bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Revision of Indian wolf spiders: I. Genus Arctosa C.L. Koch, 1847 (Araneae: Lycosidae, Tricassinae)
Authors: SANKARAN PRADEEP M. , CALEB JOHN T.D. , SEBASTIAN POTHALIL A.
Published: January 2021

Indian species in the wolf spider genus Arctosa C.L. Koch, 1847 are revised based on the type material deposited in the National Zoological Collection, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, Entomology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, and Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna. Arctosa tappaensis Gajbe, 2004 is proposed as a junior synonym of Arctosa himalayensis Tikader & Malhotra, 1980. Arctosa quinquedens Dhali, Roy, Sen, Saha & Raychaudhuri, 2012 is provisionally transferred to Ovia Sankaran, Malamel & Sebastian, 2017 and Arctosa mulani (Dyal, 1935) is considered as species inquirenda. Digital images of all the examined type material are presented and supplementary descriptions for A. himalayensis, Arctosa indica Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 and Arctosa khudiensis (Sinha, 1951) are provided.
First record of Branchipodopsis affinis Sars, 1901 (Crustacea: Anostraca) in Iran (Bazargan, West Azerbaijan): Ecology, Morphology and Genetics
Authors: KANGARLOEI BEHROOZ ATASHBAR , ROOHI MARYAM
Published: January 2021

We report the first record of Branchipodopsis affinis Sars, 1901 (Branchiopoda, Anostraca) from Iran. The specimens were collected in small temporary pools in the Bazargan area located in West Azerbaijan province, in spring 2015. Details on the biogeography, ecology and morphology of this species are provided. The DNA sequence data (COI) for this species is reported for the first time, which can be used in the identification of species on molecular terms and generation of information regarding the evolutionary relationship of the species in future. Also, the new finding is an important contribution to the knowledge of the anostracan fauna from Iran.
Mycale species of the tropical Indo-West Pacific (Porifera, Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida)
Authors: VAN SOEST ROB W.M. , ARYASARI RATIH , VOOGD NICOLE J. DE
Published: January 2021

The species of the cosmopolitan sponge genus Mycale occurring in the tropical Indo-West Pacific region and adjacent subtropical waters are reviewed taxonomically. Specimens incorporated in the collections of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center form the basis of this comprehensive study, supplemented by (type) specimens borrowed from or examined in other institutions. Specimens available numbered 351, belonging to 44 species, including 14 species new to science, Mycale (Aegogropila) prognatha sp.nov., Mycale (Carmia) amiri sp.nov., Mycale (Carmia) fungiaphila sp.nov., Mycale (Carmia) monomicrosclera sp.nov., Mycale (Carmia) tenuichela sp.nov., Mycale (Carmia) tubiporicola sp.nov., Mycale (Carmia) tydemani sp.nov., Mycale (Mycale) asigmata sp.nov., Mycale (Mycale) grandoides sp.nov., Mycale (Mycale) sundaminorensis sp.nov., Mycale (Naviculina) mascarenensis sp.nov., Mycale (Paresperella) sceptroides sp.nov., Mycale (Paresperella) seychellensis sp.nov., Mycale (Zygomycale) sibogae sp.nov. Three species, indicated by the designation ‘aff.’, were not definitely assigned to known or new species due to uncertainty of their identity. The genus Kerasemna, previously considered a junior synonym of Mycale, was revived as an additional subgenus Mycale (Kerasemna). One species, previously assigned to the genus Desmacella as D. lampra De Laubenfels is here reassigned to Mycale, subgenus at present undecided. Additionally, species previously reported from the region but not represented in our collections are briefly characterized and discussed. We propose new names Mycale (Mycale) mauricei nom.nov. for Mycale macrochela Burton (junior primary homonym of Mycale fistulata var. macrochela Hentschel) and Mycale (Mycale) bouryesnaultae nom.nov. for Mycale (Mycale) fibrosa Boury-Esnault & Van Beveren (junior primary homonym of Mycale (Aegogropila) adhaerens subsp. fibrosa Koltun). Keys to the species of each subgenus occurring in the region are provided. The opportunity of having studied this comprehensive set of species and specimens from the tropical Indo-West Pacific is taken to review and discuss the morphological and biogeographical data gathered so far on the genus Mycale. The genus currently comprises approximately 255 accepted species, with highest diversity focused in tropical Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific regions as well as in warm-temperate Mediterranean-Atlantic regions.
TP-River: Monitoring and Quantifying Total River Runoff from the Third Pole
Authors: Wang Lei , Yao Tandong , Chai Chenhao , Cuo Lan , Su Fengge , Zhang Fan , Yao Zhijun , Zhang Yinsheng , Li Xiuping , Qi Jia , Hu Zhidan , Liu Jingshi , Wang Yuanwei
Published: January 2021

