bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research on disturbance rejection motion control method of USV for UUV recovery
Authors: Liao Yulei , Chen Congcong , Du Tingpeng , Sun Jiaqi , Xin Yunwei , Zhai Zizheng , Wang Bo , Li Ye , Pang Shuo
Published: December 2022

The recovery of unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) by unmanned surface vehicle (USV) has the characteristics of autonomy, safety, and efficiency. Taking the recovery of UUV by USV as the engineering background, this paper studies the guidance and anti‐interference motion control of USV in the recovery process. Aiming at the problem of dynamic guidance when recovering UUV, the USV guidance strategy for UUV recovery is studied. Fuzzy guidance is introduced as the dynamic terminal guidance method, and a layered guidance strategy combining classical guidance and fuzzy guidance is proposed. On the basis of the theory of compact form dynamic linearization‐based model‐free adaptive control (CFDL‐MFAC), the motion control of USV in the process of recovering UUV under the influence of model perturbation, external interference, and other uncertainties is studied. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that there is a contradiction in the matching of dynamic change speed between the USV heading control subsystem and CFDL‐MFAC. By introducing the difference item into the standard control criterion to weaken the integral effect in the heading control subsystem of USV, a difference‐type compact format model‐free adaptive control method (DCFDL‐MFAC) is proposed, and the stability of DCFDL‐MFAC method is proved theoretically. The effectiveness and practicability of the proposed method are verified by simulation tests and field tests of “Dolphin IB” small USV.
Compliance with water resource regulation: A mixed‐method study of the effects of regulatory audits
Authors: L'Abée‐Lund Jan Henning , Braut Geir Sverre , Brittain John E.
Published: December 2022

Regulatory audits have been judged as a vital instrument to ensure compliance with regulatory obligations. Similarity in understanding of the achievement of regulatory outcomes in both authorities and companies is a prerequisite to secure conformity to regulations. A divergent approach to audits suggests restricted effects of regulatory audits. We analysed nonconformity, documented in 153 audits of 113 Norwegian hydropower and aquaculture companies. Twenty companies were audited 2–12 times during 2012–2020. There were no indications that an audit resulted in improved awareness in the company. A major part of nonconformity is connected to financial interest, likely of significance to the company itself. In addition to the environmental consequences, the failure to uncover, correct, and prevent nonconformity is alarming, seen both from a risk governance and a financial perspective. Our study of water resource management and regulation shows that merely performing audits have no significant effect on improvement. We claim that it is futile to implement audits if they are not put into some systematic constructed programme theory in every single company. When stating nonconformity in regulatory audits, the rational way of following up by the authorities should focus on how the company and site managers in practice work with improving safety and quality.
Single‐Atom Pd‐N4 Catalysis for Stable Low‐Overpotential Lithium‐Oxygen Battery
Authors: Zheng Jian , Zhang Wenjing , Wang Ruoyu , Wang Junkai , Zhai Yanwu , Liu Xiangfeng
Published: December 2022

The critical challenge for Li‐O2 batteries lies in the large charge overpotential, leading to undesirable side reactions and inferior cycle stability. Single‐atom catalysts have shown promising prospects in expediting the kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for Li‐O2 batteries. However, a present practical drawback is the limited understanding of the correlation between the unique atomic structures and the OER mechanism. Herein, a template‐assisted strategy is reported to synthesize atomically dispersed Pd anchored on N‐doped carbon spheres as cathode catalysts. Benefiting from the well‐defined Pd‐N4 moiety, the morphology and distribution of Li2O2 products are distinctly regulated with optimized decomposition reversibility. Theoretical simulations reveal that the unique configuration of Pd‐N4 will contribute to the electron transfer from Pd atoms to the adjacent N atoms, which turns the originally electroneutral Pd into positively charged and downshifts the d‐band center and therefore weakens its adsorption energy with the intermediates. The Li‐O2 batteries with Pd SAs/NC cathode achieve a charge overpotential of only 0.24 V and sustainable low‐overpotential cycling stability (500 mA g−1), and can retain a low charge voltage to a very high capacity of 10 000 mAh g−1. This work provides some insights into designing efficient single‐atom catalysts for stable low‐overpotential Li‐O2 batteries.
Seismic performance of reinforced concrete beam‐column joint made of post‐filling coarse aggregate concrete
Authors: Cao Qi , Ju He , Jia Jinqing , Zhang Qiang , Zhang Lihua
Published: December 2022

