bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can energy poverty be eradicated by project aid? Evidence from African countries
Authors: Wang Qiang , Guo Jiaqi , Li Rongrong
Published: July 2023

While the main task of electricity development in other countries of the world is to expand the production of electricity or to improve the way it is generated, the problems faced by sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) countries are more immediate and urgent ‐ here less than half of the population has access to electricity. This study aims to examine whether aid projects can alleviate energy poverty. Since the assisted power facilities will affect neighbouring countries across borders, this study constructs a dynamic spatial Durbin model to take spatial spillover effects into account. The results of the spatial correlation test indicate that the spatial distribution of aid projects is random, which is an important finding that evenly distributed aid policies lead to disorderly aid. Further analysis shows that the mismatch effect of aid resources hinders the development of electricity in recipient countries. Urbanisation and technical assistance are the key factors to accelerate the development of electric power and improve the benefit of assistance. This paper suggests that aid policies should be implemented on a long‐term and stable basis, with a focus on those recipient countries that are highly urbanised to take advantage of their unique advantages.
Damage Mechanism of Copper Cooling Plate on Large Blast Furnace
Authors: Gao Tianlu , Zhang Lei , Zhang Jianliang , Zhou Zhenxing , Ma Hengbao , Zhang Hua , Jiao Kexin
Published: July 2023

This work investigates the application of cooling plate in a 4500 m3 blast furnace in China. Scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and an optical microscope are used to examine the affected area. The results demonstrate that using a cooling plate in a huge blast furnace has a positive effect, notably in furnace belly and bosh, where the damage rate is less than 3%. While the cooling plates in the middle shaft are more severely damaged, with a damage rate of up to 55.40%. The majority of the copper cooling plate's damage is centered in the water channel area, where there are furrows and numerous microcracks on the damaged surface, as well as a tiny quantity of metallurgical slag attached. Cracks form on both the inside and outside of the water channel, and the grains surrounding the cracks rise significantly, which is the primary cause of the cooling plate's water leaking. The main factor of cooling plate damage in the early stage is wear, and the cracking caused by force in the later stage. The use of a copper cooling plate from the furnace bosh to the lower shaft is preferable to the use of a copper cooling stave.
Effect of storage duration on carprofen concentration measurements in dog plasma
Authors: Shuttleworth James R. , Behrens Kristen N. , Biggo Morgan R. , Horne Rikki L. , Cox Sherry , Lakritz Jeffrey , Tinga Selena
Published: July 2023

Background

Storage of samples may be necessary prior to testing drug levels in certain study designs; however, the effect of storage duration on measured drug levels is not known for all drugs.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to evaluate the stability of carprofen in canine plasma when stored at −80°C for 6 months.

Methods

Six healthy dogs were enrolled (1–10 years old, 17–35 kg) and received compounded carprofen at 2.2 mg/kg orally every 12 h for 2 days. On the third day, blood was collected immediately before the morning dose (trough), then 1 and 6 h after the dose (sampling timepoint). Whole blood was immediately centrifuged, and plasma was stored at −80°C. Plasma carprofen concentration was measured at day 2, week 2 and then monthly for 6 months using reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography. The measured carprofen concentrations were analysed statistically using a linear mixed effects model.

Results

There was no effect of storage time over 6 months (p = 0.891) on measured carprofen levels. Although there was an effect of sampling timepoint (0, 1 and 6 h) (p < 0.001), the interaction between storage timepoint and sampling timepoint was not statistically significant (p = 1).

Conclusions

Carprofen‐laden canine plasma samples can be stored for up to 6 months before analysis with no degradation in carprofen concentrations expected.
The Dirichlet Dual Response Model: An Item Response Model for Continuous Bounded Interval Responses
Authors: Kloft Matthias , Hartmann Raphael , Voss Andreas , Heck Daniel W.
Published: July 2023

Standard response formats such as rating or visual analogue scales require respondents to condense distributions of latent states or behaviors into a single value. Whereas this is suitable to measure central tendency, it neglects the variance of distributions. As a remedy, variability may be measured using interval-response formats, more specifically the dual-range slider (RS2). Given the lack of an appropriate item response model for the RS2, we develop the Dirichlet dual response model (DDRM), an extension of the beta response model (BRM; Noel & Dauvier in Appl Psychol Meas, 31:47–73, 2007). We evaluate the DDRM’s performance by assessing parameter recovery in a simulation study. Results indicate overall good parameter recovery, although parameters concerning interval width (which reflect variability in behavior or states) perform worse than parameters concerning central tendency. We also test the model empirically by jointly fitting the BRM and the DDRM to single-range slider (RS1) and RS2 responses for two Extraversion scales. While the DDRM has an acceptable fit, it shows some misfit regarding the RS2 interval widths. Nonetheless, the model indicates substantial differences between respondents concerning variability in behavior. High correlations between person parameters of the BRM and DDRM suggest convergent validity between the RS1 and the RS2 interval location. Both the simulation and the empirical study demonstrate that the latent parameter space of the DDRM addresses an important issue of the RS2 response format, namely, the scale-inherent interdependence of interval location and interval width (i.e., intervals at the boundaries are necessarily smaller).
Happiness, Space and Place: Community Area Clustering and Spillovers of Life Satisfaction in Canada
Authors: Ziogas Thanasis , Ballas Dimitris , Koster Sierdjan , Edzes Arjen
Published: July 2023

