bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Year-round spatial distribution and migration phenology of a rapidly declining trans-Saharan migrant—evidence of winter movements and breeding site fidelity in European turtle doves
Authors: Schumm Yvonne R. , Metzger Benjamin , Neuling Eric , Austad Martin , Galea Nicholas , Barbara Nicholas , Quillfeldt Petra
Published: October 2021

Populations of migratory bird species have suffered a sustained and severe decline for several decades. Contrary to non-migratory species, understanding the causal mechanisms proves difficult (for migratory bird species) as underlying processes may operate across broad geographic ranges and stages of the annual cycle. Therefore, the identification of migration routes, wintering grounds, and stopover sites is crucial for the development of relevant conservation strategies for declining migrant bird species. We still lack fundamental data of the non-breeding movements for many migratory species, such as European turtle doves Streptopelia turtur, a trans-Saharan migrant. For this species, knowledge of non-breeding movements is mainly based on ringing data that are limited by a low recovery rate in Africa, and tracking studies with a strong bias towards individuals breeding in France. We used Argos satellite transmitters to obtain detailed year-round tracks and provide new insights on migration strategies and winter quarters, of turtle doves breeding in Central and Eastern Europe. The tracking data along with analysis of land cover data confirm previously assumed use of multiple wintering sites and the use of a wide range of forest and agricultural landscapes at the breeding grounds. Tracking data in combination with environmental parameters demonstrated that most environmental parameters and niche breadth differed between breeding and wintering grounds. “Niche tracking” was only observed regarding night-time temperatures. Furthermore, we provide evidence for breeding site fidelity of adult individuals and for home range size to increase with an increasing proportion of agricultural used areas.

Significance statement

The European turtle dove, a Palearctic-African migrant species, is one of the fastest declining birds in Europe. The rapid decline is presumed to be caused mainly by habitat modification and agricultural changes. Here, we represent data on migration strategies, flyways, and behavior on European breeding and African non-breeding sites of turtle doves breeding in Central and Eastern Europe equipped with satellite transmitters. Our results confirm the use of different migration flyways and reveal an indication for “niche switching” behavior in terms of environmental factors during the different annual phases. The migratory behaviors revealed by the tracking approach, e.g., prolonged stopovers during autumn migration in Europe overlapping with time of hunting activities, stopovers in North Africa during spring migration, or evidence for loop migration, are important protection-relevant findings, particularly for the Central-Eastern flyway, for which no tracking data has been analyzed prior to our study.
Femoral defects in revision hip arthroplasty: a therapy-oriented classification
Authors: Jaenisch Max , Kohlhof Hendrik , Kasapovic Adnan , Gathen Martin , Randau Thomas Martin , Kabir Koroush , Roessler Philip Peter , Pagenstert Geert , Wirtz Dieter Christian
Published: October 2021

Introduction

The complex field of femoral defects in revision hip arthroplasty displays a lack of standardized, intuitive pre- and intraoperative assessment. To address this issue, the femoral defect classification (FDC) is introduced to offer a reliable, reproducible and an intuitive classification system with a clear therapeutic guideline.

Materials and methods

The FDC is based on the integrity of the main femoral segments which determine function and structural support. It focuses on the femoral neck, the metaphysis consisting of the greater and lesser trochanter, and the femoral diaphysis. The four main categories determine the location of the defect while subcategories a, b and c are being used to classify the extent of damage in each location. In total, 218 preoperative radiographs were retrospectively graded according to FDC and compared to intraoperatively encountered bone defects. To account for inter-rater and intra-rater agreement, 5 different observers evaluated 80 randomized cases at different points in time.

Results

A Cohens kappa of 0.832 ± 0.028 could be evaluated, accounting for excellent agreement between preoperative radiographs and intraoperative findings. To account for inter-rater reliability, 80 patients have been evaluated by 5 different observers. Testing for inter-rater reliability, a Fleiss Kappa of 0.688 could be evaluated falling into the good agreement range. When testing for intra-rater reliability, Cohens Kappa of each of the 5 raters has been analyzed and the mean was evaluated at 0.856 accounting for excellent agreement.

Conclusion

The FDC is a reliable and reproducible classification system. It combines intuitive use and structured design and allows for consistent preoperative planning and intraoperative guidance. A therapeutic algorithm has been created according to current literature and expert opinion. Due to the combination of the FDC with the recently introduced Acetabular Defect Classification (ADC) a structured approach to the entire field of hip revision arthroplasty is now available.
Cognitive, behavioral, and psychological manifestations of COVID-19 in post-acute rehabilitation setting: preliminary data of an observational study
Authors: Bonizzato Silvia , Ghiggia Ada , Ferraro Francesco , Galante Emanuela
Published: October 2021

