bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conservation with hard borders: Ethiopian wolves are threatened by fragmentation and isolation
Authors: Marino Jorgelina , Lai Sandra , Eshete Girma , Sillero‐Zubiri Claudio
Published: October 2024

Unlike most canids, versatile and capable of navigating vast landscapes, endangered Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis) are endemic to an archipelago of Afroalpine islands. As a habitat specialist, the Ethiopian wolf is ill‐equipped to move across a highly transformed and densely populated agriculture matrix. Hard borders imposed by expanding subsistence agriculture lock Ethiopian wolves into further isolation, with few opportunities for dispersal and recolonisation. We report and evaluate empirical information from long‐term monitoring across the species' range to understand processes of habitat loss, recolonisation and extinction in recent and historical times, and to assess what conservation measures and strategies would ensure their persistence. Ethiopian wolves occurred in six isolated populations, totalling 454 wolves (population sizes ranged between 281 and 24) occupying 2700 km2 of Afroalpine habitat. We describe three population extinctions and three local extinctions within fragmented populations, and present evidence of factors accelerating the extinction process, such as disease (rabies and canine distemper virus), persecution, road kills and poisoning. Of all the suitable habitat available to wolves, 86% was included within nine protected areas, including three new Community Conservation Areas and two national park extensions in the past 10 years. As all Ethiopian wolf populations are small and vulnerable to stochastic events and environmental perturbation, conservation efforts to ensure the long‐term survival of the species need to integrate: 1) support for protected areas to halt agriculture encroachment and to regulate sustainable uses of natural resources; 2) efforts to minimise all causes of mortality, including but not limited to disease; and 3) conservation translocations to overcome fundamental barriers to dispersal in the highlands of Ethiopia.
Convective MHD flow of Casson fluid through porous medium using the Darcy‐Forchheimer model under the impact of prescribed heat sources
Authors: Devi Rekha , Sood Shilpa
Published: October 2024

Blood and other non‐Newtonian fluids are most appropriately described by a rheological model known as a Casson fluid. The presence of yield stress in Casson fluids makes them particularly relevant in the fields of biomechanics and polymer industries. In this analysis, a numerical simulation of flow of a Casson nanofluid over a stretching surface was estimated. The flow of fluid was subjected to a magnetic field of varying strength. The governing partial differential equations for momentum and heat transmission are converted into a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations with the aid of similarity transformations. After that, numerical techniques are used to solve the equations. Figures and tables are utilized to illustrate how non‐dimensional parameters affect energy, concentration, and velocity trends.
Statistical analysis on the rate of heat transfer of radiative water‐based hybrid nanofluid flow over an elongating surface due to velocity slip and melting heat condition
Authors: Mathur Priya , Mishra S. R. , Pattnaik P. K. , Panda Subhajit
Published: October 2024

The performances of the heat transfer due to dissipative heat likely magnetic dissipation is a challenging field of research because of it's diversifies applications in industries and engineering. Particularly, nowadays, in biomedical field of research the implementation of dissipation along with thermal radiation is vital. Based upon the current scenario, the present investigation leading to the role of magnetic dissipation vis‐à‐vis thermal radiation on the water‐based hybrid nanofluid past an electro‐magnetized elongating surface associated with melting boundary conditions. The adaptation of the transformed rule particularly, similarity rules are useful to convert the proposed set of problems in to ordinary. Further, shooting‐based numerical technique is proposed to handle the governing equations. The interesting and novel approach in this topic is the use of robust statistical technique, that is, response surface methodology for the optimizing Nusselt number for the use of various factors. Moreover, the validation is obtained by conducting a hypothetical testing using analysis of variance (ANOVA) which conforms a best output model for appropriate response. Further, the major outcomes of the study are depicted as; the unsteadiness parameter decelerates the velocity profile of the hybrid nanofluid for the interaction. However, the increasing particle concentration favours in enhancing the heat transport phenomenon.
Size‐dependent nonlinear transient analysis of rotating porous thick and thin FGM microblade under cooling thermal shock
Authors: Pandey Shashank
Published: October 2024

The present work is an attempt to develop a simple, accurate, and widely applicable finite element formulation for the size‐dependent nonlinear transient analysis of the rotating porous thick and thin functionally graded material (FGM) microblade subjected to load due to centrifugal force and cooling thermal shock. First‐order shear deformation theory in conjunction with von Karman‐type nonlinearity is used in the development of the finite element formulation. The temperature‐dependent material properties of the SUS304 stainless steel and the AISI 1020 carbon steel are taken. The upper layer made of the SUS304 stainless steel is subjected to a cooling thermal shock and the lower layer made of AISI 1020 carbon steel is held constant at room temperature. The governing differential equation for the present analysis is obtained using total Lagrangian formulation in conjunction with the modified coupled stress theory (MCST). Modified Newton–Raphson in conjunction with Newmark average acceleration method is used to obtain the nonlinear transient response of the rotating porous FGM pretwisted blade. The results obtained from the present finite element formulation are first compared for a wide range of parameters. New results are presented to investigate the effect of porosity, intensity of the thermal shock, material scale ratio, rotational velocity, and volume fraction index on the nonlinear transient analysis of a rotating porous thick and thin SUS304/AISI 1020 functionally graded rotating blade under load due to centrifugal force and cooling thermal shock.
Spectrometer; Mass Separator
Authors: Méot François
Published: October 2024

