bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-throughput interspecies profiling of acidic plant hormones using miniaturised sample processing
Authors: Široká Jitka , Brunoni Federica , Pěnčík Aleš , Mik Václav , Žukauskaitė Asta , Strnad Miroslav , Novák Ondřej , Floková Kristýna
Published: November 2022

Background

Acidic phytohormones are small molecules controlling many physiological functions in plants. A comprehensive picture of their profiles including the active forms, precursors and metabolites provides an important insight into ongoing physiological processes and is essential for many biological studies performed on plants.

Results

A high-throughput sample preparation method for liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry determination of 25 acidic phytohormones classed as auxins, jasmonates, abscisates and salicylic acid was optimised. The method uses a small amount of plant tissue (less than 10 mg fresh weight) and acidic extraction in 1 mol/L formic acid in 10% aqueous methanol followed by miniaturised purification on reverse phase sorbent accommodated in pipette tips organised in a 3D printed 96-place interface, capable of processing 192 samples in one run. The method was evaluated in terms of process efficiency, recovery and matrix effects as well as establishing validation parameters such as accuracy and precision. The applicability of the method in relation to the amounts of sample collected from distantly related plant species was evaluated and the results for phytohormone profiles are discussed in the context of literature reports.

Conclusion

The method developed enables high-throughput profiling of acidic phytohormones with minute amounts of plant material, and it is suitable for large scale interspecies studies.
Single posterior approach for circumferential debridement and anterior reconstruction using fibular allograft in patients with skipped multifocal spinal tuberculosis
Authors: Chiu Yen-Chun , Yang Shih-Chieh , Kao Yu-Hsien , Tu Yuan-Kun
Published: November 2022

Background

Skipped multifocal spinal tuberculosis (TB) is an atypical presentation of spinal TB. Surgical treatment for these unusual cases remains a challenge for spine surgeons. In our institute, we used single-stage circumferential debridement and anterior reconstruction with fibular allograft followed by posterior instrumentation through posterior-only approach for these patients. This study aimed to determine the efficacy and feasibility of this technique.

Methods

Twelve patients with skipped multifocal spinal TB who received our treatment method from January 2012 to June 2020 were enrolled in this study. The visual analog score (VAS), laboratory data, comorbidities, complications, and neurologic status based on Frankel scale were recorded. The patients’ clinical conditions were evaluated based on modified Brodsky’s criteria and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI).

Results

All the patients were infection free at the end of the treatment. The average VAS score was 7.5 (range, 7–8) before surgery and decreased to 2.1 (range, 1–3) one year postoperatively. No one experienced any severe complications such as neurologic deterioration, fixation failure, or bone graft dislodgement. Out of the three patients requiring debridement surgery, two had wound infection and one had seroma formation. The ODI score improved from 76.8 (range, 70–84) preoperatively to 25.5 (range, 22–28) one year after surgery. All patients achieved good or excellent outcome based on modified Brodsky’s criteria one year postoperatively.

Conclusions

In our study, the patients could achieve a good clinical outcome. This technique could be an alternative for patients with skipped spinal TB.
Do hypokyphotic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients treated with Ponte osteotomy obtain a better clinical efficacy? A preliminary retrospective study
Authors: Wang Fei , Chen Kai , Ji Tao , Ma Yuegang , Huang Hao , Zhou Ping , Wei Xianzhao , Chen Ziqiang , Bai Yushu
Published: November 2022

Study design

A retrospective case–control study.

Objective

To evaluate whether Ponte osteotomy improves thoracic kyphosis and to determine its clinical efficacy in hypokyphotic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).

Methods

Eighty consecutive Lenke type 1 AIS patients with hypokyphotic curves who underwent posterior spinal fusion by one spine surgeon at a single institution were recruited. According to whether Ponte osteotomy was performed, the patients were divided into two groups. The preoperative, immediate, one-year postoperative, and two-year postoperative radiographs were analyzed. The demographic characteristics, surgical information, radiographic parameters, Scoliosis Research Societye-22 (SRS-22) questionnaire, and complications were compared.

Results

The sagittal alignment and coronal alignment were both improved in the Ponte group and the control group postoperatively. There was no significant difference in the preoperative parameters between the two groups, except the TL/L, CB, and LL. Significant differences were found in the MT (15.18° ± 2.84° vs. 20.33° ± 3.75°, P < 0.001) and TK (24.23° ± 2.71° vs. 19.93° ± 2.38°, P < 0.001) at the two-year follow-up. The Ponte group had a longer operation time and more intraoperative blood loss. No significant difference was observed between the groups in the SRS-22 scores at the final follow-up.

