bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the potential role of innovation and clean energy in mitigating the ecological footprint in N11 countries
Authors: Sherif Menna , Ibrahiem Dalia M. , El-Aasar Khadiga M.
Published: January 2022

This paper seeks to explore the potential function of technological innovation and clean power in mitigating the ecological footprint in the N-11 nations during the phase 1992–2015 by applying panel cointegration analysis. The outcomes of the panel cointegration test signify the occurrence of a long-run relation among the clean energy (CE) variable, the ecological footprint (EF) variable, the per capita GDP (Y) variable, the financial development (FIN) variable, and technological innovation (TI) variable. The outcomes of the VECM signify a long-run causal relation from the ecological footprint (EF) variable to the clean energy (CE) variable, the GDP per capita (Y) variable, and technological innovation (TI) variable. This implies that the environmental degradation faced by the N-11 countries leads to shifting toward clean energy sources and technological innovation in the long run. Thus, the N-11 countries are in need to design policies that enhance shifting toward environmentally friendly energy sources.
The motor inhibitory network in patients with asymmetrical Parkinson’s disease: An fMRI study
Authors: Loayza Francis R. , Obeso Ignacio , Redondo Rafael González , Villagra Federico , Luis Elkin , Obeso José A. , Jahanshahi Marjan , Pastor Maria A.
Published: January 2022

Recent imaging studies with the stop-signal task in healthy individuals indicate that the subthalamic nucleus, the pre-supplementary motor area and the inferior frontal gyrus are key components of the right hemisphere “inhibitory network”. Limited information is available regarding neural substrates of inhibitory processing in patients with asymmetric Parkinson’s disease. The aim of the current fMRI study was to identify the neural changes underlying deficient inhibitory processing on the stop-signal task in patients with predominantly left-sided Parkinson’s disease. Fourteen patients and 23 healthy controls performed a stop-signal task with the left and right hands. Behaviorally, patients showed delayed response inhibition with either hand compared to controls. We found small imaging differences for the right hand, however for the more affected left hand when behavior was successfully inhibited we found reduced activation of the inferior frontal gyrus bilaterally and the insula. Using the stop-signal delay as regressor, contralateral underactivation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal and anterior putamen were found in patients. This finding indicates dysfunction of the right inhibitory network in left-sided Parkinson’s disease. Functional connectivity analysis of the left subthalamic nucleus showed a significant increase of connectivity with bilateral insula. In contrast, the right subthalamic nucleus showed increased connectivity with visuomotor and sensorimotor regions of the cerebellum. We conclude that altered inhibitory control in left-sided Parkinson’s disease is associated with reduced activation in regions dedicated to inhibition in healthy controls, which requires engagement of additional regions, not observed in controls, to successfully stop ongoing actions.
Combining World Class Manufacturing system and Industry 4.0 technologies to design ergonomic manufacturing equipment
Authors: Ciccarelli Marianna , Papetti Alessandra , Cappelletti Federica , Brunzini Agnese , Germani Michele
Published: January 2022

In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, human has still a central role. Manufacturing industries have to deal with human sustainability in order to guarantee workers’ health and well-being. Several studies have proved the importance of ergonomics in workplace design and the benefits related to the adoption of the human-centered approach. The enabling technologies of Industry 4.0 are changing the role of the operator and can support him from a physical and cognitive point of view. On the other hand, companies are increasingly implementing lean philosophies, such as World Class Manufacturing, to maintain their competitiveness by reducing wastes and costs. However, the need arises for a comprehensive methodology to support the design of manufacturing equipment considering human factors by integrating Industry 4.0 technologies and World Class Manufacturing elements. It aims at improving both ergonomic and efficiency aspects of the workstation. The proposed methodology allows identifying and in-depth analyzing the problem, thus finding and implementing a solution that complies with all the requirements and constraints defined. Each step of the methodology can be strengthened by Industry 4.0 technologies. The methodology has been experimented in a real case study with a global company of agriculture and industrial vehicles, leading to the design and implementation of a new equipment. Relevant benefits in terms of ergonomics, efficiency, and process standardization have been achieved.
Family background and classroom belonging among adolescent students in Finland
Authors: Hautala Helena , Lehti Hannu , Kallio Johanna
Published: January 2022

We study whether a family’s economic situation and parental educational level are associated with classroom belonging among students in comprehensive secondary, upper secondary general and upper secondary vocational education in Finland. We also study whether there are educational-level differences in this possible association. We use survey data from the Finnish School Health Promotion study from 2017 (N = 114,528). We conduct random effect linear probability models with schools as the second-level grouping variable. The results show that family’s low economic situation predicts a higher probability of lack of sense of classroom belonging in Finland, despite the country having one of the world’s most equal educational systems and comparably low economic inequality. Neither mother’s nor father’s educational level has any association. A family’s low economic situation seems to predict the lack of a sense of belonging most strongly in comprehensive secondary education and most weakly in upper secondary vocational education. Our results slightly support the proposed significance of context-specific hierarchies in determining the association between economic resources and sense of belonging. A family having a poor economic situation is not reflected in the sense of classroom belonging as strongly in schools where students have a low average economic situation compared to those where students have a high average economic situation. We suggest measures, in addition to alleviating economic inequalities, to support the sense of school belonging, especially for low-income students.
Elliptic Measures and Square Function Estimates on 1-Sided Chord-Arc Domains
Authors: Cao Mingming , Martell José María , Olivo Andrea
Published: January 2022

