bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A combined biomarker panel shows improved sensitivity and specificity for detection of ovarian cancer
Authors: Mao Lu , Tang Yong , Deng Ming‐jing , Huang Chun‐tao , Lan Dong , Nong Wen‐Zheng , Li Li , Wang Qi
Published: January 2022

Background

Combined biomarkers can improve the sensitivity and specificity of ovarian cancer (OC) diagnosis and effectively predict patient prognosis. This study explored the diagnostic and prognostic values of serum CCL18 and CXCL1 antigens combined with C1D, FXR1, ZNF573, and TM4SF1 autoantibodies in OC.

Methods

CCL18 and CXCL1 monoclonal antibodies and C1D, FXR1, ZNF573, and TM4SF1 antigens were coated with microspheres. Logistic regression was used to construct a serum antigen‐antibody combined detection model; receiver‐operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the model; and the Kaplan‐Meier method and Cox regression models were used for survival analysis to evaluate the prognosis of OC. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype‐Tissue Expression (GTEx) projects and online survival analysis tools were used to evaluate prognostic genes for OC. The CIBERSORT immune score was used to explore the factors influencing prognosis and their relationship with tumor‐infiltrating immune cells.

Results

The levels of each index in the blood samples of patients with OC were higher than those of the other groups. The combined detection model has higher specificity and sensitivity in the diagnosis of OC, and its diagnostic efficiency is better than that of CA125 alone and diagnosing other malignant tumors. CCL18 and TM4SF1 may be factors affecting the prognosis of OC, and CCL18 may be related to immune‐infiltrating cells.

Conclusions

The serum antigen‐antibody combined detection model established in this study has high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of OC.
Obesity attenuates inflammation, protein catabolism, dyslipidaemia, and muscle weakness during sepsis, independent of leptin
Authors: Vankrunkelsven Wouter , Derde Sarah , Gunst Jan , Vander Perre Sarah , Declerck Emiel , Pauwels Lies , Derese Inge , Van den Berghe Greet , Langouche Lies
Published: January 2022

Background

Muscle weakness is a frequently occurring complication of sepsis, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Interestingly, obesity attenuates sepsis‐induced muscle wasting and weakness. As the adipokine leptin is strongly elevated in obesity and has been shown to affect muscle homeostasis in non‐septic conditions, we aimed to investigate whether leptin mediates the protective effect of obesity on sepsis‐induced muscle weakness.

Methods

In a mouse model of sepsis, we investigated the effects of genetic leptin inactivation in obese mice (leptin‐deficient obese mice vs. diet‐induced obese mice) and of leptin supplementation in lean mice (n = 110). We assessed impact on survival, body weight and composition, markers of muscle wasting and weakness, inflammation, and lipid metabolism. In human lean and overweight/obese intensive care unit (ICU) patients, we assessed markers of protein catabolism (n = 1388) and serum leptin (n = 150).

Results

Sepsis mortality was highest in leptin‐deficient obese mice (53% vs. 23% in diet‐induced obese mice and 37% in lean mice, P = 0.03). Irrespective of leptin, after 5 days of sepsis, lean mice lost double the amount of lean body mass than obese mice (P < 0.0005). Also, irrespective of leptin, obese mice maintained specific muscle force up to healthy levels (P = 0.3) whereas lean mice suffered from reduced specific muscle force (72% of healthy controls, P < 0.0002). As compared with lean septic mice, both obese septic groups had less muscle atrophy, liver amino acid catabolism, and inflammation with a 50% lower plasma TNFα increase (P < 0.005). Conversely, again mainly irrespective of leptin, obese mice lost double amount of fat mass than lean mice after 5 days of sepsis (P < 0.0001), showed signs of increased lipolysis and ketogenesis, and had higher plasma HDL and LDL lipoprotein concentrations (P ≤ 0.01 for all). Muscle fibre type composition was not altered during sepsis, but a higher atrophy sensitivity of type IIb fibres compared with IIa and IIx fibres was observed, independent of obesity or leptin. After 5 days of critical illness, serum leptin was higher (P < 0.0001) and the net waste of nitrogen (P = 0.006) and plasma urea‐to‐creatinine ratio (P < 0.0001) was lower in overweight/obese compared with lean ICU human patients.

Conclusions

Leptin did not mediate the protective effect of obesity against sepsis‐induced muscle wasting and weakness in mice. Instead, obesity—independent of leptin—attenuated inflammation, protein catabolism, and dyslipidaemia, pathways that may play a role in the observed muscle protection.
Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography compared with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in the detection of choledocholithiasis
Authors: Samara Osama , Azzam Muayad I. , Alshrouf Mohammad A. , Khanfar Asim N. , Mohialdeen Rand Rafid , Barham Ola Fawwaz , Barham Mohammad Fawwaz , AlRyalat Saif Aldeen
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The aim of this study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography (US) with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis in context of laboratory blood test values.

Methods

This retrospective study included patients who underwent both MRCP and US as part of their choledocholithiasis workup. MRCP findings, reviewed by two board‐certified radiologists, laboratory findings, and US reports were collected.

