bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Kemeny Distance-Based Robust Fuzzy Clustering for Preference Data
Authors: D’Urso Pierpaolo , Vitale Vincenzina
Published: October 2022

We propose two robust fuzzy clustering techniques in the context of preference rankings to group judges into homogeneous clusters even in the case of contamination due to outliers or, more generally, noisy data. The two fuzzy C-Medoids clustering methods, based on the same suitable exponential transformation of the Kemeny distance, belong to two different approaches and differ in the way they introduce the fuzziness in the membership matrix, the one based on the “m” exponent and the other on the Shannon entropy. As far as the Kemeny distance is concerned, it is equivalent to the Kendall distance in the case of complete rankings but differs from the latter in the way of handling tied rankings. Simulations prove that our methods are able to recover the natural structure of the groups neutralizing the effect of possible noises and outliers. Two applications to real datasets are also provided.
Malaria vector bionomics and transmission in irrigated and non-irrigated sites in western Kenya
Authors: Ondeto Benyl M. , Wang Xiaoming , Atieli Harrysone , Orondo Pauline Winnie , Ochwedo Kevin O. , Omondi Collince J. , Otambo Wilfred O. , Zhong Daibin , Zhou Guofa , Lee Ming-Chieh , Muriu Simon M. , Odongo David O. , Ochanda Horace , Kazura James , Githeko Andrew K. , Yan Guiyun
Published: October 2022

Irrigation not only helps to improve food security but also creates numerous water bodies for mosquito production. This study assessed the effect of irrigation on malaria vector bionomics and transmission in a semi-arid site with ongoing malaria vector control program. The effectiveness of CDC light traps in the surveillance of malaria vectors was also evaluated relative to the human landing catches (HLCs) method. Adult mosquitoes were sampled in two study sites representing irrigated and non-irrigated agroecosystems in western Kenya using a variety of trapping methods. The mosquito samples were identified to species and assayed for host blood meal source and Plasmodium spp. sporozoite infection using polymerase chain reaction. Anopheles arabiensis was the dominant malaria vector in the two study sites and occurred in significantly higher densities in irrigated study site compared to the non-irrigated study site. The difference in indoor resting density of An. arabiensis during the dry and wet seasons was not significant. Other species, including An. funestus, An. coustani, and An. pharoensis, were collected. The An. funestus indoor resting density was 0.23 in irrigated study site while almost none of this species was collected in the non-irrigated study site. The human blood index (HBI) for An. arabiensis in the irrigated study site was 3.44% and significantly higher than 0.00% for the non-irrigated study site. In the irrigated study site, the HBI of An. arabiensis was 3.90% and 5.20% indoor and outdoor, respectively. The HBI of An. funestus was 49.43% and significantly higher compared to 3.44% for An. arabiensis in the irrigated study site. The annual entomologic inoculation rate for An. arabiensis in the irrigated study site was 0.41 and 0.30 infective bites/person/year indoor and outdoor, respectively, whereas no transmission was observed in the non-irrigated study site. The CDC light trap performed consistently with HLC in terms of vector density. These findings demonstrate that irrigated agriculture may increase the risk of malaria transmission in irrigated areas compared to the non-irrigated areas and highlight the need to complement the existing malaria vector interventions with novel tools targeting the larvae and both indoor and outdoor biting vector populations.

Graphical abstract
The role of inner nuclear membrane proteins in tumourigenesis and as potential targets for cancer therapy
Authors: Rose Maddison , Burgess Joshua T. , O’Byrne Kenneth , Richard Derek J. , Bolderson Emma
Published: October 2022

Despite significant advances in our understanding of tumourigenesis and cancer therapeutics, cancer continues to account for 30% of worldwide deaths. Therefore, there remains an unmet need for the development of cancer therapies to improve patient quality of life and survival outcomes. The inner nuclear membrane has an essential role in cell division, cell signalling, transcription, cell cycle progression, chromosome tethering, cell migration and mitosis. Furthermore, expression of several inner nuclear membrane proteins has been shown to be frequently altered in tumour cells, resulting in the dysregulation of cellular pathways to promote tumourigenesis. However, to date, minimal research has been conducted to investigate how targeting these dysregulated and variably expressed proteins may provide a novel avenue for cancer therapies. In this review, we present an overview of the involvement of the inner nuclear membrane proteins within the hallmarks of cancer and how they may be exploited as potent anti-cancer therapeutics.
Triangulations of polygons and stacked simplicial complexes: separating their Stanley–Reisner ideals
Authors: Fløystad Gunnar , Orlich Milo
Published: October 2022

A triangulation of a polygon has an associated Stanley–Reisner ideal. We obtain a full algebraic and combinatorial understanding of these ideals and describe their separated models. More generally, we do this for stacked simplicial complexes, in particular for stacked polytopes.
A Review of Consensus-based Multi-agent UAV Implementations
Authors: Lizzio Fausto Francesco , Capello Elisa , Guglieri Giorgio
Published: October 2022

