bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Technical Note—An Approximate Dynamic Programming Approach to the Incremental Knapsack Problem
Authors: Aouad Ali , Segev Danny
Published: June 2022

Integer packing problems have traditionally been some of the most fundamental and well-studied computational questions in discrete optimization. The paper by Aouad and Segev studies the incremental knapsack problem, where one wishes to sequentially pack items into a knapsack whose capacity expands over a finite planning horizon, with the objective of maximizing time-averaged profits. Although various approximation algorithms were developed under mitigating structural assumptions, obtaining nontrivial performance guarantees for this problem in its utmost generality has remained an open question thus far. The authors devise the first polynomial-time approximation scheme for general instances of the incremental knapsack problem, which is the strongest guarantee possible given existing hardness results. Their approach synthesizes various techniques related to approximate dynamic programming, including problem decompositions, counting arguments, and efficient rounding methods, which may be of broader interest.
A Prescriptive Machine Learning Method for Courier Scheduling on Crowdsourced Delivery Platforms
Authors: Behrendt Adam , Savelsbergh Martin , Wang He
Published: June 2022

Crowdsourced delivery platforms face the unique challenge of meeting dynamic customer demand using couriers not employed by the platform. As a result, the delivery capacity of the platform is uncertain. To reduce the uncertainty, the platform can offer a reward to couriers that agree to be available to make deliveries for a specified period of time, that is, to become scheduled couriers. We consider a scheduling problem that arises in such an environment, that is, in which a mix of scheduled and ad hoc couriers serves dynamically arriving pickup and delivery orders. The platform seeks a set of shifts for scheduled couriers so as to minimize total courier payments and penalty costs for expired orders. We present a prescriptive machine learning method that combines simulation optimization for off-line training and a neural network for online solution prescription. In computational experiments using real-world data provided by a crowdsourced delivery platform, our prescriptive machine learning method achieves solution quality that is within 0.2%–1.9% of a bespoke sample average approximation method while being several orders of magnitude faster in terms of online solution generation.

History: This paper has been accepted for the Transportation Science Special Issue on Emerging Topics in Transportation Science and Logistics.

Funding: This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation [Grant 2145661].
The safeguarding delusion: sex work and policing in Wales
Authors: Hanks Sam
Published: June 2022

This article explores the extent to which sex workers’ accounts of living and working in Wales are compatible with the discourses of wellbeing, vulnerability and safeguarding that are increasingly utilised by governments and police forces to frame their interactions with sex work. In revealing a disjuncture between the declared aims of state-based institutions and sex workers’ ongoing experiences of repression and abandonment, the article challenges claims that a more enlightened and transformative approach to sex work is being realised in the UK as a product of updated policing guidance and Welsh legislative change. By drawing on data collected through a series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests distributed to police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service, in addition to interviews with sex workers, massage-parlour managers, local authority, police and third-sector workers, a critical discourse analysis seeks to demonstrate two conflicting realities of the function of the state’s interaction with sex work. On the one hand, FOI data reveal low rates of arrests and charges for prostitution-related offences in Wales, in line with National Police Chiefs’ Council guidance (NPCC, 2015; 2019) that disincentivises their enforcement. But sex workers’ accounts reveal how policing conducted under the guise of welfare, safeguarding, and vulnerability supplement and disguise, rather than replace, increasingly discredited enforcement techniques. Furthermore, the findings reveal how the move away from enforcing prostitution offences does nothing to prevent sex workers from being subjected to policing by virtue of other ‘at risk’ or ‘deviant’ labels imposed on them. It is in this way that the malleability and symbolic power of concepts of safeguarding and vulnerability enable the maintenance of an illusion, whereby oppressive state practices can be recast and presented as enabling progressive and benevolent outcomes for sex workers. The analysis outlines the importance of recognising the function of the front-staging of concepts of vulnerability and safeguarding in enabling the renewal of deviancy control systems, in light of changing social perceptions on how the state should interact with sex workers. In so doing it prompts consideration of the state’s ability to meaningfully address the demands of sex workers, without first recognising and dismantling the multiple structures and processes that undermine their safety and autonomy.
Ultralow-threshold green fluorescent protein laser based on high Q microbubble resonators
Authors: Zhao Shuoying , Li Gaoshang , Peng Xubiao , Ma Jiyang , Yin Zhangqi , Zhao Qing
Published: June 2022

Biological lasers have attracted vast attention because of their potential medical application prospects, especially the low threshold biological laser that can be used for ultrasensitive biological detection while leaving the luminous gain medium undamaged by the pump light. By coupling the low concentration green fluorescent protein (GFP) solution with a high Q whispering gallery mode microbubble resonator, we managed to fabricate a miniature GFP laser with the lowest threshold and highest Q value compared to any known type of the GFP laser. The threshold energy is as low as 380 fJ, two orders of magnitude lower than any type of GFP laser at present. The Q value of the optical cavity in this biological laser is 5.3 × 107, two orders higher than the highest Q value of GFP lasers. We further confirmed the long-term stability of the working characteristics of GFP laser. It can work well nearly a month in temperature 3-4°C. Finally, we measured the effects of different concentrations of fluorescent protein on laser threshold. The data show that this biological laser can be used for highly sensitive detection of GFP concentration, which is particularly useful when the GFP is used as tracers.
Dual electro-optic comb spectroscopy using a single pseudo-randomly driven modulator
Authors: Durán Vicente , Escobar-Vera Camilo , Soriano-Amat Miguel , Martins Hugo F. , Martin-Lopez Sonia , Gonzalez-Herraez Miguel , Fernández-Ruiz María R.
Published: June 2022

