bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transformations, Agency and Positive Tipping Points: A Resilience-Based Approach
Authors: Olsson Per , Moore Michele-Lee
Published: March 2024

This chapter focuses on a social-ecological systems (SES) resilience-based approach to critically examine the relationship between tipping points and transformative change. Resilience science provides a framework for understanding the dynamics and interdependencies of complex systems and their ability to persist, adapt, or transform in response to change and uncertainty. Transformation refers to a deliberate and fundamental restructuring of a system or a set of relationships that hold a system in a particular state. We argue that the integration of a resilience-based approach to transformations can enhance the understanding of the link between tipping points and transformations, as well as the agency and capacities required to navigate them. In particular, we focus on how transformations research emphasizes the need to: better understand tipping points as one of many aspects of deeper transformation processes, include consideration of the distributed nature of agency and relationships, and how uncertainties will emerge in relation to shocks and disturbances which will surround tipping points. To achieve this, we drawing on the inter- and transdisciplinary scholarship related to transformations to sustainability including leverage points, social-ecological tipping points, disaster resilience, and case studies. We conclude that social tipping alone is insufficient; instead, there is a need for capacities to navigate the entire tipping process, or the full range of tipping dynamics, toward desired outcomes.
Universal asymptotics for high energy CFT data
Authors: Benjamin Nathan , Lee Jaeha , Ooguri Hirosi , Simmons-Duffin David
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Equilibrium finite temperature observables of a CFT can be described by a local effective action for background fields — a “thermal effective action”. This effective action determines the asymptotic density of states of a CFT as a detailed function of dimension and spin. We discuss subleading perturbative and nonperturbative corrections to the density, comparing with free and holographic examples. We furthermore show how to use the thermal effective action on more complicated geometries at special locations called “hot spots”. The hot spot idea makes a prediction for a CFT partition function on a higher-dimensional version of a genus-2 Riemann surface, in a particular high temperature limit. By decomposing the partition function into a novel higher-dimensional version of genus-2 conformal blocks (which we compute at large scaling dimension), we extract the asymptotic density of heavy-heavy-heavy OPE coefficients in a higher-dimensional CFT. We also compute asymptotics of thermal 1-point functions using the same techniques.
Gravitational self force from scattering amplitudes in curved space
Authors: Kosmopoulos Dimitrios , Solon Mikhail P.
Published: March 2024

Abstract

We employ scattering amplitudes in curved space to model the dynamics of a light probe particle with mass m orbiting in the background spacetime induced by a heavy gravitational source with mass M. Observables are organized as an expansion in m/M to all orders in G — the gravitational self-force expansion. An essential component of our analysis is the backreaction of the heavy source which we capture by including the associated light degrees of freedom. As illustration we consider a Schwarzschild background and verify geodesic motion as well as the first-order self-force correction to two-body scattering through $$\mathcal{O}$$(G3). Amplitudes in curved space offer several advantages, and further developments along these lines may advance the computation of gravitational-wave signals for extreme-mass-ratio inspirals.
Chiral symmetry restoration and the ultraquantum limit of axionic Charge Density Waves in Weyl Semimetals
Authors: Bernabeu Joan , Cortijo Alberto
Published: March 2024

Abstract

A new mechanism for chiral symmetry restoration at extreme high magnetic fields is proposed in the context of the Magnetic Catalysis scenario in Weyl Semimetals. Contrary to previous proposals, here we show that, at very large magnetic fields, the transverse velocity of the axion field, the phase mode of the chiral condensate $$\langle \overline{\Psi }\Psi \rangle $$, becomes effectively one-dimensional and its fluctuations destroy a possible nonzero value of this fermionic condensate. We also show that, despite of the U(1) chiral symmetry not being broken at extremely large magnetic fields, the spectrum of the system is comprised by a well defined gapless bosonic excitation, connected to the axion mode, and a correlated insulating fermionic liquid that is neutral to U(1) chiral transformations. When the theory is supplemented with the inclusion of dynamical electromagnetic fields, the chiral symmetry is broken again, and the conventional scenario of magnetic catalysis can be recovered.
Effect of intraspecific seed trait variation on the germination of eight tropical dry forest species
Authors: Villa-Rivera Natalia , Castellanos-Barliza Jeiner , Mondragón-Botero Ariadna , Barranco-Pérez Willinton
Published: March 2024

Functional traits can have intraspecific and interspecific variations essential in the structure and dynamics of natural communities. These traits may have implications in the germination and seedling establishment phases in seeds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of variations in mass, volume, and nutrient content (C, N, and P) on the germination of eight species representative of the tropical dry forest (TDF). Our results showed that seed size, both in terms of mass and volume, did not predict germination rates or percentages, nor were they related to nutrient content. In contrast, N content was the most important trait in the germination phase. Larger seeds did not germinate more or faster, but they could offer better resistance against desiccation, since they had higher C/N ratios in their tissues, a characteristic of orthodox seeds. The species A. guachapele, B. arborea, H. crepitans, and V. tortuosa presented a high biological potential in terms of their regeneration capacity, particularly, because the characteristics of their seeds, as well as the nutrient content, revealed consistent implications in their reproductive success, promoting high germination percentages in less time. In general, the results obtained in this study provide basic knowledge for future research, offering starting points for further exploration of species-specific adaptations and how they may be affected by the environment.
Advanced tools for molecular characterization of bio-based and biodegradable polymers
Authors: Sibanda Ndumiso , Pfukwa Helen , Bungu Paul Eselem , Pasch Harald
Published: March 2024

