bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
VfM audit and the UK public sector: A critical review of the VfM reports
Authors: Benamraoui Abdelhafid , Chatzivgeri Eleni , Jory Surendranath Rakesh , Ajay Ranjitha
Published: June 2022

The study investigates why the value for money (VfM) audit, in its current form, fails to capture the actual state of affairs in the UK public organizations. To address this, we utilize a VfM assessment matrix and key public sector performance indicators to critically evaluate the VfM reports published by two main public bodies in the United Kingdom, that is, the National Health Services and the police authorities, alongside the reports published by the National Audit Office and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. Our results reveal that the VfM reports do not clearly show how the 3Es (i.e., economy, efficiency, and effectiveness) associated with the VfM assessment are attained. There are also limited suggestions on the public bodies’ service output or social outcomes and how performance targets are fulfilled. We deduce that the VfM audit's failure to capture these elements significantly curtails the benefits of the VfM exercise to public bodies. We argue for complementing the current VfM assessment with a review of the performance of these bodies based on the services they offer as well as their strategic objectives.
Promouvoir le pouvoir collectif des travailleurs dans les réseaux de production mondialisés: retour sur une occasion manquée
Authors: SÉHIER Clément
Published: June 2022

L'auteur s'interroge sur la capacité des ONG de renforcer le pouvoir collectif du travail au sein des réseaux de production mondialisés en utilisant leur pouvoir de pression sur les multinationales pour lancer des programmes d'élections de comités de travailleurs dans les usines. Sur la base d'une enquête empirique menée entre 2012 et 2019 dans le sud de la Chine, il montre que ces programmes ont permis de sensibiliser les travailleurs à l'action collective et de renforcer leur agentivité, mais que l'inégalité structurelle du système de production, l'absence de protection institutionnelle en faveur des représentants élus et le durcissement du régime ont empêché qu'ils perdurent.
How experience shapes infants' communicative behaviour: Comparing gaze following in infants with and without pandemic experience
Authors: Wermelinger Stephanie , Moersdorf Lea , Daum Moritz M.
Published: June 2022

The COVID‐19 pandemic has been influencing people's social life substantially. Everybody, including infants and children needed to adapt to changes in social interactions (e.g., social distancing) and to seeing other people wearing facial masks. In this study, we investigated whether these pandemic‐related changes influenced 12‐ to 15‐months‐old infants' reactions to observed gaze shifts (i.e., their gaze following). In two eye‐tracking tasks, we measured infants' gaze‐following behavior during the pandemic (with‐COVID‐19‐experience sample) and compared it to data of infants tested before the pandemic (no‐COVID‐19‐experience sample). Overall, the results indicated no significant differences between the two samples. However, in one sub‐task infants in the with‐COVID‐19‐experience sample looked longer at the eyes of a model compared to the no‐COVID‐19‐experience sample. Within the with‐COVID‐19‐experience sample, the amount of mask exposure and the number of contacts without mask were not related to infants' gaze‐following behavior. We speculate that even though infants encounter fewer different people during the pandemic and are increasingly exposed to people wearing facial masks, they still also see non‐covered faces. These contacts might be sufficient to provide infants with the social input they need to develop social and emotional competencies such as gaze following.
Motivators and inhibitors of nurses' speaking up behaviours: A descriptive qualitative study
Authors: Lee Seung Eun , Dahinten V. Susan , Ji Hyunju , Kim Eunkyung , Lee Hyunjie
Published: June 2022

Aims

To identify factors that motivate or inhibit nurses' speaking up for patient safety.

Design

A descriptive qualitative study.

Methods

We conducted semi‐structured interviews with 15 nurses from four Korean hospitals between December 2020 and January 2021. Data were analysed using inductive content analysis.

Results

We identified safety culture, supportive unit managers and role models, positive reactions from or familiarity with others, high‐risk situations and personal characteristics and beliefs as motivators of nurses' speaking up. Hierarchies and power differentials, seniority and unit tenure, concerns about relationships, and heavy workloads inhibited nurses' speaking up.

Conclusion

Individual, organizational and cultural characteristics influence nurses' decisions on whether or not to voice their concerns, suggestions or ideas. Certain characteristics of Korean culture, such as strong hierarchies and the valuing of good relationships, play an important role in nurses' speaking up behaviours. Our findings can be used to inform educational interventions and management expectations about interpersonal behaviours, especially in a culture where age‐ and seniority‐based hierarchies and collectivism are prevalent.

Impact

Nurses perceived speaking up as a challenging behaviour, and they sometimes withhold their voices even when speaking up is needed for patient safety. We found that individual, organizational, and contextual factors affect the speaking up behaviours of nurses. Nurse managers can create environments that are more supportive of nurses' speaking up behaviours by using inclusive leadership to create psychological safety, by inviting and showing appreciation for staff input, and by helping physicians and senior nurses understand the importance of all nurses' voices.

