bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The triple‐edged sword of sensitivity of sales, cash flows, and debt to investments: Venture survival and capital investments
Authors: Patel Pankaj C. , Wolfe Marcus T. , Guedes Maria João
Published: August 2022

Drawing on reliable financial performance data of 192,855 venture‐year observations, representing a total of 66,174 ventures with 8.13% of the ventures failing (5380 ventures), we find that neither sales‐investment sensitivity nor cash‐flow‐investment sensitivity is associated with venture survival. However, debt‐investment sensitivity lowers the hazard of failure. Sales‐investment sensitivity and debt‐investment sensitivity under munificence and dynamism lower the hazard of failure. However, cash‐flow‐investment sensitivity at high levels of dynamism or munificence does not influence the hazard of failure. The effect sizes are small but nonetheless meaningful. The findings have implications for ventures attempting to match performance and capital structure with investment.
Dietary Energy Intake and Presence of Aberrant Crypt Foci Are Associated with Phospholipid, Purine, and Taurine Metabolite Abundances in C57BL/6N Mouse Colon
Authors: Chatelaine Haley A. , Ramazani Cynthia A. , Spencer Kyle , Olivo‐Marston Susan , Bailey Michael T. , McElroy Joseph , Hatzakis Emmanuel , Mathé Ewy A. , Kopec Rachel E.
Published: August 2022

Scope

Colon metabolomes associated with high‐fat (H) versus energy‐restricted (E) diets in early colorectal cancer (CRC) models have never been directly compared. The objectives of this study are to elucidate metabolites associated with diet, aberrant crypt foci (ACF), and diet:ACF interaction, using a lifetime murine model.

Methods and results

Three‐week‐old mice consumed control (C), E, or H initiation diets for 18 weeks. ACF formation is initiated weeks 16–21 with azoxymethane injections, followed by progression diet crossover (to C, E, or H) through week 60. Colon extracts are analyzed using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography‐high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐HRMS). Metabolites associated with diet, ACF, or diet:ACF are determined using regression models (FDR‐adjusted p‐value <0.05). No metabolites are significantly associated with initiation diets, but concentrations of acylcarnitines and phospholipids are associated with C, E, and H progression diets. Purines, taurine, and phospholipids are associated with ACF presence. No significant associations between metabolites and diet:ACF interaction are observed.

Conclusions

These results suggest that recent, rather than early‐life, diet is more closely associated with the colon metabolome, particularly lipid metabolism. Results from this study also provide candidate biomarkers of early CRC development and provide support for the importance of early diet on influencing pre‐CRC risk.
Sustainability management and social license to operate in the extractive industry: The cross‐cultural gap with Indigenous communities
Authors: Boiral Olivier , Heras‐Saizarbitoria Iñaki , Brotherton Marie‐Christine
Published: August 2022

This study aims to analyze the role of cross‐cultural differences between Indigenous communities and extractive organizations with regard to the sustainability measures these organizations employ. Although Indigenous communities are important stakeholders, especially in remote areas where extractive organizations are mainly located, these organizations' relationships with Indigenous communities have been overlooked in the literature on sustainability management. Drawing on a qualitative study based on 25 semi‐structured interviews with Canadian respondents, the findings show how cross‐cultural issues tend to create misunderstandings that can seriously undermine organizations' social license to operate and their initiatives for sustainability. Those issues—which include cultural differences in terms of connectedness with nature, spiritual and historical attachment to a specific territory, reliance on written documents, and conception of time—are analyzed through the lenses of practitioners with significant experience in the relationships between extractive organizations and Indigenous communities. This paper proposes measures to better manage this cross‐cultural gap. The study contributes to the literature on corporate sustainability by going back to the roots of this concept and by shedding more light on the importance of a specific category of stakeholders that tends to be overlooked in the managerial literature.
Biosynthesized Nanocomposite of Bacterial Nanocellulose—Tacca leontopetaloides Starch for Sustainable UV Resistant Film
Authors: Suwanmajo Thapanar , Taokaew Siriporn
Published: August 2022

Polysaccharide nanocomposites have extensive applications and potential to replace non‐degradable petroleum products. Nanocellulose and starch isolated from Tacca leontopetaloides are composited by the environmentally friendly means of in situ biosynthesis in a one‐step process. Low concentration ranges are selected to provide culture medium with low viscosity (<1 Pa s). Supplementing medium with 0.75% w/v of Tacca starch resulted high yield (5.8 g L−1), crystallinity (89%), and tensile strength (104 MPa). Meanwhile, wettability, water vapor permeability (WVP), and water absorption capacity (WAC) vary depending on the starch content. At the highest tested starch content (1.5% w/v), yield, WVP, and WAC drop to 4 g L−1, 1.7 × 10–9 g m−1 Pa−1 h−1, and 311%, respectively. Due to the suitable fiber arrangement and porosity, UV resistances of the composites are enhanced by Tacca starch. The fabricated nanocomposites are anticipated to use as UV resistant film to protect the oxidative rancidity by UV lights.
Conditional Hospitality Toward Internal Refugees: Sweden During the Great Northern War, 1700–1721
Authors: Nauman Sari
Published: August 2022

