bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative analysis of loop‐mediated isothermal amplification combined with microfluidic chip technology and q‐PCR in the detection of clinical infectious pathogens
Authors: Zhang Enqi , Ou Hongling , Jia Lianling , Zhang Wang , Wang Yemei , Wang Xinru
Published: June 2022

Background

Rapid diagnosis of infectious pathogens at an early stage is crucial to stabilize the patient's condition, reduce medical costs, and shorten hospital stays. Currently, some point‐of‐care tests have their own shortcomings. Therefore, we built a microfluidic chip based on loop‐mediated isothermal amplification to can quickly and sensitively detect infectious pathogens.

Methods

We extracted the DNA of S. aureus, MRSA, Shigella and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Then, the DNA samples were diluted by 10‐fold and examined by two methods: LAMP‐microfluidic chip and q‐PCR, the sensitivity of whom was also compared. In addition, the specificity of the two was also examined by detecting the target bacteria and other microorganisms using the same methods. Finally, we extracted and tested the DNA of clinically infected humoral samples to determine the coincidence rate between the two methods and the bacterial culture method.

Results

For S. aureus, MRSA, Shigella, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, the detection limits of the chip were 2.25 × 103 copies/μl, 5.32 × 103 copies/μl, 2.89 × 103 copies/μl, 6.53 × 102 copies/μl, and the detection limits of q‐PCR were 2.25 × 102 copies/μl, 5.32 × 101 copies/μl, 2.89 × 102 copies/μl, 6.53 × 101 copies/μl, respectively. In terms of detection specificity, neither method cross‐reacted with other strains. For the detection of infectious humoral samples, the total coincidence rate between the q‐PCR and bacterial culture method was 85.7%, 95%, 95%, and 95.5%, and the total coincidence rate between the chip and bacterial culture method was 81%, 95%, 90%, and 86.4%, respectively.

Conclusion

LAMP‐microfluidic chip provides a simple, sensitive, specific, convenient, and rapid pathogen detection method for clinically infected humoral samples without relying on expensive equipment or technical personnels.
Potential of circulating lncRNA CASC2 as a biomarker in reflecting the inflammatory cytokines, multi‐organ dysfunction, disease severity, and mortality in sepsis patients
Authors: Wang Rui , Zhao Jinglin , Wei Qi , Wang Hao , Zhao Chao , Hu Caihong , Han Yu , Hui Zhi , Yang Long , Dai Qingchun , Liu Cuicui
Published: June 2022

Background

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) cancer susceptibility candidate gene 2 (CASC2) inhibits inflammation and multi‐organ dysfunction in various ways. The present study was intended to explore the potency of blood lncRNA CASC2 as a biomarker for sepsis management.

Methods

Totally, 184 sepsis patients and 30 healthy controls were enrolled. The reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect lncRNA CASC2 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from the subjects. Mortality during 28 days was recorded in sepsis patients.

Results

LncRNA CASC2 was decreased in sepsis patients [median (interquartile range [IQR]): 0.473 (0.241–0.773)] by comparison to healthy controls [median (IQR): 1.019 (0.676–1.685)] (p < 0.001). In sepsis patients, lncRNA CASC2 was negatively correlated with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) (p = 0.001), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) (p < 0.001), SOFA‐respiratory system (p = 0.010), SOFA‐coagulation (p = 0.020), SOFA‐liver (p = 0.019), and SOFA‐renal (p = 0.010) scores, but was not related to SOFA‐nervous (p = 0.466) and SOFA‐cardio vascular system (p = 0.059) scores. Additionally, lncRNA CASC2 was negatively related to tumor necrosis factor‐α (p = 0.024), interleukin (IL)‐1β (p = 0.013), and IL‐17A (p = 0.002), but was not linked to IL‐6 (p = 0.112) or IL‐10 (p = 0.074). Furthermore, lncRNA CASC2 was lower in sepsis deaths [median (IQR): 0.286 (0.166–0.475)] than in survivors [median (IQR): 0.534 (0.296–0.811)] (p < 0.001). Simultaneously, Kaplan–Meier (KM) curve analysis also observed that lncRNA CASC2 was inversely related to accumulating mortality in sepsis patients (p = 0.003). While lncRNA CASC2 could independently predict lower mortality risk.

Conclusion

Circulating lncRNA CASC2 inadequacy indicates the release of inflammatory cytokines, severe multi‐organ injuries, and increased mortality in sepsis patients.
Motivation to compete: Understanding and overcoming the demotivating effect of competing with more people
Authors: Yang Haiyang , Chattopadhyay Amitava
Published: June 2022

Competitions are widely used by businesses and nonprofit organizations to enhance customer engagement and foster interactions among consumers. But how can consumers be effectively motivated to participate in competitions that are large (vs. small) in size? Five studies involving a variety of competitive contexts show that, holding the objective likelihood of winning and competition prize constant, consumers tend to perceive a lower likelihood of winning and a smaller prize magnitude when the competition is larger in size. These differences in perceived likelihood of winning and perceived magnitude of competition prize can jointly impact consumers' participation in competitive situations (Studies 1a, 1b, and 2). Moreover, presenting information that enhances perceptions of winning likelihoods (Study 3) or prize magnitudes (Study 4) can remedy the negative impact of a larger competition size on participation levels. The studies also show that the underlying roles of perceived likelihood of winning and perceived prize magnitude are distinct from the role of social comparison. Overall, these findings add to consumer psychology theories and offer actionable managerial insights.
Practice makes perfect? Association between students’ performance measures in an advanced dental simulation course
Authors: Baechle Mary A. , Gottlieb Riki , Carrico Caroline K. , Brody Erica R.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This study examines the relationship between student performance measures during practice and exams using advanced dental simulation.

