bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nano-zinc and plant growth-promoting bacteria is a sustainable alternative for improving productivity and agronomic biofortification of common bean
Authors: Jalal Arshad , Mortinho Emariane Satin , da Silva Oliveira Carlos Eduardo , Fernandes Guilherme Carlos , Junior Enes Furlani , de Lima Bruno Horschut , Moreira Adônis , Nogueira Thiago Assis Rodrigues , Galindo Fernando Shintate , Filho Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira
Published: August 2023

Background and aims

Nano-zinc (Zn) fertilizer is an easily adaptable and environmentally safe alternative option that can effectively improve growth, yield and biofortification of common bean. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPBs) could promote plant growth and nutrients availability in sustainable manner. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of foliar nano-Zn application in association with seed co-inoculations of PGPBs on growth, yield, biofortification and Zn use efficiencies in common bean cultivation. Two field experiments were performed with seven co-inoculations of PGPBs and three foliar nano-Zn doses applied 50% at R5 and 50% at R8 stages of common bean to determine plant height, shoot dry matter, grain yield, Zn concentration and uptake in shoot and grains, Zn partitioning index, daily Zn intake and Zn use efficiencies for agronomic biofortification.

Results

The combined foliar nano-Zn application and co-inoculation of R. tropici + B. subtilis enhance grain yield, leaf chlorophyll index, total protein content, grain Zn concentration and uptake, daily Zn intake, Zn use efficiency, applied Zn recovery and Zn utilization efficiency in common beans in 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons. Foliar nano-Zn application at a dose of 1.5 kg ha−1 increased plant height, shoot dry matter, shoot Zn uptake, Zn partitioning and agro-physiological efficiency under co-inoculation with R. tropici + B. subtilis in both cropping years.

Conclusions

The treatments with foliar nano-Zn application at a dose of 1.5 ha−1 and co-inoculation with R. tropici + B. subtilis improved performance, chlorophyll index, protein content, grain yield, and Zn efficiencies that can lead to better biofortification of common bean in tropical savannah. Therefore, it is recommended that applying nano-Zn via foliar along with co-inoculation of PGPBs could be the better option for productivity and biofortification of common bean.

Graphical Abstract
Burn severity and proximity to undisturbed forest drive post-fire recovery in the tropical montane forests of northern Vietnam
Authors: Trang Pham T. , Andrew Margaret E. , Enright Neal J.
Published: August 2023

Background

In recent decades, fire has increasingly occurred in the tropical montane rainforests of northern Vietnam. However, there are few studies of the effects of fire on forest composition and recovery in this region, and understanding these effects is critical for effective forest fire management and conservation. Forest plant species richness, structure (density, basal area), and composition were quantified for 133 forest plots randomly located in unburned (> 20 years since last fire) and recently burned (3–9 years since fire) vegetation associated with ten selected wildfires in three provinces of northern Vietnam where fires since 2000 were most frequent. Linear mixed effect models and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination were used to explore the structure, richness, and composition of burned and unburned forests and their environmental drivers, and to explore the key drivers of regeneration patterns in burned forest, including time since fire occurrence, fire severity, and distance to unburned forest edge.

Results

Total species richness and diversity, tree species richness, tree density, and basal area were higher in unburned (vs. burned) forest plots, low (vs. high) severity burn areas, near (vs. far) from the closest unburned forest edge, and longer (vs. shorter) time since last fire. Results suggest that while burned forests were recovering on a trajectory back towards unburned forest composition, recovery was likely to be markedly slowed where fires were large (distance from edge effects) and/or of high severity, and forests may shift towards a different state (i.e., composition and structure) where more than one fire affects the same area over short time intervals.

Conclusions

This study provides insights into the effects of fire and other environmental factors on forest composition and recovery in the tropical montane forests of northern Vietnam, crucial for informing policymakers involved in forest conservation and management.
A pressure monitoring approach for pressure ulcer prevention
Authors: Osuagwu Bethel , McCaughey Euan , Purcell Mariel
Published: August 2023

Background

A pressure ulcer (PU) is a debilitating condition that disproportionately affects people with impaired mobility. PUs facilitate tissue damage due to prolonged unrelieved pressure, degrading quality of life with a considerable socio-economic impact. While rapid treatment is crucial, an effective  prevention strategy may help avoid the development of PUs altogether. While pressure monitoring is currently used in PU prevention, available monitoring approaches are not formalised and do not appropriately account for accumulation and relief of the effect of an applied pressure over a prolonged duration. The aim of this study was to define an approach that incorporates the accumulation and relief of an applied load to enable continuous pressure monitoring.

Results

A tunable continuous pressure magnitude and duration monitoring approach that can account for accumulated damaging effect of an applied pressure and pressure relief over a prolonged period is proposed. Unlike classic pressure monitoring approaches, the presented method provides ongoing indication of the net impact of a load during and after loading.

