bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bilingual Language Control Flexibly Adapts to Cultural Context
Authors: Liu Cong , Li Lu , Jiao Lu , Wang Ruiming
Published: October 2021

How does bilingual language control adapt to the cultural context? We address this question by looking at the pattern of switch cost and reversed language dominance effect, which are suggested to separately reflect reactive and proactive language control mechanisms, in the contexts with culturally-neutral pictures (i. e., baseline context) or culturally-biased pictures (i.e., congruent context where culture matched the language to be spoken or incongruent context where culture mismatched the language to be spoken). Results showed an asymmetric switch cost with larger costs for L2 in the congruent context as compared with the baseline and incongruent contexts, but the reversed language dominance effect was not changed across contexts, suggesting that cultural context plays a critical role in modulating reactive but not proactive language control. These findings reveal the dynamic nature of language control in bilinguals and have important implications for the current models of bilingual language control.
Curved vs. Straight-Line Handwriting Effects on Word Recognition in Typical and Dyslexic Readers Across Chinese and English
Authors: Guan Connie Qun , Li Yifei , Meng Wanjin , Morett Laura M.
Published: October 2021

Handwriting serves to link auditory and motor routines with visual word processing, which is a hallmark of successful reading. The current study aims to explore the effect of multisensory integration as a pathway to neural specialization for print among typical and dyslexic readers across writing systems. We identified 9–10-year-old dyslexic Chinese children (n = 24) and their typically developing counterparts (n = 24) on whom we conducted both behavioral and electroencephalogram (EEG) experiments. We designed four learning conditions: Handwriting Chinese (HC), Viewing Chinese (VC), Drawing followed by Character Recognition in Chinese (D-C), and Drawing followed by Word Recognition in English (D-E). In both handwriting and drawing conditions, we also designed curved vs. straight-line stimuli. Both behavioral and EEG results showed that handwriting straight line strokes facilitated visual word recognition in Chinese compared to handwriting curved lines. Handwriting conditions resulted in a lateralization of the N170 in typical readers, but not the dyslexic readers. Interestingly, drawing curved lines facilitate word recognition in English among dyslexic readers. Taken together, the results of the study suggest benefits of handwriting on the neural processing and behavioral performance in response to Chinese character recognition and curved-line drawing effects on English word recognition among dyslexic readers. But the lack of handwriting effects in dyslexic readers suggest that students who have deficits in reading may also be missing the link between multisensory integration and word recognition in the visual word form areas. The current study results have implications for maintaining handwriting practices to promote perception and motor integration for visual word form area development for normal readers and suggest that drawing practices might benefit Chinese dyslexic readers in reading English.
Reading Struggle Stories of Role Models Can Improve Students' Growth Mindsets
Authors: Du Xu , Yuan Sheng , Liu Ying , Bai Xuejun
Published: October 2021

Previous studies have suggested that reading stories of role models can improve the growth mindsets of students. The current study aimed to investigate the types of stories that can increase the growth mindsets of high school students, undergraduates, and graduates and how many specific stories undergraduates with low and high perseverance need to read to improve their growth mindsets. In study 1, high school students, undergraduates, and graduates were assigned to read either five struggle stories or five achievement stories of role models. Their mindsets were measured before and after reading the stories. The results showed that reading struggle stories rather than achievement stories of role models increased the growth mindsets of undergraduates and graduates. In study 2, undergraduates with high and low perseverance were assigned to read five struggle stories or five achievement stories of role models. Their mindsets were measured before reading stories and after reading each story. The results showed that the growth mindsets of undergraduates with low perseverance increased after reading two struggle stories of role models, and increased further after reading five struggle stories of role models. More importantly, the level of growth mindsets of undergraduates with low perseverance was equal to that of undergraduates with high perseverance after reading five struggle stories of role models. These findings reveal that reading struggle stories of role models can improve the growth mindsets of undergraduates and graduates. The personality of students affects the effectiveness of story-based mindset intervention.
Exploring the Moderating Effect of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Between the Integration of Opportunity and Resource and Entrepreneurial Performance
Authors: Li Na , Sun Yu , Jiang Dake , Yang Xiu
Published: October 2021

This study explains how start-ups obtain a high accumulated performance by aligning and employing an integration between opportunities and resources (IOR) in a dynamic environment and whether these potential benefits are associated with interpersonal emotion regulation. Using 274 enterprise samples, the findings confirm that an IOR has a significant positive effect on entrepreneurial performance. In addition, positive emotion and interpersonal relationship regulation positively moderate the relationship between IOR and entrepreneurial performance. This paper proposes a new concept of the IOR and measures it for the first time. Then, the relationship was explored between the IOR, interpersonal emotion regulation, and entrepreneurial performance. This research not only systematically integrates opportunities and resources and avoids their separation but also helps to reveal the context of entrepreneurship research, enrich entrepreneurship theory, and expand the boundaries.
Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation Scale Version 3 for People With Mental Disorders: an Online Survey Study
Authors: Hongo Minako , Oshima Fumiyo , Nishinaka Hirofumi , Seto Mikuko , Ohtani Toshiyuki , Shimizu Eiji
Published: October 2021

