bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in foods with a textile organic electrochemical transistor biosensor
Authors: Vizzini Priya , Beltrame Elena , Coppedè Nicola , Vurro Filippo , Andreatta Francesco , Torelli Emanuela , Manzano Marisa
Published: May 2023

Foods contaminated by pathogens are responsible for foodborne diseases which have socioeconomic impacts. Many approaches have been extensively investigated to obtain specific and sensitive methods to detect pathogens in food, but they are often not easy to perform and require trained personnel. This work aims to propose a textile organic electrochemical transistor-based (OECT) biosensor to detect L. monocytogenes in food samples. The analyses were performed with culture-based methods, Listeria Precis™ method, PCR, and our textile OECT biosensor which used poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT):polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) (PEDOT:PSS) for doping the organic channel. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to obtain topographic maps of the gold gate. The electrochemical activity on gate electrodes was measured and related to the concentration of DNA extracted from samples and hybridized to the specific capture probe immobilized onto the gold surface of the gate. This assay reached a limit of detection of 1.05 ng/μL, corresponding to 0.56 pM of L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644, and allowed the specific and rapid detection of L. monocytogenes in the analyzed samples.

Keypoints

• Textile organic electrochemical transistors functionalized with a specific DNA probe

• AFM topographic and surface potential maps of a functionalized gold gate surface

• Comparison between the Listeria monocytogenes Precis™ method and an OECT biosensor
PET imaging of PARP expression using 68Ga-labelled inhibitors
Authors: Wang Xiangwei , Liu Wei , Li Ke , Chen Kaiwen , He Simin , Zhang Jianping , Gu Bingxin , Xu Xiaoping , Song Shaoli
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Imaging the PARP expression using 18F probes
has been approved in clinical trials. Nevertheless, hepatobiliary clearance of both 18F probes hindered their application in monitoring abdominal lesions. Our novel 68Ga-labelled probes aim for fewer abdominal signals while ensuring PARP targeting by optimizing the pharmacokinetic properties of radioactive probes.

Methods

Three radioactive probes targeted PARP were designed, synthesized, and evaluated based on the PARP inhibitor Olaparib. These 68Ga-labelled radiotracers were assessed in vitro and in vivo.

Results

Precursors that did not lose binding affinity for PARP were designed, synthesized, and then labelled with 68Ga in high radiochemical purity (> 97%). The 68Ga-labelled radiotracers were stable. Due to the increased expression of PARP-1 in SK-OV-3 cells, the uptake of the three radiotracers by SK-OV-3 cells was significantly greater than that by A549 cells. PET/CT imaging of the SK-OV-3 models indicated that the tumor uptake of 68Ga-DOTA-Olaparib (0.5 h: 2.83 ± 0.55%ID/g; 1 h: 2.37 ± 0.64%ID/g) was significantly higher than that of the other 68Ga-labelled radiotracers. There was a significant difference in the T/M (tumor-to-muscle) ratios between the unblocked and blocked groups as calculated from the PET/CT images (4.07 ± 1.01 vs. 1.79 ± 0.45, P = 0.0238 < 0.05). Tumor autoradiography revealed high accumulation in tumor tissues, further confirming the above data. PARP-1 expression in the tumor was confirmed by immunochemistry.

Conclusion

As the first 68Ga-labelled PARP inhibitor, 68Ga-DOTA-Olaparib displayed high stability and quick PARP imaging in a tumor model. This compound is thus a promising imaging agent that can be used in a personalized PARP inhibitor treatment regimen.
Nd:YAG/Er:YAG dual laser vs. topical steroid to treat vulvar lichen sclerosus: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Viereck Volker , Gamper Marianne , Regauer Sigrid , Walser Claudia , Zivanovic Irena
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic debilitating inflammatory skin disease. Today, the gold standard is a life-long topical steroid treatment. Alternative options are highly desired. We present a study protocol of a prospective, randomized, active-controlled, investigator-initiated clinical trial comparing a novel non-invasive dual Nd:YAG/Er:YAG laser therapy with the gold standard for the management of LS.

Methods

We recruited 66 patients, 44 in the laser arm and 22 in the steroid arm. Patients with a physician-administered clinical LS score ≥ 4 were included. Participants received either four laser treatments 1–2 months apart, or 6 months of topical steroid application. Follow-ups were planned at 6, 12, and 24 months. The primary outcome looks at the efficacy of the laser treatment at the 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes look at comparisons between baseline and follow-ups within the laser or the steroid arm, and comparisons between laser vs. steroid arm. Objective (LS score, histopathology, photo documentation) and subjective (Vulvovaginal Symptoms Questionnaire, symptom VAS score, patient satisfaction) measurements, tolerability, and adverse events are evaluated.

Conclusion

The findings of this trial have the potential to offer a novel treatment option for LS. The standardized Nd:YAG/Er:YAG laser settings and the treatment regime are presented in this paper.

