bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“I noticed that when I have a good supervisor, it can make a Lot of difference.” A Qualitative Study on Guidance of Employees with a Work Disability to Improve Sustainable Employability
Authors: Schaap R. , Stevels V. A. , de Wolff M. S. , Hazelzet A. , Anema J. R. , Coenen P.
Published: September 2022

Purpose

For employees with a work disability adequate daily guidance from supervisors is key for sustainable employability. Supervisors often lack expertise to guide this group of employees. Mentorwijs (literal translation: Mentorwise) is a training for supervisors to improve the guidance of employees with a work disability. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of employees with a work disability regarding: (1) the guidance from their supervisors (who followed the Mentorwijs training), (2) which differences they notice in the guidance due to the Mentorwijs training, and (3) what kind of aspects they consider important in their guidance to achieve sustainable employability.

Methods

A qualitative study was performed with semi-structured (group) interviews among twenty-one employees with a work disability. Thematic analysis was performed to analyze the data.

Results

Themes that followed from the interviews were: (1) work tasks and conditions can facilitate or hinder sustainable employability: (2) relationships among employees and with supervisors can affect sustainable employability; (3) a desire for new opportunities and challenges; and (4) a need for supervisor skills to facilitate sustainable employability, i.e. appreciation, availability of help, dealing with problems, listening, attitude and communication. According to employees, changes were mainly noticed in supervisor skills.

Conclusions

Employees with a work disability were very satisfied with the guidance of supervisors who followed the Mentorwijs training. To improve sustainable employability, training of supervisors should focus more on adequate work conditions, providing employees opportunities to learn new work tasks and improving supervisors’ skills regarding appreciation, attitude and communication.
Asymptotics for Cliques in Scale-Free Random Graphs
Authors: Haig Alastair , Daly Fraser , Shneer Seva
Published: September 2022

In this paper we establish asymptotics (as the size of the graph grows to infinity) for the expected number of cliques in the Chung–Lu inhomogeneous random graph model in which vertices are assigned independent weights which have tail probabilities $$h^{1-\alpha }l(h)$$

h

1
-
α

l

(
h
)

, where $$\alpha >2$$

α
>
2

and l is a slowly varying function. Each pair of vertices is connected by an edge with a probability proportional to the product of the weights of those vertices. We present a complete set of asymptotics for all clique sizes and for all non-integer $$\alpha > 2$$

α
>
2

. We also explain why the case of an integer $$\alpha $$
α
is different, and present partial results for the asymptotics in that case.
Performance of borated scintillator screens for high-resolution neutron imaging
Authors: Schillinger Burkhard , Chuirazzi William , Craft Aaron , Cool Steven , Tengattini Alessandro
Published: September 2022

The most commonly used screens for neutron imaging consist of 6LiF + ZnS. This type of screen yields the highest light output per detected neutron. For high resolution, gadolinium oxysulfide (GOS, Gadox) screens are employed, which have a much higher detection efficiency, but a light output so much lower than LiF + ZnS that measurements are often limited by photon statistics. Historically, screens using boron as a neutron-sensitive material have not been very successful. However, a new preparation method was introduced recently that produces light output higher than Gadox with detection efficiency greater than LiF + ZnS. Measurements of these new borated screens were performed at the NeXT facility at ILL, Grenoble, in comparison to a high resolution Gadox screen.
A two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic system: geometric decomposition and canonical reduction
Authors: Rogers Colin , Schief Wolfgang K.
Published: September 2022

A geometric decomposition previously adopted in areas of nonlinear continuum mechanics and soliton theory is applied to a two-dimensional time-independent magnetohydrodynamic system to obtain reduction to a canonical third order nonlinear equation subject to a constraint. Novel classes of exact solutions to the magnetohydrodynamic system are thereby constructed. Connection is made with kinematic conditions which attend certain steady two-dimensional motions of fibre-reinforced viscous fluids.
Efficacy of Multimodal Sensory Therapy in Adult Acquired Brain Injury: A Systematic Review
Authors: Norwood Michael Francis , Lakhani Ali , Watling David Phillip , Marsh Chelsea Hannah , Zeeman Heidi
Published: September 2022

Adults who experience an acquired brain injury often experience disorders of consciousness, physical difficulties, and maladaptive behaviours. Multimodal sensory therapy may benefit brain injured patients, however the extent this therapy can facilitate rehabilitation is not well understood. This systematic review aimed to synthesize multimodal sensory therapy research for adults affected by acquired brain injury. PRISMA guidelines were followed and searches for work published up until July 2021 were undertaken in 5 databases, finding 1054 articles. 43 articles were included in the study. Results describe 29 studies related to coma following an acquired brain injury and 14 to no coma studies (mostly stroke). Multimodal sensory therapy was mostly used as a coma arousal technique following traumatic brain injury, finding positive effects. Multimodal sensory therapy was less applied in stroke, no coma rehabilitation, where most studies found improvement in somatosensory sensation and motor control in an affected limb. In several no coma studies, effects were maintained after several months. The most common senses stimulated in coma studies were audio (N = 30), tactile (N = 28), visual (N = 26), olfactory (N = 22), and gustatory (N = 17), while the most common senses stimulated in stroke, no coma studies were proprioception (N = 7), tactile (N = 8), and stereognosis (N = 4). Multimodal sensory therapy can be beneficial for patients, especially those in a minimally conscious state or attempting physical rehabilitation following stroke. Negative findings are infrequent in the current literature base. Multimodal sensory therapy appears to be a low-risk intervention with positive outcomes.
Anatomical acclimation of mature leaves to increased irradiance in sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.)
Authors: Wyka Tomasz P. , Robakowski Piotr , Żytkowiak Roma , Oleksyn Jacek
Published: September 2022

