bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
International comparison CCQM-K3.2019 automotive exhaust gases
Authors: Veen Adriaan M H van der , Zalewska Ewelina T , Wijk Janneke I T van , Kobayashi Midori , Akima Dai , Uehara Shinji , Fioravante Andreia L , Augusto Cristiane R , Ribeiro Claudia C , Silva Viviane , Dias Florbela , Botas Alda , Costa Carlos , Lee Joengsoon , Lee Jinbok , Lim Jeongsik , Bae Hyun-Kil , Kang Namgoo , Cecelski Christina E , Harris Kimberly J , Jr Walter R Miller , Carney Jennifer , Tshilongo James , Ntsasa Napo G , Jozela Mudalo I , Leshabane Nompumelelo , Marebane Prelly Mohweledi , Worton David R , Webber Eric B Mussell , Moreno Sergi , Brewer Paul J , Konopelko Leonid A , Kolobova Anna V , Pankratov V V , Efremova Olga V
Published: March 2023

Main text

CCQM-K3.2019 was a repeat of the key comparison CCQM-K3 on the composition of automotive exhaust gases. New in CCQM-K3.2019 was the addition of the amount fraction oxygen to the programme. The key comparison reference values were obtained independently, using static gravimetry and appropriate corrections from purity analysis. The key comparison results show equivalence between the measurement standards maintained by the participating national metrology institutes. The demonstrated equivalence can be used to underpin services related to automotive exhaust gases as well as generically through the flexible scheme ("track A").

To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database https://www.bipm.org/kcdb/.

The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCQM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).
Geometrical effective actions for a partially massless spin-2 field
Authors: Kan Nahomi , Aoyama Takuma , Shiraishi Kiyoshi
Published: March 2023

We consider nonlinear effective actions for a spin-2 field, whose ‘decoupling’ limit gives Fierz–Pauli action in D dimensional maximally symmetric spacetime. We find, especially, the effective action for a partially massless field can take a concise geometrical form. The exact solution for time evolution of the background metric in the model using the effective action is also studied.
From spin foams to area metric dynamics to gravitons
Authors: Dittrich Bianca , Kogios Athanasios
Published: March 2023

Although spin foams arose as quantizations of the length metric degrees of freedom, the quantum configuration space is rather based on areas as more fundamental variables. This is also highlighted by the semi-classical limit of four-dimensional spin foam models, which is described by the Area Regge action. Despite its central importance to spin foams the dynamics encoded by the Area Regge action is only poorly understood, in particular in the continuum limit. We perform here a systematic investigation of the dynamics defined by the Area Regge action on a regular centrally subdivided hypercubical lattice. This choice of lattice avoids many problems of the non-subdivided hypercubical lattice, for which the Area Regge action is singular. The regularity of the lattice allows to extract the continuum limit and its corrections, order by order in the lattice constant. We show that, contrary to widespread expectations which arose from the so-called flatness problem of spin foams, the continuum limit of the Area Regge action does describe to leading order the same graviton dynamics as general relativity. The next-to-leading order correction to the effective action for the length metric is of second order in the lattice constant, and is given by a quadratic term in the Weyl curvature tensor. This correction can be understood to originate from an underlying dynamics of area metrics. This suggests that the continuum limit of spin foam dynamics does lead to massless gravitons, and that the leading order quantum corrections can be understood to emerge from a generalization of the configuration space from length to area metrics.
Maxwell equations with spin density
Authors: Schmidt Heinz-Jürgen , Bröcker Thomas
Published: March 2023

According to the Maxwell equations in its standard form the sources of the magnetic field are electric currents. But modern physics has discovered that another source of the magnetic field of, say, ferromagnets is the spin of unpaired electrons. This source can be described by a spin density
σ
(r, t) that should appear in Maxwell’s equations. One reason why this is usually avoided may be that the spin contribution can be simulated by a suitable current density j(r, t). However, this simulation is only a mathematical manipulation without a physical basis since the origin of an electron spin cannot be understood in terms of the classical picture of rotating electrons considered charged spheres. Therefore we think that it is more appropriate to directly include the spin density as a source in Maxwell’s equations.
Evaluation of characteristics of fast-response pressure-sensitive paint under low-pressure conditions
Authors: Kasai Miku , Nagata Takayuki , Uchida Kazuki , Nonomura Taku , Asai Keisuke , Egami Yasuhiro
Published: March 2023

In this study, fast-response polymer-ceramic pressure-sensitive paints (PC-PSP) were developed and evaluated for pressure measurement under low-pressure conditions. The PC-PSP using poly[1-trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne] (poly(TMSP)), which has high oxygen permeability under low-pressure conditions, was developed in this study. The static and dynamic characteristics of the developed poly(TMSP)-based PC-PSP were evaluated in comparison with those of conventional poly(isobutyl methacrylate) (poly(IBM)) binder and ruthenium-complex-based PC-PSPs, which have been used for pressure measurements under atmospheric pressure conditions. The particle mass content of titanium dioxide of PC-PSPs with poly(TMSP) was changed from 90 wt% to 98 wt% to increase the frequency response. The critical pigment volume concentration, so called CPVC, of the PC-PSP with poly(TMSP) and hydrophobic particles and hydrophilic particles were 95–98 wt% and 90–95 wt%, respectively. The PC-PSP using hydrophilic particles with poly(TMSP) and a particle mass content of 98 wt% could provide a cut-off frequency of approximately 4.5 kHz and a high local Stern–Volmer coefficient of 0.5 at low pressure of 2 kPa.
Structural, electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of a novel double perovskite Ba2GdRuO6
Authors: Guenez Wafa , Boudiba Sameh , Chemam Faïçal
Published: March 2023

