bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Myth-Making: On-going Impacts of Historical Education Policy on Beliefs About Māori in Education
Authors: Hetaraka Maia
Published: June 2022

The history of educational policy-making in Aotearoa New Zealand is also a history in myth-making. Myths about Māori in education are deeply embedded in educational and social thought, because they have their origins in the first political interactions between Māori and Pākeha. These interactions were motivated by contradicting forces—Māori determination to participate in the changing economic and technological landscape, contrasted against British perceptions of their own cultural superiority and inherent right to rule indigenous populations. British superiority was enshrined in aggressive and racist laws that disenfranchised and dispossessed Māori of lands, resources, economies, and attempted to de-culturalise Māori. Laws were in turn translated to policy and practice that reinforced deep seeded myths that have negatively positioned Māori socially, politically and educationally. As Aotearoa New Zealand education progresses toward a commitment to teach our dual and difficult histories, it is necessary to also expose and analyse the ways negative positioning of Māori has been purposefully built into our education system. Understanding how political histories have influenced our education system may better equip education professionals to identify and question their own conscious and unconscious biases, and to challenge and change a system that has its origins racist philosophy, reinforced by policy. Education professionals who are able to deconstruct carefully fortified, damaging myth-making about Māori will be well positioned to lead authentic movement toward a shared future.
Determination and Imaging of Small Biomolecules and Ions Using Ruthenium(II) Complex-Based Chemosensors
Authors: Wu Miaomiao , Zhang Zexi , Yong Jiaxi , Schenk Peer M. , Tian Dihua , Xu Zhi Ping , Zhang Run
Published: June 2022

Luminescence chemosensors are one of the most useful tools for the determination and imaging of small biomolecules and ions in situ in real time. Based on the unique photo-physical/-chemical properties of ruthenium(II) (Ru(II)) complexes, the development of Ru(II) complex-based chemosensors has attracted increasing attention in recent years, and thus many Ru(II) complexes have been designed and synthesized for the detection of ions and small biomolecules in biological and environmental samples. In this work, we summarize the research advances in the development of Ru(II) complex-based chemosensors for the determination of ions and small biomolecules, including anions, metal ions, reactive biomolecules and amino acids, with a particular focus on binding/reaction-based chemosensors for the investigation of intracellular analytes’ evolution through luminescence analysis and imaging. The advances, challenges and future research directions in the development of Ru(II) complex-based chemosensors are also discussed.
Resilient Robot Teams: a Review Integrating Decentralised Control, Change-Detection, and Learning
Authors: Bossens David M. , Ramchurn Sarvapali , Tarapore Danesh
Published: June 2022

Purpose of Review

This paper reviews opportunities and challenges for decentralised control, change-detection, and learning in the context of resilient robot teams.

Recent Findings

Exogenous fault-detection methods can provide a generic detection or a specific diagnosis with a recovery solution. Robot teams can perform active and distributed sensing for detecting changes in the environment, including identifying and tracking dynamic anomalies, as well as collaboratively mapping dynamic environments. Resilient methods for decentralised control have been developed in learning perception-action-communication loops, multi-agent reinforcement learning, embodied evolution, offline evolution with online adaptation, explicit task allocation, and stigmergy in swarm robotics.

Remaining challenges for resilient robot teams are integrating change-detection and trial-and-error learning methods, obtaining reliable performance evaluations under constrained evaluation time, improving the safety of resilient robot teams, theoretical results demonstrating rapid adaptation to given environmental perturbations, and designing realistic and compelling case studies.
Sub-tree counts on hyperbolic random geometric graphs
Authors: Owada Takashi , Yogeshwaran D.
Published: June 2022

The hyperbolic random geometric graph was introduced by Krioukov et al. (Phys. Rev. E82, 2010). Among many equivalent models for the hyperbolic space, we study the d-dimensional Poincaré ball (
$d\ge 2$
), with a general connectivity radius. While many phase transitions are known for the expectation asymptotics of certain subgraph counts, very little is known about the second-order results. Two of the distinguishing characteristics of geometric graphs on the hyperbolic space are the presence of tree-like hierarchical structures and the power-law behaviour of the degree distribution. We aim to reveal such characteristics in detail by investigating the behaviour of sub-tree counts. We show multiple phase transitions for expectation and variance in the resulting hyperbolic geometric graph. In particular, the expectation and variance of the sub-tree counts exhibit an intricate dependence on the degree sequence of the tree under consideration. Additionally, unlike the thermodynamic regime of the Euclidean random geometric graph, the expectation and variance may exhibit different growth rates, which is indicative of power-law behaviour. Finally, we also prove a normal approximation for sub-tree counts using the Malliavin–Stein method of Last et al. (Prob. Theory Relat. Fields165, 2016), along with the Palm calculus for Poisson point processes.
Self-Management Programs for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: A Rapid Review of Randomized Trials
Authors: Okoli George N. , Lam Otto L.T. , Reddy Viraj K. , Askin Nicole , Al-Yousif Nameer , Wilhelm Linda , Gunderson Janet , Hayes Anne , Mansouri Behzad , Abou-Setta Ahmed M.
Published: June 2022

Background:

The body of evidence regarding self-management programs (SMPs) for adult chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) is steadily growing, and regular updates are needed for effective decision-making.

