bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Individuals’ beliefs about the biopsychosocial factors that contribute to their chronic musculoskeletal pain: protocol for a qualitative study in the UK
Authors: Dunn Michael , Rushton Alison B , Soundy Andrew , Heneghan Nicola R
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is described as pain that persists for longer than 3 months. At present, no research is available that understands why CMP develops and continues from the perspective of the individual. Research is needed to establish if there are any consistent biopsychosocial factors perceived as contributing to CMP and what informs such beliefs. Understanding individual beliefs will inform more effective communication between clinicians and patients about their CMP, as well as informing future research into the epidemiology of CMP. Interpretative phenomenological analysis will be used as a methodological framework as it explores how individuals make sense of their world through personal experiences and perceptions while preserving individual nuance. The aim of this study is to understand individuals’ beliefs and perceptions about the biological, psychological and social factors, which contribute to the development and maintenance of their CMP.

Methods and analysis

A qualitative study informed by the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research using interpretative phenomenological analysis and semistructured interviews. A maximum variation purposive sample of 6–12 adults with CMP will be recruited from the general public in the UK. One semistructured interview will be conducted with each participant via an online video platform with interviews transcribed verbatim. The interview schedule (codesigned with expert patients and informed by existing evidence) identifies three domains of important questions; (1) patient beliefs on why they developed and continue to experience CMP; (2) the relationship between their biopsychosocial experiences and CMP; and (3) the origin of their beliefs. Strategies such as ‘member checking’ will be employed to ensure trustworthiness.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval was granted by the Research Ethics Office at the University of Birmingham (reference ERN_21-0813). Informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The study findings will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and for presentation at conferences.
Getting going on time: reducing neurophysiology set-up times in order to contribute to improving surgery start and finish times
Authors: Pridgeon Michael , Proudlove Nathan
Published: July 2022

At the Walton Centre we conduct a relatively large number of complex and lengthy elective (booked) spinal operations. Recently, we have had a particular problem with half or more of these sessions finishing late, resulting in staff discontent and greater use of on-call staff.

These operations require patient monitoring by neurophysiology clinical scientists. Before the surgeon can start the operation, in-theatre neurophysiological measurements are required to establish a baseline. We reasoned that reducing this set-up time would reduce the risk of surgery starting late, and so the whole session finishing later than expected.

In this project we redesigned the neurophysiology parts of in-theatre patient preparation. We conducted five Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles over 3 months, reducing the duration of pre-surgery preparation from a mean of 70 min to around 50 min. We saw improvements in surgical start times and session finish times (both earlier by roughly comparable amounts). The ultimately impact is that we saw on-time session finishes improve from around 50% to 100%. Following this project, we have managed to sustain the changes and the improved performance.

The most impactful change was to conduct in-theatre neurophysiology patient preparation simultaneously with anaesthesia, rather than waiting for this to finish; when we performed this with a pair of clinical scientists, we were able to complete neurophysiology patient preparation by the time the anaesthetist was finished, therefore not introducing delays to the start of surgery. A final change was to remove a superfluous preparatory patient-baseline measurement.

This is a very challenging and complex environment, with powerful stakeholders and many factors and unpredictable events affecting sessions. Nevertheless, we have shown that we can make improvements within our span of influence that improve the wider process. While using pairs of staff requires greater resource, we found the benefit to be worthwhile.
Time-critical telephone conversations in the emergency department: lessons learnt from a pilot educational project to improve communication skills over the telephone in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic
Authors: Edwards Sarah , Keillor Lisa , Sandison Lorna , Millett Abigail , Davies Ffion
Published: July 2022

In many countries, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in restricted hospital visiting by relatives.

Staff have been forced to deliver unwelcome and bad news over the telephone. There are few training resources around how to do this. We created a bespoke training package consisting of a 15 min eLearning session and a 1-hour facilitated role-play session. Two simulated telephone calls to a professional actor posing as the relative were undertaken on a speakerphone. Following each simulated call, the actor gave feedback to the caller, focusing on the likely experience of a relative during these conversations. Elements specific to telephone conversations included ensuring the safety of the recipient to take the call (eg, not driving a car), ensuring they had adequate local support, and allowing a deliberate silence after delivering the bad news. Silence has a powerful impact, despite being uncomfortable. The opportunity to have written notes before calling and to offer a return call was seen as an opportunity for improving communication. We collated these experiences into a series of phrases found most useful and empathic by the actor and participants. A practical aide- mémoir was created from this learning that could be used to help deliver bad news quickly in the emergency department.
Intrahepatic CD69+Vδ1 T cells re-circulate in the blood of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and limit tumor progression
Authors: Bruni Elena , Cimino Matteo Maria , Donadon Matteo , Carriero Roberta , Terzoli Sara , Piazza Rocco , Ravens Sarina , Prinz Immo , Cazzetta Valentina , Marzano Paolo , Kunderfranco Paolo , Peano Clelia , Soldani Cristiana , Franceschini Barbara , Colombo Federico Simone , Garlanda Cecilia , Mantovani Alberto , Torzilli Guido , Mikulak Joanna , Mavilio Domenico
Published: July 2022

Background

More than 50% of all patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) develop liver metastases (CLM), a clinical condition characterized by poor prognosis and lack of reliable prognostic markers. Vδ1 cells are a subset of tissue-resident gamma delta (γδ) T lymphocytes endowed with a broad array of antitumor functions and showing a natural high tropism for the liver. However, little is known about their impact in the clinical outcomes of CLM.

