bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oral PrEP Consultations Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Kisumu County, Kenya: Insights from the DREAMS Program
Authors: Heck Craig J. , Mathur Sanyukta , Alwang’a Habel , Daniel Oluoch-Madiang’ , Obanda Rael , Owiti Mophine , Okal Jerry
Published: January 2022

Although Kenya nationally scaled up oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in May 2017, adolescent girls’ (AG, aged 15–19 years) and young women’s (YW, aged 20–24 years) PrEP use remains suboptimal. Thus, we analyzed PrEP consultations—interactions with a healthcare provider about PrEP—among Kenyan AGYW. In April-June 2018, AGYW enrolled in DREAMS in Kisumu County, Kenya self-reported their HIV-related knowledge, behaviors, and service use. Among HIV negative, sexually active AG (n = 154) and YW (n = 289), we examined associations between PrEP eligibility and PrEP consultations using prevalence ratios (PR, adjusted: aPR). Most AG (90.26%) and YW (94.12%) were PrEP-eligible due to inconsistent/no condom use, violence survivorship, or recent sexually transmitted infection symptoms. Between PrEP-eligible AG and YW, more YW were ever-orphaned (58.09%), ever-married (54.41%), ever-pregnant (80.88%), and out of school (78.31%); more PrEP-eligible YW reported PrEP consultations (41.18% vs. 24.46%, aPR = 1.51 [1.01–2.27]). AG who used PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) reported more consultations (aPR = 5.63 [3.53–8.97]). Among YW, transactional sex engagers reported more consultations (58.62% vs. 39.09%, PR = 1.50 [1.06–2.12]), but only PEP use (aPR = 2.81 [2.30–3.43]) and multiple partnerships (aPR = 1.39 [1.06–1.82]) were independently associated with consultations. Consultations were lowest among those with 1 eligibility criterion (AG = 11.11%/YW = 27.18%). Comparatively, consultations were higher among AG and YW with 2 (aPR = 3.71 [1.64–8.39], PR = 1.60 [1.07–2.38], respectively) or ≥ 3 (aPR = 2.51 [1.09–5.78], PR = 2.05 [1.42–2.97], respectively) eligibility criteria. Though most AGYW were PrEP-eligible, PrEP consultations were rare and differed by age and vulnerability. In high-incidence settings, PrEP consultations should be conducted with all AGYW. PrEP provision guidelines must be re-assessed to accelerate AGYW’s PrEP access.
Employer and Co-worker Perspectives on Hiring and Working with People with Mental Health Conditions
Authors: Shahwan Shazana , Yunjue Zhang , Satghare Pratika , Vaingankar Janhavi Ajit , Maniam Yogeswary , Janrius Goh Chong Min , Lin Teh Wen , Roystonn Kumarasan , Subramaniam Mythily
Published: January 2022

The purpose of this study was to understand perspectives towards hiring and working with people with mental health conditions (PMHC). Semi-structured interviews with 25 employers and 20 co-workers were carried out. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The barriers to hiring and working with PMHC identified through the interviews were concerns about safety, incompetence, PMHC not being able to get along with others, requiring more training and supervision as well as medical costs and reputational risks to the hiring organisation. Employers and co-workers suggested that improving mental health literacy of staff, pairing the PMHC with trained work buddies, having access to mental professionals when needed, and providing incentives for hiring PMHC such as tax rebates are likely to improve attitudes towards hiring and working with PMHC. Their suggestions for the additional supports required should be considered when developing initiatives to promote inclusivity of PMHC in workplaces.
The Incidence of Pension Contributions: A Panel Based Analysis of the Impact of Pension Contributions on Labor Cost, Wages and Labor Supply
Authors: Bosch Nicole , van Ewijk Casper , Micevska Scharf Maja , Muns Sander
Published: January 2022

One of the key elements in the planned pension reform in the Netherlands is to abolish the implicit subsidy from younger to older workers inherent in pension schemes with age independent contribution and accrual rates. This paper investigates the impact of changes in contribution rates on wages, labor costs and labor supply using a rich administrative data set covering individual employees in the Netherlands for the period 2006–2012. With a panel-based approach and data on both marginal and average contribution rates we aim to provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the incidence and labor supply (in hours) effects of pension contributions. For a two-year change in pension contributions we find that 70% of this change is passed on to the labor costs of employers, while 30% is passed on to the net wage of the employee. No significant effects are found for labor supply. At least in the short and medium run, our results seem at variance with the standard demand-and-supply model for the labor market, but are consistent with a bargaining model.
How Do We Deal with Uncertain Information? Effects of Verbal and Visual Expressions of Uncertainty on Learning
Authors: Glaser Manuela , Lengyel Dominik , Toulouse Catherine , Schwan Stephan
Published: January 2022