It is a serious problem when people with mental disorders avoid, delay, discontinue, or do not use treatment and support, despite the existence of evidence-based treatment and support methods. In this study, we aimed to clarify the factor structure of BACE v3, a scale to measure barriers to accessing mental health care, and to examine its reliability and validity among Japanese people with mental disorders. An online survey with 268 participants, 20 years old and over, who had received care from mental health services in the past 12 months was conducted. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA) were used to examine the structure of the BACE v3. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of all subscales were examined. Convergent validity [correlation of one of the subscales of the BACE v3, the treatment stigma subscale with the Stigma Scale for Receiving Psychological Help (SSRPH) and with the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI)] was assessed. EFA identified two factors (treatment stigma and non-stigma), and the results suggested that the factor structure of the Japanese version of BACE v3 was similar to the original 2-factor structure. Regarding the CFA result, the goodness-of-fit indices showed marginal fit (root mean square error of approximation = 0.087; Tucker–Lewis index = 0.842; standardized root mean square residual = 0.078; comparative fit index = 0.86). The internal consistency of the treatment stigma subscale was α = 0.90, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.76 (confidence interval: 0.70–0.81). The internal consistency of the non-stigma subscale was α = 0.83, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.64 (confidence interval: 0.56–0.71). The score of the treatment stigma subscale was significantly and positively correlated with the SSRPH and ISMI. Thus, the BACE v3 has acceptable consistency, reliability and validity for the assessment of barriers to accessing mental health care including treatment stigma among people with mental disorders in Japan.
How Should Self-Esteem Be Considered in Cancer Patients?
Authors: Niveau Noémie , New Boris , Beaudoin Marine
Published: October 2021

Numerous studies showed that cancer significantly increases the risk of developing depressive and anxious symptoms. It has been shown that self-esteem is an important psychological resource and is associated with many health behaviors. Furthermore, the vulnerability model of low self-esteem, which has received strong empirical support, highlights that low self-esteem is a real risk factor in the development of depressive disorders. This article aims at providing an overview of the involvement of self-esteem in the psychological adjustment to cancer. After briefly reviewing the literature, we suggest that its implication in the development of depressive disorders and its association with coping strategies and social support in cancer patients justify the consideration of self-esteem in oncology psychological care, especially in young adult patients and those with significant physical impairment following treatment.
“Stay at Home”: The Effects of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Household Food Waste in Colombia
Authors: Mejia Daniela , Diaz Manuel , Charry Andres , Enciso Karen , Ramírez Oscar , Burkart Stefan
Published: October 2021

Household food waste represents one of the main challenges for sustainable development as this directly affects the economy of food consumers, the loss of natural resources and generates additional greenhouse gas emissions. The COVID-19 pandemic and its mitigation strategies caused one of the most serious economic crises in recent decades and could become the worst economic crisis that Latin America has had in its history. The objective of this study is to analyze changes in food waste behavior during the COVID-19 lockdown in Colombia in 2020, applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). For this purpose, we conducted a survey with 581 Colombian food consumers, which examined the influence of intentions to not waste food, subjective norms, some situational predictors, questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the control of perceived behavior on food waste. The results suggest that the TPB can predict the intention to not waste food and, through it, the actual household food waste behavior, considering the lockdown in Colombia as an external shock. We observe that regarding the intention to not waste food, the most relevant variables are attitudes, subjective norms, control of the perceived behavior, and concerns regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. These variables increase the probability on average by a 0.8 Odds Ratio that the intention not to waste food increases, too. Regarding food waste behavior, whether it is considered ordinal or nominal, we see that the most relevant variables are intention, financial attitudes, and control of perceived behavior, doubling the probability that food waste behavior will improve. Based on the results, we provide recommendations for interested stakeholders that can help in the design of instruments for household food waste reduction.
The Academic Motivation and Engagement of Students in English as a Foreign Language Classes: Does Teacher Praise Matter?
Authors: Peng Chunju
Published: October 2021

