bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Communicative Action, Objectifications, and the Triad of Violence
Authors: Coenen Ekkehard
Published: September 2022

This article aims to develop a social theory of violence that emphasizes the role of the third party as well as the communication between the involved subjects. For this Teresa Koloma Beck’s essay ‘The Eye of the Beholder: Violence as a Social Process’ is taken as a starting point, which adopts a social-constructivist perspective. On the one hand, the basic concepts and the benefits of this approach are presented. On the other hand, social-theoretical problems of this approach are revealed. These deficits are counteracted by expanding Koloma Beck’s approach with a communicative-constructivist framework. Thus, the role of communicative action and the ‘objectification of violence’ is emphasized. These aspects impact the perception, judgement and (de-)legitimation of violence phenomena and the emergence of a ‘knowledge of violence’. Communicative actions and objectifications form a key to understanding violent interactions and the link between the micro and macro levels. Finally, the methodological consequences for the research of violence and Communicative Constructivism are discussed. Furthermore, possible research fields are outlined, which open up by looking at communicative action and the objectifications within the ‘triads of violence’.
Characterization of conformational heterogeneity via higher-dimensionality, proton-detected solid-state NMR
Authors: Burakova Ekaterina , Vasa Suresh K. , Linser Rasmus
Published: September 2022

Site-specific heterogeneity of solid protein samples can be exploited as valuable information to answer biological questions ranging from thermodynamic properties determining fibril formation to protein folding and conformational stability upon stress. In particular, for proteins of increasing molecular weight, however, site-resolved assessment without residue-specific labeling is challenging using established methodology, which tends to rely on carbon-detected 2D correlations. Here we develop purely chemical-shift-based approaches for assessment of relative conformational heterogeneity that allows identification of each residue via four chemical-shift dimensions. High dimensionality diminishes the probability of peak overlap in the presence of multiple, heterogeneously broadened resonances. Utilizing backbone dihedral-angle reconstruction from individual contributions to the peak shape either via suitably adapted prediction routines or direct association with a relational database, the methods may in future studies afford assessment of site-specific heterogeneity of proteins without site-specific labeling.
Radiochemical effects of thermal neutron capture in Cr(tmhd)3: method development
Authors: Pichler Vanessa , Welch Jan M. , Sterba Johannes H.
Published: September 2022

The radiochemical effects of thermal neutron capture in tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptandionato)chromium(III) (Cr(tmhd)3) were investigated. A method was devised to quantify the amount of the induced51Cr activity recoverable in the original chemical form and to confirm that it is indeed Cr(tmhd)3. The method is based on a combination of chemical separation (column chromatography and recrystallization) and analytical (radio-TLC, HPLC, and gamma spectrometry) techniques. Cr(tmhd)3samples were irradiated and purified in two steps after irradiation. We found that two of the (three) purification pathways yielded good agreement among final51Cr activity concentrations. The corresponding samples appeared to be of exceptional radiochemical purity.
Kurchatov-type methods for non-differentiable Hammerstein-type integral equations
Authors: Hernández-Verón M.A. , Yadav Nisha , Martínez Eulalia , Singh Sukhjit
Published: September 2022

We consider a generic type of nonlinear Hammerstein-type integral equations with the particularity of having non-differentiable kernel of Nemystkii type. So, in order to solve it we consider a uniparametric family of iterative processes derivative free, with the main advantage that for a special value of the involved parameter the iterative method obtained coincides with Newton’s method, that is due to the fact of evaluating the divided difference operator when the two values are the same. We perform a qualitative convergence study by choosing an auxiliary point, that allow us to obtain the existence and separation of solutions of the given equation, that is, local and semilocal convergence balls can be obtained.
Clinical Ocular Exposure Extrapolation for Ophthalmic Solutions Using PBPK Modeling and Simulation
Authors: Le Merdy Maxime , AlQaraghuli Farah , Tan Ming-Liang , Walenga Ross , Babiskin Andrew , Zhao Liang , Lukacova Viera
Published: September 2022

Background

The development of generic ophthalmic drug products is challenging due to the complexity of the ocular system, and a lack of sensitive testing to evaluate the interplay of physiology with ophthalmic formulations. While measurements of drug concentration at the site of action in humans are typically sparse, these measurements are more easily obtained in rabbits. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the utility of an ocular physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for translation of ocular exposure from rabbit to human.

Method

The Ocular Compartmental Absorption and Transit (OCAT™) model within GastroPlus® v9.8.2 was used to build PBPK models for levofloxacin (Lev), moxifloxacin (Mox), and gatifloxacin (Gat) ophthalmic solutions. in the rabbit eye. The models were subsequently used to predict Lev, Mox, and Gat exposure after ocular solution administrations in humans. Drug-specific parameters were used as fitted and validated in the rabbit OCAT model. The physiological parameters were scaled to match human ocular physiology.

Results

OCAT model simulations for rabbit well described the observed concentrations in the eye compartments following Lev, Mox, and Gat solution administrations of different doses and various administration schedules. The clinical ocular exposure following ocular administration of Lev, Mox, and Gat solutions at different doses and various administration schedules was well predicted.

