bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Author productivity pattern and applicability of Lotka’s inverse square law: a bibliometric appraisal of selected LIS open access journals
Authors: Barik Nilaranjan , Jena Puspanjali
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to know whether the authors’ productivity pattern of library and information science (LIS) open access journals adheres to Lotka’s inverse square law of scientific productivity. Since the law was introduced, it has been tested in various fields of knowledge, and results have varied. This study has closely followed Lotka’s inverse square law in the field of LIS open access journals to find a factual result and set a baseline for future studies on author productivity of LIS open access journals.

Design/methodology/approach

The publication data of selected ten LIS open access journals pertain to authorship, citations were downloaded from the Scopus database and analysed using bibliometric indicators like authorship pattern, collaborative index (CI), degree of collaboration (DC), collaborative coefficient (CC) and citation counts. This study has applied Lotka’s inverse square law to assess authors’ productivity pattern of LIS open access journals and further Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) goodness-of-fit test applied for testing of observed and expected author productivity data.

Findings

Inferences were drawn for the set objectives on authorship pattern, collaboration trend and authors’ productivity pattern of LIS open access journals covered in this study. The single authorship pattern is dominant in LIS open access journals covered in this study. The CI, DC and CC are found to be 1.95, 0.47 and 0.29, respectively. The expected values as per Lotka’s law (n = −2) significantly vary from the observed values as per the chi-square test and K-S goodness-of-fit test. Hence, this study does not adhere to Lotka’s inverse square law of scientific productivity.

Practical implications

Researchers may find an idea about the authors’ productivity patterns of LIS open access journals. This study has used the K-S goodness-of-fit test and the chi-square test to validate the authors’ productivity data. The inferences found out from this study will be a baseline for future research on author productivity of LIS open access journals.

Originality/value

This study is significant from the viewpoint of the growing research on open access journals in the field of LIS and to identify the authorship pattern, collaboration trend and author productivity pattern of such journals.
Organizational hybridity and mission drift in innovation partnerships
Authors: Vikkelsø Signe , Skaarup Mikkel Stokholm , Sommerlund Julie
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Innovation partnerships are a popular model for organizing publicly supported innovation projects. However, partners often have different timelines and planning horizons, understanding of purpose and concepts of value. This hybridity poses organizational challenges pertaining to trust, goal setting, learning and coordination, which may lead to “mission drift,” i.e. compromising or displacement of intended goals. Despite the risk mission drift poses, its underlying dynamics are not sufficiently understood, and the means to mitigate it are unclear. This study aims to address these questions.

Design/methodology/approach

Through eight broad and one deep case study of innovation partnerships funded by Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD), the authors investigate how partnerships reconcile multiple expectations and interests within the IFD framework and how this might lead to mission drift. The authors draw upon existing theories on the organizational challenges of innovation partnerships and supplement these with new empirically based propositions on the risk of mission drift.

Findings

This study identifies a core tension between partnership complexity and the degree of formalization. Depending on how these dimensions are combined in relation to particular goals, the partnership mission is likely to become narrower or more unpredictable than intended. Thus, the authors theorize the significance of partnership composition and requisite formalization for a given innovation purpose.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of mission drift in innovation partnerships by opening the organizational black box of partnerships. The findings underscore the value of explorative case studies for specifying the contingencies of organizational design and governance mechanisms for different innovation goals.
Abusive supervision and job outcomes: a moderated mediation model
Authors: Moin Muhammad Farrukh , Wei Feng , Khan Ali Nawaz , Ali Ahsan , Chang Shih Cheng
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study examined the link between abusive supervision and subordinates’ turnover intentions via job dissatisfaction. In addition, this study examined the moderating effect of continuance commitment in this process.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected three-wave time lagged data (N = 190) from the hospitality industry in China.

Findings

The analysis showed that abusive supervision predicts subordinates’ turnover intentions both directly and indirectly via job dissatisfaction. Moreover, continuance commitment was considered to be a boundary condition such that the mediated link was weaker when higher levels of continuance commitment were present.

Practical implications

This study explains how and when abusive supervision leads to turnover intentions in the hospitality industry. This study also helps hospitality managers to understand the abusive supervision prevalence and provide interventions that can reduce detrimental effects of abusive supervision in hospitality organizations.

Originality/value

Prior research examining the influence of supervisor abuse in hospitality organizations was scant. To bridge this noteworthy gap, this study examined the influence of abusive supervision in Chinese hospitality organizations. This study also discussed the theoretical and practical implications for the hospitality industry.
Decision modelling of critical success factors for cold chains using the DEMATEL approach: a case study
Authors: Prakash Surya , Jasti Naga Vamsi Krishna , Chan F.T.S. , Nilaish  , Sharma Vijay Prakash , Sharma Lalit Kumar
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The objective of the present study is to identify and analyze a set of critical success factors (CSFs) for ice-cream industry [cold chain management (CCM)] that helps in increasing the efficacy, quality, performance and growth of the supply chain organization.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey with companies in ice-cream sector and a panel study with experts were conducted to identify and validate CSFs and their associated sub-factors. Eight CSFs identified from the cold chain domain vetted for the ice-cream industry and then prioritized by using one of the most well-known decision-making frameworks, Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory. The general verdicts of the modelling and its application to the real-world case have been tested through an ice-cream company supply chain.