No patient or public contribution

Patient or public contribution does not apply to this study as its purpose was to explore the speaking up experiences of nurses themselves.
Suicidal ideation during adolescence: The roles of aggregate genetic liability for suicide attempts and negative life events in the past year
Authors: Lannoy Séverine , Mars Becky , Heron Jon , Edwards Alexis C.
Published: June 2022

Background

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) constitute a central public health concern in adolescence. Previous studies emphasized the difficulty to cope with negative life events during adolescence as a risk factor for STB. Familial and genetic liability has also been documented to explain STB risk. Nevertheless, less is known about aggregate genetic liability and its possible interaction with negative life events. Moreover, information is needed to understand how these factors differently affect STB in boys and girls.

Methods

We evaluated suicidal ideation at 17 years old and examined the role of aggregate genetic liability, negative life events, and their interaction in a sample of 2,571 adolescents. Aggregate genetic liability was measured using a polygenic score (PGS) for suicide attempts. Negative life events were assessed in the past year and included parental divorce and hospitalizations, death of friends and relatives, bullying, failure‐related events, and involvement with drugs. We conducted univariable and multivariable general linear models stratified by sex and evaluated the interactions between PGS and negative life events in subsequent models.

Results

Analyses showed that suicidal ideation in boys is associated with failure to achieve something important (estimate = 0.198), bullying (estimate = 0.285), drug use (estimate = 0.325), and parental death (estimate = 0.923). In girls, both aggregate genetic liability (estimate = 0.041) and negative life events (failure at school [estimate = 0.120], failure to achieve something important [estimate = 0.279], drug use [estimate = 0.395], and bullying [estimate = 0.472]) were associated with suicidal ideation. Interaction analyses suggested that PGS interacted with drug use and failures at school, though this would need additional support.

Conclusions

These findings represent significant contributions to the fundamental understanding of STB in adolescence, suggesting to monitor the impact of negative life events during adolescence to better prevent suicide risk. Genetic liability is also of importance in girls and might influence the way they respond to environmental threats.
Comparative effectiveness of biologics in clinical practice: week 12 primary outcomes from an international observational psoriasis study of health outcomes (PSoHO)
Authors: Pinter Andreas , Puig Luis , Schäkel Knut , Reich Adam , Zaheri Shirin , Costanzo Antonio , Tsai Tsen Fang , Smith Saxon D. , Lynde Charles , Brnabic Alan , Reed Catherine , Hill Julie , Schuster Christopher , Riedl Elisabeth , Paul Carle
Published: June 2022

Background

Clinical trials study treatment outcomes under stringent conditions, capturing incompletely the heterogeneity of patient populations and treatment complexities encountered in real‐world practice.

Objectives

To compare the effectiveness of anti‐interleukin (IL)‐17A biologics relative to other approved biologics in patients with moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis.

Methods

The Psoriasis Study of Health Outcomes (PSoHO) is an ongoing 3‐year observational cohort study in adults with chronic moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis initiating or switching to a new biologic. Primary study endpoint is the proportion of patients achieving 90% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 90) and/or static Physician Global Assessment (sPGA) 0/1 at Week 12 (W12) in the anti‐IL‐17A cohort (ixekizumab [IXE], secukinumab) vs. all other approved biologics. Secondary outcomes include the proportion of patients who achieve PASI 75/90/100, absolute PASI scores ≤5, ≤2 and ≤1, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score of 0/1 at W12 between the two cohorts and among the individual biologics. Comparative effectiveness analyses were conducted using Frequentist Model Averaging (FMA), a novel causal inference machine learning approach. Missing data for binary outcomes were imputed as non‐response.

Results

Patient profiles in the anti‐IL‐17A cohort and other biologics cohort were similar, with more frequent comorbid psoriatic arthritis and less frequent exposure to conventional treatments in the patients receiving anti‐IL‐17A biologics. At W12, 71.4% of patients who received an anti‐IL‐17A biologic achieved PASI 90 and/or sPGA 0/1 compared to 58.6% of patients who received other biologics (odds ratios [OR], 1.9; 95% confidence intervals [CI], [1.6, 2.4]). Similar findings were observed for secondary outcomes.

Conclusions

These results reflect the high efficacy and early onset of skin clearance of IL‐17A inhibitors observed in randomized clinical trials and confirm the effectiveness of anti‐IL‐17A biologics in the real‐world setting.
Automated telephone follow‐up programs after hospital discharge: Do older adults engage with these programs?
Authors: Harrison James D. , Sudore Rebecca L. , Auerbach Andrew D. , Shah Sachin , Oreper Sandra , Wheeler Margaret “Meg” , Fang Margaret C.
Published: June 2022

Background

Health systems have developed automated telephone call programs to screen and triage patients' post‐hospital discharge issues and concerns. The aims of our study were to determine whether and how older adults engage with automated post‐hospital discharge telephone programs and to describe the prevalence of patient‐reported post‐discharge issues.

Methods

We identified all telephone calls made by an urban academic medical center as part of a post‐hospital discharge program between May 1, 2018 and April 30, 2019. The program used automated telephone outreach to patients or their caregivers that included 11 distinct steps 3 days post‐discharge. All adults discharged home from the hospital, were included, and we categorized patients into ≤64 years, 65–84 years, and ≥85 years age groups. We then compared call reach rate, completeness of 11‐step calls and patient‐reported issues between age groups.

