bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of the Altar in the Book of Chronicles
Authors: Kislev Itamar
Published: May 2021

In the book of Chronicles, in several passages that relate the establishment of the temple, we find an emphasis on—and an elevation of the status of—the altar and the sacrifices offered on it. To compare, we do not find this elevation of the altar’s status in the accounts of Samuel and Kings. This article examines this phenomenon and suggests that this shift is part of the Chronicler’s coping with a fundamental theological problem regarding the Second Temple.
Bloodless "Atonement": An Exegetical, Ritual, and Theological Analysis of Leviticus 5:11–13
Authors: Peres Caio
Published: May 2021

According to Leviticus 5:11–13, semolina has the same ritual effect as blood. A thorough exegetical and ritual comparison between the חטאת of animals and the חטאת of semolina, or the מנחה-like חטאת, explains how this was possible. The results of this comparison are helpful in establishing the ritual effect of כפר as a process that defines the Priestly theology of the cult.
A Concept of 120 Mm Kinetic Energy Fragmentating Projectile for Leopard 2 Tank. Part 2. Numerical Analysis of Concrete Wall Penetration by Various 120 mm Kinetic Energy Fragmentating Projectiles (PELE)
Authors: Saduch Kamil , Magier Mariusz
Published: May 2021

Investigations over dependence of strength properties of material used to the core of a kinetic energy fragmentating projectile on the efficiency of fragmentation of its shell have proved that this effect may be analysed by Ansys 19.2 code and Explicit module. Firing velocities of projectile filled with aluminium were 935 m/s, 920 m/s, 874 m/s, 801 m/s corresponding to hitting a barrier at respective distances 100 m, 200 m, 500 m and 1000 m. The projectile with the polyamide core was tested only for hitting velocity of 935 m/s. It was shown that 120 mm projectile made of C45 steel and filled with aluminium 1050 or polyamide PA12 penetrates a 120 mm thick concrete wall. The projectile creates a conical crater in the barrier at penetration and next starts to fragmentate.
Riscos ocupacionais no trabalho agrícola e a negociação para a saúde do trabalhador rural
Authors: Cardoso Leticia Silveira , Bonow Clarice Alves , Xavier Daiani Modernel , Cezar-Vaz Marta Regina
Published: May 2021

Objetivo: apreender a relação entre riscos ocupacionais no trabalho agrícola e a negociação para a saúde do trabalhador rural. Método: estudo misto concorrente aninhado, combinado por integração (QUAN + QUAL) igualitária. Realizado com 351 agricultores, entre 2014/2015, por meio de formulário e entrevista semiestruturada. Para a análise, utilizou-se a estatística descritiva e inferencial e a classificação hierárquica descendente e a nuvem de palavras.   Resultados: na fase QUAN, obteve-se idade média de 50,58 anos e predomínio de sintomas de adoecimento nos sistemas muscular, endócrino e urinário. Na fase QUAL, evidenciou-se que a negociação dos produtos agrícolas amplia a exposição dos trabalhadores a riscos físico, químico e ergonômico. O lucro representa o objetivo e permite o custeio de equipamentos, assistência à saúde e terapêutica medicamentosa, mediante o adoecimento. Conclusão: os riscos ocupacionais estão presentes no trabalho agrícola. A negociação reduz-se ao consumo de serviços e produtos de saúde em presença do adoecimento.
Romanian post-communist agriculture – structural dynamics and challenges
Authors: Ianoş Ioan , Secăreanu George
Published: May 2021

This paper represents an overview on the structural dynamics of Romanian agriculture, and the challenges faced. Describing the main changes over the last three decades, the analysis here should facilitate understanding of how communist-era agriculture of a centralised state might be transformed into something able to operate efficiently under free-market conditions. The specifics of Romania’s agricultural transition connect closely with certain preconditions, among them in particular the high proportion of the national population that is still rural. A privatisation process set in rapidly post-1989, as the old State Farms were dissolved over just two years. The role this economic branch played in the generation of GDP decreased, in a manner suggesting the former level will not be re-achieved, but farmers have worked to improve their basic infrastructure. The main obstacle would now seem to be the excessive fragmentation of agricultural land and the only-slow process of consolidation. Current characteristics of structural dynamics are visible in trends towards specialisation in farming, livestock restructuring, the slow (re-) development of irrigation infrastructure, increased land prices and more typical processes of a “land grab” profile. In this connection, the paper identifies 9 challenges Romanian agriculture faces, presenting these synthetically to ensure a clarification of objectives, with a view to greater upgrading of the country’s huge potential being achieved.
The Yugoslav factor in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and its impact upon Yugoslav-Soviet relations
Authors: Bykova Elizaveta Aleksandrovna , Gridneva Anna Olegovna
Published: May 2021

