bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Load Test Scale on Prediction of Ultimate Bearing Capacity of Aggregate Pier Reinforced Clay
Authors: Baek Sung-Ha , Bong Taeho
Published: December 2022

Predicting the bearing capacity of spread footings on aggregate pier‐reinforced soil is particularly important for ground improvement. Various methods for predicting the bearing capacity of spread footings supported on aggregate pier‐reinforced clay have been proposed. In addition, many fields or laboratory load tests have been conducted to identify the improvement effects of aggregate pier. However, no study has quantitatively compared the effect of the experimental scale on the prediction of bearing capacity. In this study, multiple linear regression analyses were performed for field and laboratory load tests, and the effects of the load test scale on bearing capacity prediction were identified. The sensitivity analysis showed that the prediction model for the laboratory load test (MLRL) exhibited a higher sensitivity for the undrained shear strength than that of the field load test model (MLRF). However, the sensitivity of the area replacement ratio of MLRL was less than half that of the MLRF. As the undrained shear strength increased, the predicted bearing capacity of the MLRL was larger than that of the MLRF owing to the influence of boundary conditions on the experimental equipment.
Effects of Selenium-Enriched Rape Returning Amount on Available Selenium Content in Paddy Soil and Selenium Accumulation in Rice
Authors: Huang Wei , Xu Qingguo , Wu Ning
Published: December 2022

Selenium-rich rape “Selenium Ziyuan No.1” was used as green manure to study the effects of different amounts of green manure returned to the field on the release characteristics of available selenium in acidic paddy soil in southern China, and to analyze the absorption and transformation of selenium in rice, so as to provide a theoretical basis for planting natural selenium-rich rice in acidic areas of southern China. Six treatments with different amounts of selenium-enriched rapeseed returning (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 t/hm2) were set up. Two rice varieties (selenium-rich rice variety Meixiangzhan 2 and common rice variety Zhongguangxiang 1) were selected. The results showed that (1) with the increase of selenium-rich rapeseed returning amount, the available selenium in soil showed an increasing trend. Over time, soil available selenium showed a significant increasing trend, and the content of soil available selenium reached the maximum at tillering stage, and then decreased. (2) For selenium-rich varieties, when the amount of selenium-rich rapeseed returned to the field was less than 15 t/hm2, the selenium content in rice grains increased significantly with the increase of the amount of selenium-rich rapeseed returned to the field, then remained basically stable. For conventional varieties, with the increase of the amount of selenium-rich rapeseed returned to the field, the selenium content of rice grains showed an increasing trend, but the overall selenium content was much lower than that of selenium-rich variety. (3) With the increase of the amount of rapeseed returned to the field, the rice yield had an increasing trend, but the maximum rice yields appeared when the amount of selenium-rich rapeseed returned to the field was 15 t/hm2. Therefore, Se-enriched rape returning could promote the release of available selenium in soil and the enrichment of selenium in rice plants, and significantly increase the selenium content in rice. According to the selenium content and yield of rice, it is suggested that the selenium-rich rice variety Meixiangzhan 2 was chosen and the amount of Se-rich rape returning is 15 t/hm2.
Co-Inoculation of Trichoderma asperellum with Bacillus subtilis to Promote Growth and Nutrient Absorption in Marandu Grass
Authors: Costa Sidney Daniel Araújo da , Cardoso Aline Figueiredo , Castro Gledson Luiz Salgado de , Júnior Dalton Dias da Silva , Silva Thiago Carvalho da , Silva Gisele Barata da
Published: December 2022

The authors have investigated the effects of different doses of mineral fertilizers combined with co-inoculation of Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma asperellum to promote plant growth and use efficient nutrients in a plant Urochloa (Syn. Brachiaria) brizantha cv. Marandu. Individual experiments with doses of the nutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were carried out. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, factorial 3 × 5. With the treatments: control noninoculation, inoculation with Bacillus subtilisUFRA-92, and coinoculation (MIX) with T. asperellum (UFRA-06, UFRA-09, UFRA-12, and UFRA-52) + B. subtilis x nutrient omissions (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). Each treatment had five replications. Biometric parameters, nutrient content, and nutrient use efficiency were evaluated. The results showed that the inoculants promoted growth in Marandu grass. The use of inoculants promoted growth and increased N, P, and K uptake by Marandu grass. Co-inoculation changed leaf area, shoot length, elongation rate, and leaf appearance for N and K and root dry mass for P. In addition, the co-inoculation combined with doses of 75% of N, 50% of P, and 50% of K increased the nutritional content of the leaves by 256% of N, 280% of P, and 29% of K and provided greater agronomic efficiency, with increments of 462% of N, 544% of P, and 177% of K, compared to the control treatment. We present the potential of co-inoculation of B. subtilis and T. asperellum to promote the growth of Urochloa under reduced fertilizer application. There was an improvement in plant growth and nutrient use efficiency.
Radar Moving Target Detection Method Based on SET2 and AlexNet
Authors: Guo Yong , Yang Li-Dong
Published: December 2022