This  chapter is an introduction to nuclear physics spectrometer and mass separator optical systems. Optical specificities are discussed, leaning on concepts and on theoretical material introduced in earlier chapters, or found in Optical Elements and Keywords (Chap. 14). The chapter begins with a brief overview of mass separation techniques and their use, and continues with a reminder of underlying beam optics principles. The simulation of mass separation requires essentially three optical elements from library. DIPOLE[S] which allows for curved EFBs and field index; it also allows several, extended shimming pole plates; detector planes, in case they are located in the fringe field region of DIPOLE[S], can be introduced using the option IDRT (all this, inherited from the ab initio spectrometer design capabilities of ). QUADRUPOLE (or MULTIPOL) to simulate focusing elements, and DRIFT to simulate field-free sections. Beam monitoring relies on FAISCEAU, FAISTORE, IL = 2 flag, etc. Graphic treatment is performed using zpop or gnuplot, possibly resorted to via a SYSTEM call.
New Turn Populism: Ideological or Epistemic? An Inquiry into Explanatory Models of Populism and the Meaning of ‘Post-truth’
Authors: Strandbrink Peter
Published: October 2024

Highlighting conceptual problems in standard political scientific analyses of the ascendance of new turn populism (NTP) in mature liberal democratic politics over the past decade, this contribution interrogates the limits of our attempt to come to terms with a style of politics that challenges core knowledge-building assumptions. Distinguishing it from ideology-based political styles, new turn populism seems unconcerned with the role of truth, evidence-invoking deliberation and reason in political talk to an excessive degree, typically too radical for scholars to grasp its far-reaching ramifications. Having moved from the fringe to the mainstream, Western NTP-political leaders and movements display entirely new levels of contempt for assessable political talk. NTP’s post-epistemic style is, hence, shifting the terms of ideological discourse in ways difficult to explain using normal political scientific methods and conceptual frameworks. It is suggested that NTP does not predominantly constitute a novel ideological package, but is characterised by departure from what is normally considered ‘ideological’ politics in the first place. Traditional methods and analytical interpretations are therefore inherently incapable of strongly assessing the thrust and significance of post-epistemic NTP trends. On this note, this contribution develops conceptual distinctions that clarify and make legible the epistemically anomalous nature of the NTP strand of contemporary politics.
Populist Democracy and the Post-truth Condition
Authors: Ólafsson Jón
Published: October 2024

The paper explores post-truth as an epistemic condition in which established standards of verification are no longer generally shared and disagreements therefore go unsettled. I point out that two different narratives are implicitly assumed when post-truth is discussed. According to one, post-truth emerges as a reaction to liberalism's epistocratic tendencies and the perceived suppression of the public will by experts and officials. The second narrative, however, places populism at the origins of post-truth, depicting it as a consequence of the populist surge. I do not argue that one narrative must be adopted and the other rejected, but maintain that they should be kept apart. The first narrative helps understand why many currently popular forms of democratic innovation, such as deliberative mini-publics, fail to address the deeper concerns behind the post-truth condition. I argue that such efforts ignore the tension between self-determination and deference to expertise. The populist response to that, however, is to undermine the experts rather than reclaim individual liberty which, as I argue, also paradoxically shows the populist inability to clearly distance its rhetoric from expertise-based policy-making. I conclude that in thinking about the future of democracy truth-orientedness in public discourse is clearly key, yet rather than insist on increasingly robust epistemic structure of democratic decision-making, one should look for a critical reappraisal of the relations of knowledge and policy.
Nostalgic Post-truth: Towards an Anti-humanist Theory of Communication
Authors: Kalpokas Ignas , Bureiko Anna
Published: October 2024

Today’s most prominent discussions of post-truth are united by a kernel of nostalgia, framing the present time as one of cognitive and moral decay and as open to abuse by populists. Meanwhile, this chapter demonstrates that the true object of nostalgia is, instead, the detached and disembodied rational Cartesian subject. Hence, instead of diagnosing the problems facing today’s societies, the mainstream discourse on post-truth manifests close affinities with its own object of critique—(frequently nostalgic) populism. Instead of focusing on a singular truth that has to be made great again, the political landscape postulated in this chapter is one populated by a multitude of truth-utterances, interrelating with each other on a groundless terrain without the possibility of an ultimate fixed order or grounding truth in what is conceptualized as the tragic domain of politics. Only then, it is argued, can a truly pluralist account of political discourse be embraced.
Populisms in Democracies Under the Post-truth Pressure: Giving New Life to Public Debate or Blurring It?
Authors: García-Guitián Elena
Published: October 2024

