bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neural tracking of linguistic speech representations decreases with advancing age
Authors: Gillis Marlies , Kries Jill , Vandermosten Maaike , Francart Tom
Published: July 2022

Background

Older adults process speech differently, but it is not yet clear how aging affects different levels of processing natural, continuous speech, both in terms of bottom-up acoustic analysis and top-down generation of linguistic-based predictions. We studied natural speech processing across the adult lifespan via electroencephalography (EEG) measurements of neural tracking.

Goals

Our goals are to analyze the unique contribution of linguistic speech processing across the adult lifespan using natural speech, while controlling for the influence of acoustic processing. In particular, we focus on changes in spatial and temporal activation patterns in response to natural speech across the lifespan.

Methods

52 normal-hearing adults between 17 and 82 years of age listened to a naturally spoken story while the EEG signal was recorded. We investigated the effect of age on acoustic and linguistic processing of speech. Because age correlated with hearing capacity and measures of cognition, we investigated whether the observed age effect is mediated by these factors. Furthermore, we investigated whether there is an effect of age on hemisphere lateralization and on spatiotemporal patterns of the neural responses.

Results

Our EEG results showed that linguistic speech processing declines with advancing age. More-over, as age increased, the neural response latency to certain aspects of linguistic speech processing increased. Also acoustic neural tracking (NT) decreased with increasing age but in contrast to linguistic processing, older subjects showed shorter latencies for early acoustic responses to speech. No evidence was found for hemispheric lateralization in neither younger nor older adults during linguistic speech processing. Most of the observed aging effects on acoustic and linguistic processing were not explained by age-related decline in hearing capacity or cognition. However, our results suggest that the effect of decreasing linguistic neural tracking with advancing age at word-level is likely more due to an age-related decline in cognition than a robust effect of age.

Conclusion

Spatial and temporal characteristics of the neural responses to continuous speech change across the adult lifespan for both acoustic and linguistic speech processing. These changes may be traces of structural and/or functional change that occurs with advancing age.

Highlights

With increasing age, linguistic neural tracking of continuous speech decreases.

With increasing age, the processing speed of linguistic aspects of speech slows down.

Aging-related changes in word-level linguistic processing are affected by cognition.

With advancing age, tracking of speech acoustics decreases in the right hemisphere.

Older adults displayed earlier neural responses to speech acoustics.
Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineages by 4 doses of mRNA vaccine
Authors: Xie Xuping , Zou Jing , Kurhade Chaitanya , Liu Mingru , Ren Ping , Shi Pei-Yong
Published: July 2022

Since the initial emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1, several Omicron sublineages have emerged, leading to BA.5 as the current dominant sublineage. Here we report the neutralization of different Omicron sublineages by human sera collected from individuals who had distinct mRNA vaccination and/or BA.1 infection. Four-dose-vaccine sera neutralize the original USA-WA1/2020, Omicron BA.1, BA.2, BA.212.1, BA.3, and BA.4/5 viruses with geometric mean titers (GMTs) of 1554, 357, 236, 236, 165, and 95, respectively; 2-dose-vaccine-plus-BA.1-infection sera exhibit GMTs of 2114, 1705, 730, 961, 813, and 274, respectively; and 3-dose-vaccine-plus-BA.1-infection sera show GMTs of 2962, 2038, 983, 1190, 1019, and 297, respectively. Thus, 4-dose-vaccine elicits the lowest neutralization against BA.5; 2-dose-vaccine-plus-BA.1-infection elicits significantly higher GMTs against Omicron sublineages than 4-dose-vaccine; and 3-dose-vaccine-plus-BA.1-infection elicits slightly higher GMTs (statistically insignificant) than the 2-dose-vaccine-plus-BA.1-infection. Finally, compared with BA.5, the newly emerged BA.2.75 is equally evasive of 4-dose-vaccine-elicited neutralization, but more susceptible to 3-dose-vaccine-plus-BA.1-infection-elicited neutralization.
Highly efficient thermal deformation optimization method for smart-cut mirrors over the entire photon energy range
Authors: Wang Shaofeng , Zhang Dongni , Li Ming , Gao Lidan , Chen Minwei , Yang Fugui , Sheng Weifan
Published: July 2022

A method to optimize the notches of water-cooled white-beam mirrors over the entire photon energy range is proposed. A theoretical method is used to quantitatively evaluate the influence of the thermal load on the thermal deformation of a mirror. The result of theoretical calculations and finite-element analysis are consistent, which proves the feasibility of the method. The root mean square of the curvatures of the thermal deformation of the white-beam mirror over the entire photon energy range can be minimized. This method greatly simplifies the design work of water-cooled white-beam mirrors.
To lead or not to lead: exploring how young women’s early career experiences impact their leadership ambition
Authors: Beaupre Jean G.
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to explore and better understand the workplace experiences of young professional women, as they relate to their leadership ambition. Research has shown that women graduate from college with equal or greater leadership ambition than men. By mid-career, however, a significant gender ambition gap emerges, which may be a contributing factor to the gender leadership gaps that persist across all sectors of the economy.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth interviews were conducted with young American professional women who excelled and had leadership ambition in college. The theoretical framework is the expectancy–value–cost model of motivation.

