bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MOCVD growth of gallium and indium microparticles for SERS applications
Authors: Dumiszewska Ewa , Caban Piotr , Jóźwik Iwona , Ciepielewski Paweł , Baranowski Jacek M.
Published: March 2021

The MOCVD growth of Ga and In microparticles was performed on graphene/SiC substrates. The test of effectiveness of the microparticles grown for SERS was based on the observation of H–Si vibrations on hydrogenated graphene grown on SiC. It was shown by scanning electron microscopy that the Ga or In microparticles grown were in the form of hemispheres with a flat side attached to the substrate. Raman measurements have shown that the effective H–Si SERS signal arises at the edges of the hemisphere microparticles. In addition, it was found that Ga or In microparticles are covered by GaAs or InAs shells, respectively. The presence of GaAs and InAs coverage of metallic microparticles arises from the As contamination of the MOCVD system used for III–V compound growth. However, these coverages do not significantly affect the surface plasmons resonance in the metallic microparticles.
Protein Analysis of Pollen Tubes after the Treatments of Membrane Trafficking Inhibitors Gains Insights on Molecular Mechanism Underlying Pollen Tube Polar Growth
Authors: Scali Monica , Moscatelli Alessandra , Bini Luca , Onelli Elisabetta , Vignani Rita , Wang Wei
Published: March 2021

Pollen tube elongation is characterized by a highly-polarized tip growth process dependent on an efficient vesicular transport system and largely mobilized by actin cytoskeleton. Pollen tubes are an ideal model system to study exocytosis, endocytosis, membrane recycling, and signaling network coordinating cellular processes, structural organization and vesicular trafficking activities required for tip growth. Proteomic analysis was applied to identify Nicotiana tabacum Differentially Abundant Proteins (DAPs) after in vitro pollen tube treatment with membrane trafficking inhibitors Brefeldin A, Ikarugamycin and Wortmannin. Among roughly 360 proteins separated in two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, a total of 40 spots visibly changing between treated and control samples were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and LC–ESI–MS/MS analysis. The identified proteins were classified according to biological processes, and most proteins were related to pollen tube energy metabolism, including ammino acid synthesis and lipid metabolism, structural features of pollen tube growth as well modification and actin cytoskeleton organization, stress response, and protein degradation. In-depth analysis of proteins corresponding to energy-related pathways revealed the male gametophyte to be a reliable model of energy reservoir and dynamics.
Free energy asymptotics of the quantum Heisenberg spin chain
Authors: Napiórkowski Marcin , Seiringer Robert
Published: March 2021

We consider the ferromagnetic quantum Heisenberg model in one dimension, for any spin $$S\ge 1/2$$

S
≥
1
/
2

. We give upper and lower bounds on the free energy, proving that at low temperature it is asymptotically equal to the one of an ideal Bose gas of magnons, as predicted by the spin-wave approximation. The trial state used in the upper bound yields an analogous estimate also in the case of two spatial dimensions, which is believed to be sharp at low temperature.
Catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles deposited on N-doped carbon-based supports in oxidation of glucose and arabinose mixtures
Authors: Franz Sebastian , Shcherban Nataliya D. , Bezverkhyy Igor , Sergiienko Sergii A. , Simakova Irina L. , Salmi Tapio , Murzin Dmitry Yu.
Published: March 2021

Oxidation of a mixture of glucose and arabinose over Au particles deposited on porous carbons, N-doped carbons and carbon nitrides was investigated at 70 °C, under constant pH of 8, and oxygen partial pressure 0.125 atm. In particular, Au deposited on nitrogen-containing carbon-based mesoporous structures demonstrated activity in the oxidation of the sugars to the corresponding aldonic acids higher than gold deposited on undoped carbon supports (conversion of glucose up to ca. 60%, arabinose–ca. 30% after 200 min). The results can be explained by the basic nature of the supports leading to an increase in the polarity of the carbon surface and the oxygen activation. Glucuronic acid (with selectivity ca. 10–93.5%) together with gluconic acid was formed as a result of glucose oxidation, while arabinose was selectively oxidized to arabinonic acid.
Latent Infection by Clavibacter sepedonicus and Correlation with Ring Rot Symptoms Development in Potato Cultivars
Authors: Gryń G. , Franke K. , Nowakowski M. M. , Nowakowski M.
Published: March 2021

The aim of this study was to determine the response of potato cultivars toClavibacter sepedonicus(Cs) infection in a field experiment. The research focused on the infection in a latent form as it is a risk for unnoticed spread. A total of 18 cultivars were tested in the years 2013–2016. Symptoms of the disease were observed on the leaves during growth and in tubers after harvest and after storage. The infection incidence was determined by microscopic observation of leaf and tuber samples stained by the IFAS method. A diverse response of potato cultivars to Cs infection was found. The lowest number of asymptomatic infected plants was found in cultivars ‘Vineta’, ‘Bila’ and ‘Irga’. As for cultivar ‘Stasia’, the entire tuber yield was latently infected by Cs. A low or medium concentration of Cs cells in leaves did not change significantly or increased depending on the potato cultivar. A higher incidence of tubers with disease symptoms was found after the storage period. In eight of the cultivars tested, the level of tuber infection by Cs confirmed microscopically after harvest was significantly correlated with the occurrence of disease symptoms in tubers after the storage period.
Urban–rural linkages: effective solutions for achieving sustainable development in Ghana from an SDG interlinkage perspective
Authors: Baffoe Gideon , Zhou Xin , Moinuddin Mustafa , Somanje Albert Novas , Kuriyama Akihisa , Mohan Geetha , Saito Osamu , Takeuchi Kazuhiko
Published: March 2021

