bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Are Preference and Tolerance Measured With the PRETIE-Q (Preference for and Tolerance of the Intensity of Exercise Questionnaire) Relevant Constructs for Understanding Exercise Intensity in Physical Activity? A Scoping Review
Authors: Santos Filipe , Teixeira Diogo
Published: November 2023

Individual preference and tolerance can be seen as relevant traits for the understanding of the relationship between exercise intensity and behavioral outcomes. To better understand that relationship, this scoping review aimed to analyze preference for, and tolerance of, exercise intensity constructs in physical activity settings by verifying the contextual utility and feasibility of the subscales in the multiple settings of their application, the interpretation of the subscales, associations with other variables, and the reported limitations of the subscales’ use. The search was conducted through PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and B-on databases. Inclusion criteria were healthy individuals including athletes, experimental and nonexperimental studies written in English based on the assessment of subjective intensity in exercise; studies including the variables tolerance and/or preference. Exclusion criteria were instrument validation studies with no concurrent data, gray literature, and systematic reviews. Thirty-six studies published between 2005 and 2022 were analyzed. Results indicate that both constructs appear to be useful and feasible in various physical activity settings. No relevant limitations were reported for its use. Preference and tolerance constructs assessed with the PRETIE-Q (Preference for and Tolerance of the Intensity of Exercise Questionnaire) seem to offer a simple but useful understanding of the individual relation with exercise intensity in several physical activity–related outcomes.
The Penalty That’s Never Called: Sexism in Men’s Hockey Culture
Authors: Fowler Teresa Anne , Moore Shannon D.M. , Skuce Tim
Published: November 2023

During the summer of 2022, Hockey Canada faced a reckoning regarding its outright denial of the ways in which gender-based violence is a part of hockey culture. This paper shares data from a study that involved qualitative interviews with semi/professional men’s ice hockey players regarding their resistance to the expectations of hypermasculinity in hockey culture. Hypermasculinity is the elevated status of traits that promote violence, stoicism, and aggression and that privileges the locker-room code of silence. Participants spoke about the dangers of playing through pain as well as the precarity of their roles on their teams due to policing strategies that put the team before anything else. The participants were less direct about the ways sexism and misogyny are used as a means to improve team bonding and performance, yet stories of sexism and misogyny were riddled throughout the data. Our analysis brings together Bourdieu’s concept of misrecognition to gain understanding as to why sexism remains/ed silent and Freire’s conscientization to promote more dialogic encounters to clear the air of sexism in men’s ice hockey.
Australian Football Coaches’ Tales of Mental Toughness: Exploring the Sociocultural Roots
Authors: Tibbert Stephanie J. , Andersen Mark B. , Morris Tony , Mesagno Christopher
Published: November 2023

The present study explored how three professional Australian football coaches learned and understood mental toughness. Participants shared stories regarding mental toughness through semistructured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. Creative nonfiction was employed to develop a composite story. All participants’ voices contributed equally to the narrative, which follows Sam (our composite coach) through three periods in his career: as a junior player, an elite footballer, and, finally, a coach in the professional football environment. Mental toughness was fundamentally determined by the sociocultural environment in which one was immersed. Athletes and coaches were expected to internalize dominant understandings of mental toughness and reinforce ideals and were punished if they deviated from mentally tough standards set up in their clubs. Mental toughness was defined by various values, beliefs, and norms that originated from the sociocultural environment, indicating the importance of context in understanding the roots of being mentally tough.
Phylogenetic identification of influenza virus candidates for seasonal vaccines
Authors: Hayati Maryam , Sobkowiak Benjamin , Stockdale Jessica E. , Colijn Caroline
Published: November 2023

The seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine is designed to protect against those influenza viruses predicted to circulate during the upcoming flu season, but identifying which viruses are likely to circulate is challenging. We use features from phylogenetic trees reconstructed from hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) sequences, together with a support vector machine, to predict future circulation. We obtain accuracies of 0.75 to 0.89 (AUC 0.83 to 0.91) over 2016–2020. We explore ways to select potential candidates for a seasonal vaccine and find that the machine learning model has a moderate ability to select strains that are close to future populations. However, consensus sequences among the most recent 3 years also do well at this task. We identify similar candidate strains to those proposed by the World Health Organization, suggesting that this approach can help inform vaccine strain selection.
4E-BP1–dependent translation in nociceptors controls mechanical hypersensitivity via TRIM32/type I interferon signaling
Authors: Wong Calvin , Tavares-Ferreira Diana , Thörn Perez Carolina , Sharif Behrang , Uttam Sonali , Amiri Mehdi , Lister Kevin C. , Hooshmandi Mehdi , Nguyen Vivienne , Séguéla Philippe , Sonenberg Nahum , Price Theodore J. , Gkogkas Christos G. , Khoutorsky Arkady
Published: November 2023

Activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) contributes to the development of chronic pain. However, the specific mechanisms by which mTORC1 causes hypersensitivity remain elusive. The eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) is a key mTORC1 downstream effector that represses translation initiation. Here, we show that nociceptor-specific deletion of 4E-BP1, mimicking activation of mTORC1-dependent translation, is sufficient to cause mechanical hypersensitivity. Using translating ribosome affinity purification in nociceptors lacking 4E-BP1, we identified a pronounced translational up-regulation of tripartite motif-containing protein 32 (TRIM32), an E3 ubiquitin ligase that promotes interferon signaling. Down-regulation of TRIM32 in nociceptors or blocking type I interferon signaling reversed the mechanical hypersensitivity in mice lacking 4E-BP1. Furthermore, nociceptor-specific ablation of TRIM32 alleviated mechanical hypersensitivity caused by tissue inflammation. These results show that mTORC1 in nociceptors promotes hypersensitivity via 4E-BP1–dependent up-regulation of TRIM32/interferon signaling and identify TRIM32 as a therapeutic target in inflammatory pain.
The STEMRI trial: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging can define tumor areas enriched in glioblastoma stem-like cells
Authors: Lemarié Anthony , Lubrano Vincent , Delmas Caroline , Lusque Amélie , Cerapio Juan-Pablo , Perrier Marion , Siegfried Aurore , Arnauduc Florent , Nicaise Yvan , Dahan Perrine , Filleron Thomas , Mounier Muriel , Toulas Christine , Cohen-Jonathan Moyal Elizabeth
Published: November 2023

Despite maximally safe resection of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–defined contrast-enhanced (CE) central tumor area and chemoradiotherapy, most patients with glioblastoma (GBM) relapse within a year in peritumoral FLAIR regions. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI) can discriminate metabolic tumor areas with higher recurrence potential as CNI+ regions (choline/
N
-acetyl-aspartate index >2) can predict relapse sites. As relapses are mainly imputed to glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs), CNI+ areas might be GSC enriched. In this prospective trial, 16 patients with GBM underwent MRSI/MRI before surgery/chemoradiotherapy to investigate GSC content in CNI−/+ biopsies from CE/FLAIR. Biopsy and derived-GSC characterization revealed a FLAIR/CNI+ sample enrichment in GSC and in gene signatures related to stemness, DNA repair, adhesion/migration, and mitochondrial bioenergetics. FLAIR/CNI+ samples generate GSC-enriched neurospheres faster than FLAIR/CNI−. Parameters assessing biopsy GSC content and time-to-neurosphere formation in FLAIR/CNI+ were associated with worse patient outcome. Preoperative MRI/MRSI would certainly allow better resection and targeting of FLAIR/CNI+ areas, as their GSC enrichment can predict worse outcomes.
The degradation and detection of environmental signals in sediment transport systems
Authors: Griffin Chloe , Duller Robert A. , Straub Kyle M.
Published: November 2023

Autogenic processes contribute noise to sediment transport systems that can degrade or mask externally derived environmental signals and hinder our ability to reconstruct past environmental signals from landscapes and strata. To explore this further, we measure efflux from a physical rice pile to ascertain the temporal structure of autogenic noise, and how this influences the degradation and detection of environmental signals. Our results reveal a tripartite temporal spectral structure segmented at two key autogenic time scales. The shorter autogenic time scale set limits on environmental signal degradation, while the longer autogenic time scale sets limits on environmental signal detection. This work establishes a framework that can be used to explore how autogenic processes interact with external environmental signals in field-scale systems to influence their detectability. We anticipate that the temporal structure and associated time scales identified will arise from autogenic processes in numerous sediment transport systems.
Bioinspired, vertically stacked, and perovskite nanocrystal–enhanced CMOS imaging sensors for resolving UV spectral signatures
Authors: Chen Cheng , Wang Ziwen , Wu Jiajing , Deng Zhengtao , Zhang Tao , Zhu Zhongmin , Jin Yifei , Lew Benjamin , Srivastava Indrajit , Liang Zuodong , Nie Shuming , Gruev Viktor
Published: November 2023

Imaging and identifying target signatures and biomedical markers in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum is broadly important to medical imaging, military target tracking, remote sensing, and industrial automation. However, current silicon-based imaging sensors are fundamentally limited because of the rapid absorption and attenuation of UV light, hindering their ability to resolve UV spectral signatures. Here, we present a bioinspired imaging sensor capable of wavelength-resolved imaging in the UV range. Inspired by the UV-sensitive visual system of the
Papilio xuthus
butterfly, the sensor monolithically combines vertically stacked photodiodes and perovskite nanocrystals. This imaging design combines two complementary UV detection mechanisms: The nanocrystal layer converts a portion of UV signals into visible fluorescence, detected by the photodiode array, while the remaining UV light is detected by the top photodiode. Our label-free UV fluorescence imaging data from aromatic amino acids and cancer/normal cells enables real-time differentiation of these biomedical materials with 99% confidence.
QIAstat-Dx gastrointestinal panel and Luminex xTAG gastrointestinal pathogen panel comparative evaluation
Authors: Giffen Samantha R. , Sadler Jacob M. , Miller Melissa B.
Published: November 2023

The diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis is an ongoing clinical challenge in terms of identification of the etiologic agent, time to results, and appropriate treatment. Rapid detection of gastrointestinal pathogens is needed to improve patient care. This study evaluates the performance of the QIAstat-Dx gastrointestinal panel (Q-GP; Investigational Use Only) compared to the Luminex xTAG gastrointestinal pathogen panel (L-GPP; US-IVD). Using 245 stool specimens, we evaluated 10 different targets including rotavirus, norovirus,
Salmonella
,
Shigella
,
Campylobacter
,
Giardia
,
Cryptosporidium
,
Escherichia coli
O157, enterotoxigenic
E. coli
(ETEC), and Shiga toxin-producing
E. coli
(STEC). For the viral targets, the percent positive agreement (PPA) for rotavirus was 100% (
n
= 19) and that for norovirus was 91% (20/22). For the parasitic targets, the PPA was 100% for
Giardia
and
Cryptosporidium
(
n
= 18 and
n
= 23, respectively). The PPA was 96% for
Salmonella
(22/23) and
Campylobacter
(22/23), and the PPA for
Shigella
was 100% (
n
= 23). For the
E. coli
targets, a PPA of 94% was achieved for STEC (32/34) and 96% for ETEC (24/25). We did not assess PPA for the
E. coli
O157 target as the Q-GP O157 call is
stx
dependent. The negative percent agreement across all targets was 99.1%. Our study suggests that QIAstat-Dx GP provides comparable results to Luminex GPP based on the analysis of targets found on both panels.
Draft genome sequence of the emerging fish pathogen
Flavobacterium tructae
strain S12
Authors: Chen Shicheng , Loch Thomas P. , Walker Edward D.
Published: November 2023

The draft genome of
Flavobacterium tructae
strain S12, isolated from hatchery-reared Chinook salmon (
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
) fingerlings, consisted of 5,695,942 bp, a G + C content of 35.6%, 4,775 predicted open reading frames, a putative type IX secretion system, collagenase, and hemolysin.
F. tructae
strains can be used as models for emerging
Flavobacterium
pathogens.
Endophytic bacteria associated with wild-type banana seed (
Musa balbisiana
): whole genome sequencing
Authors: Kumar Girish , Gan Han Ming , Popielarz Hailey , Steele Julia , Parthasarathy Anutthaman , Hudson André O. , Savka Michael A.
Published: November 2023

We present the whole-genome sequences of five endophytic bacteria isolated from
Musa balbisiana
seeds. These strains represent five different genera:
Bacillus, Brachybacterium, Enterobacter, Enterococcus,
and
Pantoea
. Among these, three genera (
Bacillus
,
Pantoea
, and
Enterobacter
) were previously recognized for their antagonistic effects against Fusarium wilt, a highly destructive disease that affects banana plants.
Altitude as a key environmental factor shaping microbial communities of tea green leafhoppers (
Matsumurasca onukii
)
Authors: Zhang Yong , Liu Song , Huang Xue-yu , Zi Hua-bin , Gao Tian , Ji Rui-jie , Sheng Juan , Zhi Dian , Zhang Ying-lao , Gong Chun-mei , Yang Yun-qiu
Published: November 2023

The tea green leafhopper,
Matsumurasca onukii
Matsuda, is the most destructive insect pest of tea plantations in East Asia. While several microbes in
M. onukii
have been characterized, the microbial community compositions in wild
M. onukii
populations and the environmental factors that shape them are mostly unknown. In this study,
M. onukii
populations were collected from major tea growing regions in China. Following high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments for bacteria and the internal transcribed spacer region for fungi, association analyses were performed within the microbial communities associated with
M. onukii
and their environmental drivers. We found that the bacterial community structures differed in various regions, and the abundance of dominant bacteria such as
Wolbachia
,
Pseudomonas
,
Acinetobacter
,
Pantoea
,
Enterobacter,
and
Methylobacterium
varied widely. Moreover, wild populations of
M. onukii
can be infected with facultative symbionts from six genera (
Wolbachia
,
Rickettsia
,
Asaia
,
Serratia
,
Arsenophonus,
and
Cardinium
) with divergent relative abundances. Correlation analysis indicated that altitude was a key environmental factor that shaped bacterial communities of
M. onukii
. Furthermore, longitude, temperature, and rainfall are also significantly correlated with the bacterial communities. The fungal communities of
M. onukii
populations were dominated by Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, of which most genera are considered to be plant endophytes or plant pathogens, such as
Cladosporium
,
Fusarium
,
Alternaria,
and
Gibberella
. We demonstrated that
M. onukii
carry a complex and variable microbial community, which is influenced by altitude as well as climate-related factors. Our results provide novel insights into the bacteria and fungi of
M. onukii
.

