bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How the Exposure to Beauty Ideals on Social Networking Sites Influences Body Image: A Systematic Review of Experimental Studies
Authors: Fioravanti Giulia , Bocci Benucci Sara , Ceragioli Giulia , Casale Silvia
Published: January 2022

Sharing and viewing photos on social networking sites (SNSs) have been identified as particularly problematic for body image. Although correlational research to date has established that SNS use is associated with increased body dissatisfaction, only experimental studies can enhance confidence in the conclusions drawn. For this reason, this systematic review synthesizes data from 43 experimental studies (N = 8637; %F = 89.56; mean age = 21.58 ± 1.78) examining the effect of viewing idealized images (i.e., attractive, thin, and fit) and body positive content on SNSs on body image. Two studies were conducted on adolescents. Each study had slight variations in how the images were presented for each category (e.g., selfies and photos taken by others). The wide variability in experimental stimuli and psychological moderators used in the published research make a systematic review more feasible and meaningful than a meta-analysis. Findings indicate that viewing idealized images on SNSs lead to increased body dissatisfaction among young women and men. State appearance comparison (i.e., engaging in social comparison while viewing images) significantly mediated the effect, whereas trait appearance comparison (i.e., the relatively stable general tendency to engage in social comparison) was a significant moderator. Mixed results were found regarding the exposure to body positive images/captions. Viewing images on SNSs depicting unattainable beauty ideals leads young people to feel dissatisfied about their bodies, with appearance comparison processing playing an important role. More research is required to assess the long-term effects.
Are companies using Twitter to greenwash and hide bad environmental performance?
Authors: Johnson Thomas F. , Greenwell Matthew P.
Published: January 2022

Companies and related consumer behaviours contribute significantly to global carbon emissions. However, consumer behaviour is shifting, with the public now recognising the real and immediate impact of climate change. Many companies are aware and seemingly eager to align to consumer’s increasing environmental consciousness, yet there is a risk that some companies could be presenting themselves as environmentally friendly without implementing environmentally beneficial processes and products (i.e. greenwashing). Here, using longitudinal climate leadership, environmental messaging (Twitter) and stock price data, we explore how climate leadership (a relative climate change mitigation metric) and environmental messaging have changed for hundreds of UK companies. Using the environmental messaging, we also assess whether companies are simply greenwashing their true climate change performance. Finally, we explore how climate leadership and environmental messaging influence companies’ stock prices. We found that companies (on average) have increased their climate leadership (coef: 0.14, CI 0.12–0.16) and environmental messaging (coef: 0.35, CI 0.19–0.50) between 2010 and 2019. We also found an association where companies with more environmental messaging had a higher climate leadership (coef: 0.16, CI 0.07–0.26), suggesting messaging was proportionate to environmental performance, and so there was no clear pattern of using Twitter for greenwashing across UK companies. In fact, some companies may be under-advertising their pro-environmental performance. Finally, we found no evidence that climate leadership, environmental messaging or greenwashing impacts a company’s stock price.
Selected transgenic murine models of human autoimmune liver diseases
Authors: Trzos Katarzyna , Pydyn Natalia , Jura Jolanta , Kotlinowski Jerzy
Published: January 2022

Murine models of human diseases are of outmost importance for both studying molecular mechanisms driving their development and testing new treatment strategies. In this review, we first discuss the etiology and risk factors for autoimmune liver disease, including primary biliary cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Second, we highlight important features of murine transgenic models that make them useful for basic scientists, drug developers and clinical researchers. Next, a brief description of each disease is followed by the characterization of selected animal models.
From Circular to Linear? Assessing the Life Cycle Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Steel and Plastic Beer Kegs
Authors: Martin Michael , Herlaar Sjoerd , Jönsson Aiden , Lazarevic David
Published: January 2022

In the craft brewing industry, kegging solutions have changed dramatically in recent years. While steel kegs once dominated the draught beer market, single-use plastic kegs have increased in popularity due to their convenience, especially in the craft brewing sector. With the increasing importance of the circular economy and the introduction of policies in Europe to move away from single-use plastic systems, this study aims to assess and compare the sustainability of conventional steel and single-use plastic kegs. The environmental and economic performance are assessed through life cycle assessment and life cycle costing approaches. The results suggest that steel kegs have better environmental performance and life cycle costs. However, these are limited to the local markets, and with larger distances, plastic kegs may become the better option due to their lower weight, suggesting that both kegs are useful in certain situations. This is especially important in countries that have long distances between breweries and their markets. The importance of extending the lifetime of the keg fleet is also highlighted to improve the environmental performance as the results are influenced by the assumption on the lifetime of the steel kegs. To improve the environmental performance of plastic kegs, efficient closed-loop recycling systems should be developed. Careful decision-making is needed to ensure that more sustainable packaging options are chosen for draught beer and that sustainability aspects be taken into account beyond convenience.
Sea‐Ice Detection From Near‐Nadir Ku‐Band Echoes From CFOSAT/SWIM Scatterometer
Authors: Peureux Charles , Longépé Nicolas , Mouche Alexis , Tison Céline , Tourain Cédric , Lachiver Jean‐Michel , Hauser Danièle
Published: January 2022