Urbanization and concomitant challenges pose a great threat to sustainable development. Urban and rural development interacts through the flows of people, materials, energy, goods, capital, and information. Without building sound urban–rural linkages, achieving development in one area could compromise it in another area. Achieving sustainable development needs customized policy prioritization and implementation in both urban and rural areas. Much literature exists in the research field of urban–rural linkages, but little has been done via a comprehensive analysis from an interlinkage perspective in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainable Development Goal 11 on sustainable cities and several targets embedded under other Goals provides a good framework for analyzing the urban–rural linkages. This paper contributes to this novel research perspective using Ghana as a case. The study applied an integrated approach by combining the results from a solution-scanning exercise with an SDG interlinkage analysis to identify the challenges and priority solutions and assess the synergies and trade-offs of the identified solutions. It extends the conventional solution-scanning approach by further assessing the synergies and trade-offs of the solutions from an SDG interlinkage perspective. It also enables a more practical SDG interlinkage analysis through the contributions from the multi-stakeholder consultations conducted in Ghana. The analyses show that prioritizing gender inclusion (Goal 5) will positively affect many social and well-being outcomes, including poverty elimination (Goal 1), hunger reduction (Goal 2), health improvement (Goal 3) and access to quality education (Goal 4) and basic services, such as water (Goal 6). However, gender inclusion could have potential trade-offs in the agricultural sector (Goal 2) in the case that women who dominate agricultural value chains could move to work in other sectors. Lack of proper infrastructure (Goal 9), such as transport, will hinder wide gender inclusion. An integrated approach that considers both the synergies and trade-offs of relevant solutions is critical for effective policymaking, specifically in developing countries.
On the Relation Between Pressing Energy and Green Strength at Compaction of Hard Metal Powders
Authors: Salmi Kristin , Staf Hjalmar , Larsson Per-Lennart
Published: March 2021

The relation between pressing energy and green strength is examined experimentally and numerically using a commercially available design of experiment (DOE) software, at compaction of five hard metal powder materials. This is of substantial practical importance, in particular at pressing of complicated geometries when high values on the green strength is necessary. The compaction energy is here experimentally determined at uniaxial compaction of a cylindrical die, filled with powder material, by measuring punch force and compression. The corresponding measurements of the resulting green strength are performed using standard three-point bend (3PB) testing. The statistical analysis of the results shows that the relation between the two properties, pressing energy and green strength, is very close to a linear fit with the coefficient of determination R2 taking on the value 0.92. This suggests that the pressing energy is an important quantity for reaching a target value on the green strength and the linear relation is certainly convenient in particular when compaction of similar materials is at issue. In parallel with the experimental work finite element calculations are performed in order to evaluate the effect from friction between the powder and the die wall, and it was found that this feature has a limited effect on the pressing energy when similar materials are at issue and is not detrimental for the usefulness of the present correlation approach.
A simulation-based pilot study of crisis checklists in the emergency department
Authors: Knoche Beatrice Billur , Busche Caroline , Grodd Marlon , Busch Hans-Jörg , Lienkamp Soeren Sten
Published: March 2021

Checklists can improve adherence to standardized procedures and minimize human error. We aimed to test if implementation of a checklist was feasible and effective in enhancing patient care in an emergency department handling internal medicine cases. We developed four critical event checklists and confronted volunteer teams with a series of four simulated emergency scenarios. In two scenarios, the teams were provided access to the crisis checklists in a randomized cross-over design. Simulated patient outcome plus statement of the underlying diagnosis defined the primary endpoint and adherence to key processes such as time to commence CPR represented the secondary endpoints. A questionnaire was used to capture participants’ perception of clinical relevance and manageability of the checklists. Six teams of four volunteers completed a total of 24 crisis sequences. The primary endpoint was reached in 8 out of 12 sequences with and in 2 out of 12 sequences without a checklist (Odds ratio, 10; CI 1.11, 123.43; p = 0.03607, Fisher’s exact test). Adherence to critical steps was significantly higher in all scenarios for which a checklist was available (performance score of 56.3% without checklist, 81.9% with checklist, p = 0.00284, linear regression model). All participants rated the checklist as useful and 22 of 24 participants would use the checklist in real life. Checklist use had no influence on CPR quality. The use of context-specific checklists showed a statistically significant influence on team performance and simulated patient outcome and contributed to adherence to standard clinical practices in emergency situations.
Necessary Suffering and Lewisian Theism
Authors: Collier Matthew James
Published: March 2021

