bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Short‐Term Load Forecasting Based on VMD and Combined Deep Learning Model
Authors: Wang Nier , Xue Sheng , Li Zhanming
Published: April 2023

Aiming at the nonlinear and non‐stationary characteristics of the power load, in order to improve the accuracy of load forecasting, a short‐term load forecasting method based on variational modal decomposition and the combination of convolutional neural network and bi‐directional long short‐term memory (Bi‐LSTM) network is proposed. The load sequence is decomposed into components with different frequencies by variational modal decomposition, and each component is predicted by Bi‐LSTM. Then the convolution neural network is introduced to process multi‐source data. The load, temperature, day and other data are constructed according to the time sliding window as the input, and the convolution neural network is used to extract the effective feature vector, the eigenvector is constructed in a time series and used as the input data of Bi‐LSTM network. Taking the public data set provided by a US public utility department as an example, the proposed model is compared with other methods. The results show that the proposed method can better track the change of load and effectively improve the accuracy of short‐term load forecasting. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Yeast: A platform for the production of L‐tyrosine derivatives
Authors: Guo Xufan , Wu Xinxin , Ma He , Liu Huayi , Luo Yunzi
Published: April 2023

L‐Tyrosine derivatives are widely applied in the pharmaceutical, food, and chemical industries. Their production is mainly confined to chemical synthesis and plant extract. Microorganisms, as cell factories, exhibit promising advantages for valuable chemical production to fulfill the increase in the demand of global markets. Yeast has been used to produce natural products owing to its robustness and genetic maneuverability. Focusing on the progress of yeast cell factories for the production of L‐tyrosine derivatives, we summarized the emerging metabolic engineering approaches in building L‐tyrosoine‐overproducing yeast and constructing cell factories of three typical chemicals and their derivatives: tyrosol, p‐coumaric acid, and L‐DOPA. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of L‐tyrosine derivatives production in yeast cell factories were also discussed.
Solar energy improvement in solar HVAC using Sutterby magneto‐ternary hybrid nanofluid flow with Smoluchowski temperature conditions: A solar thermal application
Authors: Nabwey Hossam A. , Khan Waqar A. , Rashad Ahmed M. , Elmeky Hamed , Abdelnaem Shereen , Hawsah Miad Abu
Published: April 2023

This study investigates the radiative flow of rotating Sutterby magneto‐ternary hybrid nanofluids traveling along a stretchy surface in solar heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). The investigation includes a colloidal mixture of three district types of particles, and impacts such as thermal radiative fluxing and activation energy. This model is used for the Sutterby model, and the flow and heat transfer analysis developed the new idea of tri‐hybrid nanofluid for highlighting some unique thermal properties in the fluid flow problems. The tri‐hybrid nanofluid is formed by suspending the three different nanoparticles for advanced cooling purposes. In the present work, we have considered Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), Graphene oxide (GO), and Multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MCNT) in water for advanced cooling. The study uses the Runge‐Kutta‐Fehlberg method to simulate the system and analyzes physical attributes such as skin friction coefficient and Nusselt and Sherwood numbers. The results suggest that increasing activation energy leads to an increase in the concentration of nanoparticles, and increasing rotational parameters leads to an increase in radial skin friction but a decrease in Nusselt numbers. The study also found that ternary nanofluids are more effective than base fluids in enhancing convective heat and mass transfer
An Efficient Cyclic Entailment Procedure in a Fragment of Separation Logic
Authors: Le Quang Loc , Le Xuan-Bach D.
Published: April 2023

An efficient entailment proof system is essential to compositional verification using separation logic. Unfortunately, existing decision procedures are either inexpressive or inefficient. For example, Smallfoot is an efficient procedure but only works with hardwired lists and trees. Other procedures that can support general inductive predicates run exponentially in time as their proof search requires back-tracking to deal with a disjunction in the consequent.

This paper presents a decision procedure to derive cyclic entailment proofs for general inductive predicates in polynomial time. Our procedure is efficient and does not require back-tracking; it uses normalisation rules that help avoid the introduction of disjunction in the consequent. Moreover, our decidable fragment is sufficiently expressive: It is based on compositional predicates and can capture a wide range of data structures, including sorted and nested list segments, skip lists with fast-forward pointers, and binary search trees. We implemented the proposal in a prototype tool, called$$\mathtt {S2S_{Lin}}$$S2SLin, and evaluated it over challenging problems from a recent separation logic competition. The experimental results confirm the efficiency of the proposed system.
The Panorama of Spin Matrix theory
Authors: Baiguera Stefano , Harmark Troels , Lei Yang
Published: April 2023

Abstract

Spin Matrix theory describes near-BPS limits of $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 SYM theory, which enables us to probe finite N effects like D-branes and black hole physics. In previous works, we have developed the spherical reduction and spin chain methods to construct Spin Matrix theory for various limits. In this paper, by considering a supercharge $$ \mathcal{Q} $$
Q
which is cubic in terms of the letters, we construct the Hamiltonian of the largest Spin Matrix theory of $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 SYM, called the PSU(1, 2|3) Spin Matrix theory, as $$ H=\left\{\mathcal{Q},{\mathcal{Q}}^{\dagger}\right\} $$
H
=

