bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Al1−xScxSbyN1−y: An opportunity for ferroelectric semiconductor field effect transistor
Authors: Guo Shujin , Kong Xianghua , Guo Hong
Published: September 2024

For the in-memory computation architecture, a ferroelectric semiconductor field-effect transistor (FeSFET) incorporates ferroelectric material into the FET channel to realize logic and memory in a single device. The emerging group III nitride material Al1−x
Sc
x
N provides an excellent platform to explore FeSFET, as this material has significant electric polarization, ferroelectric switching, and high carrier mobility. However, steps need to be taken to reduce the large band gap of ∼5 eV of Al1−x
Sc
x
N to improve its transport property for in-memory logic applications. By state-of-the-art first principles analysis, here we predict that alloying a relatively small amount (less than ∼5%) of Sb impurities into Al1−x
Sc
x
N very effectively reduces the band gap while maintaining excellent ferroelectricity. We show that the co-doped Sb and Sc act cooperatively to give a significant band bowing leading to a small band gap of ∼1.76 eV and a large polarization parameter ∼0.87 C/m2, in the quaternary Al1−x
Sc
x
Sb
y
N1−y
compounds. The Sb impurity states become more continuous as a result of interactions with Sc and can be used for impurity-mediated transport. Based on the Landau-Khalatnikov model, the Landau parameters and the corresponding ferroelectric hysteresis loops are obtained for the quaternary compounds. These findings indicate that Al1−x
Sc
x
Sb
y
N1−y
is an excellent candidate as the channel material of FeSFET.
Carotid artery assessment in dual-source photon-counting CT: impact of low-energy virtual monoenergetic imaging on image quality, vascular contrast and diagnostic assessability
Authors: Booz Christian , Bucolo Giuseppe M. , D’Angelo Tommaso , Mazziotti Silvio , Lanzafame Ludovica R. M. , Yel Ibrahim , Alizadeh Leona S. , Gruenewald Leon D. , Koch Vitali , Martin Simon S. , Dimitrova Mirela , Goekduman Aynur , Vogl Thomas J. , Kaatsch Hanns L. , Overhoff Daniel , Waldeck Stephan
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Preliminary dual-energy CT studies have shown that low-energy virtual monoenergetic (VMI) + reconstructions can provide superior image quality compared to standard 120 kV CTA series. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of low-energy VMI reconstructions on quantitative and qualitative image quality, vascular contrast, and diagnostic assessability of the carotid artery in patients undergoing photon-counting CTA examinations.

Materials and methods

A total of 122 patients (67 male) who had undergone dual-source photon-counting CTA scans of the carotid artery were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Standard 120 kV CT images and low-keV VMI series from 40 to 100 keV with an interval of 15 keV were reconstructed. Quantitative analyses included the evaluation of vascular CT numbers, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). CT number measurements were performed in the common, external, and internal carotid arteries. Qualitative analyses were performed by three board-certified radiologists independently using five-point scales to evaluate image quality, vascular contrast, and diagnostic assessability of the carotid artery.

Results

Mean attenuation, CNR and SNR values were highest in 40 keV VMI reconstructions (HU, 1362.32 ± 457.81; CNR, 33.19 ± 12.86; SNR, 34.37 ± 12.89) followed by 55-keV VMI reconstructions (HU, 736.94 ± 150.09; CNR, 24.49 ± 7.11; SNR, 26.25 ± 7.34); all three mean values at these keV levels were significantly higher compared with the remaining VMI series and standard 120 kV CT series (HU, 154.43 ± 23.69; CNR, 16.34 ± 5.47; SNR, 24.44 ± 7.14) (p < 0.0001).

The qualitative analysis showed the highest rating scores for 55 keV VMI reconstructions followed by 40 keV and 70 keV VMI series with a significant difference compared to standard 120 kV CT images series regarding image quality, vascular contrast, and diagnostic assessability of the carotid artery (all comparisons, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Low-keV VMI reconstructions at a level of 40–55 keV significantly improve image quality, vascular contrast, and the diagnostic assessability of the carotid artery compared with standard CT series in photon-counting CTA.
Zero-shot prompt-based video encoder for surgical gesture recognition
Authors: Rao Mingxing , Qin Yinhong , Kolouri Soheil , Wu Jie Ying , Moyer Daniel
Published: September 2024

Purpose

In order to produce a surgical gesture recognition system that can support a wide variety of procedures, either a very large annotated dataset must be acquired, or fitted models must generalize to new labels (so-called zero-shot capability). In this paper we investigate the feasibility of latter option.

Methods

Leveraging the bridge-prompt framework, we prompt-tune a pre-trained vision-text model (CLIP) for gesture recognition in surgical videos. This can utilize extensive outside video data such as text, but also make use of label meta-data and weakly supervised contrastive losses.

Results

Our experiments show that prompt-based video encoder outperforms standard encoders in surgical gesture recognition tasks. Notably, it displays strong performance in zero-shot scenarios, where gestures/tasks that were not provided during the encoder training phase are included in the prediction phase. Additionally, we measure the benefit of inclusion text descriptions in the feature extractor training schema.