One can readily conceive of worlds of horrendous, gratuitous suffering. Moreover, such worlds seem possible. For classical theists, however, God, amongst other things, is perfectly good. So, the question arises: for classical theists are such evil worlds possible? Many classical theists have said no. This is the modal problem of evil. Herein, I discuss a related problem: the problem of evil worlds for Lewisian theism. Lewisian theism is the conjunction of Lewis’s modal realism and classical theism, and a leading Lewisian theist, Almeida, thinks that Lewisian theists should admit the existence of on-balance evil worlds. I do not. Herein, I present a dilemma for Almeida: either give up God’s sovereignty and the reductionist account of modality or make God blameworthy for evil.
Fergus Shanahan: The language of illness
Authors: Tormey William P.
Published: March 2021

"The language of illness" is a wide ranging exploration of the therapeutic medical process - where it goes right and where is misfires. Communication and empathy are core values explored in the detail exemplifying the art of medicine along side the science. There is a deep seated wisdom and sympathetic philosophy within its pages which is very valuable for the healing and caring professions.
On the relations of general homogeneous spaces and the two-wavelet localization operators
Authors: Sajadi Rad Olya Dokht , Kamyabi Gol Rajab Ali , Esmaeelzadeh Fatemeh
Published: March 2021

In this note, the two-wavelet localization operator for square integrable representation of a general homogeneous space is defined. Then among other things, the boundedness properties of this operator is investigated. In particular, it is shown that it is in the Schatten p-class.
Uvula Manipulation and Resonance (UMAR) Treatment for Puberphonia
Authors: Kumaresan Muthiah , Kumaresan Navin Bharath , Elangovan Parameswaren Darling
Published: March 2021

Otolaryngologists and speech therapist can be experts in managing specific puberphonia lesions to improve voice. However, not all voice problems have lesions amenable to surgical or medical therapies. Many are associated with maladaptive speech behaviors. We may employ a variety of techniques to improve vocal quality and function in patients with and without structural or neurologic laryngeal pathology. There is an alarming increase in cases of puberphonia and it’s after effects. Otolaryngologists can partner to manage a constellation of puberphonia voice problems with directed voice evaluation and therapy. We, in a small Otorhinolarygolist center in a small city, Chennai has registered and treated 600 cases of puberphonia. We are able to register the devastating problems of puberphonia. Regarding the treatment of puberphonia, in which laryngeal massage, outside the neck, is consistently highlighted as being an effective therapy technique for treating it. In addition, there have been several individual studies conducted to examine the effectiveness of laryngo pharyngeal manipulation inside the vocal tract, which also yielded positive results. A basic review of UMAR techniques and this partnership with yoga breathing trainers is presented which give almost immediate low pitch speech and give a good follow up.
Laser Surface Texturing to Realize Micro-grids on DLC Coating: Effect of Marking Speed, Power, and Loop Cycle
Authors: Giorleo L. , Montesano L. , La Vecchia G. M.
Published: March 2021

In the present study, laser surface texturing was tested with the aim of improving the tribological properties of a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating. Two experimental campaigns were designed to realize different micro-grids, and to study the effect of marking speed, laser power, and loop cycle. The grid profiles obtained were analyzed using a digital microscope and a laser probe system to measure the track cross section. At the end of the experiments, the authors identified a good-quality track obtained by imposing a marking speed of 300 mm/s, a power of 0.5 W, and one loop cycle. For the identified condition, the presence of defects (such as cracks) on both the coated surface and at the substrate/coating interface was analyzed. Furthermore, the coating nanohardness, adhesion to the substrate, and wear behavior in dry condition were investigated. The results underline how laser texturing can improve the DLC wear behavior (wear tracks lower than 30%) without considerably affecting the other tested coating properties.
Short-term Focused Attention Meditation Restricts the Retrieval of Stimulus-Response Bindings to Relevant Information
Authors: Ullrich Sarah , Colzato Lorenza S , Wolff Nicole , Beste Christian
Published: March 2021

Objectives

Goal-direct actions require integrating processing of stimuli and responses, which is why close stimulus-response bindings have to be created. However, the strength of these bindings can be modified. The metacontrol state model (MSM) hypothesizes that this can be achieved through mindfulness meditation. Yet, the cognitive processes underlying possible effects of meditation on S-R bindings remain unexplored.

Methods

We examined the effects of a brief bout of focused attention (FA) meditation on S-R bindings using a standard event file task measuring S-R bindings. This was done in a within-subject (crossover) design, where each participant (novice to meditation) was examined at two separate appointments (with and without meditation before the task).

Results

We found that 15 min of a single bout of FA meditation was enough to restrict the retrieval of S-R bindings to relevant information as indexed by decreased partial overlap costs.

