bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The legacy of over a century of introductions: Spread debt of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Authors: Maimela Lerato T. , Chimimba Christian T. , Zengeya Tsungai A.
Published: April 2022

For over a century, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) has been widely introduced into lakes and rivers in South Africa to create and enhance sport‐fishing opportunities. Despite its long history of introduction, naturalized populations of rainbow trout are still localized to a few areas with suitable habitats and climate. This study assessed the spread debt (i.e., the increase in area invaded by invasive species over time) of rainbow trout in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa to highlight areas with known introductions, the extent of the invasion, and to identify areas that are suitable for establishment but are still invasion‐free. The total river length that was predicted as suitable for rainbow trout under current climate was about ca. 3,500 km in an extension of about ca. 15,000 km. Current occupancy (river length predicted as suitable with known rainbow trout occurrence records) was ca. 1,220 km (35%) and the invasion debt was therefore estimated as 65%. While these data infer a large invasion debt, they are confounded by a lack of knowledge on sampling effort and verified true absence and should therefore be recognized as an estimate. In addition, the extent of the suitable area varied under different climate change scenarios where it was projected to decrease under RCP 4.5 scenarios and increase under the RCP 8.5 scenarios. This study demonstrates some of the difficulties of quantifying the potential future extent and impacts of biological invasions and how the invasion debt concept can be applied to provide an important link between invasion biology, management, and policy.
Does biochar improve nutrient availability in Ultisols of tree plantations in the Ecuadorian Amazonia?
Authors: Gonzalez Sarango Esthela Margarita , Leimer Sophia , Valarezo Manosalvas Carlos , Wilcke Wolfgang
Published: April 2022

The application of biochar to strongly weathered soils is thought to supply nutrients and improve nutrient retention. We hypothesized that biochar increases (a) total N, bioavailable macronutrient (NH4–N, P, K, Ca, Mg), micronutrient (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu), and plant‐beneficial Na concentrations; and (b) nutrient retention in the topsoil. We grew the native leguminous Brazilian firetree [Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum (Ducke) Barneby] and the exotic beechwood (Gmelina arborea Roxb.) in a full factorial split‐split‐plot design at La Victoria and Los Zapotes, Ecuadorian Amazonia. The treatments included amendment of mineral fertilizer plus lime, 3 and 6 t ha−1 biochar (locally produced charcoal), and a control. We sampled the 0‐to‐0.25‐ and 0.25‐to‐0.50‐m soil depth layers before the start of the experiment in 2009 and six times until 2013. The site at Los Zapotes was more fertile as reflected by a significant site effect on most studied soil properties in both depth layers. Biochar increased modified Olsen (NaHCO3+EDTA)‐extractable Ca (p < .05) and Zn concentrations (p < .1) and total N concentrations (p < .05) in topsoil. Mineral fertilizer plus lime increased Olsen‐extractable P, K, Ca, Mg, and Zn concentrations (all p < .05) but reduced Olsen‐extractable Fe concentrations (p < .05) in topsoil. Biochar increased Ca (p < 0.1) and Zn (p < .05) retention in mineral fertilized topsoils but decreased total N retention (p < .05) in unfertilized topsoils. The amendment of up to 6 t ha−1 biochar did not increase the fertility of the studied degraded Amazonian Ultisols sufficiently to enhance tree growth.
Student safety assistants program can provide extra support within your residence halls
Authors: McCarthy Claudine
Published: April 2022

Keeping your students safe and supporting their overall well‐being on campus likely ranks as one of your top priorities. But tight budgets can interfere with taking steps to address this area of concern, such as launching new initiatives or hiring additional professional staff. If you're looking for an effective, affordable, and innovative way to support your residential students, you might want to launch a student safety assistants program, which seems to be working well at Kent State University. To find out more about this program, we chatted with Chris Tankersley, Ph.D., Associate Director of University Housing. The following has been edited for space and clarity.
Support those impacted by global crises
Authors: McCarthy Claudine
Published: April 2022

Although it may seem difficult to find practical ways to show support for your institution's international students, staff, and faculty who have been impacted by the Russia–Ukraine war and other recent global crises, it comes down to some very basic strategies.
How does your garden grow? The interface of employee and sales growth post IPO
Authors: Titus Jr Varkey , Pieper Jenna R. , Josefy Matthew , Welbourne Theresa M.
Published: April 2022

Research Summary

Firms often succumb to a growth imperative, yet little is known about how congruence between various forms of growth affects firm value. We argue that the (in)congruence between net hiring rates (e.g., growth in the number of employees) and sales growth has significant implications for firm value, assessed via Tobin's Q. We further contend that R&D expenditures and industry dynamism—factors that influence a firm's ability to realize value creation—moderate the relationship between growth pattern and firm value. We use a sample of 1,181 firms that conducted their initial public offerings from 1996 to 2006 to test our conceptual model. Findings indicate that employee‐dominant growth is most strongly associated with firm value, and that high levels of R&D expenditures and industry dynamism intensify these relationships.

