bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An overview of the therapeutic effects of curcumin in reproductive disorders with a focus on the antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory activities
Authors: Saifi Bita , Haftcheshmeh Saeed Mohammadian , Feligioni Marco , Izadpanah Esmael , Rahimi Kaveh , Hassanzadeh Kambiz , Mohammadi Asadollah , Sahebkar Amirhossein
Published: January 2022

Curcumin, the polyphenolic compound obtained from turmeric, has several pharmacological properties. These properties include antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti‐angiogenic, anticarcinogenic, antiinflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities. Therefore, the clinical efficacy of this substance has been largely investigated for curing numerous disorders. Based on a growing body of literature, this review aimed to investigate curcumin's molecular and clinical effects on reproduction and related disorders. Curcumin in the female reproductive system attenuates folliculogenesis, promotes apoptosis of oocytes and blastocyst, and decreases embryo implantation and survival. Curcumin at <100 mg concentration shows protective effects against testicular injury. The concentration of >250 mg of curcumin exhibits immobilizing action on sperms, and at 500 mg concentration completely blocks pregnancy. Curcumin inhibits vaginal infections, attenuates the severity of the premenstrual syndrome, ameliorates inflammatory conditions in polycystic ovary syndrome, improves preeclampsia, and prevents ectopic endometrial lesions. Taken together, curcumin, because of the numerous biological activities, low level of toxicity, and lower adverse effects compared to the synthetic drugs, could be considered as a protective agent for preserving the semen quality parameters, a contraceptive, and chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive agent, as well as an appropriate agent for the treatment of female reproductive disorders.
Emerging therapies: The potential roles SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP1 agonists, and ARNI therapy for ARNI pulmonary hypertension
Authors: King Nicholas E. , Brittain Evan
Published: January 2022

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a highly morbid condition. PH due to left heart disease (PH‐LHD) has no specific therapies and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has substantial residual risk despite several approved therapies. Multiple lines of experimental evidence link metabolic dysfunction to the pathogenesis and outcomes in PH‐LHD and PAH, and novel metabolic agents hold promise to improve outcomes in these populations. The antidiabetic sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP1) agonists targeting metabolic dysfunction and improve outcomes in patients with LHD but have not been tested specifically in patients with PH. The angiotensin receptor/neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs) produce significant improvements in cardiac hemodynamics and may improve metabolic dysfunction that could benefit the pulmonary circulation and right ventricle function. On the basis of promising preclinical work with these medications and clinical rationale, we explore the potential of SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP1 agonists, and ARNIs as therapies for both PH‐LHD and PAH.
Intrinsic reactivity of [OUCH]+: Apparent synthesis of [OUS]+ by reaction with CS2
Authors: Metzler Luke J. , Farmen Christopher T. , Fry Allison N. , Seibert Mark P. , Massari Kayla A. , Corcovilos Theodore A. , van Stipdonk Michael J.
Published: January 2022

Rationale

Building on our report that collision‐induced dissociation (CID) can be used to create the highly reactive U‐alkylidyne species [O=U≡CH]+, our goal was to determine whether the species could be as an intermediate for synthesis of [OUS]+ by reaction with carbon disulfide (CS2).

Methods

Cationic uranyl‐propiolate precursor ions were generated by electrospray ionization, and multiple‐stage CID in a linear trap instrument was used to prepare [O=U≡CH]+. Neutral CS2 was admitted into the trap through a modified He inlet and precision leak valves.

Results

The [O=U≡CH]+ ion reacts with CS2 to generate [OUS]+. CID of [OUS]+ causes elimination of the axial sulfide ligand to generate [OU]+. Using isotopically labeled reagent, we found that [OUS]+ reacts with O2 to create [UO2]+.

Conclusions

[O=U≡CH]+ proves to be a useful reagent ion for synthesis of [OUS]+, a species that to date has only been created by gas‐phase reactions of U+ and U2+. Dissociation of [OUS]+ to create [OU]+, but not [US]+, and the efficient conversion of the species into [UO2]+, is consistent with the relative differences in U–O and U–S bond energies.
Model‐free incremental adaptive dynamic programming based approximate robust optimal regulation
Authors: Li Cong , Wang Yongchao , Liu Fangzhou , Liu Qingchen , Buss Martin
Published: January 2022

This article presents a new formulation for model‐free robust optimal regulation of continuous‐time nonlinear systems. The proposed reinforcement learning based approach, referred to as incremental adaptive dynamic programming (IADP), utilizes measured input‐state data to allow the design of the approximate optimal incremental control strategy, stabilizing the controlled system incrementally under model uncertainties, environmental disturbances, and input saturation. By leveraging the time delay estimation (TDE) technique, we first use sensor data to reduce the requirement of a complete dynamics, where input‐state data is adopted to construct an incremental dynamics which reflects the system evolution in an incremental form. Then, the resulting incremental dynamics serves to design the approximate optimal incremental control strategy based on adaptive dynamic programming, which is implemented as a simplified single critic structure to get the approximate solution to the value function of the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation. Furthermore, for the critic neural network, experience data are used to design an off‐policy weight update law with guaranteed weight convergence. Rather importantly, we incorporate a TDE error bound related term into the cost function, whereby the unintentionally introduced TDE error is attenuated during the optimization process. The proofs of system stability and weight convergence are provided. Numerical simulations are conducted to validate the effectiveness and superiority of our proposed IADP, especially regarding the reduced control energy expenditure and the enhanced robustness.
Initial configurations‐independent predefined performance control of robotic manipulator with input saturation
Authors: Zhai Di‐Hua , Xia Yuanqing
Published: January 2022