Based on the knowledge generation model for visual analytics including uncertainty propagation and human trust building (Sacha et al. 2016), the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (Mayer, 2014), the multimedia principle (Butcher, 2014), and previous studies on the effects of different uncertainty visualization styles, an integrated theoretical approach is proposed to examine the influence of different degrees of information uncertainty and different uncertainty visualization styles on processing pictures of two archeological reconstructions with accompanying audio explanations presented in a multimedia learning environment. A 4 × 3 design with condition (without uncertainty visualization vs. stop light colors vs. geometric contrast vs. both uncertainty visualizations) as the between-subjects factor and uncertainty value (uncertain vs. medium vs. certain) as the within-subject factor was used. The results showed that appearance of certain content, its uncertainty values, and their verbal scientific justifications were remembered better than uncertain ones. Furthermore, stop light colors enhanced the memory of uncertainty values compared to no uncertainty visualization and were better understood, discriminated, and transferred than geometric contrast. Geometric contrast decreased the memory of the appearance of uncertain architectural elements compared to no uncertainty visualization and was better than stop light colors regarding the memory of the appearance of certain architectural elements. The study integrates and extends existing theories by showing that certain contents are processed with higher priority than uncertain contents and that the multimedia effect is also valid for metainformation such as the uncertainties of contents. Finally, recommendations for designing learning material including uncertainty visualizations are given.
An empirical study on self-admitted technical debt in Dockerfiles
Authors: Azuma Hideaki , Matsumoto Shinsuke , Kamei Yasutaka , Kusumoto Shinji
Published: January 2022

In software development, ad hoc solutions that are intentionally implemented by developers are called self-admitted technical debt (SATD). Because the existence of SATD spreads poor implementations, it is necessary to remove it as soon as possible. Meanwhile, container virtualization has been attracting attention in recent years as a technology to support infrastructure such as servers. Currently, Docker is the de facto standard for container virtualization. In Docker, a file describing how to build a container (Dockerfile) is a set of procedural instructions; thus, it can be considered as a kind of source code. Moreover, because Docker is a relatively new technology, there are few developers who have accumulated good or bad practices for building Docker container. Hence, it is likely that Dockerfiles contain many SATDs, as is the case with general programming language source code analyzed in previous SATD studies. The goal of this paper is to categorize SATDs in Dockerfiles and to share knowledge with developers and researchers. To achieve this goal, we conducted a manual classification for SATDs in Dockerfile. We found that about 3.0% of the comments in Dockerfile are SATD. In addition, we have classified SATDs into five classes and eleven subclasses. Among them, there are some SATDs specific to Docker, such as SATDs for version fixing and for integrity check. The three most common classes of SATD were related to lowering maintainability, testing, and defects.
Weapons of moral construction? On the value of fairness in algorithmic decision-making
Authors: Giovanola Benedetta , Tiribelli Simona
Published: January 2022

Fairness is one of the most prominent values in the Ethics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) debate and, specifically, in the discussion on algorithmic decision-making (ADM). However, while the need for fairness in ADM is widely acknowledged, the very concept of fairness has not been sufficiently explored so far. Our paper aims to fill this gap and claims that an ethically informed re-definition of fairness is needed to adequately investigate fairness in ADM. To achieve our goal, after an introductory section aimed at clarifying the aim and structure of the paper, in section “Fairness in algorithmic decision-making” we provide an overview of the state of the art of the discussion on fairness in ADM and show its shortcomings; in section “Fairness as an ethical value”, we pursue an ethical inquiry into the concept of fairness, drawing insights from accounts of fairness developed in moral philosophy, and define fairness as an ethical value. In particular, we argue that fairness is articulated in a distributive and socio-relational dimension; it comprises three main components: fair equality of opportunity, equal right to justification, and fair equality of relationship; these components are grounded in the need to respect persons both as persons and as particular individuals. In section “Fairness in algorithmic decision-making revised”, we analyze the implications of our redefinition of fairness as an ethical value on the discussion of fairness in ADM and show that each component of fairness has profound effects on the criteria that ADM ought to meet. Finally, in section “Concluding remarks”, we sketch some broader implications and conclude.
Instilling moral value alignment by means of multi-objective reinforcement learning
Authors: Rodriguez-Soto Manel , Serramia Marc , Lopez-Sanchez Maite , Rodriguez-Aguilar Juan Antonio
Published: January 2022

AI research is being challenged with ensuring that autonomous agents learn to behave ethically, namely in alignment with moral values. Here, we propose a novel way of tackling the value alignment problem as a two-step process. The first step consists on formalising moral values and value aligned behaviour based on philosophical foundations. Our formalisation is compatible with the framework of (Multi-Objective) Reinforcement Learning, to ease the handling of an agent’s individual and ethical objectives. The second step consists in designing an environment wherein an agent learns to behave ethically while pursuing its individual objective. We leverage on our theoretical results to introduce an algorithm that automates our two-step approach. In the cases where value-aligned behaviour is possible, our algorithm produces a learning environment for the agent wherein it will learn a value-aligned behaviour.
The development and pilot of the university student embeddedness (USE) scale for student retention within universities: validation with an Australian student sample
Authors: Heritage Brody , Ladeira Christopher , Steele Andrea R.
Published: January 2022

