bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative Effectiveness of Management by Surgical Resection vs Observation for Cerebral Cavernous Malformations: A Matched Propensity Score Analysis
Authors: Han Rowland H. , Johnson Gabrielle W. , Coxon Andrew T. , Gupta Vivek P. , Richards Matthew J. , Lancia Samantha , Salter Amber , Miller-Thomas Michelle M. , Dacey Ralph G. , Zipfel Gregory J. , Osbun Joshua W.
Published: August 2022

BACKGROUND:

Despite increasing incidental identification of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs), uncertainty remains about how to best manage CCM patients.

OBJECTIVE:

To compare the outcomes of patients with surgically resected vs observed CCMs after adjusting for indication bias through propensity score matching.

METHODS:

Single-center retrospective chart review was performed on individuals treated for CCMs between 1995 and 2016 at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Participants underwent surgical resection (n = 54) or were observed without surgery (n = 203). Propensity score matching was used to match observed to surgical cases on characteristics at first observation or initial surgery. Time to first focal neurological deficit and mortality postinitial visit or postsurgery was estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model with robust sandwich estimators. Differences in the presence of specific follow-up symptoms were estimated using exact logistic regression.

RESULTS:

After propensity score matching, 34 matched pairs were created. The median (IQR) follow-up duration was 1.5 (0, 5) years for surgical cases and 3 (0, 5) years for observed cases. After matching, no significant differences were found for time to first focal neurological deficit (P = .37, hazard ratio [HR]: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.41, 1.39) or mortality (P = .91, HR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.06, 12.24). No significant differences were found between the groups for seizure (P = .15, odds ratio: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.06, 1.34) or hemorrhage (P = 1.00, odds ratio 1.00, 95% CI: 0.07, 13.80).

CONCLUSION:

In this propensity scored–matched analysis, there were no significant differences between surgical or observed cases in time to focal neurological deficit, mortality, recurrent hemorrhage, or seizure.
Maternal Wnt11b regulates cortical rotation during Xenopus axis formation: analysis of maternal-effect wnt11b mutants
Authors: Houston Douglas W. , Elliott Karen L. , Coppenrath Kelsey , Wlizla Marcin , Horb Marko E.
Published: August 2022

Asymmetric signalling centres in the early embryo are essential for axis formation in vertebrates. These regions (e.g. amphibian dorsal morula, mammalian anterior visceral endoderm) require stabilised nuclear β-catenin, but the role of localised Wnt ligand signalling activity in their establishment remains unclear. In Xenopus, dorsal β-catenin is initiated by vegetal microtubule-mediated symmetry breaking in the fertilised egg, known as ‘cortical rotation’. Localised wnt11b mRNA and ligand-independent activators of β-catenin have been implicated in dorsal β-catenin activation, but the extent to which each contributes to axis formation in this paradigm remains unclear. Here, we describe a CRISPR-mediated maternal-effect mutation in Xenopus laevis wnt11b.L. We find that wnt11b is maternally required for robust dorsal axis formation and for timely gastrulation, and zygotically for left-right asymmetry. Importantly, we show that vegetal microtubule assembly and cortical rotation are reduced in wnt11b mutant eggs. In addition, we show that activated Wnt coreceptor Lrp6 and Dishevelled lack behaviour consistent with roles in early β-catenin stabilisation, and that neither is regulated by Wnt11b. This work thus implicates Wnt11b in the distribution of putative dorsal determinants rather than in comprising the determinants themselves.

This article has an associated ‘The people behind the papers’ interview.
RRIMS: Radiation Risk In Mammography Screening – a novel model for predicting the lifetime dose and risk of radiation-induced breast cancer from the first screening visit
Authors: Hooshmand Sahand , Reed Warren M , Suleiman Mo'ayyad E , Brennan Patrick C
Published: August 2022

Objectives:

Radiation Risk In Mammography Screening (RRIMS) builds on the prototype, formerly known as Breast-iRRISC, to develop a model that aims to establish a dose and risk profile for females by calculating their lifetime mean glandular dose (MGD) for each age of screening between 40 and 75 years, using only the information from her first screening visit. This is then used to allocate her to a dose category and estimate the lifetime risk of radiation-induced breast cancer incidence and mortality for a population of females in that category.

Methods:

This model training was developed using a large dataset of Hologic images containing a total of 20,232 images from 5,076 visits from 4,154 females. The female’s breast characteristics and exposure parameters were extracted from the images to calculate the female’s MGD throughout a lifetime of screening from just her first screening visit, using modelling of various parameters and their change through time.

Results:

This development has ultimately provided a model that uses the female’s first screening visit to calculate the received MGD for all ages of potential screening. This has enabled the allocation of females to either a low-, medium-, or high-dose category, ultimately followed by the lifetime effective risk (LER) estimation for any screening attendance pattern. A female in the low-dose category undergoing biennial screening from 50 to 74 years would expect a risk of radiation-induced breast cancer incidence and mortality of 8.64 and 2.61 cases per 100,000 females, respectively. Similarly, a female in the medium- or high-dose category undergoing the same regimen would expect an incidence and mortality risk of 11.76 and 3.55, and 15.08 and 4.55 cases per 100,000 females, respectively.