Findings

Analysis reveals a consistent decline in the young women’s leadership ambition after entering their professional career, stemming from a general sense of dissatisfaction with their jobs, a lack of connection with their organizations’ leadership and culture and an expectation that moving up the ladder would result in a less satisfying personal life.

Research limitations/implications

Although this study is not statistically generalizable to a broader population, the findings are relevant for colleges and universities that prepare women for their careers, and organizations that seek to recruit and retain female talent.

Originality/value

By focusing on the experiences of young professional women, this paper contributes to the exploration of gender leadership gaps as well as to the discussion of policies and programs that may contribute to keeping more women in the leadership trajectory.
Ranking community detection algorithms for complex social networks using multilayer network design approach
Authors: Rani Seema , Kumar Mukesh
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Community detection is a significant research field in the study of social networks and analysis because of its tremendous applicability in multiple domains such as recommendation systems, link prediction and information diffusion. The majority of the present community detection methods considers either node information only or edge information only, but not both, which can result in loss of important information regarding network structures. In real-world social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, there are many heterogeneous aspects of the entities that connect them together such as different type of interactions occurring, which are difficult to study with the help of homogeneous network structures. The purpose of this study is to explore multilayer network design to capture these heterogeneous aspects by combining different modalities of interactions in single network.

Design/methodology/approach

In this work, multilayer network model is designed while taking into account node information as well as edge information. Existing community detection algorithms are applied on the designed multilayer network to find the densely connected nodes. Community scoring functions and partition comparison are used to further analyze the community structures. In addition to this, analytic hierarchical processing-technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (AHP-TOPSIS)-based framework is proposed for selection of an optimal community detection algorithm.

Findings

In the absence of reliable ground-truth communities, it becomes hard to perform evaluation of generated network communities. To overcome this problem, in this paper, various community scoring functions are computed and studied for different community detection methods.

Research limitations/implications

In this study, evaluation criteria are considered to be independent. The authors observed that the criteria used are having some interdependencies, which could not be captured by the AHP method. Therefore, in future, analytic network process may be explored to capture these interdependencies among the decision attributes.

Practical implications

Proposed ranking can be used to improve the search strategy of algorithms to decrease the search time of the best fitting one according to the case study. The suggested study ranks existing community detection algorithms to find the most appropriate one.

Social implications

Community detection is useful in many applications such as recommendation systems, health care, politics, economics, e-commerce, social media and communication network.

Originality/value

Ranking of the community detection algorithms is performed using community scoring functions as well as AHP-TOPSIS methods.
The impact of the EU nonfinancial information directive on environmental disclosure: evidence from Italian environmentally sensitive industries
Authors: Papa Marco , Carrassi Mario , Muserra Anna Lucia , Wieczorek-Kosmala Monika
Published: July 2022

Purpose

To determine whether to entrust the European Union (EU) to create a new nonfinancial reporting framework or endorse the extant reporting framework developed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), this study aims to explore whether the mandatory implementation of the EU Directive positively impacted the GRI-based environmental disclosure.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors compared the pre- and post-EU Directive environmental disclosure of 16 Italian environmentally sensitive companies. The authors used an extended coding scheme and developed a unique scoring system to compare the quantitative and qualitative changes in environmental disclosure.

Findings

The analysis showed that the quantity of environmental disclosure increased after the mandatory EU Directive adoption. The most significant change was observed regarding the disclosure topics explicitly required by the Italian legislature. Additionally, disclosure of soft information continued to prevail over that of hard information in the post-Directive period. While the Directive boosted the level of adherence to GRI standards, Italian companies disclosed information that could be easily mimicked (soft) instead of objective measures that could be verified (hard). In light of this evidence, the endorsement of extant GRI standards could be a valuable option for enhancing the comparability and transparency of environmental disclosure.

Originality/value

This study used an original extended coding system and proposed related environmental disclosure indexes that allow monitoring changes in environmental disclosure over time. To the authors’ best knowledge, this study is one of the few that justifies the significant impact of regulation (here the EU Directive) on the increase in environmental disclosure and that uses hard and soft information typology to examine the quality of environmental disclosure.
Factors affecting the modification of bovine milk proteins in high hydrostatic pressure processing: An updated review
Authors: Gharbi Negar , Marciniak Alice , Doyen Alain
Published: July 2022

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment induces structural changes in bovine milk proteins depending on factors such as the temperature, pH, concentration, decompression rate, cycling, composition of the medium and pressure level and duration. An in‐depth understanding of the impact of these factors is important for controlling HHP‐induced modification of milk proteins and the interactions within or between them, which can be applied to prevent undesired aggregation, gelation, and precipitation during HHP processing or to obtain specific milk protein modifications to attain specific protein properties. In this regard, understanding the influences of these factors can provide insight into the modulation and optimization of HHP conditions to attain specific milk protein structures. In recent years, there has been a great research attention on HHP‐induced changes in milk proteins influenced by factors such as pH, temperature, concentration, cycling, decompression condition, and medium composition. Hence, to provide insight into how these factors control milk protein structures under HHP treatment and to understand if their effects depend on HHP parameters and environmental conditions, this review discusses recent findings on how various factors (pH, temperature, cycling, decompression rate, medium composition, and concentration) affect HHP‐induced bovine milk protein modification.