This article is dedicated to the process of normalization of Yugoslav-Soviet relations, which took place on the background of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The goal consists in identification of causes for the absence of strong negative influence of the Yugoslav factor in the Hungarian events upon the relations between the Soviet Union and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Using the analysis of a wide array of sources and systematic consideration of the international situation that formed in 1956, the authors characterize the dynamics and vector of Yugoslav-Soviet relations during this period, determine the degree of impact of the Yugoslav factor in all its manifestations upon the development of Hungarian events, as well as trace the influence of the Hungarian Revolution upon Yugoslav-Soviet relations. The scientific novelty of this research consists in the analysis of direct and indirect participation of Yugoslavia in the conflict, which has been traditionally regarded as the conflict between the Soviet Union and Hungary alone. The conclusion is made that in 1956, the Soviet Union sought to unite the socialist countries on the background of tense foreign policy situation, trying to overcome the consequences of the conflict of 1948 and “attach” Yugoslavia to the bloc. Despite the fact that such intentions were jeopardized by the events of 1956 due to a range of controversial steps taken by Belgrade, Moscow did not immediately turn to public criticism of the Yugoslavs, as the mutual cooperation between the two countries was rather advantageous that the return to the situation of 1948 – 1953.
Increasing fault tolerance of data plane on the internet of things using the software-defined networks
Authors: Bakhshi Kiadehi Katayoun , Rahmani Amir Masoud , Sabbagh Molahosseini Amir
Published: May 2021

Considering the Internet of Things (IoT) impact in today’s world, uninterrupted service is essential, and recovery has received more attention than ever before. Fault-tolerance (FT) is an essential aspect of network resilience. Fault-tolerance mechanisms are required to ensure high availability and high reliability in systems. The advent of software-defined networking (SDN) in the IoT plays a significant role in providing a reliable communication platform. This paper proposes a data plane fault-tolerant architecture using the concepts of software-defined networks for IoT environments. In this work, a mathematical model called Shared Risk Link Group (SRLG) calculates redundant paths as the primary and backup non-overlapping paths between network equipment. In addition to the fault tolerance, service quality was considered in the proposed schemes. Putting the percentage of link bandwidth usage and the rate of link delay in calculating link costs makes it possible to calculate two completely non-overlapping paths with the best condition. We compare our two proposed dynamic schemes with the hybrid disjoint paths (Hybrid_DP) method and our previous work. IoT developments, wireless and wired equipment are now used in many industrial and commercial applications, so the proposed hybrid dynamic method supports both wired and wireless devices; furthermore multiple link failures will be supported in the two proposed dynamic schemes. Simulation results indicate that, while reducing the error recovery time, the two proposed dynamic designs lead to improved service quality parameters such as packet loss and delay compared to the Hybrid_DP method. The results show that in case of a link failure in the network, the proposed hybrid dynamic scheme’s recovery time is approximately 12 ms. Furthermore, in the proposed hybrid dynamic scheme, on average, the recovery time, the packet loss, and the delay improved by 22.39%, 8.2%, 5.66%, compared to the Hybrid_DP method, respectively.
Physio-Biochemical and Yield Response of Chickpea Genotypes under Salinity and High Temperature Stress
Authors: Sinha Trisha , Kumar Shailesh , Singh Ajay Kumar
Published: May 2021

A pot experiment was carried out with six chickpea genotypes viz. KPG-59, IPC-2013-74 and NDG-15-6 (tolerant group); and KWR-108, BG-3075 and BG-3076 (susceptible group) to study the responses of these genotypes under salinity stress (4.20 dSm-1) with normal sowing, high temperature (HT) stress with late sowing and their combination (saline soil + late sowing), and compared with control (non-stress) condition based on several physio-biochemical traits such as malondialdehyde content (MDA), membrane stability index (MSI), relative water content (RWC) and proline in leaf at reproductive stage; and seed yield after harvesting. Both salinity and HT individually and in combination significantly affected the traits studied. Among the parameters, MDA increased under stress treatments over control, while MSI and RWC decreased for the same. However, combined stress exhibited hypo-additive effects for these parameters which might be due to developed cross-tolerance while facing salinity and HT stress in sequence. Increase in proline content under stress over control is an indication of osmotic adjustment in response to stress. These results might be good criteria in development of genotypes with improved response in terms of physio-biochemical traits and yield.
The Nigerian Pharmaceutical Supply Chain: Blockchain Adoption, Counterfeit Drugs and Successful Deployment of COVID-19 Vaccine in Nigeria
Authors: Labaran Muhammad Jameel , Hamma-Adama Mansur
Published: May 2021

Aim: Critically investigating the possibility of adopting blockchain technology within the Nigerian pharmaceutical supply chain to curb the supply of counterfeit drugs.

Study Design: The study is qualitative in nature and the primary data were fetched through interviews.

Place and Duration of the Study: Conducted within Nigeria for a period of 3 months.

Methodology: A qualitative method of data collection was adopted in the study, where some stakeholders were interviewed. The interviews were conducted with employees from different pharmaceutical companies and some drug regulatory agencies in Nigeria.

Result: Firstly, this study has ascertained the current prevalence of counterfeit drugs and the reasons for that. The study discovers a very high level of counterfeit drugs and some reasons behind that. Secondly, this study has also found some barriers to blockchain adoption, including the fact that the level of awareness of blockchain technology among stakeholders within the Nigerian pharmaceutical supply chain and the regulatory agencies is very low.

