bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mapping the obesity problems scale to the SF-6D: results based on the Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Registry (SOReg)
Authors: Sun Sun , Stenberg Erik , Cao Yang , Lindholm Lars , Salén Klas-Göran , Franklin Karl A. , Luo Nan
Published: May 2022

Background

Obesity Problem Scale (OP) is a widely applied instrument for obesity, however currently calculation of health utility based on OP is not feasible as it is not a preference-based measure. Using data from the Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Registry (SOReg), we sought to develop a mapping algorithm to estimate SF-6D utility from OP. Furthermore, to test whether the mapping algorithm is robust to the effect of surgery.

Method

The source data SOReg (n = 36 706) contains both OP and SF-36, collected at pre-surgery and at 1, 2 and 5 years post-surgery. The Ordinary Least Square (OLS), beta-regression and Tobit regression were used to predict the SF-6D utility for different time points respectively. Besides the main effect model, different combinations of patient characteristics (age, sex, Body Mass Index, obesity-related comorbidities) were tested. Both internal validation (split-sample validation) and validation with testing the mapping algorithm on a dataset from other time points were carried out. A multi-stage model selection process was used, accessing model consistency, parsimony, goodness-of-fit and predictive accuracy. Models with the best performance were selected as the final mapping algorithms.

Results

The final mapping algorithms were based on OP summary score using OLS models, for pre- and post-surgery respectively. Mapping algorithms with different combinations of patients’ characteristics were presented, to satisfy the user with a different need.

Conclusion

This study makes available algorithms enabling crosswalk from the Obesity Problem Scale to the SF-6D utility. Different mapping algorithms are recommended for the mapping of pre- and post-operative data.
Nachhaltigkeit und Wettbewerbsrecht
Authors: Inderst Roman
Published: May 2022

Sustainability goals are frequently achieved through cooperation between companies. However, this is often inadmissible under current competition law. So far, the competition authorities have had to limit their assessment of cooperations and mergers to the effects in the relevant market. The EU Commission has now explicitly taken up the issue of sustainability in the draft Horizontal Guidelines. It introduces exemptable cooperation on “sustainability cooperation”. Thus, the exchange of information on sustainable suppliers will be permissible, as will a joint campaign to promote sustainability awareness. The article discusses the possibilities and problems arising from this.
Implementation and performance analysis of the PDR/GNSS integration on a smartphone
Authors: Jiang Changhui , Chen Yuwei , Chen Chen , Jia Jianxin , Sun Haibin , Wang Tinghuai , Hyyppa Juha
Published: May 2022

Pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) is an effective technology for pedestrian navigation. In PDR, the steps are detected with the measurements of self-contained sensors, such as accelerometers, and the position is updated with additional heading angles. A smartphone is usually equipped with a low-cost microelectromechanical system accelerometer, which can be utilized to implement PDR for pedestrian navigation. Since the PDR position errors diverge with the walking distance, the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is usually integrated with PDR for more reliable position results. This paper implemented a smartphone PDR/GNSS via a Kalman filter and factor graph optimization (FGO). In the FGO, the PDR factor is modeled, and the states are correlated with a dead reckoning algorithm. The GNSS position is modeled as the “GNSS” factor to constrain the states at each step. With a graphic model representing the states and measurements, the state estimation is converted to a nonlinear least square problem, and we utilize the Georgia Tech Smoothing and Mapping graph optimization library to implement the optimization. We tested the proposed method on a Huawei Mate 40 Pro handset with a standard playground field test, and the field test results showed that the FGO effectively improved the smartphone position accuracy. We have released the source codes and hope that they will inspire other works on pedestrian navigation, i.e., constructing an adaptive multi-sensor integration system using FGO on a smartphone.
Die neue Aarhus-Verordnung der Europäischen Union – ein Schritt zu mehr Rechtsschutz gegen Entscheidungen der Organe und Einrichtungen der Union
Authors: Rehbinder Eckard
Published: May 2022

Die am 28. Oktober 2021 in Kraft getretene Änderungsverordnung zur Aarhus-Verordnung der EU
modernisiert den administrativen und gerichtlichen Rechtsschutz gegen Rechtsakte der Organe und Einrichtungen
der EU. Die Verordnung setzt einen Schlusspunkt unter das jahrelange Tauziehen zwischen dem Compliance-Ausschuss
der Aarhus-Konvention und der EU über die Vereinbarkeit des administrativen Überprüfungsverfahrens
nach der Verordnung mit den Anforderungen des Art. 9 Abs. 3 der Aarhus-Konvention. Wesentliche Regelungen
sind die Ausdehnung des Kreises der anfechtbaren Entscheidungen auf alle Rechtsakte nicht-legislativer Natur
und die Anerkennung von Antragsrechten Einzelner, wenngleich unter einschränkenden Voraussetzungen.
Kritisch zu bewerten sind insbesondere die fehlende Unabhängigkeit des administrativen Überprüfungsverfahrens
und die Bevorzugung der Umweltverbände beim Zugang zum Gericht der EU.
Primär- und Sekundärrohstoffwirtschaft nach dem Koalitionsvertrag
Authors: Frenz Walter
Published: May 2022

