bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An analytic approach to quasinormal modes for coupled linear systems
Authors: Hui Lam , Podo Alessandro , Santoni Luca , Trincherini Enrico
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Quasinormal modes describe the ringdown of compact objects deformed by small perturbations. In generic theories of gravity that extend General Relativity, the linearized dynamics of these perturbations is described by a system of coupled linear differential equations of second order. We first show, under general assumptions, that such a system can be brought to a Schrödinger-like form. We then devise an analytic approximation scheme to compute the spectrum of quasinormal modes. We validate our approach using a toy model with a controllable mixing parameter ε and showing that the analytic approximation for the fundamental mode agrees with the numerical computation when the approximation is justified. The accuracy of the analytic approximation is at the (sub-) percent level for the real part and at the level of a few percent for the imaginary part, even when ε is of order one. Our approximation scheme can be seen as an extension of the approach of Schutz and Will [1] to the case of coupled systems of equations, although our approach is not phrased in terms of a WKB analysis, and offers a new viewpoint even in the case of a single equation.
From Moyal deformations to chiral higher-spin theories and to celestial algebras
Authors: Monteiro Ricardo
Published: March 2023

Abstract

We study the connection of Moyal deformations of self-dual gravity and self-dual Yang-Mills theory to chiral higher-spin theories, and also to deformations of operator algebras in celestial holography. The relation to Moyal deformations illuminates various aspects of the structure of chiral higher-spin theories. For instance, the appearance of the self-dual kinematic algebra in all the theories considered here leads via the double copy to vanishing tree-level scattering amplitudes. Regarding celestial holography, the Moyal deformation of self-dual gravity was recently shown to lead to the loop algebra of W∧, and we obtain here the analogous deformation of a Kac-Moody algebra corresponding to Moyal-deformed self-dual Yang-Mills theory. We also introduce the celestial algebras for various chiral higher-spin theories.
Drell-Yan tails beyond the Standard Model
Authors: Allwicher L. , Faroughy D. A. , Jaffredo F. , Sumensari O. , Wilsch F.
Published: March 2023

Abstract

We investigate the high-pT tails of the pp → ℓν and pp → ℓℓ Drell-Yan processes as probes of New Physics in semileptonic interactions with an arbitrary flavor structure. For this purpose, we provide a general decomposition of the 2 → 2 scattering amplitudes in terms of form-factors that we match to specific scenarios, such as the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT), including all relevant operators up to dimension-8, as well as ultraviolet scenarios giving rise to tree-level exchange of new bosonic mediators with masses at the TeV scale. By using the latest LHC run-II data in the monolepton (eν, μν, τν) and dilepton (ee, μμ, ττ, eμ, eτ, μτ) production channels, we derive constraints on the SMEFT Wilson coefficients for semileptonic four-fermion and dipole operators with the most general flavor structure, as well as on all possible leptoquark models. For the SMEFT, we discuss the range of validity of the EFT description, the relevance of $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
(1/Λ2) and $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
(1/Λ4) truncations, the impact of d = 8 operators and the effects of different quark-flavor alignments. Finally, as a highlight, we extract for several New Physics scenarios the combined limits from high-pT processes, electroweak pole measurements and low-energy flavor data for the b → cτν transition, showing the complementarity between these different observables. Our results are compiled in HighPT (https://highpt.github.io), a package in Mathematica which provides a simple way for users to extract the Drell-Yan tails likelihoods for semileptonic effective operators and for leptoquark models.
Precision test of gauge/gravity duality in D0-brane matrix model at low temperature
Authors:   The Monte Carlo String/M-theory (MCSMC) collaboration, Pateloudis Stratos , Bergner Georg , Hanada Masanori , Rinaldi Enrico , Schäfer Andreas , Vranas Pavlos , Watanabe Hiromasa , Bodendorfer Norbert
Published: March 2023

Abstract

We test the gauge/gravity duality between the matrix model and type IIA string theory at low temperatures with unprecedented accuracy. To this end, we perform lattice Monte Carlo simulations of the Berenstein-Maldacena-Nastase (BMN) matrix model, which is the one-parameter deformation of the Banks-Fischler-Shenker-Susskind (BFSS) matrix model, taking both the large N and continuum limits. We leverage the fact that sufficiently small flux parameters in the BMN matrix model have a negligible impact on the energy of the system while stabilizing the flat directions so that simulations at smaller N than in the BFSS matrix model are possible. Hence, we can perform a precision measurement of the large N continuum energy at the lowest temperatures to date. The energy is in perfect agreement with supergravity predictions including estimations of α′-corrections from previous simulations. At the lowest temperature where we can simulate efficiently (T = 0.25λ1/3, where λ is the ’t Hooft coupling), the difference in energy to the pure supergravity prediction is less than 10%. Furthermore, we can extract the coefficient of the 1/N4 corrections at a fixed temperature with good accuracy, which was previously unknown.
Perspektive Prävention: Psychische Gesundheit von Schülerinnen und Schülern in Deutschland
Authors: Reiß Franziska , Napp Ann-Kathrin , Erhart Michael , Devine Janine , Dadaczynski Kevin , Kaman Anne , Ravens-Sieberer Ulrike
Published: March 2023

Hintergrund

Die COVID-19-Pandemie hat das Lernen und die Gesundheit von Kindern und Jugendlichen beeinflusst. Ziel des Beitrags ist, psychische Auffälligkeiten von SchülerInnen im Pandemieverlauf, familiäre Belastungen sowie Unterstützungsbedarf in Abhängigkeit von der Schulform zu untersuchen. Ansätze schulischer Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung werden diskutiert.