Conclusion

Bridge-prompt and similar pre-trained + prompt-tuned video encoder models present significant visual representation for surgical robotics, especially in gesture recognition tasks. Given the diverse range of surgical tasks (gestures), the ability of these models to zero-shot transfer without the need for any task (gesture) specific retraining makes them invaluable.
Neural network reconstruction of the left atrium using sparse catheter paths
Authors: Baram Alon , Safran Moshe , Noy Tomer , Geri Nave , Greenspan Hayit
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Catheter-based radiofrequency ablation for pulmonary vein isolation has become the first line of treatment for atrial fibrillation in recent years. This requires a rather accurate map of the left atrial sub-endocardial surface including the ostia of the pulmonary veins, which requires dense sampling of the surface and currently takes more than 10 min. The focus of this work is to provide left atrial visualization early in the procedure to ease procedure complexity and enable further workflows, such as using catheters that have difficulty sampling the surface.

Methods

We propose a dense encoder–decoder network with a novel regularization term to reconstruct the shape of the left atrium from partial data which is derived from simple catheter maneuvers. To train the network, we acquire a large dataset of 3D atria shapes and generate corresponding catheter trajectories, from which traversed point clouds are obtained. Once trained, we show that the suggested network can sufficiently approximate the atrium shape based on a given trajectory.

Results

We compare several network solutions for the 3D atrium reconstruction. We demonstrate that the solution proposed produces realistic visualization using partial acquisition within a 3-min time interval using human clinical cases.
On the benefit of combining car rental and car sharing
Authors: Soppert Matthias , Oliveira Beatriz Brito , Angeles Ralph , Steinhardt Claudius
Published: September 2024

Car rental and car sharing are two established mobility concepts which traditionally have been offered by specialized providers. Presumably to increase utilization and profitability, most recently, car rental providers began to offer car sharing in addition, and vice versa. To assess and quantify benefits and drawbacks of combining both into a single mobility concept with one common fleet, we consider such combined systems on an aggregate level, replicating demand patterns and rentals throughout a typical week. Our systematic approach reflects that, depending on a provider’s status quo, different business practices exist, for example with regard to the applied revenue management approaches. Methodologically, our analyses base on mathematical optimization. We propose several models that consider the different business practices and degrees to which the respective new mobility concept is offered. To support mobility providers in their strategic decision-making, we derive managerial insights based on numerical studies that use real-life data.
From Brownian motion to virtual biopsy: a historical perspective from 40 years of diffusion MRI
Authors: Le Bihan Denis
Published: September 2024

Diffusion MRI was introduced in 1985, showing how the diffusive motion of molecules, especially water, could be spatially encoded with MRI to produce images revealing the underlying structure of biologic tissues at a microscopic scale. Diffusion is one of several Intravoxel Incoherent Motions (IVIM) accessible to MRI together with blood microcirculation. Diffusion imaging first revolutionized the management of acute cerebral ischemia by allowing diagnosis at an acute stage when therapies can still work, saving the outcomes of many patients. Since then, the field of diffusion imaging has expanded to the whole body, with broad applications in both clinical and research settings, providing insights into tissue integrity, structural and functional abnormalities from the hindered diffusive movement of water molecules in tissues. Diffusion imaging is particularly used to manage many neurologic disorders and in oncology for detecting and classifying cancer lesions, as well as monitoring treatment response at an early stage. The second major impact of diffusion imaging concerns the wiring of the brain (Diffusion Tensor Imaging, DTI), allowing to obtain from the anisotropic movement of water molecules in the brain white-matter images in 3 dimensions of the brain connections making up the Connectome. DTI has opened up new avenues of clinical diagnosis and research to investigate brain diseases, neurogenesis and aging, with a rapidly extending field of application in psychiatry, revealing how mental illnesses could be seen as Connectome spacetime disorders. Adding that water diffusion is closely associated to neuronal activity, as shown from diffusion fMRI, one may consider that diffusion MRI is ideally suited to investigate both brain structure and function. This article retraces the early days and milestones of diffusion MRI which spawned over 40 years, showing how diffusion MRI emerged and expanded in the research and clinical fields, up to become a pillar of modern clinical imaging.
Tuning parameters of deep neural network training algorithms pays off: a computational study
Authors: Coppola Corrado , Papa Lorenzo , Boresta Marco , Amerini Irene , Palagi Laura
Published: September 2024

The paper aims to investigate the impact of the optimization algorithms on the training of deep neural networks with an eye to the interaction between the optimizer and the generalization performance. In particular, we aim to analyze the behavior of state-of-the-art optimization algorithms in relationship to their hyperparameters setting to detect robustness with respect to the choice of a certain starting point in ending on different local solutions. We conduct extensive computational experiments using nine open-source optimization algorithms to train deep Convolutional Neural Network architectures on an image multi-class classification task. Precisely, we consider several architectures by changing the number of layers and neurons per layer, to evaluate the impact of different width and depth structures on the computational optimization performance. We show that the optimizers often return different local solutions and highlight the strong correlation between the quality of the solution found and the generalization capability of the trained network. We also discuss the role of hyperparameters tuning and show how a tuned hyperparameters setting can be re-used for the same task on different problems achieving better efficiency and generalization performance than a default setting.
Physical activity behaviors and screen time in young childhood cancer survivors: the Physical Activity in Childhood Cancer Survivors Study
Authors: Bratteteig Mari , Rueegg Corina S. , Lie Hanne C. , Thorsen Lene , Larsen Elna H. , Larsen Marie H. , Torsvik Ingrid K. , Götte Miriam , Järvelä Liisa S. , Kriemler Susi , Larsen Hanne B. , Anderssen Sigmund A. , Ruud Ellen , Grydeland May
Published: September 2024

