bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors generating stress in nursing students
Authors: Koubri Hayate , Hami Hinde , Coulibaly Sanou Khô , Soulaymani Abdelmajid , El Kouartey Nazih , Boulgana Mohamed
Published: November 2021

This study aims to explore the perceived stressors among students at the Higher Institute of Nursing professions and Health Techniques (ISPITS) in Rabat, and the coping strategies used. This is a descriptive study, based on the documentary analysis and the interviews, conducted, in 2009, among 500 students from all training courses and 18 administrative and pedagogical managers. Institutional factors (78.8%) are clearly causes that generate students’ stress in relation to personal and environmental factors. Students manage the stress, generated by all factors, adopting emotional, behavioral and cognitive attitudes. The majority of students engage in isolation and loneliness. The interventions of the sections coordinators towards stressed students take the form of listening and psycho-emotional support that they provide to them. Stress among undergraduate students at ISPITS Rabat is a reality. The establishment of a listening team for students, the improvement of learning conditions, good planning and organization of studies, and the dissemination of information and prevention programs to students and teachers are essential measures to deal with student stress. Stress management interventions should be offered to students at the beginning of their training in order to reduce the negative impact of stress and exhaustion on these students.
Effect of biostimulant Banzaï and fertilizer on the yield of cocoa trees in the locality of N’gouanmoinkro, Central Côte d’Ivoire
Authors: Lallié Hermann-Désiré , Oro Franck Zokou , Nekkal Nesma , El Hattimy Faiçal
Published: November 2021

In order to minimize production losses, and limit the use of chemicals, several organic products have been developed. The objective of this study is to assess the effect of biostimulant Banzai and fertilizer on cocoa tree productivity. Conducted in the department of Toumodi, this study took place in one device with a cocoa field that has received fertilizer in the last three years (DAE) and another that has received no fertilizer in the past three years (DSE). The results obtained showed that the plots that had been applied to Banzai produced significantly more pods than the control plots without application of the biostimulant. Compared to controls, the production rate of pods is greater than between 38 and 70% in the unprecedented fertilizer plots (DSE) and between 51 and 80% in plots with previous fertilizer (DAE). However, the production of pods in treated plots is more than three times high in the DAE than in the DSE. This study shows the positive impact of biostimulant use on cocoa yield. In addition, it shows that the use of fertilizers during the experiment could be abandoned with a view to greater use of organic products at the expense of chemicals that have a detrimental effect on the environment and on the long-term health of populations.
Systematic review and meta-analysis for the biotechnological production of THC in Morocco
Authors: badrana Fadwa , Mokhtari Abdelrhani , Safini Najete , Soulaymani Abdelmajid , El fahime Elmostafa , El Amri Hamid
Published: November 2021

Cannabinoids have promising therapeutic potential. Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the most important psychotropic active ingredient of Cannabis Sativa L, has been the subject of several chemical, pharmacological and biosynthetic studies. In this context, a meta-analysis of biotechnological processes applied to the production of recombinant cannabinoid THC worldwide was carried out. The objective was to highlight the potential of these processes on the Moroccan variety of Cannabis Sativa. The PubMed, ScienceDirect and Web of Science search motors were used to search for original scientific work presenting biotechnological tools used in the production of THC. The scientific articles exploited are those published before the end of 2020. Succinct analysis of the experimental work performed showed that expression of the gene encoding Cannabis Sativa L. THCA synthase was performed on prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression systems. Currently, no functional expression could be obtained in E. coli. Whereas, production of recombinant protein (THCA Synthase) associated with significant enzymatic activity was obtained in P. pastoris cultures (F. Saccharomycetaceae). The exploitation of the sequences showed the presence of a large similarity between the THCA Synthase gene of cannabis Sativa of the Moroccan variety and the mRNA precursor of the same gene reported in several studies. This will allow us to use a specific signal sequence of choice for an adopted expression host, in order to produce the recombinant THCA synthase enzyme from the Moroccan Cannabis Sativa L strain on P. pastoris cultures.
Epidemiology of poisoning in Bamako, Mali
Authors: Diallo Tidiane , Diara Abdourahamane , Coulibaly Cheick Abou , Traoré Alpha , Hami Hinde , Soulaymani Abdelmajid , Maïga Ababacar
Published: November 2021

