bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postpandemic international tourism restart: effect of border control and vaccination
Authors: Dong Yani , Li Yan , Hua Hai-Yan , Li Wei
Published: June 2023

Purpose

As the current Coronavirus 2019 pandemic eases, international tourism, which was greatly affected by the outbreak, is gradually recovering. The attraction of countries to overseas tourists is related to their overall performance in the pandemic. This research integrates the data of vaccination of different countries, border control policy and holidays to explore their differential impacts on the overseas tourists’ intention during the pandemic. This is crucial for destinations to built their tourism resilience. It will also help countries and industry organizations to promote their own destinations to foreign tourism enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes an analysis based on panel data for ten countries over 1,388 days. The coefficient of variation is used to measure monthly differences of Chinese tourists’ intention to visit overseas country destinations.

Findings

Results show that, for tourist intention of going abroad: border control of the destination country has a significant negative impact; daily new cases in the destination country have a significant negative impact; domestic daily new cases have a significant positive impact; holidays have significant negative impact; daily vaccination of the destination countries has significant positive impact; and domestic daily vaccination have negative significant impact.

Research limitations/implications

First, there is a large uncertainty in studying consumers’ willingness to travel abroad in this particular period because of unnecessary travel abroad caused by the control of the epidemic. Second, there are limitations in studying only Chinese tourists, and future research should be geared toward a broader range of research pairs.

Practical implications

First, from the government perspective, a humane response can earn the respect and trust of tourists. Second, for tourism industry, to encourage the public take vaccine would be beneficial for both the tourism destination and foreign tourism companies. The same effect can be achieved by helping tourists who are troubled by border control.

Social implications

First, this research provides suggestions for the government and the tourism industry to deal with such a crisis in the future. Second, this study found that vaccination has a direct impact on tourism. This provides a basis for improving people’s willingness to vaccinate. Thirdly, this study proves suggestion for the destinations to build tourism resilience.

Originality/value

This study analyzes the unique control measures and vaccination in different countries during the pandemic, then provides suggestions for the tourism industry to prepare for the upcoming postpandemic tourism recovery. This study is valuable for improving the economic resilience of tourism destinations. Additionally, it helps to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of different restrain policies around the world.
Game principle: enhancing learner engagement with gamification to improve learning outcomes
Authors: Liu Sixia , Ma Gang , Tewogbola Promise , Gu Xieting , Gao Peng , Dong Bin , He Dantong , Lai Weiguo , Wu Yihua
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine how incorporating gamification elements into an offline training program influences learner engagement and learning outcomes in a non-academic, organizational setting.

Design/methodology/approach

A randomized pretest–posttest control group experiment was designed to investigate participants’ levels of affective, behavioral and cognitive engagement (learner engagement), as well as their scores on a knowledge and skills assessment (learning outcomes) under two training conditions – traditional instructional strategy (TI) and gamification instructional strategy (GL). Training content, which was the same in both groups, included disease-related information, diagnostic expertise and product operational assistance. Participants (N = 98) were medical sales representatives from a multinational company.

Findings

Participants in the treatment group had higher levels of learner engagement in comparison to those in the control group. Additionally, participants in the GL group had outperformed their counterparts in the control group on the knowledge and skills assessment.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies demonstrating how incorporating gamification elements into corporate training can improve medical sales representatives' learner engagement and learning outcomes.
Exact shell solutions for conical springs. III. Belleville springs with variable thickness
Authors: Kobelev Vladimir
Published: June 2023

Purpose

In the current manuscript, the authors examine the Belleville spring with the variable thickness. The thickness is assumed to be variable along the meridional and parallel coordinates of conical coordinate system. The calculation of the Belleville springs includes the cases of the free gliding edges and the edges on cylindric curbs, which constrain the radial movement. The equations developed here are based on common assumptions and are simple enough to be applied to the industrial calculations.

Design/methodology/approach

In the current manuscript, the authors examine the Belleville spring with the variable thickness. The calculation of the Belleville springs investigates the free gliding edges and the edges on cylindric curbs with the constrained radial movement. The equations developed here are based on common assumptions and are simple enough to be applied to the industrial calculations.

Findings

The developed equations demonstrate that the shift of the inversion point to the inside edge does not influence the bending of the cone. On the contrary, the character of the extensional deformation (circumferential strain) of the middle surface alternates significantly. The extension of the middle surface of free gliding spring occurs outside the inversion. The middle surface of the free gliding spring squeezes inside the inversion point. Contrarily, the complete middle surface of the disk spring on the cylindric curb extends. This behavior influences considerably the function of the spring.

Research limitations/implications

A slotted disk spring consists of two segments: a disk segment and a number of lever arm segments. Currently, the calculation of slotted disk spring is based on the SAE formula (SAE, 1996). This formula is limited to a straight slotted disk spring with freely gliding inner and outer edges.

Practical implications

The equations developed here are based on common assumptions and are simple enough to be applied to the industrial calculations. The developed method is applicable for disk springs with radially constrained edges. The vertical displacements of a disk spring result from an axial load uniformly distributed on inner and outer edges. The method could be directly applied for calculation of slotted disk springs.