Conclusions

The tunable continuous pressure magnitude and duration monitoring approach proposed here may further development towards formalised pressure monitoring approaches that aim to provide information on the risk of PU formation in real-time.
Genomic characterization and radiation tolerance of Naganishia kalamii sp. nov. and Cystobasidium onofrii sp. nov. from Mars 2020 mission assembly facilities
Authors: Leo Patrick , de Melo Texeira Marcus , Chander Atul M. , Singh Nitin K. , Simpson Anna C. , Yurkov Andrey , Karouia Fathi , Stajich Jason E. , Mason Christopher E. , Venkateswaran Kasthuri
Published: August 2023

During the construction and assembly of the Mars 2020 mission components at two different NASA cleanrooms, several fungal strains were isolated. Based on their colony morphology, two strains that showed yeast-like appearance were further characterized for their phylogenetic position. The species-level classification of these two novel strains, using traditional colony and cell morphology methods combined with the phylogenetic reconstructions using multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on several gene loci (ITS, LSU, SSU, RPB1, RPB2, CYTB and TEF1), and whole genome sequencing (WGS) was carried out. This polyphasic taxonomic approach supported the conclusion that the two basidiomycetous yeasts belong to hitherto undescribed species. The strain FJI-L2-BK-P3T, isolated from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Spacecraft Assembly Facility, was placed in the Naganishia albida clade (Filobasidiales, Tremellomycetes), but is genetically and physiologically different from other members of the clade. Another yeast strain FKI-L6-BK-PAB1T, isolated from the Kennedy Space Center Payload Hazardous and Servicing Facility, was placed in the genus Cystobasidium (Cystobasidiales, Cystobasidiomycetes) and is distantly related to C. benthicum. Here we propose two novel species with the type strains, Naganishia kalamii sp. nov. (FJI-L2-BK-P3T = NRRL 64466 = DSM 115730) and Cystobasidium onofrii sp. nov. (FKI-L6-BK-PAB1T = NRRL 64426 = DSM 114625). The phylogenetic analyses revealed that single gene phylogenies (ITS or LSU) were not conclusive, and MLSA and WGS-based phylogenies were more advantageous for species discrimination in the two genera. The genomic analysis predicted proteins associated with dehydration and desiccation stress-response and the presence of genes that are directly related to osmotolerance and psychrotolerance in both novel yeasts described. Cells of these two newly-described yeasts were exposed to UV-C radiation and compared with N. onofrii, an extremophilic UV-C resistant cold-adapted Alpine yeast. Both novel species were UV resistant, emphasizing the need for collecting and characterizing extremotolerant microbes, including yeasts, to improve microbial reduction techniques used in NASA planetary protection programs.
Acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of Rural School Support Strategies for behavioral interventions: a mixed methods evaluation over two years of a hybrid type 3 implementation-effectiveness trial
Authors: Calvert Hannah G. , McQuilkin Michaela , Havlicak Ashley , Lewis Teri , Turner Lindsey
Published: August 2023

Background

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a framework for implementing evidence-based interventions for preventing behavioral issues and improving climate in schools. The implementation of school-wide PBIS with fidelity is complex, requiring leadership commitment, teaming, and coordination of systems for tracking behaviors and consequences. Putting these components in place while ensuring alignment with the values and needs of the school community can be difficult for schools with fewer resources, such as rural schools. Implementation supports are needed, including strategies such as technical assistance, but it is unclear whether lower-cost modalities such as virtual support are acceptable, appropriate, and feasible and whether perceptions vary throughout the implementation process.

Methods

A type 3 hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial is taking place in 40 Idaho schools, testing a bundle of implementation supports selected to meet the needs of schools in rural areas. Supports include technical assistance from an implementation support practitioner (ISP), didactic trainings, virtual learning sessions, and an online resource portal. Surveys and interviews in the first 2 years of implementation (fall 2019 to spring 2021) explored outcomes of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility regarding the implementation supports among more than 150 school stakeholders.

Results

Evaluations showed high acceptability and appropriateness of the PBIS concepts and training. The 20 schools receiving additional implementation support rated the technical assistance and support from the project’s ISPs as the most acceptable and appropriate resource. Reasons for acceptability were the relationship built with the ISP, the ISP’s expertise, and being a “neutral party.” Although in-person support from the ISP was preferred, remote support was acceptable and increased feasibility of attendance. Virtual learning sessions were acceptable for learning and collaboration, particularly in the second year of implementation, once ISPs had developed closer relationships with school teams.

Conclusions

School staff found training, technical assistance, and virtual learning sessions to be acceptable and appropriate. Virtual formats of training and technical assistance decreased in acceptability but increased feasibility of attendance. In-person support was preferred during initial implementation, and virtual support was more acceptable thereafter.