Introduction: In Mali, poisoning is a public health problem through its multiple circumstances. Its management is a pre-hospital concern given the lack of qualified personnel, adequate medical equipment and lack of knowledge of the substances involved in poisoning. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological profile of poisoning in Bamako. Methods: The study was conducted in six Reference Health Centers in the District of Bamako. This was a retrospective study of poisoning cases covering the period from January 2010 to December 2019. The data used was collected from registers and patient medical records. Results: During the study period, we collected 2,112 cases of poisoning. The sex-ratio (M/F) was 1.5 in favour of males. More than two-thirds of cases (66.7%) were due to foodborne diseases, followed by drug poisoning, with 18.7% of cases. The majority of patients were pupils and students (69.7%) and 5.5% were housewives. The circumstances were most often accidental, with 82% of cases. In addition, the clinical signs were dominated by gastrointestinal disorders: diarrhea (40%), vomiting (40%) and respiratory distress (9.4%). Conclusion: Reducing the risk of poisoning and improving their management requires education of the population and professional training of health workers.
Covid-19 and E-learning: Factors that influence online classes grasp by Ibn Tofail University’s students - Morocco
Authors: Jabari Khaoula , Abidli Zakaria , Zemami Imane , Soulaymani Aida , Jabari Omayma , El Kabsi Fedoua , Diallo Tidiane , El Turk Jumana
Published: November 2021

This quantitative study is an investigation on distance learning during the lockdown in Morocco following the coronavirus health crisis. This research conducted 145 students of Ibn Tofail University (Kenitra) aims to relate the factors that influence the assimilation of online classes thought via official platforms and the tools to which professors have access. The data analytics tool used for data treatment and analysis in this is SPSS. The results show that the category of the geographic area in which the students live, their psychological state during confinement, the presence of the professor and the availability of the materials and tools necessary to follow the online courses all have a significant impact on assimilation of lessons by students.
Validation of Academic burnout scale among Moroccan trainee teachers
Authors: Boumaaize Zineb , El Madhi Youssef , Darif Hajar , Soulaymani Abdelmajid , Vonthron Anne-Marie , El Wahbi Bouazza , El Faylali Hanan
Published: November 2021

With the aim of measuring trainee’s academic burnout, the Maslach Burnout Inventory –Student Scale was translated, revised and validated. A cross-sectorial study took place between November and March 2020.The sample consisted 160 trainee teachers (36% males, 64% females) from Kénitra Regional Center of Education and Training (CRMEF). The average age is 27.94 ± 5.44 years. The Data collected was analyzed by SPSS to establish descriptive analysis, calculate reliability, and other psychometric properties. An exploratory factor analysis was used to validate the MBI-SS instrument. The results indicated the conservation of three factors. All subscales had satisfactory reliability. This study can be applied to more specific samples in other regional centers.
Sustainable operation analysis of the mining industry power supply system
Authors: Klyuev Roman , Tekiev Marat , Silaev Vadim , Bosikov Igor , Gavrina Oksana
Published: November 2021

The paper presents an analysis of operating currents and torques during self-starting of motors with a voltage of 6 kV for cases of short circuit in the head feeders from the main step-down substation and in the feeders to the most distant substations of mining enterprises. For the network under consideration, the characteristic modes are: short circuit on the buses of shop substations. For the mining industry when selfstarting asynchronous motors with a squirrel-cage rotor and synchronous motors with asynchronous startup, the current multiplicity will be determined by the duration of the power failure (run-down duration). It has been established that the acceleration of motors during self-start will be somewhat slower than the usual start, since self-start begins at a speed of 0.89–0.94 of the synchronous speed and a resistance torque is equal to 0.65–0.75 of the maximum motor torque. The self-starting time of the motors is from 9 s to 42 s. To ensure self-starting conditions in the most severe modes in mountain conditions, it is necessary to make changes to the protection settings presented in the work.
Tailored TiO2 nanorod arrays for dye sensitized solar cell applications
Authors: Beula Jeba , Devadason Suganthi , Angamuthu Abiram , Bhojan Vidhya
Published: November 2021

A TiO2 layer using titanium (IV) butoxide on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate is used as a seed layer for the growth of TiO2 nanorod arrays (TRA). TRAs with length of ∼1 to 2 μm were grown on seed layer (SL) by two step method. In the first step TiO2 SLs were deposited by sol-gel assisted spin coating method and the second step involved the typical hydrothermal technique to grow rutile TRAs. Most of the TRAs grown on FTO substrate without SL were randomly oriented and TRAs with 0.025 M SL was oriented vertically from the substrate. Whereas TRAs grown on 0.05 M SL showed hierarchical nanoflower clusters composed of a bunch of TRAs as petals blooming from the core. The XRD pattern showed all the three TRAs to be crystallized in a tetragonal rutile phase. Photo luminescence spectra revealed that the TRAs on 0.05 M SL have comparatively low intense blue emission band, predicting the suppressed electron-hole recombination rate. The power conversion efficiency of the dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with TRAs grown on 0.05 M SL was recorded as 3.18%, which is 3 times greater than that without SL and 1.6 times greater than that with 0.025M SL in our observations.
Industries’ Bioeconomic Transformation as the Mechanism of Sustainable Development
Authors: Vostriakova Victoria , Rubanenko Olena , Hunko Iryna , Gundebommu Sree Lakshmi
Published: November 2021

