bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Paired and Unpaired Deep Learning Methods for Physically Accurate Super-Resolution Carbonate Rock Images
Authors: Niu Yufu , Jackson Samuel J. , Alqahtani Naif , Mostaghimi Peyman , Armstrong Ryan T.
Published: August 2022

X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) has been widely leveraged to characterise the pore-scale geometry of subsurface porous rocks. Recent developments in super-resolution (SR) methods using deep learning allow for the digital enhancement of low-resolution (LR) images over large spatial scales, creating SR images comparable to high-resolution (HR) ground truth images. This circumvents the common trade-off between resolution and field-of-view. An outstanding issue is the use of paired LR and HR data, which is often required in the training step of such methods but is difficult to obtain. In this work, we rigorously compare two state-of-the-art SR deep learning techniques, using both paired and unpaired data, with like-for-like ground truth data. The first approach requires paired images to train a convolutional neural network (CNN), while the second approach uses unpaired images to train a generative adversarial network (GAN). The two approaches are compared using a micro-CT carbonate rock sample with complicated micro-porous textures. We implemented various image-based and numerical verifications and experimental validation to quantitatively evaluate the physical accuracy and sensitivities of the two methods. Our quantitative results show that the unpaired GAN approach can reconstruct super-resolution images as precise as the paired CNN method, with comparable training times and dataset requirements. This unlocks new applications for micro-CT image enhancement using unpaired deep learning methods; image registration is no longer needed during the data processing stage. Decoupled images from data storage platforms can be exploited to train networks for SR digital rock applications. This opens up a new pathway for various applications related to multi-scale flow simulations in heterogeneous porous media.
Detecting and Locating the Site of Local Relapse Using 18F-PSMA-1007 Imaging After Primary Treatment of 135 Prostate Cancer Patients—Potential Impact on PSMA-Guided Radiation Therapy
Authors: Koerber S. A. , Kroener R. C. , Dendl K. , Kratochwil C. , Fink C. A. , Ristau J. , Winter E. , Herfarth K. , Hatiboglu G. , Hohenfellner M. , Haberkorn U. , Debus J. , Giesel F. L.
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Due to limited imaging options, the visualization of a local relapse of prostate cancer used to pose a considerable challenge. However, since the integration of 18F-PSMA-1007-PET/CT into the clinic, a relapsed tumor can now easily be detected by hybrid imaging. The present study aimed to evaluate and map the allocate relapse in a large cohort of prostate cancer patients focusing on individual patient management conclusions for radiation therapy.

Procedures

The current study included 135 men with prostate cancer after primary treatment who underwent 18F-PSMA-1007-PET/CT due to biochemical relapse detecting a local relapse. Imaging data were reassessed and analyzed with regard to relapse locations. For the correlation of tumor foci with clinical data, we used binary logistic regression models as well as the Kruskal–Wallis test and Mann–Whitney test.

Results

In total, 69.6% of all patients (mean age: 65 years) underwent prostatectomy while 30.4% underwent radiation therapy. PET imaging detected most frequently a unifocal relapse (72.6%). There was a statistically significantly higher rate of ipsilateral cases among the relapsed tumors. Comparing both treatment approaches, tumors relapsed most commonly within the posterior region after surgery and transition/peripheral zone after radiation therapy, respectively.

Conclusions

The present study confirms that 18F-PSMA-1007-PET/CT is highly suitable for the localization and allocation of a local relapse in patients with prostate cancer. The data enable further optimizing dose prescriptions and target volume delineations of radiation therapy in the future.
Study of the structural characteristics, optical properties, and electrical conductivity of doped [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]TF nanofiber composite using experimental data and TD-DFT/DMol3 computations
Authors: kenawy El-Refaie , Ibrahim Ali , Al-Hossainy Ahmed F.
Published: August 2022

The powder form of the new nanofiber composite of poly(acrylonitrile-co-methylmethacrylate) (P(An-MMa)) with zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) was synthesized using the sol–gel method and subsequently converted to a thin film [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]TF via the physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique. Numerous characterization techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) optical spectroscopy, were used to characterize [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]TF. Additionally, using density functional theory (DFT), optimization via time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT/DMol3) and Cambridge Serial Total Energy Bundle (TD-DFT/CASTEP) was developed. The TD-DFT calculations accurately matched the observed XRD and Raman spectra and validated the molecular structure of the examined materials. The average crystallite size of [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]TF, as determined by XRD calculations, is 171.04 nm. The SEM image depicts a one-dimensional morphological structure made up of tightly packed fibrous nanowires or brushes. The optical properties of the films were determined using optical absorbance spectrophotometric results in the 200–850-nm wavelength range. The optical energy bandgaps computed using Tauc’s equation for [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]TF are 2.352 and 2.253 eV, respectively, whereas the isolated molecule of the composite [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]Iso has a bandgap of 2.415 eV as determined by TD-DFT/DMol3. The optical characteristics predicted by CASTEP in TD-DFT are in good agreement with the experimental values. The investigated large optical energy bandgap nanofiber composite is advantageous for some energy storage applications.
Physicochemical and biological ageing processes of (micro)plastics in the environment: a multi-tiered study on polyethylene
Authors: Binda Gilberto , Zanetti Giorgio , Bellasi Arianna , Spanu Davide , Boldrocchi Ginevra , Bettinetti Roberta , Pozzi Andrea , Nizzetto Luca
Published: August 2022

