bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supplemental Material: Two magma fractionation paths for continental crust growth: Insights from the adakite-like and normal-arc granites in the Ailaoshan fold belt (SW Yunnan, China)
Authors: Xu Jian , Xia Xiaoping , al. et
Published: January 2022

Figure S1: Primitive mantle-normalized multi-element diagrams for hornblende diorites and cumulative diorites. Figure S2: SiO2 vs. Sr/Y (A) and La/Yb (B) plots for adakite-like rocks formed by partial melting of lower continental crust, showing no binary correlations. Figure S3: FeOT vs. TiO2 plot for the mantle-derived hornblende diorites and associated fractionates, which shows intensive Fe-Ti oxide fractionation. Table S1: Major-element (wt%), trace-element (ppm), and Sr-Nd isotope data for the group 1 adakite-like and group 2 normal-arc granites. Table S2: SIMS U-Pb data for the group 1 adakite-like and group 2 normal-arc granites. Table S3: In situ zircon Hf-O isotope data for the group 1 adakite-like and group 2 normal-arc granites. Table S4: Partition coefficients used in fractionation crystallization modeling as shown in Figures 4, 5, and 11.
Pharmacogenomics and asthma treatment: acceptability to children, families and healthcare professionals
Authors: Parry Christopher Mark , Seddon Gabrielle , Rogers Naomi , Sinha Ian P , Bracken Louise , King Charlotte , Peak Matthew , Hawcutt Daniel B
Published: January 2022

Background

Evidence supporting personalised treatment for asthma based on an individual’s genetics is mounting. The views of children and young people (CYP), parents and healthcare professionals (HCPs) about this evolution of clinical care are not known.

Methods

A pilot prospective questionnaire-based study was undertaken of CYP with asthma, their parents and HCPs at a secondary/tertiary children’s hospital in the UK.

Results

Fifty-nine questionnaires were distributed and 50 returned (response rate 84.7%), comprising 26 CYP (10 were 5–11 years, 11 were 12–15 years and 5 were 16–18 years old), 13 parents and 11 HCPs. For all types of data, personal information was ranked as the ‘most important’ (n=19, 47.5%) and ‘most private’ (n=16, 40%), but with considerable variation across groups. Within health data, allergies were rated as ‘most important’ (n=12, 30.8%), and mental health records the ‘most private’ (n=21, 53.8%), again with variation across groups. A ‘personalised genetic asthma plan’ was acceptable to the majority overall (n=40, 80.0%). With regard to sharing CYP’s genetic data, 23 (46%) of participants were happy for unconditional sharing between HCPs, and 23 (46%) agreed to sharing solely in relation to the CYP’s asthma management. Forty-two (84.0%) of participants felt CYP should be informed about genetic data being shared, and the majority felt this should commence by 12 years of age.

Conclusion

The use of genetic information to guide management of asthma in CYP is largely acceptable to CYP, parents/guardians and HCPs. However, there are key differences between the opinions of CYP, parents and HCPs.
Optimisation of fluconazole therapy for the treatment of invasive candidiasis in preterm infants
Authors: Engbers Aline G J , Flint Robert B , Voeller Swantje , Reiss Irwin , Liem Kian D , Alffenaar Jan-Willem C , Tibboel Dick , Simons Sinno , Knibbe Catherijne A J , Brüggemann Roger J
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Fluconazole is an important antifungal in the prevention and treatment of invasiveCandidainfections in neonates, even though its use in preterm infants is still off-label. Here, we performed a population pharmacokinetic study on fluconazole in preterm neonates in order to optimise dosing through the identified predictive patient characteristics.

Methods

Fluconazole concentrations obtained from preterm infants from two studies were pooled and analysed using NONMEM V.7.3. The developed model was used to evaluate current dosing practice. A therapeutic dosing strategy aiming to reach a minimum target exposure of 400 and 200 mg×hour/L per 24 hours for fluconazole-susceptibleC. albicansmeningitis and other systemic infections, respectively, was developed.

Results

In 41 preterm neonates with median (range) gestational age 25.3 (24.0–35.1) weeks and median postnatal age (PNA) at treatment initiation 1.4 (0.2–32.5) days, 146 plasma samples were collected. A one-compartment model described the data best, with an estimated clearance of 0.0147 L/hour for a typical infant of 0.87 kg with a serum creatinine concentration of 60 µmol/L and volume of distribution of 0.844 L. Clearance was found to increase with 16% per 100 g increase in actual body weight, and to decrease with 12% per 10 µmol/L increase in creatinine concentration once PNA was above 1 week. Dose adjustments based on serum creatinine and daily dosing are required for therapeutic target attainment.

Conclusion

In preterm neonates, fluconazole clearance is best predicted by actual body weight and serum creatinine concentration. Therefore, fluconazole dosing should not only be based on body weight but also on creatinine concentration to achieve optimal exposure in all infants.

