bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Simulated Neuronal Environmental Conditions Qualify Umbilical Cord Derived Highly Potent Stem Cells for Neuronal Differentiation
Authors: Maassen Jessika , Guenther Rebecca , Hondrich Timm J. J. , Cepkenovic Bogdana , Brinkmann Dominik , Maybeck Vanessa , Offenhäusser Andreas , Dittrich Barbara , Müller Anna , Skazik-Voogt Claudia , Kosel Maximilian , Baum Christoph , Gutermuth Angela
Published: April 2023

The healing of neuronal injuries is still an unachieved goal. Medicine-based therapies can only extend the survival of patients, but not finally lead to a healing process. Currently, a variety of stem cell-based tissue engineering developments are the subject of many research projects to bridge this gap. As yet, neuronal differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), embryonic cell lines, or neuronal stem cells could be accomplished and produce functional neuronally differentiated cells. However, clinical application of cells from these sources is hampered by ethical considerations. To overcome these hurdles numerous studies investigated the potential of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a potential stem cell source. Adult MSCs have been approved as cellular therapeutical products due to their regenerative potential and immunomodulatory properties. Only a few of these studies could demonstrate the capacity to differentiate MSCs into active firing neuron like cells. With this study we investigated the potential of Wharton’s Jelly (WJ) derived stem cells and focused on the intrinsic pluripotent stem cell pool and their potential to differentiate into active neurons. With a comprehensive neuronal differentiation protocol comprised of mechanical and biochemical inductive cues, we investigated the capacity of spontaneously forming stem cell spheroids (SCS) from cultured WJ stromal cells in regard to their neuronal differentiation potential and compared them to undifferentiated spheroids or adherent MSCs. Spontaneously formed SCSs show pluripotent and neuroectodermal lineage markers, meeting the pre-condition for neuronal differentiation and contain a higher amount of cells which can be differentiated into cells whose functional phenotypes in calcium and voltage responsive electrical activity are similar to neurons. In conclusion we show that up-concentration of stem cells from WJ with pluripotent characteristics is a tool to generate neuronal cell replacement.

Graphical Abstract
Evaluation of the wellbore drillability while horizontally drilling sandstone formations using combined regression analysis and machine learning models
Authors: Mahmoud Ahmed Abdulhamid , Gamal Hany , Elkatatny Salaheldin
Published: April 2023

The rate of penetration (ROP) is an influential parameter in the optimization of oil well drilling because it has a huge impact on the total drilling cost. This study aims to optimize four machine learning models for real-time evaluation of the ROP based on drilling parameters during horizontal drilling of sandstone formations. Two well data sets were implemented for the model training–testing (Well-X) and validation (Well-Y). A total of 1224 and 524 datasets were implemented for training and testing the model, respectively. A correlation for ROP assessment was suggested based on the optimized artificial neural network (ANN) model. The precision of this equation and the optimized models were tested (524 datapoints) and validated (2213 datapoints), and their accuracy was compared to available ROP correlations. The developed ANN-based equation predicted the ROP with average absolute percentage errors (AAPE) of 0.3% and 1.0% for the testing and validation data, respectively. The new empirical equation and the optimized fuzzy logic and functional neural network models outperformed the available correlations in assessing the ROP. The support vector regression accuracy performance showed AAPE of 26.5%, and the correlation coefficient for the estimated ROP was 0.50 for the validation phase. The outcomes of this work could help in modeling the ROP prediction in real time during the drilling process.
Adjoint high-dimensional aircraft shape optimization using a CAD-ROM parameterization
Authors: Merle A. , Bekemeyer P. , Görtz S. , Keye S. , Reimer L.
Published: April 2023

A gradient-based aeroelastic shape optimization framework making use of a reduced order model to substitute a parameterization based on computer-aided design software is presented. This parameterization concept is not novel in principle, but it is embedded here in a complex high-fidelity optimization process and proven for a high-dimensional design space. The design software is used initially to generate a parametric model of a three-dimensional transport aircraft configuration. To streamline the actual optimization process, the computer-aided design model is replaced with a parametric reduced order model based on proper orthogonal decomposition that is capable of predicting discrete surface displacement fields as a function of the design parameters. During the optimization, surface displacements are computed according to the current design parameters and applied on the baseline shape. In every optimization step, the aircraft's steady-state equilibrium of forces and moments are satisfied by a trimming algorithm and the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver TAU is coupled with a linear structural finite-element method model. Gradients are computed analytically using geometric sensitivities provided by the reduced order model and by applying the adjoint method to the flow solver and the mesh deformation tool. The workflow is embedded within FlowSimulator, a multiphysics environment for high performance computing. The optimization process is demonstrated for a high-dimensional wing parameterization with 126 degrees of freedom. The aircraft cruise drag could be significantly reduced by 6% on a series of three continuously refined meshes for the aerodynamic analysis. For an accurate representation of the optimal shape by the computer-aided design software after the optimization, the approximation error introduced by the reduced order modelling approach must be sufficiently small. Therefore, the accuracy of the predictions was analyzed. The results identify the main source of the geometric error and quantify their effect on the drag reduction gained by the optimization. We dedicate this article to the memory of our colleague and friend Arno Ronzheimer, whose devotion to CAD modeling was unsurpassed.
Comparison of RSW technologies on DP steels with modified instrumented Charpy impact test
Authors: Meilinger Ákos , Prém László , Abd Al Al Sahm Alden , Gáspár Marcell
Published: April 2023

