bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a wrist-worn photoplethysmography monitor for heart rate variability estimation in patients recovering from laparoscopic colon resection
Authors: Rinne Juha K. A. , Miri Seyedsadra , Oksala Niku , Vehkaoja Antti , Kössi Jyrki
Published: April 2022

To evaluate the accuracy of heart rate variability (HRV) parameters obtained with a wrist-worn photoplethysmography (PPG) monitor in patients recovering from minimally invasive colon resection to investigate whether PPG has potential in postoperative patient monitoring. 31 patients were monitored for three days or until discharge or reoperation using a wrist-worn PPG monitor (PulseOn, Finland) with a Holter monitor (Faros 360, Bittium Biosignals, Finland) as a reference measurement device. Beat-to-beat intervals (BBI) and HRV information collected by PPG were compared with RR intervals (RRI) and HRV obtained from the ECG reference after removing artefacts and ectopic beats. The beat-to-beat mean error (ME) and mean absolute error (MAE) of good quality heartbeat intervals obtained by wrist PPG were estimated as − 1.34 ms and 10.4 ms respectively. A significant variation in the accuracy of the HRV parameters was found. In the time domain, SDNN (9.11%), TRI (11.4%) and TINN (11.1%) were estimated with low relative MAE, while RMSSD (34.3%), pNN50 (139%) and NN50 (188%) had higher errors. The logarithmic parameters in the frequency domain (VLF Log, LF Log and HF Log) exhibited the lowest relative error, and for non-linear parameters, SD2 (7.5%), DFA α1 (8.25%) and DFA α2 (4.71%) were calculated much more accurately than SD1 (34.3%). The wrist PPG shows some potential for use in a clinical setting. The accuracy of several HRV parameters analyzed post hoc was found sufficient to be used in further studies concerning postoperative recovery of patients undergoing laparoscopic colon resection, although there were large errors in many common HRV parameters such as RMSSD, pNN50 and NN50, rendering them unusable.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04996511, August 9, 2021, retrospectively registered
Co-designing in Australia housing for people with intellectual disability: an integrative literature review
Authors: Tucker Richard , Frawley Patsie , Lozanovska Mirjana , Prain Meredith
Published: April 2022

Background

This paper provides an evidence base for practice in Australia from an integrative literature review of research on co-designing housing with people with an intellectual disability. The study asks: what methods and outcomes have been reported from including people with an intellectual disability in the co-design of their housing?

Method

The integrative review framework described by Whitemore and Knafl (2005) was used to analyse the literature.

Results

The literature searches yielded 16 articles after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Important gaps in the literature were found relating to: co-designing with people with an intellectual disability; the co-designing of housing with people with an intellectual disability; specific frameworks or benchmarks for co-designing with people with an intellectual disability; processes on use of proxies; and on design outcomes.

Conclusions

Considerable work is required to explore and evaluate co-design processes in the design of housing with adults with intellectual disabilities, as well as how the outcomes of these processes are evaluated.
Does Strengths Use Mean Better Focus? Well-being and Attentional Performance at the Episodic Level
Authors: Liu Wei , van der Linden Dimitri , Bakker Arnold B.
Published: April 2022

Positive psychology postulates that using one’s strengths can facilitate employee well-being and performance at work. However, whether strengths use is associated with attentional performance has remained unanswered in the literature. Attention plays a role in job performance, and previous literature has suggested a contrasting link between well-being (i.e., positive affect) and attentional performance. We hypothesize that, within work episodes, strength use is positively associated with eudaimonic (i.e., meaningfulness and personal growth) and hedonic well-being (i.e., positive affect). Further, we test the episodic process model by arguing that strengths use and well-being during one work episode are negatively related to subsequent attentional performance. In total, 115 participants registered for the current study, and 86 participants filled out the daily questionnaire once per day across five working days (a total of 365 daily reports). Multilevel analyses showed that episodic strengths use was not directly related to subsequent attentional performance. Episodic strengths use was positively related to a higher level of meaningfulness, personal growth, and positive affect. In turn, experienced meaningfulness was negatively related to subsequent attentional performance. However, personal growth and positive affect did not explain variance in attentional performance. These findings suggest that strength use may be accompanied with higher experienced meaningfulness, although the latter may be detrimental for subsequent attentional performance. Theoretical implications and contributions are discussed.
Visual classification of dumpsters with capsule networks
Authors: Garcia-Espinosa Francisco J. , Concha David , Pantrigo Juan J. , Cuesta-Infante Alfredo
Published: April 2022

Garbage management is an essential task in the everyday life of a city. In many countries, dumpsters are owned and deployed by the public administration. An updated what-and-where list is in the core of the decision making process when it comes to remove or renew them. Moreover, it may give extra information to other analytics in a smart city context. In this paper, we present a capsule network-based architecture to automate the visual classification of dumpsters. We propose different network hyperparameter settings, such as reducing convolutional kernel size and increasing convolution layers. We also try several data augmentation strategies, as crop and flip image transformations. We succeed in reducing the number of network parameters by 85% with respect to the best previous method, thus decreasing the required training time and making the whole process suitable for low cost and embedded software architectures. In addition, the paper provides an extensive experimental analysis including an ablation study that illustrates the contribution of each component in the proposed method. Our proposal is compared with the state-of-the-art method, which is based on a Google Inception V3 architecture pretrained with Imagenet. Experimental results show that our proposal achieves a 95.35% accuracy, 2.35% over the previous best method.
Imagination as a skill: A Bayesian proposal
Authors: Blomkvist Andrea
Published: April 2022

