bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of parameters affecting the high harmonic generation from monolayer WS2
Authors: Sadeghifaraz Amin , Irani Elnaz , Monfared Mohammad
Published: December 2022

The effect of crystal symmetry in the high harmonic generation of monolayer WS2 is investigated using the three‐dimensional time‐dependent density functional theory. The role of linearly and elliptically polarized laser, as well as the crystall orientation in the enhancement of harmonics yield, is explored. Also, the wavelength dependence of the harmonic yield and the intensity dependence of cutoff harmonic order are studied. The former shows an exponential decay with increasing the driving laser wavelength, and the latter reveals a linear dependency of cutoff harmonic to the driving laser field. Moreover, a dual pulse system as a driving laser, a fundamental 1.3 μm laser pulse synthesized by its second harmonic, is proposed which could increase the cutoff harmonic order up to 24th (22 eV). Our results pave the way for controlling and enhancing high harmonic spectra from solids.
Dyslexia Seen Through the Eyes of Teachers: An Exploratory Survey
Authors: Dymock Susan , Nicholson Tom
Published: December 2022

Arguably, the classroom teacher is an important factor, if not the most important factor, in helping students with dyslexia to read and write well, yet there is little known about whether teachers perceive that they have the knowledge and confidence to teach these students. The present study was a national online survey of schools in Aotearoa New Zealand to explore this issue through the eyes of teachers. The sample consisted of 594 school leaders and teaching staff (elementary and secondary). The design of the study and analysis of data was descriptive, combining numbers with teacher comments. They provide initial data on dyslexia in schools. On the one hand, the data indicated that teachers and leaders were generally very positive about teaching students with dyslexia, for example, many rated their classrooms as “dyslexia friendly”. Teachers rated themselves as confident to help students with dyslexia and make a difference. On the other hand, the data indicated that teachers and leaders were not satisfied with the level of training and resources available to them. Some said they were working in the dark, and largely left to their own devices. Another less positive result was that many schools did not screen for dyslexia, or have a dyslexia policy, or share information with parents. Taken together, these findings at the teacher and school level have important practical implications. Teachers and school leaders want to help. We identify teacher training as a necessary mechanism for improving outcomes for students with dyslexia.
Estimation and visualization of heterogeneous treatment effects for multiple outcomes
Authors: Yuki Shintaro , Tanioka Kensuke , Yadohisa Hiroshi
Published: December 2022

We consider two‐arm comparison in clinical trials. The objective is to identify a population with characteristics that make the treatment effective. Such a population is called a subgroup. This identification can be made by estimating the treatment effect and identifying the interactions between treatments and covariates. For a single outcome, there are several ways available to identify the subgroups. There are also multiple outcomes, but they are difficult to interpret and cannot be applied to outcomes other than continuous values. In this paper, we thus propose a new method that allows for a straightforward interpretation of subgroups and deals with both continuous and binary outcomes. The proposed method introduces latent variables and adds Lasso sparsity constraints to the estimated loadings to facilitate the interpretation of the relationship between outcomes and covariates. The interpretation of the subgroups is made by visualizing treatment effects and latent variables. Since we are performing sparse estimation, we can interpret the covariates related to the treatment effects and subgroups. Finally, simulation and real data examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Data everyday as community‐driven science: Athletes' critical data literacy practices in collegiate sports contexts
Authors: Clegg Tamara L. , Cleveland Keaunna , Weight Erianne , Greene Daniel , Elmqvist Niklas
Published: December 2022

In this article, we investigate the community‐driven science happening organically in elite athletics as a means of engaging a community of learners—collegiate athletes, many of whom come from underrepresented groups—in STEM. We aim to recognize the data literacy practices inherent in sports play and to explore the potential ofcritical data literacy practicesfor enabling athletes to leverage data science as a means of addressing systemic racial, equity, and justice issues inherent in sports institutions. We leverage research on critical data literacies as a lens to present case studies of three athletes at an NCAA Division 1 university spanning three different sports. We focus on athletes' experiences as they engage in critical data literacy practices and the ways they welcome, adapt, resist, and critique such engagements. Our findings indicate ways in which athletes (1) readily accept data practices espoused by their coaches and sport, (2) critique and intentionally disengage from such practices, and (3) develop their own new data productions. In order to support community‐driven science, our findings point to the critical role of athletics' organizations in promoting athletes' access to, as well as engagement and agency with data practices on their teams.
Efficacy and safety of cilostazol in decreasing progression of cerebral white matter hyperintensities—A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Ip Bonaventure Y. M. , Lam Bonnie Y. K. , Hui Vincent M. H. , Au Lisa W. C. , Liu Mandy W. T. , Shi Lin , Lee Vivian W. Y. , Chu Winnie C. W. , Leung Thomas W. , Ko Ho , Mok Vincent C. T.
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is an important cause of dementia that lacks effective treatment. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of cilostazol, an antiplatelet agent with potential neurovascular protective effects, in slowing the progression of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in stroke‐ and dementia‐free subjects harboring confluent WMH on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods

In this single‐center, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study, we randomized stroke‐ and dementia‐free subjects with confluent WMHs to receive cilostazol or placebo for 2 years in a 1:1 ratio. The primary outcome was change in WMH volume over 2 years. Secondary outcomes were changes in brain volumes, lacunes, cerebral microbleeds, perivascular space, and alterations in white matter microstructural integrity, cognition, motor function, and mood.

