bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining the value of hydropedological information on hydrological modeling at different scales in the Sabie catchment, South Africa
Authors: Smit Edward , van Zijl George , Riddell Eddie , van Tol Johan
Published: September 2023

Detailed soil information is increasingly sought after for watershed‐scale hydrological modeling to better understand the soil–water interactions at a landscape level. In South Africa, 8% of the surface area is responsible for 50% of the mean annual runoff. Thus, understanding the soil–water dynamics in these catchments remains imperative to future water resource management. In this study, the value of hydropedological information is tested by comparing a detailed hydropedological map based on infield soil information to the best readily available soil information at five different catchment sizes (48, 56, 174, 674, and 2421 km2) using the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT)+ model in the Sabie catchment, South Africa. The aim was to determine the value of hydropedological information at different scales as well as illustrate the value of hydropedology as soft data to improve hydrological process representation. Improved hydropedological information significantly improved long‐term streamflow simulations at all catchment sizes, except for the largest catchment (2421 km2). It is assumed that the resulting improved streamflow simulations are a direct result of the improved hydrological process representation achieved by the hydropedological information. Here, we argue that hydropedological information should form an important soft data tool to better understand and simulate different hydrological processes.
Beyond lepton number violation at the HL-LHC: resolving heavy neutrino-antineutrino oscillations
Authors: Antusch Stefan , Hajer Jan , Rosskopp Johannes
Published: September 2023

Abstract

Collider testable low-scale seesaw models predict pseudo-Dirac heavy neutrinos, that can produce an oscillating pattern of lepton number conserving and lepton number violating events. We explore if such heavy neutrino-antineutrino oscillations can be resolved at the HL-LHC. To that end, we employ the first ever full Monte Carlo simulation of the oscillations, for several example benchmark points, and show under which conditions the CMS experiment is able to discover them. The workflow builds on a FeynRules model file for the phenomenological symmetry protected seesaw scenario (pSPSS) and a patched version of MadGraph, able to simulate heavy neutrino-antineutrino oscillations. We use the fast detector simulation Delphes and present a statistical analysis capable of inferring the significance of oscillations in the simulated data. Our results demonstrate that, for heavy neutrino mass splittings smaller than about 100 μeV, the discovery prospects for heavy neutrino-antineutrino oscillation at the HL-LHC are promising.
Convergence of Perturbed Sampling Kantorovich Operators in Modular Spaces
Authors: Costarelli Danilo , De Angelis Eleonora , Vinti Gianluca
Published: September 2023

In the present paper we study the perturbed sampling Kantorovich operators in the general context of the modular spaces. After proving a convergence result for continuous functions with compact support, by using both a modular inequality and a density approach, we establish the main result of modular convergence for these operators. Further, we show several instances of modular spaces in which these results can be applied. In particular, we show some applications in Musielak–Orlicz spaces and in Orlicz spaces and we also consider the case of a modular functional that does not have an integral representation generating a space, which can not be reduced to previous mentioned ones.
Labour and premature delivery differentially affect the expression of the endocannabinoid system in the human placenta
Authors: Taylor Anthony H. , Bachkangi Panos , Konje Justin C.
Published: September 2023

Plasma concentrations of N-arachidonyletholamine (AEA), N-oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and N-palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) increase at term and can predict when a woman is likely to go into labour. We hypothesised that increased plasma AEA concentrations in women in preterm and term labour might also be increased and have a function in the placenta at the end of pregnancy. Here we examined the expression of the N-acylethanolamine-modulating enzymes fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamine-specific phospholipase-D (NAPE-PLD) and of the cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) in the placenta and their activation in an in vitro model of the third-trimester placenta to determine if those expressions change with labour and have functional significance. Expression of CB1, CB2, FAAH and NAPE-PLD was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and RT-qPCR in placental samples obtained from four patient groups: preterm not in labour (PTNL), term not in labour (TNL), preterm in labour (PTL) and term in labour (TL). Additionally, the effects of AEA on a third-trimester human cell line (TCL-1) were evaluated. All ECS components were present in the third-trimester placenta, with NAPE-PLD and CB2 being the key modulated proteins in terms of expression. Functionally, AEA reduced TCL-1 cell numbers through the actions of the CB2 receptor whilst CB1 maintained placental integrity through the expression of the transcription regulators histone deacetylase 3, thyroid hormone receptor β 1 and the modulation of 5α reductase type 1. The placenta in the third trimester and at term is different from the placenta in the first trimester with respect to the expression of CB1, CB2, FAAH and NAPE-PLD, and the expression of these proteins is affected by labour. These data suggest that early perturbation of some ECS components in the placenta may cause AEA-induced PTL and thus PTB.
Clinical characteristics of sarcoma patients: a population-based data analysis from a German clinical cancer registry
Authors: Müller Jörg Andreas , Delank Karl-Stefan , Laudner Kevin , Wittenberg Ian , Zeh Alexander , Vordermark Dirk , Medenwald Daniel
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of malignant neoplasms with a wide range of histological types and occur in almost any anatomic site and side. This study evaluated the prognostic factors in sarcoma patients based on German clinical cancer registry data.

