bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The war, refugees, and the future of Ukraine's population
Authors: Kulu Hill , Christison Sarah , Liu Chia , Mikolai Júlia
Published: March 2023

This study analyses the effect of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 on the future of Ukraine's population. We conduct a series of population projections with different assumptions on the proportion of refugees that may return to Ukraine. Our projections show that if past demographic trends continue, Ukraine's population is projected to decline by one‐sixth over the next two decades and become older. These trends are largely driven by past and current demographic developments: continued very low fertility and large‐scale emigration at the turn of the century. With war casualties and a large portion of the Ukrainian population seeking safety abroad from the conflict, the country's population is projected to decline by one‐third. The decline would be even larger among the working‐age population and children. Russia's invasion has not only led to immense human and economic costs in Ukraine in the present but also carries long‐term demographic repercussions.
Interpretation and clinical utility of indocyanine‐green fluorescence imaging (IFI) in robot‐assisted anorectal‐function saving operations (ASOs): A propensity‐score matched analysis of 872 prospectively enroled patients undergoing IFI
Authors: Kim Jin Cheon , Lee Jong Lyul , Kim Chan Wook , Kim Hyung Min , Park In Ja , Yoon Yong Sik
Published: March 2023

Background

This study suggested a novel physiological evaluation of indocyanine‐green fluorescence imaging (IFI), and its utility associated with anastomotic leakage/stricture (AL/AS) and prognosis.

Methods

This study focussed on the utility of IFI, comparing IFI + versus IFI‐ groups (n = 878 vs. 339), optimised by propensity‐score matching. After intravenous injection of indocyanine green, maximal perfusion was separately assessed at the vasa recta (VR) and colonic wall (CW), by determining intensities at the VR (VRI) and CW (CWI) and respective time.

Results

Although IFI did not significantly reduce either AL or AS, which occurred approximately 3‐fold frequently in patients with lower than higher intensity of VRI. IFI was found as an independent parameter for both disease‐free [DFS: hazard ratio (HR) = 0.489; p = 0.002] and overall survival (OS: HR = 0.519; p = 0.021).

Conclusions

Although IFI did not significantly reduce AL/AS, IFI independently reduced 5‐year systemic recurrence and increased 5‐year DFS and OS.
The policy trajectory of green building development in China: A sequential and network analysis
Authors: Gan Xiaolong , Yan Kangkang , Xie Kexin , Tan Yongtao
Published: March 2023

Policies play an extremely important role in promoting the development of green building (GB). Despite multiple policies have been issued to promote the GB development, the low market share of GB in China indicates that the policy system is unsatisfactory. However, few studies have concentrated on the policy trajectory of GB development. This study aims to fill this gap using network‐based analysis to explore the policy trajectory of GB development from the perspective of policy agency, objective, and instrument. 129 national GB development policies were collected, and the trajectory of policy agency, objective, and instrument were analyzed. The main results are as follows: (1) cross‐functional‐ and cross‐hierarchical‐level coordination between policy‐issuing agencies tends to increase. The cooperation among policy agencies represents a strong core‐periphery structure feature; (2) the policy objectives are related to multiple dimensions of GB development, and the focuses of GB development policy objectives are dynamically changed but show continuity to some degree; (3) the adoption of policy instruments is structurally unbalanced, and the mismatch between policy instruments and policy objective should be addressed urgently. Corresponding policy recommendations are provided from policy agencies, objectives and instruments. This research provides a novel perspective on policy analysis, which offers useful information on policy making for GB development.
Effect of V–Nb Composite Microalloying on Microstructure and Properties of Non‐Quenched and Tempered Forged Steel
Authors: Sun Lican , Song Renbo , Zhao Shuai , Zhang Yingchao , Ren Shuhao
Published: March 2023

Herein, non‐quenched and tempered forging steels containing V and V–Nb are designed, and the mechanical properties and microstructure of two steels are compared and analyzed. The comprehensive mechanical properties of V–Nb containing steel are as follows: the yield strength is 525.1 MPa, the impact energy AkV is 62.1 J at ambient temperature, and the elongation is 26.1%. It is shown in the results that the addition of Nb element can refine the grain size (17.2 μm), increase the ferrite content (54.1%), and refine the lamellar spacing of pearlite (274 nm). The formation of V (C, N) particles on MnS inclusions can promote fine ferrite nucleation and growth, and Nb element can further promote ferrite nucleation by forming coarser (V, Nb) (C, N) particles. The difference of yield strength and hardness between the two steels is mainly caused by the difference of precipitation strengthening, the precipitation‐strengthening increment of V–Nb containing steel is 18.31 MPa higher than that of V containing steel, which is because the coarser‐size (V, Nb) (C, N) particles produce stronger precipitation‐strengthening effect. But the large‐sized MnS inclusions are beneficial to the increase of crack driving force and reduce the plasticity and toughness.
Zusammenfassung und Ausblick
Authors: Peschke Thomas
Published: March 2023

