bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiple sessions of therapeutic electrical stimulation using implantable thin‐film wireless nerve stimulators improve functional recovery after sciatic nerve isograft repair
Authors: Birenbaum Nathan K. , Yan Ying , Odabas Arman , Chandra Nikhil S. , Ray Wilson Z. , MacEwan Matthew R.
Published: December 2022

Introduction/Aims

Although therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES) of injured peripheral nerve promotes axon regeneration and functional recovery, clinical applications of this therapy are limited to the intraoperative timeframe. Implantable, thin‐film wireless nerve stimulators offer a potential solution to this problem by enabling delivery of electrical stimuli to an injured nerve over a period of several days post‐surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal time course of stimulation for maximizing functional recovery in a rat sciatic nerve isograft repair model.

Methods

Adult male Lewis rats underwent thin‐film wireless nerve stimulator implantation following sciatic nerve transection and 40 mm nerve isograft repair. Immediately after surgery, animals began a daily regimen of TES for up to 12 consecutive days. Functional recovery was assessed by compound muscle action potential (CMAP), evoked muscle force, wet muscle mass, and axon counting.

Results

Serial CMAP measurements increased in amplitude over the course of the study, yet no significant difference between cohorts for serial or terminal CMAPs was observed. Axon counts and wet muscle mass measurements were greatest in the 6‐day stimulation group, which correlated with a significant increase in evoked muscle force for the 6‐day stimulation group at the terminal time point.

Discussion

Six daily sessions of TES were found to be most effective for augmenting functional recovery compared to other time courses of stimulation. Future studies should incorporate additional subjects and track axonal sprouting or measure neurotrophin levels during the therapeutic window to further elucidate the mechanisms behind, and ideal amount of, TES.
Children's engineering‐related achievement beliefs and career aspirations: The role of gender
Authors: Woods Bobbi , Miller Cindy Faith , Wheeler Lorey A. , Reisslein Martin
Published: December 2022

This study examined the association between elementary students' (N = 1627; 51.3% girls, ages 4–12) engineering‐related ability beliefs (competence), task‐value beliefs (interest, importance), and career aspirations. Findings suggest that mean levels of children's engineering‐related beliefs did not vary by gender. High levels of competence, interest, and importance beliefs were related to higher engineering‐related career aspirations. Findings also revealed that the association of competence and interest with career aspirations was stronger for girls than boys; whereas, the association of importance with career aspirations was stronger for boys than girls. Last, results provide evidence of importance as a moderator of the link between competence and career aspirations, suggesting that there was a stronger positive association between competence and career aspirations under high levels of importance. Against the backdrop of the increasing urgency to teach engineering in elementary schools, this study highlighted the salience of examining children's engineering‐related motivational beliefs. The study has practical implications for teachers and school psychologists on promoting inclusive instruction in elementary schools. Specifically, the implications of the results for instructional strategies as well as assessments and interventions in elementary schools are discussed.
Clinical manifestations of EVALI in adolescents before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Abdallah Bayan , Lee Harin , Weerakoon Sitara M. , Messiah Sarah E. , Harrell Melissa B. , Rao Devika R.
Published: December 2022

Introduction

E‐cigarette, or vaping, product use‐associated lung injury (EVALI) results from inhaling the aerosol of e‐cigarettes and has similar clinical features to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). EVALI case counts since the declaration of the COVID‐19 pandemic is unknown.

Methods

A retrospective electronic health record chart review of adolescents hospitalized at one institution with EVALI was conducted. Clinical characteristics and hospital course of patients hospitalized during the pandemic were compared to those prepandemic.

Results

The clinical presentation of adolescents hospitalized prior‐to (n = 19) and during the COVID‐19 pandemic (n = 22) were similar with respect to constitutional, respiratory, and gastrointestinal symptoms. All patients hospitalized during the pandemic were tested for COVID‐19 at least once. Only one patient had a positive SARS‐CoV‐2 RT‐PCR test result. Thirty‐one out of 39 patients treated with corticosteroids had clinical improvement within 24 h (79%). Patients hospitalized during the pandemic had a shorter median length of stay (5 vs. 7 days, p < 0.01), and were less often discharged with home oxygen (1 vs. 6 patients, p = 0.04). Pulmonary function tests improved pre‐ to postcorticosteroid treatment and postcorticosteroid to follow‐up.

Conclusions

Eliciting a history of vaping in adolescents presenting with constitutional, respiratory, and gastrointestinal symptoms is important to identify EVALI cases, which have continued throughout the COVID‐19 pandemic. A shorter length of stay with less need for mechanical ventilation and home oxygen in adolescents hospitalized during the pandemic may reflect increased familiarity with EVALI characteristics. Corticosteroids led to clinical and pulmonary function improvement.
Exercise‐induced bronchoconstriction is associated with air humidity and particulate matter concentration in preschool children
Authors: Tikkakoski Anna P. , Tikkakoski Antti , Sipilä Kalle , Kivistö Juho E. , Huhtala Heini , Kähönen Mika , Karjalainen Jussi , Lehtimäki Lauri
Published: December 2022

Background

Long‐term exposure to air pollution is connected to asthma morbidity in children. Exercise‐induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is common in asthma, and the free running test outdoors is an important method for diagnosing asthma in children. It is not known whether momentary air pollution exposure affects the results of outdoor exercise tests in children.