In recent works, Kind (2020a, b) has argued that imagination is a skill, since it possesses the two hallmarks of skill: (i)improvability by practice, and (ii)control. I agree with Kind that (i) and (ii) are indeed hallmarks of skill, and I also endorse her claim that imagination is a skill in virtue of possessing these two features. However, in this paper, I argue that Kind’s case for imagination’s being a skill is unsatisfactory, since it lacks robust empirical evidence. Here, I will provide evidence for (i) by considering data from mental rotation experiments and for (ii) by considering data from developmental experiments. I conclude that imagination is a skill, but there is a further pressing question of how the cognitive architecture of imagination has to be structured to make this possible. I begin by considering how (ii) can be implemented sub-personally. I argue that this can be accounted for by positing a selection mechanism which selects content from memory representations to be recombined into imaginings, using Bayesian generation. I then show that such an account can also explain (i). On this basis, I hold that not only is imagination a skill, but that it is also plausibly implemented sub-personally by a Bayesian selection mechanism.
An adaptive message return strategy for same direction multilane in vehicular networks
Authors: Zhang Yuexia , Zhou Ying
Published: April 2022

Due to the roadside unit can not fully achieve seamless coverage and the dynamic change of network topology in vehicular networks, problems such as the interruption of vehicle service, poor stability of communication link, and high network delay will be caused. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a codirectional multilane adaptive message return (CMAMR) strategy based on edge computing. Firstly, we establish a CMAMR communication model. Then, according to the movement trajectory of the receiving node, we propose a single-hop and a multi-hop message return link strategy. The former combines the single-hop link quality and node location information to construct a node selection function to assist the head node in selecting an optimal forwarding node to form a single-hop message return link. The latter assists the RSU to select the optimal multi-hop message return link in the same lane by establishing a link adaptive quality evaluation function, thus improving the user’s quality of server. The simulation results show that the link network delay of the CMAMR strategy is 14.6%, 42.86%, and 38.47% lower than those of the random with forwarding progress (RFP), most forward with fixed radius (MFR), and traditional vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle cooperative communication (TVCC) message return strategies, respectively; correspondingly, the link reliability is at least 9.13% higher for the CMAMR strategy.
Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Resting State Brain Network Connectivity in Older Adults
Authors: Bittencourt Mayra , van der Horn Harm-Jan , Balart-Sánchez Sebastián A. , Marsman Jan-Bernard C. , van der Naalt Joukje , Maurits Natasha M.
Published: April 2022

Older age is associated with worsened outcome after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and a higher risk of developing persistent post-traumatic complaints. However, the effects of mTBI sequelae on brain connectivity at older age and their association with post-traumatic complaints remain understudied.

We analyzed multi-echo resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 25 older adults with mTBI (mean age: 68 years, SD: 5 years) in the subacute phase (mean injury to scan interval: 38 days, SD: 9 days) and 20 age-matched controls. Severity of complaints (e.g. fatigue, dizziness) was assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Group independent component analysis was used to identify intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs). The effects of group and severity of complaints on ICNs were assessed using spatial maps intensity (SMI) as a measure of within-network connectivity, and (static) functional network connectivity (FNC) as a measure of between-network connectivity.

Patients indicated a higher total severity of complaints than controls. Regarding SMI measures, we observed hyperconnectivity in left-mid temporal gyrus (cognitive-language network) and hypoconnectivity in the right-fusiform gyrus (visual-cerebellar network) that were associated with group. Additionally, we found interaction effects for SMI between severity of complaints and group in the visual(-cerebellar) domain. Regarding FNC measures, no significant effects were found.

In older adults, changes in cognitive-language and visual(-cerebellar) networks are related to mTBI. Additionally, group-dependent associations between connectivity within visual(-cerebellar) networks and severity of complaints might indicate post-injury (mal)adaptive mechanisms, which could partly explain post-traumatic complaints (such as dizziness and balance disorders) that are common in older adults during the subacute phase.
Can third-party observers detect attraction in others based on subtle nonverbal cues?
Authors: Samara Iliana , Roth Tom S. , Nikolic Milica , Prochazkova Eliska , Kret Mariska E.
Published: April 2022