Originality/value

The nonlinear governing equations for the of Belleville spring centres were derived. The equations describe the deformation and stresses of thin and moderately thick washers. The variation method is applicable for the disc springs with free gliding and rigidly constrained edges. The developed method is applicable for Belleville spring with radially constrained edges. The vertical displacements of a disc spring result from an axial load uniformly distributed on inner and outer edges.
Interplay of cross-country distance with cross-border M&A performance: an institutional perspective
Authors: Kukreja Sakshi , Maheshwari Girish Chandra , Singh Archana
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of home–host country distance on the cross-border mergers and acquisitions performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The results of this study are based on a final sample of 483 completed cross-border deals involving BRICS nation acquirers and targets spread across a set of 27 nations. While controlling for prior experience, among other factors, the impact of nine institutional distance dimensions on deal performance is examined. Cumulative abnormal returns calculated over the select event windows are used as a measure of deal performance.

Findings

The results of this study validate the explanatory power of cross-country distance and exhibit that financial and cultural distance exert a negative influence on deal performance, whereas political and global connectedness distance positively impacts performance. Interestingly, geographic distance is not found to be related to performance outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study caution against possible aggregation of the cross-country distance measure and point towards the need to acknowledge and analyse the multi-dimensional nature of distance.

Practical implications

The results of this study are expected to aid managers in devising internationalisation strategies and target selection, maximising their performance and shareholder wealth.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the knowledge of internationalisation and cross-country distance. It presents as one of the first to investigate the impact of institutional distance on deal performance using a substantially large multi-country emerging market data set.
Children's hypothetical reasoning about complex and dynamic systems
Authors: Nyhout Angela , Sweatman Hilary , Ganea Patricia A.
Published: June 2023

Children's hypothetical reasoning about a complex and dynamic causal system was investigated. Predominantly White, middle‐class 5‐ to 7‐year‐old children from the Greater Toronto Area learned about novel food chains and were asked to consider the effects of removing one species on the others. In Study 1 (N = 72; 36 females, 36 males; 2018), 7‐year‐olds answered questions about both direct and indirect effects with a high degree of accuracy, whereas 5‐year‐olds performed at chance. Six‐year‐olds showed intermediate performance. Using food chains with clearer constraints, Study 2 (N = 72; 35 females, 37 males; 2020–2021) replicated these findings. These results indicate that the ability to think about hypothetical changes to dynamic causal systems develops between 5 and 7 years. Implications for science education are discussed.
“It's my home, not a war zone”: Mobilizing a multitude to demilitarize the Texas Rio Grande Valley
Authors: Correa Jennifer G. , Thomas James M.
Published: June 2023

On 25 January 2017 then‐President Trump issued Executive Order 13,767 “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvement” which designated dozens of new miles of barrier construction in Hidalgo County and surrounding municipalities in the Texas Rio Grande Valley (RGV). In response, a multitude of political organizations known as the No Border Wall Coalition (NBWC) mobilized in an effort to demilitarize their communities. Our analysis focuses on three organizations within the NBWC—the RGV Sierra Club, Texas Civil Rights Project, and the South Texas Human Rights Center. These organizations, and others, are calling for an end to encroaching physical walls, a proliferation of surveillance technologies, and an expansion of military‐police enforcement personnel. Using a triangulation of qualitative methods, we identify three campaigns of resistance used by the NBWC: protecting the environment, defending landowner rights, and preventing migrant deaths. Our analysis reveals how each of these campaigns helps bring together a diverse set of political organizations and interests into a collective web and narrative structure, and underscores the common formation of what we designate as a multitude. We show how this multitude transforms RGV communities “from below,” as the NBWC reckons with environmental degradation, the suspension of civil and political rights, and humanitarian harms.
Cultural capital and higher education inequalities in contemporary China
Authors: Hu Anning
Published: June 2023

The relationship between cultural capital endowment and higher education inequalities can be better understood by approaching it in a non‐Western socio‐cultural order. This article brings together empirical studies on this theme in the social context of China. The examination‐oriented higher education system and the supplementary independent freshman/women recruitment complicate the role of cultural capital, entailing positive, null, or adverse effects. Although cultural capital offers little help for elite university attendance, it is linked to the preference of liberal arts majors via the performance in the standardized test. Cultural capital matters for the stratification of the higher education process concerning one's attitudes toward love and social capacities. Existing studies also present evidence for the heterogeneous returns of cultural capital and description of failed cases of middle‐class students and successful cases of disadvantaged students. Future directions of research are discussed.
Predicting Top Five Cryptocurrency Prices via Linear Structural Time Series (STS) Approach
Authors: Abdul Rashid Nurazlina , Ismail Mohd Tahir , Md Junus Noor Wahida
Published: June 2023

