bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sensory properties of 6‐ and 18‐month‐stored wines made with pectinase‐producing non‐Saccharomyces yeasts
Authors: Paup Victoria D. , Aplin Jesse J. , Potter Rachel I. , Edwards Charles G. , Lee Jungmin , Ross Carolyn F.
Published: December 2022

Recently, the use and commercial availability of non‐Saccharomyces yeasts (NSY) in winemaking to reduce alcohol content have increased. However, research exploring the influence on sensory quality of the wine, particularly during storage, is limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the sensory profiles of Merlot and Chardonnay wines made with pectinase‐producing NSY, with added substrate, that is, pectin. Apple pectin (0 or 0.5 g/L) was added to Merlot and Chardonnay grape musts after inoculation with (a) only Saccharomyces cerevisiae or (b) a three species mixture of NSY; after 3 days, S. cerevisiae was added. Addition of NSY with added pectin resulted in higher concentrations of d‐galacturonic acid and glycerol concentration in the wines after 6 months of aging. However, mouthfeel (viscosity or weight) of wines with or without added pectin as determined by a sensory evaluation panel was not altered by the presence of these yeasts. Significant interactions among the yeast utilized, pectin addition, and 6‐month aging affected some flavors (solvent) of Merlot, while addition of NSY increased other attributes (cherry) during aging. No sensory differences were perceived among Chardonnay samples due to NSY; however, aging from 6 to 18 months increased the intensity of 40 sensory attributes. Though mouthfeel was not specifically affected, the utilization of NSY may be a useful tool to alter wine quality in Merlot by increasing specific aromas during storage.

Practical Application

We found that must fermented with pectinase‐producing non‐Saccharomyces yeasts (NSY) modified the chemical composition of the final young wine. After one additional year of aging, an increase in cherry flavor was observed in Merlot wines made with NSY, which may increase perceived quality. Thus, the use of these pectinase‐producing NSY may be a useful tool for winemakers.
Characterization of the aroma compounds in crystal malt
Authors: Cai Guolin , Gu Hong , Han Bingxin , Yang Hua , Li Xiaomin , Lu Jian
Published: December 2022

Crystal malt, the most popular type of specialty malt used in beer brewing, plays a vital role in forming complex flavor and color. Nevertheless, crystal malt is only defined based on the malting process, and there is not any standard to evaluate its quality. In the current study, the volatile aroma constituents of commercial crystal malt samples were analyzed with headspace solid‐phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, in order to explore the characteristic aroma compounds of crystal malt. The average concentration of volatile aroma compounds in 10 crystal malt samples is 587 µg L−1, ranging from 347 to 1265 µg L−1. A total of 38 aroma compounds were identified, 47% of which were existed in all the 10 samples. Based on principal component analysis and odor activity value, isobutyraldehyde, 2‐methylbutanal, furfural, 2‐acetyl‐1H‐pyrrole, oct‐1‐en‐3‐ol, 4‐methyl‐2‐phenyl‐2‐pentenal, and (2E)‐2‐isopropyl‐5‐methyl‐2‐hexenal could be considered the characteristic aroma compounds of crystal malt. The results of this present study would help to establish a standard to assess the quality traits of crystal malt sample.
Glycemic profile and quality of recovery after emergency abdominal surgery–A prospective explorative cohort study
Authors: Clausen Johan S. R. , Andersen Jens R. , Priergaard Mie , Banke Trine , Kristiansen Puk , Hansen Hannah F. , Burcharth Jakob , Gögenur Ismail
Published: December 2022

Associations between degrees of postoperative hyperglycemia and morbidity has previously been established. There may be an association between the glycemic profile and patient‐reported recovery, and this may be a target for perioperative quality improvements. We aimed to investigate the association between metrics of the 30‐day glycemic profile and patient‐reported recovery in nondiabetic patients after major abdominal surgery. In a prospective, explorative cohort study, nondiabetic adult patients undergoing acute, major abdominal surgery were included within 24 h after surgery. Interstitial fluid glucose concentration was measured for 30 consecutive days with a continuous glucose measurement device. The validated questionnaire ‘Quality of Recovery‐15’ was used to assess patient‐reported quality of recovery on postoperative days 10, 20, and 30. Follow‐up time was divided into five‐day postoperative intervals using days 26–30 as a reference. Linear mixed models were applied to investigate temporal changes in mean p‐glucose, coefficient of variation, time within 70–140 mg/dl, and time above 200 mg/dl in relation to patient‐reported recovery. Twenty‐seven patients completed the study per protocol. A hyperglycemic event (>200 mg/dl) occurred in 18 of 27 patients (67%) within the first three postoperative days. Compared to the reference period, the coefficient of variation was significantly increased during all time intervals, indicating prolonged postoperative insulin resistance. During 30 days of follow‐up, patient‐reported recovery was associated with the coefficient of variation measured for 3 and 5 days before the corresponding recovery score assessment (recovery score estimate −1.52 [p < .001] and −0.92 [p = .006], respectively). We did not find an association between the remaining metrics and patient‐reported recovery. Alterations in the glycemic profile are frequent and prolonged during the first postoperative month after major surgery probably due to peripheral insulin resistance. Our findings indicate that high‐glycemic variation is associated with poorer patient‐reported recovery and might represent a proxy for care improvements in the postoperative period.
National survey on caffeine use in neonatal units across the United Kingdom
Authors: Grainge Stephanie , Nair Vrinda , Kannan Loganathan Prakash
Published: December 2022

Aim

To understand the variations in practice for caffeine use among neonatal units in the United Kingdom.

