bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Air‐Conducted and Bone‐Conducted Speeches Combination for Noise‐Robust Pitch Extraction
Authors: Zhang Shiming , Sugiura Yosuke , Yasui Nozomiko , Shimamura Tetsuya
Published: March 2022

In this paper, we present a noise‐robust pitch extraction method in which air‐conducted (AC) speech and bone‐conducted (BC) speech are utilized simultaneously as the input signals. Due to noise independency in both the input signals and noise suppression effect in BC speech, peak characteristics created in different functions are significantly enhanced so that accurate pitch extraction is achieved even in highly noisy environments. Experimental results show a superior performance of the proposed method relative to the state‐of‐the art method in several types of noises. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Unexpected hyperkalaemia in an anaesthetised calf undergoing umbilical fistula resection
Authors: Gonzalez Gomez Ana , Auckburally Adam , Bettschart‐Wolfensberger Regula
Published: March 2022

Development of unanticipated intraoperative hyperkalaemia in otherwise healthy veterinary patients is an uncommon phenomenon that has gained attention over recent years. Previous reports describe this complication as progressive over time, with greyhounds and wild felids under general anaesthesia being predisposed.

This case report describes for first time, the development of acute unanticipated hyperkalaemia in a 9‐month‐old calf undergoing anaesthesia for umbilical fistula resection. Despite an acute increase of serum potassium concentration, no electrocardiographic abnormalities were observed at the time of diagnosis; possible causes and treatment are discussed. This case highlights that hyperkalaemia can develop unexpectedly in anaesthetised ruminants.
Challenges and Opportunities for Open, Distance, and Digital Education in the Global South
Authors: Mays Tony
Published: March 2022

This chapter explores some of the challenges and opportunities for expansion of open, distance, and digital education in the global south. The discussion begins by defining the terms as used in the chapter and explains why such approaches are of relevance to the diverse countries involved. The chapter then provides some current examples of open, distance, and digital education provision and how some of these practices have been adapted in response to external factors such as climate, financial, and pandemic crises. The chapter then discusses the challenges and opportunities indicated both by current practice and by current research into issues such as open pedagogy, technology-enabled learning, and educational financing. The chapter then makes an argument for the development of more resilient, future-directed education provision, drawing heavily on the experience of the Commonwealth of Learning in its efforts to support sustainable development through learning.
Charakterisierung von Sonnenschutzleistung: Quo vadis?
Authors: Osterwalder Uli , Surber Christian
Published: March 2022

Die Aufgabe der ersten Sonnenschutzmittel war es, die Entstehung von Sonnenbrand zu verhindern und, dem Zeitgeist der 1950/60er-Jahre folgend, die Bräunung der Haut nicht zu beeinträchtigen. Schnell entstand die Notwendigkeit, die Schutzleistung zu quantifizieren. Ursprünglich unter Zuhilfenahme des natürlichen – heute eines künstlichen – Sonnenlichts wurde eine Methode zur Bestimmung eines Sonnenschutzfaktor (SPF) entwickelt. Dieser ist heute formal als das Verhältnis zwischen minimaler erythemwirksamer UV-Dosis auf mit Sonnenschutzmittel geschützter und minimaler erythemwirksamer UV-Dosis auf ungeschützter Haut definiert (ISO 24444:2019). Drei Beobachtungen stellen die Eignung der Methode infrage: 1) Zwischen-Labor-Variabilität: Trotz strenger Normierung sind Resultate von SPF-Bestimmungen aus verschiedenen Labors und Regionen sehr großen Schwankungen unterworfen. 2) Natürliches vs. künstliches Sonnenlicht: Das Strahlungsspektrum des künstlichen Sonnenlichts unterscheidet sich von dem des natürlichen Sonnenlichts. Die mit künstlichem Sonnenlicht bestimmten SPFs (wie auf allen derzeit im Handel befindlichen Sonnenschutzmitteln abgebildet) sind im Vergleich zur SPF-Bestimmung mit natürlichem Sonnenlicht deutlich zu hoch. 3) Erythembelastung: Bei der Bestimmung des SPF werden die Probanden potenziell schädlicher Strahlung ausgesetzt. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden alternative Methoden – In-vitro-SPF, hybride diffuse Reflexionsspektroskopie (HDRS) und In-silico-Berechnungen – vorgestellt. Diese haben das Potenzial, die heutige mit erheblichen Einschränkungen verbundene Methode abzulösen. Als Sofortmaßnahme wird die Rückbesinnung auf die für alle verständliche Beschreibung niedriger, mittlerer, hoher und sehr hoher Schutz empfohlen, in Zukunft unter Berücksichtigung des Spektrums des natürlichen Sonnenlichtes.
The psychological impact of COVID-19 on Chinese healthcare workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Xiong Nana , Fritzsche Kurt , Pan Yiqi , Löhlein Johanna , Leonhart Rainer
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This study aimed at investigating five dimensions of the psychological impact (post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance or profession-related burnout) of COVID-19 on healthcare workers (HCW) in China.