In a series of three studies, we examined whether third-party observers can detect attraction in others based on subtle nonverbal cues. We employed video segments of dates collected from a speed-dating experiment, in which daters went on a brief (approx. 4 min) blind-date and indicated whether they would like to go on another date with their brief interaction partner or not. We asked participants to view these stimuli and indicate whether or not each couple member is attracted to their partner. Our results show that participants could not reliably detect attraction, and this ability was not influenced by the age of the observer, video segment location (beginning or middle of the date), video duration, or general emotion recognition capacity. Contrary to previous research findings, our findings suggest that third-party observers cannot reliably detect attraction in others. However, there was one exception: Recognition rose above chance level when the daters were both interested in their partners compared to when they were not interested.
Development of analytical methods to study the effect of malting on levels of free and modified forms of Alternaria mycotoxins in barley
Authors: Scheibenzuber Sophie , Dick Fabian , Bretträger Marina , Gastl Martina , Asam Stefan , Rychlik Michael
Published: April 2022

A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) multi-mycotoxin method was developed for the analysis of the Alternaria toxins alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tentoxin (TEN), altertoxin I (ATX I), altertoxin II (ATX II), alterperylenol (ALTP), and altenuene (ALT), as well as the modified toxins AOH-3-glucoside (AOH-3-G), AOH-9-glucoside (AOH-9-G), AME-3-glucoside (AME-3-G), AOH-3-sulfate (AOH-3-S), and AME-3-sulfate (AME-3-S) in barley and malt. The toxin tenuazonic acid (TeA) was analyzed separately as it could not be included into the multi-mycotoxin method. Quantitation was conducted by using a combination of stable isotope dilution analysis (SIDA) for AOH, AME, and TeA, and matrix-matched calibration for all other toxins. Limits of detection were between 0.05 µg/kg (AME) and 2.45 µg/kg (ALT), whereas limits of quantitation ranged from 0.16 µg/kg (AME) to 8.75 µg/kg (ALT). Recoveries between 96 and 107% were obtained for the analytes when SIDA was applied, while recoveries between 84 and 112% were found for analytes quantified by matrix-matched calibration. The method was applied for the analysis of 50 barley samples and their respective malts from the harvest years 2016–2020 for their mycotoxin content, showing the overall potential of toxin formation during the malting process. The toxins ALTP and ATX I were mainly found in the malt samples, but not in barley.
Aging modifies receptor expression but not muscular contractile response to angiotensin II in rat jejunum
Authors: Zizzo Maria Grazia , Cicio Adele , Corrao Federica , Lentini Laura , Serio Rosa
Published: April 2022

The involvement of renin-angiotensin system in the modulation of gut motility and age-related changes in mRNA expression of angiotensin (Ang II) receptors (ATR) are well accepted. We aimed to characterize, in vitro, the contractile responses induced by Ang II, in jejunum from young (3–6 weeks old) and old rats (≥ 1 year old), to evaluate possible functional differences associated to changes in receptor expression. Mechanical responses to Ang II were examined in vitro as changes in isometric tension. ATR expression was assessed by qRT-PCR. Ang II induced a contractile effect, antagonized by losartan, AT1R antagonist, and increased by PD123319, AT2R antagonist, as well by neural blocker ω-conotoxin and by nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor. No difference in the response was observed between young and old groups. AT1 receptor-mediated contractile response was decreased by U-73122, phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor; or 2-aminoethoxy-diphenylborate (2-APB), inositol triphosphate (IP3) receptor inhibitor; or nifedipine, l-type calcium channel blocker. Age-related changes in the expression of both AT1 receptor subtypes, AT1a and AT1b, and of AT2 receptors were detected. In conclusion, Ang II modulates the spontaneous contractility of rat jejunum via postjunctional AT1 receptors, involving Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular stores, via PLC/IP3 pathway, and Ca2+ influx from extracellular space, via l-type channels. Prejunctional AT2 receptors would counteract AT1 receptor effects, via NO synthesis. The observed age-related differences in the expression of all AT receptor subtypes are not reflected in the muscular contractile response to Ang II.
Women on a Corporate Board of Directors and Consumer Satisfaction
Authors: Korenkiewicz Dorota , Maennig Wolfgang
Published: April 2022

Consumer satisfaction is a widespread measure of company success, and it shows positive interdependence with several key performance indicators of an enterprise. Although many researchers emphasize that women directors have a positive influence on the economic success of a firm, little research has focused on the impact that females on a board of directors have on customer satisfaction. This paper resumes previous insights on determinants of customer satisfaction and shows that a more balanced gender representation in corporate governance bodies can positively affect customer satisfaction with a company.
The cross-cultural study of mind and behaviour: a word of caution
Authors: Salazar Carles
Published: April 2022

Nobody doubts that culture plays a decisive role in understanding human forms of life. But it is unclear how this decisive role should be integrated into a comprehensive explanatory model of human behaviour that brings together naturalistic and social-scientific perspectives. Cultural difference, cultural learning, cultural determination do not mix well with the factors that are normally given full explanatory value in the more naturalistic approaches to the study of human behaviour. My purpose in this paper is to alert to some of the theoretical vulnerabilities or concerns that the cross-cultural study of mind and behaviour might entail. I classify these theoretical concerns into three, loosely defined, categories: epistemological, ontological and ethical. The first have to do with what in anthropology was once labelled as ‘butterfly collecting’. What kind of supplementary, or additional, general theoretical knowledge do we produce when we add to the research different, particularistic, culturally determined, ways of knowing? Ontological concerns refer to the underlying reality that those ways of knowing are meant to disclose. If there are so many ways of knowing the world, where is the reality to be known? Ethical concerns are those entailed in the forms of ‘othering’ that unqualified cross-cultural research is likely to produce in research participants.
Numerical simulation of dam-breach flood waves
Authors: Hosseinzadeh-Tabrizi Seyed Alireza , Ghaeini-Hessaroeyeh Mahnaz , Ziaadini-Dashtekhaki Maryam
Published: April 2022

