bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sertoli cell survival and barrier function are regulated by miR-181c/d-Pafah1b1 axis during mammalian spermatogenesis
Authors: Feng Yue , Chen Dake , Wang Tiansu , Zhou Jiawei , Xu Wenning , Xiong Hao , Bai Rong , Wu Shang , Li Jialian , Li Fenge
Published: August 2022

Sertoli cells contribute to the formation of the blood-testis barrier (BTB), which is necessary for normal spermatogenesis. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as posttranscriptional regulatory elements in BTB function during spermatogenesis. Our previous study has shown that miR-181c or miR-181d (miR-181c/d) is highly expressed in testes from boars at 60 days old compared with at 180 days old. Herein, we found that overexpression of miR-181c/d via miR-181c/d mimics in murine Sertoli cells (SCs) or through injecting miR-181c/d-overexpressing lentivirus in murine testes perturbs BTB function by altering BTB-associated protein distribution at the Sertoli cell–cell interface and F-actin organization, but this in vivo perturbation disappears approximately 6 weeks after the final treatment. We also found that miR-181c/d represses Sertoli cell proliferation and promotes its apoptosis. Moreover, miR-181c/d regulates Sertoli cell survival and barrier function by targeting platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase 1b regulatory subunit 1 (Pafah1b1) gene. Furthermore, miR-181c/d suppresses PAFAH1B1 expression, reduces the complex of PAFAH1B1 with IQ motif-containing GTPase activating protein 1, and inhibits CDC42/PAK1/LIMK1/Cofilin pathway which is required for F-actin stabilization. In total, our results reveal the regulatory axis of miR-181c/d-Pafah1b1 in cell survival and barrier function of Sertoli cells and provide additional insights into miRNA functions in mammalian spermatogenesis.
Dimension Independent Atomic Decomposition for Dyadic Martingale $$ \pmb {{\mathbb {H}}}^{1}$$
Authors: Paluszynski Maciej , Zienkiewicz Jacek
Published: August 2022

We introduce atoms for dyadic atomic $${\mathbb {H}}^1$$

H

1

for which the equivalence between the atomic and maximal function definitions is dimension independent. We give sharp, up to $$\log (d)$$

log
(
d
)

factor, estimates for the $${{\mathbb {H}}^1}\rightarrow L^1$$

H

1

→

L
1

norm of the special maximal function.
Residual stresses in adhesively bonded wood determined by a bilayer flexion reporter system
Authors: Maas Jonas Matthias , Grönquist Phillipe , Furrer Jennifer , Studer Vanessa , Malvetti Anselmo , Rüggeberg Markus , Wittel Falk K.
Published: August 2022

The application of adhesives in modern timber engineering often introduces moisture into the wood, leading to permanent residual stresses after hardening. This paper proposes a novel approach to assess these residual stresses by using wooden bilayers as a reporter system. For thin bilayers, moisture-induced stresses lead to pronounced visible flexion that can be used to identify the stress-driving parameters of the adhesive’s gelation process. These parameters depend solely on the wood/adhesive combination and are inversely determined by fitting a finite element method model on the experimentally obtained flexion state. In a subsequent step, the determined parameters are used to calculate the residual stresses in the adhesive bondline of cross-laminated timber plates, emphasizing this approach’s scale independence and general applicability to larger scale structures. All combinations of European beech and Norway spruce with the adhesives Melamine–Urea–Formaldehyde (MUF), Phenol–Resorcinol–Formaldehyde (PRF), and Polyurethane (PUR) were investigated.
Utility of pre-treatment FDG PET/CT–derived machine learning models for outcome prediction in classical Hodgkin lymphoma
Authors: Frood Russell , Clark Matt , Burton Cathy , Tsoumpas Charalampos , Frangi Alejandro F. , Gleeson Fergus , Patel Chirag , Scarsbrook Andrew
Published: August 2022

Objectives

Relapse occurs in ~20% of patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) despite treatment adaption based on 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography response. The objective was to evaluate pre-treatment FDG PET/CT–derived machine learning (ML) models for predicting outcome in patients with cHL.

Methods

All cHL patients undergoing pre-treatment PET/CT at our institution between 2008 and 2018 were retrospectively identified. A 1.5 × mean liver standardised uptake value (SUV) and a fixed 4.0 SUV threshold were used to segment PET/CT data. Feature extraction was performed using PyRadiomics with ComBat harmonisation. Training (80%) and test (20%) cohorts stratified around 2-year event-free survival (EFS), age, sex, ethnicity and disease stage were defined. Seven ML models were trained and hyperparameters tuned using stratified 5-fold cross-validation. Area under the curve (AUC) from receiver operator characteristic analysis was used to assess performance.

Results

A total of 289 patients (153 males), median age 36 (range 16–88 years), were included. There was no significant difference between training (n = 231) and test cohorts (n = 58) (p value > 0.05). A ridge regression model using a 1.5 × mean liver SUV segmentation had the highest performance, with mean training, validation and test AUCs of 0.82 ± 0.002, 0.79 ± 0.01 and 0.81 ± 0.12. However, there was no significant difference between a logistic model derived from metabolic tumour volume and clinical features or the highest performing radiomic model.

