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This research investigates the spillovers of global liquidity to Asia–Pacific countries, focusing on the contradictory effects of policy-driven liquidity created by monetary stances in advanced economies and market-driven liquidity generated by the private banking sector. Our findings stand in sharp contrast to previous studies, showing that shifts in macro-financial indicators in Asia–Pacific economies are predominantly influenced by market-driven shocks rather than those of policy-driven liquidity. Specifically, liquidity shocks associated with surges in cross-border credit flows, especially those denominated in US dollars, drive up asset prices and have boosting effects on inflation and economic output. A positive shock to market liquidity also results in an appreciation pressure on domestic currencies and a short-term rise in interest rates. However, excess liquidity shocks caused by the Bank of Japan's adjustments in shadow short rates and balance sheets have a negative effect on inflation and bring about temporary depreciation pressure on Asian currencies. Surprisingly, we find that Asian responses to financial easing associated with the Fed's monetary policy change are not well-pronounced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Augmented Reality (AR) has been extensively studied in supporting Immersive Analytics (IA), there are still many challenges in visualising and interacting with big and complex datasets. To deal with these datasets, most AR applications utilise NoSQL databases for storing and querying data, especially for managing large volumes of unstructured or semi-structured data. However, NoSQL databases have limitations in their reasoning and inference capabilities, which can result in insufficient support for certain types of queries. To fill this gap, we aim to explore and evaluate whether an intelligent approach based on ontology and linked data can facilitate visual analytics tasks with big datasets on AR interface. We designed and implemented a prototype of this method for meteorological data analytics. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the use of a semantic database with linked data compared to a conventional approach in an AR-based immersive analytics system. The results significantly highlight the performance of semantic approach in helping the users analysing meteorological datasets and their subjective appreciation in working with the AR interface, which is enhanced with ontology and linked data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U Minh wetlands of southern Vietnam in Ca Mau and Kieng Giang provinces are a degraded, peat-swamp wetland mosaic known to retain several globally threatened species. We deployed 83 targeted camera-traps across U Minh Thuong National Park and U Minh Ha National Park from December 2019 to May 2020, and from November 2020 to June 2021, respectively. Our aim was to detect threatened otters, wild cats, and pangolins in each protected area, to identify relative abundance, activity patterns, and what potential threats they may face to inform conservation priorities for park managers. Our results showed that both protected areas harbour significant regionally important populations of globally threatened Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica), and Hairy-nosed otters (Lutra sumatrana). However, Fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) and Large-spotted civet (Viverra megaspila) previously recorded from U Minh Thuong National Park, were not observed, emphasising the probability of local extirpation. Other than wide-ranging species that are less sensitive to human disturbance (i.e., Common palm civets and Leopard cats), all small carnivores were most active in Melaleuca and swamp/Melaleuca habitats in U Minh Thuong, and both the wetland plantations and disturbed forests of U Minh Ha according to their photographic rates. Human and domestic dogs' activity periods in both protected areas overlapped strongly with Hairy-nosed otters, which could influence their dispersal abilities and access to resources. Long-term and short-term threats are discussed with relevance to U Minh ecosystem health and future recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article develops parameter estimation in the Logistic regression when the covariate is observed with measurement error. In Logistic regression under the case–control framework, the logarithmic ratio of the covariate densities between the case and control groups is a linear function of the regression parameters. Hence, an integrated least-square-type estimator of the Logistic regression can be obtained based on the estimated covariate densities. When the covariate is precisely measured, the covariate densities can be effectively estimated by the kernel density estimation and the corresponding parameter estimator was developed by Geng and Sakhanenko (2016). When the covariate is observed with measurement