Psychological, emotional, and behavioral domains could be altered in COVID-19 patients and measurement of variables within these domains seems to be mandatory. Neuropsychological assessment could detect possible cognitive impairment caused by COVID-19 and the choice of appropriate tools is an important question. Aim of this exploratory study was to verify the effectiveness of an assessment model for patients with COVID-19. Twelve patients were enrolled and tested with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Anxiety and Depression Short Scale (AD-R), and the Neuropsychiatry Inventory (NPI), at the time of their entrance (T0) and discharge (T1) from a rehabilitative unit. Moreover, a follow-up evaluation after 3 months (T2) has been conducted on eight patients. Results showed that at baseline (T0), 58.3% of the patients reported a score below cut-off at MMSE and 50% at MoCA. Although a significant amelioration was found only in NPI scores, a qualitative improvement has been detected at all tests, except for MoCA scores, in the T0-T1 trend analysis. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance showed a significant variation in AD-R depression score, considering the three-assessment time (T0, T1, and T2). The evaluation and tracking over time of the impact of COVID-19 on cognitive, psychological, and behavioral domains has relevant implications for rehabilitation and long-term assistance needs planning. The choice of assessment tools should consider patients vulnerability and match the best compromise among briefness, sensitivity, and specificity.
Drift Estimation of Multiscale Diffusions Based on Filtered Data
Authors: Abdulle Assyr , Garegnani Giacomo , Pavliotis Grigorios A. , Stuart Andrew M. , Zanoni Andrea
Published: October 2021

We study the problem of drift estimation for two-scale continuous time series. We set ourselves in the framework of overdamped Langevin equations, for which a single-scale surrogate homogenized equation exists. In this setting, estimating the drift coefficient of the homogenized equation requires pre-processing of the data, often in the form of subsampling; this is because the two-scale equation and the homogenized single-scale equation are incompatible at small scales, generating mutually singular measures on the path space. We avoid subsampling and work instead with filtered data, found by application of an appropriate kernel function, and compute maximum likelihood estimators based on the filtered process. We show that the estimators we propose are asymptotically unbiased and demonstrate numerically the advantages of our method with respect to subsampling. Finally, we show how our filtered data methodology can be combined with Bayesian techniques and provide a full uncertainty quantification of the inference procedure.
Bank business models, negative policy rates, and prudential regulation
Authors: Savona Roberto
Published: October 2021

Using data from Italian banks over the period 2011–2017, we study how negative interest rate policy and prudential regulation impact on bank business models. We report four key findings. First, banks shifted into retail- and market-oriented business models. Second, high- and low-deposit banks reduced loans and increased security/liquid assets; only market-oriented banks expanded lending. Third, interest rate income compression induced by negative rates has been substantial for the Italian banking system as a whole, although retail banks seem to have suffered less. Fourth, non-interest incomes played a compensatory effect. The portfolio reshuffling, as we observed for wholesale and retail banks (less lending and more securities/liquid assets), is related to the goal of reducing risk exposures and, in turn, the connected capital absorption required by prudential regulation.
Stigmergic electronic gates and networks
Authors: Ianero Biagio , Bile Alessandro , Alonzo Massimo , Fazio Eugenio
Published: October 2021

Stigmergy is a communication method based on changing the surrounding environment according to reference feedbacks. It is typical within animal colonies that are able to process even complex information by releasing signals into the environment, which are subsequently received and processed by other elements of the colony. For example, ants searching for food leave traces of a pheromone, like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs, along the way. When food is found, they return to the anthill reinforcing this pheromone trace as a signal and reminder to all the others. Similar techniques are used in routing software even if stigmergic hardware might be even more efficient, fast, and energy saving. Recently, a stigmergic photonic gate based on soliton waveguides has been proposed; this particular stigmergic hardware can switch the output ratio of the channels as a result of optical feedback. Based on these results, in this study, we analyze stigmergic electronic gates that can be addressed through external feedback, as the photonic ones do. We show that the nonlinear response of such gates must be based on quadratic saturating conductances driven by feedback signals. For this purpose, networks of stigmergic gates require two parallel and communicating current circuits: one to transmit information, and another for feedback signals to control the gate switching. We also show that by increasing the number of terminals per single gate, from 2 × 2 to 3 × 3 or higher, the overall power consumption can be reduced by a few orders of magnitude.
Mortars, plasters and pigments—research questions and sampling criteria
Authors: Gliozzo Elisabetta , Pizzo Antonio , La Russa Mauro Francesco
Published: October 2021

Within the Topical Collection, this paper represents an introductory contribution aimed at describing and discussing the research questions and the sampling criteria in the field of mortars, plasters and pigments studies. The paper is divided into three parts. In the first part, some terminological issues are clarified and the building archaeology is introduced as an indispensable method for sampling and interpreting archaeometric results. In the second part, the most common research questions are presented and discussed. Some case studies are also reported to clarify what the expected results may be. The sampling problem is faced in the third part, where the criteria for a representative, functional and suitable selection are provided.
Characterizing the pigments and paints of prehistoric artists
Authors: Domingo Inés , Chieli Annalisa
Published: October 2021

