bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Strain Rate Sensitivity of Low‐Temperature Superplastic Heterogeneous Medium‐Mn Steel Fabricated by a Novel High‐Ratio Differential Speed Rolling
Authors: Pan Haijun , Wang Zheng , Zhang Shunhu , Sun Ze , Wu Zhiqiang , Zhou Wenhao , Liu Lin
Published: November 2024

In the present article, insights into the high‐temperature deformation behavior of medium‐Mn steel (MMS), which is prepared via high‐ratio differential speed rolling (HRDSR), are provided. Moreover, through innovative bidirectional jump experiments, variations in the strain rate sensitivity index m under various conditions are obtained. In the research findings, it is indicated that an increase in strain rate (SR) leads to a hardening of the alloy. During high‐temperature deformation, the value of m decreases with the increase in SR, but the rate of decrease gradually slows down. Furthermore, the higher the temperature (T), the greater the impact of changes in SR on m. In addition, the change in deformation mechanism during deformation leads to microstructural changes, and under the main deformation mechanism of grain‐boundary sliding, m generally increases with strain. Interestingly, at a T of 760 °C, the material exhibits a strong texture with high orientation, resulting in larger m values and superior superplasticity (≈691%). This study not only enriches the research content of HRDSR but also has significant implications for the superplasticity research of MMS. Moreover, a reference is provided for the research of other superplastic materials.
A Novel Methodology to Quantify the Slag Protective Effect on the Oxidation Behavior of Oxide‐C Refractories
Authors: Moliné Marcos N. , Galliano Pablo G. , Tomba Martinez Analía G.
Published: November 2024

Preventing the oxidation of oxide‐C refractories used as working linings in steelmaking vessels is crucial for maintaining their performance and extending their lifetime. This study introduces a novel methodology for evaluating and quantifying the protective effect that adhered slag can have on the oxidation of the refractory lining of steelmaking ladles. The article details the ad‐hoc methodology itself, including the technique for adhering the slag to the refractory sample and the specifically developed equipment used. The proposed experimental approach includes the evaluation of how the environmental degradation of the slag layer affects the protection it provides to the refractory against attack by environmental oxygen. Finally, the methodology's ability to provide reliable and reproducible results is shown by its application on MgO–C refractories, the most widely used type of oxide‐C products in the steelmaking industry.
Evaluating the success of eradicating nonnative Brook Trout using Trojan Y Chromosome fish in southern Rocky Mountain streams
Authors: Miller Michael W. , Klein Zachary B. , Caldwell Colleen A. , Ruhl Michael E.
Published: November 2024

Objective

Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis often outcompete and displace native salmonids in western North America. Due to the limitations of traditional removal methods, managers are implementing the Trojan Y Chromosome approach to extirpate nonnative Brook Trout populations. However, there are uncertainties of the comparative performance (i.e., survival, reproductive success) of YY-male (MYY) fish and their wild counterparts. In addition, it is unclear how effective YY-female (FYY) fish compare with MYY fish for extirpation of wild Brook Trout. To address these uncertainties, we modeled the time to extirpation of wild Brook Trout using 5 years of empirical data, assuming introductions of either MYY or FYY fish.

Methods

Our simulations assumed varying stocking (0% to 100%) and removal (0% to 90%) scenarios. In addition, we evaluated model sensitivity to changes in the reproductive success and survival of MYY fish.

Result

The simulations suggest that the average time to extirpation would be 14 years using MYY fish and 8 years for FYY fish, assuming 50% annual removal and 50% initial stocking of the wild Brook Trout abundance. Increasing removal and/or stocking levels resulted in reductions in extirpation times using either MYY or FYY fish. Sensitivity analyses indicated that the model was relatively insensitive to changes in the reproductive success and survival of MYY Brook Trout.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that either MYY or FYY fish can be used to eradicate wild Brook Trout populations, but FYY fish are likely the most efficient means of eradicating nonnative Brook Trout in streams typical of western North America.
Evaluations of Morphometric Traits and Body Conformation Indices of Horse Ecotypes Reared in the Highlands of Bale Eco‐Region, Ethiopia
Authors: Guyo Mesay , Tareke Melaku , Tonamo Andualem , Bediye Diriba , Defar Girma
Published: November 2024

Background

Morphometric traits discrepancies are associated with production, reproduction, adaptation and behaviours in horses. It also determines the design of harnessing implements, physical injury level and working performance of the native horses. Thus, the study was conducted to evaluate morphometric traits and body conformation indices of horse ecotypes reared across four districts of Bale Zone, Ethiopia.

Methods

Data of croup height, croup length, hip height, mid‐back height, wither height, hip width, thoracic depth, chest width, body length, sternum height, thorax perimeter and cannon perimeter were measured in 500 horses (294 male and 206 female). Using those traits, 17 body conformation indices were calculated to define the horses for multi‐faceted performances.