Conclusion: It was concluded that the efforts put in developing a viable COVID-19 vaccine could be undermined due to the current nature of the Nigerian pharmaceutical supply chain, the nature of porous borders in place, absence of an apparent drug distribution system, among others.  This study also concludes that the supply chain's current structure needs more regulatory and structural interventions by the Nigerian government than blockchain technology. In other words, with the current nature of the supply chain, blockchain technology adoption would not be effective in delivering the said benefits reported by scholars because the atmosphere is not conducive for successful blockchain adoption.
Correlating Ultrafast Dynamics, Liquid Crystalline Phases, and Ambipolar Transport in Fluorinated Benzothiadiazole Dyes
Authors: Boehme Simon Christian , Tchamba Yimga Nadine , Frick Achidi , Gunst Susann , Untenecker Harald , Kennis John T. M. , van Stokkum Ivo H. M. , Kirsch Peer , von Hauff Elizabeth
Published: May 2021

A key challenge in the field of organic electronics is predicting how chemical structure at the molecular scale determines nature and dynamics of excited states, as well as the macroscopic optoelectronic properties in thin film. Here, the donor–acceptor dyes 4,7‐bis[5‐[4‐(3‐ethylheptyl)‐2,3‐difluorophenyl]‐2‐thienyl]‐2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole (2,3‐FFPTB) and 4,7‐bis[5‐[4‐(3‐ethylheptyl)‐2,6‐difluorophenyl]‐2‐thienyl]‐2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole (2,6‐FFPTB) are synthesized, which only differ in the position of one fluorine substitution. It is observed that this variation in chemical structure does not influence the energetic position of the molecular frontier orbitals or the ultrafast dynamics on the FFPTB backbone. However, it does result in differences at the macroscale, specifically regarding structural and electrical properties of the FFPTB films. Both FFPTB molecules form crystalline films at room temperature, whereas 2,3‐FFPTB has two ordered smectic phases at elevated temperatures, and 2,6‐FFPTB does not display any liquid crystalline phases. It is demonstrated that the altered location of the fluorine substitution allows to control the electrostatic potential along the molecular backbone without impacting molecular energetics or ultrafast dynamics. Such a design strategy succeeds in controlling molecular interactions in liquid crystalline phase, and it is shown that the associated molecular order, or rather disorder, can be exploited to achieve ambipolar transport in FFPTB films.
Family logics and environmental sustainability: A study of the New Zealand wine industry
Authors: Kariyapperuma Nishanthi , Collins Eva
Published: May 2021

The majority of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the wine industry are family owned and operated providing a unique organisational structure to study environmental sustainability engagement. However, researchers at the intersection of environmental sustainability (ES) and family businesses tend to oversimplify family businesses as homogeneous regarding ES. Therefore, the broader goal of this paper is to investigate the antecedents of heterogeneities among family firms related to ES. The paper aims to understand how family firms portray different aspects of family influence (family goals, family values, culture and ethics, and the imprints of the founders and the next generation) in their ES disclosures. Family logics are used as a theoretical lens to analyse family influence. A qualitative content analysis of 72 corporate websites of family firms operating in the New Zealand wine industry was conducted. Antecedents of heterogeneities were revealed with a discussion of three typologies of family firms: family first, business first and upstarts.
Assessing acoustic competition between sibling frog species using rhythm analysis
Authors: Filer Alannah , Burchardt Lara S. , van Rensburg Berndt J.
Published: May 2021

Male frog advertisement calls are species‐specific vocalizations used to attract females for breeding. However, it is possible for environmental or biological sounds to overlap these calls in both frequency and duration resulting in signal confusion, influencing female decision and/or location abilities. It is therefore important for vocal species competing for the same acoustic space to partition their calls either spatially or temporally (via call alternation or suppression). However, frog species previously isolated from each other may not have developed appropriate adaptive behaviors, resulting in acoustic competition. This study applied rhythm analysis to track changes in calling behavior, namely changes in calling frequency (as in beats per second), of the wallum sedgefrog and the eastern sedgefrog when vocalizing alone versus in the presence of each other to assess potential acoustic competition. Our main findings demonstrated that both species significantly altered their calling behavior when exposed to each other. While we expected the increased calling activity of one species to inhibit the activity of the other to avoid signal confusion, we instead found that both species greatly increased the beat frequency of their calls when calling in the presence of each other. We also found evidence of beat frequency development in the wallum sedgefrog whereby there was always a strong initial increase in call frequency in reaction to the first vocal interruption by the eastern sedgefrog. These results support the hypothesis that the eastern sedgefrog and the wallum sedgefrog are in competition for the acoustic space in habitats where they occur together. This highlights a new threat to the vulnerable wallum sedgefrog species and may serve to inform future management practices. Using rhythm analyses to track changes in acoustic behavior can help inform on important population dynamics such as health, trajectory, and response to management, and therefore be of great benefit to the conservation of vocal species.
Grapevine rootstocks affect growth‐related scion phenotypes
Authors: Migicovsky Zoë , Cousins Peter , Jordan Lindsay M. , Myles Sean , Striegler Richard Keith , Verdegaal Paul , Chitwood Daniel H.
Published: May 2021

