bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
When night never falls: female sexual signalling in a nocturnal insect along a latitudinal gradient
Authors: Borshagovski Anna-Maria , Saari Paulus , Lehtonen Topi K. , Kaitala Arja
Published: November 2020

The environment can play an important role in animal communication by affecting signal transmission and detection. Variation in the signalling environment is expected to be especially pronounced in widely distributed species, potentially affecting how their signals are detected. Such environmental variability is presumably relevant for sedentary females of a nocturnal capital breeder, the European common glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca), which produce green light during the night to attract flying males to mate. Being widely distributed in Europe, glow-worm populations are exposed to both rapidly descending, darker summer nights in the south, and slowly dimming, brighter summer nights further north, with the latter potentially posing challenges to the visibility of the female glow. To test how female signalling is affected by latitude, we sampled glowing females during summer nights along a latitudinal gradient in Finland, Northern Europe, and used a novel apparatus to measure the intensity and peak wavelength (hue/colour) of their glow. Surprisingly, females at higher latitudes, similar to those at lower latitudes, were commonly glowing during the brightest (and hence the shortest) nights of the year. Females also glowed brighter in more northern areas, partly due to their larger body size, whereas the colour of their glow was not associated with latitude. Since females glow even during midsummer, independent of latitude, the increase in glow intensity at higher latitudes presumably serves to maintain signal visibility in brighter signalling conditions. Overall, these findings highlight the influence of environmental conditions on the evolution of sexual signals, especially in the context of species distribution range.

Significance statement

When environmental conditions impact signal transmission and perception, local conditions can have a crucial role in shaping animal communication and signal evolution. To analyse how dark-dependant common glow-worm females cope with variable nocturnal light environments, we used a novel apparatus, presumably not applied to living animals before, to measure female glow intensity at various latitudes along a latitudinal gradient. Interestingly, females did not avoid signalling during the brightest summer nights, but instead, their glow intensity and body size both increased with latitude. These findings suggest that females can ensure visibility to mate-searching males over a range of local conditions. Our study therefore shows how females can adapt to environmental constraints on signal visibility, and how the expression of sexual signals is shaped not only by social interactions but also by the signalling environment.
The role of SNMPs in insect olfaction
Authors: Cassau Sina , Krieger Jürgen
Published: November 2020

The sense of smell enables insects to recognize olfactory signals crucial for survival and reproduction. In insects, odorant detection highly depends on the interplay of distinct proteins expressed by specialized olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) and associated support cells which are housed together in chemosensory units, named sensilla, mainly located on the antenna. Besides odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and olfactory receptors, so-called sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs) are indicated to play a critical role in the detection of certain odorants. SNMPs are insect-specific membrane proteins initially identified in pheromone-sensitive OSNs of Lepidoptera and are indispensable for a proper detection of pheromones. In the last decades, genome and transcriptome analyses have revealed a wide distribution of SNMP-encoding genes in holometabolous and hemimetabolous insects, with a given species expressing multiple subtypes in distinct cells of the olfactory system. Besides SNMPs having a neuronal expression in subpopulations of OSNs, certain SNMP types were found expressed in OSN-associated support cells suggesting different decisive roles of SNMPs in the peripheral olfactory system. In this review, we will report the state of knowledge of neuronal and non-neuronal members of the SNMP family and discuss their possible functions in insect olfaction.
Pain management after laminectomy: a systematic review and procedure-specific post-operative pain management (prospect) recommendations
Authors: Peene Laurens , Le Cacheux Pauline , Sauter Axel R. , Joshi Girish P. , Beloeil Helene ,   PROSPECT Working Group Collaborators,   European Society of Regional Anaesthesia
Published: November 2020

Purpose

With lumbar laminectomy increasingly being performed on an outpatient basis, optimal pain management is critical to avoid post-operative delay in discharge and readmission. The aim of this review was to evaluate the available literature and develop recommendations for optimal pain management after one- or two-level lumbar laminectomy.

Methods

A systematic review utilizing the PROcedure-SPECific Post-operative Pain ManagemenT (PROSPECT) methodology was undertaken. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in the English language from 1 January 2008 until 31 March 2020—assessing post-operative pain using analgesic, anaesthetic and surgical interventions—were identified from MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Databases.

Results

Out of 65 eligible studies identified, 39 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The analgesic regimen for lumbar laminectomy should include paracetamol and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or cyclooxygenase (COX)—2 selective inhibitor administered preoperatively or intraoperatively and continued post-operatively, with post-operative opioids for rescue analgesia. In addition, surgical wound instillation or infiltration with local anaesthetics prior to wound closure is recommended. Some interventions—gabapentinoids and intrathecal opioid administration—although effective, carry significant risks and consequently were omitted from the recommendations. Other interventions were also not recommended because there was insufficient, inconsistent or lack of evidence.

