bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does VS30 reflect seismic amplification? Observations from the West Bohemia Seismic Network
Authors: Mazanec Martin , Valenta Jan , Málek Jiří
Published: May 2024

The present study addresses verification of average seismic shear-wave velocity from the surface to a depth of 30 m (VS30) as a suitable proxy for a seismic amplification. For this purpose, we used instrumentally homogeneous and spatially dense seismic network WEBNET (West Bohemia Seismic Network), designed to monitor an intraplate earthquake swarm activity in the West Bohemia/Vogtland region (Czech Republic/Germany). Using a Multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) shear-wave velocity models and parameters VS30 and H800 (depth of Vs > 800 m/s) were obtained at 17 WEBNET sites. VS30 were compared with (i) H800 and (ii) determined bedrock densities. To understand the relation between VS30 and site amplification, VS30 values were correlated with amplitudes of two earthquakes: (1) Mw 6.4 Petrinja, Croatia (12/2020) and (2) Mw 4.2 SE of Vienna, Austria (03/2021) both recorded by the WEBNET. The correlation analysis examined four categories of seismic waves in nine frequency windows and described the relation between amplification and VS30 using newly defined regression model. The results show that for the regression model, the frequency window with the highest correlation is in the 1–3 Hz range, and this dependence is statistically best observed in the full wave record. The amplification generally decreases with increasing VS30. However, a large scatter in amplification within Eurocode 8 category B is observed. Based on the observations a new general approach is put forward to finely indicate the relation between amplification and VS30 and the use of other site proxies is discussed.
The political economy of paternalism
Authors: Konrad Kai A.
Published: May 2024

Some citizens place a high value on making decisions for themselves. Other citizens are happy to delegate decisions to a government agency. Such differences in political attitudes to paternalism can be explained in a strict rational-choice model with citizens’ heterogeneous tastes in the economic sphere. Citizens with more eccentric tastes and with high decision-making abilities tend to favor a libertarian regime. If majority preferences matter, heterogeneity in economic preferences and analytical abilities can also explain whether the political regime is more paternalist or more libertarian. As decision-making skills are a learnable capability, the strategic complementarity of individuals’ investments in analytical skills in the context of political regime outcomes suggests a feedback mechanism that can cause multiple expectations equilibria. Both a libertarian regime or a paternalist regime can emerge.
Secondary Ethnic Effects in the Transition to Higher Education in Germany and Their Explanations
Authors: Neumeyer Sebastian , Will Gisela
Published: May 2024

Given their lower socioeconomic background and achievement, immigrants and their descendants have been shown to make more ambitious decisions regarding educational transitions. While previous research has extensively analysed transitions within and after compulsory education, research on late transitions is scarce. This study focuses on the secondary effect of ethnic origin in the transition after upper secondary education in Germany, where school leavers decide between vocational education and training and higher education. Based on longitudinal data from the National Educational Panel Study, we first analyse differences by ethnic origin (Turkey, former Soviet Union, Poland, other countries) and immigrant generation (first, second, third generation) net of socioeconomic background and achievement. Compared to those of the ethnic majority, we find increased probabilities of enrolment in higher education for most ethnic groups of the first and second immigrant generation, net of differences in socioeconomic background and achievement. Second, we test four explanatory approaches for secondary ethnic effects (immigrant optimism, relative status maintenance, anticipated discrimination, and information deficits). By employing decomposition analyses for nonlinear regression models, we find that, taken together, the four explanations account for up to half of the ethnic differences in educational choice after upper secondary education. Specifically, increased levels of immigrant optimism and information deficits regarding vocational education explain a substantial share of the ethnic differences among all origin groups. For Turkish immigrants, the motive to maintain relative status in the origin country also contributes to increased enrolment rates in higher education.
Supervision, presence and knowledge: clarifying ‘parental monitoring’ concepts within a model of goal-directed parental action
Authors: Hardie Beth
Published: May 2024

The presence of parents or other guardians (commonly termed ‘supervision’) and parental knowledge are factors that are both robustly negatively associated with a range of anti-social and risky behavioural outcomes such as adolescent crime. However, parental presence/supervision and parental knowledge are both (i) regularly used inaccurately as proxies for parental monitoring, (ii) poorly defined and operationalised, and (iii) rarely linked to negative behavioural outcomes with plausible mechanisms that adequately explain their association. These problematic aspects of the parental monitoring literature are a barrier to research into adolescent outcomes and the varied role of parents. This theoretical paper facilitates solutions these problems by clarifying the concepts of parental presence, supervision and knowledge.

