bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Novel approach for pedestrian unusual activity detection in academic environment
Authors: Hajari Kamal Omprakash , Gawande Ujwalla Haridas , Golhar Yogesh
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we propose an efficient method for the detection of student unusual activity in the academic environment. The proposed method extracts motion features that accurately describe the motion characteristics of the pedestrian's movement, velocity, and direction, as well as their intercommunication within a frame. We also use these motion features to detect both global and local anomalous behaviors within the frame. The proposed approach is validated on a newly built proposed student behavior database and three additional publicly available benchmark datasets. When compared to state-of-the-art techniques, the experimental results reveal a considerable performance improvement in anomalous activity recognition. Finally, we summarize and discuss future research directions.
Weather prediction performance evaluation on selected machine learning algorithms
Authors: AbdulRaheem Muyideen , Awotunde Joseph Bamidele , Adeniyi Abidemi Emmanuel , Oladipo Idowu Dauda , Adekola Sekinat Olaide
Published: August 2022

Prediction of weather has been proved useful in the early warning on the impacts of weather on several areas of human livelihood. For example, the provision of decisions for autonomous transportation to reduce traffic congestion and accidents during the rainy season. However, providing the most accurate and effective forecasting model for weather forecasts has been a challenge. Hence, machine learning (ML) techniques and factors influencing weather prediction need to be investigated. Data scientists are yet to discover the best models for weather prediction. Therefore, this study compares three ML classification techniques for weather prediction. A web-based software application was developed using Flask App to demonstrate weather modeling using three ML models, and the data used for the study was obtained from Kaggle. For the weather prediction; a decision tree (DT), k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), and logistic regression (LR) classifier method were suggested, and comparisons were made between the three classifications techniques. The accuracy results show that with a 100% accuracy rate, the DL classifier outperforms the k-NN with a 78% accuracy rate and LR with a 93% accuracy rate. The results show that the application of ML models gives accurate results on weather prediction.
A new approach for varied speed weigh-in-motion vehicle based on smartphone inertial sensors
Authors: Hamad Ahmed A. , Atiya Yasseen Sadoon , Al-Libawy Hilal
Published: August 2022

Dynamic vehicle weight measuring, weigh-in-motion (WIM), is an important metric that can reflect significantly vehicle driving behaviour and in turn, it will affect both safety and traffic status. Several accurate WIM systems are developed and implemented successfully. These systems are using under road weighing sensor which are costly to implement. Moreover, it is costly and not very practical to embed a continuous weighing system in used cars. In this work, a low-cost varied-speed weigh-in-motion approach was suggested to continuously measuring vehicle load based on the response of smartphone sensors which is a reflection of vehicle dynamics. This approach can apply to any moving vehicle at any driving speed without the need for extra added hardware which makes it very applicable because smartphone is widely used device. The approach was tested through a six-trips experiment. Three capacities of load had been designed in this approach to be classified using a neural network classifier. The classification performance metrics are calculated and show an accuracy of 91.2%. This accuracy level is within error limits of existing WIM systems especially for high speed and proved the success of the suggested approach.
Data augmentation for stock return prediction
Authors: Potipiti Tanapong , Supanwanid Win
Published: August 2022

In the last decade, there have been advances in machine learning performance in various domains, including image classification, natural language processing, and speech recognition. The increase in the size of training data is essential for the improvement in these domains. The two ways to have larger training sets are acquiring more original data and employing effective data augmentation techniques. However, in stock prediction studies, the sizes of datasets have not changed much and there is no accepted data augmentation technique. Consequently, there has been no similar progress in stock prediction. This paper proposes an intuitive and effective data augmentation technique for stock return prediction. New synthetic stocks are generated from linear combinations of original stocks. Unlike previous studies, our augmentation mimics actual financial asset creation processes. Our data augmentation significantly improves prediction accuracy. Moreover, we investigate how the characteristics of original data affect the data augmentation performance. We find a U-shape relationship between accuracy improved from the augmentation and return correlation in original data.
Classification of customer feedbacks using sentiment analysis towards mobile banking applications
Authors: Rahman Nurazzah Abd , Idrus Seri Dahlia , Adam Noor Latiffah
Published: August 2022

Innovation and technology have subsequently transformed banking industry’s way of delivering products and services to their customer. Mobile banking is an effective way of performing transaction as it can be performed anywhere and anytime. The evolution of banking experience is important to fulfil customers’ need and demand especially in highly competitive banking industry. Through mobile banking application, customer can express their satisfaction and dissatisfaction directly on the application store platform. The fulfilment of customer’s satisfaction is important to avoid customer attrition. This research focused on customer feedbacks towards six mobile banking application in Malaysia which is Maybank, Commerce International Merchant Bankers (CIMB), Public Bank, Hong Leong Bank, Rashid Hussein Bank (RHB) and AmBank. This research aims to identify keywords related to customer feedback towards mobile banking, classify the sentiment and evaluate the accuracy performance by using supervised machine learning algorithm of support vector machine (SVM) and naïve Bayes (NB). The result shows that linear SVM is the best model with the highest value in all accuracy, precision, recall, including F1-score with value 97.17%, 97.21%, 97.17% and 97.18% respectively. With this high accuracy value, this model would have better performance in analyzing the classification of customer feedback in mobile banking application.
FrBMedQA: the first French biomedical question answering dataset
Authors: Kaddari Zakaria , Bouchentouf Toumi
Published: August 2022

