bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implementation Reporting Recommendations for School-Based Mindfulness Programs
Authors: Baelen Rebecca N. , Gould Laura F. , Felver Joshua C. , Schussler Deborah L. , Greenberg Mark T.
Published: October 2022

Objectives

Research on school-based mindfulness programs (SBMPs) indicates promising, albeit mixed, effects. However, there has been a lack of consistency and completeness in implementation reporting, frustrating efforts to draw causal inferences about the implementation elements that influence program outcomes. To address these issues, we crafted a conceptual framework with an accompanying set of key terms for SBMP implementation elements to guide the development of flexible and practical implementation reporting recommendations for studies of SBMPs.

Methods

To develop the framework and recommendations, we drew insights from the implementation science and school-based prevention literature, explored reporting standards across behavioral science fields, and examined reviews and studies of SBMPs that had an implementation focus.

Results

The SBMP Implementation Framework (SBMP-IF) is organized by four broad categories (i.e., the program, participants, context, and implementation), which inform the reporting recommendations. The recommendations nudge researchers toward more complete and consistent reporting of school contextual factors, participant characteristics and responsiveness, and teacher training/competence. They also encourage researchers to explicitly identify and incorporate into their theories of change and measurement strategies the Hypothesized and/or Validated Core Components of the program, as well as the key elements of the Implementation Support System. Finally, the recommendations urge researchers to define and operationalize mindfulness in their theories of change and consider child development when implementing and studying SBMPs.

Conclusions

The recommendations offered are novel for the field of SBMPs and represent a bold effort to strengthen the evidence base and help discern for whom SBMPs work best and under which conditions.
Heterogeneous vascular response after implantation of bare nitinol self-expanding stents in the swine femoropopliteal artery
Authors: Kawarada Osami , Otsuka Fumiyuki , Miki Kojiro , Ikutomi Masayasu , Okada Kozo , Ogata Soshiro , Nishimura Kunihiro , Fitzgerald Peter J. , Honda Yasuhiro
Published: October 2022

Background

Mechanism of femoropopliteal in-stent restenosis has been underappreciated.

Aim

The aim of this animal study was to elucidate vascular response after femoropopliteal bare nitinol self-expanding stents (SESs) implantation.

Methods

Misago, Smart Flex, or Innova stent was randomly implanted in 36 swine femoropopliteal arteries. At week 4, quantitative vessel analysis (QVA) was performed on 36 legs, of which 18 underwent histological evaluation after angiography. The remaining 18 legs underwent QVA and histological evaluation at week 13.

Results

Fibrin deposition was excessive at week 4. Internal elastic lamina (IEL) progressively enlarged over time, and vessel injury developed from mild level at week 4 to moderate level at week 13. Vessel inflammatory reaction was mild to moderate at week 4, and was moderate to severe at week 13. Increased fibrin deposition was an early-acting, IEL enlargement and increased vessel inflammation were long-acting, and increased vessel injury and giant cells infiltration were late-acting contributors to neointimal hyperplasia (NIH). Stent type altered time-dependent process of vessel injury, vessel inflammation, eosinophils and giant cells infiltration. Misago had less fibrin deposition and vessel enlargement, and less progressive vessel injury, vessel inflammation, and eosinophils and giant cells infiltration. Net lumen as assessed by percent diameter stenosis or minimum lumen diameter was preserved with Misago, but was not preserved with the other stents.

Conclusions

In the context of bare nitinol SES platform with less progressive mechanical stress and inflammatory reaction, the advantage of less NIH outweighed the disadvantage of less vessel enlargement, leading to net lumen preservation.
Characterization of Usage Data with the Help of Data Classifications
Authors: Panzner Melina , von Enzberg Sebastian , Meyer Maurice , Dumitrescu Roman
Published: October 2022

Comprehensive data understanding is a key success driver for data analytics projects. Knowing the characteristics of the data helps a lot in selecting the appropriate data analysis techniques. Especially in data-driven product planning, knowledge about the data is a necessary prerequisite because data of the use phase is very heterogeneous. However, companies often do not have the necessary know-how or time to build up solid data understanding in connection with data analysis. In this paper, we develop a methodology to organize and categorize and thus understand use phase data in a way that makes it accessible to general data analytics workflows, following a design science research approach. We first present a knowledge base that lists typical use phase data from a product planning view. Second, we develop a taxonomy based on standard literature and real data objects, which covers the diversity of the data considered. The taxonomy provides 8 dimensions that support classification of use phase data and allows to capture data characteristics from a data analytics view. Finally, we combine both views by clustering the objects of the knowledge base according to the taxonomy. Each of the resulting clusters covers a typical combination of analytics relevant characteristics occurring in practice. By abstracting from the diversity of use phase data into artifacts with manageable complexity, our approach provides guidance to choose appropriate data analysis and AI techniques.
Potential flood-prone area identification and mapping using GIS-based multi-criteria decision-making and analytical hierarchy process in Dega Damot district, northwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Negese Ajanaw , Worku Dessalegn , Shitaye Alazar , Getnet Haile
Published: October 2022