IMPORTANCE

Host-associated microbial communities play an important role in the fitness of insect hosts. However, the factors shaping microbial communities in wild populations, including environmental factors and interactions among microbial species, remain largely unknown. The tea green leafhopper has a wide geographical distribution and is highly adaptable, providing a suitable model for studying the effect of ecological drivers on microbiomes. This is the first large-scale culture-independent study investigating the microbial communities of
M. onukii
sampled from different locations. Altitude as a key environmental factor may have shaped microbial communities of
M. onukii
by affecting the relative abundance of endosymbionts, especially
Wolbachia
. The results of this study, therefore, offer not only an in-depth view of the microbial diversity of this species but also an insight into the influence of environmental factors.
Predictors on outcomes of cardiovascular disease of male patients in Malaysia using Bayesian network analysis
Authors: Juhan Nurliyana , Zubairi Yong Zulina , Mahmood Zuhdi Ahmad Syadi , Mohd Khalid Zarina
Published: November 2023

Objectives

Despite extensive advances in medical and surgical treatment, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Identifying the significant predictors will help clinicians with the prognosis of the disease and patient management. This study aims to identify and interpret the dependence structure between the predictors and health outcomes of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) male patients in Malaysian setting.

Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

Malaysian National Cardiovascular Disease Database-Acute Coronary Syndrome (NCVD-ACS) registry years 2006–2013, which consists of 18 hospitals across the country.

Participants

7180 male patients diagnosed with STEMI from the NCVD-ACS registry.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

A graphical model based on the Bayesian network (BN) approach has been considered. A bootstrap resampling approach was integrated into the structural learning algorithm to estimate probabilistic relations between the studied features that have the strongest influence and support.

Results

The relationships between 16 features in the domain of CVD were visualised. From the bootstrap resampling approach, out of 250, only 25 arcs are significant (strength value ≥0.85 and the direction value ≥0.50). Age group, Killip class and renal disease were classified as the key predictors in the BN model for male patients as they were the most influential variables directly connected to the outcome, which is the patient status. Widespread probabilistic associations between the key predictors and the remaining variables were observed in the network structure. High likelihood values are observed for patient status variable stated alive (93.8%), Killip class I on presentation (66.8%), patient younger than 65 (81.1%), smoker patient (77.2%) and ethnic Malay (59.2%). The BN model has been shown to have good predictive performance.

Conclusions

The data visualisation analysis can be a powerful tool to understand the relationships between the CVD prognostic variables and can be useful to clinicians.
Scoping review of African health histories: a protocol
Authors: Karamagi Humphrey Cyprian , Oduwole Elizabeth O , Sy Sokona , Adamu Abdu A , Seydi Aminata B W , Wiysonge Charles S
Published: November 2023

Introduction

The history of African health is closely entwined with the history of the continent itself—from precolonial times to the present day. A study of African health histories is critical to understanding the complex interplay between social, economic, environmental and political factors that have shaped health outcomes on the continent. Furthermore, it can shed light on the successes and failures of past health interventions, inform current healthcare policies and practices, and guide future efforts to address the persistent health challenges faced by African populations. This scoping review aims to identify existing literature on African health histories.

Methods and analysis

The Arksey and O’Malley’s framework for conducting scoping reviews will be utilised for the proposed review, which will be reported in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. The main review question is ‘What literature exists on the history of health practices and healthcare delivery systems in Africa from the precolonial era through to the sustainable development goal era?’ Keywords such as Africa, health and histories will be used to develop a search strategy to interrogate selected databases and grey literature repositories such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and WHOLIS. Two authors will independently screen titles and abstracts of retrieved records. One author will extract data from articles that meet the inclusion criteria using a purposively designed data charting. The data would be coded and analysed thematically, and the findings presented narratively.

Ethics and dissemination

The scoping review is part of a larger project which has approval from the WHO AFRO Ethics Research Committee (Protocol ID: AFR/ERC/2022/11.3). The protocol and subsequent review will be submitted to the integrated African Health Observatory and published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Registration details

https://osf.io/xsaez/
Identifying and mapping measures of medication safety during transfer of care in a digital era: a scoping literature review
Authors: Leon Catherine , Hogan Helen , Jani Yogini H
Published: November 2023

Background

Measures to evaluate high-risk medication safety during transfers of care should span different safety dimensions across all components of these transfers and reflect outcomes and opportunities for proactive safety management.

Objectives

To scope measures currently used to evaluate safety interventions targeting insulin, anticoagulants and other high-risk medications during transfers of care and evaluate their comprehensiveness as a portfolio.

Methods

Embase, Medline, Cochrane and CINAHL databases were searched using scoping methodology for studies evaluating the safety of insulin, anticoagulants and other high-risk medications during transfer of care. Measures identified were extracted into a spreadsheet, collated and mapped against three frameworks: (1) ‘Key Components of an Ideal Transfer of Care’, (2) work systems, processes and outcomes and (3) whether measures captured past harms, events in real time or areas of concern. The potential for digital health systems to support proactive measures was explored.

Results

Thirty-five studies were reviewed with 162 measures in use. Once collated, 29 discrete categories of measures were identified. Most were outcome measures such as adverse events. Process measures included communication and issue identification and resolution. Clinic enrolment was the only work system measure. Twenty-four measures captured past harm (eg, adverse events) and six indicated future risk (eg, patient feedback for organisations). Two real-time measures alerted healthcare professionals to risks using digital systems. No measures were of advance care planning or enlisting support.