Trees regenerating in the understory respond to increased availability of light caused by gap formation by undergoing a range of morphological and physiological adjustments. These adjustments include the production of thick, sun-type leaves containing thicker mesophyll and longer palisade cells than in shade-type leaves. We asked whether in the shade-regenerating tree Acer pseudoplatanus, the increase in leaf thickness and expansion of leaf tissues are possible also in leaves that are already fully formed, a response reported so far only for a handful of species. We acclimated potted seedlings to eight levels (from 1 to 100%) of solar irradiance and, in late summer, transferred a subset of them to full sunlight. Within 30 days, the pre-shaded leaves increased leaf mass per area and became thicker mostly due to the elongation of palisade cells, except for the most shaded individuals which suffered irreversible photo-oxidative damage. This anatomical acclimation was accompanied by a transient decline in photosynthetic efficiency of PSII (Fv/FM), the magnitude of which was related to the degree of pre-shading. The Fv/FM recovered substantially within the re-acclimation period. However, leaves of transferred plants were shed earlier in the fall, indicating that the acclimation was not fully effective. These results show that A. pseudoplatanus is one of the few known species in which mature leaves may re-acclimate anatomically to increased irradiance. This may be an important mechanism enhancing utilization of gaps created during the growing season.
Improving bridge estimators via f-GAN
Authors: Xing Hanwen
Published: September 2022

Bridge sampling is a powerful Monte Carlo method for estimating ratios of normalizing constants. Various methods have been introduced to improve its efficiency. These methods aim to increase the overlap between the densities by applying appropriate transformations to them without changing their normalizing constants. In this paper, we first give a new estimator of the asymptotic relative mean square error (RMSE) of the optimal Bridge estimator by equivalently estimating anf-divergence between the two densities. We then utilize this framework and proposef-GAN-Bridge estimator (f-GB) based on a bijective transformation that maps one density to the other and minimizes the asymptotic RMSE of the optimal Bridge estimator with respect to the densities. This transformation is chosen by minimizing a specificf-divergence between the densities. We showf-GB is optimal in the sense that within any given set of candidate transformations, thef-GB estimator can asymptotically achieve an RMSE lower than or equal to that achieved by Bridge estimators based on any other transformed densities. Numerical experiments show thatf-GB outperforms existing methods in simulated and real-world examples. In addition, we discuss how Bridge estimators naturally arise from the problem off-divergence estimation.
A non-stationary model for spatially dependent circular response data based on wrapped Gaussian processes
Authors: Marques Isa , Kneib Thomas , Klein Nadja
Published: September 2022

Circular data can be found across many areas of science, for instance meteorology (e.g., wind directions), ecology (e.g., animal movement directions), or medicine (e.g., seasonality in disease onset). The special nature of these data means that conventional methods for non-periodic data are no longer valid. In this paper, we consider wrapped Gaussian processes and introduce a spatial model for circular data that allow for non-stationarity in the mean and the covariance structure of Gaussian random fields. We use the empirical equivalence between Gaussian random fields and Gaussian Markov random fields which allows us to considerably reduce computational complexity by exploiting the sparseness of the precision matrix of the associated Gaussian Markov random field. Furthermore, we develop tunable priors, inspired by the penalized complexity prior framework, that shrink the model toward a less flexible base model with stationary mean and covariance function. Posterior estimation is done via Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. The performance of the model is evaluated in a simulation study. Finally, the model is applied to analyzing wind directions in Germany.
Stephen F. Mason—structural chemist and historian of science—a centenary remembrance
Authors: Hargittai Istvan
Published: September 2022

Stephen F. Mason (1923–2007) was a polymath. He applied a variety of spectroscopic and computational techniques to investigate molecular properties. His best-known results appeared in connection with chirality. He was a pioneer in advocating the importance of chiral separation for pharmaceuticals even before the thalidomide tragedy. Another pioneering contribution was his work on biomolecular homochirality and the recognition of the electroweak origin of biomolecular handedness. He published important books spanning the range from the history of science through the chemical history of the elements to the origin of the universe and life. Our remembrance focuses on his views on some turning points in the history of science and, especially, in the history of chemistry.
On the use of deep learning and parallelism techniques to significantly reduce the HEVC intra-coding time
Authors: Galiano Vicente , Migallón Héctor , Martínez-Rach Miguel , López-Granado Otoniel , P. Malumbres Manuel
Published: September 2022