In this paper, a survey on distributed control applications for multi Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) systems is proposed. The focus is on consensus-based control, and both rotary-wing and fixed-wing UAVs are considered. On one side, the latest experimental configurations for the implementation of formation flight are analysed and compared for multirotor UAVs. On the other hand, the control frameworks taking into account the mobility of the fixed-wing UAVs performing target tracking are considered. This approach can be helpful to assess and compare the solutions for practical applications of consensus in UAV swarms.
Shaken Dynamics: An Easy Way to Parallel Markov Chain Monte Carlo
Authors: Apollonio Valentina , D’Autilia Roberto , Scoppola Benedetto , Scoppola Elisabetta , Troiani Alessio
Published: October 2022

We define a class of Markovian parallel dynamics for spin systems on arbitrary graphs with nearest neighbor interaction described by a Hamiltonian function $$H(\sigma )$$

H
(
σ
)

. These dynamics turn out to be reversible and their stationary measure is explicitly determined. Convergence to equilibrium and relation of the stationary measure to the usual Gibbs measure are discussed when the dynamics is defined on $$\mathbb {Z}^2$$

Z

2

. Further it is shown how these dynamics can be used to define natively parallel algorithms to face problems in the context of combinatorial optimization.
Cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of syndecan-4 in mice results in activation of calcineurin-NFAT signalling and exacerbated cardiac hypertrophy
Authors: Lunde Ida G. , Aronsen J. Magnus , Melleby A. Olav , Strand Mari E. , Skogestad Jonas , Bendiksen Bård A. , Ahmed M. Shakil , Sjaastad Ivar , Attramadal Håvard , Carlson Cathrine R. , Christensen Geir
Published: October 2022

Background

Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy is a hallmark of cardiac dysfunction in patients with aortic stenosis (AS), and can be triggered by left ventricular (LV) pressure overload in mice by aortic banding (AB). Syndecan-4 is a transmembrane heparan sulphate proteoglycan which is found increased in the myocardium of AS patients and AB mice. The role of syndecan-4 in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy is not well understood.

Purpose of the study

We developed mice with cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of syndecan-4 (Sdc4-Tg) and subjected these to AB to examine the role of syndecan-4 in hypertrophy and activation of the pro-hypertrophic calcineurin-NFAT signalling pathway.

Methods and results

Sdc4-Tg mice showed exacerbated cardiac remodelling upon AB compared to wild type (WT). At 2–6 weeks post-AB, Sdc4-Tg and WT mice showed similar hypertrophic growth, while at 20 weeks post-AB, exacerbated hypertrophy and dysfunction were evident in Sdc4-Tg mice. After cross-breeding of Sdc4-Tg mice with NFAT-luciferase reporter mice, we found increased NFAT activation in Sdc4-Tg hearts after AB. Immunoprecipitation showed that calcineurin bound to syndecan-4 in Sdc4-Tg hearts. Isolated cardiomyocytes from Sdc4-Tg mice showed alterations in Ca2+ fluxes, suggesting that syndecan-4 regulated Ca2+ levels, and thereby, activating the syndecan-4-calcineurin complex resulting in NFAT activation and hypertrophic growth. Similarly, primary cardiomyocyte cultures from neonatal rats showed increased calcineurin-NFAT-dependent hypertrophic growth upon viral Sdc4 overexpression.

Conclusion

Our study of mice with cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of Sdc4 have revealed that syndecan-4 is important for activation of the Ca2+-dependent calcineurin-NFAT signalling pathway, hypertrophic remodelling and dysfunction in cardiomyocytes in response to pressure overload.
Recent progress in atomistic modeling of light-harvesting complexes: a mini review
Authors: Maity Sayan , Kleinekathöfer Ulrich
Published: October 2022

In this mini review, we focus on recent advances in the atomistic modeling of biological light-harvesting (LH) complexes. Because of their size and sophisticated electronic structures, multiscale methods are required to investigate the dynamical and spectroscopic properties of such complexes. The excitation energies, in this context also known as site energies, excitonic couplings, and spectral densities are key quantities which usually need to be extracted to be able to determine the exciton dynamics and spectroscopic properties. The recently developed multiscale approach based on the numerically efficient density functional tight-binding framework followed by excited state calculations has been shown to be superior to the scheme based on pure classical molecular dynamics simulations. The enhanced approach, which improves the description of the internal vibrational dynamics of the pigment molecules, yields spectral densities in good agreement with the experimental counterparts for various bacterial and plant LH systems. Here, we provide a brief overview of those results and described the theoretical foundation of the multiscale protocol.
The Long-Term Evolution of the Atmosphere of Venus: Processes and Feedback Mechanisms
Authors: Gillmann Cedric , Way M. J. , Avice Guillaume , Breuer Doris , Golabek Gregor J. , Höning Dennis , Krissansen-Totton Joshua , Lammer Helmut , O’Rourke Joseph G. , Persson Moa , Plesa Ana-Catalina , Salvador Arnaud , Scherf Manuel , Zolotov Mikhail Y.
Published: October 2022

