bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Past attachment experiences, the potential link of mentalization and the transmission of behavior to the child by mothers with mental health problems: cross-sectional analysis of a clinical sample
Authors: Mattheß Janna , Koch Gabriele , Keil Thomas , Roll Stephanie , Berghöfer Anne , Ludwig-Körner Christiane , Schlensog-Schuster Franziska , Sprengeler Mona Katharina , von Klitzing Kai , Kuchinke Lars
Published: September 2023

Maternal capacity to mentalize (= reflective functioning, RF), secure attachment and emotionally available parenting has an impact on the child’s development. The transmission of mothers’ past attachment experiences gained with both her caregivers in her own childhood and the impact on current mother–child interaction is part of the ‘transmission gap.’ This study explores the transgenerational transmission mechanisms and the potential moderating effect of RF in a clinical sample of 113 mother–child dyads suffering from mental health problems. In a cross-sectional study, the associations between maternal attachment experiences, RF (coded based on Adult Attachment Interviews) and current mother–child interaction (Emotional Availability Scales) were examined with univariate correlation, moderator analyses, and structural equation models. We found relationships between attachment experiences and mother–child interaction, but RF had no moderating effect. Past loving experiences and perceived neglection, particularly with the own father in childhood, were predictors for the present mother–child interaction. There seems to be an intergenerational transmission of attachment experiences to the ongoing generation. Particularly past adverse childhood experiences with the own father seem to explain currently disruptive interactions with the child.

Trial registration: DRKS00017008 and DRKS00016353.
Enhanced recovery after robotic ventral hernia repair: factors associated with overnight stay in hospital
Authors: Marckmann M. , Krarup P.-M. , Henriksen N. A. , Christoffersen M. W. , Jensen K. K.
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols lead to reduced post-operative stay and improved outcomes after most types of abdominal surgery. Little is known about the optimal post-operative protocol after robotic ventral hernia repair (RVHR), including the potential limits of outpatient surgery. We report the results of an ERAS protocol after RVHR aiming to identify factors associated with overnight stay in hospital, as well as patient-reported pain levels in the immediate post-operative period.

Methods

This was a prospective cohort study of consecutive patients undergoing RVHR. Patients were included in a prospective database, registering patient characteristics, operative details, pain and fatigue during the first 3 post-operative days and pre- and 30-day post-operative hernia-related quality of life, using the EuraHS questionnaire.

Results

A total of 109 patients were included, of which 66 (61%) underwent incisional hernia repair. The most performed procedure was TARUP (robotic transabdominal retromuscular umbilical prosthetic hernia repair) (60.6%) followed by bilateral roboTAR (robotic transversus abdominis release) (19.3%). The mean horizontal fascial defect was 4.8 cm, and the mean duration of surgery was 141 min. In total, 78 (71.6%) patients were discharged on the day of surgery, and factors associated with overnight stay were increasing fascial defect area, longer duration of surgery, and transverse abdominis release. There was no association between post-operative pain and overnight hospital stay. The mean EuraHS score decreased significantly from 38.4 to 6.4 (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

An ERAS protocol after RVHR was associated with a high rate of outpatient procedures with low patient-reported pain levels.
Porosity characterization using medical computed tomography scans of two deeply buried paleokarst aquifers in Silurian carbonates, southern Ontario, Canada
Authors: Carter Terry R. , Larmagnat Stéphanie , Sun Shuo , Letellier Philippe , Russell Hazen A.J.
Published: September 2023

Paleokarst and paleokarst aquifers are not as well-documented as shallow karst, and studies of pores and pore networks are rare. Paleokarst lacks the open conduits typical of karst due to compaction, infilling, and diagenetic recrystallization by deep burial, so groundwater movement is through matrix porosity. In this case study, porosity networks in two saline aquifers in carbonate paleokarst of the Silurian Guelph Formation and Salina A-1 Carbonate Unit in southern Ontario (Canada) have been studied in drill cores at microscopic to macroscopic scales, utilizing medical computed tomography (CT) scans, optical petrography, macroscopic core examination, and scanning electron microscopy. The CT scans provided nondestructive three-dimensional visualization and quantification of pore distribution, size and volume, pore connections, and estimates of total porosity, similar to gas porosimetry. In the A-1 Carbonate, 50% of the pore volume comprises layers of macropores associated with algal laminations, with good horizontal connections. In the Guelph Formation, vuggy macropores contribute most of the pore volume. They are connected through subvertical fractures and rubble-filled karst conduits and by abundant small pores and micropores with poor horizontal connections. The Guelph paleokarst represents a longer period of subaerial exposure as evidenced by its greater thickness and geographic extent, former karst conduits, and near-total destruction of primary sedimentary fabrics. The findings provide real-world examples for construction of laboratory scale models of paleokarst aquifers, demonstrate the value of a multi-scale approach to porosity studies, and showcase the value of medical CT scans with its unique ability to visualize pore connections within drill cores.
Improving position encoding of transformers for multivariate time series classification
Authors: Foumani Navid Mohammadi , Tan Chang Wei , Webb Geoffrey I. , Salehi Mahsa
Published: September 2023