Given the undeniable role of English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ academic motivation and engagement in L2 success, identifying the antecedents of these positive academic behaviors seems essential. Accordingly, many empirical studies have probed into the impact of students’ personal factors on their motivation and engagement. Yet, not much attention has been paid to the role of teachers’ communication behaviors, notably praise. Additionally, no review has been performed in this regard. The present review study intends to address these gaps by explaining teacher praise and its positive outcomes for EFL students’ motivation and engagement. In light of the empirical and theoretical evidence, the role of teacher praise in improving students’ academic motivation and engagement was proved. The paper concludes with some pedagogical implications.
A Narrative Review of Network Studies in Depression: What Different Methodological Approaches Tell Us About Depression
Authors: Wichers Marieke , Riese Harriëtte , Hodges Taylor M. , Snippe Evelien , Bos Fionneke M.
Published: October 2021

The network theory of psychopathology proposes that mental disorders arise from direct interactions between symptoms. This theory provides a promising framework to understand the development and maintenance of mental disorders such as depression. In this narrative review, we summarize the literature on network studies in the field of depression. Four methodological network approaches are distinguished: (i) studies focusing on symptoms at the macro-level vs. (ii) on momentary states at the micro-level, and (iii) studies based on cross-sectional vs. (iv) time-series (dynamic) data. Fifty-six studies were identified. We found that different methodological approaches to network theory yielded largely inconsistent findings on depression. Centrality is a notable exception: the majority of studies identified either positive affect or anhedonia as central nodes. To aid future research in this field, we outline a novel complementary network theory, the momentary affect dynamics (MAD) network theory, to understand the development of depression. Furthermore, we provide directions for future research and discuss if and how networks might be used in clinical practice. We conclude that more empirical network studies are needed to determine whether the network theory of psychopathology can indeed enhance our understanding of the underlying structure of depression and advance clinical treatment.
Neuromelanin-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analysis of Case-Control Studies
Authors: Wieland Lara , Fromm Sophie , Hetzer Stefan , Schlagenhauf Florian , Kaminski Jakob
Published: October 2021

Background: Psychiatry is in urgent need of reliable biomarkers. Novel neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (NM-MRI) sequences provide a time-efficient and non-invasive way to investigate the human brain in-vivo. This gives insight into the metabolites of dopaminergic signaling and may provide further evidence for potential dopaminergic alterations in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). The present systematic review provides a meta-analysis of case-control studies using neuromelanin-sensitive sequences in SCZ vs. healthy controls (HC).

Methods: According to predefined search terms and inclusion criteria studies were extracted on PubMed. Meta-analyses with a fixed and random-effects model with inverse variance method, DerSimonian-Laird estimator for τ2, and Cohen's d were calculated. Bias was assessed using funnel plots. The primary study outcome was contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the substantia nigra compared between HC and SCZ.

Results: The total sample of k = 6 studies included n = 183 cases and n = 162 controls. Across all studies we found a significant elevation of CNR in the substantia nigra (d = 0.42 [0.187; 0.655], z = 3.521, p < 0.001) in cases compared to controls. We found no significant difference in the control region of locus coeruleus (d = −0.07 [−0.446; 0.302], z = −0.192, p = 0.847), with CNR for the latter only reported in k = 3 studies.

Conclusion: CNR in the substantia nigra were significantly elevated in cases compared to controls. Our results support neuromelanin as a candidate biomarker for dopaminergic dysfunction in schizophrenia. Further studies need to assess this candidate marker in large, longitudinal cohorts and address potential effects of disease state, medication and correlations with symptoms.
Epidemiological Predictive Modeling of COVID-19 Infection: Development, Testing, and Implementation on the Population of the Benelux Union
Authors: Šušteršič Tijana , Blagojević Andjela , Cvetković Danijela , Cvetković Aleksandar , Lorencin Ivan , Šegota Sandi Baressi , Milovanović Dragan , Baskić Dejan , Car Zlatan , Filipović Nenad
Published: October 2021

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), the whole world has taken interest in the mechanisms of its spread and development. Mathematical models have been valuable instruments for the study of the spread and control of infectious diseases. For that purpose, we propose a two-way approach in modeling COVID-19 spread: a susceptible, exposed, infected, recovered, deceased (SEIRD) model based on differential equations and a long short-term memory (LSTM) deep learning model. The SEIRD model is a compartmental epidemiological model with included components: susceptible, exposed, infected, recovered, deceased. In the case of the SEIRD model, official statistical data available online for countries of Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg (Benelux) in the period of March 15 2020 to March 15 2021 were used. Based on them, we have calculated key parameters and forward them to the epidemiological model, which will predict the number of infected, deceased, and recovered people. Results show that the SEIRD model is able to accurately predict several peaks for all the three countries of interest, with very small root mean square error (RMSE), except for the mild cases (maximum RMSE was 240.79 ± 90.556), which can be explained by the fact that no official data were available for mild cases, but this number was derived from other statistics. On the other hand, LSTM represents a special kind of recurrent neural network structure that can comparatively learn long-term temporal dependencies. Results show that LSTM is capable of predicting several peaks based on the position of previous peaks with low values of RMSE. Higher values of RMSE are observed in the number of infected cases in Belgium (RMSE was 535.93) and Netherlands (RMSE was 434.28), and are expected because of thousands of people getting infected per day in those countries. In future studies, we will extend the models to include mobility information, variants of concern, as well as a medical intervention, etc. A prognostic model could help us predict epidemic peaks. In that way, we could react in a timely manner by introducing new or tightening existing measures before the health system is overloaded.
The Full Mediating Role of Loneliness on the Relationship Between Social Support and Depression Among Rural Family Caregivers of Persons With Severe Mental Illness
Authors: Zhang Baiyang , Lv Xin , Qiao Mutian , Liu Danping
Published: October 2021

