bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Suppression of rhomboid domain‐containing 1 produces anticancer effects in pancreatic adenocarcinoma through affection of the AKT/GSK‐3β/β‐catenin pathway
Authors: Jiang Jiong , Cheng Yan , Dai Shejiao , Zou Baicang , Guo Xiaoyan
Published: April 2022

The protumor role of rhomboid domain‐containing 1 (RHBDD1) has been observed in multiple cancers. However, the relationship between RHBDD1 and pancreatic adenocarcinoma has not been addressed. This project focused on the potential relevance of RHBDD1 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Bioinformatic analysis by publicly available data revealed that RHBDD1 was abundantly expressed in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We further verified that RHBDD1 was expressed highly in clinical specimens of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The Kaplan–Meier curve demonstrated that high‐RHBDD1 expression was associated with poor prognosis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients. The functional studies revealed that depletion of RHBDD1 produced in vitro anticancer effects in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells, including retardation of proliferation, reduction of metastatic potential, and induction of cell‐cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and apoptosis. Mechanistic studies indicated that loss of RHBDD1 affected the activation of β‐catenin via regulation of AKT. Forced expression of β‐catenin reversed the RHBDD1‐loss‐induced anticancer effects in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. Crucially, depletion of RHBDD1 retarded the growth of pancreatic adenocarcinoma xenografts in vivo, a phenomenon associated with the AKT/β‐catenin pathway. Collectively, these findings delineated that restraint of RHBDD1 displayed remarkable anticancer effects in pancreatic adenocarcinoma by affecting the AKT/β‐catenin pathway. Our work unveils a pivotal role of RHBDD1 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and proposes it as a novel candidate target for anticancer therapy of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Questionnaire survey on the usage of antiseizure drugs for dogs and cats in Japanese veterinary hospitals (2020)
Authors: Mizuno Satoshi , Asada Rikako , Hasegawa Daisuke
Published: April 2022

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder in veterinary medicine. Recently, evidence‐based recommendations or systematic reviews for using antiseizure drugs (ASDs) in dogs and cats have been published, but there are many differences in economic, geographical, and historical backgrounds and/or the availability of each ASD between countries. In the present study, we conducted a questionnaire survey on the usage of ASDs in 511 veterinary hospitals in Japan in 2020. As a result, zonisamide (ZNS) was the most commonly prescribed drug for idiopathic (83%) and structural epilepsy (76%) in dogs. In cats, phenobarbital was the most frequently prescribed drug for idiopathic (48%) and structural epilepsy (51%), but ZNS was also commonly prescribed (41% and 36%, respectively). Additionally, ZNS was the most frequently used ASD in combination therapy for canine idiopathic epilepsy. We also surveyed the frequency of measuring ASD blood levels; however, a relatively high percentage of hospitals (22%) did not perform such measurements. Although the evidence level for ZNS is still poor for both species, it is generally used as the first‐line ASD in Japan. A large‐scale and higher evidential study for ZNS and the education of practitioners for adequate antiseizure medication are required.
Attention and platypuses
Authors: Shomstein Sarah , Zhang Xiaoli , Dubbelde Dick
Published: April 2022

This perspective piece discusses a set of attentional phenomena that are not easily accommodated within current theories of attentional selection. We call these phenomena attentional platypuses, as they allude to an observation that within biological taxonomies the platypus does not fit into either mammal or bird categories. Similarly, attentional phenomena that do not fit neatly within current attentional models suggest that current models are in need of a revision. We list a few instances of the “attentional platypuses” and then offer a new approach, that we term dynamically weighted prioritization, stipulating that multiple factors impinge onto the attentional priority map, each with a corresponding weight. The interaction between factors and their corresponding weights determines the current state of the priority map which subsequently constrains/guides attentional allocation. We propose that this new approach should be considered as a supplement to existing models of attention, especially those that emphasize categorical organizations.

This article is categorized under:

Psychology > Attention

Psychology > Perception and Psychophysics

Neuroscience > Cognition
Considerations on Copper Smelting from Fahlores and the Metallurgy of Cu-As Bronzes
Authors: Haubner Roland , Strobl Susanne
Published: April 2022

The copper production in the Alps began three thousand years BC, usually near ore deposits in Austria and Switzerland. For copper smelting, sulphidic ores like chalcopyrite and fahlores were used. Copper produced from fahlores was widely used in the Alps resulting in As and Sb contents in the metallic copper. Such copper alloys were generally referred to as arsenical bronzes. However, in ancient bronze objects, a wide range of arsenic content was observed. One question relates to how much arsenic is transferred into the bronze alloy during smelting. By thermodynamic equilibrium calculations, the roasting and smelting processes are simulated and show that As reacts already to gaseous As compounds before Cu2S is attacked and metallic Cu is formed. In case of Sb liquid, Sb2O3 is formed quickly during roasting and is finally enriched in the slag.