Q

Q
†

. We show the resulting Hamiltonian is automatically positive definite and manifestly invariant under supersymmetry. The Hamiltonian is made of basic blocks which transform as supermultiplets. A novel feature of this Hamiltonian is its division into D-terms and F-terms that are separately invariant under PSU(1, 2|3) symmetry and positive definite. As all the other Spin Matrix theories arising from $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 SYM can be acquired by turning off certain letters in the theory, we consider our work as revealing the “Panorama” of Spin Matrix theory.
Ellenbogengelenkluxation
Authors: Klute Lisa , Henssler Leopold , Alt Volker , Kerschbaum Maximilian
Published: April 2023

Luxationen des Ellenbogengelenks sind nach Schultergelenkluxationen eine der häufigsten Luxationsverletzungen am menschlichen Körper und stellen wegen ihrer Begleitverletzungen und Komplikationen weiterhin eine Herausforderung im klinischen Alltag dar. Betroffen sind v. a. junge Erwachsene, die sich während ihrer sportlichen oder alltäglichen Tätigkeiten verletzen. Unterschieden wird i. Allg. zwischen einer einfachen Ellenbogenluxation und einer Ellenbogenluxationsfraktur. Eine einheitliche Klassifikation oder ein Therapiealgorithmus hat sich jedoch insbesondere für die einfache Ellenbogenluxation mit den damit verbundenen ligamentären, muskulären und kapsulären Begleitverletzungen noch nicht durchgesetzt. Aufgrund dessen und wegen der Komplexität dieser Verletzung bedarf es eines standardisierten Vorgehens, um frühzeitig die optimale Therapie zu initiieren und den schmalen Behandlungspfad zwischen drohender chronischer Instabilität und Ellenbogensteife richtig auszuwählen.
Role of radiomic analysis of [18F]fluoromethylcholine PET/CT in predicting biochemical recurrence in a cohort of intermediate and high risk prostate cancer patients at initial staging
Authors: Marturano Francesca , Guglielmo Priscilla , Bettinelli Andrea , Zattoni Fabio , Novara Giacomo , Zorz Alessandra , Sepulcri Matteo , Gregianin Michele , Paiusco Marta , Evangelista Laura
Published: April 2023

Aim

To study the feasibility of radiomic analysis of baseline [18F]fluoromethylcholine positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for the prediction of biochemical recurrence (BCR) in a cohort of intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) patients.

Material and methods

Seventy-four patients were prospectively collected. We analyzed three prostate gland (PG) segmentations (i.e., PGwhole: whole PG; PG41%: prostate having standardized uptake value – SUV > 0.41*SUVmax; PG2.5: prostate having SUV > 2.5) together with three SUV discretization steps (i.e., 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6). For each segmentation/discretization step, we trained a logistic regression model to predict BCR using radiomic and/or clinical features.

Results

The median baseline prostate-specific antigen was 11 ng/mL, the Gleason score was > 7 for 54% of patients, and the clinical stage was T1/T2 for 89% and T3 for 9% of patients. The baseline clinical model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.73. Performances improved when clinical data were combined with radiomic features, in particular for PG2.5 and 0.4 discretization, for which the median test AUC was 0.78.

Conclusion

Radiomics reinforces clinical parameters in predicting BCR in intermediate and high-risk PCa patients. These first data strongly encourage further investigations on the use of radiomic analysis to identify patients at risk of BCR.

Clinical relevance statement

The application of AI combined with radiomic analysis of [18F]fluoromethylcholine PET/CT images has proven to be a promising tool to stratify patients with intermediate or high-risk PCa in order to predict biochemical recurrence and tailor the best treatment options.

Key Points

• Stratification of patients with intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer at risk of biochemical recurrence before initial treatment would help determine the optimal curative strategy.

• Artificial intelligence combined with radiomic analysis of [18F]fluorocholine PET/CT images allows prediction of biochemical recurrence, especially when radiomic features are complemented with patients’ clinical information (highest median AUC of 0.78).

• Radiomics reinforces the information of conventional clinical parameters (i.e., Gleason score and initial prostate-specific antigen level) in predicting biochemical recurrence.
Current state of radiomic research in pancreatic cancer: focusing on study design and reproducibility of findings
Authors: Malcolm James Alex , Tacey Mark , Gibbs Peter , Lee Belinda , Ko Hyun Soo
Published: April 2023

Objectives

To critically appraise methodology and reproducibility of published studies on CT radiomics of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods

PRISMA literature search of MEDLINE, PubMed, and Scopus databases was conducted from June to August 2022 relating to CT radiomics human research articles pertaining to PDAC diagnosis, treatment, and/ or prognosis, utilising Image Biomarker Standardisation Initiative-compliant (IBSI) radiomic software. Keyword search included [pancreas OR pancreatic] AND [radiomic OR [quantitative AND imaging] OR [texture AND analysis]]. Analysis included cohort size, CT protocol used, radiomic feature (RF) extraction, segmentation, and selection, software used, outcome correlation, and statistical methodology, with focus on reproducibility.