SWIM on board CFOSAT is the first spaceborne, low incidence, rotating scatterometer, aiming at measuring in near‐real time ocean waves spectra. With five off‐nadir beams at incidences between 2° and 10° plus one nadir beam, it covers the Earth in 13 days, including polar regions thanks to its polar orbit. This work aims at exploiting SWIM data over ice regions with two objectives. An off‐nadir data‐based sea‐ice flag is here proposed that allows, first, to eliminate sea‐ice polluted echoes for improving the wave spectrum retrieval, and second, to open perspectives for application of sea‐ice monitoring with near‐nadir Ku‐band active sensors. To this end, the signature of both open water and sea‐ice radar backscatter is parameterized into Geophysical Model Functions. Then, comparisons with observed profiles through a Bayesian scheme provide a probability of sea‐ice presence. After comparison with both model (ECMWF‐IFS) and radiometer (SSMI) derived reference data sets, the proposed flag is found to be ready for operational use. At latitudes greater than 40° in absolute value, the proposed flagging algorithm exhibits accuracies of approximately 98% for all beams compared to SSMI data. Beam to beam performances are characterized and show potential for the characterization of sea‐ice at Ku‐band.
Secular Variations in Provenance of Sedimentary Components in the Western North Pacific Ocean Constrained by Sr Isotopic Features of Deep‐Sea Sediments
Authors: Tanaka Erika , Yasukawa Kazutaka , Nakamura Kentaro , Ohta Junichiro , Miyazaki Takashi , Vaglarov Bogdan Stefanov , Machida Shiki , Fujinaga Koichiro , Iwamori Hikaru , Kato Yasuhiro
Published: January 2022

Deep‐sea sediments around Minamitorishima Island in the western North Pacific Ocean record the depositional environment in the central to western North Pacific since the late Cretaceous. Previous studies on the bulk chemical composition of deep‐sea sediments in this area have revealed that the sediment column can be divided into five chemostratigraphic units with at least three intercalated layers enriched in rare‐earth elements. However, the end‐member components and their changes in abundance, which indicate compositional variation, as well as the environmental factors affecting them, remain unclear. Here, we report the bulk chemistry, including newly analyzed 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the sediments, seafloor Mn nodules, and fish teeth collected from the deep‐sea basin around Minamitorishima Island, to identify the end‐member components of the sediments. Our results suggest that the pelagic sediments in the study area are mainly composed of terrigenous components, hydrogenous Mn oxides, biogenic calcium phosphate, and volcanic materials. The combination of Sr isotope modeling and bulk chemistry revealed that the input of volcanic materials has increased twice, which might be Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana tephras of the latest Eocene to Oligocene explosive volcanism at the later event but is unclear at the earlier event. The provenance of terrigenous materials has changed from North America to East Asia. The bulk sediment chemostratigraphy around Minamitorishima Island could have resulted not only from the local environmental changes in the pelagic realm, but also from volcanism around the Pacific Ocean and the northwestward movement of the area due to the Pacific plate motion.
Slow Geodynamics and Fast Morphotectonics in the Far East Tethys
Authors: Husson L. , Riel N. , Aribowo S. , Authemayou C. , de Gelder G. , Kaus B. J. P. , Mallard C. , Natawidjaja D. H. , Pedoja K. , Sarr A. C.
Published: January 2022

How can the sluggish, long‐wavelength mantle convection be expressed by so many time and space scales of morphotectonic activity? To investigate these relationships, we explore the Java‐Banda subduction zone, where geodynamic records cluster. In the far‐East Tethys, the exceptionally arcuate Banda subduction zone circumscribes the deepest oceanic basin on Earth, seismotectonic activity slices the upper plate more efficiently than anywhere else, and uncommonly vast expanses of continents are flooded in Sundaland and Northern Australia. By comparing numerical simulations of subduction dynamics to a set of independent observations, we reveal the many facets of tectonic and physiographic changes that the sole docking of the Australian continent onto the subduction zone triggered. While mantle flow remains slow and long‐wavelength at depth, intense tectonic activity, and dynamic uplift and subsidence profoundly rework the physiography at many spatial scales. These results demonstrate that a modest disruption in the slow geodynamic tempo may trigger manifold morphotectonic disturbances.
Diurnal Oxidation for Manganese Minerals in the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Rehnberg Morgan
Published: January 2022

The relative abundance of different oxidation states for this important micronutrient varies on the basis of how much available sunlight there is.
Measuring maladaptive avoidance: from animal models to clinical anxiety
Authors: Ball Tali M. , Gunaydin Lisa A.
Published: January 2022

