bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of suicide prevention videos developed by and targeting adolescents: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Braun Marlies , Till Benedikt , Pirkis Jane , Niederkrotenthaler Thomas
Published: November 2021

Suicide prevention videos featuring young people’s personal narratives of hope and recovery are increasingly used in suicide prevention, but research on their effects is scarce. A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the effects of a suicide prevention video featuring an adolescent mastering his suicidal ideation by getting help on 14 to 19-year-olds.N = 299 adolescents were randomly allocated to watch the intervention video (n = 148) or a control video unrelated to mental health (n = 151). Questionnaire data were collected before (T1) and immediately after exposure (T2), and 4 weeks later (T3). Data were analyzed with a repeated-measures ANCOVA. The primary outcome was suicidal ideation, assessed with the Reasons for Living Inventory for Adolescents. Secondary outcomes were help-seeking intentions, attitudes towards suicide, stigmatization of suicidality, and mood. There was an immediate beneficial effect of the intervention on suicidal ideation (T2mean change from baseline within intervention groupMChange = − 0.16 [95% CI − 0.20 to − 0.12], mean difference compared to control groupMDiff = − 0.09 [95% CI − 0.15 to − 0.03],ηp2 = 0.03), which was not maintained atT3. Participants reported significantly higher help-seeking intentions, which was maintained at 4-week follow-up. They also reported a sustained reduction of favorable attitudes to suicide. Effects on suicidal ideation were mediated by identification with the featured protagonist. Adolescents appear to benefit from suicide prevention narratives featuring personal stories from peers on coping with suicidal ideation and help-seeking.

Trial registrationDRKS00017405; 24/09/19; retrospectively registered.
Effective transfer entropy to measure information flows in credit markets
Authors: Caserini Nicoló Andrea , Pagnottoni Paolo
Published: November 2021

In this paper we propose to study the dynamics of financial contagion between the credit default swap (CDS) and the sovereign bond markets through effective transfer entropy, a model-free methodology which enables to overcome the required hypotheses of classical price discovery measures in the statistical and econometric literature, without being restricted to linear dynamics. By means of effective transfer entropy we correct for small sample biases which affect the traditional Shannon transfer entropy, as well as we are able to conduct inference on the estimated directional information flows. In our empirical application, we analyze the CDS and bond market data for eight countries of the European Union, and aim to discover which of the two assets is faster at incorporating the information on the credit risk of the underlying sovereign. Our results show a clear and statistically significant prominence of the bond market for pricing the sovereign credit risk, especially during the crisis period. During the post-crisis period, instead, a few countries behave dissimilarly from the others, in particular Spain and the Netherlands.
Plastic mulches reduce adult and larval populations of Drosophila suzukii in fall-bearing raspberry
Authors: McIntosh Hanna , Atucha Amaya , Townsend Philip A. , Hills W. Beckett , Guédot Christelle
Published: November 2021

The invasive spotted-wing drosophila,Drosophila suzukii,is a major pest of fruit crops worldwide. Management ofD. suzukiirelies heavily on chemical control in both organic and conventional systems, and there is a need to develop more sustainable management practices. We evaluated the efficacy of three colors of plastic mulches at reducing populations ofD. suzukiiin fall-bearing raspberry and assessed the mulches’ impacts on canopy microclimate factors relevant toD. suzukii. Black, white, and metallic plastic mulches reduced adultD. suzukiipopulations by 42–51% and larval populations by 52–72% compared to the grower standard. The mulches did not change canopy temperature or relative humidity, but metallic mulches increased canopy light intensity compared to the black mulch. Radiance in the visible spectrum (401–680 nm) was higher for the white and metallic mulch plots, but the black mulch plots did not differ from the control. In the UV spectrum (380–400 nm), all three plastic mulches had higher radiance than the control plots. Future studies will determine whether changes in radiance are associated with the observed reduction inD. suzukiipopulations. Plastic mulches are a promising cultural practice for managingD. suzukiisince they can reduce adult and larval populations and could be incorporated into an integrated pest management program in both organic and conventional systems.
“White, Tall, Top, Masculine, Muscular”: Narratives of Intracommunity Stigma in Young Sexual Minority Men’s Experience on Mobile Apps
Authors: Hammack Phillip L. , Grecco Brock , Wilson Bianca D. M. , Meyer Ilan H.
Published: November 2021

What forms of intracommunity stigma do young sexual minority men narrate as they participate in communities through mobile apps? In a content analysis of 32 interviews with a racially diverse sample of young sexual minority men (ages 19–25; 84.4% non-White) from four regions of the USA, a majority of men (62.5%) spontaneously discussed mobile apps (e.g., Grindr, Scruff) when asked about their experience of community more broadly. Men’s narratives revealed engagement with intracommunity stigma related to body size, race/ethnicity, gender expression, and sexual position (e.g., bottom). Stigma related to HIV status, substance use, and social class were not spontaneously narrated in response to questions about men’s experience in communities. Expressions of stigma were frequently experienced intersectionally, particularly regarding racialized stereotype expectations (e.g., “Asian men are twinks, effeminate”). We discuss the ways in which sexual minority men reproduce dominant ideologies related to racism, misogyny, and masculine body ideals as they engage with one another on mobile apps. To the extent that many young men rely on mobile apps for community connection, their experiences of community might serve to exacerbate, rather than ameliorate, the deleterious impact of stigma.
Active First Movers vs. Late Free-Riders? An Empirical Analysis of UN PRI Signatories’ Commitment
Authors: Bauckloh Tobias , Schaltegger Stefan , Utz Sebastian , Zeile Sebastian , Zwergel Bernhard
Published: November 2021