FrBMedQA is the first French biomedical question answering dataset, containing 41k+ passage-question instances. It was automatically constructed in a cloze-style manner, from biomedical French Wikipedia articles. To test the validity and difficulty of the dataset, we experimented with four statistical baseline models, a biomedical bidirectional encoder representation from transformers (BERT)-based model, and two French BERT-based language model. We also did human evaluation on a subset of the test set. All the three tested models were not able to surpass the best performing baseline model. Human performance at 61.11% is leading the leaderboard with more than 8% from the best performing model. We made available the dataset and the code to reproduce our results.
A survey and analysis of intrusion detection models based on information security and object technology-cloud intrusion dataset
Authors: Ayachi Yassine , Mellah Youssef , Saber Mohammed , Rahmoun Noureddine , Kerrakchou Imane , Bouchentouf Toumi
Published: August 2022

Nowadays society, economy, and critical infrastructures have become principally dependent on computers, networks, and information technology solutions, on the other side, cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated and thus presenting increasing challenges in accurately detecting intrusions. Failure to prevent intrusions could compromise data integrity, confidentiality, and availability. Different detection methods are proposed to tackle computer security threats, which can be broadly classified into anomaly-based intrusion detection systems (AIDS) and signature-based intrusion detection systems (SIDS). One of the most preferred AIDS mechanisms is the machine learning-based approach which provides the most relevant results ever, but it still suffers from disadvantages like unrepresentative dataset, indeed, most of them were collected during a limited period of time, in some specific networks and mostly don't contain up-to-date data. Additionally, they are imbalanced and do not hold sufficient data for all types of attacks, especially new attack types. For this reason, upto-date datasets such as information security and object technology-cloud intrusion dataset (ISOT-CID) are very convenient to train predictive models on a cloud-based intrusion detection approach. The dataset has been collected over a sufficiently long period and involves several hours of attack data, culminating into a few terabytes. It is large and diverse enough to accommodate machine-learning studies.
Por uma teoria latino-americana e decolonial do jornalismo — critérios de noticiabilidade para o jornalismo latino-americano: o caso da revista Nossa América 2022
Authors: Barbosa Alexandre
Published: August 2022

Este artigo é a síntese da pesquisa de pós-doutorado desenvolvida junto ao programa de Ciências da Comunicação da Unesp, campus Bauru, entre 2021 e 2022. Nesta pesquisa, as teorias do jornalismo que estudam os critérios de noticiabilidade foram vistas a partir dos estudos decoloniais. Estes estudos levam em consideração as marcas deixadas, na América Latina, dos processos coloniais que resultaram em sociedades que reproduzem a lógica colonial em diversas instâncias. A pesquisa de pós-doutorado propôs a atualização das teorias do jornalismo com apoio da bibliografia dos estudos decoloniais. Como estudo de caso, foi analisada a edição número 59 da revista Nossa América, publicação da Fundação Memorial da América Latina.
Reflexões acerca dos desafios do trabalho remoto nas salas de recursos multifuncionais durante a pandemia de Covid-19
Authors: Ribeiro Eveline Borges Vilela , Costa Suélen Keiko Hara Takahama
Published: August 2022

A inclusão de alunos com deficiência tem sido constante no ensino regular e está garantida por diversas leis, permitindo que todas as pessoas tenham acesso ao ambiente escolar. A educação passou por diversas adaptações para amenizar os problemas que a pandemia de Covid-19 causou, consequentemente, o ensino remoto foi a opção adotada para que houvesse distanciamento entre as pessoas até que a pandemia começasse a desacelerar. Assim, é importante que esse assunto seja discutido e avaliado, de maneira que o objetivo desse estudo consistiu em realizar uma reflexão acerca dos desafios enfrentados por professores e estudantes das salas de recursos multifuncionais durante o ensino remoto resultado da pandemia de Covid-19. Os resultados demonstraram que os professores buscaram diferentes possibilidades no ensino remoto, tais como adotar métodos diferenciados no planejamento, antecipar modificações na prática pedagógica; utilizar material didático e avaliações adaptadas. No entanto, apesar das adaptações, ainda existem dificuldades inerentes às próprias necessidades educacionais específicas das crianças com deficiência e/ou transtorno.
Lives to live: influência, conteúdo efêmero e comunicação digital na pandemia da covid-19
Authors: Terra Carolina Frazon , Raposo João Francisco
Published: August 2022

Este artigo discute o papel e a atuação de influenciadores digitais, celebridades e artistas com seus públicos de interesse por meio de narrativas voláteis denominadas lives durante a crise do coronavírus, em 2020. Com uma metodologia de pesquisa bibliográfica de teóricos do campo da comunicação organizacional e digital, buscamos compreender de que modo a comunicação assume o protagonismo para garantir a sobrevivência e a manutenção de relacionamentos entre esses atores digitais e suas audiências nas ambiências da rede.
Onde vamos parar? Cenas da controvérsia homofobia versus liberdade de expressão no caso Maurício Souza
Authors: Brandão Vanessa Cardozo , Dias Juarez Guimarães
Published: August 2022