This work reviews the long-term evolution of the atmosphere of Venus, and modulation of its composition by interior/exterior cycling. The formation and evolution of Venus’s atmosphere, leading to contemporary surface conditions, remain hotly debated topics, and involve questions that tie into many disciplines. We explore these various inter-related mechanisms which shaped the evolution of the atmosphere, starting with the volatile sources and sinks. Going from the deep interior to the top of the atmosphere, we describe volcanic outgassing, surface-atmosphere interactions, and atmosphere escape. Furthermore, we address more complex aspects of the history of Venus, including the role of Late Accretion impacts, how magnetic field generation is tied into long-term evolution, and the implications of geochemical and geodynamical feedback cycles for atmospheric evolution. We highlight plausible end-member evolutionary pathways that Venus could have followed, from accretion to its present-day state, based on modeling and observations. In a first scenario, the planet was desiccated by atmospheric escape during the magma ocean phase. In a second scenario, Venus could have harbored surface liquid water for long periods of time, until its temperate climate was destabilized and it entered a runaway greenhouse phase. In a third scenario, Venus’s inefficient outgassing could have kept water inside the planet, where hydrogen was trapped in the core and the mantle was oxidized. We discuss existing evidence and future observations/missions required to refine our understanding of the planet’s history and of the complex feedback cycles between the interior, surface, and atmosphere that have been operating in the past, present or future of Venus.
Numerical and Experimental Stability Investigation of a Parametrically Excited Cantilever Beam at Combination Parametric Resonance
Authors: Ghannad Tehrani G. , Gastaldi C. , Berruti T. M.
Published: October 2022

Background

The presence of parametric excitation in dynamic structures, caused by friction, crack, varying compliance, electromagnetic field, etc. may generate unbounded responses. In the literature there exist several numerical analyses of systems affected by parametric excitation, while experimental studies are less frequent.

Objective

The goal of the paper is to create a demonstrator of a parametrically excited system, whose stability can be modified through a controlled physical parameter. This work also investigates the applicability of the recently developed stability analysis method named Jacobian Based Approach (JBA).

Methods

This paper studies a simple experimental set-up comprising of a cantilever beam mounted on a spring with time – varying stiffness, achieved through the use of an electromagnet. The test rig allows measuring directly the magnetic force without any preknowledge of the values of electrical parameters. Results obtained from the test rig are compared with numerical results obtained from the Finite Element model. In this study, Hill’s method and JBA are employed to obtain the stability plot highlighting the regions of parametric instabilities.

Results

Good agreement is found between experimental and numerical data and the presence of unstable behavior is verified through the use of the well – known Hill’s method and the JBA. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the stability plot, highlighting the unstable regions, computed by JBA is in complete agreement with the one obtained by Hill’s method.

Conclusions

It is shown how the parametric instability can be triggered through the regulation of a simple physical parameter, i.e. the gap between the electromagnet and the beam. The numerical model analyzed by the ad – hoc technique proposed by the authors i.e. JBA has been proven to have predictive capabilities in studying a system under parametric excitation and could be a potential substitution for state-of-the-art stability analysis techniques such Hill’s method.
Life satisfaction and mental health from age 17 to 21 years in a general population sample
Authors: Marquez Jose , Katsantonis Ioannis , Sellers Ruth , Knies Gundi
Published: October 2022

Adolescence is a period when both mental health (MH) and wellbeing start deteriorating, which raises the question of how the two phenomena are linked and whether deterioration in one might be used to flag problematic developments in the other. While research shows that wellbeing and MH are associated, the direction of the association is not clear and longitudinal analyses, that might help disentangle the cause and effect, are scarce. Moreover, few studies have investigated the directional relation between MH and wellbeing early in the life course. In emerging adulthood, evidence indicates reciprocal associations and no gender differences, whereas, in early and middle adolescence, results are mixed and differ across gender. Thus, we investigated the relationship between MH and wellbeing and the moderating effect of gender in the crucial developmental transition from middle adolescence to emerging adulthood. We undertake a cross-lagged longitudinal data analysis from a pooled sample of six pseudo-cohorts, including information from 661 young people who participated in the UK Household Longitudinal Study at ages 17, 19, and 21. Using a 7-points overall life satisfaction (LS) scale as an index of wellbeing and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire as a measure of MH, we found no associations between LS and MH in the 17–19 transition and bidirectional associations in the 19–21 transition. There were no substantial gender differences in either transition. We conclude that LS and MH predict each other in the transition from late adolescence (age 19) to emerging adulthood (age 21) for both males and females.
A swarm optimizer with attention-based particle sampling and learning for large scale optimization
Authors: Sheng Mengmeng , Wang Zidong , Liu Weibo , Wang Xi , Chen Shengyong , Liu Xiaohui
Published: October 2022