Results

We recruited 120 subjects from October 27, 2014, to January 21, 2019. A total of 55 subjects in the cilostazol group and 54 subjects in the control group were included for intention‐to‐treat analysis. At 2‐year follow‐up, the changes in WMH volume were not statistically different between cilostazol treatment and placebo (0.3±1.0 mL vs −0.1±0.8 mL, p = 0.167). Secondary outcomes, bleeding and vascular events, were also not statistically different between the two groups.

Discussion

In this trial with stroke‐ and dementia‐free subjects with confluent WMHs, cilostazol did not impact WMH progression but demonstrated an acceptable safety profile. Future studies should address the treatment effects of cilostazol on subjects at different clinical stages of SVD.
β‐Lactam resistance genes present in UK pheasants and red‐legged partridges
Authors: Bain Charlotte , Rathor Getika , Jones Ben P. , Hassan Marwa M. , Papke Przemyslaw , South Ben , Elliott Mark , Jones Ian , La Ragione Roberto M. , Betson Martha
Published: December 2022

Background

Despite considerable recent reductions in antimicrobial use, the UK gamebird industry continues to struggle with production diseases during the rearing season, necessitating significant antibiotic use. This observational study investigated the presence of genes conferring resistance to β‐lactam antibiotics within industry‐reared pheasants and red‐legged partridges in the UK.

Methods

DNA was extracted from 60 pooled caecal samples collected from gamebirds at routine postmortem examinations during the rearing season. Genes encoding extended‐spectrum β‐lactamases (ESBL) were detected by PCR and the corresponding alleles were determined.

Results

Over half (53%) of the samples harboured genes encoding blaTEM resistance, with blaSHV identified in 20% of samples. The blaTEM gene was more common on sites with higher antibiotic use, whereas blaSHV was predominantly found in birds younger than 5 weeks. Genotyping of the identified resistance genes revealed the presence of blaTEM‐1, blaSHV‐1 and blaSHV‐11 alleles.

Limitations

This was a small‐scale study conducted at four sites in southern England.

Conclusion

This is the first report of the presence of ESBL genes in gamebirds, highlighting the need for further research into antimicrobial resistance in UK gamebirds.
On the space of initial values strictly satisfying the dominant energy condition
Authors: Glöckle Jonathan
Published: December 2022

The dominant energy condition imposes a restriction on initial value pairs found on a spacelike hypersurface of a Lorentzian manifold. In this article, we study the space of initial values that satisfy this condition strictly. To this aim, we introduce an index difference for initial value pairs and compare it to its classical counterpart for Riemannian metrics. Recent non-triviality results for the latter will then imply that this space has non-trivial homotopy groups.
Analysis of factors affecting the prognosis of osteochondral lesions of the talus
Authors: Bai Lei , Zhang Yi , Chen ShiKai , Bai Yan , Lu Jun , Xu JunKui
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the correlation between the prognosis of osteochondral lesions of the talus and patient age, gender, duration of illness, and injury location, surface area, depth, and volume.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 44 patients who underwent talus osteochondral transplantation in the Department of Foot and Ankle Surgery of our hospital between January 2017 and December 2020 was performed. The clinical medical records of the patients were collected, and the location of the osteochondral lesion of the talus was determined according to the nine-division method. The surface area, depth, and volume of the osteochondral lesion of the talus were measured using mimics software in all patients. The visual analog scale (VAS), the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS), and the SF-36 quality of life questionnaire scores were evaluated before surgery and at the last follow-up, and correlation analysis was performed.

Results

Of 44 patients, 30 were followed up with a mean period of 24.33 ± 12.19 months. There were 18 men and 12 women, with an average age of 40.73 ± 10.57 years and an average disease duration of 28.30 ± 21.25 months. The VAS, AOFAS, and SF-36 scores of all patients at the last follow-up were significantly better than those before surgery. The degree of post-operative symptom improvement was not correlated with age, sex, duration of illness, and injury location, surface area, depth, and volume.

Conclusion

The prognosis of osteochondral lesion of the talus is not related to patient age, gender, duration of disease, or injury location, surface area, depth, and volume.
Correction: Impact of shifting from laparoscopic to robotic surgery during 600 minimally invasive pancreatic and liver resections
Authors: Emmen Anouk. M. L. H. , Görgec B. , Zwart M. J. W. , Daams F. , Erdmann J. , Festen S. , Gouma D. J. , van Gulik T. M. , van Hilst J. , Kazemier G. , Lof S. , Sussenbach S. I. , Tanis P. J. , Zonderhuis B. M. , Busch O. R. , Swijnenburg R. J. , Besselink M. G. ,   for HPB-Amsterdam
Published: December 2022

Graphical abstract
An investigation on fatigue, fracture resistance, and color properties of aesthetic CAD/CAM monolithic ceramics
Authors: Fouda Ahmed Mahmoud , Atta Osama , Özcan Mutlu , Stawarczyk Bogna , Glaum Robert , Bourauel Christoph
Published: December 2022

Objectives

To evaluate and compare fracture resistance, translucency, and color reproducibility, as well as the effect of aging on the fracture load and color stability of novel monolithic CAD/CAM ceramics.