Methods

Studies that evaluated at least one of the five target dimensions of the psychological impact of COVID-19 on HCW in China were included. Studies with no data of our interest were excluded. Relevant Databases were searched from inception up to June 10, 2020. Preprint articles were also included. The methodological quality was assessed using the checklist recommended by AHRQ. Both the rate of prevalence and the severity of symptoms were pooled. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020197126) on July 09, 2020.

Results

We included 44 studies with a total of 65,706 HCW participants. Pooled prevalence rates of moderate to severe PTSS, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances were 27% (95% CI 16%-38%), 17% (13–21%), 15% (13–16%), and 15% (7–23%), respectively; while the prevalence of mild to severe level of PTSS, anxiety, and depression was estimated as 31% (25–37%), 37% (32–42%) and 39% (25–52%). Due to the lack of data, no analysis of profession-related burnout was pooled. Subgroup analyses indicated higher prevalence of moderate to severe psychological impact in frontline HCW, female HCW, nurses, and HCW in Wuhan.

Conclusion

About a third of HCW in China showed at least one dimension of psychological symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas the prevalence of moderate and severe syndromes was relatively low. Studies on profession-related burnout, long-term impact, and the post-stress growth are still needed.
LeiP#netz 2.0: mapping COVID-19-related changes in mental health services in the German city of Leipzig
Authors: Duden Gesa Solveig , Gersdorf Stefanie , Trautmann Kai , Steinhart Ingmar , Riedel-Heller Steffi , Stengler Katarina
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to investigate the changes in psychosocial and psychiatric services in the German city of Leipzig during the COVID-19-pandemic.

Methods

A participatory, mixed-methods study was used involving a quantitative online survey and qualitative semi-structured interviews with professionals. Quantitative findings were reported with descriptive statistics, and thematic analysis was conducted for qualitative data.

Results

Fifty professionals from various mental health services participated in the survey and eleven professionals were interviewed. Quantitative findings showed that some services were closed intermittently and that there was a stiff increase in use of digital/telephonic service and a decrease in face-to-face services. Staff or funding did not change considerably during the pandemic. Psychosocial groups were suspended or reduced, while access to services became more difficult and professional training for staff was stopped. Thematic analysis of the interviews showed that professionals experienced different phases and levels of change during the pandemic, including changes on a structural level, on the users’ level, and on the staff’ level. Professionals particularly criticised the equivocality of COVID-19 regulations, a defective flow of information and lack of attention for mental healthcare in public policies. They also saw positive aspects, such as the capacity of users and the outpatient care system to adapt to the new situation.

Conclusion

This study suggests directions for policy and service development, such as communicating clearly in infection-control measures, fostering outpatient care and networks between services.
Geometric cycles and bounded cohomology for a cocompact lattice in $${{\,\mathrm{SL}\,}}_n(\mathbb R)$$
Authors: Wang Shi
Published: March 2022

We show there exists a closed locally symmetric manifold M modeled on $${{\,\mathrm{SL}\,}}_n(\mathbb R)/{{\,\mathrm{SO}\,}}(n)$$

SL

n

(
R
)

/

SO

(
n
)

, and a non-trivial homology class in degree $$\dim (M)-{{\,\mathrm{rank}\,}}(M)$$

dim
(
M
)
-

rank

(
M
)

represented by a totally geodesic submanifold that contains a circle factor. As a result, the comparison map $$c^k:H_b^k(M,\mathbb R)\rightarrow H^k(M,\mathbb R)$$

c
k

:

H
b
k

(
M
,
R
)

→

H
k

(
M
,
R
)

is not surjective in degree $$k=\dim (M)-{{\,\mathrm{rank}\,}}(M)$$

k
=
dim
(
M
)
-

rank

(
M
)

. This provides a counterpart to a result of Lafont and Wang (J Eur Math Soc (JEMS) 21(2):381–403, 2019) which states that $$c^k$$

c
k

is always surjective in degree $$k\ge \dim (M)-{{\,\mathrm{rank}\,}}(M)+2$$

k
≥
dim
(
M
)
-

rank

(
M
)
+
2

.
Quantification of tocochromanols in vitamin E dietary supplements by instrumental thin-layer chromatography
Authors: Kröpfl Alexander , Schweizer Sina , Vetter Walter
Published: March 2022

A variety of vitamin E dietary supplement capsules (DSC) based on different natural oils or synthesis products are currently found on the market whose vitamin contents need to be controlled before and after marketing. Here, we present an instrumental thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method which allows a direct determination of all tocopherols (T) and tocotrienols (T3) as well as α-tocopherol acetate simultaneously in one run with short analysis time. For this purpose, contents of the DSC were extracted, applied on silica gel 60 plates, and developed with n-hexane/ethyl acetate/acetic acid, 90:10:2 (v/v/v) as mobile phase. The UV scan of the plate at 293 nm was used for quantification based on the peak height. Following the scan, the plate was treated with 10% sulphuric acid in methanol which led to characteristic yellow-to-brown colouring of the tocochromanol spots which allowed to distinguish tocochromanols from matrix components with similar Rf values. In most cases, determined vitamin E contents matched well with the information listed on the label of the investigated DSC samples. The method is fast, easy to perform and gently treats the analytes as it requires no thermal treatment prior to quantification, which makes it suitable as a screening method.
Brain herniation (encephalocele) into arachnoid granulations: prevalence and association with pulsatile tinnitus and idiopathic intracranial hypertension
Authors: Smith Eric R. , Caton M. Travis , Villanueva-Meyer Javier E. , Remer Justin , Eisenmenger Laura B. , Baker Amanda , Shah Vinil N. , Tu-Chan Adelyn , Meisel Karl , Amans Matthew R.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Brain herniation into arachnoid granulations (BHAG) of the dural venous sinuses is a recently described finding of uncertain etiology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of BHAG in a cohort of patients with pulsatile tinnitus (PT) and to clarify the physiologic and clinical implications of these lesions.

