bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Time to unicorn status: An exploratory examination of new ventures with extreme valuations
Authors: Kotha Suresh , Shin Seowon Joseph , Fisher Greg
Published: July 2022

Research Summary

Unicorns—private new venture firms with over a billion dollars in valuation—have garnered increased attention from the media, analysts, and the public. We first provide a descriptive assessment of unicorn ventures by examining heterogeneity within this unique population using a novel dataset. Then drawing on prior research on growth and valuation, we focus on the temporal dynamics of ventures within the unicorn population to assess variations in the speed at which they reach a billion dollars in valuation. We highlight some significant relationships by investigating associations between founder, investment, venture, and industry characteristics and the temporal dynamics of speed to reach unicorn status. We conclude by outlining a research agenda on the temporal dynamics of growth and scaling.

Managerial Summary

Unicorn ventures represent a small but high‐profile category of entrepreneurial ventures that have captured media attention and garnered broad interest while attracting significant private capital. As a global phenomenon, they have certainly left a significant mark on the business landscape as they exploit unique market and technological opportunities to exemplify new industries and market categories. Leveraging hand‐collected data from many sources, we provide a comprehensive descriptive assessment of this population by focusing on the founder, venture, investment, and industry characteristics. We also show how U.S.‐ and China‐based unicorn ventures differ on numerous factors. Given a great deal of interest in the speed to unicorn status within the practitioner community, we highlight some novel internal (founder and venture characteristics) and external (industry and investment) factors associated with the time it takes to attain unicorn status.
Rich Indium‐Vacancies In2S3 with Atomic p–n Homojunction for Boosting Photocatalytic Multifunctional Properties
Authors: Liu Yuxin , Chen Cailing , He Yiqiang , Zhang Zhe , Li Mingbian , Li Chunguang , Chen Xiao‐Bo , Han Yu , Shi Zhan
Published: July 2022

Design and development of highly efficient photocatalytic materials are key to employ photocatalytic technology as a sound solution to energy and environment related challenges. This work aims to significantly boost photocatalytic activity through rich indium vacancies (VIn) In2S3 with atomic p–n homojunction through a one‐pot preparation strategy. Positron annihilation spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance reveal existence of VIn in the prepared photocatalysts. Mott–Schottky plots and surface photovoltage spectra prove rich VIn In2S3 can form atomic p–n homojunction. It is validated that p–n homojunction can effectively separate carriers combined with photoelectrochemical tests. VIn decreases carrier transport activation energy (CTAE) from 0.64 eV of VIn‐poor In2S3 to 0.44 eV of VIn‐rich In2S3. The special structure endows defective In2S3 with multifunctional photocatalysis properties, i.e., hydrogen production (872.7 µmol g−1 h−1), degradation of methyl orange (20 min, 97%), and reduction in heavy metal ions Cr(VI) (30 min, 98%) under simulated sunlight, which outperforms a variety of existing In2S3 composite catalysts. Therefore, such a compositional strategy and mechanistic study are expected to offer new insights for designing highly efficient photocatalysts through defect engineering.
Collaborative experience between scientific software projects using Agile Scrum development
Authors: Baxter Amanda L. , BenZvi Segev Y. , Bonivento Walter , Brazier Adam , Clark Michael , Coleiro Alexis , Collom David , Colomer‐Molla Marta , Cousins Bryce , Delgado Orellana Aliwen , Dornic Damien , Ekimtcov Vladislav , ElSayed Shereen , Gallo Rosso Andrea , Godwin Patrick , Griswold Spencer , Habig Alec , Hill Remington , Horiuchi Shunsaku , Howell D. Andrew , Johnson Margaret W. G. , Jurić Mario , Kneller James P. , Kopec Abigail , Kopper Claudio , Kulikovskiy Vladimir , Lamoureux Mathieu , Lang Rafael F. , Li Shengchao , Lincetto Massimiliano , Lindstrom Lindy , Linvill Mark W. , McCully Curtis , Migenda Jost , Milisavljevic Danny , Nelson Spencer , Novoseltseva Rita , O'Sullivan Erin , Petravick Donald , Pointon Barry W. , Raj Nirmal , Renshaw Andrew , Rumleskie Janet , Sonley Tom , Tapia Ron , Tseng Jeffrey C. L. , Tunnell Christopher D. , Vannoye Godefroy , Vigorito Carlo F. , Virtue Clarence J. , Weaver Christopher , Weil Kathryn E. , Winslow Lindley , Wolski Rich , Xu Xun‐ Jie , Xu Yiyang ,   The SCiMMA and SNEWS Collaborations
Published: July 2022

