bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beeswax‐Modified Starch–Cellulose Composites with Superhydrophobic and Self‐Cleaning Capability
Authors: Niu Shasha , He Wenqin , Chang Qing , Deng Xiaoyong , Xie Yijun
Published: March 2023

Starch‐based materials have been proposed as the alternatives to plastic tableware and packaging materials; however, starch materials suffer from poor wear resistance because of their hydrophilicity. Therefore, it is essential to prepare starch composites with hydrophobic functionalization especially using fluorine‐free compounds. In this study, superhydrophobic starch–cellulose composites are fabricated by using polyethyleneimine (PEI) as the adhesive layer and beeswax as the functionalized layer. The superhydrophobicity (contact angle: 152°) is achieved by building the rough surface and low surface energy of beeswax. Meanwhile, polyethyleneimine tightly connects the beeswax coating and the starch composites by hydrogen bonding, and the surface remains superhydrophobic even after 200 s of water impact. The water/moisture absorption reduced significantly (>30%) after beeswax functionalization thanks to the increased hydrophobicity while the mechanical strength keeps the same (≈22 MPa) compared with the unfunctionalized sample. The self‐cleaning study on various types of liquid drinks (milk, cola, coffee, tea) on the superhydrohobic starch composites demonstrates efficient repellence to the fluids and retains the superhydrophobicity upon different liquid. The durable and biodegradable starch–cellulose composites with excellent self‐cleaning and antifouling performance provide the methodological basis for developing next‐generation green packaging materials over common plastics.
Migrant Domestic Space as Kinship Space: Dwelling in the “Distant Home” of One’s in-Laws
Authors: Bertolani Barbara
Published: March 2023

Much qualitative research on international migration has interrogated the influence of a migratory background on the access to the field, the quality and type of data being collected and their analytical interpretation. What happens, instead, if a researcher ispartof the research field? What are the ethical, moral and relational constraints and opportunities that this position entails in data access and interpretation? This chapter is based on a study of home and homemaking in domestic spaces connected by international migration between Indian Punjab and Italy. I critically discuss the implications of my double positioning as someone who entered the homes of her in-laws as a female white European researcher, and as the wife of a relative. This has enabled me to live up close and as a family guest the daily life and domesticity in the “distant homes” of my relatives, and has certainly influenced the type of information collected. Drawing on some specific examples, I revisit the most frequent misunderstandings but also the contingent measures adopted to negotiate our respective expectations and roles. Moreover, the chapter analyzes the constraints and opportunities that this positioning has brought to my study, eventually showing what we can understand better and otherwise about migration and homemaking by doing research in the domestic space of our research participants.
‘Visiting Home’ as a Method and Experience: Researching Russian Migrants’ Homes in the UK
Authors: Pechurina Anna
Published: March 2023

This chapter draws on a study which examined the interrelation between home, migration and cultural identity, using home-based qualitative interviews as the main method of data collection. As the chapter shows, while the home as an interview setting offers opportunities to see and discuss objects in their actual location as well as engage the senses, it also poses challenges of ethical and methodological nature. This chapter presents a discussion of the home interview situation and the ways it came to reveal different contexts and relationships that produced a host/guest dynamic that reflected various expectations from both the researcher and the participants. While the domestic space provides welcome and hospitality, it also imposes boundaries and rules. Overall, the chapter calls for a more methodologically nuanced and reflexive approach to the home-based interview that can uncover meanings, attachments and relationships that affect both participants and researchers.
(In)Visibility: On the Doorstep of a Mediatized Refugees’ Squat
Authors: Giudici Daniela
Published: March 2023

Migrants’ squats often inhabit marginal and “out of sight” urban areas, placed at the intersection of institutional neglect and alternative strategies for self-managed living. Yet, at times, migrants’ informal settlements become highly visible places, as they find themselves in the spotlight as symbols of governmental failure and urban decay. This chapter reflects on the hurdles and conundrums of negotiating access as a researcher within such a place. It is based on a number of ethnographic encounters that took place at “Ex-MOI”, a housing squat in Turin’s abandoned Olympic Village that became catalyst of local anxieties, as well as of national xenophobic propaganda. Entering a housing squat – at once a public and a private environment – is by no means obvious. Yet, this scenario offers a fertile perspective to look at some underlying aspects of the ethnographic encounter, such as research subjects’ resistance to the “ethnographic gaze”, cross-gender and cross-racial dynamics within fieldwork, as well as the role of the “unsaid” as a telling social act. Refugees’ refusal to be “domesticated” for academic purposes testifies to their multiple attempts at re-gaining control over the representation of their lives, as well as to the inherent political nature of acts of homemaking.
Looking for Homes in Migrants’ Informal Settlements: A Case Study from Italy
Authors: Fravega Enrico
Published: March 2023