Methods

The German clinical cancer register of Saxony-Anhalt was used for all data analyses. Sarcoma cases of all clinical or pathological T-stages (T1a–T4c), all N-stages (N0-3) and M-stages (0–1b) corresponding to the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) stages I to IVB were considered. In our analyses, 787 cases diagnosed between 2005 and 2022 were included. Further, we assessed the association of cancer-related parameters with mortality and hazard ratios (HR) from the Cox proportional hazard models. We included sex, age at diagnosis, histological grade, T-, N- and M-stages, tumor size, tumor localization and tumor side as parameters in our regression models.

Results

The majority of sarcoma patients were diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma (12%), liposarcoma (11%), angiosarcoma (5.3%) and myxofibrosarcoma (2.7%). In our univariate regression models, tumors localized in more than one location, head, face and neck region as well as the pelvis and lower extremity were associated with increased mortality risk (more than one location: HR 7.10, 95% CI 2.20–22.9; head, face and neck: HR 1.35, 95% CI 0.89–2.06; pelvis: HR 1.27, 95% CI 0.86–1.89; lower extremity: HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.05–1.96). Higher histological grades, UICC-grades and TNM-stages were related to a higher mortality risk. Differing histological subtypes had significant influence on overall survival and progression-free survival. Patients diagnosed with fibromyxoid sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and angiosarcoma were related to higher mortality risk compared to other histological subtypes (fibromyxoid sarcoma: HR 5.2, 95% CI 0.71–38.1; rhabdomyosarcoma: HR 2.93, 95% CI 1.44–6.00; angiosarcoma: HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.53–2.18).

Conclusions

Histological grade, tumor size, nodal and distant metastasis, tumor localization and histological subtype were determined as prognostic factors in terms of survival.
Stationary local random countable sets over the Wiener noise
Authors: Vidmar Matija , Warren Jon
Published: September 2023

The times of Brownian local minima, maxima and their union are three distinct examples of local, stationary, dense, random countable sets associated with classical Wiener noise. Being local means, roughly, determined by the local behavior of the sample paths of the Brownian motion, and stationary means invariant relative to the Lévy shifts of the sample paths. We answer to the affirmative Tsirelson’s question, whether or not there are any others, and develop some general theory for such sets. An extra ingredient to their structure, that of an honest indexation, leads to a splitting result that is akin to the Wiener–Hopf factorization of the Brownian motion at the minimum (or maximum) and has the latter as a special case. Sets admitting an honest indexation are moreover shown to have the property that no stopping time belongs to them with positive probability. They are also minimal: they do not have any non-empty proper local stationary subsets. Random sets, of the kind studied in this paper, honestly indexed or otherwise, give rise to nonclassical one-dimensional noises, generalizing the noise of splitting. Some properties of these noises and the inter-relations between them are investigated. In particular, subsets are connected to subnoises.
Comparative analysis of the molecular and physiological consequences of constitutive SKN-1 activation
Authors: Ramos Carmen M. , Curran Sean P.
Published: September 2023

Molecular homeostats play essential roles across all levels of biological organization to ensure a return to normal function after responding to abnormal internal and environmental events. SKN-1 is an evolutionarily conserved cytoprotective transcription factor that is integral for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis upon exposure to a variety of stress conditions. Despite the essentiality of turning on SKN-1/NRF2 in response to exogenous and endogenous stress, animals with chronic activation of SKN-1 display premature loss of health with age, and ultimately, diminished lifespan. Previous genetic models of constitutive SKN-1 activation include gain-of-function alleles of skn-1 and loss-of-function alleles of wdr-23 that impede the turnover of SKN-1 by the ubiquitin proteasome. Here, we define a novel gain-of-function mutation in the xrep-4 locus that results in constitutive activation of SKN-1 in the absence of stress. Although each of these genetic mutations results in continuously unregulated transcriptional output from SKN-1, the physiological consequences of each model on development, stress resistance, reproduction, lipid homeostasis, and lifespan are distinct. Here, we provide a comprehensive assessment of the differential healthspan impacts across multiple models of constitutive SKN-1 activation. Although our results reveal the universal need to reign in the uncontrolled activity of cytoprotective transcription factors, we also define the unique signatures of each model of constitutive SKN-1 activation, which provides innovative solutions for the design of molecular “off-switches” of unregulated transcriptional homeostats.
CT-based body composition in diffuse large B cell lymphoma patients: changes after treatment and association with survival
Authors: Pirosa Maria Cristina , Esposito Fabiana , Raia Giorgio , Chianca Vito , Cozzi Andrea , Ruinelli Lorenzo , Ceriani Luca , Zucca Emanuele , Del Grande Filippo , Rizzo Stefania
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Primary purpose was to assess changes of bone mineral density (BMD) in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone R-CHOP (like) chemotherapy regimen. Secondary purposes were to assess other body composition features changes and to assess the association of pre-therapy values and their changes over time with survival.

