bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immune moral models? Pro-social rule breaking as a moral enhancement approach for ethical AI
Authors: Ramanayake Rajitha , Wicke Philipp , Nallur Vivek
Published: May 2022

We are moving towards a future where Artificial Intelligence (AI) based agents make many decisions on behalf of humans. From healthcare decision-making to social media censoring, these agents face problems, and make decisions with ethical and societal implications. Ethical behaviour is a critical characteristic that we would like in a human-centric AI. A common observation in human-centric industries, like the service industry and healthcare, is that their professionals tend to break rules, if necessary, for pro-social reasons. This behaviour among humans is defined as pro-social rule breaking. To make AI agents more human-centric, we argue that there is a need for a mechanism that helps AI agents identify when to break rules set by their designers. To understand when AI agents need to break rules, we examine the conditions under which humans break rules for pro-social reasons. In this paper, we present a study that introduces a ‘vaccination strategy dilemma’ to human participants and analyzes their response. In this dilemma, one needs to decide whether they would distribute COVID-19 vaccines only to members of a high-risk group (follow the enforced rule) or, in selected cases, administer the vaccine to a few social influencers (break the rule), which might yield an overall greater benefit to society. The results of the empirical study suggest a relationship between stakeholder utilities and pro-social rule breaking (PSRB), which neither deontological nor utilitarian ethics completely explain. Finally, the paper discusses the design characteristics of an ethical agent capable of PSRB and the future research directions on PSRB in the AI realm. We hope that this will inform the design of future AI agents, and their decision-making behaviour.
Wissenschaftliche Leistungen augenheilkundlicher Forschungseinrichtungen in Deutschland 2018 bis 2020
Authors: Schaub Friederike , Mele Birgit , Gass Philip , Ader Marius , Helbig Horst , Lagrèze Wolf A. , Schlötzer-Schrehardt Ursula , Ueffing Marius , Cursiefen Claus ,   das DOG Forschungslandkartenteam, Auffarth Gerd U. , Bartz-Schmidt Karl U. , Erb Carl , Eter Nicole , Fuchsluger Thomas A. , Geerling Gerd , Hattenbach Lars-Olof , Heiligenhaus Arnd , Hoerauf Hans , Hoffmann Michael B. , Holz Frank G. , Joachim Stephanie C. , Johnen Sandra , Joussen Antonia M. , Kellner Ulrich , Kohnen Thomas , Lytvynchuk Lyubomyr , Maier Mathias , Meller Daniel , Mueller Arthur , Nentwich Martin M. , Pfeiffer Norbert , Pillunat Lutz E. , Priglinger Siegfried , Ranjbar Mahdy , Reinhard Thomas , Roider Johann , Schrader Stefan , Seitz Berthold , Spitzer Martin S. , Stahl Andreas , Szurman Peter , Tode Jan , Viestenz Arne , Wagner Felix Mathias , Wiedemann Peter , Wolf Armin
Published: May 2022

Hintergrund

Die Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft (DOG) erfasst regelmäßig die wissenschaftlichen Aktivitäten der augenheilkundlichen Forschungseinrichtungen in Deutschland.

Ziel der Arbeit

Mit dieser Publikation will die DOG die Leistungsfähigkeit der wissenschaftlichen Augenheilkunde in Deutschland transparent machen und die Optionen für zukünftige Forschungskooperationen mehren.

Methoden

Systematische Befragung deutscher Forschungszentren in der Augenheilkunde.

Ergebnisse

Die aktuelle Forschungslandkarte erfasst Daten aus 41 deutschen Forschungszentren für den Berichtszeitraum 2018 bis 2020. Im Vergleich zu vorangegangenen Auflagen der Forschungslandkarte ist ein deutlicher Anstieg wissenschaftlicher Aktivität zu verzeichnen. Unter anderem stieg die Zahl der gemeldeten Studien auf einen Wert von 496. Die Anzahl der hoheitlich geförderten Forschungsprojekte (n = 121) und der durch Stiftungen geförderten Projekte (n = 108) erhöhte sich ebenfalls. Und es ist nahezu eine Verdopplung der von Vertretern der deutschen Augenheilkunde vorgelegten wissenschaftlichen Publikationen zu verzeichnen: Wurden für den Zeitraum von 2012 bis 2014 1919 und im Zeitraum von 2015 bis 2017 2305 Publikationen veröffentlicht, so waren es im aktuellen Berichtszeitraum 4215. Die Landkarte berichtet darüber hinaus auch von einem kontinuierlichen Zuwachs des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses in der Augenheilkunde.

Diskussion

Die Forschungslandkarte demonstriert die Leistungsfähigkeit der deutschen wissenschaftlichen Augenheilkunde. Gleichzeitig ist der weitere Bedarf an Forschung in der Augenheilkunde ungebrochen sehr hoch, denn viele Erkrankungen, die die Augen betreffen, sind heute noch nicht oder noch nicht vollständig heilbar.
Maternal socioeconomic and lifestyle factors and life dissatisfaction associated with a small for gestational age infant. The Survey of Neonates in Pomerania (SNiP)
Authors: Pierdant Guillermo , Ittermann Till , Freyer-Adam Jennis , Siewert-Markus Ulrike , Grabe Hans Jörgen , Dörr Marcus , Heckmann Matthias , Zygmunt Marek , Lange Anja Erika , Markus Marcello Ricardo Paulista
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The aim is to investigate the associations of the mother’s socioeconomic and lifestyle factors and life satisfaction with the delivery of a small for gestational age (SGA) infant.

