bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kaolin particle films disrupt landing, settling behavior and feeding of Trioza erytrae on lemon plants
Authors: Oliveira Diogo Félix , Benhadi‐Marín Jacinto , Neto Joana , Sanz Lorena , Garzo Elisa , Aguiar Ana , Fereres Alberto , Pereira José Alberto
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND

The citrus greening disease or Huanglongbing (HLB) is the most devastating disease of citrus crops. Trioza erytreae is a vector of HLB. Since its introduction in Europe, the insect reached the northern region of Spain and the southern region of Portugal, threatening relevant citrus production areas. Limiting the spread of HLB vectors is mandatory to prevent this disease. In this work, we assessed the effect of kaolin, a white mineral clay, on the landing, settling behavior and feeding behavior of Trioza erytreae on lemon plants.

RESULTS

After kaolin application, the number of plants on which the insect was found was significantly lower than on untreated plants in the laboratory and in the field. Moreover, there were significantly fewer T. erytreae and a shorter duration of phloem‐related events on kaolin‐treated than untreated plants.

CONCLUSION

The use of kaolin could be a suitable and efficient tool for inclusion into integrated pest management programs or organic production to reduce populations of T. erytreae and subsequently limit the spread of HLB in citrus crops. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Vegetable‐derived indole enhances the melanoma‐treating efficacy of chemotherapeutics
Authors: Zhou Bei Bei , Liu Dan , Qian Jia Cheng , Tan Ren Xiang
Published: July 2022

Food‐drug interaction is an important but overlooked issue. For example, little is known concerning whether or not the chemotherapy of cancers is affected by the well‐defined dietary chemicals such as 2‐(indol‐3‐ylmethyl)‐3,3′‐diindolylmethane (LTr1) derived from daily consumed cruciferous vegetables. This work, inspired by the described melanogenesis reduction by certain indoles, presents that LTr1 mitigates the melanogenesis and thus potentiates the in vitro and in vivo anti‐melanoma effectiveness of different chemotherapeutic agents including dacarbazine, vemurafenib, and sorafenib. In B16 melanoma cells, LTr1 was shown to inhibit the melanogenesis by acting towards the regulatory (R) subunit of protein kinase A (PRKAR1a) associated with the phosphorylation of cAMP‐response element binding protein (CREB). This allows LTr1 to reduce the expression of melanogenesis‐related enzymes such as tyrosinase (TYR), tyrosinase‐related protein 1 (TYRP1), and tyrosinase‐related protein 2 (TYRP2). Furthermore, LTr1 was addressed to bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and up‐regulate the expression of CYP1A1 encoding cytochrome P450 1A1, leading to the escalation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. The increased ROS generation promotes the cysteine‐to‐cystine transformation to inhibit the pheomelanogenesis in melanomas. Collectively, the work identifies LTr1 as a new melanogenesis inhibitor that modulates the PKA/CREB/MITF and AhR/CYP1A1/ROS pathways, thereby providing a new option for (re)sensitizing melanomas to chemotherapeutics.
Event‐triggered control of quasi‐LPV systems with communication delays
Authors: Coutinho Pedro H. S. , Moreira Luciano G. , Palhares Reinaldo M.
Published: July 2022

This paper addresses the dynamic periodic event‐triggered control for local stabilization of nonlinear networked control systems with communication delays. Based on a polytopic quasi‐linear parameter‐varying (quasi‐LPV) model of the nonlinear plant and the Lyapunov–Krasovskii stability theory, a local stability analysis condition is established. Then a constructive co‐design condition is proposed to jointly design the state‐feedback control law and the trigger rule. The local asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop equilibrium point of interest is ensured with a guaranteed region of attraction where trajectories remain inside even in the presence of communication delays. An optimization procedure is proposed to perform the co‐design considering the objectives of enlarging the guaranteed region of attraction and reducing the number of transmissions. Numerical examples indicate a trade‐off between these two objectives. Also, the examples illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed dynamic event‐triggered control co‐design approach over both its static counterpart and periodic time‐triggering mechanisms.
A unified adaptive control approach of nonlinear continuous non‐parameterized systems with asymmetric control gains for trajectory tracking in different domains
Authors: Ding Ya‐Qiong , Li Xiao‐Dong
Published: July 2022

In this article, for nonlinear continuous non‐parameterized (NCNP) systems, an adaptive iterative learning control (ILC) algorithm, which can adjust the adaptive parameters in both iteration‐domain and time‐domain, is first proposed to track different reference trajectories repetitively over a finite time interval. As the NCNP system is required to asymptotically track reference trajectory in infinite time‐domain, by virtue of partitioning the reference trajectory and system signals with a fixed time interval, the proposed adaptive ILC controller is then extended to handle the asymptotic tracking issue in infinite time‐domain. Therefore, a unified adaptive control approach is practically presented for NCNP systems to track reference trajectories in different domains (the infinite iteration‐domain and the infinite time‐domain). A prominent feature of the unified adaptive control approach is that the unknown control gain matrices in the NCNP systems are assumed to be invertible only. As a result, the general requirement in conventional adaptive control and adaptive ILC that the control gain matrices of plants are real symmetric and positive‐definite (or negative‐definite) is greatly relaxed. In addition, only three adaptive variables are designed for adjusting or updating in the proposed unified adaptive control approach such that the structure of controller is very simple and the memory space for computing is saved.
Synchronization control for multiple Euler–Lagrange systems in leader–follower framework under switching and event‐based communications
Authors: Ngo Van‐Tam , Liu Yen‐Chen
Published: July 2022

