bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermal characterization of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene-ABS obtained with different manufacturing processes
Authors: Alonso Alain , Lázaro Mariano , Lázaro David , Alvear Daniel
Published: May 2023

Polymers are widely employed in many areas, e.g. transport, packaging, electronic devices, etcetera. Among them, acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) is one of the most employed polymers due to its mechanical properties, its ease to mechanize and recyclability. Nevertheless, according to the fire properties, ABS behaviour is usually worse than other polymers, therefore, they have to be upgraded with flame retardant additives. To characterize the fire behaviour of a certain material is necessary to address several typology of tests, providing relevant properties such as thermal conductivity, flammability and heat released. However, researchers may not always be able to run all tests due to the lack of apparatus or samples. Therefore, it is necessary to seek bibliographic sources. As one might expect, for a given material, the property values should be similar, regardless of who performs the test. However, sometimes slightly different results are obtained, which may be due to different causes, such as differences in test set-up and in material composition/manufacture. These differences in properties may lead researcher to doubt which data to use. This paper presents the results of different types of tests using neat ABS polymer. Additionally, these results are compared with the data from literature, discussing the similarities/differences and offering a more comprehensive characterization of ABS. The laboratory techniques included in this work are: thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, laser flash analysis, smoke density, cone calorimeter, fire propagation and flammability.
Temporal uncertainty in disease diagnosis
Authors: Hofmann Bjørn
Published: May 2023

There is a profound paradox in modern medical knowledge production: The more we know, the more we know that we (still) do not know. Nowhere is this more visible than in diagnostics and early detection of disease. As we identify ever more markers, predictors, precursors, and risk factors of disease ever earlier, we realize that we need knowledge about whether they develop into something experienced by the person and threatening to the person’s health. This study investigates how advancements in science and technology alter one type of uncertainty, i.e., temporal uncertainty of disease diagnosis. As diagnosis is related to anamnesis and prognosis it identifies how uncertainties in all these fields are interconnected. In particular, the study finds that uncertainty in disease diagnosis has become more subject to prognostic uncertainty because diagnosis is more connected to technologically detected indicators and less closely connected to manifest and experienced disease. These temporal uncertainties pose basic epistemological and ethical challenges as they can result in overdiagnosis, overtreatment, unnecessary anxiety and fear, useless and even harmful diagnostic odysseys, as well as vast opportunity costs. The point is not to stop our quest for knowledge about disease but to encourage real diagnostic improvements that help more people in ever better manner as early as possible. To do so, we need to pay careful attention to specific types of temporal uncertainty in modern diagnostics.
Portions and countability: A crosslinguistic investigation
Authors: de Vries Hanna , Tsoulas George
Published: May 2023

We examine three constructions across several languages in which a mass noun is embedded in what appears to be a count environment, but the construction as a whole remains mass. We argue that the discussed phenomena—“Q-noun” constructions like lots of water, bare measure constructions like kilos of sugar, and pluralised mass nouns in languages like Greek and Persian—all involve portioning-out of the embedded mass denotation. We provide a structural account of portioning out and propose structures that derive both mass and count portioning out. Adopting an overlap-based approach to the mass/count distinction (e.g. Landman 2011; Rothstein 2011; Khrizman et al. 2015; Landman 2016) we provide a compositional semantics for the proposed structures.

The examined phenomena all share an inference of large quantity or abundance that, we argue, cannot be reduced to the lexical meaning of the portioning-out expression, nor to a multiplicity inference contributed by plural morphology. We show that our cases of mass portioning-out involve a total order ≤ on portion size and propose to analyse the abundance inference in terms of an uninformativity-based Quantity implicature, following the analysis of the positive form (Mary is tall) in Rett’s (2015) approach to adjectival gradability.
Simulation of reduction of oxidized metal nanoparticles
Authors: Zhdanov Vladimir P.
Published: May 2023

I analyze theoretically the spatio-temporal kinetics of reduction of oxidized metal nanoparticles by hydrogen (or methane). The focus is on the experimentally observed formation of metal and oxide domains separated partly by pores. The interpretation of such multiphase processes in nanoparticles at the mean-field level is hardly possible primarily due to complex geometry, and accordingly I use the lattice Monte Carlo technique in order to tackle this problem. The main conclusions drawn from the corresponding generic simulations are as follows. (i) The patterns predicted are fairly sensitive to the metal-metal and metal-oxygen interactions. With decreasing the former interaction and increasing the latter interaction, there is transition from the formation of metal aggregates and voids to the formation of a metal film around the oxide core. (ii) During the initial phase of these kinetics, the extent of reduction can roughly be described by using the power law, and the corresponding exponent is about 0.3. (iii) With decreasing the hydrogen (or methane) pressure and/or increasing the oxide nanoparticle size, as expected, the kinetics are predicted to become longer. (iv) The dependence of the patterns on the presence of the support and/or Kirkendall void in an oxide nanoparticle is shown as well.
Clinical manifestations and immune response to tuberculosis
Authors: Carabalí-Isajar Mary Lilián , Rodríguez-Bejarano Oscar Hernán , Amado Tatiana , Patarroyo Manuel Alfonso , Izquierdo María Alejandra , Lutz Juan Ricardo , Ocampo Marisol
Published: May 2023

