bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
State-specific solvation for restricted active space spin–flip (RAS-SF) wave functions based on the polarizable continuum formalism
Authors: Alam Bushra , Jiang Hanjie , Zimmerman Paul M. , Herbert John M.
Published: April 2022

The restricted active space spin–flip (RAS-SF) formalism is a particular form of single-reference configuration interaction that can describe some forms of strong correlation at a relatively low cost and which has recently been formulated for the description of charge-transfer excited states. Here, we introduce both equilibrium and nonequilibrium versions of a state-specific solvation correction for vertical transition energies computed using RAS-SF wave functions, based on the framework of a polarizable continuum model (PCM). Ground-state polarization is described using the solvent’s static dielectric constant and in the nonequilibrium solvation approach that polarization is modified upon vertical excitation using the solvent’s optical dielectric constant. Benchmark calculations are reported for well-studied models of photo-induced charge transfer, including naphthalene dimer, C2H4⋯C2F4, pentacene dimer, and perylene diimide (PDI) dimer, several of which are important in organic photovoltaic applications. For the PDI dimer, we demonstrate that the charge-transfer character of the excited states is enhanced in the presence of a low-dielectric medium (static dielectric constant ɛ0 = 3) as compared to a gas-phase calculation (ɛ0 = 1). This stabilizes mechanistic traps for singlet fission and helps to explain experimental singlet fission rates. We also examine the effects of nonequilibrium solvation on charge-separated states in an intramolecular singlet fission chromophore, where we demonstrate that the energetic ordering of the states changes as a function of solvent polarity. The RAS-SF + PCM methodology that is reported here provides a framework to study charge-separated states in solution and in photovoltaic materials.
“¡Por el presente se certifica!”
Authors: Andújar Moreno Gemma , Vargas-Urpí Mireia
Published: April 2022

Abstracta

La incorporación de estudiantes chinos al sistema universitario español ha comportado un incremento en los
certificados académicos que se reciben en la administración universitaria y que se usan para valorar la admisión de estos
estudiantes. Estos certificados a menudo se presentan acompañados de una traducción notarizada realizada en el país de origen,
China. A partir de un corpus bilingüe de 30 certificados emitidos en chino con sus traducciones al español validadas mediante
testimonios notariales, hemos realizado un análisis contrastivo minucioso de las traducciones con sus respectivos originales
fijándonos en cuatro dimensiones –aspectos microtextuales, paratextuales, de macroestructura y de superestructura– y teniendo en
cuenta también las diferencias en los contextos legislativos del procedimiento notarial en China y en España. Los resultados del
análisis nos han permitido reflexionar sobre la calidad relativamente baja de estas traducciones, en cuanto a contenido y en
cuanto a aspectos formales, así como sobre los problemas que podrían ocasionar las carencias detectadas.
Micro/nanofiber fabrication technologies for wearable sensors: a review
Authors: Ma Shaoyang , Wang Zhe , Zhu Yuguang , Tang Yushi , Fan Guofang , Ma Binghe , Ye Tao , Wei Lei
Published: April 2022

The demand for wearable sensors is vastly growing as it provides people the ability to monitor their daily activities, surrounding environment, and health conditions conveniently. The development of these sophisticated wearable sensors with specific- or multiple-function capacity largely depends on the innovation pace of fabrication technologies. This review focuses on the most recent development of micro/nanofiber fabrication technologies for fabricating wearable sensors, including drawing, spinning, coating, and printing. The basic working mechanisms are introduced, followed by some representative applications. Lastly, the perspectives of these advanced methods on the development of future wearable sensors are discussed.
Significant magnetoelectric coupling in P(VDF-TrFE)/48%NiFe bilayer laminate composite for energy harvesting applications
Authors: Xavier Deepa , Dinesh Kumar S , Subramanian V
Published: April 2022

A thick film of P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric polymer and a 48%nickel-iron (48%NiFe) alloy is employed to form a magnetoelectric (ME) layered composite to attain a ME coupling coefficient

α

ME

as high as 1002 mV cm−1 Oe−1. Theoretical analysis indicates a significant strain transfer of close to 79%. Compared with P(VDF-TrFE)/nickel bilayer laminate composite, 48%NiFe alloy shows an enhancement of

α

ME

by 53% due to the high piezomagnetic coefficient. Additionally, finite element methodology simulation using COMSOL® Multiphysics is used to corroborate the experimental results and theoretical estimates. The energy harvesting application is demonstrated by measuring the voltage from the laminate composite atop a small cooling fan, which produces a peak-to-peak ac voltage of 0.868 V. Comparative analysis with P(VDF-TrFE)/nickel bilayer laminate this value is 54% higher proving that the developed laminate composite is an efficient ME based energy harvester.
Measuring psychosocial stress with heart rate variability-based methods in different health and age groups
Authors: Seipäjärvi Santtu M , Tuomola Anniina , Juurakko Joona , Rottensteiner Mirva , Rissanen Antti-Pekka E , Kurkela Jari L O , Kujala Urho M , Laukkanen Jari A , Wikgren Jan
Published: April 2022

