bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
China
Authors: Pempel T. J.
Published: January 2022

This chapter shows that the Chinese regime and its economic policy paradigm represent still another national chapter in the Asia-Pacific growth story. In the late 1970s, China broke free from the constrictive cage of Marxist–Leninist–Maoism, catalyzing four decades of rapid economic transformation. After abandoning the Maoist developmental model, the Chinese regime and its policy paradigm reflected a mix of traits found in each of the three regime types. For much of the period from the late 1970s until about 2008, the regime mirrored many of the structural features integral to the rapid growth and transformation in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The most notable of these are strong and cohesive state institutions, the marginalization of opposition forces, targeted capital allocations, and heavy investment in the improvement of human capital.
Covering Russia’s KGB Tsar
Authors: Doder Dusko , Branson Louise
Published: January 2022

This chapter discusses the author's experience covering Russia's new tsar after the first handover of power in the Soviet Union since 1964. As the sole correspondent for the Washington Post in Moscow, the author felt under even more pressure. Yuri Andropov admitted that the Soviet economy had failed to meet its targets for the past two years, blamed “inertia” and “adherence to old ways,” and characterized many Communist Party objectives as containing “elements of separation from reality.” Andropov also oversaw a limited debate on economic reforms and talked about greater discipline and material incentives for better performance. The author's stories detailed how Andropov set about replacing Leonid Brezhnev's bloated secretariat with aides from the KGB, moved KGB personnel into political jobs, and sent many of the old guard into retirement. The main obstacle was that although Andropov appeared to have consolidated his personal authority with the support of the military and the KGB, he had yet to gain control over the party bureaucracy and the approximately eighteen million Communist Party members accustomed to privileges that they did not want to lose.
Epilogue
Authors: Doder Dusko , Branson Louise
Published: January 2022

This epilogue reflects on the author's biggest regret: that he sacrificed his first wife and his son to his ambition. He also regrets subjecting his second wife, Louise Branson, to decades of standing by him as he insisted on quitting the Washington Post, as he lost his way as a journalist, fought the Time allegations and risked their financial ruin, and descended into lengthy bouts of depression. Nevertheless, he considers himself one of the luckiest men in the world to have reported for a great newspaper with a self-confident editor who embodied everything he felt journalism meant: being bold, speaking truth to power, telling it like it is. Today, with the plethora of media outlets and with social media liberally spewing out rumors, opinions, and propaganda that are not edited or fact checked, the author is reminded of the distortions of the Soviet propaganda machine or the wild ravings in the Yugoslav media before that country's collapse. Many news outlets, including the Post and the New York Times, continue to adhere to good journalistic principles, but with so much less influence in today's fractured society.
Assessment of Relationship between Profile Characteristics of NICRA Beneficiaries and their Attitude towards Climate-resilient Technologies
Authors: Harikrishna Yeragorla Venkata , Naberia Seema , Steffi Palaparthy , Pradhan Sabyasachi
Published: January 2022

To mitigate the climatic risk involved in the agriculture system, a shift from traditional cropping practices to climate-resilient practices of NICRA Project, is a strategy to increase farmers' income as well as agricultural sustainability. It reduces the risk to farmers from crop failure due to climate variations, by providing alternative suitable climate-resilient technologies. It also helps in the conservation of natural resources, increases food and nutritional security and helps in poverty alleviation by providing employment opportunities to the farmers. The attitude of farmers plays a crucial role in adopting any new technology. This paper analyzes the factors influencing the attitude of farmers towards climate-resilient technologies of the NICRA project in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. We studied the determinants influencing attitude towards climate-resilient technologies by using the primary data. The ex-post facto research design was used and a sample size of 60 respondents was selected using a simple random sampling technique. Out of 14 variables, education, social participation, landholding, innovativeness, mass media exposure, extension contacts and trainings attended had a positive and significant association with farmer’s attitude towards climate-resilient technologies.
A Comparative Evaluation of Intra-Articular Bupivacaine vs Bupivacaine and Dexmedetomidine for Postoperative Analgesia in Arthroscopic Knee Surgeries: A Study Protocol
Authors: Francis Amreesh Paul , Modak Anjali
Published: January 2022

Background: Various degrees of pain is seen in the post-operative period following almost every arthroscopic knee surgery. The reason behind this pain is due to the irritation that occurs to the nerve endings that are found free in the synovium of the knee. Hence, to make this difficult period pain free various analgesics are given to the patient. They are given through various routes and they may be given as sole analgesics or in combination. One such routes used is the intra-articular route in which analgesics are given intra-articularly for post -operative analgesia. Dexmedetomidine is a drug which can be used the aforementioned route. The main of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Intra-articular Dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to Intra-articular Bupivacaine.

Aim: This study aims to compare Intra-articular Bupivacaine vs Bupivacaine and Dexmedetomidine for prolonging post-operative analgesia following knee arthroscopy surgery.