Aiming at the nonstationary characteristics of echo signal for a high-speed maneuvering target, a signal feature extraction method is proposed by combining the time-frequency analysis and convolution neural network, and then the automatic detection of radar moving target in a noisy environment is realized. Firstly, the echo signal is modelled as a more accurate Gaussian modulation-linear frequency modulation (GM-LFM) signal and converted into the time-frequency image by a second-order synchroextracting transform (SET2). Then, ridge extraction is applied to extract the maximum energy ridge from the time-frequency distribution, and the data set is constructed by the maximum energy ridge. Finally, the data set is input into AlexNet for training, and the deep-level features of echo signal are extracted to realize the automatic moving targets detection. Simulation results show that SET2 and RE can effectively enhance the time-frequency characteristics of echo signal under the noisy environment, and the detection accuracy and noise robustness of the proposed method are better than that of SET1 and smooth pseudo-Wigner–Ville distribution (SPWVD).
AEGuard: Image Feature-Based Independent Adversarial Example Detection Model
Authors: Kim Mihui , Yun Junhyeok
Published: December 2022

With the rapid development of image processing technology, image recognition systems based on massive image data are being developed and deployed. The wrong decision regarding an image recognition system for security-sensitive systems can cause serious problems such as personal accidents and property damage. Furthermore, adversarial attacks, which are security attacks that cause malfunctions in image recognition systems by inserting adversarial noise, have emerged and evolved. Several studies have been conducted to prevent adversarial attacks. However, existing mechanisms have low classification accuracy and low detection accuracy for adversarial examples with small adversarial noise. This paper proposes an adversarial example detection mechanism based on image feature extraction and a deep neural network (DNN) model. The proposed system achieves versatility and independence by detecting adversarial examples based on image features, such as edge noise and discrete cosine transform (DCT) bias, which adversarial examples have in common. The proposed system shows relatively higher detection accuracy than existing mechanisms for various types and amounts of adversarial noise and different sharpness of adversarial examples because the proposed system detects them depending on the characteristics of each type of adversarial example.
Fusarium oxysporum & Fusarium solani: Identification, Characterization, and Differentiation the Fungal Phenolic Profiles by HPLC and the Fungal Lipid Profiles by GC-MS
Authors: Shalapy Nashwa M. , Kang Wenyi
Published: December 2022

Fusarium is a famous genus including a numerous species of endophytic fungi as it is known as a productive source of secondary metabolites which had various bioactivities. Fungal secondary metabolites are defined as chemical compounds produced by fungus and not essential for it. The common secondary metabolites of Fusarium sp. (e.g., phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, and terpenes) had a wide range of biological properties comprising antioxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic activities. In this way, the present study was performed to evaluate the phenolic compounds and flavonoids of Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium solani qualitatively and quantitatively via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Moreover, lipid criteria of Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium solani extracts had been displayed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and their fatty acids had been identified to define the prolific species of the most biological and valuable fatty acids. In discrimination between phenols and flavonoids of Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium solani as natural biological constituents analyzed by HPLC, the methanolic extracts of Fusarium species revealed that phenols level was elevated in F. oxysporum than its level in F. solani as well flavonoids level was advanced in F. oxysporum compared to F. solani. Furthermore, the HPLC chromatograph showed significant detection for some phenols in F. oxysporum extract were disappeared in F. solani extract and also some flavonoids were detected in F. oxysporum extract were vanished in F. solani extract. On the other side, the quantitative lipid analysis of Fusarium species chloroform extracts showed significant elevation in F. oxysporum lipid amount compared to F. solani, as the qualitative lipid analysis by GC-MS indicated that the concentration of saturated fatty acids was receded in F. oxysporum (29.18%) than its concentration in F. solani (40.11%) and the ratio of oxidation was 3.73% in F. oxysoporum while in F. solani was 4.23%. These displayed data illustrated conclusively that Fusarium oxysporum had a wide medicinal effectiveness as antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammation, and cardioprotective action due to its plentiful content from valuable phenols, flavonoids, and fatty acids in comparison with F. solani, as it may be elected as an alternative natural drug for some pharmaceutical applications.
TERTIAN: Clinical Endpoint Prediction in ICU via Time-Aware Transformer-Based Hierarchical Attention Network
Authors: An Ying , Liu Yang , Chen Xianlai , Sheng Yu
Published: December 2022