Objectives:

To systematically identify, critically appraise, and summarize the findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of SMPs for CNCP.

Methods:

We searched relevant databases from 2009 to August 2021 and included English-language RCT publications of SMPs compared with usual care for CNCP among adults (18+ years old). The primary outcome was health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). We conducted meta-analysis using an inverse variance, random-effects model and calculated the standardized mean difference (SMD) and associated 95% confidence interval (CI) and statistical heterogeneity using the I2 statistic.

Results:

From 8538 citations, we included 28 RCTs with varying patient populations, standards for SMPs, and usual care. No RCTs were classified as having a low risk of bias. There was no evidence of a significant improvement in overall HR-QoL, irrespective of pain type, immediately post-intervention (SMD 0.01, 95%CI −0.21 to 0.24; I2 57%; 11 RCTs; 979 participants), 1–4 months post-intervention (SMD 0.02, 95%CI −0.16 to 0.20; I2 48.7%; 12 RCTs; 1160 participants), and 6–12 months post-intervention (SMD 0.07, 95%CI −0.06 to 0.21; I2 26.1%; 9 RCTs; 1404 participants). Similar findings were made for physical and mental HR-QoL, and for specific QoL assessment scales (e.g., SF-36).

Conclusions:

There is a lack of evidence that SMPs are efficacious for CNCP compared with usual care. Standardization of SMPs for CNCP and better planned/conducted RCTs are needed to confirm these conclusions.
How can interoperability stimulate the use of digital public services? An analysis of national interoperability frameworks and e-Government in the European Union
Authors: Campmas Alexandra , Iacob Nadina , Simonelli Felice
Published: June 2022

This article explores the role of interoperability in the development of digital public services in Europe, analyzing the effects of an European Union (EU)-level initiative (the European interoperability framework, EIF) and the development of e-Government services on how citizens interact online with public administrations. The EIF is a common EU framework providing guidance on public sector interoperability. EU countries are not mandated to follow the EIF, but they are encouraged to take up its guidance in their respective national interoperability frameworks (NIFs). Against this background, this article tests two hypotheses: (a) the introduction of NIFs facilitates the online interaction between citizens and public administrations and (b) better e-Government services encourage citizens to interact online with public administrations. Both hypotheses are confirmed by a panel data analysis covering 26 European countries over the period 2012–2019. The analysis relies on a dummy variable reflecting the adoption of NIFs, built by carefully examining official documents of the countries in the scope of the analysis. Based on the empirical results, this article puts forward two main policy recommendations. First, efforts to improve e-Government services across Europe should be intensified in order to support the overarching digital agenda of the EU and increase benefits for European citizens. Second, interoperability should become a central element when designing new digital public services. Therefore, the European Commission could foster a common approach to interoperability of digital public services across the EU by strengthening the governance of interoperability initiatives and encouraging the adoption of specific interoperability requirements.
Finite localities I
Authors: Chermak Andrew
Published: June 2022

This is the first of a series of papers concerning what might be thought of as ‘locally grouped spaces’, in a loose analogy with the locally ringed spaces of algebraic geometry. The spaces that we have in mind are simplicial sets that generalise the simplicial sets that underlie and determine the classifying spaces of finite (or compact) groups. If the analogy is pursued, then the role of ‘structure sheaf’ is provided by the ‘fusion systems’ associated with these spaces. Our approach here will be purely algebraic and combinatorial, so we will not be concerned with topological realisations. All of the groups to be considered will be finite; but a parallel series of papers representing some joint work with Alex Gonzalez will considerably broaden the scope.
Parametric dependence of collisional heating of highly magnetized over-dense plasma by (far-)infrared lasers
Authors: Li K. , Yu W.
Published: June 2022

Heating of over-dense plasma represents a long-standing quest in laser–plasma physics. When the strength of the magnetic field is above the critical value, a right-handed circularly polarized laser could propagate into and heat up the highly magnetized over-dense collisional plasma directly; the processes are dependent on the parameters of the laser, plasma and magnetic field. The parametric dependence is fully studied both qualitatively and quantitatively, resulting in scaling laws of the plasma temperature, heating depth and energy conversion efficiency. Such heating is also studied with the most powerful CO2 and strongest magnetic field in the world, where plasma with density of

${10}^{23}$

cm–3 and initial temperature of 1 keV is heated to around 10 keV within a depth of several micrometres. Several novel phenomena are also discovered and discussed, that is, local heating in the region of high density, low temperature or weak magnetic field.
Analytic adjoint solutions for the 2-D incompressible Euler equations using the Green's function approach
Authors: Lozano Carlos , Ponsin Jorge
Published: June 2022