Methods

Data from 11 classes of first‐year dental students were extracted from Advanced Simulation software (DentSim™) related to Class I and Class II preparations including: total number of practice sessions, average practice score, exam scores, average time preparing teeth during practice/exam, and average time self‐evaluating preparations during practice/exam. Comparisons of average practice and exam scores were examined using paired t‐test. Relationships between practice/exam measures and exam scores were determined with multiple linear regression.

Results

Practice mean and exam scores were significantly associated; exam scores were significantly higher in both procedures. Class I: a significant positive relationship exists between both practice and exam measures: The average practice score was significantly associated with exam score (p < 0.001); time spent preparing the exam tooth was negatively associated with the exam score (p < 0.001); conversely, time spent self‐evaluating the exam tooth was significantly associated with an increase in exam score (p = 0.0135). Class II: exam score was significantly associated with two practice measures but neither of the exam measures: exam score for Class II mesioocclusal preparation was significantly associated with average practice score (p < 0.001) and the number of practice attempts (p = 0.025).

Conclusion

This study emphasizes the predictive value of novice learners’ deliberate, repetitive practice using advanced dental simulation, which enhances self‐assessment in early stages of psychomotor skill development. Future studies are needed to demonstrate the translation of these skills into a patient care setting.
Disinfection and decontamination in the context of SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific data
Authors: Cimolai Nevio
Published: June 2022

Given the high transmissibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) as witnessed early in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, concerns arose with the existing methods for virus disinfection and decontamination. The need for SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific data stimulated considerable research in this regard. Overall, SARS‐CoV‐2 is practically and equally susceptible to approaches for disinfection and decontamination that have been previously found for other human or animal coronaviruses. The latter have included techniques utilizing temperature modulation, pH extremes, irradiation, and chemical treatments. These physicochemical methods are a necessary adjunct to other prevention strategies, given the environmental and patient surface ubiquity of the virus. Classic studies of disinfection have also allowed for extrapolation to the eradication of the virus on human mucosal surfaces by some chemical means. Despite considerable laboratory study, practical field assessments are generally lacking and need to be encouraged to confirm the correlation of interventions with viral eradication and infection prevention. Transparency in the constitution and use of any method or chemical is also essential to furthering practical applications.
Blood–brain barrier permeability in response to caffeine challenge
Authors: Lin Zixuan , Jiang Dengrong , Liu Peiying , Ge Yulin , Moghekar Abhay , Lu Hanzhang
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Caffeine is known to alter brain perfusion by acting as an adenosine antagonist, but its effect on blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability is not fully elucidated. This study aimed to dynamically monitor BBB permeability to water after a single dose of caffeine tablet using a non‐contrast MRI technique.

Methods

Ten young healthy volunteers who were not regular coffee drinkers were studied. The experiment began with a pre‐caffeine measurement, followed by four measurements at the post‐caffeine stage. Water‐extraction‐with‐phase‐contrast‐arterial‐spin‐tagging (WEPCAST) MRI was used to assess the time dependence of BBB permeability to water following the ingestion of 200 mg caffeine. Other cerebral physiological parameters including cerebral blood flow (CBF), venous oxygenation (Yv), and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) were also examined. The relationships between cerebral physiological parameters and time were studied with mixed‐effect models.

Results

It was found that, after caffeine ingestion, CBF and Yv showed a time‐dependent decrease (p < 0.001), while CMRO2 did not change significantly. The fraction of arterial water crossing the BBB (E) showed a significant increase (p < 0.001). In contrast, the permeability‐surface‐area product (PS), i.e., BBB permeability to water, remained constant (p = 0.94). Additionally, it was observed that changes in physiological parameters were non‐linear with regard to time and occurred at as early as 9 min after caffeine tablet ingestion.

