Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physiological Indicators of Acute and Chronic Stress in Securely and Insecurely Attached Dogs Undergoing a Strange Situation Procedure (SSP): Preliminary Results

Simple Summary The attachment bond that dogs form towards their owners shares similar features with the bond children form towards their caregivers. Insecurely attached children struggle to find support from their caregivers and therefore to regulate their own emotional response in times of distress. We aimed to investigate whether the quality of dog attachment to the owner may affect their physiological response to stress. We selected ten insecure and ten secure dogs from a sample of individuals who underwent a Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) to assess their attachment pattern towards the owner. The SSP is specifically designed to progressively generate stress. We collected saliva samples before and after the test to measure cortisol concentrations, as an indicator of acute stress, as well as a hair sample to assess chronic stress. We also measured blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and rectal temperature after the completion of the test. The results showed that salivary cortisol concentrations were higher in insecure dogs, particularly after the test. Heart rate also tended to be higher in insecure dogs. No difference in hair cortisol levels were found between secure and insecure dogs. Dogs’ physiological response to acute stress may be affected by the quality of the attachment to the owners. Abstract The quality of the attachment bond towards the caregiver may affect the dog’s physiological responses to stressful stimuli. This study aimed to measure chronic and acute physiological parameters of stress in ten securely and ten insecurely attached dogs. The twenty experimental subjects were selected from a sample of dogs that participated with their owners in the Strange Situation Procedure. Saliva samples were collected before (T0) and after (T1) the test. Blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and rectal temperature were measured after the test, only. At this time, a hair sample was also collected. RM ANOVA was used to analyse cortisol concentrations between secure and insecure dogs at T0 and T1. Mann–Whitney U test or T test were used for other physiological parameters. Insecure dogs had significant higher salivary cortisol concentrations than secure dogs at T1 (p = 0.024), but only a non-significant trend towards higher cortisol concentrations at T0 (p = 0.099). Post-test heart rate also tended to be higher in insecure compared to secure dogs (p = 0.077). No significant differences in hair cortisol concentration were found. The quality of attachment may affect the dog’s physiological response to acute stress, at least when related to separation from the caregiver. The effect of attachment on chronic stress requires further investigation.
An intermediate framework between WIMP, FIMP, and EWIP dark matter

WIMP (Weakly Interacting Massive Particle), FIMP (Feebly interacting Massive Particle) and EWIP (Extremely Weakly Interacting Particle) dark matter are different theoretical frameworks that have been postulated to explain the dark matter. In this paper we examine an intermediate scenario that combines features from these three frameworks. It consists of a weakly interacting particle — a la WIMP — that does not reach thermal equilibrium in the early Universe — a la FIMP — and whose relic density is determined by the reheating temperature of the Universe — a la EWIP. As an example, an explicit realization of this framework, based on the singlet scalar model of dark matter, is analyzed in detail. In particular, the relic density is studied as a function of the parameters of the model, and the new viable region within this intermediate scenario is determined. Finally, it is shown that this alternative framework of dark matter allows for arbitrarily heavy dark matter particles and that it suggests a connection between dark matter and inflation.
Palliative Care Outcome Scale Assessment for Cancer Patients Eligible for Palliative Care: Perspectives on the Relationship between Patient-Reported Outcome and Objective Assessments

(1) Background: The importance of patient-reported outcome (PRO), i.e., prioritizing patient voice, has increased in cancer treatment, as well as palliative and supportive settings. The Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale (IPOS), a hybrid evaluation consisting of “patient evaluation” (PRO) and “peer evaluation” by medical professionals, was developed as a successor version of the Support Team Assessment Schedule (STAS) in 2013 and has been utilized worldwide. The Japanese version of the IPOS (IPOS-J) was developed and released in 2019. The purpose of this study was to explore the applicability of the IPOS-J to clinical practice in the future. (2) Methods: We conducted the following two studies with terminally ill cancer patients: (i) Can an evaluation with the IPOS-J performed by medical professionals (peer evaluation) replace the STAS-J evaluation? (ii) Can the quality of palliative care improve by combining the IPOS-J patient evaluation with the peer evaluation? (3) Results: The overall intervention rate and urgent intervention rate for the STAS-J and IPOS-J was 34.4 vs. 34.1% (p = 0.91) and 10.4 vs. 9.9% (p = 0.78), respectively. The patients selected “intervention required” but the medical professionals selected “no intervention required” in 47 cases. The medical team performed appropriate intervention after re-assessment. As a result, more than 70% of the patients were “intervention-free” after 1 week of intervention. (4) Conclusions: The IPOS-J peer evaluation was as useful as the STAS-J evaluation. A hybrid type of evaluation, combining patient evaluation (PRO) and peer evaluation, may help us to understand patient needs and improve the quality of palliative care.
Complete loop quantization of a dimension 1+2 Lorentzian gravity theory

