bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of ageing and salt concentrations on metabolite profiles and their correlation with consumer acceptance in Korean traditional doenjang (fermented soybean paste)
Authors: Kim Sang Sook , Heo JeongAe , Kwak Han Sub
Published: September 2022

The effects of brine concentration (8%, 12%, 16% and 20%) and ageing (0 and 12 months) of Korean traditional doenjang (fermented soybean paste) on metabolite profiles and their relationship with consumer acceptance were investigated. Using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography‐quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, we identified 26 and 31 metabolites, respectively. After 12 months of ageing, the relative amounts of metabolites increased owing to the degradation of soy protein into peptides and amino acids. Functional metabolites, such as isoflavones and gamma‐aminobutyric acid, were higher in the lower salt‐containing and longer‐aged samples. Generally, lowering the salt content of doenjang results in the production of more functional metabolites. In contrast, the consumer acceptance of low‐salt‐containing samples made with 8% brine showed significantly lower acceptance ratings than the regular doenjang samples due to over‐fermentation, which generated high lactic acid and no sugar in the sample. The partial least significant regression analysis between metabolites and consumer acceptance ratings suggested that amino acids – alanine, valine, isoleucine, proline, serine, threonine, hydroxyproline, glutamic acid and phenylalanine – were key metabolites that highly correlated with consumer acceptance of doenjang. These metabolites can be adopted as indicators of highly acceptable doenjang products.
The typology of vocational education and training cooperation between Germany and China
Authors: Zhu Shan , Meyer Wolfgang , Röhrig Selina
Published: September 2022

Germany and China have been engaged in a wide range of vocational education and training (VET) cooperation activities since the 1980s. To clarify what organizations have been involved and what project types exist within VET cooperation, a semistructured survey had been conducted for collecting data. By this approach, 99 VET project profiles with 258 organizations related were detected. To analyse these projects and organizations, the ‘general key factor model of sustainability’ is used to structure the analysis framework. In this framework, ‘cooperation type’, ‘content type’ and ‘project duration’ were considered as the three fundamental criteria for further categorization. On this basis, seven cooperation types were created by the organizations involved, three content types were established by the goal of the project and three project duration were distinguished by the time planned for the project. The result shows that governmental organizations are the main actors who play a major role in the Sino‐German VET cooperation. However, numerically, German private organizations participated more in VET cooperation rather than Chinese private organizations. Civil social organizations show no significant function. Meanwhile, different cooperation types show different projects' emphasis: Type G (Governmental) projects focus on building or promoting on the organization level; Type G + P (Governmental + Private) projects tend to objectives on the individual and system level; Type G + C (Governmental + Civil) projects occur more often at an individual level; Type G + P + C (Governmental + Private + Civil) projects tend to pursue goals on organizational or system level.
Maternal predictors of children's mental health in low‐income families: A structural equation model
Authors: Kwon Boram , Lee Il‐Hyun , Lee Gyungjoo
Published: September 2022

Low‐income populations are particularly susceptible to mental health problems, and the susceptibilities of family members may be interconnected. In particular, maternal factors are known to be linked to their children's outcomes. This study aims to investigate how maternal cognition, depression, and the mother–child relationship, as well as children's cognition, predict the mental health of children in low‐income families. Pairs of mothers and children from families receiving governmental assistance were surveyed between January 2018 and March 2019. Korean versions of the following instruments were used: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (children's mental health problems), Cognitive Triad Inventory for Children (children's cognition), Kerns' Security Scale (mother–child relationship), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (maternal depression), and Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire–Negative (maternal cognition). A structural equation model was used to examine how maternal cognition, depression, the mother–child relationship, and children's cognition predict children's mental health. Maternal negative cognition and depression mediated by the children's relationships with their mothers negatively predicted their cognition and mental health problems. Enhancing maternal mental health and a mother–child relationship can help improve positive cognition and mental health of children from low‐income families.
Precariousness during an ongoing crisis. Cultural workers and the corona pandemic
Authors: Elstad Beate , Døving Erik , Jansson Dag
Published: September 2022

This study examines precariousness among cultural workers during an ongoing crisis. A survey of Norway's largest trade union for performing artists 1 year into the pandemic shows that precariousness before the pandemic was amplified during the crisis. Lack of economic buffer and social benefits rendered economic insecurity most burdensome for those with precarious work arrangements. For future crises, we suggest that the authorities need to develop better targeted economic compensations for labour with precarious work arrangements.
Do as You Say, or I Will: Retail signal congruency inbuy‐online‐pickup‐in‐storeand negativeword‐of‐mouth
Authors: Jin Yao “Henry” , Ueltschy Murfield Monique L. , Bock Dora E.
Published: September 2022