In nice environments, such as Lipschitz or chord-arc domains, it is well-known that the solvability of the Dirichlet problem for an elliptic operator in $$L^p$$

L
p

, for some finite p, is equivalent to the fact that the associated elliptic measure belongs to the Muckenhoupt class $$A_\infty $$

A
∞

. In turn, any of these conditions occurs if and only if the gradient of every bounded null solution satisfies a Carleson measure estimate. This has been recently extended to much rougher settings such as those of 1-sided chord-arc domains, that is, sets which are quantitatively open and connected with a boundary which is Ahlfors–David regular. In this paper, we work in the same environment and consider a qualitative analog of the latter equivalence showing that one can characterize the absolute continuity of the surface measure with respect to the elliptic measure in terms of the finiteness almost everywhere of the truncated conical square function for any bounded null solution. As a consequence of our main result particularized to the Laplace operator and some previous results, we show that the boundary of the domain is rectifiable if and only if the truncated conical square function is finite almost everywhere for any bounded harmonic function. In addition, we obtain that for two given elliptic operators $$L_1$$

L
1

and $$L_2$$

L
2

, the absolute continuity of the surface measure with respect to the elliptic measure of $$L_1$$

L
1

is equivalent to the same property for $$L_2$$

L
2

provided the disagreement of the coefficients satisfy some quadratic estimate in truncated cones for almost everywhere vertex. Finally, for the case on which $$L_2$$

L
2

is either the transpose of $$L_1$$

L
1

or its symmetric part we show the equivalence of the corresponding absolute continuity upon assuming that the antisymmetric part of the coefficients has some controlled oscillation in truncated cones for almost every vertex.
Oscillation of Solutions of LDE’s in Domains Conformally Equivalent to Unit Disc
Authors: Chyzhykov I. , Gröhn J. , Heittokangas J. , Rättyä J.
Published: January 2022

Oscillation of solutions of $$f^{(k)} + a_{k-2} f^{(k-2)} + \cdots + a_1 f' +a_0 f = 0$$

f

(
k
)

+

a

k
-
2

f

(
k
-
2
)

+
⋯
+

a
1

f
′

+

a
0

f
=
0

is studied in domains conformally equivalent to the unit disc. The results are applied, for example, to Stolz angles, horodiscs, sectors, and strips. The method relies on a new conformal transformation of higher order linear differential equations. Information on the existence of zero-free solution bases is also obtained.
Nonlinear Nonhomogeneous Obstacle Problems with Multivalued Convection Term
Authors: Zeng Shengda , Bai Yunru , Gasiński Leszek
Published: January 2022

In this paper, a nonlinear elliptic obstacle problem is studied. The nonlinear nonhomogeneous partial differential operator generalizes the notions of p-Laplacian while on the right hand side we have a multivalued convection term (i.e., a multivalued reaction term may depend also on the gradient of the solution). The main result of the paper provides existence of the solutions as well as bondedness and closedness of the set of weak solutions of the problem, under quite general assumptions on the data. The main tool of the paper is the surjectivity theorem for multivalued functions given by the sum of a maximal monotone multivalued operator and a bounded multivalued pseudomonotone one.
Einschätzung mathematischer Fähigkeiten 4- bis 6-jähriger Kinder im Bereich Mengen und Zahlen durch frühpädagogische Fachkräfte
Authors: Aumann Lena , Gasteiger Hedwig , Tabeling Laura , Puca Rosa Maria
Published: January 2022

Frühpädagogische Fachkräfte in Kindertageseinrichtungen sind durch entsprechende Bestimmungen auf Bundes- und Landesebene angehalten, Kinder auf Grundlage ihres aktuellen Lernstandes zum fachlich tragfähigen Weiterlernen anzuregen und individuelle Entwicklungsverläufe zu dokumentieren. Dafür müssen die Fachkräfte in der Lage sein, den Lernstand der Kinder adäquat einzuschätzen. Die hier berichtete Studie analysiert die Genauigkeit von Einschätzungen frühpädagogischer Fachkräfte (N = 49) von Leistungen vier- bis sechsjähriger Kinder (N = 160) in 17 Items im Bereich Mengen und Zahlen. Zur Aufklärung von Varianz in der Einschätzungsgenauigkeit wurden das Geschlecht, der sozioökonomische Status und die mathematische Leistung der Kinder im Bereich Mengen und Zahlen sowie das mathematikdidaktische Wissen der Fachkräfte als mögliche Merkmale erhoben. Es zeigte sich im Schnitt eine mäßige Einschätzungsgenauigkeit mit einer leichten Tendenz zur Überschätzung der Leistungen. Als einziges einflussnehmendes Merkmal auf die Einschätzungsgenauigkeit stellte sich in dieser Untersuchung die Leistung der Kinder im Bereich Mengen und Zahlen heraus: Die Einschätzung der frühpädagogischen Fachkräfte war genauer, wenn die Kinder bessere mathematische Fähigkeiten zeigten. Der sozioökonomische Status und das Geschlecht der Kinder sowie das mathematikdidaktische Wissen der Fachkräfte zeigten keinen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Einschätzungsgenauigkeit.
Unveiling E2F4, TEAD1 and AP-1 as regulatory transcription factors of the replicative senescence program by multi-omics analysis
Authors: Wang Yuting , Liu Liping , Song Yifan , Yu Xiaojie , Deng Hongkui
Published: January 2022