Managerial Summary

Growth is a goal and challenge for many firms, and navigating the various demands of growth represents a particularly promising opportunity for firms that recently went public. We study how firms can manage the growth process in a way that enhances firm value. Using a sample of 1,181 firms that conducted their initial public offerings from 1996 to 2006, we explore the interplay of employee and sales growth rates on value creation. We find that an employee‐dominant growth pattern was more strongly related to firm value than the other patterns. Our findings also suggest that managers, especially those in firms that invest in R&D and operating in dynamic industries, should avoid a strong focus on sales growth without also ensuring growth in employees.
Two‐Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Trigger Trained Immunity in Human Macrophages through Epigenetic and Metabolic Pathways
Authors: Peng Guotao , Keshavan Sandeep , Delogu Lucia , Shin Yuyoung , Casiraghi Cinzia , Fadeel Bengt
Published: April 2022

Trained immunity is a recently described phenomenon whereby cells of the innate immune system undergo long‐term epigenetic and/or metabolic reprogramming following a short‐term interaction with microbes or microbial products. Here, it is shown that 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) trigger trained immunity in primary human monocyte‐derived macrophages. First, aqueous dispersions of 2D crystal formulations of MoS2 and WS2 are tested, and no cytotoxicity is found despite avid uptake of these materials by macrophages. However, when macrophages are pre‐exposed to TMDs, followed by a resting period, this causes a marked modulation of immune‐specific gene expression upon subsequent challenge with a microbial agent (i.e., bacterial lipopolysaccharides). Specifically, MoS2 triggers trained immunity through an epigenetic pathway insofar as the histone methyltransferase inhibitor methylthioadenosine reverses these effects. Furthermore, MoS2 triggers an elevation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels in macrophages and increased glycolysis is also evidenced in cells subjected to MoS2 training, pointing toward a metabolic rewiring of the cells. Importantly, it is observed that MoS2 triggers the upregulation of Mo‐dependent enzymes in macrophages, thus confirming that Mo is bioavailable in these cells. In conclusion, MoS2 is identified as a novel inducer of trained immunity. Thus, TMDs could potentially be harnessed as immunomodulatory agents.
Recent progress in the all‐solid‐state flexible supercapacitors
Authors: Yang Yongrui , Zhu Tao , Shen Lening , Liu Yanghe , Zhang Dong , Zheng Bowen , Gong Keven , Zheng Jie , Gong Xiong
Published: April 2022

In the past few years, supercapacitors (SCs) have attracted great attention in both academic and industrial sectors due to their high energy storage efficiency, reliable stability, and eco‐friendly process. Flexible solid‐state SCs as one of the ongoing focuses for the development of wearable and portable electronics have become the most promising energy storage devices for the smart power system due to their high power density, fast electrochemical response, high efficiency on the charge‐discharge process, and excellent electrochemical stability. In this study, the recent progress in the electrodes and electrolytes used for approaching high‐performance of the all‐solid‐state flexible SCs is reviewed. We first introduce basic operational principles of various SCs. And then we overview the electrode materials including carbon materials, conducting polymers, transition metal oxides/chalcogenides/nitrides, MXenes, metal‐organic frameworks, covalent‐organic frameworks, and the polymer‐based solid‐state electrolytes in different systems. Afterward, we summarize recent progress in the development of the all‐solid‐state flexible SCs and outlook for future research directions.
Examination of color preferences of invasive green anoles in the Ogasawara Islands
Authors: Hiroyama Koya , Iwai Noriko
Published: April 2022

The green anole (Anolis carolinensis) has been introduced to the Ogasawara Islands, Japan, and has adversely affected native fauna through predation and competition. To eradicate green anoles, adhesive traps for capture and Teflon™‐sheet fencing to restrict movement have been used, however, their efficiency needs to be improved. Using behavioral experiments, we evaluated colors that would attract green anoles to traps and repel them from fences. We also conducted similar experiments on the native snake‐eyed skink (Cryptoblepharus nigropunctatus) to establish color preferences in an effort to reduce bycatch. We presented choices of 2 out of 6 colored papers (blue, brown, green, purple, red, yellow) to green anoles and 3 colored papers (blue, brown, red) to snake‐eyed skinks to observe which color of paper the animals walked on first. Both species chose blue significantly less often than the other colors (blue was chosen only in 29% of runs). Green anoles demonstrated a preference for brown, whereas snake‐eyed skinks favored red. Our results suggested that using blue Teflon™‐sheet fence might reduce the transborder crossing rate of green anoles. Furthermore, bycatch of native snake‐eyed skinks may be reduced by changing the adhesive trap color to brown, from the currently used red.
Ergebnisse zu Studie 2
Authors: Hettmann Maximilian
Published: April 2022