Buy‐online‐pickup‐instore (BOPIS) services have become an increasingly important part of a retailer's omnichannel strategy. When service failures (e.g., stock‐out) occur, consumers may resort to negative word‐ofmouth (NWOM) to share their evaluation of the retailer's BOPIS service. While a retailer's service recovery policies (e.g., cross‐channel substitution) may help to fulfill its service intent, the extent to which these two signals can improve consumer satisfaction and diminish their NWOM intent remains unknown. Drawing from both service recovery literature and signaling theory, we conducted a series of five experiments and find that the intradimensional congruity of the signal set communicated by the retailer during its BOPIS service process depends on both its operational capability and the consumer's own predilection regarding the product category. These insights collectively indicate that while a retailer's operations need to support service policies to provide a congruous BOPIS service process, substitution policies offered to consumers during the transaction need to consider the extent to which a consumer's purchase decision is hedonic or utilitarian. In turn, this finding suggests that a retailer's category management needs to consider BOPIS substitution in terms of both product assortment and inventory policies.
Role of nocturnal pulse rate variability in predicting clinical outcome for patients with OSA
Authors: Sankari Abdulghani
Published: September 2022

See related Letter by Sabil et al.
Effects of food components and processing parameters on plant‐based meat texture formation and evaluation methods
Authors: Xia Yujie , Qian Jing , Zhao Yicheng , Zheng Bin , Wei Kaidong , Peng Binbin , Yuan Jian , Xing Changrui , Yan Wenjing
Published: September 2022

Meat is the main source of protein nutrition for humans. However, given the increasing population and environmental pressure, a shortage of meat is expected in the future. The preparation of plant‐based (meat) products using existing processing methods represents a breakthrough to solve the shortage of traditional animal meat in the future, and texture is a key issue determining whether plant‐based (meat) products can replace traditional animal meat. Therefore, this review highlights recent progress in the texture of plant‐based (meat) products. First, the texture changes in plant‐based (meat) products were reviewed based on components (proteins, starch, lipids, food additives) and processing methods (processing factors, instrumental factors). Then, the current methods used to analyze the texture of plant‐based (meat) products were summarized based on sensory evaluation and instrumental analysis (mechanical analysis, spectral analysis, and image analysis). Finally, this review outlined methods to improve the texture quality of plant‐based (meat) products and analytical evaluation methods and provided an outlook on future research priorities.
Association between asymptomatic infections and linear growth in 18–24‐month‐old Malawian children
Authors: Luoma Juho , Adubra Laura , Ashorn Per , Ashorn Ulla , Bendabenda Jaden , Dewey Kathryn G. , Hallamaa Lotta , Coghlan Ryan , Horton William A. , Hyöty Heikki , Kortekangas Emma , Lehto Kirsi‐Maarit , Maleta Kenneth , Matchado Andrew , Nkhoma Minyanga , Oikarinen Sami , Parkkila Seppo , Purmonen Sami , Fan Yue‐Mei
Published: September 2022

Inadequate diet and frequent symptomatic infections are considered major causes of growth stunting in low‐income countries, but interventions targeting these risk factors have achieved limited success. Asymptomatic infections can restrict growth, but little is known about their role in global stunting prevalence. We investigated factors related to length‐for‐age Z‐score (LAZ) at 24 months by constructing an interconnected network of various infections, biomarkers of inflammation (as assessed by alpha‐1‐acid glycoprotein [AGP]), and growth (insulin‐like growth factor 1 [IGF‐1] and collagen X biomarker [CXM]) at 18 months, as well as other children, maternal, and household level factors. Among 604 children, there was a continuous decline in mean LAZ and increased mean length deficit from birth to 24 months. At 18 months of age, the percentage of asymptomatic children who carried each pathogen was: 84.5% enterovirus, 15.5% parechovirus, 7.7% norovirus, 4.6% rhinovirus, 0.6% rotavirus, 69.6% Campylobacter, 53.8% Giardia lamblia, 11.9% malaria parasites, 10.2% Shigella, and 2.7% Cryptosporidium. The mean plasma IGF‐1 concentration was 12.5 ng/ml and 68% of the children had systemic inflammation (plasma AGP concentration >1 g/L). Shigella infection was associated with lower LAZ at 24 months through both direct and indirect pathways, whereas enterovirus, norovirus, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, and malaria infections were associated with lower LAZ at 24 months indirectly, predominantly through increased systemic inflammation and reduced plasma IGF‐1 and CXM concentration at 18 months.
Linked selection, differential introgression and recombination rate variation promote heterogeneous divergence in a pair of yellow croakers
Authors: Wang Le , Liu Shufang , Yang Yang , Meng Zining , Zhuang Zhimeng
Published: September 2022