Senescence, a stable state of growth arrest, affects many physiological and pathophysiological processes, especially aging. Previous work has indicated that transcription factors (TFs) play a role in regulating senescence. However, a systematic study of regulatory TFs during replicative senescence (RS) using multi-omics analysis is still lacking. Here, we generated time-resolved RNA-seq, reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) and ATAC-seq datasets during RS of mouse skin fibroblasts, which demonstrated that an enhanced inflammatory response and reduced proliferative capacity were the main characteristics of RS in both the transcriptome and epigenome. Through integrative analysis and genetic manipulations, we found that transcription factors E2F4, TEAD1 and AP-1 are key regulators of RS. Overexpression ofE2f4improved cellular proliferative capacity, attenuated SA-β-Gal activity and changed RS-associated differentially methylated sites (DMSs). Moreover, knockdown ofTead1attenuated SA-β-Gal activity and partially altered the RS-associated transcriptome. In addition, knockdown ofAtf3, one member of AP-1 superfamily TFs, reducedCdkn2a(p16) expression in pre-senescent fibroblasts. Taken together, the results of this study identified transcription factors regulating the senescence program through multi-omics analysis, providing potential therapeutic targets for anti-aging.
What shapes cognitions of climate change in Europe? Ideology, morality, and the role of educational attainment
Authors: Welsch Heinz
Published: January 2022

Cognitions about climate change are of critical importance for climate change mitigation as they influence climate-relevant behaviors and the support of climate policy. Using about 30,000 observations from a large-scale representative survey from 23 European countries, this study provides two major findings. First, important policy-relevant climate change cognitions do not only differ by individuals’ ideological identity (left versus right) but—independently—by their moral identity, that is, the pattern of endorsement of the moral foundations: Care, Fairness, Liberty, Loyalty, Authority, and Purity/Sanctity. In particular, controlling for ideological position, the cognitions that the world climate is changing, that climate change is human-made, and that climate change impacts are bad are significantly negatively related to stronger endorsement of the Authority and Sanctity foundations while being positively related to stronger endorsement of the Loyalty and Fairness foundations. Second, not only the ideology-related cognitive divide but the morality-related divide is larger in individuals with tertiary education, consistent with the idea that individuals with greater science literacy and numeracy use these skills to adjust their cognitions to their group identity. The finding that better education may amplify rather than attenuate the ideology and morality dependence of decision-relevant climate change cognitions sheds doubt on the proposition that better education unambiguously furthers the prospects for climate change mitigation.
Young patients’ self-reported fear compared to professionals’ assessments during invasive and non-invasive dental visits: a prospective, longitudinal study
Authors: Krekmanova L. , Sotirianou M. , Sabel N.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The main purpose was to study young patients’ self-reports on dental fear over a 5-year period, prospectively. Also, to compare these to professionals’ proxy reports for dental fear during invasive and non-invasive dental visits. The research question was, to what extent the self-reports and dental professionals’ proxy reports are congruent, and if there were patient age-dependent differences.

Methods

3134 patients from 11 public dental clinics, representing urban and rural areas, were invited. Four age cohorts were formed: 3, 7, 11, and 15 years of age and followed between the years 2008 and 2012. Dental examinations (non-invasive) and restorative treatments + extractions (invasive) were registered. During the treatments, self-reports regarding fear and professional proxy reports were registered: Not afraid at all = 0, little nervous = 1, quite afraid = 2, very scared = 3, terrified = 4.

Results

2363 patients completed the cohort periods (51% girls and 49% boys). In all, 9708 dental examinations, restorations and extractions were performed. The fear prevalence increased with the invasiveness of the dental procedure; 7–56%. For dental examinations and restorations, fear declined with ascending age. The highest fear prevalence was reported for dental extractions. Younger children reported fear more frequently than older children, p < 0.001. Frequent inconsistencies between self-reports and proxy reports were observed among the younger children (16%) compared to the older children (8%), p < 0.001.

Conclusion

Non-congruence was observed for self-reports and proxy reports regarding all age cohorts.
Acute effect of traditional and adaptive metronomes on gait variability in older individuals with a history of falls
Authors: Cronström Anna , Cole Michael H. , Chalkley Daniel , Van Andel Steven , Pepping Gert-Jan , Creaby Mark W.
Published: January 2022

Background

Metronome cueing has been shown to reduce gait variability and thereby potentially reduce falls risk in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. It is unclear however, if metronome cueing has a similar effect in healthy older adults with a history of falls.

Aim

To investigate whether a traditional and/or an adaptive metronome, based on an individual’s gait pattern, were effective in reducing gait variability in older adults with a history of falls.