A partir do episódio envolvendo o atleta Maurício Souza e as organizações Minas Tênis Clube, Fiat e Gerdau, este artigo apresenta e analisa aspectos da controvérsia entre homofobia e liberdade de expressão, amplificada pela circulação em ambientes digitais em 2021. Recorrendo à teoria ator-rede e às teorias queer, observamos como o engajamento de diferentes atores aciona imaginários, evidencia disputas de sentidos, ressalta a vulnerabilidade da população LGBTQIA+ e a urgência de amplificar a criminalização da homofobia.
Comunicações organizantes, comunicações não organizáveis: trabalho remoto, comunicação e construção de si
Authors: Moriceau Jean-Luc , Figueiredo Marie Bia , Besson Madelaine
Published: August 2022

A crise da covid-19 comprometeu e revelou a importância das diferentes formas de comunicação nas organizações e seus impactos na subjetividade de seus membros. Especialmente as interações informais, de solicitude, comunitárias e gestuais são muito distintas do que aquelas entre indivíduos que supostamente são, ou pensam que são, autônomos, facilitando-as, reparando seus efeitos, fugindo delas ou opondo-se a elas. O artigo mostra que ao lado, além e fora da comunicação organizante há também o lugar, a necessidade e a reação de uma comunicação não organizável.
Ceramide Metabolism in Cardiovascular Disease: A Network With High Therapeutic Potential
Authors: Zietzer Andreas , Düsing Philip , Reese Laurine , Nickenig Georg , Jansen Felix
Published: August 2022

Growing evidence suggests that ceramides play an important role in the development of atherosclerotic and valvular heart disease. Ceramides are biologically active sphingolipids that are produced by a complex network of enzymes. Lowering cellular and tissue levels of ceramide by inhibiting the ceramide-producing enzymes counteracts atherosclerotic and valvular heart disease development in animal models. In vascular tissues, ceramides are produced in response to hyperglycemia and TNF (tumor necrosis factor)-α signaling and are involved in NO-signaling and inflammation. In humans, elevated blood ceramide levels are associated with cardiovascular events. Furthermore, important cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity and diabetes, have been linked to ceramide accumulation. This review summarizes the basic mechanisms of how ceramides drive cardiovascular disease locally and links these findings to the intriguing results of human studies on ceramides as biomarkers for cardiovascular events. Moreover, we discuss the current state of interventions to therapeutically influence vascular ceramide metabolism, both locally and systemically.
The Average Reward Rate Modulates Behavioral and Neural Indices of Effortful Control Allocation
Authors: Lin Hause , Ristic Jelena , Inzlicht Michael , Otto A. Ross
Published: August 2022

People tend to avoid exerting cognitive effort, and findings from recent behavioral studies suggest that effort allocation is in part determined by the opportunity cost of slothful responding—operationalized as the average reward rate per unit time. When the average rate of reward is high, individuals make more errors in cognitive control tasks, presumably owing to a withdrawal of costly cognitive processing. An open question remains whether the presumed modulations of cognitively effortful control processes are observable at the neural level. Here, we measured EEG while participants completed the Simon task, a well-known response conflict task, while the experienced average reward rate fluctuated across trials. We examined neural activity associated with the opportunity cost of time by applying generalized eigendecomposition, a hypothesis-driven source separation technique, to identify a midfrontal component associated with the average reward rate. Fluctuations in average reward rate modulated not only component amplitude but also, most importantly, component theta power (4–8 Hz). Higher average reward rate was associated with reduced theta power, suggesting that the opportunity of time modulates effort allocation. These neural results provide evidence for the idea that people strategically modulate the amount of cognitive effort they exert based on the opportunity cost of time.
Overton: A bibliometric database of policy document citations
Authors: Szomszor Martin , Adie Euan
Published: August 2022

This paper presents an analysis of the Overton policy document database, describing the makeup of materials indexed and the nature in which they cite academic literature. We report on various aspects of the data, including growth, geographic spread, language representation, the range of policy source types included, and the availability of citation links in documents. Longitudinal analysis over established journal category schemes is used to reveal the scale and disciplinary focus of citations and determine the feasibility of developing field-normalized citation indicators. To corroborate the data indexed, we also examine how well self-reported funding outcomes collected by UK funders correspond to data indexed in the Overton database. Finally, to test the data in an experimental setting, we assess whether peer-review assessment of impact as measured by the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 correlates with derived policy citation metrics. Our findings show that for some research topics, such as health, economics, social care, and the environment, Overton contains a core set of policy documents with sufficient citation linkage to academic literature to support various citation analyses that may be informative in research evaluation, impact assessment, and policy review.
Introduction: Approaching Gender and Ministries of Foreign Affairs
Authors: Niklasson Birgitta , Towns Ann E.
Published: August 2022