Flood is one of the natural hazards that causes widespread destruction such as huge infrastructural damages, considerable economic losses, and social disturbances across the world in general and in Ethiopia, in particular. Dega Damot is one of the most vulnerable districts in Ethiopia to flood hazards, and no previous studies were undertaken to map flood-prone areas in the district despite flood-prone areas identification and mapping being crucial tasks for the residents and decision-makers to reduce and manage the risk of flood. Hence, this study aimed to identify and map flood-prone areas in Dega Damot district, northwestern Ethiopia, using the integration of Geographic Information System and multi-criteria decision-making method with analytical hierarchy process. Flood-controlling factors such as elevation, slope, flow accumulation, distance from rivers, annual rainfall, drainage density, topographic wetness index, land use and land cover, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, soil type, and curvature were weighted and overlayed together to achieve the objective of the study. The result shows that about 86.83% of the study area has moderate to very high susceptibility to flooding, and 13.17% of the study area has low susceptibility to flooding. The northeastern and southwestern parts of the study area dominated by low elevation and slope, high drainage density, flow accumulation, topographic wetness index, and cropland land use were found to be more susceptible areas to flood hazards. The final flood susceptibility map generated by the model was found to be consistent with the historical flood events on the ground in the study area, revealing the method’s effectiveness used in the study to identify and map areas susceptible to flood.
Types of Technological Innovation in the Face of Uncertainty
Authors: Chiffi Daniele , Moroni Stefano , Zanetti Luca
Published: October 2022

Technological innovation is almost always investigated from an economic perspective; with few exceptions, the specific technological and social nature of innovation is often ignored. We argue that a novel way to characterise and make sense of different types of technological innovation is to start considering uncertainty. This seems plausible since technological development and innovation almost always occur under conditions of uncertainty. We rely on the distinction between, on the one hand, uncertainty that can be quantified (e.g. probabilistic risk) and, on the other, deep forms of uncertainty that may resist the possibility of being quantified (e.g. severe or fundamental uncertainties). On the basis of these different ingredients of uncertainty in technological innovation, we propose a new taxonomy that reveals the technological nature of innovation. Unlike previous taxonomies employed to handle different types of technological innovations, our taxonomy does not consider the economic value of innovation alone; it is much more oriented towards societal preferences and forms of technological uncertainty. Finally, we investigate the coherence of our proposal with the dual nature of technological artefacts, showing that innovation can be grounded on structural and functional factors and not just on economic ones.
Lattice zonotopes of degree 2
Authors: Beck Matthias , Janssen Ellinor , Jochemko Katharina
Published: October 2022

The Ehrhart polynomial$${\text {ehr}}_P (n)$$

ehr
P

(
n
)

of a lattice polytope P gives the number of integer lattice points in the n-th dilate of P for all integers $$n\ge 0$$

n
≥
0

. The degree of P is defined as the degree of its $$h^*$$

h
∗

-polynomial, a particular transformation of the Ehrhart polynomial with many useful properties which serves as an important tool for classification questions in Ehrhart theory. A zonotope is the Minkowski (pointwise) sum of line segments. We classify all Ehrhart polynomials of lattice zonotopes of degree 2 thereby complementing results of Scott (Bull Aust Math Soc 15(3), 395–399, 1976), Treutlein (J Combin Theory Ser A 117(3), 354–360, 2010), and Henk and Tagami (Eur J Combin 30(1), 70–83, 2009). Our proof is constructive: by considering solid-angles and the lattice width, we provide a characterization of all 3-dimensional zonotopes of degree 2.
Prediction of biomass corrosiveness over different coatings in fluidized bed combustion
Authors: Contreras M. L. , Benito M. , Bahillo A.
Published: October 2022

Energy production in biomass fired boilers is increasing rapidly due to the advantages of CO2 neutrality and renewability, however damaging agents present in biomass composition accelerates power plant components corrosion. This study evaluates the influence of the biomass burned in fluidized bed combustion processes on high-temperature corrosion, by means of thermodynamic equilibrium modelling, considering those reactions occurring between the combustion atmosphere and different protective coatings (isFeAl, isNiAl and isSiCrAl). Fuels composition and operating conditions from a 10 kW BFB boiler were introduced as input data to improve the performance of the model. Representative samples from agricultural waste, industrial wood and forestry wood waste were selected for evaluation. Results showed industrial wood waste as highly damaging for most coatings studied, with high risk of salt stickiness, deposits formation and release of acidic gases. The elevated volatiles percentage together with significant ash content determined might lead to a major ash components release to the gas phase, available to later condense in the metals surfaces. Silication of alkali and deposited alkali chlorides were the dominant corrosion mechanisms observed for most cases. An increase in alloys corrosion resistance was detected through the model when nickel or chromium was present, showing isSiCrAl as the most resistant. However, alloys protection exhibited significant variations depending upon the biomass burned, thus materials selection should consider the compatibility with conditions for its final use. Thermodynamic modelling, based on real conditions and fuels composition, provides a useful tool to identify key factors for protective coatings design when employing new waste fuels.
Self-healing behavior of Ti2AlC at a low oxygen partial pressure
Authors: Yao Boxiang , Li Shibo , Zhang Weiwei , Yu Wenbo , Zhou Yang , Fan Shukai , Bei Guoping
Published: October 2022

