bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Korean‐Lung Information Needs Questionnaire: Translation, validation and clinical implications in comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation
Authors: Kim Sang Hun , Park Ho Eun , Yoon Jin A , Shin Yong Beom , Shin Myung‐Jun , Kong In Joo , Kim Ki Uk
Published: April 2022

Purpose

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by airflow limitation and persistent respiratory symptoms. Several symptom‐related questionnaires have been validated to improve understanding for patient with COPD. We aimed to systematically translate the English version of the Lung Information Needs Questionnaire (LINQ) into Korean and to verify the reliability, validity and clinical implications in comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation (PR).

Methods

The original version of LINQ was translated into Korean by two translators and reviewed by the translation committee. It was then reverse translated back into English. The committee compared the reconciled version in Korean and the original version in English. A cognitive debriefing was performed on the pre‐final version, and a final version, K‐LINQ, was obtained. A test‐retest method for the analysis of reliability was performed within 2 weeks. Concurrent validity analysis was performed using Pearson correlation test of the K‐LINQ and other evaluation tools.

Results

A total of 110 patients were enrolled. The length, readability, understanding and suitability of the questionnaire rated well in scores for face validity of 52 Korean patients with COPD. No significant correlation was derived from the total K‐LINQ and each domain with other scales such as mMRC, K‐CAT and K‐LCADL. The intra‐class correlation coefficient of total score K‐LINQ showed high reliability. Patients who attended PR showed significantly poor pulmonary function or more severe symptoms. In addition, a significantly lower score in total score and exercise domain of K‐LINQ were confirmed in the group of PR attendees.

Conclusions

We translated the LINQ into Korean, implemented cross‐cultural adaptation and verified its validity and reliability. K‐LINQ can now be useful in various clinical and research fields in the Republic of Korea and could serve a complementary role and become an axis of successful treatment strategies, including a comprehensive PR programme.
Developmental changes in impulse control: Trial‐by‐trial EMG dissociates the evolution of impulse strength from its subsequent suppression
Authors: Śmigasiewicz Kamila , Ambrosi Solène , Blaye Agnès , Burle Boris
Published: April 2022

Goal‐oriented behavior can be disrupted by irrelevant information that automatically activates incorrect responses. While behavioral errors reveal response capture in such situations, they are only the tip of the iceberg. Additional subliminal activations of the incorrect responses (partial errors) can be revealed on correctly responded trials thanks to electromyography (EMG). In the current study, for the first time, EMG recorded in children was combined with distributional analyses. This allowed to investigate the properties of incorrect response activations and to highlight developmental changes in impulse control. A sample of 114 children aged 6–14 years was studied. Children performed a Simon task in which the irrelevant stimulus‐position automatically activates a response that might be compatible or incompatible with the correct one. On incompatible trials, the automatic response activation must be overcome by controlled response selection. As previously observed in adults, our approach revealed the presence of an automatic EMG activation of the incorrect response elicited by the irrelevant stimulus dimension. Further, it revealed another independent source at the origin of incorrect response activations: the tendency to guess for response alternation. Both sources increased the frequency of early incorrect EMG activations, indicating impulsive responding. In addition, the influence of both sources decreased with increasing age. Thus, development is marked by improved ability to manage distractibility on the one hand and decreased tendency to rely on a guessing strategy on the other.
Sublethal and transgenerational effects of a potential plant‐derived insecticide, β‐asarone, on population fitness of brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens
Authors: Xu Xueliang , Li Xiang , Wen Dong , Zhao Chenchen , Fan Linjuan , Wu Caiyun , Liu Zirong , Han Kehong , Zhao Muhua , Zhang Shu , Yao Yingjuan
Published: April 2022

Many essential oils have excellent insecticidal activity and have the potential to be developed as alternatives to chemical insecticides for pest control. Previously, we showed that β‐asarone, a major constituent of the essential oil derived from Acorus calamus L. (Acoraceae), has strong pesticidal activity against brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), the most notorious rice pest in Asia. Here, we report the first evaluation of the sublethal and transgenerational effects of β‐asarone on N. lugens. β‐Asarone significantly decreased female longevity, male longevity, fecundity, and hatchability of F0 generation individuals exposed to the LD30 and LD45 of β‐asarone relative to the acetone control. Moreover, compared with acetone, exposure to LD30 and LD45 of β‐asarone significantly shortened the duration of the egg stage, developmental duration of first instars, and female longevity of F1 generation individuals. Furthermore, the intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), and net reproductive rates (R0) of insects treated with LD30 and LD45 of β‐asarone were significantly lower than those of insects treated with acetone. Compared with acetone, the fecundity and hatchability of F1 generation individuals were significantly decreased after exposure to β‐asarone at LD30 and LD45. These findings indicate the negative effects of sublethal doses of β‐asarone on N. lugens and provide novel information on the potential use of β‐asarone as a substitute chemical pesticide.
Towards explainability in robotics: A performance analysis of a cloud accountability system
Authors: Rodríguez‐Lera Francisco Javier , González‐Santamarta Miguel Ángel , Guerrero‐Higueras Ángel Manuel , Martín‐Rico Francisco , Matellán‐Olivera Vicente
Published: April 2022