In dem ersten Teil (B.) dieser Arbeit wurde herausgearbeitet, dass die Beihilfenkontrolle im Steuerrecht in dreifacher Hinsicht eingeschränkt ist, nämlich im Hinblick auf die Steuerautonomie der Mitgliedstaaten, den Regelungszweck des Verbots staatlicher Beihilfen und die rückwirkenden Rechtsfolgen bei Steuerbeihilfen.
A Study on Data Augmentation Techniques for Visual Defect Detection in Manufacturing
Authors: Leyendecker Lars , Agarwal Shobhit , Werner Thorben , Motz Maximilian , Schmitt Robert H.
Published: March 2023

Deep learning-based defect detection is rapidly gaining importance for automating visual quality control tasks in industrial applications. However, due to usually low rejection rates in manufacturing processes, industrial defect detection datasets are inherent to three severe data challenges: data sparsity, data imbalance, and data shift. Because the acquisition of defect data is highly cost″​=intensive, and Deep Learning (DL) algorithms require a sufficiently large amount of data, we are investigating how to solve these challenges using data oversampling and data augmentation (DA) techniques. Given the problem of binary defect detection, we present a novel experimental procedure for analyzing the impact of different DA-techniques. Accordingly, pre-selected DA-techniques are used to generate experiments across multiple datasets and DL models. For each defect detection use-case, we configure a set of random DA-pipelines to generate datasets of different characteristics. To investigate the impact of DA-techniques on defect detection performance, we then train convolutional neural networks with two different but fixed architectures and hyperparameter sets. To quantify and evaluate the generalizability, we compute the distances between dataset derivatives to determine the degree of domain shift. The results show that we can precisely analyze the influences of individual DA-methods, thus laying the foundation for establishing a mapping between dataset properties and DA-induced performance enhancement aiming for enhancing DL development. We show that there is no one-fits all solution, but that within the categories of geometrical and color augmentations, certain DA-methods outperform others.
The Inequity Implications of Peatland Conservation Policies
Authors: Kasori Maho
Published: March 2023

Implementation of conservation policies can result in negative impacts and exacerbate existing disparities, yet studies of these risks in peatland communities are minimal. This chapter identifies the equity implications of peatland conservation policies on local communities and suggests appropriate policy directions. The study is based on field work and a survey of 63 randomly selected households (22% of total households) in a multi-ethnic village of Riau Province, Indonesia that has both peatland and non-peatland. Analysis reveals that the make-up and efforts of the local firefighting group, the Masyarakat Peduli Api (MPA), do not include all villagers, suggesting that only specific villagers make an effort to participate in peatland conservation activity. Participation in Livelihood Improvement Programs is also limited, with high-earning households that own non-peatland benefiting the most, thus threatening to accelerate existing economic disparities. There is a strong need for policies and programs that mitigate and correct these disparities while taking into account the diverse nature of peat communities and fires.
Inferring Recent Changes in Fish Fauna in the Middle Reaches of the Kampar River: Survey Results from the Fishing Village of Rantau Baru
Authors: Nakagawa Hikaru
Published: March 2023

Degradation of peatlands is an issue of global concern, yet ample knowledge of local conditions is lacking when it comes to determining (1) the impacts of river and floodplain development and (2) how best to conserve peat swamp ecosystems. This chapter documents the relationships between scientific and local names of fishes and recent changes in fish biodiversity in the mid-Kampar River Basin of Sumatra. A questionnaire was administered to 164 householders in the village of Rantau Baru and information on 96 species was triangulated with previous English- and Indonesian-language research. Results indicate the local extinction (defined as caught in the past but not observed during the last five years) of large predatory fishes and the invasion of several exotic species, potentially pointing to the early stage of degradation of the freshwater ecosystems. The potentiality of establishing effective freshwater protected areas in the mid-Kampar Basin is assessed by a narrative review of studies and methods from other developing countries. Local-scale ecosystem conservation that incorporates local perspectives and scientific investigation is of the highest priority to address development pressures on rivers, floodplains, and surrounding communities.
Status of the singlino-dominated dark matter in general Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model
Authors: Cao Junjie , Jia Xinglong , Meng Lei , Yue Yuanfang , Zhang Di
Published: March 2023