Practical Application: The information provided in this review will be very useful to anticipate the challenges related to the formulation and development of pressure‐treated milk and dairy products.
Malnutrition, symptom burden and predictive validity of thePatient‐Generated Subjective Global Assessmentin Central Australian haemodialysis patients: A cross sectional study
Authors: Caruana Lauren , Nichols Liz , Lambert Kelly
Published: July 2022

Aim

To (i) describe the prevalence of malnutrition among a cohort of central Australian, predominantly Indigenous, haemodialysis patients and (ii) determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment total score for identification of malnutrition in these patients.

Methods

Cross‐sectional observational study of all patients attending haemodialysis units within the Central Australia Health Service. Patients were assessed using the Patient‐Generated Subjective Global Assessment. Chi‐Square tests were used to determine the association between nutritional status and location, age and gender. Receiver Operator Characteristic curves were used to ascertain the predictive validity for malnutrition of the total score.

Results

Indigenous patients comprised 98% of study haemodialysis patients (n = 249/253). One third were male, and 72% were aged between 30 and 59 years. Approximately 29% (74/253) were malnourished, and 93% (69/74) had a total score ≥ 4. The most frequently reported problems that kept malnourished patients from eating were early satiety (32%), no appetite (31%), diarrhoea (26%) and dental problems (24%). Money problems were reported by 32%, as were transport (20%) and depression (19%). The traditional tool cut off score of ≥9 had low sensitivity (50%) for detecting malnutrition. Instead, a score ≥ 3 is suggested due to a higher sensitivity (96%) and specificity (45%).

Conclusion

Malnutrition was found to be common, and we suggest using a Patient‐Generated Subjective Global Assessment total score of ≥3 to improve the identification of malnourished individuals in this cohort of predominantly Indigenous haemodialysis patients. This will significantly increase referrals for dietetic intervention.
Fabrication, characterization, and purification of nutraceutical diacylglycerol components from Camellia oil
Authors: Huang Chuanqing , Liu Zeyu , Huang Wenqian , Li Lu , Ye Yong
Published: July 2022

Converting triacylgycerols (TAGs) from edible oils and fats into structured diacylglycerols (DAGs) is meaningful for reducing obesity. Camellia oil, rich in linoleic acid, has the potential to form structured linoleic acid‐1,3‐diacylglycerol (LA‐1,3‐DAG) nutrients in the industry. In this research, the physicochemical properties of modified Camellia oil (MCO) by enzymatic esterification were analyzed by Gas Chromatography‐Mass Spectrometry (GC‐MS), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), High Performance Liquid Chromatography‐Evaporative Light Scattering Detection (HPLC‐ELSD), and Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography‐Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS). The relationship between reaction conditions and the DAG compositions is disclosed using multiple factors. It is found that high constituents of DAG increase the melting and crystallization temperature of MCO, lipase Novozym 435 gives the best yield of targeted nutrients (DAG, 1,3‐DAG, LA‐DAG), and the mixture of lipases, Lipozyme TL IM and Lipozyme RM IM, shows a synergistic effect in the synthetic process of DAG. Subsequently, MCO containing 65.4% DAG, 54.7% LA‐DAG, and 47.6% 1,3‐DAG content at optimal conditions (2% enzyme dosage, 4 h reaction time, 2.4:1 substrate molar ratio, 25.8% t‐butanol as solvent, 60°C temperature) has been obtained and purified using silica column to obtain the final DAG oil containing 96.1% DAG, 64.7% 1,3‐DAG, and 78.4% LA‐DAG. High constituents of structured DAG oil rich in LA‐1,3‐DAG can be obtained by enzymatic esterification for industrial production.
Community‐based monitoring of wild felid hunting in Central Amazonia
Authors: Valsecchi J. , Monteiro M. C. M. , Alvarenga G. C. , Lemos L. P. , Ramalho E. E.
Published: July 2022