Understanding why a robot's behaviour was triggered is a growing concern to get human‐acceptable social robots. Every action, expected and unexpected, should be able to be explained and audited. The formal model proposed here deals with different information levels, from low‐level data, such as sensors' data logging; to high‐level data that provide an explanation of the robot's behaviour. This study examines the impact on the robot system of a custom log engine based on a custom ROS logging node and investigates pros and cons when used together with a NoSQL database locally and in a cloud environment. Results allow to characterize these alternatives and explore the best strategy for offering a fully log‐based accountability engine that maximizes the mapping between robot behaviour and robot logs.
Contributions of mangrove conservation and restoration to climate change mitigation in Indonesia
Authors: Arifanti Virni Budi , Kauffman John Boone , Subarno   , Ilman Muhammad , Tosiani Anna , Novita Nisa
Published: April 2022

Mangrove forests are important carbon sinks, and this is especially true for Indonesia where about 24% of the world's mangroves exist. Unfortunately, vast expanses of these mangroves have been deforested, degraded or converted to other uses resulting in significant greenhouse gas emissions. The objective of this study was to quantify the climate change mitigation potential of mangrove conservation and restoration in Indonesia. We calculated the emission factors from the dominant land uses in mangroves, determined mangrove deforestation rates and quantified the total emissions and the potential emission reductions that could be achieved from mangrove conservation and restoration. Based on our analysis of the carbon stocks and emissions from land use in mangroves we found: (1) Indonesia's mangrove ecosystem carbon stocks are among the highest of any tropical forest type; (2) mangrove deforestation results in greenhouse gas emissions that far exceed that of upland tropical deforestation; (3) in the last decade the rates of deforestation in Indonesian mangroves have remained high; and (4) conservation and restoration of mangroves promise to sequester significant quantities of carbon. While mangroves comprise only ≈2.6% of Indonesia's total forest area, their degradation and deforestation accounted for ≈10% of total greenhouse gas emissions arising from the forestry sector. The large source of greenhouse gas emissions from a relatively small proportion of the forest area underscores the value for inclusion of mangroves as a natural climate solution. Mangrove conservation is far more effective than mangrove restoration in carbon emissions reductions and an efficient pathway to achieve Indonesia's nationally determined contribution (NDC) targets. The potential emission reduction from halting deforestation of primary and secondary mangroves coupled with restoration activities could result in an emission reduction equivalent to 8% of Indonesia's 2030 NDC emission reduction targets from the forestry sector.
EXTINCTION AND THE END OF FUTURES*
Authors: JØRGENSEN DOLLY
Published: April 2022

Extinction, in biological terms, is the end of an evolutionary line, a potential future cutoff. It involves a transition between the historical past in which a species was biologically alive and a future in which it isn't, a transition from extant to extinct. In this contribution to the “Historical Futures” series, I examine two aspects of extinction histories: transition and anticipation. First, I argue that scholars need to understand extinction as a process with a prolonged and even possibly reversible transition between extant and extinct rather than a definitive end point. Second, I analyze conservation as a practice of anticipatory extinction that tries to create futures for extant species. Extinction, as a nonlinear process, demands that we consider the coterminous past, present, and future. The end of futures for a species requires rethinking how we conceptualize historical (future) endings under times of rapid environmental change.
Which food delivery platforms are winning the restaurant food delivery wars? Analysis from a consumer perspective
Authors: Tsai Pei‐Hsuan , Hsiao Wei‐Hung , Chen Chih‐Jou
Published: April 2022

The emergence of the COVID‐19 pandemic dramatically lowered the foodservice industry's income overnight. Conversely, the practical measure of remaining at home to deal with the pandemic's impact has boosted the online food delivery business. In this study, a consumer perspective was adopted and an adapted version of the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) was used alongside multi‐attribute decision‐making methods (DEMATEL, DANP and modified VIKOR) to construct a model for evaluating and selecting a food delivery platform (FDP). The results of the INRM (influential network relation map) revealed that the first dimension to be improved upon and adjusted should be security, followed by effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation and habit. The DANP influential weights suggested that habits were the most important dimension, followed by hedonic motivation, while performance expectancy was the least important. According to the results of the gap analysis, the first dimension that required improvement was performance expectancy, followed by effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, security, social influence, habits and hedonic motivation. It is expected that the findings of this study can serve as a reference for consumers selecting FDPs to better satisfy their dining needs. The novel model is discussed in terms of theoretical, practical and managerial implications.
Pulsed forward flushes as a novel method for cleaning spent grains‐loaded filter cloth
Authors: Werner Roman Alejandro , Schappals Lukas , Geier Dominik Ulrich , Becker Thomas
Published: April 2022

This paper presents a novel method to remove spent grains efficiently from filter cloths via pulsed forward flushes. In breweries, mash filters separate liquid wort from solid spent grains, a by‐product. These mash filters use woven fabrics made from synthetic materials as filter media. However, rough filter surfaces often hinder the cleaning process. Concerning modern hygienic design principles, filter cloths are only designed for efficient filtration performances, in which cleanability is not considered. Hence, in combination with strongly adhesive spent grains, brewers often reject mash filters. The paper illustrates an experimental parameter variation and a comparison of pulsed with continuous cleaning in respect to their cleaning performance. The results showed that the proposed method is suitable, reaching up to 30% higher cleaning degrees than conventional methods. Furthermore, the technique required up to 50% fewer cleaning fluids and shorter cleaning times, indicating economic and ecological advantages.
Incorporation of sugarcane bagasse in the development of high dietary fibre noodles
Authors: Lau Ke Qi , Sabran Mohd Redzwan , Shafie Siti Raihanah , Chan Sook Wah
Published: April 2022