Purpose

In childhood cancer survivors (CCS), high physical activity (PA) and low sedentary time may reduce risks of late-effects. PA behaviors and screen time, and how they relate to moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in CCS, are largely unknown. We examined PA behaviors and screen time, and their cross-sectional associations with MVPA.

Methods

CCS from any cancer diagnosis (≥ l year post-treatment), aged 9–16 years at study, were eligible in the international Physical Activity in Childhood Cancer Survivors (PACCS) study. PA behaviors (school transport, intensity-effort in physical education (“PE intensity”), leisure-time PA) and screen time were assessed by self-report, and MVPA by accelerometers (ActiGraph GT3X-BT). Multivariable linear regressions were used to assess associations between PA behaviors and screen time with MVPA.

Results

We included 481 CCS (48% girls, mean age 12.2 years). Passive school transport (prevalence 42%) was associated with 10% lower MVPA/day (β = 6.6 min, 95% CI 3.3–10.0), low PE intensity (prevalence 21%) with 16% lower MVPA/day (β = 10.2 min, 95% CI 6.0–14.3), and low leisure-time PA (prevalence 34%) with 15% lower MVPA/day (β = 9.4 min, 95% CI 1.0–17.7), compared to active school transport, high PE intensity and high leisure-time PA, respectively. High screen time was not associated with MVPA.

Conclusion

Interventions aiming to increase PA behaviors rather than reducing screen time may be more efficient in promoting a healthy lifestyle in CCS through increased MVPA. Encouraging active transport, high PE intensity, and high leisure-time PA seems important in survivorship care.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Young CCS may benefit from engaging in active transport, high PE intensity, and high leisure-time PA.
[18F]FDG-PET/CT in adrenal lesions: diagnostic performance in different clinical settings
Authors: Romanisio Martina , Daffara Tommaso , Pitino Rosa , Ferrero Alice , Pizzolitto Francesca , Zavattaro Marco , Biello Federica , Gennari Alessandra , Volpe Alessandro , Sacchetti Gian Mauro , Marzullo Paolo , Aimaretti Gianluca , Prodam Flavia , Caputo Marina
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Data regarding [18F]FDG-PET/CT for the characterization of adrenal lesions are limited. Most of the studies proposed the tumor-to-liver maximum standardized uptake values (SUVratio) > 1.5 as the best cut off to predict malignancy. The aim of the study was to calculate the optimum cut off in a heterogeneous population with adrenal lesions and evaluate the diagnostic performance SUVratio >1.5.

Patients and methods

Retrospective analysis of adrenal lesions undergoing [18F]FDG-PET/CT (2013–2022) for different reasons (atypical adrenal incidentalomas, extra adrenal tumor staging). The diagnosis of benignity was assessed by: (i) histology; (ii) stability or minimal diameter increase (<20%/<5 mm) on 12-months follow-up for non-operated patients. The optimal SUVratio and performance of SUVratio >1.5 were calculated by ROC curves.

Results

Forty-two consecutive lesions (diameter 36.1 ± 20.3 mm, 6 bilateral) underwent [18F]FDG-PET/CT (19F, age 61.2 ± 11.7 years). Twenty-nine lesions were benign, 11 malignant [8 metastases (2 bilateral) and 1 adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC)] and 2 pheochromocytomas. The SUVratio cut-off in our population was 1.55 (Sn 100%, Sp 73.7%, AUC 0.868), with similar values excluding pheochromocytomas and metastases (SUVratio cut-off 1.49, Sn 100%, Sp 96.3%, AUC 0.988). The SUVratio cut-off of 1.5 showed 100% Sn, 87% Sp, 73% PPV, and 100% NPV.