There has been a rapidly growing number of studies of the geographical aspects of happiness and well-being. Many of these studies have been highlighting the role of space and place and of individual and spatial contextual determinants of happiness. However, most of the studies to date do not explicitly consider spatial clustering and possible spatial spillover effects of happiness and well-being. The few studies that do consider spatial clustering and spillovers conduct the analysis at a relatively coarse geographical scale of country or region. This article analyses such effects at a much smaller geographical unit: community areas. These are small area level geographies at the intra-urban level. In particular, the article presents a spatial econometric approach to the analysis of life satisfaction data aggregated to 1,215 communities in Canada and examines spatial clustering and spatial spillovers. Communities are suitable given that they form a small geographical reference point for households. We find that communities’ life satisfaction is spatially clustered while regression results show that it is associated to the life satisfaction of neighbouring communities as well as to the latter's average household income and unemployment rate. We consider the role of shared cultural traits and institutions that may explain such spillovers of life satisfaction. The findings highlight the importance of neighbouring characteristics when discussing policies to improve the well-being of a (small area) place.
Introducing a secondary segmentation to construct a radiomics model for pulmonary tuberculosis cavities
Authors: du Plessis Tamarisk , Ramkilawon Gopika , Rae William Ian Duncombe , Botha Tanita , Martinson Neil Alexander , Dixon Sarah Alice Parry , Kyme Andre , Sathekge Mike Michael
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Accurate segmentation (separating diseased portions of the lung from normal appearing lung) is a challenge in radiomic studies of non-neoplastic diseases, such as pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). In this study, we developed a segmentation method, applicable to chest X-rays (CXR), that can eliminate the need for precise disease delineation, and that is effective for constructing radiomic models for automatic PTB cavity classification.

Methods

This retrospective study used a dataset of 266 posteroanterior CXR of patients diagnosed with laboratory confirmed PTB. The lungs were segmented using a U-net-based in-house automatic segmentation model. A secondary segmentation was developed using a sliding window, superimposed on the primary lung segmentation. Pyradiomics was used for feature extraction from every window which increased the dimensionality of the data, but this allowed us to accurately capture the spread of the features across the lung. Two separate measures (standard-deviation and variance) were used to consolidate the features. Pearson’s correlation analysis (with a 0.8 cut-off value) was then applied for dimensionality reduction followed by the construction of Random Forest radiomic models.

Results

Two almost identical radiomic signatures consisting of 10 texture features each (9 were the same plus 1 other feature) were identified using the two separate consolidation measures. Two well performing random forest models were constructed from these signatures. The standard-deviation model (AUC = 0.9444 (95% CI, 0.8762; 0.9814)) performed marginally better than the variance model (AUC = 0.9288 (95% CI, 0.9046; 0.9843)).

Conclusion

The introduction of the secondary sliding window segmentation on CXR could eliminate the need for disease delineation in pulmonary radiomic studies, and it could improve the accuracy of CXR reporting currently regaining prominence as a high-volume screening tool as the developed radiomic models correctly classify cavities from normal CXR.
Use of non-invasive respiratory supports in high-intensity internal medicine setting during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency in Italy: a multicenter, real-life experience
Authors: Crisafulli Ernesto , Sartori Giulia , Vianello Alice , Maroccia Alessio , Lepori Elisa , Quici Massimiliano , Cogliati Chiara , Salvetti Massimo , Paini Anna , Aggiusti Carlo , Bertacchini Fabio , Busti Fabiana , Marchi Giacomo , Muiesan Maria Lorenza , Girelli Domenico
Published: July 2023

During the first two waves of the COVID-19 emergency in Italy, internal medicine high-dependency wards (HDW) have been organized to manage patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF). There is heterogeneous evidence about the feasibility and outcomes of non-invasive respiratory supports (NIRS) in settings outside the intensive care unit (ICU), including in patients deemed not eligible for intubation (i.e., with do-not-intubate, DNI status). Few data are available about the different NIRS modalities applied to ARF patients in the newly assembled internal medicine HDW. The main aim of our study was to describe a real-life experience in this setting of cure, focusing on feasibility and outcomes. We retrospectively collected data from COVID-19 patients with ARF needing NIRS and admitted to internal medicine HDW. Patients were treated with different modalities, that is high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), or non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV). Switching among different NIRS during the hospitalization and the success rate (weaning with the same NIRS) or failure (endotracheal intubation-ETI or in-hospital death) were recorded. Three hundred thirty four ARF patients (median age 74 years), of which 158 (54%) had a DNI status, were included. CPAP, NIMV, and HFNC's success rates were 54, 33, and 13%, respectively. Although DNI status was strongly associated with death (Gehan–Breslow–Wilcoxon test p < 0.001), an acceptable success rate was observed in these patients using CPAP (47%). Multivariate regression models showed older age (odds ratio—OR 4.74), chronic ischemic heart disease (OR 2.76), high respiratory rate after 24 h (OR 7.13), and suspected acute respiratory distress syndrome—ARDS (OR 21.1) as predictors of mortality risk or ETI. Our real-life experience shows that NIRS was feasible in internal medicine HDW with an acceptable success rate. Although DNI patients had a worse prognosis, the use of NIRS represented a reasonable chance of treatment.
Co-creating Research Integrity Education Guidelines for Research Institutions
Authors: Labib Krishma , Evans Natalie , Pizzolato Daniel , Aubert Bonn Noémie , Widdershoven Guy , Bouter Lex , Konach Teodora , Langendam Miranda , Dierickx Kris , Tijdink Joeri
Published: July 2023