error, we propose the least-square-type parameter estimators by adapting the deconvolution kernel density estimation approach. The consistency and asymptotic normality are established when the measurement error in covariate is ordinary smooth. Simulation study shows robust estimation performance of the proposed estimator in terms of bias reduction against the error variance and unbalanced case–control samples. A real data application is also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, for the first time, we consider the problem of non-fragile finite-time guaranteed cost control for a class of fractional-order singular systems with norm-bounded uncertainties. Firstly, we establish a linear quadratic cost function based on the integral of integer order, which serves practical purposes and acts as a performance measure index for the closed-loop system. Then, leveraging finite-time boundedness theory, inequality techniques, and fractional-order calculus properties, we propose a non-fragile state feedback controller that ensures regularity, impulse-free, and finite-time boundedness in the closed-loop system. Furthermore, we establish an upper limit for the performance index. The resulting findings are reliant on the order of the considered fractional-order systems and are obtained through the use of strict linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), devoid of any equality restrictions. Finally, two simulation examples are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Severe hypoglycemic events are distressing. Although past studies have shown that young adulthood is a potentially distressing time, few studies have explored distress about severe hypoglycemia in this age group. The real-world psychosocial experiences of potential severe hypoglycemic events and the perceived impact of glucagon treatments like nasal glucagon are currently unknown. We explored perceptions of severe hypoglycemic events and impact of nasal glucagon on psychosocial experiences with these events in emerging adults with type 1 diabetes and caregivers of emerging adults and children/teens. Further, we compared perceptions of preparedness and protection in handling severe hypoglycemic events with nasal glucagon versus the emergency glucagon kit that requires reconstitution (e-kit). Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study enrolled emerging adults (aged 18–26; N = 364) with type 1 diabetes, caregivers of emerging adults (aged 18–26; N = 138) with type 1 diabetes, and caregivers of children/teens (aged 4–17; N = 315) with type 1 diabetes. Participants completed an online survey about their experiences with severe hypoglycemia, perceptions of nasal glucagon impact on psychosocial experiences, and perceptions of feeling prepared and protected with nasal glucagon and the e-kit. Results: Many emerging adults (63.7%) agreed that the experience of severe hypoglycemic events was distressing; 33.3% and 46.7% of caregivers of emerging adults and children/teens, respectively, reported distress. Participants reported positive perceptions of nasal glucagon impact, particularly improved confidence in other people's ability to help during severe hypoglycemic events: emerging adults, 81.4%; caregivers of emerging adults, 77.6%; caregivers of children/teens, 75.5%. Participants demonstrated higher perceptions of preparedness and protection for nasal glucagon than for the e-kit (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Participants reported improved confidence in other people's ability to help during severe hypoglycemic events since having nasal glucagon available. This suggests that nasal glucagon may help broaden the support network for young people with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High throughput drug screening is an established approach to investigate tumor biology and identify therapeutic leads. Traditional platforms use two-dimensional cultures which do not accurately reflect the biology of human tumors. More clinically relevant model systems such as three-dimensional tumor organoids can be difficult to scale and screen. Manually seeded organoids coupled to destructive endpoint assays allow for the characterization of treatment response, but do not capture transitory changes and intra-sample heterogeneity underlying clinically observed resistance to therapy. We present a pipeline to generate bioprinted tumor organoids linked to label-free, time-resolved imaging via high-speed live cell interferometry (HSLCI) and machine learning-based quantitation of individual organoids. Bioprinting cells gives rise to 3D structures with unaltered tumor histology and gene expression profiles. HSLCI imaging in tandem with machine learning-based segmentation and classification tools enables accurate, label-free parallel mass measurements for thousands of organoids. We demonstrate that this strategy identifies organoids transiently or persistently sensitive or resistant to specific therapies, information