclusion is that life-genres function as both mental and situational contexts. This complicates empirical research on communication in general, and zoo-communication in particular. The paper concludes that contexts’ relational and embodied nature and the ‘situational’ characteristics of life-genres challenge researchers to validate continuously, shifting between contextualising, decontextualising, and recontextualising.
Review of the effects of the anthropogenic on the wetland environment
Authors: Ostad-Ali-Askari Kaveh
Published: October 2022

The constant deficiency of water modality will increase the incidence of complaint, predominantly for unguarded people in undeveloped republics, where practical doses and substitutes are not enthusiastically available. Many wetland-reliant on types in many percentages of the ecosphere are in degeneration; the location of kind dependent on domestic waters are of exact uneasiness. The chief deficiency and impairment of rivers, branch, swamplands, and other interior wetlands have been occupant’s expansion and increasing financial development. The key deficiency and impairment include infrastructure development, land alteration, water removal, pollution, and the plan of offensive eccentric categories. Agronomical governments and approaches have applied a widespread diversity of characteristically conflicting properties on exclusive and coastal wetlands globally. The foremost the impairment and deficiency of wetlands, including seawater swamplands have been revision to other earthly practices. The most important changes were the development of anthropological populations in the coastal areas and the increase in economic activity. The destruction and dissolution of wetlands, an important route of travel, has endangered many species and injured others. Global climate change is estimated to increase the damage and deprivation of many wetlands, as well as the damage or degradation of their species, and harm the anthropological inhabitants who depend on the facility. Many wetlands change as a result of estimated sea level rise, increased storm surges and storm surges, variability in storm surge concentration and frequency, and fluctuations in waterway flow and sediment flow. The effects of global climate change often amplify the effects of wetland withdrawal. It is well known why many types of wetlands, such as lakes and wetlands, are relocated, transformed, or looted, but the benefits of their conservation are often greater than the benefits associated with their alteration. It will be bigger. In wetland conservation, indigenous peoples have often been excluded from the decision-making process. Decisions at many stages ignore the relationship between wetland conditions and the establishment of wetland facilities, and the resulting benefits to the individual. Many of the amenities supported by wetlands are unfunded and are accumulated in civilizations on a national and global scale. The benefits of transforming wetlands include those that stimulate wetland drainage for agriculture and those that stimulate important wetlands through intensive organizations that include advances in municipalities, manufacturing and recreational industries. It is repeatedly exaggerated by money. With the results in mind, high-level potential hazards and zones with different hazard levels and management approaches have been proposed for this wetland.
A Framework for Learning Event Sequences and Explaining Detected Anomalies in a Smart Home Environment
Authors: Baudisch Justin , Richter Birte , Jungeblut Thorsten
Published: October 2022

This paper presents a framework for learning event sequences for anomaly detection in a smart home environment. It addresses environment conditions, device grouping, system performance and explainability of anomalies. Our method models user behavior as sequences of events, triggered by interaction of the home residents with the Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Based on a given set of recorded event sequences, the system can learn the habitual behavior of the residents. An anomaly is described as deviation from that normal behavior, previously learned by the system. One key feature of our framework is the explainability of detected anomalies, which is implemented through a simple rule analysis.
Classifying sepsis from photoplethysmography
Authors: Lombardi Sara , Partanen Petri , Francia Piergiorgio , Calamai Italo , Deodati Rossella , Luchini Marco , Spina Rosario , Bocchi Leonardo
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction. It is caused by a dysregulated immune response to an infection and is one of the leading causes of death in the intensive care unit (ICU). Early detection and treatment of sepsis can increase the survival rate of patients. The use of devices such as the photoplethysmograph could allow the early evaluation in addition to continuous monitoring of septic patients. The aim of this study was to verify the possibility of detecting sepsis in patients from whom the photoplethysmographic signal was acquired via a pulse oximeter. In this work, we developed a deep learning-based model for sepsis identification. The model takes a single input, the photoplethysmographic signal acquired by pulse oximeter, and performs a binary classification between septic and nonseptic samples. To develop the method, we used MIMIC-III database, which contains data from ICU patients. Specifically, the selected dataset includes 85 septic subjects and 101 control subjects. The PPG signals acquired from these patients were segmented, processed and used as input for the developed model with the aim of identifying sepsis. The proposed method achieved an accuracy of 76.37% with a sensitivity of 70.95% and a specificity of 81.04% on the test set. As regards the ROC curve, the Area Under Curve reached a value of 0.842. The results of this study indicate how the plethysmographic signal can be used as a warning sign for the early detection of sepsis with the aim of reducing the time for diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, the proposed method is suitable for integration in continuous patient monitoring.