Bio-based and biodegradable materials play a vital role in a sustainable and green economy. These materials must exhibit properties that are similar to or better than the properties of oil- or coal-based materials and require sophisticated synthesis technologies and detailed knowledge of structure–property correlations. For comprehensive molecular structure elucidation, advanced analytical methods, including coupled and hyphenated techniques that combine advanced fractionation and information-rich spectroscopic detectors, are an indispensable tool. One important tool for fractionating complex polymers regarding molecular size is size exclusion chromatography. For fractionating polymers with regard to chemical composition, solvent (or temperature) gradient HPLC has been developed. The combination of different liquid chromatography methods in comprehensive two-dimensional HPLC setups is another important tool. Today, a toolbox of HPLC methods is in place that enables the fractionation of complex bio-based and biodegradable polymers according to the most important molecular parameters including molecular size, composition, functionality, and branching. Here, an overview of the different techniques and some major applications is presented. Some representative developments in the field are discussed, and different techniques, experimental protocols, and applications are highlighted.

Graphical Abstract
Deep learning with autoencoders and LSTM for ENSO forecasting
Authors: Ibebuchi Chibuike Chiedozie , Richman Michael B.
Published: March 2024

El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the prominent recurrent climatic pattern in the tropical Pacific Ocean with global impacts on regional climates. This study utilizes deep learning to predict the Niño 3.4 index by encoding non-linear sea surface temperature patterns in the tropical Pacific using an autoencoder neural network. The resulting encoded patterns identify crucial centers of action in the Pacific that serve as predictors of the ENSO mode. These patterns are utilized as predictors for forecasting the Niño 3.4 index with a lead time of at least 6 months using the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) deep learning model. The analysis uncovers multiple non-linear dipole patterns in the tropical Pacific, with anomalies that are both regionalized and latitudinally oriented that should support a single inter-tropical convergence zone for modeling efforts. Leveraging these encoded patterns as predictors, the LSTM - trained on monthly data from 1950 to 2007 and tested from 2008 to 2022 - shows fidelity in predicting the Niño 3.4 index. The encoded patterns captured the annual cycle of ENSO with a 0.94 correlation between the actual and predicted Niño 3.4 index for lag 12 and 0.91 for lags 6 and 18. Additionally, the 6-month lag predictions excel in detecting extreme ENSO events, achieving an 85% hit rate, outperforming the 70% hit rate at lag 12 and 55% hit rate at lag 18. The prediction accuracy peaks from November to March, with correlations ranging from 0.94 to 0.96. The average correlations in the boreal spring were as large as 0.84, indicating the method has the capability to decrease the spring predictability barrier.
The weepy cry – short neural signal bursts in intraoperative neuromonitoring
Authors: Munk Philipp C. B. , Merkelbach Mick E. , Lamadé Wolfram
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This study aimed to establish an in-vitro alternative to existing in-vivo systems to analyze nerve dysfunction using continuous neuromonitoring (C-IONM).

Methods

Three hundred sixty-three recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLN) (N(pigs) = 304, N(cattle) = 59) from food industry cadavers were exposed by microsurgical dissection following euthanasia. After rinsing with Ringer's lactate, they were tempered at 22 °C. Signal evaluation using C-IONM was performed for 10 min at 2 min intervals, and traction forces of up to 2N were applied for a median time of 60 s. Based on their post-traumatic electrophysiological response, RLNs were classified into four groups: Group A: Amplitude ≥ 100%, Group B: loss of function (LOS) 0–25%, Group C: ≥ 25–50%, and Group D: > 50%.

Results

A viable in-vitro neuromonitoring system was established. The median post-traumatic amplitudes were 112%, 88%, 59%, and 9% in groups A, B, C, and D, respectively. A time-dependent further dynamic LOS was observed during the 10 min after cessation of strain. Surprisingly, following initial post-traumatic hyperconductivity, complete LOS occurred in up to 20% of the nerves in group A. The critical threshold for triggering LOS was 2N in all four groups, resulting in immediate paralysis of up to 51.4% of the nerves studied.

Conclusion

Consistent with in-vivo studies, RLN exhibit significant intrinsic electrophysiological variability in response to tensile forces. Moreover, nerve damage progresses even after the complete cessation of strain. Up to 20% of nerves with transiently increased post-traumatic amplitudes above 100% developed complete LOS, which we termed the "weepy cry." This time-delayed response must be considered during the interpretation of C-IONM signals.
Utilizing electronic medical records alert to improve documentation of neonatal acute kidney injury
Authors: Nada Arwa , Bagwell Amy
Published: March 2024

Background

Neonatal acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common yet underdiagnosed condition in neonates with significant implications for long-term kidney health. Lack of timely recognition and documentation of AKI contributes to missed opportunities for nephrology consultation and follow-up, potentially leading to adverse outcomes.