Monitoring changes in river runoff at the Third Pole (TP) is important because rivers in this region support millions of inhabitants in Asia and are very sensitive to climate change. Under the influence of climate change and intensified cryospheric melt, river runoff has changed markedly at the TP, with significant effects on the spatial and temporal water resource distribution that threaten water supply and food security for people living downstream. Despite some in situ observations and discharge estimates from state-of-the-art remote sensing technology, the total river runoff (TRR) for the TP has never been reliably quantified, and its response to climate change remains unclear. As part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ “Pan-Third Pole Environment Study for a Green Silk Road,” the TP-River project aims to construct a comprehensive runoff observation network at mountain outlets (where rivers leave the mountains and enter the plains) for 13 major rivers in the TP region, thereby enabling TRR to be accurately quantified. The project also integrates discharge estimates from remote sensing and cryosphere–hydrology modeling to investigate long-term changes in TRR and the relationship between the TRR variations and westerly/monsoon. Based on recent efforts, the project provides the first estimate (656 ± 23 billion m3) of annual TRR for the 13 TP rivers in 2018. The annual river runoff at the mountain outlets varies widely between the different TP rivers, ranging from 2 to 176 billion m3, with higher values mainly corresponding to rivers in the Indian monsoon domain, rather than in the westerly domain.
Contribution of Vertical Advection to Supergradient Wind in Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer: A Numerical Study
Authors: Fei Rong , Wang Yuqing , Li Yuanlong
Published: January 2021

The existence of supergradient wind in the interior of the boundary layer is a distinct feature of a tropical cyclone (TC). Although the vertical advection is shown to enhance supergradient wind in the TC boundary layer (TCBL), how and to what extent the strength and structure of supergradient wind are modulated by vertical advection are not well understood. In this study, both a TCBL model and an axisymmetric full-physics model are used to quantify the contribution of the vertical advection process to the strength and vertical structure of supergradient wind in TCBL. Results from the TCBL model show that the removal of vertical advection of radial wind reduces both the strength and height of supergradient wind by slightly more than 50%. The removal of vertical advection of agradient wind reduces the height of the supergradient wind core by ~30% but increases the strength of supergradient wind by ~10%. Results from the full-physics model show that the removal of vertical advection of radial wind or agradient wind reduces both the strength and height of supergradient wind but the removal of that of radial wind produces a more substantial reduction (52%) than the removal of that of agradient wind (35%). However, both the intensification rate and final intensity of the simulated TCs in terms of maximum 10-m wind speed show little differences in experiments with and without the vertical advection of radial or agradient wind, suggesting that supergradient wind contributes little to either the intensification rate or the steady-state intensity of the simulated TC.
Convective and Turbulent Motions in Nonprecipitating Cu. Part I: Method of Separation of Convective and Turbulent Motions
Authors: Pinsky Mark , Eytan Eshkol , Koren Ilan , Altaratz Orit , Khain Alexander
Published: January 2021

Atmospheric motions in clouds and cloud surroundings have a wide range of scales, from several kilometers to centimeters. These motions have different impacts on cloud dynamics and microphysics. Larger-scale motions (hereafter referred to as convective motions) are responsible for mass transport over distances comparable with cloud scale, while motions of smaller scales (hereafter referred to as turbulent motions) are stochastic and responsible for mixing and cloud dilution. This distinction substantially simplifies the analysis of dynamic and microphysical processes in clouds. The present research is Part I of the study aimed at describing the method for separating the motion scale into a convective component and a turbulent component. An idealized flow is constructed, which is a sum of an initially prescribed field of the convective velocity with updrafts in the cloud core and downdrafts outside the core, and a stochastic turbulent velocity field obeying the turbulent properties, including the −5/3 law and the 2/3 structure function law. A wavelet method is developed allowing separation of the velocity field into the convective and turbulent components, with parameter values being in a good agreement with those prescribed initially. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated by an example of a vertical velocity field of a cumulus cloud simulated using the System for Atmospheric Modeling (SAM) with bin microphysics and resolution of 10 m. It is shown that vertical velocity in clouds indeed can be represented as a sum of convective velocity (forming zone of cloud updrafts and subsiding shell) and a stochastic velocity obeying laws of homogeneous and isotropic turbulence.
Estimation of Koopman Transfer Operators for the Equatorial Pacific SST
Authors: Navarra Antonio , Tribbia Joe , Klus Stefan
Published: January 2021

In the last years, ensemble methods have been widely popular in atmospheric, climate, and ocean dynamics investigations and forecasts as convenient methods to obtain statistical information on these systems. In many cases, ensembles have been used as an approximation to the probability distribution that has acquired more and more a central role, as the importance of a single trajectory, or member, was recognized as less informative. This paper shows that using results from the dynamical systems and more recent results from the machine learning and AI communities, we can arrive at a direct estimation of the probability distribution evolution and also at the formulation of predictor systems based on a nonlinear formulation. The paper introduces the theory and demonstrates its application to two examples. The first is a one-dimensional system based on the Niño-3 index; the second is a multidimensional case based on time series of monthly mean SST in the Pacific. We show that we can construct the probability distribution and set up a system to forecast its evolution and derive various quantities from it. The objective of the paper is not strict realism, but the introduction of these methods and the demonstration that they can be used also in the complex, multidimensional environment typical of atmosphere and ocean applications.
Does a comprehensive service user-led education programme effect more positive attitudes towards recovery and less stigmatising attitudes towards people with lived experience of mental distress in medical students? A comparative cohort study
Authors: Newton-Howes Giles , Senior Jessica , Beaglehole Ben , Purdie Gordon L , Gordon Sarah E
Published: January 2021