This discussion delineates presence from supervision and knowledge from monitoring. It specifies how presence and knowledge are not parenting actions, and neither constitute parental monitoring. These concepts are clarified within the parameters of a recent framework of goal-directed parental action and parental monitoring. Doing so constitutes under-labouring that facilitates future discovery of their distinct and yet inter-related mechanisms of influence on adolescent action and development. These structured conceptual developments are also of benefit for our better future understanding of parenting and parental monitoring by providing a framework within which to re-situate existing empirical research findings.
Challenges in Pharmacokinetic Modelling of [18F]fluoro-PEG-folate PET/CT Imaging in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Patients
Authors: Ruytenberg Thomas , Ciggaar Isabeau A. , Peters Inge T. A. , Noortman Wyanne A. , Dibbets-Schneider Petra , de Muynck Lysanne D. A. N. , Kuil Joeri , de Kroon Cornelis D. , Molenaar Tom J. M. , Helmerhorst Hendrik J. F. , Pereira Arias-Bouda Lenka M. , Vahrmeijer Alexander L. , Windhorst Albert D. , van Velden Floris H. P. , Gaarenstroom Katja N. , de Geus-Oei Lioe-Fee
Published: May 2024

Purpose

To describe the pharmacokinetic properties of the [18F]fluoro-polyethylene glycol(PEG)-folate radiotracer in PET/CT imaging of patients with advanced stage epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

Procedures

In five patients with advanced EOC (FIGO stage IIIB/IIIC, Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie et d’Obstétrique), a 90-min dynamic PET acquisition of the pelvis was performed directly after i.v. administration of 185 MBq [18F]fluoro-PEG6-folate. Arterial blood samples collected at nineteen timepoints were used to determine the plasma input function. A static volume of interest (VOI) for included tumor lesions was drawn manually on the PET images. Modelling was performed using PMOD software. Three different models (a 1-tissue compartment model (1T2k) and two 2-tissue compartment models, irreversible (2T3k) and reversible (2T4k)) were compared in goodness of fit with the time activity curves by means of the Akaike information criterion.

Results

The pharmacokinetic analysis in the pelvic area has proven to be much more challenging than expected. Only four out of 22 tumor lesions in five patients were considered suitable to perform modelling on. The remaining tumor lesions were inapt due to either low tracer uptake, small size, proximity to other [18F]fluoro-PEG6-folate -avid structures and/or displacement by abdominal organ motion in the dynamic scan. Data from the four analyzed tumor lesions suggest that the irreversible 2T3k may best describe the pharmacokinetics. All 22 lesions were immunohistochemically stained positive for the folate receptor alpha (FRα) after resection.

Conclusion

Performing pharmacokinetic analysis in the abdominal pelvic region is very challenging. This brief article describes the challenges and pitfalls in pharmacokinetic analysis of a tracer with high physiological accumulation in the intestines, in case of lesions of limited size in the abdominal pelvic area.
Telemedicine and Digital Health Solutions in Intrapartum and Postpartum Care
Authors: Stone Jordan S. , Hirshberg Adi
Published: May 2024

Purpose of Review

Telemedicine and digital health platforms are now integral to the way patients and clinicians interact with the health system. Application of these technologies in the antepartum context is well studied and accepted. The purpose of this review is to outline the state of telemedicine and digital health solutions in the intrapartum and postpartum period, understanding applications for labor and the months following delivery.

Recent Findings

Telemedicine can be used in the intrapartum period to assist with staffing shortages, remote assessment of intrapartum fetal heart tracings, and doula support. Application in the postpartum period includes but is not limited to remote blood pressure monitoring, lactation support, mental health screening and treatment, and substance use disorder.

Both telemedicine and digital health solutions aim to augment, not replace, care relationship during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. Whether these tools advance intrapartum and postpartum care remains subject to the same contingencies present in other specialties and care contexts. Ongoing investment into the application and evaluation of telemedicine and digital health solutions throughout pregnancy should be prioritized.
Metagenomic next-generation sequencing as a diagnostic tool in the clinical routine of an infectious diseases department: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Kalbitz Sven , Ermisch Jörg , Kellner Nils , Nickel Olaf , Borte Stephan , Marx Kathrin , Lübbert Christoph
Published: May 2024

Background

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of circulating cell-free DNA from plasma is a hypothesis-independent broadband diagnostic method for identification of potential pathogens. So far, it has only been investigated in special risk populations (e.g. patients with neutropenic fever).

Purpose

To investigate the extent to which mNGS (DISQVER® platform) can be used in routine clinical practice.

Methods

We collected whole blood specimens for mNGS testing, blood cultures (BC), and pathogen-specific PCR diagnostics. Clinical data and pathogen diagnostics were retrospectively reviewed by an infectious disease expert panel regarding the adjustment of anti-infective therapy.

Results

In 55 selected patients (median age 53 years, 67% male) with heterogeneous diagnoses, a total of 66 different microorganisms and viruses were detected using mNGS (51% viruses, 38% bacteria, 8% fungi, 3% parasites). The overall positivity rate of mNGS was 53% (29/55). Fifty-two out of 66 (79%) potential pathogens detected by mNGS were found in patients with primary or secondary immunodeficiency. The concordance rates of BC and pathogen-specific PCR diagnostics with mNGS testing were 14% (4/28) and 36% (10/28), respectively (p < 0.001). An additional bacterial pathogen (Streptococcus agalactiae) could only be detected by BC. Therapeutic consequences regarding anti-infective therapy were drawn from 23 pathogens (35% of detections), with 18 of these detections occurring in patients with immunodeficiency.

