bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A deep LSTM network for the Spanish electricity consumption forecasting
Authors: Torres J. F. , Martínez-Álvarez F. , Troncoso A.
Published: February 2022

Nowadays, electricity is a basic commodity necessary for the well-being of any modern society. Due to the growth in electricity consumption in recent years, mainly in large cities, electricity forecasting is key to the management of an efficient, sustainable and safe smart grid for the consumer. In this work, a deep neural network is proposed to address the electricity consumption forecasting in the short-term, namely, a long short-term memory (LSTM) network due to its ability to deal with sequential data such as time-series data. First, the optimal values for certain hyper-parameters have been obtained by a random search and a metaheuristic, called coronavirus optimization algorithm (CVOA), based on the propagation of the SARS-Cov-2 virus. Then, the optimal LSTM has been applied to predict the electricity demand with 4-h forecast horizon. Results using Spanish electricity data during nine years and half measured with 10-min frequency are presented and discussed. Finally, the performance of the proposed LSTM using random search and the LSTM using CVOA is compared, on the one hand, with that of recently published deep neural networks (such as a deep feed-forward neural network optimized with a grid search) and temporal fusion transformers optimized with a sampling algorithm, and, on the other hand, with traditional machine learning techniques, such as a linear regression, decision trees and tree-based ensemble techniques (gradient-boosted trees and random forest), achieving the smallest prediction error below 1.5%.
The isoperimetric problem in 2d domains without necks
Authors: Leonardi Gian Paolo , Saracco Giorgio
Published: February 2022

We give a complete characterization of all isoperimetric sets contained in a domain of the Euclidean plane, that is bounded by a Jordan curve and satisfies a no neck property. Further, we prove that the isoperimetric profile of such domain is convex above the volume of the largest ball contained in it, and that its square is globally convex.
Expansion of eigenvalues of the perturbed discrete bilaplacian
Authors: Kholmatov Shokhrukh Yu. , Khalkhuzhaev Ahmad , Pardabaev Mardon
Published: February 2022

We consider the family $$\begin{aligned} {\widehat{{ H}}}_\mu := {\widehat{\varDelta }} {\widehat{\varDelta }} - \mu {\widehat{{ V}}},\qquad \mu \in {\mathbb {R}}, \end{aligned}$$

H
^

μ

:
=

Δ
^

Δ
^

-
μ

V
^

,

μ
∈
R
,

of discrete Schrödinger-type operators in d-dimensional lattice $${\mathbb {Z}}^d$$

Z

d

, where $${\widehat{\varDelta }}$$

Δ
^

is the discrete Laplacian and $${\widehat{{ V}}}$$

V
^

is of rank-one. We prove that there exist coupling constant thresholds $$\mu _o,\mu ^o\ge 0$$

μ
o

,

μ
o

≥
0

such that for any $$\mu \in [-\mu ^o,\mu _o]$$

μ
∈
[
-

μ
o

,

μ
o

]

the discrete spectrum of $${\widehat{{ H}_\mu }}$$

H
μ

^

is empty and for any $$\mu \in {\mathbb {R}}\setminus [-\mu ^o,\mu _o]$$

μ
∈
R
\
[
-

μ
o

,

μ
o

]

the discrete spectrum of $${\widehat{{ H}_\mu }}$$

H
μ

^

is a singleton $$\{e(\mu )\},$$

{
e
(
μ
)
}
,

and $$e(\mu )<0$$

e
(
μ
)
<
0

for $$\mu >\mu _o$$

μ
>

μ
o

and $$e(\mu )>4d^2$$

e

(
μ
)

>
4

d
2

for $$\mu <-\mu ^o.$$

μ
<
-

μ
o

.

Moreover, we study the asymptotics of $$e(\mu )$$

e
(
μ
)

as $$\mu \searrow \mu _o$$

μ
↘

μ
o

and $$\mu \nearrow -\mu ^o$$

μ
↗
-

μ
o

as well as $$\mu \rightarrow \pm \infty .$$

μ
→
±
∞
.

The asymptotics highly depends on d and $${\widehat{{ V}}}.$$

V
^

.
Daily Oral Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Continuation Among Women from Durban, South Africa, Who Initiated PrEP as Standard of Care for HIV Prevention in a Clinical Trial
Authors: Beesham Ivana , Joseph Davey Dvora L. , Beksinska Mags , Bosman Shannon , Smit Jenni , Mansoor Leila E.
Published: February 2022

HIV incidence among women in Eastern and Southern Africa remains unacceptably high, highlighting the need for effective HIV prevention options, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes trial offered daily oral PrEP to participants during the latter part of the clinical trial as an additional HIV prevention choice. We explored daily oral PrEP continuation at trial exit among women enrolled from Durban, South Africa who initiated oral PrEP at the trial site. Of the 132 women initiating oral PrEP, 87% reported continuation of oral PrEP at month 1, 80% at month 3, and 75% continued using oral PrEP at their final trial visit and were referred to off-site facilities for ongoing oral PrEP access. The median duration of oral PrEP use in trial participants who used oral PrEP was 91 days (IQR 87 to 142 days). Women who disclosed their oral PrEP use to someone had increased odds of continuing oral PrEP at trial exit. Women who reported > 1 sex partner and those who felt they would probably or definitely get infected with HIV had reduced odds of continuing oral PrEP at trial exit. Of those discontinuing oral PrEP (n = 32), > 50% discontinued within the first month, and the most common reason for discontinuation was reporting side effects. The high rates of oral PrEP continuation in our study are encouraging and our findings can be utilized by other clinical trials providing oral PrEP as standard of care for HIV prevention and by oral PrEP implementation programmes.
Mapping sex differences in the effects of protein and carbohydrates on lifespan and reproduction in Drosophila melanogaster: is measuring nutrient intake essential?
Authors: Carey Matthew R. , Archer C. Ruth , Rapkin James , Castledine Meaghan , Jensen Kim , House Clarissa M. , Hosken David J. , Hunt John
Published: February 2022

