bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Classification and ecological relevance of soundscapes in urban informal settlements
Authors: Fleming Genie M. , ElQadi Moataz M. , Taruc Ruzka R. , Tela Autiko , Duffy Grant A. , Ramsay Emma E. , Faber Peter A. , Chown Steven L.
Published: February 2023

Sound exerts wide‐ranging influence on humans. The quality of that influence depends on the sound source and context in which it is perceived, but nature sounds are generally preferred by people and associated with health and well‐being benefits.

In many environments, sounds are highly mixed giving rise to a multi‐source ‘soundscape’ that may vary through days or seasons. The complex and dynamic nature of soundscapes makes them challenging to quantify or classify to rigorously compare them and their contributing sources quantitatively through space and time.

We address this challenge by developing an analytical procedure resulting in a generalized soundscape classification framework that (i) elucidates dominant sound sources (e.g. biophony vs. anthrophony) and (ii) can be used to improve our understanding of spatial and temporal variation in soundscapes across different contexts.

We also address a knowledge gap in urban sound research by describing the soundscapes of urban informal settlements in Fiji and Indonesia. Despite the growing emphasis on improving the physical design and quality of life in urban informal settlements, little is known about soundscapes in these settings or their relationship to human health and well‐being.

We identified seven soundscape classes representing relative dominance by (i) sustained geophony, biophony dominated by (ii) insect stridulation or (iii) bird song, anthrophony dominated by (iv) machines, (v) vehicles, (vi) human voices or (vii) a mixture of the former. These classes were applicable in both Indonesia and Fiji but differed in their prevalence between the countries, times of day and seasons in expected ways. Future automatic sorting of new sound data into this classification framework is provided by a supervised classification model that attained an overall testing accuracy of 94% and Cohen's kappa of 0.93.

Our procedure yields broadly applicable, informative soundscape classes indicative of dominant sound sources, including natural sounds, that are known to have different effects on human health. Therefore, our soundscape classification framework can be used in conjunction with health, well‐being, or economic data, to aid the development, assessment and scaling of sustainable design solutions for liveable cities and especially for improving urban informal settlement environments.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Zero‐temperature‐coefficient of capacitance in BaTiO3/PI composite films using paraffin as barrier layer
Authors: Pu Linyu , Li Yu , Tang Jingyuan , Long Yiting , Wang Wei , Dai Yatang , Huang Xu
Published: February 2023

Firstly, the BaTiO3 nanoparticles were coated with a layer of paraffin, forming a core shell structure. Then, as‐prepared paraffin@BaTiO3 nanofillers were directly blended with polyimide (PI) prepolymer to fabricate paraffin@BaTiO3/PI composite films. The microstructure, thermal, and dielectric properties were investigated in detail. The surface‐modified paraffin@BaTiO3 nanoparticles exhibited a typical core shell structure with uniform and complete coverage. The char yield of the composite film with 10 wt% paraffin@BaTiO3 increased from 56.40% to 70.73%. It is obvious that the paraffin@BaTiO3 nanofillers have a positive effect on ablative performance of the composite film. Compared with pure PI, the εr of paraffin@BaTiO3/PI composites with 40% mass fraction increased from 3.41 to 9.35 (1 kHz). The tanδ of paraffin@BaTiO3/PI composites was just 0.0065 (1 kHz) when the filler loading was 40 wt%. Temperature dependency of the permittivity of the composites reveals a zero‐temperature‐coefficient from 80°C to 180°C.
Piloting a multidisciplinary approach to improve outcomes of fetal whole exome sequencing: An overview of workflow and case example
Authors: Micke Kestutis C. , Elfman Hannah M. , Fantauzzo Katherine A. , McGrath Patrick S. , Clouthier David E. , McCandless Shawn E. , Larson Austin , Putra Manesha , Cuneo Bettina F. , Reynolds Regina M. , Zaretsky Michael V.
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Whole exome sequencing (WES) has increasingly become integrated into prenatal care and genetic testing pathways. Current studies of prenatal WES have focused on diagnostic yield. The possibility of obtaining a variant of uncertain significance and lack of provider expertise are frequently described as common barriers to clinical integration of prenatal WES. We describe the implementation and workflow for a multidisciplinary approach to effectively integrate prenatal WES into maternal‐fetal care to overcome these barriers.

Methods

A multidisciplinary team reviews and approves potential cases for WES. This team reviews WES results, reclassifying variants as appropriate and provides recommendations for postnatal care. A detailed description of this workflow is provided, and a case example is included to demonstrate effectiveness of this approach.

Our team has approved 62 cases for WES with 45 patients ultimately pursuing WES. We have achieved a diagnostic yield of 40% and the multidisciplinary team has played a role in variant interpretation in 50% of the reported variants of uncertain significance.