Conclusion

These results suggest an unchanged BBB permeability despite alterations in perfusion during a vasoconstrictive caffeine challenge.
Decentralization: A handicap in fighting the COVID‐19 pandemic? The response of the regional governments in Spain
Authors: Erkoreka Mikel , Hernando‐Pérez Josu
Published: June 2022

The COVID‐19 pandemic has provided an ultimate testing ground for evaluating the resilience and effectiveness of federal and decentralized systems. The article analyses how the Spanish asymmetrical system of decentralization has responded to the pandemic, focusing on the management developed by the sub‐central governments (Autonomous Communities) during the first two waves of the pandemic in 2020. The research, which is both quantitative and qualitative, employs multidisciplinary tools and information sources, analyzing and linking fiscal and budgetary sources with the available statistics and information on health. Although the health, economic and social crisis caused by COVID‐19 has highlighted appreciable shortcomings related to the decentralized model of territorial organization – in questions of both regional financing and health management – the research concludes that decentralization has not per se been a handicap when confronting the pandemic in Spain.
Comparative mechanical, morphological, rheological, and thermal properties of polypropylene/ethylene‐propylene‐diene rubber blends
Authors: Praveen Kosappllyillom Muraleedharan , Taleb Khadidja , Pillin Isabelle , Kervoelen Antoine , Grohens Yves , Thomas Sabu , Haponiuk Józef T.
Published: June 2022

Because of its weak durability at low temperatures and low strain rates, polypropylene's use as an engineering plastic is restricted. To make polypropylene more tougher, combine it with elastomeric particles in a cost‐effective manner is an excellent option. Internal melt blending was used to manufacture polypropylene (PP) and high‐molecular‐grade ethylene‐propylene‐diene rubber (EPDM) blends with varying constitutive ratios in this work. EPDM's lower portions have especially high impact strength ratings for PP/EPDM mixtures. (i.e., 2.5, 5, and 7.5 parts per hundred EPDM rubber). The mechanically generated cavitation behavior of impact cracked specimens is obvious from SEM morphology, showing to the strong impact resistance of PP/EPDM blends. Increased EPDM content reduces the amount of scattered EPDM rubber particles by increasing the average diameter of dispersed particles, as seen by HRTEM images of the samples. The tensile and flexural properties of PP/EPDM blends were analysed. The rheological tests demonstrate that as the frequency increases, the complex viscosity drops, indicating that the melt is in a pseudoplastic condition. Due to the destruction of polymer chain mobility at greater cooling rates, DSC analysis indicates that percentage crystallinity values decrease as the cooling rate of crystallization increases, resulting in an incomplete crystallization process. The fact that PP/EPDM mixes have two glass transition temperatures indicates that they are immiscible. An investigation using the TGA found that the maximum degradation temperature (Tmax) of the PP/EPDM rubber mixtures may be sustained for long periods of time at very high operating temperatures.
Prediction score for prolonged hospital stay in meconium aspiration syndrome: A multicentric collaborative cohort of south India
Authors: Rao Poornachandra , Charki Siddu , Aradhya Abhishek S. , Diggikar Shivashankar , Bilagi Archana , Venkatagiri Praveen , Tyagaraj Tanmaya , Kulkarni Srikanth , Nagareddy Vinutha G. , Biradar Vijaykumar S. , Lewis Patricia , Patil M. M.
Published: June 2022

Background and Objective

With improved survival in neonates with meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), the focus is currently on mitigating the morbidities. The objective of this study was to predict factors determining prolonged hospital stay in neonates with MAS.

Materials and Methods

It was a retrospective cohort from five centers of south India between 2018 and 2020. Neonates ≥35 weeks of gestation admitted to neonatal intensive care unit with the diagnosis of MAS and requiring oxygen beyond 24 h of life were included in the study. The morbidities in the neonates with stay ≤7 days (short stay) were compared with >7 days (prolonged stay). Logistic regression by the backward stepwise method was used for predictive score creation.

Results

Out of 347 neonates with MAS discharged home, 103 (29%) had a short stay and 244 (71%) had prolonged stay. The primary support beyond O2 (continuous positive airway pressure/mechanical ventilation) (42% vs. 83%, p < 0.001), fractional inspired oxygen (FiO2) at 1 h >30% (45% vs. 87%, p < 0.001), hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) stage 2 or 3 (1% vs. 27%, p < 0.001), moderate–severe persistent pulmonary artery hypertension (PPHN) (3% vs. 31%, p < 0.001) were independent factors associated with prolonged stay on logistic regression. A prediction model was devised using weighted scores of these four associated morbidities. The clinical score thus developed had 83% sensitivity, 68% specificity for the prediction of prolonged stay (area under curve: 82%, 95% confidence interval [78–87], p < 0.001).

Conclusion

More than two‐thirds of neonates with MAS had prolonged stay. The primary support beyond oxygen, FiO2 requirement >30%, Moderate to severe PPHN, HIE stage 2 or 3 were predictive of prolonged stay in neonates with MAS.
The COVID‐19 pandemic and residential mobility intentions in the United States: Evidence from Google Trends data
Authors: Lei Lei , Liu Xialu
Published: June 2022