Trial registration

This trial was prospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03736395), on November 9, 2018.
Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH): a rare presentation of metastatic angiosarcoma
Authors: B P Amrith , Sharma Mansi , Batra Ullas
Published: August 2023

Background

Angiosarcoma is an uncommon and highly aggressive malignant tumor. Angiosarcoma presenting as diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is rare.

Case presentation

A young female who presented with history of dyspnea was found to have features of DAH on radiological evaluation. Angiosarcoma was confirmed from the histopathological examination of the underlying lung nodule. Management with the palliative chemotherapy showed clinical improvement, and resolution of changes of DAH on imaging.

Conclusion

Angiosarcomas are not usually listed in the causes of DAH. It must be considered in the differentials of DAH after ruling out the common causes.
Automated seismic semantic segmentation using attention U-Net
Authors: AlSalmi Haifa , Elsheikh Ahmed H.
Published: August 2023

Seismic facies mapping from a 3D seismic cube is of significant value to various seismic interpretation and characterization tasks. Traditional facies mapping is based on examining sedimentary environments and stratigraphic sequences that provide distinct characteristics used for facies mapping. Given the complex nature of the task, manual facies mapping is typically time and labor consuming, and the quality of the decisions varies as a function of expertise. This complexity is further increased with the ever-increasing size of 3D seismic data sets. Deep-learning methods have indicated a promising potential to perform fast, accurate, and automated segmentation tasks. We investigate the application of machine-learning techniques, particularly state-of-the-art deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), as a framework to perform accurate automated seismic facies pixel-wise segmentation. The workflow consists of a CNN-based U-Net architecture that adopts modern computer vision techniques. We develop three major changes to the standard U-Net to boost the performance for seismic semantic segmentation tasks: (1) using residual building blocks in the encoder, (2) using transformer-like attention gates after each residual block, and (3) using frequency spectrum data, in addition to seismic amplitude, as input to the network. We indicate that this implementation achieves higher accuracy metrics outperforming recently published state-of-the-art benchmarks. The performance of our method is validated using two 3D seismic data sets, the F3 Netherlands data set and the Penobscot data set acquired offshore Nova Scotia, Canada. Experimentation involves training on a set of samples and tuning the hyperparameters, followed by quantitative evaluation of the trained network. Our workflow produces high-quality segmentation with significantly reduced artifacts, improved edge detection, and improved lateral consistency throughout the seismic survey.
Personality functioning and self-disorders in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis, with first-episode psychosis and with borderline personality disorder
Authors: Gruber Maria , Alexopoulos Johanna , Doering Stephan , Feichtinger Karin , Friedrich Fabian , Klauser Miriam , Hinterbuchinger Barbara , Litvan Zsuzsa , Mossaheb Nilufar , Parth Karoline , Wininger Antonia , Blüml Victor
Published: August 2023

Background

Assessment of personality functioning in different stages of psychotic disorders could provide valuable information on psychopathology, course of illness and treatment planning, but empirical data are sparse.

Aims

To investigate personality functioning and sense of self in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis and with first-episode psychosis (FEP) in comparison with a clinical control group of individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and healthy controls.

Method

In a cross-sectional design, we investigated personality functioning (Structured Interview of Personality Organization, STIPO; Level of Personality Functioning Scale, LPFS) and disturbances of the basic self (Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience, EASE) in 107 participants, comprising 24 individuals at UHR, 29 individuals with FEP, 27 individuals with BPD and 27 healthy controls.

Results

The UHR, FEP and BPD groups had moderate to severe deficits in personality organisation (STIPO) compared with the healthy control group. Self-functioning with its subdomain (facet) ‘self-direction’ (LPFS) was significantly worse in participants with manifest psychosis (FEP) compared with those at-risk for psychosis (UHR). The FEP group showed significantly worse overall personality functioning than the UHR group and significantly higher levels of self-disturbance (EASE) than the BPD group, with the UHR group lying between these diagnostic groups. Hierarchical cluster analysis based on the seven STIPO domains yielded three clusters differing in level of personality functioning and self-disturbances.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate that psychotic disorders are associated with impaired personality functioning and self-disturbances. Assessment of personality functioning can inform treatment planning for patients at different stages of psychotic disorder.
The effects of advanced factor analysis approaches on outcomes in randomised trials for depression: protocol for secondary analysis of individual participant data
Authors: Doyle Frank , Byrne David , Carney Robert M. , Cuijpers Pim , Dima Alexandra L. , Freedland Kenneth , Guerin Suzanne , Hevey David , Kathuria Bishember , Kelly Shane , McBride Stephen , Wallace Emma , Boland Fiona
Published: August 2023

Background

Modern psychometric methods make it possible to eliminate nonperforming items and reduce measurement error. Application of these methods to existing outcome measures can reduce variability in scores, and may increase treatment effect sizes in depression treatment trials.