Materials and methods

One hundred crowns of uniform thickness were milled from five ceramic blocks (n = 20): partially crystallized lithium disilicate (PLD) and fully crystallized lithium disilicate (FLD), lithium metasilicate (LMS), 4Y-TZP (SMZ), and 5Y-TZP (UMZ) monolithic zirconia. PLD crowns were glazed, LMS was fired, and FLD was polished. SMZ and UMZ crowns were sintered and polished. Crowns were adhesively cemented to epoxy dies. Half of the crowns (n = 10) were subjected to 1.200.000 load cycles with thermal cycling. Color space values L, a, b defined by the Commission Internationale de l´Eclairage (CIELAB) were measured before and after aging, and (∆E) was calculated. Both aged and non-aged specimens were loaded until fracture in a universal testing machine and the fracture load was recorded. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) fractographic analysis were carried out on fractured fragments of representative samples. For translucency and color reproducibility, 50 rectangular-shaped specimens were fabricated and processed as described previously. Color values were measured over black and white backgrounds, and the translucency parameter (TP) was computed. Using the shade verification mode, (∆E) to shade A3 was calculated. Data were statistically analyzed using one-way and two-way ANOVA, and t-test.

Results

Aging did not affect fracture resistance significantly (p > 0.05). The highest mean fracture load was obtained for the SMZ and UMZ. A significant color change was observed after aging in all groups. The highest TP was noted for FLD. SMZ and UMZ had the best shade match.

Conclusions

Zirconia showed higher fracture resistance and color stability than lithium silicate ceramics. Lithium silicate ceramics were more translucent. The experimental FLD demonstrated high translucency.

Clinical relevance

Tested ceramics showed sufficient stability to withstand masticatory forces. Characterization of final restorations might be mandatory for better color match.
Lessons learned in animal acoustic cognition through comparisons with humans
Authors: Hoeschele Marisa , Wagner Bernhard , Mann Dan C.
Published: December 2022

Humans are an interesting subject of study in comparative cognition. While humans have a lot of anecdotal and subjective knowledge about their own minds and behaviors, researchers tend not to study humans the way they study other species. Instead, comparisons between humans and other animals tend to be based on either assumptions about human behavior and cognition, or very different testing methods. Here we emphasize the importance of using insider knowledge about humans to form interesting research questions about animal cognition while simultaneously stepping back and treating humans like just another species as if one were an alien researcher. This perspective is extremely helpful to identify what aspects of cognitive processes may be interesting and relevant across the animal kingdom. Here we outline some examples of how this objective human-centric approach has helped us to move forward knowledge in several areas of animal acoustic cognition (rhythm, harmonicity, and vocal units). We describe how this approach works, what kind of benefits we obtain, and how it can be applied to other areas of animal cognition. While an objective human-centric approach is not useful when studying traits that do not occur in humans (e.g., magnetic spatial navigation), it can be extremely helpful when studying traits that are relevant to humans (e.g., communication). Overall, we hope to entice more people working in animal cognition to use a similar approach to maximize the benefits of being part of the animal kingdom while maintaining a detached and scientific perspective on the human species.
The implication of calf circumference and grip strength in osteoporosis and bone mineral density among hemodialysis patients
Authors: Ozawa Moe , Hirawa Nobuhito , Haze Tatsuya , Haruna Aiko , Kawano Rina , Komiya Shiro , Ohki Yuki , Suzuki Shota , Kobayashi Yusuke , Fujiwara Akira , Saka Sanae , Hanaoka Masaaki , Mitsuhashi Hiroshi , Yamaguchi Satoshi , Ohnishi Toshimasa , Tamura Kouichi
Published: December 2022

Background

Chronic kidney disease–mineral and bone disorder (CKD–MBD), nutritional status, and uremia management have been emphasized for bone management in hemodialysis patients. Nevertheless, valuable data on the importance of muscle mass in bone management are limited, including whether conventional management alone can prevent osteoporosis. Thus, the importance of muscle mass and strength, independent of the conventional management in osteoporosis prevention among hemodialysis patients, was evaluated.

Methods

Patients with a history of hemodialysis 6 months or longer were selected. We assessed the risk for osteoporosis associated with calf circumference or grip strength using multivariable adjustment for indices of CKD–MBD, nutrition, and dialysis adequacy. Moreover, the associations between bone mineral density (BMD), calf circumference, grip strength, and bone metabolic markers were also evaluated.