The COVID‐19 pandemic has disrupted people's lives through economic challenges, closure of worksites and schools and increased health risks. These disruptions can trigger new residential needs and preferences, but little research has been done regarding the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on moving intentions. We theorized how the pandemic could influence intentions of making different types of residential moves. Using Google Trends data, we conducted a time‐series analysis to assess the transitory, short‐term and long‐lasting changes in various types of mobility intentions since the pandemic. Results show that thoughts about temporary relocation surged at the onset of the COVID‐19 epidemic and then experienced a long‐term decrease. Intentions to move through housing purchases and rentals briefly declined at the beginning of the pandemic but then surpassed their normal levels in the following months. Thoughts about moving in with family or parents increased by almost 50% during the pandemic. These trends were also reflected in Google searches for moving services, which exhibited an initial decline followed by a long‐term increase. The results demonstrate that the COVID‐19 pandemic has not only posed obstacles that lowered moving intentions but also has created new needs and desires for moving.
ADMET and quantitative structure property relationship analysis of anti‐Covid drugs against omicron variant with some degree‐based topological indices
Authors: Tamilarasi William , Balamurugan Bommahalli Jayaraman
Published: June 2022

Chemical graph theory is one of the important fields in mathematical chemistry which provides a useful tool called topological indices which transforms chemical structure of a molecule into a numerical value. Topological indices are used to investigate physicochemical properties, pharmaco‐kinetic properties, biological activity in quantitative structure property relationship (QSPR) and quantitative structure–activity relationship. The most life‐threatening disease the world facing is COVID‐19 and its prominent variants like alpha, beta, delta and omicron variants. The delta and omicron variants are deemed one of the most contagious strains of the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. Since there is no exact drug for these variants, but researches are been carried out with some existing and new drugs which are effective against delta and omicron variants. Favipiravir, Baricitinib, Fluvoxamine, Nirmatrelvir and Molnupiravir are some of the drugs currently used to treat COVID‐19 omicron variant. In this paper QSPR model is designed to predict some selected physicochemical properties and ADMET properties of the above aforesaid drugs by using some degree‐based indices such as first K Banhatti index, second K Banhatti index, first K hyper Banhatti index, second K hyper Banhatti index, modified first K Banhatti index, modified second K Banhatti index and harmonic K Banhatti index via M‐Polynomial. The relationship analyses for the physicochemical and ADMET properties with the degree‐based indices are done by using the quadratic and cubic regression method respectively. The results obtained can be expanded to correlate several other properties associated with drugability of potential candidates that can further be utilized to construct a disease‐based library of drugs.
Estimation of disease progression for ischemic heart disease using latent Markov with covariates
Authors: Oflaz Zarina , Yozgatligil Ceylan , Selcuk‐Kestel A. Sevtap
Published: June 2022

Contemporaneous monitoring of disease progression, in addition to early diagnosis, is important for the treatment of patients with chronic conditions. Chronic disease‐related factors are not easily tractable, and the existing data sets do not clearly reflect them, making diagnosis difficult. The primary issue is that databases maintained by health care, insurance, or governmental organizations typically do not contain clinical information and instead focus on patient appointments and demographic profiles. Due to the lack of thorough information on potential risk factors for a single patient, investigations on the nature of disease are imprecise. We suggest the use of a latent Markov model with variables in a latent process because it enables the panel analysis of many forms of data. The purpose of this study is to evaluate unobserved factors in ischemic heart disease (IHD) using longitudinal data from electronic health records. Based on the results we designate states as healthy, light, moderate, and severe to represent stages of disease progression. This study demonstrates that gender, patient age, and hospital visit frequency are all significant factors in the development of the disease. Females acquire IHD more rapidly than males, frequently developing from moderate and severe disease. In addition, it demonstrates that individuals under the age of 20 bypass the light state of IHD and proceed directly to the moderate state.
Reversed‐phase–high‐performance liquid chromatography method simultaneous quantification of Ivabradine hydrochloride and Bisoprolol fumarate
Authors: Patel Mansi M. , Chhalotiya Usmangani K. , Shah Dimal A. , Kachhiya Hetaben M , Tandel Jinal N.
Published: June 2022

For the simultaneous quantification of Ivabradine hydrochloride and Bisoprolol fumarate in bulk and synthetic mixtures, a sensitive, precise, robust, and accurate reverse‐phase–high‐performance liquid chromatographic technique was developed and validated according to the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use Q2 (R1) guideline. The Phenomenex C‐18 column (250 × 4.6 mm2, 5 m) was equilibrated with mobile phase acetonitrile: KH2PO4(30:70, v/v), pH 5.0 was adjusted with 1% orthophosphoric acid, the flow rate was maintained at 1 ml/min, and analysis was performed using a photodiode array detector. Note that, 279 nm was found to be the common detection wavelength for Ivabradine hydrochloride and Bisoprolol fumarate. As per the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use criteria, the technique was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, and robustness, as well as the limit of detection and limit of quantitation. The linearity range of Ivabradine hydrochloride and Bisoprolol fumarate was found to be 5–40 and 2.5–20 μg/ml and correlation coefficients were 0.9988 and 0.9994, respectively. The mean percentage recovery of Ivabradine hydrochloride and Bisoprolol fumarate was found to be 99.83–101.87 and 99.46–101.62%, respectively. The present work represents the sensitive, accurate, precise, and reproducible reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous quantification of Ivabradine hydrochloride and Bisoprolol fumarate, and none of the liquid chromatography methods published on this novel combination. The proposed reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography method has potential qualitative as well as quantitative applications for simultaneous estimation of Ivabradine hydrochloride and Bisoprolol fumarate in bulk and synthetic mixture. Once pharmaceutical formulation comes into the market proposed reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography method is used for the qualitative and quantitative simultaneous estimation.
Global solutions for the modified Camassa–Holm equation
Authors: Ji Shuguan , Zhou Yonghui
Published: June 2022