Results

Our study included 243 patients. On US examination 74 cases were found dilated (30.5%), while 94 cases showed dilation (38.7%) by MRCP. The overall accuracy of US was 76.1%, where 185 patients had similar MRCP and US findings, 7.8% had false positive ultrasound, and 16% had false negative ultrasound finding. The accuracy of ultrasound was significantly higher in males (p = .013). In addition, a significant difference in duct dilatation as found by ultrasound and accuracy of diagnosis (p = .01).

Conclusion

Although US has a relatively low accuracy, its properties of being cost‐effective and non‐invasive make it an ideal first step in the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis. If a patient has elevated liver enzymes or a high risk of choledocholithiasis, we recommend that MRCP be performed even no dilation was seen on US.
Using workplace thriving theory to investigate first‐year engineering students' abilities to thrive during the transition to online learning due to COVID‐19
Authors: Krishnakumar Sandeep , Maier Torsten , Berdanier Catherine , Ritter Sarah , McComb Christopher , Menold Jessica
Published: January 2022

Background

During the onset of the COVID‐19 crisis, universities rapidly pivoted to online formats and were often unable to adhere to the best practices of online learning highlighted in prior literature. It is well documented that a variety of barriers impeded “normal” educational practices.

Purpose/Hypothesis

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of first‐year engineering students enrolled in an introductory engineering design course during the rapid transition to online working environments. We view students' perceptions through the theoretical lens of workplace thriving theory, a framework that allowed us to capture aspects of education required for students to thrive in non‐optimum learning settings.

Design/Method

This research employed semi‐structured interview methods with 13 students enrolled in an introductory engineering design course that relies on project‐based team learning. We analyzed interview transcripts using thematic analysis through an abductive approach and made interpretations through workplace thriving theory.

Results

Results indicated that students' abilities to thrive are related to four intersecting themes that demonstrate how workplace thriving theory manifests in this unanticipated online setting. These themes demonstrate elements that must be optimized for students to thrive in settings such as this: relationships with others, building and sharing knowledge through interactions, perceptions of experiential learning, and individual behaviors.

Conclusion

Our research, viewed through workplace thriving theory, highlights the mechanisms by which students tried to succeed in suboptimal environments. While not all our participants showed evidence of thriving, the factors required for thriving point to opportunities to harness these same factors in in‐person instruction environments.
Modulation of drought adversities in Vicia faba by the application of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and biochar
Authors: Nafees Muhammad , Ullah Sami , Ahmed Iftikhar
Published: January 2022

Drought is the greatest threat to world food security, seen as the catalyst for the great famines of the past. Given that the world's water supply is limited, it is likely that future demand of food for increasing population will further exacerbate the drought effects. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate the effect of biochar and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Sphingobacterium pakistanensis (NCCP246) and Cellulomonas pakistanensis (NCCP11) on agronomic and physiological attributes of Vicia faba two varieties Desi (V1) and Pulista (V2) under induced drought stress. The seeds were sown in earthen pots filled with 3 kg sand and soil (1:2), and biochar (0 and 5% w/w) in triplicate arranged in complete randomized design. Analysis of biochar possessed 0.49 g cm−3 bulk density, 9.6 pH; 5.4 cmol kg−1 cation exchange capacity, 3.64% organic carbon and EC 6.7 ds/m. Agronomic attributes including seed LAI, LAR, SVI, %PHSI and RWC were improved by 30.4–180.4%, 14.37–47.20%, 37.64–50.91%, 18.21–30.80, and 35.82–54.34% in both varieties by the co‐application of biochar and PGPR. Stomatal physiology and epidermal vigor was successfully improved by the application of PGPR and biochar as analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Photosynthetic pigments, flavonoids, phenols, proline and glycine betaine were amplified by 58.33–173.8%, 50.59–130.33%, 46.58–86.62%, 46.66–109.30%, 35.74–56.10%, and 21.96–77.22% in both varieties by the co‐application of biochar and PGPR. So, the present work concluded that, combined application of biochar and PGPR could be an effective strategy to alleviate the adversities of drought in V. faba growing in drastic ecosystems.
The temperature and flow dependence of nitrate concentration and load estimates based on diffusive gradients in thin films
Authors: Corbett Thomas , Hartland Adam , Henderson William , Rys Gerald , Schipper Louis A.
Published: January 2022

Concentrations determined using diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) have been used to derive time‐averaged loads in streams and rivers. However, DGT provide time‐weighted average concentrations that assume the independence of concentration and flow. Additionally, dynamic and coordinated changes in temperature, flow, and concentration are potential sources of bias in concentration and load calculations. We modeled scenarios in which temperature and flow were correlated to varying degrees with concentration and evaluated the consequences for DGT concentration and load calculations. As the correlation between solution flow and concentration moved toward 1 and –1, the load determined by DGT either overestimated or underestimated the actual load by as much as 30%. In DGT‐based load estimates, the degree of potential bias should be assessed, and the concentration‐flow relation should be characterized. As the correlation of analyte concentration and temperature approached 1 and –1, the deviation of the concentration determined by DGT from the actual concentration increased. In most cases, this bias was < 2%; however, if the changes in concentration and temperature were large (∼10 mg L–1 and ∼10 °C), the bias exceeded 5%. Concentration and temperature are unlikely to be perfectly or strongly correlated or anti‐correlated in natural systems and thus should not affect the accuracy of DGT concentration calculations in most circumstances. The more solution temperature, flow, and concentration were uncorrelated, the closer DGT‐derived concentration and load were to the actual solution concentration and load.
Characterization of male‐biased fatty acid desaturase in the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis and its role in pheromone production
Authors: Cheng Jian‐Qiu , Tao Yu‐Mei , Li Jing , Chen Yong‐Zhuo , Hu Hao‐Yuan
Published: January 2022