Clinical trial identification number

NCT03926299.
Drivers of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection load, with evidence of infection tolerance in adult male toads (Bufo spinosus)
Authors: Bosch Jaime , Thumsová Barbora , Puschendorf Robert , Bielby Jon
Published: May 2023

Chytridiomycosis is affecting hundreds of amphibian species worldwide, but while in tropical areas, adult individuals have been the focus of most investigations, the exact role played by infection intensity of breeding adults is not well understood in temperate areas. We conducted mark–recapture–capture surveys during spiny common toad breeding seasons from 2006 to 2018 at the site of the first recorded outbreak of chytridiomycosis in Europe, the Peñalara Massif (Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, central Spain), and collected infection samples and several variables related to the reproductive effort of male individuals. We used general linear mixed models to evaluate the contribution of study variables on the infection loads of adult male toads exhibited at their capturing date. We also analysed the differences on several male characteristics between the pond with the largest breeding population against the rest of the ponds. We found that the duration of time spent in the waterbody and the condition of the host predicted infection loads. Animals of good physical condition, that spent longer in water, have higher infection levels than individuals with the opposite set of traits. The pond supporting the largest breeding population housed smaller male toads and in poorer condition. Our results are consistent with a shift in reproductive strategy in response to infection and potentially a strategy of tolerance, rather than resistance to infection. These findings have applications for disease mitigation and theoretical implications related to the trade-offs made and the evolution of traits in response to the disease.
Ensuring privacy protection in the era of big laparoscopic video data: development and validation of an inside outside discrimination algorithm (IODA)
Authors: Schulze A. , Tran D. , Daum M. T. J. , Kisilenko A. , Maier-Hein L. , Speidel S. , Distler M. , Weitz J. , Müller-Stich B. P. , Bodenstedt S. , Wagner M.
Published: May 2023

Background

Laparoscopic videos are increasingly being used for surgical artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analysis. The purpose of this study was to ensure data privacy in video recordings of laparoscopic surgery by censoring extraabdominal parts. An inside-outside-discrimination algorithm (IODA) was developed to ensure privacy protection while maximizing the remaining video data.

Methods

IODAs neural network architecture was based on a pretrained AlexNet augmented with a long-short-term-memory. The data set for algorithm training and testing contained a total of 100 laparoscopic surgery videos of 23 different operations with a total video length of 207 h (124 min ± 100 min per video) resulting in 18,507,217 frames (185,965 ± 149,718 frames per video). Each video frame was tagged either as abdominal cavity, trocar, operation site, outside for cleaning, or translucent trocar. For algorithm testing, a stratified fivefold cross-validation was used.

Results

The distribution of annotated classes were abdominal cavity 81.39%, trocar 1.39%, outside operation site 16.07%, outside for cleaning 1.08%, and translucent trocar 0.07%. Algorithm training on binary or all five classes showed similar excellent results for classifying outside frames with a mean F1-score of 0.96 ± 0.01 and 0.97 ± 0.01, sensitivity of 0.97 ± 0.02 and 0.0.97 ± 0.01, and a false positive rate of 0.99 ± 0.01 and 0.99 ± 0.01, respectively.

Conclusion

IODA is able to discriminate between inside and outside with a high certainty. In particular, only a few outside frames are misclassified as inside and therefore at risk for privacy breach. The anonymized videos can be used for multi-centric development of surgical AI, quality management or educational purposes. In contrast to expensive commercial solutions, IODA is made open source and can be improved by the scientific community.
Taking Developmental Education Reform to Scale: How Texas Institutions Responded to Statewide Corequisite Implementation
Authors: Mokher Christine G. , Park-Gaghan Toby J.
Published: May 2023

In response to concerns about the additional costs and time-to-degree associated with traditional developmental education programs, several states and postsecondary systems have implemented corequisite reform where academically underprepared students take both a developmental education course and college-level course in the same subject area within a single semester. Texas is one of the first and most diverse states to require all public institutions to scale-up corequisite developmental education. In this study, we use longitudinal survey data from the population of public two-year and four-year colleges and universities in Texas to examine heterogeneity in institutional responses to implementation of a statewide corequisite developmental education reform throughout the 4-year scale-up timeline. We provide insight into how challenges, costs, and data-informed efforts differ for postsecondary institutions that were compliant versus non-compliant with the annual statewide targeted participation rates for corequisite enrollment. We conclude with implications for policy and practice to better support statewide corequisite developmental education reform.
Advice that resonates: explaining the variability in consultants’ policy influence
Authors: Bortz Martin
Published: May 2023

The increased presence of management consultants in public policy has resulted in concerns from practitioners and policymakers that consultants are too influential. At the same time, there are genuine reasons to downplay consultant influence on policy processes and to instead see consultants as ‘servants of power’. This tension raises questions about how much influence consultants have and the ways in which their influence might vary. Previous studies have shown how two concepts—openness and trust—are useful in understanding variability of consultant influence. As part of this, public decision-makers must be open to the involvement of consultants in a reform process and must also trust the specific consultants involved. At the same time, limited consideration has, to date, been given to discursive explanations of variability. Focusing its analysis on the influence of coalitions on education policy, this paper’s main contribution is to show that consultants will be more influential when their discursive repertoire demonstrates resonance with the narratives of the coalitions they are trying to influence. As part of this, consultants should deploy concepts and language that are recognisable to those coalitions, but which also align with the coalitions’ underlying narratives about the problem being faced and appropriate solutions.
What’s the Matter with Sound? - How Primary School Students Perceive the Nature of Sound
Authors: Veith Sonja Isabel
Published: May 2023