Methods

We analyzed all reliable exercise challenge tests with impulse oscillometry in children (n = 868) performed between January 2012 and April 2015 at Tampere University Hospital. Pollutant concentrations (PM2.5, NO2, and O3) at the time of the exercise test were collected from public registers. We compared the pollutant concentrations with the proportion and severity of EIB and adjusted the analyses for air humidity and pollen counts.

Results

Pollution levels were rarely high (median PM2.5 6.0 µg/m3, NO2 12.0 µg/m3, and O3 47.0 µg/m3). The relative change in resistance at 5 Hz after exercise did not correlate with O3, NO2 or PM2.5 concentrations (p values 0.065−0.884). In multivariate logistic regression, we compared the effects of PM2.5 over 10 µg/m³, absolute humidity (AH) over 10 g/m³ and alder or birch pollen concentration over 10 grains/m³. High (over 10 g/m3) AH was associated with decreased incidence (OR 0.31, p value 0.004), and PM2.5 over 10 µg/m³ was associated with increased incidence (OR 1.69, p value 0.036) of EIB.

Conclusions

Even low PM2.5 levels may have an effect on EIB in children. Of the other properties of air, only AH was associated with the incidence of EIB.
Potential effects of RNA interference of Asian longhorned beetle on its parasitoid
Authors: Wang Xingeng , Faucher Jessica , Dhandapani Ramesh Kumar , Duan Jian J. , Palli Subba Reddy
Published: December 2022

Background

It is important to understand how non‐target insects such as parasitoids may be impacted directly or indirectly by RNA interference with double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) that has emerged as a novel pest control tool. We examined the potential effects of a dsRNA targeting an inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) of the Asian longhorned beetle Anoplophora glabripennis on its gregarious larval ectoparasitoid Ontsira mellipes, directly on adult wasp's survival via injection of 4 μg of dsIAP per wasp, and indirectly on the detectability and suitability of host larvae injected with 2, 4 or 8 μg of dsIAP per larva.

Results

Compared with no injection or injection with a control dsGFP targeting a region of gene coding for a green fluorescence protein (GFP), dsIAP did not affect adult wasp's survival. Ontsira mellipes locates hosts in the wood by sensing their movement. Host larvae did not completely cease movement after the injection of dsIAP and were still detected and parasitized. Clutch size was reduced and only 3.8% of the parasitoid offspring developed into adults on host larvae treated at the highest dose. However, clutch size was not affected and 25.5% of the parasitoid offspring developed into adults on host larvae treated at the lowest dose. The fitness of developed wasps (development time, sex ratio, body size, and fecundity) was not affected when compared to the control treatments. No dsIAP was detected in parasitoid larvae.

Conclusion

The results show no direct effect of the dsRNA on its parasitoid, but the potential indirect effect of dsRNA‐affected host on the parasitoid, which may be minimized through optimizing dsRNA dosage to promote compatible applications of both management options for this invasive forest pest. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
Low‐Cost Antimony Selenosulfide with Tunable Bandgap for Highly Efficient Solar Cells
Authors: Dong Jiabin , Liu Huizhen , Cao Zixiu , Liu Yue , Bai Yuxing , Chen Mohan , Liu Bei , Wu Li , Luo Jingshan , Zhang Yi , Liu Shengzhong (Frank)
Published: December 2022

About 10% efficient antimony selenosulfide (Sb2(S,Se)3) solar cell is realized by using selenourea as a hydrothermal raw material to prepare absorber layers. However, tailoring the bandgap of hydrothermal‐based Sb2(S,Se)3 film to the ideal bandgap (1.3–1.4 eV) using the selenourea for optimal efficiency is still a challenge. Moreover, the expensive selenourea dramatically increases the fabricating cost. Here, a straightforward one‐step hydrothermal method is developed to prepare high‐quality Sb2(S,Se)3 films using a novel precursor sodium selenosulfate as the selenium source. By tuning the Se/(Se+S) ratio in the hydrothermal precursor solution, a series of high‐quality Sb2(S,Se)3 films with reduced density of deep defect states and tunable bandgap from 1.31 to 1.71 eV is successfully prepared. Consequently, the best efficiency of 10.05% with a high current density of 26.01 mA cm−2 is achieved in 1.35 eV Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells. Compared with the traditional method using selenourea, the production cost for the Sb2(S,Se)3 devices is reduced by over 80%. In addition, the device exhibits outstanding stability, maintaining more than 93% of the initial power conversion efficiency after 30 days of exposure in the atmosphere without encapsulation. The present work definitely paves a facile and effective way to develop low‐cost and high‐efficiency chalcogenide‐based photovoltaic devices.
Manipulating the Rectifying Contact between Ultrafine Ru Nanoclusters and N‐Doped Carbon Nanofibers for High‐Efficiency pH‐Universal Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Zhou Guangyao , Zhang Sike , Zhu Yufeng , Li Jing , Sun Kang , Pang Huan , Zhang Mingyi , Tang Yawen , Xu Lin
Published: December 2022