During the early eighteenth century, the eastern coastline of Sweden received an unprecedented number of internal refugees fleeing from Russian attacks in Finland and Sweden’s Baltic territories. This chapter traces the reception of these refugees in terms of delegated and conditional hospitality, and the responses it provoked. While the king formulated policies of hospitality, he delegated the coordination of efforts and the responsibility for separating deserving refugees from undeserving ones to a commission. The practical tasks of providing funds and performing day-to-day hospitality were delegated to local communities and individual subjects. The conditions of hospitality are revealed in the security measures that authorities and communities imposed on the refugees. By analyzing these measures and the responses they provoked from the refugees, I argue that hospitality hinged on the refugees being in Sweden temporarily—as soon as the war ended, they were expected to return home. Furthermore, the hospitality proved frail as the security measures led to autoimmunization: attempts by the commission to separate deserving from undeserving refugees created rifts between hosts and guests, aggravating the situation.
Iterated Local Search for the eBuses Charging Location Problem
Authors: Loaiza Quintana César , Climent Laura , Arbelaez Alejandro
Published: August 2022

Electric buses (eBuses) will be the mainstream in mass urban transportation in the near future. Thus, installing the charging infrastructure in convenient locations will play a critical role in the transition to eBuses. Taking this into account, in this paper we propose an iterated local search algorithm to optimize the location of charging stations while satisfying certain properties of the transportation system, e.g., satisfying the demand and ensuring that the limited driving range of the buses will not impact the service. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated by experimenting with a set of problem instances with real data from 3 Irish cities, i.e., Limerick, Cork, and Dublin. We compare our approach against a MIP-based solution. Results show that our approach is superior in terms of scalability and its anytime behavior.
Progress Rate Analysis of Evolution Strategies on the Rastrigin Function: First Results
Authors: Omeradzic Amir , Beyer Hans-Georg
Published: August 2022

A first order progress rate is derived for the intermediate multi-recombinative Evolution Strategy $$(\mu /\mu _I, \lambda )$$

(
μ
/

μ
I

,
λ
)

-ES on the highly multimodal Rastrigin test function. The progress is derived within a linearized model applying the method of so-called noisy order statistics. To this end, the mutation-induced variance of the Rastrigin function is determined. The obtained progress approximation is compared to simulations and yields strengths and limitations depending on mutation strength and distance to the optimizer. Furthermore, the progress is iterated using the dynamical systems approach and compared to averaged optimization runs. The property of global convergence within given approximation is discussed. As an outlook, the need of an improved first order progress rate as well as the extension to higher order progress including positional fluctuations is explained.
Verbesserte Qualität gelagerter Erythrozytenkonzentrate durch maschinelle Autotransfusion
Authors: Münch F. , Purbojo A. , Wenzel F. , Kohl M. , Dittrich S. , Rauh M. , Zimmermann R. , Kwapil N.
Published: August 2022

Hintergrund

Die Transfusion von Erythrozytenkonzentraten (EK) ist mit verschiedenen Nebenwirkungen assoziiert, die u. a. durch Lagerungsschäden an Erythrozyten hervorgerufen werden. Die Zellen verändern ihre Struktur und setzen dabei Kalium sowie Lactat frei. Zur Minimierung dieser negativen Effekte können die Erythrozyten mithilfe einer maschinellen Autotransfusion (MAT) unter Verwendung von Waschlösungen aufgereinigt werden.

Ziel der Arbeit

Untersuchung der Auswirkungen zweier Waschlösungen auf die gelagerten Erythrozyten.

Material und Methode

In der vorliegenden Studie wurden 30 EK mittels MAT (Xtra, LivaNova, München, Deutschland) gewaschen. Der Goldstandard 0,9 %ige Kochsalzlösung (n = 15; N‑Gruppe) wurde mit einer 4 mmol/l kaliumhaltigen Hämofiltrationslösung (HF) (n = 15; HF-Gruppe; Duosol) verglichen. In einer Subgruppenanalyse wurde eine Differenzierung bezogen auf die Lagerdauer der EK (7, 14, 37 Tage) bis zur Durchführung der MAT vorgenommen. Untersucht wurde der Einfluss der Waschlösungen sowie des EK-Alters auf ATP, Lactat, Glucose, Elektrolyte und Zitrat zu drei Messzeitpunkten vor MAT (EKprä), unmittelbar danach (EKpost) und nach 10 h im Retransfusionsbeutel (EKpost10h).

Ergebnisse und Diskussion

Die ATP-Konzentration nimmt durch die MAT-Waschung von EKprä zu EKpost signifikant zu (n = 30). Bei 37 Tage alten EK nimmt die ATP-Konzentration in der HF-Gruppe nach MAT stärker zu als in der N‑Gruppe. Durch die MAT-Waschung werden die Kalium‑, Lactat‑, Glucose- und Zitratkonzentration signifikant reduziert. Die MAT-Behandlung gelagerter EK verbessert deren Qualität. Das Waschen mit einer HF-Lösung führt zu einer physiologischeren Elektrolytzusammensetzung. Selbst 10 h nach MAT mit einer HF-Lösung ist die Qualität eines 37 Tage alten EK bezüglich der untersuchten Parameter mit einem jungen 7 Tage gelagerten, nichtgewaschenen EK vergleichbar.
Vermessung der Cochlea mittels eines Tablet-basierten Softwarepakets: Einfluss der Bildgebungsmodalität und des Untersucherhintergrunds
Authors: Weber Lena , Kwok Pingling , Picou Erin M. , Wendl Christina , Bohr Christopher , Marcrum Steven C.
Published: August 2022

Hintergrund

Die Größe der Cochlea ist individuell unterschiedlich, was sich in der variablen Länge des Ductus cochlearis (CDL) ausdrücken lässt. In der Cochleaimplantatversorgung ist ein in der Länge angepasster Elektrodenträger durch eine optimale Abdeckung der Cochlea erfolgversprechend. Dazu kann die CDL auf Höhe des Corti-Organs (CDLOC) mittels eines Tablet-basierten Softwarepakets ausgemessen werden, um abgestimmt auf die Anatomie einen passenden Elektrodenträger auszuwählen.