Results

A total of 136 patients were included. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for osteoporosis at the femoral neck were 1.25 (1.04–1.54, P < 0.05) and 1.08 (1.00–1.18, P < 0.05) per 1 cm shorter calf circumference or 1 kg weaker grip strength, respectively. Shorter calf circumference was significantly associated with a lower BMD at the femoral neck and lumbar spine (P < 0.001). Weaker grip strength was also associated with lower BMD at the femoral neck (P < 0.01). Calf circumference or grip strength was negatively correlated with bone metabolic marker values.

Conclusion

Shorter calf circumference or weaker grip strength was associated with osteoporosis risk and lower BMD among hemodialysis patients, independent of the conventional therapies.
Comparing three different Phaeodactylum tricornutum strains for the production of chrysolaminarin in flat panel airlift photobioreactors
Authors: Frick Konstantin , Yeh Yen-Cheng , Schmid-Staiger Ulrike , Tovar Günter E. M.
Published: December 2022

In recent years, various applications for algae-based ß-1,3-glucans have been postulated, including animal feed and human nutrition. Chrysolaminarin is a ß-1,3–1,6-glucan produced by diatoms such as Phaeodactylum tricornutum for energy storage. It is accumulated under nutrient-depleted cultivation conditions. In this study, the production of chrysolaminarin in artificially illuminated scalable flat panel airlift photobioreactors (FPA) was investigated by using P. tricornutum in a two-stage production process. In the growth stage primarily biomass is produced, and the subsequent nitrogen-depleted stage induces the accumulation of chrysolaminarin. Three P. tricornutum strains (SAG 1090-1a, SAG 1090-1b, SAG 1090–6) were cultured at laboratory scale in 6 L-FPA reactors under controlled light conditions to characterize the process and identify a production strain. The chrysolaminarin content of the algae strains was analysed and additionally their contents of eicosapentaenoic acid and fucoxanthin, both of which could be involved in a possible co-production. Strain SAG 1090-1b exhibited the highest biomass productivity and chrysolaminarin content (317 ± 9 mg gDW−1) after nitrogen depletion, and thus stood out as the most suitable for chrysolaminarin production in a two-stage process. A co-production of the three compounds is possible. However, during nitrogen depletion there occurred trade-offs between the compounds. As chrysolaminarin was produced, the amount of fucoxanthin in the culture stagnated or even decreased depending on the selected strain.
Pre exposure to enriched environment alleviates brain injury after ischemia-reperfusion by inhibiting p38MAPK/STAT1 pathway
Authors: Shen Xin-Ya , Han Yu , Gao Zhen-Kun , Han Ping-Ping , Bi Xia
Published: December 2022

Background

Stroke is one of the major diseases that endangers human health. It is widely reported that enriched environment (EE) can improve the neurological function in different brain injury models. Recently, relevant researches have indicated that MAPK pathway is closely related to the inflammatory response in nervous system related diseases. However, whether pre exposure to EE (EE pretreatment) has a preventive effect, and its mechanism are not clear. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the possible benefits and related mechanisms of EE in preventing brain injury after acute ischemia-reperfusion.

Methods

Adult Sprague Dawley rats were kept in enriched or standardized environments for 21 days. Then the middle cerebral artery of rats was occluded for one hour and 30 min, and then reperfusion was performed. Then their neurological deficit score was evaluated. Cerebral edema, along with ELISA and protein quantities of p38MAPK, JNK, ERK, IL-1β, TNF-α, and co-localization of Iba1 were assessed. Changes in neuroinflammation and apoptosis were also detected in the penumbra cortex.

Results

Our research showed that EE pretreatment significantly alleviated acute cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. Including the reduction of brain edema and apoptosis, and the improvement of neurological scores. In addition, the protein level of p38MAPK was significantly down regulated in EE pretreatment group, and the downstream protein STAT1 had the same trend. In addition, immunofluorescence results showed that Iba1 in EE pretreatment group decreased, the ELISA results showed that the classical proinflammatory cytokines increased significantly, while anti-inflammatory cytokines in EE pretreatment group increased, and the same results were obtained by Western blot analysis.

Conclusion

On the whole, our research demonstrated that EE pretreatment can have a protective effect on the organism by inhibiting the p38 MAPK/STAT1 pathway. Thus, EE can be one of the most promising means of disease prevention. Secondly, p38MAPK/STAT1 pathway may be a latent target for the prevention of acute ischemic stroke.
Person effects in agreement with Icelandic low nominatives: An experimental investigation
Authors: Hartmann Jutta M. , Heycock Caroline
Published: December 2022