Findings

The result shows that the significant CSFs accountable for the growth of the ice-cream industry are the infrastructure and capacity building, consistent product improvement and operational efficiencies of the value chain. Subsequently, it was identified that the use of IT and related technologies and improved processes for operations also play a considerable role in the performance of ice-cream industry.

Practical implications

The study successfully outlines the effective CCM practices for critical issues. The proposed methodology and factor modelling case demonstration might be useful in analyzing the logistic chains of products such as fruits, drugs and meat.

Originality/value

The meritorious identification of critical areas and executing mitigation plans bring notable benefits to the firms such as improved operational efficiencies, improved time to market performance and product innovation, which bring additional benefits to the producers.
Implants sites with concomitant bone regeneration using a resorbable or non‐resorbable membrane result in stable marginal bone levels and similar profilometric outcomes over 5 years
Authors: Naenni Nadja , Stucki Lukas , Hüsler Jürg , Schneider David , Hämmerle Christoph H. F. , Jung Ronald E. , Thoma Daniel S.
Published: May 2021

Objectives

To assess clinical and radiographic outcomes as well as the profilometric contour alterations of peri‐implant hard and soft tissues around single implants treated with simultaneous guided bone regeneration (GBR) at 5 years.

Materials and Methods

Twenty‐seven patients presenting with a single tooth gap in the esthetic zone received a two‐piece implant. GBR was randomly performed using a resorbable (RES) or a non‐resorbable membrane (N‐RES) combined with a bone substitute material. Follow‐up examinations were performed at baseline (BL = crown insertion), 1 year (FU‐1), 3 years (FU‐3), and at 5 years (FU‐5) including clinical and radiographic parameters as well as profilometric changes. Statistics were performed by means of parametric and nonparametric tests.

Results

At 5 years, 20 out of 27 patients (9 RES, 11 N‐RES) were re‐examined. Median values for probing depth changed insignificantly between BL and FU‐5 in both groups. The median marginal bone levels were located 0.23 mm (0.06; 0.46; RES) and 0.17 mm (0.13;0.28; N‐RES) below the implant shoulder at FU‐5 (changes over time p < .05). The calculated median profilometric change between BL and FU‐5 was −0.28 mm (−0.53;‐0.20; RES; p = .016) and −0.24 mm (−0.43;0.08; N‐RES; p = .102; intergroup p = .380). The horizontal bone thickness decreased significantly between re‐entry and FU‐5 for group RES at all measured levels (p < .05) measuring 0.87 mm (0.0; 2.05) at the implant shoulder, whereas the decrease for group N‐RES was insignificant (p = .031) with 0 mm (0; 0.84) at the implant shoulder at 5 years.

Conclusions

Implants sites with concomitant GBR using a resorbable or non‐resorbable membrane revealed stable marginal bone levels and clinical outcomes. Profilometric changes were clinically negligible over 5 years. The observed change in hard tissue thickness was partially compensated by an increase in soft tissue thickness.
Aus der (Haut‐)Arztpraxis in den Hörsaal: Ein innovatives praxisorientiertes mediengestütztes Lehrprojekt mit überregionalen interdisziplinären Nutzungsoptionen
Authors: Wittbecker Linda Marlen , von Spreckelsen Regina , Bandholz Thyra Caroline , Lehmhaus Friedrich‐Wilhelm , Schwarz Thomas , Gläser Regine
Published: May 2021

Hintergrund

Die Vermittlung praxisrelevanter Kenntnisse und Fertigkeiten steht im Fokus einer modernen medizinischen Lehre. Ziel des Lehrprojektes ist, Medizinstudierenden mit innovativen Methoden wichtige dermatologische Lernziele zu vermitteln.

Methoden

An der Universitätshautklinik Kiel wurden im Rahmen eines vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) geförderten Lehrprojekts diverse, teils mediengestützte, neue Lehrmodule entwickelt und durch regelmäßige Akzeptanzevaluationen im Entwicklungsprozess optimiert.

Ergebnisse

(1.) Professionell erstellte Lehrfilme stellen wesentliche Techniken zur Diagnostik und Therapie vor: standardisierte Ganzkörperuntersuchung, Abstrichentnahme, Durchführung von Biopsien, Curettagen und Exzisionen sowie Haut‐Nahttechniken. (2.) Tutor‐basierte Kurse bieten den Studierenden die Fähigkeit zur selbstständigen Durchführung dieser Techniken. (3.) Seminarvorlesungen zeigen unterschiedliche Krankheitsbilder in Universitätsmedizin und Niederlassung sowie die wichtige Interaktion zwischen Klinik und Praxis. (4.) Hospitationsmöglichkeiten in Lehrpraxen vermitteln die Praxistätigkeit. (5.) Seminare zur Psychodermatologie geben Einsicht in die Belastung anhand des biopsychosozialen Krankheitsmodells. Bisher nahmen 282 Studierende an den Modulen teil. Die Evaluationen ergaben in 88–100 % einen Wunsch nach weiterem Ausbau der neuen Lehrangebote sowie Integration in die curriculare Lehre.