Ethics statement

The Erasmus MC ethics review board approved the protocol of the DINO Study (MEC-2014-067) and the Radboud UMC ethics review board waived the need for informed consent for cohort 2 (CMO-2021-8302). Written informed consent from parents/legal guardians was obtained prior to study initiation.
Determinants of lifejacket use among boaters on Lake Albert, Uganda: a qualitative study
Authors: Oporia Frederick , Kibira Simon P S , Jagnoor Jagnoor , Nuwaha Fred , Makumbi Fredrick Edward , Muwonge Tonny , Ninsiima Lesley Rose , Torén Kjell , Isunju John Bosco , Kobusingye Olive
Published: January 2022

Background

Drowning is a major cause of unintentional injury death worldwide. The toll is greatest in low and middle-income countries. Over 95% of people who drowned while boating in Uganda were not wearing a lifejacket. We explored the determinants of lifejacket use among boaters on Lake Albert, Uganda.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative enquiry with a hermeneutic phenomenological undertone leaning on relativism ontology and emic subjectivism epistemology. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were held with boaters in 10 landing sites. We explored experiences and perspectives on lifejacket use. We used thematic analysis technique to analyse data and report results according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research.

Results

We recruited 88 boaters in 10 FGDs and 11 to take part in the IDIs. We identified three themes: motivators and opportunities for lifejacket use, barriers and threats to lifejacket use, and strategies to improve lifejacket use. Many boaters attributed their lifejacket use to prior experience or witness of a drowning. Perceived high costs of lifejackets, limited knowledge, reluctance to use lifejackets because of distrust in their effectiveness, and the belief that it is women who should wear lifejackets were among the barriers and threats. Participants mentioned the need for mandatory enforcement together with community sensitisations as strategies to improve lifejacket use.

Conclusion

Determinants of lifejacket use among boaters include experience or witness of drowning, limited knowledge about lifejackets and distrust in the effectiveness of the available lifejackets. Mandatory lifejacket wearing alongside educational interventions might improve lifejacket use.
Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Inhibits Aortic Valvular Interstitial Cells Calcification via Notch1 Pathway
Authors: Gao Yuan , Li Ning , Xue Qing , Fan Xinli , Liu Xiaohong , Han Lin
Published: January 2022

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is an active pathological process mediated by abnormal activation and transdifferentiation of valvular interstitial cells (VICs). The present study aims to investigate the function and underlying mechanism of the basic fibroblast growth factor (BFGF) on osteogenic differentiation of VICs. Porcine VICs cultured with osteogenic induction medium are supplemented with or without BFGF. Morphology of VICs is identified by fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled phalloidin, the cell viability is assessed by the cell counting kit-8 method, and protein and mRNA expression level of osteogenic differentiation markers, including Runx2, osteopontin, and Sp7, are verified by western blot analysis and quantitative real-time PCR, respectively. RNA sequencing is used to identify changes in gene profiles. Alizarin Red S staining is used to measure calcium deposition. The results demonstrate that the content of calcium deposition and the expression level of osteogenic markers are downregulated by supplementing BFGF. Notch1 signaling pathway is extracted as a candidate target after bioinformatics analysis by RNA sequencing. The transfection of si-Notch1 abolishes the calcification inhibitory effect of BFGF. Taken together, our findings shed the light on the mechanism and potential therapeutics of BFGF for CAVD.
Science fiction in bioethics: a role for feminist narratology
Authors: Kendal Evie
Published: January 2022

This article explores the various reasons science-fictional references feature so prominently in bioethical debate, particularly regarding emerging reproductive biotechnologies. It will reflect on how science-fictional references are often co-opted in bioethics scholarship to promote technoconservatism, before considering how bioethicists can engage more appropriately with this genre in practice. This will include a discussion of which kinds of texts might be best suited to stimulate meaningful debate, and how using tools of literary analysis, such as narratology, can maximise the potential benefits of uniting these fields.
Comparisons of HATCH, HAVOC and CHA2DS2-VASc scores for all-cause mortality prediction in atrial fibrillation: a real-world evidence study
Authors: Hu Wei Syun , Lin Cheng Li
Published: January 2022

Objective

This study focused on the predictive ability of the 3 scores for all-cause mortality in 6444 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods

To assess the predictive accuracy of risk of death modelled by HATCH, HAVOC and CHA2DS2-VASc scores, the area under the curve of receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) was applied.

Results

Over follow-up time, the cumulative incidence of death was clearly associated with the three scores (log-rank test, p<0.001). The AUROC for the HATCH (0.6618) was significantly higher than HAVOC Score (0.5733) and CHA2DS2-VAScs Score (0.6423).

Conclusions

HATCH score has better ability in predicting mortality in comparison to other two scores in patients with AF.
Delivering an advice and guidance service in neurology
Authors: Anderson Kirstie N , Warren Naomi , Duddy Martin , McKean Paul , Miller James AL
Published: January 2022

It is increasingly common for secondary care to provide advice to primary care without an outpatient appointment. Even before the increased telemedicine during COVID-19, many hospital services gave advice alone for some referrals, yet there are few published data about patient outcomes. Does advice and guidance alter outpatient numbers or simply mean that patients are seen later? Which neurological conditions can we manage at a distance? Do complaints increase from either primary care or patients? Do clinics become more complex and time consuming? Our department has developed an advice and guidance service embedded within the English electronic referral system since 2017, allowing detailed analysis of the outcome of 6500 patients over 2.5 years. We suggest ways to set up and run a neurology advice and guidance service, looking at the potential benefits and the barriers.
Tobacco industry in Mexico: a general equilibrium analysis
Authors: Huesca Luis , Llamas Linda , Sobarzo Horacio
Published: January 2022

Objective

Effects of tobacco taxation on employment in Mexico are measured by using an applied general equilibrium model.