Results

Initial search yielded 1112 articles; however, only 12 articles met all inclusion/exclusion criteria. Cohort sizes ranged from 37 to 352 (median = 106, mean = 155.8). CT slice thickness varied among studies (4 using ≤ 1 mm, 5 using > 1 to 3 mm, 2 using > 3 to 5 mm, 1 not specifying). CT protocol varied (5 using a single portal-venous (pv)-phase, 5 using a pancreas protocol, 1 study using a non-contrast protocol). RF extraction and segmentation were heterogeneous (RF extraction: 5 using pv-phase, 2 using late arterial, 4 using multi-phase, 1 using non-contrast phase; RF selection: 3 pre-selected, 9 software-selected). 2D/3D RF segmentation was diverse (2D in 6, 3D in 4, 2D and 3D in 2 studies). Six different radiomics software were used. Research questions and cohort characteristics varied, ultimately leading to non-comparable outcome results.

Conclusion

The current twelve published IBSI-compliant PDAC radiomic studies show high variability and often incomplete methodology resulting in low robustness and reproducibility.

Clinical relevance statement

Radiomics research requires IBSI compliance, data harmonisation, and reproducible feature extraction methods for non-invasive imaging biomarker discoveries to be valid. This will ensure a successful clinical implementation and ultimately an improvement of patient outcomes as part of precision and personalised medicine.

Key Points

• Current state of radiomics research in pancreatic cancer shows low software compliance to the Image Biomarker Standardisation Initiative (IBSI).

• IBSI-compliant radiomics studies in pancreatic cancer are heterogeneous and not comparable, and the majority of study designs showed low reproducibility.

• Improved methodology and standardisation of practice in the emerging field of radiomics has the potential of this non-invasive imaging biomarker in the management of pancreatic cancer.
Asymptotic Time Complexity of Identification of Basic-level
Authors: Mulka Mariusz
Published: April 2023

Introduction

This paper focuses on cognitive computing approaches to identifying the basic-level in a hierarchical structure. In particular, it provides asymptotic time complexities of the identification of the basic-level for five basic-levelness measures, i.e., feature-possession, category utility, category attentional slip, category’s cue validity with global threshold, category’s cue validity with feature-possession.

Methods

Asymptotic time complexities were analytically determined for each basic-levelness measure separately.

Results

First, the time complexity of auxiliary measures (i.e., utilized by basic-levelness measures) was determined. Second, the time complexity of the identification of the basic-level was determined. Finally, an optimization of the identification was proposed.

Conclusions

The identification of the basic-level requires polynomial time. In particular, category attentional slip and category’s cue validity with feature-possession require an additional iteration through all objects, which increase the time complexity.
Neurodevelopmental outcomes of neonatal posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus and psychological effects on the parents
Authors: Wu Yuxin , Liang Ping , Li Lusheng , Zhou Yudong , Wang Difei , Zhai Xuan
Published: April 2023

Background

Neonatal posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus remains a common complication in preterm infants, with high rates of mortality and morbidity, placing parents at high risk of anxiety and depression. We sought to investigate the neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants with posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus who underwent surgery and the psychological effect on their parents.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed all infants with posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus born between 2014 and 2020 in the Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China. The neurodevelopmental outcomes of 28 patients were evaluated by the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure score, and the psychological states of the parents of survivors were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Results

The families of the 28 patients were followed up for a median duration of 3 years; 6 (21.4%) patients died within 6 months after discharge, 12 (42.9%) patients had moderate to severe dysfunction, and only 10 (35.7%) patients had good outcomes. Regarding the 22 parents of the survivors, 5 (22.7%) and 4 (18.2%) had borderline anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. Two (9.1%) caregivers had exact anxiety and depression symptoms. Leukomalacia after intraventricular haemorrhage was associated with adverse neurological outcomes. The infants' histories of epileptic seizures during the neonatal period were associated with the anxiety of their parents.

Conclusion

The overall outcome of posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus patients is unsatisfactory, and children with leukomalacia after haemorrhage tend to have poor outcomes. A history of epileptic seizures during the course of the disease may exacerbate the anxiety of the caregivers.
Association between preoperative serum C-reactive protein level and leukocyte count and postoperative pain after otolaryngological surgery
Authors: Geißler Katharina , Brock Robin , Meißner Winfried , Kiehntopf Michael , Guntinas-Lichius Orlando
Published: April 2023

Purpose

To determine whether the preoperative inflammatory serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and leukocyte count (LEUK) are associated with postoperative pain and complaints after otolaryngological surgery.

Methods

Retrospective evaluation of 680 patients (33% female, median age 50 years) receiving otolaryngological surgery between November 2008 and March 2017 in a tertiary university hospital. Postoperative pain on the first postoperative day was assessed using the validated questionnaire of the German-wide project Quality Improvement in Postoperative Pain Treatment (QUIPS) including a numeric rating scale for assessment of postoperative pain (NRS, 0–10). The influence of preoperative parameters including CRP and LEUK on patients' postoperative pain was estimated.

