bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Opinion of "Teaching of Vocational Subjects and Practical Training" Students on the Practice Teaching Process
Authors: Bendová Alena , Horáčková Marie
Published: August 2020

The main goal of this contribution is to present the views of students of pedagogy on the teaching practice, which is organized by the Institute of Lifelong Learning in cooperation with secondary technical schools. This teaching practice is organized by the Institute of Lifelong Learning in cooperation with secondary technical schools that agreed to be the training schools for our students. The teaching practice period lasts 14 days for each student. Students have to shadow their supervisor teacher for a specific number of lecture hours. Then they have to teach a couple of lectures on their own. The sources for this study were teaching practice diaries of students, who took part in this process and the students’ responses to the sentence completion method questionnaire that they completed after the teaching practice period. The method provided a deeper qualitative understanding of the issue. The qualitative analysis revealed four categories: teaching practice as a stressor; barriers in the teaching practice; stress reduction during the teaching practice; creating a personal teaching concept. This paper deals with the first three of these categories. The final part of the paper is a reflection on possible ways how to raise the quality of the teaching practice both for students and participating institutions.
Knowledge and User Specifics of Digital Competence of Teachers of Human and Social Sciences in Secondary Vocational Education
Authors: Lorenzová Jitka , Jirkovská Blanka , Mynaříková Lenka
Published: August 2020

The article presents data from more extensive research (N = 2015) focused on digital competences of secondary school teachers. The research aimed to find out knowledge and user specifics of digital competence of teachers of human and social sciences in comparison with the whole dataset, specifically with teachers of ICT and technical sciences. As a data collection tool, we used a self-created questionnaire. Data analysis was performed with IBM SPSS Statistics version 24 using the Chi-Square test of independence, Chi-Square goodness of fit test, ANOVA, the independent samples T-test and paired sample T-test. Research showed that teachers use only simple digital tools in their teaching, which do not impose great demands on the didactic‑methodical application. On the other hand, more demanding didactic tools (e. g. E-learning or virtual laboratory) are used significantly less. It has also been shown that although teachers see the pedagogical potential of digital technologies positively, the forms and means of digital education are almost unknown to them. The sample, therefore, shows a discrepancy between the expectations of the pedagogical effects of the application of digital technologies and only the average developed knowledge and user aspects of digital competences. In terms of knowledge and user specifics, teachers of human and social science lag behind the teachers of ICT and technical subjects in terms of assessing their knowledge and user skills. They do not show statistically significant differences compared to the whole dataset, which consists of teachers of mathematics, natural, medical, agricultural and environmental sciences, teachers of practical training and education, although even here their results are usually slightly worse.
E-Learning as an Opportunity for Education of Generation Y and Generation Z: Its Potential and Limits
Authors: Šnýdrová Markéta , Ježková Petrů Gabriela
Published: August 2020

Currently, the significance of digital technologies is growing; they are becoming a normal part of human life. Their importance grows mainly in the context of other generations entering schools or the labour market. They are members of Generation Y and mainly Generation Z, whose life is already fully linked to virtual reality, social networks and information technology. E-Learning and its various modifications are one of the applied forms of education. This paper aims to describe the potential, but also the limits of education in the form of e-learning in the context of the development of the society, technological and content requirements on the educational activities as perceived by generation Y and generation Z. Content analysis of scientific resources and researches was the starting point for our work. The paper describes e-learning, its positive and negative aspects and contrasts them with the characteristics of the generations Y and Z. It can be concluded that e-learning has its application in school, extra‑curricular as well as lifelong learning.
Automating the Risk Out of Farming
Authors: González Carlos M.
Published: August 2020

The farming and agriculture industry has had its fair share of problems over the last decade. Bottlenecks in the supply chain and the lack of risk management and flexibility led to increasing food waste, and the labor shortage that existed before has only gotten worse with COVID-19. This article digs deeper into how the industry has turned to automation as a solution.
The History of Coach Education in Flanders
Authors: Vangrunderbeek Hans , Ponnet Hans
Published: August 2020

From an international perspective, it is indispensable to shed light on the education and certification of sports coaches within different countries in order to exchange good practices and facilitate international collaboration. This article highlights the past, present and future of coach education in Flanders, Belgium. A historical overview of the main initiatives of public, private and academic partners and their shifting relationships with regard to coach education provides insight into the establishment of the current Flemish School for Coach Education, a unique cooperative association between the public government, private sports federations and academic institutes for physical education. Key elements of the Flemish coach education system are presented: mission, organisation and partnerships, framework, competence model, learning pathways/culture and quality assurance. Important future steps involve the transition from a linear framework to a context-specific and nonlinear alternative, based on long-term athlete and coach development models, rethinking coach competences for all programs and implementing a blended learner-based approach with more focus on unmediated, nonformal mediated and internal learning situations.
Network Effects on Adolescents’ Perceived Barriers to Physical Activity
Authors: Prochnow Tyler , van Woudenberg Thabo J. , Patterson Megan S.
Published: August 2020

