bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An assessment on toxic and essential elements in rice consumed in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Authors: Chandrasiri Gayani Udeshika , Mahanama Kariyawasam Ranaweerage Ranjith , Mahatantila Kushani , Pitumpe Arachchige Pavithra Sajeewani , Midigama Liyanage Roshan Chathuranga
Published: April 2022

Being the dietary staple in most Asian countries, the concentrations of toxic and essential element content in rice is an important aspect in terms of both toxicological and nutritional standpoints. This study aimed to analyse trace elements (As, Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, and Mo) in improved, traditional, and imported rice varieties consumed in Colombo district, Sri Lanka during 2018 and 2019. Further, the potential health risks were assessed in terms of maximum levels and provisional tolerable daily intake. Among the toxic elements analysed, As, Cd, Cr, and Pb were detected in certain rice varieties. Arsenic was detected in all three rice categories and the number of As detected samples were higher compared to other toxic elements in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, 4.2% of traditional rice exceeded As maximum level (0.2 mg/kg) whereas 2.1% of improved and 4.2% of traditional rice exceeded Pb maximum level (0.2 mg/kg). However, none of the toxic elements in rice exceeded the respective maximum levels in 2019. Only mean estimated daily intake of Pb through Kaluheenati exceeded the provisional tolerable daily intake value (0.0015 mg/kg bw/d) in 2018. Rice varieties that reported the highest toxic elements were Basmathi (imported), Samba (improved), and Kaluheenati, Madathawalu, Pachchaperuman, and Suwadel (traditional). With regard to essential elements, concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Mo in rice were positively correlated (p < 0.05) to each other, and the highest essential element concentration were found in traditional rice with red pericarp (i.e., Kaluheenati, Madathawalu, and Pachchaperuman).
Soil environment reshapes microbiota of laboratory-maintained Collembola during host development
Authors: Pathiraja Duleepa , Wee June , Cho Kijong , Choi In-Geol
Published: April 2022

Collembola are soil-dwelling arthropods that play a key role in the soil ecosystem. Allonychiurus kimi (Lee) (Collembola: Onychiuridae) was isolated from the natural environment and has been maintained for 20 years under laboratory conditions. Though the morphological and physiological features of A. kimi are being widely used to evaluate the impact of pesticides and heavy metals on the soil ecosystem, variations observed in these features might be on account of its microbiota. However, the microbiota composition of the laboratory-maintained A. kimi is undetermined and how the community structure is changing in response to soil environments or interacting with the soil microbiota are still unknown. In this study, we determined the microbiota of laboratory-maintained A. kimi at both adult and juvenile stages and examined how the microbiota of A. kimi is affected by the microbial community in the soil environments. Chryseobacterium, Pandoraea, Sphingomonas, Escherichia–Shigella, and Acinetobacter were the core microbiota of A. kimi. Exposure of the laboratory-maintained A. kimi to different soil microbial communities drove dynamic shifts in the composition of A. kimi microbiota. Microbial association network analysis suggested that gut microbiota of lab-grown A. kimi was affected by exposing to soil microbial community. This study implies that shifts in the bacterial community of adult A. kimi can be utilized as an indicator to evaluate the soil ecosystem.
An empirical study of claims and qualifiers in ESL students’ argumentative writing based on Toulmin model
Authors: Yang Rui
Published: April 2022

English argumentative writing is difficult in second language writing for ESL students. Although there has been a lot of research on English argumentative writings, empirical research focusing on claims in argumentative writing is very scarce. Based on the Toulmin model, this paper studied the relationship between the claims and English argumentative writing performance. 117 time-limited writings were collected at a top university in Northeast China. The qualifiers were in the form of words, participle and sentence (QW, QP, QS), based on which claims were classified. Through the text analysis of each argumentative writing, 23 types of claims were extracted. Types of claims and 117 argumentative writings were scored respectively. Correlation analysis showed that claims based on qualifier divisions did not predict holistic writing performance. Claims in the higher-mark writings were also discussed. The findings led us to conclude corresponding pedagogy implications in promoting argumentative writings.
Accuracy of intravitreal injection volume for aflibercept pre-filled syringe and BD Luer-Lok one-milliliter syringe
Authors: Guest John-Michael , Malbin Brett , Abrams Gary , Parendo Anthony , Das Shibandri , Okeagu Chinwenwa , Ross Bing X. , Kumar Ashok , Lin Xihui
Published: April 2022

Background

To evaluate the accuracy of intravitreal injection volume of the pre-filled syringe (PFS) in which aflibercept is packaged compared to the BD Luer-Lok 1-mL syringe.

Methods

Ophthalmologists injected their typical intravitreal volume for aflibercept using either the PFS or BD Luer-Lok 1-mL syringe for 5 times each. The injected fluid was weighed using a micro-scale and converted to volume. The volume of fluid injected was also evaluated when the 0.05 mL line on the PFS was lined up to the tip or base of the dome-shaped plunger.

Results

Injection volume was measured for 12 physicians. The average injected fluid volume was 74.22 ± 15.87 µL for PFS and 53.42 ± 4.61 µL for the BD Luer-Lok 1-mL syringe (p < 0.0001). The average deviation in volume injected for the PFS was higher compared to the BD Luer-Lok 1-mL syringe (11.36 µL vs. 3.35 µL, p < 0.0001). When the PFS was lined up with the tip of the dome-shaped plunger at the 0.05-mL line, the average injected volume was 71.03% higher.