Results

The study revealed that croup height, hip height, wither height, hip width, croup length, body length, thorax perimeter and sternum height were significantly (p < 0.0001) different among the studied districts. The district effect was also significant at p < 0.05 for mid‐back height, thoracic depth, chest width and cannon perimeter. The sexual dimorphism effect was statistically significant for all measured traits; however, females were inferior to males except for cannon perimeter. Body conformation indices of pelvic index, body index, transversal pelvic index and weight were highly significant (p < 0.0001) among the studied districts. The sex dimorphism effect was significant (p < 0.001) for dactyl‐costal index, pelvic index, longitudinal pelvic index, transversal pelvic index, weight, tare index 1 (trot or gallop), tare index 2 (walk) and riding comfort degree, while non‐significant (p > 0.05) for the remaining indices. The studied horses were classified as mediline, elipometric, light, small and suitable riding ecotypes with a medium‐conforming body structure and good capacity for carrying loads on carts and backs for functional effectiveness. The correlations of body conformation indices ranged from very high to low, with positive and negative associations for functional capabilities.

Conclusion

Therefore, selection for improvement needs to rank morphometric traits and body conformation indices in correlation to developing racing and modern sport horses in the highlands of the Bale eco‐regions. Further, molecular studies will be essential to determine whether the predominated phenotypic multiplicity is genetic or environmentally progressed.
Notary Lending Networks in Northern Italy in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
Authors: De Luca Giuseppe , Lorenzini Marcella
Published: November 2024

This chapter explores the credit market centered on notaries in northern Italy during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Through an extensive database collecting debt and credit contracts that private citizens signed before notaries, we reconstructed the lending network where notaries played the key role of matchmakers between demand and supply of money. Thanks to massive scrutiny and longitudinal information set about their clients, notaries were able to sustain a market in which a separating equilibrium could be achieved. High-risk agents could find creditors willing to lend them capital, charging a higher interest rate, and low-risk debtors could find less costly options leveraging their reliability as debtors. The capital market thus prevented the exclusion of operators who could not offer real estate in guarantee but had good reputation and good projects. Medium- and long-term capital was mobilized to finance the more modern entrepreneurial initiatives that were fueling the local economic environment and that could not find support from the newly established casse di risparmio (savings banks).
Historical Social Network Analysis and Early Financial Exchanges
Authors: Dermineur Elise M.
Published: November 2024

This chapter is an overview of historical social network analysis applied to the study of preindustrial financial exchanges. The first part reminds the reader of the basics of social network analysis with particular emphasis on both the visual approach and the mathematical approach. The second part examines the benefits of using SNA while studying preindustrial credit, and also points to the possible methodological issues one may encounter. The last part proposes a tentative outline for a future research agenda in this area with special reference to intermediation and brokerage, diffusion and contagion, and finally structural changes in networks.
Financial Intermediation and Networks in Early Modern Castile Fairs
Authors: Carvajal David
Published: November 2024

At the beginning of the modern age, the Castilian financial markets emerged with great dynamism. The celebration of important fairs in Medina del Campo, Medina de Rioseco, or Villalón generated an ideal environment for the meeting of merchants, moneychangers, wool producers, and many other local and foreign buyers and sellers. In this context, the growing number of commercial operations led to an important demand for credit which was mostly channeled through the moneychangers. The moneychangers of Medina del Campo, Valladolid, Burgos, or Segovia offered their services as moneylenders and financial intermediaries to support a large part of the financial framework of the fairs. This paper reconstructs the financial networks generated by the moneychangers and studies their intermediation work between merchants and communities, based on the contracts signed in the notary offices. We observe the importance of links such as neighborhood or family in creating or strengthening networks or the influence of the mercantile and financial strategy of the mercantile communities that attended the Castilian fairs in generating networks. All of this is based on the foundations of the SNA as a support methodology.
Gravitationally dominated instantons and instability of dS, AdS and Minkowski spaces
Authors: Mukhanov Viatcheslav F. , Oz Yaron , Sorin Alexander S.
Published: November 2024

Abstract

We study the decay of the false vacuum in the regime where the quantum field theory analysis is not valid, since gravitational effects become important. This happens when the height of the barrier separating the false and the true vacuum is large, and it has implications for the instability of de Sitter, Minkowski and anti-de Sitter vacua. We carry out the calculations for a scalar field with a potential coupled to gravity, and work within the thin-wall approximation, where the bubble wall is thin compared to the size of the bubble. We show that the false de Sitter vacuum is unstable, independently of the height of the potential and the relative depth of the true vacuum compared to the false vacuum. The false Minkowski and anti-de Sitter vacua can be stable despite the existence of a lower energy true vacuum. However, when the relative depth of the true and false vacua exceeds a critical value, which depends on the potential of the false vacuum and the height of the barrier, then the false Minkowski and anti-de Sitter vacua become unstable. We calculate the probability for the decay of the false de Sitter, Minkowski and anti-de Sitter vacua, as a function of the parameters characterizing the field potential.
The Segment Anything foundation model achieves favorable brain tumor auto-segmentation accuracy in MRI to support radiotherapy treatment planning
Authors: Putz Florian , Beirami Sogand , Schmidt Manuel Alexander , May Matthias Stefan , Grigo Johanna , Weissmann Thomas , Schubert Philipp , Höfler Daniel , Gomaa Ahmed , Hassen Ben Tkhayat , Lettmaier Sebastian , Frey Benjamin , Gaipl Udo S. , Distel Luitpold V. , Semrau Sabine , Bert Christoph , Fietkau Rainer , Huang Yixing
Published: November 2024

Background

Promptable foundation auto-segmentation models like Segment Anything (SA, Meta AI, New York, USA) represent a novel class of universal deep learning auto-segmentation models that could be employed for interactive tumor auto-contouring in RT treatment planning.

