bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Hidden Intricacies of Aquaporins: Remarkable Details in a Common Structural Scaffold
Authors: Gössweiner‐Mohr Nikolaus , Siligan Christine , Pluhackova Kristyna , Umlandt Linnea , Koefler Sabina , Trajkovska Natasha , Horner Andreas
Published: July 2022

Evolution turned aquaporins (AQPs) into the most efficient facilitators of passive water flow through cell membranes at no expense of solute discrimination. In spite of a plethora of solved AQP structures, many structural details remain hidden. Here, by combining extensive sequence‐ and structural‐based analysis of a unique set of 20 non‐redundant high‐resolution structures and molecular dynamics simulations of four representatives, key aspects of AQP stability, gating, selectivity, pore geometry, and oligomerization, with a potential impact on channel functionality, are identified. The general view of AQPs possessing a continuous open water pore is challenged and it is depicted that AQPs’ selectivity is not exclusively shaped by pore‐lining residues but also by the relative arrangement of transmembrane helices. Moreover, this analysis reveals that hydrophobic interactions constitute the main determinant of protein thermal stability. Finally, a numbering scheme of the conserved AQP scaffold is established, facilitating direct comparison of, for example, disease‐causing mutations and prediction of potential structural consequences. Additionally, the results pave the way for the design of optimized AQP water channels to be utilized in biotechnological applications.
Effects of A‐site Cations in Quadruple Perovskite Ruthenates on Oxygen Evolution Catalysis in Acidic Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Liu Wei , Kawano Kodai , Kamiko Masao , Kato Yuta , Okazaki Yuichi , Yamada Ikuya , Yagi Shunsuke
Published: July 2022

The quadruple perovskite ruthenate CaCu3Ru4O12 is more active and stable than the benchmark catalyst RuO2 in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic aqueous solutions, where many oxide‐based catalysts are dissolved. Studies on the crystal structures of quadruple perovskite ruthenates are rare, and the origin of OER activity or stability from a structural aspect has not been clarified in detail. This presents the need to study the effects of cations at the A site of quadruple perovskite ruthenates ACu3Ru4O12 (A = Ca, Sr, La, Nd, and Ce) on the OER catalytic activity and stability in acidic aqueous solutions. CaCu3Ru4O12 has the highest activity and stability among all quadruple perovskite samples. The type of cation at the A site changes the average Cu and Ru valence states, and the plot of OER activity versus the average Cu valence number shows a volcano‐type relationship. In addition, stability increases with a decrease in Ru–O bond length. This research provides a good design principle for OER catalysts with high activity and stability in severely acidic aqueous solutions.
Embedding Metal–Organic Frameworks for the Design of Flexible Hybrid Supercapacitors by Electrospinning: Synthesis of Highly Graphitized Carbon Nanofibers Containing Metal Oxide Nanoparticles
Authors: Li Yanjiang , Zhu Guang , Xu Xingtao , Chen Lei , Lu Ting , Hill Jonathan P. , Pan Likun , Yamauchi Yusuke
Published: July 2022

Electrospun carbonaceous fibers have emerged as promising electrode materials for application in energy storage devices. However, their relatively poor electrical conductivity (due to their amorphous carbon structures) and low capacitive performance lead to poor prospects for their further application. Herein, a universal synthesis of highly graphitized carbon nanofibers, containing various metal oxide nanoparticles (e.g., Fe2O3, NiO), by the pyrolysis of metal–organic framework (MOF)‐embedded electrospun nanofibers, is reported. The resulting carbon nanofibers exhibit large mesopore volumes, contain large quantities of Faradic metal oxide nanoparticles, and are highly graphitized. The fibers also have excellent mechanical flexibility, provide fast ion transfer characteristics, and a large pseudocapacitance combined with excellent electrical conductivity, leading to large specific capacitances. Consequently, asymmetric flexible hybrid supercapacitors assembled from Fe2O3‐embedded highly graphitized carbon nanofibers (FOCNF) and NiO‐embedded highly graphitized carbon nanofibers (NOCNF) exhibit a high energy density of 43.1 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 412.5 W kg−1 and possess excellent flexibility (capacitance retention of 94.4% at 180° bending and 96.2% at 30° twisting) with superior cycling stability. This strategy provides a new MOF‐based approach for the design and synthesis of multifunctional flexible carbonaceous materials and might lead to their further application in flexible energy storage devices.
Intracellular Physical Properties with Small Organic Fluorescent Probes: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives
Authors: Dutta Tanoy , Pal Kaushik , Koner Apurba Lal
Published: July 2022

The intracellular physical parameters i. e., polarity, viscosity, fluidity, tension, potential, and temperature of a live cell are the hallmark of cellular health and have garnered immense interest over the past decade. In this context, small molecule organic fluorophores exhibit prominent useful properties including easy functionalizability, environmental sensitivity, biocompatibility, and fast yet efficient cellular uptakability which has made them a popular tool to understand intra‐cellular micro‐environmental properties. Throughout this discussion, we have outlined the basic design strategies of small molecules for specific organelle targeting and quantification of physical properties. The values of these parameters are indicative of cellular homeostasis and subtle alteration may be considered as the onset of disease. We believe this comprehensive review will facilitate the development of potential future probes for superior insight into the physical parameters that are yet to be quantified.
Antibiotic prescribing challenges in smallholder poultry
Authors: Broadfoot Fraser
Published: July 2022