Grape growers use rootstocks to provide protection against pests and pathogens and to modulate viticulture performance such as shoot growth. Our study examined two grapevine scion varieties (‘Chardonnay’ and ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’) grafted to 15 different rootstocks and determined the effect of rootstocks on eight traits important to viticulture. We assessed the vines across five years and identified both year and variety as contributing strongly to trait variation. The effect of rootstock was relatively consistent across years and varieties, explaining between 8.99% and 9.78% of the variation in growth‐related traits including yield, pruning weight, berry weight and Ravaz index (yield to pruning weight ratio). Increases in yield due to rootstock were generally the result of increases in berry weight, likely due to increased water uptake by vines grafted to a particular rootstock. We demonstrated a greater than 50% increase in yield, pruning weight, or Ravaz index by choosing the optimal rootstock, indicating that rootstock choice is crucial for grape growers looking to improve vine performance.
Parametrized classifiers for optimal EFT sensitivity
Authors: Chen Siyu , Glioti Alfredo , Panico Giuliano , Wulzer Andrea
Published: May 2021

Abstract

We study unbinned multivariate analysis techniques, based on Statistical Learning, for indirect new physics searches at the LHC in the Effective Field Theory framework. We focus in particular on high-energy ZW production with fully leptonic decays, modeled at different degrees of refinement up to NLO in QCD. We show that a considerable gain in sensitivity is possible compared with current projections based on binned analyses. As expected, the gain is particularly significant for those operators that display a complex pattern of interference with the Standard Model amplitude. The most effective method is found to be the “Quadratic Classifier” approach, an improvement of the standard Statistical Learning classifier where the quadratic dependence of the differential cross section on the EFT Wilson coefficients is built-in and incorporated in the loss function. We argue that the Quadratic Classifier performances are nearly statistically optimal, based on a rigorous notion of optimality that we can establish for an approximate analytic description of the ZW process.
Defining Polyamory: A Thematic Analysis of Lay People’s Definitions
Authors: Cardoso Daniel , Pascoal Patricia M. , Maiochi Francisco Hertel
Published: May 2021

This study aimed to analyze laypeople’s definitions of polyamory and compare definitions presented by people who are not willing to engage in consensual non-monogamy (CNM) and those who are or are willing to be in a CNM relationship. This exploratory qualitative study used data collected from a convenience sample through a web survey, where people answered the question “What does polyamory mean?” We conducted thematic analysis to examine patterns in meaning and used demographic data to compare themes among groups. The final sample comprised 463 participants aged 18–66 years (M = 32.19, SD = 10.02), mostly heterosexual (60%). Of the total sample, 54% were in a monogamous relationship, followed by 21% not in a relationship, and 13% in a non-monogamous relationship. Analysis showed that people define polyamory mostly as a set of behaviors in a relationship, followed by the potential of multiple relationships or feelings for multiple people. Definitions also include emotional, sexual, and ethical aspects. People in CNM relationships are more likely to define polyamory as constituting a potential form of relating, focus more on interpersonal feelings and ethics, and include consent in their definitions than those unwilling to engage in CNM. People in CNM relationships also focus particularly on the non-central role of sex within these relationships, which might challenge assumptions about sexuality in these relationships in clinical and research settings.
Developing a monitoring program of genetic diversity: what do stakeholders say?
Authors: Pärli Rea , Lieberherr Eva , Holderegger Rolf , Gugerli Felix , Widmer Alex , Fischer Martin C.
Published: May 2021

Genetic diversity is a fundamental component of biological diversity, and its conservation is considered key to ensure the long-term survival of natural populations and species. National and international legislation increasingly mandates a monitoring of genetic diversity. Examples are the United Nation’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Aichi target 13 and the current post-2020 negotiations to specify a new target for maintaining genetic diversity. To date, only a few pilot projects have been launched that systematically monitor genetic diversity over time in natural populations of a broad variety of wild species. The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment mandated a feasibility study in 2019 for implementing a national monitoring of genetic diversity in natural populations. To obtain information on whether stakeholders are interested in such a systematic monitoring, what they would expect from such a monitoring and where they see respective caveats, we conducted an online survey, which 138 (42% of those surveyed) Swiss stakeholders answered. We find that Swiss stakeholders are generally aware of the lacking evidence regarding the status of genetic diversity in wild populations and species. Accordingly, most stakeholders are interested in a monitoring of genetic diversity and see opportunities for the application of its results in their work. Nevertheless, stakeholders also expressed concerns regarding financial resources and that the results of a genetic diversity monitoring program would not benefit conservation practice. Our findings highlight the importance of stakeholder engagement and demonstrate the value of a detailed stakeholder analysis prior to developing and implementing a genetic diversity monitoring program. A powerful tool for examining the constellation and interactions of the different stakeholders are social network analyses (SNAs). Finally, it is particularly important to communicate transparently about the possibilities and limitations of a genetic diversity monitoring program as well as to closely involve stakeholders from the beginning to increase the acceptance of genetic diversity monitoring and facilitate its implementation.
The effect of performance-oriented funding in higher education: evidence from the staff recruitment budget in Italian higher education
Authors: Fadda Nicoletta , Marinò Ludovico , Pischedda Gianfranco , Ezza Alberto
Published: May 2021

