bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neurophysiological assessment of juvenile parkinsonism due to primary monoamine neurotransmitter disorders
Authors: Passaretti Massimiliano , Pollini Luca , Paparella Giulia , De Biase Alessandro , Colella Donato , Angelini Luca , Galosi Serena , Manti Filippo , Guerra Andrea , Leuzzi Vincenzo , Berardelli Alfredo , Bologna Matteo
Published: July 2022

No studies have investigated voluntary movement abnormalities and their neurophysiological correlates in patients with parkinsonism due to inherited primary monoamine neurotransmitter (NT) disorders. Nine NT disorders patients and 16 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Objective measurements of repetitive finger tapping were obtained using a motion analysis system. Primary motor cortex (M1) excitability was assessed by recording the input/output (I/O) curve of motor-evoked potentials (MEP) and using a conditioning test paradigm for short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) assessment. M1 plasticity-like mechanisms were indexed according to MEPs amplitude changes after the paired associative stimulation protocol. Patient values were considered abnormal if they were greater or lower than two standard deviations from the average HCs value. Patients with aromatic amino acid decarboxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase, and 6-pyruvoyl-tetrahydropterin synthase defects showed markedly reduced velocity (5/5 patients), reduced movement amplitude, and irregular rhythm (4/5 patients). Conversely, only 1 out of 3 patients with autosomal-dominant GTPCH deficiency showed abnormal movement parameters. Interestingly, none of the patients had a progressive reduction in movement amplitude or velocity during the tapping sequence (no sequence effect). Reduced SICI was the most prominent neurophysiological abnormality in patients (5/9 patients). Finally, the I/O curve slope correlated with movement velocity and rhythm in patients. We provided an objective assessment of finger tapping abnormalities in monoamine NT disorders. We also demonstrated M1 excitability changes possibly related to alterations in motor execution. Our results may contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of juvenile parkinsonism due to dopamine deficiency.
Shifting responsibility and denying justice: New Zealand’s contentious approach to Pacific climate mobilities
Authors: Neef Andreas , Benge Lucy
Published: July 2022

It is increasingly evident that climate change is intersecting in complex ways with the more traditional drivers of migration, such as poverty and conflict. Yet there remains a startling lack of international agreement on how to address the issue. This article examines the problem climate change-related migration poses in terms of international responsibility and provides a review of two approaches to addressing this challenge. First, the idea that migration in the context of climate change requires the development of a new international protection agreement and, second, the argument that migration should be managed and mitigated through in situ adaptation and development programmes. These approaches differ in terms of how they understand the relationship between migration and climate change and thus differ also in terms of how they situate responsibility and address issues of climate justice. This paper explores these differences and outlines the benefits and challenges of both. Following this, we turn to the case of New Zealand’s immigration tribunal appeals involving claims for climate-refugee status and look at how in situ adaptation, development narratives and arbitrary risk thresholds have been used to legitimise the denial of these claims. Throughout the article, we ask to what extent these approaches acknowledge climate justice, and we conclude by looking at ways that climate (mobility) justice might be better incorporated into solutions that prioritise the needs of migrants in the context of rapid climate change.
Uniqueness of Local, Analytic Solutions to Singular ODEs
Authors: de Jong Thomas Geert , van Meurs Patrick
Published: July 2022

We study local, analytic solutions for a class of initial value problems for singular ODEs. We prove existence and uniqueness of such solutions under a certain non-resonance condition. Our proof translates the singular initial value problem to an equilibrium problem of a regular ODE. Then, we apply classical invariant manifold theory. We demonstrate that the class of ODEs under consideration captures models which describe the shape of axially symmetric surfaces which are closed on one side. Our main result guarantees smoothness at the tip of the surface.
Quality of Life of People Living with HIV in Australia: The Role of Stigma, Social Disconnection and Mental Health
Authors: Mendonca Carley J. , Newton-John Toby R. O. , Alperstein Dion M. , Begley Kim , Hennessy Ruth M. , Bulsara Shiraze M.
Published: July 2022

HIV is a manageable chronic illness, due to advances in biomedical management. However, many people living with HIV (PLHIV) continue to experience psychosocial challenges, which have been associated with poorer quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to explore how psychosocial factors contributed to the QoL of PLHIV in Australia; specifically, the relationship between HIV-related stigma, social connectedness, mental health, and QoL. Participants were 122 PLHIV attending The Albion Centre (a tertiary HIV clinic in Sydney, Australia), who completed questionnaires which measured HIV-related stigma, social support, mental health symptomology and QoL. Results indicated that HIV-related stigma predicted poorer QoL, as did mental health symptomology. Conversely, social connectedness improved QoL. Additionally, social connectedness was found to mediate the relationship between HIV-related stigma and QoL, whereas the hypothesized moderating role of mental health symptomology on this model was not significant. These findings provide insight into the impact of psychosocial factors on QoL, offering practitioners various points of clinical intervention.
The effect of exercise training and physiotherapy on left and right heart function in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a systematic literature review
Authors: Palevičiūtė Eglė , Šimbelytė Toma , Eichstaedt Christina A. , Benjamin Nicola , Egenlauf Benjamin , Grünig Ekkehard , Čelutkienė Jelena
Published: July 2022