Joining voluntary thematic initiatives can be a means for firms to legitimate their business activities. However, a lack of review mechanisms could create incentives for free-riding. This might lead to a lower commitment to the initiative’s principles, and endanger its credibility and its members’ legitimacy benefits. Whether members of voluntary initiatives take advantage of the opportunity to free-ride has not been analyzed empirically so far. To fill this research gap, we investigate from an institutional theory perspective the actual implementation behavior of publicly listed signatories of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) in a difference-in-differences and an event study setting. Our empirical results show that, after signing, UN PRI signatories integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria in their business activities significantly more than matched non-signatories from the financial sector, indicating the commitment of the signatories to the UN PRI in general. However, while the initial members show a high commitment to the initiative’s principles by increasing their ESG integration performance substantially, new members signing at a later stage of the initiative perform considerably less, and thus undermine the UN PRI’s credibility. We derive implications for voluntary thematic initiatives to avoid such a development.
New realities for Polish primary school informatics education affected by COVID-19
Authors: Panskyi Taras , Korzeniewska Ewa , Serwach Małgorzata , Grudzień Krzysztof
Published: November 2021

In the paper, the authors discuss the first research effort to explore the transition from traditional teaching into distance teaching in Polish primary schools enforced by COVID-19. The first research question was addressed to primary school students and was dedicated to furnishing them with ICT equipment for crisis-prompted distance informatics learning. According to the obtained results, almost all Polish students during the pandemic have a technical opportunity to participate in distance learning and to use digital devices to develop their digital competences. Hence the second research question was addressed to the experts, demystifies whether the accessibility and the availability of ICTs could increase students’ informatics learning outcomes in out-of-school primary education settings. The obtained results reveal the significant importance of out-of-school informatics education in pandemic time. Moreover, in the first wave of pandemic, distance informatics education had the same or similar effect as if students learn informatics by themselves, without school lessons and teachers’ support. The obtained results should strengthen teachers and school leaders in making informed decisions during the shift into distance informatics education. Also, by investigating participants’ informatics learning outcomes and teacher preparedness and choices when implementing distance education, authors hope that the study may be helpful for policy-makers with the progressive changes in education and government support for informatics, especially in Poland, in making informed decisions to aid the transition into distance education as well as developing preparedness plans for future pandemics.
Feeling Wronged: The Value and Deontic Power of Moral Distress
Authors: Bagnoli Carla
Published: November 2021

This paper argues that moral distress is a distinctive category of reactive attitudes that are taken to be part and parcel of the social dynamics for recognition. While moral distress does not demonstrate evidence of wrongdoing, it does emotionally articulate a demand for normative attention that is addressed to others as moral providers. The argument for this characterization of the deontic power of moral distress builds upon two examples in which the cognitive value of the victim’s emotional experience is controversial: the case of micro-aggression, and the case of misplaced distress. In contrast to appraisal and perceptual models of distress, it is argued that its epistemic and normative value is dialogical rather than evidential, in that it presses claims that engage the audience in a normative discussion about the normative standing of the claimant, the proper grounds of the attitude, and the normative standards used to assess them.
Seed priming of plants aiding in drought stress tolerance and faster recovery: a review
Authors: Aswathi K. P. Raj , Kalaji Hazem M. , Puthur Jos T.
Published: November 2021

Drought stress exposure adversely affects plant growth and productivity. Various seed priming techniques are experimented to mitigate the adverse effect of drought stress on plant performance. It is a low-cost and sustainable technology that proved to be of immense potential to enhance drought tolerance and increase crop productivity. Drought episodes are followed by recovery through rain or irrigation and help the plants to recuperate from the damages caused by drought stress. The severity of drought-associated damages determines the recovery kinetics of plants. Under the recurrent cycle of drought events, recovery kinetics has immense importance in predicting the stress tolerance potential and survival status of a plant. Many processes like DNA damage repair, de-novo synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins, osmotic adjustment through the accumulation of osmolytes, the potential activity of antioxidant machinery occurring during seed priming play a significant role during recovery from drought stress. Alleviation of the severity of drought stress through the accumulation of osmolytes, the augmented activity of antioxidant machinery, improved photosynthetic performance, and the upregulated expression of stress-responsive genes attributed by seed priming will complement the recovery from drought stress. Although the beneficial effects of seed priming on drought tolerance are well explored, priming influenced recovery mechanism has not been well explored. There is a lacuna in the field of research related to the beneficial effects of seed priming for recovery from drought stress, and that is the focus of this paper.
Controlled synthesis of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) from metastable solutions: insights into pathogenic calcification
Authors: Rafeek A. D. , Choi G. , Evans L. A.
Published: November 2021