Dam breach due to the earthquake, Land sliding inside the dam reservoir, dam overtopping as a result of intense precipitation in a watershed are examples of dangerous risks which flood caused by any of them should be predicted by suitable hydraulic or numerical models in the framework of a risk management plan. In the present research, 2DHec-Ras model has been applied in order to flood modeling of Sattarkhan dam. This dam is in the North West of Iran, located 15 km from the west of Ahar city, in the East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The downstream part of the dam to Ahar city has been studied considering the population and infrastructures in this district according to two different scenarios of dam failure. The first scenario includes piping of flow and dam failure profile with steep side walls while the second scenario consists of inclined sidewalls in the dam breach profile and overtopping of flow as the main cause of breaching. The population centers have been selected in the downstream area of dam according to the field facts. The maximum flood depth reaches up to 9.1 m for the first scenario and 7.1 m for the second scenario at the Islamic Azad University and Tabriz-Ahar road, respectively. The results show the notable risk for some of the population centers in the downstream of the dam. Furthermore, the arrival time of flood, recession time, and maximum velocities in the targeted areas for preparing emergency action plans has been calculated.
Brachytherapy for primary nasal vestibule cancer using Au-198 grains
Authors: Harada Hinako , Ishikawa Yojiro , Tanaka Shohei , Kishida Keita , Umezawa Rei , Yamamoto Takaya , Takahashi Noriyoshi , Takeda Kazuya , Suzuki Yu , Jingu Keiichi
Published: April 2022

Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the definitive treatments for early-stage nasal vestibular carcinoma and has similar local control rates to resection surgery. There are various methods, including external beam RT and brachytherapy. This report describes a case who showed local control for more than 5 years after brachytherapy alone using Au-198 grains for nasal vestibular carcinoma. A 68-year-old Japanese man complained of swelling and pain in his left nasal cavity. He was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (cT1N0M0, stage I). An elevated mass of 8 mm in long diameter was found inside the left nasal cavity. Since the patient selected brachytherapy, nine Au-198 grains 185 mBq were permanently injected percutaneously under local anesthesia, and 85 Gy was prescribed. Grade three dermatitis was observed as an acute adverse event. After 2 years, mild telangiectasia of the left nasal skin and epilation of nasal hair in the left nasal cavity was regarded as late adverse events. The patient continues to keep a complete response for 5 years. For small nasal vestibular SCC, brachytherapy with Au-198 grains might be a good option.
Heterogeneous FASnI3 Absorber with Enhanced Electric Field for High-Performance Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Wu Tianhao , Liu Xiao , Luo Xinhui , Segawa Hiroshi , Tong Guoqing , Zhang Yiqiang , Ono Luis K. , Qi Yabing , Han Liyuan
Published: April 2022

Lead-free tin perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have undergone rapid development in recent years and are regarded as a promising eco-friendly photovoltaic technology. However, a strategy to suppress charge recombination via a built-in electric field inside a tin perovskite crystal is still lacking. In the present study, a formamidinium tin iodide (FASnI3) perovskite absorber with a vertical Sn2+ gradient was fabricated using a Lewis base-assisted recrystallization method to enhance the built-in electric field and minimize the bulk recombination loss inside the tin perovskites. Depth-dependent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the Fermi level upshifts with an increase in Sn2+ content from the bottom to the top in this heterogeneous FASnI3 film, which generates an additional electric field to prevent the trapping of photo-induced electrons and holes. Consequently, the Sn2+-gradient FASnI3 absorber exhibits a promising efficiency of 13.82% for inverted tin PSCs with an open-circuit voltage increase of 130 mV, and the optimized cell maintains over 13% efficiency after continuous operation under 1-sun illumination for 1,000 h.
„Dann fährst du halt nochmal los und machst halt eine spezielle Sache mal fokussierter“ – Generierung eines Prozessmodells des Bewegungslernens beim Park‑Skaten
Authors: Erhorn Jan , Meyer Rudolph , Schmidt Tillmann
Published: April 2022