The impact of exercise training and physiotherapy on heart function and pulmonary circulation parameters in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients is uncertain. Hence, we performed a systematic review of published trials studying physical training in HFpEF population, with a focus on exercise and physiotherapy effect on left ventricular (LV), right ventricular (RV) morphological, functional, and pulmonary circulation parameters. We searched Cochrane Library and MEDLINE/PubMed for trials that evaluated the effect of exercise training and/or physiotherapy in adult HFpEF patients (defined as LVEF ≥ 45%), including publications until March 2021. Our systematic review identified eighteen articles (n = 418 trained subjects, 4 to 52 weeks of training) and covered heterogeneous trials with various populations, designs, methodologies, and interventions. Five of twelve trials revealed a significant reduction of mitral E/e’ ratio after the training (− 1.2 to − 4.9). Seven studies examined left atrial volume index; three of them showed its decrease (− 3.7 to − 8 ml/m2). Findings were inconsistent regarding improvement of cardiac output, E/A ratio, and E wave DecT and uncertain for RV function and pulmonary hypertension parameters. For now, no reliable evidence about rehabilitation effect on HFpEF cardiac mechanisms is available. There are some hypotheses generating findings on potential positive effects to parameters of LV filling pressure (E/e’), left atrium size, cardiac output, and RV function. This encourages a broader and more complex assessment of parameters reflecting cardiac function in future HFpEF exercise training studies.
Rethinking polycentricity: on the North–South imbalances in transnational climate change governance
Authors: Kaiser Cille
Published: July 2022

The transnational climate change governance (TCCG) landscape, led by sub- and non-state actors including businesses, municipalities, and NGOs, holds legitimate potential for tackling persisting climate injustices, in part by virtue of its polycentric character. However, while in theory polycentric governance systems could serve to correct structural power imbalances, the geography of TCCG remains remarkably uneven. This article explores this puzzle in the context of polycentric governance theory and the allegedly paradoxical relationship between polycentricity and equity. Two interrelated empirical and analytical research questions are addressed: (1) How is TCCG organized geographically along the global North–South divide? And, based on the geography of TCCG, (2) Does its polycentric character contribute toward more equitable governance across the global North and South? Following a large-Nanalysis of a novel dataset containing 174 governance arrangements and 1196 stakeholders with decision-making powers, I argue that the geography of TCCG is remarkably resistant to change, gravitating unmistakably toward the global North and its existing diplomatic hotspots. I argue that the TCCG system currently in place resembles a system of concentrated polycentricity—a product of an overarching system of rules shared with the international regime that could, in turn, potentially explain the persisting North–South inequities in a still seemingly increasingly polycentric climate.
Enhanced bit error rate in visible light communication: a new LED hexagonal array distribution
Authors: Matter Kareem Mostafa , Fayed Heba A. , El-Aziz Ahmed Abd , Aly Moustafa H.
Published: July 2022

Due to the exponential growth of mobile devices and wireless services, a huge demand for radio frequency has increased. The presence of several frequencies causes interference between cells, which must be minimized to get the lower bit error rate (BER). For this reason, it is of great interest to use visible light communication (VLC). This paper suggests a VLC system that decreases the BER with applying a new LED distribution with a hexagonal shape using different techniques: on–off keying (OOK), quadrature amplitude modulation, and frequency reuse concept to mitigate the interference between the reused frequencies inside the hexagonal shape. The BER is measured in two scenarios line of sight (LoS) and non-line of sight for each technique that we used. The recommended values of BER in the proposed model for soft frequency reuse in case of LoS at 4, 8, and 10 dB signal to noise ratio, are 3.6 × 10–6, 6.03 × 10–13, and 2.66 × 10–18, respectively.
The epistemic normativity of conjecture
Authors: Simion Mona
Published: July 2022

This paper has two aims: (1) it develops and defends a fully-fledged account of the epistemic normativity of conjecture (2) it goes sharply against orthodoxy, in arguing that conjecture is epistemically more demanding than assertion. According to the view defended here, one’s conjecture thatpis permissible only if one knows that one has warrant, but not sufficient warrant to believe thatp. I argue for my account on three independent grounds: (1) the Bach and Harnish account of the nature of communicative speech acts, (2) the plausible normative relation between assertion and other constatives, and (3) the normativity of belief in conjunction with constatives’ epistemic function.
Lunar Mineralogical Spectrometer on Chang’E-5 Mission
Authors: Xu Rui , Li Chunlai , Yuan Liyin , Lv Gang , Xu Sheng , Li Feifei , Jin Jian , Wang Zhendong , Pan Wei , Wang Rong , Wang Meizhu , Xie Jianan , Yang Jie , Wang Jianyu , He Zhiping
Published: July 2022