Methods

An online survey was sent to every neonatal unit in the United Kingdom.

Results

We received a response from 92 neonatal units (47%) with the proportion of response from special care, Local neonatal units, neonatal intensive care units and neonatal surgical units were 23%, 34%, 23% and 21% respectively. All the units reported the use of caffeine, and 40 units (46%) initiated caffeine within 24 h of birth. Fifty‐nine units (64%) reported routine use of caffeine for pre‐term infants <32 weeks. Seventy‐one units (77%) reported that they continue caffeine for infants needing mechanical ventilation. Thirty‐one units (34%) discontinued caffeine at 34 weeks post‐menstrual age, irrespective of the respiratory support. Ten units (11%) reported discontinuation of caffeine only after weaning off all respiratory support, and 40% of units had a variable practice of discontinuing caffeine depending on the individual baby. Seventy‐nine units (86%) reported they would regularly optimise caffeine dose based on weight checks.

Conclusion

Our survey showed some variation in practice with regards to the timing of caffeine initiation, gestational age cut‐off for routine caffeine prescription and discontinuation.
On the Supervisee's Future Orientation
Authors: Yerushalmi Hanoch
Published: December 2022

While exploring the supervisee's implicit contribution to therapeutic interactions, the supervisor can focus on the supervisee's future orientation instead of exploring transference manifestations that might arouse the supervisee's anxiety. I suggest that future orientation is shaped by an implicit urge described in the analytic literature as an unconscious hope to elicit yearned‐for psychological nutrients from the environment. In parallel, existentialist literature describes an urge to exercise the freedom to live an authentic life and actualize fundamental personal projects, sometimes against cultural and societal convictions and conventions. Furthermore, frustrating the urge that shapes future orientation might lead to a limited situational crisis described differently by the two schools of thought. While reconstructing the supervisee's therapeutic experiences, the supervisor can discern this urge in the components or response patterns of the supervisee's situational crisis. I will suggest that the supervisory dyad's capacity to formulate the implicit urge that shapes the supervisee's future orientation creates a continuous temporality and enlivens the supervisory and therapeutic processes.
Categorisation of peritoneal serous effusions using the International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology—A study on gynaecological samples
Authors: Rakheja Garima , Singh Meeta , Priyadarshnee Bhagyashree , Marimuthu Bharanidharan , Dhar Lity , Jain Shyama , Khurana Nita , Rathore Asmita
Published: December 2022

Background

Cytology of serous effusions is an indispensable diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of non‐neoplastic as well as neoplastic effusions, aiding in the categorisation, staging, and prognostication of the patient. This study focuses on reclassifying cases of peritoneal fluid cytology following the International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology (TIS), highlighting various challenges encountered and adding to the body of data regarding the risk of malignancy (ROM), focussing on peritoneal effusions due to gynaecological causes.

Methods

Peritoneal effusion samples were retrieved from our department's archives and reclassified according to the TIS. The ROM for each category was calculated based on available surgical follow‐up.

Results

A total of 818 peritoneal effusions were studied. Following the definitions and guidelines of the TIS, the cases were reclassified with 125 (15.2%) in the category of non‐diagnostic (ND), 595 (72.7%) as negative for malignancy (NFM), 26 (3.2%) as atypia of undetermined significance (AUS), 12 (1.5%) as suspicious for malignancy (SFM), and 60 (7.3%) as malignant (MAL). The respective ROM values for each category were 16.9%, 12.1%, 50%, 80%, and 100%, respectively. By considering the MAL and SFM groups as positive, and the ND, NFM, and AUS groups as negative, the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were determined as 85.2%, 36.7%, 99.1%, 91.7%, and 84.5%, respectively.

Conclusions

Peritoneal cytology categorisation following the proposed TIS offered a practical approach for categorisation of the fluids received. The ROMs reported in our study were mostly concordant with those published according to the TIS.
Lymphocytic thyroiditis is a cytopathological feature of nivolumab‐induced thyroid dysfunction
Authors: Bakht Azad , Li Wencheng
Published: December 2022

Thyroid dysfunction associated with checkpoint inhibitors is well described from a clinical perspective. In the current report, the authors describe the cytopathological features of thyroid dysfunction induced by checkpoint inhibitor.
Climate tracking by freshwater fishes suggests that fish diversity in temperate lakes may be increasingly threatened by climate warming
Authors: Wu Thomas , Imrit Mohammad Arshad , Movahedinia Zahra , Kong Jude , Woolway R. Iestyn , Sharma Sapna
Published: December 2022

Aim

Many freshwater fishes are migrating poleward to more thermally suitable habitats in response to warming climates. In this study, we aimed to identify which freshwater fishes are most sensitive to climatic changes and asked: (i) how fast are lakes warming? (ii) how fast are fishes moving? and (iii) are freshwater fishes tracking climate?