Linoleic acid is the material for biosynthesis of sex attracting and blocking (postmating) pheromones in Nasonia vitripennis, it is synthesized from oleic acid by a male‐biased fatty acid desaturase (SCD5a). In this study, we developed a specific antibody and further characterized the expression patterns of SCD5a in males at different mating stages by western blot. SCD5a was mainly expressed in male heads rather than in abdomens. Along with the aging process (from Day 1 to Day 3), SCD5a increased significantly. Compared with virgin males, mated males showed higher levels of SCD5a. Likewise, abdomen dipping frequency, during which males release attracting pheromone, increased with age and mating. Moreover, real‐time quantitative PCR revealed that genes responsible for the first three steps of attracting pheromone biosynthesis were more highly expressed in head than in abdomen, but the final gene for transformation of attracting pheromone was more highly expressed in abdomen than in head. These results suggest that linoleic acid for biosynthesis of attracting pheromones may also originate from the head rather than only synthesized at the rectal vesicles.
Adlerian personality profile in relation to career adaptability
Authors: Chang Yuhsuan , Liu Chia‐Hsin
Published: January 2022

This study investigated career adaptability (CA) from an Adlerian perspective. Accordingly, Adlerian lifestyle and perfectionism were examined with CA using cluster analysis. The results supported three groups of personality orientation. The assertive perfectionist group reported the highest scores for all CA domains, the sensitive perfectionist group reported the lowest scores for career collaboration on the CA scale, and the comfort nonperfectionist group reported the lowest score for career concern on the CA scale. The study results assist clients in identifying personality and career themes and enhance career resources through the Adlerian approach with career construction theory.
Hawaiian hoary bat responses to habitat, season, and non‐native insectivore suppression
Authors: Moseley Rachel D. , Shiels Aaron B. , Aue Asa , Haines William P. , Aslan Clare E. , Liang Christina T.
Published: January 2022

Habitat loss and non‐native species are 2 of the most important factors that influence native species persistence and behaviors globally. The insectivorous Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus semotus) is the only extant terrestrial mammal native to the Hawaiian Islands. Non‐native invasive insectivore species, which are potential competitors of bats for prey, may influence hoary bat behavior. The goal of this study was to determine how small‐scale suppression of invasive insectivores (rodents, ants, and yellowjacket wasps [Vespula pensylvanica]) influenced bat activity in grasslands and woodlands. We measured bat activity as a function of the number of distinct minutes in a night containing bat echolocations (bat call minutes) at 20 experimental plots (each 2.25 ha) in a dryland ecosystem on Hawaiʻi Island, November 2016–January 2018. We included 3 predictor variables: vegetation type (woodland, grassland), season (bat reproductive cycle periods: lactation, mating, pre‐pregnancy, and pregnancy), and insectivore treatment type (ant suppressed, yellowjacket wasp suppressed, rodent suppressed, combined ant+wasp+rodent suppressed, and no treatment). Bat activity was associated with all 3 predictors using a negative binomial generalized linear model. Bat call minutes and feeding buzzes were twice as high in woodlands than in the grasslands (2.4 and 2.3 times as high, respectively). Bat activity was slightly lower (0.47 bat call min/night fewer) in plots receiving the combined ant + wasp + rodent treatment compared to all other treatment plots. Feeding buzzes did not differ significantly among treatments. Mean activity was lowest during lactation (mid‐Jun–Aug). Although woodlands appear particularly important for the Hawaiian hoary bat, small‐scale bat activity and foraging do not appear to be strongly affected by resource competition with the invasive insectivores in this study.
Solutions for a class of singular quasilinear equations involving critical growth in R2$\mathbb {R}^2$
Authors: de Souza Manassés X. , Severo Uberlandio B. , Vieira Gilberto F.
Published: January 2022

Using a variational approach, we study the existence of solutions for the following class of quasilinear Schrödinger equations:
where , , is a positive potential bounded away from zero and can be “large” at infinity, the nonlinearity is allowed to satisfy the exponential critical growth with respect to the Trudinger–Moser inequality. Precisely, behaves like as for some . This model of equation has been proposed in the theory of superfluid films in plasma physics. As for as we know, this the first work involving this class of operators and singular nonlinearities with exponential critical growth. Moreover, we are able to deal with exponents .
Existence and uniqueness of global solution for abstract second order differential equations with state‐dependent delay
Authors: Hernández Eduardo
Published: January 2022