This paper is concerned with the global solutions for the modified Camassa–Holm equation. We first obtain the global existence and uniqueness of strong solutions for the initial datum with , and then give some norm estimates of strong solutions and its momentum density. Finally, by using the compensated compactness method and regularization technique, we establish the global existence and uniqueness of weak solutions for the initial datum .
Innate visual attraction in wood ants is a hardwired behavior seen across different motivational and ecological contexts
Authors: Buehlmann C. , Graham P.
Published: June 2022

Ants are expert navigators combining innate and learnt navigational strategies. Whereas we know that the ants’ feeding state segregates visual–navigational memories in ants navigating along a learnt route, it is an open question if the motivational state also affects the ants’ innate visual preferences. Wood ant foragers show an innate attraction to conspicuous visual cues. These foragers inhabit cluttered woodland habitat and feed on honeydew from aphids on trees. Hence, the attraction to ‘tree-like’ objects might be an ecologically relevant behavior that is tailored to the wood ants’ foraging ecology. Foragers from other ant species with different foraging ecologies show very different innate attractions. We investigated here the innate visual response of wood ant foragers with different motivational states, i.e., unfed or fed, as well as males that show no foraging activity. Our results show that ants from all three groups orient toward a prominent visual cue, i.e., this intrinsic visuomotor response is not context-dependent, but a hardwired behavior seen across different motivational and ecological contexts.
Parameter estimation and its influence on layered metal–composite–metal plates simulation
Authors: Dileep Pranav Kumar , Hartmann Stefan , Hua Wei , Palkowski Heinz , Fischer Tobias , Ziegmann Gerhard
Published: June 2022

Laminates made of metal—glass fiber-reinforced polymers—metal layers require material parameters for each constitutive model of the constituents. First, although parameter identification for metallic materials has been frequently discussed, the stepwise identification of material parameters in terms of uncertainties of previously determined parameters is investigated by the concept of error propagation. Second, the calibration of a model of orthotropy describing the large deformation behavior of the glass fiber-reinforced kernel layer is a challenging process, especially against the background of a reliable determination of the parameters. The main problem is related to the lack of available experiments. This issue is embedded in the concept of local identifiability. Thus, the article provides experiments to determine the parameters of both the steel as well as the glass fiber-reinforced polymers. Particularly for the latter issue,$$\mu $$μ-CT data is chosen to provide a representative volume element, where all deformation modes can be investigated. In this sense, a concept to determine all material parameters in a locally unique and reliable manner is studied. A linear error propagation concept provides the uncertainty of the resulting material parameters of the whole parameter set for the homogenized material. The entire parameter identification process is discussed thoroughly, and validation examples such as bending and deep drawing in metal forming processes, are provided to estimate the prediction accuracy. In this respect, the uncertainties found by parameter identification are applied to the prediction of finite element simulations of layered metal–composite–metal forming processes and error propagation is used to estimate the uncertainties of the simulations. In this contribution, we restrict ourselves to experiments at room temperature.
Dimension Theory in Iterated Local Skew Power Series Rings
Authors: Woods Billy
Published: June 2022

Many well-known local rings, including soluble Iwasawa algebras and certain completed quantum algebras, arise naturally as iterated skew power series rings. We calculate their Krull and global dimensions, obtaining lower bounds to complement the upper bounds obtained by Wang. In fact, we show that many common such rings obey a stronger property, which we call triangularity, and which allows us also to calculate their classical Krull dimension (prime length). Finally, we correct an error in the literature regarding the associated graded rings of general iterated skew power series rings, but show that triangularity is enough to recover this result.
Joyce Lankester Brisley’s Bunchy as the Shadow of Milly-Molly-Mandy
Authors: Walls Kathryn M.
Published: June 2022

The continuing popularity of Brisley’s Milly Molly Mandy stories notwithstanding, critical commentary on Brisley’s work is scarce. June Factor, writing in 1979, praised her reconstruction of “English village life before the First World War.” But the stories are set later– between the wars. They exhibit documentary realism, even while they cooperate with a national idealization of country living in this period. In so doing, they may be contrasted with Brisley’s Bunchy stories. Bunchy’s adventures are unnerving fantasies, very different from Milly Molly Mandy’s credible expeditions. They reflect Bunchy’s situation as an orphan, living with her apparently widowed grandmother, and without playmates on the outskirts of Milly Molly Mandy’s village. Bunchy’s make-believe companions (formed out of pastry dough, inadequate drawings etc.) are not just unsatisfactory as such—they are threatening allusions to mortality and loss. It could be that they reflect Brisley’s own disrupted life-history.
An improved penalty algorithm using model order reduction for MIPDECO problems with partial observations
Authors: Garmatter Dominik , Porcelli Margherita , Rinaldi Francesco , Stoll Martin
Published: June 2022