Location

Ontario, Canada.

Methods

We assembled a database containing time series data on climate and species occurrence data from 10,732 lakes between 1986 and 2017. We calculated the rate of lake warming and climate velocity for these lakes. Climate velocities were compared with biotic velocities, specifically the rate at which the northernmost extent of each species shifted north.

Results

Lakes in Ontario warmed by 0.2°C decade−1 on average, at a climate velocity of 9.4 km decade−1 between 1986 and 2017. In response, some freshwater fishes have shifted their northern range boundaries with considerable interspecific variation ranging from species moving southwards at a rate of −58.9 km decade−1 to species ranges moving northwards at a rate of 83.6 km decade−1 over the same time period. More freshwater fish species are moving into northern lakes in Ontario than those being lost. Generally, predators are moving their range edges northwards, whereas prey fishes are being lost from northern lakes.

Main Conclusions

The concurrent loss of cooler refugia, combined with antagonistic competitive and predatory interactions with the range expanding species, has resulted in many commercially important predators moving their range edges northwards, whereas prey species have contracted their northern range edge boundaries. Trophic partitioning of range shifts highlights a previously undocumented observation of the loss of freshwater fishes from lower trophic levels in response to climate‐driven migrations.
Ratcheting up tool innovation in Goffin's cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana): The effect of contextually diverse prior experience
Authors: Ibáñez de Aldecoa Paula , Auersperg Alice M. I. , Griffin Andrea S. , Tebbich Sabine
Published: December 2022

The ability to gain information from one situation, acquire new skills and/or perfect existing ones, and subsequently apply them to a new situation is a key element in behavioural flexibility and a hallmark of innovation. A flexible agent is expected to store these skills and apply them to contexts different from that in which learning occurred. Goffin's cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana) are highly innovative parrots renowned for their problem‐solving and tool‐using skills and are thus excellent candidates to study this phenomenon. We hypothesized that birds allowed to use a tool in a larger variety of contingencies would acquire a broader expertise in handling it, facilitating its transfer to new tasks. In our study, we compared the performance of two groups of captive Goffin's cockatoos (N = 13): A test group received more diverse learning and motor experiences on multiple applications of a hook‐type tool, while a control group received intensive, total trial‐matched, experience with a single application of the same tool. Then, both groups were tested on two novel tasks to determine whether experience with the tool in multiple contexts would facilitate performance during transfer. While both groups transferred to both novel tasks, group differences in performance were apparent, particularly in the second transfer task, where test birds achieved a higher success rate and reached criteria within fewer trials than control birds. These results provide support for the prediction that experiencing a diverse range of contingencies with a tool appears to allow birds to acquire generalizable knowledge and transferrable skills to tackle an untrained problem more efficiently. In contrast, intensive experience with the tool in a single context might have made control birds less flexible and more fixated on previously learned tool‐dependent instances.
The ecdysis triggering hormone system is essential for reproductive success in Mythimna separata (Walker)
Authors: Yang Qi , Li Mei‐Mei , Li Bo‐Liao , Wu Yu‐ting , Li Yan‐Ying , Xu Xiang‐Li , Wu Jun‐Xiang
Published: December 2022

Ecdysis triggering hormone (ETH) was originally discovered as a key hormone that regulates insect moulting via binding to its receptor, ETH receptor (ETHR). However, the precise role of ETH in moth reproduction remains to be explored in detail. ETH function was verified in vivo using Mythimna separata (Walker), an important cereal crop pest. RT‐qPCR analysis revealed that transcriptional expression profiles of MsepETH showed evident sexual dimorphism in the adult stage. MsepETH expression increased in the females on day 3 and persisted thereafter till day 7, consistent with female ovarian maturation, and was merely detectable in males. Meanwhile, MsepETH expression levels were significantly higher in the trachea than in other tissues. MsepETHR‐A and MsepETHR‐B were expressed in both sexes and were significantly higher in the antennae than in other tissues. MsepETH and MsepETHR knockdown in females by RNA interference significantly reduced the expression of MsepETH, MsepETHR‐A, MsepETHR‐B, MsepJHAMT, and MsepVG, which delayed egg‐laying and significantly reduced egg production. RNAi 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E) receptor (EcR) decreased MsepETH expression whereas injecting 20E restored egg production that had been disrupted by MsepETH interference. Meanwhile, RNAi juvenile hormone (JH) methoprene tolerant protein (Met) also decreased MsepETH expression and smearing JH analog methoprene (Meth) restored egg production. In conclusion, the reproduction roles of ETH, JH, and 20E were investigated in M. separata. These findings will lay the foundation for future research to develop an antagonist that reduces female reproduction and control strategies for pest insects.
Hepatic TREM2+ macrophages express matrix metalloproteinases to control fibrotic scar formation
Authors: Lee Kyeong‐Jin , An Seungchan , Kim Mi‐Yeon , Kim Sun Myoung , Jeong Won‐Il , Ko Hyun‐Jeong , Yang Yoon Mee , Noh Minsoo , Han Yong‐Hyun
Published: December 2022