This chapter offers an overview of migrants’ home experience in informal settlements. Focusing on the case of an agro-industrial district in Southern Italy, and based on my ethnographic fieldwork, I first discuss the relevance of labour exploitation in shaping the emergence, localization and spreading of informal settlements in the Italian ruralscape, including the associated housing and homemaking practices. I then show how migrants’ home in informal settlements spreads out of the perimeter of dwelling and is deeply shaped by their broader social and relational experience. The chapter eventually stresses the importance of research on migrant homemaking practices in informal settlements. This points to the significance of aspects such as the blurring and entanglement of boundaries between public and private spheres; the deep influence of interpersonal relationships in shaping one’s domestic space; the social construction of housing and homemaking as the result of migrants’ autonomy combined with the social constraints and the forms of exploitation they are embedded in.
Bernardo Vittone’s room height method and the golden ratio
Authors: Holdø Øystein
Published: March 2023

This paper analyzes Bernardo Vittone’s self-invented room height method by translating it algebraically and comparing it with the arithmetic, geometric and harmonic means. The conclusion suggests that Vittone might have used the golden ratio to develop his room height method.
Stability of a two-dimensional biomorphoelastic model for post-burn contraction
Authors: Egberts Ginger , Vermolen Fred , van Zuijlen Paul
Published: March 2023

We consider the stability analysis of a two-dimensional model for post-burn contraction. The model is based on morphoelasticity for permanent deformations and combined with a chemical-biological model that incorporates cellular densities, collagen density, and the concentration of chemoattractants. We formulate stability conditions depending on the decay rate of signaling molecules for both the continuous partial differential equations-based problem and the (semi-)discrete representation. We analyze the difference and convergence between the resulting spatial eigenvalues from the continuous and semi-discrete problems.
Tobacco smoking and vascular biology and function: evidence from human studies
Authors: Hahad Omar , Kuntic Marin , Kuntic Ivana , Daiber Andreas , Münzel Thomas
Published: March 2023

Tobacco cigarette smoking is among the most complex and least understood health risk factors. A deeper insight into the pathophysiological actions of smoking exposure is of special importance as smoking is a major cause of chronic non-communicable diseases, in particular of cardiovascular disease as well as risk factors such as atherosclerosis and arterial hypertension. It is well known that smoking exerts its negative effects on cardiovascular health through various interdependent pathophysiological actions including hemodynamic and autonomic alterations, oxidative stress, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, thrombosis, and hyperlipidemia. Importantly, impaired vascular endothelial function is acknowledged as an early key event in the initiation and progression of smoking-induced atherosclerosis. Increasing evidence from human studies indicates that cigarette smoke exposure associates with a pathological state of the vascular endothelium mainly characterized by reduced vascular nitric oxide bioavailability due to increased vascular superoxide production. In the present overview, we provide compact evidence on the effects of tobacco cigarette smoke exposure on vascular biology and function in humans centered on main drivers of adverse cardiovascular effects including endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and oxidative stress.
Effect of psychosocial stress and coping strategies on non-surgical periodontal therapy in patients with generalized stage III/IV periodontitis: a longitudinal intervention study
Authors: Romano Federica , Bebars Ahmad , Ortu Valentina , Bottone Michele , Giraudi Marta , Mariani Giulia Maria , Baima Giacomo , Aimetti Mario
Published: March 2023

Objectives

The aim of this longitudinal intervention study was to assess the impact of psychosocial stress and coping response strategies on the clinical outcomes in periodontitis patients treated with non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT).

Materials and methods

After the administration of psychological questionnaires, patients diagnosed with generalized stage III–IV periodontitis were categorized into different groups depending on their stress levels (10-item perceived stress level (PSS-10)) and coping response strategies (coping responses inventory (CRI)). Clinical data were collected 1 week before and 3 months after the completion of NSPT.

Results

Of the 90 patients included at baseline, 27 presented major and 63 minor stress levels, while 40 had avoidance and 50 approach coping behavior. All clinical parameters were similar at the baseline across different categories. At re-evaluation, full-mouth bleeding score (FMBS), mean probing pocket depth (PPD), and number of residual pathological pockets were significantly superior in groups with higher stress levels (p <0.001, p =0.001, and p =0.020, respectively), while higher full-mouth plaque scores (FMPS) and FMBS were found in patients with avoidance coping strategies (p =0.009 and p <0.001, respectively). When jointly evaluated, an added detrimental effect of coping styles on allostatic load was observed. Multivariate analysis confirmed a significant effect of stress levels and coping strategies on final FMBS, but not of coping on mean PPD.

Conclusion

Psychosocial stress and avoidance coping strategy seem to negatively influence the clinical outcomes of NSPT at short term (NCT04739475; 9/1/2017).

Practical implications

Based on these findings, patients reflecting these psychological profiles should be considered at greater risk for poor NSPT response and may benefit from complementary stress management strategies.
Effects of Nystatin oral rinse on oral Candida species and Streptococcus mutans among healthy adults
Authors: Aljaffary Mohammed , Jang Hoonji , Alomeir Nora , Zeng Yan , Alkhars Naemah , Vasani Shruti , Almulhim Abdullah , Wu Tong Tong , Quataert Sally , Bruno Jennifer , Lee Aaron , Xiao Jin
Published: March 2023

Objectives

To examine the effect of Nystatin oral rinse on oral Candida species and Streptococcus mutans carriage.