Background: Adolescent physical activity (PA) is widely linked to positive health outcomes. Unfortunately, 80% of adolescents do not meet recommendations, which may be due to perceived barriers to PA. Peer interactions significantly affect adolescent PA behaviors. This study aims to analyze distribution of PA barriers throughout adolescent friendship networks and barriers’ associations with PA. Methods: Adolescents (N = 383, mean = 10.77 y, SD = 1.30 y, 51.4% male) reported frequency of experiencing PA barriers (body related, social, fitness, convenience, and resource) and names of their friends. Average steps and minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA per day were measured using accelerometers. Linear network autocorrelation models determined if friends perceived barriers similarly when compared with nonfriends and analyzed relationships between barriers and objective PA measures while controlling for network effects. Results: Moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA, steps per day, body-related barriers, and social barriers displayed significant network effects, suggesting significant association with the scores of their friends. Average steps per day were significantly associated with age, sex, and social barriers, while inversely associated with fitness barriers. Conclusions: This research suggests adolescents’ perceived PA barriers are significantly associated with those of their friends. Researchers and practitioners aiming to reduce barriers to PA among adolescents may wish to assess peer reinforcing effects.
Evaluating Relationships Between Sleep and Next-Day Physical Activity in Young Women
Authors: Bailey Bruce W. , Deru Landon S. , Christensen William F. , Stevens Andrew J. , Ward Stephen Tanner , Starr Matthew L. , Bartholomew Ciera L. , Tucker Larry A.
Published: August 2020

Background: To evaluate the relationship between sleep and next-day physical activity (PA) under free-living conditions in women. Methods: Sleep and PA were measured objectively for 7 consecutive days by accelerometry in 330 young adult women (aged 17–25 y). A structural equation model was used to evaluate the relationship between the driving factor of sleep (total sleep or morning wake time) and the amount of nonsleep sedentary (SED) and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) each day. Results: With sleep duration as the driving factor, the estimates of βSED and βMVPA were −0.415 and −0.093, respectively (P ≤ .05). For every hour slept, a 24.9-minute reduction in SED time and a 5.58-minute reduction in MVPA were observed. With wake time as the driving factor, the estimates of βSED and βMVPA were −0.636 and −0.149, respectively. For every wake time that was 1 hour later, a 38.2-minute decrease in SED and a 8.9-minute decrease in MVPA (P ≤ .05) were observed. Conclusions: Women who wake later or who sleep longer tend to get less MVPA throughout the day. Getting up earlier and going to bed earlier may support behaviors that improve PA and lifestyle.
Walking Gait Mechanics and Gaze Fixation in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability
Authors: Koldenhoven Rachel M. , Martin Kelly , Jaffri Abbis H. , Saliba Susan , Hertel Jay
Published: August 2020

Context: Many individuals who suffer a lateral ankle sprain will develop chronic ankle instability (CAI). Individuals with CAI demonstrate kinematic differences in walking gait, as well as somatosensory alterations compared with healthy individuals. However, the role of vision during walking gait in this population remains unclear. Objective: To evaluate ankle kinematics, gaze deviations, and gaze velocity between participants with CAI and healthy controls while walking on a treadmill during 3 separate visual conditions (no target, fixed target, and moving target). Design: Case-control study. Setting: Laboratory. Patients (or Other Participants): Ten CAI participants and 10 healthy matched controls participated. Main Outcome Measures: Ankle sagittal and frontal plane kinematics were analyzed for the entire gait cycle. Average and standard deviation (SD) for gaze deviation and gaze velocity were calculated in the horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) planes. Results: No significant differences were found between groups for either ankle kinematics or gaze variables; however, large effect sizes were found in the no target condition for average deviation of X (healthy 0.05 [0.02], CAI 0.12 [0.11]). Moderate effect sizes were identified in the no target condition for SD of Y (healthy 0.04 [0.03], CAI 0.11 [0.15]) and the moving target condition for average velocity of X (healthy 1.56 [0.73], CAI 2.27 [1.15]) and Y (healthy 1.07 [0.51], CAI 1.47 [0.52]). Conclusions: Although no significant differences were found between groups, it is possible that the role of vision in individuals with CAI may be altered with a more difficult task.
Polymer blend directed anisotropic self-assembly toward mesoporous inorganic bowls and nanosheets
Authors: Kim Seongseop , Hwang Jongkook , Lee Jisung , Lee Jinwoo
Published: August 2020

Anisotropic self-assembly of ternary-phase blends allows the synthesis of bowl-like mesoporous inorganic particles and nanosheets.
These nanoparticles are just right
Authors: Ankrum James
Published: August 2020