Conclusions

The intravitreal injection volume and variability using the new PFS were significantly higher than the volume injected using the BD Luer-Lok 1-mL syringe previously used, potentially leading to higher rates of visually significant elevation of intraocular pressures.
Spectral domain OCT features in type 2 macular telangiectasia (type 2 MacTel): its relevance with clinical staging and visual acuity
Authors: Venkatesh Ramesh , Reddy Nikitha Gurram , Mishra Pranjal , Agrawal Sameeksha , Mutalik Deepashri , Yadav Naresh Kumar , Chhablani Jay
Published: April 2022

Background

To report spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) imaging findings in type 2 macular telangiectasia (MacTel) and correlate them with clinical stages and visual acuity.

Methods

This retrospective, cross-sectional study included type 2 MacTel cases who underwent SDOCT imaging with Spectralis machine. Macular SDOCT images were analysed. Imaging features were tested for correlation with different clinicals stages and visual acuity.

Results

212 eyes of 108 type 2 MacTel patients were included. Hyperreflective middle retinal layer (87%) was the most frequently detected abnormality. This was followed by inner retinal cavities (49%), outward bending of inner retinal layers (35%), retinal pigment clumps (35%) and foveal contour irregularity (31%). Hyperreflective middle retinal layers (p < 0.001), inner (p = 0.032) and outer retinal (p = 0.002) cavities and internal limiting membrane drape (p = 0.031) were associated with poor vision in non-proliferative group and presence of retinal pigment clumps (p = 0.002), subretinal fluid (p = 0.037) and foveal contour irregularity (p < 0.001) were associated with poor vision in proliferative group.

Conclusion

The described SDOCT features are practical for the diagnosis and staging in type 2 MacTel. Presence of hyperreflective middle retinal layers, hyporeflective inner and outer retinal cavities and internal limiting membrane drape were associated with poor vision in the non-proliferative group while retinal pigment clumps and subretinal neovascular membrane were associated with proliferative group and poor vision. Further long-term studies are required to describe the progressive and sequential changes on SDOCT.
A novel food-based negative oral contrast agent compared with two conventional oral contrast agents in abdominal CT: a three-arm parallel blinded randomised controlled single-centre trial
Authors: Leander Peter , Stathis Georgios , Casal-Dujat Lucia , Boman Karolina , Adnerhill Ingvar , Marsal Jan , Böök Olof , Fork Thomas
Published: April 2022

Background

A negative oral contrast agent (OCA) has been long sought for, to better delineate the bowel and visualise surrounding structures. Lumentin® 44 (L44) is a new OCA formulated to fill the entire small bowel. The aim of this study was to compare L44 with positive and neutral conventional OCA in abdominal computed tomography (CT).

Methods

Forty-five oncologic patients were randomised to receive either L44 or one of the two comparators (MoviPrep® or diluted Omnipaque®). Abdominal CT examinations with intravenous contrast agent were acquired according to standard protocols. The studies were read independently by two senior radiologists.

Results

The mean intraluminal Hounsfield units (HU)-values of regions-of-interest (ROIs) for each subsegment of small bowel and treatment group were -404.0 HU for L44, 166.1 HU for Omnipaque®, and 16.7 HU for MoviPrep® (L44 versus Omnipaque, p < 0.001: L44 versus MoviPrep p < 0.001; Omnipaque versus MoviPrep, p = 0.003). Adverse events, only mild, using L44 were numerically fewer than for using conventional oral contrast agents. Visualisation of abdominal structures beyond the small bowel was similar to the comparators.

Conclusions

L44 is a negative OCA with luminal radiodensity at approximately -400 HU creating a unique small bowel appearance on CT scans. The high bowel wall-to-lumen contrast may enable improved visualisation in a range of pathologic conditions. L44 showed a good safety profile and was well accepted by patients studied.

Trial registration

EudraCT (2017-002368-42) and in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03326518).
Prospective Asian plants with corroborated antiviral potentials: Position standing in recent years
Authors: Ashrafi Sania , Rahman Mamunur , Ahmed Pollob , Alam Safaet , Hossain Md. Abid
Published: April 2022

Viral diseases are extremely widespread infections caused by viruses. Amongst numerous other illnesses, viral infections have challenged human existence severely. Over the history of mankind, new viruses have emerged and presented us with new tests. The range of viral infections varies from familiar infectious diseases such as the common cold, flu, and warts to severe ailments such as AIDS, Ebola, and COVID-19. The world has been racing to find an effective cure for the newly evolving viruses. Toxic effects, non-selectivity, drug resistance, and high price are the most common complications of conventional treatment procedures. Nature is a marvelous source of phytoconstituents with incredible varieties of biological activities. By tradition, medicinal plants have been utilized for the treatment of countless infectious diseases worldwide, some of which contain a broad spectrum of activities. Modern drug discovery and development techniques offer highly efficient separation techniques, inauguration of vector-based schemes where the original infectious virus is cloned to the non-infectious one for antiviral screening targets. The objective of the review was to gather available data on 20 both cultivated and native plants of Asia giving antiviral activities and provide comprehensive information on the phytochemical analysis of the plants and potential antiviral compounds isolated from these plants.
Encapsulation of probiotics: past, present and future
Authors: Rajam R. , Subramanian Parthasarathi
Published: April 2022

Background

Probiotics are live microbial supplements known for its health benefits. Consumption of probiotics reported to improve several health benefits including intestinal flora composition, resistance against pathogens. In the recent years, there is an increasing trend of probiotic-based food products in the market.