In recent decades the toughness of welded structures becomes more and more important. This trend is particularly valid for the advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), which have reduced toughness comparing to the low-strength structural steels. Dynamic characteristics of the welded joints of the newly developed high-strength steel sheets required by the automotive industry have been neglected, with welding procedures being optimized on the static joint properties, mainly on the tensile-shear force. Up to the present time, testing of dynamic properties of the spot-welded joints has been performed by increased testing speed during tensile testing. The authors have developed a new dynamic testing method and designed new testing equipment for impact bending, which can give a numeric result to characterize the resistance of spot-welded joints against dynamic load. In this paper, this method will be used to evaluate resistance spot-welded joints made on DP600 and DP800 steels with three different technological parameters, comparing long-time welding, short-time welding, and two-pulse welding. The different parameters cause different weld nugget sizes, failure modes, impact energies, and force–time diagrams. All test results show that bigger weld nugget diameters cause better impact energies and impact forces, but the differences are not perfectly correlated.
Liraglutide and polycystic ovary syndrome: is it only a matter of body weight?
Authors: Pugliese G. , de Alteriis G. , Muscogiuri G. , Barrea L. , Verde L. , Zumbolo F. , Colao A. , Savastano S.
Published: April 2023

Despite Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a very prevalent disorder among women of reproductive age, there is widespread agreement that until now, no pharmacological options are available to tackle the entire spectrum of clinical manifestations encountered in the clinical practice. Obesity and insulin resistance, which commonly characterized this syndrome, prompted the design of studies investigating the effects of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) in PCOS. Indeed, a very impressive number of randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews provided robust evidence on the effectiveness of GLP-1RA in PCOS as a new, appealing approach, producing both satisfactory and permanent weight loss, and improvement of insulin resistance at the same time. However, most of the subjects included in the RCTs are PCOS patients with obesity/overweight, whereas a portion of PCOS women, which can even reach 50%, might present a lean phenotype. Moreover, some benefits on clinical and metabolic features of PCOS may not have fully emerged due to the low or medium doses employed in the vast majority of the current studies. Thus, pitfalls in the methodology of these studies have led sometimes to misleading results. In addition, some aspects of GLP-1 beyond weight loss, such as preclinical evidence on GLP-1 effects in directly modulating the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonadal axis, or the effects of GLP-1RA on clinical and biochemical expression of hyperandrogenism, still deserve a greater insight, especially in light of a possible therapeutic use in PCOS women independently of obesity. Aim of this review is to further unravel the possible role of GLP-1 in PCOS pathogenesis, tempting to provide additional supports to the rationale of treatment with GLP-1RA in the management of PCOS also independent of weight loss. For this purpose, the outcomes of RCTs investigating in PCOS the anthropometric and metabolic changes have been treated separately to better underpin the effects of GLP-1 RA, in particular liraglutide, beyond weight loss.
SGMA: a novel adversarial attack approach with improved transferability
Authors: Zhu Peican , Hong Jinbang , Li Xingyu , Tang Keke , Wang Zhen
Published: April 2023

Deep learning models are easily deceived by adversarial examples, and transferable attacks are crucial because of the inaccessibility of model information. Existing SOTA attack approaches tend to destroy important features of objects to generate adversarial examples. This paper proposes the split grid mask attack (SGMA), which reduces the intensity of model-specific features by split grid mask transformation, effectively highlighting the important features of the input image. Perturbing these important features can guide the development of adversarial examples in a more transferable direction. Specifically, we introduce the split grid mask transformation into the input image. Due to the vulnerability of model-specific features to image transformations, the intensity of model-specific features decreases after aggregation while the intensities of important features remain. The generated adversarial examples guided by destroying important features have excellent transferability. Extensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed SGMA. Compared to the SOTA attack approaches, our method improves the black-box attack success rates by an average of 6.4% and 8.2% against the normally trained models and the defense ones respectively.
A Survey on the Integration of Blockchains and Databases
Authors: Zhu Changhao , Li Junzhe , Zhong Ziyue , Yue Cong , Zhang Meihui
Published: April 2023