Schlussfolgerungen

Unsere innovativen Lehrmodule wurden von den Studierenden mit großer Akzeptanz aufgenommen. Die frei verfügbaren Lehrfilme wurden durch Vernetzung im Forum Akademische Lehre auch von anderen Universitätsstandorten erfolgreich eingesetzt. Die überregionale und nachhaltige Nutzung unserer Lehrmodule sowie die Übertragung des Konzepts auf andere Fachbereiche und Fakultäten ist eine Perspektive.
Achieving supply chain efficiency and resilience by using multi‐level commons
Authors: Chopra Sunil , Sodhi ManMohan , Lücker Florian
Published: May 2021

We offer the notion of “commons” at different levels—within company, private across company, and government‐sponsored across‐industry sectors—and discuss how the creation of such commons enabled firms to be both efficient during normal times and resilient against the disruptions resulting from COVID‐19. At the same time, there are many proven strategies providing resilience in supply chains. For instance, companies that used multiple channels to improve efficiency when facing day‐to‐day demand‐and‐supply variations found that the structure also offered resilience without additional cost when COVID struck. We discuss how the presence of commons lowers the cost for firms to adopt such resilience‐building supply chain strategies. We discuss factors that impact the creation of these commons and conclude with a number of questions to guide further research into the role of industry commons in facilitating supply chain resilience.
Efficient movement strategies mitigate the energetic cost of dispersal
Authors: Klarevas‐Irby James A. , Wikelski Martin , Farine Damien R.
Published: May 2021

Dispersal is a critical, but costly, stage of life. During the active phase of dispersal—called transience—individuals face many costs, from increased mortality to reduced foraging opportunities. One cost that is often assumed, but rarely explicitly tested, is the energy expended in making large dispersal movements. However, this cost is not only determined by the distance individual’s move, but also how they move. Using high‐resolution GPS tracking of dispersing and resident vulturine guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum), we show that transient individuals exhibit distinct movement behaviours—travelling farther, faster and straighter—that result in a significant reduction in the energetic costs of making large displacements. This strategy allows dispersing birds to travel, on average, 33.8% farther each day with only a 4.1% cost increase and without spending more time moving. Our study suggests that adaptive movement strategies can largely mitigate movement costs during dispersal, and that such strategies may be common.
Helicobacter pylori antimicrobial resistance in Melbourne, Australia. Time to review therapeutic guidelines?
Authors: Khan Sadid F. , Teng Jasmine C. , Holmes Jacinta A. , Perera Chandrika , Prendergast Louise , Waring Lynette
Published: May 2021

Background

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Helicobacter pylori is a global concern. The AMR data to inform the Australian Therapeutic Guidelines are based on data over 20 years old.

Aims

To evaluate the frequency of AMR in H. pylori isolates from gastric biopsy specimens received in our laboratory in Melbourne, Australia. To review the literature on resistance rates in Australia and compare historic data.

Methods

A retrospective, observational study summarising AMR rates in all H. pylori isolates from our laboratory from 2015 to June 2020. Microbiology laboratory in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia, receiving referrals from private hospitals, gastroenterology clinics and endoscopy suites. Population minimum inhibitory concentration distributions and frequency of resistance to clarithromycin, amoxicillin, metronidazole and tetracycline in H. pylori isolates.

Results

Three hundred and eighty‐six H. pylori isolates with susceptibility testing data were identified. The frequency of resistance in this cohort was: clarithromycin 89.9%, amoxicillin 23.5%, metronidazole 66.1% and tetracycline 4.4%. Comparison with historical data may suggest increasing AMR rates in Australia. The main limitation is the lack of treatment history to correlate AMR results.

Conclusions

Definitive conclusions from this cohort cannot be made, but trends suggest rising levels of primary H. pylori AMR rates in Australia. This has important implications for empirical treatment decision making and treatment outcomes. Primary H. pylori AMR requires dedicated studies and current Australian therapeutic guideline recommendations may require re‐evaluation. We propose considerations for improving the management of H. pylori in Australia. A centralised public health approach to H. pylori AMR surveillance should be established.
Impact of triethanolamine on the sulfate balance of Portland cements with mixed sulfate carriers
Authors: Hirsch Tamino , Lu Zichen , Stephan Dietmar
Published: May 2021

The differences between the hydration of Portland cements with single and with mixed sulfate carriers in the presence of triethanolamine (TEA) were investigated, and possible mechanisms were proposed. Without TEA, cements with different types of sulfate carriers (gypsum, hemihydrate, anhydrite, and mixture of these) have a comparable hydration process at the same molar amount of calcium sulfate. At a TEA dosage of 0.5 wt.%, the sample with a mixture of three sulfate carriers shows substantially stronger retardation of the C3S (This publication uses the cement chemist notation: C3S = Ca3SiO5, C2S = Ca2SiO4, C3A = Ca3Al2O6, C4AF = Ca2(Al, Fe)2O5.) hydration than the cements with only one of these sulfate carriers, which is likely caused by the rapid formation of ettringite and the fast depletion of all sulfate carriers. These effects indicate that TEA influences the balance of sulfate carriers with aluminate‐containing clinker phases. On the one hand, TEA can disturb the original sulfate balance due to the accelerated dissolution of aluminate‐containing clinker phases, especially C4AF. On the other hand, these effects are closely related to the types and amounts of the sulfate carriers in the cement. A higher amount of sulfate carriers can minimize the TEA‐related retardation of the C3S hydration, and hemihydrate shows the strongest impact at the same calcium sulfate quantity.
WILLIAM JAMES’S DEMOCRATIC AESTHETICS
Authors: Bush Stephen S.
Published: May 2021