Sugarcane bagasse (SB) is one of the most abundant food wastes. In this research, SB was incorporated into the development of noodles at three different ratios, i.e. 5%, 10% and 15%. Total dietary fibre of noodles significantly increased from 3.39% (control noodles; – without SB) to 13.85% with 15% SB incorporation. All SB incorporated noodles (SBNs) were qualified to be labelled as ‘High in dietary fibre’. The 15% SBN had the highest fibre content and lowest dialyzable glucose, but the organoleptic properties were the lowest. Due to that, 5% SBN was deemed to be the most suitable ratio for noodles incorporation, as it had the closest value towards the commercial noodles in terms of colour, texture, fibre content and dialyzable glucose concentration of noodles samples. In terms of sensory evaluation, the 5% SBN had the highest overall acceptability, and the ratio was suitable for noodles development.
A multi‐centre study on patients dying from COVID‐19: communication between clinicians, patients and their families
Authors: Everitt Rachel , Wong Aaron K. , Wawryk Olivia , Le Brian , Yoong Jaclyn , Pisasale Maria , Mendis Ruwani , Philip Jennifer
Published: April 2022

Background

COVID‐19 has led to challenges in providing effective and timely communication in healthcare. Services have been required to adapt and evolve as successful communication remains core to high‐quality patient‐centred care.

Aim

To describe the communication between admitted patients, their families and clinicians (medical, nursing, allied health) during end‐of‐life care.

Methods

This retrospective review included all patients (n = 230) who died directly due to COVID‐19 at five Melbourne hospitals between 1 January and 31 December 2020. Contacts and modality used (face to face, video, telephone) during the 8 days prior to death were recorded.

Results

Patients were predominantly elderly (median age 86 years) and from residential aged care facilities (62%; n = 141). Communication frequency increased the closer the patient was to death, where on day of death, contact between clinicians and patients was 93% (n = 213) clinicians and families 97% (n = 222) and between patients and families 50% (n = 115). Most contact between patients and families was facilitated by a clinician (91.3% (n = 105) day of death) with the most commonly used mode being video call (n = 30 day of death).

Conclusion

This study is one of the first and largest Australian reports on how communication occurs at the end of life for patients dying of COVID‐19. Contact rates were relatively low between patients and families, compared with other cohorts dying from non‐COVID‐19 related causes. The impact of this difference on bereavement outcomes requires surveillance and attention.
TIM3/CEACAM1 pathway involves in myeloid‐derived suppressor cells induced CD8+ T cells exhaustion and bone marrow inflammatory microenvironment in myelodysplastic syndrome
Authors: Yu Shunjie , Ren Xiaotong , Meng Fanqiao , Guo Xinyu , Tao Jinglian , Zhang Wei , Liu Zhaoyun , Fu Rong , Li Lijuan
Published: April 2022

Myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSC) induced cellular immune deficiency and bone marrow inflammatory microenvironment play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we revealed that immune checkpoint protein TIM3 and CEACAM1 were highly demonstrated on MDSC and CD8+ T cells in MDS patients. CD8+ T cells were reduced in number and function and presented a exhaustion state. The levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines (IL‐1β, IL‐18) and CEACAM1 were raised in bone marrow supernatants and MDSC culture supernatants. Blocking or neutralizing TIM3/CEACAM1 and IL‐1β/IL‐18 partially reversed exhaustion of CD8+ T cells. Moreover, TIM3 correlated with NF‐κB /NLRP3 inflammatory pathway. The levels of NF‐κB/NLRP3/Caspase‐1/IL‐1β and IL‐18 were all increased in MDSC of MDS. Co‐culturing MDSC from MDS patients with rhCEACAM1 enhanced NF‐κB/NLRP3/Caspase‐1/IL‐1β and IL‐18 levels, whereas blocking TIM3 could partially reverse the above manifestations. These results indicated that TIM3/CEACAM1 pathway involved in CD8+ T cells exhaustion and might activate the NF‐κB/NLRP3/Caspase‐1 pathway in MDSC, increasing pro‐inflammatory cytokines secretion in MDS bone marrow microenvironment. This study provided a basis for applying immune checkpoint inhibitors that could simultaneously modulate pro‐inflammatory cytokine secretion and enhance anti‐tumour immune function in the treatment of MDS.
Localized Native American impacts on past forest composition across a regional extent in north‐easternUnited States
Authors: Tulowiecki Stephen J. , Ranney Emma R. , Keenan Emily M. , Neubert Gabrielle M. , Hogan Marcie L.
Published: April 2022

Aim

Researchers have debated impacts of past Native American land use on forests including upon tree species composition in north‐eastern United States (US), with estimates of impacts ranging from local to regional extent. This study examines tree relative abundances to assess whether Native Americans influenced geographic distributions prior to Euro‐American settlement.

