bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effects of director tenure on monitoring and advising: New insights from behavioral governance and learning theories
Authors: Mooney Ann , Brown Jill , Ward Andrew
Published: April 2021

Research Questions/Issues

We integrate behavioral governance and learning theory to address the overarching research questions—“What are the core mechanisms driving a director's monitoring and advising effectiveness over board tenure?”; and “What factors affect how and when a director becomes and stays effective in the monitoring and advising roles?”

Research Insights

Our research provides new insights into director effectiveness by examining how a director's tenure, both independently and in concert with other moderating factors, affects the director's ability to be effective in the key but distinct roles of monitoring and advising.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

We provide a nuanced and dynamic theoretical understanding of director effectiveness over time. We explain that the monitoring and advising roles that determine director effectiveness are each driven by different theoretical mechanisms, and we offer testable propositions that shed light on a director's ability to become and stay effective in their monitoring and advising roles at different points in their tenure.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

Boards will benefit from the insights we provide for how a director's relationships with the board and CEO and a director's individual attributes help or hinder their monitoring and advising effectiveness over time. We discuss practical solutions for harnessing these insights to inform decisions around board composition, structure, and process. We also discuss policy implications, including staggered boards, refreshed boards, and term limits.
An effective colorimetric sensor for detecting Cu2+ based on benzothiazole moiety
Authors: Suh Boeon , Choe Donghwan , Kim Cheal
Published: April 2021

An effective colorimetric chemosensor, 2,4‐dichloro‐6‐((E)‐(((Z)‐3‐methylbenzo[d]thiazol‐2(3H)‐ylidene)hydrazono)methyl)phenol (HMD), was synthesised for Cu2+ detection. HMD with benzothiazole moiety showed a large bathochromic shift (153 nm) and a definite colour change for Cu2+. HMD could detect Cu2+ down to 0.47 μmol/L in the solution phase and could clearly distinguish it from other metal ions, even in the test strip. The binding mode between HMD and Cu2+ was determined to be 1:1 using Job plot and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry. The sensing mechanism of HMD for Cu2+ was illustrated as the combination of metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer and intramolecular charge transfer via theoretical calculation.
Improved postprandial glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetes by the dual glucagon‐like peptide‐1/glucagon receptor agonist SAR425899 in comparison with liraglutide
Authors: Schiavon Michele , Visentin Roberto , Göbel Britta , Riz Michela , Cobelli Claudio , Klabunde Thomas , Dalla Man Chiara
Published: April 2021

Aim

To gain further insights into the efficacy of SAR425899, a dual glucagon‐like peptide‐1/glucagon receptor agonist, by providing direct comparison with the glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist, liraglutide, in terms of key outcomes of glucose metabolism.

Research Design and Methods

Seventy overweight to obese subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D) were randomized to receive once‐daily subcutaneous administrations of SAR425899 (0.12, 0.16 or 0.20 mg), liraglutide (1.80 mg) or placebo for 26 weeks. Mixed meal tolerance tests were conducted at baseline (BSL) and at the end of treatment (EOT). Metabolic indices of insulin action and secretion were assessed via Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA2) and oral minimal model (OMM) methods.

Results

From BSL to EOT (median [25th, 75th] percentile), HOMA2 quantified a significant improvement in basal insulin action in liraglutide (35% [21%, 74%]), while secretion enhanced both in SAR425899 (125% [63%, 228%]) and liraglutide (73% [43%, 147%]). OMM quantified, both in SAR425899 and liraglutide, a significant improvement in insulin sensitivity (203% [58%, 440%] and 36% [21%, 197%]), basal beta‐cell responsiveness (67% [34%, 112%] and 40% [16%, 59%]), and above‐basal beta‐cell responsiveness (139% [64%, 261%] and 69% [−15%, 120%]). A significant delay in glucose absorption was highlighted in SAR425899 (37% [52%,18%]).

Conclusions

SAR425899 and liraglutide improved postprandial glucose control in overweight to obese subjects with T2D. A significantly higher enhancement in beta‐cell function was shown by SAR425899 than liraglutide.
Longevity of the novel ConvaTec infusion set with Lantern technology
Authors: Lal Rayhan A. , Hsu Liana , Zhang Jian , Schøndorff Pernelle K. , Heschel Matthias , Buckingham Bruce
Published: April 2021

Current insulin infusion sets are approved for only 2‐3 days. The novel ConvaTec infusion set with Lantern technology is designed to extend infusion set wear time. The goal of this pilot study was to evaluate the duration of wear for this set. This was a pilot safety study in adults with type 1 diabetes using tethered insulin pumps. Participants inserted the set and wore it for 10 days or until failure. Among 24 participants, two were excluded. Forty‐five per cent of the sets lasted 10 days. Median wear time was 9.1 (7.1, 10.0) days. Among 12 premature failures, six (50%) involved adhesive failures, four (33%) hyperglycaemia unresponsive to correction, one (8%) hyperglycaemia with ketones and one (8%) infection. Average CGM glucose per day of infusion set wear showed a statistically significant increase over time, while total daily insulin over the same period did not change. In this pilot study, the duration of wear for the novel infusion set exceeded previously reported commercial sets (P < .001). This extended wear technology may eventually allow for a combined glucose sensor and infusion set.
Day‐to‐day variability of insulin requirements in the inpatient setting: Observations during fully closed‐loop insulin delivery
Authors: Boughton Charlotte K. , Daly Aideen , Thabit Hood , Hartnell Sara , Herzig David , Vogt Andreas , Ruan Yue , Wilinska Malgorzata E. , Evans Mark L. , Coll Anthony P. , Bally Lia , Hovorka Roman
Published: April 2021