Sound is a very omnipresent physical phenomenon that plays a crucial role in our daily lives. It is essential for verbal communication and helps us orient ourselves. Children are especially affected by sound and its presence in their daily lives. This circumstance, and the subject-specific interesting facets of the topic of sound, make this particularly interesting for the classroom. In order to provide effective sound education, it’s important to understand how children perceive sound. This research aims to explore the ways in which primary school children experience sound. The inquiry conducted of 24 interviews with primary school children, with a focus on the propagation of sound. Various experiments were integrated into these interviews in order to provide a child-friendly approach to this rather abstract topic. The interviews were analysed phenomenographically. The focus on sound propagation allowed the children to express their understanding of the nature of sound. The various experiments that addressed different levels of awareness (black box, Schlieren setup) were also beneficial in this regard. The results showed that primary school children already have a wide range of ways of experiencing the nature of sound.
Norms, epistemic norms, context, and counterfactuals
Authors: Kroedel Thomas
Published: May 2023

The paper defends an account of the context-sensitivity of norms that draws on the resources of counterfactual conditionals. The account combines two assumptions: the assumption that permission is rule-abiding performance in some contextually relevant situations; and the assumption that the contextually relevant situations are picked out by the mechanism that selects the possible worlds relevant for the evaluation of counterfactual conditionals. The account explains the non-monotonicity of permissions and solves a puzzle, raised by Timothy Williamson, about the seeming failure of permissions to distribute over conjunction. In the domain of epistemic norms, the account solves an analogous puzzle and deals successfully with so-called blindspot propositions.
Assessment of variations in productive performance of two different plumage color varieties of Japanese quail and their reciprocal crosses
Authors: Elkhaiat Ibrahim , El-Kassas Seham , Eid Yahya , Ghobish Magda , EL-Komy Esteftah , Alagawany Mahmoud , Ragab Mohamed
Published: May 2023

This study aimed to detect the phenotypic differences between the brown (BB) and white (WW) feathered quails and their reciprocal crosses (BW and WB) over two successive generations. The WW and cross quails, especially the BW, had the heaviest body weights, throughout the studied period, with significant variations between the two studied generations (P<0.05). Moreover, the WW and BW possessed the largest egg production during the F1, while in the F2, the BB had superiority among the studied quails with a prominent superiority of the F2 over the F1 (P<0.05). However, the F1 had higher egg weights than F2 with superiority of WW quails compared to the others (P<0.05). Also, the WW quails had the lowest lipid contents of the eggs. These phenotypic variations among the studied quails might be preliminarily explained by the results of the analyzed microsatellite markers despite the few markers used. The high variability among the BW and WB quails might be due to the larger number of alleles (NA and Ne) and the lower values of FIS with low heterozygosity levels (HO and He). Moreover, the BW and BB were the closest, while WB and WW were the farthest because of the high and low genetic identities and the high and low genetic distance between them, respectively. So the obtained results might introduce an initial scientific basis for evaluating and employing the genetic properties of BB, WW, BW, and WB quails in further genetic improvement program, and more microsatellite markers are recommended.
Multi-dimensional interest game between reservoir and city stakeholders in the Yellow River Basin: a case study of the lower reaches
Authors: Hu Hao , Tian Guiliang , Dai Zhiqing
Published: May 2023

Reservoirs in sediment-laden rivers can bring multiple benefits, and the calculation and redistribution of these considerable benefits are the premises to ensure the efficient operation of reservoirs. Firstly, the benefits of social economy, ecological environment, flood discharge, and sediment transport under the joint operation of reservoirs are uniformly measured based on the emergy theory. Secondly, the stakeholders are divided into reservoir and city groups. A two-tier gains allocation model is established based on the Nash bargaining model and multi-attribute decision making theory. Finally, taking the lower reaches of the Yellow River, Sanmenxia Reservoir, and Xiaolangdi Reservoir as cases, the multi-dimensional benefits of reservoirs under the two operation modes in the face of typical floods are calculated, and the gains are distributed among stakeholders. The results show that: (1) Although the overall benefit of the system is optimal under one scheduling mode, 7/17 of the stakeholders prefer another mode. (2) Comparing the two operation modes of the reservoir group, it is found that XLD and SMX can improve the overall benefit of 4.12E + 09yuan at the cost of their sediment discharge benefits of 3.08E + 09yuan and 2.82E + 06yuan. (3) After gains distribution, the profit of all stakeholders can be optimized to varying degrees. This study broadens the dimension of benefit accounting under the joint operation of cascade reservoirs and the category of stakeholders in the gain allocation, which is conducive to promoting the ecological protection and sustainable development of sediment-laden rivers.
Structure and functions of a multireplicon genome of Antarctic Psychrobacter sp. ANT_H3: characterization of the genetic modules suitable for the construction of the plasmid-vectors for cold-active bacteria
Authors: Decewicz Przemyslaw , Romaniuk Krzysztof , Gorecki Adrian , Radlinska Monika , Dabrowska Maria , Wyszynska Agnieszka , Dziewit Lukasz
Published: May 2023