This focus article has been prepared by Fraser Broadfoot of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.
Democratic Practices and Political Dynamics of Intra-Group Policy Formation in the European Parliament
Authors: Elomäki Anna , Gaweda Barbara , Berthet Valentine
Published: July 2022

The role of the European Parliament’s (EP) political groups in making the European Union legislative process democratic has been mainly analysed in terms of party-political competition between the groups. In this chapter, we extend questions about democracy to intra-group policy formation and ask, how do political groups formulate group lines on policies and what impact does this have on democratic decision-making in the EP. We approach intra-group policy formation from the perspective of formal and informal democratic practices related to inclusion, deliberation and transparency that influence whose voice is heard. Our analysis is based on extensive interview data as well as the internal rules of the groups, and we pay specific attention to differences between the groups and the political dynamics within them. We argue that intra-group struggles about policy are as important for the democratic functioning of the EP as those between the groups.
(Disap)pointing in the Mirror: The European Parliament’s Obligations to Protect EU Basic Values in Member States and at EU Level
Authors: Morijn John
Published: July 2022

In this chapter 1 discuss how political groups use tools to protect EU values at both member state and EU level. I first survey the different tools used to protect EU values at member state level. I then focus on those available vis-à-vis the EU level itself, particularly the Electoral Act, requirements incumbent on Europarties and European political foundations to comply with EU values and the EPRoP. I conclude that political group’s track-record is disappointing and discuss what improvements could be envisioned to (better) reach the aim of protecting EU values across all political groups’ activities and across all levels of government.
The Compass Used for Qualitative Accounting
Authors: Friend Michèle Indira
Published: July 2022

Here is another creative use of the compass by an institution. We re-name the wish spot “responsibility spot”. As an institution, it is not that we wish for the actual arrow to find itself in the wish spot, it is that we think we are successful as an institution when the arrow is in the responsibility spot. We fail in our responsibilities, as an institution when the actual compass arrow lies outside the responsibility spot. The further away, the less responsible we are.
Case Study I: The World Health Organisation, by Ana Mulió Álvarez
Authors: Friend Michèle Indira
Published: July 2022

The world currently faces the greatest challenge ever experienced by humankind. Climate change and environmental degradation threaten nearly every ecological cycle and living organism. Humans have disrupted the bio-sphere: from the composition of the atmosphere to the nutrient cycles of the soil. As recently stated by the UN “75% of land environment and some 66% of the marine environment have been significantly altered by human actions.” We are already experiencing changes in precipitation patterns, rising sea levels, and stronger and more destructive storms due to climate change. In a recent study, UK researchers found microplastics in every marine organism surveyed, in fact, by 2050 plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean., Such realizations inevitably lead us to wonder about how we got to this point and what we are going to do about it. More specifically, what is our role and purpose in our relationship with the environment? These concerns are deeply philosophical and real. The institutional compass provides a practical tool and a holistic framework of analysis for these complicated philosophical and political inquiries.
Adapting the Compass to Align with Ecological Economics Thinking
Authors: Friend Michèle Indira
Published: July 2022

We start with the general concepts included in ecological economics thinking. Ecological economists are normative in two respects. There is the scientific norm concerning some dependence relationships in the world and the law of entropy. There is a more ethical norm about the desire to align our life-styles with the dependence relationship and encourage others to share the desire for alignment.
Further Manipulations and Extensions Using the Notion of Sphere
Authors: Friend Michèle Indira
Published: July 2022

In Chap. 7, I explained the adaptation of the compass to ecological economics. Ecological economics has an ideological orientation, a normative element. We can reconsider the ideological orientation.
(g − 2)e, μ and strongly interacting dark matter with collider implications
Authors: Biswas Anirban , Khan Sarif
Published: July 2022

Abstract

The quest for new physics beyond the Standard Model is boosted by the recently observed deviation in the anomalous magnetic moments of muon and electron from their respective theoretical prediction. In the present work, we have proposed a suitable extension of the minimal Lμ − Lτ model to address these two experimental results as the minimal model is unable to provide any realistic solution. In our model, a new Yukawa interaction involving first generation of leptons, a singlet vector like fermion (χ±) and a scalar (either an SU(2)L doublet $$ {\Phi}_4^{\prime } $$