Ti2AlC, a MAX phase ceramic, has an attractive self-healing ability to restore performance via the oxidation-induced crack healing mechanism upon healing at high temperatures in air (high oxygen partial pressures). However, such healing ability to repair damages in vacuum or low oxygen partial pressure conditions remains unknown. Here, we report on the self-healing behavior of Ti2AlC at a low oxygen partial pressure of about 1 Pa. The experimental results showed that the strength recovery depends on both healing temperature and time. After healing at 1400 °C for 1–4 h, the healed samples exhibited the recovered strengths even exceeding the original strength of 375 MPa. The maximum recovered strength of ∼422 MPa was achieved in the healed Ti2AlC sample after healing at 1400 °C for 4 h, about 13% higher than the original strength. Damages were healed by the formed TiCx from the decomposition of Ti2AlC. The decomposition-induced crack healing as a new mechanism in the low oxygen partial pressure condition was disclosed for the MAX ceramics. The present study illustrates that key components made of Ti2AlC can prolong their service life and keep their reliability during use at high temperatures in low oxygen partial pressures.
AI-Assisted Decision-making: a Cognitive Modeling Approach to Infer Latent Reliance Strategies
Authors: Tejeda Heliodoro , Kumar Aakriti , Smyth Padhraic , Steyvers Mark
Published: October 2022

AI assistance is readily available to humans in a variety of decision-making applications. In order to fully understand the efficacy of such joint decision-making, it is important to first understand the human’s reliance on AI. However, there is a disconnect between how joint decision-making is studied and how it is practiced in the real world. More often than not, researchers ask humans to provide independent decisions before they are shown AI assistance. This is done to make explicit the influence of AI assistance on the human’s decision. We develop a cognitive model that allows us to infer the latent reliance strategy of humans on AI assistance without asking the human to make an independent decision. We validate the model’s predictions through two behavioral experiments. The first experiment follows a concurrent paradigm where humans are shown AI assistance alongside the decision problem. The second experiment follows a sequential paradigm where humans provide an independent judgment on a decision problem before AI assistance is made available. The model’s predicted reliance strategies closely track the strategies employed by humans in the two experimental paradigms. Our model provides a principled way to infer reliance on AI-assistance and may be used to expand the scope of investigation on human-AI collaboration.
Optimum Auxiliary Fan Location to Control Air Recirculation
Authors: Morla Ramakrishna , Karekal Shivakumar , Godbole Ajit , Tukkaraja Purushotham , Chang Ping
Published: October 2022

This paper presents the optimum auxiliary fan(s) location to control air recirculation in dead-end workings where diesel-powered vehicles operate. Investigations were conducted with various secondary fan locations from the dead-end crosscut with varying the intake air quantities using a 30 m3/s capacity twin 75 kW auxiliary fan and 45 m3/s capacity twin 110 kW auxiliary fan to control air recirculation and DPM. The results showed that if the drive intake airflow rate matches the fan capacity, air recirculation will occur even when the fan is located 10 m away from the crosscut entry. Results also showed that if the intake drive air quantity was greater than or equal to 150% of fan capacity, no recirculation was observed when the twin 75 kW fan location was at least 5 m and the twin 110 kW fan location was at least 10 m away from the dead-end crosscut access.
Supervised learning of sheared distributions using linearized optimal transport
Authors: Khurana Varun , Kannan Harish , Cloninger Alexander , Moosmüller Caroline
Published: October 2022

In this paper we study supervised learning tasks on the space of probability measures. We approach this problem by embedding the space of probability measures into $$L^2$$

L
2

spaces using the optimal transport framework. In the embedding spaces, regular machine learning techniques are used to achieve linear separability. This idea has proved successful in applications and when the classes to be separated are generated by shifts and scalings of a fixed measure. This paper extends the class of elementary transformations suitable for the framework to families of shearings, describing conditions under which two classes of sheared distributions can be linearly separated. We furthermore give necessary bounds on the transformations to achieve a pre-specified separation level, and show how multiple embeddings can be used to allow for larger families of transformations. We demonstrate our results on image classification tasks.
Opening Up by Cracking Down
Authors: Dean Adam
Published: October 2022

How did democratic developing countries open their economies during the late-twentieth century? Since labor unions opposed free trade, democratic governments often used labor repression to ease the process of trade liberalization. Some democracies brazenly jailed union leaders and used police brutality to break the strikes that unions launched against such reforms. Others weakened labor union opposition through subtler tactics, such as banning strikes and retaliating against striking workers. Either way, this book argues that democratic developing countries were more likely to open their economies if they violated labor rights. Opening Up By Cracking Down draws on fieldwork interviews and archival research on Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia, Turkey, and India, as well as quantitative analysis of data from over one hundred developing countries to places labor unions and labor repression at the heart of the debate over democracy and trade liberalization in developing countries.
The Growth of Financial Technology in Indonesia: Implications for Terrorism Financing
Authors: Fabe Amparo Pamela , Toledo Joan Andrea , Laksmi Sylvia
Published: October 2022