Hunting is a critical issue in wild felid conservation, contributing to the decline of these species worldwide. Here, we present 18 years of a community‐based monitoring program, quantifying and characterizing wild felid hunting in two sustainable development reserves in Central Amazonia. We investigated how felid hunting was affected by the flood pulse and whether local human population size, habitat type, and total hunting events influenced felid hunting. We recorded 71 adult felids being killed, most of them in opportunistic events (88.7%), usually during hunting expeditions aimed at other game species. Four felid species were recorded in the hunts (Panthera onca, Leopardus pardalis, Puma concolor, and Leopardus wiedii) with jaguars accounting for almost half of all hunting events (N = 35). We found that more felid hunting events occurred during the flooded season, in more populated communities, and in várzea habitats. Most felids were hunted opportunistically, demonstrating the complexity of human‐felid interactions. Stories of attacks on humans are widespread in the study area, which may strengthen an instinctive fear of felids, driving their persecution. The increase of hunting events during the flooded season seems to be related to a higher probability of encounters between humans and wild felids. High waters make fishing difficult, therefore, locals hunt more, entering deep into the forest through flooded habitats. Since jaguars have an arboreal lifestyle during the flooded season in várzea forests, they are easily spotted by locals and have less of a chance to escape since they are slower and more exposed when swimming, which increases the probability of being killed. It is generally acknowledged that involving local stakeholders in conservation projects is essential for their success. In our case, collaboration among researchers and community members was fundamental to access hunting information. We show that community‐based monitoring empowers the local communities and facilitates data collection on sensitive topics.
Variation in human bone bioerosion during the Late Eneolithic/Bronze Age in Moravia (Czech Republic): A novel approach to BSE‐SEM image quality and quantity assessment
Authors: Pankowská Anna , Žižková Andrea , Kapusta Jaroslav , Moník Martin
Published: July 2022

Human bones from Late Eneolithic graves and Bronze Age settlement pits in Moravia (Czech Republic) were studied to reconstruct their post‐mortem histories based on the distribution of their microbial destruction. Backscattered electrons in a scanning electron microscope (BSE‐SEM) were used for visual assessment of bioerosion. Visual data from the histological analysis were transformed into quantitative data using the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) toolkit. The results show that the presence of bioerosion is different between the two groups of samples. The bones from settlement pits display extensive bioerosion whereas the bones from graves display no or arrested bioerosion. The absence of bioerosion in graves is most probably linked with tomb burials of Corded Ware Culture. Given the tombs are frequently not preserved archaeologically, the state of bone bioerosion may serve as an indicator of their existence.
Impaired epidermal barriers in congenital ichthyoses house a changing microbial landscape
Authors: Schneider Andrea M. , Nelson Amanda M.
Published: July 2022

Linked Article:  Tham et al. Br J Dermatol 2022; 187:557–570.
Noticeability of vitiligo is in the eye of the beholder
Authors: Pandya Amit G. , Ezzedine Khaled
Published: July 2022

Linked Article:  Batchelor et al. Br J Dermatol 2022; 187:548–556.
Folliculitis decalvans and dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa: a significant association
Authors: Matard Bruno , Bourrat Emmanuelle , Cavalié Marine , Chiaverini Christine , Reygagne Pascal
Published: July 2022

This work reports 30 cases of folliculitis decalvans (FD) in patients with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) among a cohort of 125 DEB patients seen between 2010 and 2021 in 2 French expert centers for the management of inherited epidermolysis bullosa. Such an association between two rare diseases cannot be fortuitous and implies a physiopathological link that we discuss in this paper. This association is a new significant fact to add to the reflexion on FD causes, suggesting that skin abnormality of DEB could act as a factor of a specific skin barrier alteration which could favor FD. Scarring alopecia with tufted folliculitis and pustules on inflamed skin at the vertex of a woman with dominant dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.
Parents' responses to children's math performance in early elementary school: Links with parents' math beliefs and children's math adjustment
Authors: Barger Michael M. , Wu Jiawen , Xiong Yu , Oh Dajung D. , Cimpian Andrei , Pomerantz Eva M.
Published: July 2022

A new parent‐report measure was used to examine parents' person and process responses to children's math performance. Twice over a year from 2017 to 2020, American parents (N = 546; 80% mothers, 20% other caregivers; 62% white, 21% Black, 17% other) reported their responses and math beliefs; their children's (Mage = 7.48 years; 50% girls, 50% boys) math adjustment was also assessed. Factor analyses indicated parents' person and process responses to children's math success and failure represent four distinct, albeit related, responses. Person (vs. process) responses were less common and less likely to accompany views of math ability as malleable and failure as constructive (|r|s = .16–.23). The more parents used person responses, the poorer children's later math adjustment (|β|s = .06–.16).
Psoriasis of the external auditory canal: prevalence, clinical features and impact on quality of life
Authors: Galache Cristina , Vázquez-Losada Beatriz , Armesto Susana , González-Gay Miguel A. , Vázquez-López Francisco , Santos-Juanes Jorge
Published: July 2022