The Lunar Mineralogical Spectrometer (LMS) is one of the main payloads on the Chang’E-5 (CE-5) lunar probe, belonging to the China Lunar Exploration Program. The scientific objective of the LMS is to explore the mineralogical composition and search for evidence of -OH/H2O in the sampling area. The LMS consists of an optomechanism unit, a dustproof calibration unit (DPCU) and an electronic unit. The LMS is installed on the lander about 1.4-m above the lunar surface, the field of view (FOV) is $4.17\times 4.17^{\circ }$
4.17
×

4.17
∘

, the instant FOV of the visible imaging channel is 0.28 mrad, and the typical spatial resolution is 0.56 mm/pixel @ 2 m distance. The rotation range of the 2D scanner is $\pm 22.5^{\circ}$
±

22.5
∘

along the azimuth axis and $0\sim 30^{\circ }$
0
∼

30
∘

along the elevation axis, making it possible to observe the sampling area or to select important observing targets. The dispersing beam uses acousto-optic tunable filters, and target detection is performed with a 2D scanner. The LMS acquires spectral imaging information covering 480–950 nm, and reflectance spectra of 900–3,200-nm, both at a 5-nm/band sampling interval. The spectral resolution is $2.4\sim 9.4\text{ nm}$
2.4
∼
9.4
 nm
in the visible and near-infrared channels and $7.6\sim 24.9\text{ nm}$
7.6
∼
24.9
 nm
in the short–medium-wave infrared channel. The LMS has a 588-band detection capability designed for fine spectral observation of sampling points and wields a 20-band full-view multi-spectral mode to observe candidate areas prior to sampling. The DPCU of the LMS is integrated with a calibration diffuser that is used for in-flight calibration on the lunar surface using solar irradiation, thus improving the quantitative level of scientific data.
Priority Water Rights for Irrigation at the River Basin Level. Do They Improve Economic Efficiency During Drought Periods?
Authors: Gutiérrez-Martín Carlos , Gómez-Limón José A. , Montilla-López Nazaret M.
Published: July 2022

This paper assesses the potential efficiency gains of reforming the water rights regime in the Spanish agricultural sector by replacing current allocation procedures based on the proportional rule with a priority allocation procedure based on two tiers of security-differentiated water rights. This assessment is useful for evaluating whether said change in water rights can be considered a suitable policy instrument to improve water management during droughts events. For this purpose, a mathematical programming model is built to simulate the performance of the proposed reform. The empirical analysis is implemented at the basin scale, where water rights holders are highly heterogeneous, considering different climate scenarios accounting for changes in water supply reliability. The Guadalquivir River Basin (GRB) in southern Spain is used as a case study. The results obtained show that this change in the water allocation regime would yield only modest economic efficiency gains under the current climate scenario. However, it is also evidenced that this policy instrument could play a more relevant role as an efficiency enhancer in a climate change scenario, given that more frequent and intense drought episodes are expected. Moreover, priority rights represent an interesting risk management instrument for farmers, allowing the most vulnerable farmers to reduce income volatility. These findings suggest that the combined implementation of the proposed shift in the allocation regime with spot or allocation water markets would lead to successful outcomes, significantly improving drought management in the irrigation sector.
Training surgical skills on hip arthroscopy by simulation: a survey on surgeon’s perspectives
Authors: Cai Bohong , Duan Shengfeng , Yi Jiahui , Huang Wei , Bay Boon Huat , Li Chunbao , Chen Cheng
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the importance of general and specific surgical skills for hip arthroscopy from the perspective of surgeons in China. Concurrently, we intend to identify the preferred type of simulation that would facilitate competency of surgical trainees in performing arthroscopy and reinforce their preparation for carrying out the actual surgical procedure.

Methods

An online survey comprising 42 questions was developed by experts in hip arthroscopy and sent to 3 online communities whose members are arthroscopic surgeons in China. The responses collected were based on a 5-point Likert scale, with an open-ended comment section. Data were analyzed using one-way AVOVA and post hoc Tukey’s test.

Results

A total of 159 valid responses from 66 junior specialist surgeons, 68 consultant surgeons, and 25 senior consultant surgeons (from 130 institutions in 27 out of 34 provincial administrative districts in China) were collected. Cognitive ability was identified as the overall most important attribute for hip arthroscopic trainees to possess, while skills relevant to the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) were considered as the most important specific skills by the surgeons surveyed. In addition, simulation using cadaveric specimens was considered the most favorable method for surgeons to practice their surgical skills.