Results

Eighteen thousand and seventy six patients were included. More patients 65–84 years old were reached compared to patients ≤64 years old (84.3% vs. 78.9%, AME 5.52%; 95%CI: 3.58%–7.45%). Completion rates of automated calls for those ≥85 years old were also high. Patients ≥85 years old were more likely to have questions about their follow‐up plans and need assistance scheduling appointments compared to those ≤64 years old (19.0% vs. 11.9%, AME 7.0% (95%CI: 2.7%–11.3%).

Conclusion

Post‐hospital automated telephone calls are feasible and effective at reaching older adults. Future work should focus on improving discharge communication to ensure older adults are aware of their follow‐up plan and appointments.
Barriers and facilitators to delivering everyday personal hygiene care in residential settings: A systematic review
Authors: Heague Megan , Dyson Judith , Cowdell Fiona
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Globally, the population is ageing, and more people live in residential care. Best practice in personal hygiene care may reduce distressing and debilitating skin and oral problems and improve resident outcomes. Although there is guidance on personal hygiene care, implementation may be a challenge.

Aim

To identify barriers and facilitators to delivering personal hygiene care for older persons in residential care settings.

Methods

Systematic review reported according to PRISMA 2020 guidance. Databases MEDLINE, CIHAHL and PsychINFO were systematically searched using terms and synonyms ‘barriers’, ‘facilitators’, ‘hygiene’, ‘older adults’ and ‘residential care’. Only empirical studies, reporting everyday skin and oral care, in English, peer reviewed and published from 2000 to 2021 were included. Due to methodological heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was conducted.

Results

Sixteen papers yielded nine categories of barrier or facilitator. Five related to skin and oral care: (i) knowledge, (ii) skills relating to hygiene care, (iii) skills relating to supporting ‘uncooperative’ behaviours, (iv) lack of resources and (v) time, workload and staffing levels. The remainder related only to oral care: (vi) resident, family or carer motivation, (vii) dislike of hygiene care, (viii) carer attitudes and beliefs and (ix) social influences and communication. Six papers reported interventions to optimise care.

Conclusion

This review highlights the persistent dearth of research into everyday personal hygiene practices, in particular skin hygiene in residential care. Existing literature identifies a range of barriers; however, there is a mismatch between these and reported interventions to improve practice.

Relevance to clinical practice

Advances in implementation science to support optimal care have yet to be applied to interventions to support hygiene practices in care homes and it is imperative this is addressed. Future interventions should involve: (i) systematically and theoretically assessing barriers, (ii) application of tailored behaviour change techniques (iii) using these co‐design pragmatic, locally acceptable strategies.
Beyond role strain: Work–family sacrifice among underrepresented minority faculty
Authors: Zambrana Ruth Enid , Hardaway Cecily R. , Neubauer Leah C.
Published: June 2022

Objective

This study describes the perceived work demands and family caregiving obligations associated with work–family life among URM faculty and the coping strategies used to negotiate the integration of roles.

Background

Past research on families focuses primarily on professional majority‐culture families and often fails to include traditionally and historically underrepresented minority (URM) families. The study of how URM professionals negotiate work and family obligations and economic and institutional constraints remains relatively absent in the family science discourse.

Method

In‐depth individual and group interviews (N = 58) were conducted with US‐born African American, Mexican American, and Puerto Rican faculty at research universities.

Results

The overarching theorizing anchor that grounded the themes was sacrifice. Three themes emerged: excessive work demands/role strain; commitments and caregiving obligations to family of origin and nuclear family; and few coping strategies and resources to maintain a balanced life.

Conclusion

This analysis offers insight into the multiple factors that affect the experiences of URM academics in their workplaces that deeply influence work roles and self‐care and its impact on family roles. These data fill a gap by applying alternative frameworks to explore the work–family nexus among racialized groups.

Implications

New research frontiers are offered to study the work–family nexus for URM faculty and how higher education can respond to alleviate excessive work demands and work–family life conflicts.
Psychology as a site for decolonial analysis
Authors:   Readsura Decolonial Editorial Collective
Published: June 2022

This article provides a conceptual introduction to the second installment of a two‐issue collection of work on decolonial approaches to the psychological study of social issues. Whereas papers in the first installment consider decoloniality as a social issue for psychological study, papers in this second installment consider psychology as a site for decolonial analysis. In this article, we briefly review key concepts from decolonial theory (e.g., the coloniality of modernity, distinct from historical colonialism). We then discuss manifestations of epistemic violence in hegemonic psychology that require intervention. Epistemic violence is (not merely) a matter of epistemic exclusion of racialized others from the knowledge production process, imperialist imposition of white‐washed knowledge products as universal standards without regard to context, or pathologizing forms of explanation that construct racial others as deviants in light of white‐washed standards (i.e., epistemological violence; Teo, 2010). In addition, epistemic violence in psychology includes forms of harm (e.g., zero‐point epistemology and individualist lifeways) associated with its modern/colonial roots. Accordingly, a decolonial approach to the psychological study of social issues may require refusal of the discipline of psychology.
Factorial design–machine learning approach for predicting incident durations
Authors: Hamad Khaled , Obaid Lubna , Haridy Salah , Zeiada Waleed , Al‐Khateeb Ghazi
Published: June 2022