Location

North‐eastern United States (approx. 420,000 km2).

Taxon

Ash (Fraxinusspp.), basswood (Tilia americana), beech (Fagus grandifolia), birch (Betulaspp.), cherry (Prunusspp.), chestnut (Castanea dentata), dogwood (Cornusspp.), elm (Ulmusspp.), fir (Abies balsamea), hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), hickory (Caryaspp.), ironwood (Carpinus carolinianaandOstrya virginiana), maple (Acerspp.), oak (Quercusspp.), pine (Pinusspp.), spruce (Piceaspp.), tamarack (Larix laricina) and walnut (Juglansspp.),

Methods

We used boosted regression trees to model abundance patterns and to assess the importance of distance‐based proxies of Native American land use versus environmental variables. We trained models that included and excluded distance‐based proxies. Abundance estimates from original land survey records (1650–1850 CE) were acquired for taxa at 8 km spatial resolution, and related to Native American settlement locations (1500–1800 CE) and 27 environmental variables.

Results

When evaluated upon test data, regional‐scale models of relative abundance that included distance‐based proxies performed only slightly better than models that excluded them, with mean improvements in RMSE of 0.1 percentage points. Models suggest that Native American land use modestly altered the relative abundance of taxa locally, extending no more than 50 km from settlement. Models also suggest slight increases near settlement of a few percentage points in relative abundance for fire‐tolerant and/or dietary taxa (e.g. oak, hickory and pine), and for early‐successional taxa (e.g. ash).

Main conclusions

Past Native American land use had no detectable effect on forest composition across a regional extent, but increased the abundance of fire‐tolerant, shade‐intolerant and nut‐producing trees locally.
Improving Government Quality in the Regions of the EU and its System‐Wide Benefits for Cohesion Policy
Authors: Barbero Javier , Christensen Martin , Conte Andrea , Lecca Patrizio , Rodríguez‐Pose Andrés , Salotti Simone
Published: April 2022

We quantify the general equilibrium effects on economic growth of improving the quality of institutions at the regional level in the context of the implementation of the European Cohesion Policy for the European Union and the UK. The direct impact of changes in the quality of government is integrated in a general equilibrium model to analyse the system‐wide economic effects resulting from additional endogenous mechanisms and feedback effects. The results reveal a significant direct effect as well as considerable system‐wide benefits from improved government quality on economic growth. A small 5 per cent increase in government quality across European Union regions increases the impact of Cohesion investment by up to 7 per cent in the short run and 3 per cent in the long run. The exact magnitude of the gains depends on various local factors, including the initial endowments of public capital, the level of government quality, and the degree of persistence over time.
Real‐world evidence from over one million COVID‐19 vaccinations is consistent with reactivation of the varicella‐zoster virus
Authors: Hertel M. , Heiland M. , Nahles S. , von Laffert M. , Mura C. , Bourne P.E. , Preissner R. , Preissner S.
Published: April 2022

Background

Reactivation of the varicella‐zoster virus (VZV), which causes herpes zoster (HZ, synonym: shingles) in humans, can be a rare adverse reaction to vaccines. Recently, reports of cases after COVID‐19 vaccination have arisen.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess whether the frequency of HZ is found to increase after COVID‐19 vaccination in a large cohort, based on real‐world data. As a hypothesis, the incidence of HZ was assumed to be significantly higher in subjects who received a COVID‐19 vaccine (Cohort I) vs. unvaccinated individuals (Cohort II).

Methods

The initial cohorts of 1 095 086 vaccinated and 16 966 018 unvaccinated patients were retrieved from the TriNetX database and were matched on age and gender in order to mitigate confounder bias.

Results

After matching, each cohort accounted for 1 095 086 patients. For the vaccinated group (Cohort I), 2204 subjects developed HZ within 60 days of COVID‐19 vaccination, while among Cohort II, 1223 patients were diagnosed with HZ within 60 days after having visited the clinic for any other reason (i.e. not vaccination). The risk of developing shingles was calculated as 0.20% and 0.11% for cohort I and cohort II, respectively. The difference was statistically highly significant (P < 0.0001; log‐rank test). The risk ratio and odds ratio were 1.802 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.680; 1.932) and 1.804 (95% CI = 1.682; 1.934).

Conclusions

Consistent with the hypothesis, a higher incidence of HZ was statistically detectable post‐COVID‐19 vaccine. Accordingly, the eruption of HZ may be a rare adverse drug reaction to COVID‐19 vaccines. Even though the molecular basis of VZV reactivation remains murky, temporary compromising of VZV‐specific T‐cell‐mediated immunity may play a mechanistic role in post‐vaccination pathogenesis of HZ. Note that VZV reactivation is a well‐established phenomenon both with infections and with other vaccines (i.e. this adverse event is not COVID‐19‐specific).
Care pathways in atopic dermatitis: a retrospective population‐based cohort study
Authors: von Kobyletzki L. , Ballardini N. , Henrohn D. , Neary M.P. , Ortsäter G. , Geale K. , Rieem Dun A. , Lindberg I. , De Geer A. , Neregård P. , Cha A. , Cappelleri J.C. , Romero W. , Thyssen J.P.
Published: April 2022

Background

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex disease with variations in severity and healthcare utilization. Examining patient pathways through analyses of longitudinal patient data provides an opportunity to describe real‐world clinical patient care and evaluate healthcare access and treatment.