Aims

We aim to determine whether using confirmatory factor analysis techniques can provide better estimates of the true effects of treatments, by conducting secondary analyses of individual patient data from randomised trials of antidepressant therapies.

Method

We will access individual patient data from antidepressant treatment trials through Clinicalstudydatarequest.com and Vivli.org, specifically targeting studies that used the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) as the outcome measure. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approaches will be used to determine pre-treatment (baseline) and post-treatment models of depression, in terms of the number of factors and weighted scores of each item. Differences in the derived factor scores between baseline and outcome measurements will yield an effect size for factor-informed depression change. The difference between the factor-informed effect size and each original trial effect size, calculated with total HRSD-17 scores, will be determined, and the differences modelled with meta-analytic approaches. Risk differences for proportions of patients who achieved remission will also be evaluated. Furthermore, measurement invariance methods will be used to assess potential gender differences.

Conclusions

Our approach will determine whether adopting advanced psychometric analyses can improve precision and better estimate effect sizes in antidepressant treatment trials. The proposed methods could have implications for future trials and other types of studies that use patient-reported outcome measures.
Promoting human rights in mental healthcare: beyond the ‘Geneva impasse’
Authors: Stavert Jill , Szmukler George
Published: August 2023

The past decade has seen a significant growth in attention to the human rights of persons with disabilities, taken to include mental health conditions. Consequently, challenges to important areas of current psychiatric practice have emerged, with which the profession has, in general, shown limited engagement.
Changes in Outcome Prediction During the First Week After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Booker James , Barron Peter , Newitt Laura , Chhugani Simran , Sarwar Awais , Ewbank Frederick , Gaastra Ben , Bulters Diederik
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:

Prediction of long-term outcome based on initial neurological condition after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage varies with time. To date, studies have been limited to early time points and have reported that prognostication is best after resuscitation.

OBJECTIVE:

To describe how prediction of outcome varies from ictus through the first week of admission.

METHODS:

A retrospective analysis of patients with a diagnosis of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage recruited to a prospective database. Neurological condition was recorded on each day of the inpatient stay, up to day 7, using World Federation of Neurological Societies score (WFNS). Poor outcome was defined by modified Rankin scale of 3-6 at 3 months. Outcome prediction was assessed using area under the curve (AUC) after binary logistic regression.

RESULTS:

Of 645 patients, 55(14%) patients with WFNS 1&2 and 77(45%) patients with WFNS 4&5 on day 0 had a poor outcome. 30(8%) patients with WFNS 1&2 and 54(81%) patients with WFNS 4&5 on day 7 had a poor outcome. Prognostication using WFNS improved from day 0 to day 7 (AUC = 70.1%, CI 65.0%–75.1% vs AUC = 81.9%, CI 77.4%–86.0%) with an incremental improvement with each day in between, and the largest increases early around the time of resuscitation.

CONCLUSION:

Prediction of outcome improves beyond the initial resuscitation, up to day 7 of admission, with no evidence of any deterioration around the time of treatment or delayed complications like delayed cerebral ischemia. This is important when prognosticating for clinical purposes and emphasizes the importance of standardization of timing of WFNS in research.
Integration of feedforward and feedback control in the neuromechanics of vertebrate locomotion: a review of experimental, simulation and robotic studies
Authors: Ijspeert Auke J. , Daley Monica A.
Published: August 2023

Animal locomotion is the result of complex and multi-layered interactions between the nervous system, the musculo-skeletal system and the environment. Decoding the underlying mechanisms requires an integrative approach. Comparative experimental biology has allowed researchers to study the underlying components and some of their interactions across diverse animals. These studies have shown that locomotor neural circuits are distributed in the spinal cord, the midbrain and higher brain regions in vertebrates. The spinal cord plays a key role in locomotor control because it contains central pattern generators (CPGs) – systems of coupled neuronal oscillators that provide coordinated rhythmic control of muscle activation that can be viewed as feedforward controllers – and multiple reflex loops that provide feedback mechanisms. These circuits are activated and modulated by descending pathways from the brain. The relative contributions of CPGs, feedback loops and descending modulation, and how these vary between species and locomotor conditions, remain poorly understood. Robots and neuromechanical simulations can complement experimental approaches by testing specific hypotheses and performing what-if scenarios. This Review will give an overview of key knowledge gained from comparative vertebrate experiments, and insights obtained from neuromechanical simulations and robotic approaches. We suggest that the roles of CPGs, feedback loops and descending modulation vary among animals depending on body size, intrinsic mechanical stability, time required to reach locomotor maturity and speed effects. We also hypothesize that distal joints rely more on feedback control compared with proximal joints. Finally, we highlight important opportunities to address fundamental biological questions through continued collaboration between experimentalists and engineers.
Effects of the EXECP Intervention on Motor Function, Muscle Strength, and Joint Flexibility in Individuals with Cerebral Palsy
Authors: VALADÃO PEDRO , CENNI FRANCESCO , PIITULAINEN HARRI , AVELA JANNE , FINNI TAIJA
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Numerous exercise interventions to enhance motor function in cerebral palsy (CP) have been proposed, with varying degrees of effectiveness. Because motor function requires a combination of muscle strength, joint flexibility, and motor coordination, we designed a supervised multicomponent exercise intervention (EXErcise for Cerebral Palsy, or EXECP) for individuals with CP. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of the EXECP intervention and its retention after it ceased.