Methodik

Datengrundlage sind die bevölkerungsbezogene COPSY(COrona und PSYche)-Studie (T1: 05/2020 – T4: 02/2022) und die BELLA-Studie (T0, präpandemischer Vergleich). Je Messzeitpunkt (T) wurden etwa 1600 Familien mit Schulkindern im Alter von 7 bis 19 Jahren befragt. Psychische Auffälligkeiten wurden mittels SDQ erfasst, familiäre Belastungen und Unterstützungsbedarfe mittels Einzelitems im Elternbericht.

Ergebnisse

Psychische Auffälligkeiten haben bei SchülerInnen aller Schulformen zugenommen und stabilisieren sich seither auf hohem Niveau. Besonders betroffen sind GrundschülerInnen (Anstieg von 16,9 % präpandemisch auf 40,0 % zu T2), v. a. bei Verhaltensauffälligkeiten (11,7 % auf 24,6 %) und Hyperaktivität (13,9 % auf 34,0 %). SchülerInnen der Haupt‑/Real‑/Gesamtschule zeigen ebenfalls verstärkte psychische Auffälligkeiten (21,4 % auf 30,4 %). Pandemiebedingte Belastungen sind durchgehend hoch, ebenso der Unterstützungsbedarf von Familien, der sich v. a. an Schule/Lehrende sowie ExpertInnen richtet.

Diskussion

Es besteht ein hoher Bedarf an Maßnahmen der psychischen Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention im Setting Schule. Diese sollten ab dem Grundschulalter im Sinne eines Whole School Approach auf verschiedenen Ebenen ansetzen und außerschulische Akteure einbeziehen. Es bedarf verbindlicher gesetzlicher Vorgaben in allen Bundesländern, um Rahmbedingungen und Strukturen der schulischen Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention, einschließlich der dafür benötigten Ressourcen, zu schaffen.
Inanspruchnahme von Palliativversorgung am Lebensende in Deutschland: zeitlicher Verlauf (2016–2019) und regionale Variabilität
Authors: Ditscheid Bianka , Meissner Franziska , Gebel Cordula , Hennig Beata , Marschall Ursula , Meißner Winfried , Wedding Ulrich , Freytag Antje
Published: March 2023

Hintergrund

In Deutschland findet Palliativversorgung (PV) ambulant, stationär, allgemein und spezialisiert statt. Da bisher wenig bekannt ist über die zeitliche Entwicklung und regionale Unterschiede in den Versorgungsformen, war es Ziel der vorliegenden Studie, dies zu untersuchen.

Methoden

Retrospektive Routinedatenstudie mit 417.405 in den Jahren 2016–2019 verstorbenen BARMER-Versicherten. Anhand mindestens einmalig abgerechneter Leistung im letzten Lebensjahr ermittelten wir die Inanspruchnahmeraten allgemeiner ambulanter Palliativversorgung (AAPV), besonders qualifizierter und koordinierter palliativmedizinischer Versorgung (BQKPmV), spezialisierter ambulanter Palliativversorgung (SAPV), stationärer Palliativ- und Hospizversorgung. Wir berechneten Zeittrends, regionale Unterschiede und kontrollierten für versorgungsbedarfsbezogene Patientenmerkmale und zugangsbezogene Wohnkreismerkmale.

Ergebnisse

Von 2016 bis 2019 stieg die Inanspruchnahme von PV insgesamt von 33,8 % auf 36,2 %, SAPV von 13,3 % auf 16,0 % (max.: Rheinland-Pfalz), stationärer PV von 8,9 % auf 9,9 % (max.: Thüringen); AAPV sank von 25,8 % auf 23,9 % (max.: Brandenburg); BQKPmV kam 2019 auf 4,4 % (max.: Saarland); Hospiz blieb konstant bei 3,4 %. Die regionale Variabilität der Inanspruchnahmeraten nahm bei AAPV und stationärer PV von 2016 auf 2019 zu, bei SAPV und Hospiz ab, blieb insgesamt jedoch hoch. Die regionalen Unterschiede zeigten sich auch nach Adjustierung.

