bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring the values of cricket players
Authors: Chandrakar Pranjal , Das Shubhabrata
Published: January 2022

Sports franchises that participate in team sports can make better decisions regarding their players’ financial compensation, renewal of the contracts, bidding strategies during the auction, etc., if they can adequately assess the value or worth of their players. Evaluating the value of a player in a team sport is difficult because various team members play different roles. In this study, we resolve this by measuring the value of a player in terms of how his inclusion in the team affects the team's probability of winning. With this notion of value, we develop a technique to measure the worth of a cricket player for his franchise. To illustrate this technique, we evaluate the values of cricket players who play in the Indian Premier League. We also study the relationship between players’ values and their salaries. We find that a few popular players earn disproportionately more than others. This disproportionality in the income of popular players cannot be justified by their performance alone, as adjudged by their values in this work. We attribute the disproportionality in the income to the factors not captured via conventional yardsticks, including leadership or brand value.
NUDT15 intermediate metabolisers are associated with lower loss of response in paediatric Crohn’s disease patients treated by combination treatment with infliximab and azathioprine
Authors: Kim Eun Sil , Choi Sujin , Choi So Yoon , Park Ji Hyung , Choe Byung‐Ho , Lee Soo‐Youn , Kim Mi Jin , Choe Yon Ho , Kang Ben
Published: January 2022

Background

NUDT15 polymorphisms are associated with leukopenia during treatment with thiopurines. However, data regarding its effect on treatment outcomes are scarce.

Aims

To investigate the outcomes between NUDT15 normal and intermediate metabolisers in paediatric patients with Crohn's disease (CD) treated with a combination therapy of infliximab (IFX) and azathioprine (AZA).

Methods

In this retrospective observational study, 143 patients categorised into the NUDT15 normal and intermediate metaboliser groups were compared based on clinical remission (CR), biochemical remission (BR), mucosal healing (MH) at 1 year treatment, IFX trough levels (TLs), antibodies to IFX (ATIs), 6‐thioguanine nucleotide (6‐TGN) levels, loss of response (LOR) and IFX durability.

Results

No significant differences were observed between the groups in CR, BR, MH at 1 year, whereas IFX TLs and ATIs and 6‐TGN levels were comparable. However, LOR (6.5% vs 27.7%, P = 0.025) was significantly lower and IFX durability significantly higher (96.8% vs 80.4% P = 0.027) in the intermediate group. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that ATI positivity (hazard ratio (HR): 4.76, 95% CI: 2.25‐10.07, P < 0.001) and the NUDT15 metaboliser group was associated with LOR (HR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.04‐0.76, P = 0.019). The Kaplan‐Meier survival curves showed that the LOR‐free survival rate was significantly lower in normal metabolisers (log‐rank test P = 0.009).

Conclusion

NUDT15 intermediate metabolisers were associated with lower LOR in paediatric patients with CD treated with IFX and AZA combination therapy. This finding may partially explain the longer durability of IFX in Korean children than their counterparts in Western countries.
Generalized Network Structured Models with Mixed Responses Subject to Measurement Error and Misclassification
Authors: Zhang Qihuang , Yi Grace Y.
Published: January 2022

Research of complex associations between a gene network and multiple responses has attracted increasing attention. A great challenge in analyzing genetic data is posited by the presence of the genetic network that is typically unknown. Moreover, mismeasurement of responses introduces additional complexity to distort usual inferential procedures. In this paper, we consider the problem with mixed binary and continuous responses that are subject to mismeasurement and associated with complex structured covariates. We first start with the case where data are precisely measured. We propose a generalized network structured model and develop a two-step inferential procedure. In the first step, we employ a Gaussian graphical model to facilitate the covariates network structure, and in the second step, we incorporate the estimated graphical structure of covariates and develop an estimating equation method. Furthermore, we extend the development to accommodating mismeasured responses. We consider two cases where the information on mismeasurement is either known or estimated from a validation sample. Theoretical results are established and numerical studies are conducted to evaluate the finite sample performance of the proposed methods. We apply the proposed method to analyze the outbred Carworth Farms White mice data arising from a genome-wide association study.
Peer likeability and victimization in young adolescents: Moderating effects of descriptive and status group norms for aggression and prosocial behaviour and network density
Authors: Aguilar‐Pardo David , Martínez‐Fernández Belén , Colmenares Fernando , Martín‐Babarro Javier
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Previous research has shown that peer victimization can be highly responsive to variables at the classroom level. Aggressive and prosocial norms may promote or reduce its status in classrooms. However, yet there is an apparent lack of success to explain which types of norms are more influential. This study examined the role of aggressive and prosocial descriptive and status norms in the peer victimization–status link. It also explores how the network density increases adherence to the prevailing norm in the classroom and its effect on the status of the victims.

Method

Data on peer acceptance and rejection, victimization, prosocial behaviour, and aggression were collected with sociometric methods in a sample of 6,600 students (M = 13.1 years, SD = 0.6; 49.2% girls), from 269 classrooms in 81 secondary schools in Spain. Group norms for aggression and for prosocial behaviour were assessed in three ways, the behaviour of all peers (class‐norm), the behaviour of most‐liked peers (likeability‐norm), and the behaviour of most salient peers (visibility‐norm).

