bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the characteristics of ion saturation current in plasma over the keyhole in the process of electron beam welding
Authors: Sliva A P , Kharitonov I A , Goncharov A L , Dragunov V K , Gudenko A V , Terentyev E V
Published: November 2021

The energy spectra of the ion saturation current of the Langmuir probe in the plasma formed over the keyhole directly during the process of electron-beam welding of steel 09G2S with the varied parameters (e.g., the welding speed and focus coil current) has been investigated. The presence of typical zones with the energy spectrum peaks in the low-frequency and high- frequency bands has been shown. It has been established that the peak location in the high- frequency range of the energy spectrum does not depend on the welding modes and the position of the probes relative to the keyhole. The low-frequency range of the energy spectrum depends on the vapor flow density of the keyhole and is rather sensitive to the welding modes. The use of electron beam oscillation makes it possible to control plasma flows and hydrodynamic processes in the penetration channel.
Research of trends in the development of laser additive manufacturing in the Russian Federation on the basis of patent information
Authors: Somonov V V
Published: November 2021

The article presents the results of the analysis of patent documentation on laser additive manufacturing registered in the territory of the Russian Federation. As a result of the research, the dynamics of patent activity is determined, the top patent holders, the leading countries in the considered technological field are identified, the top of inventors is compiled, the main technological segments for application of patented solutions from the field of laser additive manufacturing are identified.
Study of the operating modes of the electrostatic lens of the welding electron gun
Authors: Titarev E K , Goncharov A L , Kharitonov I A , Davletshin A I
Published: November 2021

The paper presents the results of a study of the operating modes of a technological electron gun used in installations for electron beam welding. The design of an electron gun, which is part of the ELA-15I power complex, is considered, and the results of modeling the accelerating gap for a new design gun with an accelerating voltage of 120 kV are presented. The current-voltage characteristics of the gun operation were experimentally obtained at different temperatures of the main LaB6 cathode. For this, the beam current was recorded at different values of the control electrode potential. A mathematical model of the accelerating gap was implemented, which makes it possible to analyze the shape of the electron beam in the region of the first lens. Using a mathematical model, the shapes of the electron beam were calculated for various operating modes of the gun, and the characteristic transverse size of the beam in the crossover was determined. The beam diameter and the angle of convergence in the area of focusing the beam on the product were determined experimentally. Conclusions were made about the equality of the crossover diameters of the full-scale and mathematical models, as well as about the sufficient coincidence of the experimental and calculated volt-ampere characteristics. The design of the accelerating gap of the ELA-15 gun was optimized with an increase in the accelerating voltage from 60 kV to 120 kV. The optimization results are shown for the original and modified design in the form of a comparison of the patterns of the distribution of the electrostatic field strength and a comparison of the current-voltage characteristics.
Research on optimization of manned robot swarm scheduling based on ant-sparrow algorithm
Authors: Gao Qingji , Zheng Jiguang , Zhang Wencai
Published: November 2021

Considering the optimization problem of manned robot swarm scheduling in public environment, we constructed a demand-time-space-energy consumption scheduling model taking passenger waiting time and robot swarm energy consumption as optimization goals. This paper proposes an ant-sparrow algorithm based on the same number constraints colonies of ant and sparrow, which combines the advantages of ant colony algorithm great initial solution and the fast convergence speed of the sparrow search algorithm. After a limited number of initial iterations, the ant colony algorithm is transferred to the sparrow search algorithm. In order to increase the diversity of feasible solutions in the later stage of the ant-sparrow algorithm iteration, a divide-and-conquer strategy is introduced to divide the feasible solution sequence into the same small modules and solve them step by step. Applying it to the manned robot swarm scheduling service in the public environment, experiments show that the ant-sparrow algorithm introduced with a divide-and-conquer strategy can effectively improve the quality and convergence speed of feasible solutions.
Quantum rebound attack to D-M structure based on ARIA algorithm
Authors: Dou Shanque , Mao Ming , Li Yanjun , Qiu Dongying
Published: November 2021

With the increasing application of quantum computing, quantum technology is increasingly used in the security analysis and research of multiple symmetric cryptographic algorithms such as block ciphers and hash functions. In 2020, Sasaki et al. proposed a dedicated quantum collision attack against hash functions in EUROCRYPT. Some differential trajectories with a probability of 2−2n/3
that cannot be used in the classical environment may be used to launch collision attacks in the quantum environment. The ARIA algorithm is a block cipher proposed by the Korean researcher Kwon et al. on ICISC 2003. The block cipher algorithm is similar to AES in structure. This article mainly analyzes the security of Davies-Meyer structure, and uses AIRA as the permutation function to construct ARIA hash function based on the DM hash model. A new AIRA differential path was found based on MILP, and 7 rounds of ARIA-DM hash function quantum rebound attacks were given.
Determining the Rolling Window Size of Deep Neural Network Based Models on Time Series Forecasting
Authors: Shen Li , Wei Zijin , Wang Yangzhu
Published: November 2021