Methods

We isolated human γδ T cells from peripheral blood (PB) and peritumoral (PT) tissue of 93 patients undergone surgical procedures to remove CLM. The phenotype of freshly purified γδ T cells was assessed by multiparametric flow cytometry, the transcriptional profiles by single cell RNA-sequencing, the functional annotations by Gene Ontology enrichment analyses and the clonotype by γδ T cell receptor (TCR)-sequencing.

Results

The microenvironment of CLM is characterized by a heterogeneous immune infiltrate comprising different subsets of γδ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) able to egress the liver and re-circulate in PB. Vδ1 T cells represent the largest population of γδ TILs within the PT compartment of CLM that is greatly enriched in Vδ1 T effector (TEF) cells expressing constitutive high levels of CD69. These Vδ1 CD69+TILs express a distinct phenotype and transcriptional signature, show high antitumor potential and correlate with better patient clinical outcomes in terms of lower numbers of liver metastatic lesions and longer overall survival (OS). Moreover, intrahepatic CD69+Vδ1 TILs can egress CLM tissue to re-circulate in PB, where they retain a phenotype, transcriptional signature and TCR clonal repertoires resembling their liver origin. Importantly, even the increased frequencies of the CD69+terminally differentiated (TEMRA) Vδ1 cells in PB of patients with CLM significantly correlate with longer OS. The positive prognostic score of high frequencies of CD69+TEMRAVδ1 cells in PB is independent from the neoadjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy regimens administered to patients with CLM prior surgery.

Conclusions

The enrichment of tissue-resident CD69+Vδ1 TEMRAcells re-circulating at high frequencies in PB of patients with CLM limits tumor progression and represents a new important clinical tool to either predict the natural history of CLM or develop alternative therapeutic protocols of cellular therapies.
Weakness in the intensive care unit
Authors: Walters Jon
Published: July 2022

When asked to assess patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) who have respiratory muscle weakness, oropharyngeal weakness and a vulnerable airway, our immediate thought may be of Guillain-Barré syndrome or myasthenia gravis, but there are many other possible causes. For example, previously unrecognised chronic neurological conditions may decompensate and require ICU admission. Clinicians can use various clinical clues to help recognise them and need to understand how patterns of weakness reflect differing causes of reduced consciousness on ICU. Additionally, patients admitted to ICU for any reason may develop weakness during their stay, the most likely cause being ICU-acquired weakness. Assessing patients in ICU is challenging, hampered by physical barriers (machines, tubes), medication barriers (sedatives) and cognitive barriers (delirium, difficulty communicating). Nonetheless, we need to reach a clinical diagnosis, organise appropriate tests and communicate clearly with both patients and ICU colleagues.
Acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy resembling multiple sclerosis
Authors: El Mahdaoui Sahla , Isenberg Asher Lou , Hansen Klaus , Langkilde Annika Reynberg , Hamann Steffen , Romme Christensen Jeppe
Published: July 2022

A 23-year-old man presented with right eye blurred vision; he was diagnosed with acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE), and his symptoms resolved with prednisolone. Two months later, he developed a right arm weakness that resolved after 3 weeks. MR scan of brain identified changes suggesting multiple sclerosis, with four hyperintense FLAIR lesions; there was contrast enhancement of two lesions and no diffusion restriction. Cerebrospinal fluid showed mononuclear pleocytosis. We eventually diagnosed these as APMPPE-associated CNS lesions. APMPPE is a rare inflammatory chorioretinopathy that rarely can resemble multiple sclerosis clinically and radiologically.
Impact of climate change on catchment nutrient dynamics: insights from around the world
Authors: Costa Diogo , Sutter Caleb , Shepherd Anita , Jarvie Helen , Wilson Henry , Elliott Jane , Liu Jian , Macrae Merrin
Published: July 2022