The bioeconomic strategy of Ukraine has not been yet formed, the development of biotechnology is slow, the use of biotechnology is still very fragmentary. The main economic biotechnology sectors of Ukraine are agriculture, pharmaceuticals, food industry and bioenergy. A circular, sustainable bio-economy can become the primary tool for Ukraine’s integration into the EU Green Economy, making its economy more sustainable and competitive. The article aims to develop scientific and methodical aspects of the bioeconomic transformation of the national economy of Ukraine. The paper conducts a comprehensive assessment of the bioeconomic potential of the agri-food sector of the Ukrainian economy and identifies the main development priorities. The dynamics of alternative energy consumption and production from alternative energy sources have been provided.
Information and Communication Technologies Usage in Working with Families of Early Aged and Preschool Children with Visual Impairments in Terms of Distance Psychological and Pedagogical Support
Authors: Kostenko Tatiana , Dovhopola Kateryna
Published: November 2021

This paper presents the results of studying the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in working with families of early aged and preschool children with visual impairments. The authors analyze the current situation in families during strict quarantine in 2020 and 2021 and study the possibilities of using information technology in the development of children with visual impairments at home. The study describes how or under what circumstances specialists worked with families of early aged and preschool children with visual impairments, what problems parents, professionals faced, and whether they were ready to solve—via the author’s questionnaires for professionals and parents, identified current problems that need urgent solutions. The theoretical basis and practical side of studying the problem of using information and communication technologies in families’ distance psychological and pedagogical support are presented. Attention is focused on different levels, and specialists with children with visual impairments in the context of family education and the absence or insufficiency of distance correction work with early aged children and their parents are emphasized. The need for further study of the situation for the development of appropriate forms, methods of ICT in working with families of children of early and preschool age with visual impairments. The relevance of scientific research on the use of ICT and distance psychological and pedagogical support is proved, as this format will be in demand not only during lockdown but also in seasonal outbreaks, challenging weather conditions, as well as constantly for families living in settlements, remote from International Rescue Committee and other educational institutions, families who due to various life circumstances are not able to visit institutions that provide educational and psychological services. It is concluded that there is an urgent need to create a holistic system using ICT to work with families of early aged and preschool children with visual impairments, which will help solve a wide range of psychological and pedagogical rehabilitation support tasks.
Innovative Development of Public Policy on Food Security in the Period of the Covid-19 Pandemia
Authors: Hromozdova Larysa , Yerankin Oleksandr , Pysarenko Nadiia , Artemenko Antoninа , Maliarevskyi Viktor , Dovhenko Yana , Sharoian Fato
Published: November 2021

The purpose of the article is to analyze the prospects for innovative development of public policy in the sphere of food security and to develop practical recommendations regarding the use of cultivated and wild plants in the sphere of food supply to improve the population’s immunity during the pandemic. The article analyzes the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on the reformatting of public food security policy. The destruction of traditional food stereotypes of the population certainly took place. The emergence and development of innovations in the sphere of nutrition of Ukrainian citizens are considered. The tendency to increase the nutritional value of wild plants has been determined. Such plants are used to improve the immunity of the population and overcome the problem of lack of usefulness of food. The main barriers and problems of changing food stereotypes of the population and food policy of public authorities are substantiated. It is established that there is an insufficient level of support of public authorities in modern conditions of the development of the newest gathering in the sphere of food security in Ukraine. It has been revealed that the cost of manufacturing food products is relatively low in the modern world. However, the nutritional value and benefit to human health are minimal. There is a tendency to increase the number of diseases caused by the use of low-quality products. Alternative solutions to this urgent problem are considered. The influence of natural food additives and a return to the natural way of eating are investigated. The public authorities’ importance of a broad information campaign regarding the dissemination of information to the public and food safety has been proven. As a result of the emergence of a pandemic, the public authorities must follow clear, consistent measures to improve the situation that has developed. It is definite that in addition to economic measures, attention should be paid to psychological measures aimed at changing the behaviour of the population. The necessity of destroying the industrial food traditions of the population was substantiated. The importance of actualization of the process of implementation of ecological food innovations was found out. Awareness of growing wild and gathering for food takes a prominent place. Ukraine has excellent opportunities for development in these areas. Reforming the state food security in today’s conditions is necessary to preserve the health of the nation. The need to strengthen the role of public authorities in creating favourable conditions for environmentally sound use of food potential of wild-growing plants has been noted.
Holistic Modelling Approach for the Management of Organisations
Authors: Kitzmann Harald
Published: November 2021

Developments in digitalization are in actual scientific discussion with leading focus on the automatizing of tasks especially in managers´ decision making, but also cover the view on the daily managerial task-fulfilment with digitalized solutions. Challenge for the managers is hereby the design of the digitalized work in a human-task-technology system by using advanced working models, methods and solutions. This compels to rethink causal-deterministic approaches and find new solutions, which especially occur in tasks of the strategic management. The purpose of this study was twofold. The first target was to identify and analyse the models and characteristics of strategic management decisions using approaches of the system theory, cybernetic management, and quantum theory. The second aim was to outline a framework of design parameters for creating causal-deterministic and holistic approaches in complex and complementary decision situations, so that they can be designed and processed digitally and implemented into human-task-technology systems, with outline the way how managerial decision-making will be changed.
An egg in the leg: Case report of an osteochondrolipoma
Authors: Debras Renaud , Sciot Raf , Hompes Daphne , Sinnaeve Friedl , Wafa Hazem
Published: November 2021