The rational design of ingenious strategies to boost the intrinsic activity and stability of ruthenium (Ru) is of great importance for the substantial progression of water electrolysis technology. Based on Mott–Schottky effect, electronic regulation within a metal/semiconductor hybrid electrocatalyst represents a versatile strategy to boost the electrochemical performance. Herein, a typical Mott–Schottky hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst composed of uniform ultrafine Ru nanoclusters in situ anchored on N‐doped carbon nanofibers (abbreviated as Ru@N‐CNFs hereafter) through a feasible and scalable “phenolic resin‐bridged” strategy is reported. Both spectroscopy analyses and density functional theory calculations manifest that such rectifying contact can induce the spontaneous electron transfer from Ru to N‐doped carbon nanofibers to generate a built‐in electric field, thus enormously promoting the charge transfer efficiency and HER intrinsic activity. Moreover, the seamless immobilization of Ru nanoclusters on the substrate can prevent the active sites from unfavorable migration, coarsening, and detachment, rendering the excellent structural stability. Consequently, the well‐designed Ru@N‐CNFs afford prominent pH‐universal HER performances with small overpotentials of 16 and 17 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and low Tafel slopes of 31.8 and 28.5 mV dec−1 in acidic and alkaline electrolytes, respectively, which are superior to the state‐of‐the‐art commercial Pt/C and Ru/C benchmarks.
Physicochemical characteristics of beer with grape must addition produced using non-Saccharomyces yeasts
Authors: Cioch-Skoneczny Monika , Cichoń Natalia , Satora Paweł , Skoneczny Szymon
Published: December 2022

The aim of the paper was to determine the potential of using grape must and unconventional yeasts in the beer production process. Samples were fermented using non-Saccharomyces yeasts (Dekkera bruxellensis 3429, Wickerhamomyces anomalus MG971261, Kluyveromyces lactis MG971263), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Safale US-05 was used as a control. Grape must was pasteurized and, together with wort, volumetrically introduced into fermentation flasks for fermentation. Mass changes taking place during the process were analyzed. Real extract, alcohol content, free amino nitrogen (FAN) content, titratable acidity, color, and sugar profile were determined in obtained beers. The obtained results have proven that the tested non-Saccharomyces yeasts can adapt to fermentation conditions, just like S. cerevisiae Safale US-05, and can be used to produce beer-wine hybrid alcoholic beverages. The yeast K. lactis MG971263 produced a greater amount of alcohol in beers compared to other yeast strains. There were no significant differences in the color of the obtained beers and in the degree of FAN utilization during the fermentation process. The unconventional yeasts used are capable of producing beers without and with the addition of grape must with parameters similar to beers obtained using S. cerevisiae Safale US-05.
A meta-analysis of structural MRI studies of the brain in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
Authors: Cox Jennifer G. , de Groot Marius , Cole James H. , Williams Steven C. R. , Kempton Matthew J.
Published: December 2022

A comprehensive search of published literature in brain volumetry was conducted in three autoimmune diseases — systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and ulcerative colitis (UC) — with the intention of performing a meta-analysis of published data. Due to the lack of data in RA and UC, the reported meta-analysis was limited to SLE. The MEDLINE database was searched for studies from 1988 to March 2022. A total of 175 papers met the initial inclusion criteria, and 16 were included in a random-effects meta-analysis. The reduction in the number of papers included in the final analysis is primarily due to the lack of overlap in measured and reported brain regions. A significantly lower volume was seen in patients with SLE in the hippocampus, corpus callosum, and total gray matter volume measurements as compared to age- and sex-matched controls. There were not enough studies to perform a meta-analysis for RA and UC; instead, we include a summary of published volumetric studies. The meta-analyses revealed structural brain abnormalities in patients with SLE, suggesting that lower global brain volumes are associated with disease status. This volumetric difference was seen in both the hippocampus and corpus callosum and total gray matter volume measurements. These results indicate both gray and white matter involvements in SLE and suggest there may be both localized and global reductions in brain volume.
Prognostic value of PD-L1 expression in recurrent renal cell carcinoma after nephrectomy: a secondary analysis of the ARCHERY study
Authors: Tamada Satoshi , Nozawa Masahiro , Ohba Kojiro , Mizuno Ryuichi , Takamoto Atsushi , Ohe Chisato , Yoshimoto Takuya , Nakagawa Yuki , Fukuyama Tamaki , Matsubara Nobuaki , Kimura Go , Tomita Yoshihiko , Nonomura Norio , Eto Masatoshi
Published: December 2022

Background

Nephrectomy is a curative treatment for localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but patients with poor prognostic features may experience relapse. Understanding the prognostic impact of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in patients who underwent nephrectomy for RCC may aid in future development of adjuvant therapy.

Methods

Of 770 surgical specimens collected from Japanese patients enrolled in the ARCHERY study, only samples obtained from patients with recurrent RCC after nephrectomy were examined for this secondary analysis. Patients were categorized into low- and high-risk groups based on clinical stage and Fuhrman grade. Time to recurrence (TTR) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed.

Results

Both TTR and OS were shorter in patients with PD-L1-positive than -negative tumors (median TTR 12.1 vs. 21.9 months [HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.17, 1.81]; median OS, 75.8 vs. 97.7 months [HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.00, 1.75]). TTR and OS were shorter in high-risk patients with PD-L1-positive than -negative tumors (median TTR 7.6 vs. 15.3 months [HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.11, 2.00]; median OS, 55.2 vs. 83.5 months [HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.06, 2.21]) but not in low-risk patients.

Conclusions

This ARCHERY secondary analysis suggests that PD-L1 expression may play a role in predicting OS and risk of recurrence in high-risk patients with localized RCC.

