bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The performance of an electromyography‐based deep neural network classifier for external and internal focus instructions
Authors: Ay Ayse Nur , Yildiz Mustafa Zahid 
Published: November 2022

SummaryExternal focusing (directs focus to apparatus, environment or the effect of the action) enhances motor skill learning and reduces muscular activity compared to internal focusing (leads focus to the movement or the action itself). Nevertheless, in case of electromyography (EMG) based systems such as prosthetic arms, robotic controllers, and robot‐assisted musculoskeletal rehabilitation, low EMG activity is not preferred. This present study was based on classifying attentional focus‐based EMG signals using deep neural networks. Here DB4 and HAAR wavelet coefficients of the participants' signals were extracted to be used as inputs to the proposed DNNs. The accuracy rate results found to be for DB4 and HAAR 99.07% and 99.54%, respectively. Although in previous studies, attentional focusing types could be classified at EMG activity level using artificial neural networks, our DNN results would be more reliable to be used as alternate inputs to EMG‐based control mechanisms. Besides, this study also provides the potential advantages of internal focusing especially in musculoskeletal rehabilitation sessions. Verbal instructions via internal focus might lead physicians to plan effective muscular rehabilitation treatment for patients who has suffered a stroke or a disorder of lower or upper limb extremities.
Simple, near, visual perception test for microsurgeon ‐Parallelism‐
Authors: Hirata Tetsuya 
Published: November 2022

AbstractObjectivesIt is well known that a good microsurgeon needs eight important factors: a high resolution view, an optimally magnified view, optimal brightness of the working field, optimal working space, fine surgical instruments and devices, fine motor skills, precise hand−eye coordination, and fine visual perceptions. Of these factors, the first five are highly depending on manufacturer development abilities. The remaining factors have a lots of possibilities that microsurgeons can improve by themselves. A microsurgeon needs to identify shape, size, angle, inclination, length, height, depth, spatial position, centering in the optical field, orthogonality, and parallelism in a second. Knowing one's tendency and acuity in perceptions, learning perceptions that one is not good at, and paying selective attention on one's difficult perceptions, will provide better surgical outcome. Aim of this series of research is designing visual targets measuring specific visual perceptions for microsurgeons, achieving mean values of each perceptions, and identifying the tendency on each perceptions.Material and MethodsTwo hundred and eighty volunteer dentists in Japan and France were tested and multiple comparisons were made among age, gender, visual acuity, three magnification levels, and inclination angles against a standard target.Results and CoclusionThere is a tendency that identifying 1° misalignment in parallelism is difficult.
Prevalence of patients at risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea based on the STOP‐BANG questionnaire at King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry
Authors: Al‐Sebaei Maisa O. , Bamashmous Mohamed S. , Mirdad Mohamed H. , Sindi Mohammed A. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractObjectiveObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder. Its susceptibility can easily be detected when it is at an early stage as can patients who are at risk of OSA. A simple questionnaire such as STOP‐BANG (SB) can facilitate early detection. Our study aims to assess the risk of OSA and evaluate its correlating risk factors in patients attending King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, using the SB questionnaire.MethodsEthical approval was obtained. A random sample of patients ages 18–80 years, who visited KAUFD between November 2016 and April 2017 were recruited. Three highly trained and calibrated dental interns obtained the following measurements (weight, height, blood pressure, and neck circumference) and administered the questionnaire in a face‐to‐face interview.ResultsA total of 55 patients (62% females) participated in the study with a mean age of 34.6 years and hypertension reported as 16.4%. According to the SB, 31% of patients were found at high risk of OSA. Large neck circumference (40.22[±4.7] cm) and gender (66% males) were found to be significantly correlated with high‐risk patients; p < .001.ConclusionApproximately one third of the patients were at high risk of OSA, with men and patients having large neck circumference being significantly more affected. Systolic blood pressure, hypertension, and smoking were found to be high in high‐risk patients. However, they were not statistically and significantly different from those patients who were not in high risk. The role of a dentist should be to utilize the questionnaire to detect any patient at risk of OSA and refer them accordingly.