This paper investigates agreement—in particular person agreement—in two configurations in Icelandic where there are two potential controllers of agreement and where at least in some cases agreement is with the lower of the two (a “low nominative”). One case is theDative-Nominativeconstruction, where there is a dative subject and a lower nominative argument. The other is theSpecificational Copular Clause (SCC)construction, where there are two nominative arguments. A much-discussed aspect of agreement in the former case is that agreement in number with the low nominative is generally possible, but agreement in person is at best highly restricted, leading in some cases to ineffability. This person effect has been claimed to be ameliorated by syncretism in the agreement paradigm, but there is limited data available substantiating this effect, which is however crucial to deciding between two recent types of account. This paper reports on a pair of experimental rating studies on theDat-Nomand SCC configurations in Icelandic. We show that, taken together, the two sets of data provide evidence against the Person Licensing Condition and in favour of an account of theDat-Nomconstruction in terms of morphological conflict arising from double agreement, although we show that the ameliorating effect of morphological syncretism, while real, is limited. Further, we show that there is no evidence of double agreement in the copular clauses investigated. We argue that full agreement with the low nominative here arises if the first nominal can move out of the domain of agreement entirely. The possibility of agreement with the initial nominal we suggest indicates that nominatives, unlike datives, cause the search of the agreement probe to terminate.
An urban drought categorization framework and the vulnerability of a lowland city to groundwater urban droughts
Authors: Machairas Ilias , van de Ven Frans H. M.
Published: December 2022

Due to climate change, droughts will intensify in large parts of the world. Drought and its impacts on nature and agriculture have been studied thoroughly, but its effects on the urban environment is rather unexplored. But also the built environment is susceptible to droughts and estimation of its vulnerability is the first step to its protection. This article is focusing on assessing the vulnerability of a city to groundwater drought, using parts of the lowland city of Leiden, the Netherlands, as a case study. Using a new urban drought categorization framework, groundwater drought is separated from soil moisture drought, open water drought and water supply drought, as each has its own impacts. Vulnerability was estimated as the aggregation of drought exposure and damage sensitivity. Drought deficit and duration were used as exposure indicators. Both a Fixed and Variable threshold method was used to quantify these indicators. To quantify drought vulnerability weights were assessed for selected exposure and damage sensitivity indicators using an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) with a small number of experts. Based on these weights the spatial variation in vulnerability for groundwater drought follows damage sensitivity patterns—rather than exposure ones. And, out of all damage sensitivity indicators used, ‘land use', ‘low income' and ‘monuments’ contributed the most to the spatial variation in vulnerability. Due to the fact that the number of drought experts’ opinions in the AHP was limited these vulnerability results however remain uncertain. The proposed methodology however allows water managers to determine vulnerability of urbanized areas to groundwater drought, identify highly vulnerable areas and focus their mitigating actions.
On resonances and transverse and longitudinal oscillations in a hoisting system due to boundary excitations
Authors: Wang Jing , van Horssen Wim T.
Published: December 2022

In this paper, we study transverse and longitudinal oscillations and resonances in a hoisting system induced by boundary disturbances. The dynamics can be described by an initial-boundary value problem for a coupled system of nonlinear wave equations on a slowly time-varying spatial domain. It will be shown how the boundary excitations and the nonlinear terms influence transverse and longitudinal vibrations of the system. Firstly, due to the slow variation of the cable length, a singular perturbation problem arises. By using an interior layer analysis, many resonance manifolds are detected. Secondly, it will be shown that resonances in the system are caused not only by boundary disturbances but also by nonlinear interactions. Based on these observations, a three-timescales perturbation method is used to approximate the solution of the initial-boundary value problem analytically. It turns out that for special frequencies in the boundary excitations and for certain parameter values of the longitudinal stiffness and the conveyance mass, many oscillation modes jump up from small to large amplitudes in the transverse and longitudinal directions. Finally, numerical simulations are presented to verify the obtained analytical results.
Gay and Straight Men Prefer Masculine-Presenting Gay Men for a High-Status Role: Evidence From an Ecologically Valid Experiment
Authors: Gerrard Benjamin , Morandini James , Dar-Nimrod Ilan
Published: December 2022

There is increased acceptance of gay men in most Western societies. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that feminine-presenting gay men are still disadvantaged compared to gay men who present in a more traditionally masculine way. Though gay men themselves may be complicit in perpetuating this bias, studies that demonstrate this possibility are scant. Whereas most studies on perceptions of feminine-presenting gay men have manipulated gender nonconformity via written descriptions, research suggests that behavioural cues such as voice and body-language can mitigate or exacerbate prejudice toward a stereotyped individual. In the current study, audio-visual stimuli were created to investigate how masculine versus feminine behaviour would impact status endowment from other gay and heterosexual men. In total, 256 men (Mage = 42.73, SD = 14.48: half gay; half heterosexual) cast, from a selection of six video-taped candidates, one gay man to play a lead role in a purported ad for a tourism campaign. In the videos, the actors delivered a script related to the tourism campaign in a manner where their voice and body-language was manipulated to come across as either masculine or feminine-presenting. Findings indicated that gay and heterosexual participants showed a significant preference for the masculine videoclips. For heterosexual men, the preference for masculine-presenting actors was predicted by greater anti-gay sentiment, whereas internalised anti-gay prejudice did not predict a preference for masculine-presentation among gay men. Implications of the findings for discourse and education on intraminority prejudice and suggestions for future research are offered.
Revisiting the gravity laws of inter-city mobility in megacity regions
Authors: Zhao Pengjun , Hu Haoyu , Zeng Liangen , Chen Jun , Ye Xinyue
Published: December 2022