Time series forecasting has always been a significant task in various domains. In this paper, we propose DeepARMA, a LSTM-based recurrent neural network to tackle this problem. DeepARMA is derived from an existing time series forecasting baseline, DeepAR, overcoming two of its weaknesses: (1) rolling window size determination: the way DeepAR determines rolling window size is casual and vulnerable, which may lead to the unnecessary computation and inefficiency of the model;(2) neglect of the noise: pure autoregressive model cannot deal with the condition where data are composed of various kinds of noise, neither do most of time series models including DeepAR. In order to solve these two problems, we first combine a classic information theoretic criterion, AIC, with the network to determine the proper rolling window size. Then, we propose a jointly-learned neural network fusing white Gaussian noise series given by ARIMA models to DeepAR’s input. That is exactly why we name the network ‘DeepARMA’. Our experiments on a real-world dataset demonstrate that our improvement settles those two problems put forward above.
Telecommunications package recommendation algorithm based on Deep forest
Authors: Zhang Yanhong , Wang Meng , Yu Yingfu
Published: November 2021

In view of the wide variety of telecom packages and the difficulty of adapting to the needs of users, this paper introduces a recommendation model for telecom packages based on deep forests. This paper first analyzes the telecom package data, and then optimizes the deep forest according to its characteristics such as discrete, continuous attribute interleaving and high coupling characteristics, including the use of decision trees to discretize continuous features and design continuous window sliding mechanism. These methods can improve the ability of deep forest combination high coupling features. Finally, the model optimization measures were verified by detail experiments. The experimental results show that the optimized deep forest can be applied to the telecom package recommendation field. Compared with other shallow models and unoptimized deep forest models, the deep forest model has increased the F1 score by 5%; after adjusting the deep forest hyper parameters, the F1 score can be increased by 2%.
Chua’s Circuit Simulation Experiment Based on Saturation Function
Authors: Lv Ensheng
Published: November 2021

This paper designs a Chua's diode circuit based on saturation function. It uses Matlab/Simulink to model Chua's circuit, and simulates and analyzes the dynamic behavior of chaos, the model simply generates efficient chaotic signals, and intuitively displays processes of the chaotic attractor, chaotic synchronization, period doubling and the road to chaos through the virtual oscilloscope, which is conducive to chaotic beginners' understanding of the basic characteristics and application of chaos. The electrical and mathematical analysis of the instrument is carried out by simulation, to explore the functions of each parameter, and helps beginners to understand its working principle more quickly and conduct experimental operations. It provides theoretical support for the improvement and optimization of Chua's circuit.
An iterative refinement method of point cloud for binocular vision 3D reconstruction
Authors: Hu Junwei , Sun Jifeng , Li Yinggang , Zhang Qi , Zhao Shuai , Lin Yibin
Published: November 2021

This paper introduces a new binocular stereo deep learning network based on point cloud, which can realize higher precision point cloud reconstruction through continuous iteration of the network. Our method directly carries out point cloud processing on the target, calculates the difference between the current depth map and the real depth, estimates the loss according to the predicted point cloud and the information of the dual view input image, and then uses the appropriate loss function to iteratively process the point cloud. In addition, we can customize the number of iterations to achieve higher precision point cloud effect. The proposed network basically achieves good results on KITTI data set.
An automatic sleep staging method based on CRNN-HMM model
Authors: Wu Mengran , Xie Hong , Shi Huiping
Published: November 2021

Sleep staging is an important process for detecting sleep quality and diagnosing sleep disorders. However, traditional sleep staging is a labor-intensive task, and it is prone to subjective errors. Therefore, this paper innovatively proposes an automatic sleep staging model based on single-channel EOG—CRNN-HMM. The CRNN-HMM in this paper combines Convolutional recursive neural networks(CRNN) and hidden Markov model(HMM). The main idea of this model is to use CRNN to automatically extract features from EOG, and send the feature signals to a variant of RNN, Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory(BiLSTM), to mine the dependencies between sleep stages and realize automatic staging of sleep data. Finally, a Hidden Markov Model is used to convert the prior information of the sleep phase of the adjacent EOG cycle in order to improve the classification performance of S1, thereby improving the classification performance of CRNN. The simulation results show that the overall accuracy of the model on the CAP-Sleep data set reaches 95.0%, which proves that the model can provide a way for the evaluation of sleep quality.
Intelligent Lifebuoy Based on Machine Vision
Authors: Hu Lintao
Published: November 2021