Conclusions:

This novel approach of establishing a female’s dose profile and lifetime risk from a single visit will further assist females in their informed consent on breast screening attendance and help inform policy-makers when exploring the benefits and drawbacks of various screening patterns and frequencies.

Advances in knowledge:

RRIMS is a novel tool that enables the assessment of a female’s lifetime dose and risk profile using only the information from her first screening visit.
The dementia research career pipeline: Gender disparities in publication authorships and grant funding outcomes at different career stages
Authors: Andreou Melina , Choi Narshil , Magenti Jorge Gómez , Kohlhaas Susan , Sancho Rosa
Published: August 2022

Background: Multiple studies have analysed gender disparities in academic research. Here we study the gender composition of the dementia research field at different stages in the career pipeline.

Methods: We use various data sources to gain insights about the gender ratio across career stages: conference attendance data as a proxy for the field as a whole; bibliometric data to know who publishes, and who occupies positions of seniority among the listed authors; and Alzheimer’s Research UK’s (ARUK) internal grant funding data to understand who obtains funding. We also analyse the scoring of grant applications based on the gender of the reviewers.

Results: Our results confirm that female researchers leave dementia academic research at higher rates than men, before transitioning into senior positions. In 2020, they comprised over 60% of the field, produced 54% of first authorships, but only accounted for 38% of last authorships. Overall, women received 37% of ARUK’s competitive grants, with significant differences between grant schemes awarded for early career researchers (64% female awardees) compared to grant schemes aimed at senior researchers (33% female awardees). Men and women applied for and obtained grants at significantly different rates depending on the career stage at which the grant was aimed.

Finally, we also observed that male and female reviewers apply evaluation criteria differently, with men giving better scores than women on average.

Conclusions: Our study adds to the evidence that shows that women get published less, receive less funding, and transition into senior academic positions at disproportionally lower rates than men do. We briefly discuss potential reasons why gender disparities arise as researchers progress into senior positions, and offer interventions ARUK can implement in its application and evaluation process to address those disparities.
Peculiarities of neoplasms appeared after total body irradiation and homeostasis parameters in rats
Authors: Snezhkova Elisaveta , Voronina Olena , Zadvornyi Taras , Todor Igor , Lukianova Natalia , Melnyk Victor , Sakhno Laryssa , Bardakhivska Kvitoslava , Chekhun Vasyl , Nikolaev Vladimir
Published: August 2022

Background: Tissue damage and disruption of metabolic processes as a result of total body irradiation (TBI) could lead to tumorigenesis.  

Methods:  Female rats (25 of 32) were X-irradiated with a 6-Gy dose. On month 12±1 animals   were sacrificed. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST),  amylase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Ca 2+, creatinine, glucose, phosphorus, urea, uric acid, total protein, pO2, pCO2, pH, and blood cell count were evaluated in blood. Tumors were examinated histologically.

Results:  On 12±1 months after TBI, 76% of rats had visually detected tumors, histologically classified as benign fibro adenomas. Metabolic, hematological changes versus healthy control indicated disturbances in the homeostasis system. The blood lactate level was typically higher in animals with tumors than without. The ratio of tumor weight to lactate (or LDH) level in blood was 1±0.5 in the 63% of rats and histological analysis revealed the signs of biphasic hyperplasia of glandular lobes and connective tissue stroma, associated with secretory and proliferative activities in tumor. In animals with high values of this ratio (≥1.5) neoplasms were represented by fibrous and glandular tissues presenting a predominant stromal fibrous component, associated with the prevalence of high proliferation in tumor. While in 20% of tumor bearing rats with the low ratio (<0.5) predominated an epithelial structure with homogeneous basophilic content in the glandular lumens, suggesting the domination of secretory activity in tumor. 

Conclusions: TBI promoted the alterations of hematological and biochemical parameters of homeostasis in rats and provoked the appearance of benign tumors one year after. The ratio of tumor mass to lactate (or LDH) level in blood seems to be an informative indicator of the histological particularities of tumors, suggesting the prevalence of proliferative or secretory activity, or the balance between them.
THE SEEDING MACHINE OF A PNEUMATIC SEED DRILL FOR COMBINED SEEDING DIFFERENT CULTURES
Authors: Ahalaya Badri , Shogenov Yuriy , Starovoytov Sergey , Lonin Sergey
Published: August 2022

A seeding device is presented in which the dispensers contain pads, the parameters of the dispenser and the pads are identical except for the thickness, the thickness of the dispenser is twice the thickness of the lining. It is shown that the gap between the dispenser and the pad is 0.5-1.0 mm, on the dispensers and pads the cells are distributed into groups, each group has three cells, there are four groups with the same distance between each other. It was found that the distance between the cells corresponds to 8...12 mm for sowing rowed seeds, and 4...6 mm for forage crops. It is noted that the middle cells of each group are located at the intersection of horizontal and vertical axes, the centers of cells on dispensers and pads coincide. The condition is determined under which the distance between groups of cells will be S ≥ 3d + 2a, mm, where S is the intergroup distance, mm; d is the diameter of the cell, mm; a is the distance between cells in the group
THE INFLUENCE OF MINERAL FERTILIZERS, SEED AND CROPS TREATMENT ON SPRING WHEAT PRODUCTIVITY IN THE CONDITIONS OF KAMA REGION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN
Authors: Amirov Marat , Toloknov Dmitriy
Published: August 2022