Transformers have demonstrated outstanding performance in many applications of deep learning. When applied to time series data, transformers require effective position encoding to capture the ordering of the time series data. The efficacy of position encoding in time series analysis is not well-studied and remains controversial, e.g., whether it is better to inject absolute position encoding or relative position encoding, or a combination of them. In order to clarify this, we first review existing absolute and relative position encoding methods when applied in time series classification. We then proposed a new absolute position encoding method dedicated to time series data called time Absolute Position Encoding (tAPE). Our new method incorporates the series length and input embedding dimension in absolute position encoding. Additionally, we propose computationally Efficient implementation of Relative Position Encoding (eRPE) to improve generalisability for time series. We then propose a novel multivariate time series classification model combining tAPE/eRPE and convolution-based input encoding named ConvTran to improve the position and data embedding of time series data. The proposed absolute and relative position encoding methods are simple and efficient. They can be easily integrated into transformer blocks and used for downstream tasks such as forecasting, extrinsic regression, and anomaly detection. Extensive experiments on 32 multivariate time-series datasets show that our model is significantly more accurate than state-of-the-art convolution and transformer-based models. Code and models are open-sourced at https://github.com/Navidfoumani/ConvTran.
Z-Time: efficient and effective interpretable multivariate time series classification
Authors: Lee Zed , Lindgren Tony , Papapetrou Panagiotis
Published: September 2023

Multivariate time series classification has become popular due to its prevalence in many real-world applications. However, most state-of-the-art focuses on improving classification performance, with the best-performing models typically opaque. Interpretable multivariate time series classifiers have been recently introduced, but none can maintain sufficient levels of efficiency and effectiveness together with interpretability. We introduce , a novel algorithm for effective and efficient interpretable multivariate time series classification. employs temporal abstraction and temporal relations of event intervals to create interpretable features across multiple time series dimensions. In our experimental evaluation on the UEA multivariate time series datasets, achieves comparable effectiveness to state-of-the-art non-interpretable multivariate classifiers while being faster than all interpretable multivariate classifiers. We also demonstrate that is more robust to missing values and inter-dimensional orders, compared to its interpretable competitors.
Predicting survival in glioblastoma with multimodal neuroimaging and machine learning
Authors: Luckett Patrick H. , Olufawo Michael , Lamichhane Bidhan , Park Ki Yun , Dierker Donna , Verastegui Gabriel Trevino , Yang Peter , Kim Albert H. , Chheda Milan G. , Snyder Abraham Z. , Shimony Joshua S. , Leuthardt Eric C.
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant glioma, with an overall median survival of less than two years. The ability to predict survival before treatment in GBM patients would lead to improved disease management, clinical trial enrollment, and patient care.

Methods

GBM patients (N = 133, mean age 60.8 years, median survival 14.1 months, 57.9% male) were retrospectively recruited from the neurosurgery brain tumor service at Washington University Medical Center. All patients completed structural neuroimaging and resting state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) before surgery. Demographics, measures of cortical thickness (CT), and resting state functional network connectivity (FC) were used to train a deep neural network to classify patients based on survival (< 1y, 1-2y, >2y). Permutation feature importance identified the strongest predictors of survival based on the trained models.

Results

The models achieved a combined cross-validation and hold out accuracy of 90.6% in classifying survival (< 1y, 1-2y, >2y). The strongest demographic predictors were age at diagnosis and sex. The strongest CT predictors of survival included the superior temporal sulcus, parahippocampal gyrus, pericalcarine, pars triangularis, and middle temporal regions. The strongest FC features primarily involved dorsal and inferior somatomotor, visual, and cingulo-opercular networks.

Conclusion

We demonstrate that machine learning can accurately classify survival in GBM patients based on multimodal neuroimaging before any surgical or medical intervention. These results were achieved without information regarding presentation symptoms, treatments, postsurgical outcomes, or tumor genomic information. Our results suggest GBMs have a global effect on the brain’s structural and functional organization, which is predictive of survival.
Allicin ameliorates sepsis-induced acute kidney injury through Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway
Authors: Li Xiao-Jun , Liu Ting , Wang Yuan
Published: September 2023