Liver cirrhosis is characterized by the extensive deposition of extracellular matrix such as fibril collagen, causing dysfunction and failure of the liver. Hepatic macrophages play pivotal roles in the transition from inflammatory to restorative properties upon hepatic injury. In particular, scar‐associated macrophages (SAMacs) control liver fibrosis with the representative expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP). However, the heterogenic SAMac population has not been well characterized yet. This study profiled heterogeneous liver macrophages using public databases of single‐cell transcriptomics and found T‐cell immunoglobulin and mucin containing (TIM)4− macrophages exhibited elevated expression of MMPs. Scar‐associated triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM)2 was positively correlated with MMP expression, suggesting that TREM2+ subsets exert their fibrotic role via MMPs. During the progression of diet‐induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and drug‐induced liver cirrhosis, monocyte‐derived TREM2+ macrophages accumulate in the liver with the distinct expression of MMPs. A noticeable expansion of MMP‐ and TREM2‐ double positive macrophages was observed in fibrotic scar regions. Consistently, the analysis of single‐cell transcriptomics for human cirrhotic livers supported the theory that TREM2+ SAMacs are strongly associated with MMPs. The results could expand the understanding of liver fibrosis and SAMac, offering potential therapeutic approaches for liver cirrhosis.
Accessibility to dental services by immigrant and refugee children residing in Turkey
Authors: Duman Canan , Uslu Fatih Samet , Çakmak Sena , Aytekin Şevval Ilgın , Apaydın Tuana , Egil Edibe
Published: December 2022

Background

Turkey is hosting the world's largest immigrant population under temporary and international protection. Due to the social inequalities contributing to early childhood dental caries, the effectiveness of dental care service for immigrant children should be evaluated.

Aim

To evaluate the accessibility of immigrant and refugee children residing in four different regions of Turkey to oral health products and dental treatment services.

Design

A questionnaire consisting of 21 questions was administered: The first six questions elicited demographic data, and the remaining 15 questions asked about oral health habits, access to oral hygiene materials, and dental treatment services. Participants included the parents of 430 children under the age of 18, who were registered with migrant associations in the regions where they lived (Istanbul, Samsun, Hatay, or Ankara).

Results

The majority of the participants were from Syria and Iraq. Of the participants, 42.1% reported that their children's oral hygiene habits had changed negatively after they migrated, 71.9% reported that they had not been to the dentist in the last year, and 82.8% reported that they had not been to the dentist for more than 12 months. Access to oral and dental hygiene products was not difficult for 68.4%. About 62.6%, however, reported that they had difficulty accessing dental treatment.

Conclusion

The findings showed that this disadvantaged group had difficulty accessing dental treatment. Therefore, there is a need for national and international health strategies to ensure that immigrant and refugee children have effective access to dental treatment.
A wireless infrared thermometry device for postoperative flap monitoring: Proof of concept in a porcine flap model
Authors: Xie Ruijie , Liu Qianlong , Zhang Ya , Guo Chengyi , Huang Xiongjie , Liu Mingjiang
Published: December 2022

The application of flap surgery is becoming more and more widespread with the development of microsurgical techniques. Currently, postoperative blood flow monitoring of flaps is still mainly assessed by medical staff for traditional clinical parameters, which has the disadvantage of being subjective and unable to monitor in real‐time. This study describes a self‐contained infrared wireless infrared thermometry device for flap blood supply monitoring and evaluates its effectiveness on eight porcine flap models. A scapular muscle flap model was established using eight small pigs, and the vessels were ligated at irregular intervals using a lumir ligature to simulate arterial crisis and venous crisis. Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), the wireless infrared thermometry device, and traditional clinical observation methods were applied to monitor the blood supply of the flap and evaluate the effect. The time to the determination of blood supply disturbance by wireless infrared thermography (IRT) was 28.75 ± 3.30 min and 96.5 ± 27.09 min for the arterial and venous groups, respectively; by LDF was 6.00 ± 1.41 min and 52.75 ± 15.76 min; by clinical observation was 42.00 ± 8.60 min and 156.50 ± 40.91 min, respectively. Paired t‐tests were performed between the wireless IRT device and clinical observations, and the statistical results were significantly different in the arterial group and not significantly different in the venous group. Paired t‐testing of the wireless infrared thermometry device with the LDF also showed significant differences in the arterial group and non‐significant differences in the venous group. This wireless infrared thermometry device outperforms traditional clinical observation methods in monitoring blood supply in a porcine skin flap model. Because of its low cost, real‐time monitoring, simple operation, and non‐invasive features, it has the potential to be used in clinical practice as a routine means of postoperative blood supply monitoring in flap surgery.
A temperature and vent opening couple model in solar greenhouses for vegetable cultivation based on dynamic solar heat load using computational fluid dynamics simulations
Authors: Fu Qiqi , Li Xinxing , Zhang Guoxiang , Li Xiang
Published: December 2022