Conclusions

Ponte osteotomy could obtain better coronal correction and sagittal contour restoration in AIS patients with hypokyphosis. However, Ponte osteotomies might lead to more intraoperative blood loss and longer operation time. Moreover, no discrepancy was found in the postoperative health-related quality of life of the included patients. Therefore, we considered that the Ponte osteotomy may be an alternative method to restore the desired thoracic kyphosis, which needs further study.
LncRNA Airn alleviates diabetic cardiac fibrosis by inhibiting activation of cardiac fibroblasts via a m6A-IMP2-p53 axis
Authors: Peng Tingwei , Liu Mingchuan , Hu Lang , Guo Dong , Wang Di , Qi Bingchao , Ren Gaotong , Hu Chenchen , Zhang Feng , Chun Hyung J. , Song Liqiang , Hu Jianqiang , Li Yan
Published: November 2022

Background

Cardiac fibrosis is a leading cause of cardiac dysfunction in patients with diabetes. However, the underlying mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of the long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) Airn in the pathogenesis of cardiac fibrosis in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its underlying mechanism.

Methods

Diabetes mellitus (DM) was induced in mice by streptozotocin injection. An intramyocardial adeno-associated virus (AAV) was used to manipulate Airn expression. The functional significance and underlying mechanisms in DCM fibrosis were investigated both in vitro and in vivo.

Results

Diabetic hearts showed a significant impairment in cardiac function, accompanied by obviously increased cardiac fibrosis. Interestingly, lncRNA Airn expression was significantly decreased in both diabetic hearts and high glucose (HG)-treated cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). AAV-mediated Airn reconstitution prevented cardiac fibrosis and the development of DCM, while Airn knockdown induced cardiac fibrosis phenotyping DCM. As in vitro, Airn reversed HG-induced fibroblast-myofibroblast transition, aberrant CFs proliferation and section of collagen I. In contrast, Airn knockdown mimicked a HG-induced CFs phenotype. Mechanistically, we identified that Airn exerts anti-fibrotic effects by directly binding to insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IMP2) and further prevents its ubiquitination-dependent degradation. Moreover, we revealed that Airn/IMP2 protected p53 mRNA from degradation in m6A manner, leading to CF cell cycle arrest and reduced cardiac fibrosis. As a result, ablation of p53 blunted the inhibitory effects of Airn on fibroblast activation and cardiac fibrosis.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated for the first time that Airn prevented the development of cardiac fibrosis in diabetic heart via IMP2-p53 axis in an m6A dependent manner. LncRNA Airn could be a promising therapeutic target for cardiac fibrosis in DCM.

Graphical abstract
Identification of risk variants related to malignant tumors in children with birth defects by whole genome sequencing
Authors: Liu Yichuan , Qu Hui-Qi , Chang Xiao , Mentch Frank D , Qiu Haijun , Nguyen Kenny , Wang Xiang , Saeidian Amir Hossein , Watson Deborah , Glessner Joseph , Hakonarson Hakon
Published: November 2022

Background

Children with birth defects (BD) are more likely to develop cancer and the increased risk of cancer persists into adulthood. Prior population-based assessments have demonstrated that even non-chromosomal BDs are associated with at least two-fold increase of cancer risk. Identification of variants that are associated with malignant tumor in BD patients without chromosomal anomalies may improve our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms and provide clues for early cancer detection in children with BD.

Methods

In this study, whole genome sequencing (WGS) data of blood-derived DNA for 1653 individuals without chromosomal anomalies were acquired from the Kids First Data Resource Center (DRC), including 541 BD probands with at least one type of malignant tumors, 767 BD probands without malignant tumor, and 345 healthy family members who are the parents or siblings of the probands. Recurrent variants exclusively seen in cancer patients were selected and mapped to their corresponding genomic regions. The targeted genes/non-coding RNAs were further reduced using random forest and forward feature selection (ffs) models.

Results

The filtered genes/non-coding RNAs, including variants in non-coding areas, showed enrichment in cancer-related pathways. To further support the validity of these variants, blood WGS data of additional 40 independent BD probands, including 25 patients with at least one type of cancers from unrelated projects, were acquired. The counts of variants of interest identified in the Kid First data showed clear deviation in the validation dataset between BD patients with cancer and without cancer. Furthermore, a deep learning model was built to assess the predictive abilities in the 40 patients using variants of interest identified in the Kids First cohort as feature vectors. The accuracies are ~ 75%, with the noteworthy observation that variants mapped to non-coding regions provided the highest accuracy (31 out of 40 patients were labeled correctly).