Synchronization control of network robotic systems has attracted numerous researches as the development of applying multi‐robotic systems in manufacturing. Despite the practical issues of networked systems such as dynamic connection and limited bandwidth, most of the previous results have been developed under the assumption that each robot knows the system desired trajectory, the interconnections between robots are fixed, and periodic communications. Thus, in this article, we study the synchronization control for networked robotic systems, modeled by Euler–Lagrange equation, under more general cases such that only a subgroup of the robots knows the desired trajectory and the communication between robots are switched. Particularly, first, we utilize an adaptive distributed observer algorithm for each robot to estimate the system trajectory (or the leader dynamics). Then the observer results are synthesized in the proposed control algorithm to enhance the synchronization of the robots. In addition, an event‐based algorithm is taken into account to reduce communication in case of no switching topology. Simulations with a network of four manipulators show that under the proposed control algorithms the synchronization of follower robots is achieved faster comparing with the relevant results in the literature.
Digital transformation of management and organization theories: A research programme
Authors: Roth Steffen
Published: July 2022

This article draws on the groundwork by George Spencer Brown and Niklas Luhmann to outline a general framework for the digital transformation of management and organization theory. It is shown under which conditions guiding distinctions of these fields may be defined as false or true. The framework is applied to selected examples, thus demonstrating that most guiding distinctions of management and organization theory are false. The article concludes with an outlook briefly expanding on the distinction between an electrification and a digital transformation of management and organization theories.
The Prediction Model for Transverse Thickness Difference of Electric Steel in 6‐High Cold Rolling Mills Based on GA‐PSO‐SVR Approach
Authors: Song Chun-Ning , Cao Jian-Guo , Wang Lei-Lei , Xiao Jing , Zhao Qiu-Fang
Published: July 2022

To meet the shape quality requirements of “Dead flat” rectangular section of electrical steel in the cold rolling process, the transverse thickness difference (TTD) prediction model of 6‐high tandem cold rolling mills (TCMs) based on genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization, and support vector regression (GA‐PSO‐SVR) is proposed. The TTD prediction model uses 5000 coils of data obtained from a cold rolling line. The GA‐PSO‐SVR model is obtained by the GA‐PSO hybrid algorithm to search and obtain the optimal parameter of the SVR to improve the prediction model accuracy. The results reveal that using multiple evaluation indicators the GA‐PSO‐SVR model has preferably adaptability and higher accuracy. Meanwhile, the relative importance of input variables is calculated based on the GA‐PSO‐SVR model, which indicates that the shape control methods in stands 1–5 have the most important influence on the TTD. The TTD prediction model is continuously applied to 1420 mm 6‐high TCMs; the results show that the rate of the TTD less than 7 μm increased from 29.6% to 63.85%.
Chromosome‐scale assembly of the Moringa oleifera Lam. genome uncovers polyploid history and evolution of secondary metabolism pathways through tandem duplication
Authors: Chang Jiyang , Marczuk‐Rojas Juan Pablo , Waterman Carrie , Garcia‐Llanos Armando , Chen Shiyu , Ma Xiao , Hulse‐Kemp Amanda , Van Deynze Allen , Van de Peer Yves , Carretero‐Paulet Lorenzo
Published: July 2022

The African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC) selected the highly nutritious, fast growing and drought tolerant tree crop moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) as one of the first of 101 plant species to have its genome sequenced and a first draft assembly was published in 2019. Given the extensive uses and culture of moringa, often referred to as the multipurpose tree, we generated a significantly improved new version of the genome based on long‐read sequencing into 14 pseudochromosomes equivalent to n = 14 haploid chromosomes. We leveraged this nearly complete version of the moringa genome to investigate main drivers of gene family and genome evolution that may be at the origin of relevant biological innovations including agronomical favorable traits. Our results reveal that moringa has not undergone any additional whole‐genome duplication (WGD) or polyploidy event beyond the gamma WGD shared by all core eudicots. Moringa duplicates retained following that ancient gamma events are also enriched for functions commonly considered as dosage balance sensitive. Furthermore, tandem duplications seem to have played a prominent role in the evolution of specific secondary metabolism pathways including those involved in the biosynthesis of bioactive glucosinolate, flavonoid, and alkaloid compounds as well as of defense response pathways and might, at least partially, explain the outstanding phenotypic plasticity attributed to this species. This study provides a genetic roadmap to guide future breeding programs in moringa, especially those aimed at improving secondary metabolism related traits.
Molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial resistance to ceftazidime/avibactam
Authors: Xiong Luying , Wang Xueting , Wang Yuan , Yu Wei , Zhou Yanzi , Chi Xiaohui , Xiao Tingting , Xiao Yonghong
Published: July 2022