We study the global existence and uniqueness of solutions and wellposedness of a general class of abstract second order differential equations with state dependent delay. Some examples are presented.
Treatment of the uncertainties in prioritization of information technology projects: A hybrid multicriteria approach
Authors: Pariz Maria Carolina , Carvalho Claudia Maria F. , Rebelo Paula Cristina A. , Colmenero João Carlos
Published: January 2022

Prioritizing information technology (IT) projects for resource direction is a complex decision‐making process that involves the analysis of qualitative and subjective criteria. The uncertainty of the subjective and imprecise assessments derived from estimated data that represent the analyzed criteria characterizes the decision‐making process. To reduce the uncertainties related to IT project priority setting, we proposed a model based on a hybrid multicriteria method composed by the best–worst method to establish the weights of the criteria and fuzzy‐TOPSIS to define the project ranking. The model allows us (1) to define strategic subcriteria, (2) adjust the weights according to the company's reality, (3) to deal with the uncertainties of the evaluations of the decision makers, and (4) provide the project ranking that translates reality into the distribution of resources in the IT sector. Finally, we applied the model to a case study in the IT sector of a Brazilian agroindustrial cooperative. For the managers, the method provides a precise decision aiding tool. Although the model has been applied to the prioritization of IT projects in a cooperative, the same can be generalized to the IT sectors of other companies.
In 2022, readers look forward to the ‘big story’: 988 hotline
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: January 2022

Readers continue to weigh in on some of the challenges and opportunities that await them in 2022. Here are more of their comments.
An extremum‐preserving finite volume scheme for three‐temperature radiation diffusion equations
Authors: Peng Gang , Gao Zhiming , Feng Xinlong
Published: January 2022

In this paper, an extremum‐preserving finite volume scheme is constructed for the two‐dimensional three‐temperature (2D 3‐T) radiation diffusion equations. The harmonic averaging points located at cell edge are applied to define the auxiliary unknowns, and the primary unknowns are defined at cell center. This scheme has a fixed stencil and satisfies the local conservation condition and discrete extremum principle. The existence of discrete solution is proved by using the fixed point theorem. Moreover, the stability analysis of this scheme is also presented. Numerical results illustrate that this scheme is efficient and accurate in solving the 2D 3‐T radiation diffusion equations on distorted meshes.
Ultra‐broadband metamaterial absorbers based on spoof surface plasmon polaritons structure
Authors: Zhou Shiyun , Liang Xinglei , Xing Jiaqi , Fan Yudi , Zhang Ling , Li Da , Li Er‐Ping
Published: January 2022

Inspired by the dispersion engineering of spoof surface plasmon polaritons, in this paper, a comprehensive scheme is proposed, which firstly develops a plasmonic absorbing structure (PAS) with wide absorption band and high angular stability. The PAS unit cell is composed of a graded metallic strip array printed on a dielectric grid and backed with a metal ground. It realizes wideband absorption in the frequency range of 18–37 GHz. Moreover, a commercial absorbing film is further integrated with the proposed PAS to expand the overall absorption bandwidth covering around 5.5–55 GHz without increasing the thickness of the whole structure excessively. Simulated and experimental results show that the proposed hybrid metamaterial absorber can provide ultra‐broadband absorption with simple design procedure and light weight, allowing potential applications such as RCS reduction of antennas, electromagnetic shielding, and so on.
Distal symmetric polyneuropathy phenotype in patients with sensory neuronopathy at the time of electrodiagnosis
Authors: Davalos Long , Nowacek Dustin G. , London Zachary N.
Published: January 2022

Introduction/Aims

It is unknown how often patients with sensory neuronopathy (SNN) present with a distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSP) phenotype. In these cases, electrodiagnostic testing may discriminate SNN with a DSP phenotype from DSP.

Methods

We reviewed the records of patients who met SNN diagnostic criteria between January 2000 and February 2021 and identified patients with a DSP phenotype at the time of electrodiagnosis.

Results

Sixty‐two patients fulfilled SNN diagnostic criteria. At symptom onset, 20 (32.2%) patients presented with distal symmetric sensory symptoms limited to the feet. However, most progressed rapidly over 6 months or developed asymmetric symptoms. At the time of electrodiagnosis, only seven (11.3%) patients had a DSP phenotype. Of these seven patients, four had cerebellar ataxia with neuropathy and vestibular areflexia syndrome, one had vitamin B6 deficiency, one was thought to be alcohol‐induced, and one was idiopathic.