Objective

To describe longitudinal care pathways including health care management, treatment patterns and disease progression (by proxy measures) in patients with AD.

Materials and methods

This was a longitudinal observational study, which used linked data from national and regional healthcare registers in Sweden. Patients with AD were identified through diagnosis in primary or secondary care or by dispensed medications. Descriptive statistics for number of healthcare visits, type of dispensed drug class, rate of ‐ and time to ‐ referral to secondary care and treatment escalation were calculated.

Results

A total of 341 866 patients with AD distributed as 197 959 paediatric (age < 12), 36 133 adolescent (age ≥ 12‐ < 18) and 107 774 adult (age ≥ 18) patients were included in this study. Healthcare visits to primary and secondary care and dispensation of AD‐indicated treatments were more common during the year in which managed AD care was initiated. Topical corticosteroids (TCSs) and emollients were the most frequently used treatments across all age cohorts while systemic treatment was uncommon in all age cohorts. Among patients who initiated treatment with TCSs, 18.2% escalated to TCSs with higher potency following the start of managed AD care.

Conclusions

We found that healthcare contacts and use of AD‐indicated treatments were concentrated in the year during which managed AD care was initiated and decreased significantly thereafter. Since a significant proportion of patients with AD have flares and persistent AD, our results suggest that patients with AD may be monitored infrequently and are undertreated. There is a need to inform practitioners about adequate treatment options to provide individualized care, in particular for patients with persistent severe AD.
Sex‐specific body mass ageing trajectories in adult Asian elephants
Authors: Lalande Lucas D. , Lummaa Virpi , Aung Htoo H. , Htut Win , Nyein U. Kyaw , Berger Vérane , Briga Michael
Published: April 2022

In species with marked sexual dimorphism, the classic prediction is that the sex which undergoes stronger intrasexual competition ages earlier or quicker. However, more recently, alternative hypotheses have been put forward, showing that this association can be disrupted. Here, we utilize a unique, longitudinal data set of a semi‐captive population of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), a species with marked male‐biased intrasexual competition, with males being larger and having shorter lifespans, and investigate whether males show earlier and/or faster body mass ageing than females. We found evidence of sex‐specific body mass ageing trajectories: adult males gained weight up to the age of 48 years old, followed by a decrease in body mass until natural death. In contrast, adult females gained body mass with age until a body mass decline in the last year of life. Our study shows sex‐specific ageing patterns, with an earlier onset of body mass declines in males than females, which is consistent with the predictions of the classical theory of ageing.
Length–weight relationships of 55 mesopelagic fishes from the eastern tropical North Atlantic: Across‐ and within‐species variation (body shape, growth stanza, condition factor)
Authors: Czudaj Stephanie , Möllmann Christian , Fock Heino O.
Published: April 2022

We present estimates of length–weight relationships (LWRs) of 55 mesopelagic fish species of 13 taxonomic families based on data collected in the eastern tropical North Atlantic (ETNA) in March/April 2015. Our data include novel records for 19 species, while for 25 species LWRs are based on the most robust sample sizes, and for 21 species they are based on the most representative size ranges available up to now. In 31 species, body lengths were within the maximum range of body lengths recorded in the area, with new records of maximum lengths for 13 species. Most values for b fell between 2.5 and 3.5 with a mean exponent b of 3.08 (median 3.12) and a mean a of 0.0172 (median 0.0113). Body shape as covariate (‘elongated’, ‘fusiform’ and ‘short‐deep’) strongly determined the variation in log a as a function of parameter b. For the mesopelagic fish species investigated, the form factor a3.0 indicated a significant increase of median a3.0 from ‘elongated’ to ‘fusiform’ to ‘short‐deep’ body shapes. Large variability existed in parameter b between species of the same taxonomic family. Isometric growth was indicated in only nine species, whereas a positive allometry was suggested in 22 species. Using segmented regression analysis, we investigated ontogenetic variation in LWRs in 30 species. Of these, 20 species showed a breakpoint in LWR, whereby nearly equal numbers exhibited an increase or a decrease in slope following the breakpoint. Seven out of nine species showed significant regional variation in the slope of the relationship of the relative condition factor Krel vs. body length between two or more regions of the ETNA [eastern and western part of the oxygen minimum zone (LO–E, LO–W), northern and central equatorial region (EQ–N, EQ–C)]. A conspicuous pattern was an increase in Krel with body size in the LO–E (in six out of eight species), whereas in the LO–W and the equatorial regions the majority of species showed a related decrease. These findings support the idea that growth patterns in mesopelagic fishes in tropical regions show species‐specific ecological niche and life‐history adaptations that are finely tuned to small‐scale regional environmental conditions. Comparison of our data with those of other studies emphasises that, regarding the small adult sizes of many mesopelagic fish species, estimates of LWR parameters are strongly influenced by sampled size distributions.
Values‐based Trust as a Shift Parameter for Collective Organizing: The Case of Magnum Photos
Authors: Bhardwaj Akhil , Sergeeva Anastasia
Published: April 2022