This research proposes a hybrid approach for predicting incident duration that integrates the salient features of both factorial design of experiments (DOE) and machine learning (ML). This study compares DOE with another widely used technique, forward sequential feature selection (FSFS). Moreover, to confirm the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed approach, multiple ML techniques are employed, including linear regression, decision trees, support vector machines, ensemble trees, Gaussian process regression, and artificial neural networks. The study results are validated using data from the Houston TranStar incidents archive with over 90,000 records. The accuracy of the developed predictive models is compared based on multiple techniques (i.e., no feature selection–ML, FSFS–ML, and DOE–ML). The results revealed that the significant factors affecting incident duration identified by both DOE and FSFS include the type of vehicles involved, type of lanes affected, number of vehicles involved, number of emergency responses dispatched, incident severity level, and day of the week. The comparative results of the different feature selection and modeling approaches revealed that the hybrid DOE–ML approach outperformed the other tested analysis approaches. The best‐performing model under the DOE–ML approach was the SVM with cubic kernel model. It reduced the modeling time by 83.8% while increasing the prediction error by merely 0.02%, which is not significant. Therefore, the prediction accuracy could be slightly downgraded in return for a substantial reduction in the number of variables utilized, resulting in substantial savings in the modeling time and required dataset.
MAOA‐LPR polymorphism and math anxiety: A marker of genetic susceptibility to social influences in girls?
Authors: Carvalho Maria Raquel Santos , Barbosa de Carvalho André Henrique , Paiva Giulia Moreira , Andrade Jorge Carolina de Castro , dos Santos Fernanda Caroline , Koltermann Gabriella , de Salles Jerusa Fumagalli , Moeller Korbinian , Maia de Oliveira Wood Guilherme , Haase Vitor Geraldi
Published: June 2022

Math anxiety (MA) seems to result from an interaction of genetic vulnerability with negative experiences learning mathematics. Although mathematics achievement does not substantially differ between the sexes, MA levels are usually higher in girls. Molecular genetic markers of MA vulnerability have been seldom explored. This article examines the contribution of the monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA) to MA and to sex differences in MA. Five hundred and sixty‐eight third to fifth graders were genotyped for the MAOA‐LPR polymorphism (a repetitive element in MAOA promoter that has been associated with MAOA enzymatic activity), and assessed on general cognitive ability, mathematics achievement, and the cognitive and affective dimensions of MA. MAOA‐LPR genotypes were classified as high (MAOA‐H) or low (MAOA‐L) according to their predicted enzymatic activity. Mixed models controlling for effects of school, sex, general cognitive ability, and mathematics achievement were evaluated. The best fitting model included school, math achievement, sex, MAOA‐LPR, and the MAOA‐LPR by sex interaction. This indicated that under the MAOA‐H dominant model, anxiety toward mathematics interacted with the MAOA genotype: girls with an MAOA‐L genotype exhibited higher levels of MA, with a small but significant effect. The association between MAOA‐L genotype and MA in girls may represent an example of developmental plasticity.
Thinking for the future: Phytoextraction of cadmium using primed plants for sustainable soil clean‐up
Authors: Karalija Erna , Selović Alisa , Bešta‐Gajević Renata , Šamec Dunja
Published: June 2022

Cadmium (Cd) soil contamination is a global problem for food security due to its ubiquity, toxicity at low levels, persistence, and bioaccumulation in living organisms. Humans' intake of heavy metals is usually due to direct contact with contaminated soil, through the food chain (Cd accumulation in crops and edible plants) or through drinking water in cases of coupled groundwater‐surface water systems. Phytoextraction is one of the eco‐friendly, sustainable solutions that can be used as a method for soil clean‐up with the possibility of re‐use of extracted metals through phytomining. Phytoextraction is often limited by the tolerance level of hyperaccumulating plants and the restriction of their growth. Mechanisms of hyperaccumulation of heavy metals in tolerant species have been studied, but there are almost no data on mechanisms of further improvement of the accumulation capacity of such plants. Priming can influence plant stress tolerance by the initiation of mild stress cues resulting in acclimation of the plant. The potential of plant priming in abiotic stress tolerance has been extensively investigated using different types of molecules that are supplemented exogenously to plant organs (roots, leaves, etc.), resulting in enhanced tolerance of abiotic stress. This review focuses on mechanisms of enhancement of plant stress tolerance in hyperaccumulating plants for their exploitation in phytoextraction processes.
OsSPL14 acts upstream of OsPIN1b and PILS6b to modulate axillary bud outgrowth by fine‐tuning auxin transport in rice
Authors: Li Yan , He Yizhou , Liu Zhixin , Qin Tian , Wang Lei , Chen Zhihui , Zhang Biaoming , Zhang Haitao , Li Haitao , Liu Li , Zhang Jian , Yuan Wenya
Published: June 2022