Methods

Segment Anything was evaluated in an interactive point-to-mask auto-segmentation task for glioma brain tumor auto-contouring in 16,744 transverse slices from 369 MRI datasets (BraTS 2020 dataset). Up to nine interactive point prompts were automatically placed per slice. Tumor boundaries were auto-segmented on contrast-enhanced T1w sequences. Out of the three auto-contours predicted by SA, accuracy was evaluated for the contour with the highest calculated IoU (Intersection over Union, “oracle mask,” simulating interactive model use with selection of the best tumor contour) and for the tumor contour with the highest model confidence (“suggested mask”).

Results

Mean best IoU (mbIoU) using the best predicted tumor contour (oracle mask) in full MRI slices was 0.762 (IQR 0.713–0.917). The best 2D mask was achieved after a mean of 6.6 interactive point prompts (IQR 5–9). Segmentation accuracy was significantly better for high- compared to low-grade glioma cases (mbIoU 0.789 vs. 0.668). Accuracy was worse using the suggested mask (0.572). Stacking best tumor segmentations from transverse MRI slices, mean 3D Dice score for tumor auto-contouring was 0.872, which was improved to 0.919 by combining axial, sagittal, and coronal contours.

Conclusion

The Segment Anything foundation segmentation model can achieve high accuracy for glioma brain tumor segmentation in MRI datasets. The results suggest that foundation segmentation models could facilitate RT treatment planning when properly integrated in a clinical application.
Einfluss der Corona-Pandemie auf Diagnostik und Therapie von Kopf-Hals-Tumoren
Authors: Prokein Benjamin , Dau Michael , Frerich Bernhard
Published: November 2024

Hintergrund

Nach Auftreten der ersten COVID-19-Fälle hatte sich das Virus innerhalb weniger Monate weltweit verbreitet. Hierbei zeigte sich ein Rückgang an ärztlichen Konsultationen. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht, ob dies Auswirkungen auf die Diagnose und Therapie von Kopf-Hals-Tumorerkrankungen hatte – bezogen auf den Zeitraum 2018 bis 2022.

Material und Methode

Kopf-Hals-Tumordaten des Klinischen Krebsregisters (KKR) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern aus dem Zeitraum 2020–2022 wurden den beiden Vorjahren (2018, 2019) gegenübergestellt. Erfasst wurden demografische Daten, Fallzahlen, Daten zu Diagnose, ICD und die TNM-Klassifikation. Die COVID-19-Fälle wurden vom Robert Koch-Institut (RKI) abgefragt. Die Daten wurden mittels Mann-Whitney-U-Test und Korrelation nach Pearson analysiert.

Ergebnisse

Insgesamt konnten 2332 Patientenfälle in die Studie eingeschlossen werden. Im Rahmen des Lockdowns zeigte sich weder ein signifikanter Rückgang der Tumormeldungen an das KKR noch eine signifikante Korrelation zwischen den COVID-19-Fallzahlen zu den Tumordiagnosen. Signifikante Unterschiede zeigten sich innerhalb der T‑Kategorie im Jahr 2022 zu den Prä-COVID-19-Jahren 2018 und 2019. Außerdem wurde eine Verschiebung der relativen Häufigkeiten der einzelnen ICD-10-Codes beobachtet.

Schlussfolgerung

Im Rahmen der COVID-19-Pandemie zeigten sich keine signifikanten Unterschiede der Tumormeldungen beim Vergleich der Jahre 2018 bis 2022. Entgegen den Erwartungen eines Rückgangs der Fallzahlen in der Pandemie durch den Lockdown mit Erhöhung der Tumorstadien konnte sogar eine Reduktion der T‑Kategorie im Jahr 2022 gefunden werden sowie eine Verschiebung der relativen Häufigkeiten einzelner ICD-10-Codes über den Zeitraum der Pandemie.
Leveraging genomic prediction to surpass current yield gains in spring barley
Authors: Åstrand Johanna , Odilbekov Firuz , Vetukuri Ramesh , Ceplitis Alf , Chawade Aakash
Published: November 2024

Key message

Genetic gain in Nordic spring barley varieties was estimated to 1.07% per year.
Additionally, genomic predictive ability for yield was 0.61 in a population of breeding lines.