Post‐filling coarse aggregate concrete is a new type of green concrete that not only saves the cost of cementitious material, improves the strength, cracking resistance and durability of concrete, but also reduces the carbon footprint. In view of the lack of research on the seismic performance of post‐filling coarse aggregate concrete, this study designs eight interior beam‐column joint specimens made of post‐filling coarse aggregate concrete and three beam‐column joint specimens made of conventional concrete. It studies the influence of post‐filling coarse aggregate ratio, axial compression ratio and stirrup volume ratio of node area on the seismic performance of joint specimens. Through low cyclic reversed loading test, the failure process and the failure pattern, hysteresis curves, skeleton curves, ductility, stiffness degeneration, residual strength and residual displacement, and plastic hinge rotation of interior joints with post‐filling coarse aggregate concrete are analyzed. Test results show that the failure mode of post‐filling coarse aggregate concrete joints is similar to that of the conventional concrete joints. As the axial compression ratio increases, the seismic performance of the joints shows a trend of increasing first and then decreasing, and it reaches the peak when the axial compression ratio is 0.2. It also demonstrates that the seismic performance of the joints is increased by increasing the stirrup volume ratio of node area. Ultimately, under the same axial compression ratio, the seismic performance of the post‐filling coarse aggregate concrete is not significantly different from that of the conventional concrete. It proves that the reinforced beam‐column joint made of post‐filling coarse aggregate concrete could fulfill the comparable seismic performance as that of conventional concrete.
Toward nanofluidics‐based mass spectrometry for exploring the unknown complex and heterogeneous subcellular worlds
Authors: Chantipmanee Nattapong , Xu Yan
Published: December 2022

Exploring unknown matter in an ultrasmall volume object, such as unknown subcellular matter in a single cell, requires an analytical technique that identifies unknown matter in terms of molecular structures and properties. Mass spectrometry is considered one of the best techniques for such analyses because it can identify unknown matter according to its mass‐to‐charge ratio. However, the use of mass spectrometry to identify unknown substances in such a small world has been greatly impeded due to the lack of tools to sample complex and heterogeneous analytes with ultrasmall volumes of the picoliter order, which is the volume order of a mammalian cell. We believe that nanofluidics would be an ideal tool to resolve this critical issue owing to its ability to sample such fluid samples with ultrasmall volumes ranging from the picoliter to zeptoliter order. Thus, the integration of such nanofluidic features into mass spectrometers would open up future avenues for the potential of mass spectrometry to explore unknown subcellular matter at a nano scale. In this perspective, we first discuss the applicability of microfluidics/nanofluidics to mass spectrometry, then address critical issues toward nanofluidics‐based mass spectrometry, and finally depict a personal outlook on the future of this field to resolve challenges on global and universal scales.
Advanced mass spectrometric and spectroscopic methods coupled with machine learning for in vitro diagnosis
Authors: Chen Xiaonan , Shu Weikang , Zhao Liang , Wan Jingjing
Published: December 2022

In vitro diagnosis (IVD) is one vital component of medical tests that detects biological samples of tissues or bio‐fluids. Recently, mass spectrometry and spectroscopy have been increasingly employed in the field of IVD, due to their high accuracy, facile sample preparation, and rapid detection. Notably, the large datasets generated by these two technology methods provide a wealth of information but subsequently involve complex and time‐consuming processing works. Machine learning (ML), an important branch of artificial intelligence (AI), has emerged as a promising solution for the decoding of big data. ML imitates the human brain to process data, significantly improving accuracy and efficiency compared with traditional processing methods. In this review, we first introduce the commonly used ML algorithms and advanced mass spectrometry and spectroscopy techniques in the field of IVD, respectively. The ML algorithms are summarized as four aspects according to different learning tasks. Then, the combinations of ML with mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, and multi‐modal analysis for IVD are presented, and the roles of ML in these combinations are elucidated by some representative examples. This review aims to provide a systematic and comprehensive summary of the literature on ML‐assisted mass spectrometry or spectroscopy. We believe that it will facilitate researchers to select suitable ML algorithms for supplementing existing detection techniques or to develop the potential of coupling more detection techniques with ML, thus promoting the development of mass spectrometry and spectroscopy in IVD.
The Failed Attempt to Enact Benefit Company Legislation in Australia and the Rise of B Corps
Authors: Ramsay Ian , Upadhyaya Mihika
Published: December 2022

Australia is an unusual case study in terms of the history of benefit company legislation. Unlike the history in some other countries, the attempt by B Lab Australia and New Zealand (‘B Lab ANZ’) to introduce benefit company legislation was unsuccessful. It failed to gain the support of the government and attracted a mixed response from Australian businesses and academics. The authors discuss why the attempt was unsuccessful. However, although benefit company legislation was not enacted in Australia, B Lab ANZ’s B Corp certification program has had significant success with 371 Australian B Corps as of January 2022. The authors argue that while B Lab ANZ’s B Corp certification requirements achieve, in some important respects, some of what was contained in the proposed benefit company legislation, had it been enacted the proposed legislation would have ensured greater transparency and accountability for those companies electing to become benefit companies than is currently the case for B Corps in Australia.
Social Enterprises and Benefit Corporations in Brazil: Projects for Corporate Qualification and Capital Market Regulation
Authors: Salomão Filho Calixto , Karam Rachel Avellar Sotomaior
Published: December 2022