Methods

The EXECP intervention combined strength training for the lower limbs and trunk muscles, passive stretching for the lower limb muscles, and inclined treadmill gait training. Eighteen participants with CP (mean age, 14 yr; 13 were male) were tested twice before the 3-month intervention and twice after the intervention, each test separated by 3 months. Seventeen typically developing age- and sex-matched controls were tested twice. Motor function was assessed with the 6-min walking test (6MWT) and the gross motor function measure dimensions D and E. Passive joint flexibility was measured with goniometry. Isometric and concentric muscle strength were assessed at the knee, ankle, and trunk joints.

Results

The EXECP intervention successfully increased 6MWT (P < 0.001), gross motor function measure (P = 0.004), and muscle strength for knee and trunk muscles (P < 0.05), although no changes were observed for ankle joint muscles. Hip and knee joint flexibility also increased (P < 0.05). After the retention period, all tested variables except the 6MWT and knee joint flexibility regressed and were not different from the pretests.

Conclusions

The improvements in strength, flexibility, and possibly motor coordination brought by the EXECP intervention were transferred to significant functional gains. The regression toward baseline after the intervention highlights that training must be a lifelong decision for individuals with CP.
The Effect of Exercise on a Novel Dual-Task Assessment for Sport Concussion
Authors: Jimenez Juliana , Erdman Nicholas K. , Hart Joseph M. , Resch Jacob E.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

To determine the effect of exercise on cognitive and motor performance and the subsequent test-retest reliability of a novel dual-task (DT) assessment in non-concussed college students.

Methods

Sixty (53.3% female) non-concussed college students with an average age (+standard deviation) of 20.5 ± 1.34 years, height = 171.7 ± 9.33 cm, mass = 69.3 ± 12.23 kg). Participants were assigned to an exercise (n = 30) or rest (n = 30) intervention group and completed two study visits that were separated by a two-week test-retest interval. At each visit, participants completed a novel DT assessment that consisted of the concurrent administration of the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) and tandem gait (TG) prior to the exercise or rest intervention. Following the DT assessment at the first visit, participants in the exercise group performed moderate intensity exercise while the rest group sat quietly for 30 minutes. Following the intervention, both groups were readministered the DT assessment. At the second visit, the same procedures were followed except for each group was administered the opposite intervention (e.g., the exercise group completed the rest intervention). A composite TG (cTG) score was calculated by summing the average time to complete the TG pattern during each SAC domain (immediate memory, digits backwards, months in reverse order, delayed recall). A one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to assess post-intervention differences while controlling for pre-intervention performance. Test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC3,2) with 95% confidence intervals with all analyses performed with α = 0.05.

Results

SAC and cTG performance was similar (p’s > 0.05) from pre- to post-intervention for the rest or exercise protocols. Good (rest:ICC = 0.77[0.62,0.87]; exercise: ICC = 0.84[0.73,0.90]) and excellent (rest: ICC = 0.97[0.94,0.98]; exercise: ICC = 0.93[0.88,0.96]) test-retest reliability were observed for the SAC composite score and cTG score, respectively.

Conclusions

Our DT assessment was robust to the influence of moderate intensity exercise and demonstrated good-to-excellent test-retest reliability in a healthy collegiate sample.
Acute Ingestion of a Ketone Monoester without Co-Ingestion of Carbohydrate Improves Running Economy in Male Endurance Runners
Authors: Brady Aidan J. , Egan Brendan
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Acute ingestion of a ketone monoester, with and without co-ingestion of carbohydrate, was investigated for effects on running economy (RE), time to exhaustion (TTE), and other related indices of endurance running performance.

Methods

Using a three condition, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover design, eleven male middle- and long- distance runners ran at five submaximal speeds (10 to 14 km.h-1) on a motorized treadmill for 8 min each, immediately followed by a ramp test to volitional exhaustion. Participants consumed either a 10% carbohydrate solution (CHO), a 10% carbohydrate solution with 750 mg.kg-1 body mass of a (R)-3-hydroxybutyl (R)-3-hydroxybutyrate ketone monoester (CHO + KE), or 750 mg.kg-1 body mass of the ketone monoester in flavored water (KE) before (2/3 of the dose) and during (1/3 of the dose) exercise.

