bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Uncovering a tripartite landmark in posterior cingulate cortex
Authors: Willbrand Ethan H. , Parker Benjamin J. , Voorhies Willa I. , Miller Jacob A. , Lyu Ilwoo , Hallock Tyler , Aponik-Gremillion Lyndsey , Koslov Seth R. ,   Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Bunge Silvia A. , Foster Brett L. , Weiner Kevin S.
Published: September 2022

Understanding brain structure-function relationships, and their development and evolution, is central to neuroscience research. Here, we show that morphological differences in posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), a hub of functional brain networks, predict individual differences in macroanatomical, microstructural, and functional features of PCC. Manually labeling 4511 sulci in 572 hemispheres, we found a shallow cortical indentation (termed the inframarginal sulcus;
ifrms
) within PCC that is absent from neuroanatomical atlases yet colocalized with a focal, functional region of the lateral frontoparietal network implicated in cognitive control. This structural-functional coupling generalized to meta-analyses consisting of hundreds of studies and thousands of participants. Additional morphological analyses showed that unique properties of the
ifrms
differ across the life span and between hominoid species. These findings support a classic theory that shallow, tertiary sulci serve as landmarks in association cortices. They also beg the question: How many other cortical indentations have we missed?
High grain boundary recombination velocity in polycrystalline metal halide perovskites
Authors: Ni Zhenyi , Xu Shuang , Jiao Haoyang , Gu Hangyu , Fei Chengbin , Huang Jinsong
Published: September 2022

Understanding carrier recombination processes in metal halide perovskites is fundamentally important to further improving the efficiency of perovskite solar cells, yet the accurate recombination velocity at grain boundaries (GBs) has not been determined. Here, we report the determination of carrier recombination velocities at GBs (
S
GB
) of polycrystalline perovskites by mapping the transient photoluminescence pattern change induced by the nonradiative recombination of carriers at GBs. Charge recombination at GBs is revealed to be even stronger than at surfaces of unpassivated films, with average
S
GB
reaching 2200 to 3300 cm/s. Regular surface treatments do not passivate GBs because of the absence of contact at GBs. We find a surface treatment using tributyl(methyl)phosphonium dimethyl phosphate that can penetrate into GBs by partially dissolving GBs and converting it into one-dimensional perovskites. It reduces the average
S
GB
by four times, with the lowest
S
GB
of 410 cm/s, which is comparable to surface recombination velocities after passivation.
Principles of gait encoding in the subthalamic nucleus of people with Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Thenaisie Yohann , Lee Kyuhwa , Moerman Charlotte , Scafa Stefano , Gálvez Andrea , Pirondini Elvira , Burri Morgane , Ravier Jimmy , Puiatti Alessandro , Accolla Ettore , Wicki Benoit , Zacharia André , Castro Jiménez Mayte , Bally Julien F. , Courtine Grégoire , Bloch Jocelyne , Moraud Eduardo Martin
Published: September 2022

Disruption of subthalamic nucleus dynamics in Parkinson’s disease leads to impairments during walking. Here, we aimed to uncover the principles through which the subthalamic nucleus encodes functional and dysfunctional walking in people with Parkinson’s disease. We conceived a neurorobotic platform embedding an isokinetic dynamometric chair that allowed us to deconstruct key components of walking under well-controlled conditions. We exploited this platform in 18 patients with Parkinson’s disease to demonstrate that the subthalamic nucleus encodes the initiation, termination, and amplitude of leg muscle activation. We found that the same fundamental principles determine the encoding of leg muscle synergies during standing and walking. We translated this understanding into a machine learning framework that decoded muscle activation, walking states, locomotor vigor, and freezing of gait. These results expose key principles through which subthalamic nucleus dynamics encode walking, opening the possibility to operate neuroprosthetic systems with these signals to improve walking in people with Parkinson’s disease.
Avian Influenza NS1 Proteins Inhibit Human, but Not Duck, RIG-I Ubiquitination and Interferon Signaling
Authors: Evseev Danyel , Miranzo-Navarro Domingo , Fleming-Canepa Ximena , Webster Robert G. , Magor Katharine E.
Published: September 2022

