bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing urban-heating impact on street tree growth in Berlin with open inventory and environmental data
Authors: Hurley Alexander Gideon , Heinrich Ingo
Published: October 2023

Excess heat (i.e., Urban Heat Island; UHI) and other urban conditions affect tree physiology with outcomes from enhanced growth to mortality. Resilient urban forests in the face of climate change require species-specific understanding of growth responses. However, previous studies assessing growth dynamics were primarily based on remote sensing of communities rather than individuals, or relied on labor-intensive methods that can limit the spatial coverage necessary to account for highly variable urban growing conditions. Here, we analyze growth dynamics of common urban street tree species over time and across space for Berlin (Germany) combining dendroecological (temporal) and inventory assessments (spatial). First, we show annual increments increased across the 20th century for early (i.e., young) growth. Second, we use an approach relying on open inventory data to identify growth potential in relation to excess heat while accounting for age, potential management effects, and the urban fabric (i.e., planting area; building density, height; available soil nutrients) with generalized additive models for the ten most abundant species. Our analyses showed that younger trees may benefit from increased temperatures, while older individuals feature lower growth at greater UHI magnitudes. Furthermore, planting area as well as building density modulate growth responses to temperature. Lastly, we discuss management implications in the context of climate change mitigation, considering that younger trees are predominantly located at UHI “hot spots” and will undergo the observed age-dependent shift in temperature-growth sensitivity. By relying on increasingly available open data, our approach here is or will be transferable to other urban regions.
Symmetry-aware Neural Architecture for Embodied Visual Navigation
Authors: Liu Shuang , Suganuma Masanori , Okatani Takayuki
Published: October 2023

The existing methods for addressing visual navigation employ deep reinforcement learning as the standard tool for the task. However, they tend to be vulnerable to statistical shifts between the training and test data, resulting in poor generalization over novel environments that are out-of-distribution from the training data. In this study, we attempt to improve the generalization ability by utilizing the inductive biases available for the task. Employing the active neural SLAM that learns policies with the advantage actor-critic method as the base framework, we first point out that the mappings represented by the actor and the critic should satisfy specific symmetries. We then propose a network design for the actor and the critic to inherently attain these symmetries. Specifically, we use G-convolution instead of the standard convolution and insert the semi-global polar pooling layer, which we newly design in this study, in the last section of the critic network. Our method can be integrated into existing methods that utilize intermediate goals and 2D occupancy maps. Experimental results show that our method improves generalization ability by a good margin over visual exploration and object goal navigation, which are two main embodied visual navigation tasks.
Identification of potential quality markers in Indonesia’s Arabica specialty coffee using GC/MS-based metabolomics approach
Authors: Amalia Fitri , Irifune Tomoya , Takegami Tetsuji , Yusianto  , Sumirat Ucu , Putri Sastia Prama , Fukusaki Eiichiro
Published: October 2023

Introduction

The cupping test is a widely used method for quality assessment of Arabica coffee. However, the cupping test is limited by the low number of certified panelists and the low throughput. Therefore, an analytical-based quality assessment may be a promising tool to complement the cupping test. A present, there is no report investigating quality marker candidates, focusing only on “specialty” grade Arabica coffee from Indonesia.

Objective

This study identified the potential quality marker(s) in Arabica Specialty coffee at different stages (green beans, roasted beans, and brewed coffee.

Methods

The metabolite profiles of ten different Arabica specialty-grade coffees were analyzed with different cup scores using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). From the ten samples, green coffee beans, roasted coffee beans, and brewed coffee were selected. In addition, an orthogonal projection to latent structure (OPLS) regression analysis was conducted to obtain a potential quality marker based on the variable importance in projection (VIP). The potential quality marker(s) were validated by GC/MS metabolome profiling and OPLS analysis of different sets of samples consisting of 35 Arabica specialty-grade coffee samples.

Results

In Arabica coffee samples, the OPLS model of the three stages showed galactinol to have a high VIP score. Galactinol showed a consistent positive correlation with cup scores at all stages of coffee production (green beans, roasted beans, and brewed coffee). The correlation suggests galactinol is a potential quality marker after further validation using different samples.

Conclusion

GC/MS combined with OPLS regression analysis suggested galactinol as a quality marker and provide an early screening method for Arabica coffee quality that complements the cupping test performed by certified panelists.
Metabolomic profiling of preterm birth in pregnant women living with HIV
Authors: Tobin Nicole H. , Murphy Aisling , Li Fan , Brummel Sean S. , Fowler Mary Glenn , Mcintyre James A. , Currier Judith S. , Chipato Tsungai , Flynn Patricia M. , Gadama Luis A. , Saidi Friday , Nakabiito Clemensia , Koos Brian J. , Aldrovandi Grace M. ,   the IMPAACT 1077BF/1077FF PROMISE Study Team
Published: October 2023

Background

Preterm birth is a leading cause of death in children under the age of five. The risk of preterm birth is increased by maternal HIV infection as well as by certain antiretroviral regimens, leading to a disproportionate burden on low- and medium-income settings where HIV is most prevalent. Despite decades of research, the mechanisms underlying spontaneous preterm birth, particularly in resource limited areas with high HIV infection rates, are still poorly understood and accurate prediction and therapeutic intervention remain elusive.