For economic agents seeking to organize collectively, opportunism is a central concern – any invasion by opportunistic agents can threaten an organization’s viability. To understand how economic agents address this concern, we examine Magnum Photos, an enduring elite cooperative of freelance photographers that screened prospective members based on shared values. We identify two mechanisms through which these shared values engendered non‐calculative trust that renders collective organizing economically viable. We unpack how this values‐based trust attenuates hazards of opportunism and promotes risk bearing and innovation when property rights are appropriately assigned to individual members and the size of the collective organization remains relatively small. We maintain that Magnum can be regarded as a form of collective entrepreneurship adopted by risk bearing agents bound together by shared values. We provide unique insight into how economic agents in industries beset by measurement problems can organize collectively around shared values to mitigate opportunism and innovate.
Fueling green connections: Networked policy instrument choices for sustainability regulation
Authors: Mukherjee Ishani
Published: April 2022

This paper presents a policy network analysis study that examines policy subsystem interconnectedness and cohesion, to explore three constituent regulatory policy instruments that have a combined impact on governing sustainability. The network surrounding the environmental sustainability of biodiesel policy in Indonesia is marked by high interconnectedness and relatively weaker cohesion, properties that impact how policy solutions are formulated through policy actor interactions and define prevailing policy formulation styles. Using primary policy network data on 46 organizations and the review of national regulations, laws, and directives, this paper tests established hypotheses on how instruments that are formulated within the same policy subsystem, share similar characteristics. While overall network interconnectedness and cohesion are important first indicators of policy instrument selection in the literature on policy design, this article recommends also including an examination of network centrality and the characteristics of dominant central actors who are in favorable positions to design policies, to better accommodate for different policy formulation styles.
Efficient Evaluation of Prediction Rules in Semi-Supervised Settings under Stratified Sampling
Authors: Gronsbell Jessica , Liu Molei , Tian Lu , Cai Tianxi
Published: April 2022

In many contemporary applications, large amounts of unlabelled data are readily available while labelled examples are limited. There has been substantial interest in semi-supervised learning (SSL) which aims to leverage unlabelled data to improve estimation or prediction. However, current SSL literature focuses primarily on settings where labelled data are selected uniformly at random from the population of interest. Stratified sampling, while posing additional analytical challenges, is highly applicable to many real-world problems. Moreover, no SSL methods currently exist for estimating the prediction performance of a fitted model when the labelled data are not selected uniformly at random. In this paper, we propose a two-step SSL procedure for evaluating a prediction rule derived from a working binary regression model based on the Brier score and overall misclassification rate under stratified sampling. In step I, we impute the missing labels via weighted regression with nonlinear basis functions to account for stratified sampling and to improve efficiency. In step II, we augment the initial imputations to ensure the consistency of the resulting estimators regardless of the specification of the prediction model or the imputation model. The final estimator is then obtained with the augmented imputations. We provide asymptotic theory and numerical studies illustrating that our proposals outperform their supervised counterparts in terms of efficiency gain. Our methods are motivated by electronic health record (EHR) research and validated with a real data analysis of an EHR-based study of diabetic neuropathy.
Development and validation of the supervision practice in human services scale
Authors: Osteen Philip J. , King Erin A. , Wilke Dina
Published: April 2022

This paper reports on the development and validation of a scale to measure supervision practice in human service agencies. Supervision in human services is designed to provide management, mediation, professional development, and personal support to workers. The Supervision Practices in Human Services scale (SPHS) captures a range of supervisory practices from productive to abusive behaviours. The SPHS had strong psychometric properties. It includes 23 items with four subscales (Leadership, Inattention, Unprofessional Modelling, Unethical Practice). The SPHS can be used to identify training needs for supervisors or identify where interventions are needed to stop harmful behaviour.
Autonomous Agriculture Robot for Monitoring Plant using Internet of Things
Authors: Mohd Basri Mohd Ariffanan , Adnan Muhamad Azizi
Published: April 2022

Agriculture robot refers to the implementation of modern technology that combines robotics and automation to overcome deficiencies of the traditional agricultural method by automating processes to dramatically increase efficiency. The robot is designed with a fully automated navigation system using line following algorithm with added features to monitor and capture the image of the plant in real-time situations. This project aims to develop a system to monitor the conditions of crops and designing a logic control for line following navigation within the boundaries of modern agriculture. The system will be realized following the process chain starting from the mapping the input from sensors to control the speed and direction of the motor. The user will be able to monitor the plant condition from the image captured through internet of things-based communication between the robot and Blynk application.
SAC-based OCDMA codes: A comparison
Authors: M Mohamed Ibrahim M , Abdulrahman Omlkhayr Miftah
Published: April 2022