These results have been confirmed by the investigation of an ancient copper ingot containing 4 wt. % As and 2.5 wt. % S as well as smaller quantities of Sb, Ni, Fe, and Ag. The main phases apart from metallic copper are Cu3As, Cu2S, and Sb oxide. In a slag sample, an inclusion was characterized containing chalcopyrite, FeO, and Sb oxide This result is in accordance with the thermodynamic calculations where Sb2O3 was obtained.

Another interesting point is the As loss of arsenical bronzes during remelting. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations reveal that Cu3As is very stable and during remelting no evaporation of As is observed. Moreover, during oxidation of metallic Cu-As, the formation of Cu2O is favoured from Cu and not from Cu3As. Consequently during melting of Cu-As for casting, at first Cu2O is formed resulting in an As enrichment in the melt and in the casted object, respectively. These effects are superimposed and, if recycled Cu alloys are used, the starting concentration of As is unknown.
Presupposition processing declines with age
Authors: Reinecke Robert , di Paola Simona , Domaneschi Filippo , Fossard Marion
Published: April 2022

The present study investigates the processing of presuppositions across the life span and extends the findings of the only available study on presupposition processing and typical aging by Domaneschi and Di Paola (J Pragmat 140:70–87, 2019). In an online and offline task, we investigate the impact of cognitive load during the processing and recovery of two presupposition triggers—definite descriptions and change-of-state verbs—comparing a group of younger adults with a group of older adults. The collected experimental data show that (1) presupposition recovery declines during normal aging, (2) presupposition recovery of change-of-state verbs is more cognitively demanding for older adults than the recovery of definite descriptions, and lastly (3) presupposition recovery for the change-of-state verbbeginis more demanding than the change-of-state verbstop. As of today, few works have directly investigated presupposition processing across the life span. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work revealing that cognitive load directly impacts the recovery of presuppositions across the life span, which in turn suggests an involvement of verbal working memory.
Sustainable closed-loop supply chain with energy efficiency: Lagrangian relaxation, reformulations and heuristics
Authors: Soleimani Hamed , Chhetri Prem , Fathollahi-Fard Amir M. , Mirzapour Al-e-Hashem S. M. J. , Shahparvari Shahrooz
Published: April 2022

Research on the development of sustainable supply chain models is highly active nowadays. Merging the concept of supply chain management with sustainable development goals, leads to simultaneous consideration of all economic, environmental and social factors. This paper addresses the design of a sustainable closed-loop supply chain including suppliers, manufacturers, distribution centers, customer zones, and disposal centers considering the consumption of energy. In addition, the distribution centers play the roles of warehouse and collection centers. The problem involves three choices of remanufacturing, recycling, and disposing the returned items. The objectives are including the total profit, energy consumption and the number of created job opportunities. As far as we know, these objectives are rarely considered in a sustainable closed-loop supply chain model. The proposed model also responds to the customer demand and also addresses the real-life constraints for location, allocation and inventory decisions in a closed-loop supply chain framework. Another novelty of this research is to develop a set of efficient Lagrangian relaxation reformulations and fast heuristics for solving a real-world numerical example. The results have revealed that the obtained solution is feasible and the developed solution algorithm is highly efficient for solving supply chain models. Finally, a comprehensive discussion is provided to highlight our findings and managerial insights from our results.
Brain trauma impacts retinal processing: photoreceptor pathway interactions in traumatic light sensitivity
Authors: Tyler Christopher W. , Likova Lora T.
Published: April 2022

Background

Concussion-induced light sensitivity, or traumatic photalgia, is a lifelong debilitating problem for upwards of 50% of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) cases, though of unknown etiology. We employed spectral analysis of electroretinographic (ERG) responses to assess retinal changes in mTBI as a function of the degree of photalgia.

Methods

The design was a case–control study of the changes in the ERG waveform as a function of level of light sensitivity in individuals who had suffered incidents of mild traumatic brain injury. The mTBI participants were categorized into non-, mild-, and severe-photalgic groups based on their spectral nociophysical settings. Light-adapted ERG responses were recorded from each eye for 200 ms on–off stimulation of three spectral colors (R:red, G:green, and B:blue) and their sum (W:white) at the highest pain-free intensity level for each participant. The requirement of controls for testing hypersensitive individuals at lower light levels was addressed by recording a full light intensity series in the control group.

Results

Both the b-wave and the photopic negative response (PhNR) were significantly reduced in the non-photalgic mTBI group relative to controls. In the photalgic groups, the main b-wave peak shifted to the timing of the rod b-wave, with reduced amplitude at the timing of the cone response.

