bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of two questionnaires to diagnose obstructive defecation syndrome during pregnancy and post-natally
Authors: Sentance Joanne , Stocking Katie , Edmondson Richard J. , Kearney Rohna
Published: March 2022

Introduction and hypothesis

Obstructive defecation syndrome (ODS) is a common urogynaecology presentation. This study compares two questionnaires, the electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire (e-PAQ), used in urogynaecology clinics, with the ODS-Score (ODS-S), a simple validated scoring system used in colorectal clinics for diagnosing ODS, to identify patients with an ODS-S cut-off ≥9.

Methods

A total of 221 paired ODS-S and e-PAQ questionnaires were completed; 80 during the second trimester of pregnancy, 73 during the third and 68 post-natally, including women sustaining obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI). e-PAQ score and ODS-S were compared and Pearson’s correlation coefficient calculated. Areas under the curve assessed the diagnostic ability of e-PAQ scores to identify patients with ODS-S of ≥9.

Results

The e-PAQ and ODS-S scores showed a positive correlation in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, post-natally and following OASI. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated (0.77;p < 0.001, 0.79;p < 0.001, 0.66;p = 0.001 and 0.79;p < 0.001 respectively). An e-PAQ evacuatory domain score of ≥33 identified women with an ODS score of ≥9 with a sensitivity and specificity of 71% and 94% in the second trimester, 86% and 95% third trimester and 78% and 97% in the OASI group respectively. Area under the curve was >0.90 for all groups.

Conclusions

Comparison of e-PAQ evacuatory domain scores and ODS-S show a strong correlation, with an e-PAQ score of ≥33 promising for identifying women with an ODS score of ≥9, indicating ODS. This study will enable us to identify women during pregnancy and post-natally with ODS for whom early recognition and intervention may be beneficial.
The emperor has no clothes: OAB can be cured surgically
Authors: Petros Peter
Published: March 2022

The paper by Karjalainen et al., who reviewed 2,933 pelvic organ prolapse surgeries, showed 75% cure for “bothersome” urge urinary incontinence (UUI), is more than an “Aha” moment; it is an “Emperor has no clothes” moment. Since 1976, a convention of “no surgery” for women with UUI (now overactive bladder, OAB) has become almost an article of faith. Yet, surgical cure of OAB has been known since 1997, when this journal published the first urodynamically controlled study with 20-month data: 86% cure for UUI, 85% for frequency, 80% for nocturia following pubourethral ligament (PUL) and uterosacral ligament (USL) sling repair in 85 women. This study was followed by many other publications over the years recording OAB cure. It is not that even a small fraction of the 600 million women on the planet will now undergo surgery, or that damaged ligaments are the only cause of OAB. However, knowing OAB can be cured opens the door for young creative minds to bring hope and relief to these women non-surgically, as well as surgically.
Pre-cleaned bare wooden toothpicks for the determination of drugs in oral fluid by mass spectrometry
Authors: Millán-Santiago Jaime , Lucena Rafael , Cárdenas Soledad
Published: March 2022

This article deepens the potential of pre-cleaned bare wooden toothpicks (pb-WTs) for extracting drugs (antidepressants and acetaminophen) from oral fluid samples. The leaching of the intrinsic compounds from the wood matrix is identified as the main challenge for the final determination of the targets, even when a very selective instrumental technique, such as mass spectrometry, is employed. The pre-cleaning of the WTs is proposed for improving the analytical performance. The number of cleaning cycles depends on the injection mode (direct infusion or chromatography) into the mass spectrometer. The different variables affecting the extraction of selected antidepressant drugs were studied in detail, and the optimum procedure was validated using the two mentioned injection modes. The limits of detection were in the ranges 0.1–0.5 ng/mL and 0.1–0.3 ng/mL for direct infusion and liquid chromatography, respectively. The intra-day precision (expressed as relative standard deviation) was better than 12.1% and 8.6%, for direct infusion and liquid chromatography, respectively. Single-blind samples were used to study the applicability of the method. Finally, as a proof-of-concept, the potential of pb-WTs for in vivo sampling was outlined.

Graphical abstract
Diagnostic accuracy of automated 3D volumetry of cardiac chambers by CT pulmonary angiography for identification of pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease
Authors: Melzig Claudius , Do Thuy Duong , Egenlauf Benjamin , Partovi Sasan , Grünig Ekkehard , Kauczor Hans-Ulrich , Heussel Claus Peter , Rengier Fabian
Published: March 2022

Objectives

To assess diagnostic accuracy of automated 3D volumetry of cardiac chambers based on computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for the differentiation of pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease (group 2 PH) from non-group 2 PH compared to manual diameter measurements.

Methods

Patients with confirmed PH undergoing right heart catheterisation and CTPA within 100 days for diagnostic workup of PH between August 2013 and February 2016 were included in this retrospective, single-centre study. Automated 3D segmentation of left atrium, left ventricle, right atrium and right ventricle (LA/LV/RA/RV) was performed by two independent and blinded radiologists using commercial software. For comparison, axial diameters were manually measured. The ability to differentiate group 2 PH from non-group 2 PH was assessed by means of logistic regression.