The aim of this chapter is to explore some debates that underlie the perception that we are inhabiting a post-truth context, in relation to the spread of populist movements and leaders that are challenging our understandings of democracy. To do that, first, following the work of authors like Pierre Rosanvallon and Nadia Urbinati, I reflect on the common traits of contemporary populism, despite its important cultural, ideological, and contextual differences. For these authors, populism involves an understanding of democracy that takes it to its limits and has authoritarian traits. Secondly, I assess the claim that we are living in a post-truth context, highlighting the different approaches to ‘post-truth’ and their political implications. This is related to the debate about facts and opinions and the way we envision the epistemic character of democratic politics. Third, I conclude that populism, understood as an alternative model of democracy, damages some of the core elements of liberal democracies, disregarding forms of complex representation of intermediary bodies and their role in the formation of better decisions, which is one of the sources of democracy’s legitimacy.
Progression to type 1 diabetes in the DPT-1 and TN07 clinical trials is critically associated with specific residues in HLA-DQA1-B1 heterodimers
Authors: Zhao Lue Ping , Papadopoulos George K. , Skyler Jay S. , Pugliese Alberto , Parikh Hemang M. , Kwok William W. , Lybrand Terry P. , Bondinas George P. , Moustakas Antonis K. , Wang Ruihan , Pyo Chul-Woo , Nelson Wyatt C. , Geraghty Daniel E. , Lernmark Åke
Published: October 2024

Aims/hypothesis

The aim of this work was to explore molecular amino acids (AAs) and related structures of HLA-DQA1-DQB1 that underlie its contribution to the progression from stages 1 or 2 to stage 3 type 1 diabetes.

Methods

Using high-resolution DQA1 and DQB1 genotypes from 1216 participants in the Diabetes Prevention Trial-Type 1 and the Diabetes Prevention Trial, we applied hierarchically organised haplotype association analysis (HOH) to decipher which AAs contributed to the associations of DQ with disease and their structural properties. HOH relied on the Cox regression to quantify the association of DQ with time-to-onset of type 1 diabetes.

Results

By numerating all possible DQ heterodimers of α- and β-chains, we showed that the heterodimerisation increases genetic diversity at the cellular level from 43 empirically observed haplotypes to 186 possible heterodimers. Heterodimerisation turned several neutral haplotypes (DQ2.2, DQ2.3 and DQ4.4) to risk haplotypes (DQ2.2/2.3-DQ4.4 and DQ4.4-DQ2.2). HOH uncovered eight AAs on the α-chain (−16α, −13α, −6α, α22, α23, α44, α72, α157) and six AAs on the β-chain (−18β, β9, β13, β26, β57, β135) that contributed to the association of DQ with progression of type 1 diabetes. The specific AAs concerned the signal peptide (minus sign, possible linkage to expression levels), pockets 1, 4 and 9 in the antigen-binding groove of the α1β1 domain, and the putative homodimerisation of the αβ heterodimers.

Conclusions/interpretation

These results unveil the contribution made by DQ to type 1 diabetes progression at individual residues and related protein structures, shedding light on its immunological mechanisms and providing new leads for developing treatment strategies.

Data availability

Clinical trial data and biospecimen samples are available through the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Central Repository portal (https://repository.niddk.nih.gov/studies).

Graphical Abstract
Perception of one’s social environment and loneliness: results of the nationally representative “Old age in Germany (D80+)” study
Authors: Hajek André , Sutin Angelina , Luchetti Martina , Peltzer Karl , Veronese Nicola , Gyasi Razak M. , Soysal Pinar , Stephan Yannick , Terracciano Antonio , König Hans-Helmut
Published: October 2024

Objectives

To examine the association between perception of one’s social environment (in terms of residential attachment and neighborhood trust) and loneliness among the oldest old and whether these associations differ by living arrangement.

Methods

We used data from the nationally representative “Old Age in Germany (D80+)” study that included individuals residing in private households and institutionalized settings. The analytic sample was 9,621 individuals (average age: 85.5 years, SD: 4.1 years; 62% female). Data collection took place from November 2020 to April 2021. Multiple linear regressions were conducted with adjustment for relevant covariates.

Results

Higher residential attachment (β=-0.02, p < .05) and higher neighborhood trust (β=-0.12, p < .001) were associated with less loneliness. The latter association was moderated by living arrangement (β=-0.09, p = .04) such that the association between neighborhood trust and loneliness was stronger among individuals living in institutionalized settings compared to individuals in private households.

Conclusion

Greater residential attachment and neighborhood trust, particularly among individuals living in institutionalized settings, are associated with less loneliness among the oldest old. Finding ways to improve perceived attachment and trust may assist in avoiding loneliness among older individuals.
Auswirkungen von Schwall-Sunk auf Nase (Chondrostoma nasus) und Barbe (Barbus barbus): ein Analyseansatz auf zwei Ebenen mit Fokus auf Larvenstrandung
Authors: Hayes Daniel S. , Auer Stefan , Schmutz Stefan , Piggott Jeremy J. , Ferreira Teresa , Führer Simon
Published: October 2024