Results

Mean CRP value was 15.6 ± 34.6 mg/l and mean LEUK value 7.8 ± 3.2 Gpt/l. Patients with pharyngeal surgery had the highest CRP values (34.6 ± 52.9 mg/l), highest LEUK values (9.2 ± 4.2 Gpt/l) and the highest pain levels (3.1 ± 2.4 NRS) compared to all other surgical procedures (all p < 0.05). Higher postoperative pain was associated with LEUK values > 11.3 Gpt/l (r = 0.093, p = 0.016) and higher preoperative chronic pain (r = 0.127, p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed younger age, female gender, duration of surgery, preoperative chronic pain, type of surgery, and higher LEUK values > 11.3 as independent factors for postoperative pain. Perioperative antibiotics had no effect on the postoperative pain.

Conclusion

Beyond known factors, preoperative LEUK as inflammation marker is an independent predictor for pain on the first postoperative day.
Retinal thickness as a biomarker of cognitive impairment in manifest Huntington’s disease
Authors: Murueta-Goyena Ane , Del Pino Rocío , Acera Marian , Teijeira-Portas Sara , Romero David , Ayala Unai , Fernández-Valle Tamara , Tijero Beatriz , Gabilondo Iñigo , Gómez Esteban Juan Carlos
Published: April 2023

Background

Cognitive decline has been reported in premanifest and manifest Huntington’s disease but reliable biomarkers are lacking. Inner retinal layer thickness seems to be a good biomarker of cognition in other neurodegenerative diseases.

Objective

To explore the relationship between optical coherence tomography-derived metrics and global cognition in Huntington’s Disease.

Methods

Thirty-six patients with Huntington’s disease (16 premanifest and 20 manifest) and 36 controls matched by age, sex, smoking status, and hypertension status underwent macular volumetric and peripapillary optical coherence tomography scans. Disease duration, motor status, global cognition and CAG repeats were recorded in patients. Group differences in imaging parameters and their association with clinical outcomes were analyzed using linear mixed-effect models.

Results

Premanifest and manifest Huntington’s disease patients presented thinner retinal external limiting membrane-Bruch’s membrane complex, and manifest patients had thinner temporal peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer compared to controls. In manifest Huntington’s disease, macular thickness was significantly associated with MoCA scores, inner nuclear layer showing the largest regression coefficients. This relationship was consistent after adjusting for age, sex, and education and p-value correction with False Discovery Rate. None of the retinal variables were related to Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale score, disease duration, or disease burden. Premanifest patients did not show a significant association between OCT-derived parameters and clinical outcomes in corrected models.

Conclusions

In line with other neurodegenerative diseases, OCT is a potential biomarker of cognitive status in manifest HD. Future prospective studies are needed to evaluate OCT as a potential surrogate marker of cognitive decline in HD.
Ultrastructure of dorsal root ganglia
Authors: Haberberger Rainer Viktor , Kuramatilake Jaliya , Barry Christine M , Matusica Dusan
Published: April 2023

Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) contains thousands of sensory neurons that transmit information about our external and internal environment to the central nervous system. This includes signals related to proprioception, temperature, and nociception. Our understanding of DRG has increased tremendously over the last 50 years and has established the DRG as an active participant in peripheral processes. This includes interactions between neurons and non-neuronal cells such as satellite glia cells and macrophages that contribute to an increasingly complex cellular environment that modulates neuronal function. Early ultrastructural investigations of the DRG have described subtypes of sensory neurons based on differences in the arrangement of organelles such as the Golgi apparatus and the endoplasmic reticulum. The neuron-satellite cell complex and the composition of the axon hillock in DRG have also been investigated, but, apart from basic descriptions of Schwann cells, ultrastructural investigations of other cell types in DRG are limited. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of key components of DRG, such as blood vessels and the capsule that sits at the intersection of the meninges and the connective tissue covering the peripheral nervous system, are lacking to date. With rising interest in DRG as potential therapeutic targets for aberrant signalling associated with chronic pain conditions, gaining further insights into DRG ultrastructure will be fundamental to understanding cell–cell interactions that modulate DRG function. In this review, we aim to provide a synopsis of the current state of knowledge on the ultrastructure of the DRG and its components, as well as to identify areas of interest for future studies.
Environment modeling and localization from datasets of omnidirectional scenes using machine learning techniques
Authors: Cebollada Sergio , Payá Luis , Peidró Adrián , Mayol Walterio , Reinoso Oscar
Published: April 2023

This work presents a framework to create a visual model of the environment which can be used to estimate the position of a mobile robot by means of artificial intelligence techniques. The proposed framework retrieves the structure of the environment from a dataset composed of omnidirectional images captured along it. These images are described by means of global-appearance approaches. The information is arranged in two layers, with different levels of granularity. The first layer is obtained by means of classifiers and the second layer is composed of a set of data fitting neural networks. Subsequently, the model is used to estimate the position of the robot, in a hierarchical fashion, by comparing the image captured from the unknown position with the information in the model. Throughout this work, five classifiers are evaluated (Naïve Bayes, SVM, random forest, linear discriminant classifier and a classifier based on a shallow neural network) along with three different global-appearance descriptors (HOG, gist, and a descriptor calculated from an intermediate layer of a pre-trained CNN). The experiments have been tackled with some publicly available datasets of omnidirectional images captured indoors with the presence of dynamic changes. Several parameters are used to assess the efficiency of the proposal: the ability of the algorithm to estimate coarsely the position (hit ratio), the average error (cm) and the necessary computing time. The results prove the efficiency of the framework to model the environment and localize the robot from the knowledge extracted from a set of omnidirectional images with the proposed artificial intelligence techniques.
Brauchen wir ein wildartenschutzkonformes Strafverfahren?
Authors: Poplat Tim
Published: April 2023