Φ
4
′

or a complex singlet $$ {\Phi}_4^{\prime } $$

Φ
4
′

) provides the additional one loop contribution to ae only on top of the usual contribution coming from the Lμ− Lτ gauge boson (Zμτ) to both electron and muon. The judicious choice of Lμ − Lτ charges to these new fields results in a strongly interacting scalar dark matter in $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
(MeV) range after taking into account the bounds from relic density, unitarity and self interaction. The freeze-out dynamics of dark matter is greatly influenced by 3 → 2 scatterings while the kinetic equilibrium with the SM bath is ensured by 2 → 2 scatterings with neutrinos where Zμτ plays a pivotal role. The detection of dark matter is possible directly through scatterings with nuclei mediated by the SM Z bosons. Moreover, our proposed model can also be tested in the upcoming e+e− colliders by searching opposite sign di-electron and missing energy signal i.e. "Image missing" at the final state.
Pentagon Wilson loop with Lagrangian insertion at two loops in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 super Yang-Mills theory
Authors: Chicherin Dmitry , Henn Johannes
Published: July 2022

Abstract

We compute the two-loop result for the null pentagonal Wilson loop with a Lagrangian insertion (normalized by the Wilson loop without insertion) in planar, maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. This finite observable is closely related to the Amplituhedron, and it is reminiscent of finite parts of planar two-loop five-particle scattering amplitudes. We verify that, up to this loop order, the leading singularities are given by the same conformally invariant expressions that appear in all-plus pure Yang-Mills amplitudes. The accompanying weight-four transcendental functions are expressed in terms of the pentagon functions space known from planar two-loop five-particle amplitudes, but interestingly only a subset of the functions appears. Being a function of four dimensionless variables, the observable has interesting asymptotic limits. We verify that our analytic result is consistent with soft and collinear limits, and find an intriguingly simple pattern in the multi-Regge limit. Thanks to the new result we can also conjecturally predict, for general kinematics, the maximal weight piece of the planar three-loop five-particle all-plus amplitude in pure Yang-Mills theory. Motivated by the Amplituhedron geometry, we investigate positivity properties of the integrated answer. Generalizing previous results at four particles, we find numerical evidence that the two-loop five-particle result has uniform sign in a kinematic region suggested by the loop Amplituhedron.
Biomechanical model registration for monitoring and simulating large orthodontic tooth movements in the maxilla and mandible
Authors: Schmidt Falko , Kilic Fatih , Gerhart Catrin Verena , Lapatki Bernd Georg
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Superimposition of digital dental-arch models allows quantification of orthodontic tooth movements (OTM). Currently, this procedure requires stable reference surfaces usually only present in the maxilla. This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of a novel superimposition approach based on biomechanical principles of OTM and the equilibrium of forces and moments (EFM)—applicable in both jaws—for monitoring and simulating large OTM.

Methods

The study included 7 patients who had undergone extraction of the first (PM1-Ex) or second (PM2-Ex) premolar in each quadrant. Digital models taken at start and end of the T‑Loop treatment phase were superimposed by applying 3 EFM variants differing in the number of teeth used for registration. Maxillary OTM results for EFM were validated against those for a conventional surface registration method (SRM). In an additional case study, OTM were simulated for PM1-Ex, PM2-Ex and non-extraction treatment strategies.

Results

The EFM variant that included all teeth of the dental arch achieved the highest accuracy, with median translational and rotational OTM deviations from SRM of only 0.37 mm and 0.56°, respectively. On average, retracted canines and first premolars were distalized by 3.0 mm, accompanied by 6.2° distal crown tipping and 12.2° distorotation. The share of space closure by molar mesialization was 19.4% for PM1-Ex quadrants and 34.5% for PM2-Ex quadrants.

Conclusion

EFM allows accurate OTM quantification relative to the maxillary and mandibular bases even in challenging situations involving large OTM. Superimposition of malocclusion and setup models enables realistic simulation of final tooth positions. This may greatly enhance the value of digital setups for decision-making in orthodontic treatment planning.
Further development of crew resource management training
Authors: Eismann Hendrik , Breuer Georg , Flentje Markus
Published: July 2022

Background

Teams in anesthesia and intensive care work as high responsibility teams (HRT). Success in this environment partly depends on the use of nontechnical skills which can be learned through simulation-based training. A teamwork context analysis could help to identify training requirements for crew resource management training.

Material and methods

We used a multicentric observational cross-sectional study design utilizing survey methodology to evaluate the teamwork context of different work environments, using the 62-item TAKAI inventory. We surveyed anesthesia and intensive care staff from nine hospitals in Germany which provide varying levels of care.

Results

In total, 128 people (44.5% male, 53.9% female) from 9 German hospitals participated in the study. The topics “interconnectedness: departments”, “interconnectedness: information flow”, “dynamics”, “polytely”, “velocity of the team’s movement”, “velocity of system changes”, “hierarchy” and “hierarchy: leadership”, “shared task mental model”, “shared team mental model” and all aspects of the scale “adaptive behaviors” were identified as focal aspects to be implemented into Crew-Resource-Management (CRM) training for the evaluated work environments.