Simulation of Varroa mite control in honey bee colonies without synthetic acaricides: Demonstration of Good Beekeeping Practice for Germany in the BEEHAVE model
Authors: Schödl Isabel , Odemer Richard , Becher Matthias A. , Berg Stefan , Otten Christoph , Grimm Volker , Groeneveld Jürgen 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe BEEHAVE model simulates the population dynamics and foraging activity of a single honey bee colony (Apis mellifera) in great detail. Although it still makes numerous simplifying assumptions, it appears to capture a wide range of empirical observations. It could, therefore, in principle, also be used as a tool in beekeeper education, as it allows the implementation and comparison of different management options. Here, we focus on treatments aimed at controlling the mite Varroa destructor. However, since BEEHAVE was developed in the UK, mite treatment includes the use of a synthetic acaricide, which is not part of Good Beekeeping Practice in Germany. A practice that consists of drone brood removal from April to June, treatment with formic acid in August/September, and treatment with oxalic acid in November/December. We implemented these measures, focusing on the timing, frequency, and spacing between drone brood removals. The effect of drone brood removal and acid treatment, individually or in combination, on a mite‐infested colony was examined. We quantify the efficacy of Varroa mite control as the reduction of mites in treated bee colonies compared to untreated bee colonies. We found that drone brood removal was very effective, reducing mites by 90% at the end of the first simulation year after the introduction of mites. This value was significantly higher than the 50–67% reduction expected by bee experts and confirmed by empirical studies. However, literature reports varying percent reductions in mite numbers from 10 to 85% after drone brood removal. The discrepancy between model results, empirical data, and expert estimates indicate that these three sources should be reviewed and refined, as all are based on simplifying assumptions. These results and the adaptation of BEEHAVE to the Good Beekeeping Practice are a decisive step forward for the future use of BEEHAVE in beekeeper education in Germany and anywhere where organic acids and drone brood removal are utilized.
Extrafloral nectar as entrée and elaiosomes as main course for ant visitors to a fireprone, mediterranean‐climate shrub
Authors: Lamont Byron B. , Grey James 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThousands of plants produce both extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) on their leaves and nutrient‐rich appendages on their diaspores (elaiosomes). Although their individual ecology is well‐known, any possible functional link between these structures has almost always been ignored. Here, we recognized their co‐presence in the shrub, Adenanthos cygnorum (Proteaceae), and studied their function and interaction. We observed that the same ants frequently visit both structures, seeds are attractive to vertebrate granivores but are released into a leafy cup from where they are harvested by ants and taken to their nests, from which seeds, lacking elaiosomes, germinate after fire. We showed that juvenile plants do not produce EFNs and are not visited by ants. We conclude that EFNs are not just an indirect adaptation to minimize herbivory via aggressive ant visitors (the role of a minority) but specifically enhance reproductive success in two ways: First, by inducing ants to visit the plant as a reliable food source throughout the year. Second, by promoting discovery of the seasonally available, elaiosome‐bearing seeds for transport to their nests (the majority of visitors), so avoiding the risk of granivory should seeds instead fall to the ground. Parasitoid wasps play a supporting role in controlling the main insect herbivore whose larvae devour the reproductive apices. Thus, the EFN‐elaiosome relationship has three components that enhance species fitness: foliage protection, seed transport, and granivore escape. A similar system has been described only once before (in an unrelated biome) and, consistent with the objectives of ecology as an integrative science, deserves wider study.
Can seasonal fire management reduce the risk of carbon loss from wildfires in a protected Guinea savanna?
Authors: Awuah Joana , Smith Stuart W. , Speed James D. M. , Graae Bente J. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractFire is fundamental to the functioning of tropical savannas and routinely used as a management tool. Shifting prescribed burning from later to earlier in the growing season has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, large uncertainties surround the impact of seasonal burning on longer term plant and soil carbon sequestration. In this study, we quantify ecosystem carbon storage across burn seasons and histories in a wet‐to‐mesic Guinea tropical savanna in Mole National Park, Ghana. Aboveground (plant and litter) and belowground (soil plus roots) carbon storage was quantified across four burning seasons and histories: recent (<3 years) early‐season burns, recent late‐season burns, old (>4 years) late‐season burns, and long‐unburned (>15 years) sites. We found that recent late‐season burns significantly lowered belowground carbon storage to a depth of 17 cm compared with all other burn seasons and histories. Belowground carbon was 1.2 kg C m−2, or 27% lower, for recent late‐season burns compared with prescribed early‐season burns. However, in older late‐season burns sites, belowground carbon “recovered” after 4–13 burn years to comparable storage as long‐unburned and early‐season burn sites. For most aboveground carbon pools, there was no significant difference in carbon storage across burn seasons and histories, except higher aboveground tree carbon in long‐unburned sites. We suggest that observed changes in belowground carbon are likely due to the turnover and production of root carbon. Prescribed early‐season burning is promoted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our findings affirm that early‐season burning has limited impact on plant and soil carbon stocks compared with long‐unburned sites. While early‐season burning regimes will have some patches that become late‐season wildfires, our results suggest on balance early‐season burning regimes are a low‐risk land management practice in reducing plant and soil carbon storage losses and sustaining a patch‐mosaicked landscape with multiple other ecosystem service benefits for savannas.