Conclusion

These results suggest the interpretation that the primary etiology of the painful light sensitivity in mTBI is release of the rod pathway from cone-mediated inhibition at high light levels, causing overactivation of the rod pathway.
Ambiguity and enforcement
Authors: Calford Evan M. , DeAngelo Gregory
Published: April 2022

Law enforcement officials face numerous decisions regarding their enforcement choices. One important decision, that is often controversial, is the amount of knowledge that law enforcement distributes to the community regarding their policing strategies. Assuming the goal is to minimize criminal activity (alternatively, maximize citation rates), our theoretical analysis suggests that agencies should reveal (shroud) their resource allocation if criminals are uncertainty seeking, and shroud (reveal) their allocation if criminals are uncertainty averse. We run a laboratory experiment to test our theoretical framework, and find that enforcement behavior is approximately optimal given the observed non-expected utility uncertainty preferences of criminals.
Preclinical development of the quadrivalent meningococcal (ACYW) tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine, MenQuadfi®
Authors: Kensinger Richard , Arunachalam Arun B.
Published: April 2022

Bacterial capsular polysaccharide vaccines are generally poorly immunogenic in infants and older adults. The immunogenicity of capsular polysaccharide vaccines can be improved by conjugating them to immunogenic carrier proteins. One of the most recently licensed conjugate vaccines is the quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine with serogroups A, C, Y, and W conjugated to a tetanus toxoid protein carrier (MenACYW-TT; MenQuadfi, Sanofi Pasteur, Swiftwater, PA, USA). MenACYW-TT was developed to induce optimal immune responses against each of the meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, and Y, and across all age groups, especially infants and older adults (those aged ≥ 50 years). Here, we detail the early iterative vaccine development approach taken, whereby many different ‘small-scale’ conjugate vaccine candidates were prepared and examined for immunogenicity in a mouse model to identify the most immunogenic vaccine. Additional insights from phase I clinical studies informed further optimization of the vaccine candidates by tailoring their conjugation parameter attributes for the optimal immune response in humans. The parameters studied included: different carrier proteins [PR]; polysaccharide [PS] sizes; conjugation chemistries [linker vs. no-linker; lattice vs. neoglycoprotein; activation/derivatization levels]; conjugate size; PS:PR loading ratio; percent free PS; percent free PR; andO-acetylation content. The lead quadrivalent conjugate vaccine (polysaccharides of > 50 kDa size conjugated to TT at a high PS:PR ratio via reductive amination for serogroups C, W and Y, and carbonyldiimidazole/adipic acid dihydrazide linker chemistry for serogroup A) empirically identified from the extensive preclinical studies, was ultimately confirmed by the robust antibody responses observed in all age groups in the various clinical studies, including in the most challenging infant and older adult age groups, and subsequently led to the licensed formulation.

Graphical abstract
Student voice in higher education: the importance of distinguishing student representation and student partnership
Authors: Matthews K. E. , Dollinger M.
Published: April 2022

Student representation and student partnership differ and the difference matters. To further scholarly understanding of, and appreciation for, the important difference between the two, we examine these two commonly evoked conceptions for student voice in higher education. We draw on two points of difference—responsibility and access—to illuminate conceptualisations and discourses of each in the current literature. In doing so, we clarify the unique contributions of each, shaped by differing contexts of interaction, and articulate issues arising by confounding and conflating partnership and representation in the name of student voice. Advancing an argument for an ecosystem of student participation grounded in student voice, we warn of the harm in positioning student partners as speaking for other students and the risk of diminishing the importance of elected student representation systems in favour of staff selected student partner models of student representation.
COPD lung studies of Nrf2 expression and the effects of Nrf2 activators
Authors: Li Jian , Baker James , Higham Andrew , Shah Rajesh , Montero-Fernandez Angeles , Murray Clare , Cooper Nicky , Lucas Cathy , Fox Craig , Singh Dave , Lea Simon
Published: April 2022

Background

Nrf2 regulates cellular antioxidant defence in lung cells, including epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages (AM). The Nrf2/Keap-1 pathway can be modulated by activators with different modes of action; electrophilic compounds and protein–protein interaction (PPI) inhibitors.

We assessed Nrf2 and Keap-1 protein and gene levels in COPD compared to controls and the effect of Nrf2 activators on COPD AM.

Methods

Lung resected tissue from non-smokers, smokers and COPD patients were analysed for epithelial and AM expression of Nrf2 and Keap-1 by imunoshistochemistry and by qPCR in isolated AM. AM were cultured with Nrf2 activators CDDO, C4X_6665, GSK7, MMF and Sulforaphane. Expression of Nrf2 target genes NQO1, HMOX1 SOD1 and TXNRD1 and NQO1 activity were assessed.

Results

Nrf2 and Keap-1 expression was not altered in the epithelium or AM of COPD patients compared to controls. NQO1 activity was downregulated, while NQO1, HMOX1, SOD1 and TXNRD1 gene expression increased in COPD patients. All Nrf2 activators increased NQO1 activity, and NQO1, HMOX1, SOD1 and TXNRD1 expression in AMs from both COPD and smokers. The potency of C4X_6665 on NQO1 activity and regulation of Nrf2 target gene expression was higher than other compounds.