Pollution by plastic and microplastic impacts the environment globally. Knowledge on the ageing mechanisms of plastics in natural settings is needed to understand their environmental fate and their reactivity in the ecosystems. Accordingly, the study of ageing processes is gaining focus in the context of the environmental sciences. However, laboratory-based experimental research has typically assessed individual ageing processes, limiting environmental applicability. In this study, we propose a multi-tiered approach to study the environmental ageing of polyethylene plastic fragments focusing on the combined assessment of physical and biological processes in sequence. The ageing protocol included ultraviolet irradiation in air and in a range of water solutions, followed by a biofouling test. Changes in surface characteristics were assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and water contact angle. UV radiation both in air and water caused a significant increase in the density of oxidized groups (i.e., hydroxyl and carbonyl) on the plastic surface, whereby water solution chemistry influenced the process both by modulating surface oxidation and morphology. Biofouling, too, was a strong determinant of surface alterations, regardless of the prior irradiation treatments. All biofouled samples present (i) specific infrared bands of new surface functional groups (e.g., amides and polysaccharides), (ii) a further increase in hydroxyl and carbonyl groups, (iii) the diffuse presence of algal biofilm on the plastic surface, and (iv) a significant decrease in surface hydrophobicity. This suggests that biological-driven alterations are not affected by the level of physicochemical ageing and may represent, in real settings, the main driver of alteration of both weathered and pristine plastics. This work highlights the potentially pivotal role of biofouling as the main process of plastic ageing, providing useful technical insights for future experimental works. These results also confirm that a multi-tiered laboratory approach permits a realistic simulation of plastic environmental ageing in controlled conditions.
Spanning the boundaries between policy, politics and science to solve wicked problems: policy pilots, deliberation fora and policy labs
Authors: Zeigermann Ulrike , Ettelt Stefanie
Published: August 2022

Current crises have highlighted the importance of integrating research, politics and practice to work on solutions for complex social problems. In recent years, policy deliberation fora,  policy pilots and policy labs have increasingly been deployed to mobilise science to produce solutions, help create popular support and guide implementation of policies addressing major public policy problems. Yet, we know little about how these approaches manage to transcend the boundaries between research, politics and practice. By systematically comparing policy deliberation fora, policy pilots and policy labs, this paper explores their mechanisms of boundary spanning including relationship and trust building, knowledge translation and developing solutions. We situate our analysis in healthcare policy and climate change policy in Germany, two contrasting policy fields that share a perpetual and escalating sense of crisis. Our findings suggest that deliberation fora, policy pilots and policy labs address different dilemmas of policymaking, namely the idea dilemma, the implementation dilemma and the legitimacy dilemma. All three approaches reduce wicked problems to a manageable scale, by grounding them in local decision-making, reducing their scope or reducing the problem analytically. We argue that despite their ambition to modernise democratic practices, unless they are institutionally well embedded, their effects are likely to be small scale, local and temporary.
DEAE-Dextran Enhances the Lentiviral Transduction of Primary Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from All Major Tissue Sources Without Affecting Their Proliferation and Phenotype
Authors: Amadeo Francesco , Hanson Vivien , Murray Patricia , Taylor Arthur
Published: August 2022

Genetic engineering of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is a tool widely used to explore MSC properties in vitro and in vivo. Lentiviral infection with the use of polycations as an adjuvant is a method that is commonly used to generate stably transduced cells. However, it is known that some polycations can negatively affect primary MSCs and to date, no study has explored the effect of different polycations on the transduction efficiency and properties of all main types of MSCs, namely those derived from umbilical cord, bone marrow and adipose tissue. Here we explore a range of polycations, using transduction protocols with and without spinoculation, to produce stably transduced MSCs from these three tissue sources. We identified that an overnight incubation with diethylaminoethyl-dextran (DEAE-Dextran) is the protocol associated with the best transduction efficiency without compromising the viability of the cells, and which worked consistently with lentiviral particles encoding for different transgenes. Transduced and sorted MSC populations revealed no significant changes in proliferation, morphology and expression of MSC markers compared to naïve MSCs. Following this study, we conclude that DEAE-Dextran is a polycation that can be successfully used to enhance the transduction of MSCs from all major tissue sources.
A Pattern to Link Adenosine Signaling, Circadian System, and Potential Final Common Pathway in the Pathogenesis of Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Wang Xin-Ling , Gardner Wilf , Yu Shu-Yan , Serchov Tsvetan
Published: August 2022