This study, which aims to investigate some potential effects derived from the adoption of performance-oriented funding in the higher education system, is focused on competitive allocative mechanism to provide universities with the staff recruitment budget in the Italian Higher Education System using panel data spanning the period 2012–2018 for 58 public universities. Results show that the geographical area in which universities operate influences their capacity to increase performance and thus financial resources. Indeed, universities located in Northern areas, the wealthier part of Italy, received a higher amount of resources than those located in the rest of the country. These findings reveal the key role played by external factors, which are beyond the control of management, in universities’ capacity to achieve better performance. Results also suggest that policy-makers should identify the correct trade-off between the quest for higher performance within the Italian Higher Education System and equity in resource allocation.
Circ_0020093 ameliorates IL-1β-induced apoptosis and extracellular matrix degradation of human chondrocytes by upregulating SPRY1 via targeting miR-23b
Authors: Feng Mingli , Jing Lin , Cheng Jingbo , An Shuai , Huang Jiang , Yan Qi
Published: May 2021

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease characterized by articular cartilage degeneration and uncontrolled chondrocyte apoptosis. At present, accumulating evidence introduces that circular RNA (circRNA) is involved in the development of OA. The aim of our study was to explore the role and the functional mechanism of circ_0020093 in OA cell model. Human chondrocytes were treated with interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) to construct OA model. The expression of circ_0020093, miR-23b, and Sprouty 1 (SPRY1) mRNA was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry assay. The expression of extracellular matrix (ECM)-associated markers and SPRY1 protein level was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Bioinformatics analysis-predicted relationship between miR-23b and circ_0020093 or SPRY1 was further verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay. In this study, we found that the expression of circ_0020093 and SPRY1 was declined, while miR-23b expression was elevated in IL-1β-treated chondrocytes. IL-1β induced chondrocyte apoptosis and ECM degradation, while these negative effects were alleviated by circ_0020093 overexpression or miR-23b inhibition. MiR-23b was a target of circ_0020093, and SPRY1 was a downstream target of miR-23b. Rescue experiments showed that miR-23b enrichment reversed the role of circ_0020093 overexpression, and SPRY1 knockdown also reversed the effects of miR-23b inhibition. Importantly, circ_0020093 positively regulated SPRY1 expression by targeting miR-23b. In conclusion, circ_0020093 ameliorates IL-1β-induced apoptosis and ECM degradation of human chondrocytes by regulating the miR-23b/SPRY1 axis.
PhyDSLK: a model-driven framework for generating exergames
Authors: Baldassarre Maria Teresa , Caivano Danilo , Romano Simone , Cagnetta Francesco , Fernandez-Cervantes Victor , Stroulia Eleni
Published: May 2021

In recent years, we have been witnessing a rapid increase of research on exergames—i.e., computer games that require users to move during gameplay as a form of physical activity and rehabilitation. Properly balancing the need to develop an effective exercise activity with the requirements for a smooth interaction with the software system and an engaging game experience is a challenge. Model-driven software engineering enables the fast prototyping of multiple system variants, which can be very useful for exergame development. In this paper, we propose a framework, PhyDSLK, which eases the development process of personalized and engaging Kinect-based exergames for rehabilitation purposes, providing high-level tools that abstract the technical details of using the Kinect sensor and allows developers to focus on the game design and user experience. The system relies on model-driven software engineering technologies and is made of two main components: (i) an authoring environment relying on a domain-specific language to define the exergame model encapsulating the gameplay that the exergame designer has envisioned and (ii) a code generator that transforms the exergame model into executable code. To validate our approach, we performed a preliminary empirical evaluation addressing development effort and usability of the PhyDSLK framework. The results are promising and provide evidence that people with no experience in game development are able to create exergames with different complexity levels in one hour, after a less-than-two-hour training on PhyDSLK. Also, they consider PhyDSLK usable regardless of the exergame complexity.
Vulnerability and Resilience in the Caribbean Island States; the Role of Connectivity
Authors: Pereira Edwina E. , Steenge Albert E.
Published: May 2021

It is well-known that small states, because of their size, tend to be less endowed with natural resources than big ones. This makes small states vulnerable and raises the question if specific policies can be implemented to offset the drawbacks of their small size and to increase resilience. We address this question in this paper, thereby focusing on the role of connectivity – between states, organisations, parties, or otherwise – in understanding a country’s vulnerability and resilience. Here ‘policies’ are interpreted as ‘institutions’ in the sense of Douglass C. North (1990), i.e. as ‘humanly devised constraints that structure political, economic and social interaction’. We focus on the Caribbean area, which is characterised by a wide variety of small states, each with its own set of rules and regulations. Within this area, we concentrate on the relationship between three Dutch Caribbean islands, i.e., Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, on the one hand, and the Netherlands, the former colonizer, on the other hand. As a first step we have measured the economic vulnerability and resilience of 17 Caribbean island states, both dependent and independent, employing the theoretical framework proposed by Lino Briguglio. The outcomes show that the three Dutch island states are performing comparatively well, although there are individual differences. We provide a first effort to explain this outcome in terms of the continuing interest of the three island states to keep their ties to the former colonizer viable. Here the presence of ‘systemic interest’ as shown by the stakeholders appears to be a most important variable.
Correction to: Response shift in patient-reported outcomes: definition, theory, and a revised model
Authors: Vanier Antoine , Oort Frans J. , McClimans Leah , Ow Nikki , Gulek Bernice G. , Böhnke Jan R. , Sprangers Mirjam , Sébille Véronique , Mayo Nancy ,   the Response Shift - in Sync Working Group
Published: May 2021