Main body

Probiotics cells are targeted to reach the large intestine, and the probiotics must survive through the acidic conditions of the gastric environment. It is recommended to formulate the probiotic bacteria in the range of 108–109 cfu/g for consumption and maintain the therapeutic efficacy of 106–107 cfu/g in the large intestine. During the gastrointestinal transit, the probiotics will drastically lose its viability in the gastric environment (pH 2). Maintaining cell viability until it reaches the large intestine remains challenging task. Encapsulating the probiotics cells with suitable wall material helps to sustain the survival of probiotics during industrial processing and in gastrointestinal transit. In the encapsulation process, cells are completely enclosed in the wall material, through different techniques including spray drying, freeze drying, extrusion, spray freeze drying, emulsification, etc. However, spray-drying and freeze-drying techniques are successfully used for the commercial formulation; thus, we limited to review those encapsulation techniques.

Short conclusions

The survival rate of spray-dried probiotics during simulated digestion mainly depends on the inlet air temperature, wall material and exposure in the GI condition. And fermentation, pH and freeze-drying time are the important process parameters for maintaining the viability of bacterial cells in the gastric condition. Improving the viability of probiotic cells during industrial processing and extending the cell viability during storage and digestion will be the main concern for successful commercialization.

Graphical abstract
Automatic migration velocity analysis via deep learning
Authors: Ding Chao , Ma Jianwei
Published: April 2022

Migration velocity analysis is a crucial seismic processing step that aims to translate residual moveout (RMO) in common-image gathers (CIGs) into velocity updates. However, this is often an iterative process that requires migration and significant human effort in each iteration. To derive the RMO correction accurately and efficiently, we have developed a new method that combines a newly designed RMO normalization and RMO identification. To make training successful, the former is designed to normalize the RMO from reflectors with different slopes and different depths to a nondipping case. To replace manually picking the velocity spectrum, the latter is arranged to recognize normalized frown and smile patterns in CIGs and translate them into velocity updates via convolutional neural networks. Two numerical and field data examples demonstrate that our method can effectively and efficiently flatten CIGs. This method improves the quality of the velocity updates where there exists manual-picking error in comparison with traditional methods.
Inversion of induced polarization-affected towed-transient electromagnetic data in a lateritic regolith geology: A case study from western Tanzania
Authors: Maurya Pradip Kumar , Grombacher Denys , Lind Johan , Lane John W. , Auken Esben
Published: April 2022

For several decades, induced polarization (IP) effects on transient electromagnetic (TEM) responses have been observed. These effects can manifest as late-time negative transients or as rapidly decaying curves and are usually associated with highly polarizable bodies. If neglected, IP effects can lead to erroneous resistivity models. Recent work allows IP effects to be incorporated into the inversion of TEM data on a more routine basis. In a recent field survey in western Tanzania, strongly IP-affected TEM signals are observed using a towed-transient electromagnetic (tTEM) system. The survey have been carried out to locate drinking water resources in a weathered regolith setting. In these settings, an inversion of tTEM data using a resistivity-only forward model (i.e., IP neglected) cannot fit the data and severely limits the value of the TEM data for hydrogeologic interpretation. To account for IP effects, we have applied a modified version of the Cole-Cole model called the maximum phase angle (MPA) model to invert IP-affected tTEM data. The MPA model incorporates four inversion model parameters: resistivity ([Formula: see text]), MPA ([Formula: see text]), relaxation time ([Formula: see text]), and frequency exponent ([Formula: see text]). The MPA model fits the data well and improves the reliability of the resistivity model. In much of the surveyed region, the inverted models using MPA display a three-layer system consisting of an upper resistive laterite layer of varying thickness and an intermediate polarizable conductive unit overlying more resistive weathered basement rocks. The conductive polarizable layer is interpreted as a chemically weathered saprolite separating the surficial and deeper aquifers. Overall, tTEM inversion results provide a local understanding of groundwater systems, especially in such regions with very limited subsurface knowledge.
Automatic geologic fault identification from seismic data using 2.5D channel attention U-net
Authors: Lin Lei , Zhong Zhi , Cai Zhongxian , Sun Alexander Y. , Li ChengLong
Published: April 2022