Several studies have reported separate roles of adenosine receptors and circadian clockwork in major depressive disorder. While less evidence exists for regulation of the circadian clock by adenosine signaling, a small number of studies have linked the adenosinergic system, the molecular circadian clock, and mood regulation. In this article, we review relevant advances and propose that adenosine receptor signaling, including canonical and other alternative downstream cellular pathways, regulates circadian gene expression, which in turn may underlie the pathogenesis of mood disorders. Moreover, we summarize the convergent point of these signaling pathways and put forward a pattern by which Homer1a expression, regulated by both cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) and circadian clock genes, may be the final common pathogenetic mechanism in depression.
Evaluation of Methods and Processes for Robust Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater
Authors: Maksimovic Carvalho Ferreira Olivera , Lengar Živa , Kogej Zala , Bačnik Katarina , Bajde Irena , Milavec Mojca , Županič Anže , Mehle Nataša , Kutnjak Denis , Ravnikar Maja , Gutierrez-Aguirre Ion
Published: August 2022

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has accelerated the development of virus concentration and molecular-based virus detection methods, monitoring systems and overall approach to epidemiology. Early into the pandemic, wastewater-based epidemiology started to be employed as a tool for tracking the virus transmission dynamics in a given area. The complexity of wastewater coupled with a lack of standardized methods led us to evaluate each step of the analysis individually and see which approach gave the most robust results for SARS-CoV-2 monitoring in wastewater. In this article, we present a step-by-step, retrospective view on the method development and implementation for the case of a pilot monitoring performed in Slovenia. We specifically address points regarding the thermal stability of the samples during storage, screening for the appropriate sample concentration and RNA extraction procedures and real-time PCR assay selection. Here, we show that the temperature and duration of the storage of the wastewater sample can have a varying impact on the detection depending on the structural form in which the SARS-CoV-2 target is present. We found that concentration and RNA extraction using Centricon filtration units coupled with Qiagen RNA extraction kit or direct RNA capture and extraction using semi-automated kit from Promega give the most optimal results out of the seven methods tested. Lastly, we confirm the use of N1 and N2 assays developed by the CDC (USA) as the best performing assays among four tested in combination with Fast Virus 1-mastermix. Data show a realistic overall process for method implementation as well as provide valuable information in regards to how different approaches in the analysis compare to one another under the specific conditions present in Slovenia during a pilot monitoring running from the beginning of the pandemic.
Hydrogen-based direct reduction of iron oxide at 700°C: Heterogeneity at pellet and microstructure scales
Authors: Ma Yan , Souza Filho Isnaldi R. , Zhang Xue , Nandy Supriya , Barriobero-Vila Pere , Requena Guillermo , Vogel Dirk , Rohwerder Michael , Ponge Dirk , Springer Hauke , Raabe Dierk
Published: August 2022

Steel production causes a third of all industrial CO2 emissions due to the use of carbon-based substances as reductants for iron ores, making it a key driver of global warming. Therefore, research efforts aim to replace these reductants with sustainably produced hydrogen. Hydrogen-based direct reduction (HyDR) is an attractive processing technology, given that direct reduction (DR) furnaces are routinely operated in the steel industry but with CH4 or CO as reductants. Hydrogen diffuses considerably faster through shaft-furnace pellet agglomerates than carbon-based reductants. However, the net reduction kinetics in HyDR remains extremely sluggish for high-quantity steel production, and the hydrogen consumption exceeds the stoichiometrically required amount substantially. Thus, the present study focused on the improved understanding of the influence of spatial gradients, morphology, and internal microstructures of ore pellets on reduction efficiency and metallization during HyDR. For this purpose, commercial DR pellets were investigated using synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy in conjunction with electron backscatter diffraction and chemical probing. Revealing the interplay of different phases with internal interfaces, free surfaces, and associated nucleation and growth mechanisms provides a basis for developing tailored ore pellets that are highly suited for a fast and efficient HyDR.
Testing the Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory in Daily Life
Authors: Sgherza Tanika R. , DeMarree Kenneth G. , Naragon-Gainey Kristin
Published: August 2022

Objectives

The mindfulness-to-meaning theory (MMT) describes the processes through which mindfulness leads to enhanced eudaimonic wellbeing (indirectly via mediating processes such as increased decentering, reappraisal, positive affect, and savoring), but little is currently known about how these processes impact one another over short time periods (e.g., across several hours). The current study tested the MMT by measuring these variables repeatedly as they occur naturalistically in daily life.

Methods

Three hundred and forty-five community members aged 18–65 completed surveys on smartphones six times per day over 7 days, assessing their current levels of decentering, reappraisal, positive affect, savoring, and wellbeing, as part of a larger study. Multilevel structural equation modeling in Mplus was used to analyze the nested data with mediation models.

Results

There was a significant indirect effect through the proposed MMT pathway at the within-person level, with all variables measured concurrently. Lagged mediation examining prospective effects indicated that the full indirect MMT pathway was not significant in predicting later wellbeing, though some individual indirect pathways were significant prospectively. Follow-up analyses testing alternative temporal ordering suggested bidirectional effects of savoring and positive affect in explaining the mutual association between decentering and wellbeing.