This article mainly introduces the intelligent lifebuoy based on machine vision. The design uses the OpenMv camera to identify the drowning person. OpenMV sends the collected position information of the person to the MCU. If the drowning person is on the left or right side of the lifebuoy, the MCU controls the motor drive module. Control the differential rotation of the motor behind the lifebuoy so that the lifebuoy is facing the drowning person. If the drowning person is directly in front of the lifebuoy, the MCU controls the motor drive module to control the rotation of the motor behind the lifebuoy to make the lifebuoy gradually approach the drowning person, which can save life. Blue balloons was used instead of drowning people to conduct rescue experiments on the lake. The smart lifebuoy successfully recognized the blue balloon and swam near the blue balloon. Furthermore, a perfect solution is proposed for the shortcomings of the intelligent lifebuoy.
Performance analysis of vortex acoustic wave based on uniform circular array
Authors: Xu Jie , Li Hui , zhou You-Ling , Li Qian , Xue Liu-Xun , Shi Chong-Yue , Wang Hou
Published: November 2021

As a carrier for information and energy, acoustic waves have been applied in underwater communication widely, however, the narrow band and low transmission speed are the main problems. Whether in the field of optics or electromagnetic waves, the orbital angular momentum (OAM) represents the natural properties of the spiral phase structure. By introducing the OAM into the acoustics field, the transmission capacity and spectrum efficiency of the underwater acoustic communication system can be expanded. Based on the analysis and detection of the vortex acoustic wave generated by the circular array of transducers, we studied the array generation method of the spiral acoustic beam, and gave the characteristics of the vortex acoustic beam when propagating under the water. In the direction of the main axis, the uniform circular array was used to generate different topological acoustic vortex. To determine the relationship between the OAM topology mode and the transducer array, the spiral acoustic waves in different topology modes were generated, and the number of array elements, array radius, transmission frequency, etc. were investigated to give the effects on OAM acoustic vortex.
SA-HAVE: A Self-Attention based Hierarchical VAEs Network for Abstractive Summarization
Authors: Wan Xia , Ju Shenggen
Published: November 2021

The abstractive automatic summarization task is to summarize the main content of the article with short sentences, which is an important research direction in natural language generation. Most abstractive summarization models are based on sequence-to-sequence neural networks. Specifically, they encode input text sequences by Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory (bi-LSTM), and decode summaries word-by-word by LSTM. However, existing models usually did not consider both the self-attention dependence during the encoding process using bi-LSTM, and deep potential sentence structure information for the decoding process. To tackle these limitations, we propose a Self-Attention based word embedding and Hierarchical Variational AutoEncoders (SA-HVAE) model. The model first introduces self-attention into LSTM to alleviate information decay of encoding, and accomplish summarization with deep structure information inference through hierarchical VAEs. The experimental results on the Gigaword and CNN/Daily Mail datasets validate the superior performance of SA-HVAE, and our model has a significant improvement over the baseline model.
Application Research of Internet of Things Smart-home System Based on MCU Micro Control
Authors: Huang Canjie
Published: November 2021

As a controller, the functions that need to be realized are very limited, and there is no need for large-scale calculation, a very simple single-chip microcomputer can be competent. However, it is necessary to make the single-chip microcomputer exquisite and powerful, that is, integrate one or more cores of RFID, ZigBee and PLC in the chip, so as to reduce the volume of the control system and realize embedded system.
Advanced assessment of beam-induced background at a muon collider
Authors: Collamati F. , Curatolo C. , Lucchesi D. , Mereghetti A. , Mokhov N. , Palmer M. , Sala P.
Published: November 2021

Renewed international interest in muon colliders motivates
the continued investigation of the impacts of beam-induced
background on detector performance. This continues the effort
initiated by the Muon Accelerator Program and carried out until
2017. The beam-induced background from muon decays directly impacts
detector performance and must be mitigated by optimizing the overall
machine design, with particular attention paid to the machine
detector interface region. In order to produce beam-induced
background events and to study their characteristics in coordination
with the collider optimization, a flexible simulation approach is
needed. To achieve this goal we have chosen to utilize the
combination of LineBuilder and Monte Carlo FLUKA codes. We report
the results of beam-induced background studies with these tools
obtained for a 1.5 TeV center of mass energy collider
configuration. Good agreement with previous simulations using the
MARS15 code demonstrates that our choice of tools meet the accuracy
and performance requirements to perform future optimization studies
on muon collider designs.
Evaporation process dominates vehicular NMVOC emissions in China with enlarged contribution from 1990 to 2016
Authors: Yan Liu , Zheng Bo , Geng Guannan , Hong Chaopeng , Tong Dan , Zhang Qiang
Published: November 2021

Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) are important precursors of ozone and secondary organic aerosols in PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters smaller than 2.5 μm), both of which cause severe climate, ecosystem, and human health damages. As one of the major anthropogenic sources, onroad vehicles are subject to relatively large errors and uncertainties in the estimation of NMVOC emissions due to complicated methods and parameters involved and a lack of comprehensive evaluation of influencing factors. Here, based on our previous work with necessary improvement, we estimate China’s vehicular NMVOC emissions by county and by month during 1990–2016 with a consideration of meteorological influence on the spatial-temporal dynamics of emission factors. Our estimate suggests that vehicular NMVOC emissions in China have peaked around 2008 and then declined up to 2016 with an enlarged contribution of the evaporative process to vehicular NMVOC emissions. Vehicular NMVOC emissions have been dominated by the evaporative process at present. Meteorological factors alter spatial-temporal distributions of NMVOC emissions, especially evaporative emissions, which are enhanced in South China and in summer. Emissions and ozone formation potential of the major chemical groups (i.e. Alkenes, Aromatics, and Alkanes) also increase substantially due to meteorological influences. Our analysis suggests that mitigation strategies for vehicle pollutions should be designed based on a sophisticated emission inventory accounting for the meteorological impact on emission factors to correct the potential underestimation of NMVOC emissions, especially those from the evaporative process.
On the properties of the asymptotic incompatibility measure in multiparameter quantum estimation
Authors: Candeloro Alessandro , Paris Matteo G A , Genoni Marco G
Published: November 2021

We address the use of asymptotic incompatibility (AI) to assess the quantumness of a multiparameter quantum statistical model. AI is a recently introduced measure which quantifies the difference between the Holevo and the symmetric logarithmic derivative (SLD) scalar bounds, and can be evaluated using only the SLD operators of the model. At first, we evaluate analytically the AI of the most general quantum statistical models involving two-level (qubit) and single-mode Gaussian continuous-variable quantum systems, and prove that AI is a simple monotonous function of the state purity. Then, we numerically investigate the same problem for qudits (d-dimensional quantum systems, with 2 < d ⩽ 4), showing that, while in general AI is not in general a function of purity, we have enough numerical evidence to conclude that the maximum amount of AI is attainable only for quantum statistical models characterized by a purity larger than

μ

min

=
1
/

(

d
−
1

)

. In addition, by parametrizing qudit states as thermal (Gibbs) states, numerical results suggest that, once the spectrum of the Hamiltonian is fixed, the AI measure is in one-to-one correspondence with the fictitious temperature parameter β characterizing the family of density operators. Finally, by studying in detail the definition and properties of the AI measure we find that: (i) given a quantum statistical model, one can readily identify the maximum number of asymptotically compatible parameters; (ii) the AI of a quantum statistical model bounds from above the AI of any sub-model that can be defined by fixing one or more of the original unknown parameters (or functions thereof), leading to possibly useful bounds on the AI of models involving noisy quantum dynamics.
Entanglement criterion via general symmetric informationally complete measurement
Authors: Li Jun , Chen Lin
Published: November 2021

We propose entanglement criteria for multipartite systems via symmetric informationally complete measurement and general symmetric informationally complete measurement. We apply these criteria to detect entanglement of multipartite states, such as the convex of Bell states, entangled states mixed with white noise. It is shown that these criteria are stronger than some existing ones.
The important role of multifunctional forests in society: a methodology for stands delimitation
Authors: Hernando A , Tejera R , García-Abril A , Velázquez J , Iglesias-Merchan C , Valbuena R , Manzanera J
Published: November 2021

Forest planning and management must be conceived in accordance with the circumstances and needs of the moment. Nowadays, the forest does not have a single and exclusive productive use but responds to multiple demands. The stand management method, with a broad approach, is has been recently well adapted to this type of multipurpose management. This study proposes a methodology for delimiting stands which led to manage different uses in forests in protected areas. The methodology consists of six phases: (i) create permanents units (ii) initial identification of forest typologies, (iii) image analysis, (iv) identification of tree types within the forest typology, (v) detailed inventory and (vi) formation of stands. An example is presented for the “Monte Paris” forest, located a few kilometers from Madrid, which combines protective, livestock and recreational use. For the protection use, pruning and thinning will be carried out, for the livestock use, supplementation, meadow sowing and enclosures, and for the recreational use, the design of an environmental center and five ecological trails are proposed. The organization in time and space of the activities planned in the stands allows a correct and satisfactory management of the multiple uses that occur in this forest.
River-flood forecasting methods: the context of the Kelantan River in Malaysia
Authors: Abdul Majid M , Hafidz Omar M , Noorani M Salmi M , Abdul Razak F
Published: November 2021