Zusammenassung

Im Folgenden werden die Ergebnisse der qualitativen Auswertung der Unterrichtsvideos berichtet. Dazu wird zunächst der strukturelle Rahmen der betrachteten Unterstützungssituationen hinsichtlich der Merkmale Anlass, Art des Problems und personeller Rahmen beschrieben (Abschnitt 13.1). Anschließend werden die aus den Unterrichtsvideos identifizierten isolierten Unterstützungsmuster charakterisiert, voneinander abgegrenzt, illustriert und deren Vorkommen quantifiziert (Abschnitt 13.2; 13.3).
Seminarkonzept zur Förderung von Schüler*innen mit mathematischen Lernschwierigkeiten
Authors: Hettmann Maximilian
Published: April 2022

Im Rahmen des Projekts Biprofessional, welches Teil der Bielefelder Qualitätsoffensive Lehrerbildung vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung ist, wurde ein Veranstaltungsformat entwickelt, das auf den Kompetenzerwerb von Studierenden im Bereich der Förderung von Motivation im Fach Mathematik zielt. In einer Kooperation von Mathematikdidaktiker*innen und Psycholog*innen wurde dazu ein in der Bielefelder Mathematikdidaktik etabliertes Veranstaltungsformat mit integrierter Praxisphase zur individuellen Förderung von Schüler*innen mit Schwierigkeiten beim Mathematiklernen adaptiert und um motivationspsychologische Aspekte ergänzt.
Potenzielle Auswirkungen erhöhter Alkoholsteuern auf die alkoholbedingte Krankheitslast in Deutschland: Eine Modellierungsstudie
Authors: Kilian Carolin , Rovira Pol , Neufeld Maria , Manthey Jakob , Rehm Jürgen
Published: April 2022

Hintergrund

Deutschland gehörte im Jahr 2019 zu den Ländern mit dem weltweit höchsten Pro-Kopf-Alkoholkonsum, welcher wesentlich zur Krankheitslast beiträgt.

Fragestellung

In dieser Modellierungsstudie schätzen wir, wie viele alkoholbedingte inzidente Krankheits- sowie Todesfälle in Deutschland im Jahr 2019 hätten vermieden werden können, wenn die derzeitigen Verbrauchssteuern auf Alkohol um 20 %, 50 % und 100 % erhöht worden wären.

Methodik

Ausgangspunkt für die Modellierung sind die spezifischen Verbrauchssteuern auf alkoholische Getränke in Deutschland. Drei Szenarien wurden unter der Annahme, dass die resultierende Steuererhöhung vollständig in den Verkaufspreis übertragen wird, und unter Verwendung von getränkespezifischen Preiselastizitäten modelliert. Mittels des sich daraus ergebenden Rückgangs im jährlichen Pro-Kopf-Konsum und der krankheitsspezifischen Risikofunktionen wurde die vermeidbare alkoholbedingte Inzidenz bzw. Mortalität geschätzt. Berücksichtigt wurden alkoholbedingte Erkrankungen des Herz-Kreislauf- und Verdauungssystems, Alkoholabhängigkeit, Epilepsie, Infektionskrankheiten sowie Verletzungen und Unfälle.

Ergebnisse

Insgesamt hätten durch eine Verdoppelung der spezifischen Verbrauchssteuern auf Alkohol im Jahr 2019 bis zu 200.400 alkoholbedingte Erkrankungs- und Verletzungsfälle sowie 2800 Todesfälle vermieden werden können. Dies entspricht knapp 7 % der berücksichtigten alkoholbedingten Krankheits- bzw. Todesfälle in Deutschland.

Diskussion

Alkoholbedingte Erkrankungen und Verletzungen sind vermeidbar und eine Erhöhung der spezifischen Verbrauchssteuern auf alkoholische Getränke in Deutschland könnte die alkoholbedingte Krankheitslast substanziell reduzieren.
Knotless PEEK and double-loaded biodegradable suture anchors ensure comparable clinical outcomes in the arthroscopic treatment of traumatic anterior shoulder instability: a prospective randomized study
Authors: Saccomanno Maristella F. , Cerciello Simone , Adriani Marco , Motta Marcello , Megaro Almerico , Galli Stefano , Scaini Alessandra , Milano Giuseppe
Published: April 2022

Purpose

To compare the clinical outcome of arthroscopic capsulolabral repair for traumatic anterior shoulder instability with PEEK knotless and knotted biodegradable suture anchors.

Methods

Arthroscopic stabilization was performed in 78 patients with recurrent traumatic anterior shoulder instability. They were divided into 2 groups of 39 patients each, according to suture anchors used: knotless PEEK anchors in group 1, and biodegradable anchors in group 2. Exclusion criteria were: instability without dislocation, posterior or multidirectional instability, glenoid bone loss > 20%, off-track lesions, concomitant rotator cuff tears and previous surgery. The primary outcome was the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) self-administered questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were: Work-DASH, Sport-DASH, Rowe score, recurrent instability and subsequent surgery. The following independent variables were considered: age, gender, dominance, generalized ligamentous hyperlaxity, duration of symptoms, age at first dislocation, number of dislocations, type of work, type of sport, sports activity level, capsule-labral injury pattern, SLAP lesion and number of anchors. Differences between groups for numerical variables were analyzed by use of the Student’s t-test or Mann–Whitney U-test. Fisher’s exact test was used for analysis of categorical variables. Significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

Seven patients (9%) were lost at follow-up, 5 from group 1 and 2 from group 2. Follow-up ranged from 36 to 60 months (median: 44; IQR: 13). Comparison between groups did not show significant differences for each independent variable considered. No differences could be found either for DASH (n.s.) or Rowe (p = n.s.) scores between the two groups. Overall recurrence rate was 7%. Three re-dislocations were reported in group 1 and two in group 2 (n.s.). Only one patient in each group underwent re-operation.