Die Beweissicherung in einem wildartenschutzstrafrechtlichen Ermittlungsverfahren ist im Verhältnis
zu sonstigen Ermittlungsverfahren um ein Vielfaches erschwert. Die “Opfer” von Wildartenkriminalität
sind zuvorderst Tier- und/oder Pflanzenarten, die selbst nicht in der Lage sind, Angriffe auf sich zu artikulieren,
und der Tatort dürfte bei einer Vielzahl von Fällen der breiten Mehrheit und zugleich den Strafverfolgungsbehörden
entweder selbst verborgen bleiben oder sich aufgrund fehlender Expertise eben diesen als solcher erst gar
nicht aufdrängen, da strafbares Verhalten schlichtweg nicht erkannt wird. Das aufgrund dieser verzerrenden
Faktoren verschwindend kleine Hellfeld im Bereich der Wildartenkriminalität kann dabei keine Aussagen
über die Kriminalitätswirklichkeit treffen. Gleichwohl besteht von Seiten der Strafverfolgung
bisher keinerlei Interesse (mehr), sich diesem Kriminalitätsfeld verstärkt zu nähern. Wie
also umgehen mit dem bisweilen trostlosen Zustand, in dem sich die Strafverfolgung von Wildartenkriminalität
befindet? Muss und kann es möglicherweise eine verstärkte Integration privater Akteure in das
wildartenschutzstrafrechtliche Ermittlungsverfahren geben und, wenn ja, wie sollte diese aussehen?
Beschleunigung im Zeichen von Klima- und Energiekrise: materiell-rechtlich, verfahrensrechtlich?
Authors: Erbguth Wilfried
Published: April 2023

Das neue Konzept der normativen Steuerung zur dringlich(st)en Transformation im Bereich erneuerbarer
Energien ist vornehmlich materiell-rechtlich ausgerichtet; die Vorrangregelung in 2 EEG legt hierfür
Zeugnis ab. Demgegenüber setzten frühere Beschleunigungsschübe im räumlichen Infrastrukturbereich
zentral im Verfahrensrecht an, nämlich durch Fristverkürzungen und solche der Öffentlichkeitsbeteiligung;
flankierend wirk(t)en Verfahrensverkürzungen u.ä. im (Verwaltungs-)Prozessrecht. Das erfasst
(auch) wichtige Bereiche der regenerativen Energien, insbesondere die Planung und Zulassung von Windenergieanlagen.
Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, ob etwaige Bedenken an einer solchen Kumulation von Restriktionen
nicht schon deshalb entfallen, weil der herkömmlichen, auf das Verfahren fokussierten Herangehensweise
die Tragfähigkeit fehlt bzw. diese durch eine differenzierte, auf Akzeptanzgewinnung gerichtete Sicht
zu ersetzen ist.
Defying description: searching for queer history in institutional archives
Authors: Freeman Elliot
Published: April 2023

There are numerous obstacles to overcome when conducting queer historical research. While has been a steady increase in work to address the (in)visibility of queer histories and perspectives in institutional heritage collections, this work is often skewed towards outputs such as exhibitions or social media posts. As a result, very little work has been done to interrogate and transform the ways that these materials are managed and made accessible (or not). This paper considers how the lack of rich and explicit descriptive metadata shapes the (in)visibility and (in)accessibility of queer records within institutional archives. It reports the findings of a series of qualitative interviews I conducted with individuals who have searched for queer materials in archival collections in Australia. These interviews explored the practical process of searching for queer records in institutional archives; how researchers identify, locate, and access these records; and the challenges of this process—both in terms of a research methodology, and an experience for queer researchers within potentially hostile or unsafe spaces.
Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorders - Validation of the Portuguese Version of the Social Communication Questionnaire
Authors: Araújo Manuela , Jorge Joana Calejo , do Carmo Santos Maria , Vilhena Estela , Oliveira Pedro , Freitas Paula Pinto
Published: April 2023

There are no assessment and screening tools for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) validated for the Portuguese population. The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) is an useful screening tool of ASD diagnosis. The main objectives of our study were to produce a Portuguese version of the SCQ (SCQ-PF), study its internal consistency, sensitivity and specificity in order to evaluate its validity as a screening instrument for ASD. We also wanted to study the impact of intellectual disability and verbal impairment and other mental disorders on SCQ-PF psychometric properties. The study included 211 children and adolescents, aged 4–17, divided in three groups: ASD Group (n = 96), Other Mental Disorders Group (OMD) (n = 63) and No Mental Disorders (NMD) Group (n = 52). Parents or other primary caregiver provided information on the SCQ items. The SCQ-PF score was significantly higher in the ASD group than in the other groups (p < 0.001). As to internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha was 87%. ASD subjects were distinguished from subjects without ASD (OMD and NMD Groups) and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.897 (95% Confidence Interval: 0.852–0.943), for a cutoff of 14, which yielded the highest AUC, with values of sensitivity and specificity 0.76 and 0.93, respectively. These findings show that SCQ- PF with a cutoff of 14 is an acceptable and useful screening tool for ASD in the Portuguese population.
Teachers’ negotiation of the cross-curricular concept of student digital competence
Authors: Löfving Christina
Published: April 2023