Among Psychrobacter spp., there are several multireplicon strains, carrying more than two plasmids. Psychrobacter sp. ANT_H3 carries as many as 11 extrachromosomal replicons, which is the highest number in Psychrobacter spp. Plasmids of this strain were subjected to detailed genomic analysis, which enables an insight into the structure and functioning of this multireplicon genome. The replication and conjugal transfer modules of ANT_H3 plasmids were analyzed functionally to discover their potential for being used as building blocks for the construction of novel plasmid-vectors for cold-active bacteria. It was shown that two plasmids have a narrow host range as they were not able to replicate in species other than Psychrobacter, while remaining plasmids had a wider host range and were functional in various Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. Moreover, it was confirmed that mobilization modules of seven plasmids were functional, i.e., could be mobilized for conjugal transfer by the RK2 conjugation system. Auxiliary genes were also distinguished in ANT_H3 plasmids, including these encoding putative DNA-protecting protein DprA, multidrug efflux SMR transporter of EmrE family, glycine cleavage system T protein, MscS small-conductance mechanosensitive channel protein, and two type II restriction-modification systems. Finally, all genome-retrieved plasmids of Psychrobacter spp. were subjected to complex genome- and proteome-based comparative analyses showing that Antarctic replicons are significantly different from plasmids from other locations.
Sewage sludge and digestate gasification in an atmospheric fluidized bed gasifier
Authors: Elbl Patrik , Baláš Marek , Lisý Martin , Lisá Hana
Published: May 2023

The gasification of sewage sludge (SS) and digestate was investigated in a pilot-scale fluidized bed gasifier with an output of 100 kWt. The treatment of these by-products is an ongoing challenge for sustainable development. SS and digestate are most commonly used as fertilizers. However, regulations restrict their use, mainly because of the content of heavy metals, pathogens and bacteria. Gasification of these by-products instead of application to agricultural land seems to be more efficient, as the syngas can subsequently be used for combined heat and power (CHP) generation. A series of measurements were carried out to get a better understanding of the gasification process of these fuels and to study the effects of gasifying agent on the syngas composition, particulate matter (PM) and tar. The produced syngas and tar were analyzed using a gas chromatograph with mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The results showed that no ash slagging was observed and therefore it is feasible to operate digestate and SS gasification at 750°C. The lower heating value (LHV) of the syngas from digestate and SS with air as the gasifying agent is comparable, 4.06 MJ·Nm−3 for digestate and 4.11 MJ·Nm−3 for SS. The addition of steam had a positive effect on the amount of tar and the tar dew point, which was below 150°C. Tar reduction in digestate was 5037.3 mg·Nm−3 to 3566.3 mg·Nm−3 and in SS 7447.7 mg·Nm−3 to 3390.3 mg·Nm−3. Furthermore, the concentrations of the individual tar compounds were determined and subsequently divided into tar classes.
A review of recent advances in the effects of surface and interface properties on marine propellers
Authors: Zhu Manfu , Ma Liran
Published: May 2023

Marine propellers are important propulsion devices for both surface ships and underwater vehicles. Increasingly severe environmental problems have required further performance enhancement for propellers. Nowadays, traditional methods to improve propeller performances through geometrical and structural optimizations have been extensively investigated, while the underlying mechanisms of the effects of surface and interface properties on marine propellers are still far from being fully understood. This paper presented a comprehensive review of recent advances in the effects of surface and interface properties, such as surface roughness and surface wettability, on marine propellers with an emphasis on the significant improvements in both hydrodynamic and cavitation performances, hoping to arouse more in-depth investigations in the field of surface/interface science and technologies on marine propellers, and also promote the state-of-the-art technologies, such as superlubricity technology, into practical applications.
La performance dell’ecografia nella diagnosi di carcinoma midollare della tiroide è subottimale. Nuovi dati evidence-based
Authors: Caironi Verdiana , Ferrarazzo Giulia , Trimboli Pierpaolo
Published: May 2023