Objective: Depression is a common and overwhelming psychiatric disorder among family caregivers of persons with severe mental illness (SMI). The interrelationships among social support, loneliness, and depression, especially among this relatively vulnerable group, are poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the social support contributes to the alleviation of depression, through its effect on reducing loneliness.

Methods: A survey of 256 rural family caregivers of persons with SMI was conducted between December 2017 and May 2018 in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China. Social support, loneliness and depression were measured. A series of multiple linear regression models and bootstrapping procedure were performed to examine the mediating effects of loneliness on the association between social support as well as its components and depression.

Results: The proportion of family caregivers of persons with SMI who reported significant depressive symptoms was 53.5%. Loneliness fully mediated the negative association between social support and depression. As to three components of social support, subjective support and objective support only had indirect associations with depression mediated by loneliness, while support utilization had both direct and indirect relationships with depression.

Conclusion: The current study highlighted that social support and its three components may acted as protective factors by decreasing the feelings of loneliness, which created a beneficial effect on depression among family caregivers of persons with SMI.
The Effect of Work-Family Conflict on Occupational Well-Being Among Primary and Secondary School Teachers: The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital
Authors: Zhou Mengmeng , Wang Dawei , Zhou Lianyong , Liu Yiying , Hu Yixin
Published: October 2021

In this study, 223 primary and secondary school teachers in Shandong province were selected to examine the effect of work-family conflict on occupational well-being, using the questionnaire of work-family conflict, occupational well-being and psychological capital as measuring instruments. We further explored the mediating role of psychological capital between work-family conflict and occupational well-being. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS20.0, AMOS16.0 and M-plus 7.0. Results revealed that (1) Work-family conflict was negatively correlated with the occupational well-being and psychological capital of primary and secondary school teachers, and negatively predicted occupational well-being and psychological capital of primary and secondary school teachers; (2) Psychological capital had a significant positive correlation with the occupational well-being of primary and secondary school teachers, and significantly predicted the occupational well-being of primary and secondary school teachers; (3) Psychological capital of primary and secondary school teachers played a mediating role in work-family conflict and occupational well-being.
Assessing the Role of Trust in Information Sources, Adoption of Preventive Practices, Volunteering and Degree of Training on Biological Risk Prevention, on Perceived Risk of Infection and Usage of Personal Protective Equipment Among Italian Medical Students During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic
Authors: Maietti Elisa , Greco Manfredi , Reno Chiara , Rallo Flavia , Trerè Davide , Savoia Elena , Fantini Maria Pia , Scheier Lawrence M. , Gori Davide
Published: October 2021

Background: During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Bologna Medical School surveyed medical students to learn more about their preparation to confront challenges posed by the pandemic and whether it affects perceptions of viral infection risk. This information could help design risk-reduction interventions with training to mitigate possible viral exposure.

Method: A cross-sectional online survey examining students' characteristics, volunteer status, adoption of evidence-based preventive measures, trust in information sources used, infectious disease training, and knowledge of PPE usage in relation to perceived risk of infection from SARS-CoV-2 in daily living, academic, and healthcare activities. A multivariate path model estimated the simultaneous influences of all exogenous factors on perceived risk. A Poisson regression model assessed the same multivariate effects on knowledge of PPE usage.

Results: The analysis sample included 537 respondents. Perceived risk of infection was highest in hospital activities. On average, students were able to use only four out of seven types of PPE albeit they adopted most of the evidence-based preventive measures. Adoption of preventive measures was positively associated with perceived risk of COVID infection. Conversely, training on PPE usage and volunteer work were associated with lower perceived risk in healthcare setting and higher PPE knowledge.

