bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF ENZYMATIC RETTING CONDITIONS ON THE DIAMETER AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF FLAX FIBERS
Authors: SINGHAL ANSHUL , LANGHORST AMY , BANU MIHAELA , TAUB ALAN
Published: October 2022

The current industrial method of extracting natural plant fibers, originally intended for their textile use, can degrade the inherent mechanical properties, making them difficult to replace e-glass fibers for reinforcement in polymer composites. Microorganisms during the initial dew/field retting step of fiber extraction process not only degrades the fiber-stem interphase bond constituting primarily pectin and lignin, but also degrades the structural components of the fiber such as cellulose, resulting in non-uniform technical fibers with poor mechanical properties. Also, current single fiber testing standards used for mechanical properties characterization of these fibers are suitable for assessing homogenous and uniform fiber properties correctly, which is not the case in natural fibers. In this study, the flax stems were treated with Pectinase Ultra SPL enzyme targeted to degrade the pectin bonds between the fibers and plant stem, without affecting the structural component cellulose. In this study, the size of technical fibers hand extracted from dew and enzyme retted flax are compared. The hand extracted enzyme retted stem fibers showed more uniform, finer diameters resulting in better tensile properties when compared with dew/field retted stem fibers. The improved properties are related to the diameter effect in which as the area of these fibers is reduced, the reduction of defects during the fiber extraction.
DEEP-LEARNING DETECTION OF CRACKS IN IN-SITU COMPUTED TOMOGRAMS OF NANO-ENGINEERED COMPOSITES
Authors: MEHDIKHANI MAHOOR , UPADHYAY SHAILEE , SOETE JEROEN , SWOLFS YENTL , SMITH ABRAHAM GEORGE , ARAVAND M. ALI , LIOTTA ANDREW H. , WICKS SUNNY S. , WARDLE BRIAN L. , LOMOV STEPAN V. , GORBATIKH LARISSA
Published: October 2022

The deformation and damage development of nano-engineered composites have not yet been investigated in 3D, although it can provide a deeper insight into their damage behavior. To fill this gap, we perform a tensile test on a nano-engineered composite with in-situ X-ray micro-Computed Tomography (micro-CT). The composite is made from woven alumina fibers with grafted carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and epoxy. More diffuse damage seems to exist for the materials with CNTs compared to the baseline material. However, at such resolution where individual fibers are vaguely visible, grayscale thresholding does not accurately characterize the matrix cracks due to their small opening and low contrast with the material itself. Thus, we employ a deep-learning tool, called RootPainter, for segmentation of cracks with small opening in relation to the voxel size, in the 3D images. The results show that RootPainter can reliably identify these small cracks. In addition to the investigation of the mechanical performance of the nano-engineered composite, this study provides a novel and reliable method for the characterization of micro-cracks in in-situ tomograms of these composites.
DISCONTINUITIES IN ALIGNED DISCONTINUOUS FIBERS COMPOSITES: MICROSTRUCTURE ORIENTATION EFFECT ON LOCAL STRESS CONCENTRATION FACTORS
Authors: ROJAS G CAMILO A. , CUGNONI JOEL , LONGANA MARCO , LOMOV STEPAN , SWOLFS YENTL
Published: October 2022

The complexity of the microstructure in composites has led to major generalizations when predicting the strength of composites. In recent years composite strength predictions have progressed by improving the fidelity of randomly packed unidirectional models. Taking it one step, further we created digital twin models of real microstructures for discontinuous aligned composites. In these models we evaluated the impact of the mean fiber direction on the local stress concentration factors. We found that the local stress concentration factors can vary 71% within a 20 ° range of rotation. Nonetheless, this variation is load dependent and will be reduced with load progression.
REMAINING CHALLENGES IN THE APPLICATION OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING TO A PROCESS-TO- PERFORMANCE PIPELINE FOR TEXTILE COMPOSITES
Authors: BALLARD M. KEITH , IARVE ENDEL , WHITCOMB JOHN , SHANKAR VARUN , SUNDAR HARI , FERGUSON LAUREN , KIRBY MIKE , MOLLENHAUER DAVID
Published: October 2022

Predicting the performance of a textile composite based on a description of the mesostructure and parameters related to the processing that the textile experiences would provide many advantages. Multiple groups have made significant progress towards robust process-to-performance predictions and developed a pipeline of computational tools to perform the analyses. As more complex components and materials are considered, high-performance computing systems have been used to meet the increasing computational costs, but most tools do not effectively leverage modern HPC systems. This paper assesses a particular process-to-performance pipeline by measuring the computational cost at every step for increasingly large problem sizes. Critical limitations of each tool are discussed, and a perspective on how the pipeline may be improved to efficiently use HPC resources to perform more complex analyses is provided.
QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF IMPERFECTION INCLUSION TECHNIQUES IN BISTABLE COMPOSITES
Authors: ELRUBY AHMED , NAKHLA SAM
Published: October 2022