Material and methods

Patients selected underwent R-CHOP(like) regimen for DLBCL, and underwent PET-CT before and after treatment. Main clinical data collected included body mass index, date of last follow-up, date of progression, and date of death. From the low-dose CT images, BMD was assessed at the L1 level; the other body composition values, including muscle and fat distribution, were assessed at the L3 level by using a dedicated software. Descriptive statistics were reported as median and interquartile range, or frequencies and percentages. Statistical comparisons of body composition variables between pre- and post-treatment assessments were performed using the Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test. Non-normal distribution of variables was tested with the Shapiro–Wilk test. For qualitative variables, the Fisher exact test was used. Log rank test was used to compare survival between different subgroups of the study population defined by specific body composition cutoffs. The significance level was set at p < 0.05.

Results

Eighty-two patients were included. The mean follow-up was 37.5 ± 21.4 months. A significant difference was found in mean BMD before and after R-CHOP(like) treatment (p < 0.0001). The same trend was observed for mean skeletal muscle area (SMA) (p = 0.004) and mean skeletal muscle index (SMI) (p = 0.006). No significant association was demonstrated between body composition variables, PFS and OS.

Conclusion

R-CHOP(like) treatment in DLBCL patients was associated with significant reduction of BMD, SMA and SMI.
Discriminatory Residential Preferences in Germany—A Vignette Study
Authors: Wolter Felix , Raviv Or Cohen , Mertens Maila
Published: September 2023

The article focusses on the generating mechanisms of residential segregation for the demand side of housing markets, i.e., discriminatory residential preferences of inhabitants regarding the composition of their neighborhood. The data stem from an online survey among a random sample of the population of a mid-sized German city. In a vignette experiment, respondents were asked to rate example residential settings with respect to their attractiveness. The settings varied regarding the ethnic and religious composition of the neighborhood and other neighborhood characteristics that are positively or negatively related to residential attractiveness.

We find that respondents have discriminatory residential preferences toward migrants and the presence of a Muslim community in the neighborhood. One-half of the migrant effect is mitigated if other positively connoted residential characteristics exist. We take this as an indication for statistical discrimination. This does not hold for the “Muslim community” effect. Discrimination gets stronger with higher levels of perceived economic group-threat from migrants. We further find evidence for a cultural group-threat and for the contact hypothesis: religious people are more discriminatory than nonreligious people, and real-life contact with migrants entails less discrimination.
Managing Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis by Dental Stem Cell Secretome
Authors: Bousnaki Maria , Bakopoulou Athina , Grivas Ioannis , Bekiari Chrysa , Pich Andreas , Rizk Marta , Keklikoglou Kleoniki , Papachristou Eleni , Papadopoulos Georgios C. , Kritis Aristeidis , Mikos Antonios G. , Koidis Petros
Published: September 2023

The potential therapeutic role of the Dental Pulp Stem Cells Secretome (SECR) in a rat model of experimentally induced Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Osteoarthritis (OA) was evaluated. Proteomic profiling of the human SECR under specific oxygen tension (5% O2) and stimulation with Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) was performed. SECR and respective cell lysates (CL) samples were collected and subjected to SDS-PAGE, followed by LC-MS/MS analysis. The identified proteins were analyzed with Bioinformatic tools. The anti-inflammatory properties of SECR were assessed via an in vitro murine macrophages model, and were further validated in vivo, in a rat model of chemically-induced TMJ-OA by weekly recording of the head withdrawal threshold, the food intake, and the weight change, and radiographically and histologically at 4- and 8-weeks post-treatment. SECR analysis revealed the presence of 50 proteins that were enriched and/or statistically significantly upregulated compared to CL, while many of those proteins were involved in pathways related to “extracellular matrix organization” and “immune system”. SECR application in vitro led to a significant downregulation on the expression of pro-inflammatory genes (MMP-13, MMP-9, MMP-3 and MCP-1), while maintaining an increased expression of IL-10 and IL-6. SECR application in vivo had a significant positive effect on all the clinical parameters, resulting in improved food intake, weight, and pain suppression. Radiographically, SECR application had a significant positive effect on trabecular bone thickness and bone density compared to the saline-treated group. Histological analysis indicated that SECR administration reduced inflammation, enhanced ECM and subchondral bone repair and regeneration, thus alleviating TMJ degeneration.