This paper offers a broad and critical overview of current discussions on the potential uses and the characterization of pigments in prehistory, with a special focus on prehistoric rock art. Today, analytical approaches to pigments and paints allow us to go beyond the identification of the elemental and molecular composition of these archaeological remains, to explore also raw material procurement, transformation and use strategies of interest to investigate the technological and socio-cultural practices of prehistoric artists and their change over space and time. The paper also summarizes the palette of prehistoric artists, as well as the techniques and analytical strategies used to date to characterize prehistoric pigments and paints (colours, raw materials, binders and recipes) used in prehistoric rock art.
Production, transport and on-site organisation of Roman mortars and plasters
Authors: DeLaine Janet
Published: October 2021

This paper examines the role of mortars and plasters in the construction process during the Roman period and seeks to elucidate the chaîne opératoire from the production of the main ingredients — lime and aggregate — to their application in structures, based on archaeological, visual and archaeometric data. As well as looking at the actual processes involved, it also considers the functional requirements of the mortars and plasters and the economic implications of their use, especially the nature and cost of transport, which may have led to particular choices being made by Roman builders; it also considers the supply of materials in terms of the logistics of construction. The emphasis is on mortared rubble construction, which was a particular development of the Roman period from the second century BCE and required much larger quantities of lime than previous building techniques. Attention is also paid to the human actions involved and the tools employed.
Quiet Revolution by SMEs in the midstream of value chains in developing regions: wholesale markets, wholesalers, logistics, and processing
Authors: Reardon Thomas , Liverpool-Tasie Lenis Saweda O. , Minten Bart
Published: October 2021

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the midstream (processors, wholesalers and wholesale markets, and logistics) segments of transforming value chains have proliferated rapidly over the past several decades in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Their spread has been most rapid in the long transitional stage between the traditional and modern stages, when value chains grow long and developed with urbanization but are still fragmented, before consolidation. Most of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and parts of the other regions, are in that stage. The midstream SMEs in output and input value chains are important to overall food security (moving about 65% of food consumed in Africa and South Asia), and to employment, farmers, poor consumers, and the environment. The midstream of value chains is neglected in the national and international debates as the “missing middle.” We found that it is indeed not missing but rather hidden from the debate, hence “the hidden middle.” The midstream SMEs grow quickly and succeed where enabling conditions are present. Our main policy recommendations are to support the SMEs further growth through a focus on infrastructure investment, in particular on wholesale markets and roads, a reduction of policy-related constraints such as excessive red tape, and regulation for food safety and good commercial practices.
Verstehensangebote von YouTube-Erklärvideos – Konzeptualisierung und Analyse am Beispiel algebraischer Konzepte
Authors: Korntreff Stefan , Prediger Susanne
Published: October 2021

Öffentlich zugängliche Erklärvideos werden immer häufiger genutzt. In Frage gestellt wurde jedoch ihre fachdidaktische Qualität, vor allem inwiefern sie hinreichende Lerngelegenheiten zum Aufbau von konzeptuellem Verständnis für tiefgreifende mathematische Konzepte wie Variable und Term anbieten. Zur theoretisch fundierten und forschungsbasierten Klärung dieser Frage schlägt der Artikel eine fachdidaktische Konzeptualisierung und gegenstandsbezogene Operationalisierung für Verstehensangebote von Erklärvideos vor: als Vorkommen, Auffalten und Vernetzen relevanter Verstehenselemente der Konzepte. Für eine solche Operationalisierung sind die relevanten Verstehenselemente der elementaren Algebra zunächst stoffdidaktisch zu spezifizieren. Die empirische Studie berichtet aus der gegenstandsbezogenen qualitativen Analyse von 50 YouTube-Videos, ausgewählt von den meistgeschauten Kanälen. Die Analyse zeigt, dass alle zu erwartenden Verstehenselemente in den Erklärvideos vorkommen, wenn auch mit unterschiedlichen Priorisierungen (z. B. wenig Unbestimmten-Deutung). Explizit aufgefaltet werden Variablendeutungen im Zusammenhang mit Termen und Gleichungen selten, das Vernetzungspotential ist sehr heterogen. Einige positive Ausnahmen geben Aufschluss darüber, wie Auffalten und Vernetzen umgesetzt und wie hohe Erklärqualität sprachlich realisiert werden kann. Die vorgeschlagene Konzeptualisierung und Operationalisierung der Verstehensangebote von Erklärvideos über die gegenstandsspezifische Analyse der vorkommenden, aufgefalteten und vernetzten Verstehenselemente kann auch für andere fachliche Konzepte adaptiert werden.
Infinite groups with many complemented subgroups
Authors: Ferrara M. , Trombetti M.
Published: October 2021

This paper has two souls. On one side, it is a survey on (infinite) groups in which certain systems of subgroups are complemented (like for instance the abelian subgroups). On another side, it provides generalizations and new, easier proofs of some (un)known results in this area.
“Evaluating and Managing Tardive Dyskinesia in the Older Adult”
Authors: Ghosn Omar , Ye Enstin , Huege Steven
Published: October 2021

Purpose of Review

Tardive dyskinesia is an iatrogenic hyperkinetic movement disorder caused by chronic exposure to antidopaminergic agents. The older adult population is particularly vulnerable to developing TD. It is also more difficult to discern the condition given the confounding medical comorbidities that may present at this age including Parkinson’s and other movement disorders that may mimic TD.