Optimizing nanoparticle size, charge, and route of delivery enables highly efficient and selective targeting of tumor-associated macrophages.
Ribosome-Engineered
Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus
Strain GG Exhibits Cell Surface Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Accumulation and Enhanced Adhesion to Human Colonic Mucin
Authors: Ishida Minori , Namai Fu , Shigemori Suguru , Kajikawa Shoko , Tsukagoshi Masami , Sato Takashi , Ogita Tasuku , Shimosato Takeshi
Published: August 2020

We sought to apply ribosome engineering (RE) to probiotic lactic acid bacteria and to verify RE’s impact. Here, we showed that one mutant of RE
Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus
GG (LGG-MT
K56N
) bore a GAPDH on the cell surface; the GAPDH was exported via an ABC transporter. Compared to the wild-type parent, LGG-MT
K56N
adhered more strongly to human colonic mucin and exhibited a distinct cell size and shape. These findings demonstrate that RE in LGG-MT
K56N
yielded dramatic changes in protein synthesis, protein transport, and cell morphology and affected adherence to human colonic mucin.
Specific Akt Family Members Impair Stress-Mediated Transactivation of Viral Promoters and Enhance Neuronal Differentiation: Important Functions for Maintaining Latency
Authors: Zhao Jing , Zhu Liqian , Wijesekera Nishani , Jones Clinton
Published: August 2020

External stressful stimuli are known to increase the incidence of reactivation ofAlphaherpesvirinaesubfamily members. Activation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) by the synthetic corticosteroid dexamethasone (DEX) stimulates bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) reactivation. Furthermore, GR and dexamethasone stimulate productive infection and promoters that drive expression of viral transcriptional regulators. These observations lead us to predict that stress-induced transcription is impaired by factors abundantly expressed during latency. Interestingly, activation of the Akt family of serine/threonine protein kinases is linked to maintenance of latency. New studies reveal that Akt1 and Ak2, but not Akt3, impaired GR- and dexamethasone-mediated transactivation of the BoHV-1 immediate early transcription unit 1 and HSV-1 ICP0 promoters. Strikingly, Akt3, but not Akt1 or Akt2, stimulated neurite formation in mouse neuroblastoma cells, a requirement for neurogenesis. These studies provide insight into how Akt family members may promote the maintenance of lifelong latency.
Draft Genome Sequence of Aeromonas sobria Strain CHT-30, Isolated from a Diseased Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Peru
Authors: Mesías Fernando , Gerpe Diego , Hurtado Carmen , Llanco Luis , Serrano-Martínez Enrique , Romalde Jesús L.
Published: August 2020

The Gram-negative bacterium
Aeromonas sobria
is an opportunistic pathogen that affects humans and animals, including fish. Here, we report the draft genome of strain CHT-30, which was isolated from a diseased rainbow trout in Peru. The genome size is 4.91 Mb, with a G+C content of 57.7%, and the genome includes 4,820 coding sequences.
Complete Genome Sequence of Streptococcus mutans Strain MD, Which Produces Highly Potent Mutacins
Authors: Biswas Saswati , Biswas Indranil
Published: August 2020

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of
Streptococcus mutans
strain MD, which produces potent mutacins capable of inhibiting streptococci. MD is a relatively uncharacterized strain whose genome information was unavailable. This study provides useful information for comparative genomic study and for understanding the repertoire of mutacins in
S. mutans
.
Draft Genome Sequence of Aspergillus tubingensis WU-2223L, a Citric Acid-Producing Filamentous Fungus Belonging to
Aspergillus
Section
Nigri
Authors: Yoshioka Isato , Takahashi Hiroki , Kusuya Yoko , Yaguchi Takashi , Kirimura Kohtaro
Published: August 2020

Aspergillus tubingensis
WU-2223L, belonging to the section
Nigri
, is a hyperproducer of citric acid. Here, we present the high-quality draft (35 Mb) and mitochondrial (32.4 kb) genome sequences of this strain, which consisted of 16 scaffolds in total. The draft and mitochondrial genome sequences comprised 11,493 and 15 genes, respectively.
Whole-Genome Sequencing of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strain Belonging to Lineage 1 (Indo-Oceanic) and the East African Indian Spoligotype, Isolated in Jazan, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Abdelhaleem Aymen , Hershan Almonther , Agarwal Pradeep , Farasani Abdullah , Omar Shaheed V. , Ismail Arshad , Allam Mushal
Published: August 2020

We describe here the draft genome sequence of AY1MRC, a
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
strain belonging to lineage 1 (Indo-Oceanic) and the East African Indian spoligotype, isolated from a patient with tuberculosis in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Draft Genome Sequences of Pseudomonas koreensis Strain UASWS1668, Bacillus megaterium Strain UASWS1667, and
Paenibacillus
sp. Strain UASWS1643, Considered Potential Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria
Authors: Crovadore Julien , Cochard Bastien , Chablais Romain , Haenzi Martine , Raffini François , Lefort François
Published: August 2020