The aim of this study was to characterize the variability of exogenous insulin requirements during fully closed‐loop insulin delivery in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes or new‐onset hyperglycaemia, and to determine patient‐related characteristics associated with higher variability of insulin requirements. We retrospectively analysed data from two fully closed‐loop inpatient studies involving adults with type 2 diabetes or new‐onset hyperglycaemia requiring insulin therapy. The coefficient of variation quantified day‐to‐day variability of exogenous insulin requirements during up to 15 days using fully automated closed‐loop insulin delivery. Data from 535 days in 67 participants were analysed. The coefficient of variation of day‐to‐day exogenous insulin requirements was 30% ± 16%, and was higher between nights than between any daytime period (56% ± 29% overnight [11:00 pm to 4:59 am] compared with 41% ± 21% in the morning [5:00 am to 10:59 am], 39% ± 15% in the afternoon [11:00 am to 4:59 pm] and 45% ± 19% during the evening [5:00 pm to 10:59 pm]; all P < 0.01). There is high day‐to‐day variability of exogenous insulin requirements in inpatients, particularly overnight, and diabetes management approaches should account for this variability.
A fundamental developmental transition in Physcomitrium patens is regulated by evolutionarily conserved mechanisms
Authors: Jaeger Richard , Moody Laura A.
Published: April 2021

One of the most defining moments in history was the colonization of land by plants approximately 470 million years ago. The transition from water to land was accompanied by significant changes in the plant body plan, from those than resembled filamentous representatives of the charophytes, the sister group to land plants, to those that were morphologically complex and capable of colonizing harsher habitats. The moss Physcomitrium patens (also known as Physcomitrella patens) is an extant representative of the bryophytes, the earliest land plant lineage. The protonema of P. patens emerges from spores from a chloronemal initial cell, which can divide to self‐renew to produce filaments of chloronemal cells. A chloronemal initial cell can differentiate into a caulonemal initial cell, which can divide and self‐renew to produce filaments of caulonemal cells, which branch extensively and give rise to three‐dimensional shoots. The process by which a chloronemal initial cell differentiates into a caulonemal initial cell is tightly regulated by auxin‐induced remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. Studies have revealed that the genetic mechanisms underpinning this transition also regulate tip growth and differentiation in diverse plant taxa. This review summarizes the known cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning the chloronema to caulonema transition in P. patens.
Impact of preoperative sarcopenia and myosteatosis on prognosis after radical cystectomy in patients with bladder cancer
Authors: Yamashita Shimpei , Iguchi Takashi , Koike Hiroyuki , Wakamiya Takahito , Kikkawa Kazuro , Kohjimoto Yasuo , Hara Isao
Published: April 2021

Objective

To evaluate the prognostic impact of sarcopenia and myosteatosis on survival after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer between 2010 and 2019, and 123 patients were finally included in this single‐center study. Pretreatment computed tomography images at the L3 level were used to calculate skeletal muscle index and skeletal muscle density. Sarcopenia and myosteatosis were diagnosed according to the gender‐specific cutoff values of skeletal muscle index and skeletal muscle density used in a previous study. We compared overall survival and cancer‐specific survival between patients with and without sarcopenia/myosteatosis. We also performed Cox proportional regression analyses to identify the predictors of overall survival and cancer‐specific survival.

Results

The median patient age was 74 years, and 20 patients (16%) were female. Thirty‐eight patients (31%) died from bladder cancer and 13 (11%) died from other causes. The patients with sarcopenia (n = 48, 39%) and those with myosteatosis (n = 101, 82%) had significantly lower overall survival and cancer‐specific survival rates than those without sarcopenia and those without myosteatosis, respectively. In multivariable analysis, in addition to the number of pathological risk factors, both sarcopenia (P < 0.01) and myosteatosis (P = 0.04) were independent significant predictors of poor cancer‐specific survival.

Conclusions

In our experience, sarcopenia and myosteatosis are independent predictors of poor cancer‐specific survival in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. Sarcopenia is also associated with poor overall survival.
Parenting by mothers with intellectual disabilities in Poland: A photovoice study
Authors: Wos Klaudia , Baczała Ditta
Published: April 2021

Background

The diverse nature of parenting among people with intellectual disabilities can be affected by many factors, including stereotypes, experiencing social isolation, living in poverty, suffering from chronic diseases and limited access to health care. Because of these factors, people with intellectual disabilities are not readily viewed as potential parents by society.

Method

The research was conducted using the photovoice method, which analyses photographs taken by participants—seven mothers with intellectual disabilities (aged 22–43).