Predicting cryptocurrency prices are difficult due to dynamic data. At the same time, the hidden market behavior of trend and seasonal components in the history data is also critical as it provides an idea of what the price pattern will be in the future. Hence, this research proposes to identify and model the hidden pattern behavior in terms of component time series instead of removing it via the linear structural time series (STS) model approach. This study focuses on the top five cryptocurrencies relying on the highest market capitalization. From the results obtained, the top five cryptocurrencies have a different trend model, either deterministic or stochastic, which relies on the behavior of data. The five cryptocurrencies also show the crypto winter event, where the trend is downward after six months every year. The linear STS is the best model for predicting three cryptocurrencies’ prices for nonstationary and volatility data behavior. It can also handle the hidden component behavior and is easy to interpret. Since the linear STS model can indirectly retain the information of data, it will assist investors and traders in accurately predicting cryptocurrency prices.
Una mirada interseccional para el abordaje de la LIJ en el campo de la cultura y la educación
Authors: Florez Favio Andres , Rivillas Arbeláez Leidy Johana
Published: June 2023

Este artículo presenta los resultados de la investigación “¡Shsss! ¡De eso no se puede hablar! Literatura infantil, en busca de palabras para nombrar”. El objetivo principal de esta indagación es identificar los hitos que marcaron cambios en las ideas respecto a roles y expresiones de género, diversidad sexual, e imágenes de los niños y las niñas, en la historia de la literatura infantil. Se exploró la literatura infantil como concepto y texto literario, a través de una revisión documental, en dos vías: primera, una revisión de la historia de la literatura infantil, enfocada en los momentos de ruptura y aparición de textos sobre temas innovadores. Segunda, una exploración a la forma en la que se acerca, actualmente, la literatura infantil a la diversidad sexual. Este análisis plantea una mirada interseccional provechosa para los estudios culturales y educativos.
Optical properties of pulsed dc magnetron sputtered thin film tantalum nitride by spectroscopic ellipsometry
Authors: Shrestha Bishal , Jaszewski Samantha T. , Ihlefeld Jon F. , Wolfley Steve L. , David Henry M. , Podraza Nikolas J.
Published: June 2023

Ellipsometric spectra of polycrystalline thin film tantalum nitride (TaN) have been collected and analyzed to obtain the complex dielectric function (ɛ = ɛ1 + iɛ2) and complex refractive index (N = n + ik) spectra over the photon energy range of 0.059–8.500 eV. Complex optical properties are obtained for TaN in the as-deposited state and rapid thermal annealed at 750 °C for 30 s post deposition. A parametric expression including the contribution from intraband and interband transitions along with a structural model is used and fitted to experimental ellipsometric spectra using iterative least-square regression, which minimizes the unweighted error function or mean square error to extract complex optical properties. The parametric expression developed in this work is successful in describing and differentiating the optical response of measured as-deposited and annealed TaN films and can potentially be used to analyze the optical properties of similar TaN films regardless of their deposition techniques.
Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus ORF67.5 Functions as a Component of the Terminase Complex
Authors: Iwaisako Yuki , Watanabe Tadashi , Suzuki Youichi , Nakano Takashi , Fujimuro Masahiro
Published: June 2023

Although the formation and function of the alpha- and betaherpesvirus terminase complexes are well understood, the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) terminase complex is still largely uncharacterized. This complex presumably contains KSHV open reading frame 7 (ORF7), ORF29, and ORF67.5.
SARS-CoV-2 within-host diversity of human hosts and its implications for viral immune evasion
Authors: Xi Binbin , Zeng Xi , Chen Zixi , Zeng Jiong , Huang Lizhen , Du Hongli
Published: June 2023

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is continuously evolving, bringing great challenges to the control of the virus. In the present study, we investigated the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 within-host diversity of human hosts and its implications for immune evasion using about 2,00,000 high-depth next-generation genome sequencing data of SARS-CoV-2. A total of 44% of the samples showed within-host variations (iSNVs), and the average number of iSNVs in the samples with iSNV was 1.90. C-to-U is the dominant substitution pattern for iSNVs. C-to-U/G-to-A and A-to-G/U-to-C preferentially occur in 5′-CG-3′ and 5′-AU-3′ motifs, respectively. In addition, we found that SARS-CoV-2 within-host variations are under negative selection. About 15.6% iSNVs had an impact on the content of the CpG dinucleotide (CpG) in SARS-CoV-2 genomes. We detected signatures of faster loss of CpG-gaining iSNVs, possibly resulting from zinc-finger antiviral protein-mediated antiviral activities targeting CpG, which could be the major reason for CpG depletion in SARS-CoV-2 consensus genomes. The non-synonymous iSNVs in the
S
gene can largely alter the S protein’s antigenic features, and many of these iSNVs are distributed in the amino-terminal domain (NTD) and receptor-binding domain (RBD). These results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 interacts actively with human hosts and attempts to take different evolutionary strategies to escape human innate and adaptive immunity. These new findings further deepen and widen our understanding of the within-host evolutionary features of SARS-CoV-2.