Conclusion

There is evidence of dysregulation of the Nrf2 signalling pathway in AM from COPD patients. The higher potency of the novel PPI Nrf2 compound C4X_6665 for inducing antioxidant activity and gene expression compared to electrophilic and other PPI Nrf2 activators highlights the therapeutic potential of this compound to address Nrf2 pathway dysregulation in COPD AM.
An Empirical Investigation on Business Analytics in Software and Systems Development Projects
Authors: Ahmad Muhammad Ovais , Ahmad Iftikhar , Rana Nripendra P. , Khan Iqra Sadaf
Published: April 2022

To create competitive advantages, companies are leaning towards business analytics (BA) to make data-driven decisions. Nevertheless, users acceptance and effective usage of BA is a key element for its success. Around the globe, organizations are increasingly adopting BA, however, a paucity of research on examining the drivers of BA adoption and its continuance is noticeable in the literature. This is evident in developing countries where a higher number of systems and software development projects are outsourced. This is the first study to examine BA continuance in the context of software and systems development projects from the perspective of Pakistani software professionals. The data was collected from 186 Pakistani software professionals working in software and systems development projects. The data were analyzed using partial least squares - structural equation modelling techniques. Our structural model explains 45% variance on BA continuance intention, 69% variance on technological compatibility, and 59% variance on perceived usefulness. Our results show that confirmation has a direct impact on BA continuance intention in software and systems projects. The study has both theoretical and practical implications for professionals in the field of business analytics.
Design and Evaluation of a Conversational Agent for Facilitating Idea Generation in Organizational Innovation Processes
Authors: Poser Mathis , Küstermann Gerrit C. , Tavanapour Navid , Bittner Eva A. C.
Published: April 2022

Large numbers of incomplete, unclear, and unspecific submissions on idea platforms hinder organizations to exploit the full potential of open innovation initiatives as idea selection is cumbersome. In a design science research project, we develop a design for a conversational agent (CA) based on artificial intelligence to facilitate contributors in generating elaborate ideas on idea platforms where human facilitation is not scalable. We derive prescriptive design knowledge in the form of design principles, instantiate, and evaluate the CA in two successive evaluation episodes. The design principles contribute to the current research stream on automated facilitation and can guide providers of idea platforms to enhance idea generation and subsequent idea selection processes. Results indicate that CA-based facilitation is engaging for contributors and yields well-structured and elaborated ideas.
Trends and Trajectories in the Software Industry: implications for the future of work
Authors: Laato Samuli , Mäntymäki Matti , Islam A. K.M. Najmul , Hyrynsalmi Sami , Birkstedt Teemu
Published: April 2022

In this study, we explore prominent contemporary technology trajectories in the software industry and how they are expected to influence the work in the software industry. Consequently, we build on cultural lag theory to analyze how technological changes affect work in software development. We present the results from a series of expert interviews that were analyzed using the Gioia method. Moreover, we identify a set of technology trends pertinent to software development from which we derive four main changes affecting the future of work in software development: (1) a shift toward scalable solutions, (2) increased emphasis on data, (3) convergence of IT and non-IT industries, and (4) the cloud as the dominant computing paradigm. Accordingly, this study contains insights into how technology (as an element of material culture) influences non-material culture, as exemplified by the work involved in software development.
Autistic People’s Perinatal Experiences II: A Survey of Childbirth and Postnatal Experiences
Authors: Hampton S. , Allison C. , Baron-Cohen S. , Holt R.
Published: April 2022

Qualitative accounts indicate there are sensory and communication related barriers to adequate childbirth and postnatal healthcare for autistic people. However, little quantitative work has explored the topic. This online survey study explored childbirth and postnatal experiences among 384 autistic and 492 non-autistic people. Compared with non-autistic people, autistic people were more likely to find the sensory aspects of birth overwhelming, and experienced lower satisfaction with birth-related and postnatal healthcare. Autistic people were more likely to experience postnatal depression and anxiety. The findings highlight that sensory and communication adjustments should be made to birth and postnatal healthcare for autistic people. The findings indicate the need for greater autism understanding among professionals and greater postnatal mental health support for autistic people.
Density and excess volume of the liquid Ti–V system measured in electromagnetic levitation
Authors: Reiplinger Benedikt , Brillo Jürgen
Published: April 2022

The density of the liquid Ti–V system was systematically measured using the optical dilatometry method in electromagnetic levitation. Possible error sources have been discussed and minimized. A linear temperature dependency with negative slope of the density was found for all investigated alloys. Pure vanadium shows the highest density with$${\rho }_{V}\left(T\right)=5.55\pm 0.03{\mathrm{gcm}}^{-3}-6.01\pm 0.52 {10}^{-4}{\mathrm{gcm}}^{-3}{\mathrm{K}}^{-1}$$ρVT=5.55±0.03gcm-3-6.01±0.5210-4gcm-3K-1, pure titanium the lowest at$${\rho }_{Ti}\left(T\right)=4.21\pm 0.02{\mathrm{gcm}}^{-3}-3.46\pm 0.30 {10}^{-4}{\mathrm{gcm}}^{-3}{\mathrm{K}}^{-1}$$ρTiT=4.21±0.02gcm-3-3.46±0.3010-4gcm-3K-1with every measured alloy ranging between these two extrema. The molar volume was utilized in order to interpret the compositional density dependency. No significant excess volume was evident. It was therefore shown that the Ti–V system acts like an ideal solution regarding density, molar volume and temperature coefficient. This result allows to reliably calculate the density for the complete Ti–V system at any given temperature.
Solar collector tilt angle optimization for solar power plant setup-able sites at Western Himalaya and correlation formulation
Authors: Awasthi Anchal , Kallioğlu Mehmet Ali , Sharma Ashutosh , Mohan Anand , Chauhan Ranchan , Singh Tej
Published: April 2022