Diskussion

Zunehmend mehr SAPV, weniger AAPV und hohe, nicht durch bedarfs‑/​zugangsbezogene Merkmale erklärbare regionale Variabilität sprechen dafür, dass sich der Einsatz palliativer Versorgungsformen weniger am Bedarf als an regional verfügbaren Versorgungskapazitäten orientiert. Angesichts demografiebedingt wachsenden PV-Bedarfs und abnehmender personeller Ressourcen ist diese Entwicklung kritisch zu sehen.
Genome-wide association studies reveal novel loci for resistance to groundnut rosette disease in the African core groundnut collection
Authors: Achola Esther , Wasswa Peter , Fonceka Daniel , Clevenger Josh Paul , Bajaj Prasad , Ozias-Akins Peggy , Rami Jean-François , Deom Carl Michael , Hoisington David A. , Edema Richard , Odeny Damaris Achieng , Okello David Kalule
Published: March 2023

Key message

We identified markers associated with GRD resistance after screening an Africa-wide core collection across three seasons in Uganda

Groundnut is cultivated in several African countries where it is a major source of food, feed and income. One of the major constraints to groundnut production in Africa is groundnut rosette disease (GRD), which is caused by a complex of three agents: groundnut rosette assistor luteovirus, groundnut rosette umbravirus and its satellite RNA. Despite several years of breeding for GRD resistance, the genetics of the disease is not fully understood. The objective of the current study was to use the African core collection to establish the level of genetic variation in their response to GRD, and to map genomic regions responsible for the observed resistance. The African groundnut core genotypes were screened across two GRD hotspot locations in Uganda (Nakabango and Serere) for 3 seasons. The Area Under Disease Progress Curve combined with 7523 high quality SNPs were analyzed to establish marker-trait associations (MTAs). Genome-Wide Association Studies based on Enriched Compressed Mixed Linear Model detected 32 MTAs at Nakabango: 21 on chromosome A04, 10 on B04 and 1 on B08. Two of the significant markers were localised on the exons of a putative TIR-NBS-LRR disease resistance gene on chromosome A04. Our results suggest the likely involvement of major genes in the resistance to GRD but will need to be further validated with more comprehensive phenotypic and genotypic datasets. The markers identified in the current study will be developed into routine assays and validated for future genomics-assisted selection for GRD resistance in groundnut.
Selection of materials in metal additive manufacturing via three-way decision-making
Authors: Qin Yuchu , Qi Qunfen , Shi Peizhi , Scott Paul J. , Jiang Xiangqian
Published: March 2023

In this paper, an approach for selection of materials in metal additive manufacturing based on three-way decision-making is proposed. The process of this approach is divided into three stages. First, a decision matrix for a material selection problem in metal additive manufacturing is established based on the basic components of the problem and normalised via a ratio model and a unified rule. Second, the summary loss function, conditional probability, and expected losses of each alternative material are calculated according to the weighted averaging operator, grey relational analysis, and the three-way decision theory, respectively. Third, the three-way decision-making results for the problem are generated according to the developed generation rules and the best material for the problem is selected based on the generated results. The application of the approach is illustrated via a material selection example in metal additive manufacturing. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated via a quantitative comparison with several existing approaches. The demonstration results suggest that the proposed approach is as effective as the existing approaches and is more flexible and advantageous in solving a material selection problem in metal additive manufacturing.
Do oral contraceptives modulate the effects of stress induction on one-session exposure efficacy and generalization in women?
Authors: Raeder Friederike , Merz Christian J. , Tegenthoff Martin , Dere Ekrem , Wolf Oliver T. , Margraf Jürgen , Schneider Silvia , Zlomuzica Armin
Published: March 2023

Rationale

The administration of glucocorticoids (GC) as an adjunct to exposure represents a promising strategy to improve one-session exposure outcome in anxiety disorders. It remains to be determined whether similar effects can be induced with the use of acute stress. Furthermore, the possible modulation of exposure effects by hormonal factors (e.g., use of oral contraceptives (OCs)) was not explored so far.

Objectives

We investigated whether acute stress prior to one-session exposure for spider fear affects its efficacy in women using oral contraceptives (OC) relative to free-cycling (FC) women. In addition, effects of stress on generalization of exposure therapy effects towards untreated stimuli were examined.

Methods

Women with fears of spiders and cockroaches were randomly assigned to a Stress (n = 24) or No-Stress (n = 24) condition prior to one-session exposure. Of these 48 participants, 19 women used OC (n = 9 in the Stress, and n = 10 in the No-Stress group). All FC women had a regular menstrual cycle and were tested only in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle. Pre-exposure stress induction was realized with the socially evaluated cold-pressor test. Exposure-induced changes towards treated and untreated fear stimuli were tested with behavioral approach tests for spiders and cockroaches and subjective fear and self-report measures.

Results

Acute stress did not influence exposure-induced reduction in fear and avoidance of the treated stimuli (spiders). Similarly, stress had no effect on the generalization of exposure-therapy effects towards untreated stimuli (cockroaches). Exposure-induced reduction in subjective fear and self-report measures for treated stimuli was less evident in women using OC specifically after pre-exposure stress. Women using OC had higher levels of subjective fear and scored higher in self-report measures at post-treatment (24 h after exposure) and follow-up (4 weeks after exposure).