Objectives: The primary objective is to assess the duration of postoperative analgesia produced by Dexmedetomidine when used as an adjuvant to Intra-articular Bupivacaine after arthroscopic knee surgeries. The secondary objectives are to evaluate Dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to Intra-articular Bupivacaine, with respect to:

Quality of analgesia,

Number of doses of rescue analgesic required during study period,

Systemic/Local side effects.

Methods: 60 patients within the age group 20-60 undergoing arthroscopic knee surgeries will be enrolled for the study. Following the completion of surgery, patients allotted to Group B will receive 19ml of Intra-articular Bupivacaine with 1ml of normal saline and patients allotted to Group D will receive 19 ml of Intra-articular Bupivacaine with 1mcg/kg Dexmedetomidine. Post-operative analgesia will be monitored using VAS and the requirement of rescue analgesics in both groups will be noted down and compared.

Expected Outcomes: The VAS and total requirement of rescue analgesics is expected to be less in Group D with minimal/no side effects.
Effects of forest degradation on Amazonian ferns in a land‐bridge island system as revealed by non‐specialist inventories
Authors: Zuquim Gabriela , Benchimol Maíra , Tonon Rafael , Peres Carlos A. , Storck‐Tonon Danielle
Published: January 2022

Tropical forests have been rapidly deforested and degradation worldwide has outpaced biodiversity field sampling. No study to date has assessed the effects of insular habitats induced by hydroelectric dams on Amazonian understory plants. Fern community responses to anthropogenic effects on tropical forest islands can be revealed at a faster pace by using simple and cheap, yet informative, protocols that could be applied by non‐specialists.

This study seeks to both understand the drivers of fern and lycophytes assemblages on forest islands and investigate the relative costs and effectiveness of a simplified sampling protocol that can be applied by non‐specialists.

Fern species were sampled by a non‐specialist who photographed all ferns and lycophytes within seventeen 0.25‐ha plots on 10 forest islands at the lake of Balbina Hydroelectric dam, central Amazonia. Sampling was carried out opportunistically during a field expedition planned to conduct tree inventories. As predictors, we used locally measured or GIS‐derived descriptors of plot and landscape conditions. We used multivariate and linear models to further assess the influence of predictors on patterns of species richness and composition of ferns assemblages.

A total of 286 photographed individual ferns or lycophytes represented at least 23 species and 14 genera. The average number of taxa per plot was 6.1 in the islands and 14.3 in the mainland. The species pool found on islands was a nested subset of the mainland fern community. Species richness was positively related to island size and negatively related to isolation and fire severity. Area, isolation and fire severity also significantly explained variation in community composition.

The relative cost of the picture‐based fern protocol applied was very modest (only 4% of the total expedition budget), even compared to the typically low cost of alternative field campaigns.

We conclude that fern community structure in this forest archipelago was primarily driven by island size, isolation and fire disturbance. Moreover, we show that a simple sampling protocol carried out by a non‐specialist can lead to inexpensive and highly reliable ecological data. This opens an avenue for crowdsourcing ecological fern data collections using a citizen science approach.
A Selective Small‐Molecule c‐Myc Degrader Potently Regresses Lethal c‐Myc Overexpressing Tumors
Authors: Xu Ying , Yu Qingfeng , Wang Ping , Wu Zhaoxing , Zhang Lei , Wu Shuigao , Li Mengyuan , Wu Bowen , Li Hongzhi , Zhuang Haifeng , Zhang Xuzhao , Huang Yu , Gan Xiaoxian , Xu Rongzhen
Published: January 2022

MYC oncogene is involved in the majority of human cancers and is often associated with poor outcomes, rendering it an extraordinarily desirable target, but therapeutic targeting of c‐Myc protein has been a challenge for >30 years. Here, WBC100, a novel oral active molecule glue that selectively degrades c‐Myc protein over other proteins and potently kills c‐Myc overexpressing cancer cells is reported. WBC100 targets the nuclear localization signal 1 (NLS1)–Basic–nuclear localization signal 2 (NLS2) region of c‐Myc and induces c‐Myc protein degradation through ubiquitin E3 ligase CHIP mediated 26S proteasome pathway, leading to apoptosis of cancer cells. In vivo, WBC100 potently regresses multiple lethal c‐Myc overexpressing tumors such as acute myeloid leukemia, pancreatic, and gastric cancers with good tolerability in multiple xenograft mouse models. Identification of the NLS1–Basic–NLS2 region as a druggable pocket for targeting the “undruggable” c‐Myc protein and that single‐agent WBC100 potently regresses c‐Myc overexpressing tumors through selective c‐Myc proteolysis opens new perspectives for pharmacologically intervening c‐Myc in human cancers.
Kinetic Modeling of Biomass Gasification in the Reduction Zone Using Various Gasification Agents
Authors: Marzoughi Tayebeh , Samimi Fereshteh , Rahimpour Mohammad Reza
Published: January 2022