A significant number of university students are leaving their institutions before completing their degrees. The present research project applied embeddedness theory, from organizational research, to understand student retention in a tertiary student population, and develop a quantitative instrument that measured university student embeddedness. In Study One, a mixed-methods approach was employed to determine whether the Fit (similarity between the student and the university), Links (count of relationships at university), and Sacrifice (losses upon leaving university) dimensions of embeddedness related to students’ self-reported reasons for remaining enrolled at their university. Qualitative results from 15 undergraduate students indicated that intent to remain could be understood within the embeddedness dimensions of Fit, Links, and Sacrifice. These themes were employed to build the University Student Embeddedness (USE) scale. The measure was examined against Rasch measurement model assumptions for each of its subscales using data collected from 299 Australian tertiary students. Study Two sought to examine exploratory evidence of the concurrent validity of the scores from this developed measure. Responses from a separate sample of 196 Australian tertiary students showed only the Fit scale significantly related to student intentions to stay at university. All USE scales correlated with academic-related skills and motivations. These results suggest that the Fit scale may be valuable in identifying students at risk of dropout. Early identification of “at risk” students may lead to the development of targeted retention interventions. However, the USE’s role in detection requires further validation and the development of consistent findings within other student cohorts.
Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Well-Being Across Age: A Cross-Sectional General Population Study among 1709 Dutch Speaking Adults
Authors: Lataster Johan , Reijnders Jennifer , Janssens Mayke , Simons Marianne , Peeters Sanne , Jacobs Nele
Published: January 2022

According to self-determination theory, individual well-being is universally dependent upon the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness. This study set out to further elucidate the relationship between basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS) and well-being across age by (i) more closely examining the age distribution of BPNS, and (ii) investigating whether BPNS is comparably associated with well-being across all ages, as predicted by the universality assumption, while taking into account variability in other demographic factors. A general population sample of Dutch speaking adults from The Netherlands and Belgium (N = 1709; Mage = 48.6 years, SD = 19.0, range 18–97) filled out a cross-sectional online or paper-and-pencil survey questionnaire, providing self-reports of BPNS and well-being, using the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale and Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, respectively. Data analyses consisted of initial visual inspection using LOESS smoothed curve plotting, and subsequent model testing using multiple regression analyses. When correcting for other demographic factors, results showed a positive linear relationship between age and autonomy satisfaction, no significant relationship between age and competence satisfaction, and a slight positive cubic relationship between age and relatedness satisfaction (initial ‘peak’, followed by a slight decline and ‘dip’, and steady rise for later ages). All basic psychological needs factors were positively linked to well-being in all domains, with associations generally comparable between adults of different ages, thus lending support to the universality assumption of self-determination theory. Despite distinct age distributions, all three basic psychological needs seem important for maintaining a sense of well-being throughout life.
A naïve HMO study of the casimir effect
Authors: Carbó-Dorca Ramon
Published: January 2022

The Casimir effect is discussed via an HMO treatment. At this schematic theoretical level, the Casimir effect might be considered as the result of the general quantum mechanical interaction behavior of two sets of particles.
Off the mark: Repetitive marking undermines essay evaluations due to boredom
Authors: Erturk Sinan , van Tilburg Wijnand A. P. , Igou Eric R.
Published: January 2022

Essay-style assessment is widespread in education. Nonetheless, research shows that this tool can suffer from low reliability and validity. We attribute this problem partly to the boredom that marking multiple essays causes. Specifically, we propose that boredom in markers is associated with systematically lower marks on essays. To test this, we asked participants (N = 100) with an undergraduate degree to mark essays. The majority of these participants had at least some experience with marking. After marking each essay, participants indicated how bored they were. We found an increase in boredom over time and that higher boredom was associated with lower marks. Furthermore, offering a marking rubric did not prevent this problematic impact of boredom. These findings have implications for the validity of essays as an assessment tool and raise concerns about repetitive marking practices in general.
Deltex E3 ubiquitin ligase 3 inhibits colorectal cancer cell growth and regulates cell cycle progression via upregulating E2F transcription factor 1
Authors: Xu Hongli , Liang Shengnan , Hu Junjie , Liu Wentong , Dong Zhiqiang , Wei Shaozhong
Published: January 2022

Background

The mortality rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) remains high in developing countries. Interventions that can inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells represent promising strategies in CRC treatment. Deltex E3 ubiquitin ligase 3 (DTX3) plays an essential role in tumor development and may predict the outcome of cancer patients. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of DTX3 in CRC progression.

Methods and results

The expression of DTX3 was significantly downregulated in CRC tissues relative to normal colorectal tissues. DTX3 overexpression inhibited, while DTX3 knockout promoted the colony-forming capacity and proliferation of CRC cells. E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) is a key mediator of cell cycle progression that participates in the progression, metastasis, and chemoresistance of CRC. Further analysis revealed that DTX3 regulated the transcriptional activity of E2F1 in CRC cells. The transcription by E2F1 was significantly reduced with the increase in the cellular level of DTX3, while DTX3 knockout exerted an opposite effect. DTX3 knockout also increased the expression of E2F1 target genes involved in cell cycle progression, CDC2 and Cyclin D3, while PD 0332991, an inhibitor of E2F1 transcription, inhibited the expression of both proteins.