Conclusions

We conclude that mNGS is a useful diagnostic tool, but should only be performed selectively in addition to routine diagnostics of infectious diseases. The limited number of patients and the retrospective study design do not allow any further conclusions.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drug‒drug interactions in hospitalized older adults treated with direct oral anticoagulants
Authors: Decaix Théodore , Kemache Kenza , Gay Pierre , Ketz Flora , Laprévote Olivier , Pautas Éric
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Polypharmacy is a frequent situation in older adults that increases the risk of drug-drug interactions (DDIs), both pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD). Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are frequently prescribed in older adults, mainly because of the high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF). DOACs are subject to cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4)- and/or P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated PK DDIs and PD DDIs when co-administered with drugs that interfere with platelet function. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of DDIs involving DOACs in older adults and the associated risk factors at admission and discharge.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in an acute geriatric unit between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2022, including patients over 75 years of age treated with DOACs at admission and/or discharge, for whom a comprehensive collection of co-medications was performed.

Results

From 909 hospitalizations collected, the prevalence of PK DDIs involving DOACs was 16.9% at admission and 20.7% at discharge, and the prevalence of PD DDIs was 20.7% at admission and 20.2% at discharge. Factors associated with DDIs were bleeding history [adjusted odds ratio (ORa) 1.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–2.68], number of drugs > 6 (ORa 2.54, 95% CI 1.88–3.46) and reduced dose of DOACs (ORa 0.39, 95% CI 0.28–0.54) at admission and age > 87 years (ORa 0.74, 95% CI 0.55–0.99), number of drugs > 6 (ORa 2.01, 95% CI 1.48–2.72) and reduced dose of DOACs (ORa 0.41, 95% CI 0.30–0.57) at discharge.

Conclusion

This study provides an indication of the prevalence of DDIs as well as the profile of DDIs and patients treated with DOACs.
Comparative study of typical neural solvers in solving math word problems
Authors: He Bin , Yu Xinguo , Huang Litian , Meng Hao , Liang Guanghua , Chen Shengnan
Published: May 2024

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the design of neural network models for solving math word problems (MWPs). These neural solvers have been designed with various architectures and evaluated on diverse datasets, posing challenges in fair and effective performance evaluation. This paper presents a comparative study of representative neural solvers, aiming to elucidate their technical features and performance variations in solving different types of MWPs. Firstly, an in-depth technical analysis is conducted from the initial deep neural solver DNS to the state-of-the-art GPT-4. To enhance the technical analysis, a unified framework is introduced, which comprises highly reusable modules decoupled from existing MWP solvers. Subsequently, a testbed is established to conveniently reproduce existing solvers and develop new solvers by combing these reusable modules, and finely regrouped datasets are provided to facilitate the comparative evaluation of the designed solvers. Then, comprehensive testing is conducted and detailed results for eight representative MWP solvers on five finely regrouped datasets are reported. The comparative analysis yields several key findings: (1) Pre-trained language model-based solvers demonstrate significant accuracy advantages across nearly all datasets, although they suffer from limitations in math equation calculation. (2) Models integrated with tree decoders exhibit strong performance in generating complex math equations. (3) Identifying and appropriately representing implicit knowledge hidden in problem texts is crucial for improving the accuracy of math equation generation. Finally, the paper also discusses the major technical challenges and potential research directions in this field. The insights gained from this analysis offer valuable guidance for future research, model development, and performance optimization in the field of math word problem solving.
Attractive Caregiving: Women’s Preference for Men that Care for Children and the Role of Nurturance Motivation and Menstrual Cycle Phase
Authors: Bos Peter A. , Spencer Hannah
Published: May 2024

Another person’s caring abilities, in addition to physical features, may affect the observed attractiveness of that person. Using two newly developed instruments, we tested whether women (N = 360) judge men as more attractive when they are depicted in interactions with children (picture task) or accompanied by information on caring behavior (vignette task). Furthermore, we tested if such an effect is moderated by the following personal factors: women’s nurturance motivation, having (a desire to have) a child, women’s menstrual cycle phase, and use of oral contraceptives. In the picture task, women rate men as more attractive when they are depicted in interaction with a child, and this effect was enhanced by women who have high nurturance motivation and women who have (a desire to have) a child. Although the vignette task did not show a main effect of caring behavior, there was an effect of the menstrual cycle phase, demonstrating increased overall attractiveness ratings around the time of ovulation. This study confirms that perceived caring abilities in men can influence attractiveness evaluations, but that this effect varies depending on women’s own caring tendencies and desire for children, and that also the menstrual cycle phase can affect evaluations of the opposite sex. These findings add to the increasing literature that attempts to provide a more nuanced understanding of the forces that shape decisions that can form some of the most important relations in human lives.
On my eight articles with the Professor Jorge Sotomayor
Authors: Llibre Jaume
Published: May 2024