The highly successful generalized gradient approximations PBE-GGA and GGA+U were employed to study in addition to the crystal structure, the electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of the double perovskite material noted Ba
2
GdRuO
6. For this purpose, the use of first principle calculation, which is considered a significant tool to investigate the properties of this kind of materials, could provide a better understanding of their possible potential applications. The stability of this new material of cubic form is validated by optimizing its structure, and tolerance factor. The electronic structure of Ba
2
GdRuO
6 shows its semiconductor behavior, which provides band gaps energy values of 1.024 eV and 1.316 eV for both GGA and GGA+U approximations, respectively. The antiferromagnetic phase originated from the strong magnetization between the Gd-4f and Ru-4d orbitals producing a magnetic moment equal to 3.99μ

B
. Furthermore, its optical properties exhibit a high optical conductivity of 105(Ω. cm)−1, an ideal band gap energy, high dielectric constants, and a strong light absorption coefficient in the visible and UV electromagnetic spectrum, making this newly designed material a promising candidate for high optoelectronic performance perovskite solar cells.
Effect of ultrathin layer of MoS2 on resonance mode coupling and hybridization of AlGaAs nanoscale Mie-resonator: a simulation study
Authors: Das Gour Mohan , Govindan V
Published: March 2023

light–matter interactions, specifically the interaction between Mie resonance modes originated from all-dielectric nano-resonators and exciton modes from the semiconducting transition metal di-chalcogenides (TMDCs) recently become an important field of study due to its application in nanophotonic devices and quantum information processing. Here, we performed finite element method (FEM) based numerical simulations on isolated Al
x
Ga(1-x)As (x: alloy composition) core - MoS2 ultrathin nanoshell, to study the interaction between Optical Mie resonance modes and exciton modes. The interaction between magnetic dipole (MD) modes originated from the Mie-active dielectric core and excitonic response from the thin semiconductor nano-shell takes place and appears as resonance mode coupling and hybridization in the scattering efficiency spectra. The resultant spectrum was elucidated using a semi-classical coupled mode theoretical model (CMT) and the coupling constant value was estimated, followed by the evaluation of anti-crossing spectral behavior and Rabi splitting. Furthermore, we found that all the properties of the spectrum or the resonance coupling are sensitive to the core radius, alloy composition of the core, shell thickness, and the refractive index of the surrounding medium. By systematically tailoring these parameters, one can tune the quenching dip or line width of the resonance modes. The insights from these simulations not only provided the basis for fundamental research on strong nanoscale light–matter interaction but will also be quite beneficial in fabricating high-efficiency optoelectronic and smart nanophotonic devices related to photon-exciton interactions.
Thermal efficiency of flat plate solar collector with TiO2-based nanofluid: synergistic effect of size and facet orientation
Authors: Darbandi Masih , Ziaee Zahra Valizadeh , Ahmadlouydarab Majid
Published: March 2023

A solar collector is an important device for collecting and converting solar energy into thermal energy. It can be synchronized to work in combination with different power sources to provide stable and continuous power. In this study, TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) with control on the size and the exposed facet orientation were prepared through a fluorine-free solvothermal synthesis process. The as-synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed using XRD and TEM techniques. The effect of size (about 6 and 17 nm) and facet orientation ([001] and [101]) for TiO2 NPs as nanofluid on the performance of the solar collector was investigated experimentally. In the experimental solar collector setup, the highest absorption efficiency was 71.75% for TiO2 NPs with the mixed effects of size and facet orientation, whereas the absorption efficiency was 71.37% for commercially available P25 NPs. Most importantly, the combination of the size and facet orientation effect led to a positive synergy effect. The obtained results represent that the performance of the solar collector was severely affected by the size and facet orientation of the NPs.
Image encryption algorithm based on 1D-SFACF with cross-cyclic shift and adaptive diffusion
Authors: Hu Yongsheng , Nan Liyong
Published: March 2023