The Green's function approach of Giles and Pierce (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 426, 2001, pp. 327–345) is used to build the lift and drag based analytic adjoint solutions for the two-dimensional incompressible Euler equations around irrotational base flows. The drag-based adjoint solution turns out to have a very simple closed form in terms of the flow variables and is smooth throughout the flow domain, while the lift-based solution is singular at rear stagnation points and sharp trailing edges owing to the Kutta condition. This singularity is propagated to the whole dividing streamline (which includes the incoming stagnation streamline and the wall) upstream of the rear singularity (trailing edge or rear stagnation point) by the sensitivity of the Kutta condition to changes in the stagnation pressure.
Memória, história e analogia: Correspondências entre Walter Benjamin e Eduardo Galeano
Authors: Romero Sérgio Luiz Gusmão Gimenes , Romero Joyce Conceição Gimenes
Published: June 2022

Este trabalho analisa comparativamente alguns aspectos convergentes da obra do pensador alemão Walter Benjamin (1892–1940) e do escritor uruguaio Eduardo Galeano (1940–2015). Apresentam-se, assim, certas afinidades entre os dois autores no que diz respeito à proposição de uma crítica à história oficial, tal como concebida a partir das classes dominantes, em prol da recuperação da memória de grupos sociais submetidos à violência e à opressão. Destacam-se, ainda, correspondências metodológicas acerca do emprego de analogias e metáforas por ambos os autores.
Redescription of the cheloniellid euarthropodTriopus draboviensisfrom the Upper Ordovician of Bohemia, with comments on the affinities ofParioscorpio venator
Authors: Van Roy Peter , Rak Štěpán , Budil Petr , Fatka Oldřich
Published: June 2022

Cheloniellida is a rare but significant clade of artiopod euarthropods, and a major component of Vicissicaudata alongside aglaspidids. The first cheloniellid to be described wasTriopus draboviensis, based on a single specimen from the Upper Ordovician Letná Formation in Bohemia. Because this specimen was believed to be missing its anterior,Triopus draboviensishas been the subject of considerable speculation regarding its affinities, with several authors combining various isolated cephalic shields with its trunk. Notwithstanding,Triopus draboviensishas eluded detailed restudy in the 150 years since its first description. Here we provide a redescription of the holotype and hitherto only known specimen ofTriopus draboviensis, and describe a recently discovered second partial specimen asTriopussp. It is shown that the holotype ofTriopus draboviensispreserves the complete cephalic shield, while the trunk reveals a likely articulating device, which may represent an apomorphy for Cheloniellida. Further information on the trunk morphology provided by the new specimen has allowed a complete reconstruction of the dorsal exoskeleton ofTriopus. An assessment is made of fossils previously suggested to represent the cephalic shield ofTriopus draboviensis; while it is shown that none of those fossils can be attributed toTriopus, it is reaffirmed thatDrabovaspis complexalikely does belong to Cheloniellida, makingDrabovaspisthe third cheloniellid genus known from the Letná Formation, afterTriopusandDuslia. A revised diagnosis for Cheloniellida is provided, and the recently described problematic euarthropodParioscorpio venatorfrom the Silurian of Wisconsin is firmly rejected from this clade.
THESCHOLA MEDICORUMTHAT NEVER EXISTED IN ROME
Authors: Alonso-Alonso Mª Ángeles
Published: June 2022

It has been argued that aschola medicorum(i.e. a headquarters of physicians) existed in ancient Rome. According to this, the evidence supporting the existence of thescholais the plinth of a statue engraved with the texttranslata de schola medicorum, the epitaph of ascriba medicorum, and a Greek inscription dedicated by a δεκαδάρχης ἰατρῶν, but these sources present some problems when they are subjected to a critical examination. Moreover, the silence of ancient authors about this place is striking, and subsequent doubts emerge when considering that theschola medicorumis first documented in a manuscript by Pirro Ligorio. The aim of this paper is to re-examine the documentary sources that allude to theschola medicorum, assessing also the use of this expression in scientific literature from the sixteenth century, and try to determine if the written sources support the existence of such a place in ancient Rome.
Alarming decline of the Great Bustard Otis tarda world population over the last two decades
Authors: ALONSO JUAN C. , PALACÍN CARLOS
Published: June 2022

Since 2005, the world population of Great Bustards Otis tarda has decreased at an annual rate of 3.23%. The current world total is estimated at 31,000–36,000 birds, 34% (range 30–38%) less than 16 years ago. The declines have been observed in nine of 17 countries with extant breeding populations, with highest values in China (-89%) and European Russia (-72%). Marked decreases have also occurred in the Iberian Peninsula, which is still the stronghold for the species with 70–75% of the world population. Within Iberia, declines are particularly alarming in Portugal (-50%), although perhaps even more concerning in Spain, where the -28% (range 25–30%) decrease implies a loss of more than 8,000 individuals. Increases have been only recorded in Germany, Austria, and at a smaller scale in Hungary (respectively, 202%, 91%, and 5%), thanks to continued and intensive conservation actions, and also in the small group breeding in Romania, likely due to dispersal from the increasing West Pannonian population. The isolated populations of Morocco and Iran are on the brink of extinction. More surveys are still needed in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia, to confirm numbers and trends. It is urgent to reinforce conservation actions worldwide to stop negative demographic trends and ensure the survival of the species. If current trends continue, IUCN should perhaps consider whether (a) conditions are met to upgrade the species’ Red List category from globally ‘Vulnerable’ to ‘Endangered’, and (b) the two subspecies should be treated as separate conservation units and require different conservation strategies.
Seed mass, dormancy and germinability variation among maternal plants of four Arabian halophytes
Authors: Bhatt Arvind , Gallacher David J , Jarma-Orozco Alfredo , Pompelli Marcelo F.
Published: June 2022