Results

Thematic analysis yielded six main areas: pregnancy and childbirth, household duties—everyday life, caring for children, the importance of motherhood for a woman, parenting problems and difficulties, and types and forms of assistance.

Conclusion

Raising a child has become a life goal for the interviewed women. However, there were also difficulties in their lives, which have not been solved by formal and informal support. Individual support for mothers should include tailor‐made sexual education, access to gynaecological care or long‐term family support.
Laboratory phase‐contrast nanotomography of unstained Bombus terrestris compound eyes
Authors: Romell Jenny , Jie Vun Wen , Miettinen Arttu , Baird Emily , Hertz Hans M.
Published: April 2021

Imaging the visual systems of bumblebees and other pollinating insects may increase understanding of their dependence on specific habitats and how they will be affected by climate change. Current high‐resolution imaging methods are either limited to two dimensions (light‐ and electron microscopy) or have limited access (synchrotron radiation x‐ray tomography). For x‐ray imaging, heavy metal stains are often used to increase contrast. Here, we present micron‐resolution imaging of compound eyes of buff‐tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) using a table‐top x‐ray nanotomography (nano‐CT) system. By propagation‐based phase‐contrast imaging, the use of stains was avoided and the microanatomy could more accurately be reconstructed than in samples stained with phosphotungstic acid or osmium tetroxide. The findings in the nano‐CT images of the compound eye were confirmed by comparisons with light‐ and transmission electron microscopy of the same sample and finally, comparisons to synchrotron radiation tomography as well as to a commercial micro‐CT system were done.
Pregnancy outcomes among Asian Americans of advanced maternal age, 1992–2018
Authors: Dongarwar Deepa , Tahseen Danyal , Aliyu Muktar H. , Salihu Hamisu M.
Published: April 2021

Aim

The trend of delayed childbearing has implications for the increasing national burden of adverse perinatal outcomes across vulnerable racial–ethnic groups. The objective of this study was to investigate age‐adjusted risk for adverse maternal–fetal outcomes among Asian Americans of advanced maternal age (≥35 years).

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study using the 1992–2018 Natality data files. We calculated the prevalence of maternal–fetal outcomes: maternal diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), C‐section, small‐for‐gestational age (SGA), large‐for‐gestational age (LGA), and preterm birth. Adjusted binomial logistic regression was created to evaluate the association between maternal race/ethnicity and each of the maternal–fetal outcomes.

Results

Compared with non‐Hispanic Whites, Asian American women had reduced odds of diabetes, HDP, and LGA babies and increased odds of preterm birth, C‐section delivery, and SGA, irrespective of the advanced maternal age group. The odds of developing specific adverse outcomes by advanced maternal age varied by Asian American ethnic subgrouping.

Discussion

The risk of maternal–fetal outcomes varied among the ethnic subgroups of Asian Americans in the United States. Future studies should explore the sociocultural and environmental nuances that might explain these differences.
Feline chronic enteropathy
Authors: Marsilio S.
Published: April 2021

Feline chronic enteropathy is a common disorder, especially in the senior cat population, with rising incidence over the past decade. Feline chronic enteropathy is considered an umbrella term comprising different diseases including food‐responsive enteropathy, idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease and alimentary small cell lymphoma. However, differentiation between those diseases is often difficult in practice. This review will discuss the clinical approach to cats with chronic enteropathy, state‐of‐the‐art diagnostic tests and pitfalls thereof as well as current therapeutic approaches. Although, much of the etiopathogenesis is still unknown, increased research efforts in this field have brought new insights into diagnostic and therapeutic options for these cats.
Ecological and geological processes impacting speciation modes drive the formation of wide‐range disjunctions within tribe Putorieae (Rubiaceae)
Authors: Rincón‐Barrado Mario , Olsson Sanna , Villaverde Tamara , Moncalvillo Belén , Pokorny Lisa , Forrest Alan , Riina Ricarda , Sanmartín Isabel
Published: April 2021

Wide‐range geographically discontinuous distributions have long intrigued scientists. We explore the role of ecology, geology, and dispersal in the formation of these large‐scale disjunctions, using the angiosperm tribe Putorieae (Rubiaceae) as a case study. From DNA sequences of nuclear ITS and six plastid markers, we inferred a phylogeny with 65% of all known Putorieae species. Divergence times, ancestral ranges, and diversification rate shifts were then estimated using Bayesian inference. We further explored species climatic tolerances and performed ancestral niche reconstruction to discriminate among alternative speciation modes, including geographical and ecological vicariance, and ecogeographical, ecological, and dispersal‐mediated speciation. As a result, we identified seven major clades in Putorieae, some of which exhibit striking geographical disjunctions, matching the Rand Flora pattern, with sister species in the Canary Islands and eastern and southern Africa. Initial diversification within the tribe occurred in the early Miocene, coincident with a period of climate warming; however, most clades diverged within the last 10 Myr. Aridification and high extinction rates, coupled with ecological vicariance, explain the oldest disjunctions. Adaptation to new environmental conditions, after allopatry, is observed in several clades. Dispersal, either long‐distance or via corridors made available by mountain uplift, is behind the most recent disjunctions. Some of these events were followed by ecological speciation and rapid diversification, with species becoming adapted to xeric or increasingly colder continental climates. We show that an integrative approach may help discriminate among speciation modes invoked to explain disjunctions at macroevolutionary time scales, even when extinction has erased the signature of past events.
Obturator Oblique and Pubic Ramus Inlet Views Can Better Guide the Insertion of an Anterior Column Acetabular Screw
Authors: Wang Xingui , Ran Guangyuan , Chen Xiaojun , Jia Huiyang , Liu Zhongju , Sun Changsheng , Ma Lijie , Hou Zhiyong
Published: April 2021