The depletion of fossil fuels and global warming have incentivized research into alternative and ecologically benign fuels. Among the most promising options being investigated is the production of hydrogen from biomass. This work investigated the kinetic modeling of the reduction zone for hydrogen production from a wide range of biomass types and conducted a theoretical comparison between various gasification agents (air, steam, and air/steam). The proposed model helps to ascertain the best biomass and agent for attaining the highest hydrogen yield and the lowest environmental contamination in terms of detrimental CO2 emissions. The results show that steam gasification of plastic provides the highest hydrogen yield and that rubber could be considered the most environmentally friendly biomass.
Our research cooperation with Professor Yoshio Okamoto
Authors: Chankvetadze Bezhan
Published: January 2022

This article summarizes our cooperation with the research group of Prof. Yoshio Okamoto at Nagoya University during the period of time between 1992 and 2005. Although the text deals entirely with enantioseparations in high‐performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, and capillary electrochromatography, this is not a detailed review in any of these areas. The text highlights selected aspects of these techniques, which have been the subject of our joint research and in part their reflection in follow‐up research by our and other research groups. Together with more systematically studied topics, aspects such as ultrafast separation of enantiomers, uncommonly high separation factor of enantiomers and other related issues are also addressed.
Energy‐aware virtual machine consolidation based on evolutionary game theory
Authors: Liu Xialin , Wu Junsheng , Chen Lijun , Zhang Lili
Published: January 2022

Cloud data center consumes enormous amount of electrical power resulting in high operating cost and carbon dioxide emission. Virtual machine (VM) consolidation strives to reallocate VMs to the minimum number of physical machines dynamically to reduce energy consumption. An approach is proposed to solve consolidation problem of VMs toward optimization of their energy consumption. A novel algorithm is presented, and an energy consumption model is also presented to support the algorithm to find optimal solutions. Experimental results show that energy consumption can be reduced greatly by dynamic VM consolidation. In comparison with other classic algorithms, our proposed algorithm outcomes them and achieves average savings of 42% on energy consumption.
Detection of malware applications from centrality measures of syscall graph
Authors: Surendran Roopak , Thomas Tony
Published: January 2022

These days it is found that malware authors tend to create new variants of existing Android malware by using various kinds of obfuscation techniques. These kinds of obfuscated malware applications can bypass all the current antimalware products which rely on static analysis techniques to detect the malicious behavior. Hence, it is essential to develop innovative dynamic analysis mechanisms for Android malware detection. It is known that, the malicious behavior of statically obfuscated malware applications can get reflected in the system call (syscall) trace generated by them. Most of the existing syscall based mechanisms depend only on the features derived from the syscall counts for malware detection. These syscall count related features are inadequate to capture many other useful characteristics related to the syscalls in a sequence. In order to overcome this limitation, we modeled the syscall trace of an application as an ordered graph which enabled to infer various kinds of features in the form of centrality measures related to that syscall trace of the application. Then, these centrality measures are fed to an ML model to predict the malicious behavior. From the implementation results, we found that our mechanism can detect malware apps with an accuracy of 0.99.
Antioxidant activities, functional properties, and application of a novel Lepidium sativum polysaccharide in the formulation of cake
Authors: Ben Slima Sirine , Ktari Naourez , chouikhi Aicha , Trabelsi Imen , Hzami Amina , Taktak Mohamed Amine , Msaddak Lotfi , Ben Salah Riadh
Published: January 2022

A novel heteropolysaccharide, named cress water soluble polysaccharide (CWSP), was purified from Lepidium sativum seeds. Antioxidant activities and functional properties were characterized thermally using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) results of CWSP were evaluated. The total antioxidant capacity and the metal chelating activities of CWSP at 3 mg/ml were equivalent to 116.34 µg ascorbic acid and 62.57%, respectively. As for the CWSP that was used for the production of cakes, it was thermally stable, and it presented high water (WHC) and oil holding (OHC) capacities and good emulsion properties. The samples were prepared with different levels of CWSP (0.1. 0.3, and 0.5%) and analyzed during 15 days of storage at room temperature. The obtained results indicated that the addition of CWSP had a significant effect on the texture profile, leading to the increase in all parameters in terms of hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, and chewiness. Moreover, the reformulation samples presented higher a* and lower L* and b* than the control sample. The sensory evaluation showed that the formulation of cake with 0.3% of CWSP was the most acceptable. Therefore, CWSP was shown to be a new alternative for improving the quality attributes, indicating potent antioxidant activities on the shelf life during the storage of bakery foods.
Risk of breast cancer in men in relation to weight change: A national case‐control study in England and Wales
Authors: Swerdlow Anthony J. , Bruce Cydney , Cooke Rosie , Coulson Penny , Schoemaker Minouk J. , Jones Michael E.
Published: January 2022