Conclusion

Even though additional case studies for different types of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and formulations will be needed, the current study represents an important step in the validation of the extrapolation method to predict human ocular exposure for ophthalmic drug products using PBPK models.
Bridging the gap between stock price and bottom-line accounting numbers
Authors: Peng Zihang , Wang Pengguo , Christodoulou Demetris
Published: September 2022

We develop a method for extracting “other information” from the articulation between bottom-line accounting numbers and stock prices. We posit that “other information” captures future earnings growth originating from conservative accounting recognition principles as demonstrated by Penman and Zhang (2020) and Penman and Zhu (2022), as well as nonzero net present value investment opportunities. Our findings confirm that “other information” is strongly associated with various proxies for expected future earnings growth and firm risk attributes. Furthermore, we show how a structural expected return model incorporating our “other information” estimate can predict out-of-sample future stock returns and generate sizeable long-short return spreads.
State-of-the-art on theories and applications of cable-driven parallel robots
Authors: Zhang Zhaokun , Shao Zhufeng , You Zheng , Tang Xiaoqiang , Zi Bin , Yang Guilin , Gosselin Clément , Caro Stéphane
Published: September 2022

Cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR) is a type of high-performance robot that integrates cable-driven kinematic chains and parallel mechanism theory. It inherits the high dynamics and heavy load capacities of the parallel mechanism and significantly improves the workspace, cost and energy efficiency simultaneously. As a result, CDPRs have had irreplaceable roles in industrial and technological fields, such as astronomy, aerospace, logistics, simulators, and rehabilitation. CDPRs follow the cutting-edge trend of rigid-flexible fusion, reflect advanced lightweight design concepts, and have become a frontier topic in robotics research. This paper summarizes the kernel theories and developments of CDPRs, covering configuration design, cable-force distribution, workspace and stiffness, performance evaluation, optimization, and motion control. Kinematic modeling, workspace analysis, and cable-force solution are illustrated. Stiffness and dynamic modeling methods are discussed. To further promote the development, researchers should strengthen the investigation in configuration innovation, rapid calculation of workspace, performance evaluation, stiffness control, and rigid-flexible coupling dynamics. In addition, engineering problems such as cable materials, reliability design, and a unified control framework require attention.
Bureaucratic capacity and preference attainment in international economic negotiations
Authors: Berge Tarald Gulseth , Stiansen Øyvind
Published: September 2022

What determines states’ ability to influence the contents of international institutions? Extant scholarship on international economic negotiations highlights the importance of political and economic capacity in negotiations. In this article, we argue that another structural source of negotiating power has been overlooked: bureaucratic capacity. Building on in-depth interviews with a large sample of international economic negotiators, we develop a theory of how differences in bureaucratic capacity can give states advantages in bilateral negotiations. We test our theory on a dataset of bilateral investment treaties. To measure preference attainment, we combine a unique repository of states’ public negotiating mandates called model treaties and the texts of finalized investment treaties to compute the verbatim distances between states’ stated preferences and the treaties they negotiate. We then show that states with greater bureaucratic capacity than their counterparts tend to achieve higher preference attainment in investment treaty negotiations. Our results have important implications for scholarship on international negotiations and for policy-makers engaged in investment policy reform.
Entscheidungen und ihre Bewertungen – Zur Mikrosoziologie des Schiedsrichter-Pfiffs
Authors: Weigelin Max
Published: September 2022

Der Fall des Fußballschiedsrichters verweist die Bewertungssoziologie auf Praktiken des Entscheidens. Unter Bedingungen körperlicher Anwesenheit und der Konfliktlage des sportlichen Wettkampfs muss der Schiedsrichter ständig Spielsituationen bewerten und auf Bewertungskommunikation von Spielsituationen durch Spieler („Reklamationen“, usw.) eingehen. Immer wieder entstehen so „strittige Situationen“. Diese verwickeln ihn in einen Entscheidungszwang: Pfeifen oder Nicht-Pfeifen wird ihm dann in bestimmten Spielsequenzen gleichermaßen als Entscheidung zugerechnet. Eine solche Entscheidung zieht im Fußball bekanntermaßen ihrerseits spielöffentliche (mitunter hoch aggressive) Bewertungskommunikation in Form von Beschwerden nach sich. Auf Basis einer qualitativen Studie (Interviews und Dokumentenanalyse) untersucht der Beitrag daher, wie die schiedsrichterliche Praktik des Pfeifens Entscheidungs- und Bewertungspraktiken verknüpft, und wie die situativen Bedingungen des Fußballspiels diese Praktiken körperlich und dramaturgisch formatieren. Der Beitrag knüpft an jüngere Debatten in der Bewertungssoziologie an, die nach der Verknüpfung von dispersed practices fragen (Bewerten, Vergleichen, Kategorisieren usw.) und ergänzt diese durch ein Augenmerk auf eine spezifische Praktik des Entscheidens.
Women’s Reasons to Seek Bariatric Surgery and Their Expectations on the Surgery Outcome — a Multicenter Study from Five European Countries
Authors: Hult Mari , te Riele Wouter , Fischer Lars , Röstad Signe , Orava Kai , Heikkinen Timo , Sandbu Rune , Juuti Anne , Bonn Stephanie E.
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Understanding patients’ reasons for having bariatric surgery and their expectation on surgery outcomes is important to provide the best clinical practice and reduce unrealistic expectations. It is unknown if reasons and expectations differ between countries. We aimed to investigate the reasons for seeking bariatric surgery and expectations of surgical outcomes among patients in five European countries.