To foster research integrity (RI), research institutions should develop a continuous RI education approach, addressing various target groups. To support institutions to achieve this, we developed RI education guidelines together with RI experts and research administrators, exploring similarities and differences in recommendations across target groups, as well as recommendations about RI education using approaches other than formal RI training. We used an iterative co-creative process. We conducted four half-day online co-creation workshops with 16 participants in total, which were informed by the RI education evidence-base. In the first two workshops, participants generated ideas for guidelines’ content, focusing on different target groups and various approaches to RI education. Based on this content we developed first drafts of the guidelines. Participants in the third and fourth workshop refined those drafts. We next organized a working group which further prioritized, reorganized, and optimized the content of the guidelines. We developed four guidelines on RI education focusing on (a) bachelor, master and PhD students; (b) post-doctorate and senior researchers; (c) other RI stakeholders; as well as (d) continuous RI education. Across guidelines, we recommend mandatory RI training; follow-up refresher training; informal discussions about RI; appropriate rewards and incentives for active participation in RI education; and evaluation of RI educational events. Our work provides experience-based co-created guidance to research institutions on what to consider when developing a successful RI education strategy. Each guideline is offered as a distinct, publicly available tool in our toolbox (www.sops4ri.eu/toolbox) which institutions can access, adapt and implement to meet their institution-specific RI education needs.

Trial registrationhttps://osf.io/zej5b.
Motivating (Underdetermination) Scepticism
Authors: Tana Guido
Published: July 2023

The aim of this paper is to analyse and develop how scepticism becomes an intelligible question starting from requirements that epistemologists themselves aim to endorse. We argue for and defend the idea that the root of scepticism is the underdetermination principle by articulating its specificity as a respectable epistemic principle and by defending it against objections in current literature. This engagement offers a novel understanding of underdetermination-based scepticism. While most anti-sceptical approaches challenge scepticism by understanding it as postulating uneliminated scenarios of mass deception, or as endorsing unnatural epistemic requirements, we argue here that both contentions are mistaken. Underdetermination-based scepticism targets our beliefs by issuing a genuine question about the rational support they enjoy. If we cannot establish that the sources of our beliefs provide them the required epistemic merit and authority, they lack non-arbitrary grounds. This has a sizable impact on what constitutes a satisfactory anti-sceptical strategy. Strategies that merely focus on the scenario-based aspect of scepticism, or on the truth-functional evaluation of our beliefs, are shown to miss the mark of the sceptical threat. The proposed analysis ultimately provides a shift in perspective concerning the character and reach of philosophical doubt.
Maximizing Total Sugar Recovery from Low Severity Pretreatment-Hydrolysis of Sweet Sorghum Bagasse Through Cultivar Selection and Process Optimization
Authors: Bedzo Oscar K. K. , Diedericks Danie , McIntosh Paul , Rorke Daneal C. S. , van Rensburg Eugene , Görgens Johann F.
Published: July 2023

The nature of a sweet sorghum cultivar influences the recovery of sugars from the bagasse during pretreatment. The sugars recovered are used in applications for conversion to high-value products such as alcohols, organic acids, and other fuels and chemicals. The severity of the pretreatment used plays a crucial role in the yield and quality of the sugars that can be recovered. Therefore, a strategic approach was taken to lower the severity of the pretreatment process to a combined severity factor (CSF) value of 0.48, whilst maintaining a high level of total-sugar recovery (i.e. 68% (w/w) and higher). This was achieved by screening 23 sweet sorghum cultivars for high-performance characteristics at low-severity conditions and optimizing the pretreatment process conditions. The pretreatment conditions included time, temperature, and acid concentration ranges of 5 to 60 min, 150 to 210 oC, and 0.00–0.96% (w/w) H2SO4, respectively. Cultivar AP6 was identified as the best performer, producing the highest total sugar yield of 78.17%. A reduction in total by-product formation from 4.79 to 2.79 g/100 g biomass was also observed. Three preferred cultivars selected for pilot scale pretreatment using steam explosion resulted in maximum total sugar recoveries that exceeded 80% (w/w). Cultivar selection provides an opportunity to utilize sweet sorghum bagasse that will liberate sugars at desired yields while reducing the generation of by-products by implementing low severity pretreatments.
Großes E*erzählen
Authors: Sandermann Philipp , Neumann Sascha
Published: July 2023