Conclusion

Perioperative pain management for lumbar laminectomy should include paracetamol and NSAID- or COX-2-specific inhibitor, continued into the post-operative period, as well as intraoperative surgical wound instillation or infiltration. Opioids should be used as rescue medication post-operatively. Future studies are necessary to evaluate the efficacy of our recommendations.
Relationship between hip joint proximity area and sagittal balance parameters: an upright computed tomography study
Authors: Kikuchi Shunsuke , Nakashima Daisuke , Yamada Yoshitake , Yamada Minoru , Yokoyama Yoichi , Kanaji Arihiko , Nakamura Masaya , Nagura Takeo , Jinzaki Masahiro
Published: November 2020

Purpose

A close relationship between sagittal spinal alignment and hip osteoarthritis (OA) has been documented. This study aimed to examine the relationship between hip joint proximity area and sagittal balance parameters in healthy subjects.

Methods

This prospective study enrolled 47 healthy volunteers who underwent 320-detector row upright computed tomography. Acquired data were reconstructed in a virtual three-dimensional space. The proximity area was determined by < 1 mm of the Hausdorff distance between the acetabulum and the femoral head. Volunteers were divided into the anterior and posterior proximity groups depending on the position of the closest area. Sagittal balance parameters [sagittal vertical axis (SVA), T1 spinopelvic inclination (T1-SPi), T1-pelvic angle, pelvic tilt, sacral slope, pelvic incidence, lumbar lordosis, thoracic kyphosis), offset distance between the centre of the acoustic meati (CAM) and C7 plumb line (CAM-C7-offset), and offset distance between the CAM and hip axis (HA) (CAM-HA-offset)] were compared between the two groups using independent sample t test.

Results

The anterior proximity group (n = 24) had higher SVA (p = 0.016) and T1-Spi (p = 0.015) than the posterior proximity group (n = 23). CAM-HA-offset was higher in the posterior than in the anterior proximity group (p < 0.000). There was no difference in other parameters (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

The anterior proximity group had a positive anterior spinal balance; the posterior proximity group may have a more posterior gravity line than the hip joint centre. The anterior spinal balance may contribute to the anterior loading of the hip joint, with known relation with the initiation and onset of hip OA.
The triptych of conceptual modeling
Authors: Mayr Heinrich C. , Thalheim Bernhard
Published: November 2020

We understand this paper as a contribution to the “anatomy” of conceptual models. We propose a signature of conceptual models for their characterization, which allows a clear distinction from other types of models. The motivation for this work arose from the observation that conceptual models are widely discussed in science and practice, especially in computer science, but that their potential is far from being exploited. We combine our proposal of a more transparent explanation of the nature of conceptual models with an approach that classifies conceptual models as a link between the dimension of linguistic terms and the encyclopedic dimension of notions. As a paradigm we use the triptych, whose central tableau represents the model dimension. The effectiveness of this explanatory approach is illustrated by a number of examples. We derive a number of open research questions that should be answered to complete the anatomy of conceptual models.
Research on improved wavelet convolutional wavelet neural networks
Authors: Liu Jing-Wei , Zuo Fang-Ling , Guo Ying-Xiao , Li Tian-Yue , Chen Jia-Ming
Published: November 2020

Convolutional neural network (CNN) is recognized as state of the art of deep learning algorithm, which has a good ability on the image classification and recognition. The problems of CNN are as follows: the precision, accuracy and efficiency of CNN are expected to be improved to satisfy the requirements of high performance. The main work is as follows: Firstly, wavelet convolutional neural network (wCNN) is proposed, where wavelet transform function is added to the convolutional layers of CNN. Secondly, wavelet convolutional wavelet neural network (wCwNN) is proposed, where fully connected neural network (FCNN) of wCNN and CNN are replaced by wavelet neural network (wNN). Thirdly, image classification experiments using CNN, wCNN and wCwNN algorithms, and comparison analysis are implemented with MNIST dataset. The effect of the improved methods are as follows: (1) Both precision and accuracy are improved. (2) The mean square error and the rate of error are reduced. (3) The complexitie of the improved algorithms is increased.
Posttraumatic Symptoms in 3–7 Year Old Trauma-Exposed Children: Links to Impairment, Other Mental Health Symptoms, Caregiver PTSD, and Caregiver Stress
Authors: Cervin Matti , Salloum Alison , Ruth Leigh J. , Storch Eric A.
Published: November 2020

Few studies have examined how PTSD symptoms in young children are associated with other mental health symptoms and mood and functioning in caregivers. This is an important gap in the literature as such knowledge may be important for assessment and treatment. This study used network analysis to identify how the major symptom domains of PTSD in young trauma-exposed children were related to impairment, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, caregiver PTSD, and caregiver stress. Caregivers of 75 trauma-exposed 3–7 year old children reported on their child’s symptoms and impairment and their own PTSD symptoms and caregiver stress. A strong association between the child PTSD domains of intrusions and avoidance emerged, which is in line with theoretical notions of how PTSD onsets and is maintained in adolescents and adults. Externalizing child symptoms were strongly linked to PTSD-related impairment and caregiver stress, highlighting the need to carefully assess and address such symptoms when working with young trauma-exposed children. Internalizing symptoms were uniquely associated with all three of the major childhood PTSD symptom domains with further implications for assessment and treatment.
Activities, Access Control, and Crime: a Quasi-Experimental Study regarding Entry Gates at Train Stations in the Netherlands
Authors: Lindenbergh Viviane M. , Kleemans Edward R. , Ferwerda Joras
Published: November 2020