Avoiding stimuli that predict danger is required for survival. However, avoidance can become maladaptive in individuals who overestimate threat and thus avoid safe situations as well as dangerous ones. Excessive avoidance is a core feature of anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This avoidance prevents patients from confronting maladaptive threat beliefs, thereby maintaining disordered anxiety. Avoidance is associated with high levels of psychosocial impairment yet is poorly understood at a mechanistic level. Many objective laboratory assessments of avoidance measure adaptive avoidance, in which an individual learns to successfully avoid a truly noxious stimulus. However, anxiety disorders are characterized by maladaptive avoidance, for which there are fewer objective laboratory measures. We posit that maladaptive avoidance behavior depends on a combination of three altered neurobehavioral processes: (1) threat appraisal, (2) habitual avoidance, and (3) trait avoidance tendency. This heterogeneity in underlying processes presents challenges to the objective measurement of maladaptive avoidance behavior. Here we first review existing paradigms for measuring avoidance behavior and its underlying neural mechanisms in both human and animal models, and identify how existing paradigms relate to these neurobehavioral processes. We then propose a new framework to improve the translational understanding of maladaptive avoidance behavior by adapting paradigms to better differentiate underlying processes and mechanisms and applying these paradigms in clinical populations across diagnoses with the goal of developing novel interventions to engage specific identified neurobehavioral targets.
White-matter free-water diffusion MRI in schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Carreira Figueiredo Inês , Borgan Faith , Pasternak Ofer , Turkheimer Federico E. , Howes Oliver D.
Published: January 2022

White-matter abnormalities, including increases in extracellular free-water, are implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Recent advances in diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enable free-water levels to be indexed. However, the brain levels in patients with schizophrenia have not yet been systematically investigated. We aimed to meta-analyse white-matter free-water levels in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy volunteers. We performed a literature search in EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases. Diffusion MRI studies reporting free-water in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls were included. We investigated the effect of demographic variables, illness duration, chlorpromazine equivalents of antipsychotic medication, type of scanner, and clinical symptoms severity on free-water measures. Ten studies, including five of first episode of psychosis have investigated free-water levels in schizophrenia, with significantly higher levels reported in whole-brain and specific brain regions (including corona radiata, internal capsule, superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculus, cingulum bundle, and corpus callosum). Six studies, including a total of 614 participants met the inclusion criteria for quantitative analysis. Whole-brain free-water levels were significantly higher in patients relative to healthy volunteers (Hedge’s g = 0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07–0.69, p = 0.02). Sex moderated this effect, such that smaller effects were seen in samples with more females (z = −2.54, p < 0.05), but antipsychotic dose, illness duration and symptom severity did not. Patients with schizophrenia have increased free-water compared to healthy volunteers. Future studies are necessary to determine the pathological sources of increased free-water, and its relationship with illness duration and severity.
Probing a microviscosity change at the nematic–isotropic liquid crystal phase transition by a ratiometric flapping fluorophore
Authors: Kimura Ryo , Kitakado Hidetsugu , Yamakado Takuya , Yoshida Hiroyuki , Saito Shohei
Published: January 2022

Flapping ratiometric fluorescent probe (FLAP) monitors a small change in microviscosity during the phase transition of the 5CB nematic liquid crystal.
A pyrene-pyridyl nanooligomer as a methoxy-triggered reactive probe for highly specific fluorescence assaying of hypochlorite
Authors: Zhang Li , Xiao Yi , Mao Wensheng , Huang Jiyan , Huang Hongmei , Yang Ronghua , Zhang Youyu , He Xiaoxiao , Wang Kemin
Published: January 2022

A methoxy-triggered reactive fluorescent nanoprobe (OPP-OMe NPs) was conveniently fabricated for rapid, specific and supersensitive sensing of hypochlorite.
Erbium energy bridging upconversion mechanism studies on BAKL:Er3+/Yb3+ glass-ceramics and simultaneous enhancement of color purity of the green luminescence
Authors: Sukul Prasenjit Prasad , Kumar Kaushal , Swart Hendrik
Published: January 2022

Er3+–Er3+ ion energy bridging UC mechanism through an Yb3+ ion is responsible for efficient color tuning properties in a uniquely designed borate oxyflouride glass-ceramics matrix.
Heterometallic chiral [Mn13Cu8] single-molecule magnets
Authors: Peng Zhiwei , Li Shu , Li Ao , Liao Jiaming , Wang Yiman , Li Xudong , Meng Wei , Zhang Jian
Published: January 2022

Two new chiral SMMs, 3d–3d heterometallic clusters {MnIIMnIII12CuII8}, are enantiomers exhibiting slow relaxation of their magnetization vectors.
Disintegration of wet microalgae biomass with deep-eutectic-solvent-assisted hydrothermal treatment for sustainable lipid extraction
Authors: Huang Rui , He Yu , Yao Xianrui , Yu Yujie , Song Wenlu , Yang Weijuan , Cheng Jun
Published: January 2022

Deep-eutectic-solvent-assisted hydrothermal treatment efficiently destroyed intermolecular interactions of microalgae biomass through reconstructing the hydrogen bond network, thus significantly facilitating the diffusion of lipid during extraction.
Recent advances in the discovery of protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 inhibitors
Authors: Kong Jiao , Long Ya-Qiu
Published: January 2022

Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase (SHP2) has emerged as a breakthrough antitumor therapeutic target. Inhibitors targeting SHP2 active site or allosteric site confer new treatments for tumor and inflammatory diseases.
Preparation of carbon-based metal organic framework-modified molecularly imprinted polymers for selective recognition of bovine hemoglobin in biological samples
Authors: Chen Xue , Chai Jinyue , Sun Baodong , Yang Xue , Zhang Feng , Tian Miaomiao
Published: January 2022

A carbon-based metal–organic framework-modified molecularly imprinted polymer (C@GI@Cu-MOFs@MIPs) for selective separation and enrichment of BHb.
Controllable preparation and rapid photoelectric response of homogeneous ZnTe microspheres
Authors: Li Shuo , Xu Yonghong , Zhang Linhui , Zhong Binnian , Yan Jun
Published: January 2022

Uniform ZnTe microspheres with 1.7 μm diameter were prepared by a PVP-assisted solvothermal process. By assembling ZnTe microspheres into photodetectors, the rise time and decay time of the photodetector were 96.93 ms and 103.57 ms, respectively.
Dipole moment and pressure dependent interlayer excitons in MoSSe/WSSe heterostructures
Authors: Pang Rongtian , Wang Shudong
Published: January 2022

The intrinsic dipole moments of MoSSe/WSSe heterostructures enhance the interlayer coupling and determine the interlayer exciton radiative lifetime.
A healing promoting wound dressing with tailor-made antibacterial potency employing piezocatalytic processes in multi-functional nanocomposites
Authors: Zhang Yi , An Qi , Zhang Shuting , Ma Zequn , Hu Xiantong , Feng Mengchun , Zhang Yihe , Zhao Yantao
Published: January 2022

An anti-bacterial patch, which is achieved by mounting polypyrrole/carbon nanotube catalysts on a piezoelectric–dielectric film is developed.
Green approaches for the synthesis of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles using microbial and plant extracts
Authors: Jeevanandam Jaison , Kiew Siaw Fui , Boakye-Ansah Stephen , Lau Sie Yon , Barhoum Ahmed , Danquah Michael K. , Rodrigues João
Published: January 2022

Green synthesis approaches are gaining significance as promising routes for the sustainable preparation of nanoparticles, offering reduced toxicity towards living organisms and the environment.
Pd and photoredox dual catalysis assisted decarboxylative ortho-benzoylation of N-phenyl-7-azaindoles
Authors: Rajput Shruti , Kaur Ramandeep , Jain Nidhi
Published: January 2022

The directing group assisted decarboxylative ortho-benzoylation of N-aryl-7-azaindoles with α-keto acids has been developed via synergistic visible light assisted photoredox and palladium catalysis.
A highly stable Zn9-pyrazolate metal–organic framework with metallosalen ligands as a carbon dioxide cycloaddition catalyst
Authors: Ma Fa-Xue , Mi Fu-Qi , Sun Meng-Jiao , Huang Tao , Wang Zi-An , Zhang Teng , Cao Rong
Published: January 2022

A three-dimensional (3D) metal–organic framework constructed from unprecedented Zn9O2(OH)2(pyz)12 (pyz = pyrazolate) clusters and Ni(salen)-derived linkers was reported.
A sulfonated polyethylene–styrene cation exchange membrane: a potential separator material in vanadium redox flow battery applications
Authors: Sreenath Sooraj , Pawar Chetan M. , Bavdane Priyanka , Nikumbe Devendra Y. , Nagarale Rajaram K
Published: January 2022

Benchmarking of a polyethylene–styrene–divinylbenzene-based interpolymer cation exchange membrane for vanadium redox flow batteries.
Bandwidth constrained client selection and scheduling for federated learning over SD‐WAN
Authors: Du Chunhui , Xiao Jianhang , Guo Wei
Published: January 2022

Cross‐silo federated learning (FL) has been proposed and applied in many domains such as financial risk prediction, pharmaceutical discovery, electronic health records mining. In this paradigm, multiple clients can collaboratively train machine learning models with higher accuracy while protecting their privacy under the coordination of a central server. To interconnect these geo‐distributed clients and the central server, the architecture of FL is proposed over software‐defined wide area network (SD‐WAN). The total time to achieve the required accuracy for FL depends on both the time of each iteration and the number of iterations. Because the bandwidth for each path from client to central server is constrained, different client selection schemes and different path routing mechanisms may lead to different times of iteration. The authors propose FedMT algorithm to minimize the total time through well‐designed client selection and routing, which greatly reduces the upload time of each iteration while slightly affecting the number of iterations. Extensive experiments are conducted and demonstrated the time to achieve the same accuracy for FedMT is less than half of that for FedAvg and FedProx.
Optimal control input for discrete‐time networked control systems with data dropout
Authors: Zanma Tadanao , Yamamoto Naohiro , Koiwa Kenta , Liu Kang‐Zhi
Published: January 2022