Recent Findings

This paper reviews the most common risk factors, including both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Additionally, the possible causes and proposed pathways of TD and how to correctly diagnose and evaluate TD are discussed. We then focus on how to prevent and manage TD given the current and evolving body of knowledge and evidence. Our stepwise management approach starts by frequent monitoring, discontinuing the culprit antipsychotic, decreasing the dose otherwise; followed by switching to less potent antipsychotics and prescribing VMAT-2 inhibitors. VMAT-2 inhibitors, initially approved for management of Huntington's disease, have been recently showing favorable results in treating other hyperkinetic movement disorders like Tourette’s disease, quickly becoming the first line in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia. The properties of the three different agents belonging to this class: tetrabenazine, deutetrabenazine, and valbenazine will be examined, including side-effect profiles. Finally, recent investigational agents and treatment modalities, including neuromodulation (TMS and DBS) will be reviewed that can be considered when conventional treatment fails or is not tolerated.

Summary

Older adults treated with antidopaminergic medications are at greatest risk for development of tardive dyskinesia. It is important to recognize risk factors and accurately diagnose TD early. New FDA-approved treatments and investigational agents are now available to manage the condition, however further research to optimally prevent and manage TD in the older adult population remains necessary.
A massive natural disaster, the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the incidence of dialysis due to end-stage kidney disease
Authors: Abe Michiaki , Akaishi Tetsuya , Ishizawa Koto , Shinano Hirohisa , Ohtomo Hiroshi , Orikasa Kazuhiko , Takayama Shin , Masaura Atsuko , Miyazaki Mariko , Abe Takaaki , Yokota Kenichi , Ishii Tadashi
Published: October 2021

Background

Disaster-related stress can increase blood pressure and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of massive disasters in the development of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) remains unknown. We investigated the incidence and different causes of dialysis initiation in patients with chronic kidney disease in a city affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Methods

This was a single-center, retrospective observational study. All patients who initiated or were treated with dialysis at Kesennuma City Hospital between 2007 and 2020 were enrolled. The year of dialysis initiation was retrospectively determined based on the initiation date. The causative renal diseases that led to the need for dialysis initiation were divided into four groups: diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive renal disease, glomerulonephritis, and others.

Results

Age at dialysis initiation differed significantly among the four groups (p = 0.0262). There was a significant difference in the numbers of the four groups before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake (p = 0.0193). The age of hypertensive renal disease patients was significantly higher than those of patients with diabetic nephropathy (p = 0.0070) and glomerulonephritis (p = 0.0386) after the disaster. The increasing number of dialysis initiations after the Great East Japan Earthquake appeared to be associated with changes in hypertensive renal diseases; the number peaked after 10 years.

Conclusions

There was an increase in the number of dialysis initiations, especially caused by hypertensive renal diseases, for up to 10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Graphic abstract
Position-dependent mechanical characterization of the PBF-EB-manufactured Ti6Al4V alloy
Authors: Kotzem Daniel , Höffgen Alexandra , Raveendran Rajevan , Stern Felix , Möhring Kerstin , Walther Frank
Published: October 2021

By means of additive manufacturing, the production of components with nearly unlimited geometrical design complexity is feasible. Especially, powder bed fusion techniques such as electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB) are currently focused. However, equal material properties are mandatory to be able to transfer this technique to a wide scope of industrial applications. Within the scope of this work, the mechanical properties of the PBF-EB-manufactured Ti6Al4V alloy are investigated as a function of the position on the building platform. It can be stated that as-built surface roughness changes within building platform whereby highest surface roughness detected by computed tomography (Ra = 46.0 ± 5.3 µm) was found for specimens located in the front of the building platform. In contrast, no significant differences in relative density could be determined and specimens can be assumed as nearly fully dense (> 99.9%). Furthermore, all specimens are affected by an undersized effective diameter compared to the CAD data. Fatigue tests revealed that specimens in the front of the building platform show slightly lower performance at higher stress amplitudes as compared to specimens in the back of the building platform. However, process-induced notch-like defects based on the surface roughness were found to be the preferred location for early crack initiation.
Promoting the Emergence of Team Flow in Organizations
Authors: van den Hout Jef J. J. , Davis Orin C.
Published: October 2021