Im Koalitionsvertrag finden sich auch Aussagen zur Primär- und Sekundärrohstoffwirtschaft:
Das BBergG soll reformiert, die Kreislaufwirtschaft gestärkt und ausgebaut werden. Während der
erste Bereich eher national ausgerichtet ist, wird der zweite stark vom EU-Recht geprägt, auf dessen
Fortentwicklung ebenfalls eingewirkt werden soll.
Hybrid Route Optimisation for Maximum Air to Ground Channel Quality
Authors: García Adrián Expósito , González Héctor Esteban , Schupke Dominic
Published: May 2022

The urban air mobility market is expected to grow constantly due to the increased interest in new forms of transportation. Managing aerial vehicles fleets, dependent on rising technologies such as artificial intelligence and automated ground control stations, will require a solid and uninterrupted connection to complete their trajectories. A path planner based on evolutionary algorithms to find the most suitable route has been previously proposed by the authors. Herein, we propose using particle swarm and hybrid optimisation algorithms instead of evolutionary algorithms in this work. The goal of speeding the route planning process and reducing computational costs is achieved using particle swarm and direct search algorithms. This improved path planner efficiently explores the search space and proposes a trajectory according to its predetermined goals: maximum air-to-ground quality, availability, and flight time. The proposal is tested in different situations, including diverse terrain conditions for various channel behaviours and no-fly zones.
BestOf: an online implementation selector for the training and inference of deep neural networks
Authors: Barrachina Sergio , Castelló Adrián , Dolz Manuel F. , Tomás Andrés E.
Published: May 2022

Tuning and optimising the operations executed in deep learning frameworks is a fundamental task in accelerating the processing of deep neural networks (DNNs). However, this optimisation usually requires extensive manual efforts in order to obtain the best performance for each combination of tensor input size, layer type, and hardware platform. In this work, we present , a novel online auto-tuner that optimises the training and inference phases of DNNs. automatically selects at run time, and among the provided alternatives, the best performing implementation in each layer according to gathered profiling data. The evaluation of is performed on multi-core architectures for different DNNs using , a lightweight library for distributed training and inference. The experimental results reveal that the auto-tuner delivers the same or higher performance than that achieved using a static selection approach.
Wastewater inflow time series forecasting at low temporal resolution using SARIMA model: a case study in South Australia
Authors: Do Phuong , Chow Christopher W. K. , Rameezdeen Raufdeen , Gorjian Nima
Published: May 2022

Forecasts of wastewater inflow are considered as a significant component to support the development of a real-time control (RTC) system for a wastewater pumping network and to achieve optimal operations. This paper aims to investigate patterns of the wastewater inflow behaviour and develop a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) forecasting model at low temporal resolution (hourly) for a short-term period of 7 days for a real network in South Australia, the Murray Bridge wastewater network/wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Historical wastewater inflow data collected for a 32-month period (May 2016 to December 2018) was pre-processed (transformed into an hourly dataset) and then separated into two parts for training (80%) and testing (20%). Results reveal that there is seasonality presence in the wastewater inflow time series data, as it is heavily dependent on time of the day and day of the week. Besides, the SARIMA (1,0,3)(2,1,2)24was found as the best model to predict wastewater inflow and its forecasting accuracy was determined based on the evaluation criteria including the root mean square error (RMSE = 5.508), the mean absolute value percent error (MAPE = 20.78%) and the coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.773). From the results, this model can provide wastewater operators curial information that supports decision making more effectively for their daily tasks on operating their systems in real-time.
High-resolution records of cesium, plutonium, americium, and uranium isotopes in sediment cores from Swiss lakes
Authors: Röllin Stefan , Corcho-Alvarado José Antonio , Sahli Hans , Putyrskaya Victoria , Klemt Eckehard
Published: May 2022

The Aare river system in Switzerland, with two nuclear power plants on the banks of the river, and its intermediate lakes and reservoirs, provides a unique opportunity to analyze the contribution of different sources to the radioactive contamination. Sediment cores were collected from two lakes and a reservoir, all connected by the river Aare. In order to study the influence of the Chernobyl accident, one sediment core was collected from a lake in the southern part of Switzerland. The sediment cores were sliced and analyzed with gamma ray spectrometry. Plutonium, americium, and uranium were extracted radiochemically, and their concentrations were measured with a sector field ICP-MS. The uranium isotope ratios were further measured with a multi collector ICP-MS. The maximum 137Cs activity from the Chernobyl accident and the Pu and 137Cs activities associated to the 1963 global fallout maximum were well identified in sediments from all three lakes. High-resolution records of plutonium isotopes in the zone of the sediments corresponding to the period of maximum fallout from the atmospheric nuclear weapon testing showed distinct fingerprints, depending on the different test activities. Pu isotope ratios could be used to detect non-global fallout plutonium. The ratio 241Am/241Pu was used to determine the age of the plutonium. Despite of very low 241Pu and 241Am concentrations, the calculated plutonium production dates seemed to be reasonable for the sediment layers corresponding to the NWT tests. The calculated production date of the plutonium in the upper most 15 cm of the sediment core seemed to be younger. The reason for this could be additional non-global fallout plutonium. For the lake sediments, natural ratios for 235U/238U and enriched or depleted ratios for 234U/238U were measured, depending on the lake. A small increase of the 236U/238U ratio could be recognized for the NWT zone in all three lakes and, for Lake Lugano, a further distinct increase in the Chernobyl layer.
Low Income Amplifies the Negative Relationship Between Nostalgia Proneness and Well-Being
Authors: Newman David Benjamin
Published: May 2022