We present a dual-comb scheme based on a single intensity modulator driven by inexpensive board-level pseudo-random bit sequence generators. The result is a simplified architecture that exhibits a long mutual coherence time (up to 50 s) with no need of stabilization feedback loops or self-correction algorithms. Unlike approaches that employ ultrafast arbitrary waveform generators, our scheme makes it possible to produce long interferograms in the time domain, reducing the difference in the line spacing of the combs even below the hertz level. In order to check the system accuracy, we report two spectroscopic measurements with a frequency sampling of 140 MHz. All these results are analyzed and discussed to evaluate the potential of our scheme to implement a field-deployable dual-comb generator.
Spatiotemporal observation of higher-order modulation instability in a recirculating fiber loop
Authors: Copie François , Suret Pierre , Randoux Stephane
Published: June 2022

We experimentally investigate higher-order seeded modulation instability in an optical fiber experiment. The recirculating loop configuration with round trip losses compensation enables the observation in single-shot of the spatiotemporal evolution of an initially modulated continuous field revealing intricate yet deterministic dynamics. By tuning the modulation period, a continuous transition between perfectly coherent and purely noise-driven dynamics is observed that we characterize by means of a statistical study.
Brillouin dynamic grating erasure technique for fast all-optical signal processing
Authors: Zhou Dengwang , Li Pengduo , Ba Dexin , Hasi Wuliji , Dong Yongkang
Published: June 2022

Brillouin dynamic grating (BDG) is an attractive storage unit for all-optical signal storage and processing. However, the processing speed of the traditional “write–read” scheme is severely limited by the inter-process interference (IPI) due to the residual BDG. Here, we propose an all-optical “write–read–erase” scheme to avoid the IPI effect, which can effectively eliminate the residual BDG through an erase pulse. In a numerical simulation, for multi-processes to store a 7 × 7-bits Simplex code, each time, the residual BDGs from the former process are erased for the proposed scheme, and the power fluctuation of the retrieved waveform is suppressed within ±10%. In a preliminary experiment, residual BDG erase efficiencies up to 88.5% can be achieved by introducing erase pulses to neglect the IPI effect on the retrieved waveform. Without the IPI effect, all-optical signal processing will availably be speeded up, especially for short on-chip integrated circuits.
Experimental band flip and band closure in guided-mode resonant optical lattices
Authors: Razmjooei Nasrin , Magnusson Robert
Published: June 2022

We demonstrate band flip in one-dimensional dielectric photonic lattices presenting numerical and experimental results. In periodic optical lattices supporting leaky Bloch modes, there exists a second stop band where one band edge experiences radiation loss resulting in guided-mode resonance (GMR), while the other band edge becomes a nonleaky bound state in the continuum (BIC). To illustrate the band flip, band structures for two different lattices are provided by calculating zero-order reflectance with respect to wavelength and incident angle. We then provide three photonic lattices, each with a different fill factor, consisting of photoresist gratings on Si3N4 sublayers with glass substrates. The designs are fabricated using laser interferometric lithography. The lattice parameters are characterized and verified with an atomic force microscope. The band transition under fill-factor variation is accomplished experimentally. The measured data are compared to simulation results and show good agreement.
Fractional Fourier transform based on a temporal gradient-index lens
Authors: Zhou Junhe , Guo Chaoxu , Wang Ruichen
Published: June 2022

In this paper, an approach to realize all optical fractional Fourier transform through a high-nonlinear fiber and an optical pump is discussed. Based on a gradient index (GRIN) time lens which is realized through cross-phase modulation by a temporal quadratic pump pulse, it is possible to achieve all optical fractional Fourier transform. The order of the fractional Fourier transform varies along the fiber propagation distance. In a fixed fiber, it can be adjusted by simply changing the peak power of the pump pulse.
Dual-parameter detection with an open-loop dual-core plasmonic optical fiber sensor
Authors: Xiao Gongli , Wang Bowen , Yang Hongyan , Ou Zetao , Su Jiapeng , Cheng Jiayu , Li Haiou , Liu Xingpeng , Wangyang Peihua
Published: June 2022

The present article proposes an open-loop dual-core plasmonic optical fiber sensor for dual-parameter detection. For the first time, a graphene-TiO2-gold composite structure was used in an open-loop channel of D-type, and a two-parameter detection was produced using a PDMS-Au temperature sensing channel. The sensing mechanism is based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) interaction between the photonic crystal fiber core and the metal layer. The analytical approach is complete vector finite element analysis. The coupling loss, resonant peak, sensitivity, and other performance factors are analyzed. According to analogy and simulation analysis, the sensor has a maximum wavelength sensitivity of 27794.37 nm / RIU when the refractive index of the measured area is 1.31∼1.42, and maximum temperature sensitivity of 10.50 nm /°C in the range of 10 °C to 40 °C.
Non-orthogonal PS-OOK transmission for FSO communications
Authors: Hong Y. Q.
Published: June 2022