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a complication that can be induced by different factors. Allicin is a class of organic sulfur compounds with anticancer and antibacterial effects, and has not been reported in sepsis-induced AKI (S-AKI). S-AKI was induced in c57BL/6 mice by cecal ligation puncture. In response to the treatment of allicin, the survival rate of mice with S-AKI was increased. Reduced levels of serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, UALB, KIM-1 and NGAL indicated an improvement in renal function of S-AKI mice. Allicin inhibited the inflammation and cell apoptosis, which evidenced by decreased levels of inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis-related proteins. Oxidative stress was evaluated by the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers, and suppressed by allicin. In addition, allicin-alleviated mitochondrial dysfunction was characterized by decreased JC-1 green monomer. These effects of allicin were also evidenced in HK2 cells primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Both in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and the expression of HO-1 increased after allicin treatment, which was confirmed by ML385 and CDDO-Me. In summary, this study revealed the alleviating effect of allicin on S-AKI and demonstrated the promotive effect of allicin on nuclear translocation of Nrf2 for the first time. It was inferred that allicin inhibited the progression of S-AKI through Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. This study makes contributions to the understanding of the roles of allicin in S-AKI.
Statistical models and the Benford hypothesis: a unified framework
Authors: Barabesi Lucio , Cerioli Andrea , Di Marzio Marco
Published: September 2023

The Benford hypothesis is the statement that a random sample is made of realizations of an absolutely continuous random variable distributed according to Benford’s law. Its potential interest spans over many domains such as detection of financial frauds, verification of electoral processes and investigation of scientific measurements. Our aim is to provide a principled framework for the statistical evaluation of this statement. First, we study the probabilistic structure of many classical univariate models when they are framed in the space of the significand and we measure the closeness of each model to the Benford hypothesis. We then obtain two asymptotically equivalent and powerful tests. We show that the proposed test statistics are invariant under scale transformation of the data, a crucial requirement when compliance to the Benford hypothesis is used to corroborate scientific theories. The empirical advantage of the proposed tests is shown through an extensive simulation study. Applications to astrophysical and hydrological data also motivate the methodology.
The relationship of organizational culture with management control systems and environmental management control systems
Authors: Einhorn Stefanie , Fietz Bernhard , Guenther Thomas W. , Guenther Edeltraud
Published: September 2023

This paper expands upon examinations of the flexibility–stability continuum of organizational culture in the extant literature by identifying how the four culture types of the competing values framework are associated with the emphasis on management control systems (MCS) and environmental management control systems (EMCS). By analyzing data drawn from a dyadic survey addressing both heads of management accounting and heads of sustainability or environmental management, this paper provides empirical evidence for multiple direct associations of different culture types, specifically, adhocracy, bureaucracy, clan, and market cultures, with a set of environmental and general management controls, specifically, action, cultural, personnel, and results controls. For instance, bureaucracy cultures are positively associated with action, personnel, and results controls for MCS and cultural controls for EMCS, while clan cultures are positively associated with cultural and personnel controls for MCS but negatively associated with action and results controls for EMCS. According to our findings, firms cannot transfer their emphasis on general MCS to specific EMCS because different organizational cultures are associated with MCS and EMCS in different ways. This disentanglement of organizational culture facilitates a deeper understanding of environmental controls at the organizational level.
How Smart are Smart Materials? A Conceptual and Ethical Analysis of Smart Lifelike Materials for the Design of Regenerative Valve Implants
Authors: de Kanter Anne-Floor J. , Jongsma Karin R. , Bouten Carlijn V. C. , Bredenoord Annelien L.
Published: September 2023

It may soon become possible not just to replace, but to re-grow healthy tissues after injury or disease, because of innovations in the field of Regenerative Medicine. One particularly promising innovation is a regenerative valve implant to treat people with heart valve disease. These implants are fabricated from so-called ‘smart’, ‘lifelike’ materials. Implanted inside a heart, these implants stimulate re-growth of a healthy, living heart valve. While the technological development advances, the ethical implications of this new technology are still unclear and a clear conceptual understanding of the notions ‘smart' and ‘lifelike' is currently lacking. In this paper, we explore the conceptual and ethical implications of the development of smart lifelike materials for the design of regenerative implants, by analysing heart valve implants as a showcase. In our conceptual analysis, we show that the materials are considered ‘smart’ because they can communicate with human tissues, and ‘lifelike’ because they are structurally similar to these tissues. This shows that regenerative valve implants become intimately integrated in the living tissues of the human body. As such, they manifest the ontological entanglement of body and technology. In our ethical analysis, we argue this is ethically significant in at least two ways: It exacerbates the irreversibility of the implantation procedure, and it might affect the embodied experience of the implant recipient. With our conceptual and ethical analysis, we aim to contribute to responsible development of smart lifelike materials and regenerative implants.
Algae and cyanobacteria-based biostimulants in controlling plant-parasitic nematodes: a sustainable approach for crop protection
Authors: Sithole Nokuthula , Gupta Shubhpriya , Dube Zakheleni , Ogbe Abdulazeez , Van Staden Johannes
Published: September 2023