As a multigenic trait, rice tillering can optimize plant architecture for the maximum agronomic yield. SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN‐LIKE14 (OsSPL14) has been demonstrated to be necessary and sufficient to inhibit rice branching, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unclear. Here, we demonstrated that OsSPL14, which is cleaved by miR529 and miR156, inhibits tillering by fine‐tuning auxin transport in rice. RNA interference of OsSPL14 or miR529 and miR156 overexpression significantly increased the tiller number, whereas OsSPL14 overexpression decreased the tiller number. Histological analysis revealed that the OsSPL14‐overexpressing line had normal initiation of axillary buds but inhibited outgrowth of tillers. Moreover, OsSPL14 was found to be responsive to indole‐acetic acid and 1‐naphthylphthalamic acid, and RNA interference of OsSPL14 reduced polar auxin transport and increased 1‐naphthylphthalamic acid sensitivity of rice plants. Further analysis revealed that OsSPL14 directly binds to the promoter of PIN‐FORMED 1b (OsPIN1b) and PIN‐LIKE6b (PILS6b) to regulate their expression positively. OsPIN1b and PILS6b were highly expressed in axillary buds and proved involved in bud outgrowth. Loss of function of OsPIN1b or PILS6b increased the tiller number of rice. Taken together, our findings suggested that OsSPL14 could control axillary bud outgrowth and tiller number by activating the expression of OsPIN1b and PILS6b to fine‐tune auxin transport in rice.
An Experimental Investigation of the Influence of the State of Stress on the Ductile Fracture of 2024-T351 Aluminum
Authors: Seidt Jeremy D. , Park Chung-Kyu , Buyuk Murat , Lowe Robert L. , Wang Leyu , Carney Kelly S. , Du Bois Paul , Gilat Amos , Kan Cing-Dao
Published: June 2022

This paper investigates the influence of stress state on the equivalent plastic fracture strain in 2024-T351 aluminum alloy. Eighteen unique stress states at failure—with triaxialities ranging from 0.388 (compressive) to −0.891 (tensile) and Lode parameters ranging from −0.978 to 1.000—are explored through mechanical experiments on 2024-T351 aluminum specimens with various geometries under multiple loading conditions. These include tension tests of plane stress (thin), plane strain (thick), and axisymmetric specimens, as well as pure shear and combined axial–torsional loading on thin-walled tubes. Using a hybrid numerical–experimental approach, the dependence of fracture strain on stress triaxiality and Lode parameter is quantified for each experiment. Fracture strains are measured using three-dimensional digital image correlation. Equivalent plastic fracture strain for 2024-T351 generally increases with stress triaxiality (moving toward a more compressive state). Fracture strain decreases modestly as the Lode parameter decreases from 1 to 0, although there is a significant increase in ductility as the Lode parameter decreases below −0.8. Compression–torsion tests extend the data’s stress-space coverage well into the compressive triaxiality region (up to 0.388) and to Lode parameters approaching −1. This experimental program provides the most extensive set of ductile fracture data from a single 12.7-mm-thick 2024-T351 aluminum plate in the literature. These data can be used to calibrate ductile fracture models used in finite element simulations of dynamic events such as bird strikes, automotive collisions, and debris containment.
Genetic Algorithm Optimization of Deep Structured Classifier-Predictor Models for Pressure Transient Analysis
Authors: Kumar Pandey Rakesh , Kumar Anil , Mandal Ajay , Vaferi Behzad
Published: June 2022

This research aims to optimize deep learning models constituting long short-term memory and dense neural networks using the genetic algorithm (GA). This novel scenario has been applied to automatically identify reservoir types (homogeneous and natural fracture) and their external boundaries (infinite acting, circularly closed, and constant pressure) and estimate the related parameters. The suggested scenario includes two classifiers and 48 predictors to handle reservoir/boundary model detection and parameter estimation simultaneously. This methodology can recognize the reservoir/boundary models and predict wellbore storage constant, storativity ratio, skin factor (S), CD (dimensionless wellbore storage constant) × e2S, and inter-porosity flow coefficient. The pressure signals required for training the classifier and predictor models have been simulated by solving governing equations with added noise percentages. The hyperparameters of the intelligent models have been carefully tuned using the genetic algorithm to improve their classification/prediction accuracy. The GA-optimized classifier attained 94.79% and 94.29% accuracy over the training and testing groups of the pressure transient signal, respectively. The separately trained 24 optimized predictors converged well to estimate the reservoir parameters. The reliability of the proposed scenario has also been validated using two actual-field well-testing signals. The results indicate that the suggested procedure accurately identifies the reservoir/boundary model and efficiently approximates the associated parameters.
How the waveguide acoustic black hole works: A study of possible damping mechanisms
Authors: Mousavi Abbas , Berggren Martin , Wadbro Eddie
Published: June 2022

The acoustic black hole (ABH) effect in waveguides is studied using frequency-domain finite element simulations of a cylindrical waveguide with an embedded ABH termination composed of retarding rings. This design is adopted from an experimental study in the literature, which surprisingly showed, contrary to the structural counterpart, that the addition of damping material to the end of the waveguide does not significantly reduce the reflection coefficient any further. To investigate this unexpected behavior, we model different damping mechanisms involved in the attenuation of sound waves in this setup. A sequence of computed pressure distributions indicates occurrences of frequency-dependent resonances in the device. The axial position of the cavity where the resonance occurs can be predicted by a more elaborate wall admittance model than the one that was initially used to study and design ABHs. The results of our simulations show that at higher frequencies, the visco-thermal losses and the damping material added to the end of the setup do not contribute significantly to the performance of the device. Our results suggest that the primary source of damping, responsible for the low reflection coefficients at higher frequencies, is local absorption effects at the outer surface of the cylinder.
Exceptionally stable preindustrial sea level inferred from the western Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Onac Bogdan P. , Mitrovica Jerry X. , Ginés Joaquín , Asmerom Yemane , Polyak Victor J. , Tuccimei Paola , Ashe Erica L. , Fornós Joan J. , Hoggard Mark J. , Coulson Sophie , Ginés Angel , Soligo Michele , Villa Igor M.
Published: June 2022