Understanding the mechanisms underlying heterogeneous genomic divergence is of particular interest in evolutionary biology. Highly differentiated genomic regions, known as genomic islands, often evolve between diverging lineages. These genomic islands may be related to selection promoting adaptation or reproductive isolation. Based on whole genome assembly and genome‐wide RAD sequencing in a pair of yellow croakers (genus: Larimichthys), we investigated the evolutionary processes shaping genomic landscapes of divergence. Demographic modelling indicated that the two species diverged following a secondary contact scenario, where differential introgression and linked selection were suggested to be involved in heterogeneous genomic divergence. We identified reduced recombination rate in genomic islands and a relatively good conservation of both genetic diversity and recombination landscapes between species, which highlight the roles of linked selection and recombination rate variation in promoting heterogeneous divergence in the common ancestral lineage of the two species. In addition, we found a positive correlation between differentiation (FST) and absolute sequence divergence (Dxy), and elevated Dxy in genomic islands, indicating that the genomic landscape of divergence was not shaped by linked selection alone. Restricted gene flow in highly differentiated regions has probably remodelled the landscape of heterogeneous genomic divergence. This study highlights that highly differentiated genomic regions can also arise from a combination of linked selection and differential gene flow in interaction with varying recombination rates.
Induction therapy with high‐dose fluconazole plus flucytosine for human immunodeficiency virus‐uninfected cryptococcal meningitis patients: Feasible or not?
Authors: Zhao Hua‐Zhen , Cheng Jia‐Hui , Zhou Ling‐Hong , Luo Yu , Zhu Rong‐Sheng , Jiang Ying‐Kui , Wang Xuan , Zhu Li‐Ping
Published: September 2022

Background

Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is increasingly recognised in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐uninfected patients with high mortality. The efficacy and safety profiles of induction therapy with high‐dose fluconazole plus flucytosine remain unclear.

Methods

HIV‐uninfected CM patients who received high‐dose fluconazole (800 mg/d) for initial therapy in Huashan Hospital were included in this retrospective study from January 2013 to December 2018. Efficacy and safety of initial therapy, clinical outcomes and risk factors were evaluated.

Results

Twenty‐seven (71.1%) patients who received high‐dose fluconazole with flucytosine combination therapy and 11 (28.9%) having fluconazole alone for induction therapy were included. With a median duration of 42 days (IQR, 28–86), the successful response rate of initial therapy was 76.3% (29/38), while adverse drug reactions occurred in 14 patients (36.8%). The rate of persistently positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture results was 30.6% at 2 weeks, which was significantly associated with CSF CrAg titre >1:1280 (OR 9.56; 95% CI 1.40–103.65; p = .010) and CSF culture of Cryptococcus >3.9 log10CFU/ml (OR 19.20; 95% CI 1.60–920.54; p = .011), and decreased to 8.6% at 4 weeks. One‐year mortality was 15.8% (6/38), and low serum albumin (35 g/L) was found as an independent risk factor for 1‐year mortality (HR 6.31; 95% CI 1.150–34.632; p = .034).

Conclusions

Induction therapy with high‐dose fluconazole (800 mg/d), combined with flucytosine, effectively treated HIV‐uninfected CM and was well tolerated. Long‐term fluconazole treatment with continued monitoring is beneficial for patients with persistent infection.
Global patterns of prescription pain medication usage in disorders of gut–brain interactions
Authors: Luo Yuying , Camey Suzi A. , Bangdiwala Shrikant I. , Palsson Olafur S. , Sperber Ami D. , Keefer Laurie A.
Published: September 2022

Background

Forty percent of individuals globally meet Rome IV criteria for a disorder of gut–brain interaction (DGBI). The global burden of pain across these disorders has not been characterized.

Methods

Our study included 54,127 respondents from the 26 Internet survey countries. Prescription pain medication usage was selected as the proxy for pain. The associations between prescription pain medications and the environmental, sociodemographic, psychosocial, and DGBI diagnosis variables were investigated using the multivariate generalized robust Poisson regression model.

Key Results

Respondents with DGBI used prescription pain medications at higher rates than those without a DGBI diagnosis with pooled prevalence rate of 14.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.4–15.3%), varying by country from 6.8% to 25.7%. The pooled prevalence ratio of prescription pain medication usage in respondents with and without DGBI was 2.2 (95% CI: 2.1–2.4). Factors associated with higher prevalence of pain medication usage among respondents with a DGBI diagnosis included living in a small community, increased anxiety, depression or somatization, increased stress concern or embarrassment about bowel functioning and having more than one anatomic DGBI diagnosis.

Conclusion

14.8% of patients globally with at least one diagnosis of DGBI were on prescription pain medications with wide geographic variation, about twice as many as their counterparts without a diagnosis of DGBI. Environmental, sociodemographic, and individual factors may influence clinicians to consider personalized, multimodal approaches to address pain in patients with DGBI.
Plant genome size modulates grassland community responses to multi‐nutrient additions
Authors: Peng Yang , Yang Jianxia , Leitch Ilia J. , Guignard Maïté S. , Seabloom Eric W. , Cao Dong , Zhao Fangyuan , Li Huanlong , Han Xingguo , Jiang Yong , Leitch Andrew R. , Wei Cunzheng
Published: September 2022

Grassland ecosystems cover c. 40% of global land area and contain c. 40% of soil organic carbon. Understanding the effects of adding nutrients to grasslands is essential because they provide much of our food, support diverse ecosystem services and harbor rich biodiversity.