In this note I summarize the eight articles that I wrote with the Professor Jorge Sotomayor and the consequences of some these articles.
Examining the Effects of L2 Self-Guides on Chinese University EFL Learners’ Attitudes Towards Classroom Language Choice
Authors: Li Junlong , Tai Kevin W. H.
Published: May 2024

Second language (L2) learning motivation has been widely acknowledged as a crucial factor in the success of instructed L2 acquisition. However, the effects of L2 motivation on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ classroom language choice (CLC) are relatively under-explored based on a systematic theoretical framework. Recently, a growing trend towards bi/multilingualism has aroused controversy over the current English-only policy in Chinese EFL higher education. To inform a more motivating classroom language decision, this study, grounded on the framework of the L2 motivational self system (Dörnyei, 2009), aims to investigate learners’ attitudes towards the English-only approach and first language (L1) use in the EFL classroom and examine the effects of L2 self-guides on learners’ CLC attitudes. Following a mixed methods approach, an adapted questionnaire was distributed to 252 Chinese first-year undergraduate EFL learners. Follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted among twenty respondents to seek further explanations for their responses. The descriptive, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between L2 self-guides and attitudes towards CLC. Through thematic coding, qualitative data were analysed to supplement quantitative results and explore the explanatory power of L2 self-guides on learners’ CLC attitudes. The findings reveal students’ general preference for the appropriate use of L1 and suggest that ideal L2 self and ought-to L2 self were correlated with and could positively predict learners’ attitudes towards English immersion as well as L1 use respectively. The different motivational characteristics of ideal and ought-to L2 selves identified in this study may inform education practitioners of a translanguaging pedagogical practice and call for a language policy-making and curriculum-planning process taking students’ motivational states along with CLC attitudes into thorough consideration.
Expansion Technique of Frequency Response Function Data and its Applications
Authors: Kim Sehee , An Jae-Hyoung , Eun Hee-Chng
Published: May 2024

This paper presents frequency response function (FRF) expansion techniques that minimize the difference between the analytical and predicted FRF matrices to satisfy the FRF constraints. The measured FRF relationships at a small number of locations were used as constraints. The expansion method is useful for estimating the rotational FRFs that are difficult to measure or apply using frequency-based substructuring (FBS) techniques. The validity of the proposed method, including the effects of external noise, was confirmed using numerical examples. An FBS algorithm was also derived by incorporating the FRFs of each substructure, and the compatibility conditions were transformed into FRFs with pseudomasses at the joint nodes. A discrepancy between the FRFs of the synthesized system estimated using the proposed method and the analysis results of the entire system was observed in the numerical example, and the reasons for the discrepancy were investigated and discussed. It is estimated that the proposed FBS method can be enhanced by combining it with other dynamic substructuring techniques and supplementing additional information, such as measured FRFs.
An Avoidable Dependency? Russian Gas and German Complacency in the History of East–West Energy Relations
Authors: Lutz Martin
Published: May 2024

How dependent were Germany and the European Union as a whole on Russian gas, and what lines can be traced in the historical development of energy relations? These questions are at the heart of the six books discussed, all of which were written in the context of Russia’s increasing aggression against Ukraine. All books examine the dependency in the energy sector, both for the exporting Soviet Union and Russia as well as for the importing countries. The essay argues that conceptualisations of dependency, underlying economic interests, and transnational interdependencies require further research.
A comprehensive review on the impact of Industry 4.0 on the development of a sustainable environment
Authors: Shabur Md. Abdus
Published: May 2024

The application of Industry 4.0 technology has substantial prospects for future innovation and corporate growth. This research study investigates the influence of Industry 4.0 technologies on the establishment of environmental sustainability in the manufacturing sector and other associated industries. Industry 4.0 and its associated technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT) and cyber-physical systems, have a detrimental effect on environmental sustainability. This is due to factors such as air pollution, improper waste disposal, and excessive consumption of raw materials, information, and energy. The approach employed in this study is an extensive review of a literature review comprising 207 manuscripts that explore subjects pertaining to Industry 4.0 and environmental sustainability. Currently, there is a gap between the current and intended state of affairs. Production is happening in a paradigm that lacks sustainability, which is why this research examines the impact of Industry 4.0 on environmental sustainability and the relevant aspects of Industry 4.0. One of the objective of this study is to examine the notable advantages of Industry 4.0 in the context of sustainable manufacturing. The other objective of this study are to ascertain the specific tools and components associated with Industry 4.0 that have a role in promoting the progress of a sustainable ecosystem and to do a comprehensive analysis of existing literature to find out the effectiveness of technologies of Industry 4.0 in promoting environmental sustainability. This study identifies and examines 18 significant uses of Industry 4.0 that contribute to the development of a sustainable environment. This research shows that the convergence of Industry 4.0 and the sustainable development goals improves environmental sustainability by establishing ecological support that ensures superior environmental performance with a greater positive influence than previously. This paper aims to assist stakeholders and organizations in addressing current environmental concerns by implementing innovative technologies. This study is novel in that it illustrates the integration of Industry 4.0 and its technologies with sustainable development goals, resulting in a sustainable Industry 4.0 that combines environmental protection and sustainability.
Student attentiveness analysis in virtual classroom using distraction, drowsiness and emotion detection
Authors: Kaewkaisorn Khwanchai , Pintong Krisna , Bunyang Songpol , Tansawat Teerarat , Siriborvornratanakul Thitirat
Published: May 2024