This article discusses a unique “natural experiment,” the introduction of entry gates at Dutch train stations and the potential effects of this on crime in the areas around these stations. A quasi-experimental study was carried out to show that introducing entry gates correlated with a drop in crime in these areas. After entry gates had been introduced, potential offenders could only enter train stations with a valid ticket, which meant that they would be less likely to enter or leave these stations and more likely to choose other places to hang around in or for entering and leaving trains. A dataset was created in which the crime rates around train stations were registered for each month in the years 2013 through 2018. The changing numbers of travelers at each station were also taken into account, as this variable probably correlates with the amount of crime. A two-way fixed-effects model was run on data for about 260 train stations, with and without entry gates, using the relative crime rate per thousand travelers as the dependent variable. Based on this relative crime rate, the use of entry gates was found to coincide with a decrease of 9% in crime, compared to a situation without entry gates. This study can inform policymakers about the potential effects of entry gates in particular and about situational crime prevention in general. Moreover, it illustrates how implementing measures at various locations at different moments enables the effectiveness of such measures to be tested more precisely and with more confidence.
QSAR, molecular docking, design, and pharmacokinetic analysis of 2-(4-fluorophenyl) imidazol-5-ones as anti-breast cancer drug compounds against MCF-7 cell line
Authors: Lawal Hadiza Abdulrahman , Uzairu Adamu , Uba Sani
Published: November 2020

The anti-proliferative activities of Novel series of 2-(4-fluorophenyl) imidazol-5-ones against MCF-7 breast cancer cell line were explored via in-slico studies which includes Quantitative structure–activity relationship QSAR, molecular docking studies, designing new compounds, and analyzing the pharmacokinetics properties of the designed compounds. From the QSAR analysis, model number one emerged the best as seen from the arithmetic assessments of (R2) = 0.6981, (R2adj) = 0.6433, (Q2) = 0.5460 and (R2pred) of 0.5357. Model number one was used in designing new derivative compounds, with higher effectiveness against estrogen positive breast cancer (MCF-7 cell line). The Molecular docking studies between the derivatives and Polo-like kinases (Plk1) receptor proved that the derivatives of 2-(4-fluorophenyl) imidazol-5-ones bind tightly to the receptor, thou ligand 24 and 27 had the highest binding affinities of −8.8 and − 9.1 kcal/mol, which was found to be higher than Doxorubicin with a docking score of −8.0 kcal/mol. These new derivatives of 2-(4-fluorophenyl) imidazol-5-ones shall be excellent inhibitors against (plk1). The pharmacokinetics analysis performed on the new structures revealed that all the structures passed the test and also the Lipinski rule of five, and they could further proceed to pre-clinical tests. They both revealed a revolution in medicine for developing novel anti-breast cancer drugs against MCF-7 cell line.
A user-centered approach for detecting emotions with low-cost sensors
Authors: Francese Rita , Risi Michele , Tortora Genoveffa
Published: November 2020

Detecting emotions is very useful in many fields, from health-care to human-computer interaction. In this paper, we propose an iterative user-centered methodology for supporting the development of an emotion detection system based on low-cost sensors. Artificial Intelligence techniques have been adopted for emotion classification. Different kind of Machine Learning classifiers have been experimentally trained on the users’ biometrics data, such as hearth rate, movement and audio. The system has been developed in two iterations and, at the end of each of them, the performance of classifiers (MLP, CNN, LSTM, Bidirectional-LSTM and Decision Tree) has been compared. After the experiment, the SAM questionnaire is proposed to evaluate the user’s affective state when using the system. In the first experiment we gathered data from 47 participants, in the second one an improved version of the system has been trained and validated by 107 people. The emotional analysis conducted at the end of each iteration suggests that reducing the device invasiveness may affect the user perceptions and also improve the classification performance.
Machine learning misclassification of academic publications reveals non-trivial interdependencies of scientific disciplines
Authors: Lyutov Alexey , Uygun Yilmaz , Hütt Marc-Thorsten
Published: November 2020

Exploring the production of knowledge with quantitative methods is the foundation of scientometrics. In an application of machine learning to scientometrics, we here consider the classification problem of the mapping of academic publications to the subcategories of a multidisciplinary journal—and hence to scientific disciplines—based on the information contained in the abstract. In contrast to standard classification tasks, we are not interested in maximizing the accuracy, but rather we ask, whether the failures of an automatic classification are systematic and contain information about the system under investigation. These failures can be represented as a ’misclassification network’ inter-relating scientific disciplines. Here we show that this misclassification network (1) gives a markedly different pattern of interdependencies among scientific disciplines than common ’maps of science’, (2) reveals a statistical association between misclassification and citation frequencies, and (3) allows disciplines to be classified as ’method lenders’ and ’content explorers’, based on their in-degree out-degree asymmetry. On a more general level, in a wide range of machine learning applications misclassification networks have the potential of extracting systemic information from the failed classifications, thus allowing to visualize and quantitatively assess those aspects of a complex system, which are not machine learnable.
Decision-Based Epistemology: sketching a systematic framework of Feyerabend’s metaphilosophy
Authors: Kuby Daniel
Published: November 2020