Understanding how diet affects reproduction and survival is a central aim in evolutionary biology. Although this relationship is likely to differ between the sexes, we lack data relating diet to male reproductive traits. One exception to this general pattern is Drosophila melanogaster, where male dietary intake was quantified using the CApillary FEeder (CAFE) method. However, CAFE feeding reduces D. melanogaster survival and reproduction, so may distort diet-fitness outcomes. Here, we use the Geometric Framework of Nutrition to create nutrient landscapes that map sex-specific relationships between protein, carbohydrate, lifespan and reproduction in D. melanogaster. Rather than creating landscapes with consumption data, we map traits onto the nutrient composition of forty agar-based diets, generating broad coverage of nutrient space. We find that male and female lifespan was maximised on low protein, high carbohydrate blends (~ 1P:15.9C). This nutrient ratio also maximised male reproductive rates, but females required more protein to maximise daily fecundity (1P:1.22C). These results are consistent with CAFE assay outcomes. However, the approach employed here improved female fitness relative to CAFE assays, while effects of agar versus CAFE feeding on male fitness traits depended on the nutrient composition of experimental diets. We suggest that informative nutrient landscapes can be made without measuring individual nutrient intake and that in many cases, this may be preferable to using the CAFE approach. The most appropriate method will depend on the question and species being studied, but the approach adopted here has the advantage of creating nutritional landscapes when dietary intake is hard to quantify.
The child everyone has inside: anthropology and the labor theory of value
Authors: Angosto-Ferrández Luis F.
Published: February 2022

This paper revisits the debate on the relevance of the labor theory of value for the anthropological task. It argues that the labor theory of value can creatively inform and reformulate in critical ways a variety of social issues addressed through anthropological lenses. The argument is sustained by two main exercises: first, a critical overview of the foundations of the labor theory of value outlines the reasons why it opened new grounds for anthropological and, more generally, for social-scientific enquiries. Second, a discussion of the key points of friction between scholarship that attempts to develop an “anthropological” theory of value as an end in itself and anthropological scholarship that resorts to the (labor) theory of value to critically inform research.
Diverse phytoplasmas associated with maize bushy stunt disease in Peru
Authors: Gamarra Delia Gamarra , Villar Charo Milagros , Suarez Gilberto Torres , Esteban Walter Darlyn Ingaruca , Contaldo Nicoletta , Lozano Emerson Clovis Carrasco , Bertaccini Assunta
Published: February 2022

Corn plants showing symptoms of midribs chlorosis, and leaf reddening, short internodes, ear proliferation, and plant growth reduction were collected in Peru from fields in nine localities in the provinces of Huancayo, Chupaca, and Jauja in the Junín region, and tested to verify phytoplasma presence and identity. Primers amplifying the phytoplasma ribosomal 16S and ribosomal protein genes were used. The phytoplasma presence was detected in symptomatic samples from all the surveyed areas. The sequencing of the obtained amplicons indicated the presence of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ and ‘Ca. P. pruni’-related strains. A BLASTn search of sequenced genes showed that the two ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma’ strains identified in corn shares 100% and 99.82% identity with the ‘Ca. P. asteris’ strains from maize and 99.92% and 99.55% with ‘Ca. P. pruni’-related strains, respectively. The RFLP analyses allowed to enclose these phytoplasma strains in the 16SrI-B and 16SrIII-J subgroups; however, the two phytoplasmas were, in some cases, present in mixed infection. The 16SrIII-J phytoplasma is for the first time reported associated with the maize bushy stunt disease and this represent a relevant information for the disease epidemiology towards its appropriate management in the affected area.
Primordial Black Holes from Collapsing Antimatter
Authors: Etesi Gábor
Published: February 2022

In this paper a simple (i.e. free of fine-tuning, etc.) new mechanism for primordial black hole formation based on the collapse of large antimatter systems in the early Universe is introduced. A peculiarity of this process is that, compared to their material counterparts, the collapse of large antimatter systems takes much less time due to the reversed thermodynamics of antimatter, an idea which has been proposed in our earlier paper Etesi (2021). This model has several testable predictions. The first is that the photon-baryon ratio is roughly computable and is equal to $$3.03\times 10^9$$

3.03
×

10
9

which is quite close to its experimentally confirmed value. The second is that the mass of black holes arising from this mechanism is at least $$10^5$$

10
5

-$$10^6M_\odot$$

10
6

M
⊙

hence they contribute to the super- or hypermassive end of the primordial black hole mass spectrum. The third prediction is that these sort of primordial black holes constitute at least $$20\%$$

20
%

of dark matter. Last but not least the observed current asymmetry of matter and antimatter, even if their presence in the Universe was symmetric in the beginning, acquires a natural explanation, too.
Does this Answer Make Sense? Primary School Students and Adults Judge the Reasonableness of Computational Results in Context-Based and Context-Free Mathematical Tasks
Authors: Deslis Dimitrios , Desli Despoina
Published: February 2022