Objective

The objective of the present paper was to investigate the value of obturator oblique and pubic ramus inlet views in guiding anterior column acetabular screw insertion.

Methods

We collected pelvic CT scans at the diagnostic imaging center of our hospital between 2017 and 2019. Virtual three‐dimensional (3D) models of the pelvis were created based on the CT scans. Then the transparency was adjusted to 30%. Two identical copies of the 3D model data were made. 3D model replications were divided into a control group and an experimental group. In the control group, the screw was inserted into the anterior acetabular column using obturator‐outlet and iliac‐inlet views. In the experimental group, the screw was guided under obturator oblique and pubic ramus inlet views. Based on whether the screw penetrated the hip joint and/or exited the pubic ramus, models were divided into three grades. Grade I: the screw travels completely within the anterior column bone corridor; Grade II: the screw exits the superior pubic ramus, but the length of the screw outside the channel does not exceed 1/2 of the anterior column; Grade III: the screw exits the superior pubic ramus and the length of the screw outside the corridor exceeds 1/2 of the anterior column. We compared the screw placement quality of the two groups and analyzed differences between genders. In addition, the distance between the screws and the acetabulum was recorded and compared among the two groups.

Results

A total of 110 hemipelves were selected, including those of 80 men and 30 women, with an average age of 46.76 ± 14.26 years. In the control group, the screw quality of 64 models (58.2%) was Grade I. In the experimental group, 94 models (85.5%) had Grade I screw placement quality. Grade II screw placement quality accounted for 18.2% of the control group and 7.3% of the experimental group. In the control and the experimental groups, there were 26 and 8 cases with Grade III screw placement quality, respectively. The quality of screw placement in the experimental group was significantly better than that in control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The distance between the screw and the acetabulum in the control group and experimental group was 0.92 ± 0.49 mm and 2.78 ± 1.15 mm, respectively. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant.

Conclusion

Anterior column acetabular screws can be inserted successfully and more accurately using the obturator oblique and pubic ramus inlet views.
Key values for democratic governance innovation: Two traditions and a synthesis
Authors: Hendriks Frank
Published: April 2021

This article advances our understanding of the key values for democratic‐governance innovation by integrating two important, yet divergent, discourses—the one on democratic innovations, the other on governance innovations—thus capitalizing on their mutually reinforcing potential. The result is an integrative framework of core values, related normative coordinates, and key questions for improving democratic governance. The integrative values framework refines our understanding of the fundamental value diversity surrounding democratic governance innovation, and facilitates, as a sensitizing framework, critical analysis, evaluation, and design thinking. The values framework integrates core values—inclusiveness, efficaciousness, appropriateness, resilience, and counterbalance—which are complementary but not without friction. Mindfulness of the fundamental value diversity is critical for handling democratic governance innovation in a more encompassing value‐sensitive way. For realistically applying the values framework, acknowledging the complementarities and tensions between core values, roads ahead are discussed stressing necessarily open and situated conversations.
Examining the social origins and young adult life trajectories of high traditional masculinity (HTM) males: A group at elevated suicide risk
Authors: Feigelman William , Coleman Daniel , Rosen Zohn
Published: April 2021

Objective

We investigated whether male high school students displaying high traditional masculinity (HTM), defined briefly as overacting male roles, possessed distinctive social origins and adult lifestyle trajectories differentiating them from others.

Method

Based upon four survey waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health cross‐linked to the National Death Index, we contrasted surveys 1 and 2 respondents reporting HTM, n = 3138, 31%, with the remaining 69% (n = 6849) on various sociodemographic characteristics, problem behaviors, suicides, and other premature mortalities.

Results

High traditional masculinity males showed higher suicide rates, but no other differences in premature mortalities, compared with non‐HTM peers. More likely to be White, younger, less close to their fathers, they were more likely to run away from home, get into fights, act delinquently, and engage in problem drinking and drug use. At survey wave 3, more had been arrested. By wave 4, when approaching their early thirties, HTM males showed higher drug uses, more delinquency, completed less schooling, and were less likely to marry.