This introductory article situates Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs) as gendered institutions at the intersection between domestic and international relations. Based on an extensive literature review and analysis of articles on Australian, Bulgarian, Czech, Japanese, Turkish, UK, and US MFAs in this special issue, we claim that research on gender and MFAs has made important contributions to diplomatic studies by deepening, challenging, and diversifying understandings of what MFAs are; MFAs’ institutional structures; and power struggles within MFAs. MFA relations with other actors remain decidedly understudied from a gender perspective, however. Future research on gender and MFAs should direct attention to these relationships, including how they shape MFAs as gendered institutions. Future studies would also benefit from global and intersectional analyses of multiple axes of power and differentiation. By identifying research questions, new theoretical perspectives, and largely unapplied research designs, we hope to facilitate the pursuit of such studies.
Law of the Excluded Middle and Beckett’s Realm of Neitherness
Authors: Shehzad Umar
Published: August 2022

This study traces the play of thresholds in Beckett’s short text “neither”. Since its publication in 1976, the text has been haunted by its thematic indeterminacy. Originally published as a poem, it was gathered with other pieces of short prose on Beckett’s suggestion when he insisted that it was a short story. The protagonist (though it is too strong a term to be used in the present context) finds themself before the mobile gates of the neitherworld “whose doors once neared gently close/once turned away from gently part again”. Beckett’s text creates a paradigmatic limbo, a non-space tussling with the ghosts of being. The movement is not, as Garin Dowd contends, “from its presence to its absence, from its being to non-being, from its formation to its emptying”; the beingness of being is already reduced to shadows. The reflex of opening and closure, the subject of the text, is further displaced on to the door, effectively quashing the potency of human agency. The door here is the reality of being. The effigy of a person is left stranded on the in-between spaces. This inbetweenness is located on the site of excluded middle—a site considered untenable in the classical logic. Moreover, the study looks at the ontological praxis of this inbetweenness.
La politique de l’intime
Authors: Lecossois Hélène
Published: August 2022

Cet article propose une lecture de Oh les beaux jours (1963) et Comédie (1964) au prisme du contexte historique de leur création (modernisation accélérée, retrait dans la sphère privée, effritement de l’empire colonial français) et s’intéresse à l’intersection de l’intime et du politique. Le télescopage du salon bourgeois et de l’empire que les pièces donnent à voir invite à appréhender la métropole et les colonies non pas comme des lieux séparés, tels qu’ils furent construits, mais comme des lieux contigus et met en lumière la nature fondamentalement politique de la sphère domestique ainsi que les liens qui l’unissent à une idéologie de la domination.
The Linz Zoocode project. Fourth report of activities (2021).
Nomenclatural availability. 3. Paper publication
Authors: DUBOIS ALAIN , ANEESH PANAKKOOL THAMBAN , BAUER AARON M. , CERÍACO LUIS M. P. , DANIEL GIMO M. , DE PRINS JURATE , FRÉTEY THIERRY , LÖBL IVAN , LORVELEC OLIVIER , MARINOV MILEN , OHLER ANNEMARIE , SCHMITT MICHAEL , WHITTINGTON ANDREW , AESCHT ERNA
Published: August 2022

This fourth report of activities of the Linz Zoocode Committee is devoted to a detailed survey of the problems raised by the current Rules of the Code regarding the nomenclatural availability of works published on paper, concerning their dates, material and administrative parameters of publication, and various other matters. It proposes a few changes (clarifications and simplifications) in these Rules.
A morphological re-study of three spinicaudatan species from the Middle–Upper Jurassic of Gansu Province, northwestern China
Authors: TENG XIAO
Published: August 2022

By using scanning electron microscopy, the type materials of Euestheria shandanensis Chen in Zhang et al., 1976, Euestheria jingyuanensis Chen in Zhang et al., 1976 and Sinokontikia lianmuqinensis Wang, 1985 from the Middle–Upper Jurassic of Gansu Province were re-examined. As a result, some critical characters of taxonomic value were revealed: 1) Euestheria shandanensis has typical Triglypta ornamentation on its carapace, and should be assigned to the genus Triglypta Wang, 1984; 2) Euestheria jingyuanensis closely resembles Sinokontikia (Novojilov, 1958) in ornamentation, which is characterized by the very fine reticulation on the dorsal part of the carapace, and tubercles ornamented on growth bands in the ventral part of the carapace. The tubercles are gradually changed from the thick, bulge mesh wall. It probably implies that Euestheria jingyuanensis and Sinokontikia share the same ancestor.
The first abyssal record of Axiidea (Crustacea: Decapoda) with a description of a new species of the genus Ambiaxius Sakai & de Saint Laurent, 1989 from the Banda Sea
Authors: MARIN IVAN
Published: August 2022