Conclusion

The TAKAI scales meet quality criteria (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.6) and are appropriate for use in the analysis of the teamwork environment. The results indicate many similarities between the work contexts surveyed but also slight differences. TAKAI can be an additional method to design an appropriate simulation training program for HRT in anesthesia and intensive care medicine as there does not seem to be a one-size-fits-all simulation concept. For a special focus on the needs of a work context, the easy to perform TAKAI analysis in the needs analysis step is worthwhile.
Strategien für die Schaftrevision
Authors: Hardt Sebastian , Schönnagel Lukas , Hipfl Christian
Published: July 2022

Hintergrund und Planung

Die Schaftrevision stellt in ihrer Operationsvorbereitung und technischen Durchführung eine große Herausforderung dar. Die Ergebnisse sind maßgeblich von der Defektsituation, der Qualität der Implantatentfernung sowie der Wahl des Revisionsimplantates abhängig. Patientenspezifische Faktoren wie das Alter, die Komorbiditäten, die Knochenqualität oder auch die Lokalisation des Zementes haben entscheidenden Einfluss auf die operative Strategie. Eine entsprechende präoperative Vorbereitung inklusive des Vorhandenseins von notwendigen Spezialinstrumenten, die essenziell für die schonende Implantatentfernung sind, ist unabdingbar, um das bestmögliche Ergebnis zu erzielen.

Therapie

Die knochenschonende Explantation stellt gerade bei festsitzenden Schäften und Zementresten, die ggf. weit über den Isthmus reichen können, eine besondere Herausforderung dar. In solchen Situationen sollte ein transfemoraler Zugang erwogen werden. Die zementfreie Reimplantation unter Verwendung von modularen oder nichtmodularen Titanschäften ist für die meisten Revisionen die derzeit bevorzugte Therapie der Wahl. Bei älteren Patienten mit niedrigem Leistungsanspruch oder schlechter Knochenqualität bleibt die zementierte Versorgung eine gute alternative Therapieoption.
Soil Microbial Community Composition and Tolerance to Contaminants in an Urban Brownfield Site
Authors: Mejia Maura Palacios , Rojas Connie A. , Curd Emily , Renshaw Mark A. , Edalati Kiumars , Shih Beverly , Vincent Nitin , Lin Meixi , Nguyen Peggy H. , Wayne Robert , Jessup Kelsey , Parker Sophie S.
Published: July 2022

Brownfields are unused sites that contain hazardous substances due to previous commercial or industrial use. The sites are inhospitable for many organisms, but some fungi and microbes can tolerate and thrive in the nutrient-depleted and contaminated soils. However, few studies have characterized the impacts of long-term contamination on soil microbiome composition and diversity at brownfields. This study focuses on an urban brownfield—a former rail yard in Los Angeles that is contaminated with heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and petroleum-derived pollutants. We anticipate that heavy metals and organic pollutants will shape soil microbiome diversity and that several candidate fungi and bacteria will be tolerant to the contaminants. We sequence three gene markers (16S ribosomal RNA, 18S ribosomal RNA, and the fungal internal transcribed spacer (FITS)) in 55 soil samples collected at five depths to (1) profile the composition of the soil microbiome across depths; (2) determine the extent to which hazardous chemicals predict microbiome variation; and (3) identify microbial taxonomic groups that may metabolize these contaminants. Detected contaminants in the samples included heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds. Bacterial, eukaryotic, and fungal communities all varied with depth and with concentrations of arsenic, chromium, cobalt, and lead. 18S rRNA microbiome richness and fungal richness were positively correlated with lead and cobalt levels, respectively. Furthermore, bacterial Paenibacillus and Iamia, eukaryotic Actinochloris, and fungal Alternaria were enriched in contaminated soils compared to uncontaminated soils and represent taxa of interest for future bioremediation research. Based on our results, we recommend incorporating DNA-based multi-marker microbial community profiling at multiple sites and depths in brownfield site assessment standard methods and restoration.
A host-vector toolbox for improved secretory protein overproduction in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Krüger Anna , Welsch Norma , Dürwald Alexandra , Brundiek Henrike , Wardenga Rainer , Piascheck Henning , Mengers Hendrik G. , Krabbe Jana , Beyer Sandra , Kabisch Johannes F. , Popper Lutz , Hübel Tanno , Antranikian Garabed , Schweder Thomas
Published: July 2022

Target proteins in biotechnological applications are highly diverse. Therefore, versatile flexible expression systems for their functional overproduction are required. In order to find the right heterologous gene expression strategy, suitable host-vector systems, which combine different genetic circuits, are useful. In this study, we designed a novel Bacillus subtilis expression toolbox, which allows the overproduction and secretion of potentially toxic enzymes. This toolbox comprises a set of 60 expression vectors, which combine two promoter variants, four strong secretion signals, a translation-enhancing downstream box, and three plasmid backbones. This B. subtilis toolbox is based on a tailor-made, clean deletion mutant strain, which is protease and sporulation deficient and exhibits reduced autolysis and secondary metabolism. The appropriateness of this alternative expression platform was tested for the overproduction of two difficult-to-produce eukaryotic model proteins. These included the sulfhydryl oxidase Sox from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which forms reactive hydrogen peroxide and undesired cross-linking of functional proteins, and the human interleukin-1β, a pro-inflammatory cytokine. For the best performing Sox and interleukin, overproducing and secreting variants of these new B. subtilis toolbox fermentation strategies were developed and tested. This study demonstrates the suitability of the prokaryotic B. subtilis host-vector system for the extracellular production of two eukaryotic proteins with biotechnological relevance.

