bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Digital Entrepreneurship for the “Decade of Action”
Authors: Shamsrizi Manouchehr , Pakura Adalbert , Wiechers Jens , Pakura Stefanie , Dauster Dominique V.
Published: November 2020

In 2020, the UN launched the “Decade of Action” to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the year 2030. As the SDGs are interdependent, intersectional and interdisciplinary, so must be their solutions. This chapter argues that the best way to identify, develop, and scale solutions of such quality is (digital) entrepreneurship, building on the principles of open innovation, cutting-edge technologies, and social business. The COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 in particular serves as a stark reminder of the interconnected nature of the SDGs and the challenges we face in achieving them. In this article, we explore the third SDG (SDG-3), “Good health and well-being”. We show the potential for digital entrepreneurship to foster the rise of new forms of digital health care and to accelerate the digitalization of the healthcare sector. Due to both perceived and real issues of regulatory compliance, user experience, and long investment/equipment use cycles, SDG-3 has been one of the slowest to adopt innovative solutions by far. We discuss specific areas, such as blended reality or quantum computing, for emerging and future digital health applications. In this chapter, we provide: the “memoreBox” of social start-up RetroBrain R&D, a special edition of gamelab.berlin’s app “Singleton”, and D-Wave’s free access to its cloud quantum computing services. All these examples of digital entrepreneurship utilize in whole or in part a combination of open innovation, future and emerging technologies, and social business, thus supporting our rationale. The article closes with recommendations for different stakeholders of entrepreneurial ecosystems, demonstrating both the necessity and the potential of digital entrepreneurship for the SDGs and the “Decade of Action”.
Digital Entrepreneurship and Agile Methods—A Hackathon Case Study
Authors: Richter Nancy , Dragoeva Djanina
Published: November 2020

“What if, when they ask ‘Alexa, where can I do something here tonight?’, travellers no longer receive the answer ‘I don’t know’? And, could start-ups use all tourist data freely and without restriction to develop innovative applications for travellers at any time?” (“German National Tourist Board”, n.d.). These and similar questions are currently being asked by those responsible for tourism marketing and product development, such as destination management organisations (DMO: “Public or public–private entity whose aim is to foster, plan and coordinate the tourism development of a destination as a whole”.) (“IGI Global”, n.d.) in Germany. In particular, the travel destination Thuringia sees itself as a pioneer on topics such as AI, decentralised data structures and new types of interactions: “We were looking for a way to make the data of Thuringian tourism up-to-date, findable and freely usable and thus provide the path for open innovation and new technologies.” (Detlef Klinge, Thüringer Tourismus GmbH retrieved from “German National Tourist Board”, n.d.). To meet these challenges, the DMO relies on the processing of open data in a tourist content architecture and on entrepreneurial management methods such as the hackathon. This method, in turn, must be embedded in a holistic management approach; otherwise, creative results will be lost even before they come to the market. The question is how these technologies and management methods must be implemented in DMOs so that they generate sustainable competitive advantages and customer benefits for the respective travel destination.
Lebensentwürfe im Spannungsfeld von Ökonomisierung, Selbstverwirklichung und unternehmerischer Nachhaltigkeit
Authors: Thrun Tim , Casper Marc , Schormair Maximilian
Published: November 2020

Im Zentrum des Beitrags steht das dreiteilige Lehrkonzept des titelgebenden Seminars. In einem ersten Reflexionsblock leisten die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer überwiegend biographisch orientierte Reflexionen. Die dabei subjektiv formulierten Lebensentwürfe werden im zweiten Block durch Filmvorführungen und -diskussionen kontrastiert. Im Rahmen eines dritten Referatsblocks vertiefen die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer ihre bisherigen Überlegungen vor dem Hintergrund eines aktuell diskutierten Themas der Wirtschaftswissenschaft. Das Seminar zeichnet sich über diese drei Elemente hinweg durch seinen kritisch-emanzipatorischen Modus und eine ausgeprägte Lebensweltorientierung aus.
Lehre im Interesse der Studierenden: Selbstverständnis, Prinzipien und Praktiken einer bildungswirksamen Hochschullehre
Authors: Haarmann Moritz Peter
Published: November 2020

Ausgehend von einer Problematisierung der Fremdbestimmung, gegen die die in der Pluralen Ökonomik engagierten Studierenden und Lehrenden der Volkswirtschaftslehre protestieren, widmet sich der Beitrag der Frage, wie Hochschullehre adressatinnen- und adressatenorientiert gestaltet werden kann. Das hochschuldidaktische Fundament einer Lehre im Interesse der Studierenden wird aus der Bildungstheorie und dem Universitätskonzept Wilhelm von Humboldts entwickelt und anhand von Umsetzungsbeispielen konkretisiert. Weitergehende Prinzipien speziell für die sozioökonomische Hochschullehre werden unter Bezugnahme auf etablierte Grundsätze der allgemeinen Didaktik sowie der Didaktik für sozialwissenschaftliche Unterrichtsfächer formuliert. Ein zentrales Ergebnis dabei ist, dass der politische Charakter von Wirtschaft und den mit ihr befassten Sozialwissenschaften nachvollzogen werden muss, um Studierenden eine bildungswirksame Auseinandersetzung mit Ökonomie und Ökonomik zu ermöglichen.
„Warum sagt einem das niemand?“ Pluralität und Reflexivität für die schulische (sozio-)ökonomische Bildung
Authors: Beyer Marcel
Published: November 2020