This article develops a guaranteed predefined performance control scheme for a class of robotic manipulators with input saturation and unknown uncertainties. The main advantage is that it can provide convenient and quantifiable predefined performance control, by integrating the ‐class performance function in the prescribed performance control framework and designing an adaptive anti‐saturation compensator. The maximum overshoot, the settling time, and the steady‐state error can be specified independently and are not limited by the initial configurations of the robotic system, where the introduction of ‐class performance function simplifies the control design. By introducing the adaptive neural network estimator and anti‐saturation compensator, the proposed robust controller is also available in the presence of dynamic uncertainties, external disturbance, and actuator saturation. The proposed adaptive anti‐saturation compensator can be easily incorporated into the guaranteed predefined performance control, which simplifies the stability analysis. Numerical results based on simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
When Teachers Lose Loved Ones: Affective Practices in Teachers’ Accounts of Addressing Loss in Literature Instruction
Authors: Dunn Mandie Bevels
Published: January 2022

Teachers’ efforts to build literacy classrooms inclusive of experiences of trauma and loss require attending to affective sensations and displayed emotions as culturally constructed and socially produced. Yet teachers’ personal loss experiences and their influence on literature instruction remain understudied, with literacy scholarship in this area typically focusing on students’ loss experiences. Using in‐depth interviews with secondary English teachers who had lost a loved one, I analyzed how affect and emotion moved through teachers’ understandings of teaching literature following loss. Teachers’ accounts made visible their interpretations of emotional rules for addressing loss, including responsibility for students’ needs, care for students, and uncertainty surrounding emotions in the classroom. Teachers described emotions as attaching to particular bodies according to their understanding of their identities as teachers. This paper explains how teachers navigate the many sensations present when teachers and students read literature together, as human beings who also lose people they love.
In Silico and In Vitro Antiproliferative Activity Assessment of New Schiff Bases
Authors: Kökbudak Zülbiye , Akkoç Senem , Karataş Halis , Tüzün Burak , Aslan Güzin
Published: January 2022

In this study, a series of new Schiff bases, based on a pyrimidine core, were synthesized in two steps. The structures of these newly synthesized Schiff bases were completely characterized. The presence of characteristic ‐N=CH proton peaks proving the formation of imine supports the structures of the compounds. The cytotoxic activity studies were done towards human cancer cell lines. The results show that the related molecules had antiproliferative activity on cancerous cells. To compare the chemical and biological activities of pyrimidine derivatives were performed using Gaussian software and Maestro Molecular modeling platform by Schrödinger, respectively. Afterwards, ADME/T analysis was performed to examine the possibility of pyrimidine derivatives being drugs.
Potentiometric PVC Membrane Sensor for the Determination of Anti‐Epileptic Drug Levetiracetam in Pharmaceutical Formulations
Authors: Özbek Oguz , Isildak Ömer
Published: January 2022

A poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane potentiometric sensor was developed for the determination of anti‐epileptic drug levetiracetam. For this purpose, levetiracetam‐tetraphenylborate (LEV‐TPB) ion‐pair was synthesized and the synthesized ion‐pair was used as ionophore in PVC membrane structures. The membrane composed of 3.0 % (w/w) LEV‐TPB ion‐pair, 32.0 % (w/w) PVC, and 65.0 % (w/w)o‐nitrophenyloctylether (o‐NPOE) was determined as the membrane with the best potentiometric properties. The developed sensor exhibited a linear response in the concentration range from 1.0×10−5to 1.0×10−1 mol L−1and had a detection limit of 6.31×10−6 mol L−1. For this sensor, pH working range and response time were determined as 6.0–8.0 and ≈25 s, respectively. The sensor displayed a good selectivity for levetiracetam in the presence of a number of common ionic species and some anti‐epileptic drug. The proposed levetiracetam‐selective sensor was successfully applied for the determination of levetiracetam in pharmaceutical drug samples which is used in the treatment of epilepsy.
Copper nanowire with enriched high‐index facets for highly selective CO2 reduction
Authors: Han Lu , Tian Benqiang , Gao Xiangxiang , Zhong Yang , Wang Shengnan , Song Shuchang , Wang Zhili , Zhang Ying , Kuang Yun , Sun Xiaoming
Published: January 2022