Accurately predicting the clinical endpoint in ICU based on the patient’s electronic medical records (EMRs) is essential for the timely treatment of critically ill patients and allocation of medical resources. However, the patient’s EMRs usually consist of a large amount of heterogeneous multivariate time series data such as laboratory tests and vital signs, which are produced irregularly. Most existing methods fail to effectively model the time irregularity inherent in longitudinal patient medical records and capture the interrelationships among different types of data. To tackle these limitations, we propose a novel time-aware transformer-based hierarchical attention network (TERTIAN) for clinical endpoint prediction. In this model, a time-aware transformer is introduced to learn the personalized irregular temporal patterns of medical events, and a hierarchical attention mechanism is deployed to get the accurate patient fusion representation by comprehensively mining the interactions and correlations among multiple types of medical data. We evaluate our model on the MIMIC-III dataset and MIMIC-IV dataset for the task of mortality prediction, and the results show that TERTIAN achieves higher performance than state-of-the-art approaches.
Increasing the Bioavailability of Phosphate by Using Microorganisms
Authors: Aberathna A. A. A. U. , Satharasinghe D. A. , Jayasooriya A. P. , Jinadasa R. N. , Manopriya S. , Jayaweera B. P. A. , Fernando C. A. N. , Weerathilake W. A. D. V. , Prathapasinghe G. A. , Liyanage J. A. , Premarathne J. M. K. J. K.
Published: December 2022

Phosphorous (P) is a nonrenewable and one of the most important macronutrients for all living organisms. The formation of complexes with cations such as Al, Fe, and Ca reduces the solubility of P leading to limiting the absorption of P by plants. Therefore, we need to apply excessive amounts of P through conventional fertilizers. However, plants can use only a small portion of P of these added fertilizers whenever those become unavailable. Therefore, utilizing excess amounts of phosphate as fertilizers can lead to various environmental issues like eutrophication. Phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms (PSM) have the ability to solubilize soil phosphate through the production of organic acids, inorganic acids, enzymes, protons, siderophores, and exopolysaccharides resulting in the absorption of P by plants. The application of PSM has the potential to be used as an efficient, eco-friendly, and sustainable approach that can replace traditional fertilizers. This review aimed to give an overview of the diversity of PSM, methods of P solubilization, current trends, and technological advances that can assist in using PSM to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Targeting Tumor Microenvironment by Metal Peroxide Nanoparticles in Cancer Therapy
Authors: Mbugua Simon Ngigi
Published: December 2022

Solid tumors have a unique tumor microenvironment (TME), which includes hypoxia, low acidity, and high hydrogen peroxide and glutathione (GSH) levels, among others. These unique factors, which offer favourable microenvironments and nourishment for tumor development and spread, also serve as a gateway for specific and successful cancer therapies. A good example is metal peroxide structures which have been synthesized and utilized to enhance oxygen supply and they have shown great promise in the alleviation of hypoxia. In a hypoxic environment, certain oxygen‐dependent treatments such as photodynamic therapy and radiotherapy fail to respond and therefore modulating the hypoxic tumor microenvironment has been found to enhance the antitumor impact of certain drugs. Under acidic environments, the hydrogen peroxide produced by the reaction of metal peroxides with water not only induces oxidative stress but also produces additional oxygen. This is achieved since hydrogen peroxide acts as a reactive substrate for molecules such as catalyse enzymes, alleviating tumor hypoxia observed in the tumor microenvironment. Metal ions released in the process can also offer distinct bioactivity in their own right. Metal peroxides used in anticancer therapy are a rapidly evolving field, and there is good evidence that they are a good option for regulating the tumor microenvironment in cancer therapy. In this regard, the synthesis and mechanisms behind the successful application of metal peroxides to specifically target the tumor microenvironment are highlighted in this review. Various characteristics of TME such as angiogenesis, inflammation, hypoxia, acidity levels, and metal ion homeostasis are addressed in this regard, together with certain forms of synergistic combination treatments.
Seasonal Variability of Air Pollutants and Their Relationships to Meteorological Parameters in an Urban Environment
Authors: Shelton Sherly , Liyanage Gayathri , Jayasekara Sanduni , Pushpawela Buddhi , Rathnayake Upaka , Jayasundara Akila , Jayasooriya Lesty Dias
Published: December 2022

Air quality in urban areas is deteriorating over time with the increased pollutant distribution levels mainly caused due to anthropogenic activities. In addition, these pollutant distribution levels may relate to changing meteorological conditions. However, the relationships were not researched in-depth in the context of Sri Lanka, a country with a significant impact on climate change. The main objective of this study was to provide a broader perspective on the seasonal variation of tiny particles in air (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) in two urban cities (Colombo and Kandy) in Sri Lanka over 3 years period (2018–2021) and the possible relationships between air pollution and meteorological variables. Results show that all the aforementioned pollutants except O3 consistently depict two peaks during the day, one in the morning (∼07:00–09:00 local time) and the other in the evening (∼18:00–20:00 local time). These peaks coincided with the traffic jams observed in both cities. The results further revealed that the concentration of all pollutants has significant seasonal variations. Compared to two monsoon seasons, the highest daily average PM2.5 (31.2 μg/m3), PM10 (49.5 μg/m3), NO2 (18.9 ppb), CO (717.5 ppb), O3 (18.5 ppb), and SO2 (9.4 ppb) concentrations in Colombo are recorded during northeast monsoon (NEM) seasons while contrast pattern is observed in Kandy. In addition, it was found that wind speed with its direction is the most influencing factor for the pollutant concentration except for SO2 and O3 in two cities, and this is irrespective of the season. This study’s findings contribute to understanding the seasonality of ambient air quality and the relationship between meteorological factors and air pollutants. These findings ultimately lead to designing and implementing season-specific control strategies to achieve air pollution reduction at a regional scale.
Prognostic Biomarkers Identification in Esophageal Cancer Based on WGCNA and Single-Cell Analysis
Authors: Zhao Wen-jun , Liu Yao , Guo Jing , Liu Hua
Published: December 2022