Conclusions

Outcome prediction using pre-treatment FDG PET/CT–derived ML models is feasible in cHL patients. Further work is needed to determine optimum predictive thresholds for clinical use.

Key points

• A fixed threshold segmentation method led to more robust radiomic features.

• A radiomic-based model for predicting 2-year event-free survival in classical Hodgkin lymphoma patients is feasible.

• A predictive model based on ridge regression was the best performing model on our dataset.
Second and third harmonic generation from simultaneous high peak- and high average-power thin disk laser
Authors: Andral U. , Walch P. , Moreno V. , Mahieu B. , Produit T. , Lozano M. , Bizet L. , Herkommer C. , Moret M. , André Y.-B. , Krötz P. , Metzger T. , Michel K. , Mysyrowicz A. , Kasparian J. , Lupinski D. , Houard A. , Wolf J.-P.
Published: August 2022

We report Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) and Third Harmonic Generation (THG) energy conversion efficiencies up to 59% and 27%, respectively, for laser pulses simultaneously delivering high peak power in the sub-TW range and average powers in the sub-kW range. No damage or efficiency decrease is observed after more than 100 h operation time. The resulting high-energy visible and near-UV pulses are suitable for applications, such as lightning control, material analysis and machining, or OPCPA pumping.
Einstein’s second-biggest blunder: the mistake in the 1936 gravitational-wave manuscript of Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen
Authors: Blum Alexander S.
Published: August 2022

In a 1936 manuscript submitted to the Physical Review, Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen famously claimed that gravitational waves do not exist. It has generally been assumed that there was a conceptual error underlying this fallacious claim. It will be shown, through a detailed study of the extant referee report, that this claim was probably only the result of a calculational error, the accidental use of a pathological coordinate transformation.
Multidisciplinary and standardized management of patients with delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Authors: Abdulazim Amr , Küppers Carla , Hackenberg Katharina A. M. , Neumaier-Probst Eva , Alzghloul Mohamad Mansour , Krebs Jörg , Thiel Manfred , Lingsma Hester , Rinkel Gabriel J. E. , Groden Christoph , Etminan Nima
Published: August 2022

Background

The appropriate management of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) remains uncertain. We aimed to evaluate the effect of implementing a standardized protocol for detection and management of DCI after aSAH on cerebral infarction and functional outcome.

Methods

We studied two cohorts of aSAH patients, one before (pre-implementation cohort: January 2012 to August 2014) and one after (post-implementation cohort: January 2016 to July 2018) implementation of a multidisciplinary approach, with standardized neurological and radiological assessment and risk-based medical treatment of DCI. We assessed the presence of new hypodensities on CT within 6 weeks after aSAH and categorized cerebral infarction into overall and DCI-related infarctions (hypodensities not within 48 h after IA repair and not attributable to aneurysm occlusion or intraparenchymal hematoma). Functional outcome was assessed at 3 months using the extended Glasgow outcome scale (eGOS), dichotomized into unfavorable (eGOS: 1–5) and favorable (eGOS: 6–8). We calculated odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI’s), and adjusted for age, WFNS grade, Fisher score, and treatment modality (aOR).

Results

In the post-implementation (n = 158) versus the pre-implementation (n = 143) cohort the rates for overall cerebral infarction were 29.1% vs 46.9% (aOR: 0.41 [0.24–0.69]), for DCI-related cerebral infarction 17.7% vs. 31.5% (aOR: 0.41 [0.23–0.76]), and for unfavorable functional outcome at 3 months 37.3% vs. 53.8% (aOR: 0.30 [0.17–0.54]). For patients with DCI, the rates for unfavorable functional outcomes at 3 months in the post-implementation versus the pre-implementation cohort were 42.3% vs. 77.8% (aOR: 0.1 [0.03–0.27]).

Conclusions

A multidisciplinary approach with more frequent and standardized neurological assessment, standardized CT and CT perfusion monitoring, as well as tailored application of induced hypertension and invasive rescue therapy strategies, is associated with a significant reduction of cerebral infarction and unfavorable functional outcome after aneurysmal aSAH.
Conceptualization of the latent structure of autism: further evidence and discussion of dimensional and hybrid models
Authors: Wittkopf Sarah , Langmann Anika , Roessner Veit , Roepke Stefan , Poustka Luise , Nenadić Igor , Stroth Sanna , Kamp-Becker Inge
Published: August 2022

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be conceptualized as an essentially dimensional, categorical, or hybrid model. Yet, current empirical studies are inconclusive and the latent structure of ASD has explicitly been examined only in a few studies. The aim of our study was to identify and discuss the latent model structure of behavioral symptoms related to ASD and to address the question of whether categories and/or dimensions best represent ASD symptoms. We included data of 2920 participants (1–72 years of age), evaluated with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (Modules 1–4). We applied latent class analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and factor mixture modeling and evaluated the model fit by a combination of criteria. Based on the model selection criteria, the model fits, the interpretability as well as the clinical utility we conclude that the hybrid model serves best for conceptualization and assessment of ASD symptoms. It is both grounded in empirical evidence and in clinical usefulness, is in line with the current classification system (DSM-5) and has the potential of being more specific than the dimensional approach (decreasing false positive diagnoses).
The Importance of Electrostatics and Polarization for Noncovalent Interactions: Ionic Hydrogen Bonds vs Ionic Halogen Bonds
Authors: Brinck Tore , Borrfors André Nyberg
Published: August 2022

