bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Product Re-Design Guidelines
Authors: Filek Severin , Gründl Harald , Heinrich Viktoria Lea , Kellhammer Marco , König Tamara
Published: January 2023

‘Product re-design guidelines’ outline the rethinking of consumer and capital goods design in a context of a transition from a current linear economy towards a circular-oriented economy. These guidelines deliver generalized quality standards addressing various target groups who are to be engaged in order to achieve sustainable results. The definition of crucial counterparts of a system or beneficiaries, respectively, changes the guidelines’ discuss factors that are fundamental for the integration of sustainability aspects into existing and/or novel business models. With regard to the circular progression in future, awareness building for improvements in disassembling and remanufacturing will remain essential among designers and producers.
New Business Models and Logistical Considerations for Composites Re-use
Authors: Copani Giacomo , Mirpourian Maryam , Trivyza Nikoletta , Rentizelas Athanasios , Ijomah Winifred , Oswald Sarah , Siegl Stefan
Published: January 2023

The growing use of composites in various industries such as aerospace, automotive and wind turbine has increased environmental concerns regarding their waste disposal methods. Deploying circular economy practices to reuse composites could play a crucial role in the future. In this regard, this chapter addresses the development and implementation of new business models for composites re-use, as fundamental enabler for the industrial exploitation and diffusion of technological and methodological innovations developed in the FiberEUse project. Seven products were chosen as representatives for composites reuse application in four industrial sectors: sanitary, sports equipment, furniture and automotive. Re-use business models are presented describing their value proposition, with particular reference to the provision of advanced product-service bundles, the revenue models (including schemes such as leasing), as well as new supply chain configurations entailing new partnership between producers and recyclers to access post-use composites to re-use. Given the importance of reverse supply networks, the potential reverse logistics pathways for mechanical recycling of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP), thermal recycling of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) and remanufacturing of CF composites waste in Europe for 2020 and 2050 have been investigated. We concluded that the optimal reverse logistics network needs to be decentralized in more than one country in Europe. Therefore, it is suggested that policy makers address regulation to allow the transportation of waste between European countries to facilitate the development of recycling networks for composites reuse.
The FiberEUse Demand-Driven, Cross-Sectorial, Circular Economy Approach
Authors: Colledani Marcello , Turri Stefano , Diani Marco
Published: January 2023

Composite materials are widely used in several industrial sectors such as wind energy, aeronautics, automotive, construction, boating, sports equipment, furniture and design. The ongoing increase in composites market size will result in relevant waste flows with related environmental issues and value losses if sustainable solutions for their post-use recovery and reuse are not developed and upscaled. The H2020 FiberEUse project aimed at the large-scale demonstration of new circular economy value-chains based on the reuse of End-of-Life fiber reinforced composites. The project showed the opportunities enabled by the creation of robust circular value-chains based on the implementation of a demand-driven, cross-sectorial circular economy approach, in which a material recovered from a sector is reused within high-added value products in different sectors. A holistic approach based on the synergic use of different hardware and digital enabling technologies, compounded by non-technological innovations, have been implemented to develop eight demonstrators grouped in three use cases, fostering different strategies. In particular, Use Case 1 focused on the mechanical recycling of short glass fibers, Use Case 2 on the thermal recycling of long fibers, while Use Case 3 focused on the inspection, repair and remanufacturing of carbon fiber reinforced plastics products and parts.
Styrene-Free Liquid Resins for Composite Reformulation
Authors: Suriano Raffaella , Mantelli Andrea , Griffini Gianmarco , Turri Stefano , Bonaiti Giacomo
Published: January 2023

Three different classes of thermosetting styrene-free resins were investigated to assess their suitability to constitute the matrix phase in the reformulation of composites reinforced with mechanically recycled glass fibers. Resin reactivity and mechanical properties after curing were compared to commercial styrene-based, unsaturated polyester resins. The polymeric resin, acting as a binder, could be properly selected depending on the desired reactivity, processability, and mechanical behavior. Some prototypal examples of reformulated composites with different types and contents of recycled glass fibers were produced and mechanically tested. The combination of the epoxy resin with up to 60 wt% of mechanically recycled glass fibers resulted in an increase of elastic modulus up to 7.5 GPa.
Leptonic CP asymmetry and Light flavored scalar
Authors: Abe Yoshihiko , Ito Toshimasa , Yoshioka Koichi
Published: January 2023

Abstract

We consider a situation where right-handed neutrinos couple to a light scalar which is possibly a Nambu-Goldstone boson resulting from high-energy symmetry breaking. Its coupling is typically complex-valued and flavor-dependent. In this work, we investigate the possibility of the leptonic asymmetry generation in the Universe from the right-handed neutrino decay to flavorful light scalar. Furthermore a new source of asymmetry generation from a single decay process is pointed out, which is characteristic of the present setting.
Spinning correlators in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 SCFTs: Superspace and AdS amplitudes
Authors: Bissi Agnese , Fardelli Giulia , Manenti Andrea , Zhou Xinan
Published: January 2023

