bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A critique of robotics in health care
Authors: Maibaum Arne , Bischof Andreas , Hergesell Jannis , Lipp Benjamin
Published: April 2021

When the social relevance of robotic applications is addressed today, the use of assistive technology in care settings is almost always the first example. So-called care robots are presented as a solution to the nursing crisis, despite doubts about their technological readiness and the lack of concrete usage scenarios in everyday nursing practice. We inquire into this interconnection of social robotics and care. We show how both are made available for each other in three arenas: innovation policy, care organization, and robotic engineering. First, we analyze the discursive “logics” of care robotics within European innovation policy, second, we disclose how care robotics is encountering a historically grown conflict within health care organization, and third we show how care scenarios are being used in robotic engineering. From this diagnosis, we derive a threefold critique of robotics in healthcare, which calls attention to the politics, historicity, and social situatedness of care robotics in elderly care.
Comparable outcome for autografts and allografts in primary medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction for patellofemoral instability: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Migliorini Filippo , Trivellas Andromahi , Eschweiler Jörg , Knobe Matthias , Tingart Markus , Maffulli Nicola
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This study updates the current evidence on the role of allografts versus autografts for medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction in patients with patellofemoral instability.

Methods

The study was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. In March 2021, a literature search in the main online databases was performed. Studies reporting quantitative data concerning primary MPFL reconstruction using an allograft were considered for inclusion. The Coleman Methodology Score was used to assess the methodological quality of the selected articles.

Results

Data from 12 studies (474 procedures) were retrieved. The mean follow-up was 42.2 (15–78.5) months. The mean age was 21.1 ± 6.2 years. 64.9% (285 of 439) of patients were female. At the last follow-up, the Tegner (p < 0.0001), Kujala (p = 0.002) and the Lysholm (p < 0.0001) scores were minimally greater in the autografts. The similarity was found in the rate of persistent instability sensation and revision. The allograft group evidenced a lower rate of re-dislocations (p = 0.003).

Conclusion

Allografts may represent a feasible alternative to traditional autograft for MPFL reconstruction in selected patients with patellofemoral instability. Allograft tendons yielded similar PROMs, rates of persistent instability, and revision. Allograft reconstructions tended to have modestly lower re-dislocation rates.

Level of evidence

IV.
Excavation mechanics of the elongated female rostrum of the acorn weevil Curculio glandium (Coleoptera; Curculionidae)
Authors: Matsumura Yoko , Jafarpour Mohsen , Reut Michał , Shams Moattar Bardiya , Darvizeh Abolfazl , Gorb Stanislav N. , Rajabi Hamed
Published: April 2021

Elongated rostra (snouts) are remarkable features of many female weevils. The female of Curculio glandium uses the snout to excavate channels in acorns to oviposit. Considering the slenderness of the rostrum, the excavation of channels in solid substrates without buckling is a challenging task from both engineering and biological points of view. Here we aimed to examine the roles of the material properties and morphology of the rostrum in its buckling resistance. We employed microscopy techniques, non-destructive material characterisation and finite element (FE) modelling to shed more light on the excavation mechanics of the rostrum. We found that sexual dimorphisms are present not only in the length but also in the material, particularly the elastic modulus, and morphological features, particularly the curvature and thickness of the cuticular layers. Our FE modelling showed that those factors play essential roles to maximise the buckling resistance and minimise the bending resistance of the female rostrum. Considering that during excavation, the rostrum needs to be straightened without buckling, the functionality of the rostrum is likely to be a compromise between the flexibility and stiffness.
Quantifying the data-dredging bias in structural break tests
Authors: Hoga Yannick
Published: April 2021

Structural break tests are often applied as a pre-step to ensure the validity of subsequent statistical analyses. Without any a priori knowledge of the type of breaks to expect, eye-balling the data can indicate changes in some parameter, e.g., the mean. This, however, can distort the result of a structural break test for that parameter, because the data themselves suggested the hypothesis. In this paper, we formalize the eye-balling procedure and theoretically derive the implied size distortion of the structural break test. We also show that eye-balling a stretch of historical data for possible changes in a parameter does not invalidate the subsequent procedure that monitors for structural change in new incoming observations. An empirical application to Bitcoin returns shows that taking into account the data-dredging bias, which is incurred by looking at the data, can lead to different test decisions.
3D car shape reconstruction from a contour sketch using GAN and lazy learning
Authors: Nozawa Naoki , Shum Hubert P. H. , Feng Qi , Ho Edmond S. L. , Morishima Shigeo
Published: April 2021