Conclusions

OC intake may represent an important confounding factor in augmentation studies using stress or GC.
Stay the course: maintenance of consistent orientation by commuting penguins both underwater and at the water surface
Authors: Shiomi Kozue , Sato Katsufumi , Bost Charles A. , Handrich Yves
Published: March 2023

Many marine vertebrates traverse more than hundreds of kilometres of the ocean. To efficiently achieve such long-distance movements, the ability to maintain orientation in a three-dimensional space is essential; however, it remains unevaluated in most species. In this study, we examined the bearing distributions of penguins undertaking long-distance foraging trips and compared their bearing consistency between underwater and at the water surface, as well as between night and day, to quantify their orientation ability. The subject species, king penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus, from Possession Island, Crozet archipelago (46°25′S, 51°45′E; January to March 2011), showed high bearing consistency both during dives and at the water surface whilst commuting towards/from their main foraging area, the Antarctic polar front. Their bearing consistency was particularly high during and after shallow dives, irrespective of the time of day. Meanwhile, their bearings tended to vary during and after deep dives, particularly in the middle of the trip, probably owing to underwater foraging movements. However, the overall directions of deep dives during the commuting phases were similar to those of shallow dives and post-dive periods at the water surface. These findings indicate that king penguins employ compass mechanism(s) that are equivalently reliable both underwater and at the water surface, at any time of the day. This orientation ability appears to enable them to achieve long-distance trips under strong temporal constraints. Further studies on the fine-scale bearing distributions of other diving vertebrates are needed to better understand movement strategies in marine environments.
A deep learning approach to improve built asset operations and disaster management in critical events: an integrative simulation model for quicker decision making
Authors: Galera-Zarco Carlos , Floros Goulielmos
Published: March 2023

Increasing levels of urbanisation and the rapid growth of modern cities require that particular attention be paid to ensuring the safety and protection of living conditions for their inhabitants. In this context, natural and human-induced disasters pose a major threat to the safety and normal operational procedures of buildings and infrastructures. In consequence, disaster management and built assets operations demand modern tools to be effectively prepared in order to better respond to such critical events. This study explores the potential of artificial intelligence in these operational fields by developing a deep learning model that is able to provide a rapid assessment of an asset’s structural condition in the case of a seismic excitation. The proposed simulation model makes an accurate prediction of the damage status of individual elements in a built asset, thus leading to operational improvements across all disaster management phases. In addition, the above development integrates the deep learning algorithm into building information modelling and then uploads the graphical information to a web dashboard. By following the framework proposed, an integrative model is designed that provides a visual and user-friendly interface that allows different stakeholders to navigate and comprehend essential information on the effects of a disaster; thus enabling quicker decision making and strengthening operational resilience in critical events.
Automatic detection of relevant information, predictions and forecasts in financial news through topic modelling with Latent Dirichlet Allocation
Authors: García-Méndez Silvia , de Arriba-Pérez Francisco , Barros-Vila Ana , González-Castaño Francisco J. , Costa-Montenegro Enrique
Published: March 2023

Financial news items are unstructured sources of information that can be mined to extract knowledge for market screening applications. They are typically written by market experts who describe stock market events within the context of social, economic and political change. Manual extraction of relevant information from the continuous stream of finance-related news is cumbersome and beyond the skills of many investors, who, at most, can follow a few sources and authors. Accordingly, we focus on the analysis of financial news to identify relevant text and, within that text, forecasts and predictions. We propose a novel Natural Language Processing (nlp) system to assist investors in the detection of relevant financial events in unstructured textual sources by considering both relevance and temporality at the discursive level. Firstly, we segment the text to group together closely related text. Secondly, we apply co-reference resolution to discover internal dependencies within segments. Finally, we perform relevant topic modelling with Latent Dirichlet Allocation (lda) to separate relevant from less relevant text and then analyse the relevant text using a Machine Learning-oriented temporal approach to identify predictions and speculative statements. Our solution outperformed a rule-based baseline system. We created an experimental data set composed of 2,158 financial news items that were manually labelled by nlp researchers to evaluate our solution. Inter-agreement Alpha-reliability and accuracy values, and rouge-l results endorse its potential as a valuable tool for busy investors. The rouge-l values for the identification of relevant text and predictions/forecasts were 0.662 and 0.982, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first work to jointly consider relevance and temporality at the discursive level. It contributes to the transfer of human associative discourse capabilities to expert systems through the combination of multi-paragraph topic segmentation and co-reference resolution to separate author expression patterns, topic modelling with lda to detect relevant text, and discursive temporality analysis to identify forecasts and predictions within this text. Our solution may have compelling applications in the financial field, including the possibility of extracting relevant statements on investment strategies to analyse authors’ reputations.
Non-integrability of the planar elliptic restricted three-body problem
Authors: Przybylska Maria , Maciejewski Andrzej J.
Published: March 2023