In a digital society, teachers are required to carry out policy directives on both core knowledge and more vaguely described cross-curricular competences, one being digital competence. This paper reports on the findings of a study in which 41 teachers from three lower secondary schools in Sweden engaged in focus group interviews where they participated in sensemaking processes on students’ digital competence. The questions targeted what the teachers knew of their students’ digital experiences and how to facilitate and further develop these students’ digital competence. Based on the focus group interviews, four themes were identified: critical awareness, tool management, creativity, and avoidance of digital usage. Absent were themes related to democratic digital citizenship. The paper discusses the importance of moving away from a one-sided focus on individual teachers’ professional digital competence in favour of focusing on how school organizations can negotiate and facilitate students’ digital competence in local situ. Otherwise, there is a risk of overlooking students’ cross-curricular digital competence and digital citizenship. This paper is a starting point for further research on how school as an organization can support teachers in facilitating various areas of students’ digital competence in a digital society.
Visual Arts Self-Efficacy: Impacts and Supports for Early Childhood Teachers
Authors: Denee Rachel , Lindsay Gai , Probine Sarah
Published: April 2023

Although visual arts pedagogies are considered central within early childhood education programs, teacher self-efficacy has a direct impact on the quality and delivery of visual arts curricula. Until recently, the visual arts self-efficacy, pedagogical knowledge, and practice of in-service early childhood teachers have remained largely unexplored. The authors of this paper present a qualitative, iterative re-analysis of their three PhD studies which broadly focussed on early childhood visual arts praxis and specifically examined the visual arts beliefs and pedagogy of early childhood teachers in Australia and New Zealand. A thematic analysis of the intersecting self-efficacy findings raised in the three studies identifies the powerful influence of self-efficacy on teaching practice in the visual arts domain and offers new understandings about visual arts self-efficacy amongst early childhood teachers. The combined findings reveal several factors that restrain or enhance teachers’ visual arts self-efficacy across time, including the impact of childhood experiences, pre-service training and epistemological beliefs. The paper also identifies several enabling conditions that appear to support teachers to develop and maintain positive visual arts self-efficacy beliefs, including practical engagement with materials, sustained professional learning, relational trust and intentional leadership. These enabling conditions offer practical strategies and research recommendations in service of positive visual arts self-efficacy to enhance quality visual arts teaching in early childhood contexts.
Charting the Evolution and Future of Conversational Agents: A Research Agenda Along Five Waves and New Frontiers
Authors: Schöbel Sofia , Schmitt Anuschka , Benner Dennis , Saqr Mohammed , Janson Andreas , Leimeister Jan Marco
Published: April 2023

Conversational agents (CAs) have come a long way from their first appearance in the 1960s to today’s generative models. Continuous technological advancements such as statistical computing and large language models allow for an increasingly natural and effortless interaction, as well as domain-agnostic deployment opportunities. Ultimately, this evolution begs multiple questions: How have technical capabilities developed? How is the nature of work changed through humans’ interaction with conversational agents? How has research framed dominant perceptions and depictions of such agents? And what is the path forward? To address these questions, we conducted a bibliometric study including over 5000 research articles on CAs. Based on a systematic analysis of keywords, topics, and author networks, we derive “five waves of CA research” that describe the past, present, and potential future of research on CAs. Our results highlight fundamental technical evolutions and theoretical paradigms in CA research. Therefore, we discuss the moderating role of big technologies, and novel technological advancements like OpenAI GPT or BLOOM NLU that mark the next frontier of CA research. We contribute to theory by laying out central research streams in CA research, and offer practical implications by highlighting the design and deployment opportunities of CAs.
Agriculture in the Ancient Maya Lowlands (Part 2): Landesque Capital and Long-term Resource Management Strategies
Authors: Fedick Scott L. , Morell-Hart Shanti , Dussol Lydie
Published: April 2023

Pre-Columbian food production in the Maya Lowlands was long characterized as reliant on extensive, slash-and-burn agriculture as the sole cultivation system possible in the region, given environmental limitations, with maize as the dominant crop. While aspects of this “swidden thesis” of Maya agriculture have been chipped away in recent years, there has been an underappreciation of the many forms of long-term capital investments in agriculture made by ancient Maya people. Here, we review the last three decades of research that has overturned the swidden thesis, focusing on long-term strategies. We demonstrate long-lasting agricultural investments by Maya people, in social capital including multigenerational land tenure, in cultivated capital including long-lived trees, and in landesque capital including soil amendments and landscape engineering projects, such as terracing and wetland modification.
How Treatment Motivation Predicts Favorable Outcomes in Interdisciplinary Multimodal Pain Treatment Among Patients with Chronic Primary Pain
Authors: Scheidegger Alina , Gómez Penedo Juan Martín , Blättler Larissa Tatjana , Aybek Selma , Bischoff Nina , grosse Holtforth Martin
Published: April 2023