Results

Multilevel regression analyses revealed that the negative impact of victimization on peer likeability was moderated by the classroom’s norm for prosocial behaviour, by the status norm of most visible peers’ norm for prosocial behaviour and for aggression, and by the group’s network density. The behavioural status norms of most likeable peers had no significant effect.

Conclusion

These results underscore the overall importance of group context as a moderating factor of the relation between victimization and peer status in adolescents, and add to the growing body of knowledge driven by the socio‐ecological approach to the study of peer relations in developmental psychology. As implications for education, these results affect the importance of considering socio‐emotional variables in the formation of class groups in order to reduce victimization.
Assessing the fidelity of translation of non‐clinical assays: a Pharma perspective
Authors: Gintant Gary
Published: January 2022

Advances in non‐clinical in vitro models, higher throughput approaches and the promise of human‐derived preparations require methods to reliably assess the fidelity of translation of such assays, compared with in vivo models and clinical studies. This review discusses general principles and parameters useful to evaluate the value of non‐clinical assays typically used to guide compound progression. I first consider the biological characteristics (including sensitivity and ability to replicate relevant responses) of models that form the foundation of an assay based on the questions posed. I then discuss the quantitative assessment of diagnostic performance and assay utility, including sensitivity and specificity, receiver operating characteristic curves, positive and negative predictive values, likelihood ratios, along with advantages of combining two independent assays. Understanding the strengths and limitations of the biological model employed along with assay performance and context of use is essential to selecting the best assays supporting the best drug candidates.
Monitoring foliar symptom expression in beech leaf disease through time
Authors: Fearer Carrie J. , Volk Daniel , Hausman Constance E. , Bonello Pierluigi
Published: January 2022

When studying a forest disease, understanding the phenological relationship of the host tree and its pathogens is essential for identifying optimal management strategies to help prevent future spread of the disease. Since beech leaf disease (BLD) is a recently discovered disease, information about the general epidemiology and symptom phenology is largely unavailable. This study sought to answer questions related to symptom progression by conducting two observational studies on 10 trees from Cleveland Metroparks during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons. BLD symptoms are characterized by two distinct leaf symptom types: dark green interveinal banding pattern or completely dark green and thickened leaf. Since there is evidence that the exotic nematode Litylenchus crenatae ssp. mccannii is associated with symptom development after direct inoculation into the buds, we hypothesized that symptoms would be apparent on the leaves at bud break. In our study, we visually confirmed the presence of both BLD leaf symptom types at bud break in naturally infected trees. Along with visual confirmation, a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) showed that symptoms do not change throughout the growing season as time was not a significant variable when comparing symptoms across a growing season. Using both a Fisher's exact test and GLMM, we also determined that BLD leaf symptoms from a single leaf–bud pair do not progress in a specific or predictable pattern through subsequent growing seasons. These results formally validate the timing of BLD symptom expression and patterns of severity between years which will assist in furthering our understanding of the BLD pathosystem.
Addressing the Eltonian shortfall with trait‐based interaction models
Authors: Caron Dominique , Maiorano Luigi , Thuiller Wilfried , Pollock Laura J.
Published: January 2022

We have very limited knowledge of how species interact in most communities and ecosystems despite trophic relationships being fundamental for linking biodiversity to ecosystem functioning. A promising approach to fill this gap is to predict interactions based on functional traits, but many questions remain about how well we can predict interactions for different taxa, ecosystems and amounts of input data. Here, we built a new traits‐based model of trophic interactions for European vertebrates and found that even models calibrated with 0.1% of the interactions (100 out of 71 k) estimated the full European vertebrate food web reasonably well. However, predators were easier to predict than prey, especially for some clades (e.g. fowl and storks) and local food web connectance was consistently overestimated. Our results demonstrate the ability to rapidly generate food webs when empirical data are lacking—an important step towards a more complete and spatially explicit description of food webs.
The Time Moving exhibit: Exploring perceptions of time in end‐of‐life experiences
Authors: Sellen Kate , McGovern Molly , MacGregor Emma , Halleran Laura , Ly Lawrence
Published: January 2022

Background

Conversations about end of life rarely take place beyond healthcare spaces and in advance of imminent death. As the Canadian ageing population increases and new policies and options emerge for end‐of‐life choices, there will be an increasing need for supports for decision‐making on end of life. Time Moving was a participatory art exhibit created to engage participants in reflections on end‐of‐life experiences and the ways in which their perception of time fluctuated within these moments.

Design

A participatory and constructivist approach informed decisions on exhibit design and analysis. The Time Moving exhibit was installed in a downtown university hall for 10 days during the 2019 annual DesignTO festival, open to all members of the public. The exhibit was used as the primary method of data collection. There were three prompts informed by concepts from prior work on time perception. Participants were invited to respond by drawing, writing or constructing.