Results

Ninety-one patients (median 67.5 years, 44 women) were included, thereof 19 patients (20.9%) classified as group 2 PH. After adjustment for age, sex and mean pulmonary arterial pressure, group 2 PH was significantly associated with larger LA volume (p < 0.001), larger LV volume (p = 0.001), lower RV/LV volume ratio (p = 0.04) and lower RV/LA volume ratio (p = 0.003). LA volume demonstrated the highest discriminatory ability to identify group 2 PH (AUC, 0.908; 95% confidence interval, 0.835–0.981) and was significantly superior to LA diameter (p = 0.009). Intraobserver and interobserver agreements were excellent for all volume measurements (intraclass correlation coefficients 0.926–0.999, all p < 0.001).

Conclusions

LA volume quantified by automated, CTPA-based 3D volumetry can differentiate group 2 PH from other PH groups with good diagnostic accuracy and yields significantly higher diagnostic accuracy than left atrial diameter.

Key Points

• Automated cardiac chamber volumetry using non-gated CT pulmonary angiography can differentiate pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease from other causes with good diagnostic accuracy.

• Left atrial volume yields significantly higher diagnostic accuracy than left atrial axial diameter for identification of pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease without time-consuming manual processing.
Impact of energy drink versus coffee consumption on periodic repolarization dynamics: an interventional study
Authors: Schüttler Dominik , Rudi Wolf-Stephan , Bauer Axel , Hamm Wolfgang , Brunner Stefan
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Caffeinated beverages are consumed daily throughout the world. Caffeine consumption has been linked to dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. However, the exact effects are still insufficiently understood.

Methods

Sixteen healthy individuals were included in the present non-randomized cross-over interventional study. All study subjects consumed a commercial energy drink (containing 240 mg caffeine), and in a second independent session coffee (containing 240 mg caffeine). High-resolution digital ECGs in Frank-lead configuration were recorded at baseline before consumption, and 45 min after consumption of the respective beverage. Using customized software, we assessed ECG-based biomarker periodic repolarization dynamics (PRD), which mirrors the effect of efferent cardiac sympathetic activity on the ventricular myocardium.

Results

The consumption of energy drinks resulted in an increase in PRD levels (3.64 vs. 5.85 deg2; p < 0.001). In contrast, coffee consumption did not alter PRD levels (3.47 vs 3.16 deg2, p = 0.63). The heart rates remained unchanged both after coffee and after energy drink consumption. Spearman analysis showed no significant correlation between PRD changes and heart rate changes (R = 0.34, p = 0.31 for coffee, R = 0.31, p = 0.24 for energy drink).

Conclusion

Our data suggests that sympathetic activation after consumption of caffeinated beverages is independent from caffeine and might be mediated by other substances.

Trial Number: NCT04886869, 13 May 2021, retrospectively registered
Fluorescence lifetime imaging and electron microscopy: a correlative approach
Authors: Wieland Johannes G. , Naskar Nilanjon , Rück Angelika , Walther Paul
Published: March 2022

Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) allows the characterization of cellular metabolism by quantifying the rate of free and unbound nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydrogen (NADH). This study delineates the correlative imaging of cells with FLIM and electron microscopy (EM). Human fibroblasts were cultivated in a microscopy slide bearing a coordinate system and FLIM measurement was conducted. Following chemical fixation, embedding in Epon and cutting with an ultramicrotome, tomograms of selected cells were acquired with a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). Correlative imaging of antimycin A-treated fibroblasts shows a decrease in fluorescence lifetime as well as swollen mitochondria with large cavities in STEM tomography. To our knowledge, this is the first correlative FLIM and EM workflow. Combining the high sensitivity of FLIM with the high spatial resolution of EM could boost the research of pathophysiological processes involving cell metabolism, such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and viral infection.
Impact of rapid maxillary expansion on palatal morphology at different dentition stages
Authors: Kinzinger Gero Stefan Michael , Lisson Jörg Alexander , Buschhoff Charlotte , Hourfar Jan , Korbmacher-Steiner Heike
Published: March 2022

Objective

Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) is an established and frequently used procedure to overcome maxillary constriction. In-depth studies about morphological changes of the alveolar process and its immediate surroundings are missing. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the treatment effects of a dentally anchored, rapid maxillary expander at different dentition stages upon palatal width, height and shape.

Material and methods

The dental casts of 114 patients—taken immediately before and after RME—were three-dimensionally analysed. Depending on the dentition stage, the patients were divided into two groups (each n = 57, group 1, early mixed dentition; group 2, late mixed or permanent dentition).