Psoriasis of the external auditory canal (PsEAC) is often under-recognized. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of PsEAC, its association with a particular psoriasis subtype and its impact on quality of life (QoL). A prospective study was carried out in two Spanish university hospitals, enrolling consecutive patients who attended a consultation for psoriasis. The clinical features of psoriasis and PsEAC were recorded and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Itch Numerical Rating Scale (Itch-NRS) were distributed to patients. Overall, 188 of 1000 patients (18.8%) included in the study had PsEAC, which was associated with severity of psoriasis, presence of inverse psoriasis and involvement of the scalp, nails and genitals, but not with obesity or psoriatic arthritis. PsEAC was the main reason for consultation in 27 patients, with itching being the main symptom. In this study, PsEAC had a prevalence of 18.8%. The occurrence of PsEAC was associated with poorer QoL, as measured by DLQI and Itch-NRS.
Metformin and testosterone replacement therapy inversely associated with hormone‐associated cancers (prostate, colorectal and male breast cancers) among older White and Black men
Authors: Lopez David S. , Malagaris Ioannis , Polychronopoulou Efstathia , Tsilidis Konstantinos K. , Milani Sadaf A. , Kristen Peek M. , Villasante‐Tezanos Alejandro , Alzweri Laith , Baillargeon Jacques , Kuo Yong‐Fang , Canfield Steven
Published: July 2022

Background

The independent and joint association of metformin and testosterone replacement therapy (TTh) with the incidence of prostate, colorectal, and male breast cancers remain poorly understood, including the investigation of the risk of these cancers combined (HRCs, hormone‐associated cancers) among men of different racial and ethnic background.

Methods

In 143,035 men (≥ 65 yrs old) of SEER‐Medicare 2007–2015, we identified White (N = 110,430), Black (N = 13,520) and Other Race (N = 19,085) men diagnosed with incident HRC. Pre‐diagnostic prescription of metformin and TTh was ascertained for this analysis. Weighted multivariable‐adjusted conditional logistic and Cox proportional hazards models were conducted.

Results

We found independent and joint associations of metformin and TTh with incident prostate (odds ratio [OR]joint = 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.36–0.54) and colorectal cancers (ORjoint = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.34–0.64), but not with male breast cancer. There were also inversed joint associations of metformin and TTh with HRCs (ORjoint = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.38–0.54). Similar reduced associations with HRCs were identified among White, Black, and Other Race men.

Conclusion

Pre‐diagnostic use of metformin and TTh were, independently and jointly, inversely associated with incident prostate and colorectal cancers. The risk of HRCs was also reduced among White, Black and Other Race men. Greatest reduced associations of prostate and colorectal cancers and HRCs were mainly observed in combination of metformin and TTh. Larger studies are needed to confirm the independent and joint association of metformin plus TTh with these cancers in understudied and underserved populations.
Visual Analytics of Contact Tracing Policy Simulations During an Emergency Response
Authors: Sondag M. , Turkay C. , Xu K. , Matthews L. , Mohr S. , Archambault D.
Published: July 2022

Epidemiologists use individual‐based models to (a) simulate disease spread over dynamic contact networks and (b) to investigate strategies to control the outbreak. These model simulations generate complex ‘infection maps’ of time‐varying transmission trees and patterns of spread. Conventional statistical analysis of outputs offers only limited interpretation. This paper presents a novel visual analytics approach for the inspection of infection maps along with their associated metadata, developed collaboratively over 16 months in an evolving emergency response situation. We introduce the concept of representative trees that summarize the many components of a time‐varying infection map while preserving the epidemiological characteristics of each individual transmission tree. We also present interactive visualization techniques for the quick assessment of different control policies. Through a series of case studies and a qualitative evaluation by epidemiologists, we demonstrate how our visualizations can help improve the development of epidemiological models and help interpret complex transmission patterns.
An Interactive Approach for Identifying Structure Definitions
Authors: Mikula Natalia , Dörffel Tom , Baum Daniel , Hege Hans‐Christian
Published: July 2022

Our ability to grasp and understand complex phenomena is essentially based on recognizing structures and relating these to each other. For example, any meteorological description of a weather condition and explanation of its evolution recurs to meteorological structures, such as convection and circulation structures, cloud fields and rain fronts. All of these are spatiotemporal structures, defined by time‐dependent patterns in the underlying fields. Typically, such a structure is defined by a verbal description that corresponds to the more or less uniform, often somewhat vague mental images of the experts. However, a precise, formal definition of the structures or, more generally, of the concepts is often desirable, e.g., to enable automated data analysis or the development of phenomenological models. Here, we present a systematic approach and an interactive tool to obtain formal definitions of spatiotemporal structures. The tool enables experts to evaluate and compare different structure definitions on the basis of data sets with time‐dependent fields that contain the respective structure. Since structure definitions are typically parameterized, an essential part is to identify parameter ranges that lead to desired structures in all time steps. In addition, it is important to allow a quantitative assessment of the resulting structures simultaneously. We demonstrate the use of the tool by applying it to two meteorological examples: finding structure definitions for vortex cores and center lines of temporarily evolving tropical cyclones.