Developing sustainable software for the scientific community requires expertise in software engineering and domain science. This can be challenging due to the unique needs of scientific software, the insufficient resources for software engineering practices in the scientific community, and the complexity of developing for evolving scientific contexts. While open‐source software can partially address these concerns, it can introduce complicating dependencies and delay development. These issues can be reduced if scientists and software developers collaborate. We present a case study wherein scientists from the SuperNova Early Warning System collaborated with software developers from the Scalable Cyberinfrastructure for Multi‐Messenger Astrophysics project. The collaboration addressed the difficulties of open‐source software development, but presented additional risks to each team. For the scientists, there was a concern of relying on external systems and lacking control in the development process. For the developers, there was a risk in supporting a user‐group while maintaining core development. These issues were mitigated by creating a second Agile Scrum framework in parallel with the developers' ongoing Agile Scrum process. This Agile collaboration promoted communication, ensured that the scientists had an active role in development, and allowed the developers to evaluate and implement the scientists' software requirements. The collaboration provided benefits for each group: the scientists actuated their development by using an existing platform, and the developers utilized the scientists' use‐case to improve their systems. This case study suggests that scientists and software developers can avoid scientific computing issues by collaborating and that Agile Scrum methods can address emergent concerns.
Effect of the Timing Addition of Ferrosilicon with Al and Ca Impurities on Inclusion Formation in Al‐Killed Automobile Gear Steel SCr420H
Authors: Sun Meng , Jiang Zhouhua , Li Yang , Li Huabing , Chen Changyong , Ma Shuai , Ji Yongshuai , Wang Ju , Ma Yanshuo
Published: July 2022

The current study investigates the effect of the timing of the addition of ferrosilicon with Al and Ca impurities on the inclusion evolution during the refining process of Al‐killed gear steel SCr420H. To achieve this aim, laboratory experiments and thermodynamic calculations are conducted. The process sample, the ingot sample, and ferrosilicon are polished and analyzed by scanning electron microscope‐energy dispersive spectrometer. The results show that Ca and Al impurities mainly exist as intermetallic compounds or are segregated on the phase boundary between FeSi2and Si in the ferrosilicon. The Ca content of the ingot increased with the delay of adding the ferrosilicon with Al and Ca impurities. In case the ferrosilicon is added at the end of the refining process, many liquid calcium aluminate inclusions can be observed in the ingot, which indicates that changing the timing of adding ferrosilicon with Al and Ca impurities is a promising way to modify inclusion to liquid inclusion. Based on the thermodynamic calculation, MgO‐saturated spinel is more easily modified into CaO–Al2O3inclusion than spinel with low MgO content. When ferrosilicon is added in steel containing enough Mg, inclusions are transformed into spinel with high MgO content first, and afterward are modified into liquid calcium aluminate inclusions.
Bahiana, a new Euphorbiaceae (Acalyphoideae) genus from seasonally dry forest in northeastern Brazil, corroborated by molecular and morphological evidence
Authors: Carrión Juan F. , dos Santos Francisco A.R. , Cordeiro Inês , Amorim André M.
Published: July 2022

After discovering an unknown Euphorbiaceae with an unusual combination of morphological characters, molecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted to evaluate the phylogenetic position of the plant. Results of the analyses support the recognition of a resolved lineage sister to a clade comprising Caryodendron, which is sister to the Adenophaedra + Bernardia clade in subfamily Acalyphoideae. The phylogenetic position of this taxon is also supported by morphology, justifying the description of a new genus and species, Bahiana pyriformis, from the Caatinga seasonally dry forest, in Bahia State, Brazil. We compare morphological characters and discuss the phylogenetic relationships of these four genera, here treated as the Bernardia clade, as well as the possible relationship this clade has with genus Avellanita and tribe Plukenetieae.
MiR‐1246 is responsible for lung cancer cells‐derived exosomes‐mediated promoting effects on lung cancer stemness via targeting TRIM17
Authors: Liu Zhengcheng , Zhao Wei , Yang Rusong
Published: July 2022

The stemness of lung cancer cells contributes to drug resistance, tumor occurrence, progression, and recurrence; however, the underlying mechanisms are still fragmentary. In the present study, it was found that exosomes from cisplatin‐resistant cells and spheres derived from lung cancer cells enhanced the stemness of the parental lung cancer cells. Then we screened the upregulated miRNAs in spheres derived from lung cancer cells and cisplatin‐resistant lung cancer cells/exosomes compared to that in the parental lung cancer cells. It was found that miR‐1246 was remarkably enriched in cisplatin‐resistant lung cancer cells/exosomes and spheres. Additionally, inhibition of miR‐1246 attenuated the stemness of lung cancer cells induced by exosomes from cisplatin‐resistant cells and spheres. Furthermore, TRIM17 was identified to the direct target of miR‐1246 in lung cancer cells. Our findings suggest that exosomal miR‐1246 could be as a potential target for lung cancer treatment.
Controlled drainage and subirrigation suitability in the United States: A meta‐analysis of crop yield and soil moisture effects
Authors: Singh Navdeep , Kogan Clark , Chaudhary Siddharth , Rajagopalan Kirti , LaHue Gabriel T.
Published: July 2022