Conclusions

The study showed no significant differences in clinical outcomes after arthroscopic treatment of traumatic anterior shoulder instability using PEEK knotless or biodegradable knotted anchors at mid-term follow-up.

Level of evidence

I.
Fungal dye-decolorizing peroxidase diversity: roles in either intra- or extracellular processes
Authors: Adamo Martino , Comtet-Marre Sophie , Büttner Enrico , Kellner Harald , Luis Patricia , Vallon Laurent , Prego Rocio , Hofrichter Martin , Girlanda Mariangela , Peyret Pierre , Marmeisse Roland
Published: April 2022

Fungal dye-decolorizing peroxidases (DyPs) have found applications in the treatment of dye-contaminated industrial wastes or to improve biomass digestibility. Their roles in fungal biology are uncertain, although it has been repeatedly suggested that they could participate in lignin degradation and/or modification. Using a comprehensive set of 162 fully sequenced fungal species, we defined seven distinct fungal DyP clades on basis of a sequence similarity network. Sequences from one of these clades clearly diverged from all others, having on average the lower isoelectric points and hydropathy indices, the highest number of N-glycosylation sites, and N-terminal sequence peptides for secretion. Putative proteins from this clade are absent from brown-rot and ectomycorrhizal species that have lost the capability of degrading lignin enzymatically. They are almost exclusively present in white-rot and other saprotrophic Basidiomycota that digest lignin enzymatically, thus lending support for a specific role of DyPs from this clade in biochemical lignin modification. Additional nearly full-length fungal DyP genes were isolated from the environment by sequence capture by hybridization; they all belonged to the clade of the presumably secreted DyPs and to another related clade. We suggest focusing our attention on the presumably intracellular DyPs from the other clades, which have not been characterized thus far and could represent enzyme proteins with novel catalytic properties.

Key points

• A fungal DyP phylogeny delineates seven main sequence clades.

• Putative extracellular DyPs form a single clade of Basidiomycota sequences.

• Extracellular DyPs are associated to white-rot fungi.
Aerosol morphology and particle size distribution in orthopaedic bone machining: a laboratory worst-case contamination simulation. Is high-speed bone machining potentially harmful by pollution and quality schemes and what measures could be taken for prevention?
Authors: Putzer David , Dammerer Dietmar , Huber Cora , Boschert Harald , Thaler Martin , Nogler Michael
Published: April 2022

Aim of the study

High-speed bone machining devices with irrigation fluid were used in surgery to spread aerosols and toss tissue particles of varying morphology into the operating room. Based on measurements taken on a phantom object, the shape, size, and spatial contamination distribution of such particles were assessed.

Method

Cadaveric femoral heads were continuously machined with a spherical bur, manually held at a fixed attack angle. The irrigation fluid used during bone machining was enriched with bacteria to act as a tracer to quantify the spatial contamination. A vertical board equipped with snippets served as a phantom object to assess contamination load and morphology of airborne particles.

Results

Eight-nine percent of the particles had a non-circular cross section. The detected particle size ranged across six orders of magnitude, from 0.006 to 4 mm2 with a median particle size of 0.125 mm2. The CFU counts observed after the standard machining time ranged from 7 to 240, with a median of 2 CFUs. The highest median contamination was seen at the upper right corner of the phantom.

Discussion

The experiments show that contaminating particles of a wide variety of shapes and sizes are part of the aerosol created by high-speed burring. While protection of personnel and equipment is always important, surgical helmets should be worn, especially at contamination hotspots, and gloves should be replaced at the end of machining. Sensitive instruments and measuring devices—such as optical sensors—should also be protected effectively, as the optical measurement may be obstructed by aerosol particles.
Stickleback mass occurrence driven by spatially uneven parasite pressure? Insights into infection dynamics, host mortality, and epizootic variability
Authors: Baer Jan , Gugele Sarah M. , Roch Samuel , Brinker Alexander
Published: April 2022

Since 2012, a massive invasion of the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) has taken place into the pelagic area of Lake Constance. This species, which had previously been restricted to the littoral zone, is now the dominant pelagic fish and the previously dominant whitefish (Coregonus wartmanni) has suffered severe reductions in growth and recruitment. In this study, in total, 2871 sticklebacks were collected via monthly sessions over a 4-year period in pelagic and benthic areas of Lake Constance and examined for signs of infection with Schistocephalus solidus, a parasite known to be potentially fatal. The infection risk to sticklebacks increases throughout the course of the year and is size- and sex-dependent. Habitat has only a marginal impact. All parasite-induced harm is imparted after stickleback spawning and parental care is over. The results did not support the hypothesis that the invasion of the pelagic area might be driven by parasite-avoiding behaviour. Furthermore, the impact of the parasite is likely to be limited to post-reproductive adults, thereby ensuring stable reproduction of the hosts despite high rates of transmission and mortality. In consequence, stickleback stock development is independent of S. solidus infection, leading to secure coexistence of host and parasite even at extraordinary high host levels.
Development of molecular detection methods of Bovicola ovis from sheep fleece
Authors: Tran Lily , Rawlin Grant T. , Beddoe Travis
Published: April 2022