The new economy challenges companies to identify ways to generate positive social and environmental impact through their activities so that a corporation’s purpose lies in not only making a profit for the shareholders but also adding value to its stakeholders. The article addresses the economic legal concepts by looking at the impact of economic activity on the collective and sets out the legal principles, grounds, and limits of application to concrete cases. An overview of social enterprises in Brazil is presented, considering the particularities of the national context and the absence of a specific legal format. Through legislation, the proposal to create the qualification of benefit corporations is laid out as a useful and ready-to-use tool to foster entrepreneurial initiatives. Additionally, capital market self-regulation is explored, as a measure aligned with sustainable development.
Social Enterprises and B-Corps in Ecuador
Authors: Ortiz Esteban , Morejón José Ignacio
Published: December 2022

Ecuador is at the forefront when it comes to legal innovations. In 2008, it was the first country in the region to recognize rights to nature, and in 2020, it became the fourth country worldwide to incorporate a discussion on the benefit of a BIC corporation status into its legal system.

BIC corporations enable Ecuadorian companies to prioritize stakeholder governance, transparency, and sustainability in management as well as corporate behavior, driving change in markets. Since their recognition, for-profit corporations in Ecuador have had the option to transform their governance and prioritize the generation of positive material impacts by committing to solve one, or many, social and environmental problems through their business models.

This article explains how this small country in Latin America managed to insert this innovation into its legal system and how the recognition of BIC corporations marks a major milestone in the process of changing systems in the region.
Social Purposes in German Corporate Law and Benefit Corporations in Germany
Authors: Spindler Gerald
Published: December 2022

Social purposes and the interests of stakeholders are traditionally taken into account by German corporate law, in particular since codetermination for worker participants in supervisory councils has been introduced. Thus, this chapter describes how interests of stakeholders are considered leitmotiv in the business judgement rule in Germany. Moreover, the charter may contain clauses of nonprofit goals, making German corporate legal forms flexible to respect stakeholders’ interests. Finally, the new proposals for limited liability company in steward ownership are discussed briefly.
B Corps in India: A Sustainable Business Model
Authors: Goel Puneeta , Misra Rupali , Lodh Suman , Nandy Monomita , Mishra Nandita
Published: December 2022

After countries recognized the profound significance of assessing social and environmental performance as a prerequisite for sustainable business existence, various nongovernmental organizations as well as regulatory bodies developed measurement scales to gauge this performance. In this paper, we refer to one such assessment tool, B Impact Assessment (BIA), proposed by B Corps to benchmark the reporting framework of Indian companies for their social and environmental performance. The listed Indian companies were required to publish business responsibility reporting (BRR) which lacks generalization with other international standards.

In this study, we consider BRR and propose a revised Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) framework to make it comparable and compatible with BIA, which is acceptable worldwide. Also, we introduce measurement scores of the BRR at a granular level—taking 109 items of the existing scale and 13 items identified after benchmarking with BIA, together aggregating to maximum score of 200. In addition, to support the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) to analyze the completeness, accuracy, and clarity of BRR, we apply scoring mechanism to develop sections A and B of the BRSR. The universal applicability of scale and benchmarking with internationally acceptable BIA will encourage more Indian companies to adopt social responsibilities and will make the assurance of annual report simple. Moreover, the proposed scale can also be used to identify companies that are eligible for the proposed Social Security Exchange in India. We expect that the findings will contribute to the literature on social responsibility and corporate sustainability and in practice accelerate the “CSR movement” in India.
Social Enterprises and Benefit Corporations in Italy
Authors: Ventura Livia
Published: December 2022

Italy has been the first country in the world to adopt the US benefit corporation model (so-called società benefit (SB)), which it transplanted into its legal system at the end of 2015. The Italian società benefit statute is a mix between the US Model Benefit Corporation Legislation and the Delaware Public Benefit Corporation Act but is characterized by some peculiar features, such as the scope of the legislation, which is applicable to all for-profit and cooperative organizational forms provided by the law, and the existence of a public enforcement mechanism based on the attribution of supervisory powers to the Italian Competition Authority. A few years after its introduction, società benefit seems to have been widely accepted, and the movement continues to grow. Furthermore, the Italian legal system continues to support the spread of the SB model, e.g., through the 2019 amendment of the “Public Contract Code,” which introduced new reward criteria for tendering companies that publish the annual report required by the società benefit law to assess their social and environmental impacts. From a comparative law perspective, the Italian “for-benefit” model has been the first one adopted by a civil law system and seems to have influenced other civil law countries.
Social Enterprises and Benefit Corporations in Portugal
Authors: Meira Deolinda , Ramos Maria Elisabete
Published: December 2022

The Portuguese legal system does not provide for the general regime of social enterprises. The legal notion offered by the Public Procurement Code has a sectoral scope, and the Basic Law on Social Economy is ambiguous as to the relationship between social enterprises and social economy. Benefit corporations have no legislative provision in the Portuguese legal order. However, “company” types are endowed with some flexibility. This allows shareholders to adapt the statutes to their business projects within the law’s limits through statutory clauses. Statutory clauses can incorporate the interests of the general community, workers and other stakeholders, translated, for example, into dividend distribution policies or environmentally sustainable practices, gender equality policies or the promotion of social responsibility measures.