Discussion

Patients with SNN rarely present with a DSP phenotype at the time of electrodiagnosis. The finding that one third of cases resemble DSP at onset highlights the importance of clinical monitoring. In patients with a DSP phenotype, the presence of ataxia at onset or significant progression within 6 months may suggest the possibility of SNN and should prompt additional investigations, such as electrodiagnosis.
5 higher education marketing trends to embrace in 2022
Authors: Talarico Donna
Published: January 2022

As we settle into 2022, this month's column will take a look at predicted marketing trends for the new year, both in general and those specific to higher education. Consider the following marketing trends, and how they might be applicable to your recruitment techniques:
Inspire potential learners by creating a beautiful, abundant community
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: January 2022

Jennifer Saint Louis, Associate Vice President of Partnership Impact and Director of Broward UP (previously profiled in December 2021’s issue of Recruiting & Retaining Adult Learners), shared the work being done at Broward College to provide free educational resources for adult learners in the community via Broward UP.
Death at distance: Mobility, memory, and place among the late precontact Oneota in the central Illinois River Valley
Authors: Bengtson Jennifer D.
Published: January 2022

Drawing on literatures on mobility and memory, I present a theoretical and interpretive reframing of skeletal taphonomy and mortuary process previously reported for a precontact Oneota cemetery in the North American midcontinent. Most burials here were single inhumations, with individuals apparently interred promptly after death. Others were placed in graves containing multiple individuals who died violently and whose bones bore taphonomic signatures of extended exposure, suggesting they were killed away from home and not recovered or interred until significant time had passed after their deaths. These burials were previously interpreted as haphazard and carelessly executed, possibly owing to circumstances of death. In this paper, I seek to better understand acts of encountering, collecting, transporting, and interring these decomposed remains as discursive practices, conditioned by localized mobility and charged with social memory. Rather than representing an aberrant burial treatment employed solely for expedient disposal, I suggest that their taphonomy and presence in the cemetery offer insights into intentional and repeated engagement with the landscape, invoking/perpetuating traditional Oneota practices involving skeletonized remains. This interpretation provides a case study on how osteologists can contribute to social perspectives on the power of mobile dead bodies in the deployment of memory and construction of place in the ancient past.
“It isn't you”: Teachers’ beliefs about inclusive education and their responses toward specific learning disabilities
Authors: Woodcock Stuart , Nicoll Sandy
Published: January 2022

Teachers’ beliefs in inclusive education can be highly significant in the success of inclusive classrooms resulting in the performance outcomes of students. Teachers’ understandings and expectations of students are important if students are to reach their potential. This study investigated 182 Australian secondary teachers’ beliefs about inclusive education in relation to their causal attributions toward students with specific learning disabilities. This study was a quantitative study that used a survey instrument to measure teachers’ attributional responses to students with and without specific learning disabilities. The findings show that teachers who believe in inclusive education report to be more positive/encouraging in their feedback towards students, feel greater sympathy toward them, as well as hold higher expectations toward the future than their counterparts. Teachers need to believe in inclusive education if students are to reach their potential at school.
Mutual interaction among multiple surface barrier discharges
Authors: Gilbart Benjamin , Dickenson Aaron , Walsh James L. , Hasan Mohammad I.
Published: January 2022

This study investigates how the electrode width of a surface barrier discharge (SBD) array affects the deposited power, the induced flow and the spatial distribution of reactive species delivered to a downstream sample. It is shown that decreasing electrode width increases the power density at a fixed operating voltage, causing an intensification of the oscillatory flow by up to 200%, resulting from the overlap of localized flows at every discharge gap. This intensification introduces ripples in the flux of species to a downstream surface when the distance between the SBD array and the treated surface is reduced. A transition between a convection‐driven delivery and diffusion‐driven delivery was identified and quantified for different electrode widths and distances between SBDs and the treated surface. The work shows that the ripples in the delivered flux were associated with convection‐driven delivery.
2‐Aminoselenazoles and 2‐aminothiazoles: One‐pot synthesis and control of the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum in common beans
Authors: Pereira Fernanda AC , de Andrade Vitor SC , Souza Elaine A , de Mattos Marcio CS , Oliveira Denilson F
Published: January 2022

BACKGROUND

Anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, increases losses in the production of common beans. As 1,3‐diazoles can act against fungi by inhibiting the enzyme squalene epoxidase (SE), 2‐aminoselenazoles and 2‐aminothiazoles were synthesized and subjected to tests with the fungus. In addition, the interactions of the most promising substances with the enzyme SE were investigated in silico.

RESULTS

Seventeen compounds (eight new) were prepared by a one‐pot methodology. In vitro antifungal activities of these compounds against C. lindemuthianum were determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Most treatments differed from the control (water), and six azoles with the lowest MIC values underwent an assay employing common bean plants inoculated with the fungus. Among the best results were those from 2‐(3‐fluorophenyl)amino‐4‐phenyl‐1,3‐thiazole (16; 2857 μg mL−1), which reduced the severity of anthracnose in common beans to values statistically comparable to the commercial fungicide thiophanate‐methyl (700 μg mL−1). The in silico affinity of compound 16 for SE was statistically equal to those calculated for several inhibitors of this enzyme.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggested that 2‐(3‐fluorophenyl)amino‐4‐phenyl‐1,3‐thiazole (16) could be considered a potential fungicidal lead compound for further structural optimization, which according to the in silico study acts via SE inhibition. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
An integrated risk assessment method using Z‐fuzzy clouds and generalized TODIM
Authors: Xiao Liming , Huang Guangquan , Zhang Genbao
Published: January 2022