Conclusions

In conclusion, DTX3 regulated CRC cell growth via regulating E2F1 and its downstream genes. These findings support further exploration of DTX3 as a potential therapeutic target for CRC.
Phosphorus supply affects seedling growth of mycorrhizal but not cluster-root forming jarrah-forest species
Authors: Standish Rachel J. , Daws Matthew I. , Morald Tim K. , Speijers Jane , Koch John M. , Hobbs Richard J. , Tibbett Mark
Published: January 2022

Aims

Fertiliser is often used to kick-start ecological restoration despite growing evidence of the potentially negative impacts on plant diversity. Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest species growing on nutrient (especially phosphorus) impoverished soils in southwestern Australia have a suite of adaptations for phosphorus (P) acquisition, including the formation of cluster roots, and associations with mycorrhizal fungi. Here we investigated how escalating P supply, along with a stoichiometric adjustment of nitrogen (N) supply, impacted the growth and nutrition of a wide range of jarrah forest seedlings.

Methods

In a pot experiment, we measured seedling biomass and nutritional responses of 12 jarrah forest species to a gradient of P supply in relation to N supply, and for the mycorrhizal species, inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Results

Three cluster-root forming species did not respond to increasing P, probably because they were reliant on seed P. Generally, mycorrhizal species showed a positive biomass response to increasing P when N was available. Mycorrhizas benefited seedling growth at low P (9 mg P added per kg of jarrah forest soil) when N was also available, and were parasitic to seedling growth at high P (243 mg P/ kg soil) without additional N.

Conclusions

These results highlight importance of P and N supply in determining the nature of the symbiosis between plants and mycorrhizal fungi. Since P supply has the potential to reduce plant growth, for a range of species, our results suggest careful consideration of fertiliser amounts for ecological restoration of ecosystems adapted to nutrient poor soils.
EvoRecSys: Evolutionary framework for health and well-being recommender systems
Authors: Alcaraz-Herrera Hugo , Cartlidge John , Toumpakari Zoi , Western Max , Palomares Iván
Published: January 2022

In recent years, recommender systems have been employed in domains like e-commerce, tourism, and multimedia streaming, where personalising users’ experience based on their interactions is a fundamental aspect to consider. Recent recommender system developments have also focused on well-being, yet existing solutions have been entirely designed considering one single well-being aspect in isolation, such as a healthy diet or an active lifestyle. This research introduces EvoRecSys, a novel recommendation framework that proposes evolutionary algorithms as the main recommendation engine, thereby modelling the problem of generating personalised well-being recommendations as a multi-objective optimisation problem. EvoRecSys captures the interrelation between multiple aspects of well-being by constructing configurable recommendations in the form of bundled items with dynamic properties. The preferences and a predefined well-being goal by the user are jointly considered. By instantiating the framework into an implemented model, we illustrate the use of a genetic algorithm as the recommendation engine. Finally, this implementation has been deployed as a Web application in order to conduct a users’ study.
Multi-frame Motion Segmentation by Combining Two-Frame Results
Authors: Arrigoni Federica , Ricci Elisa , Pajdla Tomas
Published: January 2022

In this paper we consider the motion segmentation problem on sparse and unstructured datasets involving rigid motions, motivated by multibody structure from motion. In particular, we assume only two-frame correspondences as input without prior knowledge about trajectories. Inspired by the success of synchronization methods, we address this problem by introducing a two-stage approach: first, motion segmentation is addressed on image pairs independently; then, two-frame results are combined in a robust way to compute the final multi-frame segmentation. Our synthetic and real experiments demonstrate that the proposed approach is very effective in reducing the errors among two-frame results and it can cope with a large amount of mismatches. Moreover, our method can be profitably used to build a multibody structure from motion pipeline.
Multi-channel Detector Module for Multi-energy Gamma Ray Computed Tomography
Authors: Bieberle André , Berger Ronny , Stave Philipp , Hampel Uwe
Published: January 2022

In this paper an enhanced signal processing electronics for an existing multi-channel detector module for gamma ray computed tomography is presented. The detector electronics is able to evaluate gamma photon energies by measuring pulse duration times, which makes it perfectly suitable for attenuation measurements with multi-energy and/or multiple isotopic sources. The duration time of each voltage pulse generated by a gamma photon within the radiation detector is measured using a complex programmable logic device. A sophisticated logic circuit for eight detector channels is designed to acquire the pulse duration time spectra in a total of 256 channels per detector channel in parallel. This paper introduces the basic concept, describes the general and a specific CPLD design, provides an analysis of the accuracy and presents measured pulse duration time spectra.
A Study of l-Lysine-Stabilized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (IONPs) on Microalgae Biofilm Formation of Chlorella vulgaris
Authors: Taghizadeh Seyedeh-Masoumeh , Ebrahiminezhad Alireza , Raee Mohammad Javad , Ramezani Hamidreza , Berenjian Aydin , Ghasemi Younes
Published: January 2022