This study investigates students’ and adults’ performance in judging reasonableness of computational results, namely reflecting on whether these results qualify as acceptable answers to mathematical tasks. Data was gathered via task-based questionnaires from 160 participants, evenly divided between fifth-graders and adults. Their responses to a systematically varied collection of context-free and context-based items shed light on their performance and strategies in relation to two interrelated aspects of reasonableness: number relationships and the effect of operations (internal reasonableness) and the practicality of answers (external reasonableness). The results revealed that students were better at utilising the former criterion compared to the latter, while for adults, the opposite was found. However, adults clearly outperformed students in both aspects. Task characteristics such as the involved numbers and operations, and the correctness or incorrectness of computation results, were found to be associated with fluctuations in performance, although the effect differed between context-free and context-based items. Algorithm- and rule-based strategies were more popular than sense-making ones especially among students, although only the latter type was correlated with increased correct response rates. Students often failed to obtain results that made sense considering real-life situations or the involved numbers and operations. Instead, they blindly trusted algorithms and rules, even when their use was inappropriate or insufficient. The findings highlight that to help students refine their ability to judge reasonableness, mathematics classrooms should prioritise the development of number sense and promote the search for connections between school mathematics and everyday life.
Conceptualising the Cosmos: Development and Validation of the Cosmology Concept Inventory for High School
Authors: Salimpour Saeed , Tytler Russell , Doig Brian , Fitzgerald Michael T. , Eriksson Urban
Published: February 2022

Cosmology concepts encompass complex spatial and temporal relations that are counterintuitive. Cosmology findings, because of their intrinsic interest, are often reported in the public domain with enthusiasm, and students come to cosmology with a range of conceptions some aligned and some at variance with the current science. This makes cosmology concepts challenging to teach, and also challenging to evaluate students’ conceptual understanding. This study builds on previous research of the authors investigating the methodological challenges for characterising students’ cosmology conceptions and the reasoning underlying these. Insights from student responses in two iterations of an open-ended instrument were used to develop a concept inventory that combined cosmological conceptions with reasoning levels based on the SOLO taxonomy. This paper reports on the development and validation of the Cosmology Concept Inventory (CosmoCI) for high school. CosmoCI is a 28-item multiple-choice instrument that was implemented with grade 10 and 11 school students (n = 234) in Australia and Sweden. Using Rasch analysis in the form of a partial credit model (PCM), the paper describes a validated progression in student reasoning in cosmology across four conceptual dimensions, supporting the utility of CosmoCI as an assessment tool which can also instigate rich discussions in the science classroom.
Toxicity of bisphenol A and its structural congeners to microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Desmodesmus armatus
Authors: Czarny-Krzymińska Karolina , Krawczyk Barbara , Szczukocki Dominik
Published: February 2022

Bisphenol A and its structural congeners are increasingly recognized as emerging contaminants with toxic and estrogenic potential that have been widely used in many consumer products. Due to their widespread occurrence in aquatic environment, they could pose risks to the primary producers, such as microalgae. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the toxicity of bisphenol A, its six structural congeners, and their mixture towards the green algae Chlorella vulgaris and Desmodesmus armatus. Bisphenol A (average 14 days, EC50: 42.29 mg L−1) exhibited less harmful effect than structural congeners, such as bisphenol AF, bisphenol G, bisphenol X for C. vulgaris (average 14 days, EC50: 22.39 mg L−1) and bisphenol AF, bisphenol G, bisphenol M, bisphenol X for D. armatus (average 14 days, EC50: 27.16 mg L−1), respectively. Moreover, exposure to combined bisphenol A and its structural congeners leads to synergistic effects. Thus, the increased adverse effect caused by complex chemical mixture poses a greater risk to microalgae. The order of toxic effect (14 days, EC50) of individual and combined structural congeners was: bisphenol G > bisphenol X > mixture > bisphenol AF > bisphenol A > bisphenol Y > bisphenol M > bisphenol P for C. vulgaris and mixture > bisphenol G > bisphenol X > bisphenol M > bisphenol AF > bisphenol A > bisphenol Y > bisphenol P for D. armatus, respectively. This is the first time that the toxicity of structural congeners of bisphenol A and its mixture to microalgae is described. Furthermore, these results were conducted to assess potential ecological risk of these compounds in the aquatic environment.
Organogelators with dual β- and α-nucleating ability in isotactic polypropylene
Authors: Horváth Flóra , Bodrogi Dominika , Hilt Bendegúz , Pregi Emese , Menyhárd Alfréd
Published: February 2022

Nucleation efficiency and the special supermolecular structure formed in the presence of novel nucleating agents, N,N′-dicyclohexylsuberoylamide and N,N′-dicyclohexylsebacoylamide are presented in this work. The nucleation effect is studied in isotactic polypropylene (iPP). The melting and crystallization processes as well as the polymorphic composition are studied using calorimetric and thermo-optical techniques, while the solubility of the nucleating agents is studied by rheology. The properties of the iPP products nucleated by the novel compounds are characterized by conventional tensile and impact tests and the optical properties are measured by standardized haze measurements. The results indicated clearly that the studied nucleating agents are partially soluble in the iPP melt and possess dual nucleating ability. The formation of β-phase is evidenced by the calorimetric and thermo-optical measurements. The morphology of the nucleated samples shows similarity to iPP nucleated by well-known soluble “organogelators”; however, the nucleating agents introduced in this work are the first “organogelators” with β-nucleating efficiency.
Research on the Positioning Technology of Sports 3D Teaching Action Based on Machine Vision
Authors: Hao Liu , Pandey Hari Mohan
Published: February 2022