As a systematic risk assessment instrument, failure mode, and effects analysis (FMEA) has been extensively applied for enhancing systems’ quality. However, the classical FMEA technique has limitations in many application scenarios. Although fuzzy logic‐based risk assessment techniques are introduced to enhance conventional FMEA, they still have limitations, for example, needing prior presumptions, neglecting decision‐makers’ bounded rationality, and lacking the capability to reflect the judgmental reliability and randomness of experts’ evaluations simultaneously. To cover these limitations, an extended FMEA method is presented in this paper by using Z‐fuzzy clouds and generalized TODIM (An acronym in Portuguese of interactive and multiple attribute decision‐making). First, a novel concept of Z‐fuzzy clouds is proposed to handle various factors of uncertainties by combining the advantages of the Z‐number theory, the interval‐valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets theory, and the cloud model theory, and the basic operations and Minkowski‐type distance measure of Z‐fuzzy clouds are also defined and discussed. Furthermore, more risk factors are added into the conventional three risk factors and to further build a multiple dimension risk factor system for better evaluating failures. Additionally, the experts’ bounded rationality and the risk factors’ interrelationships are considered by two developed weighting models. Finally, a real study case, sensitivity analysis, and several comparisons are performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model. Results demonstrate that the proposed model is more rational compared with the previous several methods.
A novel dynamic nonlinear partial least squares based on the cascade structure
Authors: Ma Hao , Wang Yan , Ji Zhicheng
Published: January 2022

For the collinearity problem of input variables in actual industrial process modeling, a novel dynamic nonlinear partial least squares (PLS) approach is presented to solve this problem. In the proposed method, a novel cascade structure which is composed of an autoregressive exogenous model and a radial basis function neural network is introduced as the inner model of the conventional PLS method, so that the newly established PLS method has both dynamic and nonlinear characteristics. In this improvement, an external model for extracting the latent variables of input and output is established through the original PLS model, which eliminates the collinearity between original dependent variables, and then the aforementioned cascade framework is employed to describe the dynamic and nonlinear relationships between the input and output score variables. Furthermore, in order to estimate the unknown parameters of the established dynamic nonlinear inner model, a stochastic gradient algorithm and a forgetting factor stochastic gradient algorithm are presented. Additionally, a simple cross validation method is used to determine the orders of the inner model. Finally, a numerical simulation example and an application example are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Bayesian kernel machine regression‐causal mediation analysis
Authors: Devick Katrina L. , Bobb Jennifer F. , Mazumdar Maitreyi , Claus Henn Birgit , Bellinger David C. , Christiani David C. , Wright Robert O. , Williams Paige L. , Coull Brent A. , Valeri Linda
Published: January 2022

Greater understanding of the pathways through which an environmental mixture operates is important to design effective interventions. We present new methodology to estimate natural direct and indirect effects and controlled direct effects of a complex mixture exposure on an outcome through a mediator variable. We implement Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) to allow for all possible interactions and nonlinear effects of (1) the co‐exposures on the mediator, (2) the co‐exposures and mediator on the outcome, and (3) selected covariates on the mediator and/or outcome. From the posterior predictive distributions of the mediator and outcome, we simulate counterfactuals to obtain posterior samples, estimates, and credible intervals of the mediation effects. Our simulation study demonstrates that when the exposure‐mediator and exposure‐mediator‐outcome relationships are complex, BKMR‐Causal Mediation Analysis performs better than current mediation methods. We applied our methodology to quantify the contribution of birth length as a mediator between in utero co‐exposure to arsenic, manganese, and lead, and children's neurodevelopmental scores, in a prospective birth cohort in Bangladesh. Among younger children, we found a negative (adverse) association between the metal mixture and neurodevelopment. We also found evidence that birth length mediates the effect of exposure to the metal mixture on neurodevelopment for younger children. If birth length were fixed to its percentile value, the harmful effect of the metal mixture on neurodevelopment is attenuated, suggesting nutritional interventions to help increase fetal growth, and thus birth length, could potentially block the harmful effect of the metal mixture on neurodevelopment.
The Synthesis and Theoretical Investigation of Functionalized N,N′‐Arylthioalkylisoindigo Derivatives
Authors: Khalili Gholamhossein , Rezaei Farideh , Keller Paul A.
Published: January 2022

A variety of functionalized N,N′‐thioalkylisoindigo derivatives, ((E)‐2,2′‐dioxo‐[3,3′‐biindolinylidene]‐1,1′‐diyl)bis(butane‐4,1‐diyl)‐bis(N‐phenyl‐3,4‐dihydroquinoline‐1(2H)‐carbimidothioate), and (E)‐1,1′‐bis(3‐(4‐bromophenoxy)propyl)‐[3,3′‐biindolinylidene]‐2,2′‐dione were synthesized from N,N′‐bromoalkylisoindigos for the first time using mild conditions. To make an accurate estimation of the optical and electrochemical properties of the novel functionalized isoindigo derivatives synthesized, precise computational methods were used including periodic and non‐periodic density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT.
Understanding viruses and viral infections by biophotonic methods
Authors: Ramoji Anuradha , Pahlow Susanne , Pistiki Aikaterini , Rueger Jan , Shaik Tanveer Ahmed , Shen Haodong , Wichmann Christina , Krafft Christoph , Popp Juergen
Published: January 2022