Objective. Autonomic nervous system function and thereby bodily stress and recovery reactions may be assessed by wearable devices measuring heart rate (HR) and its variability (HRV). So far, the validity of HRV-based stress assessments has been mainly studied in healthy populations. In this study, we determined how psychosocial stress affects physiological and psychological stress responses in both young (18–30 years) and middle-aged (45–64 years) healthy individuals as well as in patients with arterial hypertension and/or either prior evidence of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. We also studied how an HRV-based stress index (Relax-Stress Intensity, RSI) relates to perceived stress (PS) and cortisol (CRT) responses during psychosocial stress. Approach. A total of 197 participants were divided into three groups: (1) healthy young (HY, N = 63), (2) healthy middle-aged (HM, N = 61) and (3) patients with cardiometabolic risk factors (Pts, N = 73, 32–65 years). The participants underwent a group version of Trier Social Stress Test (TSST-G). HR, HRV (quantified as root mean square of successive differences of R–R intervals, RMSSD), RSI, PS, and salivary CRT were measured regularly during TSST-G and a subsequent recovery period. Main results. All groups showed significant stress reactions during TSST-G as indicated by significant responses of HR, RMSSD, RSI, PS, and salivary CRT. Between-group differences were also observed in all measures. Correlation and regression analyses implied RSI being the strongest predictor of CRT response, while HR was more closely associated with PS. Significance. The HRV-based stress index mirrors responses of CRT, which is an independent marker for physiological stress, around TSST-G. Thus, the HRV-based stress index may be used to quantify physiological responses to psychosocial stress across various health and age groups.
Damping enhanced novel re-centering seismic isolator incorporating superelastic SMA for response control of bridges under near-fault earthquakes
Authors: Zheng Wenzhi , Tan Ping , Zhang Zhenhua , Wang Hao , Sun Zhuo
Published: April 2022

To enhance the bridge resilient performance, a novel re-centering seismic isolator (RSI) is developed by incorporating damping enhanced (DE)-sliding-lead rubber bearing (LRB) with superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA), which functions with the yielding-sliding hysteretic mode. The numerical model of the novel RSI is developed in OpenSees platform and validated by comparing the numerical and experimental hysteretic loops of the superelastic SMA and DE-sliding-LRB. A parametric design procedure is proposed to determine the optimum parameters of the novel RSI system. A three-span continuous girder bridge is selected to investigate the response mitigation efficiency of the novel RSI system compared with LRB system under near-fault ground motions. A systematic parametric study is conducted to design the optimal parameters of the novel RSI system for bridges. Case study is conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed design procedure and the novel RSI system for response mitigation of bridges. Results show that the damping capability is effectively enhanced by designing the friction coefficient of the sliding element. The novel RSI system can achieve dual mitigation of the displacement responses and base force in piers for bridges. Case study demonstrates the effectiveness of the novel RSI and parametric design procedure.
Improving critical current density of Nb3Sn by optimizing pinning potential of grain boundary and grain size
Authors: Ren Han-Xi , Xue Cun
Published: April 2022

Nb3Sn superconductor is of significant interest for applications in constructing high-field magnets beyond the limit of NbTi. However, its critical current density decreases rapidly at high magnetic fields (

>

12 T) and the state-of-the-art level of Nb3Sn superconductors still cannot meet the requirements of the planned future accelerator magnets. The primary flux pinning centers for Nb3Sn wire mainly arise from the grain boundaries (GBs). In the present paper, we theoretically investigate, through time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory and with graphics-processing unit parallel technique, the vortex pinning and the critical current density in large-scale polycrystalline Nb3Sn superconductor by varying the pinning potential of GB and grain size at various magnetic fields. Unlike the conventional dot-like pinning systems, it is found that the critical current is not a monotonous function by suppressing the superconductivity of the GBs. The optimal pinning potential of GB for maximum critical current density strongly depends on magnetic fields. Furthermore, we find that the critical current density can be significantly enhanced by reducing grain size at low magnetic fields, while increase of critical current density cannot always be observed at high magnetic fields. Actually, critical current density even decreases by reducing grain size, which depends on the superconductivity of GBs. The findings in the paper provide theoretical foundations to achieve further improvement of Nb3Sn with optimizing the flux pinning.
Dipole polarizability of time-varying particles
Authors: Mirmoosa M S , Koutserimpas T T , Ptitcyn G A , Tretyakov S A , Fleury R
Published: April 2022

Invariance under time translation (or stationarity) is probably one of the most important assumptions made when investigating electromagnetic phenomena. Breaking this assumption is expected to open up novel possibilities and result in exceeding conventional limitations. However, to explore the field of time-varying electromagnetic structures, we primarily need to contemplate the fundamental principles and concepts from a nonstationarity perspective. Here, we revisit one of those key concepts: the polarizability of a small particle, assuming that its properties vary in time. We describe the creation of induced dipole moment by external fields in a nonstationary, causal way, and introduce a complex-valued function, called temporal complex polarizability, for elucidating a nonstationary Hertzian dipole under time-harmonic illumination. This approach can be extended to any subwavelength particle exhibiting electric response. In addition, we also study the classical model of the polarizability of an oscillating electron using the equation of motion whose damping coefficient and natural frequency are changing in time. Next, we theoretically derive the effective permittivity corresponding to time-varying media (comprising free or bound electrons, or dipolar meta-atoms) and explicitly show the differences with the conventional macroscopic Drude–Lorentz model. This paper will hopefully pave the road towards better understanding of nonstationary scattering from small particles and homogenization of time-varying materials, metamaterials, and metasurfaces.
Switchable quantum anomalous and spin Hall effects in honeycomb magnet EuCd2As2
Authors: Li Bingyang , Sun Wenli , Zou Xiaorong , Li Xinying , Huang Baibiao , Dai Ying , Niu Chengwang
Published: April 2022