This paper proposes a non-orthogonal polarization shift on-off keying (NOPS-OOK) transmission for free-space optical (FSO) communication. At the transmitter end, NOPS-OOK signal is modulated with the non-orthogonal polarizations of bits ‘1’ and ‘0’ characteristics employing a single Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM). At the receiver end, NOPS-OOK signal is detected using the cascaded polarization-insensitive and gain saturated semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and sloped-linear polarizer (SLP) with the polarization perpendicular to bit ‘0.’ The proposed technique is verified in experiments. The experimental results showed that the bit-error-rate (BER) performance of the proposed technique was close to the orthogonal polarization shift OOK (OPS-OOK) signal transmission.
Self-healing of multipartite entanglement in optical quantum networks
Authors: Wang Xutong , Fu Jing , Liu Shengshuai , Wei Yao , Jing Jietai
Published: June 2022

Multipartite entanglement serves as an essential resource for constructing quantum networks and makes it possible to realize multi-user quantum information protocols outperforming their classical counterparts. Unfortunately, multipartite entanglement is fragile when distributed in complex environments. Therefore, it is urgent to address the issue of multipartite entanglement decoherence caused by complex environments. Here we demonstrate the self-healing of multipartite continuous-variable (CV) entanglement after an obstruction. In our experiment, the tripartite entanglement destroyed by the obstruction-introduced noise and loss can self-heal after free-space propagation of a certain distance due to the self-healing property of a Bessel–Gaussian (BG) beam. We show that the BG beam provides a more robust mode basis for free-space CV quantum entanglement distribution than the widely used fundamental Gaussian beam under similar conditions. In addition, we also demonstrate the self-healing of five sets of tripartite entanglement and 10 sets of bipartite entanglement in orbital-angular-momentum-multiplexed optical quantum networks. Our results pave the way for constructing obstruction-tolerant high-capacity CV optical quantum networks.
Toward high-bandwidth yellow-green micro-LEDs utilizing nanoporous distributed Bragg reflectors for visible light communication
Authors: Huang Wei-Ta , Peng Chun-Yen , Chiang Hsin , Huang Yu-Ming , Singh Konthoujam James , Lee Wei-Bin , Chow Chi-Wai , Chen Shih-Chen , Kuo Hao-Chung
Published: June 2022

In this study, high

−
3
  
dB

bandwidth yellow-green InGaN/GaN micro-LEDs grown on polar c-plane GaN substrates are realized by using nanoporous distributed Bragg reflectors, which can increase light extraction efficiency and serve as strain-relaxed buffers to mitigate the quantum-confined Stark effect, resulting in improved external quantum efficiency. Moreover, atomic layer deposition technology is introduced for surface defect passivation, thereby reducing the leakage current. As a result, the device exhibits the highest

−
3
  
dB

bandwidth up to 442 MHz and a data transmission rate of 800 Mbit/s at a current density of

2.5
  
kA
/

cm

2

with on–off keying modulation, and holds great promise for future high-speed visible light communication applications.
Regulation of HLA class I expression by non-coding gene variations
Authors: Bettens Florence , Ongen Halit , Rey Guillaume , Buhler Stéphane , Calderin Sollet Zuleika , Dermitzakis Emmanouil , Villard Jean
Published: June 2022

The Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) is a critical genetic system for different outcomes after solid organ and hematopoietic cell transplantation. Its polymorphism is usually determined by molecular technologies at the DNA level. A potential role of HLA allelic expression remains under investigation in the context of the allogenic immune response between donors and recipients. In this study, we quantified the allelic expression of all three HLA class I loci (HLA-A, B and C) by RNA sequencing and conducted an analysis of expression quantitative traits loci (eQTL) to investigate whether HLA expression regulation could be associated with non-coding gene variations. HLA-B alleles exhibited the highest expression levels followed by HLA-C and HLA-A alleles. The max fold expression variation was observed for HLA-C alleles. The expression of HLA class I loci of distinct individuals demonstrated a coordinated and paired expression of both alleles of the same locus. Expression of conserved HLA-A~B~C haplotypes differed in distinct PBMC’s suggesting an individual regulated expression of both HLA class I alleles and haplotypes. Cytokines TNFα /IFNβ, which induced a very similar upregulation of HLA class I RNA and cell surface expression across alleles did not modify the individually coordinated expression at the three HLA class I loci. By identifying cis eQTLs for the HLA class I genes, we show that the non-coding eQTLs explain 29%, 13%, and 31% of the respective HLA-A, B, C expression variance in unstimulated cells, and 9%, 23%, and 50% of the variance in cytokine-stimulated cells. The eQTLs have significantly higher effect sizes in stimulated cells compared to unstimulated cells for HLA-B and HLA-C genes expression. Our data also suggest that the identified eQTLs are independent from the coding variation which defines HLA alleles and thus may be influential on intra-allele expression variability although they might not represent the causal eQTLs.
A blank check or a global public good? A qualitative study of how ethics review committee members in Colombia weigh the risks and benefits of broad consent for data and sample sharing during a pandemic
Authors: Miranda Montoya María Consuelo , Bravo Chamorro Jackeline , Leegstra Luz Marina , Duque Ortiz Deyanira , Maxwell Lauren
Published: June 2022