Fault identification plays a vital role in geologic structure interpretation, reservoir characterization, and reservoir evaluation. The traditional process for fault identification is label intensive. Deep learning-based automatic fault detection from seismic data has attracted extensive attention in recent years. However, using a 2D neural network (i.e., a single seismic data slice) leads to the loss of correlation among seismic slices, and using a 3D neural network (i.e., a 3D seismic data cube) increases the workload of fault labeling and the difficulty of training. To overcome the drawbacks of 2D and 3D neural networks, we have introduced a channel attention mechanism in the original U-net architecture. The new model, which is referred to as the 2.5D channel attention U-net (2.5D CAU-net), takes four adjacent seismic slices as inputs instead of the entire 3D seismic data cube. The efficacy of 2.5D CAU-net for fault detection is demonstrated using publicly available synthetic seismic data sets and real seismic field data sets. We explored the influence of cropping the original seismic data into various sizes on fault identification. Experimental results find that the 2.5D CAU-net can effectively use the correlation information among adjacent seismic slices to improve fault detection performance. For different seismic data cropping strategies, results indicate that the more extensive size cropping method allows the network to obtain more contextual information and more complete fault features, improving the efficacy of fault picking. However, the cropping approach with a larger size leads to a smaller number of labeled examples. When the amount of training data is not large enough, the larger size cropping approach tends to lead to model overfitting, which will decrease the performance of the fault recognition, especially in a 3D neural network. Overall, 2.5D CAU-net can improve the efficiency of fault recognition with less annotation effort and computational resources.
Four-loop critical properties of polymerized membranes
Authors: Pikelner Andrey
Published: April 2022

We calculate four-loop order corrections to the critical exponent η in the two-field model of flat phase membranes. Obtained results show better agreement with the other calculation methods and confirm the validity of the perturbative approach to the considered problem.
Constant Activation of STAT3 Contributes to the Development of Adenomyosis in Females
Authors: Hiraoka Takehiro , Hirota Yasushi , Aikawa Shizu , Iida Rei , Ishizawa Chihiro , Kaku Tetsuaki , Hirata Tomoyuki , Fukui Yamato , Akaeda Shun , Matsuo Mitsunori , Shimizu-Hirota Ryoko , Takeda Norihiko , Osuga Yutaka
Published: April 2022

Adenomyosis is a benign uterine disease that causes dysmenorrhea, heavy menstrual bleeding, and infertility; however, its pathophysiology remains unclear. Since signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is crucial for endometrial regeneration, we hypothesized that STAT3 participates in adenomyosis pathophysiology. To investigate the influence of STAT3 on adenomyosis development, this study was performed using a novel mouse model of adenomyosis and human specimens of eutopic endometria and adenomyosis lesions. We established a novel mouse model of adenomyosis by puncturing entire mouse uterine layers with a thin needle. Mouse eutopic and ectopic endometria showed a positive immunoreactivity for phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3), the active form of STAT3. Decreased numbers of adenomyotic lesions and reduced expression of Cxcl1, Icam1, and Spp1, which are associated with immune cell chemotaxis and tissue regeneration, were observed in uterine Stat3-deficient mice compared with the controls. In humans, pSTAT3 was intensely expressed at both the eutopic endometrium and the adenomyotic lesions regardless of the menstrual cycle phases. Conversely, it was limitedly expressed in the eutopic endometrium during the menstrual and proliferative phases in women without adenomyosis. Our findings indicate that continuous STAT3 activation promotes adenomyosis development. STAT3 inhibition can be a promising treatment strategy in patients with adenomyosis.
South Korean Millennials’ Military Service and Neoliberal Calculations
Authors: Kim Seung-kyung , Finch John
Published: April 2022

Mandatory military service has been an inescapable fact of life for young men in South Korea from the time of the Korean War. It continues to this day, despite the country’s neoliberal transformation that began following the Asian financial crisis of 1997 and the extension of the neoliberal values of market competition, individual freedom, and meritocracy into all facets of contemporary South Korean life; and despite the contradiction between an ideology of freedom and rational choices and an institution that obligates men to serve in the military or face imprisonment. Based on interviews with forty-five South Korean college students who had recently completed their military service, this study examines how the neoliberal ethos instilled in Korean millennials as they grew up in the twenty-first century guides their decisions and strategies regarding military service.
Initial Clinical Outcome With Bilateral, Dual-Target Deep Brain Stimulation Trial in Parkinson Disease Using Summit RC + S
Authors: Mitchell Kyle T. , Schmidt Stephen L. , Cooney Jeffrey W. , Grill Warren M. , Peters Jennifer , Rahimpour Shervin , Lee Hui-Jie , Jung Sin-Ho , Mantri Sneha , Scott Burton , Lad Shivanand P. , Turner Dennis A.
Published: April 2022

BACKGROUND:

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective therapy in advanced Parkinson disease (PD). Although both subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus (GP) DBS show equivalent efficacy in PD, combined stimulation may demonstrate synergism.

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the clinical benefit of stimulating a combination of STN and GP DBS leads and to demonstrate biomarker discovery for adaptive DBS therapy in an observational study.

METHODS:

We performed a pilot trial (n = 3) of implanting bilateral STN and GP DBS leads, connected to a bidirectional implantable pulse generator (Medtronic Summit RC + S; NCT03815656, IDE No. G180280). Initial 1-year outcome in 3 patients included Unified PD Rating Scale on and off medications, medication dosage, Hauser diary, and recorded beta frequency spectral power.

RESULTS:

Combined DBS improved PD symptom control, allowing >80% levodopa medication reduction. There was a greater decrease in off-medication motor Unified PD Rating Scale with multiple electrodes activated (mean difference from off stimulation off medications −18.2, range −25.5 to −12.5) than either STN (−12.8, range −20.5 to 0) or GP alone (−9, range −11.5 to −4.5). Combined DBS resulted in a greater reduction of beta oscillations in STN in 5/6 hemispheres than either site alone. Adverse events occurred in 2 patients, including a small cortical hemorrhage and seizure at 24 hours postoperatively, which resolved spontaneously, and extension wire scarring requiring revision at 2 months postoperatively.