Improving the efficiency of fertilizers used, growth stimulants, taking into account the active phases of culture development remains relevant. The purpose of our study is to identify the impact of calculated doses of nutrients, pre-sowing seed treatment and treatment of vegetative plants with a growth stimulant on the productivity of spring soft wheat. Field experiments and laboratory studies were conducted in 2019-2021 on gray forest soils of Agrobiotechnopark LLC of Kazan State Agrarian University. The scheme of the field experiment involved the study of the following options: mineral fertilizers (factor A) - without fertilizers (0); calculated dose for grain yield 3.5 t/ha (N36P23K35); calculated dose for grain yield 4.5 t/ha (N94P83K77); growth stimulants (factor B) - seed treatment with Vial Trust 0.5 l/t; seed treatment with Vial Trust 0.5 l/t + spraying of plants in the tillering phase Stimax Growth 1 l/ha; seed treatment with Vial Trust 0.5 l/t and Stimaks 0.5 l/t + spraying of plants in the tillering phase Stimaks Growth 1 l/ha; seed treatment with Vial Trust 0.5 l/t and Stimax 0.5 l/t + spraying plants in the tillering phase Stimax Growth 1 l/ha + spraying plants in the booting phase Nutrivant Plus 2 kg/ha. The survival of plants on an unfertilized background was 57.7...62.0%, N36P23K35 - 62.5...67.2%, N94P83K77 - 71.8...79.8%. The complex effect of the disinfectant and growth stimulants in the treatment of seeds and plants in the tillering and booting phases ensured an increase in the survival of plants on an unfertilized background by 4.3%, against the background of N36P23K35 - by 4.7%, against the background of N94P83K77 - by 8.0% . The average wheat yield of the Ulyanovska 105 variety on an unfertilized background was 3.21 t/ha, N36P23K35 - 3.69 t/ha, N94P83K77 - 4.28 t/ha. The combined use of growth stimulants in the treatment of seeds and plants in the tillering and booting phases was accompanied by an increase in wheat yield by 4.7, 5.1 and 7.0%, respectively.
Silence and Constructive Reflection as Attractors of Communication and Cognition
Authors: Papusha I.
Published: August 2022

The article examines the role of silence and constructive reflection in the processes of communication and cognition, their interaction and interdependence, as well as the manifestation of dynamic structures in different segments. The phenomenon of silence is presented in the "precommunicative – communicative – postcommunicative" system, which allows us to isolate the moment of the emergence of constructive reflection as a prerequisite for the increment of new knowledge.
Communicative Ways and Means of Creating a Media Image «Yaroslavl Tourist»
Authors: Kolyshkina T. , Shustina I.
Published: August 2022

The purpose of the article is to identify communicative ways and means to form a media image of Yaroslavl as a tourist center. A method of analysis of communicative products based on a consistent description of the basic categories that allow to establish the attitude of city guests to tourist sites is proposed. On the basis of content analysis and linguistic description, a meaningful interpretation of communicative products is carried out, conclusions are drawn regarding the regularities of using communicative methods of building a media image of tourist Yaroslavl. This allows you to develop recommendations for the organization of communication processes aimed at the formation of an attractive media image of the city.
The Impact of the Gig Economy on Product Quality Through the Labor Market: Evidence from Ridesharing and Restaurant Quality
Authors: Shin Minkyu , Shin Jiwoong , Ghili Soheil , Kim Jaehwan
Published: August 2022

This paper seeks to demonstrate the impact of the gig economy on product quality in seemingly unrelated local industries through the labor market. Our empirical context is the quality of service for restaurants in the city of Austin, and we examine how they were impacted by the exogenous exit and reentry of rideshare platforms, Uber and Lyft, because of regulatory changes. We leverage these exogenous shocks and combine them with sentiment-analyzed data from Yelp reviews that capture how customers assess the quality of service at each restaurant. We show that, compared with control cities, customers in Austin become more negative about service quality when Uber and Lyft are present in the city. Additionally, we use rich data on employee turnover and wages to demonstrate that service staff turnover increases in Austin when Uber and Lyft are present compared with the control cities. We also conduct several additional studies and robustness checks that are all congruent with our hypothesis that Uber and Lyft lower the quality of service in Austin restaurants by raising their staff turnover. Together, these results suggest significant ramifications of the gig economy on the broader industries through the labor market.

This paper was This paper was accepted by Matt Shum, marketing.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4481 .
Estimating Chalkiness in Endosperm of Typical and Bleached Durum Kernels from Transmission Scanned Images
Authors: Brabec Daniel L. , Pordesimo Lester O.
Published: August 2022

Highlights

Durum wheat kernels were examined using flatbed scanner in transmission mode.