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) include species in the genera
Bacillus
,
Paenibacillus
, and
Pseudomonas
. We report here the draft genome sequences of the strains
Pseudomonas koreensis
UASWS1668 and
Bacillus megaterium
UASWS1667, isolated from a horse chestnut tree, and
Paenibacillus
sp. strain UASWS1643, isolated from a tomato stem. Auxin production and phosphate solubilization were biochemically confirmed.
Identification of Genomewide Alternative Splicing Events in Sequential, Isogenic Clinical Isolates of Candida albicans Reveals a Novel Mechanism of Drug Resistance and Tolerance to Cellular Stresses
Authors: Muzafar Suraya , Sharma Ravi Datta , Shah Abdul Haseeb , Gaur Naseem A. , Dasgupta Ujjaini , Chauhan Neeraj , Prasad Rajendra
Published: August 2020

The emergence of resistance in
Candida albicans
, an opportunistic pathogen, against the commonly used antifungals is becoming a major obstacle in its treatment. The necessity to identify new drug targets demands fundamental insights into the mechanisms used by this organism to develop drug resistance.
C. albicans
has introns in 4 to 6% of its genes, the functions of which remain largely unknown. Using the RNA-sequencing data from isogenic pairs of azole-sensitive and -resistant isolates of
C. albicans
, here, we show how
C. albicans
uses modulations in mRNA splicing to overcome antifungal drug stress.
Second-generation antipsychotics and the risk of chronic kidney disease: a population-based case-control study
Authors: Højlund Mikkel , Lund Lars Christian , Herping Jonas Leander Emming , Haastrup Maija Bruun , Damkier Per , Henriksen Daniel Pilsgaard
Published: August 2020

Objectives

To examine the association between use of second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Design

Population-based case-control study.

Setting

Routinely collected laboratory, prescription and diagnostic information on all inhabitants with creatinine measurements residing on the island of Funen, Denmark (2001 to 2015).

Participants

21 434 cases with incident CKD matched with 85 576 CKD-free population controls by risk-set sampling using age, sex and calendar year.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate below 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 in a period longer than 3 months. Information on drug exposure and comorbidities were obtained from the Danish National Prescription Register and the Danish National Patient Register. We calculated OR for the association between SGA use and CKD using conditional logistic regression.

Results

Use of SGAs was associated with increased risk of CKD among ever users (OR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.37) and current users (OR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.42). We found no clear evidence of dose-response relationship. Both short duration (one to two antipsychotic prescriptions; OR 1.22, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.48) as well as long-term use (>30 prescriptions; OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.76) were associated with an increased risk of CKD. Both use of SGAs with mild and high risk of metabolic disturbances was associated with increased risk of CKD (OR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.39 and OR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.11 to 1.68, respectively). Recent use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, prior use of lithium, hypertension or prior acute kidney injury were not clearly associated with development of CKD connected to SGA exposure. The highest risk of CKD was found for clozapine (OR 1.81, 95% CI: 1.22 to 2.69).

Conclusion

Use of SGA is associated with a small-to-moderately increased risk of incident CKD. All investigated SGAs, except for aripiprazole, were associated with an increased risk of CKD.
Concussion symptomology and recovery in children and adolescents with pre-existing anxiety
Authors: Martin Alexia K , Petersen Ashley J , Sesma Heather W , Koolmo Mary B , Ingram Katherine M , Slifko Katie B , Nguyen Victoria N , Doss Robert C , Linabery Amy M
Published: August 2020

Objective

To examine pre-existing anxiety disorders as a risk factor for increased concussion symptomology and prolonged recovery in children and adolescents.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study, we abstracted medical record data for 637 children/adolescents (5–17 years) presenting to three tertiary concussion clinics between April 2018 and March 2019. Primary outcomes were mean concussion symptom and vision symptom severity scores measured at clinic visits. Linear mixed-effects regression models were employed to investigate differences in average symptom load, vision symptom score and symptom recovery trajectories across anxiety strata, adjusted for random effects (time), age and sex. Secondary outcomes, time to concussion symptom recovery and time to return to academics and sports, respectively, were examined via log-rank tests and multivariable Cox regression.

Results

Among 637 eligible concussion patients, 155 (24%) reported pre-existing anxiety. On average, patients with anxiety reported an additional 2.64 (95% CI 1.84 to 3.44) concussion symptoms and 7.45 (95% CI 5.22 to 9.68) higher vision symptom severity scores throughout recovery versus those without, after adjusting for age and sex. There was no evidence that concussion or vision symptom trajectories varied over time between those with/without anxiety after accounting for baseline dissimilarities in symptom scores (all pinteraction>0.05). Anxiety was significantly associated with delayed symptom recovery (adjusted HR 3.34, 95% CI 2.18 to 5.12), return to school (adjusted HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.59 to 2.53) and return to physical activity (adjusted HR 1.88, 95% CI 1.49 to 2.37).