Analog zur Bezugswissenschaft Ökonomik stellt sich auch in der universitären (sozio-)ökonomischen Lehrerbildung die Frage einer gelingenden Umsetzung und Etablierung von pluraler Ökonomik und epistemologischer Reflexion. Denn wenn angehende Lehrerinnen und Lehrer im Studium eine maßgeblich einseitige ökonomische Bildung erfahren, ihnen Alternativen im Denken und Handeln über Ökonomie vorenthalten werden, wie können diese dann Schülerinnen und Schüler befähigen, zentrale Probleme (Klimakrise, Ungleichheiten) multiperspektivisch zu befragen und anzugehen? Dieses Problem wird in meinem Beitrag einerseits vertieft, andererseits werden anhand eines fachdidaktischen Seminars in einem Bachelor-Studiengang konkrete Lösungsansätze für die Hochschullehre aufgezeigt. Dieses Seminar verfolgte das Ziel, Pluralität sowie Reflexivität zu den obersten Prämissen der fachwissenschaftlichen sowie fachdidaktischen Auseinandersetzung zu machen.
Teaching Feminist Economics. Conceptual Notes and Practical Advice for Teaching a Subject in the Making
Authors: Saave Anna
Published: November 2020

Teaching feminist economics is a relatively new didactical project posing questions of content and methodology for instructors. The article proposes three possible topics with regard to the changing nature of the emergent research field: introducing feminist economics as a mode of questioning, showing its historicity and spectrum, and asking the question of a unifying paradigm. Complementarily, the article identifies teaching methodologies and aspects to consider for teaching according to feminist economics’ theoretical insights. This includes the role of experiences, the need for instructors to change perspectives, and the idea of caring and holding as starting points for a feminist pedagogy.
Einleitung
Authors: Krannich Sascha , Hunger Uwe
Published: November 2020

Der Katholische Akademische Ausländer-Dienst (KAAD) fördert seit nunmehr sechs Jahrzehnten Studien- und Forschungsaufenthalte von jungen, begabten Menschen aus Afrika, Asien, dem Nahen Osten sowie Lateinamerika in Deutschland. Die Idee für dieses Stipendienwerk geht auf Diskussionen auf dem deutschen Katholikentag im Jahr 1954 in Fulda zurück. Hier wurden vor dem Hintergrund der jüngsten Erfahrungen des Zweiten Weltkriegs die ersten Überlegungen angestellt, eine Fördereinrichtung für Studierende aus sog. Entwicklungsländern (damals noch „Länder der Dritten Welt“) zu gründen.
Ergebnisse: Nach dem Studium
Authors: Krannich Sascha , Hunger Uwe
Published: November 2020

Spannend ist es zu sehen, welche Wege die (ehemaligen) Stipendiat*innen nach ihrem Studium gegangen sind. Sind sie nach Beendigung des Studiums in Deutschland in ihr Herkunftsland zurückgegangen oder sind sie in Deutschland geblieben bzw. in ein anderes Land weitergewandert? Die Feldforschungen in den fünf Untersuchungsländern haben vielfältige Antworten auf diese Frage zum Vorschein gebracht. Es ist deutlich geworden, dass (ehemalige) internationale Studierende in ganz vielfältiger Weise und in verschiedenen (Migrations-)Formen zur Entwicklung in ihren Herkunftsländern beitragen.
The Dysregulated Galectin Network Activates NF-κB to Induce Disease Markers and Matrix Degeneration in 3D Pellet Cultures of Osteoarthritic Chondrocytes
Authors: Pichler K. M. , Weinmann D. , Schmidt S. , Kubista B. , Lass R. , Martelanz L. , Alphonsus J. , Windhager R. , Gabius H. -J. , Toegel S.
Published: November 2020

This work aimed to study the dysregulated network of galectins in OA chondrocyte pellets, and to assess whether their recently discovered activity as molecular switches of functional biomarkers results in degradation of extracellular matrix in vitro. Scaffold-free 3D pellet cultures were established of human OA chondrocytes. Expression and secretion of galectin(Gal)-1, -3, and -8 were monitored relative to 2D cultures or clinical tissue sections by RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry and ELISAs. Exposure of 2D and 3D cultures to an in vivo-like galectin mixture (Gal-1 and Gal-8: 5 µg/ml, Gal-3: 1 µg/ml) was followed by the assessment of pellet size, immunohistochemical matrix staining, and/or quantification of MMP-1, -3, and -13. Application of inhibitors of NF-κB activation probed into the potential of intervening with galectin-induced matrix degradation. Galectin profiling revealed maintained dysregulation of Gal-1, -3, and -8 in pellet cultures, resembling the OA situation in situ. The presence of the galectin mixture promoted marked reduction of pellet size and loss of collagen type II-rich extracellular matrix, accompanied by the upregulation of MMP-1, -3, and -13. Inhibition of p65-phosphorylation by caffeic acid phenethyl ester effectively alleviated the detrimental effects of galectins, resulting in downregulated MMP secretion, reduced matrix breakdown and augmented pellet size. This study suggests that the dysregulated galectin network in OA cartilage leads to extracellular matrix breakdown, and provides encouraging evidence of the feasible inhibition of galectin-triggered activities. OA chondrocyte pellets have the potential to serve as in vitro disease model for further studies on galectins in OA onset and progression.
Software Engineering und Software-Engineering-Forschung im Zeitalter der Digitalisierung
Authors: Felderer Michael , Reussner Ralf , Rumpe Bernhard
Published: November 2020