The success of blockchain technology in cryptocurrencies reveals its potential in the data management field. Recently, there is a trend in the database community to integrate blockchains and traditional databases to obtain security, efficiency, and privacy from the two distinctive but related systems. In this survey, we discuss the use of blockchain technology in the data management field and focus on the fusion system of blockchains and databases. We first classify existing blockchain-related data management technologies by their locations on the blockchain-database spectrum. Based on the taxonomy, we discuss three types of fusion systems and analyze their design spaces and trade-offs. Then, by further investigating the typical systems and techniques of each type of fusion system and comparing the solutions, we provide insights of each fusion model. Finally, we outline the unsolved challenges and promising directions in this field and believe that fusion systems will take a more important role in data management tasks. We hope this survey can help both academia and industry to better understand the advantages and limitations of blockchain-related data management systems and develop fusion systems that meet various requirements in practice.
Multispecies design: 3D-printed biomimetic structures to enhance humidity levels
Authors: Daneluzzo Mirko , Macruz Andrea , Tawakul Hind , Al Hashimi Mona
Published: April 2023

The paper changes the focus of the design debate from a human-centered design methodology to a posthuman design that takes both human and nonhuman agents into account. It examines how designers might use a multispecies perspective to produce projects with distinguished intelligence and performance. To illustrate this, we describe a project of structures for plants that started on a course in an academic setting. The project methodology begins with “Thing Ethnography”, investigating the movement of a water bottle inside a house and its interaction with other objects. The correlation between water and plants was decided to be further expanded, considering how water might enhance the environmental humidity and create a cooler microclimate for indoor plants. According to their effectiveness, 3D-printed biomimetic structures were designed and manufactured as water droplet supports considering different materials, and positioned in various configurations around a plant. Humidity levels and temperature of the structures were measured. As a result, this created a novel method for mass customization and working with plants. The paper discusses the resultant evidence-based design and the environmental values related to it.
Introduction to Digital Communications
Authors: Stark Wayne
Published: April 2023

Master the fundamentals of digital communications systems with this accessible and hands-on introductory textbook, carefully interweaving theory and practice. The just-in-time approach introduces essential background as needed, keeping academic theory firmly linked to practical applications. The example-led teaching frames key concepts in the context of real-world systems, such as 5G, WiFi, and GPS. Stark provides foundational material on the trade-offs between energy and bandwidth efficiency, giving students a solid grounding in the fundamental challenges of designing digital communications systems. Features include over 300 illustrative figures, 80 examples, and 130 end-of-chapter problems to reinforce student understanding, with solutions for instructors. Accompanied online by lecture slides, computational MATLAB® and Python resources, and supporting data sets, this is the ideal introduction to digital communications for senior undergraduate and graduate students in electrical engineering.
Working with Indigenous Site Monitors and Tribal IRBs
Authors: Kimmel Addison P. , Katz Steven A. , Lewis Marcus , Wilk Elizabeth
Published: April 2023

Archaeologists have an obligation to conduct research that is relevant and responsive to the desires, interests, values, and concerns of Indigenous descendant communities. Current best practices for collaborative, community-based archaeologies emphasize long-term engagement and “full collaboration,” including the coproduction of knowledge and total stakeholder involvement. The present-day structures and demands of archaeology—especially in CRM and graduate student research contexts—can serve to make such fully collaborative work difficult, if not impossible. Oftentimes, these difficulties result in a complete abdication of collaboration or even consultation beyond the bare minimum required by law. However, professional archaeologists must strive in all instances to work alongside Native communities in respectful, responsive, and mutually beneficial ways even if this work may often fall short of the loftiest ideal. In this article, the authors present two case studies in collaboration from recent projects conducted in the North American midcontinent. These case studies clearly demonstrate how tribal fieldwork monitoring, working with tribal institutional review boards (IRBs), and other related forms of “imperfect” collaboration can still help move us toward a more ethical, inclusive, and respectful future archaeology.
Bell Labs and the ‘neural’ network, 1986–1996
Authors: Law Harry
Published: April 2023