Although not expressly stated in Portuguese law, the current state of legal doctrine allows us to argue that social enterprises in Portugal are included in the perimeter of social economy entities.

The areas of impact measured by B certification seem to be inspired by the experience concerning cooperatives, which combine social and economic aspects. Cooperatives, however, go beyond B-Corp entities. B certification, granted by private entity B-Lab, is not a new legal regime but only a label that distinguishes companies. Some Portuguese companies are B-Lab certified companies.
Social Enterprises and Benefit Corporations in South Korea
Authors: Kil Hyeon Jong
Published: December 2022

This chapter examines the current status, system, and future pathway of Korea’s social economy including Benefit Corporations. In Korea, it was only after 2000 that the social economy being discussed today first appeared. Since then, many central ministries have fostered social economy organizations as an alternative to solving specific social problems in their respective areas. To this end, the government has provided various support programs directly and indirectly to these social economy organizations to vitalize the social economy. In selecting the targets of the support, individual central ministries have used their own accreditation standards to differentiate social economy organizations from other general enterprises rather than based on general standards utilized overseas such as certified B corps. It could be a reason that B corps is still an accreditation system used only by a small number of companies in Korea. Even the term itself has not been translated into Korean, and there is no expansive discussion about it either. If the development direction of social economy over the past 20 years does not change significantly, the B corporation is unlikely to be used more actively even if social economy is further revitalized.
The Governance Patterns of Social Enterprises
Authors: Neri-Castracane Giulia
Published: December 2022

This study analyzed six legal forms of social enterprises (SEs) across four countries in terms of governance features to clarify trends to be highlighted. The research covered the topics of autonomy, representation/inclusion of stakeholders at the governing body level, membership and voting rights (not necessarily based on capital), and distribution constraints. The study presents two proposals to reconcile the US and European approaches to the governance of SEs: either define the governance patterns to be met to qualify as an SE and obtain any related advantages (under tax, public procurement, or any other law) or refute any organizational definition and treat the governing dimension of SEs as a supportive pillar of the social and economic dimensions instead of a stand-alone pillar.
Social Enterprises and Benefit Corporations in Switzerland
Authors: Peter Henry , Pfammatter Vincent
Published: December 2022

Many countries around the world have introduced specific legal forms to meet the needs of benefit corporations and social enterprises. Unlike these jurisdictions, Switzerland’s legislator has decided not to provide for such a dedicated legal structure. And this stance is unlikely to evolve since the Federal Council stated in 2018 that it did not intend to encourage the creation of a new legal structure for benefit corporations or social enterprises, although it supported private initiatives in this sector, such as the B corp movement.

In this contribution, the authors analyze the social enterprise, benefit corporation and B corp movement in Switzerland and how such ventures may fit into existing legal structures, given the absence of any specific legal form. To this end, they will review the legal contours of corporations (LLC or LTD), cooperatives, and charities, namely, associations and foundations, and the possibilities that they offer for social enterprises and benefit corporations.

Finally, the authors also address tax-related aspects, as well as past and current legislative initiatives intended to make Swiss law evolve towards a legal structure that would be dedicated to social enterprises or benefit corporations.
Innovation in Uruguayan Business Law: The “Benefit and Collective Interest Companies and Trusts”
Authors: de Cores Helguera Carlos José , Di Bello Patricia , Hughes Natalia
Published: December 2022

This contribution deals with the experience of benefit companies in Uruguay. It introduces the concept of a benefit company, compares it to the status of “B companies,” and describes the situation before, and after the approval of Law No. 19.969 (July 2021) on “Benefit and Collective Interest Companies.” This chapter concludes with an attempt to assess the importance of the legislation and comes to some conceptual conclusions on the matter.
5d AGT correspondence of supergroup gauge theories from quantum toroidal $$ \mathfrak{gl} $$1
Authors: Noshita Go
Published: December 2022

Abstract

We discuss the 5d AGT correspondence of supergroup gauge theories with A-type supergroups. We introduce two intertwiners called positive and negative intertwiners to compute the instanton partition function. The positive intertwiner is the ordinary Awata-Feigin-Shiraishi intertwiner while the negative intertwiner is an intertwiner obtained by using central charges with negative levels. We show that composition of them gives the basic Nekrasov factors appearing in supergroup partition functions. We explicitly derive the instanton partition functions of supergroup gauge theories with A and D-type quiver structures. Using the intertwiners, we briefly study the Gaiotto state, qq-characters and the relation with quiver W-algebra. Furthermore, we show that the negative intertwiner corresponds to the anti-refined topological vertex recently defined by Kimura and Sugimoto. We also discuss how superquiver theories should appear in our formalism if they exist. The existence of the AGT correspondence of the theories we study in this paper implies that there is a broader 2d/4d (5d/q-algebra) correspondence, or more generally the BPS/CFT correspondence, where new non-unitary theories play important roles.
A nice two-loop next-to-next-to-MHV amplitude in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 super-Yang-Mills
Authors: He Song , Li Zhenjie , Zhang Chi
Published: December 2022