William James is famous for his investigations of the “Varieties of Religious Experience” in which people encounter (what they take to be) the divine. But in his essay, “On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings,” his interest is in our experiences, not of anything purportedly supernatural, but of one another. He thinks we need to cultivate the capacity to apprehend the intrinsic value of others, even and especially of strangers. We do so in experiences of the wonder and beauty of our fellow citizens, and of our harmony with them. Democratic societies require a sense of attraction to one another’s form of life if they are to inspire shared commitments to public goods. Whereas we shouldn’t reject the political significance of aversion, contestation, and dissonance, these negative attitudes do not suffice. Sustaining democratic engagement requires attractive attitudes, and among these are the wonder, beauty, and harmony that James promotes.
THE NORMATIVE PROJECT OF POSTCOLONIAL APPROACHES
Authors: Hwang Eunyoung
Published: May 2021

As postcolonial approaches in the studies of religion have challenged liberal‐secular presuppositions in addressing non‐Western forms of life, there has been a growing concern to examine the normative presuppositions of postcolonial approaches in the field of religious ethics. This paper addresses how Charles Taylor, Talal Asad, and Homi Bhabha show their normative concerns for addressing the interstitial existence of ethnic‐religious minorities, negoriating between their subaltern religions and the inclusive‐but‐exclusive potential of the liberal secular frame of integration. These thinkers raise normative critiques of the spatiotemporal and moral frameworks of liberal, secular integration while suggesting thgeir own normative visions for transforming the existing form of liberal secular democracy. They reveal different models in their normative critiques and visions: Taylor suggests a postsecular and dialogical model, while Asad sets forth an antisecular traditionalist model and Bhabha a pro‐secular and vernacular one.
Opposing Immigrants in Europe: The Interplay Between Religiosity, Values, and Threat
Authors: Benoit Verena
Published: May 2021

Previous research located two opposite findings and frequently used threat perceptions and value‐support to explain the relationship between religiosity and attitudes toward immigrants: Religious individuals have negative attitudes toward immigrants because they support conservative values and feel threatened by unfamiliar groups. Second, they are open toward immigrants because they integrate prosocial and altruistic teachings of religion into their daily lives. Both lines have been confirmed repeatedly, which is puzzling. I argue that we need to consider all three factors (religiosity, value‐support, threat perceptions) simultaneously and explore their mutual interactions. In this study, I test this line of argumentation empirically with data from the European Social Survey (Round 7). The analyses reveal that religiosity has the weakest direct effect on attitudes toward immigrants. Threat perceptions, on the other hand, have the strongest direct effects, followed by value‐support. However, religiosity affects the attitudes toward immigrants indirectly via threat perceptions. These findings highlight that religiosity, value‐support, and threat perceptions are closely linked and need simultaneous consideration to make reliable claims about their effects.
Multiscale assessment of functional connectivity: Landscape genetics of eastern indigo snakes in an anthropogenically fragmented landscape in central Florida
Authors: Bauder Javan M. , Peterman William E. , Spear Stephen F. , Jenkins Christopher L. , Whiteley Andrew R. , McGarigal Kevin
Published: May 2021

Landscape features can strongly influence gene flow and the strength and direction of these effects may vary across spatial scales. However, few studies have evaluated methodological approaches for selecting spatial scales in landscape genetics analyses, in part because of computational challenges associated with optimizing landscape resistance surfaces (LRS). We used the federally threatened eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) in central Florida as a case study with which to compare the importance of landscape features and their scales of effect in influencing gene flow. We used genetic algorithms (ResistanceGA) to empirically optimize LRS using categorical land cover surfaces, multiscale resource selection surfaces (RSS), and four combinations of landscape covariates measured at multiple spatial scales (multisurface multiscale LRS). We compared LRS where scale was selected using pseudo‐ and full optimization. Multisurface multiscale LRS received more empirical support than LRS optimized from categorical land cover surfaces or RSS. Multiscale LRS with scale selected using full optimization generally outperformed those with scale selected using pseudo‐optimization. Multiscale LRS with large spatial scales (1200–1800 m) received the most empirical support. Our results highlight the importance of considering landscape features across multiple spatial scales in landscape genetic analyses, particularly broad scales relative to species movement potential. Different effects of scale on home range‐level movements and dispersal could explain weak associations between habitat suitability and gene flow in other studies. Our results also demonstrate the importance of large tracts of undeveloped upland habitat with heterogenous vegetation communities and low urbanization for promoting indigo snake connectivity.
Long‐term effect of bilateral anterior elevation of occlusion on the temporomandibular joints
Authors: Zhang Yuejiao , Liu Qian , Xu Xiaojie , Zhou Peng , Zhang Hongyun , Yang Hongxu , Zhang Mian , Zhang Jing , Lu Lei , Liu Jiguang , Wang Meiqing
Published: May 2021

Objective

Incisors tubed prosthesis with bilateral anterior elevation (BAE) relation had been reported to stimulate the proliferative response in the mandibular condylar cartilage of mice, thus the prosthetic occlusion elevation had been proposed to treat cartilage degeneration. Currently, we aimed to detect the long‐term effect of BAE on temporomandibular joints (TMJs).