Outcome

There were over 120 contributions of participants over the duration of the Time Moving exhibit. These contributions revealed new insights related to temporal perception and end‐of‐life experiences. Participants shared their perception of time during end‐of‐life experiences in a variety of ways, revealing a diversity of perceptions of time beyond calendar and clock time, including time experienced as a spiral.

Conclusions

The insights on time perception highlight opportunities for approaching dialogue on end of life and in grief support, and for exhibit as a mechanism for research and education.

Patient or Public Contribution

As a public exhibit, over 120 people contributed ideas, personal stories, drawings and other creative outputs to the exhibit. An estimated 250 people visited the exhibit.
Reciprocity or backfiring? Examining the influence of realistic job previews on applicants' willingness to self‐disclose and use image protection tactics
Authors: Wilhelmy Annika , Truxillo Donald M. , Funk Friederike
Published: January 2022

Can employers use realistic job previews to encourage applicants to open up in job interviews? We draw on theories of self‐disclosure to examine the association between realistic job previews and applicants' willingness to self‐disclose and use image protection tactics. We also examine perceived competition for the job and Honesty‐Humility as moderators. Results of a between‐subjects 2 × 2 experimental study (N = 396) show that realistic job previews were associated with decreased willingness in applicants to self‐disclose during the interview. This effect was stronger when applicants perceived high competition for the job. Organizational attractiveness and trust toward the employer mediated the effect. There were no direct effects of realistic job previews on image protection tactics. Furthermore, willingness to self‐disclose and use image protection tactics was influenced by applicants' Honesty‐Humility, but Honesty‐Humility did not moderate the relation between job preview condition and willingness to self‐disclose and use image protection tactics.
Shop scheduling in manufacturing environments: a review
Authors: Márquez Carlos R. H. , Ribeiro Celso C.
Published: January 2022

We review the literature about shop scheduling problems in manufacturing systems, revealing the concepts and methodologies that most impact the usage of scheduling theory in manufacturing environments. We focus our attention on the job shop and flow shop problems and their variants. We emphasize the interactions between the scheduling functions and manufacturing paradigms such as Industry 4.0, Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Computer‐Aided Process Planning, Advanced Planning and Scheduling, and Integrated Process Planning and Scheduling. We describe the main components and characteristics of the scheduling ecosystem, and we discuss how the scheduling interacts with the components that make it up and how it is affected by them. The metadata collected from the digital libraries on which the review was based (ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Elsevier) made it possible to characterize the historical evolution of the main concepts of the scheduling ecosystem in terms of scientific publications and research trends in the period 2000–2020.
Integrative analyses of probiotics, pathogenic infections and host immune response highlight the importance of gut microbiota in understanding disease recovery in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Rasmussen Jacob Agerbo , Villumsen Kasper Rømer , von Gersdorff Jørgensen Louise , Forberg Torunn , Zuo Shaozhi , Kania Per Walter , Buchmann Kurt , Kristiansen Karsten , Bojesen Anders Miki , Limborg Morten Tønsberg
Published: January 2022

Aims

Given the pivotal role played by the gut microbiota in regulating the host immune system, great interest has arisen in the possibility of controlling fish health by modulating the gut microbiota. Hence, there is a need to better understand of the host–microbiota interactions after disease responses to optimize the use of probiotics to strengthen disease resilience and recovery.

Methods and Results

We tested the effects of a probiotic feed additive in rainbow trout and challenged the fish with the causative agent for enteric red mouth disease, Yersinia ruckeri. We evaluated the survival, host immune gene expression and the gut microbiota composition. Results revealed that provision of probiotics and exposure to Y. ruckeri induced immune gene expression in the host, which were associated with changes in the gut microbiota. Subsequently, infection with Y. ruckeri had very little effect on microbiota composition when probiotics were applied, indicating that probiotics increased stabilisation of the microbiota. Our analysis revealed potential biomarkers for monitoring infection status and fish health. Finally, we used modelling approaches to decipher interactions between gut bacteria and the host immune gene responses, indicating removal of endogenous bacteria elicited by non-specific immune responses.

Conclusions

We discuss the relevance of these results emphasizing the importance of host–microbiota interactions, including the protective potential of the gut microbiota in disease responses.

Significance and Impact of the Study

Our results highlight the functional consequences of probiotic-induced changes in the gut microbiota post infection and the resulting host immune response.
A data framework for assessing social inequality and equity in multi‐sector social, ecological, infrastructural urban systems: Focus on fine‐spatial scales
Authors: Clark Lara P. , Tabory Samuel , Tong Kangkang , Servadio Joseph L. , Kappler Kelsey , Xu Corey Kewei , Lawal Abiola S. , Wiringa Peter , Kne Len , Feiock Richard , Marshall Julian D. , Russell Armistead , Ramaswami Anu
Published: January 2022