Plant root pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, nematodes and viruses infect over a thousand plant species worldwide, threatening the livelihood and food security of small-scale farmers and rural communities who rely on the crops. For centuries, soil fumigants have been the standard for disease infestation control; however, due to the hazardous effects of these fumigants and their overall species specificity failure, there has been a paradigm shift away from using chemicals to control plant pathogens in recent decades. The use of algae and cyanobacteria-based biostimulants in combating plant-parasitic nematodes has recently gained the attention of researchers. This review intends to elucidate the state of the art of algae and cyanobacteria-based biostimulants and their bioactive compounds in controlling plant-parasitic nematodes. In addition, given that the mechanisms of action of these biological biostimulants are not fully understood, this review has further elaborated on how these organisms and their bioactive extracts suppress and control plant pest nematodes. Finally, barriers and prospects in commercializing of algae and cyanobacteria-based biostimulants are reviewed.
Towards sustainable manufacturing by enabling optimum selection of life extension strategy for industrial equipment based on cost modelling
Authors: Amaitik Nasser , Zhang Ming , Xu Yuchun , Thomson Gareth , Kolokas Nikolaos , Maisuradze Alexander , Peschl Michael , Tzovaras Dimitrios
Published: September 2023

Sustainable manufacturing is of great importance in today’s world. In manufacturing, keep industrial equipment well-functioning is important because failure of equipment leads to significant financial and production losses. In addition, disposal of such failed equipment is both costly and environmentally unfriendly and does not recover any residual value. This raises the need to adopt methods and means that help extending the life of equipment and reduce waste of material. This paper presents a digital toolkit of cost model to estimate and understand the costs to be incurred when applying life extension strategy for industrial equipment. It is meant to be integrated with other tools and methodologies to enable end-users to perform optimal decision-making regarding which life extension strategy (e.g., remanufacturing, refurbishment, repair) to implement for large industrial equipment that is towards its end-of-life or needs maintenance, taking into account criteria such as cost, machine performance, and energy consumption. The cost model developed integrates a combination of parametric costing and activity-based costing methods to per form cost estimation. It has been implemented in an Excel-based Macro platform. A case study with application scenarios has been conducted to demonstrate the application of the cost model to optimize life extension strategies for industrial equipment. Finally, conclusions on the developed cost model have been reported.
Intermediaries and intermediation in building local transformative capacity for active and sustainable transport
Authors: Sundqvist Henna , Tuominen Anu
Published: September 2023

Intermediation and transformative capacity building are identified as important issues in sustainability transformations. Yet the connection of these two concepts has not been systematically analysed. This empirical, qualitative case study on active transport in Finland investigates intermediation in building local transformative capacity. The study shows that intermediaries are a heterogeneous group of actors that support transformative capacity building by facilitating the flows of knowledge, linking actors, forming ties across different scales, and supporting visioning and strategic planning. Intermediation manifests in five of the seven elements of local transformative capacity building. Our study, thus, contrasts with previous understanding wherein intermediation is considered only as a criterion for multiform governance. As intermediation is central in building transformative capacity, it should be better acknowledged, particularly by authorities and policymakers to secure legitimacy, operational capabilities, and funding for intermediaries.
Predictive nomogram for in-hospital mortality among older patients with intra-abdominal sepsis incorporating skeletal muscle mass
Authors: Li Qiujing , Shang Na , Yang Tiecheng , Gao Qian , Guo Shubin
Published: September 2023

Background

Studies on prognostic factors for older patients with intra-abdominal sepsis are scarce, and the association between skeletal muscle mass and prognosis among such patients remains unclear.

Aims

To develop a nomogram to predict in-hospital mortality among older patients with intra-abdominal sepsis.

Methods

Older patients with intra-abdominal sepsis were prospectively recruited. Their demographics, clinical features, laboratory results, abdominal computed tomography-derived muscle mass, and in-hospital mortality were recorded. The predictors of mortality were selected via least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and multivariable logistic regression analyses, and a nomogram was developed. The nomogram was assessed and compared with Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II.

Results

In total, 464 patients were included, of whom 104 (22.4%) died. Six independent risk factors (skeletal muscle index, cognitive impairment, frailty, heart rate, red blood cell distribution width, and blood urea nitrogen) were incorporated into the nomogram. The Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test and calibration plot revealed a good consistency between the predicted and observed probabilities. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.875 (95% confidence interval = 0.838–0.912), which was significantly higher than those of commonly used scoring systems. The decision curve analysis indicated the nomogram had good predictive performance.

Discussion

Our nomogram, which is predictive of in-hospital mortality among older patients with intra-abdominal sepsis, incorporates muscle mass, a factor that warrants consideration by clinicians. The model has a high prognostic ability and might be applied in clinical practice after external validation.
Prämature Ovarialinsuffizienz
Authors: Böttcher Bettina
Published: September 2023