Die Digitalisierung und der damit verbundene digitale Wandel durchdringen alle Lebensbereiche. Qualitativ hochwertige Software ist der zentrale Baustein und Treiber der Digitalisierung. Damit nimmt auch das ingenieurmäßige Erstellen von Software, das Software Engineering, eine zentrale Rolle im digitalen Wandel ein und ist dabei selbst großen Veränderungen unterworfen. Dieser Artikel versucht deshalb eine Standortbestimmung des Software Engineering und seiner Forschung im Zeitalter der Digitalisierung vorzunehmen.
The six-transmembrane protein Stamp2 ameliorates pulmonary vascular remodeling and pulmonary hypertension in mice
Authors: Batool Mehreen , Berghausen Eva M. , Zierden Mario , Vantler Marius , Schermuly Ralph T. , Baldus Stephan , Rosenkranz Stephan , ten Freyhaus Henrik
Published: November 2020

Six-transmembrane protein of prostate (Stamp2) protects from diabetes and atherosclerosis in mice via anti-inflammatory mechanisms. As chronic inflammation is a hallmark of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), we investigated the role of Stamp2. Stamp2 expression was substantially reduced in the lung of humans with idiopathic PAH, as well as in experimental PAH. In Stamp2-deficient mice, hypoxia modestly aggravated pulmonary vascular remodeling and right ventricular pressure compared to WT. As endothelial cell (EC) and pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (PASMC) phenotypes drive remodeling in PAH, we explored the role of Stamp2. Knock-down of Stamp2 in human EC neither affected apoptosis, viability, nor release of IL-6. Moreover, Stamp2 deficiency in primary PASMC did not alter mitogenic or migratory properties. As Stamp2 deficiency augmented expression of inflammatory cytokines and numbers of CD68-positive cells in the lung, actions of Stamp2 in macrophages may drive vascular remodeling. Thus, PASMC responses were assessed following treatment with conditioned media of primary Stamp2−/− or WT macrophages. Stamp2−/− supernatants induced PASMC proliferation and migration stronger compared to WT. A cytokine array revealed CXCL12, MCP-1 and IL-6 as most relevant candidates. Experiments with neutralizing antibodies confirmed the role of these cytokines in driving Stamp2’s responses. In conclusion, Stamp2 deficiency aggravates pulmonary vascular remodeling via cross-talk between macrophages and PASMC. Despite a substantial pro-inflammatory response, the hemodynamic effect of Stamp2 deficiency is modest suggesting that additional mechanisms apart from inflammation are necessary to induce severe PAH.
Functional investigation of the coronary artery disease gene SVEP1
Authors: Winkler Michael J. , Müller Philipp , Sharifi Amin M. , Wobst Jana , Winter Hanna , Mokry Michal , Ma Lijiang , van der Laan Sander W. , Pang Shichao , Miritsch Benedikt , Hinterdobler Julia , Werner Julia , Stiller Barbara , Güldener Ulrich , Webb Tom R. , Asselbergs Folkert W. , Björkegren Johan L. M. , Maegdefessel Lars , Schunkert Heribert , Sager Hendrik B. , Kessler Thorsten
Published: November 2020

A missense variant of the sushi, von Willebrand factor type A, EGF and pentraxin domain containing protein 1 (SVEP1) is genome-wide significantly associated with coronary artery disease. The mechanisms how SVEP1 impacts atherosclerosis are not known. We found endothelial cells (EC) and vascular smooth muscle cells to represent the major cellular source of SVEP1 in plaques. Plaques were larger in atherosclerosis-prone Svep1 haploinsufficient (ApoE−/−Svep1+/−) compared to Svep1 wild-type mice (ApoE−/−Svep1+/+) and ApoE−/−Svep1+/− mice displayed elevated plaque neutrophil, Ly6Chigh monocyte, and macrophage numbers. We assessed how leukocytes accumulated more inside plaques in ApoE−/−Svep1+/− mice and found enhanced leukocyte recruitment from blood into plaques. In vitro, we examined how SVEP1 deficiency promotes leukocyte recruitment and found elevated expression of the leukocyte attractant chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1) in EC after incubation with missense compared to wild-type SVEP1. Increasing wild-type SVEP1 levels silenced endothelial CXCL1 release. In line, plasma Cxcl1 levels were elevated in ApoE−/−Svep1+/− mice. Our studies reveal an atheroprotective role of SVEP1. Deficiency of wild-type Svep1 increased endothelial CXCL1 expression leading to enhanced recruitment of proinflammatory leukocytes from blood to plaque. Consequently, elevated vascular inflammation resulted in enhanced plaque progression in Svep1 deficiency.
Modelling pyroclastic density currents from a subplinian eruption at La Soufrière de Guadeloupe (West Indies, France)
Authors: Esposti Ongaro Tomaso , Komorowski Jean-Christophe , Legendre Yoann , Neri Augusto
Published: November 2020