Conclusion

These findings support the MSM framework suggesting that FA meditation induces a top-down biasing of processes toward cognitive persistence. Importantly, however, the effects of FA meditation were only evident when there was prior experience with the task. This shows close similarities to effects in pharmacological and brain stimulation studies and suggests that FA meditation modulates gain control principles in information processing. Moreover, effects of FA meditation were restricted in its duration since FA meditation modulated the retrieval of S-R bindings only in the early phases of the event file task. In novices, effects of short-term FA meditation are thus relatively fragile and only induce some finer adjustments in processing strategy.
Analysis of rotorcraft wind turbine wake encounters using piloted simulation
Authors: Štrbac Alexander , Martini Tanja , Greiwe Daniel H. , Hoffmann Frauke , Jones Michael
Published: March 2021

The use of offshore wind farms in Europe to provide a sustainable alternative energy source is now considered normal. Particularly in the North Sea, a large number of wind farms exist with a significant distance from the coast. This is becoming standard practice as larger areas are required to support operations. Efficient transport and monitoring of these wind farms can only be conducted using helicopters. As wind turbines continue to grow in size, there is a need to continuously update operational requirements for these helicopters, to ensure safe operations. This study assesses German regulations for flight corridors within offshore wind farms. A semi-empirical wind turbine wake model is used to generate velocity data for the research flight simulator AVES. The reference offshore wind turbine NREL 5 MW has been used and scaled to represent wind turbine of different sizes. This paper reports result from a simulation study concerning vortex wake encounter during offshore operations. The results have been obtained through piloted simulation for a transport case through a wind farm. Both subjective and objective measures are used to assess the severity of vortex wake encounters.
Shaping more resilient and just food systems: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Sanderson Bellamy Angelina , Furness Ella , Nicol Poppy , Pitt Hannah , Taherzadeh Alice
Published: March 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted weaknesses in global food systems, as well as opening windows of opportunity for innovation and transformation. While the nature and extent of this crisis is rare, extreme climatic events will increase in magnitude and frequency, threatening similar societal impacts. It is therefore critical to identify mechanisms for developing food systems that are resilient to such impacts. We examine impacts of the crisis on UK food systems and how these further entrenched social inequalities. We present data on the experiences and actions of producers, consumers, and community organisers. The data were collected by adapting ongoing research to include surveys, interviews and online workshops focused on the pandemic. Actors’ responses to the pandemic foreshadow how enduring change to food systems can be achieved. We identify support required to enable these transformations and argue that it is vital that these opportunities are embedded in food justice principles which promote people-centred approaches to avoid exacerbating injustices prevalent pre-crisis. Learning from these experiences therefore provides insights for how to make food systems elsewhere more resilient and just.
Taking the Historical-Social Dimension Seriously: A Reply to Bandini et al.
Authors: Haidle Miriam Noël , Schlaudt Oliver
Published: March 2021

In our recent article, "Where Does Cumulative Culture Begin? A Plea for a Sociologically Informed Perspective" (Haidle and Schlaudt in Biol Theory 15:161–174, 2020) we commented on a fundamental notion in current approaches to cultural evolution, the “zones of latent solutions” (henceforth ZLS), and proposed a modification of it, namely a social and dynamic interpretation of the latent solutions which were originally introduced within an individualistic framework and as static, genetically fixed entities. This modification seemed, and still seems, relevant to us and, in particular, more adequate for coping with the archaeological record. Bandini et al. (Biol Theory, 2021) rejected our proposition and deemed it unnecessary. In their critique, they focused on: (1) our reservations about an individualistic approach; (2) our objections to the presumption of fully naive individuals; and (3) our demand for an extended consideration of forms of social learning simpler than emulation and imitation. We will briefly reply to their critique in order to clarify some misunderstandings. However, the criticisms also show that we are at an impasse on certain crucial topics, such as the meaning of ZLS and the scope and nature of culture in general. Thus, we consider it necessary to make an additional effort to identify the conceptual roots which are at the very basis of the dissent with Bandini et al.
Evolution of Collaborative Governance in the 2015, 2016, and 2018 Myanmar Flood Disaster Responses: A Longitudinal Approach to a Network Analysis
Authors: Aung Tin Myo , Lim Seunghoo
Published: March 2021

In disaster response, collaboration facilitates interactions among actors, such as the government, the military, nongovernmental organizations, and civil society organizations. This study examined the longitudinal changes in collaborative governance in Myanmar’s disaster responses based on cases of flooding in 2015, 2016, and 2018. To examine the mechanisms underlying this dynamic network formation, the collaborative ties of the actors involved in search and rescue activities were converted into longitudinal relational data sets, and the evolution of collaborative governance was analyzed by relying on the assumptions of social capital, transaction cost, homophily, and resource dependency theories and using a longitudinal social network analysis method. The findings show that the collaborative networks of search and rescue processes in disaster response evolved and changed over time according to the hypothesized patterns of strong, weak, and preferential tie formations. The study also revealed that the collaborative governance system assumes the form of a hierarchy rather than a generalized exchange, and the actors’ reliance on military organizations is not obvious due to the emerging alternative non-military actors and diverse local actors observed in the cases.
One Minute Wonder – Fortbildung während der Arbeitszeit
Authors: Krüger Lars , Mannebach Thomas , Wefer Franziska , Bolte Christina
Published: March 2021

Hintergrund

Fortbildung von Pflegenden hat auf Intensivstationen (ITS) eine hohe Bedeutung. One Minute Wonder (OMW) als Fortbildungsmethode sind dabei so aufbereitet, dass sie in einer Minute gelesen werden können. Bisher wurde die Umsetzung von OMW nur in 2 Untersuchungen in Deutschland mit kleinen Kohorten evaluiert.