A series of 26 hydrogen-bonded complexes between Br− and halogen, oxygen and sulfur hydrogen-bond (HB) donors is investigated at the M06-2X/6–311 + G(2df,2p) level of theory. Analysis using a model in which Br− is replaced by a point charge shows that the interaction energy ($${\Delta E}_{Int}$$

Δ
E

Int

) of the complexes is accurately reproduced by the scaled interaction energy with the point charge ($${\Delta E}_{Int}^{PC}$$

Δ
E

Int

PC

).This is demonstrated by $${\Delta E}_{Int}=0.86{\Delta E}_{Int}^{PC}$$

Δ
E

Int

=
0.86

Δ
E

Int

PC

with a correlation coefficient, R2 =0.999. The only outlier is (Br-H-Br)−, which generally is classified as a strong charge-transfer complex with covalent character rather than a HB complex. $${\Delta E}_{Int}^{PC}$$

Δ
E

Int

PC

can be divided rigorously into an electrostatic contribution ($${\Delta E}_{ES}^{PC}$$

Δ
E

ES

PC

) and a polarization contribution ($${\Delta E}_{Pol}^{PC}$$

Δ
E

Pol

PC

).Within the set of HB complexes investigated, the former varies between -7.2 and -32.7 kcal mol−1, whereas the latter varies between -1.6 and -11.5 kcal mol−1. Compared to our previous study of halogen-bonded (XB) complexes between Br− and C–Br XB donors, the electrostatic contribution is generally stronger and the polarization contribution is generally weaker in the HB complexes. However, for both types of bonding, the variation in interaction strength can be reproduced accurately without invoking a charge-transfer term. For the Br−···HF complex, the importance of charge penetration on the variation of the interaction energy with intermolecular distance is investigated. It is shown that the repulsive character of $${\Delta E}_{Int}$$

Δ
E

Int

at short distances in this complex to a large extent can be attributed to charge penetration.
Development of a customizable interactions questionnaire (CIQ) for evaluating interactions with objects in augmented/virtual reality
Authors: Gao Meiyuzi , Boehm-Davis Deborah A.
Published: August 2022

As new methods for interacting with systems are being developed for use within augmented or virtual reality, their impact on the quality of the user’s experience needs to be assessed. Although many instruments exist for evaluating the overall user experience or the computer interface used to complete tasks, few provide measures that can be used to evaluate the specific forms of interaction typically used in these environments. This paper describes the development of a customizable questionnaire for measuring the subjective user experience that focuses on the quality of the interactions with objects in augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) worlds, which we are calling the Customizable Interactions Questionnaire, or (CIQ). The final questionnaire measures five factors that are related to user satisfaction while using the system: quality of interactions, assessment of task performance, comfort, quality of sensory enhancements, and consistency with expectations.
Efficacy of desferrioxamine mesylate in intracerebral hematoma: a systemic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhao Kai , Li Jing , Zhang Qiang , Yang Mingfei
Published: August 2022

Background

Previous meta-analysis had concluded that desferrioxamine mesylate (DFO) could effectively treat intracerebral hematoma (ICH) in animal models. We hope to confirm that DFO could treat ICH patients effectively through the systemic review and meta-analysis of clinical researches.

Method

Data extraction included hematoma volume (HV), reduction of National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, and relative perihematomal edema (RPHE). The standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated by fixed effects model. I-square (I2) statistic was used to test the heterogeneity. All p values were two-side with a significant level at 0.05.

Results

Five randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis, which included 239 patients. At 7 days after onset, there was significant difference of RPHE development (− 1.87 (− 2.22, − 1.51) (I2 = 0, p = 0.639)) and significant difference of HV absorption (− 0.71 (− 1.06, 0.36) (I2 = 17.5%, p = 0.271)) between DFO and control groups. There was significant difference of reduction of NHISS scores (0.25 (0.05, 0.46) (I2 = 0, p = 0.992)) between DFO and control groups at 30 days after onset.