The sheep body louse (Bovicola ovis) commonly referred to as sheep lice are small chewing ectoparasites of sheep. Infection results in significant economic costs to the Australian sheep industry due to reduced wool quality caused by chronic itching from sheep rubbing and biting fleece. Treatment relies on use of insecticides; however, resistance has developed against pyrethroid and other insect growth regulator lousicides. There is urgent need to develop cost-effective lice management to reduce the use of insecticides, with the application of insecticidal treatments only applied when an infestation is detected. However, the current detection method relies on fleece parting for detection of B. ovis which is highly dependent on the skill of the inspector, the number of sheep examined, and the prevalence and severity of the infestation. To improve B. ovis detection, a highly sensitive (5 × 10−8 ng/μL) and specific multiplex quantitative PCR which simultaneously detects sheep lice and sheep DNA was developed. In addition, a B. ovis loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for field use. The B. ovis LAMP (Bov-LAMP) assay was optimized to reliably detect B. ovis from wool samples down to 5 × 10−6 ng/μL, with time to positive (Tp) < 10 min. Both assays demonstrate high sensitivity and specificity, enabling rapid identification of B. ovis DNA from sheep fleece samples and have the capacity to be used for ongoing management and surveillance of B. ovis in Australian sheep flocks.
Die Bedeutung wissenschaftlicher Evidenz für die Arbeit des Bundestags
Authors: Riphahn Regina T. , Schnitzer Monika
Published: April 2022

Es gibt in Deutschland bisher wenige Erhebungen dazu, wie Politiker:innen wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse für ihre Arbeit nutzen. Um diese Kenntnislücke zu füllen, hat die Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina eine Erhebung beauftragt, die sich an die Mitglieder des Deutschen Bundestags und ihre Mitarbeitenden richtet. Die Ergebnisse der Befragung werden in diesem Beitrag präsentiert.
Mothers stick together: how the death of an infant affects female social relationships in a group of wild bonobos (Pan paniscus)
Authors: Cheng Leveda , Shaw Amber , Surbeck Martin
Published: April 2022

Sociality is widespread among group-living primates and is beneficial in many ways. Sociality amongst female bonobos (Pan paniscus) has been proposed to have evolved as a female counterstrategy to male infanticide and sexual coercion. In male-philopatric bonobo societies, females mostly form relationships with unrelated females. Among these social relationships, it has been proposed that females with infants (also referred to as mothers) tend to have strong relationships with each other (mother-bonding hypothesis). In this paper, we use the case of an infant death in a group of wild bonobos in the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo, to test this hypothesis. By using dyadic sociality indices for grooming, proximity, and aggression, we investigated whether the infant death influenced dyadic relationships the mother had with other group members. Before the infant death, grooming index (GI) and proximity index (PI) scores were the highest between the focal mother and another mother. After the death, the relationship of this mother dyad weakened, as indicated by lower GI and PI scores, whereas the relationship of another mother dyad became stronger. Aggression index scores among the mothers were comparable before and after the death, suggesting that changes in mother affiliative relationships were not a by-product of changes in overall interaction frequencies. Also, PI scores increased between the focal mother and three non-mothers after the death. Collectively, the shift in social dynamics between the focal mother and other group members after the infant death partially supported the mother-bonding hypothesis.
Dietary astaxanthin modulated the performance, gastrointestinal histology, and antioxidant and immune responses and enhanced the resistance of Litopenaeus vannamei against Vibrio harveyi infection
Authors: Eldessouki Elsayed A. A. , Diab Amany M. , Selema Talal A. M. Abo , Sabry Nader M. , Abotaleb Mahmoud M. , Khalil Riad H. , El-Sabbagh Nasser , Younis Nehal A. , Abdel-Tawwab Mohsen
Published: April 2022