Im sportpädagogischen und sportdidaktischen Diskurs wird für den Sportunterricht die individuelle Förderung aller Schüler*innen gefordert, wobei die Bedeutung selbständiger Diagnose- und Individualisierungsleistungen durch die Schüler*innen herausgestellt wird (Neuber und Pfitzner 2012). Die informelle Bewegungspraxis und Stil-Kultur (Stern 2010) des Skateboardings scheint in hohem Maße durch individuelle und selbständige Lernprozesse gekennzeichnet zu sein, die möglicherweise Anregungen für die Gestaltung des Sportunterrichts liefern können. Allerdings sind diese Lernprozesse bisher nur selten zum Gegenstand systematischer Untersuchungen gemacht worden. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird deshalb das Bewegungslernen beim Park-Skaten im Rahmen einer empirischen Untersuchung fokussiert. Ziel ist es, die Lernstrategien und die Prozesse des Bewegungslernens zu rekonstruieren und daraus Hinweise für den Sportunterricht abzuleiten. In der zugrundeliegenden empirischen Studie wurden eine Park-Skate-Praxis über den Zeitraum von drei Monaten in Form teilnehmender Beobachtung begleitet und leitfadengestützte episodische Interviews mit dort aktiven Skater*innen geführt. Die generierten Daten wurden mit Verfahrensweisen der Grounded Theory ausgewertet. Als Ergebnis der Studie konnten ein Prozessmodell des Bewegungslernens beim Park-Skaten generiert und Hinweise für den Sportunterricht abgeleitet werden.
Communities in energy transition: exploring best practices and decision support tools to provide equitable outcomes
Authors: Tarekegne Bethel , Kazimierczuk Kamila , O’Neil Rebecca
Published: April 2022

The U.S. coal industry has been in a state of decline for the past decade, a trend ushered by flat electricity demand, increased regulatory pressure, and market competition from cost-competitive clean energy sources. The receding economic viability of the coal industry has been acutely felt by the communities with immediate economic ties to coal-fired generation. With the energy transition underway, the question of how to engage communities as stakeholders in the decision-making process and address their needs through an equitable and just transition remains unresolved. To that end, this paper explores the economic, environmental, and social challenges presented by the energy transition at the community level, highlighting four case studies from transitioning coal-dependent communities across the United States to ultimately identify best practices in coal plant decommissioning processes. This paper weaves these community-identified best practices into two support tools—a decommissioning checklist and a redevelopment decision-making framework—that can be used to engage communities in the power plant retirement decision, the site reclamation phase, and eventual redevelopment of the site and revitalization of the surrounding community.
Light- and pH-dependent structural changes in cyanobacteriochrome AnPixJg2
Authors: Altmayer Susanne , Köhler Lisa , Bielytskyi Pavlo , Gärtner Wolfgang , Matysik Jörg , Wiebeler Christian , Song Chen
Published: April 2022

Cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) are phytochrome-related photosensory proteins that play an essential role in regulating phototaxis, chromatic acclimation, and cell aggregation in cyanobacteria. Here, we apply solid-state NMR spectroscopy to the red/green GAF2 domain of the CBCR AnPixJ assembled in vitro with a uniformly 13C- and 15N-labeled bilin chromophore, tracking changes in electronic structure, geometry, and structural heterogeneity of the chromophore as well as intimate contacts between the chromophore and protein residues in the photocycle. Our data confirm that the bilin ring D is strongly twisted with respect to the B–C plane in both dark and photoproduct states. We also identify a greater structural heterogeneity of the bilin chromophore in the photoproduct than in the dark state. In addition, the binding pocket is more hydrated in the photoproduct. Observation of interfacial 1H contacts of the photoproduct chromophore, together with quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM)-based structural models for this photoproduct, clearly suggests the presence of a biprotonated (cationic) imidazolium side-chain for a conserved histidine residue (322) at a distance of ~2.7 Å, generalizing the recent theoretical findings that explicitly link the structural heterogeneity of the dark-state chromophore to the protonation of this specific residue. Moreover, we examine pH effects on this in vitro assembled holoprotein, showing a substantially altered electronic structure and protonation of the photoproduct chromophore even with a small pH drop from 7.8 to 7.2. Our studies provide further information regarding the light- and pH-induced changes of the chromophore and the rearrangements of the hydrogen-bonding and electrostatic interaction network around it. Possible correlations between structural heterogeneity of the chromophore, protonation of the histidine residue nearby, and hydration of the pocket in both photostates are discussed.

Graphical abstract
Having a voice in your group: Increasing productivity through group participation
Authors: Wu Sherry Jueyu , Paluck Elizabeth Levy
Published: April 2022

Participatory work structure is a popular concept but its causal impacts in real-world work groups have heretofore been unquantified and research has been Western-centric. We test the hypothesis that participatory group structure increases productivity for blue-collar workers in a context where participation is not a normative default. We conducted a pre-registered longitudinal field experiment with 65 Chinese factory groups (1752 workers). Half of the groups were randomly assigned to a 20-minute participatory meeting once per week for 6 weeks, in which the group's supervisor stepped aside and workers contributed ideas and personal goals in an open discussion of their work. The other half continued with status-quo meetings in which supervisors spoke and set goals, workers listened, and a researcher observed. We found that a participatory versus a hierarchical structure led to a 10.6% average increase in individual treatment workers’ productivity, an increase that endured for 9 weeks after the experiment ended. The brief participatory meetings also increased treatment workers’ retention rate (an 85% vs. 77% retention rate in treatment vs. control groups) and feelings of empowerment such as job satisfaction and sense of control. We found no evidence of informational gains or new worker goals; instead, evidence suggests that the increase in frequency of workers’ voicing opinions may have driven higher productivity. These findings provide rare causal evidence in a setting where participation is not a normative default, indicating the benefits of direct group participation for changing and sustaining behavior and attitudes.
Data responsibility, corporate social responsibility, and corporate digital responsibility
Authors: van der Merwe Joanna , Al Achkar Ziad
Published: April 2022