Broad consent for future use facilitates the reuse of participant-level data and samples, which can conserve limited resources by confirming research findings and facilitate the development and evaluation of public health and clinical advances. Ethics review committees (ERCs) have to balance different stakeholder concerns when evaluating the risks and benefits associated with broad consent for future use. In this qualitative study, we evaluated ERC members’ concerns about different aspects of broad consent, including appropriate governance, community engagement, evaluation of risks and benefits, and communication of broad consent for future use in Colombia, which does not currently have national guidance related to broad consent for future use. We conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 24 ERC members from nine Colombian ERCs. We used thematic analysis to explore ERC members’ concerns related to broad consent for future use. Most ERC members expressed concern about the idea of not specifying the purposes for which data would be used and by whom and suggested that pre-specifying governance procedures and structure would address some of their concerns about broad consent. ERC members emphasized the need for engaging communities and ensuring research participants understood broad consent for future use-related language in informed consent forms. Researchers and research institutions are under increasing pressure to share public health-related data. ERC members play a central role in balancing the priorities of different stakeholders and maintaining their community’s trust in public health research. Further work is needed on guidelines for developing language around broad consent, evaluating community preferences related to data sharing, and developing standards for describing governance for data or sample sharing in the research protocol to address ERC members’ concerns around broad consent for future use.
Does a school-based intervention to engage parents change opportunity for handwashing with soap at home? Practical experience from the Mikono Safi trial in Northwestern Tanzania
Authors: Sedekia Yovitha , Kapiga Saidi , Mcharo Onike , Makata Kenneth , Torondel Belen , Dreibelbis Robert , Okello Elialilia
Published: June 2022

Background

School-based de-worming is advocated as a strategy for reducing the burden of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections among children. However, re-infection tends to occur rapidly, suggesting that comprehensive water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) improvements may be needed to prevent this. We qualitatively assessed the influence of parental engagement activities on parents’ motivation to improve WASH infrastructure and hygiene practices at home in the context of a school-based de-worming programme.

Methodology

We conducted a longitudinal qualitative study nested within the Mikono Safi trial, designed to assess the effect of a WASH intervention on STH infection prevalence in children. Meetings were organized for parents/guardians at schools where they were given information about STH infection, the role of WASH in STH infection prevention, and actionable steps they could take at home. During the meetings, parents/guardians received information about their own child’s STH infection status. Twenty purposively selected households were visited and interviewed 3 times over a period of about 8-months. We employed thematic analysis; findings are reported following the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation and Behaviour (COM-B) framework.

Principal findings

The engagement strategy improved parents’/guardians’ knowledge and skills about handwashing with soap and its benefits. Parents/guardians reported that the sessions had motivated them to improve WASH infrastructure at home. Of 20 households included in this study, 17 renovated or built new latrines and 18 installed handwashing facilities. However, only 8 households established and maintained handwashing stations with both soap and water at 8 months.

Conclusions

The engagement of parents/guardians in a school-based WASH education intervention as part of the Mikono Safi trial resulted in increased knowledge and motivation about handwashing and sanitation. This led to improvements in sanitation facilities and handwashing opportunities at home. However, long-term success in provision of water and soap was limited, indicating that sustained engagement may be required to encourage households to ensure these materials are consistently available at home.
A convenient online desalination tube coupled with mass spectrometry for the direct detection of iodinated contrast media in untreated human spent hemodialysates
Authors: Nabi Md. Mahamodun , Sakamoto Takumi , Mamun Md. Al , Islam Ariful , Waliullah A. S. M. , Aramaki Shuhei , Hasan Md. Mahmudul , Ema Shingo , Kato Akihiko , Takahashi Yutaka , Kahyo Tomoaki , Setou Mitsutoshi , Sato Tomohito
Published: June 2022

Background

Mass spectrometry (MS) analysis using direct infusion of biological fluids is often problematic due to high salts/buffers. Iodinated contrast media (ICM) are frequently used for diagnostic imaging purposes, sometimes inducing acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with reduced kidney function. Therefore, detection of ICM in spent hemodialysates is important for AKI patients who require urgent continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF) because it allows noninvasive assessment of the patient’s treatment. In this study, we used a novel desalination tube before MS to inject the sample directly and detect ICM.

Methods

Firstly, spent hemodialysates of one patient were injected directly into the electrospray ionization (ESI) source equipped with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (Q-TOF MS) coupled to an online desalination tube for the detection of ICM and other metabolites. Thereafter, spent hemodialysates of two patients were injected directly into the ESI source equipped with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (TQ-MS) connected to that online desalination tube to confirm the detection of ICM.