Indonesia has the largest financial technology (FinTech) industry in Southeast Asia: 167 FinTech companies offer payment, lending, personal finance, crypto and blockchain, crowdfunding, Insurtech and point-of-sale (POS) services. Two entities regulate the FinTech industry: Bank Indonesia and Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (OJK). The Indonesian FinTech ecosystem encompasses savings and investments, money transfer and payments, POS, lending and borrowing, accounting, comparison, financial planning, crowdfunding and cryptocurrency. Money transfer and payments take up the highest percentage, currently at 50%, in all FinTech ecosystems with the most digitally active customers. Peer-to-peer lending dominates the Indonesian market. The FinTech subsectors offer financial management, crowdfunding and insurance services. The abuse of this technology in facilitating terrorist financing, the weaknesses of the laws and policies, and the need for reform and remedies are discussed.
Effect of inclination angle on heat transport properties in two-dimensional Rayleigh–Bénard convection with smooth and rough boundaries
Authors: Chand Krishan , Sharma Mukesh , De Arnab Kr.
Published: October 2022

Using direct numerical simulations, two-dimensional tilted Rayleigh–Bénard convection (RBC) is studied in both smooth and roughness-facilitated convection cells of double aspect ratio (

$\varGamma =2$

) for air as a working fluid. We investigate the effect of inclination angle (

$0^{\circ } \leq \phi \leq 90^{\circ }$

) on heat flux (

$Nu$

), Reynolds number (

$Re$

) and flow structures. In a Rayleigh number range

$10^{6}\leq Ra\leq 10^{9}$

, we address the

$Ra$

dependence of

$Nu(\phi )$

trend. In the smooth case, while greater tilt results in highest heat flux below

$Ra=10^{8}$

,

$Nu$

drops with

$\phi$

monotonically above it (RBC transports heat most efficiently), which explains the different

$Nu(\phi )$

trend observed in the previous studies due to

$Ra$

dependence (Guo et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 762, 2015, pp. 273–287; Shishkina & Horn, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 790, 2016, R3; Khalilov et al., Phys. Rev. Fluids, vol. 3, 2018, 043503). For the smooth case, we identify the control parameters (

$\phi =75^{\circ }$

and

$Ra=10^{7}$

) that yield maximum heat flux (an increment of

$18\,\%$

with respect to the level case). On the other hand, among the three roughness set-ups used in the present study, the tallest roughness configuration yields the maximum increment in heat flux (

$25\,\%$

) in vertical convection (

$\phi =90^{\circ }$

) at

$Ra=10^{6}$

. With increase in

$Ra$

,

$Re$

changes with

$\phi$

marginally in the smooth case, whereas it shows notable changes in its roughness counterpart. We find that the weakening of thermal stratification is related directly to the height of roughness peaks. While

$Ra$

delays the onset of thermal stratification (in terms of inclination angle) in the smooth case, an increase in roughness height plays the same role in roughness-facilitated convection cells.
Collision efficiency of non-Brownian spheres in a simple shear flow – the role of non-continuum hydrodynamic interactions
Authors: Patra Pijush , Koch Donald L. , Roy Anubhab
Published: October 2022

We study the collisions in a gaseous medium of a dilute bidisperse suspension of non-Brownian spherical particles sedimenting along the flow axis of a simple shear flow. Continuum lubrication forces prevent particles from coming into contact in a finite time, thus collisions can occur only due to attractive interactions such as the van der Waals force. However, in a low-pressure medium, the lubrication forces are weaker than their continuum counterparts and allow particle pairs to collide, even without any attractive forces. The Knudsen number, defined as the ratio of the mean free path of the medium to the mean radius of the interacting spheres, captures the significance of non-continuum interactions. We use uniformly valid hydrodynamic mobility functions, reflecting non-continuum lubrication at small separations and full continuum hydrodynamic interactions at moderate to larger separations. Due to the nature of the pair trajectory topology, the collision efficiency vanishes at a critical Knudsen number when simple shear flow alone drives the dynamics. Thus we perform collision calculations where particles experience the combined effects of van der Waals attraction and non-continuum hydrodynamics; van der Waals interactions enable collisions below the critical Knudsen number. Next, we calculate the collision efficiency for coupled differential sedimentation and simple shear driven motion in the presence of van der Waals interaction and non-continuum hydrodynamics. Finally, we explore the role of small particle inertia on relative trajectories and collision efficiencies in a non-continuum gas subject to a simple shear flow, ignoring the van der Waals force and gravity.
Allocation of food resource by experimentally evolved lines of developmental variants of Propylea dissecta: a food exploitation strategy
Authors: Siddiqui Arshi , Omkar  , Mishra Geetanjali
Published: October 2022