Conclusions

This approach facilitates communication between prenatal and postnatal care teams and provides accurate interpretation and recommendations for identified fetal variants. This model can be replicated to ensure appropriate patient care and effective integration of novel genomic technologies into prenatal settings.
Dopamine agonists and risk of lung cancer in patients with restless legs syndrome
Authors: Hernandez‐Con Pilar , Shults Justine , Willis Allison W. , Yang Yu‐Xiao
Published: February 2023

Purpose

To examine the association between long‐term use of dopamine agonists (DAs) and the risk of lung cancer in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Optum Clinformatics® database. We included adults ≥40 years diagnosed with RLS during the study period (1/2006–12/2016). Follow‐up started with the first RLS diagnosis and ended on the earliest of: incident diagnosis of lung cancer, end of enrollment in the database or end of the study period. The exposure of interest was cumulative duration of DAs use, measured in a time‐varying manner. We constructed a multivariable Cox regression model to estimate HRs and 95% CIs for the association between lung cancer and cumulative durations of DA use, adjusting for potential confounding variables.

Results

We identified 295 042 patients with a diagnosis of RLS. The mean age of the cohort was 62.9; 66.6% were women and 82.3% were white. The prevalence of any DA exposure was 40.3%. Compared to the reference group (no use and ≤1 year), the crude HRs for lung cancer were 1.16 (95% CI 0.99–1.36) and 1.14 (95% CI 0.86–1.51) for 1–3 years and >3 years of cumulative DA use, respectively. The adjusted HR for lung cancer was 1.05 (95% CI 0.88–1.25) for 1–3 years and 1.02 (95% CI 0.76–1.37) for >3 years of cumulative DA use, respectively.

Conclusions

At typical doses for the clinical management of RLS, long‐term DA use was not associated with risk of lung cancer.
Ar‐H2O‐NH3 plasma grafting and polymerization of dopamine onto polytetrafluoroethylene to promote heparin immobilization
Authors: Sui Siyuan , Sun Hongmei , Ni Guohua , Liu Yafeng , Zheng Huan , Sun Tao , Kong Ling , Ma Zhongyang , Yuan Fangli
Published: February 2023

The surface of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is activated by argon (Ar), Ar mixed with water vapor (Ar‐H2O), and a mixture of Ar, water vapor, and ammonia (Ar‐H2O‐NH3) plasmas and then grafted onto polymerized dopamine/ethylene imine and immobilized heparin. Oxygen‐containing functional groups are all introduced onto the PTFE surface treated by three types of plasma. The amount of oxygen grafted is the highest in samples treated with Ar‐H2O‐NH3 plasma compared to that treated with Ar‐H2O plasma. An increase in the content of oxygen grafted onto PTFE contributes to an increase in the thickness and cross‐linking bond of the polymeric interlayer and then raises the density of the heparin coating. The thickness of the polydopamine/polyethylenimide intermediate layer on the surface of PTFE treated with Ar‐H2O‐NH3 plasma is 4.8 ± 0.3 μm, and the density of the immobilized heparin coating was 95 μg/cm2.
Population pharmacokinetic dosimetry model using imaging data to assess variability in pharmacokinetics of 177Lu‐PSMA‐617 in prostate cancer patients
Authors: Siebinga Hinke , Privé Bastiaan M. , Peters Steffie M. B. , Nagarajah James , Dorlo Thomas P. C. , Huitema Alwin D. R. , de Wit‐van der Veen Berlinda J. , Hendrikx Jeroen J. M. A.
Published: February 2023

Studies to evaluate and optimize [177Lu]Lu‐PSMA treatment focus primarily on individual patient data. A population pharmacokinetic (PK) dosimetry model was developed to explore the potential of using imaging data as input for population PK models and to characterize variability in organ and tumor uptake of [177Lu]Lu‐PSMA‐617 in patients with low volume metastatic prostate cancer. Simulations were performed to identify the effect of dose adjustments on absorbed doses in salivary glands and tumors. A six‐compartment population PK model was developed, consisting of blood, salivary gland, kidneys, liver, tumor, and a lumped compartment representing other tissue (compartment 1–6, respectively), based on data from 10 patients who received [177Lu]Lu‐PSMA‐617 (2 cycles, ~ 3 and ~ 6 GBq). Data consisted of radioactivity levels (decay corrected) in blood and tissues (9 blood samples and 5 single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography scans). Observations in all compartments were adequately captured by individual model predictions. Uptake into salivary glands was saturable with an estimated maximum binding capacity (Bmax) of 40.4 MBq (relative standard error 12.3%) with interindividual variability (IIV) of 59.3% (percent coefficient of variation [CV%]). IIV on other PK parameters was relatively minor. Tumor volume was included as a structural effect on the tumor uptake rate constant (k15), where a two‐fold increase in tumor volume resulted in a 1.63‐fold increase in k15. In addition, interoccasion variability on k15 improved the model fit (43.5% [CV%]). Simulations showed a reduced absorbed dose per unit administered activity for salivary glands after increasing radioactivity dosing from 3 to 6 GBq (0.685 Gy/GBq vs. 0.421 Gy/GBq, respectively). All in all, population PK modeling could help to improve future radioligand therapy research.
The Modulated Magnetic Domain Structure in the La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 Ferromagnetic Films by Strain Engineering
Authors: Shi Chaoqun , Zhang Peng , Wang Di , Han Yue , He Bin , Guo Jinrui , Wang Qixiang , Fang Hong , Wang Jie , Chen Yanan , Ren Miaojuan , Lü Weiming
Published: February 2023