Osteochondrolipomas, a very rare combination of chondroid and osseous differentiation within lipomas, are typically found in the neck and head area. We present the case of an osteochondrolipoma in the thigh of a 54-year-old female, with matching histological and cytological correlation. To the best of our knowledge, this atypical location has only been reported once in the literature.
Analysis of 180 Genetic Variants in a New Interactive FX Variant Database Reveals Novel Insights into FX Deficiency
Authors: Harris Victoria A. , Lin Weining , Perkins Stephen J.
Published: November 2021

Coagulation factor X (FX), often termed as Stuart–Prower factor, is a plasma glycoprotein composed of the γ-carboxyglutamic acid (GLA) domain, two epidermal growth factor domains (EGF-1 and EGF-2), and the serine protease (SP) domain. FX plays a pivotal role in the coagulation cascade, activating thrombin to promote platelet plug formation and prevent excess blood loss. Genetic variants in FX disrupt coagulation and lead to FX or Stuart–Prower factor deficiency. To better understand the relationship between FX deficiency and disease severity, an interactive FX variant database has been set up at
https://www.factorx-db.org
, based on earlier web sites for the factor-XI and -IX coagulation proteins. To date (April 2021), we report 427 case reports on FX deficiency corresponding to 180 distinct F10 genetic variants. Of
these, 149 are point variants (of which 128 are missense), 22 are deletions, 3 are insertions, and 6 are polymorphisms. FX variants are phenotypically classified as being type I or II. Type-I variants involve the simultaneous reduction of FX coagulant activity (FX:C) and FX antigen levels (FX:Ag), whereas type-II variants involve a reduction in FX:C with normal FX:Ag plasma levels. Both types of variants were distributed throughout the FXa protein structure. Analyses based on residue surface accessibilities showed the most damaging variants to occur at residues with low accessibilities. The interactive FX web database provides a novel easy-to-use resource for clinicians and scientists to improve the understanding of FX deficiency. Guidelines are provided for clinicians who wish to use the database for diagnostic purposes.
Blood Pressure Goals: Is Cerebral Saturation the New Mean Arterial Pressure?
Authors: McKim Kevin J. , Lucafo Stephen , Bhombal Shazia , Bain Lisa , Chock Valerie Y.
Published: November 2021

Objective The objective of this article was to correlate hypotension and cerebral saturation from near-infrared spectroscopy (cNIRS) in neonates on dopamine.

Study Design Retrospective review of neonates receiving dopamine between August 2018 and 2019 was performed. Hypotension thresholds included mean arterial pressure (MAP) of postmenstrual age (PMA) ± 5 and 30 mm Hg and gestational age (GA) ± 5 mm Hg. Time below threshold MAP was compared with time with cerebral hypoxia (cNIRS <55%).

Results Hypotension occurred 6 to 33% of the time on dopamine in 59 cases. Hypotension did not correlate with abnormal cNIRS overall, within PMA subgroups or by outcomes. Hypotensive periods with MAP < GA had fewer corresponding percent time with abnormal cNIRS events (3.7 ± 1.3%) compared with MAP < PMA (11.9 ± 4.9%, p < 0.003) or 30 mm Hg thresholds (12.2 ± 4.7%, p < 0.0001). In most premature infants, mean cNIRS values during hypotension were still within normal range (57 ± 6%).

Conclusion cNIRS may be a more clinically relevant measure than MAP for the assessment of neonatal hypotension.

Key Points
See Spot save lives: fear, humanitarianism, and war in the development of robot quadrupeds
Authors: Moses Jeremy , Ford Geoffrey
Published: November 2021

Boston Dynamics’ robotic quadrupeds have achieved infamy and virality through a series of social media videos since 2008. In 2019 Boston Dynamics began commercial sale of ‘Spot’, a moving, sensing, networked robot dog. Spot has been designed to be a platform, which can be augmented with hardware payloads (e.g. sensors, robotic arm) and software to command Spot to conduct specific missions. In this paper we first trace the development of Spot and highlight the interest of the United States military in its development. This is followed by our text analysis of social media reactions to Boston Dynamics’ quadrupeds, revealing public fascination as well as ongoing suspicion and dark humour about ‘killer robots’. We then discuss how humanitarian applications, including in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, have been used as an opportunity to promote Spot and overcome public negativity. This is an example of a more general strategy advocates use to garner acceptance for autonomous robots in both civilian and military roles using humanitarian justifications: the robots ‘save lives.’ We conclude by discussing how Spot and other robot quadrupeds demonstrate the intertwining of humanitarian and military applications in the development, normalization and deployment of autonomous robots.
Meandering of a wing-tip vortex in a grid-generated turbulent flow
Authors: Dghim Marouen , Ben Miloud Kamal , Ferchichi Mohsen , Fellouah Hachimi
Published: November 2021