Tilt angle optimization of the solar collector is essential to achieve maximum power output. In this study, the performance analysis of monthly and yearly optimum tilt angles has been carried out for solar power plant setup-able sites in the Western Himalayan region of India. A mathematic model has been used for optimum tilt angle assessment. Annual average performance enhancement for monthly optimum tilt angles is 10–11%, 5–7% and 4–6% from horizontal, tilted at the latitude and tilted at an optimum tilt angle, respectively. Validation of the results has been carried out by mounting a polycrystalline PV panel at one of the suggested plant setup-able sites (ϕ30° 51′ 1.656′′, L 77° 3′ 41.508′′). The percentage variations found in experimental results are 8.85, 9.13 and 14.09 from horizontal, tilted at the latitude and tilted at yearly optimum tilt angle PV panel, respectively. To generalize the obtained result, correlations in terms of latitude and declination angle have also been formulated for yearly and monthly optimum tilt angles, respectively. The preciseness of the developed correlations has been validated by statistical tools. The results from this study have also been compared with the results of some previous studies, and good agreement has been obtained.
Risk-taking and others
Authors: Lindskog Annika , Martinsson Peter , Medhin Haileselassie
Published: April 2022

Real-life risk decisions are taken in a social context. However, we still know little about how that affects risk decisions. We have experimentally investigated the effect of social comparison on risk taking. We designed an experiment that allows us to isolate social comparison from other channels whereby the social context can affect risk decisions. The design also allows us to find impacts of the social reference point both if the individual cares about the distance to the social reference point and if she cares about her rank. Thus, we compare risk-taking in isolation to risk-taking with various exogenously imposed social reference points. We find that risk-taking is affected by the desire to get ahead of others, both when the social reference point is within reach (rank can be affected) and when it is out of reach (rank cannot be affected). Our results suggest that people do not only care about rank but also care about the distance to the social reference point.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic-related policies on new firm creation: an analysis of the Italian case
Authors: Piva Evila , Guerini Massimiliano
Published: April 2022

This work contributes to disaster research by exploring the impact on new firm creation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the pandemic-related policies. We develop hypotheses on the individual and combined effects of pandemic severity and public policies aimed at controlling the spread of the disease (shutdown policies) or protecting the economy from its negative consequences (demand stimulus and firm support policies). Then, we test these hypotheses using data on Italy in the first and second 2020 pandemic waves. Results show that pandemic severity negatively affected new firm creation during the first wave. Shutdown policies had negative effects too, especially in the regions where the pandemic was less severe. The effects of demand stimulus policies were positive and stronger the less severe the pandemic was while the impact of firm support policies was negative in the regions where the pandemic was more severe. All these effects vanished in the second wave.
Wastewater treatment plant effluent inputs influence the temporal variability of nutrient uptake in an intermittent stream
Authors: Castelar Sara , Bernal Susana , Ribot Miquel , Merbt Stephanie N. , Tobella Marta , Sabater Francesc , Ledesma José L. J. , Guasch Helena , Lupon Anna , Gacia Esperança , Drummond Jennifer D. , Martí Eugènia
Published: April 2022

Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents alter water chemistry and in-stream nutrient uptake rates of receiving freshwaters, thus changing the magnitude and fate of the nutrients exported. In Mediterranean regions, the dilution capacity of receiving streams can vary strongly over time due to the seasonal occurrence of floods and droughts, causing temporal variability of nutrient uptake. We assessed the temporal patterns and the controlling factors of net nutrient uptake in an intermittent Mediterranean stream receiving WWTP effluent inputs. We compiled the longitudinal concentration profiles of ambient dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) along a 800 m reach on 47 sampling dates between 2001 and 2017, encompassing a wide range of hydrological conditions. We estimated net nutrient uptake in the receiving stream. In 72% of the dates, high rates of net ammonium uptake co-occurred with net releases of either nitrate or nitrite. This pattern suggests that the receiving stream has a high nitrification capacity. Conversely, 75% of the dates did not show any longitudinal pattern in SRP concentration, suggesting that uptake and release processes for this element were either counterbalanced or both occurred at very low rates. Finally, net ammonium uptake was low when the stream had a low dilution capacity (< 40%) and ammonium concentration was high. Overall, we demonstrate that consideration of the receiving stream’s dilution capacity is imperative to the management of freshwaters to guarantee an adequate dilution of WWTP effluent inputs and avoid saturation of in-stream nutrient uptake capacity under low flow conditions in urban landscapes.
The Devil is in the Framework. Comment on Mizrahi vs. all Debate on the Strength of Arguments from an Expert Opinion
Authors: Makuła Szymon
Published: April 2022