Methods

Data from 4598 participants of the population-based birth cohort study Survey of Neonates in Pomerania (SniP) including comprehensive information on pregnancies, mothers, and their offspring in Western Pomerania, Germany were used in this study. The associations were analyzed using linear and logistic regression models.

Results

After logistic regression analysis adjusted for height of the mother, women who delivered SGA infants, had lower education (p < 0.01) and smoked more frequently during pregnancy (p < 0.01) compared with mothers of adequate for gestational age (AGA) neonates. A mother with less than 10 years of education and one who continued smoking during pregnancy had an odds ratio (OR) of 2.23 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.44 to 3.46] and 2.68 (95% CI = 2.06–3.49) of having an SGA infant, respectively. There was no association between the employment of the mother (p = 0.28), the monthly income (p = 0.09), the family status (p = 0.80), the number of friendships outside the household that the mother would not wish to relinquish (p = 0.47), the number of people that she could rely on in case of an emergency (p = 0.75), or alcohol consumption prior to (p = 0.14) or during the pregnancy (p = 0.99) with SGA. Finally, women who delivered SGA infants were more frequently dissatisfied with their employment (p = 0.03) and financial status (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Women who delivered SGA infants had more associated socioeconomic and lifestyle risk factors and were more frequently dissatisfied with their life conditions than mothers of AGA neonates.
Living longer, working longer: analysing time trends in working life expectancy in Germany from a health perspective between 2002 and 2018
Authors: Heller Chiara , Sperlich Stefanie , Tetzlaff Fabian , Geyer Siegfried , Epping Jelena , Beller Johannes , Tetzlaff Juliane
Published: May 2022

Population ageing poses growing challenges to social security systems, in particular to public pension funds. The study analyses how Working Life Expectancy (WLE) and Healthy Working Life Expectancy (HWLE) in terms of three health indicators developed in Germany. Based on the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) from 2002 to 2018 (n = 211,141), time trends in labour force rates, mental and physical Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), self-rated health (SRH) and the respective combinations (health indicator*labour force) were analysed for all respondents aged 18–74. WLE and HWLE were calculated using the Sullivan method. WLE and HWLE in men and women at age 18 and 50 clearly increased over time. These increases in HWLE were found in terms of all three health indicators. This development was mainly driven by the clear increase of the labour force rates, since the shares of individuals with good and satisfactory SRH or average and good HRQoL remained largely stable over time. The results show that from a health perspective there have been potentials for increases in WLE during the past two decades and that increasingly more healthy life years are spent economically active. However, life years in the labour force but in poor health have increased, too. The absence of clear improvements in health emphasises the importance of current and future preventive measures to maintain health, especially among the middle-aged and older labour force.
The Heliosphere and Local Interstellar Medium from Neutral Atom Observations at Energies Below 10 keV
Authors: Galli André , Baliukin Igor I. , Bzowski Maciej , Izmodenov Vladislav V. , Kornbleuth Marc , Kucharek Harald , Möbius Eberhard , Opher Merav , Reisenfeld Dan , Schwadron Nathan A. , Swaczyna Paweł
Published: May 2022

As the heliosphere moves through the surrounding interstellar medium, a fraction of the interstellar neutral helium, hydrogen, and heavier species crossing the heliopause make it to the inner heliosphere as neutral atoms with energies ranging from few eV to several hundred eV. In addition, energetic neutral hydrogen atoms originating from solar wind protons and from pick-up ions are created through charge-exchange with interstellar atoms.

This review summarizes all observations of heliospheric energetic neutral atoms and interstellar neutrals at energies below 10 keV. Most of these data were acquired with the Interstellar Boundary Explorer launched in 2008. Among many other IBEX breakthroughs, it provided the first ever all-sky maps of energetic neutral atoms from the heliosphere and enabled the science community to measure in-situ interstellar neutral hydrogen, oxygen, and neon for the first time.

These observations have revolutionized and keep challenging our understanding of the heliosphere shaped by the combined forces of the local interstellar flow, the local interstellar magnetic field, and the time-dependent solar wind.
Sparse and Simple Structure Estimation via Prenet Penalization
Authors: Hirose Kei , Terada Yoshikazu
Published: May 2022