Calcium phosphate (CaP) compounds may occur in the body as abnormal pathogenic phases in addition to their normal occurrence as bones and teeth. Dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD; CaPO4·2H2O), along with other significant CaP phases, have been observed in pathogenic calcifications such as dental calculi, kidney stones and urinary stones. While other studies have shown that polar amino acids can inhibit the growth of CaPs, these studies have mainly focused on hydroxyapatite (HAp; Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) formation from highly supersaturated solutions, while their effects on DCPD nucleation and growth from metastable solutions have been less thoroughly explored. By further elucidating the mechanisms of DCPD formation and the influence of amino acids on those mechanisms, insights may be gained into ways that amino acids could be used in treatment and prevention of unwanted calcifications. The current study involved seeded growth of DCPD from metastable solutions at constant pH in the presence of neutral, acidic and phosphorylated amino acid side chains. As a comparison, solutions were also seeded with calcium pyrophosphate (CPP; Ca2P2O7), a known calcium phosphate inhibitor. The results show that polar amino acids inhibit DCPD growth; this likely occurs due to electrostatic interactions between amino acid side groups and charged DCPD surfaces. Phosphoserine had the greatest inhibitory ability of the amino acids tested, with an effect equal to that of CPP. Clustering of DCPD crystals giving rise to a “chrysanthemum-like” morphology was noted with glutamic acid. This study concludes that molecules containing an increased number of polar side groups will enhance the inhibition of DCPD seeded growth from metastable solutions.
Designing biomimetic robots: iterative development of an integrated technology design curriculum
Authors: Bernstein Debra , Puttick Gillian , Wendell Kristen , Shaw Fayette , Danahy Ethan , Cassidy Michael
Published: November 2021

In most middle schools, learning is segregated by discipline. Yet interdisciplinary approaches have been shown to cultivate creative thinking, support problem solving, and develop interest while supporting knowledge gains (NAE & NRC in STEM Integration in K-12 Education: Status, Prospects, and an Agenda for Research. National Academies Press, Washington, 2014). The Designing Biomimetic Robots project emphasizes problem-based learning to integrate engineering, science, and computational thinking (CT). During a 3 to 4-week unit, students study the natural world to learn how animals accomplish different tasks, then design a robot inspired by what they learned. The project engages students in science, engineering, and CT practices. Over the course of a 3-year project, we used a design-based research approach to: (1) identify and describe strategies and challenges that emerge from integrated curriculum design, (2) explicate how a balance of integrated disciplines can provide opportunities for student participation in science, engineering, and CT practices, and (3) explore how a technology design task can support students’ participation in integrated learning. Data from three focal groups (one from each year of the project) suggest that a focused design task, supported by explicit and targeted supports for science, CT, and engineering practices, led to a student technology design process that was driven by disciplinary understanding. This work highlights the importance of drawing out and prioritizing alignments between disciplines (Barber in Educ Des, 2(8), 2015), to enable integrated learning. Additionally, this work demonstrates how a technology design task can support student learning across disciplines, and how engaging in CT practices can further help students draw these connections.
Ist Religion lehrbar? Diskurse über religiöse Bildung im spätantiken Christentum
Authors: Gemeinhardt Peter
Published: November 2021

Religion und Bildung stehen in einem Spannungsverhältnis zueinander, das fruchtbar, aber auch konflikthaft ausgestaltet sein kann. Das galt bereits für das frühe Christentum. Dem Befehl Jesu folgend galt es, Menschen vor und nach der Taufe Bildung zuteil werden zu lassen. Aber kann man Glauben „machen“? Und wenn ja, wie? Der Beitrag beleuchtet zunächst die Kritik paganer Philosophen am „bildungslosen“ Christentum und dessen Ansätze zu religiöser Unterweisung. Er geht sodann auf das Bildungshandeln im Katechumenat des 4. und 5. Jahrhunderts ein und untersucht, wie das Lehren des Glaubens in didaktischer Hinsicht reflektiert wurde. Schließlich nimmt er eine anscheinend bildungsabstinente Gruppe in den Blick: das Mönchtum, das sich bei näherem Hinsehen als Bildungsbewegung sui generis entpuppt. Der Beitrag legt die Triangulation christlicher Bildung zwischen Lehrenden und Lernenden sowie Gott als eigentlichem Lehrer offen; er schließt mit Überlegungen, wie die spätantiken Impulse für modernes (religiöses) Bildungshandeln erschlossen werden können.
The In Situ Ion Irradiation Toolbox: Time-Resolved Structure and Property Measurements
Authors: Lang E. , Dennett C. A. , Madden N. , Hattar K.
Published: November 2021