Methods

The imaging and charts of consecutive PT patients were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were examined with MRI including pre- and post-contrast T1- and T2-weighted sequences. Images were reviewed separately by three blinded neuroradiologists to identify the presence of BHAG. Their location, signal intensity, size, presence of arachnoid granulation, and associated dural venous sinus stenosis were documented. Clinical records were further reviewed for idiopathic intracranial hypertension, history of prior lumbar puncture, and opening pressure.

Results

Two hundred sixty-two consecutive PT patients over a 4-year period met inclusion criteria. PT patients with BHAG were significantly more likely to have idiopathic intracranial hypertension than PT patients without BHAG (OR 4.2, CI 1.5–12, p = 0.006). Sixteen out of 262 (6%) patients were found to have 18 BHAG. Eleven out of 16 (69%) patients had unilateral temporal or occipital lobe herniations located in the transverse sinus or the transverse-sigmoid junction. Three out of 16 (19%) patients had unilateral cerebellar herniations and 2/16 (13%) patients had bilateral BHAG.

Conclusion

In patients with PT, BHAG is a prevalent MRI finding that is strongly associated with the clinical diagnosis of IIH. The pathogenesis of BHAG remains uncertain, but recognition should prompt comprehensive evaluation for IIH.
Behavioral Variables to Assess the Toxicity of Unionized Ammonia in Aquatic Snails: Integrating Movement and Feeding Parameters
Authors: Alonso Álvaro , Gómez-de-Prado Gloria , Romero-Blanco Alberto
Published: March 2022

Behavioral endpoints are important parameters to assess the effects of toxicants on aquatic animals. These endpoints are useful in ecotoxicology because several toxicants modify the animal behavior, which may cause adverse effects at higher levels of ecological organization. However, for the development of new bioassays and for including the behavior in ecotoxicological risk assessment, the comparison of sensitivity between different behavioral endpoints is necessary. Additionally, some toxicants remain in aquatic environments for a few hours or days, which may lead to animal recovery after toxicant exposure. Our study aimed to assess the effect of unionized ammonia on the movement and feeding behaviors of the aquatic gastropod Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Tateidae, Mollusca) and its recovery after exposure. Four treatments were used: a control and three nominal concentrations of unionized ammonia (0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg N-NH3/L). Each treatment was replicated eight times, with six animals in each replicate. Animals were exposed to unionized ammonia for 48 h (exposure period) and, subsequently, to control water for 144 h (post-exposure period). Two movement variables were monitored without food and five feeding behavioral variables were monitored in the presence of food. Some of the feeding behavioral variables showed higher sensitivity (LOEC = 0.25–0.5 mg N-NH3/L) than the movement behavior variables monitored without food (LOEC = 1 mg N-NH3/L). After exposure to unionized ammonia, animals showed a recovery of most behavioral endpoints. The inclusion of post-exposure period and feeding behaviors in bioassays may make studies more realistic, which is crucial for a proper ecotoxicological risk assessment.
Feasibility of [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT for detection of nodal and hematogenous spread in high-grade urothelial carcinoma
Authors: Unterrainer Lena M. , Lindner Simon , Eismann Lennert , Casuscelli Jozefina , Gildehaus Franz-Josef , Bui Vinh Ngoc , Albert Nathalie L. , Holzgreve Adrien , Beyer Leonie , Todica Andrei , Brendel Matthias , Cyran Clemens C. , Karl Alexander , Stief Christian G. , Ledderose Stephan T. , Unterrainer Marcus , Bartenstein Peter , Wenter Vera , Kretschmer Alexander
Published: March 2022

Background

[68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 is a novel positron emission tomography (PET) ligand that targets fibroblast activation protein (FAP) expression as FAP inhibitor (FAPI) and could already show promising results in several tumor entities. It could be demonstrated that an increased FAP expression correlates with tumor aggressivity in urothelial carcinoma (UC). Given the limited value of [18F]FDG in UC, [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 could add diagnostic information in staging and response assessment in UC. We present the first data of [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET imaging in a pilot cohort of UC patients evaluating uptake characteristics in metastases and primary tumors.

Methods

Fifteen patients with UC prior to or after local treatment underwent [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT imaging for detection of metastatic spread. We compared the biodistribution in non-affected organs and tumor uptake of UC lesions by standard uptake value measurements (SUVmean and SUVmax). Additionally, metastatic sites on PET were compared to its morphological correlate on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT).