Objective:

This study sought to investigate the impact of a service user-led anti-stigma and discrimination education programme, encompassing numerous interventions focused on facilitating multiple forms of social contact, the promotion of recovery, and respect for human rights, on medical student attitudes.

Method:

A comparison cohort study was used to compare the attitudes of two cohorts of medical students who received this programme as part of their fifth (the fifth-year cohort) or sixth (the sixth-year cohort) year psychological medical education attachment (programme cohorts) with two cohorts of equivalent students who received a standard psychological medical attachment (control cohorts). Attitudes to recovery (using the Recovery Attitudes Questionnaire) and stigma (using the Opening Minds Scale for Healthcare Providers) were measured at the beginning and end of the attachments for each year and compared both within and between the cohorts using Wilcoxon signed-rank or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests.

Results:

With sample sizes ranging from 46 to 70 across all cohorts, after their psychological medicine attachment both the programme and control cohorts showed more positive attitudes towards recovery and less stigmatising attitudes towards people with lived experience of mental distress. Significant differences between the programme cohorts and the control cohorts were found for recovery attitudes (median difference of 2, p < 0.05 in both fifth and sixth year), with particularly large differences being found for the ‘recovery is possible and needs faith’ subdomain of the Recovery Attitudes Questionnaire. There were no significant between cohort differences in terms of stigmatising attitudes as measured by the Opening Minds Scale for Healthcare Providers.

Conclusion:

The introduction of a comprehensive service user-led anti-stigma and education programme resulted in significant improvements in recovery attitudes compared to a control cohort. However, it was not found to be similarly superior in facilitating less stigmatising attitudes. Various possible reasons for this are discussed.
Hospitalizations in psychiatry during the month of Ramadan: A study at the Tunisian mental health hospital
Authors: Ben Ammar Hanen , Ben Massoued Rihab , Ben Hamadi Asma , Khelifa Emira , Hakiri Abir , El Hechmi Zouhaier
Published: January 2021

Background:

Muslims fast each year during the Holy Month of Ramadan. This rite has major socio-cultural consequences. The circadian rhythms, energy expenditure, body temperature and biological clock are also influenced by Ramadan fasting. The impact of fasting on patients with mental disorders has been little studied. The aim of this study was to assess the number of hospitalizations in psychiatry during Ramadan compared to the other months of the lunar year.

Method:

A cross-sectional and retrospective study was conducted at Razi hospital, the psychiatric hospital in Tunis. The following data over the five lunar years (1434–1438) was checked for: The monthly and the annual number of hospitalizations in the different departments of Razi mental health hospital in Tunis as well as the monthly and annual rates of different legal modalities of admissions.

Results:

An important decrease in the number of hospitalizations during Ramadan was observed each year followed by a constant increase during the following month. Ramadan was the only lunar month to have had a consistently below-average number of admissions. There has been a significant increase in the mean number of hospitalizations per month over the years. A general trend towards an increase in the proportion of enforced hospitalizations has been noted.

Conclusion:

Ramadan stands out not only on a religious but also on a social level. Our results add support to the usefulness of research on mental health and Ramadan in the psychiatric community.
Voice and Emphasis in Arabic Coronal Stops: Evidence for Phonological Compensation
Authors: Kulikov Vladimir
Published: January 2021

The current study investigates multiple acoustic cues–voice onset time (VOT), spectral center of gravity (SCG) of burst, pitch (F0), and frequencies of the first (F1) and second (F2) formants at vowel onset—associated with phonological contrasts of voicing and emphasis in production of Arabic coronal stops. The analysis of the acoustic data collected from eight native speakers of the Qatari dialect showed that the three stops form three distinct modes on the VOT scale: [d] is (pre)voiced, voiceless [t] is aspirated, and emphatic [ṭ] is voiceless unaspirated. The contrast is also maintained in spectral cues. Each cue influences production of coronal stops while their relevance to phonological contrasts varies. VOT was most relevant for voicing, but F2 was mostly associated with emphasis. The perception experiment revealed that listeners were able to categorize ambiguous tokens correctly and compensate for phonological contrasts. The listeners’ results were used to evaluate three categorization models to predict the intended category of a coronal stop: a model with unweighted and unadjusted cues, a model with weighted cues compensating for phonetic context, and a model with weighted cues compensating for the voicing and emphasis contrasts. The findings suggest that the model with phonological compensation performed most similar to human listeners both in terms of accuracy rate and error pattern.
Understanding the dynamics of inter-provincial migration in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam: an agent-based modeling study
Authors: Nguyen Hung Khanh , Chiong Raymond , Chica Manuel , Middleton Richard H
Published: January 2021