Im Anschluss an eigene objektivierungskritische Arbeiten sowie bisher vorliegende narrative Analysen zu Grand Theories der Sozialen Arbeit nehmen wir im vorliegenden Beitrag eine narrationsanalytisch inspirierte Perspektive ein. Am Beispiel der Theorie der Unterstützung zur Lebensbewältigung untersuchen wir eine prominente Großtheorie der Sozialen Arbeit auf ihre narrative Struktur hin. Wir beschränken uns dafür auf die Eingangssequenzen eines bedeutenden Textes aus dem Gesamtkorpus der Theorie. Deutlich wird, dass die Theorie mithilfe komplexer Verschränkungen von Metonymien und Synekdochen und eines vorwiegend mechanistischen Argumentationsmodus die narrative Struktur einer maximal eindeutigen Geschichte vollerZwang, NotwendigkeitundstrukturellerEindeutigkeitaufweist. Dabei geht es der Theorie vor allem um eine maximale Orientierung für die Soziale Arbeit, wie sie sich begreifen sollte, um zu erkennen, was und wie sieeigentlichist. Die zentrale Plausibilisierungsstrategie beruht auf dem Argument faktischer Eindeutigkeit historisch entstandener und dauerhaft fortwirkender Strukturen und sich daraus ergebender Notwendigkeiten und Möglichkeitsspielräume. Im Ergebnis entsteht eineComedySozialer Arbeit, in deren Mittelpunkt die Soziale Arbeit als ein sozial unumgänglicher und der Funktion nach durchweg pädagogischer Sachverhalt steht. Daneben finden sich Elemente aus Märchenerzählungen, welche den Eindruck einer zu tradierenden Familiengeschichte entstehen lassen.
Influence of hydrogen import prices on hydropower systems in climate-neutral Europe
Authors: Schmitz Richard , Naversen Christian Øyn , Härtel Philipp
Published: July 2023

While climate and energy policy targets require fundamental changes and expansions in the energy infrastructure, hydropower systems across Europe remain essential for low-carbon energy systems. With renewable fuel import prices being subject to large uncertainties, this work aims to substantiate the relationship between these fuel import prices and multireservoir hydropower systems in a climate-neutral energy system. To that end, three green hydrogen import price scenarios are combined with two aggregated modelling approaches for pan-European hydropower assets. Using the integrated energy system model SCOPE SD, the analysis shows that import prices for green hydrogen have a significant impact on European electricity generation (+ 595 GW$$_\text {el}$$

el

and + 650 TWh$$_\text {el}$$

el

/yr), domestic hydrogen production (+ 396 TWh$$_\text {th}$$

th

/yr), and water values of European hydropower assets (+ 33 % of average value in Norway). The results further indicate that the different aggregation methods only have a minor impact, suggesting that the computationally more efficient approach with up to 90% reductions in solution time provides suitable approximations of hydropower generation and flexibility in future analyses.
Leverage and Cooperation in the US World Order
Authors: Chiozza Giacomo
Published: July 2023

Since the end of World War II, the United States has maintained a unique system of partnerships and alliances, known as the US world order. Within this order, it has sought both compliance from, and consensus with, its partners. Sometimes it has achieved both, sometimes one but not the other, and sometimes neither. What accounts for this variation in hegemonic leadership? Giacomo Chiozza suggests that the answer depends on the domestic political institutions that structure US relations with the incumbent leaders in the partner nations. Domestic political institutions that foster political successors and allow for regular and flexible channels of leadership turnover make it easier for the US to sustain friendly relations. However, unexpectedly, institutions that allow for regular and flexible channels of leadership turnover also create domestic political incentives that foster the attainment of better governance and more respect of human rights.
Predicting Streamflow Elasticity Based on Percolation Theory and Ecological Optimality
Authors: Hunt Allen G. , Sahimi Muhammad , Ghanbarian Behzad
Published: July 2023

How much terrestrial precipitation is used by vegetation and how much runs off, represents central issues in hydrologic science, ecology, climate change, and even geopolitics. We present a theory for the water balance to predict the fractional change in streamflow due to given fractional changes in temperature and precipitation. The theory involves a single parameter whose value is derived under the conditions of neither energy‐ nor water‐limitations and, therefore, is not an adjustable parameter. By comparison with extensive data for precipitation elasticity ϵp at global scale, we find that the theory captures the key trends of the variations of the median value of ϵp with the aridity index AI. In contrast to a shortcoming of the classical Budyko phenomenology, namely, convergence to ϵp = 4 for large AI, our theory yields a value of 2 for the median value of ϵp for all AI > 1, in accord with the data for major river basins, as well as with the median value of summaries of global and continental data sets. Incorporating in the theory the effects of annual changes in water storage leads to the ability to predict the range of observed values of the elasticity as a function of the aridity index, or its inverse, the humidity index, as well as the run‐off ratio. When changes in storage are neglected, the theory yields more accurate predictions for major river drainages than for small watersheds, particularly if the large basin spans various climate regimes and, as such, an integration over climates tends to reduce relative changes in the storage.
Exosomal circTGFBR2 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression via enhancing ATG5 mediated protective autophagy
Authors: Wang Xin , Dong Feng-Lin , Wang Ying-Qiao , Wei Hong-Long , Li Tao , Li Jie
Published: July 2023