Creating and engineering the topological features of intrinsic magnets are essential for topological spintronic applications. Here, we propose a material platform to realize the switchable topological phase transition between quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) and quantum spin Hall (QSH) effects, unlike generally used magnetic doping, by strain engineering. At equilibrium lattice parameters, the QAH effect emerges in EuCd2As2 quintuple layers with nonzero Chern number and chiral edge states. Accompanying a strain-engineered magnetic phase transition from out-of-plane ferromagnetic (FM) to in-plane antiferromagnetic (AFM) states, a topological phase transition is simultaneously achieved, resulting in the QSH effect, which is explicitly confirmed by nonzero spin Chern number and the emergence of gapless edge states, even without time-reversal symmetry. Remarkably, the obtained QSH effect is highly robust against the magnetic configurations, including FM and AFM configurations with both out-of-plane and in-plane directions, hereby promoting EuCd2As2 as a wonderful candidate for understanding and utilizing the magnetic topological states in spintronics.
Cosmic inflation from broken conformal symmetry
Authors: Cai Rong-Gen , Hao Yu-Shi , Wang Shao-Jiang
Published: April 2022

A period of rapidly accelerating expansion is expected in the early Universe implemented by a scalar field slowly rolling down along an asymptotically flat potential preferred by the current data. In this paper, we point out that this picture of the cosmic inflation with an asymptotically flat potential could emerge from the Palatini quadratic gravity by adding the matter field in such a way to break the local gauged conformal symmetry in both kinetic and potential terms.
LAMOST MRS-N Observation of the W80 Region
Authors: Li Yao , Wu Chao-Jian , Yao Yong-Qiang , Zhang Wei , Yin Jia , Ren Juan-Juan , Hsia Chih-Hao , Zhuang Rui , Chen Jian-Jun , Wu Yu-Zhong , Zhu Hui , Li Bin , Hou Yong-Hui , Yao Meng-Yuan , Wu Hong
Published: April 2022

The spectral observations and analysis for the W80 region are presented by using the data of Medium-Resolution Spectroscopic Survey of Nebulae (MRS-N) with the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST). A total of 2982 high-quality nebular spectra have been obtained in the 20 square degree field of view which covers the W80 complex, and the largest sample of spectral data has been established for the first time. The relative intensities, radial velocities (RVs), and full widths at half maximum (FWHMs) are measured with the high spectral resolution of LAMOST MRS-N, for Hα λ6563 Å, [N ii] λλ6548 Å, 6584 Å, and [S ii] λλ6716 Å, 6731 Å emission lines. In the field of view of the whole W80 region, the strongest line emissions are found to be consistent with the bright nebulae NGC 7000, IC 5070, and LBN 391, and weak line emissions also exist in the Middle Region, where no bright nebulae are detected by the wide-band optical observations. The large-scale spectral observations of the W80 region reveal the systematic spatial variations of RVs and FWHMs, and several unique structural features. A “curved feature” to the east of NGC 7000, and a “jet feature” to the west of LBN 391 are detected to be showing larger RVs. A “wider FWHM region” is identified in the eastern part of NGC 7000. The variations of [S ii]/Hα ratios display a gradient from southwest to northeast in the NGC 7000 region, and manifest a ring shape around the “W80 bubble” ionized by an O-type star in L935. Further spectral and multi-band observations are guaranteed to investigate in detail the structural features.
Effect of KOH concentration on the properties of ZnO nanoparticles
Authors: Gyawali Saroj , Goni Lipiar Khan Mohammad Osman , Chowdhury M S , Laref A , Bajgai Saraswati , Chantrapromma Suchada , Techato Kuaanan
Published: April 2022

Of late, ZnO nanoparticles have been regarded as favourable material for designing highly sensitive and selective gas sensors owing to their striking and multifunctional features. A facile sol–gel process chemical technique was used in this study for the preparation of undoped ZnO nanoparticles. By deploying x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–visible near infrared and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), we examined the optical attributes and structural characterisation of the undoped ZnO nanoparticles through a change in the concentration of the KOH solution. The typical peaks inspected in the XRD spectrum corroborate the wurtzite hexagonal arrangement in the undoped ZnO nanoparticles. Moreover, ZnO nanoparticles possess a non-agglomerated crystalline with spherical morphology, as acquired by TEM. In addition, the vibrational modes in FTIR spectra vary with the change of concentration of KOH solution in ZnO NPs. The Raman spectroscopic techniques were used to characterise the ZnO nanoparticles, which revealed their nanocrystalline nature.
Fluorenone and triphenylamine based donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) for solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes
Authors: Pham Hong Duc , Banappanavar Gangadhar S , Somasundaram Sahadev , Deshmukh Kedar D , Lim Hyunsoo , Shukla Atul , Ahmad Viqar , McGregor Sarah K M , Manzhos Sergei , Lo Shih-Chun , Kabra Dinesh , Namdas Ebinazar B , Sonar Prashant
Published: April 2022