Conclusions

These data not only suggest higher suicide risks among this population after high school, but judging from the durability of HTM characteristics, but also they appear at risk of “deaths of despair” during later life.
A New Argument for Goldman and Olsson's Solution to the Extra‐Value‐of‐Knowledge Problem
Authors: Koscholke Jakob
Published: April 2021

According to Goldman and Olsson's so‐called conditional probability solution to the extra‐value‐of‐knowledge problem, knowledge is more valuable than mere true belief because having the former makes the acquisition of further similar true beliefs in the future more likely than having the latter does. Unfortunately, however, several philosophers have rejected the comparative probability claim Goldman and Olsson's solution is based on. In this paper, I present a new argument in defence of this claim. More precisely, I point out a highly plausible necessary and sufficient condition for the latter and argue for its truth by bringing together confirmation‐theoretic and reliabilist considerations. I also explain where a number of objections against Goldman and Olsson's probabilistic claim seem to go wrong.
Subtyping Blastocystis in pigs and humans revealed unusual avian‐specific subtype ST6 in humans in Serbia
Authors: Süli Tamás , Kozoderović Gordana , Potkonjak Aleksandar , Vidanović Dejan , Tešović Bojana , Vračar Vuk , Miladinović Tasić Nataša , Stensvold Christen Rune , Lalošević Vesna
Published: April 2021

Blastocystis is a common protist colonizing the gastrointestinal tract of humans and various animals. The first subtyping of Blastocystis isolates in pigs and humans in Serbia revealed unusual avian‐specific subtype ST6 in humans. In total, 48 pig faecal specimens collected on seven pig farms and 50 human faecal specimens positive to Blastocystis by microscopic examination were selected for the study. Eleven randomly selected PCR‐positive pig samples and 10 samples from human patients (with gastrointestinal complaints) were subjected to SSU rDNA sequencing. Three subtypes were identified (ST3, ST5 and ST6) by phylogenetic analysis. ST5 was found in all pig samples; while in human samples, we detected ST3 and ST6. The latter subtype is relatively uncommon in Europe and highly adapted to avian hosts; therefore, the possibility of sporadic zoonotic transmission to human patients should not be ignored.
The susceptibility of the rat pulmonary and caval vein myocardium to the catecholamine‐induced ectopy changes oppositely in postnatal development
Authors: Kuzmin Vlad S. , Ivanova Alexandra D. , Potekhina Viktoria M. , Samoilova Daria V. , Ushenin Konstantin S. , Shvetsova Anastasia A. , Petrov Alexey M.
Published: April 2021

Key points

The developmental changes of the caval (SVC) and pulmonary vein (PV) myocardium electrophysiology are traced throughout postnatal ontogenesis.

The myocardium in SVC as well as in PV demonstrate age‐dependent differences in the ability to maintain resting membrane potential, to manifest automaticity in a form of ectopic action potentials in basal condition and in responses to the adrenergic stimulation.

Electrophysiological characteristics of two distinct types of thoracic vein myocardium change in an opposite manner during early postnatal ontogenesis with increased proarrhythmicity of pulmonary and decreased automaticity in caval veins.

Predisposition of PV cardiac tissue to proarrhythmycity develops during ontogenesis in time correlation with the establishment of sympathetic innervation of the tissue.

The electrophysiological properties of caval vein cardiac tissue shift from a pacemaker‐like phenotype to atrial phenotype in accompaniment with sympathetic nerve growth and adrenergic receptor expression changes.

The thoracic vein myocardium is considered as a main source for atrial fibrillation initiation due to its high susceptibility to ectopic activity. The mechanism by which and when pulmonary (PV) and superior vena cava (SVC) became proarrhythmic during postnatal ontogenesis is still unknown. In this study, we traced postnatal changes of electrophysiology in a correlation with the sympathetic innervation and adrenergic receptor distribution to reveal developmental differences in proarrhythmicity occurrence in PV and SVC myocardium. A standard microelectrode technique was used to assess the changes in ability to maintain resting membrane potential (RMP), generate spontaneous action potentials (SAP) and adrenergically induced ectopy in multicellular SVC and PV preparations of rats of different postnatal ages. Immunofluorescence imaging was used to trace postnatal changes in sympathetic innervation, β1‐ and α1A‐adrenergic receptor (AR) distribution.

We revealed that the ability to generate SAP and susceptibility to adrenergic stimulation changes during postnatal ontogenesis in an opposite manner in PV and SVC myocardium. While SAP occurrence decreases with age in SVC myocardium, it significantly increases in PV cardiac tissue. PV myocardium starts to demonstrate RMP instability and proarrhythmic activity from the 14th day of postnatal life which correlates with the appearance of the sympathetic innervation of the thoracic veins. In addition, postnatal attenuation of SVC myocardium automaticity occurs concomitantly with sympathetic innervation establishment and increase in β1‐ARs, but not α1A‐AR levels. Our results support the contention that SVC and PV myocardium electrophysiology change during postnatal development, resulting in higher PV proarrhythmicity in adults.
Biased ligands at opioid receptors: Current status and future directions
Authors: Che Tao , Dwivedi-Agnihotri Hemlata , Shukla Arun K. , Roth Bryan L.
Published: April 2021

Ongoing efforts to identify and characterize biased ligands for opioid receptors are discussed.
ARC unleashes elastase
Authors: VanHook Annalisa M.
Published: April 2021