Conclusion

We present for the first time a panorama of genetic variants that are associated with cancers in non-chromosomal BD patients, implying that our approach may potentially serve for the early detection of malignant tumors in patients with BD.
The effect of building plan form on thermal comfort in the traditional residential patterns of the hot and dry climate of Qom
Authors: Taher Tolou Del Mohammad Sadegh , Bayat Susan , Zojaji Niloofar
Published: November 2022

Buildings should be constructed such that their energy efficiency is high in different climatic conditions while providing acceptable thermal comfort at the same time. Climatic and architectural incompatibilities will increase energy consumption to provide thermal comfort but have adverse effects, both economically and environmentally. Climatic design is the best and most effective way to maximize the use of renewable energy sources. Traditional Iranian houses have always exhibited this type of architecture and can provide suitable examples for design for contemporary architects. This study aimed to investigate the effect of building plan forms on the thermal comfort temperature in residential buildings with the help of traditional architectural patterns. The method of this research is descriptive-analytical and has been conducted through case studies and simulation tests. Data collection has been undertaken through literature review and field observations. The houses in this study were classified based on their building plan form. Ecotect and EnergyPlus software were used for modeling and Climate Consultant software was used for climate analysis. Findings reveal that the Building Coverage Ratio (BCR) and the introverted plan forms are two significant factors in climatic design to provide thermal comfort in the hot and dry climate of Iran. Among the investigated models, results show that the one-sided form with northeast-southwest orientation and northeast placement has the most hours (2609 h per year) in the range of thermal comfort and the best plan form among the studied forms.
Alternative approaches to identify core bacteria in Fucus distichus microbiome and assess their distribution and host-specificity
Authors: Park Jungsoo , Davis Katherine , Lajoie Geneviève , Parfrey Laura Wegener
Published: November 2022

Background

Identifying meaningful ecological associations between host and components of the microbiome is challenging. This is especially true for hosts such as marine macroalgae where the taxonomic composition of the microbiome is highly diverse and variable in space and time. Identifying core taxa is one way forward but there are many methods and thresholds in use. This study leverages a large dataset of microbial communities associated with the widespread brown macroalga, Fucus distichus, across sites and years on one island in British Columbia, Canada. We compare three different methodological approaches to identify core taxa at the amplicon sequence variant (ASV) level from this dataset: (1) frequency analysis of taxa on F. distichus performed over the whole dataset, (2) indicator species analysis (IndVal) over the whole dataset that identifies frequent taxa that are enriched on F. distichus in comparison to the local environment, and (3) a two-step IndVal method that identifies taxa that are consistently enriched on F. distichus across sites and time points. We then investigated a F. distichus time-series dataset to see if those core taxa are seasonally consistent on another remote island in British Columbia, Canada. We then evaluate host-specificity of the identified F. distichus core ASVs using comparative data from 32 other macroalgal species sampled at one of the sites.

Results

We show that a handful of core ASVs are consistently identified by both frequency analysis and IndVal approaches with alternative definitions, although no ASVs were always present on F. distichus and IndVal identified a diverse array of F. distichus indicator taxa across sites on Calvert Island in multiple years. Frequency analysis captured a broader suit of taxa, while IndVal was better at identifying host-specific microbes. Finally, two-step IndVal identified hundreds of indicator ASVs for particular sites/timepoints but only 12 that were indicators in a majority (> 6 out of 11) of sites/timepoints. Ten of these ASVs were also indicators on Quadra Island, 250 km away. Many F. distichus-core ASVs are generally found on multiple macroalgal species, while a few ASVs are highly specific to F. distichus.

Conclusions

Different methodological approaches with variable set thresholds influence core identification, but a handful of core taxa are apparently identifiable as they are widespread and temporally associated with F. distichus and enriched in comparison to the environment. Moreover, we show that many of these core ASVs of F. distichus are found on multiple macroalgal hosts, indicating that most occupy a macroalgal generalist niche rather than forming highly specialized associations with F. distichus. Further studies should test whether macroalgal generalists or specialists are more likely to engage in biologically important exchanges with host.
Light Scattering Microscopy for Tumor Cell Recognition
Authors: Richter V. , Schneckenburger H.
Published: November 2022

Light scattering microscopy is suggested to providesome insight into cell architecture and to giveinformation on cell malignancy or morphologicalchanges upon necrosis or apoptosis. In the presentpaper a microscope setup for scattering experimentswith high angular resolution is reported, and firstdata obtained from test models (polystyrene beads),cell monolayers and 3-dimensional cell spheroidsare reported. Data are compared with simulationsbased on Mie scattering and discussed in view oftheir possible use for tumor cell recognition withintissue samples. The discussion includes presentlimitations due to spatial resolution or inhomogeneous illumination and suggests possibilities ofimprovement.
Numerical reconstruction of 3D image in Fourier domain confocal optical coherence microscopy
Authors: Grebenyuk A.A. , Ryabukho V.P.
Published: November 2022

Along with high longitudinal resolution of optical coherence tomography, confocal optical coherence microscopy (OCM) provides high transversal resolution due to relatively high numerical apertures. However, the presence of relatively high numerical apertures leads to limited depth of field, which reduces the speed of OCM and decreases the advantage of Fourier domain detection. In this paper we propose a numerical processing technique for three-dimensional image reconstruction in Fourier domain OCM. It takes into account not only the defocus of different parts of imaged volumetric sample, but also the effects of upper layers’ refractive index on imaging the sample inner structure. Besides providing sharp coherence gated imaging, this technique also allows for determining both the geometrical thickness and refractive index of the sample layers.
Boundary Condition Effect On Photoacoustic Response Of Absorbing Liquid To Modulation Of Laser Intensity
Authors: Samokhin A.A. , Il’ichev N.N. , Ivochkin A.Yu. , Gulyamova E.S.
Published: November 2022