Materials and methods

Twenty healthy adults with oral candidiasis participated in the single-arm clinical trial and received Nystatin oral rinse for 7 days, 4 applications/day, and 600,000 International Units/application. Demographic-socioeconomic-oral-medical conditions were obtained. Salivary and plaque Candida species and Streptococcus mutans were assessed at baseline and 1-week and 3-month follow-ups. Twenty-four salivary cytokines were assessed. Candida albicans isolates underwent Nystatin susceptibility test.

Results

Half of participants (10/20) were free of salivary C. albicans after using Nystatin rinse. Salivary S. mutans was significantly reduced at 3-month follow-up (p < 0.05). Periodontal status reflected by bleeding-on-probing was significantly improved at 1-week and 3-month follow-ups (p < 0.05). Plaque accumulation was significantly reduced at 1-week follow-up (p < 0.05). Interestingly, the responses to Nystatin oral rinse were not associated with race, gender, age, oral hygiene practice, adherence to Nystatin rinse, or sweet consumption (p > 0.05). No C. albicans isolates were resistant to Nystatin. Furthermore, salivary cytokine eotaxin and fractalkine were significantly reduced at 3-month follow-up among participants who responded to Nystatin rinse (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The study results indicate that oral antifungal treatment had an effect on S. mutans salivary carriage. Future clinical trials are warranted to comprehensively assess the impact of antifungal treatment on the oral flora other than S. mutans and Candida.

Clinical relevance

Due to the potential cariogenic role of oral Candida species, antifungal approaches shed new light on the prevention and management of dental caries from a fungal perspective.
Hierarchical Integration of Model Predictive and Fuzzy Logic Control for Combined Coverage and Target-Oriented Search-and-Rescue via Robots with Imperfect Sensors
Authors: de Koning Christopher , Jamshidnejad Anahita
Published: March 2023

Search-and-rescue (SaR) in unknown environments is a crucial task with life-threatening risks. SaR requires precise, optimal, and fast decisions to be made. Robots are promising candidates expected to execute various SaR tasks autonomously. While humans use heuristics to effectively deal with uncertainties of SaR, optimisation of multiple objectives (e.g., the mission time, the area covered, the number of victims detected), in the presence of physical and control constraints, is a mathematical challenge that requires machine computations. Thus including both human-inspired and mathematical capabilities in decision making of SaR robots is highly desired. However, developing control approaches that exhibit both capabilities has been significantly ignored in literature. Moreover, coordinating the decisions of the robots in large-scale SaR missions with affordable computation costs is an open challenge. Finally, in real-life, due to defects (e.g., in the sensors of the robots) or environmental factors (e.g., smoke) data perceived by SaR robots may be prone to uncertainties. We introduce a hierarchical multi-agent control architecture that simultaneously provides the following advantages: exploiting non-homogeneous and imperfect perception capabilities of SaR robots; improving the global performance as it is provided by centralised controllers; computational efficiency and robustness to failure of the central controller as offered by decentralised control methods. The integrated structure of the proposed control framework allows to combine human-inspired and mathematical decision making methods, via respectively fuzzy logic and model predictive control, in a coordinated and computationally efficient way. Our results for various computer-based simulations show that while the area coverage with the proposed control approach is comparable to existing heuristic methods that are particularly developed for coverage-oriented SaR, our approach has a significantly better performance regarding locating the trapped victims. Furthermore, with comparable computation times, the proposed control approach successfully avoids conflicts that may appear in non-cooperative control methods. In summary, the proposed multi-agent control system is capable of combining coverage-oriented and target-oriented SaR in a balanced and coordinated way.
Youth Suicide and Self-Harm: Latent Class Profiles of Adversity and the Moderating Roles of Perceived Support and Sense of Safety
Authors: Silke Charlotte , Brady Bernadine , Devaney Carmel , O’Brien Cliodhna , Durcan Micheal , Bunting Brendan , Heary Caroline
Published: March 2023

Research suggests that exposure to adversity can lead to an increased risk of experiencing suicidal and self-injurious thoughts or behaviours, but few studies have examined whether different patterns of adversity are differentially associated with youth suicide/self-harm. The current study aims to explore the relationship between exposure to adversity across various social domains and youth self-harm and suicidality, using a person centred approach, and examines whether access to social support and a sense of safety across home, peer or school settings buffer the relationship between adversity and self-harm/suicidality. Secondary data analyses were carried out on cross-sectional self-report data collected from 4848 (Mage=15.78, SD = 0.59; 50% female) adolescents who participated in the Irish Planet Youth survey. Latent Class Analyses identified four distinct profiles of adversity; low-adversity (n = 2043, 42%); peer-adversity (n = 972, 20%); parental-adversity (n = 1189, 25%); and multiple-adversity (n = 644, 13%). Findings from logistic moderated regressions indicated that there were significant differences in self-harm and suicidality across the adversity classes. Although parental support and perceived safety at school were negatively associated with suicidality and self-harm outcomes, no significant moderation effects were observed. These findings suggest that youth who experience adversity across multiple social domains are more likely to report suicidal and self-harm thoughts and behaviours, and should be key targets for intervention/prevention efforts. While parental support and school safety may act as significant compensatory factors, further work is needed to identify the social resources that can offset the risk imposed by youth’s adverse experiences.
Stability and Change in Adolescents’ Sense of Agency: Contributions of Sex, Multiple Risk, Pandemic Stress, and Attachment to Parents
Authors: Nunes Filipa , Mota Catarina P. , Ferreira Tiago , Schoon Ingrid , Matos Paula M.
Published: March 2023