Methods

The study describes the modelling methodology based on a 2013 social accounting matrix for Mexico, built for analysing the impact of tobacco taxation on employment. Unemployment is treated as an endogenous variable.

Results

Setting the specific component of the Excise Tax on Production and Services (IEPS) at 1.50 pesos per cigarette would lead to the loss of tobacco-related jobs constituting just 0.1% of all jobs nationally. Revenue from IEPS on tobacco would increase by 49%, while consumption would fall by 26%. This minimal loss of employment can be compensated for if the government invests revenue from IEPS on tobacco in some specific sectors. We show this for the case of the health sector. Far from just reducing cigarette consumption, this tax reform would also create 33 781 jobs with a net gain of 32 285 across different sectors of the economy while only reducing 727 jobs in the tobacco industry in the whole country.

Conclusion

Results suggest the existence of a good margin for increasing tobacco tax beyond the 2020 update of 0.49 pesos per stick. In addition, from a public health point of view, if tobacco tax revenue were allocated as a direct healthcare subsidy this would deliver a double dividend by further discouraging consumption and increasing tobacco tax revenue by almost 50%, with little impact on key macroeconomic variables in Mexico, which could be offset in more dynamic sectors while promoting health, employment and development.
Follow the money: a closer look at US tobacco industry marketing expenditures
Authors: Levy David T , Liber Alex C , Cadham Christopher , Sanchez-Romero Luz Maria , Hyland Andrew , Cummings Michael , Douglas Cliff , Meza Rafael , Henriksen Lisa
Published: January 2022

Introduction

While much of the concern with tobacco industry marketing has focused on direct media advertising, a less explored form of marketing strategy is to discount prices. Price discounting is important because it keeps the purchase price low and can undermine the impact of tax increases.

Methods

We examine annual US marketing expenditures from 1975 to 2019 by the largest cigarette and smokeless tobacco companies as reported to the Federal Trade Commission. We consider three categories: direct advertising, promotional allowances and price discounting. In addition to considering trends in these expenditures, we examine how price discounting expenditures relate to changes in product prices and excise taxes.

Results

US direct advertising expenditures for cigarettes fell from 80% of total industry marketing expenditures in 1975 to less than 3% in 2019, while falling from 39% in 1985 to 6% in 2019 for smokeless tobacco. Price discounting expenditures for cigarettes became prominent after the Master Settlement Agreement and related tax increases in 2002. By 2019, 87% of cigarette marketing expenditures were for price discounts and 7% for promotional allowances. Smokeless marketing expenditures were similar: 72% for price promotions and 13% for promotional allowances. Price discounting increased with prices and taxes until reaching their currently high levels.

Conclusions

Between 1975 and 2019, direct advertising dramatically fell while price discounting and promotional expenditures increased. Local, state and federal policies are needed that apply non-tax mechanisms to increase tobacco prices and restrict industry contracts to offset industry marketing strategies. Further study is needed to better understand industry decisions about marketing expenditures.
Quantification of different quantum correlations in a double cavity optomechanical system
Authors: Benrass Noureddine , Aoune Driss , Habiballah Nabil , Nassik Mostafa
Published: January 2022

The aim of this paper is to quantify the quantum correlations between mechanical and optical modes in an optomechanical system with two spatially separated Fabry–Pérot cavities. We use logarithmic negativity [Formula: see text] and entanglement of formation (EoF), respectively, to quantify entanglement between optical and mechanical modes, while Gaussian geometric discord (GGD) is used to capture all nonclassical correlations, including entanglement. These quantifiers are evaluated as functions of the physical parameters characterizing the environment and the system (the thermal bath temperature [Formula: see text], the photons number [Formula: see text], the optomechanical cooperativity [Formula: see text], the squeeze parameter [Formula: see text] and the drive pump power [Formula: see text]). By considering recent experimental parameters, we show that GGD is more robust than entanglement for high thermal bath temperature and low optomechanical cooperativity. We also find that these quantifiers improve with increasing optomechanical cooperativity. The effects of the other parameters are also discussed in detail.
Study of Schwarzschild-like black hole in the infinitely extended particles theory: Shadow
Authors: Pourhassan Behnam , Debnath Ujjal
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we consider the theory of infinitely extended particles as the quantum theory of gravity, which unifies all fundamental interactions. We write the space–time metric, which is Schwarzschild-like black hole. We calculate Hamiltonian and Lagrangian, and from these, we obtain the potential energy and study the polymer quantization. We construct effective potential and discuss the gravitational wave of this theory. Also, we study the geodesic motion of a particle near the black hole. Finally, we analyze the apparent shape, radius and distortion of the shadow of the black hole.
Fractal correction in advanced solar energy material’s current–voltage equation
Authors: Aleksic Sanja , Mitic Vojislav V. , Randjelovic Branislav M. , Pantic Aleksandar , Markovic Bojana , Karoui Abdennaceur , Vlahovic Branislav
Published: January 2022