Graphical Abstract
Expected length of stay at residential aged care facilities in Australia: current and future
Authors: Zhang Jinhui , Shi Yanlin , Huang Guogui
Published: September 2023

This study explores the changing patterns of the length of stay (LOS) at Australian residential aged care facilities during 2008–2018 and likely trends up to 2040. The expected LOS was estimated via the hazard function of exiting from such a facility and its heterogeneity by residents’ sociodemographic characteristics using an improved Cox regression model. Data were sourced from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. In-sample modelling results reveal that the estimated LOS differed by age (in general, shorter for older groups), marital status (longer for the widowed) and sex (longer for females). In addition, the estimated LOS increased slowly from 2008–2009 to 2016–2017 but declined steadily thereafter. Out-of-sample predictions suggest that the declining trend of the estimated LOS will continue until 2040 and that the longest LOS (approximately 37 months) will be observed among widowed females aged 50–79 years. Relative uncertainty measures are provided. The results portray the current changing landscape and the future trend of residential aged care use in Australia, which can inform the development of optimised residential aged care policies to support ageing Australians more effectively.
Assessing mesoscale permeability in unsaturated, fractured, and karstified carbonate reservoirs: a joint geological, petrophysical, and hydraulic approach for the interpretation of injection tests
Authors: Danquigny Charles , Coqueret J. , Massonnat G. , Léonide P. , Barbier M. , Dal Soglio L. , Lesueur J. L.
Published: September 2023

In the study of subsurface reservoirs, permeability is a key parameter whose evaluation and extrapolation at the desired scale, such as that of the numerical model mesh, are both a necessity and a difficult task. Relating permeability measurements to the geological characteristics of the rock, at intermediate scales seldom characterized, can help understanding the heterogeneity of the medium and correctly determining the permeability at the desired scale. This concern is particularly important in karst reservoirs, which exhibit highly variable permeability at different scales of observation and from one location to another. Here, we study the petrophysical and geological properties of carbonate facies from the centimeter to the meter scale. Several boreholes a few meters apart were cored and exhaustively described. Petrophysical measurements were made on rock samples, while inter-packer injection tests were undertaken to investigate some meter intervals of the medium surrounding the wells. The results show that the investigated medium is a complex multi-medium with a multi-scale heterogeneity. The detailed geological description allowed explaining the differences between the permeability values at different scales and from one interval to another. Relationships were quantified between the texture of the limestone matrix, the density and aperture of the discontinuities, the permeability of the matrix, and the permeability contrast related to the dual medium at the meter scale. A strong correlation between this permeability contrast and the aperture of the discontinuities, itself more correlated to the texture of the rock than to the facies, is highlighted.
Efficiency of chemically activated raw and calcined waste fish bone for adsorption of Cd (II) and Pb (II) from polluted water
Authors: Rashed Mohamed Nageeb , Gad Aleya Abd ElMoneam , Fathy Nada Magdy
Published: September 2023

Bone biochar is used as an adsorbent in water pollution control because of its high surface area and pore volumes. This study is attempting to prepare a low-cost adsorbent from waste fish bones by chemical activation and use it for the removal of Cd2+ and Pb2+ from polluted water. The preparation of fish bone adsorbents involved two methods. The first method includes the chemical activation of waste fish bone using different chemical activators (0.001 M HNO3, 0.1 M NaOH, 0.5% H2O2, and ethanol) (FB), while the second one includes the calcination of waste fish bone after the chemical activation at 873 K (FB-Hy). The synthesized fish bone adsorbent (FB) was characterized by electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). The effectiveness of the prepared adsorbent (FB) in removing Pb and Cd was evaluated based on contact time, solution pH, solution temperature, initial metal concentration, and adsorbent dose. Metal concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results show that 0.1 M NaOH activation of bone waste (FB) is suitable for higher adsorption of Cd2+ and Pb2+ compared with other activators. The maximum adsorption of Pb and Cd with the FB adsorbent was 99.74 and 99.35%, respectively, at optimum conditions (pH 6.0, contact time 30 min, initial metal concentration 10 ppm, adsorbent dosage 0.1 g, and temperature at 328 K). The results of kinetic adsorption obeyed a pseudo-second-order model. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were applied, and the adsorption was found to fit well with the Langmuir model. This study ended with the success of preparing an eco-friendly and low-cost fish bone adsorbent from the waste fish bone and using it for the removal of Cd2+ and Pb2+ from polluted water.
Enhancing robustness and noise rejection in flexible joint manipulators: an optimized sliding mode controller with enhanced gray wolf optimization for trajectory tracking
Authors: Azeez Muhammad I. , Elnaggar S. , Abdelhaleem A. M. M. , Moustafa Kamal A. F. , Atia Khaled R.
Published: September 2023