Breast cancer is uncommon in men and knowledge about its causation limited. Obesity is a risk factor but there has been no investigation of whether weight change is an independent risk factor, as it is in women. In a national case‐control study, 1998 men with breast cancer incident in England and Wales during 2005 to 2017 and 1597 male controls were interviewed about risk factors for breast cancer including anthropometric factors at several ages. Relative risks of breast cancer in relation to changes in body mass index (BMI) and waist/height ratios at these ages were obtained by logistic regression modelling. There were significant trends of increasing breast cancer risk with increase in BMI from age 20 to 40 (odds ratio [OR] 1.11 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05‐1.17] per 2 kg/m2 increase in BMI; P < .001), and from age 40 to 60 (OR 1.12 [1.04‐1.20]; P = .003), and with increase in self‐reported adiposity compared to peers at age 11 to BMI compared with peers at age 20 (OR 1.19 [1.09‐1.30]; P < .001). Increase in waist/height ratio from age 20 to 5 years before diagnosis was also highly significantly associated with risk (OR 1.13 [1.08‐1.19]; P < .001). The associations with increases in BMI and waist/height ratio were significant independently of each other and of BMI or waist/height ratio at the start of the period of change analysed, and effects were similar for invasive and in situ tumours separately. Increases in BMI and abdominal obesity are each risk factors for breast cancer in men, independently of obesity per se. These associations might relate to increasing oestrogen levels with weight gain, but this needs investigation.
Direct‐to‐consumer advertising and the advancement of the quadruple aim: A narrative review
Authors: Khokhar Bilal , Weathers Shannon , Joseph Mattingly T.
Published: January 2022

The concept of pharmaceutical promotion targeted at the public has been controversial throughout history for many clinicians, patients, and policymakers and has led to many regulatory changes for pharmaceutical promotion in the United States. The objective of this narrative review was to identify, assess, and summarize evidence addressing the potential impact of direct‐to‐consumer advertising (DTCA) on patient care through the lens of the quadruple aim of health care: (a) patient experience; (b) population health; (c) cost; and (d) provider experience. Increased spending on DTCA has frequently been cited in a negative context when discussing health policy due to inappropriate prescribing or increased spending on pharmaceuticals, but the research identified in this review describes a more complicated relationship. Any conclusions regarding the total impact on the health system will be greatly influenced by the perspective (eg, patient, provider, payer, society) of the person evaluating. In any case, benefits and harms of DTCA must be weighed in the context of the therapeutic area, population characteristics, and overall goal of the evaluator.
Earnings management through financing activities: Evidence from early debt extinguishments
Authors: Barua Abhijit , Kim Jung Hoon , Yi Sheng
Published: January 2022

We investigate whether early debt extinguishments, a financing activity, are used to manage earnings after the introduction of SFAS No. 145 in 2002. This standard changes the reporting rules of gains and losses from early debt extinguishments, which are now included in income from continuing operations. This shift in reporting rules provides firms with a potential opportunity to manage income from continuing operations, which is valued more by investors than below the line items. We hypothesize and find that gains from early debt extinguishments are positively associated with the magnitude of shortfall from earnings benchmarks and the propensity to meet or beat earnings benchmarks after the adoption of SFAS 145. Thus, our findings suggest unintended consequences of the SFAS No. 145, which may have implications for policy makers.
Methods and tools for causal discovery and causal inference
Authors: Nogueira Ana Rita , Pugnana Andrea , Ruggieri Salvatore , Pedreschi Dino , Gama João
Published: January 2022

Causality is a complex concept, which roots its developments across several fields, such as statistics, economics, epidemiology, computer science, and philosophy. In recent years, the study of causal relationships has become a crucial part of the Artificial Intelligence community, as causality can be a key tool for overcoming some limitations of correlation‐based Machine Learning systems. Causality research can generally be divided into two main branches, that is, causal discovery and causal inference. The former focuses on obtaining causal knowledge directly from observational data. The latter aims to estimate the impact deriving from a change of a certain variable over an outcome of interest. This article aims at covering several methodologies that have been developed for both tasks. This survey does not only focus on theoretical aspects. But also provides a practical toolkit for interested researchers and practitioners, including software, datasets, and running examples.

This article is categorized under:

Algorithmic Development > Causality Discovery

Fundamental Concepts of Data and Knowledge > Explainable AI

Technologies > Machine Learning
The effect of body size on co‐occurrence patterns within an African carnivore guild
Authors: Vissia Sander , van Langevelde Frank
Published: January 2022

Intraguild interactions among mammalian carnivores are important in shaping carnivore guild composition. Competing species may inhabit different areas and/or being active during different times to reduce the risk of aggressive interactions, but the role of body size in intraguild interactions within carnivore guilds remains largely unknown. We determined spatial and temporal co‐occurrence of small, medium‐sized and large carnivores of the carnivore guild in central Tuli, Botswana: lionPanthera leo, leopardPanthera pardus, spotted hyenaCrocuta crocuta, brown hyenaParahyaena brunnea, black‐backed jackalCanis mesomelas, bat‐eared foxOtocyon megalotis, African wildcatFelis sylvestris lybica, African civetCivettictis civetta, honey badgerMellivora capensisand small‐spotted genetGenetta genetta. We used camera trap data over a two‐year period and quantified the degree of temporal and spatial overlap by comparing activity patterns and calculating Pianka's index respectively. Our results showed that temporal overlap in activity between all carnivore species was high, but complete overlap was possibly reduced by differences in peak activity periods. In addition, low to moderate levels of spatial overlap were found between the different carnivore species, supporting the idea that small carnivore species inhabit different areas than large species to reduce the risk of interference competition. Due to the possible strong competition amongst sympatric carnivores there is a need for more knowledge on co‐existence patterns for successful management and conservation of carnivore species, for example when carnivore species are (re)introduced in an area.
MINIMALLY TRANSITIVE FAMILIES OF SUBSPACES OF
Authors: LONGSTAFF W. E.
Published: January 2022