Coastal desert vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula is almost entirely dominated by halophytes. Natural populations provide a genetic resource for ecological remediation and may also have direct economic value. High intrapopulation variation of seed traits is presumed to increase population persistence in the unpredictable climatic conditions of this hyper-arid desert. We investigated whether intrapopulation variation of seed mass, dormancy and germinability of four species was attributable to maternal individuals. Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, Halothamnus iraquensis, Haloxylon salicornicum and Seidlitzia rosmarinus are commonly distributed Arabian halophytes with differing seed weight variation. All species exhibited a higher germination when exposed daily to 12 h light, compared to seeds in darkness. A higher germination was correlated with a shorter germination time. For H. iraquensis and S. rosmarinus, a shorter germination time was negatively correlated with germination synchrony. H. salicornicum showed the highest intrapopulation variation of seed traits, followed by A. macrostachyum, S. rosmarinus and H. iraqensis. We found that individuals within populations of all the studied species showed variability in germination but the extent of variation was species-specific. The variation in seed mass and germination among the individuals of the studied species may facilitate a temporal distribution of germination, which may reduce the risk of seed bank exhaustion. The results of this study could assist conservation and management by improving the efficiency of seed collection from wild populations of these species.
Complete subgraphs in a multipartite graph
Authors: Lo Allan , Treglown Andrew , Zhao Yi
Published: June 2022

In 1975 Bollobás, Erdős, and Szemerédi asked the following question: given positive integers
$n, t, r$
with
$2\le t\le r-1$
, what is the largest minimum degree
$\delta (G)$
among all
$r$
-partite graphs
$G$
with parts of size
$n$
and which do not contain a copy of
$K_{t+1}$
? The
$r=t+1$
case has attracted a lot of attention and was fully resolved by Haxell and Szabó, and Szabó and Tardos in 2006. In this article, we investigate the
$r\gt t+1$
case of the problem, which has remained dormant for over 40 years. We resolve the problem exactly in the case when
$r \equiv -1 \pmod{t}$
, and up to an additive constant for many other cases, including when
$r \geq (3t-1)(t-1)$
. Our approach utilizes a connection to the related problem of determining the maximum of the minimum degrees among the family of balanced
$r$
-partite
$rn$
-vertex graphs of chromatic number at most
$t$
.
Evaluating the congenital heart assessment tool: a quality improvement project
Authors: Smith Liz , Wray Jo , Gaskin Kerry L.
Published: June 2022

Background:

An early warning tool, the Congenital Heart Assessment Tool (CHAT), was designed in 2012 to support parental preparation before discharge, enhancing understanding of their infant’s complex CHD, the signs of deterioration to look out for and to support decision-making at home. Acceptability and feasibility of the tool were tested during 2013–2015 in a single centre.

Aim of this project:

To evaluate the wider implementation across four children’s cardiac centres of the CHAT for infants with complex CHD in the community setting.

Design:

A four-centre collaborative mixed-methods quality improvement project funded by The Health Foundation, during 2016–2018. A plan, do, study, act cycle of improvement was employed. This article reports on the planning phases, creation of a modified tool (CHATm); and the implementation phases, including retrospective case note review using CHATm; tabletop simulation exercise using CHATm and clinical implementation of CHATm.

Results:

Key findings included the benefit of using CHATm simulation for practitioners; the effectiveness of CHATm in predicting amber and red triggers, indicating parental actions and escalation of concerns to professionals. Parents using CHATm found it enhanced knowledge in preparation for going home, supported decision-making, and discussions with health care professionals.

Conclusion:

Using the CHATm clinically identified the need to develop a structured model of assessment of parental suitability for home-monitoring programmes. A robust and nationally agreed training programme for all staff using CHATm was recommended to ensure successful and complete implementation in practice.
Segmented Communities in the Global South: Where Do IR Argentine Scholars Publish and Why?
Authors: Montal Florencia , Pauselli Gino , Yamin Patricio
Published: June 2022

Claims about international relations and political science more broadly becoming more globalized coexist with enduring critiques of the discipline being dominated by scholars from wealthier Western countries. This article leverages data on publication patterns between 2008 and 2020 in the Argentine IR community, which we believe is a relevant and potentially representative sample from the Global South, to show that the discipline is becoming more globalized yet also more segmented. We argue that this segmentation is a product of unequal participation in social and professional networks. The norms and information that circulate through these networks shape the inclination as well as the ability of Global South scholars to join a globalizing discipline.
Wearables in sociodrama: An embodied mixed-methods study of expressiveness in social interactions
Authors: El-Raheb Katerina , Kalampratsidou Vilelmini , Issari Philia , Georgaca Eugenie , Koliouli Flora , Karydi Evangelia , Skali Theodora (Dora) , Diamantides Pandelis , Ioannidis Yannis
Published: June 2022