Results

The width increases were highly significant, both in the overall and in the individual groups (p < 0.001). While the width increase was greater in the posterior area than anteriorly in the early group, the widening in the late group happened significantly greater anteriorly than posteriorly. Palatal height increased anteriorly and posteriorly in both groups to a significant extent (p < 0.001). The height increase was more pronounced in the anterior region than in the posterior region in the late group. The palatine index according to Kim revealed a change in palatal morphology both anteriorly and posteriorly in the early group but only anteriorly in the late group.

Conclusions

Maxillary expansion occurs more parallel in early treatment compared to V-shaped opening in the later treatment approach.

Clinical relevance

RME is more advantageous in an early dentition.
Place-based power production deliberations in Saskatchewan: engaging future sustainability
Authors: Hurlbert Margot A.
Published: March 2022

This article addresses a gap in knowledge of peoples’ strategies and recommendations concerning power production and achieving reductions in GHGs to address climate change. Employing mixed methods, two-day deliberative focus groups in three communities in Saskatchewan, Canada included pre and post-focus group surveys, coding and analysis of discussions, and the creation of consensus recommendations for sustainable power production in the future. These innovative mixed-methods provide insights into how to advance individual and social learning. Results of comparative case study analysis provide strong support for renewables and illustrate place-based differences. All communities supported renewable sources. The community in proximity to coal, oil, and gas production supported coal, and coal with carbon capture and storage (CCS) and was concerned with the social cost of job loss on the welfare system; engaging the public was not a priority. In contrast, the other two communities stressed the importance of engaging the public and considering all costs, risks, benefits across the entire lifespan of power production sources. To achieve future sustainability, policy implications include addressing important concerns of resource-dependent communities, namely job loss, and conducting holistic policy assessment of potential power production sources that account for carbon and cost across the entire supply chain and include land-use change.

Graphical abstract
Seismic vulnerability of historic brick masonry buildings in Vienna
Authors: Karic Amel , Atalić Josip , Kolbitsch Andreas
Published: March 2022

This paper presents a seismic vulnerability analysis of historic brick masonry buildings in Vienna, Austria from the period of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy (1840–1918). The vulnerability study is based on comprehensive data from the devastating earthquake damage to the masonry buildings in Zagreb, Croatia on March 22, 2020, which are from the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and comparable to Viennese buildings from that period, as well as on comprehensive numerical structural analyses calibrated on in situ test series. The statistical analysis of the earthquake damage to the Zagreb masonry stock and the comprehensive numerical simulations, allowed profound conclusions about the proportional damage distribution over individual structural areas of the masonry buildings, considering construction-specific characteristics such as the building height, the structural regularity/irregularity or the construction type under the ground level. This study enhances the still limited knowledge about the vulnerability of the historic brick masonry buildings from the period of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and allows extensive conclusions about the seismic vulnerability of these buildings.
Occupancy and co-occurrence patterns of endemic mammals and introduced predators across a broad geographical gradient in eastern Australia
Authors: McHugh Darren , Goldingay Ross L. , Letnic Mike
Published: March 2022

Invasive predators, land clearing and altered fire regimes have been implicated in species decline and extinction worldwide. Enhanced knowledge of how these factors interact and influence medium-sized mammals is warranted. We tested three hypotheses using occupancy data for a diverse mammal assemblage including three threatened species, five common species, two introduced mesopredators and an apex predator in eastern Australia. We hypothesised that occupancy of mammal species within the assemblage would be influenced by (i) the physical environment (rainfall, vegetation type and elevation), (ii) habitat disturbance (number of fires and habitat fragmentation) and (iii) mesopredator release, whereby occupancy and/or detection of medium-sized mammals are influenced by mesopredators, the feral cat (Felis catus) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), which are influenced by an apex predator, the dingo (Canis familiaris). We utilised camera-trapping data from 173 sites (692 camera locations) across a north–south gradient spanning ~ 1500 km in eastern Australia. Although hypotheses i (physical environment) and ii (habitat disturbance) are not mutually exclusive, we show that the variables considered in each were only weakly correlated. We conducted occupancy modelling to investigate the physical environment and habitat disturbance hypotheses. We conducted co-occurrence modelling to investigate interactions between species. The physical environment hypothesis best supported occupancy models for six mammal species: red-necked pademelon (Thylogale thetis), bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus and Perameles nasuta), swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor), red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus), eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) and feral cat. The disturbance hypothesis best supported occupancy models for four mammal species: long-nosed potoroo (Potorous tridactylus), red-necked pademelon and both mesopredators. Support for the mesopredator release hypothesis was equivocal. Large macropods showed site avoidance towards the red fox. Four species showed higher detection at sites where mesopredators were not detected. The fox showed a negative detection interaction to the dingo and the cat did not. Our study highlights how factors such as rainfall, land clearing, elevation and number of fires influence the occupancy of species within a diverse mammal assemblage at the macroecological scale. Our findings have implications for the conservation of threatened species in managed landscapes and suggestions for further research following the recent 2019–2020 wildfires.
Biocultural diversity in the traditional landscape of Vallecorsa
Authors: De Pasquale Giorgia , Livia Sagliocco
Published: March 2022