IMPORTANCE

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of the coronavirus disease 2019, has evolved rapidly since it was discovered. Recent studies have pointed out that some mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 S protein could confer SARS-CoV-2 the ability to evade the human adaptive immune system. In addition, it is observed that the content of the CpG dinucleotide in SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences has decreased over time, reflecting the adaptation to the human host. The significance of our research is revealing the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 within-host diversity of human hosts, identifying the causes of CpG depletion in SARS-CoV-2 consensus genomes, and exploring the potential impacts of non-synonymous within-host variations in the
S
gene on immune escape, which could further deepen and widen our understanding of the evolutionary features of SARS-CoV-2.
Draft Genome Sequence of
Ignatzschineria
sp. Strain RMDPL8A, a Bacterium Isolated from Landfill Leachate
Authors: Nimonkar Yogesh S. , Kajale Swapnil , Dake Manjusha , Prakash Om
Published: June 2023

The genome of
Ignatzschineria
sp. strain RMDPL8A was sequenced and analyzed. This draft genome sequence was 2,175,527 bp long, with a GC content of 45.12% and 1,890 protein coding genes.
Gut phageome of the giant panda (
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
) reveals greater diversity than relative species
Authors: Lu Juan , Wang Haoning , Wang Chunmei , Zhao Min , Hou Rong , Shen Quan , Yang Shixing , Ji Likai , Liu Yuwei , Wang Xiaochun , Liu Songrui , Shan Tongling , Zhang Wen
Published: June 2023

The gut flora is a treasure house of diverse bacteriophages maintaining a harmonious and coexistent relationship with their hosts. The giant panda (
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
), as a vulnerable endemic species in China, has existed for millions of years and is regarded as a flagship species for biodiversity conservation. And yet, limited studies have analyzed the phage communities in the gut of giant pandas. Using viral metagenomic analysis, the phageomes of giant pandas and other relative species were investigated. Our study explored and compared the composition of phage communities from different animal sources. Giant pandas possessed more diverse and abundant phage communities in the gut compared with other relevant animals. Phylogenetic analyses based on the phage terminase large subunit (TerL) showed that the
Caudovirales
phages in giant pandas also presented highly genetic diversity. Our study revealed the diversity of phage communities in giant pandas and other relative species, contributing to the health maintenance of giant pandas and laying the groundwork for molecular evolution research of bacteriophages in mammals.

IMPORTANCE

Gut phageome plays an important role in shaping gut microbiomes by direct interactions with bacteria or indirect influences on the host immune system, potentially regulating host health and disease status. The giant panda (
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
) is a vulnerable and umbrella species for biodiversity conservation. Our work explored and compared the gut phageome of giant pandas and relative species, contributing to the health maintenance of giant pandas.
Gallium Nitrate Enhances Antimicrobial Activity of Colistin against Klebsiella pneumoniae by Inducing Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation
Authors: Guo Mingjuan , Tian Ping , Li Qingqing , Meng Bao , Ding Yuting , Liu Yanyan , Li Yasheng , Yu Liang , Li Jiabin
Published: June 2023

This study aimed to determine the antimicrobial activity of GaNt combined with colistin against
Klebsiella pneumoniae
in vitro
and
in vivo
. Our results suggest that by combining GaNt with colistin, antioxidant activity was suppressed and reactive oxygen species accumulation was induced in bacterial cells, enhancing antimicrobial activity against
K. pneumoniae
.
Gamma Irradiation-Inactivated Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Provides Protection but Exacerbates Pulmonary Inflammation by Switching from Prefusion to Postfusion F Protein
Authors: Chen Fengjia , Park Hae-Ran , Ji Hyun Jung , Kwon Yeongkag , Kim Min-Kyu , Song Joon Young , Ahn Ki Bum , Seo Ho Seong
Published: June 2023

Radiation inactivation for viral vaccine production has been known to elicit a better immune response than other inactivation methods due to less surface protein damage. However, we found in this study that radiation-inactivated RSV (RI-RSV) vaccine induced a level of immune response similar to that induced by formalin-inactivated RSV (FI-RSV).
Mud volcanoes guided by thrusting in compressional settings
Authors: Soto Juan I. , Hudec Michael R.
Published: June 2023