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide into fuels and feedstocks with renewable energy is an attractive route to mitigate carbon emission and solve energy crisis. However, how to improve the selectivity of high‐value multicarbon products is still challenging. Here, we demonstrate that the high‐index crystalline surface of copper could be designed and obtained through a simple square‐wave potential treatment on copper nanowires, which is beneficial to improve the selectivity of multi‐carbon products, especially the reaction route towards ethylene. The Faradaic efficiency of C2+ products can reach nearly 60%, and hydrogen can be suppressed to below 20%. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that (311) high‐index facet can activate CO2 effectively and promote adsorption of the *COCOH intermediate on copper for ethylene formation, therefore improves the selectivity of ethylene and inhibits the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. This method can be extended to the design of other catalytic systems and has inspirations for other electrochemical catalytic reactions.
Protein‐Based Encapsulation Strategies: Toward Micro‐ and Nanoscale Carriers with Increased Functionality
Authors: Ramos Ricardo , Bernard Julien , Ganachaud François , Miserez Ali
Published: January 2022

Proteins and peptides are attractive chemical building blocks to encapsulate and protect active substances thanks to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, low immunogenicity, and added functionality compared to synthetic polymers. This review provides a comprehensive overview of micro‐ and nanocapsules predominantly made of proteins—both natural and artificially produced—and peptides, detailing their different fabrication techniques and possible applications in various fields, including food technology and healthcare. Emphasis is given on the capability of proteins and peptides to assemble into capsular structures in the absence (e.g., protein cages and polypeptide‐based coacervates) or presence of a template, as well as on the physical nature of the carriers core, i.e., gaseous, liquid, or solid.
High‐Performance Indoor Organic Solar Cells Based on a Double‐Cable Conjugated Polymer
Authors: Yang Zhaofan , Guan Chong , Jiang Xudong , Zhang Guangcong , Xie Chengcheng , Liu Chunhui , Xiao Chengyi , Li Weiwei
Published: January 2022

Indoor photovoltaic is one of the most important applications of organic solar cells (OSCs). As different from AM1.5G sunlight with broad spectra from the visible to near‐infrared region, the spectra of indoor light are usually located in the visible region. Therefore, a special material design for the photoactive layer to meet the requirement of indoor light is required for application in indoor photovoltaics. Herein, a wide‐bandgap double‐cable conjugated polymer is intentionally selected, which has the well‐matched absorption spectra with indoor light for use in indoor OSCs. This double‐cable polymer is used as a single photoactive layer in OSCs, providing a high power conversion efficiency of 19.44% under indoor light, which is comparable with the bulk‐heterojunction solar cells using near‐infrared electron acceptors. Moreover, the double‐cable polymer‐based indoor OSCs exhibit high storage stability. These results indicate that single‐component OSCs based on double‐cable polymers have promising applications in indoor OSCs.
Dissimilarity‐based test case prioritization through data fusion
Authors: Huang Rubing , Towey Dave , Xu Yinyin , Zhou Yunan , Yang Ning
Published: January 2022

Test case prioritization (TCP) aims at scheduling test case execution so that more important test cases are executed as early as possible. Many TCP techniques have been proposed, according to different concepts and principles, with dissimilarity‐based TCP (DTCP) prioritizing tests based on the concept of test case dissimilarity: DTCP chooses the next test case from a set of candidates such that the chosen test case is farther away from previously selected test cases than the other candidates. DTCP techniques typically only use one aspect/granularity of the information or features from test cases to support the prioritization process. In this article, we adopt the concept of data fusion to propose a new family of DTCP techniques, data‐fusion‐driven DTCP (DDTCP), which attempts to use different information granularities for prioritizing test cases by dissimilarity. We performed an empirical study involving 30 versions of five subject programs, investigating the testing effectiveness and efficiency by comparing DDTCP against DTCP techniques that use a dissimilarity granularity. The experimental results show that not only does DDTCP have better fault‐detection rates than single‐granularity DTCP techniques, but it also appears to only incur similar prioritization costs. The results also show that DDTCP remains robust over multiple system releases.
Does the Reuse of Constructions Promote Fluency Development in Task Repetition? A Usage‐Based Perspective
Authors: Suzuki Yuichi , Eguchi Masaki , de Jong Nel
Published: January 2022

In this task‐repetition intervention study, L2 learners’ reuse of linguistic constructions was analyzed to investigate to what extent recurring reliance on specific constructions during the same task repetition predicts fluency development. English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language (EFL) learners performed oral narrative tasks three times per day under two task repetition schedules: blocked (Day 1: Prompt A‐A‐A, Day 2: B‐B‐B, Day 3: C‐C‐C) versus interleaved (Day 1: Prompt A‐B‐C, Day 2: A‐B‐C, Day 3: A‐B‐C). From a usage‐based perspective, their reuse of constructions across the same prompt was examined at both concrete (lexical unigram [e.g., “bicycle”] and trigram [e.g., “behind the bicycle”]) and abstract (parts of speech trigram [e.g., “preposition determiner noun”]) level. Subsequent analyses revealed that blocked practice led to higher reuse of both concrete and abstract constructions than interleaved practice. Reuse frequency was correlated with during‐training and pretest–posttest fluency changes. Particularly, greater reuse of lexical and abstract trigrams during interleaved practice led to improvements in speed and breakdown fluency (i.e., shorter mean syllable duration and fewer mid‐clause pauses) after the intervention, albeit with higher effort (indicated by longer mid‐clause and clause‐final pauses). Taken together, these findings indicate that manipulating task‐repetition schedule may systematically induce reuse of linguistic constructions, which may promote proceduralization (entrenchment) of constructional knowledge at both concrete and abstract levels.
Diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrum in high‐risk women using ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging: systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: De Oliveira Carniello M. , Oliveira Brito L. G. , Sarian L. O. , Bennini J. R.
Published: January 2022

Objectives

To perform a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the diagnostic test accuracy of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and compare the performance of the two modalities in the diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS).