CONCLUSION:

Patients with PD preferred combined DBS stimulation in this preliminary cohort. Future studies will address efficacy of adaptive DBS as we further define biomarkers and control policy.
Effects of heat acclimation on cardiac function in the intertidal mussel Mytilus californianus: can laboratory-based indices predict survival in the field?
Authors: Moyen Nicole E. , Somero George N. , Denny Mark W.
Published: April 2022

Thermal performance curves are commonly used to investigate the effects of heat acclimation on thermal tolerance and physiological performance. However, recent work indicates that the metrics of these curves heavily depend on experimental design and may be poor predictors of animal survival during heat events in the field. In intertidal mussels, cardiac thermal performance (CTP) tests have been widely used as indicators of animals' acclimation or acclimatization state, providing two indices of thermal responses: critical temperature (Tcrit; the temperature above which heart rate abruptly declines) and flatline temperature (Tflat; the temperature where heart rate ceases). Despite the wide use of CTP tests, it remains largely unknown how Tcrit and Tflat change within a single individual after heat acclimation, and whether changes in these indices can predict altered survival in the field. Here, we addressed these issues by evaluating changes in CTP indices in the same individuals before and after heat acclimation. For control mussels, merely reaching Tcrit was not lethal, whereas remaining at Tcrit for ≥10 min was lethal. Heat acclimation significantly increased Tcrit only in mussels with an initially low Tcrit (<35°C), but improved their survival time above Tcrit by 20 min on average. Tflat increased by ∼1.6°C with heat acclimation, but it is unlikely that increased Tflat improves survival in the field. In summary, Tcrit and Tflat per se may fall short of providing quantitative indices of thermal tolerance in mussels; instead, a combination of Tcrit and tolerance time at temperatures ≥Tcrit better defines changes in thermal tolerance with heat acclimation.
Hyperspectral image non-linear unmixing using joint extrinsic and intrinsic priors with L1/2-norms to non-negative matrix factorisation
Authors: Priya K. , Rajkumar K.
Published: April 2022

Hyperspectral unmixing (HU) is one of the most active emerging areas in image processing that estimates the hyperspectral image’s endmember and abundance. HU enhances the quality of both spectral and spatial dimensions of the image by modifying the endmember and abundance parameters of the hyperspectral images. There are several HU algorithms available in the literature based on the linear mixing model (LMM) that deals with the microscopic contents of the pixels in the images. Non-negative matrix factorisation (NMF) is the prominent method widely used in LMMs that simultaneously estimates both the endmembers and abundances parameters along with some residual factors of the image to improve the quality of unmixing. In addition to this, the quality of the image is enhanced by incorporating some constraints to both endmember and abundance matrices with the NMF method. However, all the existing methods apply any of these constraints to the endmember and abundance matrices by considering the linearity features of the images. In this paper, we propose an unmixing model called joint extrinsic and intrinsic priors with L1/2 norms to non-negative matrix factorisation (JEIp L1/2-NMF) that applies multiple constraints simultaneously to both endmember and abundance matrices of the hyperspectral image to enhance its quality. Three main external and internal constraints such as minimum volume, sparsity and total variation are applied to both the endmembers and abundance parameters of the image. In addition, a L1/2-norms is imposed to extract good quality spectral data. Therefore, the proposed method enhances spatial as well as spectral data and considers the non-linearity of the pixels in the image by adding a residual term to the model. Performance of our proposed model is measured by using different quality measuring indexes on four benchmark public datasets and found that the proposed method shows outstanding performance compared to all the conventional baseline methods. Further, we also evaluated the performance of our method by varying the number of endmembers empirically and concluded that less than five endmembers provides high-quality spectral and spatial data during the unmixing process.
The genome sequence of the black arches, Lymantria monacha (Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: Boyes Douglas ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective, Phillips Dominic ,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: April 2022

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Lymantria monacha (the black arches; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Erebidae). The genome sequence is 916 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (99.99%) is scaffolded into 28 chromosomal pseudomolecules, with the Z sex chromosome assembled. The mitochondrial genome was also assembled, and is 15.6 kilobases in length.
Dobrostan kobiet łączących pracę zawodową nauczycielki z życiem rodzinnym w czasie pandemii COVID-19
Authors: Gliwicka Joanna , Sikorska Iwona
Published: April 2022