It is well-known that each new video coding standard significantly increases in computational complexity with respect to previous standards, and this is particularly true for the HEVC and VVC video coding standards. The development of techniques for reducing the required complexity without affecting the rate/distortion (R/D) performance is therefore always a topic of intense research interest. In this paper, we propose a combination of two powerful techniques, deep learning and parallel computing, to significantly reduce the complexity of the HEVC encoding engine. Our experimental results show that a combination of deep learning to reduce the CTU partitioning complexity with parallel strategies based on frame partitioning is able to achieve speedups of up to 26$$\times$$
×
when 16 threads are used. The R/D penalty in terms of the BD-BR metric depends on the video content, the compression rate and the number of OpenMP threads, and was consistently between 0.35 and 10% for the video sequence test set used in our experiments
Causes of abortion in Iranian sheep flocks and associated risk factors
Authors: Esmaeili Hossein , Shakeri Amir Pasha , Rad Zia Nosrati , Arani Ehsan Baghal , Villanueva-Saz Sergio , Ruiz Héctor , Lacasta Delia
Published: September 2022

Abortion is a major issue in sheep husbandry. It can result in significant economic losses and a severe public health risk. This survey assessed the infectious and non-infectious causes of abortion in Iranian sheep flocks and determined the main risk factors. In this cross-sectional survey, causes of abortion were evaluated in 757 sheep flocks, and risk factors were analysed. A checklist containing general animal information for each abortion outbreak evaluated was filled in. Data were analysed using univariate tests and multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. In this sense, parity, gestational age of the aborted fetus, vaccination protocol, mineral supplementation and history of stillbirth showed significant associations with abortion. Infectious agents such as Coxiella burnetti (22.7%), Chlamydia abortus (12.3%) and Brucella melitensis (10.4%) were the most frequently isolated in the investigated flocks, with more than 2% of abortion rates. On the other hand, non-infectious agents such as trauma, pregnancy toxaemia and vitamin E/Se deficiency were involved in those flocks with low abortion rates (less than 10%). Results revealed multiple causes of abortion outbreaks among Iranian sheep flocks, which need careful investigation to identify possible aetiology and risk factors. Further studies are necessary to evaluate if these factors are similar to other countries in the same region.
Cathepsin F is a potential marker for senescent human skin fibroblasts and keratinocytes associated with skin aging
Authors: Takaya Kento , Asou Toru , Kishi Kazuo
Published: September 2022

Cellular senescence is characterized by cell cycle arrest and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and can be triggered by a variety of stimuli, including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, oxidative stress, and telomere exhaustion. Cellular senescence is associated with skin aging, and identification of specific markers of senescent cells is essential for development of targeted therapies. Cathepsin F (CTSF) has been implicated in dermatitis and various cancers and participates in cell immortalization through its association with Bcl family proteins. It is a candidate therapeutic target to specifically label and eliminate human skin fibroblasts and keratinocytes immortalized by aging and achieve skin rejuvenation. In this study, we investigated whether CTSF is associated with senescence in human fibroblasts and keratinocytes. In senescence models, created using replicative aging, ionizing radiation exposure, and the anticancer drug doxorubicin, various senescence markers were observed, such as senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity, increased SASP gene expression, and decreased uptake of the proliferation marker BrdU. Furthermore, CTSF expression was elevated at the gene and protein levels. In addition, CTSF-positive cells were abundant in aged human epidermis and in some parts of the dermis. In the population of senescent cells with arrested division, the number of CTSF-positive cells was significantly higher than that in the proliferating cell population. These results suggest that CTSF is a candidate for therapeutic modalities targeting aging fibroblasts and keratinocytes.
When Markets Aren’t Markets: a Reply to David Rondel
Authors: Dillingh Savriël
Published: September 2022

In a recent article in this journal, David Rondel argues that symbolic (or semiotic) objections to markets hold significant argumentative force. Rondel distinguishes betweenIncidentalmarkets andPervasivemarkets, where Incidental markets describe individual instances of exchange and Pervasive markets comprise the social management of goods by an institutional market arrangement. In this reply, I specify a key insight that buttresses Rondel’s distinction. The distinction as it is currently characterized fails to identify when Incidental markets become Pervasive. This opaqueness allows scholars that defend markets without limits to question the analytical distinctiveness of Incidental and Pervasive markets. I show that by incorporating the market’s price mechanism as an indicator of a properly Pervasive market, Rondel’s distinction is not only able to tackle the aforementioned retort, but also allows for important reflections on what types of institutions should be considered markets at all.
Enhancement of instrumented ultrasonic tracking images using deep learning
Authors: Maneas Efthymios , Hauptmann Andreas , Alles Erwin J. , Xia Wenfeng , Noimark Sacha , David Anna L. , Arridge Simon , Desjardins Adrien E.
Published: September 2022

Purpose:

Instrumented ultrasonic tracking provides needle localisation during ultrasound-guided minimally invasive percutaneous procedures. Here, a post-processing framework based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) is proposed to improve the spatial resolution of ultrasonic tracking images.