Barley is one of the most important crops in Europe and meeting the growing demand for food and feed requires continuous increase in yield. Genomic prediction (GP) has the potential to be a cost-efficient tool in breeding for complex traits; however, the rate of yield improvement in current barley varieties is unknown. This study therefore investigated historical and current genetic gains in spring barley and how accounting for row-type population stratification in a breeding population influences GP results. The genetic gain in yield was estimated using historical data from field trials from 2014 to 2022, with 22–60 market varieties grown yearly. The genetic gain was estimated to 1.07% per year for all varieties, serving as a reference point for future breeding progress. To analyse the potential of using GP in spring barley a population of 375 breeding lines of two-row and six-row barley were tested in multi-environment trials in 2019–2022. The genetic diversity of the row-types was examined and used as a factor in the predictions, and the potential to predict untested locations using yield data from other locations was explored. This resulted in an overall predictive ability of 0.61 for yield (kg/ha), with 0.57 and 0.19 for the separate two-row and the six-row breeding lines, respectively. Together this displays the potential of implementing GP in breeding programs and the genetic gain in spring barley market varieties developed through GP will help in quantifying the benefit of GP over conventional breeding in the future.
The emerging role of alternatively activated macrophages to treat acute liver injury
Authors: Humphries Chris , Addison Melisande L. , Dear James W. , Forbes Stuart J.
Published: November 2024

Acute liver injury (ALI) has a clear requirement for novel therapies. One emerging option is the use of alternatively activated macrophages (AAMs); a distinct subtype of macrophage with a role in liver injury control and repair. In this comprehensive review, we provide an overview of the current limited options for ALI, and the potential advantages offered by AAMs. We describe the evidence supporting their use from in vitro studies, pre-clinical animal studies, and human clinical trials. We suggest why the first evidence for the clinical use of AAMs is likely to be found in acetaminophen toxicity, and discuss the specific evidence for AAM use in this population, as well as potential applications for AAMs in other patient populations. The key domains by which the performance of AAMs for the treatment of ALI will be assessed are identified, and remaining challenges to the successful delivery of AAMs to clinic are explored.
Tetracycline and Oxacillin Act Synergistically on Biofilms and Display Increased Efficacy In Vivo Against Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Tooke Amy K. , Hodges Rebecca E. , Pyrah Josie F. , Bayles Kenneth W. , Renshaw Stephen A. , Foster Simon J.
Published: November 2024

Oxacillin (bactericidal) and tetracycline (bacteriostatic) are clinically relevant antibiotics that are routinely prescribed to treat Staphylococcus aureus infections but not conventionally used in combination. There is an urgent need for treatment regimens that can act upon biofilms during infection, associated with chronic infections on indwelling devices, as well as acute planktonic (systemic) infection. Here we show that in an in vitro model oxacillin and tetracycline act synergistically against S. aureus UAMS-1 biofilms, reducing the concentration of both antibiotics necessary to eradicate an established biofilm. Using an in vivo zebrafish larval infection model with S.aureus NewHG, they display improved bacterial clearance compared to each drug alone and can counteract a loss of host phagocytes, an important innate defence against S. aureus. In these cases, the bacteriostatic nature of tetracycline enhances rather than dampens the bactericidal action of oxacillin, although an exact mechanism remains to be elucidated. We suggest a dual therapy could be of clinical use against biofilm-forming S. aureus and has a potential use in patients with a compromised immune system.
Polygenic risk for psychotic disorders in relation to cardiac autonomic dysfunction in unmedicated patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Refisch Alexander , Papiol Sergi , Schumann Andy , Malchow Berend , Bär Karl-Jürgen
Published: November 2024

Cardiac autonomic dysfunction (CADF), mainly characterized by increased heart rate, decreased heart rate variability, and loss of vagal modulation, has been extensively described in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) and their healthy first-degree relatives. As such, it represents an apparent physiological link that contributes to the increased cardiovascular mortality in these patients. Common genetic variation is a putative underlying mechanism, along with lifestyle factors and antipsychotic medications. However, the extent to which CADF is associated with genetic factors for SCZ is unknown. A sample of 83 drug-naive SCZ patients and 96 healthy controls, all of European origin, underwent a 30-minute autonomic assessment under resting conditions. We incorporated parameters from several domains into our model, including time and frequency domains (mean heart rate, low/high frequency ratio) and compression entropy, each of which provides different insights into the dynamics of cardiac autonomic function. These parameters were used as outcome variables in linear regression models with polygenic risk scores (PRS) for SCZ as predictors and age, sex, BMI, smoking status, principal components of ancestry and diagnosis as covariates. Of the three CADF parameters, SCZ PRS was significantly associated with mean heart rate in the combined case/control sample. However, this association was was no longer significant after including diagnosis as a covariate (p = 0.29). In contrast, diagnostic status is statistically significant for all three CADF parameters, accounting for a significantly greater proportion of the variance in mean heart rate compared to SCZ PRS (approximately 16% vs. 4%). Despite evidence for a common genetic basis of CADF and SCZ, we were unable to provide further support for an association between the polygenic burden of SCZ and cardiac autonomic function beyond the diagnostic state. This suggests that there are other important characteristics associated with SCZ that lead to CADF that are not captured by SCZ PRS.
Competition and coordination between traditional and internet hospitals
Authors: Li Zhong-Ping , Chang Aichih Jasmine
Published: November 2024