Methods

In total, 250 women accepted for bariatric surgery were recruited: 50 women each from Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Participants ranked 14 reasons for seeking surgery, and reported the three primary reasons. They also reported expectations on weight loss and impact of surgery vs. lifestyle on weight loss outcomes.

Results

Mean age and body mass index were 42.9 ± 11.5 years and 45.1 ± 6.2 kg/m2, respectively. Weight loss and improved co-morbidity were ranked as the most important reasons. Participants expected to lose between 70.8 and 94.3% of their excessive weight. The expected impact of surgery as a driver of weight loss was higher in Germany and the Netherlands compared to in Finland, Norway, and Sweden where participants expected lifestyle changes to also have an impact.

Conclusion

Weight loss and improved co-morbidities were the main reasons for undergoing bariatric surgery. Expectations on weight loss were generally very high, but expectations of surgery vs. lifestyle as the main driver of weight loss differed between countries. While some patients understand the importance of lifestyle change and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle after surgery in order to obtain a successful weight loss, other may need additional counselling.

Graphical Abstract
Blockchain as enabling factor for implementing RFID and IoT technologies in VMI: a simulation on the Parmigiano Reggiano supply chain
Authors: Cammarano Antonello , Varriale Vincenzo , Michelino Francesca , Caputo Mauro
Published: September 2022

Blockchain has recently been associated to Supply Chain Management to solve several problems and change operations management processes. The study proposes to analyse three different scenarios of the Parmigiano Reggiano supply chain considering blockchain technology as an enabler for the use of other technologies such as RFID and the Internet of Things (IoT) and for the exploitation of the Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) strategy. The study is based on the evaluation of three agent-based simulation scenarios, a traditional "as is" scenario, a second "to be" scenario implementing emerging technologies including blockchain, and a third “to be” scenario that combines the second one with the VMI optimization strategy. The results show how the combined adoption of these technologies improves the procurement process and customer satisfaction. Findings highlight the impacts that the different scenarios have on the supply chain operations in a quantitative way and allows to evaluate the changes in supply chain processes. By employing emerging technologies, order management activities are more automated and time to order and lead time order preparation are reduced. However, to achieve these performances, other data capture tools such as RFID and IoT are needed. Finally, the introduction of the VMI strategy, when enabled by blockchain technology, improves the procurement performances and significantly reduces unfilled orders.
Complex ecological communities and the emergence of island species-area relationships
Authors: Vikrant Ankit , Nilsson Jacobi Martin
Published: September 2022

It has been a century since the species-area relationship (SAR) was first proposed as a power law to explain how species richness scales with area. There have been many attempts to explain the origin of this predominant form. Apart from the power law, numerous empirical studies also report a semi-log form of the SAR, but very few have addressed its incidence. In this work, we test whether these relationships could emerge from the assembly of large random communities on island-like systems. The clustering of same-species individuals is central to our results, which we incorporate by modifying the self-interaction term in the generalized Lotka-Volterra equations. Our analysis demonstrates that the two most widely reported relationship forms can emerge due to differences in immigration rates and skewness towards weak interactions. We particularly highlight the incidence of the semi-log SAR for low immigration rates from a source pool, which is consistent with several previous empirical studies. The two SAR forms might show good fits to data over a large span of areas but a power-law overestimates species richness on smaller islands in remote archipelagoes.
Exploring the Relationships Between Internalised Stigma, Loneliness, and Mental Well-Being Among Sex Workers
Authors: Hart Gabe , Allen Andrew , Aubyn Bonnie St , Mason Jonathan
Published: September 2022

Sex work is one of the most stigmatised professions in the world. Although research examining other stigmatised populations has found associations between internalised stigma, increased loneliness, and poorer mental well-being, there is limited research examining these associations for sex workers. This is concerning, considering Corrigan’s theory that internalised stigma, as well as external stigma, reduces opportunities of stigmatised persons. Further, internalised stigma, loneliness, and poorer well-being have been associated with significant social, mental, and physical consequences for stigmatised populations. As such, this exploratory study investigated sex workers’ internalised stigma, and its relationship with their mental well-being and experience of loneliness. 56 full-service sex workers (78.6% females, 12.5% non-binary, 8.9% males, ranging from 18 to 43 years old) completed an online, cross-sectional survey measuring their self-reported internalised stigma, loneliness, and mental well-being. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses (MRAs) supported the hypotheses that higher internalised stigma would significantly predict lower mental well-being and higher loneliness after controlling for age and gender. Internalised stigma accounted for a significant 39.3% of the variance in loneliness, and a significant 12.6% of the variance in mental well-being. Correlations supported the hypothesis that higher loneliness would significantly, negatively correlate with mental well-being after controlling for age. Findings aligned with prior research and supported Corrigan. Limitations of the study are discussed, including the small sample size and the cross-sectional, self-report research design. Identified areas of focus for future research and practice include consideration of other associates of internalised stigma for sex workers, as well as lessening the consequences of stigmatisation for sex workers through reduction of its internalisation.
Discrete Tori and Trigonometric Sums
Authors: Grigor’yan Alexander , Lin Yong , Yau Shing-Tung
Published: September 2022