Ideally, structure definitions should be objective and applicable to as many data sets as possible. However, finding such definitions, e.g., for the common atmospheric structures in meteorology, can only be a long‐term goal. The proposed procedure, together with the presented tool, is just a first systematic approach aiming at facilitating this long and arduous way.
Trends & Opportunities in Visualization for Physiology: A Multiscale Overview
Authors: Garrison Laura A. , Kolesar Ivan , Viola Ivan , Hauser Helwig , Bruckner Stefan
Published: July 2022

Combining elements of biology, chemistry, physics, and medicine, the science of human physiology is complex and multifaceted. In this report, we offer a broad and multiscale perspective on key developments and challenges in visualization for physiology. Our literature search process combined standard methods with a state‐of‐the‐art visual analysis search tool to identify surveys and representative individual approaches for physiology. Our resulting taxonomy sorts literature on two levels. The first level categorizes literature according to organizational complexity and ranges from molecule to organ. A second level identifies any of three high‐level visualization tasks within a given work: exploration, analysis, and communication. The findings of this report may be used by visualization researchers to understand the overarching trends, challenges, and opportunities in visualization for physiology and to provide a foundation for discussion and future research directions in this area.
Peer benchmarking and CEO compensation: An examination of the community structure of the compensation peer network
Authors: Bilgili Tsvetomira V. , Bilgili Hansin , Ellstrand Alan E. , Johnson Jonathan L.
Published: July 2022

Research Question/Issue

The increase in executive pay has been attracting attention to the practice of peer benchmarking, which is commonly used to determine CEO compensation. Using a network approach, we construct and analyze the compensation peer network and examine how the structure of the network influences CEO pay.

Research Findings/Insights

Using data on public firms in the period between 2006 and 2020, we find that the peer network exhibits strong community structure and that bridging across communities influences CEO pay. Specifically, CEO pay increases by approximately $10 million as the number of bridging ties increases from 30 to 100, which indicates that obfuscation can result in inflated CEO pay and supports the managerial power perspective.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

We empirically distinguish the predicted effect of peer benchmarking on CEO pay as outlined in the market for executive talent and the managerial power perspectives. We show that firms may avoid scrutiny and offer high CEO compensation when they either have a very small number of targeted bridging ties or a very large number of diffused, nontargeted bridging ties in the peer network.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

The intent of peer benchmarking was to make CEO compensation practices more transparent, legitimate, and functional; however, our findings indicate that these intentions have not been fully realized and instead benchmarking can be used to inflate CEO pay while avoiding stakeholder scrutiny through obfuscation. These insights provide an opportunity to policy makers to be more effective in encouraging additional transparency and stronger justification for boards' choice of peers.
Autopsy of a telephone‐based peer support intervention: Exploring participants' perspectives of and experiences with a self‐management support model for adults with type 2 diabetes from speciality care settings
Authors: Ashrafi Shadan , Deo Neha , Yip Annie K. W. , Seddigh Sorayya , Moradi Romina , Waraich Roop , Tang Tricia S.
Published: July 2022

Aims

To explore participants' experiences with and perspective of a telephone‐based, peer‐led diabetes self‐management intervention targeting adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) from speciality care settings. We also sought to identify areas for improvement for future iterations of the intervention.

Methods

This study recruited 25 adults with T2D from the intervention arm of a randomized controlled trial of a peer support intervention for diabetes. Individuals took part in semi‐structured interviews that explored the following topics: perceived impact of the intervention, relationship with peer leader, desirable characteristics in a peer leader, and suggestions for improving the intervention. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, quality checked, coded, and analysed to develop themes and subthemes.

Results

Four core themes emerged: (1) importance of the ‘participant‐peer leader’ match, (2) peer leader roles and responsibilities, (3) need for flexible support models, and (4) factors affecting intervention implementation and engagement. The quality of the participant‐peer leader relationship appeared to be linked to intervention satisfaction. Beyond demographic features such as age and sex, key characteristics for forming a strong match included stage of life, lifestyle, diabetes‐related factors, and communication style.

Conclusions

Participants have unique ideas about what support should look like and preferences for how support is best delivered. Future models of peer support need to be customizable to individuals' needs and responsive to changes in life circumstances. If participants are the decision makers in the matching process, they may experience greater satisfaction and derive maximal benefits.
Monosynaptic facilitation of flexor digitorum superficialis motoneurons mediated by Group Ia afferents from the extensor carpi radialis in humans
Authors: Nito Mitsuhiro , Yoshimoto Takuya , Hashizume Wataru , Sato Tomomi , Shimada Kazuto , Shindo Masaomi , Naito Akira
Published: July 2022