An accurate record of preindustrial (pre-1900 CE) sea level is necessary to contextualize modern global mean sea level (GMSL) rise with respect to natural variability. Precisely dated phreatic overgrowths on speleothems (POS) provide detailed rates of Late Holocene sea-level rise in Mallorca. Statistical analysis indicates that sea level rose locally by 0.12 to 0.31 m (95% confidence) from 3.26 to 2.84 thousand years (ka) ago (2σ) and remained within 0.08 m (95% confidence) of preindustrial levels from 2.84 ka to 1900 CE. This sea-level history is consistent with glacial isostatic adjustment models adopting relatively weak upper mantle viscosities of ~10
20
Pa s. There is virtual certainty (>0.999 probability) that the average GMSL rise since 1900 CE has exceeded even the high average rate of sea-level rise between 3.26 and 2.84 ka inferred from the POS record. We conclude that modern GMSL rise is anomalous relative to any natural variability in ice volumes over the past 4000 years.
Immunomodulatory actions of a kynurenine-derived endogenous electrophile
Authors: Carreño Mara , Pires Maria F. , Woodcock Steven R. , Brzoska Tomasz , Ghosh Samit , Salvatore Sonia R. , Chang Fei , Khoo Nicholas K. H. , Dunn Matthew , Connors Nora , Yuan Shuai , Straub Adam C. , Wendell Stacy G. , Kato Gregory J. , Freeman Bruce A. , Ofori-Acquah Solomon F. , Sundd Prithu , Schopfer Francisco J. , Vitturi Dario A.
Published: June 2022

The up-regulation of kynurenine metabolism induces immunomodulatory responses via incompletely understood mechanisms. We report that increases in cellular and systemic kynurenine levels yield the electrophilic derivative kynurenine-carboxyketoalkene (Kyn-CKA), as evidenced by the accumulation of thiol conjugates and saturated metabolites. Kyn-CKA induces NFE2 like bZIP transcription factor 2– and aryl hydrocarbon receptor–regulated genes and inhibits nuclear factor κB– and NLR family pyrin domain containing 3-dependent proinflammatory signaling. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary hemolytic condition characterized by basal inflammation and recurrent vaso-occlusive crises. Both transgenic SCD mice and patients with SCD exhibit increased kynurenine and Kyn-CKA metabolite levels. Plasma hemin and kynurenine concentrations are positively correlated, indicating that Kyn-CKA synthesis in SCD is up-regulated during pathogenic vascular stress. Administration of Kyn-CKA abrogated pulmonary microvasculature occlusion in SCD mice, an important factor in lung injury development. These findings demonstrate that the up-regulation of kynurenine synthesis and its metabolism to Kyn-CKA is an adaptive response that attenuates inflammation and protects tissues.
NAC1 modulates autoimmunity by suppressing regulatory T cell–mediated tolerance
Authors: Yang Jin-Ming , Ren Yijie , Kumar Anil , Xiong Xiaofang , Das Jugal Kishore , Peng Hao-Yun , Wang Liqing , Ren Xingcong , Zhang Yi , Ji Cheng , Cheng Yan , Zhang Li , Alaniz Robert C. , de Figueiredo Paul , Fang Deyu , Zhou Hongwei , Liu Xiaoqi , Wang Jianlong , Song Jianxun
Published: June 2022

We report here that nucleus accumbens–associated protein-1 (NAC1), a nuclear factor of the Broad-complex, Tramtrack, Bric-a-brac/poxvirus and zinc finger (BTB/POZ) gene family, is a negative regulator of FoxP3 in regulatory T cells (T
regs
) and a critical determinant of immune tolerance. Phenotypically, NAC1
−/−
mice showed substantial tolerance to the induction of autoimmunity and generated a larger amount of CD4
+
T
regs
that exhibit a higher metabolic profile and immune-suppressive activity, increased acetylation and expression of FoxP3, and slower turnover of this transcription factor. Treatment of T
regs
with the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β or tumor necrosis factor–α induced a robust up-regulation of NAC1 but evident down-regulation of FoxP3 as well as the acetylated FoxP3. These findings imply that NAC1 acts as a trigger of the immune response through destabilization of T
regs
and suppression of tolerance induction, and targeting of NAC1 warrants further exploration as a potential tolerogenic strategy for treatment of autoimmune disorders.
Migration and transformation of coastal wetlands in response to rising seas
Authors: Osland Michael J. , Chivoiu Bogdan , Enwright Nicholas M. , Thorne Karen M. , Guntenspergen Glenn R. , Grace James B. , Dale Leah L. , Brooks William , Herold Nate , Day John W. , Sklar Fred H. , Swarzenzki Christopher M.
Published: June 2022