An antiapoptotic cytoplasmic protein becomes a proapoptotic nuclear protein in diabetes.
Azole Susceptibility Profiles of More than 9,000 Clinical Yeast Isolates Belonging to 40 Common and Rare Species
Authors: Desnos-Ollivier Marie , Lortholary Olivier , Bretagne Stéphane , Dromer Françoise
Published: April 2021

Invasive yeast infections represent a major global public health issue, and only few antifungal agents are available. Azoles are one of the classes of antifungals used for treatment of invasive candidiasis. The determination of antifungal susceptibility profiles using standardized methods is important to identify resistant isolates and to uncover the potential emergence of intrinsically resistant species.
Global Diversity and Biogeography of theZostera marinaMycobiome
Authors: Ettinger Cassandra L. , Vann Laura E. , Eisen Jonathan A.
Published: April 2021

Fungi have important functional roles when associated with land plants, yet very little is known about the roles of fungi associated with marine plants, like seagrasses. In this study, we report the results of a global effort to characterize the fungi associated with the seagrassZostera marinaacross its full biogeographic range.
Viral Respiratory Pathogens and Lung Injury
Authors: Clementi Nicola , Ghosh Sreya , De Santis Maria , Castelli Matteo , Criscuolo Elena , Zanoni Ivan , Clementi Massimo , Mancini Nicasio
Published: April 2021

Several viruses target the human respiratory tract, causing different clinical manifestations spanning from mild upper airway involvement to life-threatening acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). As dramatically evident in the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the clinical picture is not always easily predictable due to the combined effect of direct viral and indirect patient-specific immune-mediated damage.
Development of a Genetically Stable Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine Strain Using an Engineered High-Fidelity Viral Polymerase
Authors: Mori Kotaro , Ohniwa Ryosuke L. , Takizawa Naoki , Naito Tadasuke , Saito Mineki
Published: April 2021

The LAIV currently in use is prescribed for actively immunizing individuals aged 2 to 49 years. However, it is not approved for infants and elderly individuals, who actually need it the most, because it might prolong virus propagation and cause an apparent infection in these individuals, due to their weak immune systems.
mSphere of Influence: Of Mice, Men, and Microbes—How Well Do Experimental Models Recapitulate Human Infection?
Authors: Armbruster Chelsie E.
Published: April 2021

Chelsie Armbruster studies catheter-associated urinary tract infection and the contribution of microbe-microbe interactions to infection progression and severity. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how two papers, A.
Expanding the Known Repertoire of C-Type Lectin Receptors Binding to Toxoplasma gondii Oocysts Using a Modified High-Resolution Immunofluorescence Assay
Authors: Fabian Benedikt T. , Lepenies Bernd , Schares Gereon , Dubey Jitender P. , Spano Furio , Seeber Frank
Published: April 2021

Knowledge of oocyst biology of
Toxoplasma gondii
is limited, not the least due to its limited availability. We describe a method that allowed us to process minute amounts of oocysts for immunofluorescence microscopy without compromising their structural properties.
Targeted Manipulation of Abundant and Rare Taxa in the
Daphnia magna
Microbiota with Antibiotics Impacts Host Fitness Differentially
Authors: Cooper Reilly O. , Vavra Janna M. , Cressler Clayton E.
Published: April 2021

Understanding the contributions of rare and abundant taxa to host fitness is an outstanding question in host microbial ecology. In this study, we use the model zooplankton
Daphnia magna
and its relatively simple cohort of bacterial taxa to disentangle the roles of distinct taxa in host life history metrics, using a suite of antibiotics to selectively reduce the abundance of functionally important taxa.
Domestic microwave assisted one-step co-precipitation of Ag–CuO nanocomposite of Cu/Ag ratio optimized for photocatalysis and comparison with blending CuO with Ag nanoparticles
Authors: Emara Mahmoud Mohamed , Ahmed Shaimaa Khamis , El-Dissouky Ali
Published: April 2021

The Ag–CuO metal–semiconductor nanocomposite (NC) is an important component in various nanomaterial-based applications. Several approaches have been studied to facilitate its synthesis. However, most of them encounter some drawbacks. In the present work, we show the synthesis of Ag–CuO NCs through one-pot co-precipitation with the aid of simple starting chemicals and measures including metal nitrates, hexamine, agar, and domestic microwave heating. Photocatalyzed degradation of Congo Red in addition to the structural and optical characteristics show that this method is successful in production of the Schottky barrier in Ag–CuO NCs with improved photocatalytic activity (PCA). Changing the Cu content shows that the NC is not successfully formed at low Cu mol%. Consequently, the PCA of Ag–CuO of low Cu (2%–6%) lies within 4.5 × 10−4 – 5.1 × 10−4 min−1, which is even lower than those of plain Ag and CuO nanoparticles (6.0 × 10−4 – 8.1 × 10−4 min−1, respectively). 60 mol% was the optimum Cu content with the highest PCA (18.8 × 10−4 min−1). Blending plain Ag and CuO nanoparticles to mimic the co-precipitated 60 mol% Ag–CuO showed very low PCA, even lower than the plain Ag and CuO, which once again confirms the efficiency of the simple one-pot co-precipitation approach in producing Ag–CuO with the Schottky barrier and promoted PCA.
Combining high-resolution remotely sensed data with local and Indigenous Knowledge to model the landscape suitability of culturally modified trees: biocultural stewardship in Kitasoo/Xai’xais Territory
Authors: DeRoy Bryant C. , Brown Vernon , Service Christina N. , Leclerc Martin , Bone Christopher , McKechnie Iain , Darimont Chris T.
Published: April 2021