Exosomes contribute substantially to the communication between tumor cells and normal cells. Benefiting from the stable structure, circular RNAs (circRNAs) are believed to serve an important function in exosome-mediated intercellular communication. Here, we focused on circRNAs enriched in starvation-stressed hepatocytic exosomes and further investigated their function and mechanism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. Differentially expressed circRNAs in exosomes were identified by RNA sequencing, and circTGFBR2 was identified and chosen for further study. The molecular mechanism of circTGFBR2 in HCC was demonstrated by RNA pulldown, RIP, dual-luciferase reporter assays, rescue experiments and tumor xenograft assay both in vitro and vivo. We confirmed exosomes with enriched circTGFBR2 led to an upregulated resistance of HCC cells to starvation stress. Mechanistically, circTGFBR2 delivered into HCC cells via exosomes serves as a competing endogenous RNA by binding miR-205-5p to facilitate ATG5 expression and enhance autophagy in HCC cells, resulting in resistance to starvation. Thus, we revealed that circTGFBR2 is a novel tumor promoter circRNA in hepatocytic exosomes and promotes HCC progression by enhancing ATG5–mediated protective autophagy via the circTGFBR2/miR-205-5p/ATG5 axis, which may be a potential therapeutic target for HCC.
Balancing the functions of DNA extracellular traps in intracellular parasite infections: implications for host defense, disease pathology and therapy
Authors: Koh Carolina Cattoni , Gollob Kenneth J. , Dutra Walderez O.
Published: July 2023

The release of DNA to the extracellular milieu is a biological process referred to as etosis, which is involved in both physiological and pathological functions. Although the release of DNA extracellular traps (ETs) was initially attributed to innate immune cells such as neutrophils, eosinophils, and macrophages, recent studies have shown that T cells, as well as non-immune cells, are capable of releasing ETs. These structures were described primarily for their potential to trap and kill pathogens, presenting an important strategy of host defense. Intriguingly, these functions have been associated with intracellular pathogens such as the parasites Leishmania sp. and Trypanosoma cruzi, causative agents of leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, respectively. These are two devastating tropical diseases that lead to thousands of deaths every year. In an apparent contradiction, ETs can also induce and amplify inflammation, which may lead to worsening disease pathology. This has prompted the concept of targeting ETs’ release as a means of controlling tissue destruction to treat human diseases. What is the best approach to prevent disease severity: inducing ETs to kill pathogens or preventing their release? In this Perspective article, we will discuss the importance of understanding ETs released by different cell types and the need to balance their potentially complementary functions. In addition, we will explore other functions of ETs and their translational applications to benefit individuals infected with intracellular parasites and other pathogens. Ultimately, a better understanding of the role of ETs in disease pathogenesis will provide valuable insights into developing novel therapies for human diseases.
Matching degree evaluation between new urbanization and carbon emission system in China: a case study of Anhui Province in China
Authors: Yanfeng Gou , Qinfeng Xing , Ziwei Yang
Published: July 2023

In order to reveal the relationship between new urbanization and carbon emission to provide reference opinions for the construction of low-carbon urbanization, an evaluation system between new urbanization and carbon emission was constructed. Then their matching degree relationship was analyzed by coupling coordination degree model based on the data from 2012 to 2021 in Anhui Province, and their development trend from 2023 to 2032 was predicted by gray prediction model. The results show that: (1) New urbanization and carbon emission have the co-trend effect, and the consistency of core impact factors is relatively significant. Among them, the level of new urbanization increases from 0.058 in 2012 to 0.699 in 2021 and carbon emission development increases from 0.023 in 2012 to 0.165 in 2021, which both showing an upward trend. Meanwhile, social urbanization and population carbon emission are the core influencing factors. (2) The coupling coordination degree between new urbanization and carbon emission is low, but the synergy trend is optimistic and there is a large room for improvement. Among them, the coupling coordination coefficient of the coupling system rises from 0.136 in 2012 to 1.412 in 2021 (antagonistic phase), and then reaches 0.820 by 2032 (highly coordinated phase) by forecast. It shows that their current development is unbalanced, but the development trend is good, and there is a chance for improvement. This paper deepens the understanding of the logical correlation between new urbanization and carbon emission, and the following views are formed: (1) Low-carbon development is still the mainstream of new urbanization; (2) The coordination development of new urbanization and carbon emission reduction should be strengthened.
Optically transparent and flexible-assembled metasurface rasorber for infrared-microwave camouflage based on a hybrid anapole state
Authors: Luo Yi , Huang Lirong , Ding Jifei , Sun Bing , Hong Wei
Published: July 2023

An optically transparent and flexible-assembled metasurface rasorber based on a hybrid anapole state for infrared-microwave camouflage.
Origin and regulation of triaxial magnetic anisotropy in the ferromagnetic semiconductor CrSBr monolayer
Authors: Wang Bing , Wu Yaxuan , Bai Yihang , Shi Puyuan , Zhang Guangbiao , Zhang Yungeng , Liu Chang
Published: July 2023