Tuberculosis is a far-reaching, high-impact disease. It is among the top ten causes of death worldwide caused by a single infectious agent; 1.6 million tuberculosis-related deaths were reported in 2021 and it has been estimated that a third of the world’s population are carriers of the tuberculosis bacillus but do not develop active disease. Several authors have attributed this to hosts’ differential immune response in which cellular and humoral components are involved, along with cytokines and chemokines. Ascertaining the relationship between TB development’s clinical manifestations and an immune response should increase understanding of tuberculosis pathophysiological and immunological mechanisms and correlating such material with protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis continues to be a major public health problem globally. Mortality rates have not decreased significantly; rather, they are increasing. This review has thus been aimed at deepening knowledge regarding tuberculosis by examining published material related to an immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, mycobacterial evasion mechanisms regarding such response and the relationship between pulmonary and extrapulmonary clinical manifestations induced by this bacterium which are related to inflammation associated with tuberculosis dissemination through different routes.
High-efficiency inspecting method for mobile robots based on task planning for heat transfer tubes in a steam generator
Authors: Xu Biying , Zhang Xuehe , Ou Yue , Zhang Kuan , Xing Zhenming , Cai Hegao , Zhao Jie , Fan Jizhuang
Published: May 2023

Many heat transfer tubes are distributed on the tube plates of a steam generator that requires periodic inspection by robots. Existing inspection robots are usually involved in issues: Robots with manipulators need complicated installation due to their fixed base; tube mobile robots suffer from low running efficiency because of their structural restricts. Since there are thousands of tubes to be checked, task planning is essential to guarantee the precise, orderly, and efficient inspection process. Most in-service robots check the task tubes using row-by-row and column-by-column planning. This leads to unnecessary inspections, resulting in a long shutdown and affecting the regular operation of a nuclear power plant. Therefore, this paper introduces the structure and control system of a dexterous robot and proposes a task planning method. This method proceeds into three steps: task allocation, base position search, and sequence planning. To allocate the task regions, this method calculates the tool work matrix and proposes a criterion to evaluate a sub-region. And then all tasks contained in the sub-region are considered globally to search the base positions. Lastly, we apply an improved ant colony algorithm for base sequence planning and determine the inspection orders according to the planned path. We validated the optimized algorithm by conducting task planning experiments using our robot on a tube sheet. The results show that the proposed method can accomplish full task coverage with few repetitive or redundant inspections and it increases the efficiency by 33.31% compared to the traditional planning algorithms.
Multi-level Factors Influencing Decisions About Stopping Surveillance Colonoscopy in Older Adults: a Qualitative Study
Authors: Schifferdecker Karen E. , Ramesh Nithya Puttige , Walter Louise C. , Calderwood Audrey H.
Published: May 2023

Background

Little is known about patient or provider experience and perceptions of stopping surveillance among older adults with a history of colon polyps. While guidelines recommend ceasing routine colorectal cancer screening in adults  > 75 years and those with limited life expectancy, guidance for ceasing surveillance colonoscopy in those with prior colon polyps suggests individualizing recommendations.

Objective

Identify processes, experiences, and gaps around individualizing decisions to stop or continue surveillance colonoscopy for older adults and areas for improvement.

Design

Phenomenological qualitative study design using recorded semi-structured interviews from May 2020 through March 2021.

Participants

15 patients aged  ≥ 65 in polyp surveillance, 12 primary care providers (PCPs), and 13 gastroenterologists (GIs).

Approach

Data were analyzed using a mixed deductive (directed content analysis) and inductive (grounded theory) approach to identify themes related to stopping or continuing surveillance colonoscopies.

Key Results

Analysis resulted in 24 themes and were clustered into three main categories: health and clinical considerations; communication and roles; and system-level processes or structures. Overall, the study found support for discussions around age 75–80 on stopping surveillance colonoscopy with considerations for health and life expectancy and that PCPs should take a primary role. However, systems and processes for scheduling surveillance colonoscopies largely bypass PCPs which reduces opportunities to both individualize recommendations and facilitate patients’ decision-making.