River-flood forecasting is among the most important feasible non-structural approaches used in reducing economic losses and alleviating human sufferings. In spite of uncertainty in the forecasting of natural disasters, the current prevailing methods developed in many parts of the world in the recent history has made good progress to a great extent. The advancement is attributed mainly due to the availability of high-resolution weather data and the use of sophisticated computer modelling algorithms. However, it is desirable to conduct exploratory review studies to further improving the current state of affairs. The present paper reviews briefly the river-flood forecasting methods currently used worldwide with a specific focus in the context of the Kelantan River in Malaysia. Flooding in Malaysia is recurrent covering a large inhabited area compared with other natural disasters. Some of the popularly used methods in the literature such as statistical methods machine learning and methods based on chaos theory have been reviewed, The paper will also attempt to explore the future direction for research and development that might be useful specifically for dealing with the recurrent rivers flooding in Malaysia. A reasonably acceptable prediction of river streamflow is significantly important in disaster management and water resources management.
Analysis of Malaysia electricity demand and generation by 2040
Authors: Azman Azreen Harina , Tukimat Nurul Nadrah Aqilah , Malek M.A. , Faizah Che Ros
Published: November 2021

Malaysia as an emerging country, increasing population, gross domestic product (GDP) growth and enhanced access to electricity lead to an expanding of demand. The crucial parameters to determine future energy demand and generation projections are GDP, population growth rates and weather implications due to climate change. The study aims to forecast the future trends based on the historical values and also to project the future electricity demand and generation. The electricity demand and generation growth evaluated based on 2 main elements which are population growth and weather parameters (maximum temperature and rainfall). The future trends are forecasted based on the historical values of population and weather parameters. There is 152.9% of population growth in 32 years. The population will keep on developing yet with the lower rate. The GDP trend and the population growth mirrors the pattern of emissions. The findings from Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM) analysis shows that the rainfall distribution will diminish while the temperature will expand that depict the climate change impact as time passes by. In 2020, the most extreme temperature recorded is 31.7 °C while in 2040, the estimated greatest temperature is 32.3 °C. There will be a 0.6 °C increase in temperature in 20 years. The demand in 2040 will be expanded 50.3% more than demand in 2020. The estimated electricity demand per capita will continue expanding because of the augmentation of the populace and the significance of electricity in daily activities. The pattern shows that electricity demand and generation in Malaysia will be expanding massively year by year.
Dixmier traces, Cesàro means and logarithms
Authors: Xia Jingbo
Published: November 2021

This paper addresses a subtle issue arising from the measurability of operators with respect to the Dixmier trace.
Traveling wave dynamics for Allen-Cahn equations with strong irreversibility
Authors: Akagi Goro , Kuehn Christian , Nakamura Ken-Ichi
Published: November 2021

Constrained gradient flows are studied in fracture mechanics to describestrongly irreversible(orunidirectional) evolution of cracks. The present paper is devoted to a study on the long-time behavior of non-compact orbits of such constrained gradient flows. More precisely, traveling wave dynamics for a one-dimensional fully nonlinear Allen-Cahn type equation involving the positive-part function is considered. Main results of the paper consist of a construction of a one-parameter family ofdegeneratetraveling wave solutions (even identified when coinciding up to translation) and exponential stability of such traveling wave solutions with some basin of attraction, although they are unstable in a usual sense.
The Biology and Research History of the Solitary Wasp Genus Bembix (Hymenoptera: Bembicidae): A Brief Review
Authors: Frank J A
Published: November 2021

Wasps of the genus Bembix (Fabricius) have enjoyed over 300 years as subjects of interest to entomologists and ethologists due to their large size and repertoire of dramatic nesting behaviors. This research history began with these wasps as the focus of brief behavioral accounts, which developed over time to yield detailed studies of the habits of individual species, as well as comparative studies of behavior. This work has revealed that Bembix is behaviorally diverse, with most aspects of their nesting habits showing variation both within and between species. Ultimately, this research history has made Bembix one of the best-known groups of solitary aculeate wasps. At the same time, much work remains to be done on Bembix. While the genus' behavioral diversity is well-recognized, it has not nearly been fully characterized, with the majority of Bembix species remaining unstudied in the field. Furthermore, no phylogeny has ever been published for the genus, and its evolutionary and biogeographic history remains essentially unknown. Thus, this review presents an overview of historical and biological information on Bembix with the aim of stimulating further work on this behaviorally diverse genus.
Adjusting COVID-19 Seroprevalence Survey Results to Account for Test Sensitivity and Specificity
Authors: Meyer Mark J , Yan Shuting , Schlageter Samantha , Kraemer John D , Rosenberg Eli S , Stoto Michael A
Published: November 2021