These days, networked control systems (NCSs) in which data is transmitted via communication have been actively studied for many potential applications. In an NCS, data dropout degrades control performance depending on network conditions. For an NCS with data dropout, the authors propose a model‐predictive‐control‐based input optimisation, representing data dropout as both a Bernoulli model and a finite‐order Markov chain. Using the proposed NCS data dropout model, the authors derive an optimal input that provides the estimated error between the expected state of the plant and a given reference. The proposed control problem is formulated as its equivalent quadratic programming, as executed at each online sampling. The authors also demonstrate simulations and experiments to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
A multi‐scale learning method with dilated convolutional network for concrete surface cracks detection
Authors: Zhou Qiang , Qu Zhong , Ju Fang‐rong
Published: January 2022

Concrete surface cracks detection is an important task to ensure the safety of infrastructure. Because of the complexity of background and low contrast of concrete surface, it is difficult to detect the cracks on the concrete surface accurately. To tackle this problem, a multi‐scale dilated convolutional method for concrete surface crack detection is proposed to improve the accuracy of detection. The proposed network is based on the encoder‐decoder structure of U‐Net. Cascade multi‐scale dilated convolutions in the centre of the network is used to get larger receptive field without additional parameters. In the decoder stage, the feature fusion module is used to integrated the multi‐scale and multi‐level side network feature for the final prediction. A large crack dataset is collected as a training set and other three smaller datasets are used for evaluation. Extensive experiments have been conducted on these three crack datasets, which achieves optimal dataset scale (ODS) F‐score over 0.84, optimal image scale (OIS) F‐score over 0.85 and average precision (AP) over 0.86. This algorithm performs better than the current crack detection, edge detection and semantic segmentation methods.
A verification framework for behavioral safety of self‐driving cars
Authors: Wu Huihui , Lyu Deyun , Zhang Yanan , Hou Gang , Watanabe Masahiko , Wang Jie , Kong Weiqiang
Published: January 2022

While self‐driving cars have already been widely investigated and achieved spectacular progress, a major obstacle in applications is the great difficulty in providing formal guarantees about their behaviors. Since the environment of the self‐driving is usually not known beforehand and highly uncertain, classical verification approaches cannot be applied to guarantee safety. To cope with any traffic situation, a novel online verification framework is presented for verifying behavioral safety of self‐driving cars. The framework is based on the proposed five safety considerations: new longitudinal and lateral safe distances, lane changes, overtaking and how to face new traffic participants. Different from the previous verification considerations, this verification framework allows actual behaviors of self‐driving cars to be temporarily inconsistent with the popular strict safe distance. As long as the self‐driving car respects the minimum safe distance calculated by our technique and executes improvement behaviors to restore the safe distance, it is still believed that the predictive behavior is safe. The framework can easily be integrated to existing self‐driving systems and evaluate different indicators involving the steering angle, acceleration and braking. The benefits of the framework in different urban scenarios of the CARLA simulator and real traffic data provided by the NGSIM project are demonstrated. Results show that the technology can successfully detect unsafe behaviors and provide effective measures to avoid potential collisions.
Prediction model for short‐term traffic flow based on a K‐means‐gated recurrent unit combination
Authors: Sun Zhaoyun , Hu Yuanjiao , Li Wei , Feng Shaowei , Pei Lili
Published: January 2022

Short‐term forecasting of traffic flow is an indispensable part of easing traffic pressure. Considering that different traffic flow patterns will affect the short‐term traffic flow prediction results, a combined method based on the K‐means clustering algorithm and gated recurrent unit (GRU) is proposed to build a short‐term traffic flow prediction model to overcome the above problems. The K‐means algorithm is used to cluster historical traffic flow data to establish different traffic flow pattern libraries. The K‐nearest neighbour (KNN) classification algorithm is used to determine the historical traffic flow pattern most similar to the traffic flow change trend of the date to be predicted. All historical traffic flow data in this category is used training samples to make targeted predictions. The traffic flow data of performance measurement system (PeMS) in California, USA is used to verify the performance of the proposed model. Compared with the GRU network, stacked auto encoders (SAEs), random forest (RF), and support vector machine regression (SVR), the results show that the proposed combination model K‐means‐GRU considers the diversity of traffic flow patterns and improves the prediction accuracy, it can better solve the short‐term traffic flow prediction problem.
Unconventional reconciliation path for quantum mechanics and general relativity
Authors: Yuguru Samuel Polopa
Published: January 2022

Physics in general is successfully governed by quantum mechanics at the microscale and principles of relativity at the macroscale. Any attempts to unify them using conventional methods have somewhat remained elusive for nearly a century up to the present stage. Here, a classical gedanken experiment of electron‐wave diffraction of a single slit is intuitively examined for its quantized states. A unidirectional monopole pair (MP) field as quanta of the electric field is pictorially conceptualised into 4D space‐time. Its application towards quantum mechanics and general relativity appears consistent with existing knowledge in physics. This considers a multiverse of MP models at a hierarchy of scales. Einsteinian gravity is then defined to be of circular acceleration with angular momentum in time reversal mode to an overarching MP field precessing into forward time. Such descriptions provide a credible intuitive tool for physics applications in general. Its proposed design can be assessed using conventional methods, perhaps in incremental steps and this warrants further investigations.
Radar waveform recognition based on a two‐stream convolutional network and software defined radio
Authors: Xia Yan , Ma Zhiyuan , Huang Zhi
Published: January 2022