Clinical Trial Registration: UMIN000034131.
Debris flow susceptibility mapping using the Rock Engineering System (RES) method: a case study
Authors: Vianello Davide , Vagnon Federico , Bonetto Sabrina , Mosca Pietro
Published: December 2022

The main purpose of the present study is to develop a debris flow susceptibility map of a mountain area (Susa Valley, Western Italian Alps) by using an upgraded version of the Bonetto et al. (Journal of Mountain Science 18, 2021) approach based on the Rock Engineering System (RES) method. In particular, the area under investigation was discretized in a 5 × 5-m grid on which GIS-based analyses were performed. Starting from available databases, several geological, geo-structural, morphological and hydrographical predisposing parameters were identified and codified into two interaction matrices (one for outcropping lithologies and one for Quaternary deposits), to evaluate their mutual interactions and their weight in the susceptibility estimation. The result for each grid point is the debris flow propensity index (DfPI), an index that estimates the susceptibility of the cell to be a potential debris flow source. The debris flow susceptibility map obtained was compared with those obtained from two expedited and universally recognized susceptibility methods, i.e. the Regional Qualitative Heuristic Susceptibility Mapping (RQHSM) and the Likelihood Ratio (LR). Each map was validated by using the Prediction Rate Curve method. The limitations and strong points of the approaches analysed are discussed, with a focus on the innovativeness and uniqueness of the RES. In fact, in the study site, the RES method was the most efficient for the detection of potential source areas. These results prove its robustness, cost-effectiveness and speed of application in the identification and mapping of sectors capable of triggering debris flow.
Approximation of a Continuous Core-periphery Model by Core-periphery Models with a Large Number of Small Regions
Authors: Tabata Minoru , Eshima Nobuoki
Published: December 2022

For a continuous core-periphery model, we construct a core-periphery model with n regions for each $$n\ge 2$$

n
≥
2

. Assuming that the known functions of the core-periphery model with n regions and the diameters of n regions converge to the known functions of the continuous core-periphery model and 0 respectively as the number n tends to infinity, this paper proves approximate relations between the continuous core-periphery model and core-periphery models with a large number of small regions when the models are in short-run equilibrium.
Polynomial Liénard systems with a nilpotent global center
Authors: García Isaac A. , Llibre Jaume
Published: December 2022

A center for a differential system $$\dot{\textbf{x}}=f(\textbf{x})$$

x
˙

=
f

(
x
)

in $${\mathbb {R}}^2$$

R

2

is a singular point p having a neighborhood U such that $$U\setminus \{p\}$$

U
\
{
p
}

is filled with periodic orbits. A global center is a center p such that $${\mathbb {R}}^2\setminus \{p\}$$

R

2

\

{
p
}

is filled with periodic orbits. There are three kinds of centers, the centers p such that the Jacobian matrix Df(p) has purely imaginary eigenvalues, the nilpotent centers p such that Df(p) is a nilpotent matrix, and the degenerate centers p such that the matrix Df(p) is the zero matrix. For the first class of centers there are several works studying when such centers are global. As far as we know there are no works for studying the nilpotent global centers. One of the most studied classes of differential systems in $${\mathbb {R}}^2$$

R

2

are the polynomial Liénard differential systems. The objective of this paper is to study the nilpotent global centers of the polynomial Liénard differential systems.
Bochner–Kodaira Formulas and the Type IIA Flow
Authors: Fei Teng , Phong Duong H. , Picard Sebastien , Zhang Xiangwen
Published: December 2022

A new derivation of the flow of metrics in the Type IIA flow is given. It is better adapted to the formulation of the flow as a variant of a Laplacian flow, and it uses the projected Levi–Civita connection of the metrics themselves instead of their conformal rescalings.
Rinorea spongiocarpa and Rinorea dimakoensis (Violaceae), new threatened species of forest trees from East and South Regions of Cameroon and Gabon
Authors: Achoundong Gaston , Cheek Martin
Published: December 2022

Two tree species are described as new to science: Rinorea spongiocarpa Achound. sp. nov. (placed in Rinorea [unranked] Brachypetalae) and R. dimakoensis Achound. sp. nov. (placed in Rinorea [unranked] Ilicifolieae). Both species occur in Cameroon, south of the Sanaga river, the first from South and East Regions, occurring in evergreen forest from Ngovayang and Lolodorf across the southern plateau to the Dja forest. The second extends also to Gabon, occurring in Cameroon in the northern part of East Region in semi-deciduous forest towards the interface with woodland habitats in the Dimako-Bertoua area. The two species are mapped and illustrated, and their affinities and conservation status according to the 2012 IUCN categories and criteria are discussed. Both R. spongiocarpa and R. dimakoensis are threatened with extinction due to habitat destruction, both are assessed as Vulnerable.
Impatiens banen and Impatiens etugei (Balsaminaceae), new threatened species from lowland of the Cross-Sanaga Interval, Cameroon
Authors: Cheek Martin , Osborne Jo , van der Burgt Xander , Darbyshire Iain , Onana Jean Michel
Published: December 2022

We describe two range-restricted new species to science from the genus Impatiens (Balsaminaceae), both threatened, from lowland of the Cross-Sanaga Interval of western Cameroon. The first, Impatiens banen, appears to be restricted to an open seepage microhabitat on granitic inselbergs in the lowland-submontane forest zone of the Ebo Forest in Littoral Region and is provisionally assessed using the 2012 IUCN standard as Vulnerable. Sharing characters with Impatiens burtonii and I. mannii, it differs from both, and appears to be unique in Cameroon inter alia 1) in the bicolored united lateral petals, the upper petals being white, while the lower petals are an intense pink-purple, 2) the hairy, filamentous spur, purple with a white apex, is curved along its length, almost describing a circle. Inselberg-specific species are unusual in Impatiens.