Electronic Learning (E-Learning) played a significant role in education during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a way to teach and learn online, and it is an efficient method of knowledge transfer for the instructors and students, who must practice social distancing and have less interaction during the pandemic. However, although multimedia applications have provided convenience for online learning, they still present challenges for instructors to measure and assess students' attentiveness during online classes. This study aims to develop an assessment framework based on machine learning methods to analyze students' attentiveness in online sessions and provide a guiding solution for instructors to manage their online classes. The framework detects the behavior of learners and analyzes signs of distraction, drowsiness, and varied emotions while they participate in online classes. These three signs have been used as features to train the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model for predicting whether learners are 'Focused' or 'Not Focused' during their online classes. The developed model achieves an accuracy of 90.2% on the test dataset based on the experiment results. However, this project could be further developed for more efficient research. It can also serve as a foundational guideline for the efficacy of online teaching systems, which can play a key role in helping instructors adopt suitable teaching methods for learners in the future.
Indigenous Knowledge and Material Histories
Authors: Soentgen Jens
Published: May 2024

This Element deals with stories told about substances and ways to analyse them through an Environmental Humanitie's perspective. It then takes up rubber as an example and its many stories. It is shown that the common notions of rubber history, which assume that rubber only became a useful material through a miraculous operation called vulcanization, that is attributed to the US-American Charles Goodyear, are false. In contrast, it is shown that rubber and many important rubber products are inventions of Indigenous peoples of South America, made durable by a process that can be called organic vulcanization. It is with that invention, that the story of rubber starts. Without it, rubber would not exist, neither in the Americas nor elsewhere. Finally, it is shown that Indigenous rubber products also offer some ecological advantages over industrially manufactured ones.
Attachment theory: survival, trauma, and war through the eyes of Bowlby
Authors: Twohig Aoife , Lyne John , McNicholas Fiona
Published: May 2024

Children are no strangers to war and conflict, and for as long as history has been documented, so too has the negative impact of war on children. Attachment theory, which has shone a light upon the ways in which early life experiences can impact individuals across the lifespan, is a helpful lens through which we can view the consequences of war. Similar to the aftermath of war leading to lifelong and transgenerational suffering due to deaths and physical health issues, attachment difficulties created during war further compound long-term damage. Yet, despite our theoretical understanding of the detrimental impact of war on children and on humankind, humanity has failed to find ways to avert, or at least minimise, this unfortunate risk. Instead in this century, we see a growing number of conflicts globally with increasing asylum seekers. In this editorial, we argue that the large-scale disruption to attachment relationships caused by conflict and war is an important consideration for global policy, and that the healthcare community must show leadership in highlighting this serious impact of war.
Morphology of clean and surfactant-laden droplets in homogeneous isotropic turbulence
Authors: Cannon Ianto , Soligo Giovanni , Rosti Marco E.
Published: May 2024

We perform direct numerical simulations of surfactant-laden droplets in homogeneous isotropic turbulence with Taylor Reynolds number

$Re_\lambda \approx 180$

. The droplets are modelled using the volume-of-fluid method, and the soluble surfactant is transported using an advection–diffusion equation. Effects of surfactant on the droplet and local flow statistics are well approximated using a lower, averaged value of surface tension, thus allowing us to extend the framework developed by Hinze (AIChE J., vol. 1, no. 3, 1955, pp. 289–295) and Kolmogorov (Dokl. Akad. Navk. SSSR, vol. 66, 1949, pp. 825–828) for surfactant-free bubbles to surfactant-laden droplets. We find that surfactant-induced tangential stresses play a minor role in this set-up, thus allowing us to extend the Kolmogorov–Hinze framework to surfactant-laden droplets. The Kolmogorov–Hinze scale

$d_H$

is indeed found to be a pivotal length scale in the droplets’ dynamics, separating the coalescence-dominated (droplets smaller than

$d_H$

) and the breakage-dominated (droplets larger than

$d_H$

) regimes in the droplet size distribution. We find that droplets smaller than

$d_H$

have a rather compact, regular, spheroid-like shape, whereas droplets larger than

$d_H$

have long, convoluted, filamentous shapes with a diameter equal to

$d_H$

. This results in very different scaling laws for the interfacial area of the droplet. The normalized area,