The application of microclimate control technology in solar greenhouses under a dynamic solar heat load is of great significance for current research on energy consumption and clean efficiency in greenhouses. In particular, solar greenhouses use natural ventilation for the rapid exchange of energy and heat inside and outside the greenhouse. In this study, we proposed a coupling between the natural ventilation model and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to investigate the relationship between ventilation and temperature in solar greenhouses, thus providing a more in‐depth understanding of greenhouse ventilation demands. The influence of vents on the greenhouse microclimate was simulated under dynamic solar thermal loads using CFD to propose a coupling between the natural ventilation model and the CFD model to investigate the relationship between ventilation and temperature in solar greenhouses. Furthermore, we analyzed the daily and annual greenhouse micro‐climates to provide a more in‐depth understanding of greenhouse ventilation demands. Results highlighted the impact of the outdoor wind speed and vent opening on greenhouse ventilation rates and temperatures, with a linear relationship between greenhouse ventilation rates and outdoor wind speed. The outdoor wind speed had little effect on the ventilation rate for reduced vent openings, while the indoor temperature decreased as outdoor wind speed increased. The average temperature in the greenhouse was observed to be greatly affected by wind speeds less than 3 m/s. Simultaneously, opening the greenhouse vent resulted in a fall in indoor temperatures, with openings less than 60% causing the greatest reduction, (the maximum temperature drift was determined as 9.33%).

Practical Applications

With the ability to conserve energy and reduce pollution, solar greenhouses are crucial to China's contribution and the global agricultural industry. Moreover, they are associated with improvements in the competitiveness of modern agriculture, particularly in the current era of rapidly increasing costs and pollution from fossil fuels and traditional energy. This study provides a basic reference for the natural ventilation of vents in the control of indoor air temperatures under dynamic solar thermal loads. The results can be used as a theoretical basis for the production management of solar greenhouses, and have an important practical significance for the subsequent automation and intelligent control of greenhouse environments.
How many hours do you sleep? A comparison of subjective and objective sleep duration measures in a sample of insomnia patients and good sleepers
Authors: Benz Fee , Riemann Dieter , Domschke Katharina , Spiegelhalder Kai , Johann Anna F. , Marshall Nathaniel S. , Feige Bernd
Published: December 2022

Our objective was to assess the agreement and linear relationships amongst multiple measures of sleep duration in a sample of patients with insomnia disorder and good sleeper controls. We retrospectively analysed data from 123 patients with insomnia disorder and 123 age‐ and gender‐matched good sleeper controls who completed a simple subjective habitual sleep duration question (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), a sleep diary (5–14 days), 2 nights of polysomnography, and two corresponding morning subjective estimates of sleep duration. Descriptive statistics, linear regression analyses and Bland–Altman plots were used to describe the relationship and (dis)agreement between sleep duration measures. Relationships between polysomnography and the simple question as well as between polysomnography and sleep diary were weak to non‐existent. Subjective measures and polysomnography did not agree. Sleep duration measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index or sleep diary was about 2 hr above or up to 4 hr below polysomnography‐measured sleep duration. Patients with insomnia disorder, on average, reported shorter sleep duration compared with polysomnography, while good sleeper controls, on average, reported longer sleep duration compared with polysomnography. The results suggest that subjective and objective measures apparently capture different aspects of sleep, even when nominally addressing the same value (sleep duration). They disagree in both patients with insomnia disorder and good sleeper controls, but in different directions. Studies assessing sleep duration should take into account both the investigated population and the assessment method when interpreting results. Future studies should continue to investigate possible psychological and physiological correlates of sleep (mis)perception.
Christ's being and Summa Theologiae 3a Q17 art. 2
Authors: Ryan Dominic
Published: December 2022

This article argues that Summa Theologiae 3a Q17 art. 2 is consistent with the attribution of a proper being to Christ's human nature. It proceeds in three stages. First, it examines the emergence of the problem of Christ's being through an analysis of the Chalcedonian Decree. In so doing it argues that the decree commits its adherents to accepting that Christ's human nature was an individual nature and it shows how Aquinas used his account of natures and essences to interpret this. Second, it considers five objections to the view which denies a proper being to Christ's human nature. Third, it argues that Christ's individual human nature can possess a proper being because (i) esse does not render an individual nature a person and (ii) the character and function of the divine esse entails that it could not receive any new esse from the individual human nature Christ possesses.
High demand, high commitment work: What residential aged care staff actually do minute by minute: A participatory action study
Authors: Gibson Diane , Willis Eileen , Merrick Eamon , Redley Bernice , Bail Kasia
Published: December 2022

This article explores staff work patterns in an Australian residential aged care facility and the implications for high‐quality care. Rarely available minute by minute, time and motion, and ethnographic data demonstrate that nurses and care staff engage in high degrees of multitasking and mental switching between residents. Mental switching occurs up to 18 times per hour (every 3 min); multitasking occurs on average for 37 min/h. Labor process theory is used to examine these outcomes and to explore the concepts of high demand and high commitment as core components of work intensification. These conditions of work result in high levels of cognitive burden and stress on staff in managing the multitasking and mental switching, exacerbated by lack of knowledge about residents associated with labor force casualization. These new interpretations of data in relation to mental and manual labor can contribute to understanding, and, therefore, problem solving, in the aged care sector.
Alliance Coordination: Explaining the Logic of Biden's Taiwan Policy†
Authors: Ye Xiaodi
Published: December 2022