Methods

This was a systematic review conducted following the Cochrane Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews guideline. A literature search was performed in five databases: PubMed, EMBASE, PMC, The Cochrane Library and BVS‐Bireme between 27 July and 4 August 2020. The search was updated on 18 August 2021. We included observational studies evaluating diagnostic accuracy in women with risk factors for PAS who had undergone both ultrasound and MRI examinations, published in English between 2011 and 2021. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies‐2 was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. Forest plots for sensitivity and specificity with 95% CIs and receiver‐operating‐characteristics curves for ultrasound and MRI were constructed.

Results

The literature search identified 266 studies. After reviewing the titles and abstracts of the articles, 51 were selected for full‐text review and 17 studies including 1301 women with MRI and ultrasound data available were selected for the meta‐analysis. The study population included 457 cases with PAS diagnosed using the gold standard method (intraoperative or histopathological analysis). The overall quality of the evaluated studies was considered satisfactory according to QUADAS‐2. The meta‐analysis revealed a sensitivity of 0.833 (95% CI, 0.776–0.878) and specificity of 0.834 (95% CI, 0.746–0.897) for ultrasound. For MRI, sensitivity was 0.838 (95% CI, 0.786–0.879) and specificity was 0.831 (95% CI, 0.770–0.878). There was no statistically significant difference between the two modalities. The Cochran's Q values indicated a high level of heterogeneity of sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound and MRI across studies.

Conclusions

Ultrasound and MRI have similar accuracy in the diagnosis of PAS. These results suggest that, in a setting with a high prevalence of risk factors, the choice of imaging modality for initial screening for PAS should depend on the availability of equipment and the examiner's expertise. © 2022 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Bioconvection Casson nanoliquid film sprayed on a stretching cylinder in the portfolio of homogeneous‐heterogeneous chemical reactions
Authors: Khan Noor Saeed , Humphries Usa Wannasingha , Kumam Wiyada , Kumam Poom , Muhammad Taseer
Published: January 2022

In chemical engineering, the materials that is drawn or stretched continuously its surface velocity initially increases with distance from the orifice. The extruded material is also simultaneously cooled to provide solidification through a water bath or spraying with a coolant. Due to such applications and others, the present study concerns with the film deposition of Casson nanoliquid heat and mass transfer bioconvection flow with homogeneous‐heterogeneous chemical reactions, entropy generation, thermal radiation and magnetic dipole effects. The mechanical system has been proposed by the governing equations and boundary conditions which are simplified by the use of suitable similarity transformations. Homotopy analysis method is applied to obtain the series solution of non‐linear ordinary differential equations. Physical behaviors of heat and mass transfer flow with entropy generation and spray rate are investigated through the embedded parameters. Velocity is decreased with Casson nanofluid, ferromagnetic, porosity and inertial parameters while temperature is increased with thermal radiation, ferromagnetic, porosity and inertial parameters. Concentration of chemical reaction is increased with Schmidt and Reynolds numbers as well as heterogeneous chemical reaction parameter while motile microorganisms concentration is decreased with bioconvection Lewis, Peclet, and Reynolds numbers. Entropy generation is increased with thermal radiation, diffusivity and porosity parameters while spray rate is decreased with high values of film size.
Introduction: Epistemic and Artistic List-Making
Authors: Barton Roman Alexander , Böckling Julia , Link Sarah , Rüggemeier Anne
Published: January 2022

The first chapter offers a substantial introduction that surveys previous scholarship on lists and list-making and situates the simple but versatile form of the list in its historical, cultural, and aesthetic contexts. Starting with an etymological contextualization of the term list, the introduction presents the list as a piece in the making—a handicraft—to then embrace the literary, poetic, and cultural manifestations of list-making throughout the centuries. As it invites us to reflect on how art or knowledge is produced through enumeration, the introduction further provides a condensed, analytical, and original discussion of the list as an epistemic, a literary, and a visual form.
Between Order and Chaos: Lists in Children’s Literature
Authors: Blümer Agnes
Published: January 2022

This chapter aims to contribute toward a poetics of the list in children’s literature. Lists are a recurrent technique in texts addressed to children and young adults. This chapter intends to show that the didactic function of lists is very important, especially in picturebooks, but that many lists in children’s literature are also intended to serve as a source of enjoyment through their reliance on rhymes, sounds, and their typical creative play with language. Many lists do not transfer knowledge or moral standards but play with concepts of narration.
Et Cetera Photobooks? Reflections on Conceptual Documentary Photography as Visual Enumeration
Authors: Schürmann Anja
Published: January 2022