Although literature states that individual, relational, and contextual factors contribute to adolescents’ sense of agency, more research is needed to clarify and understand how adolescents develop this belief over time. The current study examined the stability/change trajectories of the sense of agency during adolescence, specifically across high school, analyzing whether attachment to parents over time, adolescents’ sex, cumulative risk in baseline, and pandemic-related stress explained these trajectories. The sample included 467 Portuguese adolescents (40.7% were males; Mage = 15.58 years, SD = 0.80), evaluated three times across 18 months. This work yielded three significant findings. First, adolescents’ sense of agency significantly increased over time, with significant between-subject variance at the initial levels but not at the growth rate. Second, attachment to parents consistently links to adolescents’ sense of agency across time, despite the differential contributions from attachment to mothers and fathers. Third, boys reported greater growth in the sense of agency than girls. Adolescents’ cumulative risk at T1 predicted lower initial levels of sense of agency, whereas higher pandemic-related stress predicted less growth of the sense of agency. These findings emphasize the contributions of individual and family characteristics and the role of the broader social context in shaping the development of adolescents’ sense of agency. The findings underline the need to consider further the differential influences of adolescents’ relationships with mothers and fathers to understand changes in adolescents’ sense of agency.
Removable Singularities for Solutions of the Fractional Heat Equation in Time Varying Domains
Authors: Mateu Joan , Prat Laura
Published: March 2023

In this paper we study removable singularities for solutions of the fractional heat equation in the spacial-time space. We introduce associated capacities and we study some of its metric and geometric properties.
Structural resilience and recovery of a criminal network after disruption: a simulation study
Authors: Diviák Tomáš
Published: March 2023

Objectives

Criminal networks tend to recover after a disruption, and this recovery may trigger negative unintended consequences by strengthening network cohesion. This study uses a real-world street gang network as a basis for simulating the effect of disruption and subsequent recovery on network structure.

Methods

This study utilises cohesion and centrality measures to describe the network and to simulate nine network disruptions. Stationary stochastic actor-oriented models are used to identify relational mechanisms in this network and subsequently to simulate network recovery in five scenarios.

Results

Removing the most central and the highest-ranking actors have the largest immediate impact on the network. In the long-term recovery simulation, networks become more compact (substantially so when increasing triadic closure), while the structure disintegrates when preferential attachment decreases.

Conclusion

These results indicate that the mechanisms driving network recovery are more important than the immediate impact of disruption due to network recovery.
Aberrations in the early pregnancy serum metabolic profile in women with prediabetes at two years postpartum
Authors: Muhli Ella , Benchraka Chouaib , Lotankar Mrunalini , Houttu Noora , Niinikoski Harri , Lahti Leo , Laitinen Kirsi
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Aberrations in circulating metabolites have been associated with diabetes and cardiovascular risk.

Objectives

To investigate if early and late pregnancy serum metabolomic profiles differ in women who develop prediabetes by two years postpartum compared to those who remain normoglycemic.

Methods

An NMR metabolomics platform was used to measure 228 serum metabolite variables from women with pre-pregnancy overweight in early and late pregnancy. Co-abundant groups of metabolites were compared between the women who were (n = 40) or were not (n = 138) prediabetic at two years postpartum. Random Forests classifiers, based on the metabolic profiles, were used to predict the prediabetes status, and correlations of the metabolites to glycemic traits (fasting glucose and insulin, HOMA2-IR and HbA1c) and hsCRP at postpartum were evaluated.

Results

Women with prediabetes had higher concentrations of small HDL particles, total lipids in small HDL, phospholipids in small HDL and free cholesterol in small HDL in early pregnancy (p = 0.029; adj with pre-pregnancy BMI p = 0.094). The small HDL related metabolites also correlated positively with markers of insulin resistance at postpartum. Similar associations were not detected for metabolites in late pregnancy. A Random Forests classifier based on serum metabolites and clinical variables in early pregnancy displayed an acceptable predictive power for the prediabetes status at postpartum (AUROC 0.668).