Novel magnetic domain structures attract much attention due to their potential applications in the high performance of spintronic devices. Herein, the magnetic domains of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) thin films, which epitaxially grown on (100)‐, (110)‐, and (111)‐oriented (LaAlO3)0.3(Sr2AlTaO6)0.7 (LSAT) substrates, are systematically investigated. The (100)‐ and (110)‐LSMO films show a stripe domain pattern. After in‐plane magnetic field saturation, the direction of the stripe domains in (100)‐LSMO no longer rotates with the change of magnetic field, while the stripe domains in (110)‐LSMO rotate continuously. The (111)‐LSMO films produce randomly distributed bubble‐like magnetic domains, which gradually connect into strips with the increase of the external magnetic field, and the stability of the magnetic domain in (111)‐LSMO is better than the ones in (100)‐ and (110)‐LSMO under a magnetic field. In addition, it is found that with the increase of thickness, the random domains in (111)‐LSMO films are gradually transformed into mazy domains. These phenomena can be understood by the regulable strain anisotropy and the magnetic anisotropy. Herein, an effective way is suggested to modify the magnetization anisotropy and magnetic domain because spin polarization depends strongly on the crystal surface orientation as well as epitaxial strain.
Lithological controls influence river form in contrasting sub‐catchments: The Scamander and Avenue Rivers, Tasmania
Authors: Fearman Lieselotte P. , Ellison Joanna C.
Published: February 2023

Bedrock influence on river channel form is difficult to assess, with many catchments dominated by glacial erosion and with blanketing sediments from both pluvial and fluvial sources. The Scamander catchment in Tasmania lacks glacial history and features two bedrock‐confined sub‐catchments of similar area and maximum flow length, but one dominated by Mathinna Group sedimentary rocks, and the other with large areas in granite lithology. Lithology types, stream network parameters and near stream slope angles were analysed using geographical information systems, and results of stream cross sections, channel form and planforms were compared for each lithology. Results showed that granite features low gradient, shallow streams with channel slope cross sections of <10°. Granite channels are irregular and dominated by large boulders that create channel roughness and resist incision. Weathering products of coarse quartz sand provide anchorages for in‐channel vegetation. By contrast, sedimentary Mathinna Group rocks feature steeply incised trough‐like channels, with near‐channel hillslope gradients mostly between 30° and 50°. Rectangular blocks disintegrate to gravel cobbles on the channel bed, providing poor anchorage for vegetation. Mathinna lithology influences steep, low roughness channels, and stable, incised recurved meanders formed by river interaction with vertical layers of resistant rock. The resistant bedrock lithology is demonstrated in this study to influence varied river planforms, near‐channel slope gradients, channel sediments and cross sections.
Analysis of N‐of‐1 trials using Bayesian distributed lag model with autocorrelated errors
Authors: Liao Ziwei , Qian Min , Kronish Ian M. , Cheung Ying Kuen
Published: February 2023

An N‐of‐1 trial is a multi‐period crossover trial performed in a single individual, with a primary goal to estimate treatment effect on the individual instead of population‐level mean responses. As in a conventional crossover trial, it is critical to understand carryover effects of the treatment in an N‐of‐1 trial, especially when no washout periods between treatment periods are instituted to reduce trial duration. To deal with this issue in situations where a high volume of measurements are made during the study, we introduce a novel Bayesian distributed lag model that facilitates the estimation of carryover effects, while accounting for temporal correlations using an autoregressive model. Specifically, we propose a prior variance‐covariance structure on the lag coefficients to address collinearity caused by the fact that treatment exposures are typically identical on successive days. A connection between the proposed Bayesian model and penalized regression is noted. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed model substantially reduces the root mean squared error in the estimation of carryover effects and immediate effects when compared to other existing methods, while being comparable in the estimation of the total effects. We also apply the proposed method to assess the extent of carryover effects of light therapies in relieving depressive symptoms in cancer survivors.
Association of Socio-Demographic Factors and Personal Hygiene with Infectious Childhood Dermatoses
Authors: Pathak Raksha , Shrestha Sameer , Poudel Prakash , Marahatta Suchana , Khadka Dhan Keshar
Published: February 2023

Background

Paediatric dermatoses vary vastly from adult dermatoses in terms of clinical presentation, management, and prognosis thereby generating special interest in this field. Many factors like geographical area, climatic exposure, seasons, culture, socioeconomic factors, hygiene, dietary habits, literacy influences pattern of skin diseases in children resulting in marked variation in prevalence and pattern.

Objectives

This study aims to find out association of socio-demographic factors and personal hygiene with infectious childhood dermatoses.

Materials and Methods

This was a hospital based cross-sectional study. All children (0–14 years) attending Dermatology outpatient clinics were enroled. Proforma was prepared to assess the socio-demographic factors and personal hygiene in the local context. Chi-square test was applied to find the association of the baseline variables with infectious dermatoses.

Results

A total of 364 children were enroled with mean age of 6.97 ± 4.23 years. Females (52.5%) were slightly more than males (47.5%). There were 201 (55.2%) infectious and 163 (44.8%) non-infectious dermatoses. Bacterial infections were the most common group (18.7%), followed by dermatitis and eczemas (14.0%) and viral infections (13.7%). Lower educational status of mother (p = 0.025), lower monthly family income (p = 0.008), lower socioeconomic status (p = 0.015) and less frequent bathing habits (p = 0.014) were associated with increased risk of infective dermatoses.