Methods:

The custom ultrasonic tracking system comprised a needle with an integrated fibre-optic ultrasound (US) transmitter and a clinical US probe for receiving those transmissions and for acquiring B-mode US images. For post-processing of tracking images reconstructed from the received fibre-optic US transmissions, a recently-developed framework based on ResNet architecture, trained with a purely synthetic dataset, was employed. A preliminary evaluation of this framework was performed with data acquired from needle insertions in the heart of a fetal sheep in vivo. The axial and lateral spatial resolution of the tracking images were used as performance metrics of the trained network.

Results:

Application of the CNN yielded improvements in the spatial resolution of the tracking images. In three needle insertions, in which the tip depth ranged from 23.9 to 38.4 mm, the lateral resolution improved from 2.11 to 1.58 mm, and the axial resolution improved from 1.29 to 0.46 mm.

Conclusion:

The results provide strong indications of the potential of CNNs to improve the spatial resolution of ultrasonic tracking images and thereby to increase the accuracy of needle tip localisation. These improvements could have broad applicability and impact across multiple clinical fields, which could lead to improvements in procedural efficiency and reductions in risk of complications.
The amelioration of degraded larch (Larix olgensis) soil depends on the proportion of Aralia elata litter in larch-A. elata agroforestry systems
Authors: Gao Pingzhen , Zhu Jiaojun , Yan Qiaoling , Yang Kai , Zhang Jinxin
Published: September 2022

Research has indicated that introducing Aralia elata into larch plantations forms an agroforestry system which could provide economic benefits for local farmers and improve degraded soils. However, the impact of litter mixtures on soil chemical and microbial properties in this agroforestry system are unclear, which limits efficient management of the agroforestry system. A 365-d incubation experiment examined the effect of litter mixtures of different proportions of larch (L) and A. elata (A) on soil chemical and microbial properties. The results show that levels of mineral N, available P, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, cumulative C mineralization, and activities of hydrolases and oxidases increased with an increase of A. elata in the litter mixtures. Concentration of total soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous did not change (except for total nitrogen). Compared with larch litter alone, levels of mineral N, available P, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, cumulative C mineralization, and the activities of hydrolases and oxidases increased by 7.6–433.5%. Most chemical and microbial properties were positively correlated with mixed litter proportions and the initial levels of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn and Cu in the litter, while negatively correlated with the initial concentrations of C, Fe and lignin, C/N and lignin/N ratios. The results indicate that A. elata litter can improve degraded larch soil and the degree depends on the proportion of A. elata litter in the litter mixtures.
Roles of technologies for future teaching in a pandemic: activity, agency, and humans-with-media
Authors: Villa-Ochoa Jhony Alexander , Molina-Toro Juan Fernando , Borba Marcelo C.
Published: September 2022

Research literature on the role of mathematics teachers during the COVID-19 crisis shows that teacher preparation for emergency situations is required. In reporting on this exploratory study, we present and analyse lesson plans created by seven future teachers for mathematics classes during the pandemic. Data were collected between April and October 2021 from 16 four-hour class sessions in a Mathematics Degree Program at a public university in Medellín, Colombia. The notion of Humans-with-Media and the Learning by Expanding theory were used as frameworks to understand what roles prospective mathematics teacher (PMTs) assign to technologies for teaching in pandemic conditions. The PMTs’ uses of technology for teaching mathematics during a pandemic were categorized. The results show that technology was used to reorganize and reproduce mathematics teaching practices. This report addresses the impact of technology on the activity system, and we conclude with a discussion of opportunities and limitations of students’ conceptions about teaching and technology during a pandemic.
DNA barcoding to assess species identification in museum samples of Amphiliidae and natural samples of Cichlidae from Southern Mozambique
Authors: Ferrari Claudio , Tovela Erica , Taviani Elisa , Nonnis Marzano Francesco
Published: September 2022

The biodiversity protection and monitorning is one of main goals of natural history musems worldwide. Conservation issues are particularly important for freshwater fish which are one of the most threatened taxa for the consequences of climate change and human activies. In Mozambique freshwater rivers are poorly explored and the impact of aquaculture and human activities on local biodiversity in almost unknown. Here we propose the barcoding analysis of cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) mitochrondrial DNA of 41 frehswater fishes catched in four rivers of southern Mozambique and 53 from a museum collection. As evidence of previous knowledge gaps, barcoding results revealed twenty new haplotypes described for the first time in the taxa Cichlidae and Amphilidae. From a methodological point of view, the barcoding approach demonstrated a critical point connected to the requested 650 bp length of amplified sequences. In fact, high weight genomic DNA is unattainable from museum samples and also in wildlife samples collected in pristine rivers. For this reason we furtherly tested the efficiency of DNA mini-barcoding analysis for 53 fish from a museum collection. The Mini-barcode method retrieved 56.6% of sequences successfully analyzed versus 3% of barcoding. The high performance of this thecniques is discussed in relation to biodiversity monitoring and to fill the taxonomy gaps in museum collections.
A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial Targeting Perfectionism in Young Adolescents
Authors: Osenk Ivana , Johnson Catherine , Wade Tracey D.
Published: September 2022