Mud volcanoes are fed largely by fracture systems, but fracture systems are common in fold-and-thrust belts (FTBs), and not all of them extrude mud volcanoes. One popular hypothesis is that mud volcanoes extrude up normal faults and fractures in the crests of thrust-related anticlines. Using a high-resolution depth-migrated seismic cube in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, we demonstrate the occurrence of buried mud volcanoes (shale sheets) that appear to have been fed by fluids moving up the thrust faults themselves. Mobile shales in this deepwater FTB detach a mostly welded allochthonous salt sheet. The main phase of shortening was during the Miocene, accompanying the sedimentation. Shortening generated multiple detachment levels, stacked duplexes, thrusts, and folds affecting the Oligocene mobile shales. Above these detachments, syn-sedimentary shortening initially generated detachment folds that progressively evolved into upward-propagating listric thrusts and fault-propagation anticlines. Shale sheets formed near the central thrust domains, associated with higher fault dips and larger fault displacements. We argue that their feeder systems were probably thrust-related shear zones that widened upward and comprised networks of anastomosing fractures. Finally, we propose that the position of mud volcanoes with respect to the underlying thrust systems depends on the path of least resistance to the surface. Although overpressured muds may vertically reach the surface via extensional fractures in the crests of thrust-related anticlines, we have shown to the contrary that when thrusts are emergent in a deepwater FTB, fluids continue up the inclined thrusts and adjacent fractures, forming mud volcanoes at the thrust tips.
Factors, enablers and challenges for COVID-19 vaccine development
Authors: Excler Jean-Louis , Saville Melanie , Privor-Dumm Lois , Gilbert Sarah , Hotez Peter J , Thompson Didi , Abdool-Karim Salim , Kim Jerome H
Published: June 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a sense of vulnerability and urgency that led to concerted actions by governments, funders, regulators and industry to overcome traditional challenges for the development of vaccine candidates and to reach authorisation. Unprecedented financial investments, massive demand, accelerated clinical development and regulatory reviews were among the key factors that contributed to accelerating the development and approval of COVID-19 vaccines. The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines benefited of previous scientific innovations such as mRNA and recombinant vectors and proteins. This has created a new era of vaccinology, with powerful platform technologies and a new model for vaccine development. These lessons learnt highlight the need of strong leadership, to bring together governments, global health organisations, manufacturers, scientists, private sector, civil society and philanthropy, to generate innovative, fair and equitable access mechanisms to COVID-19 vaccines for populations worldwide and to build a more efficient and effective vaccine ecosystem to prepare for other pandemics that may emerge. With a longer-term view, new vaccines must be developed with incentives to build expertise for manufacturing that can be leveraged for low/middle-income countries and other markets to ensure equity in innovation, access and delivery. The creation of vaccine manufacturing hubs with appropriate and sustained training, in particular in Africa, is certainly the way of the future to a new public health era to safeguard the health and economic security of the continent and guarantee vaccine security and access, with however the need for such capacity to be sustained in the interpandemic period.
COVID-19 vaccines and the pandemic: lessons learnt for other neglected diseases and future threats
Authors: Hotez Peter J , Gilbert Sarah , Saville Melanie , Privor-Dumm Lois , Abdool-Karim Salim , Thompson Didi , Excler Jean-Louis , Kim Jerome H
Published: June 2023

Through the experiences gained by accelerating new vaccines for both Ebola virus infection and COVID-19 in a public health emergency, vaccine development has benefited from a ‘multiple shots on goal’ approach to new vaccine targets. This approach embraces simultaneous development of candidates with differing technologies, including, when feasible, vesicular stomatitis virus or adenovirus vectors, messenger RNA (mRNA), whole inactivated virus, nanoparticle and recombinant protein technologies, which led to multiple effective COVID-19 vaccines. The challenge of COVID-19 vaccine inequity, as COVID-19 spread globally, created a situation where cutting-edge mRNA technologies were preferentially supplied by multinational pharmaceutical companies to high-income countries while low and middle-income countries (LMICs) were pushed to the back of the queue and relied more heavily on adenoviral vector, inactivated virus and recombinant protein vaccines. To prevent this from occurring in future pandemics, it is essential to expand the scale-up capacity for both traditional and new vaccine technologies at individual or simultaneous hubs in LMICs. In parallel, a process of tech transfer of new technologies to LMIC producers needs to be facilitated and funded, while building LMIC national regulatory capacity, with the aim of several reaching ‘stringent regulator’ status. Access to doses is an essential start but is not sufficient, as healthcare infrastructure for vaccination and combating dangerous antivaccine programmes both require support. Finally, there is urgency to establish an international framework through a United Nations Pandemic Treaty to promote, support and harmonise a more robust, coordinated and effective global response.
In-hospital therapies and determinants of treatment strategy selection in patients with atrial fibrillation and left ventricular systolic dysfunction in China: a retrospective study based on the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-Atrial Fibrillation (CCC-AF) project, 2015–2019
Authors: He Pengkang , Pan Yannan , Jiang Jie , Fan Fangfang , Zhou Jing , Xia Yulong , Liu Jun , Yang Na , Hao Yongchen , Li Jianping , Liu Jing , Zhao Dong , Huo Yong
Published: June 2023

Objectives

The optimal treatment strategy remains debatable in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure. Our objectives were to summarise in-hospital therapies and determine factors associated with treatment strategy selections.

Design

A retrospective study analysing the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-Atrial Fibrillation (CCC-AF) project from 2015 to 2019.

Setting

The CCC-AF project included patients from 151 tertiary and 85 secondary hospitals across 30 provinces in China.

Participants

Patients with AF and left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD, defined as left ventricular ejection fraction<50%) were included, with 5560 patients in the study sample.

Methods

Patients were classified by treatment strategies. In-hospital treatments and trends of therapies were analysed. Multiple logistic regression models were used to find determinants of treatment strategies.

