bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneity in Diameters of Protein Fibrils and Chitosan for a High CO2/O2 Selectivity and Desired Mechanical Properties of Edible Bioplastic Films
Authors: Shi Qixin , Nian Yingqun , You Yang , Li Ziyan , Li Yunqi , Zhao Ran , Chen Zhengzhi , Huang Tianhang , Hu Bing
Published: December 2024

Edible bioplastics offer a possible approach with great potential to address the challenges of plastic and microplastic crisis and the issue of food waste. In the present study, in situ, induction of fibrillation of legume proteins within chitosan matrix is found to form edible bioplastic films with a high CO2/O2 selectivity coefficient of ≈130. Desirable mechanical properties, including a high elongation at break of ≈230%, are realized to fabricate shopping bags, which can be filled with 5 kg of fruits. An atmosphere with a high CO2 content and low O2 concentration is spontaneously achieved after strawberries are packaged with the films and ≈85% of the fruits are edible after 9 days. The contents of CO2 in the equilibrium state and the percent of edible fruits are positively correlated with the CO2/O2 selectivity of the films. By comparison of the edible bioplastic films made from mung bean protein (MP) and pea protein (PP), the fibrillation capability of legume proteins and the heterogeneity in polydisperse diameters of the protein fibrils and chitosan are demonstrated to make great contributions to the dense microstructure, leading to the strong mechanical properties and high gas selectivity of the films. The structure‐property relationship is elucidated for high‐performance bioplastics films.
Semi‐coherent Interface and Vacancy Engineering for Constructing NiTe/FeTe/Fe3O4/FF to Boost Electrochemical Overall Water Splitting
Authors: Li Chunxiao , Feng Yuying , Jiang Jiahui , Zhao Ting , Xu Guancheng , Zhang Li
Published: December 2024

Transition metal‐based tellurides (TMTs) with excellent electrical conductivity are expected to be ideal electrocatalysts for overall water splitting. However, compared to transition metal sulfides and selenides, the reported applications of TMTs in overall water splitting are fewer. Herein, the NiTe/FeTe/Fe3O4/FF carnation flower‐like with a semi‐coherent interface is successfully constructed to enhance the electrochemical overall water splitting performance. Specifically, it achieves low overpotentials of 54 and 176 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively. What's more, the electrolyzer requires a cell voltage of 1.5 V to sustain a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and maintains remarkable stability for an extensive duration of 450 h even at a current density of 100 mA cm−2. Semi‐coherent interface engineering and vacancy engineering not only improve the OH⁻ adsorption capacity of catalysts but also promote the desorption of adsorbed hydrogen (Hads). In situ Raman spectroscopy reveals that FeOOH and NiOOH formed by NiTe/FeTe/Fe3O4/FF during the OER are the genuine active sites. This study provides a promising approach for the electrochemical water splitting of TMTs by combining semi‐coherent interface engineering and vacancy engineering.
Wind Characteristics at Agadez and Tahoua Weather Stations
Authors: Manzo Ismaïlou , Bonkaney Abdou Latif , Ali Aboubacar , Madougou Saïdou
Published: December 2024

This study investigates the characteristics of wind speed in two synoptic weather stations in Niger. Hence, three hourly wind data including wind speed and direction from 2009 to 2019 were used. Prior to the analysis, the dataset was pre‐processed to remove corrupted and irrelevant data. Statistical analysis was conducted on the dataset to understand the variability of the wind speed and wind direction at the two synoptic stations. The results showed that the highest prevailing wind is recorded in the Agadez region with average wind speeds ranging from [3; 6] m/s and [6; 10] m/s at 10 m altitude. The dominant directions are the East from September to May, then the West from June to August. At the Tahoua station, the prevailing winds have average speeds also belonging to [3; 6] m/s and [6; 10] m/s at 10 m altitude, but the dominant directions are East and East‐North‐East from October to April, then West and South‐West from May to September. These findings are useful for the effective planning of a wind energy project in Niger as they provide useful insight regarding the wind characteristics in two windy regions in Niger.
Process incidence monitoring in material identification during drilling stacked structures using support vector machine
Authors: Zhang Jiduo , Heinemann Robert , Bakker Otto jan
Published: December 2024

Drilling of stacks comprising carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRP) and aluminium in a single shot is a typical operation in the assembly of aircraft. This paper proposes a novel approach to identify incidences in CFRP/Al stack drilling with 94 % classification accuracy based on signal features and support vector machine (SVM). This enables the application of adaptive drilling which aerospace industry tries to introduce, and cutting parameters (cutting speed, feed) are automatically adjusted based on features extracted from signals obtained to achieve optimal machining. The t-distributed stochastic neighbour embedding (T-SNE) algorithm is applied to evaluate the separability and invariance of features with the significant influence of tool wear. Collinear analysis and hierarchy dendrogram are conducted to test the accuracy and robustness of the new approach, and a distance-based feature pruning is then proposed to compress data while maintaining the algorithm’s performance. The proposed SVM model achieves an accurate and reliable incidence identification, thereby enhancing the decision-making for adaptive drilling in machining stacked structures.
Modified free-surface synthetic Schlieren method to adjust measurement sensitivity in high-strain waves
Authors: Mermelstein Hillel , Dagan Yuval
Published: December 2024