Despite iron-based nanoparticles gaining huge attraction in various field of sciences and technology, their application rises ecological concerns due to lack of studies on their interaction with microbial cells populations and communities, such as biofilms. In this study, Chlorella vulgaris cells were employed as a model of aquatic microalgae to investigate the impacts of l-lysine-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (lys@IONPs) on microalgal growth and biofilm formation. In this regard, C. vulgaris cells were exposed to different concentrations of lys@IONPs and the growth of cells was evaluated by OD600 and biofilm formation was analyzed using crystal violet staining throughout 12 days. It was revealed that low concentration of nanoparticles (< 400 µg/mL) can promote cell growth and biofilm formation. However, higher concentrations have an adverse effect on microalgal communities. It is interesting that microalgal growth and biofilm are concentration- and exposure time-dependent to lys@IONPs. Over long period (~ 12 days) exposure to high concentrations of nanoparticles, cells can adapt with the condition, so growth was raised and biofilm started to develop. Results of the present study could be considered in ecological issues and also bioprocesses using microalgal cells.
Addressing the Prevention of Internal Displacement: the Right Not to Be Arbitrarily Displaced
Authors: Dirikgil Naziye
Published: January 2022

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) constitute one of the important subjects to consider for enhancing the understanding of migration. They also play a significant role to the contribution of maintenance and promotion of international peace and security and they should be an important component of any comprehensive strategy to resolve conflict and build peace. Even though IDP numbers still increase dramatically, the root causes of internal displacement have not been studied extensively. This article addresses this gap through an examination of the right not to be arbitrarily displaced and its evolution at the national level. The article first examines the content of the right not to be arbitrarily displaced and the meaning of the term ‘arbitrary’ in different situations of internal displacement and then demonstrates that the capacity of this right to perform a critical role for IDP protection has been facilitated by developments across national laws. The empirical analysis shows that certain countries have developed more ambitious and comprehensive national legal frameworks on IDP rights, and this process has led to the recognition of the right not to be arbitrarily displaced in their domestic frameworks. It can be argued that there are now a critical number of countries that explicitly recognise this right, and which have even created policy-making frameworks that promote the applicability of this right.
Can social support be improved in people with a severe mental illness? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Beckers Thijs , Maassen Niek , Koekkoek Bauke , Tiemens Bea , Hutschemaekers Giel
Published: January 2022

People with a severe mental illness often have less social support than other people, yet these people need social support to face the challenges in their lives. Increasing social support could benefit the person’s recovery, but it is not clear whether interventions that aim to improve social support in people with a severe mental illness are effective. A systematic literature search and review in MEDLINE (PubMed), PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane, JSTOR, IBSS, and Embase was performed. Studies were included if they had a control group and they were aimed at improving social support in people with a severe mental illness who were receiving outpatient treatment. Summary data were extracted from the research papers and compared in a meta-analysis by converting outcomes to effect sizes (Hedges’s g). Eight studies (total n = 1538) that evaluated ten different interventions met the inclusion criteria. All but one of these studies was of sufficient quality to be included in the review. The studies that were included in the meta-analysis had a combined effect size of 0.17 (confidence interval: 0.02 to 0.32), indicating a small or no effect for the interventions that were evaluated. A subgroup analysis of more personalized studies showed a combined effect size of 0.35 (CI = 0.27 to 0.44), indicating a noteworthy effect for these more personalized studies. This evaluation of interventions aimed at improving social support in people with a severe mental illness suggests that these interventions in general have little or no clinical benefit. However, in a subgroup analysis the more personalized interventions have a larger effect on improving social support and merit further research.
Crime and safety in transit environments: a systematic review of the English and the French literature, 1970–2020
Authors: Ceccato Vania , Gaudelet Nathan , Graf Gabin
Published: January 2022

This article reviews five decades of English and French literature on transit safety in several major databases, with the focus on Scopus and ScienceDirect. The review explores the nature and frequency of transit crime and passengers’ safety perceptions in transport nodes and along the trip using bibliometric analysis and a systematic review of the literature. The number of retrieved documents was 3137, and 245 were selected for in-depth analysis. Transit safety as a research area took off after the mid-1990s and peaked after the 2010s. The body of research is dominated by the English-language literature (mostly large cities), with a focus on the safety of rail-bound environments and examples of interventions to improve actual and perceived safety for public transportation (PT) users. Highlighting the importance of transit environments along the whole trip, the article also helps advocate for more inclusion of passengers’ safety needs and the involvement of multiple stakeholders in implementing PT policies.
The presence of cardiotropic viral genomes is not increased in atrial tissue of atrial fibrillation patients
Authors: Wu L. , Emmens R. W. , van Wezenbeek J. , Stooker W. , Allaart C. P. , Vonk A. B. A. , van Rossum A. C. , Wolthers K. C. , Niessen H. W. M. , Krijnen P. A. J.
Published: January 2022

Background

Infections with potentially cardiotropic viruses are associated with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, whether direct viral infection of the atria is involved in the pathogenesis of AF is unclear. We have therefore analysed the presence of cardiotropic viral genomes in AF patients.