Materials and Methods

Twelve 6‐week‐old female mice were assigned to age‐matched control and BAE groups (n = 6). Micro‐CT images and the macro‐ and micro‐morphology of the mandibular condyles were analyzed at 29 weeks.

Results

Compared with the age‐matched controls, in BAE group, there were loss of subchondral cortical bone and heavy loss of the subchondral trabecular bone at the superior sites of the TMJ condyles, but hyperostosis at the inferior sites as revealed by micro‐CT images and histological slices. In BAE group, cartilage thickness and matrix area were increased with upregulated expression of type II, type X collagen, and Ki67, but the expression of cleaved caspase‐3 was downregulated (all, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

In addition to cartilage thickening, long‐term BAE induces loss of the subchondral cortical bone and heavy loss of the underneath subchondral trabecular bone, but hyperostosis further underneath. Using BAE as a treatment remains double‐edged.
Methodological aspects of testing brittle materials using the split Hopkinson bar technique
Authors: Bragov Anatoly M. , Igumnov Leonid A. , Konstantinov Aleksandr Y. , Kruszka Leopold , Lamzin Dmitry A. , Lomunov Andrey K.
Published: May 2021

This paper presents the features of a method for determining the dynamic properties of brittle materials using the split Hopkinson bar technique on mortar as an example. Experiments were conducted both with and without a loading pulse shaper, a deformable copper disc (pad) placed on the impacted end of the input bar. Experimental data from the experiments without the pad were processed with and without dispersion correction based on a direct solution of the Pochhammer–Chree frequency equation of pulses in the measuring bars. There were compared both the deformation graphs and mechanical characteristics of the tested material for three variants of the split Hopkinson pressure bar experiments: with and without a loading pulse shaper, and with the dispersion correction procedure for pulses in the measuring bars. The phenomena observed during these experimental schemes and the processing of obtained data are described and discussed; further, the effect of the nature of the load increase is revealed.
Characterization of the novel HLA‐A*36:12 allele by sequencing‐based typing
Authors: Cargou Marine , Elsermans Vincent , Top Isabelle , Blouin Laura , Visentin Jonathan
Published: May 2021

HLA‐A*36:12 differs from HLA‐A*36:01:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution in codon 211 in exon 4.
Characterization of the novel HLA‐A*01:367 allele by sequencing‐based typing
Authors: Cargou Marine , Elsermans Vincent , Top Isabelle , Blouin Laura , Visentin Jonathan
Published: May 2021

HLA‐A*01:367 differs from HLA‐A*01:01:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution in codon 271 in exon 4.
HOW VENUS BECAME COOL: SOCIAL AND MORAL DIMENSIONS OF BIOSIGNATURE SCIENCE
Authors: Capper Daniel
Published: May 2021

A 2020 scientific report indicated the presence of phosphine, a potential biosignature chemical, in the atmosphere of Venus. As a result, Venus instantly became a global cultural celebrity. How did Venus become so fashionable, so cool in colloquial language, so quickly? I contend that Venus became the center of attention at least temporarily because Venus became moral. Since life at present is a concept that is as much moral as it is scientific, I explain this point by offering a geographically broad sampling of world philosophies that show that secular and religious Western forms of thought strongly value life over nonlife as do many Asian traditions. These cultural valuations of life over nonlife become infused in human psychologies globally and astonish us at the discovery of extraterrestrial life. This essay's substantial culture sample thereby demonstrates that Venus became revered because of deep‐seated but also widespread attitudes of special moral attendance to the presence of life especially in extraterrestrial settings.
Design of an Intent Recognition System for Dynamic, Rapid Motions in Unstructured Environments
Authors: Moolchandani Pooja R. , Mazumdar Anirban , Young Aaron J.
Published: May 2021

In this study, we developed an offline, hierarchical intent recognition system for inferring the timing and direction of motion intent of a human operator when operating in an unstructured environment. There has been an increasing demand for robot agents to assist in these dynamic, rapid motions that are constantly evolving and require quick, accurate estimation of a user’s direction of travel. An experiment was conducted in a motion capture space with six subjects performing threat evasion in eight directions, and their mechanical and neuromuscular signals were recorded for use in our intent recognition system (XGBoost). Investigated against current, analytical methods, our system demonstrated superior performance with quicker direction of travel estimation occurring 140 ms earlier in the movement and a 11.6 deg reduction of error. The results showed that we could also predict the start of the movement 100 ms prior to the actual, thus allowing any physical systems to start up. Our direction estimation had an optimal performance of 8.8 deg, or 2.4% of the 360 deg range of travel, using three-axis kinetic data. The performance of other sensors and their combinations indicate that there are additional possibilities to obtain low estimation error. These findings are promising as they can be used to inform the design of a wearable robot aimed at assisting users in dynamic motions, while in environments with oncoming threats.
Acid and Alkali Pretreatment Effects on CO2-Assisted Gasification of Pinewood
Authors: Li Jinhu , Burra Kiran G. , Wang Zhiwei , Liu Xuan , Gupta Ashwani K.
Published: May 2021