This mixed-methods study investigates the use of wearable technology in embodied psychology research and explores the potential of incorporating bio-signals to focus on the bodily impact of the social experience. The study relies on scientifically established psychological methods of studying social issues, collective relationships and emotional overloads, such as sociodrama, in combination with participant observation to qualitatively detect and observe verbal and nonverbal aspects of social behavior. We evaluate the proposed method through a pilot sociodrama session and reflect on the outcomes. By utilizing an experimental setting that combines video cameras, microphones, and wearable sensors measuring physiological signals, specifically, heart rate, we explore how the synchronization and analysis of the different signals and annotations enables a mixed-method that combines qualitative and quantitative instruments in studying embodied expressiveness and social interaction.
An Improved Triangular Form‐Based Multiple Flow Direction Algorithm for Determining the Nonuniform Flow Domain Over Grid Networks
Authors: Wu Pengfei , Liu Jintao , Han Xiaole , Feng Meiyan , Fei Junyuan , Shen Xuhui
Published: June 2022

The naturally existing diffusive flow provides revisited values for the multiple flow direction (MFD) algorithm for digital elevation models. However, since the flow is uniformly distributed over a grid cell, existing MFD algorithms can hardly force the flow to propagate within a finite region without arbitrary dispersion. In this study, an improved Triangular Form‐based Multiple Flow Algorithm called iTFM is proposed to limit the arbitrary dispersion by considering the nonuniform flow domain in a cell. In the new algorithm, flow is routed between facets rather than cells and drained to at most two downstream facets, which forces the flow to propagate over partial subregions of a cell, so that different facets in the cell may have different contributing areas. In addition, two alternative strategies including vector split (VS) and area split (AS) are evaluated to determine the flow split ratio for the two downstream facets in this study. Then, the algorithms combining different split strategies (i.e., iTFM‐VS, iTFM‐AS) are compared with eight existing algorithms over four numerical terrains and one physical terrain. The visual and quantitative assessment results show that iTFM‐AS can provide accurate total contributing areas and predicted flow domains for numerical terrains with resolutions ranging from 1 to 20 m. Moreover, the flow domains predicted by iTFM‐AS are in high agreement with the observed domains over the physical terrain with practical resolutions. Therefore, it can be concluded that the iTFM‐AS algorithm can better and more robustly define the dispersive flow domain.
MEMS ultrasonic transducers for safe, low-power and portable eye-blinking monitoring
Authors: Sun Sheng , Wang Jianyuan , Zhang Menglun , Ning Yuan , Ma Dong , Yuan Yi , Niu Pengfei , Rong Zhicong , Wang Zhuochen , Pang Wei
Published: June 2022

Eye blinking is closely related to human physiology and psychology. It is an effective method of communication among people and can be used in human–machine interactions. Existing blink monitoring methods include video-oculography, electro-oculograms and infrared oculography. However, these methods suffer from uncomfortable use, safety risks, limited reliability in strong light or dark environments, and infringed informational security. In this paper, we propose an ultrasound-based portable approach for eye-blinking activity monitoring. Low-power pulse-echo ultrasound featuring biosafety is transmitted and received by microelectromechanical system (MEMS) ultrasonic transducers seamlessly integrated on glasses. The size, weight and power consumption of the transducers are 2.5 mm by 2.5 mm, 23.3 mg and 71 μW, respectively, which provides better portability than conventional methods using wearable devices. Eye-blinking activities were characterized by open and closed eye states and validated by experiments on different volunteers. Finally, real-time eye-blinking monitoring was successfully demonstrated with a response time less than 1 ms. The proposed solution paves the way for ultrasound-based wearable eye-blinking monitoring and offers miniaturization, light weight, low power consumption, high informational security and biosafety.
Mating pair stabilization mediates bacterial conjugation species specificity
Authors: Low Wen Wen , Wong Joshua L. C. , Beltran Leticia C. , Seddon Chloe , David Sophia , Kwong Hok-Sau , Bizeau Tatiana , Wang Fengbin , Peña Alejandro , Costa Tiago R. D. , Pham Bach , Chen Min , Egelman Edward H. , Beis Konstantinos , Frankel Gad
Published: June 2022

Bacterial conjugation mediates contact-dependent transfer of DNA from donor to recipient bacteria, thus facilitating the spread of virulence and resistance plasmids. Here we describe how variants of the plasmid-encoded donor outer membrane (OM) protein TraN cooperate with distinct OM receptors in recipients to mediate mating pair stabilization and efficient DNA transfer. We show that TraN from the plasmid pKpQIL (Klebsiella pneumoniae) interacts with OmpK36, plasmids from R100-1 (Shigella flexneri) and pSLT (Salmonella Typhimurium) interact with OmpW, and the prototypical F plasmid (Escherichia coli) interacts with OmpA. Cryo-EM analysis revealed that TraNpKpQIL interacts with OmpK36 through the insertion of a β-hairpin in the tip of TraN into a monomer of the OmpK36 porin trimer. Combining bioinformatic analysis with AlphaFold structural predictions, we identified a fourth TraN structural variant that mediates mating pair stabilization by binding OmpF. Accordingly, we devised a classification scheme for TraN homologues on the basis of structural similarity and their associated receptors: TraNα (OmpW), TraNβ (OmpK36), TraNγ (OmpA), TraNδ (OmpF). These TraN-OM receptor pairings have real-world implications as they reflect the distribution of resistance plasmids within clinical Enterobacteriaceae isolates, demonstrating the importance of mating pair stabilization in mediating conjugation species specificity. These findings will allow us to predict the distribution of emerging resistance plasmids in high-risk bacterial pathogens.
YouTube Dataset on Mobile Streaming for Internet Traffic Modeling and Streaming Analysis
Authors: Loh Frank , Wamser Florian , Poignée Fabian , Geißler Stefan , Hoßfeld Tobias
Published: June 2022