Abstract

With the rapid progress of dark matter direct detection experiments, the attractiveness of the popular bino-dominated dark matter in economical supersymmetric theories is fading. As an alternative, the singlino-dominated dark matter in general Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) is paying due attention. This scenario has the following distinct characteristics: free from the tadpole problem and the domain-wall problem of the NMSSM with a Z3-symmetry, predicting more stable vacuum states than the Z3-NMSSM, capable of forming an economical secluded dark matter sector to yield the dark matter experimental results naturally, and readily weaken the restrictions from the LHC search for SUSY. Consequently, it can explain the muon g-2 anomaly in broad parameter space that agrees with various experimental results while simultaneously breaking the electroweak symmetry naturally. In this study, we show in detail how the scenario coincides with the experiments, such as the SUSY search at the LHC, the dark matter search by the LZ experiment, and the improved measurement of the muon g-2. We provide a simple and clear picture of the physics inherent in the general NMSSM.
Lorentz and CPT breaking in gamma-ray burst neutrinos from string theory
Authors: Li Chengyi , Ma Bo-Qiang
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Previous studies on high-energy gamma-ray burst neutrinos from IceCube suggest a neutrino speed variation at the Lorentz violation (LV) scale of ~6.4 × 1017 GeV, with opposite velocity variances between neutrinos and antineutrinos. Within a spacetime foam model, inspired by string theory, we develop an approach to describe the suggested neutrino/antineutrino propagation properties with both Lorentz invariance and CPT symmetry breaking. A threshold analysis on the bremsstrahlung of electron-positron pair (ν → νee+) for the superluminal (anti)neutrino is performed. We find that, due to the energy violation caused by the quantum foam, such reaction may be restricted to occur at sufficient high energies and could even be kinematically forbidden. Constraints on neutrino LV from vacuum ee+ pair emission are naturally avoided. Future experiments are appealed to test further the CPT violation of cosmic neutrinos and/or neutrino superluminality.
The (amazing) super-maze
Authors: Bena Iosif , Hampton Shaun D. , Houppe Anthony , Li Yixuan , Toulikas Dimitrios
Published: March 2023

Abstract

The entropy of the three-charge NS5-F1-P black hole in Type IIA string theory comes from the breaking of N1 F1 strings into N1N5 little strings, which become independent momentum carriers. In M theory, the little strings correspond to strips of M2 brane that connect pairs of parallel M5 branes separated along the M-theory direction. We show that if one takes into account the backreaction of the M-theory little strings on the M5 branes one obtains a maze-like structure, to which one can add momentum waves. We also show that adding momentum waves to the little strings gives rise to a momentum-carrying brane configuration — a super-maze — which locally preserves 16 supercharges. We therefore expect the backreaction of the super-maze to give rise to a new class of horizonless black-hole microstate solutions, which preserve the rotational symmetry of the black-hole horizon and carry $$ \sqrt{5/6} $$

5
/
6

of its entropy.
Rapid Pacing Decreases L-type Ca2+ Current and Alters Cacna1c Isogene Expression in Primary Cultured Rat Left Ventricular Myocytes
Authors: Ritzer Anne , Roeschl Tobias , Nay Sandra , Rudakova Elena , Volk Tilmann
Published: March 2023

The L-type calcium current (ICaL) is the first step in cardiac excitation–contraction-coupling and plays an important role in regulating contractility, but also in electrical and mechanical remodeling. Primary culture of cardiomyocytes, a widely used tool in cardiac ion channel research, is associated with substantial morphological, functional and electrical changes some of which may be prevented by electrical pacing. We therefore investigated ICaL directly after cell isolation and after 24 h of primary culture with and without regular pacing at 1 and 3 Hz in rat left ventricular myocytes. Moreover, we analyzed total mRNA expression of the pore forming subunit of the L-type Ca2+ channel (cacna1c) as well as the expression of splice variants of its exon 1 that contribute to specificity of ICaL in different tissue such as cardiac myocytes or smooth muscle. 24 h incubation without pacing decreased ICaL density by ~ 10% only. Consistent with this decrease we observed a decrease in the expression of total cacna1c and of exon 1a, the dominant variant of cardiomyocytes, while expression of exon 1b and 1c increased. Pacing for 24 h at 1 and 3 Hz led to a substantial decrease in ICaL density by 30%, mildly slowed ICaL inactivation and shifted steady-state inactivation to more negative potentials. Total cacna1c mRNA expression was substantially decreased by pacing, as was the expression of exon 1b and 1c. Taken together, electrical silence introduces fewer alterations in ICaL density and cacna1c mRNA expression than pacing for 24 h and should therefore be the preferred approach for primary culture of cardiomyocytes.

Graphical Abstract
Mite dilemma: molting to acquire sexual maturity or not molting to ensure durability and dispersal ability in Phorytocarpais fimetorum (Parasitiformes; Gamasida; Parasitidae)
Authors: Yasui Yukio
Published: March 2023

Dispersal from birthplace is an effective strategy to cope up with unpredictable environmental change. In many animals, dispersal is carried out prior to mating and reproduction to avoid inbreeding. However, this also means that the dispersers must find mates in the new habitat. Phorytocarpais fimetorum (= former name Parasitus fimetorum) is a free-living predatory mite inhabiting animal dung and manure. In such ephemeral habitats, the mites quickly develop from egg to deutonymph as the environmentally tolerant, dispersal stage via larva and protonymph stages. After dispersal to new habitats utilizing dung beetles as phoretic hosts, deutonymphs have to decide whether to molt to adulthood by losing their tolerance and migration ability or not to molt and continue dispersal. Here, using molt-suppressing deutonymphs that were obtained under isolated conditions, I investigated whether food conditions (amount of rearing medium bearing nematodes as prey) and encounters with conspecifics stimulate their molting. A drastic increase in food resources induced molting in both sexes, but the responses to the pairing treatment were different between sexes. Whereas female deutonymphs molted at the encounter with males regardless of whether they were deutonymphs or adults, molting of male deutonymphs was induced only at the pairing with female deutonymphs (not adult females). Because adult females are usually nonvirgin and have already started oviposition, the males seemed to discriminate against them. The decision about molting is understandable as a male mate choice, which is adaptive to the limited mating opportunities in ephemeral environments.
Embodying Ethiopia’s Global Golden Age on the Muslim-Christian Frontier: The Allure of Glass Beads
Authors: Marín-Aguilera Beatriz , Dussubieux Laure
Published: March 2023