The objective of this study is to enhance the performance of a nonlinear three-rigid-link manipulator (RLM) with a focus on trajectory tracking, robustness against disturbances and noises, and adaptability to joint flexibility. To achieve this, we have employed an optimized sliding mode controller with a proportional integral derivative (PID) sliding manifold. The tuning process involves selecting the critical gains of the controller that minimizes the integral time absolute error (ITAE), serving as the objective function (OBJF) to optimize the performance of the robot manipulator. To identify the optimal gains of the controller, we have utilized a new optimization algorithm known as memory enhanced linear population size reduction gray wolf optimization (MELGWO). The efficacy of this algorithm is compared to other existing optimization methods in the literature. Moreover, this research has delved into the impact of joint flexibility on the robot system’s performance. Encouragingly, the results demonstrate that the optimized SMC–PID with MELGWO adaptation can effectively address joint flexibility while maintaining acceptable performance levels.
Evaluation of a large set of patients with Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome from a single reference centre in context of different classifications
Authors: Gatta E. , Maltese V. , Cimino E. , Cavadini M. , Anelli V. , Di Lodovico E. , Piovani E. , Zammarchi I. , Gozzoli G. , Agosti B. , Pirola I. , Delbarba A. , Girelli A. , Buoso C. , Bambini F. , Alfieri D. , Bremi W. , Facondo P. , Lupo R. , Bezzi F. , Fredi M. , Mazzola A. M. , Gandossi E. , Saullo M. , Marini F. , Licini M. , Pezzaioli L. C. , Pini L. , Franceschini F. , Ricci C. , Cappelli C.
Published: September 2023

Purpose

To characterize patients with APS and to propose a new approach for their follow-up. Query ID="Q1" Text="Please check the given names and familynames."

Methods

Monocentric observational retrospective study enrolling patients referred to the Outpatients clinic of the Units of Endocrinology, Diabetology, Gastroenterology, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology of our Hospital for Autoimmune diseases.

Results

Among 9852 patients, 1174 (11.9%) [869 (73.9%) female] were diagnosed with APS. In 254 subjects, the diagnosis was made at first clinical evaluation (Group 1), all the other patients were diagnosed with a mean latency of 11.3 ± 10.6 years (Group 2). Group 1 and 2 were comparable for age at diagnosis (35.7 ± 16.3 vs. 40.4 ± 16.6 yrs, p = .698), but different in male/female ratio (81/173 vs 226/696, p = .019). In Group 2, 50% of patients developed the syndrome within 8 years of follow-up. A significant difference was found after subdividing the first clinical manifestation into the different outpatient clinic to which they referred (8.7 ± 8.0 vs. 13.4 ± 11.6 vs. 19.8 ± 8.7 vs. 7.4 ± 8.1 for endocrine, diabetic, rheumatologic, and gastroenterological diseases, respectively, p < .001).

Conclusions

We described a large series of patients affected by APS according to splitters and lumpers. We propose a flowchart tailored for each specialist outpatient clinic taking care of the patients. Finally, we recommend regular reproductive system assessment due to the non-negligible risk of developing premature ovarian failure.
Extraction and identification of spectrum characteristics of coal and rock hydraulic fracturing and uniaxial compression signals
Authors: Qian Ya′nan , Li Quangui , Hu Qianting , Jiang Zhizhong , Liu Ronghui , Li Jie , Li Wenxi , Yu Changjun
Published: September 2023

Microseismic (MS) events generated during coal and rock hydraulic fracturing (HF) include wet events caused by fracturing fluid injection, in addition to dry events caused by stress perturbations. The mixture of these two events makes effective fracturing MS events pickup difficult. This study is based on physical experiments of different coal and rock HF and uniaxial compression. The differences of waveform characteristic parameters of various coal and rock ruptures were analyzed using the Hilbert–Huang transform, leading to some useful conclusions. The phase characteristics of the acoustic emission (AE) energy differed significantly and responded well to the pumping pressure curve. The AE waveforms of HF exhibit similar energy and frequency distribution characteristics after Empirical mode decomposition. The main frequency bands for coal, sandstone, and shale samples are 100–300 kHz, while the mudstone sample is in the range of 50–150 kHz. The decay ratios for coal, sandstone, shale and mudstone samples are 0.78, 0.83, 0.67 and 0.85, respectively. When compared to the uniaxial compression test, the main frequency bands of HF were reduced for coal, sandstone and mudstone samples, whereas shale remained essentially unchanged. The duration, instantaneous energy, and total energy of the HF waveform are smaller than those of uniaxial compression, while the decay ratio is greater, especially for the mudstone samples. The waveform characteristic parameters, trained using the multilayer perceptron neural network, can effectively identify HF and uniaxial compression events with an accuracy of 96%.
Evaluation of CMIP6 model skills in simulating tropical climate extremes over Malawi, Southern Africa
Authors: Mmame Bernard , Ngongondo Cosmo
Published: September 2023