Conclusion

DFO reduced HV and perihematomal edema in ICH patients at 7 days after onset and improve neurological function at 30 days after onset efficiently and safely. DFO might be a new route of improving treatment of ICH.
Exploring Factors Associated with Parent Engagement in A Parenting Program in Southeastern Europe
Authors: Williams Margiad E. , Foran Heather M. , Hutchings Judy , Frantz Inga , Taut Diana , Lachman Jamie M. , Ward Catherine L. , Heinrichs Nina
Published: August 2022

Parental engagement in parenting programs is essential for good outcomes but can be challenging for many families. In low- and middle-income countries, where resources are limited and there are fewer support services, there is little research examining the factors that influence engagement. This mixed-methods study explored factors associated with parent engagement, as well as barriers and supports, in a pilot evaluation of a parenting program with 140 parents in North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, and Romania. The relationship between various quantitative types of engagement (e.g., premature drop-out, participation) and a range of demographic, personal, and implementation factors were examined. Qualitative parent interviews explored barriers and supports to program engagement. Implementation variables (e.g., phone calls with parents, program fidelity and text messages sent to parents) were consistently positively associated with different types of engagement after controlling for other factors. Parents of boys, being a victim of intimate partner violence, more children in the household and better parental well-being were positively associated with premature drop-out whilst having a child enrolled in school was positively associated with participation. Barriers included logistical factors such as timing and lack of childcare facilities. Factors that increased engagement included facilitator skills/support, weekly text messages and phone calls and engagement strategies such as transport and childcare. The results emphasise the importance of implementation factors in increasing parent engagement in parenting programs and will help to inform the next phase of the project as well as other family-support initiatives in the three countries. The trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT03552250).
Dominance-based variable analysis for large-scale multi-objective problems
Authors: Irawan Dani , Naujoks Boris , Bäck Thomas , Emmerich Michael
Published: August 2022

Optimization problems with multiple objectives and many input variables inherit challenges from both large-scale optimization and multi-objective optimization. To solve the problems, decomposition and transformation methods are frequently used. In this study, an improved control variable analysis is proposed based on dominance and diversity in Pareto optimization. Further, the decomposition method is used in a cooperative coevolution framework with orthogonal sampling mutation. The algorithm’s performances are compared against the weighted optimization framework. The results show that the proposed decomposition method has much better accuracy compared to the traditional method. The results also show that the cooperative coevolution framework with a good grouping is very competitive. Additionally, the number of search directions in orthogonal sampling can be easily configured. A small number of search directions will reduce the search space greatly while also restricting the area that can be explored and vice versa.
CD93 is Associated with Glioma-related Malignant Processes and Immunosuppressive Cell Infiltration as an Inspiring Biomarker of Survivance
Authors: Ma Kaiming , Chen Suhua , Chen Xin , Zhao Xiaofang , Yang Jun
Published: August 2022

Previous reports have confirmed the significance of CD93 in the progression of multiple tumors; however, there are few studies examining its immune properties for gliomas. Here, we methodically investigated the pathophysiological characteristics and clinical manifestations of gliomas. Six hundred ninety-nine glioma patients in TCGA along with 325 glioma patients in CGGA were correspondingly collected for training and validating. We analyzed and visualized total statistics using RStudio. One-way ANOVA and Student’st-test were used to assess groups’ differences. All differences were considered statistically significant at the level ofP < 0.05. CD93 markedly upregulated among HGG, MGMT promoter unmethylated subforms, IDH wild forms, 1p19q non-codeletion subforms, and mesenchyme type gliomas. ROC analysis illustrated the favorable applicability of CD93 in estimating mesenchyme subform. Kaplan–Meier curves together with multivariable Cox analyses upon survivance identified high-expression CD93 as a distinct prognostic variable for glioma patients. GO analysis of CD93 documented its predominant part in glioma-related immunobiological processes and inflammation responses. We examined the associations of CD93 with immune-related meta-genes, and CD93 positively correlated with HCK, LCK, MHC I, MHC II, STAT1 and IFN, while adverse with IgG. Association analyses between CD93 and gliomas-infiltrating immunocytes indicated that the infiltrating degrees of most immunocytes exhibited positive correlations with CD93, particularly these immunosuppressive subsets such as TAM, Treg, and MDSCs. CD93 is markedly associated with adverse pathology types, unfavorable survival, and immunosuppressive immunocytes infiltration among gliomas, thus identifying CD93 as a practicable marker and a promising target for glioma-based precise diagnosis and therapeutic strategies.
Anorexia nervosa and familial risk factors: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Del Casale Antonio , Adriani Barbara , Modesti Martina Nicole , Virzì Serena , Parmigiani Giovanna , Vento Alessandro Emiliano , Speranza Anna Maria
Published: August 2022

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a psychological disorder involving body manipulation, self-inflicted hunger, and fear of gaining weight.We performed an overview of the existing literature in the field of AN, highlighting the main intrafamilial risk factors for anorexia. We searched the PubMed database by using keywords such as “anorexia” and “risk factors” and “family”. After appropriate selection, 16 scientific articles were identified. The main intrafamilial risk factors for AN identified include: increased family food intake, higher parental demands, emotional reactivity, sexual family taboos, low familial involvement, family discord, negative family history for Eating Disorders (ED), family history of psychiatric disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, having a sibling with AN, relational trauma. Some other risk factors identified relate to the mother: lack of maternal caresses, dysfunctional interaction during feeding (for IA), attachment insecurity, dependence. Further studies are needed, to identify better personalized intervention strategies for patients suffering from AN.
Modified York Mason Procedure for the Closure of a Complex Anterior Fistula in Ano
Authors: Ambe Peter C.
Published: August 2022