Attention mechanism, which is a cognitive process of selectively concentrating on certain information while ignoring others, has been successfully employed in deep learning. In this paper, we introduce the attention mechanism into a particle swarm optimizer and propose an attention-based particle swarm optimizer (APSO) for large scale optimization. In the proposed method, the attention mechanism is introduced such that activating different particles to participate in evolution at different stages of evolution. Further, an attention-based particle learning is devised to randomly select three particles from a predominant sub-swarm, which is activated by the attention mechanism, to guide the learning of particles. The cooperation of these two strategies could be employed to achieve a balanced evolution search, thus appropriately searching the space of large-scale optimization problems. Extensive experiments have been carried out on CEC’2010 and CEC’2013 large scale optimization benchmark functions to evaluate the performance of proposed method and to compare with related methods. The results show the superiority of proposed method.
Positive influence of neuromuscular training on knee injury risk factors during cutting and landing tasks in elite youth female handball players
Authors: Schmidt Marcus , Nolte Kevin , Terschluse Benedikt , Willwacher Steffen , Jaitner Thomas
Published: October 2022

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures are frequent in the age group of 15–19 years, particularly for female athletes. Although injury-prevention programs effectively reduce severe knee injuries, little is known about the underlying mechanisms and changes of biomechanical risk factors. Thus, this study analyzes the effects of a neuromuscular injury-prevention program on biomechanical parameters associated with ACL injuries in elite youth female handball players. In a nonrandomized, controlled intervention study, 19 players allocated to control (n = 12) and intervention (n = 7) group were investigated for single- and double-leg landings as well as unanticipated side-cutting maneuvers before and after a 12-week study period. The lower-extremity motion of the athletes was captured using a three-dimensional motion capture system consisting of 12 infrared cameras. A lower-body marker set of 40 markers together with a rigid body model, including a forefoot, rearfoot, shank, thigh, and pelvis segment in combination with two force plates was used to determine knee joint angles, resultant external joint moments, and vertical ground reaction forces. The two groups did not differ significantly during pretesting. Only the intervention group showed significant improvements in the initial knee abduction angle during single leg landing (p = 0.038: d = 0.518), knee flexion moment during double-leg landings (p = 0.011; d = −1.086), knee abduction moment during single (p = 0.036; d = 0.585) and double-leg landing (p = 0.006; d = 0.944) and side-cutting (p = 0.015;d = 0.561) as well as vertical ground reaction force during double-leg landing (p = 0.004; d = 1.482). Control group demonstrated no significant changes in kinematics and kinetics. However, at postintervention both groups were not significantly different in any of the biomechanical outcomes except for the normalized knee flexion moment of the dominant leg during single-leg landing. This study provides first indications that the implementation of a training intervention with specific neuromuscular exercises has positive impacts on biomechanical risk factors associated with ACL injury risk and, therefore, may help prevent severe knee injuries in elite youth female handball players.
Enhancing Parental Well-being: Initial Efficacy of a 21-Day Online Self-help Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Parents
Authors: Cheung Rebecca Y. M. , Chan Stanley K. C. , Chui Harold , Chan Wing Man , Ngai Sammy Y. S.
Published: October 2022

Objectives

Parental self-care is extremely important in the face of stress throughout parenthood. A 21-day online mindfulness-based intervention was developed that was aimed at enhancing parental well-being. The present study evaluated this intervention by examining its initial efficacy on parents’ mindfulness, parenting stress, subjective well-being, and symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Methods

Participants were 273 parents (90.11% mothers) who were randomly assigned to the 21-day mindfulness-based intervention group (n = 136) or waitlist control group (n = 137). Pre-intervention assessment, immediate post-intervention assessment, and 30-day follow-up assessment were conducted to assess parents’ mindfulness, parenting stress, subjective well-being, and symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Results

Linear mixed models indicated that the group × time effects on subjective well-being, anxiety symptoms, and mindfulness were significant, after controlling for sex, age, education, income, habit of mindfulness practice, hours of weekly mindfulness practice, and diagnostic history of psychiatric disorder. Follow-up analyses indicated that compared to baseline, participants from the intervention group reported significantly greater subjective well-being and mindfulness, and fewer symptoms of anxiety than did those from the waitlist control group. The group × time effects on parenting stress and depressive symptoms were non-significant. Exploratory findings further suggested practicality and perceived acceptability of the intervention.

Conclusions

This study showed initial efficacy of a 21-day online mindfulness-based intervention on parents’ subjective well-being, anxiety symptoms, and mindfulness. The findings inform researchers and practitioners about the utility of a brief mindfulness-based intervention in promotion parental well-being. Other areas of feasibility warrant future investigation.
Temporal Perspectives and the Phenomenology of Grief
Authors: Shardlow Jack
Published: October 2022