The period between AD 700 and 1500 has been recently labeled as “Africa’s global Golden Age.” This is particularly true for the Shay communities living on the Muslim-Christian frontier in the ninth to fourteenth century AD. Located in the center of the Ethiopian highlands, the Shay faced the expansion of the Christian kingdoms and the advance of the Muslim polities. In an increasingly violent context of religious conversion and war between the two religious powers, the Shay stressed their independence by burying their deceased in collective structures, contrary to the mortuary practices of both Christians and Muslims, and by including precious local and global grave goods in their tombs. The laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis of 34 glass beads shows how the Shay communities benefited from the Islamic global trade routes at the time, particularly the Middle East, Egypt, and the Indo-Pacific networks. This article examines the crucial role of global glass beads in the construction of a trans-corporeal landscape among the Shay that served the emergence and consolidation of the social self as a collective identity against their Christian and Muslim neighbors.
Drivers of diversity of arable plant communities in one of their european conservation hotspots
Authors: Fanfarillo Emanuele , Maccherini Simona , Angiolini Claudia , de Simone Leopoldo , Fiaschi Tiberio , Tassinari Antonella , Rosati Leonardo , Bacaro Giovanni
Published: March 2023

The changes of agriculture led to deep transformations of arable plant diversity. The features of arable plant communities are determined by many anthropic, environmental, and geographic drivers. Understanding the relative importance of such drivers is essential for conservation and restoration purposes. In this work, we assessed the effects of agronomic, climatic, geographic, and landscape features on α-diversity, β-diversity, and composition of winter arable plant communities across continental Italy, a European hotspot of arable plant diversity. Using redundancy analysis and variation partitioning, we observe that the selected groups of variables explained a restrained to moderate proportion of the variation in diversity and composition, depending on the response (5.5–23.5%). We confirm previous evidence that climate and geographic location stand out in determining the features of arable plant communities in the country, followed by the type of rural area. The surrounding landscape has a subordinate influence but affects both α and β-diversity. The α-diversity is higher in traditional agricultural areas and in landscapes rich in woody vegetation, while it is lower in warmer areas. Species composition is determined by climate, latitude, and the type of rural area, but not by landscape. Total β-diversity is mainly explained by climate and latitude, and subordinately by the agricultural context and landscape. Its components are explained by latitude and climate (replacement) and agricultural context and climate (richness difference). The local contribution to β-diversity of single sites suggested a good conservation status of the studied communities. We discuss the implications of our findings in the light of conservation and restoration of vanishing arable plant communities.
Cholesterol and breast cancer risk: a cohort study using health insurance claims and health checkup databases
Authors: Narii Nobuhiro , Zha Ling , Komatsu Masayo , Kitamura Tetsuhisa , Sobue Tomotaka , Ogawa Toshio
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the association between serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and breast cancer risk in Japanese women.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated the association between the levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TGs) and the incidence of breast cancer in a cohort study by using the health insurance claims and health checkup data from a database provided by JMDC Inc. We included 956,390 women who were insured between April 2008 and June 2019, identified breast cancer cases by using validated definitions, and estimated the risk of breast cancer by using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for potential confounders.

Results

During the 2,832,277 person-years observation period (median 2.4 years), 6284 participants were diagnosed with breast cancer. There was marginally significant association between LDL-C and breast cancer risk when comparing the highest and lowest quintiles and at the clinical cutoff values for diagnosing hyperlipidemia. HDL-C was not associated with breast cancer. However, when stratified by age groups (< 50 and ≥ 50), HDL-C was inversely associated with breast cancer risk in women over 50 years old. TG was not associated with breast cancer risk.