An important question in the field of team research is how teams can optimize their collaboration to maximize their performance. When team members who are collaborating towards a common purpose experience flow together, the team, as a performing unit, improves its performance and delivers individual happiness to its members. From a practical point of view, it is relevant to know how team flow experiences arise within professional organizations. The aim of this study is therefore to get more insight into the how the elements of team flow emerge. We conducted interviews with team members, business leaders, and team experts, and in addition a survey with team members. The results provide confirmation of the existing research on team dynamics, flow, group and team flow and indicate that a collective ambition, professional autonomy, and open communication must be deliberately and carefully cultivated to set the stage for the other team flow prerequisites and thence for team flow to emerge.
Psychoacoustic evaluation of internal combustion engine noises
Authors: Schneider Sebastian , Luft Tommy , Rottengruber Hermann
Published: October 2021

When buying a car, the acoustic impression of quality of a vehicle drive train is becoming more and more relevant. The perceived sound quality of the engine unit plays a key role here. Due to the nature of individual background noises, that sound quality is negatively influenced. These noise components, which are perceived as unpleasant, need to be further reduced in the course of vehicle development with the identification and evaluation of disruptive noise components in the overall engine noise being a prerequisite for effective acoustics optimization. In particular, the pulsed ticker noise is classified as particularly annoying in Otto DI engines, which is why this article aims to analyze and evaluate the ticking noise components from the overall noise. For this purpose, an empirical formula was developed which can classify the ticking noise components in terms of their intensity. This is purely perception-based and consists of the impulsiveness, the loudness and the sharpness of the overall engine noise. As with other psychoacoustic evaluation scales, the rating was made from 1 (very ticking) to 10 (not ticking). The ticker noise evaluation formula was then verified on the basis of hearing tests with the help of a jury of experts. According to this, it can be predicted precisely in which engine map areas the ticker noise undermines the pleasantness of the overall engine noise.
Erfolgreicher Wissensaustausch in virtuellen Teams – Wie wichtig ist soziale Präsenz?
Authors: Tietz Stephanie , Kneisel Evi , Werner Katja
Published: October 2021

Erfolgreicher Wissensaustausch ist ein zentraler Prozess für den Erfolg virtueller Teams. Damit gehen spezifische Herausforderungen einher. Die verwendete Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien, die räumliche Trennung und der mangelnde persönliche Kontakt der Teammitglieder erschweren den Austausch von Wissen.

Die Forschung zu Einflussfaktoren auf Wissensaustausch in virtuellen Umgebungen fokussiert zumeist rein technische oder soziale Faktoren. Dagegen kaum beachtet ist die Rolle der sozialen Präsenz als interdisziplinäres Konstrukt. Soziale Präsenz meint das subjektive Erleben eines Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühls trotz physischer Distanz, das in der Interaktion zwischen den Nutzern und der vorhandenen Technologie entsteht.

Die vorliegende Studie untersuchte, inwieweit das Erleben sozialer Präsenz den Erfolg virtuellen Wissensaustausches beeinflusst. Basierend auf der Critical Incident Technique wurden 26 Interviews mit Mitgliedern virtueller Teams geführt. Die Teilnehmenden schilderten Situationen, in denen der virtuelle Wissensaustausch erfolgreich oder nicht erfolgreich war.

Die Auswertung zeigt, dass soziale Präsenz häufiger in erfolgreichen Situationen auftrat. Das weist darauf hin, dass deren Erleben wichtig für erfolgreichen Wissensaustausch ist.

Praktische Relevanz:Soziale Präsenz kann durch Medienreichhaltigkeit, Unterstützung sozialer Prozesse und Beziehungen in virtuellen Teams positiv beeinflusst werden. Aus den Ergebnissen lassen sich somit Implikationen für die Gestaltung, Moderation und Führung virtueller Zusammenarbeit ableiten.
Benefits of Bayesian Model Averaging for Mixed-Effects Modeling
Authors: Heck Daniel W. , Bockting Florence
Published: October 2021

Bayes factors allow researchers to test the effects of experimental manipulations in within-subjects designs using mixed-effects models. van Doorn et al. (2021) showed that such hypothesis tests can be performed by comparing different pairs of models which vary in the specification of the fixed- and random-effect structure for the within-subjects factor. To discuss the question of which model comparison is most appropriate, van Doorn et al. compared three corresponding Bayes factors using a case study. We argue that researchers should not only focus on pairwise comparisons of two nested models but rather use Bayesian model selection for the direct comparison of a larger set of mixed models reflecting different auxiliary assumptions regarding the heterogeneity of effect sizes across individuals. In a standard one-factorial, repeated measures design, the comparison should include four mixed-effects models: fixed-effects H0, fixed-effects H1, random-effects H0, and random-effects H1. Thereby, one can test both the average effect of condition and the heterogeneity of effect sizes across individuals. Bayesian model averaging provides an inclusion Bayes factor which quantifies the evidence for or against the presence of an average effect of condition while taking model selection uncertainty about the heterogeneity of individual effects into account. We present a simulation study showing that model averaging among a larger set of mixed models performs well in recovering the true, data-generating model.
Training Gaussian boson sampling by quantum machine learning
Authors: Conti Claudio
Published: October 2021