Conclusion

Elevated serum concentrations of small HDL particles in early pregnancy associate with prediabetes and insulin resistance at two years postpartum. The serum metabolic profile during pregnancy might be used to identify women at increased risk for type 2 diabetes.
Testing the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis in terms of ecological footprint and CO2 emissions through energy diversification for Turkey
Authors: Acaroğlu Hakan , Kartal Hatice Melissa , García Márquez Fausto Pedro
Published: March 2023

This research work analyzes the relationship between environmental degradation, economic growth, trade openness, primary energy consumption, coal consumption, and hydroelectricity consumption in Turkey from 1971 to 2015 using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) time series approach through the hypothesis of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and ecological footprint are both used as indicators of environmental degradation, which employs six different models. According to the results found in this study, while trade openness increases CO2 emissions, it decreases ecological footprint in the long-run. Coal consumption raises both CO2 emissions and ecological footprint. While hydroelectric energy reduces CO2 emissions, it has no effect on the environment. The results demonstrate that the EKC hypothesis is correct for both CO2 emissions and Turkey’s ecological footprint. The threshold points are investigated as $18,704, $16,361, and $13,571 in models, where CO2 emissions are the dependent variable. In models where the ecological footprint is the dependent variable, the investigated threshold points of $11,824, $11,821, and $15,476 are higher than the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita during the analysis periods. Furthermore, the findings highlight the importance of renewable energy use in reducing environmental degradation and coal use in increasing environmental degradation. These findings can shed light on the importance of transition to renewable energy sources (i.e., hydroelectricity consumption), from fossil fuels (i.e., coal consumption), related to future planning in energy diversification for Turkey.
Prevalence and Correlates of Panic Attacks Among People Who Primarily Smoke Methamphetamine
Authors: Hine Rochelle , Ward Bernadette , Kippen Rebecca , Sutton Keith , Duncan Zoe , Quinn Brendan , Powell Aimee , Dietze Paul
Published: March 2023

Few studies have examined panic attacks and social and demographic factors, amongst people who use methamphetamine. This study explores the prevalence and correlates of panic attacks amongst an Australian sample of 711 people who primarily smoke methamphetamine. Baseline data for this study was gathered from participants recruited from regional and metropolitan communities across Victoria, Australia, in an ongoing prospective cohort study. Sequential logistic regression was used to examine correlations between panic attacks and sociodemographic, mental health and methamphetamine use variables. Over one-third (36%) of participants reported experiencing a recent panic attack (within the last 4 weeks). The following characteristics were associated with an increased likelihood of panic attacks: being female [aOR 1.85, 95% CI 1.25, 2.60], younger (18–29 years) [aOR 1.82, 95% CI 1.16, 2.85], non-heterosexual [aOR 2.19, 95% CI 1.37, 3.49], having experienced interpersonal assault in the past 12 months [aOR 1.71, 95% CI 1.19, 2.45], being methamphetamine-dependent [aOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.22, 2.59] and reporting moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety [aOR 5.49, 95% CI 3.93, 7.69] and depression [aOR 3.98, 95% CI 2.86, 5.53]. Opportunities exist for health services to proactively engage and support this population when they present in distressed states, with a non-judgemental, trauma-informed approach.

Highlights

• It is estimated that over one third of people who smoke methamphetamine experience panic attacks.

• Methamphetamine smokers who are young, female and non-heterosexual are at increased risk of experiencing panic attacks.

• Presentations during mental distress are an opportunity for psychoeducation and harm reduction discussions.
Dissecting entrepreneurial team research: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Horvatinovic Tin , Mikic Mihaela , Dabić Marina
Published: March 2023

Despite the massive volume of published articles, the pool of knowledge on entrepreneurial teams needs to be algorithmically classified and meticulously scrutinised. It is crucial for the field to be historically positioned under relevant themes, internally connected in terms of conceptual foundations, and systematically categorised in consonance with previously utilised frameworks of analysis. These concerns are resolved in this study by conducting a bibliometric analysis of 672 relevant articles. This form of analysis has not been previously employed on the topic of entrepreneurial teams. First, this study identifies eight main thematic clusters in the entrepreneurial teams field and their sub-themes. The eight main thematic clusters are: (i) Intellectual Capital, (ii) Cognition and Behaviour, (iii) Science and Technology, (iv) Finance, (v) Transformation, (vi) Internationalisation, (vii) Family, and (viii) Community and Surroundings. Second, the study reveals the clusters most needing restoration, relations between clusters, and input-mediator-output variables by their respective cluster. In addition, an implied scholarly depiction of entrepreneurial teams is articulated, which can serve as a basis for developing an entrepreneurial teams theory. Finally, promising avenues for future research are suggested for the entire field and every cluster specifically.
Bounds for theta sums in higher rank. I
Authors: Marklof Jens , Welsh Matthew
Published: March 2023

Theta sums are finite exponential sums with a quadratic form in the oscillatory phase. This paper establishes new upper bounds for theta sums in the case of smooth and box truncations. This generalises a classic 1977 result of Fiedler, Jurkat and Körner for one-variable theta sums and, in the multi-variable case, improves previous estimates obtained by Cosentino and Flaminio in 2015. Key steps in our approach are the automorphic representation of theta functions and their growth in the cusps of the underlying homogeneous space.
Happy storytelling promotes emotional contagion and interpersonal closeness
Authors: Wei Yanqiu , Zhang Ling , Lian Tao , Chen Ying , Liao Sihua , Guo Qi , Hu Ping
Published: March 2023