This paper presents a method of action location in three-dimensional motion teaching. The machine vision technology is used to solve the problems of low positioning accuracy and long positioning time in the traditional motion three-dimensional teaching method. The work of this method is as follows: (a) using machine vision method to determine the world coordinate system of the image; (b) using MRF algorithm to extract the features of 3D teaching action image; (c) determining the spatial correlation of 3D teaching action data. In the three-dimensional teaching action image, the smooth filtering technology is used to suppress and eliminate the noise. Then the convolution neural network (CNN) is used to reconstruct the three-dimensional teaching action image. The entropy of three-dimensional teaching behavior of physical education is determined by CNN. Through a large number of computer simulations, the effectiveness of the proposed system is confirmed. The results show that the system achieves 95% accuracy when the positioning time is 1.9 s.
Incomplete Tests of Conditional Association for the Assessment of Model Assumptions
Authors: Ligtvoet Rudy
Published: February 2022

Many of the models that have been proposed for response data share the assumptions that define the monotone homogeneity (MH) model. Observable properties that are implied by the MH model allow for these assumptions to be tested. For binary response data, the most restrictive of these properties is called conditional association (CA). All the other properties considered can be considered incomplete tests of CA that alleviate the practical limitations encountered when assessing the MH model assumptions using CA. It is found that the assessment of the MH model assumptions with an incomplete test of CA, rather than CA, is generally associated with a substantial loss of information. We also look at the sensitivity of the observable properties to model violation and discuss the implications of the results. It is argued that more research is required about the extent to which the assumptions and the model specifications influence the inferences made from response data.
Effects of multifunctional weir construction on key water quality indicators: a case study in Nakdong River, Korea
Authors: Jo C. D. , Lee C. G. , Kwon H. G.
Published: February 2022

In this study, changes in water quality characteristics were compared before and after the construction of eight multifunctional weirs in the Nakdong River Basin in South Korea. A cluster analysis of spatial variation showed that the locations classified as Cluster 1 pre-construction (sites ND7 and ND8) shifted into Cluster 2 post-construction, indicating that spatial cluster types changed after the construction of multifunctional weirs. Principal component and factor analyses revealed that nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients at the pre-construction stage (total nitrogen, total phosphorous, and phosphate-phosphorus) and electrical conductivity were extracted in principal component 1, while biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, pH, and chlorophyll-a were extracted in principal component 2. However, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, and chlorophyll-a at the post-construction stage were extracted in principal component 1, while total nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen, and dissolved oxygen were extracted in principal component 2. The key water quality indicators transitioned from nutrients to organic pollutants after the construction of the multifunctional weirs. A water quality trend analysis with seasonal Mann–Kendall testing and locally weighted scatter plot smoothing methods showed that organic pollutant indicators such as chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon tended to increase after the construction of multifunctional weirs. Therefore, the key quality indicators for water quality improvement and management should be chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon.
Red Blood Cell-Mimic Nanocatalyst Triggering Radical Storm to Augment Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Li Jiong , Wang Sijia , Lin Xinyi , Cao Yanbing , Cai Zhixiong , Wang Jing , Zhang Zhenxi , Liu Xiaolong , Wu Ming , Yao Cuiping
Published: February 2022

Red blood cells (RBCs) have recently emerged as promosing candidates for cancer treatment in terms of relieving tumor hypoxia and inducing oxidative damage against cancer cells, but they are still far from satisfactory due to their limited oxygen transport and reactive oxygen species generation rate in tumor tissue. Herein, artificial RBCs (designated FTP@RBCM) with radical storm production ability were developed for oncotherapy through multidimensional reactivity pathways of Fe-protoporphyrin-based hybrid metal–organic frameworks (FTPs, as the core), including photodynamic/chemodynamic-like, catalase-like and glutathione peroxidase-like activities. Meanwhile, owing to the advantages of long circulation abilities of RBCs provided by their cell membranes (RBCMs), FTP with a surface coated with RBCMs (FTP@RBCM) could enormously accumulate at tumor site to achieve remarkably enhanced therapeutic efficiency. Intriguingly, this ROS-mediated dynamic therapy was demonstrated to induce acute local inflammation and high immunogenic cancer death, which evoked a systemic antitumor immune response when combined with the newly identified T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-containing molecule 3 (Tim-3) checkpoint blockade, leading to not only effective elimination of primary tumors but also an abscopal effect of growth suppression of distant tumors. Therefore, such RBC-mimic nanocatalysts with multidimensional catalytic capacities might provide a promising new insight into synergistic cancer treatment.
Experimental and Numerical Analysis of an Innovative Mixer Geometry for Urea Injection in SCR Applications
Authors: Millo Federico , Sapio Francesco , Paradisi Benedetta Peiretti , Bianco Andrea , Postrioti Lucio , Buitoni Giacomo , Tabarrini Marco , Robino Cristina
Published: February 2022

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR), based on the injection of urea-water-solution (UWS), is one of the prevailing and more effective approaches to reduce NOx emissions in diesel engines. To improve the performance and durability of the system, it is crucial to develop reliable simulation tools able to correctly describe not only the urea conversion into ammonia and the mixing with exhaust gases but also the possible formation of solid deposits along with the engine’s exhaust line.