Controlled drainage and subirrigation (CDSI) is an important water management strategy in many regions, but the conditions under which CDSI is most likely to increase crop yield and soil moisture are not fully understood. A meta‐analysis, consisting of 154 pairwise observations from replicated and randomized trials in 30 peer‐reviewed primary research articles on CDSI (6 controlled drainage, 24 CDSI, analyzed together due to data scarcity), was conducted to study the responses of yield and soil moisture to CDSI, and investigate how crop type, soil texture, and cumulative growing season precipitation (PGS) influence these responses. Based on the yield response to these moderating factors, we used a fuzzy‐logic approach to map potentially suitable locations for CDSI in the conterminous United States. On average, CDSI increased yield by 8.0% (95% CI = 1.8–14.7%) compared with conventional free drainage. The yield response to CDSI did not differ among crops. However, a greater yield response to CDSI was observed in medium‐textured soils (19.4% increase; 95% CI = 12.4–27.0%) than in coarse‐ or fine‐textured soils. The positive effect of CDSI on yield increased with decreasing PGS in coarse‐ and medium‐textured soils. There was no clear effect of CDSI on soil moisture, nor did any moderators influence this relationship, though this may be attributed to the scarcity of studies on CDSI reporting soil moisture. The fuzzy‐logic‐based approach revealed that while potentially suitable areas are mostly concentrated in the well‐studied U.S. Midwest, these areas also exist in other regions where CDSI may warrant further study.
Faculty Strategy for the Future
Authors: Mazzara Manuel , Succi Giancarlo , Tormasov Alexander
Published: July 2022

For the future, the vision is transforming the university into a multidimensional center of excellence, still focused on IT, but not just related to pure computer science, including possible synergistic domains of knowledge.
Faculty, Institutes, and Labs
Authors: Mazzara Manuel , Succi Giancarlo , Tormasov Alexander
Published: July 2022

Institute and labs are not only about spaces. It is necessary to create a structure where people can work with motivation and efficiency. We present here the structure and how it works.
Cooperation with Industry
Authors: Mazzara Manuel , Succi Giancarlo , Tormasov Alexander
Published: July 2022

Fundamental research without applied research cannot have a direct impact on the economic ecosystem. Modern universities require intense cooperation with industry. The model of the Innopolis system is peculiar, companies support scholarships, and students have free education that they will pay back by working for 1 year after graduation.
Antenatal Risk Assessment for Preterm Birth: Summary Guidance for Healthcare Providers
Authors: Gillespie Bronwen , Mitchell Caroline
Published: July 2022

This chapter serves as a summary for healthcare providers for the five key areas of guidance relevant to pregnancy care for preterm birth. First of all, brief evidence statements are covered for the five areas: demographics and patient history, pregnancy dating, infection, nutrition and alcohol, tobacco and other substance use. This is followed by a section on risk assessment and recommended interventions. Although those areas may be routinely enquired about during antenatal booking and registration in most contexts, in this chapter we are highlighting the way this information can be used to help to identify the risk of preterm birth.
Pregnancy Dating Guidance
Authors: Anumba Dilly OC
Published: July 2022

Accurate estimation of pregnancy duration is crucially important for the definition of term and preterm birth and informs care provision throughout pregnancy. However, this remains a challenge in many resource-limited context largely because the reliability of recall of the last menstrual period is low, and access to early ultrasound to measure foetal crown-rump length and other foetal biometry is highly limited. This chapter outlines a practical simplified approach to estimating pregnancy duration early following engagement with ANC. This forms the basis of subsequent care provision to correctly identify preterm labour/birth, improve epidemiological data on preterm low birth weight incidence, and enable proper triaging of care and its provision.
Weather Classification with Transfer Learning - InceptionV3, MobileNetV2 and ResNet50
Authors: Młodzianowski Patryk
Published: July 2022

Weather recognition is a common problem for many branches of industry. For example self-driving cars need to precisely evaluate weather in order to adjust their driving style. Modern agriculture is also based on the analysis of current meteorological conditions. One of the solutions may be a system detecting weather from image. Because any special sensors are needed, the system should be really cheap. Thanks to transfer learning it is possible to create image classification solutions using a small dataset. In this paper three weather recognition models are proposed. These models are based on InceptionV3, MobileNetV2 and ResNet50 architectures. Their efficiency is compared and described.
Realization of a Real-Time Decision Support System to Reduce the Risk of Diseases Caused by Posture Disorders Among Computer Users
Authors: Gumuskaynak Enes , Toptas Faruk , Aslantas Recep , Balki Fatih , Sarp Salih
Published: July 2022