This work aims at quantifying the effect of geometric imperfection on cured shapes and the postbuckling behavior of bistable composites. For this purpose, the effects of two different sources of imperfections on predicted cured shapes and postbuckling behavior are assessed. Comparisons are held against Koiter’s asymptotic theory and test results. These comparisons reveal the respective effects of imperfection sources on buckling and postbuckling behavior of bistable composites.
EXPERIMENTAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE IN-PLANE SHEAR RESPONSE OF WOVEN POLYMER MATRIX COMPOSITES UNDER INTERMEDIATE STRAIN RATES
Authors: BUENROSTRO JAVIER , KIM HYONNY
Published: October 2022

The need for advanced material models to simulate the process of deformation, damage and failure of polymer matrix composites (PMCs) under impact conditions is becoming critical as these materials are gaining increased usage in the aerospace and automotive industries. Experimental stress vs. strain curves are needed at different strain rates for progressive damage modeling of dynamic failure. Matrix-dominated deformation modes are particularly challenging as they exhibit nonlinear behavior and rate dependence. In particular, in-plane shear is known to exhibit significant nonlinear response due its matrix dominant deformation leading up to failure. The purpose of this work is to experimentally characterize the in-plane shear deformation response of woven carbon/epoxy fabrics under intermediate strain rates (10-1 to 100 s-1). For this work, plain weave carbon fabrics with 3k and 12k tows are manufactured by VARTM. Testing is done using a servo-hydraulic load frame and 2D digital image correlation (DIC) is used to obtain experimental stress vs. strain curves following ASTM D7078M. Comparison between quasi-static (10-3 s-1) and intermediate experimental stress strain curves show an increase in ultimate strength and no significant change in modulus with increased loading rate. Investigations into the development of areas of localized high strain are observed which are attributed to the growth of meso-scale fiber tows damage. Surface level measurements from DIC and qualitative observations from high speed camera imaging reveal that cracks initiate and develop in the matrix gap between tows and at fiber undulation regions of the plain weave. These then develop into bulk cracks that grow parallel to the load. Higher loading rates have shown increased strength under in-plane. In conclusion, 2D DIC and the v-notched shear test method was able to characterize rate effects under intermediate shear loading of woven polymer matrix composites deformation response. High resolution DIC reveals localized mesoscale strain inhomogeneity that plays a key role in the initiation and evolution of bulk fracture in woven composite architecture which was captured for well for the 12k tow material.
INVESTIGATING EFFECTS OF FIBER LAYERS IN 3D PRINTED CARBON FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITES
Authors: SYCHLA JAKUB , TAN K. T.
Published: October 2022

The prominence of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) has made advancements in many industries including aerospace, automotive, and sporting goods. Using additive manufacturing to produce the CFRPs allows prototyping complex geometries while keeping the structure lightweight and producing a high strength material. This work studies the printing parameters and flexural strength of 3D printed onyx based CFRP samples, looking at the effect of variable parameters affecting the carbon fiber layers. A Markforged Mark 2 3D printer, which utilizes a dual head print head, is used to print nine different configurations of the CFRP composite. Each sample consists of 24 layers of material with an infill of 50%, two wall layers, as well as four roof and floor layers. The configurations examine the extreme of three parameters with reference to the carbon fiber, being the fiber angle, number of fiber layers, and the position of the fiber layers. The carbon fiber print angle is printed with layers at 0˚, 0˚/45˚, and 0˚/90˚ with the latter two switching between the respective angles for every layer of carbon fiber printed. The number of fiber layers are set to be either 4 or 16. The position of fiber layers includes all layers (excluding roof/floor); the two outer most layers (which are directly below/above the roof/floor layers); and the four middle layers of the sample. The 3D printed CFRP specimens are subjected to three-point bend test, and three samples are tested for each configuration. One sample is chosen from each configuration to undergo pre-test and post-test inspection using X-ray micro-computed tomography to examine any internal damages.
DESIGN OF ADHESIVELY BONDED COMPOSITE JOINTS USING A RAPID DESIGN TOOL
Authors: PLAKA EVGENIA , BEDNARCYK BRETT , MAIARÙ MARIANNA
Published: October 2022

The optimization of composite structural joints is an iterative process and a multiscale problem. High fidelity finite element modeling of joints with 3D woven and laminated materials can become computationally expensive. The aim of this paper is to present the applicability of a reliable analysis process for the optimization of the composite Y-joint (curved Pi-joint), to be used in an aircraft fuselage, using a commercial rapid joint design tool analysis optimization software. The rapid joint design tool was investigated as a substitute and/or complement to a finite element analysis software. A composite Pi-joint and a composite Y-joint were evaluated using the rapid joint design tool. Furthermore, two main preliminary parametric studies were performed to better understand the capability of the tool in predicting the failure load trends in the Y-joint. The parameters investigated were the joint curvature and the laminated skin thickness. Failure loads are found using interactive stress-based criteria. Lastly, the Y-joint modeled using the rapid tool was validated against experimental results with an agreement of less than 10% of the experimental value reported.
ADHESIVELY-BONDED METAL-CFRTP BI-MATERIALS: ENHANCED CRACK GROWTH RESISTANCE VIA PLASMA AND QUANTIFIED FRACTURE VIA SIZE EFFECT METHOD
Authors: QIAO YAO , SHIN YONGSOON , NICKERSON ETHAN K. , MERKEL DANIEL R. , ORTIZ ANGEL , SIMMONS KEVIN L.
Published: October 2022