Using the meadow steppe (grassland) study site of Inner Mongolia, we manipulated seven key nutrients and a cocktail of micronutrients to examine their effects on grassland biomass productivity and diversity.

The results, explained in structural equation models, link two previously disparate hypotheses in grassland ecology: (1) the light asymmetry competition hypothesis and (2) the genome size‐nutrient interaction hypothesis. We show that aboveground net primary productivity increases predominantly from species with large genome sizes with the addition of nitrogen, and nitrogen plus phosphorus. This drives an asymmetric competition for light, causing a decline in species richness mainly in species with small genome sizes.

This dynamic is likely to be caused by the nutrient demands of the nucleus and/or the scaling effects of nuclear size on cell size which impact water use efficiency. The model will help inform the best management approaches to reverse the rapid and unprecedented degradation of grasslands globally.
Phylogenetic patterns of rarity and vulnerability in the flora of a temperate mountain range
Authors: Miranda Cebrián Héctor , Font Xavier , Roquet Cristina , Pizarro Gavilán Manuel , García María Begoña
Published: September 2022

Species rarity has puzzled ecologists for decades owing to its theoretical fundamentals and practical implications. The main concern that rarity raises from a conservation standpoint is that rare species tend to have higher extinction risk. Understanding the underlying phylogenetic patterns of rarity can shed light on the evolutionary processes yielding rarity, contribute to forecasting potential vulnerable species or lineages, and assess the consequences of the loss of rare species. Here, we apply Rabinowitz's rarity classification scheme and explore phylogenetic patterns in the flora of the Pyrenees, a temperate mountain range. We first categorized species according to their geographic range (endemicity and regional geographic range), habitat specialization and local abundance. Then we analyzed the phylogenetic signal of each rarity type, along with the phylogenetic association between species according to their rarity, and decomposed the variation of rarity among taxonomic levels to better understand its diversification through time. Finally, we estimated the expected loss of phylogenetic diversity (PD) in the regional flora if rare species go extinct. All rarity types showed a certain degree of phylogenetic signal, with endemics, species of limited regional geographic range and habitat specialists forming groups of phylogenetically close species. The decomposition of variation supported these results, as the rarity types with the strongest signal had more variation explained by higher taxonomic levels. The loss of these groups of species had different consequences based on the type of rarity, with the disappearance of habitat specialists having the strongest, negative effect on PD. Our results show a general pattern of phylogenetic association in rarity among the flora of the Pyrenees, which leads to increased vulnerability along certain branches of the Tree of Life. Phylogenetic patterns should be taken into account in conservation planning to effectively protect all facets of biodiversity.
Soil microbiomes drive aboveground plant–pathogen–insect interactions
Authors: van Dijk Laura J. A. , Abdelfattah Ahmed , Ehrlén Johan , Tack Ayco J. M.
Published: September 2022

Plants interact with a large diversity of microbes and insects, both below and above ground. While studies have shown that belowground microbes affect the performance of plants and aboveground organisms, we lack insights into how belowground microbial communities may shape interactions between aboveground pathogens and insects. We investigated how soil microbiomes and aboveground organisms affect plant growth and development, and whether differences in soil microbiomes influence interactions between aboveground organisms. We conducted a growth‐chamber experiment with oak seedlings Quercus robur growing in three soils with similar abiotic soil properties but with distinct natural soil microbiomes. Seedlings were subjected to single or dual attack by powdery mildew Erysiphe alphitoides and aphids Tuberculatus annulatus, either in the presence or absence of prior attack by a free‐feeding caterpillar Phalera bucephala. Soil microbiomes were associated with differences in seedling height, and seedlings with multiple aboveground organisms had more but smaller leaves than healthy seedlings. The soil microbiome affected the severity of powdery mildew infection, and mediated the impact of co‐occurring aboveground organisms on aphid population size. Our study highlights that plant performance is affected by natural soil microbiomes as well as aboveground organisms, and that natural soil microbiomes can affect interactions between pathogens and insects. These findings are important to understand species interactions in natural systems, as well as for practical applications, such as manipulation of soil microbiomes to manage agricultural pests and diseases.
How to outrun your parasites (or mutualists): symbiont transmission mode is key
Authors: Shaw Allison K.
Published: September 2022

Interspecific interactions shape how and when species, and population, ranges change. Natural enemies, like parasites, can slow population spread, or, conversely, a population can ‘outrun' its enemies and spread uninhibited. Yet, less is known about how mutualistic interactions shape population spread, and what role outrunning mutualistic partners plays. Here, I examine host–symbiont interactions specifically; common across animals and plants, and spanning the spectrum from parasitism to mutualism. I develop a model to determine when a symbiont shapes its host's population spread versus when the host outruns its symbiont. I find that symbiont transmission mode is key. For density‐dependent transmission, symbionts cannot be sustained at the low‐density population edge and the host outruns its symbiont, whereas frequency‐dependent transmission leads to symbionts affecting host spread. However, this pattern breaks down in the presence of a host Allee effect: spread dynamics switch from ‘pulled' to ‘pushed', enabling a symbiont to influence population spread from behind the range edge. Overall, mutualistic symbionts speed up (and parasitic symbionts slow down) host population spread. These findings indicate that contact structures within a population, which shape symbiont transmission, are critical for determining whether host–symbiont interactions influence population spread.
Clinical impact of nocturnal ventricular tachyarrythmias in electrical storm
Authors: Suzuki Naomasa , Otsuki Sou , Izumi Daisuke , Akagawa Rie , Sakaguchi Yuta , Hakamata Takahiro , Ikami Yasuhiro , Hasegawa Yuki , Yagihara Nobue , Iijima Kenichi , Chinushi Masaomi , Inomata Takayuki
Published: September 2022