Conclusions

This study identified gaps in processes to implement current guidelines for individualizing surveillance colonoscopy as adults grow older, including opportunities to discuss stopping. Increasing the role of PCPs in polyp surveillance as patients grow older provides more opportunities for individualized recommendations, so patients can consider their own preferences, ask questions, and make a more informed choice for themselves. Changing existing systems and processes and creating supportive tools for shared decision-making specific to older adults with polyps would improve how surveillance colonoscopy is individualized in this population.
Effect of TiAlNbCrSi Alloy Microstructure Produced by Mould Casting (MC) or Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (EB-PBF) on Scale Grown Under Dry Air and Steam
Authors: Morgiel J. , Dudziak T. , Maj L. , Kirchner A. , Klöden B. , Weißgärber T. , Rzad E. , Pomorska M. , Tobola D.
Published: May 2023

TiAl parts fabricated with additive manufacturing have begun to find applications in car and aviation industry. Optimization of their properties concentrates on introduction of new alloying additions improving the TiAl ductility and oxidation resistance. Their effect on the mechanical properties was worked out quite well, but the knowledge how they affect the oxidation processes is still limited. Therefore the present experiment was aimed at investigation of scale grown over mould cast (MC) and electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF) Ti–48Al–2Nb–0.7Cr–0.3Si (at. pct) alloys. It was conducted at 650 °C for 1000 hours both in dry air and steam covering early stages of this process. The scale microstructure, chemical and phase composition was examined with the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Applied treatment caused development of three-layer scale, i.e. with major portions of R-TiO2 + α-Al2O3/R-TiO2/α-Al2O3. The one formed during dry-air oxidation of the EB-PBF alloy was most compact. Steam oxidizing changed morphology of rutile present at its surface from rod/plate-like into whiskers. The Si turned out to be especially active during scale growth diffusing up to its surface. The presence of steam further increased mobility of both Si and Cr rising their presence in the upper part of the scale. The Nb was found to accumulate within the substrate area adjoining to the scale. Refinement of EB-PBF microstructure as compared with the MC alloy resulted in promoting reaction at the scale/substrate front contributing significantly to development of thicker oxide coating and nitrides bearing oxidation affected zone.
A multi-technique approach to characterization: the Sant Martí de Tous chert as a prehistoric resource for the NE of the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Gómez de Soler Bruno , Soto María , Carrancho Ángel , Gispert-Guirado Francesc , Mommsen Hans , Morales Juan Ignacio , del Pozo Alicia Muñoz , Roldán Clodoaldo , Eixea Aleix , Chacón M. Gema , Soares-Remiseiro Miguel , Vallverdú Josep
Published: May 2023

The Sant Genís Formation is located in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula (Catalonia, Spain) and is dated to the Priabonian (upper Eocene), being part of the evaporitic formations of the margin of the Ebro Basin. It is formed by a succession of sandy lutites, occasional limestone layers, marls, and local stratified gypsum and cherts, including the Sant Martí de Tous chert. The Sant Martí de Tous chert type is confirmed by its abundance at specific locations within the territory (NE Iberian Peninsula). This is an important raw material procurement area, as evidenced by the presence of this chert in the main prehistoric sites of the region (e.g., Abric Romaní) and the constant discovery of new sites in the area around the Sant Genís Formation, especially from the Neolithic period onwards (e.g., Cal Sitjo, La Guinardera Nord workshop). All these features, together with the great heterogeneity of the Cenozoic evaporitic cherts, prompted us to carry out a multi-proxy characterization for obtaining a valid criterion by which to identify this chert in the archaeological record. This very heterogeneity hampers the macroscopic characterization of archaeological cherts (e.g., at Abric Romaní), but through petrographic analysis we have been able to identify their origins and, albeit to a lesser extent, their lithostratigraphic unit of provenance within the formation. The complementary mineralogical and geochemical techniques applied in this study show that, although it is difficult to establish an exact origin, through intensive sampling and criteria such as the differential presence of Fe and Ca, some differences among the siliceous varieties within a formation can be detected.
A Review of Tipping Points and Precaution using HJB equations
Authors: de Zeeuw Aart
Published: May 2023

This paper analyzes three models in environmental economics with the property that tipping can occur in the ecological part of the model: the pollution control model where tipping suddenly shifts up the damage, the fishery model where tipping suddenly lowers the carrying capacity, and the Ramsey growth model where tipping suddenly decreases the total factor productivity. The question is whether the possibility of tipping gives rise to precaution in the sense of lower production, lower harvest, or higher accumulation of capital, respectively. The paper shows that precaution always results in the pollution control model but in the other two models, it depends on the elasticity of intertemporal substitution. In these models, the tipping point is uncertain, and the analysis employs a hazard rate that can be constant or state dependent. The paper shows that the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations are the appropriate framework to implement this hazard rate. The results are mostly known, but this paper puts the results together in a transparent way, using the HJB equations consistently. In this way, it pays tribute to this technique in optimal control that proves to be useful when tipping points can occur. Extensions to differential games are discussed at the end of each section.
Involvement, depressive symptoms, and their associations with problems and unmet needs in caregivers of adult eating disorder patients
Authors: Kocsis-Bogar Krisztina , Ossege Michael , Aigner Martin , Wancata Johannes , Friedrich Fabian
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to examine the most important problems and needs caregivers of adult inpatients with eating disorders (EDs) are confronted with in their everyday lives. A further aim was to investigate the associations between problems, needs, involvement, and depression in carers.