We have used a three-dimensional, non-equilibrium multiphase flow numerical model to simulate subplinian eruption scenarios at La Soufrière de Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles, France). Initial and boundary conditions for computer simulations were set on the basis of independent estimates of eruption source parameters (i.e. mass eruption rate, volatile content, temperature, grain size distribution) from a field reconstruction of the 1530 CE subplinian eruption. This event is here taken as a reference scenario for hazard assessment at La Soufrière de Guadeloupe. A parametric study on eruption source parameters allowed us to quantify their influence on the simulated dynamics and, in particular, the increase of the percentage of column collapse and pyroclastic density current (PDC) intensity, at constant mass eruption rate, with variable vent diameter. Numerical results enabled us to quantify the effects of the proximal morphology on distributing the collapsing mass around the volcano and into deep and long valleys and to estimate the areas invaded by PDCs, their associated temperature and dynamic pressure. Significant impact (temperature > 300 °C and dynamic pressure > 1 kPa) in the inhabited region around the volcano is expected for fully collapsing conditions and mass eruption rates > 2 × 107 kg/s. We thus combine this spatial distribution of temperature and dynamic pressure with an objective consideration of model-related uncertainty to produce preliminary PDC hazard maps for the reference scenario. In such a representation, we identify three areas of varying degree of susceptibility to invasion by PDCs—very likely to be invaded (and highly impacted), susceptible to invasion (and moderately impacted), and unlikely to be invaded (or marginally impacted). The study also raises some key questions about the use of deterministic scenario simulations for hazard assessment, where probability distributions and uncertainties are difficult to estimate. Use of high-performance computing techniques will in part allow us to overcome such difficulties, but the problem remains open in a scientific context where validation of numerical models is still, necessarily, an incomplete and ongoing process. Nevertheless, our findings provide an important contribution to the quantitative assessment of volcanic hazard and risk at La Soufrière de Guadeloupe particularly in the context of the current unrest of the volcano and the need to prepare for a possible future reawakening of the volcano that could culminate in a magmatic explosive eruption.
Hybrid crow search and uniform crossover algorithm-based clustering for top-N recommendation system
Authors: El-Ashmawi Walaa H. , Ali Ahmed F. , Slowik Adam
Published: November 2020

Recommender systems (RSs) have gained immense popularity due to their capability of dealing with a huge amount of information available in various domains. They are considered to be information filtering systems that make predictions or recommendations to users based on their interests. One of the most common recommender system techniques is user-based collaborative filtering. In this paper, we follow this technique by proposing a new algorithm which is called hybrid crow search and uniform crossover algorithm (HCSUC) to find a set of feasible clusters of similar users to enhance the recommendation process. Invoking the genetic uniform crossover operator in the standard crow search algorithm can increase the diversity of the search and help the algorithm to escape from trapping in local minima. The top-N recommendations are presented for the corresponding user according to the most feasible cluster’s members. The performance of the HCSUC algorithm is evaluated using the Jester dataset. A set of experiments have been conducted to validate the solution quality and accuracy of the HCSUC algorithm against the standard particle swarm optimization (PSO), African buffalo optimization (ABO), and the crow search algorithm (CSA). In addition, the proposed algorithm and the other meta-heuristic algorithms are compared against the collaborative filtering recommendation technique (CF). The results indicate that the HCSUC algorithm has obtained superior results in terms of mean absolute error, root means square errors and in minimization of the objective function.
Alternative Zuliefersysteme im Brauereisektor – Regionalmodelle des Braugerstenbezugs in Bayern
Authors: Maier Philipp , Klein Oliver , Schumacher Kim Philip
Published: November 2020

Seit Jahrzehnten wird Bier größtenteils in standardisierten Wertschöpfungsketten produziert, wobei die Kontexte der Rohstofferzeugung kaum mehr nachvollziehbar erscheinen. Speziell in Bayern gibt es allerdings noch eine Vielzahl kleinerer Privatbrauereien, die alternative Zuliefersysteme mit direktem Kontakt zu regionalen Braugerstenerzeugern aufrechterhalten haben. Der vorliegende Beitrag widmet sich 5 solcher Brauereien und analysiert die Funktionsweisen, Koordinationsmechanismen und Erfolgsfaktoren der jeweiligen Regionalmodelle, die vorrangig auf reflexiven Sichtweisen der Brauereiverantwortlichen beruhen. Weitere Erfolgsfaktoren sind Transparenz und Authentizität, aber auch die Existenz von regionalen Mälzereien, deren Verarbeitungsstrukturen zum Bedarf der Brauereien passen. Der Regionalbezug von Braugerste kann zudem als Mittel der Produktdifferenzierung in einem umkämpften Biermarkt dienen.
Dear supplier, how sustainable are you?
Authors: Fraser Iain J. , Müller Martin , Schwarzkopf Julia
Published: November 2020

This article analyses one of the most common tools employed by global focal companies in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) across all industries: supplier sustainability self-assessment questionnaires. Extant research has moved beyond the questions of whether and which suppliers should be assessed. Current research is already focussing on how to share and standardise such assessment data. Despite mounting general research on SSCM, we identified that specific tools such as self-assessment questionnaires have not been empirically analysed in SSCM literature. Thus, this paper addresses the research questions of what differences there are among supplier self-assessment questionnaires and how supplier responses to such questionnaires might be influenced. Our research involves an abductive multiple-case study design and an analysis of over 25,000 responses from globally dispersed suppliers to two types of supplier sustainability self-assessment questionnaires administered and requested by a global automotive focal company.