Background

The incidence of electrical storm (ES) is significantly higher during the daytime. However, the association between nocturnal ventricular tachyarrythmias during ES and prognosis remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of ES with midnight ventricular tachyarrythmias.

Methods

We included 48 consecutive patients who had an implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator implanted between 2010 and 2020 and those who had experienced the onset of an out‐of‐hospital ES episode. According to the midnight (0:00 a.m.–6:00 a.m.) occurrence of ventricular arrythmia events consisting of ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF), we divided them into two groups (with‐midnight group: n = 27, without‐midnight group: n = 21). The clinical characteristics and outcomes of the two groups were compared.

Results

The patients in the with‐midnight group were mostly males, had longer QRS duration, and longer corrected QT‐interval than those in the without‐midnight group (p < .05). The incidence of all‐cause death, especially heart failure death, was higher in the with‐midnight group than in the without‐midnight group (p < .01). Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of midnight VT/VF during ES was the only independent risk factors for heart failure death (HR = 18.9, 95%CI = 1.98−181, p = .011).

Conclusions

The presence of midnight VT/VF during ES might be associated with the poor prognosis. The loss of a sympathetic circadian pattern of VT/VF distribution during ES might suggest advanced stages of the cardiac disease.
The perception of employees on performance‐based budgeting reforms in developing countries: The perspective from Ghana
Authors: Ohemeng Frank , Asiedu Emelia A. , Obuobisa‐Darko Theresa , Abane Juliana A. , Parku Kenneth
Published: September 2022

In the last few decades, the use of performance management to correct state finances has led to the (re)emergence of performance‐based budgeting (PBB), with the belief that it will reveal where scarce resources should be concentrated. The efficacy of PBB, however, continues to be debated. This paper attempts to contribute to the discussion, by examining the case of Ghana from the perspective of budget officers. How do budget officers perceive the PBB? It is argued that while PBB is professed as a useful budgetary mechanism, there are challenges that need to be addressed if it is to achieve its objectives.
Home rule and municipal revenue stability: New evidence from Texas
Authors: Zhang Pengju , Nguyen‐Hoang Phuong
Published: September 2022

Scholars have long debated whether home rule powers help improve municipal financial well‐being; however, a consensus has yet to be reached. This study advances the home rule literature by causally estimating the impact of home rule in Texas on municipal revenue stability. To accomplish this, we employed a difference‐in‐differences estimator coupled with event‐study specifications on a 40‐year‐long panel data set. This approach revealed strong empirical evidence that cities adopting a home rule charter had a significant reduction in the probability of experiencing revenue decline. This finding remained robust with multiple measures of revenue change, an alternative sample, and different model specifications. Moreover, we found that home rule cities’ revenue stability was likely to come from their increase in property taxes.
Trade costs and the composition of developing countries' exports
Authors: Ali Salamat , Milner Chris
Published: September 2022

This study investigates whether trade costs have a systematic influence on the composition of developing countries' exports, one which is distinct from their effect on the volume of trade. It uses the World Bank's bilateral trade cost dataset and incorporates trade flows for a large set of developing countries. The identification strategy exploits the variation in trade costs across countries and the differences in trade cost sensitivity across industries and employs a cost shifter as an instrument to overcome the potential endogeneity of trade costs. The paper finds that the export composition of developing economies is fashioned by trade costs, with higher trade costs lowering (other things constant) the share of an industry's exports in the country's total exports more for more trade‐cost‐sensitive industries. The policy implication is clear: reducing trade costs encourages a shift in the composition of developing country exports in favor of relatively more trade‐cost‐intensive exports, which tend also to be more technologically advanced.
International Trade, the Great War, and the Origins of Taxation: Sister Republics Parting Ways
Authors: Emmenegger Patrick , Walter André
Published: September 2022

The First World War was a watershed moment for the development of the modern tax state. Yet, whereas the tax yield strongly increased in this period, little is known about how the tax mix changed, in particular regarding the turn to direct taxation. Examining the two ‘Sister Republics’ Switzerland and the USA, this paper demonstrates that tax reforms in this critical period for modern tax systems were conditioned by coalitions among producer groups, which had already come into existence before the war. Most notably, farmers and their position on international trade were important in shaping coalitions on the turn to direct taxation. The Great War's main role was to temporarily interrupt (Switzerland) or cement (USA) the tax system's reorientation. The paper thus shows that war‐induced tax reforms have a lasting impact on the tax mix only if powerful coalitions support these reforms independently of the war effort.
The Impact of Social Media Use for Elected Parliamentarians: Evidence from Politicians' Use of Twitter During the Last Two Swiss Legislatures
Authors: Reveilhac Maud , Morselli Davide
Published: September 2022