Perfectionism has adverse impacts on mental health and academic outcomes. We evaluated a 5-lesson classroom intervention for young adolescents delivered by teachers for impact on perfectionism, well-being, self-compassion, academic motivation and negative affect, at post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Classes (N = 636 students, Mage = 13.68, SD = 0.60) were randomized to intervention (n = 343) or classes as usual (n = 293). Data were analyzed using linear mixed models adjusted for baseline observation and clustering. At post-intervention no differences were found between the groups. At 3-month follow-up, anxiety showed a significant increase in the control group with no increase in the intervention group (d = 0.23; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.40); females in the control group had a significant decrease in well-being from post-intervention to 3 month follow-up compared to the intervention group (d = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.58); students with high levels of perfectionistic concerns in the intervention had significantly lower perfectionistic strivings at 3 month follow-up than the control group ((d = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.49). This intervention shows promising results when delivered by teachers. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) Trial Number: ACTRN12621000457842 (April 19, 2021).
Congenital Mandibular Hypoplasia: Patient-Specific Total Joint Replacement as a Line Extension in the Treatment of Complex Craniofacial Anomalies
Authors: Zimmerer Rüdiger M. , Sander Anna Katharina , Schönfeld Annika , Lethaus Bernd , Gellrich Nils-Claudius , Neuhaus Michael-Tobias
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Congenital mandibular hypoplasia (CMH) remains challenging because of the underlying combined hard and soft tissue deficiency. Treatment options include craniofacial distraction, orthognathic surgery, and autologous grafts, although the latter produces inadequate results after distraction and autologous grafting. Unsatisfactory long-term stability may cause relapse, necessitating reoperation.

Material and Methods

We investigated the feasibility of using alloplastic total joint replacement (TJR) in growing and young adult CMH patients. The primary outcome was long-term reconstruction stability, without implant failure. Secondary outcomes were TMJ function and pain, and jaw movements achieved during surgery.

Results

Three patients (age: 9–22 years) were treated by the same surgeon at one institution during 2018–2021. Anamnesis and clinical parameters were obtained from patient records. Preoperative 3D-scans were superimposed with postoperative 3D-scans and preoperative plans, including TJR-implant STL files, to measure jaw movement. All patients underwent prior reconstructive surgery. Mandibular movement of 16.4–20.1 mm in the sagittal direction was achieved. Post-TJR follow-up ranged from 24 to 42 months. No long-term complications occurred. At the latest follow-up, the maximal interincisal opening was between 21 and 40 mm, and all implants were functioning, without failure.

Conclusion

In selected CMH cases, alloplastic TJR can deliver satisfactory medium-term results with predictable and stable outcomes, even in growing patients.
A New Ratio-Metric pH Probe, “ThiAKS Green” for Live-Cell pH Measurements
Authors: Akyol Ali , Baykal Doruk , Akdağ Akın , Şensoy Özge , Son Çağdaş Devrim
Published: September 2022

Deviation of the H+ concentration from optimum values within the organelles is closely associated with irregular cellular functions that cause the onset of various diseases. Therefore, determining subcellular pH values in live cells and tissues is valuable for diagnostic purposes. In this study, we report a novel ratiometric fluorescence probe 1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid, 4-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-3-(2,4-dihydroxy-3-methylphenyl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxylicacid4-(2-benz othiazolyl)-5-(2,4-dihydroxy-3-methylphenyl), to which we will refer as ThiAKS Green (Thiazole AKyol shifting green), that is pH sensitive. The results presented here show that the probe can penetrate the cell membrane in less than 30 minutes and does not show any detectable toxicity. The measured color shifts up on pH change are linear and most significant around physiological pH (pKa=7.45), thus making this probe suitable for live-cell imaging and intracellular pH measurements. During the long-incubation periods following the application of the probe and the fluorescent microscopy measurements, it shows stable properties and is easy to detect in live cells. In conclusion, the results suggest that ThiAKS Green can be used to obtain precise information on the H+ distribution at various compartments of the live cells.
A Broadband Achromatic Dielectric Planar Metalens in Mid-IR Range
Authors: Yuan Ye , Yan Zilong , Zhang Peifeng , Chang Zhu , Peng Fengjiang , Chen Ruotong , Yang Zhenyuan , Chen Shizheng , Zhao Qing , Huang Xiaoping
Published: September 2022