In first personal accounts of the experience of grief, it is often described as disrupting the experience of time. This aspect of the experience has gained more attention in recent discussions, but it may nonetheless strike some as puzzling. Grieving subjects do, after all, still perceptually experience motion, change, and succession, and they are typically capable of orienting themselves in time and accurately estimating durations. As such, it is not immediately obvious how we ought understand the claim that grief disrupts the experience of time. In the present discussion I suggest that we can shed light on this aspect of the experience of grief by distinguishing between three temporal perspectives that experiencing (human) subjects typically occupy: the perceptual, the agential, and the narrative. Appeal to these three temporal perspectives helps to clarify the phenomenology of grief; it reveals a way in which grief can disrupt the experience of time; and it can also help us to analyse pre-existing issues in the literature on grief.
Supported Education and Supported Employment for Individuals at Clinical-High Risk of Psychosis: A Pilot Study
Authors: Malda Aaltsje , Kuis Daan Jan , Nieboer Roeline , van der Pol Boudien , Aleman André , Korevaar Lies , Sportel B. Esther , Hofstra Jacomijn , Pijnenborg Gerdina H. M. , Boonstra Nynke
Published: October 2022

Deteriorated functioning is a part of the clinical-high risk (CHR) criteria for psychosis. Diminished social, educational and occupational functioning in the phase of late adolescence and early adulthood are associated with long-term social, economic and health consequences, which stresses the importance of early intervention to stimulate functioning. This pilot study examines the effectiveness and feasibility of the choose-get-keep model of Supported Education and Supported Employment (SEE) to improve educational and occupational functioning of individuals at CHR for a psychosis. A single blind randomized controlled pilot study combined SEE with treatment as usual (TAU) versus TAU among adolescents and early adults at CHR. School performance and job status as well as global functioning scales were assessed at twelve months. Of the 78 eligible participants, 20 individuals consented to participate in this study. At follow-up, participants in the intervention condition (n = 9) did not start an education more often than the participants in the control condition (n = 11) and the school results for both conditions were similar. However, in the intervention condition there were no school dropouts, more participants gained a job and worked longer hours. Two participants quit the intervention. This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that a SEE intervention is effective and feasible in sustaining and improving the level of both educational and occupational functioning of individuals at CHR for psychosis by supporting them in attaining, keeping and elaborating of their education or employment.
Improving the predictive skills of hydrological models using a combinatorial optimization algorithm and artificial neural networks
Authors: Farfán Juan F. , Cea Luis
Published: October 2022

Ensemble modelling is a numerical technique used to combine the results of a number of different individual models in order to obtain more robust, better-fitting predictions. The main drawback of ensemble modeling is the identification of the individual models that can be efficiently combined. The present study proposes a strategy based on the Random-Restart Hill-Climbing algorithm to efficiently build ANN-based hydrological ensemble models. The proposed technique is applied in a case study, using three different criteria for identifying the model combinations, different number of individual models to build the ensemble, and two different ANN training algorithms. The results show that model combinations based on the Pearson coefficient produce the best ensembles, outperforming the best individual model in 100% of the cases, and reaching NSE values up to 0.91 in the validation period. Furthermore, the Levenberg-Marquardt training algorithm showed a much lower computational cost than the Bayesian regularisation algorithm, with no significant differences in terms of accuracy.
Vertically Integrated Electronics: New Opportunities from Emerging Materials and Devices
Authors: Kim Seongjae , Seo Juhyung , Choi Junhwan , Yoo Hocheon
Published: October 2022

Vertical three-dimensional (3D) integration is a highly attractive strategy to integrate a large number of transistor devices per unit area. This approach has emerged to accommodate the higher demand of data processing capability and to circumvent the scaling limitation. A huge number of research efforts have been attempted to demonstrate vertically stacked electronics in the last two decades. In this review, we revisit materials and devices for the vertically integrated electronics with an emphasis on the emerging semiconductor materials that can be processable by bottom-up fabrication methods, which are suitable for future flexible and wearable electronics. The vertically stacked integrated circuits are reviewed based on the semiconductor materials: organic semiconductors, carbon nanotubes, metal oxide semiconductors, and atomically thin two-dimensional materials including transition metal dichalcogenides. The features, device performance, and fabrication methods for 3D integration of the transistor based on each semiconductor are discussed. Moreover, we highlight recent advances that can be important milestones in the vertically integrated electronics including advanced integrated circuits, sensors, and display systems. There are remaining challenges to overcome; however, we believe that the vertical 3D integration based on emerging semiconductor materials and devices can be a promising strategy for future electronics.
Building Orientation and Heat Treatments Effect on the Pseudoelastic Properties of NiTi Produced by LPBF
Authors: Carlucci G. , Patriarca L. , Demir A. G. , Lemke J. N. , Coda A. , Previtali B. , Casati R.
Published: October 2022

NiTi dominates the market of shape memory materials due to its optimal combination of mechanical, functional, and biocompatibility properties, which enabled its use for several applications, in particular for the biomedical and the aerospace sectors. However, due to its poor machinability, NiTi is a challenging material from the manufacturing standpoint. Therefore, in the last years, researchers have focused on the production of NiTi components by additive manufacturing processes, which also enable the manufacturing of complex shape parts that cannot be produced with conventional methods. The aim of this study is to provide insights on the optimization of the functional performances of NiTi produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion, leveraging on the building orientation and post-processing heat treatments. Uniaxial mechanical tests have been performed in tension and compression, and the influence of heat treatments and building orientation on the mechanical behavior of pseudoelastic NiTi has been evaluated. Different heat treatment schedules have been evaluated, leading to transformation strains up to 2.7% in tension and 4.6% in compression. This study confirms that Laser Powder Bed Fusion is a promising additive manufacturing technology for the production of net-shape and near defect-free NiTi components, exhibiting remarkable functional properties.
Development and behavior of a thin fitting connection for lamination with structural PVB
Authors: Fildhuth Thiemo , Joos Pascal , Wüest Thomas , Haller Matthias , Stevels Wim
Published: October 2022