In one of his papers, Moti Mizrahi argues that arguments from an expert opinion are weak arguments. His thesis may seem controversial due to the consensus on this topic in the field of informal logic. I argue that its controversy is framework-dependent, and if translated into a different framework, it appears to be a correct, however trivial, claim. I will use a framework based on Douglas Walton’s argumentation scheme theory and his conception of examination dialogue to demonstrate that it is so. It appears that Mizrahi’s idiosyncratic framework provides an excessively restrictive conception of an argument from expert opinion than Walton’s scheme does. There is no quarrel between both frameworks, as they yield analogous, almost identical, outcomes of argument evaluation. The actual and crucial disagreement is on the topic of argument classification. Mizrahi’s conception of arguments from an expert opinion imposes exact conditions that such argument must fulfil: an expert’s opinion o truth-value must be unknown; o must be unsupported by any evidence; an expert’s peers neither accept o nor reject it. These exclude, by definition, every possible strong, in Walton’s terms, variant of such an argument. Therefore, if rephrased with the notions of the examination dialogue framework, Mizrahi’s thesis sounds as follows: weak arguments from expert opinion are weak arguments.
Selbstführung und Selbstfürsorge – Leitbegriffe im Führungskräfte-Coaching?
Authors: Balz Hans-Jürgen , Heisig Marascha D.
Published: April 2022

Mit der Stärkung der Selbstführungskompetenz und der Selbstfürsorge werden Antworten auf komplexe Führungsanforderungen und die in diesem Zusammenhang erlebten psychischen Belastungen gesucht. Der Beitrag beschreibt und vergleicht die Begriffe Selbstmanagement, Selbstführung, Selbstfürsorge und Achtsamkeit, ordnet diese in ihren theoretischen und Anwendungsbezügen ein. Es wird die Frage diskutiert, welchen Stellenwert die Konzepte im Kontext von Coaching einnehmen und inwieweit sie einen Beitrag zur Profilbildung des Führungskräfte-Coachings leisten können.
Robots do not judge: service robots can alleviate embarrassment in service encounters
Authors: Holthöwer Jana , van Doorn Jenny
Published: April 2022

Although robots are increasingly used in service provision, research cautions that consumers are reluctant to accept service robots. Five lab, field, and online studies reveal an important boundary condition to earlier work and demonstrate that consumers perceive robots less negatively when human social presence is the source of discomfort. We show that consumers feel less judged by a robot (vs. a human) when having to engage in an embarrassing service encounter, such as when acquiring medication to treat a sexually transmitted disease or being confronted with one’s own mistakes by a frontline employee. As a consequence, consumers prefer being served by a robot instead of a human when having to acquire an embarrassing product, and a robot helps consumers to overcome their reluctance to accept the service provider’s offering when the situation becomes embarrassing. However, robot anthropomorphism moderates the effect as consumers ascribe a higher automated social presence to a highly human-like robot (vs. machine-like robot), making consumers feel more socially judged.
Nanoindentation for Fast Investigation of PET Film Degradation
Authors: Christöfl Petra , Ottersböck Bettina , Czibula Caterina , Macher Astrid , Teichert Christian , Pinter Gerald , Oreski Gernot
Published: April 2022

The lifetime of industrial polymer products is in many cases limited by aging. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a fast and sensitive method to detect polymer aging at an early stage. A commercially available 50-µm-thick and transparent polyethylene terephtalate (PET) film was aged under different artificial conditions, and the evolution of mechanical properties with increasing aging time was investigated via nanoindentation (NI) and tensile testing. Chemical aging was studied with gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and physical aging was monitored by the first heating of differential scanning calorimetry. NI data evaluated with the method of Oliver and Pharr was compared to tensile test data with good agreement between the results on the macro- and nanoscales. Furthermore, a correlation between NI creep data and GPC data was obtained, which indicates that the aging of the PET films primarily originated from chemical aging. This study states that NI is an appropriate method to determine degradation of PET at an early stage.
The role of affect in international opportunity recognition and the formation of international opportunity beliefs
Authors: Terán-Yépez Eduardo , Jiménez-Castillo David , Sánchez-Pérez Manuel
Published: April 2022

Despite the significance of individual factors in how entrepreneurs recognize international opportunities either by active search or passive discovery, prior research has typically focused on cognitive aspects overlooking affect as a critical driver of this process. Drawing upon broaden-and-build and affect-as-information theories, we explore how courage, hope, fear of failure, and anticipated regret, as stable affective dispositions, can influence entrepreneurs’ active and passive international opportunity recognition (IOR). Also, based on the mental model theory, we examine whether both processes can lead entrepreneurs to differently form opportunity desirability and feasibility beliefs to judge the opportunities recognized in the foreign market. Based on data from a sample of 172 international entrepreneurs, we find that hope and anticipated regret are positively related to active IOR. Hope and courage are positively related to passive IOR, and fear of failure and anticipated regret are negatively related to passive IOR. Moreover, active IOR better informs opportunity desirability and feasibility beliefs than passive IOR, which indeed only predicts feasibility. These findings are original and novel and thus add value to the flourishing literature on the individual-level factors that influence IOR processes and the emerging literature on how international opportunity desirability and feasibility beliefs are formed to evaluate IOs.
Lower frequency of T stem cell memory (TSCM) cells in hepatitis B vaccine nonresponders
Authors: Vakili Mahsa Eshkevar , Faghih Zahra , Sarvari Jamal , Doroudchi Mehrnoosh , Hosseini Seyed Nezamedin , Kabelitz Dieter , Kalantar Kurosh
Published: April 2022