Using three photobooks by Ricardo Cases, Allison Stewart, and Stephen Gill, I explore the question of whether visual lists can exist. I investigate what operations must be involved in conceptualizing a semantically open and polysemous artifact like photography as a discrete enumeration and then consider which aesthetic practices might be associated with it. My thesis is that, through reductionist and abstracting practices, enumerative photography has found a way to rethink the problem of figural representation in documentary photography. As a serial work, the Conceptual Documentary photobook (CDp) can be both politically and conceptually coherent in emphasizing the interpretive gaps between individual images and thus creating a receptive autonomy, which is an important representational goal in approaches to Postdocumentary Art.
Lore and Order: Enlisting Rabbinic Epistemology
Authors: Lehmhaus Lennart
Published: January 2022

This chapter explores the diverse manifestations of lists in rabbinic texts of late antiquity and their complex strategies of structuring, producing, and conveying knowledge through lists. The discussion is embedded within a broader perspective on lists as didactic and epistemic tools within ancient cultures of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. I argue that lists play an important role in the production of knowledge in premodern Jewish culture. The following examples aim to demonstrate that in Talmudic medical discourse, in legal prescriptions, in exegetical and in ethical midrashic texts, lists function as a versatile “epistemic form.” Lists shaped the rabbinic collections of law and lore that functioned simultaneously as cultural inventories, store houses of knowledge, and practical reference works. They thus facilitate the transfer of knowledge of the world and of the body into the world of the rabbinic study house and eventually into the quasi-canonical Talmudic corpus, an encyclopedic body of knowledge.
Don’t Trust the List: The Politics of Enumeration and Capitalist Discourse in the Novel
Authors: von Contzen Eva
Published: January 2022

This chapter highlights the often invisible political agendas behind lists (the “politics of the list”) and makes a case for reading lists suspiciously and symptomatically rather than “on the surface.” Based on recent work on formal approaches to literature, the list is understood as a cognitive form that elicits a range of affordances, depending on the context of use. To what extent a reading of lists in the novel can profit from such an approach is demonstrated by the example of capitalist discourse, which manifests itself through the list form in the novel from the nineteenth century to today.
Aesthetic Unrest: “Howl” and the Literary List
Authors: Brickey Alyson
Published: January 2022

This chapter suggests that the a-narrative character of the literary list—its ties to textual over-population, paratactic prose, and excessive description—initiates what I call an “aesthetic unrest”: a restless tension that sits frustratingly unresolved. To elucidate this idea, I take up Allen Ginsberg’s 1956 poem “Howl,” a deviously restless text whose subjects are constantly caught up in continuous verbs, performing illicit acts, and living in ways that defy state-sanctioned norms of behavior. Contrary to what some scholars identify as the list’s potentially dangerous cultural function, I conclude that the constantly mobile, restless character of literary lists works to alienate readers and expose them to otherness, a dynamic that is structurally aligned with contemporary theoretical conceptions of ethics and responsibility.
Culinary List Form in the Experimental Poetry of 1960s Finland: Literary Menus and Recipes
Authors: Joensuu Juri
Published: January 2022

This chapter investigates the close relationship between the list form and experimental writing, and the poetic and literary usage of the form in the ideologically countercultural experimental setting of the 1960s. The focus is on Finnish literature of the decade and texts that utilize the culinary forms of recipe and menu, both of which are essentially based on listing. The texts examined, thus, combine two traditions: the history of food listings in literature, and the fondness for the list form in experimental and avant-garde traditions. The article begins by considering the recurring position of lists in the experimental writing of the 1960s. Lists are compared to other formal resources used in experimental writing, like found texts or constraints. Then, four examples, literary menus and recipes by Kari Aronpuro, Kalevi Lappalainen, Anselm Hollo, and M. A. Numminen are taken into closer reading.
A Low-Cost GNSS Prototype for Tracking Runners in RTK Mode: Comparison with Running Watch Performance
Authors: Taddia Yuri , Ercolin Luca , Pellegrinelli Alberto
Published: January 2022

GNSS positioning is widely use in every kind of application. Nowadays, low-cost GNSS modules are becoming available to apply the Real-Time Kinematic mode in those applications in which a centimeter-level accuracy would be appreciated for a precise positioning. In this work, we developed a prototype for collecting data in RTK mode with a single-frequency multi-constellation device during some physical tests performed by a professional runner. Prior to do this, we assessed the accuracy in estimating the distance actually covered during a walking on a signalized line. Also, we verified the capability to detect short sprints of about 12–15 s. Finally, we compared the results of our prototype with a Polar M430 running watch during three Cooper tests and a Kosmin test. The comparison highlighted that the running watch overestimated the total distance systematically and did not describe the performance of the athlete accurately in time. The distance overestimation was +4.7% on average using the running watch, whereas our prototype system exhibited an error level of about 0.1%.
Definition of the Local Geoid Undulation Using Non-contemporary GNSS-Levelling Data on Subsidence Area: Application on the Adriatic Coastline
Authors: Tavasci Luca , Vecchi Enrica , Gandolfi Stefano
Published: January 2022