Population-based seroprevalence surveys can provide useful estimates of the number of individuals previously infected with serious acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and still susceptible, as well as contribute to better estimates of the case-fatality rate and other measures of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity. No serological test is 100% accurate, however, and the standard correction that epidemiologists use to adjust estimates relies on estimates of the test sensitivity and specificity often based on small validation studies. We have developed a fully Bayesian approach to adjust observed prevalence estimates for sensitivity and specificity. Application to a seroprevalence survey conducted in New York State in 2020 demonstrates that this approach results in more realistic—and narrower—credible intervals than the standard sensitivity analysis using confidence interval endpoints. In addition, the model permits incorporating data on the geographical distribution of reported case counts to create informative priors on the cumulative incidence to produce estimates and credible intervals for smaller geographic areas than often can be precisely estimated with seroprevalence surveys.
Effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Services: Findings from 11 Sub-Saharan African Countries
Authors: Harris Tiffany G , Jaszi Edward , Lamb Matthew R , Laudari Carlos A , Furtado Maria Lúcia Mendes , Nijirazana Bonaparte , Aimé Ndayizeye , Loni Ekali Gabriel , Ebiama Lifanda Lifanda , Brou Hermann , Ehui Eboi , Malele Bazola Faustin , Mboyo Aimé , Sahabo Ruben , Advocate Dlamini Nkhosikhona , Melaku Zenebe , Getachew Meselu Mirtie , Hawken Mark , Ngugi Catherine , Vitale Mirriah , Abudou Munira Abubakar Bin , Bayoa Florence , Achut Victoria , Kasonde Prisca , Munsanje Paul , El-Sadr Wafaa M
Published: November 2021

Background

Due to concerns about the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 pandemic on health services, we examined its effects on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods

Quarterly data (Q1, 10/2019–12/2019; Q2, 1/2020–3/2020; Q3, 4/2020–6/2020; Q4, 7/2020–9/2020) from 1059 health facilities in 11 countries were analyzed and categorized by stringency of pandemic measures. We conducted a difference-in-differences assessment of HIV service changes from Q1–Q2 to Q3–Q4 by higher vs lower stringency.

Results

There was a 3.3% decrease in the number HIV tested from Q2 to Q3 (572 845 to 553 780), with the number testing HIV-positive declining by 4.9% from Q2 to Q3. From Q3 to Q4, the number tested increased by 10.6% (612 646), with an increase of 8.8% (23 457) in the number testing HIV-positive with similar yield (3.8%). New antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiations declined by 9.8% from Q2 to Q3 but increased in Q4 by 9.8%. Across all quarters, the number on ART increased (Q1, 419 028 to Q4, 476 010). The number receiving viral load (VL) testing in the prior 12 months increased (Q1, 255 290 to Q4, 312 869). No decrease was noted in VL suppression (Q1, 87.5% to Q4, 90.1%). HIV testing (P < .0001) and new ART initiations (P = .001) were inversely associated with stringency.

Conclusions

After initial declines, rebound was brisk, with increases noted in the number HIV tested, newly initiated or currently on ART, VL testing, and VL suppression throughout the period, demonstrating HIV program resilience in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.
Microbiome therapeutics: exploring the present scenario and challenges
Authors: Yadav Monika , Chauhan Nar Singh
Published: November 2021

Human gut-microbiome explorations have enriched our understanding of microbial colonization, maturation, and dysbiosis in health-and-disease subsets. The enormous metabolic potential of gut microbes and their role in the maintenance of human health is emerging, with new avenues to use them as therapeutic agents to overcome human disorders. Microbiome therapeutics are aimed at engineering the gut microbiome using additive, subtractive, or modulatory therapy with an application of native or engineered microbes, antibiotics, bacteriophages, and bacteriocins. This approach could overcome the limitation of conventional therapeutics by providing personalized, harmonized, reliable, and sustainable treatment. Its huge economic potential has been shown in the global therapeutics market. Despite the therapeutic and economical potential, microbiome therapeutics is still in the developing stage and is facing various technical and administrative issues that require research attention. This review aims to address the current knowledge and landscape of microbiome therapeutics, provides an overview of existing health-and-disease applications, and discusses the potential future directions of microbiome modulations.
A Geometric Approach to Some Systems of Exponential Equations
Authors: Aslanyan Vahagn , Kirby Jonathan , Mantova Vincenzo
Published: November 2021

Zilber’s Exponential Algebraic Closedness conjecture (also known as Zilber’s Nullstellensatz) gives conditions under which a complex algebraic variety should intersect the graph of the exponential map of a semiabelian variety. We prove the special case of the conjecture where the variety has dominant projection to the domain of the exponential map, for abelian varieties and for algebraic tori. Furthermore, in the situation where the intersection is 0-dimensional, we exhibit structure in the intersection by parametrizing the sufficiently large points as the images of the period lattice under a (multivalued) analytic map. Our approach is complex geometric, in contrast to a real analytic proof given by Brownawell and Masser just for the case of algebraic tori.
From “Peacekept” to Peacekeeper: Seeking International Status by Narrating New Identities
Authors: Wilén Nina
Published: November 2021