Conclusion

In this population, there was a modest association of LDL-C at the clinical cutoff values for diagnosing hyperlipidemia (140 mg/mL), and there were no associations of HDL-C and TG with breast cancer risk.
Implementation of micro-credentials in higher education: A systematic literature review
Authors: Ahsan Kamrul , Akbar Suraiyah , Kam Booi , Abdulrahman Muhammad Dan-Asabe
Published: March 2023

Micro-credential (MC) is an innovative and disruptive technology-based learning model. In higher education (HE), MCs are typically certified in the form of a digital badge (DB) issued to learners upon completion of a credential. The introduction of MCs and DBs has the potential to revolutionise the way in which HE institutions deliver degrees, and how students learn and achieve their tertiary qualifications. To explore this innovative learning, this study investigates the potentials and challenges of implementing MCs in HE. Through a systematic literature review of 56 peer-reviewed articles on MCs and related DBs in HE published between 2015 and 2021, we find that research on MCs in HE is gaining attention. While different aspects of MCs in HE have been studied using various research methodologies and theoretical lenses, further research is needed to capture the influence of technology and to understand different stakeholder perspectives. This study contributes to the growing literature on MCs in HE by synthesising the relevant knowledge areas into key themes and developing a conceptual framework for implementing MCs in HE. This study also identifies critical research gaps to advance the literature on MC implementation in HE.
Ocean Circulation from Space
Authors: Morrow Rosemary , Fu Lee-Lueng , Rio Marie-Héléne , Ray Richard , Prandi Pierre , Le Traon Pierre-Yves , Benveniste Jérôme
Published: March 2023

This paper reviews the recent progress in our estimation of ocean dynamic topography and the derived surface geostrophic currents, mainly based on multiple nadir radar altimeter missions. These altimetric observations provide the cornerstone of our ocean circulation observing system from space. The largest signal in sea surface topography is from the mean surface dominated by the marine geoid, and we will discuss recent progress in observing the mean ocean circulation from altimetry, once the geoid and other corrections have been estimated and removed. We then address the recent advances in our observations of the large-scale and mesoscale ocean circulation from space, and the particular challenges and opportunities for new observations in the polar regions. The active research in the ocean barotropic tides and internal tidal circulation is also presented. The paper also addresses how our networks of global multi-satellite and in situ observations are being combined and assimilated to characterize the four-dimensional ocean circulation, for climate research and ocean forecasting systems. For the future of ocean circulation from space, the need for continuity of our current observing system is crucial, and we discuss the exciting enhancement to come with global wide-swath altimetry, the extension into the coastal and high-latitude regions, and proposals for direct total surface current satellites in the 2030 period.
Modelling Escherichia coli removal during domestic wastewater treatment in outdoor pilot scale High Rate Algal Ponds
Authors: Chambonniere Paul , Plouviez Maxence , Guieysse Benoit
Published: March 2023

While there is growing evidence that High Rate Algal Ponds (HRAPS) can support disinfection during wastewater treatment, the mechanisms of pathogen removal involved remain unclear. Based on previous findings, the present study aimed at verifying the occurrence and significance of dark decay, alkaline-pH toxicity, and sunlight direct damage in conditions representative of ‘real’ HRAP operation. For this purpose, Escherichia coli cell count was monitored hourly during 24 h periods in outdoor pilot HRAPs fed domestic wastewater. The data generated was used to create 2 distinct data sets that were then used to calibrate and validate a model of E. coli removal in HRAP. By modelling the contribution of the three mechanisms considered, E. coli removal in HRAPs could be predicted with a mean relative absolute error of 5.34% (N = 46). The model was then inputted yearly environmental data obtained from the continuous operations of the pilot scale HRAPs to evaluate the yearlong contributions from each mechanism to overall E. coli removal. Dark decay was thus predicted to support the highest yearlong mean contribution (78.6 – 91.0% of total E. coli decay, at the 95% confidence level) followed by sunlight mediated disinfection (6.01 – 17.8%) and pH toxicity (0.22 – 6.2%). Significant seasonal and daily fluctuations of decay mechanism contributions were evidenced in this study.
Identification of lumped stiffness parameters for a motorcycle model in investigating weave and wobble
Authors: Passigato Francesco , Schramm Alexander , Diermeyer Frank , Sorrentino Silvio , Gordner Achim , De Felice Alessandro
Published: March 2023

In motorcycle dynamics, great importance is attributed to the study of the weave and wobble vibration modes and, in particular, to the effects of the flexibility of structural components on their stability. Therefore, appropriate motorcycle models for studying weave and wobble should include flexible elements for describing the flexural behavior of components such as the main frame, front assembly, and rear swingarm. Different approaches are possible for modeling flexibilities: the most common among them are the lumped stiffness and the flexible multibody approaches. While the latter certainly provides higher accuracy, the former has advantages in terms of computational load, but, above all, it makes it easier to understand in the design phase how technical parameters, such as torsional and bending stiffness of a given structural component, can influence the stability of weave and wobble. The accuracy of lumped stiffness models strongly depends on parameter identification. In this study, a general method is proposed to determine appropriate lumped stiffness parameters for any given motorcycle component. The proposed method is tested and validated by comparing the weave and wobble modal behavior with the results of flexible multibody analysis. The lumped stiffness model is then adopted to carry out a sensitivity analysis aimed at identifying the effects on the weave and wobble stability of the torsional and bending stiffness of specific structural components of the motorcycle to optimize their design.
Response of HPC hardware to neutron radiation at the dawn of exascale
Authors: Bustos Andrés , Rubio-Montero Antonio Juan , Méndez Roberto , Rivera Sergio , González Francisco , Campo Xandra , Asorey Hernán , Mayo-García Rafael
Published: March 2023