We use neural networks to represent the characteristic function of many-body Gaussian states in the quantum phase space. By a pullback mechanism, we model transformations due to unitary operators as linear layers that can be cascaded to simulate complex multi-particle processes. We use the layered neural networks for non-classical light propagation in random interferometers, and compute boson pattern probabilities by automatic differentiation. This is a viable strategy for training Gaussian boson sampling. We demonstrate that multi-particle events in Gaussian boson sampling can be optimized by a proper design and training of the neural network weights. The results are potentially useful to the creation of new sources and complex circuits for quantum technologies.
Young motherhood: levels and socioeconomic determinants of adolescent fertility in Ghana
Authors: Nyarko Samuel H. , Potter Lloyd
Published: October 2021

Adolescent fertility levels have shown considerable improvements globally over the past decades. However, adolescent childbearing remains high in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This study, thus, examines the levels and socioeconomic factors associated with adolescent fertility in Ghana. The study drew on data from the 2003, 2008, to the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys to perform a logistic regression analysis of socioeconomic factors associated with adolescent fertility. The results show that adolescent childbearing levels have not shown any considerable improvements over the study periods (10%, 10%, and 11% for 2003, 2008, and 2014, respectively). Socioeconomic factors such as household wealth status, working status, employer status, and employment period were associated with adolescent fertility. Female adolescents from poor households, employed and self-employed adolescents, as well as regular workers, were linked to higher adolescent fertility risks. Older adolescents, and ever married adolescents also show significantly higher childbearing risks while the risk levels steadily increased over time. Promoting economic empowerment among female adolescents and targeting employed female adolescents in fertility control measures may have considerable positive implications for adolescent fertility levels in Ghana.
Super-resolution for doubly-dispersive channel estimation
Authors: Beinert Robert , Jung Peter , Steidl Gabriele , Szollmann Tom
Published: October 2021

In this work we consider the problem of identification and reconstruction of doubly-dispersive channel operators which are given by finite linear combinations of time-frequency shifts. Such operators arise as time-varying linear systems for example in radar and wireless communications. In particular, for information transmission in highly non-stationary environments the channel needs to be estimated quickly with identification signals of short duration and for vehicular application simultaneous high-resolution radar is desired as well. We consider the time-continuous setting and prove an exact resampling reformulation of the involved channel operator when applied to a trigonometric polynomial as identifier in terms of sparse linear combinations of real-valued atoms. Motivated by recent works of Heckel et al. we present an exact approach for off-the-grid super-resolution which allows to perform the identification with realizable signals having compact support. Then we show how an alternating descent conditional gradient algorithm can be adapted to solve the reformulated problem. Numerical examples demonstrate the performance of this algorithm, in particular in comparison with a simple adaptive grid refinement strategy and an orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm.
Whose pay should be cut in economic crises? Consumers prefer firms that prioritize paying employees over CEOs
Authors: Hagerty Serena F. , Mohan Bhavya , Norton Michael I.
Published: October 2021

Four experiments examine the impact of a firm deciding to no longer pay salaries for executives versus employees on consumer behavior, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study 1 explores the effect of announcing either pay cessations or continued pay for either CEO or employees, and shows that firms’ commitment to maintaining employee pay leads to the most positive consumer reactions. Study 2 examines the effects of simultaneously announcing employee and CEO pay cessations: consumers respond most positively to firms prioritizing employee pay, regardless of their strategy for CEO pay. Moreover, these positive perceptions are mediated by perceptions of financial pain to employees, more than perceptions of CEO-to-worker pay ratio fairness. Study 3, using an incentive-compatible design, shows that firms’ commitment to paying employees their full wages matters more to consumers than cuts to executive pay, even when those executive pay cuts lead to a lower CEO-to-worker pay ratio. Study 4 tests our account in a non-COVID-19 context, and shows that consumers continue to react favorably to firms that maintain employee pay, but when loss is less salient, consumers prioritize cutting CEO pay and lowering the CEO-to-worker pay ratio. We discuss the implications of our results for firms and policymakers during economic crises.
The role of family networks and social capital on women's fertility intentions in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Authors: Bougma Moussa , Rossier Clémentine
Published: October 2021

Family solidarities remain strong in African societies. In Ouagadougou, transfers within extended family networks provide an omnipresent means for coping with life's difficulties, and the desired number of children remains relatively high. The role of family networks in maintaining high fertility is rarely studied however for lack of data in conventional demographic surveys. This study uses original retrospective data and logistic regression methods to explore the role of the extended family's social capital in shaping women's desire for children in Ouagadougou. Results show that women belong to three types of family networks: (1) women who belong to large family networks on both her own and her husband's side and who maintain a moderate number of close relations with their own relatives; (2) women who also belong to large family networks on both their and their husband's sides but who maintain a greater number of close relations with their own blood relatives; (3) unmarried women with relatives only on their side and numerous close relations with their family. Support for children's schooling comes more often from women's relatives in networks type 2 and 3, and from husbands' relatives in network type 1. Support for children's schooling increases with the level of economic resources in family networks (proxied by the presence of a public employee), in all network types. Women in type 2 networks (centered on women's relatives) are more likely to want additional children compared to women in type 1 networks (centered on their husband's relatives), after controlling for economic resources in networks. This result suggests that practical support provided by family members could play a role, on top of economic support, in encouraging high fertility in Ouagadougou.
The probability certain random quadratics have real roots
Authors: Boucher Chris
Published: October 2021