Nowadays, diseases caused by posture disorders are becoming more common. This situation reduces the working efficiency of people, especially computer users. This study aims to provide prevention of diseases caused by posture disorders faced by computer users and realize an application software to reduce disease risks. With this realized application, computer users’ movements are monitored through the camera, and the situations that may pose a risk of disease for the users are determined. Realized application software is a decision support system. This decision support system provides users suggestions to change their position according to their instant postures and supports them to work more efficiently. The user data is collected by processing the images taken from a camera using the developed computer vision algorithm. Two-dimensional (2D) human exposure estimation is performed with the obtained data. The situations that can decrease the working efficiency are specified with the data obtained from exposure estimation using the developed model. As a result of these findings, increasing the working efficiency is provided by informing the user in real-time about the situation that may decrease the working efficiency.
On Two Approaches to Clustering of Cross-Sections of Rotationally Symmetric Objects
Authors: Baczyńska Paulina , Kaliszewska Agnieszka , Syga Monika
Published: July 2022

We analyze two approaches to clustering 2D shapes representing cross-sections of rotationally symmetrical objects. These approaches are based on two ways of shape representation - contours and silhouettes - and a number of similarity measures which are based on a combination of Procrustes analysis (PA) and Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) as well as on binary matrix analysis. The comparison of efficiency of the proposed approaches is performed on datasets of archaeological ceramic vessels.
Engaging Electricity Users in Italy, Denmark, Spain, and France in Demand-Side Management Solutions
Authors: Bohdanowicz Zbigniew , Kowalski Jarosław , Kobyliński Paweł
Published: July 2022

This paper presents the process of uncovering the motivations and barriers for adopting innovative solutions to increase the flexibility of electricity demand among individual consumers. Currently, efforts are being made to decarbonize electricity production with distributed solar and wind renewable energy installations. Such a shift in energy production also requires significant changes on the consumption side, in particular making demand more flexible to match the current situation in the power grid. The challenge in designing demand-side solutions is to accurately identify the needs of individual users so that they are motivated to take advantage of new solutions. Using data from a quantitative survey of electricity consumers in four countries (Italy, Denmark, Spain, France) on energy literacy, values and attitudes towards energy saving and technology, a cluster analysis was carried out which identified five types of electricity users. The segments defined in this way were the basis for conducting qualitative creative workshops with experts dealing with modern solutions in the field of energy and with individual electricity users. Subsequently, this information was supplemented with theoretical knowledge from the field of economic psychology regarding decision making, cognitive processes and motivation. This method allowed, already at the early stage of innovation design, to identify motivations and barriers specific to individual groups of users. The designers of innovative solutions received valuable clues as to how new technologies should be designed in order to ensure that they are well aligned with the habits, needs and rhythm of daily routines of the users.
A Coarse-to-Fine Multi-class Object Detection in Drone Images Using Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Aburasain R. Y. , Edirisinghe E. A. , Zamim M. Y.
Published: July 2022

Multi-class object detection has a rapid evolution in the last few years with the rise of deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) learning based, in particular. However, the success approaches are based on high resolution ground level images and extremely large volume of data as in COCO and VOC datasets. On the other hand, the availability of the drones has been increased in the last few years and hence several new applications have been established. One of such is understanding drone footage by analysing, detecting, recognizing different objects in the covered area. In this study conducted, a collection of large images captured by a drone flying at a fixed altitude in a desert area located within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is given and it is utilised for training and evaluating the CNN networks to be investigated. Three state-of-the-art CNN architectures, namely SSD-500 with VGGNet-16 meta-architecture, SSD-500 with ResNet meta-architecture and YOLO-V3 with Darknet-53 are optimally configured, re-trained, tested and evaluated for the detection of three different classes of objects in the captured footage, namely, palm trees, group-of-animals/cattle and animal sheds in farms. Our preliminary experiments revealed that YOLO-V3 outperformed SSD-500 with VGGNet-16 by a large margin and has a considerable improvement as compared to using SSD-500 with ResNet. Therefore, it has been selected for further investigation, aiming to propose an efficient coarse-to-fine object detection model for multi-class object detection in drone images. To this end, the impact of changing the activation function of the hidden units and the pooling type in the pooling layer has been investigated in detail. In addition, the impact of tuning the learning rate and the selection of the most effective optimization method for general hyper-parameters tuning is also investigated. The result demonstrated that the multi-class object detector developed has precision of 0.99, a recall of 0.94 and an F-score of 0.96, proving the efficiency of the multi-class object detection network developed.
Use of Virtual Reality in Psychology
Authors: Hakim Arhum , Hammad Sadaf
Published: July 2022

The field of psychology is advancing with incorporation of immersive technologies and Virtual Environments (VE) in research, treatment, assessment and learning etc. Virtual Reality (VR) is one of the focused sub-domains of immersive technologies that is being used vastly in psychology. This also comes under the paradigm of cyberpsychology. The advancements reported in this area bring the need to understand the benefits provided by virtual reality with respect to human interaction and behavior etc. The published literature available discusses the development and evolution of cyber psychology specifically with respect to virtual reality. To the best of our knowledge the latest developments due to virtual reality in various sub fields of psychology have not been collectively documented so far. This paper provides highlights of the developments and transformations linked with the usage of virtual reality with recommendations about future studies and provides the reader a broader and informed view of this cross-disciplinary area. Moreover, the paper also provides limitations that exist, and considerations required while using VR for a specific treatment or experimentation.
Google Translate Facilitates Conference Abstracts’ Acceptance, But Not Invitations to Deliver an Oral Presentation
Authors: Toczyski Piotr , Banerski Grzegorz , Biele Cezary , Kowalski Jarosław , Paradowski Michał B.
Published: July 2022