Sommario

Il carcinoma midollare della tiroide (CMT) si presenta clinicamente come un nodulo tiroideo ma la sua corretta diagnosi è complicata da alcune controversie, prima tra tutte il fatto che il dosaggio routinario della calcitonina in tutti i pazienti con noduli tiroidei non è universalmente accettato. L’ecografia rappresenta l’indagine di scelta per la caratterizzazione dei noduli tiroidei e di recente, per stratificare il loro rischio di malignità, si sono diffusi diversi sistemi classificativi (risk stratification system, RSS), spesso denominati Thyroid Imaging Reporting And Data System (TIRADS). Mentre i RSS/TIRADS sono molto affidabili nell’identificazione del carcinoma papillare, fino a poco tempo fa non erano disponibili dati concreti sulla loro performance nell’identificazione del CMT. Di recente è stata pubblicata una revisione sistematica che ha valutato proprio questo aspetto. Questa review ritrovava 25 studi di cui 14 (con 1968 CMT) erano inclusi nella metanalisi. I risultati della revisione mostravano una ridotta efficacia dei RSS/TIRADS con una proporzione di 54,8% di CMT classificato come high risk o high suspicion. Considerando la scarsa sensibilità dell’esame citologico nella diagnosi del CMT, questi nuovi dati evidence-based suggeriscono che le future linee guida diano chiare informazioni su come ridurre il rischio di non identificare il CMT.
Characterizations and Properties of Dual Matrix Star Orders
Authors: Wang Hongxing , Huang Pei
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we introduce the D-star order, T-star order, and P-star order on the class of dual matrices. By applying the matrix decomposition and dual generalized inverses, we discuss properties, characterizations, and relations among these orders, and illustrate their relations with examples.
Nonbinary
Authors: Clare Stephanie D.
Published: May 2023

This autotheoretical Element, written in the tense space between feminist and trans theory, argues that movement between 'woman' and 'nonbinary' is possible, affectively and politically. In fact, a nonbinary structure of feeling has been central in the history of feminist thought, such as in Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex (1949). This structure of feeling is not antifeminist but indexical of a desire for a form of embodiment and relationality beyond binary sex and gender. Finally, the Element provides a partial defense of nonbinary gender identity by tracing the development of the term in online spaces of the early 2000s. While it might be tempting to read its development as symptomatic of the forms of selfhood reproduced in (neo)liberal, racialized platform capitalism, this reading is too simplistic because it misses how the term emerged within communities of care.
Late Tang China and the World, 750–907 CE
Authors: Yang Shao-yun
Published: May 2023

In recent decades, the Tang dynasty (618-907) has acquired a reputation as the most 'cosmopolitan' period in Chinese history. The standard narrative also claims that this cosmopolitan openness faded after the An Lushan Rebellion of 755-763, to be replaced by xenophobic hostility toward all things foreign. This Element reassesses the cosmopolitanism-to-xenophobia narrative and presents a more empirically-grounded and nuanced interpretation of the Tang empire's foreign relations after 755.
Dispersion of a gyrotactic micro-organism suspension in a vertical pipe: the buoyancy–flow coupling effect
Authors: Wang Bohan , Jiang Weiquan , Chen Guoqian
Published: May 2023

Understanding the transport of micro-organisms in pipes is crucial to many fundamental problems, such as bioconvection and biodiesel production. In this work, we investigate the velocity profile and dispersion of a suspension of negatively buoyant, gyrotactic micro-organisms in a vertical pipe. With an imposed flow rate, the non-uniform radial cell concentration typical of gyrotaxis distorts the simple Poiseuille flow through inhomogeneous buoyancy, which in turn affects the cell concentration distribution. By solving the fundamental Smoluchowski equation and the Navier–Stokes equation simultaneously, we account for this bidirectional buoyancy–flow coupling effect. Asymptotic dispersion coefficients, namely, drift velocity and dispersivity, are further calculated with the obtained radial velocity and cell concentration profiles, which are assumed to be steady, symmetric and axially invariant. Using the gyrotactic micro-organism Chlamydomonas augustae as an example, detailed results are given to illustrate the effect of buoyancy–flow coupling. In downwelling flows, the buoyancy–flow coupling effect intensifies with the Richardson number

$Ri$

quantifying the mean cell concentration, but is strongest at a moderate flow strength. The buoyancy–flow coupling effect significantly enhances the velocity and cell concentration in the central region, as well as the drift velocity and dispersivity. In contrast, the buoyancy–flow coupling effect is comparatively limited in upwelling flows, due to the dominant influence of the no-slip boundary condition imposed at the wall. Comparisons with predictions of existing approximate models are also presented.
Do sleep disruptions promote social fragmentation?
Authors: Holbein John , Crabtree Charles
Published: May 2023

Sleep changes predate shifts in mood/affect, thought processing, mental and physical health, civic engagement, and contextual circumstances, among other things. Theory predicts that these changes may lead to shifts in political and social beliefs. Do sleep disruptions shape how individuals see the world, the people around them, and themselves in relation to others? In this article, we use daily survey data from the 77 waves (N$ \approx $ 460,000) of the University of California, Los Angeles’s 2019–2021 Nationscape Survey—a nationally representative political survey—to examine the effect of an exogenous short-term sleep disruption on measures of political views, polarization, and discriminatory beliefs. Using this data set, we leverage the modest sleep disruption that occurs at the start (and end) of Daylight Saving Time (DST) and employ a regression discontinuity in time design around the precise DST cutoff (which we supplement with event study models). Despite strong theoretical expectations and correlational connection between measures of sleep and many outcomes related to social fragmentation, we find that the DST change has little to no causal effect on citizens’ levels of polarization or their discriminatory attitudes. These effects are precise enough to rule out small effects, robust to a host of specification checks, and consistent across potential subgroups of interest. Our work adds to a small but growing body of research on the social and political effects of sleep disruptions.
Coordinated Dis-Coordination
Authors: HASSAN MAI
Published: May 2023