Early in high school algebra, quadratics chosen as examples by teachers and textbooks alike tend to have integer coefficients and to factorise over the integers. This can give the misleading impression that such quadratics are the norm. As students progress into calculus and begin regularly seeing quadratics that are not as ‘nice’, we hope they become disabused of this notion. Indeed, even if the coefficients of the quadratic are integers, the probability that the quadratic factorises over the integers tends to zero as the range from which the integers are drawn grows (see [1]). But what if we ask about a behaviour less restrictive than factorising, say merely having real roots? This is the problem that concerns this Article.
Rectangles and spirals
Authors: Ridley J. N.
Published: October 2021

Every reader knows about the Golden Rectangle (see [1, pp. 85, 119], [2, 3]), and that it can be subdivided into a square and a smaller copy of itself, and that this process can be continued indefinitely, converging towards the intersection point of diagonals of any two successive rectangles in the sequence. The circumscribed logarithmic spiral passing through the vertices and converging to the same point is also familiar (see [3, 4]), and is analogous to the circumcircle of a regular polygon or a triangle. The approximate logarithmic spiral obtained by drawing a quarter-circle inside each of the squares is equally well known [3, p. 64]. Perhaps slightly less familiar is the inscribed spiral, which is tangential to a side of every rectangle, like the incircle of a triangle or a regular polygon. It does not (quite) coincide with the spiral passing through the point of subdivision of each side, as discussed in [3, pp. 73-77]. The Golden Rectangle, its subdivisions, and the circumscribed and inscribed spirals are illustrated in Figure 1.
Linearly periodic continued fractions
Authors: Kuhapatanakul Kantaphon , Sukruan Lalitphat
Published: October 2021

An infinite simple continued fraction representation of a real number α is in the form

$$\eqalign{& {a_0} + {1 \over {{a_1} + {1 \over {{a_2} + {1 \over {{a_3} + {1 \over {}}}}}}}} \cr & \;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\; \ddots \cr} $$

where
$${a_0}$$
is an integer, and
$${a_i}$$
are positive integers for
$$i \ge 1$$.
This is often written more compactly in one of the following ways:

$${a_0} + {1 \over {{a_1} + }}{1 \over {{a_2} + }}{1 \over {{a_3} + }} \ldots \;{\rm{or}}\;\left[ {{a_0};\;{a_1},\;{a_2},\;{a_3} \ldots } \right]$$
.
Aesop's moral on success
Authors: Allen Edward J.
Published: October 2021

Aesop's Fables is an enduring collection of short stories with morals that is credited to Aesop, a slave who lived in early Ancient Greece about 2600 years ago. Undoubtedly many later ancient Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras, Socrates, Aristotle and Archimedes were told Aesop's fables in their youth. In a race described in ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’, one of the most famous of Aesop's fables, a tortoise, running in a steady constant manner, beats a hare that is racing irregularly. The lesson of the fable is often interpreted as ‘slow but steady wins the race’ or ‘consistent, effective effort leads to success’ (see [1]) and is applicable to many human activities. The fable illustrates the general problem of working toward an objective when the rate of work is either constant or varies randomly.
Focus on biosensors: Looking through the lens of quantitative biology
Authors: Rowe James H. , Jones Alexander M.
Published: October 2021

In recent years, plant biologists interested in quantifying molecules and molecular events in vivo have started to complement reporter systems with genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors (GEFBs) that directly sense an analyte. Such biosensors can allow measurements at the level of individual cells and over time. This information is proving valuable to mathematical modellers interested in representing biological phenomena in silico, because improved measurements can guide improved model construction and model parametrisation. Advances in synthetic biology have accelerated the pace of biosensor development, and the simultaneous expression of spectrally compatible biosensors now allows quantification of multiple nodes in signalling networks. For biosensors that directly respond to stimuli, targeting to specific cellular compartments allows the observation of differential accumulation of analytes in distinct organelles, bringing insights to reactive oxygen species/calcium signalling and photosynthesis research. In conjunction with improved image analysis methods, advances in biosensor imaging can help close the loop between experimentation and mathematical modelling.
FTIR BONE CHARACTERIZATION AND RADIOCARBON DATING: TIMING THE ABANDONMENT OF BYZANTINE PIGEON TOWERS IN THE NEGEV DESERT, ISRAEL
Authors: Yan Xin , Tepper Yotam , Bar-Oz Guy , Boaretto Elisabetta
Published: October 2021