In this paper, a new one-dimensional chaotic system is proposed, which is called one-dimensional sine-fractional-adjusted-cosine-fractional (1D-SFACF). The dynamic behavior of the 1D-SFACF is analyzed by LE, bifurcation graph, trajectory, and cobweb plot. Compared to most one-dimensional chaotic systems, the 1D-SFACF has good cryptographic properties, such as larger parameter space and better chaotic behavior. Based on the excellent expressiveness of the 1D-SFACF, we design a secure image encryption algorithm using 1D-SFACF, called the image encryption algorithm based on 1D-SFACF (SFACF-IE). SFACF-IE is divided into four steps. First, the control parameters and initial values of 1D-SFACF are generated through a natural noise using a hash function. Secondly, an adaptive diffusion strategy is proposed. The starting position of the plaintext diffusion is adaptively changed according to the characteristics of the plaintext. Then, use a cross-cyclic shift to scramble. Finally, a hash function is used to generate a feedback key, the scrambled image is the input of the hash function, and the ciphertext is obtained by diffusing again. Experimental evaluations show that the algorithm is resistant to common attacks.
Emergent soliton-like solutions in the parametrically driven 1-D nonlinear Schrödinger equation
Authors: Dileep K , Murugesh S
Published: March 2023

We numerically investigate the long time dynamics of spatially periodic breather solutions of the 1-D nonlinear Schrödinger equation under parametric forcing of the form

f
(
x
)
=

f

0

exp
(
iKx
)

along with dissipation. In the absence of dissipation, robust soliton-like excitations are observed that travel with constant amplitude and velocity. With dissipation, these solitons lose energy (and amplitude) yet gain speed - a characteristic not observed in an ordinary soliton. Moreover, these novel solitons are found to be stable against random perturbations.
Dynamics effects of bias current composed on inertial neural system: multistability control and application in image encryption
Authors: Boui A Boya Bertrand Frederick , de Dieu Nkapkop Jean , Tsafack Nestor , Etoundi Christophe Magloire Lessouga , Kengne Jacques , Effa Joseph Yves , Kenmoe Germaine Djuidje
Published: March 2023

The function of the biological nervous system is related to its dynamics. This paper explored the dynamics effects of bias current composed on inertial neural system based with two neurons. The model affected by the bias current can induce a reduction in the number of equilibrium points, the number of coexistence attractors, as well as the disturbance of the symmetry of this model compared to the model in without bias current. In absence of bias current we report multistability of up to six different attractors, symmetry birth of chaos via period-bubbling cascades in are reported in the model. Coexistence of symmetry bursting oscillations, parallel branch, and hysteresis dynamic are also presented in the system. The presence of bias current control the symmetry of the model and generates complex phenomena among others, coexistence of five asymmetric attractors, coexistence of asymmetric bubble and asymmetric bursting oscillation. Equilibrium point and Hopf bifurcation are perform in the paper. Furthermore, control of multistability is used for future application in engineering. Security analyses indicates that the proposed image encryption scheme exhibits a good encryption performance and can withstand known attacks.
The Breakthrough Listen Search for Intelligent Life: Nearby Stars’ Close Encounters with the Brightest Earth Transmissions
Authors: Derrick Reilly , Isaacson Howard
Published: March 2023

After having left the heliosphere, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 continue to travel through interstellar space. The Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, and New Horizons spacecraft are also on paths to pass the heliopause. These spacecraft have communicated with the Deep Station Network (DSN) radio antennas in order to download scientific data and telemetry data. Outward transmissions from DSN travel to the spacecraft and beyond into interstellar space. These transmissions have encountered and will encounter other stars, introducing the possibility that intelligent life in other solar systems will encounter our terrestrial transmissions. We use the beamwidth of the transmissions between DSN and interstellar spacecraft to perform a search around the past and future positions of each spacecraft obtained from the JPL Horizons System. By performing this search over the Gaia Catalogue of Nearby Stars, a catalog of precisely mapped stars within 100 pc, we determine which stars the transmissions of these spacecraft will encounter. We highlight stars that are in the background of DSN transmissions and calculate the dates of these encounters to determine the time and place for potential intelligent extraterrestrial life to encounter terrestrial transmissions.
Active basis choice for quantum key distribution with entangled states
Authors: Vinetskaya P M , Kravtsov K S , Borshchevskaia N A , Klimov A N , Kulik S P
Published: March 2023

Entangled quantum key distribution (QKD) is a promising way to generate pairs of unconditionally secret keys. In this paper we review possible realizations of entanglement-based QKD and assess their feasibility in terms of implementation complexity and provided security. We also propose a novel active basis choice approach that enables to use only one single-photon detector per user. The paper provides all necessary details including the required electro-optic crystal configurations to implement such a scheme experimentally.
Shadow thermodynamics of the Hayward-AdS black hole*
Authors: Luo Zhi , Yu Hao , Cao Shuo , Li Jin
Published: March 2023

In this paper, the phase structure of the Hayward-anti-de Sitter (AdS) black hole (BH) is studied using shadow formalism. It has been found that the shadow radius is a monotonic function of the horizon radius and can therefore play an equivalent role to the horizon radius in characterizing the thermodynamics of the Hayward-AdS BH. The thermodynamic phase transition (PT) of the Hayward-AdS BH is investigated with the shadow radius. It is shown that as the magnetic charge increases, the shadow radius becomes larger, while the coexistence temperature becomes lower. The thermal profile of the Hayward-AdS BH is established by combining the temperature diagram and the shadow cast diagram, which shows that for a fixed magnetic charge, the temperature of the Hayward-AdS BH increases with the pressure whereas the region of the thermal profile decreases with the pressure. In particular, the temperature of the Hayward-AdS BH follows an N-type change trend when it is smaller than the critical temperature. It implies that the BH shadow may be used to investigate the thermodynamics of the Hayward-AdS BH.
Modelling of solid oxide cell oxygen electrodes
Authors: Panisset Silvère , Burriel Mónica , Laurencin Jérôme , Jauffres David
Published: March 2023