The  photoacoustic  (PA)  pressure  response  of  the absorbing  liquid  (water, ethanol)  with  free  and confined  surface  to  laser  pulse  with  modulated intensity is studied.  Modulation  amplitude  of  the PA  signal  demonstrates  non-monotonous behavior during laser pulse action which can be explained as interference  between thermo-acoustic  and vaporization  mechanisms  of  pressure  generation. The phase behavior of modulated part of PA signal also  gives  important  information  on processes  in the  irradiated  matter.  Doppler  photoacoustic monitoring  (DPM)  is used  to  determine  surface movement  during  laser  irradiation  (wavelength  – 2.94 um,  pulse  duration  ~  200-300  ns,  fluence  ~ 0.3-1.6  J/cm2).  In  the  case  of free  surface  this movement  is  possible  into  the  upward  and downward  directions while  for  the  constrained irradiated surface only one movement is supposed. This supposition  is  in  agreement  with  the experiment.  However  the  total  behavior  of PA response  is  more  complicated  due  to  probably vapor  cavity  formation between liquid  and  solid surfaces.  In  particular,  despite  the  imposed constraint PA response behavior resembles the free surface case.
Pedagogy: theory and practice of the pedagogical process
Authors: Kashlev Sergey , Poznyak A. , Krasnova T.
Published: November 2022

The structuring of the content of the course "Pedagogy" is based on the idea of a holistic pedagogical process as a leading phenomenon of pedagogical reality. The textbook integrates the innovative experience of developing the theory and practice of the pedagogical process, giving an idea of the teacher as a specialist in the organization of the pedagogical process; pedagogy as a science of the pedagogical process; the pedagogical process as a phenomenon of reality; about a variety of pedagogical tools that can be in the arsenal of the teacher; pedagogical conditions that make up the pedagogical process; the formation of the basic culture of the individual in the pedagogical process.
Meets the requirements of the federal state educational standards of higher education of the latest generation.
For undergraduate students studying in the fields of Education and Pedagogical Sciences, as well as teachers of educational institutions, graduate students and master's students of pedagogical specialties, students and teachers of the system of advanced training and retraining of specialists in the field of education, teachers and managers of institutions of general secondary education, additional education of children and youth.
Procurement and inventory management in supply chains
Authors: El'yashevich Ivan , Sergeev Viktor , Levina Tamara , Alyamovskaya Natal'ya , Fedorova Tat'yana , Bubnova Galina , Uvarov Sergey
Published: November 2022

The textbook sets and solves a number of scientific and applied tasks related to logistics and inventory management of resources for various purposes, among which raw materials and materials at industrial enterprises, goods in trading companies, as well as auxiliary materials (operational resources) purchased to support the life of organizations in various business areas. Procurement and inventory management is considered within a single set of functions, which is supply logistics. The issues related to the supply of operational resources, which are completely consumed in the course of economic activity of companies, transferring their value to the goods and services sold, are also considered.
Meets the requirements of the federal state educational standards of higher education of the latest generation.
For students, postgraduates and teachers of the main educational programs in economics and management, as well as for practitioners of procurement and inventory management companies, students of MBA programs, professional retraining and advanced training.
Process Optimization and Modeling of Low-cost Activated Carbon Preparation and Its Application in Chromium (VI) Removal
Authors:   Chemistry Program, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, HiranRuchi, Thonburi, Bangkok, 10600, Phothitontimongkol Theeradit , Prasertboonyai Kanyarak ,   Faculty of Science, Energy and Environment, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (Rayong Campus), Rayong, Thailand, 21120
Published: November 2022

In this study, Salacca zalacca seed (SS) agricultural waste was employed as a material for the preparation of activated carbon. Salacca zalacca seed activated carbon (SSAC) was chemically activated using H3PO4 and used as an adsorbent for chromium (VI) adsorption. The effect of various experimental parameters such as activation temperature, impregnation ratio, and H3PO4 concentration (%) on adsorption capacity was determined using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum condition prediction of these values from RSM alines well with experimental data; activation temperature (800 °C), impregnation ratio (3.50) and H3PO4 concentration (75 %). SSAC activated at the optimum condition were intensively characterized to understand the morphology, surface charge density, chemical composition and textural property by using SEM, pHpzc, FTIR, CHON analysis, and N2 adsorption- desorption. Maximum chromium (VI) adsorption was 7.94 mg/g. Langmuir adsorption model was effectively fi tted to the equilibrium adsorption information. Furthermore, the pseudo-second-order kinetic model also explains the experimental data well. Overall, the results suggested that RSM could optimize the preparation conditions of Salacca zalacca seed biochar, leading to enhancing the adsorption capacity of chromium (VI) using Salacca zalacca seed-activated carbon. Moreover, SSAC provides a excellent reusability for up to 6 cycles. This result ensures that SSAC has great potential as a low-cost, high-value agricultural waste adsorbent for chromium (VI) removal.
Conductometric Determination of Ammonium in Turbid Water with a Flow-batch Porous Membrane-based Diff usion Scrubber System
Authors:   Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand, Sukpattanacharoen Chattarika , Somboot Wasin ,   Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand,   The Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 50200, Thailand, Jakmunee Jaroon ,   Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand,   Research Center on Chemistry for Development of Health Promoting Products from Northern Resources, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand,   Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand, Kanyanee Tinakorn ,   Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand,   Research Center on Chemistry for Development of Health Promoting Products from Northern Resources, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand,   Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Published: November 2022