The world energy crisis necessitated the cause of the research interest into new, renewable and alternative energy sources. From this point of view, there is research on phenomena and different synthetic methods and on structure and electronic property optimization expressed by important material and device advancement. Efficiency and electricity generation (batteries, fuel cells, hydrogen energy) are nowadays actual questions. Because of that research, innovations and applications require extended knowledge by fractal nature characterization. The electrochemical energy sources solutions, especially electrolytes, are in fractal nature science focus. Based on the research novelties, especially electronic materials, we presented an investigation on fractal structure influence in electrochemistry. We explore the activation energy and fundamental thermodynamic functions and values, also the electrode surface changed by complex fractal correction through fractal dimension of grains and pores, and Brownian motion of involved particles, as well. At the end, the electrochemical Arrhenius and Butler–Volmer equation fractalization is applied. All of these open new perspectives for electrochemical energy processes, within electrolyte bulk and related electrodes and more precise energy generation. This is important for semiconductor processing in solar cells and devices. So, we included the knowledge of fractal sciences advancement in this field for current–voltage equation.
The fractal interpolation applied on brownian motion particles trajectories reconstruction
Authors: Mitic Vojislav V. , Milosevic Dusan , Randjelovic Branislav , Milosevic Mimica , Markovic Bojana , Fecht Hans , Vlahovic Branislav
Published: January 2022

The particles in condensed matter physics are almost characterized by Brownian motion. This phenomenon is the basis for a very important understanding of the particles motion in condensed matter. For our previous research, there is already applied and confirmed the complex fractal correction which includes influence of parameters from grains and pores surface and also effects based on particles’ Brownian motion. As a chaotic structure of these motions, we have very complex research results regarding the particles’ trajectories in three-dimension (3D). In our research paper, we applied fractal interpolation within the idea to reconstruct the above mentioned trajectories in two dimensions at this stage. Because of the very complex fractional mathematics on Brownian motion, we found and developed much simpler and effective mathematization. The starting point is within linear interpolation. In our previous research, we presented very original line fractalization based on tensor product. But, in this paper, we applied and successfully confirmed that by fractal interpolation (Akimo polynomial method) that is possible to reconstruct the chaotical trajectories lines structures by several fractalized intervals and involved intervals. This novelty is very important because of the much more effective procedure that we can reconstruct and in that way control the particles’ trajectories. This is very important for further advanced research in microelectronics, especially inter-granular micro capacitors.
An Incremental Software Automation Testing for Space Telemetry, Track and Command Software Systems Based on Domain Knowledge
Authors: Yin Bin , Chen Xiaohong , Li Wanyu , Tian Jinyue
Published: January 2022

As a core component of the Space Telemetry, Track and Command (TT&C) system, the TT&C software’s quality is the key factor to ensure the successful implementation of space TT&C missions. Due to the complexity of space TT&C missions, incremental development is adopted in which frequent testing is required. Many problems of the original manual testing are exposed, such as large consumption of human resources, low efficiency of testing and quality highly relying on human expertise. Automatic testing method is urgently required. However, the testing of the TT&C software highly depends on the domain knowledge of space TT&C missions, which is complex and professional. This hinders the direct application of existing software automatic testing methods to the TT&C software. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an automatic testing method of the TT&C software based on domain knowledge. The domain knowledge description of the space TT&C domain is defined and a set of guidance principles for eliciting domain knowledge elicitation is given. Testing cases are automatically generated and executed by combining the domain knowledge and the image recognition results. Evaluations show that our method can realize the automatic testing of space TT&C software increments with higher accuracy. Its time cost is reduced by more than 50% compared with the manual testing, and will not increase rapidly with growing software maintenance scale. The time cost in domain knowledge elicitation will not affect the testing efficiency.
A New Version of Distributional Chaos, Distributional Chaos in a Sequence, and Other Concepts of Chaos
Authors: Zeng Hongbo
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we investigate the relations between distributional chaos in a sequence and distributional chaos ([Formula: see text]-chaos, R–T chaos, DC3, respectively). Firstly, we prove a sufficient condition that the distributional chaos is equivalent to the distributional chaos in a sequence. Besides, we prove that distributional chaos in a sequence and [Formula: see text]-chaos (R–T chaos, DC3, respectively) do not imply each other. Finally, we give a new definition of chaos, named DC2[Formula: see text], which is similar to DC2, and show that DC2[Formula: see text] is an invariant of topological conjugacy and an iteration invariant (that is, for any integer [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] is DC2[Formula: see text] if and only if [Formula: see text] is DC2[Formula: see text]).
Dynamic Characteristics Analysis of Gear System with Coupled Thermal-Elasto-Hydrodynamic-Nonlinear Effect
Authors: Zhou Shihua , Zhou Yunchao , Li Yiming , Chen Yu , Ren Zhaohui
Published: January 2022