Conclusion

[18F]FDG-PET/CT could help in decision making process avoiding unnecessary surgery. The SUVratio cut-off of 1.5 has a good performance in a heterogenous population.
Influence of Rivers, Tides, and Tidal Wetlands on Estuarine Carbonate System Dynamics
Authors: Da Fei , Friedrichs Marjorie A. M. , St-Laurent Pierre , Najjar Raymond G. , Shadwick Elizabeth H. , Stets Edward G.
Published: September 2024

Variations in estuarine carbonate chemistry can have critical impacts on marine calcifying organisms, yet the drivers of this variability are difficult to quantify from observations alone, due to the strong spatiotemporal variability of these systems. Terrestrial runoff and wetland processes vary year to year based on local precipitation, and estuarine processes are often strongly modulated by tides. In this study, a 3D-coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model is used to quantify the controls on the carbonate system of a coastal plain estuary, specifically the York River estuary. Experiments were conducted both with and without tidal wetlands. Results show that on average, wetlands account for 20–30% of total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) fluxes into the estuary, and double-estuarine CO2 outgassing. Strong quasi-monthly variability is driven by the tides and causes fluctuations between net heterotrophy and net autotrophy. On longer time scales, model results show that in wetter years, lower light availability decreases primary production relative to biological respiration (i.e., greater net heterotrophy) resulting in substantial increases in CO2 outgassing. Additionally, in wetter years, advective exports of DIC and TA to the Chesapeake Bay increase by a factor of three to four, resulting in lower concentrations of DIC and TA within the estuary. Quantifying the impacts of these complex drivers is not only essential for a better understanding of coastal carbon and alkalinity cycling, but also leads to an improved assessment of the health and functioning of coastal ecosystems both in the present day and under future climate change.
Assessment of CMR Feature-Tracking Age- and Sex-Dependent Right Ventricular Strain in a Healthy Caucasian Cohort
Authors: Eckstein Jan , Körperich Hermann , Weber Oliver M. , Burchert Wolfgang , Pugachov Volodymyr , Demydiuk Oleksandra , Piran Misagh
Published: September 2024

Right ventricular (RV) strain offers crucial diagnostic insights in cardiovascular and pulmonary disorders. Nonetheless, the absence of established reference values impedes its clinical implementation. Utilizing CMR-feature tracking, age- and gender-dependent RV strains were systematically assessed in 175 heart-healthy Caucasians, 97 females, median 32.5 years. RV global longitudinal strain (GLS) was greater in females than males (median -26.8% (-28.3;-24.1) vs. -24.4 ± 3.0%; p < 0.001), whereby radial and circumferential strain remained comparable. Age subgroups exhibited increased RV-GLS for group B (30–50 years) (-26.0 ± 3.1% vs. -24.4 ± 3.2%; p = 0.011) and group C (> 50 years) (-26.7 ± 2.3% vs. -24.4 ± 3.2%; p < 0.001) compared to group A (< 30 years). High intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were exhibited by intrarater variability (ICC = 0.86–0.95) and moderate levels for interrater variability (ICC = 0.50–0.73). CMR-feature tracking provides a fair quantification method of age- and gender-specific normal RV strain values, demonstrating that higher RV-GLS is linked to female gender and advancing age within a healthy Caucasian cohort.

Graphical Abstract

Right-ventricular global longitudinal strain, assessed by cardiac MRI feature-tracking, increases with the female sex and advancing age within a Caucasian cohort of healthy subjects (N = 175)
CACNA1G Causes Dominantly Inherited Myoclonus-Ataxia with Intellectual Disability: A Case Report
Authors: De Riggi Martina , De Giorgi Agnese , Pollini Luca , Angelini Luca , Paparella Giulia , Cannavacciuolo Antonio , Birreci Daniele , Costa Davide , Tessa Alessandra , Natale Gemma , Fiorelli Marco , Galatolo Daniele , Santorelli Filippo Maria , Galosi Serena , Bologna Matteo
Published: September 2024

Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are characterized by substantial phenotypic variability. Among them, SCA42 is a rare non-expansion entity presenting with slowly progressive cerebellar syndrome but whose clinical spectrum may be also wider. A 53-year-old male presented with progressive myoclonus-ataxia and intellectual disability. Genetic screening revealed a novel c.3835G > A (p. Asp1279Asn) variant in the CACNA1G gene. SCA42 is a rare non-expansion SCA caused by mutations in CACNA1G on chromosome 17q21, encoding the Ca(V)3.1, a low-threshold voltage-gated T-type calcium channel. The novel variant we identified is potentially involved in channel activity. This case expands the knowledge regarding CACNA1G-associated phenotype and highlights the importance of genetic screening in myoclonus-ataxia disorders.
Special Issue of the Asian Journal of Business Ethics on Global Survey of Business Ethics (GSBE) Reports 2022–2024 from Asia, Australia, and Russia: Australia
Authors: Pierce Janine , Harris Howard
Published: September 2024

This report examines a study focused on current interest areas and themes of business ethics in Australia as discussed in the Australian media (major national and State newspapers) across the years 2019–2022, using content analysis and stakeholder frame of focus. The identified themes are then compared with themes identified in the Global Survey of Business Ethics 2022–2024. These themes provide a framework to compare with themes identified as important for teaching and research through a survey of Australian university educators in business schools involved in ethics teaching and research in South Australia and Western Australia. Findings indicate that ethics and ethical concerns appear across a range of media publications in Australia which in turn is placing pressure on businesses to respond to this ethics talk in the media in explaining or justifying their actions. Although no particular pattern is identified from responses, some topics are gaining more prominence such as climate change and artificial intelligence, both in the media and in university courses and research. Topics of discussion were ranked from very important to important. It is concluded that ethical issues are important for Australian business and business is responding. Key ethical issues include climate change and sustainability, governance, government and transparency, and organizational culture with ethical issues of interest to Australia featuring including sport, corporate misconduct, and Indigenous issues.
IoT and Smart Sensors for Remote Sensing Healthcare and Agriculture Applications
Authors: Kadrolli Vijayalaxmi , Kalnoor Gauri
Published: September 2024