Numerical models are versatile tools to study and predict efficiently the performance of solid oxide cells (SOCs) according to their microstructure and composition. As the main contribution to the cell polarisation is due to the oxygen electrode, a large part of the proposed models has been focused on this electrode. Electrode modelling aims to improve the SOCs performance by serving as a guide for the microstructural optimisation, and helps to better understand the electrochemical reaction mechanisms. For studying the electrode microstructure, three categories of models can be distinguished: homogenised models, simplified geometry based models, and reconstructed microstructure based models. Most models are based on continuum physics, while elementary kinetic models have been developed more recently. This article presents a review of the existing SOCs models for the oxygen electrode. As a perspective, the current challenges of electrode modelling are discussed in views of a better prediction of the performance and durability, and more specifically for the case of thin-film SOCs.
Eco-evolutionary games for harvesting self-renewing common resource: effect of growing harvester population
Authors: Bairagya Joy Das , Mondal Samrat Sohel , Chowdhury Debashish , Chakraborty Sagar
Published: March 2023

The tragedy of the commons (TOCs) is a ubiquitous social dilemma witnessed in interactions between a population of living entities and shared resources available to them: the individuals in the population tend to selfishly overexploit a common resource as it is arguably the rational choice, or in case of non-human beings, it may be an evolutionarily uninvadable action. How to avert the TOC is a significant problem related to the conservation of resources. It is not hard to envisage situations where the resource could be self-renewing and the size of the population may be dependent on the state of the resource through the fractions of the population employing different exploitation rates. If the self-renewal rate of the resource lies between the maximum and the minimum exploitation rates, it is not a priori obvious under what conditions the TOC can be averted. In this paper, we address this question analytically and numerically using the setup of an evolutionary game theoretical replicator equation that models the Darwinian tenet of natural selection. Through the replicator equation, while we investigate how a population of replicators exploit the shared resource, the latter’s dynamical feedback on the former is also not ignored. We also present a transparent bottom-up derivation of the game-resource feedback model to facilitate future studies on the stochastic effects on the findings presented herein.
Centering Race Within Adult Education Theory in the United States
Authors: Richardson Sydney D.
Published: March 2023

Higher education in the United States operates as it was originally designed: to benefit traditional-aged, middle-and upper-class White men. People of color and White women were meant to adapt to this structure and persevere through the higher education structure in order to succeed (i.e., graduate). This structure continues to exist. Institutions were originally designed for one student demographic; any student who does not fit this image is presented with barriers and obstacles as they matriculate, especially when the student is nontraditional (i.e., adult) and a person of color.

As universities take on the challenge of creating diverse, inclusive campuses, one cannot help but realize how far education has to go to create this utopia for racially minoritized adult students. When reviewing many popular theories of adult education, it becomes easy to see that andragogy, self-directed learning, and transformative learning were not created with the Black and Brown student managing nonacademic adversities in mind. The theories were designed based on the ideal adult student at the time of development: White, young, middle or upper class, and needing education in the classroom. This ideal is very different from the Black or Brown student facing discrimination while walking to class due to societal microaggressions and preconceived stereotypes. However, reviewing adult education theories using components of critical race theory as a framework makes it possible to understand how racially minoritized adult students are at a disadvantage on college campuses.
Object Shift and Object Scrambling in Germanic
Authors: Broekhuis Hans
Published: March 2023

The literature often makes a terminological distinction between object shift and object scrambling in case of leftward object movement in the Scandinavian and the Continental West Germanic languages, respectively. This reflects the theoretical claim originating from the 1980s that we are dealing with two different syntactic rules. It has become increasingly clear, however, that the notion of scrambling is used as an umbrella term for different kinds of movement. This review shows that there are good reasons for assuming that object shift and one specific kind of scrambling can be characterized as A-movement (i.e., movement of arguments related to case assignment and agreement) of the object(s) triggered by structural case features. This motivates a revaluation of the data that led to the earlier conclusion that object shift and scrambling behave differently with respect to Holmberg’s generalization, as well as a discussion of the linguistic nature of this generalization.
Agreement in Germanic
Authors: Sigurðsson Haldór Ármann
Published: March 2023