Abstract

We study four-point functions of spinning operators in the flavor current multiplet in four dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 SCFTs, using superspace techniques. In particular we explicitly construct the differential operators relating the different components of the super-correlator. As a byproduct of our analysis, we report the computation of the four-point amplitudes of gluons in bosonic Yang-Mills theories on AdS5 and we give evidence of an AdS double copy relation between the gluon amplitude and its gravitational counterpart.
On the Nekrasov partition function of gauged Argyres-Douglas theories
Authors: Kimura Takuya , Nishinaka Takahiro
Published: January 2023

Abstract

We study SU(2) gauge theories coupled to (A1, DN) theories with or without a fundamental hypermultiplet. For even N, a formula for the contribution of (A1, DN) to the Nekrasov partition function was recently obtained by us with Y. Sugawara and T. Uetoko. In this paper, we generalize it to the case of odd N in the classical limit, under the condition that the relevant couplings and vacuum expectation values of Coulomb branch operators of (A1, DN) are all turned off. We apply our formula to the (A2, A5) theory to find that its prepotential is related to that of the SU(2) gauge theory with four fundamental flavors by a simple change of variables.
New sum rules for the Bc → J/ψ form factors
Authors: Bordone M. , Khodjamirian A. , Mannel Th.
Published: January 2023

Abstract

We derive new sum rules for the form factors of the $$ {B}_c\to J/\psi \ell {\overline{\nu}}_{\ell } $$

B
c

→
J
/
ψ
ℓ

ν
¯

ℓ

semileptonic transitions, employing the vacuum-to-Bc correlation function of the J/ψ-interpolating and b → c weak currents. In the heavy quark limit and at a space-like momentum transfer to the weak current, a local operator-product expansion is valid for this correlation function. As a result, in the leading power, the non-perturbative input is reduced to the decay constant of Bc meson. Furthermore, applying hadronic dispersion relation in the J/ψ channel, we find that a non-vanishing OPE spectral density in the duality interval of J/ψ emerges only at $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
(αs). We calculate this density in the relevant kinematic regime. The Bc → J/ψ form factors at space-like momentum transfer are then calculated from the new sum rules.
The tangent cone, the dimension and the frontier of the medial axis
Authors: Białożyt Adam
Published: January 2023

This paper establishes a relation between the tangent cone of the medial axis of X at a given point $$a\in {\mathbb {R}}^n$$

a
∈

R

n

and the medial axis of the set of points m(a) in X realising the Euclidean distance d(a, X). As a consequence, a lower bound for the dimension of the medial axis of X in terms of the dimension of the medial axis of m(a) is obtained. This formula appears to be the missing link to the full description of the medial axis’ dimension. An extended study of potentially troublesome points on the frontier of the medial axis is also provided, resulting in their characterisation by the recently introduced by Birbrair and Denkowski reaching radius whose definition we simplify.
On Scaling Laws for Multi-Well Nucleation Problems Without Gauge Invariances
Authors: Rüland Angkana , Tribuzio Antonio
Published: January 2023

In this article, we study scaling laws for simplified multi-well nucleation problems without gauge invariances which are motivated by models for shape-memory alloys. Seeking to explore the role of the order of lamination on the energy scaling for nucleation processes, we provide scaling laws for various model problems in two and three dimensions. In particular, we discuss (optimal) scaling results in the volume and the singular perturbation parameter for settings in which the surrounding parent phase is in the first-, the second- and the third-order lamination convex hull of the wells of the nucleating phase. Furthermore, we provide a corresponding result for the setting of an infinite order laminate which arises in the context of the Tartar square. In particular, our results provide isoperimetric estimates in situations in which strong nonlocal anisotropies are present.
Estimating the probability that a given vector is in the convex hull of a random sample
Authors: Hayakawa Satoshi , Lyons Terry , Oberhauser Harald
Published: January 2023

For a d-dimensional random vector X, let $$p_{n, X}(\theta )$$

p

n
,
X

(
θ
)

be the probability that the convex hull of n independent copies of X contains a given point $$\theta $$
θ
. We provide several sharp inequalities regarding $$p_{n, X}(\theta )$$

p

n
,
X

(
θ
)

and $$N_X(\theta )$$

N
X

(
θ
)

denoting the smallest n for which $$p_{n, X}(\theta )\ge 1/2$$

p

n
,
X

(
θ
)

≥
1
/
2

. As a main result, we derive the totally general inequality $$1/2 \le \alpha _X(\theta )N_X(\theta )\le 3d + 1$$

1
/
2
≤

α
X

(
θ
)

N
X

(
θ
)

≤
3
d
+
1

, where $$\alpha _X(\theta )$$

α
X

(
θ
)

(a.k.a. the Tukey depth) is the minimum probability that X is in a fixed closed halfspace containing the point $$\theta $$
θ
. We also show several applications of our general results: one is a moment-based bound on $$N_X(\mathbb {E}\!\left[ X\right] )$$

N
X

(
E

X

)