In this paper I defend the claim that Paul Feyerabend held a robust metaphilosophical position for most of his philosophical career. This position I call Decision-Based Epistemology and reconstruct it in terms of three key components: (1) a form of epistemic voluntarism concerning the justification of philosophical positions and (2) a behaviorist account of philosophical beliefs, which allows him (3) to cast normative arguments concerning philosophical beliefs in scientific methodology, such as realism, in terms of means-ends relations. I then introduce non-naturalist and naturalist variants of his conception of normativity, which I trace back to his mentors Viktor Kraft and Karl Popper, respectively. This distinction, introduced on the metaphilosophical level, can can be put to use to explain key changes in Feyerabend’s philosophical proposals, such as the viability of his methodological argument for realism. I conclude that this Decision-Based Epistemology should be further explored by historically embedding Feyerabend’s metaphilosophy in a voluntarist tradition of scientific philosophy.
The unbearable circularity of easy ontology
Authors: Raab Jonas
Published: November 2020

In this paper, I argue that Amie Thomasson’sEasy Ontologyrests on a vicious circularity that is highly damaging. Easy Ontology invokes the idea ofapplication conditionsthat give rise toanalytic entailments. Such entailments can be used to answer ontological questions easily. I argue that the application conditions for basic terms are only circularly specifiable showing that Thomasson misses her self-set goal of preventing such a circularity. Using this circularity, I go on to show that Easy Ontology as a whole collapses.
The Complexity of Porous Media Flow Characterized in a Microfluidic Model Based on Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy and Micro-PIV
Authors: de Winter D. A. M. , Weishaupt K. , Scheller S. , Frey S. , Raoof A. , Hassanizadeh S. M. , Helmig R.
Published: November 2020

In this study, the complexity of a steady-state flow through porous media is revealed using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Micro-particle image velocimetry (micro-PIV) is applied to construct movies of colloidal particles. The calculated velocity vector fields from images are further utilized to obtain laminar flow streamlines. Fluid flow through a single straight channel is used to confirm that quantitative CLSM measurements can be conducted. Next, the coupling between the flow in a channel and the movement within an intersecting dead-end region is studied. Quantitative CLSM measurements confirm the numerically determined coupling parameter from earlier work of the authors. The fluid flow complexity is demonstrated using a porous medium consisting of a regular grid of pores in contact with a flowing fluid channel. The porous media structure was further used as the simulation domain for numerical modeling. Both the simulation, based on solving Stokes equations, and the experimental data show presence of non-trivial streamline trajectories across the pore structures. In view of the results, we argue that the hydrodynamic mixing is a combination of non-trivial streamline routing and Brownian motion by pore-scale diffusion. The results provide insight into challenges in upscaling hydrodynamic dispersion from pore scale to representative elementary volume (REV) scale. Furthermore, the successful quantitative validation of CLSM-based data from a microfluidic model fed by an electrical syringe pump provided a valuable benchmark for qualitative validation of computer simulation results.

Graphic Abstract
Performance of free gases during the recovery enhancement of shale gas by CO2 injection: a case study on the depleted Wufeng–Longmaxi shale in northeastern Sichuan Basin, China
Authors: Liu Jun , Xie Ling-Zhi , He Bo , Zhao Peng , Ding Huai-Yu
Published: November 2020

In this work, a novel thermal–hydraulic–mechanical (THM) coupling model is developed, where the real geological parameters of the reservoir properties are embedded. Accordingly, nine schemes of CO2 injection well (IW) and CH4 production well (PW) are established, aiming to explore the behavior of free gases after CO2 is injected into the depleted Wufeng–Longmaxi shale. The results indicate the free CH4 or CO2 content in the shale fractures/matrix is invariably heterogeneous. The CO2 involvement facilitates the ratio of free CH4/CO2 in the matrix to that in the fractures declines and tends to be stable with time. Different combinations of IW–PWs induce a difference in the ratio of the free CH4 to the free CO2, in the ratio of the free CH4/CO2 in the matrix to that in the fractures, in the content of the recovered free CH4, and in the content of the trapped free CO2. Basically, when the IW locates at the bottom Wufeng–Longmaxi shale, a farther IW–PWs distance allows more CO2 in the free phase to be trapped; furthermore, no matter where the IW is, a shorter IW–PWs distance benefits by getting more CH4 in the free phase recovered from the depleted Wufeng–Longmaxi shale. Hopefully, this work is helpful in gaining knowledge about the shale-based CO2 injection technique.
Mathematische Modellierungskompetenz fördern durch Lösungsplan oder Dynamische Geometrie-Software? Empirische Ergebnisse aus dem LIMo-Projekt
Authors: Hankeln Corinna , Greefrath Gilbert
Published: November 2020