3D car models are heavily used in computer games, visual effects, and even automotive designs. As a result, producing such models with minimal labour costs is increasingly more important. To tackle the challenge, we propose a novel system to reconstruct a 3D car using a single sketch image. The system learns from a synthetic database of 3D car models and their corresponding 2D contour sketches and segmentation masks, allowing effective training with minimal data collection cost. The core of the system is a machine learning pipeline that combines the use of a generative adversarial network (GAN) and lazy learning. GAN, being a deep learning method, is capable of modelling complicated data distributions, enabling the effective modelling of a large variety of cars. Its major weakness is that as a global method, modelling the fine details in the local region is challenging. Lazy learning works well to preserve local features by generating a local subspace with relevant data samples. We demonstrate that the combined use of GAN and lazy learning produces is able to produce high-quality results, in which different types of cars with complicated local features can be generated effectively with a single sketch. Our method outperforms existing ones using other machine learning structures such as the variational autoencoder.
Influence of the North Atlantic oscillation on the atmospheric levels of benzo[a]pyrene over Europe
Authors: Jiménez-Guerrero Pedro , Ratola Nuno
Published: April 2021

The atmospheric concentration of persistent organic pollutants (and of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, in particular) is closely related to climate change and climatic fluctuations, which are likely to influence contaminant’s transport pathways and transfer processes. Predicting how climate variability alters PAHs concentrations in the atmosphere still poses an exceptional challenge. In this sense, the main objective of this contribution is to assess the relationship between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index and the mean concentration of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP, the most studied PAH congener) in a domain covering Europe, with an emphasis on the effect of regional-scale processes. A numerical simulation for a present climate period of 30 years was performed using a regional chemistry transport model with a 25 km spatial resolution (horizontal), higher than those commonly applied. The results show an important seasonal behaviour, with a remarkable spatial pattern of difference between the north and the south of the domain. In winter, higher BaP ground levels are found during the NAO+ phase for the Mediterranean basin, while the spatial pattern of this feature (higher BaP levels during NAO+ phases) moves northwards in summer. These results show deviations up to and sometimes over 100% in the BaP mean concentrations, but statistically significant signals (p<0.1) of lower changes (20–40% variations in the signal) are found for the north of the domain in winter and for the south in summer.
Nuclear receptor corepressor (NCoR) is a positive prognosticator for cervical cancer
Authors: Beilner Daniel , Kuhn Christina , Kost Bernd P. , Vilsmaier Theresa , Vattai Aurelia , Kaltofen Till , Mahner Sven , Schmoeckel Elisa , Dannecker Christian , Jückstock Julia , Mayr Doris , Jeschke Udo , Heidegger Helene Hildegard
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Enzymes with epigenetic functions play an essential part in development of cancer. However, the significance of epigenetic changes in cervical carcinoma as a prognostic factor has not been fully investigated. Nuclear receptor corepressor (NCoR) presents itself as a potentially important element for epigenetic modification and as a potential prognostic aspect in cervical cancer.

Methods

By immunohistochemical staining of 250 tumor samples, the expression strength of NCoR was measured and evaluated by immunoreactive score (IRS) in the nucleus and cytoplasm.

Results

A low expression of NCoR in our patients was a disadvantage in overall survival. Expression of NCoR was negatively correlated with viral oncoprotein E6, acetylated histone H3 acetyl K9 and FIGO status, and positively correlated to p53.

Conclusions

Our study has identified epigenetic modification of tumor cells thus seems to be of relevance in cervical cancer as well for diagnosis, as a marker or as a potential therapeutic target in patients with advanced cervical carcinoma.
The role of cGMP-signalling and calcium-signalling in photoreceptor cell death: perspectives for therapy development
Authors: Das Soumyaparna , Chen Yiyi , Yan Jie , Christensen Gustav , Belhadj Soumaya , Tolone Arianna , Paquet-Durand François
Published: April 2021

The second messengers, cGMP and Ca2+, have both been implicated in retinal degeneration; however, it is still unclear which of the two is most relevant for photoreceptor cell death. This problem is exacerbated by the close connections and crosstalk between cGMP-signalling and calcium (Ca2+)-signalling in photoreceptors. In this review, we summarize key aspects of cGMP-signalling and Ca2+-signalling relevant for hereditary photoreceptor degeneration. The topics covered include cGMP-signalling targets, the role of Ca2+ permeable channels, relation to energy metabolism, calpain-type proteases, and how the related metabolic processes may trigger and execute photoreceptor cell death. A focus is then put on cGMP-dependent mechanisms and how exceedingly high photoreceptor cGMP levels set in motion cascades of Ca2+-dependent and independent processes that eventually bring about photoreceptor cell death. Finally, an outlook is given into mutation-independent therapeutic approaches that exploit specific features of cGMP-signalling. Such approaches might be combined with suitable drug delivery systems for translation into clinical applications.
Rapid alteration of fractured volcanic conduits beneath Mt Unzen
Authors: Yilmaz Tim I. , Wadsworth Fabian B. , Gilg H. Albert , Hess Kai-Uwe , Kendrick Jackie E. , Wallace Paul A. , Lavallée Yan , Utley James , Vasseur Jérémie , Nakada Setsuya , Dingwell Donald B.
Published: April 2021