This work investigated air plasma effect on the Mode I crack growth resistance of adhesively-bonded metal-CFRTP dissimilar joints by using aluminum alloy (AA6061) and short-carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide 66 (CFRPA66) as an example, and the Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) fracture testing as an evaluation method. The results showed that air plasma treatment can improve the fracture resistance of adhesively-bonded AA6061-CFRPA66 dissimilar joints with 140% enhanced Mode I fracture energy in maximum compared to non-treated ones. The quantified fracture energies from size effect method for both non-treated and plasma-treated cases are geometry-independent, whereas this is not true for modified beam theory causing geometry-dependent results. The foregoing improvement was confirmed from the failure surface morphology of plasma-treated specimens, showing fibers peeling off from CFRPA66 surface due to plasma-enhanced bonding between CFRPA66 and adhesive by the formation of covalent bonds at their interface. This study demonstrated air plasma as an efficient surface modification method to enhance the fracture resistance of adhesively-bonded metal-CFRTP dissimilar joints, and size effect method as a characterization method to properly quantify their fracture properties. These aspects are valuable in the area of multi-materials joining.
EXTRACTION OF DAMAGE-SENSITIVE SIGNAL FEATURES IN DAMAGED CARBON/EPOXY COMPOSITE STRUCTURES USING STATISTICAL PATTERN RECOGNITION
Authors: CUEVA JANELLE COLEEN DELA , KIM HYUNGSUK ERIC , KIM HYONNY
Published: October 2022

A statistical pattern recognition-based methodology for determining damagesensitive signal features and corresponding damage extent from nondestructive ultrasonic guided wave (UGW) testing of carbon/epoxy composite laminates has been established. Changes in signal features can be a function of several parameters, which can include operational and environmental variability in the experiment. Similarly, damage-sensitive features are functions of several random variables, and selecting optimal features are often subject to human bias. Multivariate statistical analysis (MSA) was utilized to determine a high variance in jointly distributed random variables, experiment parameters, and signal features to systematically distinguish damage-sensitive signal features. In Data Sets 1 and 2, the variances were examined with respect to experiment parameters in composite laminates with a range of damage levels. In Data Set 3, the variances of several signal features were examined with respect to changing notch sizes over a sweep of frequencies. The relative damage extent was distinguished in Data Sets 1 and 2 using multivariate analysis and damage-sensitive signal features were distinguished in Data Set 3.
Pasados violentos en la enseñanza de la historia y las ciencias sociales. Colombia, Argentina y Chile
Authors: Arias Gómez Diego H. , González María Paula , Rodríguez Ávila Sandra Patricia , Rubio Soto Graciela
Published: October 2022

En las últimas décadas los pasados que se resisten a pasar, los pasados que implican hechos dolorosos y responsabilidades vigentes, hacen parte de las demandas de los movimientos sociales, de los debates educativos y de las agendas políticas en distintos países del continente. En el ámbito de la enseñanza de las ciencias sociales y de la historia, con mayores o menores niveles de eficacia se vienen abordando diferentes aristas de esos pasados dolorosos en el currículo, en las políticas educativas o en distintos materiales escolares. Este libro presenta una aproximación desde Chile, Argentina y Colombia a los avatares de un campo dinámico en el continente que roza inevitablemente la realidad política y económica de cada país, en relación con la manera como la escuela pública ha tramitado y tramita desde lo legal y lo real las dictaduras los pasados violentos, traumáticos y controversiales.
Commentary on “Frontiers: Spilling the Beans on Political Consumerism: Do Social Media Boycotts and Buycotts Translate to Real Sales Impact?”
Authors: Lelkes Yphtach
Published: October 2022

Partisan buycotts and boycotts signal a tear in the American social fabric.

History: Olivier Toubia served as the senior editor for this article.

Conflict of Interest Statement: The author certifies that he has no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or nonfinancial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in thismanuscript. The author has no funding to report.
Joint Assortment Optimization and Customization Under a Mixture of Multinomial Logit Models: On the Value of Personalized Assortments
Authors: El Housni Omar , Topaloglu Huseyin
Published: October 2022

Assortment Personalization in E-commerce

In the age of big data, online businesses have access to a tremendous amount of browsing and purchasing data from their customers. Consequently, there has been great effort in exploiting this data to offer personalized product assortments to each customer based on what is known about her or his preferences. A personalized assortment can potentially allow enhancing the customer experience as well as improving the revenue of the retailer. In “Joint Assortment Optimization And Customization Under A Mixture Of Multinomial Logit Models: On The Value Of Personalized Assortments,” Omar El Housni and Huseyin Topaloglu consider an optimization model that jointly optimizes the assortment of products carried by an online retailer as well as the personalized assortments offered to each customer. They study the value of personalization and develop algorithms with provable theoretical guarantees to solve the optimization problem.
Trimodal prehabilitation for pelvic exenteration: principles and practice
Authors: Finch Alice , Frandzis Christall , Taylor Claire
Published: October 2022