Notwithstanding growing research on how using social media for political campaigning impacts politicians' chances of winning votes, we still have limited knowledge about whether and how the use of social media and online styles of communication affect political success over successive legislatures. We address this deficit by analyzing a panel dataset about the Twitter activity of politicians who have had a parliamentary mandate at least once. We first demonstrate that politicians' interaction with specific online audiences (e.g. in terms of replies and mentions) is still evolving, thus pointing to possible strategic adaptations of politicians' communication as social media are mastered. Then, we show that Twitter‐based activity moderately impacts politicians' political success, both in terms of political ranking and media coverage. This success, however, strongly depends on the style of political communication and on the legislature under scrutiny.
análisis semiótico y estético de la banda de sonido
Authors: Pinilla Rodríguez Oscar Iván , Galindo Cardona Yamid
Published: September 2022

Este artículo presenta una propuesta taxonómica para la clasificación semiótica y estética de los elementos de la banda sonora, este instrumento se desarrolla mediante las aportaciones teóricas del sonido cinematográfico de Chalko (2014), Chion (1990), Jullier (2007), Bordwell & Thompson (2003), Rodríguez Bravo (1998), la semiótica del lenguaje cinematográfico de Saussure y Peirce y a su vez serán complementados por los aportes desde las teorías de Ensestein (2004); esta taxonomía se utiliza puntualmente en un ejercicio de análisis cinematográfico a los largometrajes Los hongos (Ruiz Navia, 2014), Las tetas de mi madre (Zapata, 2015) y Los nadie (Mesa, 2016).
Design Methodology and Mission Assessment of Parallel Hybrid Electric Propulsion Systems
Authors: Ghelani Raj , Roumeliotis Ioannis , Saias Chana Anna , Mourouzidis Christos , Pachidis Vassilios , Norman Justin , Bacic Marko
Published: September 2022

An integrated engine cycle design methodology and mission assessment for parallel hybrid electric propulsion architectures are presented in this paper. The aircraft case study considered is inspired by Fokker 100, boosted by an electric motor on the low-pressure shaft of the gas turbine. The fuel burn benefits arising from boosting the low-pressure shaft are discussed for two different baseline engine technologies. A three-point engine cycle design method is developed to redesign the engine cycle according to the degree of hybridization. The integrated cycle design and power management optimization method is employed to identify potential fuel burn benefits from hybridization for multiple mission ranges. Genetic algorithm-based optimizer has been used to identify optimal power management strategies. The sensitivity of these mission results has also been analyzed for different assumptions on the electric powertrain. With 1 MW motor power and a battery pack of 2300 kg, a maximum of 3% fuel burn benefit can be obtained by retrofitting the gas turbine for 400 nm mission range. Optimizing the power management strategy can improve this fuel burn benefit by 0.2–0.3%. Redesigning the gas turbine and optimizing the power management strategy, finally provides a maximum fuel benefit of 4.2% on 400 nm. The results suggest that a high hybridization by power, low hybridization by energy, and ranges below 700 nm are the only cases where the redesigned hybrid electric aircraft has benefits in fuel burn and energy consumption relative to the baseline aircraft. Finally, it is found that the percentage of fuel burn benefits from the hybrid electric configuration increases with the improvement in engine technology.
A Computationally Efficient Approach to Resolving Vehicle-Induced Turbulence for Near-Road Air Quality
Authors: Hashad Khaled , Yang Bo , Iskov Vlad , Max Zhang K.
Published: September 2022

Near-road air pollution is a worldwide public health concern, especially in urban areas. Vehicle-induced turbulence (VIT) has a major impact on the initial dispersion of traffic-related pollutants on the roadways, affecting their subsequent near-road impact. The current methods for high-fidelity VIT simulations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are often computationally expensive or prohibitive. Earlier studies adopted the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) method, which models VIT as a fixed TKE volume source and produces turbulence uniformly in the computational traffic zones. This paper presents two novel methods, namely the force method and the moving force method, to generate VIT implicitly by injecting a force source into the computational domain instead of physical vehicles in the domain explicitly, thus greatly reducing the computational burden. The simulation results were evaluated against experimental data collected in a field study near a major highway in Las Vegas, NV, which included collocated measurements of traffic and wind speed. The TKE method systematically overestimated the turbulence produced on the highway by converting the drag force completely into turbulence. This indicates that the TKE method, currently being used to implicitly model VIT in CFD simulations, requires major improvements. In comparison, the proposed force and moving force methods performed favorably and were able to capture turbulence anisotropicity and fluid convection. The force method was shown to be a computationally efficient way to simulate VIT with adequate accuracy, while the moving force method has the potential to emulate vehicle motion and its impact on fluid flow.
Unsteady Gas Dynamics of Radial Turbine Volutes Under Pressure Pulsations
Authors: Yang Bijie , Xue Yingxian , Martinez-Botas Ricardo , Yang Mingyang
Published: September 2022