that could be used to guide rapid therapy selection. Traditional 2D cell culture platforms do not accurately reflect the physiology of human tumors. Here, authors combine bioprinting and high-speed live cell interferometry with machine learning to measure drug sensitivity at single-organoid resolution in a label-free manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research contributions, which indicate how a research paper contributes new knowledge or new understanding in contrast to prior research on the topic, are the most valuable type of information for researchers to understand the main content of a paper. However, there is little research using research contributions to identify and recommend valuable knowledge in academic literature for users. Instead, most existing studies mainly focus on the analysis of other elements in academic literature, such as keywords, citations, rhetorical structure, discourse, and others. This paper first introduces a fine-grained annotation scheme with six categories for research contributions in academic literature. To evaluate the reliability of our annotation scheme, we conduct annotation on 5024 sentences collected from Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL Anthology) and an academic journal Information Processing & Management (IP &M). We reach an inter-annotator agreement of Cohen's kappa = 0.91 and Fleiss' kappa = 0.91, demonstrating the high quality of the dataset. We then built two types of classifiers for automated research contribution identification based on the dataset: classic feature-based machine learning (ML) and transformer-based deep learning (DL). Our experimental results show that SCI-BERT, a pretrained language model for scientific text, achieves the best performance with an F1 score of 0.58, improving the best classic ML model (nouns + verbs + tf-idf + random forest) by 2%. This also indicates a comparable power of classic feature-based ML models to DL-based model like SCI-BERT on this dataset. The fine-grained annotation scheme can be applied for large-scale analysis for research contributions in academic literature. The automated research contribution classifiers built in this paper provide the basis for the automatic research contributions extraction and knowledge fragment recommendation. The high-quality research contribution dataset developed in this research is publicly available on Zenodo https://zenodo.org/record/6284137#.YhkZ7-iZO4Q. The code for the data analysis and experiments will be released at: https://github.com/HuyenNguyenHelen/Contribution-Sentence-Classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuronal nerve processes in the tumor microenvironment were highlighted recently. However, the origin of intra-tumoral nerves remains poorly known, in part because of technical difficulties in tracing nerve fibers via conventional histological preparations. Here, we employ three-dimensional (3D) imaging of cleared tissues for a comprehensive analysis of sympathetic innervation in a murine model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Our results support two independent, but coexisting, mechanisms: passive engulfment of pre-existing sympathetic nerves within tumors plus an active, localized sprouting of axon terminals into non-neoplastic lesions and tumor periphery. Ablation of the innervating sympathetic nerves increases tumor growth and spread. This effect is explained by the observation that sympathectomy increases intratumoral CD163+ macrophage numbers, which contribute to the worse outcome. Altogether, our findings provide insights into the mechanisms by which the sympathetic nervous system exerts cancer-protective properties in a mouse model of PDAC. The autonomic nervous systems densely innervate the pancreas, but its contribution to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progression is not fully understood. Here, the authors characterize the pattern of sympathetic innervation by 3D imaging in a murine model of PDAC and show that sympathectomy aggravates cancer progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The baseline data of radioactivity levels in food is one of the main factors for the assessment of resident's health risk. Gross beta and alpha activity was identified for selected commercial freshwater fish species, including 29 types of fish species by a gas-flow proportional detector. The samples were collected from wholesale markets in Hanoi city, Vietnam. The highest gross alpha activity was recorded in blotched snakehead, a pelagic and carnivorous species, and the lowest one was recorded in common carp, a demersal and omnivorous species. Meanwhile, the gross beta activity was much higher than the gross alpha activity with the highest value of gross beta, observed in Wels catfish, a demersal and carnivorous species, and the lowest one found in Mudskipper a demersal, herbivores species. Regarding feeding types, the gross alpha activity was observed in the order of Alcarnivores > Alomnivores > Alherbivores whereas the gross beta was non-distinction. In terms of living behavior, the gross alpha activity in pelagic species was much higher than that in demersal species (Alpelagic > > Aldemersal) and indifferent for gross beta. There was an insignificant relationship between the trophic level with gross beta and alpha activities in freshwater fish species. The calculated annual effective dose ​​ranged from 0.19 to 1.88 and 0.78 mSv.y−1 on average, being within the limited dose for the public as reported by UNSCEAR in which gross beta activity has a strong correlation with the total annual effective dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: The purpose of this paper is to describe rescue glucagon types, safety, efficacy, and preferences, as well as to review articles regarding emergency glucagon usage, severe hypoglycemia, and the emotions of both phenomena. We conducted a review of current literature on glucagon usage and the emotional impact of severe hypoglycemia on people with diabetes (PwD) and the caregivers of people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Recent Findings: Minimal research exists pertaining to glucagon and severe hypoglycemic experiences in PwD, which is troubling considering the severity of risks and possible side effects. Recent articles described negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, stress, helplessness, shame, embarrassment, loneliness, frustration, hopefulness, and uncertainty surrounding glucagon usage. Summary: There is scarce research regarding PwD's emotions surrounding severe hypoglycemia and rescue glucagon use. Additional research is needed to investigate the emotions and feelings people with T1D and their caregivers' experience pertaining to severe hypoglycemia and emergency glucagon use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The patient-centric strategy urges the pharmaceutical companies to develop orodispersible films (ODF) as a new approach for pediatrics. However, the most common ODF-fabricated method, solvent casting, is facing the safety challenges of safety during manufacturing. To obtain favorable formulations with the ease of use and rapid dissolution, nanotechnology has been accounted for the development process. In this work, we investigated the wet-milling technique in preparing nanocarriers for loratadine—a hydrophobic anti-histamine drug. The results showed that the wet-milling technique could produce nanocarriers at the size of 400 nm. The reduction of particle size induced the increase of solubility and the dissolution rate of loratadine. Moreover, the pre-formulation of nanosized materials could adapt to the preparation of orodispersible films that disintegrated (less than 60s) and dissolved quickly. The DSC results showed that after the milling process, the crystallinity of loratadine was unchanged; however, the reduction in size induced an enhancement of drug bioavailability. After orally administrated to rats, the drug was quickly reached to the blood circulation, just after 30 min. Cmax increased from 44.97 ng/mL for the raw drug to 101.02 ng/mL for the nanocrystal leading to an enhancement of the AUC0-24h by 5.69-fold when the nanocrystal ODF was administrated. The ease of formulation and the improvement of drug solubility as well as bioavailability potentiated orodispersible films as a promising drug delivery for loratadine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biliary atresia (BA) is a progressive inflammation and fibrosis of the biliary tree characterized by the obstruction of bile flow, which results in liver failure, scarring and cirrhosis. This study aimed to explore the elusive aetiology of BA by conducting whole exome sequencing for 41 children with BA and their parents (35 trios, including 1 family with 2 BA-diagnosed children and 5 child-mother cases). We exclusively identified and validated a total of 28 variants (17 X-linked, 6 de novo and 5 homozygous) in 25 candidate genes from our BA cohort. These variants were among the 10% most deleterious and had a low minor allele frequency against the employed databases: Kinh Vietnamese (KHV), GnomAD and 1000 Genome Project. Interestingly, AMER1, INVS and OCRL variants were found in unrelated probands and were first reported in a BA cohort. Liver specimens and blood samples showed identical variants, suggesting that somatic variants were unlikely to occur during morphogenesis. Consistent with earlier attempts, this study implicated genetic heterogeneity and non-Mendelian inheritance of BA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-pulsed 1064-nm (LP1064) and 755-nm (LP755) lasers have been demonstrated as effective treatments for leg veins. However, few studies of these treatments on Asian skin type as well as direct comparison between two methods were reported. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of LP1064 with LP755 in the treatment of C1 leg veins on skin type IV patients. Patients with symmetric matched areas C1 leg veins were treated with single session of LP1064 for the right and LP755 for the left. Treated areas of every patient were divided into matrices of 2 × 2 cm squares. Vessels in the highest density squares were subjected to evaluation. Spot sizes were 5 mm fixed. Pulse durations and fluences were according to vessel diameters and endpoints, respectively. The clearances were evaluated at 1 and 3 months post treatment. Side effects were recorded immediately, 10 min, 24 h, and 1 and 3 months after treatment. Twenty-two patients were enrolled with total 96 vessels from 22 selected squares in the right and 106 vessels from 22 selected squares in the left. At 1-month follow-up, the clearances of LP1064 and LP755 were not significantly different (71.87% and 71.69%, respectively; p = 0.99). At 3-month follow-up, the efficacies were constant and no recurrence occurred. Pain levels of both methods were moderate and significantly lower in LP755. These findings suggest that LP1064 and LP755 laser treatments were comparatively effective and safe for C1 leg veins of skin type IV patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a logistic regression model, this study examines those factors affecting the decision made by farmers to convert from conventional to organic tea production activities in the mountainous areas of northern Vietnam. Data were collected from a household survey conducted among 181 organic and 195 conventional tea-producing households in the provinces of Thai Nguyen and Ha Giang. The results of this survey reveal that farm size, participation in training programs, access to credit, access to extension services, technology support, and market access had a positive impact on the adoption of organic farming methods. For the novice organic tea farmers living in this relatively undeveloped region, one with high poverty levels, economic motives played an important role in the decision to convert to organic practices. Although the tea farmers had a good awareness of the health and environmental benefits brought by organic farming practices, this had so far not led to conversion on a large scale. Therefore, in order to expand organic tea production activities in northern Vietnam, it will be necessary to improve tea farmers' knowledge of organic farming, and also show them the potential economic benefits to be brought by organic farming over the longer term. Besides, the Vietnamese government should create the conditions and policy environment needed to promote the expansion of organic tea production activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The replication and transfer of genomic material from a cell to its progeny are vital processes in all living systems. Here we visualize the process of chromosome replication in widened E. coli cells. Monitoring the replication of single chromosomes yields clear examples of replication bubbles that reveal that the two replisomes move independently from the origin to the terminus of replication along each of the two arms of the circular chromosome, providing direct support for the so-called train-track model, and against a factory model for replisomes. The origin of replication duplicates near midcell, initially splitting to random directions and subsequently towards the poles. The probability of successful segregation of chromosomes significantly decreases with increasing cell width, indicating that chromosome confinement by the cell boundary is an important driver of DNA segregation. Our findings resolve long standing questions in bacterial chromosome organization. How chromosome replication and segregation is organised in E. coli is a matter of debate. Here the authors visualise the bacterial chromosome and the replisomes during DNA replication, providing support for a previously suggested train track model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let X ∈ Z n × m , with each entry independently and identically distributed from an integer Gaussian distribution. We consider the orthogonal lattice Λ ⊥ (X) of X, i.e., the set of vectors v ∈ Z m such that X v = 0 . In this work, we prove probabilistic upper bounds on the smoothing parameter and the (m - n) -th minimum of Λ ⊥ (X) . These bounds improve and the techniques build upon prior works of Agrawal et al. (Adv Cryptol 2013:97–116, 2013), and of Aggarwal and Regev (Chic J Theor Comput Sci 7:1–11, 2016). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water plays an immensely important role in human life, from household to agriculture and industrial development. Due to the heavy utilization and growing demands of water, the availability of water has become a high priority. Besides sources of surface water, such as streams, lakes, and rivers, aquifers are a significant source of water on Earth through the essential groundwater supply. In the United States, the Ogallala Aquifer, a primary geologic unit of the High Plains Aquifer System, is under massive exploitation, and the water level has decreased substantially. Analysis of the saturated thickness of this aquifer is urgently essential. Thus, an interactive visual analytics tool is necessary to enable users to visualize water availability and variation overtime at multiple locations within the region. Our interactive analytic tool carries out this by first retrieving and processing the data derived from the saturated thickness of groundwater using sensors integrated into the wells. Subsequently, a visualization consisting of a contour map and a time series heatmap is created based on the sensor data, to capture the trends and patterns, such as underground water distribution, spatial and temporal changes, and sudden decreases or increases of the water level. The visual components allow users to explore observational data, which organize the visual structure in supporting making an inference to gain insights. insights. This approach can be extended to apply for any geographic areas for water-level monitoring and controlling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endogenous retroviruses of domestic cats (ERV-DCs) are members of the genus Gammaretrovirus that infect domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus). Uniquely, domestic cats harbor replication-competent proviruses such as ERV-DC10 (ERV-DC18) and ERV-DC14 (xenotropic and nonecotropic viruses, respectively). The purpose of this study was to assess invasion by two distinct infectious ERV-DCs, ERV-DC10 and ERV-DC14, in domestic cats. Of a total sample of 1646 cats, 568 animals (34.5%) were positive for ERV-DC10 (heterozygous: 377; homozygous: 191), 68 animals (4.1%) were positive for ERV-DC14 (heterozygous: 67; homozygous: 1), and 10 animals (0.6%) were positive for both ERV-DC10 and ERV-DC14. ERV-DC10 and ERV-DC14 were detected in domestic cats in Japan as well as in Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, South Korea and Spain. Breeding cats, including Singapura, Norwegian Forest and Ragdoll cats, showed high frequencies of ERV-DC10 (60–100%). By contrast, ERV-DC14 was detected at low frequency in breeding cats. Our results suggest that ERV-DC10 is widely distributed while ERV-DC14 is maintained in a minor population of cats. Thus, ERV-DC10 and ERV-DC14 have invaded cat populations independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To quantify the heterogeneity of the tumour apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) using voxel-based analysis to differentiate malignancy from benign wall thickening of the urinary bladder.Methods: Nineteen patients with histopathological findings of their cystectomy specimen were included. A data set of voxel-based ADC values was acquired for each patient's lesion. Histogram analysis was performed on each data set to calculate uniformity (U) and entropy (E). The k-means clustering of the voxel-wised ADC data set was implemented to measure mean intra-cluster distance (MICD) and largest inter-cluster distance (LICD). Subsequently, U, E, MICD, and LICD for malignant tumours were compared with those for benign lesions using a two-sample t-test.Results: Eleven patients had pathological confirmation of malignancy and eight with benign wall thickening. Histogram analysis showed that malignant tumours had a significantly higher degree of ADC heterogeneity with lower U (P = 0.016) and higher E (P = 0.005) than benign lesions. In agreement with these findings, k-means clustering of voxel-wise ADC indicated that bladder malignancy presented with significantly higher MICD (P < 0.001) and higher LICD (P = 0.002) than benign wall thickening.Conclusions: The quantitative assessment of tumour diffusion heterogeneity using voxel-based ADC analysis has the potential to become a non-invasive tool to distinguish malignant from benign tissues of urinary bladder cancer.Key Points: • Heterogeneity is an intrinsic characteristic of tumoral tissue. • Non-invasive quantification of tumour heterogeneity can provide adjunctive information to improve cancer diagnosis accuracy. • Histogram analysis and k-means clustering can quantify tumour diffusion heterogeneity. • The quantification helps differentiate malignant from benign urinary bladder tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The final values of alternatives usually are fuzzy numbers in most decision making problems under uncertain environment. These fuzzy numbers need to be defuzzified by a ranking method to assist in decision making. Chen proposed ranking fuzzy numbers with maximizing set and minimizing set as an improvement on Jain's maximizing set method. Liou and Wang indicated that ranking of any two fuzzy numbers by Chen's method may be altered when xmax, xmin and k are changed. To solve this problem, Liou and Wang proposed ranking fuzzy numbers with integral value. However, the problem of Chen's method remains. This work proposes relative maximizing and minimizing sets to improve upon Chen's method. Comparative examples are provided to demonstrate advantages