A porous membrane-based diffusion scrubber was fabricated to couple with a conductometric detector as a fl ow-batch system for determining ammonium in turbid surface waters. A gravity fl ow of DI water as a gas absorbing liquid and a manual sample introduction was employed to develop a cost- effective device without using a conventional pump and an injection valve. The standard calibration graph was linear in the range of 5 – 100 μmol L-1, with a relative standard deviation of < 5%. The detection limit based on the lowest concentration in the calibration graph of 5 μmol L-1 can be obtained. The results of ammonium determination using the proposed method agree well with those using the batch-wise indophenol blue as a standard method. The proposed analytical system provides a cost-effective setup and easy operation for ammonium determination in some turbid surface waters samples without requiring a fi ltering process and conventional glassware.
A Memory-Driven Neural Attention Model for Aspect-Based Sentiment Classification
Authors: Ruitenbeek Jonathan van de , Frasincar Flavius , Brauwers Gianni
Published: November 2022

Sentiment analysis techniques are becoming more and more important as the number of reviews on the World Wide Web keeps increasing. Aspect-based sentiment analysis (ABSA) entails the automatic analysis of sentiments at the highly fine-grained aspect level. One of the challenges of ABSA is to identify the correct sentiment expressed towards every aspect in a sentence. In this paper, a neural attention model is discussed and three extensions are proposed to this model. First, the strengths and weaknesses of the highly successful CABASC model are discussed, and three shortcomings are identified: the aspect-representation is poor, the current attention mechanism can be extended for dealing with polysemy in natural language, and the design of the aspect-specific sentence representation is upheld by a weak construction. We propose the Extended CABASC (E-CABASC) model, which aims to solve all three of these problems. The model incorporates a context-aware aspect representation, a multi-dimensional attention mechanism, and an aspect-specific sentence representation. The main contribution of this work is that it is shown that attention models can be improved upon using some relatively simple extensions, such as fusion gates and multi-dimensional attention, which can be implemented in many state-of-the-art models. Additionally, an analysis of the parameters and attention weights is provided.
A Systematic Mapping Study on Quality Attribute Traceability
Authors: Sharifi Ehsan , Barforoush Ahmad Abdollahzadeh , Al dabbagh Haider S.
Published: November 2022

Quality attribute traceability (QAT), as a sub-discipline of software traceability, ensures that quality attributes are considered in all phases of software development. QAT is one of the most critical and challenging research areas in requirement engineering. In recent years, several studies have been conducted on quality attribute traceability. However, researchers in this field have problems to identifying the research status of this field due to the lack of a comprehensive secondary study that reveals research trends and gaps. Evidence-based software engineering (EBSE) proposes systematic mapping study (SMS) and systematic literature review (SLR) methods for secondary studies on software engineering. In this paper we use the semantically enhanced SMS method in the QAT research area. In order to improve SMS, we introduce a concept classification approach. In this approach by using a QAT domain ontology, the keywords classification process is improved. The most important innovation of this study is the presentation of the QAT research tree. This research tree has been created by gathering research topics identified in this field along with existing gaps. Identified research topics include “QAT Approach,” “QAT Development,” “QAT Model,” “QAT Framework,” and “QAT Algorithm”. The results also indicate that “QAT Frameworks” is a research trend, and most recent studies have focused on this topic. On the other hand, “Trace Maintenance” and “Trace Integrity” are the research gaps in this field. In this article, active researchers, journals, conferences and countries in the field of QAT are also introduced. We also introduce a set of tools that facilitate the SMS process.
Adaptive Redistribution and Replication to Improve the Responsiveness of Mobile Web Apps
Authors: An Kijin , Tilevich Eli
Published: November 2022