Influenza A viruses are a major cause of human and animal disease. Periodically, avian influenza viruses from wild waterfowl, such as ducks, pass through intermediate agricultural hosts and emerge into the human population as zoonotic diseases with high mortality rates and epidemic potential.
Duck Tembusu Virus Inhibits Type I Interferon Production through the JOSD1-SOCS1-IRF7 Negative-Feedback Regulation Pathway
Authors: Huang Shanzhi , Huang Juan , Cui Min , Wu Xuedong , Wang Mingshu , Zhu Dekang , Chen Shun , Liu Mafeng , Zhao Xinxin , Wu Ying , Yang Qiao , Zhang Shaqiu , Ou Xumin , Mao Sai , Gao Qun , Yu Yanling , Tian Bin , Liu Yunya , Zhang Ling , Yin Zhongqiong , Jing Bo , Chen Xiaoyue , Cheng Anchun , Jia Renyong
Published: September 2022

DTMUV is a newly discovered flavivirus that seriously harms the poultry industry. In recent years, there have been numerous studies on the involvement of ubiquitination in the regulation of innate immunity.
A Recombinant VSV-Based Bivalent Vaccine Effectively Protects against Both SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A Virus Infection
Authors: Ao Zhujun , Ouyang Maggie J. , Olukitibi Titus A. , Warner Bryce , Vendramelli Robert , Truong Thang , Meilleur Courtney , Zhang Manli , Kung Sam , Fowke Keith R. , Kobasa Darwyn , Yao Xiaojian
Published: September 2022

Given that both COVID-19 and influenza are preferably transmitted through respiratory droplets during the same seasons, it is highly advantageous to develop a bivalent vaccine that could simultaneously protect against both COVID-19 and influenza. In this study, we generated the attenuated replicating recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV)-based vaccine candidates that target both spike protein of SARS-Cov-2 Delta variant and the conserved influenza M2 domain.
Deciphering Cellodextrin and Glucose Uptake in
Clostridium thermocellum
Authors: Yan Fei , Dong Sheng , Liu Ya-Jun , Yao Xingzhe , Chen Chao , Xiao Yan , Bayer Edward A. , Shoham Yuval , You Chun , Cui Qiu , Feng Yingang
Published: September 2022

Highly efficient sugar uptake is important to microbial cell factories, and sugar transporters are therefore of great interest in the study of industrially relevant microorganisms.
Clostridium thermocellum
is a lignocellulolytic bacterium known for its multienzyme complex, the cellulosome, which is of great potential value in lignocellulose biorefinery. In this study, we clarify the function and mechanism of substrate specificity of the five reported putative sugar transporters using genetic, biophysical, and structural methods.
Characterizing the Contributions of Various Clostridium perfringens Enterotoxin Properties to
In Vivo
and
In Vitro
Permeability Effects
Authors: Shrestha Archana , Navarro Mauricio A. , Beingesser Juliann , Armien Anibal G. , Uzal Francisco A. , McClane Bruce A.
Published: September 2022

Clostridium perfringens
enterotoxin (CPE) causes lethal enterotoxemia when absorbed from the intestines into the bloodstream. Testing recombinant CPE (rCPE) or rCPE variants impaired for various specific steps in CPE action showed that full CPE-induced cytotoxicity causes rapid Caco-2 monolayer permeability alterations, as well as enterotoxemic lethality and rapid CPE absorption in mouse small intestinal loops.
Systematic Identification of CpxRA-Regulated Genes and Their Roles in Escherichia coli Stress Response
Authors: Zhao Zhe , Xu Ying , Jiang Bo , Qi Qingsheng , Tang Ya-Jie , Xian Mo , Wang Jichao , Zhao Guang
Published: September 2022