Storytelling is an important part of human’s daily life. It is a powerful means to share emotions with others. Thus, individuals’ autobiographical memory is a suitable carrier of intentional emotional contagion. Few researchers have explored intentional emotional contagion using individuals’ autobiographical memory, especially people’s neural responses to individuals’ autobiographical memory, and the corresponding mental mechanism of emotional contagion has not been sufficiently clarified. This study investigated the intentional emotional contagion in people’s daily conversation using a functional near-infrared spectroscopy technique comprising two phases. The first phase involved speakers’ video production. In the second phase, the videos were presented to the listeners, during which we obtained listeners’ brain activities while they viewed the videos. The behavioral results showed that compared with the outcome from neutral stories, the degree of emotional contagion induced by happy stories and the degree of overlap between the speaker and the listener were larger. The brain results demonstrated that neutral stories induced greater activation than happy stories in channel 11 and channel 15. These results suggest that to be a happy girl is quite easy and sharing happiness promotes closeness. Future research directions are also provided.
Spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma with duodenal obstruction with diagnostic use of endoscopic ultrasound: A case series and literature review
Authors: Makazu Makomo , Koizumi Kazuya , Masuda Sakue , Jinushi Ryuhei , Shionoya Kento , Tsukiyama Toshitaka
Published: March 2023

Spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma is rare and can cause duodenal obstruction. We report four cases of spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma with duodenal obstruction, wherein endoscopic ultrasound was useful for diagnosis. The patients complained of vomiting with stable vital signs. Computed tomography, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and endoscopic ultrasound findings were similar in all cases. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a low-density mass around the 2nd to 3rd part of the duodenum. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed an edematous, reddish, but non-neoplastic duodenal mucosa with stenosis of the lumen. Endoscopic ultrasound revealed a low-echoic mass around the duodenum and high-echoic floating matter suggesting debris and anechoic areas that indicated a liquid component. These findings suggested hematomas or abscesses. Although pseudoaneurysm of the pancreaticoduodenal artery was suspected in Case 3, we chose conservative treatment because the aneurysm was small. In Case 4, median arcuate ligament syndrome was suspected on angiography. No aneurysms or arteriovenous malformations were found; thus, endovascular embolization was not performed. The patients were treated conservatively and discharged within 3–5 weeks. English literature queries on spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma with duodenal obstruction in MEDLINE revealed 21 cases in 18 studies. The clinical features of these patients and the present four cases have been discussed.
WEaning Age FiNder (WEAN): a tool for estimating weaning age from stable isotope ratios of dentinal collagen
Authors: Ganiatsou Elissavet , Souleles Angelos , Papageorgopoulou Christina
Published: March 2023

Nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ15N) of incremental dentine collagen have been extensively used for the study of breastfeeding and weaning practices in ancient populations. The shifts in δ15N values reveal the duration of exclusive breastfeeding, the onset and completion of weaning. Despite the significant progress in sampling precision protocols, the weaning estimation is still performed by visual observation of δ15N individual profiles, a time-consuming, labor-intensive, and error-prone task. To fill this gap, we generated WEAN, a tool that enables automated estimation of weaning age based on δ15N measurements from incremental dentine collagen. WEAN generates a refined age assignment based on regression analysis and calculates the knee/elbow point of the δ15N curvature as the individual’s weaning age. We tested the accuracy of the tool by re-estimating 130 weaning ages from published datasets with the calculation of the root mean square error (RMSE). The results show a strong agreement between the visual observation and the elbow method underlining that an automatic mathematical framework can be used for the accurate estimation of weaning age. The tool can estimate the weaning age of a single or many individuals and produces visually appealing graphics (scatter and line plots) and output files. WEAN introduces a novel and robust method that streamlines the assessment of δ15N values for the exploration of breastfeeding and weaning patterns in antiquity.
A novel computerized adaptive testing framework with decoupled learning selector
Authors: Ma Haiping , Zeng Yi , Yang Shangshang , Qin Chuan , Zhang Xingyi , Zhang Limiao
Published: March 2023

Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) targets to accurately assess the student’s proficiency in the required subject/area. The key issue is how to design a question selector that adaptively selects the best-suited questions for each student based on previous performance step by step. Most existing question selectors execute via greedy metric functions (e.g., question information and uncertainty), which can not effectively capture data characteristics. There also exist learning-based question selectors that redefine the CAT problem as a bilevel optimization problem, where the parameter learning of the question selector and the student proficiency estimation model are coupled, which is not flexible enough. To this end, in this paper, we propose a novel CAT framework with Decoupled Learning selector (DL-CAT). Specifically, we first use the currently estimated student ability and question characteristics as input and design a deep learning-based question selector to predict question selection scores. Then, to address the issue that there is no ground truth to measure the quality of the selected question, an approximate ground-truth and a pairwise rank loss function are specially designed to update the parameters of the question selector independently. Extensive experiments on two real datasets demonstrate that our proposed DL-CAT has certain advantages in effectiveness and significant advantages in efficiency.
Instability of the Kerr Cauchy Horizon Under Linearised Gravitational Perturbations
Authors: Sbierski Jan
Published: March 2023