Background. Esophageal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Dysregulation of genes plays an important role in cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic biomarkers in esophageal cancer based on comprehensive bioinformatics analysis including WGCNA and single cell analysis. Methods. RNA sequencing data of esophageal cancer was downloaded from GSE75241 dataset in the GEO database. We also selected esophageal cancer patients from public databases (Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)). WGCNA was used to construct a scale-free coexpression network of genes. Multifactor Cox analysis model was constructed as the prognostic model in esophageal cancer. Furthermore, single-cell gene analysis was used to discover the mechanism of hub genes in esophageal cancer. Results. WGCNA discovered 182 genes for further analysis. Among 182 genes, four genes including ANGPT2, VCAN, MS4A4A, and FOS had significant prognostic value in esophageal cancer. In single cell analysis, seven types of cells subsets were distinguished including T cells, B cells, NK cells, monocytes, macrophages, DCs, neutrophils. The expression of four hub genes (ANGPT2, VCAN, MS4A4A, and FOS) in inflammatory cell subsets was evaluated, respectively. Hub genes were correlated with inflammatory cells in esophageal cancer. In addition, the subgroups of specific inflammatory cells such as macrophages, monocytes, and DCs were analyzed to identify the function of hub genes, either. Hub genes were correlated with differentiation of inflammatory cells including monocytes, macrophages, and DCs in tumor environment. Conclusions. We identified specific hub genes correlated with prognosis of esophageal cancer. These hub genes play critical roles by regulating inflammatory cells status in esophageal cancer.
Investigation of the Characteristics of a Gas Turbine Combustion Chamber with Steam Injection Operating on Hydrogen-Containing Mixtures and Hydrogen
Authors: Serbin Serhiy , Burunsuz Kateryna , Chen Daifen
Published: December 2022

The article is devoted to the investigation of the characteristics of a gas turbine combustion chamber with a steam injection when operating on hydrogen-containing mixtures and pure hydrogen. The parameters of a cannular combustion chamber with a separate injection of ecological and energy steam were studied to ensure the stable and ecologically clean chamber’s operation without the formation of flashback zones. The injection of ecological steam in the area of the vane swirler of the flame tube for the diffusion-type combustion chamber makes it possible to provide low emissions of nitrogen oxides at significant concentrations of hydrogen in its mixtures with natural gas, even if the maximum gas temperature in the primary zone of a combustion chamber increases. For the investigated chamber’s operating modes, the calculated carbon monoxide emission does not exceed 18.1 ppm. Emissions of nitrogen oxide when the hydrogen content changes from 0 to 50% initially decrease from 36.1 to 17.8 ppm due to increased steam injection to the combustion zone and then increase to 38 ppm when operating on pure hydrogen. An increase in the nonuniformity of the temperature field at the combustion chamber outlet with an increase in the hydrogen content in the mixture with natural gas was noted.
Train Scheduling Optimization for an Urban Rail Transit Line: A Simulated-Annealing Algorithm Using a Large Neighborhood Search Metaheuristic
Authors: Zhang Hai , Ni Shaoquan
Published: December 2022

This paper describes an optimization model for an irregular train schedule. The aim is to optimize both the maximum train loading rate and the average deviation of departure intervals under time-varying passenger transport demand for an urban rail transit line in consideration of practical train operation constraints, i.e., headway, running time between stations, dwell time, and capacity. A heuristic simulated-annealing algorithm is designed to solve the optimization model, and a case study of an urban rail transit line is performed to assess its efficacy. The results show that, compared with the current regular train schedule, the total train dwell time under the optimized irregular schedule is reduced from 900 s to 848 s, and the reduction ratio for the maximum train loading rate is from 1.2% to 3.6% for different stations. When the average train departure interval is allowed to vary from 120 to 170 s, the optimized irregular schedule decreases the maximum train loading rate of the collinear and noncollinear sections by 3.21%–4.82% and 2.52%–3.64%, respectively. Sensitivity analysis is performed for a nonnegative weight coefficient, average train departure interval, and proportion of full-length and short-turn routings. The proposed approach can be used to support capacity improvement and schedule optimization for urban rail transit lines.
Prolonged Survival Following Intra-abdominal Mycobacterium abscessus Infection Without Antimicrobial Therapy or Surgical Intervention
Authors: Tiwari Ankur , Geringer Matthew R. , Barsoumian Alice , Masella Pamela , Vreeland Timothy J. , Clifton Guy T.
Published: December 2022