Motivated by the recent emergence and rapid growth of online healthcare platforms, this paper investigates its impacts on the healthcare ecosystem by taking into consideration of heterogeneous patients, homogeneous service providers and profit-driven hospitals. A game-theoretical model with a queueing framework is developed, and two healthcare systems are considered, including a monopolistic system with either an offline, traditional hospital, or an online, Internet hospital, and a duopolistic system with both kinds of hospitals. Our study finds that in both systems a large population of patients always increases the healthcare supply and demand and the hospital utilization, which leads to an improvement not only in the hospital profitability, but also in the welfare of both patients and service providers. When considering a monopolistic system only, our study suggests that the monopolistic Internet hospital outperforms its counterpart in hospital utilization only when the wait cost is not high (i.e., patients are less sensitive to wait time), especially when the wait cost is medium and the patient-provider ratio is small. When considering a duopolistic system, this study concludes that the decisions of patients, service providers, and hospital managers of both hospitals are interrelated, and that a large population of service providers increases its hospital’s supply, demand, and wage rate, while decreases its wait times. When comparing the two monopolistic with the duopolistic system, the latter outperforms and improves every entity’s utility (i.e., patients, hospital, and society) when there is abundance of service providers with more being allocated to the Internet hospital, whereas the monopolistic system dominates when the patient population is large, and more providers are allocated to the traditional hospital.
A hybrid metaheuristic and simulation approach towards green project scheduling
Authors: Rabet Rahmat , Sajadi Seyed Mojtaba , Tootoonchy Mahshid
Published: November 2024

This research tackles the environmental concern of greenhouse gas emissions in the execution of projects, with a focus on multi-site projects where the transportation of resources is a major source of emissions. Despite growing consciousness among consumers and stakeholders about sustainability, the domain of project scheduling has often overlooked the environmental impact. This paper seeks to bridge this oversight by exploring how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during both project activities and resource transportation. A novel approach is proposed, combining a simulation model with an improved non-dominated sorted genetic algorithm. The simulation model incorporates the stochastic nature of emission rates and costs. This method is further refined with innovative techniques such as magnet-based crossover and mode reassignment. The former is a genetic algorithm operation inspired by magnetic attraction, which allows for a more diverse and effective exploration of solutions by aligning similar ’genes’ from parent solutions. The latter is a strategy for reallocating resources during project execution to optimize efficiency and reduce emissions. The efficacy of the proposed method is validated through testing on 2810 scenarios from established benchmark libraries, 100 additional scenarios adhering to the conventional multi-site problems, and a case study. The Best-Worst Method (BWM) is applied for identifying the best solution. The findings indicate substantial enhancements compared to traditional methods with a 12.7% decrease in project duration, 11.4% in costs, and a remarkable 13.6% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Epistemic commitments have no “Off” button: on the embodiment of commitments by way of model formulation
Authors: Hasnes-Beninson Zvi
Published: November 2024

The current paper examines how a commitment to a principle, adhered to by an individual agent, becomes an accepted standard of an epistemic community. Addressing this question requires three steps: first, to define the terms used throughout the paper, and especially the characteristics of commitments to a principle. The second step is to find a mechanism through which such epistemic commitments are introduced to an epistemic community and in certain cases are adopted as the standard by the community. While there could be several such mechanisms, the current paper focuses on the practice of model formulation. The third step is to demonstrate the analytical framework developed in the first two steps in a case study. The case study chosen for this paper is the unique approach to feedback analysis adopted by the ecologist and population geneticist Richard Levins. In what follows I will show that part of the features that made Levins’ approach unique was his Marxist commitments, and his attempt to embody those commitments in feedback analysis by formally representing them as modeling assumptions.
Association between long-term PM2.5 exposure and mortality on Sumatra Island: Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) 2000–2014
Authors: Siregar Sepridawati , Idiawati Nora , Berekute Abiyu Kerebo , Maulana Muchsin , Pan Wen-Chi , Yu Kuo-Pin
Published: November 2024

The concentration of PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter < 2.5 µm) on Sumatra Island has increased, mainly because of forest and peatland fires, transportation, and industry. Biomass burning releases partially burned carbon into the atmosphere, resulting in a smoky haze containing PM2.5. Air quality has deteriorated quickly, and PM2.5 has become a major health hazard in Indonesia. Studies on long-term exposure to PM2.5 have indicated its associations with both morbidity and mortality. Here, we measured long-term (2000–2014) exposure to PM2.5 on the basis of satellite-derived aerosol optical depth measurements (1 × 1 km2) used to predict ground-level PM2.5 concentrations. Additionally, population data on Sumatra Island residents from the fourth wave of the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) were obtained. We investigated the association between long-term PM2.5 exposure and mortality with a retrospective cohort study design. A total of 2409 subjects aged ≥ 40 years participated in the IFLS-3 beginning in November 2000, and we examined mortality outcomes until the IFLS-5 in September 2014. We used Cox regression models to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) of mortality associated with PM2.5 exposure. According to the adjusted model, the mortality HRs per 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration were 1.10 (95% CI 1.03, 1.17) for all natural causes, 1.17 (95% CI 1.05, 1.25) for cardiovascular causes, and 1.19 (95% CI 1.04, 1.36) for respiratory causes. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with all-natural, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality on Sumatra Island, where PM2.5 levels exceed the WHO and US-EPA air quality standards.
Radiological characterization related to lithology and risk assessment of bottled natural mineral water
Authors: Martínez Joana , Peñalver Alejandra , Riu Jordi , Aguilar Carme , Borrull Francesc
Published: November 2024