This work addresses optimal control problems governed by a linear time-dependent partial differential equation (PDE) as well as integer constraints on the control. Moreover, partial observations are assumed in the objective function. The resulting problem poses several numerical challenges due to the mixture of combinatorial aspects, induced by integer variables, and large scale linear algebra issues, arising from the PDE discretization. Since classical solution approaches such as the branch-and-bound framework are typically overwhelmed by such large-scale problems, this work extends an improved penalty algorithm proposed by the authors, to the time-dependent setting. The main contribution is a novel combination of an interior point method, preconditioning, and model order reduction yielding a tailored local optimization solver at the heart of the overall solution procedure. A thorough numerical investigation is carried out both for the heat equation as well as a convection-diffusion problem demonstrating the versatility of the approach.
Does Part-Time Mothering Help Get a Job? The Role of Shared Custody in Women’s Employment
Authors: Bonnet Carole , Garbinti Bertrand , Solaz Anne
Published: June 2022

Though child shared physical custody arrangements after divorce are much more frequent and parents who use it more diverse in many European countries, little is known about their economic consequences for parents. By relaxing family time constraints, does shared custody help divorced mothers return to or stay on work more easily? Since lone mothers are one of the least-employed groups, and they face high unemployment rates, the type of child custody arrangement adopted after divorce is of particular interest for their employability. This article analyses to what extent the type of child custody arrangement affects mothers’ labour market patterns after divorce.

Using a large sample of divorcees from an exhaustive French administrative income tax database, and taking advantage of the huge territorial discrepancies observed in the proportion of shared custody, we correct for the possible endogeneity of shared custody. Results show that not repartnered mothers with shared custody arrangements are 24 percentage points more likely to work one year after divorce compared to those having sole custody, while no significant effect is found for repartnered mothers. Among lone mothers, we also highlight huge heterogeneous effects: larger positive effects are observed for previously inactive women, for those belonging to the lowest income quintiles before divorce, for those with a young child, and for those who have three or more children. Thus, shared physical custody arrangements may reduce work–family conflict by diminishing childcare expenses and enlarge the possibilities to find a suitable job because of more relaxed time constraints for lone mothers.
Data-driven dynamic stacking strategy for export containers in container terminals
Authors: Park Hyun Ji , Cho Sung Won , Nanda Abhilasha , Park Jin Hyoung
Published: June 2022

This study investigates a method for improving real-time decisions regarding the storage location of export containers while the containers are arriving. To manage the decision-making process, we propose a two module-based data-driven dynamic stacking strategy that facilitates stowage planning. Module 1 generates the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) specific to each container group for container weight classification. Module 2 implements the data-driven dynamic stacking strategy as an online algorithm to determine the storage location of an arriving container in real time. Numerical experiments were conducted using real-life data to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method compared to other alternative stacking strategies. These experiments revealed that the performance of the proposed method is robust, and therefore it can improve yard operations and container terminal competitiveness.
Study of the microbiota associated to Ruditapes decussatus and Ruditapes philippinarum clams by 16S rRNA metabarcoding, dilution to extinction, and culture-based techniques
Authors: Gerpe Diego , Lasa Aide , Lema Alberto , Balboa Sabela , Romalde Jesús L.
Published: June 2022

The study of the microbiota associated to clams is important not only to know their sanitary status but also to prevent pathobiology events. The use of different microbiological techniques can help to obtain a better picture of the bacterial diversity of clams as well as to isolate new bacterial taxa. In this study, two clam species, Ruditapes decussatus and R. philippinarum, were analyzed in two locations of Galicia (northwest of Spain) in April and October, by combining classic culturing, dilution-to-extinction approach, and 16S rRNA gene target sequencing. 16S rRNA gene target sequencing revealed a great diversity within the clam samples, shedding light into the vast microbial communities associated to these bivalves. All samples were dominated by the same bacterial genera in the different periods, namely Mycoplasma, Vibrio, and Cutibacterium. The α-diversity in the samples obtained during the month of October was lower and showed the dominance of rare bacterial taxa, such as Methylobacterium or Psychrobacter. Dilution-to-extinction technique demonstrated its usefulness to culture rare bacterial taxa that were not found in clams under the classic culturing techniques, including Rahnella, Brachybacterium, Micrococcus, Jantinobacter, and Lelliottia. Altogether, our study provides valuable information on the microbiota associated to R. decussatus and R. philippinarum, demonstrating the high complexity and dynamics of these microbial populations.
Environmental and socioeconomic determinants of neonatal mortality in a northern Italian city in the early nineteenth century
Authors: Fornasin Alessio , Rizzi Laura
Published: June 2022