: Optical code division multiple access OCDMA is one of the promising optical access technologies due to its worth-mentioning features, such as asynchronous access, and high security. In this paper, the author performed an analytical-based comparison between three commonly used spectrum amplitude coding SAC-based OCDMA codes, namely: Modified Frequency Hopping MFH, Hadamard, and Enhanced Double Weight EDW. The comparison was made based on bit-error-rate BER observation in each case. Matlab was used to conduct this comparison. The results confirm that EDW is the best choice due to its fixed weigh. The only dilemma when adopting EDW code is how to select the proper weight.
Bird Sound Detection with Binarized Neural Networks
Authors: Zabidi Muhammad Munim , Wong Kah Liang , Sheikh Usman Ullah , Abdul Manan Shahidatul Sadiah , Hamzah Muhammad Afiq Nurudin
Published: April 2022

By analysing the behavioural patterns of bird species in a specific region, researchers can predict future changes in the ecosystem. Many birds can be identified by their sounds, and autonomous recording units (ARUs) can capture real-time bird vocalisations. The recordings are analysed to see if there are any bird sounds. The sound of a bird can be used for further analysis, such as determining its species. Bird sound detection using Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) has been shown to outperform traditional methods. DNNs, however, necessitate a lot of storage and processing power. The use of Binarized Neural Networks (BNNs) is one of the most recent approaches to overcoming this limitation. In this paper, a bird sound detection architecture based on the XNOR-Net variant of BNN is used. Performance analysis of XNOR-Net in terms of the number of hidden layers used was performed, and the configuration with the highest accuracy was built. The system was tested using Xeno-Canto and UrbanSound8K datasets to represent bird and non-bird sounds, respectively. We achieved 96.06 per cent training accuracy and 94.08 per cent validation accuracy. We believe that BNNs are an effective method for detecting bird sounds.
Contact Characteristics Analysis of Deep Groove Ball Bearings Under Combined Angular Misalignments and External Loads
Authors: Xu Hongyang , Wang Pengfei , Ma Hui , He Duo , Zhao Xiang , Bao Yingli , Yang Yang
Published: April 2022

Due to the uncontrollable factors in the installation process, the angular misalignments of the inner and outer races may exist in deep groove ball bearings. In order to analyze the performances of bearings with misalignments, a quasi-static model of deep groove ball bearings is developed under the combined angular misalignments and external loads. In this model, considering the different cases of the combined angular misalignments, the time-invariant or time-varying abnormal preload caused by the misalignment is calculated. The proposed model also considers the weakening effects of the rib of the raceway on the contact force, which makes the proposed model more practical than the traditional model. Based on the proposed model, the contact characteristics of the bearing are analyzed. The results show that the misalignment angle and the radial load greatly influence the contact characteristics, and the rotational speed significantly changes the friction force.
Magnetron sputtered NiAl/TiBx multilayer thin films
Authors: Wojcik Tomasz , Ott Vincent , Özbilen Sedat , Leiste Harald , Ulrich Sven , Mayrhofer Paul Heinz , Riedl Helmut , Stueber Michael
Published: April 2022

Transition metal diboride-based thin films are currently receiving strong interest in fundamental and applied research. Multilayer thin films based on transition metal diborides are, however, not yet explored in detail. This study presents results on the constitution and microstructure of multilayer thin films composed of TiBx and the intermetallic compound NiAl. Single layer NiAl and TiBx and NiAl/TiBx multilayer thin films with a variation of the individual layer thickness and bilayer period were deposited by D.C. and R.F. magnetron sputtering on silicon substrates. The impact of the operation mode of the sputtering targets on the microstructure of the thin films was investigated by detailed compositional and structural characterization. The NiAl single layer thin films showed an operation mode-dependent growth in a polycrystalline B2 CsCl structure with a cubic lattice with and without preferred orientation. The TiBx single layer thin films exhibited an operation mode independent crystalline structure with a hexagonal lattice and a pronounced (001) texture. These TiBx layers were significantly Ti-deficient and showed B-excess, resulting in stoichiometry in the range TiB2.64–TiB2.72. Both thin film materials were deposited in a regime corresponding with zone 1 or zone T in the structure zone model of Thornton. Transmission electron microscopy studies revealed, however, very homogeneous, dense thin-film microstructures, as well as the existence of dislocation lines in both materials. In the multilayer stacks with various microscale and nanoscale designs, the TiBx layers grew in a similar microstructure with (001) texture, while the NiAl layers were polycrystalline without preferred orientation in microscale design and tended to grow polycrystalline with (211) preferred orientation in nanoscale designs. The dislocation densities at the NiAl/TiBx phase boundaries changed with the multilayer design, suggesting more smooth interfaces for multilayers with microscale design and more disturbed, strained interfaces in multilayers with nanoscale design. In conclusion, the volume fraction of the two-layer materials, their grain size and crystalline structure, and the nature of the interfaces have an impact on the dislocation density and ability to form dislocations in these NiAl/TiBx-based multilayer structures.
An ACE2-blocking antibody confers broad neutralization and protection against Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern
Authors: Du Wenjuan , Hurdiss Daniel L. , Drabek Dubravka , Mykytyn Anna Z. , Kaiser Franziska K. , González-Hernández Mariana , Muñoz-Santos Diego , Lamers Mart M. , van Haperen Rien , Li Wentao , Drulyte Ieva , Wang Chunyan , Sola Isabel , Armando Federico , Beythien Georg , Ciurkiewicz Malgorzata , Baumgärtner Wolfgang , Guilfoyle Kate , Smits Tony , van der Lee Joline , van Kuppeveld Frank J. M. , van Amerongen Geert , Haagmans Bart L. , Enjuanes Luis , Osterhaus Albert D. M. E. , Grosveld Frank , Bosch Berend-Jan
Published: April 2022