Conclusion: Implementing early safety-based educational programs remedy students' lack of knowledge in infectious disease prevention and mitigate their risk of infection. Voluntary work should be encouraged with potential benefit for both their continued medical training and strengthening the healthcare system's response to public health emergencies.
Theoretical Proposal for an Integrated Sustainability Performance Measurement System in the Supply Chain
Authors: Santos Davidson de Almeida , Quelhas Osvaldo Luiz Gonçalves , Gomes Carlos Francisco Simões , Filho José Rodrigues de Farias
Published: October 2021

Environmental impacts due to supply chains are seen as a challenge to innovation and criteria for prioritizing the application of organizational resources. In this context, the research question arises: how to build the necessary knowledge about supply chain performance indicators in sustainability, systematizing in an evaluation process integrated with the organizational results? The general objective of this research is to build an integrated system of sustainability performance analysis of the supply chain. In order to achieve the general objective, the specific objectives are the following: (i) selection of the bibliographic portfolio and (ii) analysis of articles content. The exploratory-descriptive research method presents and illustrates a structured process for the selection of scientific articles on supply chain performance indicators in the sustainability context. The method identified the most important keywords and the main databases of full texts and abstracts aligned with the topic. An important review of the literature reveals that efforts to improve or influence the practice of sustainability in the supply chain raise critical questions about the transaction costs and effectiveness of the approach. The review promoted the development of a system of indicators inspired by the Balanced ScorCard (BSC) to address sustainability performance issues. The originality or value lies on the useful for managers throughout the supply chain. It was identified in the literature that supply chains still generate significant environmental impacts, social impacts, and use of natural resources, even though they individually present statements in their strategies and accountability indicating the priority regarding the mitigation of social, environmental, and economic impacts. Another finding is that it is not just a matter of complying with legal and institutional frameworks. The scientific literature defines the need to prioritize studies on Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM), which helps organizations in the production chain to achieve competitiveness and at the same time emphasize the reduction of social risks and environmental impacts. The main findings of the paper are related to the possibility of interfacing the dimensions present in TBL with performance measurement in a supply chain.
Assessment of Task Demand and Usability of a Virtual Reality-Based Rehabilitation Protocol for Combat Related Traumatic Brain Injury From the Perspective of Veterans Affairs Healthcare Providers: A Pilot Study
Authors: Greenhalgh Mark , Fitzpatrick Christian , Rodabaugh Timothy , Madrigal Esmeralda , Timmerman Molly , Chung Joyce , Ahuja Deeksha , Kennedy Quinn , Harris Odette A. , Adamson Maheen M.
Published: October 2021

The risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is significantly higher among Veterans compared to non- Veterans. Access to treatment for TBI and post concussive symptoms is sometimes difficult, because of barriers related to distance, finances, and public safety (i.e., COVID-19 infection). Virtual reality rehabilitation (VRR) offers an opportunity to incorporate a virtual space into a rehabilitation environment. To our knowledge, VRR has not been used to assist Veterans with TBI and related health problems with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (iADLs). The purpose of this study is to investigate the usability of a novel VRR ADL and iADL training protocols, developed by the Gaming Research Integration for Learning Laboratory (GRILL®) at the Air Force Research Laboratory, for cognitive rehabilitation for Veterans with a TBI. We deployed a prototype protocol among healthcare providers (n = 20) to obtain feedback on usability, task demand, and recommended adjustments. Our preliminary analysis shows that providers found the VRR protocol involved low physical demand and would likely recommend it to their patients. Although they had some concerns with vertigo-like symptoms from using a digital technology, they believed the protocol would improve iADL functioning and was a good addition to pre-existing rehabilitation protocols. These outcomes provide justification for more impactful studies investigating the effectiveness of this protocol among Veterans with TBI.
Humanitarian Athletic Participation and Identity Work
Authors: Terrell Amanda , Houltberg Benjamin , Brown Sarah , Falco Rachel , Schnitker Sarah
Published: October 2021

Numerous studies examine youth purpose and volunteerism, but only few investigate how altruistic activities shape identity development within athletic contexts. Endurance-based humanitarian fundraising teams are becoming increasingly popular forms of volunteerism among adolescents and young adults in the United States, but little is known about their developmental role. Twenty-four participants (15–21 years of age; M = 17.42) were interviewed to identify the prominent themes that arose from their experiences while training for and participating in a marathon. A thematic analysis was used to determine the dominant themes that characterized the intersection of humanitarian marathon training and running with aspects of identity work. The majority of the comments of the participants were directly tied to their experiences in running the marathon. Four themes were identified including identity work, faith, purpose, and social connection. More so than exploring their possible selves, a consistent theme throughout the interview with the participants was what they learned about their current selves and the capacities they already possessed during their marathon experience.
Agroecological Transitions: A Systematic Review of Research Approaches and Prospects for Participatory Action Methods
Authors: Sachet Erwan , Mertz Ole , Le Coq Jean-François , Cruz-Garcia Gisella S. , Francesconi Wendy , Bonin Muriel , Quintero Marcela
Published: October 2021