This study is a meta-analysis of global articles on hydrological nutrient dynamics to determine trends and consensus on: (1) the effects of climate change-induced hydrological and temperature drivers on nutrient dynamics and how these effects vary along the catchment continuum from land to river to lake; (2) the convergence of climate change impacts with other anthropogenic pressures (agriculture, urbanization) in nutrient dynamics; and (3) regional variability in the effects of climate change on nutrient dynamics and water-quality impairment across different climate zones. An innovative web crawler tool was employed to help critically synthesize the information in the literature. The literature suggests that climate change will impact nutrient dynamics around the globe and exacerbate contemporary water-quality challenges. Nutrient leaching and overland flow transport are projected to increase globally, promoted by extreme precipitation. Seasonal variations in streamflow are expected to emulate changing precipitation patterns, but the specific local impacts of climate change on hydrology and nutrient dynamics will vary both seasonally and regionally. Plant activity may reduce some of this load in nonagricultural soils if the expected increase in plant uptake of nutrients prompted by increased temperatures can compensate for greater nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) mineralization, N deposition, and leaching rates. High-temperature forest and grass fires may help reduce mineralization and microbial turnover by altering N speciation via the pyrolysis of organic matter. In agricultural areas that are at higher risk of erosion, extreme precipitation will exacerbate existing water-quality issues, and greater plant nutrient uptake may lead to an increase in fertilizer use. Future urban expansion will amplify these effects. Higher ambient temperatures will promote harmful cyanobacterial blooms by enhancing thermal stratification, increasing nutrient load into streams and lakes from extreme precipitation events, decreasing summer flow and thus baseflow dilution capacity, and increasing water and nutrient residence times during increasingly frequent droughts. Land management decisions must consider the nuanced regional and seasonal changes identified in this review (realized and predicted). Such knowledge is critical to increasing international cooperation and accelerating action toward the United Nations’s global sustainability goals and the specific objectives of the Conference of Parties (COP) 26.
Automatic Seizure Identification from EEG Signals Based on Brain Connectivity Learning
Authors: Zhao Yanna , Xue Mingrui , Dong Changxu , He Jiatong , Chu Dengyu , Zhang Gaobo , Xu Fangzhou , Ge Xinting , Zheng Yuanjie
Published: July 2022

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder caused by brain dysfunction, which could cause uncontrolled behavior, loss of consciousness and other hazards. Electroencephalography (EEG) is an indispensable auxiliary tool for clinical diagnosis. Great progress has been made by current seizure identification methods. However, the performance of the methods on different patients varies a lot. In order to deal with this problem, we propose an automatic seizure identification method based on brain connectivity learning. The connectivity of different brain regions is modeled by a graph. Different from the manually defined graph structure, our method can extract the optimal graph structure and EEG features in an end-to-end manner. Combined with the popular graph attention neural network (GAT), this method achieves high performance and stability on different patients from the CHB-MIT dataset. The average values of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F1-score and AUC of the proposed model are 98.90%, 98.33%, 98.48%, 97.72% and 98.54%, respectively. The standard deviations of the above five indicators are 0.0049, 0.0125, 0.0116 and 0.0094, respectively. Compared with the existing seizure identification methods, the stability of the proposed model is improved by 78–95%.
Numerical study of convection phenomenon in hybrid nanofluid flow over vertical rotating cylinder
Authors: Khan Masood , Sarfraz Mahnoor , Ahmed Awais , Rahim Aleena
Published: July 2022

Hybrid nanofluid is a novel nanotechnology fluid created by distributing two distinct nanoparticles into conventional energy transfer fluid. The thermal properties of aluminum alloys, namely AA7072 and AA7075 with engine oil (base fluid) of hybrid nanofluid flow induced over a vertical stretchable rotating cylinder are investigated in this study. The focus here is the analysis of energy transportation in the presence of Joule heating, thermal energy source/sink, thermal radiation and activation energy. Moreover, all energy constraints are analyzed through graphical outcomes, which are computed numerically through bvp4c built-in MATLAB. The significant observation made is that as the Reynolds number and the magnetic field parameter enhance, the flow field declines. Additionally, the convective transport of the thermal energy increases for a higher magnitude of resistive heating and buoyant motion of the fluid. It is also noted that the activation energy in the system decreases for mass diffusion.
Wigner meets ’t Hooft near the black hole horizon
Authors: Johnson Clifford V.
Published: July 2022

Recent work on Euclidean quantum gravity, black hole thermodynamics, and the holographic principle has seen the return of random matrix models as a powerful tool. It is explained how they allow for the study of the physics well beyond the perturbative expansion. In fact, a fully nonperturbative treatment naturally unites the familiar approach of summing over smooth geometries of all topologies with the statistical approach to characterize the typical properties of a Hamiltonian. Remarkably, this leads to an explicit excavation of the underlying microstates of quantum gravity that has applications to the low-temperature dynamics of a large class of black holes.
Emergent early universe cosmology from BFSS matrix theory
Authors: Brahma Suddhasattwa , Brandenberger Robert , Laliberte Samuel
Published: July 2022

The BFSS matrix model is a suggested nonperturbative definition of string theory. Starting from a thermal state of this matrix model, we show how space and time can emerge dynamically. Results from the IKKT matrix model indicate that the SO(9) symmetry of space is spontaneously broken to SO(3) × SO(6), with the three-dimensional subspace becoming large. Given this initial state for the universe, we show that cosmological perturbations and gravitational waves with scale-invariant spectra are generated, without the need of postulating an early phase of cosmological inflation. The Big Bang singularity is automatically resolved.
Is spacetime really doomed?
Authors: Woit Peter
Published: July 2022