Die prämature Ovarialinsuffizienz (POI) ist durch eine Amenorrhö und erhöhte FSH(Follikelstimulierendes Hormon)-Werte gekennzeichnet. Sie kann spontan auftreten, durch chronische oder Autoimmunerkrankungen, genetisch oder iatrogen durch eine gonadotoxische oder operative Therapie bedingt sein. Zur Diagnostik gehören die Bestimmung der jeweiligen Laborparameter, Sonographie, Knochendichtemessung und die genetische Diagnostik je nach Anamnese. Ein frühzeitiger Beginn einer Hormonersatztherapie ist zur Reduktion der kardiovaskulären Risiken sowie zur Verbesserung der urogenitalen und vasomotorischen Symptome und der Knochendichte indiziert; die Therapie sollte bis zum Erreichen des natürlichen Menopausenalters bei etwa 50 Jahren fortgeführt werden.
NiO thin film with an extremely high index $$(7 \overline{1 } 4)$$ on r-plane sapphire substrate
Authors: Ding Xiang , Sathish C. I. , Qu Jiangtao , Zheng Rongkun , Geng Xun , Guan Xinwei , Yu Xiaojiang , Breese Mark B. H. , Qiao Liang , Suzuki Kiyonori , Yi Jiabao
Published: September 2023

Thin film epitaxy is essential for state-of-the-art semiconductor applications. The combination of different substrates and deposition methods leads to various crystallographic orientation relationships between thin films and substrates, which have a decisive impact on thin film performance. By utilizing pulsed laser deposition, we discovered a very high-index $$(7 \overline{1 } 4)$$

(
7

1
¯

4
)

–oriented NiO thin film when deposited on r-plane $$\text{(10}\overline{1}\text{2)}$$

(10

1
¯

2)

sapphire substrates. The in-plane epitaxial relations are $${[13\overline{1 }]}_{\text{NiO}}\text{||[1}\overline {2}{\text{10]}}_{\text{Sapphire}}$$

[
13

1
¯

]

NiO

||[1

2
¯

10]
Sapphire

and $${[\overline{1 }12]}_{\text{NiO}}\text{||[10}\overline{11}{\text{]}}_{\text{Sapphire}}$$

[

1
¯

12
]

NiO

||[10

11
¯

]
Sapphire

, and the lattice mismatch is 3.2% and 0.4% along two directions, respectively. Exchange bias studies by the deposition of Co on NiO (111) and NiO $$(7 \overline{1 } 4)$$

(
7

1
¯

4
)

show different behaviors, which may be associated with the spin density and alignment on the surface.

Graphical abstract
Effective Supervision for Enhancing Quality of Doctoral Research in Computer Science and Engineering
Authors: Malekian Reza
Published: September 2023

This article reflects on effective supervision and possible guidance for enhancing quality of doctoral research in the computer science and engineering field. The aims of this study are (1) to understand supervision and the role of supervisors in the quality of doctoral research, (2) to elaborate on effective supervision in the computer science and engineering field and challenges in effective supervision, and (3) to identify key indicators for evaluating effective supervision with a view to improving the quality of doctoral research. After studying various pieces of literature and conducting interviews with experienced supervisors and doctoral students, the article concludes by describing important characteristics in effective supervision. Some of the features for effective supervision are common to other areas of research; however, in computer science and engineering and similar fields, it is important that a supervisor takes the role of a team member by giving proper advice on the reports, algorithm and mathematical modeling developed in the research, and demonstrating the ability to provide advice on complex problems with practical approaches.
Allocation of Healthcare Resources in National Health Systems Under Climate Change
Authors: Grigoroudis Evangelos , Kouikoglou Vassilis S. , Phillis Yannis A.
Published: September 2023

Climate change has, among others, impacts on human health and by consequence on healthcare systems. Some impacts are direct such as extreme events, air pollution and aeroallergens, and some are indirect such as reduced food production and supply, vector-borne and water-borne infectious diseases, and social and economic disruptions. The main aim of this paper is to study the pressures of climate change on national healthcare systems. An empirical dynamic resource allocation problem is proposed to estimate how healthcare systems may be affected by climate change. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear programming model which finds the optimal allocation of healthcare resources that compensate for life expectancy reductions due to climate change. We examine various scenarios of climate impacts to estimate the additional budget and healthcare resources needed. The results show that the necessary healthcare budget grows nonlinearly with respect to impacts with disproportional demands on lower income countries. Finally, the necessary healthcare investments should be made sooner as climate impacts become heavier. Our methodology could aid policy-makers in prioritizing measures to enhance the climate resilience of national healthcare systems.
The implementation of microbes in plastic biodegradation
Authors: Tania Maria , Anand Vijaya
Published: September 2023

Most microorganisms are necessary for the decomposition of plastics and the production of bioplastics. It takes plastic materials more than a thousand years to degrade significantly. To degrade solid waste, microorganisms for the degradation of plastics should be configured meticulously. In the manufacture of equipment, a variety of plastic polymers are utilised, focusing on how they will be used. This article reviews about a detailed summary of the microbes that degrade several forms of plastics including polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyvinyl chloride also the harmful effects of plastics on humanity.
Making Waves
Authors: Härkönen Marc , Hirsch Jonas , Sturmfels Bernd
Published: September 2023