Mathematisches Modellieren ist inzwischen ein fester Bestandteil des deutschen Mathematik-Unterrichts. Es existieren unterschiedliche Ansätze, wie der Aufbau dieser Kompetenz unterstützt werden kann. Der vorliegende Artikel stellt die Ergebnisse einer quantitativen Studie vor, bei der die Auswirkungen des Einsatzes zweier unterschiedlicher Hilfsmittel, zum einen eines strategischen Instruments, dem sogenannten Lösungsplan, und zum anderen einer dynamischen Geometrie-Software, auf den Aufbau von Modellierungskompetenz untersucht wurden. Dazu werden zunächst die theoretisch angenommene Existenz unterschiedlicher Teilkompetenzen, bestehend aus Vereinfachen, Mathematisieren, Interpretieren und Validieren, auch empirisch mit Hilfe eines Rasch-Modells nachgewiesen und anschließend eine Intervention in 44 nordrhein-westfälischen Klassen ausgewertet, bei der die Lernenden entweder mit einem der beiden Hilfsmittel oder mit herkömmlichen Mitteln an Modellierungsaufgaben arbeiteten. Es zeigen sich nur geringe Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen, allerdings scheinen sich die eingesetzten Hilfsmittel unterschiedlich effektiv für verschiedene Teilkompetenzen zu erweisen. Mögliche Ursachen sowie methodische Einschränkungen werden diskutiert.
Relationships between cocoa mass percentage, surface color, free phenolic compounds content and antioxidant capacity of commercially available dark chocolate bars
Authors: Mikołajczak Natalia , Tańska Małgorzata
Published: November 2020

The aim of the study was to assess the relationships between cocoa mass percentage declared by producer and color, free phenolic compounds content and antioxidant capacity of chocolate bars. The research materials were commercially available 2 dessert (with 30 and 50% of cocoa mass) and 10 bitter chocolate bars (with 40–90% of cocoa mass). The scope of analysis included determining chocolate bars surface color using digital image analysis, content of free phenolic compounds (total, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins) using spectrophotometric methods and antioxidant capacity using the Cuprac method.

Based on the results, it was generally found that bitter chocolate bars were characterized by a darker color and a higher content of free phenolic compounds (252.38–703.13 mg/100 g), including flavonoids (29.01–89.55 mg/100 g) and proanthocyanidins (52.23–224.47 mg/100 g), compared to dessert chocolate bars (241.70, 38.58 and 58.99 mg/100 g on average, respectively). The study showed that the cocoa mass content in the chocolate bars was strongly positively correlated with the phenolic compounds content (in particular flavonoids) and the antioxidant capacity. On the other hand, these properties of the chocolate bars were less dependent on the surface color.
Optimizing productivity in oil rims: simulation studies on horizontal well placement under simultaneous oil and gas production
Authors: Olabode Oluwasanmi , Isehunwa Sunday , Orodu Oyinkepreye , Ake Daniel
Published: November 2020

Thin oil rim reservoirs are predominantly those with pay thickness of less than 100 ft. Oil production challenges arise due to the nature of the gas cap and aquifer in such reservoirs and well placement with respect to the fluid contacts. Case studies of oil rim reservoir and operational properties from the Niger-Delta region are used to build classic synthetic oil rim models with different reservoir parameters using a design of experiment. The black oil simulation model of the ECLIPSE software is activated with additional reservoir properties and subsequently initialized to estimate initial oil and gas in place. To optimize hydrocarbon production, 2 horizontal wells are initiated, each to concurrently produce oil and gas. Well placements of (0.5 ft., 0.25 ft. and 0.75 ft.) are made with respect to the pay thickness and then to the fluid contacts. The results show that for oil rim with bigger aquifers, an oil recovery of 8.3% is expected when horizontal wells are placed at 0.75 ft. of the pay thickness away from the gas oil contact, 8.1% oil recovery in oil rims with larger gas caps with completions at 0.75 ft. of the pay zone from the gas oil contacts, 6% oil recovery with relatively small gas caps and aquifer and 9.3% from oil rims with large gas caps and aquifers, with completions at mid-stream of the pay zone.
Energy-efficient design, consumer awareness, and public policy
Authors: Arguedas Carmen , Rousseau Sandra
Published: November 2020

To facilitate the energy transition, regulators can choose between several policy options to stimulate energy-efficient design by firms. One possibility is to target firms directly through standards or subsidies. Alternatively, it is possible to influence firms indirectly by targeting firms’ stakeholders and raising consumer awareness through information campaigns and education. In this paper, we focus specifically on the pivotal role of consumers and we investigate the effectiveness of subsidies, product standards, and education in improving firms’ environmental performance through energy-efficient product design. In particular, we investigate the importance of the interaction effect between the regulation and consumers’ environmental awareness under different market structures. We find that a policy based on a product standard can counteract the negative effects of crowding-out consumers’ intrinsic motivation in a monopoly setting, although this counteracting effect is less powerful under a duopoly. However, a subsidy does not provide such a backup system and the full effect of crowding-out will be visible.
Vulnerable learners in the age of COVID-19: A scoping review
Authors: Drane Catherine F. , Vernon Lynette , O’Shea Sarah
Published: November 2020