Coastal wetlands are not only among the world’s most valued ecosystems but also among the most threatened by high greenhouse gas emissions that lead to accelerated sea level rise. There is intense debate regarding the extent to which landward migration of wetlands might compensate for seaward wetland losses. By integrating data from 166 estuaries across the conterminous United States, we show that landward migration of coastal wetlands will transform coastlines but not counter seaward losses. Two-thirds of potential migration is expected to occur at the expense of coastal freshwater wetlands, while the remaining one-third is expected to occur at the expense of valuable uplands, including croplands, forests, pastures, and grasslands. Our analyses underscore the need to better prepare for coastal transformations and net wetland loss due to rising seas.
Sensor-level computer vision with pixel processor arrays for agile robots
Authors: Dudek Piotr , Richardson Thomas , Bose Laurie , Carey Stephen , Chen Jianing , Greatwood Colin , Liu Yanan , Mayol-Cuevas Walterio
Published: June 2022

Vision processing for control of agile autonomous robots requires low-latency computation, within a limited power and space budget. This is challenging for conventional computing hardware. Parallel processor arrays (PPAs) are a new class of vision sensor devices that exploit advances in semiconductor technology, embedding a processor within each pixel of the image sensor array. Sensed pixel data are processed on the focal plane, and only a small amount of relevant information is transmitted out of the vision sensor. This tight integration of sensing, processing, and memory within a massively parallel computing architecture leads to an interesting trade-off between high performance, low latency, low power, low cost, and versatility in a machine vision system. Here, we review the history of image sensing and processing hardware from the perspective of in-pixel computing and outline the key features of a state-of-the-art smart camera system based on a PPA device, through the description of the SCAMP-5 system. We describe several robotic applications for agile ground and aerial vehicles, demonstrating PPA sensing functionalities including high-speed odometry, target tracking, obstacle detection, and avoidance. In the conclusions, we provide some insight and perspective on the future development of PPA devices, including their application and benefits within agile, robust, adaptable, and lightweight robotics.
Antibody Fc characteristics and effector functions correlate with protection from symptomatic dengue virus type 3 infection
Authors: Dias Antonio G. , Atyeo Caroline , Loos Carolin , Montoya Magelda , Roy Vicky , Bos Sandra , Narvekar Parnal , Singh Tulika , Katzelnick Leah C. , Kuan Guillermina , Lauffenburger Douglas A. , Balmaseda Angel , Alter Galit , Harris Eva
Published: June 2022

Preexisting cross-reactive antibodies have been implicated in both protection and pathogenesis during subsequent infections with different dengue virus (DENV) serotypes (DENV1-4). Nonetheless, humoral immune correlates and mechanisms of protection have remained elusive. Using a systems serology approach to evaluate humoral responses, we profiled plasma collected before inapparent or symptomatic secondary DENV3 infection from our pediatric cohort in Nicaragua. Children protected from symptomatic infections had more anti-envelope (E) and anti–nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) total immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG4, and greater Fc effector functions than those with symptoms. Fc effector functions were also associated with protection from hemorrhagic manifestations in the pre-symptomatic group. Furthermore, in vitro virological assays using these plasma samples revealed that protection mediated by antibody-dependent complement deposition was associated with both lysis of virions and DENV-infected cells. These data suggest that E- and NS1-specific Fc functions may serve as correlates of protection, which can be potentially applied toward the design and evaluation of dengue vaccines.
The fight against malaria: Diminishing gains and growing challenges
Authors: Cohen Justin M. , Okumu Fredros , Moonen Bruno
Published: June 2022

Since the year 2000, historic reductions in malaria incidence and mortality have been driven by the widespread distribution of bed nets, drugs, and insecticides for the prevention and treatment of malaria. Scale-up of these tools has been enabled by an increase in malaria financing compounded by price reductions, yet these trends are unlikely to continue at the same rate. Rapid population growth in high-endemic areas requires procurement of more of these tools just to maintain current coverage, even as prices are likely to increase as resistance to drugs and insecticides forces shifts to newer products. Further progress toward the long-term goal of malaria eradication requires a combination of greater funding, more cost-effective resource allocation, and fundamental changes to the global malaria control strategy.
Transcontinental Dispersal of Nonendemic Fungal Pathogens through Wooden Handicraft Imports
Authors: Smith Jason A. , Quesada Tania , Alake Gideon , Anger Nicolas
Published: June 2022

This study, the first of its kind, demonstrates the risk of importation of nonendemic foreign fungi on wooden handicrafts into the United States despite the application of sanitation protocols. Previous risk assessments of imported wood products have focused on potential for introduction of invasive arthropods (and their fungal symbionts) or have focused on other classes of wood products (timber, wooden furniture, garden products, etc.).
Genetic Interaction Analysis Reveals that Cryptococcus neoformans Utilizes Multiple Acetyl-CoA-Generating Pathways during Infection
Authors: Alden Katy M. , Jezewski Andrew J. , Beattie Sarah R. , Fox David , Krysan Damian J.
Published: June 2022