The nature of sub-volcanic alteration is usually only observable after erosion and exhumation at old inactive volcanoes, via geochemical changes in hydrothermal fluids sampled at the surface, via relatively low-resolution geophysical methods or can be inferred from erupted products. These methods are spatially or temporally removed from the real subsurface and thus provide only indirect information. In contrast, the ICDP deep drilling of the Mt Unzen volcano subsurface affords a snapshot into the in situ interaction between the dacitic dykes that fed dome-forming eruptions and the sub-volcanic hydrothermal system, where the most recent lava dome eruption occurred between 1990 and 1995. Here, we analyse drill core samples from hole USDP-4, constraining their degree and type of alteration. We identify and characterize two clay alteration stages: (1) an unusual argillic alteration infill of fractured or partially dissolved plagioclase and hornblende phenocryst domains with kaolinite and Reichweite 1 illite (70)-smectite and (2) propylitic alteration of amphibole and biotite phenocrysts with the fracture-hosted precipitation of chlorite, sulfide and carbonate minerals. These observations imply that the early clay-forming fluid was acidic and probably had a magmatic component, which is indicated for the fluids related to the second chlorite-carbonate stage by our stable carbon and oxygen isotope data. The porosity in the dyke samples is dominantly fracture-hosted, and fracture-filling mineralization is common, suggesting that the dykes were fractured during magma transport, emplacement and cooling, and that subsequent permeable circulation of hydrothermal fluids led to pore clogging and potential partial sealing of the pore network on a timescale of ~ 9 years from cessation of the last eruption. These observations, in concert with evidence that intermediate, crystal-bearing magmas are susceptible to fracturing during ascent and emplacement, lead us to suggest that arc volcanoes enclosed in highly fractured country rock are susceptible to rapid hydrothermal circulation and alteration, with implications for the development of fluid flow, mineralization, stress regime and volcanic edifice structural stability. We explore these possibilities in the context of alteration at other similar volcanoes.
A new approach for calculating microalgae culture growth based on an inhibitory effect of the surrounding biomass
Authors: Jung Sun-Hwa , McHardy Christopher , Rauh Cornelia , Jahn Alexander , Luzi Giovanni , Delgado Antonio , Buchholz Rainer , Lindenberger Christoph
Published: April 2021

Ever since the potential of algae in biotechnology was recognized, models describing the growth of algae inside photobioreactors have been proposed. These models are the basis for the optimization of process conditions and reactor designs. Over the last few decades, models became more and more elaborate with the increase of computational capacity. Thus far, these models have been based on light attenuation due to the absorption and scattering effects of the biomass. This manuscript presents a new way of predicting the apparent growth inside photobioreactors using simple models for enzymatic kinetics to describe the reaction between photons and the photosynthetic unit. The proposed model utilizes an inhibition kinetic formula based on the surrounding biomass to describe the average growth rate of a culture, which is determined by the local light intensities inside the reactor. The result is a mixed-inhibition scheme with multiple inhibition sites. The parameters of the new kinetic equation are replaced by empirical regression functions to correlate their dependency on incident light intensity and reactor size. The calibrations of the parameters and the regression functions are based on the numerical solutions of the growth rate computed with a classical Type II model. As a final verification, we apply the new equation in predicting the growth behavior of three phototrophic organisms in reactors of three different sizes.
Organizing pneumonia following Covid19 pneumonia
Authors: Funk Georg-Christian , Nell Caroline , Pokieser Wolfgang , Thaler Birgit , Rainer Gernot , Valipour Arschang
Published: April 2021

The potential mid-term and long-term consequences after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections are as yet unknown. This is the first report of bronchoscopically verified organizing pneumonia as a complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid19). It caused persisting dyspnea, impaired pulmonary function, and radiological abnormalities over 5 weeks after onset of symptoms. While organizing pneumonia frequently requires treatment with systemic corticosteroids, in this case it resolved spontaneously without treatment after 6 weeks. Healthcare professionals should consider organizing pneumonia in patients with persisting respiratory symptoms after Covid19.
A Deep Learning-based approach for forecasting off-gas production and consumption in the blast furnace
Authors: Dettori Stefano , Matino Ismael , Colla Valentina , Speets Ramon
Published: April 2021

This article presents the application of a recent neural network topology known as the deep echo state network to the prediction and modeling of strongly nonlinear systems typical of the process industry. The article analyzes the results by introducing a comparison with one of the most common and efficient topologies, the long short-term memories, in order to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of a reservoir computing approach compared to one currently considered as a standard of recurrent neural network. As benchmark application, two specific processes common in the integrated steelworks are selected, with the purpose of forecasting the future energy exchanges and transformations. The procedures of training, validation and test are based on data analysis, outlier detection and reconciliation and variable selection starting from real field industrial data. The analysis of results shows the effectiveness of deep echo state networks and their strong forecasting capabilities with respect to standard recurrent methodologies both in terms of training procedures and accuracy.
A novel fully tapered, self-cutting tissue-level implant: non-inferiority study in minipigs
Authors: El Chaar Edgard , Puisys Algirdas , Sabbag Itai , Bellón Benjamin , Georgantza Aikaterini , Kye Wayne , Pippenger Benjamin E.
Published: April 2021

Objectives

To assess the osseointegration and crestal bone level maintenance of a novel fully tapered self-cutting tissue-level implant for immediate placement (test) compared to a clinically established tissue-level implant (control) in moderate bone quality.