Methods

We conducted a quality improvement (QI) project to address this by incorporating an automated real-time electronic medical record (EMR)-AKI alert system in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Our primary objective was to improve documentation of neonatal AKI (defined as serum creatinine (SCr) > 1.5 mg/dL) by 25% compared to baseline levels. The secondary goal was to increase nephrology consultations and referrals to the neonatal nephrology clinic. We designed an EMR-AKI alert system to trigger for neonates with SCr > 1.5 mg/dL, automatically adding AKI diagnosis to the problem list. This prompted physicians to consult nephrology, refer neonates to the nephrology clinic, and consider medication adjustments.

Results

Our results demonstrated a significant improvement in AKI documentation after implementing the EMR-AKI alert, reaching 100% compared with 7% at baseline (p < 0.001) for neonates with SCr > 1.5 mg/dL. Although the increase in nephrology consultations was not statistically significant (p = 0.5), there was a significant increase in referrals to neonatal nephrology clinics (p = 0.005).

Conclusions

Integration of an EMR alert system with automated documentation offers an efficient and economical solution for improving neonatal AKI diagnosis and documentation. This approach enhances healthcare provider engagement, streamlines workflows, and supports QI. Widespread adoption of similar approaches can lead to improved patient outcomes and documentation accuracy in neonatal AKI care.

Graphical Abstract
Protocolized oxytocin infusion for elective cesarean delivery: a retrospective before-and-after study
Authors: Nagai Azusa , Shiko Yuki , Noguchi Shohei , Ikeda Yusuke , Kawasaki Yohei , Mazda Yusuke
Published: March 2024

Purpose

To elucidate the clinical impact of the novel oxytocin protocol using a syringe pump with a stratified dose compared with the conventional practice of putting oxytocin into the bag.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study. We collected the data of the patients who underwent elective cesarean delivery under neuraxial anesthesia between June 2019 and May 2020. The patients were allocated to two groups according to oxytocin administration methods; the control group (the attending anesthesiologist put oxytocin 5–10 units in the infusion bag and adjusted manually after childbirth) and the protocol group (the oxytocin protocol gave oxytocin bolus 1 or 3 units depending on the PPH risk, followed by 5 or 10 unit h−1 via a syringe pump). We compared the total amount of oxytocin within 24 h postpartum, estimated blood loss, and adverse clinical events within 24 h postpartum between the two groups.

Results

During the study period, 262 parturients were included. Oxytocin doses of intraoperative and postoperative were significantly lower in the protocol group (9.7 vs. 11.7 units, intraoperative, 15.9 vs. 18 units, postoperative). The subgroup analyses showed that the impact was more remarkable in the low PPH risk than in the high PPH risk. The multivariate linear regression analyses also confirmed the difference. The groups had no significant difference in blood loss, requirement of additional uterotonics, and other adverse events.

Conclusions

Our oxytocin infusion protocol significantly reduced oxytocin requirements in elective cesarean delivery under neuraxial anesthesia without increasing blood loss. However, we could not find other clinical benefits of the novel protocol.
Phosphate environment and phosphate uptake studies: past and future
Authors: Mimura Tetsuro , Reid Robert
Published: March 2024

The present review explains briefly the importance of phosphorus in the biological activities and states that the most phosphorus of living organisms is absorbed by plants from the soil. Next, previous studies on the mechanisms of phosphate uptake by plants are reviewed as H+-dependent or Na+-dependent co-transport systems and the phosphate environment in which plants grow is discussed. The evolution of transporter genes and their regulation mechanisms of expression is discussed in relation to the phosphorus environment.
Targeting methanotrophs and isolation of a novel psychrophilic Methylobacter species from a terrestrial Arctic alkaline methane seep in Lagoon Pingo, Central Spitsbergen (78° N)
Authors: Patil Shalaka K. , Islam Tajul , Tveit Alexander , Hodson Andrew , Øvreås Lise
Published: March 2024