There have been many calls for an agroecological transition to respond to food shocks and crises stemming from conventional food systems. Participatory action research and transformative epistemologies, where communities are research actors rather than objects, have been proposed as a way to enhance this transition. However, despite numerous case studies, there is presently no overview of how participatory approaches contribute to agroecological transitions. The present article therefore aims to understand the effect of applying participatory action research (PAR) in agroecology. We undertook a systematic review of articles reporting methods and results from case studies in agroecological research. On the one hand, our systematic review of 347 articles shows that the agroecological research scope is broad, with all three types—as science, a set of practices and social movement—well-represented in the corpus. However, we can see a clear focus on agroecology “as a set of practices” as the primary type of use of the concept. On the other hand, we found a few case studies (23) with a participatory approach while most studies used extractive research methods. These studies show that understanding the drivers and obstacles for achieving an agroecological transition requires long-term research and trust between researchers and farmers. Such transformative epistemologies open doors to new questions on designing long-term PAR research in agroecology when confronted with a short-term project-based society.
Smallholder Farmer Engagement in Citizen Science for Varietal Diversification Enhances Adaptive Capacity and Productivity in Bihar, India
Authors: Gotor Elisabetta , Pagnani Tiziana , Paliwal Ambica , Scafetti Flavia , van Etten Jacob , Caracciolo Francesco
Published: October 2021

There is evidence that in many situations the use of a diverse set of two or more crop varieties in the field has benefits for production. The benefits of varietal diversification include lower crop disease incidence, higher productivity, and lower yield variability. Targeted interventions could increase varietal diversity where smallholder farmers lack the knowledge and access to seeds needed to diversify their varieties. Innovations based on crowdsourced citizen science make it possible to involve a large number of households in farmer participatory varietal selection. This study analyses varietal diversification in Bihar, India, focusing on the effects of the largest citizen science-based intervention to date, involving 25,000 farmers and 47,000 plots*seasons. The study examines if an increase in the varietal diversity of major staple crops, namely wheat and rice, under real farming conditions contributed to: (1) crop productivity and (2) the ability of households to recover from agricultural production shocks. We used the Rural Household Multi-Indicator Survey (RHoMIS) as a survey tool for rapid characterization of households and the sustainable rural livelihoods framework to understand the potential multiple interactions that are activated within the system by the intervention. We found that an increase in varietal diversification produced livelihood benefits in terms of crop productivity and the ability of households to recover from the occurrence agricultural shocks. Finally, outcomes highlight the effectiveness of development programmes aimed at strengthening rural livelihoods through participatory approaches and use of local crop varietal diversity.
Prevalence and Morphology of the Coracoclavicular Joint: An Osteological Study of 2,724 Subjects Using Univariable and Multivariable Logistic Regression Analyses
Authors: Harlow Ethan Robert , Sasala Lee M. , Talbot Christopher E. , Desai Bijal J. , Ina Jason , Miskovsky Shana
Published: October 2021

Background: The coracoclavicular joint (CCJ) is an anomalous articulation between the surfaces of the inferior clavicle and superior coracoid and its etiology is controversial. Reportedly, symptomatic patients demonstrate significant functional limitations including shoulder abduction loss and potential for brachial plexus compression and impingement.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of CCJ across age, gender and ethnicity, and to identify clinically useful morphological characteristics.

Methods: 2,724 subjects with intact clavicles and scapulae from the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection were evaluated for the presence of CCJ. Logistic regression was used to determine the effect of age, height, gender, and race on prevalence of CCJ. 354 clavicles with CCJ were measured for size and location of the CCJ facet.

Results: CCJ was observed in 9% of subjects. CCJ was more prevalent in African-Americans (12%) than Caucasian-Americans (6%) (p < 0.001) and more prevalent in females (11%) than males (8%) (p = 0.055). Facet location along clavicle length was consistent (average 25%, range 15–35%). But, facet location along clavicle width varied (average 60%, range 10–90%), with males having a more posterior location. For every 10-year increase in age, facet elevation (p = 0.001) and surface area (p < 0.001) increased.

Conclusions: CCJ prevalence was 9% in our large osseous population, found more commonly in African-Americans and females. Facet location is predictable with respect to clavicle length, but less so along clavicle width. The clavicular facet may develop at some point in life and continue to grow in size after its appearance.