Biomass gasification in CO2 is a promising thermochemical pathway to assist with growing issues of CO2 in the environment. However, high reaction temperature requirement and the low reaction rate is limiting its development. To resolve these issues, the effect of acid and alkali pretreatment on the pyrolysis and CO2 gasification of pinewood was examined using a semi-batch reactor. The temporal behavior of syngas components, energy, and their yield, and energy efficiency was quantified. Results showed that the decreased alkali and alkaline earth metal (AAEM) content using acid pretreatment was beneficial for the CO and syngas yield, while the effect of the increased AAEM content using alkali pretreatment provided a converse trend. In contrast, CO2-assisted gasification of alkali-pretreated biomass improved the CO and syngas yield due to the catalytic influence of AAEM on the Boudouard reaction, while the acid-washed biomass yielded the lowest syngas yield. During gasification, the syngas yield, energy yield, and overall energy efficiency were enhanced by 83.4 (by wt%), 44.6 (by wt%), and 44.6%, respectively, using alkali pretreatment. The results revealed that alkali pretreatment is an effective catalytic incorporation pathway to improve the syngas, energy output, and reactivity to CO2 gasification.
Comparative Study of Different Photovoltaic/Thermal Hybrid Configurations From Energetic and Exergetic Points of View: A Numerical Analysis
Authors: Abd El-Hamid M. , Wei Gaosheng , Sherin M. , Cui Liu , Du Xiaoze
Published: May 2021

At present, only 20 percent of the incident solar radiation on the photovoltaic module is converted into electricity with the remaining dissipated as heat. The heat accumulation on the photovoltaic modules affects the electricity conversion efficiency. The photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar system is considered to be one of the most promising technologies, which is proficient in producing both electrical and thermal energies. In this paper, four different PV/T configurations are numerically investigated by considering different air cooling and glazing methods. A three-dimensional numerical model is validated with both the numerical and experimental results available in the previous literatures. The performance for a typical day in August under the ambient conditions of Beijing, China, is evaluated from the energetic and exergetic points of view. The results show that the thermal, electrical, energy, and exergy efficiencies are significantly higher for the double-pass configurations than those for the single pass with air gap configurations. For the double-pass single-glazed PV/T air collector, the average daily overall energy and exergy efficiencies are 85.06 and 13.92%, respectively. The overall energy and exergy efficiencies are increased by removing the bottom glass cover for both the single pass with air gap configuration and the double-pass configuration. The double-pass single-glazed configuration achieves the highest daily average energetic, exergetic, thermal, and electrical outputs among the proposed configurations. On contrary, the single-pass double glazed with air gap configuration exhibits the lowest thermal and electrical efficiencies.
Rapid observations of ocean dynamics and stratification along a steep island coast during Hurricane María
Authors: Cheriton Olivia M. , Storlazzi Curt D. , Rosenberger Kurt J. , Sherman Clark E. , Schmidt Wilford E.
Published: May 2021

Direct observations of the sea under Hurricane María detail how coastal ocean dynamics provided energy for the catastrophic storm.
Topological tuning of DNA mobility in entangled solutions of supercoiled plasmids
Authors: Smrek Jan , Garamella Jonathan , Robertson-Anderson Rae , Michieletto Davide
Published: May 2021

Simulations and microscopy show that supercoiling enhances the dynamics of DNA by reducing threadings and entanglements.
Propagation of F-actin disassembly via Myosin15-Mical interactions
Authors: Rich Shannon K. , Baskar Raju , Terman Jonathan R.
Published: May 2021

Cells shape and remodel themselves using specific transport mechanisms to locally expand their breakdown.
Differential cardiopulmonary monitoring system for artifact-canceled physiological tracking of athletes, workers, and COVID-19 patients
Authors: Jeong Hyoyoung , Lee Jong Yoon , Lee KunHyuck , Kang Youn J. , Kim Jin-Tae , Avila Raudel , Tzavelis Andreas , Kim Joohee , Ryu Hanjun , Kwak Sung Soo , Kim Jong Uk , Banks Aaron , Jang Hokyung , Chang Jan-Kai , Li Shupeng , Mummidisetty Chaithanya K. , Park Yoonseok , Nappi Simone , Chun Keum San , Lee Young Joong , Kwon Kyeongha , Ni Xiaoyue , Chung Ha Uk , Luan Haiwen , Kim Jae-Hwan , Wu Changsheng , Xu Shuai , Banks Anthony , Jayaraman Arun , Huang Yonggang , Rogers John A.
Published: May 2021

Wearable electronics with dual-sensing modalities enable artifact-free health monitoring through differential detection.
Consequences of the Edge Effect in a Commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for the Diagnosis of Lyme Neuroborreliosis
Authors: van Gorkom Tamara , van Arkel Gijs H. J. , Voet Willem , Thijsen Steven F. T. , Kremer Kristin
Published: May 2021

The diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) is based on neurological symptoms, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis, and intrathecally produced
Borrelia
-specific antibodies. In most cases, the presence of intrathecally produced
Borrelia
-specific antibodies is determined by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Draft Genome Sequence of Pandoravirus japonicus Isolated from the Sabaishi River, Niigata, Japan
Authors: Hosokawa Nao , Takahashi Haruna , Aoki Keita , Takemura Masaharu
Published: May 2021