$A/d_H^2$

, of droplets smaller than

$d_H$

is proportional to

$(d/d_H)^2$

, while the area of droplets larger than

$d_H$

is proportional to

$(d/d_H)^3$

, where

$d$

is the droplet characteristic size. We further characterize the large filamentous droplets by computing the number of handles (loops of the dispersed phase extending into the carrier phase) and voids (regions of the carrier fluid completely enclosed by the dispersed phase) for each droplet. The number of handles per unit length of filament scales inversely with surface tension. The number of voids is proportional to the droplet size and independent of surface tension. Handles are indeed an unstable feature of the interface and are destroyed by the restoring effect of surface tension, whereas voids can move freely in the interior of the droplets, unaffected by surface tension.
Energy stability of magnetohydrodynamic flow in channels and ducts
Authors: Boeck Thomas , Brynjell-Rahkola Mattias , Duguet Yohann
Published: May 2024

We study the energy stability of pressure-driven laminar magnetohydrodynamic flow in a rectangular duct with a transverse homogeneous magnetic field and electrically insulating walls. For sufficiently strong fields, the laminar velocity distribution has a uniform core and convex Hartmann and Shercliff boundary layers on the walls perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic field. The problem is discretized by a double expansion in Chebyshev polynomials in the cross-stream coordinates. The linear eigenvalue problem for the critical Reynolds number depends on the streamwise wavenumber, Hartmann number and the aspect ratio. We consider the limits of small and large aspect ratios in order to compare with stability models based on one-dimensional base flows. For large aspect ratios, we find good numerical agreement with results based on the quasi-two-dimensional approximation. The lift-up mechanism dominates in the limit of a zero streamwise wavenumber and provides a linear dependence between the critical Reynolds and Hartmann numbers in the duct. As the aspect ratio is reduced away from unity, the duct results converge to Orr's original energy stability result for spanwise uniform perturbations imposed on the plane Poiseuille base flow. We also examine different possible symmetries of eigenmodes as well as the purely hydrodynamic case in the duct geometry.
Geometric random intersection graphs with general connection probabilities
Authors: Deijfen Maria , Michielan Riccardo
Published: May 2024

Let
$\mathcal{V}$
and
$\mathcal{U}$
be the point sets of two independent homogeneous Poisson processes on
$\mathbb{R}^d$
. A graph
$\mathcal{G}_\mathcal{V}$
with vertex set
$\mathcal{V}$
is constructed by first connecting pairs of points (v, u) with
$v\in\mathcal{V}$
and
$u\in\mathcal{U}$
independently with probability
$g(v-u)$
, where g is a non-increasing radial function, and then connecting two points
$v_1,v_2\in\mathcal{V}$
if and only if they have a joint neighbor
$u\in\mathcal{U}$
. This gives rise to a random intersection graph on
$\mathbb{R}^d$
. Local properties of the graph, including the degree distribution, are investigated and quantified in terms of the intensities of the underlying Poisson processes and the function g. Furthermore, the percolation properties of the graph are characterized and shown to differ depending on whether g has bounded or unbounded support.
INVARIANT KEISLER MEASURES FOR
$\omega $
-CATEGORICAL STRUCTURES
Authors: MARIMON PAOLO
Published: May 2024

A recent article of Chernikov, Hrushovski, Kruckman, Krupinski, Moconja, Pillay, and Ramsey finds the first examples of simple structures with formulas which do not fork over the empty set but are universally measure zero. In this article we give the first known simple

$\omega $

-categorical counterexamples. These happen to be various

$\omega $

-categorical Hrushovski constructions. Using a probabilistic independence theorem from Jahel and Tsankov, we show how simple

$\omega $

-categorical structures where a formula forks over

$\emptyset $

if and only if it is universally measure zero must satisfy a stronger version of the independence theorem.
CAN THE UK ACHIEVE NET ZERO GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BY 2050?
Authors: Castle Jennifer L. , Hendry David F.
Published: May 2024

Net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the UK’s current target, requires bridging a dramatic energy transition and eliminating all other net sources of emissions while ensuring a just transition. Key components like renewable electricity generation and electric vehicles are well developed, but many issues remain. Public support for a green economy may wane if the economic costs are too high or seen as unfair. Therefore, although renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuels, it is essential to maintain employment, real per capita growth and reduced inequality. Decarbonizing the UK economy requires an integrated sequential approach and need not be delayed while dealing with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, energy crisis and resulting inflation.
Person-specific and pooled prediction models for binge eating, alcohol use and binge drinking in bulimia nervosa and alcohol use disorder
Authors: Leenaerts N. , Soyster P. , Ceccarini J. , Sunaert S. , Fisher A. , Vrieze E.
Published: May 2024

Background

Machine learning could predict binge behavior and help develop treatments for bulimia nervosa (BN) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Therefore, this study evaluates person-specific and pooled prediction models for binge eating (BE), alcohol use, and binge drinking (BD) in daily life, and identifies the most important predictors.

Methods

A total of 120 patients (BN: 50; AUD: 51; BN/AUD: 19) participated in an experience sampling study, where over a period of 12 months they reported on their eating and drinking behaviors as well as on several other emotional, behavioral, and contextual factors in daily life. The study had a burst-measurement design, where assessments occurred eight times a day on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in seven bursts of three weeks. Afterwards, person-specific and pooled models were fit with elastic net regularized regression and evaluated with cross-validation. From these models, the variables with the 10% highest estimates were identified.