Conclusion

Infections and infestations were the most common paediatric dermatoses in our Outpatient Department. Female education, upliftment of socioeconomic status of family and improving personal hygiene may reduce the risk of skin infections in children.
Material Properties of Nanocrystalline Silicon Carbide for Transparent Passivating Contact Solar Cells
Authors: Eberst Alexander , Lambertz Andreas , Duan Weiyuan , Smirnov Vladimir , Rau Uwe , Ding Kaining
Published: February 2023

Due to its high transparency, silicon carbide can replace amorphous silicon as a front contact material in crystalline silicon solar cells. Herein, first a look at doping in nc‐SiC:H with different deposition techniques is taken. Then, the influence of various deposition conditions for hot wire chemical vapor deposition‐prepared nc‐SiC:H is investigated. Both the electrical conductivity and the optical bandgap increase simultaneously for a multitude of deposition parameters. Combining a high filament temperature of the catalytic filament, a high hydrogen dilution of the precursor gas and an overall low total gas flow, conductivities of 0.38 S cm−1in combination with an optical bandgap of 3.2 eV can be achieved. In the last section, a closer look into the dependencies of the layer thicknesses of the two different nc‐SiC:H layers applied in solar cells on the cell performance is taken. While the layer with conducting properties only has minor influences on cell properties, a trade‐off between passivation and fill factor is identified for the passivating nc‐SiC:H layer. For thicker layers, the passivating nc‐SiC:H layer achieves a very high implied open‐circuit voltage above 740 mV, but the fill factor starts to degrade due to a very low conductance of the layer.
Modulating the Self‐Assembly of Coplanar D–π–D Hole‐Transporting Materials via Alkyl Chain Engineering for Efficient and Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Luo Ruixi , Zhao Xin , Cai Ning , Zhao Jiehao , Wang Tiejun , Min Yonggang , Jen Alex K.-Y.
Published: February 2023

Rational introduction of flexible alkyl chains into rigid conjugated molecules is a facile but effective strategy to develop advanced organic semiconductor materials for considerable enhancement of photovoltaic performance. Herein, seven hole‐transporting materials (HTMs) via attaching ethyl, hexyl, or ethylhexyl to benzodithiophene π‐linker and bromoethyl, bromobutyl, or bromohexyl to phenoxazine donor (D), respectively, named B2P2, B6P2, B8P2, B6P4, B2P6, B6P6 (N01), and B8P6, are reported. Joint differential scanning calorimetry measurements and thin‐film absorption spectra of representative HTMs, B8P6, B6P4, and B2P2 reveal that alkyl chain modulation on coplanar D–π–D HTMs enables synchronous optimization of their solution processability, molecular packing, and thermal phase transition. Consequently, benefiting from the favorable self‐assembly and surface characteristics of hole‐transporting layers and further induced superior upper perovskite‐growth, B8P6‐ and B6P4 ‐based inverted perovskite solar cells exhibit decent power conversion efficiencies of 20.67% and 20.13%, respectively, prior to that of amorphous B2P2 (19.04%). Analysis on steady‐state/transient photoluminescence spectra and light intensity‐dependent short‐circuit photocurrent and open‐circuit voltage (Voc) demonstrates that more ordered assemblies of HTMs obtained via alkyl chain engineering can facilitate efficient interfacial charge transport/extraction and inhibit detrimental charge recombination, accounting for an enhanced Voc and fill factor.
Allometry in Late Devonian Podocopa ostracods (Crustacea) and its implications for ostracod ontogeny
Authors: Song Junjun , Huang Bing , Qie Wenkun
Published: February 2023

Podocopa ostracods have abounded in various marine and non‐marine habitats since the early Palaeozoic and left a diverse fossil record in strata worldwide. This is particularly useful for stratigraphic correlation and palaeoenvironmental and palaeogeographical reconstructions. However, despite being the most numerous ostracods during the Palaeozoic, their origins, evolution, ontogeny and phylogeny remain poorly defined. This paper represents the first study of morphological variation in Devonian Platycopida ostracods (an order of Podocopa) using a geometric morphometric approach. Our results identify substantial shape variation in Cribroconcha honggulelengensis Song & Crasquin from the Upper Devonian Hongguleleng Formation of western Junggar, northwest China, demonstrating a remarkable change in juveniles between stages A‐3 and A‐2. Using linear regressions between principal component scores from right lateral view and carapace length, we demonstrate allometric growth patterns for this species. The body plan of C. honggulelengensis developed along an ontological variable: from an ovate outline with rare pores to an oblong outline with dense and large pores. Environmental factors should play an important role in shape determination during ontogeny of C. honggulelengensis.
Experimental studies on tensile behavior of reinforced engineered cementitious composite members with double steel rebars
Authors: Xu Hai‐Yang , Wang Dan‐Dan , Wang Ruo‐Yun , Kang Shao‐Bo , Liu Kun
Published: February 2023