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-021-02890-6
An improved text classification modelling approach to identify security messages in heterogeneous projects
Authors: Oyetoyan Tosin Daniel , Morrison Patrick
Published: May 2021

Security remains under-addressed in many organisations, illustrated by the number of large-scale software security breaches. Preventing breaches can begin during software development if attention is paid to security during the software’s design and implementation. One approach to security assurance during software development is to examine communications between developers as a means of studying the security concerns of the project. Prior research has investigated models for classifying project communication messages (e.g., issues or commits) as security related or not. A known problem is that these models are project-specific, limiting their use by other projects or organisations. We investigate whether we can build a generic classification model that can generalise across projects. We define a set of security keywords by extracting them from relevant security sources, dividing them into four categories: asset, attack/threat, control/mitigation, and implicit. Using different combinations of these categories and including them in the training dataset, we built a classification model and evaluated it on industrial, open-source, and research-based datasets containing over 45 different products. Our model based on harvested security keywords as a feature set shows average recall from 55 to 86%, minimum recall from 43 to 71% and maximum recall from 60 to 100%. An average f-score between 3.4 and 88%, an average g-measure of at least 66% across all the dataset, and an average AUC of ROC from 69 to 89%. In addition, models that use externally sourced features outperformed models that use project-specific features on average by a margin of 26–44% in recall, 22–50% in g-measure, 0.4–28% in f-score, and 15–19% in AUC of ROC. Further, our results outperform a state-of-the-art prediction model for security bug reports in all cases. We find using sound statistical and effect size tests that (1) using harvested security keywords as features to train a text classification model improve classification models and generalise to other projects significantly. (2) Including features in the training dataset before model construction improve classification models significantly. (3) Different security categories represent predictors for different projects. Finally, we introduce new and promising approaches to construct models that can generalise across different independent projects.
Probing the Rheological Properties of Liquids Under Conditions of Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Using Simulations and Machine Learning
Authors: Kadupitiya J. C. S. , Jadhao Vikram
Published: May 2021

In elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL), the lubricant experiences pressures in excess of 500 MPa and strain rates larger than $$10^5$$

10
5

 $$\text{s}^{-1}$$

s

-
1

. The high pressures lead to a dramatic rise in the Newtonian viscosity and the high rates lead to large shear stresses and pronounced shear thinning. The extraction of accurate rheological properties using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations (NEMD) has played a key role in improving our understanding of lubricant flow in EHL conditions. However, the high dimensionality of the output data generated by NEMD simulations often makes a deeper interrogation of the link between molecular-scale features and rheological properties challenging. In this paper, we explore the use of machine learning to analyze and visualize the high-dimensional output data generated in typical NEMD simulations. We show that dimension reduction of NEMD simulation data describing the shear flow of squalane enables a clear visualization of the transition from Newtonian to non-Newtonian shear thinning with increasing shear rate and provides a reliable assessment of the correlation between shear thinning and the evolution in molecular alignment. The end-to-end atom pairs dominate the largest variations in pair orientation tensor components for low-pressure systems (0.1, 100 MPa) and provide the clearest separation of the orientation tensors with rate. On the other hand, the side atom pairs dominate the largest variation in the tensor components for the high-pressure systems ($$P\ge 400$$

P
≥
400

MPa) which exhibit an overall limited evolution in orientation tensors as a function of rate. Dimension reduction using all the six components of the orientation tensors of all 435 pairs associated with a squalane molecule shows that the decrease in viscosity with rate for low pressures is strongly correlated with changes in molecular alignment. However, for high pressures, shear thinning occurs at saturated orientational order.
Co-occurrences of tropical trees in eastern South America: disentangling abiotic and biotic forces
Authors: Marjakangas Emma-Liina , Ovaskainen Otso , Abrego Nerea , Grøtan Vidar , de Oliveira Alexandre A. , Prado Paulo I. , de Lima Renato A. F.
Published: May 2021