Nostalgia is a sentimental longing for the past that can influence people’s well-being. How this mixed emotion influences well-being may depend on current life circumstances. Nostalgia elicited in negative contexts could be particularly harmful to people’s well-being, whereas nostalgia elicited in positive contexts may not be as detrimental. This hypothesis was tested at the level of individual differences with a nationally representative sample of Americans (N = 6,732) who completed measures of nostalgia proneness and several indicators of well-being. Income was measured as an objective indicator of current life circumstances. Results showed that nostalgia proneness was negatively related to well-being, and income was positively related to well-being. Importantly, these relationships were moderated such that the negative relationships between nostalgia and well-being were stronger among members of low income households than among members of high income households. Consistent with the hypothesis, nostalgia proneness was particularly detrimental to well-being under objectively less desirable circumstances. These findings support an emerging body of research that contends that the effect of nostalgia on well-being depends on the context in which nostalgia is elicited.
The Clash of Two Epidemics: the Relationship Between Opioids and Glucose Metabolism
Authors: Koekkoek Laura L. , van der Gun Luna L. , Serlie Mireille J. , la Fleur Susanne E.
Published: May 2022

Purpose of Review

We are currently in the midst of a global opioid epidemic. Opioids affect many physiological processes, but one side effect that is not often taken into consideration is the opioid-induced alteration in blood glucose levels.

Recent Findings

This review shows that the vast majority of studies report that opioid stimulation increases blood glucose levels. In addition, plasma levels of the endogenous opioid β-endorphin rise in response to low blood glucose. In contrast, in hyperglycaemic baseline conditions such as in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), opioid stimulation lowers blood glucose levels. Furthermore, obesity itself alters sensitivity to opioids, changes opioid receptor expression and increases plasma β-endorphin levels.

Thus, opioid stimulation can have various side effects on glycaemia that should be taken into consideration upon prescribing opioid-based medication, and more research is needed to unravel the interaction between obesity, glycaemia and opioid use.
Geoconservation in Sicily (Italy): the Example of the Isola delle Femmine (Palermo)
Authors: Randazzo V. , Todaro S. , Provenzale S. , Di Dio V. , Di Stefano P.
Published: May 2022

The Regional Administration of Sicily recently erected Isola delle Femmine—a small island of the Tyrrhenian Sea, close to Palermo—as a geosite. A detailed geological survey has been carried out in order to define the most important geological features of the island together with the development of a new geological map based on topographic data and a digital model at 1:2.000 scale specially processed. Finally, a geological pathway through the island has been traced and illustrated. The geological substrate of Isola delle Femmine consists of a Mesozoic carbonate succession belonging to the Panormide Carbonate Platform. Two lithostratigraphic units have been differentiated. The lowest one consists of dolomitic limestones cropping out in the intermediate and northern part of the island. Despite the absence of biostratigraphic constrains, analogies with comparable deposits from the Palermo Mountains suggested to ascribe this unit to the Upper Triassic. The overlying unit consists of well-bedded rudist and stromatolitic limestones organized in peritidal cycles. The macro- and micro-facies analysis of these Cretaceous limestones allows to attribute this unit to the Lower Cretaceous (i.e., Aptian). Patches of upper Pleistocene skeletal calcarenites rich in benthic foraminifers and calcareous algae overlap the Mesozoic units. Spectacular speleothems such as stalagmites, ray crystals (“raggioni”) of calcite, and mammillary calcite suggest a relative long-lasting exposure of the Mesozoic carbonate substrate to groundwater. This is not surprising since glacio-eustatic oscillations caused sea-level to fall up to 125 m during the Pleistocene thus exposing and linking to the mainland (Sicily) Isola delle Femmine and the surrounding area.
Factors Associated with Condom Use in Vaginal Intercourse Among Spanish Heterosexual and Bisexual Men
Authors: Morell-Mengual Vicente , Dolores Gil-Llario María , Ruiz-Palomino Estefanía , Castro-Calvo Jesús , Ballester-Arnal Rafael
Published: May 2022

Introduction

In Spain, the sexual route is the main route of transmission in new HIV diagnoses. Men who have heterosexual relations are the second group with the highest incidence of new HIV cases and have the highest rates of late diagnosis in Spain. Planning the response to the HIV epidemic requires specific and updated information on this group. This study aims to analyze sexual practices and frequency of condom use in heterosexual and bisexual men and identify variables that explain inconsistent condom use in vaginal intercourse.

Methods

The sample consists of 386 men between 18 and 57 years of age (M = 24.61; SD = 6.74).

Results

The results indicate that the percentage of consistent condom use in vaginal intercourse is 64.9%. Not consuming drugs before sexual intercourse, perceiving a high self-efficacy for condom use, and good assertive communication skills are factors that positively influence condom use. In contrast, a high level of sexual compulsivity is a risk factor. The proposed model explains between 29.1% and 40% of the variance.

Conclusions

and Policy Implications.