In Italy, agricultural intensification and the abandonment of rural areas since the 1960s has led to a transformation of the traditional agricultural landscape, bringing with it a series of environmental and socio-economic issues and problems such as those linked to hydrogeological instability, a reduction in biocultural diversity and migration to urban centres, especially of the younger population. These phenomena have also led to a progressive loss of all the cultural and traditional practices related to these systems, thus contributing to a homogenization of the landscape structure due to abandonment. On the other hand, in the last years, we are witnessing a return to rural and traditional practices with the aim of recovering local cultures, especially those associated to agricultural practices, and to a more sustainable management of the territory. Vallecorsa, a municipality in central Italy, is one of the landscapes inscribed in the Italian National Register of Historical Rural Landscapes and it is still characterized by traditional agricultural practices that provide multiple benefits also in ecological terms, maintaining a specific level of biodiversity, interpreted as part of the biocultural diversity of the area. The aim of the present research is to analyse the structure of the traditional landscape of Vallecorsa and to determine its main characteristics, using landscape as the scale. Through the use of GIS software, by means of photo-interpretation and the use of DTM, the present study analyses the structure of land use, and in particular of terraced surfaces, and the associated data on area size, fragmentation, altitude and slope. The results take into account the diversity of land uses and mosaic patches, as well as terraced surfaces, and their distribution in the territory, relating them to the local biodiversity, in particular that of dry stone walls.
Structural Decomposition Analysis of Japan’s Energy Transitions and Related CO2 Emissions in 2005–2015 Using a Hybrid Input-Output Table
Authors: Ueda Tatsuki
Published: March 2022

This study investigates Japan’s energy transitions in 2005–2015, which involved massive economic disruptions due to the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and the Great Recession. A hybrid input-output (IO) table that conforms to the energy conservation condition was newly compiled by integrating the Japanese energy-balance and linked-IO tables. This was employed to conduct a structural decomposition analysis (SDA), which attributes changes in energy consumption and CO2 emissions to the effects of intensity, structure, domestic final demand, and export. These effects were successfully segregated into a profile of energy sources. The results revealed that the structural effect became the dominant driver for decisively reducing energy consumption and emissions of manufacturing and service sectors in the latter period 2011–2015. This suggested that it took time to materialize energy-saving innovations in response to the sudden economic disruptions. Over the entire period, the structural effect was the largest driver contributing to the overall reductions, in part because the other effects tended to cancel out either between energy sources or periods. Therefore, a sensible way to transform Japan to a less energy-intensive, carbon-free society in the future is to improve the non-energy input structures of the manufacturing and service sectors.
An integrated approach to explore the suitability of nitrate-contaminated groundwater for drinking purposes in a semiarid region of India
Authors: Panneerselvam Balamurugan , Muniraj Kirubakaran , Duraisamy Karunanidhi , Pande Chaitanya , Karuppannan Shankar , Thomas Maciej
Published: March 2022

The main objective of the present study is to perform risk assessment of groundwater contaminated by nitrate (NO3−) and evaluate the suitability of groundwater for domestic purposes in the Palani region of South India. Thirty groundwater samples were collected in the study area. Various groundwater quality analysis parameters such as the pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, total hardness, major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+), and major anions (Cl−, SO42−, F−, CO32−, and HCO3−) were adopted in this study to evaluate the drinking water suitability according to 2011 World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Piper and Gibbs’s diagrams for the tested groundwater indicated that, due to the influence of rock–water interactions, evaporation, and reverse ion exchange, the chemical composition of groundwater varied. According to water quality index (WQI) mapping results, 46.67% of the sample locations was identified as contaminated zones via GIS spatial analysis. Multivariate statistical analysis methods, such as principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and the Pearson correlation matrix, were applied to better understand the relationship between water quality parameters. The results demonstrated that 40% of the samples could be identified as highly affected zones in the study region due to a high nitrate concentration. The noncarcinogenic health risks among men, women, and children reached 40, 50, and 53%, respectively. The results illustrated that children and women occurred at a higher risk than did men in the study region. The major sources of contamination included discharge from households, uncovered septic tanks, leachate from waste dump sites, and excess utilization of fertilizers in the agricultural sector. Furthermore, using the nitrate health hazard integrated method with the conventional indexing approach ensures that groundwater reliability can be guaranteed, contamination can be explored, and appropriate remedial measures can be implemented.
Vibrational properties of the mononuclear Fe[HBpz3]2 spin crossover complex
Authors: Hochdörffer Tim , Wolny Juliusz A. , Omlor Andreas , Scherthan Lena , Auerbach Hendrik , Müller Christina S. , Wille Hans-Christian , Sergeev Ilya , Schünemann Volker
Published: March 2022