Conclusions

Overall, this study found support for hypothesized MMT processes in daily life and measured over short time periods, with evidence for bidirectional effects for some processes. However, reappraisal showed inconsistent effects, requiring further study and replication using ecological momentary assessment designs.
Social Rationalizability with Mediation
Authors: Herings P. Jean-Jacques , Mauleon Ana , Vannetelbosch Vincent
Published: August 2022

We propose a solution concept for social environments called social rationalizability with mediation that identifies the consequences of common knowledge of rationality and farsightedness. In a social environment several coalitions may and could be willing to move at the same time. Individuals not only hold conjectures about the behaviors of other individuals but also about how a mediator is going to solve conflicts of interest. The set of socially rationalizable outcomes with mediation is shown to be non-empty for all social environments, and it can be computed by an iterative reduction procedure. We show that social rationalizability with mediation does not necessarily satisfy coalitional rationality when the number of coalition members is greater than two.
Expansion of the cabin description within the CPACS air vehicle data schema to support detailed analyses
Authors: Walther Jan-N. , Hesse Christian , Alder Marko , Biedermann Jörn Y.-C. , Nagel Björn
Published: August 2022

The air vehicle data schema CPACS (Common Parametric Aircraft Configuration Schema) provides a large variety of options for describing passenger aircraft on different levels of fidelity and exchanging product information in collaborative processes. The section describing the aircraft cabin has been applied primarily in the context of preliminary design processes in the past. However, in the wake of recent developments to integrate more detailed analyses in fields such as vibro-acoustics or passenger comfort, the limitations of the present cabin definition have become increasingly obvious. In this paper, a revised version of the cabin definition is, therefore, presented, which has been adopted as of CPACS version 3.4. A key objective of the new definition is the integration of high-fidelity component geometry models, provided as either polygonal 3D meshes or CAD geometry. For efficient data storage, individual components are collected in a library node in CPACS and subsequently placed inside the fuselage via references. The range of available cabin component types is extended by including paneling elements and luggage compartments. Furthermore, nodes for referencing structural elements are provided to enable modeling of structural connections, e.g., in finite-element models. Aside from the sheer parametric description of the cabin in CPACS, its correct geometric interpretation is also a key aspect, which will be highlighted throughout this work. It is demonstrated using a reference implementation, which allows for the generation of 2D and 3D models for validation.
A scalar Riemann–Hilbert problem on the torus: applications to the KdV equation
Authors: Piorkowski Mateusz , Teschl Gerald
Published: August 2022

We take a closer look at the Riemann–Hilbert problem associated to one-gap solutions of the Korteweg–de Vries equation. To gain more insight, we reformulate it as a scalar Riemann–Hilbert problem on the torus. This enables us to derive deductively the model vector-valued and singular matrix-valued solutions in terms of Jacobi theta functions. We compare our results with those obtained in recent literature.
Teaching practices for unfolding information and connecting multiple representations: the case of conditional probability information
Authors: Post Monika , Prediger Susanne
Published: August 2022

Multiple representations can enhance students’ understanding of mathematical concepts and complex information but can also pose well-documented challenges for students. Whereas instructional designs have been optimized to support students’ learning with multiple representations, little is known about supportive teaching practices for dealing with multiple representations in whole-class discussions. In this article, we qualitatively investigate two cases of teacher-student interaction in whole-class discussions in grades 10–12 (about the mathematical topic of complex conditional probability information). The analysis aims at decomposing the teaching practices into those actions that can support or hinder students’ understanding. The comparison of cases reveals that teaching practices can vary greatly: simply translating compacted concepts of a given text into other representations (visual area model, symbolic representation of fractions, and three language varieties) seems to be sufficient for students with advanced understanding. Other students need teachers’ supportive actions for unfolding the highly compacted concepts (such as part-of-part) into several concept elements (part, whole, and part-whole relationship) and explicitly connecting (rather than only translating) the concept elements in multiple representations for the different concept elements. The findings can inform both theory building on teaching practices with multiple representations and professional development.
Farmer surveys in Europe suggest that specialized, intensive farms were more likely to perceive negative impacts from COVID-19
Authors: Helfenstein Julian , Bürgi Matthias , Debonne Niels , Dimopoulos Thymios , Diogo Vasco , Dramstad Wenche , Edlinger Anna , Garcia-Martin Maria , Hernik Józef , Kizos Thanasis , Lausch Angela , Levers Christian , Mohr Franziska , Moreno Gerardo , Pazur Robert , Siegrist Michael , Swart Rebecca , Thenail Claudine , Verburg Peter H. , Williams Tim G , Zarina Anita , Herzog Felix
Published: August 2022