De Sitter Chern-Simons gravity in D = 1 + 2 spacetime is known to possess an extension with a Barbero-Immirzi like parameter. We find a partial gauge fixing which leaves a compact residual gauge group, namely SU(2). The compacticity of the residual gauge group opens the way to the usual LQG quantization techniques. We recall the exemple of the LQG quantization of SU(2) CS theory with cylindrical space topology, which thus provides a complete LQG of a Lorentzian gravity model in 3-dimensional space-time.
Geodesic properties in terms of multipole moments in scalar–tensor theories of gravity

The formalism for describing a metric and the corresponding scalar in terms of multipole moments has recently been developed for scalar-tensor theories. We take advantage of this formalism in order to obtain expressions for the observables that characterise geodesics in terms of the moments. These expressions provide some insight into how the structure of a scalarized compact object affects observables. They can also be used to understand how deviations from general relativity are imprinted on the observables.
The effect of interface roughness on exchange bias in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 - BiFeO3 heterostructures

We characterized the interfaces of heterostructures with different stack sequences of La0.7Sr0. 3MnO3/BiFeO3 (LSMO/BFO) and BFO/LSMO using TEM revealing sharp and rough interfaces, respectively. Magnetometry and magnetoresistance measurements do not show a detectable exchange bias coupling for the multistack with sharp interface. Instead, the heterostructures with rough and chemically intermixed interfaces exhibit a sizable exchange bias coupling. Furthermore, we find a temperature-dependent irreversible magnetization behavior and an exponential decay of coercive and exchange bias field with temperature suggesting a possible spin-glass-like state at the interface of both stacks.
Analysis of Employees’ Competencies in the Context of Industry 4.0

The implementation of Industry 4.0 technology and meeting the expectations of employers, the labour market, and, in fact, sustainable development are new challenges for industry employees, especially for their knowledge and skills. The changes introduced during industrial revolutions have always affected the job market and employees’ required competencies. The same can be said for the latest industrial revolution, Industry 4.0, in which the human factor plays an important role, mainly because new challenges are posed by human beings’ role in digitised reality. Our research aimed to identify the employee competencies that are required in the context of Industry 4.0. We investigated two groups of respondents (employees and students). These groups were subjected to a comparative analysis of their digital, technical, social and personal competencies. As a result of the analysis, we identified the highest-ranked competencies in defined groups. Our results show that technical and soft skills are equally important in this highly technically based industrial revolution.
Marketing Strategy and Willingness to Pay for Sport Tourism in the Kinmen Marathon Event

In this study, we applied an evaluation model of multiple attributes of sport-based tourism to the marketing strategy for a marathon event in Kinmen (Taiwan) based on a choice experiment methodology. We found that the participants appreciated the experience of authentic cuisine and the availability of marathon souvenirs. They also preferred engaging in ecotourism activities and supporting the establishment of a sport development fund. We applied market segmentation by dividing the participants into two groups. Those in the first group were primarily younger, had higher incomes, and had participated previously in the Kinmen Marathon. Those in the second group primarily had lower incomes, were over 40 years old, and were participating in the Kinmen Marathon for the first time. Both groups preferred entertainment, educational, and esthetic experiences, but only the first group desired an escapist experience. We propose three marketing strategies for sport tourism experiences as a reference for future practice in Kinmen sport tourism.
The spectral index and its running in axionic curvaton

We show that a sizable running spectral index suggested by the recent SPT data can be explained in the axionic curvaton model with a potential that consists of two sinusoidal contributions of different height and period. We find that the running spectral index is generically given by dns/dln k ~ 2π/ΔN (ns−1), where ΔN is the e-folds during one period of modulations. In the string axiverse, axions naturally acquire a mass from multiple contributions, and one of the axions may be responsible for the density perturbations with a sizable running spectral index via the curvaton mechanism. We note that the axionic curvaton model with modulations can also accommodate the red-tilted spectrum with a negligible running, without relying on large-field inflation.
Soft substrates direct stem cell differentiation into the chondrogenic lineage without the use of growth factors

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold great promise for the treatment of cartilage related injuries. However, selectively promoting stem cell differentiation in vivo is still challenging. Chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs usually requires the use of growth factors that lead to the overexpression of hypertrophic markers. In this study, for the first time the effect of stiffness on MSC differentiation has been tested without the use of growth factors. Three-dimensional collagen and alginate scaffolds were developed and characterised. Stiffness significantly affected gene expression and ECM deposition. While, all hydrogels supported chondrogenic differentiation and allowed deposition of collagen type II and aggrecan, the 5.75 kPa hydrogel showed limited production of collagen type I compared to the other two formulations. These findings demonstrated for the first time that stiffness can guide MSCs differentiation without the use of growth factors within a tissue engineering scaffold suitable for the treatment of cartilage defects.
Improving the Assessment and Prevention of Falls and Fractures on a Rehabilitation Ward