For many years now it has become conventional ([E. Witten, Phys. Today 49 (1996) 24; D. Gross, Einstein and the quest for a unified theory, in Einstein for the 21st Century: His Legacy in Science, Art, and Modern Culture, eds. P. L. Galison, G. Holton and S. S. Schweber (Princeton University Press, 2008), pp. 287–297; N. Arkani-Hamed, Spacetime is doomed (2010)]) for theorists to argue that “spacetime is doomed”, with the difficulties in finding a quantum theory of gravity implying the necessity of basing a fundamental theory on something quite different than usual notions of spacetime geometry. But what is this spacetime geometry that is doomed? In this paper, we will explore how our understanding of 4-dimensional geometry has evolved since Einstein, leading to new ideas about such geometry which may not be doomed at all.
LASER CLADDING REMANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATION IN MOULD
Authors: YANG HUI , YANG XUEFENG , CHEN KEYANG , ZHANG YIFENG , LV GUOJIE , GAO YALONG , LI WANYANG
Published: July 2022

Dies and moulds are an important tool in engineering manufacturing, often because of various reasons and failures. As a new remanufacturing technology, laser cladding technology has been extensively used in the surface strengthening of dies and moulds. In this paper, the classification and failure forms of dies and moulds and the process of laser cladding technology are summarized, and the characteristics of laser cladding technology in dies and moulds strengthening are analyzed in detail. Finally, the challenges and opportunities faced by laser cladding are discussed to draw several key conclusions.
STRESS ANALYSIS OF INTERLAYER DEFECTS IN THIN-WALLED LINING RECYCLED COMPOSITE PIPE
Authors: LU ZHAOHONG , CHEN TAO , XU YAN , WANG ZUNCE
Published: July 2022

The aim of this paper is to study the stress distribution law of corrosion defects in pipelines before and after repair of thin-walled lining and the effect of repair. The calculation model for corrosion defects in pipelines was established by the equilibrium differential equation of elastic–plastic mechanics. Based on ABAQUS finite element software, the pipeline model with a single corrosion defect was established. The material of the pipeline was API 5L X52N with an outer diameter of 324[Formula: see text]mm and a thickness of 10[Formula: see text]mm. The material constitutive relation was an ideal elastic–plastic model. We changed the depth-to-thickness ratio of corrosion defects ([Formula: see text], 0.1, 0.5, 0.8) and used the different lining repair materials (stainless steel and FRP). At the same time, ignoring the thickness of bonding layer and its influence on the filling of corrosion pit, the interface interaction analysis model was established by the bonding behavior between layers. We compared the stress at the corrosion defect before and after repair. It is found that with the increase of the depth-to-thickness ratio of corrosion defects, the radial stress, circumferential stress, and Mises stress at the corrosion defect all tend to increase. The circumferential stress at the defect before the repair is the largest, and its value is similar to the Mises stress. After the repair of stainless steel lining, the circumferential stress at the defect is reduced by 11.01%, and the Mises stress is reduced by 14.18%; after the repair of FRP lining, the circumferential stress at the defect is reduced by 7.01%, and the Mises stress is reduced by 3.54%. The depth-to-thickness ratio of corrosion defects has a significant impact on the stress distribution of pipelines. Therefore, the influence of corrosion depth should be paid attention to in the pipeline safety assessment. Before and after repair, the control stress at the corrosion defect of the pipeline is always the circumferential stress. The failure can be judged according to the circumferential stress; after the repair of thin-walled lining, the stress at the original defect is redistributed, and the circumferential stress and Mises stress are reduced, and the repair effect is obvious.
INFLUENCE OF TiC CONTENT ON MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF AlCoCrFeNi HIGH-ENTROPY ALLOY COATINGS PREPARED BY LASER CLADDING
Authors: LI ZHAOTONG , JING CAINIAN , FENG YAN , WU ZHONGLIN , LIN TAO , ZHAO JINGRUI , LIU LEI
Published: July 2022

In this study, AlCoCrFeNi-TiCx (x values in molar ratio, x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) high-entropy alloy coatings (HEAcs) were prepared on the surface of H13 steel by laser cladding (LC). The microhardness, corrosion resistance, and wear resistance of the HEAcs were analyzed using a microhardness tester, electrochemical workstation, and friction and wear tester, respectively. The results showed that with an increase in the TiC content of the coatings, the interior of the coatings mainly consisted of disordered body-centered cubic (BCC), ordered BCC (B2), and TiC phases, and lattice distortion occurred inside the coatings. TiC was distributed as white particles at the grain boundaries, and the internal microstructure was mainly composed of equiaxed crystals (EC) and petal-like dendrites. The EC were gradually refined owing to the pinning effect. The spinodal decomposition causes a large number of reticulated microstructures inside the grains, and nanoscale TiC precipitation appears in the reticulated microstructures. Owing to lattice distortion and solid solution strengthening, the microhardness of the TiC[Formula: see text] coating was up to 966 HV[Formula: see text], which was approximately 3.2 times that of the substrate. As the TiC content increases, the friction coefficient and mass loss of the coatings gradually decreased, the self-corrosion current ([Formula: see text] gradually decreased and the self-corrosion potential ([Formula: see text] gradually increased. The coatings exhibited good wear and corrosion resistance.
CRACK RESISTANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF MICROSTRUCTURE OF HAVERSIAN CORTICAL BONE
Authors: LI YANHUA , LI AIHUA
Published: July 2022