The second species, Impatiens etugei, of the I. macroptera aggregate, is restricted to rocks in the Mutel River of the Kom Wum Forest Reserve of North West Region and is assessed as Critically Endangered. Having similarities with I. mackeyana and I. letouzeyi, it differs from other species in the aggregate inter alia by having opposite leaves (vs always alternate), flower exterior white (vs pink or pink-purple), and in the dorsal petal having a pair of lateral projections (vs projections absent).
Investigating the relationship between self-perception of fracture risk and prior fracture: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study
Authors: Bevilacqua Gregorio , Westbury Leo D. , Bloom Ilse , Zhang Jean , Ward Kate A. , Cooper Cyrus , Dennison Elaine M.
Published: December 2022

Background

Self-perceived risk of fracture (SPR) is associated with fracture independent of FRAX calculated risk. To understand this better we considered whether lifestyle factors not included in the FRAX algorithm and psychosocial factors (social isolation, self-efficacy, or mental health status) explain the relationship between SPR and fracture.

Methods

We studied 146 UK community-dwelling older adults from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. SPR ranked as ‘lower’, ‘similar’ and ‘higher’ relative to others of the same age, was assessed by questionnaire. Social isolation was assessed using the six-item Lubben Social Network Scale; self-efficacy was assessed using a shortened General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE); mental health status was assessed using the anxiety/depression item from the EuroQoL questionnaire. SPR in relation to previous self-reported fracture was examined using logistic regression.

Results

Among participants of median age 83.4 (IQR 81.5–85.5) years, SPR was lower for 54.1% of participants, similar for 30.8%, and higher for 15.1%; 74.7% reported no previous fractures. Greater SPR was associated with increased odds of previous fractures when adjusting for sex and age only (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.03–2.87, per higher band of SPR). While further individual adjustment for social isolation (1.73, 1.04–2.89), self-efficacy (1.71, 1.02–2.85), or mental health (1.77, 1.06–2.97) did not attenuate the relationship, individual adjustment for diet quality and number of comorbidities did.

Conclusions

Adjustment for social isolation, self-efficacy or mental health status did not attenuate the relationship between SPR and fracture. By contrast, lifestyle factors not included in FRAX, such as diet quality, did attenuate relationships, suggesting a possible future area of investigation.
LTF-NSI: a novel local transfer function based on neighborhood similarity index for medical image enhancement
Authors: Okuwobi Idowu Paul , Ding Zhixiang , Wan Jifeng , Jiang Jiajia , Ding Shuxue
Published: December 2022

Medical image is an essential tool used in quantitative and qualitative evaluation of different diseases. Medical imaging methods such as fluorescein angiography (FA), optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), computed tomography (CT), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and X-ray are used for diagnosis. These imaging modalities suffer from low contrast, which leads to deterioration in the image quality. Consequently, this causes limitation in the usage of medical images in clinical routine and hindered its potential by depriving clinicians from assessing useful information that are needed in disease monitoring, treatment, progression, and decision-making. To overcome this limitation, we propose a novel local transfer function for medical image enhancement algorithm using the pixel neighborhood constraint. The proposed algorithm uses block-wise intensity distribution to generate the regional similarity index. The regional similarity index transformed each centered pixel in the block, to generate a new similarity image. An intuitive optimization algorithm is utilized to optimize the proposed algorithm parameters. Experimentation results show that the proposed LTF-NSI performs better than the state-of-the-art methods and improves the interpretability and perception of the medical images, which can provide clinicians and computer vision program with good quantitative and qualitative information.
Surrogated-assisted multimodal multi-objective optimization for hybrid renewable energy system
Authors: Zhang Tao , Li Wenhua , Wang Rui
Published: December 2022

Hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) is an effective tool to improve the utilization of renewable energy so as to enhance the quality of energy supply. The optimization of HRES includes a simulation process during a long time span, which is time-consuming. So far, introducing a surrogate model to replace the objective evaluation is an effective way to solve such problems. However, existing methods focused few on the diversity of solutions in the decision space. Based on this motivation, we proposed a novel surrogated-assisted multi-objective evolutionary algorithm that focuses on solving multimodal and time-expensive problems, termed SaMMEA. Specifically, we use a Gaussian process model to replace the calculation of the objective values. In addition, a special environmental selection strategy is proposed to enhance the diversity of solutions in the decision space and a model management method is proposed to better train the surrogate model. The proposed algorithm is then compared to several state-of-the-art algorithms on HRES problems, which indicates that the proposed algorithm is competitive.
Inequalities for higher order differences of the logarithm of the overpartition function and a problem of Wang–Xie–Zhang
Authors: Mukherjee Gargi
Published: December 2022

Let $${\overline{p}}(n)$$

p
¯

(
n
)

denote the overpartition function. In this paper, our primary goal is to study the asymptotic behavior of the finite differences of the logarithm of the overpartition function, i.e., $$(-1)^{r-1}\Delta ^r \log {\overline{p}}(n)$$