The knowledge of the so-called geoid undulation, which represents the height of the geoid above a reference ellipsoid, is a fundamental step to link ellipsoidal heights measured using satellite systems and orthometric heights. Several geoid models are available at the time both at the national or global scale, which can be used for the purpose. Another way to define the geoid undulation is to perform joint measures with GNSS and spirit levelling over common benchmarks. This requires onerous measurements that is seldom possible to perform due to their cost. In this work, we evaluated the possibility to define a local model of the geoid undulation using already available spirit levelling orthometric heights and GNSS ellipsoidal heights measured about 13 years later. The test area is the Emilia-Romagna Adriatic coastline, an area of great interest both from the environmental and economic point of view, which is also undergoing consistent subsidence phenomena.

Test results show that the available measurements allow defining a geoid undulation that is coherent with the shape defined by the gravimetric models and also allows to transform ellipsoidal heights into orthometric ones more consistent with the height reference available on the surveyed area. A 7 cm overall bias with respect to the ITALGEO05 was found, whereas ITG2009 and EGM2008 have higher differences. The use of subsidence models to align over time the coordinates used to define the geoid undulation has proven to be a fundamental step. The analysis on the a-priori uncertainty in the geoid height definition shown that the combined use of much more precise GNSS coordinates and contemporary spirit levelling campaign is necessary to significantly improve the resulting geoid height.
Satellite Data and Epidemic Cartography: A Study of the Relationship Between the Concentration of NO2 and the COVID-19 Epidemic
Authors: Pignocchino Gianmarco , Pezzoli Alessandro , Besana Angelo
Published: January 2022

Satellite data are widely used to study the spatial component of epidemics: to monitor their evolution, to create epidemiological risk maps and predictive models. The improvement of data quality, not only in technical terms but also of scientific relevance and robustness, represents in this context one of the most important aspects for health information technology that can make further significant and useful progress in monitoring and managing epidemics. In this regard, this paper intends to address an issue that is not always adequately considered in the use of satellite data for the creation of maps and spatial models of epidemics, namely the preliminary verification of the level of spatial correlation between remote sensing environmental variables and epidemics. Specifically, we intend to evaluate the contribution of exposure to the pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on the spatial spread of the virus and the severity of the current COVID infection.
Thraxions: towards full string models
Authors: Carta Federico , Mininno Alessandro , Righi Nicole , Westphal Alexander
Published: January 2022

Abstract

We elucidate various aspects of the physics of thraxions, ultra-light axions arising at Klebanov-Strassler multi-throats in the compactification space of IIB superstring theory. We study the combined stabilization of Kähler moduli and thraxions, showing that under reasonable assumptions, one can solve the combined problem both in a KKLT and a LVS setup. We find that for non-minimal multi-throats, the thraxion mass squared is three-times suppressed by the throat warp factor. However, the minimal case of a double-throat can preserve the six-times suppression as originally found. We also discuss the backreaction of a non-vanishing thraxion vacuum expectation value on the geometry, showing that it induces a breaking of the imaginary self-duality condition for 3-form fluxes. This in turn breaks the Calabi-Yau structure to a complex manifold one. Finally, we extensively search for global models which can accommodate the presence of multiple thraxions within the database of Complete Intersection Calabi-Yau orientifolds. We find that each multi-throat system holds a single thraxion. We further point out difficulties in constructing a full-fledged global model, due to the generic presence of frozen-conifold singularities in a Calabi-Yau orientifold. For this reason, we propose a new database of CICY orientifolds that do not have frozen conifolds but that admit thraxions.
Miura operators, degenerate fields and the M2-M5 intersection
Authors: Gaiotto Davide , Rapčák Miroslav
Published: January 2022

Abstract

We determine the mathematical structures which govern the Ω deformation of supersymmetric intersections of M2 and M5 branes. We find that the supersymmetric intersections govern many aspects of the theory of W-algebras, including degenerate modules, the Miura transform and Coulomb gas constructions. We give an algebraic interpretation of the Pandharipande-Thomas box counting in ℂ3.
Shallow magma convection evidenced by excess degassing and thermal radiation during the dome-forming Sabancaya eruption (2012–2020)
Authors: Coppola D. , Valade S. , Masias P. , Laiolo M. , Massimetti F. , Campus A. , Aguilar R. , Anccasi R. , Apaza F. , Ccallata B. , Cigolini C. , Cruz L. F. , Finizola A. , Gonzales K. , Macedo O. , Miranda R. , Ortega M. , Paxi R. , Taipe E. , Valdivia D.
Published: January 2022