There are four major types of agreement in Germanic: finite verb agreement, primary predicate agreement, secondary predicate agreement, and DP-internal concord, and there is extensive variation among the Germanic languages across all these agreement phenomena. Icelandic commonly has five distinct person/number forms of verbs, while Afrikaans and the mainland Scandinavian languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish) have no person/number distinctions of verbs, with the other languages positioning themselves between these extremes. Standard varieties of West-Germanic languages (Afrikaans, Dutch, English, German, Yiddish, West-Frisian,) have no predicate agreement, whereas standard varieties of Scandinavian languages (Icelandic, Faroese, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish) all have both primary and secondary predicate agreement. There is, however, quite some variation in predicate agreement within the Scandinavian languages. The Mainland Scandinavian languages have gender/number agreement of both primary and secondary predicates, albeit with some variation as to whether only predicative adjectives or both predicative adjectives and past participles show agreement (and also as to when past participles show agreement). The Insular Scandinavian languages (Faroese and Icelandic), on the other hand, have case agreement, in addition to gender/number agreement, of both primary and secondary predicates, either adjectives or past participles (e.g., Icelandic primary predicate agreement: “He.nom.m.sg was drunk.nom.m.sg”; secondary predicate agreement: “She.nom.f.sg met him.acc.m.sg
drunk.acc.m.sg” [he was drunk] versus. “She.nom.f.sg met him.acc.m.sg
drunk.nom.f.sg” [she was drunk]). Case agreement in these two languages commonly disambiguates secondary predicate structures. Afrikaans has no concord of DP-internal modifiers (articles, adjectives, etc.), whereas the other West-Germanic languages have some DP-concord, poorest in English, richest in German (which has gender/number/case concord of a number of categories, most clearly the articles). The Mainland Scandinavian languages also have some DP-concord (gender/number), while DP-concord is extensive in Faroese and Icelandic (gender/number/case of articles, demonstrative determiners, adjectives, some numerals, indefinite pronouns, floating quantifiers, and some possessive pronouns).

The Germanic languages are a relatively small and closely knit language family, so the extensive agreement variation within this small family is a major challenge to any general theory of agreement.
Quantitative Risk for Single-Positive Lupus Anticoagulant Results With Different Anticoagulants
Authors: Khan Waleed , Tormey Christopher A , Rinder Henry M , Siddon Alexa J
Published: March 2023

Objectives

Clinical experts recommend against testing for lupus anticoagulant (LAC) during anticoagulation.

Methods

We quantitated the risk of a single-positive dilute Russell viper venom time (dRVVT) result or partial thromboplastin time–based phospholipid neutralization (PN) result on anticoagulation.

Results

Any anticoagulation led to a fourfold greater likelihood of single-positive results, primarily by rivaroxaban (odds ratio [OR] = 8.6) and warfarin (OR = 6.6), resulting in a positive dRVVT test with a normal PN test. Heparin and apixaban were twofold more likely to show single-positive results, but enoxaparin did not show significant single positivity.

Conclusions

Our results quantitatively support experts’ avoidance of LAC testing during anticoagulation.
Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Cyclin D1–Positive AL Amyloidosis
Authors: Tsushima Takafumi , Terao Toshiki , Narita Kentaro , Fukumoto Ami , Ikeda Daisuke , Kamura Yuya , Kuzume Ayumi , Tabata Rikako , Miura Daisuke , Takeuchi Masami , Matsue Kosei
Published: March 2023

Objectives

To demonstrate the clinical features and prognostic impact of cyclin D1 positivity in patients with amyloid light chain amyloidosis (AL).

Methods

We consecutively included 71 patients diagnosed with AL with cyclin D1 positivity between February 2008 and January 2022. t(11;14) was examined through interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization using bone marrow cells.

Results

The median age of the patients was 73 years, and 53.5% were male. The underlying diseases included symptomatic multiple myeloma, smoldering multiple myeloma, Waldenström macroglobulinemia, and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, representing 33.8%, 26.8%, 2.8%, and 36.6%, respectively. The prevalence of cyclin D1 and t(11;14) was 38.0% and 34.7%, respectively. Higher frequency of light chain paraprotein type was seen in cyclin D1–positive patients with AL than in cyclin D1–negative patients (70.4% vs 18.2%). The median overall survival (OS) of patients with AL with and without cyclin D1 expression was 18.9 months and 73.1 months, respectively (P = .019). Early death occurred in 44.4% of cyclin D1–positive patients and 31.8% of cyclin D1–negative patients. Moreover, 83.3% of cyclin D1–positive patients and 21.4% of cyclin D1–negative patients died of cardiac causes.

Conclusions

Cyclin D1 immunohistochemistry accurately identified patients with t(11;14). Cyclin D1–positive patients had significantly inferior OS compared with cyclin D1–negative patients.
Using LASSO Regression to Estimate the Population-Level Impact of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines
Authors: Wong Anabelle , Kramer Sarah C , Piccininni Marco , Rohmann Jessica L , Kurth Tobias , Escolano Sylvie , Grittner Ulrike , Domenech de Cellès Matthieu
Published: March 2023