Wasserkraftwerke beeinflussen Flussökosysteme erheblich, insbesondere Speicherkraftwerke, die bedarfsabhängig betrieben werden. Diese diskontinuierliche Betriebsweise führt zu schnellen und häufigen Abflussschwankungen (Schwall-Sunk), die Fische, dabei vor allem Larven und Jungfische, gefährden. Bisher lag der Schwerpunkt der Schwallforschung auf Salmoniden, während frühe Lebensstadien der Cypriniden (Karpfenfische) kaum untersucht wurden. Ziel dieses Artikels ist es, die Auswirkungen kurzfristiger Abflussschwankungen auf zwei karpfenartige Zeigerarten, die Nase (Chondrostoma nasus) und die Barbe (Barbus barbus), zu untersuchen. In vorliegender Arbeit werden die Ergebnisse zweier methodischer Ansätze – Freilanduntersuchungen und Schwallversuche in naturnahen Fließrinnen – beschrieben. Die Analyse österreichischer Befischungsstellen zeigt, dass Nase und Barbe in ihrem natürlichen Verbreitungsgebiet signifikante Rückgänge erlitten haben. Die Biomasse beider Zielarten ist insgesamt sehr gering, insbesondere in Schwallstrecken. Die Schwallversuche zeigen, dass die Fischlänge ein entscheidender Faktor für das Strandungsrisiko ist: Mit zunehmender Größe nimmt das Risiko ab. Nasen- und Barbenlarven stranden nachts häufiger als tagsüber. Die Uferquerneigung beeinflusst die Strandungsrate stark; flachere Ufer erhöhen das Risiko im Vergleich zu steileren, bieten jedoch mehr Lebensraum. Eine schnellere Abstiegsrate erhöht ebenfalls das Strandungsrisiko, besonders nachts und auf flach geneigten Kiesbänken. Heterogene Uferhabitate (mit Mulden) können auch für größere Jungfische aufgrund eines Fischfalleneffekts ein signifikantes Strandungsrisiko darstellen. Die Strandung wird zudem maßgeblich von der Wassertemperatur beeinflusst, die entscheidend für das Fischwachstum und die -entwicklung ist. Erste Mehrfachschwallversuche zeigen eine Abnahme der Fischstrandung bei aufeinanderfolgenden Schwallereignissen, wobei jedoch eine Reststrandung bestehen bleibt. Wie nachhaltig dieser (Lern‑)Effekt ist, bleibt noch ungeklärt. Diese Arbeit bieten neue Einblicke in die Auswirkungen kurzfristiger Abflussschwankungen auf die frühen Lebensstadien von Cypriniden und trägt somit zur Diskussion über die Schwall-Sunk-Sanierung bei.
Ocular Imaging Challenges, Current State, and a Path to Interoperability: A HIMSS-SIIM Enterprise Imaging Community Whitepaper
Authors: Goetz Kerry E. , Boland Michael V. , Chu Zhongdi , Reed Amberlynn A. , Clark Shawn D. , Towbin Alexander J. , Purt Boonkit , O’Donnell Kevin , Bui Marilyn M. , Eid Monief , Roth Christopher J. , Luviano Damien M. , Folio Les R.
Published: October 2024

Office-based testing, enhanced by advances in imaging technology, is routinely used in eye care to non-invasively assess ocular structure and function. This type of imaging coupled with autonomous artificial intelligence holds immense opportunity to diagnose eye diseases quickly. Despite the wide availability and use of ocular imaging, there are several factors that hinder optimization of clinical practice and patient care. While some large institutions have developed end-to-end digital workflows that utilize electronic health records, enterprise imaging archives, and dedicated diagnostic viewers, this experience has not yet made its way to smaller and independent eye clinics. Fractured interoperability practices impact patient care in all healthcare domains, including eye care where there is a scarcity of care centers, making collaboration essential among providers, specialists, and primary care who might be treating systemic conditions with profound impact on vision. The purpose of this white paper is to describe the current state of ocular imaging by focusing on the challenges related to interoperability, reporting, and clinical workflow.
Estimation of relative permittivity for measuring soil texture-dependent water content by GNSS-IR
Authors: Kobayashi Daiki , Aoki Shinsuke , Sato Naoto , Maruo Yuichi , Kodaira Shunsuke , Noborio Kosuke
Published: October 2024

Techniques for measuring the soil moisture content (SMC) using global navigation satellite system-interferometric reflectometry (GNSS-IR) with a positioning antenna have been reported. However, conventional methods are limited to evaluating the relative change in volumetric water content in a dry range for certain soil textures. In this study, we proposed a method to measure relative permittivity using GNSS-IR and evaluated its applicability at two sites with different soil textures and moisture content. The true multipath penetration depth was obtained from the tangent dielectric suitable for the soil textures, and the apparent penetration depth affected by the relative permittivity of the soil was calculated from the signal-to-noise ratio measured by GNSS. The relative permittivity of the soil was obtained from the ratio of these values and compared with the relative permittivity of the SMC sensor. As a result, we could measure soil permittivity according to soil textures from dry to wet conditions from GNSS-IR, except when the true multipath wave penetration depth was less than 1.5 cm, at which only surface reflection occurred. Sandy soils with a low dielectric loss tangent and wet areas with small changes in the depth of penetration of electromagnetic waves are particularly suitable environments for this method.
Preferences for Delivery of HIV Prevention Services Among Healthcare Users in South Africa: A Discrete Choice Experiment
Authors: Martin Catherine Elizabeth , Blaauw Duane , Nongena Pelisa , Chidumwa Glory , Dada Siphokazi , Jack Samantha , Butler Vusile , Mullick Saiqa
Published: October 2024