We used a large set of satellite- (visible, infrared, and radar images from Planetscope, MODIS, VIIRS, Sentinel2, Landsat 8, and Sentinel 1) and ground-based data (optical images, SO2 flux, shallow seismicity) to describe and characterize the activity of the Sabancaya volcano during the unrest and eruption phases that occurred between 2012 and 2020. The unrest phase (2012–2016) was characterized by increasing gas and thermal flux, sourced by a convective magma column rising along with the remnants of a buried plug still permeable to fluid flow. Conversely, a new conduit, adjacent to the previous one, fed the eruptive phase (2016–2020) which was instead characterized by a discontinuous extrusive activity, with phases of dome growth (at rates from 0.04 to 0.75 m3 s−1) and collapse. The extrusive activity was accompanied by fluctuating thermal anomalies (0.5–25 MW), by irregular SO2 degassing (700–7000 tons day−1), and by variable explosive activity (4–100 events d−1) producing repeated vulcanian ash plumes (500–5000 m above the crater). Magma budget calculation during the eruptive phase indicates a large excess of degassing, with the volume of degassed magma (0.25–1.28 km3) much higher than the volume of erupted magma (< 0.01 km3). Similarly, the thermal energy radiated by the eruption was much higher than that sourced by the dome itself, an unbalance that, by analogy with the degassing, we define as “excess thermal radiation”. Both of these unbalances are consistent with the presence of shallow magma convection that fed the extrusive and explosive activity of the Sabancaya dome.
Estimating the Least Principal Stress in a Granitic Rock Mass: Systematic Mini-Frac Tests and Elaborated Pressure Transient Analysis
Authors: Bröker Kai , Ma Xiaodong
Published: January 2022

The hydraulic fracturing technique (also termed mini-frac test) is commonly used to estimate the in situ stress field. We recently conducted a mini-frac stress measurement campaign in the newly-established Bedretto Underground Laboratory (BedrettoLab) in the Swiss Alps. Four vertical boreholes, dedicated for stress characterization of the granitic rock mass, hosted a total of 19 mini-frac test intervals. Systematic pressure transient analysis was performed to carefully estimate the magnitude of the least principal stress ($$S_\mathrm {3}$$

S
3

). We compared five different methods (inflection point, bilinear pressure decay rate, tangent, fracture compliance, and jacking pressure) to identify an adequate approach best suited for our test scale and the host rock mass. We found that the methods used to determine the fracture closure pressure underestimate the magnitude of $$S_\mathrm {3}$$

S
3

, presumably due to the rapid closure of the hydraulic fracture after shut-in. The most consistent results were found using the inflection point and bilinear pressure decay rate method, which both determine the (instantaneous) shut-in pressure as the proxy for the $$S_\mathrm {3}$$

S
3

magnitude. The determined shut-in pressure, or $$S_\mathrm {3}$$

S
3

magnitude, is $$14.6\pm 1.4$$

14.6
±
1.4

 MPa from the inflection point method. This allowed us to further estimate the stress environment around the BedrettoLab, which is transitional between normal and strike-slip faulting. The measured local pore pressures from extended shut-in periods are between 2.0 and 5.6 MPa, significantly below hydrostatic. A combination of drainage, cooling, and the excavation damage zone of the tunnel may have significantly perturbed the in situ stress field in the vicinity of the BedrettoLab.
On the relationship between similar requirements and similar software
Authors: Abbas Muhammad , Ferrari Alessio , Shatnawi Anas , Enoiu Eduard , Saadatmand Mehrdad , Sundmark Daniel
Published: January 2022

Recommender systems for requirements are typically built on the assumption that similar requirements can be used as proxies to retrieve similar software. When a stakeholder proposes a new requirement, natural language processing (NLP)-based similarity metrics can be exploited to retrieve existing requirements, and in turn, identify previously developed code. Several NLP approaches for similarity computation between requirements are available. However, there is little empirical evidence on their effectiveness for code retrieval. This study compares different NLP approaches, from lexical ones to semantic, deep-learning techniques, and correlates the similarity among requirements with the similarity of their associated software. The evaluation is conducted on real-world requirements from two industrial projects from a railway company. Specifically, the most similar pairs of requirements across two industrial projects are automatically identified using six language models. Then, the trace links between requirements and software are used to identify the software pairs associated with each requirements pair. The software similarity between pairs is then automatically computed with JPLag. Finally, the correlation between requirements similarity and software similarity is evaluated to see which language model shows the highest correlation and is thus more appropriate for code retrieval. In addition, we perform a focus group with members of the company to collect qualitative data. Results show a moderately positive correlation between requirements similarity and software similarity, with the pre-trained deep learning-based BERT language model with preprocessing outperforming the other models. Practitioners confirm that requirements similarity is generally regarded as a proxy for software similarity. However, they also highlight that additional aspect comes into play when deciding software reuse, e.g., domain/project knowledge, information coming from test cases, and trace links. Our work is among the first ones to explore the relationship between requirements and software similarity from a quantitative and qualitative standpoint. This can be useful not only in recommender systems but also in other requirements engineering tasks in which similarity computation is relevant, such as tracing and change impact analysis.
Analyzing influencing factors to scale up agroforestry systems in Colombia: A comparative ex-ante assessment of cacao farming and cattle ranching in two regions
Authors: Rodríguez Tatiana , Bonatti Michelle , Löhr Katharina , Lana Marcos , Del Río Martha , Sieber Stefan
Published: January 2022