Between 1986 and 1996 researchers at the AT&T Bell Laboratories Adaptive Systems Research Department curated thousands of images of handwritten digits assembled by the United States Postal Service to train and evaluate artificial neural networks. In academic papers and conference literature, and in conversations with the press, Bell Labs researchers, executives and company spokespeople deployed the language of neurophysiology to position the systems as capable of codifying and reproducing feats of perception. Interpretations such as these were pivotal to the formation of brain–computer imaginaries that surrounded the development of the systems, which obscured the institutional infrastructures, clerical and cognitive labour, and the manipulation and maintenance of data on which feats of ‘recognition’ depended. Central to building the group's networks was the development of data sets constructed in consort with the US Postal Service, which arbitrated between the practicality of conducting research and the representation of an extensive catalogue of possible forms and permutations of handwritten digits. These imaginaries, which stressed a likeness with the human brain, were compounded by the promotion of ‘successful applications’ that took place under the AT&T corporate umbrella and with the essential support of US Postal Service workers to correct system errors.
Operationalizing digital self-determination
Authors: Verhulst Stefaan G.
Published: April 2023

A proliferation of data-generating devices, sensors, and applications has led to unprecedented amounts of digital data. We live in an era of datafication, one in which life is increasingly quantified and transformed into intelligence for private or public benefit. When used responsibly, this offers new opportunities for public good. The potential of data is evident in the possibilities offered by open data and data collaboratives—both instances of how wider access to data can lead to positive and often dramatic social transformation. However, three key forms of asymmetry currently limit this potential, especially for already vulnerable and marginalized groups: data asymmetries, information asymmetries, and agency asymmetries. These asymmetries limit human potential, both in a practical and psychological sense, leading to feelings of disempowerment and eroding public trust in technology. Existing methods to limit asymmetries (such as open data or consent) as well as some alternatives under consideration (data ownership, collective ownership, personal information management systems) have limitations to adequately address the challenges at hand. A new principle and practice of digital self-determination (DSD) is therefore required. The study and practice of DSD remain in its infancy. The characteristics we have outlined here are only exploratory, and much work remains to be done so as to better understand what works and what does not. We suggest the need for a new research framework or agenda to explore DSD and how it can address the asymmetries, imbalances, and inequalities—both in data and society more generally—that are emerging as key public policy challenges of our era.
Gendered conflict in the human family
Authors: Lawson David W. , Alami Sarah , Somefun Oluwaseyi Dolapo
Published: April 2023

Sexual conflict is a thriving area of animal behaviour research. Yet parallel research in the evolutionary human sciences remains underdeveloped and has become mired by controversy. In this special collection, we aim to invigorate the study of fitness-relevant conflicts between women and men, advocating for three synergistic research priorities. First, we argue that a commitment to diversity is required to innovate the field, achieve ethical research practice, and foster fruitful dialogue with neighbouring social sciences. Accordingly, we have prioritised issues of diversity as editors, aiming to stimulate new connections and perspectives. Second, we call for greater recognition that human sex/gender roles and accompanying conflict behaviours are both subject to natural selection and culturally determined. This motivates our shift in terminology from sexual to gendered conflict when addressing human behaviour, countering stubborn tendencies to essentialise differences between women and men and directing attention to the role of cultural practices, normative sanctions and social learning in structuring conflict battlegrounds. Finally, we draw attention to contemporary policy concerns, including the wellbeing consequences of marriage practices and the gendered implications of market integration. Focus on these themes, combined with attendance to the dangers of ethnocentrism, promises to inform culturally sensitive interventions promoting gender equality worldwide.
Clostridioides difficile infection surveillance in intensive care units and oncology wards using machine learning
Authors: Ötleş Erkin , Balczewski Emily A. , Keidan Micah , Oh Jeeheh , Patel Alieysa , Young Vincent B. , Rao Krishna , Wiens Jenna
Published: April 2023

Objective:

Screening individuals admitted to the hospital for Clostridioides difficile presents opportunities to limit transmission and hospital-onset C. difficile infection (HO-CDI). However, detection from rectal swabs is resource intensive. In contrast, machine learning (ML) models may accurately assess patient risk without significant resource usage. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of swab surveillance to daily risk estimates produced by an ML model to identify patients who will likely develop HO-CDI in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting.

Design:

A prospective cohort study was conducted with patient carriage of toxigenic C. difficile identified by rectal swabs analyzed by anaerobic culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A previously validated ML model using electronic health record data generated daily risk of HO-CDI for every patient. Swab results and risk predictions were compared to the eventual HO-CDI status.

Patients:

Adult inpatient admissions taking place in University of Michigan Hospitals’ medical and surgical intensive care units and oncology wards between June 6th and October 8th, 2020.

Results:

In total, 2,979 admissions, representing 2,044 patients, were observed over the course of the study period, with 39 admissions developing HO-CDIs. Swab surveillance identified 9 true-positive and 87 false-positive HO-CDIs. The ML model identified 9 true-positive and 226 false-positive HO-CDIs; 8 of the true-positives identified by the model differed from those identified by the swab surveillance.