Species co-occurrences in local communities can arise independent or dependent on species’ niches. However, the role of niche-dependent processes has not been thoroughly deciphered when generalized to biogeographical scales, probably due to combined shortcomings of data and methodology. Here, we explored the influence of environmental filtering and limiting similarity, as well as biogeographical processes that relate to the assembly of species’ communities and co-occurrences. We modelled jointly the occurrences and co-occurrences of 1016 tropical tree species with abundance data from inventories of 574 localities in eastern South America. We estimated species co-occurrences as raw and residual associations with models that excluded and included the environmental effects on the species’ co-occurrences, respectively. Raw associations indicate co-occurrence of species, whereas residual associations indicate co-occurrence of species after accounting for shared responses to environment. Generally, the influence of environmental filtering exceeded that of limiting similarity in shaping species’ co-occurrences. The number of raw associations was generally higher than that of the residual associations due to the shared responses of tree species to the environmental covariates. Contrary to what was expected from assuming limiting similarity, phylogenetic relatedness or functional similarity did not limit tree co-occurrences. The proportions of positive and negative residual associations varied greatly across the study area, and we found a significant tendency of some biogeographical regions having higher proportions of negative associations between them, suggesting that large-scale biogeographical processes limit the establishment of trees and consequently their co-occurrences.
Vascular procedures in patients with left ventricular assist devices: single-center experience
Authors: Rustum Saad , Neuser Julia , Schmitto Jan Dieter , Aper Thomas , Hanke Jasmin Sarah , Haverich Axel , Wilhelmi Mathias
Published: May 2021

Objective

A growing number of patients suffering from heart failure is living with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and is in the need for non-cardiac surgery. Vascular procedures due to ischemia, bleeding, or other device-related complications may be required and pose a challenge to the caregivers in terms of monitoring and management of these patients. Therefore, we reviewed our experience with LVAD patients undergoing vascular surgery.

Methods

From January 2010 until March 2017, a total of 54 vascular procedures were performed on 41 LVAD patients at our institution. Patient records were reviewed retrospectively in terms of incidence of LVAD-related complications, including thrombosis, stroke, bleeding, wound healing, and survival associated with vascular surgery. The type of surgery was recorded, as well as various clinical demographic variables.

Results

Vascular procedures were performed in 35 men (85.4%) and 6 women (14.6%) with LVADs. There were no perioperative strokes, device thromboses, or device malfunctions. Thirty-day mortality overall was 26.8% (eleven patients), with most patients dying within 30 days after LVAD implantation due to multi-organ failure. In 25 procedures (46.3%), a blood transfusion was necessary.

Conclusion

Patients on LVAD support are a complex cohort with a high risk for perioperative complications. In a setting where device function and anticoagulation are monitored closely, vascular surgery in these patients is feasible with an acceptable perioperative risk.
The moral life of econometric equations: Factoring class inequality into school quality valuations in Chile
Authors: Chouhy Gabriel
Published: May 2021

Recent sociological scholarship on market design is ill-equipped to understand the normative and political aspects of experts’ practices in connection to political conflicts over the commodification of social rights. I develop an original approach to the politicized use of market devices to address collective concerns in a noneconomic policy field: education. When designing a high-stakes school accountability system, policymakers in Chile confronted a moral conundrum: should schools be valued according to their students’ absolute proficiency, or according to the school’s relative effectiveness? Progressive and conservative experts in charge of settling this dilemma pushed for using the statistical model (OLS vs. HLM) that yielded rankings that fit their moral preferences. Through qualitative analyses of experts’ real-world application of quantitative methods, as well as experts’ interpretations of these methods’ performative consequences, I mobilize the much-debated concept of “moral background” to unravel the conditions for subsuming ideological dissent into consensual forms of decision-making.
Loss of 15-lipoxygenase disrupts Treg differentiation altering their pro-resolving functions
Authors: Marques Raquel M. , Gonzalez-Nunez Maria , Walker Mary E. , Gomez Esteban A. , Colas Romain A. , Montero-Melendez Trinidad , Perretti Mauro , Dalli Jesmond
Published: May 2021

Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) are central in the maintenance of homeostasis and resolution of inflammation. However, the mechanisms that govern their differentiation and function are not completely understood. Herein, we demonstrate a central role for the lipid mediator biosynthetic enzyme 15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15) in regulating key aspects of Treg biology. Pharmacological inhibition or genetic deletion of ALOX15 in Tregs decreased FOXP3 expression, altered Treg transcriptional profile and shifted their metabolism. This was linked with an impaired ability of Alox15-deficient cells to exert their pro-resolving actions, including a decrease in their ability to upregulate macrophage efferocytosis and a downregulation of interferon gamma expression in Th1 cells. Incubation of Tregs with the ALOX15-derived specilized pro-resolving mediators (SPM)s Resolvin (Rv)D3 and RvD5n-3 DPA rescued FOXP3 expression in cells where ALOX15 activity was inhibited. In vivo, deletion of Alox15 led to increased vascular lipid load and expansion of Th1 cells in mice fed western diet, a phenomenon that was reversed when Alox15-deficient mice were reconstituted with wild type Tregs. Taken together these findings demonstrate a central role of pro-resolving lipid mediators in governing the differentiation of naive T-cells to Tregs.
SEC61G promotes breast cancer development and metastasis via modulating glycolysis and is transcriptionally regulated by E2F1
Authors: Ma Jingjing , He Zhixian , Zhang Hongwei , zhang Wensheng , Gao Sheng , Ni Xiaojian
Published: May 2021