Astaxanthin (AX) is one of the commonly used feed supplements to enhance the growth performance and provide antioxidant and immune functions of several aquatic animals. In the current study, juveniles of white-leg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) with mean initial weight of 0.340 ± 0.041 g were fed with diets supplemented with 0 (control), 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg feed for 8 weeks. At the end of the feeding trial, shrimps were exposed to Vibrio harveyi, and their mortality rates were observed for additional 10 days. The growth indices in the AX-fed groups were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than what were observed in shrimps in the control group. Dietary AX stimulated the final weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate and optimum growth levels were achieved at 100–200 mg AX/kg feed. Furthermore, the AX-enriched diets significantly enhanced feed intake more than the control diet, and the amount of AX had no effects on feed conversion ratios. In comparison to the control group, the AX-fed animals had significantly (P < 0.05) higher villi length, villi width, and absorption area and their optimum values were observed at 100–200 mg AX/kg feed treatments. Moreover, the intestinal morphometry especially villi and its crypt, both internal and external tunica muscularis, and submucosal tissues did not show any inflammatory and/or degenerative changes in AX-fed shrimp. Furthermore, the dietary AX at escalating levels linearly and quadratically enhanced (P < 0.05) the activities of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and increased levels of total antioxidant capacity and reduced glutathione. In addition, malondialdehyde levels decreased significantly in AX-fed animals, and the highest levels were observed in the control group (without AX). The expression levels of cMn-SOD, CAT, and GPx genes were significantly upregulated in the hepatopancreas of L. vannamei fed with AX-enriched diets (especially in the 200-mg/kg feed treatment) as compared with the control diet. The immunity indices of the AX treatments (hematocyte count, total protein, lysozyme, phagocytic activity, and phenoloxidase) of L. vannamei were linearly (P < 0.05) and quadratically (P < 0.05) increased. This study revealed the antibacterial activity of AX against V. harveyi abundance. After the bacterial challenge, feeding L. vannamei with dietary AX significantly increased (P < 0.05) the relative percentage of survival, especially in the treatment of 200-mg/kg diet (82.7%). The findings of the current study demonstrate that dietary AX (100–200 mg/kg feed) was effective in enhancing the growth, antioxidant status, immune response, and increasing the resistance of L. vannamei against V. harveyi infection.
Shortcomings in the Operation and Coordination of Witness Protection in Australia. Where to from Here?
Authors: Monterosso Stephen
Published: April 2022

Witness protection in Australia has, to date, been less than successful in implementation and execution. An ad hoc system of Commonwealth and state/territory witness protection programs have co-existed with often substandard outcomes for participants, law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Although in accordance with Australia’s federal system of government, the framework of witness protection that has emerged has resulted in numerous witness protection programs in operation across states and territories with little in the way of consistency, cooperation and coordination. Reform in Australia’s witness protection system is needed to improve and streamline programs for the benefit of witnesses, communities and the criminal justice system. This article addresses shortcomings and draws attention to worthwhile changes that would benefit and enhance domestic witness protection.
Can There be a Process Without Time? Processualism Within Timeless Physics
Authors: Margoni Emilia
Published: April 2022

Process ontology is making deep inroads into the hard sciences. For it offers a workable understanding of dynamic phenomena which sits well with inquiries that problematize the traditional conception of self-standing, definite, independent objects as the basic stuff of the universe. Process-based approaches are claimed by their advocates to yield better ontological descriptions of various domains of physical reality in which dynamical, indefinite activities are prior to definite “things” or “states of things”. However, if applied to physics, a main problem comes up: the notion itself of process appears to pivot on a conception of evolution through time that is at variance with relativistic physics. Against this worry, this article advances a conception of process that can be reconciled with general relativity. It claims that, within timeless physical frameworks, a process should not be conceived as activities evolving through time. Rather, processes concern the identity that entities obtain within the broader sets of relations in which they stand. To make this case, the article homes in on one of the physical approaches that most resolutely removes time from the basic features of reality, that is, canonical quantum gravity. As a case in point, it addresses Carlo Rovelli’s Evolving Constant approach as a physical paradigm that resolutely rejects time as an absolute parameter and recasts processualism as an inquiry into how physical systems affect one another.
Examining predictors of school belonging using a socio-ecological perspective
Authors: Allen Kelly-Ann , Gallo Cordoba Beatriz , Ryan Tracii , Arslan Gökmen , Slaten Christopher D. , Ferguson Jonathan K. , Bozoglan Bahadir , Abdollahi Abbas , Vella-Brodrick Dianne
Published: April 2022

Between the years of 2003–2015, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has identified a global trend signalling a decline in a sense of school belonging for secondary school students. Research has identified several factors that are positively related to school belonging, such as teacher support and academic motivation. However, little empirical research has been conducted to evaluate the relevant school belonging variables holistically and to assess their socio-ecological levels (e.g., student, microsystem, mesosystem) relative to the student. The purpose of this study is to assess the significant predictive variables within each socio-ecological level regarding school belonging. For this purpose, this study used data collected by PISA in 2015, focusing on data from 309,785 15-year-old students attending 12,668 schools in 52 countries around the world. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to a) examine the empirical support for a layered structure of sense of school belonging, b) explore the contributions of variables in each layer of the socio-ecosystem to explain the variability in sense of school belonging and c) examine potential variations in this ability across schools and countries. The models provided support for the existence of such layers but also for some underlying relationships across the variables in the layers of the socio-ecosystem. The study then concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for school leaders, teachers and parents with respect to how school belonging approaches and strategies can be absorbed into existing practices and operations at school.
Trajectories of Change in Parental Self-Esteem and Emotion Regulation from Pregnancy until 4 Years Postpartum
Authors: Grolleman Jolien F. , Gravesteijn Carolien , Hoffenaar Peter J.
Published: April 2022