Management of Mycobacterium abscessus infection involves prolonged multidrug antibiotic therapy with surgical resection indicated in extensive disease and abscesses. We report a case of post-surgical intra-abdominal M. abscessus infection with prolonged survival and radiographic resolution without intervention. A 51-year-old female who had a prolonged hospital stay with multiple surgeries following a complicated laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy developed multiple M. abscessus intra-abdominal and abdominal wall abscesses with cutaneous fistulae. She was started on a multidrug antibiotic regimen. However, the patient terminated the regimen after 4 weeks due to intolerable side effects and was transitioned to hospice care. She showed steady clinical improvement with radiographic resolution of the abscesses over the next year. In the context of the limited understanding of these infections, our finding is notable, given that in this period, she avoided potential hospitalizations, life altering side effects of prolonged antimicrobial therapy, and complications from more surgeries.
Visible Apical Blebs on CXR: Are Plain Radiographs Under-Utilized in Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax?
Authors: Lotakis Dimitra M. , Bailey Keoni , Criss Cory , Speck K. Elizabeth
Published: December 2022

A primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is caused by rupture of subpleural emphysematous blebs, without inciting event or pre-existing co-morbidity. A previously healthy 16-year-old male presented with upper chest pain. As expected, chest radiographs (CXR) demonstrated a 13 mm pneumothorax. Additionally, a 4.7 cm apical bleb was identified. After six-hours of observation and non-rebreather oxygen mask therapy, follow-up CXR confirmed stable findings. The patient was subsequently discharged home after symptoms improved. Follow-up CXR at 2-weeks confirmed persistent visible apical bleb. After lengthy discussion addressing patient and parental concerns, elective surgical management was pursued. Current literature suggests blebs are not routinely identified on CXR. While there is no universally accepted management algorithm for PSP in children, visible apical blebs on CXR may influence the decision to pursue surgical intervention. Shared decision making should involve counseling regarding the recurrence risk following surgery, and consideration of patient-specific factors including patient and parental anxiety.
Assessment of Outcomes in Laparotomy vs Laparoscopy: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis of Patients Sustaining Single Penetrating Left Upper Quadrant Injury
Authors: Elkbuli Adel , Andrade Ryan , Ngatuvai Micah , Khan Areeba , Liu Huazhi , Bilski Tracy , Ang Darwin
Published: December 2022

Background

We aim to compare outcomes between laparotomy and laparoscopy in trauma patients with single penetrating left upper quadrant injuries.

Methods

Using a 1:1 propensity score match, a retrospective study was conducted utilizing data from the ACS-TQP-PUF between 2016 and 2019. Adults sustaining a single penetrating left upper quadrant injury who received either a laparotomy or laparoscopy were included for analysis. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality. Secondary outcomes included ICU-LOS, H-LOS, and complication rates. Multivariable regression and reliability adjustments were performed to control for confounding.

Results

486 patients receiving laparotomy were matched to 486 patients receiving laparoscopy. No differences in inpatient mortality (1.2% vs 2.9%, aOR: 2.92, 95% CI: .32, 26.31); however, patients undergoing laparotomy experienced higher complication rates (7.0% vs 1.2%, aOR: 9.61, 95% CI: 1.94, 47.48), pRBC transfusions (21.8% vs 6.4%, aOR: 3.19, 95% CI: 1.66, 6.13), and H-LOS (Mean ± SD: 8.1 ± 9.8 vs 3.9 ± 4.0, P = .0002). Lower ISS (1 - 15) undergoing laparotomy had more complications (4.3% vs .7%, aOR: 13.52, 95% CI: 1.39, 131.69), pRBC transfusions (13.9% vs 4.9%, aOR: 3.21, 95% CI: 1.53, 6.75), and H-LOS (Mean ± SD: 6.7 ± 7.1 vs 3.6 ± 3.2, P < .0001). There were no differences in mortality among patients with a lower ISS (1.5% vs .4%, aOR: 77.2, 95% CI: (<.001, >999).

Conclusions

Laparotomy is associated with increased rates of complications for single penetrating LUQ trauma. For patients with low ISS, laparoscopy is associated with better outcomes without increase in mortality.
Global asymptotic stabilization of a pendulum using a single Lyapunov proportional bang-bang control strategy
Authors: Knudsen Martinius , Hendseth Sverre , Tufte Gunnar , Sandvig Axel
Published: December 2022