Results

Overall, 64 tumor sites were detected on PET and/or CT. The highest uptake intensity was noted at the primary site (SUVmax 20.8 (range, 8.1–27.8)) followed by lymph node metastases (SUVmax 10.6 (range, 4.7–29.1)).

In 4/15 (26.7%) patients there were [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46-positive lesions that were missed on standard routine CT imaging. On the other hand, 2/15 patients had suspicious prominent bipulmonary nodules as well as pelvic lymph nodes previously rated as suspicious for metastatic spread on CT, but without increased FAPI expression; here histopathology excluded malignancy.

Conclusion

[68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET shows distinctly elevated uptake in UC lesions. Therefore, the tracer has potential as a promising new biomarker in metastatic UC patients, as [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET might improve detection of metastatic sites compared to CT alone. These findings highly emphasize larger studies investigating FAPI imaging in UC patients.
Body Self-Perception After Breast Reconstruction in Young Female Patients Affected by Poland Syndrome
Authors: Baldelli Ilaria , Zena Monica , Vappiani Monica , Berrino Valeria , Bruzzone Marco , Mangialardi Maria Lucia , Raposio Edoardo
Published: March 2022

Background

Cosmetic and social aspects of breast anomalies in Poland syndrome are not negligible. Early diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic timing may have a positive impact on quality of life.

Methods

Females affected by Poland syndrome, who had breast reconstruction between 2014 and 2018, were asked to complete the Body Uneasiness Test and the postoperative Breast-Q. Correlation between scores was evaluated. Correlation between scores was statistically evaluated.

Results

Thirty patients who had completed breast reconstruction at 20.9 ± 6.5 yo fulfilled the questionnaires at the average age of 26.5 ± 8.1 yo. BUT scores were similar to healthy population considering different age groups, with the exception of Compulsive Self-Monitoring subscale for 16–17-year age group. A correlation between Depersonalization and “Thighs” and “Legs” was present. On average, satisfaction with breast resulted 79.1%, satisfaction with surgical outcome was 94.9%, psychosocial well-being was 78.5%, sexual well-being was 75.3%, and relative physical well-being in chest and upper body was 36.9%. Global Uneasiness, Avoidance, Weight Phobia, Body Image Concern and Depersonalization were significantly correlated with lower psychosocial well-being. Avoidance was significantly correlated with lower sexual well-being.

Conclusions

Breast reconstruction in Poland syndrome can help to improve quality of life. However, general body uneasiness can affect satisfaction with the final result.

Level of Evidence IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors http://www.springer.com/00266.
Assessing the Impact of Primary Tumour Location on Survival After Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Propensity Weighted Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Borakati Aditya , Froghi Farid , Shetye Alysha , Fusai Giuseppe K. , Davidson Brian R. , Mirnezami Reza
Published: March 2022

Background

Right‐sided colonic tumours appear to have poorer survival after resection of colorectal liver metastases, although this may be confounded by various factors including advanced stage and emergency presentation.

Methods

Medical records of consecutive patients undergoing resection of colorectal liver metastases at a single centre from 2008 to 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Cases were categorised by primary tumour location (right colon, left colon, rectum). Each primary location was weighted using propensity scores to balance covariates, including staging and mode of presentation. Cox regression was then applied to derive multivariable hazard ratios (HR) of survival after liver resection. Primary outcomes were 10‐year overall survival (OS) and 5‐year disease‐free survival (DFS) after liver resection based on PTL.

Results

414 patients were included in the analysis. Left colonic tumours were significantly associated with higher rates of bilobar liver metastasis (36.2% vs. 20.1% and 30.1%) and larger maximum size of liver metastases compared with rectal and right‐sided tumours, respectively. There was no difference in rates of extra‐hepatic metastases, recurrence in the liver after resection or RAS, BRAF or p53 mutational status. After propensity weighting and Cox‐regression, right‐sided tumours were independently associated with significantly reduced 10 year OS (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.03–2.36, p = 0.04) but not 5 year DFS (HR 1.36, 95% CI 0.89–2.08, p = 0.15).

Conclusions

Compared with left colonic and rectal tumours, right‐sided colonic tumours are independently associated with inferior OS after resection of CRLM. This is despite higher rates of bilobar liver metastases and larger metastases with left‐sided tumours.
Rotational pasture management to increase the sustainability of mountain livestock farms in the Alpine region
Authors: Baronti Silvia , Ungaro Fabrizio , Maienza Anita , Ugolini Francesca , Lagomarsino Alessandra , Agnelli Alessandro Elio , Calzolari Costanza , Pisseri Francesca , Robbiati Giorgia , Vaccari Francesco Primo
Published: March 2022

Over the past 30 years, farming in the Alpine region has undergone important changes: the average number of animals per farm and the use of external inputs have increased while the diversity of farming practices has decreased, becoming similar to intensive farming. This change has led to a reduction in the supply of agroecosystem services and the sustainability of the mountain livestock sector. In this study, we investigated rotational grazing as alternative to continuous grazing to improve the sustainability of mountain farming practices. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide were measured together with soil properties (bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, organic carbon content and plant biomass) for two grazing seasons using static chambers. The results showed that rotational grazing had a positive impact on plant biomass: minimize soil disturbance, reduce compaction and GHG emissions of the soil and increase water infiltration. Therefore, this practice has revealed clear benefits in terms of soil protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Too expensive to keep — bidding farewell to an iconic mountain glacier?
Authors: Abermann Jakob , Theurl Manuel , Frei Elisabeth , Hynek Bernhard , Schöner Wolfgang , Steininger Karl W.
Published: March 2022