Key points

• Construction of a versatile Bacillus subtilis gene expression toolbox.

• Verification of the toolbox by the secretory overproduction of two difficult-to-express proteins.

• Fermentation strategy for an acetoin-controlled overproduction of heterologous proteins.
Time is of the essence: past selves are not prioritized even when selective discrimination costs are controlled for
Authors: Englert Julia , von Lampe Karola , Morina Nexhmedin
Published: July 2022

The perceptual Self-Prioritization effect (SPE) refers to an advantage in attending to stimuli associated with the self relative to those associated with another individual. In the perceptual matching task, arbitrary pairings between oneself and other persons, and a geometric shape need to be learned. Apart from the SPE, this task also produces high matching performance for a close other. While cognitive representations of past selves are sometimes viewed as resembling that of an intimate other, and while there is some evidence that other types of psychological closeness modulate the SPE, it remains unclear whether such prioritization effects extend to past selves. Previous experiments on this topic required participants to distinguish between different points in time within the same task, raising the possibility that potential past self-prioritization was masked by task difficulty. In our experiment, we addressed this potential confound by presenting N = 118 participants with a simpler version of the matching task. We re-investigated self-prioritization in perceptual matching under conditions of mental time travel to the past. In line with previous evidence, we found clear prioritization of present selves, which was evident in response times, accuracies and the efficiency of practice. Performance was consistently poorest for the past self, indicating not only a lack of privileged processing, but rather a relative de-prioritization. Performance was not improved by either increased proximity of the time period in question, nor by experimenter-induced re-imagining of the self. Our results do not support a perceptual prioritization of past selves.
Eruption dynamics of Anak Krakatau volcano (Indonesia) estimated using photogrammetric methods
Authors: Hochfeld Isabell , Hort Matthias , Schwalbe Ellen , Dürig Tobias
Published: July 2022

Analyzing video data from an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) of two short-lived dome building events at Anak Krakatau volcano (Indonesia), we determine vertical and horizontal movements of the dome surface prior to explosions, as well as initial eruption velocities and mass eruption rates via automated feature tracking and other photogrammetric methods. Initial eruption velocities and mass eruption rates are estimated as a proxy for eruptive strength. Eruptive strength is found to correlate with deformation magnitude, i.e., larger pre-explosion surface displacements are followed by both higher initial eruption velocities and mass fluxes. In accord with other studies, our observations can be explained by an overpressure underneath the dome’s surface. We assume that the dome seals the underlying vent efficiently, meaning that pre-explosion pressure build-up controls both deformation magnitude and eruptive strength. We support this assumption by a simple numerical model indicating that pre-explosion pressure increases between 8 and 16 MPa. The model further reveals that the two events vary significantly with respect to the importance of lateral visco-elastic flow for pressurization and deformation. The video sequences also show considerable variations in the gas release and associated deformation characteristics. Both constant and accelerating deformation is observed. Our case study demonstrates that photogrammetric methods are suitable to provide quantitative constraints on both effusive and explosive activity. Future work can build on our or similar approaches to develop automated monitoring strategies that would enable the observation and analysis of volcanic activity in near real time during a volcanic crisis.
On azimuthally propagating equatorial atmospheric waves
Authors: Martin Calin I.
Published: July 2022

We investigate the existence of solutions to a recent model for large-scale equatorial waves, derived recently by an asymptotic method driven by the thin-shell approximation of the Earth’s atmosphere in rotating spherical coordinates.
Brain stimulation and elicited memories
Authors: Sjöberg Rickard L.
Published: July 2022

Background

Since the late 1930s, electric brain stimulation (EBS) in awake patients has been known to occasionally elicit patient descriptions of a form of memory flashbacks, known as experiential phenomena. One understanding of these sensations are as caused by an augmentation of the capacity for memory retrieval. However, an alternative hypothesis holds that memory flashbacks during EBS are “synthetic constructions” in the form of mental events, falsely interpreted as memories.

Methods

A critical narrative review is used to discuss the false memory hypothesis in relation to the current empirical literature and source attribution theory.

Results

EBS as well as situational demands in the form of interaction between patient and neurosurgeon may both lead to the creation of mental events and influence their interpretation in a way that may create false memories. The false memory hypothesis provides a potential explanation for several apparent inconsistencies in the current literature such as (a) the fragmented nature of experiential reports, (b) the ability of EBS to induce memory retrieval errors in controlled studies, (c) that Penfield’s elicitations of experiential phenomena are so rarely replicated in the modern era, and (d) the limited utility of techniques that elicit experiential phenomena in the treatment of memory disorders.