Materials and methods

Test and control implants were compared in 3 groups, i.e., small-, medium-, and large-diameter implants in an edentulous mandibular minipig model with moderate bone quality after 12 weeks of healing. Histometrically derived bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and first bone-to-implant contact (fBIC) were subjected to statistical non-inferiority testing. Maximum insertion torque values in artificial bone were assessed for comparison.

Results

BIC values for the tests and control implants for all 3 diameters were comparable and non-inferior: small diameter (61.30 ± 10.63% vs. 54.46 ± 18.31%) (p=0.99), medium diameter (60.91 ± 14.42 vs. 54.68 ± 9.16) (p=0.55), and large diameter (45.60 ± 14.67 vs. 52.52 ± 14.76) (p=0.31). fBIC values for test implants were higher and non-inferior compared to control implants in all three groups. Test implants further showed distinctly higher maximum insertion torque values compared to control implants.

Conclusion

The investigated novel tissue-level implant is able to achieve high levels of primary and secondary implant stability under simultaneous preservation of crestal bone levels. This qualifies the studied implant as an attractive candidate for immediate placement in bone of limited quality.

Clinical relevance

This pilot pre-clinical study investigated a novel tissue-level implant for immediate placement. With the aim of translating the studied prototype into clinical application pre-clinical models, procedures and controls have been chosen with the aim of reflecting its future clinical indication and use.
Do traders learn to select efficient market institutions?
Authors: Alós-Ferrer Carlos , Buckenmaier Johannes , Kirchsteiger Georg
Published: April 2021

When alternative market institutions are available, traders have to decide both where and how much to trade. We conducted an experiment where traders decided first whether to trade in an (efficient) double-auction institution or in a posted-offers one (favoring sellers), and second how much to trade. When sellers face decreasing returns to scale (increasing production costs), fast coordination on the double-auction occurs, with the posted-offers institution becoming inactive. In contrast, under constant returns to scale, both institutions remain active and coordination is slower. The reason is that sellers trade off higher efficiency in a market with dwindling profits for biased-up profits in a market with vanishing customers. Hence, efficiency alone might not be sufficient to guarantee coordination on a single market institution if the surplus distribution is asymmetric. Trading behavior approaches equilibrium predictions (market clearing) within each institution, but switching behavior across institutions is explained by simple rules of thumb, with buyers chasing low prices and sellers considering both prices and trader ratios.
Emotion Regulation as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Cognitive Biases and Depressive Symptoms in Depressed, At-risk and Healthy Children and Adolescents
Authors: Sfärlea A. , Takano K. , Buhl C. , Loechner J. , Greimel E. , Salemink E. , Schulte-Körne G. , Platt B.
Published: April 2021

Contemporary cognitive models of depression propose that cognitive biases for negative information at the level of attention (attention biases; AB) and interpretation (interpretation biases; IB) increase depression risk by promoting maladaptive emotion regulation (ER). So far, empirical support testing interactions between these variables is restricted to non-clinical and clinical adult samples. The aim of the current study was to extend these findings to a sample of children and adolescents. This cross-sectional study included 109 children aged 9–14 years who completed behavioural measures of AB (passive-viewing task) and IB (scrambled sentences task) as well as self-report measures of ER and depressive symptoms. In order to maximize the variance in these outcomes we included participants with a clinical diagnosis of depression as well as non-depressed youth with an elevated familial risk of depression and non-depressed youth with a low familial risk of depression. Path model analysis indicated that all variables (AB, IB, adaptive and maladaptive ER) had a direct effect on depressive symptoms. IB and AB also had significant indirect effects on depressive symptoms via maladaptive and adaptive ER. These findings provide initial support for the role of ER as a mediator between cognitive biases and depressive symptoms and provide the foundations for future experimental and longitudinal studies. In contrast to studies in adult samples, both adaptive as well as maladaptive ER mediated the effect of cognitive biases on depressive symptoms. This suggests potentially developmental differences in the role of ER across the lifespan.
Behavioural Evidence and Chemical Identification of a Female Sex Pheromone in Anagrus atomus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae)
Authors: Zanolli Penelope , Annoscia Desiderato , Zanni Virginia , Nazzi Francesco , Pavan Francesco
Published: April 2021