We present the non-integrability proof for the planar elliptic restricted three-body problem. Two versions of this problem are considered: the classical one when only gravitational interactions are taken into account, and the photo-gravitational version where radiation pressure from the primaries is also included. Our result is valid for nonzero eccentricity and arbitrary mass ratio of the primaries. In the proof, we apply the differential Galois approach to study the integrability.
The influence of temperature and vapour pressure deficit on conidia germination and germ tube production in an Australian Podosphaera xanthii isolate
Authors: Sapak Zaiton , Melloy Paul , Minchinton Elizabeth J. , Salam Moin U. , Galea Victor J.
Published: March 2023

Powdery mildew of cucurbits, caused by Podosphaera xanthii, is an economic constraint in cucurbit production worldwide. This study examined the influence of temperature and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) on the rate of conidial germination and the formation of germ tubes in an Australian P. xanthii isolate 12 – 48 h after inoculation. Two experiments were prepared by inoculating cucumber, cv. crystal salad, leaf-discs using a spore settling tower. The first experiment incubated inoculated cucumber leaf-discs at eight temperatures between 8 and 35 °C under saturated vapour pressure (SVP), the second compared 18 VPD conditions between 0.038 and 1.797 kPa, in six humidity chambers (33% – 99% relative humidity) and three temperatures (22 °C, 25 °C, 28 °C). Leaf-discs were cleared, stained and microscopically inspected for conidial germination and the number of germ tubes. The optimal temperature for germination was 28ºC at SVP, where more than 50% of conidia had germinated by 12 h, and 85% by 48 h. Fewer germinated conidia were recorded after 12 h at other temperature treatments between 17 °C and 31 °C. The germination percentage and germination rate were significantly lower when vapour pressure was between 0.13 and 2.5 kPa, with germination in response to VPD varying by approximately 10%, indicating difficulty associating conidial germination to VPD above 0.13 kPa. Germ tube production was highest between 25 ºC and 28 ºC at the lowest VPD treatment at near SVP, with more than 50% of the germinated conidia producing at least three germ tubes. Germination and formation of germ tubes significantly reduced when VPD increased. P. xanthii conidia were able to produce a primary germ tube under relatively dry conditions, such as 2.53 kPa, but these results show infection would be less likely and require longer incubation. This study provides the first crucial step in simulating powdery mildew infections on cucurbit plants and may lead to a model capable of providing risk forecasts or fungicide management decision support tools.
Degree of importance of demographic and socio-cultural factors in environmental perception: bases for the design of public policies in Argentina and Spain
Authors: Sales Romina Giselle , Rodríguez Sousa Antonio Alberto , Yáñez Eliseo , Blanco Cano Laura , Raffin Daniela , Jatar Lara , Astrada Elizabeth , Rubio María Clara , Aguilera Pedro A. , Quintana Rubén D. , Rescia Alejandro J.
Published: March 2023

Environmental problems on a global scale (such as climate change) are of increasing concern in the scholar. However, it is unclear to what extent society is aware of the severity of these problems. The aim of this study is to advance our knowledge about the environmental perceptions of citizens, with the understanding that citizen participation and action are key to mitigating environmental problems. Specifically, we aim to determine the degree of importance of demographic and sociocultural factors in this perception. To this end, data from 506 questionnaires carried out in Spain and Argentina were analysed. Quantitative data were treated using multivariate analysis based on multiple logistic regression. The results showed that demographic variables, such as location and age, have a greater influence than sociocultural variables, such as profession and sources of environmental information, in the perception of environmental problems. Our findings show that the analysis of environmental perception is a useful tool both for incorporating the point of view of local actors in public policies and for defining effective strategies for action in participatory management. They also show that the different age, occupation and profession of the population must be taken into account and that, to address specific environmental problems, it is necessary to carry out diagnoses focussed on demographic factors, mainly to find out which aspects should be strengthened through programmes and projects aimed at solving environmental problems. It is important to bear in mind that the behaviour of local actors is related to their environmental perception.
On the representation of places
Authors: Mocnik Franz-Benjamin
Published: March 2023

The reasons for representing places are manifold, and so are the ways in which they are represented. Travel guides, music, and paintings give an impression of often distant places, and scientific texts seek to represent places and their context objectively. By going beyond the existing semantic discourse on representations and focussing on places more specifically, this article seeks a better understanding of the representations of places. First, naturally occurring representations are discussed as the result of the patterns that are formed by place-making and the very being of a place, such as archaeological finds and traditions. Subsequently, I argue that many of the natural as well as non-natural representations can be understood as ‘representation-as’ in Goodman’s and Elgin’s sense, because they represent places as part of a genre, for example, as a tourist attraction or a retreat. This understanding facilitates the conceptualization of individual representations and their placement in the overall context, which in turn helps laying the foundation for a conceptual framework for ‘platial’ information.
Rigid manifolds of general type with non-contractible universal cover
Authors: Frapporti Davide , Gleissner Christian
Published: March 2023