Conclusions

The hypothesis that experiential phenomena may largely be “synthetic constructions” deserves serious consideration by neurosurgeons.
Lifestyle taxes in the presence of profit shifting
Authors: Levaggi Rosella , Marchiori Carmen , Panteghini Paolo M.
Published: July 2022

The consumption of unhealthy products generates significant externalities in terms of increased future health care costs to society. Lifestyle taxes are attracting increasing attention as a measure by which to discourage over-consumption and correct such externalities. This paper focuses on the trade-off that governments face in setting a lifestyle tax when the producer of the taxed good is a multinational which may engage in profit-shifting activities. In the absence of profit shifting, if governments do care about corporate tax revenue, the optimal lifestyle tax is always lower than the marginal health care cost. We show that, by shrinking the corporate tax base, profit shifting has the interesting side effect of helping to close the gap between the lifestyle tax and the marginal health care cost.
Long-term reoperation rate following primary ventral hernia repair: a register-based study
Authors: Katawazai A , Wallin G , Sandblom G
Published: July 2022

Background

The aim of this study was to analyse the risk for reoperation following primary ventral hernia repair.

Methods

The study was based on umbilical hernia and epigastric hernia repairs registered in the population-based Swedish National Patient Register (NPR) 2010–2019. Reoperation was defined as repeat repair after primary repair.

Results

Altogether 29,360 umbilical hernia repairs and 6514 epigastric hernia repairs were identified. There were 624 reoperations registered following primary umbilical repair and 137 following primary epigastric repairs. In multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis, the hazard ratio (HR) for reoperation was 0.292 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.109–0.782) after open onlay mesh repair, 0.484 (CI 0.366–0.641) after open interstitial mesh repair, 0.382 (CI 0.238–0.613) after open sublay mesh repair, 0.453 (CI 0.169–1.212) after open intraperitoneal onlay mesh repair, 1.004 (CI 0.688–1.464) after laparoscopic repair, and 0.940 (CI 0.502–1.759) after other techniques, when compared to open suture repair as reference method. Following umbilical hernia repair, the risk for reoperation was also significantly higher for patients aged < 50 years (HR 1.669, CI 1.389–2.005), for women (HR 1.401, CI 1.186–1.655), and for patients with liver cirrhosis (HR 2.544, CI 1.049–6.170). For patients undergoing epigastric hernia repair, the only significant risk factor for reoperation was age < 50 years (HR 2.046, CI 1.337–3.130).

Conclusions

All types of open mesh repair were associated with lower reoperation rates than open suture repair and laparoscopic repair. Female sex, young age and liver cirrhosis were risk factors for reoperation due to hernia recurrence, regardless of method.
Response surface modelling of biomass-rich municipal solid waste pyrolysis: towards optimum hydrogen production
Authors: Tomasek Szabina , Egedy Attila , Bocsi Róbert , Zou Jun , Zhao Yujia , Haiping Yang , Miskolczi Norbert
Published: July 2022

In this study, two-step pyrolysis of biomass-rich municipal solid waste was studied on nickel supported ZSM-5 catalyst. In the first stage of the reactor, constant temperature (T = 550 °C) was applied, and in the second stage, the reactions took place at 500, 700 and 850 °C. Effects of operating parameters (temperature = 500, 700, 850 °C, steam rate = 1, 5 g/h) and catalyst load (0.5, 1.0, 2.0) were studied on yields and compositions, particularly on the hydrogen contents. In order to determine the significance of the operating parameters, response surface methodology was used. Considering the experimental data, the values of hydrogen/carbon monoxide molar ratio, lower heating value and the simulation, it was found that the favourable operating parameters of two-step pyrolysis of biomass-rich municipal solid waste were 850 °C temperature and 1 g/h steam rate (gas yield: 27.1%, hydrogen yield: 9.96 mmol g−1waste, hydrogen/carbon monoxide molar ratio: 1.8). From the data of response surface methodology, it was also concluded that temperature has a more critical effect on gas yields and composition than steam rate. However, in some cases, the synergistic effect of the two factors can also be significant.

Graphical abstract
Portfolio optimization with asset preselection using data envelopment analysis
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Mohammad Mehdi , Ortobelli Lozza Sergio , Hosseinzadeh Lotfi Farhad , Moriggia Vittorio
Published: July 2022

This paper uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach as a nonparametric efficiency analysis tool to preselect efficient assets in large-scale portfolio problems. Thus, we reduce the dimensionality of portfolio problems, considering multiple asset performance criteria in a linear DEA model. We first introduce several reward/risk criteria that are typically used in portfolio literature to identify features of financial returns. Secondly, we suggest some DEA input/output sets for preselecting efficient assets in a large-scale portfolio framework. Then, we evaluate the impact of the preselected assets in different portfolio optimization strategies. In particular, we propose an ex-post empirical analysis based on two alternative datasets: the components of S &P500 and the Fama and French 100 portfolio formed on size and book to market. According to this empirical analysis we observe better performances of the DEA preselection than the classic PCA factor models for large scale portfolio selection problems. Moreover, the proposed model outperform the S &P500 index and the strategy based on the fully diversified portfolio.
Continuous situation-specific development of business models: knowledge provision, method composition, and method enactment
Authors: Gottschalk Sebastian , Yigitbas Enes , Nowosad Alexander , Engels Gregor
Published: July 2022