The Biden administration is attempting to transform traditional US–Taiwan relations into a multilateralism‐based “US + alliance–Taiwan” interactional model, which can be conceptualized as alliance coordination. This article unpacks the logic of Biden's strategic thinking in the US Taiwan policy. Adopting an asymmetric alliance perspective, it argues that US allies' reactions to Biden's foreign policy and their ideological attitude toward China have interacted with the US placement of the Taiwan question on the agenda in the alliance system to produce different degrees of alliance coordination, which can be measured by the new typology constituted by seven approaches: all‐fields approach, pure high politics approach, high politics driven approach, half‐measures, low politics driven approach, pure low politics approach, and strategic inaction. Three cases, including the different reactions of Japan, European countries, and South Korea, are analyzed to demonstrate how the alliance coordination operates in realpolitik. Additionally, the assessment of this article reveals that Biden's alliance coordination would place growing strategic pressure on mainland China and introduces greater volatility into cross‐strait relations.
Characterization and protein engineering of glycosyltransferases for the biosynthesis of diverse hepatoprotective cycloartane‐type saponins in Astragalus membranaceus
Authors: Chen Kuan , Zhang Meng , Gao Baihan , Hasan Aobulikasimu , Li Junhao , Bao Yang'oujie , Fan Jingjing , Yu Rong , Yi Yang , Ågren Hans , Wang Zilong , Liu Haiyang , Ye Min , Qiao Xue
Published: December 2022

Although plant secondary metabolites are important source of new drugs, obtaining these compounds is challenging due to their high structural diversity and low abundance. The roots of Astragalus membranaceus are a popular herbal medicine worldwide. It contains a series of cycloartane‐type saponins (astragalosides) as hepatoprotective and antivirus components. However, astragalosides exhibit complex sugar substitution patterns which hindered their purification and bioactivity investigation. In this work, glycosyltransferases (GT) from A. membranaceus were studied to synthesize structurally diverse astragalosides. Three new GTs, AmGT1/5 and AmGT9, were characterized as 3‐O‐glycosyltransferase and 25‐O‐glycosyltransferase of cycloastragenol respectively. AmGT1G146V/I variants were obtained as specific 3‐O‐xylosyltransferases by sequence alignment, molecular modelling and site‐directed mutagenesis. A combinatorial synthesis system was established using AmGT1/5/9, AmGT1G146V/S and the reported AmGT8 and AmGT8A394F. The system allowed the synthesis of 13 astragalosides in Astragalus root with conversion rates from 22.6% to 98.7%, covering most of the sugar‐substitution patterns for astragalosides. In addition, AmGT1 exhibited remarkable sugar donor promiscuity to use 10 different donors, and was used to synthesize three novel astragalosides and ginsenosides. Glycosylation remarkably improved the hepatoprotective and SARS‐CoV‐2 inhibition activities for triterpenoids. This is one of the first attempts to produce a series of herbal constituents via combinatorial synthesis. The results provided new biocatalytic tools for saponin biosynthesis.
Spectral Mismatch Effect of Ultraviolet Radiometers in Actual UV‐C Measurement
Authors: Iwasa Yuki , Kinoshita Kenichi , Shitomi Hiroshi
Published: December 2022

The management of radiant exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, especially in the wavelength range from 100 nm to 280 nm (i.e. UV‐C), is important for virus inactivation or photobiological safety. Recently, many commercial UV radiometers have been used to measure UV‐C irradiance for industrial and public applications. The accuracy of the four types of commercial UV radiometers was investigated by comparing the reference irradiance values obtained from the spectral irradiance standard. It was found that the displayed values of the UV radiometers have discrepancies, such that the measured value can be more than twice the actual value in a certain case. The spectral mismatch between the calibration and test sources is a major factor in the discrepancies in the UV‐C measurements. With spectral mismatch correction, most corrected values show a tendency to improve the result to approaching the reference values within 20%. Users need to provide spectral information about the source and radiometer used for UV‐C measurement.
Self‐reported Side‐effects ofUltraviolet‐CDisinfection Devices
Authors: Adams Zoë , Bechlivanidis Christos , Osman Magda , O'Hagan John , Naldzhiev Dzhordzhio
Published: December 2022

The COVID‐19 pandemic increased sales of portable UV‐C devices as a means of inactivating the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. Research suggests that excessive UV‐C exposure to the eyes and skin can lead to side‐effects, primarily photokeratitis and erythema, but these findings are limited to case studies. This study explores self‐reported side‐effects of UV‐C devices by collating five waves of UK consumer survey data from April 2020–December 2021 (N = 26 864). 30%–46% of owners report a side‐effect after using a device claiming to emit UV‐C. However, detailed analysis of Wave 4 data (N = 309) highlights inconsistencies between reported and plausible side‐effect(s) associated with skin or eye exposure from UV‐C devices. Alternative explanations are considered, namely that the reported side‐effect(s) were psychosomatic or misattributed to direct exposure of UV‐C radiation. Data regarding awareness of warnings about device side‐effect(s) supports the misattribution explanation. For risk assessment purposes, limited reliable information about specific irritation or injury to the eye and skin was found from self‐reporting surveys. To optimize future data collection, we recommend addressing recall errors by: reducing the period under investigation, supplementing responses with empirical measures, and incentivizing respondents to provide accurate information about the make and model of the UV‐C device.
Forests from the grass: natural regeneration of woody vegetation in temperate marginal hill farmland under minimum interference management
Authors: Pedley David , McWilliam Wendy , Doscher Crile
Published: December 2022