Background: The current research on crack propagation resistance characteristics of osteons is based on the single osteon model, which cannot reflect the interaction among osteons and the influence of material-property changes on the crack propagation. Moreover, the Haversian canal and the cement line were not included in the model, which could not reflect the influence of the true structural characteristics of the cortical bone on the microcracks.

Objective: To investigate the effects of osteons, cement line and its material parameters on the stress intensity factor at the crack-tip based on theoretical formula calculation and finite element calculation.

Results: The single osteon model, multi-osteon model and Haversian cortical bone model were established according to the microstructural characteristics of Haversian cortical bone. The calculation results of the first two models show that the “soft” osteon accelerates the crack propagation and the “hard” osteon hinders crack propagation, and the effect of multi-osteon model on a microcrack is significantly larger than that of single bone model. The calculation results of Haversian cortical bone model show that the stress intensity factors at both ends of the microcrack decreased when the distance from the “soft” osteon was within a certain range ([Formula: see text]). The stress intensity factor of endpoint ‘a’ in the crack-tip increases sharply when the microcrack is close to the osteon.

Conclusions: The analysis results of the three models present that the microcrack propagation is affected by the material properties as well as the quantity of osteon, and the cement line is conductive to enhance the fracture toughness of the cortical bone.
Interpolating Meshless Methods for 3D Elastic Problems
Authors: Qian Yi-Cheng , Yang Yi-Ru , Liu Bin , Kong Ling-Hao , Li D. M.
Published: July 2022

Interpolating meshless methods can directly impose boundary conditions because of the interpolation property which shows advantages in dealing with problems with boundary conditions. The interpolating element-free Galerkin method (IEFGM), the improved interpolating element-free Galerkin method (IIEFGM), and the radial point interpolation method (RPIM) are applied in this paper to solve the two-dimensional and three-dimensional elastic problems. IEFGM and IIEFGM are two different ways to change the status that the traditional element-free Galerkin method (EFG) does not have the interpolation property. IEFGM uses an improved interpolating moving least-squares (IMLS) method that employed singular weight functions while IIEFGM takes the improved interpolating moving least-squares method based on non-singular weight function. RPIM, one of the most widely used interpolating meshless methods, is compared with IEFGM and IIEFGM in this paper. The numerical results of two-dimensional and three-dimensional elastic problems show that the three types of interpolating meshless methods obtain high precision displacement solutions and stress solutions.
Cosmic bounce with power law f(G, T) model
Authors: Yousaf Z. , Bhatti M. Z. , Aman H.
Published: July 2022

This work aims to study the bouncing universe under f(G, T) theory of gravity (where G and T are the Gauss–Bonnet invariance and trace of energy–momentum tensor, respectively). We construct modified field equations (MFEs) to analyze the behavior of Hubble parameter (HP) for [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are constant terms. Different constraints are applied, engaging HP to examine the accelerating universe and to test initial singularity. The graphical analysis is made for different values of n to explain bouncing process more precisely with respect to cosmic time that also provides an indication of null energy condition (NEC) violation. Resultantly, all mandatory conditions are fulfilled indicating that our proposed model provides good bouncing solutions.
Auditors’ Religious Beliefs and Audit Quality: Some Evidence from Taiwan
Authors: Duh Rong-Ruey , Gul Ferdinand A. , Hsu Audrey Wen-Hsin
Published: July 2022

Synopsis

The research problem

Adding to the literature in auditing, this study examines whether there is an association between the religious beliefs of audit partners and audit quality in Taiwan.

Motivation

Previous studies have found that firms headquartered in areas with strong religious social norms are associated with higher audit quality. However, prior studies measured religiosity in terms of whether the audit practice offices were in more religious metropolitan statistical areas. No work had examined whether the religious beliefs of the individual auditors affect auditor decision making. In addition, prior studies using US data were mainly confined to one group who are, in the main, Christians. We examined this issue in Taiwan where the auditors come from three main religious groups: Christian, Buddhist, and Taoist. This setting provides another cultural environment for understanding the links between religiosity and financial reporting issues.

The test hypotheses

H1: Audit engagement partners with a religious belief are associated with higher audit quality.

H2: The positive association between auditors’ religion and audit quality is more pronounced for auditors with industry specialization than auditors without specialization.

Target population

Various stakeholders include investors, auditors, financial analysts, and users of financial reports.

Adopted methodology

Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and logistics regression.