A new species of the axiid genus Ambiaxius Sakai & de Saint Laurent, 1989 (Decapoda: Axiidae: Axiidea), Ambiaxius abyssalis sp. nov., is described from the Banda Sea, Southwestern Pacific, at a depth of 3000–3374 m, which represents the first abyssal record of the family Axiidae and even the infraorder Axiidea. The new species shows a combination of morphological features, that places it in an intermediate position between two species groups of the genus, differing in the shape/armature of the rostrum, the length of the article 4 of the antennal peduncle and the morphology of the pleopod I. The genera Ambiaxius Sakai & de Saint Laurent, 1989 (the deepest record—3000–3374 m), Calocarides Wollebaek, 1908 (2000–2036 m) and Anophthalmaxius de Man, 1905 (1788 m) are of the deepest dwelling representatives of the family Axiidae.
Genetic diversity and growth responses of Indonesian tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotypes under lead stress
Authors: Jadid Nurul , Safitri Chusnul Eka , Jannah Adillatul Lathiifatun , Muslihatin Wirdhatul , Purwani Kristanti Indah , Mas’ud Faisol
Published: August 2022

Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) is cultivated and consumed worldwide, including in Indonesia. It is used in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, due to its high content of carotenoid (lycopene) compounds that have antioxidant and anticancer activities. In Indonesia, although several cultivars of tomato are cultivated, including Opal, Permata, Mutiara, and Rewako , studies on their genetic information are limited. Unpredicted climate change as well as heavy metal contamination, especially Pb pollution, has threatened Indonesian food security. Therefore, our study aimed to analyze the genetic diversity of the four local tomatoes using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and to determine the growth responses of several local tomato genotypes under Pb stress. In this study, morphological responses to Pb, including plant height and root length were observed. The RAPD analysis showed that Rewako and Permata were distinct, whereas Opal and Mutiara were closely related, possessing 81.8% similarity. Pb stress influenced plant height and root length in the four tomato genotypes, with each genotype exhibiting different morphological responses than others. However, the closely related Mutiara and Opal genotypes demonstrated similar responses to Pb stress to Permata and Rewako. Our study demonstrates that RAPD are sensitive and efficient for elucidating the genomic profile of the tomato genotypes. In addition, our results suggest that genetic variation among tomato genotypes might influence the morphological responses against Pb stress.
Finite element analysis of the tensile strength of laminated fabric for automotive seat covers
Authors: Çakmak Sevgi , Meriç Kaplangiray Binnaz , Dal Murat , Sarısaç Serdar , Mecit Diren
Published: August 2022

In this study, the tensile strength of laminated fabric used as an automotive seat cover was simulated using finite element analysis (FEA). The laminated fabric has three layers and is composed of plain weave fabric and twill 2/2 at different densities, polyurethane foam, and polyamide circular knitted scrim. FEA simulation was carried out on the constructed fabric geometrically using KTEX software. The laminated fabrics were then subjected to axial stress with opposing forces. The laminated fabric is assumed to be linear and elastic in FEA. The simulation outputs were compared with real test results and their graphs. The geometrical construction of laminated fabrics is crucial to obtain beneficial results. The tensile strength results of the simulations agree well with the actual values, although the strain–stress graphs may differ in several zones. The consistency between the actual test results and simulation may provide a model for surface deformation for further studies.
Two-Stage Transit Signal Priority Control Method to Improve Reliability of Bus Operation Considering Stochastic Process
Authors: Liang Shidong , Leng Rongmeng , Zhang Hu , Zhao Jing
Published: August 2022

When bus priority control is implemented, if there is a bus station between upstream detector and downstream signalized intersection, it will lead to the unpredictability of bus dwell time caused by the stochastic number of passengers waiting at the station. This uncertainty means that the bus’s arrival time at the intersection cannot be predicted quite accurately. Therefore, the signal priority control strategy made in advance may fail, which brings about a negative impact on the operation for both buses and cars at the intersection. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a two-stage transit signal priority (TTSP) control method. The first stage is robust optimal signal control (ROC) and aims to minimize bus delay expectation and variance. Bus delay expectation and variance calculation models considering the uncertainty of bus dwell time and the uncertainty of buses in line ahead in an exclusive bus lane are proposed based on mathematical statistics theory to formulate the stochastic process of bus operation. However, extreme situations cannot be avoided by the first-stage control completely. To make up for the deficiency of ROC, this paper adds the second-level real-time priority control, which is enabled in the case of the first-stage control failure to ensure the priority of public transit. The simulation test results show that the proposed TTSP method preforms better in reducing bus delay expectation, from 9.2 s to 3.2 s, reaching 65.2%. In addition, bus delay standard deviation decreases from 8.3 s to 3.9 s by 53.1%, improving the reliability of bus operation.
Evaluation of Department of Defense Installation Entry Control Facilities Using Microsimulation
Authors: Carter Steven D. , Rilett Laurence R.
Published: August 2022