Prehabilitation has been shown to improve functional patient outcomes and reduce hospital length of stay in colorectal cancer patients. Patients being considered for pelvic exenteration can present with a poor functional baseline, often due to the locally advanced nature of their disease and prior oncological treatment regimes. They may also have complex psychological, social and nutritional needs that need addressing. The trimodal programme consists of physical, nutritional and psychological specialist preoperative interventions. An individualised physical activity programme includes cardiovascular training and strength exercises. Early psychological assessment as part of a personalised care and support approach can enable prompt interventions to address and hopefully ameliorate any psychological sequelae. Those at nutritional risk need to be identified early in the pathway, adding in nutritional supplements and specialist dietetic advice where appropriate. By applying these principles, exenterative patients can achieve improved outcomes from complex colorectal cancer surgery.
Essential oils with contact insecticidal activity and encapsulation methods: a literature review
Authors: Silva Camilla Sena da , Albuquerque Caroline Fernanda , Coelho Ana Paula de Freitas , Fernandes Lisboa Cristiane , Gonzatto Mateus Pereira
Published: October 2022

Due to the increasing resistance of pests to chemical insecticides and the negative consequences arising from the use of chemicals, such as environmental contamination and health hazards, alternative methods of control need to be studied. In nature, essential oils play an important role in protecting plants as antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, insecticides, and also against herbivores by reducing their appetite for such plants. Secondary metabolites produced by medicinal or aromatic plants have the capacity for behavioral modification, growth and feeding reduction, besides exerting toxic and sterility effects on insects considered as pests, thus being a control strategy, besides being an alternative to the chemical products available on the market. Thus, the present review aimed to elucidate the use of essential oils in the control of various grain pests by exploring their bioactive compounds and addressing the main methods of encapsulation for the proper storage of these oils.
Terahertz direct polarization detector based on integrated antenna-coupled AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors
Authors: Ding Qingfeng , Zhu Yifan , Xiang Lanyong , Sun Jiandong , Shangguan Yang , Zhang Jinfeng , Li Xinxing , Jin Lin , Qin Hua
Published: October 2022

The foundation for polarization-based terahertz applications is the acquisition of polarization information. To develop an all-electronic terahertz straightforward polarization detection system, in this paper, a terahertz polarization detector based on three antenna-coupled AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) on a single chip is designed and fabricated. The function of the direct polarization detector is proven by measuring the polarization angle of linearly polarized continuous-wave terahertz radiation at 216 GHz. The average deviation and maximum deviation of the measured polarization angle are 3.7 degrees and 10 degrees, respectively. The error comes mainly from the disturbance of the local terahertz field by the interference effect. Simulations locate the sources of interference and guide the further device design and packaging of such kind of direct polarization detectors.
Realization of all-optical higher-order spatial differentiators based on cascaded operations
Authors: Shou Yichang , Wang Yan , Miao Lili , Chen Shizhen , Luo Hailu
Published: October 2022

Cascaded operations play an important role in traditional electronic computing systems for the realization of advanced strategies. Here, we introduce the idea of cascaded operations into all-optical spatial analog computing. The single function of the first-order operation has difficulty meeting the requirements of practical applications in image recognition. The all-optical second-order spatial differentiators are implemented by cascading two first-order differential operation units, and the image edge detection of amplitude and phase objects are demonstrated. Our scheme provides a possible pathway toward the development of compact multifunctional differentiators and advanced optical analog computing networks.
Frequency-modulated microwave signal generation by dual-wavelength-injection period-one laser dynamics
Authors: Yu Xiaoyue , Sun Guanqun , Zhang Fangzheng , Pan Shilong
Published: October 2022

In this Letter, dual-wavelength-injection period-one (P1) laser dynamics is proposed for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, to generate frequency-modulated microwave signals. By injecting light with two different wavelengths into a slave laser to excite P1 dynamics, the P1 oscillation frequency can be modulated without external control of the optical injection strength. The system is compact and stable. The frequency and bandwidth of the generated microwave signals can be easily adjusted by tuning the injection parameters. Through both simulations and experiments, the properties of the proposed dual-wavelength injection P1 oscillation are revealed, and the feasibility of the frequency-modulated microwave signal generation is verified. We believe that the proposed dual-wavelength injection P1 oscillation is an extension of laser dynamics theory, and the signal generation method is a promising solution for generating broadband frequency-modulated signals with good tunability.
Understanding a high-risk acute myeloid leukemia by analyzing the interactome of its major driver mutation
Authors: Chiriches Claudia , Nicolaisen Nathalie , Wieske Maria , Elhaddad Heba , Mehmetbeyoglu Ecmel , Alvares Caroline , Becher Dörte , Hole Paul , Ottmann Oliver Gerhard , Ruthardt Martin
Published: October 2022