Results

Rhythm control therapies were used in 16.9% of patients with no significant trends (ptrend=0.175). Catheter ablation was used in 5.5% of patients, increasing from 3.3% in 2015 to 6.6% in 2019 (ptrend<0.001). Factors negatively associated with rhythm control included increased age (OR 0.973, 95% CI 0.967 to 0.980), valvular AF (OR 0.618, 95% CI 0.419 to 0.911), AF types (persistent: OR 0.546, 95% CI 0.462 to 0.645; long-standing persistent: OR 0.298, 95% CI 0.240 to 0.368), larger left atrial diameters (OR 0.966, 95% CI 0.957 to 0.976) and higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (CCI 1–2: OR 0.630, 95% CI 0.529 to 0.750; CCI≥3: OR 0.551, 95% CI 0.390 to 0.778). Higher platelet counts (OR 1.025, 95% CI 1.013 to 1.037) and prior rhythm control attempts (electrical cardioversion: OR 4.483, 95% CI 2.369 to 8.483; catheter ablation: OR 4.957, 95% CI 3.072 to 7.997) were positively associated with rhythm control strategies.

Conclusion

In China, non-rhythm control strategy remained the dominant choice in patients with AF and LVSD. Age, AF types, prior treatments, left atrial diameters, platelet counts and comorbidities were major determinants of treatment strategies. Guideline-adherent therapies should be further promoted.

Study registration number

NCT02309398.
The mediating role of sleep quality on the relationship between internet gaming disorder and perceived stress and suicidal behaviour among Indian medical students
Authors: Garg Sunny , Kharb Aakanksha , Verma Deepika , Antil Ritu , Khanna Binika , Sihag Ritika , Lamba Divya
Published: June 2023

Background

In the recent digital era, individuals with internet gaming disorder (IGD) have reported a much higher prevalence of poor sleep quality, perceived stress and suicidal behaviour. However, the underlying mechanisms for these psychological problems remain unknown.

Aims

The primary aims of this study were to explore the mediating role of sleep quality on the relationship between IGD and the health outcomes of perceived stress and suicidal behaviour and to assess the prevalence and risk factors for IGD among medical students.

Methods

A cross-sectional study enrolling 795 medical students from two medical colleges in a rural area of North India was conducted from April to May 2022. The study participants were chosen using a stratified random sampling approach. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data, including sociodemographic and personal information and gaming characteristics. The study also included the Gaming Disorder and Hazardous Gaming Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Perceived Stress Scale-10 and the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire–Revised to measure IGD, sleep quality, perceived stress and suicidal behaviour, respectively. Multiple logistic regression for the risk factors and Pearson’s correlation test for the relationship between variables were used. Hayes’ PROCESS macro for SPSS was employed to carry out mediation analysis.

Results

Among the 348 gamers with a mean age of 21.03 (SD 3.27) years, the prevalence of IGD was 15.23% (95% confidence interval: 11.6% to 19.4%). In the correlational analysis, small to large (r: 0.32–0.72) significant relationships between scores of IGD and other health outcomes were established. The indirect effect (B=0.300) via sleep quality accounted for 30.62% of the total effect (B=0.982) of IGD on perceived stress (partially mediated), while sleep quality (B=0.174) accounted for 27.93% of the total effect (B=0.623) of IGD on suicidal behaviour (partially mediated). The factors of being male, living in a single-parent family, using the internet for other than academic purposes (1–3 hours and more than 3 hours/day), playing games for more than 3 hours/day and playing games with violent content were associated with IGD symptoms.

Conclusions

Using a dimensional measure, the results specified the relationship between IGD and perceived stress and suicidal behaviour by demonstrating that sleep quality meditated them. This modifiable mediating factor can be addressed by psychotherapy to mitigate the risk of perceived stress and suicidal behaviour among the future medical workforce.
Public health research in the UK to understand and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and COVID-19 response measures
Authors: Oyebode Oyinlola , Ramsay Sheena E , Brayne Carol
Published: June 2023

This paper reflects concerns that funding and attention should be expanded from the important focus on those suffering and dying from COVID-19, and the safety and resources of healthcare professionals, to address wider questions on the (unequal) health and well-being impacts of COVID-19 and associated response measures. While immediate priorities such as those outlined in the WHO research agenda are undoubtedly important, additional urgent questions must be addressed. These include questions focused on (1) the non-virus impacts of preparing health and social care systems to cope with COVID-19 and (2) the health effects mediated by the educational, economic and social injuries sustained during the pandemic. Long-term, sustained and co-ordinated interdisciplinary research funding will be needed to address the long-lasting impacts of COVID-19 and its response measures.
HOW DOES BANK BRANCH SUPPLY SPUR RURAL INCOME GROWTH? EVIDENCE FROM COUNTIES IN CHINA
Authors: WANG YIPENG , ZHAO YAXIONG , LIN LIQIONG
Published: June 2023

In this paper, we investigate how bank branch supply affects rural income growth by analyzing a panel dataset of 1,542 counties in China between 2006 and 2019. We discover that enhancing bank branch supply fosters rural income growth through financial utilization and economic growth, and the process is also negatively moderated by rural financial utilization and economic levels. We then prove the inverted U-shaped relationship between bank branch supply and rural income growth, indicating that the marginal effect of bank branch supply increases at the earlier stage where rural bank branch supply lags behind the bank branch demand in boosting regional economic growth, and decreases at the later stage where the rural bank branch supply has exceeded the “optimal point” of bank branch supply. Further, bank branch expansion is more efficient than FinTech development in accelerating rural income growth, particularly in impoverished counties. The findings imply the necessity of enhancing bank branch supply in rural areas, especially in underdeveloped rural areas, to accelerate rural income growth.
Spectral Test Generation for Boolean Expressions
Authors: Ayav Tolga
Published: June 2023