The ongoing evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in the emergence of Omicron, which displays notable immune escape potential through mutations at key antigenic sites on the spike protein. Many of these mutations localize to the spike protein ACE2 receptor binding domain, annulling the neutralizing activity of therapeutic antibodies that were effective against other variants of concern (VOCs) earlier in the pandemic. Here, we identified a receptor-blocking human monoclonal antibody, 87G7, that retained potent in vitro neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants including the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron (BA.1/BA.2) VOCs. Using cryo–electron microscopy and site-directed mutagenesis experiments, we showed that 87G7 targets a patch of hydrophobic residues in the ACE2-binding site that are highly conserved in SARS-CoV-2 variants, explaining its broad neutralization capacity. 87G7 protected mice and hamsters prophylactically against challenge with all current SARS-CoV-2 VOCs and showed therapeutic activity against SARS-CoV-2 challenge in both animal models. Our findings demonstrate that 87G7 holds promise as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent for COVID-19 that is more resilient to SARS-CoV-2 antigenic diversity.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Transcription Factor EmbR Regulates the Expression of Key Virulence Factors That Aid in
Ex Vivo
and
In Vivo
Survival
Authors: Kumar Suresh , Khan Mehak Zahoor , Khandelwal Neha , Chongtham Chen , Singha Biplab , Dabla Ankita , Behera Debashree , Singh Archana , Gopal Balasubramanian , Arimbasseri G. Aneeshkumar , Kamat Siddhesh S. , Nandicoori Vinay Kumar
Published: April 2022

Mycobacterium tuberculosis
modulates its transcriptional machinery in response to dynamic microenvironments encountered within the host. In this study, we identified that EmbR, a transcription factor, plays important roles in modulating cellular morphology, antibiotic resistance, and survival in the host.
Urban Wildlife Crisis: Australian Silver Gull Is a Bystander Host to Widespread Clinical Antibiotic Resistance
Authors: Wyrsch Ethan R. , Nesporova Kristina , Tarabai Hassan , Jamborova Ivana , Bitar Ibrahim , Literak Ivan , Dolejska Monika , Djordjevic Steven P.
Published: April 2022

By compiling various genomic and phenotypic data sets, we have provided one of the most comprehensive genomic studies of
Escherichia coli
isolates from the Australian silver gull, on media containing clinically relevant antibiotics. The analysis of genetic structures capturing antimicrobial resistance genes across three gull breeding colonies in New South Wales, Australia, and comparisons to clinical data have revealed a range of trackable genetic signatures that highlight the broad distribution of clinical antimicrobial resistance in more than 170 different lineages of
E. coli
.
GW170817 and GW190425 as hybrid stars of dark and nuclear matter
Authors: Zhang Kilar , Huang Guo-Zhang , Tsao Jie-Shiun , Lin Feng-Li
Published: April 2022

We propose three scenarios for compact hybrid stars composed of nuclear and dark matter. These hybrid stars could provide alternative interpretations to the LIGO/Virgo events GW170817 and GW190425. To demonstrate our proposal, we solve the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff configurations of hybrid stars by using the SLy4, APR4, and SKb equations of state (EoS) for nuclear matter, and an EoS for a bosonic self interacting dark matter (SIDM) proposed by Colpi et al. (Phys Rev Lett 57:2485, 1986). We then obtain their mass–radius and tidal Love number (TLN)-mass relations, and further examine the possible saddle instability of these compact objects by the generalized Bardeen–Thorne–Meltzer (BTM) criteria. Our results show that the hybrid star scenarios are able to explain GW170817 and GW190425. Some hybrid stars can have compact neutron or mixed cores around 10 km while possessing thick dark matter shells, thus they can be more massive than the maximum mass of the typical neutron stars but are electromagnetically detected with about the same size of neutron stars. Reversely, we also infer the dark matter model from the parameter estimation of GW190425. Our proposed hybrid stars can be further tested by the coming LIGO/Virgo O3 events.
Energy exchange between Tolman VII and a polytropic fluid
Authors: Contreras E. , Stuchlik Z.
Published: April 2022

Recently, the Gravitational Decoupling through the Minimal Geometric Deformation was applied to study a mixture of a spherically symmetric internal solution of the Einstein gravitational equations with a polytropic fluid, giving interesting results of the energetic interchanges in the special case of the Tolman IV solution. In this work, we extend these newly introduced methods to the case of Tolman VII space-times that are currently considered as a convenient exact solution of Einstein equations representing relatively precisely realistic neutron stars.
CD Grammar Systems with Two Propagating Scattered Context Components Characterize the Family of Context Sensitive Languages
Authors: Martiško Jakub , Meduna Alexander , Křivka Zbyněk
Published: April 2022

The [Formula: see text] problem asks whether propagating scattered context grammars and context sensitive grammars are equivalent. The presented paper reformulates and answers this problem in terms of CD grammar systems. More specifically, it characterizes the family of context sensitive languages by two-component CD grammar systems with propagating scattered context rules.