The York Mason procedure was initially described for the management of recto-urinary fistulae. Although this procedure may be difficult to perform, success rates and long-term outcomes are encouraging. Adopting this technique for the management of a complex non-recto-urinary fistula in ano may be reasonable. In this manuscript, the York Mason technique was modified to repair a complex type 4 anterior fistula in ano without involvement of the urinary system with good results.
The East Asian Summer Monsoon Response to Global Warming in a High Resolution Coupled Model: Mean and Extremes
Authors: Liu Zhen , Lee Sun-Seon , Nellikkattil Arjun Babu , Lee June-Yi , Dai Lan , Ha Kyung-Ja , Franzke Christian L. E.
Published: August 2022

Current climate models still have considerable biases in the simulation of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM), which in turn reduces their reliability of monsoon projections under global warming. We hypothesize that a higher-resolution coupled climate model with atmospheric and oceanic components at horizontal resolutions of 0.25° and 0.1°, respectively, will better capture regional details and extremes of the EASM. Present-day (PD), 2 × CO2 and 4 × CO2 simulations are conducted with the Community Earth System Model (CESM1.2.2) to evaluate PD simulation performance and quantify future changes. Indeed, our PD simulation well reproduces the climatological seasonal mean and intra-seasonal northward advancement of the monsoon rainband, as well as climate extremes. Compared with the PD simulation, the perturbed CO2 experiments show an intensified EASM response to CO2-induced warming. We find that the precipitation increases of the Meiyu-Baiu-Changma band are caused by comparable contributions from the dynamical and thermodynamical components in 2 × CO2, while they are more driven by the thermodynamical component in 4 × CO2 due to stronger upper atmospheric stability. The regional changes in the probability distribution of the temperature show that extreme temperatures warm faster than the most often temperatures, increasing the skewness. Fitting extreme precipitation values with a generalized Pareto distribution model reveals that they increase significantly in 4 × CO2. Changes of temperature extremes scale with the CO2 concentrations over the monsoon domain but not for precipitation extreme changes. The 99th percentile of precipitation over the monsoon region increases at a super Clausius-Clapeyron rate, ~ 8% K–1, which is mainly caused by increased moisture transport through anomalous southerly winds.
Civil infrastructure defect assessment using pixel-wise segmentation based on deep learning
Authors: Savino Pierclaudio , Tondolo Francesco
Published: August 2022

Nowadays, the number of aging civil infrastructures is growing world-wide and when concrete is involved, cracking and delamination can occur. Therefore, ensuring the safety and serviceability of existing civil infrastructure and preventing an inadequate level of damage have become some of the major issues in civil engineering field. Routine inspections and maintenance are then required to avoid leaving these defects unexplored and untreated. However, due to the limitations of on-field inspection resources and budget management efficiency, automation technology is needed to develop more effective and pervasive inspection processes. This paper presents a pixel-wise classification method to automatically detect and quantify concrete defects from images through semantic segmentation network. The proposed model uses Deeplabv3+ network with weights initialized from pre-trained neural networks. The comparison study among the performance of different deep neural network models resulted in ResNet-50 as the most suitable network for applications of civil infrastructure defects segmentation. A total of 1250 images have been collected from the Internet, on-field bridge inspections and Google Street View in order to build an invariant network for different resolutions, image qualities and backgrounds. A randomized data augmentation allowed to double the database and assign 2000 images for training and 500 images for validation. The experimental results show global accuracies for training and validation of 93.42% and 91.04%, respectively. The promising results highlighted the suitability of the model to be integrated in digitalized management system to increase the productivity of management agencies involved in civil infrastructure inspections and digital transformation.
The Origins of Consciousness or the War of the Five Dimensions
Authors: Veit Walter
Published: August 2022

The goal of this article is to break down the dimensions of consciousness, attempt to reverse engineer their evolutionary function, and make sense of the origins of consciousness by breaking off those dimensions that are more likely to have arisen later. A Darwinian approach will allow us to revise the philosopher’s concept of consciousness away from a single “thing,” an all-or-nothing quality, and towards a concept of phenomenological complexity that arose out of simple valenced states. Finally, I will offer support for an evaluation-first view of consciousness by drawing on recent work in experimental philosophy of mind.
Perrin numbers that are concatenations of two repdigits
Authors: Batte Herbert , Chalebgwa Taboka P. , Ddamulira Mahadi
Published: August 2022

Let $$ (P_n)_{n\ge 0}$$

(

P
n

)

n
≥
0

be the sequence of Perrin numbers defined by ternary relation $$ P_0=3 $$

P
0

=
3

, $$ P_1=0 $$

P
1

=
0

, $$ P_2=2 $$

P
2

=
2

, and $$ P_{n+3}=P_{n+1}+P_n $$

P

n
+
3

=

P

n
+
1

+

P
n

for all $$ n\ge 0 $$

n
≥
0

. In this paper, we use Baker’s theory for nonzero linear forms in logarithms of algebraic numbers and the reduction procedure involving the theory of continued fractions, to explicitly determine all Perrin numbers that are concatenations of two repeated digit numbers.
Retrospective Impact Assessment for Pilot Hydroponic Green Fodder Production in Sekota Woreda, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia
Authors: Kidane Tariku , Dagnachew Alemu
Published: August 2022