of the proposed ranking method, and an experiment is conducted to show its robustness. The proposed ranking method is applied to a fuzzy multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) model to present its applicability. Ranking procedure can be clearly displayed to enhance execution efficiency of the suggested fuzzy MCDM model. A numerical example is used to display feasibility of the proposed model. Finally, an experiment is investigated to show that the proposed ranking method improves upon Chen's method in consistently ranking the final fuzzy numbers in the suggested fuzzy MCDM model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A BNSi cage is formed upon substitution of Si sites of rhombus faces of the pure Si cluster by B and N atoms. Doping by the ion Mn leads to the hetero-silicon fullerene BNSiMn which comprises three rhombi (BNBN, SiB and SiN) and four pentagons (two SiBN and two SiBN). Hetero-atoms form polarized Si-N and Si-B bonds as indicated by electron localization function (ELF) maps and NBO charges. The Mn center connects the BNSi cage by ionic interactions. Valence electrons of BNSiMn occupy a shell configuration of [1S 1P 1D 1F 1G 2S 2P 2D] and induce a certain thermodynamic stability. The high spin of the Mn metal cation is completely quenched within the hetero-Si fullerene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to evaluate two new operating design modes and their collaborative metaphors enabling two actors, a design engineer and an end-user, to work jointly in a collaborative virtual environment for workstation design. The two operating design modes that correspond to two different design paradigms include: direct design mode (the design engineer manipulates objects while the end-user specifies their activity constraints) and supervised design mode (the end-user manipulates objects while the design engineer specifies their process constraints). The corresponding collaborative metaphors enable the two actors to manipulate objects while one (the design engineer) can express process constraints and the other (the end-user) can express activity constraints. The usability evaluation of the modes and metaphors consisted in placing a workstation design element on a digital workstation mock-up where a trade-off was to be found between process constraints and activity constraints. The results show that if we consider the completion time as the most important criterion to achieve, the direct design mode must be favoured. Otherwise, if the activity constraints are predominant, the supervised design mode must be favoured. In any case, the addition of an ergonomist's point of view is supported and warranted in order to enhance the effectiveness of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An emerging HIV epidemic can be seen among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam. There are currently no evidence-based behavioral sexual risk reduction interventions for MSM in this setting. Between October 2012 and June 2013, 100 high-risk MSM from Ho Chi Minh City were enrolled in an open pilot trial to assess feasibility and acceptability of a group-based, manualized sexual risk reduction intervention, and to preliminarily examine changes in primary and secondary outcomes. Participants completed a behavioral assessment battery and HIV testing at baseline, 3, and 6 months post-baseline. Over 80.0 % of the sample was <25 years old and 77.0 % identified as Bong kin ("hidden," masculine-appearing). Feasibility and acceptability of the program was evidenced by 87.0 % retention for the intervention sessions, 78.0 % completion of the 6 month assessment, and positive responses on evaluation forms and qualitative exit interviews. There was a decline in the number of condomless anal sex acts from baseline (6.32) to 3 month (2.06) and 6 month (2.49) follow-up (p < .0001). These data support the need for further testing of this group-based, behavioral HIV prevention intervention to reduce sexual risk behavior among MSM in Vietnam in a randomized controlled efficacy trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoplankton diversity and abundance in estuarine systems are controlled by many factors. Salinity, turbidity, and inorganic nutrient concentrations and their respective ratios have all been proposed as principal factors that structure phytoplankton diversity and influence the emergence of potentially toxic species. Although much work has been conducted on temperate estuaries, less is known about how phytoplankton diversity is controlled in tropical, monsoonal systems that are subject to large, seasonal shifts in hydrology and to rapidly changing land use. Here, we present the results of an investigation into the factors controlling phytoplankton species composition and distribution in a tropical, monsoonal estuary (Bach Dang estuary, North Vietnam). A total of 245 taxa, 89 genera from six algal divisions were observed. Bacillariophyceae were the most diverse group contributing