We know a great deal about the immediate impact of becoming a parent, but less on the more long-term impact as parents are adapting to the rapid developmental changes that characterize the early childhood period. This longitudinal study explored how parental self-esteem and emotion regulation develops during pregnancy, infancy, toddlerhood and preschool-age. We used nine waves of data from 550 Dutch fathers and mothers to examine stability and change in self-esteem and emotion regulation from pregnancy until 4 years postpartum, for both first and later pregnancies. Self-esteem and emotion regulation showed the same trajectory of change, with decreases during pregnancy and infancy, and increases during toddlerhood and preschool-age. Fathers had higher mean-levels of self-esteem and emotion regulation than mothers, but child age-related changes were the same for fathers and mothers. First-time parents and second-, third-, or fourth-time parents did not differ in mean-level self-esteem and emotion regulation, nor in age-related change. Over the course of 4 years postpartum, parents slightly increased in self-esteem and emotion regulation. The results suggest that, for the average parent, the birth of a child causes a temporary deviation from the overall trend toward greater self-esteem and emotion regulation. Since both traits are predictive for parental well-being, positive parenting and child development, future research needs to investigate if an intervention should and could ease the transition to parenthood and thereby prevent this decline.
Measurement Properties for a Scale Assessing Self-Regulation in Parents and Parenting Practitioners
Authors: Tellegen Cassandra L. , Ma Tianyi , Day Jamin J. , Hodges Julie , Panahi Babak , Mazzucchelli Trevor G. , Sanders Matthew R.
Published: April 2022

Parenting self-regulation is increasingly recognised as an important facet of positive parenting, as it allows parents to manage their thoughts, behaviours, emotions and attention in order to effectively carry out parenting tasks. Evidence-based parenting programmes such as the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program aim to increase parenting self-regulation by teaching parents a range of skills and strategies to deal with everyday parenting. Despite the importance of self-regulation within the field of parenting, few measures assessing this construct are available. The current investigation aims to add to existing literature by evaluating the measurement properties of a brief and parsimonious measure of self-regulation for both parents and parenting practitioners, the Parenting Self-Regulation Scales (PSRS)—Parent and Practitioner versions. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses gave support for a single-factor model for the parent version, and this was confirmed in the practitioner version. Both versions demonstrated excellent internal consistency and hypothesis testing supported the construct validity of both scales. The results indicate that the PSRS is a promising brief measure of parenting self-regulation for parents and practitioners which could prove useful to both clinical work and research in the parenting field.
Second Order Splitting Dynamics with Vanishing Damping for Additively Structured Monotone Inclusions
Authors: Boţ Radu Ioan , Hulett David Alexander
Published: April 2022

In the framework of a real Hilbert space, we address the problem of finding the zeros of the sum of a maximally monotone operator A and a cocoercive operator B. We study the asymptotic behaviour of the trajectories generated by a second order equation with vanishing damping, attached to this problem, and governed by a time-dependent forward–backward-type operator. This is a splitting system, as it only requires forward evaluations of B and backward evaluations of A. A proper tuning of the system parameters ensures the weak convergence of the trajectories to the set of zeros of $$A + B$$

A
+
B

, as well as fast convergence of the velocities towards zero. A particular case of our system allows to derive fast convergence rates for the problem of minimizing the sum of a proper, convex and lower semicontinuous function and a smooth and convex function with Lipschitz continuous gradient. We illustrate the theoretical outcomes by numerical experiments.
Seismic site characterization with shear wave (SH) reflection and refraction methods
Authors: Hunter James A. , Crow Heather L. , Stephenson William J. , Pugin André J.-M. , Williams Robert A. , Harris James B. , Odum Jack K. , Woolery Edward W.
Published: April 2022

Reflection and critically refracted seismic methods use traveltime measurements of body waves propagating between a source and a series of receivers on the ground surface to calculate subsurface velocities. Body wave energy is refracted or reflected at boundaries where there is a change in seismic impedance, defined as the product of material density and seismic velocity. This article provides practical guidance on the use of horizontally propagating shear wave (SH-wave) refraction and reflection methods to determine shear wave velocity as a function of depth for near-surface seismic site characterizations. Method principles and the current state of engineering practice are reviewed, along with discussions of limitations and uncertainty assessments. Typical data collection procedures are described using basic survey equipment, along with information on more advanced applications and emerging technologies. Eight case studies provide examples of the techniques in real-world seismic site characterizations performed in a variety of geological settings.
Analysis of the Football Transfer Market Network
Authors: Wand Tobias
Published: April 2022

Using publicly available data from the football database transfermarkt.co.uk, it is possible to construct a trade network between football clubs. This work regards the network of the flow of transfer fees between European top league clubs from eight countries between 1992 and 2020 to analyse the network of each year’s transfer market. With the transfer fees as weights, the market can be represented as a weighted network in addition to the classic binary network approach. This opens up the possibility to study various topological quantities of the network, such as the degree and disparity distributions, the small-world property and different clustering measures. This article shows that these quantities stayed rather constant during the almost three decades of transfer market activity, even despite massive changes in the overall market volume.
Stability, Autonomy, and the Foundations of Political Liberalism
Authors: Taylor Anthony
Published: April 2022