Within this work, we report the results of nuclear inelastic scattering experiments of the low-spin phase of the iron(II) mononuclear SCO complex Fe[HBpz3]2 and density functional theory based calculations performed on a model molecule of the complex. We show that the calculated partial density of vibrational states based on the structure of a single iron(II) center which is linked by three pyrazole rings to borat is in good accordance with the experimentally obtained 57Fe-pDOS and assign the molecular vibrations to the prominent optical phonons.
Future Industry Internet of Things with Zero-trust Security
Authors: Li Shan , Iqbal Muddesar , Saxena Neetesh
Published: March 2022

The emerging techniques, such as the fifth-generation communications (5G), Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, artificial intelligence, etc., are operating in unison will drive the transformation of global business forward. The 5G technology is expected to unleash a massive IoT ecosystems by providing massive connectivity for huge number of IoT devices with faster data rate, ultra-low latency, and low-cost access. The 5G networks will be designed to bring the level of performance needed for massive IoT and will enable a perceived fully ubiquitous connected world. Meanwhile, the blockchain being promoted as the fundamental for new business model in Future IoT (FIoT). This paper attempts to provide a set of new directions and ideas for research in 5G/6G enabled IoT and new technique trends in IoT. The current IoT are facing a number of challenges, such as massive IoT devices access, network performances, security, standardization, and critical applications. This paper investigates new technologies, such as 5G, zero-trust, and blockchain will catalyse the innovation in IoT. Specifically, a zero-trust security architecture for FIoT is proposed and a blockchain-based device authentication in IoT environment (BasIoT) is proposed that can provide massive secure device access in FIoT.
Aspergillus tubingensis Endocarditis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Born Tristan , Aruanno Marion , Kampouri Eleftheria , Mombelli Matteo , Monney Pierre , Tozzi Piergiorgio , Lamoth Frederic
Published: March 2022

Aspergillus endocarditis is a rare infection that may affect immunocompetent patients following heart valve replacement or heart surgery. We report the case of a 39 year old woman with a history of intravenous drug use who developed endocarditis with direct examination of the resected valve and vegetation showing the presence of mycelia. Cultures were positive for an Aspergillus of section Nigri, which was subsequently identified as Aspergillus tubingensis by sequencing. The clinical course was favorable following surgery and prolonged antifungal therapy (8 months in total). Antifungal susceptibility testing showed good in vitro activity of amphotericin B, voriconazole and echinocandins against planktonic cells of this A. tubingensis isolate. However, only amphotericin B displayed significant activity against biofilms. In vitro combinations of voriconazole or amphotericin B with echinocandins did not meet the criteria of synergism. Our review of the literature identified 17 other cases of endocarditis attributed to Aspergillus of section Nigri with an overall mortality rate of 57% (100% in the absence of surgery). Endocarditis caused by Aspergillus niger and related cryptic species are rare events, for which surgical management appears to be crucial for outcome. While amphotericin B was the only antifungal drug displaying significant anti-biofilm activity, the type and duration of antifungal therapy remain to be determined.
A systematic review of agent-based model for flood risk management and assessment using the ODD protocol
Authors: Anshuka Anshuka , van Ogtrop Floris F. , Sanderson David , Leao Simone Z.
Published: March 2022

Recently, applications of agent-based model (ABM) have been used to understand the interaction between social and hydrological systems. These systems are dynamic and co-evolving, which can be captured through different decision-making entities in an ABM simulation. Therefore, this review aims to better understand the use of ABM for flood risk management and assessment (FRMA). The review comprises a systematic selection of literature using the PRISMA method, which is then assessed using an adapted version of the overview, design, and detail (ODD) protocol to better understand the ABM model development process for FRMA. The review finds that the use of the ODD protocol was only seen in 25% of the studies. The studies which did not explicitly use the ODD had a comprehensive description of the models, albeit done in a non-standardised way. Modellers continue to face the dilemma between parsimony and the breadth of the model as identified from the design component of the ODD. The hydrological component is mainly captured in the sub-model process of the ODD, however, improvements in the definition of the sub-model component may warrant a more comprehensive description of the processes and facilitate comparison across studies. The applications of ABM have shown promise to understand long term flood risks, test the efficacy of policies and better understand the factors that affect warning response during the flood evacuation process. ODD adopted for this review may consequently allow for the adoption and more coherent use of the protocol to document models in FRMA.
Universal Mindfulness Training in Schools for Adolescents: a Scoping Review and Conceptual Model of Moderators, Mediators, and Implementation Factors
Authors: Tudor Kate , Maloney Shannon , Raja Anam , Baer Ruth , Blakemore Sarah-Jayne , Byford Sarah , Crane Catherine , Dalgleish Tim , De Wilde Katherine , Ford Tamsin , Greenberg Mark , Hinze Verena , Lord Liz , Radley Lucy , Opaleye Emerita Satiro , Taylor Laura , Ukoumunne Obioha C. , Viner Russell ,   MYRIAD Team, Kuyken Willem , Montero-Marin Jesus
Published: March 2022