Recent large-scale migration flows from rural areas of the Mekong Delta (MKD) to larger cities in the South-East (SE) region of Vietnam have created the largest migration corridor in the country. This migration trend has further contributed to greater rural–urban disparities and widened the development gap between regions. In this study, our aim is to understand the migration dynamics and determine the most critical factors affecting the behavior of migrants in the MKD region. We present an agent-based model and incorporate the Theory of Planned Behavior to effectively break down migration intention into related components and contributing factors. A genetic algorithm is used for automated calibration and sensitivity analysis of model parameters, in order to validate our agent-based model. We further explore the migration behavior of people in certain demographic groups and delineate migration flows across cities and provinces from the MKD to the SE region.
Aperiodic sampled-data control of distributed networked control systems with time-delay
Authors: Bansal Kritika , Mukhija Pankaj
Published: January 2021

This paper proposes a hybrid aperiodic sampled-data mechanism for the control of interconnected subsystems with time-delay. The proposed aperiodic sampled-data mechanism comprises of two stages. In the first stage, the next sampling instant for each subsystem is computed using self-triggering strategy. Thereafter, in the second stage, an event-triggering condition is checked at these sampling instants for each subsystem and signal is transmitted to the controller only if the event-triggering condition is violated. Further, to reduce the computational complexity involved in the proposed triggering mechanism, another triggering mechanism with integrated event-triggering and self-triggering is developed. Also, an upper bound on delay for each subsystem is computed to ensure the stability of distributed networked control system. The results proposed are validated using a simulation example. A comparison of the proposed technique with other triggering mechanisms in terms of sampling instants, number of transmissions to the controller, maximum delay bound and other performance measures is drawn through simulation example.
Stabilization for a class of delayed switched inertial neural networks via non-reduced order method
Authors: Chen Xuan , Lin Dongyun
Published: January 2021

This paper tackles the issue of global stabilization for a class of delayed switched inertial neural networks (SINN). Distinct from the frequently employed reduced-order technique, this paper studies SINN directly through non-reduced order method. By constructing a novel Lyapunov functional and using Barbalat Lemma, sufficient conditions for the global asymptotic stabilization issue and global exponential stabilization issue of the considered SINN are established. Numerical simulations further confirm the feasibility of the main results. The comparative research shows that global stabilization results of this paper complement and improve some existing work.
Predictors of Substance Use in Registered Nurses: The Role of Psychological Trauma
Authors: Foli Karen J. , Zhang Lingsong , Reddick Blake
Published: January 2021

Substance use disorders (SUDs) in nursing have individual well-being, patient safety, and licensure/regulatory implications. Literature is scarce related to predicting SUDs in registered nurses; this study included specific items surrounding nurses’ psychological trauma. An online survey, consisting of validated scales and investigator-generated items was distributed to 4,000 registered nurses in Indiana with a yield of 1,478 surveys. The World Health Organization: Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) was used as the dependent variable to assess risk of SUDs. Three multivariate regression models with predictive variables for risk of tobacco ( R2 = 0.08), alcohol ( R2 = 0.09), and other substances ( R2 = 0.10) use were found. Of concern, nurses are at moderate risk for tobacco use at 11.6%; alcohol use at 11.6% and for other substances at 10.4%. Each regression model contained distinct predictor variables; however, variables occurring in all three models were: depression, anxiety, and items surrounding psychological trauma (adverse childhood experiences, life events, lateral workplace violence).
Hierarchical control of soft manipulators towards unstructured interactions
Authors: Jiang Hao , Wang Zhanchi , Jin Yusong , Chen Xiaotong , Li Peijin , Gan Yinghao , Lin Sen , Chen Xiaoping
Published: January 2021

Performing daily interaction tasks such as opening doors and pulling drawers in unstructured environments is a challenging problem for robots. The emergence of soft-bodied robots brings a new perspective to solving this problem. In this paper, inspired by humans performing interaction tasks through simple behaviors, we propose a hierarchical control system for soft arms, in which the low-level controller achieves motion control of the arm tip, the high-level controller controls the behaviors of the arm based on the low-level controller, and the top-level planner chooses what behaviors should be taken according to tasks. To realize the motion control of the soft arm in interacting with environments, we propose two control methods. The first is a feedback control method based on a simplified Jacobian model utilizing the motion laws of the soft arm that are not affected by environments during interaction. The second is a control method based on [Formula: see text]-learning, in which we present a novel method to increase training data by setting virtual goals. We implement the hierarchical control system on a platform with the Honeycomb Pneumatic Networks Arm (HPN Arm) and validate the effectiveness of this system on a series of typical daily interaction tasks, which demonstrates this proposed hierarchical control system could render the soft arms to perform interaction tasks as simply as humans, without force sensors or accurate models of the environments. This work provides a new direction for the application of soft-bodied arms and offers a new perspective for the physical interactions between robots and environments.
A Live Experience of Four-Dimensional Structure
Authors: Tyler Christopher W.
Published: January 2021