Analyses

We conducted the study in Taiwan where audit partners are required to sign audit reports. We obtained data on the religious beliefs of auditors by distributing a questionnaire to individual auditors in the Big 4 in Taiwan. We used four measures of audit quality: (a) discretionary accruals, (b) accrual estimation errors, (c) the probability of a client meeting an earnings benchmark, and (d) the propensity to issue modified audit opinions. We tested whether there is a positive association between auditors’ religious beliefs and audit quality.

Findings

Our study finds that firms with an audit partner who professes a religion are associated with higher audit quality. However, unlike evidence from the United States, we do not find that auditors in an area with strong religious social norms exhibit better audit quality than auditors in less religious areas when the audit partner’s religious belief is controlled in the analysis. The results suggest that auditor quality is more affected by auditor’s personal characteristics than the social norms. We also find that the positive association between auditors with industry specialization and audit quality is stronger when the auditor has religious beliefs. The results suggest that ethics and competence are complements to each other.
Privacy Protection in 5G Positioning and Location-based Services Based on SGX
Authors: Yan Zheng , Qian Xinren , Liu Shushu , Deng Robert
Published: July 2022

As the sensitivity of position, the privacy protection in both 5G positioning and its further application in location-based services (LBSs) has been paid special attention and studied. Solutions based on k-anonymity, homomorphic encryption, and secure multi-party computation have been proposed. However, these solutions either require a trusted third party or incur heavy overheads. Besides, there still lacks an integrated solution that can protect privacy for both positioning and LBS provision. Based on Intel SGX, this article proposes a novel light-weight scheme that can protect privacy in both 5G positioning and its further applications in LBS provision in an integrated way. Through secret sharing, the proposed scheme can also support multiple location-based service providers without frequent key exchange. We seriously analyze the security of our scheme. Based on scheme implementation, its efficiency is proved through the performance evaluation conducted over a real-world database.
Advances in the quantum internet
Authors: Gyongyosi Laszlo , Imre Sandor
Published: July 2022

A deep dive into the quantum Internet's potential to transform and disrupt.
BanditProp: Bandit Selection of Review Properties for Effective Recommendation
Authors: Wang Xi , Ounis Iadh , Macdonald Craig
Published: July 2022

Many recent recommendation systems leverage the large quantity of reviews placed by users on items. However, it is both challenging and important to accurately measure the usefulness of such reviews for effective recommendation. In particular, users have been shown to exhibit distinct preferences over different types of reviews (e.g., preferring longer versus shorter or recent versus old reviews), indicating that users might differ in their viewpoints on what makes the reviews useful. Yet, there have been limited studies that account for the personalised usefulness of reviews when estimating the users’ preferences. In this article, we propose a novel neural model, called BanditProp, which addresses this gap in the literature. It first models reviews according to both their content and associated properties (e.g., length, sentiment and recency). Thereafter, it constructs a multi-task learning (MTL) framework to model the reviews’ content encoded with various properties.In such an MTL framework, each task corresponds to producing recommendations focusing on an individual property. Next, we address the selection of the features from reviews with different review properties as a bandit problem using multinomial rewards. We propose a neural contextual bandit algorithm (i.e., ConvBandit) and examine its effectiveness in comparison to eight existing bandit algorithms in addressing the bandit problem. Our extensive experiments on two well-known Amazon and Yelp datasets show that BanditProp can significantly outperform one classic and six existing state-of-the-art recommendation baselines. Moreover, BanditProp using ConvBandit
consistently outperforms the use of other bandit algorithms over the two used datasets. In particular, we experimentally demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed customised multinomial rewards in comparison to binary rewards, when addressing our bandit problem.
Neurotechnology and the law
Authors: Shein Esther
Published: July 2022

How closely should implants be regulated?
Robust Searching-Based Gradient Collaborative Management in Intelligent Transportation System
Authors: Shi Hongjian , Wang Hao , Ma Ruhui , Hua Yang , Song Tao , Gao Honghao , Guan Haibing
Published: July 2022

With the rapid development of big data and the Internet of Things (IoT), traffic data from an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is becoming more and more accessible. To understand and simulate the traffic patterns from the traffic data, Multimedia Cognitive Computing (MCC) is an efficient and practical approach. Distributed Machine Learning (DML) has been the trend to provide sufficient computing resources and efficiency for MCC tasks to handle massive data and complex models. DML can speed up computation with those computing resources but introduces communication overhead. Gradient collaborative management or gradient aggregation in DML for MCC tasks is a critical task. An efficient managing algorithm of the communication schedules for gradient aggregation in ITS can improve the performance of MCC tasks. However, existing communication schedules typically rely on specific physical connection matrices, which have low robustness when a malfunction occurs. In this article, we propose Robust Searching-based Gradient Collaborative Management (RSGCM) in Intelligent Transportation System, a practical ring-based gradient managing algorithm for communication schedules across devices to deal with ITS malfunction. RSGCM provides solutions of communication schedules to various kinds of connection matrices with an acceptable amount of training time. Our experimental results have shown that RSGCM can deal with more varieties of connection matrices than existing state-of-the-art communication schedules. RSGCM also increases the robustness of ITS since it can restore the system’s functionality in an acceptable time when device or connection breakdown happens.
Improved DC Performance of Nanotube Junctionless Field-Effect Transistors with Dielectric Pocket Integration
Authors: Pandey Chandan Kumar , Kumar Desai Ajith , Nanda Umakanta
Published: July 2022