to 51.4 % of the microalgal assemblage, followed by Dinophyceae (29.8 %), Chlorophyceae (10.2 %), Cyanophyceae (3.7 %), Euglenophyceae (3.7 %) and Dictyochophyceae (1.2 %). The phytoplankton community was structured by inorganic nutrient ratios (DSi:DIP and DIN:DIP) as well as by salinity and turbidity. Evidence of a decrease in phytoplankton diversity concomitant with an increase in abundance and dominance of certain species (e.g., Skeletonema costatum) and the appearance of some potentially toxic species over the last two decades was also found. These changes in phytoplankton diversity are probably due to a combination of land use change resulting in changes in nutrient ratios and concentrations and global change as both rainfall and temperature have increased over the last two decades. It is therefore probable in the future that phytoplankton diversity will continue to change, potentially favoring the emergence of toxic species in this system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a technique to modify protein solubility and optimize enzyme activity in reversed micellar solutions. The technique is based on the ability of hydrates of natural gas to form in the micro-aqueous phase. Clathrate hydrates are crystalline inclusions of water and gas, and their formation in bulk water has traditionally been studied with relevance to natural gas recovery. We have found that hydrates can form in the environment of the microaqueous pools of reversed micelles, and that their extent of formation can be well controlled through the thermodynamic variables of temperature and pressure. Additionally, formation of hydrates affects the size and aggregation number of the micelles, and thus influences the solubility and conformation of encapsulated proteins. We demonstrate how the concept can be used in two applications: (i) protein extraction into reversed micelles and subsequent recovery, and (ii) optimization of enzyme activity in reversed micelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pressure dependence of the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) and unit cell metrics of tetragonal (NH3)yCs0.4FeSe were investigated in high pressures up to 41 GPa. The Tc decreases with increasing pressure up to 13 GPa, which can be clearly correlated with the pressure dependence of c (or FeSe layer spacing). The Tc vs. c plot is compared with those of various (NH3)yMxFeSe (M: metal atoms) materials exhibiting different Tc and c, showing that the Tc is universally related to c. This behaviour means that a decrease in two-dimensionality lowers the Tc. No superconductivity was observed down to 4.3 K in (NH3)yCs0.4FeSe at 11 and 13 GPa. Surprisingly, superconductivity re-appeared rapidly above 13 GPa, with the Tc reaching 49 K at 21 GPa. The appearance of a new superconducting phase is not accompanied by a structural transition, as evidenced by pressure-dependent XRD. Furthermore, Tc slowly decreased with increasing pressure above 21 GPa, and at 41 GPa superconductivity disappeared entirely at temperatures above 4.9 K. The observation of a double-dome superconducting phase may provide a hint for pursuing the superconducting coupling-mechanism of ammoniated/non-ammoniated metal-doped FeSe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, drastic changes in global social-economic situations have led to significant shifts in the financial market for entrepreneurial firms, thus resulting in changes in entrepreneurial finance discipline. The current body of literature, despite its significant growth, has not provided an overview landscape of this research area. Consequently, this study aims to fill this gap by employing the bibliometric analysis of 6902 articles from 1970 to 2019 extracted from the Web of Science database. By doing so, this paper attempts to provide an overview of the discipline's research output, social and conceptual structure, and offer strategies facilitating the scientific development within the field. The findings indicate that entrepreneurial finance is a young and growing field with an exponential increase in the number of publications (approx. 19.75 percent per year) and rising collaboration tendency among authors. The 1991-2000 period is a crucial milestone of the field thanks to the remarkable growth and impact of studies during this period as well as simultaneously occurring historical events. We also notice a sign of Western ideological homogeneity from the collaboration networks and lists of most productive authors, institutions, and countries. Additionally, using thematic mapping, five major research domains are identified: "venture capital", "crowdfunding", "SMEs finance", "social entrepreneurship finance", "IPO and corporate governance". Based on these findings, we raise the concern of lacking diversity in entrepreneurial finance research and propose strategies for authors, journals, and policymakers to diversify the literature., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.)