This research revisits the free-surface synthetic Schlieren technique (FS-SS) (Moisy et al. in Exp Fluids 46(6):1021–1036, 2009) for the topographical measurement of the free surface of a liquid. In contrast to the aforementioned method, which utilizes the image refraction of a random dot pattern through a free surface to determine the surface gradients, this present study mathematically derives a method where the pattern may take an arbitrary three-dimensional shape. This is shown to be theoretically valid under a small pattern slope approximation. Our method is then verified against the previously mentioned, flat-pattern, free-surface synthetic Schlieren technique by resolving the free-surface elevation of plane waves across a channel, showing similar results in constant strain conditions, with improved results in variable strain conditions, particularly in cases where there is a very large difference in strain across the channel. The validation test cases investigated include a rectangular channel containing a transparent liquid with a random dot pattern placed below at a constant angle and a pattern placed on top of a cosine-shaped profile. Both of these setups are validated against the classical FS-SS technique involving a flat pattern. The new method involving an arbitrarily shaped pattern proposed here may increase the resolution in low-amplitude regions by increasing the surface–pattern distance below these regions and correspondingly reducing the sensitivity in high-strain regions by decreasing the surface–pattern distance. Geometries shown to produce advantageous results in waves that include both regions of very high strains and regions of very low amplitudes are explored, resolving the wave in both regions simultaneously. This shows promise in resolving multi-scale surface waves in highly viscous liquids, which may include very high-amplitude regions quickly followed by very low-amplitude regions due to damping effects.
Design Optimization for Hydrostatic Pressure in Hybrid Composite Cylinders
Authors: Ngwa Akongnwi Nfor , Chaudhary Birendra , Matos Helio , Shukla Arun
Published: December 2024

This study explores an optimization system to achieve the highest collapse pressure on glass-carbon hybrid composite cylinders under hydrostatic loading conditions. This work evaluates and validates previously established composite buckling solutions for cylindrical composite structures under hydrostatic pressure with experimental results of hybrid composite shells. It utilizes the validated analytical solution to optimize the buckling pressure by varying layup configuration, optimum layup angle, material content, and thickness of each lamina. The optimization is performed on asymmetric and symmetric layup cases to evaluate the influence of the hybrid layup construction on the buckling performance of the structure. Results show that the thicker glass fiber plies are preferred for inner layers and the stiffer carbon fiber plies for the outermost layers to achieve maximum buckling collapse pressure for all the optimization cases, as this configuration provides superior flexural rigidity. For hybrid composite structures with asymmetric configurations, the collapse pressure can be higher when most layers are made of glass fiber if the glass layers are at least twice as thick as the carbon layers. Similarly, axial-load-resistant layers (0°) should be located around the geometric center of the laminate with the hoop-load-resistant layers (90°) on or near the outermost layers and shear-resistant layers (45°) between these layers for both symmetric and asymmetric hybrid structures. Moreover, long tubes with small diameters (L/D > 10) favor hoop bending stiffnesses (90°) for all layers in the laminate due to less influence of boundary conditions at endcap locations.
Long-term effects of medication-assisted treatment in opioid using offenders in German prisoners—treatment outcomes in prison and after release
Authors: Stemmler Mark , Geißelsöder Kerstin , Weiss Maren , Hornegger Mavi , Endres Johann
Published: December 2024

Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine the long-term effects of medication-assisted treatment after release from prison. We compared prisoners receiving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) to prisoners receiving no MOUD, on a number of outcome variables. Self-reported drug use was confirmed with laboratory tests.

Methods

A sample of 247 prisoners in German prisons completed the European Addiction Severity Index shortly before release. Subjects were contacted again at 1, 3–6, and 12 months after release for telephone interviews.

Results

Compared to no-MOUD subjects, MOUD subjects reported fewer illegal opioids and significantly fewer non-prescribed substitution medications. MOUD participants showed high treatment continuity through 12 months. Benefits of MOUD peaked at 3–6 months; effects were reduced at 12 months. Convergent validity of the self-report measure of drug use with laboratory drug screenings was satisfactorily high (~ 71% convergence).

Conclusions

For long-term sustainability of MOUD effects, additional psychosocial interventions are recommended.
Small Molecule Myeloperoxidase (MPO) Inhibition Prevents Delayed Cerebral Injury (DCI) After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) in a Murine Model
Authors: Limon Safiye , Coulibaly Aminata P. , Provencio Jose Javier
Published: December 2024

Background

Delayed cerebral injury (DCI) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a preventable injury that would improve patient outcomes if an effective treatment can be developed. The most common long-term disability in patients with SAH is cognitive dysfunction. Contrary to the common theory that damage from DCI originates solely from ischemia caused by cerebral vasospasm, inflammation has been shown to be an important independent mediator of DCI.

Methods

Neutrophil infiltration of the meninges is a critical step in developing late spatial memory deficits in a murine model of SAH and may serve as a surrogate marker for disease progression. Importantly, myeloperoxidase (MPO) null mice do not develop meningeal neutrophilia and are protected from spatial memory deficits.