The existence of a Lyapunov function is known to ensure either local or global stability of a system’s equilibrium state. Inspired by the control-Lyapunov method, we here construct a Lyapunov candidate function by analyzing a pendulum system’s total energy and then applying appropriate control actions such that the conditions of a Lyapunov function are met. More specifically, our controller evaluates the Lyapunov function’s time derivative at each time step, and applies control torque such as to ensure that the Lyapunov function decreases for each step toward the goal upright state. Unlike the control-Lyapunov method, which aims to select control input as to minimize the Lyapunov function’s time derivative, our method provides up front the satisfactory conditions that yield a globally stable controller by using a rigorously designed proportional bang-bang control strategy. We show how to derive the controllers evaluation function, and how the controller is implemented in code. We further demonstrate the effectiveness of our method through numerical simulations. The result of our approach is a globally stable upright pendulum using a single-controller strategy.
Emotional reason: The Israeli scientific mind facing a German cultural mirror
Authors: Yair Gad
Published: December 2022

Scientists often surmise that scientific thought is a universal faculty akin to Kant’s description of “pure reason.” The conventional view insists that science should censor the passions and bar the intrusion of emotional and subconscious motives into scientific work. This article challenges this truism by showing that the split between reason and emotions is rather culturally mediated. Using interviews with 125 Israeli scientists who had collaborated with German colleagues, the study allowed respondents to compare their scientific practices and intellectual styles with those of their German compatriots. The results suggest that in contrast to their sober and uber-rational German colleagues, Israeli scientists’ intellectual style can be described as fiery, enflamed, and passionate. Indeed, they often spoke of “love” and “desire” as central elements that drive innovation and creativity in scientific discovery. Their minds, they implied, function through emotional reason.
Why Aren’t All Cantonese Tones Equally Confusing to English Listeners?
Authors: Choi William , Chiu Ming Ming
Published: December 2022

English listeners often struggle to perceive tones, but some are easier than others. This study examined these phenomena grounded in the feature weighing perspective (FWP) and the Perceptual Assimilation Model for Suprasegmentals (PAM-S). Forty-seven English and Cantonese listeners completed 4,212 trials of Cantonese tone discrimination and sequence recall tasks. The English listeners showed asymmetrical perceptual patterns of discrimination but not sequence recall. Specifically, these English listeners discriminated T1–T5, T3–T5, and T4–T5 more accurately than T1–T4, T3–T4, and T1–T3. However, they recalled the contour tone and level tone sequences with similar accuracies. Results of the discrimination task aligned with the predictions of PAM-S but not FWP. However, results of the sequence recall task did not support PAM-S. Together, these results suggest that PAM-S only applies to simple discrimination, not abstract phonological processing with a high memory load.
The Effects of Dysfunctional Workplace Behavior on Teacher Emotional Exhaustion: A Moderated Mediation Model of Perceived Social Support and Anxiety
Authors: Ghasemi Farshad
Published: December 2022

Dysfunctional workplace behavior (DWB) is a prevalent phenomenon in schools, which has adverse consequences for teachers and students. In addition to the known negative implications, little is known about the mechanism through which DWB functions. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of DWB on teacher emotional exhaustion (EE) and understand whether perceived social support (PSS) moderates the mediating effect that anxiety has on the relationship between DWB and EE. A battery of measurement tools was administered to 249 English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Iran. Moderated mediation regressions were used to analyze survey data. Results indicated that anxiety mediated the relationship between DWB and EE. Additionally, it was found that PSS moderated the direct relationship between DWB and anxiety; and the indirect relationship between DWB and EE. DWB was more strongly associated with an increased incidence of anxiety and EE in teachers with low levels of PSS. Results highlight the need to understand the intervening factors and sources of EE to actively identify, assess, and control teachers’ behavioral and mental health risk factors. Given the significant role of emotions in teacher well-being, it is imperative to develop effective interventions (e.g., promoting PSS and positive workplace behaviors) in order to optimize teachers’ emotional and behavioral health.
Library services and facilities in higher education institutions during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pakistan
Authors: Shoaib Muhammad , Ali Nusrat , Anwar Behzad , Abdullah Farooq
Published: December 2022

This article attempts to evaluate the library services and facilities during the pandemic situations in Pakistan. This study is fashioned in positivistic tradition of quantitative research design, and a cross-sectional research method was employed. The objective of the study was to examine the library services available to students and faculty members in two public sector academic libraries in Pakistan. A complete list of students and faculty members was collected from the concerned offices along with their WhatsApp numbers and email address. A total of 1736 students and faculty members sampled through proportionate random sampling technique and filled the questionnaire out of 7835. The inclusion criteria to participate was based on enrolled students of public and private sector university, passed at least one semester of BS (4 years) and MA/MSc (2 years) programme in Pakistan, and faculty members using library resources. A structured questionnaire to measure the response of library patrons and consisted of exogenous and endogenous variables and pretested. The study findings showed that COVID-19 pandemic situations affected educational institutions at a large scale. The social distancing rule was opted to minimise the risk of infection and university libraries were also closed down. However, due to online learning transformation, library materials were digitalized and online library services were provided to students and faculty members.
Creativity as a key competence in advertising industry: Knowledge management and creative potential stimulation
Authors: Lu Jin-Biao , Liu Zhi-Jiang , Tsvetkova Milena
Published: December 2022