Humans currently perceive glaciers as icons of a pristine high mountain landscape. Glaciers attract millions of visitors every year and add to building Alpine identity, but also provide ecosystem services. Using Austria’s largest glacier as an example, we show that abundant water availability would allow artificial management to conserve the glacier under ongoing climate change, although costs in the order of €108 per year exceed threefold related total visitor tourism revenues. While we present a theoretical experiment that due to economic reasons most likely never will be realized, we quantify (un-)feasibility and discuss potential environmental constraints.
The nucleolus and inheritance of properties in communication situations
Authors: Schouten J. , Dietzenbacher B. , Borm P.
Published: March 2022

This paper studies the nucleolus of graph-restricted games as an alternative for the Shapley value to evaluate communication situations. We focus on the inheritance of properties of cooperative games related to the nucleolus: strong compromise admissibility and compromise stability. These two properties allow for a direct, closed formula for the nucleolus. We characterize the families of graphs for which the graph-restricted games inherit these properties from the underlying games. Moreover, for each of these two properties, we characterize the family of graphs for which the nucleolus is invariant
How can we make born-digital and digitised archives more accessible? Identifying obstacles and solutions
Authors: Jaillant Lise
Published: March 2022

Access to data is seen as a key priority today. Yet, the vast majority of digital cultural data preserved in archives is inaccessible due to privacy, copyright or technical issues. Emails and other born-digital collections are often uncatalogued, unfindable and unusable. In the case of documents that originated in paper format before being digitised, copyright can be a major obstacle to access. To solve the problem of access to digital archives, cross-disciplinary collaborations are absolutely essential. The big challenges of our time—from global warming to social inequalities—cannot be solved within a single discipline. The same applies to the challenge of “dark” archives closed to users. We cannot expect archivists or digital humanists to find a magical solution that will instantly make digital records more accessible. Instead, we need to set up collaborations across disciplines that seldom talk to each other. Based on 21 interviews with 26 archivists, librarians and other professionals in cultural institutions, we identify key obstacles to making digitised and born-digital collections more accessible to users. We outline current levels of access to a wide range of collections in various cultural organisations, including no access at all and limited access (for example, when users are required to travel on-site to consult documents). We suggest possible solutions to the problems of access—including the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence to unlock “dark” archives inaccessible to users. Finally, we propose the creation of a global user community who would participate in decisions on access to digital collections.
Distinguishing liquid ammonia from sodium hydroxide mercerization in cotton textiles
Authors: Manian Avinash P. , Braun Doris E. , Široká Barbora , Bechtold Thomas
Published: March 2022

The question addressed in this paper is whether cotton textiles mercerized with liquid ammonia (L-NH3) can be distinguished from NaOH mercerized cotton textiles with FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. In collaboration with a process-house, cotton textiles were treated with L-NH3, NaOH, neither or both. The treatment conditions were set to mimic commercial-scale operations. The samples were then analyzed with FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, and for comparison, also with powder X-ray diffraction. The analyses were aimed at detecting changes in the cellulose crystal lattice structure that result from the two mercerization processes. The measured spectra and diffractograms were evaluated both visually and with Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and the results show that with FTIR-ATR spectroscopy it was possible to differentiate between the untreated, L-NH3 mercerized and NaOH mercerized textiles, whereas with X-ray diffraction it was difficult to detect differences between the untreated and treated samples. The better performance of FTIR-ATR spectroscopy is attributed to the method being more sensitive to changes on sample surfaces, whereas X-ray diffraction results are more representative of the sample bulk. The samples were treated under conditions mimicking commercial-scale operations, which are optimized to maximize treatment speed. Hence, the mercerization induced changes are likely to be limited to sample surfaces and hence detectable with FTIR-ATR spectroscopy but not with X-ray diffraction. It is reported that Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy, another surface-limited analytical method, may also be employed for detection of mercerization type, but FTIR-ATR spectroscopy has the advantages of ease of operation and the devices are less expensive.
Air quality in post-mining towns: tracking potentially toxic elements using tree leaves
Authors: Monaci Fabrizio , Ancora Stefania , Paoli Luca , Loppi Stefano , Franzaring Jürgen
Published: March 2022