Results

In this study, wildtype mice administered a single dose of the MPO inhibitor (MPOi) AZD5904 at peak neutrophil entry day have a higher percentage of neutrophils that remain in the meningeal blood vessel 6 days after the hemorrhage suggesting neutrophil extravasation into the meninges is inhibited (79 ± 20 vs. 28 ± 24, p < 0.01). Interestingly, the intraperitoneal route of administration has a larger effect than the intrathecal route suggesting that MPO inhibition is best administered systemically not in the central nervous system. Second, mice administered AZD5904 intraperitoneal for 4 consecutive days starting 2 days after the hemorrhage do not develop delayed spatial memory dysfunction (two-way analysis of variance, p > 0.001 F [2, 22] = 10.11).

Conclusions

Systemic MPOi prevents neutrophil entry into the meninges and prevents spatial memory dysfunction. MPOi is a promising strategy for translation to patients with aneurysmal SAH.
Perceived Psychological and Physical Health as Predictors of Mortality and Quality of Life in Patients with Lymphedema: A Prospective Study Spanning Almost Two Decades
Authors: Loibnegger-Traußnig Katharina , Schwerdtfeger Andreas R. , Flaggl Franz
Published: December 2024

Background

How does living with a chronic disease of the lymphatic system affect quality of life and mortality? Lymphedema is a chronic disease mostly affecting women and research is sparse. To this date, longitudinal studies evaluating biopsychosocial predictors for mortality and quality of life in lymphedema are largely missing. This study aims to identify possible predictors and could open innovative ways for treatment options.

Method

Two hundred ninety-two patients with lymphedema partaking in a rehabilitation program in a lymphedema clinic were longitudinally assessed. The sample consisted of 86.2% women, aged between 18 and 83 years (M = 53.42, SD = 12.54), with a mean BMI (kg/m2) of 31.64 (SD = 8.26). Beginning with baseline assessment in 2002–2006, follow-up was evaluated 15–19 years later (N = 91). We assessed a variety of potential biopsychosocial predictors of mortality and quality of life (i.e., depression, anxiety, cancer). At follow-up, 19.5% of participants were deceased.

Results

Age, gender, and cancer significantly predicted mortality (R2 = .27) and quality of life (R2 = .29). Anxiety and depression significantly predicted both quality of life and mortality when entered simultaneously. However, further analyses indicated suppressor effects and when entered separately, effects solely for depression or anxiety did not reach significance level.

Conclusion

Age, gender, and cancer were the main predictors of mortality and quality of life in patients with lymphedema. Psychological predictors of mortality and quality of life were mainly due to suppressor effects, thus calling for caution when analyzing the contribution of mental health indicators for clinical outcomes.

Trial Registration

This study was preregistered with the German Clinical Trials Register (Identifier DRKS00024450) and Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/RHXQJ).
Bridging the intergenerational gap: boosting recycling behavior and policy support through eliciting concerns for future others
Authors: Liu Xin , Chen Jun-Fang , Tao Rui , Li Shu , Zheng Rui
Published: December 2024

Pro-environmental behavior, including waste sorting and recycling, involves a combination of future-oriented (futureness) and other-oriented (otherness) attributes. Inspired by the perspective of intergenerational choice, this work explores whether eliciting concerns for future others could increase public support for recycling policy and recycling behavior. Study 1 consisted of an online random controlled trial and a laboratory experiment. In Study 1A (N = 400), future other-concern was primed using a static text manipulation, whereas in Study 1B (N = 192), a dynamic virtual manipulation was employed. The results showed that people in the conditions that elicited future other-concern reported greater household recycling intentions and more actual recycling behavior than those in the control conditions. Study 2A (N = 467) and Study 2B (N = 600) generalized this effect on the acceptance of the ‘Certain Time Certain Place’ waste sorting policy in China. Consistent with the intergenerational choice model, envisioning the future of subsequent generations is more impactful in gaining policy approval than merely envisioning a future time. These findings provide a new method for promoting public policy approval and recycling behavior, suggesting that people could become environmentally friendly when they are guided to consider future others.
Factors Affecting the Disaster Attitudes of Volunteers in a Non-Governmental Organization: Path Analysis
Authors: Gencbas Dercan , Karayel Yalcin Ebrar
Published: December 2024

Objectives

This study aimed to examine the effect of volunteers’ health behaviors and disaster preparedness on disaster attitudes.

Methods

The sample comprised 378 volunteers aged 18 to 30 who were affiliated with the largest volunteer network in a non-governmental organization in Turkey. In the study, data were collected with Descriptive Information Form, the Disaster Preparedness Scale, and the Disaster Attitude Scale.