Magnetic anisotropy plays a vital role in stabilizing the long-range magnetic order of two-dimensional ferromagnetic systems.
TDOA positioning accuracy analysis based on time difference direction‐finding in distributed high‐frequency surface wave radar
Authors: Bai Yang , Zhang Xin , Deng Weibo , Zhao Mengxiao
Published: July 2023

In the past few decades, the Time Difference of Arrival location technology in distributed high‐frequency surface wave radar has attracted wide attention due to its simple system, low cost, and higher positioning accuracy. Based on the time difference direction‐finding algorithm, this article presents new mathematical expressions of geometric dilution of precision in the Time Difference of Arrival positioning systems. The time difference direction‐finding reveals that the angle measurements are accurate for any length of baseline. Then the differences in geometric dilution of precision between the proposed algorithm and traditional method are analysed. Time difference direction‐finding algorithm can improve positioning accuracy without additional target information. Compared with the traditional method, the proposed algorithm can improve the positioning accuracy of partial observation areas under the same radar measurement system. The simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Wir haben nichts zu verlieren, außer unsere
Angst
Authors: Koch Ulrich
Published: July 2023

„Die Deutschen haben die Neigung, sich zu ängstigen“,
stellte einst der frühere Bundeskanzler Helmut Schmidt fest. Verunsicherung
ist eine dominante gesellschaftliche Grundstimmung der Deutschen, und in den
umgebenden Ländern sind wir dafür bekannt, dieser, selbst wenn sie
noch so unbedeutend sein sollte, mit etlichen Metern Ratgeberliteratur abhelfen zu
wollen. Für jede Problemlage gibt es umfang- und detailreiche Anweisungen,
wie ihr zu begegnen ist und damit die zugrunde liegende Angst gebannt und abgewehrt
werden kann. „German Angst“ wird dieses typisch deutsche
Phänomen, das seine Wurzeln sicher auch in den kollektiven traumatischen
Erfahrungen zweier Weltkriege hat, im angelsächsischen Raum genannt und
bezeichnet eine anhaltend hohe Anspannung in der Befürchtung vor allem von
existenziellen Bedrohungen. Da reagiert auch mal der Magen-Darm-Trakt, denn wir
haben, wie der Volksmund sagt, „Schiss“, was immerhin aus
psychodynamischer Sicht die Hamsterkäufe an Toilettenpapier während
der Lockdown-Zeiten unter Corona in ein verständlicheres und freundlicheres
Licht stellt.
Angststörungen und ihre homöopathische
Behandlung
Authors: Koch Ulrich
Published: July 2023

Angststörungen treten vergleichsweise häufig auf und sind oft mit
einer erheblichen Krankheitslast verbunden. Angesichts der
Einschränkungen in den pharmakologischen
Behandlungsmöglichkeiten bietet sich neben einer psychotherapeutischen
Behandlung die Homöopathie geradezu an. Es werden grundlegende Gedanken
aus homöopathischer Perspektive dargelegt und für die Behandlung
wichtige Arzneimittel skizziert.
Evaluation von sechs Repertoriumsrubriken
Authors: Schäferkordt Rainer
Published: July 2023

Die Daten zur klinischen Evaluation von 6 Repertoriumsrubriken, die 2009 von
Rutten et al. veröffentlicht wurden, werden mithilfe des Repertoriums
Phenomena einem Materia-medica-Vergleich unterzogen. Die hohe
Kongruenz der Daten kann als weitere Bestätigung für das Konzept
des Bayes’schen Theorems gewertet werden.
Stock market anomalies and machine learning across the globe
Authors: Azevedo Vitor , Kaiser Georg Sebastian , Mueller Sebastian
Published: July 2023

We identify the characteristics and specifications that drive the out-of-sample performance of machine-learning models across an international data sample of nearly 1.9 billion stock-month-anomaly observations from 1980 to 2019. We demonstrate significant monthly value-weighted (long-short) returns of around 1.8–2.2%, and a vast majority of tested models outperform a linear combination of predictors (our baseline factor benchmark) by a substantial margin. Composite predictors based on machine learning have long-short portfolio returns that remain significant even with transaction costs up to 300 basis points. By comparing 46 variations of machine-learning models, we find that the models with the highest return predictability apply a feed-forward neural network or composite predictors, with extending rolling windows, including elastic net as a feature reduction, and using percent ranked returns as a target. The results of our nonlinear models are significant across several classical asset pricing models and uncover market inefficiencies that challenge current asset pricing theories in international markets.
Photonic crystal enhanced immunofluorescence biosensor integrated with a lateral flow microchip: Toward rapid tear-based diabetic retinopathy screening
Authors: Chen Li-Ying , Hsu Sheng-Min , Wang Jhih-Cheng , Yang Tai-Hua , Chuang Han-Sheng
Published: July 2023