(
-
1
)

r
-
1

Δ
r

log

p
¯

(
n
)

, by studying the inequality of the following form $$\begin{aligned} \log \Bigl (1+\dfrac{C(r)}{n^{r-1/2}}-\dfrac{1+C_1(r)}{n^{r}}\Bigr ){} & {} <(-1)^{r-1}\Delta ^r \log {\overline{p}}(n) \\ {}{} & {} <\log \Bigl (1+\dfrac{C(r)}{n^{r-1/2}}\Bigr )\ \text {for}\ n \ge N(r), \end{aligned}$$

log

(

1
+

C
(
r
)

n

r
-
1
/
2

-

1
+

C
1

(
r
)

n
r

)

<

(
-
1
)

r
-
1

Δ
r

log

p
¯

(
n
)

<
log

(

1
+

C
(
r
)

n

r
-
1
/
2

)

for

n
≥
N

(
r
)

,

where $$C(r), C_1(r), \text {and}\ N(r)$$

C

(
r
)

,

C
1

(
r
)

,
and

N

(
r
)

are computable constants depending on the positive integer r, determined explicitly. This solves a problem posed by Wang, Xie and Zhang in the context of searching for a better lower bound of $$(-1)^{r-1}\Delta ^r \log {\overline{p}}(n)$$

(
-
1
)

r
-
1

Δ
r

log

p
¯

(
n
)

than 0. By settling the problem, we are able to show that $$\begin{aligned} \lim _{n\rightarrow \infty }(-1)^{r-1}\Delta ^r \log {\overline{p}}(n) =\dfrac{\pi }{2}\Bigl (\dfrac{1}{2}\Bigr )_{r-1}n^{\frac{1}{2}-r}. \end{aligned}$$

lim

n
→
∞

(
-
1
)

r
-
1

Δ
r

log

p
¯

(
n
)

=

π
2

(

1
2

)

r
-
1

n

1
2

-
r

.
Rectifiability
Authors: Mattila Pertti
Published: December 2022

Rectifiable sets, measures, currents and varifolds are foundational concepts in geometric measure theory. The last four decades have seen the emergence of a wealth of connections between rectifiability and other areas of analysis and geometry, including deep links with the calculus of variations and complex and harmonic analysis. This short book provides an easily digestible overview of this wide and active field, including discussions of historical background, the basic theory in Euclidean and non-Euclidean settings, and the appearance of rectifiability in analysis and geometry. The author avoids complicated technical arguments and long proofs, instead giving the reader a flavour of each of the topics in turn while providing full references to the wider literature in an extensive bibliography. It is a perfect introduction to the area for researchers and graduate students, who will find much inspiration for their own research inside. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.
Factors Determining Child Custody in Taiwan after Patriarchy's Decline: Decision Tree Analysis on Family Court Decisions
Authors: Shao Hsuan-Lei , Leflar Robert B , Huang Sieh-Chuen
Published: December 2022

The doctrine of ‘best interests of the child’ has guided courts in determining post-divorce child custody cases in Taiwan since 1996 amendments to the Civil Code. Amended Article 1055-1 requires judges to consider factors such as ‘the age, sex, and wishes of the child’ and ‘the age, occupation, character, health condition, economic condition, and lifestyle of the parents.’ However, previous studies have not clarified which factors judges consider primary. This article collects Taiwanese family court decisions from 2012 to 2017, involving 1,126 children whose parents were both Taiwanese and who both sought to acquire custody, in which Taiwanese district courts granted sole custody to the husband or wife. The article employs decision tree methodology, a commonly used machine learning technology. The article concludes that the three most significant factors considered by Taiwanese judges are first, which parent is the child's current primary caregiver, followed by the wishes of the child and the judge's assessment of parent-child interaction. This result runs counter to widely held beliefs that parental gender and parents’ occupations and economic resources are still prime factors in judges’ contemplation. Decision tree learning, we suggest, can assist parents’ and lawyers’ case evaluations and speed up extrajudicial custody determination arrangements.
Internal structure of a Himalayan debris-covered glacier revealed by borehole optical televiewing
Authors: Miles Katie E. , Hubbard Bryn , Miles Evan S. , Quincey Duncan J. , Rowan Ann V.
Published: December 2022

Characterising the structures within glaciers can give unique insight into ice motion processes. On debris-covered glaciers, traditional structural glaciological mapping is challenging because the lower glacier is hidden by the supraglacial debris layer. Here, we use high-resolution optical televiewer (OPTV) image logs from four boreholes drilled into Khumbu Glacier, Nepal, to overcome this limitation and investigate englacial structural features within a Himalayan debris-covered glacier. The OPTV logs show structural features that are up to an order of magnitude thinner than those observed at the glacier surface and reveal five structural units: (I) primary stratification of ice; (II) debris-rich planes that conform with the primary stratification; (III) water-healed crevasse traces; (IV) healed crevasse traces; and (V) steeply dipping planes of basally derived fine sediment near the glacier terminus. The OPTV logs also reveal that the primary stratification both decreases in dip with depth (by up to 56° over 20 m) and rotates with depth (by up to 100° over 20 m) towards parallelism with the proximal lateral moraine. This transformation and the presence of relict layers of basally derived sediment raised into an englacial position – possibly involving thrusting – near the glacier's now stagnant terminus reveal a previously more dynamic glacier regime.
Defending the Nation Under God: Global Catholicism, the Supreme Court, and the Secularist Specter (1946–1963)
Authors: De Stradis Susanna
Published: December 2022