Malawi, a developing country in southeast Africa, is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and associated impacts. Availability of observed data to inform our knowledge on climate change is however, a key challenge and has led to relatively little research in the subject. Alternative climate data products, such as the Global Climate Models (GCMs) phase6 of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), accords the chance to bridge this knowledge gap. These products however, need some validation against observed data to ascertain their level of performance. This study therefore, evaluates the ability of nineteen CMIP6 models in simulating both annual and seasonal temperature and precipitation over Malawi from 1980 to 2014. Observed Model performance metrics such as bias, root mean square error (RMSE), spatial correlation coefficient, standard deviation and Percentage Bias (PBIAS) were employed to assess the ability of the individual models. Our quantitative analysis shows that most of the models could simulate both temperature and precipitation over the study area, with correlation coefficient values of over 0.70, RMSE values between 0.9 and 2.0 and PBIAS of$$\le$$≤10%. The results are suggesting better performance of CMIP6 than those reported in previous studies over the study domain using CMIP3 and CMIP5 model datasets. Of all the nineteen models evaluated in this study, no single model performed best compared to observed dataset, because the models are varying in performance from season to season. Hence, climate end users are advised to use simulations of temperature and precipitation over the study area from CMIP6 models with care for decision making on the mitigation and adaptation of climate change.
Trends and frontiers in coal mine groundwater research: insights from bibliometric analysis
Authors: Xiang Yang , Peng Suping , Du Wenfeng
Published: September 2023

Globally, studying the impact of coal mining on groundwater remains challenging. This is because the exploitation of coal resources and the sustainable development of groundwater resources involve economic, social, and environmental aspects. Over the last few decades, the number of publications on groundwater-related studies in coal mining areas has increased. However, they are not currently reviewed in a widely visible manner through bibliometric analyses. This study investigated groundwater research in coal mining areas worldwide using scientometric analysis based on 1196 articles from the Web of Science database to provide a global perspective and gain quantitative insight into research frontiers and trends in the field by mapping existing knowledge. We analyzed the key contributors and development processes of coal mine groundwater research and identified four research frontiers based on scientometric mapping results with an understanding of the research field: numerical modeling, conceptual modeling and mechanisms, feedback mechanisms between anthropogenic-environmental systems and groundwater systems, ground subsidence management, groundwater quality evaluation and risk assessment, and groundwater resource management in coal mines. Finally, we summarize the current challenges and propose methods to promote the green mining of coal resources and the sustainable development and management of groundwater resources.
The regulation of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus in sleep–wake states
Authors: Luo Yiting , Li Ying , Yuan Jie
Published: September 2023

The pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) plays a vital role in sleep/wake states. There are three main kinds of heterogeneous neurons involved: cholinergic, glutamatergic, and gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) neurons. However, the precise roles of cholinergic, glutamatergic and GABAergic PPTg cell groups in regulating sleep–wake are unknown. Recent work suggests that the cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic neurons of the PPTg may activate the main arousal-promoting nucleus, thus exerting their wakefulness effects. We review the related projection pathways and functions of various neurons of the PPTg, especially the mechanisms of the PPTg in sleep–wake, thus providing new perspectives for research of sleep–wake mechanisms.
Current Status of Psychopharmacological, Neuromodulation, and Oxytocin Treatments for Autism: Implications for Clinical Practice
Authors: Bitsika Vicki , Sharpley Christopher F.
Published: September 2023

Objectives

To provide an overview of the current literature regarding the neurobiological treatments of psychopharmacology, neuromodulation, oxytocin therapy, and psychological resilience, as treatments for autism-related difficulties, and to distil the research findings from those treatments for everyday clinical application.

Methods

Instead of producing another specific systematic summary of the efficacy of these treatments, this review took an overview of each field of research, identified its key research findings, and evaluated the treatment-ready status of each of them in terms of their evidence base. From this information, a set of recommendations were derived for their clinical applications, so as to inform practice in the field.

Results

These treatments represent relatively recent and neurobiologically based approaches to the challenges of autism, and are in the development stage. Each treatment is promising, and has some evidential basis for its success, but all need further research to establish their evidence-based validity for everyday clinical usage.

Conclusions

While most of these treatments can be applied with caution, clinicians should acknowledge their restrictive benefits and costs, that are described herein. Within those caveats, each of these treatments should be considered as an emerging therapy that clinicians should consider utilising in appropriate settings and with specific cases.
nlfem: a Flexible 2d FEM Python Code for Nonlocal Convection-Diffusion and Mechanics
Authors: Klar Manuel , Vollmann Christian , Schulz Volker
Published: September 2023

In this work, we present the mathematical foundation of an assembly code for finite element approximations of nonlocal models with compactly supported, weakly singular kernels. We demonstrate the code on a nonlocal diffusion model in various configurations and on a two-dimensional bond-based peridynamics model. Further examples can be found in D’Elia et al. (Math Models Methods Appl Sci 31(08):1505–1567, 2021). The code nlfem is published under the GNU General Public License (for details, see, e.g., https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.de.html) and can be freely downloaded at https://gitlab.uni-trier.de/pde-opt/nonlocal-models/nlfem.
Functional determinant approach investigations of heavy impurity physics
Authors: Wang Jia
Published: September 2023