The effects of selection on developmental variants have not yet been rigorously investigated on variable prey quantities. We investigated the food exploitation strategy of first (F1) and fifteenth (F15) generation slow and fast developers of Propylea dissecta (Mulsant) in the presence of scarce and abundant quantities of pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), and its effect on adult body mass and reproductive attributes. Both selected slow developers and selected fast developers were higher in number than their counter unselected generation on scarce and abundant diets, respectively. Immature survivals of selected slow developers were depressed after the selection process while it was enhanced for selected fast developers on both diet regimes. On both diets, the total developmental duration was longer for selected slow developers and shorter for selected fast developers. Fecundity and percent egg viability were greater in selected fast developers with plentiful prey supply and lower in control slow developers with inadequate prey supply. More adult body mass was found for pre-selected slow developers than selected slow developers on a scarce diet but selected fast developers enhanced their body weight than unselected individuals of fast developers on an abundant diet. The present experimental evolution findings point to the presence and persistence of developmental variations with variability in their developmental and reproductive traits on allocating scarce and abundant prey supplies.
Contribution of coffee plants to carbon sequestration in agroforestry systems of Southwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Niguse Gezahegn , Iticha Birhanu , Kebede Getenet , Chimdi Achalu
Published: October 2022

Coffee forests are the most valuable land-use systems that provide multiple benefits such as biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration and source of income. This study aimed to estimate the carbon stock of coffee agroforestry systems and the contribution of coffee plants (Coffea arabicaL.) to carbon sequestration in the entire coffee agroforestry systems in southwestern Ethiopia. The carbon stock in trees was estimated by field-based measurements and allometric equations, whereas the carbon stocks in litter and soil were determined using field sampling and laboratory analysis. The carbon stocks of the coffee agroforestry systems in the study site ranged from 254.9 t C/ha in the Syzygium-shaded coffee forest to 321.8 t C/ha in the Albizia-shaded coffee forest. The overall mean carbon sequestration in the present coffee agroforestry systems was 287.1 t C/ha. The net carbon sequestered by coffee plants in the agroforestry systems ranged from 18.8 t C/ha in the Syzygium-shaded coffee stratum to 48.5 t C/ha in the Albizia-shaded coffee stratum. This demonstrates that Albizia is the most compatible shade tree for coffee plants. On average, coffee plants contributed 37.5 t C/ha, accounting for approximately 12.8% of the total carbon sequestered in the coffee agroforestry systems. Hence, we recommend coffee forests for all-in-one benefits such as climate change mitigation, sustainable landscape management and income generation.
Three decades of remote sensing subarctic vegetation in northern Russia: A case study in science diplomacy
Authors: Rees W.G. , Tutubalina O.V. , Medvedev A. , Marshall G.J. , Golubeva E.I. , Telnova N. , Zimin M. , Mikhaylykova P. , Terskaia A. , Sklyar E. , Tomaney J.A.
Published: October 2022

The vegetation at and beyond the northern edge of the world’s boreal forest plays an important though imperfectly understood role in the climate system. This is particularly true within Russia, where only a small proportion of the boreal land area has been studied in depth, and little is known about its recent evolution over time. We describe a long-term collaboration between institutions in Russia and the United Kingdom, aimed at developing a better understanding of high-latitude vegetation in Russia using remote sensing methods. The focus of the collaboration has varied over time; in its most recent form, it is concerned with the dynamics of the Russian boreal forest during the 21st century and its relation to climate change. We discuss the support framework within which it has been developed and reflect on its relationship to science diplomacy. We consider the factors that have contributed to the success of a decades-long international collaboration and make recommendations as to how such joint efforts can be encouraged in future.
Attentional bias toward negative stimuli in PTSD: an eye-tracking study
Authors: Veerapa Emilie , Grandgenevre Pierre , Vaiva Guillaume , Duhem Stéphane , Fayoumi Mohamed El , Vinnac Benjamin , Szaffarczyk Sébastien , Wathelet Marielle , Fovet Thomas , D'Hondt Fabien
Published: October 2022

Background

Research on biased processing of aversive stimuli in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has produced inconsistent results between response time (RT) and eye-tracking studies. Recent RT-based results of dot-probe studies showed no attentional bias (AB) for threat while eye-tracking research suggested heightened sustained attention for this information. Here, we used both RT-based and eye-tracking measures to explore the dynamics of AB to negative stimuli in PTSD.

Methods

Twenty-three individuals diagnosed with PTSD, 23 trauma-exposed healthy controls, and 23 healthy controls performed an emotional dot-probe task with pairs of negative and neutral scenes presented for either 1 or 2 s. Analyses included eye movements during the presentation of the scenes and RT associated with target localization.

Results

There was no evidence for an AB toward negative stimuli in PTSD from RT measures. However, the main eye-tracking results revealed that all three groups showed longer dwell times on negative pictures than neutral pictures at 1 s and that this AB was stronger for individuals with PTSD. Moreover, although AB disappeared for the two groups of healthy controls with prolonged exposure, it persisted for individuals with PTSD.