Results

The person-specific models had a median AUC of 0.61, 0.80, and 0.85 for BE, alcohol use, and BD respectively, while the pooled models had a median AUC of 0.70, 0.90, and 0.93. The most important predictors across the behaviors were craving and time of day. However, predictors concerning social context and affect differed among BE, alcohol use, and BD.

Conclusions

Pooled models outperformed person-specific models and the models for alcohol use and BD outperformed those for BE. Future studies should explore how the performance of these models can be improved and how they can be used to deliver interventions in daily life.
Effectiveness of a digital alcohol intervention as an add-on to depression treatment for young adults: results of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial
Authors: Schouten Maria J. E. , Goudriaan Anna E. , Schaub Michael P. , Dekker Jack J. M. , Blankers Matthijs
Published: May 2024

Background

Problematic drinking frequently co-occurs with depression among young adults, but often remains unaddressed in depression treatment. Evidence is insufficient on whether digital alcohol interventions can be effective in this young comorbid population. In a randomized controlled trial, we examined the effectiveness of Beating the Booze (BtB), an add-on digital alcohol intervention to complement depression treatment for young adults.

Methods

Participants were randomized to BtB + depression treatment as usual (BTB + TAU, n = 81) or TAU (n = 82). The primary outcome was treatment response, a combined measure for alcohol and depression after 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes were number of weekly drinks (Timeline Follow-back) and depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale). Treatment response was analyzed using generalized linear modeling and secondary outcomes using robust linear mixed modeling.

Results

Low treatment response was found due to lower than expected depression remission rates. No statistically significant between-group effect was found for treatment response after 6-month follow-up (odds ratio 2.86, p = 0.089, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.85–9.63). For our secondary outcomes, statistically significant larger reductions in weekly drinks were found in the intervention group after 3-month (B = −4.00, p = 0.009, 95% CI −6.97 to −1.02, d = 0.27) and 6-month follow-up (B = −3.20, p = 0.032, 95% CI −6.13 to −0.27, d = 0.23). We found no statistically significant between-group differences on depressive symptoms after 3-month (B = −0.57, p = 0.732, 95% CI −3.83 to 2.69) nor after 6-month follow-up (B = −0.44, p = 0.793, 95% CI −3.69 to 2.82).

Conclusions

The add-on digital alcohol intervention was effective in reducing alcohol use, but not in reducing depressive symptoms and treatment response among young adults with co-occurring depressive disorders and problematic alcohol use.

Trial registration:

Pre-registered on October 29, 2019 in the Overview of Medical Research in the Netherlands (OMON), formerly the Dutch Trial Register(https://onderzoekmetmensen.nl/en/trial/49219).
Age-dependent association of cannabis use with risk of psychotic disorder
Authors: McDonald André J. , Kurdyak Paul , Rehm Jürgen , Roerecke Michael , Bondy Susan J.
Published: May 2024

Background

Epidemiologic research suggests that youth cannabis use is associated with psychotic disorders. However, current evidence is based heavily on 20th-century data when cannabis was substantially less potent than today.

Methods

We linked population-based survey data from 2009 to 2012 with records of health services covered under universal healthcare in Ontario, Canada, up to 2018. The cohort included respondents aged 12–24 years at baseline with no prior psychotic disorder (N = 11 363). The primary outcome was days to first hospitalization, ED visit, or outpatient visit related to a psychotic disorder according to validated diagnostic codes. Due to non-proportional hazards, we estimated age-specific hazard ratios during adolescence (12–19 years) and young adulthood (20–33 years). Sensitivity analyses explored alternative model conditions including restricting the outcome to hospitalizations and ED visits to increase specificity.

Results

Compared to no cannabis use, cannabis use was significantly associated with psychotic disorders during adolescence (aHR = 11.2; 95% CI 4.6–27.3), but not during young adulthood (aHR = 1.3; 95% CI 0.6–2.6). When we restricted the outcome to hospitalizations and ED visits only, the strength of association increased markedly during adolescence (aHR = 26.7; 95% CI 7.7–92.8) but did not change meaningfully during young adulthood (aHR = 1.8; 95% CI 0.6–5.4).

Conclusions

This study provides new evidence of a strong but age-dependent association between cannabis use and risk of psychotic disorder, consistent with the neurodevelopmental theory that adolescence is a vulnerable time to use cannabis. The strength of association during adolescence was notably greater than in previous studies, possibly reflecting the recent rise in cannabis potency.
Centering Black Women’s Labor History in Latin America
Authors: Harrington Jaira J.
Published: May 2024

This review article surveys recent books that explore black women’s integral role in the labor history of Latin America and the Caribbean. As emancipated Latin American and Caribbean black women transitioned away from slave labor, they faced intense, enduring racial and gender discrimination in the labor market. Despite these hostile conditions, these black women tirelessly resisted and rebelled against oppression. Moving beyond the framework of black women as mere contributors to social, political, and economic systems, the reviewed books’ authors center black women as historically inextricable from these foundational elements that sustain the region.
From the Great Goddess to the Storm God: Cosmic transformations at the boundary between the dry and rainy seasons in Classic Teotihuacan
Authors: González Block Miguel A.
Published: May 2024