The dynamic interactions of ions with matter drive a host of complex evolution mechanisms, requiring monitoring on short spatial and temporal scales to gain a full picture of a material response. Understanding the evolution of materials under ion irradiation and displacement damage is vital for many fields, including semiconductor processing, nuclear reactors, and space systems. Despite materials in service having a dynamic response to radiation damage, typical characterization is performed post-irradiation, washing out all information from transient processes. Characterizing active processes in situ during irradiation allows the mechanisms at play during the dynamic ion-material interaction process to be deciphered. In this review, we examine the in situ characterization techniques utilized for examining material structure, composition, and property evolution under ion irradiation. Covering analyses of microstructure, surface composition, and material properties, this work offers a perspective on the recent advances in methods for in situ monitoring of materials under ion irradiation, including a future outlook examining the role of complementary and combined characterization techniques in understanding dynamic materials evolution.
Rare and Complex Epilepsies from Childhood to Adulthood: Requirements for Separate Management or Scope for a Lifespan Holistic Approach?
Authors: Balestrini Simona , Guerrini Renzo , Sisodiya Sanjay M.
Published: November 2021

Purpose

In this descriptive review, we describe current models of transition in rare and complex epilepsy syndromes and propose alternative approaches for more holistic management based on disease biology.

Recent Findings

Previously published guidance and recommendations on transition strategies in individuals with epilepsy have not been systematically and uniformly applied. There is significant heterogeneity in models of transition/transfer of care across countries and even within the same country.

We provide examples of the most severe epilepsy and related syndromes and emphasise the limited data on their outcome in adulthood. Rare and complex epilepsy syndromes have unique presentations and require high levels of expertise and multidisciplinary approach. Lifespan clinics, with no transition, but instead continuity of care from childhood to adulthood with highly specialised input from healthcare providers, may represent an alternative effective approach. Effectiveness should be measured by evaluation of quality of life for both patients and their families/caregivers.
Self-awareness in Dementia: a Taxonomy of Processes, Overview of Findings, and Integrative Framework
Authors: Mograbi Daniel C. , Huntley Jonathan , Critchley Hugo
Published: November 2021

Purpose of Review

Self-awareness, the capacity of becoming the object of one’s own awareness, has been a frontier of knowledge, but only recently scientific approaches to the theme have advanced. Self-awareness has important clinical implications, and a finer understanding of this concept may improve the clinical management of people with dementia. The current article aims to explore self-awareness, from a neurobiological perspective, in dementia.

Recent Findings

A taxonomy of self-awareness processes is presented, discussing how these can be structured across different levels of cognitive complexity. Findings on self-awareness in dementia are reviewed, indicating the relative preservation of capacities such as body ownership and agency, despite impairments in higher-level cognitive processes, such as autobiographical memory and emotional regulation.

An integrative framework, based on predictive coding and compensatory abilities linked to the resilience of self-awareness in dementia, is discussed, highlighting possible avenues for future research into the topic.
Clinical challenges in the management of endocrine side effects of immuno-oncological therapies
Authors: Wolf Peter , Scherer Thomas
Published: November 2021

Given the growing use of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in oncology, the prevalence of endocrine side effects is rapidly increasing. As clinicians are nowadays frequently confronted with these side effects in routine clinical care, awareness, better knowledge of endocrine irAEs and their clinical presentation and diagnosis is crucial for an adequate management. In this short-review we give a compact overview of the recent recommendations for the management of endocrine irAE related to ICIs and highlight difficulties and uncertainties in current clinical practice.
ProFiT: eine MS-basierte Methode zur Skelettmuskelfasertypisierung
Authors: Kallabis Sebastian , Krüger Marcus
Published: November 2021

Skeletal muscle tissue is composed of different fiber types which differ in their metabolic activity and molecular expression patterns. Mass spectrometric analyses revealed muscle fiber-specific traits but the number of detected proteins is limited due to low protein abundance and high dynamic range. We have developed a new LC-MS/MS method to circumvent the bottleneck of low protein abundance and we have applied this method to measure fiber type-specific phosphoproteomes for the first time.
Die Proteinausstattung eines einzelnen pflanzlichen Mitochondriums
Authors: Hildebrandt Tatjana , Meyer Etienne , Schwarzländer Markus
Published: November 2021

The structure and function of mitochondria have been characterized with increasing precision. How the protein inventory defines the characteristics of the organelle remains insufficiently understood, however. Recently we devised a quantitative proteomic approach to estimate the copy numbers of proteins in a single plant mitochondrion, as physical operational unit in the cell. We illustrate how such a simple thought experiment can give fascinating insights into how a mitochondrion works.
Epidemisches Versagen: Warum Staaten und internationale Organisationen wiederholt bei der Bekämpfung von Epidemien scheitern
Authors: Richter Dirk , Zürcher Simeon
Published: November 2021