Metalens are planar lenses composed of the subwavelength arrays, which have unconventional and versatile functionalities to manipulate the light fields compared with the traditional lens. It is noted that the most metalens are designed in a monochromatic mode in the visible or mid-infrared range (mid-IR), however, the broadband range is needed in many practical applications, such as spectroscopy, sensing, and imaging. Here, we design and demonstrate a broadband achromatic dielectric metalens in the mid-IR range of 4 µm–5 µm for near diffraction-limited (1.0λ) focusing. The broadband achromatic propagation and focusing of the metalens are designed and simulated by constructing and optimizing the phase profile. The Pancharatnam-Berry (P-B) phases of all the elements contribute to the main phase increment of the whole phase profile of the metalens. The additional phase is constructed and optimized by using the random search algorithm to obtain the optimized size of all the elements. The focusing efficiency of the achromatic metalens is also optimized and averaged as the result of phase optimization within a wide band for the building elements, while it is lowered comparing with the regular metalens without broadband achromatic designing. Using this combined designing approach, various flat achromatic devices with the broadband metalens can find a new way for full-color detection and imaging.
The Cheeger cut and Cheeger problem in metric graphs
Authors: Mazón José M.
Published: September 2022

For discrete weighted graphs there is sufficient literature about the Cheeger cut and the Cheeger problem, but for metric graphs there are few results about these problems. Our aim is to study the Cheeger cut and the Cheeger problem in metric graphs. For that, we use the concept of total variation and perimeter in metric graphs introduced in Mazón (Math Eng 5(1):1–38, 2023.https://doi.org/10.3934/mine.2023009), which takes into account the jumps at the vertices of the functions of bounded variation. Moreover, we study the eigenvalue problem for the minus 1-Laplacian operator in metric graphs, whereby we give a method to solve the optimal Cheeger cut problem.
The effects of exercise training induced calories expenditure on type 2 diabetes related cardio metabolic physiological parameters and adipocytokines
Authors: zadeh Mahmoud Asle Mohammadi , Afrasyabi Saleh , Mohamadi Zaynab Asle
Published: September 2022

Background

Recently, many studies have examined the effects of various training on pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory adipocytes. The results of these studies are contradictory. Some have reported positive effects and others have reported negative effects. However, there is no research to study the effect of exercise on similar energy expenditures on adipocytes. Hence the purpose of this study was the effects exercise training induced calories expenditure on type 2 diabetes related cardio metabolic physiological parameters and adipocytokines.

Methods

Sixty-eight men patients with type 2 diabetes [12 weeks] were randomized to 4 groups according to training regimens. the groups are [1] HIIT [n = 17], [2] RT[n = 17], [3] AT[n = 18], and [4] AT + RT n = 16]. For 12 weeks [4 days/week, 20–30 min/season], participants performed training sessions with 300 kcal energy expenditure. Before and after 12 weeks interventions, Anthropometric and physiological variables and Glucose, insulin, FFA, LDL, HDL, TG, TC collected and analyses. Leptin, SFRP5, LGR4 and Irisin levels in Serum were assessment by ELISA.

Results

Serum irisin concentrations were significantly higher in AT [%20.4] compared to other groups. Leptin, SFRP5 and LGR4 were significantly higher in HIIT [%-21.7, %48.1 and %30.9 respectively] compared to other groups. Serum SFRP5 concentrations were significantly increased in 4 groups[P > 0.05]. However, leptin and LGR4 were significantly decreased and increased in 3 groups expect in RT group[P > 0.05]. And irisin concentrations were significantly increased in AT group only[P > 0.05]. And many variables indicated positive and negative relationship between together [P > 0.05].

Conclusions

The findings of the present study showed that if exercised with energy expenditure equal to HIIT training, it has the greatest effect on improving inflammatory and anti-inflammatory indicators in type 2 diabetic patients, as well as glycemic and lipid-chemical variables.
‘What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important’: a study of the strategic implications of the urgency effect in a competitive setting
Authors: Papi Mauro
Published: September 2022

The urgency effect refers to people’s tendency to choose a relatively unimportant task (with unambiguously low payoff) over a relatively important task (with unambiguously high payoff), when the former is spuriously framed as urgent. In this paper I study a simple model in which two payoff-maximising task suppliers compete for a population of heterogeneous decision-makers. Task suppliers offer tasks of various importance, and can exert costly effort to manipulate the perceived urgency of the offered tasks. Decision-makers are of two kinds: they either choose more important over less important tasks by disregarding the urgency frames (fully rational) or behave like fully rational decision-makers, except that they are subject to the urgency effect (boundedly rational). I study the unique symmetric equilibrium of the resulting game and derive the conditions under which the urgency effect has detrimental effects on the decision-makers’ welfare. Furthermore, I examine the implications of several policies aimed at correcting the failure, which include educating boundedly rational decision-makers and auditing task suppliers that use urgency framing.
Analyzing the Application of the Sustainable Development Goals for Egypt Using a Neutrosophic Goal Programming Approach
Authors: Badr Elsayed , Seidy Essam El , Elrayes Amani , Rabie Aya
Published: September 2022