Results

βHB concentration averaged 1.8 ± 0.3 mM and 2.1 ± 0.3 mM during exercise in CHO + KE and KE, respectively. RE was lower at each submaximal running speed (ES = 0.48 to 0.98) by an average of 4.1% in KE compared to CHO, but not between CHO + KE and CHO. TTE did not differ between CHO (369 ± 116 s), CHO + KE (342 ± 99 s), or KE (333 ± 106 s) (P = 0.093).

Conclusions

Acute ingestion of a ketone monoester without carbohydrate, but not when co-ingested with carbohydrate, improved RE in middle- and long- distance runners at a range of submaximal running speeds, and did not alter TTE in a short duration ramp test to volitional exhaustion. Further investigation is required to examine if these differences translate into positive performance outcomes over longer durations of exercise.
An ontology of mechanisms of action in behaviour change interventions
Authors: Schenk Paulina M. , Wright Alison J. , West Robert , Hastings Janna , Lorencatto Fabiana , Moore Candice , Hayes Emily , Schneider Verena , Michie Susan
Published: August 2023

Background: Behaviour change interventions influence behaviour through causal processes called “mechanisms of action” (MoAs). Reports of such interventions and their evaluations often use inconsistent or ambiguous terminology, creating problems for searching, evidence synthesis and theory development. This inconsistency includes the reporting of MoAs. An ontology can help address these challenges by serving as a classification system that labels and defines MoAs and their relationships. The aim of this study was to develop an ontology of MoAs of behaviour change interventions.

Methods: To develop the MoA Ontology, we (1) defined the ontology’s scope; (2) identified, labelled and defined the ontology’s entities; (3) refined the ontology by annotating (i.e., coding) MoAs in intervention reports; (4) refined the ontology via stakeholder review of the ontology’s comprehensiveness and clarity; (5) tested whether researchers could reliably apply the ontology to annotate MoAs in intervention evaluation reports; (6) refined the relationships between entities; (7) reviewed the alignment of the MoA Ontology with other relevant ontologies, (8) reviewed the ontology’s alignment with the Theories and Techniques Tool; and (9) published a machine-readable version of the ontology.

Results: An MoA was defined as “a process that is causally active in the relationship between a behaviour change intervention scenario and its outcome behaviour”. We created an initial MoA Ontology with 261 entities through Steps 2-5. Inter-rater reliability for annotating study reports using these entities was α=0.68 (“acceptable”) for researchers familiar with the ontology and α=0.47 for researchers unfamiliar with it. As a result of additional revisions (Steps 6-8), 21 further entities were added to the ontology resulting in 282 entities organised in seven hierarchical levels.

Conclusions: The MoA Ontology extensively captures MoAs of behaviour change interventions. The ontology can serve as a controlled vocabulary for MoAs to consistently describe and synthesise evidence about MoAs across diverse sources.
The genome sequence of the Buff Footman, Eilema depressum (Esper, 1787)
Authors: Boyes Douglas , Skojec Chelsea , Kawahara Akito Y. ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: August 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Eilema depressum (the Buff Footman; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Erebidae). The genome sequence is 622.0 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 30 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the Z sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.46 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 20,038 protein coding genes.
The genome sequence of the Wainscot Smudge, Ypsolopha scabrella (Linnaeus, 1761)
Authors: Boyes Douglas , Boyes Clare ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: August 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Ypsolopha scabrella (the Wainscot Smudge; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Ypsolophidae). The genome sequence is 853.6 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 31 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the Z sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 16.7 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 20,594 protein coding genes.
Information Spillovers in Experience Goods Competition
Authors: Chen Zhuoqiong , Stanton Christopher , Thomas Catherine
Published: August 2023

Trialing an experience good allows consumers to learn their value for the sampled good and also informs beliefs about their value for similar products. These demand-side information spillovers across products create a relatively well-informed group of potential future consumers for rival firms. When both switching consumers and repeat buyers are profitable, firms face reduced incentives to set a low initial price to attract inexperienced consumers. Switchers and repeat buyers are more likely to be profitable in new product categories that build on major innovations and when firms can price discriminate based on purchasing history. We suggest that competing products and services arising from new innovations often have demand-side information spillovers from any product trial and are, hence, settings where competing firms can make overall profits even when selling products that consumers perceive to be indistinguishable prior to initial trial.

This paper was accepted by Joshua Gans, business strategy.

Funding: This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71903046) and the “Shenzhen Peacock Program” (No. GA11409002).

Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.02754 .
Performance Guarantees for Network Revenue Management with Flexible Products
Authors: Zhu Wenchang , Topaloglu Huseyin
Published: August 2023

Problem definition: We consider network revenue management problems with flexible products. We have a network of resources with limited capacities. To each customer arriving into the system, we offer an assortment of products. The customer chooses a product within the offered assortment or decides to leave without a purchase. The products are flexible in the sense that there are multiple possible combinations of resources that we can use to serve a customer with a purchase for a particular product. We refer to each such combination of resources as a route. The service provider chooses the route to serve a customer with a purchase for a particular product. Such flexible products occur, for example, when customers book at-home cleaning services but leave the timing of service to the company that provides the service. Our goal is to find a policy to decide which assortment of products to offer to each customer to maximize the total expected revenue, making sure that there are always feasible route assignments for the customers with purchased products. Methodology/results: We start by considering the case in which we make the route assignments at the end of the selling horizon. The dynamic programming formulation of the problem is significantly different from its analogue without flexible products as the state variable keeps track of the number of purchases for each product rather than the remaining capacity of each resource. Letting L be the maximum number of resources in a route, we give a policy that obtains at least [Formula: see text] fraction of the optimal total expected revenue. We extend our policy to the case in which we make the route assignments periodically over the selling horizon. Managerial implications: To our knowledge, the policy that we develop is the first with a performance guarantee under flexible products. Thus, our work constructs policies that can be implemented in practice under flexible products, also providing performance guarantees.

Funding: The work of H. Topaloglu was partly funded by the National Science Foundation [Grant CMMI-1825406].

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0583 .
Interrogating “political masculinities”
Authors: Messerschmidt James W.
Published: August 2023

This article interrogates the concept of “political masculinities” in terms of its usefulness as an analytical category. The article covers four major areas associated with the concept. First, some critical questions concerning the dichotomy between studying “men in politics” and “political masculinities” are offered. Second, concerns are raised regarding specific terms used in the current definition of political masculinities. Third, probing queries are presented on the conceptual utility of political masculinities as an analytical category. Finally, the article closes with a discussion of ex-US President Donald Trump, illustrating his distinct type of dominating masculinity and how this masculinity illuminates the substance and meaning of his “politics.”
A Socialist Analysis of the Mutual Aid Solidarity During the #EndSARS Protest in Multi-Religious Nigeria
Authors: Uroko Favour , Nwaoga Chinyere , Ituma Ezichi
Published: August 2023

ABSTRACT: This study describes the results of a social analysis of mutual aid solidarity during Nigeria's #EndSARSprotests against Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) brutality in Nigeria. The results reveal that the protests achieved success with the assistance of mutual aid solidarity networks. Yet there is a dearth of literature exploring the reasons for this accomplishment. Nigeria is a country where everything done usually has a religious coloration and interpretation; however, the 2020 mutual aid solidarity in the #EndSARS protests proved otherwise. Using in-depth interviews, data were elicited from 20 youths, including participants and observers during the #EndSARS mutual aid solidarity protests. Using a phenomenological approach, this study found that the mutual aid support group transcended traditional geopolitical, gender, and religious barriers, and youth and the elderly participated in the protest. Further results show that the 2020 #End-SARS mutual aid solidarity brought about an accountable and transparent civil society, including the financial disbanding of the Nigerian Police Force, the SARS unit responsible for extrajudicial killings. The findings also indicate that Nigerian politicians are the real problem, not religion. Recommendations are discussed.
Russell’s Representationalism about Consciousness: Reconsidering His Relationship to James
Authors: Klein Alexander
Published: August 2023

Abstract: While Russell famously rejected the pragmatist theory of truth, recent scholarship portrays his post-prison accounts of belief and knowledge as resembling James’s. But deeper divisions in fact persisted between Russell and James concerning the nature of mind. I argue 1) that Russell’s neutral monist approach to consciousness in The Analysis of Mind constitutes an early form of representationalism in that he took states to be phenomenally conscious partly in virtue of (truly) representing an antecedent (typically just-passed) sensation; 2) that although James also saw representation (typically of expected kinaesthetic sensation) as a crucial component of consciousness, he contended that representation is a matter of affording future-directed action control that aligns with the agent’s interests; and 3) that what divides these contrasting approaches to consciousness and representation is precisely what Russell would continue to reject in the pragmatist theory of truth, namely the productive role James assigned to an agent’s interests.
Divergent beam-based method for measuring the detuning angles of a laser frequency converter
Authors: Chu Dongya , Wang Hui , Wu Honghong , Liu Bowu , Tian Menjiya
Published: August 2023

We propose a method to obtain the detuning angles of a frequency converter by tripling the frequency of a divergent Gaussian beam. The frequency tripling process of the divergent beam was first simulated. It is found that the detuning angles of the frequency converter are linearly related to the position of the maximum light intensity point of the third harmonic laser. The corresponding experiment was conducted, and the results agreed well with the theoretical analysis. This method measures the detuning angles of the frequency converter in only one measurement and within 1 min. The detuning angle measurement errors of KDP and KD*P crystals are less than 10 µrad and 36.5–61.9 µrad, respectively.
Upper temperature limit for nanograting survival in oxide glasses
Authors: Xie Qiong , Cavillon Maxime , Poumellec Bertrand , Lancry Matthieu
Published: August 2023