Progress has been made to scale oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as part of combination HIV prevention, with the WHO recommending differentiated, simplified and demedicalized approaches. This study explored user preferences for components of a PrEP service delivery package, through a discrete choice experiment (DCE) among 307 people accessing primary healthcare services in South Africa between November 2022 and February 2023. Attributes included were: Source of information about HIV prevention and PrEP; Site for PrEP initiation and follow-up; Frequency of follow-up; PrEP pick-up point; HIV testing whilst using PrEP; Contact between appointments. A D-efficient DCE design was created with 16 choice sets in 2 blocks. DCE data were analysed using generalised multinomial logistic models. Compared to printed materials, participants preferred getting information about PrEP online (aOR = 7.73, 95% CI = 5.13–11.66) and through WhatsApp (aOR = 2.23, 95% CI = 0.98–5.55). PrEP initiation at a pharmacy or mobile clinic was valued equally to initiating PrEP at a clinic, but a community pop-up site was less preferred (aOR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.33–0.64). There was a preference for 6-monthly over 3-monthly follow-up (aOR = 11.88, 95% CI = 5.44–25.94). Participants preferred collecting PrEP from a pharmacy (aOR = 5.02, 95% CI = 3.45–7.31), through home delivery (aOR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.26–3.78) and from a vending machine (aOR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.02–1.99) relative to where they initiated PrEP. Participants also preferred HIV self-testing over a healthcare provider test (aOR = 5.57, 95% CI = 3.72, 8.36). WhatsApp or Facebook groups (aOR = 4.12, 95% CI = 3.00–5.67), monthly phone calls (aOR = 2.84, 95% CI = 1.73–4.67) and weekly messages (aOR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.10–1.97) were preferred contact between appointments, relative to no contact. To meet users’ preferences, there is a need to expand decentralised and self-led HIV prevention services.
Protocols for MPS choices in VEA models with variable returns to scale
Authors: Ravanos Panagiotis , Karagiannis Giannis
Published: October 2024

In this paper, we examine the implications of using different strongly efficient Decision Making Units (DMUs) as the Most Preferred Solution (MPS) in Value Efficiency Analysis (VEA) models with variable returns to scale. We provide protocols for consistent MPS choices, where a MPS choice is consistent if and only if the resulting VEA technology does not allow for free and/or unlimited production. In particular, we show that either a DMU that belongs to the set of strongly CCR-efficient DMUs or a combination of jointly strongly CCR-efficient DMUs constitute the only consistent MPS choices for both constant-returns-to-scale and variable-returns-to-scale VEA models. In addition, we show that the scale properties of the efficient VEA frontier are affected by the choice of the MPS and in essence depend on the range of the interval between the MPS’s right- and left-side scale elasticities.
Dynamics of online debates: insights from textual network analysis
Authors: Pronello Nicola , Cucco Alex , del Gobbo Emiliano , Fontanella Sara , Fontanella Lara
Published: October 2024

Textual data analysis is critical for monitoring changing themes over time. To overcome challenges posed by data richness, graph theory emerges as a tool for investigating word-topic associations. We present an approach to clustering co-occurrence word networks that prioritises network similarity quantification over time. Addressing theoretical and network geometrical constraints, a statistical framework for manifold data analysis facilitates the grouping of semantic networks, partitioning the observed time frame into periods, and identifying dominant topics in each period via tensor decomposition. The analysis of Brexit-related tweets demonstrates the efficacy of modern methods for identifying social media patterns on public discourse.
Birth Order and Family Size of UK Biobank Subjects Identified as Asexual, Bisexual, Heterosexual, or Homosexual According to Self-Reported Sexual Histories
Authors: Kabátek Jan , Blanchard Ray
Published: October 2024

This study used a recently developed statistical technique to investigate the relations between various elements of a subject’s family background and the odds of that subject reporting a sexual history indicative of a minority sexual orientation. The subjects were 78,983 men and 92,150 women who completed relevant questionnaire items in the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database of volunteers aged 40–69 years. The men were divided into three sexual minority groups—homosexual, bisexual, and asexual—and a comparison group of heterosexual men. The same was done for the women. The analytic procedure consisted of logistic regressions specifically designed to disentangle the effects of birth order and family size. The results showed that older brothers increased the odds of homosexuality in both men and women, and that older sisters increased the odds in men. In contrast, neither older brothers or older sisters affected the odds of bisexuality or asexuality in men or in women. These results suggest that birth order effects may be specific to homosexuality and not common to all minority orientations. The only family size finding was the negative association between family size and the odds of asexuality in both men and women. The outcomes of this study indicate that the maternal immune hypothesis, which was advanced to explain the relation between older brothers and homosexuality in later-born males, might have to be abandoned or else expanded to explain the findings concerning females. A few such modifications are considered.
Bryophytes in managed lowland forests of Slovakia (Central Europe): looking into species diversity across different forest types
Authors: Mišíková Katarína , Mišík Miroslav
Published: October 2024