Image processing routines were written to determine the %chalkiness per kernel.

The distribution of %chalkiness uniquely described market samples.

Abstract. The vitreousness of durum samples is regarded by the worldwide wheat industry as an important quality factor for durum shipments. One issue with grading durum occurs on occasional years of unfavorable harvest conditions which result in the kernel outer bran becoming cloudy. Imaging scanners can use either reflective or transmitted lighting. All scanned images of our durum samples were collected using transmissive lighting. Although, “vitreousness” is the usual term applied to durum samples, for this study, “chalkiness” or the inverse property was featured.

Both typical and bleached durum kernels were imaged and analyzed. Bleaching seeds has aided grain inspector to visually evaluate the kernels. With computer imaging analysis of bleached kernels, the magnitude of %chalk was significantly attenuated with bleaching verses typical kernels. Still, discrimination of medium and highly chalky kernels was possible with both the typical and bleached seeds.

Seed orientation was a source of measurement variability. Seeds were manually and carefully oriented into two distinctly different positions. At the critical lower levels of detection, crease-down orientation may indicate a 100% vitreous seed with the two-dimension view of the scanner, but then 11 of 25 seeds measured some amount of chalkiness when the seed was turned on its side. Furthermore, for seeds with higher amounts of chalkiness, over half of those seeds measured 30% differences.

Several durum market samples were provided by Federal Grain Inspection Service and contained levels of non-vitreous seeds for each of three sub-classes of durum: 80%, 65%, 50% vitreous seed. The samples were imaged and analyzed, and chalkiness distributions were plotted. These plots characterize the %chalk for the three classes of wheat. The imaging methods worked satisfactorily for the high and medium levels %chalk per kernel. But the very-low level of chalkiness per kernel proved to be more challenging and was not consistent. Keywords: Grain inspection, HVAC (hard and vitreous kernels of amber color), Image analysis, Vitreousness.
Gin Saw Thickness Impact on Lint Turnout, Lint Value, and Seed Damage
Authors: Funk Paul A. , Thomas Joseph W. , Yeater Kathleen M. , Kothari Neha , Armijo Carlos B. , Whitelock Derek P. , Wanjura John D. , Delhom Christopher
Published: August 2022

Highlights

We compared 0.91 to 1.14 mm thick gin saws by ginning seed cotton from three regions.

The gap between the saw and rib was 0.914 mm for the thin saws and 0.800 mm for the thick ones.

Response variables were tested using a sequentially reduced (backwards regression) model.

Lint “turnout”, lint value, and seed damage did not appear to be significantly different due to saw thickness.

Abstract. Over 95% of U.S. cotton post-harvest processing is done using saw gins. Gin saws have long been supplied in three thicknesses. We quantified the effect of saw thickness on lint turnout, lint value, and seed damage, variables that determine producer returns. Saw cylinders stacked with 0.9144 and 1.143 mm (0.036 and 0.045 in.) thick saws, the thinnest and thickest available, were operated in laboratory conditions on three cotton growths (cultivars and production practices) from Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas in an experiment with five replicates. Fiber quality from samples obtained after lint cleaning was measured using High Volume Instruments (HVI). HVI results were combined with Commodity Credit Corporation Marketing Assistance Loan premium and discount tables to calculate fiber value. Seed damage was estimated after germination using Association of Official Seed Analysts rules. A backwards regression approach in JMP reduced each response variable’s model until only significant controlled and uncontrolled variables remained. Tested variables included: growth and saw thickness and their interaction; processing rate; processing energy; test duration; foreign matter content; moisture content; and ambient humidity and temperature. There was no significant difference in fiber value due to saw thickness. Seed quality differences were insignificant. Differences in lint turnout due to saw thickness also were statistically insignificant. Saw thickness selection may be based on other considerations. Keywords: Cotton gin, Cottonseed, Fiber quality, Gin saw, Saw gin
How everyday life matters: everyday politics, everyday consumption and social change
Authors: Yates Luke
Published: August 2022

Everyday life, a nebulous and contested concept, is increasingly featuring in accounts of socioeconomic transformation. This article reviews its connections with consumption, sometimes referred to as ‘everyday consumption’; and to political action, ‘everyday politics’. It brings together different theoretical and empirical agendas to explore intersections and shifts in ideas around transformation. The first section describes the ways in which everyday life has become associated with consumption, especially through studying practices and their relationship with ecological change. It argues that power, politics and resources are largely absent from these discussions. The second section therefore reviews literature on power, noting that influential theory, including feminist perspectives, practice theory and the work of Michel Foucault, all places emphasis on quotidian situations, interactions and instances, offering ways forward to addressing the absence of power in research on everyday consumption. The third section explores and compares the diverse literature on ‘everyday politics’, lifestyle movements, everyday resistance, prefiguration, life politics and subpolitics. The article groups these and other claims about how the everyday matters for social change into a set of common debates around resources, issues and themes, objects of study, and consequences. This helps identify some notable empirical findings, contrasting analytical claims, and suggests some priorities for future research.
How does affluent consumption come to consumers? A research agenda for exploring the foundations and lock-ins of affluent consumption
Authors: Dubuisson-Quellier Sophie
Published: August 2022