Despite the availability of an effective vaccine and antiviral treatments, hepatitis B is still a global public health problem. Hepatitis B vaccination can prevent the disease. Vaccination induces long-lasting protective immune memory, and the identification of memory cell subsets can indicate the effectiveness of vaccines. Here, we compared the frequency of CD4+ memory T cell subsets between responders and nonresponders to HB vaccination. Besides, the frequency of IFN-γ+ memory T cells was compared between studied groups. Study participants were grouped according to their anti-HBsAb titer. For restimulation of CD4+ memory T cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were cultured in the presence of HBsAg and PHA for 48 h. Besides, PMA, ionomycin, and brefeldin were added during the last 5 h of incubation to induce IFN-γ production. Flow cytometry was used for analysis. There was a statistically significant difference in the frequency of CD4+CD95+, CD4+CD95Hi, and CD4+CD95low/med T stem cell memory (TSCM) cells between responder and nonresponder groups. However, the comparison of the frequency of memory T cells producing IFN-γ showed no differences. Our results identified a possible defect of immunological CD4+ memory T cell formation in nonresponders due to their lower frequency of CD4+ TSCM cells.
Can liberal democracy survive our fervor? Signs and origins of dysfunctional democracy
Authors: Kaina Viktoria
Published: April 2022

Human fervor is two-sided. On the bright side, it operates as the great driving-force for human progress, well-being and prosperity, gain of knowledge and pursuit of happiness. On the dark side, it motivates humans to tyranny and despotism, dogmatism and hatred, ruthlessness and cruelty. Therefore, we would be well advised to find a way of governing ourselves that prevents us from the gloomy part of human passions. Liberal democracy has been invented to be exactly such a temperate mode of governance. Recently, however, it is showing signs of dysfunctions. Facing multiple challenges, liberal democracy is in deep trouble to keep on working as intended. Human fervor, so my argument goes, generates outcomes that have detrimental impact on liberal democracy. My paper addresses two sources fostering the rise of dysfunctional democracy. First, I will deal with the bounded capability of liberal democracy to cope with “untidy” problems. Second, I will discuss several symptoms for overstrained institutions. In doing so, I will also show why liberal democracy is facing the rise of “tragic” institutions. At the outset of my paper, I will offer some considerations on the crucial question of how we recognize a dysfunctional liberal democracy when we see one.
Tunable Filters Based on Cascaded Long-Period Polymer Waveguide Gratings
Authors: Shi Xin , Cao Rui , Wang Lingfang
Published: April 2022

Long-period waveguide grating based filters have attracted attention due to their flexible fabrication, a variety of materials and structures, low back reflection, low insertion loss, and excellent performance in the tuning range and temperature sensitivity. To our knowledge, for the first time, a two-segment polymer long-period waveguide grating was cascaded to implement a filter with a narrower bandwidth. Experimental results showed that the device had a maximum extinction ratio of 24 dB at 1 577 nm, and the 12 dB bandwidth was 10 nm. The temperature sensitivity of the fabricated device was 1.79 nm/°C.
Precise control of surface oxygen vacancies in ZnO nanoparticles for extremely high acetone sensing response
Authors: Lee Jihyun , Choi Youngmoon , Park Byoung Joon , Han Jeong Woo , Lee Hyun-Sook , Park Jong Hyeok , Lee Wooyoung
Published: April 2022

ZnO has been studied intensely for chemical sensors due to its high sensitivity and fast response. Here, we present a simple approach to precisely control oxygen vacancy contents to provide significantly enhanced acetone sensing performance of commercial ZnO nanopowders. A combination of H2O2 treatment and thermal annealing produces optimal surface defects with oxygen vacancies on the ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). The highest response of ∼27,562 was achieved for 10 ppm acetone in 0.125 M H2O2 treated/annealed ZnO NPs at the optimal working temperature of 400 °C, which is significantly higher than that of reported so far in various acetone sensors based on metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs). Furthermore, first-principles calculations indicate that pre-adsorbed O formed on the surface of H2O2 treated ZnO NPs can provide favorable adsorption energy, especially for acetone detection, due to strong bidentate bonding between carbonyl C atom of acetone molecules and pre-adsorbed O on the ZnO surface. Our study demonstrates that controlling surface oxygen vacancies by H2O2 treatment and re-annealing at optimal temperature is an effective method to improve the sensing properties of commercial MOS materials.
Low-temperature densification of high-entropy (Ti,Zr,Nb,Ta,Mo)C—Co composites with high hardness and high toughness
Authors: Luo Si-Chun , Guo Wei-Ming , Plucknett Kevin , Lin Hua-Tay
Published: April 2022