Sustainable development necessitates the implementation of appropriate policies that integrate multiple competing objectives on economic, environmental, energy, and social criteria. Multi-criteria decision analysis with goal programming is a popular and widely used technique for studying decision problems with multiple competing objectives. Real-world situations frequently involve imprecise and incomplete information, making neutrosophic goal programming models the most appealing option. We presented a novel neutrosophic goal programming model that incorporates optimal resource allocation to simultaneously satisfy prospective goals on economic development, energy consumption, workforce, and greenhouse gas emission reduction by 2030, as applied to Egypt’s key economic sectors in this paper. We also compared the outcomes of fuzzy goal programming and neutrosophic goal programming. We show that neutrosophic goal programming approach is more accurate than fuzzy goal programming approach because it deals with incomplete and indeterminate information and has three independent degrees: truth membership degree, indeterminacy–membership degree, and falsity–membership degree. The presented model examines opportunities for improvement and the effort required to implement sustainable development plans. The model also provides valuable insights to decision makers for strategic planning as well as investment allocations for sustainable development. Numerical illustration is also provided for validation and application of the proposed model.
Strategic sentiments and emotions in post-Second World War party manifestos in Finland
Authors: Koljonen Juha , Öhman Emily , Ahonen Pertti , Mattila Mikko
Published: September 2022

We contribute to the growing number of studies on emotions and politics by investigating how political parties strategically use sentiments and emotions in party manifestos. We use computational methods in examining changes of sentiments and emotions in Finnish party manifestos from 1945 to 2019. We use sentiment and emotion lexicons first translated from English into Finnish and then modified for the purposes of our study. We analyze how the use of emotions and sentiments differs between government and opposition parties depending on their left/right ideology and the specific type of party manifesto. In addition to traditional sentiment and emotion analysis, we use emotion intensity analysis. Our results indicate that in Finland, government and opposition parties do not differ substantially from each other in their use of emotional language. From a historical perspective, the individual emotions used in party manifestos have persisted, but changes have taken place in the intensity of using emotion words. We also find that in comparison with other parties, populist parties both appeal to different emotions and appeal to the same emotions with different intensities.
YORP Effect on Long-Term Rotational Dynamics of Debris in GEO
Authors: Cuomo Francesco
Published: September 2022

The Yarkovsky–O’Keefe–Radzievskii–Paddack (YORP) effect describes the torque induced on space objects produced by solar radiation and thermal re-emission. Previous analyses have demonstrated its influence on long-term rotational dynamics of space debris objects in Geostationary Orbit (GEO), where YORP becomes predominant with respect to other external perturbations (e.g., atmospheric drag, gravity gradient, eddy current torque), leading to a wide variety of possible behaviors. The capability of forecasting time windows of slow uniform rotation, if any, would bring significant advantages in operations of Active Debris Removal and on-orbit servicing, especially in the detumbling phase. Also, a non-negligible impact of the End-of-Life configuration, in terms of movable surfaces orientation and center of mass location, could lead to guidelines for future satellites to be easier targets in the disposal phase. In this work, a previously derived semi-analytical tumbling-averaged YORP rotational dynamics model is leveraged. Exploiting an averaged model, computational time is strongly reduced while maintaining sufficient accuracy compared to propagation of Euler’s equations of motion. First, a satellite of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) family is analyzed and compared to previous studies to verify the correct implementation of the model. A wider analysis is performed on simple geometric models, such as a box-wing satellite, a 3U CubeSat, and a rocket body. The impact of object size, surface optical properties, and center of mass position on long-term rotational behavior is investigated, providing a general insight into these phenomena with a possible future application to existing objects in GEO.
Synthesis of Magnetic Sulfonated Carbon/Fe3O4/Palygorskite Composites and Application as a Solid Acid Catalyst
Authors: Wu Mei , Yao Xingjun , Jiang Jinlong , Ji Yingnian , Gu Yaxi , Deng Qiulin , Ouyang Jing
Published: September 2022

Sulfonated carbon is a green, solid acid catalyst but its surface area, separation, and recovery after utilization need to be improved. The objective of the present study was to provide an environmentally friendly and economical method to prepare magnetic sulfonated carbon composite catalyst with a large surface area using palygorskite (Plg) as the support. A magnetic sulfonated carbon/Fe3O4/Plg composite catalyst was prepared via simultaneous calcination and sulfonation of the mixture of source, p-toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH), and Fe3O4/Plg. Fe3O4 nanoparticles and Plg nanorods were encased by a carbon layer derived from sucrose and TsOH. The composite catalyst exhibited good magnetic properties and high catalytic performance for the esterification of oleic acid with methanol. Oleic acid conversion reached 88.69% after the first catalytic cycle. Plg nanorods replaced sucrose and increased the catalyst’s surface area. The introduction of Fe3O4 nanoparticles improved further the acid content and oleic-acid conversion and achieved 70.31% after five cycles. The catalyst was recycled easily using an external magnetic field and its magnetic property remained unchanged due to the protection of the carbon layer.
The Relative Contributions of NIH and Private Sector Funding to the Approval of New Biopharmaceuticals
Authors: Schulthess Duane , Bowen Harry P. , Popovian Robert , Gassull Daniel , Zhang Augustine , Hammang Joe
Published: September 2022

Objectives

There remains ongoing debate regarding the relative efficacy of public (NIH) and private sector funding in bringing biopharmaceutical innovations to market. This paper investigates the significance of each party’s level of funding for obtaining Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization.