As motivation for psychological treatment at intake has been shown to predict favorable outcomes after an inpatient stay, this study aimed to further characterize the different components of psychological treatment motivation that predict favorable treatment outcomes. 294 inpatients with chronic primary pain participating in an interdisciplinary multimodal pain treatment in a tertiary psychosomatic university clinic completed a battery of psychological questionnaires at intake and discharge. Treatment motivation was assessed at intake using the scales of the FPTM-23 questionnaire, while pain intensity, pain interference, anxiety, and depression were assessed both at intake and discharge. After treatment, pain intensity, pain interference, anxiety, and depression were significantly reduced. While higher levels on the FPTM-23 scale of suffering predicted smaller decreases in anxiety after treatment, higher scores on the scale of hope, i.e., lower levels of hopelessness, predicted lower levels of pain interference, anxiety, and depression after treatment. None of the scales of treatment motivation predicted pain intensity levels after treatment. Above and beyond providing symptom relief, reducing hopelessness and fostering hope regarding the treatment process and outcome might help clinicians treat patients with chronic primary pain more effectively.
Science, Scripture, and Sexuality: The US United Methodist Church at Crossroads
Authors: Johnson Lee , Lukert Barbara
Published: April 2023

During the past 50 years, medical and behavioral scientists have made great progress in understanding the variables which influence the development of sexual orientation, identity, and consequent behavior. In most instances, homosexuality is influenced by hormonal, genetic, and immunologic variables during fetal development, and the effects cannot usually be altered without consequence. The recent struggle within The United Methodist Church in the USA reflects the difficulty that society in general has with accepting homosexuality as part of the spectrum of sexuality. Hopefully, understanding the factors influencing sexual orientation will aid in reducing prejudice and eventually bring an end to the pain endured by the LGBTQ community, and the conflict within The United Methodist Church, a prototype of the struggle.
Immunohistochemical dynamics of cell wall matrix polymers during tomato autograft healing
Authors: Frey Carlos , Martínez-Romera Nerea , Encina Antonio , Acebes José L.
Published: April 2023

A large part of the production of tomato plants is grafted. Although it has recently been described that cell walls play an important role in tomato graft healing, the spatiotemporal dynamics of cell wall changes in this critical process remains largely unknown. The aim of this work was to immunolocalize changes in the major cell wall matrix components of autograft union tissues throughout the course of healing, from 1 to 20 days after grafting (DAG). Homogalacturonan was de novo synthetized and deposited in the cut edges, displaying the low methyl-esterified homogalacturonan a stronger labelling. Labelling of galactan side chains of rhamnogalacturonan increased until 8 DAG, although remarkably a set of cells at the graft union did not show labelling for this epitope. Changes in xylan immunolocalization were associated to the xylem vasculature development throughout, while those of xyloglucan revealed early synthesis at the cut edges. Arabinogalactan proteins increased up to 8 DAG and showed scion-rootstock asymmetry, with a higher extent in the scion. The combination of these changes appears to be related with the success of the autograft, specifically facilitating the adhesion phase between scion-rootstock tissues. This knowledge paves the way for improved grafting using methods that facilitate appropriate changes in the time and space dynamics of these cell wall compounds.
Accuracy Analysis of the On-board Data Reduction Pipeline for the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager on the Solar Orbiter Mission
Authors: Albert Kinga , Hirzberger Johann , Castellanos Durán J. Sebastián , Orozco Suárez David , Woch Joachim , Michalik Harald , Solanki Sami K.
Published: April 2023

Context: Scientific data reduction on-board deep space missions is a powerful approach to maximise science return, in the absence of wide telemetry bandwidths. The Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) on-board the Solar Orbiter (SO) is the first solar spectropolarimeter that opted for this solution, and provides the scientific community with science-ready data directly from orbit. This is the first instance of full solar spectropolarimetric data reduction on a spacecraft.

Methods: In this paper, we analyse the accuracy achieved by the on-board data reduction, which is determined by the trade-offs taken to reduce computational demands and ensure autonomous operation of the instrument during the data reduction process. We look at the magnitude and nature of errors introduced in the different pipeline steps of the processing. We use an MHD sunspot simulation to isolate the data processing from other sources of inaccuracy. We process the data set with calibration data obtained from SO/PHI in orbit, and compare results calculated on a representative SO/PHI model on ground with a reference implementation of the same pipeline, without the on-board processing trade-offs.

Results: Our investigation shows that the accuracy in the determination of the Stokes vectors, achieved by the data processing, is at least two orders of magnitude better than what the instrument was designed to achieve as final accuracy. Therefore, the data accuracy and the polarimetric sensitivity are not compromised by the on-board data processing. Furthermore, we also found that the errors in the physical parameters are within the numerical accuracy of typical RTE inversions with a Milne-Eddington approximation of the atmosphere.