Ziel

Das primäre Ziel der Evaluationsstudie war zu untersuchen, ob Pflegende auf den ITS OMW zur Fortbildung nutzen. Gleichermaßen sollte aufgezeigt werden, ob OMW zu einem subjektiv beurteilten Bildungsgewinn bei Pflegenden führen. Als sekundäre Ziele sollten Optimierungspotenziale, die Bereitschaft, selbst ein OMW zu erstellen, und die Gesamtbewertung ermittelt werden.

Methode

Die Evaluationsstudie wurde als quantitative Vollerhebung (n = 379) mittels standardisierten Fragebogens auf allen ITS des Herz- und Diabeteszentrums NRW (HDZ NRW) von September bis Oktober 2018 durchgeführt. Zur Datenauswertung sind Methoden der deskriptiven Statistik angewendet worden.

Ergebnisse

Bei einem Rücklauf von 49,87 % (n = 189) bestätigten die Pflegenden mit 91,53 % (n = 173), dass sie Wartezeiten im Pflegealltag zum Lesen von OMW nutzen. 73,55 % (n = 139) gaben an, dass die Informationen aus den OMW im Praxisalltag hilfreich sind. Als Wechselintervall wurde mit 69,31 % (n = 131) 14-tägig ausgewählt. Die Bereitschaft, selbst ein OMW zu erstellen, war ausgewogen. Die Methode wurde im Median mit 2 (40,21 %, n = 76) und im Mittelwert mit 1,90 (n = 184) bewertet.

Schlussfolgerung

Die OMW stellen für Pflegende eine sinnvolle ergänzende Fortbildungsmethode dar. Um den Wissenstransfer durch OMW empirisch zu belegen, ist weitere Forschung nötig.
Data hiding in encryption–compression domain
Authors: Singh O. P. , Singh A. K.
Published: March 2021

This paper introduces a robust and secure data hiding scheme to transmit grayscale image in encryption-then-compression domain. First, host image is transformed using lifting wavelet transform, Hessenberg decomposition and redundant singular value decomposition. Then, we use appropriate scaling factor to invisibly embed the singular value of watermark data into the lower frequency sub-band of the host image. We also use suitable encryption-then-compression scheme to improve the security of the image. Additionally, de-noising convolutional neural network is performed at extracted mark data to enhance the robustness of the scheme. Experimental results verify the effectiveness of our scheme, including embedding capacity, robustness, invisibility, and security. Further, it is established that our scheme has a better ability to recover concealed mark than conventional ones at low cost.
Comorbidities and Quality of Life in Women Undergoing First Surgery for Endometriosis: Differences Between Chinese and Italian Population
Authors: Chen Huixi , Vannuccini Silvia , Capezzuoli Tommaso , Ceccaroni Marcello , Mubiao Liu , Shuting Huang , Wu Yanting , Huang Hefeng , Petraglia Felice
Published: March 2021

An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in a group (n = 371) of fertile age women with endometriosis, by administering a structured questionnaire, in order to evaluate the incidence of gynecological and systemic comorbidities and the impact on quality of life (QoL) in two different groups of Italian and Chinese patients affected by endometriosis. Chinese (n = 175) and Italian (n = 196) women were compared regarding systemic (inflammatory, autoimmune, and mental) and gynecological comorbidities, pain symptoms, and QoL, by using the Short Form 12 (SF-12). Italian patients resulted younger at the diagnosis and suffered more frequently from severe pain than Chinese ones. Deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) and mixed phenotypes were more frequent in Italian patients, whereas ovarian (OMA) and superficial endometriosis (SUP) were more common in the Chinese. The Italian group showed more systemic comorbidities, and those disorder were already present before the diagnosis of endometriosis. Furthermore, the Italian group showed lower SF-12 physical and mental scores, suggesting a worse health-related QoL in Italian endometriotic patients. A number of differences has been observed between Italian and Chinese women with endometriosis in terms of comorbidities and QoL, which may be related to the ethnicity, the different health system organization and the social and cultural background.
TSUNAMI: Translational Bioinformatics Tool Suite for Network Analysis and Mining
Authors: Huang Zhi , Han Zhi , Wang Tongxin , Shao Wei , Xiang Shunian , Salama Paul , Rizkalla Maher , Huang Kun , Zhang Jie
Published: March 2021