Conclusion:

With limited resources, an ML model identified the same number of HO-CDI admissions as swab-based surveillance, though it generated more false-positives. The patients identified by the ML model were not yet colonized with C. difficile. Additionally, the ML model identifies at-risk admissions before disease onset, providing opportunities for prevention.
What explains the spread of corporate social responsibility? The role of competitive pressure and institutional isomorphism in the diffusion of voluntary adoption
Authors: Han Seungmin , Ito Kiyohiko
Published: April 2023

This study provides a new perspective on the determinants of the spread of voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) adoption by incorporating the potential role of its adoption by industry competitors. We find supportive evidence that firms make CSR adoption decisions in response to competitive pressure as well as institutional mimetic pressures. Based on an event history analysis of longitudinal data from a sample of 711 Korean publicly traded firms over a 12-year period, our findings suggest that the CSR behavior of competitors is positively associated with a focal firm's earlier adoption of CSR, leading to the diffusion of CSR across firms. Specifically, this study shows that the pure rivalry-driven pressure from non-leader competitors has a stronger positive relationship with earlier CSR adoption. The results also indicate that a firm's CSR adoption decision is accelerated by competitive rivalry as well as social pressures arising from institutional mimetic isomorphism.
Estimation of Early Classic Maya Population: Methodological Challenges and Modeling at Naachtun, Guatemala
Authors: Hiquet Julien
Published: April 2023

Most population estimates for Maya sites are for the Late Classic period, a time of peak population in the Central Maya Lowlands. At Naachtun, Guatemala, a major city during the Early Classic that continued into the Late Classic period, researchers recently carried out an ambitious program of test pitting in residential areas; its aim was to model the growth of residential units during the entire Classic period and so better contextualize the rise of Classic Maya dynasties and the scale of their economic and political power. This article presents an improvement to the existing method for estimating population for periods preceding the population apex (in this case, the Early Classic period): it not only estimates the occupancy rate of residential units occupied pre-apex but also assesses their size, using a typology I developed based on their morphology and pattern of transformation.
Fear of Labor Rigidities: The Role of Expectations on Employment Growth in Peru
Authors: Yamada Gustavo , Lavado Pablo , Rivera Gonzalo
Published: April 2023

The impact of employment protection legislation has been thoroughly analyzed in varied contexts. Most studies highlight the potential harm of the legislation on labor outcomes, although evidence remains inconclusive. However, the literature has focused primarily on ex post impacts, analyzing the regulation’s effect after implementation. This article departs from that analysis to focus on anticipated or ex ante effects of labor regulation. More specifically, we study the role of firms’ expectations in future stricter labor legislation related to employment and income in Peru’s formal and informal labor market. To account for expectations, we used the number of news items related to the approval of a proposed law—the General Labor Law—to increase labor rigidities in Lima’s most important business newspaper. Using the Peruvian labor survey, we find a negative but decreasing relationship between firms’ expectations of a future stricter labor market and employment and average income. We also collect evidence that bigger news items and ones closer to the front page have a negative relationship with formal employment and income.
The role of impact parameter in typical close galaxy flybys
Authors: Mitrašinović A. , Micic M.
Published: April 2023

Close galaxy flybys, interactions during which two galaxies inter-penetrate, are frequent and can significantly affect the evolution of individual galaxies. Equal-mass flybys are extremely rare and almost exclusively distant, while frequent flybys have mass ratios$q=0.1$or lower, with a secondary galaxy penetrating deep into the primary. This can result in comparable strengths of interaction between the two classes of flybys and lead to essentially the same effects. To demonstrate this, emphasise and explore the role of the impact parameter further, we performed a series ofN-body simulations of typical flybys with varying relative impact parameters$b/R_{\mathrm{vir},1}$ranging from$0.114$to$0.272$of the virial radius of the primary galaxy. Two-armed spirals form during flybys, with radii of origin correlated with the impact parameter and strengths well approximated with an inverted S-curve. The impact parameter does not affect the shape of induced spirals, and the lifetimes of a distinguished spiral structure appear to be constant,$T_\mathrm{LF} \sim 2$Gyr. Bars, with strengths anti-correlated with the impact parameter, form after the encounter is over in simulations with$b/R_{\mathrm{vir},1} \leq 0.178$and interaction strengths$S\geq0.076$, but they are short-lived except for the stronger interactions with$S\geq0.129$. We showcase an occurrence of multiple structures (ring-like, double bar) that survives for an exceptionally long time in one of the simulations. Effects on the pre-existing bar instability, that develops much later, are diverse: from an acceleration of bar formation, little to no effect, to even bar suppression. There is no uniform correlation between these effects and the impact parameter, as they are secondary effects, happening later in a post-flyby stage. Classical bulges are resilient to flyby interactions, while dark matter halos can significantly spin up in the amount anti-correlated with the impact parameter. There is an offset angle between the angular momentum vector of the dark matter halo and that of a disc, and it correlates linearly with the impact parameter. Thus, flybys remain an important pathway for structural evolution within galaxies in the local Universe.
Cold War Narcotics Trafficking, the Global War on Drugs, and East Germany's Illicit Transnational Entanglements
Authors: Richardson-Little Ned
Published: April 2023