Abstract

We study a scalar component of the 8-point next-to-next-to-maximally-helicity-violating (N2MHV) amplitude at two-loop level in $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 super-Yang-Mills theory; it has a leading singularity proportional to the inverse of the four-mass-box square root and receives contributions from only two types of non-trivial integrals with one-loop infrared (IR) divergences. We compute such two-loop 8-point integrals by taking (double-)collinear limits of certain finite, dual-conformal-invariant integrals, and they nicely give the IR-safe ratio function after subtracting divergences. As the first genuine two-loop N2MHV amplitude computed explicitly, we find remarkable structures in its symbol and alphabet: similar to the next-to-MHV (NMHV) case, there are still 9 algebraic letters associated with the square root, and the latter also becomes a letter for the first time; unlike the NMHV case, such algebraic letters appear at either one or all of the second, third and last entry, and the part with three odd letters is particularly simple.
Simultaneous identification of fiscal and monetary policy shocks
Authors: Mansur Alfan
Published: December 2022

This research contributes to the literature on the effects of fiscal and monetary policy by exploiting non-Gaussianity of the time series for the identification of a Bayesian structural vector autoregression model. Using quarterly US data from 1954:IV to 2006:IV and from 1985:I to 2020:III, we formally assess the plausibility of theoretically predicted signs to label fiscal policy, monetary policy, and business cycle shocks. The impulse responses of consumption to the fiscal policy shock depend to some extent on the sample period, but the implied fiscal multiplier is always less than unity. On investment, there is a lagging crowding-out effect with a high probability, but it is not strongly evident in the latter sample. As for the responses after a contractionary monetary policy shock, we find a weakening output after some lags consistent with the leading monetary policy literature. The business cycle shock turns out to matter for government spending only in the long run, while it is already important for the federal funds rate in the short run.
Evaluation and subgroup analysis of the efficacy and safety of intensive rosuvastatin therapy combined with dual antiplatelet therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Deng Ting , Zhang Tong , Lu Haitao , Chen Jingmian , Liu Xiaomeng , He Wei , Yao Xiaohua
Published: December 2022

Objectives

We investigated the efficacy of intensive rosuvastatin therapy plus 7-day dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in reducing stroke recurrence for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and compared subgroups of patients.

Methods

We enrolled patients with AIS whose time of onset to medication was ≤ 72 h, and the baseline scores of NIHSS (bNIHSS) were 0–10. The patients received intensive rosuvastatin therapy plus 7-day DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel (study group) or rosuvastatin plus single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT, control group). The primary outcomes were recurrence of ischemic stroke, bleeding, statin-induced liver injury, and statin-associated myopathy (SAM) within 90 days. We also performed a subgroup analysis to assess the heterogeneity of the two therapy regimens in reducing recurrent stroke.

Results

Recurrent stroke occurred in 10 patients in the study group and 42 patients in the control group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.373, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.178–0.780; P = 0.009). Bleeding events occurred in 9 patients in the study group and 14 patients in the control group (HR, 1.019; 95%CI, 0.441–2.353; P = 0.966). Statin-induced liver injury and SAM were not recorded. Intensive rosuvastatin plus 7-day DAPT was generally effective in reducing the risk of recurrent stroke, except in the subgroup with bNIHSS ≤ 2. The therapy was particularly efficient in the elderly, male, high-bNIHSS, and hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia subgroups, with P < 0.02.

Conclusions

Without increasing bleeding and statin-associated adverse events, intensive rosuvastatin therapy plus 7-day DAPT significantly reduced the risk of recurrent stroke, especially for subgroups with high-risk factors. Clinical trial registration. China Clinical Trial Registration Center (ChiCTR1800017809).
The semigroup of endomorphisms with restricted range of an independence algebra
Authors: Grau Ambroise
Published: December 2022

Since its introduction by Symons, the semigroup of maps with restricted range has been studied in the context of transformations on a set, or of linear maps on a vector space. Sets and vector spaces being particular examples of independence algebras, a natural question that arises is whether by taking the semigroup $$T(\mathscr {A}, \mathscr {B}) $$

T
(
A
,
B
)

of all endomorphisms of an independence algebra $$\mathscr {A} $$
A
whose image lie in a subalgebra $$\mathscr {B} $$
B
, one can obtain corresponding results as in the cases of sets and vector spaces. In this paper, we put under a common framework the research from Sanwong, Sommanee, Sullivan, Mendes-Gonçalves and all their predecessors. We describe Green’s relations as well as the ideals of $$T(\mathscr {A}, \mathscr {B}) $$

T
(
A
,
B
)

following their lead. We then take a new direction, completely describing all of the extended Green’s relations on $$T(\mathscr {A}, \mathscr {B}) $$

T
(
A
,
B
)

. We make no restriction on the dimension of our algebras as the results in the finite and infinite dimensional cases generally take the same form.
Bdelloid rotifers (Bdelloidea, Rotifera) in shallow freshwater ecosystems of Thala Hills, East Antarctica
Authors: Lukashanets Dzmitry A. , Maisak Natallia N.
Published: December 2022