Dissidents mobilizing against a repressive regime benefit from using public information for tactical coordination since widespread knowledge about an upcoming event can increase participation. But public calls to protest make dissidents’ anticipated activities legible to the regime, allowing security forces to better stifle mobilization. I examine collective action during Sudan’s 2018–19 uprising and find that mobilization appeared to be publicly coordinated through social movement organizations and internet and communicative technology, consistent with common channels identified by existing literature. Yet embedded field research reveals that some dissidents independently used public calls to secretly organize simultaneous contentious events away from publicized protest sites, perceiving that their deviations would make the regime’s repressive response relatively less efficient than the resulting efficiency losses on the movement’s mobilization. These findings push future work to interrogate more deeply the mechanisms by which dissidents use coordination channels that are also legible to the regime they are mobilizing against.
Higher-order evolution inequalities involving convection and Hardy-Leray potential terms in a bounded domain
Authors: Chen Huyuan , Jleli Mohamed , Samet Bessem
Published: May 2023

We consider a class of nonlinear higher-order evolution inequalities posed in $(0,\infty)\times B_1\backslash\{0\}$, subject to inhomogeneous Dirichlet-type boundary conditions, where B1 is the unit ball in $\mathbb{R}^N$. The considered class involves differential operators of the form
\begin{equation*}
\mathcal{L}_{\mu_1,\mu_2}=-\Delta +\frac{\mu_1}{|x|^2}x\cdot \nabla +\frac{\mu_2}{|x|^2},\qquad x\in \mathbb{R}^N\backslash\{0\},
\end{equation*}where $\mu_1\in \mathbb{R}$ and $\mu_2\geq -\left(\frac{\mu_1-N+2}{2}\right)^2$. Optimal criteria for the nonexistence of weak solutions are established. Our study yields naturally optimal nonexistence results for the corresponding class of elliptic inequalities. Notice that no restriction on the sign of solutions is imposed.
Latent profiles of substance use, early life stress, and attention/externalizing problems and their association with neural correlates of reinforcement learning in adolescents
Authors: Crum Kathleen I. , Aloi Joseph , Blair Karina S. , Bashford-Largo Johannah , Bajaj Sahil , Zhang Ru , Hwang Soonjo , Schwartz Amanda , Elowsky Jaimie , Filbey Francesca M. , Dobbertin Matthew , Blair R. James
Published: May 2023

Background

Adolescent substance use, externalizing and attention problems, and early life stress (ELS) commonly co-occur. These psychopathologies show overlapping neural dysfunction in the form of reduced recruitment of reward processing neuro-circuitries. However, it is unclear to what extent these psychopathologies show common v. different neural dysfunctions as a function of symptom profiles, as no studies have directly compared neural dysfunctions associated with each of these psychopathologies to each other.

Methods

In study 1, a latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted in a sample of 266 adolescents (aged 13–18, 41.7% female, 58.3% male) from a residential youth care facility and the surrounding community to investigate substance use, externalizing and attention problems, and ELS psychopathologies and their co-presentation. In study 2, we examined a subsample of 174 participants who completed the Passive Avoidance learning task during functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine differential and/or common reward processing neuro-circuitry dysfunctions associated with symptom profiles based on these co-presentations.

Results

In study 1, LPA identified profiles of substance use plus rule-breaking behaviors, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and ELS. In study 2, the substance use/rule-breaking profile was associated with reduced recruitment of reward processing and attentional neuro-circuitries during the Passive Avoidance task (p < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons).

Conclusions

Findings indicate that there is reduced responsivity of striato-cortical regions when receiving outcomes on an instrumental learning task within a profile of adolescents with substance use and rule-breaking behaviors. Mitigating reward processing dysfunction specifically may represent a potential intervention target for substance-use psychopathologies accompanied by rule-breaking behaviors.
Neurophysiological changes associated with vibroacoustically-augmented breath-focused mindfulness for dissociation: targeting interoception and attention
Authors: Fani Negar , Guelfo Alfonsina , La Barrie Dominique L. , Teer Andrew P. , Clendinen Cherita , Karimzadeh Leyla , Jain Jahnvi , Ely Timothy D. , Powers Abigail , Kaslow Nadine J. , Bradley Bekh , Siegle Greg J.
Published: May 2023

Background

Dissociative symptoms can emerge after trauma and interfere with attentional control and interoception; disruptions to these processes are barriers to mind-body interventions such as breath-focused mindfulness (BFM). To overcome these barriers, we tested the use of an exteroceptive augmentation to BFM, using vibrations equivalent to the amplitude of the auditory waveform of the actual breath, delivered via a wearable subwoofer in real time (VBFM). We tested whether this device enhanced interoceptive processes, attentional control and autonomic regulation in trauma-exposed women with dissociative symptoms.