This scoping review provides an overview of COVID-19 approaches to managing unanticipated school closures and available literature related to young people learning outside-of-school. A range of material has been drawn upon to highlight educational issues of this learning context, including psychosocial and emotional repercussions. Globally, while some countries opted for a mass school shut-down, many schools remained open for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This partial closure not only enabled learning in smaller targeted groups but also offered a safe sanctuary for those who needed a regulated and secure environment. In Australia, if full school closures were to be enforced over a long period, a significant proportion of students from more vulnerable backgrounds would likely experience persistent disadvantage through a range of barriers: long-term educational disengagement, digital exclusion, poor technology management, and increased psychosocial challenges. This scoping review combines research on technology availability and learning, with analysis of the long-term educational impacts of navigating the COVID-19 disruption.
‘I’m trying to tell you this man is dangerous… and no one’s listening’: family violence, parent–school engagement and school complicity
Authors: Saltmarsh Sue , Tualaulelei Eseta , Ayre Kay
Published: November 2020

This paper presents a case study of one mother’s experience of engaging with her children’s schools after leaving a long-term relationship characterised by years of family violence perpetrated by the children’s father. We interviewed Bernadette as part of an ongoing study of parents’ experiences of school engagement during family separation and divorce. Her family circumstances and the role the children’s schools played in that story merit consideration by educators, school leaders and education policy makers. Informed by theories of everyday cultural practices and sociological studies of gendered power relations in education, we argue that gender politics and organisational strategies for keeping parents ‘in their place’ can significantly contribute to systemic failures and school cultures that reinscribe the effects of family violence.
Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of in situ nano Ta4HfC5 reinforced SiBCN composite ceramics
Authors: Wang Bingzhu , Li Daxin , Yang Zhihua , Jia Dechang , Guan Jingyi , Peng Hao , Cai Delong , He Peigang , Duan Xiaoming , Zhou Yu , Zhang Tao , Gao Chenguang
Published: November 2020

Thein situnano Ta4HfC5reinforced SiBCN-Ta4HfC5composite ceramics were prepared by a combination of two-step mechanical alloying and reactive hot-pressing sintering. The microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the resulting SiBCN-Ta4HfC5were studied. After the first-step milling of 30 h, the raw materials of TaC and HfC underwent crushing, cold sintering, and short-range interdiffusion to finally obtain the high pure nano Ta4HfC5. A hybrid structure of amorphous SiBCN and nano Ta4HfC5was obtained by adopting a second-step ball-milling. After reactive hot-pressing sintering, amorphous SiBCN has crystallized to 3C-SiC, 6H-SiC, and turbostratic BN(C) phases and Ta4HfC5retained the form of the nanostructure. With thein situgenerations of 2.5 wt% Ta4HfC5, Ta4HfC5is preferentially distributed within the turbostratic BN(C); however, as Ta4HfC5content further raised to 10 wt%, it mainly distributed in the grain-boundary of BN(C) and SiC. The introduction of Ta4HfC5nanocrystals can effectively improve the flexural strength and fracture toughness of SiBCN ceramics, reaching to 344.1 MPa and 4.52 MPa·m1/2, respectively. This work has solved the problems of uneven distribution of ultra-high temperature phases in the ceramic matrix, which is beneficial to the real applications of SiBCN ceramics.
Attitudes towards cheating behavior during assessing students᾽performance: student and teacher perspectives
Authors: Vučković Dijana , Peković Sanja , Blečić Marijana , Đoković Rajka
Published: November 2020

Our aim in this study was to determine students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards cheating in assessing students’ performance. We used mixed methodology and the main research method was a case study. We aimed to describe how our respondents: 1. recognize ethical misconduct (EM) in several situations given through case studies, 2. understand the roles of each subject involved, 3. predict consequences of the EM and how they understand its possible causes, 4. create individual answers to EM or resolve problem situations. The research sample of students (120) includes participants from three basic study programs and two postgraduate programs in the field of education. A sample of teachers (42) was obtained from a number of faculties by random selection. Our respondents have identified most forms of EM reasonably well, although in some situations, the respondents recognized other errors (poor organization of time for learning, professors’ strict deadline for paper submission, etc.) as EM. Therefore, the issues of ethics are not completely clear to all respondents, which leads to the conclusion that universities must organize training in this field. Both groups of respondents understand EM in a similar way, and whether it is a professor or a student (or students) who commits EM has not affected their responses. Our results suggest that it is necessary to work on the prevention of fraud by discussing the consequences (especially the long-term ones, which were not considerably discussed in the comments), by learning ethical reasoning, by developing functional strategies of learning for the purpose of preventing fraud.
The Behavioral Intervention with Technology for E-Weight Loss Study (BITES): Incorporating Energy Balance Models and the Bite Counter into an Online Behavioral Weight Loss Program
Authors: Goldstein Carly M. , Goldstein Stephanie P. , Thomas Diana M. , Hoover Adam , Bond Dale S. , Thomas J. Graham
Published: November 2020