In this work, we describe the design and synthesis of a novel, organic emissive small donor–acceptor–donor molecule, 3,6-bis(4-(bis(4-methoxyphenyl)amino)phenyl)-9H-fluoren-9-one, and its incorporation into functional organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices. The molecule was developed through a three-step procedure with high yields using low-cost and commercially available materials. Photophysical analysis shows emission from both locally excited (LE) and intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) fluorescent states, leading to broad emission spectra with a high solution photoluminescence quantum yield of 73%. Time resolved and temperature dependent photoluminescence measurements were utilized to obtain insights about emission mechanism from LE and ICT states. The presence of broad emission was further confirmed using density functional theory calculations. After optimal design and selection of the film thickness and host matrix, an OLED using a solution-processed host: dopant emissive layer with 10 wt% dopant exhibited a maximum current efficiency, power efficiency and external quantum efficiency of 2.6 cd A−1, 2.5 lm W−1 and 1.5%, respectively.
Routes towards manufacturing biodegradable electronics with polycaprolactone (PCL) via direct light writing and electroless plating
Authors: Abdulrhman Mansour , Zhakeyev Adilet , Fernández-Posada Carmen M , Melchels Ferry P W , Marques-Hueso Jose
Published: April 2022

The electronic industry has room for improvement in adopting cleaner strategies, both in production processes (often energy-intensive and polluting) and in waste management. Many small components like security tags are routinely disposed of via general waste, which could be reduced adopting biodegradable polymers. In this work, a method for selective deposition of metallic micro-tracks on polycaprolactone (PCL) for circuitry integration is presented. The polymer is biodegradable, flexible, suitable for 3D printing, and can be obtained from sustainable sources. Photoreduction of Ag ions was used to generate seeds for subsequent selective electroless copper (Cu) plating in a process that avoids common but undesirable compounds such as cyanides and palladium. Two different photopatterning methods were successfully used to achieve selective Cu plating: flood exposure with a 460 nm light-emitting diode (LED) and direct laser writing (DLW) using a 405 nm laser, achieving 47 ± 11 μm wide tracks. The deposition of uniform Cu layers on PCL substrates is demonstrated, with thicknesses of up to 14 μm and electrical conductivities of up to 2.06 × 107 S m−1, which is near the conductivity of bulk Cu (5.89 × 107 S m−1). Cu-plated interconnects were demonstrated to be fully functional for powering a 5 SMD LEDs circuit. Furthermore, DLW enabled the interconnect manufacturing on an uneven substrate. This method is flexible, selective, low-cost, vacuum-free and of minimized environmental impact, and it provides a new route towards the manufacturing of biodegradable electronics.
Dynamical dephasing of bipartite and tripartite quantum coherence of spin-1/2 XXZ Heisenberg model in a renormalization group approach
Authors: Fouokeng G C , Nsangou I , Kuate Fodouop F , Tchoffo M , Fai L C
Published: April 2022

The dynamical dephasing of a bipartite and tripartite quantum coherence in spin-1/2 Heisenberg model, driven by an applied magnetic field, in the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction is investigated. The system is renormalized through the Kadanoof’s blocks approach. It is observed for both bipartite and tripartite schemes that by increasing the size of the system, the quantum coherence measure show an abrupt change at a quantum critical point (QCP). A further increase of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya coupling parameter affect the QCP, causing the dynamical dephasing which is the signature of second order quantum phase transition. The displacement of the QCP reduces the Quantum coherence of the system and can be controlled by the external magnetic field strength. Moreover, in a given range of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction strength and magnetic field, the monogamous and polygamous nature of quantum coherence is related to the size of the system.
Study of the intrinsic mechanisms of nickel additive for grain refinement and strength enhancement of laser aided additively manufactured Ti–6Al–4V
Authors: Sui Shang , Chew Youxiang , Weng Fei , Tan Chaolin , Du Zhenglin , Bi Guijun
Published: April 2022