This paper establishes a mathematical proof of the blue-shift instability at the sub-extremal Kerr Cauchy horizon for the linearised vacuum Einstein equations. More precisely, we exhibit conditions on the$$s=+2$$s=+2Teukolsky field, consisting of suitable integrated upper and lower bounds on the decay along the event horizon, that ensure that the Teukolsky field, with respect to a frame that is regular at the Cauchy horizon, becomes singular. The conditions are in particular satisfied by solutions of the Teukolsky equation arising from generic and compactly supported initial data by the recent work [51] of Ma and Zhang for slowly rotating Kerr.
The Effect of Classroom Acoustic Treatment on Listening, Learning, and Well-being: A Scoping Review
Authors: Mealings Kiri
Published: March 2023

Classrooms are important learning spaces, however, the acoustic conditions in these spaces can often be suboptimal. The aim of this scoping review, which used the PRISMA-ScR protocol, was to understand what is known from the literature about the effect of classroom acoustic treatment on students’ listening, learning, and well-being. Thirteen papers from the database searches were deemed relevant for the review. Information on the years of publication of the papers, the population studied, the types of acoustic treatment used, the measures and methods used to assess the effect of acoustic treatment, and the outcomes of the papers was gathered. Seven of the 13 studies reported positive effects of classroom acoustic treatment on student’s speech perception, attention, and well-being. Five studies reported both positive effects and no effect depending on the measure, condition, or population. The remaining study reported a negative effect of classroom acoustic treatment on children’s speech perception and listening effort. These findings suggest that the effect of ceiling and/or wall absorbers/diffusers on sound and reverberation in the room can help students’ speech perception, attention, reading, and well-being, but they may also reduce the speech transmission index resulting in increased listening effort. The limitations of the reviewed studies and avenues for future research on the effect of acoustic treatment on a broader range of listening, learning, and well-being outcomes for students are discussed.
Daily Work Stressors and Unhealthy Snacking: The Moderating Role of Trait Mindfulness
Authors: Vasiļjeva Dārta , Nübold Annika , Hülsheger Ute R. , Nederkoorn Chantal
Published: March 2023

Unhealthy snacking is considered one of the main contributors to the current obesity pandemic. Initial research suggests that work-related stress may be an important predictor of unhealthy snacking, however, there is still much to learn about the underlying mechanisms and conditions of work-related snacking. To address this research gap, we investigated the effect of two prominent work stressors, workload and interpersonal conflict, on unhealthy snacking behaviors during work and in the evening after work. We propose that these effects may be explained through a homeostatic motive to restore energy following depletion and a hedonic motive to induce pleasure, thus investigating the potential mediating effect of emotional exhaustion and negative affect. Additionally, since individual differences play an important role for snacking behaviors, we examined the potential moderating effect of trait mindfulness. Results from diary data across two workweeks (N = 118) did not show a significant positive linear relationship between daily work stressors and unhealthy snacking. The protective nature of trait mindfulness became apparent in the relationship between after-work emotional exhaustion and unhealthy snacking, indicating that individuals high in trait mindfulness consume less unhealthy snacks in the evening after work when emotionally exhausted. Furthermore, a supplementary analysis revealed that employees especially snack in the evening after low workload days. Taken together, our results unfold the complex nature of work-related snacking and offer valuable input for practical implementations.
Unraveling the role of resistin, retinol-binding protein 4 and adiponectin produced by epicardial adipose tissue in cardiac structure and function: evidence of a paracrine effect
Authors: Christou Georgios A. , Andriopoulou Christina E. , Liakopoulou Alexandra , Tsape Eirini , Apostolakis Efstratios , Tselepis Alexandros D. , Konstandi Maria , Frühbeck Gema , Kiortsis Dimitrios N.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Adipokines produced by adipose tissue have been found to be involved in the pathophysiology of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to investigate the relationships of resistin, retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and adiponectin produced by epicardial adipose tissue with coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiac structure and function.

Methods

Forty-one non-diabetic males scheduled for cardiothoracic surgery were examined. Anthropometric measurements, echocardiography, coronary angiography, and blood analysis were performed preoperatively. We measured the serum levels of resistin, RBP4, and adiponectin and their mRNA expression in thoracic subcutaneous adipose tissue and two epicardial adipose tissue samples, one close to left anterior descending artery (LAD) (resistin-LAD, RBP4-LAD, adiponectin-LAD), and another close to the right coronary artery (RCA) (resistin-RCA, RBP4-RCA, adiponectin-RCA).