Preventive actions implemented in this group should include work sessions that focus on developing assertive skills, reducing risks associated with drug use, and providing cognitive strategies to cope with compulsive sexual thoughts.
Preparation of PVDF membrane via synergistically vapor and non-solvent-induced phase separation
Authors: Chen Min , Sun Qianyun , Zhou Yue , Cui Zhaoliang , Wang Zhaohui , Xing Weihong
Published: May 2022

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane was prepared by vapor and non-solvent-induced phase separation (VNIPS) process, and the relationships between preparation conditions, phase separation behaviors and membrane structures were discussed. The phase diagram was generated by cloud point titration, the effects of environmental relative humidity, air exposure time and casting solution temperature on the structure and performance of the resulted membrane were investigated. The addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) additives to the casting solution made the system thermodynamically unstable and led the turbidity curve shift toward the solvent/non-solvent axis. The experimental results showed that both average pore size and porosity increased with higher relative humidity. When the relative humidity increased from 35 to 85%, the mean pore size increased from 35 to 70 nm. The effect of exposure time on membrane structure was related to the air environment. It was found that under low temperature and low humidity conditions, exposure time had little effect on membrane structure. When the relative humidity was 75%, the mean pore size and distribution increased with the exposure time extension from 1.0 to 30 s. The mean pore size of the membrane could be reduced by reducing the relative humidity. When the temperature of the casting solution increased, the membrane pore size reached maximum at 80 °C, and the spherulite on the surface of the membrane decreased. The spherulite morphology almost disappeared when the temperature of the casting solution reached 120 °C. In addition, with the increase in the casting solution temperature, large pores appeared in the sub-layer of the membrane, which gradually widened the pore distribution, leading to the decrease in the tensile strength. The preparation condition was optimized as low temperature of casting solution, low humidity and low temperature of the environment. The fabrication process showed the potential for scaling-up production of the PVDF UF membrane by the VNIPS technique.
Biosorption of malachite green dye over Spirulina platensis mass: process modeling, factors optimization, kinetic, and isotherm studies
Authors: Bonyadi Ziaeddin , Nasoudari Elaheh , Ameri Maryam , Ghavami Vahid , Shams Mahmoud , Sillanpää Mika
Published: May 2022

Spirulina platensis is one of the types of blue-green algae that was used as a biosorbent in this study. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of S. platensis in removing MG from aqueous solutions and also to evaluate the biosorbent capacity using different kinetic models and isotherms. To obtain the optimum condition for MG biosorption using BBD, input factors included the initial level of MG 20–200 mg.L−1), dose of S. platensis (0.1–1.5 g.L−1), pH (4–9), and contaact time (5–80 min). The statistical method of BBD was considered to evaluate the removal rate of MG dye from aqueous solutions. The prediction of MG removal efficiencies and the evaluation of variable interactions were performed using a polynomial equation. The maximum removal efficiency of MG was obtained as 94.12% under MG level of 100.54 mg. L−1, pH of 7.57, contact time of 52.43 min, and S. platensis dose of 0.98 g. L−1. The removal MG efficiency enhanced with the increase in pH, reaction time, and S. platensis dose, and reduced with the decrease in MG level. The quadratic model suggested that the pH had a high impact on MG removal. The isotherms and kinetics data could be properly illustrated by the Freundlich model and the pseudo-second-order equation. Thermodynamic factors, including ΔG0, ΔH0, and ΔS0 showed the adsorption of MG onto S. platensis was spontaneous and exothermic. The acquired findings also showed that the physisorption mechanism mainly govern the MG sorption process. As a result, S. platensis showed excellent adsorptive properties and hence could be offered as a viable option for eliminating MG from aqueous solutions.
Grassland allergenicity increases with urbanisation and plant invasions
Authors: Bernard-Verdier Maud , Seitz Birgit , Buchholz Sascha , Kowarik Ingo , Lasunción Mejía Sara , Jeschke Jonathan M.
Published: May 2022

Pollen allergies have been on the rise in cities, where anthropogenic disturbances, warmer climate and introduced species are shaping novel urban ecosystems. Yet, the allergenic potential of these urban ecosystems, in particular spontaneous vegetation outside parks and gardens, remains poorly known. We quantified the allergenic properties of 56 dry grasslands along a double gradient of urbanisation and plant invasion in Berlin (Germany). 30% of grassland species were classified as allergenic, most of them being natives. Urbanisation was associated with an increase in abundance and diversity of pollen allergens, mainly driven by an increase in allergenic non-native plants. While not inherently more allergenic than native plants, the pool of non-natives contributed a larger biochemical diversity of allergens and flowered later than natives, creating a broader potential spectrum of allergy. Managing novel risks to urban public health will involve not only targeted action on allergenic non-natives, but also policies at the habitat scale favouring plant community assembly of a diverse, low-allergenicity vegetation. Similar approaches could be easily replicated in other cities to provide a broad quantification and mapping of urban allergy risks and drivers.
Designing Mixed Reality-Based Indoor Navigation for User Studies
Authors: Liu Bing , Ding Linfang , Wang Shengkai , Meng Liqiu
Published: May 2022

Mixed reality (MR) is increasingly applied in indoor navigation. With the development of MR devices and indoor navigation algorithms, special attention has been paid to related cognitive issues and many user studies are being conducted. This paper gives an overview of MR technology, devices, and the design of MR-based indoor navigation systems for user studies. We propose a theoretical framework consisting of spatial mapping, spatial localization, path generation, and instruction visualization. We summarize some critical factors to be considered in the design process. Four approaches to constructing an MR-based indoor navigation system under different conditions are introduced and compared. Our gained insight can be used to help researchers select an optimal design approach of MR-based indoor navigation for their user studies.
Bullshit in the Sustainability and Transitions Literature: a Provocation
Authors: Kirchherr Julian
Published: May 2022