Anagrus atomus (L.) is an egg parasitoid involved in the biological control of Empoasca vitis (Göthe) in vineyards. Sex pheromones play a crucial role in mate finding for several parasitoid species and could be used for monitoring under field conditions. We carried out laboratory and field studies aimed at assessing the existence and identity of a possible A. atomus sex pheromone. We found that males were significantly attracted by virgin females independent of age. Males were not attracted to individuals of the same sex, but they were attracted by a crude extract from an unmated female and its polar fraction. Eugenol (4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol) was identified as the attractive substance and proved to be attractive not only in the olfactometer but also in another laboratory bioassay and under field conditions. Attraction of males, but not females, confirms that this is not an aggregation pheromone. This is the first sex-pheromone component identified in Mymaridae, however more compounds could be involved in the mating behaviour of A. atomus. The utility of a sex pheromone in A. atomus is discussed in the context of fitness returns.
Salud y Orgullo Mexicano: Development of a Culturally Specific Transnational Linkage and Retention in Care Intervention for Mexican Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV in Chicago
Authors: Johnson Amy K. , Buenrostro Román , Soberanis Gilberto , McCarn Banita , Magner Bridget , Maiorana Andres
Published: April 2021

This manuscript documents the development of an innovative individual-level peer navigation intervention “Salud y Orgullo Mexicano” (SOM) designed to increase linkage and retention to HIV care for Mexican men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chicago, Illinois. The intervention was developed via a modified intervention mapping process. Elements of two existing interventions were combined and refined with input from the Mexican MSM community, including informant interviews, an expert advisory board, and a design team. A manualized transnational intervention was developed via intervention mapping. A peer health navigation intervention “SOM” was created using intervention mapping and input from the focus community. Next steps include implementing and evaluating the intervention to determine acceptability and efficacy.
The Management of Subcutaneous Emphysema in Pneumothorax: A Literature Review
Authors: Melhorn James , Davies Helen E.
Published: April 2021

Purpose of Review

Subcutaneous emphysema is often observed by clinicians in the context of pneumothorax. It is usually clinically insignificant, but in a few cases can progress to threaten the patient’s vision or airway. A variety of approaches to management of such cases are described in the literature. There no controlled trials and no guidelines on management, other than that the cause should be identified and treated wherever possible. The goal of this article is to review the described approaches to subcutaneous emphysema in pneumothorax and provide a reference to the clinician.

Treatment can be directed primarily towards treating an underlying pneumothorax and / or towards the subcutaneous emphysema. These are not mutually exclusive approaches. Management of the underlying pneumothorax includes conservative management; use of negative suction; siting of wider bore intercostal drains and definitive surgical management. Management of subcutaneous emphysema may include decompression techniques such as: ‘blow hole’ incisions or subcutaneous angio-catheters or tunnelled drains.

In the current absence of controlled trials is not possible to comment on the efficacy of these techniques: no recommendations on management of subcutaneous emphysema in pneumothorax can be made. Management will be significantly influenced by local technical expertise and patient factors for the foreseeable future.
Compensator-critic structure-based event-triggered decentralized tracking control of modular robot manipulators: theory and experimental verification
Authors: Ma Bing , Li Yuanchun
Published: April 2021

This paper presents a novel compensator-critic structure-based event-triggered decentralized tracking control of modular robot manipulators (MRMs). On the basis of subsystem dynamics under joint torque feedback (JTF) technique, the proposed tracking error fusion function, which includes position error and velocity error, is utilized to construct performance index function. By analyzing the dynamic uncertainties, a local dynamic information-based robust controller is designed to engage the model uncertainty compensation. Based on adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) algorithm and the event-triggered mechanism, the decentralized tracking control is obtained by solving the event-triggered Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation (HJBE) with the critic neural network (NN). The tracking error of the closed-loop manipulators system is proved to be ultimately uniformly bounded (UUB) using the Lyapunov stability theorem. Finally, experimental results illustrate the effectiveness of the developed control method.
Online and blended entrepreneurship education: a systematic review of applied educational technologies
Authors: Chen Li , Ifenthaler Dirk , Yau Jane Yin-Kim
Published: April 2021

The supply and demand of entrepreneurship education at university level commenced in 1938. With the proven entrepreneurial effectiveness in economic development and the efforts of scholars, policymakers and other stakeholders, competencies in entrepreneurship are becoming a set of essential learning objectives. In the digital era, entrepreneurship education can be made available in an online and blended format. Thereby, this study presents a systematic analysis of research focusing on blended and online entrepreneurial learning and teaching. Based on five keywords, collating an initial set of 121 articles, this systematic review details the research outcomes of the resulting set of 38 published research articles/contributions, where each described a specific online and blended learning environment. We obtained and analyzed the following information from each of these articles: definition of entrepreneurship education, context of study, methodology, applied technology, focused group, sample, outcome of entrepreneurship education and research rigor. Our findings showed that the current research status and achievements scholars have contributed in educational technologies utilized by online and blended entrepreneurship education can be summarized into three categories: social media, serious games and Massive Open Online Courses. In order to compare these technologies, we selected five examples from three educational technologies and utilized a marking sheet for evaluation and assessment. In general, it was found that Wiki was used to discuss entrepreneurial concepts and that Facebook was the most common social software in entrepreneurship education. In terms of serious games, FLYGBY and SimVenture facilitated the gamification and enjoyment of entrepreneurship activities the most. Finally, as Massive Open Online Courses platform, Coursera offers plenty of/online entrepreneurship education courses. In a nutshell, in online and blended entrepreneurship education, social media was utilized to facilitate cooperation amongst participants; serious games were used to enhance students’ enjoyment and engagement; and Massive Open Online Courses provided a platform as well as high-quality learning resources, anywhere anytime. Hence, each technology has advantages and challenges when we apply it to entrepreneurship education. We conclude that instructors and learners need to successfully compare and choose the most appropriate combination of technologies to achieve entrepreneurial course aims.
Alternative space definitions for P systems with active membranes
Authors: Alhazov Artiom , Leporati Alberto , Manzoni Luca , Mauri Giancarlo , Zandron Claudio
Published: April 2021