For each $$n\ge 3$$

n
≥
3

we give examples of infinitesimally rigid projective manifolds of general type of dimension n with non-contractible universal cover. We provide examples with projective and examples with non-projective universal cover.
Managing Wolves is Managing Narratives: Views of Wolves and Nature Shape People’s Proposals for Navigating Human-Wolf Relations
Authors: Jürgens Uta Maria , Grinko Margarita , Szameitat Annelie , Hieber Lena , Fischbach Robert , Hunziker Marcel
Published: March 2023

The resurgence of wolf populations in Germany is causing controversies regarding their management policies. Through 41 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, we found that respondents favored the management directives predicated on the narratives they entertained, i.e., beliefs about wolves and nature more broadly. We identified 18 narratives that ranged from the extreme of “beings-focused, harmony-oriented, and wolf-favoring” extreme through “ecosystem-focused, conservation-oriented, and wolf-ambivalent” to another extreme of “human-centered, dominion-oriented, and wolf-critical” extreme. The 24 directives aim to allow, balance, and control wolf behavior. Narratives and directives correlate: participants and stakeholders holding beings-focused views tend to propose more allowing directives, those endorsing ecosystem-focused perspectives lean to choose balancing directives, and those inclined to human-focused stances prefer controlling directives. Thus, our research allows wildlife managers to understand better why people endorse or oppose specific management options and devise effective communication strategies by working with the underlying narratives.
Rotational stability and refractive outcomes of the DFT/DATx15 toric, extended depth of focus intraocular lens
Authors: Barber Kevin M. , O’Connor Sara , Mackinder Philip , Chih Andreea , Jones Brian
Published: March 2023

Purpose

To quantitatively assess postoperative rotational stability and visual acuity with the DFT/DATx15 extended depth of focus (EDOF) toric intraocular lens (IOL).

Methods

In this prospective case series, thirty-five patients with a calculated IOL power between + 15.0 D and + 25.0 D, corneal astigmatism between 0.75 D and 2.25 D, and no significant ocular pathology underwent cataract surgery. Primary outcome was rotational stability of the IOL at 1 month post-operatively. Secondary outcomes included residual refractive astigmatism, absolute residual astigmatism prediction error, and monocular distance and intermediate visual acuities.

Results

Mean absolute postoperative IOL rotation was 1.1 ± 0.2 degrees, with no rotation of more than 3 degrees at the final visit. Monocular mean best spectacle-corrected distance visual acuity (BSCDVA) improved from logMAR 0.27 ± 0.030 to 0.078 ± 0.017 (P < .001). Monocular uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCDVA) improved from 0.93 ± 0.096 to 0.18 ± 0.022 (P < .001). Best spectacle-corrected intermediate visual acuity (DSCIVA) was 0.17 ± 0.025, and uncorrected intermediate visual acuity (UCIVA) was 0.27 ± 0.040. Residual regular astigmatic refractive error was 0.21 ± 0.047 D.

Conclusions

The toric DFT/DATx15 EDOF lens showed excellent rotational stability and effective and predictable correction of astigmatism. Its refractive outcomes and safety profile were similar to those identified in prior studies of the non-toric DFT/DAT015 EDOF IOL. A small difference in monocular BSCDVA, of uncertain clinical significance, was found when comparing these outcomes with prior DFT/DAT015 data. The trial was retrospectively registered on November 5, 2021 (TRN ​​NCT05119127).
Names and Quantifiers: Bringing Them Together in Classical Logic
Authors: Paśniczek Jacek
Published: March 2023

Putting individual constants and quantifiers into the same syntactic category within first-order language promises to have far-reaching consequences: a syntax of this kind can reveal the potential of any such language, allowing us to realize that a vast class of noun phrases, including non-denoting terms, can be accommodated in the new syntax as expressions suited to being subjects of sentences. In the light of this, a formal system that is an extension of classical first-order logic is developed here, and is equipped with an appropriate semantics. An ontological interpretation of the new logic is then also provided, with several categories of object and notions of existence being distinguished. Last but not least, a modal version of the logic, with some interesting formal features, is proposed.
Electrochemical properties of MnO2-based carbon nanomaterials for energy storage and electrochemical sensing
Authors: Ouda Emtinan , Yousf Nehad , Magar Hend S. , Hassan Rabeay Y. A. , Duraia El-Shazly M.
Published: March 2023

Electrochemical alongside the electro-catalytic properties of graphene and multi-walled carbon nanotubes have been improved via doping with manganese oxide nanostructures. Structural, morphological, and electrochemical properties of the as-synthesized nanocomposites were identified using XRD, FTIR, SEM, and electrochemical methods including cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The SEM images showed flower-like microsphere structures, while the conjugation of MnO2 with the carbon nanomaterials was confirmed by the FTIR and XRD analysis. All MnO2-based nanocomposites provided great enhancement in their electrochemical activities with a larger value of specific capacitance than the individual constituents of carbon nanomaterials. Accordingly, hydrogen peroxide-directed detection was evaluated, whereas the nanocomposites exhibited direct electron transfer, fast and linear responses in the range from 1.0 to 210 µM. Thus, the significant enhancements in the electrochemical features acquired by the nanocomposites could suggest these nanomaterials for energy storage and hydrogen peroxide sensing applications.
New product development and supplier involvement: the role of R&D collaboration with supporting organisations
Authors: Delgado-Verde Miriam , Díez-Vial Isabel
Published: March 2023