This paper develops a microsimulation-based methodology to analyze the design and operations of arterial roadway corridors, commonly known as entry control facilities (ECF), at Department of Defense (DOD) installations. These facilities serve as a means of ingress and egress to the installations and provide the first level of security. ECFs are relatively expensive to construct, averaging $12 million; therefore, it is imperative to design and operate them efficiently. Current practice is to use a simplified deterministic, macroscopic methodology when designing the physical layout (e.g., number of lanes, length of arterial, etc.) as well as the operations (e.g., single and tandem processing, etc.) of the ECF. This paper will develop a simulation-based methodology that is better adapted for capturing the intricacies of ECF design and operations. The paper proposes a general simulation-based methodology that affords ECF designers the opportunity to make realistic trade-offs between construction costs and operation costs (e.g., personnel, travel time, delay, etc.). A test case at Fort Gordon, Georgia using the VISSIMTM 2020 simulation software is used to illustrate the methodology. A variety of geometric and operational strategies were examined, and it was found that the six-lane configuration operating with tandem processing gave the best results. The improvements in delay and queue length were statistically significant compared with the other alternatives. In summary, the proposed methodology introduces a viable means to simulate real-world traffic conditions at ECFs. It is hypothesized that the methodology developed in this paper will be a valuable tool for the design and operation of ECFs.
Field Performance of Salt Brine Applications
Authors: Claros Boris , Chitturi Madhav , Bill Andrea , Noyce David A.
Published: August 2022

Transportation agencies have introduced salt brine in winter maintenance practices to alleviate impacts on the environment, human health, vehicles, and infrastructure, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. While salt brine has been implemented for several years, there is a need to evaluate its performance in the field. In this research study, salt brine performance was evaluated with field data collected from 249 storms over three winter seasons across 10 counties in Wisconsin. Field data collection consisted of route features, equipment, winter storm field observations (weather, material, application rates, and performance), and pavement friction. The methodology consisted of comparing study and control routes’ field performance measures under the same weather conditions and period of time. Study routes were treated with salt brine applications (direct application or combination of solids and liquids), and control routes were treated with solid salt applications only. Key findings of this research indicate that, on average, salt brine reduced the amount of salt used by 23.8%, reduced the time to bare/wet by 15.0%, and resulted in 8.1% higher pavement friction when compared with solid salt. The benefit–cost of introducing salt brine applications across all 10 counties was 2.14, for a horizon of 10 years.
Characteristics of HIV/sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men and women in Bangkok, Thailand
Authors: Chaiyabutr Chayada , Nanchaipruek Yanisorn , Pochanapan Oraya , Leeyaphan Charussri , Jiamton Sukhum
Published: August 2022

Background

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are a key HIV target population in Thailand. An important subgroup is men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) as they can sexually transmit infections between individuals with different gender identities. This study compared the sexually transmitted infection risk behavior of different types of men in Thailand.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 839 consecutive male patients who visited an STI clinic in Bangkok, Thailand, between 2014 and 2020.

Results

Men who have sex with women only (MSWO) predominated (58.0%), followed by men who have sex with men only (MSMO, 32.2%) and MSMW (9.8%). MSMW and MSMO shared similar sexual risk behaviors, such as significantly higher median numbers of sex partners (10 and 8, respectively) than MSWO (5; Kruskal–Wallis, p < 0.001). MSMW had the highest prevalence of concurrent sexual partnerships (91.4%), significantly different from MSWO (61.2%) and MSMO (76.7%; chi-squared, p < 0.001). HIV and syphilis prevalence was significantly higher for MSMO (48.9% and 51.1%) and MSMW (42.7% and 48.8%) than MSWO (12.3% and 20.9%; chi-squared, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

MSMW exhibited similar sexual risk behavior and high HIV/STI prevalence comparable to MSMO.
The evil corporation master frame: The cases of vaccines and genetic modification
Authors: Silva Eric O. , Dick Brian , Flynn Matthew B.
Published: August 2022

Employing a qualitative content analysis of online comments made on YouTube and letters to the editor published in US newspapers, we examine the deployment and neutralization of the evil corporation master frame in debates on two distinct biotechnologies, vaccines and genetically modified organisms. This study builds on previous research by outlining three diagnostic components of the evil corporation master frame: dishonesty, greed, and the contamination of authority. It also finds that supporters of vaccines and genetically modified organisms seek to neutralize the evil corporation master frame through aggressive, defensive, endurance, and redemptive framings. This study provides ideational detail for the ways that controversial biotechnology is constructed. The particularly vexing anti-vaccine movement is not dissimilar from other challenges to mainstream science as disparate movements draw on the same master frame. It also demonstrates how defenses of genetically modified organisms and vaccines tend to reify the anti-corporate stigma that sustains challenges to scientific authority.
How Are We Similar? Group Level Entitativity in Work and Social Groups
Authors: Blanchard Anita L. , McBride Andrew G. , Ernst Brittany A.
Published: August 2022

Entitativity is essential for individuals to experience a grouping of people as a “group.” However, entitativity is primarily studied at the individual level. If it is truly a fundamental component of group outcomes and processes, it should be considered a group-level construct. We establish that group members can share entitativity perceptions. We propose that entitativity develops in work and social groups through different self-categorization processes. Social groups can take advantage of top-down processes to establish similarity of goals and characteristics. Workgroups use both top-down and bottom-up processes with differing effects on these two forms of similarity. We propose that shared entitativity affects individual level attitudes and behavior. Results support our theoretical model. Shared entitativity explains between 2% and 11% of outcome variance in workgroups and 3% to 14% of the outcome variance in social groups. Shared similarity relates to shared entitativity differently for social and workgroups. Shared entitativity is theoretically and practically important for successful groups.
Why Do Women Entrepreneurs Behave Dominantly in the Workplace, and What Does It Mean?: A Family Embeddedness Perspective
Authors: Ni Dan , Li Ning , Zheng Xiaoming
Published: August 2022