Obszarami szczególnie ważnymi w życiu ludzi dorosłych, stanowiącymi oś, wokół której koncentrują się ich codzienne aktywności, są praca i rodzina. Pandemia COVID-19 wywarła znaczny wpływ na równowagę pomiędzy tymi obszarami u osób aktywnych zawodowo oraz na ich poczucie dobrostanu.
Celem badania było sprawdzenie, czy nagła i przymusowa zmiana trybu pracy na zdalny wiązała się w początkowym okresie pandemii COVID-19 ze zmianami dobrostanu emocjonalnego nauczycieli. Obszarami zainteresowania badawczego były: zmiany w zakresie postrzegania swojego zawodu – przed pandemią oraz obecnie (obszar I), adaptacja do nowej formy pracy zdalnej (obszar II) oraz rozwój osobowy jako wynik nowej sytuacji zawodowej (obszar III). Uczestniczkami badania było 10 nauczycielek języka angielskiego pracujących w szkołach podstawowych. Badanie miało formę wielokrotnego studium przypadku, a metodą gromadzenia danych był wywiad ustrukturowany.
Uzyskane wyniki wykazały, że badane nauczycielki-matki, mimo licznych trudności, jakich doświadczyły w czasie adaptacji do nowego trybu pracy oraz przez cały początkowy okres pandemii, dostrzegają rozwojowe znaczenie tego doświadczenia w ich życiu. Analiza wyników potwierdza wyjątkową elastyczność i sprawność kobiet w godzeniu pełnionych ról, ich godną podziwu wytrwałość w dążeniu do wyznaczonych sobie celów oraz dużą odporność na negatywne skutki długotrwałego stresu i napięcia.
Konwenty żeńskie w średniowiecznym województwie krakowskim: Studium prozopograficzne (2 połowa XII – 2 połowa XVI wieku)
Authors: Pluta-Saladra Edyta
Published: April 2022

CONVENTS IN THE MEDIEVAL KRAKOW PROVINCE: PROSOPOGRAPHICAL STUDY (2ND HALF OF THE 12TH CENTURY – 2ND HALF OF THE 16TH CENTURY) This dissertation deals with the issues of female monasteries from theterritory of the Krakow Voivodeship, i.e. the Norbertine nuns from Zwierzyniecand Imbramowice, the Benedictine nuns from Staniątki, the canonsof Monastery of the Holy Spirit de Saxia in Kraków, Poor Clares fromKraków and Stary Sącz, as well as the convent of the Bernardine Sistersliving at the Church of St. Agnieszka in Stradom. The work tries to showthe personal composition of particular convents and get the knowledgeabout them, which will allow to look at many important issues related tomonastic life.
Target-Oriented Distributionally Robust Optimization and Its Applications to Surgery Allocation
Authors: Chow Vincent Tsz Fai , Cui Zheng , Long Daniel Zhuoyu
Published: April 2022

In this paper, we propose a decision criterion that characterizes an enveloping bound on monetary risk measures and is computationally friendly. We start by extending the classical value at risk (VaR) measure. Whereas VaR evaluates the threshold loss value such that the loss from the risk position exceeding that threshold is at a given probability level, it fails to indicate a performance guarantee at other probability levels. We define the probabilistic enveloping measure (PEM) to establish the bound information for the tail probability of the loss at all levels. Using a set of normative properties, we then generalize the PEM to the risk enveloping measure (REM) such that the bound on the general monetary risk measures at all levels of risk aversion are captured. The coherent version of the REM (CREM) is also investigated. We demonstrate its applicability by showing how the coherent REM can be incorporated in distributionally robust optimization. Specifically, we apply the CREM criterion in surgery block allocation problems and provide a formulation that can be efficiently solved. Based on this application, we report favorable computational results from optimizing over the CREM criterion.

Summary of Contribution: Our paper studies a fundamental problem in operations research: what criteria to optimize when uncertainties are involved. Extending from the classical chance constraint model, we propose a new decision criterion by an axiomatization approach. We then investigate the computing issue in the corresponding distributionally robust optimization problem. In particular, we provide solution methods for continuous and discrete optimization. After that, we apply it to a practical operations problem, surgery allocation decisions in healthcare management. The computational studies demonstrate the appealing performance of our proposed approach on this surgery allocation problem.
On the Reliability of the BDM Mechanism
Authors: Mamadehussene Samir , Sguera Francesco
Published: April 2022

The Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) mechanism is frequently used in experimental research to measure willingness-to-pay (WTP). The mechanism is very appealing given its incentive compatibility property. However, a growing body of experimental evidence finds that WTP is sensitive to the underlying price distribution of the BDM mechanism. The literature suggests that these findings can be rationalized only if subjects have context-dependent preferences. Under context-dependent preferences, the use of the BDM mechanism momentarily changes subjects’ preferences; subjects do not have incentives to report their intrinsic valuation, which is what the BDM attempts to measure, but instead they report the amount they are willing to pay after their preferences have momentarily changed. This lack of incentive compatibility would raise serious concerns about the validity of the BDM as an elicitation procedure; indeed, virtually all studies that use the BDM mechanism choose that elicitation procedure precisely for its incentive compatibility property. In this paper, we propose that an assumption of context dependence is not necessary to rationalize the aforementioned experimental findings. We provide an alternative plausible theory and experimental evidence to support it. Our theory relies on the premise that subjects need to exert effort to learn their preferences. We find that the price distribution of the BDM mechanism influences the subject’s incentives to exert effort. The results presented here are particularly appealing to the experimental research: our theory is consistent with the experimental findings that WTP is sensitive to the price distribution of the BDM mechanism while preserving the incentive compatibility property.

This paper was accepted by Duncan Simester, marketing.

Funding: F. Sguera acknowledges the support from the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology [Project UIDB/00407/2020 (CUBE)].

Supplemental Material: The data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4409 .
The value of continual learning
Authors: Nixon Jenny
Published: April 2022

Jenny Nixon looks at the pivotal role that continuing professional development plays in lifelong learning for dental nurses
Back to basics
Authors: Waters Rebecca
Published: April 2022

Rebecca Waters recaps the Department of Health's waste management guidelines
Use of specialist paramedic dispatch in emergency ambulance control
Authors: Fell Simon , Corrie Ian
Published: April 2022

Optimising patient care through the delivery of specialist resource allocation at the point of injury improves patient outcomes. As identified by the NHS, high-quality call handling and dispatch of the right response, first time, is critical to these outcomes ( NHS, 2015 ).