The study purpose is to investigate the development of creativity in the process of knowledge management in the advertising industry. The novelty of the research is in the study of creativity and social intelligence management as key competencies of this industry. The study is motivated by the high need for continuous improvement in the quality of training of employees in the advertising industry. The respondents group for the online study was formed by simple randomisation from representatives of the advertising industry in the Russian Federation (42 people) and China (45 people). The training methodology consisted of several online exercises in the form of situational tasks aimed at stimulating creativity as well as the development of communicative, image qualities and social intelligence. Statistical analysis was performed using STATISTICA 13.3 software (StatSoft Inc.). To compare quantitative data in the group of respondents before and after the training, a paired Student’s t-test was used to test the null hypothesis about the absence of statistically significant differences in the results of tests of creativity and other significant variables for pre- and post-test after applying the training methodology. The null hypothesis was rejected. The research has shown the possibilities of stimulation of creative potential and development of active thinking, its fluency and flexibility by means of training sessions.
Information is essential for competitive and cost-effective public procurement
Authors: Gorgun Mustafa Kaan , Kutlu Mucahid , Tas Bedri Kamil Onur
Published: December 2022

Public authorities promote transparent public procurement practices to increase competition and reduce public procurement costs. In this article, we focus on public procurement of the European Union (EU). We employ a multidisciplinary approach to analyse economic effects of information in public procurement. We quantify the information content of 2,390,630 EU public procurement notices published in 22 different languages using natural language processing techniques. Subsequently, we examine the impact of the information content on public procurement outcomes. We find that higher information levels have significant positive effects. Competition is considerably higher when notices contain more information. On average, contract prices would be 6%–8% lower if notices were to contain adequate information. EU governments could save up to [Formula: see text]80 billion if all public procurement notices were to have detailed information. Based on our comprehensive analysis, we believe that authorities should regulate the information content of notices to promote competition and cost-effectiveness in public procurement.
A unified model of ketamine’s dissociative and psychedelic properties
Authors: Marguilho Miriam , Figueiredo Inês , Castro-Rodrigues Pedro
Published: December 2022

Ketamine is an N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonist which is increasingly being researched and used as a treatment for depression. In low doses, it can cause a transitory modification in consciousness which was classically labelled as ‘dissociation’. However, ketamine is also commonly classified as an atypical psychedelic and it has been recently reported that ego dissolution experiences during ketamine administration are associated with greater antidepressant response. Neuroimaging studies have highlighted several similarities between the effects of ketamine and those of serotonergic psychedelics in the brain; however, no unified account has been proposed for ketamine’s multi-level effects – from molecular to network and psychological levels. Here, we propose that the fast, albeit transient, antidepressant effects observed after ketamine infusions are mainly driven by its acute modulation of reward circuits and sub-acute increase in neuroplasticity, while its dissociative and psychedelic properties are driven by dose- and context-dependent disruption of large-scale functional networks. Computationally, as nodes of the salience network (SN) represent high-level priors about the body (‘minimal’ self) and nodes of the default-mode network (DMN) represent the highest-level priors about narrative self-experience (‘biographical’ self), we propose that transitory SN desegregation and disintegration accounts for ketamine’s ‘ dissociative’ state, while transitory DMN desegregation and disintegration accounts for ketamine’s ‘ psychedelic’ state. In psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, a relaxation of the highest-level beliefs with psychotherapeutic support may allow a revision of pathological self-representation models, for which neuroplasticity plays a permissive role. Our account provides a multi-level rationale for using the psychedelic properties of ketamine to increase its long-term benefits.
The mediating role of music preference in the relationship between personality and pro-sociability
Authors: Santos Isabella Leandra Silva , Pimentel Carlos Eduardo , Mariano Tailson Evangelista , Abreu Amanda Barros de
Published: December 2022

The present study aimed to observe the relationships between music preference, pro-sociability, and personality, considering the mediating role of music preference. A total of 236 Brazilians participated in the study (59.7% female, Mage = 20.11, SD = 4.74). The results showed that the music preference factors (Energetic-Rhythmic, Reflexive-Complex, Popular Music, and Conventional Music) correlated positively with pro-sociability, especially the preference for popular music, which encompasses some of the most heard genres in the Brazilian context ( r = .42, p < .01). Regarding personality, the relationships between openness and reflexive-complex music ( r = .28, p < .01), and between extroversion ( r = .22, p < .01) and agreeableness ( r = .13, p < .05) and popular music stand out. Finally, a statistically significant explanatory model (goodness-of-fit index = 0.99, comparative fit index = 0.99, root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.01, 90% CI = [0.00, 0.01], root-mean-square of residual = 0.01) indicated that the preference for popular music mediated indirect effects of extroversion (λ = 0.06, 95% CI = [0.02, 0.11], p < .01) and agreeableness (λ = 0.05, 95% CI = [0.01, 0.11], p < .05) in pro-sociability.
Music performance anxiety and self-compassion in college-level music majors
Authors: Farley Alison , Kelley Jamey
Published: December 2022