Fragestellung

Haben die Modalität der Bildgebung und der Untersucherhintergrund einen Einfluss auf die Vermessung der CDL?

Methoden

Die Datensätze der Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT) und Flachdetektor-Volumen-Computertomographie (fpVCT) von 10 Patienten (20 Cochleae) wurden in der Software OTOPLAN (MED-EL, Innsbruck, Österreich) analysiert. Als Untersucher wurden eine Oberärztin der Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, eine Assistenzärztin der HNO-Heilkunde und ein Audiologe ausgewählt. Zur Analyse der Effekte der Bildgebung und des Untersucherhintergrunds auf die CDL-Messungen wurden linear gemischte Modelle konstruiert.

Ergebnisse

Die Messungen ergaben einen Mittelwert CDLOC(fpVCT) = 36,69 ± 1,78 mm und CDLOC(MRT) = 36,81 ± 1,87 mm. Die Analysen zeigten keinen signifikanten Effekt des Untersucherhintergrunds auf die Messergebnisse (F (2, 105) = 0,84;p = 0,437). Die Bildgebungsmodalität zeigte einen signifikanten Einfluss (F (1, 105) = 20,70;p < 0,001), wobei die Messungen an MRT im Mittel um 0,89 mm größer waren.

Schlussfolgerung

Da der Untersucherhintergrund keinen Einfluss auf die Messungen hatte, lässt sich schließen, dass die Messungen nicht ausschließlich von ärztlichem Personal, insbesondere nicht nur von erfahrenen Neurootologen, durchgeführt werden müssen. Die Methode der Bildgebung (fpVCT vs. MRT) kann die CDL-Werte statistisch signifikant beeinflussen, wobei eine klinische Relevanz fraglich ist.
Bildgebung des Retinoblastoms
Authors: Schweiger Bernd , Göricke Sophia , Ketteler Petra , Biewald Eva , Kottke Raimund , Sirin Selma
Published: August 2022

Hintergrund

Das Retinoblastom ist der häufigste bösartige Augentumor im Kindesalter und in bis zu 40 % der Fälle mit einem Tumorprädispositionssyndrom assoziiert (RB1-Mutation). Die Bildgebung ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil der diagnostischen Evaluation von Kindern mit Retinoblastom zum Zeitpunkt der Diagnose und im Follow-up.

Ziel der Arbeit

Diese Übersichtsarbeit soll den aktuellen Stand der Technik und wichtige diagnostische Aspekte der radiologischen Bildgebung von Kindern mit Retinoblastom aufzeigen mit einem kurzen Ausblick in die Zukunft. Zusätzlich wird ein Überblick über die allgemeine klinische Diagnostik und die Therapiemöglichkeiten gegeben.

Material und Methoden

Basis der Arbeit ist die Recherche in verschiedenen Literaturdatenbanken sowie eigene Erfahrungen in der Bildgebung des Retinoblastoms.

Schlussfolgerung

Hochaufgelöste MRT-Bildgebung ist die Bildgebungsmodalität der Wahl bei Kindern mit Retinoblastomen zum Zeitpunkt der Diagnose (Abklärung der Diagnose/möglicher Differenzialdiagnosen, Evaluation der Tumorausdehnung okulär und intrakraniell) und im Follow-up. CT-Untersuchungen sind trotz der charakteristischen Verkalkungen zur Diagnostik nicht mehr indiziert. Da Retinoblastome bis zu 40 % mit Tumorprädispositionssyndromen assoziiert sind, sollte stets auch eine genetische Abklärung erfolgen.
No component loosening of a cementless deep dish rotating platform knee at a 5-year follow-up
Authors: Stadler Christian , Hofstätter M. , Luger M. , Stöbich M. , Ruhs B. , Gotterbarm T. , Klasan A.
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Cemented fixation remains the gold standard in total knee arthroplasty. With an increasing number of younger patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty and a growing patient population demanding higher physical activity, a rising interest in discussion of cementless fixation is notable. The current scientific literature does not give a clear recommendation for or against uncemented total knee arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was the investigation of the 5-year clinical and radiographic outcomes of a cementless deep-dish rotating platform implant.

Methods

A total of 91 primary cementless total knee arthroplasties were included in this single-centre prospective observational study. The primary outcome was revision rate due to aseptic component loosening. Further outcome measures were assessment of the of the radiographic outcome as well as the clinical outcome based on Range of Motion and scores such as American Knee Society Score, Oxford Knee Score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and European Quality of Life 5 Dimension 3 Level at a follow-up of 5 years.