This paper investigates the tensile behavior of reinforced engineering cementitious composite (ECC) members. Twelve reinforced ECC members were tested in uniaxial tension. The stress‐average strain curves, failure modes, and the strain of longitudinal reinforcement at selected sections were obtained during testing. The influence of reinforcement ratio on the load resistance and deformation capacity of members was determined. Test results showed that the tensile behavior of reinforced ECC members could be divided into three stages, namely, the elastic stage, the microcracking stage and the major cracking stage. ECC significantly contributed to the load resistance of reinforced ECC members before the formation of major cracks through tension stiffening effect. The load capacity and deformation capacity of reinforced ECC members increased with the increase of reinforcement ratios. For members with ungrooved steel bars, the ultimate load and ultimate strain increased by 130.0% and 115.2% with the reinforcement ratio increased from 1.01% to 2.26%. For members with grooved steel bars, the ultimate load and ultimate strain increased by 123.6% and 98.7% with the reinforcement ratio increased from 0.78% to 2.04%. Based on the test results, the failure mechanism of reinforced ECC members was analyzed and equations for predicting the load capacity of members were proposed. Comparisons between experimental and calculated load capacities suggested that the calculated results were in good agreement with the experimental values. The study on the tensile behavior of reinforced ECC members provides useful results for the design and application of reinforced ECC members.
System reconfiguration ontology to support model‐based systems engineering: Approach linking design and operations
Authors: Qasim Lara , Hein Andreas Makoto , Olaru Sorin , Garnier Jean‐Luc , Jankovic Marija
Published: February 2023

System reconfiguration is essential in complex systems management, as it is an enabler of system flexibility and adaptability. It ensures system operation and increases reliability, availability, maintainability, testability, safety, and reuse of system entities and technologies. For the reconfiguration of a system in use, it is necessary to assess, in continuity, the system's state with regard to its context. Identifying data supporting system reconfiguration represents a major industrial challenge and is linked directly to the development of industrial reconfiguration tools. Reconfiguration tools are based on a data model, also called ontology, which represents key concepts of system reconfiguration and their relationships. A particular difficulty of developing the data model is the multi‐domain nature of reconfiguration. Furthermore, it needs to address a considerable diversity of system types. Few publications propose an ontology supporting data identification and tool development for the entire process. Hence, in this paper we propose to formalize the system reconfiguration process and propose an overarching ontology, which we call OSysRec. This ontology considers data at the management, dynamics, and structure level. The proposed ontology has been developed based upon expert knowledge and several industrial uses cases. The OSysRec ontology allowed a better understanding of the reconfiguration process, and hence it can be deployed for developing efficient and effective reconfiguration tools at the industrial scale. The ontology has been tested on an industrial case study to validate the proposed approach.
Beam functions for N-jettiness at N3LO in perturbative QCD
Authors: Baranowski Daniel , Behring Arnd , Melnikov Kirill , Tancredi Lorenzo , Wever Christopher
Published: February 2023

Abstract

We present a calculation of all matching coefficients for N-jettiness beam functions at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N3LO) in perturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Our computation is performed starting from the respective collinear splitting kernels, which we integrate using the axial gauge. We use reverse unitarity to map the relevant phase-space integrals to loop integrals, which allows us to employ multi-loop techniques including integration-by-parts identities and differential equations. We find a canonical basis and use an algorithm to establish non-trivial partial fraction relations among the resulting master integrals, which allows us to reduce their number substantially. By use of regularity conditions, we express all necessary boundary constants in terms of an independent set, which we compute by direct integration of the corresponding integrals in the soft limit. In this way, we provide an entirely independent calculation of the matching coefficients which were previously computed in ref. [1].
Superstrata on orbifolded backgrounds
Authors: Shigemori Masaki
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Some microstates of the Strominger-Vafa black hole are represented by smooth horizonless geometries called superstrata. The standard superstrata are deformations of AdS3 × S3, but there are also generalizations of superstrata on the orbifold (AdS3 × S3)/ℤp. In this paper, we discuss aspects of such orbifolded superstrata. We present a CFT perspective on the structure of orbifolded superstrata, showing that they can be constructed in a p-covering space of the orbifold CFT just as the standard superstrata. We also explicitly write down and study the geometry of the orbifolded superstrata, focusing on the difference from the non-orbifold case, p = 1. We discuss further generalization of superstrata to the ones on a fractional spectral flow of (AdS3 × S3)/ℤp. This generalization involves new fractional mode excitations of the CFT side. We estimate the number of those generalized superstrata, and show that their entropy is too small to account for the Strominger-Vafa entropy. We will discuss some implications of this result, related to the typical microstates of the black hole and the relevant supersymmetry index.
Influence of Ocean Tidal Loading on Continuous Gravity Observations in Eastern China
Authors: Zhao Yabo , Wei Jin , Hu Minzhang , Jiang Ying , Zhang Xiaotong , Liu Ziwei
Published: February 2023

Global and regional ocean tide models are used to analyze the gravity effect of ocean tidal loading (OTL) for gravity stations in East China. The accuracies of OTL correction results for 21 gravity stations in East China are evaluated. The global ocean tide model is the most effective for the OTL correction of inland gravity stations (up to 90%) but is less effective for coastal gravity stations (only 60%). Considering regional ocean tide models, the applicability of OTL correction increased to 80% in coastal gravity stations. Based on the root sum square (RSS) method, among 16 combination models, the optimal combination model for OTL correction is the global model FES2014b by combing the regional model OSU.Chinasea.2010 (F14O). The RSS, which has reached 7.1 nms−2, is the minimum of the 16 combination models. Simulating with the F14O in the China Sea and adjacent areas, the gravity amplitude of the OTL is about 10 nms−2 in inland areas and > 50 nms−2 along the coastline. Especially in Southeastern China coastal areas and the southwestern coastal areas of the Korean Peninsula, the gravity amplitude of the OTL reaches about 80 nms−2. Moreover, the OTL changes drastically possibly owing to coastal topography. The results of this study provide a reference for selecting ocean tide models for high-precision analysis of continuous gravity observations in East China.
Hybrid warfare and counter-terrorism medicine
Authors: Tin Derrick , Barten Dennis G. , Granholm Fredrik , Kovtonyuk Pavlo , Burkle Frederick M. , Ciottone Gregory R.
Published: February 2023