The thermal stability of self-assembled porous nanogratings inscribed
by an infrared femtosecond (fs) laser in five commercial glasses (BK7,
soda lime, 7059, AF32, and Eagle XG) is monitored using step
isochronal annealing experiments. Their erasure, ascertained by
retardance measurements and attributed to the collapse of nanopores,
is well predicted from the Rayleigh–Plesset (R–P) equation. This
finding is thus employed to theoretically predict the erasure of
nanogratings in the context of any time–temperature process
(e.g., thermal annealing, laser irradiation process). For example, in
silica glass (Suprasil CG) and using a simplified form of the R–P
equation, nanogratings composed of 50 nm will erase within ∼30min, ∼1µs, and ∼30ns at temperatures of ∼1250∘C, 2675°C, and 3100°C, respectively.
Such conclusions are expected to provide guidelines to imprint
nanogratings in oxide glasses (for instance, in the choice of laser
parameters) or to design appropriate thermal annealing protocols for
temperature sensing.
Smartphone-based fluorescence spectroscopic device for cervical precancer diagnosis: a random forest classification of in vitro data
Authors: Shukla Shivam , Vishwakarma Chaitanya , Sah Amar Nath , Ahirwar Shikha , Pandey Kiran , Pradhan Asima
Published: August 2023

Cervical cancer can be treated and cured if diagnosed at an early stage. Optical devices, developed on smartphone-based platforms, are being tested for this purpose as they are cost-effective, robust, and field portable, showing good efficiency compared to the existing commercial devices. This study reports on the applicability of a 3D printed smartphone-based spectroscopic device (3D-SSD) for the early diagnosis of cervical cancer. The proposed device has the ability to evaluate intrinsic fluorescence (IF) from the collected polarized fluorescence (PF) and elastic-scattering (ES) spectra from cervical tissue samples of different grades. IF spectra of 30 cervical tissue samples have been analyzed and classified using a combination of principal component analysis (PCA) and random forest (RF)-based multi-class classification algorithm with an overall accuracy above 90%. The usage of smartphone for image collection, spectral data analysis, and display makes this device a potential contender for use in clinics as a regular screening tool.
Pressure and temperature dual-parameter optical sensor based on the MIM waveguide structure coupled with two T-shaped cavities
Authors: Zhang Xinyi , Tian He , Liu Yajie , Song Jiaqi
Published: August 2023

This paper elaborates on the design and simulation of a multifunctional optical sensor that features simultaneous detection of pressure and temperature, which is based on the metal–insulator–metal waveguide structure with two T-shaped resonant cavities. Depending on the simulation findings, pressure and temperature can be measured separately by two T-shaped cavities at different Fano resonance wavelengths. As the pressure applied to the upper T-shaped cavity increases, the resonance wavelength first shifts linearly due to the slight deformation of the cavity, and the maximum pressure sensitivity reaches 12.48 nm/MPa. After the pressure exceeds a threshold, the relationship between pressure and resonance wavelength transforms into a quadratic polynomial. In the lower T-shaped cavity, solid polydimethylsiloxane is sealed as a thermal-sensitive material, effectively preventing material overflow brought on by structural micro-vibration under pressure, and its high thermo-optical coefficient prompts a temperature sensitivity of 0.36 nm/°C. Furthermore, by optimizing the choice of Fano resonances, pressure and temperature can be sensed independently without mutual interference. The designed sensor provides extensive application possibilities for scenarios where multiparameter monitoring is required.
Measurement of differential mode group delay in few-mode fibers based on Fresnel reflection peaks
Authors: Pang Aodi , Hu Guijun , Qin Yi , Wang Haiyan
Published: August 2023

Mode-division multiplexing communication based on few-mode fibers (FMFs) is the most competitive scheme to address the bandwidth exhaustion in single-mode fibers. The differential mode group delay (DMGD) among different modes in FMFs is an important aspect in characterizing FMFs, and the convenient, fast, and accurate measurement of DMGD in different modes of FMFs is a crucial task. This paper presents a single-ended measurement method for DMGD in FMFs based on Fresnel reflection peaks. Experimental measurements were conducted to determine the DMGD of a 3.689 km six-mode fiber and a 9.7 km three-mode fiber, and the results were compared with the traditional time-of-flight method. The findings demonstrate that our proposed method based on Fresnel reflection peaks exhibits good accuracy in measuring the DMGD of FMFs. Moreover, this method enables single-ended measurement and offers simplicity and practicality.