In this study, leaves of the evergreen holm oak Quercus ilex were used to assess airborne contamination of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) at five towns located on the slopes of the Mt. Amiata (central Italy), an area with a long history of mining and, more recently, an important district for the industrial exploitation of geothermal energy. PTE composition and covariance of washed and unwashed Q. ilex leaves of three different ages (6, 12 and 24 month-old) were used to identify atmospheric inputs of PTEs at residential areas, evaluate long-term adsorption and retention of PTEs by the leaves, thus providing an indication of potential human exposure. Moreover, the determination of foliar concentrations of major elements (C, N, S and P) allowed an assessment of the nutritional status of the investigated urban tree stands which excluded the existence of stress condition caused by air pollution or other disturbances. Results indicated that overall Pb, Cu, and Cd concentration were low in the investigated urban sites, if compared with similar studies conducted in larger Italian cities, denoting a low contribution of vehicular traffic to the atmospheric pathway. The five urban settlements were characterized by a specific profile of elements (Al, Ba, Hg and Sb) enriched in unwashed leaves, resulting from the distinct geochemical characteristics of the area and from diffuse (i.e., urban activity) and point sources of PTEs emission (i.e., brownfields, geothermal power plants). The latter sources primarily govern the distribution of Hg, whose contamination was found to be very localized close to a major abandoned mining area. Our data provided quantitative evidence of the spectrum of PTEs potentially impacting resident population and may prove useful in support of follow-up instrumental monitoring campaigns of air quality, as well as for human health and ecological risk assessments.

Graphical abstract
AMAIX In-Depth: A Generic Analytical Model for Deep Learning Accelerators
Authors: Zurstraßen Niko , Jünger Lukas , Kogel Tim , Keding Holger , Leupers Rainer
Published: March 2022

In recent years the growing popularity of Convolutional Neural Network(CNNs) has driven the development of specialized hardware, so called Deep Learning Accelerator (DLAs). The large market for DLAs and the huge amount of papers published on DLA design show that there is currently no one-size-fits-all solution. Depending on the given optimization goals such as power consumption or performance, there may be several optimal solutions for each scenario. A commonly used method for finding these solutions as early as possible in the design cycle, is the employment of analytical models which try to describe a design by simple yet insightful and sufficiently accurate formulas. The main contribution of this work is the generic Analytical Model for AI accelerators (AMAIX) for the estimation of CNN execution time on DLAs. It is based on the popular Roofline model. To show the validity of our approach, AMAIX was applied to the Nvidia Deep Learning Accelerator (NVDLA) as a case study using the AlexNet and LeNet CNNs as workloads. The resulting performance predictions were verified against an RTL emulation of the NVDLA using a Synopsys ZeBu Server-based hybrid prototype. By refining the model following a divide-and-conquer paradigm, AMAIX predicted the inference time of AlexNet and LeNet on the NVDLA with an accuracy 98%. Furthermore, this work shows how to use the obtained results for root-cause analysis and as a starting point for design space exploration.
Quadratic Growth Conditions and Uniqueness of Optimal Solution to Lasso
Authors: Bello-Cruz Yunier , Li Guoyin , Nghia Tran Thai An
Published: March 2022

In the previous paper Bello-Cruz et al. (J Optim Theory Appl 188:378–401, 2021), we showed that the quadratic growth condition plays a key role in obtaining Q-linear convergence of the widely used forward–backward splitting method with Beck–Teboulle’s line search. In this paper, we analyze the property of quadratic growth condition via second-order variational analysis for various structured optimization problems that arise in machine learning and signal processing. This includes, for example, the Poisson linear inverse problem as well as the$$\ell _1$$ℓ1-regularized optimization problems. As a by-product of this approach, we also obtain several full characterizations for the uniqueness of optimal solution to Lasso problem, which complements and extends recent important results in this direction.
The costs of collaborative innovation
Authors: Vivona Roberto , Demircioglu Mehmet Akif , Audretsch David B.
Published: March 2022

Collaborations between actors from different sectors (governments, firms, nonprofit organizations, universities, and other societal groups) have been promoted or mandated with increasing frequency to spur more innovative activities. This article argues that there is an essential gap in evaluating the issues of these collaborative arrangements on innovation and a need to theorize the costs of these arrangements systematically. This article identifies three implicit assumptions in current research that prevent a sound analysis of the costs of collaborative innovation and advances a new cost theory based on the integration of studies from several research fields and explanations provided by three main economic theories: transaction cost economics, game theory, and the knowledge-based view. In particular, four overarching factors are posited to impact the effectiveness of collaboration for innovation:governance(the number of collaborators and the hierarchical relationships among them);compactness(the degree of relationship formality that binds collaborators together);reliability(the quality of the relationships); andinstitutionalization(the extent to which the relationships have been pre-established by practice). We discuss the importance of leveraging these factors to determine an optimal governance structure that allows collaborating actors to minimize transaction, cooperation, and knowledge costs, and to reward participants proportionally to the cost they bear, in order to foster conditions of reciprocity, fair rates of exchange, and distributive justice.
On the tax efficiency of startup firms
Authors: Allen Eric J. , Allen Jeffrey C. , Raghavan Sharat , Solomon David H.
Published: March 2022

We examine the choice of organizational structure for VC-backed startup firms. These firms overwhelmingly organize as C-corporations rather than as tax advantaged limited liability companies (LLCs). This results in foregone tax savings of $43.9 billion, or 4.9% of the total equity invested in the sample firms. The decision is puzzling, given plausible estimates of the direct costs involved, but appears related to “hassle” and other transition costs generated by participants implementing a new form. Firms with more employees and investors are likely to choose the C-corporation. VCs appear to prefer the C-corporation form, as receiving VC money is associated with most LLC firms switching to a C-corporation within 30 days. Greater VC preferences for C-corporations are linked to a preference for familiarity, and less attention to taxes.
Video-Based Action Learning and Research: Increased Transformative Capacity among Team Leaders of a Youth Care Protection Agency
Authors: Bunders Arnout Ernst , de Wit Emma Emily , Dinkgreve Marcus Antonius Henricus Maria , Broerse Jacqueline Elisabeth Willy , Regeer Barbara Johanna
Published: March 2022