The National Steering Group and The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence provide guidelines on medical assessment and prevention of falls and fractures. This audit assesses and compares quality of practice on an Age-Related rehabilitation ward against these guidelines. A retrospective audit, including all patients (n=31) on an off-site, Age-Related rehabilitation ward was completed. Data on falls and fractures at emergency department presentation and during admission was obtained through chart review. Following education and implementation of a falls pro-forma, a re-audit was completed at four months including all patients (n=40). In cycle 1, mean age of patients was 80 years (range 56-94), 39 Percent (%) (n=12) were admitted with a fall of whom 66.7% (n=8) had a resulting fracture. In cycle 2, mean age was 82 years (range 63–95), 48% (n=19) were admitted due to a fall, of whom 53% (n=10) had a fracture. A falls assessment and bone health review was completed in 39% (n=12) of all patients in cycle 1, and in 37% (n=3) admitted with a fall. This increased to 83% (n=33) of all patients in cycle 2 and 100% (n=40) of those admitted with a fall. Pre-intervention, 23% (n=7) had an inpatient fall compared to 18% (n=7) post-intervention; of these, 43% (n=3) and 14% (n=1) resulted in fractures respectively. Compliance with national guidelines for prevention of falls and fractures improved with education and implementation of a falls pro-forma. This resulted in a reduction in falls, particularly injurious falls, on a rehabilitation ward. In future, this pro-forma may be implemented in other hospital wards.
Mutualist- and antagonist-mediated selection contribute to trait diversification of flowers

Flowers are generally short-lived, and they all face a multidimensional challenge because they have to attract mutualists, compel them to vector pollen with minimal investment in rewards, and repel floral enemies during this short time window. Their displays are under complex selection, either consistent or conflicting, to maximize reproductive fitness under heterogeneous environments. The phenological or morphological mismatches between flowers and visitors will influence interspecific competition, resource access, mating success and, ultimately, population and community dynamics. To better understand the effects of the plant visitors on floral traits, it is necessary to determine the functional significance of specific floral traits for the visitors; how plants respond to both mutualists and antagonists through adaptive changes; and to evaluate the net fitness effects of biological mutualisms and antagonism on plants. In this review, we bring together insights from fields as diverse as floral biology, insect behavioral responses, and evolutionary biology to explain the processes and patterns of floral diversity evolution. Then, we discuss the ecological significance of plant responses to mutualists and antagonists from a community perspective, and propose a set of research questions that can guide the research field to integrate studies of plant defense and reproduction.
Hydrogen compounds of group-IV nanosheets

The structural and electronic properties of the hydrides of silicene and germanene have been studied using ab initio calculations. The trend for the M–H (M=C, Si, and Ge) bond lengths, and corresponding bond energies, is consistent with the atomic size trend, and comparable to those of MH4 hydrides. Band structures were also obtained for the buckled configuration, which is the stable form for both silicene and germanene. Upon hydrogenation, both silicane (indirect gap) and germanane (direct gap) are semiconducting.
Reflecting Race and Status: The Dynamics of Material Hardship and How People Are Perceived

In most stratification research, race is treated as a static and one-dimensional individual characteristic, though a growing literature indicates dynamic and multidimensional measures better represent experiences of racial categorization and inequality. The authors leverage such measures to explore the relationship between material hardship and racial reflected appraisals, or how people report being perceived by others. Results from the New York City Longitudinal Survey of Wellbeing are consistent with a bidirectional relationship: first, people who reported being seen as Black or Hispanic were significantly more likely to experience later material hardship, net of both racial self-identification and earlier hardship; second, people with hardship experience were significantly more likely to report been perceived as Hispanic and significantly less likely to report being perceived as White, no matter how they self-identified. These findings underscore the dynamics of racial categorization and highlight the utility of including reflected race measures in studies of inequality.
Role of the optic nerve sheath diameter in the assessment of the effectiveness of decompressive surgery after malignant middle cerebral artery infarction