This article examines how post-conflict states attempt to increase international status by transforming their identities from “peacekept” to “peacekeepers.” It focuses on the discursive side of identity construction and increases understanding of how post-conflict troop contributing countries (PCTCC) seek status on the international arena not only by “doing” peacekeeping but also by “narrating” their roles and identities as peacekeepers. A comparative case study of two PCTCC, Burundi and Rwanda, is used to illustrate the argument. By analyzing official discourses from the two cases through a theoretical framework, which combines social identity theory with narrative approaches, it is first argued that PCTCC seek status and a new identity through peacekeeping contribution in part, to underline their sovereignty and safeguard their domestic affairs from outside interference. Second, to successfully seek status, the narratives need to show coherence and be co-constituted by other international actors. The analysis underlines post-conflict states’ agency in identity construction and peacekeeping as an international practice to acquire status and legitimacy in international relations.
Test-retest reliability and validity of the 6 minute stepper test to evaluate functional exercise capacity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis
Authors: Bayram Selin , Oskay Deran , Tore Nurten Gizem , Sari Fulden , Saraç Devrim Can , Pala Gamze Gülsün , Bilici Salman Reyhan , Tufan Abdurrahman
Published: November 2021

Objectives

The 6-minute stepper test (6MST) is a submaximal test that requires little space to assess exercise capacity compared to the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). The study aims to investigate the test-retest reliability and convergent validity of 6MST and to compare physiological responses, dyspnea, fatigue perception with 6MST and 6MWT in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods

To test the convergent validity of 6MST, 65 patients performed both 6MWT and 6MST on the first day and correlation between two tests were assessed with Pearson correlation test. In order to investigate the test-retest reliability of the 6MST, 32 of the 65 patients performed 6MST one week later and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated. Dyspnea and fatigue perception were analyzed with using Wilcoxon signed-rank test, physiological responses were analyzed using paired sample t-test.

Results

Excellent test-retest reliability was observed for 6MST (ICC: 0.988). There was a significant correlation between 6MST and 6MWT (r: 0.725, p < 0.001). Dyspnea and leg fatigue perception were significantly higher in 6MST (p < 0.05). Physiological responses and fatigue perception were similar in both 6MST and 6MWT (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that the 6MST is reliable and valid method to evaluate exercise capacity in patients with AS. 6MST can be used to evaluate exercise capacity of patients with AS.
Identifying Active Ingredients, Working Mechanisms, and Fidelity Characteristics Reported in Smoking Cessation Interventions in Dutch Primary Care: A Systematic Review
Authors: de Ruijter Dennis , Mergelsberg Enrique , Crone Matty , Smit Eline , Hoving Ciska
Published: November 2021

Background

Evidence-based smoking cessation interventions provided by healthcare professionals can be successful in helping citizens to quit smoking. Yet, evidence is needed about the active ingredients of these interventions, how these ingredients work and how they are implemented in practice. Such knowledge is required to effectively support healthcare professionals to optimally put evidence-based smoking cessation interventions to (inter)national practice.

Objective

To identify active ingredients (including behavior change techniques), mechanisms of action and implementation fidelity reported in smoking cessation interventions in Dutch primary care settings and to relate these to intervention effectiveness.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted by searching nine national intervention or funding databases, five international scientific databases and consulting 17 national smoking cessation experts. Out of 1066 identified manuscripts, 40 interventions were eligible for this review. Based on published protocols, information regarding behavior change techniques and mechanisms of action was systematically abstracted. Additionally, information regarding study characteristics and other active ingredients, effects on smoking behavior and implementation fidelity was abstracted. Comparative effectiveness concerning abstracted intervention characteristics was qualitatively explored.

Results

Active ingredients, mechanisms of action and implementation fidelity were moderately to poorly reported. Interventions applying behavior change techniques and interventions with a single behavioral target (i.e. smoking-only versus multiple behaviors) seemed to provide stronger evidence for successfully changing smoking behavior.

Conclusion

Attention to and reporting on interventions’ active ingredients (e.g. behavior change techniques), mechanisms of action and implementation fidelity are prerequisites for developing more effective evidence-based smoking cessation interventions to be successfully implemented in primary healthcare.

Implications

This systematic review provides an overview of smoking cessation interventions in Dutch primary care settings, identified since the year 2000. Smoking cessation support is offered in various forms, but our qualitative findings show that interventions including more behavior change techniques and interventions targeting only smoking cessation (compared to multiple behaviors) might be more effective. Results also show that—based on available intervention reports—it is difficult to distinguish patterns of active ingredients (such as behavior change techniques), mechanisms of action and fidelity of implementation in relation to interventions’ effectiveness. This means (quality of) reporting on these intervention characteristics should improve.
Shortages, high-demand occupations, and the post-Brexit UK immigration system
Authors: Sumption Madeleine
Published: November 2021