Clinical Relevance: Presence of a CCJ represents a potential overlooked source of anterior shoulder pain and supracoracoid impingement. Epidemiologic and morphological characteristics presented in our study can aid in the identification, clinical understanding, and surgical excision of a symptomatic CCJ. Level of Evidence: Level IV.
Feeding Strategies to Reduce Nutrient Losses and Improve the Sustainability of Growing Pigs
Authors: Pomar Candido , Andretta Ines , Remus Aline
Published: October 2021

The efficiency of pig production using nutrients has increased over the years. Still, better efficiency of nutrient utilization can be achieved by feeding pigs with diets adjusted to their estimated requirements. An increase in nutrient efficiency of utilization represents economic gains while maximizing environmental performance. The objective of this paper is to review the impact of different methods of diet formulation that provide farm animals with the amount of nutrients to satisfy their needs while minimizing nutrient excretion and greenhouse gas emissions. Diet formulation is one tool that can help to maximize nitrogen and energy utilization by decreasing crude protein content in diets. The use of local feedstuff and non-human-edible products (e.g., canola meal) associated with synthetic amino acid inclusion in the diet are valuable techniques to reduce carbon footprint. Precision feeding and nutrition is another powerful tool that allows not only daily tailoring of diets for maximal nutrient efficiency of utilization but also to reduce costs and improve nitrogen efficiency of utilization. In this review, we simulated through mathematical models the nitrogen and energy efficiency of utilization resulting from crude protein reduction in the diet. An 8% crude protein reduction in the diet can increase nitrogen efficiency of utilization by 54% while costing 11% less than a control diet without synthetic amino acids. The same reduction in crude protein represented a major improvement in available energy due to the decrease of energetic losses linked to protein deamination. Urinary and hindgut fermentation energy losses were 24% lower for pigs fed with low-protein diets when compared to control diets. In terms of modern feeding techniques and strategies, precision feeding and nutrition can decrease nitrogen excretion by 30% when compared to group phase feeding. The benefits of feeding pigs with low-protein diets and precision feeding techniques are additive and might result in a 61% nitrogen efficiency of utilization. There is room for improvement in the way nutrient requirements are estimated in pigs. Improving the understanding of the variation of nutrient utilization among pigs can contribute to further environmental gains.
Matheuristics and Column Generation for a Basic Technician Routing Problem
Authors: Dupin Nicolas , Parize Rémi , Talbi El-Ghazali
Published: October 2021

This paper considers a variant of the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows, with site dependencies, multiple depots and outsourcing costs. This problem is the basis for many technician routing problems. Having both site-dependency and time window constraints lresults in difficulties in finding feasible solutions and induces highly constrained instances. Matheuristics based on Mixed Integer Linear Programming compact formulations are firstly designed. Column Generation matheuristics are then described by using previous matheuristics and machine learning techniques to stabilize and speed up the convergence of the Column Generation algorithm. The computational experiments are analyzed on public instances with graduated difficulties in order to analyze the accuracy of algorithms for ensuring feasibility and the quality of solutions for weakly to highly constrained instances. The results emphasize the interest of the multiple types of hybridization between mathematical programming, machine learning and heuristics inside the Column Generation framework. This work offers perspectives for many extensions of technician routing problems.
Chattering-Suppressed Sliding Mode Control for Flexible-Joint Robot Manipulators
Authors: Cheng Xin , Liu Huashan , Lu Wenke
Published: October 2021

In this paper, sliding mode tracking control and its chattering suppression method are investigated for flexible-joint robot manipulators with only state measurements of joint actuators. First, within the framework of singular perturbation theory, the control objective of the system is decoupled into two typical tracking aims of a slow subsystem and a fast subsystem. Then, considering lumped uncertainties (including dynamics uncertainties and external disturbances), a composite chattering-suppressed sliding mode controller is proposed, where a smooth-saturation-function-contained reaching law with adjustable saturation factor is designed to alleviate the inherent chattering phenomenon, and a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN)-based soft computing strategy is applied to avoid the high switching gain that leads to chattering amplification. Simultaneously, an efficient extended Kalman filter (EKF) with respect to a new state variable is presented to enable the closed-loop tracking control with neither position nor velocity measurements of links. In addition, an overall analysis on the asymptotic stability of the whole control system is given. Finally, numerical examples verify the superiority of the dynamic performance of the proposed control approach, which is well qualified to suppress the chattering and can effectively eliminate the undesirable effects of the lumped uncertainties with a smaller switching gain reduced by 80% in comparison to that in the controller without RBFNN. The computational efficiency of the proposed EKF increased by about 26%.
Machine Learning Applications in Modelling and Analysis of Base Pressure in Suddenly Expanded Flows
Authors: Quadros Jaimon Dennis , Khan Sher Afghan , Aabid Abdul , Alam Mohammad Shohag , Baig Muneer
Published: October 2021