Removing the language barrier could bring great benefits not only to the scientific community. Therefore, it is necessary to strive to improve both the tools and procedures in which these tools are used, to ensure a reliable exchange of knowledge. The authors try to find out whether the existing and widely available technology (Google Translate) contributes to the facilitation of knowledge sharing among scientists. Humanity has been trying to construct and improve the technology of universal real-time translation for a long time. For many, it was inspired by scifi works, in which, probably, this idea appeared already in the 1940s (see Leinster’s “First contact”). This is an important topic because the language of science has long since become English, and for most of the scientific community it is not the mother tongue. Furthermore, we are now talking about the English languages of the world, or “world Englishes”, not to mention those who say “the language of science is bad English”. The paper tells a story which on the one hand constitutes a thoughtful anecdote, on the other may offer a good introduction to a serious scientific study. As it stands now, the main argument for including it is the story itself, with which we encourage further studies to scale our ideas in terms of a broader sample and comparability.
A Decade of Artificial Intelligence Research in the European Union: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Frankowska Agata , Pawlik Bartosz
Published: July 2022

In recent years, the body of research on artificial intelligence (AI) has grown rapidly. As the European Union strives for excellence in AI development, this study aims to establish the publication achievements in the field among its member states between 2010 and 2019. We applied clustering and principal component analysis (PCA) on a set of bibliometric data concerning research publications on AI obtained from Scopus. The results reveal that while the union’s most populous countries—the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy—were the most prolific producers of AI publications between 2010 and 2019, the highest impact was noted for publications that originated in the Nordic and Benelux countries, as well as in Austria and Ireland. Analysis confirms that the division between ‘old’ and ‘new’ member states has endured: the nations that joined the EU after 2004 recorded the lowest results in scientific output and impact in the AI field. This study can assist research agencies and researchers in developing a broad grasp of the current state of AI research.
Deep Neural Networks Approach to Microbial Colony Detection—A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Majchrowska Sylwia , Pawłowski Jarosław , Czerep Natalia , Górecki Aleksander , Kuciński Jakub , Golan Tomasz
Published: July 2022

Counting microbial colonies is a fundamental task in microbiology and has many applications in numerous industry branches. Despite this, current studies towards automatic microbial counting using artificial intelligence are hardly comparable due to the lack of unified methodology and the availability of large datasets. The recently introduced AGAR dataset is the answer to the second need, but the research carried out is still not exhaustive. To tackle this problem, we compared the performance of three well-known deep learning approaches for object detection on the AGAR dataset, namely two-stage, one-stage, and transformer-based neural networks. The achieved results may serve as a benchmark for future experiments.
Changing Tides: Temporal Dimensions of Low-Cost, High-Skill Fisheries in the Central Visayas, Philippines
Authors: Knudsen Magne
Published: July 2022

At the southern mouth of the Tañon Strait—the body of water that separates the islands of Cebu and Negros in the Visayas region of the Philippines—small-scale fishing has always been challenging. Strong and complex sea currents make it difficult for fishers to utilise certain fishing gears. With a significant decline in the resource base and new regulations of the fisheries in recent decades, only fishers with advanced skills and fine-grained place-specific and calendric knowledge of the marine environment are able to catch enough fish, and the right kind of fish, to secure a decent return. Drawing on insights from cultural ecology, the chapter examines the skills and knowledges that fishers draw on to catch fish in this challenging environment. It gives particular attention to the temporal dimensions of the biocultural knowledge complex, showing how fishers’ knowledge of the links between sea currents, the lunar cycle and monsoon winds play into their decisions about where, when and how to fish. In addition to its direct livelihood significance, calendric knowledge also serves as a resource in the formation of identity asmananagat(fisherman) and authority and status within the fishing community. To further explain why some fishers are able to use their knowledge to make fishing a viable and legitimate livelihood and others are not, the last part of the chapter uses insights from political ecology to address issues of power and dynamics of exclusion in the fisheries.
The Sundanese Traditional Ecological Calendar and Socio-cultural Changes: Case Study from Rancakalong of West Java, Indonesia
Authors: Iskandar Johan , Iskandar Budiawati S.
Published: July 2022