We study linear PDE constraints for vector-valued functions and distributions. Our focus lies on wave solutions, which give rise to distributions with low-dimensional support. Special waves from vector potentials are represented by syzygies. We parametrize all waves by projective varieties derived from the support of the PDE. These include determinantal varieties and Fano varieties, and they generalize wave cones in analysis.
Effect of ventilation patterns on indoor thermal comfort and air-conditioning cooling and heating load using simulation
Authors: Sekartaji Dian , Ryu Yuji , Novianto Didit
Published: September 2023

Over the past three years, regulations have been implemented to combine natural ventilation (NV) and air conditioning to mitigate the risk of disease transmission, particularly in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. As we know, simultaneous use of NV and air conditioning can make it challenging to achieve indoor thermal comfort. This paper aims to analyze the effect of NV on the air conditioning`s cooling and heating load in a classroom through simulation. A simulation model was developed using EnergyPlus software with an OpenStudio interface software. Simulation results demonstrate that continuous use of NV alongside an air conditioner increases the cooling load from 1.06 to 1.75 times during summer and a 1.54 to 9.49 times heating load increase during winter. On the other hand, intermittent NV every hour results in a cooling load increase from 1.05 to 1.46 times in summer and a heating load increase from 1.13 to 4.63 times in winter. Moreover, employing NV based on the outside air temperature can reduce the cooling load at the air conditioner with set-point 26℃—28℃ from 0.94 to 0.88 times. The outcomes of this study are expected to serve as a reference for determining strategies that effectively combine NV and air conditioning to meet various needs without causing a significant increase in energy consumption. Additionally, the results are expected to be useful for reducing AC energy consumption in extremely hot and cold weather with some strategies of NV application.
Reinforcing conversion of polyselenides via a bifunctional blocking layer for efficient Li-Se batteries
Authors: Wang Hongrui , Zhao Qingyuan , Lai Kang , Bao Nanyun , Zhou Weibin , Deng Qi , Fu Zhiqiang , Dai Jiayu , Wu Xiongwei , Zeng Xianxiang
Published: September 2023

Lithium-selenium (Li-Se) batteries possess high volumetric capacity and have attracted considerable attention as a high energy storage system. However, the shuttling of polyselenides seriously worsens the electrochemical performance and retards their application advancement. Herein, we engineered a bifunctional membrane consisted of polyethylenimine derived carbon quantum dots (Cdots) to efficiently restrict the shuttling of polyselenides under a high Se loading (Se≈70 wt%) and promote Li-Se conversion kinetics, which can be accounted by the greatly accelerated transportation of charge carriers and dipole–dipole interactions between polar moieties and long-chain polyselenides (Li2Se4 and Li2Se6) as corroborated by theoretical calculations. Thus, the bifunctional membrane endows Li-Se batteries with a specific capacity of 658.60 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and coulombic efficiency of 97.8% in average, and demonstrates the effectiveness of defect-rich Cdots on suppressing polyselenides shuttling and reinforcing Li-Se conversion kinetics in augmenting the battery’s durability and efficiency.

Graphical Abstract
Spray behaviour of hydro-treated ester fatty acids fuel made from used cooking oil at low injection pressures
Authors: Azam Q. , Sulaiman S.Z. , Abd Razak N. , Mazlan N.M.
Published: September 2023

The spray characteristics significantly affected the combustion performance. The injection pressure and fuel properties are factors that affect the spray cone angle, penetration, and droplet distribution. Although substantial research has been conducted on spray attributes, understanding the complex biofuel spray dynamics in real nozzles and injectors is crucial. This study examines hydro-processed esters and fatty acid (HEFA) spray characteristics of used cooking oil and palm oil biodiesel in a constant-volume chamber. The study was performed by varying the injection pressures ranging from 30 to 120psi for pure fuels and Jet A-1 blends. Experiments were conducted at standard sea-level atmospheric pressure and an ambient temperature of ±297K using an airblast fuel injector. The initial fuel temperature was set at ±302K. Jet A-1 was used as the baseline fuel for the comparative analysis. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was employed to visualise the microscopic and macroscopic characteristics of the fuel spray. The results revealed a progressive increase in the penetration length corresponding to an increase in the injection pressure. Lower pressures yielded non-uniform particle distributions across the spray area, whereas cone angle augmentation stabilised at elevated pressures. A blend of 60% Jet A-1 and 40% HEFA closely matched Jet A-1 characteristics, indicating alternative aviation fuel potential. These real-time insights into spray behaviour are critical for enhancing the fuel efficiency and mitigating the generation of particulate emissions resulting from spray combustion.
Strategies for Strengthening the Resilience of Public Health Systems for Pandemics, Disasters, and Other Emergencies
Authors: Ryan Benjamin , Kako Mayumi , Fink Rok , Şimşek Perihan , Barach Paul , Acosta Jose , Bhatia Sanjaya , Brickhouse Mark , Fendt Matthew , Fontenot Alicia , Arenas Garcia Nahuel , Garner Shelby , Gunduz Abdülkadir , Hardin D. Mike , Hatch Tim , Malrey-Horne LaShonda , MacDermot Makiko , Kayano Ryoma , McKone Joshua , Noel Chaverle , Nomura Shuhei , Novak Jeremy , Stricklin Andrew , Swienton Raymond , Tayfur Ismail , Brooks Bryan
Published: September 2023

Objective:

The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize strategies for strengthening public health system resilience for pandemics, disasters, and other emergencies using a scorecard approach.