Over the past few decades, a growing number of women have been becoming entrepreneurs and assuming a greater percentage of leader roles in the world. In this research, we develop a model, grounded in a family embeddedness perspective and expectancy violations theory, that explores why and when women entrepreneurs behave dominantly in the workplace, and what consequences this pattern produces. We propose that when a female entrepreneur is the primary income earner at home, she is more likely to behave dominantly in the workplace, and subsequently, her workplace dominance is positively related to subjective firm performance. Less industry experience strengthens the positive relationship between being the primary income earner and workplace dominance, and further accentuates the indirect effect of being the primary income earner on subjective firm performance through workplace dominance. Data collected from 58 women entrepreneurs and 271 members of their top management teams in China through a two-wave survey support our hypotheses.
Maribavir for the Management of Cytomegalovirus in Adult Transplant Recipients: A Review of the Literature and Practical Considerations
Authors: Kleiboeker Hanna L. , Descourouez Jillian L. , Schulz Lucas T. , Mandelbrot Didier A. , Odorico Jon S. , Rice John P. , Saddler Christopher M. , Smith Jeannina A. , Jorgenson Margaret R.
Published: August 2022

Objective:

To review the efficacy and safety of maribavir for management of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in solid organ transplant recipients.

Data Sources:

A literature search of PubMed and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (1960 to early July 2022) was performed using the following search terms: maribavir, 1263W94, and cytomegalovirus.

Study Selection and Data Extraction:

All relevant English-language studies were reviewed and considered, with a focus on phase 3 trials.

Data Synthesis:

Maribavir, an orally available benzimidazole riboside with minimal adverse effects, was originally studied for universal prophylaxis in phase 3 trials but failed to demonstrate noninferiority over placebo and oral ganciclovir. It was effective for preemptive treatment in a dose-finding Phase 2 study. Maribavir is FDA approved for treatment of refractory/resistant CMV infection based on improved response rate at 8 weeks compared with investigator-assigned therapy (IAT) when initiated at median viral loads less than approximately 10 000 IU/mL (55.7% vs 23.9%, P < 0.001). Recurrence after 8-week treatment for refractory/resistant CMV was high (maribavir 50% vs IAT 39%). Significant drug interactions exist and must be managed by a pharmacotherapy expert to prevent harm.

Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice:

The addition of maribavir to the antiviral armamentarium should improve the management of refractory/resistant CMV, allowing early transition from toxic, high-cost, intravenous agents such as foscarnet and outpatient management. Optimal timing of initiation, duration, and potential alternative uses are unclear.

Conclusion:

Future studies are needed to fully elucidate the role of maribavir in the management of CMV after transplant.
Prehabilitation of Cardiac Surgical Patients, Part 1: Anemia, Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, Sleep Apnea, and Cardiac Rehabilitation
Authors: Knight Joshua B. , Subramanian Harikesh , Sultan Ibrahim , Kaczorowski David J , Subramaniam Kathirvel
Published: August 2022

The concept of “prehabilitation” consists of screening for and identification of pre-existing disorders followed by medical optimization. This is performed for many types of surgery, but may have profound impacts on outcomes particularly in cardiac surgery given the multiple comorbidities typically carried by these patients. Components of prehabilitation include direct medical intervention by preoperative specialists as well as significant care coordination and shared decision making. In this two-part review, the authors describe existing evidence to support the optimization of various preoperative problems and present a few institutional protocols utilized by our center for cardiac presurgical care. This first installment will focus on the management of anemia, obesity, sleep apnea, diabetes, and cardiac rehabilitation prior to surgery. The second will focus on frailty, malnutrition, respiratory disease, alcohol and smoking cessation, and depression.
Infertility In Queens: Clinical approach, experiences and challenges
Authors: Fontbonne Alain
Published: August 2022

Clinical challenges:

It is not easy for a veterinarian to determine the cause of infertility in a queen. The simplest method is to start by investigating the most common causes and then progress by successive elimination to the less common causes. For example, mating problems are commonly responsible for reproductive failure, and owners should be particularly vigilant in checking that the mating is progressing satisfactorily. Frequently, a veterinarian may have to determine, among other things, if there is a uterine or hormonal disorder or if an infectious pathology may be involved. In the case of a queen that is not cycling, it is important to differentiate a lack of onset of puberty in a young queen from a lack of cyclicity in an adult queen.

Aim:

This review sets out a practical, step-by-step approach that veterinarians can follow, starting with the most common causes of infertility in queens and moving towards more rare or specific causes.