This study evaluated feasibility and acceptability of adding energy balance modeling displayed on weight graphs combined with a wrist-worn bite counting sensor against a traditional online behavioral weight loss program. Adults with a BMI of 27–45 kg/m2 (83.3% women) were randomized to receive a 12-week online behavioral weight loss program with 12 weeks of continued contact (n = 9; base program), the base program plus a graph of their actual and predicted weight change based on individualized physiological parameters (n = 7), or the base program, graph, and a Bite Counter device for monitoring and limiting eating (n = 8). Participants attended weekly clinic weigh-ins plus baseline, midway (12 weeks), and study culmination (24 weeks) assessments of feasibility, acceptability, weight, and behavioral outcomes. In terms of feasibility, participants completed online lessons (M = 7.04 of 12 possible lessons, SD = 4.02) and attended weigh-ins (M = 16.81 visits, SD = 7.24). Six-month retention appears highest among nomogram participants, and weigh-in attendance and lesson completion appear highest in Bite Counter participants. Acceptability was sufficient across groups. Bite Counter use (days with ≥ 2 eating episodes) was moderate (47.8%) and comparable to other studies. Participants lost 4.6% ± 4.5 of their initial body weight at 12 weeks and 4.5% ± 5.8 at 24 weeks. All conditions increased their total physical activity minutes and use of weight control strategies (behavioral outcomes). Although all groups lost weight and the study procedures were feasible, acceptability can be improved with advances in the technology. Participants were satisfied with the online program and nomograms, and future research on engagement, adherence, and integration with other owned devices is needed. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02857595
End resection: a key step in homologous recombination and DNA double-strand break repair
Authors: Liu Sijie , Kong Daochun
Published: November 2020

DNA end resection in eukaryotes is a key step in DNA homologous recombination (HR) and HR-mediated DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, in which DNA2, EXO1 and MRE11 endo- and exonucleases remove several kilobases from the 5′ terminus of the DNA with DSB, while the 3′ terminus remains intact. The end resection-generated 3′ single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) overhang is then coated by RAD51 for subsequent strand invasion. In the last two decades, great progress has been made in understanding the biochemical mechanisms of end resection, including the identification of various enzymes involved in this process. However, some important questions about this process remain to be resolved. In this review, we summarize the general process of end resection and discuss the implications of the most recent findings for understanding of the end resection machinery.
Regularity of optimal sets for some functional involving eigenvalues of an operator in divergence form
Authors: Trey Baptiste
Published: November 2020

In this paper we consider minimizers of the functional

\mathrm{\min }⁡\left\{\lambda _{1}(\mathrm{\Omega }) + \cdots + \lambda _{k}(\mathrm{\Omega }) + \mathrm{\Lambda }|\mathrm{\Omega }|,\::\:\mathrm{\Omega } \subset D\text{ open}\right\}

where

D \subset \mathbb{R}^{d}

is a bounded open set and where

0 < \lambda _{1}(\mathrm{\Omega }) \leq ⋯ \leq \lambda _{k}(\mathrm{\Omega })

are the first

k

eigenvalues on Ω of an operator in divergence form with Dirichlet boundary condition and with Hölder continuous coefficients. We prove that the optimal sets

\mathrm{\Omega }^*

have finite perimeter and that their free boundary

\partial \mathrm{\Omega }^* \cap D

is composed of a
regular part
, which is locally the graph of a

C^{1,\alpha }

-regular function, and a
singular part
, which is empty if

d < d^*

, discrete if

d = d^*

and of Hausdorff dimension at most

d−d^*

if

d > d^*

, for some

d^* \in \{5,6,7\}

.
Concept generation techniques change patterns of brain activation during engineering design
Authors: Shealy Tripp , Gero John , Hu Mo , Milovanovic Julie
Published: November 2020

This paper presents the results of studying the brain activations of 30 engineering students when using three different design concept generation techniques: brainstorming, morphological analysis, and TRIZ. Changes in students’ brain activation in the prefrontal cortex were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The results are based on the area under the curve analysis of oxygenated hemodynamic response as well as an assessment of functional connectivity using Pearson’s correlation to compare students’ cognitive brain activations using these three different ideation techniques. The results indicate that brainstorming and morphological analysis demand more cognitive activation across the prefrontal cortex (PFC) compared to TRIZ. The highest cognitive activation when brainstorming and using morphological analysis is in the right dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) and ventrolateral PFC. These regions are associated with divergent thinking and ill-defined problem-solving. TRIZ produces more cognitive activation in the left DLPFC. This region is associated with convergent thinking and making judgments. Morphological analysis and TRIZ also enable greater coordination (i.e., synchronized activation) between brain regions. These findings offer new evidence that structured techniques like TRIZ reduce cognitive activation, change patterns of activation and increase coordination between regions in the brain.
A cancellation theorem for modules over integral group rings
Authors: NICHOLSON JOHN
Published: November 2020

A long standing problem, which has its roots in low-dimensional homotopy theory, is to classify all finite groups G for which the integral group ring ℤG has stably free cancellation (SFC). We extend results of R. G. Swan by giving a condition for SFC and use this to show that ℤG has SFC provided at most one copy of the quaternions ℍ occurs in the Wedderburn decomposition of the real group ring ℝG. This generalises the Eichler condition in the case of integral group rings.
Severity of Ongoing Post-Concussive Symptoms as a Predictor of Cognitive Performance Following a Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Sicard Veronik , Hergert Danielle C. , Pabbathi Reddy Sharvani , Robertson-Benta Cidney R. , Dodd Andrew B. , Shaff Nicholas A. , Stephenson David D. , Yeates Keith Owen , Cromer Jason A. , Campbell Richard A. , Phillips John P. , Sapien Robert E. , Mayer Andrew R.
Published: November 2020

Objective:

This study aimed to examine the predictors of cognitive performance in patients with pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (pmTBI) and to determine whether group differences in cognitive performance on a computerized test battery could be observed between pmTBI patients and healthy controls (HC) in the sub-acute (SA) and the early chronic (EC) phases of injury.