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and its incidence rates are rapidly increasing in China. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer tumorigenesis enables the development of novel therapeutic strategies. SEC61G is a subunit of the endoplasmic reticulum translocon that plays critical roles in various tumors. We aimed to investigate the expression and function of SEC61G in breast cancer. By analyzing The Cancer Genome Atlas breast cancer cohort, we found that SEC61G was highly expressed in breast cancer and predicted poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. Overexpression of SEC61G and its prognostic role was also confirmed in the Nanjing Medical University (NMU) breast cancer cohort. Functionally, we demonstrated that knockdown of SEC61G suppressed breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and promoted breast cancer cell apoptosis in vitro. Xenograft breast tumor model revealed that knockdown of SEC61G inhibited breast tumor development in vivo. Furthermore, we demonstrated that SEC61G positively regulated glycolysis in breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, we showed that transcription factor E2F1 directly bound to the promoter of SEC61G and regulated its expression in breast cancer cells. SEC61G overexpression antagonized the effect of E2F1 knockdown in regulating breast cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis. Finally, we demonstrated that the E2F1/SEC61G axis regulated glycolysis and chemo-sensitivity of Herceptin in breast cancer cells. Taken together, these results of in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that SEC61G promotes breast cancer development and metastasis via modulating glycolysis and is transcriptionally regulated by E2F1, which might be utilized as a promising therapeutic target of breast cancer treatment.
Cell-based assay for ciliopathy patients to improve accurate diagnosis using ALPACA
Authors: Doornbos Cenna , van Beek Ronald , Bongers Ernie M. H. F. , Lugtenberg Dorien , Klaren Peter. H. M. , Vissers Lisenka E. L. M. , Roepman Ronald , Oud Machteld M.
Published: May 2021

Skeletal ciliopathies are a group of disorders caused by dysfunction of the cilium, a small signaling organelle present on nearly every vertebrate cell. This group of disorders is marked by genetic and clinical heterogeneity, which complicates accurate diagnosis. In this study, we developed a robust, standardized immunofluorescence approach to accurately diagnose a subset of these disorders. Hereto we determined and compared the cilium phenotype of healthy individuals to patients from three different ciliopathy subgroups, using skin-derived fibroblasts. The cilium phenotype assay consists of three parameters; (1) ciliogenesis, based on the presence or absence of cilium markers, (2) cilium length, measured by the combined signal of an axonemal and a cilium membrane marker, and (3) retrograde intraflagellar transport (IFT), quantified by the area of the ciliary tip. Analysis of the cilium phenotypic data yielded comparable and reproducible results and in addition, displayed identifiable clusters for healthy individuals and two ciliopathy subgroups, i.e. ATD and CED. Our results illustrate that standardized analysis of the cilium phenotype can be used to discriminate between ciliopathy subgroups. Therefore, we believe that standardization of functional assays analyzing cilium phenotypic data can provide additional proof for conclusive diagnosis of ciliopathies, which is essential for routine diagnostic care.
A label-free electrochemical platform based on a thionine functionalized magnetic Fe–N–C electrocatalyst for the detection of microRNA-21
Authors: Ma Xiangyu , Qian Kun , Ejeromedoghene Onome , Kandawa-Schulz Martha , Song Wei , Wang Yihong
Published: May 2021

Fe–N–C integrating magnetism, adsorption, and catalytic activity, combined with thionine to provide a label-free electrochemical platform for the detection of microRNA-21.
Assessment of the skin barrier function in the reconstructed human epidermis using a multimodal approach at molecular, tissue and functional levels
Authors: Bakar Joudi , Michael-Jubeli Rime , El Khoury Rindala , Hamla Sabrina , Assi Ali , Baillet-Guffroy Arlette , Tfayli Ali
Published: May 2021

Reconstructed human epidermis models are used as epidermis alternatives in skin research studies.
A general purpose MALDI matrix for the analyses of small organic, peptide and protein molecules
Authors: Gu Hao , Ma Kang , Zhao Weiqian , Qiu Lirong , Xu Wei
Published: May 2021

4-Hydroxy-3-nitrobenzonitrile could be used as the MALDI matrix for the analyses of both small and macro molecules.
Construction of a novel asymmetric imidazole-cored AIE probe for ratiometric imaging of endogenous leucine aminopeptidase
Authors: Huang Xueyan , Lei Qian , Huang Shuai , Zeng Hongliang , Feng Bin , Zeng Qinghai , Hu Yibo , Zeng Wenbin
Published: May 2021

A novel asymmetric tetraarylimidazole-based AIE probe for ratiometric imaging of endogenous LAP.
Identification of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase 1 and 2 (PARP1/2) as targets of andrographolide using an integrated chemical biology approach
Authors: Li Wenchao , Pan Bowen , Shi Yang , Wang Meiying , Han Tianjiao , Wang Qing , Duan Guifang , Fu Hongzheng
Published: May 2021

Andrographolide is the first PARP natural product inhibitor that does not contain an amide structure and has an inhibitory activity in the nanomolar range. This chemical structure is significant for expanding the structural type of PARP inhibitors.