Results

The mean total score of the participants in the Disaster Attitude Scale was 3.06 ± 0.73 (1-5). The mean total scale score of the participants in the Disaster Preparedness Scale was 33.21 ± 8.02 (13-54). Notably, factors such as using alcohol, the status of general health checkups status, and scores on the physical protection and assistance subscales the Disaster Preparedness Scale were significantly associated with the Disaster Attitude Scale total score (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

In this study, regular general health check-ups, alcohol use in general, and physical protection and assistance sub-scales are critical determinants of volunteers’ attitudes toward disasters. The disaster volunteers, health professionals particularly nurses, should develop training programs to enhance volunteers’ disaster attitudes focusing on promoting disaster preparedness and positive health behaviors in both governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Affective Matter: designing human-material interactions to enhance health and wellbeing
Authors: Papadopoulou Athina
Published: December 2024

Our emotions do not always surface into our awareness, making it difficult to manage them and communicate them to others. Even when emotions do not reach our awareness, they still express themselves as physiological changes, often unperceived by ourselves and others. To aid in emotion self-regulation and increase the bandwidth of emotion communication, I designed a programmable affective sleeve that translates physiological aspects of emotions into material haptic action. The affective sleeve has been developed as a case study for Affective Matter. Affective Matter suggests a method for human-material interaction that enhances health and wellbeing.

I first discuss the three foundations of Affective Matter underlying the design of the affective sleeve: Embodiment, Entrainment, and Material Intelligence. I then proceed to the methods and results of an exploratory study I developed and conducted that tests the psychophysiological impact of the sleeve on 36 participants. The study results suggest that the pace of the affective sleeve’s haptic action can be programmed to regulate the wearer’s breathing pace to either have a calming or a stimulating impact on the wearer. The results also show varied affective responses to distinct haptic stimuli. Discussion of the results suggests future research directions and therapeutic applications for the benefit of individuals with mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Scaling limit of soliton lengths in a multicolor box-ball system
Authors: Lewis Joel , Lyu Hanbaek , Pylyavskyy Pavlo , Sen Arnab
Published: December 2024

The box-ball systems are integrable cellular automata whose long-time behavior is characterized by soliton solutions, with rich connections to other integrable systems such as the Korteweg-de Vries equation. In this paper, we consider a multicolor box-ball system with two types of random initial configurations and obtain sharp scaling limits of the soliton lengths as the system size tends to infinity. We obtain a sharp scaling limit of soliton lengths that turns out to be more delicate than that in the single color case established in [LLP20]. A large part of our analysis is devoted to studying the associated carrier process, which is a multidimensional Markov chain on the orthant, whose excursions and running maxima are closely related to soliton lengths. We establish the sharp scaling of its ruin probabilities, Skorokhod decomposition, strong law of large numbers and weak diffusive scaling limit to a semimartingale reflecting Brownian motion with explicit parameters. We also establish and utilize complementary descriptions of the soliton lengths and numbers in terms of modified Greene-Kleitman invariants for the box-ball systems and associated circular exclusion processes.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on first-episode psychosis presentations in two early intervention in psychosis services
Authors: Duggan A. , Buckley S. , Fletcher E. , O’Keeffe D. , Naughton S. , O’Connor K. , Clarke M.
Published: December 2024

Objectives:

To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on first-episode psychosis (FEP) presentations across two Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services in Ireland, by comparing pre-pandemic and post-pandemic cohorts.

Methods:

A cross-sectional observational design with retrospective medical record review was employed. The study population comprised 187 FEP patients (77 in pre-pandemic and 110 in post-pandemic cohort). Outcomes measured included duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), FEP presentation numbers, referral sources, global assessment of functioning scores, inpatient admissions, substance misuse and service delivery methods. Statistical analyses utilised chi-square tests to assess categorical variables, Mann–Whitney U tests to compare non-normally distributed continuous variables and Kruskal–Wallis tests to examine interactions between categorical and continuous variables.

Results:

A significant increase in FEP presentations was observed in the post-pandemic cohort (p = 0.003), with an increase in all urban areas and a decrease in the study’s only rural area. The difference in DUP between cohorts was not significant. However, significant interaction between gender, cohort and DUP was shown (p = 0.008), with women in the post-pandemic cohort experiencing longer DUP (p = 0.01). A significant rise in telephone (p = 0.05) and video consultations (p = 0.001) offered was observed, in the post-pandemic cohort. A similar number of in-person appointments were attended across both cohorts.

Conclusions:

This study highlights the impact of the pandemic on FEP presentations, particularly rurally and regarding increased DUP among women. These findings underscore the need for flexible EIP services to respond to public health crises. Despite increased presentations, services adapted, maintaining service continuity through telehealth and modified in-person contact.
Civil wars as critical junctures: Conceptual grounding and empirical potential
Authors: Thaler Kai M.
Published: December 2024

Civil wars are not only destructive: they can also generate new, long-lasting social, political, and economic structures and processes. To account for this productive potential and analyse post-conflict outcomes, I argue that we should analyse civil wars as critical junctures. Civil wars can relax structural constraints, opening opportunities for wartime processes to generate changes or to reinforce, rather than transform, the status quo. Changes or stasis may then be locked in by conflict outcomes, creating path dependencies. Studying civil wars as critical junctures allows for a clearer understanding of what variables mattered and interacted at different points in the conflict process, and the varying roles of structure and agency in producing institutional change or reinforcing pre-existing conditions. I explore the potential benefits of a critical juncture approach in the civil wars literature on different aspects of post-conflict politics and illustrate them in analysing the literature on women’s empowerment during and after civil wars. Applying the critical junctures framework to civil wars’ effects on institutions and socio-behavioural patterns can provide analytical clarity about complex processes and contexts, can facilitate comparison across cases and studies, and draws critical attention both to what civil wars change and to potential pathways not taken.
A high-precision trajectory capture and playback solver for KUKA iiwa robot
Authors: Liu Zhuoran , Yang Jiahang , Fahmy Ashraf , Li Chunxu
Published: December 2024