Methods

65 women, majority (82%) Black American, aged 18–65 completed self-report measures of interoception and 6 BFM sessions, during which electrocardiographic recordings were taken to derive high-frequency heart rate variability (HRV) estimates. A subset (n = 31) of participants completed functional MRI at pre- and post-intervention, during which they were administered an affective attentional control task.

Results

Compared to those who received BFM only, women who received VBFM demonstrated greater increases in interoception, particularly their ability to trust body signals, increased sustained attention, as well as increased connectivity between nodes of emotion processing and interoceptive networks. Intervention condition moderated the relationship between interoception change and dissociation change, as well as the relationship between dissociation and HRV change.

Conclusions

Vibration feedback during breath focus yielded greater improvements in interoception, sustained attention and increased connectivity of emotion processing and interoceptive networks. Augmenting BFM with vibration appears to have considerable effects on interoception, attention and autonomic regulation; it could be used as a monotherapy or to address trauma treatment barriers.
bcan pos who were notkhri: Royal titulature and the succession to the throne in the Tibetan Empire
Authors: Bialek Joanna
Published: May 2023

The paper surveys the distribution of the titlesbcan poandkhriin historical and non-historical documents of the Tibetan Empire. Their patterns of usage suggest the existence of strict rules that governed the bestowal of the titles within the royal family. In the second part of the paper a new chronology of succession to the throne in the Tibetan imperial dynasty is put forward, based not only on Tibetan imperial documents and post-imperial historiographical works but also on Chinese written sources.
Subjective total comparative evaluations
Authors: Hausman Daniel M.
Published: May 2023

In Preference, Value, Choice, and Welfare, I argued, among other things, that preferences in economics are and ought to be total subjective comparative evaluations, that the theory of rational choice is a reformulation of everyday folk-psychological explanations and predictions of behaviour, and that revealed preference theory is completely untenable. All three of these theses have been challenged in essays by Erik Angner (2018), Francesco Guala (2019) and Johanna Thoma (2021a, 2021b). This essay responds to these criticisms and defends these three theses.
Property and the Will: Kant and Achenwall on Ownership Rights
Authors: Tomassini Fiorella
Published: May 2023

This article examines Kant’s theory of property through a comparative analysis of Gottfried Achenwall’s justification of ownership rights. I argue that at the core of Achenwall’s and Kant’s understanding of ownership rights lies the idea that rights are to be acquired through a juridical act (factum iuridicum,rechtlichen Act) of the will. However, while Achenwall thinks of this act as emerging from aprivatewill, Kant holds that rights and obligations can only be brought about by an act of thegeneralwill. By contrasting these two views, I aim to illuminate one of the main features of Kant’s theory of property, namely, that ownership rights are only possible in a rightfully constituted state. I conclude with a suggestion regarding Kant’s view of the notion of ‘provisional’ possession in the state of nature.
Perceived Caregiving Trajectories and their Relationship with Caregivers’ Burdens and Gains
Authors: Fabà Josep , Villar Feliciano , Westerhof Gerben
Published: May 2023

The study explores the meanings that family caregivers of people with dementia ascribe to the past, present, and future of their role as a caregiver, and how their integration into caregiving trajectories is related to caregivers’ burdens and gains. The sample was made up of 197 family caregivers (Mage = 62.1, SD = 12.3, 70.1% females). They completed three incomplete sentences regarding their past, present, and future caring role, the Zarit Burden Interview and the Gains Associated with Caregiving scale. Sentence completions were content analyzed, and the associations between the resulting trajectories and burdens and gains were studied by means of a one-way ANOVA. Caregivers differed in the meanings ascribed to past, present, and future of their role. Stable-negative (M = 43.6, SD = 13.3), regressive (M = 43.3, SD = 12.7), and present-enhancing (M = 37.4, SD = 13.7) trajectories showed higher levels of burdens than progressive (M = 31.3, SD = 12.3) and/or stable-positive trajectories (M = 26.1, SD = 13.7). Progressive trajectories (M = 38.9, SD = 15.7) were related to more gains than regressive trajectories (M = 28.6, SD = 12.7). Family caregivers’ evaluations of their past, present, and future are not only important separately, but their combination into caregiving trajectories is also relevant. Such trajectories might be relevant when designing interventions to help caregivers reduce their burden levels and increase the benefits ascribed to their experience. The most adaptive trajectory identified was the progressive one, whereas the regressive trajectory was the most dysfunctional.
Erfassung der Handlungskompetenzen von Übungsleitenden
Authors: Strauch Ulrich Georg , Fritsch Julian , Weyland Susanne , Wäsche Hagen , Vorgic Stefani , Jekauc Darko
Published: May 2023