We prove a discrete analogue of the Poisson summation formula.
Coindex and Rigidity of Einstein Metrics on Homogeneous Gray Manifolds
Authors: Schwahn Paul
Published: September 2022

Any 6-dimensional strict nearly Kähler manifold is Einstein with positive scalar curvature. We compute the coindex of the metric with respect to the Einstein–Hilbert functional on each of the compact homogeneous examples. Moreover, we show that the infinitesimal Einstein deformations on $$F_{1,2}={\text {SU}}(3)/T^2$$

F

1
,
2

=
SU

(
3
)

/

T
2

are not integrable into a curve of Einstein metrics.
Integration of resistivity, neutron, and density logs for detecting, identifying, and calculating of groundwater over-pressuring phenomenon at Siwa Oasis Depression, Egypt
Authors: Ammar Abdallah Ibrahim
Published: September 2022

Along with Siwa Oasis depression, there are several ponds, lakes, and Sabkhas features resulted from the current flows through the springs due to the over-pressure of deep sandstone aquifer. The Nubia Sandstone aquifer (NSA) and Carbonate aquifer are the main two water-bearing units. They are separated by a huge thickness of shale and controlled by complicated structural faults. There are ten wells including gamma-ray, short and long resistivity, caliper, neutron, and density logs. These logs were used in identifying the lithology, calculating the porosities, water saturation percentages, and effective permeability. The long resistivity, neutron, and density logs were used to detect, identify, and calculate this over-pressure and its zones. The shale resistivity, porosity, and density of the Nubia Sandstone formation were used in determining the expected normal compaction trend. The top of over-pressuring, over-pressuring forewarning, over-pressuring transition, and over-pressuring zones were detected. The formation pressure and its gradient were calculated at the first depth in the over-pressuring zone. The piezometric heads and pressures were calculated and mapped. The depths to the top of over-pressures, formation pressures, and their gradient maps were constructed. The statistical analyses between the two pressures were carried out. Accordingly, the thickness and type of shale, the effective porosity, the compaction of the deep aquifer, the huge thickness of the overlaid formation and its porosities, and the complicated structural conditions are considered the main factors in generating the over-pressuring phenomenon at Siwa Oasis. Therefore, this study considers that the used logs are compatible powerful tools in studying this phenomenon.
Exploring engagement, well-being, and welfare on engagement platforms: Insight into the personal service sector from the DACH region
Authors: Michalke Simon , Lohrenz Lisa , Lattemann Christoph , Robra-Bissantz Susanne
Published: September 2022

Engagement platforms (EPs) are an essential technology to enable co-creation and service innovation. Therefore, the design and governance of these platforms are receiving increasing attention in research. In this study, we aim to identify which activities and mechanisms foster engagement and which governance mechanisms are implemented to avoid harm on EPs. To this end, we conducted expert interviews with founders, CEOs, and managers of 14 personal and household-related service platform companies from the DACH region (Germany(D), Austria(A), Switzerland(CH)), to gain insights into their activities and mechanisms for creating and maintaining successful EPs. We found eight mechanisms, e.g., moderation of content, limitations of entry and certification, employed by personal EPs (PEPs) as self-regulatory mechanisms to avoid misconduct and negative experiences of actors. The identified governance mechanisms may guide the design and governing of PEPs by providing tangible examples to foster actor engagement while considering externalities on a societal and individual level.
A Boundary Regression Model for Nested Named Entity Recognition
Authors: Chen Yanping , Wu Lefei , Zheng Qinghua , Huang Ruizhang , Liu Jun , Deng Liyuan , Yu Junhui , Qing Yongbin , Dong Bo , Chen Ping
Published: September 2022

Recognizing named entities (NEs) is commonly treated as a classification problem, and a class tag for a word or an NE candidate in a sentence is predicted. In recent neural network developments, deep structures that map categorized features into continuous representations have been adopted. Using this approach, a dense space saturated with high-order abstract semantic information is unfolded, and the prediction is based on distributed feature representations. In this paper, the positions of NEs in a sentence are represented as continuous values. Then, a regression operation is introduced to regress the boundaries of NEs in a sentence. Based on boundary regression, we design a boundary regression model to support nested NE recognition. It is a multiobjective learning framework that simultaneously predicts the classification score of an NE candidate and refines its spatial location in a sentence. This model was evaluated on the ACE 2005 Chinese and English corpus and the GENIA corpus. State-of-the-art performance was experimentally demonstrated for nested NE recognition, which outperforms related works about 5% and 2% respectively. Our model has the advantage to resolve nested NEs and support boundary regression for locating NEs in a sentence. By sharing parameters for predicting and locating, this model enables more potent nonlinear function approximators to enhance model discriminability.
Identification and prediction of attacks to industrial control systems using temporal point processes
Authors: Fortino Giancarlo , Greco Claudia , Guzzo Antonella , Ianni Michele
Published: September 2022