, which is an important quantity in randomized approaches to cubature construction or measure reduction problem. Another application is the determination of the canonical convex body included in a random convex polytope given by independent copies of X, where our combinatorial approach allows us to generalize existing results in random matrix community significantly.
T-splines computational membrane–cable structural mechanics with continuity and smoothness: II. Spacecraft parachutes
Authors: Terahara Takuya , Takizawa Kenji , Avsar Reha , Tezduyar Tayfun E.
Published: January 2023

In this second part of a two-part article, we present spacecraft parachute structural mechanics computations with the T-splines computational method introduced in the first part. The method and its implementation, which was also given in the first part, are for computations where structures with different parametric dimensions are connected with continuity and smoothness. The basis functions of the method were derived in the context of connecting structures with 2D and 1D parametric dimensions. In the first part, the 2D structure was referred to as “membrane” and the 1D structure as “cable.” The method and its implementation, however, are certainly applicable also to other 2D–1D cases, and the test computations presented in the first part included shell–cable structures. Similarly, the spacecraft parachute computations presented here are with both the membrane and shell models of the parachute canopy fabric. The computer model used in the computations is for a subscale, wind-tunnel version of the Disk–Gap–Band parachute. The computations demonstrate the effectiveness of the method in 2D–1D structural mechanics computation of spacecraft parachutes.
Investigation of the influence of asymmetrical profiles on the wear behavior in gear hobbing
Authors: Janßen C. , Brimmers J. , Bergs T.
Published: January 2023

Asymmetrical gears have advantages in applications with a preferred load direction, such as automotive transmissions or wind turbines. The operational behavior of gears with asymmetrical profiles has already been thoroughly investigated. However, there are very few studies on the manufacturability of gears with asymmetric profiles regarding the possible interactions between pressure angle composition, tool and process design. In this report, the influence of asymmetrical profiles on the wear behavior of hobs is analyzed for the first time.

For this purpose, eight different tool variants have been defined for an investigation on tool wear behavior based upon fly-cutting trials. These variants consist of two symmetric and four asymmetric variants. In addition, two asymmetric variants with additional protuberance have been defined. Tool performance decreased within the fly-cutting trials with a low pressure angle on the leading flank and also in the presence of a protuberance. As the pressure angle increases on the leading flank, an increase on the tool life was observed.
Association between temporal patterns of baroreflex sensitivity after traumatic brain injury and prognosis: a preliminary study
Authors: Uryga Agnieszka , Kasprowicz Magdalena , Burzyńska Małgorzata , Kazimierska Agnieszka , Czosnyka Marek , Nasr Nathalie
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) may lead to an increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) as well as impairment of cerebral vascular reactivity and the autonomic nervous system. This study aimed to investigate individual patterns of changes in baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) along with the assessment of pressure reactivity index (PRx) and ICP after TBI.

Materials and methods

Twenty-nine TBI patients with continuous arterial blood pressure (ABP) and ICP monitoring were included. BRS was calculated using the sequential cross-correlation method. PRx was estimated using slow-wave oscillations of ABP and ICP. Outcome was assessed using the Glasgow Outcome Scale.

Results

Pooled data analysis of the lower breakpoint during the week that followed TBI revealed that BRS reached a minimum about 2 days after TBI. In patients with good outcome, there was a significant increase in BRS during the 7 days following TBI: rp = 0.21; p = 0.008 and the temporal changes in BRS showed either a “U-shaped” pattern or a gradual increase over time. The BRS value after 1.5 days was found to be a significant predictor of mortality (cut-off BRS = 1.8 ms/mm Hg; AUC = 0.83). In patients with poor outcome, ICP and PRx increased while BRS remained low.

Conclusions

We found an association between temporal patterns of BRS and prognosis in the early days following TBI. Further research in a larger cohort of patients is needed to confirm the weight of these preliminary observations for prediction of prognosis in TBI patients.
Recycling municipal, agricultural and industrial waste into energy, fertilizers, food and construction materials, and economic feasibility: a review
Authors: Peng Xiaoxuan , Jiang Yushan , Chen Zhonghao , Osman Ahmed I. , Farghali Mohamed , Rooney David W. , Yap Pow-Seng
Published: January 2023

The global amount of solid waste has dramatically increased as a result of rapid population growth, accelerated urbanization, agricultural demand, and industrial development. The world's population is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, while solid waste production will reach 2.59 billion tons. This will deteriorate the already strained environment and climate situation. Consequently, there is an urgent need for methods to recycle solid waste. Here, we review recent technologies to treat solid waste, and we assess the economic feasibility of transforming waste into energy. We focus on municipal, agricultural, and industrial waste. We found that methane captured from landfilled-municipal solid waste in Delhi could supply 8–18 million houses with electricity and generate 7140 gigawatt-hour, with a prospected potential of 31,346 and 77,748 gigawatt-hour by 2030 and 2060, respectively. Valorization of agricultural solid waste and food waste by anaerobic digestion systems could replace 61.46% of natural gas and 38.54% of coal use in the United Kingdom, and could reduce land use of 1.8 million hectares if provided as animal feeds. We also estimated a levelized cost of landfill solid and anaerobic digestion waste-to-energy technologies of $0.04/kilowatt-hour and $0.07/kilowatt-hour, with a payback time of 0.73–1.86 years and 1.17–2.37 years, respectively. Nonetheless, current landfill waste treatment methods are still inefficient, in particular for treating food waste containing over 60% water.
An LO phase shifter with frequency tripling and phase detection in 28 nm FD-SOI CMOS for mm-wave 5G transceivers
Authors: Gannedahl Rikard , Sjöland Henrik
Published: January 2023