Introduction

March 9, 2022. An airstrike by Russian forces destroying a maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine. The image of a severely injured pregnant woman covered in blood being stretchered away against the backdrop of destroyed buildings. Mutterings of the use of chemical weapons. This paper is a primer for healthcare personnel and health systems on hybrid warfare and counter-terrorism medicine.

Discussion

While recent events and images arising from conflicts around the world represent a cruel hallmark in today’s history, attacks against healthcare facilities and innocent civilians are not new and continue to be perpetrated around the world. In war, the Geneva Convention protects civilians and healthcare institutions from harm but when war crimes are being committed and civilians knowingly targeted, parallels from a healthcare perspective can be drawn with terrorism events. Increasingly, civilian institutions and in particular the healthcare sector, are drawn into such conflicts and understanding the health system impact of hybrid warfare and other asymmetrical attack methods is of great importance.

Conclusion

The field of Counter-Terrorism Medicine (CTM) explores the healthcare impacts of intentional, man-made attacks and much recent research and discussions around this topic are extremely relevant and applicable not just to the ongoing hybrid war in Ukraine, but to today’s threat climate all around us.
CR-twistor spaces over manifolds with $$G_2$$- and Spin(7)-structures
Authors: Fiorenza Domenico , Lê Hông Vân
Published: February 2023

In 1984 LeBrun constructed a CR-twistor space over an arbitrary conformal Riemannian 3-manifold and proved that the CR-structure is formally integrable. This twistor construction has been generalized by Rossi in 1985 form-dimensional Riemannian manifolds endowed with a$$(m-1)$$(m-1)-fold vector cross product (VCP). In 2011 Verbitsky generalized LeBrun’s construction of twistor-spaces to 7-manifolds endowed with a$${\mathrm {G_{2}}}$$G2-structure. In this paper we unify and generalize LeBrun’s, Rossi’s and Verbitsky’s construction of a CR-twistor space to the case where a Riemannian manifold (M, g) has a VCP structure. We show that the formal integrability of the CR-structure is expressed in terms of a torsion tensor on the twistor space, which is a Grassmannian bundle over (M, g). If the VCP structure on (M, g) is generated by a$${\mathrm {G_{2}}}$$G2- or$$\textrm{Spin}(7)$$Spin(7)-structure, then the vertical component of the torsion tensor vanishes if and only if (M, g) has constant curvature, and the horizontal component vanishes if and only if (M, g) is a torsion-free$${\mathrm {G_{2}}}$$G2or$$\textrm{Spin}(7)$$Spin(7)-manifold. Finally we discuss some open problems.
Droht der deutschen Wirtschaft eine Deindustrialisierung?
Authors:   ZG Überblick
Published: February 2023

Nach der Coronapandemie wird die deutsche Wirtschaft durch den Angriffskrieg Russlands auf die Ukraine von einem weiteren exogenen Schock getroffen. Neben gestörten Lieferketten, fehlenden Rohstoffen und Fachkräften kommen nun Energieknappheit und Inflation hinzu und belasten die deutsche Wirtschaft stark. Die Unsicherheiten bei den Unternehmen nehmen weiter zu. Die Autor:innen des Zeitgesprächs diskutieren, ob die deutsche Industrie von einer Deindustrialisierung bedroht ist und welche Möglichkeiten es gibt, diese Krise möglichst gut zu überwinden.
Die Krise bekämpfen, das Wirtschaftsmodell neu justieren
Authors: Grimm Veronika , von Rüden Christina
Published: February 2023

Tackling the crisis, readjusting the economic model: Rising energy prices, historically high inflation rates and ongoing supply chain bottlenecks are challenging Germany’s long-standing industrial base. On top of that, entrepreneurs and the state alike are faced with new geopolitical tensions forcing them to re-evaluate existing (trade) relationships. In order to strengthen Germany’s attractiveness as an industrial location in the long term and to emerge from this crisis more resilient to economic and geopolitical changes, its economic model needs to be readjusted. In this article, we thus discuss key areas of action, including how to secure energy supply, how to diversify international relationships, as well as how to provide sustainable and targeted support to firms that does not prevent structural change.
Umweltfreundliche Öffentliche Beschaffung fördern mit People-Public-Private-Partnerships
Authors: Ohlig Sebastian , Schmidt Linus , Lichter Chiara , Harting Moritz , Herrmann Lena , Krieger Bastian
Published: February 2023