In a mobile web app, a browser-based client communicates with a cloud-based server across the network. An app is statically divided into client and server functionalities, so the resulting division remains fixed at runtime. However, if such static division mismatches the current network conditions and the device’s processing capacities, app responsiveness and energy efficiency can deteriorate rapidly. To address this problem, we present Communicating Web Vessels (CWV), an adaptive redistribution and replication framework that improves the responsiveness of full-stack JavaScript mobile apps. Unlike standard computation offloading, in which client functionalities move to run on the server, CWV’s redistribution is bidirectional. Without any preprocessing, CWV enables apps to move any functionality from the server to the client and vice versa at runtime, thus adapting to the ever-changing execution environment of the web. Having moved to the client, former server functionalities become regular local functions. To further improve performance, CWV can replicate server-side functionalities on the client and keep the replicas consistent. By monitoring the network, CWV determines if a redistribution or a replication would improve app performance, and then analyzes, transforms, sandboxes, moves, or replicates functions and program state at runtime. An evaluation with third-party mobile web apps shows that CWV optimizes their performance for dissimilar network conditions and client devices. As compared to their original versions, CWV-powered web apps improve their performance (i.e., latency, energy consumption), particularly when executed over limited networks.1
Identifying limiting factors for feasible productivity improvement for smallholder farmers in coffee sector in Indonesia
Authors: Tran Hue , Nathan Senthil , Ilmma Amri , Burkiewicz Maria , Wisana Dewa Gede Karma
Published: November 2022

Abstract. Tran HTM, Nathan S, Ilmma A, Burkiewicz M, Wisana IDGK. 2021. Identifying limiting factors for feasible productivity improvement for smallholder farmers in coffee sector in Indonesia. Asian J Agric 5: 53-60. Coffee is a global commodity with significant value-addition and export potential for producing countries. The purpose of this study was to identify the important factors associated with increasing yields. Rather than prescribing theoretical solutions, our research purpose was to examine the prevailing agricultural practices that are used in the region and identify the top three factors that have a significant impact on yields. Using advanced data collection methods and controlling for regional characteristics and various farming practices, we found that higher yield was associated with the application of fertilizer, higher tree density, and shade level. The application of fertilizer was associated with an increase in yield of 98 kg/ha for Arabica and 124 kg/ha for Robusta. At the optimal density ranges, a higher yield can be obtained with the increase of trees. Lastly, the level of shade was negatively associated with yield for Arabica, but no significant difference was observed for Robusta. We found a lot of headroom to increase the yield, as the current fertilizer application was low especially for Robusta, a mismatch between optimum tree density for both Arabica and Robusta, and opportunities for better shade management to increase yield potential.
Leaves and barks of Albizia shade trees in tea plantation shows both insect attractant and pesticidal properties: a GC-MS based investigation
Authors: Ghosh Arindam , MAJUMDER SOUMYA , SAHA SUMEDHA , CHAKRABORTY SOURAV , BHATTACHARYA MALAY
Published: November 2022

Abstract. Ghosh A, Majumder S, Saha S, Chakraborty S, Bhattacharya M. 2021. Leaves and bark of Albizia shade trees in tea plantation show both insect attractant and pesticidal properties: a GC-MS based investigation. Asian J Agric 5: 84-89. Tea is the major plantation crop of sub-Himalayan region. The bushes are grown under a partial canopy cover of leguminous plants to protect them from scorching sun rays. The shade plants are primarily beneficial but attract several pests. Metabolites present in four Albizia trees were detected by GC-MS, and insect attracting and/or repelling phytochemicals were pointed out. A total of thirty-two compounds exhibiting semiochemical properties were detected. 15.84%, 2.52%, 2.61% of semiochemicals are exclusively present in leaves of Albizia odoratissima, Albizia chinensis, and Albizia procera. While in bark 10.73% and 13.35% semiochemicals were exclusively present in Albizia odoratissima and Albizia lebbeck. A total of nine semiochemicals are exclusively present in AO, out of which seven semiochemicals viz., caryophyllene, epoxide; longiborneol; longifolene; methyl linolenate; methyl linoleate; methyl cis-jasmonate; tonalid are present in leaf and five semiochemicals viz. longiborneol; methyl cis-jasmonate; camphor; isopropyl myristate; tonalid are present in bark. A total of five semiochemicals viz. alpha-santalol; bisabolol oxide A; gamma-Sitosterol; glycidyl oleate (as oleic acid); oleoyl chloride (as oleic acid) are found exclusively in the bark of Albizia lebbeck.  There were only three semiochemicals that were exclusively found in the leaf of AC, these were 2-decen-1-ol; cyclohexanol, 5-methyl-2-(1-methyl ethyl); acetophenone.  In the leaf of AP, a total of five semiochemicals were found to be exclusive, these being dehydro-beta-ionone; oleamide; beta-amyrin; isopropyl linoleate; stigmasterol. GC-MS analysis explored metabolites from shade trees like caryophyllene, epoxide; beta-amyrin; 1, 8-cineol etc. which serve as both attractant and pesticidal components while compounds like longiborneol; longifolene; linalyl acetate, etc. are exclusively pest attractants and compounds like isopropyl myristate are exclusive pest repellants. This cumulative property of shade trees can be utilized to trap insect pests and destroy them with pesticidal activity. Isolation of these metabolites from shade trees, and their utilization as semiochemical/pheromone trap and green pesticides, will control pests by eco-friendly measures along with reducing the production cost.
Perceptions of women as political leaders at a time of crisis: a psychosocial study
Authors: Tatum Amy , Thompson Shelley , Yates Candida
Published: November 2022