This paper presents an LO phase shifter with frequency tripling for 28-GHz 5G transceivers. The phase shifting and frequency tripling are achieved using an injection-locked oscillator and injection-locked frequency tripler, respectively. A phase detector based on third harmonic mixing is also implemented and is used to detect the applied phase shift, supporting automatic calibration of the phase shifter. Additionally, an algorithm to automatically tune the oscillators to their respective locking frequency is presented. To test the phase shifter, a 24–30-GHz sliding-IF receiver is implemented. Simulations show that a > 360$$^\circ $$

∘

tuning range over the full 24–30 GHz span is achieved, with a gain variation of 0.11 dB or less, and that the phase detector has an rms phase error of < 2.5$$^\circ $$

∘

. The circuit is implemented in a 28nm FD-SOI CMOS process and the entire chip measures 1080 $$\upmu \hbox {m}$$

μ
m

$$\times $$
×
1080 $$\upmu \hbox {m}$$

μ
m

, including pads, and consumes 27–29 mW from a 1 V supply.
Biogeochemical properties of blue carbon sediments influence the distribution and monomer composition of bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)
Authors: Grey Anthony , Costeira Ricardo , Lorenzo Emmaline , O’Kane Sean , McCaul Margaret V. , McCarthy Tim , Jordan Sean F. , Allen Christopher C. R. , Kelleher Brian P.
Published: January 2023

Coastal wetlands are highly efficient ‘blue carbon’ sinks which contribute to mitigating climate change through the long-term removal of atmospheric CO2 and capture of carbon (C). Microorganisms are integral to C sequestration in blue carbon sediments and face a myriad of natural and anthropogenic pressures yet their adaptive responses are poorly understood. One such response in bacteria is the alteration of biomass lipids, specifically through the accumulation of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and alteration of membrane phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA). PHAs are highly reduced bacterial storage polymers that increase bacterial fitness in changing environments. In this study, we investigated the distribution of microbial PHA, PLFA profiles, community structure and response to changes in sediment geochemistry along an elevation gradient from intertidal to vegetated supratidal sediments. We found highest PHA accumulation, monomer diversity and expression of lipid stress indices in elevated and vegetated sediments where C, nitrogen (N), PAH and heavy metals increased, and pH was significantly lower. This was accompanied by a reduction in bacterial diversity and a shift to higher abundances of microbial community members favouring complex C degradation. Results presented here describe a connection between bacterial PHA accumulation, membrane lipid adaptation, microbial community composition and polluted C rich sediments.

Graphical Abstract

Geochemical, microbiological and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) gradient in a blue carbon zone.
Exploring Atmospheric Boundary Layer Depth Variability in Frontal Environments Over an Arid Region
Authors: Anand Michael , Pal Sandip
Published: January 2023

Details about atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) dynamics under advection over arid regions remain unexplored. Most numerical weather prediction (NWP) models strictly rely on ABL parametrization schemes under steady-state assumptions while observation-based research also considers horizontally homogeneous atmospheric conditions for estimating ABL depth (zi) growth rates. However, how different frontal systems modify ABL thermodynamic features, including zi, remains sparse in the literature. This work investigates how synoptic events impact daytime zi variability in different seasons and provides new insights on front-relative zi variability over two sites located in an arid region. Radiosonde-derived thermodynamic profiles obtained during more than 40 synoptic events in 2020 from two sites (Amarillo and Midland, Texas) have been used. Individual soundings are divided into a three-day period: prefrontal, frontal, and postfrontal. The ABL regimes and associated soundings are further classified into four categories: (1) Type-I with elevated mixed layer (EML) only, (2) Type-II with dryline only, (3) Type-III with both EML and dryline, and (4) Type-IV without dryline or EML. Results suggest that zi decreases substantially during frontal passages and is shallower in the cold sector than the warm sector. We also find that the zi variability in the postfrontal airmass is more uniform throughout the year compared to the zi in the prefrontal airmass indicating complexities associated with airmass advection. Regression analyses comparing frontal strength and observed Δzi (i.e., frontal contrasts in zi estimated via zi in warm sector minus zi in cold sector) do not yield any correlations, which suggests that advection from frontal passages has considerable influence in governing zi variability unlike in the conditions when zi is mainly dependent on surface forcings. By explaining how airmass exchange associated with frontal environments impacts overall ABL dynamics, new parametrizations for ABL modelling can be developed with an emphasis on zi advection.
Genomic evidence for three distinct species in the Erebia manto complex in Central Europe (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)
Authors: Jospin Amanda , Chittaro Yannick , Bolt Daniel , Demergès David , Gurcel Kevin , Hensle Jürgen , Sanchez Andreas , Praz Christophe , Lucek Kay
Published: January 2023