Marginal hill farmland is a key target for the restoration of temperate indigenous forest, which can help mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. Reliance on natural regeneration and minimum interference management (MIM) is a low‐cost restoration strategy for farmers, with the transition from pasture to woody scrub vegetation (whether indigenous or exotic) an important early successional phase. However, few studies have determined the key factors that influence the regeneration of woody vegetation on pastoral farmland, nor the rate at which regeneration occurs. Using a geospatial analysis of a New Zealand pastoral hill farm subject to variable grazing and MIM, this study found that only 3.8% of grassland experienced detectable regeneration of woody vegetation over 16 years. The key factor influencing natural regeneration was proximity to existing woody vegetation, with the probability of regeneration decreasing as distance increased. Cattle grazing had a significant negative impact, with regeneration more likely to occur in areas free from cattle. Sheep grazing exhibited no significant positive or negative relationship with regeneration. To support natural regeneration of woody vegetation, landowners should prioritize areas with a higher presence of existing woody vegetation and exclude cattle. To increase the rate of regeneration, landowners should consider active management regimes and supplemental restoration strategies, such as applied nucleation and the introduction of nurse species. Given the increased cost and complexity of such approaches, effective government incentive programmes may be needed to provide landowners with financial support and expertise.
Organizational perspectives on digital labor market intermediaries
Authors: McDonald Steve , Damarin Amanda K. , Membrez‐Weiler Nicholas J.
Published: December 2022

Dramatic changes in organizational forms and employee‐employer relationships have coincided with a proliferation of labor market intermediaries. Often digital and internet‐based, these new hiring technologies assist organizations in recruiting and screening potential job candidates. We identify three types of digital labor market intermediaries (dLMIs): connectors, curators, and comminglers. We examine the use of dLMIs through the lens of organizational theory, focusing on implications for organizational efficiency, power, and equity. dLMI use is patterned but variable across different organizations and has unintended outcomes that defy efficiency expectations. It poses new constraints for job seekers while allowing organizations and intra‐organizational groups to negotiate institutional pressures and power imbalances. Finally, dLMI use appears to reproduce pre‐existing inequalities among different types of employees.
Biosynthesis of dillapiole/apiole in dill (Anethum graveolens): characterization of regioselective phenylpropene O‐methyltransferase
Authors: Koeduka Takao , Watanabe Bunta , Shirahama Konomi , Nakayasu Masaru , Suzuki Shiro , Furuta Takumi , Suzuki Hideyuki , Matsui Kenji , Kosaka Tomoyuki , Ozaki Shin‐ichi
Published: December 2022

The phenylpropene volatiles dillapiole and apiole impart one of the characteristic aromas of dill (Anethum graveolens) weeds. However, very few studies have been conducted to investigate the chemical composition of volatile compounds from different developmental stages and plant parts of A. graveolens. In this study, we examined the distribution of volatile phenylpropenes, including dillapiole, in dill plants at various developmental stages. We observed that young dill seedlings accumulate high levels of dillapiole and apiole, whereas a negligible proportion was found in the flowering plants and dry seeds. Based on transcriptomics and co‐expression approaches with phenylpropene biosynthesis genes, we identified dill cDNA encoding S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine‐dependent O‐methyltransferase 1 (AgOMT1), an enzyme that can convert 6‐ and 2‐hydroxymyristicin to dillapiole and apiole, respectively, via the methylation of the ortho‐hydroxy group. The AgOMT1 protein shows an apparent Km value of 3.5 μm for 6‐hydroxymyristicin and is 75% identical to the anise (Pimpinella anisum) O‐methyltransferase (PaAIMT1) that can convert isoeugenol to methylisoeugenol via methylation of the hydroxy group at the para‐position of the benzene ring. AgOMT1 showed a preference for 6‐hydroxymyristicin, whereas PaAIMT1 displayed a large preference for isoeugenol. In vitro mutagenesis experiments demonstrated that substituting only a few residues can substantially affect the substrate specificity of these enzymes. Other plants belonging to the Apiaceae family contained homologous O‐methyltransferase (OMT) proteins highly similar to AgOMT1, converting 6‐hydroxymyristicin to dillapiole. Our results indicate that apiaceous phenylpropene OMTs with ortho‐methylating activity evolved independently of phenylpropene OMTs of other plants and the enzymatic function of AgOMT1 and PaAIMT1 diverged recently.
New insights into the function of plant tannase with promiscuous acyltransferase activity
Authors: Chen Yifan , Jiang Changjuan , Yin Shixin , Zhuang Juhua , Zhao Yue , Zhang Lingjie , Jiang Xiaolan , Liu Yajun , Gao Liping , Xia Tao
Published: December 2022