To systemically study the dynamic characteristics of the gear system, a single degree-of-freedom coupled thermal-elasto-hydrodynamic-nonlinear (TEHDN) dynamic model is developed with temperature, lubrication and time-varying parameters. Based on the mathematical expressions of thermal deformation, elastohydrodynamic lubrication and other nonlinear factors, the governing differential equation of the coupled system is deduced via the mechanical relationships. The vibration response is obtained by numerical integration and the accuracy and feasibility are verified with the published literature. Parameter analysis on nonlinear dynamic behaviors is conducted to reveal the influences of nonlinear backlash, excitation fluctuation, comprehensive transmission error and surface roughness. The results show that due to the influence of nonlinear backlash, the chaotic motion appears in advance and the chaotic region narrows. The first appearance of chaotic motion lags and shifts to higher excitation amplitude. The transmission error is capable of controlling the chaotic region and vibration intensity, whereas the surface roughness has less effect on the dynamic behavior in lower value. Besides, different meshing impact and bifurcation routes are observed with various parameters. This study could provide a better understand of the stable operation for gear system.
Bifurcation-Based Dynamical Stability and Coupling Analysis of Dual-Input Buck-Boost DC–DC Converters
Authors: Zhang Hao , Gao Jiao , Wan Xiaojin , Liu Fang
Published: January 2022

Different from single-input single-output (SISO) converters, strong nonlinear coupling effect between input ports is one of the most salient features in multi-input converters (MICs), which leads to at least three-piecewise ripple of inductor current. This paper deals with the analysis of bifurcation-based dynamical stabilities and nonlinear coupling effects in the dual-input Buck-Boost DC–DC converter. Firstly, a sampling-based averaged continuous model is proposed to describe the coupling characteristics of the dual-input DC–DC converters with three-piecewise current ripple. Based on the proposed model, the inherent mechanism of low-frequency oscillation is revealed in terms of the movement of the eigenvalue loci. It shows that Hopf bifurcation takes the responsibility for the low-frequency oscillation. Moreover, multiparameters stability boundaries are identified to establish the nonlinear mapping relations between parameter space and state space. Particularly, Gershgorin band analysis is used to give a qualitative analysis in order to evaluate the coupling effects between different state variables of the system. In addition, Gershgorin band sensitivity is proposed to reveal the influence of parameters on the coupling effects of the system. Finally, the correctness of these theoretical analyses is verified by PSpice circuit experiments. These results are beneficial to the practical optimization design as well as the understanding of coupling effect of MICs.
Modeling the Multi-Phased Hysteretic Friction Behavior of Aluminum Foam/Polyurethane Interpenetrating Phase Composites Damper
Authors: Liu Shaobo , Li Aiqun
Published: January 2022

Aluminum foam/polyurethane (AF/PU) interpenetrating phase composites damper is a multi-phased hysteretic friction damper, which has a high potential for application to mitigating the seismic responses of building structures. In this paper, the hysteretic responses of the AF/PU composites damper subjected to different loading displacement amplitudes and loading cycles were experimentally investigated, and the main characteristics of the multi-phased hysteretic friction responses are assessed. According to the hysteretic responses of the AF/PU composites damper, a new model that is featured by a hysteresis mechanism, a nonlinear spring and a damping dashpot in parallel is constructed. Through the sensitivity analysis of relevant parameters, the optimum model is obtained and its main basic parameters ([Formula: see text]) are identified using the Universal Global Algorithm of the First Optimization software. The relationships of the main basic parameters with the loading displacement amplitude and loading cycle are then established. By the comparisons with the experimental results, it is validated that the proposed optimum model has an adequate capacity to capture and predict the important features of the multi-phased hysteretic friction characteristics under the various loading displacement amplitudes and loading cycles.
On genuine entanglement for tripartite systems
Authors: Zhao Hui , Liu Lin , Wang Zhi-Xi , Jing Naihuan , Li Jing
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we investigate the genuine entanglement in tripartite systems based on partial transposition and the norm of correlation tensors of the density matrices. We first derive an analytical sufficient criterion to detect genuine entanglement of tripartite qubit states combining with the partial transposition of the density matrices. Then, we use the norm of correlation tensors to study genuine entanglement for tripartite qudit quantum states and obtain a genuine entanglement criterion by constructing certain matrices. With detailed examples, our results are seen to be able to detect more genuine tripartite entangled states than previous studies.
HOW PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY ENABLES INNOVATION: THE EFFECTS ON POTENTIAL AND REALISED ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY
Authors: NOWAK RADOSLAW
Published: January 2022