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) has accounted for major loss of vision in chronic diabetes. Although clinical statistics have shown that early screening can procrastinate or improve the deterioration of the disease, the screening rate remains low worldwide because of the great inconvenience of conventional ophthalmoscopic examination. Instead, tear fluid that contains rich proteins caused by direct contact with eyeballs is an ideal substitute to monitor vision health. Herein, an immunofluorescence biosensor enhanced by a photonic crystal (PhC) is presented to handle the trace proteins suspended in the tear fluid. The PhC was constructed by self-assembled nanoparticles with a thin layer of gold coated on top of it. Then, the PC substrate was conjugated with antibodies and placed in a microchannel. When the capillary-driven tear sample flew over the PC substrate, the immunoassay enabled the formation of a sandwich antibody-antigen-antibody configuration for PhC-enhanced immunofluorescence. The use of PhC resulted in a concentration enhancement of more than tenfold compared to non-PhC, while achieving an equivalent signal intensity. The limit of detection for the target biomarker, lipocalin-1 (LCN-1), reached nearly 3 μg/ml, and the turnaround time of each detection was 15 min. Finally, a preclinical evaluation was conducted using ten tear samples. A clear trend was observed, showing that the concentrations of LCN-1 were at least twofold higher in individuals with chronic diabetes or DR than in healthy individuals. This trend was consistent with their medical conditions. The results provided a direct proof-of-concept for the proposed PhC biosensor in rapid tear-based DR screening.
Effect of individualised strength and plyometric training on the physical performance of basketball players
Authors: Barrera‐Domínguez Francisco J. , Almagro Bartolomé J. , Sáez de Villarreal Eduardo , Molina‐López Jorge
Published: July 2023

The aims of this study were to examine the effects of eight weeks of individualised force‐velocity imbalance (F‐Vimb) training on physical performance in basketball players and to analyse the differences in physical performance between two periods of time (four to eight weeks) with this training. Thirty male players (age, 22.8 ± 5.68 years; height, 1.87 ± 0.07 m; body mass, 86.3 ± 11.1 kg) were divided into an intervention group (INT, n = 15), who performed an individualised training based on individual F‐Vimb; and a control group (CON, n = 15), who underwent a non‐individualised training programme; both groups performed two days/week of intervention and the same pre‐season basketball training. At baseline, at four weeks, and at eight weeks of intervention, an assessment was performed including countermovement‐jumps, unilateral drop jumps, triple hop test, force‐velocity profile, sprint and change of direction (COD). At four weeks, the INT showed improvements in sprint and vertical jumping actions (≥3.76%, ES ≥0.44, p ≤ 0.02). At eight weeks, the INT continued to improve vertical jumping actions (p < 0.05) and showed improvements in horizontal jumping (6.80%, ES = 0.45, p < 0.01) and COD (≥2.99%, ES ≥0.96, p < 0.01). A significant reduction in F‐Vimb was observed for INT (ES = 0.77, p = 0.01). In contrast, none of these changes were observed in CON. Thus, an individualised F‐Vimb training intervention improved physical performance after eight weeks, with changes in sprint and vertical jump after first four weeks. Basketball coaches should optimise the force‐velocity profile and improve the performance in sport‐related actions as jumping and changing direction.
Long-distance ghost imaging with incoherent four-petal Gaussian sources in atmospheric turbulence
Authors: Wang Xu , Jiang Pengfei , Gao Wenya , Liu Ziyi , Li Li , Liu Jianlong
Published: July 2023

In this study, we investigate the use of incoherent four-petal Gaussian sources for ghost imaging (GI) through atmospheric turbulence. A GI imaging formula for incoherent four-petal Gaussian sources in turbulent conditions is derived. The impact of propagation distance, turbulence strength and beam orders on the imaging quality is analyzed numerically in detail. Our findings indicate that the use of a four-petal Gaussian source can significantly improve the quality of the GI system under long-distance imaging conditions, as compared to the commonly used Gaussian sources.
Prospects of gluino searches in multi-lepton channels in light of the ongoing LHC RUN-III
Authors: Mukherjee Abhi , Niyogi Saurabh , Poddar Sujoy , Saha Jyoti Prasad
Published: July 2023

This study investigates the prospect of discovering strongly interacting gluinos in different multi-lepton channels with lepton multiplicities greater than or equal to 2 at LHC RUN-III, considering several pMSSM scenarios. The effectiveness of the multivariate analysis (MVA) method with the boosted decision tree (BDT) algorithm is explored to obtain a better significance for different models. Promising results are obtained for the 3-lepton channels, indicating that the use of MVA methods can improve the sensitivity of the search for gluinos at LHC RUN-III. The study probes the multi-lepton signatures arising from gluinos via intermediate eweakinos and sleptons at an early stage of the LHC RUN-III. The heavier eweakinos can give rise to three or four lepton signals, in which the squark hierarchy between the L and R types plays a crucial role. The study considers two sets of benchmark points that satisfy all the collider constraints obtained from the LHC RUN-II data. Moreover, these sets of benchmark points are mostly consistent with WMAP/PLANCK data and the muon (g-2) constraint. The corresponding results from the MVA technique demonstrate that, even for an integrated luminosity of 270