Objectives

Metabolomics was utilized to identify profiles of preterm birth among pregnant women living with HIV on two different antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens.

Methods

This pilot study comprised 100 mother-infant dyads prior to antiretroviral initiation, on zidovudine monotherapy or on protease inhibitor-based antiretroviral therapy. Pregnancies that resulted in preterm births were matched 1:1 with controls by gestational age at time of sample collection. Maternal plasma and blood spots at 23–35 weeks gestation and infant dried blood spots at birth, were assayed using an untargeted metabolomics method. Linear regression and random forests classification models were used to identify shared and treatment-specific markers of preterm birth.

Results

Classification models for preterm birth achieved accuracies of 95.5%, 95.7%, and 80.7% in the untreated, zidovudine monotherapy, and protease inhibitor-based treatment groups, respectively. Urate, methionine sulfone, cortisone, and 17α-hydroxypregnanolone glucuronide were identified as shared markers of preterm birth. Other compounds including hippurate and N-acetyl-1-methylhistidine were found to be significantly altered in a treatment-specific context.

Conclusion

This study identified previously known as well as novel metabolomic features of preterm birth in pregnant women living with HIV. Validation of these models in a larger, independent cohort is necessary to ascertain whether they can be utilized to predict preterm birth during a stage of gestation that allows for therapeutic intervention or more effective resource allocation.
Towards use of life cycle–based indicators to support continuous improvement in the environmental performance of avocado orchards in New Zealand
Authors: Majumdar Shreyasi , McLaren Sarah J.
Published: October 2023

Purpose

A life cycle assessment (LCA) study was undertaken for the orchard stage of the NZ avocado value chain, to guide the development of indicators for facilitating continuous improvement in its environmental profile.

Methods

The functional unit (FU) was 1 kg Hass avocados produced in NZ, up to the orchard gate. The baseline model assessed avocados produced in fully productive orchards, using input data collected from 49 orchards across 281 ha in the three main avocado growing regions of New Zealand. In addition, the non-productive and low production years of avocado orchards were assessed using data from four newly established avocado operations spread across 489 ha. Climate change, eutrophication, water use, freshwater ecotoxicity and terrestrial ecotoxicity results were calculated for each orchard. Finally, national scores were calculated for each impact category from the weighted averages of the individual orchard results in the baseline sample of the three studied regions.

Results

There was significant variability between orchards in different input quantities, as well as impact scores. The impact assessment results showed that fuel use and fertiliser/soil conditioner production and use on orchard were consistently the main hotspots for all impact categories except water use, where impacts were generally dominated by indirect water use (irrespective of whether the orchards were irrigated or not). When considering the entire orchard lifespan, the commercially productive stage of the orchard life contributed the most to all impact category results. However, the impacts associated with 1 kg avocados, when allocated based on the total impacts across the orchard lifespan, were 13–26% higher than the baseline results which considered only the commercially productive years of the orchard life.

Conclusion

The study identified the priority areas for focussed improvement efforts (in particular, fertiliser and fuel use for all impact categories, and agrichemical use for the ecotoxicity impacts). Second, the regional- and national-level impact scores obtained in this study can be used as benchmarks in indicator development to show growers their relative ranking in terms of environmental performance. When using the indicators and benchmarks in a monitoring scheme, consideration should be given to developing separate benchmarks (using area-based functional units) for young orchards. It will also be necessary to develop a better understanding of the reasons for the variability in inputs and impacts so that benchmarks can be tailored to account fairly and equitably for the variability between orchards and regions.
Dynamic modeling of photoacoustic sensor data to classify human blood samples
Authors: Pérez-Pacheco Argelia , Ramírez-Chavarría Roberto G. , Quispe-Siccha Rosa M. , Colín-García Marco P.
Published: October 2023

The photoacoustic effect is an attractive tool for diagnosis in several biomedical applications. Analyzing photoacoustic signals, however, is challenging to provide qualitative results in an automated way. In this work, we introduce a dynamic modeling scheme of photoacoustic sensor data to classify blood samples according to their physiological status. Thirty-five whole human blood samples were studied with a state-space model estimated by a subspace method. Furthermore, the samples are classified using the model parameters and the linear discriminant analysis algorithm. The classification performance is compared with time- and frequency-domain features and an autoregressive-moving-average model. As a result, the proposed analysis can predict five blood classes: healthy women and men, microcytic and macrocytic anemia, and leukemia. Our findings indicate that the proposed method outperforms conventional signal processing techniques to analyze photoacoustic data for medical diagnosis. Hence, the method is a promising tool in point-of-care devices to detect hematological diseases in clinical scenarios.