The interaction of a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics 0012 wing-tip vortex with a grid-generated turbulent flow was experimentally investigated. The experiments were conducted in the near- and mid-wake regions at three free-stream turbulence (FST) levels, viz., 0.5%, 3%, and 6%, at a Reynolds number, based on the wing chord length, cw, of 2×105. Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry measurements were carried out at four downstream positions: x/cw = 1.25, 3.25, 6.25, and 7.75. Streamwise vorticity contours showed that the wing-tip vortex decayed with increased FST and downstream distance. Turbulent surroundings were found to affect the meandering amplitude of the vortex, which increased with the dispersed scatter pattern of the vortex center motion, resulting in a meandering-induced turbulence. Meandering-corrected turbulent kinetic energy revealed the existence of a laminar core at the center of the vortex surrounded by low turbulence levels outside the core. This was attributed to the stabilizing Coriolis effects of the strong rotational motion inside the vortex core, which tend to re-laminarize the turbulent fluid crossing the periphery of the vortex. Snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition analysis on the coherent component of the velocity field revealed two dominant modes forming a helical dipole, consistent with the helical displacement of a Kelvin wave with an azimuthal wavenumber |m=1|. An analysis of the terms balancing the rate of decay of the mean enstrophy revealed that increasing FST increases the stretching of the mean enstrophy within the vortex core while it reduces both its transport and convection terms. Nonetheless, the latter contributions were larger in all cases studied acting as the main mechanism for mean enstrophy decay.
Event detection in temporal social networks using a higher-order network model
Authors: Li Xiang , Zhang Xue , Huangpeng Qizi , Zhao Chengli , Duan Xiaojun
Published: November 2021

Event detection is one of the most important areas of complex network research. It aims to identify abnormal points in time corresponding to social events. Traditional methods of event detection, based on first-order network models, are poor at describing the multivariate sequential interactions of components in complex systems and at accurately identifying anomalies in temporal social networks. In this article, we propose two valid approaches, based on a higher-order network model, namely, the recovery higher-order network algorithm and the innovation higher-order network algorithm, to help with event detection in temporal social networks. Given binary sequential data, we take advantage of chronological order to recover the multivariate sequential data first. Meanwhile, we develop new multivariate sequential data using logical sequence. Through the efficient modeling of multivariate sequential data using a higher-order network model, some common multivariate interaction patterns are obtained, which are used to determine the anomaly degree of a social event. Experiments in temporal social networks demonstrate the significant performance of our methods finally. We believe that our methods could provide a new perspective on the interplay between event detection and the application of higher-order network models to temporal networks.
Numerical modeling of magnetic induction in standard and triple Epstein frames considering cutting and staggering of sensor strips
Authors: Shilyashki Georgi , Pfützner Helmut , Trenner Gerald , Bengtsson Claes , Huber Emanuel
Published: November 2021

For magnetic energy loss measurements on electric steel sheets, the Epstein tester (ET) is applied for 100 years. However, it suffers from unsolved problems, such as inhomogeneity of flux in the corners and even more of impact of sample cutting. As a matter of fact, a detailed study of flux distributions—as a pre-condition for improvements—has not been performed so far. In this work, we present the results of an advanced numerical 3D-magnetic anisotropic circuit calculation modeling. It considers most relevant impacts such as anisotropy, non-linearity, method of staggering, and in particular, consequences of sample cutting. According to the literature, the latter may yield material deterioration for edge zones of high width WDET. Here, we set WDET to 2.5 mm as a “coarse-cut” convention for practice, and we compare it with perfect “fine-cut” (W = 0). As a main result, deteriorated edge zones of standard ET strips of low width W = 30 mm yield a distinct concentration of flux along inner axial strip regions as a reason for strong local flux inhomogeneity and distortion. Consistent numerical comparisons predict that higher grades of magnetic homogeneity can be expected from wider sample strips, e.g., from a “Triple ET” with W = 90 mm. As a global conclusion, the Epstein frame represents a system of extreme 3D inhomogeneity, especially in the corners. The grade of inhomogeneity reaches its maximum in instants of high permeability. It may be strongly increased through coarse cutting. On the other hand, consequences of cutting can be decreased by increasing the strip width. This would allow for loss measurements using tangential field coils arranged in the central limb regions of TET.
Parametric study of coaxial dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric pressure argon
Authors: Li Hui , Yuan Chengxun , Kudryavtsev Anatoly , Katircioglu T. Yasar , Rafatov Ismail
Published: November 2021