Cities are increasingly advancing multiple societal goals related to environmental sustainability, health, well‐being, and equity. However, there are few comprehensive data sets that address social inequality and equity across multiple infrastructure sectors, determinants, and outcomes, particularly at fine intra‐urban spatial scales. This paper: (1) Offers an overarching conceptualization of inequality and equity in multi‐sector urban systems; (2) Introduces a broad data framework to assess inequality and equity across social (S), ecological (E), infrastructural (I), and urban (U) form determinants (SEIU) and environment (E), health (H), well‐being (W), and economy and security (E) outcomes (EHWE), identifying a universe of >110 SEIU–EHWE data layers (variables) of interest; (3) Provides an illustrative data case study of a US city that synthesizes publicly available sources of the associated SEIU–EHWE data attributes, noting their availability/gaps at fine spatial scales, important to inform social inequality; (4) Discusses analytic methods to quantify inequality and spatial correlates across SEIU determinants and EHWE outcomes; and, (5) Demonstrates several use‐cases of the data framework and companion analytic methods through real‐world applied case studies that inform equity planning in applications ranging from energy sector investments to air pollution and health. The US data case study reveals data availability (covering 41 of the 113 data layers) as well as major gaps associated with EHWE outcomes at fine spatial scales, while the application examples demonstrate practical use. Overall, the SEIU–EHWE data framework provides an anchor for systematically gathering, analyzing, and informing multiple dimensions of inequality and equity in sustainable urban systems.
Bicalutamide and the new perspectives for female pattern hair loss treatment: What dermatologists should know
Authors: Carvalho Raquel de Melo , Santos Leopoldo Duailibe Nogueira , Ramos Paulo Müller , Machado Carla Jorge , Acioly Patricia , Frattini Simone Carolina , Barcaui Carlos Baptista , Donda André Luiz Vairo , Melo Daniel Fernandes
Published: January 2022

Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is the most common form of alopecia in women. FPHL may compromise body image and strongly affect self‐esteem, negatively impacting quality of life. Currently, the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug for its treatment is topical minoxidil, with a variable response rate. Recently, a few studies in FPHL have pointed out bicalutamide as an emergent selective androgen receptor antagonist with a favorable safety and tolerability profile. This review aimed to summarize and discuss the key information on this new therapy for FPHL. Bicalutamide has no diuretic effect. It does not cross the blood–brain barrier, and it has little effect on serum luteinizing hormone. Additionally, bicalutamide was found to be effective on women presenting with other features of hyperandrogenism such as seborrhea, acne, and hirsutism with mild and well‐tolerated adverse effects. Despite the high prevalence and psychosocial impairment, FPHL treatment remains challenging. Therefore, although future prospective, comparative, randomized clinical trials are essential to establish the ideal dose and efficacy of the drug, oral bicalutamide appears to be a promising option to expand the arsenal of FPHL treatment.
Hair and nail manifestations of COVID‐19
Authors: Tammaro Antonella , Adebanjo Ganiyat Adenike Ralitsa , Parisella Francesca Romana , Luzi Fabiola , Scarabello Alessandra
Published: January 2022

Emerging literature evidence shows that the manifestations of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), which is the disease caused by SARS‐CoV‐2, encompass alterations of the pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and neurological system. Moreover, hematologic and dermatologic manifestations have been documented.

The aim of this review is to summarize the dermatologic manifestations of COVID‐19 involving the hair and nails in a narrative way.

A total of 1136 patients have been reported to have de novo hair loss following COVID‐19. Notably, 958 patients experienced telogen effluvium (TE) (female/male ratio = 3,86:1), two female patients experienced anagen effluvium, and 176 people had alopecia areata (female/male ratio of 19:3).

Ten patients were reported to have ungual changes following the infection with the novel coronavirus: The individuals affected were 6 women and 4 men.

COVID‐19 can be associated with hair and ungual manifestations. This review summarizes the evidence regarding the hair and ungual manifestations of COVID‐19, which could be harnessed to better understand the clinical implications and pathophysiology of this disease that has been burdening society globally since December 2019.
Implication of parabens in cosmetics and cosmeceuticals: Advantages and limitations
Authors: Al‐Halaseh Lidia K. , Al‐Adaileh Sujood , Mbaideen Alsafa , Hajleh Maha N. Abu , Al‐Samydai Ali , Zakaraya Zainab Zaki , Dayyih Wael Abu
Published: January 2022

Cosmetics, cosmeceuticals, and variable healthcare products used parabens, among other excipients, for their preservative and antimicrobial activities. Paraben derivatives exhibit distinguished physiochemical properties that enable them to be compatible with the formulation of cosmetic agents in different dosage forms. In addition to their potency and efficacy, parabens are economically efficient as they have low‐manufacturing costs. Despite the desirable characteristics, the safety of parabens use is controversial after detecting these chemicals in various biological tissues after repetitive and long‐term use of formulations containing them. The use of parabens drew public health attention after scientific reports linked skin exposure to parabens with health issues, in particular, breast cancer. In response, worldwide authorities set regulations for the allowance concentrations of paraben to be used in variable cosmetic products.
Decision‐making preferences on end‐of‐life care for older people: Exploration and comparison of Japan, the Hong Kong SAR and South Korea in East Asia
Authors: Ho Lily Yuen Wah , Kwong Enid Wai Yung , Song Mi Sook , Kawakami Aki , Boo Sunjoo , Lai Claudia Kam Yuk , Yamamoto‐Mitani Noriko
Published: January 2022

Aims and Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine and compare decision‐making preferences on end‐of‐life care for older people in Japan, the Hong Kong SAR and South Korea.