Ceftazidime/avibactam (CAZ/AVI), a combination of ceftazidime and a novel β‐lactamase inhibitor (avibactam) that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Union, and the National Regulatory Administration in China. CAZ/AVI is used mainly to treat complicated urinary tract infections and complicated intra‐abdominal infections in adults, as well as to treat patients infected with Carbapenem‐resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) susceptible to CAZ/AVI. However, increased clinical application of CAZ/AVI has resulted in the development of resistant strains. Mechanisms of resistance in most of these strains have been attributed to blaKPC mutations, which lead to amino acid substitutions in β‐lactamase and changes in gene expression. Resistance to CAZ/AVI is also associated with reduced expression and loss of outer membrane proteins or overexpression of efflux pumps. In this review, the prevalence of CAZ/AVI‐resistance bacteria, resistance mechanisms, and selection of detection methods of CAZ/AVI are demonstrated, aiming to provide scientific evidence for the clinical prevention and treatment of CAZ/AVI resistant strains, and provide guidance for the development of new drugs.

This article is categorized under:

Infectious Diseases > Molecular and Cellular Physiology
On the Potential of Image Similarity Metrics for Comparing Phase Center Corrections
Authors: Kröger Johannes , Kersten Tobias , Breva Yannick , Schön Steffen
Published: July 2022

For highly precise and accurate positioning and navigation with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), it is mandatory to take phase center corrections (PCC) into account. These corrections are provided by different calibration facilities and methods. Currently, discussions in the framework of the International GNSS Service (IGS) antenna working group (AWG) are ongoing on how to accept new calibration facilities as an official IGS calibration facility.

In this paper, different image similarity measures and their potential for comparing PCC are presented. Currently used comparison strategies are discussed and their performance is illustrated with several geodetic antennas. We show that correlation coefficients are an appropriate measure to compare different sets of PCC since they perform independently of a constant part within the patterns. However, feature detection algorithms like the Speeded-Up Robust Features (SURF) mostly do not find distinctive structures within the PCC differences due to the smooth character of PCC. Therefore, they are inapplicable for comparing PCC. Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of PCC differences (ΔPCC) can be used to analyse which structures ΔPCC are composed of. We show that characteristic structures can be found within ΔPCC. Therefore, the SVD is a promising tool to analyse the impact of PCC differences in the coordinate domain.
Photobook
Authors: Mazzara Manuel , Succi Giancarlo , Tormasov Alexander
Published: July 2022

A large number of pictures have been collected over the years. This last chapter is special, and the text is serving pictures and not the other way around. It is a visual journey into the Innopolis development. This chapter has been built on top of the beautiful photo archive of our colleague Timur Tsiunchuk. Sometimes, an image is more informational than one hundred pages.
Hiring and Developing an International Faculty
Authors: Mazzara Manuel , Succi Giancarlo , Tormasov Alexander
Published: July 2022

We discuss here the ideas behind the international faculty, the hiring process, the relocation of people, the training and coaching, and the growth in size of the faculty. We share how all the processes bootstrapped and the challenges of starting from zero.
Attracting the Best Students
Authors: Mazzara Manuel , Succi Giancarlo , Tormasov Alexander
Published: July 2022

Innopolis is now featuring the third place in Russia for quality of incoming students, according to the final grades of school state examination. The early days were different; how was this progress achieved? What has been the process?
Balancing Usability and Security of Graphical Passwords
Authors: Lapin Kristina , Šiurkus Manfredas
Published: July 2022

Although most widely used authentication involves characters as passwords, but secure text-based passwords are complex and difficult to remember. Users want to have easy to remember passwords, but these are vulnerable to various kinds of attacks and are predictable. To address these problems, graphical passwords that involve selection of images and drawing lines have been proposed. The encoded images support creation of secure passwords and facilitate their memorability. Thus, they are considered as an alternative to strengthen password security while preserving usability because secure textual passwords become more complicated to use. The research addresses the issue of improving the user experiences during graphical authentication. This paper examines cued recall-based, pure recall-based and recognition-based approaches. The proposed scheme is based on recognition-based scheme that is selected as the least vulnerable to various attacks. The solution is currently under development, two qualitative usability testing sessions are performed and the participants’ feedback is discussed.
Interdisciplinary Research with Older Adults in the Area of ICT: Selected Ethical Considerations and Challenges
Authors: Skorupska Kinga , Makowska Ewa , Jaskulska Anna
Published: July 2022