Around 4.9 billion Internet users worldwide watch billions of hours of online video every day. As a result, streaming is by far the predominant type of traffic in communication networks. According to Google statistics, three out of five video views come from mobile devices. Thus, in view of the continuous technological advances in end devices and increasing mobile use, datasets for mobile streaming are indispensable in research but only sparsely dealt with in literature so far. With this public dataset, we provide 1,081 hours of time-synchronous video measurements at network, transport, and application layer with the native YouTube streaming client on mobile devices. The dataset includes 80 network scenarios with 171 different individual bandwidth settings measured in 5,181 runs with limited bandwidth, 1,939 runs with emulated 3 G/4 G traces, and 4,022 runs with pre-defined bandwidth changes. This corresponds to 332 GB video payload. We present the most relevant quality indicators for scientific use, i.e., initial playback delay, streaming video quality, adaptive video quality changes, video rebuffering events, and streaming phases.
Combined model of topside ionosphere and plasmasphere derived from radio-occultation and Van Allen Probes data
Authors: Prol Fabricio S. , Smirnov Artem G. , Hoque M. Mainul , Shprits Yuri Y.
Published: June 2022

In the last years, electron density profile functions characterized by a linear dependence on the scale height showed good results when approximating the topside ionosphere. The performance above 800 km, however, is not yet well investigated. This study investigates the capability of the semi-Epstein functions to represent electron density profiles from the peak height up to 20,000 km. Electron density observations recorded by the Van Allen Probes were used to resolve the scale height dependence in the plasmasphere. It was found that the linear dependence of the scale height in the topside ionosphere cannot be directly used to extrapolate profiles above 800 km. We find that the dependence of scale heights on altitude is quadratic in the plasmasphere. A statistical model of the scale heights is therefore proposed. After combining the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere by a unified model, we have obtained good estimations not only in the profile shapes, but also in the Total Electron Content magnitude and distributions when compared to actual measurements from 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. Our investigation shows that Van Allen Probes can be merged to radio-occultation data to properly represent the upper ionosphere and plasmasphere by means of a semi-Epstein function.
Estimating the critical shear stress for incipient particle motion of a cohesive soil slope
Authors: Yuan Xingyu , Ye Fei , Fu Wenxi , Wen Lina
Published: June 2022

The critical shear stress is a vital reference indicator for soil erosion. Soil erosion will occur when soil slope suffers from a exceed shear stress, and then causing soil loss and destruction of soil structure. In this work, an equation was proposed based on the force equilibrium of a single particle to estimate the critical shear stress for incipient particle motion of a cohesive soil slope. This formula is characterized by its physical significance, and the critical shear stress for incipient slope soil motion can be easily calculated when the soil properties and the slope angle are known. Moreover, the seepage-runoff coupled model and the excess shear stress equation are introduced in this paper. Two parameters, namely the weight of rushed soil particles and the discharge of water, must be measured in the scouring tests. Through linear regression, the tested τc-values were obtained to validate the τc-values calculated by the formula derived from the critical shear stress. In addition, two other formulas were compared with the derived formulas, which considered more parameters with physical significance. Finally, the influence of all parameters on the critical shear stress was analyzed: the porosity of the soil, the specific gravity of the soil and the slope gradient had less influence on the critical shear stress; the critical shear stress was negatively influenced by the particle diameter and positively influenced by the internal friction angle of the soil.
Differing coronavirus genres alter shared host signaling pathways upon viral infection
Authors: Cruz-Pulido Diana , Ouma Wilberforce Zachary , Kenney Scott P.
Published: June 2022

Coronaviruses are important viral pathogens across a range of animal species including humans. They have a high potential for cross-species transmission as evidenced by the emergence of COVID-19 and may be the origin of future pandemics. There is therefore an urgent need to study coronaviruses in depth and to identify new therapeutic targets. This study shows that distant coronaviruses such as Alpha-, Beta-, and Deltacoronaviruses can share common host immune associated pathways and genes. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the transcription profile of epithelial cell lines infected with swine acute diarrhea syndrome, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or porcine deltacoronavirus, showed that DEGs within 10 common immune associated pathways were upregulated upon infection. Twenty Three pathways and 21 DEGs across 10 immune response associated pathways were shared by these viruses. These 21 DEGs can serve as focused targets for therapeutics against newly emerging coronaviruses. We were able to show that even though there is a positive correlation between PDCoV and SARS-CoV-2 infections, these viruses could be using different strategies for efficient replication in their cells from their natural hosts. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of comparative host transcriptome analysis across distant coronavirus genres.
Male sex increases the risk of diabetic retinopathy in an urban safety-net hospital population without impacting the relationship between axial length and retinopathy
Authors: Qian Jing , Haq Zeeshan , Yang Daphne , Stewart Jay M.
Published: June 2022