It has been shown that the COVID-19 pandemic affected some agricultural systems more than others, and even within geographic regions, not all farms were affected to the same extent. To build resilience of agricultural systems to future shocks, it is key to understand which farms were affected and why. In this study, we examined farmers’ perceived robustness to COVID-19, a key resilience capacity. We conducted standardized farmer interviews (n = 257) in 15 case study areas across Europe, covering a large range of socio-ecological contexts and farm types. Interviews targeted perceived livelihood impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on productivity, sales, price, labor availability, and supply chains in 2020, as well as farm(er) characteristics and farm management. Our study corroborates earlier evidence that most farms were not or only slightly affected by the first wave(s) of the pandemic in 2020, and that impacts varied widely by study region. However, a significant minority of farmers across Europe reported that the pandemic was “the worst crisis in a lifetime” (3%) or “the worst crisis in a decade” (7%). Statistical analysis showed that more specialized and intensive farms were more likely to have perceived negative impacts. From a societal perspective, this suggests that highly specialized, intensive farms face higher vulnerability to shocks that affect regional to global supply chains. Supporting farmers in the diversification of their production systems while decreasing dependence on service suppliers and supply chain actors may increase their robustness to future disruptions.
Therapeutic roles of plants for 15 hypothesised causal bases of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Tyler Sheena E. B. , Tyler Luke D. K.
Published: August 2022

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is progressive and ultimately fatal, with current drugs failing to reverse and cure it. This study aimed to find plant species which may provide therapeutic bioactivities targeted to causal agents proposed to be driving AD. A novel toolkit methodology was employed, whereby clinical symptoms were translated into categories recognized in ethnomedicine. These categories were applied to find plant species with therapeutic effects, mined from ethnomedical surveys. Survey locations were mapped to assess how this data is at risk. Bioactivities were found of therapeutic relevance to 15 hypothesised causal bases for AD. 107 species with an ethnological report of memory improvement demonstrated therapeutic activity for all these 15 causal bases. The majority of the surveys were found to reside within biodiversity hotspots (centres of high biodiversity under threat), with loss of traditional knowledge the most common threat. Our findings suggest that the documented plants provide a large resource of AD therapeutic potential. In demonstrating bioactivities targeted to these causal bases, such plants may have the capacity to reduce or reverse AD, with promise as drug leads to target multiple AD hallmarks. However, there is a need to preserve ethnomedical knowledge, and the habitats on which this knowledge depends.

Graphical Abstract
Second-order cone and semidefinite methods for the bisymmetric matrix approximation problem
Authors: Al-Homidan Suliman
Published: August 2022

Approximating the closest positive semi-definite bisymmetric matrix using the Frobenius norm to a data matrix is important in many engineering applications, communication theory and quantum physics. In this paper, we will use the interior point method to solve this problem. The problem will be reformulated into various forms, in the beginning as a semi-definite programming problem and later, into the form of a mixed semidefintie and second-order cone optimization problem. Numerical results comparing the efficiency of these methods with the alternating projection algorithm will be reported.
Time-series forecasting for ships maneuvering in waves via recurrent-type neural networks
Authors: D’Agostino Danny , Serani Andrea , Stern Frederick , Diez Matteo
Published: August 2022

The prediction capability of recurrent-type neural networks is investigated for real-time short-term prediction (nowcasting) of ship motions in high sea state. Specifically, the performance of recurrent neural networks, long short-term memory, and gated recurrent units models are assessed and compared using a data set coming from computational fluid dynamics simulations of a self-propelled destroyer-type vessel in stern-quartering sea state 7. Time-series of incident wave, ship motions, rudder angle, as well as immersion probes, are used as variables for a nowcasting problem. The objective is to obtain about 20 s ahead prediction. Overall, the three methods provide promising and comparable results.
Acts of International Organizations as Extraneous Material for Treaty Interpretation
Authors: Schmalenbach Kirsten
Published: August 2022

Acts of international organizations often reflect developments in international law. Therefore, they could contribute to the evolutive interpretation of treaty texts if it were not for Article 31 VCLT, which embraces extraneous material for interpretative purposes but strongly focuses on the parties’ acceptance of the material’s interpretive value. The analysis of national and international case law shows that acts of international organizations are very rarely mentioned in the context of treaty interpretation and very little use is made of the opportunity to establish the ordinary meanings of technical treaty terms through such acts. The organizations’ most important interpretive role lies in the self-application of their constituent instruments, and even then, only with respect to so-called ‘household matters’ concerning each organization’s own procedures and competences. In contrast, the functional authority of organizations concerning the interpretation of the ‘constitutional’ rights and obligations of their Member States requires the latter’s broad acceptance. With regard to treaties other than constituent instruments, the analysed case law illustrates that domestic and international courts continue to demonstrate great reluctance in using the acts of international organizations in their interpretive processes and, when they do, they do so in a faltering manner.
Choiceless chain conditions
Authors: Karagila Asaf , Schweber Noah
Published: August 2022

Chain conditions are one of the major tools used in the theory of forcing. We say that a partial order has the countable chain condition if every antichain (in the sense of forcing) is countable. Without the axiom of choice antichains tend to be of little use, for various reasons, and in this short note we study a number of conditions which in $$\mathsf {ZFC}$$
ZFC
are equivalent to the countable chain condition.
Introduction to the special issue on the Hualien earthquake swarms
Authors: Rau Ruey-Juin , Liang Wen-Tzong
Published: August 2022