Inter-city mobility is one of the most important issues in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as it is essential to access the regional labour market, goods and services, and to constrain the spread of infectious diseases. Although the gravity model has been proved to be an effective model to describe mobility among settlements, knowledge is still insufficient in regions where dozens of megacities interact closely and over 100 million people reside. In addition, the existing knowledge is limited to overall population mobility, while the difference in inter-city travel with different purposes is unexplored on such a large geographic scale. We revisited the gravity laws of inter-city mobility using the 2.12 billion trip chains recorded by 40.48 million mobile phone users’ trajectories in the Jing-Jin-Ji Region, which contains China’s capital Beijing. Firstly, unlike previous studies, we found that non-commuting rather than commuting is the dominant type of inter-city mobility (89.3%). Non-commuting travellers have a travel distance 42.3% longer than commuting travellers. Secondly, we developed more accurate gravity models for the spatial distribution of inter-city commuting and non-commuting travel. We also found that inter-city mobility has a hierarchical structure, as the distribution of inter-city travel volume follows Zipf’s law. In particular, the hierarchy of non-commuting travel volume among the cities is more in line with an ideal Zipf distribution than commuting travel. Our findings contribute to new knowledge on basic inter-city mobility laws, and they have significant applications for regional policies on human mobility.
Modelling crop yield and harvest index: the role of carbon assimilation and allocation parameters
Authors: Camargo-Alvarez Hector , Elliott Robert J. R. , Olin Stefan , Wang Xuhui , Wang Chenzhi , Ray Deepak K. , Pugh Thomas A. M.
Published: December 2022

Crop yield improvement during the last decades has relied on increasing the ratio of the economic organ to the total aboveground biomass, known as the harvest index (HI). In most crop models, HI is set as a parameter; this empirical approach does not consider that HI not only depends on plant genotype, but is also affected by the environment. An alternative is to simulate allocation mechanistically, as in the LPJ-GUESS crop model, which simulates HI based on daily growing conditions and the crop development stage. Simulated HI is critical for agricultural research due to its economic importance, but it also can validate the robust representation of production processes. However, there is a challenge to constrain parameter values globally for the allocation processes. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the sensitivity of yield and HI of wheat and maize simulated with LPJ-GUESS to eight production allocation-related parameters and identify the most suitable parameter values for global simulations. The nitrogen demand reduction after anthesis, the minimum leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) and the range of leaf C:N strongly affected carbon assimilation and yield, while the retranslocation of labile stem carbon to grains and the retranslocation rate of nitrogen and carbon from vegetative organs to grains after anthesis mainly influenced HI. A global database of observed HI for both crops was compiled for reference to constrain simulations before calibrating parameters for yield against reference data. Two high- and low-yielding maize cultivars emerged from the calibration, whilst spring and winter cultivars were found appropriate for wheat. The calibrated version of LPJ-GUESS improved the simulation of yield and HI at the global scale for both crops, providing a basis for future studies exploring crop production under different climate and management scenarios.
Pros and Cons of Biochar to Soil Potentially Toxic Element Mobilization and Phytoavailability: Environmental Implications
Authors: Shaheen Sabry M. , Mosa Ahmed , Natasha  , Arockiam Jeyasundar Parimala Gnana Soundari , Hassan Noha E. E. , Yang Xing , Antoniadis Vasileios , Li Ronghua , Wang Jianxu , Zhang Tao , Niazi Nabeel Khan , Shahid Muhammad , Sharma Gaurav , Alessi Daniel S. , Vithanage Meththika , Hseu Zeng-Yei , Sarmah Ajit K. , Sarkar Binoy , Zhang Zengqiang , Hou Deyi , Gao Bin , Wang Hailong , Bolan Nanthi , Rinklebe Jörg
Published: December 2022

While the potential of biochar (BC) to immobilize potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in contaminated soils has been studied and reviewed, no review has focused on the potential use of BC for enhancing the phytoremediation efficacy of PTE-contaminated soils. Consequently, the overarching purpose in this study is to critically review the effects of BC on the mobilization, phytoextraction, phytostabilization, and bioremediation of PTEs in contaminated soils. Potential mechanisms of the interactions between BC and PTEs in soils are also reviewed in detail. We discuss the promises and challenges of various approaches, including potential environmental implications, of BC application to PTE-contaminated soils. The properties of BC (e.g., surface functional groups, mineral content, ionic content, and π-electrons) govern its impact on the (im)mobilization of PTEs, which is complex and highly element-specific. This review demonstrates the contrary effects of BC on PTE mobilization and highlights possible opportunities for using BC as a mobilizing agent for enhancing phytoremediation of PTEs-contaminated soils.
Selective monosubstitution on a trichlorosilane with highly reactive organolithium compounds in a microflow reactor
Authors: Achternbosch Moritz , Zibula Lukas , Schmidt Annika , Krieger Waldemar , Kockmann Norbert , Strohmann Carsten
Published: December 2022