In the context of the calls for sufficiency held by climate experts, consumption is a major lever of ecological transition. Following numerous social sciences studies, I suggest that the belief that such an ecological transition could rest on the shoulders of consumers alone is illusory. I highlight the strong interdependencies within a political economy of affluent consumption between public policies, corporate business models and consumer practices. Taking an economic sociological and Foucauldian perspective, I develop a research agenda to explore how affluent consumption becomes a legitimised and institutionalised norm. Affluent consumption, which is highly resource intensive, is structural in both economic policies of governments and business models of companies and is therefore constantly organised and governed. However, it is not imposed on individuals by force. The government of consumption is based on technologies of power that shape and orient consumers’ conduct, leading them to adopt the norms of affluent consumption by activating and playing on their dispositions acquired through market socialisation.
Suppression of natural lens fluorescence in fundus autofluorescence measurements: review of hardware solutions
Authors: Schweitzer D. , Haueisen J. , Klemm M.
Published: August 2022

Fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO), a technique for investigating metabolic changes in the eye ground, can reveal the first signs of diseases related to metabolism. The fluorescence of the natural lens overlies the fundus fluorescence. Although the influence of natural lens fluorescence can be somewhat decreased with mathematical models, excluding this influence during the measurement by using hardware enables more exact estimation of the fundus fluorescence. Here, we analyze four 1-photon excitation hardware solutions to suppress the influence of natural lens fluorescence: aperture stop separation, confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, combined confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and aperture stop separation, and dual point confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. The effect of each principle is demonstrated in examples. The best suppression is provided by the dual point principle, realized with a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope. In this case, in addition to the fluorescence of the whole eye, the fluorescence of the anterior part of the eye is detected from a non-excited spot of the fundus. The intensity and time-resolved fluorescence spectral data of the fundus are derived through the subtraction of the simultaneously measured fluorescence of the excited and non-excited spots. Advantages of future 2-photon fluorescence excitation are also discussed. This study provides the first quantitative evaluation of hardware principles to suppress the fluorescence of the natural lens during measurements of fundus autofluorescence.
Characterization of the human iridocorneal angle in vivo using a custom design goniolens with OCT gonioscopy
Authors: Carmichael-Martins Alessandra , Gast Thomas J. , Burns Stephen A. , Walker Brittany R. , King Brett J.
Published: August 2022

Intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only modifiable risk factor for glaucoma progression, and many treatments target the trabecular meshwork (TM). Imaging this region in vivo is challenging due to optical limitations of imaging through the cornea at high angles. We propose a gonioscopic OCT approach using a custom goniolens and a commercially available OCT device to improve imaging of the TM, Schlemm’s canal (SC) and adjacent structures within the iridocorneal angle (ICA). The goniolens is modified with a plano-convex focusing lens and placed on the eye optically mated with goniogel and aided by a 3D adjustable mount. Gonioscopic OCT volume scans are acquired to image SC. Transverse enface images allowed measurements of SC over a 45° section of the ICA for the first time and revealed locations of SC narrowing. The band of extracanalicular limbal lamina and corneoscleral bands were imaged in most subjects and these bands were confirmed using exterior OCT imaging. The polarization dependence of the visibility of these structures is studied by polarization rotation the OCT beam with a half-wave plate, allowing increased contrast of SC. Gonioscopic OCT has successfully been used to image the human ICA in 3D in vivo. This approach provides more detailed characterization of the TM and SC, enhancing their contrast against their birefringent backgrounds.
Vortex beam assisted energy up-scaling for multiple-plate compression with a single spiral phase plate
Authors: Chen Bo-Han , Huang Hsing-Wei , Ye Ren-Siang , Lu Chih-Hsuan , Chen Kai , Yang Shang-Da
Published: August 2022

The vortex beam (Laguerre–Gaussian, LG10 mode) is employed to alleviate crystal damage in multiple-plate continuum generation. We successfully compressed 190-fs, 1030-nm pulses to 42 fs with 590 μJ input pulse energy, which is 5.5 times higher than that obtained by a Gaussian beam setup of the same footprint. High throughput (86%) and high intensity-weighted beam homogeneity (>98%) have also been achieved. This experiment confirms the great potential of beam shaping in energy up-scaling of nonlinear pulse compression.
Computation of optimal beams in weak turbulence
Authors: Li Qin , Nair Anjali , Stechmann Samuel N
Published: August 2022