The WHO classifies t(6;9)-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as a subgroup of high-risk AML because of its clinical and biological peculiarities, such as young age and therapy resistance. t(6;9) encodes the DEK/NUP214 fusion oncoprotein that targets only a small subpopulation of bone marrow progenitors for leukemic transformation. This distinguishes DEK/NUP214 from other fusion oncoproteins, such as PML/RARα, RUNX1/ETO, or MLL/AF9, which have a broad target population they block differentiation and increase stem cell capacity. A common theme among most leukemogenic fusion proteins is their aberrant localization compared to their wild-type counterparts. Although the actual consequences are widely unknown, it seems to contribute to leukemogenesis most likely by a sequester of interaction partners. Thus, we applied a global approach to studying the consequences of the aberrant localization of t(6;9)-DEK/NUP214 for its interactome. This study aimed to disclose the role of localization of DEK/NUP214 and the related sequester of proteins interacting with DEK/NUP214 for the determination of the biology of t(6;9)-AML. Here we show the complexity of the biological consequences of the expression of DEK/NUP214 by an in-depth bioinformatic analysis of the interactome of DEK/NUP214 and its biologically dead mutants. DEK/NUP214’s interactome points to an essential role for aberrant RNA-regulation and aberrant regulation of apoptosis and leukocyte activation as a significant determinant of the phenotype of t(6;9)-AML. Taken together, we provide evidence that the interactome contributes to the aberrant biology of an oncoprotein, providing opportunities for developing novel targeted therapy approaches.
Ramadan fasting and weight change trajectories: Time-varying association of weight during and after Ramadan in low-income and refugee populations
Authors: Zoughbie Daniel E. , Ng Tin Lok James , Thompson Jacqueline Y. , Watson Kathleen T. , Farraj Rami , Ding Eric L.
Published: October 2022

Obesity is a significant driver of the global burden of non-communicable diseases. Fasting is one approach that has been shown to improve health outcomes. However, the effects of Ramadan fasting differ in that the type, frequency, quantity, and time of food consumption vary. This phenomenon requires in-depth evaluation considering that 90% of Muslims (~2 billion people) fast during Ramadan. To address this issue, we evaluated the pattern of weight change during and following Ramadan for a total of 52 weeks. The study was conducted in Amman, Jordan. Between 2012 and 2015, 913 participants were recruited as part of a trial investigating the efficacy of a weight loss intervention among those with or at risk for diabetes. Weight was measured weekly starting at the beginning of Ramadan, and changes were analyzed using discrete and spline models adjusted for age, sex, and trial group. Results show slight weight gain within the first two weeks and weight loss in the subsequent weeks. During the first week of Ramadan, the estimate for a weight reduction was 0·427 kg, (95% CI: -0·007, 0·861), increasing to 1·567 kg, (95% CI: 2·547, 3·527) at week 26. There was clear evidence of gradual weight gain from about 4 to 15 weeks and a drop towards the end of the investigation at week 28 (-0·12kg, 95% CI: -0·89, 0·56). Our results show that weight changes occurred during and after Ramadan. Weight fluctuations may affect health risks, and thus, findings from this study can inform interventions. Public health agencies could leverage this period of dietary change to sustain some of the benefits of fasting. The authors (DEZ, EFD) acknowledge the Mulago Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the World Diabetes Foundation. TRIAL REGISTRATION. Clinicaltrials.gov registry identifier: NCT01596244.
Associations between recreational cannabis legalization and cannabis-related emergency department visits by age, gender, and geographic status in Ontario, Canada: An interrupted time series study
Authors: Kim Chungah , Chum Antony , Nielsen Andrew , Allin Sara , Penney Tarra L. , Rittenbach Katherine , MacMaster Frank P. , O’Campo Patricia
Published: October 2022

Legalization of recreational cannabis in Ontario included the legalization of flower and herbs (Phase 1, October 2018), and was followed by the deregulation of cannabis retailers and sales of edibles (Phase 2, February 2020). Research on the impact of cannabis legalization on acute care utilization is nascet; no research has investigated potential age, gender, and geographically vulnerable subgroup effects. Residents living in Northern Ontario not only have higher levels of substance use problems, but also have inadequate access to primary healthcare. Our study investigated the impact of Ontario’s recreational cannabis policy (including Phase 1 and 2) on cannabis-attributable emergency department (ED) visits, and estimated the impact separately for different age and gender groups, with additional analyses focused on Northern Ontarians. We created a cohort of adults (18 and over) eligible for provincial universal health insurance with continuous coverage from 2015–2021 (n = 14,900,820). An interrupted time series was used to examine the immediate impact and month-to-month changes in cannabis-related ED visits associated with Phase 1 & 2 for each subgroup. While Northern Ontario has higher rates of cannabis-related ED visits, both Northern and Southern Ontario show similar patterns of changes. Phase 1 was associated with significant increases in adults 25–64, with the strongest increases seen in women 45–64. Month-to-month trends were flattened in most groups compared to pre-legalization. Phase 2 was associated with significant immediate increases for adults aged 18–44 in both genders, but the increases were larger in women than men. No significant month-to-month changes were detected in this period. While current preventive efforts are largely focused on reducing cannabis-related harms in youths and younger adults, our results show that adults 25–64, particularly women, have been significantly impacted by cannabis policies. Further research on gender-specific cannabis dosage and targeted interventions for adult women should be investigated. Legalization did not appear to have a differential impact on Northern versus Southern Ontario, but higher rates of ED visits in the North should be addressed.
U.S. state policy contexts and mortality of working-age adults
Authors: Montez Jennifer Karas , Mehri Nader , Monnat Shannon M. , Beckfield Jason , Chapman Derek , Grumbach Jacob M. , Hayward Mark D. , Woolf Steven H. , Zajacova Anna
Published: October 2022