The task of identifying malicious activities in logs and predicting threats is crucial nowadays in industrial sector. In this paper, we focus on the identification of past malicious activities and in the prediction of future threats by proposing a novel technique based on the combination of Marked Temporal Point Processes (MTTP) and Neural Networks. Differently from the traditional formulation of Temporal Point Processes, our method does not make any prior assumptions on the functional form of the conditional intensity function and on the distribution of the events. Our approach is based the adoption of Neural Networks with the goal of improving the capabilities of learning arbitrary and unknown event distributions by taking advantage of the Deep Learning theory. We conduct a series of experiments using industrial data coming from gas pipelines, showing that our framework is able to represent in a convenient way the information gathered from the logs and predict future menaces in an unsupervised way, as well as classifying the past ones. The results of the experimental evaluation, showing outstanding values for precision and recall, confirm the effectiveness of our approach.
Plant-Based Diets and Cancer Prognosis: a Review of Recent Research
Authors: Hardt Luisa , Mahamat-Saleh Yahya , Aune Dagfinn , Schlesinger Sabrina
Published: September 2022

Purpose of Review

Although plant-based diets are recommended for cancer prevention, their role in cancer survival is still uncertain. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the association between postdiagnosis plant-based diets and prognosis in cancer survivors.

Recent Findings

There is indication that higher intake of plant-based foods was associated with improved prognosis in cancer survivors. For colorectal cancer survival, a better prognosis was observed for a high intake of whole grains and fibre. For breast cancer survival, a higher intake of fruit, vegetable and fibre and a moderate intake of soy/isoflavone were associated with beneficial outcomes. A higher vegetable fat intake was related to improved prognosis in prostate cancer survivors.

Summary

Emerging evidence suggests benefits of postdiagnosis plant-based diets on prognosis in cancer survivors. However, given the high heterogeneity between studies, further research in cancer survivors, considering clinical factors (e.g. treatment, stage) and methodological aspects (e.g. timing of dietary assessment), is needed.
The Link Between Periodontitis and Alzheimer’s Disease: Reality or Yet Another Association
Authors: Ryder Mark I.
Published: September 2022

Purpose of Review

To establish a link or causation between periodontitis and Alzheimer’s disease requires studies that first establish an association or correlation between these two diseases, followed by in vitro, animal model, and human studies to identify possible underlying biological mechanisms, and finally assessing the benefits of periodontal therapy in general and targeted therapies against the microbiota and inflammatory responses in periodontitis. This review presents an update on the current correlation and biological mechanisms that link these two diseases, with special emphasis on the keystone periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis and its key family of gingipain enzymes.

Recent Findings

Recent evidence for slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease through periodontal therapy in general, as well as focused therapies directed against Porphyromonas gingivalis and its gingipains, are presented.

These intervention studies, together with the recent association and biological mechanism studies, strengthen the evidence for a direct link or causation between these two diseases. In addition, these recent studies support the special role of the dental practitioner in the management of patients with cognitive decline.
A hybrid data-driven online solar energy disaggregation system from the grid supply point
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Yu , Kuenzel Stefanie , Guo Peiqian , Yin Lei , Watkins Chris
Published: September 2022

The integration of small-scale Photovoltaics (PV) systems (such as rooftop PVs) decreases the visibility of power systems, since the real demand load is masked. Most rooftop systems are behind the metre and cannot be measured by household smart meters. To overcome the challenges mentioned above, this paper proposes an online solar energy disaggregation system to decouple the solar energy generated by rooftop PV systems and the ground truth demand load from net measurements. A 1D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) deep learning method is used as the core algorithm of the proposed system. The system takes a wide range of online information (Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) data, meteorological data, satellite-driven irradiance, and temporal information) as inputs to evaluate PV generation, and the system also enables online and offline modes. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by comparing it to baselines. The results show that the proposed method achieves good performance under different penetration rates and different feeder levels. Finally, a transfer learning process is introduced to verify that the proposed system has good robustness and can be applied to other feeders.
Adaptive nonsingular fixed-time sliding mode control for manipulator systems’ trajectory tracking
Authors: Zhang Xin , Shi Ran , Zhu Zijun , Quan Ying
Published: September 2022