When an optical beam propagates through a turbulent medium such as the atmosphere or ocean, the beam will become distorted. It is then natural to seek the best or optimal beam that is distorted least, under some metric such as intensity or scintillation. We seek to maximize the light intensity at the receiver using the paraxial wave equation with weak-fluctuation as the model. In contrast to classical results that typically confine original laser beams to be from a special class, we allow the beam to be general, which leads to an eigenvalue problem of a large-sized matrix with each entry being a multi-dimensional integral. This is an expensive and sometimes infeasible computational task in many practically reasonable settings. To overcome this expense, in a change from past calculations of optimal beams, we transform the calculation from physical space to Fourier space. Since the structure of the turbulence is commonly described in Fourier space, the computational cost is significantly reduced. This also allows us to incorporate some optional turbulence assumptions, such as homogeneous-statistics assumption, small-length-scale cutoff assumption, and Markov assumption, to further reduce the dimension of the numerical integral. The proposed methods provide a computational strategy that is numerically feasible, and results are demonstrated in several numerical examples. These results provide further evidence that special beams can be defined to have beam divergence that is small.
Impact of deforestation and temporal land-use change on soil organic carbon storage, quality, and lability
Authors: Amoakwah Emmanuel , Lucas Shawn T. , Didenko Nataliia A. , Rahman Mohammad A. , Islam Khandakar Rafiq
Published: August 2022

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a key role in regulating soil quality functions and ecosystem services. The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of deforestation and subsequent land-use change on the SOC and total nitrogen (TN) concentration, quality, and lability under otherwise similar soil and environmental conditions. Geo-referenced composite soils (0 to 30 cm depth at 7.5 cm interval) sampled from agriculture, bioenergy plantations (Miscanthus x giganteus), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and wetland were analyzed for SOC, TN, active C (AC), humic- and fulvic acid (HA and FA), non-humic C (NH), E4: E6 ratio, humification indices (HI, HR, and DH), and carbon and nitrogen management indices (CPI, NPI, and CMI), compared to soils under protected forest as a control. Results showed that the CRP had the highest depth distribution and profile-wise stocks of SOC, TN, AC, and FA with respect to the lowest in agriculture upon conversion of forest. Moreover, the SOC and TN contents were significantly stratified in the CRP when compared to agriculture. While agriculture had the wider HA: FA ratios with highest HI and HR but lowest DH values, the CRP, in contrast, had the narrow HA: FA ratios with lowest HI but highest DH values, when compared to the forest. Spectral analyses have shown lower E4: E6 ratios under the forest when compared to both agriculture and the CRP; however, the later had significantly higher E4: E6 ratios than that of agriculture. The CPI, as measures of SOC accumulation or depletion, significantly decreased by 16% under agriculture but increased by 12% under the CRP. While the CMI, as measures of SOC accumulation or depletion and lability, with higher values under the CRP suggested a proportionally more labile SOC accumulation, in contrast, the smaller values under agriculture indicated a greater depletion of labile SOC over time. Moreover, the CRP may have favored a more labile SOC accumulation with higher proportions of aliphatic C compounds, whereas agriculture may have a SOC with high proportions of non-labile aromatic C compounds. Principal components analysis clearly separated and/or discriminated the land-use impacts on soil carbon pools and TN. Likewise, redundancy analysis of the relationship between measured soil parameters and land-use validated that the TOC, TN, FA, humin, and CPI were significantly impacted due to synergism among soil properties as positively influenced by the CRP upon conversion of agriculture.
Trends of research productivity across author gender and research fields: A multidisciplinary and multi-country observational study
Authors: Haghani Milad , Abbasi Alireza , Zwack Clara C. , Shahhoseini Zahra , Haslam Nick
Published: August 2022

Bibliographic properties of more than 75 million scholarly articles, are examined and trends in overall research productivity are analysed as a function of research field (over the period of 1970–2020) and author gender (over the period of 2006–2020). Potential disruptive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are also investigated. Over the last decade (2010–2020), the annual number of publications have invariably increased every year with the largest relative increase in a single year happening in 2019 (more than 6% relative growth). But this momentum was interrupted in 2020. Trends show that Environmental Sciences and Engineering Environmental have been the fastest growing research fields. The disruption in patterns of scholarly publication due to the Covid-19 pandemic was unevenly distributed across fields, with Computer Science, Engineering and Social Science enduring the most notable declines. The overall trends of male and female productivity indicate that, in terms of absolute number of publications, the gender gap does not seem to be closing in any country. The trends in absolute gap between male and female authors is either parallel (e.g., Canada, Australia, England, USA) or widening (e.g., majority of countries, particularly Middle Eastern countries). In terms of the ratio of female to male productivity, however, the gap is narrowing almost invariably, though at markedly different rates across countries. While some countries are nearing a ratio of .7 and are well on track for a 0.9 female to male productivity ratio, our estimates show that certain countries (particularly across the Middle East) will not reach such targets within the next 100 years. Without interventional policies, a significant gap will continue to exist in such countries. The decrease or increase in research productivity during the first year of the pandemic, in contrast to trends established before 2020, was generally parallel for male and female authors. There has been no substantial gender difference in the disruption due to the pandemic. However, opposite trends were found in a few cases. It was observed that, in some countries (e.g., The Netherlands, The United States and Germany), male productivity has been more negatively affected by the pandemic. Overall, female research productivity seems to have been more resilient to the disruptive effect of Covid-19 pandemic, although the momentum of female researchers has been negatively affected in a comparable manner to that of males.
Current status of infection with infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian shrimp industry
Authors: Aranguren Caro Luis Fernando , Gomez-Sanchez Muriel Maria , Piedrahita Yahira , Mai Hung Nam , Cruz-Flores Roberto , Alenton Rod Russel R. , Dhar Arun K.
Published: August 2022