Gene co-expression network (GCN) mining identifies gene modules with highly correlated expression profiles across samples/conditions. It enables researchers to discover latent gene/molecule interactions, identify novel gene functions, and extract molecular features from certain disease/condition groups, thus helping to identify disease biomarkers. However, there lacks an easy-to-use tool package for users to mine GCN modules that are relatively small in size with tightly connected genes that can be convenient for downstream gene set enrichment analysis, as well as modules that may share common members. To address this need, we developed an online GCN mining tool package: TSUNAMI (Tools SUite for Network Analysis and MIning). TSUNAMI incorporates our state-of-the-art lmQCM algorithm to mine GCN modules for both public and user-input data (microarray, RNA-seq, or any other numerical omics data), and then performs downstream gene set enrichment analysis for the identified modules. It has several features and advantages: 1) a user-friendly interface and real-time co-expression network mining through a web server; 2) direct access and search of NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases, as well as user-input gene expression matrices for GCN module mining; 3) multiple co-expression analysis tools to choose from, all of which are highly flexible in regards to parameter selection options; 4) identified GCN modules are summarized to eigengenes, which are convenient for users to check their correlation with other clinical traits; 5) integrated downstream Enrichr enrichment analysis and links to other gene set enrichment tools; and 6) visualization of gene loci by Circos plot in any step of the process. The web service is freely accessible through URL: https://biolearns.medicine.iu.edu/. Source code is available at https://github.com/huangzhii/TSUNAMI/.
Asian American Pacific Islander Representation in Outcomes Research: NSQIP Scoping Review
Authors: Chao Grace F. , Emlaw Jonel , Chiu Alexander S. , Yang Jie , Thumma Jyothi , Brackett Alexandria , Pei Kevin Y.
Published: March 2021

BACKGROUND:

If Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are not recognized within patients in health services research, we miss an opportunity to ensure health equity in patient outcomes. However, it is unknown what the rates are of AAPIs inclusion in surgical outcomes research.

STUDY DESIGN:

Through a scoping review, we used Covidence to search MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, and CINAHL for studies published in 2008-2018 using NSQIP data. NSQIP was chosen because of its national scope, widespread use in research, and coding inclusive of AAPI patients. We examined the proportion of studies representing AAPI patients in the demographic characteristics and Methods, Results, or Discussion section. We then performed multivariable logistic regression to examine associations between study characteristics and AAPI inclusion.

RESULTS:

In 1,264 studies included for review, 62% included race. Overall, only 22% (n = 278) of studies included AAPI patients. Of studies that included race, 35% represented AAPI patients in some component of the study. We found no association between sample size or publication year and inclusion. Studies were significantly more likely to represent AAPI patients when there was a higher AAPI population in the region of the first author's institution (lowest vs highest tercile; p < 0.001). Studies with a focus on disparities were more likely to include AAPI patients (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our study is the first to examine AAPI representation in surgical outcomes research. We found < 75% of studies examine race, despite availability within NSQIP. Little more than one-third of studies including race reported on AAPI patients as a separate group. To provide the best care, we must include AAPI patients in our research.
New flight trajectory optimisation method using genetic algorithms
Authors: Dancila R.I. , Botez R.M.
Published: March 2021

This paper presents a new flight trajectory optimisation method, based on genetic algorithms, where the selected optimisation criterion is the minimisation of the total cost. The candidate flight trajectories evaluated in the optimisation process are defined as flight plans with two components: a lateral flight plan (the set of geographic points that define the flight trajectory track segments) and a vertical flight plan (the set of data that define the altitude and speed profiles, as well as the points where the altitude and/or speed changes occur). The lateral components of the candidate flight plans are constructed by selecting a set of adjacent nodes from a routing grid. The routing grid nodes are generated based on the orthodromic route between the flight trajectory’s initial and final points, a selected maximum lateral deviation from the orthodromic route and a selected grid node step size along and across the orthodromic route. Two strategies are investigated to handle invalid flight plans (relative to the aircraft’s flight envelope) and to compute their flight performance parameters. A first strategy is to assign a large penalty total cost to invalid flight profiles. The second strategy is to adjust the invalid flight plan parameters (altitude and/or speed) to the nearest limit of the flight envelope, with priority being given to maintaining the planned altitude. The tests performed in this study show that the second strategy is computationally expensive (requiring more than twice the execution time relative to the first strategy) and yields less optimal solutions. The performance of the optimal profiles identified by the proposed optimisation method, using the two strategies regarding invalid flight profile performance evaluation, were compared with the performance data of a reference flight profile, using identical input data: initial aircraft weight, initial and final aircraft geographic positions, altitudes and speed, cost index, and atmospheric data. The initial and final aircraft geographic positions, and the reference flight profile data, were retrieved from the FlightAware web site. This data corresponds to a real flight performed with the aircraft model used in this study. Tests were performed for six Cost Index values. Given the randomness of the genetic algorithms, the convergence to a global optimal solution is not guaranteed (the solution may be non-optimal or a local optima). For a better evaluation of the performance of the proposed method, ten test runs were performed for each Cost Index value. The total cost reduction for the optimal flight plans obtained using the proposed method, relative to the reference flight plan, was between 0.822% and 3.042% for the cases when the invalid flight profiles were corrected, and between 1.598% and 3.97% for the cases where the invalid profiles were assigned a penalty total cost.
Akrasia and Epistemic Impurism
Authors: FRITZ JAMES
Published: March 2021