Targeting glycogen synthase kinase 3 with CHIR99021 negatively regulates allergen‐induced mast cell activation
Authors: Crozier Robert W. E. , Fajardo Val A. , MacNeil Adam J. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractMast cells are granulated immune sentinels responsible for allergic inflammation. Allergen‐induced FcεRI‐signaling leads to rapid degranulation in the early‐phase and sustained production and release of pro‐inflammatory mediators in the late phase. Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) is a constitutively active serine/threonine kinase and a central molecular convergence point for several pro‐inflammatory pathways. GSK3 inhibition has been shown to reduce inflammation but has not yet been fully characterized in mast cell activation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate GSK3 as a putative therapeutic target in allergic inflammation using the GSK3 inhibitor, CHIR99021. Here, we found that GSK3 inhibition impaired ROS production and degranulation. Through modulation of MKK4‐JNK, c‐jun, and NF‐κB signaling, GSK3 inhibition reduced the production/release of IL‐6, IL‐13, TNF, and CCL1, while only the release of CCL2 and CCL3 was impaired. Furthermore, CHIR99021‐mediated GSK3 inhibition altered the pro‐inflammatory phenotype of mast cells, reducing c‐kit receptor levels. This implicated GSK3 in FcεRI signaling, reducing release of IL‐6, TNF, and CCL1 when stimulated through FcεRI, while CCL2 and CCL3 remained unaffected, and were increased when stimulated with SCF only. These results identify GSK3 as a potential therapeutic target of utility warranting further consideration in contexts of pathological mast cell activation.
The role of vividness of imagery in metaphor generation
Authors: Stephan Elena , Shidlovski Daniella , Shanetzki Maya , Agajany Karin , Mashal Nira 
Published: November 2022

AbstractPointing to novel links between mental representation and social communication, we examine the association between vividness of imagery and use of metaphors. In a study on individual differences and three experiments, we demonstrate that vivid imagery is linked to greater use of metaphors and that this relationship is bi‐directional. We also show that this relationship is stronger in the context of negative valence. We demonstrate that vivid imagery results in greater generation of metaphors (in particular, for negative concepts). In examining the reverse direction of influence, we show that in the negative (rather than positive) context, use of metaphors results in greater perceptions of vividness. We suggest that vividness can be signified and produced by using metaphors that play an important role in meaning making and communication.
‘What about the coffee break?’ Designing virtual conference spaces for conviviality
Authors: Bastian Michelle , Flatø Emil Henrik , Baraitser Lisa , Jordheim Helge , Salisbury Laura , van Dooren Thom 
Published: November 2022

AbstractGeography, like many other disciplines, is reckoning with the carbon intensity of its practices and rethinking how activities such as annual meetings are held. The Climate Action Task Force of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), for example, was set up in 2019 and seeks to transform the annual conference in light of environmental justice concerns. Mirroring shifts in geographic practice across the globe, these efforts point to a need to understand how new opportunities for knowledge production, such as online events, can operate effectively. In this paper, we offer suggestions for best practice in virtual spaces arising from our Material Life of Time conference held in March 2021, a two‐day global event that ran synchronously across 15 time zones. Given concerns about lack of opportunities for informal exchanges at virtual conferences, or the ‘coffee break problem’, we designed the event to focus particularly on opportunities for conviviality. This was accomplished through a focus on three key design issues: the spatial, the temporal, and the social. We review previous work on the benefits and drawbacks of synchronous and asynchronous online conference methods and the kinds of geographic communities they might support. We then describe our design approach and reflect on its effectiveness via a variety of feedback materials. We show that our design enabled high delegate satisfaction, a sense of conviviality, and strong connections with new colleagues. However, we also discuss the problems with attendance levels and external commitments that hampered shared time together. We thus call for collective efforts to support the ‘event time’ of online meetings, rather than expectations to fit them around everyday tasks. Even so, our results suggest that synchronous online events need not result in geographical exclusions linked to time‐zone differences, and we outline further recommendations for reworking the spacetimes of the conference.
Metformin promotes smear conversion in tuberculosis‐diabetes comorbidity and construction of prediction models
Authors: Wang Yili , Zhou Yanbing , Chen Liyu , Cheng Yuhui , Lai Hongli , Lyu Mengyuan , Zeng Jiongjiong , Zhang Yao , Feng Ping , Ying Binwu 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe comorbidity of tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global health concern. Metformin is commonly used in DM but the potential effectiveness in comorbid patients is uncertain. This retrospective study aims to investigate the effect of metformin on TB‐DM comorbidity and construct prediction models.MethodsPatients diagnosed with TB‐DM in West China Hospital were retrospectively enrolled from Nov 2013 to Sep 2019. Electronic health records of patients were extracted. Two‐month smear conversion (2SC) was considered an outcome indicator of TB. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression (LR) were used to assess the role of metformin and other independent predictors. Meanwhile, prediction models were built by LR, elastic net regression, support vector machine, k‐nearest neighbors, and random forest.ResultsA total of 927 individuals were recruited, among which 408 (44.01%) were metformin‐exposed patients. A higher 2SC rate was observed in the metformin users. Other impact factors such as smoking, glucose, and creatinine levels were also identified. Multivariable models were then constructed using filtered variables. The support vector machine model yields the highest AUC (0.808, 95% CI: 0.767–0.849) and specificity (83.24%). LR model outperformed others in terms of sensitivity (69.71%).ConclusionThis retrospective study of a large population from southwestern China provides strong clinical evidence for the positive effects of metformin in TB‐DM. Metformin is associated with a better therapeutic outcome and promising for the adjuvant therapy of TB‐DM. Furthermore, a combination of support vector machine and LR models is recommended to discriminate the patients with poor treatment outcomes.