Warum haben Staaten und internationale Organisationen wiederholt bei der Epidemiebekämpfung versagt? Wir analysieren das Vorgehen währen der Ebolaepidemie und der SARS-CoV‑2-Pandemie. In beiden Fällen erfolgte die Reaktion im Rahmen eines Zyklus epidemischen Versagens (ZEV) mit folgenden Phasen: Vernachlässigung, Arroganz/Leugnung, Panik und Analyse/Selbstkritik. Zentrale Ursachen für den ZEV sind die Ökologie (v.a. die Vernachlässigung von Zoonosen), die Politik (v.a. negative Anreize bei der Epidemiebekämpfung), sozioökonomische Kontexte, die menschliche Psychologie (v.a. kognitive Verzerrungen) sowie erkenntnistheoretische Probleme (v.a. der Rückgriff auf die Erfahrungen früherer Epidemien).
O-GlcNAcylation links oncogenic signals and cancer epigenetics
Authors: Sun Lidong , Lv Suli , Song Tanjing
Published: November 2021

Prevalent dysregulation of epigenetic modifications plays a pivotal role in cancer. Targeting epigenetic abnormality is a new strategy for cancer therapy. Understanding how conventional oncogenic factors cause epigenetic abnormality is of great basic and translational value. O-GlcNAcylation is a protein modification which affects physiology and pathophysiology. In mammals, O-GlcNAcylation is catalyzed by one single enzyme OGT and removed by one single enzyme OGA. O-GlcNAcylation is affected by the availability of the donor, UDP-GlcNAc, generated by the serial enzymatic reactions in the hexoamine biogenesis pathway (HBP). O-GlcNAcylation regulates a wide spectrum of substrates including many proteins involved in epigenetic modification. Like epigenetic modifications, abnormality of O-GlcNAcylation is also common in cancer. Studies have revealed substantial impact on HBP enzymes and OGT/OGA by oncogenic signals. In this review, we will first summarize how oncogenic signals regulate HBP enzymes, OGT and OGA in cancer. We will then integrate this knowledge with the up to date understanding how O-GlcNAcylation regulates epigenetic machinery. With this, we propose a signal axis from oncogenic signals through O-GlcNAcylation dysregulation to epigenetic abnormality in cancer. Further elucidation of this axis will not only advance our understanding of cancer biology but also provide new revenues towards cancer therapy.
Product, Medicinal Product, Basic Patent: The Relationship of Concepts in Regulation 469/2009 Overlooked by the CJEU
Authors: Szczepanowska-Kozłowska Krystyna
Published: November 2021

The CJEU Santen judgment defined the concept of a product for the purposes of Regulation 469/2009 on the supplementary protection certificate for medicinal products (Regulation (EC) No. 469/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 concerning the supplementary protection certificate for medicinal products (Codified version), [2009] OJ L152/1, as last amended by Regulation (EU) 2019/933 of 20 May 2019, [2019] OJ L153/1). Leaving aside the practical implications of this judgment in terms of the possibility of obtaining a supplementary protection certificate for a product protected by a patent for a second or further medical application (“application patent”), it is worth considering the reasoning the Court relies on to arrive at the thesis it formulates. While the Court’s response and the resulting impact will be treated differently depending on whether the actual extension of patent protection in the pharmaceutical industry is assessed as appropriate and desirable or whether the justification for said protection is questioned, the manner in which the provisions of Regulation 469/2009 are proposed to be interpreted raises doubts as to whether the final outcome of the interpretation is correct.
The divisiveness of Chinese identities in Singapore
Authors: Ng Ashton
Published: November 2021

In July 2019, the Jamestown Foundation, an American think tank, published a report accusing China of imposing a Chinese identity onto Singapore through propaganda and influence operations. In this article, I argue that the Jamestown report is factually inaccurate and is itself an influence operation aimed at engendering distrust towards China. The re-discovery of a Chinese cultural identity by some Chinese Singaporeans—from Lee Kuan Yew to Nathan Hartono—is fuelled not by China’s clandestine influence operations, but by an intrinsic desire to mend ruptures in one's cultural heritage. Historically, the Chinese in Singapore have discarded or re-adopted their Chinese cultural identities depending on the degree to which contact is kept with China. When contact with China diminishes, successive generations of Singapore Chinese inevitably cease to identify China as a cultural motherland. When contact with China resumes, the Chinese in Singapore have frequently become divided, split into those who culturally identify as Chinese and those who do not. Since the 1978 reform and opening-up of China, the restoration of contact between China and Singapore have led to a rekindling of interest amongst Chinese Singaporeans in their cultural identities. This rekindling yields three major consequences. Firstly, Chinese Singaporeans may become further divided in terms of their cultural identity, with de-Sinicised, monolingual English speakers on one extreme and re-Sinicised, cultural Chinese on the other. Secondly, successive generations of re-Sinicised Singaporeans may grow up imbibing China’s cultural exports, thereby becoming less distinct from their mainland Chinese counterparts. Thirdly, Singapore’s government will remain incentivised to continually emphasise the distinctness of the Chinese Singaporean identity from Chinese elsewhere.
Missile guidance with assisted deep reinforcement learning for head-on interception of maneuvering target
Authors: Li Weifan , Zhu Yuanheng , Zhao Dongbin
Published: November 2021