Existing research highlights the importance of sourcing external knowledge in manufacturers’ innovative processes. Specifically, supplier involvement in new product development (NPD) has been widely analysed but without conclusive results. To shed light on this matter, this paper provides a deeper insight by analysing the indirect effects in the relationship between supplier involvement and two NPD dimensions (efficiency and effectiveness). In particular, it examines R&D collaboration with supporting organisations as a mechanism by which knowledge provided by suppliers may lead to better innovation performance. This study focuses on 155 high-tech and medium–high-tech Spanish firms to test indirect effects through the PROCESS macro. The results show that while there is a positive and significant indirect effect of supplier involvement on NPD efficiency through R&D collaboration with supporting organisations, that indirect effect is not significant in increasing NPD effectiveness. This research contributes to the literature on inter-organisational networks and NPD by analysing the effects of supplier involvement on NPD through the role played by supporting organisations, with different empirical evidence for each NPD dimension and practical implications.
A unidimensional model of emotion-focused teaching in early childhood
Authors: Zinsser Katherine M. , Curby Timothy W. , Gordon Rachel A. , Moberg Sarah
Published: March 2023

Modeling, responding, and instructing have all been investigated as ways in which adults promote children’s emotional competence, but they have largely been investigated separately. To facilitate the development of effective professional development models which promote teachers’ engagement in emotion-focused teaching, it is important to understand whether and how these practices are different manifestations of a common underlying construct and the extent to which they build on one another. Rasch models using 1606 observations of 47 preschool teachers using the EMOtion TEaching Rating Scale (EMOTERS) indicated that these teaching practices are all different expressions of the same emotion-focused teaching construct. Modeling practices generally were observed more frequently, instructing practices less frequently, and responding practices in the middle. This hierarchical arrangement can inform efforts to improve teachers’ emotion-focused teaching and benefit the positive social-emotional classroom environment.
The evolution of in vitro tracheary element systems from annual to perennial plant species
Authors: Keret Rafael , Hills Paul , Drew David
Published: March 2023

Tracheary elements (TEs), including vessels and tracheids, occur as a product of xylogenesis and are highly adapted for the transportation of water and solutes. Xylogenesis or wood formation encompasses various stages of cellular development, which requires stringent temporal and spatial regulation. To further complicate matters, TEs are polymorphous and associated with other complex tissues. These complexities have necessitated the development of in vitro culture systems that are capable of synchronously inducing TEs on demand. In this review, we cover the challenges associated with inducing TEs in vitro and how this has been overcome using mesophyll and callus culture systems in herbaceous plants, yielding transdifferentiation efficiencies of up to 76% and 90%, respectively. We postulate that when equipped with such information, a great opportunity exists to optimise these culture systems in commercially valuable woody genera that currently display lower efficiencies in the range of 15.8–65%. Although both the mesophyll and callus induction cultures have proven essential for uncovering the fundamental processes associated with secondary growth, the mesophyll-based systems have recently become much less prominent (2.8x) in the literature compared to the callus-based systems. This is largely due to ease of application of the callus system to other plant species, paving the way for applications ranging from fundamental research in economically valuable woody genera to the 3D-printing of biomaterial products in vitro.
Prediction of Irrigation Water Requirements for Green Beans-Based Machine Learning Algorithm Models in Arid Region
Authors: Mokhtar Ali , Al-Ansari Nadhir , El-Ssawy Wessam , Graf Renata , Aghelpour Pouya , He Hongming , Hafez Salma M. , Abuarab Mohamed
Published: March 2023

Water scarcity is the most obstacle faced by irrigation water requirements, likewise, limited available meteorological data to calculate reference evapotranspiration. Consequently, the focal aims of the investigation are to assess the potential of machine learning models in forecasting irrigation water requirements (IWR) of snap beans by evolving multi-scenarios of inputs parameters to figure out the impact of meteorological, crop, and soil parameters on IWR. Six models were applied, support vector regressor (SVR), random forest (RF), deep neural networks (DNN), convolutional neural networks (CNN), long short-term memory (LSTM), and Hybrid CNN-LSTM. Ten variables including maximum and minimum temperature, Relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation, root depth, basal crop coefficient, soil evaporation, a fraction of surface wetted and, exposed and soil wetted fraction were used as the input data for models with their combination, 8 input scenarios were designed. Overall models, the best scenario was scenario 4 (relative humidity, wind speed, basal crop coefficient, soil evaporation), however, the best scenario for DNN and RF model was scenario 7 (root depth, basal crop coefficient, soil evaporation, fraction of surface wetted, exposed and soil wetted fraction). While the weakest one was the group of climatic factors in scenario 6 (maximum temperature, minimum temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and precipitation). Among the models, the hybrid LTSM & CNN was the most accurate and the SVR model had the lowest estimation accuracy. The outcomes of this research work could set up a modeling strategy that would set in motion the improvement of efforts to identify the shortages in IWR forecasting, which sequentially may support alleviation strategies such as policies for sustainable water use and water resources management. The current approach was promising and has research value for other similar regions.
Criticality of Isolation Valves in Water Distribution Networks with Hydraulics and Topology
Authors: Wéber Richárd , Huzsvár Tamás , Déllei Ákos , Hős Csaba
Published: March 2023