This paper presents a novel method for testing Boolean expressions. It is based on spectral, aka Fourier analysis of Boolean functions which is exploited to generate test inputs. The approach has three important contributions: (i) It generates a relatively small test suite with a high capability of fault detection, (ii) The test suite is prioritized such that expected fault detection time is shorter, (iii) It is entirely mathematical relying on a simple and straightforward formula. The proposed method is formulated and evaluations are performed on both synthetic and real expressions. It is also compared with two common test generation criteria, MC/DC and Minimal MUMCUT. Evaluations show that the test suite generated by the spectral approach is relatively small while expressing the capability of a better and quicker fault detection. The approach presented in this paper provides a useful insight into how spectral/Fourier analysis of Boolean functions can be exploited in software testing.
BIOMECHANICAL EVALUATION OF A NEW DESIGN OF POROUS POLYMERIC CAGES FOR POSTERIOR LUMBAR INTERBODY FUSION: FINITE ELEMENT AND EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSES
Authors: ROSHAN AREZOO SETVATI , SADEGHINIA PARHAM , NIKKHOO MOHAMMAD , GOUDARZI PEYMAN KARIMI , DARBEMAMIEH GOLDIS
Published: June 2023

Low back pain is a vertebral column pathology that is very common throughout industrialized countries. As an essential procedure to treat degenerative spinal conditions and spondylolisthesis, spine surgeons widely use intervertebral cages for spinal fusion. Although there have been remarkable developments in interbody fusion cages, there is still room to improve cage material, design, and optimization, which leads to an improvement in the fusion rate. This study proposes a new porous structure of a polyamide-based posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) cage manufactured by 3D printing with promising mechanical strength. Cage models with three different pore sizes (0.6, 0.8 and 1 mm) were designed using finite element (FE) modeling. The ultimate stress of cage models was predicted under an axial compression test simulated via the FE analysis program. Thereafter, samples of each cage structure were manufactured using the 3D printing method and the polyamide material. A displacement-control compression test was performed to establish the mechanical properties of the cage models. Results of the FE simulation revealed that cage P0.6 (void size of 0.6[Formula: see text]mm) presented the highest ultimate stress among the three cage models. The result of the experimental test also indicated that cage P0.6 has the most considerable ultimate stress and stiffness. Findings of the FE analysis were in good agreement with those of the experimental test. Cage model P0.6, therefore, was considered the most mechanically suitable cage structure for a spinal fusion cage.
A Personalized Individual Semantic Extraction Model Based on Criterion for Adaptive Consensus Reaching Process Under Improved Basic Uncertain Linguistic Environment
Authors: Zhu Mengmeng , Mao Junjun , Xu Wei
Published: June 2023

Personalized individual semantics (PIS) is an important factor reflecting the personal habits of decision makers (DMs) and has been widely studied by scholars. Using criteria as a non-negligible information source in multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM), how to extract PIS from it is a research gap to be solved. In addition, existing measurements of consensus are insufficiently sensitive to differences between individuals, while the current direction rules use a matrix as the unit of measurement, which is not detailed and precise enough. Therefore, this paper first constructs a PIS extraction model according to the principle that similar criteria have similar descriptions and mutually exclusive criteria have dissimilar descriptions. Secondly, the preference information of PIS is mingled with uncertainty and reliability of improved basic uncertain linguistic information (IBULI) as the data of the consensus reaching algorithm. The proposed consensus algorithm not only fully considers the dispersion of DMs in the consensus measurement stage, but also improves the objectivity of the consensus process through an adaptive feedback stage. Finally, the validity of the proposed model is verified by an example and comparative analysis of the selection of sustainable building materials.
Derimorphisms over Algebras and Applications
Authors: Cao X. , Liu S.H. , Lu X.S. , Ye Z.J. , Yu Z.R. , Zhang Y.H.
Published: June 2023

The new concept “derimorphism” generalizing both derivation and homomorphism is defined. When a derimorphism is invertible, its inverse is a Rota–Baxter operator. The general theory of derimorphism is established. The classification of all derimorphisms over an associative unital algebra is obtained. Contrary to the nonexistence of nontrivial positive derivations, it is shown that nontrivial positive derimorphisms do exist over any pair of opposite orderings over [Formula: see text], the lattice-ordered full matrix algebra and upper triangular matrix algebra over a totally ordered field.
BV Structure on Hochschild Cohomology of Quantum Exterior Algebra with Two Variables
Authors: Hou Bo , Wu Jinzhong
Published: June 2023

Let [Formula: see text] over a field [Formula: see text]. We give a clear characterization of the Batalin-Vilkovisky algebraic structure on Hochschild cohomology of [Formula: see text] for any [Formula: see text], and the Gerstenhaber algebraic structure on Hochschild cohomology of [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text].
The Representation Type of Repetitive Algebras over the Real Number Field
Authors: Zhang Mengdie , Zhang Chao
Published: June 2023