Methods

Twenty older adults (15 women, 71 ± 4.9 years) with a history of falls were included in this cross-over study. Participants received two types of cueing (adaptive and traditional metronome) 1 week apart. The variability of the participants’ stride time, stride length, walking speed and duration of double leg support were recorded during three walking conditions (baseline, during feedback and post-feedback gait). Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to assess the possible effects of the two cueing strategies on gait variables.

Results

Compared with the baseline condition, participants had significantly increased stride time variability during feedback (F (2) = 9.83, p < 0.001) and decreased double leg support time variability post-feedback (F (2) 3.69, p = 0.034). Increased stride time variability was observed with the adaptive metronome in comparison to the traditional metronome.

Conclusion

Metronome cueing strategies may reduce double leg support variability in older adults with a history of falls but seem to increase stride time variability. Further studies are needed to investigate if metronome cueing is more beneficial for individuals with greater baseline gait variability than those included in the current study.
Safe and Stable Lithium Metal Batteries Enabled by an Amide-Based Electrolyte
Authors: Wu Wanbao , Bo Yiyang , Li Deping , Liang Yihong , Zhang Jichuan , Cao Miaomiao , Guo Ruitian , Zhu Zhenye , Ci Lijie , Li Mingyu , Zhang Jiaheng
Published: January 2022

Highlights

A novel amide-based nonflammable electrolyte is proposed. The formation mechanism and solvation chemistry are investigated by molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory.

An inorganic/organic-rich solid electrolyte interphase with an abundance of LiF, Li3N and Li–N–C is in situ formed, leading to spherical lithium deposition.

The amide-based electrolyte can enable stable cycling performance at room temperature and 60 ℃.

The formation of lithium dendrites and the safety hazards arising from flammable liquid electrolytes have seriously hindered the development of high-energy-density lithium metal batteries. Herein, an emerging amide-based electrolyte is proposed, containing LiTFSI and butyrolactam in different molar ratios. 1,1,2,2-Tetrafluoroethyl-2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropylether and fluoroethylene carbonate are introduced into the amide-based electrolyte as counter solvent and additives. The well-designed amide-based electrolyte possesses nonflammability, high ionic conductivity, high thermal stability and electrochemical stability (> 4.7 V). Besides, an inorganic/organic-rich solid electrolyte interphase with an abundance of LiF, Li3N and Li–N–C is in situ formed, leading to spherical lithium deposition. The formation mechanism and solvation chemistry of amide-based electrolyte are further investigated by molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory. When applied in Li metal batteries with LiFePO4 and LiMn2O4 cathode, the amide-based electrolyte can enable stable cycling performance at room temperature and 60 ℃. This study provides a new insight into the development of amide-based electrolytes for lithium metal batteries.
Enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption of engineered epoxy nanocomposites with the assistance of polyaniline fillers
Authors: Guo Jiang , Chen Zhuoran , Xu Xiaojian , Li Xu , Liu Hu , Xi Shaohua , Abdul Waras , Wu Qing , Zhang Pei , Xu Ben Bin , Zhu Jianfeng , Guo Zhanhu
Published: January 2022

In this work, the engineered polyaniline (PANI)/epoxy composites reinforced with PANI-M (physical mixture of PANI spheres and fibers) exhibit significantly enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption performance and mechanical property. Due to the synergistic effect of PANI fillers with different geometries, the reflection loss of 10.0 wt% PANI-M/epoxy could reach − 36.8 dB at 17.7 GHz. Meanwhile, the mechanical properties (including tensile strength, toughness, and flexural strength) of PANI/epoxy were systematically studied. Compared with pure epoxy, the tensile strength of epoxy with 2.0 wt% PANI-M was improved to 86.2 MPa. Moreover, the PANI spheres (PANI-S) and PANI fibers (PANI-F) were prepared by the chemical oxidation polymerization method and interface polymerization method, respectively. The characterizations including scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and X-ray diffraction were applied to analyze the morphology and chemical and crystal structures of PANI filler. This work could provide the guideline for the preparation of advanced engineered epoxy nanocomposites for electromagnetic wave pollution treatment.

Graphical abstract
Development of a saprophytic fungal inoculum for the biodegradation of sub-bituminous coal
Authors: Nsa Imade Yolanda , Akinyemi Busayo Tosin , Bello-Akinosho Maryam , Ezechukwu Simon Nnamdi , Bayode Tomisin Bridget , Igbinigie Eric Egbe , Adeleke Rasheed Adegbola
Published: January 2022