Background

Cultural values and beliefs influence decision‐making on end‐of‐life care.

Design

A cross‐sectional design was adopted.

Methods

Community‐dwelling people aged ≥65 with additional requirements were recruited in 2016–2017 in the three regions. Their decision‐making preferences on end‐of‐life care were assessed using Pang et al.'s questionnaire. These preferences and their sociodemographic and personal experience variables were compared and analysed using univariate and multiple logistic regressions. The STROBE checklist was followed.

Results

This study involved 415 participants. In all three regions, the most preferred decision maker and person with whom to discuss end‐of‐life care issues was a family member. Participants in the Hong Kong SAR were less likely to select a family member as their preferred decision maker than those in Japan (adjusted odds ratio = 0.129). Koreans were less likely to discuss end‐of‐life care issues with medical professionals than people in Japan (adjusted odds ratio = 0.278). More than 70% of the participants in each region indicated that they would not prefer to leave an advance directive to decide their end‐of‐life care.

Conclusion

Older Asians prefer to make their own decisions after consulting others. Family members play an important role in helping older people plan their preferred end‐of‐life care arrangements, even acting as decision makers when older people become incapable of deciding for themselves.

Relevance to clinical practice

Sufficient information should be provided to older people and their families for the older people to determine their preferred care. Helping families to understand and support the planned care and advance directives is a strategy for maximising family compliance with the care. Continuous efforts should be made to promote advance care planning and advance directives.
Sex effects on carcass characteristics, meat quality traits and meat amino acid and fatty acid compositions in a novel Duroc line pig
Authors: Xia Ji Qiao , Liu Dong Yu , Liu Jian , Jiang Xin Peng , Wang Lan , Yang Shuo , Liu Di
Published: January 2022

In‐depth studies of carcass characters and meat quality could provide insight both for breeding improvement and food development in pigs. Breed and gender are two main factors affected the carcass and meat altitude, which plays important roles in pork industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sex effects on carcass characteristics and meat quality traits in a novel Duroc strain pig crossbred from French line, American line and Canadian line pigs. A total of 30 pigs (15 surgical‐castrated males and 15 females) with similar birthweight (1.8 ± 0.13 kg) was used in experiment. During the experiment period, all pigs were fed same commercial diets. Overall, female pigs observed higher (p < 0.05) carcass weight, slaughter backfat, loin muscle area, loin muscle depth, carcass yield, pH on 45 min, meat histidine and essential amino acid (AA) compositions, and eicosenoic, unsaturation and free fatty acids (FA) compositions compared with meat from castrated males. Whereas, castrated males’ meat showed better altitude (p < 0.05) on meat lightness, meat moisture content percentage, total umami AA and stearic acid and saturated FA compositions than those from female ones. In conclusion, the results of this study provide evidence on the sex effects on meat quality and carcass parameters in Duroc strain pigs. Furthermore, this study also give a reference on the relationship between sex and carcass and meat characteristics in Durco strain pigs.
Lichens from the littoral zone host diverse Ulvophycean photobionts
Authors: Černajová Ivana , Schiefelbein Ulf , Škaloud Pavel
Published: January 2022

Crustose Verrucariaceae lichens form a distinctive black belt on seashores all over the world. This lifestyle is apparently enabled by a specific set of photobionts. However, their diversity is understudied. We sampled these lichens from the northern Patagonian Pacific coast of Chile. Using molecular markers, we identified both mycobionts and photobionts. The lichens, belonging to the genus Hydropunctaria and to the Wahlenbergiella group, hosted solely Ulvophycean photobionts. Pseudendoclonium submarinum (Kornmanniaceae, Ulvales) was the most common, but representatives of other closely related, yet undescribed, lineages were also found. Undulifilum symbioticum gen. et sp. nov. is described within Kornmanniaceae based on culture morphology and DNA sequence data. Furthermore, the free‐living macroscopic genus Urospora (Acrosiphoniaceae, Ulotrichales) is reported as a lichen photobiont for the first time and is the first of its kind in the order. These results indicate that undescribed algal diversity is waiting to be uncovered in seashore lichens.
Dairy manure pellets and palm oil mill effluent as alternative nutrient sources in cultivating Sporosarcina pasteurii for calcium carbonate bioprecipitation
Authors: Omoregie A.I. , Muda K. , Ngu L.H.
Published: January 2022

Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a process that hydrolysis urea by microbial urease to fill the pore spaces of soil with induced calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitates, which eventually results in improved or solidified soil. This research explored the possibility of using dairy manure pellets (DMP) and palm oil mill effluent (POME) as alternative nutrient sources for Sporosarcina pasteurii cultivation and CaCO3 bioprecipitation. Different concentrations (20–80 g l−1) of DMP and POME were used to propagate the cells of S. pasteurii under laboratory conditions. The measured CaCO3 contents for MICP soil specimens that were treated with bacterial cultures grown in DMP medium (60%, w/v) was 15·30 ± 0·04 g ml−1 and POME medium (40%, v/v) was 15·49 ± 0·05 g ml−1 after 21 days curing. The scanning electron microscopy showed that soil treated with DMP had rhombohedral structure-like crystals with smooth surfaces, whilst that of POME entailed ring-like cubical formation with rough surfaces Electron dispersive X-ray analysis was able to identify a high mass percentage of chemical element compositions (Ca, C and O), whilst spectrum from Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the vibration peak intensities for CaCO3. Atomic force microscopy further showed clear topographical differences on the crystal surface structures that were formed around the MICP treated soil samples. These nutrient sources (DMP and POME) showed encouraging potential cultivation mediums to address high costs related to bacterial cultivation and biocementation treatment.
Antifungal lock therapy: an eternal promise or an effective alternative therapeutic approach?
Authors: Kovács R. , Majoros L.
Published: January 2022

Each year, millions of central venous catheter insertions are performed in intensive care units worldwide. The usage of these indwelling devices is associated with a high risk of bacterial and fungal colonization, leading to the development of microbial consortia, namely biofilms. These sessile structures provide fungal cells with resistance to the majority of antifungals, environmental stress and host immune responses. Based on different guidelines, colonized/infected catheters should be removed and changed immediately in the case of Candida-related central line infections. However, catheter replacement is not feasible for all patient populations. An alternative therapeutic approach may be antifungal lock therapy, which has received high interest, especially in the last decade. This review summarizes the published Candida-related in vitro, in vivo data and case studies in terms of antifungal lock therapy. The number of clinical studies remains limited and further studies are needed for safe implementation of the antifungal lock therapy into clinical practice.
Addressing harm and establishing trust in peer review: Recommendations for action
Authors: Eniasivam Archna , Medeiros Aimee , Garg Megha
Published: January 2022

What happens when your peer reviewer denies the existence of structural racism? This commentary discusses ways in which peer review processes might better address health equity topics.
Losing the race? Philosophy of race in U.K. philosophy departments
Authors: Chauhan Vipin , Crowley Thomas , Fisher Andrew , McCabe Helen , Williams Helen
Published: January 2022

Should philosophy of race be taught as part of a philosophy degree? This paper argues that it should. After surveying 1,166 modules on offer in 2019–2020, across forty‐seven philosophy departments in the United Kingdom, however, the authors identified only one module devoted to philosophy of race. The paper presents this as a challenge to philosophy departments. It investigates one possible reason for this that concerns staff research interests; indeed, reading 728 staff research webpages the authors identified only twenty‐three that listed philosophy of race as a research interest. Even though this might go some way to explaining the lack of modules, however, it can’t be the whole picture. The paper suggests some areas relating to the philosophy curriculum in the United Kingdom that need some consideration.
Conceptualizing the factor structure of parents’ math anxiety and associations with children's mathematics skills
Authors: Cosso Jimena , Ellis Alexa , O'Rear Connor D. , Zippert Erica L. , Schmitt Sara A. , Purpura David J.
Published: January 2022

There is a growing literature examining the association between parents’ math anxiety and children's mathematics skills. Previous research has considered parents’ math anxiety as a unidimensional construct that primarily focused on parents’ experiences doing mathematics themselves. However, this research did not account for parents’ experiences when doing mathematics with their children. Thus, there were two goals of the present study: (1) to identify the structure of parents’ math anxiety when considering context‐dependent situations, and (2) to determine whether parental math anxiety was related to children's early numeracy skills. We conducted a series of confirmatory factor analyses using a sample of 155 preschool children (Mage = 4.20 years, SD = 0.71; 51% female). The best fitting model of parents’ math anxiety was a bifactor model, suggesting that parents’ math anxiety was best conceptualized as a multidimensional construct. However, structural equation models showed parent math anxiety was not a significant predictor of children's numeracy performance. These findings provide a foundation for understanding parents’ math anxiety as multidimensional and raise questions about potential mechanisms that may explain prior work finding mixed relations between math anxiety and children's numeracy performance.
Instant sedimentation in a deep Alpine lake (Iseo, Italy) controlled by climate, human and geodynamic forcing
Authors: Rapuc William , Arnaud Fabien , Sabatier Pierre , Anselmetti Flavio S. , Piccin Andrea , Peruzza Laura , Bastien Antoine , Augustin Laurent , Régnier Edouard , Gaillardet Jérôme , Von Grafenstein Ulrich
Published: January 2022