Conclusion

In designing a training program for hip arthroscopy, it is essential to incorporate features that evaluate cognitive skills. It would be helpful for trainees to specifically practice skills that are often used in the treatment of some very common diseases of the hip joint, such as FAI. Using high-fidelity physical models for simulation to train skills of hip arthroscopy could be an ideal alternative and effective way to overcome problems arising from the lack of accessibility to cadaveric specimens.
Multivariate tempered stable additive subordination for financial models
Authors: Semeraro Patrizia
Published: July 2022

We study a class of multivariate tempered stable distributions and introduce the associated class of tempered stable Sato subordinators. These Sato subordinators are used to build additive inhomogeneous processes by subordination of a multiparameter Brownian motion. The resulting process is additive and time inhomogeneous and it is a generalization of multivariate Lévy processes with good fit properties on financial data. We specify the model to have unit time normal inverse Gaussian distribution and we discuss the ability of the model to fit time inhomogeneous correlations on real data.
Getting fit for the Mathematical Olympiad: positive effects on achievement and motivation?
Authors: Rebholz Franziska , Golle Jessika , Tibus Maike , Ruth-Herbein Evelin , Moeller Korbinian , Trautwein Ulrich
Published: July 2022

All around the world, there are numerous academic competitions (e.g., “Academic Olympiads”) and corresponding training courses to foster students’ competences and motivation. But do students’ competences and motivation really benefit from such courses? We developed and evaluated a course that was designed to prepare third and fourth graders to participate in the German Mathematical Olympiad. Its effectiveness was evaluated in a quasi-experimental pre- and posttest design (N = 201 students). Significant positive effects of the training were found for performance in the academic competition (for both third and fourth graders) as well as mathematical competences as measured with a curriculum-oriented test (for fourth graders only). Differential effects across grade levels (with more pronounced positive effects in fourth-grade students) were observed for students’ math self-concept and task-specific interest in mathematics, pointing to possible social comparison effects.
Compositional testing of management conformance for multi-component enterprise applications
Authors: Soldani Jacopo , Luthmann Lars , Gottwald Nicolas , Lochau Malte , Brogi Antonio
Published: July 2022

The management of modern enterprise applications is automated by coordinating the deployment, configuration, enactment, and termination of their components. Choosing among different candidate implementations for a specified application component requires such implementations to conform to the specified management behaviour. This holds especially if we wish to ensure that the overall application management can continue as planned, or that no additional (potentially undesired) management activity gets enabled. To this end, we introduce a formal framework for testing “management conformance”, i.e., to test whether a candidate implementation can be managed according to the management protocol specifying the allowed management for a component. We also illustrate how our framework enables to run four different conformance tests, each providing a different trade-off between implementation freedom and guarantees on the overall application management. We formally prove that testing management conformance with constraints reducing implementation freedom results in preserving all already allowed management activities when implementing a specification by choosing a conforming implementation and that no additional (potentially undesired) management activity gets enabled. Finally, we assess our framework by means of a prototype implementation and its use in an experimental evaluation.
Spectrum of Spondyloarthritis Among Chinese Populations
Authors: Zhang Shangzhu , Peng Linyi , Li Qingyang , Zhao Jinwei , Xu Dong , Zhao Jiuliang , Wang Qian , Li Mengtao , Zhang Wen , Tian Xinping , Su Jinmei , Zeng Xiaofeng
Published: July 2022

Purpose of Review

This review aims to emphasize interesting and important new findings with a focus on the spectrum of spondyloarthritis (SpA) in China.

Recent Findings

Over the past decade, significant advances have been made in the investigation of SpA epidemiology, the exploration of genetic and environmental risk factors, the identification of clinical features, and the updating of treatment protocols in the Chinese population. The prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in China is 0.20–0.42%, and the prevalence of HLA-B27 in AS patients is 88.8–89.4%. HLA-B*2704 is the most common subtype in Chinese AS patients, followed by HLA-B*2705. HLA-A*01, more precisely HLA-A*01:01, may be associated with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors and IL-17A inhibitors have been shown to be effective and safe for AS patients in China. Juvenile-onset AS is relatively rare, accounting for only 9.1% of the AS population. The prevalence of arthritis related to inflammatory bowel disease is 6.9 to 7.2%. A Chinese study showed that the most frequently prescribed medication was methotrexate (66.4%). Biological agents were prescribed in only16.4% of patients with PsA.

This review summarizes the latest research in the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and management of SpA among Chinese populations. Multiple HLA associations with SpA have also been described, and it is hoped that discoveries of such ethnic-specific risk factor(s) and understanding of their pathological mechanisms may potentially lead to newer targeted therapies for the Chinese populations worldwide.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Financial risk assessment to improve the accuracy of financial prediction in the internet financial industry using data analytics models
Authors: Du Guansan , Elston Frank
Published: July 2022