Conclusions

Pre-existing anxiety disorders were associated with more severe symptomology and prolonged recovery after concussion in children and adolescents. These results can be referenced by providers to manage patients’ recovery expectations.
Field calibration of merchantable and sawlog volumes in forest inventories based on airborne laser scanning
Authors: Karjalainen Tomi , Mehtätalo Lauri , Packalen Petteri , Gobakken Terje , Næsset Erik , Maltamo Matti
Published: August 2020

In many countries, airborne laser scanning (ALS) inventories are implemented to produce predictions for stand-level forest attributes. Nevertheless, mature stands are usually field-visited prior to clear-cutting, so some measurements can be conducted on these stands to calibrate the ALS-based predictions. In this paper, we developed a seemingly unrelated multivariate mixed-effects model system that includes component models for basal area, merchantable volume, and sawlog volume for 225 m2 cells. We used ALS data and accurately positioned cut-to-length harvester observations from clear-cut stands dominated by Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). Our aim was to study the effect of 1–10 local angle-gauge basal area measurements on the accuracy of predicted merchantable and sawlog volumes. A seemingly unrelated mixed-effect model system was fitted to estimate cross-model correlations in residuals and random effects, which were then utilized to predict all the random effects of the system for calibrated stand-level predictions. The 10 angle-gauge plots decreased the relative root mean square error (RMSE%) of the basal area and merchantable volume predictions from 16.8% to 10.5% and from 15.8% to 11.9%, respectively. Cross-model correlations of the stand effects of sawlog volume with the other responses were low; therefore, the initial RMSE% of ∼22% was decreased only marginally by the calibration.
Toric construction and Chow ring of moduli space of quasi maps from ℙ1 with two marked points to ℙ1 × ℙ1
Authors: Matsuzaka Kohki
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we present explicit toric construction of moduli space of quasi maps from [Formula: see text] with two marked points to [Formula: see text], which was first proposed by Jinzenji and prove that it is a compact orbifold. We also determine its Chow ring and compute its Poincaré polynomial for some lower degree cases.
A Hybrid Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Model to Evaluate the Overall Performance of Public Emergency Departments: A Case Study
Authors: Ortiz-Barrios Miguel , Alfaro-Saiz Juan-Jose
Published: August 2020

Performance evaluation is relevant for supporting managerial decisions related to the improvement of public emergency departments (EDs). As different criteria from ED context and several alternatives need to be considered, selecting a suitable Multicriteria Decision-Making (MCDM) approach has become a crucial step for ED performance evaluation. Although some methodologies have been proposed to address this challenge, a more complete approach is still lacking. This paper bridges this gap by integrating three potent MCDM methods. First, the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is used to determine the criteria and sub-criteria weights under uncertainty, followed by the interdependence evaluation via fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (FDEMATEL). The fuzzy logic is merged with AHP and DEMATEL to illustrate vague judgments. Finally, the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used for ranking EDs. This approach is validated in a real 3-ED cluster. The results revealed the critical role of Infrastructure (21.5%) in ED performance and the interactive nature of Patient safety ([Formula: see text]). Furthermore, this paper evidences the weaknesses to be tackled for upgrading the performance of each ED.
Critical Success Factors for Blockchain Technology Adoption in Freight Transportation Using Fuzzy ANP–Modified TISM Approach
Authors: Shardeo Vipulesh , Patil Anchal , Madaan Jitender
Published: August 2020

The dynamic and uncertain demand forces organizations to provide flexible services in order to fulfill customer demands. Freight transportation, being the key component of the businesses, requires adoption of efficient Information and Communication Technologies which can induce transparent and flexible services. Blockchain Technology (BT) is an emerging technology which has great potential to cater solutions to freight transportation issues. This study identifies different critical success factors of BT adoption in freight transportation. An integrated Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP) is applied to prioritize identified success factors. Further, modified Total Interpretive Structural Modeling (mTISM) is used to represent the interrelationship among different sub-factors. The findings of the study revealed Development Aspects, Customer Services and Technological Aspects as well as Data Transparency, Reliability and Organizational Culture as the most significant factors and sub-factors, respectively. The proposed model will guide freight transport managers to formulate their strategies regarding BT adoption.
Wisdom from Arabian Creatives: Systematic Review of Innovation Management Literature for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Region
Authors: Durugbo Christopher M. , Al-Jayyousi Odeh R. , Almahamid Soud M.
Published: August 2020

Innovation management (IM) for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region poses unique socio-economic challenges due to the multi-faceted nature of Arab and Islamic countries. Additionally, proposals for indigenous initiatives, sustainability transitions and outward-oriented strategies in economic reform plans of the GCC add further complexity to IM scholarship and practice with imperatives to harness the potentials of these strategic visions. Yet, there is an absence of a systematic review to scrutinize IM literature on the GCC region. This paper systematically reviews the IM literature whose subject involve the GCC countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The review scrutinizes theories, trends and targets in this literature, covers the period from 1980 to 2019, and involves 110 journal papers from high quality IM-related publication outlets. Using insights from the review, the paper develops theoretical foundations for creative complementarities, institutional-pumps and a ripple model of regional innovation. The review also details some methodological, theoretical, conceptual and topical directions for future regional IM research studies.
Classical perspectives on the Newton–Wigner position observable
Authors: Schwartz Philip K. , Giulini Domenico
Published: August 2020