The majority of the woodland area in Central Europe is composed of managed forests. Although the species diversity and composition, particularly in older forests, may be similar to those of natural or close-to-nature forests, intensive forestry and other human activities have adverse impacts on biodiversity. The present study focused on bryophyte diversity in managed lowland forests, as these have received less attention compared to other types of forests. Our research targeted the area located within the Borská nížina Lowland in south-western Slovakia. In total, 37 forest sampling plots (SPs) were selected, representing five different forest types, namely Quercus, Fraxinus, Robinia, Pinus, and mixed forests. Multivariate statistical analyses were conducted across these forest types to demonstrate variations in bryophyte species richness, composition, and functional traits. Overall, 60 species of bryophytes were identified, of which five were liverworts and 55 were mosses. Epiphytes were the most abundant substrate group in deciduous and mixed stands, while epigeic species prevailed in Pinus forests. Considering environmental factors, the bryophyte diversity was influenced mostly by the forest type and area size of SPs. Clear differences in species composition were observed when comparing coniferous and deciduous stands, as well as non-native Robinia forests and native tree stands. Overall, intensive forest management results in a high concentration of hemerophilous and nitrophilous species, along with the absence of rare and threatened mosses and liverworts. Nevertheless, by adhering to proper management methods, even managed forests can provide suitable habitats for various bryophytes.
Fraud events in the coolest of neighbourhoods: A case study from Gothenburg, Sweden
Authors: Thodelius Charlotta , Björk Micael , Lindahl Göran , Engdahl Oskar
Published: October 2024

In the current study credit card frauds are analysed. Concepts are taken from crime pattern theory and place-based criminology. The empirical material originates from the urban nightlife of Gothenburg, Sweden, and combines quantitative and qualitative data from different sources. Instead of focusing on the individual’s specific motives for committing crimes, the study has its interest in how place can play a part in fraud events and be a necessary condition in the crime modus operandi. In the conducted analysis, we can clearly see that place matters in the crime series studied, and that the place was not randomly chosen by the offenders.
Microparticles of anthropogenic origin (microplastics and microfibers) in sandy sediments: A case study from calabria, italy
Authors: Balestra Valentina , Trunfio Federica , Akyıldız Sinem Hazal , Marini Paola , Bellopede Rossana
Published: October 2024

Microparticles of anthropogenic origin, such as microplastics and microfibers, are pervasive pollutants in the marine environment of the world. These microparticles pollute water and can be ingested by biota; however, while microplastics are often monitored, very few studies focus on microfibers. Coastal areas, such as beaches, are more vulnerable to pollution due to their location between terrestrial and marine environments and their recreational and touristic functions. In this study, microparticle occurrence frequency was investigated along the Calabria coast, Italy, in one touristic beach in comparison with an unpopular one. High amounts of microparticles of anthropogenic origin were found in all sediment samples, despite the evident different tourist exploitation of the two examined beaches. Sediments of the most touristic beach had values between 729.5 ± 212.3 and 1327 ± 125.8 items/kg, instead, the less popular beach between 606.3 ± 102.8 and 1116.5 ± 226.9 items/kg (average and st. dev). Microparticle abundance varied before and after the touristic summer season, increasing in the most popular beach and decreasing in the unpopular one. Differences in microparticle abundance between foreshore and backshore were present too; however, statistical analyses did not show evident relations between microparticle abundance and the distance from the see. Grain size influenced the abundance of microparticles in sediments. Our results improve knowledge on microparticle pollution in marine environments, highlighting information about micropollution in coastal areas. Future studies are needed to understand better microparticle dynamics and ecological impacts in marine and terrestrial systems, implementing new strategies to monitor pollution state, enhancing the natural intermediate environments, and providing useful and sustainable measure of conservation.
Inflation forecasting in turbulent times
Authors: Ertl Martin , Fortin Ines , Hlouskova Jaroslava , Koch Sebastian P. , Kunst Robert M. , Sögner Leopold
Published: October 2024

In the recent years many countries were hit by a series of macroeconomic shocks, most notably as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, raising inflation rates to multi-decade highs and suspending well-documented macroeconomic relationships. To capture these tail events, we propose a mixed-frequency Bayesian vector autoregressive (BVAR) model with Student t-distributed innovations or with stochastic volatility. Whereas inflation, industrial production, as well as oil and gas prices are available at monthly frequencies, real gross domestic product (GDP) is observed at a quarterly frequency. Thus, we apply a mixed-frequency setup using the forward-filtering–backward-sampling algorithm to generate monthly real GDP growth rates. We forecast inflation in those euro area countries that extensively import energy from Russia and therefore have been heavily exposed to the recent oil and gas price shocks. To measure the forecast performance of the mixed-frequency BVAR model, we compare our inflation forecasts with those generated by a battery of competing inflation forecasting models. The proposed BVAR models dominate the competition for all countries in terms of the log predictive density score.
The caretaker-reversible Tarsorrhaphy
Authors: Lu Jonathan E. , Ho Tiffany , Chin Desmond , Ryu Christine , Zhang-Nunes Sandy
Published: October 2024

Purpose

To present a modification of the reversible tarsorrhaphy that can be opened and reclosed as necessary by caretakers and the patient.