Infection with infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) is a crustacean disease that caused large-scale mortality in Penaeus stylirostris, deformity and growth retardation in Penaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon. We surveyed the presence of IHHNV in three major shrimp-producing regions in Ecuador, namely Guayas, El Oro, and Esmeralda. The data show that IHHNV is endemic (3.3–100% prevalence) to shrimp farms in these regions. The whole genome sequences of representative circulating IHHNV genotypes in Ecuador and Peru showed that these genotypes formed a separate cluster within the Type II genotypes and were divergent from other geographical isolates of IHHNV originating in Asia, Africa, Australia, and Brazil. In experimental bioassays using specific pathogen-free (SPF) P. vannamei, P. monodon, and P. stylirostris and representative IHHNV isolates from Ecuador and Peru, the virus did not cause any mortality or induce clinical signs in any of the three penaeid species. Although IHHNV-specific Cowdry type A inclusion bodies were histologically detected in experimentally challenged P. vannamei and P. monodon and confirmed by in situ hybridization, no such inclusions were observed in P. stylirostris. Moreover, P. vannamei had the highest viral load, followed by P. monodon and P. stylirostris. Based on IHHNV surveillance data, we conclude that the currently farmed P. vannamei lines in Ecuador are tolerant to circulating IHHNV genotypes. The genome sequence and experimental bioassay data showed that, although the currently circulating genotypes are infectious, they do not induce clinical lesions in the three commercially important penaeid species. These findings suggest a potentially evolving virus-host relationship where circulating genotypes of IHHNV co-exist in equilibrium with P. vannamei raised in Peru and Ecuador.
Assessing the use of a micro-sampling device for measuring blood protein levels in healthy subjects and COVID-19 patients
Authors: Brandsma Joost , Chenoweth Josh G. , Gregory Melissa K. , Krishnan Subramaniam , Blair Paul W. , Striegel Deborah A. , Mehta Rittal , Schully Kevin L. , Dumler J. Stephen , Sikorski CDR Cynthia S. , O’Connor Kelsey , Reichert-Scrivner Susan A. , Paguirigan Carmen M. , Uyehara Catherine F. T. , Ngauy COL Viseth , Myers Christopher A. , Clark Danielle V.
Published: August 2022

Background

Venous phlebotomy performed by trained personnel is critical for patient diagnosis and monitoring of chronic disease, but has limitations in resource-constrained settings, and represents an infection control challenge during outbreaks. Self-collection devices have the potential to shift phlebotomy closer to the point of care, supporting telemedicine strategies and virtual clinical trials. Here we assess a capillary blood micro-sampling device, the Tasso Serum Separator Tube (SST), for measuring blood protein levels in healthy subjects and non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Methods

57 healthy controls and 56 participants with mild/moderate COVID-19 were recruited at two U.S. military healthcare facilities. Healthy controls donated Tasso SST capillary serum, venous plasma and venous serum samples at multiple time points, while COVID-19 patients donated a single Tasso SST serum sample at enrolment. Concentrations of 17 protein inflammatory biomarkers were measured in all biospecimens by Ella multi-analyte immune-assay.

Results

Tasso SST serum protein measurements in healthy control subjects were highly reproducible, but their agreements with matched venous samples varied. Most of the selected proteins, including CRP, Ferritin, IL-6 and PCT, were well-correlated between Tasso SST and venous serum with little sample type bias, but concentrations of D-dimer, IL-1B and IL-1Ra were not. Self-collection at home with delayed sample processing was associated with significant concentrations differences for several analytes compared to supervised, in-clinic collection with rapid processing. Finally, Tasso SST serum protein concentrations were significantly elevated in in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients compared with healthy controls.

Conclusions

Self-collection of capillary blood with micro-sampling devices provides an attractive alternative to routine phlebotomy. However, concentrations of certain analytes may differ significantly from those in venous samples, and factors including user proficiency, temperature control and time lags between specimen collection and processing need to be considered for their effect on sample quality and reproducibility.
Adverse events following immunization with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and BBIBP-CorV vaccine: A comparative study among healthcare professionals of Nepal
Authors: Rayamajhi Sushil , Rafi Md. Abdur , Tripathi Nishant , Dongol Anjana Singh , Pandey Minalma , Rayamajhi Shreejana , Bhandari Subhechchha , Shrestha Pranay , Hasan M. Tasdik , Hossain Md. Golam
Published: August 2022

Background

Adverse events following immunization (AEFI) against SARS-CoV-2 are common as reported by clinical trials and contemporary evidence. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the local and systemic adverse events following vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and BBIBP-CorV among the healthcare professionals (HCPs) of Nepal.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 606 vaccinated HCPs of Kathmandu, Nepal. Data was collected from June 15 to 30, 2021 using a self-administered online survey tool. Multiple binary logistic regression models were used to predict the adverse events according to the vaccine types and doses after adjusting for age, sex, comorbidity and previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Results