This paper deals with the Newton–Wigner position observable for Poincaré-invariant classical systems. We prove an existence and uniqueness theorem for elementary systems that parallels the well-known Newton–Wigner theorem in the quantum context. We also discuss and justify the geometric interpretation of the Newton–Wigner position as “center of spin”, already proposed by Fleming in 1965 again in the quantum context.
Analogues of the Robin–Lagarias criteria for the Riemann hypothesis
Authors: Washington Lawrence C. , Yang Ambrose
Published: August 2020

Robin’s criterion states that the Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to [Formula: see text] for all integers [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the sum of divisors of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is the Euler–Mascheroni constant. We prove that the Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to the statement that [Formula: see text] for all odd numbers [Formula: see text]. Lagarias’s criterion for the Riemann hypothesis states that the Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to [Formula: see text] for all integers [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the [Formula: see text]th harmonic number. We establish an analogue to Lagarias’s criterion for the Riemann hypothesis by creating a new harmonic series [Formula: see text] and demonstrating that the Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to [Formula: see text] for all odd [Formula: see text]. We prove stronger analogues to Robin’s inequality for odd squarefree numbers. Furthermore, we find a general formula that studies the effect of the prime factorization of [Formula: see text] and its behavior in Robin’s inequality.
The proportion of genus one curves over ℚ defined by a binary quartic that everywhere locally have a point
Authors: Bhargava Manjul , Cremona John , Fisher Tom
Published: August 2020

We consider the proportion of genus one curves over [Formula: see text] of the form [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is a binary quartic form (or more generally of the form [Formula: see text] where also [Formula: see text] is a binary quadratic form) that have points everywhere locally. We show that the proportion of these curves that are locally soluble, computed as a product of local densities, is approximately 75.96%. We prove that the local density at a prime [Formula: see text] is given by a fixed degree-[Formula: see text] rational function of [Formula: see text] for all odd [Formula: see text] (and for the generalized equation, the same rational function gives the local density at every prime). An additional analysis is carried out to estimate rigorously the local density at the real place.
Rational points on three mutually orthogonal great circles
Authors: Skałba M.
Published: August 2020

Let [Formula: see text] be a prime of the form [Formula: see text]. Then for any three mutually orthogonal great circles of the sphere [Formula: see text] lying on rational planes, at least one of these circles does not contain any rational points.
Sequential space fractional diffusion equation’s solutions via new inner product
Authors: Cetinkaya Suleyman , Demir Ali
Published: August 2020

In this study, we determine the analytic solutions of sequential space fractional differential equations with Dirichlet boundary conditions and initial conditions in one dimension. We constructed a Fourier series solution for the eigenfunctions of a corresponding Sturm–Liouville eigenvalue problem, including fractional derivative in Caputo sense using the separation of variables. We defined a new inner product with a weighted function to get coefficients in the Fourier series.
Neural supersampling for real-time rendering
Authors: Xiao Lei , Nouri Salah , Chapman Matt , Fix Alexander , Lanman Douglas , Kaplanyan Anton
Published: August 2020

Due to higher resolutions and refresh rates, as well as more photorealistic effects, real-time rendering has become increasingly challenging for video games and emerging virtual reality headsets. To meet this demand, modern graphics hardware and game engines often reduce the computational cost by rendering at a lower resolution and then upsampling to the native resolution. Following the recent advances in image and video superresolution in computer vision, we propose a machine learning approach that is specifically tailored for high-quality upsampling of rendered content in real-time applications. The main insight of our work is that in rendered content, the image pixels are point-sampled, but precise temporal dynamics are available. Our method combines this specific information that is typically available in modern renderers (i.e., depth and dense motion vectors) with a novel temporal network design that takes into account such specifics and is aimed at maximizing video quality while delivering real-time performance. By training on a large synthetic dataset rendered from multiple 3D scenes with recorded camera motion, we demonstrate high fidelity and temporally stable results in real-time, even in the highly challenging 4 × 4 upsampling scenario, significantly outperforming existing superresolution and temporal antialiasing work.
Path-space differentiable rendering
Authors: Zhang Cheng , Miller Bailey , Yan Kai , Gkioulekas Ioannis , Zhao Shuang
Published: August 2020

Physics-based differentiable rendering, the estimation of derivatives of radiometric measures with respect to arbitrary scene parameters, has a diverse array of applications from solving analysis-by-synthesis problems to training machine learning pipelines incorporating forward rendering processes. Unfortunately, general-purpose differentiable rendering remains challenging due to the lack of efficient estimators as well as the need to identify and handle complex discontinuities such as visibility boundaries.