The development of new business models is essential for startups to become successful, as well as for established companies to explore new business opportunities. However, developing such business models is a continuous challenging activity where different tasks need to be performed, and business decisions need to be made. Both have to fit the constantly changeable situation in which the business model is developed to reduce the risk of developing ineffective business models with low market penetration. Therefore, a method for developing situation-specific business models is needed. As a solution, we refine the concept of situational method engineering (SME) to business model development. SME, in turn, provides means to construct situation-specific development methods out of fragments from a method repository. We develop a concept for the continuous situation-specific development of business models based on design science. The approach uses the roles of a domain expert, a method engineer, and a business developer together with a repository with method fragments for developing business models and a repository with modeling artifacts for supporting the development. Both repositories are filled by utilizing the experience of domain experts. Out of these repositories, situation-specific development methods for developing business models can be continuously composed based on the changeable situation by the method engineer and enacted by the business developer. We implement it as an open-source tool and evaluate its applicability in an industrial case study of developing a business model for a local event platform. Our results show that situation awareness supports the continuous development of business models.
Vibrational calling signals improve the efficacy of pheromone traps to capture the brown marmorated stink bug
Authors: Zapponi Livia , Nieri Rachele , Zaffaroni-Caorsi Valentina , Pugno Nicola Maria , Mazzoni Valerio
Published: July 2022

Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855), the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), is an invasive species that has become a key agricultural pest in its invaded range. Commercial traps available for BMSB monitoring rely on male produced aggregation pheromones as lure, with two possible shortcomings: trap spillover and low detection precision. In this study, we assessed if vibrational signals can increase the attractiveness of pheromone traps by testing the optimized vibration-based lure (Female Song 2, FS2) associated with a specifically designed trap (i.e., the vibrotrap). We evaluated the efficacy of this bimodal trap (i.e., pheromones + vibrations) on females, males and nymphs in controlled conditions (greenhouse) and in the field, in two sites at the margin of two commercial vineyards. In the field, bimodal vibrotraps were compared to three unimodal (i.e., only pheromone) trap types. Both experiments showed that the vibrotrap is highly attractive for BMSB, and the optimized FS2 signal significantly improved its effectiveness. Even though FS2 was selected to target males, the number of trapped females increased as well. Overall, the presented findings show a feasible improvement to future commercial BMSB traps through the synergic use of semiophysicals and semiochemicals. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of vibrotraps for both early detection and mass trapping.
Governing the soil: natural farming and bionationalism in India
Authors: Fitzpatrick Ian Carlos , Millner Naomi , Ginn Franklin
Published: July 2022

This article examines India’s response to the global soil health crisis. A longstanding centre of agricultural production and innovation, India has recently launched an ambitious soil health programme. The country’s Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme intervenes in farm-scale decisions about efficient fertiliser use, envisioning farmers as managers and soil as a substrate for production. India is also home to one of the world’s largest alternative agriculture movements: natural farming. This puts farmer expertise at the centre of soil fertility and attends to the wider ecological health of soils. Despite emerging as a mode of resistance to dominant agricultural systems, natural farming is now being delivered in increasingly bureaucratic ways by India’s state governments. This article offers Himachal Pradesh as a case study in how the soil is governed, drawing on 38 semi-structured interviews with scientists, agricultural officers, non-governmental organisation leaders, and activists. Rather than assess approaches to soil health according to their ecological bottom line, we examine the differing forms of knowledge, expertise and ‘truth’ in the SHC and Natural Farming approaches. Our analysis reveals discontinuities in how farmers are imagined, as well as continuities in how quasi-spiritual language combines in a bionationalist project, positing assumptions about the correct arrangement of life in nationalist terms. We point to a shift toward hybrid and pick-and-mix approaches to soil health, as farmers and their organisers are increasingly invested with the capacities to combine multiple options. We see a fracturing of expertise and the opening up of epistemic pluralism in responses to the soil fertility crisis.
Relating Compatibility and Divisibility of Quantum Channels
Authors: Duarte Cristhiano , Catani Lorenzo , Drumond Raphael C.
Published: July 2022

We connect two key concepts in quantum information: compatibility and divisibility of quantum channels. Two channels are compatible if they can be both obtained via marginalization from a third channel. A channel divides another channel if it reproduces its action by sequential composition with a third channel. (In)compatibility is of central importance for studying the difference between classical and quantum dynamics. The relevance of divisibility stands in its close relationship with the onset of Markovianity. We emphasize the simulability character of compatibility and divisibility, and, despite their structural difference, we find a set of channels – self-degradable channels – for which the two notions coincide. We also show that, for degradable channels, compatibility implies divisibility, and that, for anti-degradable channels, divisibility implies compatibility. These results provide physical insights and motivate further research on these classes of channels and shed new light on the meaning of these two largely studied notions.
MiR-487b suppressed inflammation and neuronal apoptosis in spinal cord injury by targeted Ifitm3
Authors: Tong Dake , Zhao Yanyin , Tang Yang , Ma Jie , Wang Miao , Li Bo , Wang Zhiwei , Li Cheng
Published: July 2022