Women in political leadership have been the topic of much discussion since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a number of women in executive office being praised for their empathic approach. The pandemic has raised questions about the role of women in political leadership at a time of crisis and the drivers behind the feelings they evoke. Drawing on online reflective focus groups with participants mainly from the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 national lockdowns, this article explores the feelings and affective responses evoked from seeing women in political leadership roles at a time of crisis. The focus groups highlighted the conflict that participants felt at seeing women political leaders navigating crisis situations, with expected displays of empathy at the forefront of discussions. The findings also suggest that, in order to be trusted, women political leaders must still overcome gendered expectations about their authority and warmth. The participants felt conflicted when evaluating the leadership styles of women in politics and grappled with notions of trust and authenticity. The article provides new psychosocial insights into the way we think and feel about women political leaders and highlights the complex gendered terrain that women in political leadership have to navigate.
Navigating the Great-Power Competition: Pakistan and Its Relationship with the United States and China
Authors: Hassan Yaqoob Ul
Published: November 2022

executive summary: This essay draws on insights from hedging theory to examine how Pakistan, as a middle power, can navigate key strategic and domestic factors in its policies in response to the growing great-power competition between the U.S. and China. main argument
Until recently, Pakistan had deftly taken advantage of its position in the U.S.-China-Pakistan strategic triangle to improve its security vis-à-vis India. Intensification of U.S.-China great-power competition, with the U.S. embracing India as a bulwark against China and the closer alignment of Pakistan-China strategic interests, puts Pakistan in a security dilemma. Islamabad faces challenges in navigating this great-power competition as the role of middle powers increases. Hedging theory shows how Islamabad could gain from a working relationship with Washington on strategic interests, despite Pakistan's aligned interests with China. Pakistan's new national policy, with an emphasis on geoeconomics over geopolitics, will be important for work with both powers. policy implications
• Pakistan can count on China's consistent friendship, given Chinese economic and security investments, irrespective of Beijing's own strategic interests in fostering this relationship. • Even if broad-based, nontransactional relations seem unlikely in the near future, areas of mutual interest remain between the U.S. and Pakistan. Through engagement and frank conversation, the U.S. can improve nuclear facilities and safeguard nuclear assets, which would also address Islamabad's suspicion that Washington aims to defang its nuclear capabilities and sabotage Chinese investment in Pakistan. • The U.S. can aid Pakistan in its policy paradigm shift from security to geoeconomics, which would help address Washington's own long-pending demands that Islamabad ease security paranoia about India. By aiding economic reforms and reducing India-Pakistan tensions, the U.S. can foster internal stability and external peace for Pakistan, preventing Islamabad from completely embracing Beijing.
Schlieren imaging and spectroscopic approximation of the rotational–vibrational temperatures of a microwave discharge igniter with a resonating cavity
Authors: Ikeda Yuji , Ofosu Joseph Ampadu
Published: November 2022

A microwave discharge igniter (MDI) with a resonating cavity was developed and optimized for practical applications in an internal combustion engine. In contrast to the typical microwave ignition, the resonating cavity of the MDI induces a discharge through dielectric resonance. Its source of microwave (MW) is a 2.45 GHz semiconductor oscillator that is capable of numerous oscillation patterns. To verify and demonstrate the optimum ignition performance and combustion, we varied the oscillation parameters (signal factors) of the MW to optimize the performance of the MDI using the Taguchi method. Plasma spectroscopy was used for ignition condition analysis. Two sets of microwave pulses, a first pulse followed by a second set of pulse bursts, were used to ignite a propane–air fuel. The flame kernel growth rate and O I species generation were used as the response outputs, which were obtained, respectively from Schlieren imaging and emission spectroscopy experiments. The extended pulse periods and higher MW pulse numbers of the second set of pulses improved the response outputs of the MDI. To further analyze the effect of MW oscillation patterns on plasma properties and performance, measurements were done on MW superimposed operation with the high-voltage ignition from spark plugs. The MW transmission on a typical spark plug enhanced the air plasma ignition. Higher input MW energy and more extended MW pulse widths results in increased spectral intensity and radical generation of OH, O, and

N

2

. An inverse relation between the temperature and spectral intensity functions of the MW pulse width was observed, which was attributed to the cutoff density of the MW-enhanced plasma.
High-efficiency liquid luminescent solar concentrator based on CsPbBr3 quantum dots
Authors: Li Shaohua , Zheng Zida , Zhang Yi , Liu Yue , Liu Xueyun , Zhang Xiaowei
Published: November 2022