This commentary looks at the use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) mechanisms for implementing responsible data use. The commentary offers an overview of CSR theory and the discourse on a growing phenomenon known as corporate digital responsibility (CDR). The commentary links these theories to the historical debates on the nature of technology, ethics, and society. The aim is to reflect on CSR and CDR mechanisms and ignite the discussion on their adequacy considering the pursuit of data responsibility. Through our discussion and brief case studies, the paper reveals the gaps in relying on CSR and CDR and the need for a broader societal and comprehensive approach.
Modulation of homogeneous and isotropic turbulence in emulsions
Authors: Crialesi-Esposito Marco , Rosti Marco Edoardo , Chibbaro Sergio , Brandt Luca
Published: April 2022

We present a numerical study of emulsions in homogeneous and isotropic turbulence (HIT) at

$Re_\lambda =137$

. The problem is addressed via direct numerical simulations, where the volume of fluid is used to represent the complex features of the liquid–liquid interface. We consider a mixture of two iso-density fluids, where fluid properties are varied with the goal of understanding their role in turbulence modulation, in particular the volume fraction (

$0.03<\alpha <0.5$

), viscosity ratio (

$0.01<\mu _d/\mu _c<100$

) and large-scale Weber number (

$10.6< We_\mathcal {L}<106.5$

). The analysis, performed by studying integral quantities and spectral scale-by-scale analysis, reveals that energy is transported consistently from large to small scales by the interface, and no inverse cascade is observed. Furthermore, the total surface is found to be directly proportional to the amount of energy transported, while viscosity and surface tension alter the dynamic that regulates energy transport. We also observe the

$-10/3$

and

$-3/2$

scaling on droplet size distributions, suggesting that the dimensional arguments that led to their derivation are verified in HIT conditions.
Generalist parasites persist in degraded environments: a lesson learned from microsporidian diversity in amphipods
Authors: Prati Sebastian , Grabner Daniel S. , Pfeifer Svenja M. , Lorenz Armin W. , Sures Bernd
Published: April 2022

The present study provides new insight into suitable microsporidian–host associations. It relates regional and continental-wide host specialization in microsporidians infecting amphipods to degraded and recovering habitats across 2 German river catchments. It provides a unique opportunity to infer the persistence of parasites following anthropogenic disturbance and their establishment in restored rivers. Amphipods were collected in 31 sampling sites with differing degradation and restoration gradients. Specimens were morphologically (hosts) and molecularly identified (host and parasites). Amphipod diversity and abundance, microsporidian diversity, host phylogenetic specificity and continental-wide β-specificity were investigated and related to each other and/or environmental variables. Fourteen microsporidian molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), mainly generalist parasites, infecting 6 amphipod MOTUs were detected, expanding the current knowledge on the host range by 17 interactions. There was no difference in microsporidian diversity and host specificity among restored and near-natural streams (Boye) or between those located in urban and rural areas (Kinzig). Similarly, microsporidian diversity was generally not influenced by water parameters. In the Boye catchment, host densities did not influence microsporidian MOTU richness across restored and near-natural sites. High host turnover across the geographical range suggests that neither environmental conditions nor host diversity plays a significant role in the establishment into restored areas. Host diversity and environmental parameters do not indicate the persistence and dispersal of phylogenetic host generalist microsporidians in environments that experienced anthropogenic disturbance. Instead, these might depend on more complex mechanisms such as the production of resistant spores, host switching and host dispersal acting individually or conjointly.
A Pattern Processing Method to Map Nanoscale Phases by EBSD
Authors: Brodu Etienne , Winkelmann Aimo , Seefeldt Marc
Published: April 2022

The crystallographic analysis of nanoscale phases with dimensions well below the spatial probing volume of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) traditionally rely on electron microscopy in transmission (either in SEM or TEM), because EBSD patterns are invariably dominated by the matrix phase contribution and present seemingly no trace from such nanoscale phases. Yet, this study shows that such nanoscale features generate a very faint but valuable secondary diffraction signal which can be retrieved. A diffraction pattern postprocessing method is presented which focuses on the detection of such secondary signal emitted by nanoscale minority phases in overlapped patterns dominated by a dominant matrix signal. The predominant, majority phase contribution in EBSD patterns is removed by a close-neighbor pattern subtraction routine, after which both the conventional Hough indexing method as well as pattern matching methods can be used to reveal the crystallography, spatial distribution, morphology, and orientation of nanoscale minority phases initially absent from EBSD maps. Nanolamellar pearlitic steel, which has long been out of reach for EBSD, has been chosen as an application example.
“Pastor was Trapped”: Queer Scandal and Contestations Over Christian Anti-Vice Reform
Authors: Hemphill Katie M.
Published: April 2022