Conclusion

PTSD is associated with an AB toward negative stimuli, characterized by heightened sustained attention toward negative scenes once detected. This study sheds light on the dynamics of AB to negative stimuli in PTSD and encourages us to consider optimized therapeutic interventions targeting abnormal AB patterns.
The puzzle of ideography
Authors: Morin Olivier
Published: October 2022

An ideography is a general-purpose code made of pictures that do not encode language, which can be used autonomously – not just as a mnemonic prop – to encode information on a broad range of topics. Why are viable ideographies so hard to find? I contend that self-sufficient graphic codes need to be narrowly specialized. Writing systems are only an apparent exception: At their core, they are notations of a spoken language. Even if they also encode nonlinguistic information, they are useless to someone who lacks linguistic competence in the encoded language or a related one. The versatility of writing is thus vicarious: Writing borrows it from spoken language. Why is it so difficult to build a fully generalist graphic code? The most widespread answer points to a learnability problem. We possess specialized cognitive resources for learning spoken language, but lack them for graphic codes. I argue in favor of a different account: What is difficult about graphic codes is not so much learning or teaching them as getting every user to learn and teach the same code. This standardization problem does not affect spoken or signed languages as much. Those are based on cheap and transient signals, allowing for easy online repairing of miscommunication, and require face-to-face interactions where the advantages of common ground are maximized. Graphic codes lack these advantages, which makes them smaller in size and more specialized.
Three quarters of a century of phonetic research on common Danish stød
Authors: Grønnum Nina
Published: October 2022

Despite many attempts, we do not yet know how to answer the question exhaustively and adequately: What is common Danish stød phonetically? Specifically, is there an underlying physiological constancy behind the considerable acoustic variability? And is there a common denominator to the different acoustic manifestations that might explain their perceptual equivalence? Systematic acoustic, physiological, and perceptual investigations of common Danish stød now span (a little more than) three quarters of a century. This is a review of that research, to determine what may be considered established phonetic facts about common Danish stød and the open questions that remain for future research.
Guillain-Barré syndrome outbreak in Tapachula temporally associated with the Zika virus introduction in Southern Mexico
Authors: Rodríguez de la Rosa Ricardo Paul , Cano-Torres J. Oggún , Rosales Sonia , Kleinert Anke Paula , Gómez Arturo , George Fernando , George José , Piedad García Mariana , Nájera-Cancino Gabriel , Guerra-de-Blas Paola del Carmen , Belaunzarán-Zamudio Pablo F , Beigel John , Ruiz-Palacios Guillermo Miguel
Published: October 2022

The Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been previously associated with Zika virus infection. We analysed the data from all the patients with GBS diagnosis that were admitted to a referral hospital, in Tapachula City during the period from January 2013 to August 2016, comparing the incidence of GBS according to the temporality of the Zika outbreak in Southern Mexico. Additionally, we described the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the GBS patients admitted before or after the Zika outbreak. We observed a sharp increase in the number of patients hospitalised due to GBS from the time the first confirmed Zika cases appeared in Mexico. Clinically we observed GBS cases before zika outbreak had more frequently history of respiratory/gastrointestinal symptoms and GBS during zika outbreak had significantly more frequently recent history of rash/conjunctivitis. Although we cannot affirm that the increased cases of GBS have a specific aetiologic association with Zika, our results suggest that this observed outbreak of in Tapachula, might have been associated to the emerging Zika epidemic, locally and suggests that rare complications associated with acute infections (such as GBS) might be useful in the surveillance systems for emerging infections.
Pentoxifylline treatment had no detrimental effect on sperm DNA integrity and clinical characteristics in cases with non-obstructive azoospermia
Authors: Mahaldashtian Maryam , Khalili Mohammad Ali , Mangoli Esmat , Zavereh Saeed , Anbari Fatemeh
Published: October 2022

The aim of this study was to assess the consequences of treatment with pentoxifylline (PTX), an inducer of sperm motility, on sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) and clinical characteristics in non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) patients. The pilot study included 15 NOA patients. Half of each sperm sample before and after rapid freezing, was treated with PTX (3.6 mM /l, 30 min) as the PTX group and the remaining samples were considered as the control. SDF and sperm motility were assessed in each group. The clinical study comprised 30 fresh testicular sperm extractions (TESE) and 22 post-thawed TESE intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. Half of the mature oocytes from each patient were injected with PTX-treated spermatozoa and the remaining oocytes were injected with non-treated spermatozoa. Fertilization was assessed at 16 h post injection. Embryo transfer was carried out on day 2 after fertilization. Chemical pregnancy was assessed 2 weeks after transfer. PTX was found to significantly increase (P< 0.05) sperm motility. There was an insignificant difference in SDF rates between the groups (P> 0.05). In patient ovaries given fresh TESE, there was not any significant difference in clinical characteristics (P> 0.05). In patient ovaries given post-thawed TESE, there was a significant difference in the number of 2PN and in embryo formation (P< 0.05). Differences in the results of chemical pregnancy were insignificant (P> 0.05) between the groups. In addition, there was not any correlation between DNA fragmentation index and sperm motility and laboratory outcomes. Therefore, obtaining viable spermatozoa using PTX was more effective in post-thawed TESE regime patients in terms of 2PN and in embryo formation, deprived of damaging effects on sperm DNA integrity.
Right ventricular outflow tract landing zone perimeter / circularised diameter – new imaging standards in pulmonary valve replacement reporting
Authors: Ligon R. Allen , Latson Larry A. , Ruzmetov Mark M. , Hernandez Lazaro E.
Published: October 2022