Although the two questionnaires covered similar areas of sustainability practices and were administered to suppliers of the same focal company, the suppliers’ responses demonstrated various observable differences in average sustainability scores.

Social desirability bias and supplier assessment fatigue were identified as issues confronting such questionnaires. We find that questionnaire design, how the questionnaire is embedded in the focal company’s processes and institutional settings are factors that potentially influence suppliers’ responses and could counteract social desirability bias and supplier assessment fatigue. Based on these findings we make suggestions for improving these SSCM tools and provide recommendations for further research.
Potential for managed aquifer recharge in southwestern Bangladesh based on social necessity and technical suitability
Authors: Naus Floris Loys , Schot Paul , van Breukelen Boris M. , Ahmed Kazi Matin , Griffioen Jasper
Published: November 2020

In southwestern Bangladesh, clean drinking water is scarce, since rainwater is only available during the monsoon, pond water is often bacteriologically polluted, and groundwater may exhibit high salinity and arsenic levels. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) might potentially provide safe drinking water by storing abundant freshwater from the wet season in aquifers for year-round use. Regional potential for MAR was determined by combining assessments of (1) social necessity for MAR by mapping areas with insufficient drinking water of acceptable quality; (2) regional technical suitability by determining the (a) impact of density-driven flow on freshwater recovery efficiency, and (b) vulnerability of recovered water to mixing with contaminated groundwater. These assessments were based on the largest groundwater quality dataset compiled to date in southwestern Bangladesh, which contains 3,716 salinity and 827 arsenic measurements. The results show there is some mismatch between social necessity and technical suitability. In some northern areas, necessity is low because good quality groundwater is present and hence, despite the high technical suitability, potential for MAR is reduced. In other northern areas, groundwater with unsafe arsenic levels or brackish groundwater is likely used for drinking. There, MAR is a technically suitable and safer option. In southern areas, where saline groundwater is widespread and people consume bacterially unsafe pond water, the high groundwater salinity calls for careful evaluation of MAR design, for which this study presents practical guidelines. The approach developed may be useful for mapping MAR potential based on social necessity and technical suitability in other saline deltas worldwide.
Idealness of k-wise intersecting families
Authors: Abdi Ahmad , Cornuéjols Gérard , Huynh Tony , Lee Dabeen
Published: November 2020

A clutter isk-wise intersectingif everykmembers have a common element, yet no element belongs to all members. We conjecture that, for some integer$$k\ge 4$$k≥4, everyk-wise intersecting clutter is non-ideal. As evidence for our conjecture, we prove it for$$k=4$$k=4for the class of binary clutters. Two key ingredients for our proof are Jaeger’s 8-flow theorem for graphs, and Seymour’s characterization of the binary matroids with the sums of circuits property. As further evidence for our conjecture, we also note that it follows from an unpublished conjecture of Seymour from 1975. We also discuss connections to the chromatic number of a clutter, projective geometries over the two-element field, uniform cycle covers in graphs, and quarter-integral packings of value two in ideal clutters.
Real-time states estimation of a farm tractor using dynamic mode decomposition
Authors: Wang Hao , Noguchi Noboru
Published: November 2020

We present a pure data-driven method to estimate vehicle dynamics from the measurements of sideslip and yaw rate in the use of GPS and inertial navigation system. The GPS and INS configuration provides vehicle position, velocity vector, vehicle orientation, and yaw rate observations. A new dynamic mode decomposition with control (DMDc) method denoises the state observations by adopting the total least-squares algorithm. The total least-squares DMD with control (tlsDMDc) helps discover the underlying dynamics with the time-dependent observations of states and external control. The experiments of a simulated linear dynamic model with synthetic Gaussian noise illustrate that the solutions of tlsDMDc are more accurate than the standard DMDc to characterize underlying dynamics with imperfect measurements. We additionally investigate how the algorithm performs on vehicle motion deduction and sensor bias correction. It has been shown that the tlsDMDc-based state estimator with the couple of GPS and inertial sensor measurements provides accurate and robust observation in the presence of model error and measurement noise.
Irrelevant matches in round-robin tournaments
Authors: Faella Marco , Sauro Luigi
Published: November 2020

We consider tournaments played by a set of players in order to establish a ranking among them. We introduce the notion of irrelevant match, as a match that does not influence the ultimate ranking of the involved parties. After discussing the basic properties of this notion, we seek out tournaments that have no irrelevant matches, focusing on the class of tournaments where each player challenges each other exactly once. We prove that tournaments with a static schedule and at least five players always include irrelevant matches. Conversely, dynamic schedules for an arbitrary number of players can be devised that avoid irrelevant matches, at least for one of the players involved in each match. Finally, we prove by computational means that there exist tournaments where all matches are relevant to both players, at least up to eight players.
Using native grass seeding and targeted spring grazing to reduce low-level Bromus tectorum invasion on the Colorado Plateau
Authors: Porensky Lauren M. , Baughman Owen , Williamson Matthew A. , Perryman Barry L. , Madsen Matthew D. , Leger Elizabeth A.
Published: November 2020