Selective attention is well known for 2D patterns and perceptual alternations are well established for 3D structures projected into 2D, such as the Necker cube. Here, these concepts are extended to the spatial fourth dimension in the form of the mathematical structure of the 4D hypercube. In orthographic projection, its 2D outline figure has multiple and highly dynamic percepts of up to 28 different 3D interpretations, which correspond to local 3D views of the 4D hypercube. Thus, the spontaneous operations of perceptual processing can provide direct insight into conceptual structure in the fourth dimension.
Assessing wind energy development in Uganda: Opportunities and challenges
Authors: Wabukala Benard M , Otim Jacob , Mubiinzi Geoffrey , Adaramola Muyiwa S
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we utilize a systematic review to assess opportunities and challenges in wind energy development in Uganda. Apart from being an environmentally friendly and renewable energy resource, development of wind energy could boosts economic growth and creates jobs. For Uganda, rising energy demand, need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing electricity access to rural areas, emerge as rational opportunities to invest in wind energy. The main obstacles to wind energy development in Uganda are insufficient wind resource data, high initial investment cost, inadequate research and development, weak infrastructure, and unsupportive policies. For policy, comprehensive wind resource assessment, energy infrastructure investment, financial de-risking, capacity building, and deliberate wind power policy incentives could accelerate wind energy development and consequently contribute to the country’s energy security.
A multi-scale model of real contact area for linear guideway based on the fractal theory
Authors: Li Xinxin , Li Zhimin , Jin Sun , Zhang Jichang
Published: January 2021

High precision, efficiency and reliability are the unremitting pursuits of machinery manufacturing industry. As one of the pivotal function parts of high-end NC machine tool, precise linear guideway determines the machining precision and operation performance. Accurate evaluation and prediction of surface topography are the crucial effects on the matching performance of linear guideway. In this paper, the real contact area is regarded as a key parameter, a multi-scale method with the fractal theory is proposed. First, the contact area of a single asperity was obtained with Hertz contact theory. Afterwards, the contact area between rough surfaces was deduced by the fractal theory. Finally, using the proposed multi-scale contact mechanics model, the real contact area between rough plane and cylinder was obtained by integral solution. Compared with the former fractal model and GW model, the proposed model on the real contact area calculation of linear guideway is more accurate and comprehensive. The effect factors of load, fractal parameter and friction were discussed, the increasing rate of real contact area of smoother surface is greater as load increases. The proposed model may provide practical guidance for assembly accuracy and surface quality requirements at design stage.
Experimental and numerical investigation on the heat transfer of an automotive engine’s turbocharger
Authors: Savaripour Hamed , Gharehghani Ayat , Ahmadi Abolfazl , Agha Mirsalim Seyed Mostafa , Rosen Marc A
Published: January 2021

Measuring the temperature distribution in a complex and important engine part, such as a turbocharger, is essential for improving engine performance and efficiency. Heat transfer from the turbine to the compressor can strongly influence the turbocharger performance. One of the main measurement methods involves the installation of multiple K-type sensors. However, the location as well as the maximum and minimum temperatures of the turbocharger and the subsequent critical points may not be obtained by using sensors. In the current study, thermocouples, as well as an infra-red camera, are used to study the temperature distribution of the turbocharger housing in a spark ignition engine. A new method is introduced to determine the thermal radiation coefficient of the turbocharger housing by using a laboratory furnace and an infra-red camera. Together with experiments, the finite element method is used to find the temperature distribution in the turbocharger for all thicknesses. Comparing the temperature distribution obtained from simulation with experimental data, an acceptable level of agreement is observed. The location and temperature of the hottest area in experimental and numerical investigations are close to the waste gate. Temperatures using the finite element method for bearings exhibit maximum and minimum errors of 4.9% and 2.3%, respectively, indicating reasonable accuracy for the simulation.
Major failings of trial procedures and quality of screening fatally compromise the results of the Canadian National Breast Screening Studies
Authors: Kopans Daniel B
Published: January 2021