Eine Umweltfreundliche Öffentliche Beschaffung kann die Anreize von Unternehmen erhöhen in die Entwicklung und Adaption von umweltfreundlichen Produkten und Dienstleistungen zu investieren. People-Public-Private-Partnerships integrieren die engagierte Bevölkerung und ihre Expertise als Endnutzende zur Unterstützung der Beschaffenden in den Beschaffungsprozess. Insbesondere aufgrund des zunehmenden öffentlichen Interesses an umweltrelevanten Themen ist das Potenzial für die Einführung von People-Public-Private-Partnerships innerhalb der Umweltfreundlichen Öffentlichen Beschaffung hoch. Dieser Lösungsansatz wurde von Schüler:innen des St. Raphael Gymnasiums in Heidelberg für den Schülerwettbewerb YES! Young Economic Summit analysiert und weiterentwickelt.
Assessing genetic diversity patterns at neutral and adaptive loci to inform population reinforcement of an endangered migratory vulture
Authors: Bounas Anastasios , Saravia-Mullin Victoria , Méndez Maria , Arkumarev Volen , Aghajanyan Lusine , Ararat Korsh , Buechley Evan , Dobrev Vladimir , Dobrev Dobromir , Efrat Ron , Klisurov Ivaylo , Kret Elzbieta , Skartsi Theodora , Oppel Steffen , Petrov Rusko , Şekercioğlu Çağan H. , Vaidl Anton , Donázar José A. , Nikolov Stoyan C. , Sotiropoulos Konstantinos
Published: February 2023

One of the primary goals of conservation translocation programs should be the maintenance of both population demographic stability and genetic diversity. Here, we provide genetic management recommendations to inform a population reinforcement of the declining Egyptian Vulture population in the Balkans. Specifically, we examined whether the number of released individuals is sufficient to prevent genetic diversity loss due to random genetic drift and what the origin of the individuals should be that comprise the captive breeding pool. To this aim, we estimated and assessed genetic diversity levels and genetic structure of Egyptian Vulture populations across much of the species’ range using both neutral and non-neutral candidate loci involved in migration. We then evaluated the effects of the currently proposed population management scheme and candidate source populations on retaining allelic diversity. Our results show low differentiation values among populations and absence of genetic structure which point to past high gene flow. Furthermore, there was no predicted significant impact of different source populations on the genetic diversity of the recipient Balkan population. We also found that the declining Egyptian Vulture population in the Balkans still retains high levels of genetic diversity and therefore genetic diversity restoration is not currently needed. However, without any management, diversity is likely to decrease fast because of increased genetic drift as the population size continues to decline. Population reinforcement with nine birds per year for 20 years would provide sufficient demographic support for the population to retain > 85% of rare allelic diversity. Birds originating from the Balkans would ensure ecological and behavioral similarity and thus would be the best option for reinforcement. Nevertheless, our results demonstrate that to prevent further population contraction and loss of adaptive alleles, releasing individuals of different origin would also be appropriate.
Reverse channel selection for commercial product returns under time-to-market and product value considerations
Authors: Hwang Sung Ook , Üster Halit , Savaskan-Ebert R. Canan
Published: February 2023

The advent of mobile channels have changed retail business models, the choice of retail mix, and shopper behavior. As consumers do not differentiate among the channels where they try, purchase and/or take delivery of their product, they also expect maximum flexibility in the product returns process. On average, retailers forecasted returns to reach about 16.6% of the total merchandise that customers purchased in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation, which is an increase from an average return rate of 10.6% in 2020. The resulting cost of returns amounted to $761 billion worth of merchandise in 2021 (Repko in A more than $761 billion dilemma: retailers’ returns jump as online sales grow. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/25/retailers-average-return-rate-jumps-to-16point6percent-as-online-sales-grow-.html. Accessed 17 June 2022, 2022). For retailers and manufacturers, integration of different reverse channels is extremely important to deliver the seamless experience demanded by today’s discerning consumer while ensuring the profitable handling of the returned products as well as ensuring the environmental sustainability of the retailing operations. Regardless of which channel receives a return, the reverse logistics network should have the flexibility and the capability to remarket or to recover the value in the returned product in a cost efficient and timely manner that maximizes firm profitability. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is one of the first studies that develops a linear programming model with profit maximization objective to help determine how to optimally decide the returned product touch point(s) in the reverse logistics network. Unlike the extant literature, our model explicitly incorporates the marginal value of time for returns, product characteristics as well as the underling reverse logistics network configuration in return channel selection strategy. We present a comprehensive analysis on how and to what extent the return channel selection is dependent on the product characteristics such as time-based value decay rate, defective rates, and disposal rates as well as the network structure. Using data from HP and Bosch Power tools operations as well as real geographical US data, we show that our decision model can effectively help determine the reverse logistics network and the type of facility where a product is returned as a function of product characteristics and economic parameters. Our work emphasizes that product returns and waste reduction, improved firm sustainability and profitability can co-exist through effective reverse logistics planning.
Deep learning-based prediction of intra-cardiac blood flow in long-axis cine magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Sun Xiaowu , Cheng Li-Hsin , Plein Sven , Garg Pankaj , Moghari Mehdi H. , van der Geest Rob J.
Published: February 2023