In this brief review, we report some new development in the functional determinant approach (FDA), an exact numerical method, in the studies of a heavy quantum impurity immersed in Fermi gases and manipulated with radio-frequency pulses. FDA has been successfully applied to investigate the universal dynamical responses of a heavy impurity in an ultracold ideal Fermi gas in both the time and frequency domain, which allows the exploration of the renowned Anderson’s orthogonality catastrophe (OC). In such a system, OC is induced by the multiple particle-hole excitations of the Fermi sea, which is beyond a simple perturbation picture and manifests itself as the absence of quasiparticles named polarons. More recently, two new directions for studying heavy impurity with FDA have been developed. One is to extend FDA to a strongly correlated background superfluid background, a Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) superfluid. In this system, Anderson’s orthogonality catastrophe is prohibited due to the suppression of multiple particle-hole excitations by the superfluid gap, which leads to the existence of genuine polaron. The other direction is to generalize the FDA to the case of multiple RF pulses scheme, which extends the well-established 1D Ramsey spectroscopy in ultracold atoms into multidimensional, in the same spirit as the well-known multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance and optical multidimensional coherent spectroscopy. Multidimensional Ramsey spectroscopy allows us to investigate correlations between spectral peaks of an impurity-medium system that is not accessible in the conventional one-dimensional spectrum.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: COVID-19 Forecast and Bank Credit Decision Model Based on BiLSTM-Attention Network
Authors: Zhang Beiqin
Published: September 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused drastic fluctuations in the economies of various countries. Meanwhile, the governments’ ability to save the economy depends on how banks provide credit to troubled companies. Therefore, the impact of the epidemic on bank credit and inclusive finance are worth exploring. However, most of the existing studies focus on the reform of the financial and economic system, only paying attention to the theoretical mechanism analysis and effect adjustment, scant data support, and insufficient scheme landing. At the same time, with the rise and rapid development of artificial intelligence technology in recent years, all walks of life have introduced it into real scenes for multi-source heterogeneous big data analysis and decision-making assistance. Therefore, we first take the Chinese mainland as an example in this paper. By studying the impact of the epidemic on bank credit preference and the mechanism of inclusive finance, we can provide objective decision-making basis for the financial system in the post-epidemic era to better flow credit funds into various entities and form a new perspective for related research. Then, we put forward a model based on Bi-directional Long Short-term Memory Network (BiLSTM) and Attention Mechanism to predict the number of newly diagnosed cases during the COVID-19 pandemic every day. It is not only suitable for COVID-19 pandemic data characterized by time series and nonlinearity, but also can adaptively select the most relevant input data by introducing an Attention Mechanism, which can solve the problems of huge calculation and inaccurate prediction results. Finally, through experiments and empirical research, we draw the following conclusions: (1) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will promote enterprises to increase credit. (2) Banks provide more credit to large enterprises. (3) The epidemic has different impacts on credit in different regions, with the most significant one on central China. (4) Banks tend to provide more credit to manufacturing industries under the epidemic. (5) Digital inclusive finance plays a (positive) regulating effect on bank credit in COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by the research results, policymakers can consider further solving the information asymmetry and strengthening the construction of a credit system, and more direct financial support policies for enterprises should be adopted. (6) By adopting the COVID-19 prediction model based on the BiLSTM-Attention network to accurately predict the epidemic situation in the COVID-19 pandemic, it can provide an important basis for the formulation of epidemic prevention and control policies.
Visual preferences in map label placement
Authors: Scheuerman Jaelle , Harman Jason L. , Goldstein Rebecca R. , Acklin Dina , Michael Chris J.
Published: September 2023

Digital maps are important for many decision-making tasks that require situational awareness, navigation, or location-specific data. Often, digital mapping tools must generate a map that displays labels near associated features in a visually appealing manner, without occluding important information. Automated label placement systems generally accomplish this nontrivial task through a combination of heuristic algorithms and cartography rules, but the resulting maps often do not reflect the preferences and needs of the map user. To achieve higher quality map views, research is needed to identify cognitive and computational approaches for generating high-quality maps that meet user needs and expectations. In this paper, we present a study that explores the visual preferences of map users and supports the development of a preference model for digital map displays. In particular, we found that participants demonstrated consistent preferences for how labels are placed near their point of interest, and that they were more likely to choose positions that prioritized alignment over distance when ranking labels that made trade-offs between them.
Recovering the Dimensions of Dignity in Religious Freedom: Protecting Religious Proselytization in International Human Rights
Authors: Major Blair
Published: September 2023

This article addresses the challenge of conceptualizing the practice of religious proselytism in the context of international human rights law and its significance for the law of religious freedom. The author examines the evolving approach taken to religious proselytism within the landscape of human rights law, revealing that important aspects of religious freedom risk being lost given complex positive and negative views on proselytization. The author then explores the concept of human dignity and argues that there are relational and interactive dimensions associated with human dignity that are obscured in the international legal discourse of religious freedom. Recovering these dimensions of dignity will help address religious proselytization in international human rights law and reinvigorate the law of religious freedom.
Extremely powerful and frequency-tunable terahertz pulses from a table-top laser–plasma wiggler
Authors: Cai Jie , Shou Yinren , Geng Yixing , Han Liqi , Xu Xinlu , Wen Shuangchun , Shen Baifei , Yu Jinqing , Yan Xueqing
Published: September 2023