Despite overwhelming evidence of a major reduction in deaths, the debate about the efficacy of breast cancer screening has continued for over 50 years. The poor results in the Canadian National Breast Screening Studies (CNBSS) have been used to challenge the benefits shown by the other randomized, controlled trials. They continue to be used in assessing the value of breast cancer screening despite their unblinded allocation process, which first identified women with breast abnormalities and then assigned them on open lists allowing for nonrandom assignment, compromising the trials and rendering their results unreliable. There were, statistically significantly, more women with advanced cancers who were assigned to the screening arm in CNBSS1. The early results for CNBSS1 showed an excess of women dying in the screening arm, and an (otherwise inexplicable) greater than 90%, 5-year survival for the control women. The failure of random assignment also explains why the clinically evident cancers were larger in the screening arms than the cancers in the “usual care” arms, despite the fact that the screened women underwent very intense clinical breast examinations each year by highly skilled examiners. The claim that balanced demographic factors prove random assignment is also false. Nonrandom allocation of a hundred or more women with clinically evident abnormalities would have no detectable influence on the distribution of demographic factors. In summary, policy decisions about mammography should not be influenced by the results of the CNBSS.
The Improving Conditions for the Aerobic Bacteria Performing the Degradation of Obsolete Pesticides in Polluted Soils
Authors: Doolotkeldieva Tinatin , Bobusheva Saikal , Konurbaeva Mahabat
Published: January 2021

Currently, in the territory of Kyrgyzstan, 50 storage facilities of obsolete pesticides exist; they store about 5000 tons of these hazardous chemicals. The storage conditions have become unusable for a long time. They pose a serious threat to the people living there, livestock, and the environment. The main purpose of this research was the use of selected bacteria with cytochrome P450 genes for the bioremediation of polluted soils around the burial sites in model soil experiments. In the first trial of biodegradation experiments, one contaminated soil was used without any changes in chemical contents, and in the second, the physical and chemical contents of the soil were improved to maintain the bioremediation conditions. The soils in both variants were treated 3 times (ie, once a month) with suspensions of a single culture or a blend of active bacteria (1 × 108 cells/mL) selected from in vitro biodegradation experiments. Two control units without the addition of the bacteria culture were also run. The quantification of targeted persistent organic pollutants (POPs) before and after biodegradation was performed by capillary gas chromatography (GC) coupled to a mass spectrometer. In 6 months, obsolete pesticides such as dieldrin, α-endosulfan, β-endosulfan, and 4-heptachlor-epox pure were able to degrade almost completely, up to 98% to 99.0%, by the blend of bacteria and the single culture of bacteria. Endrin aldehyde showed more resistance as the blend of bacteria was able to degrade it to 59.77%. To improve the aerobic degradation for elimination of pesticides from contaminated soils, it is necessary to create optimal agrotechnical and agrochemical conditions.
Analogy-based collective decision-making and incremental change in international organizations
Authors: Dörfler Thomas , Gehring Thomas
Published: January 2021

We examine how analogy-based collective decision-making of member states contributes to the endogenous emergence of informal rules and the incremental change of international organizations (IOs). Decision-making by analogy is an important characteristic of day-to-day decision-making in IOs. Relating current decisions to previous ones through analogies drives incremental change and simultaneously reinforces organizational resilience. Whereas the foreign policy analysis literature shows that analogies can be used as cognitive shortcuts in fuzzy and complex foreign policy situations, we focus on their use to overcome social ambiguity (indeterminacy) of coordination situations in IOs. Drawing on psychological conceptions, we develop two micro-level mechanisms that elucidate the effects of analogy-based collective decision-making in member-driven IOs. Analogy-based collective decisions emphasizing similarity between a current situation and previous ones follow an established problem schema and produce expansive and increasingly well-established informal rules. Collective decisions that are analogy-based but emphasize a crucial difference follow different problem schemas and trigger the emergence of additional informal rules that apply to new classes of cases. The result is an increasingly fine-grained web of distinct organizational solutions for a growing number of problems. Accordingly, an IO can increasingly facilitate collective decision-making and gains resilience. Empirically, we probe these propositions with a documentary analysis of decision-making in the Yugoslavia sanctions committee, established by the United Nations Security Council to deal with a stream of requests for exempting certain goods or services from the comprehensive economic embargo imposed on Yugoslavia in response to the War in the Balkans.
Combined Mitral and Aortic Valve Surgery: 17-year Experience in a Single Center
Authors: Husso Annastiina , Riekkinen Teemu , Rissanen Aino , Ollila Juho , Valtola Antti
Published: January 2021

Background and objective:

It is not uncommon that patients requiring valve surgery have several simultaneous valvular dysfunctions. Combined aortic and mitral valve surgery is the most common form of double-valve surgery. The aim of this study was to analyze and present the outcomes of simultaneous aortic and mitral valve surgery in a single center in a real-life setting.

Methods:

The study population consisted of 150 patients operated in the Kuopio University Hospital from 2004 to 2020. All patients undergoing concomitant mitral and aortic valve surgery were included. Four groups were formed based on either the etiology or pathophysiology of the valvular dysfunction. The most common combination was mitral regurgitation with aortic regurgitation ( n = 72, 48%), followed by mitral regurgitation with aortic stenosis ( n = 37, 25%), endocarditis ( n = 29, 19%), and mitral stenosis with aortic regurgitation or stenosis ( n = 12, 8%). Concomitant coronary artery revascularization was performed in 37 (25%) patients and tricuspid valve repair in 26 (17%) patients.