The sedimentary processes in the deep basin of large peri‐Alpine lakes have not been studied much on long timescales due to high coring complexity of such lake systems. In 2018, a 15.5 m long sediment section was retrieved from the deep basin of Lake Iseo (Italy) at 251 m water depth. A seismic survey associated with a multi‐proxy approach using sedimentological and geochemical analyses, reveals that event deposits correspond to 61.4% of the total sedimentation during the last 2000 years. The great heterogeneity of textures, colours and grain‐size distribution between the different types of event layers can be explained by the high number of potential sources of sediment in this large lake system. By combining a proxy of sediment sources with proxies of transport processes, flood events were distinguished from destabilizations of the slopes and the main delta. The three thickest mass wasting deposits correspond to major regional earthquakes events of 1222 ce, 1117 ce and around 700 ce. From a thorough comparison with regional climatic fluctuations and human activities in the watershed, it appears that periods of high sediment remobilization can be linked to a preceding increase in erosion in the watershed mainly under human forcing. Hence, even in large catchments, human activities play a key role on erosion processes and on sediment availability, disrupting the recording of extreme events in lacustrine archive.
Overcoming Individual Limitations Through Distributed Computation: Rational Information Accumulation in Multigenerational Populations
Authors: Hardy Mathew D. , Krafft Peaks M. , Thompson Bill , Griffiths Thomas L.
Published: January 2022

Many of the computational problems people face are difficult to solve under the limited time and cognitive resources available to them. Overcoming these limitations through social interaction is one of the most distinctive features of human intelligence. In this paper, we show that information accumulation in multigenerational social networks can be produced by a form of distributed Bayesian inference that allows individuals to benefit from the experience of previous generations while expending little cognitive effort. In doing so, we provide a criterion for assessing the rationality of a population that extends traditional analyses of the rationality of individuals. We tested the predictions of this analysis in two highly controlled behavioral experiments where the social transmission structure closely matched the assumptions of our model. Participants made decisions on simple categorization tasks that relied on and contributed to accumulated knowledge. Success required these microsocieties to accumulate information distributed across people and time. Our findings illustrate how in certain settings, distributed computation at the group level can pool information and resources, allowing limited individuals to perform effectively on complex tasks.
Measuring Spatial Perspective Taking: Analysis of Four Measures Using Item Response Theory
Authors: Brucato Maria , Frick Andrea , Pichelmann Stefan , Nazareth Alina , Newcombe Nora S.
Published: January 2022

Research on spatial thinking requires reliable and valid measures of individual differences in various component skills. Spatial perspective taking (PT)—the ability to represent viewpoints different from one's own—is one kind of spatial skill that is especially relevant to navigation. This study had two goals. First, the psychometric properties of four PT tests were examined: Four Mountains Task (FMT), Spatial Orientation Task (SOT), Perspective‐Taking Task for Adults (PTT‐A), and Photographic Perspective‐Taking Task (PPTT). Using item response theory (IRT), item difficulty, discriminability, and efficiency of item information functions were evaluated. Second, the relation of PT scores to general intelligence, working memory, and mental rotation (MR) was assessed. All tasks showed good construct validity except for FMT. PPTT tapped a wide range of PT ability, with maximum measurement precision at average ability. PTT‐A captured a lower range of ability. Although SOT contributed less measurement information than other tasks, it did well across a wide range of PT ability. After controlling for general intelligence and working memory, original and IRT‐refined versions of PT tasks were each related to MR. PTT‐A and PPTT showed relatively more divergent validity from MR than SOT. Tests of dimensionality indicated that PT tasks share one common PT dimension, with secondary task‐specific factors also impacting the measurement of individual differences in performance. Advantages and disadvantages of a hybrid PT test that includes a combination of items across tasks are discussed.
Cuerpo y resistencia en el monitoreo de violencia policial en protestas
Authors:   Fondecyt-Universidad de Chile, Jorquera Álvarez Tamara
Published: January 2022

La observación en derechos humanos es una forma de defender estos derechos mediante el monitoreo y fiscalización de su respeto por parte del Estado, sus agentes y otros intervinientes, advirtiendo las violaciones que se producen en el contexto de manifestaciones y protestas sociales. Quien ejerce la labor de observación no participa en la manifestación y su misión consiste en observar y registrar situaciones vinculadas al respeto de los derechos humanos. A partir de una investigación realizada desde una perspectiva etnográfica con personas que hacen observación en derechos humanos desde una organización de la sociedad civil y otra estatal autónoma en Chile, en esta presentación abordaré las lógicas de resistencia a la violencia de Estado que se articulan en torno a los cuerpos de quienes ejercen esta labor. Reflexionaré sobre aspectos como la acción conjunta de sus cuerpos en el espacio público bajo una lógica resistente, su visibilización desde el rol de defensa de derechos humanos, la vulnerabilidad que se evidencia en su exposición al riesgo de ser objeto de violencia y las memorias encarnadas que se construyen cuando el propio cuerpo es agredido por la policía.
Tectonic hydrogen and tectonic oxygen production through deforming piezoelectric minerals in the presence of water
Authors: Xu* Huifang , Hong Kuang-Sheng , Wu Meiye , Lee Seungyeol
Published: January 2022