In this paper, we show how path integrals can be differentiated with respect to arbitrary differentiable changes of a scene. We provide a detailed theoretical analysis of this process and establish new differentiable rendering formulations based on the resulting differential path integrals. Our path-space differentiable rendering formulation allows the design of new Monte Carlo estimators that offer significantly better efficiency than state-of-the-art methods in handling complex geometric discontinuities and light transport phenomena such as caustics.

We validate our method by comparing our derivative estimates to those generated using the finite-difference method. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our technique, we compare inverse-rendering performance with a few state-of-the-art differentiable rendering methods.
Computational image marking on metals via laser induced heating
Authors: Cucerca Sebastian , Didyk Piotr , Seidel Hans-Peter , Babaei Vahid
Published: August 2020

Laser irradiation induces colors on some industrially important materials, such as stainless steel and titanium. It is however challenging to find marking configurations that create colorful, high-resolution images. The brute-force solution to the
gamut exploration
problem does not scale with the high-dimensional design space of laser marking. Moreover, there exists no color reproduction workflow capable of reproducing color images with laser marking. Here, we propose a measurement-based, data-driven performance space exploration of the color laser marking process. We formulate this exploration as a search for the Pareto optimal solutions to a multi-objective optimization and solve it using an evolutionary algorithm. The explored set of diverse colors is then utilized to mark high-quality, full-color images.
Towards occlusion-aware multifocal displays
Authors: Chang Jen-Hao Rick , Levin Anat , Kumar B. V. K. Vijaya , Sankaranarayanan Aswin C.
Published: August 2020

The human visual system uses numerous cues for depth perception, including disparity, accommodation, motion parallax and occlusion. It is incumbent upon virtual-reality displays to satisfy these cues to provide an immersive user experience. Multifocal displays, one of the classic approaches to satisfy the accommodation cue, place virtual content at multiple focal planes, each at a different depth. However, the content on focal planes close to the eye do not occlude those farther away; this deteriorates the occlusion cue as well as reduces contrast at depth discontinuities due to leakage of the defocus blur. This paper enables occlusion-aware multifocal displays using a novel ConeTilt operator that provides an additional degree of freedom --- tilting the light cone emitted at each pixel of the display panel. We show that, for scenes with relatively simple occlusion configurations, tilting the light cones provides the same effect as physical occlusion. We demonstrate that ConeTilt can be easily implemented by a phase-only spatial light modulator. Using a lab prototype, we show results that demonstrate the presence of occlusion cues and the increased contrast of the display at depth edges.
Data-driven extraction and composition of secondary dynamics in facial performance capture
Authors: Zoss Gaspard , Sifakis Eftychios , Gross Markus , Beeler Thabo , Bradley Derek
Published: August 2020

Performance capture of expressive subjects, particularly facial performances acquired with high spatial resolution, will inevitably incorporate some fraction of motion that is due to inertial effects and dynamic overshoot due to ballistic motion. This is true in most natural capture environments where the actor is able to move freely during their performance, rather than being tethered to a fixed position. Normally these secondary dynamic effects are unwanted, as the captured facial performance is often retargeted to different head motion, and sometimes to completely different characters, and in both cases the captured dynamic effects should be removed and new secondary effects should be added. This paper advances the hypothesis that for a highly constrained elastic medium such as the human face, these secondary inertial effects are predominantly due to the motion of the underlying bony structures (cranium and mandible). Our work aims to compute and characterize the difference between the captured dynamic facial performance, and a speculative quasistatic variant of the same motion should the inertial effects have been absent. This is used to either subtract parasitic secondary dynamics that resulted from unintentional motion during capture, or compose such effects on top of a quasistatic performance to simulate a new dynamic motion of the actor's body and skull, either artist-prescribed or acquired via motion capture. We propose a data-driven technique that comprises complementary removal and synthesis networks for secondary dynamics in facial performance capture. We show how such a system can be effectively trained from a collection of acquired dynamic deformations under varying expressions where the actor induces rigid head motion from walking and running, as well as forced oscillatory body motion in a controlled setting by external actuators.
Quanta burst photography
Authors: Ma Sizhuo , Gupta Shantanu , Ulku Arin C. , Bruschini Claudio , Charbon Edoardo , Gupta Mohit
Published: August 2020

Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) are an emerging sensor technology capable of detecting individual incident photons, and capturing their time-of-arrival with high timing precision. While these sensors were limited to singlepixel or low-resolution devices in the past, recently, large (up to 1 MPixel) SPAD arrays have been developed. These single-photon cameras (SPCs) are capable of capturing high-speed sequences of binary single-photon images with no read noise. We present quanta burst photography, a computational photography technique that leverages SPCs as
passive imaging devices
for photography in challenging conditions, including ultra low-light and fast motion. Inspired by recent success of conventional burst photography, we design algorithms that align and merge binary sequences captured by SPCs into intensity images with minimal motion blur and artifacts, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and high dynamic range. We theoretically analyze the SNR and dynamic range of quanta burst photography, and identify the imaging regimes where it provides significant benefits. We demonstrate, via a recently developed SPAD array, that the proposed method is able to generate high-quality images for scenes with challenging lighting, complex geometries, high dynamic range and moving objects. With the ongoing development of SPAD arrays, we envision quanta burst photography finding applications in both consumer and scientific photography.
Codimensional surface tension flow using moving-least-squares particles
Authors: Wang Hui , Jin Yongxu , Luo Anqi , Yang Xubo , Zhu Bo
Published: August 2020

We propose a new Eulerian-Lagrangian approach to simulate the various surface tension phenomena characterized by volume, thin sheets, thin filaments, and points using Moving-Least-Squares (MLS) particles. At the center of our approach is a meshless Lagrangian description of the different types of codimensional geometries and their transitions using an MLS approximation. In particular, we differentiate the codimension-1 and codimension-2 geometries on Lagrangian MLS particles to precisely describe the evolution of thin sheets and filaments, and we discretize the codimension-0 operators on a background Cartesian grid for efficient volumetric processing. Physical forces including surface tension and pressure across different codimensions are coupled in a monolithic manner by solving one single linear system to evolve the surface-tension driven Navier-Stokes system in a complex non-manifold space. The codimensional transitions are handled explicitly by tracking a codimension number stored on each particle, which replaces the tedious meshing operators in a conventional mesh-based approach. Using the proposed framework, we simulate a broad array of visually appealing surface tension phenomena, including the fluid chain, bell, polygon, catenoid, and dripping, to demonstrate the efficacy of our approach in capturing the complex fluid characteristics with mixed codimensions, in a robust, versatile, and connectivity-free manner.
The eyes have it
Authors: Schwartz Gabriel , Wei Shih-En , Wang Te-Li , Lombardi Stephen , Simon Tomas , Saragih Jason , Sheikh Yaser
Published: August 2020

Interacting with people across large distances is important for remote work, interpersonal relationships, and entertainment. While such face-to-face interactions can be achieved using 2D video conferencing or, more recently, virtual reality (VR), telepresence systems currently distort the communication of eye contact and social gaze signals. Although methods have been proposed to redirect gaze in 2D teleconferencing situations to enable eye contact, 2D video conferencing lacks the 3D immersion of real life. To address these problems, we develop a system for face-to-face interaction in VR that focuses on reproducing photorealistic gaze and eye contact. To do this, we create a 3D virtual avatar model that can be animated by cameras mounted on a VR headset to accurately track and reproduce human gaze in VR. Our primary contributions in this work are a jointly-learnable 3D face and eyeball model that better represents gaze direction and upper facial expressions, a method for disentangling the gaze of the left and right eyes from each other and the rest of the face allowing the model to represent entirely unseen combinations of gaze and expression, and a gaze-aware model for precise animation from headset-mounted cameras. Our quantitative experiments show that our method results in higher reconstruction quality, and qualitative results show our method gives a greatly improved sense of presence for VR avatars.
Using Deep Learning for Big Spatial Data Partitioning
Authors: Vu Tin , Belussi Alberto , Migliorini Sara , Eldway Ahmed
Published: August 2020

This article explores the use of deep learning to choose an appropriate spatial partitioning technique for big data. The exponential increase in the volumes of spatial datasets resulted in the development of big spatial data frameworks. These systems need to partition the data across machines to be able to scale out the computation. Unfortunately, there is no current method to automatically choose an appropriate partitioning technique based on the input data distribution.

This article addresses this problem by using deep learning to train a model that captures the relationship between the data distribution and the quality of the partitioning techniques. We propose a solution that runs in two phases, training and application. The offline training phase generates synthetic data based on diverse distributions, partitions them using six different partitioning techniques, and measures their quality using four quality metrics. At the same time, it summarizes the datasets using a histogram and well-designed skewness measures. The data summaries and the quality metrics are then use to train a deep learning model. The second phase uses this model to predict the best partitioning technique given a new dataset that needs to be partitioned. We run an extensive experimental evaluation on big spatial data, and we experimentally show the applicability of the proposed technique. We show that the proposed model outperforms the baseline method in terms of accuracy for choosing the best partitioning technique by only analyzing the summary of the datasets.
Five Nonobvious Remote Work Techniques
Authors: Limoncelli Thomas A.
Published: August 2020

The physical world has social conventions around conversations and communication that we use without even thinking. As we move to a remote-work world, we have to be more intentional to create such conventions. Developing these social norms is an ongoing commitment that outlasts initial technical details of VPN and desktop videoconference software configuration. Companies that previously forbade remote work can no longer deny its benefits. Once the pandemic-related lockdowns are over, many people will continue working remotely. Those who return to the office will need to work in ways that are compatible with their remotely working associates.