In this paper, an adaptive fixed-time controller is raised for the manipulator system with uncertain disturbances to boost the rate and precision of its trajectory tracking and solve the convergence time dependence on the system's initial conditions. First, a nonsingular fixed-time sliding mode (SM) surface and a reaching law based on an arctangent function are constructed to enhance the control scheme performance. Second, the upper bound is difficult to obtain because of the uncertainty of the disturbance. The disturbance upper bound is estimated by adaptive techniques, which do not require a priori knowledge about the upper bound and effectively inhibit the effect of disturbance on the system. Finally, the fixed-time convergence of the states is analyzed by rigorous theoretical proof, and the validity of the presented control scheme is demonstrated by simulation.
Elastic Buffering Layer on CuS Enabling High-Rate and Long-Life Sodium-Ion Storage
Authors: Xiao Yuanhua , Yue Feng , Wen Ziqing , Shen Ya , Su Dangcheng , Guo Huazhang , Rui Xianhong , Zhou Liming , Fang Shaoming , Yu Yan
Published: September 2022

The latest view suggests the inactive core, surface pulverization, and polysulfide shuttling effect of metal sulfides are responsible for their low capacity and poor cycling performance in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Whereas overcoming the above problems based on conventional nanoengineering is not efficient enough. In this work, erythrocyte-like CuS microspheres with an elastic buffering layer of ultrathin polyaniline (PANI) were synthesized through one-step self-assembly growth, followed by in situ polymerization of aniline. When CuS@PANI is used as anode electrode in SIBs, it delivers high capacity, ultrahigh rate capability (500 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, and 214.5 mAh g−1 at 40 A g−1), and superior cycling life of over 7500 cycles at 20 A g−1. A series of in/ex situ characterization techniques were applied to investigate the structural evolution and sodium-ion storage mechanism. The PANI swollen with electrolyte can stabilize solid electrolyte interface layer, benefit the ion transport/charge transfer at the PANI/electrolyte interface, and restrain the size growth of Cu particles in confined space. Moreover, finite element analyses and density functional simulations confirm that the PANI film effectively buffers the volume expansion, suppresses the surface pulverization, and traps the polysulfide.
Steady and ranging sets in graph persistence
Authors: Bergomi Mattia G. , Ferri Massimo , Tavaglione Antonella
Published: September 2022

Topological data analysis can provide insight on the structure of weighted graphs and digraphs. However, some properties underlying a given (di)graph are hardly mappable to simplicial complexes. We introduce steady and ranging sets: two standardized ways of producing persistence diagrams directly from graph-theoretical features. The two constructions are framed in the context of indexing-aware persistence functions. Furthermore, we introduce a sufficient condition for stability. Finally, we apply the steady- and ranging-based persistence constructions to toy examples and real-world applications.
Islam- und Muslim:innenfeindlichkeit unter jungen Menschen in Deutschland: Eine Frage der religiösen Selbstverortung?
Authors: Janzen Olga , Ahrens Petra-Angela
Published: September 2022

Der Beitrag untersucht das Verhältnis zwischen (christlicher) Religiosität und Vorurteilen gegenüber Muslim:innen unter jungen Menschen in Deutschland. Dafür wird ein repräsentativer Datensatz von Befragten (N = 2868) im Alter von 14 bis 29 Jahren ausgewertet. Zum einen wird überprüft, inwiefern sich die Effekte verschiedener Dimensionen von Religiosität im Blick auf Islam- und Muslim:innenfeindlichkeit unterscheiden. Zum anderen geht der Beitrag der Frage nach, ob sich vorhandene Effekte als stabil erweisen, wenn weitere Erklärungsfaktoren berücksichtigt werden. Für junge Menschen kann aus den vorliegenden Ergebnissen geschlossen werden, dass Religiosität an sich für die Ausprägungen von Vorurteilen gegenüber Muslim:innen eher eine geringe Rolle spielt. Ein dogmatisches Verständnis von Religion ist hingegen von erheblicher Bedeutung. Der Effekt erhält seinen besonderen Stellenwert dadurch, dass er sich auch unter Berücksichtigung politischer Orientierungen als stabil erweist. Unter diesen ist es die politische Selbstpositionierung, der die höchste Erklärungskraft überhaupt zukommt. In der Gesamtsicht scheint die religiöse Selbstverortung unter jungen Menschen vor allem dann eine Rolle zu spielen, wenn ein dogmatisches Religionsverständnis zugrunde liegt.
Investigating levels and determinants of primary school children’s basic motor competencies in nine European countries
Authors: Wälti Marina , Seelig Harald , Adamakis Manolis , Colella Dario , Emeljanovas Arūnas , Gerlach Erin , Kossyva Irene , Labudová Jana , Masaryková Dana , Miežienė Brigita , Mombarg Remo , Monacis Domenico , Niederkofler Benjamin , Onofre Marcos , Pühse Uwe , Quitério Ana , Sallen Jeffrey , Scheuer Claude , Vlček Petr , Vrbas Jaroslav , Herrmann Christian
Published: September 2022