Reducing invasive species abundance near the leading edge of invasions is important for maintaining diverse, high-functioning ecosystems, but it can be hard to remove invasives present at low levels within desirable plant communities. Focusing on an invasive annual grass, Bromus tectorum, near the edge of its range in the southern Colorado Plateau, we used an observational study to ask what plant community components were associated with lower levels of B. tectorum, and a manipulative experiment to ask if targeted spring grazing or seeding native competitors were effective for reversing low-level invasion. The observational study found that higher C3 perennial grass cover and shrub cover were associated with lower B. tectorum abundance, and adult Poa fendleriana and Pascopyrum smithii plants had the fewest B. tectorum individuals within 50 cm. Our manipulative experiment used a randomized, hierarchical design to test the relative effectiveness of seeding native perennial grasses using different spatial planting arrangements, seeding rates, seed enhancements, and targeted spring grazing. Two years after seeding, seeded species establishment was 36% greater in high seed rate than unseeded plots, and high rate plots also had lower B. tectorum cover. One season after targeted spring grazing (a single, 2-week spring-grazing treatment 17 months post-seeding), grazed paddocks displayed trends towards higher seeded species densities and lower B. tectorum biomass in certain seeding treatments, compared to ungrazed paddocks. Results suggest high rate native grass seedings may be effective and short-duration spring grazing should be further evaluated as potential tools for preventing ecosystem conversion along invasion fronts.
Do Evaluative Pressures and Group Identification Cultivate Competitive Orientations and Cynical Attitudes Among Academics?
Authors: Johansson Tobias
Published: November 2020

This article theorizes and analyzes how two aspects of the increasing accountingization of academia in the form of evaluative pressures and group identification, independently and interactively, work to cultivate academics’ self-interest for their social interactions with the scientific community, forming them to adopt more competitive orientations and cynical attitudes. Using data of a large number of faculty members from the 17 universities in Sweden, it is shown that evaluative pressures and group identification perceived by academics jointly reinforce each other (interact) in affecting their competitive orientation, and that group identification strengthens (moderates) the positive relation between evaluative pressures and academics’ rivalry notions and cynical attitudes. It is shown, contributing further to research on performance evaluation and the cultivation of self-interest and an egoistic ethical climate in academia, that it is evaluative pressures from peers rather than from performance measurements that are the major driver of an individual’s competitive (less cooperative) orientation and cynical attitudes. It is also concluded that while evaluative pressures are related to an increase in academics' competitive orientations, which may be viewed as an intended effect from control designers in universities, such an orientation is inversely related to cooperativeness and openness toward others and goes hand in hand with an increase in having cynical attitudes about peers and the work environment. Control designers in universities may thus not be able to have the one without the other, something that raises ethical concerns for academic leaders to reflect upon when aiming at cultivating self-interest orientations of academics.
Skin and bubble formation in films made of methyl nanocellulose, hydrophobically modified ethyl(hydroxyethyl)cellulose and microfibrillated cellulose
Authors: Lyytikäinen Johanna , Morits Maria , Österberg Monika , Heiskanen Isto , Backfolk Kaj
Published: November 2020

The use of nanomaterials and polymers from renewable resources is important in the search for sustainable alternatives to plastic-based packaging materials and films.
In this work, self-supporting thin films prepared from derivatized and non-derivatized nanocellulose and cellulose derivatives were studied. The effect of drying temperature on the film-forming behavior of compositions comprising hydrophobically modified ethyl(hydroxyethyl)cellulose (EHEC), native microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and nanocellulose made from methyl cellulose was determined. The interaction between the components was assessed from viscosity measurements made at different temperatures, the result being linked to a thermal-dependent association during liquid evaporation, and the subsequent barrier and film-forming properties. The effect of temperature on suspensions was clearly different between the materials, confirming that there were differences in interaction and association between EHEC–MFC and methyl nanocellulose–MFC compositions. The amphiphilic EHEC affected both the suspension homogeneity and the film properties. Air bubbles were formed under certain conditions and composition particularly in MFC films, dependent on the drying procedure. The presence of air bubbles did not affect the oxygen transmission rate or the oil and grease resistance. An increasing amount of MFC improved the oxygen barrier properties of the films.
A model for discrete fracture-clay rock interaction incorporating electrostatic effects on transport
Authors: Steefel Carl I. , Tournassat Christophe
Published: November 2020

A model based on the code CrunchClay is presented for a fracture-clay matrix system that takes electrostatic effects on transport into account. The electrostatic effects on transport include those associated with the development of a diffusion potential as captured by the Nernst-Planck equation, and the formation of a diffuse layer bordering negatively charged clay particles within which partial anion exclusion occurs. The model is based on a dual continuum formulation that accounts for diffuse layer and bulk water pore space, providing a more flexible framework than is found in the classical mean electrostatic potential models. The diffuse layer model is obtained by volume averaging ion concentrations in the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, but also includes the treatment of longitudinal transport within this continuum. The calculation of transport within the bulk and diffuse layer porosity is based on a new formulation for the Nernst-Planck equation that considers averaging of diffusion coefficients and accumulation factors at grid cell interfaces. Equations for function residuals and the associated Jacobian matrix are presented such that the system of nonlinear differential-algebraic equations can be solved with Newton’s method. As an example, we consider a 2D system with a single discrete fracture within which flow and advective transport occurs that is coupled to diffusion in the clay-rich matrix. The simulation results demonstrate the lack of retardation for anions (e.g.,36Cl−) of the contaminant plume within the fracture flow system because they are largely excluded from the charged clay rock, while the migration of cations (e.g.,90Sr++) is more strongly attenuated. The diffusive loss of divalent cations in particular from the fracture is accentuated by their accumulation in the diffuse layer within the clay-rich matrix.
The politics within institutions for regulating public spending: conditional compliance within multi-year budgets
Authors: Steunenberg Bernard
Published: November 2020