Shallow waters, little-studied in Continental Antarctica, among other micrometazoans host bdelloid rotifers, which diversity, ecology, and distributional patterns in turn are poorly known. To address these issues, we analysed plankton samples collected during the 2018/2019 season in the Thala Hills oasis (East Antarctica), in shallow freshwater lakes and temporary ponds that formed during intense snow melting in December–January. Bdelloids were present in more than 90% of the sites with nine species revealed. The most frequent were Antarctic endemics [Philodina gregaria (P. gregaria), Adineta grandis (A. grandis), and Adineta coatsi (A. coatsi)], while some non-abundant bdelloids either provide characteristics of widely distributed taxa or require further taxonomy studies as they can be species new for the science. The abundance of bdelloids varied greatly across studied sites and localities, with a maximum of more than 700,000 ind m−3 and an increasing tendency to be more numerous in rock-basin temporary ponds, compared to larger lakes, with variability for different taxa. The environmental parameters strongly explain the bdelloid distribution (78.4% of the variation), with the most important factors being the type of bottom (9.9%), altitude (8.0%), TDS (6.6%), and salinity (6.5%). The cyanobacterial mats from the bottom didn’t contribute much to bdelloid distributional patterns, despite being known to be a preferred habitat for micrometazoans including rotifers. These results shape a perspective to study the processes of the formation of Antarctic seasonal aquatic habitats settled by organisms, which demonstrate an ecomorphological range from planktonic organisms to crawling ‘scrapers’.
The distal metatarsal screw is not always necessary in third-generation MICA: a case–control study
Authors: Harrasser Norbert , Hinterwimmer F. , Baumbach S. F. , Pfahl K. , Glowalla C. , Walther M. , Hörterer H.
Published: December 2022

Introduction

To evaluate the clinical and radiological results after fixation of the first metatarsal head (MTH) with one or two screws as part of the third-generation minimally invasive Chevron–Akin osteotomy (MICA) for hallux valgus deformities.

Materials and methods

Between August 2020 and November 2021, 55 MICA procedures (50 patients, male:female = 7:43), 22 with two (MICA2), 33 with one screw (MICA1) were performed for mild to severe hallux valgus deformities. Exclusion criteria were a concomitant pes adductus (Sgarlato angle > 20°) or hindfoot/midfoot deformities requiring treatment. In 27 cases, additional procedures on the forefoot (small toe corrections or metatarsal osteotomies II–V) were necessary. Pre- and post-operatively, hallux valgus angle (HVA) and intermetatarsal I/II angle (IMA) were measured. Clinically, subjective satisfaction, range of motion (ROM) of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ), and pain level (NRS score) were evaluated. The minimum follow-up was 12 months.

Results

Displacement of MTH was 70–90% on average, all osteotomies showed full consolidation at latest follow-up. In one case of either group, a slight subsidence of MTH was documented. The radiological and clinical parameters showed no differences between the groups. The pain level improved by an average of three points. The mobility of the MTPJ showed a slight reduction in nine cases after three months (4 MICA2, 5 MICA1) which persisted in three cases. Fifty-two of 55 patients (95%) would opt again for the operation.

Conclusions

Fixation of the first MTH with a single bicortical screw in MICA with moderate lateralization of MTH shows stable anchoring and good clinical results. The routine use of a second metatarsal screw can be omitted.
Clozapine once- versus multiple-daily dosing: a two-center cross-sectional study, systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Kuzo Nazar , Haen Ekkehard , Ho Dominic M. , Takeuchi Hiroyoshi , Piras Marianna , Eap Chin-Bin , de Filippis Renato , Homan Philipp , Kane John M. , Roy Marc-André , Paulzen Michael , Schoretsanitis Georgios
Published: December 2022

Evidence regarding effectiveness and safety of clozapine once- vs. multiple-daily dosing is limited. We compared demographic and clinical parameters between patients with once- vs. multiple-daily dosing in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Germany (AGATE dataset), and the Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland, using non-parametric tests. Effectiveness and safety outcomes were available in the AGATE dataset. We performed a systematic review in PubMed/Embase until February 2022, meta-analyzing studies comparing clozapine once- vs. multiple-daily-dosing. We estimated a pooled odds ratio for adverse drug-induced reactions (ADRs) and meta-analyzed differences regarding clinical symptom severity, age, percentage males, smokers, clozapine dose, and co-medications between patients receiving once- vs. multiple-daily dosing. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa-Scale. Of 1494 and 174 patients included in AGATE and Lausanne datasets, clozapine was prescribed multiple-daily in 74.8% and 67.8%, respectively. In the AGATE cohort, no differences were reported for the clinical symptoms severity or ADR rate (p > 0.05). Meta-analyzing eight cohorts with a total of 2810 clozapine-treated individuals, we found more severe clinical symptoms (p = 0.036), increased ADR risk (p = 0.01), higher clozapine doses (p < 0.001), more frequent co-medication with other antipsychotics (p < 0.001), benzodiazepines (p < 0.001), anticholinergics (p = 0.039), and laxatives (p < 0.001) in patients on multiple- vs. once-daily dosing. Of six studies, five were rated as good, and one as poor quality. Patients responding less well to clozapine may be prescribed higher doses multiple-daily, also treated with polypharmacy, potentially underlying worse safety outcomes. Patient preferences and adherence should be considered during regimen selection.
Transcriptome profiling reveals the roles of pigment formation mechanisms in yellow Paeonia delavayi flowers
Authors: Zou Hongzhu , Zhou Lin , Han Lulu , Lv JiHang , Jia YingHua , Wang Yan
Published: December 2022