In this paper we analyse, classify and discuss some ethical considerations and challenges related to pursuing exploratory and interdisciplinary research projects in the area of ICT, especially those involving older adults. First, we identify spotlight areas, which are especially prominent in these fields. Next, we explore possible pitfalls interdisciplinary researchers may stumble onto when planning, conducting and presenting exploratory research activities. Finally, some of these are selected and discussed more closely, while related open questions are posed.
XR Hackathon Going Online: Lessons Learned from a Case Study with Goethe-Institute
Authors: Kopeć Wiesław , Skorupska Kinga , Jaskulska Anna , Łukasik Michał , Karpowicz Barbara , Paluch Julia , Kwiatkowska Kinga , Jabłoński Daniel , Masłyk Rafał
Published: July 2022

In this article we report a case study of a Language and Culture-oriented transdisciplinary XR hackathon organized with Goethe-Institut. The hackathon was hosted as an online event in November 2020 by our University Lab in collaboration with Goethe-Institut as a follow-up to our previous co-organized event within our research group Living Lab. We have improved the formula of the event based on lessons learned from its previous edition. First, in one of the two hackathon tracks we provided the participants with a custom VR framework, to serve as a starting point for their designs to skip the repetitive early development stage. In cooperation with our partner, Goethe-Institut, we have also outlined best modern research-backed language-learning practices and methods and gathered them into actionable evaluation criteria.
Attitudes Towards Online Social Interactions and Technology in the Offering of Help During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Górska Gabriela , Maciantowicz Oliwia , Pawlak Malgorzata , Wojnarowska Olga
Published: July 2022

As the COVID-19 pandemic confined millions across the globe to their homes, technology proved an indispensable tool that allowed humanity to sustain many aspects of everyday life, including social behaviours. In compliance with quarantine restrictions, communities were unable to support each other in the usual manner; simultaneously, the demand for such support grew, owing to the difficult circumstances. This study (N = 196) explores whether technology enabled or hindered this specific type of social interaction – helping others. We discovered that General Online Social Interaction Propensity correlated positively with helping – although it demonstrated stronger correlations with online support. The Technology Adoption Propensity IndexOptimismandProficiencysubscales failed to correlate significantly with helping and onlyVulnerabilitysubscale showed significant correlation. In conclusion, both GOSIP and TAPVulnerabilityare valid predictors of proneness to offer help online. We suggest considering various personality predispositions may help to maximize the effectiveness of online helping.
Deploying Enhanced Speech Feature Decreased Audio Complaints at SVT Play VOD Service
Authors: Bidner Annika , Lindberg Julia , Lindman Olof , Skorupska Kinga
Published: July 2022

At Public Service Broadcaster SVT in Sweden, background music and sounds in programs have for many years been one of the most common complaints from the viewers. The most sensitive group are people with hearing disabilities, but many others also find background sounds annoying. To address this problem SVT has added Enhanced Speech, a feature with lower background noise, to a number of TV programs in VOD service SVT Play. As a result, when the number of programs with the Enhanced Speech feature increased, the level of audio complaints to customer service decreased. The Enhanced Speech feature got the rating 8.3/10 in a survey with 86 participants. The rating for possible future usage was 9.0/10. In this article we describe this feature’s design and development process, as well as its technical specification, limitations and future development opportunities.
Causal Inference - Time Series
Authors: Asesh Aishwarya
Published: July 2022

Detecting causation in observational data is a difficult task. Identifying the causative direction, coupling delay, and causal chain linkages from time series may be used to find causal relationships. Three issues must be addressed when inferring causality from time series data: resilience to noisy time series, computing efficiency and seamless causal inference from high-dimensional data. The research aims to provide empirical evidence on the relationship ofMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)movies and marvel comic book sales using Fourier Transforms andcross-correlationof two time series data. The first of its kind study, establishes some concrete evidence on whether the trend of declining comic study and increasing movie audience will disrupt in the post COVID world.
Localization Using DeepLab in Document Images Taken by Smartphones
Authors: Baniadamdizaj Shima
Published: July 2022

The seamless integration of statistics from virtual and paper files could be very crucial for the know-how control of efficient. A handy manner to obtain that is to digitize a report from a picture. This calls for the localization of the report in the picture. Several approaches are deliberate to resolve this hassle; however, they are supported historical picture method strategies that are not robust to intense viewpoints and backgrounds. Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), on the opposite hand, have been validated to be extraordinarily strong to versions in heritage and perspective of view for item detection and classification duties. Inspired by their robustness and generality, we advocate a CNN-primarily based totally technique for the correct localization of files in real-time. We advocate the new utilization of Neural Networks (NNs) for the localization hassle as a key factor detection hassle. The proposed technique ought to even localize snapshots that don't have a very square shape. Also, we used a newly amassed dataset that has extra tough duties internal and is in the direction of a slipshod user. The result is knowledgeable in 3 specific classes of snapshots and our proposed technique has 100% accuracy on easy one and 77% on average. The result is as compared with the maximum famous report localization strategies and cell applications.
Performance Comparison of Deep Residual Networks-Based Super Resolution Algorithms Using Thermal Images: Case Study of Crowd Counting
Authors: Rizvi Syed Zeeshan , Farooq Muhammad Umar , Raza Rana Hammad
Published: July 2022