Methods:

The United Nations Public Health System Resilience Scorecard (Scorecard) was applied across 5 workshops in Slovenia, Turkey, and the United States of America. The workshops focused on participants reviewing and discussing 23 questions/indicators. A Likert type scale was used for scoring with zero being the lowest and 5 the highest. The workshop scores were analyzed and discussed by participants to prioritize areas of need and develop resilience strategies. Data from all workshops were aggregated, analyzed, and interpreted to develop priorities representative of participating locations.

Results:

Eight themes emerged representing the need for better integration of public health and disaster management systems. These include: assessing community disease burden; embedding long-term recovery groups in emergency systems; exploring mental health care needs; examining ecosystem risks; evaluating reserve funds; identifying what crisis communication strategies worked well; providing non-medical services; and reviewing resilience of existing facilities, alternate care sites, and institutions.

Conclusions:

The Scorecard is an effective tool for establishing baseline resilience and prioritizing actions. The strategies identified reflect areas in most need for investment to improve public health system resilience.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 and Medical Evacuation in Lombardy: Lessons Learned from an Unprecedented Pandemic
Authors: Stucchi Riccardo , Ripoll-Gallardo Alba , Sechi Giuseppe Maria , Weinstein Eric S. , Villa Guido Francesco , Frigerio Cristina , Federighi Federico , Grasselli Giacomo , Zoli Alberto , Bonora Rodolfo , Fumagalli Roberto ,   the AREU Crisis Unit
Published: September 2023

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerging infectious disease pandemic developed in Lombardy (northern Italy) during the last week of February 2020 with a progressive increase of patients presenting with serious clinical findings. Despite the efforts of the Central Italian Government, regional resources were rapidly at capacity. The solution was to plan the medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) of 119 critically ill patients (median age 61 years) to in-patient intensive care units in other Italian regions (77) and Germany (42). Once surviving patients were deemed suitable, the repatriation process concluded the assignment. The aim of this report is to underline the importance of a rapid organization and coordination process between different nodes of an effective national and international network during an emerging infectious disease outbreak and draw lessons learned from similar published reports.
On the Heart of the Hippocratic Corpus: its meaning, context and purpose
Authors: Fowler Ryan C.
Published: September 2023

Though the Hippocratic text On the Heart has garnered significant attention in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries from classicists, physicians and historians of medicine alike, no commentary on this important work currently exists. There remain, however, central questions of interpretation concerning a number of important points: in particular, how the author understands the structure and functioning of the heart.

The significance of this text for the history of cardiovascular medicine can be found first in its position as being radically advanced in its portrayal of the inner structure of the heart when compared with any other Hippocratic text. At the same time, the text falls dramatically short of the discoveries of the Alexandrian researchers who studied during the Hellenistic period—that is, around the same period as this text’s likely composition. In addition, this work contains the first extant description of the valves of the heart, and its detailed descriptions of a cuspid valve and the chordae tendineae have led several scholars to imagine that this text even contains evidence of either a systematic dissection of an animal heart or—what seems impossible outside of Alexandria, Egypt at that time—evidence of the dissection of a human heart.

This article intends to provide a full commentary on the text by consolidating, and in some cases correcting, previous interpretive attempts to understand an often referenced, and at times misinterpreted, ancient medical treatise.
MAGIST[ER] LUCAS DE VENECIIS ME FECIT: A VENETIAN BELL FOUNDER FROM THE MIDDLE AGES
Authors: Rodriguez Suarez Alex
Published: September 2023

This paper examines Master Lucas, a bell founder based in Venice who was active between the thirteenth and the fourteenth centuries. Through the examination of sixteen bells, some of which are no longer extant, the career of one of the earliest known Venetian bell founders can be traced. A catalogue of the bells describes their measurements, inscriptions and decorations. The distribution of his products to locations in Montenegro and central Italy demonstrate the importance of Venice as a bell casting centre in the Middle Ages. Written documents are cited to provide further information about Lucas’s life and some of the bells that he cast. Collation of this evidence sheds important light on the practices of bell casting in Venice around ad 1300.
Fitting Diminishment of Anger: A Permissivist Account
Authors: Rushing Renee
Published: September 2023