Organolithium compounds have been used successfully in flow chemistry since the recent past. Most of the studies dealt with the use in halogen-lithium exchanges. So far, however, there has been a lack of use in substitution reactions. The use of flow microreactors makes the highly reactive organolithium compounds more controllable and thus creates new synthetic possibilities.
The antagonistic potential of peanut endophytic bacteria against Sclerotium rolfsii causing stem rot
Authors: Li Liangliang , Wang Jiwen , Liu Dehai , Li Lei , Zhen Jing , Lei Gao , Wang Baitao , Yang Wenling
Published: December 2022

Peanut stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. is the most common disease of peanut worldwide and has become increasingly serious in recent years. This study is aimed at obtaining peanut endophytic bacteria with high antagonistic/protective effects against peanut stem rot. In total, 45 bacterial strains were isolated from healthy peanut plants from a severely impacted area. Of these, 6 exhibited antagonistic activity against S. rolfsii, including F-1 and R-11 with the most robust activity with an inhibition zone width of 20.25 and 15.49 mm, respectively. These two were identified as Bacillus sp. and Burkholderia sp., respectively, based on morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA sequencing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the Burkholderia sp. antagonistic effect on S. rolfsii as a biological control agent for peanut stem rot. Their culture filtrates potently inhibited the hyphal growth, sclerotial formation, and germination of S. rolfsii. Also, the strain-produced volatile compounds inhibited the fungal growth. Pot experiments showed that F-1 and R-11 significantly reduced the peanut stem rot disease with the efficacy of 77.13 and 64.78%, respectively, which was significantly higher compared with carbendazim medicament (35.22%; P < 0.05). Meanwhile, F-1 and R-11 improved the activity of plant defense enzymes such as phenylalaninase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and peroxidase (POD) enhancing the systemic resistance of the peanut plants. This study demonstrated that Bacillus sp. F-1 and Burkholderia sp. R-11, with a strong antagonistic effect on S. rolfsii, can be potential biocontrol agents for peanut stem rot.
Glycolysis and Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
Authors: Rytkönen Kalle T.
Published: December 2022

Menstrual cycle is a major determinant in female reproductive health. In a recent report, Mao et al. (2022) associated deficient glycolysis with heavy menstrual bleeding. This commentary summarizes these recent findings and the importance of glycolysis and decidualization in endometrial function. It will also discuss if in the light of the recent findings menstrual bleeding is better conceived as a primary endometrial disorder inherent to endometrium or as a secondary endometrial disorder caused by other endometrial conditions.
Implementation Methods and Research for a Post-truth World with Growing Inequities
Authors: Øvretveit John
Published: December 2022

The purpose of this article is to consider the changing context for implementation research and practice and new approaches which might now be more relevant for some implementation objectives. Factors that hindered implementation of evidence-based practices before the COVID-19 pandemic was an anti-science culture, strengthened by different media and appeals to emotion and identity. The article questions how effective are the rational-cognitive and individual models of change that frequency informs our research and practice. It describes challenges we face and considers methods we could use that might be more effective, including research-informed narrative methods, participatory research and practice, especially with culturally and linguistically diverse peoples, and adaptive implementation.
Clinical benefits of β-glucan supplementation in children: a review
Authors: Bhoite Rachana , Satyavrat Vinita , Premasudha Sadananda Manasa
Published: December 2022

Malnutrition is a global concern since it affects 130 million children under the age of 5 worldwide. The child’s immunity is brutally compromised, making them susceptible to various diseases and infections, leading to a high mortality rate. Multiple strategies have been implemented to strengthen immunity in children with compromised immunity, such as rendering a balanced diet, fortifying food, dietary supplements, and introducing potential natural dietary fibers to maintain good nutrition status, such as β-glucan. A class of biologically active polysaccharides, sourced from yeast, mushroom, bacteria, and cereals with versatile immunomodulatory benefits that potentially primes the host immune system, drives several metabolic health effects, increases infection resistance, shields against the damaging effects of stress, and maintains healthy energy levels. This review focuses on the capabilities, underlying mechanisms, immune-stimulating potency, and clinically meaningful shreds of evidence to substantiate the multiple health benefits of β-glucan in children. Although, more clinical studies are required, current findings confirms the various biological response modifying abilities of β-glucan that may notably aid in the development of a strong immune system in children for their overall health and wellbeing.
Learning Style Integrated Deep Reinforcement Learning Framework for Programming Problem Recommendation in Online Judge System
Authors: Xu Yuhui , Ni Qin , Liu Shuang , Mi Yifei , Yu Yangze , Hao Yujia
Published: December 2022