A problem to implement conservation strategies is that in many cases recognized taxa are in fact complexes of several cryptic species. Failure to properly delineate species may lead to misplaced priorities or to inadequate conservation measures. One such species complex is the yellow-spotted ringlet Erebia manto, which comprises several phenotypically distinct lineages, whose degree of genomic isolation has so far not been assessed. Some of these lineages are geographically restricted and thus possibly represent distinct units with conservation priorities. Using several thousand nuclear genomic markers, we evaluated to which degree the bubastis lineage from the Alps and the vogesiaca lineage from the Vosges, are genetically isolated from the widespread manto lineage. Our results suggest that both lineages are genetically as strongly differentiated from manto as other taxonomically well separated sibling species in this genus from each other, supporting a delineation of bubastis and vogesiaca as independent species. Given the restricted and isolated range of vogesiaca as well as the disjunct distribution of bubastis, our findings have significant implication for future conservation efforts on these formerly cryptic species and highlight the need to investigate the genomic identity within species complexes.
How do Mental Health Services Foster Hope? Experience of People Accessing Services
Authors: Honey Anne , Hancock Nicola , Barton Rebecca , Berry Bridget , Gilroy John , Glover Helen , Hines Monique , Waks Shifra , Wells Karen
Published: January 2023

Hope is essential to mental health recovery, yet little is known about how mental health services can foster hope. This paper addresses the question: How can mental health services influence the sense of hope experienced by people who access their services? Sixty-one people who accessed a new mental health service were interviewed about their experiences, including about how the service had influenced their sense of hope. Interviews were analysed using constant comparative analysis. The data revealed that hope increased when people perceived positive changes in themselves and their circumstances: developing new understandings and perspectives; having effective strategies to manage challenges; seeing progress or having plans; and having support. Changes were attributed to three major features of the service: accessibility; staff competence and wisdom; and caring interactions. The findings highlight that, while individual clinicians are important, other interactions with services and the wider service context are also critical for facilitating hope.
The impact of seasonal variability and climate change on lake Tanganyika’s hydrodynamics
Authors: Sterckx Kevin , Delandmeter Philippe , Lambrechts Jonathan , Deleersnijder Eric , Verburg Piet , Thiery Wim
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we project future changes in the hydrodynamics of Lake Tanganyika under a high emission scenario using the three-dimensional (3D) version of the Second-generation Louvain-la-Neuve Ice-ocean Model (SLIM 3D) forced by a high-resolution regional climate model. We demonstrate the advantages of 3D simulation compared to 1D vertical models. The model captures the seasonal variability in the lake, with seasonal deep mixing and surfacing of the thermocline. In a simulation of current conditions, the thermocline in the south of the lake moves upward from a depth of 75 m until it reaches the lake surface during August and September. We compare the current conditions with an end-of-the-century simulation under a pessimistic emission scenario (RCP 8.5) showing that surface water temperature increases on average by 3 ± 0.5 °C. Because deeper water warms less, the stratification increases in the upper 150 m of the water column. This temperature-induced stratification reduces mixing and prevents the outcropping of the thermocline, eventually shutting down the ventilation of deep water in the south basin. Our results highlight the extreme changes likely faced by Lake Tanganyika if global greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed.
Blood pressure, hypertension and the risk of atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies
Authors: Aune Dagfinn , Mahamat-Saleh Yahya , Kobeissi Elsa , Feng Tingting , Heath Alicia K. , Janszky Imre
Published: January 2023

Elevated blood pressure and hypertension have been associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation in a number of epidemiological studies, however, the strength of the association has differed between studies. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between blood pressure and hypertension and atrial fibrillation. PubMed and Embase databases were searched for studies of hypertension and blood pressure and atrial fibrillation up to June 6th 2022. Cohort studies reporting adjusted relative risk (RR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of atrial fibrillation associated with hypertension or blood pressure were included. A random effects model was used to estimate summary RRs. Sixty eight cohort studies were included in the meta-analysis. The summary RR was 1.50 (95% CI: 1.42–1.58, I2 = 98.1%, n = 56 studies) for people with hypertension compared to those without hypertension (1,080,611 cases, 30,539,230 participants), 1.18 (95% CI: 1.16–1.21, I2 = 65.9%, n = 37 studies) per 20 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure (346,471 cases, 14,569,396 participants), and 1.07 (95% CI: 1.03–1.11, I2 = 91.5%, n = 22 studies) per 10 mmHg increase in diastolic blood pressure (332,867 cases, 14,354,980 participants). There was evidence of a nonlinear association between diastolic blood pressure and atrial fibrillation with a steeper increase in risk at lower levels of diastolic blood pressure, but for systolic blood pressure the association appeared to be linear. For both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, the risk increased even within the normal range of blood pressure and persons at the high end of systolic and diastolic blood pressure around 180/110 mmHg had a 1.8–2.3 fold higher risk of atrial fibrillation compared to those with a blood pressure of 90/60 mmHg. These results suggest that elevated blood pressure and hypertension increases the risk of atrial fibrillation and there is some increase in risk even within the normal range of systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Legally Affective: Mapping the Emotional Grammar of LGBT Rights in Law School
Authors: Raj Senthorun
Published: January 2023