This essay provides a novel argument for impurism, the view that certain non-truth-relevant factors can make a difference to a belief's epistemic standing. I argue that purists, unlike impurists, are forced to claim that certain ‘high-stakes’ cases rationally require agents to be akratic. Akrasia is one of the paradigmatic forms of irrationality. So purists, in virtue of calling akrasia rationally mandatory in a range of cases with no obvious precedent, take on a serious theoretical cost. By focusing on akrasia, and on the nature of the normative judgments involved therein, impurists gain a powerful new way to frame a core challenge for purism. They also gain insight about the way in which impurism is true: my argument motivates the claim that there is moral encroachment in epistemology.
Critical notice of Words and Contents, by Richard Vallée
Authors: Stainton Robert J. , Sullivan Arthur
Published: March 2021

Section I gives an overview of the contents of “Words and Contents”, and lays out the plan for this Critical Notice. Section II expounds Vallée’s Perry-inspired Pluri-Propositional semantic framework, and Section III is an in-depth case study, focused on complex demonstratives. In Sections IV-V we develop some criticisms, and in Section VI we suggest a solution to these difficulties, which builds on Vallée’s innovative work.
Cryoegg: development and field trials of a wireless subglacial probe for deep, fast-moving ice
Authors: Prior-Jones Michael R. , Bagshaw Elizabeth A. , Lees Jonathan , Clare Lindsay , Burrow Stephen , Werder Mauro A. , Karlsson Nanna B. , Dahl-Jensen Dorthe , Chudley Thomas R. , Christoffersen Poul , Wadham Jemma L. , Doyle Samuel H. , Hubbard Bryn
Published: March 2021

Subglacial hydrological systems require innovative technological solutions to access and observe. Wireless sensor platforms can be used to collect and return data, but their performance in deep and fast-moving ice requires quantification. We report experimental results from Cryoegg: a spherical probe that can be deployed into a borehole or moulin and transit through the subglacial hydrological system. The probe measures temperature, pressure and electrical conductivity in situ and returns all data wirelessly via a radio link. We demonstrate Cryoegg's utility in studying englacial channels and moulins, including in situ salt dilution gauging. Cryoegg uses VHF radio to transmit data to a surface receiving array. We demonstrate transmission through up to 1.3 km of cold ice – a significant improvement on the previous design. The wireless transmission uses Wireless M-Bus on 169 MHz; we present a simple radio link budget model for its performance in cold ice and experimentally confirm its validity. Cryoegg has also been tested successfully in temperate ice. The battery capacity should allow measurements to be made every 2 h for more than a year. Future iterations of the radio system will enable Cryoegg to transmit data through up to 2.5 km of ice.
Multiple Ideal Points: Revealed Preferences in Different Domains
Authors: Moser Scott , Rodríguez Abel , Lofland Chelsea L.
Published: March 2021

We extend classical ideal point estimation to allow voters to have different preferences when voting in different domains—for example, when voting on agricultural policy than when voting on defense policy. Our scaling procedure results in estimated ideal points on a common scale. As a result, we are able to directly compare a member’s revealed preferences across different domains of voting (different sets of motions) to assess if, for example, a member votes more conservatively on agriculture motions than on defense. In doing so, we are able to assess the extent to which voting behavior of an individual voter is consistent with a uni-dimensional spatial model—if a member has the same preferences in all domains. The key novelty is toestimaterather thanassumethe identity of “stayers”—voters whose revealed preference is constant across votes. Our approach offers methodology for investigating the relationship between the basic space and issue space in legislative voting (Poole 2007). There are several methodological advantages to our approach. First, our model allows for testing sharp hypotheses. Second, the methodology developed can be understood as a kind of partial-pooling model for item response theory scaling, resulting in less uncertainty of estimates. Related, our estimation method provides a principled and unified approach to the issue of “granularity” (i.e., the level of aggregation) in the analysis of roll-call data (Crespin and Rohde 2010; Roberts et al. 2016). We illustrate the model by estimating U.S. House of Representatives members’ revealed preferences in different policy domains, and identify several other potential applications of the model including: studying the relationship between committee and floor voting behavior; and investigating constituency influence and representation.
Do Name-Based Treatments Violate Information Equivalence? Evidence from a Correspondence Audit Experiment
Authors: Landgrave Michelangelo , Weller Nicholas
Published: March 2021

Name-based treatments have been used in observational studies and experiments to study the differential effect of identity—commonly race or ethnic minority status. These treatments are typically assumed to signal only a single characteristic. If names unintentionally signal other characteristics, then the treatment can violate information equivalence, and estimated treatment effects cannot be attributed to the desired characteristic alone. Using results from a name perception study paired with an original correspondence audit experiment of U.S. state legislators, we show that names manipulate perceptions of minority status, socioeconomic status (SES), and migrant status. Our audit study shows that low SES status is related to reply rates both across and within each racial category. These results provide evidence that discrimination cannot be easily attributed singularly to the intended treatment of minority status but rather reflect a more multifaceted form of discrimination. More generally, our results provide an example of how name-based treatments manipulate more than the intended characteristic, which means that estimated treatment effects cannot be interpreted as being manipulated solely by the desired characteristic. Future studies with name-based or other informational treatments should account for the potential violation of information equivalence in their research design and interpretation of results.
On regularity properties of a surface growth model
Authors: Burczak Jan , Ożański Wojciech S. , Seregin Gregory
Published: March 2021