Wrist position is known to affect the grip strength. We focused on the spinal reflex arc, which would support the movement, and investigated the effects of low‐threshold afferents from the extensor carpi radialis (ECR) on the excitability of the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) motoneurons using the post‐stimulus time‐histogram (PSTH) and electromyogram‐averaging (EMG‐A) methods. Electrical conditioning stimulation of an intensity below the motor threshold was applied to the radial nerve branch innervating the ECR. In the PSTH study, changes in the firing probability of single motor units after electrical conditioning stimulation were investigated in seven subjects. An early and significant peak (increase in the firing probability: facilitation) was recorded for 36/60 FDS motor units. The remaining 24 motor units did not show any effects. Weak mechanical conditioning stimulation of the ECR muscle belly induced a similar peak. The central latency of the facilitation was equivalent to that of the homonymous monosynaptic facilitation. In the EMG‐A study, changes in the rectified and averaged electromyograms of FDS induced by conditioning stimulation were examined in 12 subjects. An early and significant peak (facilitation) was induced by both electrical and mechanical conditioning stimulations. The facilitation decreased after withdrawal of the vibration to the ECR muscle belly. The facilitation was never induced by cutaneous nerve stimulation in the PSTH and EMG‐A studies. These findings suggest that Group Ia afferents from the ECR increase the excitability of FDS motoneurons through a monosynaptic path in the spinal cord. These reflex arcs likely facilitate hand grasping movements.
Biological control needs evolutionary perspectives of ecological interactions
Authors: Sentis Arnaud , Hemptinne Jean‐Louis , Magro Alexandra , Outreman Yannick
Published: July 2022

While ecological interactions have been identified as determinant for biological control efficiency, the role of evolution remains largely underestimated in biological control programs. With the restrictions on the use of both pesticides and exotic biological control agents (BCAs), the evolutionary optimization of local BCAs becomes central for improving the efficiency and the resilience of biological control. In particular, we need to better account for the natural processes of evolution to fully understand the interactions of pests and BCAs, including in biocontrol strategies integrating human manipulations of evolution (i.e., artificial selection and genetic engineering). In agroecosystems, the evolution of BCAs traits and performance depends on heritable phenotypic variation, trait genetic architecture, selection strength, stochastic processes, and other selective forces. Humans can manipulate these natural processes to increase the likelihood of evolutionary trait improvement, by artificially increasing heritable phenotypic variation, strengthening selection, controlling stochastic processes, or overpassing evolution through genetic engineering. We highlight these facets by reviewing recent studies addressing the importance of natural processes of evolution and human manipulations of these processes in biological control. We then discuss the interactions between the natural processes of evolution occurring in agroecosystems and affecting the artificially improved BCAs after their release. We emphasize that biological control cannot be summarized by interactions between species pairs because pests and biological control agents are entangled in diverse communities and are exposed to a multitude of deterministic and stochastic selective forces that can change rapidly in direction and intensity. We conclude that the combination of different evolutionary approaches can help optimize BCAs to remain efficient under changing environmental conditions and, ultimately, favor agroecosystem sustainability.
A modified dentine infection model with fluorescent lipopolysaccharide and lipopolysaccharides sampling technique to compare XP‐Endo finisher and passive ultrasonic irrigation
Authors: Alfirdous Rayyan A. , Alquiria Theeb A. , Jacinto Rogerio C. , Martinho Frederico C.
Published: July 2022

Aim

The lipopolysaccharides‐dentine‐infection (LPS‐dentine‐infection) models and sampling techniques frequently used to evaluate LPS disinfection have limitations. In this study, a LPS‐dentine‐infection model was devised using fluorescent conjugate LPS. Secondly, a sampling technique using cryogenic grinding for intraradicular LPS analysis was evaluated. Thirdly, the effectiveness of the XP‐endo Finisher (XP‐EF) was compared with passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) in removing LPS from root canal system.

Methodology

Sixty‐nine mandibular premolars were submitted to dentine pretreatment and inoculated with fluorescent LPS conjugate (Alexa Fluor® 594). Twenty‐three teeth were analysed under confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to validate this modified LPS‐dentine‐infection model. Forty‐six teeth were randomly divided into two experimental groups: XP‐EF (n = 23) and PUI (n = 23). All teeth were instrumented with XP‐endo shaper (XPS; FKG Dentaire) and 2.5% NaOCl. The root canals were sampled with paper points before (s1) and after (s2) instrumentation and after supplemental treatment (s3) with XP‐EF and PUI. After s3, all roots were cryogenically ground for intraradicular LPS analysis (s4). Limulus amebocyte lysate assay was used for LPS quantification. The Friedman test was used for differences in LPS among four time‐points (s1, s2, s3, and s4). Dunn's test was used for pairwise testing of time‐points. The significance level was set at 5% (p < .05).

Results

Fluorescent LPS conjugate was detected in 100% of the samples under CLSM with a penetration depth of approximately 400 μm into dentine. Chemo‐mechanical preparation using XPS files significantly reduced LPS levels (p < .05). Both the XPS and PUI improved the LPS disinfection (p < .05), with no difference between them (p > .05). LPS was recovered from all samples after cryogenic grinding. The residual amount of LPS detected using the cryogenically sampling technique at s4 was approximately three times greater than with the paper‐point sampling technique at s3.