The Hualien city is located near the pole of rotation induced by the along-strike transition from Ryukyu subduction to the collision between the Luzon arc and the Chinese continental margin in northeastern Taiwan (Rau et al., J Geophy Res 113: B09404, 2008). Such a tectonic regime creates varied seismogenic structures that are responsible for the ruptures of the 1951 M L 7.3 Hualien-Taitung earthquake sequence (Chen et al., J Geophy Res 113: B02304, 2008), the 2018 M w 6.4 Hualien earthquake sequence (e.g., Rau and Tseng, Terr Atmos Ocean Sci 30: 281–283, 2019), the 2021 M L 6.2 Shoufeng earthquake sequence, and numerous and persistent moderate-to-small size earthquake swarms in the Hualien area. This special issue was introduced by the several month-long 2021 episode of moderate-to-small size earthquake swarms occurred in the Hualien area (Figs. 1 and 2, Central Weather Bureau, 2022). The 2021 Hualien earthquake episode includes small-to-moderate-size earthquakes that release minute strain energy on the small asperities and larger events (M > 5.5) that ruptured nearby asperities. Figure 3 shows the spatiotemporal distribution of the Hualien earthquake sequence between April 1 and December 31 of 2021. The 2021 Hualien earthquake sequence provides us a great opportunity to examine the earthquake physics, characteristics, seismogenic processes, and the early warning algorithm of an earthquake swarm, which are the key elements for the understanding of generation of earthquakes. In this special issue, we have collected six papers that detailed various aspects of the 2021 Hualien earthquake sequence, which provide us a better understanding of the nature of the Hualien earthquake swarms.
Socio-cultural Correlates of the COVID-19 Outcomes
Authors: Lajunen Timo , Gaygısız Esma , Gaygısız Ümmügülsüm
Published: August 2022

While basically all countries have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact has varied in large degrees among countries. In the present study, national differences in six COVID-19 indicators (COVID-19 deaths per capita, excess mortality, change in GDP per capita, vaccination rate, stringency index, and overall impact of the pandemic) were studied in relation to socio-economic and Hofstede's cultural dimensions by using the latest data available. The results differed to some degree from the studies conducted in the earlier stage of the pandemic. COVID-19 deaths per capita were predicted by Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) and Indulgence (IVR); excess mortality by UA; the impact of pandemics by Power Distance (PDI), Long-term Orientation (LTOWS) and IVR; change in GDP per capita by PDI; vaccination rate by Individualism and UA; and Stringency Index by LTOWS. In addition to further clarifying the role of cultural dimensions in the pandemic, three conclusions can be drawn. First, the pandemic reached different countries at different times, which is reflected in the results. The conclusion about the role of socio-economic and cultural factors can be drawn only after the pandemic. Second, cultural dimensions were related to COVID-19 measures only when socio-economic indicators were not considered but lost their significance when socio-economic variables were entered into the models. Cultural dimensions influence the outcome variables via socio-economic factors. Third, earlier studies have focused mainly on COVID-19 deaths. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is a complex phenomenon and cannot be reduced to the death rate.
Multilayer Network Science
Authors: Artime Oriol , Benigni Barbara , Bertagnolli Giulia , d'Andrea Valeria , Gallotti Riccardo , Ghavasieh Arsham , Raimondo Sebastian , De Domenico Manlio
Published: August 2022

Networks are convenient mathematical models to represent the structure of complex systems, from cells to societies. In the last decade, multilayer network science – the branch of the field dealing with units interacting in multiple distinct ways, simultaneously – was demonstrated to be an effective modeling and analytical framework for a wide spectrum of empirical systems, from biopolymers networks (such as interactome and metabolomes) to neuronal networks (such as connectomes), from social networks to urban and transportation networks. In this Element, a decade after one of the most seminal papers on this topic, the authors review the most salient features of multilayer network science, covering both theoretical aspects and direct applications to real-world coupled/interdependent systems, from the point of view of multilayer structure, dynamics and function. The authors discuss potential frontiers for this topic and the corresponding challenges in the field for the next future.
Next Generation Eu: Legal Structure and Constitutional Consequences
Authors: FABBRINI Federico
Published: August 2022

The article examines the legal structure and constitutional consequences of ‘Next Generation EU’ (NGEU)—the innovative recovery fund that the European Union (EU) established to address the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article sheds light on the complex normative constellation that was used to erect NGEU, and explains how this was satisfactorily done within the existing Treaty framework, by resorting to current legal bases. At the same time, however, the article underlines the profound constitutional consequences that NGEU has on the EU's architecture of economic governance. To this end, the article contrasts the strategy chosen to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic to that embraced to tackle the euro-crisis a decade ago, and concludes emphasising how NGEU significantly contributes to the federalisation of the EU, endowing its fiscal union with a fiscal capacity analogous to that of other federal regimes.
The impact of automated hand hygiene monitoring with and without complementary improvement strategies on performance rates
Authors: Arbogast James W. , Moore Lori D. , DiGiorgio Megan , Robbins Greg , Clark Tracy L. , Thompson Maria F. , Wagner Pamela T. , Boyce John M. , Parker Albert E.
Published: August 2022

Objective:

To determine how engagement of the hospital and/or vendor with performance improvement strategies combined with an automated hand hygiene monitoring system (AHHMS) influence hand hygiene (HH) performance rates.