Conclusion: This paper demonstrates that the on-board data reduction of the data from SO/PHI does not compromise the accuracy of the processing. This places on-board data processing as a viable alternative for future scientific instruments that would need more telemetry than many missions are able to provide, in particular those in deep space.
Chow diet in mouse aging studies: nothing regular about it
Authors: Lee Jennifer , Purello Chloe , Booth Sarah L. , Bennett Brian , Wiley Christopher D. , Korstanje Ron
Published: April 2023

Chow diet is used in the majority of rodent studies and, although assumed to be standardized for dietary source and nutritional contents, it varies widely across commercial formulations. Similarly, current approaches to study aging in rodents involve a single-diet formulation across the lifespan and overlook age-specific nutritional requirements, which may have long-term effects on aging processes. Together, these nutrition-based disparities represent major gaps in geroscience research, affecting the interpretation and reproducibility of the studies. This perspective aims to raise awareness on the importance of rodent diet formulation and proposes that geroscientists include detailed descriptions of all experimental diets and feeding protocols. Detailed reporting of diets will enhance rigor and reproducibility of aging rodent studies and lead to more translational outcomes in geroscience research.
Modeling the grid cell activity based on cognitive space transformation
Authors: Zhang Zhihui , Tang Fengzhen , Li Yiping , Feng Xisheng
Published: April 2023

The grid cells in the medial entorhinal cortex are widely recognized as a critical component of spatial cognition within the entorhinal-hippocampal neuronal circuits. To account for the hexagonal patterns, several computational models have been proposed. However, there is still considerable debate regarding the interaction between grid cells and place cells. In response, we have developed a novel grid-cell computational model based on cognitive space transformation, which established a theoretical framework of the interaction between place cells and grid cells for encoding and transforming positions between the local frame and global frame. Our model not only can generate the firing patterns of the grid cells but also reproduces the biological experiment results about the grid-cell global representation of connected environments and supports the conjecture about the underlying reason. Moreover, our model provides new insights into how grid cells and place cells integrate external and self-motion cues.
Everyday Political Talk with Strangers: Evidence on a Neglected Arena of the Deliberative System
Authors: Schmitt-Beck Rüdiger , Schnaudt Christian
Published: April 2023

According to normative theorists, informal conversations between strangers are the most basic manifestation of the political public sphere and truest to the deliberative democratic ideal. Yet systematic empirical evidence on citizens’ everyday political talk outside their social networks is largely missing. Using a unique survey, we examine citizens’ access to the public discursive sphere of political talk with strangers, as well as the frequency and disagreeableness of the conversations held in this arena of the deliberative system. Although widespread and frequent engagement is desirable from a normative point of view, we find this discursive sphere to be considerably smaller in scope and less vibrant than the private and semi-public discursive spheres of political talk within strong and weak network ties. Contrary to theorists’ equation of strangeness with difference, political conversations between strangers also appear rather harmonious. Furthermore, our findings show that psychological dispositions, most notably social trust and conflict orientations, are important drivers of individuals’ involvement in political conversations with strangers. Their impact exceeds the influence of political dispositions, opportunities, and skills. Some aspects of our results raise doubts about the deliberative quality of these conversations.
Mechanisms of Action for Diabetic Bladder Dysfunction — State of the Art
Authors: Powell CR , Gehring Vanessa
Published: April 2023

Purpose of Review

Diabetes (DM) is a common cause of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), known as diabetic bladder dysfunction (DBD). The phenotype for DBD is described in the literature with considerable heterogeneity and includes poor sensation, increased compliance, detrusor underactivity, urinary retention, weak stream, hesitancy, but also urgency incontinence, and, for many, detrusor overactivity. Progress has been made in understanding DBD, yet a unified phenotype or classification system for DBD remains elusive. Much remains unknown about the underlying mechanisms.

Recent Findings

No classification scheme to phenotype DBD has been proposed. Evidence from recent literature suggests four primary drivers: detrusor smooth muscle dysfunction, urothelial dysfunction, autonomic neurologic dysfunction, and circulating and systemic factors such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and microvascular damage. It is likely that these drivers have multi-factorial causes and inter-relate in complex ways. Recent findings in animal models lend new support to detrusor smooth muscle dysfunction as well as inflammation. Reports utilizing next-generation sequencing have begun to appear in the DBD literature and promise further insight.

DBD currently lacks a unified classification scheme and a clear mechanism. The advent of new, more translatable large animal models and next-generation sequencing promises many exciting new tools and models that more closely translate to human disease.
Superfluous ideals of N-groups
Authors: Rajani S. , Tapatee S. , Harikrishnan P. , Kedukodi B. S. , Kuncham S. P.
Published: April 2023

We consider a right nearring N and a module over N (known as, N-group). For an arbitrary ideal (or N-subgroup) $$\varOmega $$
Ω
of an N-group G, we define the notions $$\varOmega $$
Ω
-superfluous, strictly $$\varOmega $$
Ω
-superfluous, g-superfluous ideals of G. We give suitable examples to distinguish between these classes and the existing classes studied in Bhavanari (Proc Japan Acad 61-A:23–25, 1985; Indian J Pure Appl Math 22:633–636, 1991; J Austral Math Soc 57:170–178, 1994), and prove some properties. For a zero-symmetric nearring with 1, we consider a module over a matrix nearring and obtain one-one correspondence between the superfluous ideals of an N-group (over itself) and those of $$M_{n}(N)$$

M
n

(
N
)

-group $$N^{n}$$

N
n

, where $$M_{n}(N)$$

M
n

(
N
)

is the matrix nearring over N. Furthermore, we define a graph of superfluous ideals of a nearring and prove some properties with necessary examples.