Public organizations need to learn and evolve continuously to keep up with emerging complexities. This may require a transformational organizational change, including culture, strategy, structure and working methods for service delivery. The aim of the study is to understand how a video-based reflection method could support an action learning (AL) and action research (AR) process to enhance transformative capacity among a group of team leaders in a changing youth care organization. Sixteen team leaders participated in the video-reflection process. The steps were: (1) all leaders were filmed leading a team meeting; (2) each leader reflected on a peer’s video; and (3) reflections were analyzed, and themes were abstracted. (4) Related to these themes, video fragments were compiled to share with the leaders in Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), where the leaders discussed the videos and formulated key lessons. (5) Key lessons were summarized in a report. Data collection included: video-recordings, evaluation sheets and field notes acquired during the process of video-reflection and seven months later, interviews with team leaders (n = 11) about their learning experiences. This study shows greater transformative capacity in most of the team leaders. Awareness of their work practice, as well as the process of reflexive monitoring during the FGDs, contributed to widening the scope of their reflective reality, and thus their sense of agency in adapting their practices, such as moderating their occasionally controlling behavior, being able to structure the team meetings effectively, and understanding when to use specific leadership roles.
HDNN: a cross-platform MLIR dialect for deep neural networks
Authors: Martínez Pablo Antonio , Bernabé Gregorio , García José Manuel
Published: March 2022

This paper presents HDNN, a proof-of-concept MLIR dialect for cross-platform computing specialized in deep neural networks. As target devices, HDNN supports CPUs, GPUs and TPUs. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive description of the HDNN dialect, outlining how this novel approach aims to solve the $$P^3$$

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3

problem of parallel programming (portability, productivity, and performance). An HDNN program is device-agnostic, i.e., only the device specifier has to be changed to run a given workload in one device or another. Moreover, HDNN has been designed to be a domain-specific language, which ultimately helps programming productivity. Finally, HDNN relies on optimized libraries for heavy, performance-critical workloads. HDNN has been evaluated against other state-of-the-art machine learning frameworks on all the hardware platforms achieving excellent performance. We conclude that the ideas and concepts used in HDNN can be crucial for designing future generation compilers and programming languages to overcome the challenges of the forthcoming heterogeneous computing era.
Effects of DGAT1 on milk performance in Sudanese Butana × Holstein crossbred cattle
Authors: Elzaki Salma , Korkuć Paula , Arends Danny , Reissmann Monika , Brockmann Gudrun A.
Published: March 2022

The improvement of milk production of indigenous Sudanese cattle such as Bos indicus Butana and its cross with Holstein is a major goal of the Sudanese government to ensure sufficient healthy nutrition in the country. In this study, we investigated the K232A polymorphism of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT1), a well-known modulator of milk production in other breeds. We determined allele frequencies and the allele effects on milk production. Therefore, 93 purebred Butana and 203 Butana × Holstein crossbred cattle were genotyped using competitive allele-specific PCR assays. Association analysis was performed using a linear mixed model in R. In purebred Butana cattle, the lysine DGAT1 protein variant K232, which is found to be associated with higher fat and protein contents, as well as higher fat yield was highly frequent at 0.929, while its frequency in Butana × Holstein crossbred cattle was 0.394. Significant effects were found on milk yield (P = 7.6 × 10−20), fat yield (P = 2.2 × 10−17), protein yield (P = 2.0 × 10−19) and lactose yield (P = 4.0 × 10−18) in crossbred cattle. As expected, the protein variant K232 was disadvantageous since it was decreasing milk, protein, and lactose yields by 1.741 kg, 0.063 kg and 0.084 kg, respectively. No significant effects were found for milk fat, protein, and lactose contents. The high frequency of the lysine DGAT1 protein variant K232 in Butana cattle could contribute to their high milk fat content in combination with low milk yield. In Butana × Holstein crossbred cattle, the DGAT1 marker can be used for effective selection and thus genetic improvement of milk production.
Eliminating Temporal Illumination Variations in Whisk-broom Hyperspectral Imaging
Authors: Funatomi Takuya , Ogawa Takehiro , Tanaka Kenichiro , Kubo Hiroyuki , Caron Guillaume , Mouaddib El Mustapha , Matsushita Yasuyuki , Mukaigawa Yasuhiro
Published: March 2022