The rhizospheres of the weeds Ageratum conyzoides, Axonopus compressus, Emilia coccinea, Synedrella nodiflora, Urena lobata and Sida acuta from a sub-bituminous coal mining site and a control site, without coal discards, were screened for new fungi with ability to degrade sub-bituminous coal in the laboratory. The isolates were identified by cultural and molecular methods. Seventeen out of the sixty-one fungal isolates tested could utilize sub-bituminous coal as an energy source. Upon further evaluation, only seven of these were promising candidates for coal biodegradation, and they were assayed for their biosolubilization and depolymerization activities to determine their mechanisms of coal biodegradation. Based on the accumulation of humic acid (HA), which is the marker for biosolubilization, Mucor circinelloides and Aspergillus tubingensis were the most active. On the other hand, Cunninghamella bertholletiae, Simplicillium subtropicum, Penicillium daleae and Trichoderma koningiopsis were the highest producers of fulvic acid (FA), the indicator of depolymerization. Purpureocillium lilacinum produced the lowest yields of both HA and FA compared to the other six coal-degrading candidates. The presence of laccase in Trichoderma koningiopsis, Penicillium daleae and Simplicillium subtropicum suggests a role for this enzyme in the enhancement of the coal biodegradation process. However, the inability to amplify the laccase gene in Cunninghamella bertholletiae indicates that another enzyme probably aids its coal bioconversion. The current investigation highlights the potentials of these strains in harnessing biotechnological processes of sub-bituminous coal conversion into value-added products, which could be extended to the bioremediation of coal-polluted soils. The fungi with the highest coal bioconversion capabilities belonged to Ascomycota and Zygomycota and were found in the rhizospheres of the weeds Emilia coccinea, Ageratum conyzoides and Axonopus compressus.
Estimating the Gait Speed of Older Adults in Smart Home Environments
Authors: Friedrich Björn , Steen Enno-Edzard , Hellmers Sandra , Bauer Jürgen M. , Hein Andreas
Published: January 2022

Mobility is one of the key performance indicators of the health condition of older adults. One important parameter is the gait speed. The mobility is usually assessed under the supervision of a professional by standardised geriatric assessments. Using sensors in smart home environments for continuous monitoring of the gait speed enables physicians to detect early stages of functional decline and to initiate appropriate interventions. This in combination with a floor plan smart home sensors were used to calculate the distance that a person walked in the apartment and the inertial measurement unit data for estimating the actual walking time. A Gaussian kernel density estimator was applied to the computed values and the maximum of the kernel density estimator was considered as the gait speed. The proposed method was evaluated on a real-world dataset and the estimations of the gait speed had a deviation smaller than$$0.10 \, \frac{\mathrm{m}}{\mathrm{s}}$$0.10ms, which is smaller than the minimal clinically important difference, compared to a baseline from a standardised geriatrics assessment.
Power Emergentism and the Collapse Problem
Authors: Taylor Elanor
Published: January 2022

Strong emergentism is the position that certain higher-level properties display a kind of metaphysical autonomy from the lower-level properties in which they are grounded. The prospect of collapse is a problem for strong emergentism. According to those who press the collapse problem any purportedly strongly emergent feature inheres in the emergence base and so is not genuinely autonomous from that base. Umut Baysan and Jessica Wilson (2017) argue that power emergentism avoids the collapse problem. In this paper, I challenge the claim that power emergentism avoids the collapse problem and argue for explanatory emergentism in its place.
Scientific Perspectivism and the Methodology of Modern Mathematical Physics
Authors: Stemeroff Noah
Published: January 2022

Perspectival realists often appeal to the methodology of science to secure a realist account of the retention and continued success of scientific claims through the progress of science (e.g., Massimi [2016]). However, in the context of modern physics, the retention and continued success of scientific claims are typically only definable within a mathematical framework. In this article, I argue that this concern leaves the perspectivist open to Cassirer’s (1910/1923) neo-Kantian critique of the applicability of mathematics in the natural sciences. To support this criticism, I present a case study on the conservation of energy in modern physics.
The Metarepresentational Role of Mathematics in Scientific Explanations
Authors: McCullough-Benner Colin
Published: January 2022

Several philosophers have argued that to capture the generality of certain scientific explanations, we must count mathematical facts among their explanantia. I argue that we can better understand these explanations by adopting a more nuanced stance toward mathematical representations, recognizing the role of mathematical representation schemata in representing highly abstract features of physical systems. It is by picking out these abstract but nonmathematical features that explanations appealing to mathematics achieve a high degree of generality. The result is a rich conception of the role of mathematics in scientific explanations that does not require us to treat mathematical facts as explanantia.
“All the Other Devils this Side of Hades”: Black Banks and the Mississippi Banking Law of 1914
Authors: Garrett-Scott Shennette
Published: January 2022

The realms of banking and finance reveal a far more complex approach to early twentieth-century African American activism than the conventional protest vs. accommodation paradigm. Whites’ anxieties about Black economic and political autonomy melded into a peculiar alchemy of progressive zeal and white supremacy that professed the idealistic goal of protecting citizens from exploitative business practices but had the practical effect of destroying symbols of Black economic progress. The context that drove the opening of Black banks in Mississippi as “monuments of protest” also made Mississippi's new banking law a powerful tool with which state actors and even regular citizens could strike blows against African Americans’ growing economic, social, and political agency.
The Limits of “Good Law”: Civil Society Regulation in South Africa and Ethiopia
Authors: Lupin Dina
Published: January 2022

At the end of apartheid, the South African government adopted laws regulating civil society that are widely seen as “good” laws: laws designed to encourage and facilitate a thriving civil society sector. In 2019 the Ethiopian government repealed the repressive, decade-old Charities and Societies Proclamation and replaced it with a much more open and permissive regulatory system, also aimed at facilitating a thriving civil society sector. This article compares South Africa's post-apartheid civil society organization (CSO) laws with Ethiopia's 2019 law, to examine the different and overlapping ways in which these regimes attempt to advance the interests of CSOs against an historical background of state oppression. In doing so, it examines what “good” regulation of CSOs constitutes in practice and finds that there are significant limits to the effectiveness of regulatory change in addressing the many, complex problems CSOs face, especially in the wake of political and legal oppression.
In vitro and in sacco digestibility of almond hulls
Authors: Swanson K. L. , Bill H. M. , Asmus J. , Heguy J. M. , Fadel J. G. , DePeters E. J.
Published: January 2022