It is well-known that grain refiners can tailor the microstructure and enhance the mechanical properties of titanium alloys fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM). However, the intrinsic mechanisms of Ni addition on AM-built Ti–6Al–4V alloy is not well established. This limits its industrial applications. This work systematically investigated the influence of Ni additive on Ti–6Al–4V alloy fabricated by laser aided additive manufacturing (LAAM). The results showed that Ni addition yields three key effects on the microstructural evolution of LAAM-built Ti–6Al–4V alloy. (a) Ni additive remarkably refines the prior-β grains, which is due to the widened solidification range. As the Ni addition increased from 0 to 2.5 wt. %, the major-axis length and aspect ratio of the prior-β grains reduced from over 1500 μm and 7 to 97.7 μm and 1.46, respectively. (b) Ni additive can discernibly induce the formation of globular α phase, which is attributed to the enhanced concentration gradient between the β and α phases. This is the driving force of globularization according to the termination mass transfer theory. The aspect ratio of the α laths decreased from 4.14 to 2.79 as the Ni addition increased from 0 to 2.5 wt. %. (c) Ni as a well-known β-stabilizer and it can remarkably increase the volume fraction of β phase. Room-temperature tensile results demonstrated an increase in mechanical strength and an almost linearly decreasing elongation with increasing Ni addition. A modified mathematical model was used to quantitatively analyze the strengthening mechanism. It was evident from the results that the α lath phase and the solid solutes contribute the most to the overall yield strength of the LAAM-built Ti–6Al–4V–xNi alloys in this work. Furthermore, the decrease in elongation with increasing Ni addition is due to the deterioration in deformability of the β phase caused by a large amount of solid-solution Ni atoms. These findings can accelerate the development of additively manufactured titanium alloys.
Event driven bio-inspired attentive system for the iCub humanoid robot on SpiNNaker
Authors: D’Angelo Giulia , Perrett Adam , Iacono Massimiliano , Furber Steve , Bartolozzi Chiara
Published: April 2022

Attention leads the gaze of the observer towards interesting items, allowing a detailed analysis only for selected regions of a scene. A robot can take advantage of the perceptual organisation of the features in the scene to guide its attention to better understand its environment. Current bottom–up attention models work with standard RGB cameras requiring a significant amount of time to detect the most salient item in a frame-based fashion. Event-driven cameras are an innovative technology to asynchronously detect contrast changes in the scene with a high temporal resolution and low latency. We propose a new neuromorphic pipeline exploiting the asynchronous output of the event-driven cameras to generate saliency maps of the scene. In an attempt to further decrease the latency, the neuromorphic attention model is implemented in a spiking neural network on SpiNNaker, a dedicated neuromorphic platform. The proposed implementation has been compared with its bio-inspired GPU counterpart, and it has been benchmarked against ground truth fixational maps. The system successfully detects items in the scene, producing saliency maps comparable with the GPU implementation. The asynchronous pipeline achieves an average of 16 ms latency to produce a usable saliency map.
Smoking As an Outcome Moderator In the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders
Authors: van Amsterdam Jan , van den Brink Wim
Published: April 2022

Aims

To clarify whether smoking interferes with successful treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Methods

The current systematic review investigates the potential moderating effect of smoking on behavioural and pharmacological treatment of AUD. In addition, this review summarizes the results of randomized controlled trials investigating the effect of smoking cessation treatments in subjects with AUD on drinking outcomes.

Results

Overall, the results show that 16 out of the 31 pharmacological and psychotherapeutic alcohol treatment studies showed that being a non-smoker or decreased tobacco consumption during AUD treatment is associated with beneficial drinking outcomes, including reduced drinking, later relapse and prolonged alcohol abstinence. As such, smoking predicts poorer drinking outcomes in alcohol treatments. In the stop-smoking studies in patients with AUD, reduced smoking had virtually no effect on drinking behaviours. The inverse association between smoking and drinking outcome observed here indicates that non-smokers may be more successful to attain alcohol abstinence than smokers do. However, this association does not imply per se that smoking triggers alcohol consumption, since it can also mean that alcohol consumption promotes smoking.

Conclusions

It is concluded that (continued) tobacco smoking may have a negative moderating effect on the treatment outcome of AUD treatments. To optimize treatment outcome of AUD one may consider informing and counselling patients with AUD about the risks of smoking for treatment outcomes and offering support for smoking cessation.
Sexual size monomorphism may evolve in lizards with a body size maximizing reproductive performance for both sexes
Authors: Lu Hong-Liang , Gao Jian-Fang , Guo Kun , Ji Xiang
Published: April 2022

We used Takydromus septentrionalis, a sexually size-monomorphic lacertid lizard, as a model system to test the hypothesis that sexual size monomorphism may evolve in lizards where reproductive performance is maximized at a similar body size for both sexes. We allowed lizards housed in laboratory enclosures to lay as many clutches (for females) as they could or to mate as many times (for males) as they could in a breeding season. Size-assortative mating was weak but evident in T. septentrionalis, as revealed by the fact that male and female snout–vent lengths (SVLs) in mating pairs were significantly and positively correlated. Mating frequency (indicative of male reproductive performance) varied from 1 to 8 per breeding season, generally increasing as SVL increased in adult males smaller than 67.4 mm SVL. Clutch frequency varied from 1 to 7 per breeding season, with female reproductive performance (determined by clutch frequency, annual fecundity, and annual reproductive output) maximized in females with a SVL of 68.0 mm. Accordingly to our hypothesis, the reproductive performance was maximized in the intermediate sized rather than the largest individuals in both sexes, and the body size maximizing reproductive performance was similar for both sexes. Future work could usefully investigate other lineages of lizards with sexually monomorphic species in a phylogenetic context to corroborate the hypothesis of this study.
Knowledge generation and diffusion in the German wind energy industry
Authors: Heidenreich Martin , Mattes Jannika
Published: April 2022