The microbial diversity associated with terrestrial groundwater seepage through permafrost soils is tightly coupled to the geochemistry of these fluids. Terrestrial alkaline methane seeps from Lagoon Pingo, Central Spitsbergen (78°N) in Norway, with methane-saturated and oxygen-limited groundwater discharge providing a potential habitat for methanotrophy. Here, we report on the microbial community’s comparative analyses and distribution patterns at two sites close to Lagoon Pingo’s methane emission source. To target methane-oxidizing bacteria from this system, we analysed the microbial community pattern of replicate samples from two sections near the main methane seepage source. DNA extraction, metabarcoding and subsequent sequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed microbial communities where the major prokaryotic phyla were Pseudomonadota (42–47%), Gemmatimonadota (4–14%) and Actinobacteriota (7–11%). Among the Pseudomonadota, members of the genus Methylobacter were present at relative abundances between 1.6 and 4.7%. Enrichment targeting the methane oxidising bacteria was set up using methane seep sediments as inoculum and methane as the sole carbon and energy source, and this resulted in the isolation of a novel psychrophilic methane oxidizer, LS7-T4AT. The optimum growth temperature for the isolate was 13 °C and the pH optimum was 8.0. The morphology of cells was short rods, and TEM analysis revealed intracytoplasmic membranes arranged in stacks, a distinctive feature for Type I methanotrophs in the family Methylomonadaceae of the class Gammaproteobacteria. The strain belongs to the genus Methylobacter based on high 16S rRNA gene similarity to the psychrophilic species of Methylobacter psychrophilus Z-0021T (98.95%), the psychrophilic strain Methylobacter sp. strain S3L5C (99.00%), and the Arctic mesophilic species of Methylobacter tundripaludum SV96T (99.06%). The genome size of LS7-T4AT was 4,338,157 bp with a G + C content of 47.93%. The average nucleotide identities (ANIb) of strain LS7-T4AT to 10 isolated strains of genus Methylobacter were between 75.54 and 85.51%, lower than the species threshold of 95%. The strain LS7-T4AT represents a novel Arctic species, distinct from other members of the genus Methylobacter, for which the name Methylobacter svalbardensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type of strain is LS7-T4AT (DSMZ:114308, JCM:39463).
On the Definition of Reaction Progress Variable in Exhaust Gas Recirculation Type Turbulent MILD Combustion of Methane and n-Heptane
Authors: Abo-Amsha Khalil , Awad Hazem S. A. M. , Ahmed Umair , Chakraborty Nilanjan , Swaminathan Nedunchezhian
Published: March 2024

Three-dimensional Direct Numerical Simulations of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)-type Moderate or Intense Low Oxygen Dilution (MILD) combustion of homogeneous mixtures of methane- and n-heptane–air have been conducted with skeletal chemical mechanisms. The suitability of different choices of reaction progress variable (which is supposed to increase monotonically from zero in the unburned gas to one in fully burned products) based on the mass fractions of different major species and non-dimensional temperature have been analysed in detail. It has been found that reaction progress variable definitions based on oxygen mass fraction, and linear combination of CO, CO2, H2 and H2O mass fractions (i.e. $${c}_{O2}$$

c

O
2

and $${c}_{c}$$

c
c

) capture all the extreme values of the major species in the range between zero and one under MILD conditions. A reaction progress variable based on fuel mass fraction is found to be unsuitable for heavy hydrocarbons, such as n-heptane, since the fuel breaks down to smaller molecules before the major reactants (products) are completely consumed (formed). Moreover, it has been found that the reaction rates of $${c}_{O2}$$

c

O
2

and $${c}_{c}$$

c
c

exhibit approximate linear behaviours with the heat release rate in both methane and n-heptane MILD combustion. The interdependence of different mass fractions in the EGR-type homogeneous mixture combustion is considerably different from the corresponding 1D unstretched premixed flames. The current findings indicate that the tabulated chemistry approach based on premixed laminar flames may need to be modified to account for EGR-type MILD combustion. Furthermore, both the reaction rate and scalar dissipation rate of $${c}_{O2}$$

c

O
2

and $${c}_{c}$$

c
c

are found to be non-linearly related in both methane and n-heptane MILD combustion cases but the qualitative nature of this correlation for n-heptane is different from that in methane. This suggests that the range of validity of SDR-based turbulent combustion models can be different for homogeneous MILD combustion of different fuels.
Comparing apples and oranges? Investigating the consistency of CPU and memory profiler results across multiple java versions
Authors: Watkinson Myles , Brownlee Alexander E. I.
Published: March 2024

Profiling is an important tool in the software developer’s box, used to identify hot methods where most computational resources are used, to focus efforts at improving efficiency. Profilers are also important in the context of Genetic improvement (GI) of software. GI applies search-based optimisation to existing software with many examples of success in a variety of contexts. GI generates variants of the original program, testing each for functionality and properties such as run time or memory footprint, and profiling can be used to target the code variations to increase the search efficiency. We report on an experimental study comparing two profilers included with different versions of the Java Development Kit (JDK), HPROF (JDK 8) and Java Flight Recorder (JFR) (JDK 8, 9, and 17), within the GI toolbox Gin on six open-source applications, for both run time and memory use. We find that a core set of methods are labelled hot in most runs, with a long tail appearing rarely. We suggest five repeats enough to overcome this noise. Perhaps unsurprisingly, changing the profiler and JDK dramatically change the hot methods identified, so profiling must be rerun for new JDKs. We also show that using profiling for test case subset selection is unwise, often missing relevant members of the test suite. Similar general patterns are seen for memory profiling as for run time but the identified hot methods are often quite different.
An energy-aware module placement strategy in fog-based healthcare monitoring systems
Authors: Hossam Hadeer S. , Abdel-Galil Hala , Belal Mohamed
Published: March 2024