Various archaeological and historical evidence shows that the marginal area of the Negev desert of southern Israel enjoyed great agricultural prosperity in the Byzantine period (4th–7th centuries CE). Among the different types of agricultural installations are pigeon towers, which were built near the fields to produce fertilizer to enrich the nutrient-poor desert soils. Such extensive specialized agriculture practice was much less applied in the Negev in the successive Early Islamic period in the mid-7th century. Here we recoveredin situpigeon bones from five pigeon towers in the Negev, applied multiple characterization methods (FTIR, grinding curve, and C/N ratio) to estimate the preservation of bones, and achieved absolute dating for the abandonment of the towers. The obtained dates indicate rapid decline of agricultural activities in the second half of the 6th century CE and beginning of the 7th century. These findings, together with other evidence for Byzantine decline of agricultural hinterland and urban dysfunction of the settlements, suggest that the farming activities in the Negev declined in the Late Byzantine period (550–640 CE) and support the hypothesis that climatic-driven causes were the main trigger for the eventual cultural-societal decline of the Negev region.
Thomas More and the Defence of the Religious Orders in Henry VIII's England
Authors: Heale Martin
Published: October 2021

Much has been written about Thomas More's alleged monastic vocation and spirituality, but rather less about his views on the religious orders of his day. This article argues that a consistent position towards contemporary English monasticism can be discerned across More's (highly varied) oeuvre and in his personal connections with religious houses. He was an enthusiastic supporter of strictly observant monasticism throughout his career, but seems to have looked much more critically upon other branches of the religious orders in early Tudor England (which comprised the large majority). This orientation was shared with some other English humanists, but clashed with the position of Erasmus who held no special regard for strictly observant monasteries. More's misgivings about general monastic standards in the realm held a wider significance, in view of his status as the most prolific and influential polemicist writing in support of the early Tudor church. The defence of the religious orders in the controversialist works that More wrote and oversaw in the later 1520s and early 1530s was distinctly lukewarm, and even at times evasive. Partly as a result, the mounting evangelical and anticlerical attacks on English monasteries in these years went largely unanswered.
Childbearing culture: a prominent context in the process of maternal role attainment in Iranian mothers with preterm neonates
Authors: Alinejad-Naeini Mona , Peyrovi Hamid , Shoghi Mahnaz
Published: October 2021

Transition to the role of mothering is one of the most important events in a woman’s life. While childbirth is a biological event, pregnancy and the experiences around it are more influenced by social structure, which is shaped by cultural perceptions and practices. The aim of this study was to explore cultural context during maternal role attainment in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Iran. The study was part of a grounded theory study on how the mothers of preterm neonates go through maternal role attainment. Data collection was carried out by purposeful sampling from 20 participants (15 mothers of preterm neonates and 5 NICU nurses). Data were analysed according to Corbin and Strauss’s (2015) approach. Four categories of childbearing culture emerged: ‘The necessity of childbearing’, ‘Childbearing rituals’, ‘Maternal persistent presence’ and ‘Attitudes and religious beliefs’. The findings showed that the special beliefs and practices in Iranian culture affected all of the participants’ reactions to mothering process. Culture is one of the most important factors affecting the development of motherhood in Iran. In order to provide sensitive and culturally appropriate care, nurses should be aware of the general impact of cultural norms and values on the process of maternal role attainment and strive to meet the cultural needs of all mothers.
The Asian fish tapeworm (Schyzocotyle acheilognathi) discovered in Western Australia may pose a threat to the health of endemic native fishes
Authors: Palermo C.J. , Morgan D.L. , Beatty S.J. , Elliot A. , Greay T.L.
Published: October 2021

The Asian fish tapeworm (Schyzocotyle acheilognathi) is an important fish parasite with a wide host range that infects over 300 species of fish worldwide.Schyzocotyle acheilognathihas been reported from eastern coastal areas of Australia, but has not been previously reported in Western Australia (WA). During a control program for invasive freshwater fishes in south-western WA, a region with a unique and highly endangered freshwater fish fauna, tapeworms identified asS.acheilognathifrom their distinctive scolex morphology were found at a prevalence of 3.3% in goldfish (Carassius auratus), 37.0% in koi carp (Cyprinus carpio haematopterus) and 65.0% in eastern gambusia (Gambusia holbrooki) in a small suburban lake to the north of Perth. For molecular confirmation, the 18S ribosomal RNA gene was targeted at hypervariable V4 region. Koi carp isolates were 100% identical toS.acheilognathiisolated from varying hosts, including the red shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis) and a human sample. Sequences obtained from two eastern gambusia were identified asS.acheilognathi, but formed a discrete cluster and may represent a novel genotype. Isolates from two other eastern gambusia and two goldfish formed a distinct clade with only 91.9% similarity to previously sequenced isolates ofS.acheilognathi. This emphasizes the importance of molecular identification methods in addition to morphological identification. The presence and potential for transmission of these parasites in south-western WA may threaten the health of native fishes, which are immunologically naïve to this introduced parasite. Immediate control or containment measures should be implemented to halt the spread of these parasites.