Design:

Prospective, before-and-after, controlled observational study.

Setting:

The study was conducted in 58 adult and pediatric inpatient units located in 10 hospitals.

Methods:

HH performance rates were estimated using an AHHMS. Rates were expressed as the number of soap and alcohol-based hand rub portions dispensed divided by the number of room entries and exits. Each hospital self-assigned to one of the following intervention groups: AHHMS alone (control group), AHHMS plus clinician-based vendor support (vendor-only group), AHHMS plus hospital-led unit-based initiatives (hospital-only group), or AHHMS plus clinician-based vendor support and hospital-led unit-based initiatives (vendor-plus-hospital group). Each hospital unit produced 1–2 months of baseline HH performance data immediately after AHHMS installation before implementing initiatives.

Results:

Hospital units in the vendor-plus-hospital group had a statistically significant increase of at least 46% in HH performance compared with units in the other 3 groups (P ≤ .006). Units in the hospital only group achieved a 1.3% increase in HH performance compared with units that had AHHMS alone (P = .950). Units with AHHMS plus other initiatives each had a larger change in HH performance rates over their baseline than those in the AHHMS-alone group (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

AHHMS combined with clinician-based vendor support and hospital-led unit-based initiatives resulted in the greatest improvements in HH performance. These results illustrate the value of a collaborative partnership between the hospital and the AHHMS vendor.
Early Persian Verse Romances inMutaqārib: Form, Structure, Contents
Authors: van den Berg Gabrielle
Published: August 2022

This article discusses use of the metermutaqāribin Persianmasnavī(narrative) poetry as related to its content from a comparative perspective. One of the aims is to demonstrate the various connections between a set of narrative poems composed inmutaqārib. The article questions previous assumptions about the form and style of early Persian verse romances and contributes to further discussion of approaches to Persian narrative poetry.
Three-dimensional properties of the viscous boundary layer in turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection
Authors: Xu Fang , Zhang Lu , Xia Ke-Qing
Published: August 2022

We report an experimental study of the viscous boundary layer (BL) properties of turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection in a cylindrical cell. The velocity profile with all three components was measured from the centre of the bottom plate by an integrated home-made particle image velocimetry system. The Rayleigh number

$Ra$

varied in the range

$1.82 \times 10^8 \le Ra \le 5.26 \times 10^9$

and the Prandtl number

$Pr$

was fixed at

$Pr = 4.34$

. The probability density function of the wall-shear stress indicates that using the velocity component in the mean large-scale circulation (LSC) plane alone may not be sufficient to characterise the viscous BL. Based on a dynamic wall-shear frame, we propose a method to reconstruct the measured full velocity profile which eliminates the effects of complex dynamics of the LSC. Various BL properties including the eddy viscosity are then obtained and analysed. It is found that, in the dynamic wall-shear frame, the eddy viscosity profiles along the centre line of the convection cell at different

$Ra$

all collapse on a single master curve described by

$\nu _t^d / \nu = 0.81 (z / \delta _u^d) ^{3.10 \pm 0.05}$

. The Rayleigh number dependencies of several BL quantities are also determined in the dynamic frame, including the BL thickness

$\delta _u^d$

(

${\sim } Ra^{-0.21}$

), the Reynolds number

$Re^d$

(

${\sim }Ra^{-0.46}$

) and the shear Reynolds number

$Re_s^d$

(

${\sim } Ra^{0.24}$

). Within the experimental uncertainty, these scaling exponents are the same as those obtained in the static laboratory frame. Finally, with the measured full velocity profile, we obtain the energy dissipation rate at the centre of the bottom plate

$\varepsilon _{w}$

, which is found to follow

$\langle \varepsilon _{w} \rangle _t \sim Ra^{1.25}$

.
Low-income parents’ perceptions of a sweetened beverage tax in Philadelphia
Authors: Edmondson Emma K. , Shea Judy A. , Gregory Emily F. , Roberto Christina A. , Garcia Stephanie M. , Kwon Jeemin , Virudachalam Senbagam
Published: August 2022