Results:

Operative mortality was 2% and 30-day mortality was 7%. Overall survival was 86%, 78%, and 61% in 3, 5, and 10 years, respectively. Patients with endocarditis were significantly more morbid, and more often than other patients had to undergo an emergency operation. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of early and late survival. In the overall cohort, the EuroSCORE II value, increased pulmonary artery pressure, decreased glomerular filtration, and length of the operation displayed a negative correlation with survival.

Conclusions:

Despite the challenging nature of multivalvular heart disease, surgery is a safe method of treatment with good short- and long-term outcomes.
Are developmentally missing teeth a predictive risk marker of malignant diseases in non-syndromic individuals? A systematic review
Authors: Al-Muzian Lubna , Almuzian Mohammed , Mohammed Hisham , Ulhaq Aman , Keightley Alexander J
Published: January 2021

Background:

Different genes and loci that are associated with non-syndromic developmental tooth agenesis (TA) have the same causation pathway in the development of tumours including breast cancer (BC), epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), colorectal cancer (CRC) and lung cancer (LC).

Objectives:

To assess the link between TA and the development of cancer.

Search sources:

This registered review included a comprehensive search of electronic databases (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials [CENTRAL], LILACS, Scopus, Web of Science and Medline via Ovid) until 1 April 2020, supplemented by manual, grey literature and reference lists search. There was no restriction in term of date of publication, gender, race or type of hypodontia.

Data selection:

The primary outcome was the relationship between TA and cancer. The secondary outcome was to identify the genetic correlation between TA and cancer.

Data extraction:

Study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed independently and induplicate by two reviewers, with disputes resolved by a third reviewer.

Results:

Eight studies with a moderate-high risk of bias were included in the final review, with a total of 5821 participants. Due to the heterogeneity among the included studies, the data were presented narratively. Limited studies reported a high prevalence of EOC (19.2%–20%) and CRC (82%–100%) in individuals with TA (depending on the study) compared to those without TA (3% for EOC and 0% for CRC). While others reported a weak correlation between EOC and CRC and TA ( P > 0.05). Weak evidence suggested a strong correlation between breast, cervical uterine and prostate cancers and TA ( P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

Though low-quality evidence suggests a link between TA and cancer, it was not possible to verify that TA can hold a predictive value as a marker for cancers. Further research is needed to confirm the association.

Registration:

PROSPERO (CRD42020139751).
Deepening reflexivity through art in learning qualitative research
Authors: Skukauskaite Audra , Yilmazli Trout Inci , Robinson Kaye A
Published: January 2021

Reflexivity involves examining one’s background and perspectives in relation to the research topic, participants, and the processes and practices of research. Building on the growing field of utilizing arts-based practices in teaching qualitative research, in this article we examine how one doctoral student’s engagement with drawing and painting within and beyond a qualitative research class supported her developing reflexivity. Guided by an interactional ethnographic perspective, we conducted domain, taxonomic, and discourse analyses of the student’s art, reflection journals, video of a class presentation, and retrospective reflections she wrote three years later. Through these analyses we make visible that reflexivity through art creates potentials for understanding and transcending one’s background to create new opportunities for learning about self and research. We also argue that deepening reflexivity requires a commitment to engage in the discomforts of learning in order to develop new ways of thinking and researching.
Immersion in Buzz or Withdrawal to Solitude? Artists’ Creative and Social Strategies in Urban Settings
Authors: Murzyn-Kupisz Monika , Działek Jarosław
Published: January 2021

Expectations of bohemian inclinations of artists and their need to immerse in buzz shape the popular image of artistic professionals and often become a point of departure for public policies. The aim of our study, moving beyond preconceived notions on artists’ social and spatial preferences, has been to take a more nuanced look at artists’ attitudes toward buzz and its presence in urban settings. Drawing on the results of a research project conducted in two Polish cities, we have considered to what extent buzz is indeed an important artistic resource in contemporary urban centers and in what locations and types of spaces it is experienced by artists. We have also taken into account artists’ use of the opposite of buzz, that is, silence and solitude, in their urban creative strategies as well as analyzed what factors impact on the diversity of artists’ attitudes, needs, and strategies toward buzz-rich environments. Research findings point to the complexity of artists’ strategies toward buzz which might in turn translate into specific spatial strategies and choices they make within cities.
Coaching style, sport enjoyment, and intent to continue participation among artistic swimmers
Authors: Kim Seungmo , Park Sanghyun , Love Adam , Pang Tsz Ching
Published: January 2021