The teaching of critical race, feminist, and queer theory generally, and of LGBT rights specifically, has developed into a discrete, contested, and politicised area of teaching in English law schools and beyond. While there is some academic discussion on the personal and political significance of ‘promoting LGBT rights’ within law schools, less considered is how ‘LGBT rights’ are shaped by the emotions of legal academics and how these emotions circumscribe what we imagine LGBT rights can and/or should mean in law and critical legal study. To illustrate this dynamic, this paper uses critical race, feminist, and queer scholarship alongside work in the emerging field of Law and Emotion to articulate the ‘emotional grammar’ of teaching a Gender, Sexuality and Law unit at an English law school. Turning to autoethnography, I use my emotional experiences as a methodological tool to explore how emotions co-constitute the pedagogical, political, scholarly, and personal registers of LGBT rights as a descriptive, critical, and normative pursuit. In doing so, I use ‘emotional grammar’ as a novel way to map how emotions structure legal pedagogies invested in pursuing LGBT rights. Emotional grammar illustrates how emotions structure: (1) the articulation of LGBT rights as an object of study in law; (2) the pursuit of law to secure the rights of LGBT people; and (3) the shape of legal critique relating to LGBT rights.
ADM mass in warp drive spacetimes
Authors: Schuster Sebastian , Santiago Jessica , Visser Matt
Published: January 2023

What happens when a warp bubble has mass? This seemingly innocent question forces one to carefully formalize exactly what one means by a warp bubble, exactly what one means by having the warp bubble “move” with respect to the fixed stars, and forces one to more carefully examine the notion of mass in warp-drive spacetimes. This is the goal of the present article. In this process, we will see that often-made throw-away comments regarding “payloads” are even simpler than commonly assumed, while there are two further, distinct yet subtle ways in which a mass can appear in connection with a warp drive space-time: One, that the warp bubble (not its payload) has the mass; two, that the mass is a background feature in front of which the warp drive moves. For simplicity, we consider generic Natário warp drives with zero-vorticity flow field. The resulting spacetimes are sufficiently simple to allow an exact and fully explicit computation of all of the stress-energy components, and verify that (as expected) the null energy condition (NEC) is violated. Likewise the weak, strong, and dominant energy conditions (WEC, SEC, DEC) are violated. Indeed, this confirms the community’s folk wisdom, and recent (fully general, but implicit) results of the present authors which closed previous gaps in the argument. However, folk wisdom should be carefully and critically examined before being believed, and the present examples for general results will greatly aid physical intuition.
Towards Artificial Intelligence Augmenting Facilitation: AI Affordances in Macro-Task Crowdsourcing
Authors: Gimpel Henner , Graf-Seyfried Vanessa , Laubacher Robert , Meindl Oliver
Published: January 2023

Crowdsourcing holds great potential: macro-task crowdsourcing can, for example, contribute to work addressing climate change. Macro-task crowdsourcing aims to use the wisdom of a crowd to tackle non-trivial tasks such as wicked problems. However, macro-task crowdsourcing is labor-intensive and complex to facilitate, which limits its efficiency, effectiveness, and use. Technological advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) might overcome these limits by supporting the facilitation of crowdsourcing. However, AI’s potential for macro-task crowdsourcing facilitation needs to be better understood for this to happen. Here, we turn to affordance theory to develop this understanding. Affordances help us describe action possibilities that characterize the relationship between the facilitator and AI, within macro-task crowdsourcing. We follow a two-stage, bottom-up approach: The initial development stage is based on a structured analysis of academic literature. The subsequent validation & refinement stage includes two observed macro-task crowdsourcing initiatives and six expert interviews. From our analysis, we derive seven AI affordances that support 17 facilitation activities in macro-task crowdsourcing. We also identify specific manifestations that illustrate the affordances. Our findings increase the scholarly understanding of macro-task crowdsourcing and advance the discourse on facilitation. Further, they help practitioners identify potential ways to integrate AI into crowdsourcing facilitation. These results could improve the efficiency of facilitation activities and the effectiveness of macro-task crowdsourcing.
Italian Children’s Accounts of the Lockdown: Insights and Perspectives
Authors: Capurso Michele , Pedale Tiziana , Santangelo Valerio , Salmi Luciana Pagano , Mazzeschi Claudia
Published: January 2023

COVID-19 lockdown-imposed restrictions emerged as a risk to children’s well-being. However, the extant literature often ignored children’s experiences, emotions, struggles, hopes, and expectations. Based on a large sample of Italian students (N = 906; mean age = 9.4 years, 48.8% female), we drew data from a post-lockdown school re-entry program where students completed narrative activities in 2020. These narratives underwent quantitative content analysis according to gender and school level. Overall, children reported mixed feelings about the lockdown; they felt safe at home but also experienced fear and missed their friends, school, and freedom. Screen-time, technology and friendships helped, but children struggled to make sense of the events. Our findings show how children attempted to make sense of the lockdown experience and may provide key information for the development of community coping programs to help children facing crises in the future.
Population ecology and behaviour of two Afrotropical forest butterflies
Authors: Habel Jan Christian , Eberle Jonas , Charo Juliette , Maghenda Marianne , Schmitt Thomas
Published: January 2023