There is evidence that universal school-based mindfulness training (SBMT) can have positive effects for young people. However, it is unknown who benefits most from such training, how training exerts effects, and how implementation impacts effects. This study aimed to provide an overview of the evidence on the mediators, moderators, and implementation factors of SBMT, and propose a conceptual model that can be used both to summarize the evidence and provide a framework for future research. A scoping review was performed, and six databases and grey literature were searched. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to select relevant material. Quantitative and qualitative information was extracted from eligible articles and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The search produced 5479 articles, of which 31 were eligible and included in the review. Eleven studies assessed moderators of SBMT on pupil outcomes, with mixed findings for all variables tested. Five studies examined the mediating effect of specific variables on pupil outcomes, with evidence that increases in mindfulness skills and decreases in cognitive reactivity and self-criticism post-intervention are related to better pupil outcomes at follow-up. Twenty-five studies assessed implementation factors. We discuss key methodological shortcomings of included studies and integrate our findings with existing implementation frameworks to propose a conceptual model. Widespread interest in universal SBMT has led to increased research over recent years, exploring who SBMT works for and how it might work, but the current evidence is limited. We make recommendations for future research and provide a conceptual model to guide theory-led developments.
My Fear Is Not, and Never Will Be, Your Fear: On Emotions and Feelings in Animals
Authors: Kret Mariska E. , Massen Jorg J. M. , de Waal Frans B. M.
Published: March 2022

Do nonhuman animals (henceforth, animals) have emotions, and if so, are these similar to ours? This opinion piece aims to add to the recent debate about this question and provides a critical re-evaluation of what can be concluded about animal and human emotions. Emotions, and their cognitive interpretation, i.e., feelings, serve important survival functions. Emotions, we believe, can exist without feelings and are unconsciously influencing our behavior more than we think, and possibly more so than feelings do. Given that emotions are expressed in body and brain, they can be inferred from these measures. We view feelings primarily as private states, which may be similar across closely related species but remain mostly inaccessible to science. Still, combining data acquired through behavioral observation with data obtained from noninvasive techniques (e.g., eyetracking, thermography, hormonal samples) and from cognitive tasks (e.g., decision-making paradigms, cognitive bias, attentional bias) provides new information about the inner states of animals, and possibly about their feelings as well. Given that many other species show behavioral, neurophysiological, hormonal, and cognitive responses to valenced stimuli equivalent to human responses, it seems logical to speak of animal emotions and sometimes even of animal feelings. At the very least, the contemporary multi-method approach allows us to get closer than ever before. We conclude with recommendations on how the field should move forward.
Deposition of nano-crystalline tungsten carbide powders from gaseous WO2(OH)2
Authors: Ostermann Markus , Haubner Roland
Published: March 2022

Lower WC grain sizes in the nanometer range have positive effects on the properties of hardmetals (e.g., hardness), but the established production processes of WC are limited to grain sizes of about 150 nm. To produce WC powder with grain sizes in the lower nanometer range, an alternative WC production process based on the chemical vapor transport (CVT) reaction of WO3 and H2O forming gaseous WO2(OH)2 at about 1100 °C, followed by a carburation reaction with H2/CH4-gas mixtures was investigated. The influences of different process parameters such as furnace temperature, humidity and gas flows were investigated to improve the process. With the right set of parameters the produced powder consisted mainly of agglomerated WC grains with a size of about 5 nm. Beside the common hexagonal WC phase, the cubic WC1−x phase was stabilized due to the small crystallite sizes. In addition, a thin layer of amorphous carbon was present on the powder surface due to the catalytic methane decomposition on the WC surface. The amount of oxidic and metallic residues in the product powder was minimized with the parameter optimization and the powder yield was increased up to about 50%. With further optimization of the process parameters and usage of improved flow breakers, the purity and yield of the product powder can be further improved. Since an application in the hardmetal section is not realistic at the moment, applications in the catalysis sector could be considered due to the small grain size and good catalytic activity of the cubic WC1−x phase.
Modern British Nature Writing, 1789–2020
Authors: Abberley Will , Alt Christina , Higgins David , Huggan Graham , Marland Pippa
Published: March 2022

Why do we speak so much of nature today when there is so little of it left? Prompted by this question, this study offers the first full-length exploration of modern British nature writing, from the late eighteenth century to the present. Focusing on non-fictional prose writing, the book supplies new readings of classic texts by Romantic, Victorian and Contemporary authors, situating these within the context of an enduringly popular genre. Nature writing is still widely considered fundamentally celebratory or escapist, yet it is also very much in tune with the conflicts of a natural world under threat. The book's four authors connect these conflicts to the triple historical crisis of the environment; of representation; and of modern dissociated sensibility. This book offers an informed critical approach to modern British nature writing for specialist readers, as well as a valuable guide for general readers concerned by an increasingly diminished natural world.
A New Guidance Law for Impact Angle Constraints with Time-Varying Navigation Gain
Authors: Zhang W.J. , Wang B.M.
Published: March 2022