We propose a prenet (product-based elastic net), a novel penalization method for factor analysis models. The penalty is based on the product of a pair of elements in each row of the loading matrix. The prenet not only shrinks some of the factor loadings toward exactly zero but also enhances the simplicity of the loading matrix, which plays an important role in the interpretation of the common factors. In particular, with a large amount of prenet penalization, the estimated loading matrix possesses a perfect simple structure, which is known as a desirable structure in terms of the simplicity of the loading matrix. Furthermore, the perfect simple structure estimation via the proposed penalization turns out to be a generalization of the k-means clustering of variables. On the other hand, a mild amount of the penalization approximates a loading matrix estimated by the quartimin rotation, one of the most commonly used oblique rotation techniques. Simulation studies compare the performance of our proposed penalization with that of existing methods under a variety of settings. The usefulness of the perfect simple structure estimation via our proposed procedure is presented through various real data applications.
Implementing and Sustaining Brief Addiction Medicine Interventions with the Support of a Quality Improvement Blended-eLearning Course: Learner Experiences and Meaningful Outcomes in Kenya
Authors: Clair Veronic , Atkinson Kaitlin , Musau Abednego , Mutiso Victoria , Bosire Edna , Gitonga Isaiah , Small Will , Ndetei David , Frank Erica
Published: May 2022

Quality improvement methods could assist in achieving needed health systems improvements to address mental health and substance use, especially in low-middle-income countries (LMICs). Online learning is a promising avenue to deliver quality improvement training. This Computer-based Drug and Alcohol Training Assessment in Kenya (eDATA-K) study assessed users’ experience and outcome of a blended-eLearning quality improvement course and collaborative learning sessions. A theory of change, developed with decision-makers, identified relevant indicators of success. Data, analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis, were collected through extensive field observations, the eLearning platform, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The results showed that 22 community health workers and clinicians in five facilities developed competencies enabling them to form quality improvement teams and sustain the new substance-use services for the 8 months of the study, resulting in 4591 people screened, of which 575 received a brief intervention. Factors promoting course completion included personal motivation, prior positive experience with NextGenU.org’s courses, and a certificate. Significant challenges included workload and network issues. The findings support the effectiveness of the blended-eLearning model to assist health workers in sustaining new services, in a supportive environment, even in a LMIC peri-urban and rural settings.
The role of stereotactic radiotherapy in addition to immunotherapy in the management of melanoma brain metastases: results of a systematic review
Authors: Lancellotta Valentina , Del Regno Laura , Di Stefani Alessandro , Fionda Bruno , Marazzi Fabio , Rossi Ernesto , Balducci Mario , Pampena Riccardo , Morganti Alessio Giuseppe , Mangoni Monica , Lebbe Celeste , Garbe Claus , Longo Caterina , Schinzari Giovanni , Tagliaferri Luca , Peris Ketty
Published: May 2022

Aim of this study was to systematically review the literature to assess efficacy and safety of stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) in combination with immunotherapy for the treatment of melanoma brain metastases (MBM). The literature was searched using PubMed, Scopus, and Embase. Studies comparing SRT plus immunotherapy versus SRT or immunotherapy alone were deemed eligible for inclusion. Two studies showed improved overall survival after SRT plus immunotherapy in melanoma cancer patients with brain metastases. Three studies reported data on LC and DFS showing as SRT plus immunotherapy did not improve local control and DFS rates. G3-G4 toxicity was reported in only one study (20% in the SRT plus immunotherapy group versus 23% in the immunotherapy group). Despite SRT plus concurrent immunotherapy seems associated with possible survival advantage and low ≥ G3 late toxicity rates, the quality of evidence is very low. Therefore, in patients with brain metastases from melanoma, SRT plus immunotherapy should be evaluated on an individual basis after discussion by a multidisciplinary team.
Learning-based autonomous vascular guidewire navigation without human demonstration in the venous system of a porcine liver
Authors: Karstensen Lennart , Ritter Jacqueline , Hatzl Johannes , Pätz Torben , Langejürgen Jens , Uhl Christian , Mathis-Ullrich Franziska
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The navigation of endovascular guidewires is a dexterous task where physicians and patients can benefit from automation. Machine learning-based controllers are promising to help master this task. However, human-generated training data are scarce and resource-intensive to generate. We investigate if a neural network-based controller trained without human-generated data can learn human-like behaviors.

Methods

We trained and evaluated a neural network-based controller via deep reinforcement learning in a finite element simulation to navigate the venous system of a porcine liver without human-generated data. The behavior is compared to manual expert navigation, and real-world transferability is evaluated.

Results

The controller achieves a success rate of 100% in simulation. The controller applies a wiggling behavior, where the guidewire tip is continuously rotated alternately clockwise and counterclockwise like the human expert applies. In the ex vivo porcine liver, the success rate drops to 30%, because either the wrong branch is probed, or the guidewire becomes entangled.