A sound credit assessment mechanism has been explored for many years and is the key to internet finance development, and scholars divide credit assessment mechanisms into linear assessment and nonlinear assessment. The purpose is to explore the role of two important data analytics models including machine learning and deep learning in internet credit risk assessment and improve the accuracy of financial prediction. First, the problems in the current internet financial risk assessment are understood, and data of MSE (Micro small Enterprises) are chosen for analysis. Then, a feature extraction method based on machine learning is proposed to solve data redundancy and interference in enterprise credit risk assessment. Finally, to solve the data imbalance problem in the credit risk assessment system, a credit risk assessment system based on the deep learning DL algorithm is introduced, and the proposed credit risk assessment system is verified through a fusion algorithm in different models with specific enterprise data. The results show that the credit risk assessment model based on the machine learning algorithm optimizes the standard algorithm through the global optimal solution. The credit risk assessment model based on deep learning can effectively solve imbalanced data. The algorithm generalization is improved through layer-by-layer learning. Comparison analysis shows that the accuracy of the proposed fusion algorithm is 25% higher than that of the latest CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) algorithm. The results can provide a new research idea for the assessment of internet financial risk, which has important reference value for preventing financial systemic risk.
The impact of non-harmonious goals on partner support and taking on opportunities
Authors: Vowels Laura M. , Carnelley Katherine B. , Kumashiro Madoka , Rowe Angela C.
Published: July 2022

Romantic partners often support each other to progress toward goals. However, at times partners’ goals are not in harmony and conflict with partner or relationship needs, leading to negative consequences for couple members. The present study examined whether non-harmonious opportunities were associated with support provider’s and recipient’s behavior, perceived partner support, and goal outcomes. We further examined whether these effects were moderated by attachment styles. Findings from two experimental (n1= 296, n2= 117) and one dyadic daily diary (n3= 267) showed how having non-harmonious goals lead to problematic goal pursuit. Partners are less likely to behave positively toward the support provider, provide partner support, view their partners as supportive, and report less commitment to partners, and make less goal progress when goal non-harmony is present. Importantly, we did not find moderation effects of attachment styles for these processes. The findings highlight the importance of managing goal non-harmony in couples.
American Society of Anesthesiologists’ (ASA) Physical Status System and Risk of Major Clavien-Dindo Complications After Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy at Hospital Discharge: Analysis of 1143 Consecutive Prostate Cancer Patients
Authors: Porcaro Antonio Benito , Rizzetto Riccardo , Amigoni Nelia , Tafuri Alessandro , Bianchi Alberto , Gallina Sebastian , Orlando Rossella , Serafin Emanuele , Gozzo Alessandra , Cerrato Clara , Di Filippo Giacomo , Migliorini Filippo , Antoniolli Stefano Zecchini , Novella Giovanni , De Marco Vincenzo , Brunelli Matteo , Cerruto Maria Angela , Polati Enrico , Antonelli Alessandro
Published: July 2022

Objective

To test the hypothesis of associations of preoperative physical status system with major postoperative complications at hospital discharge in prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

Materials and Methods

In a period ranging from January 2013 to October 2020, 1143 patients were evaluated. The physical status was assessed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ (ASA) system, which was computed trained anesthesiologists. The Clavien-Dindo system was used to classify postoperative complications, which were coded as major if greater than 1.

Results

ASA physical status system included class I in 102 patients (8.9%), class II in 934 subjects (81.7%), and class III in 107 cases (9.4%). Clavien-Dindo complications were distributed as follows: grade 1: 141 cases (12.3%), grade 2: 108 patients (9.4%), grade 3a: 5 subjects (0.4%), grade 3b: 9 patients (0.8%), and grade 4a: 3 cases (0.3%). Overall, major complications were detected in 125 cases (10.9%). On multivariate analysis, major Clavien-Dindo complications were predicted by ASA score grade II (adjusted odds ratio, OR = 2.538; 95%CI 1.007–6.397; p = 0.048) and grade III (adjusted OR 3.468; 95%CI 1.215–9.896; p = 0.020) independently by pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) and/or blood lost.

Conclusion

In RARP surgery, the risk of major postoperative Clavien-Dindo complications increased as the physical status system deteriorated independently by performing or not a PLND and/or large intraoperative blood lost. The ASA score system was an effective predictor of major Clavien-Dindo complications, which delayed LOHS in RARP surgery. Confirmatory studies are required.
Delayed stress memory by CaAl2O4:Eu2+ mechanoluminescent phosphor with defect engineering regulation
Authors: Cai Yiyu , Liu Sibo , Zhao Lei , Wang Chao , Lv Hongyu , Liu Bitao , Qiu Jianbei , Xu Xuhui , Yu Xue
Published: July 2022

Real-time stress sensing based on mechanoluminescence materials has been widely studied for structural health monitoring of bridges, buildings, high-pressure vessels, and other infrastructure surfaces. However, this approach is difficult to detect the stress information of closed mechanical structures. Here, we propose a delayed stress memory strategy to record the stress information of closed mechanical structure by the flexible film composed with CaAl2O4:Eu2+,Sm3+ phosphor. After the force is applied, the optical information on the film can be read out by the near-infrared laser after a period of time without real-time monitoring, and the stress distribution information of bearings and gears in the engine can be obtained. Furthermore, the regulation of trap depth from 0.662 to 1.042 eV allows the captured carriers to remain in the traps for a long time without being released as long persistent luminescence, which is beneficial to the delayed stress memory. Therefore, this work promotes the application prospect of mechanoluminescence materials in stress sensing, and provides a new idea to record the stress information of closed mechanical structures.
Valorization of the inedible pistachio shells into nanoscale transition metal and nitrogen codoped carbon-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Muhyuddin Mohsin , Zocche Nicolo’ , Lorenzi Roberto , Ferrara Chiara , Poli Federico , Soavi Francesca , Santoro Carlo
Published: July 2022