In order to prepare high toughness (Ti,Zr,Nb,Ta,Mo)C ceramics at low temperatures while maintaining high hardness, a liquid-phase sintering process combined with Co-based liquid-phase extrusion strategy was adopted in this study. The densification temperature can be lowered to 1350 °C, which is much lower than the solid-state sintering temperature (∼2000 °C) generally employed for high-entropy carbide ceramics. When sintered at 1550 °C and 30 MPa applied pressure, part of the Co-based liquid-phase was squeezed out of the graphite mold, such that only ∼3.21 vol% of Co remained in the high-entropy ceramic. Compared to the Co-free solid-state sintered (Ti,Zr,Nb,Ta,Mo)C ceramics, prepared at 2000 °C and 35 MPa, the hardness was slightly decreased from 25.06±0.32 to 24.11±0.75 GPa, but the toughness was increased from 2.25±0.22 to 4.07±0.13 MPa·m1/2. This work provides a new strategy for low-temperature densification of high-entropy carbides with both high hardness and high toughness.
Optical Imaging and Image Restoration Techniques for Deep Ocean Mapping: A Comprehensive Survey
Authors: Song Yifan , Nakath David , She Mengkun , Köser Kevin
Published: April 2022

Visual systems are receiving increasing attention in underwater applications. While the photogrammetric and computer vision literature so far has largely targeted shallow water applications, recently also deep sea mapping research has come into focus. The majority of the seafloor, and of Earth’s surface, is located in the deep ocean below 200 m depth, and is still largely uncharted. Here, on top of general image quality degradation caused by water absorption and scattering, additional artificial illumination of the survey areas is mandatory that otherwise reside in permanent darkness as no sunlight reaches so deep. This creates unintended non-uniform lighting patterns in the images and non-isotropic scattering effects close to the camera. If not compensated properly, such effects dominate seafloor mosaics and can obscure the actual seafloor structures. Moreover, cameras must be protected from the high water pressure, e.g. by housings with thick glass ports, which can lead to refractive distortions in images. Additionally, no satellite navigation is available to support localization. All these issues render deep sea visual mapping a challenging task and most of the developed methods and strategies cannot be directly transferred to the seafloor in several kilometers depth. In this survey we provide a state of the art review of deep ocean mapping, starting from existing systems and challenges, discussing shallow and deep water models and corresponding solutions. Finally, we identify open issues for future lines of research.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for children and adolescents with intellectual disability and anxiety: a therapist manual
Authors: Hronis Anastasia , Roberts Rachel , Roberts Lynette , Kneebone Ian
Published: April 2022

Up to 50% of children with intellectual disability (ID) have a comorbid mental illness, yet to date, there has been a lack of evidence-based treatments for this population. This paper discusses the development and application of the Fearless Me! © treatment program, a multimodal Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) intervention for children with mild to moderate ID and anxiety. The program development involved a review of the literature to identify the neuropsychological deficits present for children with ID and suggested ways in which therapy could be adapted for their needs. This was followed by gathering feedback from parents and mental health practitioners. From this, the Fearless Me! © program was developed, involving face-to-face sessions and an online component to support the practice of CBT skills. The program has been trialed among children and adolescents with ID, and shows promise in reducing anxiety in children with mild to moderate ID.
Using 3D Models to Understand the Changing Role of Fluting in Paleoindian Point Technology from Clovis to Dalton
Authors: Smallwood Ashley M. , Jennings Thomas A. , Smith Heather L. , Pevny Charlotte D. , Waters Michael R. , Loebel Thomas J. , Lambert John , Ray Jacob , Stephens Devin
Published: April 2022

Fluting is a technological and morphological hallmark of some of the most iconic North American Paleoindian stone points. Through decades of detailed artifact analyses and replication experiments, archaeologists have spent considerable effort reconstructing how flute removals were achieved, and they have explored possible explanations of why fluting was such an important aspect of early point technologies. However, the end of fluting has been less thoroughly researched. In southern North America, fluting is recognized as a diagnostic characteristic of Clovis points dating to approximately 13,000 cal yr BP, the earliest widespread use of fluting. One thousand years later, fluting occurs more variably in Dalton and is no longer useful as a diagnostic indicator. How did fluting change, and why did point makers eventually abandon fluting? In this article, we use traditional 2D measurements, geometric morphometric (GM) analysis of 3D models, and 2D GM of flute cross sections to compare Clovis and Dalton point flute and basal morphologies. The significant differences observed show that fluting in Clovis was highly standardized, suggesting that fluting may have functioned to improve projectile durability. Because Dalton points were used increasingly as knives and other types of tools, maximizing projectile functionality became less important. We propose that fluting in Dalton is a vestigial technological trait retained beyond its original functional usefulness.