Results

Mean age of the study population was 67.3 ± 6.6 years with 49.5% of the participants being female. Aseptic component loosening occurred in none of the patients. Implant survival with revision for any reason as endpoint was 97.8% (95% CI 100–96%) and 95.6% (95% CI 100–94%) with reoperation of any cause as endpoint. Radiolucent lines were detected in a total of eight cases (8.8%) and disappeared within the first year after surgery in five cases. Total Range of Motion improved significantly from 106° ± 15° preoperatively to 118° ± 10° at final FU (p < 0.001). All investigated scores improved significantly after total knee arthroplasty.

Conclusion

The results of this study reveal excellent mid-term performance of a cementless deep dish rotating platform total knee implant, with no component loosening, very low overall revision rate, only temporarily present radiolucent lines in a minority of patients and excellent clinical results. Therefore, cementless total knee arthroplasty is an appropriate treatment option for patients with severe osteoarthritis of the knee.

Level of evidence

Level II (prospective cohort study).
Vestibular and audiometric results after endolymphatic mastoid shunt surgery in patients with Menière’s disease
Authors: Spiegel Jennifer L. , Stoycheva Ivelina , Weiss Bernhard G. , Bertlich Mattis , Rader Tobias , Canis Martin , Ihler Friedrich
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Treatment of Menière’s Disease (MD) comprises an array of both non-destructive and destructive treatment options. In patients who are therapy–refractory to non-destructive medical treatment, endolymphatic mastoid shunt surgery (EMSS) is both recommended and debated controversially. The aim of this study was to investigate safety in terms of hearing, vestibular function, complication rate, and efficacy with regards to vertigo control of EMSS in patients with MD according to the current diagnostic criteria of 2015.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of 47 consecutive patients with definite or probable MD with description of demographic parameters, pre- and postoperative MD treatment, pre- and postoperative audiometric (pure tone audiometry) and vestibular (caloric testing) results. The parameters were compared between patients with and without postoperative vertigo control.

Results

31/47 patients (66.0%) had improved vertigo control postoperatively. Postoperative hearing and vestibular preservation were predominantly stable. No significant differences between patients with improved vertigo control and patients with no change or worse vertigo episodes were found. In the treatment refractory group, 4 patients required a revision EMSS and 6 a destructive MD treatment (5 gentamicin intratympanically, 1 labyrinthectomy). No peri- or postsurgical complications were reported.

Conclusions

EMSS was found to be beneficial in two thirds of the patients with definite or probable Morbus Menière and a safe procedure regarding hearing and vestibular preservation with no postoperative complications. Therefore, EMSS should be considered before inducing destructive treatment options, such as intratympanic gentamicin application or labyrinthectomy.
Performance improvement of the GAGAN satellite-based augmentation system based on local ionospheric delay estimation in Thailand
Authors: Sophan Somkit , Myint Lin M. M. , Saito Susumu , Supnithi Pornchai
Published: August 2022

Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) is essential to support aircraft navigation. L1 SBAS operates on the L1 frequency (1575.42 MHz) and is currently still of interest since all GNSS satellites and receivers do not fully support additional frequencies such as L5 (1176.45 MHz). Although the Global Positioning System (GPS) aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) SBAS is available, the performances are degraded due to the discrepancies of the ionospheric correction over Thailand and surrounding areas. Hence, in this work, we propose a new method based on the geometry-free ionospheric delay estimation with a single frequency (L1) and a single reference station requirement. The local ionospheric delays are estimated based on the proposed method with the observed GPS and GAGAN data in Thailand. Then the ionospheric corrections are obtained from the estimated local ionospheric delays. The analysis shows that using the estimated corrections, the positioning errors are reduced both on quiet days and locally disturbed days in 2019. More reductions in the positioning errors are found in September and December than other months. In addition, we perform a preliminary availability assessment of two critical phases of flights. The GAGAN performances with the proposed method for the APV-I and LPV-200 categories are improved up to 57% and 53%, respectively, in comparison with the baseline method of the IGP correction.
Effects of dehorning on population productivity in four Namibia sub-populations of black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis bicornis)
Authors: Chimes Lucy C. , Beytell Piet , Muntifering Jeff R. , Kötting Birgit , Neville Vikki
Published: August 2022

The black rhinoceros (rhino) (Diceros bicornis) is critically endangered, with poaching being one of several threats to the species’ survival. Many reserves across several countries, including Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, now dehorn their rhinos in an attempt to reduce poaching. Historical data collected by the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism and Save the Rhino Trust were used to investigate whether dehorning has an effect on age at first reproduction (AFR), inter-calving interval (ICI), birth sex ratios, calf survival, cause of death, and lifespan. These were assessed in four Namibian sub-populations (hereafter referred to as ‘populations’) of black rhino (denoted A, B, C, and D) which have undergone varying levels of dehorning. No significant difference was found in any of the variables between dehorned and horned individuals. Population was a significant predictor of AFR (LRT = 7.433, p = 0.024) and ICI (LRT = 13.281, p = 0.004), although pairwise comparisons only found populations A and B to be significantly different (AFR: z = −2.736, p = 0.017, ICI: z = −3.705, p = 0.001). Additionally, a significantly higher number of males than females were born in population D (p = 0.021, CI = 0.544, 0.960). The main cause of death across all individuals was poaching, although there was no significant difference in the proportion of rhinos poached between dehorned and horned individuals (X2 = 0.638, p = 0.424, n = 265). No evidence was found to suggest that dehorning has any effect on AFR, ICI, birth sex ratios, calf survival, or lifespan in the black rhino, which is reassuring in the continued use of dehorning as an anti-poaching technique in this species.
Comparison of adult shift and non-shift workers’ physical activity and sleep behaviours: cross-sectional analysis from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia (HILDA) cohort
Authors: Fenwick Matthew J. , Oftedal Stina , Kolbe-Alexander Tracy L. , Duncan Mitch J.
Published: August 2022

Aim

This study compares the pattern of physical activity and sleep between shift and non-shift workers using a novel physical activity–sleep index. By drawing from a diverse occupational population, this research aims to reduce any occupational specific biases which are prevalent in shift-work research.