Research on sustainability and transitions is burgeoning. Some of this research is helping to solve humankind’s most pressing problems. However, as this provocation argues, up to 50% of the articles that are now being published in many interdisciplinary sustainability and transitions journals may be categorized as “scholarly bullshit.” These are articles that typically engage with the latest sustainability and transitions buzzword (e.g., circular economy), while contributing little to none to the scholarly body of knowledge on the topic. A typology of “scholarly bullshit” is proposed which includes the following archetypes: boring question scholarship, literature review of literature reviews, recycled research, master thesis madness, and activist rants. Since “scholarly bullshit” articles engage with the latest academic buzzwords, they also tend to accumulate significant citations and are thus welcomed by many journal editors. Citations matter most in the metric-driven logic of the academic system, and this type of scholarship, sadly, is thus unlikely to decrease in the coming years.
Emotional characteristics and theme mining of star-rated hotels from the perspective of social sensing: a case study of Nanchang City, China
Authors: Wang Jingbo , Xia Yu , Wu Yuting
Published: May 2022

Mining hotel social sensing data and analyzing its spatial and temporal characteristics can provide decision support for hotel managers. Present research on this topic is limited to the overall hotel industry and text mining. Here, we first obtain POI and reviews for star-rated hotels in Nanchang from 2018 to 2021. Secondly, the hotel POI (Point of Interest) is combined with the sentiment value of customer reviews. Finally, comparative analysis and topic mining of Spatio-temporal aspects of text reviews of different star-rated hotels are conducted using sentiment analysis, spatial analysis, and thematic social network analysis. Results show that: (1) Hotel star rating and hotel review sentiment value are significantly positively correlated. The seasonal trends of different star rating hotel sentiment values are similar, but are highest in summer and lower in autumn; (2) The highest sentiment value is seen for friends’ outings and the lowest is for business trips; (3) Customer reviews of star-rated hotels focus on three aspects: facilities, service, and location. Three-star hotels focus on the stay experience, while four-star hotels focus on the breakfast situation. Exploring hotel social sensing data can intuitively illustrate hotel selection’s behavioral patterns and spatial-temporal characteristics. The methods of this study can expand the application of social sensing data in different fields, such as the tourism and restaurant industries.
Hasimoto Maps for Nonlinear Schrödinger Equations in Minkowski Space
Authors: Gürbüz Nevin Ertug , Yüzbası Zühal Küçükarslan , Yoon Dae Won
Published: May 2022

In this paper, we study the vortex filament flow for timelike and spacelike curves in Minkowski 3-space. The vortex filament flow equations of the timelike and the spacelike curves are equivalent to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation and the heat equation, respectively. As a consequentce, we prove that a soliton of the nonlinear Schrödinger equations of the timelike curve gives a solution of a traveling wave on a line at infinity. Also, we study a solution of a traveling wave of the nonlinear Schrödinger equations of the spacelike curve in terms of a new complex frame. Finally, we discuss the method to find the exact shape of the timelike and the spacelike curves from the vortex filament by solving the Frenet vectors of these curves and provide applications to illustrate the method.
Divorce and Democracy
Authors: Saxena Saumya
Published: May 2022

This book captures the Indian state's difficult dialogue with divorce, mediated largely through religion. By mapping the trajectories of marriage and divorce laws of Hindu, Muslim, and Christian communities in post-colonial India, it explores the dynamic interplay between law, religion, family, minority rights and gender in Indian politics. It demonstrates that the binary frameworks of the private-public divide, individuals versus group rights, and universal rights versus legal pluralism collapse before the peculiarities of religious personal law. Historicizing the legislative and judicial response to decades of public debates and activism on the question of personal law, it suggests that the sustained negotiations over family life within and across the legal landscape provoked a unique and deeply contextual evolution of both, secularism and religion in India's constitutional order. Personal law, therefore, played a key role in defining the place of religion and determining the content of secularism in India's democracy.
Parametric cost estimation models of civil aircraft for the preliminary aircraft design phase
Authors: Al-Shamma O. , Ali R.
Published: May 2022

In the preliminary design phase of aircraft design, estimating the production cost accurately is a challenging task. At this stage, many design parameters that affect the overall cost are still undefined. This paper establishes cost-estimation models for civil, commercial aircraft using a parametric cost analysis (PCA) approach. Aircraft are characterised based on their size, ranging from a wide body to executive jets, into four categories. Key design parameters, such as maximum take-off weight, number of passengers, range, wing area, span, fuselage length, to name a few, are likely to be available in the preliminary design stage and significantly impact the aircraft design. These variables either directly or indirectly affect the overall production cost or performance. The PCA approach includes both correlation and multiple linear regression techniques. The empirical models thus developed were able to predict the aircraft cost with an error of less than ±4% for all aircraft categories considered. Two aircraft in each defined category were not part of the PCA models and were used to verify the models. The proposed models provide the ability to estimate the aircraft cost quickly in the early stages of the preliminary design phase and provide the possibility of performing parametric studies involving the key variables to determine the cost sensitivity to the main design parameters.
Almost all orbits of the Collatz map attain almost bounded values
Authors: Tao Terence
Published: May 2022