“
Pandoraviridae
” is a proposed family of the phylum
Nucleocytoviricota
. Its features include an amphora-shaped capsid and the largest genome among all viruses. We report the isolation and genome sequencing of a new member of this family, named
Pandoravirus japonicus
, the third strain discovered in Japan.
Perioperative considerations in the management of cold agglutinin disease in laparoscopic surgery
Authors: Ji Yisi D , Cavallaro Paul M , Orgill Britlyn D
Published: May 2021

An 80-year-old man with idiopathic cold agglutinin disease presented with acute cholecystitis. We describe operating room and anaesthetic considerations for patients with cold agglutinin disease and measures that can be taken to prevent disease exacerbation in this case report. Multidisciplinary collaboration and planning between the operative room staff, anaesthesia team and surgical team are needed to ensure safe surgery and optimal patient outcomes.
Bortezomib for treatment-refractory autoimmune haemolytic anaemia following multivisceral transplantation
Authors: Wong Darren , Thomas William , Butler Andrew , Sharkey Lisa
Published: May 2021

A 25-year-old man who received alemtuzumab as induction therapy for a multivisceral transplant experienced delayed onset of warm autoimmune haemolytic anaemia and neutropaenia. Serological testing and bone marrow biopsy excluded alternative causes. Haemolysis was refractory to standard therapies including corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin and rituximab. The patient was successfully treated with bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, and has remained well as an outpatient without evidence of ongoing haemolysis.
Paraneoplastic optic neuropathy secondary to adenocarcinoma of the lung
Authors: Yap Jin Yi , Wan HItam Wan-Hazabbah , Abdul Halim Sanihah , Masnon Nurul Ain
Published: May 2021

We describe an uncommon cause of paraneoplastic optic neuropathy in adenocarcinoma of the lung. A 45-year-old healthy woman presented with seizure and encephalitis, followed by an acute visual loss in both eyes for 1 week. Her visual acuity was no perception of light in the right eye and hand movement in the left eye. There was a generalised restriction of extraocular muscle movements in both eyes. Funduscopy showed a bilateral pale optic disc. A paraneoplastic antigen autoimmune profile showed a positive anti-CV2/CRMP-5 antibody. CT of the thorax revealed the presence of right apical lung mass, confirmed to be adenocarcinoma through a biopsy. She was scheduled for lung lobectomy and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, her health deteriorated and she passed away eventually.
Job loss and lower healthcare utilisation due to COVID-19 among older adults across 27 European countries
Authors: Ksinan Jiskrova Gabriela , Bobák Martin , Pikhart Hynek , Ksinan Albert J
Published: May 2021

Background

Older adults are at greater risk for becoming severely ill from COVID-19; however, the impact of the pandemic on their economic activity and non-COVID-19-related healthcare utilisation is not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and predictors of COVID-19-related unemployment and healthcare utilisation in a sample of older adults across 27 European countries.

Methods

We used data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe COVID-19 Survey, collected between June and August 2020. Participants (n=52 061) reported whether they lost a job, forwent medical treatment and whether their appointment was postponed due to COVID-19. Three-level models were estimated for each outcome to test the effects of individual, household and country-level characteristics.

Results

The mean prevalence of reported job loss, and forgone and postponed medical care was 19%, 12% and 26%, respectively. Job loss was associated with female sex, lower education and household income, and older age in women. For example, the OR of job loss, comparing primary versus tertiary (college) education, was 1.89 (95% CI 1.59 to 2.26). Forgone and postponed medical care was associated with older age in men, female sex and higher education. At the country level, postponed medical care was associated with more stringent governmental anti-COVID measures.

Conclusion

Job loss and lower healthcare utilisation for non-COVID-19-related reasons were common among older adults and were associated with several sociodemographic characteristics. Job loss appeared to disproportionally affect already economically vulnerable individuals, raising concerns about the exacerbation of social inequalities.
What is common and what is different: recommendations from European scientific societies for triage in the first outbreak of COVID-19
Authors: Teles Sarmento Joana , Lírio Pedrosa Cristina , Carvalho Ana Sofia
Published: May 2021

A public health emergency, as the COVID-19 pandemic, may lead to shortages of potentially life-saving treatments. In this situation, it is necessary, justifiable and proportionate to have decision tools in place to enable healthcare professionals to triage and prioritise access to those resources. An ethically sound framework should consider the principles of beneficence and fair allocation. Scientific Societies across Europe were concerned with this problem early in the pandemic and published guidelines to support their professionals and institutions. This article aims to compare triage policies from medical bodies across Europe, to characterise the process of triage and the ethical values, principles and theories that were proposed in different countries during the first outbreak of COVID-19.
New cosmological solutions in hybrid metric-Palatini gravity from dynamical symmetries
Authors: Paliathanasis Andronikos
Published: May 2021