Exercise recommendation is an integral part of enabling personalized learning. Giving appropriate exercises can facilitate learning for learners. The programming problem recommendation is a specific application of the exercise recommendation. Therefore, an innovative recommendation framework for programming problems that integrate learners’ learning styles is proposed. In addition, there are some difficulties to be solved in this framework, such as quantifying learning behavior, representing programming problems, and quantifying learning strategies. For the difficulties in quantifying learning behavior and quantifying learning strategies, a programming problem recommendation algorithm based on deep reinforcement learning (DRLP) is proposed. DRLP includes the specific design of action space, action-value Q-network, and reward function. Learning style is embedded into DRLP through action space to make recommendations more personalized. To represent the programming problem in DRLP, a multi-dimensional integrated programming problem representation model is proposed to quantify the difficulty feature, knowledge point feature, text description, input description, and output description of programming problems. In particular, Bi-GRU is introduced to learn texts’ contextual semantic association information from both positive and negative directions. Finally, a simulation experiment is carried out with the actual learning behavior data of 47,147 learners in the LUOGU Online Judge system. Compared with the optimal baseline model, the recommendation effect of DRLP has improved (HR, MRR, and Novelty have increased by 4.35%, 1.15%, and 1.1%), which proves the rationality of the programming problem representation model and action-value Q-network.
A systematic review of the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP) in community food environmental research
Authors: Chen Xiang , Ye Xinyue , Widener Michael J. , Delmelle Eric , Kwan Mei-Po , Shannon Jerry , Racine Elizabeth F. , Adams Aaron , Liang Lu , Jia Peng
Published: December 2022

Geospatial models can facilitate the delineation of food access patterns, which is particularly relevant for urban planning and health policymaking. Because community food environmental studies use different analysis units or study scales, the rigor and consistency of their evaluations cannot be ensured. This issue is known as the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP). The paper provides a systematic review of past literature on place-based community food environmental research using different analysis units or geospatial models as they pertain to the MAUP. We identify these key findings: (1) the ZIP code zone is not recommended as an appropriate analysis unit for modeling community food access, as it did not have significant correlations with health indicators; (2) using a circular buffer of less than 0.5 km around household locations is most likely to reveal health correlations, compared with network buffers or container-based measures; (3) to reveal health effects of the community food environment, it is recommended to focus in selected regions or partitions of a study area with similar socioeconomic statuses, such as the central city or low socioeconomic status areas; (4) for studies utilizing a single statistical unit or distance measure, it is suggested to discuss the existence of the MAUP, such as evaluating the sensitivity of the model to the change of the unit or the distance measure. By highlighting the MAUP, this paper has policy implications—given that geospatial modeling of food accessibility provides support for health policy intervention, using different metrics may lead to different interpretations of health disparities and could thus misinform policy decisions. Therefore, any assessment of community food environments that may potentially lead to a policy change should consider the effects of the MAUP.
Child marriage and reproductive health of Indian women
Authors: Maiti Surya Nath , Maharia Manoj , Pakrashi Debayan , Gautam Abhishek
Published: December 2022

Using detailed data from the third round of the District Level Household Survey of India, this paper examines in detail the effect of child marriage of women on contraceptive usage and access to skilled care during pregnancy and delivery. This paper particularly focuses on sixteen different outcome variables categorized under four broad sub-groups; namely, family planning and contraceptive usage, birth history, utilization of antenatal care; and finally, natal and postnatal care. The overall results presented in the paper suggest that women who marry early, i.e. before they reach the legal age of marriage are more likely to have experienced miscarriage, give birth before they turn 18 and lose children. They also lack current contraception usage and are less likely to access public health facilities during both pregnancy and childbirth. These results, however, vary widely based on the state of residence and age of the women in question.
Study of Spatio-Temporal Evolution, Integrated Prevention, and Control Measures of COVID-19 in the Yangtze River Delta
Authors: Yang Li , Ren Haiyang
Published: December 2022

Objective:

The study analyzes the spatial characteristics of the epidemic. It evaluates the effectiveness of its differentiated prevention and control policies implemented at different stages of the epidemic in the Yangtze River Delta.

Methods:

The study divided the epidemic into 2 stages and analyzed the spatial evolution characteristics of the COVID-19 epidemic in the region by using Anselin Local Moran’s I and standard deviation ellipse.

Results:

In the first stage, the high value of confirmed cases was concentrated in the eastern and southern cities. The trajectory of the barycenter showed a V-shaped change characterized by a southward shift followed by a northward fluctuation. In contrast, the second stage was mainly concentrated in Jiangsu Province and Shanghai, and the Barycenter did not change over time. The diversified prevention and control measures enabled ‘zero new cases’ in the Yangtze River Delta within a month.

Conclusion:

The prevention and control policy implemented in the Yangtze River Delta has worked well. With the global pandemic of COVID-19, it is recommended that other countries follow the example of the Yangtze River Delta, tighten prevention policies, and speed up vaccination to avoid a rebound of the epidemic.
The Costs of Policy Legitimation: A Test of the Political Capital Hypothesis
Authors: Fontana David , Krewson Christopher N.
Published: December 2022

We test the political capital hypothesis that Supreme Court decisions simultaneously legitimate policy and harm support for the Court, at least under certain conditions. Our data suggest that the Court’s “legitimacy-conferring” capacity is weak. Learning that the Supreme Court upheld an affirmative action policy increased public support for the constitutionality and desirability of that policy, but only among Democrats pre-disposed towards that reaction. Furthermore, Democrats did not develop more favorable views of the Court. Consistent with the political capital hypothesis, Republicans developed more negative views of the Court when the Court associated itself with affirmative action policy.