Over the last decades, numerous natural habitats have been converted into settlement areas, agricultural land, and tree plantations on a large spatial scale. As a result, natural ecosystems have been destroyed. In consequence, many ecosystems exist today as small and geographically isolated remnants. To what extent the original species diversity can persist in such small habitat patches is questionable and strongly depends on the ecology of the species. A prominent example of severe habitat destruction are the species-rich tropical cloud forests of Taita Hills in southern Kenya, which have been deforested almost completely during past decades. However, there still exist typical forest species in the few remaining forest fragments. In this study, we investigate the population ecology and behaviour of two butterfly species present in the cloud forest remnants of Taita Hills, Protogoniomorpha parhassus and Precis tugela. Over a period of one month, we conducted Mark-Release-Recapture to study population sizes and demographic structures, lifespan, dispersal, and behaviour. We found that both species exhibited medium population sizes and are sedentary. However, some individuals performed dispersal throughout the forest. The behaviour of the two species differs: While P. tugela was mostly observed basking with open wings, P. parhassus was mostly sitting under leaves with closed wings. The life span was rather long for butterflies.

Implications for insect conservation

This study documents the population ecology and behaviour of these two Afrotropical butterflies and underlines the relevance of the conservation of cloud forest remnants to preserve species, which mainly depends on these habitat remnants.
Assessing Internalizing Symptoms and Their Relation with Levels of Impairment: Evidence-Based Cutoffs for Interpreting Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS-II) Scores
Authors: De la Rosa-Cáceres A. , Lozano O. M. , Sanchez-Garcia M. , Fernandez-Calderon F. , Rossi G. , Diaz-Batanero C.
Published: January 2023

Tests and scales measuring psychological disorders should provide information about how scores relate to other constructs such as quality of life or functional impairment. Such information is necessary to allow that their scores contribute to clinical decision making. The current study analyzes the clinical utility of the Spanish version of the Inventory for Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS-II) to discriminate between different levels of functional impairment and identify the IDAS-II scales that contribute most to explaining impairment. The total sample (N = 1390) consists of two subsamples: a community sample of the general population (n = 1072) selected by random sampling; and a sample of patients (n = 318) from public and private mental health services. The Spanish IDAS-II for measuring internalizing symptoms and WHODAS 2.0 for measuring impairment were administered to all participants. All scales show statistically significant higher scores in the patient sample, with Cohen's d effect sizes values greater than 0.30, except for well-being (d = 0.19). The cutoff values and their confidence intervals do not overlap with the means of either the community or patient sample. AUC values for most of the scales are above .70, except for appetite gain, ordering, euphoria, cleaning, and well-being. Multiple linear regression model using IDAS-II scales explain 57.1% of the variance of the WHODAS 2.0 (F12.1377 = 155.305; p < .001). Cutoff values provided allow us to reliably differentiate between the patients and community samples. Spanish IDAS-II scores show greater sensitivity and specificity in detecting those with greater impairment. General Depression, Lassitude, Panic and Claustrophobia contribute to impairment in a greater extent. Knowledge of which symptoms are most related with impairment, allows healthcare providers to improve treatment planning based on empirical evidence.
Authentication of Covid-19 Vaccines Using Synchronous Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Authors: Assi Sulaf , Abbas Ismail , Arafat Basel , Evans Kieran , Al-Jumeily Dhiya
Published: January 2023

The present study demonstrates the potential of synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis for authentication of COVID-19 vaccines from various manufacturers. Synchronous scanning fluorescence spectra were recorded for DNA-based and mRNA-based vaccines obtained through the NHS Central Liverpool Primary Care Network. Fluorescence spectra of DNA and DNA-based vaccines as well as RNA and RNA-based vaccines were identical to one another. The application of principal component analysis (PCA), PCA-Gaussian Mixture Models (PCA-GMM)) and Self-Organising Maps (SOM) methods to the fluorescence spectra of vaccines is discussed. The PCA is applied to extract the characteristic variables of fluorescence spectra by analysing the major attributes. The results indicated that the first three principal components (PCs) can account for 99.5% of the total variance in the data. The PC scores plot showed two distinct clusters corresponding to the DNA-based vaccines and mRNA-based vaccines respectively. PCA-GMM clustering complemented the PCA clusters by further classifying the mRNA-based vaccines and the GMM clusters revealed three mRNA-based vaccines that were not clustered with the other vaccines. SOM complemented both PCA and PCA-GMM and proved effective with multivariate data without the need for dimensions reduction. The findings showed that fluorescence spectroscopy combined with machine learning algorithms (PCA, PCA-GMM and SOM) is a useful technique for vaccination verification and has the benefits of simplicity, speed and reliability.
Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior with Optimism and Positive Affect in Older Women
Authors: Ryu Rita H. , Larsen Britta , LaCroix Andrea , Nguyen Steve , Posis Alex Ivan B. , Schumacher Benjamin T. , Danhauer Suzanne C. , Tindle Hilary A. , Bellettiere John
Published: January 2023