Fog computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) have revolutionized healthcare monitoring systems, enabling real-time health data collection and transmission while overcoming cloud computing limitations. However, efficiently selecting fog nodes for application modules with varying deadline requirements and ensuring adherence to quality of service (QoS) criteria pose significant challenges due to resource constraints and device limitations. In this paper, we present a novel two-layered hierarchical design for fog devices, leveraging cluster aggregation to optimize the selection of fog nodes for healthcare applications. We introduce three efficient algorithms to minimize system latency and reduce energy consumption in fog computing environments. Our proposed model is rigorously evaluated using the iFogSim toolkit and compared with cloud-based and latency-aware model [Mahmud R, Ramamohanarao K, Buyya R in ACM Transactions on Internet Technology.19, 2018, 10.1145/3186592]. In four distinct network topologies, our model exhibits an average latency reduction of at least 87% and energy consumption reduction of at least 76% when compared to the Cloud-based model. Similarly, when compared to the Latency-aware model proposed in [Mahmud R, Ramamohanarao K, Buyya R in ACM Transactions on Internet Technology. 19, 2018, 10.1145/3186592], our model showcases a minimum reduction of 43% in average latency and 27% in energy consumption. Our contribution lies in addressing the complexity of selecting fog nodes for application modules with diverse deadline requirements, while ensuring QoS. This work advances the field of real-time healthcare monitoring systems, promising substantial improvements in efficiency and effectiveness.
Impact of Opera on Resilience and Thriving in Serious Mental Illness: Pilot Evaluation of The Center Cannot Hold Part 2 and Resilience Workshop
Authors: Wells Kenneth B. , Zhang Lily , Saks Elyn R. , Bilder Robert M.
Published: March 2024

There are few studies of impacts of arts on recovery in schizphrenia, on audience mood and social connection. We developed a pilot evaluation of opera performances in a university setting on Elyn Saks’ journey from psychosis, teaching law and falling in love, coupled with pre-opera workshop on approaches to resilience. Using surveys, primary outcomes were pre and post affect (PANAS-X positive, negative; visual “affect grid” touchscreen for affective valence and arousal) and social connectedness with secondary outcomes of increasing understanding, reducing stigma and willingness to socialize or serve persons with mental illness. Of 107 live and 117 online attendees, 64 completed pre, 24 post, and 22 both surveys. Respondent characteristics were similar for those with pre and pre and post surveys: average age mid 50’s, half female, 10% sexual minority, half White/Caucasian, 13% Hispanic/Latino, 11% Black/African American and 20% Asian; of 22 with pre and post, 9 (41%) were providers. There were significant post–pre increases in positive affect (PANAS-X) and arousal (visual grid) and social connectedness (Cohen’s d = 0.82 to 1.24, each p < .001); and willingness to socialize with someone with schizophrenia (d = 0.68, p = .011). In this pilot evaluation of opera in a university auditorium, despite small sample sizes, there were significant post–pre increases in audience positive affect and social connection, which could reflect selection (those with positive response completing surveys) or may suggest that arts events promote well-being and connection, issues for future larger studies.
Redesigning Rooms of Clients With Intellectual Disabilities and Severe Behavioral Problems in a Long-term Care Facility: Three Case Studies
Authors: Roos Jacqueline , Möhn Andrea , Ponsioen Albert , Didden Robert
Published: March 2024

To observe changes in three clients with intellectual disabilities and severe behavioral problems and staff in a long-term care residential facility after redesigning the clients’ rooms by making them more personal and homely, adjusting the amount of stimuli, changing the layout, connecting to the outdoor area, and using high-quality natural materials. Relatively many clients with intellectual disabilities exhibit severe problem behaviors, including self-harm, aggression toward others, and repeated destruction of their own rooms, which can eventually result in a barren, inhumane living environment. Research on these clients is limited. Data were collected in a mixed methods study in which quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed. After the redesigns, positive changes were observed in the well-being and behavior of all three clients, for example, with respect to quality of life, privacy, freedom of choice, problem behavior, mood, cognition, activities of daily living, leisure activities, social behavior, self-harm, and constraints. There were no changes in the use of psychotropic medication. Quality of life scores increased in two cases, but were significant in only one. Emotional and behavioral problem scores decreased significantly in two cases, but in only one case these results were maintained at follow-up. Staff experienced a more pleasant, safe, and functional work environment, with improved provision of indicated care and interaction. Absenteeism decreased significantly in two of the three cases. Redesigning clients’ rooms could potentially be a promising intervention for clients with intellectual disabilities and severe chronic behavioral problems.
In vivo brain MRS at a 1.5T clinical scanner: Optimized derivative fast Fourier transform for high-resolution spectra from time signals encoded with and without water suppression
Authors: Belkić Dževad , Belkić Karen
Published: March 2024