The performance degradation is still a challenge for the development of conventional polymer luminescent solar concentrator (LSC). Liquid LSC (L-LSC) may be an alternative due to polymerization-free fabrication. Here, we have prepared a CsPbBr3 quantum dots (QDs)-based L-LSC by injecting the QDs solution into a self-assembly quartz glass mold. The as-fabricated L-LSC performance is evaluated by optical characterization and photo-electrical measurement. The external quantum efficiency of the L-LSC is up to 13.44%. After coupling the commercial solar cell, the optimal optical efficiency reaches 2.32%. These results demonstrate that L-LSC may provide a promising direction for advanced solar light harvesting technologies.
Event Cameras: A New Imaging Paradigm
Authors: Curtis Susan
Published: November 2022

Unlike conventional cameras, neuromorphic cameras mimic how human
eyes work by detecting and recording only changes in a scene, opening
doors to new imaging possibilities.
Small-sized, ultra-low phase noise photonic microwave oscillators at X-Ka bands
Authors: Li Jiang , Vahala Kerry
Published: November 2022

Small-sized, ultra-low phase noise photonic microwave oscillators at 10, 20, 30, and 40 GHz are demonstrated using electro-optical frequency division. At 40 GHz, a record-low, to our knowledge, phase noise of

−

153

d
B
c

/

H
z

is achieved (10 kHz offset).
All-dielectric terahertz metasurface for linearly-polarized multichannel transmission and superposition states of spherical and vortex waves
Authors: Li Fuyu , Li Yuanxun , Tang Tingting , Lu Yongcheng , Liu Xinyan , Liao Yulong , Wen Qiye
Published: November 2022

Compared to pure vortex waves, the superposition state of spherical waves and vortex waves has enough degrees of freedom to upgrade applications in particle manipulation, information encryption, and large-capacity communications. Here, we propose a new scheme to achieve superposition states and multichannel transmission of vortex and spherical waves. Two transmissive all-silicon metasurfaces that enable mutual interference between linearly polarized (LP) waves in the terahertz region are demonstrated. Type A can achieve interference between x and y polarized waves, while type B can achieve interference between x (or y) and x (or y) polarized waves. The multichannel transmission and superposition states of topological charges of +3, +2, and +4 are designed and demonstrated from theoretical, simulative, and experimental perspectives at 1.1 THz. In addition, the objective fact that the focused superposition state must be observed close to the focal plane is also revealed. The measured results are in good agreement with the theoretical and simulative results. This work provides an idea for the design of ultrathin terahertz devices and could be applied in the fields of information encryption and high-frequency communications.
Profitability and risk-return comparison across health care industries, evidence from publicly traded companies 2010–2019
Authors: Bai Ge , Rajgopal Shivaram , Srivastava Anup , Zhao Rong
Published: November 2022

We conducted the first profitability comparison study across health care industries in the United States, using the DuPont Analysis framework. The combination of Return on Equity (ROE) and ROE volatility was used to provide a comprehensive “risk-return” approach for profitability comparison. Based on the 2010–2019 financial disclosures of 1,231 publicly traded health care companies in the U.S. that reported positive assets and equity, we estimated the industry-specific fixed effects on ROE and its three components—profit margin, asset utilization, and financial leverage—for ten industries in the health care sector, classified by the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). For each industry, we also estimated its fixed effects on ROE volatility. We found that the pharmaceuticals industry and biotechnology industry have lower ROE—mainly driven by their relatively low profit margin and low assets utilization—and higher ROE volatility than other health care industries. We also found that the health care facilities industry relies most on debt financing. This study demonstrates a holistic approach for profitability comparison across industries.
Modelling bark thickness for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and common oak (Quercus robur L.) with recurrent neural networks
Authors: Cywicka Dominika , Jakóbik Agnieszka , Socha Jarosław , Pasichnyk Daryna , Widlak Adrian
Published: November 2022

Variation of the bark depends on tree age, origin, geographic location, or site conditions like temperature and water availability. Most of these variables are characterized by very high variability but above of all are also affected by climate changes. This requires the construction of improved bark thickness models that take this complexity into account. We propose a new approach based on time series. We used a recurrent neural network (ANN) to build the bark thickness model and compare it with stem taper curves adjusted to predict double bark thickness. The data includes 750 felled trees from common oak and 144 Scots pine—trees representing dominant forest-forming tree species in Europe. The trees were selected across stands varied in terms of age and site conditions. Based on the data, we built recurrent ANN and calculated bark thickness along the stem. We tested different network structures with one- and two-time window delay and three learning algorithms—Bayesian Regularization, Levenberg-Marquardt, and Scaled Conjugate Gradient. The evaluation criteria of the models were: coefficient of determination, root mean square error, mean absolute error as well as graphical analysis of observed and estimated values. The results show that recurrent ANN is a universal approach that offers the most precise estimation of bark thickness at a particular stem height. The ANN recursive model had an advantage in estimating trees that were atypical for height, as well as upper and lower parts on the stem.