Conclusion

In this work, we prove that a learning-based controller is capable of learning human-like guidewire navigation behavior without human-generated data, therefore, mitigating the requirement to produce resource-intensive human-generated training data. Limitations are the restriction to one vessel geometry, the neglected safeness of navigation, and the reduced transferability to the real world.
Suicide Risk Assessments: A Scientific and Ethical Critique
Authors: Smith Mike
Published: May 2022

There are widely held premises that suicide is almost exclusively the result of mental illness and there is “strong evidence for successfully detecting and managing suicidality in healthcare”(Hogan and Grumet, 2016). In this context, ‘zero-suicide’ policies have emerged, andsuicide risk assessmenttools have become a normative component of psychiatric practice. This essay discusses how suicide evolved from a moral to a medical problem and how, in an effort to reduce suicide, a paternalistic healthcare response emerged to predict those at high risk. The evidence for the premises is critiqued and shown to be problematic; and it is found that strongpaternalistic interventions are being used more often than acknowledged. Using a Principles approach, the ethics of overriding autonomy in suicide prevention is considered. Ethical concerns are identified with the current approach which are potentially amplified by the use of these risk assessments. Furthermore, it is identified that the widespread use of risk assessments in health settings is equivalent to screening without regard to the ethical principles of screening. The essay concludes that this is unethical; that we should abandon the use of standardized suicide risk assessments and ‘zero-suicide’ policy; and that this may improve outcomes.
Awareness of sex and gender dimensions among physicians: the European federation of internal medicine assessment of gender differences in Europe (EFIM-IMAGINE) survey
Authors: Biskup Ewelina , Marra Alberto M. , Ambrosino Immacolata , Barbagelata Elena , Basili Stefania , de Graaf Jacqueline , Gonzalvez-Gasch Asunción , Kaaja Risto , Karlafti Eleni , Lotan Dor , Kautzky-Willer Alexandra , Perticone Maria , Politi Cecilia , Schenck-Gustafsson Karin , Vilas-Boas Andreia , Roeters van Lennep Jeanine , Gans Emma A. , Regitz-Zagrosek Vera , Pilote Louise , Proietti Marco , Raparelli Valeria ,   Internal Medicine Assessment of Gender differences IN Europe (IMAGINE) Working group within the European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM), Montano Nicola , Pàllson Runòlfur , Korokin Valentin , Corbella Xavier , Sereni Daniel , Gans Rijk
Published: May 2022

Sociocultural gender is a complex construct encompassing different aspects of individuals’ life, whereas sex refers to biological factors. These terms are often misused, although they impact differently on individuals’ health. Recognizing the role of sex and gender on health status is fundamental in the pursuit of a personalized medicine. Aim of the current study was to investigate the awareness in approaching clinical and research questions on the impact of sex and gender on health among European internists. Clinicians affiliated with the European Federation of Internal Medicine from 33 countries participated to the study on a voluntary basis between January 1st, 2018 and July 31st, 2019. Internists’ awareness and knowledge on sex and gender issues in clinical medicine were measured by an online anonymized 7-item survey. A total of 1323 European internists responded to the survey of which 57% were women, mostly young or middle-aged (78%), and practicing in public general medicine services (74.5%). The majority (79%) recognized that sex and gender are not interchangeable terms, though a wide discrepancy exists on what clinicians think sex and gender concepts incorporate. Biological sex and sociocultural gender were recognized as determinants of health mainly in cardiovascular and autoimmune/rheumatic diseases. Up to 80% of respondents acknowledged the low participation of female individuals in trials and more than 60% the lack of sex-specific clinical guidelines. Internists also express the willingness of getting more knowledge on the impact of sex and gender in cerebrovascular/cognitive and inflammatory bowel diseases. Biological sex and sociocultural gender are factors influencing health and disease. Although awareness and knowledge remain suboptimal across European internists, most acknowledge the underrepresentation of female subjects in trials, the lack of sex-specific guidelines and the need of being more informed on sex and gender-based differences in diseases.
Prelog Chow rings and degenerations
Authors: Böhning Christian , von Bothmer Hans-Christian Graf , van Garrel Michel
Published: May 2022

For a simple normal crossing variety X, we introduce the concepts of prelog Chow ring, saturated prelog Chow group, as well as their counterparts for numerical equivalence. Thinking of X as the central fibre in a (strictly) semistable degeneration, these objects can intuitively be thought of as consisting of cycle classes on X for which some initial obstruction to arise as specializations of cycle classes on the generic fibre is absent. Cycle classes in the generic fibre specialize to their prelog counterparts in the central fibre, thus extending to Chow rings the method of studying smooth varieties via strictly semistable degenerations. After proving basic properties for prelog Chow rings and groups, we explain how they can be used in an envisaged further development of the degeneration method by Voisin et al. to prove stable irrationality of very general fibres of certain families of varieties; this extension would allow for much more singular degenerations, such as toric degenerations as occur in the Gross–Siebert programme, to be usable. We illustrate that by looking at the example of degenerations of elliptic curves, which, although simple, shows that our notion of prelog decomposition of the diagonal can also be used as an obstruction in cases where all components in a degeneration and their mutual intersections are rational. We also compute the saturated prelog Chow group of degenerations of cubic surfaces.
Public Policies for Geodiversity in Brazil
Authors: Kuhn Caiubi Emanuel Souza , Santos Flávia Regina Pereira , de Jesuz Cleberson Ribeiro , de Andrade Kolya André , Augusto Gomes Vieira Reis Fábio
Published: May 2022