In this study, a new impact angle control guidance law is proposed against a stationary target in the three-dimensional (3D) plane. A time-varying navigation gain is derived to achieve the specific terminal angle in a longitudinal plane without phased or adding a bias term. A proportional guidance law is also adopted in the lateral plane to achieve an accurate strike. The monotonicity of the look angle and the convergence of the acceleration are analysed and proven to support the proposed method. For the proposed guidance law, estimating time-to-go or giving a switch strategy is unnecessary; the navigation is continuous, which would not result in sudden changes in control input, and is convenient to implement. Extensive simulations, including autopilot lag or real missile model, are performed to validate the efficiency of the proposed method.
Stabilisation, tracking and disturbance rejection control design for the UAS-S45 Bálaam
Authors: Kuitche M.A.J. , Yañez-Badillo H. , Botez R.M. , Hashemi S.M.
Published: March 2022

The stabilisation and control mechanisms of an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) must be properly designed to ensure acceptable flight performance. During their operation, these mechanisms are subjected to unknown and random environmental effects, making it imperative that all available information should be taken into consideration during the mechanisms’ design process (e.g. system dynamics, actuators, flight conditions and certain criteria requirements such as phugoid and short modes for longitudinal dynamics, and roll subsidence, spiral and Dutch-roll modes for lateral dynamics) in order to guarantee flight stability. Therefore, this paper introduces a novel methodology for the stabilisation and control of the UAS-S45 Bálaam, designed and manufactured by Hydra Technologies. This methodology uses composite controllers that combine feedback Linear Quadratic Regulators (LQR) and Proportional Integral Feed-Forward (PI-FF) compensation controller for stabilisation and tracking tasks, respectively. Furthermore, a Generalised Extended State Observer was implemented to provide robustness to the closed loop dynamics by introducing disturbance compensation. Furthermore, an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) was adopted to perform a gain scheduling by computing the gains of each composite controller for certain unknown trim conditions within a given flight domain. Finally, several numerical assessments were performed to highlight the efficiency of the proposed methodology.
Fair gambler’s ruin stochastically maximizes playing time
Authors: Peköz Erol A. , Ross Sheldon M.
Published: March 2022

For the gambler’s ruin problem with two players starting with the same amount of money, we show the playing time is stochastically maximized when the games are fair.
FUNCTIONAL PROFILE TECHNIQUES FOR CLAIMS RESERVING
Authors: Maciak Matúš , Mizera Ivan , Pešta Michal
Published: March 2022

One of the most fundamental tasks in non-life insurance, done on regular basis, is risk reserving assessment analysis, which amounts to predict stochastically the overall loss reserves to cover possible claims. The most common reserving methods are based on different parametric approaches using aggregated data structured in the run-off triangles. In this paper, we propose a rather non-parametric approach, which handles the underlying loss development triangles as functional profiles and predicts the claim reserve distribution through permutation bootstrap. Three competitive functional-based reserving techniques, each with slightly different scope, are presented; their theoretical and practical advantages – in particular, effortless implementation, robustness against outliers, and wide-range applicability – are discussed. Theoretical justifications of the methods are derived as well. An evaluation of the empirical performance of the designed methods and a full-scale comparison with standard (parametric) reserving techniques are carried on several hundreds of real run-off triangles against the known real loss outcomes. An important objective of the paper is also to promote the idea of natural usefulness of the functional reserving methods among the reserving practitioners.
Sages, Sympathy, and Suffering in Kant’s Theory of Friendship
Authors: Vilhauer Benjamin
Published: March 2022

Kant’s theory of friendship is crucial in defending his ethics against the longstanding charge of emotional detachment. But his theory of friendship is vulnerable to this charge too: the Kantian sage can appear to reject sympathetic suffering when she cannot help a suffering friend. I argue that Kant is committed to the view that both sages and ordinary people must suffer in sympathy with friends even when they cannot help, because sympathy is necessary to fulfill the imperfect duty to adopt others’ merely permissible ends (MPEs), and we ought to take friends’ MPEs as our own. MPEs are individuated in terms of concepts which include marks of the first person, and no marks of law other than permissibility. Toadoptends of others individuated in terms of such concepts rather than merelypromotethem as means todifferentends, those concepts must engage with one’s feelings in a way that requires sympathy.
THE CONSISTENCY STRENGTH OF THE PERFECT SET PROPERTY FOR UNIVERSALLY BAIRE SETS OF REALS
Authors: SCHINDLER RALF , WILSON TREVOR M.
Published: March 2022