The first definition of space complexity for P systems was based on a hypothetical real implementation by means of biochemical materials, and thus it assumes that every single object or membrane requires some constant physical space. This is equivalent to using a unary encoding to represent multiplicities for each object and membrane. A different approach can also be considered, having in mind an implementation of P systems in silico; in this case, the multiplicity of each object in each membrane can be stored using binary numbers, thus reducing the amount of needed space. In this paper, we give a formal definition for this alternative space complexity measure, we define the corresponding complexity classes and we compare such classes both with standard space complexity classes and with complexity classes defined in the framework of P systems considering the original definition of space.
The Biopolitics of Media Currency: Transforming the Ghana Film Unit into TV3
Authors: Bloom Peter J.
Published: April 2021

This article is an examination and extension of concepts that Achille Mbembe presented in his 2016 African Studies Association Abiola Lecture. In particular, “cognitive assemblages” are elaborated upon to consider how a shifting understanding of media has become part of a neoliberal digital media platform promoted by the Ghanaian state in association with Malaysia. Mbembe’s invocation of the “injunction to decolonize” is also discussed through information capture and data mining to consider the extent to which the promise of a digital future is a form of neo-colonialism or an opportunity for an expanded digital commons.
Dazzled by New Media: Mbembe, Tonda, and the Mystic Virtual
Authors: Geschiere Peter
Published: April 2021

Inspired by Mbembe’s emphasis on plasticity as a hallmark of African forms of knowledge, Geschiere notes the risk that this leads to a celebration of Africanness, sliding into culturalism and identity politics. But Mbembe relates this plasticity also to the continent’s position as the last frontier of capitalism. Such a historical view converges with Joseph Tonda’s work onéblouissement(endazzlement) as a global phenomenon. Everywhere people are now being blinded by an overproduction of images. However, Africans have a long experience of living with multiple realities and “alternative facts.” Is this relevant for dealing with the risk that we all become blinded by the images we ourselves have created?
Assessing assessors: proposal for a guidance for evaluating the scientific performance of a pesticide regulatory authority
Authors: AUTIO Sari , KOËTER Herman , CARRETERO Mar , HARDY Anthony , MANTOVANI Alberto
Published: April 2021

External evaluations by an international committee of the scientific risk assessment and decision-making processes of the Netherlands Competent Authority for the authorisation of plant protection products and biocides (Ctgb) were conducted in 2013 and 2018. Based on the experience drawn from them, a general guidance for such visitations is suggested. An international visitation committee examined the structure and management of the Authority, its human resources and staff policy, the scientific processes and output, the documentation and communication of its decisions and the mechanisms for keeping up to date with international scientific developments. Attention was paid to the degree of openness and transparency throughout the organisation and in particular when dealing with confidential information. From the experience gained it can be concluded that visitations not aiming at finding mistakes and omissions but instead focusing on recommendations and constructive suggestions will result in cooperation, mutual trust and acceptance of the recommendations made. A follow-up visitation after a few years can be effective in maintaining a traceable, high-level scientific output. In view of the strong drive towards the European Union-wide harmonisation of the regulatory practices of hazardous chemicals, a voluntary evaluation of regulatory authorities’ scientific performance is recommended as a means for organisational learning.
Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) monitoring made simple: Colorimetric indicators to assess delivery of UV-C light by room decontamination devices
Authors: Cadnum Jennifer L. , Pearlmutter Basya S. , Redmond Sarah N. , Jencson Annette L. , Benner Kevin J. , Donskey Curtis J.
Published: April 2021

Objective:

To evaluate the use of colorimetric indicators for monitoring ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light delivery to sites in patient rooms.

Methods:

In laboratory testing, we examined the correlation between changes in color of 2 commercial colorimetric indicators and log10 reductions in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridioides difficile spores with exposure to increasing doses of UV-C from a low-pressure mercury room decontamination device. In patient rooms, 1 of the colorimetric indicators was used to assess UV-C dose delivery to 27 sites in the room.