Intended for the construction of a double curved, frameless modular glass shell demonstrator, a stainless steel fitting connection with a trapezoidal, thin sheet laminated into the interstice of two-ply safety glass has been developed. For the bonding within the glass laminate, structural PVB interlayer is used. Various interlayer plies of different PVB types can be stacked depending on the necessary interstice thickness and the intended esthetical appearance. The fitting is designed to mainly transfer translational forces, but it also provides some bending stiffness via a crossbar supported against the glass edge. Various tests, including tension, shear and bending load application, have been performed at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) to explore the structural behavior and the load bearing capacity of the fitting connection. In addition, parameter studies using finite element models were made to explore the influence of the fitting geometry, dimensions, interlayer properties and loading type on the structural behavior of this type of connection. These parameter studies and test results allow to identify further shape optimization and application possibilities of such thin, laminated fittings for load bearing glass structures.
Genomes of Two Flying Squid Species Provide Novel Insights into Adaptations of Cephalopods to Pelagic Life
Authors: Li Min , Wu Baosheng , Zhang Peng , Li Ye , Xu Wenjie , Wang Kun , Qiu Qiang , Zhang Jun , Li Jie , Zhang Chi , Fan Jiangtao , Feng Chenguang , Chen Zuozhi
Published: October 2022

Pelagic cephalopods have evolved a series of fascinating traits, such as excellent visual acuity, high-speed agility, and photophores for adaptation to open pelagic oceans. However, the genetic mechanisms underpinning these traits are not well understood. Thus, in this study, we obtained high-quality genomes of two purpleback flying squid species (Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis and Sthenoteuthis sp.), with sizes of 5450 Mb and 5651 Mb, respectively. Comparative genomic analyses revealed that the S-crystallin subfamily SL20-1 associated with visual acuity in the purpleback flying squid lineage was significantly expanded, and the evolution of high-speed agility for the species was accompanied by significant positive selection pressure on genes related to energy metabolism. These molecular signals might have contributed to the evolution of their adaptative predatory and anti-predatory traits. In addition, the transcriptomic analysis provided clear indications of the evolution of the photophores of purpleback flying squids, especially the recruitment of new genes and energy metabolism-related genes which may have played key functional roles in the process.
Protein Lactylation and Metabolic Regulation of the Zoonotic Parasite Toxoplasma Gondii
Authors: Yin Deqi , Jiang Ning , Cheng Chang , Sang Xiaoyu , Feng Ying , Chen Ran , Chen Qijun
Published: October 2022

The biology of Toxoplasma gondii, the causative pathogen of one of the most widespread parasitic diseases (toxoplasmosis), remains poorly understood. Lactate, which is derived from glucose metabolism, is not only an energy source in a variety of organisms, including T. gondii, but also a regulatory molecule that participates in gene activation and protein function. Lysine lactylation (Kla) is a type of post-translational modifications (PTMs) that has been recently associated with chromatin remodeling; however, Kla of histone and non-histone proteins has not yet been studied in T. gondii. To examine the prevalence and function of lactylation in T. gondii parasites, we mapped the lactylome of proliferating tachyzoite cells and identified 1964 Kla sites on 955 proteins in the T. gondii RH strain. Lactylated proteins were distributed in multiple subcellular compartments and were closely related to a wide variety of biological processes, including mRNA splicing, glycolysis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, RNA transport, and many signaling pathways. We also performed a chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) analysis using a lactylation-specific antibody and found that the histones H4K12la and H3K14la were enriched in the promoter and exon regions of T. gondii associated with microtubule-based movement and cell invasion. We further confirmed the delactylase activity of histone deacetylases TgHDAC2–4, and found that treatment with anti-histone acetyltransferase (TgMYST-A) antibodies profoundly reduced protein lactylation in T. gondii. This study offers the first dataset of the global lactylation proteome and provides a basis for further dissecting the functional biology of T. gondii.
No Other Planet
Authors: Thaler Mathias
Published: October 2022

Visions of utopia – some hopeful, others fearful – have become increasingly prevalent in recent times. This groundbreaking, timely book examines expressions of the utopian imagination with a focus on the pressing challenge of how to inhabit a climate-changed world. Forms of social dreaming are tracked across two domains: political theory and speculative fiction. The analysis aims to both uncover the key utopian and dystopian tendencies in contemporary debates around the Anthropocene; as well as to develop a political theory of radical transformation that avoids not only debilitating fatalism but also wishful thinking. This book juxtaposes theoretical interventions, from Bruno Latour to the members of the Dark Mountain collective, with fantasy and science fiction texts by N. K. Jemisin, Kim Stanley Robinson and Margaret Atwood, debating viable futures for a world that will look and feel very different from the one we live in right now.
Megasites in Prehistoric Europe
Authors: Gaydarska Bisserka , Chapman John
Published: October 2022