We show that the statement “every universally Baire set of reals has the perfect set property” is equiconsistent modulo ZFC with the existence of a cardinal that we call virtually Shelah for supercompactness (VSS). These cardinals resemble Shelah cardinals and Shelah-for-supercompactness cardinals but are much weaker: if
$0^\sharp $
exists then every Silver indiscernible is VSS in L. We also show that the statement
$\operatorname {\mathrm {uB}} = {\boldsymbol {\Delta }}^1_2$
, where
$\operatorname {\mathrm {uB}}$
is the pointclass of all universally Baire sets of reals, is equiconsistent modulo ZFC with the existence of a
$\Sigma _2$
-reflecting VSS cardinal.
NORMAL HILBERT COEFFICIENTS AND ELLIPTIC IDEALS IN NORMAL TWO-DIMENSIONAL SINGULARITIES
Authors: OKUMA TOMOHIRO , ROSSI MARIA EVELINA , WATANABE KEI-ICHI , YOSHIDA KEN-ICHI
Published: March 2022

Let
$(A,\mathfrak m)$
be an excellent two-dimensional normal local domain. In this paper, we study the elliptic and the strongly elliptic ideals of A with the aim to characterize elliptic and strongly elliptic singularities, according to the definitions given by Wagreich and Yau. In analogy with the rational singularities, in the main result, we characterize a strongly elliptic singularity in terms of the normal Hilbert coefficients of the integrally closed
$\mathfrak m$
-primary ideals of A. Unlike
$p_g$
-ideals, elliptic ideals and strongly elliptic ideals are not necessarily normal and necessary, and sufficient conditions for being normal are given. In the last section, we discuss the existence (and the effective construction) of strongly elliptic ideals in any two-dimensional normal local ring.
The First-Person Perspective Is Not a Defining Feature of Consciousness
Authors: Ludwig Dylan
Published: March 2022

Philosophers and scientists generally assume that consciousness is characterized by a ‘first-person perspective.’ On one interpretation of this claim, experiences are defined, at least in part, by representations that encode a subject-centred ‘point of view.’ But claims about the defining features of consciousness must be sensitive to the possibility of dissociation: if a neurobiological structure or psychological function is neither necessary nor sufficient for consciousness, it cannot be a defining feature in any robust sense. I appeal to research on unconscious emotion, visually guided action, perceptual constancy, and psychiatric disorder to argue that first-personal representations dissociate from conscious experience.
Conceptual Engineering or Revisionary Conceptual Analysis? The Case of Russell's Metaphilosophy Based on Principia Mathematica's Logic
Authors: Elkind Landon
Published: March 2022

Conceptual engineers have made hay over the differences of their metaphilosophy from those of conceptual analysts. In this article, I argue that the differences are not as great as conceptual engineers have, perhaps rhetorically, made them seem. That is, conceptual analysts asking ‘What is X?’ questions can do much the same work that conceptual engineers can do with ‘What is X for?’ questions, at least if conceptual analysts self-understand their activity as a revisionary enterprise. I show this with a study of Russell's metaphilosophy, which was just such a revisionary conception of conceptual analysis.
A Gendered Approach to the Yu Chi Chan Club and National Liberation Front during South Africa's Transition to Armed Struggle
Authors: Drew Allison
Published: March 2022

South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle reflected an ideal of heroic masculinity that ignored and depreciated women as active political agents. This has contributed to a post-apartheid social order that accepts formal gender equality but that perpetuates gender inequality by discounting women's experiences. This article examines the little-known and short-lived Yu Chi Chan Club (YCCC) and National Liberation Front (NLF). Tiny Cape Peninsula-based breakaways from the Non-European Unity Movement – an African National Congress rival – the YCCC and NLF were exceptional amongst early 1960s underground groups in their systematic attempts to theorize guerrilla struggle and assess its applicability to South African conditions and, in the NLF's case, to build a cell structure through political education. Although the NLF's idealized notion of revolutionary life was premised on an abstract individual with traits then associated with public and vocal male activists, nonetheless women participated as equal abstract individuals. The NLF's relatively horizontal cell structure, small cell size, and lack of hierarchy made participation easier for both women and men, allowing women to operate equally within the political space. From their gendered upbringing and early experiences in hierarchical organizations to their brief experience of equality within the YCCC and NLF, the women were then forced into a prison system with an extremely rigid and unequal gender divide. Subjected to the state's regendering project, the political space available to the NLF's women prisoners shrank far more than it did for their male comrades, whose prison experiences became the measure of anti-apartheid politics.
Between National and International: Women's Transnational Activism in Twentieth-Century Chile
Authors: Lanfranco González María Fernanda
Published: March 2022

This article explores the transnational dimension of women's mobilization in twentieth-century Chile and the connections they established with women's international non-governmental organizations, particularly the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and the Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF). It sheds light on the political choices women made when forging transnational alliances to expand and make their activism more effective, together with the material and ideological dynamics that shaped their collaboration. The article analyses this topic by focusing on key but little-explored figures of women's activism in Chile – especially, but not solely, feminist academic Olga Poblete – and their personal communications with the leadership of women's organizations in the US and Europe. The article contends that, although both the WILPF and WIDF shared strengths and weaknesses in promoting their ideas and establishing links with activists in Chile, the alliances that Chilean women chose to pursue were mostly defined by their own political priorities and local contexts.