Agroforestry systems (AFS) are proved to enhance sustainable land management. Thus, there is increasing demand for effective ways to scale up AFS so that more people can benefit. Consequently, this study assesses the scaling-up potential of agroforestry systems (AFS) using cacao farming and cattle ranching in Caquetá and Cesar, Colombia, as examples. An ex-ante assessment using the ScalA tool is conducted through interviews with AFS experts from institutions promoting AFS. Using a comparative approach, results reveal that AFS have different scaling-up potential depending on the type of farming system and location characteristics. In our case, it is slightly higher for cacao farming than for cattle ranching in both regions and it is higher in Caquetá than in Cesar for both systems. Factors hindering the scaling-up potential for both regions are economic conditions at the local and regional levels since there is a lack of stable and differentiated markets to absorb AFS products. In contrast, the scaling-up potential in both regions is increased by the factors related to the capacity of the organizations that promote AFS and the attitudes of local communities toward them. The study generates information about factors that may hinder or foster AFS scaling-up, including not just the capacities and mechanisms to promote them but also the enabling conditions. This contributes to prioritizing AFS interventions and better allocating their resources to increase their chances of successful scaling-up.
Participatory plant breeding reveals that geosmin concentration is not the central determinant of hedonic liking in table beet
Authors: Hanson Solveig J. , Dawson Julie C. , Goldman Irwin L.
Published: January 2022

Participatory plant breeding and rapid sensory evaluation are effective techniques for organic cultivar development. Table beet is an important crop for organic growers, and geosmin, a volatile compound which confers earthy aroma, has been suggested as the attribute around which hedonic liking of beet is organized. Open pollinated table beet populations with diverse pigmentation and low (LGC) or high (HGC) geosmin concentration served as starting materials for the first PPB effort in table beet. This project sought to develop consumer-accepted specialty beet cultivars for organic systems and to gauge consumer perception of and preference for geosmin concentration in non-laboratory conditions. LGC and HGC initial populations were significantly different in mean geosmin concentration but not mean TDS. LGC populations diverged significantly in geosmin concentration over two cycles of selection for hedonic liking, due to drift rather than selection. PPB yielded cultivars ‘Evansville Ember’, ‘Snowglobe’, ‘Blushing Not Bashful’, ‘Evansville Orbit’, and ‘Moving Target’. Cultivar novelty and market development were strengthened by chef input and association with a publicly funded seed system development group. Geosmin concentration was not the central determinant of hedonic liking or perceived earthy flavor in table beet. Earthiness was inconsistently associated with geosmin concentration and hedonic liking. Sweetness and bitterness were positively and negatively correlated with liking, respectively, although sweetness was not associated with variation in TDS. Cultivars with a broad range of geosmin concentration were well accepted by consumers, and manipulating expectation—via appearance—may be as powerful as manipulating flavor compounds in influencing liking of table beet.
Investigating the Foraging, Guarding and Drifting Behaviors of Commercial Bombus terrestris
Authors: MacKenzie Ellen L , Goulson Dave , Rotheray Ellen L
Published: January 2022

Social insects have high levels of cooperation and division of labor. In bumble bees this is partly size-based, with larger bees performing tasks outside the nest and smaller bees remaining inside, although bumble bees still display considerable behavioral plasticity. The level of specialization in tasks outside the colony, including foraging, guarding and drifting (entering a foreign colony), is currently unknown for bumble bees. This study aimed to assess division of labor between outside tasks and the degree of specialization in foraging, guarding, and switching colonies in commercially reared bumble bees placed in the field. Nine factory-boughtBombus terrestriscolonies were placed on three farms in Sussex, UK, between June and August 2015. Forty workers from each colony were radio-tagged and a reader on the colony entrance recorded the date, time and bee ID as they passed. The length and frequency of foraging trips and guarding behavior were calculated, and drifting recorded. The mean (±SD) length of foraging trips was 45 ± 36 min, and the mean number of foraging trips per day was 7.75 ± 7.71. Low levels of specialization in guarding or foraging behavior were found; however, some bees appeared to guard more frequently than others, and twenty bees were categorized as guards. Five bees appeared to exhibit repeated “stealing” behavior, which may have been a specialist task. The division of labor between tasks was not size-based. It is concluded that commercial bumble bees are flexible in performing outside nest tasks and may have diverse foraging strategies including intra-specific nest robbing.
Self-control, Mental Health Problems, and Family Functioning in Adolescence and Young Adulthood: Between-person Differences and Within-person Effects
Authors: Kim Yugyun , Richards Jennifer S. , Oldehinkel Albertine J.
Published: January 2022

Adolescents’ self-control develops in the context of mental health and family functioning, but it is unclear how the interplay of self-control, mental health, and family functioning unfolds across time within individuals. Separating within-person from between-person effects, random-intercept cross-lagged panel models were applied to adolescents (from ages 11 to 26) from a Dutch cohort (n = 2228, 51% female). Adolescents with low self-control were likely to have mental health problems and poorly functioning families. Although within-person changes in the study variables were not meaningfully associated in a reciprocal manner, changes in self-control and mental health were concurrently associated. This suggests that besides stable connections between self-control, mental health, and family functioning in adolescence and young adulthood, changes in self-control and mental health are developmentally linked as well.