Results:

In laboratory testing, the manufacturer’s reference colors for MRSA and C. difficile reduction corresponded with doses of ∼10,000 and 46,000 µJ/cm2; these doses resulted in >3 log10 reductions in MRSA and C. difficile spores, respectively. In patient rooms, the colorimetric indicators demonstrated suboptimal delivery of UV-C dosing to shadowed areas, which was improved by providing cycles on each side of the patient bed rather than in a single position and altering device placement. Increasing duration of exposure increased the number of sites achieving adequate dosing to kill C. difficile spores.

Conclusions:

Commercial colorimetric indicators provide rapid and easy-to-interpret information on the UV-C dose delivered to sites in patient rooms. The indicators may be useful for training environmental services personnel and optimizing the effectiveness of UV-C room decontamination devices.
The use of a herbicide as a tool to increase livestock consumption of medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae)
Authors: Stonecipher Clinton A. , Spackman Casey , Panter Kip E. , Villalba Juan J.
Published: April 2021

Medusahead [Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski] is an invasive annual grass spreading into rangelands throughout the western United States. We tested cattle (Bos taurus L.) utilization of T. caput-medusae following treatment with glyphosate in two forms of its salt (potassium salt and isopropylamine salt) at three different rates of application; low (236 g ae ha−1), medium (394 g ae ha−1), and high rates (788 g ae ha−1) in eastern Washington. The herbicide was applied on April 26, 2016. A second location, northern Utah, was treated with glyphosate in the form of its isopropylamine salt at the high rate. The herbicide was applied on June 5, 2019. Cattle were allowed to start grazing T. caput-medusae 15 d after glyphosate treatment and had unlimited access to the glyphosate-treated plots for more than 85 d. The greatest utilization of T. caput-medusae occurred at the highest glyphosate application rate (P < 0.05), in Washington, with no difference between forms of glyphosate salt. Cattle also consumed T. caput-medusae at the Utah site (P < 0.05). Glyphosate treatment preserved the water-soluble carbohydrate content of T. caput-medusae at levels greater than the nontreated controls (P < 0.05) at both locations. The glyphosate treatment assisted in the increased utilization of T. caput-medusae by cattle and is a viable option for the reduction of T. caput-medusae while increasing the forage value of the weed.
Comorbidity and COVID-19: investigating the relationship between medical and psychological well-being
Authors: Stafford Owen , Berry Anna , Taylor Laura K , Wearen Sinead , Prendergast Cian , Murphy Eddie , Shevlin Mark , McHugh Louise , Carr Alan , Burke Tom
Published: April 2021

Objective:

The unprecedented occurrence of a global pandemic is accompanied by both physical and psychological burdens that may impair quality of life. Research relating to COVID-19 aims to determine the effects of the pandemic on vulnerable populations who are at high risk of developing negative health or psychosocial outcomes. Having an ongoing medical condition during a pandemic may lead to greater psychological distress. Increased psychological distress may be due to preventative public health measures (e.g. lockdown), having an ongoing medical condition, or a combination of these factors.

Methods:

This study analyses data from an online cross-sectional national survey of adults in Ireland and investigates the relationship between comorbidity and psychological distress. Those with a medical condition (n = 128) were compared to a control group without a medical condition (n = 128) and matched according to age, gender, annual income, education, and work status during COVID-19. Participants and data were obtained during the first public lockdown in Ireland (27 March 2020–8 June 2020).

Results:

Individuals with existing medical conditions reported significantly higher levels of anxiety (p < .01) and felt less gratitude (p ≤ .001). Exploratory analysis indicated that anxiety levels were significantly associated with illness perceptions specific to COVID-19. Post hoc analysis revealed that psychological well-being was not significantly related to condition type (e.g. respiratory disorders).

Conclusion:

This research supports individualised supports for people with ongoing medical conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has implications for the consideration of follow-up care specifically for mental health. Findings may also inform future public health policies and post-vaccine support strategies for vulnerable populations.
Solicitors’ rights of audience, competence and regulation: a responsibility rights approach
Authors: Ching Jane
Published: April 2021

This paper takes as its context the decision of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in England and Wales to abandon before the event regulation of lower court trial advocacy. Although solicitors will continue to acquire rights of audience on qualification, they will no longer be required to undertake training or assessment in witness examination, by contrast with other, competing, legal professions. Their opportunities to acquire competence outside the classroom will remain limited. The paper first explores this context and its implications for the three key factors of rights to perform, competence and regulatory accountability. The current regulatory system is then displayed as a Hohfeldian network of rights and duties held in tension between stakeholders intended to inhibit the incompetent exercise of rights to conduct trial advocacy. The SRA's proposal weakens this tension field and threatens the competitive position of solicitors. The paper therefore finally offers a radical alternative reconceptualisation of rights of audience in terms of Waldron's ‘responsibility rights’ as a solution, albeit one with significant implications for the individual advocate. This model, applicable globally, is closer to notions of societal good and professionalism than to those of the competitive market, whilst inhibiting incompetent performance and remediating the SRA's approach.
The Bank of Naples and the struggle for regional power in Risorgimento Italy
Authors: Chiaruttini Maria Stella
Published: April 2021