This paper introduces a sophisticated trajectory capture and playback mechanism for collaborative robots, aimed at enhancing accuracy and operational efficiency through several innovative techniques. The Ju-Gibbs attitude quaternion is utilized for enhanced kinematic modeling across multi-axis systems, which simplifies variables, reduces dimensions, and enhances symbolic clarity, thus surpassing the limitations of traditional rotation vectors and unit quaternions. A new sliding filter is developed to effectively reduce noise and optimize trajectory details more efficiently. Additionally, an automated mechanism is implemented for adjusting the sampling rate and removing static data points at the trajectory’s start and end, further refining data collection accuracy. These advancements have been successfully replicated on the Kuka robot LBR iiwa 7 R800, demonstrating the practical applicability of the solutions in real-world settings.
The influence of early childhood education and care on the relation between early-life social adversity and children’s mental health in the environmental influences for Child Health Outcomes Program
Authors: Bosquet Enlow Michelle , Blackwell Courtney K. , Sherlock Phillip , Mansolf Maxwell , Bekelman Traci A. , Blair Clancy , Bush Nicole R. , Graff J. Carolyn , Hockett Christine , Leve Leslie D. , LeWinn Kaja Z. , Miller Elizabeth B. , McGrath Monica , Murphy Laura E. , Perng Wei ,   on behalf of program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes
Published: December 2024

Early adversity increases risk for child mental health difficulties. Stressors in the home environment (e.g., parental mental illness, household socioeconomic challenges) may be particularly impactful. Attending out-of-home childcare may buffer or magnify negative effects of such exposures. Using a longitudinal observational design, we leveraged data from the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program to test whether number of hours in childcare, defined as 1) any type of nonparental care and 2) center-based care specifically, was associated with child mental health, including via buffering or magnifying associations between early exposure to psychosocial and socioeconomic risks (age 0–3 years) and later internalizing and externalizing symptoms (age 3–5.5 years), in a diverse sample of N = 2,024 parent–child dyads. In linear regression models, childcare participation was not associated with mental health outcomes, nor did we observe an impact of childcare attendance on associations between risk exposures and symptoms. Psychosocial and socioeconomic risks had interactive effects on internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Overall, the findings did not indicate that childcare attendance positively or negatively influenced child mental health and suggested that psychosocial and socioeconomic adversity may need to be considered as separate exposures to understand child mental health risk in early life.
Written in Stone
Authors: Burton Robert A.
Published: December 2024

While the Big Bang was cooling and the laws of physics were congealing, authorities remained undecided whether God would provide comfort against the expanding darkness. To answer the question, one planet was seeded with humans equipped with conviction receptors tweaked either to an absolute faith in or complete denial of God. If, after a suitable period of mingling between the two groups, believers prevailed over doubters, God would be established in the firmament. If not, God would be scrapped.
Increased sound levels in the cardiac ICU are associated with an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and sedation
Authors: Caprarola Sherrill D. , Jones Melissa B. , Yurasek Gregory K. , O’Neill Robin V. , Pleau Cara , Rowan Meghan , Gordish-Dressman Heather , Wernovsky Gil
Published: December 2024

Background:

Several organizations including the Environmental Protection Agency, World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that hospital sound levels not exceed 45 decibels. Yet, several studies across multiple age groups have observed higher than recommended levels in the intensive care setting. Elevated sound levels in hospitals have been associated with disturbances in sleep, patient discomfort, delayed recovery, and delirium.

Methods:

We measured sound levels in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit and collected vital signs data, sedation dosing and delirium scores. During a 5-week study period, sound levels for 68 patients in 22 private and 4 semi-private rooms were monitored.

Results:

Sound levels were consistently above stated recommendations with an average daytime level of 50.6 decibels (maximum, 76.9 decibels) and an average nighttime level of 49.5 decibels (maximum, 69.6 decibels). An increase in average and maximum sound levels increased the probability of sedation administration the following hour (p-value < 0.001 and 0.01, respectively) and was predictive of an increase in heart rate and blood pressure (p-value < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Sound levels in the CICU were consistently higher than recommended. An increase in heart rate, blood pressure and sedation utilization may suggest a stress response to persistent and sudden loud sounds. Given known negative impacts of excessive noise on stress, sleep, and brain development, as well as the similar adverse effects from the related use of sedative medications, reducing excessive and sudden noise may provide an opportunity to improve short- and long-term hemodynamic and neurodevelopmental outcomes in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit.
These I recall: traces of a repeated past in the Worms Synagogue reconstruction
Authors: Koltun-Fromm Ariel
Published: December 2024