Classic Teotihuacan's mural tradition evidences a Great Goddess and a Storm God in a cult of rain and fertility, yet their identity and relationship is problematic. This article reads the mural iconography as a myth of passage where the Great Goddess transited through portals uniting the planes of the cosmos at the boundary between the dry and rainy seasons to transform into the Storm God. Slate and pyrite mirrors and murals are analyzed as sacred artifacts with agency to invoke passage. The species of animals and plants symbolizing portals are identified to decode their symbolism of passage as symbolic transformations.

The Great Goddess transited from the underworld to the sea, entered mountain caves, and transformed her head-summit into a primordial cloud. The goddess created the axis mundi through her sacrifice, integrating the plants used for the manufacture of the Mesoamerican rubber olli. Mediated by the metamorphic powers of butterflies and olli, the goddess transformed greenstone into sacred water to become the Storm God. He commanded his helpers from his cave dwelling to produce rain and fertility clouds. Ruler-priests and warriors used mirrors to access the axis mundi and to transform into Storm God avatars with powers over rain and fertility.
STRONG COMPLETENESS OF A FIRST-ORDER TEMPORAL LOGIC FOR REAL TIME
Authors: GOLDBLATT ROBERT
Published: May 2024

Propositional temporal logic over the real number time flow is finitely axiomatisable, but its first-order counterpart is not recursively axiomatisable. We study the logic that combines the propositional axiomatisation with the usual axioms for first-order logic with identity, and develop an alternative “admissible” semantics for it, showing that it is strongly complete for admissible models over the reals. By contrast there is no recursive axiomatisation of the first-order temporal logic of admissible models whose time flow is the integers, or any scattered linear ordering.
Maternal birth weight is an indicator of preterm delivery: the Japan environment and children’s study
Authors: Kudo Rie , Iwama Noriyuki , Hamada Hirotaka , Tomita Hasumi , Tagami Kazuma , Kumagai Natsumi , Sato Naoto , Izumi Seiya , Sakurai Kasumi , Watanabe Zen , Ishikuro Mami , Obara Taku , Tatsuta Nozomi , Hoshiai Tetsuro , Metoki Hirohito , Saito Masatoshi , Sugawara Junichi , Kuriyama Shinichi , Arima Takahiro , Yaegashi Nobuo ,   The Japan Environment and Children’s Study Group
Published: May 2024

This study aimed to investigate the association between maternal birth weight (MBW) with preterm delivery (PTD) in the Japanese population. To this end, a total of 78,972 Japanese pregnant women were included in a prospective birth cohort study. Multiple logistic regression and multinominal logistic regression models were applied to investigate the associations of MBW with PTD (delivery from 22 to < 37 weeks of gestation), early PTD (delivery from 22 to < 34 weeks), and late PTD (delivery from 34 to < 37 weeks). The results showed that MBW was inversely associated with PTD, early PTD, and late PTD (p-for-trend < 0.0001, 0.0014, and < 0.0001, respectively). The adjusted odds ratios per each 500 g of MBW decrease were 1.167 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.118–1.218) for PTD, 1.174 (95% CI: 1.070–1.287) for early PTD and 1.151 (95% CI: 1.098–1.206) for late PTD. The effect size of the association of MBW with early PTD was similar to that with late PTD. This study demonstrated for the first time an association of a low MBW with PTD, early PTD, and late PTD in a Japanese nationwide cohort.
The Power of Characters: Evaluating Machine Learning-Modified Bayesian Improved Surname Geocoding Inference of Race in Redistricting
Authors: Curiel John A. , DeLuca Kevin
Published: May 2024

Identifying racial disparities in policy and politics is a pressing area of research within the United States. Where early work made use of identifying potentially noisy correlations between county or precinct demographics and election outcomes, the advent of Bayesian Improved Surname Geocoding (BISG) vastly improved estimation of race by employing voter lists. Machine Learning (ML)-modified BISG in turn offers accuracy gains over the static – and potentially outdated – surname dictionaries present in traditional BISG. However, the extent to which ML might substantively alter the policy and political implications of redistricting is unclear given its improvements in voter race estimation. Therefore, we ascertain the potential gains of ML-modified BISG in improving the estimation of race for the purpose of redistricting majority-minority districts. We evaluate an ML-modified BISG program against traditional BISG estimates in correctly estimating the race of voters for creating majority-minority congressional districts within North Carolina and Georgia, and in state assembly districts in Wisconsin. Our results demonstrate that ML-modified BISG offers substantive gains over traditional BISG, especially in diverse political geographic units. Further, we find meaningful improvements in accuracy when estimating majority-minority district racial composition. We conclude with recommendations on when and how to use the two methods, in addition how to ensure transparency and confidence in BISG-related research.