Conclusion

This study established a modified LPS‐dentine‐infection model using fluorescent conjugate LPS, and validated a LPS sampling technique for using cryopulverization intraradicular LPS analysis. Moreover, both the XP‐EF and PUI further improved LPS disinfection from the root canals, and the innovative XP‐EF was as effective as PUI.
Variabilities in symbiotic nitrogen fixation and carbon isotope discrimination among peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) genotypes under drought stress
Authors: Wang Xu , Chen Charles Y. , Dang Phat , Carter Joshua , Zhao Shuli , Lamb Marshall C. , Chu Ye , Holbrook Corley , Ozias‐Akins Peggy , Isleib Thomas G. , Feng Yucheng
Published: July 2022

Drought stress is one of the major environmental factors limiting peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) productivity. Peanut response to drought varies depending on genotypic characteristics, crop growth stages, and environmental conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of drought stress and rehydration on symbiotic nitrogen fixation and carbon isotope discrimination in peanut genotypes with varying drought tolerance. Experiments were conducted for 2 years in rainout shelters under three irrigation regimes: irrigated control, middle‐season drought with rehydration, and late‐season drought with rehydration. Reduction in percentages of shoot N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) occurred under both drought treatments in both years; a greater reduction occurred under middle‐season drought than under late‐season drought. Middle‐season drought negatively affected carbon isotope discrimination in both years, although there were no significant differences under late‐season drought. Variabilities in %Ndfa and carbon isotope discrimination were found among different genotypes. Under middle‐season drought, both %Ndfa and carbon isotope discrimination were higher in drought‐tolerant lines than drought‐susceptible lines. The most drought‐tolerant lines had the highest N‐fixing capacity under both drought treatments. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between %Ndfa and carbon isotope discrimination under both drought treatments. In most genotypes, %Ndfa remained unchanged after rehydration; only a few genotypes showed a slight increase in %Ndfa after rehydration following both drought treatments. Our data suggested that symbiotic nitrogen fixation in many peanut genotypes was negatively affected by drought and may not recover from the damage caused by drought upon rehydration.
Atmospheric and soil water deficit induced changes in chemical and hydraulic signals in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Tatar Özgür , Brück Holger , Asch Folkard
Published: July 2022

Plant responses to soil drying and the metabolic basis of drought‐induced limitations in stomatal opening are still being discussed. In this study, we investigate the roles of root‐born chemical and hydraulic signals on stomatal regulation in wheat genotypes as affected by soil drought and vapour pressure deficit. Twelve consecutive pot experiments were carried out in a glasshouse. Two bread wheat cultivars (Gönen and Basribey) were subjected to drought under high and low vapour pressure deficit (VPD) in a growth chamber. Total dry matter, specific leaf area, xylem ABA content, xylem osmotic potential, xylem pH, root water potential (RWP), stomatal conductance, leaf ABA content and photosynthetic activity were determined daily during 6 days after the onset of treatments (DAT). In the first phase of drought stress, soil drying induced an increase in the xylem ABA with a peak 3 DAT while RWP drastically decreased during the same period. Then the osmotic potential of leaves decreased and leaf ABA content increased 4 DAT. A similar peak was observed for stomatal conductance during the early stress phase, and it became stable and significantly higher than in well‐watered conditions especially in high vapour deficit conditions (H‐VPD). Furthermore, xylem pH and xylem osmotic potential appeared to be mostly associated with atmospheric moisture content than soil water availability. The results are discussed regarding possible drought adaptation of wheat under different atmospheric humidity.
The ‘Tasty School’ model is feasible for food education in primary schools
Authors: Laitinen Aija Liisa , Antikainen Amma , Mikkonen Santtu , Kähkönen Kaisa , Talvia Sanna , Varjonen Silja , Paavola Saila , Karhunen Leila , Tilles‐Tirkkonen Tanja
Published: July 2022

Background

The ‘Tasty School’ is a tailored teacher‐delivered food education model for primary schools in Finland. The aim of the current study was to investigate the feasibility of the Tasty School model in primary schools. Furthermore, the aim was to assess changes during the intervention in the class teachers' perspectives and experiences related to food education and school dining.

Methods

The method involved a quasi‐experimental study with intervention and control groups. A total of 130 class teachers from 15 intervention and 10 control schools from five municipalities in Finland participated in the study during one school year. The theoretical framework of acceptability was utilised to evaluate feasibility using frequencies. The comparison data were analysed using a mixed‐effects model for repeated measures to account for the intervention effects and selected standardising effects.

Results

Teachers reported that the model was highly acceptable and easily integrated into the school environment. Support from principals and colleagues was the most important facilitator of food education, and lack of time was the barrier. Teachers in the intervention schools were more likely to consider school meals healthy after the intervention, and they reported having sufficient materials and supplies for food education.

Conclusions

The Tasty School was shown to be a feasible model for food education in primary schools. The current study especially found that the commitment of the whole school and principals' role are crucial in the implementation of food education. The factors that support the implementation must be strengthened, and efforts must be made to reduce the barriers.