Using situational leadership models, the current study examined direct and indirect relationships between coaching styles (i.e., democratic and autocratic) and athletes’ intent to continue participation via enjoyment in the sport of artistic swimming. Data were collected using an online survey with a snowball sampling method. A total of 202 artistic swimmers at the elite level from 22 countries participated in this study. The findings showed that participants who trained with democratic-style coaches reported higher levels of athletic enjoyment and intent to continue their athletic careers. There was no mediating effect of athletic enjoyment between coaching styles and intent to continue via athletic enjoyment; instead, the results revealed that the direct path between athletic enjoyment and intent to continue was not significant. However, the results supported the direct relationships between both coaching styles and athletic enjoyment and between autocratic coaching style and intent to continue an athletic career.
A risk assessment methodology of aluminum dust explosion for polishing process based on laboratory tests
Authors: Bi Haipu , Xie Xiaolong , Wang Kaimin , Cao Yujie , Shao Hui
Published: January 2021

The secondary dust explosion ignited by the primary explosion energy often causes greater damage to the just destroyed carrier. Therefore, the study of explosion risk as well as the risk reduction effect with suppression is key guard against the secondary and derivative explosions. A novel risk assessment methodology is presented based on Monte Carlo theory for numerically fitting pressure’s uncertainty changes and Crystal ball simulation for calculating explosion risk and its distribution probability of hazardous explosive dust. Taking the aluminum dust of a polishing process as an example, the fitted results show that the tested explosion pressure in laboratory presents the shape of lognormal distribution with average pressure of 0.27 MPa on the condition of 500 g/m3 aluminum dust with median particle diameter at 35 μm. The simulated results show that the risk possibility of myringorupture injury, pneumorrhagia injury, and structure damage all approaches 100% because of the high explosion pressure considering the potential percentage of injury or damage at 50%. However, the risk possibility reduces to 14.27%, 0.13%, and 42.05% with suppressants of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate at 10%, respectively. The proposed method of risk assessment for dust explosion and its suppression provides scientific basis for strategy optimization of dust explosion protection and safe production of fine explosive dust related industry.
Predicting golf ball launch characteristics using iron clubhead presentation variables and the influence of mishits
Authors: Corke Tom W , Betzler Nils F , Wallace Eric S , Otto Steve R
Published: January 2021

In golf, it is well understood that the interaction between the clubhead and ball determines the initial ball launch conditions. Specific knowledge regarding these relationships for iron clubs, particularly when clubhead and turf interactions are considered, would be both novel and of benefit to practitioners. Linear regression analysis was used to determine relationships between selected clubhead presentation and shot outcome variables for a sample of 1127 ‘5-iron’ shots hit from natural turf by 96 golfers. As expected, clubhead speed was the most significant predictor of ball speed, with obliquity of impact and eccentricity of the impact location making smaller, yet statistically significant contributions. Marginally ‘fat’ strikes, whereby the leading edge of the clubhead was only slightly beneath the ground at impact, appeared to have a lesser effect than expected in terms of ball speed. Effective loft was found to be the strongest predictor of vertical launch angle, whilst clubhead speed and spin loft had the greatest influence in the model for predicting total spin; inclusion of ‘thin’ strikes (i.e. those struck with the leading edge) appeared to create a non-linear element to these models and consequently overestimated the influence of vertical impact location in both cases. These findings suggest that determination of impact location, particularly for instances whereby ball contact is not wholly on the club face, is critical in research concerning irons. Overall, this study makes an original contribution to the understanding of 5-iron shot outcomes based on clubhead presentation characteristics.
Public-private partnerships in Mexico: Challenges and opportunities at local level
Authors: Fuentes Hugo J. , Mendoza Gustavo , Montoya Miguel A. , Aguilar Ismael
Published: January 2021

A specific challenge related to infrastructure creation that is faced by several countries has to do with the lack of participation to an optimal level of subnational governments in the development of Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects which, in turn, could offset the existing infrastructure limitations. In this article, we analyze the Mexican case, whose main feature is that, despite implementing the PPP scheme for almost 10 years and having technical assistance from international organizations to establish the required institutional framework (i.e. legal and technical dimensions), local governments have not been able to create the necessary competencies to carry out this type of project. In order to assess local governments on this subject, we conducted an analysis based on the model designed by the OECD in relation to the execution of PPP projects. A proposal to explain the lack of local government participation in PPP schemes, rests on the foundations of so-called “subnational authoritarianism.”
Corporations, Politics, and Democracy: Corporate political activities as political corruption
Authors: Nyberg Daniel
Published: January 2021

Corporate involvement in democratic processes typically takes the form of corporate political activity (CPA). In this paper, I develop a framework of political corruption to explain the corroding influence of CPA on democratic processes. CPA corrupts democratic processes by excluding (a) citizen representation from political decision making, (b) citizens’ voices from public deliberation, and (c) citizens’ interests from private deliberations about political preferences. By attending to the power relations within the three key democratic spheres in society—political, public, and private—I explain how corporations influence democratic processes and how these processes in turn become dependent on corporate involvement. My theorization explicates the corporate capture of democratic processes and provides a nuanced understanding of corruption in Western liberal democracies. Finally, I suggest ways to halt this process and thereby defend democracy as a system of governance from undue corporate interests.