In the last few decades outbreaks of viral infections have often challenged the world‐wide health infrastructure and caused a significant financial burden as well as human suffering despite progress in diagnostic technologies. The recent outbreaks of the Ebola virus in the African continent, the Zika virus in the American continent, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), influenza A and lately severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) viral infections have repeatedly highlighted the importance of technological advancement enabling a better understanding of virions. In this review, we systematically discuss different aspects of virions and how their properties and functions can be studied using different light‐based technologies. We focus on virion classification, detection and interactions with the host's immune system. Further, the potential of advanced biophotonic methods, for example, Raman, infrared reflection, absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, advanced microscopic techniques and biosensor‐based approaches for diagnosing viral infections, investigating therapeutics and vaccine development are described. Although significant advancements have already been made in photonic technologies, which even enable visualizing virion‐host interactions on single‐cell level, the continuous evolution of viruses demands further progress in biophotonic solutions for fast, affordable and robust health monitoring devices for screening viral infections.
Ninjinyoeito exerts an antidepressant‐like effect by enhancing the central noradrenergic system
Authors: Tsutsumi Soichiro , Watanabe Takuya , Hatae Akinobu , Hirata Marika , Omori Hiroya , Taniguchi Chise , Nagao Masaki , Kubota Kaori , Katsurabayashi Shutaro , Iwasaki Katsunori
Published: January 2022

Aim

Ninjinyoeito (NYT) is a Kampo medicine prescribed for patients with decreased mental and physical energy. Clinical studies demonstrate that NYT ameliorates depressive symptoms in patients with various diseases. However, the underlying therapeutic mechanisms of action remain unclear. The monoaminergic system has been implicated in the neuropathology of depression. Using immobility in the tail suspension test to evaluate depression‐like behavior, we aimed to examine the effects of NYT and the involvement of the α1‐adrenoceptor and serotonin (5‐HT)1A receptor in its mechanism of action.

Methods

Immobility in the tail suspension test was used as an index of depression‐like behavior. NYT (1,000 or 2,000 mg/kg/day, once a day for seven days) was orally administered to mice. Prazosin and WAY‐100635 were administered 30 min and 1 h before the test, respectively. Norepinephrine (NE) and 5‐HT levels in the frontal cortex and amygdala were analyzed using a high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) electrochemical detector.

Results

NYT (2000 mg/kg/day) shortened the immobility time. Prazosin and WAY‐100635 blocked the NYT‐mediated reduction in immobility time. NYT increased NE levels, but not 5‐HT levels, in the amygdala.

Conclusion

NYT reduced immobility time in the tail suspension test, likely by increasing NE levels. The increased NE levels may activate the α1‐adrenoceptor, thereby ameliorating the depression‐like behavior. NYT may therefore improve depressive symptoms in patients by enhancing the noradrenergic system.
The legacy of a pragmatic approach to welfare
Authors: Loeb Josh
Published: January 2022

As Chris Laurence steps away from the Animal Welfare Foundation after serving for six years as its chair, he chats to Josh Loeb on his views on the state of animal welfare and what challenges lie ahead.
Watery mouth disease in lambs
Authors: Collins Rachael , Carson Amanda
Published: January 2022

This focus article has prepared by Rachael Collins and Amanda Carson of the APHA Small Ruminant Expert Group.
Introduction: Black Swans and Sinatra Inferences
Authors: Seibel Wolfgang
Published: January 2022

Public mismanagement as a threat to life and limb is a rare and highly improbable phenomenon—the proverbial Black Swan. Bridges and buildings collapse, claiming the lives of people who had every reason to believe that governmental agencies protect their physical integrity through public oversight and maintenance. Properly analyzed, however, these unlikely events reveal causal mechanisms of a general nature, strong enough to trigger fateful mismanagement even under the restrictive conditions of professional bureaucracies and democratic government. Hence the “Sinatra Inference”: When a mechanism is powerful enough ‘to make it there’—i.e., where causal leverage is supposedly low—it is likely to ‘make it everywhere’ as soon as leverage is enlarged by weaker accountability structures, lower professional standards and lesser values than human safety.
‘A Just Government’—Empire, Religion, Chaplains and the Corporation
Authors: Smith Haig Z.
Published: January 2022

The introduction details how religion and religious life were interwoven with the development of ideas of civic, commercial and religious government. Moving beyond the traditional narrative that sees these texts as purely evangelical justifications, it introduces the reader to the key themes and arguments of the book; that religion framed the expansion, behaviour and interaction of government abroad, and that this is one of the primary reasons for the different forms of government adopted by English people across the globe. At the same time, it also provides a mechanism to connect these varying governments.
The Massachusetts Bay Company and New England Company (1640–1684): Exportation, Revaluation and the Demise of Corporate Theocratic Governance
Authors: Smith Haig Z.
Published: January 2022