Multi-year budget frameworks are often considered as instruments for controlling spending, including in the context of the European Union. This paper shows that the effects of multi-year budgeting depends on several conditions, some of which, may lead to more rather than less spending. The analysis is based on a model of a finance minister’s decision to enforce a previously accepted budget ceiling in subsequent negotiations with a spending minister. The analysis takes account of uncertainty about preferences in these negotiations, positive transaction costs to the finance minister, and the possibility of political mediation through the prime minister. The findings of this paper show that compliance with budget frameworks improves under temporarily stable preferences (e.g. the absence of external shocks), more homogenous preferences within the government (e.g. majoritarian governments in contrast to coalition government), preference similarity between the finance minister and the prime minister (in case of mediation), and increasing transaction costs. In other circumstances, multi-annual frameworks will not be able to block any upward pressure on expenditures.
An Analysis of the Pattern of Adaptive Emotion Regulation Associated with Low Paranoid Ideation in Healthy and Clinical Samples
Authors: Wittkamp Martin F. , Krkovic Katarina , Lincoln Tania M.
Published: November 2020

Background

Research on emotion regulation and paranoid ideation has mostly focused on isolated regulation strategies and has remained largely inconclusive. According to the emotion regulation model by Berking and Whitley (in: Affect Regulation Training, Springer, New York 2014) successful modification or acceptance/tolerance of emotions requires an adequate comprehension (awareness, clarity, understanding) of emotions and adequate self-support.

Method

Building on this model, we investigated whether comprehension and self-support strengthen the negative association between modification and acceptance/tolerance and paranoid ideation. In study 1, we examined the hypotheses cross-sectionally based on questionnaire data from a combined sample (N = 125) consisting of people with a psychotic disorder, people at risk of developing psychosis, and healthy controls. In study 2, we examined the same hypotheses longitudinally by employing the experience sampling method in people with clinically relevant psychopathology below diagnostic threshold (N = 138).

Results

In study 1, the association between modification and paranoid ideation was not moderated by comprehension or self-support. However, comprehension and self-support moderated the association between acceptance/tolerance and paranoid ideation. In study 2, the interaction effect between comprehension and acceptance/tolerance on paranoid ideation was confirmed.

Conclusion

The results indicate that comprehending and accepting/tolerating emotions could be protective against paranoid ideation.
The effect of substrate bias on the piezoelectric properties of pulse DC magnetron sputtered AlN thin films
Authors: Khánh Nguyen Quoc , Radó János , Horváth Zsolt Endre , Soleimani Saeedeh , Oyunbolor Binderiya , Volk János
Published: November 2020

Substrate bias was applied for AlN deposition on rolled Ni sheet during pulse DC reactive sputtering to overcome the difficulty caused by thermal expansion mismatch between Ni substrate and AlN upon substrate heating. It was shown by Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM) that the quality of the deposited AlN layer depends strongly on the negative substrate bias, i.e., the energy transferred via the bombardment of the accelerated positive ions on the sample. As the negative substrate bias becomes larger, the so formed layer shows higher piezoresponse, and better homogeneity. A Z-cut LiNbO3 single crystal was used as a reference to correct the PFM signals. The highest average d33 piezoelectric coefficient value, achieved at − 100 V substrate bias, is 3.4 pm/V indicating the feasibility of AlN deposition on rolled Ni substrate for vibration energy harvesting applications.
Adolescent Problem Gambling in Rural Ghana: Prevalence and Gender Differentiation
Authors: Odame Samuel Kofi , Quarshie Emmanuel Nii-Boye , Oti-Boadi Mabel , Andoh-Arthur Johnny , Asante Kwaku Oppong
Published: November 2020