Results

We detected iohexol (an ICM) from untreated spent hemodialysates of the patient-administered iohexol for computed tomography using Q-TOF MS. Using MRM profile analysis, we have confirmed the detection of ICM in the untreated spent hemodialysates of the patients administered for coronary angiography before starting CHDF. Using the desalination tube, we observed approximately 178 times higher signal intensity and 8 times improved signal-to-noise ratio for ioversol (an ICM) compared to data obtained without the desalination tube. This system was capable of tracking the changes of ioversol in spent hemodialysates of AKI patients by measuring spent hemodialysates.

Conclusion

The online desalination tube coupled with MS showed the capability of detecting iohexol and ioversol in spent hemodialysates without additional sample preparation or chromatographic separation. This approach also demonstrated the capacity to monitor the ioversol changes in patients’ spent hemodialysates.
Ex-military personnel’s experiences of loneliness and social isolation from discharge, through transition, to the present day
Authors: Guthrie-Gower Suzanne , Wilson-Menzfeld Gemma
Published: June 2022

Objectives

This study aimed to examine the unique factors of loneliness and social isolation within the ex-military population from discharge, through transition, to the present day.

Design

A qualitative, Phenomenological approach was adopted.

Methods

In-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with 11 participants who had all served in the British Armed Forces and represented all three military services (Royal Navy; Army; Royal Air Force). Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the data.

Results

Three themes were generated—a sense of loss; difficulty in connecting in civilian life; and seeking out familiarity. The findings of this study were examined through the lenses of the Social Needs Approach and the Cognitive Discrepancy Model.

Conclusions

Individuals developed close bonds in the military through meaningful and prolonged contact, reducing feelings of loneliness and social isolation during their time in service. The sense of belonging was key to social connection, but transition out of the military severed existing relationships, and a lack of belonging hindered the development of relationships within the civilian community. This study has implications for service provision relating to ex-military personnel and future service leavers.
Estructuración de la personalidad en niños y niñas abandonados por sus progenitores
Authors: Acuña Bermúdez Edgar Alfonso
Published: June 2022

La presente investigación, expone cómo la ausencia de ambos padres afecta la estructuración de la personalidad en los niños y niñas que vivencian el abandono, tomando como aporte lo planteado por la teoría sistémica frente a la familia, la cual la considera como el primer ente de contacto y el espacio en que se inicia el desarrollo psicológico y social de las personas, igualmente lo planteado por la teoría psicoanalítica en cuanto a la estructuración de la personalidad. La familia es considerada como una pieza fundamental en el desarrollo psicológico del niño, por lo tanto la presencia de ambos padres cumple un papel significativo durante el crecimiento, no solamente físico, si no también psicológico. El objetivo principal de esta investigación fue analizar cómo se está estructurando la personalidad en los niños y niñas abandonados por sus progenitores. Se destacan los principales mecanismos intrapsíquicos de defensa del Yo y la manera en que se está estructurando el aparato psíquico. La investigación se ajusta al método cualitativo. Se contó con la participación de 6 sujetos; niños y niñas, cuyas edades oscilaron entre los 9 y 11 años de edad, los participantes formaban parte del ICBF (instituto Colombiano de bienestar familiar). Se aplicó en total dos pruebas proyectivas a cada uno de los participantes, estas pruebas fueron el CAT (test de apercepción temática para niños), y el test del dibujo de la familia, a su vez se realizó entrevistas abiertas semiestructuradas, estudio de caso, historia clínica y observaciones personalizadas
Programa de Enriquecimento Instrumental (PEI) básico em crianças com TDAH e Dislexia
Authors: Nico Nico Maria Angela , Seabra Seabra Alessandra , Gomes Gomes Cristiano M.A , Ricci Karen
Published: June 2022

Testes de eficácia do Programa de Enriquecimento Instrumental (PEI), versão básica, sobre inteligibilidade, processamento visoespacial e flexibilidade cognitiva. Como essas habilidades podem estar comprometidas em distúrbios neurológicos, como TDAH e dislexia, sua eficácia foi investigada em 22 crianças. Ou o grupo experimental (GE) foi comparado ou controlado por testes neuropsicológicos, com 26 sessões intervencionistas. Uma interação entre ou grupo nenhum momento e como diferenças de desempenho entre os dois nos analisaram momentos. Essa comparação revela o principal interesse das tarefas de flexibilidade cognitiva com um grande tamanho de efeito; em oito medidas com efeito moderado tamanho (incluindo medidas de inteligência,visospatial processamento e funções executivas) e em 13 medidas com tamanho de efeito pequeno. Ou grupo de controle apresentou maior ganho apenas em consulta. Conclui-se que o IPE básico mostra principalmente os efeitos da flexibilidade cognitiva em crianças com TDAH e dislexia.
Refusing the God Trick: Engaging Black Women’s Knowledge
Authors: Harrison Faye
Published: June 2022