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) protect against diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, such as meningitis, bacteremia, and pneumonia. It is challenging to estimate their population-level impact due to the lack of a perfect control population and the subtleness of signals when the endpoint—such as all-cause pneumonia—is nonspecific. Here we present a new approach for estimating the impact of PCVs: using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression to select variables in a synthetic control model to predict the counterfactual outcome for vaccine impact inference. We first used a simulation study based on hospitalization data from Mexico (2000–2013) to test the performance of LASSO and established methods, including the synthetic control model with Bayesian variable selection (SC). We found that LASSO achieved accurate and precise estimation, even in complex simulation scenarios where the association between the outcome and all control variables was noncausal. We then applied LASSO to real-world hospitalization data from Chile (2001–2012), Ecuador (2001–2012), Mexico (2000–2013), and the United States (1996–2005), and found that it yielded estimates of vaccine impact similar to SC. The LASSO method is accurate and easily implementable and can be applied to study the impact of PCVs and other vaccines.
Alcohol Craving and Severity are Associated with Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Choline Levels in Individuals with an Alcohol Use Disorder
Authors: Grodin Erica N , Burnette Elizabeth M , O’Neill Joseph , Alger Jeffry , Ray Lara A
Published: March 2023

Aims

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has been used to probe inflammation in the brain. While altered MRS metabolite levels have previously been found in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD), the relationship between potential metabolite markers of inflammation and the clinical correlates of AUD remains understudied. Therefore, this exploratory study sought to elucidate the clinical significance of inflammation in AUD by examining relationships between metabolites, AUD severity, alcohol consumption, and craving in individuals with AUD.

Methods

Data for this secondary analysis are derived from a two-week clinical trial of ibudilast to treat AUD. Forty-three non-treatment-seeking individuals with an AUD (26M/17F) completed an MRS scan and alcohol-related questionnaires. MRS was performed using a multi-voxel array placed above the corpus callosum, extending from the pregnenual anterior cingulate to premotor cortex. The dorsal anterior cingulate was selected as the volume of interest. Metabolite levels of choline-compounds (Cho), myo-inositol (mI), and creatine+phosphocreatine (Cr) were quantified. Separate hierarchical regression models were used to evaluate the independent effects of metabolite levels on alcohol craving, alcohol problem severity, and alcohol consumption.

Results

Dorsal anterior cingulate Cho predicted alcohol craving and alcohol problem severity over and above demographics, medication, and alcohol consumption measures. mI and Cr did not predict alcohol craving or alcohol problem severity. Metabolite markers were not predictive of alcohol consumption.

Conclusions

This preliminary study indicates that dACC Cho is sensitive to clinical characteristics of AUD. This is a further step in advancing neurometabolites, particularly Cho, as potential biomarkers and treatment targets for AUD.
Can thiamine substitution restore cognitive function in alcohol use disorder?
Authors: Listabarth Stephan , Vyssoki Benjamin , Marculescu Rodrig , Gleiss Andreas , Groemer Magdalena , Trojer Armin , Harrer Christine , Weber Sabine , König Daniel
Published: March 2023

Aims

While clinical consequences of thiamine deficiency in alcohol use disorder (AUD) are severe, evidence-based recommendations on dosage, type of administration and duration of thiamine substitution (TS), and its’ target levels remain sparse. This study aimed to compare the effect of two best practice TS regimens on thiamine blood levels (i.e. thiamine pyrophosphate, TPP) and cognitive function.

Methods

In 50 patients undergoing in-patient alcohol-withdrawal treatment, TPP levels were determined at baseline and end of weeks 1, 2 and 8 following administration of oral TS (3 × 100 mg/day for 7 days followed by 1 × 100 mg/day thereafter) either with or without preceding intravenous TS (3 × 100 mg/day for 5 days). An extensive psychiatric assessment was conducted at baseline, including an evaluation of AUD severity and depressive symptoms. Additionally, cognitive function and depressive symptoms were repeatedly evaluated.

Results

Relevant increases (mean increase by 100.2 nmol/l [CI 76.5–123.8], P < 0.001) in peripheral blood TPP levels were observed in all patients at the end of weeks 1 and 2. Furthermore, no relevant difference between the intravenous and the oral group was found (average difference between increases: 2.3 nmol/l, P = 0.912). Importantly, an association between the ‘extent of the response’ to TS and the performance in a memory task was revealed in secondary analyses.

Conclusion

TS was associated with improving cognitive function in patients with AUD, independently of the substitution regime. Thus, in clinical practice, oral TS might be a sufficient but obligatory medication to prevent cognitive decline in AUD in the absence of Wernicke–Korsakoff Syndrome.
Two decades after Salini v Morocco: the case for retaining the Salini test with modifications
Authors: Chan Darius , Lai Justin
Published: March 2023

The definition of an investment under Article 25 of the ICSID Convention continues to attract a divergence of views. Ever since its use in 2001, the Salini Test, in its various forms, has become the predominant method that tribunals use to determine whether there is an investment. However, the Salini Test is hardly free from controversy, and suffers from two significant issues. First, its criteria are often subject to differing interpretations, leading to confusion over how the test should actually be applied. Second, the Salini Test has lost its legal force over time, as it has been relegated to factors that are ‘typical characteristics of an investment’ rather than jurisdictional requirements, of which the latter is arguably its proper role as part of a ‘double-keyhole’ test. This article addresses these issues by taking a detailed look at the individual criteria of the Salini Test and its original purpose. It proposes that (i) the Salini Test remains the best method for determining the meaning of ‘investment’ in Article 25 of the ICSID Convention, and (ii) regardless of whether the Salini Test is jurisdictional requirements or indicative factors, its individual criteria are in urgent need of refinement due to their inconsistent usage.
DeepMiceTL: a deep transfer learning based prediction of mice cardiac conduction diseases using early electrocardiograms
Authors: Liao Ying , Xiang Yisha , Zheng Mingjie , Wang Jun
Published: March 2023