The production of broadband, terawatt terahertz (THz) pulses has been demonstrated by irradiating relativistic lasers on solid targets. However, the generation of extremely powerful, narrow-band and frequency-tunable THz pulses remains a challenge. Here, we present a novel approach for such THz pulses, in which a plasma wiggler is elaborated by a table-top laser and a near-critical density plasma. In such a wiggler, the laser-accelerated electrons emit THz radiations with a period closely related to the plasma thickness. The theoretical model and numerical simulations predict that a THz pulse with a laser–THz energy conversion of over 2.0%, an ultra-strong field exceeding 80 GV/m, a divergence angle of approximately 20° and a center frequency tunable from 4.4 to 1.5 THz can be generated from a laser of 430 mJ. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this method can work across a wide range of laser and plasma parameters, offering potential for future applications with extremely powerful THz pulses.
Beam shaping in the high-energy kW-class laser system Bivoj at the HiLASE facility
Authors: Paliesek Tomáš , Navrátil Petr , Pilař Jan , Divoký Martin , Smrž Martin , Mocek Tomáš
Published: September 2023

A fully automatic fail-safe beam shaping system based on a liquid crystal on a silicon spatial light modulator has been implemented in the high-energy kilowatt-average-power nanosecond laser system Bivoj. The shaping system corrects for gain nonuniformity and wavefront aberrations of the front-end of the system. The beam intensity profile and the wavefront at the output of the front-end were successfully improved by shaping. The beam homogeneity defined by the beam quality parameters was improved two to three times. The root-mean-square value of the wavefront was improved more than 10 times. Consequently, the shaped beam from the second preamplifier led to improvement of the beam profile at the output of the first main cryo-amplifier. The shaping system is also capable of creating nonordinary beam shapes, imprinting cross-references into the beam, or masking certain parts of the beam.
Degrees of Care: Success, Recognition, and Completion
Authors: Bennett Pip Seton
Published: September 2023

Care ethics has attracted much scholarly attention since its inception in the 1980s. As befits a moral theory, which is how it is frequently perceived, those working in the field have increasingly sought to clarify and make robust elements central to the project. This article hopes to offer a small but important contribution to this iterative process. I make a case for resisting what is characterized as the recognition claim found in the work of Joan Tronto, Nel Noddings, and Eva Feder Kittay. This is the claim that for an action to be caring it is necessarily recognized as such by whomever is being cared for. I explicate the arguments pertaining to this issue in these authors’ writings and conclude that not only do the arguments fall short of showing the necessity for including this aspect in an ethics of care, but I make preliminary arguments as to the implications for resisting the inclusion of the recognition claim. The thrust of these suggestions is that care ethics is a better moral theory when it admits to degrees of care rather than taking a binary view.
Scaling of boundary-layer disturbances exposed to free-stream turbulence
Authors: Ricco Pierre
Published: September 2023

We present theoretical results related to the experimental findings of Matsubara & Alfredsson (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 430, 2001, pp. 149–168) on the scaling of the energy spectra of the Klebanoff modes, i.e. streamwise-elongated vortical disturbances generated by free-stream turbulence in a flat-plate transitional boundary layer. The scaling is explained by a model that describes the streamwise evolution of the streamwise and spanwise energy spectra. The theoretical framework is based on the quasi-steady asymptotic solution of the boundary-region equations, on an axial-symmetric model of the free-stream spectrum, and on the spectral response of the boundary layer to the external perturbations.
Post-stall flow control on aerofoils by leading-edge flags
Authors: Tan Junchen , Wang Zhijin , Gursul Ismet
Published: September 2023

Self-excited oscillations of flags attached at the leading edge of aerofoils have been investigated at post-stall angles of attack at a chord Reynolds number of 100 000. Significant increases in the time-averaged lift coefficient and stall angle have been observed for three aerofoils: one symmetric, one cambered and one with a sharp leading edge. The aerodynamic improvement is due to the periodic formation of vortices caused by the flag oscillations. When the flag is near the aerofoil surface, it is lifted upwards by the induced velocity of the growing vortex. As the flag moves up, the vortex grows in strength and reaches maximum circulation when the flag is furthest from the aerofoil surface and subsequently sheds. Flags with large stiffness exhibit better spatial and temporal coherence of flag oscillations than the compliant flags, resulting in a larger maximum lift coefficient and higher stall angle. For all aerofoils tested, the best lift enhancement with respect to the clean aerofoils is found when the angle of attack is 6° to 10° above the stall angle of the clean aerofoil. High lift is observed when the flags are locked in with the wake instability in a narrow frequency band, depending on the flag mass ratio and length.