Methods

Samples of left atrial tissue were obtained from 50 AF patients (paroxysmal, n = 20; long-standing persistent/permanent, n = 30) during cardiac surgery and from autopsied control patients (n = 14). Herein, the presence of PVB19, EBV, CMV, HHV‑6, adenovirus and enterovirus genomes was determined by polymerase chain reaction. The densities of CD45+ and CD3+ cells and fibrosis in the atria were quantified by (immuno)histochemistry.

Results

Of the tested viruses only the PVB19 genome was detected in the atria of 10% of patients, paroxysmal AF (2 of 20) and long-standing persistent/permanent AF (3 of 30). Conversely, in 50% of controls (7 of 14) PVB19 genome was found. No significant association was found between PVB19 and CD45+ and CD3+ cells, or between the presence of PVB19 and fibrosis, in either control or AF patients.

Conclusion

The presence of viral genomes is not increased in the atria of AF patients. These results do not support an important role for viral infection of the atria in the pathogenesis of AF.
Data-driven Dimensional Expression Generation via Encapsulated Variational Auto-Encoders
Authors: Bai Wenjun , Quan Changqin , Luo Zhi-Wei
Published: January 2022

Concerning facial expression generation, relying on the sheer volume of training data, recent advances on generative models allow high-quality generation of facial expressions free of the laborious facial expression annotating procedure. However, these generative processes have limited relevance to the psychological conceptualised dimensional plane, i.e., the Arousal-Valence two-dimensional plane, resulting in the generation of psychological uninterpretable facial expressions. For this, in this research, we seek to present a novel generative model, targeting learning the psychological compatible (low-dimensional) representations of facial expressions to permit the generation of facial expressions along the psychological conceptualised Arousal-Valence dimensions. To generate Arousal-Valence compatible facial expressions, we resort to a novel form of the data-driven generative model, i.e., the encapsulated variational auto-encoders (EVAE), which is consisted of two connected variational auto-encoders. Two harnessed variational auto-encoders in our EVAE model are concatenated with a tuneable continuous hyper-parameter, which bounds the learning of EVAE. Since this tuneable hyper-parameter, along with the linearly sampled inputs, largely determine the process of generating facial expressions, we hypothesise the correspondence between continuous scales on the hyper-parameter and sampled inputs, and the psychological conceptualised Arousal-Valence dimensions. For empirical validations, two public released facial expression datasets, e.g., the Frey faces and FERG-DB datasets, were employed here to evaluate the dimensional generative performance of our proposed EVAE. Across two datasets, the generated facial expressions along our two hypothesised continuous scales were observed in consistent with the psychological conceptualised Arousal-Valence dimensions. Applied our proposed EVAE model to the Frey faces and FERG-DB facial expression datasets, we demonstrate the feasibility of generating facial expressions along with the conceptualised Arousal-Valence dimensions. In conclusion, to generate facial expressions along the psychological conceptualised Arousal-Valance dimensions, we propose a novel type of generative model, i.e., encapsulated variational auto-encoders (EVAE), allowing the generation process to be disentangled into two tuneable continuous factors. Validated in two publicly available facial expression datasets, we demonstrate the association between these factors and Arousal-Valence dimensions in facial expression generation, deriving the data-driven Arousal-Valence plane in affective computing. Despite its embryonic stage, our research may shed light on the prospect of continuous, dimensional affective computing.
A Review of Plan-Based Approaches for Dialogue Management
Authors: Santos Teixeira Milene , Dragoni Mauro
Published: January 2022

Dialogue systems deliver a more natural mean of communication between humans and machines when compared to traditional systems. Beyond input/output components that understand and generate natural language utterances, the core of a dialogue system is thedialogue manager. The aim of the dialogue manager is to mimic all cognitive aspects related to a natural conversation and it is responsible for identifying the current state of the dialogue and for deciding the next action to be taken by a dialogue system. Artificial intelligence (AI) planning is one of the techniques available in the literature for dialogue management. In a dialogue system, AI planning deals with the action selection problem by treating each utterance as an action and by choosing the actions that get closer to the dialogue goal. This work aims to provide a systematic literature review (SLR) that investigates recent contributions to plan-based dialogue management. This SLR aims at answering research questions concerning: (i) the types of AI planning exploited for dialogue management; (ii) the planning characteristics that justify its adoption in dialogue system; (iii) and, the challenges posed on the development of plan-based dialogue managers. The present SLR was performed by querying four scientific repositories, followed by a manual search on works from the most eminent authors in the field. Further works that were cited by the retrieved papers were also considered for inclusion. Our final corpus is composed of forty works, including only works published since 2014. The results indicate that AI planning is still an emerging strategy for dialogue management. Although AI planning can offer a strong contribution to dialogue systems, especially to those that require predictability, some relevant challenges might still limit its adoption. Our results contributed to discussions in the field and they highlight some research gaps to be addressed in future studies.
Revisiting Rwanda’s agricultural intensification policy: benefits of embracing farmer heterogeneity and crop-livestock integration strategies
Authors: Kim Sung Kyu , Marshall Fiona , Dawson Neil M.
Published: January 2022