Objective: To characterise perceptions of the Philadelphia Beverage Tax among low-income parents. Design: We conducted semi-structured interviews and administered demographic questions via telephone. We based the interview guide and initial codebook on a conceptual model illustrating perceived fairness and effectiveness as essential for successfully adopting food policies. We performed thematic analysis using NVivo 12. Setting: We recruited from a primary care paediatrics clinic in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from July to August 2020. Participants: Philadelphia parents/caregivers of 2- to 11-year-old children with Medicaid insurance. Results: Participants were predominantly African American (97 %), female (100 %), and had annual household incomes <$50 000 (80 %). Participants were 26- to 72-years old, with an average aged child of 5 years (range 7 months to 20 years). Themes emerged regarding tax perceptions, revenue use and behaviour change due to the tax. Using revenue for highly valued programmes and accountability of city government to use revenue as promised were critical elements in perceptions of tax fairness. Some parents avoided the tax through cross-border shopping and buying drink powders or concentrates, influencing perceptions of tax effectiveness. The tax signalled the health dangers of sweetened beverage consumption to most parents. Conclusion: Our findings bring to light four key takeaways for policymakers designing sweetened beverage taxes. (1) Dedication of tax revenue to programmes highly valued by parents and (2) transparency in revenue spending may improve acceptability. (3) State or national taxes may be more effective at decreasing consumption due to cross-border shopping. (4) Pairing taxes with health promotion campaigns may enhance behaviour change.
The age and paleoclimate implications of relict periglacial block deposits on the New England Tablelands, Australia
Authors: Slee Adrian , Barrows Timothy T. , Shulmeister James , Gontz Allen , Kiernan Kevin , Haworth Robert , Clark Douglas , Fifield L. Keith
Published: August 2022

Pleistocene periglacial activity in eastern Australia was widespread and has been predicted to have extended along much of the east coast. This paper describes block deposits in the New England Tablelands, Australia, as far north as 30°S. These deposits are characterized by openwork blocks on slopes below the angle of repose. The deposits are positioned where frost cracking was significant and range in area up to 8 ha. Surface exposure dating using the cosmogenic nuclide36Cl from four block deposits indicate all sites were active late during the last glacial cycle, with a concentration of activity between 15–30 ka. Modern temperature measurements from block deposits highlight the importance of local topography for promoting freezing. Periglacial deposits are likely to have been more extensive than previously recognized at these northern limits, and mean annual temperature more than 8°C colder than today.
On dense intermingling of exact overlaps and the open set condition
Authors: Morris Ian D.
Published: August 2022

We prove that certain families of homogenous affine iterated function systems in $\mathbb {R}^{d}$ have the property that the open set condition and the existence of exact overlaps both occur densely in the space of translation parameters. These examples demonstrate that in the theorems of Falconer and Jordan–Pollicott–Simon on the almost sure dimensions of self-affine sets and measures, the set of exceptional translation parameters can be a dense set. The proof combines results from the literature on self-affine tilings of $\mathbb {R}^{d}$ with an adaptation of a classic argument of Erdős on the singularity of certain Bernoulli convolutions. This result encompasses a one-dimensional example due to Kenyon which arises as a special case.
Two Moments in the Biography of Qedushah (a.k.a. Holiness)
Authors: Stern Josef
Published: August 2022

This paper analyzes two transformative conceptions of qedushah (holiness) in medieval Jewish thought, Moses Maimonides’s and Moses Nahmanides’s. Maimonides reduces qedushah to the Mosaic commandments which he reconceives as communal institutions to constrain bodily desires and promote intellectualist values and as training for perfected individuals to de-corporealize themselves in imitation of God. Nahmanides argues that Maimonides’s legal reduction of qedushah leads to the absurd conclusion that the perfectly scrupulous law-abiding scoundrel who exploits loopholes in the law is qadosh! He therefore reconceives qedushah as a complement to the Mosaic commandments intended to counter the problem of the scoundrel. Thus qedushah is re-born as a corrective to abuse of the Law. Nahmanides then proposes two ways to achieve this goal: i) by rabbinic enactment of more laws to fill in (loop) holes in the Law and ii) by cultivating a virtue-oriented, non-legal conception of holiness as a character-trait that leads agents to act properly and spontaneously without legislation. For Maimonides the ultimate state of qedushah is the dis-embodied state of the intellect, for Nahmanides it is a state in which the whole person, body and soul, clings to the deity.
From rural reconstruction to agricultural engineering: a study of the cooperation between the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the International Harvester Company (1945–8)
Authors: Zhang Ruisheng
Published: August 2022

During the period of the Republic of China, a heated debate emerged among Chinese intellectuals concerning whether China should first educate peasants into citizens or help them feed themselves. Some agriculturalists, such as P. W. Tsou, argued that the first essential goal should be to apply technology and increase agricultural production to improve farmers’ lives. In 1945, Tsou proposed the Agricultural Engineering Program for China to the International Harvester Company. This programme provided Harvester Fellowships to sponsor twenty Chinese students to study agricultural engineering in the US. In addition, this programme instituted the Committee on Agricultural Engineering, led by J. Brownlee Davidson, to direct teaching, research, and promulgation of agricultural engineering in China. The talent cultivated through this programme chose to remain in mainland China following the Revolution of 1949. They became the first generation of agricultural engineers in the People’s Republic of China.