Subject and methods

Current data included 7607 workers (shift workers n = 832) from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia cohort study. The combined physical activity–sleep index comprised three physical activity components and three sleep health components: achieving moderate (1pt) or high (2pts) IPAQ classification; accruing ≥30% of physical activity as vigorous intensity (1pt); meeting sleep duration recommendations on a work night (1pt); and non-work night (1pt); and reporting no insomnia symptoms (1pt) (higher score = healthy behaviour, max. 6). Generalised linear modelling was used to compare behaviours of shift and non-shift workers.

Results

Findings showed shift workers reported significantly lower activity–sleep scores (3.59 vs 3.73, p < 0.001), lower sleep behaviour sub-score (2.01 vs. 2.22, p < 0.001) and were more likely to report insomnia symptoms (p < 0.001) compared to non-shift workers. No difference was reported for overall physical activity (shift = 1.58 vs. non-shift = 1.51, p = 0.383).

Conclusion

When viewed in conjunction using the combined activity–sleep index, shift workers displayed significantly poorer combined behaviours when compared to non-shift workers.
Factors affecting students’ entrepreneurial intentions: a systematic review (2005–2022) for future directions in theory and practice
Authors: Maheshwari Greeni , Kha Khanh Linh , Arokiasamy Anantha Raj A.
Published: August 2022

Entrepreneurship has been viewed as a critical contributor and an economic engine in a country for creating new jobs and it is crucial for graduates to alter their mindset to become self-employed. Thus, it is necessary to synthesize the factors that impact the entrepreneurial intentions (EI) of students at tertiary level. The aim of this research is twofold; first to identify the factors which have been most studied in the literature and second, to determine which factors are less explored to measure the EI of students. This research adopts the systematic review approach to identify various studies conducted between 2005 to June 2022. The paper further adopted citation analysis and identified the 36 most impactful studies in this area of research. Next, the thematic analysis was conducted and seven main themes (factors) (cognitive, personality, environmental, social, educational, contextual and demographic) of EI determinants were identified. The analysis of the papers clearly demonstrated that the TPB model and cognitive factors dominate this area of research. Furthermore, over half of the studies are conducted in Asia, hence it is important to explore other regions such as Africa, America and Europe and other comparative studies between various regions. The study offers avenues for future research and practical implications of the study for the practitioners.
The Effect of Temperature on Synthetic Nano β-Eucryptite and Alumina Ceramic Materials: Thermal Expansion, Mechanical, and Physical Properties
Authors: Abo-almaged H. H. , Hegazy W. H. , Sebak M. E. M. , Khattab R. M.
Published: August 2022

The capability to fabricate ultra-low and customizable CTE materials with good mechanical properties in a simple method was demonstrated in this work. For this purpose, nano beta-eucryptite and alumina powders were synthesized and used in the composite's fabrication. Four composites of alumina and a second-phase beta-eucryptite were prepared, containing 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.% beta-eucryptite. The temperature effect on prepared composites is investigated. The results of XRD analysis and the microstructures of prepared composites are discussed with results of mechanical strength and thermal expansion at temperature ranges of 1400, 1500, and 1550 °C. The CTE of alumina-beta-eucryptite composites decrease as the beta-eucryptite content increases, reaching -1.036 × 10–6 °C−1. The findings show that a composite with a very low thermal expansion coefficient and good mechanical properties can be designed and used in different applications.
Grounding and Applying an Ethical Test to Organisations as Moral Agents: The Case of Mondragon Corporation
Authors: Ardagh David
Published: August 2022

Moral people (i) have good goals in acting in a challenging situation; and (ii) use their rightly disposed intellectual and voluntary capacities (virtues) and resources to choose a good action in that situation. This requires (iii) sound ethical deliberation and decision-procedures for realising practically the abstract values and principles relevant in the concrete situation. After deliberation about sub-goals and means, they (iv) choose to execute the best particular action plan. They will have canvassed possible outcomes of the intended act, which, when executed, will have a particular result and (v) consequent outcomes for themselves, and for others; and (vi) it will show respect for the wellbeing of the community or wider society, represented by the state, and reflected in state law. A comprehensive third-party moral judgement on the act will encompass the intention and execution of the act in the situation.

Part 1, Sections I-IV of this paper argue that organisations can be said to be quasi-persons, personal and moral. As artificial organisational quasi-persons, with a similar structure to natural persons, they can also have analogues of the moral features of natural persons’ moral acts: i)-vi): good goals, rightly disposed capacities and resources, ethical decision procedures, good acts or activities, with good outcomes for others, and respect for society’s norms represented in state law. An ethical acronym, GREAOS, capturing the six dominant features shared with natural persons, is suggested.