In order to better serve patients and make better decisions, the healthcare industry is always adapting to incorporate new technology. In this in-depth analysis, we look at how geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) have revolutionised contemporary medicine. Improving healthcare planning, illness management, and environmental health evaluation are just a few of the many potential outcomes of integrating remote sensing and GIS, two technologies that can gather data from great distances and then analyze it spatially. We explore the many facets of SR and GIS in health care in this paper. To guarantee the inclusion and relevance of the literature examined, we explain the methodology utilised for data collection, the criteria for articles and studies to be selected, and the strategic search strategy that was followed. The essay starts out by providing a basic overview of healthcare remote sensing. We delve into its significance by going over the wide range of uses, which include tracking diseases, evaluating the state of the environment, and dealing with disasters. These uses case studies illustrate how remote sensing has changed healthcare and how public health dynamics might be better understood. This article delves into the ways in which healthcare accessibility can be analyzed spatially using GIS and remote sensing. In order to plan for health effectively and provide services fairly, it is crucial to understand the distribution and accessibility of health facilities across different geographic areas. This is because access to health services is a cornerstone of public health. The combination of geographic information systems (GIS) with remote sensing technology provides robust resources for assessing and bettering healthcare accessibility. Examining these technologies’ theoretical foundations, methodology, and practical uses in healthcare affordability analysis is the focus of this article.
Messaging effects and psychological drivers for conservation behaviors at Mt. Fuji, Japan
Authors: Mitsui Satomi , Uno Tadashi , Horiuchi Masahiro
Published: September 2024

This study demonstrated the differences in behavioral changes caused by two conservation messages through field experiments in Mount Fuji, Japan. The target behavior was to use a cleaning mat set up on a mountain trail to remove non-native plant seeds from the soles of visitors' shoes. To further understand the drivers of behavioral change, a questionnaire survey was used to examine the influence of different conservation messages and psychological and personal factors, including awe, attitudes, and norms. Knowledge linked to behavior and a sense of perceived behavioral control promoted behavior, whereas positive attitudes toward behavior and higher awe negatively impact behavior. Conservation messages interact with norms, and effective message-promoting behaviors differ depending on the norm level. Conservation messages should be selected based on the characteristics of the target segment. Even short conservation messages such as signboards can enhance the effectiveness of behavioral change, and it is valuable to think strategically about message content.
A flow-field integrated flight control: dynamic wind tunnel testing and simulation
Authors: Sekino S. , Maki M.
Published: September 2024

Abrupt changes in aircraft attitude due to encountering terrain turbulence or wind shear at low altitudes can directly lead to serious accidents. Therefore, a highly responsive and reliable active attitude stabiliser on board is necessary to counteract low-level severe atmospheric disturbances. However, gust environments caused by local terrain and structures are difficult to represent with typical models, such as the Dryden continuous gust model in free space. As a result, an optimal model-based control design cannot be applied. To address this problem, this paper introduces an adaptive mechanism for updating motion equations based on atmospheric conditions using in-flight surface pressure-field sensing. Additionally, a dynamic wind tunnel experiment system, which can be constructed at universities at a low cost, is developed and described in detail. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is evaluated through wind tunnel experiments and numerical simulations using a large number of gust samples.
Calorie restriction improves serum lipid metabolism, colon metabolites and microbiota in pigs
Authors: Liu Jingliang , Wei Yusen , Di Hanqiu , Zhong Yifan , Hua Weidong , Wang Haifeng
Published: September 2024

Calorie restriction plays a role in reducing food intake and weight gain, and improving health and lifespan. We hypothesized that calorie restriction would affect body weight (BW), serum indices, gut microbiota, metabolites and short-chain fatty acids of finishing pigs. Castrated male (Landrace × Yorkshire) pigs (86.13 ± 3.50 kg) were randomly assigned into two groups indicated as control (Con) and calorie restriction (CR) (eight pigs/group), respectively. Pigs in the Con group consumed feed ad libitum, whereas pigs in the CR group were fed 70% of the amount of feed in the Con group. The trial lasted for 38 days. Blood and colonic contents were collected for serum parameters, and microbiota and metabolome analysis, respectively. Main effects were tested by Student’s t-test. We found that for finishing pigs, calorie restriction reduced the cumulative food intake, BW gain, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels. Calorie restriction did not change the α and β diversity of intestinal microbiota. However, calorie restriction significantly increased the abundance of Romboutsia and unclassified_c_Bacilli, and significantly reduced the abundance of Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, Escherichia-–Shigella and Gastranaerophilales. Calorie restriction also simultaneously changed the structure of intestinal metabolites and increased the concentration of isobutyric acid, isovaleric acid and valeric acid. In conclusion, calorie restriction may affect metabolism, reduce obesity and improve intestinal microbiota, which may be a healthy diet treatment that can reduce obesity and improve metabolism.
Cabral and Revolution in Portuguese-Speaking Africa
Authors: LY Aliou
Published: September 2024