Cardiac conduction disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is considerable clinical significance and an emerging need of early detection of these diseases for preventive treatment success before more severe arrhythmias occur. However, developing such early screening tools is challenging due to the lack of early electrocardiograms (ECGs) before symptoms occur in patients. Mouse models are widely used in cardiac arrhythmia research. The goal of this paper is to develop deep learning models to predict cardiac conduction diseases in mice using their early ECGs. We hypothesize that mutant mice present subtle abnormalities in their early ECGs before severe arrhythmias present. These subtle patterns can be detected by deep learning though they are hard to be identified by human eyes. We propose a deep transfer learning model, DeepMiceTL, which leverages knowledge from human ECGs to learn mouse ECG patterns. We further apply the Bayesian optimization and $k$-fold cross validation methods to tune the hyperparameters of the DeepMiceTL. Our results show that DeepMiceTL achieves a promising performance (F1-score: 83.8%, accuracy: 84.8%) in predicting the occurrence of cardiac conduction diseases using early mouse ECGs. This study is among the first efforts that use state-of-the-art deep transfer learning to identify ECG patterns during the early course of cardiac conduction disease in mice. Our approach not only could help in cardiac conduction disease research in mice, but also suggest a feasibility for early clinical diagnosis of human cardiac conduction diseases and other types of cardiac arrythmias using deep transfer learning in the future.
The application of corticosteroids for pathological scar prevention and treatment: current review and update
Authors: Sheng Meiying , Chen Yunsheng , Li Hua , Zhang Yixin , Zhang Zheng
Published: March 2023

The prevention and treatment of pathological scars remain challenging. Corticosteroids are the mainstay drugs in clinical scar prevention and treatment as they effectively induce scar regression and improve scar pruritus and pain. Currently, intralesional injections of corticosteroids are widely used in clinical practice. These require professional medical manipulation; however, the significant accompanying injection pain, repetition of injections and adverse effects, such as skin atrophy, skin pigmentation and telangiectasia, make this treatment modality an unpleasant experience for patients. Transdermal administration is, therefore, a promising non-invasive and easy-to-use method for corticosteroid administration for scar treatment. In this review, we first summarize the mechanisms of action of corticosteroids in scar prevention and treatment; then, we discuss current developments in intralesional injections and the progress of transdermal delivery systems of corticosteroids, as well as their corresponding advantages and disadvantages.
Abnormalities of regional spontaneous brain activity in poststroke aphasia: a meta-analysis
Authors: Cheng Lulu , Xi Hongyu , Gu Haiyan , Gao Yanyan , Hu Su , Li Mengting , Hao Zeqi , Wen Jianjie , Zhang Jianxin , Lv Yating , Zhan Linlin , Jia Xize
Published: March 2023

Poststroke aphasia is an acquired language disorder and has been proven to have adverse effects on patients’ social skills and quality of life. However, there are some inconsistencies in the neuroimaging studies investigating poststroke aphasia from the perspective of regional alterations. A meta-analysis has been employed to examine the common pattern of abnormal regional spontaneous brain activity in poststroke aphasia in the current study. Specifically, the Anisotropic effect-size version of seed-based d mapping was utilized, and 237 poststroke aphasia patients and 242 healthy controls (HCs) from 12 resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies using amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), fractional ALFF, or regional homogeneity were included. The results showed that compared with HCs, patients with poststroke aphasia demonstrated increased regional spontaneous brain activity in the right insula, right postcentral gyrus, left cerebellar lobule IX, left angular gyrus, right caudate nucleus, left parahippocampal gyrus, and right supplementary motor area, and decreased regional spontaneous brain activity in the left cerebellar lobule VI, left median cingulate and paracingulate gyri, right cerebellar crus I, and left supplementary motor area. The study could provide further evidence for pathophysiological mechanism of poststroke aphasia and help find targets for treatment.
Stress degrades working memory-related frontostriatal circuit function
Authors: Berridge Craig W , Devilbiss David M , Martin Andrea J , Spencer Robert C , Jenison Rick L
Published: March 2023