In Part 2, an application of GREAOS is then made to assess a concrete organisational case, Mondragon Corporation, in order to show how if the analogy between persons and organisations is sound in principle, the acronym’s application can be made to ethically unpack a case. The acronym gives Mondragon Corporation at least a pass on ethics. Although a work in progress, its success in realising ideals of economic democracy can be an exemplar of stakeholder capitalism, an alternative to an unbridled shareholder capitalism, which has had its day.
Iron cellular uptake from almond and coconut beverages using an in vitro intestinal cell model
Authors: Silva Joyce Grazielle Siqueira , Feitosa Sabrina , Pallone Juliana Azevedo Lima , Greiner Ralf , Briviba Karlis
Published: August 2022

Plant-based beverages could contain iron but also phenolic compounds (PC) and ascorbic acid, which are considered modulators of iron uptake. We investigated whether iron from almond and coconut beverages can be taken up by Caco-2 cells. The iron content in almond and coconut beverages was 19.20 and 19.34 mg kg−1dry weight (dw), respectively; PC were 727.71 and 673.11 mg gallic acid equivalents kg−1, respectively; and ascorbic acid 10.96 mg kg−1and 24.44 mg∙kg−1, respectively. We observed an increase in iron uptake by induction of cellular ferritin at concentrations of 15 and 30 g L−1(almond) and 30 g L−1(coconut). Both beverages significantly increased ferritin induction when iron sulfate was added. Thus, these beverages represent iron sources which can either contribute directly to iron supply or indirectly by enhancing absorption of exogenous iron and contribute to decrease the impact of diseases considered public health problems.
Evolutionary Perspectives on Religion and Violence
Authors: Alcorta Candace , Sosis Richard
Published: August 2022

Religion and violence share a complex and enduring history. Viewing violence and religion from an evolutionary perspective situates both within a broader framework of aggressive, affiliative, and signaling behaviors across species. In this work the authors review genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors that influence violence, distinguishing two types of aggression that differ in underlying physiology and intent. The use of communicative signals to delimit aggression across species is surveyed and the emergence of human symbolic ritual as a signaling system for creating alliances and promoting in-group cooperation is proposed. Using Wallace's typology of religion, this Element explores differences across religious systems in relation to socioecological variation and examines the underlying mechanisms by which religion 'works'. The use of violence as both an 'honest signal' and a mechanism for inculcating religious belief is discussed, and the use of religion to incite, validate, and justify violence is reviewed.
Exact coherent states in plane Couette flow under spanwise wall oscillation
Authors: Bengana Yacine , Yang Qiang , Tu Guohua , Hwang Yongyun
Published: August 2022

A set of several exact coherent states in plane Couette flow is computed under spanwise wall oscillation control, with a range of wall oscillation amplitudes and periods

$({A_w}, T)$

. It is found that the wall oscillation generally stabilises the upper branch of the equilibrium solutions and achieves the corresponding drag reduction, while it influences modestly the lower branch. The stabilisation effect is found to increase with the oscillation amplitude with an optimal time period around

${T^{+}} \approx 100$

. The exact coherent states reproduce some key dynamical behaviours of streaks observed in previous studies, while exhibiting the rich coherent structure dynamics that cannot be extracted from a phase average of turbulent states. Visualisation of state portraits shows that the size of the state space supporting turbulent solution is reduced by the spanwise wall oscillation, and the upper-branch equilibrium solutions become less repelling, with many of their unstable manifolds being stabilised. This change of the state space dynamics leads to a significant reduction in lifetime of turbulence. Finally, the main stabilisation mechanism of the exact coherent states is found to be the suppression of the lift-up effect of streaks, explaining why previous linear analyses have been so successful for turbulence stabilisation modelling and the resulting drag reduction.
Drag enhancement by the addition of weak waves to a wave-current boundary layer over bumpy walls
Authors: Patil Akshay , Fringer Oliver
Published: August 2022

We present direct numerical simulation results of a wave-current boundary layer in a current-dominated flow regime (wave driven to steady current ratio of 0.34) over bumpy walls for hydraulically smooth flow conditions (wave orbital excursion to roughness ratio of 10). The turbulent, wave-current channel flow has a friction Reynolds number of

$350$

and a wave Reynolds number of

$351$

. At the lower boundary, a bumpy wall is introduced with a direct forcing immersed boundary method, while the top wall has a free-slip boundary condition. Despite the hydraulically smooth nature of the wave-driven flow, the phase variations of the turbulent statistics for the bumpy wall case were found to vary substantially when compared with the flat wall case. Results show that the addition of weak waves to a steady current over flat walls has a negligible effect on the turbulence or bottom drag. However, the addition of weak waves to a steady current over bumpy walls has a significant effect through enhancement of the Reynolds stress (RS) accompanied by a drag coefficient increase of

$11\,\%$

relative to the steady current case. This enhancement occurs just below the top of the roughness elements during the acceleration portion of the wave cycle: Turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) is subsequently transported above the roughness elements to a maximum height of roughly twice the turbulent Stokes length. We analyse the TKE and RS budgets to understand the mechanisms behind the alterations in the turbulence properties due to the bumpy wall. The results provide a mechanistic picture of the differences between bumpy and flat walls in wave-current turbulent boundary layers and illustrate the importance of bumpy features even in weakly energetic wave conditions.
Nutritional status of children under 5 years old in Namibia: adjusting for poor quality child anthropometry
Authors: Fujimura Maya S. , Conkle Joel , Van Wyk Marjorie , Jimba Masamine
Published: August 2022