Aim:

This article presents an objective literature review and critical analysis of the evidence base concerning clinical dispatch. This study aims to highlight key differences between the triage and dispatch processes of specialist resources, to establish if the evidence supports the use of one model to manage these resources, and to ascertain best practice.

Method:

A structured literature review was undertaken and thematic analysis was used to explore the findings of the literature, leading to the establishment of recommendations for best practice in this area.

Results:

The literature discourages dispatching specialist teams based solely on computer-aided dispatch software codes, and recognises that specialist paramedic dispatchers have a better understanding of the clinical and ethical challenges of appropriately dispatching specialist, finite resources.

Conclusion:

The literature supports the use of clinicians in dispatching specialist resources to best meet the needs of those patients who are critically ill or injured.
On the eigenvalues of matrices with common Gershgorin regions
Authors: Davis Anna , Zachlin Paul
Published: April 2022

This paper is a study of the eigenvalues of a complex square matrix with one variable nondiagonal entry expressed in polar form. Changing the angle of the variable entry while leaving the radius fixed generates an algebraic curve; as does the process of fixing an angle and varying the radius. The authors refer to these two curves as eigenvalue orbits and eigenvalue trajectories, respectively. Eigenvalue orbits and trajectories are orthogonal families of curves, and eigenvalue orbits are sets of eigenvalues from matrices with identical Gershgorin regions. Algebraic and geometric properties of both types of curves are examined. Features such as poles, singularities, and foci are discussed.
Antibacterial Properties of Essential Oil Extracted from Kaffir Lime (Citrus Hystrix) Peel
Authors: Mohideen Mazlin , Jannah Mahadi Nik Nur Syahidatul , Nabilah Suhaimi Nur Aina , Kamaruzaman Nur Azzalia , Hamdi Nor Azlan Ahmad Yasser
Published: April 2022

Background: Citrus hystrix (C. hystrix), locally known as ‘limau purut,’ is Malaysia’s major commercial fruit harvest. Besides being a common ingredient in Asian cuisines, the extracted essential oil has diverse applications. The essential oil can be extracted from peels or leaves, which could give strong aromatic properties. Objective: The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the antibacterial activity of C. hystrix essential oil by using disc diffusion method. Materials and Methods: C. hystrix essential oil was extracted from the peels using the Clevenger apparatus of hydro-distillation method. The antibacterial activity of essential oil was evaluated by agar disc diffusion method against four strains of bacteria: two Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228) and two Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Shigella dysenteriae ATCC 13313). Each assay was done in triplicates. In this research, positive controls gentamicin and streptomycin were used as indicators to prove the research’s validity. Results: The Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible to the essential oil (average zone of inhibition diameter; S. aureus = 19.3 ± 1.5 mm and S. epidermidis = 19.3.0 ± 0.6 mm) as compared to the Gram-negative bacteria (average zone of inhibition diameter; E. coli = 8.3 ± 0.6 mm and S. dysenteriae = 11.7 ± 0.6 mm). Gentamicin was recorded to be most effective against all tested bacteria (more than 15 mm zone of inhibition diameter). However, only S. epidermidis showed resistance to streptomycin. Conclusion: C. hystrix essential oil was found to possess antibacterial activity. Thus, these findings indicated that C. hystrix essential oil could be developed as an antibacterial agent in various applications.
"Escus" (Energy Service Commodity Units) ANew Approach to Energy Service Financing
Authors: Feldman Roger D.
Published: April 2022

D er egulation has unleashed on th e partiall y lib er at ed con sum ercommunit y a series of providers of economic alternat ives . "Power mar-ketin g" pr es ently is th e perc eived lead er ; followed by ene rgy se rv icecomp ani es; and con sultant s on cost reduction .A definite role still also exists for develop ers of in sid e-the-fencefaciliti es with exces s usage m ark eting capability. Companies in th esebu sin esses have always known about their overlaps, and now areb eginnin g to form new strat egic alliances to better compete for enduser bu sine ss .For end u sers, this has cre at ed a new gen eration of timing ofse rvice purchase and financial struct uring anal ys is qu e sti ons. Th osequ e sti ons traditionall y faced were of course
State-of-the-Art Mulberry Cogeneration Facility
Authors: Gray Donald C. , Wierschem Robert A. , Jasper William M.
Published: April 2022

The Mulberry Cogeneration Facility is notable in thepower industry. Among the features that make this 120 MWfacility stand apart from other power plants are zero dischargewastewater system, an inlet air chilling system, and an exten-sive Distributed Control System (DCS) for overall plant opera-tion, along with a 25 ppm NO x dry emission limit on gas fuel forthe first 3 years and 15 ppm thereafter.The Mulberry Cogeneration Facility is owned by Polk PowerPartners Ltd. (Central and South West Energy of Dallas and ARKEnergy of Laguna Hills, California). The Plant is operated by CSWEnergy. Central and South West Services acted as the EPC contractor,and retained Black & Veatch to provide engineering and procurementservices, construction liaison, and start-up support .The facility , located near Bartow, Florida, consists of a singlecombustion turbine/heat recovery steam generator (HRSG)/steam tur-bine combined cycle. It provides electric power to nearby Tampa Elec-tric and Florida Power Corporation, and up to 25,000 lb/h of processsteam to an adjacent steam host facility that was also developed by thepartnership . The Mulberry Cogeneration Facility began commercialoperation on August 10, 1994.
Cogeneration'S Role in the Emerging Energy Markets A R eport From th e Uni versity of Colorado
Authors: Swoboda Mr. G.J.
Published: April 2022