, the 5 σ discovery prospect of

for

TeV in the wino type model is promising. The study also presents various other models that may emerge at the early stage of LHC RUN-III. Wino type models in the scenario where left squarks are light and right squarks are heavy exhibit the best prospect of discovering gluinos in multi-lepton channels in the LHC RUN-III experiment. The findings of this study provide crucial insights into the potential discovery of gluinos in multi-lepton channels.
Validation of the plasma-wall self-organization model for density limit in ECRH-assisted start-up of Ohmic discharges on J-TEXT
Authors: Liu Jiaxing , Zhu Ping , Escande Dominique Franck , Zhang Junli , Xia Donghui , Wang Yuhan , Wang Jiaming , Yang Qinghu , Fang Jiangang , Zhang Xiaoqing , Gao Li , Cheng Zhifeng , Chen Zhipeng , Yang Zhoujun , Chen Zhongyong , Ding Yonghua , Pan Yuan
Published: July 2023

A recently developed plasma-wall self-organization model (Escande et al 2022 Nucl. Fusion
62 026001) predicts a significantly enhanced density limit, which may be attainable in tokamaks with ECRH-assisted Ohmic start-up and sufficiently high initial neutral density. Experiments have been conducted on J-TEXT to validate such a density limit scenario based on this model. Experimental results demonstrate that increasing the pre-filled gas pressure or ECRH power during the start-up phase can help effectively enhance plasma purity and raise the density limit at the flat-top phase. The experimental data shows that density limit increases by a ratio

0.76

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0.6
≈
1.27

for a decrease by a factor

0.13

/

0.33
≈
0.4

in

C
III

radiation.
Mitigation synergy and policy implications in urban transport sector: a case study of Xiamen, China
Authors: Bian Yahui , Lin Jianyi , Han Hui , Lin Shuifa , Li Huaqing , Chen Xiang
Published: July 2023

The urban transport sector is one of most significant contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant (AP) emissions. To achieve co-benefits of GHG and AP emission reductions, a synergistic mitigation approach targeting both climate change and air pollution has gained more attention. In this study, we evaluate mitigation synergy and policy implications for GHGs and nine APs, namely, sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NO
x
), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matters (PM10 and PM2.5), black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ammonia (NH3), in the transport sector of Xiamen, China, during the 2013–2060 period using the Low Emissions Analysis Platform model and quantitative analysis methods. Results show that light-duty vehicles, river boats, buses and heavy-duty trucks are significant common sources of GHG and AP emissions. Road sector abatement during 2013–2020 was most prominent, especially for CO, NO
X
, VOCs and GHGs. In this sector, guide green travel (GGT) and adjust energy structure (AES) are dominant measures for mitigation synergy between GHGs and APs. From 2021 to 2060, emission pathways for GHGs, SO2, CO, VOCs and NH3 under optimize transport structure (OTS), AES and GGT scenarios will decrease markedly. Their emissions will peak soon relative to those under business as usual scenario. Additionally, the potential of mitigation synergy may mainly be attributed to the road and shipping sectors under AES scenario, which is the most effective in reducing PM10, PM2.5, BC and OC emissions; the mitigation potential under the AES scenario for GHGs and other APs is nearly 1–4 times as high as that under OTS and GGT scenarios. Therefore, mitigation synergy, especially in adjusting the energy structure for the transport sector, is essential for achieving the simultaneous goals of the ‘blue sky’ and ‘carbon peaking and neutrality’.
Divergent flash drought risks indicated by evaporative stress and soil moisture projections under warming scenarios
Authors: Kim Daeha , Chun Jong Ahn , Yeo Ji-hye , Ha Kyung-Ja
Published: July 2023

Offline drought indices have been utilizable for monitoring drought conditions, but their reliability in projecting future drought risks is uncertain due to non-meteorological influences on atmospheric water demand (Ep
). This study investigated the impact of surface resistance sensitivity (rs
) to elevated CO2 (eCO2) on projections of future flash droughts (FD). We evaluated FD risks across an East Asian region during a historical period (1981–2020) and a future period (2021–2060) using two evaporative stress index (ESI) series. One series employs the conventional Penman-Monteith (PM) equation for Ep
, while the other incorporates a generic rs sensitivity to eCO2 derived from advanced Earth System Models (ESMs). We compared the FD risks identified by the two ESI series with assessments based on soil moisture data from atmospheric reanalysis and multiple ESM projections under two emission scenarios linked with the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways. Results showed that the response of rs
to eCO2 has had minimal influences on temporal variations of ESI for the past decades, likely due to its low sensitivity and the masking effects of other environmental factors. However, for the future decades, the ESI projected by the conventional PM equation significantly diverged from soil moisture projections, overestimating future FD risks even under a low emission scenario. We found that incorporating the generic rs
sensitivity into the PM equation did not simply resolve the disparity in FD frequencies between ESI and soil moisture projections. Many associated factors contributing to stomatal responses to eCO2 complicate the understanding of future flash drought risks. This study suggests that overreliance on the conventional Ep
formula, which neglects non-meteorological effects, could decrease the ability of ESI to detect future FD events under eCO2.