In the summer of 2021, UNESCO approved Germany’s first Jewish World Heritage Site, Schum. It contains the synagogues and Jewish cemeteries of the medieval rabbinic strongholds of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz, or, rather, that which is left of them. All Jewish heritage in Schum was damaged during the Holocaust and the synagogues of all three cities were reduced to rubble in the 1938 Kristallnacht Pogrom. And yet, in the present-day Nibelungen-city of Worms, there it is, the old synagogue, fully reconstructed in historic guise, though without a congregation to call it home. How can this be? And how are we to read this difficult reconstruction in the context of the five times this synagogue has been destroyed and rebuilt in its nearly millennium-long history? To investigate these questions, this article uses a regional, decentralised, and colloquial understanding of memory-work as a methodological framework for focusing on the mundane materialities of site and its cultural productions as evidence and storyteller of conflicting, contradictory, and often semi-fictitious struggles for agency and identity. Traditional Jewish ritual and liturgical conceptions of memory, among others, will be employed to expand and complicate the many possible readings of this site and to challenge prominent assumptions in discourses of memory and space concerning fundamental shifts that events of modernity, such as the Holocaust, supposedly necessitate in material cultures of memory.
Inferring their minds and analysing our beliefs: on the contribution of (exo)psychology to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
Authors: Döbler Niklas Alexander , Carbon Claus-Christian
Published: December 2024

Exopsychology is a sub-discipline of psychology concerned with how humans contemplateextraterrestrials as well as forming hypothesis about how these beings may think, feel and behave. While researching the former is undoubtedly a subject for empirical science, aspects of the latter remain uncertain. Given the contemporary scientific insight, it may still be possible to identify a set of cornerstones and eventually create a space of possible configurations of the extraterrestrial mind. Here, we identify three basic compatibility requirements: first, any form of life must navigate internal and external (environmental) demands and thus actively ensure the compatibility of its current state with the same demands. Second, any advanced cognitive development and the emergence of remotely detectable technosignatures require not only the relevant capabilities for manipulation but also compatibility with a permissive environment. Lastly, requirements also concern the compatibility of extraterrestrial thinking and behaviour with our search method. In its most basic understanding, search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) searches for something done by somebody. However, the meaning of this simple formula and the psychological theory behind it is underdeveloped. Hence, psychological aid is needed to assist SETI in its effort to reveal whether galactic information indicates the presence of a mere object or activity of an identified subject with whom humans may establish contact. The fact that people believe in and search for extraterrestrials emphasizes that psychology should pay attention to this domain of phenomena. Hence, different imaginations of the extraterrestrial, ranging from benign to cruel, from superior to equally developed, are briefly discussed regarding their emergence and function as coping and motivating mechanisms for the uncertain search.
Insurance analytics: prediction, explainability, and fairness
Authors: Aas Kjersti , Charpentier Arthur , Huang Fei , Richman Ronald
Published: December 2024

The expanding application of advanced analytics in insurance has generated numerous opportunities, such as more accurate predictive modeling powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) methods, the utilization of novel and unstructured datasets, and the automation of key operations. Significant advances in these areas are being made through novel applications and adaptations of predictive modeling techniques for insurance purposes, while, concurrently, rapid advances in machine learning methods are being made outside of the insurance sector. However, these innovations also bring substantial challenges, particularly around the transparency, explanation, and fairness of complex algorithmic models and the economic and societal impacts of their adoption in decision-making. As insurance is a highly regulated industry, models may be required by regulators to be explainable, in order to enable analysis of the basis for decision making. Due to the societal importance of insurance, significant attention is being paid to ensuring that insurance models do not discriminate unfairly. In this special issue, we feature papers that explore key issues in insurance analytics, focusing on prediction, explainability, and fairness.
Viscous damping of tremor using a wearable robot with an optimized mechanical metamaterial
Authors: Raghavendra Kulkarni Suhas , Accoto Dino , Campolo Domenico
Published: December 2024