In Amilcar Cabral: The Life of a Reluctant Nationalist, a translation and revision of his earlier Portuguese edition, Antonio Tomas addresses what he sees as a gap between the reality of the armed struggle in Guinea and the ways in which it has been discussed by all previous writers on the subject. He claims to base his critique on newly released archival information and recent publications on Cabral, Portuguese colonialism, and its anti-colonial movements in Africa.
Housebuilding, land, and structural power: the case of mortgage market support schemes in England
Authors: Foye Chris , Shepherd Edward
Published: September 2024

Housing is a critical part of every state’s infrastructure. However, in most advanced economies the state no longer builds very much of it, leaving it instead to private housebuilders. Because of their control over the supply of land, and the barriers to entry into the housebuilding industry, private housebuilders have potentially major structural power over the state. At the same time, private housebuilders are also tied to their land, and face other barriers to exit, thus limiting their ability to relocate capital elsewhere. Drawing on a range of secondary data sources, including earnings calls transcripts, annual reports and government policy documents, this paper demonstrates how the three largest volume housebuilders in England leveraged their structural power to shape the mortgage market support schemes that were introduced in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis. These schemes have since underpinned their exceptional levels of profitability. We conclude, though, that far from being an absolute resource, this structural power was only enabled by the prevailing neoliberal, home-owning Anglo-liberal ‘growth model’ in which these housebuilders were embedded.
Life-saving Field Amputation During the 2023 Türkiye Earthquake: Ethical, Social, and Legal Implications Beyond the Complex Medical and Rescue Procedures in the Rubble
Authors: Franz Martig , Lionel Bernard Dumont , Mona Mumenthaler , Jean-Daniel Junod , Urs Bächtold , Olivier Hagon
Published: September 2024

Amputation as a life-saving measure for earthquake-trapped patients is supported by WHO and INSARAG guidelines. However, implementing these guidelines in highly stressful contexts can complicate decision-making. This report presents a case of life-saving amputation during the 2023 Turkey earthquake, adhering to recommended guidelines. The 16-year-old patient was trapped for 55 hours in a narrow corridor. Extensive interdisciplinary discussions led to the decision for a field amputation after alternative rescue attempts failed. Consent was obtained from the family, given the patient’s delirium. Meticulous planning and anesthesia using midazolam and ketamine ensured successful amputation with minimal blood loss. Challenges encountered during the disaster response were discussed. Delays in administering antibiotics, a lack of cervical protection, ethical dilemmas, psychological concerns, and legal implications were highlighted. Continued improvement and addressing ethical, legal, and psychological aspects are essential for optimal disaster response outcomes.
Rigidity of flat holonomies
Authors: BESSON GÉRARD , COURTOIS GILLES , HERSONSKY SA’AR
Published: September 2024

We prove that the existence of one horosphere in the universal cover of a closed Riemannian manifold of dimension

$n \geq 3$

with strongly

$1/4$

-pinched or relatively

$1/2$

-pinched sectional curvature, on which the stable holonomy along one horosphere coincides with the Riemannian parallel transport, implies that the manifold is homothetic to a real hyperbolic manifold.
A recurrence-type strong Borel–Cantelli lemma for Axiom A diffeomorphisms
Authors: RODRIGUEZ SPONHEIMER ALEJANDRO
Published: September 2024

Let
$(X,\mu ,T,d)$
be a metric measure-preserving dynamical system such that three-fold correlations decay exponentially for Lipschitz continuous observables. Given a sequence
$(M_k)$
that converges to
$0$
slowly enough, we obtain a strong dynamical Borel–Cantelli result for recurrence, that is, for
$\mu $
-almost every
$x\in X$
,
$$ \begin{align*} \lim_{n \to \infty}\frac{\sum_{k=1}^{n} \mathbf{1}_{B_k(x)}(T^{k}x)} {\sum_{k=1}^{n} \mu(B_k(x))} = 1, \end{align*} $$
where
$\mu (B_k(x)) = M_k$
. In particular, we show that this result holds for Axiom A diffeomorphisms and equilibrium states under certain assumptions.
Forms of Law for the Anthropocene: Civil Liability Revisited
Authors: Ellis Jaye
Published: September 2024

Rapid, unpredictable ecological changes and the resulting instability that are characteristic of the Anthropocene call for a re-examination of the role of law in governing interactions between humans and ecosystems and facilitating adaptation to ecological change. The scope and scale of environmental change we are experiencing seem to call for a regulatory approach, namely forms of law that are designed to pursue well-defined material objectives, often through instruction rules designed to guide behavior to line up with those objectives. Such forms of law have a crucial role to play. However, the negligence principle at the heart of civil liability law is also capable of absorbing and circulating information about environmental risk and means of addressing it, and of translating that information from empirical to normative terms. The grounding of negligence in domestic civil liability law could be a serious obstacle to its effectiveness given the global, Earth system-wide nature of environmental degradation. However, the negligence principle increasingly operates through networks that traverse jurisdictional boundaries, as well as the boundaries between social systems. I propose such a network approach to analyze interactions between the negligence principle and corporate due diligence obligations embedded in domestic legislation and international texts such as the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). One important result would be the imposition of expanded epistemic obligations on firms, which would in turn require their serious engagement with domestic, international, and transnational environmental and sustainability norms.
The Fight Against Digital Hate Speech: Disentangling the EU’s Regulatory Approach and Hurdles
Authors: Psychogiopoulou Evangelia
Published: September 2024