In missile guidance, pursuit performance is seriously degraded due to the uncertainty and randomness in target maneuverability, detection delay, and environmental noise. In many methods, accurately estimating the acceleration of the target or the time-to-go is needed to intercept the maneuvering target, which is hard in an environment with uncertainty. In this paper, we propose an assisted deep reinforcement learning (ARL) algorithm to optimize the neural network-based missile guidance controller for head-on interception. Based on the relative velocity, distance, and angle, ARL can control the missile to intercept the maneuvering target and achieve large terminal intercept angle. To reduce the influence of environmental uncertainty, ARL predicts the target’s acceleration as an auxiliary supervised task. The supervised learning task improves the ability of the agent to extract information from observations. To exploit the agent’s good trajectories, ARL presents the Gaussian self-imitation learning to make the mean of action distribution approach the agent’s good actions. Compared with vanilla self-imitation learning, Gaussian self-imitation learning improves the exploration in continuous control. Simulation results validate that ARL outperforms traditional methods and proximal policy optimization algorithm with higher hit rate and larger terminal intercept angle in the simulation environment with noise, delay, and maneuverable target.
Revealing the component structure of the world air transportation network
Authors: Diop Issa Moussa , Cherifi Chantal , Diallo Cherif , Cherifi Hocine
Published: November 2021

Air transportation plays an essential role in the global economy. Therefore, there is a great deal of work to understand better the complex network formed by the links between the origins and destinations of flights. Some investigations show that the world air transportation network exhibits a community and a core-periphery structure. Although precious, these representations do not distinguish the inter-regional (global) web of connections from the regional (local) one. Therefore, we propose a new mesoscopic model called the component structure that decomposes the network into local and global components. Local components are the dense areas of the network, and global components are the nodes and links bridging the local components. As a case study, we consider the unweighted and undirected world air transportation network. Experiments show that it contains seven large local components and multiple small ones spatially well-defined. Moreover, it has a main global component covering the world. We perform an extensive comparative analysis of the structure of the components. Results demonstrate the non-homogeneous nature of the world air transportation network. The local components structure highlights regional differences, and the global component organization captures the efficiency of inter-regional travel. Centrality analysis of the components allows distinguishing airports centered on regional destinations from those focused on inter-regional exchanges. Core analysis is more accurate in the components than in the whole network where Europe dominates, blurring the rest of the world. Besides the world air transportation network, this paper demonstrates the potential of the component decomposition for modeling and analyzing the mesoscale structure of networks.
Anisotropy of turbulent flow behind an asymmetric airfoil
Authors: Yanovych Vitalii , Duda Daniel , Uruba Vaclav , Antoš Pavel
Published: November 2021

Feature of turbulent flow anisotropy behavior behind an asymmetric NACA 64-618 airfoil investigated in this paper. Experimental studies were performed using a hot-wire anemometery with X-probe at the chord-based Reynolds number $$1.7 \times 10^5$$

1.7
×

10
5

. The average ensemble velocity and Reynolds stress components are used to determine the wake topology and anisotropy of turbulence. The obtained data allowed to identify the outside wake region, which is characterized by low instability and a high degree of anisotropy of the turbulent flow. This tendency is observed at different angles incident. Further, to gain better insight into the physics of this phenomenon the structure of turbulence have been evaluated. Integral turbulence length and time scales were estimated by the area of the autocorrelation function of velocity fluctuations. Then, using the second-order structural function, we obtained the dissipation characteristics of the flow. In addition, the features of the energy spectrum in the region with high and low degrees of turbulence anisotropy were analyzed.
Removal of wood extractives as pulp (pre-)treatment: a technological review
Authors: Lehr Maximilian , Miltner Martin , Friedl Anton
Published: November 2021

Wood extractives usually do not exceed five percent of dry wood mass but can be a serious issue for pulping as well as for the pulp itself. They cause contamination and damages to process equipment and negatively influence pulp quality. This paper addresses not only the extractives-related problems but also different solutions for these issues. It is an extensive review of different technologies for removing wood extractives, starting with methods prior to pulping. Several wood yard operations like debarking, knot separation, and wood seasoning are known to significantly decreasing the amount of wood extractives. Biological treatment has also been proven as a feasible method for reducing the extractives content before pulping, but quite hard to handle. During pulping, the extractives reduction efficiency depends on the pulping method. Mechanical pulping removes the accessory compounds of wood just slightly, but chemical pulping, on the other hand, removes them to a large extent. Organosolv pulping even allows almost complete removal of wood extractives. The residual extractives content can be significantly reduced by pulp bleaching. Nevertheless, different extraction-based methods have been developed for removing wood extractives before pulping or bleaching. They range from organic-solvent-based extractions to novel processes like supercritical fluid extractions, ionic liquids extractions, microwave technology, and ultrasonic-assisted extraction. Although these methods deliver promising results and allow utilization of wood extractives in most cases, they suffer from many drawbacks towards an economically viable industrial-scale design, concluding that further research has to be done on these topics.