Abstract

Ensuring the legal protection of geosites, or areas that have relevant geodiversity, and obtaining resources for the development of programs and actions in these territories are two of the great challenges in Brazil. This article presents an analysis of Brazilian legislation, seeking to identify the responsible bodies, sources of funds, and how each specific policy can relate to the protection and promotion of geodiversity. In addition, the proposed public policy for geodiversity, geotourism, and geoparks in the state of Mato Grosso is presented and discussed. For this, documentary research of national legislation was carried out, and existing records in the Legislative Assembly of Mato Grosso were analyzed for the Thematic Sectorial Chamber to debate the Geopark Project of Chapada dos Guimarães. The information was discussed based on a bibliographic survey with national and international references. The results show that although some geodiversity elements, such as fossils and caves, have specific legislation, there is no articulated national public policy on geodiversity that guarantees the identification, protection, and continuous management of geosites or even structural and financial support for the development of geoparks in Brazil. The creation of policies at the state or national level, aimed at establishing a managing body and permanent sources of funds, can be an important step to enable the development of actions related to the protection and dissemination of geodiversity, linked or not to geopark proposals. At the international level, the creation of a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) convention that establishes clear bases for the dissemination and protection of geodiversity could encourage the development of policies in different countries as an international framework to guide themes.
Whole-body vibration training for inpatient children and adolescents receiving chemotherapy for first cancer diagnosis: an exploratory feasibility study
Authors: Oschwald Vanessa , Prokop Aram , Maas Volker , Streckmann Fiona , Bloch Wilhelm , Baumann Freerk T. , Daeggelmann Julia
Published: May 2022

Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a feasible and potentially beneficial exercise strategy for managing neuromuscular impairments like decreased strength or flexibility, mobility limitations and bone health in pediatric cancer survivors. However, as starting rehabilitation as early as possible is recommended to preserve physical function, this study investigated the feasibility of WBV for patients receiving cancer treatment for first cancer diagnosis. Eleven patients (various types of cancer, ages 7–17) participated in the supervised WBV intervention concomitant to acute cancer treatment, which involved chemotherapy. Training was implemented as part of a general exercise program and offered 3 days per week during hospitalization (warm-up, four progressive training exercises comprising 60–120 s, 21–27 Hz, 2 mm peak-to-peak-displacement). Feasibility, which was defined as the absence of WBV-related serious adverse events leading to study dropout, was primarily evaluated. Training documentation was additionally analyzed. As a main result, no serious adverse events leading to study dropout were reported. However, two incidents of bleeding (adverse events) were observed in patients with bleeding tendencies and low platelets (thrombocytes < 30,000/μL). After adjusting the platelet count threshold for WBV participation to 30,000/μL, no further incidents occurred. Moreover, due to WBV-related side effects like physical exhaustion, 11% of all training sessions had to be stopped and another 11% required reductions in the vibration load. Patients participated in 48% of the planned sessions. While main reasons for non-attendance were medical issues (35%), only few WBV sessions were missed, not completed or needed modifications due to motivational issues. Consequently, WBV seems to be feasible for inpatient pediatric patients receiving chemotherapy for first cancer diagnosis, given a sufficiently high platelet count of at least 30,000/μL. Although WBV tolerance and training motivation appear high, patient’s reduced medical condition during hospitalization can negatively impact training progression and attendance. Future research is required to confirm our findings on feasibility and to assess efficiency of WBV training for pediatric cancer patients receiving cancer treatment.
Biological seed treatments promote crop establishment and yield: a global meta-analysis
Authors: Lamichhane Jay Ram , Corrales David Camilo , Soltani Elias
Published: May 2022

Seeds are a vector of genetic progress and, as such, they play a significant role in the sustainability of the agri-food system. The current global seed market is worth USD 60 billion that is expected to reach USD 80 billion by 2025. Seeds are most often treated before their planting with both chemical and biological agents/products to secure good seed quality and high yield by reducing or preventing losses caused by diseases. There is increasing interest in biological seed treatments as alternatives to chemical seed treatments as the latter have several negative human health and environmental impacts. However, no study has yet quantified the effectiveness of biological seed treatments to enhance crop performance and yield. Our meta-analysis encompassing 396 studies worldwide reveals for the first time that biological seed treatments significantly improve seed germination (7±6%), seedling emergence (91±5%), plant biomass (53±5%), disease control (55±1%), and crop yield (21±2%) compared to untreated seeds across contrasted crop groups, target pathogens, climatic regions, and experimental conditions. We conclude that biological seed treatments may represent a sustainable solution to feed the increasing global populations while avoiding negative effects on human health and ensuring environmental sustainability.
Comparison of models for leaf blotch disease management in wheat based on historical yield and weather data in the Nordic-Baltic region
Authors: Andersson Björn , Djurle Annika , Ørum Jens Erik , Jalli Marja , Ronis Antanas , Ficke Andrea , Jørgensen Lise Nistrup
Published: May 2022