The objective of the study was to assess the impact of hydroponic green feed production on the milk production and household income of small-scale farmers in Sekota Woreda (District) of Waghimra zone in Ethiopia. Hydroponic feed production is not a common way of animal feed production. However, an NGO called Action For Hunger (ACF) designed a project and introduced it in two Peasant Associations (PAs) or Kebeles in Sekota Woreda. The technique employs non-soil fodder production with the application of specialized nutrient solutions which replace nutrients that plants can get from the soil. Sekota Woreda under Waghimra zone is found in Amhara region, Ethiopia, characterized by recurrent drought, degraded topography, and minimal amount of vegetation coverage. It is paramount in providing alternative production techniques to small holders in the area and the project introduced non-soil-based animal feed production technique. The project selected totally 50 households for piloting the project. All participating farmers have been included on the impact assessment study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics techniques were employed to characterize beneficiaries and analyze the impact brought about to their livelihood by the project. Descriptive statistics techniques implemented such as mean, frequency, standard deviation, and cross tabulation techniques. Two-sample t test with equal variance assumption is used to analyze the impact in retrospective way of analysis. The results include about 60% of beneficiaries are Female and the rest are Male and most of them are either Widowed or Divorced. Participation criteria for the program were restocking beneficiary, female-headed household, affected by recurrent drought and elderly farmer. When it comes to the impact of the hydroponic feed production activity, it has brought statistically significant improvement in both cattle and goat milk production and the income from the sale of the milk produced by the intervention. Hence, it is recommended that either the project itself or other development practitioners should take the lesson from this activity and think about scaling up the project to other farmers within the District or other Districts within the area.
Unrootedness: a New Surface in the Lacanian Black Split Subject
Authors: Akpan James
Published: August 2022

How is the split black subject symbolized? The article attempts this question with its Lacanian-styled gap-filling (or -opening) method, using two clues — one from The Big Bang Theory sitcom, and the other from Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. The split subject comes before the imaginary, the mirror stage, which begins with the child’s experience of the Parental Other. Colonization and civil rights then become a later stage in the growth process of the black race, where the white acted as a Parental or Significant Other. Amy Farrell Fowler and Sheldon Cooper from CBS’ The Big Bang Theory (Season 6, Episode 21, first aired on April 25, 2013) both symbolically portray the colonial condition of Africa. After several failed attempts to attain gratification from his Significant Other, Cooper’s revolutionary attention to his “split subject’s needs” without Amy offers a new lens to theorize colonization as a “halfway error” to be corrected and transcended to reach where Okonkwo, in Things Fall Apart, fails. The unrootedness of being black would then polish the new surface to which the entire black race globally can behold and do something not done before.
Systematic Review of Comparisons Between Plastic and Silicone Dilators: Revealing a Knowledge Gap
Authors: Morgan Orly , Lopez Mariana Duenas , Martinez Alberto J. Caban , Marshall Deborah C. , Schnur Julie B.
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Vaginal stenosis is a distressing side effect of radiation therapy that can impair quality of life. Dilator therapy is an option for patients undergoing pelvic radiotherapy to mitigate vaginal stenosis. Currently, the dilators given to patients by most hospitals are made of plastic, compared to silicone dilators which are available on the market for purchase.

Objectives

We conducted a systematic literature review to find information to guide clinical recommendations to pelvic radiotherapy patients on potential differences regarding the use of plastic vs silicone dilators with regard to efficacy, cost, and patient preferences.

Methods

A systematic literature review was conducted in Embase, MEDLINE, and PubMed using Emtree terms. To be included in the review, papers needed to: focus on female patients undergoing radiation therapy, assess a vaginal dilator, measure any dilator intervention outcome, and specifically compare plastic vs silicone dilators for any measured outcome (either qualitative or quantitative).

Results

The initial search yielded 195 articles. Two area experts, with a third expert for arbitration, read each article and found that none met all review inclusion criteria. No studies were found that compared silicone to plastic dilators with regard to efficacy in treating vaginal stenosis due to radiation therapy, no studies were found that compared cost or cost-effectiveness of the 2 dilator types, and no studies were found comparing patient preferences or experiences (eg, comfort, adherence, ease of use) between the 2 dilator types.