Background:

Right ventricular outflow tract intervention spans transcatheter, surgical, or hybrid pulmonary valve replacement methodologies. Standardised pre-procedure workup includes cardiac MRI to identify an intended valve site (landing zone). Our institutional practice includes measurement of the right ventricular outflow tract perimeter (circumference) of this site in end-systole. Our primary aim was to compare patients by their perimeter values to the palliative interventions performed (transcatheter versus surgical/hybrid methodologies).

Methods:

Retrospective review of patients undergoing pulmonary valve replacement from January 2017 to 2021. We performed perimeter measurements at the intended valve site on advanced imaging; the outcomes of interventions were outlined via descriptive and statistical analyses.

Results:

A total of 37 patients underwent pulmonary valve replacement that met study criteria – 21 transcatheter, 7 surgical, and 9 hybrid. Median age at intervention was 26 years (range 8–70). The mean end-systolic perimeter of the transcatheter cohort was 88.9 ± 8.7 mm and in the surgical/hybrid cohort measured 106.6 ± 7.5 mm. For the transcatheter cohort, the median “circularised” diameter derived from the perimeter measurement (divided by π) was 27.7 mm (range 24.3–32.4). Notably, this correlated (r = 0.93, p < 0.01) with the median diameter of the narrowest region during actual transcatheter right ventricular outflow tract balloon sizing (lateral imaging) of 27.1 mm (range 23.2–30.1).

Conclusions:

Right ventricular outflow tract perimeter measurement to determine circularised diameter is useful in planning pulmonary valve replacement in terms of candidacy of transcatheter versus the need for a surgical/hybrid approach. The circularised diameter correlates with transcatheter right ventricular outflow tract balloon sizing.
Practical Wisdom and the Value of Cognitive Diversity
Authors: Jefferson Anneli , Sifferd Katrina
Published: October 2022

The challenges facing us today require practical wisdom to allow us to react appropriately. In this paper, we argue that at a group level, we will make better decisions if we respect and take into account the moral judgment of agents with diverse styles of cognition and moral reasoning. We show this by focusing on the example of autism, highlighting different strengths and weaknesses of moral reasoning found in autistic and non-autistic persons respectively.
Cultivating Curiosity in the Information Age
Authors: Watson Lani
Published: October 2022

In this paper, I explore the role that the intellectual virtue of curiosity can play in response to some of the most pressing challenges of the Information Age. I argue that virtuous curiosity represents a valuable characterological resource for the twenty-first century, in particular, a restricted form of curiosity, namely inquisitiveness. I argue that virtuous inquisitiveness should be trained and cultivated, via the skill of good questioning, and discuss the risks of failing to do so in relation to the design and use of novel technologies. If left unchecked, I argue, vicious forms of curiosity can emerge, with broad implications for society as a whole. Thus, we should seek to cultivate virtuous curiosity and teach the skill of good questioning to those of us (in principle, all of us) who use and rely on technology in our work and lives.
Deepfakes, Intellectual Cynics, and the Cultivation of Digital Sensibility
Authors: Matthews Taylor
Published: October 2022

In recent years, a number of philosophers have turned their attention to developments in Artificial Intelligence, and in particular to deepfakes. A deepfake is a portmanteau of ‘deep learning' and ‘fake', and for the most part they are videos which depict people doing and saying things they never did. As a result, much of the emerging literature on deepfakes has turned on questions of trust, harms, and information-sharing. In this paper, I add to the emerging concerns around deepfakes by drawing on resources from vice epistemology. As deepfakes become more sophisticated, I claim, they will develop to be a source of online epistemic corruption. More specifically, they will encourage consumers of digital online media to cultivate and manifest various epistemic vices. My immediate focus in this paper is on their propensity to encourage the development of what I call ‘intellectual cynicism'. After sketching a rough account of this epistemic vice, I go on to suggest that we can partially offset such cynicism – and fears around deceptive online media more generally – by encouraging the development what I term a trained ‘digital sensibility'. This, I contend, involves a calibrated sensitivity to the epistemic merits (and demerits) of online content.
Do dietary practices and household environmental quality mediate socio-economic inequalities in child undernutrition risk in West Africa?
Authors: Dwomoh Duah , Sewor Christian , Annim Samuel K , Stranges Saverio , Kandala Ngianga-Bakwin , Amegah A Kofi
Published: October 2022

Objective:

We investigated the relationship between socio-economic status and child undernutrition in West Africa (WA), and further examined the mediating role of dietary practices (measured as minimum dietary diversity (MDD), minimum meal frequency (MMF) and minimum acceptable diet (MAD)) and household environmental quality (HEQ) in the observed relationship.