Returning to Massachusetts, this chapter focuses on communal responsibility and identity in decline of the MBC’s theocratic governance between 1640 and 1684. Firstly, this chapter investigates the transportation of political knowledge and ideas through corporate membership, assessing the role of individual MBC members such as Hugh Peters, Stephen Winthrop and Henry Vane Jr., in the formation of religious governance in England in the years surrounding the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The chapter also assesses the evolution of corporate evangelism in England and America, with the formation of the New England Company (NEC). It analyses several evangelical works including Roger Williams’s A Yet More Bloody and John Cotton’s The Bloudy Tenent, in order to understand the conflicted development of evangelism within the company, and how it became used to justify territorial expansion and further encroach on English and Native American religious and governmental identity and rights. The chapter concludes by offering an analysis of the downfall of the MBC, emphasising how models of governance strengthened and established out of corporate flexibility could, at the same time, be made brittle and weakened.
Conclusion
Authors: Smith Haig Z.
Published: January 2022

Draw together the book’s key themes, the conclusion highlights how, by the end of the seventeenth century, England’s overseas companies had adapted various models of religious governance to stamp their authority over peoples and faiths across the globe, thereby securing their governmental autonomy. However, as a new century approached, domestic religious and political authorities in England took steps to centralise the role of religion, evangelism and the overseas governance. Consequently, this changed the character of English imperial expansion and the relationship between English corporate governance and religion forever.
Navigation by Revealing Trade-offs for Content-Based Recommendations
Authors: Dietz Linus W. , Palage Sameera Thimbiri , Wörndl Wolfgang
Published: January 2022

Conversational recommender systems have been introduced to provide users the opportunity to give feedback on items in a turn-based dialog until a final recommendation is accepted. Tourism is a complex domain for recommender systems because of high cost of recommending a wrong item and often relatively few ratings to learn user preferences. In a scenario such as recommending a city to visit, conversational content-based recommendation may be advantageous, since users often struggle to specify their preferences without concrete examples. However, critiquing item features comes with challenges. Users might request item characteristics during recommendation that do not exist in reality, for example demanding very high item quality for a very low price. To tackle this problem, we present a novel conversational user interface which focuses on revealing the trade-offs of choosing one item over another. The recommendations are driven by a utility function that assesses the user’s preference toward item features while learning the importance of the features to the user. This enables the system to guide the recommendation through the search space faster and accurately over prolonged interaction. We evaluated the system in an online study with 600 participants and find that our proposed paradigm leads to improved perceived accuracy and fewer conversational cycles compared to unit critiquing.
Personalization of Multi-day Round Trip Itineraries According to Travelers’ Preferences
Authors: Erbil Elif , Wörndl Wolfgang
Published: January 2022

Travel planning is a long and tedious process for tourists since it requires processing a vast amount of information. Recommender systems can be used to facilitate the process of scoring points-of-interests (POIs) according to the travelers’ interests and creating feasible itineraries. However, itinerary planning is personal and each itinerary created must reflect the interest of the traveler as well as his/her travel style. In this paper, we extend the creation of multi-day round trip itineraries by adding different personalization options such as the pace of the traveler and diversity level of the route. The information about the travel style of the user is used to personalize the visiting duration of each POI and to create routes for each day that follow the constraints defined by users. We conducted a user study through a mobile application and the results show that the added personalization options improved the recommended multi-day round trip walking tours from a user’s perspective.
Identifying the Main Service Elements for Customer-Oriented Live Guided Virtual Tours
Authors: Repo Rosa , Pesonen Juho
Published: January 2022

Virtual tourism allows people to see and experience the world without physically travelling to the destination. The objective of this study is to identify service elements critical to the development of customer-oriented live guided virtual tours. A total of three focus group discussions were conducted, with 4–5 participants in each group. All the participants were Japanese who had previously participated in live guided virtual tours. The data was analysed with qualitative content analysis, where an inductive approach was used. The findings reveal that the main expectations of the participants are related to experiencing the local culture and way of life, feeling of actually being in the destination (sense of connection), social interaction and active participation. These factors make the virtual tour feel realistic and attractive and the tourism businesses need especially to focus on these when designing virtual tours for example by providing ample opportunities for the virtual tour participants to discuss with each other and learn from each other. This study brings valuable insights into the virtual tours research from the customer perspective, especially in a non-Western context.
A Framework of Resilience for Peer-to-Peer Accommodation Hosts Under COVID-19
Authors: Xu Yu-Hua , Ma Shihan , Li Xin-Yue
Published: January 2022

The pandemic has hit the tourism industry in various ways. P2P accommodation (P2PA) is one of most disrupted sectors. Different types of P2PA hosts are confronting different levels of challenges. From an angle of social equity, the study adopted a resilience model to examine the resilience of P2PA hosts’ business during the first COVID outbreak in Florida, USA. Statistical results show P2PA hosts’ business resilience negatively associates with their housing liability and hosting experience. Social superiority in owning more assets can be a defect in coping with COVID crisis. P2PA operators need to maintain an appropriate level of financial flexibility when faced with the threat of COVID outbreaks. We suggest the government and industrial organizations to distinguish the types of P2PA operators when carrying out rescue plans for the industry.