This paper shows that collaborative innovation projects (CIPs) are an important arena for both knowledge generation and its incorporation into the industrial knowledge base (IKB). By differentiating between the cultural-cognitive, normative, and regulative dimensions of technology generation and diffusion, we describe interdependencies between CIPs and IKBs. On the basis of three vignettes from the German wind energy industry, six interrelations (translation, imitation, structuring devices, consolidation, strategic closure, and strategic inertia) are identified on how CIPs contribute to IKBs.
Compressive independent component analysis: theory and algorithms
Authors: Sheehan Michael P , Davies Mike E
Published: April 2022

Compressive learning forms the exciting intersection between compressed sensing and statistical learning where one exploits sparsity of the learning model to reduce the memory and/or computational complexity of the algorithms used to solve the learning task. In this paper, we look at the independent component analysis (ICA) model through the compressive learning lens. In particular, we show that solutions to the cumulant-based ICA model have a particular structure that induces a low-dimensional model set that resides in the cumulant tensor space. By showing that a restricted isometry property holds for random cumulants e.g. Gaussian ensembles, we prove the existence of a compressive ICA scheme. Thereafter, we propose two algorithms of the form of an iterative projection gradient and an alternating steepest descent algorithm for compressive ICA, where the order of compression asserted from the restricted isometry property is realized through empirical results. We provide analysis of the CICA algorithms including the effects of finite samples. The effects of compression are characterized by a trade-off between the sketch size and the statistical efficiency of the ICA estimates. By considering synthetic and real datasets, we show the substantial memory gains achieved over well-known ICA algorithms by using one of the proposed CICA algorithms.
Logarithmic convexity and impulsive controllability for the one-dimensional heat equation with dynamic boundary conditions
Authors: Chorfi Salah-Eddine , El Guermai Ghita , Maniar Lahcen , Zouhair Walid
Published: April 2022

In this paper, we prove a logarithmic convexity that reflects an observability estimate at a single point of time for the one-dimensional heat equation with dynamic boundary conditions. Consequently, we establish the impulse approximate controllability for the impulsive heat equation with dynamic boundary conditions. Moreover, we obtain an explicit upper bound of the cost of impulse control. At the end, we give a constructive algorithm for computing the impulsive control of minimal $L^2$-norm. We also present some numerical tests to validate the theoretical results and show the efficiency of the designed algorithm.
Designing a Seasonal Acclimation Study Presents Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Huey Raymond B , Buckley Lauren B
Published: April 2022

Synopsis

Organisms living in seasonal environments often adjust physiological capacities and sensitivities in response to (or in anticipation of) environment shifts. Such physiological and morphological adjustments (“acclimation” and related terms) inspire opportunities to explore the mechanistic bases underlying these adjustments, to detect cues inducing adjustments, and to elucidate their ecological and evolutionary consequences. Seasonal adjustments (“seasonal acclimation”) can be detected either by measuring physiological capacities and sensitivities of organisms retrieved directly from nature (or outdoor enclosures) in different seasons or less directly by rearing and measuring organisms maintained in the laboratory under conditions that attempt to mimic or track natural ones. But mimicking natural conditions in the laboratory is challenging—doing so requires prior natural-history knowledge of ecologically relevant body temperature cycles, photoperiods, food rations, social environments, among other variables. We argue that traditional laboratory-based conditions usually fail to approximate natural seasonal conditions (temperature, photoperiod, food, “lockdown”). Consequently, whether the resulting acclimation shifts correctly approximate those in nature is uncertain, and sometimes is dubious. We argue that background natural history information provides opportunities to design acclimation protocols that are not only more ecologically relevant, but also serve as templates for testing the validity of traditional protocols. Finally, we suggest several best practices to help enhance ecological realism.
Conserved and Taxon-Specific Patterns of Phenotypic Modularity in the Mammalian Dentition
Authors: Takenaka Risa , Clay Selene M , Yoo Sunwoo , Hlusko Leslea J
Published: April 2022

Synopsis

Previous genotype:phenotype mapping of the mouse and primate dentition revealed the presence of pre- and post-canine modules in mice and anthropoid primates, as well as molar and premolar submodules in anthropoid primates. We estimated phenotypic correlation matrices for species that sample broadly across Mammalia to test the hypothesis that these modules exist across a broader range of taxa and thereby represent a conserved mammalian trait. We calculated phenotypic correlation matrices from linear dental measurements of 419 individual specimens representing 5 species from 4 mammalian orders: Artiodactyla (Odocoileus hemionus), Carnivora (Canis latrans and Ursus americanus), Didelphimorphia (Didelphis virginiana), and Primates (Colobus guereza). Our results based on hierarchical clustering indicate a generally higher correlation within incisors and among post-canine teeth. However, the post-canine phenotypic correlation matrices do not consistently exhibit the premolar and molar submodularity observed in anthropoid primates. Additionally, we find evidence of sex differences in the Odocoileus phenotypic correlation matrices: Males of this species exhibit overall higher inter-trait correlations compared to females. Our overall findings support the interpretation that incisors and post-canine dentition represent different phenotypic modules, and that this architecture may be a conserved trait for mammals.
Hierarchies of Heroism: Captain Tom, Spitfires, and the Limits of Militarized Vicarious Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Browning Christopher S , Haigh Joseph
Published: April 2022