Th e Unive r sity of Colorado at Bould er (UCB) is t he flag sh ip of th efo ur camp uses of th e Univers ity of Colorado. It cons ists of fou r collegesa nd five pr ofession al sch ools , cov eri ng 786 acr es , wit h more th an 200bui ldings a nd comp lexes . Th ere is a lso a 147- acre resea rch pa rk j u steas t of t he m ain ca mp us
The Role of the Gas Marketer
Authors: Daily Deborah R.
Published: April 2022

The role of the energy marketer has steadily evolved over thelast decade, largely due to the deregulation of the natural gas indus-try . Beginning in the early 1980's, the catalyst of this new trend wasthe unbundling of Fortune 500 Industries . As Orders 200 through636 unfolded, and the fast-paced onset of electric unbundling withOrd er 888 was realized, the role of the marketer has taken the shapeof what now can be called your "Tot al Energy Provider ."From the beginning marketers are asked to w ear a myriad ofhat s. Sales ability, and the experience of the individual to capture amarket share in a given region, is their chief responsibility. Themarketer must be knowledgeable of the tariffs that apply to differentend users associated with their respective LDCs .This information is utilized in order to implement and make thebest recommendations based on specific customer needs.In addition, keeping abreast of changes in the regulatory envi-ronm ent is also an important element of successful marketing . Thisallows a market to provide the customer with up-to-date informationabout how changes in regulatory affairs will affect their business . Allthese components combine to form a successful marketer who knowsthat service is key.
Cogeneration A North west Medical Facility's Answer To the Uncertainties of Deregulation
Authors: Almeda Romulo "Orne" , Rivers John
Published: April 2022

Not so long ago, in the good old da ys, the ene rgy supp ly to ahealth care facility was one of the mo st stable. The local util ity p rov idedwh at w as ne eded at a reasonable cost. Now the ener gy ind us try is be ingd eregulated. Major unc ert ainties exist in all parts of the ene rgy ind us try.Since reasonably pr iced and readil y available ener gy is m and at or y for ahealth care facilit y op eration, the ene rgy indu str y unc ert ainties reverb er-ate throu gh the health care ind us try.The health care indu str y also is chang ing . The facilities d epart-m ent s of health care organ izat ion s ha ve to be in ventive to assist theiror gan izat ion 's bottom line in the deliver y of effici ent , quality health careat reasonable costs. Since 1982 Valley Medical Center (Valley) in Renton,Washington, has implement ed ene rgy efficiency pr ojects . Ener gy reduc-tion ha s become a tradition.Cogeneration is the next ene rgy reduction step after all the conven-tional con servation approach es hav e been exhau sted . The imp endingder e gul ation was viewe d as an oppo rtunity to further r educ e energycosts, pa rticularly electricity costs since 80% of Valley's ene rgy cost is forelectricity.
ElectriC Utilities In 2007
Authors: Hyman Leonard S.
Published: April 2022

A c entury ago-in the year J.J . Thomson discover ed the electron-electricity, gas and tracti on companies battled for markets, and corruptcity councils demanded their fair share of the take . On e tycoon becameso d isgu sted with the confusion and dishonesty that he decid ed to bribethe legisl atur e to se t up an hon est, state-run regulat or y agenc y th atwo uld bring orde r to chaos.But he wa s fo und ou t. The scan dal set back the cause of re gulat ionunt il 1907, the year in whic h th e elect ric was hi ng m ach ine and theva cuum cleane r were inve n ted. By then, electricity sales had sep tu p ledfrom 1897 levels, an d three states had es tablished ut ility regul ati on .In the coming decade, 1997 to 2007, the ut ility business co uld un-dergo similar dra matic change, but it w ill move towar d less re gulat ionand more compe tition dur ing a period of slow gro wth . Manageme n twi ll have to wo rk h ard er to achiev e success, however, becau se mu ch ofthe p rofits will ha ve to come not from a growing mark et but f rom thepockets of compe titors .
How Energy Customers Can Help Electric Utilities N ow User "Load" Can Be a Resource for Utilities' Ancillary Services
Authors: Kirby Brendan , Hirst Eric
Published: April 2022

Most of the commercially important ancillary services involvemaintaining or restoring the generation and customer load real-powerbalance over varying time frames . Traditionally utilities have addressedthis problem almost exclusively by controlling generation.It does not have to be this wa y, however . The important concept isto balance user consumption and generation, which can be done usingeither side of the balancing equation. Controlling user load may be thesingle largest untapped resource currently available to the electricityindu str y.Restructuring is beginning to pro vide a framework within whichthis resource could be exploited. Several obstacles exist (primarily re-lated to aggregation, communications, and economic incentives) buttechnical and commercial solutions to these problems also exist.