Occasional, random pipe bursts are inevitable in water distribution networks; thus, properly operating isolation valves is critical. During a shutdown, the damaged segment is segregated using the neighbouring valves, causing the smallest isolation possible. This study analyses the importance of isolation valves individually from the perspective of the demand shortfall increment. An in-house, open-source software called STACI performs demand-driven simulations to solve the hydraulic equations with pressure-dependent demand determining the nodal pressures, the volumetric flow rates, and the consumption loss. The system has an additional consumption loss if an isolation valve cannot be closed. The criticality of an isolation valve is the increment in the relative demand shortfall caused by its malfunction. Moreover, centrality indices from complex network theory are applied to estimate the criticality without the need for computationally expensive hydraulic simulations. The distribution of criticality values follows a power-law trend, i.e. some of the isolation valves have significantly higher importance during a shutdown. Moreover, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients between the centrality and criticality values indicate limited applicability. The criticality analysis can highlight which isolation valves have higher importance during reconstruction planning or maintenance. The Katz and the Degree centrality show a moderate positive correlation to the criticality, i.e., if numerous hydraulic simulations are not feasible, these quantities give an acceptable estimate.
Discussing diet, nutrition, and body weight after treatment for gynecological cancer: a conversation analytic study of outpatient consultations
Authors: Johnston Elizabeth A. , Ekberg Stuart , Jennings Bronwyn , Jagasia Nisha , van der Pols Jolieke C.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

To generate direct observational evidence for understanding how diet, nutrition, and weight-related topics are discussed during follow-up after treatment for gynecological cancer, as recommended by survivorship care guidelines.

Methods

Conversation analysis of 30 audio-recorded outpatient consultations, involving 4 gyne-oncologists, 30 women who had completed treatment for ovarian or endometrial cancer, and 11 family members/friends.

Results

From 21 instances in 18 consultations, diet, nutrition, or weight-related talk continued beyond initiation if the issue raised was ostensibly relevant to the clinical activity being undertaken at the time. These instances led to care-related outcomes (i.e., general dietary recommendations, referral to support, behavior change counseling) only when the patient identified needing further support. Diet, nutrition, or weight-related talk was not continued by the clinician if it was not apparently related to the current clinical activity.

Conclusions

The continuation of diet, nutrition, or weight-related talk during outpatient consultations after treatment for gynecological cancer, and the subsequent delivery of care-related outcomes, depends on its immediate clinical relevance and the patient indicating needing further support. The contingent nature of these discussions means there can be missed opportunities for the provision of dietary information and support post-treatment.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

If seeking information or support for diet, nutrition, or weight-related issues post-treatment, cancer survivors may need to be explicit regarding their need for this during outpatient follow-up. Additional avenues for dietary needs assessment and referral should be considered to optimize the consistent delivery of diet, nutrition, and weight-related information and support after treatment for gynecological cancer.
Quality measurement methods for video assisting refereeing systems
Authors: Brunnström Kjell , Djupsjöbacka Anders , Ozolins Oskars , Billingham Johsan , Wistel Katharina , Evans Nicolas
Published: March 2023

Changes in the footballing world’s approach to technology and innovation, along with major advancements in broadcasting contributed to the decision by the International Football Association Board to introduce Video Assistant Referees in 2018. The change meant that under strict protocols referees could use video replays to review decisions in the event of a “clear and obvious error” or a “serious missed incident”. At the time of writing 48-Member Associations have introduced the Video Assistant Referees protocol in at least one of their tournaments and there are many technology providers who work with organisers to implement the Video Assistant Referees systems. To ensure that the use of Video Assistant Referees has a positive effect on the game, Fédération Internationale de Football Association collaborated with the RISE Research Institutes of Sweden to develop objective test methods that could be used to ensure that a system can provide an adequate solution. Each provider must be able to pass requirements that ensure that they can deal with the challenges of processing, coding, decoding, synchronising, and re-formatting of the broadcast feeds. This article will describe the development of the test methods and illustrate some initial results from a test event on Video Assistant Referees system candidates. The methods have shown to be robust and appropriate for their intended purpose and will be developed over the years to ensure the quality of Video Assistant Referees. The developed measurement methods are general and can be applied to other broadcast and video systems as well as to other sports.