Turbocharging is the key technique to improve engine-specific power and reduce CO2 emissions of a piston-driven engine. Repeated actions of engine pistons and valves give rise to engine pulsations resulting in intensive unsteady flow in the turbines. Understanding the pulsation effects on a turbine that is steady flow designed is crucially important for performance enhancement. The present work derives an equation that is capable of evaluating the pulsation effects on the volute-outlet flow angle. Based on the equation, a reduced-order model (1D) is proposed and applied to a single-entry mixed flow turbine. By comparing to 3D unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the ability and accuracy of the 1D model on predicting the unsteady volute-outlet flow angle are verified. The effects of the unsteady flow angle on the turbine performance are further investigated by comparing unsteady and quasi-steady flow-field characteristics given by 3D CFD. The present work unveils the volute unsteady behavior and explains the unsteady coupling mechanism between the volute and the rotor. The findings can lead to improvement of turbine design methodology under pulsating flow conditions.
Low Reynolds Number Effects on the Endwall Flow Field in a High-Lift Turbine Passage
Authors: Donovan Molly H. , Rumpfkeil Markus P. , Marks Christopher R. , Robison Zachary , Gross Andreas
Published: September 2022

Understanding the endwall flow phenomena surrounding low-pressure turbine blades is key to improving performance, as these flow features contribute significantly to loss generation at low Reynolds number cruise. It is well documented that a horseshoe vortex system forms at the junction of the endwall and turbine blade. The vortices develop and gain significant strength in the passage and contribute to total pressure losses. During low Reynolds number conditions, the flow through a low-pressure turbine passage can be greatly impacted by a number of factors, including Reynolds number and incoming turbulence. The focus of this paper is on significant changes to the endwall flow field observed in experimental measurements and an accompanying implicit large-eddy simulation of the flow through a linear cascade of high-lift front-loaded low-pressure turbine blades at low Reynolds number. Results show a significant effect on both the time-averaged endwall flow topology and the unsteady vortical flow characteristics when the Reynolds number based on inlet conditions was decreased to 30,000. Various techniques, such as spectral proper orthogonal decomposition, were used to analyze and compare both high-speed particle image velocimetry measurements and numerical results in order to extract the dominant structures and their unsteady behavior. The total pressure loss development through the passage was assessed in order to better understand how the observed changes in endwall flow structures contribute to the overall losses.
Multimanipulator Robotic System for Ultrasound Tomography: Design, Calibration, and Image Results
Authors: Zhang Xiang , Ely Gregory , Shin Bonghun , Anthony Brian W.
Published: September 2022

In this article, we present the design, validation, and imaging capabilities of a mechanically discretized ultrasound scanning apparatus (MEDUSA) that supports flexible development of ultrasound tomography (UST) algorithms for complex tissue structures. Ultrasound tomography in the recent decade has shown promising results in quantitative soft-tissue imaging for clinical breast cancer diagnostics. There is growing interest in applying tomographic techniques to image broader tissue structures that include bone, where imaging is significantly more challenging due to strong impedance mismatches and complex wave propagation within the region. Changes in data acquisition strategy, algorithms, and system design are necessary to enable quantitative imaging of soft-tissue with bone inclusions. The 36 degree-of-freedom (DOF) MEDUSA system allows free space positioning of acoustic transducers around an imaging target and enables investigation of imaging strategies not available in other UST systems. We present the mechanical design, parameter calibration, and tomographic imaging results using MEDUSA. Mono-/bistatic imaging and full-waveform inversion (FWI) results on real targets are presented and validates system performance capabilities for broader UST algorithm development for more complex tissue structures.
Improve photo-to-dark current ratio of p-Si/SiO2/n-Ga2O3 heterojunction solar-blind photodetector by inserting SiO2 barrier layer
Authors: Yan Xu , Ji Xueqiang , Wang Jinjin , Lu Chao , Yan Zuyong , Hu Shengrun , Zhang Sai , Li Peigang
Published: September 2022

In this study, the solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors based on p-Si/Ga2O3 and p-Si/SiO2/n-Ga2O3 heterojunctions were fabricated by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, respectively. Benefitting from the electron-blocking ability of SiO2 dielectric layer insertion, p-Si/SiO2/n-Ga2O3 photodetectors exhibit a very low dark current of 1.14 × 10−12 A, which is 4 orders of magnitude lower than p-Si/Ga2O3 photodetectors (3.22 × 10−8 A). At the same time, a high photo-to-dark current ratio (1.81 × 105) of p-Si/SiO2/n-Ga2O3 photodetectors was obtained under UV light (λ = 254 nm) at −15 V. Meanwhile, the p-Si/SiO2/n-Ga2O3 devices express better photodetection performance, in which the responsivity and EQE are about two times more than that of p-Si/Ga2O3 photodetectors. Furthermore, the photodetector was found to possess impressive photodetection stabilities. Our results indicate that the p-Si/SiO2/n-Ga2O3 photodetector is an excellent candidate for high-sensitivity, ultrafast response solar-blind UV light detection.
Reference survey spectra of elemental solid measured with Cr Kα photons as a tool for Quases analysis (5): Various elements (Mg, Sb, Bi, Se, Gd, Dy, Yb)
Authors: Zborowski C. , Conard T. , Vanleenhove A. , Hoflijk I. , Vaesen I.
Published: September 2022