In the present paper, two different exhaust systems for off-road applications are analyzed, both of them consisting of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) followed by a diesel particulate filter (DPF), a UWS injection and a mixing device, and an SCR catalyst. Two alternative UWS mixing subsystems are evaluated, including a newly developed design. A 3D-CFD numerical analysis is carried out to assess the performance of both systems in terms of pressure drop, UWS spray, and liquid film development, in addition to flow velocities and species concentration uniformities at SCR catalyst inlet. A detailed analysis of droplet impingement on walls and liquid film development is enabled, thanks to a conjugate heat transfer (CHT) approach. Moreover, a deposit risk index is used to identify the areas of the systems where urea deposit formation is expected.

Eventually, numerical results are compared with experiments on one operating condition chosen as the most challenging in terms of exhaust temperature and flow rate, both in terms of systems NOx conversion efficiency and deposit formation, showing a satisfactory agreement, thus paving the way to use the proposed synergetic numerical and experimental approach to further optimize the design and the system’s performance.
Self-assembled carbon nanoribbons with the heteroatom doping used as ultrafast charging cathodes in zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors
Authors: Li Yuying , Huang Jiajia , Kang Liqun , Tian Zhihong , Lai Feili , Brett Dan J. L. , Liu Tianxi , He Guanjie
Published: February 2022

Zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSs) are highly desirable for large-scale energy storage applications owing to the merits of high safety, low cost and ultra-long cycle life. The poor rate performance of cathodes, however, severely hinders their application. Herein, aqueous ZHSs with superior performance were fabricated by employing a series of ultrathin carbon nanobelts modified with B, N, O (CPTHB-Bx). The heteroatom doping can significantly modify the chemical behaviors of carbon frameworks, which could generate numerous active sites and accelerate the charge transport. The systematic investigation reveals that the B–N groups are active species for fast Zn-ion adsorption and desorption. As a result, the best-performed CPTHB-B2 exhibits an excellent electrochemical performance as cathodes in ZHSs, delivering a high specific capacitance of 415.3 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, a record high capacitance retention of 81% when increasing the current densities from 0.5 to 100 A g−1, an outstanding energy density of 131.9 W h kg−1 and an exceptionally high power density of 42.1 kW kg−1. Our work provides a new cathode design for ultrafast charging Zn-ion storage devices.
Long-term rainfall projection based on CMIP6 scenarios for Kurau River Basin of rice-growing irrigation scheme, Malaysia
Authors: Adib Muhammad Nasir Mohd , Harun Sobri , Rowshon Md. Kamal
Published: February 2022

Rainfall is a vital component in the rice water demand model for estimating irrigation requirements. Information on how the future patterns are likely to evolve is essential for rice-growing management. This study presents possible changes in the future monthly rainfall patterns by perturbing model parameters of a stochastic rainfall using the change factor method for the Kerian rice irrigation scheme in Malaysia. An ensemble of five Global Climate Models under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5) were employed to project rainfall from 2021 to 2080. The results show that the stochastic rainfall generator performed well at preserving the statistical properties between simulated and observed rainfall. Most scenarios predict the increasing trend of the mean monthly rainfall with only a few months decreasing in April and May occurring in off (dry) season. The future patterns 2051–2080 show a significant increasing trend during main (wet) season compared to the near future period (2021–2050). The projected future rainfall under SSP1-2.6 and SSP2-4.5 are higher than SSP5-8.5 from January to July, and December but lower from August to November. The projected annual rainfall will significantly increase toward 2080 during the main-season but uniform during the off-season except under SSP5-8.5, which is significantly decreasing. The output results are essential for rice farmers and water managers to manage and secure future rice irrigation water under the impact of future climate change. The projected changes in rainfall on the river basin demand further study before concluding the impact consequences for the rice sector.

Article highlights

The rainfall generator performs well in simulating future rainfall based on an ensemble of five different GCMs considering three different scenarios emission (low, medium, and high) caused by greenhouse gas and radiative forcing.

The future rainfall projection predicted that off (dry) season would become wet, and main (wet) season would become wetter due increase in monthly and annual rainfall.

The outcomes of this paper are beneficial for rice farmers and water managers of the study area to manage their rice cultivation and water release from the reservoir schedules to avoid losses due to flood and drought.
Assessment of radiological hazards from soil samples in the Northeastern area of Burkina Faso
Authors: Beogo Cedric E. , Cisse Ousmane I. , Zougmore Francois
Published: February 2022

The activity concentrations of main naturally occurring radionuclides were determined with the aim of assessing the radiation hazards in the Northeastern part of Burkina Faso. Soil samples were taken and analyzed by the gamma-ray spectrometry method. The ranges of specific activity of 238U, 232Th and40K are $$15.25 \pm 2.59 \, \text{Bq} \cdot {\text{kg}^{-1}}$$