In November 1915, popular Baltimore minister and anti-vice reformer Kenneth G. Murray became enmeshed in scandal after he allegedly attempted to engage in sex with another man at the Y.M.C.A. The revelation of Murray’s alleged queerness became a flashpoint in ongoing contestations over anti-vice reform and the legitimacy of using state power to enforce Christian morality. In the hands of his political opponents, most notably H.L. Mencken, Murray’s apparent homosexuality became a tool for vindicating long-standing assertions that men who campaigned for state-enforced morality were hypocritical and motivated in their activism by sexual and gendered pathologies. In tracing print reactions to Murray’s public exposure, this essay argues that homosexuality proved to be a powerful political weapon against progressive anti-vice campaigning like Murray’s because it was capable of reconciling competing stereotypes of religiously motivated anti-vice reformers as simultaneously overly sexual and impotent, feminized and pathologically masculine. The Murray scandal also opened the door for critiques of muscular Christianity, which made it an early example of how the sexual diagnosis of religious figures and reformers could be used to discredit social and religious activism.
Federalism, Policy Diffusion, and Gender Equality: Explaining Variation in State Domestic Violence Firearm Laws 1990–2017
Authors: Schiller Wendy J. , Sidorsky Kaitlin N.
Published: April 2022

This work explores the ways that federalism exacerbates gender inequality among women by explaining the adoption of domestic violence laws across different states in the context of policy diffusion. Using an original dataset of domestic violence firearm law (DVFL) enactments across all 50 states in the United States from 1990 to 2017, we analyze the circumstances under which states will adopt these laws. Using a set of political and demographic indicators as independent variables, we find evidence that state and federal factors influence policy adoption. In particular, the number of gun-related homicides, partisan control of the legislature, citizen ideology, federal policy, and election years each influence the likelihood of DVFL enactments. We find support for the effects of vertical policy diffusion on initial enactment of federal laws in this domain, but not for reauthorizations, which raises important questions about the continuous influence of the federal government on state policies.
Impacts of Future Climate Change and Atmospheric CO2 Concentration on Ecosystem Water Retention Service
Authors: Yin Lichang , Tao Fulu , Zhai Ran , Chen Yi , Hu Jian , Wang Zhenghui , Fu Bojie
Published: April 2022

Terrestrial ecosystem water retention (TEWR) service is subject to climate change and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (eCO2), however, the relevant processes by which future climate change and eCO2 affect TEWR are poorly understood. Here, we use the factorial simulation experiments from the Inter‐Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project to address this research question. The experiments are based on three dynamic global vegetation models forced with the same climate change scenarios. Results suggest that compared to the preindustrial level, during 2070–2099, (a) TEWR change is highly uncertain, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. (b) Climate change will dominate the pattern of future TEWR change compared with eCO2. (c) Precipitation and runoff change will dominate the future TEWR change in various regions, and the direct role of evapotranspiration (ET) on TEWR will be relatively small. (d) eCO2 will mainly affect vegetation dynamics in energy‐limited regions to affect the runoff, and consequently affecting TEWR change. (e) eCO2 will decrease ET and increase the runoff, resulting in a slight TWER change. These findings improve the understanding of the responses of TEWR to future climate change and eCO2.
Using a Tropical Elevation Gradient to Evaluate the Impact of Land‐Use Intensity and Forest Restoration on the Microbial Use of Organic Matter Under Climate Change
Authors: Leizeaga A. , Duran C. , Hicks L. C. , Sandén H. , Wondie M. , Rousk J.
Published: April 2022

We investigated how legacies of land use and climate affected the microbial use of organic matter (OM) along a tropical climate gradient in Ethiopia. Four levels of land‐use intensity ranging from croplands to pristine forests were assessed along a gradient from cool and moist high altitude (MAT = 16°C, MAP = 2,200 mm) to hot and dry lowland sites (MAT = 20°C, MAP = 1,050 mm). We resolved the biomass, structure, and growth rates of microbial decomposer communities together with the rates of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) transformation. To target the legacies of climate and land use, samples were assessed at optimal moisture and standardized temperature in the laboratory. Microbial biomass and the fungal‐to‐bacterial ratio increased with both legacies of drier climates and higher land‐use intensities. In contrast, fungal growth rates increased in humid climates, but were unaffected by land use. The ratio of C mineralization to gross N mineralization decreased with higher humidity and more intensive land use, suggesting a change in microbial resource use from more nutrient‐poor to nutrient‐rich OM. Mineralization of nutrient‐poor OM implied a lower nutrient availability to microbes in arid climates and low‐intensity land uses, while the mineralization of nutrient‐rich OM in humid sites and higher intensity land uses implied a higher microbial nutrient availability there. The difference in respiration between land uses increased with ecosystem aridity, suggesting that OM turnover and soil fertility were more impacted by land use in drier climates. Together, our results suggest that drier subtropical climates will exacerbate the negative effects of land‐use intensification on OM turnover and nutrient provisioning for plants.
Bedrock Vadose Zone Storage Dynamics Under Extreme Drought: Consequences for Plant Water Availability, Recharge, and Runoff
Authors: Hahm W. J. , Dralle D. N. , Sanders M. , Bryk A. B. , Fauria K. E. , Huang M. H. , Hudson‐Rasmussen B. , Nelson M. D. , Pedrazas M. A. , Schmidt L. , Whiting J. , Dietrich W. E. , Rempe D. M.
Published: April 2022