In this paper, a nanotube architecture of Junctionless FET (JLFET) is investigated wherein it is observed that the performance characteristics of JLFET are improved by introducing Dielectric Pockets into the device near the source-channel and channel-drain interfaces by coming up with a novel structure of nanotube junctionless FET (NTJLFET) called as Dielectric Pocket-NTJLFET (DP-NTJLFET). Using TCAD tool, the proposed DP-NTJLFET has been simulated for a channel length of 20 nm in order to consider and show the improvement in various short-channel effects. The inclusion of Dielectric Pockets into the device significantly reduced the OFF-state current, which eventually improved the current switching ratio (∼2600%) for a pocket length and thickness of 4 and 7 nm, respectively. Further, the proposed device exhibits an improved subthreshold swing characteristics and a better measure of DIBL (improved by ∼12%) for DP-NTJLFET as compared to the conventional NTJLFET. As a result of achieving low OFF-state current, the proposed DP-NTJLFET may be found suitable for the future low-power applications.
The Analysis on the Current Situation of the Utilization Mode of Microalgal Biomass Materials
Authors: Zhang Lina , Wang Lianfeng , Nie Huizhong , Liu Changbin
Published: July 2022

In recent years, global warming caused by the greenhouse effect has become one of the greatest threats to mankind. This will have a serious impact on the environment and human body, such as land desertification, increase in ocean acidity, sea level rise, and increase in pests and diseases; affect people’s normal work and rest; and make people feel dizzy and nauseated. Excessive emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main component of the greenhouse gas, have contributed to the continued rise in Earth’s temperature. Although the world is vigorously developing clean energy to reduce carbon emissions, it will not replace fossil fuels in the short term. The conversion of biomass into energy is the most important way of energy utilization. Biomass energy refers to the solar energy stored in biomass in the form of chemical energy and is the fourth major energy source after oil, coal, and natural gas. At present, biofuels have gone through three developmental stages, which can be divided into first-generation biofuels, second-generation biofuels, and third-generation biofuels according to the types of raw materials and development history. The first generation of biofuels produced from food crops, such as bioethanol derived from sucrose and starch, has already entered the energy market. However, because the first generation of biofuels uses food crops as raw materials, there is a phenomenon of “competing with people for food,” and it is difficult to achieve large-scale application. To avoid the problem of food shortages, second-generation biofuels produced from nonfood crops, such as wood fiber, have been developed. Microalgae biomass energy is favored by governments and scholars all over the world because of its unique advantages of fast reproduction speed and high oil content. The cultivation of microalgae does not occupy traditional farmland, and the marginal land such as mountains, oceans, and deserts can cultivate microalgae, or develop microalgae cultivation in the air through the innovation of microalgae photosynthetic reactors. When municipal wastewater, food industry wastewater, and aquaculture wastewater are used as the medium for large-scale cultivation of microalgae, and waste gas from biogas power generation, flue gas from coal power plants, and industrial waste gas from fermentation are used as the CO2 gas source for large-scale cultivation of microalgae, it can be further reduced. The comprehensive production cost of microalgae bioenergy plays a significant emission reduction effect. Combining the above advantages, the use of microalgae to produce first- or second-generation bioenergy has become a new research direction. This study focuses on the review of microalgal biomass in fuel, nonfuel, wastewater treatment, and fuel cell.
Mathematical Modeling and Computational Prediction of High-Risk Types of Human Papillomaviruses
Authors: Zhang Junchao , Wang Kechao
Published: July 2022

Cervical cancer is one of the main causes of cancer death all over the world. Most diseases such as cervical epithelial atypical hyperplasia and invasive cervical cancer are closely related to the continuous infection of high-risk types of human papillomavirus. Therefore, the high-risk types of human papillomavirus are the key to the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer. With the accumulation of high-throughput and clinical data, the use of systematic and quantitative methods for mathematical modeling and computational prediction has become more and more important. This paper summarizes the mathematical models and prediction methods of the risk types of human papillomavirus, especially around the key steps such as feature extraction, feature selection, and prediction algorithms. We summarized and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of existing algorithms, which provides a theoretical basis for follow-up research.
Design and Application of Multiattribute Tourist Information Recommendation Model Based on User Interest
Authors: Lian Jiangong , Liang Dan
Published: July 2022