Pathological tremors can often be debilitating to activities of daily living and significantly affect the quality of life. Such tremulous movements are commonly observed in wrist flexion-extension (FE). To suppress this tremor we present a wearable robot (WR) with a customized mechanical metamaterial (MM) as the physical human-robot interface (pHRI). The MM is optimized to conform to the user’s wrist posture and follow the hand’s Cartesian trajectory. This is done to minimize the shear between the pHRI and the user’s skin and consequently improve wearability. This WR is then used to effect a viscous tremor suppression using the velocity of the user’s wrist FE. We present a model for the interaction between the WR and the user with which we develop the viscous damping approach for tremor. This is then evaluated in simulation and using a dedicated test bed. This tremor suppression approach demonstrates an attenuation of 20–30 dB at various tremulous frequencies resulting in significantly lower tremor amplitudes due to the viscous damping.
Intermediate Fluence Downward Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes as Observed by the Telescope Array Surface Detector
Authors: Abbasi R. U. , Kieu N. , Krehbiel P. R. , Belz J.W. , Saba M. M. F. , Rison W. , Stanley M. A. , Rodeheffer D. , Mazzucco D. , Knight T. , da Silva D. R. , Cruz I. T. , Remington J. , Mazich J. , LeVon R. , Smout K. , Petrizze A. , Mattos E. , Abu‐Zayyad T. , Allen M. , Arimura R. , Barcikowski E. , Bergman D. R. , Blake S. A. , Buckland I. , Cheon B. G. , Chikawa M. , Fujii T. , Fujisue K. , Fujita K. , Fujiwara R. , Fukushima M. , Furlich G. , Globus N. , Gonzalez R. , Hanlon W. , Hayashida N. , He H. , Hibino K. , Higuchi R. , Honda K. , Ikeda D. , Inoue N. , Ishii T. , Ito H. , Ivanov D. , Iwakura H. , Iwasaki A. , Jeong H. M. , Jeong S. , Jui C. C. H. , Kadota K. , Kakimoto F. , Kalashev O. , Kasahara K. , Kasami S. , Kawakami S. , Kawata K. , Kharuk I. , Kido E. , Kim H. B. , Kim J. H. , Kim J. H. , Kim S. W. , Kimura Y. , Komae I. , Kubota Y. , Kuznetsov M. , Kwon Y. J. , Lee K. H. , Lubsandorzhiev B. , Lundquist J. P. , Matsuyama T. , Matthews J. N. , Mayta R. , Myers I. , Nagataki S. , Nakai K. , Nakamura R. , Nakamura T. , Nakazawa A. , Nishio E. , Nonaka T. , Ogio S. , Ohnishi M. , Ohoka H. , Oku Y. , Okuda T. , Omura Y. , Ono M. , Oshima A. , Ozawa S. , Park I. H. , Potts M. , Pshirkov M. S. , Rodriguez D. C. , Rott C. , Rubtsov G. I. , Ryu D. , Sagawa H. , Sakaki N. , Sako T. , Sakurai N. , Seki T. , Sekino K. , Shah P. D. , Shibasaki Y. , Shibata N. , Shibata T. , Shikita J. , Shimodaira H. , Shin B. K. , Shin H. S. , Shinto D. , Smith J. D. , Sokolsky P. , Stokes B. T. , Stroman T. A. , Takahashi K. , Takamura M. , Takeda M. , Takeishi R. , Taketa A. , Takita M. , Tameda Y. , Tanaka K. , Tanaka M. , Thomas S. B. , Thomson G. B. , Tinyakov P. , Tkachev I. , Tomida T. , Troitsky S. , Tsunesada Y. , Udo S. , Uehama T. , Urban F. , Warren D. , Wong T. , Yamamoto M. , Yamazaki K. , Yashiro K. , Yoshida F. , Zhezher Y. , Zundel Z.
Published: December 2024

On 11 September 2021, two small thunderstorms developed over the Telescope Array Surface Detector (TASD) that produced an unprecedented number of six downward terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) within one‐hour timeframe. The TGFs occurred during the initial stage of negative cloud‐to‐ground flashes whose return strokes had increasingly large peak currents up to 223 kA, 147 GeV energy deposit in up to 25 1.2 km‐spaced surface detectors, and intermittent bursts of gamma‐rays with total durations up to 717 s. The analyses are based on observations recorded by the TASD network, complemented by data from a 3D lightning mapping array, broadband VHF interferometer, fast electric field change sensor, high‐speed video camera, and the National Lightning Detection Network. The TGFs of the final two flashes had gamma fluences of and 8, logarithmically bridging the gap between previous TASD and satellite‐based detections. The observations further emphasize the similarity between upward and downward TGF varieties, suggesting a common mechanism for their production.
Péclet‐Number‐Dependent Longitudinal Dispersion in Discrete Fracture Networks
Authors: Yin Tingchang , Man Teng , Zhang Pei , Galindo‐Torres Sergio Andres
Published: December 2024

Dispersion in fractured media impacts many environmental and geomechanical practices. It is mainly controlled by the structure of fracture networks and the Péclet number , but predicting it remains challenging. In this study, numerous three‐dimensional stochastic discrete fracture networks (DFNs) were generated, where the density, size, and orientation vary significantly. The aperture and conductivity are proportional to the size, following power‐laws. Through flow and transport simulation, we evaluated the longitudinal dispersion coefficients . We found that, as density increases, the tortuosity decreases and the first passage time distributions approximate bell‐shaped curves more closely, which suggests, but does not fully guarantee, that an asymptotic dispersion regime may emerge for denser DFNs, as solute particles traverse more fractures and the macroscopic inter‐fracture mixing is more homogeneous. We then determined the values for DFNs in which the time evolution of the variance of particle displacements becomes linear and hence asymptotic. The results show that both and fracture density affect , but the former has a much stronger influence than the latter. A new Péclet number was recalculated for all DFNs, where the characteristic length scale accounts for the influence of large fractures. Dimensionless values show a unique power‐law relationship with high values. Furthermore, when advection dominates, the dimensionless can be described by a universal finite‐size scaling function depending on fracture density and domain sizes. The findings of this study enhance the understanding of transport in fracture networks and imply the potential for predicting in a broad range of scenarios using statistics on fracture parameters obtainable at the field scale.
Psychotic Illness as a Disorder of Subtle, Whole-body Maldevelopment: Challenges and Opportunities for Drug Discovery
Authors: Waddington John L. , Zhen Xuechu
Published: December 2024