Method:

203 pmTBI patients recruited from emergency settings and 159 age- and sex-matched HC aged 8–18 rated their ongoing post-concussive symptoms (PCS) on the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory and completed the Cogstate brief battery in the SA (1–11 days) phase of injury. A subset (156 pmTBI patients; 144 HC) completed testing in the EC (~4 months) phase.

Results:

Within the SA phase, a group difference was only observed for the visual learning task (One-Card Learning), with pmTBI patients being less accurate relative to HC. Follow-up analyses indicated higher ongoing PCS and higher 5P clinical risk scores were significant predictors of lower One-Card Learning accuracy within SA phase, while premorbid variables (estimates of intellectual functioning, parental education, and presence of learning disabilities or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) were not.

Conclusions:

The absence of group differences at EC phase is supportive of cognitive recovery by 4 months post-injury. While the severity of ongoing PCS and the 5P score were better overall predictors of cognitive performance on the Cogstate at SA relative to premorbid variables, the full regression model explained only 4.1% of the variance, highlighting the need for future work on predictors of cognitive outcomes.
High‐Resolution P‐T‐Time Paths Across Himalayan Faults Exposed Along the Bhagirathi Transect NW India: Implications for the Construction of the Himalayan Orogen and Ongoing Deformation
Authors: Catlos Elizabeth J. , Perez Theresa J. , Lovera Oscar M. , Dubey Chandra Shekhar , Schmitt Axel K. , Etzel Thomas M.
Published: November 2020

Pressure‐temperature (P‐T) conditions and high‐resolution paths from 11 garnet‐bearing rocks collected across Himalayan fault systems exposed along the Bhagirathi River (Uttarakhand, NW India) reveal the tectonic conditions responsible for their growth. A garnet from the Tethyan metasedimentary unit has a 50.3 ± 0.6 Ma (Th‐Pb, ±1σ) monazite inclusion, suggesting that ductile mid‐crustal metamorphism occurred synchronously or soon after (<10 Myr) India‐Asia collision, depending on timing. High‐resolution garnet P‐T paths from the same rock show ∼1 kbar fluctuations in P as T increases over a ∼20°C interval, consistent with a period of erosion. We report garnets from the Main Central Thrust (MCT) hanging wall that have Eocene to Miocene monazite ages, and one garnet yields paths consistent with motion along the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) décollement. Most high‐resolution MCT footwall P‐T paths fluctuate in P (±1 kbar) as T increases, consistent with imbrication and paths from equivalent structural assemblages in central Nepal. Like those rocks, MCT footwall (Lesser Himalayan Formation, LHF) monazite ages are Early Miocene (9.3 ± 0.6 Ma) to Pliocene (3.0 ± 0.2 Ma). The results demonstrate the consistency in timing and conditions across the MCT at locations ∼650 km apart. If the present‐day Himalayan tectonic framework has not significantly changed since the Pliocene, the LHF duplex can be considered when attributing seismic events to particular faults. The MHT is undisputedly the significant factor in accommodating Himalayan seismic activity, but MCT footwall faults may explain some shallower hypocenters, without the need for unusual MHT geometries.
Carbon Dioxide Production in Bedrock Beneath Soils Substantially Contributes to Forest Carbon Cycling
Authors: Tune Alison K. , Druhan Jennifer L. , Wang Jia , Bennett Philip C. , Rempe Daniella M.
Published: November 2020

Soils are widely considered the primary terrestrial organic matter pool mediating carbon transactions with the atmosphere and groundwater. Because soils are both a host and a product of rhizosphere activity, they are thought to mark the location where photosynthetic fixation of carbon dioxide (CO2) is balanced by the oxidation of organic matter. However, in many terrestrial environments, the rhizosphere extends below soils and into fractured bedrock, and it is unknown if the resulting biological and hydrologic dynamics in bedrock have a significant impact on carbon cycling. Here we show substantial production of CO2 in weathered bedrock at 4–8 m below the thin soils (<0.5 m thick) of a Northern California forest using innovative monitoring technology for sampling gases and water in fractured rock. The deep CO2 production supports a persistent upward flux of CO2(g) year‐round from bedrock to soil, constituting between 2% and 29% of the average daily CO2 efflux from the land surface. When water is rapidly transported across the fractured bedrock vadose zone, nearly 50% of the CO2 produced in the bedrock dissolves into water, promoting water‐rock interaction and export of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from the unsaturated zone to groundwater, constituting as much as 80% of the DIC exiting the hillslope. Such CO2 production in weathered bedrock is subject to unique moisture, temperature, biological, and mineralogical conditions which are currently missing from terrestrial carbon models.