Conclusion

The materials used to create dilators have never been rigorously compared in the context of radiotherapy-related vaginal stenosis. Institutions and patients have no data to guide their choice. Significantly more research at the patient and institutional level is needed to explore the potential long-term quality of life and cost benefits of improved adherence with silicone dilator use, and to guide shared decision-making regarding dilator choice.
Italy, Cyprus, and Artistic Exchange in the Medieval Mediterranean
Authors: Andronikou Anthi
Published: August 2022

In this volume Anthi Andronikou explores the social, cultural, religious and trade encounters between Italy and Cyprus during the late Middle Ages, from ca. 1200 -1400, and situates them within several Mediterranean contexts. Revealing the complex artistic exchange between the two regions for the first time, she probes the rich but neglected cultural interaction through comparison of the intriguing thirteenth-century wall paintings in rock-cut churches of Apulia and Basilicata, the puzzling panels of the Madonna della Madia and the Madonna di Andria, and painted chapels in Cyprus, Lebanon, and Syria. Andronikou also investigates fourteenth-century cross-currents that have not been adequately studied, notably the cult of Saint Aquinas in Cyprus, Crusader propaganda in Santa Maria Novella in Florence, and a unique series of icons crafted by Venetian painters working in Cyprus. Offering new insights into Italian and Byzantine visual cultures, her book contributes to a broader understanding of cultural production and worldviews of the medieval Mediterranean.
The Science of Proof
Authors: Cage E. Claire
Published: August 2022

The Science of Proof traces the rise of forensic medicine in late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century France and examines its implications for our understanding of expert authority. Tying real life cases to broader debates, the book analyzes how new forms of medical and scientific knowledge, many of which were pioneered in France, were contested, but ultimately accepted, and applied to legal problems and the administration of justice. The growing authority of medical experts in the French legal arena was nonetheless subject to sharp criticism and scepticism. The professional development of medicolegal expertise and its influence in criminal courts sparked debates about the extent to which it could reveal truth, furnish legal proof, and serve justice. Drawing on a wide base of archival and printed sources, Claire Cage reveals tensions between uncertainty about the reliability of forensic evidence and a new confidence in the power of scientific inquiry to establish guilt, innocence, and legal responsibility.
Controlling Love
Authors: Herissone-Kelly Peter
Published: August 2022

Recent research in neurochemistry has shown there to be a number of chemical compounds that are implicated in the patterns of lust, attraction, and attachment that undergird romantic love. For example, there is evidence that the phenomenon of attachment is associated with the action of oxytocin and vasopressin. There is therefore some reason to suppose that patterns of lust, attraction, and attachment could be regulated via manipulation of these substances in the brain: in other words, by their use as 'love drugs'. A growing bioethical literature asks searching questions about this prospect, and especially about the use of such drugs to enhance or reignite attachment in flagging relationships. This Element examines some of the central arguments on the topic, and sounds a note of caution. It urges that there are reasons to think the states of attachment produced or facilitated by the use of such drugs would not be desirable.
Defeat and Division
Authors: Porch Douglas
Published: August 2022

Defeat and Division launches a definitive new account of France in the Second World War. In this first volume, Douglas Porch dissects France's 1940 collapse, the dynamics of occupation, and the rise of Charles de Gaulle's Free France crusade, culminating in the November 1942 Allied invasion of French North Africa. He captures the full sweep of France's wartime experience in Europe, Africa, and beyond, from soldiers and POWs to civilians-in-arms, colonial subjects, and foreign refugees. He recounts France's struggles to reconstruct military power within the context of a global conflict, with its armed forces shattered into warring factions and the country under Axis occupation. Disagreements over the causes of the 1940 debacle and the subsequent requirement for the armistice mirrored long-standing fractures in politics, society, and the French military itself, as efforts to reconstitute French military power crumbled into Vichy collaboration, De Gaulle's exile resistance, Alsace-Moselle occupation struggles, and a scuffle for imperial supremacy.
The Power of the Jury
Authors: Marder Nancy S.
Published: August 2022

Offering an alternative view of the jury process, this book argues that each stage transforms ordinary citizens, who are oftentimes reluctant to serve on juries, into responsible jurors. Jurors, Professor Marder argues, are not found, but rather they are made and shaped by the jury process. This book analyzes each stage of this process, from initial summons to post-verdict interview, and shows how these stages equip jurors with experiences and knowledge that allow them to perform their new role ably. It adopts a holistic approach to the subject of jury reform and suggests reforms that will aid the transformation of citizens into jurors. By studying the jury from the perspective of jurors, it gives readers a better understanding of what takes place during jury trials and allows them to see juries, jurors, and the jury process in a new light.
The Making of a Fiscal-Military State in Post-Revolutionary France
Authors: Greenfield Jerome
Published: August 2022

Drawing on a wide range of archival and published documents, this book explains how the French Revolution of 1789 transformed the French state and its fiscal system, and how further reforms in the nineteenth century created a durable, post-revolutionary state. Instead of presenting the nineteenth-century French state as primarily the creation of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era, as most scholars have done, Jerome Greenfield emphasises the importance of counter-revolution after 1815 in establishing a stable, durable state, capable of surviving revolutions in 1830 and 1848 intact. The years 1815–1870 thus marked a crucial period in the development of the French state, not least in stimulating the economic interventionism for which it become notorious and facilitating the resurgence of France as a great power after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo.
Hunting Wildlife in the Tropics and Subtropics
Authors: Fa Julia E. , Funk Stephan M. , Nasi Robert
Published: August 2022