Graphical abstract
A Review on the Effect of Soil Compaction and its Management for Sustainable Crop Production
Authors: Shaheb Md Rayhan , Venkatesh Ramarao , Shearer Scott A.
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Sustainable crop production could contribute to feed and fuel for the ever-increasing global population. The use of heavy agricultural machinery has improved the efficiency of farming operations and increased global food production since the 1950s. But their negative impact on soil includes changing soil structure resulting in deteriorating soil productivity and environmental quality is being noticed for several decades. The purpose of this review is to summarize and help to better understand the effect of heavy machinery, tire inflation pressure, and field traffic on soil properties and crop development, yield, and economics of different farming systems published in the last 20 years.

Methods

Search engines such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, Springer Link, Wiley Online, Taylor & Francis Online, Academia, and Research Gate platforms were used to collect and review the articles. This review includes indexed journals, conference and symposium proceedings, reports, academic presentations, and thesis/dissertations.

Results

Soil compaction increases bulk density and soil strength and reduces soil porosity and soil hydraulic properties. Stunted plant root growth due to compaction of soil affects crop growth and development, and yield. Soil compaction resulting from heavy machinery traffic caused a significant crop yield reduction of as much as 50% or even more, depending upon the magnitude and the severity of compaction of the soil.

Conclusions

High gross weight vehicles/machinery traffic damages soil structure and soil environment that are critical for sustainable crop production. The use of heavy machinery such as subsoiling for removing soil compaction results in more fuel use, increased use of energy, cost, and sometimes risks of re-compaction, further deteriorating soil conditions and causing additional adverse environmental consequences. The economics of different farming systems affected by soil compaction, potential soil compaction management strategies, and future research needs have also been discussed.
Circular Economy Business Models: a Repertoire of Theoretical Relationships and a Research Agenda
Authors: De Angelis Roberta
Published: November 2021

The shift towards a more resource efficient circular economy has become a necessity in the wake of current ecological, economic and social sustainability challenges. Mirroring circular-related developments in policy and business quarters, the circular economy literature is growing as a distinct field of academic enquiry. Yet, the conceptual and theoretical foundations of circular economy thinking need consolidation. Drawing from strategic management, sustainability transitions and systems theories, this article establishes some theoretical anchoring for circular economy business models. It finds that circular business models contribute to an understanding of both competitive advantage and the systemic nature of business. It also develops a future agenda for management research at the interface between the circular economy and business models.
Classification of drugs based on mechanism of action using machine learning techniques
Authors: Gururaj H. L. , Flammini Francesco , Kumari H. A. Chaya , Puneeth G. R. , Kumar B. R. Sunil
Published: November 2021

The mechanism of action is an important aspect of drug development. It can help scientists in the process of drug discovery. This paper provides a machine learning model to predict the mechanism of action of a drug. The machine learning models used in this paper are Binary Relevance K Nearest Neighbors (Type A and Type B), Multi-label K-Nearest Neighbors and a custom neural network. These machine learning models are evaluated using the mean column-wise log loss. The custom neural network model had the best accuracy with a log loss of 0.01706. This neural network model is integrated into a web application using Flask framework. A user can upload a custom testing features dataset, which contains the gene expression and the cell viability levels. The web application will output the top classes of drugs, along with the scatter plots for each of the drug.
Serum Biomarkers and Classification and Regression Trees Can Discriminate Symptomatic from Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Disease Patients
Authors: Trikouraki Aikaterini , Yova Dido , Pouliakis Abraham , Spathis Aris , Moulakakis Konstantinos G. , Matsopoulos Georgios
Published: November 2021

Objective

To assess biomarkers between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, and to construct a classification and regression tree (CART) algorithm for their discrimination.

Patients and Methods

136 patients were enrolled. They were symptomatic (high risk) (N = 82, stenosis degree ≥ 50%, proven to be responsible for ischemic stroke the last six months) and asymptomatic (low risk) (N = 54, stenosis degree ≤ 50%). Levels of fibrinogen, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (SiCAM), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (SvCAM), adiponectin and insulin were measured on a Luminex 3D platform and their differences were evaluated; subsequently, a CART model was created and evaluated.

Results

All measured biomarkers, except adiponectin, had significantly higher levels in symptomatic patients. The constructed CART prognostic model had 97.6% discrimination accuracy on symptomatic patients and 79.6% on asymptomatic, while the overall accuracy was 90.4%. Moreover, the population was split into training and test sets for CART validation.