We show local higher integrability of derivative of a suitable weak solution to the surface growth model, provided a scale-invariant quantity is locally bounded. If additionally our scale-invariant quantity is small, we prove local smoothness of solutions.
ESTABLISHING WATER SAMPLE PROTOCOLS FOR RADIOCARBON ANALYSIS AT LAC-UFF, BRAZIL
Authors: Bragança Daniela , Oliveira Fabiana , Macario Kita , Nunes Vinicius , Muniz Marcelo , Lamego Fernando , Abril Gwenaël , Nepomuceno Aguinaldo , Solís Corina , Rodríguez-Ceja María
Published: March 2021

Since the establishment of the first radiocarbon accelerator mass spectrometry facility in Latin America in 2009, the Radiocarbon Laboratory team of Universidade Federal Fluminense (LAC-UFF) has worked to improve sample preparation protocols and increase the range of environmental matrices to be analyzed. We now present the preliminary results for DIC sample preparation protocols. The first validation tests include background evaluation with pMC value (0.35 ± 0.04) using bicarbonate dissolved in water. We also analyzed surface seawater resulting in pMC value (101.38 ± 0.38) and a groundwater previously dated from LEMA AMS-Laboratory with pMC value (12.30 ± 0.15).
Abbasid Politics and Performative Panegyric: The Poetry of ʿAli ibn Jabala
Authors: Alebdha Fahd
Published: March 2021

The poet ʿAli ibn Jabala, also called al-ʿAkawwak, was a little known but significant poet who lived during the late 8th and early 9th centuries. This article examines his poetry in its political and cultural context to delineate the literary devices exploited by the poet in his poems of praise. Moreover, this paper interprets existing prose anecdotes claiming that al-ʿAkawwak's panegyric poem to the caliph al-Maʾmun's commander, Abu Dulaf al-ʿIjli, made the caliph so furious that he ordered the poet's execution, despite the poet having never composed any verses overtly criticizing the caliph. The argument is made that, within the tense political atmosphere of the time, the style that the poet embraced in praising the two commanders, Abu Dulaf al-ʿIjli and Humayd al-Tusi, intensified al-Maʾmun's anger toward the poet.
Peasant Resistance in Burkina Faso's Cotton Sector
Authors: Engels Bettina
Published: March 2021

This article examines how and why smallholder peasants mobilize for collective action to put forward their claims. Taking the resistance by cotton farmers in Burkina Faso as a case study, it demonstrates that institutions of neoliberal governance – which are presented by their proponents as making governance more “effective” by improving the participation of various public and private stakeholders in different degrees – nevertheless fail to represent the interests of the large population of agrarian poor. In the 2010s, the cotton sector in Burkina Faso became a field of contention, with smallholder cotton producers mobilizing on a massive scale to take collective action. It is argued that the mobilization of cotton farmers can be explained through the effects of the sector's liberalization. Economic liberalization, which has been promoted by the World Bank since the mid-1990s, has changed the institutional setting of the sector and has significantly impacted the ways and means of collective claim-making available to farmers. Building on primary data (qualitative interviews, focus group discussions, observations) collected during several months of field research between 2018 and 2020, and analyses of press reports and a variety of documents, recent protests by cotton farmers are examined and related to these liberalization policies.
Investigating cow−calf contact in a cow-driven system: performance of cow and calf
Authors: Føske Johnsen Julie , Grønmo Kischel Stine , Sætervik Rognskog Maren , Vagle Inga , Engelien Johanssen Juni Rosann , Ruud Lars Erik , Ferneborg Sabine
Published: March 2021

In this research communication we describe the performance of dairy cow−calf pairs in two cow-driven CCC-systems differing in cows' access to the calves through computer-controlled access gates (smart gates, SG). We investigated cows' machine milk yield in the automatic milking system (AMS), calf growth, and intake of supplemental milk and concentrate. Two groups each with four cow-calf pairs were housed in a system with a cow area, a calf creep and a meeting area. SG's controlled cow traffic between the meeting area and the cow area where cows could obtain feed, cubicles and the AMS. Calves hadad libitumaccess to supplemental milk and concentrate. During the suckling phase of 31 d, cow access to the meeting area was free 24 h/d (group 1) or restricted (group 2) based on milking permission. Following the suckling phase, cow access was gradually decreased over 9 d (separation phase). During the suckling phase, cows' machine milk yield (mean ±sd) in the AMS was 11.4 ± 6.38 kg/d. In the separation phase, the yield increased to 25.0 ± 10.37 kg/d. Calf average daily gain (ADG) was high during the suckling phase: 1.2 ± 0.74 kg. During the separation phase, ADG decreased to 0.4 ± 0.72 kg which may be related to a low intake of supplemental milk. Calves' concentrate intake increased with age, and all calves consumed >1 kg/d after separation. We conclude that cows nurse the calf in a cow-directed CCC system well resulting in high ADG, and AMS milk yields were, at least, partially maintained during the suckling phase. Although the AMS yields increased in response to separation, calf ADG was decreased. A low sample size limits interpretation beyond description but provides a basis for hypotheses regarding future research into CCC-systems.