In the past, the Sundanese farmers of West Java, Indonesia, managed wet-rice (sawah) farming usingpranata mangsa, the traditional ecological calendar. They cultivated rice varieties that were adapted to local environmental conditions. Thepranata mangsahelped in determining the appropriate time to undertake rice farming activities, including preparation of land, planting, and harvesting. All these activities were accompanied by traditional ceremonies. Various natural indicators, such as the constellations of stars, leaf fall of certain plant species, sprouting of tubers, and call of insects, were used to determine the months (mangsa) of the ecological calendar. In addition, the calendar and the embedded traditional knowledge also helped in managing rice pests, prudent utilisation of water in irrigation, and effective utilisation of the social capital of villagers, through communal activities. However, after the Green Revolution, traditional rice cultivation practices changed, leading to the neglect of thepranata mangsa. Revitalising thepranata mangsawith inputs from formal scientific knowledge would help the community practise ecologically sound and economically viable agriculture that is adapted to the local environment and culture.
Phase-field approach to evolution and interaction of twins in single crystal magnesium
Authors: Amirian Benhour , Jafarzadeh Hossein , Abali Bilen Emek , Reali Alessandro , Hogan James David
Published: July 2022

Crack initiation and propagation as well as abrupt occurrence of twinning are challenging fracture problems where the transient phase-field approach is proven to be useful. Early-stage twinning growth and interactions are in focus herein for a magnesium single crystal at the nanometer length-scale. We demonstrate a basic methodology in order to determine the mobility parameter that steers the kinetics of phase-field propagation. The concept is to use already existing molecular dynamics simulations and analytical solutions in order to set the mobility parameter correctly. In this way, we exercise the model for gaining new insights into growth of twin morphologies, temporally-evolving spatial distribution of the shear stress field in the vicinity of the nanotwin, multi-twin, and twin-defect interactions. Overall, this research addresses gaps in our fundamental understanding of twin growth, while providing motivation for future discoveries in twin evolution and their effect on next-generation material performance and design.
Expression profiling of HSP 70 and interleukins 2, 6 and 12 genes of Barki sheep during summer and winter seasons in two different locations
Authors: Rawash Raed A. Abu , Sharaby Mahmoud A. , Hassan Gamal El-Din A. , Elkomy Alaa E. , Hafez Elsayed E. , Hafsa Salma H. Abu , Salem Mohamed M. I.
Published: July 2022

The objectives of this research were to contrast the expression values of heat shock protein (HSP70) and interleukins 2, 6 and 12 (IL 2, IL 6 and IL 12) genes in summer and winter in two different locations in Egypt (Alexandria zone and Matrouh zone) to deduce changes in thermo-physiological traits and biochemical blood metabolites of Barki sheep. A total of 50 ewes (20 in Alexandria and 30 in Matrouh) were individually blood sampled to determine plasma total protein (TP), Albumin, Globulin and Glucose constituents and T3, T4 and cortisol hormones. The thermo-physiological parameters of rectal temperature (RT, °C), skin temperature (ST, °C), Wool temperature (WT, °C), respiration rate (RR, breaths/min) and pulse rate (PR, beats/min) were measured for each ewe. Expressions of IL 2, IL 6, IL 12 and HSP 70 in summer and winter were analyzed along with thermo-physiological parameters and blood biochemical metabolites. In both locations, THI had significant effects on ST, WT, PR and RR, but not significant on RT. However, it had no significant effects on blood plasma metabolites and hormonal concentrations in the two locations in summer and winter. In Alexandria location, THI had negative significant effect on the expressions of IL-2 and IL-6 but positively affected on HSP70 genes in winter, while the expression of IL-12 gene was not affected by seasons, whereas in Matrouh zone, the effects of THI on the expressions of all tolerance genes were not significant. The results of the current study suggest that IL-2, IL-6 and HSP70 genes could be used as molecular markers for heat/cold stress.
Modeling the potential efficiency of a blood biomarker-based tool to guide pre-hospital thrombolytic therapy in stroke patients
Authors: Parody-Rua Elizabeth , Bustamante Alejandro , Montaner Joan , Rubio-Valera Maria , Serrano David , Pérez-Sánchez Soledad , Sánchez-Viñas Alba , Guevara-Cuellar César , Serrano-Blanco Antoni
Published: July 2022

Objectives

Stroke treatment with intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is effective and efficient, but as its benefits are highly time dependent, it is essential to treat the patient promptly after symptom onset. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of a blood biomarker test to differentiate ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke to guide pre-hospital treatment with tPA in patients with suspected stroke, compared with standard hospital management. The standard care for patients suffering stroke consists mainly in diagnosis, treatment, hospitalization and monitoring.

Methods

A Markov model was built with four health states according to the modified Rankin scale, in adult patients with suspected moderate to severe stroke (NIHSS 4-22) within 4.5 hours after symptom onset. A Spanish Health System perspective was used. The time horizon was 15 years. Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and life-years gained (LYGs) were used as a measure of effectiveness. Short- and long-term direct health costs were included. Costs were expressed in Euros (2022). A discount rate of 3% was used. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis and several one-way sensitivity analyses were conducted.