Validation of models for plant disease management is a crucial part in the development of decision support systems in plant protection. Bespoke field trials are usually conducted to determine the performance of a model under practical conditions. However, field trials are very resource-demanding, and the use of already existing field trial data could significantly reduce costs for model validation. In this study, we took this novel approach to verify the performance of models for determining the need of fungicide applications against leaf blotch diseases in wheat by utilising historical weather data and yield data available from fungicide efficacy field trials. Two models based on humidity factors were used in the study. To estimate how specific humidity settings in the two models affect the number of recommended fungicide treatments per season, historical weather data from a 5-year period from weather stations in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Lithuania was used. The model output shows major differences between seasons and regions, typically recommending between one and three treatments per season. To determine the prediction potential of the models, data on yield gains from either one or two fungicide applications in fungicide efficacy trials conducted in wheat over a 5-year period in the five countries was utilised. The yield responses from fungicide treatments in the efficacy trials varied considerably between years and countries, as did the proportion of predictions of profitable treatments. In general, there was a tendency for the models to overestimate the need to apply fungicides (low specificity), but they rarely failed to recommend an application that was needed (high sensitivity). Despite the importance of having specific trials across regions in order to adjust models to local cropping and weather conditions, our study shows that historical weather data and existing field trial data have the potential to be used in model validation.
Available water capacity from a multidisciplinary and multiscale viewpoint. A review
Authors: Cousin Isabelle , Buis Samuel , Lagacherie Philippe , Doussan Claude , Le Bas Christine , Guérif Martine
Published: May 2022

Soil–plant–atmosphere models and certain land surface models usually require information about the ability of soils to store and release water. Thus, a critical soil parameter for such reservoir-like models is the available water capacity (AWC), which is usually recognized as the most influential parameter when modeling water transfer. AWC does not have a single definition despite its wide use by scientists in research models, by regional managers as land-management tools and by farmers as decision-aid tools. Methods used to estimate AWC are also diverse, including laboratory measurements of soil samples, field monitoring, use of pedotransfer functions, and inverse modeling of soil-vegetation models. However, the resulting estimates differ and, depending on the method and scale, may have high uncertainty. Here, we review the many definitions of AWC, as well as soil and soil–plant approaches used to estimate it from local to larger spatial scales. We focus especially on the limits and uncertainties of each method. We demonstrate that in soil science, AWC represents a capacity—the size of the water reservoir that plants can use—whereas in agronomy, it represents an ability—the quantity of water that a plant can withdraw from the soil. We claim that the two approaches should be hybridized to improve the definitions and estimates of AWC. We also recommend future directions: (i) adapt pedotransfer functions to provide information about plants, (ii) integrate newly available information from soil mapping in spatial inverse-modeling applications, and (iii) integrate model-inversion results into methods for digital soil mapping.
Super-Men and Wonder-Women: the Relationship Between the Acceptance of Self-enhancement, Personality, and Values
Authors: Schönthaler Elena M. D. , Hofer Gabriela , Grinschgl Sandra , Neubauer Aljoscha C.
Published: May 2022

Due to ongoing technological innovations, self-enhancement methods are publicly discussed, researched from different perspectives, and part of ethical debates. However, only few studies investigated the acceptance of these methods and its relationship with personality traits and values. The present study investigated to what extent people accept different enhancement methods and whether acceptance can be predicted by Big Five and Dark Triad traits, vulnerable narcissism, and values. In an online survey (N = 450), we measured personality traits and values. Additionally, participants read scenarios about enhancement methods and answered questions about their acceptance of these scenarios. Factor analysis indicated a general factor of acceptance across scenarios. Correlation analyses showed that high agreeableness, agreeableness-compassion, conscientiousness, conscientiousness-industriousness, and conservation- and self-transcendence values are related to less acceptance of self-enhancement. Moreover, individuals high on Dark Triad traits, vulnerable narcissism, and self-enhancement values exhibit more acceptance. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that said values and Big Five traits explained unique variance in the acceptance of self-enhancement. These findings highlight the importance of considering personality and values when investigating self-enhancement—a topic that is receiving increasing attention by the public, politicians, and scientists.
Introduction: Researching Corpus Pragmatics in Irish English
Authors: Ronan Patricia , Kirk John
Published: May 2022

This Introduction to the Special Issue describes the research background to Irish English Corpus Pragmatics. It also gives a brief overview of the papers accepted for the Special Issue. These papers introduce new approaches to the field of Irish Corpus Pragmatics, allowing scholars to expand their methodological tool boxes in dealing with Pragmatics on the basis of corpus evidence.
Review on light absorbing materials for unassisted photoelectrochemical water splitting and systematic classifications of device architectures
Authors: Moon Choongman , Shin Byungha
Published: May 2022

A photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting device integrates a photovoltaic cell and electrocatalysts into a single device to produce hydrogen fuel from water using solar irradiance. The major driving force behind PEC research is that it can potentially be a cost-efficient way to produce hydrogen in a renewable way, however, current PEC devices for hydrogen production are not economically viable yet. This review provides comprehensive discussions on the major challenges on practical solar hydrogen production by PEC from the standpoint of device structure and light absorber materials. We started by systematically classifying PEC device structures based on the electrical junctions on the light absorber materials. Based on the classification scheme, we showed that the choices of a device structure and light absorber materials are cross-linked in current PEC studies and affects electron/ion transport in a PEC device. The correlation between the device structure and materials underlines the necessity of reviewing the light absorber materials for the top and bottom cells in a tandem PEC device as a whole. We categorize the light absorber materials based on their crustal abundance because it is a major factor that determines device structure and scalability in TW-scale, and discuss their influence on the efficiency, stability, and scalability of a PEC water-splitting system.
The Use of Bruton Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia
Authors: Ababneh Obada , Abushukair Hassan , Qarqash Aref , Syaj Sebawe , Al Hadidi Samer
Published: May 2022