Spinal cord injury (SCI) was a serious nerve injury, which involves complex genetic changes. This paper was intended to investigate the function and mechanism of differentially expressed genes in SCI. The three datasets GSE92657, GSE93561 and GSE189070 of SCI from GEO database were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We identified the common DEGs in the three datasets GSE92657, GSE93561 and GSE189070 of SCI from GEO database. Next, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs was constructed. Subsequently, the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that DEGs were significantly enriched in immune response, inflammatory response. The expression level of immune-related genes (Arg1, Ccl12, Ccl2, Ifitm2, Ifitm3, and et al.) at different time points of SCI were analyzed in GSE189070 dataset. Next, differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) were identified in SCI compared with normal based on GSE158194 database. DE-miRNA and targeted immune-related genes were predicted by miRwalk, including miR-487b-5p targeted Ifitm3, miR-3072-5p targeted Ccl3, and et al. What’s more, the miR-487b was identified and verified to be down-regulated in Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced BV-2 cell model. Further, the miR-487b inhibited cell inflammation and apoptosis in LPS-induced BV2 cell by targeted Ifitm3. For the first time, our results revealed that miR-487b may play an important regulatory role in SCI by targeted Ifitm3 and provide further evidence for SCI research.
Mango performance as affected by the soil application of zeolite and biochar under water salinity stresses
Authors: Harhash Mohamed M. , Ahamed Masoud M. M. , Mosa Walid F. A.
Published: July 2022

This study was carried out during two consecutive seasons, 2020 and 2021, on 12-year-old mango (Mangifera indica L.). cv. Ewaise grown in region Idku, El Beheira Governorate, Egypt. The trees were planted at 5 × 4 m apart and grafted on “Sokary” root stock to study the influence of zeolite and biochar on growth, yield, and fruit quality of “Ewaise” mango cultivar irrigated by agricultural drainage water. The trees were treated by the following treatments: zeolite or biochar solely at 1, 2, and 3 kg for tree and their different combinations such as 1 kg zeolite + 1 kg biochar; 1 kg zeolite + 2 kg biochar; 1 kg zeolite + 3 kg biochar; 2 kg zeolite + 1 kg biochar; 2 kg zeolite + 2 kg biochar; 2 kg zeolite + 3 kg biochar; 3 kg zeolite + 1 kg biochar; 3 kg zeolite + 2 kg biochar; and 3 kg zeolite + 3 kg biochar as well as control zero soil application. The obtained results showed that the soil application of zeolite or biochar gave a positive effect on improving the soil characteristics which reflects on the tree trunk thickness, shoot length and thickness, number of inflorescences, yield in kg per tree, and fruit quality. The greatest positive effect on the previous mentioned parameters was obtained by the combined application of the soil application of 2 kg zeolite + 3 kg biochar; 2 kg zeolite + 2 kg biochar; 3 kg zeolite + 2 kg biochar; and 3 kg zeolite + 3 kg biochar over the rest-applied treatments or control in the two seasons.
Measurement and identification of relative poverty level of pastoral areas: an analysis based on spatial layout
Authors: Lin Haiying , Gao Youhan , Zhu Tianqi , Wu Huayuan , Hou Pengshen , Li Wenlong , Hou Shuxia , Arshad Muhammad Umer
Published: July 2022

Pastoral areas are the key difficulty in China’s pursuit of common prosperity and a key region for China to build the northern ecological safety barrier and to realize the Two Centenary Goals. It is of great significance to scientifically evaluate the quality of rural life (QRL), measure the relative poverty level (RPL), and identify the relatively poor areas, making it possible to dock poverty elimination with rural revitalization. Based on the socio-economic data of 18 pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia, this paper draws on spatial layout theory to evaluate QRL and measures RPL by the natural breakpoint method and then identifies the relatively poor areas in Inner Mongolia. The results show that (1) the QRLs of pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia were unbalanced and highly polarized. The mean score of QRLs was 0.2598. Eleven (61.11%) of the counties/banners had a QRL smaller than the mean score. On the spatial layout of QRLs, the western areas were stronger than the central areas. High QRL counties/banners are mainly concentrated in the western region. In the central region, the QRLs were very fragmented, falling onto all five levels. (2) The pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia differed significantly in RPL. The mean score of RPL stood at 0.3788. Nine counties/banners (50%) had an RPL greater than the mean. Contrary to the spatial layout features of QRLs, the central pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia had stronger RPLs than the eastern ones. High RPL counties/banners are mostly clustered in the central region. The spatial layout of RPLs is relatively reasonable in the central region: the RPLs decreased gradually from Dorbod Banner. (3) Nearly 45% of the pastoral areas in central and western Inner Mongolia face serious relative poverty and a high risk of returning to poverty. Eight counties/banners (45%) were identified as high composite relative poverty areas. From spatial layout, the composite relatively poor counties/banners clustered clearly, mainly in the western region. Finally, this paper establishes a warning mechanism against large-scale returning to poverty, aiming to lower composite RPL. The research results provide empirical reference and implementation path for consolidating the results of poverty eradication and facilitating rural revitalization.