Drawing on African diasporic, feminist, and decolonial streams of thought, this essay addresses gendered and racialized biases, gaps, and silences that depreciate Black women’s epistemological agency. The essay examines the significance of a proliferation of recent publications, including translations, that are bringing the intellectual contributions of Black women in the Americas to new audiences. This growing trend, which resonates with the objectives of #CiteBlackWomen, forms an integral part of a more comprehensive project seeking to reconstitute knowledge under conditions that break away from the prevailing cognitive empire. The Western cultural narratives, myths, and sleights of hand buttressing this regime inflict an epistemological violence that harms Black women.
Citing Black Women: From Citational Refusal to Recognition
Authors: Makhulu Anne-Maria
Published: June 2022

This essay addresses the tension between Northern Hemispheric intellectual assumptions and anthropology’s ostensibly critical stance within that intellectual tradition, one. Two, extending beyond the contradictions of the discipline’s origins in colonial encounter to address the place of Black women anthropologists caught between “the Here and the Elsewhere” (Trouillot 1995), “Citing Black Women” argues for working through the problem of canonical disciplinary knowledge formation by prioritizing a Black feminist approach to a new decolonial anthropology.
Existence of normalized solutions for the coupled elliptic system with quadratic nonlinearity
Authors: Wang Jun , Wang Xuan , Wei Song
Published: June 2022

In the present paper, we study the existence of the normalized solutions for the following coupled elliptic system with quadratic nonlinearity

−
Δ
u
−

λ

1

u
=

μ

1

∣
u
∣
u
+
β
u
v

in

R

N

,

−
Δ
v
−

λ

2

v
=

μ

2

∣
v
∣
v
+

β

2

u

2

in

R

N

,

\left\{\begin{array}{ll}-\Delta u-{\lambda }_{1}u={\mu }_{1}| u| u+\beta uv\hspace{1.0em}& \hspace{0.1em}\text{in}\hspace{0.1em}\hspace{0.33em}{{\mathbb{R}}}^{N},\\ -\Delta v-{\lambda }_{2}v={\mu }_{2}| v| v+\frac{\beta }{2}{u}^{2}\hspace{1.0em}& \hspace{0.1em}\text{in}\hspace{0.1em}\hspace{0.33em}{{\mathbb{R}}}^{N},\end{array}\right.

where

u
,
v

u,v

satisfying the additional condition

∫

R

N

u

2

d
x
=

a

1

,

∫

R

N

v

2

d
x
=

a

2

.

\mathop{\int }\limits_{{{\mathbb{R}}}^{N}}{u}^{2}{\rm{d}}x={a}_{1},\hspace{1em}\mathop{\int }\limits_{{{\mathbb{R}}}^{N}}{v}^{2}{\rm{d}}x={a}_{2}.

On the one hand, we prove the existence of minimizer for the system with

L

2

{L}^{2}

-subcritical growth (

N
≤
3

N\le 3

). On the other hand, we prove the existence results for different ranges of the coupling parameter

β
>
0

\beta \gt 0

with

L

2

{L}^{2}

-supercritical growth (

N
=
5

N=5

). Our argument is based on the rearrangement techniques and the minimax construction.
Automatic sleep scoring with LSTM networks: impact of time granularity and input signals
Authors: Tăuțan Alexandra-Maria , Rossi Alessandro C. , Ionescu Bogdan
Published: June 2022

Supervised automatic sleep scoring algorithms are usually trained using sleep stage labels manually annotated on 30 s epochs of PSG data. In this study, we investigate the impact of using shorter epochs with various PSG input signals for training and testing a Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) neural network. An LSTM model is evaluated on the provided 30 s epoch sleep stage labels from a publicly available dataset, as well as on 10 s subdivisions. Additionally, three independent scorers re-labeled a subset of the dataset on shorter time windows. The automatic sleep scoring experiments were repeated on the re-annotated subset.The highest performance is achieved on features extracted from 30 s epochs of a single channel frontal EEG. The resulting accuracy, precision and recall were of 92.22%, 67.58% and 66.00% respectively. When using a shorter epoch as input, the performance decreased by approximately 20%. Re-annotating a subset of the dataset on shorter time epochs did not improve the results and further altered the sleep stage detection performance. Our results show that our feature-based LSTM classification algorithm performs better on 30 s PSG epochs when compared to 10 s epochs used as input. Future work could be oriented to determining whether varying the epoch size improves classification outcomes for different types of classification algorithms.
Predictors of abdominal pain severity in patients with constipation-prevalent irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Rurgo Sara , Vaino Viviana , Andreozzi Marta , Pagliaro Marta , Senneca Piera , Di Giorgio Gianmarco , Efficie Eleonora , Sarnelli Giovanni , Pesce Marcella
Published: June 2022

Background

Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have been associated to altered colonic motility and sensation. Smoking affects pain perception and is a risk factor in the development of post-infectious IBS, but its effect on abdominal pain and colonic transit remains to be elucidated in IBS.

Methods

Forty patients with IBS-C and 28 with IBS-M were selected based on Rome IV criteria. Colonic transit time was studied and smoking habit was recorded. Presence of mild or severe abdominal pain and the prevalent pain characteristics (diffuse or localized, chronic or acute, with cramps or gradually distending) were recorded. Data were analyzed by univariate and stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis to verify the risk association between pain and all other variables.