Methods

Fifty-five caregivers of inpatients with EDs (26 anorexia nervosa, 29 bulimia nervosa) completed the Carers' Needs Assessment, Beck Depression Inventory, and the Involvement Evaluation Questionnaire. The relationships between variables were tested via multiple linear regressions and mediation analyses.

Results

The most frequent problem reported by caregivers was a lack of information about the course and treatment of the illness and consequent disappointment, whereas their most frequently reported needs were different forms of information and counselling. Problems, unmet needs, and worrying were especially high in parents compared to other caregivers. Involvement mediated significantly between problems (b = 0.26, BCa CI [0.03, 0.49]) as well as unmet needs (b = 0.32, BCa CI [0.03, 0.59]) of caregivers and their depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

Our findings underline the importance of including the problems and needs of caregivers of adult eating disorder patients in the planning of family and community interventions, to support their mental health.

Level of evidence

Level III: Evidence obtained from cohort or case–control analytic studies.
Being actively engaged in life in old age: determinants, temporal trends, and prognostic value
Authors: Aalto Ulla L. , Knuutila Mia , Lehti Tuuli , Jansson Anu , Kautiainen Hannu , Öhman Hanna , Strandberg Timo , Pitkälä Kaisu H.
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Recently, the concept of successful ageing has shifted from healthy ageing to active ageing, the latter emphasising even more the subjective perspective. Active agency is a marker for better functioning. However, the concept of active ageing lacks a clear definition so far. The specific aims of the study were to identify the determinants of being actively engaged in life (BAEL), to explore the changes in BAEL over 3 decades, and to explore the prognostic value of BAEL.

Methods

This is a repeated cross-sectional cohort study of older (≥ 75 years) community-dwelling people in Helsinki in 1989 (N = 552), 1999 (N = 2396), 2009 (N = 1492), and 2019 (N = 1614). The data were gathered by a postal questionnaire at each time point. Being actively engaged in life was defined by two questions “Do you feel needed?” and “Do you have plans for the future?”, which was further converted into BAEL score.

Results

An increasing temporal trend in BAEL score was observed through the study years. Male sex, good physical functioning and subjective health, and meaningful social contacts were determinants for higher BAEL score. Active agency measured by BAEL score predicted lower 15-year mortality.

Conclusions

Older home-dwelling, urban Finnish people have become more actively engaged in recent years. The underlying causes are diverse but improved socioeconomic status observed over the study years was one of them. Social contacts and not feeling lonely were found to be determinants for being actively engaged. Two simple questions describing active engagement in life may help to predict mortality among older people.
Toward Socially Meaningful Case Conceptualization: The Risk-Driven Approach
Authors: Taylor Rachel S. , Colombo Richard A. , Wallace Michele , Heimann Benjamin , Benedickt Ashton , Moore Allyson
Published: May 2023

The Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) Ethics Code states that “behavior analysts should put compliance with the law and clients’ interests first by actively working to maximize desired outcomes and minimize risk” (emphasis added; BACB, 2020, p. 5). In turn, board certified practitioners must approach the case conceptualization process in applied behavior analysis (ABA) with respect to minimizing risks to an improved quality of life (QoL). As such, ABA services must be based on an understanding of risk—risk to ensuring desired outcomes. The purpose of the current article is two-fold (1) revisit social validity and propose features of socially meaningful case conceptualization, and (2) introduce a corresponding structured risk-driven approach to ABA service delivery. A primary aim is to equip all stakeholders with readily accessible practice-related supports—ensuring clients’ rights to effective services towards an improved QoL.
Document-level relation extraction based on sememe knowledge-enhanced abstract meaning representation and reasoning
Authors: Zhao Qihui , Gao Tianhan , Guo Nan
Published: May 2023

Document-level relation extraction is a challenging task in information extraction, as it involves identifying semantic relations between entities that are dispersed throughout a document. Existing graph-based approaches often rely on simplistic methods to construct text graphs, which do not provide enough lexical and semantic information to accurately predict the relations between entity pairs. In this paper, we introduce a document-level relation extraction method called SKAMRR (Sememe Knowledge-enhanced Abstract Meaning Representation and Reasoning). First, we generate document-level abstract meaning representation graphs using rules and acquire entity nodes’ features through sufficient information propagation. Next, we construct inference graphs for entity pairs and utilize graph neural networks to obtain their representations for relation classification. Additionally, we propose the global adaptive loss to address the issue of long-tailed data. We conduct extensive experiments on four datasets DocRE, CDR, GDA, and HacRED. Our model achieves competitive results and its performance outperforms previous state-of-the-art methods on four datasets.
Literature Review of the Recent Trends and Applications in Various Fuzzy Rule-Based Systems
Authors: Varshney Ayush K. , Torra Vicenç
Published: May 2023