Graphical abstract
Induction of bioactive constituents and antioxidant enzyme activities in Achillea fragrantissima (Forskal) callus cultures using ZnO nanoparticles
Authors: Khalifa Asmaa M. , Eid Mohammed A. , Gaafar Reda M. , Saad-Allah Khalil M. , Gad Dina
Published: October 2023

The medicinally effective plant Achillea fragrantissima exhibits a magnitude of pharmacological activities. In this study, the effects of different ZnONP concentrations on antioxidant enzymes, bioactive secondary metabolites, redox potential, and molecular changes in A. fragrantissima callus cultures were investigated. First, the concentrations of the growth regulators 2,4-D and BA were optimized using Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. The MS medium was then administered with 2,4-D and BA at its optimal dosage (1.0 mg.L−1); afterward, different ZnONP supplements (0.0, 5.0, 10.0, 15.0, and 20.0 mg.L−1) were added. ZnONPs resulted in many physiological and molecular responses. ZnONPs significantly increased POD, APX, and SOD activities. While 10.0 mg.L−1 ZnONPs significantly increased POD and APX activities, 15.0 mg.L−1 ZnONPs significantly increased SOD. However, CAT activity gradually decreased with ZnONPs. Metabolically, ZnONPs increased phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, and saponin levels. Phenolic levels peaked at 20.0 mg.L−1, flavonoids at 15.0 mg.L−1, and alkaloids and saponins at 10.0 mg.L−1. Terpenoids were more prevalent at lower levels of ZnONPs. With 15.0 and 10.0 mg.L−1 giving the maximum activity, ZnONPs enhanced the DPPH activity and TAC of the callus culture extracts, respectively. RAPD and ISSR fingerprinting were applied using 12 random and ISSR primers to evaluate the genetic stability of ZnONP-induced callus cultures. Six RAPD primers showed 83% polymorphism while the seven ISSR primers achieved 30% polymorphism. Consequently, DNA mutations may have been induced by ZnONPs and caused DNA fragments to either appear or disappear in RAPD and ISSR callus profiles. The dendrogram based on RAPD and ISSR combined data showed that by increasing ZnONP concentration the genetic differentiation among callus cultures was elevated. In conclusion, higher accumulation of secondary metabolites and redox activity were increased in A. fragrantissima callus cultures using low ZnONPs (10.0 mg.L−1) concentration.
Collection, Thermal Treatment, and Remelting End-of-Life Al Packaging in Norway
Authors: Bao Sarina , Eggen Sigvart , Syvertsen Martin , Kvithyld Anne
Published: October 2023

Aluminum (Al) is used in packaging due to its density, strength, and preservative qualities. The Norwegian packaging flows in 2020 are shown. The paper outlines a laboratory methodology to evaluate the recycling performance of Al packaging where parameters of collection type and pre-treatment are alternated with measurement of yield and analysis of metal quality. Further, the paper evaluates the recyclability of the Al from (1) sorted at a materials recovery facility for municipal waste, (2) from a co-mingled glass and metal packaging collection system, (3) used beverage cans from a deposit system, and (4) from a novel collection scheme. The benefit of pre-treatment is evaluated for all these systems. The results indicate acceptable yield and metal quality from remelting in all four collections systems, but care should be taken in the comparison. Collection, pre-treatment, and melting processes need to be assessed together. Overall, thermal treatment at 550°C is better than at 300°C, which is also worse than just drying at 110°C. This study aims to contribute to assessing Al packaging recycling in Norway and help future developments.
Predicting adult-age mental health with childhood reading and math disability: do resilience and coping styles matter?
Authors: Aro Tuija , Özbek Ahmet Bilal , Torppa Minna
Published: October 2023

We studied the associations between childhood-identified learning disabilities and adult-age mental health and whether adult-age reading and math skills, coping styles, or resilience influenced the associations. The participants were 159 Finnish adults (60.4% males). Of them, 48 (30%) had a reading disability (RD), 22 (14%) had a math disability (MD), 21 (13%) had RD + MD identified in childhood, and 68 (43%) were population-based controls, matched based on gender, age, and place of residence. At ages 20–40 (Mage = 29), they reported their mental health, coping styles, and resilience, and their reading and math skills were assessed. The hierarchical regression analyses, predicting mental health with RD, MD, and their interaction while controlling for gender and age, indicated that childhood MD predicted the occurrence of more mental health problems in adulthood, but this was not observed in the case of RD. The RDxMD positive interaction effect reflected better mental health in both the RD and the RD + MD groups than in the MD group. Controlling for adult-age reading and math skills had no effect on the association between MD and mental health outcomes while controlling for resilience and coping styles diminished the impact of MD. Strong resilience without the use of an emotion-oriented coping may thus alleviate the association between MD and mental health. As childhood MD can have long-term associations with mental health problems, these issues need to be addressed in school, at work, and in healthcare. Based on our findings, strengthening effective coping and resilience may be one avenue of support.
Assessing geographical differences of the COVID-19 impact on fuel consumption: the case of Italy
Authors: Borgoni Riccardo , Denova Matteo , Maranzano Paolo , Morelli Caterina
Published: October 2023