Every transitive family of subspaces of a vector space of finite dimension
$n\ge 2$
over a field
$\mathbb {F}$
contains a subfamily which is transitive but has no proper transitive subfamily. Such a subfamily is called minimally transitive. Each has at most
$n^2-n+1$
elements. On
${{\mathbb {C}}}^n, n\ge 3$
, a minimally transitive family of subspaces has at least four elements and a minimally transitive family of one-dimensional subspaces has
$\tau $
elements where
$n+1\le \tau \le 2n-2$
. We show how a minimally transitive family of one-dimensional subspaces arises when it consists of the subspaces spanned by the standard basis vectors together with those spanned by
$0$
–
$1$
vectors. On a space of dimension four, the set of nontrivial elements of a medial subspace lattice has five elements if it is minimally transitive. On spaces of dimension
$12$
or more, the set of nontrivial elements of a medial subspace lattice can have six or more elements and be minimally transitive.
Cross-Border Movement in Interwar Polesie as a Manifestation of the Local Population's Indifference towards the State
Authors: Boridczenko Stanisław
Published: January 2022

The present article addresses how the local population of the Polesie Voivodeship perceived the establishment of the Soviet–Polish state border that separated them into two nations. This article focuses on their co-existence, through the prism of the evolution of the reason for cross-border movements. It aims to show that national indifference is not based on the same attitude towards a modern institution as a result of only a vague knowledge of modern society, but is, very often, the result of a conscious choice in the conditions of the need to live and co-exist with ‘alien’ institutions of power. This article, contributing to a growing literature on how ‘ordinary’ people living near state frontiers both resist and appropriate these demarcations of state sovereignty, is largely based on cross-referencing local state archival material with oral testimony from residents of the time and their descendants.
Atlantic Water Inflow Through the Yermak Pass Branch: Evolution Since 2007
Authors: Artana Camila , Provost Christine , Koenig Zoé , Athanase Marylou , Asgari Ava
Published: January 2022

Thirty‐four months (2017–2020) of mooring data were recently obtained at 80.6°N, 7.26°E in the main branch of Atlantic Water inflow to the Arctic, the Yermak Pass Branch. The Yermak Pass Branch was sampled at that same location during 14 months a decade ago (2007–2008) when sea ice was abundant (mean sea‐ice concentration of 74% vs. 39% during the recent deployment). We focus on time scales larger than 50 hr. The new mooring data set shows an increase in the velocity variations of 40% compared to the 2007–2008 period. Year 2018 was exceptional with ice‐free conditions over the entire year and an intensified mesoscale activity compared to other years. Temperature and salinity time series at 340 m showed significant trends over 3 years (freshening of −0.07 g/kg and cooling of about −0.9°C in 3 years). The performance of 1/12° Mercator‐Ocean operational model at the mooring location was precisely assessed. The modeled Atlantic Water transport was on average larger during 2017–2020 (40% larger) than during 2007–2008. The synoptic transport time series ranged between −1 and 5 Sv over 2007–2020 and showed large seasonal and interannual variations. The transport was larger in winter than summer. However, occasionally negative transport (<−0.7 Sv) through the Yermak Pass Branch occurred during winters (“Blocking events”). These blocking events are associated with recirculations and eddy activity and were more common over the last years from 2016 onward. The model suggested that a Northern Branch crossing the Yermak Plateau further north (81.6°N) intermittently developed.
A comprehensive physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for nicotine in humans from using nicotine-containing products with different routes of exposure
Authors: Rostami Ali A. , Campbell Jerry L. , Pithawalla Yezdi B. , Pourhashem Hamideh , Muhammad-Kah Raheema S. , Sarkar Mohamadi A. , Liu Jianmin , McKinney Willie J. , Gentry Robinan , Gogova Maria
Published: January 2022