An attractive form of social stability is realized when the members of a well-ordered society give that society’s organizing principles their free and reflective endorsement. However, many political philosophers are skeptical that there is any requirement to show that their principles would engender this kind of stability. This skepticism is at the root of a number of objections to political liberalism, since arguments for political liberalism often appeal to its ability to be stable in this way. The aim of this paper is to address skepticism about the stability condition by putting forward a novel defense of it. My defense builds on the claim that stable principles are necessary to secure the full autonomy of those who live under them.
Social isolation among mothers caring for Infants in Japan: findings from the Nationwide Survey of healthy parents and children 21
Authors: Yamazaki Sayaka , Akiyama Yuka , Shinohara Ryoji , Yamagata Zentaro
Published: April 2022

Background

Child-rearing isolation may increase the risk of child abuse and negatively affect child development owing to increased urbanization and a decline in family and community support systems.

Purpose

This study aimed to identify the prevalence of child-rearing isolation and the related sociodemographic factors among mothers in Japan using data from the Final Survey of Healthy Parents and Children 21.

Participants

Mothers of young children attending their health checkups.

Methods

Multivariate logistic regression models assessed the association between child-rearing isolation and socio-demographic variables. Data from 69,337 women were analyzed.

Results

Mothers who experienced child-rearing isolation comprised 0.2% of all participants. Mothers who were 35 to 39 years old at childbirth (OR = 1.6, CI[1.0, 2.4], p = .036), were unemployed (OR = 1.7, CI[1.3, 2.4], p = .001), had experienced financial difficulty (OR = 1.8, CI[1.3, 2.5], p < .001), had husbands with limited participation in child-rearing (OR = 5.7, CI[4.2, 7.9], p < .001), lived in special wards in the Tokyo Metropolis (OR = 4.2, CI[2.2, 8.3], p < .001), had child abuse concerns (OR = 2.1, CI [1.5, 2.9], p < .001), and had no time to relax with their child (OR = 4.5, CI [3.1–6.7], p < .001) exhibited higher odds ratios for child-rearing isolation, compared to mothers who did not exhibit these characteristics.

Conclusions

Findings showed the impact of urban living on maternal health and the influence of isolation on mothers’ anxiety about child-rearing and their potential for child maltreatment. The importance of fathers’ involvement in child-rearing in preventing maternal child-rearing isolation was highlighted.
Exact results for the six-vertex model with domain wall boundary conditions and a partially reflecting end
Authors: Hietala Linnea
Published: April 2022

The trigonometric six-vertex model with domain wall boundary conditions and one partially reflecting end on a lattice of size $$2n\times m$$

2
n
×
m

, $$m\le n$$

m
≤
n

, is considered. The partition function is computed using the Izergin–Korepin method, generalizing the result of Foda and Zarembo from the rational to the trigonometric case. Thereafter, we specify the parameters in Kuperberg’s way to get a formula for the number of states as a determinant of Wilson polynomials. We relate this to a new type of alternating sign matrices, similar to how the six-vertex model with domain wall boundary conditions is related to normal alternating sign matrices. In an appendix, we compute the partition function again, showing that it is also possible to find it with the method of Foda and Wheeler.
Constructing theoretically informed measures of pause duration in experimentally manipulated writing
Authors: Hall Sophie , Baaijen Veerle M. , Galbraith David
Published: April 2022

This paper argues that traditional threshold-based approaches to the analysis of pauses in writing fail to capture the complexity of the cognitive processes involved in text production. It proposes that, to capture these processes, pause analysis should focus on the transition times between linearly produced units of text. Following a review of some of the problematic features of traditional pause analysis, the paper is divided into two sections. These are designed to demonstrate: (i) how to isolate relevant transitions within a text and calculate their durations; and (ii) the use of mixture modelling to identify structure within the distributions of pauses at different locations. The paper uses a set of keystroke logs collected from 32 university students writing argumentative texts about current affairs topics to demonstrate these methods. In the first section, it defines how pauses are calculated using a reproducible framework, explains the distinction between linear and non-linear text transitions, and explains how relevant sections of text are identified. It provides Excel scripts for automatically identifying relevant pauses and calculating their duration. The second section applies mixture modelling to linear transitions at sentence, sub sentence, between-word and within-word boundaries for each participant. It concludes that these transitions cannot be characterised by a single distribution of “cognitive” pauses. It proposes, further, that transitions between words should be characterised by a three-component distribution reflecting lexical, supra-lexical and reflective processes, while transitions at other text locations can be modelled by two-component distributions distinguishing between fluent and less fluent or more reflective processing. The paper concludes by recommending that, rather than imposing fixed thresholds to distinguish processes, researchers should instead impose a common set of theoretically informed distributions on the data and estimate how the parameters of these distributions vary for different individuals and under different conditions.