Results

The use of a blood-test biomarker compared with standard care was associated with more QALYs (4.87 vs. 4.77), more LYGs (7.18 vs. 7.07), and greater costs (12,807€ vs. 12,713€). The ICER was 881€/QALY. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that the biomarker test was cost-effective in 82% of iterations using a threshold of 24,000€/QALY.

Conclusions

The use of a blood biomarker test to guide pre-hospital thrombolysis is cost-effective compared with standard hospital care in patients with ischemic stroke.
“Whose demand?” The co-construction of markets, demand and gender in development-oriented crop breeding
Authors: Tarjem Ida Arff , Westengen Ola Tveitereid , Wisborg Poul , Glaab Katharina
Published: July 2022

Advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality in agriculture is a recognised development goal, also within crop breeding. Increasingly, breeding teams are expected to use ‘market-based’ approaches to design more ‘demand-led’ and ‘gender-responsive’ crop varieties. Based on an institutional ethnography that includes high-profile development-oriented breeding initiatives, we unpack these terms using perspectives from political agronomy and feminist science and technology studies. By conceptualising the market as an ongoing, relational performance made up of discourses, practices and human and nonhuman actors, we trace how the market is understood as an effective socioeconomic institution for soliciting demand, but also becomes a normative agenda. Construed as a demand variable, the relational and structural dimensions of gender are rendered less visible, which might strengthen rather than transform power relations’ status quo. On the other hand, a feminist science and technology perspective broadens the field of vision not only to the gendered dimensions of crop breeding, but also to the nonhuman actors, such as the crops and traits falling outside the market sphere of interest. By putting political agronomy and feminist science and technology studies into conversation, the article contributes to the development of a feminist political agronomy.
Validating the Screening Scale of Pedophilic Crime Scene Behavior
Authors: Lehmann Robert J. B. , Brouillette-Alarie Sébastien , Pedneault Amelie , Knight Raymond A.
Published: July 2022

The Screening Scale of Pedophilic Crime Scene Behavior (SSPC) is a seven-item structured rating scale assessing pedophilic sexual arousal. In the current study, we cross-validated the scale’s convergent validity using multiple measures of sexual interest in children (clinical diagnosis of pedophilia, the high fixation/low social competence type of the MTC:CM4, and phallometric assessment of sexual interests toward children) in two independent samples (USA and Canada). In both samples and in relation to all three criteria, the SSPC showed acceptable (phallometry) to excellent (clinical assessment) diagnostic accuracy. Furthermore, the SSPC showed incremental validity in relation to the Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interest and at times outperformed it in convergent validity analyses. The current study also provides psychometric information that can help users choose an appropriate SSPC cutoff score.
The Relation of Mood and Sexual Desire: An Experience Sampling Perspective on the Dual Control Model
Authors: van Tuijl Piet , Verboon Peter , van Lankveld Jacques
Published: July 2022

We investigated the effect of fluctuations in negative and positive affect on momentary sexual motivation in a sample of women and men in a steady relationship (n = 133). Sexual motivation was regarded as the aggregate of sexual desire, subjective sexual arousal and openness to sexual contact. Experience sampling methodology was used to collect up to 70 measurements per participant over a period of seven consecutive days of sexual motivation, and negative and positive affect. Using multilevel analysis, we investigated cross-level interactions between affect and trait measures as specified in the dual control model (DCM). This model postulates sexually excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms as relatively independent systems that together can explain individual differences in sexual motivation and behavior. Results implicated that any intensification of feelings, positive or negative, was associated with a momentary increase in sexual motivation for participants more prone to sexual excitation. In the lagged analysis, higher preceding negative affect, measured 1–2 h earlier, forecasted an increase in current sexual motivation for participants more prone to sexual excitation. The lagged analysis included the autoregressive effect or inertia of sexual motivation. Inertia reflects the extent to which sexual motivation lingers and persists at similar levels. Our findings showed that sexual motivation levels persisted less in individuals with higher sexual inhibition proneness due to threat of performance failure. This study demonstrated how experience sampling methodology can be used to extend research on associations between mood and sexual motivation and implicates that DCM factors moderate these associations.
The influence of the geometrical features on the seismic response of historical churches reinforced by different cross lam roof-solutions
Authors: Longarini Nicola , Crespi Pietro , Zucca Marco
Published: July 2022

Recent Italian earthquakes have shown the seismic vulnerability of many typical historical masonry churches characterized by one nave and wooden roofs. Under transverse earthquake, the nave transverse response of this kind of churches can be influenced by the geometrical and material features. To increase the seismic performance, strengthening interventions aimed to pursue the global box-behavior by the realization of dissipative roof-structure represent a valid strategy, especially to avoid out-of-plane mechanisms. In this way, the roof structure must be able to represent a tool for the damped rocking of the perimeter walls. Cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels with calibrated metal connections have been recently adopted in experimental tests as a valid solution to obtain a roof-diaphragm with ductile behavior, satisfying the conservative restoration criteria at the same time. In this paper, after a description of the numerical approach for the damped rocking mechanism for one nave configuration church, the effectiveness of different CLT based roof-diaphragms in the nave transverse response is investigated for four historical churches. The seismic responses are performed by comparative dynamic nonlinear analyses and the results are shown in terms of displacements and shear actions transferred to the façade. The influence of the geometrical features of the churches on the nave transversal response is deepened by sensitivity analyses with the aim to predict the displacements and shear variations under the same earthquake excitation.
Climate change and cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) production: assessing impacts and potential adaptation strategies in Zimbabwe
Authors: Chemura Abel , Kutywayo Dumisani , Hikwa Danisile , Gornott Christoph
Published: July 2022