Purpose: We aimed to design and evaluate a deep learning-based method to automatically predict the time-varying in-plane blood flow velocity within the cardiac cavities in long-axis cine MRI, validated against 4D flow. Methods: A convolutional neural network (CNN) was implemented, taking cine MRI as the input and the in-plane velocity derived from the 4D flow acquisition as the ground truth. The method was evaluated using velocity vector end-point error (EPE) and angle error. Additionally, the E/A ratio and diastolic function classification derived from the predicted velocities were compared to those derived from 4D flow. Results: For intra-cardiac pixels with a velocity > 5 cm/s, our method achieved an EPE of 8.65 cm/s and angle error of 41.27°. For pixels with a velocity > 25 cm/s, the angle error significantly degraded to 19.26°. Although the averaged blood flow velocity prediction was under-estimated by 26.69%, the high correlation (PCC = 0.95) of global time-varying velocity and the visual evaluation demonstrate a good agreement between our prediction and 4D flow data. The E/A ratio was derived with minimal bias, but with considerable mean absolute error of 0.39 and wide limits of agreement. The diastolic function classification showed a high accuracy of 86.9%. Conclusion: Using a deep learning-based algorithm, intra-cardiac blood flow velocities can be predicted from long-axis cine MRI with high correlation with 4D flow derived velocities. Visualization of the derived velocities provides adjunct functional information and may potentially be used to derive the E/A ratio from conventional CMR exams.
Dormancy, stemness, and therapy resistance: interconnected players in cancer evolution
Authors: Francescangeli Federica , De Angelis Maria Laura , Rossi Rachele , Cuccu Adriano , Giuliani Alessandro , De Maria Ruggero , Zeuner Ann
Published: February 2023

The biological complexity of cancer represents a tremendous clinical challenge, resulting in the frequent failure of current treatment protocols. In the rapidly evolving scenario of a growing tumor, anticancer treatments impose a drastic perturbation not only to cancer cells but also to the tumor microenvironment, killing a portion of the cells and inducing a massive stress response in the survivors. Consequently, treatments can act as a double-edged sword by inducing a temporary response while laying the ground for therapy resistance and subsequent disease progression. Cancer cell dormancy (or quiescence) is a central theme in tumor evolution, being tightly linked to the tumor’s ability to survive cytotoxic challenges, metastasize, and resist immune-mediated attack. Accordingly, quiescent cancer cells (QCCs) have been detected in virtually all the stages of tumor development. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have focused on the characterization of quiescent/therapy resistant cancer cells, unveiling QCCs core transcriptional programs, metabolic plasticity, and mechanisms of immune escape. At the same time, our partial understanding of tumor quiescence reflects the difficulty to identify stable QCCs biomarkers/therapeutic targets and to control cancer dormancy in clinical settings. This review focuses on recent discoveries in the interrelated fields of dormancy, stemness, and therapy resistance, discussing experimental evidences in the frame of a nonlinear dynamics approach, and exploring the possibility that tumor quiescence may represent not only a peril but also a potential therapeutic resource.
Explaining deep convolutional models by measuring the influence of interpretable features in image classification
Authors: Ventura Francesco , Greco Salvatore , Apiletti Daniele , Cerquitelli Tania
Published: February 2023

The accuracy and flexibility of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs) have been highly validated over the past years. However, their intrinsic opaqueness is still affecting their reliability and limiting their application in critical production systems, where the black-box behavior is difficult to be accepted. This work proposes EBAnO, an innovative explanation framework able to analyze the decision-making process of DCNNs in image classification by providing prediction-local and class-based model-wise explanations through the unsupervised mining of knowledge contained in multiple convolutional layers. EBAnO provides detailed visual and numerical explanations thanks to two specific indexes that measure the features’ influence and their influence precision in the decision-making process. The framework has been experimentally evaluated, both quantitatively and qualitatively, by (i) analyzing its explanations with four state-of-the-art DCNN architectures, (ii) comparing its results with three state-of-the-art explanation strategies and (iii) assessing its effectiveness and easiness of understanding through human judgment, by means of an online survey. EBAnO has been released as open-source code and it is freely available online.
222Rn and 226Ra concentrations in selected shallow circulation groundwaters from the Fore-Sudetic Monocline area
Authors: Maciejewski Piotr , Kowalska Agata
Published: February 2023

Natural radioactive isotopes occur in various components of the natural environment, including groundwater. The general population, not always aware of possible threats, can use its resources. The activity concentration of some of the radioactive isotopes should be monitored, especially in those intakes from which it is possible to obtain water for human consumption, e.g. in domestic wells. The conducted research was innovative due to the fact that in many countries, including Poland, there are no regulations on waters exploited from home wells using as a drinking water source. As the groundwaters from this area have not been examined for radon (222Rn) and radium (226Ra) occurrence yet, the goal of this research was to perform screening tests in this part of the Fore-Sudetic Monocline. For this purpose, the authors have measured the concentration of 222Rn and 226Ra activity in groundwater collected from this geological unit located in south-western Poland. 222Rn and 226Ra occurrence was researched, and specific electrolytic conductivity, redox potential, pH and temperature were measured in 52 groundwater samples. 222Rn activity concentration ranged from 0.18 to 19.78 Bq/dm3. Only in three cases, 226Ra activity concentration reached a value above the lower detection limit of the applied method, i.e. 0.05 Bq/dm3 (max. 0.77 Bq/dm3). The authors present completely new data on the occurrence of these radioactive isotopes in the waters of the first aquifer in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline, which is not without significance for the health of consumers of these waters.