Digital platforms and social media have expanded the ways in which individuals can exercise their right to freedom of expression and obtain and diffuse information. At the same time, they have become a principal means for haters to express and spread their hate in ways that would have been unthinkable some years ago. Responsive to the challenge, the EU has progressively developed a broad range of instruments and tools to counter online hate speech. This chapter discusses the key characteristics of the EU arrangements made to fight digital hate speech, shedding light on what is a multi-faceted and daunting regulatory task.
Reconceptualizing Gender (from the Stream of Life)
Authors: Sandis Constantine , Moyal-Sharrock Danièle
Published: September 2024

In this paper, we consider a range of trans-inclusive approaches to gender concepts and how they relate to the world, from family resemblance theories to conceptual engineering. In so doing, we shall also examine several concepts that are analogous to gender and other controversial and not-so-controversial concepts, such as “vegan cheese” and “adoptive parents.” Having assessed their merits and demerits, we argue that our gender concepts are not fixed in stone but, rather, evolve alongside human practices and behavior.
Co-designing a virtual reality exposure therapy with students experiencing school anxiety: a proof-of-concept study
Authors: Boyle D. , Morrin N. , Scargill J. , Mulvey F. , Heavin C. , Flanagan E. , McMahon B. , O’Connell H.
Published: September 2024

Background and Objectives:

Anxiety related school avoidance can affect up to 5% of a country’s students each year. VRET (Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy) is a novel therapy proven to be as effective as conventional approaches for treating many anxiety disorders. The aim of this research is to co-design and evaluate a VRET intervention for students experiencing school related anxiety.

Method:

Eighteen adolescents participated in design thinking workshops where they developed a script and storyboard for the VRET. Using an iterative approach, a VRET prototype was developed based on this work. Eighteen teenagers were subsequently recruited to engage with the VRET for one session each and provide feedback on their experience via a structured questionnaire (supervised by a study coordinator) particularly focusing on the ability of the VR experience to reduce school related anxiety.

Results:

Exposure therapy needs to produce an anxiety response to be effective. The VRET was effective in producing an anxiety response in 89% of participants. Results demonstrated that 93% of participants found the simulations immersive, 94% found the scenarios believable, and 83% could relate to ‘Dala’, the avatar in the videos. 100% of participants believed that VRET would help with school anxiety.

Conclusion:

This proof-of-concept study demonstrates favourable face validity indicating promise for this mode of intervention for delivering targeted support to anxious students. VRET could be used as a scalable, cost effective early intervention to reduce the severity of anxiety associated with school avoidance.
Reactive experimental control of turbulent jets
Authors: Audiffred Diego B.S. , Cavalieri André V.G. , Maia Igor A. , Martini Eduardo , Jordan Peter
Published: September 2024

We present an experimental study of reactive control of turbulent jets, in which we target axisymmetric coherent structures, known to play a key role in the generation of sound. We first consider a forced jet, in which coherent structures are amplified above background levels, facilitating their detection, estimation and control. We then consider the more challenging case of an unforced jet. The linear control targets coherent structures in the region just downstream of the nozzle exit plane, where linear models are known to be appropriate for description of the lowest-order azimuthal modes of the turbulence. The control law is constructed in frequency space, based on empirically determined transfer functions. And the Wiener–Hopf formalism is used to enforce causality and to provide an optimal controller, as opposed to the sub-optimal control laws provided by simpler wave-cancellation methods. Significant improvements are demonstrated in the control of both forced and unforced jets. In the former case, order-of-magnitude reductions are achieved; and in the latter, turbulence levels are reduced by up to 60 %. The results open new perspectives for the control of turbulent flow at high Reynolds number.
Molecular kinetic modelling of non-equilibrium evaporative flows
Authors: Li Shaokang , Su Wei , Shan Baochao , Li Zuoxu , Gibelli Livio , Zhang Yonghao
Published: September 2024

Recent years have seen the emergence of new technologies that exploit nanoscale evaporation, ranging from nanoporous membranes for distillation to evaporative cooling in electronics. Despite the increasing depth of fundamental knowledge, there is still a lack of simulation tools capable of capturing the underlying non-equilibrium liquid–vapour phase changes that are critical to these and other such technologies. This work presents a molecular kinetic theory model capable of describing the entire flow field, i.e. the liquid and vapour phases and their interface, while striking a balance between accuracy and computational efficiency. In particular, unlike previous kinetic models based on the isothermal assumption, the proposed model can capture the temperature variations that occur during the evaporation process, yet does not require the computational resources of more complicated mean-field kinetic approaches. We assess the present kinetic model in three test cases: liquid–vapour equilibrium, evaporation into near-vacuum condition, and evaporation into vapour. The results agree well with benchmark solutions, while reducing the simulation time by almost two orders of magnitude on average in the cases studied. The results therefore suggest that this work is a stepping stone towards the development of an accurate and efficient computational approach to optimising the next generation of nanotechnologies based on nanoscale evaporation.
Negative available potential energy dissipation as the fundamental criterion for double diffusive instabilities
Authors: Tailleux R.
Published: September 2024