Although it lacked a significant domestic market for internationally trafficked drugs, East Germany emerged as an important corridor for narcotics smugglers in the 1970s due to its position between supply countries in Asia and consumer countries in the West. The unique geography of West Berlin created a large market of consumers surrounded by East German territory, forcing traffickers to pass through the GDR border. Efforts by officials in both Germanys and the United States to cooperate on the problem of narcotics trafficking revealed conflicts between the geography of the Cold War—where the GDR border was the front line in the ideological conflict between East and West—and the international drug prohibition system, which sought global interstate collaboration in the name of a “universal international society,” against the common threat of crime. As Cold War tensions declined in the 1980s, border enforcement cooperation between East and West became increasingly viable as both sides reoriented toward the view that Europe had to defend itself from the threats posed by mobilities of those in the global south.
January 30, 1933, in the Nazi Historical Imaginary
Authors: Goeschel Christian
Published: April 2023

From 1934 until 1945, the Nazi regime celebrated the anniversary of January 30, 1933, the day of Hitler's appointment as Reich Chancellor. This article, based on unpublished and published documents from central and local Nazi and state institutions, asks how the Nazis choreographed these celebrations at home and abroad and how they fit into broader Nazi conceptualizations of history. Stage-managed celebrations etched January 30 into the historical consciousness of Germans as beginning of the Third Reich and were a crucial step toward the realization of the Volksgemeinschaft (national community), although the Nazi seizure of power was a process and cannot be pinpointed to a single date. Ambivalence characterized the festivities, reflecting the fact that the Nazis saw their coming to power as both revolutionary and restorative of the natural flow of German history. In the Nazi imaginary, this day was a conjuncture in history, separating the Nazi struggle for power from their triumphant mission to “make Germany great again” and create a racial utopia.
Revision of the Cheilostomatida (Bryozoa) collected during the HMS ‘Challenger’ Expedition (1872–1876) in the central North Atlantic
Authors: Berning Björn , Spencer Jones Mary E.
Published: April 2023

Of the 21 species recorded from the greater Azores region during the HMS ‘Challenger’ Expedition, 12 were newly introduced during the late 19th century. The respective types of these species are fixed, and eight species are redescribed based on scanning electron microscope analysis (Notoplites bilobus,Raxifabia minuta,Hemicyclopora canalifera,Smittoidea oratavensiscomb. nov.,Buskea ovaliscomb. nov.,Buskea fayalensiscomb. nov.,Celleporina ansatacomb. nov. andReteporella atlanticacomb. nov.). Another four species are merely dealt with shortly either because the material is insufficiently preserved for a thorough revision (Columnella gracilis,Carbasea pedunculata), or because the species have recently been revised already (Notoplites clausus,Microporella hastigera). Moreover, two Azorean species that were introduced by later workers are synonymized with ‘Challenger’ species:S. oratavensisis considered a senior synonym ofSmittia ensifera, andLekythopora laciniosais synonymized withC. ansata.
A network analysis of depressive symptoms and metabolomics
Authors: Rydin Arja O. , Milaneschi Yuri , Quax Rick , Li Jie , Bosch Jos A. , Schoevers Robert A. , Giltay Erik J. , Penninx Brenda W. J. H. , Lamers Femke
Published: April 2023

Background

Depression is associated with metabolic alterations including lipid dysregulation, whereby associations may vary across individual symptoms. Evaluating these associations using a network perspective yields a more complete insight than single outcome-single predictor models.

Methods

We used data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (N = 2498) and leveraged networks capturing associations between 30 depressive symptoms (Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology) and 46 metabolites. Analyses involved 4 steps: creating a network with Mixed Graphical Models; calculating centrality measures; bootstrapping for stability testing; validating central, stable associations by extra covariate-adjustment; and validation using another data wave collected 6 years later.

Results

The network yielded 28 symptom-metabolite associations. There were 15 highly-central variables (8 symptoms, 7 metabolites), and 3 stable links involving the symptoms Low energy (fatigue), and Hypersomnia. Specifically, fatigue showed consistent associations with higher mean diameter for VLDL particles and lower estimated degree of (fatty acid) unsaturation. These remained present after adjustment for lifestyle and health-related factors and using another data wave.