We study single-voxel in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of white matter in the brain of a 25 year old healthy male volunteer. The free induction decay (FID) data of short length (0.5KB) are encoded at a long echo time (272 ms) with and without water suppression at a clinical scanner of a weak magnetic field (1.5T). For these FIDs, the fast Fourier transform (FFT) gives sparse, rough and metabolically uninformative spectra. In such spectra, resolution and signal to noise ratio (SNR) are poor. Exponential or Gaussian filters applied to the FIDs can improve SNR in the FFT spectra, but only at the expense of the worsened resolution. This impacts adversely on in vivo MRS for which both resolution and SNR of spectra need to be very good or excellent, without necessarily resorting to stronger magnetic fields. Such a long sought goal is at last within reach by means of the optimized derivative fast Fourier transform (dFFT), which dramatically outperforms the FFT in every facet of signal estimations. The optimized dFFT simultaneously improves resolution and SNR in derivative spectra. They are presently shown to be of comparably high quality irrespective of whether water is suppressed or not in the course of FID encodings. The ensuing benefits of utmost relevance in the clinic include a substantial shortening of the patient examination time. The implied significantly better cost-effectiveness should make in vivo MRS at low-field clinical scanners (1.5T) more affordable to ever larger circles of hospitals worldwide.
Perception of Acceptance and Discrimination Among the LGBTQI + Community in their Churches and its Association with Spiritual Dryness: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study in Germany
Authors: Büssing Arndt , Starck Lorethy , van Treeck Klaus , Roser Traugott
Published: March 2024

Data from a cross-sectional survey with options for free text statements revealed that people who identify themselves as part of the LGBTQI+ community (n = 417) experienced both acceptance and discrimination by church members. Their negative experiences affected their relationship with God in terms of spiritual dryness and loss of faith. In regression analyses, the best predictors of life satisfaction and psychological well-being were self-acceptance and low spiritual dryness. This self-acceptance as a resource, mediated the link between spiritual dryness and life satisfaction. Nevertheless, 96% still wish for a church/faith community that welcomes all people—and accepts them as they are and feel.
Optimal clustering from noisy binary feedback
Authors: Ariu Kaito , Ok Jungseul , Proutiere Alexandre , Yun Seyoung
Published: March 2024

We study the problem of clustering a set of items from binary user feedback. Such a problem arises in crowdsourcing platforms solving large-scale labeling tasks with minimal effort put on the users. For example, in some of the recent reCAPTCHA systems, users clicks (binary answers) can be used to efficiently label images. In our inference problem, items are grouped into initially unknown non-overlapping clusters. To recover these clusters, the learner sequentially presents to users a finite list of items together with a question with a binary answer selected from a fixed finite set. For each of these items, the user provides a noisy answer whose expectation is determined by the item cluster and the question and by an item-specific parameter characterizing the hardness of classifying the item. The objective is to devise an algorithm with a minimal cluster recovery error rate. We derive problem-specific information-theoretical lower bounds on the error rate satisfied by any algorithm, for both uniform and adaptive (list, question) selection strategies. For uniform selection, we present a simple algorithm built upon the K-means algorithm and whose performance almost matches the fundamental limits. For adaptive selection, we develop an adaptive algorithm that is inspired by the derivation of the information-theoretical error lower bounds, and in turn allocates the budget in an efficient way. The algorithm learns to select items hard to cluster and relevant questions more often. We compare the performance of our algorithms with or without the adaptive selection strategy numerically and illustrate the gain achieved by being adaptive.
SSR Marker–Based Genetic Diversity and Relationship Analyses of Stephania tetrandra S. Moore
Authors: Wu Mengli , Bai Yanyuan , Huang Liwei , Dong Zhipeng , Li Yaoyan , Yan Guoyue , Xie Yangjiao
Published: March 2024

Stephania tetrandra S. Moore (family: Menispermaceae), a dioecious herbaceous vine and the only species in the subgenus Botryodiscia of the genus Stephania of the family Menispermaceae, is mainly distributed in hilly areas south of the Huaihe River in China and found in many provinces of China, showing a high genetic diversity. This paper aimed to study genetic diversity of and genetic relationship among individuals of S. tetrandra within China to provide a basis for evaluation, exploitation, and utilization of S. tetrandra by using simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers. Our results show that effective products were amplified from the 26 screened SSR gene loci, a total of 183 alleles amplified (2–16 alleles amplified by each pair of primers). Among the 26 loci, 16 had a PIC value higher than 0.5, indicating a high level of polymorphism. For most of the loci, the number of effective alleles was lower than that of the observed alleles, and the observed heterozygosity was lower than the expected heterozygosity. The genetic differentiation coefficient (0.021–0.547) was lower than 0.05 (low level of genetic differentiation) for 7 loci and higher than 0.25 (very high level of genetic differentiation) for 2 loci, and had a value representing a medium level of genetic differentiation for the remaining 17 loci. The intra-population inbreeding coefficient had a positive value for 21 loci, suggesting the presence of inbreeding and homozygous excess. The gene flow value was bigger than 1, indicating that genetic drift and natural selection played an unimportant role in population genetic differentiation of S. tetrandra. Based on discriminant analysis of principal components and Bayesian Information Criterion, K-means clustering was performed on 620 samples. These samples were divided into 9 genetic clusters, whose similarity coefficients and genetic distances were 0.755–0.918 and 0.067–0.280, respectively, indicating that these clusters were highly similar and short-distanced. The Bayesian clustering analysis was implemented in the STRUCTURE software to analyze the genetic structure of S. tetrandra and it was found that the 620 samples could be clustered into 5 ancestor groups; the 9 clusters and 40 natural populations inherited genes from the 5 groups to varying degrees, but the proportion of genes inherited from the 5 groups by each cluster and natural population differed. S. tetrandra was characterized by the presence of population structure and pronounced genetic subdivision, which, together with the presence of gene flow, may indicate a relatively stable recent state of these populations.
Operative efficiency: a comparative analysis of Versius and da Vinci robotic systems in abdominal surgery
Authors: Halabi Mouhammad , Khoury Kayanne , Alomar Abdulrahman , Dahdah Joseph El , Hassan Obai , Hayyan Khadija , Bishara Engy , Moussa Hatem
Published: March 2024