Humans are able to perceive objects only in the visible spectrum range which limits the perception abilities in poor weather or low illumination conditions. The limitations are usually handled through technological advancements in thermographic imaging. However, thermal cameras have poor spatial resolutions compared to RGB cameras. Super-resolution (SR) techniques are commonly used to improve the overall quality of low-resolution images. There has been a major shift of research among the Computer Vision researchers towards SR techniques particularly aimed for thermal images. This paper analyzes the performance of three deep learning-based state-of-the-art SR algorithms namely Enhanced Deep Super Resolution (EDSR), Residual Channel Attention Network (RCAN) and Residual Dense Network (RDN) on thermal images. The algorithms were trained from scratch for different upscaling factors of ×2 and ×4. The dataset was generated from two different thermal imaging sequences of BU-TIV benchmark. The sequences contain both sparse and highly dense type of crowds with a far field camera view. The trained models were then used to super-resolve unseen test images. The quantitative analysis of the test images was performed using common image quality metrics such as PSNR, SSIM and LPIPS, while qualitative analysis was provided by evaluating effectiveness of the algorithms for crowd counting application. After only 54 and 51 epochs of RCAN and RDN respectively, both approaches were able to output average scores of 37.878, 0.986, 0.0098 and 30.175, 0.945, 0.0636 for PSNR, SSIM and LPIPS respectively. The EDSR algorithm took the least computation time during both training and testing because of its simple architecture. This research proves that a reasonable accuracy can be achieved with fewer training epochs when an application-specific dataset is carefully selected.
Normalization and Bias in Time Series Data
Authors: Asesh Aishwarya
Published: July 2022

Data normalization is an important preprocessing step in data mining and Machine Learning (ML) technique. Finding an acceptable approach to deal with time series normalization, on the other hand, is not an easy process. This is because most standard normalizing approaches rely on assumptions that aren’t true for the vast majority of time series. The first is that all time series are stationary, which means that their statistical characteristics, such as mean and standard deviation, do not vary over time. The time series volatility is assumed to be uniform in the second assumption. These concerns are not addressed by any of the approaches currently accessible in the literature. This research provides theoretical and experimental evidence, that normalizing time series data, can prove to be of utmost value by trimming non necessary data points and achieving minimum information loss, by using the concept of Minimal Time Series Representation (MTSR).
Case Studies in Biocultural Diversity from Southeast Asia—Traditional Ecological Calendars, Folk Medicine and Folk Names
Authors: Franco F. Merlin , Knudsen Magne , Hassan Noor Hasharina
Published: July 2022

Biocultural diversity refers to the dynamic interrelationship between the Earth’s biological, cultural, and
linguistic diversity. The concept draws strength from the fact that biodiversity-rich regions of the world are also rich in cultural and linguistic diversities. This volume adds to scholarship in biocultural diversity with case studies from geographical Southeast Asia. The chapters presented in the volume, based on research in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Northeast India demonstrate i) how traditional ecological calendars and calendar keepers serve as repositories of knowledge on landscapes and their resources, ii) the importance of folk medicine for healthcare in contemporary Southeast Asia, and iii) how folk names of flora and fauna serve as condensed forms of traditional knowledge on biodiversity. While highlighting the importance of customary ways of knowing and categorizing the environment in areas such as resource management, conservation, and healthcare, the chapters also demonstrate that traditional environmental knowledge and the practical skills which accompany it are not necessarily widely shared and are under constant threat. As Southeast Asia marches forward in pursuit of economic growth, it would also have to ensure that its biocultural diversity stays alive, nurturing local communities for generations to come.
Calendar Keepers: The Unsung Heroes in Indigenous Landscape Management
Authors: Lokho Kreni , Franco F. Merlin , Narasimhan D.
Published: July 2022

Indigenous communities use their calendric knowledge to carry out landscape management activities. Using the example of the Mao Naga community of Northeast India, we demonstrate that keepers of such calendars are facilitators of landscape management activities of the community. The Mao Naga community chief once served as the chief calendar keeper from whom calendric information flowed to village-level calendar keepers. The chief calendar keeper processed information on the skyscape and local seasonal indicators and disseminated it to the village-level calendar keepers, and other community members. The calendar keepers determined the dates for sacred holidays calledgenna, and festivals which in turn determined landscape management activities that include agriculture, hunting and fire management. The village-level calendar keepers combined calendric information received from the chief calendar keeper with their own observation of skyscape and local seasonal indicators. The observation of local seasonal indicators by the village-level calendar keepers enabled them to keep the ecological calendar dynamic, flexible and relevant to the landscape. The Mao Council has introduced a printed traditional calendar which makes it easier for determining lunar months and festival days. But it lacks information on sacred holidays and local seasonal indicators. We recommend that the printed traditional calendar be developed further to include information on sacred holidays and local seasonal indicators. The improvised printed ecological calendar should then be administered by the calendar keepers.
The Intersection of Kedayan Folk Medicine and Traditional Ecological Calendar
Authors: Bakar Nurzahidah , Franco F. Merlin , Hassan Noor Hasharina
Published: July 2022