Environmental management and monitoring must reconcile social and cultural objectives with biodiversity stewardship to overcome political barriers to conservation. Suitability modelling offers a powerful tool for such “biocultural” approaches, but examples remain rare. Led by the Stewardship Authority of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation in coastal British Columbia, Canada, we developed a locally informed suitability model for a key biocultural indicator, culturally modified trees (CMTs). CMTs are trees bearing evidence of past cultural use that are valued as tangible markers of Indigenous heritage and protected under provincial law. Using a spatial multi-criteria evaluation framework to predict CMT suitability, we developed two cultural predictor variables informed by Kitasoo/Xai’xais cultural expertise and ethnographic data in addition to six biophysical variables derived from LiDAR and photo interpretation data. Both cultural predictor variables were highly influential in our model, revealing that proximity to known habitation sites and accessibility to harvesters (by canoe and foot) more strongly influenced suitability for CMTs compared with site-level conditions. Applying our model to commercial forestry governance, we found that high CMT suitability areas are 51% greater inside the timber harvesting land base than outside. This work highlights how locally led suitability modelling can improve the social and evidentiary dimensions of environmental management.
Parallel Execution of Programs as a Support for Mutation Testing: A Replication Study
Authors: Delamaro Márcio E. , Andrade Stevão A. , de Souza Simone R. S. , de Souza Paulo S. L.
Published: April 2021

Mutation testing is well known as one of the most effective approaches to create test cases, which can detect software faults. However, its drawback is the low scalability — if no special attention is given to improve efficiency — that directly affects its application in practice. This paper shows a replication study focused on emphasizing evidence in which the use of distributed processing structures can improve mutation testing. For this purpose, an architecture that enables mutation testing concurrent execution was designed. Five load balancing algorithms responsible for controlling the distribution and execution of data while carrying out mutation testing were evaluated. Experiments were conducted in order to evaluate the scalability and performance of the architecture considering homogeneous and heterogeneous setups. A time reduction of 50% was observed when executing mutants in parallel in relation to the conventional sequential application of mutation testing. The performance gain was above 95% when there was a higher number of nodes in the distributed architecture.
iMER-FM: Iterative Process of System Feature Model Extraction from the Requirements
Authors: Javed Muhammad , Lin Yuqing
Published: April 2021

Software product line engineering (SPLE) is a paradigm to promote systematic software reuse. A Feature Model (FM) is a common means to illustrate the commonality and variability of software products in a family. In most existing FM extraction approaches, keywords in the requirement document or certain types of system behavior or external events are considered features. The resulting FM is a combination of user activities and system actions (SAs), making it hard to understand. In this paper, we present an automatic approach to generate a product line FM from multiple requirement documents. We consider user activity and SAs separately in our approach and focus on the expected behaviors of the software system, together with the data being processed. The resulting FM clearly illustrates the expected functionalities of the software system and their variability in the product line. We also compared our approach with existing techniques by processing the same textual documents, and noted improvements in our results.
A Hybrid Recommender System Using KNN and Clustering
Authors: Fan Hao , Wu Kaijun , Parvin Hamid , Beigi Akram , Pho Kim-Hung
Published: April 2021

Recommender Systems ([Formula: see text]) are known in the E-Commerce ([Formula: see text]) field. They are expected to suggest the accurate goods/musics/films/items to the consumers/clients/people/users. Recent Hybrid [Formula: see text]s ([Formula: see text] have made us able to deal with the most important shortages of traditional Content-based F iltering ([Formula: see text]) and Collaborative Filtering ([Formula: see text]). Cold start, scalability and sparsity are the most important challenges to [Formula: see text] recommender systems ([Formula: see text]). [Formula: see text]s combine [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. While the [Formula: see text]s that are based on memory have high accuracy, they are not scalable. Contrarily, the RSs on the basis of models have low accuracy but high scalability. Thus, aiming at dealing with cold start, scalability and sparsity challenges, [Formula: see text] is proposed to use both methods and also it has been evaluated on a real benchmark. An ontology, which is automatically created by an intelligently collected wordnet, has been employed in [Formula: see text] segment of the proposed [Formula: see text]. It has been automatically created and enhanced by an additional process. The functionality of the recommended framework has been superior to the performance of the state-of-the-art methods and the traditional [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] embedded in our method. Using a real dataset as a benchmark, the experimentations indicate that the proposed method not only has better performance but also has more efficacy rather than the state-of-the-art methods.
Stretch Sensor-Based Facial Expression Recognition and Classification Using Machine Learning
Authors: Masum Refat Chowdhury Mohammad , Zainul Azlan Norsinnira
Published: April 2021