Methods

A cohort of research projects linked to 23,230 National Institute of Health grants awarded in the year 2000 was audited to account for patents, where the project led to a product in clinical development and potentially FDA approval. A total of 8126 associated patents led to the identification of 41 therapies that registered clinical trials; 18 of these therapies received FDA approved.

Results

NIH funding for the 18 FDA-approved therapies totaled $0.670 billion, whereas private sector funding (excluding post-approval funding) totaled $44.3 billion. A logistic regression relating the levels of public and private funding to the probability of FDA approval indicates a positive and significant relationship between private sector funding and the likelihood of FDA approval (p ≤ 0.0004). The relationship between public funding and the likelihood of FDA approval is found to be negative and not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Our study results underscore that the development of basic discoveries requires substantial additional investments, partnerships, and the shouldering of financial risk by the private sector if therapies are to materialize as FDA-approved medicine. Our finding of a potentially negative relationship between public funding and the likelihood that a therapy receives FDA approval requires additional study.
Perspectives on plant virus diseases in a climate change scenario of elevated temperatures
Authors: Tsai Wei-An , Brosnan Christopher A. , Mitter Neena , Dietzgen Ralf G.
Published: September 2022

Global food production is at risk from many abiotic and biotic stresses and can be affected by multiple stresses simultaneously. Virus diseases damage cultivated plants and decrease the marketable quality of produce. Importantly, the progression of virus diseases is strongly affected by changing climate conditions. Among climate-changing variables, temperature increase is viewed as an important factor that affects virus epidemics, which may in turn require more efficient disease management. In this review, we discuss the effect of elevated temperature on virus epidemics at both macro- and micro-climatic levels. This includes the temperature effects on virus spread both within and between host plants. Furthermore, we focus on the involvement of molecular mechanisms associated with temperature effects on plant defence to viruses in both susceptible and resistant plants. Considering various mechanisms proposed in different pathosystems, we also offer a view of the possible opportunities provided by RNA -based technologies for virus control at elevated temperatures. Recently, the potential of these technologies for topical field applications has been strengthened through a combination of genetically modified (GM)-free delivery nanoplatforms. This approach represents a promising and important climate-resilient substitute to conventional strategies for managing plant virus diseases under global warming scenarios. In this context, we discuss the knowledge gaps in the research of temperature effects on plant-virus interactions and limitations of RNA-based emerging technologies, which should be addressed in future studies.
Monitoring Using X-Bar Control Chart Using Neutrosophic-Based Generalized Multiple Dependent State Sampling with Application
Authors: Khan Nasrullah , Ahmad Liaquat , Aslam Muhammad
Published: September 2022

In this article, an enhanced X-bar control chart using generalized multiple dependent state (GMDS) sampling under neutrosophic statistics is presented. The joint advantages of GMDS sampling and the neutrosophic statistics have been recycled for the efficient monitoring of the average quality characteristic of any production process. The efficiency of the proposed chart has been evaluated using the average run length values under different ranges of the parameters under study. The comparison of the proposed chart with the existing control chart has been discussed. The comparison shows that the proposed chart is better than the existing chart. Results reveal the superiority of the proposed neutrosophic-based GMDS sampling chart. In addition, an example has also been included for the practical implementation of the proposed methodology.
Tubularized incised-Plate urethroplasty for distal hypospadias in a day-case setup; Is it feasible?
Authors: Al-Taher Raed , Al-Ghazawi Munir , Alshahwan Hebah , Abdelhadi Saja , Abu Abeeleh Farah , Al-Armouti Rayan , Rashdan Mohammad , Amarin Marzouq
Published: September 2022

Highlights
Prudent Entrepreneurship inTheory of Moral Sentiments
Authors: West Kacey Reeves
Published: September 2022

Adam Smith writes favorably about innovation inWealth of Nationswhile writing unfavorably about a figure associated with innovation: the projector. His criticism of projectors prompts many scholars to claim that Smith disapproves of entrepreneurship. But Smith criticizes the projector not because he acts as an entrepreneur but because he fails to meet Smith’s moral standards for entrepreneurship. InTheory of Moral Sentiments, Smith conceives of a framework for moral entrepreneurship based on prudence. The framework consists of two principles: first, approach everyday matters with the general “tenor of conduct” that governs your life and trade, and second, approach life-changing matters with prudence and justice. Recognizing that Smith is concerned with the total effect that an entrepreneurial venture has on society beyond its immediate profits opens the door to engage with contemporary research that studies the ethical and moral externalities of entrepreneurship.