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling can be a useful tool for characterizing nicotine pharmacokinetics (PK) from use of tobacco products. We expand a previously published PBPK model to simulate a nicotine PK profile, following single or multiple use of various tobacco products [cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and electronic nicotine delivery systems, or a nicotine inhaler (NICOTROL)] The uptake route in the model was designed to allow for three uptake compartments: buccal cavity (BC), upper respiratory tract (URT) (conducting and transitional airways) and lower respiratory tract (alveolar region). Within each region, the model includes product-specific descriptions of the flux of nicotine into plasma, as well as the flux of nicotine from the BC and URT to the gastrointestinal tract. These descriptions are based on regional deposition and diffusion models of nicotine into plasma, which depends on the product type. Regional deposition flux combined with regional differences in physiological parameters (e.g., blood perfusion ratio and tissue thickness) play a key role in the product-specific PK profile of nicotine. The current model describes the slower flux of nicotine into plasma across the BC and URT, as well as the rapid flux known to occur in the alveolar region. Overall, the addition of the BC and respiratory tract compartments to the nicotine model provided simulation results that are comparable to the nicotine time-course plasma concentrations reported from clinical studies for the four product categories simulated.
Research on Gas Drainage Laws of SRV-fractured Horizontal Wells in Different Types of Tight Gas Reservoirs
Authors: Li Xucheng , Cao Jian , Gao Yajie , Zhao Huiyan , Shuo Zhai
Published: January 2022

Horizontal well and large-scale hydraulic fracturing are the main technical means for tight gas development at present. However, tight gas reservoirs are characterized by strong heterogeneity, and different types of gas Wells have different production characteristics and pressure propagation laws. In view of the above problems, based on the physical characteristics and reservoir reconstruction evaluation of tight gas reservoir in GAS Reservoir A in Sichuan Basin, three types of reservoir hydraulic fracture models and numerical simulation models were generated by using numerical simulation method, and the production dynamic prediction and pressure wave propagation law were studied. The simulation results show that: (1) In the beginning of production, the deflated area is mainly hydraulic fracture reconstruction area, and the drainage radius of all kinds of gas Wells expands at similar speed; (2) When the drainage range is expanded in the untransformed area, the dimensionless drainage radius expansion speed of gas well is positively correlated with the reservoir physical property. The dimensionless drainage radius and drainage area of class I and II horizontal Wells are relatively faster, while that of Class III Wells is slightly slower.
A Brief Discussion on Environmental Impact Assessment Reporting System and Suggestions
Authors: Hang Zhou , Jian Wang
Published: January 2022

Environmental impact assessment system has made great progress in recent years in China, but it still cannot meet the needs of practice, and there are still various problems in the compilation of environmental impact assessment report, but the existing environmental impact assessment system still needs to be improved. Therefore, in order to promote the normative and scientific development of the environmental impact assessment system, this paper constantly finds problems and draws experience from the development, improves the system, and provides improvement measures for the improvement of the environmental impact assessment(EIA) report in terms of content and form that adapt to the development of practice.
Effect of Organic Ecological Soilless Culture Substrate on Tomato Fruit
Authors: Xu Yan , Wang Jian , Zhou Hang
Published: January 2022

Based on agricultural biomass resources and utilization in Shaanxi province, this experiment used decomposing mushroom residues, pine needles, and peanut shells compounded with river sand as organic cultivation substrates, compared with garden soil, and carried out pot experiments to study the effect of different soilless cultivation substrates on tomato yield, size and number. The results show that compared with CK1 (garden soil) and CK2 (decomposed fungus residue: river sand = 1:1, volume ratio), the yield of greenhouse tomato of T5 (decomposed fungus residue: pine needles: peanut shells: river sand = 1:1:1:1, volume ratio) can be significantly improved; under the same amount of decomposed fungus residue and river sand, adding peanut shells has a better effect on tomato yield than adding pine needles; different treatments have little effect on the average height of tomato fruit, but have a greater effect on the cross diameter of the fruit.
Treatment of Waterborne Coating Wastewater by Coagulation Sedimentation Fenton Oxidation Process
Authors: Yang Chenxi , Wang Jian
Published: January 2022

waterborne coatings have become the development trend of the coating industry because of their less use of organic solvents and good environmental protection performance. However, the wastewater produced in the production process of waterborne coatings has become a difficult pollution source. Based on this, this paper uses coagulation sedimentation method and Fenton oxidation method to treat waterborne coating wastewater. Taking the COD of treated wastewater as the research index, this paper studies various factors affecting the treatment effect of coagulation sedimentation and Fenton oxidation. Through single factor analysis, the results show that the best dosage of PFS and PAM is PFS: 8 g/L and PAM: 0.8 g/L; In Fenton oxidation, the dosage of H2O2 is 9.98mL/L, the dosage of FeSO4 · 7H2O is n (Fe2+): n (H2O2) = 1:6, pH is 2, and the dosage times are 2.
Application of adjacent heating technology in thermal power unit
Authors: Che Yongqiang , Zhang Yanfei , Lv Haizhen
Published: January 2022

There are many problems in the start-up stage of thermal power unit, which seriously affect the safe and economic operation of the unit. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the energy-saving technology of thermal power unit in the start-up stage. The adjacent heating technology is put forward to solve these problems in the boiler start-up stage. Thermal power unit USES the adjacent machine heating technology, improve the conditions of the boiler ignition and steady combustion conditions, improve the safety of the boiler start-up, saves the costs of fuel oil, coal, electricity, strengthened the flushing efficiency, shorten the flush time, improve the economic benefit of the adjacent machine, and prevent the scale caused by dramatic change wall temperature fall off, It can also ensure the safe operation of desulfurization, denitration and dust removal devices, and reduce the emission of pollutants, so it has a broad application prospect.
Research on the regeneration technology of etching waste solution
Authors: Ru Chen
Published: January 2022