Let [Formula: see text] be a finite-dimensional algebra over the real number field. We prove that the repetitive algebra [Formula: see text] admits the dichotomy property of representation type, i.e., [Formula: see text] is either of discrete representation type or of strongly unbounded type.
Algebraic Characterization of SSC of Uni-Cyclic Multigraphs
Authors: Ahmed Imran , Muhmood Shahid
Published: June 2023

We introduce first the spanning simplicial complex (SSC) of a multigraph [Formula: see text], which gives a generalization of the SSC associated with a simple graph [Formula: see text]. Combinatorial properties are discussed for the SSC of a family of uni-cyclic multigraphs [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] edges including [Formula: see text] multiple edges within and outside the cycle of length [Formula: see text], which are then used to compute the [Formula: see text]-vector and Hilbert series of face ring [Formula: see text] for the SSC[Formula: see text]. Moreover, we find the associated primes of the facet ideal [Formula: see text]. Finally, we device a formula for homology groups of [Formula: see text] and prove that the SSC of a family of uni-cyclic multigraphs is Cohen-Macaulay.
Thermochemistry of Elementary Reactions in Water–Gas Shift Reaction on Ni(111): An Ab Initio Study
Authors: Mishra Neeraj , Sharma Menka
Published: June 2023

A comprehensive thermodynamic study of the water–gas shift (WGS) reaction was performed using density functional theory (DFT). Chemisorption involves the formation of new chemical bonds between adsorbed species and atoms of the substrate. Adsorbates dissociate on the metal surface because of weaker intermolecular bonds on the surface. The adsorption energies of 12 adsorbed species were calculated on Ni(111) surface. Moreover, 21 elementary reactions were considered for investigating the mechanism of water–gas shift (WGS) reaction on Ni(111). A detailed thermodynamic calculation of the WGS reaction is shown and discussed in this work. The vibrational frequencies were calculated for all the gaseous species, top surface layer atoms, and adsorbed configurations. Thermochemistry of the surface reactions was calculated using spin-paired DFT with RPBE functional for exchange and correlation. This report covers the adsorption energies, vibrational frequencies, and thermochemistry of chemical species such as H2, H2O, CO and CO2, involved in the WGS reaction, on the Ni(111) surface. Vibrational calculations were performed only on their favorable sites. Finally, the thermochemistry ([Formula: see text]E, [Formula: see text]H, [Formula: see text]S, [Formula: see text]G) of elementary reactions was calculated, and thermodynamically driven reaction mechanisms were determined for the water–gas shift reaction on Ni(111) surface. We found that thermodynamically predicted mechanisms are in good accord with the kinetic predictions and can be considered a good first approximation.
Algorithms for Parallel Generic
hp
-Adaptive Finite Element Software
Authors: Fehling Marc , Bangerth Wolfgang
Published: June 2023

The
hp
-adaptive finite element method—where one independently chooses the mesh size (
h
) and polynomial degree (
p
) to be used on each cell—has long been known to have better theoretical convergence properties than either
h
- or
p
-adaptive methods alone. However, it is not widely used, owing at least in part to the difficulty of the underlying algorithms and the lack of widely usable implementations. This is particularly true when used with continuous finite elements.

Herein, we discuss algorithms that are necessary for a comprehensive and generic implementation of
hp
-adaptive finite element methods on distributed-memory, parallel machines. In particular, we will present a multistage algorithm for the unique enumeration of degrees of freedom suitable for continuous finite element spaces, describe considerations for weighted load balancing, and discuss the transfer of variable size data between processes. We illustrate the performance of our algorithms with numerical examples and demonstrate that they scale reasonably up to at least 16,384 message passage interface processes.

We provide a reference implementation of our algorithms as part of the open source library
deal.II
.
System Verification and Runtime Monitoring with Multiple Weakly-Hard Constraints
Authors: Hsieh Yi-Ting , Chang Tzu-Tao , Tsai Chen-Jun , Wu Shih-Lun , Bai Ching-Yuan , Chang Kai-Chieh , Lin Chung-Wei , Kang Eunsuk , Huang Chao , Zhu Qi
Published: June 2023

A weakly-hard fault model can be captured by an
(m,k)
constraint, where 0≤
m
≤
k
, meaning that there are at most
m
bad events (faults) among any
k
consecutive events. In this article, we use a weakly-hard fault model to constrain the occurrences of faults in system inputs. We develop approaches to verify properties for all possible values of
(m,k)
, where
k
is smaller than or equal to a given 
K
, in an exact and efficient manner. By verifying all possible values of
(m,k)
, we define weakly-hard requirements for the system environment and design a runtime monitor based on counting the number of faults in system inputs. If the system environment satisfies the weakly-hard requirements, then the satisfaction of desired properties is guaranteed; otherwise, the runtime monitor can notify the system to switch to a safe mode. This is especially essential for cyber-physical systems that need to provide guarantees with limited resources and the existence of faults. Experimental results with discrete second-order control, network routing, vehicle following, and lane changing demonstrate the generality and the efficiency of the proposed approaches.