A noteworthy feature of folk and codified traditional medicines is their ability to combine drug-based therapies with spiritual therapies. This unique combination differentiates them from the drug-based approach employed by modern biomedicine and renders them highly relevant to contemporary healthcare. Like folk medicine, traditional ecological calendars also embody the traditional knowledge held by local communities. However, the influence of ecological calendars on folk medicine has been largely underexplored; studies have mostly considered ecological calendars and folk medicine independent of each other. In this chapter, we provide an understanding of the traditional knowledge of the Kedayan community of Brunei Darussalam with specific reference to their folk medicine and their traditional ecological calendar. Data was collected through in-depth interviews that the first author held with sixteen knowledgeable elders from the Kedayan community of Brunei Darussalam between January 2018 and June 2018. The Kedayan classify causes of ailments broadly into two: ailments caused by factors of the unseen realm and factors of the seen realm. The former are treated by spiritual therapies and the latter using practices rooted in the humoral concept of well-being. The Kedayan traditional ecological calendar stipulates the right time for harvesting medicinal herbs and administering them. It links the potency of medicinal herbs to tidal cycles and also provides information on the seasonal occurrence of ailments. By focussing on the interface between the Kedayan folk medicine and the ecological calendar, the chapter draws attention to a hitherto underexplored area in folk medicine.
Culture, Ethics of Care, Community, and Language in Online Learning Environments: Supporting Adult Educators in a Digital Era
Authors: Hedayati-Mehdiabadi Amir , Gunawardena Charlotte N.
Published: July 2022

Considering the increase in the number of online courses and programs across the globe, preparing educators for creating inclusive online environments for learners to thrive is imperative. The worldwide pandemic of 2020, in a sense, only accelerated the already rising trends of online course offerings in higher education and further expanded it to other sections of education and geographical locations. Reviewing the existing literature and building on the authors’ experiences, this chapter uses a cultural and ethical lens to examine issues related to community and language to contribute to the design of equitable and inclusive online learning environments. Although these issues impact all segments of the educational enterprise, given the authors’ experiences with adult learning, the focus in this chapter will be on adults as learners.
Applicability of Electrostatic Separation on Talc-Containing Mineral Samples for Production of a High-Grade Talc Concentrate in Comparison to Flotation
Authors: Luckeneder Christoph , Gehringer Sabrina , Flachberger Helmut
Published: July 2022

In the course of this study, the applicability of electrostatic separation and flotation for processing a mineral sample rich in talc was examined. The aim was a comparison of those two separation processes and the concentrates obtained. Furthermore the separation behaviour of the silicates and carbonates was a goal of the examination. The electrostatic separation test work was conducted with a triboelectric belt separator. The feed, an artificially prepared mineral sample, was composed of four components: talc, quartz, dolomite, and magnesite. The lab scale test work was done exclusively at the Chair of Mineral Processing, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Austria.
Assessing urban sustainability: a proposal for indicators, metrics and scoring—a case study in Colombia
Authors: Jorge-Ortiz Andrea , Braulio-Gonzalo Marta , Bovea María Dolores
Published: July 2022

Although there are different methodologies for evaluating the sustainability of urban areas in Latin America, they usually apply to a specific city as a whole and cannot be generalized to other cities; besides, they do not address smaller urban units, such as the district, and rarely approach all sustainability dimensions. This study aims to propose a methodology for the evaluation of urban sustainability in the context of a country, whose approach can be adapted to evaluate the urban sustainability of any country or territory, taking into account environmental, social, economic and institutional aspects. The methodology is structured as an ordered protocol in five stages: (I) revision of PROGRAMMES on urban sustainability, (II) revision and cluster of indicators, (III) definition of indicators and metrics, (IV) definition of the scoring method of indicators, and (V) graphical representation of indicators. Accordingly, the methodology was applied in the context of Colombia, particularly to the medium-sized city of Mosquera, as a case study, and both as a whole and by socio-economic strata. As a result, a set of indicators with their corresponding metrics and score in sustainability levels was obtained, as well as a graphical representation that facilitates the interpretation of results and enables the comparison of different urban areas within the city. The results made it possible to identify vulnerable or degraded urban areas, and on a lower level, to detect specific critical aspects that require the implementation of improvements geared towards a more sustainable urban environment. The overall conclusion is that there is room for improvement in the municipality, since its level of sustainability ranges, generally, from 1 to 2 on a scale of 3.
A closer look at referring expressions for video object segmentation
Authors: Bellver Miriam , Ventura Carles , Silberer Carina , Kazakos Ioannis , Torres Jordi , Giro-i-Nieto Xavier
Published: July 2022