Research seeking to identify the pathobiology of and improved treatments for schizophrenia and related psychotic illness has focussed, and continues to focus, on brain dysfunction and its origins. Yet there is a wide and still increasing array of biological abnormalities in psychotic illness that appear to reflect non-cerebral involvement. This review considers the evidence for a whole-body concept of schizophrenia pathobiology, focussing particularly on anatomy, metabolism, immunity and inflammation, cancer, the gut microbiome and microRNAs. These findings reinforce a pleiotropic effect of genetic risk for schizophrenia across the whole body and indicate both challenges and opportunities for drug discovery.
Iron Dyshomeostasis in Schizophrenia and Potential Treatments to Mitigate Its Effects
Authors: Okafor S.
Published: December 2024

Iron has been heavily misrepresented in its importance for countless life-sustaining mechanisms. In recent years, iron dyshomeostasis has been reported in many pathologies including first episode psychosis and schizophrenia. In this chapter we will explore new insights into iron dysregulation, its role in schizophrenia, and potential treatments to mitigate its detrimental effects.
Investigation of the diffusion and crystal growth of CdZnTe in Te solution using the traveling heater method under axial static magnetic field
Authors: Zhang Jijun , Liu Wanping , Wei Jiongjiong , Xie Chen , Huang Yingdong , Liu Kun , Liu Hao , Qi Yongwu , Cao Meng , Wang Linjun , Liang Xiaoyan
Published: December 2024

Nowadays, CdZnTe nuclear detectors are a research hotspot in fields of photon-counting nuclear medical imaging and environmental monitoring.
A supramolecular diazapyrene radical assembly with NIR absorption for selective photothermal antibacterial activity
Authors: Yu Xiang , Wang Chunmei , Sun Dongdong , Liu Simin
Published: December 2024

A supramolecular radical assembly with efficient NIR photothermal conversion for bacteria-responsive photothermal therapy.
Multifunctional NO supramolecular nanomedicine for thrombus risk reduction and intimal hyperplasia inhibition
Authors: Zhou Kuangshi , Huang Chengchen , Li Jian , Dai Wenbin , Lu Zhaoyang , Jia Fan , Jin Qiao , Shang Min , Ji Jian , Fu Guosheng
Published: December 2024

Multifunctional supramolecular nanomedicine co-delivering NO donors and phenylboronic acid esters achieves synergistic thrombus reduction and intimal hyperplasia inhibition via targeted accumulation at vascular injury sites.
Cosmic dance in the Shapley Concentration Core
Authors: Di Gennaro G. , Venturi T. , Giacintucci S. , Brüggen M. , Bulbul E. , Sanders J. , Liu A. , Zhang X. , Trehaeven K. , Dallacasa D. , Merluzzi P. , Pasini T. , Bardelli S. , Bernardi G. , Smirnov O.
Published: December 2024

Superclusters represent the largest-scale environments where a number of galaxy clusters interact with each other through minor and major mergers and grow via accretion along cosmic filaments. We focus on the A3528 cluster complex in the core of the Shapley Supercluster (z ∼ 0.05). This chain includes three clusters: A3528 (which is itself composed of two sub-clusters, namely A3528N and A3528S), and A3532 and A3530, which present a mildly active dynamical state.
Chemical Evolution of R-process Elements in Stars (CERES)
Authors: Lombardo L. , Hansen C. J. , Rizzuti F. , Cescutti G. , Mashonkina L. I. , François P. , Bonifacio P. , Caffau E. , Alencastro Puls A. , Fernandes de Melo R. , Gallagher A. J. , Skúladóttir Á. , Koch-Hansen A. J. , Sbordone L.
Published: December 2024

Context. The chemical abundances of elements such as barium and the lanthanides are essential to understand the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements in the early Universe as well as the contribution of different neutron capture processes (for example slow versus rapid) at different epochs.

Aims. The Chemical Evolution of R-process Elements in Stars (CERES) project aims to provide a homogeneous analysis of a sample of metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<−1.5) to improve our understanding of the nucleosynthesis of neutron capture elements, in particular the r-process elements, in the early Galaxy.

Methods. Our data consist of a sample of high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio UVES spectra. The chemical abundances were derived through spectrum synthesis, using the same model atmospheres and stellar parameters as derived in the first paper of the CERES series.

Results. We measured chemical abundances or upper limits of seven heavy neutron capture elements (Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, and Eu) for a sample of 52 metal-poor giant stars. We estimated through the mean shift clustering algorithm that at [Ba/H]=−2.4 and [Fe/H]=−2.4 a variation in the trend of [X/Ba], with X=La,Nd,Sm,Eu, versus [Ba/H] occurs. This result suggests that, for [Ba/H]<−2.4, Ba nucleosynthesis in the Milky Way halo is primarily due to the r-process, while for [Ba/H]>−2.4 the effect of the s-process contribution begins to be visible. In our sample, stars with [Ba/Eu] compatible with a Solar System pure r-process value (hereafter, r-pure) do not show any particular trend compared to other stars, suggesting r-pure stars may form in similar environments to stars with less pure r-process enrichments.

Conclusions. Homogeneous investigations of high resolution and signal-to-noise ratio spectra are crucial for studying the heavy elements formation, as they provide abundances that can be used to test nucleosynthesis models as well as Galactic chemical evolution models.