Methods

Retrospective case series of patients who underwent the reversible tarsorrhaphy.

Materials included intravenous (IV) tubing as bolsters and 4–0 polypropylene suture. The 4–0 suture is first passed through and through one end of IV tubing approximately 20 mm in length. Starting on the lateral upper lid and approximately 4 mm above the lash line, the suture is placed through the skin and into the tarsus. The suture exits through the eyelid gray line. These steps through the eyelid are repeated in the opposite direction. An air knot is tied above the upper eyelid near the base of IV tubing. A second air knot can be tied higher to provide a handle easily allowing the caretaker to close the eyelid.

Results

Included were 13 patients (ages 21–95-yeas), indications included lagophthalmos secondary to cicatricial changes from burns (2), keratouveitis (1), neurogenic palsy (3), neurotrophic ulcer (6), and cicatricial changes from skin cancer (1). There were no reported difficulties in maintaining the tarsorrhaphy by either family members or healthcare providers. The first tarsorrhaphy for each patient lasted between 3–19 weeks, with an average of 8 weeks. All were well tolerated.

Conclusions

The caretaker-reversible tarsorrhaphy can be used as a temporizing measure. The technique balances the need for ocular protection with the need for examination/treatment by health care professionals and, equally importantly, the patients and caretakers.
A cortical field theory – dynamics and symmetries
Authors: Cooray Gerald K. , Cooray Vernon , Friston Karl
Published: October 2024

We characterise cortical dynamics using partial differential equations (PDEs), analysing various connectivity patterns within the cortical sheet. This exploration yields diverse dynamics, encompassing wave equations and limit cycle activity. We presume balanced equations between excitatory and inhibitory neuronal units, reflecting the ubiquitous oscillatory patterns observed in electrophysiological measurements. Our derived dynamics comprise lowest-order wave equations (i.e., the Klein-Gordon model), limit cycle waves, higher-order PDE formulations, and transitions between limit cycles and near-zero states. Furthermore, we delve into the symmetries of the models using the Lagrangian formalism, distinguishing between continuous and discontinuous symmetries. These symmetries allow for mathematical expediency in the analysis of the model and could also be useful in studying the effect of symmetrical input from distributed cortical regions. Overall, our ability to derive multiple constraints on the fields — and predictions of the model — stems largely from the underlying assumption that the brain operates at a critical state. This assumption, in turn, drives the dynamics towards oscillatory or semi-conservative behaviour. Within this critical state, we can leverage results from the physics literature, which serve as analogues for neural fields, and implicit construct validity. Comparisons between our model predictions and electrophysiological findings from the literature — such as spectral power distribution across frequencies, wave propagation speed, epileptic seizure generation, and pattern formation over the cortical surface — demonstrate a close match. This study underscores the importance of utilizing symmetry preserving PDE formulations for further mechanistic insights into cortical activity.
Intersections of Compassion, Science, and Spiritual Care in Global Health for Public Health Benefits
Authors: Daniel Orogun , Harris Harriet
Published: October 2024

Across the globe, spiritual care is offered by individuals, healthcare chaplains, and humanitarian, social and related spiritual groups on account of zeal, voluntary and paid services. Sometimes, services are provided without understanding the connectivity of compassion, spiritual care, and scientific protocols. There are instances where health professionals and managers disagree with spiritual caregivers or reject spiritual services because of poor service deliveries in conflict with healthcare protocols. Against this background, this article focuses on how spiritual care services can be provided scientifically to improve service delivery. It presents leading questions to link the scientific and compassionate approach to spiritual care. These include-What is science? What is compassion? What is spiritual care? What makes compassion and spiritual care scientific? Are there tenets of compassion in religions? How are compassion, science and spiritual care linked? What are the implications of the intersections for public health and safety? Hopefully, the provided answers may improve the service delivery performance of spiritual caregivers and their collaboration with healthcare professionals, social workers, and related groups.
Advanced exergy-based environmental analysis of a cogeneration system used for ceramic industry
Authors: Caglayan Hasan , Caliskan Hakan , Hong Hiki
Published: October 2024

In this study, life cycle assessment-based advanced exergoenvironmental analysis is performed to the cogeneration system of a ceramic industry for five different reference environmental states (between 10 and 30 °C) by considering four different climatic conditions. The designed system works in the direction of reducing carbon emissions due to natural gas consumption as well as energy saving for better industrial ecology. Advanced exergoenvironmental analysis is performed to the cogeneration system with gas turbine (COGEN) used in the ceramic industry which includes air compressor, combustion chamber, gas turbine, pipe line, ground tile dryer (GD) and wall tile dryer (WD) components. It is seen that the relationship between the components in the system is generally weak, and the main reason for this is that 95% of the total environmental impact rate consists of endogenous environmental impact rates. In addition, it is determined that the first components to focus on in the system are WD and GD, which have higher environmental impact rates than other components at all dead state temperatures.
Emotional parameter estimation from emo-soundscapes dataset using Deep Convolutional Autoencoders
Authors: Serradilla Francisco , San Juan Álvaro , Martínez-Iñigo David
Published: October 2024