With the increase in the use of electronic products, the consumption of circuit boards also increased sharply, the amount of waste liquid discharged in the process of producing circuit boards will follow the increase, and these waste liquids, if discharged directly, not only cause a great waste of resources, but also cause serious water pollution, soil pollution, and thus with the food chain into the body of people and animals, seriously endangering human health, so we need to Therefore, we need to recycle and utilize this resource. In this paper, we adopt the recycling treatment system to transport the waste solution from the production line to the electrolyzer, and the overflow tank stores the electrolyte discharged from the production line. We adopt the waste electrolyte after treating the micro-etching waste solution for waste solution recycling treatment, and electrolyze the micro-etching waste solution again after treatment, and use it repeatedly to improve the utilization rate of electrolyte.
A proposal for a technology-assisted approach to wildlife management in Singapore
Authors: Chen Melvin , Tan Alvin De Jun , Quek Wei Liang , Chahed Haroun
Published: January 2022

The long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis fascicularis) is a non-human primate species that is native to Singapore. From mid-2020, the Nanyang Technological University campus witnessed a sharp increase in the number of human–macaque encounters. In this article, we will first identify a set of technological tools that we have developed to guide decision- and policy-making on the wildlife management front and mitigate human–macaque conflict. Thereafter, we will describe how we applied these tools to the activity log cataloguing the macaque activity on campus and offer an analysis of the trends in macaque behaviour that may be shared with members of the public and affected residents. Among the results that will be discussed are the following: a significant decline in the number of macaque sightings at Student Residences over the weekend, a majority of the reported macaque sightings occurring in the early evening, no significant difference in the damage and proximity scores over time, and a trend in observed macaque activity at critical sleep-relevant time intervals and areas on campus. We hope that our approach will promote, through an improved and data-driven understanding of macaque behavioural trends, technology-assisted decision-making and a more harmonious co-existence between humans and macaques on campus and in Singapore. Last but not least, we anticipate further extensions of our approach with respect to other forms of wildlife.
Discovery of the interfamily grafting capacity ofPetunia, a floricultural species
Authors: Kurotani Ken-ichi , Huang Chaokun , Okayasu Koji , Suzuki Takamasa , Ichihashi Yasunori , Shirasu Ken , Higashiyama Tetsuya , Niwa Masaki , Notaguchi Michitaka
Published: January 2022

In grafting, an agricultural technique for propagating flower species and fruit trees, two plants are combined to exploit their beneficial characteristics, such as rootstock disease tolerance and vigor. Grafting incompatibility has been observed, however, between distantly related plant combinations, which limits the availability of plant resources. A high grafting capacity has been found in Nicotiana, belonging to Solanaceae, but not in Ipomoea nil, a Convolvulaceae species. Here, we found that Petunia hybrida, another solanaceous species, has similar ability of interfamily grafting, which indicates that interfamily grafting capability in Solanaceae is not limited to the genus Nicotiana. RNA sequencing-based comparative time-series transcriptomic analyses of Nicotiana benthamiana, I. nil, and P. hybrida revealed that N. benthamiana and P. hybrida share a common gene expression pattern, with continued elevated expression of the β-1,4-glucanase subclade gene GH9B3 observed after interfamily grafting. During self-grafting, GH9B3 expression in each species was similarly elevated, thus suggesting that solanaceous plants have altered regulatory mechanisms for GH9B3 gene expression that allow tissue fusion even with other species. Finally, we tested the effect of the β-1,4-glucanase inhibitor D-glucono-1,5-lactone, using glucose as a control, on the interfamily grafting usability of P. hybrida with Arabidopsis rootstock. Strong inhibition of graft establishment was observed only with D-glucono-1,5-lactone, thus suggesting the important role of GH9B3 in P. hybrida grafting. The newly discovered grafting compatibility of Petunia with different families enhances the propagation techniques and the production of flower plants.
Integrative analysis of the shikonin metabolic network identifies new gene connections and reveals evolutionary insight into shikonin biosynthesis
Authors: Suttiyut Thiti , Auber Robert P , Ghaste Manoj , Kane Cade N , McAdam Scott A M , Wisecaver Jennifer H , Widhalm Joshua R
Published: January 2022