Plant tannases (TAs) or tannin acyl hydrolases, a class of recently reported carboxylesterases in tannin‐rich plants, are involved in the degalloylation of two important groups of secondary metabolites: flavan‐3‐ol gallates and hydrolyzable tannins. In this paper, we have made new progress in studying the function of tea (Camellia sinensis) (Cs) TA—it is a hydrolase with promiscuous acyltransferase activity in vitro and in vivo and promotes the synthesis of simple galloyl glucoses and flavan‐3‐ol gallates in plants. We studied the functions of CsTA through enzyme analysis, protein mass spectrometry, and metabolic analysis of genetically modified plants. Firstly, CsTA was found to be not only a hydrolase but also an acyltransferase. In the two‐step catalytic reaction where CsTA hydrolyzes the galloylated compounds epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate or 1,2,3,4,6‐penta‐O‐galloyl‐β‐d‐glucose into their degalloylated forms, a long‐lived covalently bound Ser159‐linked galloyl–enzyme intermediate is also formed. Under nucleophilic attack, the galloyl group on the intermediate is transferred to the nucleophilic acyl acceptor (such as water, methanol, flavan‐3‐ols, and simple galloyl glucoses). Then, metabolic analysis suggested that transient overexpression of TAs in young strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) fruits, young leaves of tea plants, and young leaves of Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra) actually increased the total contents of simple galloyl glucoses and flavan‐3‐ol gallates. Overall, these findings provide new insights into the promiscuous acyltransferase activity of plant TA.
Going broad and deep: sequencing‐driven insights into plant physiology, evolution, and crop domestication
Authors: Gui Songtao , Martinez‐Rivas Felix Juan , Wen Weiwei , Meng Minghui , Yan Jianbing , Usadel Björn , Fernie Alisdair R.
Published: December 2022

Deep sequencing is a term that has become embedded in the plant genomic literature in recent years and with good reason. A torrent of (largely) high‐quality genomic and transcriptomic data has been collected and most of this has been publicly released. Indeed, almost 1000 plant genomes have been reported (www.plabipd.de) and the 2000 Plant Transcriptomes Project has long been completed. The EarthBioGenome project will dwarf even these milestones. That said, massive progress in understanding plant physiology, evolution, and crop domestication has been made by sequencing broadly (across a species) as well as deeply (within a single individual). We will outline the current state of the art in genome and transcriptome sequencing before we briefly review the most visible of these broad approaches, namely genome‐wide association and transcriptome‐wide association studies, as well as the compilation of pangenomes. This will include both (i) the most commonly used methods reliant on single nucleotide polymorphisms and short InDels and (ii) more recent examples which consider structural variants. We will subsequently present case studies exemplifying how their application has brought insight into either plant physiology or evolution and crop domestication. Finally, we will provide conclusions and an outlook as to the perspective for the extension of such approaches to different species, tissues, and biological processes.
Optimal Energy Scheduling of Microgrid With Electric Vehicles Based on Electricity Market Price
Authors: Hai Tao , Alazzawi Ammar K. , Zhou Jincheng , Muranaka Tetsuya
Published: December 2022

Due to rising global energy demand and mounting environmental concerns associated with the widespread use of fossil fuels in conventional power plants, it is imperative that viable and cleaner energy sources are used. Here, virtually pollution-free renewable energy sources have replaced traditional fossil fuels as the go-to option for meeting the rising energy demand. This research article utilizes a new formulation for minimizing the total cost of a microgrid through a short-term operational strategy. Microgrids and demand-side management can improve the distribution network’s efficiency and reliability. To achieve this goal, this paper explores how to best schedule the uncertain operation of a microgrid including both renewable energy resources like wind turbines and photovoltaics, as well as dispatchable resources like fuel cells, microturbines, and electrical storage devices connected to charging stations for electric vehicles. Considering the unpredictability of wind power and solar power outputs, besides the behavior of plug-in electric vehicle owners in terms of plugging into the grid to inject or receive power, a stochastic programming-based framework is introduced for the operation of microgrids running in the grid-integrated mode. In this study, an innovative and effective optimization algorithm is employed, which is the modified manta ray foraging optimization algorithm, as a high-efficiency method for maximizing the microgrid efficiency. After applying the proposed method to a standard microgrid, the simulation results show how effective it is compared with other approaches.
Application of 1D-CFD Coupling Method to Unprotected Loss of Heat Sink Event in EBR-II Focusing on Thermal Stratification in Cold Pool
Authors: Yoshimura Kazuo , Doda Norihiro , Fujisaki Tatsuya , Igawa Kennichi , Tanaka Masaaki , Yamano Hidemasa
Published: December 2022

Negative reactivity caused by radial expansion of core is known as one of the inherent safety features in a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR). In order to confirm the applicability of the reactivity model, the authors have been conducting the benchmark exercises of the unprotected loss of heat sink event tests in a pool-type experimental SFR EBR-II. In the blind phase in the benchmark analyses using the in-house plant dynamics analysis (1D) code, it was found the increase of the core inlet temperature was evaluated lower than that of the measured data and the feedback reactivity was underestimated. Since the discrepancies might be brought by the ignorance of thermal stratification in the cold pool by means of the perfect mixing model in the 1D code, the detailed model of the cold pool for the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code was introduced and the 1D-CFD codes coupling method was applied to the benchmark analyses. Then, it was confirmed that both the thermal stratification in the cold pool and the core inlet temperature were successfully reproduced. It could insist that modeling the cold pool including the IHX outlet window in detail was important to simulate the thermal hydraulics behaviors including thermal stratification there.