The task of Language-guided Video Object Segmentation (LVOS) aims at generating binary masks for an object referred by a linguistic expression. When this expression unambiguously describes an object in the scene, it is namedreferring expression(RE). Our work argues that existing benchmarks used for LVOS are mainly composed of trivial cases, in which referents can be identified with simple phrases. Our analysis relies on a new categorization of the referring expressions in the DAVIS-2017 and Actor-Action datasets into trivial and non-trivial REs, where the non-trivial REs are further annotated with seven RE semantic categories. We leverage these data to analyze the performance of RefVOS, a novel neural network that obtains competitive results for the task of language-guided image segmentation and state of the art results for LVOS. Our study indicates that the major challenges for the task are related to understanding motion and static actions.
Contemporary Contamination of Urban Floodplains in Chennai (India)
Authors: Bellanova Luisa , Uphoff Fabienne , Bellanova Piero , Engels Nina , P. Prabu , Pulipatti Yaswanth , Lehmkuhl Frank , Schulte Phillip , Reicherter Klaus , Schwarzbauer Jan
Published: July 2022

Fast growing coastal population centers face an increasing vulnerability to several emission sources of anthropogenic and industrial pollutants. The ongoing industrialization in emerging countries increases the environmental and human risk for people living in coastal megacities, especially in the global south of Asia. Extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfalls and resulting flood events, are projected to increase in frequency in the foreseen future, facing an increasing vulnerability to monsoon-induced floods and the release and distribution of xenobiotics causing harm to communities and the environment along a river’s pathway. To endeavor the unknown risks posed by these toxic floods and to assess the associated contamination distribution, the preserved organic geochemical signature from floodplain sediments is studied.

This investigation evaluates the inorganic and organic pollutant assemblage in ten surface sediments along the Adyar and Cooum river in the urban areas of Chennai (southern India). Potentially toxic elements (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb) show a continuous concentration decrease downstream. Four main groups of persistent organic pollutants have been detected: petrogenic pollutants (hopanes, PAHs), urban wastewater pollutants (LABs, DEHA, methyl-triclosan, octocrylene), technical compounds (Mesamoll®, DPE, NBFA), and pesticides (DDX). While most organic compounds show source specific properties, the definite sources for others remain vague based on the multitude of potential sources and diffusiveness of anthropogenic emissions. The chosen approaches have shown that urban wastewater pollutants and several technical compounds are suitable to assess the anthropogenic-induced contamination in floodplain sediments. However, sedimentary archives in fast-growing, urbanized environments are influenced and superimposed by anthropogenic alterations.
Tribological study on the surface modification of metal-on-polymer bioimplants
Authors: Shen Gang , Zhang Jufan , Culliton David , Melentiev Ruslan , Fang Fengzhou
Published: July 2022

The tribological performance of artificial joints is regarded as the main factor of the lifespan of implanted prostheses. The relationship between surface roughness and coefficient of friction (COF) under dry and lubricated conditions is studied. Results show that under dry test, friction coefficient is not reduced all the time with a decrease in surface roughness. On the contrary, a threshold of roughness value is observed, and frictional force increases again below this value. This critical value lies between 40 and 100 nm in Sa (roughness). This phenomenon is due to the transfer of friction mechanisms from abrasion to adhesion. Under wet test, COF always decreases with reduction in surface roughness. This result is mainly attributed to the existence of a thin layer of lubricant film that prevents the intimate contact of two articulating surfaces, thus greatly alleviating adhesion friction. Furthermore, surface texturing technology is successful in improving the corresponding tribological performance by decreasing friction force and mitigating surface deterioration. The even-distribution mode of texturing patterns is most suitable for artificial joints. By obtaining the optimal surface roughness and applying texturing technology, the tribological performance of polymer-based bioimplants can be greatly enhanced.
The role of liver kinase B1 in tumor progression through regulation of lipid metabolism
Authors: Geng Jialu , Zhang Yanghe , Meng Qingfei , Yan Hang , Wang Yishu
Published: July 2022

The somatic mutation of liver kinase B1 (LKB1) has been implicated in various tumors, which is reflected in the survival, proliferation, and metastasis of tumor cells. However, the regulation of LKB1 in lipid metabolism, a process that is involved in tumor progression is not completely clear. We conclude that LKB1 deficiency results in abnormal expression and activation of multiple molecules related to lipid metabolism which locate downstream of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) or salt-induced kinase (SIK). Abnormal lipid metabolism induced by LKB1 deficiency contributes to the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells through energy regulation.
Bikini Line Approach for Cosmetic Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
Authors: Ibrahim Mostafa , Abdelgawaad Moamen Shalkamy , Hanna Ragai Sobhi
Published: July 2022