Psychological well-being is linked to healthy aging in older women, but associations with health behaviors are not well understood. Our study aims to evaluate the relationships between objectively-measured physical behavior (including physical activity and sedentary behavior) with optimism and positive affect in a diverse sample of older women. Our cross-sectional study of 4168 American women (aged 63–99) with accelerometer-measured physical behavior from the Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Study assessed associations using multiple linear regression. Effect modification by age, race and ethnicity, social support, and number of chronic conditions was examined as well. In unadjusted models, positive associations for physical activity and negative associations for sedentary behaviors were generally linear for optimism and positive affect. In adjusted models, every one-hour increment in weekly moderate-vigorous physical activity was associated with higher optimism by 0.4 score points [Revised 6-item Life Orientation Test, 95% CI = 0.2, 0.6] and positive affect by 0.6 score points [modified Differential Emotions Scale, 95% CI = 0.2, 0.9]. One-hour increments in light physical activity were associated with higher positive affect [0.2 score points; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.33] while one-hour increments in sedentary behavior patterns were associated with lower positive affect [-0.1 score points; 95% CI = − 0.10, − 0.02). Effect modification by age, race and ethnicity, social support, and number of chronic conditions was not observed. In conclusion, associations between physical behavior with optimism and positive affect were modest but suggest greater activity and less sedentary time are associated with greater psychological well-being in older women.
Improvements in iridium target chemistry
Authors: Marenco Athena M. , Bond Evelyn M. , Rusev Gencho , Bredeweg Todd A.
Published: January 2023

We developed and optimized the dissolution and separation chemistry of iridium (Ir) from irradiated Ir pellets and prepared Ir counting samples for analysis by a silicon drift detector. Previous Ir chemistry techniques used on the irradiated Ir pellets are tedious, lengthy, and require extra safety precautions and planning due to the use of perchloric acid in the dissolution step. The dissolution and separations method described in this paper are safer, eliminating the use of perchloric acid, more efficient, and can successfully replace the previous procedure.
Optimized deep learning/kalman filter-based underwater localization in VLC systems
Authors: Salama Wessam M. , Aly Moustafa H. , Amer Eman S.
Published: January 2023

Several applications depend on the localization technique in underwater visible light communication (UVLC) systems, as military, petroleum, and diving fields. Recent research aims to develop the localization system by different methods to obtain the optimum position of the receiver. In this paper, we use Kalman Filter (KF) algorithm with average Received Signal Strength (RSS) technique using optimization. Optimized Deep Learning Models (DLMs) are utilized to improve the system performance, including such as ResNet50V2, InceptionResNetV2, SSD, and RetinaNet. Two channel modeling Weighted Double Gamma Function (WDGF) with a Combination Exponential Arbitrary Power Function (CEAPF) are used for sea water to enhance the UVLC localization system. The obtained results show that using CEAPF channel modeling with ResNetV2 strategy achieves the best accuracy of the localization for different methods. Also, the ResNetV2 outperforms other strategies for using RSS average technique. The RSS with KF and DLM achieves a higher accuracy with ResNetV2 than InceptionResNetV2, RetinaNet and SSD. Using WDGF achieves accuracy less than that in CEAPF where for using KF with average RSS method. Applying the RSS with KF with CEAPF channel modeling improves the performance than using WDGF. We use an automatic hyper-parameter (HP) approach to the Bayesian optimization models ResNet50V2, InceptionResNetV2, SSD, and RetinaNet. The ResNet50V2 based on average RSS technique hybrid with KF in CEAPF channel model achieves 99.99% accuracy, 99.99% area under the curve (AUC), 99.98% precision, 99.89% F1-score, 0.099 RMSE and 0.43 s testing time.
Privileged but not in Power: How Asian American Tech Workers use Racial Strategies to Deflect and Confront Race and Racism
Authors: Chow Tiffany Y.
Published: January 2023

Research on tech workers has often focused on racial inequalities within the industry but has failed to seriously consider Asian American professionals as racialized subjects. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by centering Asian Americans as workers whose racial identity impacts their career trajectory and professional experiences in the high-tech industry. Based on 57 interviews with Asian American tech professionals, I find that Asian Americans use four main racial strategies to deflect or confront racism in the workplace Three of these racial strategies—racial maneuvering, essentializing, distancing— intentionally remove Asian Americans from the glare of racism. The fourth racial strategy, dissenting, acknowledges racism; workers using this racial strategy are often so frustrated by the white power structure of the high-tech industry that they find no other choice but to leave mainstream organizations. Several of these racial strategies are reinforced by local racial politics and the historical influence of Asian immigrant workers that helped shape both Silicon Valley and Asian American culture in the San Francisco Bay Area.