The enhancement of natural radioactivity in groundwater, specifically in natural mineral water, is related to the lithological formations through which water bodies or courses pass. Although natural mineral waters are exempt from monitoring for radioactive substances according to Council Directive 2013/51/EURATOM, this study focuses on the radiological characterization of natural mineral water under Spanish Royal Decree 3/2023. The water studied was taken from Catalan aquifers with different lithological characteristics (sedimentary, metamorphic or granitic) and is sold on local markets. Moreover, radiological data on the water was correlated with its lithological origin and the health risk for different age groups was assessed. Our results showed that of the 26 natural mineral waters studied, 10 exceeded gross alpha screening value (100 mBq/L), all from granitic aquifers. Further research on natural individual radionuclides was conducted on these ten samples. 234U and 238U were at around 1100–1600 mBq/L. In addition, 210Pb was found in two samples, which also presented the highest 226Ra activity, associated with granitic bedrock and the presence of 210Po. The annual effective dose was 179.0 µSv/year and 145.9 µSv/year, exceeding 100 µSv/year mainly due to the contribution of 210Pb > 234,238U > 210Po > 226Ra, in this order. After assessing the lifetime cancer risk, these two samples were determined not to pose a health risk due to ingestion. Although no radiological monitoring is required for natural mineral water, further surveillance is recommendable.
Scale-specific effects of urban landscape pattern on the COVID-19 epidemic in Hangzhou, China
Authors: Chen Junbin , Sun Zhou , Wu Yu , Hu Guang , Wen Yanping
Published: November 2024

Context

Understanding the scale-specific effects of different landscape variables on the COVID-19 epidemics is critical for developing the precise and effective prevention and control strategies within urban areas.

Objective

Based on the landscape epidemiology framework, we analyzed the scale-specific effects of urban landscape pattern on COVID-19 epidemics in Hangzhou, China.

Methods

We collected COVID-19 cases in Hangzhou from 2020‒2022 and combined the datasets of land use and land cover (LULC) and social gathering point (SGP) to quantify the urban landscape pattern. Optimal general linear model with stepwise regression was applied to explore the dominant landscape factors driving the COVID-19 transmission in the city. Furthermore, multi-scale geographically weighted regression illustrated the spatial heterogeneity and scale specificity of these landscape variables’ effects to COVID-19 epidemic.

Results

Eight landscape variables of LULC and SGP patterns were identified which explained 68.5% of the variance in spatial risk of COVID-19. Different optimal bandwidths across these variables in MGWR indicated their scale-specific effects. LSI of green space enhanced the spatial risk across the entire region. The effects of landscape contagion, the number of water bodies, LSI of cropland and built-up areas, and the density of commercial houses were detected to vary between urban and suburban areas. The effects of LSI of water bodies and the density of shopping malls were found to vary among different districts.

Conclusions

In this study, we firstly discriminated the scale-specific effects of different landscape variables on the COVID-19 epidemic in the urban region. These findings can help to optimize the differentiated zoning prevention and control strategies for COVID-19 in cities and guide policy-making and urban planning at a multi-scale hierarchical perspective to improve public health and urban sustainability.
Fermionic integrable models and graded Borchers triples
Authors: Bostelmann Henning , Cadamuro Daniela
Published: November 2024

We provide an operator-algebraic construction of integrable models of quantum field theory on 1+1-dimensional Minkowski space with fermionic scattering states. These are obtained by a grading of the wedge-local fields or, alternatively, of the underlying Borchers triple defining the theory. This leads to a net of graded-local field algebras, of which the even part can be considered observable, although it is lacking Haag duality. Importantly, the nuclearity condition implying nontriviality of the local field algebras is independent of the grading, so that existing results on this technical question can be utilized. Application of Haag–Ruelle scattering theory confirms that the asymptotic particles are indeed fermionic. We also discuss connections with the form factor programme.
Numerical analyses of acoustic vibrational resonance in a Helmholtz resonator
Authors: Omoteso K. A. , Ozioko O. , Bagdasar O. , Roy-Layinde T. O. , Diala U. H.
Published: November 2024