Fuzzy rule-based systems (FRBSs) is a rule-based system which uses linguistic fuzzy variables as antecedents and consequent to represent human-understandable knowledge. They have been applied to various applications and areas throughout the soft computing literature. However, FRBSs suffers from many drawbacks such as uncertainty representation, high number of rules, interpretability loss, high computational time for learning. To overcome these issues with FRBSs, there exists many extensions of FRBSs. This paper presents an overview and literature review of recent trends on various types and prominent areas of fuzzy systems (FRBSs) namely genetic fuzzy system, hierarchical fuzzy system, neuro fuzzy system, evolving fuzzy system, FRBSs for big data, FRBSs for imbalanced data, interpretability in FRBSs and FRBSs which use cluster centroids as fuzzy rules. The review is for years 2010–2021. This paper also highlights important contributions, publication statistics and current trends in the field. The paper also addresses several open research areas which need further attention from the FRBSs research community.
Polyimides as Promising Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries: A Review
Authors: Zhang Mengyun , Wang Li , Xu Hong , Song Youzhi , He Xiangming
Published: May 2023

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have helped revolutionize the modern world and are now advancing the alternative energy field. Several technical challenges are associated with LIBs, such as increasing their energy density, improving their safety, and prolonging their lifespan. Pressed by these issues, researchers are striving to find effective solutions and new materials for next-generation LIBs. Polymers play a more and more important role in satisfying the ever-increasing requirements for LIBs. Polyimides (PIs), a special functional polymer, possess unparalleled advantages, such as excellent mechanical strength, extremely high thermal stability, and excellent chemical inertness; they are a promising material for LIBs. Herein, we discuss the current applications of PIs in LIBs, including coatings, separators, binders, solid-state polymer electrolytes, and active storage materials, to improve high-voltage performance, safety, cyclability, flexibility, and sustainability. Existing technical challenges are described, and strategies for solving current issues are proposed. Finally, potential directions for implementing PIs in LIBs are outlined.
Unambiguous Linkage Between the Vaccination Coverage and the Spread of COVID-19: Geostatistical Evidence from the Slovak LAU 1 Regions
Authors: Bleha Branislav , Ďurček Pavol
Published: May 2023

This case study refutes some controversial findings about a minor connection between the vaccination coverage and the spread of COVID-19. We try to eliminate some methodological shortcomings and risks, which are included in such previously published studies. Firstly, our selection comprises all regional units in one country. Secondly, the quality of data is basically identical in all examined regions within the country. Thirdly, all Slovak regions had an equal starting position. They were at the same stages of the COVID-19 wave, and the measures taken were analogous in all regions. Slovakia with a significantly different vaccination rates among regions is a very suitable study case. We used the empirical data at the level of its LAU 1 regions for the two latest COVID-19 waves at that time (Delta, Omicron). The methods of regression analysis and geostatistical methods were applied in the study. Indubitably, there is an obvious link between the vaccination coverage and the spread of COVID-19. We have shown that the incidence-trajectories among regions vary based on the vaccination rates. The positivity and incidence in the most vaccinated regional populations were significantly lower than in the least vaccinated regions in a whole analyzed period. Their values in the best vaccinated regions were lower by roughly 20–25 % during the delta and omicron wave-peaks. Using the spatial autocorrelation, we also managed to clearly identify a close relationship between vaccination on the one hand and standardized incidence and positivity on the other hand, although some regions deviated from this general finding.
Prevalence of factors contributing to unplanned hospital readmission of older medical patients when assessed by patients, their significant others and healthcare professionals: a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Rasmussen Lisa Fønss , Grode Louise , Barat Ishay , Gregersen Merete
Published: May 2023

Objective

To describe the prevalence of factors contributing to readmission of older medical patients perceived by patients, significant others and healthcare professionals and to examine the agreement of factors contributing to readmission.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey was conducted at Horsens Regional Hospital from September 2020 to June 2021. Patients aged ≥ 65 years and who were readmitted within 30 days were included. The questionnaire covered eight themes: disease; diagnosing, treatment and care; network; organisation; communication; skills and knowledge; resources; and practical arrangements. Response groups were patients, significant others, GPs, district nurses and hospital physicians. Outcomes were the prevalence of factors contributing to 30-day readmission and inter-rater agreement between respondents.

Results

In total, 165 patients, 147 significant others, 115 GPs, 75 district nurses and 165 hospital physicians were included. The patients’ median age was 79 years (IQR 74–85), and 44% were women. The following were the most prevalent contributing factors: (1) relapse of the condition that caused the index admission, (2) the patient could not manage the symptoms or illness, (3) worsening of other illnesses or conditions, (4) the patient was not fully treated at the time of discharge and (5) the patient’s situation was too complex for the medical practice to handle. Kappas ranged from 0.0142 to 0.2421 for patient—significant other dyads and 0.0032 to 0.2459 for GP—hospital physician dyads.

Conclusion

From the perspectives of the included respondents, factors associated with the disease and its management were the most prevalent contributors to readmission for older medical patients. Agreement on the contributing factors was generally low.