The rise in working-age mortality rates in the United States in recent decades largely reflects stalled declines in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality alongside rising mortality from alcohol-induced causes, suicide, and drug poisoning; and it has been especially severe in some U.S. states. Building on recent work, this study examined whether U.S. state policy contexts may be a central explanation. We modeled the associations between working-age mortality rates and state policies during 1999 to 2019. We used annual data from the 1999–2019 National Vital Statistics System to calculate state-level age-adjusted mortality rates for deaths from all causes and from CVD, alcohol-induced causes, suicide, and drug poisoning among adults ages 25–64 years. We merged that data with annual state-level data on eight policy domains, such as labor and taxes, where each domain was scored on a 0–1 conservative-to-liberal continuum. Results show that the policy domains were associated with working-age mortality. More conservative marijuana policies and more liberal policies on the environment, gun safety, labor, economic taxes, and tobacco taxes in a state were associated with lower mortality in that state. Especially strong associations were observed between certain domains and specific causes of death: between the gun safety domain and suicide mortality among men, between the labor domain and alcohol-induced mortality, and between both the economic tax and tobacco tax domains and CVD mortality. Simulations indicate that changing all policy domains in all states to a fully liberal orientation might have saved 171,030 lives in 2019, while changing them to a fully conservative orientation might have cost 217,635 lives.
A gateway conspiracy? Belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories prospectively predicts greater conspiracist ideation
Authors: Granados Samayoa Javier A. , Moore Courtney A. , Ruisch Benjamin C. , Boggs Shelby T. , Ladanyi Jesse T. , Fazio Russell H.
Published: October 2022

A primary focus of research on conspiracy theories has been understanding the psychological characteristics that predict people’s level of conspiracist ideation. However, the dynamics of conspiracist ideation—i.e., how such tendencies change over time—are not well understood. To help fill this gap in the literature, we used data from two longitudinal studies (Study 1N= 107; Study 2N= 1,037) conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that greater belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories at baseline predicts both greater endorsement of a novel real-world conspiracy theory involving voter fraud in the 2020 American Presidential election (Study 1) and increases in generic conspiracist ideation over a period of several months (Studies 1 and 2). Thus, engaging with real-world conspiracy theories appears to act as a gateway, leading to more general increases in conspiracist ideation. Beyond enhancing our knowledge of conspiracist ideation, this work highlights the importance of fighting the spread of conspiracy theories.
Exploring the role of ecology and social organisation in agropastoral societies: A Bayesian network approach
Authors: Palacios Olga , Barceló Juan Antonio , Delgado Rosario
Published: October 2022

The present contribution focuses on investigating the interaction of people and environment in small-scale farming societies. Our study is centred on the particular way settlement location constraints economic strategy when technology is limited, and social division of work is not fully developed. Our intention is to investigate prehistoric socioeconomic organisation when farming began in the Old World along the Levant shores of Iberian Peninsula, the Neolithic phenomenon. We approach this subject extracting relevant information from a big set of ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological cases using Machine Learning methods. This paper explores the use of Bayesian networks as explanatory models of the independent variables–the environment- and dependent variables–social decisions-, and also as predictive models. The study highlights how subsistence strategies are modified by ecological and topographical variables of the settlement location and their relationship with social organisation. It also establishes the role of Bayesian networks as a suitable supervised Machine Learning methodology for investigating socio-ecological systems, introducing their use to build useful data-driven models to address relevant archaeological and anthropological questions.
Skull and partial skeleton of a new pachycetine genus (Cetacea, Basilosauridae) from the Aridal Formation, Bartonian middle Eocene, of southwestern Morocco
Authors: Gingerich Philip D. , Amane Ayoub , Zouhri Samir
Published: October 2022

Pachycetus paulsonii, Pachycetus wardii, and Antaecetus aithai are middle Eocene archaeocete whales found in Europe, North America, and Africa, respectively. The three are placed in the new basilosaurid subfamily Pachycetinae. Antaecetus is a new genus known from Egypt and Morocco, and the only pachycetine known from a substantial postcranial skeleton. The skull of A. aithai described here resembles that of Saghacetus osiris in size, but lacks the narrowly constricted rostrum of Saghacetus. Antaecetus is smaller than Pachycetus and its teeth are more gracile. Upper premolars differ in having two rather than three accessory cusps flanking the principal cusp. Pachycetines differ from dorudontines in having elongated posterior thoracic and lumbar vertebrae like those of Basilosaurus, but differ from basilosaurines and from dorudontines in having conspicuously pachyosteosclerotic vertebrae with dense and thickly laminated cortical bone surrounding a cancellous core. Pachycetinae are also distinctive in having transverse processes on lumbar vertebrae nearly as long anteroposteriorly as the corresponding centrum. We infer from their pachyosteosclerotic vertebrae that pachycetines were probably sirenian-like slow swimmers living in shallow coastal seas and feeding on passing fish and mobile invertebrates.
Spatial distribution characteristics and accessibility analysis of beautiful leisure villages in China
Authors: Liao Zhenjie , Zhang Lijuan , Wang Xuanfei
Published: October 2022