Results

IBS-C patients had a longer transit time in the right colon and scored more chronic pain than IBS-M patients. When severity of abdominal pain was used as discriminating factor, a significant number of subjects reporting severe pain were males and smokers (16/30 vs. 4/38 and 20/30 vs. 4/38, both ƿ<0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that smoking was an independent factor associated with severe abdominal pain (OR 14.3, CI 2–99, p=0.007). Smoking was not associated with colonic transit times and colonic transit was not associated with IBS symptoms’ severity (both ƿ=N.S.)

Conclusions

Smoking was the only factor independently associated with severe abdominal pain. As smoking does not seem to affect colonic transit time, we suggest that smoking may influence visceral perception and symptoms severity in IBS patients.
Primary hyperparathyroidism, a machine learning approach to identify multiglandular disease in patients with a single adenoma found at preoperative Sestamibi-SPECT/CT
Authors: Sandqvist Patricia , Sundin Anders , Nilsson Inga-Lena , Grybäck Per , Sanchez-Crespo Alejandro
Published: June 2022

Objective

Successful preoperative image localisation of all parathyroid adenomas (PTA) in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) and multiglandular disease (MGD) remains challenging. We investigate whether a machine learning classifier (MLC) could predict the presence of overlooked PTA at preoperative localisation with 99mTc-Sestamibi-SPECT/CT in MGD patients.

Design

This study is a retrospective study from a single tertiary referral hospital initially including 349 patients with biochemically confirmed pHPT and cured after surgical parathyroidectomy.

Methods

A classification ensemble of decision trees with Bayesian hyperparameter optimisation and five-fold cross-validation was trained with six predictor variables: the preoperative plasma concentrations of parathyroid hormone, total calcium and thyroid-stimulating hormone, the serum concentration of ionised calcium, the 24-h urine calcium and the histopathological weight of the localised PTA at imaging. Two response classes were defined: patients with single-gland disease (SGD) correctly localised at imaging and MGD patients in whom only one PTA was localised on imaging. The data set was split into 70% for training and 30% for testing. The MLC was also tested on a subset of the original data based on CT image-derived PTA weights.

Results

The MLC achieved an overall accuracy at validation of 90% with an area under the cross-validation receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.9. On test data, the MLC reached a 72% true-positive prediction rate for MGD patients and a misclassification rate of 6% for SGD patients. Similar results were obtained in the testing set with image-derived PTA weight.

Conclusions

Artificial intelligence can aid in identifying patients with MGD for whom 99mTc-Sestamibi-SPECT/CT failed to visualise all PTAs.
A probiotic mix partially protects against castration-induced bone loss in male mice
Authors: Lawenius Lina , Colldén Hannah , Horkeby Karin , Wu Jianyao , Grahnemo Louise , Vandenput Liesbeth , Ohlsson Claes , Sjögren Klara
Published: June 2022

Studies in postmenopausal women and ovariectomized mice show that the probiotic mix Lacticaseibacillus paracasei DSM13434, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DSM 15312 and DSM 15313 (L. Mix) can protect from bone loss caused by sex steroid deficiency. Whether probiotic bacteria can protect bone also in sex steroid-deficient males is less studied. We used the orchiectomized mouse as a model for age-dependent bone loss caused by decreasing sex hormone levels in males. We treated 10-week-old male mice with either vehicle (veh) or L. Mix for 6 weeks, starting 2 weeks before orchiectomy (orx) or sham surgery. Importantly, mice treated with L. Mix had a general increase in total body bone mineral density (BMD) and lean mass (P ≤ 0.05) compared with veh-treated mice. Detailed computer tomography analysis of dissected bones showed increased trabecular BMD of the distal metaphyseal region of the femur in L. Mix compared to veh-treated orx mice (+8.0%, P ≤ 0.05). In the vertebra, L. Mix treatment increased trabecular bone volume fraction BV/TV (+11.5%, P ≤ 0.05) compared to veh in orx mice. Also, L. Mix increased the levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as propionate and acetate and important intermediates in SCFA synthesis such as succinate and lactate in the cecal content of male mice. In conclusion, L. Mix treatment resulted in a general increase in BMD in adult male mice and prevented trabecular bone loss in femur and vertebra of orx mice. These bone protective effects of L. Mix were associated with increased levels of SCFAs in the cecal content of male mice.
Influence of Particle Size and Temperature on Methane Production From Fique’s Bagasse
Authors: Castro Molano Liliana Del Pilar , Guzmán Luna Carolina , Escalante Hernández Humberto
Published: June 2022