Trial registration

Clinical trial number NCT05116644. Registration date October 27, 2021.
Dynamic Optimization of Role Concepts for Role-Based Access Control Using Evolutionary Algorithms
Authors: Anderer Simon , Kempter Tobias , Scheuermann Bernd , Mostaghim Sanaz
Published: May 2023

To ensure the security of current information systems, role-based access control (RBAC) is a widely used concept. For this purpose, based on an initial assignment of permissions to users, permissions are grouped to roles, which are then assigned to users. The corresponding (NP-complete) optimization problem, the so-called role mining problem (RMP), aims at finding a minimal set of roles and a corresponding assignment of those roles to users. Previously, the RMP has been considered as a static optimization problem. However, the application of RBAC in real business use cases requires the inclusion of dynamically occurring events that reflect changes in the business environment of companies, as well as events that result from direct user interaction with the role mining process. Therefore, in this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview and classification of the most relevant events for role mining and present methods for integrating them into the framework of an evolutionary role mining algorithm. The functional performance of these methods as well as the overall performance gain of dynamic role mining compared to the static approach is then examined in a series of experiments.
Generation of climate change scenarios for rainfall and temperature using SDSM in a Mediterranean environment: a case study of Boufakrane river watershed, Morocco
Authors: El Hafyani Mohammed , Essahlaoui Narjisse , Essahlaoui Ali , Mohajane Meriame , Van Rompaey Anton
Published: May 2023

Climate change is the global phenomenon of climate transformation characterized by changes in the planet’s habitual climate. The main objective of this work is to assess and predict climate change for the 2015–2100 period, in the Boufakrane river watershed, Morocco. In this study, the Statistical DownScaling Model (SDSM) method has been used to generate the climate scenarios for rainfall and temperature related to Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios such as RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5. For this purpose, the region’s annual, monthly, and daily rainfall records were analyzed. A rainfall index was calculated to differentiate and distinguish between dry and humid years of the climate series, and a non-parametric Pettitt’s test has been applied to determine the trend of precipitation series for the projection period. The application of Pettitt’s test with a confidence interval of 99% and a significance level of 0.05 shows a break in the 1979/80 rainfall series, with an average of 675.78 mm and 511.94 mm respectively before and after the break. The combined application of the two approaches of SDSM, and the non-parametric Pettitt test for the period 2015–2100, showed a downward trend of annual rainfall with 17.29% for RCP 2.6. While no trend was recorded for the two scenarios RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5. Therefore, this study highlighted the importance and urgent need for developing strategies and decision-making plans for climate change adaptation for sustainable water resources management.

Graphical Abstract
A fully-connected three-user quantum hyperentangled network
Authors: Huang Yiwen , Li Yuanhua , Qi Zhantong , Yang Yilin , Zheng Yuanlin , Chen Xianfeng
Published: May 2023

Exploiting the fantastic features of quantum mechanics, a hyperentangled quantum network encoded in multiple degree of freedoms (DOF), e.g., polarization and orbital angular momentum DOFs, can encode more qubits per transmitted photon and offers a promising platform for many dramatic applications. Here, we demonstrate such a hyperentangled multiuser network with a fully connected network architecture by using dense wavelength division multiplexing and entanglement transfer technique. Three hyperentangled states in polarization and time-energy DOFs are multiplexed to three single mode fibers to form the fully connected network architecture. Then, three interferometric quantum gates are utilized for transferring quantum entanglement from time-energy to orbital angular momentum DOF. The experimental results reveal a high quality of the hyperentanglement of the constructed network with the entangled state fidelity of higher than 96%. Our approach can provide a novel way to construct a large-scale hyperentangled network that can support various kinds of quantum tasks like superdense coding and teleportation.
Assessing HIV Care Outcomes Among Persons Who Use Drugs in Puerto Rico Before and After Hurricane Maria
Authors: Hernández Diana , Pan Yue , Cardenas Gabriel , Miranda de León Sandra , Davila-Torres Glenda O. , Rodriguez Allan E. , Yanez Iveth G. , Maisonet Alejandro Mariela , Calderón Alicea Wilmarie L. , Meléndez-González Héctor J. , Feaster Daniel J. , Metsch Lisa R. , Santana-Bagur Jorge
Published: May 2023

Objectives:

To explore the health impacts of Hurricane Maria (HM) on HIV care outcomes among people living with HIV who use drugs.

Methods:

Using data from an ongoing cohort study in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Proyecto PACTo), we measured differences in HIV care outcomes (viral load, viral suppression, and CD4 counts) before and after HM using assessments conducted at 6-month intervals. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess factors associated with HIV care outcomes.

Results:

All HIV care outcomes showed a deterioration from pre-HM values to post-HM values (mean viral load increased, CD4 counts decreased, and rate of viral suppression decreased) after controlling for pre-HM sociodemographic and health characteristics. In addition to HM, age (aIRR = 1·01), being homeless (aIRR = 0·78) and having health insurance (aIRR = 1·6) were independently associated with viral suppression.