Although psychological safety has been long recognised as critical in the context of information sharing, risk-taking, collaboration, and the process of organisational learning, its effects on absorptive capacity (ACAP) have not yet been theorised and empirically tested. Consequently, the present study’s objective is to fill this important research gap by explaining the role of psychological safety in the context of two dimensions of ACAP–potential ACAP (PACAP) and realised ACAP (RACAP). To empirically test the hypothesised model, this study uses survey data that were collected in the healthcare industry. The study’s results confirm some of the main assumptions. Consequently, the paper’s findings advance past research on innovation management by expanding our understanding of how business organisations could better utilise their internal resources to support the development of innovative capabilities.
The probability when a finite commutative ring is weakly nil-clean
Authors: Danchev Peter , Samiei Mahdi
Published: January 2022

We calculate the probability when a finite commutative ring is weakly nil-clean in terms of invariants associated only with the given whole ring. This continues the study of our recent paper concerned with the nil-clean case [P. Danchev and M. Samiei, The probability when a finite commutative ring is nil-clean, Trans. A. Razmadze Math. Inst. 176 (2022)].
Clam shrimp of the Middle–Late Jurassic Yanliao Biota in China
Authors: Liao Huanyu
Published: January 2022

Fossil clam shrimp are widely distributed in the Jurassic terrestrial sediments of China. The Yanliao Biota, consisting of abundant and diverse well-preserved fossil vertebrates and invertebrates, is one of the most famous Mesozoic terrestrial biotas from around the world. The border area between western Liaoning, northern Hebei and southeastern Inner Mongolia is the core area for the biota. Clam shrimp are abundant and widely distributed in different localities in the area. Research on these clam shrimp has been conducted for decades. However, with advances in research instruments and technologies, great changes have taken place in the taxonomy of these clam shrimp and, consequently, our understanding of the biota in recent years. The fossil content of the Yanliao Biota in the core area consists of an early assemblage and a late assemblage, which are characterized by distinctly different clam shrimp. These clam shrimp all belong to one family: Triglyptidae. Members of the family are widely distributed in the Bathonian to Kimmeridgian of northeastern, northwestern and southwestern China.
Abstractions, their algorithms, and their compilers
Authors: Aho Alfred , Ullman Jeffrey
Published: January 2022

Jeffrey D. Ullman and Alfred V. Aho are recipients of the 2020 ACM A.M. Turing award. They were recognized for creating fundamental algorithms and theory underlying programming language implementation and for synthesizing these results and those of others in their highly influential books, which educated generations of computer scientists.
Gist Trace-based Learning: Efficient Convention Emergence from Multilateral Interactions
Authors: Hu Shuyue , Leung Chin-Wing , Leung Ho-Fung , Liu Jiamou
Published: January 2022

The concept of conventions has attracted much attention in the multi-agent system research. In this article, we study the emergence of conventions from repeated
n
-player coordination games. Distributed agents learn their policies independently and are capable of observing their neighbours in a network topology. We distinguish two types of information representation about the observations: gist trace and verbatim trace. We conjecture that learning based on the gist trace, which overlooks the details and focuses only on the general choice of action of a neighbourhood, should achieve efficient convention emergence. To this end, a novel learning method that makes use of the gist trace is proposed. The experimental results confirm that the proposed method establishes conventions much faster than the state-of-the-art learning methods across diverse settings of multi-agent systems. In particular, the use of gist trace derived at a low level of abstraction further improves the efficiency of convention emergence.
Electrocatalysis for CO2 Reduction: Controlling Selectivity to Oxygenates and Multicarbon Products
Authors: Hahn Christopher , Jaramillo Thomas F
Published: January 2022

Many technical challenges remain for the implementation of CO2 electrolysis as a practical means for CO2 utilization. Here, we outline strategies for improving the performance of catalysts for the electroreduction of CO2 to oxygenated and multicarbon reduction products. To this end, we will first discuss how engineering the surface structure of Cu electrocatalysts led to the discovery of active site structure-selectivity relationships. Using a combination of electrocatalysis experiments and in situ surface probe microscopy, we demonstrate that undercoordinated sites are selective motifs for oxygenates and C-C coupling. By comparing these results with state-of-the-art Cu electrocatalysts from the literature, we show that different morphologies have similar intrinsic activities for CO2 reduction. Afterwards, we will discuss a tandem catalysis approach for improving upon these normalized CO2 reduction activities, which is enabled by utilizing bimetallic electrodes consisting of Au nanoparticles on polycrystalline Cu (Au/Cu). At low overpotentials, the Au/Cu electrocatalyst has a synergistic catalytic activity superior to that of either Cu or Au, indicating that tandem catalysis mechanisms can be utilized to increase the energy efficiency for alcohol production. By comparing Au/Cu to Cu, we highlight common potential-driven trends in the selectivity to oxygenated and multicarbon products, providing insights on how to develop new electrocatalysts that can guide selectivity to valuable chemicals and fuels.
Intrinsic Photoexcited Charge Trapping from Small Polaron Formation in α-Fe2O3
Authors: Cushing Scott Kevin , Carneiro Lucas M. , Chang Hung-Tzu , Zuerch Michael , Leone Stephen R.
Published: January 2022