Conclusion

The measures identified are insufficient for a comprehensive portfolio to assess safety of key medications during transfer of care. Further measures are required to reflect all components of transfers of care and capture the work system factors contributing to outcomes in order to support proactive intervention to reduce unwanted variation and prevent adverse outcomes. Advances in digital technology and its employment within integrated care provide opportunities for the development of such measures.
Association of cannabis use with patient-reported pain measures among adults with chronic pain in US states with medical cannabis programs
Authors: Bicket Mark C , Stone Elizabeth M , McGinty Emma Beth
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Most Americans live in a state that has legalized cannabis as a medical treatment for pain, but it is unclear how chronic pain intensity relates to cannabis use. Our objective was to examine the association between patient-reported pain measures and cannabis among adults with chronic pain.

Methods

This cross-sectional study of a representative sample of adults reporting chronic non-cancer pain in 36 states and DC with active medical cannabis programs from March to April 2022 assessed cannabis use for chronic pain, categorized as active (within 30 days), past (>31 days), or never use (referent). Measures were pain intensity (primary) and interference, Widespread Pain Index, and number of chronic pain diagnoses.

Results

Among 1628 participants (57% female, 69% white), 352 (22%) actively used cannabis to treat chronic pain, 137 (8%) reported past cannabis use, and 1139 (70%) never used cannabis. In adjusted models, active cannabis use was associated with higher scores for pain intensity (score difference 1.03, 95% CI 0.05 to 2.02) and pain interference (score difference 1.82, 95% CI 0.99 to 2.65) compared with never use. Persons who actively used cannabis had higher Widespread Pain Index scores (score difference 0.56, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.86) and more chronic pain diagnoses (difference 0.45, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.83).

Conclusion

People with chronic non-cancer pain who used cannabis for pain reported non-clinically meaningful worse pain measures and greater burden of chronic pain conditions than their counterparts who never used cannabis. Alternatively, those with worse pain and greater burden of pain appear more likely to use cannabis.
Efficacy of the intertransverse process block: single or multiple injection? A randomized, non-inferiority, blinded, cross-over trial in healthy volunteers
Authors: Nielsen Martin Vedel , Tanggaard Katrine , Bojesen Sophie , Birkebæk Amanda de la Fuente , Therkelsen Anne Sofie , Sørensen Herman , Klementsen Cecilie , Hansen Christian , Vazin Mojgan , Poulsen Troels Dirch , Børglum Jens
Published: November 2023

Introduction

The intertransverse process block is increasingly used to ameliorate postoperative pain following a plethora of surgical procedures involving the thoracic wall. Nevertheless, the optimal approach and cutaneous extent of the sensory block are currently unknown. We aimed to further describe the intertransverse process block, single injection versus multiple injection, and we hypothesized that the single-injection intertransverse process block is a non-inferior technique.

Methods

Twelve healthy male volunteers were cross-over randomized to receive either single-injection intertransverse process block with 21 mL ropivacaine 7.5 mg/mL, including two sham injections, at the thoracic level T4/T5 or multiple-injection intertransverse process block with three injections of 7 mL ropivacaine 7.5 mg/mL at the thoracic levels T2/T3, T4/T5 and T6/T7 at the first visit. At the second visit, the other technique was applied on the contralateral hemithorax. A non-inferiority margin of 1.5 anesthetized thoracic dermatomes was chosen.

Results

The mean difference (95% CI) in the number of anesthetized thoracic dermatomes was 0.82 (−0.41 to 2.05) pnon-inf<0.01 indicating non-inferiority favoring the single-injection technique.

Both techniques anesthetized the ipsilateral thoracic wall and demonstrated contralateral cutaneous involvement to a variable extent. The multiple-injection intertransverse process block anesthetized a significantly larger cutaneous area on the posterior hemithorax and decreased mean arterial pressure at 30 and 60 min postblock application. Thoracic thermography showed no intermodality temperature differences yet compared with baseline temperatures both techniques showed significant differences.

Conclusions

Single-injection intertransverse process block is non-inferior to multiple injection in terms of anesthetized thoracic dermatomes. Both techniques generally anesthetize the hemithoracic wall to a variable extent.

EU clinical trials register

2022-501312-34-01.
Dimensional synthesis of motion generation in a spherical four-bar mechanism
Authors: Liu Wenrui , Si Haotian , Wang Cong , Sun Jianwei , Qin Tao
Published: November 2023

A new objective function for optimizing spherical, four-bar mechanisms for motion generation is presented. Rigid-body poses of a spherical four-bar mechanism in a standard installation position are investigated, and a normalization processing method is proposed. After processing the coupler points of the mechanism, the feature points generated are located on the circles. The formation principle of the feature coupler circles is analysed, and the internal relationship between the centre angle of the adjacent feature points on the feature coupler circles and the coupler angle of the spherical four-bar mechanism is determined. An input angle determination method is proposed for the spherical four-bar mechanism in a general installation position. An objective function is then established to optimize the basic dimensional types, relative input angles, and installation position parameters of the desired spherical four-bar mechanism. The proposed method is applicable to both prescribed and unprescribed timing problems. Notably, the dimension of the optimization variables is only eight, which is exceptionally low for multiple position motion generation without prescribed timing; therefore, the global optimal solution is more easily obtained. The optimization process is carried out by the genetic algorithm. The feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed method are demonstrated by examples.
On a category of V-structures for foliations
Authors: Zuevsky A.
Published: November 2023