Participants:

219 participants completed follow-up visits between April 2017 and January 2018, before and after HM.

Conclusions:

People living with HIV who use drugs in Puerto Rico experienced poorer HIV outcomes following HM. Socio-environmental factors contributing to these outcomes is discussed in the context of disaster response, recovery, and program planning.
Counting independent sets in amenable groups
Authors: BRICEÑO RAIMUNDO
Published: May 2023

Given a locally finite graph$\Gamma $, an amenable subgroupGof graph automorphisms acting freely and almost transitively on its vertices, and aG-invariant activity function$\unicode{x3bb} $, consider the free energy$f_G(\Gamma ,\unicode{x3bb} )$of the hardcore model defined on the set of independent sets in$\Gamma $weighted by$\unicode{x3bb} $. Under the assumption thatGis finitely generated and its word problem can be solved in exponential time, we define suitable ensembles of hardcore models and prove the following: if$\|\unicode{x3bb} \|_\infty < \unicode{x3bb} _c(\Delta )$, there exists a randomized$\epsilon $-additive approximation scheme for$f_G(\Gamma ,\unicode{x3bb} )$that runs in time$\mathrm {poly}((1+\epsilon ^{-1})\lvert \Gamma /G \rvert )$, where$\unicode{x3bb} _c(\Delta )$denotes the critical activity on the$\Delta $-regular tree. In addition, ifGhas a finite index linearly ordered subgroup such that its algebraic past can be decided in exponential time, we show that the algorithm can be chosen to be deterministic. However, we observe that if$\|\unicode{x3bb} \|_\infty> \unicode{x3bb} _c(\Delta )$, there is no efficient approximation scheme, unless$\mathrm {NP} = \mathrm {RP}$. This recovers the computational phase transition for the partition function of the hardcore model on finite graphs and provides an extension to the infinite setting. As an application in symbolic dynamics, we use these results to develop efficient approximation algorithms for the topological entropy of subshifts of finite type with enough safe symbols, we obtain a representation formula of pressure in terms of random trees of self-avoiding walks, and we provide new conditions for the uniqueness of the measure of maximal entropy based on the connective constant of a particular associated graph.
Neonatal mortality of lambs in production systems in a semi-arid environment: main risk factors
Authors: Santos J. D. C. dos , Saraiva E. P. , Pimenta Filho E. C. , Neta G. C. X. , Morais L. K. C. , Teti H. S. , Fidelis S. S.
Published: May 2023

The sheep farming has economic and sociocultural importance in semi-arid regions worldwide. Of the total of 1.2 billion sheep in the world, 0.4 are found in semi-arid regions. In this review, we have discussed the main risk factors for neonatal lamb mortality and its association with the prevailing environmental conditions of tropical semi-arid regions. Over the last decades, the average mortality rate of newborn lambs remained relatively constant (~15%) around the world. This rate is reported to be higher (Up to 30%) in small-scale sheep farming systems from developing countries. Overall, the main risk factors of neonatal mortality include low birth weight, dystocia, adverse weather conditions, inadequate milk, or colostrum supply, competition between siblings in multiple births, and poor expression of maternal behaviour. In tropical semi-arid regions, recent findings revealed that newborn lambs from hair coat sheep breeds are less vigorous to perform the first suckling when even exposed to moderate cold conditions (18–20°C). On the other hand, the high radiant heat load in these areas can also challenge the thermoregulation of ewes and newborn lambs, especially if they are kept in areas without protection against direct short-wave solar radiation. Under such circumstances, newborn lambs were reported to be hyperthermic. The heat stress as risk factor for neonatal lamb mortality is a topic that deserves more investigation, particularly in tropical semi-arid areas, where is expected to be drier and hotter as consequence of rapid advances in climate change.
Usefulness of post-operative endoscopic score for optimal treatment selection in recurrent eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis
Authors: Saito Takahiro , Okazaki Ken , Fushimi Katsuya , Tsuzuki Kenzo
Published: May 2023

Objective

This study retrospectively analysed post-operative endoscopic scores to determine the optimal post-operative treatment in patients with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

Methods

In total, 339 adults who underwent initial bilateral functional endoscopic sinus surgery for eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis were enrolled. Patients were divided into group A, which required no additional post-operative treatment; group B, which required local/systemic steroids post-operatively; and group C, which further required dupilumab and/or revision surgery.

Results

Sixty-five per cent of patients could be treated with initial functional endoscopic sinus surgery (group A). Post-operative steroids were required in 35 per cent of patients with a post-operative endoscopic score of 30 per cent (group B). Further advanced treatments with dupilumab and/or revision functional endoscopic sinus surgery were required in 10 per cent of patients with a post-operative endoscopic score of 65 per cent (group C).