Predicting the emotional responses of humans to acoustic features in the surrounding environment has a highly potential of applications in different fields, ranging from videogames, therapeutic use of virtual reality to the emotional design of spaces according to their expected use. In this paper we model the estimation process of the classical emotion characterization parameters (arousal and valence) from sounds. By means of convolutional neural networks and convolutional autoencoders, the model is adjusted for the prediction of these parameters from a standard dataset [1], improving the results obtained in previous literature. The relevance of the work, apart from improving the results due to the use of autoencoders, is that it eliminates the need to compute handcrafted features, thus demonstrating the ability of convolutional neural networks to treat raw information. Other main contributions of the paper is a new way to visualize the errors in the joint estimation of arousal and valence that facilitates the evaluation of the results obtained by the models. Finally, the use of bootstrap to estimate the confidence intervals of the MSE and r2 of Deep Learning models shows that in comparison to non-overlapping samples, overlapping samples introduces performance bias.
Atmospheric Pressure Portable Catalytic Thermal Plasma System for Fast Synthesis of Aqueous NO3 and NO2 Fertilizer from Air and Water
Authors: Ghorui Srikumar , Tiwari Nirupama , Parab Harshala
Published: October 2024

Meaningful deployment of plasma water-based nitrogen fixation in agricultural application is hindered primarily due to its poor synthesis rate in compact systems. The study reports a directly deployable thermal plasma based portable catalytic compact system, offering typical synthesis rate as high as 1035 mg/min for nitrate and 635 mg/min for nitrite directly from naturally abundant atmospheric air and water. Developed technology is clean, sustainable, easily decentralizable, and completely free from fossil fuels and harmful intermediates like ammonia. The system avoids safety hazards and costs related to the requirements of continuous energy resources, pressurized environment for synthesis, regulated storage, refrigeration need, transportation of raw materials and distribution of fertilizer, as may be required by other competing technologies. Described system, consisting of air plasma torch, reaction chamber, water injection manifold and catalytic bed creates a unique nascent reactive plasma environment at ambient pressure that auto activates the catalyst in the field of thermal plasma for highly efficient fixation of nitrogen. Presented results indicate that use of combination catalysts with mechanically enhanced surface area allows drastic enhancement in the nitrogen fixation. Possible reaction chemistries, results of trials with different catalysts, time evolution of concentration, auto-conversion from nitrite to nitrate in aqueous media, time stability of concentration of the synthesized nitrate and observed remarkable effectiveness in the actual field trials are presented. Achieved synthesis rates are compared with those reported in literature in the area of thermal and non-thermal plasma.
Agency at a distance: learning causal connections
Authors: Gärdenfors Peter , Lombard Marlize
Published: October 2024

In a series of papers, we have argued that causal cognition has coevolved with the use of various tools. Animals use tools, but only as extensions of their own bodies, while humans use tools that act at a distance in space and time. This means that we must learn new types of causal mappings between causes and effects. The aim of this article is to account for what is required for such learning of causal relations. Following a proposal by Grush and Springle, we argue that learning of inverse mappings from effects to causes is central. Learning such mappings also involves constraints based on monotonicity, continuity and convexity. In order for causal thinking to extend beyond space and time, mental simulations are required that predict the effects of actions. More advanced forms of causal reasoning involve more complicated forms of simulations.
Blue carbon dynamics across a salt marsh-seagrass ecotone in a cool-temperate estuary
Authors: Engelbrecht Tiaan , von der Heyden Sophie , Ndhlovu Andrew
Published: October 2024

Background

Seagrass and salt marsh ecosystems are recognised for their role in climate change mitigation and adaptation given their carbon storage potential. However, factors driving variability in blue carbon ecosystems are understudied, yet are important to account for.

Aims

Examine the variability of sediment organic carbon (SOC) and its drivers (seagrass morphometrics and sediment nutrients) at different spatial scales; > 1 km, ~ 150 m and ~ 10 m across the salt marsh-seagrass ecotone.

Methods

We collected the top 5 cm of sediment in the Olifants River Estuary, a cool-temperate system in South Africa. Using a line transect approach, we sampled across the salt marsh-seagrass ecotone (~ 10 m) in triplicate transects (~ 50 m apart) at three sampling sites (1–3 km) and analysed for SOC and elemental nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) content. Seagrass morphometrics (shoot density, leaf length and number per shoot) were measured.

Results

There was significant (P < 0.05) spatial heterogeneity in SOC stocks between sites (1–3 km) and between salt marshes and seagrass, but low variability at ~150 m. We detected a significant decrease in SOC from salt marsh towards the seagrass edge, with seagrass SOC remaining uniform. Nitrogen content was positively correlated with SOC in seagrass and salt marshes (P < 0.05), but seagrass morphometrics were not significant drivers of SOC.

Conclusions

The dynamics of blue carbon differ between salt marshes and seagrass, with spatial heterogeneity of SOC at scales > 1 km, suggesting that future BC assessments need to account for spatial heterogeneity to improve the accuracy of carbon removal estimates.