For a foliation [Formula: see text] of a smooth complex manifold, we introduce the category [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text]-structures associated to a vertex operator algebra [Formula: see text] and the category of its modules. The main result consists of the construction of [Formula: see text]-structures and canonicity proof of [Formula: see text] on [Formula: see text].
Geometry of four-dimensional Kähler and para-Kähler Lie groups
Authors: Ferreiro-Subrido M. , García-Río E. , Vázquez-Lorenzo R.
Published: November 2023

We classify four-dimensional para-Kähler Lie algebras and study their geometry showing that they are symmetric or simply harmonic special recurrent, in the semi-symmetric case. The non-semi-symmetric case allows essentially two distinct geometries in addition to the [Formula: see text]-symmetric spaces, without a Kählerian counterpart.
Nested Simulation for Conditional Value-at-Risk with Discrete Losses
Authors: Ge Yu , Liu Guangwu , Shen Houcai
Published: November 2023

Nested simulation has been an active area of research in recent years, with an important application in portfolio risk measurement. While majority of the literature has been focusing on the continuous case where portfolio loss is assumed to follow a continuous distribution, monetary losses of a portfolio in practice are usually measured in discrete units, oftentimes due to the practical consideration of meaningful decimal places for a given level of precision in risk measurement. In this paper, we study a nested simulation procedure for estimating conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR), a popular risk measure, in the case where monetary losses of the portfolio take discrete values. Tailored to the discrete nature of portfolio losses, we propose a rounded estimator and show that when the portfolio loss follows a sub-Gaussian distribution or has a sufficiently high-order moment, the mean squared error (MSE) of the resulting CVaR estimator decays to zero at a rate close to [Formula: see text], much faster than the rate of the CVaR estimator in the continuous case which is [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] denotes the sampling budget required by the nested simulation procedure. Performance of the proposed estimator is demonstrated using numerical examples.
Low-frequency band gap and wave attenuation mechanisms of novel hybrid chiral metamaterials
Authors: Cheng Shu-Liang , Yang Hong-Yun , Du Xiu-Hong , Ding Qian , Yan Qun , Sun Yong-Tao , Xin Ya-Jun , Wan Liang , Xu Jin-Xin
Published: November 2023

Based on the hexagonal honeycomb structure and the tri-ligament chiral honeycomb structure, this paper proposes a hybrid material structure with low-frequency elastic wave suppression below 100[Formula: see text]Hz. Based on the finite element method and Bloch’s theorem, the energy band structure was calculated, and the formation of the band gap and the wave-propagation properties of the structure were carefully studied, the wave attenuation performance of the composite structure was simulated, and the influence of material properties and geometric parameters on the width and position of the band-gap distribution was discussed. The results show that the structure can generate a good band gap in the low-frequency range of 100[Formula: see text]Hz, and the wave propagation is suppressed obviously. Demonstrating its potential in practical applications, the research in this paper provides a theoretical basis for the manufacture of low-frequency vibration damping equipment and instruments, and provides a scheme for the design of metamaterials with low-frequency band gaps.
Influential Spreaders Identification by Fusing Network Topology
Authors: Zhang Ziyi , Yan Rong , Yuan Wei , Zhang Lintao
Published: November 2023

With the development of network science, complex network analysis has received extensive attention. In recent years, influential spreaders identification has become a hot topic in the research of complex networks. In general, influential spreader identification algorithms are mainly divided into centrality-based algorithms and topology-based algorithms. However, centrality-based algorithms have to face the information limitation problem that leads to low accuracy for identifying influential spreaders. Topology-based algorithms have both structural and positional limitation problems that lead to low accuracy for identifying peripheral influential spreaders. In this paper, we focus on improving the situation and propose two influential spreader identification algorithms, NSC (neighborhood structure centrality) and NPC (neighborhood position centrality) from both the perspective of the centrality and the network topology. NSC algorithm collects various types of network structure information through structure embedding and clustering, so as to solve missing network structure information problem. NPC algorithm calculates neighborhood location information by improving the k-shell algorithm to tackle location limitation problem. Experimental results with fourteen baseline algorithms show that our proposed algorithms NSC and NPC can achieve higher accuracy.
Surface Modification of NiTi Alloy with Sputtered Tantalum Coatings to Improve its Hardness, Corrosion Resistance and Biocompatibility
Authors: Khathim Sena’a E. , Al-Rawi Bilal K. , Khalaf Mohammed K.
Published: November 2023