Base pressure becomes a decisive factor in governing the base drag of aerodynamic vehicles. While several experimental and numerical methods have already been used for base pressure analysis in suddenly expanded flows, their implementation is quite time consuming. Therefore, we must develop a progressive approach to determine base pressure (β). Furthermore, a direct consideration of the influence of flow and geometric parameters cannot be studied by using these methods. This study develops a platform for data-driven analysis of base pressure (β) prediction in suddenly expanded flows, in which the influence of flow and geometric parameters including Mach number (M), nozzle pressure ratio (η), area ratio (α), and length to diameter ratio (φ) have been studied. Three different machine learning (ML) models, namely, artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), and random forest (RF), have been trained using a large amount of data developed from response equations. The response equations for base pressure (β) were created using the response surface methodology (RSM) approach. The predicted results are compared with the experimental results to validate the proposed platform. The results obtained from this work can be applied in the right way to maximize base pressure in rockets and missiles to minimize base drag.
Application of High Pressures in the Postharvest Conservation of Broccoli
Authors: Pereira Emmanuel M. , Formiga Anderson S. , Pinzetta Junior José S. , Cordeiro Isabela N. F. , Oliveira Karollayne T. E. F. , Cavalcanti Mônica Tejo , Mattiuz Ben-Hur
Published: October 2021

Broccoli is a vegetable of high nutritional value, rich in bioactive compounds, but has a fast degradation after harvest. This work assesses the effect of hyperbaric pressure, at room temperature, on postharvest conservation of broccoli. The broccoli samples were subjected to the five hyperbaric pressures (100 control, 200, 400, 600, and 800 kPa) during three different times (1, 2, and 3 days), at 22 °C and 95% RH. The pressures of 400, 600, and 800 kPa provided the best conservation of broccoli quality. Respiratory rate, ethylene production, soluble solids content, and lipid peroxidation decreased at the highest-pressure treatments. Moreover, the highest pressures maintained fresh mass, green color, ascorbic acid content, and receptacle firmness. The hyperbaric treatments of 600 and 800 kPa increased catalase enzymatic activity and reduced peroxidase activity as a result of the reduction of oxidative stress, delaying the senescence of broccoli.
Genetics and Genomics of Fusarium Wilt of Chilies: A Review
Authors: Shaheen Nabeel , Khan Uzair Muhammad , Azhar Muhammad Tehseen , Tan Daniel K. Y. , Atif Rana Muhammad , Israr Mahwish , Yang Seung-Hwan , Chung Gyuhwa , Rana Iqrar Ahmad
Published: October 2021

Hot pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is a major spice crop and is used worldwide for its nutritional value. In the field, its plant is susceptible to various fungal diseases, including fusarium wilt, caused by soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. capsici, which can survive in the soil for several years. The infected plant can be recognized by the yellowing of older leaves and downward curling of apical shoots, followed by plant wilting and ultimately the death of the plant. The resistance mechanism in plants is controlled by a single dominant gene, and conventional plant breeding techniques are used to develop a wilt-resistant germplasm. Non-conventional techniques such as gene pyramiding and expression enhancement of antifungal genes could be used to shorten the time to develop resistance against fusarium wilt in hot peppers. In this review, we discuss different aspects of the disease and the molecular basis of resistance in chili/hot pepper plants. Furthermore, this review covers the scope of conventional and non-conventional breeding strategies and different management approaches used to tackle the disease.
Discrimination of Acoustic Stimuli and Maintenance of Graded Alarm Call Structure in Captive Meerkats
Authors: Schneider Sebastian , Goettlich Sarah , Diercks Charlette , Dierkes Paul Wilhelm
Published: October 2021

Animals living in human care for several generations face the risk of losing natural behaviors, which can lead to reduced animal welfare. The goal of this study is to demonstrate that meerkats (Suricata suricatta) living in zoos can assess potential danger and respond naturally based on acoustic signals only. This includes that the graded information of urgency in alarm calls as well as a response to those alarm calls is retained in captivity. To test the response to acoustic signals with different threat potential, meerkats were played calls of various animals differing in size and threat (e.g., robin, raven, buzzard, jackal) while their behavior was observed. The emitted alarm calls were recorded and examined for their graded structure on the one hand and played back to them on the other hand by means of a playback experiment to see whether the animals react to their own alarm calls even in the absence of danger. A fuzzy clustering algorithm was used to analyze and classify the alarm calls. Subsequently, the features that best described the graded structure were isolated using the LASSO algorithm and compared to features already known from wild meerkats. The results show that the graded structure is maintained in captivity and can be described by features such as noise and duration. The animals respond to new threats and can distinguish animal calls that are dangerous to them from those that are not, indicating the preservation of natural cooperative behavior. In addition, the playback experiments show that the meerkats respond to their own alarm calls with vigilance and escape behavior. The findings can be used to draw conclusions about the intensity of alertness in captive meerkats and to adapt husbandry conditions to appropriate welfare.