The poor assessment of child malnutrition impacts both national-level trends and prioritisation of regions and vulnerable groups based on malnutrition burden. Namibia has reported a high prevalence of malnutrition among children younger than 5 years of age. The present study's aim was to identify the optimal methods for estimating child stunting and wasting prevalence in Namibia using two datasets with suspected poor data quality: Namibia Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) (1992–2013) and Namibia Household Income and Expenditure Survey (NHIES), 2015/16. This comparative secondary data analysis used two prevalence estimation methods: WHO flags and PROBIT. WHO flags is the standard analysis method for most national household surveys, while the PROBIT method is recommended for poor quality anthropometry. In NHIES (n4960), the prevalence of stunting (n4780) was 30·3 and 20·9 % for the WHO flags and PROBIT estimates, respectively, and the national wasting prevalence (n4637) was 11·2 and 4·2 %, respectively. The trends in nutritional status from NDHS and NHIES showed improvement across WHO flags and PROBIT until 2013; however, from 2013 to 2016, PROBIT showed smaller increases in stunting and wasting prevalence (2·5 and 0·6 percentage points) than WHO flags (6·6 and 5·0 percentage points). PROBIT identified the Khoisan ethnic group and Northern geographical regions with the highest stunting and wasting prevalence, while WHO flags identified similar prevalence across most groups and regions. The present study supports the recommendation to use PROBIT when poor data quality is suspected for constructing trends, and for targeting regions and vulnerable groups.
Fragmented Sovereignty, Ḍakaitī (Banditry), and ‘Criminal Tribe’ in a ‘Minor’ State of Late Colonial India
Authors: Godsmark Oliver
Published: August 2022

Scholars have often considered twentieth-century sovereignty in colonial contexts as increasingly connected to the modern, territorially bounded state, stimulated by the influence of European rule. Yet there remained more malleable and amorphous sovereign configurations well into the twentieth century. Focusing on the case of Indore, a ‘minor’ state in late colonial central India, this article reveals the ongoing dynamism of ḍakait (‘bandits’) within such configurations. By approaching the state as a disaggregated entity, it captures how such communities held complex reciprocal relationships with local state representatives. These interactions challenge older histories, both in South Asia and beyond, that understand banditry primarily as evidence of state evasion or resistance, rather than reflecting an interlocking web of relational and gradated jurisdictions. By exploring connections between ḍakait and the state at the ‘everyday’ level, this article also takes issue with existing emphases on the wider institutional frameworks that classified such communities as ‘criminal tribes’. Such connections could engender local responses that undercut their ethnographic categorization and complicate postcolonial critiques of the essentialization of caste and ‘tribe’ in South Asia. Reconceptualizing sovereignty ultimately provides us with a compelling analytic tool to reconsider wider scholarly axioms relating to colonial knowledge, marginality, and state–society relations.
Species complexes and life cycles of digenetic trematodes from the family Derogenidae
Authors: Krupenko Darya , Kremnev Georgii , Gonchar Anna , Uryadova Alexandra , Miroliubov Aleksei , Krapivin Vladimir , Skobkina Olga , Gubler Arseniy , Knyazeva Olga
Published: August 2022

The best way to study digenean diversity combines molecular genetic methods, life-cycle studies and elaborate morphological descriptions. This approach has been barely used for one of the most widespread digenean taxa parasitizing fish – the superfamily Hemiuroidea. Here, we applied the integrative approach to the hemiuroideans from the family Derogenidae parasitizing fish at the White and Barents Seas. Analysis of 28S, 18S, 5.8S rDNA, ITS2 and cox1 gene sequences from sexually adult worms (maritae) showed genetic heterogeneity for 2 derogenid species known from this area: Derogenes varicus and Progonus muelleri. Thus, 2 pairs of genetic lineages were found: DV1 and DV2, PM1 and PM2, respectively. Data from other regions indicate that 2 more lineages of D. varicus probably exist. Based on previous records from the White and Barents Seas, we hypothesized that the cercariae found in the moonsnails (family Naticidae) belong to the Derogenidae and may help to differentiate these lineages as species. According to our results, Cercaria appendiculata from Cryptonatica affinis matched DV1, similar nameless cercariae from Euspira pallida and Amauropsis islandica matched DV2, and Cercaria octocauda from C. affinis matched PM1. We provide new data on the structure of these cercariae and discuss the life-cycle pattern of the studied digeneans.
Path planning for spot welding robots based on improved ant colony algorithm
Authors: Tan Yuesheng , Ouyang Jie , Zhang Zhuo , Lao Yinglun , Wen Pengju
Published: August 2022

A welding path can be planned effectively for spot welding robots using the ant colony algorithm, but the initial parameters of the ant colony algorithm are usually selected through human experience, resulting in an unreasonable planned path. This paper combines the ant colony algorithm with the particle swarm algorithm and uses the particle swarm algorithm to train the initial parameters of the ant colony algorithm to plan an optimal path. Firstly, a mathematical model for spot welding path planning is established using the ant colony algorithm. Then, the particle swarm algorithm is introduced into the ant colony algorithm to find the optimal combination of parameters by treating the initial parameters
$\alpha$
and
$\beta$
of the ant colony algorithm and as two-dimensional coordinates in the particle swarm algorithm. Finally, the simulation analysis was carried out using MATLAB to obtain the paths of the improved ant colony algorithm for six different sets of parameters with an average path length of 10,357.7509 mm, but the average path length obtained by conventional algorithm was 10,830.8394 mm. Convergence analysis of the improved ant colony algorithm showed that the average number of iterations was 17. Therefore, the improved ant colony algorithm has higher solution quality and converges faster.
Detection of maritime traffic anomalies using Satellite-AIS and multisensory satellite imageries: Application to the 2021 Suez Canal obstruction
Authors: Harun-Al-Rashid Ahmed , Yang Chan-Su , Shin Dae-Woon
Published: August 2022