The hunting of wild animals for their meat has been a crucial activity in the evolution of humans. It continues to be an essential source of food and a generator of income for millions of Indigenous and rural communities worldwide. Conservationists rightly fear that excessive hunting of many animal species will cause their demise, as has already happened throughout the Anthropocene. Many species of large mammals and birds have been decimated or annihilated due to overhunting by humans. If such pressures continue, many other species will meet the same fate. Equally, if the use of wildlife resources is to continue by those who depend on it, sustainable practices must be implemented. These communities need to remain or become custodians of the wildlife resources within their lands, for their own well-being as well as for biodiversity in general. This title is also available via Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Development and initial cognitive testing of the Digital Equity Screening Tool (DEST): Community participatory approach to assessing digital inequality
Authors: Sharma Pravesh , Patten Christi A. , Tilburt Jon C. , Cheville Andrea L. , Pritchett Joshua C. , Brewer LaPrincess C. , White Richard O. , Kelpin Sydney S. , Albertie Monica , Brockman Tabetha A. , Doubeni Chyke A.
Published: August 2022

COVID-19 has widened the existing digital divide, especially for people from socially and economically deprived communities. We describe a program evaluation using a community participatory approach to develop self-reported items of patient experience with technology inclusive of digital access and literacy. The feedback received from Community Advisory Boards and Community Engagement Studio members led to the evaluation and refinement of the individual items. The community-based participatory approach highlighted in our paper to develop these items could serve as a model for other screening tool development for enhancing equity and inclusiveness in clinical care and research.
Quaternionic hyperbolic lattices of minimal covolume
Authors: Emery Vincent , Kim Inkang
Published: August 2022

For any$n>1$we determine the uniform and nonuniform lattices of the smallest covolume in the Lie group$\operatorname {\mathrm {Sp}}(n,1)$. We explicitly describe them in terms of the ring of Hurwitz integers in the nonuniform case withneven, respectively, of the icosian ring in the uniform case for all$n>1$.
Social remembering in the digital age: Implications for virtual study, work, and social engagement
Authors: Greeley Garrett D. , Peña Tori , Rajaram Suparna
Published: August 2022

Technology has transformed how people interact with one another. According to two recent Pew Research Center surveys (2021a; 2021b), 97 per cent of United States adults have a cell phone, 85 per cent have a smartphone, 93 per cent use the Internet, and 77 per cent have broadband Internet access at home. The Internet has opened countless doors by providing unprecedented access to information and connecting people. While we know from laboratory research that context and collaboration can influence memory, little is known about how virtual collaboration affects memory and whether in-person studies generalise to virtual contexts. In this article, we discuss the challenges, value, and broader relevance of extending laboratory-based memory research to online platforms. In doing so, we report avirtual collaborative memory paradigm, where we examine individual and social remembering in a fully online, chat-based setting, and present data from two completely virtual experiments. In Experiment 1, online participants studied a word list and, in a chatroom, recalled the words either alone (as controls) or with two other participants. Surprisingly, collaborative inhibition – the robust finding of lower recall in collaborative groups than controls – disappeared. This outcome occurred because participants who worked alone recalled less than what we see in in-person studies. In Experiment 2, where instructions were modified and an experimenter was present, individual performance improved, resulting in collaborative inhibition. We reflect on the contextualised nature of this effect in online settings, for both collaborative and individual remembering, and on the implications for the study of memory in the digital age.
SMOOTHNESS IN PENCILS OF HYPERSURFACES OVER FINITE FIELDS
Authors: ASGARLI SHAMIL , GHIOCA DRAGOS
Published: August 2022

We study pencils of hypersurfaces over finite fields
$\mathbb {F}_q$
such that each of the
$q+1$
members defined over
$\mathbb {F}_q$
is smooth.
Physical and chemical characteristics of feedlot pen substrate bedded with woodchip under wet climatic conditions
Authors: Wilkes Janelle , Tait Amy L. , Flavel Richard J. , Turnell James , Cowley Frances C.
Published: August 2022

Wet winter conditions can create animal welfare issues in feedlots if the pen surface becomes a deep, wet, penetrable substrate. Feedlot pens with a clay and gravel base (N = 30) bedded with 150 mm (W15) and 300 mm (W30) depth of woodchips were compared to a control treatment with no bedding over a 109-day feeding period, while irrigated to supplement natural rainfall. The pad substrate was measured for variables which would affect cattle comfort and value of the substrate for composting. The penetrable depth of control pens was higher than both woodchip-bedded treatments from week 2, and increased until the end of the experiment. Meanwhile these scores were steady for W30 throughout the experiment, and increased for W15 only after week 10. Moisture content of the pad was higher throughout the experiment in the control pens than in the woodchip-bedded pens. In the control pens, the force required to pull a cattle leg analogue out of the pen substrate was three times that required in woodchip-bedded treatments. The W15 treatment increased C : N in the substrate to the upper limit of suitability for composting, and in W30, C : N was too high for composting after a 109-day feeding period. Overall, providing feedlot cattle with 150 or 300 mm of woodchip bedding during a 109-day feeding period improved the condition of the pad substrate for cattle comfort by reducing penetrable depth and moisture content of the substrate surface stratum, but composting value decreased in W30 over this feeding period duration.