Several pure bulk materials were analyzed using laboratory-based hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The spectra are surveys measured using monochromatic Cr Kα radiation at 5414.8 eV after removal of surface contamination or oxidation. These aim to be references for inelastic background analysis using the Tougaard method.
Organic electronic transmembrane device for hosting and monitoring 3D cell cultures
Authors: Pitsalidis Charalampos , van Niekerk Douglas , Moysidou Chrysanthi-Maria , Boys Alexander J. , Withers Aimee , Vallet Romane , Owens Róisín M.
Published: September 2022

3D cell models have made strides in the past decades in response to failures of 2D cultures to translate targets during the drug discovery process. Here, we report on a novel multiwell plate bioelectronic platform, namely, the e-transmembrane, capable of supporting and monitoring complex 3D cell architectures. Scaffolds made of PEDOT:PSS [poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate] are microengineered to function as separating membranes for compartmentalized cell cultures, as well as electronic components for real-time in situ recordings of cell growth and function. Owing to the high surface area–to–volume ratio, the e-transmembrane allows generation of deep, stratified tissues within the porous bulk and cell polarization at the apico-basal domains. Impedance spectroscopy measurements carried out throughout the tissue growth identified signatures from different cellular systems and allowed extraction of critical functional parameters. This platform has the potential to become a universal tool for biologists for the next generation of high-throughput drug screening assays.
Compositions of carbonaceous-type asteroidal cores in the early solar system
Authors: Zhang Bidong , Chabot Nancy L. , Rubin Alan E.
Published: September 2022

The parent cores of iron meteorites belong to the earliest accreted bodies in the solar system. These cores formed in two isotopically distinct reservoirs: noncarbonaceous (NC) type and carbonaceous (CC) type in the inner and outer solar system, respectively. We measured elemental compositions of CC-iron groups and used fractional crystallization modeling to reconstruct the bulk compositions and crystallization processes of their parent asteroidal cores. We found generally lower S and higher P in CC-iron cores than in NC-iron cores and higher HSE (highly siderophile element) abundances in some CC-iron cores than in NC-iron cores. We suggest that the different HSE abundances among the CC-iron cores are related to the spatial distribution of refractory metal nugget–bearing calcium aluminum–rich inclusions (CAIs) in the protoplanetary disk. CAIs may have been transported to the outer solar system and distributed heterogeneously within the first million years of solar system history.
Disequilibrium river networks dissecting the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, California, USA, record significant late Cenozoic tilting and associated surface uplift: Reply
Authors: Beeson H.W. , McCoy S.W.
Published: September 2022

In his comment, Gabet summarized his critiques regarding our identification of migrating knickpoints in the Sierra and our estimates of both timing and magnitude of surface uplift made using a wide variety of independent measures of fluvial geomorphology. Here, we review the evidence we used to interpret particular features as migrating knickpoints in a transient landscape and demonstrate that the evidence presented by Gabet in no way shows these are stationary features that can be attributed to heterogeneous lithology alone. The challenges we faced and assumptions we made to determine timing from these river profile forms were summarized in the original paper and again in Gabet’s comment. We chose a range-wide approach using systematic topographic analysis and an ensemble of methods precisely because we recognize the modern heterogeneity and dynamic late Cenozoic geologic history. With this approach, we identified trends in timing and magnitude of surface uplift that were consistent along much of the length of the range and in both tributary and mainstem rivers. We were able to identify signatures of late Cenozoic tilting amidst the influence of heterogeneous lithology, latitudinal climate gradients, drainage area exchange, and variable depositional histories. We hope that readers recognize that rather than ignoring local complexity, the tectonic mechanism of late Cenozoic westward tilt and the ensuing transient response can explain the diversity in observed geomorphology. Particularly, geomorphic features such as the along- and between-river variability in incision as well as the distribution and form of both mainstem and tributary knickpoints and knickzones can be reconciled when such a transient response is filtered through the heterogeneous lithology and basin area exchange characteristic of the west side Sierra Nevada. Thus, while challenges preclude pinpointing timing of the most recent tectonic event within the late Cenozoic using river profile forms alone, we maintain that a significant tectonic event perturbed Sierra river profiles in the past 11 million years. In many landscapes, an estimate with such a degree of uncertainty would not move the needle on our understanding but for the Sierra, where some contend no major tectonic event has occurred since the late Cretaceous, this uncertain estimate is valuable.