Sensor-based Facial expression recognition (FER) is an attractive research topic. Nowadays, FER is used for different application such as smart environments and healthcare solutions. The machine can learn human emotion by using FER technology. It is the primary and essential for quantitative analysis of human sentiments. FER is an image recognition problem within the broader field of computer vision. Face detection and tracking, reliable face recognition still present a considerable challenge for researchers in computer vision and pattern recognition. First, data processing and analytics are intensive and require a large number of computation resources and memory. Second, the fundamental technical limitation is its robustness in changes in the environment. Finally, illumination variation further complicates the design of robust algorithms because of changes in shadow casts. However, sensor-based FER overcomes all these limitations. Sensor technologies, especially low-power, wireless communication, high-capacity, and data processing have made substantial progress, making it possible for sensors to evolve from low-level data collection and transmission to high-level inference. This study aims to develop a stretchable sensor-based FER system. We use random forest machine learning algorithms used for training the FER model. Commercial stretchable facial expression dataset is simulated into the anaconda software. In this research, our stretch sensor FER dataset obtained around 95% accuracy for four different emotions (Neutral, Happy, Sad, and Disgust).
Mechanical Analysis and Experimental Research on Ultrasonic Levitated Conical Rotor Piezoelectric Actuator
Authors: Wang Junshan , Jian Lei , Qiang Lusheng , She Chongmin
Published: April 2021

This work presents a novel conical rotor non-contact piezoelectric actuator based on the principle of near-field acoustic levitation. The conical rotor is levitated and driven by a single stator, while generating two orthogonal standing waves and superimposing a travelling wave vibration on the stator. A frequency sensitivity analysis is conducted for the stator structural parameters, based on a dynamics calculation. An acoustic field simulation is conducted and the sound pressure distribution is obtained. The acoustic radiation force is calculated at different voltages and frequencies. A prototype is fabricated, and the vibration characteristics are experimentally obtained. A test system is built for the actuator, and the conical rotor successfully achieves levitation and rotation. The levitation height and rotation speed of the 3.37[Formula: see text]g rotor are 0.4[Formula: see text]mm and 2300[Formula: see text]r/min, respectively. The acoustic simulations are validated experimentally and show reasonable agreement.
A Micromechanics Analysis for Creep of Powder Metallurgy Aluminum Alloys with Continuous Precipitation
Authors: Xu Binbin , Lei Ting , Guo Fenglin
Published: April 2021

In this study, a micromechanics framework considering both interface diffusion and matrix creep is proposed to analyze the creep behavior of PM alloys. Based on the mean-field micromechanics theory, the creep strain rate induced by interface diffusion in the particulate composite under uniaxial loading is derived. The creep strain is introduced as an eigenstrain into the inclusion, whose rate is expressed in the tensor-form with three non-zero components and naturally satisfies incompressibility. An incremental analysis procedure is employed to model the creep behavior of particulate composites. The aluminum alloy is treated as a composite material, with precipitated particles as the reinforcements. We then adopt the proposed micromechanics approach to study the creep behavior of the powder metallurgy aluminum alloy with continuous precipitation, accounting for both the creep of matrix and the creep induced by interfacial diffusion along the precipitate/matrix interface. The predicted creep curves agree well with experimental results and the explanation for the creep phenomenon has never been proposed before. We have also derived the minimum or steady-state creep rate of the alloy by the micromechanics approach, which turns out to be similar to the expression of improved power-law creep with a threshold stress.
Thermomechanical Waves in an Axisymmetric Rotating Disk Using Refined Green–Naghdi Models
Authors: Kutbi Marwan A. , Zenkour Ashraf M.
Published: April 2021

In this paper, four thermoelasticity models are applied to investigate the thermo-mechanical waves in an axisymmetric rotating disk. For this purpose, some modifications of Green and Naghdi’s generalized thermoelasticity theory have been made. These novel dual- and triple-phase-lag models are presented. The closed-form solution governing equations of thermomechanical waves in the rotating disk has been presented. Some validation results are tabulated to compare the simple and refined dual- and triple-phase lag models based upon the Green–Naghdi theory. The effects of dimensionless time and angular speed on all variables are investigated. The validity of results is acceptable and benchmark results are tabulated to aid other researchers in their upcoming comparisons.
Contact Area-Based Modeling of Robotic Grasps Using Deformable Solid Mechanics
Authors: Dharbaneshwer S. J. , Thondiyath Asokan
Published: April 2021

In robotic grasp analysis, contact between an object and a hand is described using point contact models and soft contact models. Although soft contact models estimate both contact area and contact force for grasp analysis, most of the approaches use point contact models to analyze the stability of grasp because of the simplicity involved in computation and modeling. However, grasps suggested by these approaches are not intuitive to execute with and often fail in experiments. Since the hand–object interface is modeled using points, their physical characteristics are not taken into account in the analysis, thereby resulting in failed grasps. In this work, the contact models related to robotic grasping are briefly reviewed, and the discrepancies present in them are identified from a solid mechanics standpoint. Using the constitutive equations available in solid mechanics, these contact models are then reformulated based on contact areas for both deformable hard as well as soft fingertips. By performing Finite Element (FE) simulations of the contact situation considered, the contact models are validated. The proposed models are validated using robotic grasp experiments as well.