In this study, the numerical analyses of a system, which describes the motion of air particles in the cavity of a Helmholtz resonator (HR), excited by a sound wave, was conducted. The low-frequency (LF) signal in the acoustic field is amplitude-modulated by an additive high-frequency (HF) perturbation, which can enhance the detection of the low-frequency, through Vibrational Resonance (VR) phenomena. The focus was on the combined effect, of amplitude and frequency of the acoustic excitation, on the motion of particles and induction of resonance. It was demonstrated that the system exhibits several nonlinear behaviours, VR ceasing to exist for a particular motion of the particles, which is dictated by the excitation frequency in relation to the resonator’s geometry. Furthermore, the regimes in which the performance of the system can be optimized, was identified, which facilitated the design of broadband acoustic resonators, suitable for most applications.
Insight into the dynamics of protected and non-protected carbon pools in four soils with different land uses
Authors: Filep Tibor , Zacháry Dóra , Kovács Andrea Balláné , Király Csilla , Béni Áron , Jakab Gergely , Juhász Evelin Kármen , Szalai Zoltán
Published: November 2024

Background and aims

To provide insight into the patterns of soil organic matter decomposition, changes in the quantity of biopolymers and the correlation between them were followed using 2D correlation spectroscopy (2DCOS) FTIR.

Methods

Soil organic matter fractions with different vegetation/land use (grass, spruce, oak and arable) were examined in a 1-year laboratory incubation. The non-protected organic matter fraction was calculated in terms of particulate organic matter (POM), the carbon stabilized in aggregates as S + A (sand + aggregates), and the mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) as the s + c (silt and clay) fraction.

Results

Forest soils (spruce, oak) exhibited high C and N accumulation in the POM fraction (48, 43% and 29, 22% for spruce and oak, respectively) due to the limited decomposition, caused by low pH and high soil C/N ratio. The 2DCOS analysis revealed that carbohydrate-protein and carbohydrate-lignin correlations could be observed most frequently during incubation. The carbohydrate-protein correlation was negative in all cases, for all fractions and for all vegetation types, which suggests biogeochemical linkage between these biopolymers. The temporal order of the spectral changes was widely varied for the vegetation types and especially for the SOM fractions. Lipid/Lignin → Carbohydrate or Lipid → Lignin/Carboxyl/Protein sequences were found for the protected carbon pools (S + A and s + c), possibly because of the readily available abundant N compounds present in MAOM.

Conclusion

Although lipids and lignin are considered as chemically stable materials that commonly remain constant during decomposition, these compounds were found to be very susceptible in all the fractions.
What Should We Say to Denmark? Mentalism as an Essential Complement to Behavourism
Authors: Kim Hwa Young
Published: November 2024

Should answers to fundamental questions of political philosophy be ‘convincing’ and ‘meaningful’ to real people with vested interests? Normative behaviourists argue that they should, and this can be achieved by avoiding the use of intuitions in our normative theorizing and instead relying on long-term empirical evidence of human behaviour. In this paper, I argue that to obtain the full benefits of behaviourism, it needs to be accompanied by some form of mentalism. Normative behaviourism sacrifices critical distance from the status quo to provide answers that are convincing and meaningful. However, there is no clear benefit obtained from this sacrifice. Furthermore, because of behaviourism’s institutional focus in its current form, it does not have much to say about how to achieve its goals. Behaviourists can solve both problems by incorporating a mentalist account of political agency, one that determines what values and ideals political agents should fight for and helps political agents develop strategies to achieve their goals.
Interplay among Language and Home Variables in Lebanese Students’ Science TIMSS Performance: A Linguistic and Economic Capital Perspective
Authors: Salloum Sara , Younes Rayya , Antoun Maya
Published: November 2024

In Lebanon, science is taught in an international language (French or English) based on a language-in-education policy rooted in Lebanon’s colonial history. Given the intersection among social/socioeconomic class, educational equity, and science performance, learning science in a language other than one’s own raises concerns around economically-marginalized students’ opportunities for quality science education and their development of science understandings and discourse. Bourdieu’s lens of cultural and linguistic capital was utilized to better understand the interplay among socioeconomic status and science performance. Specifically, we examined how different home context variables (including language) influence Lebanese learners’ science performance in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessment. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), we looked at how students performed in science based on how often they spoke the language of the test at home and other home variables such as parents’ education level. The findings indicate that language and various economic and home variables were significantly associated with science performance. Language had a differing effect for English and French tracks, whereby parents’ education level and other home variables emerged more significantly for French track students. Our study underscores the importance of preparing and supporting science teachers for equitable, asset-oriented, and linguistically responsive teaching that enhances diverse learners’ equitable participation and opportunities in the science classroom.
Anatomic Interpretability in Neuroimage Deep Learning: Saliency Approaches for Typical Aging and Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Guo Kevin H. , Chaudhari Nikhil N. , Jafar Tamara , Chowdhury Nahian F. , Bogdan Paul , Irimia Andrei ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: November 2024