Four-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a standard procedure. Several alternative approaches have been described to make trocar scars invisible. This study describes and was successfully administered as a pilot for feasibility and safety of a bikini line port for better aesthetic results. In patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis undergoing LC between June 2021 and December 2021, bikini line ports were used in 67 patients. With the patient in the supine position, the first trocar (11 mm) was inserted into the abdomen through the umbilicus. The other three trocars were placed in the lower abdomen at the bikini line with the help of the camera. Standard instruments were used to perform the surgery. The mean operative time was 54.66 SD 14.1 min. No intraoperative or postoperative adverse events took place. The median follow-up for this cohort was 24 weeks. Cosmetic results were satisfactory for all patients. The use of one umbilical camera port and the other three ports in the bikini line in the lower abdomen completely hides the scars from the ports’ incision. The technique was quickly adopted by regular laparoscopic surgeons with usual instruments, much to the satisfaction of patients.
The Regulation of Alcohol Marketing in France: The Loi Evin at Thirty
Authors: Friant-Perrot Marine , Garde Amandine
Published: July 2022

When adopted in 1991, the French Loi Evin was pioneering as one of the first in the world to regulate alcohol marketing as extensively. This short contribution assesses whether it remains fit for purpose over 30 years later. To this effect, it assesses its main provisions, considers the legislative amendments that have ensued as well as the extensive interpretation French courts have given of its scope, before concluding that the prospects for its revisions are limited in the near future.
Voluntary Registries to Support Improved Interaction Between Police and People Living with Dementia
Authors: Ross Heather M. , Bowman Diana M. , Wani Jessica M.
Published: July 2022

This paper provides an overview of the societal impact of a rising dementia population and examines the legal and ethical implications posed by voluntary registries as a community-oriented solution to improve interactions between law enforcement and individuals with dementia. It provides a survey of active voluntary registries across the United States, with a focus on Arizona, which has the highest projected growth for individuals living with dementia in the country.
High-Priced Sickle Cell Gene Therapies Threaten to Exacerbate US Health Disparities and Establish New Pricing Precedents for Molecular Medicine
Authors: Tessema Frazer A. , Sarpatwari Ameet , Rand Leah Z. , Kesselheim Aaron S.
Published: July 2022

Gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease are in development and are expected to have high costs. The large eligible population size — by far, the largest for a gene therapy — poses daunting budget challenges and threatens to exacerbate health disparities for Black patients, who make up the vast majority of American sickle cell patients.
Ordered Beta Regression: A Parsimonious, Well-Fitting Model for Continuous Data with Lower and Upper Bounds
Authors: Kubinec Robert
Published: July 2022

I propose a new model, ordered Beta regression, for continuous distributions with both lower and upper bounds, such as data arising from survey slider scales, visual analog scales, and dose–response relationships. This model employs the cut point technique popularized by ordered logit to fit a single linear model to both continuous (0,1) and degenerate [0,1] responses. The model can be estimated with or without observations at the bounds, and as such is a general solution for these types of data. Employing a Monte Carlo simulation, I show that the model is noticeably more efficient than ordinary least squares regression, zero-and-one-inflated Beta regression, rescaled Beta regression, and fractional logit while fully capturing nuances in the outcome. I apply the model to a replication of the Aidt and Jensen (2014,European Economic Review72, 52–75) study of suffrage extensions in Europe. The model can be fit with the R packageordbetaregto facilitate hierarchical, dynamic, and multivariate modeling.
Seaplane research — the MAEE contribution
Authors: Hamilton Sir James , Allen J. E.
Published: July 2022

Seaplanes were an important feature of aviation during its first four decades, both for long range transport and high airspeeds. Research, and the testing of new designs, was carried out at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe until 1958. However, the record of this scientific work at MAEE has never been fully reported until this paper. The main scientific topics described are, stability during take-off and landing, hydrodynamic resistance, landing impact, spray formation and its control. Armament research and testing receive special attention. A large fleet of prototype seaplanes was type tested; results from these type tests are summarised to show the wide range of designs needing to be assessed. In a final section the authors consider how seaplanes may return to the main stream in the 21st century.The two authors were respectively Head of the Scientific and Technical offices at MAEE in the 1940s.
Study of unsteady characteristics of flare-induced hypersonic shock-wave boundary-layer interaction flowfield with variation in γ
Authors: Verma S. B.
Published: July 2022

Experimental work has been carried out to study the unsteady flow-field characteristics related to shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction. Tests were carried out on an axisymmetric configuration that has a semi-cone angle of 35° and a flare angle of 20°. Further influence of low γ gases (C02 and CF4) on the overall interaction process is also investigated. Both surface and off-surface analysis has been carried out. Off-surface study has been made with a laser schlieren system. The purpose of this study was to investigate the source of the unsteadiness related to such interactions. Two types of shock motions, namely, flapping and rippling could be identified for air, the relative importance of each of which is strongly dependent on the location within the interaction and on the type of test gas. Spectral analysis shows the large-scale motion of the separation bubble to be the main source of high amplitude fluctuations. However, the existence of separation bubble itself does not necessarily indicate the prevalence of unsteady flow conditions.