15.25
±
2.59

Bq
·

kg

-
1

to $$109.57 \pm 3.21 \, \text{Bq} \cdot {\text{kg}^{-1}}$$

109.57
±
3.21

Bq
·

kg

-
1

, $$19.56 \pm 1.65 \, \text{Bq} \cdot {\text{kg}^{-1}}$$

19.56
±
1.65

Bq
·

kg

-
1

to $$44.88 \pm 2.49 \text{Bq} \cdot {\text{kg}^{-1}}$$

44.88
±
2.49
Bq
·

kg

-
1

and $$125.74 \pm 4.40 \, \text{Bq} \cdot {\text{kg}^{-1}}$$

125.74
±
4.40

Bq
·

kg

-
1

to $$705.85 \pm 10.79 \, \text{Bq} \cdot {\text{kg}^{-1}}$$

705.85
±
10.79

Bq
·

kg

-
1

respectively. Three high background radioactivity areas have been identified for Uranium, Thorium and Potassium on different places in the study area. The radiological hazards indices vary from $$62.87 \, \text{Bq} \cdot {\text{kg}^{-1}}$$

62.87

Bq
·

kg

-
1

to $$189.47 \, \text{Bq} \cdot {\text{kg}^{-1}}$$

189.47

Bq
·

kg

-
1

for the Radium equivalent activity ($$Ra_{eq}$$

R

a

eq

), $$29.5 \, \eta \text{Gy} \cdot {\text{h}^{-1}}$$

29.5

η
Gy
·

h

-
1

to $$86.65 \, \eta \text{Gy} \cdot {\text{h}^{-1}}$$

86.65

η
Gy
·

h

-
1

for the absorbed dose rate ($$D_R$$

D
R

), $$0.18 \, \text{mSv} \cdot {\text{y}^{-1}}$$

0.18

mSv
·

y

-
1

to $$0.53 \, \text{mSv} \cdot {\text{y}^{-1}}$$

0.53

mSv
·

y

-
1

for the annual effective dose rate (AEDE), 0.21 to 0.81 for the internal hazard index ($$H_{in}$$

H

in

), 0.17 to 0.51 for the external hazard index ($$H_{ex}$$

H

ex

), $$1.27 \times 10^{-4}$$

1.27
×

10

-
4

to $$3.73 \times 10^{-4}$$

3.73
×

10

-
4

for the Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) and $$209.01{\mkern 1mu} \mu \, 0.18{\mkern 1mu} Sv \cdot y^{{ - 1}}$$

209.01

μ

0.18

S
v
·

y

-
1

to $$594.21 \, \mu \text{Sv} \cdot {\text{y}^{-1}}$$

594.21

μ
Sv
·

y

-
1

for the annual gonadal dose equivalent. The average values of indices are well below their permissible limit. However, at Niapsi the obtained values for absorbed dose rate, annual effective dose rate and excess lifetime cancer risk are little above their permissible limit.
E-waste it wisely: lessons from Africa
Authors: Maes Thomas , Preston-Whyte Fiona
Published: February 2022

E-waste is the world’s fastest growing and most valuable domestic waste stream. The increasing production of e-waste is driving elevated levels of export from developed to developing countries. Although countries worldwide are actively recognising the issues around e-waste and introducing policies, legislation or regulations governing e-waste, a large fraction of e-waste, goes undocumented at its end-of-life. Much of the global e-waste is accumulating in open dumpsites in several African countries. Using available data, we calculate the total e-waste in Africa (locally produced plus imported e-waste) for 2019 to be between 5.8 and 3.4 metric tonnes (Mt). This is believed to be an underestimate, large data gaps exist, hindering more precise estimates. The data is further complicated by, sometimes intentional, differences in labelling and reporting between formal and intermittent informal importers. Based on the available data, the main African recipients of e-waste are Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania, with Kenya, Senegal and Egypt featuring as countries of concern. The lack of proper waste management in the recipient developing countries, leads to environmental contamination and human exposure. A coordinated, regional and global, approach is needed in tackling e-waste. Regulatory frameworks, together with monitoring and compliance mechanisms need to be developed, financed, and enforced.
Using a needle for sacrospinous ligament fixation for pelvic organ prolapse based on the Miyazaki technique
Authors: Musin Ilnur Irekovich , Yashchuk Alfiya Galimovna , Pavlov Valentin Nikolaevich , Wang Jianliu , Sun Xiuli , Naftulovich Raisa Arkadevna , Popova Elena Mikhailovna
Published: February 2022

Background

Approximately 7% of all women will require surgery to correct pelvic organ prolapse during their lives. Of these, approximately 10%-13% will require another operation within 5 years due to recurrence of the disease. Increases in life expectancy and elderly individuals with estrogen deficiencies will mean higher rates of pelvic organ prolapse, significantly reducing the quality of life for millions of people. This study introduces technologies that can help treat pelvic prolapse while reducing the rate of recurrence.

Methods

This paper outlines how to properly perform sacrospinous ligament fixation using the Miyazaki technique.

Results

A needle was used to successfully perform a sacrospinous ligament fixation using Miyazaki's technique.

Conclusions

Considering the Food and Drug Administration’s 2019 decision to permit surgeries with native tissue, this method can be used with sacrospinous ligament fixation as the primary treatment option for pelvic organ prolapse.
Identifying Marine Sources of Beached Plastics Through a Bayesian Framework: Application to Southwest Netherlands
Authors: van Duinen Bram , Kaandorp Mikael L. A. , van Sebille Erik
Published: February 2022