Making a consistency with the objectives of circular economy, herein, waste pistachios shells were utilized for the development of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts which are the key bottleneck in the technological evolution of electrolyzers and fuel cells, respectively. As an alternative to scarce and expensive platinum-group-metal (PGM) electrocatalysts, metal nitrogen carbons (MNCs) are emerging as a promising candidate for both aforementioned electrocatalysis where iron and nickel are the metal of choice for ORR and HER, respectively. Therefore, FeNCs and NiNCs were fabricated utilizing inedible pistachio shells as a low-cost biosource of carbon. The steps involved in the fabrication of electrocatalyst were correlated with electrochemical performance in alkaline media. Encouraging onset potential of ~ 0.88 V vs RHE with a possibility of a 2 + 2 reaction pathway was observed in pyrolyzed and ball-milled FeNC. However, HF etching for template removal slightly affected the kinetics and eventually resulted in a relatively higher yield of peroxide. In parallel, the pyrolyzed NiNC demonstrated a lower HER overpotential of ~ 0.4 V vs RHE at − 10 mA cm−2. Nevertheless, acid washing adversely affected the HER performance and consequently, very high overpotential was witnessed.
Orthorexia nervosa, mindful eating, and perfectionism: an exploratory investigation
Authors: Miley Molly , Egan Helen , Wallis Deborah , Mantzios Michail
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Research has drawn associations between Mindful Eating (ME) and perfectionism in the aetiology and treatment of eating disorders (ED), but understanding into the relationship between these factors and Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is limited. The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between perfectionism, ME, and ON.

Method

Participants (n = 670) completed the Düsseldorf Orthorexia scale, the Mindful Eating Behavior scale, and the Big-Three Perfectionism scale Short-form, to reveal the relationship between ON, ME, and perfectionism. The relationship was assessed using correlational and regression analyses.

Results

A positive association was observed between perfectionism and ON. Moreover, perfectionism demonstrated a significant negative correlation with three out of four ME facets, with “eating without distraction” displaying the highest correlation. The “eating with awareness” facet of ME demonstrated a significant relationship with ON, in a negative direction. An unexpected relationship was observed between the focused eating facet of ME and ON, with a positive association being found. A further regression analysis revealed both perfectionism and ME to predict orthorexic tendencies.

Conclusion

These findings identify a relationship between ON, ME, and perfectionism. It offers suggestion for the complexity of ME, and how it should be recognised by its different components, estimating a differential predictability and estimation of ON. Further research is required to clarify the direction of causality in the relationships observed, to inform the clinical diagnoses and intervention of ON.

Level of evidence

Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
Implementing the general capabilities in New South Wales government primary schools
Authors: Carter Don , Buchanan John
Published: July 2022

This paper reports on the findings of a research project which investigated how a sample of New South Wales government primary schools understand and implement the Australian Curriculum’s general capabilities. The project sought to identify specific factors which facilitated or hindered the degree to which primary school teachers implemented the GCs in their classrooms. Data were collected and analysed in the period leading up to the current COVID-19 pandemic and as such, do not address current contextual factors at play in schools such as remote teaching and learning. The project’s mixed method approach employed an online survey which attracted responses from 185 primary teachers and included an invitation to provide brief written responses. Further data were assembled through 36 interviews undertaken with teachers in 12 primary schools in both metropolitan and rural NSW. Analysis of the interview data was undertaken by using Biesta’s (2010) three functions of education — qualification, socialisation and subjectification — as an interpretive lens. This enabled the researchers to identify, categorise and accord meaning to participant responses and consequently draw conclusions. The analysis of both the online survey and the teacher interviews revealed four main findings and shed light on individual teacher commitment to the general capabilities and associated classroom implementation issues.
Association between lower plasma adiponectin levels and higher liver stiffness in type 2 diabetic individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: an observational cross-sectional study
Authors: Mantovani Alessandro , Zusi Chiara , Csermely Alessandro , Salvagno Gian Luca , Colecchia Antonio , Lippi Giuseppe , Maffeis Claudio , Targher Giovanni
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Little is known about the association between plasma adiponectin levels and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We examined whether there is an association between lower plasma adiponectin levels and the presence/severity of NAFLD in people with T2DM.

Methods

We cross-sectionally recruited 79 men with non-insulin-treated T2DM and no known liver diseases, who had consecutively attended our diabetes outpatient service over a 6-month period and who underwent both ultrasonography and Fibroscan-measured liver stiffness (LSM). Nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (PNPLA3 rs738409 and other genetic variants) associated with NAFLD were investigated.