Drawing on the history of the Bank of Naples, this article sheds new light on the power struggle between the central government and the Southern elites in Risorgimento Italy. Since unification, the Bank has been portrayed as the archetypal victim of a predatory (Northern) Italian government. This article, by deconstructing the myth surrounding the Bank, shows how this characterisation was carefully crafted by its Neapolitan management. Exploiting to the fullest the new political and economic role they had acquired under the aegis of a constitutional government, the Bank's governors appropriated and invested with new meanings Risorgimento ideals to further the Bank's cause as well as their own. Constantly shifting the focus from finance to politics, they posed as champions of those municipal, regional or even national liberties the government was either unable or unwilling to defend. This narrative provided an ideological smokescreen obscuring the economic and partly private nature of the confrontation between the central government and the Bank, and reinforced the view of a South victimised by the new Italian state still in currency today.
Timing of fluorite mineralization and exhumation events in the east Central Alborz Mountains, northern Iran: constraints from fluorite (U–Th)/He thermochronometry
Authors: Shafiei Bafti Behnam , Dunkl István , Madanipour Saeed
Published: April 2021

The recently developed fluorite (U–Th)/He thermochronology (FHe) technique was applied to date fluorite mineralization and elucidate the exhumation history of the Mazandaran Fluorspar Mining District (MFMD) located in the east Central Alborz Mountains, Iran. A total of 32 fluorite single-crystal samples from four Middle Triassic carbonate-hosted fluorite deposits were dated. The presented FHe ages range between c. 85 Ma (age of fluorite mineralization) and c. 20 Ma (erosional cooling during the exhumation of the Alborz Mountains). The Late Cretaceous FHe ages (i.e. 84.5 ± 3.6, 78.8 ± 4.4 and 72.3 ± 3.5 Ma) are interpreted as the age of mineralization and confirm an epigenetic origin for ore mineralization in the MFMD, likely a result of prolonged hydrothermal circulation of basinal brines through potential source rocks. Most FHe ages scatter around the Eocene Epoch (55.4 ± 3.9 to 33.1 ± 1.7 Ma), recording an important cooling event after heating by regional magmatism in an extensional tectonic regime. Cooling of the heated fluorites, as a result of thermal relaxation in response to geothermal gradient re-equilibration after the end of magmatism, or exhumation cooling during extensional tectonics characterized by lower amount of erosion are most probably the causes of the recorded Eocene FHe cooling ages. Oligocene–Miocene FHe ages (i.e. 27.6 ± 1.4 to 19.5 ± 1.1 Ma) are related to the accelerated uplift of the whole Alborz Mountains, possibly as a result of the initial collision between the Afro-Arabian and Eurasian plates further to the south.
The ‘Recusancy Revolt’ of 1603 Revisited, Popular Politics, and Civic Catholicism in Early Modern Ireland
Authors: Walter John
Published: April 2021

This article contributes to a body of work exploring the possibilities of a popular politics in Ireland before the rising of 1641. It does so by revisiting the ‘recusancy revolt’ of 1603 in which, in the interregnum created by Elizabeth I's death, churches and civic space in towns in the south and west of Ireland were reoccupied for Catholic worship. Reading for meaning in the shaping and timing of the crowd rituals at the heart of the protest, the article argues that Old English elites and people physically acted out the recovery of these spaces for the public performance of a civic Catholicism, in which corporate worship was integral both to the maintenance of the civic order and to the defence of ancient liberties and freedoms against the encroachments of an anglicizing and Protestant regime. Analysing the dynamics of these confessional protests, the article assesses the potential for an active citizenry represented by popular political mobilization in 1603 and contrasts this with later popular mobilization in the 1641 rising. It explores the paradox at the heart of a protest in which it was believed that the restoration of public Catholic worship could co-exist with continuing civic loyalty to an English and Protestant monarchy.
Adolescent undernutrition in South Asia: a scoping review
Authors: Estecha Querol Sara , Gill Paramjit , Iqbal Romaina , Kletter Maartje , Ozdemir Neslihan , Al-Khudairy Lena
Published: April 2021

Undernutrition is a growing public health challenge affecting growth and development during adolescence in many low- and middle-income countries. This scoping review maps the evidence on adolescent undernutrition (stunting, thinness and micronutrient deficiencies) in South Asia and highlights gaps in knowledge. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers’ Manual, the search included electronic bibliographic databases (Medline (OVID), Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Scopus) as well as various grey literature sources published up to March 2019. In total, 131 publications met the inclusion criteria of this review. All the included evidence used quantitative data and 115 publications used a cross-sectional design. Nearly 70% (n= 86) of the included publications were conducted in India. Prevalence of undernutrition was reported based on different growth references and cut-offs. Evidence is divided into publications that included an intervention component (n= 12) and publications that did not include an intervention component (n= 116), and presented in a narrative synthesis. This scoping review provides a wide range of publications on adolescent undernutrition in South Asia and identifies future research priorities in the field.