This study summarises the scenario of maritime traffic anomalies, like the increased congestion and U-turn of ships caused by the ship grounding in the Suez Canal in March 2021. Here, satellite automatic identification system based ship trajectories, and Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images based ship positions are analysed after subdividing the study area into seas, lakes and canals. The results show that the blockage affected the maritime traffic for more than three weeks, waiting ship numbers increased from 5 to 122, and daily one to three ships made a U-turn between 23 and 31 March in the Gulf of Suez. Ship density also increased to more than double in Bitter Lakes with a minimum waiting time of 7 days. Hence, to avoid such prolonged waiting of ships, we propose a warning method based on the sharp speed decrease rate, U-turn and congestion.
Gender and the international judge: Towards a transformative equality approach
Authors: Hodson Loveday
Published: August 2022

There is a dearth of women judges sitting on international courts and tribunals. This contribution pays attention to the question of why judicial gender matters. Demonstrating that sex-based differences play an important part in judging has challenged even the most committed essentialists. Legitimacy-based arguments are deemed inadequate in so far as they fail to address the structures of power and discrimination that create exclusions. In this contribution, I argue that the dearth of women judges matters because it is both symptom and cause of the highly gendered way in which international law and international institutions operate. Drawing on Erika Rackley’s early work in which metaphor is used to reveal the gendered nature of the judicial role, I call forth the idea of the totemic judge of international law whose male gender is rendered invisible and unremarked and who functions to enrobe the gendered norms and institutions of international law. The female judge, conversely, is a disruptive force as her very presence places gender in the frame. Drawing on accounts from international courts and from the Feminist Judgments in International Law project, this contribution concludes that an approach to judging that acknowledges and challenges structures of power – including gender – contains transformative potential. However, it is potential that must find a way to operate within significant institutional and normative constraints.
Examining protective factors for substance use problems and self-harm behavior during adolescence: A longitudinal co-twin control study
Authors: O’Reilly Lauren , Elam Kit K. , Quinn Patrick D. , Adams Sydney , Chirica Marianne G. , Klonsky E. David , Pettersson Erik , Lundström Sebastian , Larsson Henrik , Lichtenstein Paul , D’Onofrio Brian
Published: August 2022

Sports participation, physical activity, and friendship quality are theorized to have protective effects on the developmental emergence of substance use and self-harm behavior in adolescence, but existing research has been mixed. This ambiguity could reflect, in part, the potential for confounding of observed associations by genetic and environmental factors, which previous research has been unable to rigorously rule out. We used data from the prospective, population-based Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (n= 18,234 born 1994–2001) and applied a co-twin control design to account for potential genetic and environmental confounding of sports participation, physical activity, and friendship quality (assessed at age 15) as presumed protective factors for adolescent substance use and self-harm behavior (assessed at age 18). While confidence intervals widened to include the null in numerous co-twin control analyses adjusting for childhood psychopathology, parent-reported sports participation and twin-reported positive friendship quality were associated with increased odds of alcohol problems and nicotine use. However, parent-reported sports participation, twin-reported physical activity, and twin-reported friendship quality were associated with decreased odds of self-harm behavior. The findings provide a more nuanced understanding of the risks and benefits of putative protective factors for risky behaviors that emerge during adolescence.
Local ecological knowledge and regional sighting histories of Hainan Peacock-pheasant Polyplectron katsumatae: pessimism or optimism for a threatened island endemic?
Authors: Turvey Samuel T. , Ma Heidi , Zhou Tonglei , Teng Tiantian , Yu Chuyue , Archer Lucy J. , Rao Xiaodong , Dowell Simon D. , Liang Wei , Liu Hui
Published: August 2022

Baseline data on local status of threatened species are often limited, and alternative information sources such as local ecological knowledge (LEK) have potential to provide conservation insights but require critical evaluation. We assess the usefulness of LEK to generate conservation evidence for the Hainan Peacock-pheasant Polyplectron katsumatae, a poorly known threatened island galliform. Interview surveys in rural communities across eight forested landscapes on Hainan provided a new dataset of sightings of Peacock-pheasants and other galliforms. Fewer respondents had seen Peacock-pheasants compared to other species across most landscapes, although Peacock-pheasant sightings showed significant across-landscape variation, with substantially more total and recent sightings from Yinggeling National Nature Reserve. However, validation of interview data with camera trapping data from Houmiling Provincial Nature Reserve, a landscape with few reported sightings, suggests a more optimistic possible status for Peacock-pheasants, which were detected as frequently as Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus and Silver Pheasant Lophura nycthemera during systematic camera trap placement. Hainan Peacock-pheasant sighting rates might be influenced by various factors (e.g. restricted local access to forests), with absolute abundance possibly greater than expected from limited sightings. Conversely, relative across-landscape abundance patterns from LEK are likely to be valid, as similar detection biases exist across surveyed landscapes.