The yellow colour of ornamental varieties of tree peony originated from Paeonia delavayi. However, but P. delavayi and Paeonia suffruticosa belong to different subgroups, so hybridization is difficult and results in a long breeding cycle. However, no comprehensive transcriptomic profiling has focused on the colour formation mechanisms of yellow tree peony petals. Analysing the colour formation mechanism of yellow petals in P. delavayi is very important for directional molecular breeding. In this study, the transcriptional map of yellow pigment development in petals was used to analyse the mechanism of petal colour formation. We analysed the genes related to the metabolism of flavonoids and carotenoids and the transcription factors (TFs) involved in P. delavayi var. lutea (pure yellow individual) yellow pigment development using transcriptome sequence profiling. Transcriptome sequence profiles revealed three and four differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and carotenoid biosynthesis, respectively. An analysis of DETs in the flavonoid pathway showed that chalcone synthase (CHS) and chalcone 2´-glucosyltransferases (THC2’GT) act in synergy to synthesize isosalipurposide (ISP). CHS and flavonol synthase (FLS) synergistically synthesize quercetin and kaempferol. DEG analysis of the carotenoid pathway revealed that phytoene synthase (PSY), carotenoid isomerase (CRTISO) and β-carotene hydroxylases (CHYB) play a key role in regulating lutein formation, and carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) plays an important role in the degradation of carotenoids. These two pathways may be regulated by TF families such as bHLH, ARF, and MYB. The results of the transient overexpression of genes showed that CHS and CHI are regulated by PdMYB2. In this study, the molecular mechanism of ISP synthesis was analysed in depth, and the complete metabolic pathway of carotenoids in Paeonia L. was reported for the first time. By studying the formation mechanism of yellow pigment in P. delavayi petals, a breeding strategy for improving flavonol and carotenoid contents and reducing anthocyanin synthesis by genetic engineering was suggested.
Ehrhart Positivity of Tesler Polytopes and Berline–Vergne’s Valuation
Authors: Lee Yonggyu , Liu Fu
Published: December 2022

For $${\varvec{a}} \in {\mathbb {R}}_{\ge 0}^{n}$$

a

∈

R

≥
0

n

, the Tesler polytope $${\text {Tes}}_{n}({\varvec{a}})$$

Tes
n

(

a

)

is the set of upper triangular matrices with non-negative entries whose hook sum vector is $${\varvec{a}}$$

a

. Motivated by a conjecture of Morales, we study the questions of whether the coefficients of the Ehrhart polynomial of $${\text {Tes}}_n(1,1,\dots ,1)$$

Tes
n

(
1
,
1
,
⋯
,
1
)

are positive. We attack this problem by studying a certain function constructed by Berline–Vergne and its values on faces of a unimodularly equivalent copy of $${\text {Tes}}_n(1,1,\dots ,1)$$

Tes
n

(
1
,
1
,
⋯
,
1
)

. We develop a method of obtaining the dot products appeared in formulas for computing Berline–Vergne’s function directly from facet normal vectors. Using this method together with known formulas, we are able to show Berline–Vergne’s function has positive values on codimension 2 and 3 faces of the polytopes we consider. As a consequence, we prove that the third and fourth coefficients of the Ehrhart polynomial of $${\text {Tes}}_{n}(1,\dots ,1)$$

Tes
n

(
1
,
⋯
,
1
)

are positive. Using the Reduction Theorem by Castillo and the second author, we generalize the above result to all deformations of $${\text {Tes}}_{n}(1,\dots ,1)$$

Tes
n

(
1
,
⋯
,
1
)

including all the integral Tesler polytopes.
Implications of modeling seasonal differences in the extremal dependence of rainfall maxima
Authors: Jurado Oscar E. , Oesting Marco , Rust Henning W.
Published: December 2022