We propose a method for eliminating the temporal illumination variations in whisk-broom (point-scan) hyperspectral imaging. Whisk-broom scanning is useful for acquiring a spatial measurement using a pixel-based hyperspectral sensor. However, when it is applied to outdoor cultural heritages, temporal illumination variations become an issue due to the lengthy measurement time. As a result, the incoming illumination spectra vary across the measured image locations because different locations are measured at different times. To overcome this problem, in addition to the standard raster scan, we propose an additional perpendicular scan that traverses the raster scan. We show that this additional scan allows us to infer the illumination variations over the raster scan. Furthermore, the sparse structure in the illumination spectrum is exploited to robustly eliminate these variations. We quantitatively show that a hyperspectral image captured under sunlight is indeed affected by temporal illumination variations, that a Naïve mitigation method suffers from severe artifacts, and that the proposed method can robustly eliminate the illumination variations. Finally, we demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method by capturing historic stained-glass windows of a French cathedral.
Speciation in nanosecond laser ablation of zinc in water
Authors: Reich Stefan , Klügl Yannis , Ziefuss Anna , Streubel René , Göttlicher Jörg , Plech Anton
Published: March 2022

In situ experimental methods have been applied to resolve mass flow and chemical speciation in the pulsed laser ablation of zinc in water. The chemical speciation has been resolved by time-resolved μ-X-ray absorption spectroscopy and mapped onto the macroscopic mass flow during material ejection from the metallic target and bubble dynamics of evaporated water. Large particles and agglomerates have been detected via dark-field X-ray imaging with a Shack-Hartmann sensor. The characteristic of the dynamics is that the vapor bubble is nearly homogeneously filled with ablated material. This persists during bubble collapse, which means that the ablated particles are captured and retracted towards the target. Limited mass escape is indicated by the X-ray absorption signal. Importantly, the near-edge structure at the Zn-Kα transition delivers information on the chemical state of the ejected material. It clearly confirms that oxidation is not present within the bubble phase and the following sub-millisecond time scale. The oxidation proceeds on Zn nanoparticles in suspension on a second to minute course. Within the first microseconds, a Zn atom phase is detected that resembles Zn vapor. The addition of either reductive NaBH4 or oxidative HAuCl4 to the water phase influences the quantity of the atom contribution moderately, but does not influence the initial atom phase. Such behavior must be understood in terms of the nanosecond pulse excitation. After ejected material and a plasma is formed within the pulse duration of 7 ns the laser is able to further heat the ejecta and transform it partly into vapor. Correspondingly, the coupling of energy into the ablation zone as followed by plasma intensity and bubble size follows a threshold behavior as a function of laser fluence, marking the onset of laser-plasma heating. The reaction conditions inside the bubble are probably reductive due to the concomitant formation of excess hydrogen.
Mechanics of wedge turns in alpine skiing
Authors: Komissarov Serguei S.
Published: March 2022

A simple approximate theory of snow machining is applied to modelling successive wedge turns of alpine skiing. The model involves predefined control functions describing skier’s control over the turns via angle of attack, edge angle and loading of the skis. To demonstrate the model’s potential, reasonable control functions with a small number of free parameters are designed and used in attempt to reproduce the data obtained in a previous field study by other researches. The results are in semi-quantitative agreement with the data. In particular, the model explains the nature of the abnormally high values for the “coefficient of friction” deduced in that study. Future field studies of wedge turns should aim at measuring the angle of attack, edge angle and loading of the skis. This will allow to determine the control functions from the experimental data and hence to conduct a more stringent verification of the model.
New incremental SVM algorithms for human activity recognition in smart homes
Authors: Nawal Yala , Oussalah Mourad , Fergani Belkacem , Fleury Anthony
Published: March 2022

Smart homes are equipped with several sensor networks to keep an eye on both residents and their environment, to interpret the current situation and to react immediately. Handling large scale dataset of sensory events on real time to enable efficient interventions is challenging and very difficult. To deal with these data flows and challenges, traditional streaming data classification approaches can be boosted by use of incremental learning. In this paper, we presented two new Incremental SVM methods to improve the performance of SVM classification in the context of human activity recognition tasks. Two feature extraction methods elaborated by refining dependency sensor extraction feature and focusing on the last sensor event only have been suggested. On the other hand, a clustering based approach and a similarity based approach have been suggested to boost learning performance of the incremental SVM algorithms capitalizing on the relationship between data chunk and support vectors of previous chunk. We demonstrate through several simulations on two major publicly available data sets (Aruba and Tulum), the feasibility and improvements in learning and classification performances in real time achieved by our proposed methods over the state-of-the-art. For instance, we have shown that the introduced similarity-based incremental learning is 5 to 9 times faster than other methods in terms of training performances. Similarly, the introduced Last-state sensor feature method induces at least 5% improvement in terms of F1-score when using baseline SVM classifier.
Point line geometry in the tropical plane
Authors: Tewari Ayush Kumar
Published: March 2022

We study the classical result by Bruijn and Erdős regarding the bound on the number of lines determined by a n-point configuration in the plane, and in the light of the recently proven Tropical Sylvester-Gallai theorem, come up with a tropical version of the above-mentioned result. In this work, we introduce stable tropical lines, which help in answering questions pertaining to incidence geometry in the tropical plane. Projective duality in the tropical plane helps in translating the question for stable lines to stable intersections that have been previously studied in depth. Invoking duality between Newton subdivisions and line arrangements, we are able to classify stable intersections with shapes of cells in subdivisions, and this ultimately helps us in coming up with a bound. In this process, we also encounter various unique properties of linear Newton subdivisions which are dual to tropical line arrangements.