We propose a spatio-temporal analysis aiming at estimating the variation of gasoline and diesel consumption occurred in the Italian provinces as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021. We employ generalized linear models and generalized additive models to predict business-as-usual per capita fuel consumption by means of socio-economic variables, such as demography, tourist stays, temperature and territorial characteristics. The province-specific impact of the restrictions is then estimated as the difference between the observed and model-predicted values. The spatio-temporal dynamics is introduced by means of appropriate spline basis functions allowing both spatial and time trend to be smooth surfaces. Moreover, we include a smooth spatio-temporal interaction that properly capture the seasonal characteristic of different areas. Our findings highlight that the national mobility restrictions imposed to fight the spread of COVID-19 in the first wave (March to May 2020) reduced gasoline and diesel consumption homogeneously nationwide, with some slight differences between northern and southern provinces. However, the second wave lockdown (Winter 2020–2021) determined heterogeneous impacts across Italian provinces. In particular, we highlight the existence of a divergence between North and South Italy in terms of reaction to the pandemic. Indeed, while southern provinces experienced the weakest and less variable reductions, the northern provinces recorded strong and persistent contractions of fuel consumption. Also, southern and tourism-devoted provinces recovered quickly and compact to the post-pandemic reopenings.
Publicking/Privating: The Gestural Politics of Digital Spaces
Authors: Bajohr Hannes
Published: October 2023

The distinction between public and private spheres has become increasingly blurred in the digital age. As more aspects of life move online, where information is potentially visible to anyone, traditional barriers dividing public and private realms dissolve. This creates a default condition of publicness for much online activity. In response, Internet users have developed novel ways of demarcating contexts as more public or more private through “gestures” (Vilém Flusser) that range from literal bodily movements to highly context-dependent and media-specific signs. This essay argues that in digital environments, the notions of “public” and “private” take on active, performative dimensions as verbs — “publicking” and “privating.” Users engage in ongoing yet subtle negotiations to establish “spaces of appearance” (Hannah Arendt) and signify communication as directed toward distinct audiences. The essay criticizes classic theories of the public sphere as inadequate for digital life. It proposes recasting the distinction as fluid and gestural rather than stable and institutional. Although overlooked as trivial, micro-gestures of publicking and privating enable users to perform publicness and privateness in a time in which the public has become an act rather than a place. Studying these fleeting yet meaningful gestures provides insight into how users resist the default publicness of contemporary digital life.
A Scoping Review of Online Teaching in Undergraduate Surgical Training
Authors: Ebrahim Sumayyah , Dorsamy Enbavani , Phillip Jessica Lyn , Naidoo Ruvashni , Van Wyk Jacqueline Marina
Published: October 2023

This scoping review aimed to map the use of online teaching methods in undergraduate surgical education globally.

A systematic search of the literature for articles published between 2016 and 2021 was undertaken in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, CENTRAL, and ERIC databases. Records were screened independently and in duplicate. Data was extracted from the included studies and emerging themes analysed.

We screened 2142 records, and 196 records were assessed for eligibility. Fifty-six studies were included. Most studies (47/56) were from high-income country settings. Studies were categorised based on their reported focus: curriculum incorporating online teaching methods (16/56), online assessment techniques (2/56), use of social media in surgical education (6/56), virtual reality (6/56), microlearning methods (9/56), and online surgical skills training (17/56). Most studies, 55.4% (31/56) described changes made to surgical undergraduate training due to COVID-19. The main online teaching methods comprised video-based instruction on core surgical topics and skills training. The main advantages of online teaching and learning methods were convenience, access, and availability of resources, and the opportunity for self-paced learning. Disadvantages related to poor internet connectivity, and lack of essential infrastructure.

Online methods are novel and facilitated the continuation of teaching and learning activities during COVID-19. However, it is unlikely that pure e-learning will replace traditional teaching, and hybrid/blended modes of instruction should be explored to better understand its application in medical education. Further long-term studies are needed to evaluate the impact of online teaching on students’ clinical competency.
The Role of Social Isolation on Mediating Depression and Anxiety among Primary Family Caregivers of Older Adults: A Two-Wave Mediation Analysis
Authors: Liang Jiaming , Aranda Maria P. , Jang Yuri , Wilber Kathleen
Published: October 2023

Background

Primary family caregivers of older people with chronic care conditions are highly vulnerable to social isolation and psychological strains such as depression and anxiety due to their demanding responsibilities. This study examines how social isolation mediates the relationship between caregiving stress and mental health symptoms of primary family caregivers.

Methods

The analytic sample included 881 primary caregivers of older adults from the 2015 and 2017 National Study of Caregiving (NSOC). Social isolation was measured using a composite structure that includes objective social disconnectedness and subjective loneliness. Two-wave mediation models were estimated to examine longitudinally if social isolation mediated the relationship between caregiving stress (subjective & objective stress) and mental health symptoms (depression & anxiety) of primary caregivers.