This study was designed to evaluate the spatial distribution characteristics of 1432 beautiful leisure villages in China using econometric geography and spatial geographic information system analysis methods, such as nearest distance index, K index, and nuclear density. We also used the grid cost weighted distance algorithm to determine the spatial accessibility of beautiful leisure villages and the overall accessibility of county units. In addition, our evaluations determined the spatial differences in county accessibility using exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA). Our results showed that the spatial distribution of the beautiful leisure villages in China could be best described using the cohesion type classification and that there were large differences in their distribution between provinces and economic regions. The average accessibility time of beautiful leisure villages was 197.24 min with only 57.19% of these commutes being less than 2 h, and only 17.88% being less than 30 min. The area with the longest accessibility time was located on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, at up to 1510.03 min. The spatial distribution of accessibility showed obvious traffic directivity producing a positive Moran I value for most counties. There was also a significant positive correlation between the accessibility of beautiful leisure villages and their adjacent areas, and clear patterns of hot spots–sub-hot spots–sub-cold spots—cold spots from east to west. The overall service scope of beautiful leisure villages was characterized by west > east > middle, with topography, population, economy, and location acting as the major factors in the spatial distribution of these beautiful leisure villages in China.
Chemical and physical restraint use during acute care hospitalization of older adults: A retrospective cohort study and time series analysis
Authors: Jones Aaron , Goodarzi Zahra , Lee Justin , Norman Richard , Wong Eric , Dasgupta Monidipa , Liu Barbara , Watt Jennifer
Published: October 2022

Background

Chemical and physical restraints are associated with harm in older adults, but our understanding of their use during acute care hospitalizations is limited.

Objectives

To (1) describe restraint use during acute care hospitalizations of older adults at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels and (2) describe between-hospital variability in restraint use.

Design

Retrospective cohort study with a time series analysis.

Participants

Acute care hospital inpatients, aged 65 years or older, who were discharged from one of four Alberta hospitals or six Ontario hospitals in Canada, between November 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020.

Main measures

We used autoregressive linear models with restricted cubic splines to compare proportions of chemical restraint (that is, psychotropic medications, namely antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and trazodone) and physical restraint (e.g., mittens) use immediately after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with pre-pandemic levels. We describe between-hospital variability in restraint use using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and median odds ratios (OR).

Key results

We included 71,004 hospitalizations. Adjusted for the prevalence of dementia and psychotic disorders, chemical restraint use increased in Ontario hospitals from a pre-pandemic average of 27.1% to 30.8% (p<0.001) before returning to pre-pandemic levels within eight weeks. Physical restraint orders in Ontario increased from 5.9% to 8.3% (p = 0.012) and remained elevated at eight weeks. No significant changes in restraint use were observed in Alberta. There was moderate between-hospital variability in chemical restraint use (ICC 0.041 and median OR 1.43). Variability in physical restraint use was higher (ICC 0.11 and median OR 1.83).

Conclusions

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted in-hospital use of chemical and physical restraints among older adults in Ontario but not Alberta. Substantial differences in chemical and physical restraint use by region and hospital suggests there are opportunities to improve best practices in geriatric care. Future research must support implementation of evidence-informed interventions that standardize appropriate restraint use.
Diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced CT for neck abscesses: A systematic review and meta-analysis of positive predictive value
Authors: Hagelberg Jon , Pape Bernd , Heikkinen Jaakko , Nurminen Janne , Mattila Kimmo , Hirvonen Jussi
Published: October 2022

Objectives

To review the diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) in differentiating abscesses from cellulitis in patients with neck infections, using surgical findings as the reference standard.

Materials and methods

Previous studies in the last 32 years were searched from PubMed and Embase. Because of partial verification bias (only positive abscess findings are usually verified surgically), sensitivity and specificity estimates are unreliable, and we focused on positive predictive value (PPV). For all studies, PPV was calculated as the proportion of true positives out of all positives on imaging. To estimate pooled PPV, we used both the median with an interquartile range and a model-based estimate. For narrative purposes, we reviewed the utility of common morphological CT criteria for abscesses, such as central hypodensity, the size of the collection, bulging, rim enhancement, and presence of air, as well as sensitivity and specificity values reported by the original reports.

Results

23 studies were found reporting 1453 patients, 14 studies in children (771 patients), two in adults (137 patients), and seven including all ages (545 patients). PPV ranged from 0.67 to 0.97 in individual studies, had a median of 0.84 (0.79–0.87), and a model-based pooled estimate of 0.83 (95% confidence interval 0.80–0.85). Most morphological CT criteria had considerable overlap between abscesses and cellulitis.