Conclusion

Significant differences were found in the biomarkers between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. The CART model proved to be a simple decision-making algorithm linked with risk probabilities and provided evidence to identify and, therefore, treat patients being at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
Affect-driven impact of paradoxical leadership on employee organizational citizenship behaviour
Authors: Chen Silu , Wang Zhi , Zhang Yu , Guo Kaili
Published: November 2021

Paradoxical leadership is an emerging leadership style which describes leadership behaviours that are ostensibly contradictory but in reality are interrelated and address workplace demands simultaneously and over time. The present study is based on affective events theory (AET), which states that occurrences or events at work result in prompt positive or negative affect in employees. The purpose of the study is to examine the mediating role of positive affect on the relationship between paradoxical leadership and employee organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). We also examine the moderating role of procedural fairness on the relationship between employee positive affect and OCB. Data collected in two phases in small- and medium-sized Chinese companies indicate that positive affect fully mediates the relationship between paradoxical leadership and employee OCB, and this relationship was found to be stronger when procedural fairness was higher rather than lower. We provide theoretical and practical implications of these findings.
EVIDENCE OF MASS MORTALITY OF THE LONG-LIVED BIVALVE MERCENARIA STIMPSONI CAUSED BY A CATASTROPHIC TSUNAMI
Authors: Kubota Kaoru , Shirai Kotaro , Murakami-Sugihara Naoko , Seike Koji , Minami Masayo , Nakamura Toshio , Tanabe Kazushige
Published: November 2021

Tsunamis are huge disasters that can significantly damage benthic organisms and the sea-bottom environment in coastal areas. It is of great ecological importance to understand how benthic ecosystems respond to such destructive forces and how individual species are affected. Investigating the effect of such disasters on animals that are seldom caught alive is particularly difficult. Bivalve mollusks are especially suitable for investigating how a tsunami affects coastal benthic species because they preserve an environmental record in their shells that can be extended back in time by crossdating the records of multiple individuals. Here we studied dead shells of Mercenaria stimpsoni, a long-lived clam, and precisely determined the time of death by using nuclear bomb–induced radiocarbon (bomb-14C) and by counting annual growth increments. First, a quasi-continuous, regional bomb-14C record was created by analyzing the shells of 6 live-caught M. stimpsoni individuals. Then 27 dead shells collected from the seafloor of Funakoshi Bay were 14C-dated and analyzed. The results showed that the huge tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on 11 March 2011 caused mass mortality of this bivalve in Funakoshi Bay. Nine of the 27 clams died during the March 2011 tsunami, probably by starvation after burial by tsunami deposits or exposure above the seafloor as a result of sediment liquefaction during the earthquake. The dating method used in this study can help us understand how long-lived marine organisms with low population density are affected by huge natural disasters such as a tsunami.
Associations between dietary patterns and the metabolic syndrome in older adults in New Zealand: the REACH study
Authors: Mumme Karen D. , Conlon Cathryn , von Hurst Pamela R. , Jones Beatrix , de Seymour Jamie V. , Stonehouse Welma , Heath Anne-Louise , Coad Jane , Haskell-Ramsay Crystal F. , Mugridge Owen , Slade Cassandra , Beck Kathryn L.
Published: November 2021

The metabolic syndrome is common in older adults and may be modified by the diet. The aim of this study was to examine associations between a posteriori dietary patterns and the metabolic syndrome in an older New Zealand population. The REACH study (Researching Eating, Activity, and Cognitive Health) included 366 participants (aged 65–74 years, 36 % male) living independently in Auckland, New Zealand. Dietary data were collected using a 109-item FFQ with demonstrated validity and reproducibility for assessing dietary patterns using principal component analysis. The metabolic syndrome was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. Associations between dietary patterns and the metabolic syndrome, adjusted for age, sex, index of multiple deprivation, physical activity, and energy intake were analysed using logistic regression analysis. Three dietary patterns explained 18 % of dietary intake variation – ‘Mediterranean style’ (salad/leafy cruciferous/other vegetables, avocados/olives, alliums, nuts/seeds, shellfish and white/oily fish, berries), ‘prudent’ (dried/fresh/frozen legumes, soya-based foods, whole grains and carrots) and ‘Western’ (processed meat/fish, sauces/condiments, cakes/biscuits/puddings and meat pies/hot chips). No associations were seen between ‘Mediterranean style’ (OR = 0·75 (95 % CI 0·53, 1·06), P = 0·11) or ‘prudent’ (OR = 1·17 (95 % CI 0·83, 1·59), P = 0·35) patterns and the metabolic syndrome after co-variate adjustment. The ‘Western’ pattern was positively associated with the metabolic syndrome (OR = 1·67 (95 % CI 1·08, 2·63), P = 0·02). There was also a small association between an index of multiple deprivation (OR = 1·04 (95 % CI 1·02, 1·06), P < 0·001) and the metabolic syndrome. This cross-sectional study provides further support for a Western dietary pattern being a risk factor for the metabolic syndrome in an older population.
Crystal flex bases and the RUM spectrum
Authors: Badri G. , Kitson D. , Power S. C.
Published: November 2021

A theory of infinite spanning sets and bases is developed for the first-order flex space of an infinite bar-joint framework, together with space group symmetric versions for a crystallographic bar-joint framework ${{\mathcal {C}}}$. The existence of a crystal flex basis for ${{\mathcal {C}}}$ is shown to be closely related to the spectral analysis of the rigid unit mode (RUM) spectrum of ${{\mathcal {C}}}$ and an associated geometric flex spectrum. Additionally, infinite spanning sets and bases are computed for a range of fundamental crystallographic bar-joint frameworks, including the honeycomb (graphene) framework, the octahedron (perovskite) framework and the 2D and 3D kagome frameworks.