A parametric study of the characteristics of coaxial dielectric barrier discharge sustained in atmospheric pressure argon is carried out. The numerical model is based on the drift-diffusion theory of gas discharges. The integral characteristics of the discharge, such as the root mean square of the discharge current, the period average dissipated power, and the efficiency of the power deposition, are explored in the parameter space spanned by the voltage amplitude and frequency of the applied AC field, the barrier dielectric constant, and the gas gap width.
Introduction to Light
Authors: Dakin James T.
Published: November 2021

This book provides a broad history of light from the earliest times until the present. It summarizes, without equations, advances in the basic science of light as well as many important applications of light. Key themes include light's impact on humans, light in applications requiring new materials, light in relation to heat, and light as particles, as waves, and as color. Key developments related to these themes are presented as part of an overarching narrative.
First Light
Authors: Dakin James T.
Published: November 2021

Light appeared with the Big Bang, was a source of fascination to our earliest ancestors, played a role in the earliest religions, was a subject of early philosophy, and found increasingly sophisticated use in the classical period. Our earliest Homo sapiens ancestors relied on the Sun as a source of light and warmth, and used fire to supplement it. Later they learned to use oil lamps to provide light. The Sun also played a role in early religions. Study of the curious phenomena in the night sky led to astrology, which eventually led to the development of the science of astronomy. As civilization progressed, philosophers included light in their thinking. The Greeks and Romans developed a good understanding of reflection and refraction, as evidenced by their use of mirrors and lenses, and by the writings of Euclid and Ptolemy. The Muslim, Arab scholar known as Alhazen took the next important steps toward the development of the modern science of optics.
The Emergence of Light Science
Authors: Dakin James T.
Published: November 2021

Investigations of light grew steadily through the Dark Ages, eventually becoming a quantitative science by the 19th century. The rainbow was associated with reflection, refraction, and chromatic aberration. The speed of light was measured. Natural philosophers debated whether light consisted of particles or waves. Light and color played important roles in the development of art and photography. By around 1900 there were unresolved mysteries surrounding phenomena such as polarization, luminescence, black body radiation, atomic spectra, and the relationship of light to electricity through the photoelectric and photovoltaic effects.
Traditional Electric Lighting
Authors: Dakin James T.
Published: November 2021

Electric lighting, the preeminent modern invention most commonly associated with Edison, is readily understood through the basic science of light that emerged between 1900 and 1930. Traditional electric lighting modalities (incandescent, high-intensity discharge, and fluorescent) all generate light by first making something very hot. Details of each modality are summarized. The science of quantifying light in terms of amount and color is introduced. It is shown how the science can get very messy in practical applications, requiring a heavy dose of material science as well as engineering methods.
LEDs and Disruption
Authors: Dakin James T.
Published: November 2021

The light-emitting diode (LED) began revolutionizing electric lighting in around 2000. Unlike traditional electric light sources, the LED does not require something to be made hot. Rather, photons are generated directly by the recombination of electrons and holes in a solid-state p-n junction. LED products are more energy efficient than, and have a longer life than, the traditional lighting products they replace. They are becoming increasingly attractive as their prices come down. The transition to LED, and other related factors, are proving highly disruptive to the lighting industry.
Evolutionary change in the construction of the nursery environment when parents are prevented from caring for their young directly
Authors: Duarte Ana , Rebar Darren , Hallett Allysa C. , Jarrett Benjamin J. M. , Kilner Rebecca M.
Published: November 2021

Significance

Parents can care for offspring directly by giving them food or warmth, for example, or they can help them without direct contact via an extended phenotype by manipulating the nursery environment in which offspring develop. Using an experimental evolution approach, we prevented parents from directly supplying care to their offspring and observed how the extended care phenotype and offspring traits evolved in response. We found that depriving offspring of direct care caused rapid adaptive change in the construction of the nursery environment, which rescued offspring from otherwise poor developmental conditions. Overall, offspring tended to perform better when transplanted to a nursery environment constructed by parents of their own lineage, suggesting that offspring adapt to the evolved extended parental phenotype.
Chromatin bridges, not micronuclei, activate cGAS after drug-induced mitotic errors in human cells
Authors: Flynn Patrick J. , Koch Peter D. , Mitchison Timothy J.
Published: November 2021

Significance

Cancer chemotherapeutic drugs that induce mitotic errors may cause tumor regression in part through the induction of interferon signaling. To test this idea, we measured the ability of antimitotic drugs with different mechanisms to activate the cGAS–STING–interferon pathway. Only microtubule stabilizers and MPS1 inhibitors activated cGAS, and this correlated with their ability to generate cGAS-coated chromatin bridges. We propose that chromatin bridges activate cGAS through a tension-dependent mechanism that depends on cytokinesis. Our results may explain the clinical failure of antimitotic drugs and help to design improved drugs.
Actinobacteria challenge the paradigm: A unique protein architecture for a well-known, central metabolic complex
Authors: Bruch Eduardo M. , Vilela Pierre , Yang Lu , Boyko Alexandra , Lexa-Sapart Norik , Raynal Bertrand , Alzari Pedro M. , Bellinzoni Marco
Published: November 2021