Problem gambling among young people is now a public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the behaviour remains understudied, particularly, among rural-dwelling young people in countries within the subregion. We aimed to estimate the 12 months prevalence of problem gambling and to describe the overall and gender differences and commonalities in personal factors and social adversities associated with problem gambling among adolescents in rural Ghana. We conducted a cross-sectional survey involving a random sample of 1101 in-school adolescents aged 10–19 years in a rural district in Eastern Ghana; we used the DSM-IV-Multiple Response-Juvenile (DSM-IV-MR-J) questionnaire to assess problem gambling during the previous 12 months. Personal lifestyle and psychosocial variables were assessed using adopted items from the 2012 WHO–Global School-based Student Health Survey. Overall, three in 10 adolescents (3 in 10 females; 4 in 10 males) in rural Ghana reported problem gambling in the previous 12 months. Female adolescents who experienced problem gambling were more likely to report family-related social adversities, while adolescent male problem gambling was associated with school-related factors and interpersonal factors outside the family context. Regardless of gender, sexual abuse victimisation was associated with three times increase in the odds of experiencing problem gambling. Relative to the prevalence of gambling among adolescents in urban contexts in other countries within sub-Saharan Africa, the estimates of problem gambling among in-school rural adolescents in Ghana are higher. Although further studies are needed to understand the nuances of the behaviour, the evidence of this study underscores the need for general and targeted health promotion, intervention and prevention efforts to mitigate the family, school, and interpersonal social adversities associated with adolescent problem gambling in rural Ghana.
Congenital hypopituitarism in two brothers with a duplication of the ‘acrogigantism gene’ GPR101: clinical findings and review of the literature
Authors: Elizabeth Melitza S. M. , Verkerk Annemieke J. M. H. , Hokken-Koelega Anita C. S. , Verlouw Joost A. M. , Argente Jesús , Pfaeffle Roland , Neggers Sebastian J. C. M. M. , Visser Jenny A. , de Graaff Laura C. G.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Congenital hypopituitarism (CH) can cause significant morbidity or even mortality. In the majority of patients, the etiology of CH is unknown. Understanding the etiology of CH is important for anticipation of clinical problems and for genetic counselling. Our previous studies showed that only a small proportion of cases have mutations in the known ‘CH genes’. In the current project, we present the results of SNP array based copy number variant analysis in a family with unexplained congenital hypopituitarism.

Methods

DNA samples of two affected brothers with idiopathic CH and their mother were simultaneously analyzed by SNP arrays for copy number variant analysis and Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) for mutation screening. DNA of the father was not available.

Results

We found a 6 Mb duplication includingGPR101andSOX3on the X-chromosome (Xq26.2-q27.1) in the two siblings and their mother, leading to 2 copies of this region in the affected boys and 3 copies in the mother. Duplications ofGPR101are associated with X-linked acrogigantism (the phenotypic ‘opposite’ of the affected brothers), whereas alterations inSOX3are associated with X-linked hypopituitarism.

Conclusion

In our patients with hypopituitarism we found a 6 Mb duplication which includesGPR101, a gene associated with X- linked gigantism, andSOX3, a gene involved in early pituitary organogenesis that is associated with variable degrees of hypopituitarism. Our findings show that in duplications containing bothGPR101andSOX3, the growth hormone deficiency phenotype is dominant. This suggests that, ifGPR101is duplicated, it might not be expressed phenotypically when early patterning of the embryonic pituitary is affected due toSOX3duplication. These results, together with the review of the literature, shed a new light on the role ofGPR101andSOX3in pituitary function.
Crowdfunding cultural and commercial entrepreneurs: an empirical study on motivation in distinct backer communities
Authors: Bürger Tobias , Kleinert Simon
Published: November 2020

Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines differences in the motivation of backers to support cultural and commercial entrepreneurs through reward crowdfunding. We propose that backers of commercial campaigns are a community of early-customers motivated by the prospects of attractive product offerings, while backers of cultural projects constitute a distinct community motivated to support capital-constrained cultural entrepreneurs and connect with like-minded individuals. We use data from the largest German crowdfunding platform, Startnext, and analyze 2334 rewards from 225 cultural and commercial projects. Our results provide support for our hypotheses: Rewards involving price discounts matter particularly for backers of commercial projects and rewards that engage backers with their community matter more for cultural backers. Surprisingly, however, backers of cultural projects are not altruistic; they are no more likely than commercial backers to support campaigns selflessly in response to symbolic rewards.
The Zak Transform on Gelfand–Shilov and Modulation Spaces with Applications to Operator Theory
Authors: Toft Joachim
Published: November 2020

We characterize Gelfand–Shilov spaces, their distribution spaces and modulation spaces in terms of estimates of their Zak transforms. We use these results for general investigations of quasi-periodic functions and distributions. We also establish necessary and sufficient conditions for linear operators in order for these operators should be conjugations by Zak transforms.
Assessment of kitchen wastewater quality for irrigation
Authors: Parwin Rijwana , Paul Kakoli Karar
Published: November 2020

In this study, the potential reuse of kitchen wastewater (KWW) in irrigation was analyzed to reduce the present freshwater demand. To know the suitability of KWW for irrigation, the samples were first collected from an educational institute in India and then characterized according to its physical, chemical, and bacteriological properties. The characterized data were then compared with the standard limit for irrigation Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO in Water quality for agriculture. Irrigation and drainage paper 29, M56, 1994) and the US Salinity Laboratory (USSL). Apart from the above irrigation standards, the characterized data were also compared with sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate, sodium percentage (Na%), magnesium hazard (MH), Kelly’s ratio (KR), and permeability index to get better clarity. From the characterization, it was found that carbonate, fluoride, chromium, and Escherichia coli were absent, whereas parameters like pH, chloride, iron, copper, magnesium, lead, nickel, sodium, calcium, zinc, aluminum, and sodium adsorption ratio were within the permissible limit. The result obtained from the USSL classification system suggested that 30.77% of KWW samples are safe for irrigation. Moreover, its quality was found to be safe for irrigation based on SAR, Na%, KR, and MH. For better decision making of KWW reuse in irrigation, the output of Mamdani fuzzy inference system (MFIS) was compared with the USSL classification system. The overall agreement between USSL and MFIS was found to be 55.6% for KWW.