The adaptation of environmental fungal pathogens to the mammalian host is critical to pathogenesis. Of these adaptations, the remodeling of carbon metabolism is particularly important.
Differential Expression of Two Copies of the
irmA
Gene in the Enteroaggregative E. coli Strain 042
Authors: Bernabeu M. , Aznar S. , Prieto A. , Hüttener M. , Juárez A.
Published: June 2022

Gene duplications occur in prokaryotic genomes at a detectable frequency. In many instances, the biological function of the duplicates is unknown, and hence, the significance of the presence of multiple copies of these genes remains unclear.
Fusarium oxysporum Disrupts Microbiome-Metabolome Networks in Arabidopsis thaliana Roots
Authors: Kudjordjie Enoch Narh , Hooshmand Kourosh , Sapkota Rumakanta , Darbani Behrooz , Fomsgaard Inge S. , Nicolaisen Mogens
Published: June 2022

Plant health and fitness are determined by plant-microbe interactions which are guided by host-synthesized metabolites. To understand the orchestration of this interaction, we analyzed the distinct interomic dynamics in resistant and susceptible
Arabidopsis
ecotypes across different time points after infection with
Fusarium oxysporum
(FOM).
Attenuated Viral Replication of Avian
Infectious Bronchitis Virus
with a Novel 82-Nucleotide Deletion in the 5a Gene Indicates a Critical Role for 5a in Virus-Host Interactions
Authors: Zhao Ye , Liang Rong , Cheng Jinlong , Zhao Jing , Xue Jia , Zhang Guozhong
Published: June 2022

Coronaviruses (CoVs) have a huge impact on humans and animals. It is important for the prevention and control of the viruses to assess the molecular mechanisms related to virulence attenuation.
Spike Protein Cleavage-Activation in the Context of the SARS-CoV-2 P681R Mutation: an Analysis from Its First Appearance in Lineage A.23.1 Identified in Uganda
Authors: Lubinski Bailey , Frazier Laura E. , Phan My V. T. , Bugembe Daniel L. , Cunningham Jessie L. , Tang Tiffany , Daniel Susan , Cotten Matthew , Jaimes Javier A. , Whittaker Gary R.
Published: June 2022

During the course of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, viral variants have emerged that often contain notable mutations in the spike gene. Mutations that encode changes in the spike S1/S2 (furin) activation site have been considered especially impactful.
Coalitions for Sustainable Finance and Sustainable Development
Authors: Danilov Yu. A.
Published: June 2022

This article deals with the formation of coalitions for sustainable development and sustainable finance in developed countries and in Russia. In developed countries, broad national coalitions for sustainable development have been formed based on the initially established industry coalitions of investors and financial institutions for sustainable finance. The ideological core of such coalitions is the idea of new models of capitalism based on the principles of sustainable development as an ideal social structure. The concepts of stakeholder capitalism and the impact or caring economy are examples of such models. In Russia, similar coalitions are much narrower because of the imitation of following the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles and mass greenwashing. At the same time, there are objective factors that can lead to the expansion of ESG coalitions and strengthening incentives for the implementation of a sustainable development model in Russia.
Socialist Modernization of Agriculture: Projects and Implementation
Authors: Il’inykh V.
Published: June 2022

This article reconstructs the models of the socialist modernization of agriculture developed at the end of the 1920s and start of the 1930s: collective-farm-cooperative, state-farm-collective-farm, and agrarian-industrial. The characteristic of the agrarian system formed in the course of mass collectivization, which radically differs from the theoretical constructions accepted for implementation, is given. The grounds and content of the organizational and economic restructuring of the agrarian sector of the economy in the second half of the 1950s are analyzed. The representation developed in the mid-1960s by V.G. Venger of the project of reforming socialist agriculture is carried out and the factors why it was not implemented are determined.
From Speransky to Stolypin: Peasant Reform and the Problem of Land Management
Authors: Khristoforov Igor
Published: June 2022

This article analyzes peasant land management in relation to the tax and property system from the early 1830s to the beginning of the 20th century.
The Community in the Minds and Behavior of the Russian Peasantry in the Context of the Reforms and Revolutions in the First Third of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Sukhova Olga
Published: June 2022

The representations of the community and communality in the minds and behavior of the Russian peasantry are studied. The author analyzes the change in the functionality and features of the evolution of models of solidarized behavior in the context of reforms and revolutions in Russia/the Soviet Union at the end of the 19th and the first third of the 20th centuries. The socio-political interaction in the community–state opposition is seen as a manifestation of the reactions of open systems to external challenges and the desire to maintain a state of equilibrium, to adapt and/or to resist. The thesis about the conditionality of the repetition of the cycles of the revival of the community is substantiated by the institutionalization of the self-organization of the local community in order to achieve and protect vital interests. The key factor in the death of the community in the early 1930s is revealed: the formation of a special system of administrative management, excluding any opportunities for the self-organization of the peasantry. The analysis of the evolution of self-regulation practices regulated by law and tradition—the institutions of the rural assembly and land redistribution—is of considerable interest. One of the significant aspects of the problem is the consideration of the entire arsenal of the means of social resistance of the community, including the most radical forms related to manifestations of social aggression.