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of particle size of fique`s bagasse (FB) on anaerobic biodegradation and biogas production, by means of co-digestion of this lignocellulosic substrate using both bovine ruminal fluid and pig manure as inoculums. Anaerobic reactors were incubated by 8 days. Reducing sugar, Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA) and methane productions were measured using three different bagasse particle diameter; 5 mm (bagasse´s natural size), 2.36 mm and 0.85 mm. Reduction of bagasse particle size increased reducing sugars formation and improved substrate mass transfer to microbial inoculums. At minor particle size it was favored hydrolytic step and VFA production. Natural particle sizes of bagasse were more difficult to biodegrade than lower ones. In this sense, methane concentration was increased 19% when 0.8 mm particle size was used. Anaerobic fermentation processes were carried out at 25°C and 39°C. Methane production at 25°C, show that these microbial consortia are able to resist temperature changes and transform all products on anaerobic digestion process.
Evaluation of operating and mixing conditions of a polymer dispersion co-vinyl acetate and ester acrylic to obtain recovered leather
Authors: Cañas Rojas Danny Guillermo , Álvarez Cifuentes Mario , Díaz Rodríguez Jorge Guillermo
Published: June 2022

This paper presents the development of an experimental design that evaluated the operating conditions of the process to obtain binded recovered leather sheets. Preliminary tests were performed to obtain the material, and to select the process variables that affected the most the bonded leather sheet final properties. Then, an experimental design type 2k was run, where k = 4 variables corresponding to the percentage by weight of water mass ratio of binder leather, pressure, and curing temperature. The obtained material was characterized by tensile test, percentage compressibility, tear strength, and water absorption percentage. The result showed that the main factors that optimize the response variables in the levels studied were: the curing temperature in the low value and the amount of binder in the high level, whereas for the water absorption rate was also significant amount of water added during the process. The properties of the material obtained were compared to commercial shoe insoles and the results were superior on: tear resistance, compressibility and percentage rate of water absorption. Finally, it was concluded that through the implementation of the recycling process suggested, recovered leather sheets properties would allow industrial application
“Please Read”: Correspondence on Race in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Rhodd Anthony , Erwin Heather
Published: June 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic bifurcated and disrupted the 2019 and 2020 academic years. Moving forward it seems clear that we will delineate our time in terms of “before the pandemic” and “after the pandemic.” This distinction resonates with faculty and alumni of the University of Iowa’s (UI) Liberal Arts Beyond Bars (LABB) college in prison program for reasons beyond the COVID-19 virus. On March 9, 2020, the Iowa Department of Corrections suspended all in-person volunteer activity and family visits for people incarcerated in the state of Iowa. Additionally, in May of 2020 new leadership was installed at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) prison. Under the prior warden the UI LABB program had access to a computer lab where students could log on to the browser-based University of Iowa Learning Management System (called ICON — Iowa Classes On-Line) and interact with their coursework, faculty, and LABB staff. This system of communication kept us connected, even when we could not be in the same physical space. This personal narrative exchange arises from themes mined from that specific correspondence between the authors from March 10, 2020, the first day after all visitors and volunteers were locked out due to COVID protocols, and August 18, 2020, when the college program’s computer lab was dismantled, and communication severed. Themes within this correspondence speak to the difficulties of communicating from a prison, especially during a global pandemic, as well as to the ways racism manifests in higher education in prison programs. Additional discussions about the challenges of maintaining mental health under the care of prison health providers and during the exacerbation of isolation and tension unique to quarantine are also presented [TRIGGER WARNING – this article contains references to suicide, trauma, and other issues of mental health and wellness.]
Monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of tobacco control legislation for protecting people from tobacco smoke exposure and health consequences of tobacco use. Methodical guidelines
Authors: Gambaryan M. G. , Drapkina O. M. , Kontsevaya A. V. , Popovich M. V. , Salagai O. O.
Published: June 2022

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The significance of enhanced photocatalytic degradation of RhB on the synthesis, characterization, and effects of Ag doped CdS-WO2 Nano composites
Authors: Sathish V , Roshini G , Priyanka E , Manigandan S , Tamilarasi A
Published: June 2022

A simple and sealing agent-free hydrothermal approach was used to fabricate the very modest Ag/CdSWO2 Nano composite in this article. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance (DRS) spectroscopy was used to characterise the synthesized Ag loaded CdS-WO2
Nano composite. Under visible light irradiation (VLI), the photocatalytic activity of synthesized photocatalysts was tested for the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB). pH, catalyst dose, oxidant dose, and irradiation time were the parameters employed to optimise the photocatalyst. A plausible
reaction mechanism for improving Ag/CdS-WO2 photocatalytic activity has been postulated based on this. As a result, we have an inclination to assume that it could be a promising material for photodegradation of organic contaminants in wastewater.
Micromagnetic simulation of vortex core polarity in bi-component magnetic nanodisks
Authors: Bhattacharjee Payal
Published: June 2022

The nucleation and management of the vortex state in magnetic nanostructures has received a lot of interest in recent decades, with potential applications in logic networks and non-volatile magnetic random-access memory. Because of their potential use in magnetic memory, magnetic vortex
structures are of considerable technical importance. Investigation of bi-component magnetic nanodisks as prospective storage systems, in both single and coupled configurations, has been performed, where the information unit is represented by vortex core polarity. The work mainly engages in
magnetic nanodisks of permalloy and iron having a diameter of 200 nm and a thickness of 40 nm. The potential of adjusting the polarity of the vortex core by the application of a magnetic field using micromagnetic simulations has been illustrated. Micromagnetic simulation studies show that
bi-material structures are important not just for fundamental research but also for data storage.