One of the key questions facing immigration policy-makers is which jobs should be eligible for work visas. This question has dominated discussions about the post-Brexit immigration system, which has focused in particular on the issue of shortages. While the UK government resisted calls to open labour migration routes in low-wage or low-skilled jobs with high demand for foreign workers, workers in middle- and high-skilled jobs that are deemed to face a labour market shortage can qualify with significantly lower wages. This paper examines the arguments for and against using immigration policy to prioritize labour migration in ‘shortage occupations’. It argues that the idea is politically appealing but problematic in practice. Shortages are more difficult to measure satisfactorily than policy-makers may imagine, and different methodologies produce different results. This makes it unwise to develop an immigration policy that depends too heavily on the notion that the shortage list is an accurate reflection of what is really happening in the labour market.
Exploring the binding of rationally engineered tandem-repeat proteins to E3 ubiquitin ligase Keap1
Authors: Madden Sarah K , Itzhaki Laura S
Published: November 2021

The process of displaying functional peptides by ‘grafting’ them onto loops of a stable protein scaffold can be used to impart binding affinity for a target, but it can be difficult to predict the affinity of the grafted peptide and the effect of grafting on scaffold stability. In this study, we show that a series of peptides that bind to the E3 ubiquitin ligase Keap1 can be grafted into the inter-repeat loop of a consensus-designed tetratricopeptide repeat (CTPR) protein resulting in proteins with high stability. We found that these CTPR-grafted peptides had similar affinities to their free peptide counterparts and achieved a low nanomolar range. This result is likely due to a good structural match between the inter-repeat loop of the CTPR and the Keap1-binding peptide. The grafting process led to the discovery of a new Keap1-binding peptide, Ac-LDPETGELL-NH2, with low nanomolar affinity for Keap1, highlighting the potential of the repeat-protein class for application in peptide display.
Characterizing the Variance Risk Premium: The Role of the Leverage Effect
Authors: Hu Guanglian , Jacobs Kris , Seo Sang Byung
Published: November 2021

The conditional covariance between the market return and its variance, which we refer to as the leverage effect, is positively related to the variance risk premium. It contains incremental information about the variance risk premium after controlling for other return moments and additional variables suggested by the literature as determinants of the variance risk premium. This empirical finding is supported by theory: the pricing of volatility risk is the economic channel behind the strong positive relation between the two variables. We use this relation to construct a time series of the variance risk premium dating back to 1926. (JEL G12, G13)

Received February 7, 2020; editorial decision September 01, 2021.
Sharing R&D Risk in Healthcare via FDA Hedges
Authors: Jørring Adam , Lo Andrew W , Philipson Tomas J , Singh Manita , Thakor Richard T
Published: November 2021

Biomedical innovation suffers from a “funding gap” between the needs of drug development firms and the availability of funds. The requirement of large investments for drug development projects and the high pipeline risk associated with FDA approval causes this funding gap in part. In this paper, we propose a new financial instrument—the “FDA hedge”—that pays off upon FDA approval failure. We develop a theory to show that the FDA hedge can help eliminate the funding gap. Using novel project-level data, we establish empirically that FDA hedge risk is idiosyncratic, and show how better sharing this risk can spur welfare-enhancing R&D. (JEL G11, G13, G22, I11, L65, O32

Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
The Motherhood Penalty in Spain: The Effect of Full- and Part-Time Parental Leave on Women’s Earnings
Authors: Dominguez-Folgueras Marta , González M José , Lapuerta Irene
Published: November 2021

The persistence of a wage gap between mothers and non-mothers has been widely analyzed. However, we know little about the impact of family policies on this relative motherhood penalty. This study investigates the extent to which unpaid leave granted for longer-term care of young children after an initial spell of maternity leave affects the motherhood wage gap, and whether full-time leave and part-time leave differ in this respect. We use panel data from the Continuous Sample of Working Lives and rely on a sample consisting of 959,359 women aged twenty-five to forty-seven between 2005 and 2012. We find first a negative association between use and duration of unpaid parental leave and mothers’ wages, and second that a full-time unpaid leave carries higher wage penalties than a part-time unpaid leave of the same duration. This study has major implications for policymaking.
Acquisition and Transmission of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum VCG 0114 (Race 4) by Stink Bugs
Authors: Esquivel Jesus F. , Bell Alois A.
Published: November 2021

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum VCG 0114 (race 4; i.e., FOV4) is an emerging pathogen that causes severe root rot and wilt of cotton. FOV4 is seed-borne, but the mode of seed invasion is uncertain. In an initial study, seeds in bolls that were puncture inoculated with FOV4 conidia when they were 25- or 30-days old became infected but remained viable. Because stink bugs can ingest and introduce bacterial and yeast pathogens into cotton bolls, we hypothesized that stink bugs may ingest and transmit FOV4. Southern green stink bugs and brown stink bugs were exposed to potato dextrose agar cultures of FOV4 and subsequently caged with cotton bolls to assess transmission potential. Both species fed on the cultures and acquired FOV4, and brown stink bugs transmitted FOV4 to cotton bolls. Thus, management of FOV4 may require management of stink bugs to mitigate the spread of the disease in cotton.