Pedological Construction Supervision during the construction process—Status of implementation and future prospects
Authors: Bosold Maike , Brauckmann Hans‐Jörg , Broll Gabriele , Meuser Helmut 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundIn Germany, soil protection plays an increasing role in environmental protection. But construction sites are still not enough incorporated in soil protection measures. Pedological construction supervision (PCS) in construction projects can help to prevent soil damage during the construction processes.AimsThis study aims to evaluate the state of implementation of PCS in Germany and the PCS courses for soil professionals in Germany.MethodsA questionnaire survey has been conducted to get information about how strong the PCS is deployed and accepted.ResultsThe legal basis of PCS is described and its development as well as the state of implementation is explained. The PCS is more and more incorporated in construction processes especially related to large ground movements for energy cables. The new DIN 19639 specifications supported this process. A PCS certification course for soil experts has been established in Germany to get a certificate as soil expert. Meanwhile, about 160 certified PCSs work in the field of soil protection at construction sites.ConclusionsPCS on constructions sites is well established in Germany but it has to be applied on more construction sites in the future. A new soil protection ordinance in Germany in 2023 and the planned legislative change in the soil protection act will strengthen PCS. There is a great demand for certified pedological construction supervisors (PCSs). Training courses on PCS are needed, and PCS knowledge should be integrated into university courses.
Hydrothermal treatment of hemp seeds (Cannabis sativa L.): impact on its dehulling yield, fatty acid profile and nutritional characteristics
Authors: Sharma Shivani , Tamilselvan T. , Shakeb Mohammad , Prabhasankar Pichan 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBACKGROUNDHemp seeds are highly nutritious and a sustainable source of protein and omega‐fatty acids. The outer shell of the seeds restricts its utilization in the food industry. Dehulling of the seeds leads to a lot of processing losses due to high oil content and hard shell of the seed. Therefore, in the present study, hydrothermal treatment of the hemp seeds (Cannabis sativa L.) before dehulling was proposed to reduce the endosperm breakage and improve dehulling yield of seeds.RESULTThe hemp seeds were subjected to four types of treatments, namely moisture addition (at 14%) with tempering for 10 min and 60 min followed by drying (28–30 °C) and steaming at atmospheric pressure for 5 min and 10 min. Results from the study showed that the hydrothermal treatments impacted the hardness of the endosperm and therefore improved the dehulling yield by 1.3 to 1.5 folds. Also, the dehulling losses significantly reduced from 26.80% to 9.52% after the steaming treatments. Though steaming to some extent affected the colour of the dehulled seeds compared to other treatments, it showed an increment in protein digestibility from 86.53% to 88.73%.CONCLUSIONAmong all the hydrothermal treatments, steaming showed significant improvement in the yield of dehulled hemp seeds. It reduced endosperm breakage without affecting the seeds' fatty acid profile and nutritional quality. It can be concluded that steaming as a pretreatment can be used for improved dehulling of hemp seeds, aiding the better valourization of hemp seeds in the food industry. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Orthogonal systems of spline wavelets as unconditional bases in Sobolev spaces
Authors: Srivastava Rajula 
Published: November 2022

AbstractWe exhibit the necessary range for which functions in the Sobolev spaces can be represented as an unconditional sum of orthonormal spline wavelet systems, such as the Battle–Lemarié wavelets. We also consider the natural extensions to Triebel–Lizorkin spaces. This builds upon, and is a generalization of, previous work of Seeger and Ullrich, where analogous results were established for the Haar wavelet system.
State ownership may not be bad: Based on bibliometric research (2002–2021)
Authors: Chen Ming , Wu Jiao 
Published: November 2022

AbstractOver the past two decades, the world's view of the state‐owned enterprise reform (SOER) has shifted. Based on the WOS database and CiteSpace, this study analyzes the SOER from seven dimensions and reveals that the SOER is heating up and closer to co‐research. China and the United States have become important research centers, and Chinese state‐owned enterprises have become the main research objects. Moreover, this study finds that the concept of the SOER has changed rapidly after 2012 and supports state ownership in five aspects: economic drive, resource access, innovation promotion, social responsibility enhancements, and state governance.