There exist various challenges introduced by a large number of multimedia photos and videos for personalized travel recommendation in the era of big data. In order to resolve such challenges, a context-aware personalized travel recommendation system based on data mining is proposed in this study. It is a framework that can locate and summarize travel locations based on a user-given collection of geotagged photos and build up each user’s travel history to obtain their travel preferences, so as to perform contextual multiattribute personalized queries, thereby recommending travel locations that best suit their interests. The primary objective is to lay the foundation for developing personalized travel solutions and help the transformation and upgrading of the tourism industry. Thus, this paper proposes a design and application of a multiattribute travel information recommendation model based on user interests for the contradiction between the personalized travel demand of tourists and traditional travel methods. It analyzes the designed travel transportation network and builds a prototype system for travel recommendation by mining a large number of scenic spot information datasets. In association to this, an advanced recommendation algorithm is also designed. The experimental results reveal the fact that by integrating various attributes, the comprehensive evaluation mechanism of scenic spots is capable of providing enhanced reasonable and comprehensive evaluation of scenic spots, which lays the foundation for subsequent route recommendation. Secondly, in comparison to the existing path recommendation algorithms, the recommendation algorithm proposed in this paper has the potential to meet various constraints and goals of the users and recommend routes that have better reasonableness and diversity. Also, this algorithm has low complexity in terms of running time which acts as an added advantage.
Mucin 1 Inhibits Ferroptosis and Sensitizes Vitamin E to Alleviate Sepsis-Induced Acute Lung Injury through GSK3β/Keap1-Nrf2-GPX4 Pathway
Authors: Wang Yu-Ming , Gong Fang-Chen , Qi Xing , Zheng Yan-Jun , Zheng Xiang-Tao , Chen Ying , Yang Zhi-Tao , Qing-Ye  , Mao En-Qiang , Chen Er-Zhen
Published: July 2022

Background. Ferroptosis is a nonapoptotic form of programmed cell death, which may be related to the occurrence and development of sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)/acute lung injury (ALI). Mucin 1 (MUC1) is a kind of macromolecule transmembrane glycoprotein. Previous studies have shown that MUC1 could relieve ALI in sepsis and predict whether sepsis patients would develop into ARDS. However, the role of MUC1 in the ferroptosis of sepsis-induced ALI/ARDS remains unclear. Materials and Methods. Sera samples from 50 patients with sepsis/septic shock were used to detect iron metabolism-related markers. Western blot and qRT-PCR were conducted to detect the expression levels of ferroptosis-related genes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to evaluate inflammatory factors. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to assess morphological changes of cells. Results. The results showed that the iron metabolism-related indicators in sepsis-induced ARDS patients changed significantly, suggesting the iron metabolism disorder. The expression levels of ferroptosis-related genes in lung tissues of sepsis had marked changes, and the lipid peroxidation levels increased, while Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) could reverse the above results, which confirmed the occurrence of ferroptosis. In terms of mechanism studies, inhibition of MUC1 dimerization could increase the expression level of Keap1, reduce the phosphorylation level of GSK3β, inhibit the entry of Nrf2 into the nucleus, further inhibit the expression level of GPX4, enhance the lipid peroxidation level of lung tissues, trigger ferroptosis, and aggravate lung injury. Besides, inhibiting MUC1 reversed the alleviating effect of vitamin E on ALI caused by sepsis, increased the aggregation of inflammatory cells in lung tissues, and aggravated alveolar injury and edema. Conclusions. Our study was the first to explore the changes of iron metabolism indicators in ALI/ARDS of sepsis, clarify the important role of ferroptosis in ALI/ARDS induced by sepsis, and reveal the effects and specific mechanisms of MUC1 in regulating ferroptosis, as well as the sensitization on vitamin E.
Effect of SiC Particle Incorporated Dielectric Medium on Electrical Discharge Machining Behavior of AA6061/B4Cp/SiCp AMCs
Authors: Khajuria Johny , Nagabhooshanam N. , Sharma Pankaj , Kumar Atul , Kumar Sahu Santosh , Sree Devi Peyyala , Gowwomsa Erko Kuma
Published: July 2022

In this work, it was observed that using motor oil as the dielectric fluid when producing AA6061/SiCp/B4Cp hybrid composites provided wealth from waste. In these studies, modifications in silicon carbide (SiC) concentration, electrode (copper and brass), current, pulse time, and reinforcing weight percentage were tested. Surface roughness and machined hardness are measured and reported for each removed piece of the material. The bridging effect of silicon carbide particles raised the material removal rate (MRR), while a thorough dielectric fluid flush enhanced the Ra value. On the machined topography, the oil carbon content left dark smudges. Machining performance is superior to that of copper electrode-processed specimens. The MRR, TWR, and Ra all rise as the discharge current and pulse duration increase. Because there is no remelted layer, composites with low machining surface hardness had better finishes. The parameters were optimized using the TOPSIS approach, and it was observed that the efficiency of machining was enhanced by utilizing engine oil by the concentration of 4 gl−1. Moreover, during machining, optimized parameters like pulse on time 36 seconds, current 4 Amps, and also a brass electrode.