We investigate the existence of Liouville integrable cosmological models in hybrid metric-Palatini theory. Specifically, we use the symmetry conditions for the existence of quadratic in the momentum conservation laws for the field equations as constraint conditions for the determination of the unknown functional form of the theory. The exact and analytic solutions of the integrable systems found in this study are presented in terms of quadratics and Laurent expansions.
Cross-site Prediction on Social Influence for Cold-start Users in Online Social Networks
Authors: Gong Qingyuan , Chen Yang , He Xinlei , Xiao Yu , Hui Pan , Wang Xin , Fu Xiaoming
Published: May 2021

Online social networks (OSNs) have become a commodity in our daily life. As an important concept in sociology and viral marketing, the study of social influence has received a lot of attentions in academia. Most of the existing proposals work well on dominant OSNs, such as Twitter, since these sites are mature and many users have generated a large amount of data for the calculation of social influence. Unfortunately, cold-start users on emerging OSNs generate much less activity data, which makes it challenging to identify potential influential users among them. In this work, we propose a practical solution to predict whether a cold-start user will become an influential user on an emerging OSN, by opportunistically leveraging the user’s information on dominant OSNs. A supervised machine learning-based approach is adopted, transferring the knowledge of both the descriptive information and dynamic activities on dominant OSNs. Descriptive features are extracted from the public data on a user’s homepage. In particular, to extract useful information from the fine-grained dynamic activities that cannot be represented by the statistical indices, we use deep learning technologies to deal with the sequential activity data. Using the real data of millions of users collected from Twitter (a dominant OSN) and Medium (an emerging OSN), we evaluate the performance of our proposed framework to predict prospective influential users. Our system achieves a high prediction performance based on different social influence definitions.
The Story of the Real Exchange Rate
Authors: Itskhoki Oleg
Published: May 2021

The real exchange rate (RER) measures relative price levels across countries, capturing deviations from purchasing power parity (PPP). RER is a key variable in international macroeconomic models as it is central to equilibrium conditions in both goods and asset markets. It is also one of the most starkly behaving variables empirically, tightly comoving with the nominal exchange rate and virtually uncorrelated with most other macroeconomic variables, nominal or real. This review lays out an equilibrium framework of RER determination, focusing separately on each building block and discussing corresponding empirical evidence. We emphasize home bias and incomplete pass-through into prices with expenditure switching and goods market clearing, imperfect international risk sharing, country budget constraint, and monetary policy regime. We show that RER is inherently a general equilibrium variable that depends on the full model structure and policy regime, and therefore partial theories like PPP are insufficient to explain it. We also discuss issues of stationarity and predictability of exchange rates.
Brain Somatic Mutation in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Miller Michael B. , Reed Hannah C. , Walsh Christopher A.
Published: May 2021

Somatic mutations arise postzygotically, producing genetic differences between cells in an organism. Well established as a driver of cancer, somatic mutations also exist in nonneoplastic cells, including in the brain. Technological advances in nucleic acid sequencing have enabled recent breakthroughs that illuminate the roles of somatic mutations in aging and degenerative diseases of the brain. Somatic mutations accumulate during aging in human neurons, a process termed genosenium. A number of recent studies have examined somatic mutations in Alzheimer's disease (AD), primarily from the perspective of genes causing familial AD. We have also gained new information on genome-wide mutations, providing insights into the cellular events driving somatic mutation and cellular dysfunction. This review highlights recent concepts, methods, and findings in the progress to understand the role of brain somatic mutation in aging and AD.
Genotype × Environment Interaction Studies of Promising Teppi Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) Genotypes in Southwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Merga Wakuma , Gebreselassie Wosene , Garedew Weyessa
Published: May 2021

Coffee is the stimulant crop plant that belongs to the genus Coffea, in the family Rubiaceae. The yield variation and pattern of the crop varied within short geographic distance and thus attributed to low productivity and unpredictable production. The objective of this study was to determine the extent of genotype × environment interaction on yields of promising Teppi coffee genotype. In this study, seventeen Arabica coffee genotypes, representing coffee growing areas of Teppi, southwestern Ethiopia were evaluated at six environments. This study was conducted by using completely randomized block design with two replications. The extent of genotype × environment interaction was analyzed by using additive main effect and multiplicative interaction model and genotype main effect and genotype × environment interaction biplot analysis model. The analysis of variance for yield revealed the presence of highly significant differences (

P
<
0.01

) within genotypes, environments and genotype by environment interaction. From the total sum of squares of genotype × environment interaction of yield, environment accounted for 51% while genotypic and GEI effects were 20.5% and 25.32%, respectively. Generally, genotypes with superior performance and suitable environments for coffee were identified. However, further researches have to target hybridization of those superior genotypes with elite lines in feature Arabica coffee breeding program.
Soliton Molecules and Full Symmetry Groups to the KdV-Sawada-Kotera-Ramani Equation
Authors: Xiong Na , Yu Ya-Xuan , Li Biao
Published: May 2021

By

N

-soliton solutions and a velocity resonance mechanism, soliton molecules are constructed for the KdV-Sawada-Kotera-Ramani (KSKR) equation, which is used to simulate the resonances of solitons in one-dimensional space. An asymmetric soliton can be formed by adjusting the distance between two solitons of soliton molecule to small enough. The interactions among multiple soliton molecules for the equation are elastic. Then, full symmetry group is derived for the KSKR equation by the symmetry group direct method. From the full symmetry group, a general group invariant solution can be obtained from a known solution.