Significance

α-oxoacid dehydrogenase are large, evolutionary-conserved multienzymatic complexes that carry out key oxidative reactions in central metabolism. For decades, these complexes were thought to share a similar organization in all aerobic organisms, structured around a hollow core resulting from the high oligomeric arrangement of the acyltransferase component. Here, we show that Actinobacteria, one of the largest eubacterial phyla, break this “dogma” owing to a distinct trimeric acyltransferase core. We provide a structural explanation to this different oligomeric architecture and show how this feature, related to a fusion of two genes coding for 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase, constitutes a trait of Actinobacteria providing a different perspective on the evolution of these metabolic complexes.
Complaining, teasing, and meme-framing
Authors: Tong Ying , Xie Chaoqun
Published: November 2021

This article explores the pragmatic act of complaining on WeChat Moments (henceforth Moments) focusing on the following question: When complaints are made in a social context where ratified viewers are hard to define, how are such acts constructed and construed? The multimodal data under study come from a project designed to address the under-examined issue of indirect complaints in Chinese social media. Drawing on the conceptualization of frame analysis in pragmatic studies and informed by a conversation analytical approach, this article proposes the concept ofsocial complaints, accounting for how Moments users employ it performatively to deal with serious matters, to socialize and to manage rapport with people in their social networks. Teasing, it is found, is often performed in both complaints and responses to the complaints, which manifests Moments users’ flexible positioning strategies in handling interpersonal relations.
DCIR and its ligand asialo-biantennary N-glycan regulate DC function and osteoclastogenesis
Authors: Kaifu Tomonori , Yabe Rikio , Maruhashi Takumi , Chung Soo-Hyun , Tateno Hiroaki , Fujikado Noriyuki , Hirabayashi Jun , Iwakura Yoichiro
Published: November 2021

Dendritic cell immunoreceptor (DCIR) is a C-type lectin receptor with a carbohydrate recognition domain and an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif. Previously, we showed that Dcir−/− mice spontaneously develop autoimmune enthesitis and sialadenitis, and also develop metabolic bone abnormalities. However, the ligands for DCIR functionality remain to be elucidated. Here we showed that DCIR is expressed on osteoclasts and DCs and binds to an asialo-biantennary N-glycan(s) (NA2) on bone cells and myeloid cells. Osteoclastogenesis was enhanced in Dcir−/− cells, and NA2 inhibited osteoclastogenesis. Neuraminidase treatment, which exposes excess NA2 by removing the terminal sialic acid of N-glycans, suppressed osteoclastogenesis and DC function. Neuraminidase treatment of mice ameliorated collagen-induced arthritis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in a DCIR-dependent manner, due to suppression of antigen presentation by DCs. These results suggest that DCIR activity is regulated by the modification of the terminal sialylation of biantennary N-glycans, and this interaction is important for the control of both autoimmune and bone metabolic diseases.
Modulation of interfacial magnetic relaxation timeframes by partially uncoupled exchange bias
Authors: Bakhmetiev Maxim , Talantsev Artem , Sadovnikov Alexandr , Morgunov Roman
Published: November 2021

A set of partially uncoupled NiFe/Cu/IrMn exchange biased thin films with variable thickness of non-magnetic Cu spacer is characterized by ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and Brillouin light scattering (BLS) techniques applied complementary to reveal time-scale dependent effects of uncoupling between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic layers on high-frequency magnetization dynamics. The results correlate with interfacial grain texture variations and static magnetization behavior. Two types of crystalline phases with correlated microwave response are revealed at the ferro–antiferromagnet interface in NiFe/Cu/IrMn thin films. The 1st phase forms well-textured NiFe/IrMn grains with NiFe (111)/IrMn (111) interface. The 2nd phase consists of amorphous NiFe/IrMn grains. Intercalation of NiFe/IrMn by Cu clusters results in relaxation of tensile strains at the NiFe/IrMn interface leading to larger size of grains in both the NiFe and IrMn layers. The contributions of well-textured and amorphous grains to the high-frequency magnetization reversal behavior are distinguished by FMR and BLS techniques. Generation of a spin-wave mode is revealed in the well-textured phase, whereas microwave response of the amorphous phase is found to originate from magnetization rotation dominated by a rotatable magnetic anisotropy term. Under fixed FMR frequency, the increase of Cu thickness results in higher magnetization rotation frequencies in the amorphous grains.
Review of engagement activities to promote awareness of radiation and its associated risk amongst the Japanese public before and after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident
Authors: Sakoda Akihiro , Nomura Naoki , Kuroda Yujiro , Kono Takahiko , Naito Wataru , Yoshida Hiroko
Published: November 2021

Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011, many radiation experts directly experienced a vast gap between ideal and real public understanding (PU) of radiation in risk communication. Therefore, this study collated and reviewed information about PU activities for radiation and its risk that six Japanese academic societies—which seem to be socially neutral expert communities—related to radiation and radiation risk conducted before and after the accident. Activities these radiation-related societies provided to the general public were discussed from the following perspectives: (a) difficulties in two-way communication due to resources, motivation and public interest and concerns; (b) balance between academic research and PU activities; (c) academic societies’ building trust with the public while ensuring member experts’ neutrality and independence; and (d) discussions among academic societies to prepare for public engagement. We hope that this paper encourages experts and academic societies in radiation protection to hold more national and international discussions about their roles in public communication and outreach.
The role of empathy in ethics of radiological protection
Authors: Zölzer Friedo , Zölzer Neysan
Published: November 2021

Radiological protection is often considered a matter of scientific and technological facts only, not of value judgements. This perception is now gradually changing, especially with ICRP Publication 138, which addressed the ethical foundation of the system of radiological protection. It identified values which have guided the Commission’s recommendations over the decades, but have not always been made explicit. Four core values are discussed (beneficence/non-maleficence, prudence, justice, dignity) as well as three procedural values (accountability, transparency, inclusivity). The latter are considered critical to the practical implementation of the system of radiological protection. Here we are exploring empathy as a procedural values complementing the three identified in ICRP Publication 138. Empathy can be defined as the ‘capability (or disposition) to immerse oneself in and to reflect upon the experiences, perspectives and contexts of others’. It is often understood as a skill that one either has or has not, but research has shown it can be taught and therefore can be required as an attitude of those working in health care, education, design, and technology. We suggest it is an essential prerequisite to the assessment and management of any radiological situation and the health problems accruing from it. The concerns of people affected, their needs and wishes need to be taken seriously from the very beginning of any decision-making process. Even if they are considered unfounded and exaggerated, the insights they provide will be valuable for the understanding of the overall situation. Without empathy, our practice of beneficence and non-maleficence as well as solidarity would be oddly limited.
Improving robustness of a deep learning-based lung-nodule classification model of CT images with respect to image noise
Authors: Gao Yin , Xiong Jennifer , Shen Chenyang , Jia Xun
Published: November 2021

Objective. Robustness is an important aspect to consider, when developing methods for medical image analysis. This study investigated robustness properties of deep neural networks (DNNs) for a lung nodule classification problem based on CT images and proposed a solution to improve robustness. Approach. We firstly constructed a class of four DNNs with different widths, each predicting an output label (benign or malignant) for an input CT image cube containing a lung nodule. These networks were trained to achieve Area Under the Curve of 0.891–0.914 on a testing dataset. We then added to the input CT image cubes noise signals generated randomly using a realistic CT image noise model based on a noise power spectrum at 100 mAs, and monitored the DNNs output change. We defined SAR
5(%) to quantify the robustness of the trained DNN model, indicating that for 5% of CT image cubes, the noise can change the prediction results with a chance of at least SAR
5(%). To understand robustness, we viewed the information processing pipeline by the DNN as a two-step process, with the first step using all but the last layers to extract representations of the input CT image cubes in a latent space, and the second step employing the last fully-connected layer as a linear classifier to determine the position of the sample representations relative to a decision plane. To improve robustness, we proposed to retrain the last layer of the DNN with a Supporting Vector Machine (SVM) hinge loss function to enforce the desired position of the decision plane. Main results. SAR
5 ranged in 47.0%–62.0% in different DNNs. The unrobustness behavior may be ascribed to the unfavorable placement of the decision plane in the latent representation space, which made some samples be perturbed to across the decision plane and hence susceptible to noise. The DNN-SVM model improved robustness over the DNN model and reduced SAR
5 by 8.8%–21.0%. Significance. This study provided insights about the potential reason for the unrobustness behavior of DNNs and the proposed DNN-SVM model improved model robustness.
Real-space effects of a quench in the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model and elusive dynamical appearance of the topological edge states
Authors: Rossi Lorenzo , Rossi Fausto , Dolcini Fabrizio
Published: November 2021

The topological phase of the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) model is known to exhibit two edge states that are topologically protected by the chiral symmetry. We demonstrate that, for any parameter quench performed on the half-filled SSH chain, the occupancy of each lattice site remains locked to 1/2 at any time, due to the additional time-reversal and charge conjugation symmetries. In particular, for a quench from the trivial to the topological phase, no signature of the topological edge states appears in real-space occupancies, independently of the quench protocol, the temperature of the pre-quench thermal state or the presence of chiral disorder. However, a suitably designed local quench from/to a SSH ring threaded by a magnetic flux can break these additional symmetries while preserving the chiral one. Then, real-space effects of the quench do appear and exhibit different dynamical features in the topological and in the trivial phases. Moreover, when the particle filling is different from a half and the pre-quench state is not insulating, the dynamical appearance of the topological edge states is visible already in a chain, it survives time averaging and can be observed also in the presence of chiral-breaking disorder and for instantaneous quenches.