Results

The study findings indicate that both subjective (β = 0.32, p < 0.001) and objective stress (β = 0.21, p = 0.003) have direct effects on depression among primary caregivers. Social isolation was found to only mediate the relationship between objective stress and depression (β = 0.18, p < 0.001). In contrast, no significant direct and indirect pathway was found in the anxiety model.

Conclusions

The study demonstrates the internal mechanism where objective strains of caregiving make family caregivers socially isolated, which in turn leads to increased symptoms of depression. Future interventions and practices aimed at improving the psychological well-being of family caregivers should prioritize strategies aimed at increasing social engagement, particularly for those with heavy caregiver burdens.
Preliminary Assessment of Joint Roughness Coefficient of Rock Slope Using UAV–SfM Photogrammetry Technique
Authors: Adnan Raja Asyraf Azizan Raja , Ismail Mohd Ashraf Mohamad , Tobe Hayato , Miyoshi Takako , Date Kensuke , Yokota Yasuhiro
Published: October 2023

Joint roughness coefficient (JRC) is an important criterion to determine the shear strength of rock, for example, as one of the inputs for the Barton–Bandis model. Conventionally, the Barton comb profilometer is widely used in the field but it is labour-intensive, has limited accessibility and involves potential hazard. This study aims to evaluate the structure from motion photogrammetry technique in producing reliable JRC measurements. To achieve this, a sample from a rock slope is used to determine the JRC readings. A drone is used to take a high-quality image of the rock slope using unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry method. Image processing consists of four quality ratings: low, medium, high and ultra-high. Digitalisation of the JRC of the rock slope takes place to create a 3D model using photogrammetry. The JRC measurement results are compared with the manual Barton comb profilometer method to verify the photogrammetry technique. As a result, the JRC of the rock slope can be produced by using the image analysis technique. The ultra-high quality has the most accurate measurement as actual length with 0% error compared to actual measurements using Barton comb. For low, medium and high quality, the errors were 10.26%, 7.69% and 2.56%, respectively, to the actual length of the selected lines. However, the medium quality is the most efficient way because it can produce the reliable JRC measurement within a short period and can be used in fieldwork.
Reactive transport modeling of scale precipitation and deposition during incompatible water injection in carbonate reservoirs
Authors: Shojaee A. , Kord S. , Miri R. , Mohammadzadeh O.
Published: October 2023

Seawater injection is an efficient enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method that capitalizes on the chemical composition differences between the injecting seawater and in-situ formation water, which leads to physicochemical interactions between the rock and fluids. These rock and fluid interactions result in changes of rock wettability and subsequent improved microscopic sweep efficiency. However, the ion imbalance resulting from seawater injection and its incompatibility with the in-situ formation water may interfere with the rock and fluids equilibrium state, causing scale precipitation and subsequent deposition which can negatively impact rock quality, well productivity and reservoir performance. In this study, an accurate, robust, and general approach is presented by coupling a geochemical module with a compositional two-phase fluid flow model to handle reactive transport in porous media. The proposed coupled model, so-called ad-scale model, is capable of simulating carbonate rock dissolution and sulfate scale formation/deposition for evaluating reservoir performance under incompatible water injection. The model predictions were validated using experimental data. This model was also utilized to predict water injection rate into a carbonate formation. It was obtained that both the reacting and non-reacting component profiles were accurately predicted using the proposed coupled model. The water injection rate prediction was also validated and showed high accuracy with absolute error and coefficient of determination values of 9.02% and 0.99, respectively. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was performed on water composition, which showed a strong dependence of reservoir and well performance on water composition.

Graphical abstract

This diagram elucidates what exactly happens during incompatible water injection in the mixing zones near the injection well (right half of the figure) or production well (left half of the figure) where most of the geochemical phenomena occur.
Optimizing characteristics of high-performance concrete incorporating hybrid polypropylene fibers
Authors: Tahwia Ahmed M. , Mokhles Marwa , Elemam Walid E.
Published: October 2023

The purpose of this investigation is to assess and optimize the impact of hybrid polypropylene fibers (coarse monofilament and staple fibers) on the mechanical characteristics and resistance to elevated temperature of high-performance concrete. Concrete mixtures were designed using central composite design under response surface methodology. Slump test, compressive strength, flexural strength, impact test, elevated temperature resistance and microstructure of concrete were the tests performed. The slump values were slightly decreased with the addition of polypropylene fibers. Concrete mixtures reinforced with hybrid polypropylene fibers have significantly improved in terms of compressive strength and flexural strength ranged from 1.96% to 12% and 14.28% to 41.9%, respectively, at age 56 days compared to control mixture without fibers. The hybridization of 5 kg monofilament and 0.75 kg staple fibers achieved the highest compressive strength (84.6 MPa), flexural strength (14.9 MPa), and the optimum impact resistance at age 56 days. The increase of coarse monofilament fibers significantly improved the spalling resistance performance. The residual compressive strength of mixture containing 5 kg monofilament and 0.75 kg staple fibers up to 63.8% of the initial strength after exposure to 800 C0. Strong relationships were obtained for predicting and optimizing compressive and flexural strength of concrete incorporating hybrid polypropylene fibers.
Influence of biochar on growth performances, yield of root and tuber crops and controlling plant-parasitic nematodes
Authors: Edussuriya Randima , Rajapaksha Anushka Upamali , Jayasinghe Chamila , Pathirana Chaamila , Vithanage Meththika
Published: October 2023