ABSRACT

This essay relies on American and newly available Vatican archival sources to reconstruct the ins and outs of the U.S. Catholic Church's involvement in First Amendment litigation between the 1940s and the 1960s. These reveal how Catholic leaders, far from urging the demise of the de facto Protestant establishment, cooperated with Protestants to protect it from legal challenges. They did so not because gaining the acceptance of their non-Catholic neighbors was their paramount concern, nor because American Catholics were more “liberal” than their Roman counterparts. Rather, they saw the “Nation under God” as effectively addressing traditional Catholic critiques of the liberal principle of church-state separation—and therefore a project worthy of their commitment. Ironically, while pursuing goals fully compatible with Roman orthodoxy, they found themselves allied with evangelist Billy Graham and Gideons International long before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) and Roe v. Wade (1973).
Revolutionary Violence and Counterrevolution
Authors: CLARKE KILLIAN
Published: December 2022

What type of revolutions are most vulnerable to counterrevolutions? I argue that violent revolutions are less likely than nonviolent ones to be reversed because they produce regimes with strong and loyal armies that are able to defeat counterrevolutionary threats. I leverage an original dataset of counterrevolutions from 1900 to 2015, which allows us for the first time to document counterrevolutionary emergence and success worldwide. These data reveal that revolutions involving more violence are less at risk of counterrevolution and that this relationship exists primarily because violence lowers the likelihood of counterrevolutionary success—but not counterrevolutionary emergence. I demonstrate mechanisms by comparing Cuba’s nonviolent 1933 uprising (which succumbed to a counterrevolution) and its 1959 revolutionary insurgency (which defeated multiple counterrevolutions). Though nonviolence may be superior to violence when it comes to toppling autocrats, it is less effective in bringing about lasting change and guaranteeing that these autocrats never return.
Mineral textures, mineral chemistry and S isotopes of sulphides from the Tianbaoshan Pb–Zn–Cu deposit in the Sichuan–Yunnan–Guizhou triangle: implications for mineralization process
Authors: Yang Yu-Long , Chen Cui-Hua , Qin Shun-Ping , Tang Yao , Guo Wen-Qi , Qin Zhi-Peng
Published: December 2022

The carbonate-hosted Pb–Zn deposits in the Sichuan–Yunnan–Guizhou (SYG) triangle region are important Indosinian deposits in South China. The Tianbaoshan deposit is a typical large Pb–Zn deposit in the SYG area and occurs as pipe-like type, hosted by Sinian dolostone. It contains ∼26 Mt Zn–Pb ore (7.76–10.09 % Zn, 1.28–1.50 % Pb and 93.6 g t−1 Ag) and >0.1 Mt Cu ore (2.55 % Cu). In this study, the detailed mineral textures, mineral chemical and sulphur isotopic compositions of the various sulphides have been analysed to constrain the abnormal enrichment mechanism and mineralization relationship. Four mineralization stages have been recognized: Stage 1, minor early pyrite (Py1) with relics and infill of intergranular dolomite or quartz grains; Stage 2, Cu mineralization with coarse-grained, elliptical crystal chalcopyrite (Cp1); (3) Stage 3, Zn mineralization with dark fine-grained sphalerite (Sph1) and light coarse-grained sphalerite (Sph2); and (4) Stage 4, as represented by a quartz–calcite assemblage with galena, minor pyrite (Py2) and chalcopyrite (Cp2). The petrography of the sulphide minerals (Py1, Cp1, Sph1 and Sph2) demonstrates a mutual inclusion relationship. The nature of this relationship from core to rim and their similar sulphur isotope values (5.5–8.3 ‰) indicates a single sulphur source, suggesting that the different mineralization types are the result of different stages of a continuous hydrothermal system. Sphalerite geothermometer study suggests that sphalerite in the Tianbaoshan deposit formed in a low-temperature (<200 °C) hydrothermal system. The low concentrations of Mn and In, low In/Ge ratios and high Fe/Cd ratios in the sphalerite are consistent with those of Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits, but different from those of magmatism-related deposits (e.g. epithermal, skarn and VMS deposits). The positive δ34S values for Py1 (5.1–7.9 ‰), Cp1 (5.1–7.2 ‰), Sph1 (4.7–7.4 ‰), Sph2 (3.9–8.7 ‰), Py2 (4.4–9.3 ‰) and Cp2 (5.0–6.8 ‰) indicate a sulphur source from thermochemical reduction of coeval seawater sulphate. Widely developed dissolved textures (caverns and breccias) with massive sulphide infillings and deformed host rock remnants suggest that replacement of host dolostones by ore fluids was volumetrically significant and the ore formed nearly simultaneously with the cavities. The Tianbaoshan deposit is a typical MVT deposit, which resulted from mixing of a H2S-rich fluid and a metal-rich fluid, with thermochemical sulphate reduction occurring before ore precipitation rather than during ore precipitation.
Bat–parasite interaction networks in urban green areas in northeastern Brazil
Authors: Bezerra Rayanna Hellem Santos , Bocchiglieri Adriana
Published: December 2022