Define the Collatz map

${\operatorname {Col}} \colon \mathbb {N}+1 \to \mathbb {N}+1$

on the positive integers

$\mathbb {N}+1 = \{1,2,3,\dots \}$

by setting

${\operatorname {Col}}(N)$

equal to

$3N+1$

when N is odd and

$N/2$

when N is even, and let

${\operatorname {Col}}_{\min }(N) := \inf _{n \in \mathbb {N}} {\operatorname {Col}}^n(N)$

denote the minimal element of the Collatz orbit

$N, {\operatorname {Col}}(N), {\operatorname {Col}}^2(N), \dots $

. The infamous Collatz conjecture asserts that

${\operatorname {Col}}_{\min }(N)=1$

for all

$N \in \mathbb {N}+1$

. Previously, it was shown by Korec that for any

$\theta> \frac {\log 3}{\log 4} \approx 0.7924$

, one has

${\operatorname {Col}}_{\min }(N) \leq N^\theta $

for almost all

$N \in \mathbb {N}+1$

(in the sense of natural density). In this paper, we show that for any function

$f \colon \mathbb {N}+1 \to \mathbb {R}$

with

$\lim _{N \to \infty } f(N)=+\infty $

, one has

${\operatorname {Col}}_{\min }(N) \leq f(N)$

for almost all

$N \in \mathbb {N}+1$

(in the sense of logarithmic density). Our proof proceeds by establishing a stabilisation property for a certain first passage random variable associated with the Collatz iteration (or more precisely, the closely related Syracuse iteration), which in turn follows from estimation of the characteristic function of a certain skew random walk on a

$3$

-adic cyclic group

$\mathbb {Z}/3^n\mathbb {Z}$

at high frequencies. This estimation is achieved by studying how a certain two-dimensional renewal process interacts with a union of triangles associated to a given frequency.
Duck Fights: Walt Disney versus Dudu Geva and the Politics of Americanization in Late Twentieth-Century Israel
Authors: MITELPUNKT SHAUL
Published: May 2022

In September 1991 Walt Disney's legal representatives in Israel sued prolific Israeli cartoonist Dudu Geva for using the figure of Donald Duck without permission. The case, which worked its way to the Israeli Supreme Court, sparked a broader conversation in Israel about the place of American cultural icons and idioms in Israeli life. While existing treatments emphasize Jewish Israeli optimism with American influence on their lives, the article demonstrates that some Jewish Israelis had a conflicted relationship with American hegemony, even as their state enjoyed unparalleled privilege under American patronage.
Assessing the success of the first cheetah reintroduction in Malawi
Authors: Sievert Olivia , Fattebert Julien , Marnewick Kelly , Leslie Alison
Published: May 2022

In an effort to restore parts of their historical geographical range, and in recognition of their ability to restore ecosystem functioning and of the financial benefits they can provide through ecotourism, large carnivores have been reintroduced in many protected areas from which they were previously extirpated. Similar to dispersing animals, translocated individuals often undertake long-distance exploratory movements before establishing home ranges. Post-release monitoring of reintroduced carnivores is common, but the mechanisms of population establishment are rarely examined, limiting our understanding of reintroduction success. We monitored survival and post-release movements of seven cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus reintroduced to Liwonde National Park, Malawi, to evaluate early population establishment. Exploratory phases post-release lasted 29–174 days. Duration of pre-release holding periods in the boma had no significant effect on daily distance moved. Males travelled significantly farther and established home ranges later than females. All cheetahs showed release site fidelity and all females birthed their first litter within 4 months of release. Within 2 years of reintroduction, the newly established population consisted of 14 cheetahs, with demographic attributes similar to those recorded in the source populations. Based on individual settlement, survival and reproduction rates, we deemed this reintroduction successful in re-establishing a breeding population of cheetahs in Liwonde. Our findings suggest the drivers of settlement and population establishment for reintroduced cheetahs are complex, highlighting the importance of assessing and reporting post-release monitoring data.
Global distribution of Echinococcus granulosus genotypes in domestic and wild canids: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Shams Morteza , Khazaei Sasan , Naserifar Razi , Shariatzadeh Seyyed Ali , Anvari Davood , Montazeri Fattaneh , Pirestani Majid , Majidiani Hamidreza
Published: May 2022

The current systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate the genotypic distribution of canine echinococcosis worldwide. Studies published from the inception until 21 May 2021 were screened, relevant articles were selected and the random-effect model was used to draw forest plots with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Totally, 44 articles were included, mostly examined dogs (37 records), followed by wolf (8 records), jackal (7 records), fox (3 records), pump fox (3 records) and coyote (1 record). Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto (G1–G3) and G6/7 cluster of Echinococcus canadensis were the most common genotypes among canids. Most studies were conducted in Asia and Europe with 17 and 15 datasets, respectively. Exclusively, Iran possessed the highest number of studies (10 records). Meta-analysis showed that the pooled molecular prevalence of echinococcosis was 33.82% (95% CI 24.50–43.83%). Also, the highest and lowest prevalence of canine echinococcosis was calculated for South America (66.03%; 95% CI 25.67–95.85%) and Europe (19.01%; 95% CI 9.95–30.16%). Additionally, there were statistically significant differences between the global prevalence of echinococcosis in canines and publication year, continent, country, sample type, host and molecular test. These findings will elevate our knowledge on the poorly known canine echinococcosis worldwide.
Investigation of atrial mass by multi-imaging and biopsy
Authors: Mingas Odete R. , Rebelo Mónica , Duarte Ximo , Anjos Rui
Published: May 2022