A high concentration of hydrogen gas occurs in fracture zones of active faults that are associated with historical earthquakes. To explain the described phenomenon, we propose the piezoelectrochemical (PZEC) effect as a mechanism for the direct conversion of mechanical energy to chemical energy. When applied to natural piezoelectric crystals including quartz and serpentine, hydrogen and oxygen are generated via direct water decomposition. Laboratory experiments show H2 gas is generated from strained piezoelectric material due to the extremely low solubility of H2, suggesting that the deformed or strained mineral surfaces can catalyze water decomposition. If the strain-induced H2 production is significant, hydrogen measurements at monitoring sites can offer information on deformation of rocks operating at depth prior to earthquakes. Oxygen can be measured in water due to its high solubility compared to hydrogen. Our experimental results demonstrate that dissolved oxygen generated from the PZEC effect can oxidize dissolved organic dye and ferrous iron in an aqueous Fe(II)–silicate metal complex. The hydrogen and oxygen formed through stoichiometric decomposition of water in the presence of strained or deformed minerals in fault zones (including subduction zones and transform faults) may be referred to as tectonic hydrogen and tectonic oxygen. Tectonic hydrogen could be a potential energy source for deep subsurface and glacier-bedrock interface microbial communities that rely on molecular hydrogen for metabolism. Tectonic oxygen may have been an important oxidizing agent when dissolved in water during times in early Earth history when atmospheric oxygen levels were extremely low. Reported “whiffs” of dissolved oxygen before the Great Oxidation Event might have been related to tectonic activity.
B-anomalies from flavorful U(1)$$'$$ extensions, safely
Authors: Bause Rigo , Hiller Gudrun , Höhne Tim , Litim Daniel F. , Steudtner Tom
Published: January 2022

$$U(1)^\prime $$

U

(
1
)

′

extensions of the standard model with generation-dependent couplings to quarks and leptons are investigated as an explanation of anomalies in rare B-decays, with an emphasis on stability and predictivity up to the Planck scale. To these ends, we introduce three generations of vector-like standard model singlet fermions, an enlarged, flavorful scalar sector, and, possibly, right-handed neutrinos, all suitably charged under the $$U(1)^\prime $$

U

(
1
)

′

gauge interaction. We identify several gauge-anomaly free benchmarks consistent with $$B_s$$

B
s

-mixing constraints, with hints for electron-muon universality violation, and the global $$b \rightarrow s$$

b
→
s

fit. We further investigate the complete two-loop running of gauge, Yukawa and quartic couplings up to the Planck scale to constrain low-energy parameters and enhance the predictive power. A characteristic of models is that the $$Z^\prime $$

Z
′

with TeV-ish mass predominantly decays to invisibles, i.e. new fermions or neutrinos. $$Z^\prime $$

Z
′

-production can be studied at a future muon collider. While benchmarks feature predominantly left-handed couplings $$C_9^{\mu }$$

C
9
μ

and $$C_{10}^{\mu }$$

C

10

μ

, right-handed ones can be accommodated as well.
Polytopes in all dimensional loop quantum gravity
Authors: Long Gaoping , Ma Yongge
Published: January 2022

The Lasserre’s reconstruction algorithm is extended to the D-polytopes with the construction of their shape space. Thus, the areas of d-skeletons $$(1\le d\le D)$$

(
1
≤
d
≤
D
)

can be expressed as functions of the areas and normal bi-vectors of the (D-1)-faces of D-polytopes. As weak solutions of the simplicity constraints in all dimensional loop quantum gravity, the simple coherent intertwiners are employed to describe semiclassical D-polytopes. New general geometric operators based on D-polytopes are proposed by using the Lasserre’s reconstruction algorithm and the coherent intertwiners. Such kind of geometric operators have expected semiclassical property by the definition. The consistent semiclassical limit with respect to the semiclassical D-polytopes can be obtained for the usual D-volume operator in all dimensional loop quantum gravity by fixing its undetermined regularization factor case by case.
Engineering the microwave to infrared noise photon flux for superconducting quantum systems
Authors: Danilin Sergey , Barbosa João , Farage Michael , Zhao Zimo , Shang Xiaobang , Burnett Jonathan , Ridler Nick , Li Chong , Weides Martin
Published: January 2022

Electromagnetic filtering is essential for the coherent control, operation and readout of superconducting quantum circuits at milliKelvin temperatures. The suppression of spurious modes around transition frequencies of a few GHz is well understood and mainly achieved by on-chip and package considerations. Noise photons of higher frequencies – beyond the pair-breaking energies – cause decoherence and require spectral engineering before reaching the packaged quantum chip. The external wires that pass into the refrigerator and go down to the quantum circuit provide a direct path for these photons. This article contains quantitative analysis and experimental data for the noise photon flux through coaxial, filtered wiring. The attenuation of the coaxial cable at room temperature and the noise photon flux estimates for typical wiring configurations are provided. Compact cryogenic microwave low-pass filters with CR-110 and Esorb-230 absorptive dielectric fillings are presented along with experimental data at room and cryogenic temperatures up to 70 GHz. Filter cut-off frequencies between 1 to 10 GHz are set by the filter length, and the roll-off is material dependent. The relative dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability for the Esorb-230 material in the pair-breaking frequency range of 75 to 110 GHz are measured, and the filter properties in this frequency range are calculated. The estimated dramatic suppression of the noise photon flux due to the filter proves its usefulness for experiments with superconducting quantum systems.