Plant specialized 1,4-naphthoquinones present a remarkable case of convergent evolution. Species across multiple discrete orders of vascular plants produce diverse 1,4-naphthoquinones via one of several pathways using different metabolic precursors. Evolution of these pathways was preceded by events of metabolic innovation and many appear to share connections with biosynthesis of photosynthetic or respiratory quinones. Here, we sought to shed light on the metabolic connections linking shikonin biosynthesis with its precursor pathways and on the origins of shikonin metabolic genes. Downregulation of Lithospermum erythrorhizon geranyl diphosphate synthase (LeGPPS), recently shown to have been recruited from a cytoplasmic farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS), resulted in reduced shikonin production and a decrease in expression of mevalonic acid and phenylpropanoid pathway genes. Next, we used LeGPPS and other known shikonin pathway genes to build a coexpression network model for identifying new gene connections to shikonin metabolism. Integrative in silico analyses of network genes revealed candidates for biochemical steps in the shikonin pathway arising from Boraginales-specific gene family expansion. Multiple genes in the shikonin coexpression network were also discovered to have originated from duplication of ubiquinone pathway genes. Taken together, our study provides evidence for transcriptional crosstalk between shikonin biosynthesis and its precursor pathways, identifies several shikonin pathway gene candidates and their evolutionary histories, and establishes additional evolutionary links between shikonin and ubiquinone metabolism. Moreover, we demonstrate that global coexpression analysis using limited transcriptomic data obtained from targeted experiments is effective for identifying gene connections within a defined metabolic network.
Intermittent Fasting in Weight Loss and Cardiometabolic Risk Reduction: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: CHAIR Sek Ying , CAI Hua , CAO Xi , QIN Yuelan , CHENG Ho Yu , NG Michael Timothy
Published: January 2022

Background

Intermittent fasting is an effective approach to promote weight loss. The optimal model of intermittent fasting in achieving weight management and cardiometabolic risk reduction is an underexplored but important issue.

Purpose

This study was designed to examine the effects of alternate-day fasting (ADF) and 16/8 time-restricted fasting (16/8 TRF) on weight loss, blood glucose, and lipid profile in overweight and obese adults with prediabetes.

Methods

A randomized controlled trial was conducted on a sample of 101 overweight and obese adults with prediabetes. The participants were randomized into the ADF group (n = 34), 16/8 TRF group (n = 33), and control group (n = 34). The intervention lasted for 3 weeks. Data on body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, blood glucose, and lipid profile were collected at baseline, at the end of the intervention, and at the 3-month follow-up.

Results

The reductions in body weight, body mass index, and waist circumference in the ADF and 16/8 TRF groups were more significant than those in the control group across the study period (all ps < .05). Moreover, significant reductions on blood glucose and triglycerides were observed in the two intervention groups as well. Furthermore, the reductions in body weight and body mass index in the ADF group were more significant than those in the 16/8 TRF group (all ps < .001). However, differences on the changes in blood glucose, waist circumference, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol between the two intervention groups were not significant.

Conclusions/Implications for Practice

The benefits of ADF and 16/8 TRF in promoting weight loss in overweight/obese adults with prediabetes were shown in this study. ADF was shown to have more-significant reduction effects on body weight and body mass index than 16/8 TRF. These findings indicate the potential benefit of integrating intermittent fasting regimens into normal dietary patterns to reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in this population.
Screening Tools for Child Abuse Used by Healthcare Providers: A Systematic Review
Authors: CHEN Chia-Jung , CHEN Yi-Wen , CHANG Hsin-Yi , FENG Jui-Ying
Published: January 2022

Background

The early detection of child abuse is essential for children at risk. Healthcare professionals working at hospitals and in the community are often the first to encounter suspected cases of child abuse. Therefore, an accurate identification of child abuse is critical for intervention. However, there is no consensus on the best method to screen for child abuse.

Purpose

This systematic review was designed to evaluate the relevant psychometric properties and critically appraise the methodological quality of child abuse screening tools used by healthcare providers with children less than 18 years old.

Methods

We searched the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Education Resources Information Center, PubMed, Airiti Library, and OpenGray databases for studies on screening tools used to identify abuse in children published through October 2019 in English or Chinese. Information regarding populations, assessment methods, and accuracy parameters were extracted. Study quality was assessed using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments checklist and Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria.

Results

Nine hundred thirty-nine abstracts and 23 full-text articles were reviewed for eligibility, and 15 screening tools for child abuse used by healthcare providers were identified. Screening tools often assess the presence of more than one form of abuse, but no single tool covered all forms. Of these, 10 tools screened for a single, discrete type of abuse, including nine physical abuse screening tools (three abusive head trauma tools) and one sexual abuse tool. Eighty percent (n = 12) of the screening tools had a moderate-to-high quality of evidence based on the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria. However, none of these screening tools achieved an adequate level of evidence based on the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments checklist.

Conclusions/Implications for Practice

In this systematic literature review, 15 assessment tools of child abuse used by healthcare providers were identified, of which nine screened for physical abuse. Screening tools must be valid, succinct, user-friendly, and amenable for use with children at every point of care in the healthcare system. Because of the paucity of informative and practical studies in the literature, findings related to the quality of child abuse screening tools were inconclusive. Therefore, future research should focus on the use of screening tools in the healthcare system to identify effective screening interventions that may help healthcare providers identify child abuse cases as early as possible.