Beaches are thought to be a large reservoir for marine plastics. To protect vulnerable beaches, it is advantageous to have information on the sources of this plastic. Here, we develop a universally applicable Bayesian framework to map sources of plastic arriving on a specific beach. In this framework, we combine Lagrangian backtracking simulations of drifting particles with estimates of plastic input from coastlines, rivers and fisheries. The advantage over traditional Lagrangian simulations is that the Bayesian framework can consider information on known sources, and thus facilitates spatiotemporal source attribution for plastic arriving at the specified beach. We show that the main sources for our target beach in southwest Netherlands are the east coast of the UK, the Dutch coast, the English Channel (fisheries) and the Thames, Seine, Rhine and Trieux (rivers). We also show that floating time is a major uncertainty in source attribution using backtracking.
A Novel Framework for Simulating Particle Deposition With Moving Bedforms
Authors: Teitelbaum Yoni , Shimony Tomer , Saavedra Cifuentes Edwin , Dallmann Jonathan , Phillips Colin B. , Packman Aaron I. , Hansen Scott K. , Arnon Shai
Published: February 2022

Previous modeling studies of hyporheic exchange induced by moving bedforms have used a moving reference frame, typically corresponding to an individual moving bedform. However, this approach is not suitable for simulating the exchange and accumulation of immobile fine particles beneath moving bedforms, which commonly occurs in sand‐bed streams, as both moving and stationary features must be considered. Here we present a novel simulation framework that may represent arbitrarily shaped, generally aperiodic mobile bedforms within a stationary reference frame. We combine this approach with particle tracking to successfully reproduce observations of clay deposition in sand beds, and the resulting development of a low‐conductivity layer near the scour zone. We find that increased bedform celerity and filtration both lead to a shallower depth of clay deposition and a more compact deposition layer. While increased filtration causes more clay to deposit, increased celerity reduces deposition by flattening hyporheic exchange flowpaths.
Tactile stimulation in the delivery room: past, present, future. A systematic review
Authors: Kaufmann M. , Mense L. , Springer L. , Dekker J.
Published: February 2022

In current resuscitation guidelines, tactile stimulation is recommended for infants with insufficient respiratory efforts after birth. No recommendations are made regarding duration, onset, and method of stimulation. Neither is mentioned how tactile stimulation should be applied in relation to the gestational age. The aim was to review the physiological mechanisms of respiratory drive after birth and to identify and structure the current evidence on tactile stimulation during neonatal resuscitation. A systematic review of available data was performed using PubMed, covering the literature up to April 2021. Two independent investigators screened the extracted references and assessed their methodological quality. Six studies were included. Tactile stimulation management, including the onset of stimulation, overall duration, and methods as well as the effect on vital parameters was analyzed and systematically presented. Tactile stimulation varies widely between, as well as within different centers and no consensus exists which stimulation method is most effective. Some evidence shows that repetitive stimulation within the first minutes of resuscitation improves oxygenation. Further studies are warranted to optimize strategies to support spontaneous breathing after birth, assessing the effect of stimulating various body parts respectively within different gestational age groups.
The CanPain SCI clinical practice guidelines for rehabilitation management of neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury: 2021 update
Authors: Loh Eldon , Mirkowski Magdalena , Agudelo Alexandria Roa , Allison David J. , Benton Brooke , Bryce Thomas N. , Guilcher Sara , Jeji Tara , Kras-Dupuis Anna , Kreutzwiser Denise , Lanizi Oda , Lee-Tai-Fuy Gary , Middleton James W. , Moulin Dwight E. , O’Connell Colleen , Orenczuk Steve , Potter Patrick , Short Christine , Teasell Robert , Townson Andrea , Widerström-Noga Eva , Wolfe Dalton L. , Xia Nancy , Mehta Swati
Published: February 2022

Study design

Clinical practice guidelines.

Objectives

The objective was to update the 2016 version of the Canadian clinical practice guidelines for the management of neuropathic pain in people with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting

The guidelines are relevant for inpatient, outpatient and community SCI rehabilitation settings in Canada.

Methods

The guidelines were updated in accordance with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II tool. A Steering Committee and Working Group reviewed the relevant evidence on neuropathic pain management (encompassing screening and diagnosis, treatment and models of care) after SCI. The quality of evidence was scored using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). A consensus process was followed to achieve agreement on recommendations and clinical considerations.

Results

The working group identified and reviewed 46 additional relevant articles published since the last version of the guidelines. The panel agreed on 3 new screening and diagnosis recommendations and 8 new treatment recommendations. Two key changes to these treatment recommendations included the introduction of general treatment principles and a new treatment recommendation classification system. No new recommendations to model of care were made.

Conclusions

The CanPainSCI recommendations for the management of neuropathic pain after SCI should be used to inform practice.
Asymmetric synthesis of tricyclic 6,5,5-fused polycycles by the desymmetric Pauson–Khand reaction
Authors: Teng Qi , Chen Dong , Tung Chen-Ho , Xu Zhenghu
Published: February 2022

A new rhodium(I)–BINAP-catalyzed enantioselective desymmetric Pauson–Khand (PK) reaction of prochiral 1,6-enynes with CO has been developed. Diverse tricyclic 6,5,5-fused bowl type polycycles were synthesized in one step with a single diastereomer.
A La, Sm co-doped CeO2 support for Fe2O3 to promote chemical looping splitting of CO2 at moderate temperature
Authors: Zhao Jun , Xiong Yingwei , Gao Zhihua , Fu Fengyan , Niu Lili , Jin Min
Published: February 2022

La, Sm co-doping improves the lattice oxygen conduction of oxygen carriers, thus enhancing the CO2 splitting performance via RWGS-CL.
Nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanosheets as a robust catalyst for tunable CO2 electroreduction to syngas
Authors: Gui Jiaojiao , Zhang Kaifu , Zhan Xiaowen , Yu Yu , Huang Tao , Li Yunkai , Xue Jingyu , Jin Xin , Gao Shan , Xie Yi
Published: February 2022