This is an Element about some of the largest sites known in prehistoric Europe – sites so vast that they often remain undiscussed for lack of the theoretical or methodological tools required for their understanding. Here, the authors use a relational, comparative approach to identify not only what made megasites but also what made megasites so special and so large. They have selected a sample of megasites in each major period of prehistory – Neolithic, Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages – with a detailed examination of a single representative megasite for each period. The relational approach makes explicit comparisons between smaller, more 'normal' sites and the megasites using six criteria – scale, temporality, deposition / monumentality, formal open spaces, performance and congregational catchment. The authors argue that many of the largest European prehistoric megasites were congregational places.
The Political Message of the Shrine of St. Heribert of Cologne
Authors: Carty Carolyn M.
Published: October 2022

This is the first ever book in English solely devoted to one of the most important reliquary shrines of the Mosan Rhineland, the Heribert Shrine. Carolyn M. Carty investigates how liturgy, history, politics, and geography all converge to influence the creation and the message of a work of art in the aftermath of the Investiture Controversy between the Church and the Holy Roman Empire. She argues that the Heribert Shrine's images and inscriptions support the supremacy of the Church over the State with consequent implications for the shrine's intended viewers.
Translation and Temporality in Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie
Authors: McInerney Maud Burnett
Published: October 2022

An exciting new approach to one of the most important texts of medieval Europe.
Emma and Claude Debussy
Authors: Opstad Gillian
Published: October 2022

Emma Bardac and her relationship with Claude Debussy take centre stage in this insightful exploration of their lives together.
Manuals for Penitents in Medieval England
Authors: Murchison Krista A.
Published: October 2022

First comprehensive survey of a major genre of medieval English texts: its purpose, characteristics, and reception.
Pity and Identity in the Age of Shakespeare
Authors: Johnson Toria
Published: October 2022

Exploring a wide range of material including dramatic works, medieval morality drama, and lyric poetry, this book argues for the central significance of literary material to the history of emotions.
A Handbook of Animals in Old English Texts
Authors: Preston Todd
Published: October 2022

A Handbook of Animals in Old English Texts is the definitive handbook for students, scholars, and observers of the non-human in early medieval England. In this interdisciplinary compendium to the animal inhabitants of medieval Britain, Preston documents each creature mentioned in the Old English literary textual canon and correlates its standard literary interpretation with relevant historical, archaeological, and ecological studies. Beyond its usefulness as a reference work, Preston's text challenges the reader to move beyond a literary analysis of the figural beast to one that leaves space for the actual animal.
The Islamization of the Holy Land, 634-1800
Authors: Ehrlich Michael
Published: October 2022

This book argues that the causes that led to the conversion of most of the Holy Land's population, as well as the survival of some religious communities, are essentially social and geographic in nature, rather than theological, and that two parallel processes were the main catalysts of Islamization: de-urbanization and urbanization.
China-Russia Strategic Alignment in International Politics
Authors: Korolev Alexander
Published: October 2022

Post-Cold War China-Russia strategic cooperation has displayed significant development and become an increasingly important factor in contemporary international politics. However, there has been no theory-grounded framework and corresponding measurements that would allow an accurate and systematic assessment of the level of China-Russia alignment and its progress over time. How closely aligned are China and Russia? How to define and measure strategic alignments between states? This book bridges area studies and International Relations literature to develop a set of objective criteria to measure and explain the development of strategic alignment in post-Cold War China-Russia relations. It establishes that on a range of criteria, China-Russia alignment is moving towards a full-fledged alliance. It is solid and comprehensive and continues to show a consistent incremental upward trend. There are strong structural incentives for furthering the China-Russia alignment, and there is little that might hinder the effective functioning of a China-Russia alliance. The alignment framework developed in the book can be applied to other cases of interstate strategic cooperation to facilitate comparisons between different strategic alignments.
Memory Activism and Digital Practices after Conflict
Authors: Fridman Orli
Published: October 2022

This book investigates the study of memory activism and memory of activism, emerging after conflict, as a political civic action. It examines the appearance and growth of memory activism in Serbia amid the legacies of unwanted memories of the wars of the 1990s, approaching the post-Yugoslav region as a region of memory and tracing the alternative calendars and alternative commemorative practices of memory activists as they have evolved over a period of more than two decades. By presenting in-depth accounts of memory activism practices, on-site and online, Memory Activism and Digital Practices after Conflict: Unwanted Memories analyses this evolution in the context of generational belonging and introduces frameworks for the study of #hashtag #memoryactivism, alternative commemorations and commemorative solidarity.
Changing times: The impact of gram-negative breakpoint changes over the previous decade
Authors: Johnson Wes M. , Clark Justin A. , Olney Katherine , Burgess Donna R. , Burgess David S.
Published: October 2022