Abstract Background After a case of stroke, intracranial pressure (ICP) must be measured and monitored, and the gold standard method for that is through an invasive technique using an intraventricular or intraparenchymal device. However, The ICP can also be assessed through a non-invasive method, comprised of the measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) through ultrasound (US). Objective To evaluate the ICP of patients who underwent wide decompressive craniectomy after middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction via preoperative and postoperative ONSD measurements. Methods A total of 17 patients, aged between 34 and 70 years, diagnosed with malignant MCA infarction with radiological edema and mid-line shift, who underwent decompressive surgery, were eligible. From the records, we collected data on age, sex, preoperative and postoperative Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, the degree of disability in the preoperative period and three months postoperatively through the scores on the Modified Rankin Scale (MRS), and the preoperative and postoperative midline shift measured by computed tomography (CT) scans of the brain. Results Preoperatively, the mean GCS score was of 8 (range: 7.7–9.2), whereas it was found to be of 12 (range 10–14) on the first postoperative day ( p = 0.001). The mean preoperative NIHSS score was of 21.36 ± 2.70 and, on the first postoperative day, it was of 5.30 ± 0.75 ( p < 0.001). As for the midline shift, the mean preoperative value was of 1.33 ± 0.75 cm, and, on the first postoperative day, 0.36 ± 0.40 cm ( p < 0.001). And, regarding the ONSD, the mean preoperative measurement was of 5.5 ± 0.1 mm, and, on the first postoperative day, it was of 5 ± 0.9 mm ( p < 0.001). Conclusion The ocular US measurement of the ONSD for the preoperative and postoperative monitoring of the ICP seems to be a practical and useful method.
Exploring the Spatially Heterogeneous Effects of the Built Environment on Bike-Sharing Usage during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Bike-sharing holds promise for available and healthy mobility services during COVID-19 where bike sharing users can make trips with lower health concerns due to social distancing compared to the restricted transportation modes such as public transit and ridesharing services. Leveraging the trip data of the Divvy bike-sharing system in Chicago, this study exploresspatially heterogeneous effects of built environment on bike-sharing usage under the pandemic. Results show that the average weekly ridership declined by 52.04%. To account for the spatially heterogeneous relationship between the built environment and the ridership, the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model and the semiparametric GWR (S-GWR) model are constructed. We find that the S-GWR model outperforms the GWR and the multiple linear regression models. The results of the S-GWR model indicate that education employment density, distance to subway, COVID-19 cases, and ridership before COVID-19 are global variables. The effects between ridership and the built environment factros (i.e., household density, office employment density, and the ridership) vary across space. The results of this study could provide a useful reference to transportation planners and bike-sharing operators to determine the high bike-sharing demand area under the pandemic,thus adjusting station locations, capacity, and rebalancing schemes accordingly.
Estimating continuous time rational expectations models in frequency domain: a case study

This paper presents a completely worked example applying the frequency domain estimation strategy proposed by Hansen and Sargent [1980, 1981a]. A bivariate, high order continuous time autoregressive moving average model is estimated subject to the restrictions implied by the rational expectations model of the term structure of interest rates. The estimation strategy takes into account the fact that one of the data series are point-in-time observations, while the other are time averaged. Alternative strategies are considered for taking into account nonstationarity in the data. Computing times reported in the paper demonstrate that estimation using the techniques of Hansen and Sargent is inexpensive.
Wandering Globular Clusters: the First Dwarf Galaxies in the Universe?

In the last decade we witness an advent of new types of dwarf stellar systems including ultra-compact dwarfs, ultra-faint dwarf spheroidals, and exotic globular clusters, breaking the old simple paradigm for dwarf galaxies and globular clusters. These objects be- come more intriguing, and understanding of these new findings becomes more challenging. Recently we discovered a new type of large scale structure in the Virgo cluster of galaxies: it is composed of globular clusters. Globular clusters in Virgo are found wandering between galaxies (intracluster globular clusters) as well as in galaxies. These intracluster globular clusters fill a significant fraction in the area of the Virgo cluster and they are dominated by blue globular clusters. These intracluster globular clusters may be closely related with the first dwarf galaxies in the universe.
Navigators’ views of a collision avoidance decision support system for maritime navigation

Abstract Maritime navigation is a complex task involving the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of information using seamanship, professional knowledge, and technology. As the maritime industry transitions towards maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS), there is an increasing gap between the operator and the technology. This paper explores a collision avoidance decision support system for navigation from the navigator's perspective. The system, developed by Wärtsilä, is called Advanced Intelligent Manoeuvring (AIM) and can generate suggestions for course or speed alterations based on data from surrounding traffic. Nineteen Swedish navigators completed three ship traffic scenarios with and without decision support. Qualitative data were collected using interviews and analysed with thematic analysis. The results show that the participants perceive the decision support system as an advisory tool to visualise how traffic situations could unfold, a task currently difficult for most navigators. This paper discusses the present and near future of maritime navigation, highlighting the benefits of automation, while remaining vigilant about the potential dangers.