Basic motor competencies (BMC) belong to the key learning goals of Physical Education (PE) in primary school curricula in Europe. These competencies are necessary to participate in sports inside and outside of school. Children should therefore achieve age-adequate BMC in PE and any need for educational motor support should be identified at an early stage. Studies in German-speaking countries showed that various endogenous and exogenous factors are related to children’s BMC, but international studies are missing. In the present cross-sectional study, the two BMC areas object movement (OM) and self-movement (SM) as well as the associations with endogenous (age, sex, body mass index) and exogenous (participation in extracurricular sports) factors were investigated in 1721 8‑ to 10-year-old primary school children from nine European countries. Over 25% of the children showed need for educational motor support in OM and over 20% in SM. BMC levels differed significantly between the country-specific subsamples. In all subsamples, boys showed better performances in OM, while girls scored better in SM. Older children performed better in OM and SM than younger children. Higher body mass index predicted lower BMC scores in both competence areas. Participation in ball sports was positively associated with OM and SM, and individual sports participation was a significant predictor of SM. As exogenous and endogenous variables consistently predicted BMC in all subsamples, there must be other reasons for variation in BMC levels. Future studies should address country- and school-specific characteristics like content and amount of PE.
Dry-season variability in near-surface temperature measurements and landsat-based land surface temperature in Kenyatta University, Kenya
Authors: Macharia N. A. , Mbuthia S. W. , Musau M. J. , Obando J. A. , Ebole S. O.
Published: September 2022

Understanding thermal gradients is essential for sustainability of built-up ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, and human health. Urbanized environments in the tropics have received little attention on underlying factors and processes governing thermal variability as compared to temperate environments, despite the worsening heat stress exposure from global warming. This study characterized near surface air temperature (NST) and land surface temperature (LST) profiles across Kenyatta University, main campus, located in the peri-urban using in situ traverse temperature measurements and satellite remote sensing methods respectively. The study sought to; (i) find out if the use of fixed and mobile temperature sensors in time-synchronized in situ traverses can yield statistically significant temperature gradients (ΔT) attributable to landscape features, (ii) find out how time of the day influences NST gradients, (iii) determine how NST clusters compare to LST values derived from analysis of ‘cloud-free’ Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) satellite image, and (iv) determine how NST and LST values are related to biophysical properties of land cover features.. The Getis–Ord Gi* statistics of ΔT values indicate statistically significant clustering hot and cold spots, especially in the afternoon (3–5 PM). NST ‘hot spots’ and ‘cold spots’ coincide with hot and cold regions of Landsat-based LST map. Ordinary Least Square Regression (OLS) indicate statistically significant (p < 0.01) coefficients of MNDWI and NDBI explaining 15% of ΔT variation, and albedo, MNDWI, and NDBI explaining 46% of the variations in LST patterns. These findings demonstrate that under clear sky, late afternoon walking traverses records spatial variability in NST within tropical peri-urban environments during dry season. This study approach may be enhanced through collecting biophysical attributes and NST records simultaneously to improve reliability of regression models for urban thermal ecology.
Hermitian and non-Hermitian normal-mode splitting in an optically-levitated nanoparticle
Authors: Yu Xudong , Jin Yuanbin , Shen Heng , Han Zheng , Zhang Jing
Published: September 2022

Normal-mode splitting is a hallmark of strong coupling between two coupled harmonic oscillators. Here, we report the realization of strong coupling in the optically-levitated nanoparticle system via feedback. A silica nanoparticle is trapped by a tightly focused laser travelling in free space, which is regarded as a harmonic oscillators. An external electric oscillator is then phase-locked to the nanoparticle’s motion as another harmonic oscillator, which is modulated on the trapping laser to feedback and interact with the nanoparticle. Therefore, a highly manipulatable coupled-harmonic oscillator system is built in our platform and the normal-mode splitting is realized with strong coupling in both Hermitian and non-Hermitian cases. Moreover, since the coupling between the two harmonic oscillators induced by the feedback is flexibly manipulated, the normal-mode splitting following the cooling or heating effect is simultaneously observed. This method could be useful for further studying quantum mechanical Hamiltonian and non-Hermitian phenomena of an optically-levitated nanoparticle.
Topological phase diagram and materials realization in triangular lattice with multiple orbitals
Authors: Hua Chenqiang , Wu Meimei , Song Biyu , Gao Wenjin , Zhi Guoxiang , Niu Tianchao , Zhou Miao
Published: September 2022

Triangular lattice, with each site coordinating with six neighbors, is one most common network in two-dimensional (2D) limit. Manifestations of peculiar properties in the lattice, including magnetic frustration and quantum spin liquid, have been restricted to single-orbital tight-binding (TB) model so far, while the orbital degree of freedom is largely overlooked. Here, by combining TB modeling with first-principles calculations, we demonstrate the rich electronic structures of triangular lattice with multiple $(p_{x}, p_{y}, p_{z})$
(

p
x

,

p
y

,

p
z

)
orbitals. Type I/II Dirac point, quadratic nodal point and nodal-loops are observed, and the topological phase diagram is mapped out by manipulating the horizontal mirror symmetry, spin-orbit coupling and energy position of relevant orbitals. Remarkably, we show that large-gap quantum spin Hall phase (∼0.2 eV) can be realized in experimentally achievable systems by growing indium monolayer on a series of semiconducting substrates, such as C/Si/Ge(111) and SiC(0001) surfaces, and the proposed materials capture the TB parameter space well. Our work not only provides physical insights into the orbital physics in 2D lattices, but also sheds light on the integration of novel quantum states with conventional semiconductor technology for potential applications, such as dissipationless interconnects for electronic circuits.
Trips to Food Services, Food Retailers, and their Relationship with the Healthfulness of Food Purchases
Authors: Yenerall Jackie , You Wen , Hill Jennie
Published: September 2022