As one of the key technologies of electromagnetic spectrum operations, radar waveform recognition is an important basis for judging the threat degree of enemy’s weapons. At present, it is difficult to recognize the waveform at low signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), and the theoretical simulation is used in most research studies, which leads to the problem that the engineering practicality of the algorithm is poor. In this paper, a two‐stream convolutional network radar waveform recognition (TCNRWR) algorithm that fuses the original time–frequency image and the continuous frames autocorrelation time–frequency image is proposed, and an experimental platform is built by using software defined radio technology. Compared with traditional theoretical simulations, this paper focusses on the influence of spatial background interference and signal incompleteness on the recognition of intra‐pulse signals, and proposes an automatic removal method of invalid signal in the time–frequency domain. In order to further improve the recognition rate at low SNR, a deeper feature of short‐time autocorrelation flow is excavated, and a two‐stream time–frequency images fusion convolutional network (TTIFCNet) is constructed. The network effectively fuses the pre‐classification results of the two streams through Softmax layer and different weights. Finally, the hardware platform HackRF is used to realize the communication and processing of signals in real space, which proves the effectiveness of the TCNRWR algorithm.
Power flow in the air gap of linear electrical machines by utilization of the Poynting vector: Part 1 ‐ Analytical expressions
Authors: Frost Anna E. , Temiz Irina , Eriksson Sandra , Leijon Mats
Published: January 2022

Analytical solutions and estimations for the power flow in the air gap of linear electrical machines of different geometries are derived from Poynting's theorem. The different geometries considered are flat one‐sided, multi‐sided, and tubular linear electrical machines. The radial power flow for all considered geometries is dependent on the area of the air gap, the electric field, the magnetic field, and the load angle. The tangential power flow for both flat one‐sided and tubular linear electrical machines is dependent of the area of the air gap, number of poles, the electric field, the magnetic field, and the load angle. The number of poles could be increased to decrease the tangential power flow in flat linear electrical machines. The expression for the tangential flow in tubular linear electrical machines is so complicated that it is difficult to draw conclusions from it.
Feeding the spider with carbon
Authors: De Breuck C. , Lundgren A. , Emonts B. , Kolwa S. , Dannerbauer H. , Lehnert M.
Published: January 2022

We present the detection of [CII] 158 μm emission from the Spiderweb galaxy at z = 2.1612 using the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX). The line profile splits into an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and circumgalactic medium (CGM) component previously identified in CO and [CI]. We find that these individual [CII] components are consistent in terms of CO and far-IR luminosity ratios with the populations of other z ≳ 1 AGN and dusty star-forming galaxies. The CGM component dominates the [CII] emission in the 10″ APEX beam. Although we do not have spatially resolved data, the close correspondence of the velocity profile with the CO(1−0) detected only on scales of tens of kiloparsecs in CO(1−0) suggests that the [CII] emission is similarly extended, reminiscent of [CII] halos recently found around z >  5 galaxies. Comparing the first four ionization states of carbon, we find that the atomic [CI] emission is dominant, which increases its reliability as a molecular mass tracer. Our [CII] detection at 601.8 GHz also demonstrates the feasibility to extend the frequency range of ALMA Band 9 beyond the original specifications.
First extragalactic detection of a phosphorus-bearing molecule with ALCHEMI: Phosphorus nitride (PN)
Authors: Haasler D. , Rivilla V. M. , Martín S. , Holdship J. , Viti S. , Harada N. , Mangum J. , Sakamoto K. , Muller S. , Tanaka K. , Yoshimura Y. , Nakanishi K. , Colzi L. , Hunt L. , Emig K. L. , Aladro R. , Humire P. , Henkel C. , van der Werf P.
Published: January 2022

Context. Phosphorus (P) is a crucial element for life given its central role in several biomolecules. P-bearing molecules have been discovered in different regions of the Milky Way, but not yet towards an extragalactic environment.

Aims. We searched for P-bearing molecules outside the Milky Way towards the nearby starburst Galaxy NGC 253.

Methods. Using observations from the ALMA Comprehensive High-resolution Extragalactic Molecular Inventory (ALCHEMI) project, we used the MAdrid Data CUBe Analysis package to model the emission of P-bearing molecules assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions. We also performed a non-LTE analysis using SpectralRadex.

Results. We report the detection of a P-bearing molecule, phosphorus nitride (PN), for the first time in an extragalactic environment, towards two giant molecular clouds (GMCs) of NGC 253. The LTE analysis yields total PN beam-averaged column densities N = (1.20 ± 0.09) × 1013 cm−2 and N = (6.5 ± 1.6) × 1012 cm−2, which translate into abundances with respect to H2 of χ = (8.0 ± 1.0) × 10−12 and χ = (4.4 ± 1.2) × 10−12. We derived a low excitation temperature of Tex = (4.4 ± 1.3) K towards the GMC with the brightest PN emission, which indicates that PN is sub-thermally excited. The non-LTE analysis results in column densities consistent with the LTE values. We also searched for other P-bearing molecules (PO, PH3, CP, and CCP), and upper limits were derived. The derived PO/PN ratios are < 1.3 and < 1.7. The abundance ratio between PN and the shock-tracer SiO derived towards NGC 253 follows the same trend previously found towards Galactic sources.