Conclusions

The pooled estimate of PPV is 0.83 for diagnosing neck abscesses with CT. False positives may be due to limited soft tissue contrast resolution. Overall, none of the morphological criteria seem to be highly accurate for differentiation between abscess and cellulitis.
Remote sensing image super-resolution using multi-scale convolutional sparse coding network
Authors: Cheng Ruihong , Wang Huajun , Luo Ping
Published: October 2022

With the development of convolutional neural networks, impressive success has been achieved in remote sensing image super-resolution. However, the performance of super-resolution reconstruction is unsatisfactory due to the lack of details in remote sensing images when compared to natural images. Therefore, this paper presents a novel multiscale convolutional sparse coding network (MCSCN) to carry out the remote sensing images SR reconstruction with rich details. The MCSCN, which consists of a multiscale convolutional sparse coding module (MCSCM) with dictionary convolution units, can improve the extraction of high frequency features. We can obtain more plentiful feature information by combining multiple sizes of sparse features. Finally, a layer based on sub-pixel convolution that combines global and local features takes as the reconstruction block. The experimental results show that the MCSCN gains an advantage over several existing state-of-the-art methods in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity.
Diagnostic efficiency of RPA/RAA integrated CRISPR-Cas technique for COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyu , Ge Xiao , Shen Fangyuan , Qiao Jinjuan , Zhang Yubo , Li Heng
Published: October 2022

Objective

To evaluate the diagnostic value of recombinase polymerase/ aided amplification (RPA/RAA) integrated clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) in the diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Methods

We searched relevant literature on CRISPR technology for COVID-19 diagnosis using "novel coronavirus", "clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats" and "RPA/RAA" as subject terms in PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Embase databases. Further, we performed a meta-analysis after screening the literature, quality assessment, and data extraction.

Results

The pooled sensitivity, specificity and a rea under the summary receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) were 0.98 [95% confidence interval (CI):0.97–0.99], 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97–1.00) and 1.00 (95% CI: 0.98–1.00), respectively. For CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins-12, the sensitivity, specificity was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96–1.00), 1.00 (95% CI: 0.99–1.00), respectively. For Cas13, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97–1.00) and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91–1.00). The positive likelihood ratio (PLR) was 183.2 (95% CI: 28.8, 1166.8); the negative likelihood ratio (NLR) was 0.02 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.03).

Conclusion

RPA/RAA integrated with CRISPR technology is used to diagnose coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) with high accuracy and can be used for large-scale population screening.
Diabetes and physical activity: A prospective cohort study
Authors: A. B. Attanayake H. M. Dumidu , Barnett Adrian , Burton Nicola W. , Brown Wendy J. , Cramb Susanna M.
Published: October 2022

Diabetes is on the rise as the worldwide population ages. While physical activity can help protect against diabetes, ageing is commonly associated with reduced physical activity. This study aimed to examine if physical activity differs by diabetes status in mid-aged adults, how this association changes over time, and whether physical activity-related sociodemographic factors and health indicators differ in those with and without diabetes. Data came from four waves of the How Areas in Brisbane Influence HealTh and AcTivity (HABITAT), a longitudinal study of mid-age adults living in Brisbane, Australia. Random effects/Expectation-maximisation (RE-EM) regression trees were used to identify factors affecting physical activity among those with and without diabetes, both separately and combined. At study entry, those with diabetes had a higher median age of 58 years (95% CI: 57–60) and a lower median physical activity of 699 MET.min/week (95% CI: 599–799) than people without diabetes (53 years (95% CI: 53–53) and 849 MET.min/week (95% CI: 799–899)). However, the strongest factors influencing physical activity were BMI and gender, not diabetes status. It is vital to promote physical activity among adults, in particular among those with high BMI and women, as well as those with and at high risk of diseases like diabetes.
The Mimic, the Abstract, and the Familiar in John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)
Authors: Koss Emma
Published: October 2022

The Thing is an American science fiction film that explores the survival of a group of scientists when they encounter a shape-shifting alien life-form in Antarctica. This article draws attention to the monster in three specific forms and how they depict various manifestations of anxiety; the dog-thing, the head-spider, and a human copy. This article examines these versions of the monster and parallels them with three understandings of anxiety; the mimic, the abstract, and the familiar. Therefore surfacing the idea that anxiety molds itself into a parasite that adapts and manipulates the host until there is no distinction between the copy and the original. Through the support of scene analysis and the study of stylistic choices, these presentations of the monster work to prove that the horror genre continues to broaden the idea of ‘fear’ in the realm of the human experience.
Performative Revolution in Popular Media and Accelerationist Narratives in Resident Evil
Authors: Dickerson Mason
Published: October 2022

Popular Hollywood movies do not often attempt to meaningfully criticize capitalism. What proliferates, instead, are performative optics; media starts a revolution for us so capital can continue its death march forward, unphased. Academia has begun to wrestle with the concept of accelerationism—that is, the full maximization of capitalism’s mechanics as a destabilizing strategy. Though accelerationism may lack merit as a political praxis, this article frames it as a subversive narrative strategy in popular media, fully embodied through the final installment of Paul W. S. Anderson’s film adaptation of the Resident Evil video game franchise, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016).