Conclusion

The post functional endoscopic sinus surgery endoscopic score can be used as an index to determine treatment at the time of eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis recurrence.
Metaquotation: Homer and the Emperor
Authors: Heslin Peter
Published: May 2023

For the emperor, quoting Homer was both a danger and an opportunity. Suetonius’ Lives shows that anecdotes of quotation circulated widely to characterise the emperor for good or for ill. Subsequently, these moments could themselves become the subject of allusion. If you quote a line of Homer that was famously quoted by the emperor, are you quoting the poet or Caesar? This phenomenon, whereby a poetic cliché could be reborn as charged reference to a prior use of that tag by a well-known figure, might be termed metaquotation. This ambiguity of reference was exploited throughout Seneca'sApocolocyntosis, and in turn by readers of that text in antiquity.
The role of morphological configuration in language control during bilingual production and comprehension
Authors: Liu Shuang , Huang Junjun , Schwieter John W. , Liu Huanhuan
Published: May 2023

When bilinguals switch between their two languages, they often alternate between words whose formation rules in one language are different from the other (e.g., a noun-verb compound in one language may be a verb-noun compound in another language). In this study, we analyze behavioral performance and electrophysiological activity to examine the effects of morphological configuration on language control during production and comprehension. Chinese–English bilinguals completed a joint naming-listening task involving cued language switching. The findings showed differential effects of morphological configuration on language production and comprehension. In production, morphological configuration was processed sequentially, suggesting that bilingual production may be a combination of sequential processing and inhibition of morphological levels and language interference. In comprehension, however, bottom-up control processes appear to mask the influence of sequential processing on language switching. Together, these findings underscore differential functionalities of language control in speaking and listening.
Hippocampal adaptations in Mild Cognitive Impairment patients are modulated by bilingual language experiences
Authors: Voits Toms , Rothman Jason , Calabria Marco , Robson Holly , Aguirre Naiara , Cattaneo Gabriele , Costumero Víctor , Hernández Mireia , Juncadella Puig Montserrat , Marín-Marín Lidón , Suades Anna , Costa Albert , Pliatsikas Christos
Published: May 2023

Bilingualism has been shown to contribute to increased resilience against cognitive aging. One of the key brain structures linked to memory and dementia symptom onset, the hippocampus, has been observed to adapt in response to bilingual experience – at least in healthy individuals. However, in the context of neurodegenerative pathology, it is yet unclear what role previous bilingual experience might have in terms of sustaining integrity of this structure or related behavioral correlates. The present study adds to the limited cohort of research on the effects of bilingualism on neurocognitive outcomes in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) using structural brain data. We investigate whether bilingual language experience (operationalized as language entropy) results in graded neurocognitive adaptations within a cohort of bilinguals diagnosed with MCI. Results reveal a non-linear effect of bilingual language entropy on hippocampal volume, although they do not predict episodic memory performance, nor age of MCI diagnosis.
Constraining Characteristic Morphological Wavelengths for Venus Using Baltis Vallis
Authors: Conrad J. W. , Nimmo F.
Published: May 2023

One of Venus' most enigmatic landforms is Baltis Vallis, the longest channel on the surface (∼7,000 km long). We identify a possible mid‐channel island that implies a south to north flow direction during formation. However, since the flow direction of Baltis Vallis is otherwise not well constrained, we analyze topographic conformity in both flow directions. In either case, topography appears to be altered across most analyzed wavelengths after the formation of Baltis Vallis. Fourier analysis shows two ranges of prominent wavelengths, 225 ± 15 km and ∼3,500 ± 1,200 km. The shorter wavelengths correspond to deformation belts that cross Venus' low plains. The longest is plausibly associated with the dynamic uplift wavelength of the crust by mantle plumes, but is less robustly detected. Higher resolution observations provided by the VERITAS and EnVision missions can help resolve the source location of Baltis Vallis and constrain if the longest wavelength postdated the canale's formation.
Hydrologic Connectivity and Patch‐To‐Hillslope Scale Relations in Dryland Ecosystems
Authors: Crompton O. , Katul G. , Lapides D. , Thompson S.
Published: May 2023

In drylands, runoff during storms redistributes water and nutrients from bare soil areas to vegetated patches, subsidizing vegetation with additional resources. The extent of this redistribution depends on the interplay between surface roughness and permeability; greater permeability in vegetated patches promotes run‐on to vegetation, but greater surface roughness diverts runoff, producing tortuous flow paths that bypass vegetation. Here, this interplay is examined in virtual experiments using the 2D Saint Venant Equations to measure runoff connectivity. Flowpaths are delineated using tracers advected by the flow. Distances between tracer sources and sinks along flowpaths measure hydrologic connectivity at two lengthscales: connectivity to the hillslope outlet and within‐slope source‐sink connectivity. Differences between these connectivity lengthscales indicate how flow may “by‐pass” vegetated patches within hillslopes. At the hillslope scale, a derived power‐law relation between the runoff coefficient and outlet connectivity describes hillslope water losses, providing a foundation for identifying landscapes likely to shed water.