The government of Rwanda is promoting agricultural intensification focused on the production of a small number of targeted commodities as a central strategy to pursue the joint policy goals of economic growth, food security and livelihood development. The dominant approach to increase the productive capacity of the land, crops and animal resources has been through large-scale land consolidation, soil fertility management, and the intensive use of biotechnology and external inputs. However, evidence has shown that many Rwandan farmers, who employ various strategies and mixed farming practices based on their specific economic, social, and environmental circumstances, face difficulties adopting the singular prescribed approach to become more productive, modern commodity producers. To empirically explore diversity in smallholders’ strategies and their contributions to livelihoods and compatibility with the recent intensification policies, we conducted household surveys and in-depth qualitative interviews in rural and peri-urban zones in Rwamagana district in Eastern Rwanda. Our analysis demonstrates how the dominant approach to intensification and specialisation overlooks the heterogeneity and dynamic nature of smallholder strategies. Moreover, our findings illustrate that a comprehensive understanding of farmer heterogeneity is necessary to explain the critical disjuncture between the government’s vision of modern agriculture and the ability of many smallholders to engage with this agenda and may inform opportunities to adapt policies to better align productivity goals and livelihoods. In doing so, we contribute to debates about the current framing of intensification policy that promotes Green Revolution technologies and emphasise alternative pathways for more inclusive and resilient agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa.
An improvised collocation algorithm to solve generalized Burgers’–Huxley equation
Authors: Shallu  , Kukreja Vijay Kumar
Published: January 2022

In the proposed work, an improvised collocation technique with cubic B-spline as basis functions is applied to obtain the numerical solution of non-linear generalized Burgers’–Huxley equation, which has application in the soliton theory. In this technique, posteriori corrections are made to the cubic B-spline interpolant and its higher-order derivatives, which leads to enhancement in the order of convergence in the spatial domain. The temporal domain is discretized using a weighted finite difference scheme, to obtain the solution at each time level and the spatial domain is discretized using the improvised cubic B-spline collocation method. The stability analysis is carried out using the von Neumann scheme and the technique is found to be unconditionally stable. The theoretical proof of the order of convergence is discussed in detail using Green’s function approach. The $$L_{2}$$

L
2

, $$L_{\infty }$$

L
∞

, and absolute error norms are calculated as well as compared with the results available in the literature, which shows the improvement and efficacy of the proposed technique over the existing ones.
The utility of a genetic kidney disease clinic employing a broad range of genomic testing platforms: experience of the Irish Kidney Gene Project
Authors: Elhassan Elhussein A. E. , Murray Susan L. , Connaughton Dervla M. , Kennedy Claire , Cormican Sarah , Cowhig Cliona , Stapleton Caragh , Little Mark A. , Kidd Kendrah , Bleyer Anthony J. , Živná Martina , Kmoch Stanislav , Fennelly Neil K. , Doyle Brendan , Dorman Anthony , Griffin Matthew D. , Casserly Liam , Harris Peter C. , Hildebrandt Friedhelm , Cavalleri Gianpiero L. , Benson Katherine A. , Conlon Peter J.
Published: January 2022

Background and aims

Genetic testing presents a unique opportunity for diagnosis and management of genetic kidney diseases (GKD). Here, we describe the clinical utility and valuable impact of a specialized GKD clinic, which uses a variety of genomic sequencing strategies.

Methods

In this prospective cohort study, we undertook genetic testing in adults with suspected GKD according to prespecified criteria. Over 7 years, patients were referred from tertiary centres across Ireland to an academic medical centre as part of the Irish Kidney Gene Project.

Results

Among 677 patients, the mean age was of 37.2 ± 13 years, and 73.9% of the patients had family history of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We achieved a molecular diagnostic rate of 50.9%. Four genes accounted for more than 70% of identified pathogenic variants: PKD1 and PKD2 (n = 186, 53.4%), MUC1 (8.9%), and COL4A5 (8.3%). In 162 patients with a genetic diagnosis, excluding PKD1/PKD2, the a priori diagnosis was confirmed in 58% and in 13% the diagnosis was reclassified. A genetic diagnosis was established in 22 (29.7%) patients with CKD of uncertain aetiology. Based on genetic testing, a diagnostic kidney biopsy was unnecessary in 13 (8%) patients. Presence of family history of CKD and the underlying a priori diagnosis were independent predictors (P < 0.001) of a positive genetic diagnosis.

Conclusions

A dedicated GKD clinic is a valuable resource, and its implementation of various genomic strategies has resulted in a direct, demonstrable clinical and therapeutic benefits to affected patients.