This study sought to assess the association between axial length (AL) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in a diverse cohort of patients and to investigate the impact of sex on this relationship. An urban safety net hospital database was used for this cross-sectional observational study. Diabetic patients who underwent fundus photography and AL measurement between March 2017 and June 2020 were included. The fundus photographs were graded following the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study criteria. The study enrolled 1843 patients with diabetes (mean age: 56.9 ± 12.1 years; AL: 23.56 ± 1.12 mm), including 931 men and 912 women. Male sex was a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy (P = 0.001; odds ratio [OR] 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18–1.98). A higher DR prevalence was associated with shorter AL both in men (P = 0.003; OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.66–0.91) and women (P = 0.02; OR 0.83; 95% CI 0.71–0.97) after adjusting for systemic risk factors using multivariable logistic regression. There was no significant impact of sex on the relationship between AL and DR (P = 0.56). In the subset of patients with asymmetric DR, the percentage of patients whose shorter eye had a higher stage of DR was not significantly different between men and women (P = 0.20). Male sex is a risk factor for DR in a diverse safety-net hospital population. Longer AL is associated with a lower risk of DR, and this relationship is not affected by sex.
Adjunction of a fish oil emulsion to cytarabine and daunorubicin induction chemotherapy in high-risk AML
Authors: Gyan Emmanuel , Pigneux Arnaud , Hunault Mathilde , Peterlin Pierre , Carré Martin , Bay Jacques-Olivier , Bonmati Caroline , Gallego-Hernanz Maria-Pilar , Lioure Bruno , Bertrand Philippe , Vallet Nicolas , Ternant David , Darrouzain François , Picou Frédéric , Béné Marie-Christine , Récher Christian , Hérault Olivier
Published: June 2022

The treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with unfavorable cytogenetics treatment remains a challenge. We previously established that ex vivo exposure of AML blasts to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), or fish oil emulsion (FO) induces Nrf2 pathway activation, metabolic switch, and cell death. The FILO group launched a pilot clinical study to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the adjunction of a commercial FO emulsion to 3 + 7 in untreated AML with unfavorable cytogenetics. The primary objective was complete response (CR). Thirty patients were included. FO administration raised the plasma levels of eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids (p < 0.001). The pharmacokinetics of cytarabine and daunorubicin were unaffected. A historical comparison to the LAM2001 trial (Lioure et al. Blood 2012) found a higher frequency of grade 3 serious adverse events, with no drug-related unexpected toxicity. The CR rate was 77%, and the partial response (PR) 10%, not significantly superior to that of the previous study (CR 72%, PR 1%). RT-qPCR analysis of Nrf2 target genes and antioxidant enzymes did not show a significant in vivo response. Overall, FO emulsion adjunction to 3 + 7 is feasible. An improvement in CR was not shown in this cohort of high-risk patients. The present data does not support the use of FO in adjunction with 3 + 7 in high-risk AML patients.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01999413.
Non-invasive sleep EEG measurement in hand raised wolves
Authors: Reicher Vivien , Bálint Anna , Újváry Dóra , Gácsi Márta
Published: June 2022

Sleep research greatly benefits from comparative studies to understand the underlying physiological and environmental factors affecting the different features of sleep, also informing us about the possible evolutionary changes shaping them. Recently, the domestic dog became an exceedingly valuable model species in sleep studies, as the use of non-invasive polysomnography methodologies enables direct comparison with human sleep data. In this study, we applied the same polysomnography protocol to record the sleep of dog’s closest wild relative, the wolf. We measured the sleep of seven captive (six young and one senior), extensively socialized wolves using a fully non-invasive sleep EEG methodology, originally developed for family dogs. We provide the first descriptive analysis of the sleep macrostructure and NREM spectral power density of wolves using a completely non-invasive methodology. For (non-statistical) comparison, we included the same sleep data of similarly aged dogs. Although our sample size was inadequate to perform statistical analyses, we suggest that it may form the basis of an international, multi-site collection of similar samples using our methodology, allowing for generalizable, unbiased conclusions. As we managed to register both macrostructural and spectral sleep data, our procedure appears to be suitable for collecting valid data in other species too, increasing the comparability of non-invasive sleep studies.
Antidiabetic effects of Scrophularia striata ethanolic extract via suppression of Pdx1 and Ins1 expression in pancreatic tissues of diabetic rats
Authors: Babaiedarzi Armieti , Ghanbari Saba , Mehrad seresht Maryam , Nasiri Modara
Published: June 2022