For modeling extreme rainfall, the widely used Brown–Resnick max-stable model extends the concept of the variogram to suit block maxima, allowing the explicit modeling of the extremal dependence shown by the spatial data. This extremal dependence stems from the geometrical characteristics of the observed rainfall, which is associated with different meteorological processes and is usually considered to be constant when designing the model for a study. However, depending on the region, this dependence can change throughout the year, as the prevailing meteorological conditions that drive the rainfall generation process change with the season. Therefore, this study analyzes the impact of the seasonal change in extremal dependence for the modeling of annual block maxima in the Berlin-Brandenburg region. For this study, two seasons were considered as proxies for different dominant meteorological conditions: summer for convective rainfall and winter for frontal/stratiform rainfall. Using maxima from both seasons, we compared the skill of a linear model with spatial covariates (that assumed spatial independence) with the skill of a Brown–Resnick max-stable model. This comparison showed a considerable difference between seasons, with the isotropic Brown–Resnick model showing considerable loss of skill for the winter maxima. We conclude that the assumptions commonly made when using the Brown–Resnick model are appropriate for modeling summer (i.e., convective) events, but further work should be done for modeling other types of precipitation regimes.
Microplastics and nanoplastics in agriculture—A potential source of soil and groundwater contamination?
Authors: Moeck Christian , Davies Grace , Krause Stefan , Schneidewind Uwe
Published: December 2022

An overview of the current state of knowledge on the pollution of agricultural soils with microplastic and nanoplastic (MnP) particles is provided and the main MnP sources are discussed. MnP transport mechanisms from soil to groundwater, as well as the potential impact of MnPs on soil structure are considered, and the relevance of co-contaminants such as agrochemicals is further highlighted. We elaborate on why MnPs in soil and groundwater are understudied and how analytical capabilities are critical for furthering this crucial research area. We point out that plastic fragmentation in soils can generate secondary MnPs, and that these smaller particles potentially migrate into aquifers. The transport of MnP in soils and groundwater and their migration and fate are still poorly understood. Higher MnP concentrations in agricultural soils can influence the sorption behavior of agrochemicals onto soil grains while attachment/detachment of MnPs onto soil grains and MnP-agrochemical interactions can potentially lead to enhanced transport of both MnP particles and agrochemicals towards underlying groundwater systems.
Are the children alright? A systematic review of psychological adjustment of children conceived by assisted reproductive technologies
Authors: Carneiro Francis Anne Teplitzky , Leong Valéria , Nóbrega Sara , Salinas-Quiroz Fernando , Costa Pedro Alexandre , Leal Isabel
Published: December 2022

The present systematic review aims to assess the psychological adjustment of children born through assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) and to screen for clinical problems when compared with normative data from the standardized indexes of mental health. Following PRISMA guidelines, the search was conducted from inception through September 2021 using APA PsycInfo, APA PsycArticles, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, Academic Search Complete, Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, Scielo, and RCAAP. Search terms related to ART and children’s psychological adjustment were combined to Boolean operators to identify relevant published studies in English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Peer-reviewed studies focused on the psychological adjustment of ART children aged between the 3 and 11 years were included. From a total of 337 results, 45 papers were eligible to be included in this review. Data extraction was performed independently by two authors and revised and confirmed by other two authors. All children scored below the clinical range for psychiatric symptoms when compared with normative data for the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) or the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA), regardless of type of ART and different family configurations. Further, some evidence suggests that surrogacy children with gay fathers present the lowest levels of psychological problems when compared to normative data. These findings enable practitioners to develop an informed view of ART children mental health outcomes to help parents find more adaptive strategies to navigate their chosen pathways in healthier ways.
Lasers treatment for traumatic facial tattoo
Authors: Yang Qing , Xue Ping , Fan Xing , Yin Yue , Dang Hui , Li Wei , Song Baoqiang
Published: December 2022

Effective treatment for traumatic tattoo is lacking. We aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety between Q-1064 nm laser as monotherapy and alternating Q-1064 nm laser with CO2 AFL in treating traumatic facial tattoo (black or blue color) and accompanied scars. Clinical data of 98 patients were grouped and analyzed based on the different treatment lasers. Tattoo clearance was evaluated with a 4-point scale, and scar improvement was analyzed with modified VOSAS scores. Patient satisfaction of the tattoo clearance and scar improvement, and treatment-related complications were analyzed. Significant increased clinical effects with patient satisfaction and decreased worsened scar were confirmed with the two alternated lasers, relative to those with Q-1064 nm laser alone (P < 0.05). Consequently, alternating Q-1064 nm laser and CO2 AFL treatment could be used for traumatic facial tattoo with black or blue color removal safely and effectively.
A monotone convergence theorem for strong Feller semigroups
Authors: Budde Christian , Dobrick Alexander , Glück Jochen , Kunze Markus
Published: December 2022

For an increasing sequence $$(T_n)$$

(

T
n

)

of one-parameter semigroups of sub Markovian kernel operators over a Polish space, we study the limit semigroup and prove sufficient conditions for it to be strongly Feller. In particular, we show that the strong Feller property carries over from the approximating semigroups to the limit semigroup if the resolvent of the latter maps $$\mathbb {1}$$
1
to a continuous function. This is instrumental in the study of elliptic operators on $$\mathbb {R}^d$$

R

d

with unbounded coefficients: our abstract result enables us to assign a semigroup to such an operator and to show that the semigroup is strongly Feller under very mild regularity assumptions on the coefficients. We also provide counterexamples to demonstrate that the assumptions in our main result are close to optimal.