Every computation presents a small chance that an unexpected phenomenon ruins or modifies its output. Computers are prone to errors that, although may be very unlikely, are hard, expensive or simply impossible to avoid. In the exascale, with thousands of processors involved in a single computation, those errors are especially harmful because they can corrupt or distort the results, wasting human and material resources. In the present work, we study the effect of ionizing radiation on several pieces of commercial hardware, very common in modern supercomputers. Aiming to reproduce the natural radiation that could arise, CPUs (Xeon, EPYC) and GPUs (A100, V100, T4) are subject to a known flux of neutrons coming from two radioactive sources, namely $$^{252}$$

252

Cf and $$^{241}$$

241

Am-Be, in a special irradiation facility. The working hardware is irradiated under supervision to quantify any appearing error. Once the hardware response is characterised, we are able to scale down the radiation intensity and to estimate the effects on standard data centres. This can help administrators and researchers to develop their contingency plans and protocols.
Lower Mindfulness is Associated with Problematic Social Media Use: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Meynadier Jai , Malouff John M. , Loi Natasha M. , Schutte Nicola S.
Published: March 2023

Problematic social media use consists of use that interferes with individuals’ functioning, such as for example in failing to complete important tasks. A number of studies have investigated the association of trait mindfulness with problematic social media use. This meta-analysis synthesised research from 14 studies and a total of 5355 participants to examine the association between mindfulness and problematic social media use across studies. A lower level of mindfulness was associated with more problematic social media use, with a weighted effect size of r = -.37, 95% CI [-.42, -.33], k = 14, p < .001.
Internal conulariid structures unveiled using µCT
Authors: Sendino Consuelo , Clark Brett , Morandini André C. , Salge Tobias , Lowe Miranda , Rushlau Willian
Published: March 2023

An extensive sample of well-preserved conulariids from the Pennsylvanian of the North American Midcontinent (Texas and Oklahoma, USA) have been studied using X-ray micro-Computed Tomography (µCT) and have shown structures identified as longitudinal muscle bundles and a potential gastric cavity. These unequivocal structures appear in several specimens coming from different sites. Their preservation varies from a gastric cavity with muscle bundles in some individuals to only longitudinal muscle bundles in others. The muscle bundles fuse apically or medially, normally forming V-shaped pairs, and they extend along the theca/exoskeleton, parallel to the corner, towards the aperture. Longitudinal bundles have predominant perradial positions. Although there have been some articles on conulariid soft parts, most of them refer to relic soft parts. This is the first time that these structures are shown using µCT. Discovery of conulariid soft parts contributes to knowledge of metazoan evolutionary history.
Stepwise growth changes in early post-embryonic stages among Cretaceous tetragonitid ammonoids
Authors: Kawakami Yoshitaka , Wani Ryoji
Published: March 2023

In this study, we analyzed the ontogenetic trajectories of shell morphology in some Cretaceous tetragonitid ammonoid specimens (Tetragonitidae) collected from the Tomamae, Mikasa, and Hamanaka areas of Hokkaido, Japan. In all examined species, the ontogenetic trajectories of septal spacing between successive chambers had similar characteristics during their early ontogeny: two cycles, each comprising an increase and subsequent decrease in septal spacing until ~ 30th septum. The trends of whorl expansion rate changed at 5–7 or ~ 10 mm in the Gaudryceratinae and ~ 3 mm shell diameter in the Tetragonitinae. Based on these observations, we propose that the planktic phases of Gaudryceratinae and Tetragonitinae ended at those shell diameters. These different shell diameters at the end of the planktic phase suggest slightly differing strategies within the family Tetragonitidae.
Responses of flavonoids to solar UV radiation and gradual soil drying in two Medicago truncatula accessions
Authors: Rai Neha , Neugart Susanne , Schröter David , Lindfors Anders V. , Aphalo Pedro J.
Published: March 2023

Ground level UV-B (290–315 nm) and UV-A (315–400 nm) radiation regulates multiple aspects of plant growth and development. In a natural environment, UV radiation interacts in a complex manner with other environmental factors (e.g., drought) to regulate plants’ morphology, physiology, and growth. To assess the interactive effects of UV radiation and soil drying on plants’ secondary metabolites and transcript abundance, we performed a field experiment using two different accessions of Medicago truncatula (F83005-5 French origin and Jemalong A17 Australian origin). Plants were grown for 37 days under long-pass filters to assess the effects of UV short wavelength (290–350 nm, UVsw) and UV-A long wavelength (350–400 nm, UV-Alw). Soil–water deficit was induced by not watering half of the plants during the last seven days of the experiment. The two accessions differed in the concentration of flavonoids in the leaf epidermis and in the whole leaf: F83005-5 had higher concentration than Jemalong A17. They also differed in the composition of the flavonoids: a greater number of apigenin derivatives than tricin derivatives in Jemalong A17 and the opposite in F83005-5. Furthermore, UVsw and soil drying interacted positively to regulate the biosynthesis of flavonoids in Jemalong A17 through an increase in transcript abundance of CHALCONE SYNTHASE (CHS). However, in F83005-5, this enhanced CHS transcript abundance was not detected. Taken together the observed metabolite and gene transcript responses suggest differences in mechanisms for acclimation and stress tolerance between the accessions.