Equipment and technical skills:

Simple techniques such as vaginal smears are essential to determine if a queen that is ready to be mated is in full oestrus, if a queen is cycling or not and to diagnose inflammation of the genital tract. Veterinarians should be familiar with the peculiarities of the swabbing technique in cats, as well as the interpretation of feline vaginal cytology. Progesterone assays are useful on many occasions in the diagnosis pathway. A laboratory capable of performing karyotypes should ideally be available. Finally, it is important to be able to perform an ultrasound examination of the ovaries and uterus in a queen.

Evidence base:

Although it appears that infertility is a problem among purebred queens, there is a lack of knowledge in this area and too few published studies. Some causes of feline infertility remain poorly investigated.
Infertility In Toms: Clinical approach, experiences and challenges
Authors: Prochowska Sylwia , Niżański Wojciech
Published: August 2022

Practical relevance:

An infertile tom used to be a relatively rare presentation in feline practice. However, as a result of breeding strategies targeting specific morphological/behavioural traits, and the influence of inbreeding (especially practised in rare breeds), among other factors, feline infertility has become a genuine clinical problem. Furthermore, increased interest among cat breeders and pet owners in diagnosing and treating an ‘unsuccessful’ tom (including using assisted reproductive techniques [ARTs]), has made such patients more commonplace in veterinary practice.

Clinical challenges:

A definitive cause for male infertility is often difficult to identify. One of the biggest challenges is the lack of fertility-based reference values for semen quality and hormone levels. Moreover, the literature in this field is scant and many reproductive tract conditions described in other species have not been reported in cats. The establishment of diagnostic tools and algorithms is essential to facilitate a reliable assessment of fertility potential.

Global importance:

There is a growing demand for appropriate veterinary care relating to feline reproduction. There is an expectation among breeders, particularly of pedigree cats of high breeding value, that the same options widely used for dogs (including ARTs) should also be available for cats.

Equipment and technical skills:

Equipment required for investigating male infertility includes a microscope and ultrasound machine; a blood analyser may also be useful, but samples can instead be sent to a laboratory. The skills required are often already performed by veterinarians; for example, catheterising the urethra, performing ultrasonography and blood sampling.

Evidence base:

There are some reports of fertility problems in male cats in the literature, but this area of feline reproduction is still relatively undeveloped. This review draws on the comprehensive knowledge developed and shared by specialists in this field, and is supported by the authors’ own clinical experience.
Handle with care: Jury deliberation and demeanour-based assessments of witness credibility
Authors: Chalmers James , Leverick Fiona , Munro Vanessa E.
Published: August 2022

It is unclear how effectively jurors perform their task of assessing witness credibility. Drawing on evidence from a mock jury study involving 863 mock jurors deliberating across 64 juries, and building on existing research, this paper explores juries’ reliance on demeanour. While jurors make use of factors which the research literature suggests are often appropriate credibility markers, for example external consistency of accounts, there is cause for concern over the nuance with which jurors apply those assessments in high stakes contexts. The manner in which jurors look to manner of delivery as evidence of credibility is also problematic. The paper makes the case for a more circumspect approach towards jurors’ use of demeanour assessments. At a minimum, this requires that judicial directions no longer advocate their reliability, but remind jurors of the complexities associated with such assessments and the need to treat any conclusions grounded on presentational cues with caution.
Increasing the Amount and Intensity of Stepping Training During Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Improves Locomotor and Non-Locomotor Outcomes
Authors: Henderson Christopher E. , Plawecki Abbey , Lucas Emily , Lotter Jennifer K. , Scofield Molly , Carbone Angela , Jang Jeong H. , Hornby T. George
Published: August 2022

Background

The efficacy of traditional rehabilitation interventions to improve locomotion post-stroke, including providing multiple exercises targeting impairments and activity limitations, is uncertain. Emerging evidence rather suggests attempts to prioritize stepping practice at higher cardiovascular intensities may facilitate greater locomotor outcomes.

Objective

The present study was designed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of high-intensity training (HIT) to usual care during inpatient rehabilitation post-stroke.

Methods

Changes in stepping activity and functional outcomes were compared over 9 months during usual-care (n = 131 patients < 2 months post-stroke), during an 18-month transition phase with attempts to implement HIT (n = 317), and over 12 months following HIT implementation (n = 208). The transition phase began with didactic and hands-on education, and continued with meetings, mentoring, and audit and feedback. Fidelity metrics included percentage of sessions prioritizing gait interventions and documenting intensity. Demographics, training measures, and outcomes were compared across phases using linear or logistic regression analysis, Kruskal-Wallis tests, or χ2 analysis.

Results

Across all phases, admission scores were similar except for balance (usual-care>HIT; P < .02). Efforts to prioritize stepping and achieve targeted intensities during HIT vs transition or usual-care phases led to increased steps/day ( P < .01). During HIT, gains in 10-m walk [HIT median = 0.13 m/s (interquartile range: 0-0.35) vs usual-care = 0.07 m/s (0-0.24), P = .01] and 6-min walk [50 (9.3-116) vs 2.1 (0-56) m, P < .01] were observed, with additional improvements in transfers and stair-climbing.

Conclusions

Greater efforts to prioritize walking and reach higher intensities during HIT led to increased steps/day, resulting in greater gains in locomotor and non-locomotor outcomes.