Tropical root and tuber crops such as cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta (L.)) are important for food security and livelihoods and yet neglected in climate change impact studies and large-scale crop improvement programs. The aim of this study was to apply the maximum entropy modelling approach to assess production potential for the orphan crop cocoyam under current and projected climatic conditions by 2050 and 2070 in Zimbabwe. A robust model fit was achieved (AUC > 0.9) with variable importance showing that precipitation-related factors were most important in determining the suitability of cocoyam. About 4.3% of the country is suitable for cocoyam production in Zimbabwe under current climatic conditions with the most suitable areas in eastern districts of Chipinge, Chimanimani, Mutare, Mutasa, Nyanga and Makoni. By 2050, model means project a decrease of 6%, 9%, 10% and 15% under RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5, respectively. More drastic decreases are projected by 2070 with almost a quarter (23%) of the current suitable areas having lost their suitability for cocoyam production. There is a general model agreement in the direction of impacts except for RCP2.6 where CCSM4 model projects increases in suitability for cocoyam in the country while other models project decreases. We find that regulating canopy microclimate variation increases potential for cocoyam production under climate change and can be implemented to ensure resilience of cocoyam production systems. Therefore, stabilizing or improving orphan crops systems will substantially contribute to local food security and reduction of malnutrition especially during the lean season.
Quantify the Effect of China’s Emission Trading Scheme on Low-carbon Eco-efficiency: Evidence from China’s 283 Cities
Authors: Tao Miaomiao , Failler Pierre , Goh Lim Thye , Lau Wee Yeap , Dong Hanghang , Xie Liang
Published: July 2022

The establishment of a carbon trading market is crucial for China to fulfil its carbon emission commitments through a market mechanism. As a market-based environmental regulation instrument, Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) has been attracted increasing attention worldwide, while the effect of ETS on low-carbon economy efficiency (LEE) has not been fully investigated, thus inspiring us to fulfil this research gap. Using the panel data of China’s 283 selected prefecture-level cities during 2006–2017, we adopted the difference-in-differences (DID) model, propensity-score-matched DID (PSM-DID) model, and the spatial DID model to model the direct and indirect effects of China’s ETS on LEE at national, regional, and local (resource-based cities with different development stages) levels. The robust results yield that ETS directly and significantly improved China’s LEE at the national level. Still, the LEE in ETS pilot region will increase by approximately 4.3% compared with untreated cities, while the spatial heterogeneity of this effect is captured at regional and local levels, which emphasises the necessity of a completed market construction and classified supervision. The results of this paper provide important insights for strengthening the policy design of a nationwide carbon market, and a reference point for other regions and countries, especially developing countries, in refining a carbon trading market.
General practice-based undergraduate pharmacy longitudinal clerkship: a theoretically underpinned qualitative evaluation
Authors: Innes C. , Cunningham S. , Addison B. , Wedekind Y. , Watson E. , Rudd I. , Power A. , Karim L. , Rushworth G. F.
Published: July 2022

Background

A Pharmacy Longitudinal Clerkship (PLC) was designed to develop student pharmacists’ (SPs) competence in a general practice setting.

Aim

The aim was to carry out a theoretically underpinned qualitative evaluation of stakeholder perceptions of influences of behavioural determinants on SP development for clinical practice in general practice.

Method

General practice-based PLCs were delivered in 2019/20 and 2020/21 for two cohorts of SPs in NHS Highland, Scotland. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were used to explore stakeholder perceptions of influences of behavioural determinants on SP development. Informed written consent was obtained. An interview schedule was developed and piloted using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic methodology. Ethics approval was granted.

Results

Seven SPs and five general practitioner (GP) tutors were interviewed. Key themes were identified mapped to TDF domains and included: knowledge—utilisation and practical application of knowledge; skills—triangulation of skills under clinical supervision; beliefs about capabilities—confidence building with clinical and patient contact; professional role and identity—elucidation of professional roles within general practice.

Conclusion

This evaluation shows benefits of embedding SPs within clinical teams and immersing them in a clinical environment over a prolonged period in a general practice Pharmacy Longitudinal Clerkship. It is expected this will translate into a more confident transition to postgraduate professional clinical practice. Funding should be sought to test alternative PLC arrangements including: multiple full-time longitudinal placement blocks; or ultimately a year-long longitudinal clerkship programme with an IPE element.