The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro digestibility and in sacco disappearance of dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) in total almond hulls (TAH), pure almond hulls (PAH) or Debris. The TAH were used because there are no data on the effect of debris (non-hull material) on the nutritional value of almond hulls. Twelve samples of commercial almond hulls were used, with one subsample representing the TAH and the other subsample hand sorted to separate the hulls (PAH) from Debris. Gas production and Ankom Daisy method were used to determine in vitro digestibility, while two rumen-fistulated cows were used to measure in sacco disappearance of PAH and TAH. For in vitro digestibility, both PAH and TAH were more digestible and had greater gas production than Debris. The PAH had greater in vitro true digestibility on a DM basis and NDF digestibility at 48 and 72 h compared with TAH. Nonpareil hulls provided greater metabolizable energy (ME) concentration when compared with other almond varieties, with PAH supplying numerically more ME than TAH for both varieties. For in sacco disappearance, PAH had greater DM and NDF disappearance along with a greater rate of disappearance for NDF compared with TAH. This research demonstrated that Debris is highly indigestible; therefore, hulling, agronomic and harvesting practices should be focused on reducing Debris in commercial almond hulls to improve their nutritive value as a feedstuff for livestock.
Potential impacts of projected warming scenarios on winter wheat in the UK
Authors: Cammarano Davide , Liu Bing , Liu Leilei , Ruane Alexander C. , Zhu Yan
Published: January 2022

The goals of this study are to analyse the impacts of 1.5 and 2.0°C scenarios on UK winter wheat using a combination of Global Climate Models (GCMs), crop models, planting dates and cultivars; to evaluate the impact of increased air temperature on winter wheat phenology and potential yield; to quantify the underlying uncertainties due to the multiple sources of variability introduced by climate scenarios, crop models and agronomic management. The data used to calibrate and evaluate three crop models were obtained from a field experiment with two irrigation amounts and two wheat cultivars that have different phenology and growth habit. After calibration, the model was applied to fifty locations across the wheat-growing area of the UK to cover all the main growing regions, with most points located in the main growing areas. Four GCMs, with two cultivars and five planting dates, were simulated at the end of the century. Results of this study showed that the UK potential wheat yield will increase by 2–8% under projected climate. Farmers will need to close such a gap in the future because it will have implications in terms of food security. Future climatic conditions might increase such a gap. Adaptation measures (e.g. moving the optimal planting time), along with climate-ready varieties bred for future conditions and with precision agriculture techniques can help to reduce this gap and ensure that the future actual UK wheat production will be close to the potential.
Salvage intratympanic steroid therapy for sudden sensorineural hearing loss: our real-life experience in 32 patients
Authors: Ringrose T , Biggs T C , Jones L , Yunus A , Onderková A , Amir-Ghasemi A , Osei-Lah V , Hilton J , Buckland J
Published: January 2022

Objective

To examine the role of salvage intratympanic steroid injections in patients presenting with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss following a poor response to initial oral steroid treatment.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of patient records over the course of four years was conducted, and pure tone thresholds were reviewed before treatment, after oral steroid therapy and six weeks after intratympanic steroid injection therapy.

Results

After oral steroid therapy alone, there was a mean average threshold change of 6.2 dB HL (range, −13.8–33.8 dB). This change was statistically significant for severely affected patients (those with an average presenting threshold of over 71 dB). The mean average threshold improvement following intratympanic steroid injection therapy was 2.9 dB (range, −22.5–61.3 dB); this was not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Some patients experienced moderate improvement following intratympanic steroid injection therapy; however, no specific subgroup was identified to benefit more from intratympanic steroid injection therapy.
Expression of genes associated with fertility in the uterus and oviduct of heifers challenged with lipopolysaccharide
Authors: Ferronato Giuliana A. , Alvarado-Rincón Joao A. , Maffi Andressa S. , Barbosa Antônio A. , Gasperin Bernardo G. , Schneider Augusto , Mondadori Rafael G. , Brauner Cássio C. , Corrêa Marcio N.
Published: January 2022

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxemia has been negatively associated with fertility. This study aimed to investigate the effect of LPS-induced inflammation on gene expression associated with bovine fertility in the uterus and oviduct. Sixteen healthy heifers were divided into two groups. The LPS group (n = 8) received two intravenous (i.v.) injections of 0.5 µg/kg of body weight of LPS with a 24-h interval, and the control group (n = 8) received two i.v. injections of saline solution with the same interval of time. All the animals had the follicular wave synchronized. Three days after the second injection of LPS, all animals were slaughtered and uterine and oviduct samples were collected. Gene expression associated with inflammatory response, thermal and oxidative stresses, oviduct environment quality, and uterine environment quality was evaluated. Body temperature and leucogram demonstrated that LPS induced an acute systemic inflammatory response. In the uterus, the expression of PTGS2 and NANOG genes was downregulated by the LPS challenge. However, no change in expression was observed in the other evaluated genes in the uterus, nor those evaluated in the oviduct. In conclusion, the inflammatory process triggered by LPS did not persist in the uterus and oviduct 3 days after challenge with LPS. Nonetheless, reduction in PTGS2 and NANOG expression in the uterus suggested that, indirectly, LPS may have a prolonged effect, which may affect corpus luteum and endometrial functions.
The use of emoji to establish student wellbeing: does the image reflect the reality?
Authors: Callender Jenny , Bridge Pete , Al-Samarraie Flora , Blair Daniel
Published: January 2022