Graphical abstract
Protein Structure Prediction: Challenges, Advances, and the Shift of Research Paradigms
Authors: Huang Bin , Kong Lupeng , Wang Chao , Ju Fusong , Zhang Qi , Zhu Jianwei , Gong Tiansu , Zhang Haicang , Yu Chungong , Zheng Wei-Mou , Bu Dongbo
Published: March 2023

Protein structure prediction is an interdisciplinary research topic that has attracted researchers from multiple fields, including biochemistry, medicine, physics, mathematics, and computer science. These researchers adopt various research paradigms to attack the same structure prediction problem: biochemists and physicists attempt to reveal the principles governing protein folding; mathematicians, especially statisticians, usually start from assuming a probability distribution of protein structures given a target sequence and then find the most likely structure, while computer scientists formulate protein structure prediction as an optimization problem — finding the structural conformation with the lowest energy or minimizing the difference between predicted structure and native structure. These research paradigms fall into the two statistical modeling cultures proposed by Leo Breiman, namely, data modeling and algorithmic modeling. Recently, we have also witnessed the great success of deep learning in protein structure prediction. In this review, we present a survey of the efforts for protein structure prediction. We compare the research paradigms adopted by researchers from different fields, with an emphasis on the shift of research paradigms in the era of deep learning. In short, the algorithmic modeling techniques, especially deep neural networks, have considerably improved the accuracy of protein structure prediction; however, theories interpreting the neural networks and knowledge on protein folding are still highly desired.
Building concrete futures: materiality and urban lives in West Africa
Authors: Choplin Armelle
Published: March 2023

In West Africa, concrete is increasingly taking hold of physical landscapes, popular consciousness, and everyday conversations. Ubiquitous and pervasive, concrete is now an integral part of West African urban materiality and cultural identity. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s theory on the production of space, I consider this material as both a product and a producer of urban space. By tracing flows of building materials across the West African urban corridor linking the cities of Abidjan, Accra, Lomé, Cotonou, Porto-Novo and Lagos, this article proposes to understand how cement and concrete (re)shape African built environments, human lives and urban futures. It examines three dimensions of this concrete urban materiality: its links with capital, its social meanings for inhabitants-builders and its ecological impacts. I conclude by highlighting the potentials, limits and contradictions raised by this now contested material, thus shedding light on the complexity of the production of urban spaces in West Africa.
A share in the sands: trips, pits and potholes in Accra, Ghana
Authors: Dawson Katherine
Published: March 2023

This article deploys sand as a potential way of engaging with contemporary livelihoods in the Ghanaian city of Accra – one of many metropolitan nodes in an urbanizing region of West Africa. Both as a very real material at the heart of concrete urbanization and as metaphorically indicative of the shifting landscapes of opportunity and income on which lives and livelihoods are marked out, sand is offered as a way of seeing and writing about the city. The article brings these two facets of urban sand together in more concrete ways, considering how the material production of the city becomes the uneven, uncertain ground of urban life-making. Drawing from fourteen months of ethnographic fieldwork in Accra, the article engages with the movements of sand across the city, as it travels from extraction zones (or pits) to lorries and then to places of consumption. By honing in on the material behaviours and temporal junctures of sand as it shifts its shape, form and directions, the article draws out the ways in which sand emerges as a platform for exchange, negotiation and ultimately income for different people across the city region. In turn, it offers a share in the sands as a tentative holding space for the kinds of claims made on and through sand, positioning them as indicative of a dweller-led, emergent politics that claims a share of an income, livelihood and urban future.
Modelling the city: bedroom drawer blueprints as urban planning in Maputo, Mozambique
Authors: Nielsen Morten
Published: March 2023

It has become a well-rehearsed truism that the growth of sub-Saharan African cities is the result of an amassing of persons, things and knowledge that takes place in the absence of centrally planned development initiatives and without any tightly orchestrated coordination of social life. Under such conditions, the argument goes, urbanites make do with whatever resources are available while increasingly chaotic cities expand beyond their social and material capacities. The question is, however, whether weak – and even absent – systems of urban management can be taken to signify a lack of coordination and planning of urban development. Might it not be, for instance, that cities organize and model themselves through means other than those afforded by formal urban planning schemes? Based on ethnographic data from Maputo, Mozambique, this article explores the shifting material forms of what are locally described as ‘bedroom drawer blueprints’ as an acutely potent type of urban modelling. Current and prospective house builders in Maputo exchange and share blueprints and physical and virtual models of houses that they plan to eventually build. Considered by residents as valuable social and material assets, such blueprints and models also offer an opportunity for experimenting with new forms of aesthetic organization of the city. Comparing the ongoing transactions and sharing of bedroom drawer blueprints with the increasing global circulation of middle-class architectural urban models, in this article I argue that it is the capacity of the former to move between different material forms and modalities that gives them their particular aesthetic potency and drive.
War and Nationalism: How WW1 Battle Deaths Fueled Civilians’ Support for the Nazi Party
Authors: DE JUAN ALEXANDER , HAASS FELIX , KOOS CARLO , RIAZ SASCHA , TICHELBAECKER THOMAS
Published: March 2023