Bedrock vadose zone water storage (i.e., rock moisture) dynamics are rarely observed but potentially key to understanding drought responses. Exploiting a borehole network at a Mediterranean blue oak savanna site—Rancho Venada—we document how water storage capacity in deeply weathered bedrock profiles regulates woody plant water availability and groundwater recharge. The site is in the Northern California Coast Range within steeply dipping turbidites. In a wet year (water year 2019; 647 mm of precipitation), rock moisture was quickly replenished to a characteristic storage capacity, recharging groundwater that emerged at springs to generate streamflow. In the subsequent rainless summer growing season, rock moisture was depleted by about 93 mm. In two drought years that followed (212 and 121 mm of precipitation) the total amount of rock moisture gained each winter was about 54 and 20 mm, respectively, and declines were documented exceeding these amounts, resulting in progressively lower rock moisture content. Oaks, which are rooted into bedrock, demonstrated signs of water stress in drought, including reduced transpiration rates and extremely low water potentials. In the 2020–2021 drought, precipitation did not exceed storage capacity, resulting in variable belowground water storage, increased plant water stress, and no recharge or runoff. Rock moisture deficits (rather than soil moisture deficits) explain these responses.
Inter‐Annual Variations of Precipitation Modulate the Dry Spell Length
Authors: Wang Xiaoyuan , Lu Haibo , Yuan Wenping
Published: April 2022

Dry spell length (DSL), consecutive non‐rainy days between two precipitation events, play an important role in regulating soil moisture dynamics, terrestrial energy exchange as well as vegetation growth. According to the Clausius‐Clapeyron (C‐C) relationship, global warming can result in prolonged DSL. However, usually the amount of precipitation and its characteristics coincidentally varied with the changes of DSL under global warming, it remains unclear how the inter‐annual variation of precipitation interacts with the evolution of dry spells. In this study, the global long‐term in‐situ observation data set of daily precipitation during 1976–2019 was used to examine the spatiotemporal trends of growing season DSL and precipitation. Our results showed that the global mean growing season DSL significantly increased by 0.3 days decade−1 during 1976–1998 while no significant trend of that was observed during 1999–2019. In contrast, the growing season precipitation (Prec_GS) showed no significant trend in 1976–1998 whereas significant increase trend of that was observed in 1999–2019. To explore the impacts of precipitation on the evolution of dry spells, we examined the relationship between the growing season DSL and Prec_GS. We found that prevalent negative relationship was observed between growing season DSL and Prec_GS in 88% and 86% stations during the period of 1976–1998 and 1999–2019, respectively. Spatially, the mean annual Prec_GS and DSL showed significantly negative relationship, that is, the stations with more precipitation showed shorter DSL in growing season, and vice versa. The changes of mean annual Prec_GS explained 81% spatial variation of growing season DSL. Moreover, during the period of 1999–2019 significant increase of precipitation frequency and decrease of dry day frequency were also observed in addition to the increase of Prec_GS in this period. The decreased dry day frequency further resulted in the decrease of growing season DSL. By excluded the impacts of precipitation, the DSL/Prec_GS ratio showed significant decreasing trend during 1999–2019. Our study suggested that the spatiotemporal variations of DSL were modulated by the variation of precipitation. The impacts of precipitation changes on ecosystem by altering the dry spell evolution should be considered in modeling the terrestrial carbon and hydrological cycling in response to climate changes.
Does SARS-CoV-2 affect neurodegenerative disorders? TLR2, a potential receptor for SARS-CoV-2 in the CNS
Authors: Szabo Marcell P. , Iba Michiyo , Nath Avindra , Masliah Eliezer , Kim Changyoun
Published: April 2022

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory system coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has created significant challenges for scientists seeking to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to identify the best therapies for infected patients. Although ACE2 is a known receptor for the virus and has been shown to mediate viral entry into the lungs, accumulating reports highlight the presence of neurological symptoms resulting from infection. As ACE2 expression is low in the central nervous system (CNS), these neurological symptoms are unlikely to be caused by ACE2-virus binding. In this review, we will discuss a proposed interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) in the CNS. TLR2 is an innate immune receptor that recognizes exogenous microbial components but has also been shown to interact with multiple viral components, including the envelope (E) protein of SARS-CoV-2. In addition, TLR2 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Based on these observations, we hypothesize that TLR2 may play a critical role in the response to SARS-CoV-2 infiltration in the CNS, thereby resulting in the induction or acceleration of AD and PD pathologies in patients.