Results

Among the 79 participants included (mean age 67 ± 10 years, BMI 27.7 ± 4 kg/m2), 28 did not have NAFLD, 32 had steatosis alone, and 19 had NAFLD with coexisting significant fibrosis (LSM ≥ 7.0 kPa by Fibroscan®). Compared to those without NAFLD, patients with hepatic steatosis alone and those with hepatic steatosis and coexisting significant fibrosis had lower high-molecular-weight adiponectin levels (5.5 [IQR 2.3–7.6] vs. 2.4 [1.8–3.7] vs. 1.6 [1.0–2.9] µg/mL; p < 0.001). After adjustment for age, body mass index, insulin resistance, and the PNPLA3 rs738409 variant, lower plasma adiponectin levels were found to be associated with increased odds of both steatosis alone (adjusted-odds ratio [OR] 2.44, 95% CI 1.04–5.56, p = 0.042) and NAFLD with coexisting significant fibrosis (adjusted-OR 3.84, 95% CI 1.23–10.0, p = 0.020). Similar findings were observed after adjustment for the other eight genotyped NAFLD-related polymorphisms.

Conclusion

Lower plasma adiponectin levels are closely associated with the presence and severity of NAFLD in men with T2DM, pointing to a role of adiponectin in NAFLD development and progression.
The Wither or Thrive Model of Resilience: an Integrative Framework of Dynamic Vulnerability and Resilience in the Face of Repeated Stressors During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Godara Malvika , Silveira Sarita , Matthäus Hannah , Singer Tania
Published: July 2022

During the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, empirical efforts in the psychological sciences have been unequivocally focused on understanding the psychosocial impact on resilience and vulnerability. While current empirical work is guided by different existing theoretical models of resilience and vulnerability, the emerging datasets have also pointed to a necessity for an update of these models. Due to the unique features and developments specific to the current pandemic such as the occurrence of repeated collective stressors of varying durations, in the current position paper, we introduce the Wither or Thrive model of Resilience (With:Resilience). It integrates key aspects of prevailing psychological resilience frameworks within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and extends them by (1) moving away from single scale approaches towards a higher-order latent expression of resilience and vulnerability incorporating also non-clinical mental health markers, (2) proposing different trajectories of resilience-vulnerability emerging across repeated stressors over long periods of time, and (3) by incorporating multiple influencing factors including aspects of the socio-economic concept of social cohesion as well as separate mediating processing mechanisms. We propose that With:Resilience will enable a more nuanced approach and appropriate analytical investigation of the vast incoming data on mental health and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we suggest some concrete methodological approaches. This framework will assist in the development of actionable public health guidelines for society in the present and future pandemic contexts as well as aid policy making and the interventional sciences aimed at protecting the most vulnerable amongst us.
Water in the Coming Decades: Policy and Governance Issues in India
Authors: Prasad Kamta
Published: July 2022

India has a surface and ground water irrigation potential of nearly 100 million hectares, which has made it the country with the largest irrigated area in the world. This book deals with policy and governance issues in relation to management, as well as development of water resources in India. Taking a holistic approach, it critically reviews important aspects of the water sector and comes forward with practical suggestions to improve the system further. The perspective of this book is mainly social, economic and institutional and not technological. While the book focuses on India, the issues discussed, and their implications, are relevant to a greater part of the world, especially the developing world. The book would be useful for researchers, administrators, policy-makers and those interested in water resources in India and elsewhere.
Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Indian Politics
Authors: Chatterji Prashanto Kumar
Published: July 2022

This book is a pioneering work on the multi-faceted contributions of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee to India. Dr Mookerjee helped to oust the League ministry in Bengal (1941) and install the Progressive Coalition ministry of which he was the Finance Minister. He resigned in 1942 to protest against the Governor’s policy of repression against the Quit India movement. As the Working President of the Hindu Mahasabha, he was responsible for its ascendancy in Indian politics from 1940–1944. As the Central Industries and Supplies Minister (1947–1950), he framed free India’s industrial policy but resigned due to acute differences with Prime Minister Nehru’s appeasement policy towards Pakistan. He, together with M.S. Golwalkar of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, formed a new political party, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh. Despite Dr Mookerjee’s tragic death in 1953, the party drew adherents from all parts of India, and eventually was renamed the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“Responsible Stewards” of Classical Antiquities?
Authors: Marlowe Elizabeth
Published: July 2022

This article considers the relevance of the Society for American Archaeology's 2018 “Statement on Collaboration with Responsible and Responsive Stewards of the Past” for imported antiquities (specifically, “classical” ones—that is, from Mediterranean regions). Various practical, legal, and ethical differences between collecting imported versus domestic objects make it difficult to identify “responsive and responsible stewards” of the former. An obstacle to responsible stewardship of privately owned classical collections—and to collaboration between classical archaeologists and collectors—is the 2008 acquisition guidelines issued by the two leading professional organizations in the museum field. I argue that the best home for unprovenienced and poorly provenienced antiquities collections is in university museums, where their complicated object biographies can be fully researched, taught, and displayed.
Intrinsic Values and Human Rights: Corporate Duties Depend on Industry Values
Authors: Donaldson Thomas
Published: July 2022