Root and tuber crops are important sources of food and provide income for millions of people worldwide besides an observed high demand for organically produced harvests. Hence, recent attention has been given to utilizing biochar, a carbon-rich material produced from the pyrolysis of organic materials, which improves soil structure, water-holding capacity, and nutrient availability, as an amendment to produce organic root and tuber crops. These effects are caused by the formation of organic coatings on the surface of biochar, which decreases hydrophobicity and increases the ability to retain nutrients, acting as a slow-release mechanism delivering nutrients dependent on plant physiological requirements. However, comprehensive studies on the impact of biochar application on root and tuber crop growth, productivity, and effectiveness in eliminating soil parasites have not been extensively studied. Thus, the purpose of this review is to explore the use of biochar and biochar-based soil amendments and their potential applications for improving the growth, yield, and efficacy of controlling parasitic nematodes in a wide range of root crops. Most of the studies have investigated the effects of biochar on cassava, sweet potatoes, and minor root crops such as ginger and turmeric. It has been observed that biochar application rates (5–20 t ha−1) increase the vine length and the number of leaves, tubers, and tuber weight. The addition of biochar demonstrates the ability to control plant-parasitic nematodes in a rate-dependent manner. While biochar has shown promising results in improving crop growth and yield of limited root and tuber crops based on a few biochar types, ample opportunities are around to evaluate the influence of biochar produced in different temperatures, feedstock, modifications and controlling parasitic nematodes.

Graphical abstract
Golden jackal expansion in northernmost Europe: records in Finland
Authors: Kojola Ilpo , Henttonen Heikki , Heikkinen Samuli , Ranc Nathan
Published: October 2023

The Eurasian golden jackal (Canis aureus) has been rapidly expanding its distribution range in Europe. Whether jackals will be able to adapt to new environmental conditions in northern Europe remains largely unresolved. Herein we provide additional evidence for the species’ ability to colonize northern environments by presenting the new records of golden jackal occurrence in Finland. During 2018–2022, golden jackals were recorded at six localities of which one located in southern, four in central and one in northern Finland. We drafted potential main routes of dispersal movements by jackals in northern Europe, and discuss ecology and management of this newly colonizing species in Finland.
Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus: an emerging plant begomovirus threatening cucurbit production
Authors: Cai Lingmin , Mei Yuzhen , Ye Ruyi , Deng Yun , Zhang Xuejun , Hu Zhongyuan , Zhou Xueping , Zhang Mingfang , Yang Jinghua
Published: October 2023

Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV), a bipartite begomovirus, was first reported to infect tomato and has recently spread rapidly as an emerging disease to Cucurbitaceae crops. To date, the virus has been reported to infect more than 11 cucurbit crops, in 16 countries and regions, causing severe yield losses. In autumn 2022, ToLCNDV was first isolated from cucurbit plants in Southeastern coastal areas of China. Phylogenetic analysis established that these isolates belong to the Asian ToLCNDV clade, and shared high nucleotide identity and closest genetic relationship with the DNA-A sequence from the Chinese tomato-infecting ToLCNDV isolate (Accession no. OP356207) and the tomato New Delhi ToLCNDV-Severe isolate (Accession no. HM159454). In this review, we summarize the occurrence and distribution, host range, detection and diagnosis, control strategies, and genetic resistance of ToLCNDV in the Cucurbitaceae. We then summarize pathways that could be undertaken to improve our understanding of this emerging disease, with the objective to develop ToLCNDV-resistant cucurbit cultivars.
How does the place of residence affect young people’s disengagement?
Authors: Cinquegrana Giuseppe , De Luca Giovanni , Mazzocchi Paolo , Quintano Claudio , Rocca Antonella
Published: October 2023

Young people are one of the most vulnerable segments of the population in the labour market. This evidence is due to many personal and macro-economic factors and applies to all countries worldwide. However, the young people's disadvantage strongly differs across countries and, in some cases, also within the countries. In this paper, we aim at analyzing the influence that the place of residence exerts on the propensity to the NEET (young individuals not in employment, education, or training) status in Italy, the country that, in Europe, shows by many years the highest share of NEETs, with an evident internal variability. We applied a multilevel model using macro-data with deep territorial detail: the regional, the provincial, and even the municipality level. Results highlight the significant effect on the NEET phenomenon of factors linked to the territory, including the share of enterprises, the innovative content of the economy, and the quality of the education system. Investing in education, even in adults’ continuing education, can significantly reduce the share of NEETs, especially in the most depressed areas of the South of Italy.
The human role to guarantee an ethical AI in healthcare: a five-facts approach
Authors: Iniesta Raquel
Published: October 2023