Two-dimensional N-doped porous carbon nanosheets with well-developed porosity and enriched pyridinic N sites are fabricated by a simple impregnation–calcination strategy, and exhibit excellent electrochemical CO2-to-syngas activity and durability.
A glycol nanomedicine via a metal-coordination supramolecular self-assembly strategy for drug release monitoring and chemo-chemodynamic therapy
Authors: Li Jiahui , Wang Yi , Pei Zhichao , Pei Yuxin
Published: February 2022

We report a glycol nanomedicine based on a metal-coordination supramolecular self-assembly strategy for targeting drug delivery and release monitoring, as well as synergistic chemo-chemodynamic therapy.
DeSIRe: Departure coefficient aided Stokes Inversion based on Response functions
Authors: Ruiz Cobo B. , Quintero Noda C. , Gafeira R. , Uitenbroek H. , Orozco Suárez D. , Páez Mañá E.
Published: February 2022

Future ground-based telescopes, such as the 4-metre class facilities DKIST and EST, will dramatically improve on current capabilities for simultaneous multi-line polarimetric observations in a wide range of wavelength bands, from the near-ultraviolet to the near-infrared. As a result, there will be an increasing demand for fast diagnostic tools, i.e., inversion codes, that can infer the physical properties of the solar atmosphere from the vast amount of data these observatories will produce. The advent of substantially larger apertures, with the concomitant increase in polarimetric sensitivity, will drive an increased interest in observing chromospheric spectral lines. Accordingly, pertinent inversion codes will need to take account of line formation under general non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) conditions. Several currently available codes can already accomplish this, but they have a common practical limitation that impairs the speed at which they can invert polarised spectra, namely that they employ numerical evaluation of the so-called response functions to changes in the atmospheric parameters, which makes them less suitable for the analysis of very large data volumes. Here we present DeSIRe (Departure coefficient aided Stokes Inversion based on Response functions), an inversion code that integrates the well-known inversion code SIR with the NLTE radiative transfer solver RH. The DeSIRe runtime benefits from employing analytical response functions computed in local thermodynamic equilibrium (through SIR), modified with fixed departure coefficients to incorporate NLTE effects in chromospheric spectral lines. This publication describes the operating fundamentals of DeSIRe and describes its behaviour, robustness, stability, and speed. The code is ready to be used by the solar community and is being made publicly available.
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gastroenterostomy versus surgical gastrojejunostomy for the palliation of gastric outlet obstruction in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis
Authors: Abbas Ali , Dolan Russell D. , Bazarbashi Ahmad Najdat , Thompson Christopher C.
Published: February 2022

Background Gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) with peritoneal carcinomatosis presents a technical challenge. Surgical gastrojejunostomy (SGJ) or enteral stenting have been the standard of care; however, endoscopic ultrasound-guided gastroenterostomy (EUS-GE) has emerged as a favorable alternative. Few data exist that compare these techniques in the setting of peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Methods This single-center retrospective cohort study included 25 EUS-GE and 27 SGJ consecutive patients. Baseline demographics, cancer diagnosis and stage, clinical and technical success, adverse events, and obstruction recurrence data were collected. The primary outcome was the technical success comparison; secondary outcome was the adverse event rate comparison. Rates were compared with standard statistical tests.

Results Mean age, obstruction location, and symptoms were similar between the groups. The EUS-GE group had more advanced disease (clinical stage 4, 100 % vs. 67 %; P = 0.006) and higher American Society of Anesthesiologists classification (class 3–4, 92 % vs. 50 %; P = 0.004). The technical success rate was 100 % in both groups (P > 0.99) and the adverse event rate was lower for EUS-GE (8 % vs. 41 %; P = 0.01). Clinical success was 88 % for EUS-GE and 85 % for SGJ (P > 0.99) and recurrent obstruction was lower with EUS-GE (28 % vs. 41 %; P = 0.13). The EUS-GE group had shorter procedure duration, length of stay, and time to chemotherapy resumption than the SGJ group.

Conclusions Although the EUS-GE group was older, with more comorbidity and advanced stages, the technical success rate was similar to SGJ and it had significantly fewer adverse events. EUS-GE is a safe and effective option for the management of malignant GOO with peritoneal carcinomatosis.
Early-Onset Fulminant Sepsis in a Preterm Neonate due to Streptococcus gallolyticus: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Williams Chandler , Sakaria Rishika P. , Pourcyrous Massroor
Published: February 2022

Streptococcus gallolyticus is an uncommon cause of neonatal infections. We describe the first case of fulminant lethal neonatal sepsis due to S. gallolyticus reported in literature. Our patient was an extremely low birth weight premature infant born to a mother with prolonged rupture of amniotic membranes and chorioamnionitis. We also review the cases of neonatal S. gallolyticus infections reported in literature. Fifty-eight percent neonatal S. gallolyticus infections presented in the first week of life. Importantly, S. gallolyticus meningitis is more commonly reported with early-onset infections compared with group B streptococcal meningitis, which is more common with late-onset infections. Streptococcus gallolyticus should be included in differential for neonatal sepsis, particularly in the presence of meningitis in the first week of life. Most cases are sensitive to penicillin; however, cases of reduced sensitivity to penicillin have also been reported.