There has been recent discussion of a puzzle posed by emotions that are backward looking. Though our emotions commonly diminish over time, how can they diminish fittingly if they are an accurate appraisal of an event that is situated in the past? Agnes Callard (2017) has offered a solution by providing an account of anger in which anger is both backwards looking and resolvable, yet her account depends upon contrition to explain anger's fitting diminishment. My aim is to explain how anger can fittingly diminish even when there is lack of contrition. I propose a permissivism about fittingness by showing that both anger and compassion are fitting responses to blameworthy behaviour. I argue that anger is rendered fitting because it accurately appraises the behaviour, whereas compassion becomes fitting as a valuational response to what the behaviour reveals about the lived experience of the offender. I then respond to some worries my account raises, and I clarify details of my account to show that it is not unrealistic to the way some of our anger actually does diminish. I end with a proposal that our anger can fittingly diminish through the act of forgiveness when compassion is not a forthcoming affective response.
Empathy and Psychopaths’ Inability to Grieve
Authors: Cholbi Michael
Published: September 2023

Psychopaths exhibit diminished ability to grieve. Here I address whether this inability can be explained by the trademark feature of psychopaths, namely, their diminished capacity for interpersonal empathy. I argue that this hypothesis turns out to be correct, but requires that we conceptualize empathy not merely as an ability to relate (emotionally and ethically) to other individuals but also as an ability to relate to past and present iterations of ourselves. This reconceptualization accords well with evidence regarding psychopaths’ intense focus on the temporal present and difficulties in engaging in mental time travel, as well as with the essentially egocentric and identity-based nature of grief.
Cross-linguistic influence, limited input, or working-memory limitations: The morphosyntax of agreement and concord in Heritage Russian
Authors: Verkhovtceva Tatiana , Polinsky Maria , Meir Natalia
Published: September 2023

This study investigated the morphosyntax of adjectival concord in case and number and subject-verb person agreement by monolingual and bilingual speakers of Russian. The main focus of the study is on the potential factors that may trigger divergence between Heritage Language (HL) speakers and those speakers who are dominant in that language, be they monolingual or bilingual. We considered the effects of cross-linguistic influence; limited input (as indexed by Age of Onset of Bilingualism, AOB), and working-memory limitations. An auditory offline grammaticality judgment task was performed by 119 adult participants split into four groups: (1) Monolingual Russian-speaking controls (MonoControl), (2) Immigrant Controls, that is, Russian-Hebrew bilinguals with AOB after the age of 13 (IMMControl); (3) bilinguals with AOB between 5–13 (BL-Late); and (4) bilinguals with AOB before the age of 5 (BL-Early). The latter group represents HL speakers. We did not find effects of cross-linguistic influence or extra memory load; at the same time, the effects of AOB were robust. Additionally, HL speakers (BL-Early group) differed from the other groups in poor performance on adjectival concord, but patterned with the others on person agreement, which indicates that the feature [person] is more robust than other agreement/concord features in HL grammars.
Assessing antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli and its association with antimicrobial use in Canadian turkey flocks
Authors: Shrestha Rima D. , Agunos Agnes , Gow Sheryl P. , Varga Csaba
Published: September 2023

Turkeys are important sources of antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter. A total of 1063 isolates were obtained from 293 turkey flocks across Canada between 2016 and 2021 to evaluate their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevalence, patterns, distribution, and association with antimicrobial use (AMU). A high proportion of C. jejuni and C. coli isolates were resistant to tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones, despite the very low use of these drugs. C. jejuni isolates had a higher probability of being resistant to tetracyclines than C. coli isolates. The chance of C. jejuni isolates being resistant to fluoroquinolones, macrolides, and lincosamides was lower compared to C. coli. Isolates from the western region had a higher probability of being resistant to fluoroquinolones than isolates from Ontario. Isolates from Ontario had higher odds of being resistant to tetracyclines than isolates from Quebec. No associations were noted between the resistance and use of the same antimicrobial, but the use of certain antimicrobial classes may have played a role in the maintenance of resistance in Campylobacter (fluoroquinolone resistance – bacitracin and streptogramin use, tetracycline resistance – flavophospholipids and streptogramins use, macrolide resistance – flavophospholipid use). Low-level multidrug-resistant Campylobacter was observed indicating a stable AMR in turkeys. This study provided insights aiding future AMU and AMR surveillance.
A Limited Episcopacy? Canon Law and the Ministry of the ‘Episcopal Assistant’ in the Anglican Communion
Authors: Billings Bradly S
Published: September 2023

The theologian Paul Avis, in his handbook for those becoming bishops in the Anglican Communion, makes scarcely any reference throughout the course of the treatise to any distinction between a diocesan and a non-diocesan bishop. At one level this is refreshing, eschewing as it does any notion of a hierarchy within the order of bishops. However, on another level it is somewhat odd, for so much of the episcopal polity and praxis articulated throughout assumes the reader is ‘becoming’ a diocesan bishop, and is, consequently, at times irrelevant to those who are ‘becoming’ a bishop in an assisting role.