Conclusions

The somatic symptoms Fatigue and Hypersomnia and cholesterol and fatty acid measures showed central, stable, and consistent relationships in our network. The present analyses showed how metabolic alterations are more consistently linked to specific symptom profiles.
Optimal synthesis of reconfigurable manipulators for robotic assistance in vertical farming
Authors: Chitre Neeraj , Dogra Anubhav , Singla Ekta
Published: April 2023

Due to the ever-increasing demand for food commodities and issues arising in their transport from rural to urban areas, commercial agricultural practices with the help of vertical farming are being taken up near urban regions. For the realization of agricultural practices on high-rise vertical farms, where human intervention is quite laborious, robotic assistance would be an effective solution to perform agricultural processes like seeding, transplanting, harvesting, health monitoring, nutrient-water supply, etc. The requirements and complexities of these tasks to be performed are different such as end-effector requirement, payload capacity required, amount of clutter while performing the task, etc. In such cases, an individual robotic configuration would not serve all the purposes and each task may require a different configuration. Purchasing a large number of configurations, as per requirement, is not economical and will also increase the cost of maintenance. Thus, the design of a reconfigurable robot manipulator is proposed in this work which can cater to modular layouts. A thorough study of the processes involved in the farming of leafy vegetables is done and the tasks to be performed by the manipulator are identified. Constrained optimization is performed based on reachability, while minimizing DoF, for the tasks of transplanting, plant heath monitoring, and harvesting to find the optimal configurations which can perform the given tasks. The study resulted in 5-DoF, 4-DoF, and 6-DoF configurations for transplanting, plant heath monitoring, and harvesting, respectively, thus emphasizing the need of a reconfigurable solution. The configurations are realized using modular library and verified to satisfy reachability to provide a complete solution.
A constrained framework based on IBLF for robot learning with human supervision
Authors: Shi Donghao , Li Qinchuan , Yang Chenguang , Lu Zhenyu
Published: April 2023

Dynamical movement primitives (DMPs) method is a useful tool for efficient robotic skills learning from human demonstrations. However, the DMPs method should know the specified constraints of tasks in advance. One flexible solution is to introduce the human superior experience as part of input. In this paper, we propose a framework for robot learning based on demonstration and supervision. Superior experience supplied by teleoperation is introduced to deal with unknown environment constrains and correct the demonstration for next execution. DMPs model with integral barrier Lyapunov function is used to deal with the constrains in robot learning. Additionally, a radial basis function neural network based controller is developed for teleoperation and the robot to track the generated motions. Then, we prove convergence of the generated path and controller. Finally, we deploy the novel framework with two touch robots to certify its effectiveness.
Can personality predict foreign language classroom emotions? The devil’s in the detail
Authors: Botes Elouise , Dewaele Jean-Marc , Greiff Samuel , Goetz Thomas
Published: April 2023

Personality has been identified as a possible antecedent to emotions experienced in the foreign language (FL) classroom. However, contrasting results and differing personality models have resulted in ambiguous findings. This study set out to delve deeper into the role of personality as a predictor of FL emotions through a series of increasingly restrictive statistical models on a sample ofn= 246 FL learners. The relationships between personality—operationalized as global and lower order factors in the five factor model—and the FL emotions of Foreign Language Enjoyment, Anxiety, and Boredom were examined. The global factors of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness, and the lower order factors of Trust, Dutifulness, and Cheerfulness were significant predictors of FL emotions. However, the complexity of personality as a predictor variable is demonstrated in the intricacy of the results and as such the inclusion of personality in explanatory models of FL emotions ought to be approached with caution.
Variability and individual differences in L2 sociolinguistic evaluations: The GROUP, the INDIVIDUAL and the HOMOGENEOUS ENSEMBLE
Authors: Wirtz Mason A. , Pfenninger Simone E.
Published: April 2023

This study is the first to investigate subject-level variability in sociolinguistic evaluative judgements by 30 adult L2 German learners and explore whether the observed variability is characterizable as a function of individual differences in proficiency, exposure, and motivation. Because group-level estimates did not paint an accurate picture of the individual, we propose methods capable of integrating population-level estimates with person- and ensemble-centered approaches so as to reconcile generalizability and individuality. Using random effects from Bayesian mixed-effects models, we found that global subject-level variability in evaluative judgements was not predicted by individual differences. By building homogeneous ensembles (i.e., subgroups of individuals with similar evaluative judgements), however, it was possible to assess whether ensembles were characteristic of certain levels of individual differences. This ensemble-centered approach presents an innovative way to address the group-to-individual generalizability issue in cross-sectional data and transcend individual variability in order to make tentative generalizations of individual cases to wider populations.
Conferences of the Parties beyond international environmental law: How COPs influence the content and implementation of their parent treaties
Authors: Rioseco Sebastián
Published: April 2023