The authors describe the case of a child with a history of relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with a giant intra-auricular lymphomatous mass, submitted to investigation by multiple imaging methods and biopsy.
The Response by International Emergency Medical Teams Following the Beirut Harbor Explosion in 2020 – Who Were They, When Did They Arrive, What Did They Do, and Were They Needed?
Authors: Wolff Emeli , Shankiti Iman , Salio Flavio , von Schreeb Johan
Published: May 2022

Introduction:

On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion struck the Beirut Harbor in Lebanon. Approximately 220 people were killed and around 7,000 were injured, of which 12% were hospitalized. Despite being weakened by economic crisis and increasing numbers of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, the national health care system responded promptly. Within a day, international health care assistance in the form of International Emergency Medical Teams (I-EMTs) started arriving. Previous studies have found that I-EMTs have arrived late and have not been adapted to the context and dominating health care needs. The aim of this study was to document the organization, type, activity, and timing of I-EMTs deployed to Beirut and to discuss their relevance in relation to medical needs.

Methods:

Data on all deployed I-EMTs were retrieved from all available sources, including internet searches, I-EMT contacts, and from the World Health Organization (WHO) EMT coordination cell (EMT CC) in Lebanon. The WHO EMT classification was used to categorize deployed teams. Information on characteristics, timing, and activities was retrieved and systematically assessed.

Results:

Nine I-EMTs were deployed to Beirut following the explosion. Five were equivalent to EMT Type 2 (field hospitals), out of which three were military. The first EMT Type 2 arrived within 24 hours, while the last EMT set up one month after the explosion. Four civilian I-EMTs provided non-clinical support as EMT Specialized Care Teams. A majority of the I-EMTs were focused on trauma care. Three of the four I-EMT Specialized Care Teams were rapidly re-tasked to support COVID-19 care in public hospitals.

Conclusion:

A majority of the deployed I-EMT Type 2 were military and focused on trauma care rather than the normal burden of disease including COVID-19. Re-tasking of EMTs requires flexible EMTs. To be better adapted, the I-EMT response should be guided by a systematic assessment of both health care capacities in the affected country as well as the varying health effects of hazards before deployment.
Word order preference in sign influences speech in hearing bimodal bilinguals but not vice versa: Evidence from behavior and eye-gaze
Authors: Manhardt Francie , Brouwer Susanne , van Wijk Eveline , Özyürek Aslı
Published: May 2022

We investigated cross-modal influences between speech and sign in hearing bimodal bilinguals, proficient in a spoken and a sign language, and its consequences on visual attention during message preparation using eye-tracking. We focused on spatial expressions in which sign languages, unlike spoken languages, have a modality-driven preference to mention grounds (big objects) prior to figures (smaller objects). We compared hearing bimodal bilinguals’ spatial expressions and visual attention in Dutch and Dutch Sign Language (N = 18) to those of their hearing non-signing (N= 20) and deaf signing peers (N= 18). In speech, hearing bimodal bilinguals expressed more ground-first descriptions and fixated grounds more than hearing non-signers, showing influence from sign. In sign, they used as many ground-first descriptions as deaf signers and fixated grounds equally often, demonstrating no influence from speech. Cross-linguistic influence of word order preference and visual attention in hearing bimodal bilinguals appears to be one-directional modulated by modality-driven differences.
Biological Evaluation of a Series of Amine-Containing Mixed-Ligand Copper(II) Coordination Compounds with 2-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)-N-(prop-2-en-1-yl)hydrazinecarbothioamide
Authors: Gulea Aurelian , Toderas Ion , Garbuz Olga , Ulchina Ianina , Graur Vasilii , Railean Nadejda
Published: May 2022

Five compounds 2-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)-N-(prop-2-en-1-yl)hydrazinecarbothioamide (H2L), bis[μ2-2-({2-[(prop-2-en-1-yl)carbamothioyl]hydrazinylidene}methyl)phenolato-S,N,O:O]diaquadicopper(II) nitrate (1), bis[μ2-2-({2-[(prop-2-en-1-yl)carbamothioyl]hydrazinylidene}methyl)phenolato-S,N,O:O]diimidazoldicopper(II) nitrate (2), bis[μ2-2-({2-[(prop-2-en-1-yl)carbamothioyl]-hydrazinylidene}methyl)phenolato-S,N,O:O]bis-(3,5-dibromopyridine)dicopper(II) nitrate (3), bis[μ2-2-({2-[(prop-2-en-1-yl)carbamothioyl]-hydrazinylidene}methyl)phenolato-S,N,O:O]bis(4-methylpyridine)dicopper(II) nitrate hexahydrate (4) were synthesized. The antiproliferative properties of these compounds toward cancer cell lines RD, HeLa, and normal cell line MDCK have been investigated. The tested complexes surpass Doxorubicin (DOXO) in the efficiency of anticancer activity as their IC50 values toward cancer cells are lower than the corresponding values of DOXO and the selectivity indexes exceed the corresponding SI value of DOXO. The tested compounds demonstrated a high antioxidant effect against ABTS•+ radical cations as well as low toxicity on Daphnia magna.
The Earth’s Outer Exospheric Density Distributions Derived From PROCYON/LAICA UV Observations
Authors: Cucho‐Padin Gonzalo , Kameda Shingo , Sibeck David G.
Published: May 2022