Introduction:

The impact of COVID-19 social restrictions on mental wellbeing of health professional students during placement is largely unknown. Conventional survey methods do not capture emotional fluctuations. Increasing use of smartphones suggests short message service (SMS) functionality could provide easy, rapid data. This project tested the feasibility and validity of gathering data on Therapeutic Radiography student mental wellbeing during clinical placement via emoji and SMS.

Methods:

Participants provided anonymous daily emoji responses via WhatsApp to a dedicated mobile phone. Additional weekly prompts sought textual responses indicating factors impacting on wellbeing. A short anonymous online survey validated responses and provided feedback on the method.

Results:

Participants (n = 15) provided 254 daily responses using 108 different emoji; these triangulated with weekly textual responses. Feedback concerning the method was positive. ‘Happy’ emoji were used most frequently; social interaction and fatigue were important wellbeing factors. Anonymity and opportunity to feedback via SMS were received positively; ease and rapidity of response engendered engagement throughout the 3-week study.

Conclusions:

The use of emoji for rapid assessment of cohort mental wellbeing is valid and potentially useful alongside more formal evaluation and support strategies. Capturing simple wellbeing responses from a cohort may facilitate the organisation of timely support interventions.
Plate Boundary Deformation and Volcano Unrest at the Azores Triple Junction Determined From Continuous GPS Measurements, 2002–2017
Authors: D’Araújo J. , Sigmundsson F. , Ferreira T. , Okada J. , Lorenzo M. , Silva R.
Published: January 2022

Ground deformation in the Azores, at the triple junction between the Eurasian, Nubian, and North American plates, has been mapped with continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) geodetic measurements to improve tectonic motion estimates and for understanding volcanic unrest. We compute daily positions, spanning almost 17 years (2000–2017), from 18 continuous GPS stations. The GPS time‐series are analyzed by searching for discontinuities and periodic functions. Results show that Flores and Graciosa islands have displacements close to predicted North American and Eurasian plate motions, respectively, while São Miguel, Terceira, São Jorge, Faial and Pico islands have displacements in between predicted Eurasian and Nubian plate motions. The Eurasian‐Nubian plate boundary in the Azores behaves as a diffuse ultra‐slow oblique spreading center with focused deformation found in the central group (CG) and São Miguel islands. The velocity field is modeled by approximating segments of the Eurasian‐Nubian plate boundary with vertical dislocations with right‐lateral motion and opening below a locking depth. Best fitting models have deep motion in the range of 2.0–2.3 mm yr−1 directed N (82.3–88.7)°E. Such displacement accounts for almost half of predicted Eurasian‐Nubian relative plate motion. The modeling results suggest that the locking depth in the CG islands is at least 20 km while in São Miguel it is about 2 km. We find transient deformation at Fogo volcano, São Miguel Island, due to unrest activity mainly during 2003–2006 and 2011–2012, and local continuous subsidence in Terceira Island, attributed to a deflation source centered on the island.
The Onset of Gondwanide Orogeny in Eastern Australia: Insight From the Provenance of Syn‐Orogenic Strata in the New England Orogen (Australia)
Authors: Campbell Matthew J. , Hoy Derek , Rosenbaum Gideon , Fielding Christopher , Allen Charlotte M.
Published: January 2022

The last major episode of cordilleran‐style tectonism in eastern Australia was the late Paleozoic‐early Mesozoic Gondwanide Orogeny. When exactly this deformation commenced and what caused this phase of orogenesis is still debated. Using previous stratigraphic and sedimentological data from pre‐orogenic to syn‐orogenic strata, integrated with new detrital zircon U‐Pb geochronology, we investigated the onset of the Gondwanide Orogeny in the northern New England Orogen (Gogango Overfolded Zone, eastern Australia). The lowermost syn‐orogenic strata display evidence of rapid base‐level change coeval with increasingly abundant and more proximal mass‐wasting deposits, which reflect a shift to static loading‐induced subsidence and the establishment of a ∼1,600‐km long foreland basin system. The syn‐orogenic strata contain abundant detritus sourced from syn‐depositional magmatism, alongside an up‐section increase in detritus derived from uplifted older rocks of the New England Orogen. Detrital zircons show maximum depositional age of ∼276 Ma from immediately above the sequence boundary, and ∼269 Ma from an overlying formation. These results confirm previous suggestions that tectonic forcing of the orogenic hinterland affected subsidence and sedimentation patterns in the easternmost part of the basin during the middle Permian, >11 Myr prior to deformation in the western part of the foreland basin. The onset of the Gondwanide Orogeny in eastern Australia, and in other sectors of the Gondwanan margin, likely resulted from a tectonic switch from crustal extension to contraction, which was driven by increased convergence rates due to a plate reorganization event following the final assembly of Pangea.
Nonlinear Effects of Wind on Atlantic Ocean Circulation
Authors: Lee Jack
Published: January 2022