Conferences of the Parties (COPs) are intergovernmental meetings established by treaties to review and promote the implementation of their provisions. The literature on COPs is limited and almost exclusively based on multilateral environmental agreements. The article departs from this scholarship to show that COPs are now present in different areas of international law and to discuss some of the ways in which these bodies influence the conventions that establish them. In particular, it considers how COPs affect the content and the implementation of their parent treaties. The article focuses on the bodies established by four treaties selected as case studies: the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; the Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions; the Convention on Cluster Munitions; and the United Nations Convention against Corruption. Based on the examination of the normative decisions adopted by these organs, the article argues that COPs’ activities (i) specify and develop the content of their parent treaties by setting procedural and substantive standards that states parties must meet to comply with their obligations; and (ii) support the implementation of their parent treaties by seeking to strengthen their social and political position, facilitating the adoption of measures by states parties. COPs pursue this second goal by building momentum in favour of the implementation of their treaties, stigmatizing their adversaries, and connecting their conventions with established international legal narratives.
The history of a cluster of large icebergs on leaving the Weddell Sea pack ice and their impact on the ocean
Authors: Bigg Grant R. , Marsh Robert
Published: April 2023

The life history and oceanic impact of three very large icebergs that escaped together from the Weddell Sea sea ice, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, are traced from March 2014. Despite the initial proximity of these three icebergs, they followed very different trajectories across the South Atlantic until their eventual break-up and melting 1 year later. The largest, giant iceberg, B17a, spent extensive periods grounded near two different islands. The triplet's gradual melting is examined through the impact on the icebergs' dimensions, but also the meltwater's oceanic influence on the local salinity and primary productivity. It is found that there was generally a significant local surface and mixed-layer freshening of a few tenths of a practical salinity unit, up to several hundred kilometres away from the 10–20 km-sized icebergs. In contrast, the chlorophyll impact was highly temporally variable, although it tended to be larger in the summer. Break-up of these large icebergs did not occur until near the end of their life. We also show that modelling the trajectories of individual very large icebergs can be reasonable for up to 2 weeks if the characteristics of the iceberg and the local ocean and atmospheric forcing are well known.
More Process, Less Principles: The Ethics of Deploying AI and Robotics in Medicine
Authors: Palmer Amitabha , Schwan David
Published: April 2023

Current national and international guidelines for the ethical design and development of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics emphasize ethical theory. Various governing and advisory bodies have generated sets of broad ethical principles, which institutional decisionmakers are encouraged to apply to particular practical decisions. Although much of this literature examines the ethics of designing and developing AI and robotics, medical institutions typically must make purchase and deployment decisions about technologies that have already been designed and developed. The primary problem facing medical institutions is not one of ethical design but of ethical deployment. The purpose of this paper is to develop a practical model by which medical institutions may make ethical deployment decisions about ready-made advanced technologies. Our slogan is “more process, less principles.” Ethically sound decisionmaking requires that the process by which medical institutions make such decisions include participatory, deliberative, and conservative elements. We argue that our model preserves the strengths of existing frameworks, avoids their shortcomings, and delivers its own moral, practical, and epistemic advantages.
Aborted sudden cardiac death and a severe form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a 2-year-old
Authors: Peña Faith , Jones Ryan
Published: April 2023

Although hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has a reported prevalence of 1/500, compound, double, and triple mutations are infrequent. There is phenotypic variation between individuals with HCM, making disease course difficult to predict. There is some debate as to whether multiple mutations confer a worse prognosis and the extent to which the mutations affect an individual’s prognosis. We report a case of homozygous MYBPC3 mutations in a 2-year-old presenting with aborted sudden cardiac death and a severe form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Contending for the cosmos: a Zoroastrian poet’s mysterious rival
Authors: Dastur Arish
Published: April 2023

The ancient Zoroastrian hymn of worship dedicated to the frauuaṣ̌i-s (affirmative choices) of righteous mortals and divinities refers to an important discourse that takes place between an unnamed Zoroastrian poet-sage and his mysterious rival, named Gaōtəma. The figure of Gaōtəma has intrigued Avestan scholars through the years, but the significance and the implications of Gaōtəma's identity, and of his presence in the hymn, has to date not been seriously studied. This article first examines the context in which Gaōtəma is presented in the hymn. Building upon this, it then evaluates four potential identities for Gaōtəma: Avestan, Turanian, Buddhist, and Vedic. Conducting a multidisciplinary and comparative assessment, the article eventually argues in favour of a Vedic identity for Gaōtəma, specifically that of a poet-sage who was a proponent of the Rig Vedic divinity Indra. This investigation into Gaōtəma's identity concomitantly provides important perspectives on certain aspects of the Zoroastrian religion, and often in a comparative context.