With the emergence of AI systems to assist clinical decision-making, several ethical dilemmas are brought to the general attention. AI systems are claimed to be the solution for many high-skilled medical tasks where machines can potentially surpass human ability as for example in identifying normal and abnormal chest X-rays. However, there are also warns that AI tools could be the basis for a human replacement that can risk dehumanisation in medicine. In recent years, important proposals in the domain of AI ethics in healthcare have identified main ethical issues, as for example fairness, autonomy, transparency, and responsibility. The human warranty, which implies human evaluation of the AI procedures, has been described to lower the ethical risks. However, as relevant these works have been, translating principles into action has proved challenging as existing codes were mostly a description of principles. There is a great need to produce how-to proposals that are specific enough to be action-guiding. We present five human-focussed facts designed into a framework of human action for an ethical AI in healthcare. Through the factors, we examine the role of medical practitioners, patients, and developers in designing, implementing, and using AI in a responsible manner that preserves human dignity. The facts encompass a range of ethical concerns that were commonly found in relevant literature. Given that it is crucial to bring as many perspectives as possible to the field, this work contributes to translate principles into human action to guarantee an ethical AI in health.
Automotive manufacturing enterprise financial risk evolution monitoring and early warning simulation: based on the perspective of value chain analysis
Authors: Min Jian , Li Zhi-Qi , Liu Yi , Zhang Yu-Dan , Yang Jian-Bo
Published: October 2023

The automotive industry value chain, which includes the “upstream suppliers—the middle-stream manufacturing enterprises-downstream customers”, constitutes the closest environment for the automotive manufacturing enterprises. From the perspective of value chain, combined with the idea of system dynamics, we analyze the formation mechanism of financial risk in automotive manufacturing enterprises, construct a financial risk evolution monitoring model based on value stream and construct a financial dynamic early warning simulation model by using free cash flow. The vehicle manufacturing listed companies in 2011–2015 are selected as samples. The empirical research results show that the financial risk situation can be changed by adjusting the value chain structure, that is, the causal feedback of the system, and the result of financial warning may change. The contribution of this paper is to analyze the enterprise financial risk based on the value chain and provide new ideas for the financial early warning of the enterprise from the perspective of value creation.
Insights into active and passive carbon sequestration and causticity reduction in hazardous red mud slurry
Authors: Qin Junhao , Ying Jidong , Wang Yunji , Niu Anyi , Lin Chuxia , Qiu Rongliang , Lim Jun Wei
Published: October 2023

Batch experiments were conducted to collect data for obtaining insights into the chemical mechanisms and kinetics of red mud neutralization by both atmospheric (passive treatment) and injected CO2 (active treatment) in the absence and presence of gypsum. Active treatments allowed effective sequestration of CO2 within 1 h. A mixing ratio of gypsum to red mud at 0.04–0.06 enabled effective control of pH rebound, completely eliminating the causticity of the red mud by reducing the pH value of red mud to < 9. The carbonation of red mud was realized through the formation of carbon-containing minerals, mainly basic aluminium carbonates (largely dawsonite), sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate and calcite. The importance of calcite as a carbon carrier increased when gypsum was added. Passive treatments also allowed simultaneous causticity reduction and carbon sequestration but at a much slower rate compared to the active treatments. The research findings obtained from this study have implications for developing strategies to cost-effectively manage red mud. Where flue gas is available, active treatment could be a feasible option for simultaneously reducing the harmfulness of red mud and CO2 emission. Passive treatment can be used as a natural attenuation process for low-cost management of red mud. Where off-site utilization of red mud is feasible, gypsum addition at an optimal rate could be a more appropriate option. For future study, industrial-scale experiments are required to validate the research findings obtained from this laboratory-scale study.
An inaccuracy measure between non-explosive point processes with applications to Markov chains
Authors: Bueno Vanderlei da Costa , Balakrishnan Narayanaswamy
Published: October 2023

Inaccuracy and information measures based on cumulative residual entropy are quite useful and have received considerable attention in many fields, such as statistics, probability, and reliability theory. In particular, many authors have studied cumulative residual inaccuracy between coherent systems based on system lifetimes. In a previous paper (Bueno and Balakrishnan,Prob. Eng. Inf. Sci.36, 2022), we discussed a cumulative residual inaccuracy measure for coherent systems at component level, that is, based on the common, stochastically dependent component lifetimes observed under a non-homogeneous Poisson process. In this paper, using a point process martingale approach, we extend this concept to a cumulative residual inaccuracy measure between non-explosive point processes and then specialize the results to Markov occurrence times. If the processes satisfy the proportional risk hazard process property, then the measure determines the Markov chain uniquely. Several examples are presented, including birth-and-death processes and pure birth process, and then the results are applied to coherent systems at component level subject to Markov failure and repair processes.
Factors associated with uptake of guideline-recommended cardiovascular implantable electronic device management: a nationwide, retrospective cohort study
Authors: Young Sara , Mull Hillary J. , Golenbock Samuel , Stolzmann Kelly , Shin Marlena , Lamkin Rebecca P. , Linsenmeyer Katherine D. , Epshtein Isabella , Kalver Emily , Strymish Judith M. , Branch-Elliman Westyn
Published: October 2023