Music performance anxiety (MPA) can result in negative mental health outcomes in musicians and can range from minor stress to significant physiological symptoms that affect performance. Self-compassion is a construct used to measure, improve, and understand mental health and well-being without the potentially negative psychological outcomes that result from preserving high self-esteem. With a growing need for understanding the mental health of college-level musicians, this study examined the relationship between levels of self-compassion and MPA. Data were collected using the Self-Compassion Scale and the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Index and were analyzed for correlational and predictive potential. The data suggested a strong inverse relationship between the two constructs; people who reported higher levels of self-compassion reported a lower incidence of MPA. The self-compassion component of self-kindness was found to be a unique predictor of MPA. The demonstrated relationship between self-compassion and MPA implies promise for interventions focusing on positive self-talk and self-kindness as a means to help musicians cope with experiences of MPA.
Sustaining innovation during downsizing strategy through knowledge coupling, business process digitization, and market capitalizing agility
Authors: Fawad Sharif Sayed Muhammad , Yang Naiding , Rehman Atiq ur , Alghamdi Omar
Published: December 2022

COVID-19 has developed chaos and uncertainty for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) causing mass downsizing. Under such uncertainty, innovation is key to survival and agility to growth. This study examines role of knowledge coupling and business process digitization (BPD) in sustaining innovation through market capitalizing agility (MCA) besides downsizing strategy. Data have been collected from top and mid management of Chinese manufacturing SMEs and analyzed with knowledge-based view and self-tuning model through Smart-PLS 4. Knowledge coupling positively contributes to MCA and innovation irrespective of downsizing strategy. Effect of BPD on innovation performance is same; however, insignificant on MCA in no-downsizing sample. Likewise, MCA positively influences innovation performance and positively mediates between knowledge coupling (BPD) and innovation performance only during downsizing. This study is first of its kind to establish mediating effect of MCA between knowledge coupling (BPD) and innovation performance during downsizing phase and offers significant theoretical and practical implications.

JEL Classification:

J63, O31
Port Competition and Cooperation Under Emission and Privatization
Authors: Yuan Kebiao , Wang Xuefeng
Published: December 2022

The study considers the competition and cooperation between mixed duopoly ports with service differentiation when both emission tax and partial privatization policies are implemented together. By developing three-game models between government and port enterprises, this paper first studies and compares, under different game scenarios, the optimal emission tax for mixed duopoly ports and privatization level for a semipublic port, as well as the optimal output (or pricing) and emission reduction of semipublic and private ports. Moreover, the profit and utility of the two ports, environment damage, consumer surplus, and social welfare are also compared, and the impacts of technology spillover for emission reduction and service differentiation on the decision-making of the government and port enterprises are discussed. We find that the optimal emission tax under a strategic cooperation scenario can reach a higher level, then the government needs more efforts to protect the environment. In addition, although port cooperation is conducive to maximizing social welfare and increasing port throughput, it harms the profitability of the two ports.
Procalcitonin as prognostic factor in patients with Fournier’s gangrene
Authors: Ongaro Luca , Claps Francesco , Rizzo Michele , Di Cosmo Giacomo , Traunero Fabio , D’Andrea Eugenia , Garaffa Giulio , Cai Tommaso , Zucchi Alessandro , Trombetta Carlo , Liguori Giovanni
Published: December 2022

Introduction:

Fournier’s Gangrene (FG) has still a mortality rate up to 45%. Several studies identified prognostic factors but there is a knowledge gap concerning procalcitonin (PCT) levels and mortality risk in FG. This study is aimed to assess the role of PCT as prognostic factor in FG.

Materials and methods:

The medical records of 20 male FG patients admitted at the Department of Urology of “Cattinara” Hospital, University of Trieste between January 2019 and November 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical, demographic, microbiological data were collected. The Fournier’s Gangrene Severity Index (FGSI) was calculated for each patient.

Results:

Thirteen (65%) of 20 patients survived. Median age was 58 years (IQR 51–88), 15 patients (75%) had a Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score ⩾2, 1 (5%) equal to 0, 4 to 1 (20%). Median FGSI score was 6 (IQR 2–12) and median PCT 0.8 ng/ml (IQR 0.04–2.12). At multivariate analysis PCT levels >0.05 ng/ml were associated with an increased overall mortality risk (OR 2.14, CI 1.25–4.27, p = 0.002). CCI score ⩾2 (OR 1.51, CI 1.01–2.59, p = 0.04), Streptococcical etiology (OR 3.41, CI 2.49–4.61, p = 0.002) and FGSI score >9 (OR 1.41, CI 1.19–2.21, p = 0.004) were associated with unfavorable outcome.

Conclusion:

PCT might be a prognostic factor in FG. CCI and FGSI are useful tools in mortality risk stratification. Streptococcical etiology is associated with unfavorable outcome. Further larger clinical trials are pending.