Zusammenfassung: Strauch, Wäsche und Jekauc (2018 ; 2019 ) entwickelten ein Kompetenzmodell, das die drei Handlungskompetenzen Motivations-‍, Adaptations- und Organisationskompetenz der Übungsleitenden als Einflussfaktoren der positiven affektiven Reaktionen in Bewegungsprogrammen postuliert. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, ein Messinstrument zur Erfassung dieser Handlungskompetenzen zu entwickeln und dessen Reliabilität, Konstruktvalidität und kriteriumsbezogene Validität zu untersuchen. Dazu wurden die Studie 1 mit 1 015 Teilnehmenden (48.9 % weiblich) mit einem Durchschnittsalter von 29.8 ( SD = 13.5) Jahren und die Studie 2 mit 240 Teilnehmenden (48.0 % weiblich) mit einem Durchschnittsalter von 25.4 ( SD = 9.3) Jahren durchgeführt. Insgesamt weist der Fragebogen hinreichende Reliabilität und Konstruktvalidität auf. Die kriteriumsbezogene Validität konnte anhand der signifikanten Korrelationen mit der PACES-Skala gezeigt werden. Die Ergebnisse der Studie 1 deuteten auf einen Halo-Effekt hin, bei dem die Beurteilung der Sportkursteilnehmenden von der Sympathie für die Übungsleitenden abhing. Dieser Befund konnte auch in der Studie 2 gezeigt werden.
Searching for the Effects of Momentum in Beach Volleyball
Authors: Lillich Liane , Schweizer Geoffrey , Nießner Marcel
Published: May 2023

Abstract: The goal of the present study was to investigate whether in a beach volleyball game between teams of equally skilled players, a team is more likely to win a three-set match if it has won the second set than if it has won the first one. Furthermore, we analyzed how many games end after two or after three sets. We compared three models making different predictions: the psychological momentum model (PMM), the strategic effects model (SEM), and the independent probability model (IPM). In line with the PMM and the SEM, the results showed that regardless of how strictly we controlled for ability, there were always significantly more two-set than three-set matches (33 – 44 % three-set matches). In line with the SEM, but not the PMM, the analysis of almost 1,000 three-set matches between equally skilled players suggested that in a third set neither the winner of the first nor the winner of the second set has an advantage in the third set.
What Does Equitable Co‐Production Entail? Three Perspectives
Authors: Akerlof K. L. , Timm K. M. F. , Chase A. , Cloyd E. T. , Heath E. , McGhghy B. A. , Bamzai‐Dodson A. , Bogard G. , Carter S. , Garron J. , Gavazzi M. , Kettle N. , Labriole M. , Littell J. S. , Madajewicz M. , Reyes J. , Rivers L. , Sheats J. L. , Simpson C. F. , Toohey R. C.
Published: May 2023

Co‐production practices are increasingly being adopted in research conducted for the purpose of societal impact. However, the ways in which co‐production is conducted can perpetuate long‐standing inequity and inequality. This study investigates which principles of co‐production design are perceived to advance more equitable processes and outcomes based on the experiences of participants in three projects funded by U.S. federal programs that support decision‐relevant climate science, along with others engaged in co‐production efforts. We found three distinct perspectives: (a) Ways of Knowing and Power; (b) Participants and Interactions; and (c) Science as Capacity Building. Each viewpoint differentially weights the salience of statements associated with five dimensions of co‐production practices: (a) outcomes; (b) power; (c) place‐based, community rights and respect; (d) audiences and participation; and (e) interactions. In the final stage of the study, we hosted a workshop of participants representing various roles in co‐production efforts to vet and discuss each perspective. We found that the perspectives remained distinct after each of the groups selected core statements that reflect their views. The degree of variation across the three perspectives suggests that co‐production processes would benefit from an initial discussion of, and decisions about, rules of engagement to ensure that participants view the process as equitable.
Direct and Indirect Drivers of Energy and Nutrient Availability in Freshwater Ecosystems Across Spatial Scales
Authors: Fazekas Hannah M. , Brun Julien , Wymore Adam S.
Published: May 2023

Freshwater ecosystems reflect the landscapes in which they are embedded. The biogeochemistry of these systems is fundamentally linked to climate and watershed processes that control fluxes of water and the mobilization of energy and nutrients imprinting as variation in stream water chemistry. Disentangling these processes is difficult as they operate at multiple scales varying across space. We examined the relative importance of climate, soil, and watershed characteristics in mediating direct and indirect pathways that influence carbon and nitrogen availability in streams and rivers across spatial scales. Our data set comprised landscape and climatic variables and 37,995 chemistry measurements of carbon and nitrogen across 459 streams and rivers spanning the continental United States. Models explained a small fraction of carbon and nitrogen concentrations at the continental scale (25% and 6%, respectively) but 61% and 40%, respectively, at smaller spatial scales. Hydrometeorological processes were always important in mediating the availability of solutes but the mechanistic implications were variable across spatial scales. The influence of hydrometeorology on concentrations was often not direct, rather it was mediated by soil characteristics for carbon and watershed characteristics for nitrogen. For example, the seasonality of precipitation was often important in determining carbon concentrations through its influence on soil moisture at biogeoclimatic spatial scales, whereas it had a direct influence on concentrations at the continental scale. Our results suggest that hydrometeorological forcing remains the consistent driver of energy and nutrient concentrations but the mechanism influencing patterns varies across broad spatial scales.