Clinical guidelines recommend device removal for cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) infection management. In this retrospective, nationwide cohort, 60.8% of CIED infections received guideline-concordant care. One-year mortality was higher among those without procedural management (25% vs 16%). Factors associated with receipt of device procedures included pocket infections and positive microbiology.
Fear of Missing Organisms (FOMO): the discordance among broad-spectrum empiric antibiotic therapy, microbiologic results, and definitive antibiotic therapy for diabetic foot infections and lower extremity osteomyelitis
Authors: Morelli Morgan K. , Son Andrea H. , Bitar Yanis , Hecker Michelle T.
Published: October 2023

Objective:

Empiric broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy is commonly prescribed for patients hospitalized with diabetic foot infections (DFI) and lower extremity osteomyelitis (OM). The primary objective was to evaluate the concordance between empiric antibiotic therapy, microbiologic results, and definitive antibiotic therapy with a focus on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and resistant gram-negative organisms. The secondary objective was to evaluate the negative predictive values (NPV) of select risk factors for MRSA and resistant gram-negative organisms for microbiologic results with these organisms.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting:

Safety-net health system in Ohio.

Patients:

Adults hospitalized and receiving antibiotic therapy for DFI or lower extremity OM in 2021.

Results:

For 259 unique patients, empiric therapies with activity against MRSA and resistant gram-negative organisms were administered to 224 (86.5%) and 217 (83.8%) patients, respectively. Definitive therapies with activity against MRSA and resistant gram-negative organisms were administered to 91 (35%) and 74 (28.6%) patients, respectively. Of 234 patients with microbiologic testing, 29 (12.4%) had positive cultures with MRSA and 41 (17.5%) with resistant gram-negative organisms. The NPVs of risk factors for MRSA and resistant gram-negative organisms for the absence of these organisms in culture were 91% and 85%, respectively.

Conclusions:

For patients hospitalized with DFI and lower extremity OM, our data suggest opportunities for substantial reductions in empiric therapies with activity against MRSA and resistant gram-negative organisms. The absence of risk factors for these organisms was reasonably good at predicting negative cultures with these organisms.
Boolean percolation on digraphs and random exchange processes
Authors: Braun Georg
Published: October 2023

We study in a general graph-theoretic formulation a long-range percolation model introduced by Lamperti [27]. For various underlying digraphs, we discuss connections between this model and random exchange processes. We clarify, for all
$n \in \mathbb{N}$
, under which conditions the lattices
$\mathbb{N}_0^n$
and
$\mathbb{Z}^n$
are essentially covered in this model. Moreover, for all
$n \geq 2$
, we establish that it is impossible to cover the directed n-ary tree in our model.
Worldmaking in the Hijaz: Muslims between South Asian and Soviet Visions of Managing Difference, 1919–1926
Authors: Bar Sadeh Roy
Published: October 2023

Between the end of World War I and the Mecca World Muslim Congress of 1926, Soviet officials and Indian Muslim thinkers imagined the possibilities of a post-imperial world through the Hijaz. The All-India Khilafat Committee (AIKC; established 1919), an organization led by prominent Indian Muslim thinkers, and the Soviet Union promoted competing projects to protect the Hijaz, home to some of Islam’s holiest shrines, against European imperialism. Yet, far from limiting themselves to the question of who should rule the Hijaz, the AIKC and the Soviet state engaged in broader debates about religious and social difference, sovereignty, and minority rights. Whereas the AIKC imagined the Hijaz as an international Muslim republic and a place of refuge for Muslims worldwide, Soviet officials contended that the political future of Muslims should only be settled within the framework of ethno-territorial nation-states. Ironically, the programs of both the AIKC and the Soviet state denied the right of self-determination to Hijazis themselves, leaving the region’s inhabitants to choose between two forms of external oversight: a Soviet-supported Saudi ethno-territorialism or limited domestic autonomy under the management and inspection of an international Muslim Council. With very few exceptions, past scholarship on the Hijaz in this period has analyzed the region’s political fortunes through Saudi statecraft or European colonial influence. However, Soviet and Indian Muslim experimental engagement with the Hijaz ultimately proved just as crucial to the consolidation of Saudi governance over the region. The article arrives at these novel insights by bringing rare Soviet archival documents together with the Urdu proceedings of the AIKC’s delegation to the Hijaz, as well as Arabic sources from the period in question.