We assessed breakpoint changes of 13,101 Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from the past decade. All β-lactams and fluoroquinolones demonstrated decreased susceptibilities following breakpoint changes. Enterobacter cloacae experienced the largest average decrease in susceptibility amongst the Enterobacterales at 5.3% and P. aeruginosa experienced an average decrease in susceptibility of 9.3%.
Association of all-cause mortality with sugar intake from different sources in the prospective cohort of UK Biobank participants
Authors: Kaiser Anna , Schaefer Sylva M. , Behrendt Inken , Eichner Gerrit , Fasshauer Mathias
Published: October 2022

The present study elucidates the association of intrinsic sugars and free sugars (FS) from all relevant sources with all-cause mortality in the prospective UK Biobank cohort. Sugar intake was assessed in 186 811 UK Biobank participants who completed at least one web-based 24-h dietary recall (Oxford WebQ). Cox proportional hazard regression models for all-cause mortality were used with sugar intake from different sources included as penalised cubic splines to allow non-linear predictor effects. Over a mean follow-up of 12·3 years, 8576 (4·6 %) deaths occurred. FS but not intrinsic sugars were significantly and dose-dependently associated with hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality. The association with all-cause mortality was significant and dose dependent for FS in beverages, but not in solids with the mean (CI) HR at 50 g/d v. 0 g/d consumption at 1·10, 95 % CI (1·07, 1·14) and 1·01, 95 % CI (0·98, 1·03), respectively. Within the beverages subcategories, a significant dose-dependent association with mortality was detected for FS in soda/fruit drinks and milk-based drinks whereas this relation was NS for FS in pure juice and tea/coffee. FS in four different subtypes of solids, i.e. treats, cereals, toppings and sauces, were not positively associated with all-cause mortality. Major findings were robust in sensitivity analyses. In conclusion, only some FS sources were associated with all-cause mortality. Interventions targeting FS subtypes might be most effective concerning mortality if focused on the reduction of soda/fruit drinks and milk-based sugary drinks; however, the present results need to be confirmed by independent studies.
Privacy and Canadian Political Parties: The Effects of the Data-Driven Campaign on Elector Engagement
Authors: Bannerman Sara , Kalinina Julia , Dubois Elizabeth , Goodman Nicole
Published: October 2022

This article reports the results of a survey examining Canadians’ attitudes about political parties’ collection of personal information. Datified campaigning brings concerns about surveillance, divisiveness, digital redlining and elector autonomy. This article asks whether awareness of parties’ data collection practices affects willingness to engage with campaigns. We find (1) that respondents are not fully aware of political parties’ data collection practices, (2) that awareness of parties’ collection of personal information may reduce electors’ willingness to interact with political parties online, (3) that those who are more aware of these practices report higher levels of concern about them and that those who do not think that parties’ collection of personal information is important to the democratic process also report higher levels of concern, and (4) that new legal measures to regulate how political parties collect and use personal information are supported by respondents.
The Global American Civil War and Anglo-American Relations in China's Treaty Ports
Authors: Larkin Thomas M.
Published: October 2022

Taking a global approach to the American Civil War from the vantage of China, this article explores the nineteenth-century transnational connections and disconnections that linked the American community there to distant diplomatic crises unfolding in the Atlantic. Such episodes as the raiding of the Confederate privateer Alabama and the Trent Affair reached China's Americans through newspaper articles and correspondence that described an Atlantic theatre dominated by the spirit of war. Such reports had an ambiguous effect in China. On the one hand, they undermined American mercantile enterprises that had been poised to expand into China's interior. On the other, they created only ephemeral ripples of discontent amongst a wider Anglo-American community ultimately bound together by common interests and a sense of racial and cultural solidarity. I argue that while rumour and speculation were powerful forces capable of crippling the United States’ merchant marine, colonial society in ports such as Hong Kong proved surprisingly resistant to metropolitan socio-political crises. Through the central case-study of the Alabama and related debates sustained in 1860s China, this article accordingly explores the extent to which (semi)colonial societies were susceptible to or insulated from metropolitan crises.
Forced Migration and Refugee Resettlement in the Long 1940s: An Introduction to Its Connected and Global History
Authors: Banerjee Milinda , von Lingen Kerstin
Published: October 2022

When considering the wave of forced migrations during the Second World War in Europe and Asia, and the international and institutional responses thereof, we can speak about the 1940s as witnessing the birth of a global refugee resettlement regime. Organisations including the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), the International Refugee Organization (IRO), and eventually the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) placed refugee resettlement at the heart of constructing the postwar world order. This volume adopts a global optic to investigate the formation of this international resettlement regime in Europe and Asia, while also studying refugee camps and movements, agency of refugees and migrants, decision factors for resettlement, and the intellectual production of people on the move. A historicisation of the global resettlement regime of the long 1940s may well carry important political and ethical lessons for us today, if only to remind us of the connected fates of our common humanity, and the responsibilities we therefore bear towards our fellow human beings.