The black box nature of deep neural networks (DNNs) makes researchers and clinicians hesitant to rely on their findings. Saliency maps can enhance DNN explainability by suggesting the anatomic localization of relevant brain features. This study compares seven popular attribution-based saliency approaches to assign neuroanatomic interpretability to DNNs that estimate biological brain age (BA) from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Cognitively normal (CN) adults (N = 13,394, 5,900 males; mean age: 65.82 ± 8.89 years) are included for DNN training, testing, validation, and saliency map generation to estimate BA. To study saliency robustness to the presence of anatomic deviations from normality, saliency maps are also generated for adults with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI, $$N$$
N
= 214, 135 males; mean age: 55.3 ± 9.9 years). We assess saliency methods’ capacities to capture known anatomic features of brain aging and compare them to a surrogate ground truth whose anatomic saliency is known a priori. Anatomic aging features are identified most reliably by the integrated gradients method, which outperforms all others through its ability to localize relevant anatomic features. Gradient Shapley additive explanations, input × gradient, and masked gradient perform less consistently but still highlight ubiquitous neuroanatomic features of aging (ventricle dilation, hippocampal atrophy, sulcal widening). Saliency methods involving gradient saliency, guided backpropagation, and guided gradient-weight class attribution mapping localize saliency outside the brain, which is undesirable. Our research suggests the relative tradeoffs of saliency methods to interpret DNN findings during BA estimation in typical aging and after mTBI.
Seeking the first phylogenetic method–Edvard A. Vainio (1853–1929) and his troubled endeavour towards a natural lichen classification in the late nineteenth century Finland
Authors: Lehtonen Samuli
Published: November 2024

Edvard August Vainio was a world-renowned Finnish lichenologist. In Finland, however, he was a controversial person due to his strong pro-Finnish political views. Equally disputed was his opinion that systematics should be based on evolutionary theory and phylogenetic thinking. Vainio was familiar with the ideas of the early German phylogeneticists—especially those of Carl Wilhelm von Nägeli – and, applying them, aimed to create an exact method for building a natural classification of lichens already at the end of the nineteenth century. In this respect, Vainio was a true pioneer, as no actual phylogenetic method had yet been developed. In the general spirit of the time, Vainio focused on finding the ancestors of species and other taxa by comparing primitive and derived features of homologous characters. However, Vainio already understood the concept of sister groups in 1880, the identification of which is the basis of all modern phylogenetic research. Nevertheless, the distinctive method developed by Vainio was not so much focused on the construction of a phylogenetic tree, but on revealing the origin of species through the differentiation and fixation of their polymorphic variation. Indeed, Vainio’s species concept is surprisingly similar to the phylogenetic species concepts presented a hundred years later. Although in many ways progressive, Vainio’s views did not influence the development of phylogenetics more widely, but his discussions are nevertheless a valuable source to understanding the early development of phylogenetic theory.
Beauty - the indispensable category explained, justified and critically employed
Authors: Schumacher Patrik
Published: November 2024

Beauty as the manifestation of aesthetic responses and valuations is a human universal. All societies operate with (a version of) the category of beauty. We all navigate the world aesthetically. Architecture and the design disciplines together shape the outward appearance of the social world. Therefore, beauty as the engaged response to appearances should be an indispensable category of all design discourses, including architectural discourse. However, beauty is an increasingly embattled and by now nearly extinct category within a conscientious architectural discourse that is rightly aspiring to rational accountability and evidence-based propositions. Beauty has been eliminated from the discipline’s discourse because it is seen as subjective and irrational, as an irresponsible diversion or distraction from architecture’s societal tasks. However, beauty is clearly not being abandoned by the end-users of design. Nor are aesthetic choices absent from actual contemporary design practice. Beauty is just no longer being explicitly referred to.
The impact of replacing chemical nitrogen fertilizer with monosodium glutamate waste liquid residue on yield, quality, and carbon emission of rice production
Authors: Zhang Xinru , Zhang Sijia , Li Ao , Zhu Fengting , Zhao Yanting , Ma Dianrong , Meng Bo , Liu Mingda
Published: November 2024

Replacing chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizer with monosodium glutamate waste liquid residue (MSGWLR) is beneficial for achieving clean production in both the monosodium glutamate (MSG) industry and agriculture. However, the impact of this method on rice production and environment  has not yet been clear. This study adopted field experiments to clarify the rice yield, quality and carbon emissions applying conventional application of chemical N fertilizer (CF), reduction of N fertilizer by 20% (N80%), based on reduction of chemical N fertilizer by 20% and replacing 50% chemical N fertilizer with MSGWLR (MSGWLR50%), and replacing 100% chemical N fertilizer (MSGWLR100%). The results showed that compared with CF treatment, MSGWLR100% showed no significant changes in rice yield, milling quality, fatty acid value, and taste quality. The chalkiness rate of rice significantly decreased, and the protein content significantly increased. On the other hand, the carbon emissions from rice production treated with MSGWLR100% were the lowest, with a 58.5% decrease in global warming potential (GWP) compared to CF treatment. This was mainly because MSGWLR100% treatment could provide rich and balanced nutrients for rice growth, and it did not promote greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from paddy field. At the same time, it effectively reduced the indirect carbon emissions in chemical fertilizer production by reducing chemical N fertilizer. Therefore, the MSGWLR100% fertilization treatment is beneficial for cleaner production in the MSG industry and rice cultivation.

Graphical Abstract