Drawing on the work of Donaldson and Walsh, this article explains why for-profit companies in industries denominated by intrinsic values such as health, education and justice, have heavier responsibilities when it comes to honouring the human rights reflected in their industry identity. Optimized collective value, the overarching aim of any system of business, is defined in terms of the satisfaction of intrinsic values, a definition that gives special meaning to firms operating in industries themselves defined in terms of intrinsic values. Nor are such companies’ responsibilities to human rights, such as the right to healthcare, conveniently reducible to the ‘enlightened’ pursuit of profit. For example, a pharmaceutical company such as Pfizer or Moderna may be required to make its COVID-19 vaccine more accessible to COVID-19 victims in developing countries at the expense of optimizing profits over the long run. Such companies have a special and mandatory correlative duty to honour the right to healthcare that derives from their corporate constitutional purpose.
Mirror symmetry and automorphisms
Authors: Chiodo Alessandro , Kalashnikov Elana
Published: July 2022

We show that there is an extra grading in the mirror duality discovered in the early nineties by Greene–Plesser and Berglund–Hübsch. Their duality matches cohomology classes of two Calabi–Yau orbifolds. When both orbifolds are equipped with an automorphism s of the same order, our mirror duality involves the weight of the action of

$s^*$

on cohomology. In particular it matches the respective s-fixed loci, which are not Calabi–Yau in general. When applied to K3 surfaces with nonsymplectic automorphism s of odd prime order, this provides a proof that Berglund–Hübsch mirror symmetry implies K3 lattice mirror symmetry replacing earlier case-by-case treatments.
A unifying theory of jet screech
Authors: Edgington-Mitchell Daniel , Li Xiangru , Liu Nianhua , He Feng , Wong Tsz Yeung , Mackenzie Jacob , Nogueira Petronio
Published: July 2022

This paper describes the mechanism underpinning modal staging behaviour in screeching jets. An upstream-propagating subsonic guided-jet mode is shown to be active in all stages of screech. Axial variation of shock-cell spacing manifests in the spectral domain as a series of suboptimal peaks. It is demonstrated that the guided-jet mode may be energized by interactions of the Kelvin–Helmholtz wavepacket with not only the primary shock wavenumber peak, but also suboptimal peaks; interaction with suboptimals is shown to be responsible for closing the resonance loop in multiple stages of jet screech. A consideration of the full spectral representation of the shocks reconciles several of the classical models and results for jet screech that had heretofore been paradoxical. It is demonstrated that there are multiple standing waves present in the near field of screeching jets, corresponding to the superposition of the various waves active in these jets. Multimodal behaviour is explored for jets in a range of conditions, demonstrating that multiple peaks in the frequency spectra can be due to either changes in which peak of the shock spectra the Kelvin–Helmholtz wavepacket is interacting with, or a change in azimuthal mode, or both. The absence of modal staging in high-aspect-ratio non-axisymmetric jets is also explained in the context of the aforementioned mechanism. The paper closes with a new proposed theory for frequency selection in screeching jets, based on the observation that these triadic interactions appear to underpin selection of the guided-jet mode wavelength in all measured cases.
Characterization of unsteady separation in a turbulent boundary layer: mean and phase-averaged flow
Authors: Ambrogi Francesco , Piomelli U. , Rival D.E.
Published: July 2022

A spatially developing turbulent boundary layer subject to a space- and time-dependent pressure gradient is analysed via large-eddy simulation. The unsteadiness is prescribed by imposing an oscillating suction–blowing velocity profile at the top boundary of the computational domain. The alternating favourable and adverse pressure gradients cause the flow to separate and reattach to the wall periodically. A range of reduced frequencies

$k$

was investigated, spanning from a very rapid flutter-like motion to a slow, quasi-steady flapping. The Reynolds number based on the boundary-layer displacement thickness

$\delta _o^{*}$

at the inflow plane is

$Re_*=1000$

. Both time- and phase-averaged fields are analysed and results are compared with steady conditions. The reduced frequency

$k$

has a significant effect on the transient flow-separation process. For high

$k$

the separation bubble does not grow as thick as in the corresponding steady case, but the length of the bubble remains comparable; hysteresis is observed in the near-wall region. As

$k$

is reduced, a threshold is met at which the separation bubble grows in the wall-normal direction. However, the length of the bubble is significantly reduced again when compared with the steady case. At this frequency, the region of slow-moving fluid generated by the flow reversal is advected downstream, causing a decorrelation between the forcing (the imposed free-stream velocity) and the velocity and pressure downstream of the separation bubble. Moreover, hysteresis effects are shifted away from the wall. At the lowest frequency a quasi-steady solution is approached; however, transient effects are still present in the backflow region.