The background potential energy (BPE) is the only reservoir that double diffusive instabilities can tap their energy from when developing from an unforced motionless state with no available potential energy (APE). Recently, Middleton and Taylor linked the extraction of BPE into APE to the sign of the diapycnal component of the buoyancy flux, but their criterion can predict only diffusive convection instability, not salt finger instability. Here, we show that the problem can be corrected if the sign of the APE dissipation rate is used instead, making it emerge as the most fundamental criterion for double diffusive instabilities. A theory for the APE dissipation rate for a two-component fluid relative to its single-component counterpart is developed as a function of three parameters: the diffusivity ratio, the density ratio, and a spiciness parameter. The theory correctly predicts the occurrence of both salt finger and diffusive convection instabilities in the laminar unforced regime, while more generally predicting that the APE dissipation rate for a two-component fluid can be enhanced, suppressed, or even have the opposite sign compared to that for a single-component fluid, with important implications for the study of ocean mixing. Because negative APE dissipation can also occur in stably stratified single-component and doubly stable two-component stratified fluids, we speculate that only the thermodynamic theory of exergy can explain its physics; however, this necessitates accepting that APE dissipation is a conversion between APE and the internal energy component of BPE, in contrast to prevailing assumptions.
A numerical study on the turbulence characteristics in an air–water upward bubbly pipe flow
Authors: Lee Ingu , Chang Jaehee , Kim Kiyoung , Choi Haecheon
Published: September 2024

A high-resolution numerical simulation of an air–water turbulent upward bubbly flow in a pipe is performed to investigate the turbulence characteristics and bubble interaction with the wall. We consider three bubble equivalent diameters and three total bubble volume fractions. The bulk and bubble Reynolds numbers are

$Re_{bulk}= u_{bulk} D/\nu _w = 5300$

and

$Re_{bub}= (\langle u_{bub}\rangle - u_{bulk}) d_{eq}/\nu _w = 533\unicode{x2013}1000$

, respectively, where

$u_{bulk}$

is the water bulk velocity,

$\langle u_{bub}\rangle$

is the overall bubble mean velocity,

$D$

is the pipe diameter and

$\nu _w$

is the water kinematic viscosity. The mean water velocity near the wall significantly increases due to bubble interaction with the wall, and the root-mean-square water velocity fluctuations are proportional to

$\bar {\psi }(r)^{0.4}$

, where

$\bar {\psi } (r)$

is the mean bubble volume fraction. For the cases considered, the bubble-induced turbulence suppresses the shear-induced turbulence and becomes the dominant flow characteristic at all radial locations including near the wall. Rising bubbles near the wall mostly bounce against the wall rather than slide along the wall or hang around the wall without collision. Low-speed streaks observed in the near-wall region in the absence of bubbles nearly disappear due to the bouncing bubbles. These bouncing bubbles generate counter-rotating vortices in their wake, and increase the skin friction by sweeping high-speed water towards the wall. We also suggest an algebraic Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes model considering the interaction between shear-induced and bubble-induced turbulence. This model provides accurate predictions for a wide range of liquid bulk Reynolds numbers.
Collision of liquid drops: bounce or merge?
Authors: Lewin-Jones Peter , Lockerby Duncan A. , Sprittles James E.
Published: September 2024

Whether colliding drops will merge with or bounce off each other is critical to numerous processes, and the physics involved is notoriously complex. In particular, experiments show that both sufficiently slow and fast head-on drop collisions lead to merging, but that there is often an intermediate regime in which bouncing is observed; these transitions in behaviour were recently discovered to be surprisingly sensitive to the radius of the drops and the ambient gas pressure. We show here that these transitions between bouncing and merging are governed by nanoscale phenomena; namely, gas-kinetic and disjoining pressure effects. To capture these crucial effects, a novel, open-source computational model is developed for the simulation of colliding drops. The model uses a hybrid approach, based on solving the Navier–Stokes equations in the drop with a lubrication approach for the unconventional physics of the gas film. Our simulations show remarkably good agreement with experiments of head-on collisions and also provide new experimentally verifiable predictions.
ALA 2024 in San Diego Goes International: Programs Address Issues on Global Law and Policy
Authors: Weaver Bobbi A.
Published: September 2024

The annual conference of the American Library Association (ALA) was held June 27–July 2, 2024, in San Diego, California. This year's opening session, which began the afternoon of June 28, 2024, featured an introduction by current ALA President, Emily Drabinski. She reviewed the progress of the association and commented on the number of international participants attending this year's conference. She noted that there were 340 participants from 51 different countries represented at the meeting.