Design:

Thirteen countries were included in the study. We leveraged the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys datasets ranging from 2010 to 2019. Poisson regression model with robust standard errors was used to estimate prevalence ratios and their corresponding 95 % CI. Structural equation modelling was used to conduct the mediation analysis.

Setting:

West Africa.

Participants:

132 448 under-five children born within 5 years preceding the survey were included.

Results:

Overall, 32·5 %, 8·2 %, 20·1 % and 71·7 % of WA children were stunted, wasted, underweight and anaemic, respectively. Prevalence of undernutrition decreased with increasing maternal education and household wealth (Trend P-values < 0·001). Secondary or higher maternal education and residence in rich households were associated with statistically significant decrease in the prevalence of stunting, wasting, underweight and anaemia among children in WA. MAD was found to mediate the association of low maternal education and poor household wealth with childhood stunting and underweight by 35·9 % to 44·5 %. MDD, MMF and HEQ did not mediate the observed relationship.

Conclusions:

The study findings enables an evaluation and improvement of existing intervention strategies through a socio-economic lens to help address the high burden of child undernutrition in WA and other developing regions.
Formalizing the Fermi paradox and combining consistent explanatory hypotheses
Authors: Costa-Leite Alexandre
Published: October 2022

A formalization of Fermi paradox inside the environment of classical propositional logic is proposed. The notion of Silentium Universi set is launched in order to establish that the Fermi paradox is truly paradoxical. Combining consistent explanatory hypotheses is taken into consideration and discussed inside this framework explaining what would count as a solution to the paradox. By the end, it is argued that Fermi paradox is an unsolvable problem in the domain of science.
The Realignment of Political Tolerance in the United States
Authors: Chong Dennis , Citrin Jack , Levy Morris
Published: October 2022

Studies conducted between the 1950s and 1970s found that the principles embodied in the First Amendment constituted a “clear norm” endorsed by large majorities of community leaders and virtually all legal practitioners and scholars. This consensus has since weakened under the strain of arguments that racist slurs, epithets, and other forms of expression that demean social identities are an intolerable affront to egalitarian values. Guided by the theory that norms are transmitted through social learning, we show that these developments have spurred a dramatic realignment in public tolerance of offensive expression about race, gender, and religious groups. Tolerance of such speech has declined overall, and its traditional relationships with ideology, education, and age have diminished or reversed. Speech subject to changing norms of tolerance ranges from polemic to scientific inquiry, the fringes to the mainstream of political discourse, and left to right, raising profound questions about the scope of permissible debate in contemporary American politics.
Anterior ossicone variability in Decennatherium rex Ríos, et al. 2017 (Late Miocene, Iberian Peninsula)
Authors: RÍOS María , CANTERO Enrique , ESTRAVIZ-LÓPEZ Darío , SOLOUNIAS Nikos , MORALES Jorge
Published: October 2022

The recovery of a new partial cranium of Decennatherium rex Ríos et al. 2017 bearing two anterior and two posterior ossicones from the Late Miocene deposits of the site Batallones-10 (MN-10, Cerro de los Batallones, Madrid Basin) sheds light on the complex variability of the cranial appendages of these extinct giraffids. The special features of the anterior ossicones of BAT10’18-C6-40, each formed by two bosses and separated by a septum increase the range of morphological variability found in the anterior ossicones of giraffids. Posterior ossicone variability has already been described in several sivatherine taxa as Sivatherium maurusium (Harris, 1974) but anterior ossicone variability has never been discussed for four-ossicone taxa. This new specimen accounts for the third morphotype found in D. rex anterior ossicones. BAT10’18-C6-40 is identified as an adult D. rex male on the basis of the development of the posterior ossicones. These are large and already show the first large bump which in this taxon is always located on the middle of the dorsal surface at a similar height on the right and left ossicones which agrees with Solounias (1988) who stated that these small irregular protuberances have a somewhat fixed position, suggesting a genetic basis. This new specimen represents a new example of cranial variability in D. rex, and makes it the extinct giraffid with the largest anterior ossicone variability found so far.
Using Social Media Data to Reveal Patterns of Policy Engagement in State Legislatures
Authors: Payson Julia , Casas Andreu , Nagler Jonathan , Bonneau Richard , Tucker Joshua A.
Published: October 2022

State governments are tasked with making important policy decisions in the United States. How do state legislators use their public communications—particularly social media—to engage with policy debates? Due to previous data limitations, we lack systematic information about whether and how state legislators publicly discuss policy and how this behavior varies across contexts. Using Twitter data and state-of-the-art topic modeling techniques, we introduce a method to study state legislator policy priorities and apply the method to 15 US states in 2018. We show that we are able to accurately capture the policy issues discussed by state legislators with substantially more accuracy than existing methods. We then present initial findings that validate the method and speak to debates in the literature. The paper concludes by discussing promising avenues for future state politics research using this new approach.