Across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has seen the label of “hero” assigned to an expanded range of unexpected figures, from carers to supermarket delivery drivers, lauded for their selflessness. In Britain, however, none received the levels of public veneration experienced by the late Captain Sir Tom Moore, who became famous for completing a sponsored walk of his garden for his 100th birthday, raising £38.9 million for National Health Service charities. What can account for the resonance of an elderly war veteran in the context of a global health emergency? Contributing to nascent international relations scholarship on vicarious identity, ontological security, and militarism, in this article we develop the concepts “vicarious resilience” and “vicarious militarism” to explain why “Captain Tom” captured the British public imagination. While objects of vicarious identification are typically distinguished by their superior agency, we argue that the case of Captain Tom is interesting because it was not Moore's agency but his symbolism that made him a target for vicarious identification. Specifically, his military symbolism facilitated vicarious identification with Britain's mythologized wartime past aimed at assuaging ontological anxieties generated by the pandemic and boosting national resilience. However, the broader militarized pandemic response also reasserted gendered and racialized military heroism at a moment when the category of hero was being extended to civilian occupations. Finally, we note the limits of vicarious militarism in responding to ontological insecurity, including its tendency to generate anxieties of intergenerational insufficiency and its rhythmic/episodic character, concluding by commenting on the future trajectory of pandemic subjectivities.
Crossing the digital divide: a veteran affairs program to distribute video-enabled devices to patients in a supportive housing program
Authors: Wray Charlie M , Van Campen James , Hu Jiaqi , Slightam Cindie , Heyworth Leonie , Zulman Donna M
Published: April 2022

Objective

Evaluate an initiative to distribute video-enabled tablets and cell phones to individuals enrolled in Veterans Health Affairs supportive housing program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and Methods

In September 2020, individuals in the Veteran Health Affairs (VA) Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program were offered either a video-enabled tablet or cellphone to support their communication and health care engagement needs. We examined sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of device recipients, and compared engagement in in-person, telephone, and video-based visits (categorized as primary care, specialty care, rehabilitation, HUD-VASH, mental health care, and other) for 6 months prior to (March 1, 2020–August 31, 2020) and following (September 1, 2020–July 30, 2021) device receipt.

Results

In total, 5127 Veterans received either a tablet (n = 4454) or a cellphone (n = 673). Compared to the 6 months prior to device receipt, in the 6 months following receipt, in-person and video engagement increased by an average of 1.4 visits (8%) and 3.4 visits (125%), respectively, while telephone engagement decreased (−5.2 visits; −27%). Both tablet and cellphone recipients had increased in-person visits (+1.3 visits [8%] and +2.1 visits [13%], respectively); while tablet users had a substantially larger increase in video-based engagement (+3.2 visits [+110%] vs. +0.9 [+64%]). Similar trends were noted across all assessed types of care.

Discussion

Providing video-enabled devices to Veterans in a supportive housing program may facilitate engagement in health care.

Conclusions and Relevance

VA’s device distribution program offers a model for expanding access to health-related technology and telemedicine to individuals in supportive housing programs.
Virtual Interviews for Breast Imaging Fellowship During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives of Program Directors and Applicants
Authors: Mullen Lisa A , Nguyen Derek L , Katzen Janine T , Brem Rachel F , Ambinder Emily B
Published: April 2022

Objective

To compare in-person and virtual breast fellowship interview experiences from the perspective of fellowship program directors (PDs) and applicants.

Methods

Three separate voluntary, anonymous, e-mail delivered surveys were developed for PDs, in-person interview applicants in 2019–2020, and virtual interview applicants in 2020–2021. PD and applicant survey responses regarding the two interview cycles were compared.

Results

The response rate was 56% (53/95) for PDs, 19% (23/123) for in-person applicants, and 38% (49/129) for virtual applicants. PDs reported significantly lower cost for virtual compared to in-person interviews (P < 0.001). They reported no significant difference in number of applications received, number of applicants interviewed, applicant pool geographic regions, number of interview days offered, or format of interviews. Most PDs (31/53, 58%) felt the virtual format still allowed them to get to know the applicants well. Cost was significantly higher for in-person compared to virtual applicants (P < 0.001). More in-person applicants (11/23, 48%) listed cost as a barrier compared to virtual applicants (7/49, 14%) (P = 0.002). Virtual and in-person applicants reported a similar number of program applications, but virtual applicants completed more interviews (P = 0.012). Both groups preferred scheduled time to speak with the current fellows and a one-on-one interview format with two to four faculty members. Most applicants (36/49, 73%) felt the virtual format still allowed them to get to know each program well.