The research explores the effects of the environment on neonatal mortality in the early nineteenth century, controlling for social and economic factors. Individual data, relative to the resident population of Udine, a city in northeastern Italy, under French domination (1806–1815) have been used. The information collected regards births and deaths within the first month of life and is taken from the Napoleonic civil registers. The spatial distribution of some data within the urban area, heating in the houses where children were born or died, and a time series of temperature levels and corn prices are taken into account. The methodological approach adopted is based on logistic regression models and discrete-time event history analysis. The results point to excess winter neonatal mortality. Neonatal mortality was higher in peripheral areas of the city and in heated houses. A positive relationship between mortality and lower temperatures and corn prices has been found. As to socioeconomic status, peasant families and those of the upper class showed, respectively, the lowest and the highest mortality levels. This was arguably the result of the adoption of different breastfeeding practices.
Role of Polarons in Single-Atom Catalysts: Case Study of Me1 [Au1, Pt1, and Rh1] on TiO2(110)
Authors: Sombut Panukorn , Puntscher Lena , Atzmueller Marlene , Jakub Zdenek , Reticcioli Michele , Meier Matthias , Parkinson Gareth S. , Franchini Cesare
Published: June 2022

The local environment of metal-oxide supported single-atom catalysts plays a decisive role in the surface reactivity and related catalytic properties. The study of such systems is complicated by the presence of point defects on the surface, which are often associated with the localization of excess charge in the form of polarons. This can affect the stability, the electronic configuration, and the local geometry of the adsorbed adatoms. In this work, through the use of density functional theory and surface-sensitive experiments, we study the adsorption of Rh1, Pt1, and Au1 metals on the reduced TiO2(110) surface, a prototypical polaronic material. A systematic analysis of the adsorption configurations and oxidation states of the adsorbed metals reveals different types of couplings between adsorbates and polarons. As confirmed by scanning tunneling microscopy measurements, the favored Pt1 and Au1 adsorption at oxygen vacancy sites is associated with a strong electronic charge transfer from polaronic states to adatom orbitals, which results in a reduction of the adsorbed metal. In contrast, the Rh1 adatoms interact weakly with the excess charge, which leaves the polarons largely unaffected. Our results show that an accurate understanding of the properties of single-atom catalysts on oxide surfaces requires a careful account of the interplay between adatoms, vacancy sites, and polarons.
Strategies to improve building environmental and economic performance: an exploratory study on 37 residential building scenarios
Authors: Scherz Marco , Hoxha Endrit , Maierhofer Dominik , Kreiner Helmuth , Passer Alexander
Published: June 2022

Purpose

With a contribution of 39% to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reducing the environmental impacts of buildings plays an undisputed role in achieving climate goals. Therefore, the development of projects with a low carbon footprint is of crucial importance. Although several active and passive solutions as well as design strategies have been developed, identifying critical levers to minimise GHG emissions and the cost of future building projects is still a problem faced every day by designers.

Methods

Motivated by this knowledge gap in this study, we conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) of a residential building situated in Austria. To identify the critical levers for reducing impacts and cost, 37 scenarios with three different advanced energetic standards are created. The scenarios with the various standards are developed through the combination of different construction materials, insulation materials and technical building equipment. In the eco-efficiency assessment (LCA and LCCA), a reference study period of 50 years is assumed. The life cycle of the building scenarios was analysed according to the European standard EN-15978.

Results

Results show that improving the energetic standard does not yield an overall cost savings potential. The additional construction cost (23%) for energy efficiency measures, including thermal insulation and change of technical building equipment, is higher than the reduction potential in operating cost over 50 years. On the other hand, the improvement of energetic standards allows a reduction of the environmental impacts by 25%.

Conclusions

To ensure a cost-optimal environmental improvement of buildings, it is crucial to conduct an eco-efficiency assessment during the design process of energy-efficient buildings. This study shows how improving the energetic standard of buildings can reduce environmental impacts with slightly increased life cycle cost.
Grain-scale analysis of proppant crushing and embedment using calibrated discrete element models
Authors: Bandara K. M. A. S. , Ranjith P. G. , Zheng W. , Tannant D. D. , De Silva V. R. S. , Rathnaweera T. D.
Published: June 2022

Proppant crushing and embedment in hydraulically-induced fractures is a major drawback to the recovery of unconventional oil/gas and geothermal energy production. This study provides a grain-scale analysis of the fracture evolution mechanisms of proppant crushing, rock fracture damage during proppant embedment, the influence of realistic reservoir/fracture fluid on proppant embedment, and the behaviour of proppant packs subjected to in-situ stresses using a discrete element modelling (DEM) approach. The results of this study reveal that the selection of an appropriate proppant type based on the nature of the reservoir formation plays a vital part in quantifying the degree of proppant crushing and embedment within fractures. The utilisation of frac-sand proppants instead of ceramic proppants in shallow soft sedimentary-based siltstone formations reduces proppant embedment up to 88%. However, whatever the depth of the fracture, the injection of ceramic proppants into granite-based geothermal formations is preferred to that of frac-sand proppants due to their lower proppant embedment and greater crush resistance. DEM analysis detected rock-spalling during the proppant embedment process, which ultimately led to the initiation of tensile-dominant secondary fractures in rocks. Fracture initiation, propagation, and coalescence during proppant crushing are analysed using calibrated DEM proppant-rock assemblies. Importantly, this study reveals that the saturation of formation rocks with fracturing/reservoir fluids may cause a significant increase in proppant embedment. Furthermore, proppant crushing, embedment, and re-arrangement mechanisms in proppant packs with different proppant distributions are analysed in this comprehensive numerical study.
Place-based interpretation of the sustainable development goals for the land-river interface
Authors: Vercruysse Kim , Grabowski Robert C. , Holman Ian , Azhoni Adani , Bala Brij , Meersmans Jeroen , Peng Jian , Shankar Vijay , Mukate Shrikant , Poddar Arunava , Wang Xiaoyu , Zhang Zimo
Published: June 2022