Polaron formation and hopping is known to diminish carrier mobility in the ground state of metal oxide photocatalysts. Trap states, however, are usually cited as the cause of limited carrier mobility and short carrier lifetimes in the photoexcited state. We investigate how small polaron formation controls the ultrafast localization and trapping of photoexcited carriers in hematite (α-Fe2O3), potentially bridging these two pictures. Ultrafast transient extreme ultraviolet (XUV) spectroscopy of the Fe M2,3 edge measures a sub-5 fs shift in charge density from the oxygen to the iron atom following optical excitation. An energetic splitting of the Fe M2,3­ edge is then measured on a 100 fs timescale, with the kinetics of the splitting matching those typically associated with trap or mid-gap states in hematite. The splitting of the Fe M2,3 edge, however, is best reproduced by predictions for small polaron localization of the photoexcited carriers, and not the pre-edge absorption or bleach expected for mid-gap states. The polaron formation efficiency versus visible light excitation energy is measured to match the discrepancy between the photoconversion efficiency and visible light absorption of hematite. These results therefore suggest that small polaron formation is responsible for the intrinsic recombination and transport issues that currently limit hematite’s performance. In particular, the increased small polaron formation rate at near-band gap excitation may result in the decreased visible light photoconversion efficiency. Possible materials routes to overcoming small-polaron localization, as well as the role of small polarons in other metal oxide photocatalysts, will be discussed.
(Invited) Controlled Synthesis of Hollow Bimetallic Nanoparticles As Photo and Electrochemical Catalysts
Authors: Zhao Jing
Published: January 2022

Noble metal based bimetallic nanoparticles are promising photo and electrochemical catalysts. In particular, hollow bimetallic nanoparticles with high surface areas show promising performance in many photo and electrochemical driven reaction. In this work, we synthesized hollow Au, Pt and Pd based bimetallic nanoparticles using methods including galvanic replacement, thermal treatment, and acid treatment of solid core@shell or alloy nanoparticles. The structural change of the nanoparticles from solid to hollow was monitored with transmission electron microscopy along with single particle scattering spectroscopy. In Au-Cu nanorod system, we found that through careful control of the reaction kinetics of galvanic replacement and diffusion of atoms in the nanorod, internal structures of the hollow nanorods can be exquisitely controlled. The Pt and Pd based hollow bimetallic nanoparticles showed good activity and stability as catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction.
Technique for Orthodontic Clinical Photographs Using a Smartphone
Authors: Shahrul Al Imran , Shukor Nabilla , Norman Noraina Hafizan
Published: January 2022

Smartphone cameras have advanced at a rapid rate. With this advancement, it is possible to take high quality orthodontic clinical photographs using a smartphone. The aim of this article is to describe the technique to take orthodontic clinical photographs using a smartphone.
An End-to-End Deep Learning Approach for Plate Recognition in Intelligent Transportation Systems
Authors: Pirgazi Jamshid , Pourhashem Kallehbasti Mohammad Mehdi , Ghanbari Sorkhi Ali
Published: January 2022

Accurate and fast recognition of license plates is one of the most important challenges in the field of license plate recognition systems. Due to the high frame rate of surveillance cameras, old license plate recognition systems cannot be used in real-time applications. On the other hand, the presence of natural and artificial noise and different light and weather conditions make the detection and recognition process of these systems challenging. In this paper, an end-to-end method for efficiently detecting and recognizing plates is presented. In the proposed method, vehicles are first detected using a single-shot detector- (SSD-) based deep learning model in the video frames and the input images. This will increase the speed and accuracy in identifying the location of the plate in the given images. Then, the location of the plate is identified using the proposed architecture based on convolutional networks. Finally, using a deep convolutional network and long short-term memory (LSTM), the characters related to the plate are recognized. An advantage of our method is that the proposed deep network is trained using different images with different qualities that leads to high performance in detecting and recognizing plates. Also, considering that in the proposed method the vehicles are first detected and then the plate is detected in the vehicle image, there is no limit in the number of identified plates. Moreover, plate detection in the vehicle rectangle, instead of the whole frame, speeds up our method. The proposed method is evaluated using several databases. The first part of the evaluation focuses on robustness and recognition speed. The proposed method has the accuracy of 100% for vehicle detection, 100% for plate detection, and 99.37% for character recognition. In the second part of evaluation, the proposed method is evaluated in terms of overall speed. The experimental results witness that the proposed method is capable of processing 30 frames per second without losing any data and also outperforms several methods proposed in recent years, in terms of time and accuracy.
Feedback Artificial Shuffled Shepherd Optimization-Based Deep Maxout Network for Human Emotion Recognition Using EEG Signals
Authors: Bhanumathi K. S. , Jayadevappa D. , Tunga Satish
Published: January 2022