Conclusions. Comparison of the observations with chemical models indicates that the derived molecular abundances of PN in NGC 253 can be explained by shock-driven chemistry followed by cosmic-ray-driven photochemistry.
Reprocessing and Reuse of Endoscopic Accessories
Authors: Bhatia Vikram , Bhardwaj Vaishali , Tevethia Harsh Vardhan
Published: January 2022

Endoscopic accessories are critical devices that breach sterile body sites. They have unique reprocessing difficulties compared with other medical and surgical devices because of their complex structure, narrow lumens, thermolabile construction materials, and application through a semicritical endoscopic device. In addition, there is the possibility of functional derangement of endoscopic accessories with reprocessing, and most are now marketed as single-use devices. While reprocessing of endoscopes has been the subject of numerous societal guidelines, the issue of reprocessing endoscopic accessories and ancillary detachable devices used with the endoscope is seldom addressed. We summarize the existing data on the cleaning and reprocessing of endoscopic accessories.
Recent Endoscopic Ultrasound-Related Publications With Potential to Influence Clinical Practice
Authors: Gawande Atul , Mukewar Shrikant , Daswani Ravi , Bhaware Bhushan , Mukewar Saurabh
Published: January 2022

The field of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has evolved significantly over the last two decades from being a tool of only diagnostic purpose to tissue acquisition and now therapeutic potential. There have been several important publications in the field of EUS in the last few years, which had a major impact in the clinical management of various gastrointestinal disorders. In this review, we discuss four such articles that in our opinion will significantly impact the role of EUS in treating various conditions. The first article is a randomized controlled trial comparing EUS-guided gall bladder drainage with percutaneous gall bladder drainage for high-risk acute cholecystitis. The second article is a randomized controlled trial comparing EUS versus minimally invasive surgery for necrotizing pancreatitis. The third article is a novel human study of EUS-guided portal pressure measurement in patients with portal hypertension. The last article is also a randomized controlled trial evaluating the role of rapid on-site evaluation for EUS-guided fine needle biopsy in solid pancreatic lesions.
Trans-Colostomy Placement of a Button Gastrostomy Tube for Malignant Bowel Obstruction in Patients with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis
Authors: Ozawa Mizuki , Sone Miyuki , Arai Yasuaki , Sugawara Shunsuke , Itou Chihiro , Kimura Shintaro , Okamoto Daisuke , Kusumoto Masahiko
Published: January 2022

Purpose The aim of the study is to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the trans-colostomy placement of a button gastrostomy tube for patients with malignant bowel obstruction due to peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Material and Methods Data from seven consecutive patients who presented with malignant bowel obstruction due to peritoneal carcinomatosis involving the colostomy site and underwent trans-colostomy button gastrostomy tube placement between 2013 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. We assessed technical and clinical success rate, procedure time, duration of improvement, and complication rate.

Results The technical success rate of the trans-colostomy button gastrostomy tube placement was 100%, and average procedure time was 25 minutes. Clinical symptoms of malignant bowel obstruction resolved in four out of seven (57%) patients. Average duration of improvement in the four patients with clinical success was 170.8 days. There were no complications associated with the procedure.

Conclusion Trans-colostomy button gastrostomy tube placement might be a safe and feasible treatment option for patients with malignant bowel obstruction due to peritoneal carcinomatosis.
Safety and Efficacy of Early Endotherapy in Management of Pancreatic Ascites: Western Indian Experience.
Authors: Gattani Mayur G. , Chauhan Shamshersingh G. , Sethiya Pratik R. , Chandak Pooja C. , Lad Saiprasad G. , Singh Gaurav K. , Kolhe Kailash M. , Khairnar Harshad B. , Pandey Vikas R. , Ingle Meghraj A.
Published: January 2022

Background Pancreatic ascites is rare but a known complication of pancreatitis. We aimed to study the timings, safety, and efficacy of therapeutic approaches in its management and the outcomes.

Methods We retrospectively studied patients with pancreatic ascites managed in the past 5 years at a single tertiary care center. Therapeutic approaches included conservative therapy, early endoscopic therapy, and surgery. We used descriptive statistics to summarize characteristics of the study population, and performed univariate and binary logistic regression analyses to compare treatment outcomes.

Results Of the 125 patients screened, 70 (male, 81.4%) were included. Disruption in the pancreatic duct (PD) was seen in 51.4% of patients on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and 73.3% of patients on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The PD in the body region (46.7%) was the most frequent site of disruption. Early endotherapy included a stent bridging the disruption site in 63.3% of patients and sphincterotomy in 76.7% of patients with a median time to ERCP from symptom onset being 8.5 days. The success rate in early endotherapy was 81.7%, while the recurrence rate was 8%. For conservative therapy only, the success rate was 60% with recurrence in two-thirds. The variables crucial in the success of endotherapy were a partial disruption (p < 0.001), ductal disruption site (p = 0.004), sphincterotomy (p = 0.013), and a bridging stent (p = 0.001). Significant pancreatic necrosis (p < 0.001) and intraductal calculi (p = 0.002) were the factors responsible for failure in endotherapy.