Interaction networks can provide detailed information regarding ecological systems, helping us understand how communities are organized and species are connected. The goals of this study were to identify the pattern of interaction between bats and ectoparasites in urban green areas of Grande Aracaju, Sergipe, and calculate connectance, specialization, nesting, modularity and centrality metrics. Bats were captured using 10 mist nets inside and on the edges of the fragments, and the collected ectoparasites were stored in 70% alcohol. All analyses were performed using R software. The interaction network consisted of 10 species of bats and 13 ectoparasites. Connectivity was considered low (0.12). The specialization indices for ectoparasites ranged from 0.50 to 1.00, and the value obtained for the network was 0.96, which is high. The observed nesting metric was low (wNODF = 1.47), whereas the modularity was high (wQ = 0.74), indicating that the studied network had a modular topology. All centrality metrics had low values. The observed modularity may have been caused by the evolutionary history of the bats and ectoparasites involved and the high specificity index of the interactions. The low centrality values may be associated with low connectivity and a high degree of specialization. This study provides relevant information on bat–parasite interactions in an urban environment, highlighting the need for further studies to improve our understanding of host–parasite interaction networks.
Ghost Speed: The Strange Matter of Phantom Vehicles
Authors: Briefel Aviva
Published: December 2022

This essay examines an important subgenre of the Victorian ghost story: narratives of phantom vehicles. Wilkie Collins's “The Last Stage Coachman” (1843), Charles Dickens's “The Story of the Bagman's Uncle” (1837), and Amelia Edwards's “The Phantom Coach” (1864), among others, feature vehicles from the past that return to haunt the living. I argue that that by using ghosts to express nostalgia for more human(e) modes of transportation, Victorian writers explore what it means to feel profound attachments to material things that are no longer accessible. The longing for lost objects results in a grotesque materiality that blurs the line between persons and objects. This is an unusual strain of commodity fetishism, an objectification of persons and animation of things provoked by a desire for a time in which these categories were distinct. In the first two sections, I focus on mid-Victorian writings that explore the process through which transportation nostalgia triggers uncanny exchanges of the human and the thing, thus exposing nostalgia itself as a dehumanizing and even violent process. In the final part, I discuss Rudyard Kipling's “The Phantom Rickshaw” (1885) as a narrative that revives this spectral tradition within the context of imperial nostalgia and racial labor.
Parameter-efficient feature-based transfer for paraphrase identification
Authors: Liu Xiaodong , Rzepka Rafal , Araki Kenji
Published: December 2022

There are many types of approaches for Paraphrase Identification (PI), an NLP task of determining whether a sentence pair has equivalent semantics. Traditional approaches mainly consist of unsupervised learning and feature engineering, which are computationally inexpensive. However, their task performance is moderate nowadays. To seek a method that can preserve the low computational costs of traditional approaches but yield better task performance, we take an investigation into neural network-based transfer learning approaches. We discover that by improving the usage of parameters efficiently for feature-based transfer, our research goal can be accomplished. Regarding the improvement, we propose a pre-trained task-specific architecture. The fixed parameters of the pre-trained architecture can be shared by multiple classifiers with small additional parameters. As a result, the computational cost left involving parameter update is only generated from classifier-tuning: the features output from the architecture combined with lexical overlap features are fed into a single classifier for tuning. Furthermore, the pre-trained task-specific architecture can be applied to natural language inference and semantic textual similarity tasks as well. Such technical novelty leads to slight consumption of computational and memory resources for each task and is also conducive to power-efficient continual learning. The experimental results show that our proposed method is competitive with adapter-BERT (a parameter-efficient fine-tuning approach) over some tasks while consuming only 16% trainable parameters and saving 69-96% time for parameter update.
Agroecological and agroforestry strategies to improve organic hibiscus productivity in an Indigenous non-governmental organization from Mexico
Authors: Silva-Galicia Ana , Larsen John , Álvarez-Espino Ricardo , Ceccon Eliane
Published: December 2022

La Montaña region, in southern Mexico, is characterized as a highly human-modified landscape with a rough topography, extreme poverty and structural violence. In this region, Xuajin Me'Phaa, an Indigenous non-governmental organization conformed by ca. 300 peasants, implements productive restoration projects and trades organic hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) as its main monetary income. Nonetheless currently, organic hibiscus yield is low compared to the potential yields in the region. Thus, it is necessary to explore alternative sustainable land management systems which enable farmers to increase hibiscus crop productivity, while halting land degradation. This study assessed the impact of six different agroecological fertilization protocols (AFPs) on hibiscus productivity planted in an alley cropping system with Calliandra houstoniana trees. The AFPs were based on the combination of three local plant amendments: C. houstoniana mulch, Mucuna pruiriens var. utilis green manure and hibiscus stover, and a commercial bio-fertilizer (Azospirillum + Rhizophagus). Simultaneously, the performance of C. houstoniana trees was assessed. The AFPs were applied in the alley cropping system and evaluated from 2016 to 2018. After 3 years, in the AFPs which included C. houstoniana mulch, hibiscus yielded significantly more (419 ± 27 kg dry calyxes ha−1 in average) than AFPs which did not include this species (264 ± 15 kg ha−1). The 18-month-old C. houstoniana trees yielded 0.6 t ha−1 of dry biomass and 1.12 t ha−1 of wooden stakes, a relatively low production. In conclusion, our results show that alley cropping with a denser arrangement of C. houstoniana trees in combination with mulching of this tree species, and use of mucuna green manure represent a promising agroforestry system for organic hibiscus production.