Can wars breed nationalism? We argue that civilians’ indirect exposure to war fatalities can trigger psychological processes that increase identification with their nation and ultimately strengthen support for nationalist parties. We test this argument in the context of the rise of the Nazi Party after World War 1 (WW1). To measure localized war exposure, we machine-coded information on 7.5 million German soldiers who were wounded or died in WW1. Our empirical strategy leverages battlefield dynamics that cause plausibly exogenous variation in the county-level casualty fatality rate—the share of dead soldiers among all casualties. We find that throughout the interwar period, electoral support for right-wing nationalist parties, including the Nazi Party, was 2.6 percentage points higher in counties with above-median casualty fatality rates. Consistent with our proposed mechanism, we find that this effect was driven by civilians rather than veterans and areas with a preexisting tradition of collective war commemoration.
Mixed-reality technology for clinical communication: objective assessment of the HoloLens 2 as a clinical communication device in a simulated on-call scenario
Authors: Orchard L , Van M , Abbas J , Malik R , Stevenson J , Tolley N
Published: March 2023

Objective

Specialty on-call clinicians cover large areas and complex workloads. This study aimed to assess clinical communication using the mixed-reality HoloLens 2 device within a simulated on-call scenario.

Method

This study was structured as a randomised, within-participant, controlled study. Thirty ENT trainees used either the HoloLens 2 or a traditional telephone to communicate a clinical case to a consultant. The quality of the clinical communication was scored objectively and subjectively.

Results

Clinical communication using the HoloLens 2 scored statistically higher than telephone (n = 30) (11.9 of 15 vs 10.2 of 15; p = 0.001). Subjectively, consultants judged more communication episodes to be inadequate when using the telephone (7 of 30) versus the HoloLens 2 (0 of 30) (p = 0.01). Qualitative feedback indicates that the HoloLens 2 was easy to use and would add value during an on-call scenario with remote consultant supervision.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated the benefit that mixed-reality devices, such as the HoloLens 2 can bring to clinical communication through increasing the accuracy of communication and confidence of the users.
Pangolin hunting and trafficking in the forest–savannah transition area of Cameroon
Authors: Simo Franklin T. , Difouo Ghislain F. , Kekeunou Sévilor , Ichu Ichu G. , Ingram Daniel J. , Olson David
Published: March 2023

Pangolins have long been hunted for food and for their scales, but information on local hunting strategies in African range countries and the patterns of pangolin trafficking around sourcing areas is limited. Such knowledge is vital to inform monitoring approaches and conservation interventions. We administered questionnaires to 367 people from 20 villages around two national parks in Cameroon to gain insights into local hunting practices, and trading and trafficking patterns. We found that tracking was the preferred method of hunting pangolins. Trapping was also used, and setting traps on fallen logs and near burrows improved the likelihood of catching pangolins. The white-bellied pangolin Phataginus tricuspis was the most traded species, and the giant pangolin Smutsia gigantea was the most sought after. We found no evidence of trade in the black-bellied pangolin Phataginus tetradactyla. Most respondents stated that pangolin prices had increased over the last 5 years, and scarcity of pangolins was the primary reason given for this increase. We identified a pangolin scale trafficking network operating from rural communities to neighbouring cities. Although most respondents recognized that hunting pangolins is illegal, c. 30% indicated that they were engaged in pangolin hunting.
Perceived impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on protected area management and conservation outcomes in Mexico
Authors: Powlen Kathryn A. , Jones Kelly W. , Moreno Elva Ivonne Bustamante , Cordero Maira Abigail Ortíz , Solomon Jennifer N. , Gavin Michael C.
Published: March 2023

Protected areas are under immense pressure to safeguard much of the remaining global biodiversity and can be strained by unpredicted events such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Understanding the extent of the effects of the pandemic on protected area management and conservation outcomes is critical for recovery and future planning to buffer against these types of events. We used survey and focus group data to measure the perceived impact of the pandemic on protected areas in Mexico and outline the pathways that led to these conservation outcomes. Across 62 protected areas, we found substantial changes in management capacity, monitoring and tourism, and a slight increase in non-compliant activities. Our findings highlight the need to integrate short-term relief plans to support communities dependent on tourism, who were particularly vulnerable during the pandemic, and to increase access to technology and technical capacity to better sustain management activities during future crises.