Graphical abstract
Photocatalytic water purification under visible light using carbon nitride materials and β-Bi2O3 immobilized on electrospun polyvinyl acetate fibers
Authors: Köwitsch Isabel , Schäfer Adrien , Hornig Dominik , Mehring Michael
Published: January 2022

We report on the immobilization of carbon nitride (CN) materials and β-Bi2O3 on electrospun polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) fiber substrates using a dispersion based dip coating process. The spinning process was optimized by variation of several parameters to finally obtain continuous droplet-free fibers at 15 kV and a flow rate of 50 µL min−1 using a needle with 1.2 mm diameter. The polymer substrates were coated with the β-Bi2O3 and CN materials, which were characterized using SEM and applied in the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants such as Rhodamine B (RhB), ethinyl estradiol (EE2) and triclosan using visible light irradiation. The pollutants were degraded with up to 50% of the initial concentration within 8 h. Different amounts of CN material were deposited to evaluate the photocatalytic activity per mass. Immobilized CN materials were shown to be of higher activity (2.0 × 10−10 mol mg−1 min−1) than β-Bi2O3 (1.3 × 10−10 mol mg−1 min−1) and the mixture CN/β-Bi2O3 (1.6 × 10−10 mol mg−1 min−1). Reference samples with CN particles partially embedded in the polymer fleece showed minor degradaton rates (18% RhB degradation within 8 h) as compared to coated fiber substrates (47% RhB degradation within 8 h). Minor leaching of the carbon nitride material and no leaching of β-Bi2O3 occurs as shown by NPOC (non purgeable organic carbon) and ICP-MS measurements.
Increasing vaccination intention in pandemic times: a social marketing perspective
Authors: Wassler Philipp , Del Chiappa Giacomo , Nguyen Thi Hong Hai , Fedeli Giancarlo , Williams Nigel L.
Published: January 2022

With the release of several COVID-19 vaccines, hopes for ending the pandemic have emerged. However, the uptake of the vaccines is largely voluntary and depends on the intentions of the public. From a social marketing perspective, this study takes the case of Italy to identify and test factors that are likely to increase COVID-19-vaccine intention. A sample of 3893 respondents was collected throughout Italy and a model empirically tested by structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that a social marketing campaign for undertaking COVID-19 vaccines should educate the public, going beyond just safety and efficacy, and create positive social norms by combatting misinformation on various platforms, including social media. Furthermore, it was found that economic hardship from COVID-19 does not automatically translate to vaccination intention and that social marketing campaigns should particularly target economically vulnerable and important segments. Also, instilling a craving for travel could potentially stimulate citizens to undertake COVID-19 inoculation. Finally, contributions and implications for social marketing COVID-19 vaccines in Italy and elsewhere are addressed.
Parenting style and its effect on eating disorders and substance abuse across the young population
Authors: Ramsewak Shalina , Moty Numrata , Putteeraj Manish , Somanah Jhoti , Nirmala Loung-Poorunder
Published: January 2022

This article attempts to examine the occurrence of two behavioural changes, namely, substance abuse and eating disorders in order of onset mediated by ineffective parenting styles during young age. The four parenting styles and their consequential behavioural adverse effects are taken as the focal point of this study and are synthesized to provide an outlook on the status of ineffective parenting and deviant offspring behaviours. A review of literature was primarily undertaken to examine the characteristic features of ineffective parenting. A causal relationship was then drawn between the onset of behavioural disorders with an emphasis on substance abuse and eating disorders, along the parenting spectrum. We probed into the order and directionality of the offspring behavioural changes against ineffective parenting. The current available data shows the superimposition of the parenting style spectrum on a bell-shaped distribution of behavioural outcomes as exemplified by authoritarian, permissive and neglectful parenting as a prime determinant of several disorders among the young age; parenting styles being at the extremities of the parenting spectrum. The sweet spot of parenting, mainly associated to the authoritative approach, bears the most positive effect on the growing child. The extreme ends of parenting as per the varying degree of responsiveness and demandingness, generally observed in authoritarian and neglectful parenting precipitate concomitant deviant behaviours cascading from one another; intricately linking substance abuse and eating disorders. A number of studies describe the isolated effects of ineffective parenting on the development of substance abuse and eating disorders during the adolescent period. However, the relationship between both eating disorders and substance abuse is underplayed and need to be stressed upon to tailor behaviour-specific targeted therapies and restore the normalcy of these altered behaviours.
The long-term sustainability of a respiratory culture nudge
Authors: Kaur Supreet , Hutton Mary , Kenney Rachel M. , Weinmann Allison , Samuel Linoj , Tibbetts Robert , Davis Susan L. , Medler Corey
Published: January 2022

Resource-intensive interventions and education are susceptible to a lack of long-term sustainability and regression to the mean. The respiratory culture nudge changed reporting to “Commensal Respiratory Flora only: No S. aureus/MRSA or P. aeruginosa.” This study demonstrated sustained reduction in broad-spectrum antibiotic duration and long-term sustainability 3 years after implementation.