Goal-directed behavior is dependent on neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and extended frontostriatal circuitry. Stress and stress-related disorders are associated with impaired frontostriatal-dependent cognition. Our understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie stress-related cognitive impairment is limited, with the majority of prior research focused on the PFC. To date, the actions of stress across cognition-related frontostriatal circuitry are unknown. To address this gap, the current studies examined the effects of acute noise-stress on the spiking activity of neurons and local field potential oscillatory activity within the dorsomedial PFC (dmPFC) and dorsomedial striatum (dmSTR) in rats engaged in a test of spatial working memory. Stress robustly suppressed responses of both dmPFC and dmSTR neurons strongly tuned to key task events (delay, reward). Additionally, stress strongly suppressed delay-related, but not reward-related, theta and alpha spectral power within, and synchrony between, the dmPFC and dmSTR. These observations provide the first demonstration that stress disrupts the neural coding and functional connectivity of key task events, particularly delay, within cognition-supporting dorsomedial frontostriatal circuitry. These results suggest that stress-related degradation of neural coding within both the PFC and striatum likely contributes to the cognition-impairing effects of stress.
Riding out the storm: depleted fat stores and elevated hematocrit in a small bodied endotherm exposed to severe weather
Authors: Freeman N E , Gustafson M , Hefley T J , Boyle W A
Published: March 2023

In the mid-continental grasslands of North America, climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. Increasingly severe storms and prolonged periods of elevated temperatures can impose challenges that adversely affect an individual's condition and, ultimately, survival. However, despite mounting evidence that extreme weather events, such as heavy rain storms, can impose short-term physiological challenges, we know little regarding the putative costs of such weather events. To determine the consequences of extreme weather for small endotherms, we tested predictions of the relationships between both severe precipitation events and wet bulb temperatures (an index that combines temperature and humidity) prior to capture with body composition and hematocrit of grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) caught during the breeding season at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas, USA, between 2014 and 2016. We measured each individual's fat mass, lean mass and total body water using quantitative magnetic resonance in addition to their hematocrit. Individuals exposed to storms in the 24 hours prior to capture had less fat reserves, more lean mass, more water and higher hematocrit than those exposed to moderate weather conditions. Furthermore, individuals stored more fat if they experienced high wet bulb temperatures in the week prior to capture. Overall, the analysis of these data indicate that extreme weather events take a physiological toll on small endotherms, and individuals may be forced to deplete fat stores and increase erythropoiesis to meet the physiological demands associated with surviving a storm. Elucidating the potential strategies used to cope with severe weather may enable us to understand the energetic consequences of increasingly severe weather in a changing world.
Does Emergency Rule Help Counterinsurgents? Testing the Hearts and Minds Theories
Authors: Aydin Aysegul , Gray Anna Marie
Published: March 2023

Is popular support necessary to win counterinsurgency wars? We argue that countries that adopt extralegal frameworks to defeat insurgencies are less likely to win counterinsurgency wars because although greater civilian control helps cut insurgent logistics, it complicates the process of winning hearts and minds among civilians. We test this argument with new data on emergency rule in the post-1918 period. We find that the timing of emergency declarations matters: Counterinsurgents that delay the declaration of such regulations signal their desperation to sift through civilian populations and find insurgents without legal ramifications, reducing civilian support, and decreasing their chances of winning.
Assessing the stability of AOD1B atmosphere–ocean non-tidal background modelling for climate applications of satellite gravity data: long-term trends and 3-hourly tendencies
Authors: Shihora Linus , Balidakis Kyriakos , Dill Robert , Dobslaw Henryk
Published: March 2023

The GRACE Atmosphere and Ocean Level-1B (AOD1B) product is routinely applied in the processing of satellite gravimetry data to mitigate the impact of temporal aliasing. Spurious trends, low-frequency signals or bias jumps in the background model data can, if unaccounted for, introduce biases into the global gravity solutions which might be interpreted erroneously in subsequent geophysical analyses. Here, we examine the most recent release, RL07, of AOD1B for such artefacts. A focus is placed on the transition from the atmospheric re-analysis ERA5 to operational weather model data, in January 2018, which coincides with the gap between the missions GRACE and GRACE-FO. We find that linear trends computed from 1975 to 2020 are well below 30 Pa a–1 for all components of RL07. The assessment of 3-hourly tendencies gives no indication of bias jumps and shows that the transition in atmospheric data does not have an adverse effect on the consistency of RL07. We conclude with a comparison of the variability of both AOD1B RL06 and RL07 in the context of their application in satellite gravimetry.
Polynomial stability and weak stabilization for some partial functional differential equations with delay
Authors: Boumasmoud Soufiane , Ezzinbi Khalil
Published: March 2023

The feedback stabilization of a class of delayed evolution equations in real Hilbert space is considered. By virtue of an observability-type inequality and a delayed control, sufficient conditions ensuring the strong and weak stabilization are provided. For the strong stabilization, the speed of convergence is successfully established. Various applications with numerical simulations are considered.
Constructing the Virasoro Groups Using Differential Cohomology
Authors: Debray Arun , Liu Yu Leon , Weis Christoph
Published: March 2023

The Virasoro groups are a family of central extensions of $\textrm{Diff}^+(S^1)$, the group of orientation-preserving diffeomorphisms of $S^1$, by the circle group $\mathbb T$. We give a novel, geometric construction of these central extensions using “off-diagonal” differential lifts of the first Pontryagin class, thus affirmatively answering a question of Freed–Hopkins.