Current three‐dimensional, data‐based models for the terrestrial exosphere have been derived from measurements of optically thin Lyman‐alpha (Ly‐α) emissions scattered by neutral hydrogen atoms. Such models are only valid for the middle exospheric region (3–8 Earth radii geocentric distances) since the orbital paths of the space‐based platforms used to acquire Ly‐α radiance were located within the exosphere, thus precluding the proper detection of the faint outer exospheric emission. Notwithstanding, accurate specifications of density distributions beyond 8 RE are needed to support comprehensive studies of the solar‐terrestrial interactions. Two upcoming missions, the Solar wind Magnetosphere‐Ionosphere Link Explorer and the Lunar Environment Heliospheric X‐ray Imager, will image the Earth’s magnetosheath in soft X‐rays, and neutral densities are crucial to extract ion distributions through inversion of the acquired images. This work develops a technique to estimate the Earth’s outer exospheric density distributions using far‐ultraviolet wide‐field data acquired by the Lyman‐Alpha Imaging Camera (LAICA) onboard the Proximate Object Close Flyby with Optical Navigation mission. Our approach formulates an inverse problem based on the linearity between measurements of scattered Ly‐α flux and the local atomic hydrogen density, which is solved using the Bayesian approach known as Maximum a posteriori estimation. We use the LAICA image to derive global, 3‐D hydrogen density distributions at 6–20 RE geocentric distances. We find that the spatial structure of the outer exosphere agrees well with the predictions of radiation pressure theory. Further, we find that the hydrogen density at the 10 RE subsolar point is 26.51 atoms/cm3.
Spatiotemporal Variability of Earthquake Source Parameters at Parkfield, California, and Their Relationship With the 2004 M6 Earthquake
Authors: Zhang Jiewen , Chen Xiaowei , Abercrombie Rachel E.
Published: May 2022

Earthquake stress drop is an important source parameter that directly links to strong ground motion and fundamental questions in earthquake physics. Stress drop estimations may contain significant uncertainties due to such factors as variations in material properties and data limitations, which limit the applications of stress drop interpretations. Using a high‐resolution borehole network, we estimate stress drop for 4551 (M0‐4) earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault at Parkfield, California, between 2001 and 2016 using spectral decomposition and an improved stacking method. To evaluate the influence of spatiotemporal variations of material properties on stress drop estimations, we apply different strategies to account for spatial variations of velocity and attenuation changes, and divide earthquakes into three separate time periods to correct temporal variations of attenuation. These results show that appropriate corrections can significantly reduce the scatter in stress drop estimates, and decrease apparent depth and magnitude dependence. We find that insufficient bandwidth can cause systematic underestimation of stress drop estimates and increased scatter. The stress drop measurements from the high‐frequency borehole recordings exhibit complex stable spatial patterns with no clear correlation with the nature of fault slip, or the slip distribution of the 2004 M6 earthquake. Temporal variations are significantly smaller, less well resolved and varying spatially. They do not affect the long‐term stress drop spatial variations, suggesting local material properties may control the spatial heterogeneity of stress drop.
Microbes Might Munch Magnetic Minerals at Oil Spill Site
Authors: Stanley Sarah
Published: May 2022

New experiments at an old oil spill site in Minnesota suggest that nonbiological processes alone may not account for decreased magnetization.
Theranostic of orthotopic gliomas by core-shell structured nanoplatforms
Authors: Carlos Luís D.
Published: May 2022

Smart designed core-shell nanostructures formed by a YVO4: Nd3+ nanoparticle as the core, the sonosensitizer hematoporphyrinmonomethyl ether as the carrier, and MnO2 nanosheets as the shell demonstrate bimodal imaging and highly efficient sonodynamic therapy of orthotopic gliomas.
Structural insights into the activation of somatostatin receptor 2 by cyclic SST analogues
Authors: Bo Qing , Yang Fan , Li Yingge , Meng Xianyu , Zhang Huanhuan , Zhou Yingxin , Ling Shenglong , Sun Demeng , Lv Pei , Liu Lei , Shi Pan , Tian Changlin
Published: May 2022

The endogenous cyclic tetradecapeptide SST14 was reported to stimulate all five somatostatin receptors (SSTR1–5) for hormone release, neurotransmission, cell growth arrest and cancer suppression. Two SST14-derived short cyclic SST analogues (lanreotide or octreotide) with improved stability and longer lifetime were developed as drugs to preferentially activate SSTR2 and treat acromegalia and neuroendocrine tumors. Here, cryo-EM structures of the human SSTR2–Gi complex bound with SST14, octreotide or lanreotide were determined at resolutions of 2.85 Å, 2.97 Å, and 2.87 Å, respectively. Structural and functional analysis revealed that interactions between β-turn residues in SST analogues and transmembrane SSTR2 residues in the ligand-binding pocket are crucial for receptor binding and functional stimulation of the two SST14-derived cyclic octapeptides. Additionally, Q1022.63, N2766.55, and F2947.35 could be responsible for the selectivity of lanreotide or octreotide for SSTR2 over SSTR1 or SSTR4. These results provide valuable insights into further rational development of SST analogue drugs targeting SSTR2.