The mean (SD) age of the participants was 35.6 (13.2) years and 52% of them were female. Almost 59% of participants were vaccinated with two doses and around 54% of total of them took the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. At least one local and systemic adverse event was reported by 54% and 62% of participants after the first dose and 37% and 49% after the second dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and by 37% and 43% after the first dose and 42% and 36% after the second dose of BBIBP-CorV vaccine respectively. Injection site pain, swelling and tenderness at the injection site were the most frequently reported local AEFI while, fatigue, headache, fever and myalgia were the most frequently reported systemic AEFI. The logistic model demonstrated that the risk of both local and systemic adverse events was higher among the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine recipients compared to the BBIBP-CorV vaccine. Almost 10% of individuals reported a post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infection and most of them occurred after taking the first dose of vaccine.

Conclusions

Recipients of both the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and BBIBP-CorV vaccine among the HCPs of Nepal reported only mild and constitutional symptoms including injection site pain and tenderness, headache, fever, fatigue, etc. after vaccination.
Research through and through design
Authors: Redström Johan
Published: August 2022

An intriguing aspect of the notion of research through design is how much we seem to gain from its proposition and how informative it appears to be, even as we do not state precisely what is meant by the terms research or design. But, what is it that this notion of through calls to the foreground? In what follows, I discuss three interpretations of what through might refer to by looking at it from different perspectives: through practice, through making and through judgement. Different perspectives bring different possibilities to the foreground, and therefore they also suggest slightly different future trajectories. But this also means that some issues fade into the background, something new perspectives can help us get a glimpse of. This is perhaps especially evident in the case of judgement, the least familiar of the three. Looking across the range of research trajectories that these three perspectives open up, there are reasons to think that we can make research through design become a more extensive, inclusive and a far more radical research proposition than its name reveals.
Sensor fusion-based localization methods for mobile robots
Authors: Odry Ákos , Csík Dominik , Stefanoni Massimo , Sarcevic Peter
Published: August 2022

Localization aims to provide the best estimate of the robot pose. It is a crucial algorithm in every robotics application, since its output directly determines the inputs of the robot to be controlled in its configuration space. In real world of engineering, the robot dynamics related measurements are subject to both uncertainties and disturbances. These error sources yield unreliable inferences of the robot state, which inherently result in wrong consensus about the appropriate control strategy to be applied. This outcome may drive the system out of stability and damage both the physical system and its environment. The localization algorithm captures the uncertainties with probabilistic approaches. Namely, the measurement processes are modelled along with their unreliability, moreover, the synergy of multiple information sources is formulated with the aim to calculate the most probable estimate of the robot pose. In essence, this algorithm is composed of two main parts, i.e., first the dynamics of the system is derived, and the corresponding uncertainties are initially predicted, next the additional sensor information is incorporated in the algorithm to refine the posterior estimate. This approach provides the state-of-the-art solution for the derivation of mobile robot poses in real applications.
Evaluation of gear pitting severity by using various condition monitoring indicators
Authors: Sfetcu Camelia Rodica , Korka Zoltan , Bloju Alin Virgil , Traistaru Dalina Elena , Hrimiuc Corneliu
Published: August 2022

Fault detection techniques based on vibration measurement are implemented to identify in an early stage failures appearing in gear transmissions. Condition monitoring indicators (CMI), like: Root Mean Square (RMS), Crest Factor, Kurtosis, FMO, FM4, Energy ratio, Energy operator, NA4 or NB4, are used to estimate the level of gear faults such as pitting, cracks, spalling, scuffing or scoring. However, in is multitude of indicators, the question that arises is: which CMI is the most sensitive in estimating the severity of defects? Thus, this paper presents an extensive comparison between the before mentioned indicators computed from vibration signals collected on four pinions with different pitting grades, created by artificial means. The pinions where incorporated in a single helical gearbox and the tests were performed on an open-energy test rig at three different input speeds. This comparative study assesses the receptivity of different condition monitoring indicators towards gear pitting failure.
Decolonising the school curriculum in an era of political polarisation
Authors: Akhter Shahnaz , Watson Matthew
Published: August 2022

Recent consciously curated conditions of political polarisation have prevented English schools from taking even the first tentative steps towards decolonising the curriculum. Since returning to power in 2010, successive Conservative Secretaries of State for Education have resolved to restore traditional learning methods to English classrooms, championing the need for children to passively accept content chosen for them by government appointees who are answerable to political rather than to pedagogical priorities. This had already created an unsupportive political environment for transforming what children might learn, before such difficulties were magnified following the Brexit referendum of 2016. Decolonisation has increasingly been identified by Conservative Party strategists as one of their beloved wedge issues, something that can be used to stoke electorally expedient anger against ‘the Remainer elite’ among Leave-voting communities. Hopes for a serious debate about the principles of decolonisation were frustrated by the Johnson government hijacking the very mention of the word to use as evidence that the ‘woke’ brigade was running hopelessly out of control. The case for decolonising the English school curriculum has been subjected to a full-frontal populist culture-war attack on an educational establishment accused of refusing to allow children to see the good in their country.