Conclusion

Virtual interviews provide a reasonable alternative to in-person interviews for breast imaging fellowship applicants, with decreased cost being the main advantage.
Cervical sympathetic chain schwannoma masquerading as a vagus nerve: a case report
Authors: Lachkar Azeddine , Roubi Faycal , Benfadil Drissia , Elayoubi Fahd
Published: April 2022

Schwannoma arising from the cervical sympathetic chain are rare slow-growing tumors which represent a diagnostic challenge. We report a 80-year-old female patient presented with anterior neck triangle swelling. The radiological assessment was based on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, which led to a preoperative diagnosis of vagus nerve schwannoma. However, surgical treatment revealed a cervical sympathetic chain mass rather than a vagus nerve mass. A complete removal was performed, and the anatomopathological examination was in favor of a schwannoma. In post-operative state, the patient presented a well-tolerated Horner’s syndrome.
Augmenting Survey Data with Digital Trace Data: Is There a Threat to Panel Retention?
Authors: Trappmann Mark , Haas Georg-Christoph , Malich Sonja , Keusch Florian , Bähr Sebastian , Kreuter Frauke , Schwarz Stefan
Published: April 2022

Linking digital trace data to existing panel survey data may increase the overall analysis potential of the data. However, producing linked products often requires additional engagement from survey participants through consent or participation in additional tasks. Panel operators may worry that such additional requests may backfire and lead to lower panel retention, reducing the analysis potential of the data. To examine these concerns, we conducted an experiment in the German PASS panel survey after wave 11. Three quarters of panelists (n = 4,293) were invited to install a research app and to provide sensor data over a period of 6 months, while one quarter (n = 1,428) did not receive an invitation. We find that the request to install a smartphone app and share data significantly decreases panel retention in the wave immediately following the invitation by 3.3 percentage points. However, this effect wears off and is no longer significant in the second and third waves after the invitation. We conclude that researchers who run panel surveys have to take moderate negative effects on retention into account but that the potential gain likely outweighs these moderate losses.
Generic logical encoding for argumentation
Authors: Besnard Philippe , Doutre Sylvie , Duchatelle ThÉo , Lagasquie-Schiex Marie-Christine
Published: April 2022

Argumentation has become an essential tool in AI, allowing the representation of knowledge with only a set of arguments and a binary relation between arguments, the attack relation. Since the seminal work presented in 1995 by Dung, many extensions have been proposed in order to enrich this very simple framework by the addition of a second type of interaction, the support relation, and by the use of higher-order or collective interactions. In parallel, several links have been exhibited and studied between Logics and Abstract Argumentation, showing that these two domains are closely interrelated. Among these works, one can find several logical encodings of abstract argumentation frameworks. Nevertheless, these encodings are very often built ad hoc and only for some given frameworks. The aim of this paper is to propose a generic logical encoding covering several families of abstract argumentation frameworks, from Dung’s framework to the most enriched framework using higher-order and collective evidential supports and attacks.
Joining the Navy to Become a Physician: Nothing Typical About It
Authors: Morrison Ponce Daphne P
Published: April 2022

Joining the military and entering a career in medicine are both intensely personal decisions. Individually, becoming a physician or a naval officer requires people to join a profession, represented by the oaths of each group. Both require hard work, demanding schedules, and dedication. Those entering into the Medical Corps will combine these roles. To optimize finding a fulfilling career, students interested in joining the medical corps should identify mentors, which helps them create the career path they want and aids in their self-reflection to discover their motivations and expectations, finally “Semper Gumby.” My own path fulfilled my desire to serve and passion for medicine but more importantly afforded me the opportunity to pursue fellowship, gain expertise in academic medicine, and construct a network of mentors, colleagues, and friends around the globe.
Accretion scenario of MAXI J1820+070 during 2018 outbursts with multimission observations
Authors: Prabhakar Geethu , Mandal Samir , Athulya M P , Nandi Anuj
Published: April 2022

We present a comprehensive spectral and temporal study of the black hole X-ray transient MAXI J1820+070 during its outbursts in 2018 using Swift/XRT, NICER, NuSTAR, and AstroSat observations. The Swift/XRT and NICER spectral study shows a plateau in the light curve with spectral softening (hardness changes from $\sim \, 2.5$ to 2) followed by a gradual decline without spectral softening during the first outburst. Also, spectral modelling suggests that the first outburst is in the low/hard state throughout with a truncated disc, whereas the thermal disc emission dominates during the second outburst. During the entire outburst, strong reflection signature (reflection fraction varies in the range $\sim \, 0.38\!-\!3.8$) is observed in the simultaneous wideband (NICER–NuSTAR, XRT–NuSTAR, AstroSat) data due to the presence of a dynamically evolving corona. The NICER timing analysis shows quasi-periodic oscillation signatures and the characteristic frequency increases (decreases) in the plateau (decline) phase with time during the first outburst. We understand that the reduction of the electron cooling time-scale in the corona due to spectral softening and the resonance oscillation with the local dynamical time-scale may explain the above behaviour of the source during the outburst. Also, we propose a possible scenario of outburst triggering and the associated accretion geometry of the source.
Medicinal Immunoglobulin G Products (2020) Show High Infectivity Neutralizing Activity Against Seasonal Influenza Virus Strains Selected for Future Vaccines (2020–2022)
Authors: Díez José María , Casals Daniel , Romero Carolina , Gajardo Rodrigo
Published: April 2022

Immunoglobulin (Ig)G medicinal products manufactured in 2020 were tested for infectivity neutralization and hemagglutination inhibition against World Health Organization-selected influenza strains included in worldwide vaccines 2020–2022. The IgG batches (from US plasma) showed potent activity. Intravenous immunoglobulin could potentially add to therapies for serious influenza cases in immunocompromised patients. Further study is warranted.