Simulations reveal the influence of reduced and enhanced wind stress on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.
How Much Did the Moon Heat Young Earth?
Authors: Japelj Jure
Published: January 2022

Tidal heating may have raised the surface temperature of early Earth and triggered global volcanism, a new study says.
Inhibition of Trpv4 rescues circuit and social deficits unmasked by acute inflammatory response in a Shank3 mouse model of Autism
Authors: Tzanoulinou Stamatina , Musardo Stefano , Contestabile Alessandro , Bariselli Sebastiano , Casarotto Giulia , Magrinelli Elia , Jiang Yong-hui , Jabaudon Denis , Bellone Camilla
Published: January 2022

Mutations in theSHANK3gene have been recognized as a genetic risk factor for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disease characterized by social deficits and repetitive behaviors. While heterozygousSHANK3mutations are usually the types of mutations associated with idiopathic autism in patients, heterozygous deletion ofShank3gene in mice does not commonly induce ASD-related behavioral deficit. Here, we used in-vivo and ex-vivo approaches to demonstrate that region-specific neonatal downregulation ofShank3in the Nucleus Accumbens promotes D1R-medium spiny neurons (D1R-MSNs) hyperexcitability and upregulates Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 (Trpv4)to impair social behavior. Interestingly, genetically vulnerableShank3+/−mice, when challenged with Lipopolysaccharide to induce an acute inflammatory response, showed similar circuit and behavioral alterations that were rescued by acute Trpv4 inhibition. Altogether our data demonstrate shared molecular and circuit mechanisms between ASD-relevant genetic alterations and environmental insults, which ultimately lead to sociability dysfunctions.
Plant neighborhood shapes diversity and reduces interspecific variation of the phyllosphere microbiome
Authors: Meyer Kyle M , Porch Robert , Muscettola Isabella E , Vasconcelos Ana Luisa S , Sherman Julia K , Metcalf C Jessica E , Lindow Steven E , Koskella Britt
Published: January 2022

Microbial communities associated with plant leaf surfaces (i.e., the phyllosphere) are increasingly recognized for their role in plant health. While accumulating evidence suggests a role for host filtering of its microbiota, far less is known about how community composition is shaped by dispersal, including from neighboring plants. We experimentally manipulated the local plant neighborhood within which tomato, pepper, or bean plants were grown in a 3-month field trial. Focal plants were grown in the presence of con- or hetero-specific neighbors (or no neighbors) in a fully factorial combination. At 30-day intervals, focal plants were harvested and replaced with a new age- and species-matched cohort while allowing neighborhood plants to continue growing. Bacterial community profiling revealed that the strength of host filtering effects (i.e., interspecific differences in composition) decreased over time. In contrast, the strength of neighborhood effects increased over time, suggesting dispersal from neighboring plants becomes more important as neighboring plant biomass increases. We next implemented a cross-inoculation study in the greenhouse using inoculum generated from the field plants to directly test host filtering of microbiomes while controlling for directionality and source of dispersal. This experiment further demonstrated that focal host species, the host from which the microbiome came, and in one case the donor hosts’ neighbors, contribute to variation in phyllosphere bacterial composition. Overall, our results suggest that local dispersal is a key factor in phyllosphere assembly, and that demographic factors such as nearby neighbor identity and biomass or age are important determinants of phyllosphere microbiome diversity.
Risk for opioid misuse in chronic pain patients is associated with endogenous opioid system dysregulation
Authors: Ballester Javier , Baker Anne K. , Martikainen Ilkka K. , Koppelmans Vincent , Zubieta Jon-Kar , Love Tiffany M.
Published: January 2022

µ-Opioid receptors (MOR) are a major target of endogenous and exogenous opioids, including opioid pain medications. The µ-opioid neurotransmitter system is heavily implicated in the pathophysiology of chronic pain and opioid use disorder and, as such, central measures of µ-opioid system functioning are increasingly being considered as putative biomarkers for risk to misuse opioids. To explore the relationship between MOR system function and risk for opioid misuse, 28 subjects with chronic nonspecific back pain completed a clinically validated measure of opioid misuse risk, the Pain Medication Questionnaire (PMQ), and were subsequently separated into high (PMQ > 21) and low (PMQ ≤ 21) opioid misuse risk groups. Chronic pain patients along with 15 control participants underwent two separate [11C]-carfentanil positron emission tomography scans to explore MOR functional measures: one at baseline and one during a sustained pain-stress challenge, with the difference between the two providing an indirect measure of stress-induced endogenous opioid release. We found that chronic pain participants at high risk for opioid misuse displayed higher baseline MOR availability within the right amygdala relative to those at low risk. By contrast, patients at low risk for opioid misuse showed less pain-induced activation of MOR-mediated, endogenous opioid neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens. This study links human in vivo MOR system functional measures to the development of addictive disorders and provides novel evidence that MORs and µ-opioid system responsivity may underlie risk to misuse opioids among chronic pain patients.