The use of Bruton Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitors in Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia (WM) is evolving. Ibrutinib, a first-generation BTK inhibitor, is currently approved for use in frontline and relapsed/refractory disease. Second-generation BTK inhibitors are being used and studied to improve clinical outcomes and/or safety profile. Zanubrutinib, one such second-generation inhibitor, was recently approved in treatment-naive and refractory/relapsed patients. Here, we review the use of BTK inhibitors in WM in front-line and refractory or relapsed settings. We also highlight common adverse events, the emergence of BTK inhibitors resistance, and future directions of their use.
Ukraine, Cyberattacks, and the Lessons for International Law
Authors: Eichensehr Kristen E.
Published: May 2022

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has put to the test theories about how cyberattacks fit into conventional war. Contrary to many expectations, cyber operations appear to have played only a limited role in the initial stages of the invasion, prompting competing theories and rampant speculation about why. Although written while the conflict continues, this essay considers how either of two broad explanations for the limited role of cyberattacks to date—that Russia's attempted cyberattacks were thwarted or that Russia chose not to deploy them widely—challenges conventional wisdom about cybersecurity. The essay concludes by suggesting that one lesson international lawyers should draw from the current conflict is the urgent need to clarify and enforce international rules not just for the rare high-end destructive or widely disruptive cyber operations, but also for lower-level operations that have proven more consistently problematic, both in Ukraine and elsewhere. Clarifying such rules could help to manage escalation risk now and in the future, even if such rules—like the most venerable international law prohibitions that Russia's invasion has violated—do not necessarily restrain behavior directly.
Variation in ampicillin dosing for lower respiratory tract infections and neonatal bacterial infections in US children’s hospitals
Authors: Daniels Elizabeth A. , McPherson Christopher C. , Newland Jason G. , Lee Brian R.
Published: May 2022

Objective:

We examined ampicillin dosing in pediatric patients across 3 conditions: (1) bacterial lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in infants and children >3 months, (2) neonates with suspected or proven sepsis, and (3) neonates with suspected central nervous system (CNS) infections. We compared our findings to dosing guidance for these specific indications.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting:

The study included data from 32 children’s hospitals in the United States.

Methods:

We reviewed prescriptions from the SHARPS study of antimicrobials, a survey of antibiotic prescribing from July 2016 to December 2017. Prescriptions were analyzed for indication, total daily dose per kilogram, and presence of antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) review. LRTI prescriptions were compared to IDSA recommendations for community-acquired pneumonia. Neonatal prescriptions were compared to recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Prescriptions were categorized as “optimal” (80%–120% of recommended dosing), “suboptimal” (<80% of recommended dosing), or “excessive” (>120% of recommended dosing).

Results:

Among 1,038 ampicillin prescriptions, we analyzed 88 prescriptions for LRTI, 499 prescriptions for neonatal sepsis, and 27 prescriptions for neonatal CNS infection. Of the LRTI prescriptions, 77.3%were optimal. Of prescriptions for neonatal sepsis, 81.6% were excessive compared to AAP bacteremia recommendations but 78.8% were suboptimal compared to AAP meningitis guidelines. Also, 48.1% of prescriptions for neonatal CNS infection were suboptimal, and 50.6% of prescriptions were not reviewed by the ASP.

Conclusions:

LRTI dosing is generally within the IDSA-recommended range. However, dosing for neonatal sepsis often exceeds the recommendation for bacteremia but is below the recommendation for meningitis. This variability points to an important opportunity for future antimicrobial stewardship efforts.
On the physical nature of the turbulent/turbulent interface
Authors: Kankanwadi Krishna S. , Buxton Oliver R.H.
Published: May 2022

The existence of a turbulent/turbulent interface (TTI) has recently been verified in the far wake of a circular cylinder exposed to free-stream turbulence (Kankanwadi & Buxton, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 905, 2020, p. A35). This study aims to understand the physics within the TTI. The wake boundary, approximately 40 diameters downstream of a circular cylinder subjected to grid-generated turbulence, was investigated through simultaneous cinematographic, stereoscopic particle image velocimetry and planar laser induced fluorescence experiments. With no grid placed upstream of the cylinder, the behaviour of the resultant interface, our closest approximation to a turbulent/non-turbulent interface, exactly matched what is observed in existing literature. When background turbulence is present, viscous action is no longer the only method by which enstrophy is transported to the background fluid, unlike for turbulent/non-turbulent interfaces. The presence of rotational fluid on both sides of the TTI allows the vorticity stretching term of the enstrophy budget equation to be the dominant actor in this process. The role of viscosity within a TTI is greatly diminished as the vorticity stretching term takes over responsibilities for enstrophy production. The turbulent strain rate normal to the TTI was found to be enhanced in the interfacial region. Decomposing the vorticity stretching term into components aligned with the three principal strain-rate directions, it was found that the term most aligned with the interface-normal direction contributed to the largest share of enstrophy production. This indicates that better ‘organised’ vorticity on the wake side of the interface yields the enstrophy amplification leading to the previously discovered enstrophy jump across the TTI by Kankanwadi & Buxton (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 905, 2020, p. A35).
Self-similar geometries within the inertial subrange of scales in boundary layer turbulence
Authors: Heisel Michael , de Silva Charitha M. , Katul Gabriel G. , Chamecki Marcelo
Published: May 2022