Robotic-assisted surgery has gained momentum in the pursuit of improved minimally invasive procedures. The adoption of new robotic platforms, such as the Versius, raises concerns about safety, efficacy, and learning curves. This study compares the Versius to the well-established da Vinci in terms of operative time and patient population. Retrospective data collection was conducted on patient data from inguinal hernia surgery, ventral hernia surgery, and cholecystectomies performed between February 2022 and March 2023 at the American Hospital of Dubai. Only experienced cases were included, ensuring proficiency with robotic technology. Versius had longer procedure times in inguinal and ventral hernia surgeries but not in cholecystectomy. No intraoperative complications were observed in either system. This study demonstrates that Versius can provide comparable outcomes to the da Vinci in abdominal surgery, with no observed intraoperative complications.
Getting HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) into Private Pharmacies: Global Delivery Models and Research Directions
Authors: Roche Stephanie D. , Were Daniel , Crawford Natalie D. , Tembo Angela , Pintye Jillian , Bukusi Elizabeth , Ngure Kenneth , Ortblad Katrina F.
Published: March 2024

Purpose of Review

To provide an overview of the current state of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery via private sector pharmacies globally, to discuss the context-specific factors that have influenced the design and implementation of different pharmacy-based PrEP delivery models in three example settings, and to identify future research directions.

Recent Findings

Multiple high- and low-income countries are implementing or pilot testing PrEP delivery via private pharmacies using a variety of delivery models, tailored to the context. Current evidence indicates that pharmacy-based PrEP services are in demand and generally acceptable to clients and pharmacy providers. Additionally, the evidence suggests that with proper training and oversight, pharmacy providers are capable of safely initiating and managing clients on PrEP. The delivery of PrEP services at private pharmacies also achieves similar levels of PrEP initiation and continuation as traditional health clinics, but additionally reach individuals underserved by such clinics (e.g., young men; minorities), making pharmacies well-positioned to increase overall PrEP coverage. Implementation of pharmacy-based PrEP services will look different in each context and depend not only on the state of the private pharmacy sector, but also on the extent to which key needs related to governance, financing, and regulation are addressed.

Private pharmacies are a promising delivery channel for PrEP in diverse settings. Countries with robust private pharmacy sectors and populations at HIV risk should focus on aligning key areas related to governance, financing, and regulation that have proven critical to pharmacy-based PrEP delivery while pursuing an ambitious research agenda to generate information for decision-making. Additionally, the nascency of pharmacy-based PrEP delivery in both high- and low-and-middle-income settings presents a prime opportunity for shared learning and innovation.
Psychological scars of genocide: a systematic review of post-traumatic outcomes in Kurdish Anfal survivors
Authors: Mahmood Harem Nareeman , Ahmed Darya Rostam , Neldner Sina , Neuner Frank
Published: March 2024

The Anfal genocide, including the infamous Halabja chemical attack, has imprinted deep scars on the Kurdish community in Iraq that lasted for decades. Despite significant historical documentation, the enduring psychological impact on survivors is less examined. This systematic review synthesizes existing research to address this gap. Adhering to the PRISMA guidelines, this review systematically searched databases for scholarly articles examining the mental health of Kurdish survivors following the 1988 Anfal genocide, with a focus on PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Of the initial 201 articles identified, seven met the inclusion criteria. These studies were subjected to a thorough data extraction and qualitative synthesis, and their quality was appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The selected studies encompassed a combined sample of 760 participants, ranging in age from 7 to 92 years. The findings revealed high prevalence rates of PTSD, particularly in children, with a prevalence rate of 87%. In adults, PTSD and depression prevalence rates in unselected samples were estimated at 86.2% and 49%, respectively. Qualitative findings from survivors reveal a complex interplay of depression, intrusive memories, and societal isolation, compounded by poverty and discrimination, with health concerns like respiratory and ocular problems further exacerbating psychological distress. However, non-representative samples and absence of control groups limit result generalization. The literature reviewed indicates substantial psychological distress among the Anfal genocide survivors, underscoring an urgent need for targeted mental health interventions. Future research needs representative samples and validated tools for precise prevalence assessment and comprehensive impact understanding.
Differences in Subjective and Psychological Well-Being of Romanian Adolescents over a Four-Year Period and its Relationship with Free Time
Authors: Tejada-Gallardo Claudia , Bălţătescu Sergiu , Alsinet Carles , Bacter Claudia
Published: March 2024