Conclusions Early endotherapy is safe and effective in the treatment of pancreatic ascites. The efficacy of endotherapy is augmented by PD stenting combined with pancreatic sphincterotomy and a bridging stent.
Climate smart agriculture for Africa: the potential role of conservation agriculture in climate smart agriculture.
Authors: González-Sánchez Emilio J. , Moreno-Garcia Manuel , Kassam Amir , Mkomwa Saidi , Roman-Vazquez Julio , Veroz-Gonzalez Oscar , Ordoñez-Fernandez Rafaela , Gil-Ribes Jesus A. , Moreno-Blanco Elizabeth , Marquez-Garcia Francisco , Carbonell-Bojollo Rosa M.
Published: January 2022

To achieve the challenges raised in Agenda 2063 and the Malabo Declaration, new agricultural techniques need to be promoted. Practical approaches to implement climate smart agriculture and sustainable agriculture, able to deliver at field level, are required. These include sustainable soil and land management that allows different user groups to manage their resources, including water, crops, livestock and associated biodiversity, in ways that are best suited to the prevailing biophysical, socio-economic and climatic conditions. The adoption of locally adapted sustainable soil management practices is needed to support climate change mitigation and adaptation from the agricultural perspective. In this sense, Conservation Agriculture (CA) can be adapted to local conditions, and help achieve the key objectives. The application of CA principles brings multiple benefits, especially in terms of soil conservation, but also for mitigating climate change. In fact, CA has the ability to transform agricultural soils from being carbon emitters into carbon sinks, because of no-tillage (NT) techniques and the return to the soil of diverse crop biomass from above-ground parts of plants and from diverse roots systems and root exudates. Similarly, fossil energy use decreases due to the reduction in agricultural operations, and so less CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere. Lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in CA also result, because of reduced and more efficient use of inputs. Scientific studies confirm the sequestration potential of increased soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks on croplands in Africa on each of the continent's major bioclimatic areas. Coefficients of SOC sequestration for Africa are presented in this chapter.
Challenges and approaches to accelerating the uptake of conservation agriculture in Africa and Europe.
Authors: Basch Gottlieb , González-Sánchez Emilio J.
Published: January 2022

Over the past few decades the concept of Conservation Agriculture (CA) has spread globally, and almost exponentially, with an adoption rate of around 10 M ha per year in the past few years. This uptake has, however, been experienced rather unequally throughout the different regions. Whereas in the Americas and Australia the share of cropland under CA is considerable, in Africa and Europe both the area under CA and its share of total cropland lag far behind. This chapter provides an overview of the most recent figures available on CA adoption for Africa and Europe, and identifies the major challenges faced by the spread and adoption of CA. Different reasons are identified for the lagging behind of these two continents as a result of huge contrasts between Africa and Europe in terms of agroecological conditions, infrastructure, education and agriculture. Other challenges, however, such as farmers' mindsets, missing or inadequate policy frameworks and institutional support, are common. Yet encouraging opportunities do exist, namely with regard to the political agenda that, if followed up subsequently, could result in concerted efforts towards the expansion of truly sustainable agriculture, including the concept of CA. To be successful in the two continents, however, approaches to mainstream CA need to be tailored to the different regions, and even locally.
Increasing adaptation to climate stress by applying conservation agriculture in Southern Africa.
Authors: Thierfelder Christian , Steward Peter
Published: January 2022

Climate change and soil fertility decline are threatening food security in southern Africa and efforts have been made to adapt current cropping systems to the needs of smallholder farmers. Conservation Agriculture (CA) based on minimum soil disturbance, crop residue retention and crop diversification has been proposed as a strategy to address the challenges smallholder farmers face. Here we analyse the potential contributions of CA towards adaptation to the effects of climate change by summarizing data on infiltration, soil moisture dynamics and crop productivity under heat and drought stress. The data were taken in the main from CIMMYT's on-farm and on-station trial network. Data show that CA systems maintain 0.7-7.9 times higher water infiltration than the conventional tilled system depending on soil type, which increases soil moisture during the cropping season by 11%-31% between CA treatments and the conventional control treatment. This leads to greater adaptive capacity of CA systems during in-season dry spells and under heat stress. A supporting regional maize productivity assessment, analysing the results of numerous on-farm and on-station experiments, showed that CA systems will outperform conventional tillage practices (CP), especially on light-textured soils, under heat and drought stress. With higher rainfall and low heat stress, this relation was more positive towards CP and on clay soil there was no benefit of practising CA when rainfall was high. The long dry season and limited biomass production of CA systems in southern Africa require complementary good agricultural practices to increase other soil quality parameters (e.g. increased soil carbon) to maintain higher productivity and sustainability over time. This can be addressed by combinations of improved stress-tolerant seed, targeted fertilization, inclusion of tree-based components or green manure cover crops in the farming system, scale-appropriate mechanization and improved weed control strategies.