The inertial subrange of turbulent scales is commonly reflected by a power law signature in ensemble statistics such as the energy spectrum and structure functions – both in theory and from observations. Despite promising findings on the topic of fractal geometries in turbulence, there is no accepted image for the physical flow features corresponding to this statistical signature in the inertial subrange. The present study uses boundary layer turbulence measurements to evaluate the self-similar geometric properties of velocity isosurfaces and investigate their influence on statistics for the velocity signal. The fractal dimension of streamwise velocity isosurfaces, indicating statistical self-similarity in the size of ‘wrinkles’ along each isosurface, is shown to be constant only within the inertial subrange of scales. For the transition between the inertial subrange and production range, it is inferred that the largest wrinkles become increasingly confined by the overall size of large-scale coherent velocity regions such as uniform momentum zones. The self-similarity of isosurfaces yields power-law trends in subsequent one-dimensional statistics. For instance, the theoretical 2/3 power-law exponent for the structure function can be recovered by considering the collective behaviour of numerous isosurface level sets. The results suggest that the physical presence of inertial subrange eddies is manifested in the self-similar wrinkles of isosurfaces.
Science by Nobel committee: decision making and norms of scientific practice in the early physics and chemistry prizes
Authors: Källstrand Gustav
Published: May 2022

This paper examines the early years of decision making in the award of the Nobel Prize in physics and chemistry, and shows how the prize became a tool in the boundary work which upheld the social demarcations between scientists and inventors, as well as promoting a particular normative view of individual scientific achievement. The Nobel committees were charged with rewarding scientific achievements that benefited humankind: their interpretation of that criterion, however, turned in the first instance on their assessment of the groundbreaking nature of the ‘science’, with the applied or practical ‘benefits’ of that discovery being treated as very much secondary factors in the award. Through an interrogation of the reports sent by the committees to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, this paper shows how committee members depended on a notion of ‘post-dated utilitarianism’ in reconciling potential tension between rewarding basic and applied science, and explores the ways in which the annual prize both shaped, and was shaped by, media perceptions of scientific virtue.
Role of dietary resistant starch in the regulation of broiler immunological characteristics
Authors: Zhang Ying-Ying , Liu Ying-Sen , Li Jiao-Long , Xing Tong , Jiang Yun , Zhang Lin , Gao Feng
Published: May 2022

Resistant starch (RS) has received increased attention due to its potential health benefits. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of dietary corn RS on immunological characteristics of broilers. A total of 320 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments: normal corn–soyabean (NC) diet group, corn starch diet group, 4 %, 8 % and 12 % RS diet groups. This trial lasted for 42 d. The relative weights of spleen, thymus and bursa, the concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and IL-4 in plasma at 21 d of age, as well as the activities of total nitric oxide synthase (TNOS) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in plasma at 21 and 42 d of age showed positive linear responses (P < 0·05) to the increasing dietary RS level. Meanwhile, compared with the birds from the NC group at 21 d of age, birds fed 4 % RS, 8 % RS and 12 % RS diets exhibited higher (P < 0·05) relative weight of bursa and concentrations of NO and interferon-γ in plasma. Birds fed 4 % RS and 8 % RS diets showed higher (P < 0·05) number of IgA-producing cells in the jejunum. While compared with birds from the NC group at 42 d of age, birds fed 12 % RS diet showed higher (P < 0·05) relative weight of spleen and activities of TNOS and iNOS in plasma. These findings suggested that dietary corn RS supplementation can improve immune function in broilers.
The anatomy of a conspiracy theory in Covid-19 political commentary
Authors: Tennent Emma , Grattan Fiona
Published: May 2022

The pandemic has exacerbated moral panics about conspiracy theories. Yet defining what conspiracy theories are is just as fraught as figuring out what to do about them. This article provides the first empirical demonstration of how the categories ‘conspiracy theory’ and ‘conspiracy theorist’ are used in social interaction. We examined comments from a New Zealand politician about a Covid-19 outbreak at the start of the election period. Using conversation analysis, membership categorisation analysis, and discursive psychology, we tracked how his talk was built and interpreted by participants. The findings show how a conspiracy theory was made recognisable through the machinery of storytelling and how its status as a conspiracy theory was accomplished and challenged through categorisation. We argue that conceptualising conspiracy theories as social actions offers a way to move beyond definitional debates to examine how participants understand and use conspiracy theories in everyday life. (Conspiracy theory, social interaction, categorisation)