In this research, titanium alloys including smart nitinol (NiTi) were studied. The (NiTi) alloy tends to emitting (Ni) toxic ions due to its low resistance to corrosion within the body conditions over time. For (NiTi) coating process, the magnetron plasma sputtering (DC) technique was used with Aragon gas ratio of (90%) and Oxygen of (10%) in order to coat the alloy with Tantalum and its Oxide (Ta2O[Formula: see text] thin films. This is one of the methods used to improve the biocompatibility and better adhesion stability of the membrane on the (NiTi) surface, since Tantalum and its oxides are biocompatible and are not affected by the body fluids. Hardness, corrosion and biocompatibility were tested. The results showed improvement in the nominated properties using this coating technique. The hardness for the non-coated sample was (630 Kgf/mm[Formula: see text], meanwhile, the coated sample recorded (762 Kgf/mm[Formula: see text] using sputtering power of (25 W) with a thickness of (226 nm). Tantalum and its precipitated oxides on a pillar of thickness (90.4–226 nm) also exhibited a biocorrosion enhancement, when it was immersed in a Simulated Body Fluid (SBF). The corrosion rate for the non-coated sample was (1.204 × 10[Formula: see text], meanwhile for the coated sample, its value was (3.453 × 10[Formula: see text] at sputtering power of (15 W), considered as the lower corrosion rate. The scanning electron micrographs also showed an increase in the biocompatibility for the coated nitinol alloys (NiTi) in comparison with the non-coated, ones since it showed a clear formation of Hydroxyapatite (HA) on the sample surface after immersion in the SBF. This behavior was confirmed by the XRD measurements, which presented higher HA peaks on the coated samples surface in comparison with the non-coated samples.
Synthesis and Characterizations of Physical and Antibacterial Properties of the Ag Nanoparticles by Exploding of Wire Technique
Authors: Hussain Abdulkareem M. , Al-Rawi Bilal K.
Published: November 2023

In this research, the explosive wire method is used to prepare silver nanoparticles and study their effect on two types of bacteria, E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The X-ray diffraction pattern of silver nanoparticles after deposition on glass pieces shows a peak of silver and silver oxide. The FE-SEM morphology of silver oxide particles shows small spherical-like clusters of irregular flower-shaped particles. Meanwhile, the AFM analysis of the silver nanoparticles shows that the average roughness of the aggregates is 57 nm and the average size of the nanoparticles is 20.92 nm. The study of the effect of silver nanoparticles on two types of bacteria, namely E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus, has shown that these nanoparticles have achieved a killing rate of 99% for both types of bacteria.
Combining a Central Scheme with the Subtraction Method for Shallow Water Equations
Authors: Touma Rony , Malaeb Elissa , Klingenberg Christian
Published: November 2023

We present a new numerical scheme that is a well-balanced and second-order accurate for systems of shallow water equations (SWEs) with variable bathymetry. We extend in this paper the subtraction method (resulting in well-balancing) to the case of unstaggered central finite volume methods that computes the numerical solution on a single grid. In addition, the proposed scheme avoids solving Riemann problems occurring at cell boundaries as it employs intermediately a layer of ghost-staggered cells. The proposed numerical scheme is then implemented and validated. We successfully manage to solve classical SWE problems from the literature featuring steady states and other equilibria. The results of the study are consistent with previous research, which supports the use of the proposed method to solve SWEs.
Numerical Investigation with Convergence and Stability Analyses of Integro-Differential Equations of Second Kind
Authors: Ullah Saif , Amin Faiza , Ali Muzaher
Published: November 2023

In this paper, integro-differential equations are solved by using an efficient numerical technique, namely, Multistage Optimal Homotopy Asymptotic method. The existence and uniqueness of solutions are established by the application of Lipschitz condition. Convergence of approximate solutions along with stability are also carried out. Some examples are solved to highlight the vital characteristics of the applied numerical scheme. Error estimation and comparison of derived results with existing exact solutions and those results which already available in the literature through graphical illustrations and tables reveal that Multistage Optimal Homotopy Asymptotic algorithm is more efficient and fruitful.
Effect of Initial Stress and Mechanical Impedance Boundary on Scholte’s Wave at Micropolar Solid–Liquid Interface
Authors: Lianngenga R. , Lalvohbika J.
Published: November 2023

In this paper, we study Scholte’s waves propagating along the interface of micropolar solid and liquid media, considering the effect of initial stress and impedance boundary surface. We obtained the phase velocities of basic elastic waves in both media and used them to derive the secular equation of Scholte’s wave. We found that the initial stress in the solid material does not affect the speed of basic longitudinal waves. After solving the secular equation, we obtained the speed of Scholte’s wave and the corresponding attenuation. We observed that Scholte’s surface wave obtained at the micropolar solid–liquid interface is inhomogeneous and dispersive. We investigated the effects of initial stress, Tiersten’s impedance boundary condition, and micropolar solid parameters on Scholte’s wave and basic shear waves. Numerically, these effects are computed for a particular model using the appropriate value of the parameters, and the results are illustrated graphically. This paper also contributes to not only understanding the behavior of Scholte’s waves in micropolar solid–liquid interfaces but also the factors that affect the propagation.
Magnetic/conductive biochar frames derived from Fe3O4-coated loofah sponges for green electromagnetic interference shielding application
Authors: Meng Yanyan , Wei Zijian , Zhan Yanhu , Cai Yifan , Xia Hesheng
Published: November 2023