The land–river interface (LRI) is important for sustainable development. The environmental processes that define the LRI support the natural capital and ecosystem services that are linked directly to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, existing approaches to scale up or down SDG targets and link them to natural capital are insufficient for the two-way human–environment interactions that exist in the LRI. Therefore, this study proposes a place-based approach to interpret the SDG framework to support sustainable land/water management, by (i) identifying key priorities for sustainable development through a normative content analysis of the SDG targets, and (ii) illustrating these priorities and associated challenges within the LRI, based on a literature review and case-studies on human–environment interactions. The content analysis identifies three overarching sustainable development priorities: (i) ensuring improved access to resources and services provided by the LRI, (ii) strengthening the resilience of the LRI to deal with social and natural shocks, and (iii) increasing resource efficiency. The review of the current state of LRIs across the world confirms that these are indeed priority areas for sustainable development. Yet, the challenges of attaining the sustainable development priorities in the LRI are also illustrated with three examples of development-related processes. Urbanisation, dam construction, and aggregate mining occur within specific zones of the LRI (land, land–river, river, respectively), but their impacts can compromise sustainable development across the entire LRI and beyond. The existence of these unintended impacts highlights the need to consider the geomorphic, hydrological, and ecological processes within the LRI and how they interact with human activity. Identifying the place-based priorities and challenges for sustainable development will help achieve the SDGs without compromising the functions and services of the LRI.
High-Velocity Arc Spraying of Fe-based Metallic Glasses with High Si Content
Authors: Bobzin K. , Wietheger W. , Burbaum E. , Johann L. M.
Published: June 2022

Various feedstocks are available for the thermal spraying of metallic glasses, which are often alloyed with high amounts of cost-intensive elements. In previous steps, a novel, economic Fe-based metallic glass alloy with a high Si content has been developed using melt spinning. The aim of this work is to investigate the application of the alloy using the high-velocity arc spraying (HVAS) process. On this basis, four cored wires are manufactured with the aim of maximizing in situ intermixing and amorphous phase formation during the spraying process. The cross sections of the resulting coatings are analyzed by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Vickers hardness testing. Phase analysis on the coatings is conducted with regards to the formation of amorphous phases using x-ray diffractometry (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry. The XRD patterns indicate a mixture of (nano-) crystalline ferrite and amorphous phases. In particular, the coating manufactured with wire No. 1, a Fe-B-Si-C-Nb composition, exhibited good intermixing and a highly amorphous structure. This work demonstrates that glassy metallic coatings can be produced by means of HVAS using Fe-based cored wires comprising of conventional filler materials. A successful intermixing, in situ alloying and the subsequent formation of amorphous phases is achieved.
LINC01013 Is a Determinant of Fibroblast Activation and Encodes a Novel Fibroblast-Activating Micropeptide
Authors: Quaife N. M. , Chothani S. , Schulz J. F. , Lindberg E. L. , Vanezis K. , Adami E. , O’Fee K. , Greiner J. , Litviňuková M. , van Heesch S. , Whiffin N. , Hubner N. , Schafer S. , Rackham O. , Cook S. A. , Barton P. J. R.
Published: June 2022

Myocardial fibrosis confers an almost threefold mortality risk in heart disease. There are no prognostic therapies and novel therapeutic targets are needed. Many thousands of unannotated small open reading frames (smORFs) have been identified across the genome with potential to produce micropeptides (< 100 amino acids). We sought to investigate the role of smORFs in myocardial fibroblast activation.

Analysis of human cardiac atrial fibroblasts (HCFs) stimulated with profibrotic TGFβ1 using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and ribosome profiling (Ribo-Seq) identified long intergenic non-coding RNA LINC01013 as TGFβ1 responsive and containing an actively translated smORF. Knockdown of LINC01013 using siRNA reduced expression of profibrotic markers at baseline and blunted their response to TGFβ1. In contrast, overexpression of a codon-optimised smORF invoked a profibrotic response comparable to that seen with TGFβ1 treatment, whilst FLAG-tagged peptide associated with the mitochondria.

Together, these data support a novel LINC01013 smORF micropeptide-mediated mechanism of fibroblast activation.

Graphical Abstract

TGFβ1 stimulation of atrial fibroblasts induces expression of LINC01013, whose knockdown reduces fibroblast activation. Overexpression of a smORF contained within LINC01013 localises to mitochondria and activates fibroblasts