This study investigates the relationship between household utilization of food services and retailers and the healthfulness of purchases using data from the 2013 Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey. Overall, our findings suggest that the associations between food service or retailer utilization and the healthfulness of purchases are limited. Thus, interventions may need to be targeted to specific households based on patterns of utilization. We also find evidence for an interdependent relationship between food at home and away from home food shopping behaviors with implications for the healthfulness of purchases.
Not All Juices are the Same: The Superior Perception of and Preference for Florida Orange Juice
Authors: Heng Yan , Yoon Sungeun , House Lisa , Gao Zhifeng
Published: September 2022

The Florida orange juice industry has experienced great challenges—declining orange juice consumption and a domestic supply shortage that has led to increasing imports over the past decade. As growers look for a foothold, the question remains whether it is better to continue promoting orange juice (OJ) sales by focusing on the Florida “brand” or whether orange juice, in general, should be promoted using a federal marketing program. This study aims to identify the value of promoting “Florida” on OJ products to help the industry understand the potential benefits of enhancing the image of “Florida” in consumers’ perceptions of OJ.
Opposing-buoyancy mixed convection through and around arrays of heated cylinders
Authors: Tang Tingting , Li Zhiyong , Yu Shimin , Li Jianhui , Yu Peng
Published: September 2022

We numerically investigated the opposing-buoyancy mixed convection through and around square arrays of$10\times 10$heated circular cylinders with the solid fraction ($\phi$) ranging from 0.0079 to 0.66 and the Richardson number ($Ri$) varying from 0 to 1 at a fixed Reynolds number ($Re$) of 100. Our simulations revealed that the large mean recirculation in the far wake can be detached from or connected with the vortex pair in the near wake for different combinations of$Ri$and$\phi$. Also, it was found that the array with relatively small$\phi$can significantly promote flow instability even at moderate$Ri$. The instability, which is closely related to the fluctuating heat flux, develops from the lateral sides to the downstream side of the array and gives rise to the large mean recirculation in the far wake. The power spectra density of the array-scale force coefficients demonstrates that the flow undergoes different bifurcation behaviours under various parameter combinations, which reflects the interaction between the near-wake and far-wake vortexes. Interestingly, the Strouhal–Richardson number curves can be collapsed onto the same curve when$Ri$is increased by a$\phi$-dependent factor. Also, for$\phi \leqslant 0.22$, both the mean drag coefficient and the mean Nusselt number of the array were found to decrease linearly with$Ri$since the buoyancy within the array becomes prominent in this range of$\phi$.
Trade politics at the checkout lane: ethnocentrism and consumer preferences
Authors: Bankert Alexa , Powers Ryan , Sheagley Geoffrey
Published: September 2022

As international trade flourishes, Americans can choose from an increasing number of foreign products even at their local grocery stores, allowing consumers to directly experience the consequences of globalized trade in a simple and intuitive way that does not require much political expertise. Yet, most prior scholarship on political consumerism assumes that consumers are aware of the political and economic implications of their choices at the checkout lane. We move away from this assumption, focusing instead on more fundamental psychological predispositions such as ethnocentrism that may guide daily consumer choices. Using a discrete choice conjoint experiment, we show that Americans, on average, exhibit ethnocentric consumer preferences, with demand for products falling as they are produced in more culturally and ethnically distant places. Additionally, we show that this effect is more pronounced among those with higher levels of ethnocentrism. Our results provide evidence for a “naïve” form of political consumerism.
Assessing reproducibility in sedimentary macroscopic charcoal count data
Authors: Anderson Lysanna , Presnetsova Liubov , Wahl David B. , Phelps Geoffrey , Gous Alan
Published: September 2022

Current understanding of global late Quaternary fire history is largely drawn from sedimentary charcoal data. Since publication, CharAnalysis increasingly has been relied upon as a robust method for analyzing these data. However, several underlying assumptions of the algorithm have not been tested. This study uses replicated charcoal count data to examine the assumption of Poisson distribution and reproducibility of peak detection. Results show <10% of the replicate counts are Poisson distributed, a maximum peak replication rate of 60%, and, for >90% of the data, intra-level count differences were larger than the threshold used to identify significance in inter-level differences. A pronounced “edge effect” was observed at the beginning and end of the records, cautioning against validation of results based on sections corresponding to the historical period. The proximal cause for low reproducibility is likely a lack of spatial randomness of charcoal particles at the scale of a core diameter. Until and unless decomposition methods can be developed that accommodate the observed limitations inherent in particle count data, best practices for interpreting charcoal records may be to rely on qualitative interpretations based on smoothed influx values and minimum particle count values in the hundreds.