Several biochar frame electromagnetic interference shielding composites have been developed; however, integrating high shielding effectiveness (SE) and low reflection coefficient ([Formula: see text]) into biochar frames with excellent electrical conductivity have proven to be a great challenge. Herein, because of the abundant groups on the surface of the intricate fibers of the loofah sponge, it absorbed many iron ions, which can form a Fe3O4 coating when they react with hydroxyl groups. After carbonization, the Fe3O4 coating still tightly held the carbonized fibers in a porous structure, forming a biochar frame with consecutive magnetic/conductive interfaces. Furthermore, the incorporation of a Fe3O4 coating did not negatively affect the electrical conductivity of the composites obtained ([Formula: see text]21 S/m) but instead endowed the composites with good magnetic properties. The resultant composites had an SE, specific SE, [Formula: see text] and green index ([Formula: see text]) of 47.2 dB, 363 dB/cm, 0.089, and 10.2, respectively, which were better than those of previously reported biochar-based shielding materials. The synergistic effect of the three-dimensional carbon frame, magnetic coating, and porous structure is responsible for excellent green shielding abilities.
Investigating the electronic, optical, elastic, and mechanical properties of cubic CsPbI3 under varying stress conditions: A computational analysis using density functional theory
Authors: Sahar Muhammad Sana Ullah , Ali Syed Mansoor , Zaidi S. M. Junaid , Iqbal Syed M. Zafar , Shahid Mubeen , Ijaz Khan M.
Published: November 2023

This research investigates the electronic, optical, elastic, and mechanical characteristics of cubic Cesium Lead Iodide CsPbI3 perovskite by utilizing the Generalized Gradient Approximation method under varying stress conditions ranging from 0 to 13[Formula: see text]GPa. Using the Density Functional Theory, the research demonstrates that electronic parameters, such as the electronic band gap, the partial density of states, and the total density of states, are impacted by applied stress. The band gap becomes zero at 14[Formula: see text]GPa. Significant changes are also noted in optical parameters, such as absorption, conductivity, reflectivity, dielectric function, loss function, and refractive index. The study also identifies changes in elastic properties, including elastic constants as well as an exponential rise in mechanical properties, such as Young’s modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus. Furthermore, the study finds that Poisson’s ratio, Cauchy pressure, Pugh’s ratio, and Frantsevich’s ratio experience irregular changes. These discoveries provide valuable insights into the properties of CsPbI3, which could aid in the development of semiconducting devices, transparent coatings, and lenses.
Time-Coordinated Path Following for Multiple Agile Fixed-Wing UAVs with End-Roll Expectations
Authors: Zou Fei , Li Jie , Niu Yifeng
Published: November 2023

This paper presents a control strategy for multiple unmanned aerial vehicle systems (multi-UAVs) time-coordinated path following with desired endpoint roll attitudes. It utilizes the strong maneuvering capabilities of agile fixed-wing UAVs and incorporates an end-roll expectation. The strategy consists of four steps: time-coordinated control, position control, roll angle planning and attitude control. The position and attitude controllers exhibit Lyapunov exponential stability. The time-coordinated controller addresses the synchronization problem by adjusting the speed based on the coordinated state to achieve progress adjustment. The position controller operates based on the cross-track error and altitude error in the Gravity-Referenced Moving frame. By employing an optimization approach and designing a penalty function, the roll angle sequence is computed. The attitude inner-loop control operates in the [Formula: see text] space and allows for control of large deviations. High-fidelity simulation validates the effectiveness of the proposed method, with normalized coordination error and following error controlled within 2% and 1.2[Formula: see text]m.
About this title - Cretaceous Project 200 Volume 2: Regional Studies
Authors: Hart M.B. , Batenburg S.J. , Huber B.T. , Price G.D. , Thibault N. , Wagreich M. , Walaszczyk I.
Published: November 2023

The Cretaceous records some of the highest sea levels, atmospheric temperatures and extreme events in Earth history. These two ‘Cretaceous Project 200’ volumes cover all the major fields of Cretaceous research from dinosaurs and ammonites to volcanism and ocean-wide anoxia and provide a review of Cretaceous strata across the Earth.
Combining Deep Learning with Signal-image Encoding for Multi-Modal Mental Wellbeing Classification
Authors: Woodward Kieran , Kanjo Eiman , Tsanas Athanasios
Published: November 2023

The quantification of emotional states is an important step to understanding wellbeing. Time series data from multiple modalities such as physiological and motion sensor data have proven to be integral for measuring and quantifying emotions. Monitoring emotional trajectories over long periods of time inherits some critical limitations in relation to the size of the training data. This shortcoming may hinder the development of reliable and accurate machine learning models. To address this problem, this article proposes a framework to tackle the limitation in performing emotional state recognition: (1) encoding time series data into coloured images; (2) leveraging pre-trained object recognition models to apply a Transfer Learning (TL) approach using the images from step 1; (3) utilising a 1D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to perform emotion classification from physiological data; (4) concatenating the pre-trained TL model with the 1D CNN. We demonstrate that model performance when inferring real-world wellbeing rated on a 5-point Likert scale can be enhanced using our framework, resulting in up to 98.5% accuracy, outperforming a conventional CNN by 4.5%. Subject-independent models using the same approach resulted in an average of 72.3% accuracy (SD 0.038). The proposed methodology helps improve performance and overcome problems with small training datasets.