Emotion recognition is very important for the humans in order to enhance the self-awareness and react correctly to the actions around them. Based on the complication and series of emotions, EEG-enabled emotion recognition is still a difficult issue. Hence, an effective human recognition approach is designed using the proposed feedback artificial shuffled shepherd optimization- (FASSO-) based deep maxout network (DMN) for recognizing emotions using EEG signals. The proposed technique incorporates feedback artificial tree (FAT) algorithm and shuffled shepherd optimization algorithm (SSOA). Here, median filter is used for preprocessing to remove the noise present in the EEG signals. The features, like DWT, spectral flatness, logarithmic band power, fluctuation index, spectral decrease, spectral roll-off, and relative energy, are extracted to perform further processing. Based on the data augmented results, emotion recognition can be accomplished using the DMN, where the training process of the DMN is performed using the proposed FASSO method. Furthermore, the experimental results and performance analysis of the proposed algorithm provide efficient performance with respect to accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity with the maximal values of 0.889, 0.89, and 0.886, respectively.
High Flux and Antifouling Nanofiltration Membrane Modified by Ag@UiO-66-NH2 and Its Application for Biphenol A Removal
Authors: Chen Qing-Chun , Bang Yu , Li Lu , Deng Hui-Yu
Published: January 2022

Owing to the specific porous structure which could provide additional passage channel for some molecules, metal organic frameworks are attractive candidates for enhancing permeability and selectivity of membranes in pervaporation, reverse osmosis, and gas separation. In this experiment, Ag@UiO-66-NH2 was introduced into polyamide separation layer by interfacial polymerization of triethylenetetramine and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid chloride for nanofiltration. The results indicated that Ag@UiO-66-NH2 nanoparticles did endow the membranes with rapid diffusion pathways for water molecules. When the content of Ag@UiO-66-NH2 was 0.03 g, the prepared membrane (NF-Ag-3) showed high flux about 47.3 L·m-2·h-1 at 0.6 MPa, which is about 2-fold higher than that of polyamide membrane without Ag@UiO-66-NH2, while the MgSO4 rejection rate remained about 87.4%. The membrane also showed excellent antifouling properties, and the water flux recovery ratio was 95.6% after filtration BSA solution. When it was applied for 50 mg/L bisphenol A removal, the rejection rate reached 94.6%, and the flux is about 49.1 L·m-2·h-1. Moreover, Ag particles on UiO-66-NH2 rendered the membrane with good inhibition for Escherichia coli. The antibacterial rate of the membranes is above 95% when the loading of Ag@UiO-66-NH2 is more than 0.03 g.
Loss of EphA7 Expression in Basal Cell Carcinoma by Hypermethylation of CpG Islands in the Promoter Region
Authors: Liu Jie , Yu Na , Feng Xiao , He Yan , Lv Kang , Zhu Haiping , Wang Jiandong
Published: January 2022

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignancy worldwide, with increasing incidence. BCCs present low mortality but high morbidity, and its pathogenesis remains unclear. Eph receptors have been implicated in tumorigenesis. EphA7 plays a role as a tumor suppressor in certain cancers. We checked EphA7 expression levels and methylation status in a set of BCCs, benign skin diseases, and compound nevus tissue samples using immunohistochemistry. EphA7 protein was positively expressed in normal basal cells, benign skin diseases, and compound nevus cells, but lost in areas of BCC tissues. We detected hypermethylation in BCC tissue samples with reduced expression of EphA7. There is a significant relationship between the expression level of EphA7 receptor protein and the methylation status of CpG islands in the EphA7 promoter region (

P
<
0.001

). To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the EphA7 expression profile and hypermethylation of EphA7 in BCC. The role of the EphA7 gene and the status of hypermethylation in tumorigenesis and treatment of BCC warrant further investigation.
Urethral Prolapse Case Report: Surgical and Social Considerations in Senegal
Authors: Jalloh Mohamed , Heibig Jennifer , Gaye Oumar , Ghaul William , Yankelevich Gabrielle , Ndoye Medina , Mbodji Mouhamadou Moustapha , Cassell Ayun , Niang Lamine , Gueye Serigne Magueye
Published: January 2022

We present three cases of urethral prolapse in prepubertal females in Senegal who presented with vulvar bleeding. Careful gynecologic and urologic physical exams were performed and revealed urethral origin and prolapse. Conservative versus surgical approaches were taken in different patients, but ultimately, each patient received a urethral meatoplasty. Surgical excision of these masses yielded a full recovery in the patients. A careful review of the literature was then undertaken and showed that surgical excision or ligation of the prolapse is preferable to more conservative treatment. The case series article discusses the rare occurrence of urethral prolapse, as well as the epidemiology and prognostic and therapeutic implications of urethral prolapse in prepubertal females. Introduction. Urethral prolapse is a rare condition occurring mostly in young black females. It can be worrying to the parents as it often causes vulvar bleeding. Case Presentation. We present three cases of urethral prolapse in prepubertal females who presented with vulvar bleeding. Physical exams were performed and revealed urethral origin and prolapse. Each patient underwent a urethral meatoplasty and subsequently experienced a full recovery after respective follow-up of 2 years, 1 year, and 1 year. Conclusion. Urethral prolapse is a rare condition which can be managed successfully by surgery. Plain Language Summary. This case report on pediatric urethral prolapse showcases the different presentations and modalities of treatment, as the literature does not show that a specific treatment is always undertaken. In some countries, there are strong social considerations and they demonstrate difficulty separating sexual abuse from genitourinary pathologies, which are important to address in the treatment of these conditions.