One of the factors that causes severe metabolic imbalance and abnormal changes in many tissues, especially in the pancreas, is the pathological disease of diabetes mellitus. Therefore, in this study, the therapeutic effects of Scrophularia striata were investigated using an animal model in the control of diabetic injury and pancreatic complications caused by diabetes. A total of 66 rats (weight 220–250 g) were randomly divided into: Healthy Control group (rats without diabetes receiving Propylene glycol as solvent); Diabetic control group; 3 experimental healthy groups (receiving the extract with doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg bw/day); 3 treatment groups; and3 pretreatment groups. Diabetes was induced in rats by intraperitoneal STZ (60 mg/kg bw). FBS, HbA1c and insulin were measured after 4 weeks. Pdx1 and Ins1 gene expression was assessed by RT-PCR. The histological evaluation was also performed with H&E staining. The data were analyzed by SPSS ver20 using ANOVA and Tukey tests. By treatment with S. striata ethanolic extract, these factors were close to the normal range. The expression of the Pdx1 and Ins1 genes increased in the treated rats with S. striata extract. Analysis of the obtained data indicates the effect of S. striata in improving the complications of diabetes in rats and can be considered for therapeutic purposes.
Pleiotropic activation of endothelial function by angiotensin II receptor blockers is crucial to their protective anti-vascular remodeling effects
Authors: Tehrani Arash Y. , White Zoe , Tung Lin Wei , Zhao Roy Ru Yi , Milad Nadia , Seidman Michael A. , Sauge Elodie , Theret Marine , Rossi Fabio M. V. , Esfandiarei Mitra , van Breemen Casey , Bernatchez Pascal
Published: June 2022

There are no therapeutics that directly enhance chronic endothelial nitric oxide (NO) release, which is typically associated with vascular homeostasis. In contrast, angiotensin II (AngII) receptor type 1 (AT1R) blockers (ARBs) can attenuate AngII-mediated oxidative stress, which often leads to increased endothelial NO bioavailability. Herein, we investigate the potential presence of direct, AngII/AT1R-independent ARB class effects on endothelial NO release and how this may result in enhanced aortic wall homeostasis and endothelial NO-specific transcriptome changes. Treatment of mice with four different ARBs induced sustained, long-term inhibition of vascular contractility by up to 82% at 16 weeks and 63% at 2 weeks, an effect reversed by L-NAME and absent in endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) KO mice or angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor captopril-treated animals. In absence of AngII or in tissues with blunted AT1R expression or incubated with an AT2R blocker, telmisartan reduced vascular tone, supporting AngII/AT1R-independent pleiotropism. Finally, telmisartan was able to inhibit aging- and Marfan syndrome (MFS)-associated aortic root widening in NO-sensitive, BP-independent fashions, and correct aberrant TGF-β signaling. RNAseq analyses of aortic tissues identified early eNOS-specific transcriptome reprogramming of the aortic wall in response to telmisartan. This study suggests that ARBs are capable of major class effects on vasodilatory NO release in fashions that may not involve blockade of the AngII/AT1R pathway. Broader prophylactic use of ARBs along with identification of non-AngII/AT1R pathways activated by telmisartan should be investigated.
Genome-wide identification, in silico characterization and expression analysis of the RNA helicase gene family in chickpea (C. arietinum L.)
Authors: Yadav Sheel , Yadava Yashwant K. , Kohli Deshika , Meena Shashi , Kalwan Gopal , Bharadwaj C. , Gaikwad Kishor , Arora Ajay , Jain P. K.
Published: June 2022

The RNA helicases are an important class of enzymes which are known to influence almost every aspect of RNA metabolism. The majority of RNA helicases belong to the SF2 (superfamily 2) superfamily, members of which are further categorized into three separate subfamilies i.e., the DEAD, DEAH and DExD/H-box subfamilies. In chickpea, these RNA helicases have not been characterized until now. A genome-wide analysis across the chickpea genome led to the identification of a total of 150 RNA helicase genes which included 50 DEAD, 33 DEAH and 67 DExD/H-box genes. These were distributed across all the eight chromosomes, with highest number on chromosome 4 (26) and least on chromosome 8 (8). Gene duplication analysis resulted in identification of 15 paralogous gene pairs with Ka/Ks values < 1, indicating towards the genes being under purifying selection during the course of evolution. The promoter regions of the RNA helicase genes were enriched in cis-acting elements like the light and ABA-responsive elements. The drought responsiveness of the genes was analysed by studying the expression profiles of few of these genes, in two different genotypes, the cultivated variety ICC 8261 (kabuli, C. arietinum) and the wild accession ILWC 292 (C. reticulatum), through qRT-PCR. These genotypes were selected based on their drought responsiveness in a field experiment, where it was observed that the percentage (%) reduction in relative water content (RWC) and membrane stability index (MSI) for the drought stressed plants after withholding water for 24 days, over the control or well-watered plants, was least for both the genotypes. The genes CaDEAD50 and CaDExD/H66 were identified as drought-responsive RNA helicase genes in chickpea. The protein encoded by the CaDExD/H66 gene shares a high degree of homology with one of the CLSY (CLASSY) proteins of A. thaliana. We hypothesize that this gene could possibly be involved in regulation of DNA methylation levels in chickpea by regulating siRNA production, in conjunction with other proteins like the Argonaute, RNA dependent RNA polymerases and Dicer-like proteins.