Results

Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction correlated negatively with adiponectin-LAD (rho =  − 0.390, p = 0.025). The ratio of early to late diastolic transmitral flow velocity, as an index of LV diastolic function, correlated negatively with resistin-LAD (rho =  − 0.529, p = 0.024) and RBP4-LAD (rho =  − 0.458, p = 0.049). There was no difference in epicardial adipose tissue mRNA expression of resistin, RBP4, and adiponectin between individuals with CAD and those without CAD. When we compared the individuals with CAD in the LAD with those without CAD in the LAD, there was no difference in resistin-LAD, RBP4-LAD, and adiponectin-LAD. There was no difference in resistin-RCA, RBP4-RCA, and adiponectin-RCA between the individuals with CAD in the RCA and those without CAD in the RCA.

Conclusion

Elevation of epicardial adipose tissue mRNA expression of adiponectin was associated with LV systolic dysfunction, while that of both resistin and RBP4 was linked to LV diastolic dysfunction.
Individual and combined treatments with imidacloprid and spinosad disrupt survival, life-history traits, and nutritional physiology of Spodoptera littoralis
Authors: Shaurub El-Sayed H. , Tawfik Amer I. , El-Sayed Asmaa M.
Published: March 2023

The Egyptian cotton leafwormSpodoptera littoralis(Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a pervasive agricultural polyphagous insect pest. Because of the negative side-effects of conventional pesticides used in agricultural fields, safer alternatives for insect pest management are required. We evaluated here susceptibility, biological features, and nutritional indices ofS. littoralisafter treatment of 4th-instar larvae with the neonicotinoid imidacloprid and the spinosyn spinosad separately or in combination. Larvae were fed for three successive days on treated leaves of castor-beanRicinus communisusing leaf-dip technique (treatment period). In addition, in case of nutritional indices study, treated leaves were replaced by fresh untreated leaves for two successive days (recovery period). Spinosad was more toxic than imidacloprid, and their combination revealed additive effects based on the co-toxicity factor. Individual and combined treatments significantly decreased pupation rate, adult emergence rate, pupal weight, number of eggs laid per female, egg-hatch, and female longevity, compared to those of controls. Pupal and adult malformations were recorded. During the treatment period, nutritional indices were insecticide- and time-dependent. On the 2ndday of recovery, all nutritional indices of treated larvae were not significantly different, compared to those of controls. The results presented herein may help in developing more effective crop protection methodologies within integrated pest management of this insect.
Biochar-Bacillus consortium for a sustainable agriculture: physicochemical and soil stability analyses
Authors: Ajeng Aaronn Avit , Abdullah Rosazlin , Ling Tau Chuan
Published: March 2023

Biochar has various agricultural applications, including the promising use as a carrier for beneficial microorganisms. However, most recent research has demonstrated the possible attachment or immobilization of a single bacterial species onto biochar rather than a consortium of microbes for biotechnological applications. Thus, an assessment on the potential of oil palm kernel shell (OPKS) biochar as a biofilm-producing Bacillus consortium carrier through optimization study on the operating and environmental factors influencing the biofilm adhesion was conducted using response surface methodology (RSM) and the subsequent soil stability and storage potential of the formulation. The highest Bacillus population   was observed  at temperature  33 °C, agitation speed of 135 rpm, at a neutral pH of 7.5 with 10% (w/w) of sago starch as the co-carbon source. The adhesion of Bacillus on OPKS biochar following the optimized conditions fitted pseudo-second order (PSO) of kinetic modelling (R2 = 0.998). The optimized formulation was subjected to storage in different temperatures and in vitro soil incubation which revealed that the Bacillus biofilm-adhered OPKS biochar may be stored up to 4 months with minimum range of live Bacillus viability reaching 107 CFU g-1 of biochar which is within the minimum range of acceptable biofertilizer viability (106 CFU mL-1). Formulation that is viable in room storage can be easily incorporated into current agricultural distribution networks that do not have refrigeration. This work highlighted the physicochemical and soil stability qualities of optimized Bacillus consortium adhesion on biochar for agricultural usage.

Article Highlights

Integration of biochar with Bacillus consortium biofilms  served as novel organic fertilizer in agriculture.

The biochar-integrated Bacillus biofilms persisted in challenging temperature and environment.

Biochar-integrated Bacillus biofilm fertilizer fostered the attainment of  the Sustainable Development Goals

Graphical Abstract
A remake of Bourgain–Brezis–Mironescu characterization of Sobolev spaces
Authors: Foghem Gounoue Guy Fabrice
Published: March 2023

We introduce a large class of concentratedp-Lévy integrable functions approximating the unity, which serves as the core tool from which we provide a nonlocal characterization of the Sobolev spaces and the space of functions of bounded variation via nonlocal energies forms. It turns out that this nonlocal characterization is a necessary and sufficient criterion to define Sobolev spaces on domains satisfying the extension property. We also examine the general case where the extension property does not necessarily hold. In the latter case we establish weak convergence of the nonlocal Radon measures involved to the local Radon measures induced by the distributional gradient.