The aim of this study is to explore changes in subjective well-being (life satisfaction and positive affect), as well as psychological well-being among Romanian adolescents over a 4-year period using data from the Children’s Worlds project (Waves 2 and 3). Participants were 12-year-olds (N = 1,504 in 2015; N = 1,145 in 2019). The findings indicated a decline in positive affect and psychological prosperity with the passage of time, while life satisfaction remained constant. To investigate factors influencing the decline, we examined the relationships between well-being and the amount of time adolescents spent in their free time (leisure and duties), as well as their satisfaction with their free time. Leisure activities predicted both well-being measures over time. Duties predicted subjective well-being at both waves but only predicted psychological well-being in Wave 3. Satisfaction with free time predicted both well-being approaches only in Wave 3. The findings suggest that factors related to free time do not contribute to declines in well-being, as they show positive associations with subjective and psychological well-being. The declines likely stem from other unexplored variables, underscoring the need for additional research on contributors to the well-being of Romanian adolescents, particularly following disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Geometry-aware 3D pose transfer using transformer autoencoder
Authors: Liu Shanghuan , Gai Shaoyan , Da Feipeng , Waris Fazal
Published: March 2024

3D pose transfer over unorganized point clouds is a challenging generation task, which transfers a source’s pose to a target shape and keeps the target’s identity. Recent deep models have learned deformations and used the target’s identity as a style to modulate the combined features of two shapes or the aligned vertices of the source shape. However, all operations in these models are point-wise and independent and ignore the geometric information on the surface and structure of the input shapes. This disadvantage severely limits the generation and generalization capabilities. In this study, we propose a geometry-aware method based on a novel transformer autoencoder to solve this problem. An efficient self-attention mechanism, that is, cross-covariance attention, was utilized across our framework to perceive the correlations between points at different distances. Specifically, the transformer encoder extracts the target shape’s local geometry details for identity attributes and the source shape’s global geometry structure for pose information. Our transformer decoder efficiently learns deformations and recovers identity properties by fusing and decoding the extracted features in a geometry attentional manner, which does not require corresponding information or modulation steps. The experiments demonstrated that the geometry-aware method achieved state-of-the-art performance in a 3D pose transfer task. The implementation code and data are available at https://github.com/SEULSH/Geometry-Aware-3D-Pose-Transfer-Using-Transformer-Autoencoder.
A CFRP Passenger Floor Stanchion Underwent Dynamic Buckling Structural Testing
Authors: Di Mauro G. , Guida M. , Ricci F. , Maio L.
Published: March 2024

The work focuses on the study of the structural behaviour of a composite floor beam in the cargo area of a commercial aircraft subjected to static and dynamic loads (typical of hard or crash landing). Experimental tests have been performed in the laboratories of the Dept. of Industrial Engineering (UniNA) jointly with the development of numerical models suitable to correctly simulate the phenomenon through the LS-DYNA software. The definition of a robust numerical model allowed to evaluate the possibility of buckling triggering. The test article was equipped with potting supports on both ends of the tested beam, filling the pots with epoxy resin toughened with glass fiber nanoparticles. This allowed to uniformly load the beam ends in compression and to carry out the tests loading the specimen statically and dynamically, to observe the differences in the behaviour of the beam under two different types of applied load. The comparison between the numerical and the experimental results shows that the dynamic buckling was triggered by a quantitatively smaller load than in the static case. On the other hand, it is observed this phenomenon to postpone the failure of the structure, due to the significantly higher displacement with respect to the quasi-static case to reach that condition.
The Mirror Account of Hope and Fear
Authors: Palmqvist Carl-Johan
Published: March 2024

I provide a unified account of hope and fear as propositional attitudes. This “mirror account” is based on the historical idea that the only difference between hope and fear is the conative attitude involved, positive for hope and negative for fear. My analysis builds on a qualified version of the standard account of hope. The epistemic condition is formulated in terms of live possibility and the conative according to a non-reductive view on desire and aversion. The account demonstrates the theoretical fruitfulness of accepting Jack M. C. Kwong’s distinction between hope and fear as propositional attitudes and experiential states.
Dynamic models for impact-initiated stress waves through snow columns
Authors: Verplanck Samuel Vincent , Adams Edward Eagan
Published: March 2024

The objective of this research is to model snow's response to dynamic, impact loading. Two constitutive relationships are considered: elastic and Maxwell-viscoelastic. These material models are applied to laboratory experiments consisting of 1000 individual impacts across 22 snow column configurations. The columns are 60 cm tall with a 30 cm by 30 cm cross-section. The snow ranges in density from 135 to 428 kg m−3 and is loaded with both short-duration (~1 ms) and long-duration (~10 ms) impacts. The Maxwell-viscoelastic model more accurately describes snow's response because it contains a mechanism for energy dissipation, which the elastic model does not. Furthermore, the ascertained model parameters show a clear dependence on impact duration; shorter duration impacts resulted in higher wave speeds and greater damping coefficients. The stress wave's magnitude is amplified when it hits a stiffer material because of the positive interference between incident and reflected waves. This phenomenon is observed in the laboratory and modeled with the governing equations.