CpxRA system is found in many pathogens and plays an essential role in sensing environmental signals and transducing information inside cells for adaptation. It usually regulates expression of specific genes in response to different environmental stresses and is important for bacterial pathogenesis.
Time Series Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Genomes and Correlations among Highly Prevalent Mutations
Authors: Periwal Neha , Rathod Shravan B. , Sarma Sankritya , Johar Gundeep S. , Jain Avantika , Barnwal Ravi P. , Srivastava Kinsukh R. , Kaur Baljeet , Arora Pooja , Sood Vikas
Published: September 2022

We performed a meta-analysis on SARS-CoV-2 genomes categorized by collection month and identified several significant mutations. Pearson correlation analysis of these significant mutations identified 16 comutations having absolute correlation coefficients of >0.4 and a frequency of >30% in the genomes used in this study.
Migration and localization of faulting near the intersection of the Dead Sea Fault and the Carmel−Gilboa−Faria Fault System
Authors: Hamiel Yariv , Katz Oded , Avni Yoav
Published: September 2022

Crustal deformation and seismicity in the Levant region are mainly related to the plate-boundary Dead Sea Fault (DSF) and the intraplate Carmel−Gilboa−Faria Fault System (CGFS). The intersection between these two major fault systems is generally treated as a ∼35-km-wide deformation belt stretched between the Faria and Gilboa Faults. Here, we present spatial and temporal analysis of faulting near this intersection. Our analysis is based on new geological mapping, new high-resolution airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, and seismic reflection profiles and indicates northward migration and localization of the intersection over time since the early Miocene. We discovered and mapped outcrops of Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene rock units as well as faults and reconstructed the evolution of deformation. Three main tectonic phases were identified in this area covering the following periods: the early−middle Miocene, the late Miocene−Pliocene, and the Quaternary. During the first phase, the DSF and the CGFS developed, and the CGFS faulted along a series of subparallel grabens and elongated NW−SE, between the southernmost Faria and the northernmost Gilboa faults, over a belt width of ∼35 km. During the second phase, deformation along the CGFS migrated northward and concentrated at an ∼6-km-wide zone in the northern Faria Anticline. During the third stage, small-scale northward migration and localization of the deformation to a width zone of ∼1−2 km at the southern boundary of the Beit She’an Valley occurred. Faults from the third phase reveal both sinistral and normal faulting. We propose that the currently active intersection between the DSF and the CGFS is located east of this localized deformation zone, near a right step of the DSF and the uplifted area of Tel Al-Qarn in the eastern Jordan Valley. We suggest that the northward migration and localization of this intersection are related to regional tectonic changes, spatial variations in the Sinai-Arabia Euler pole, and the localization of deformation along the DSF.
Supplemental Material: Reworked pollen reduces apparent floral change during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum
Authors: Korasidis Vera , al. et
Published: September 2022

Expanded methods, taxonomic considerations, Tables S1–S8, and Figures S1–S3. 
Addressing mental health needs of NCAA student-athletes of colour: foundational concepts from the NCAA Summit on Diverse Student-Athlete Mental Health and Well-Being
Authors: Kroshus Emily , Coakley Stephany , Conway Darryl , Chew Kenneth , Blair Niya , Mohler Jessica M. , Wagner Jessica , Hainline Brian
Published: September 2022

We sought to identify concepts that may facilitate National Collegiate Athletic Association efforts to assist member institutions in addressing the mental health needs of student-athletes of colour. A two-step process was followed to generate and refine concepts, guided by Delphi methodology. First, a scoping review was conducted, including original peer-reviewed research articles that quantified or qualitatively described determinant(s) of racial or ethnic differences in athlete mental health or mental healthcare. Next, a multiday virtual meeting was facilitated to review the results of the scoping review, discuss lived experiences and generate potential concepts. Participants included a racially and ethnically diverse group of student-athletes, medical and mental health professionals, athletics administrators, diversity, equity and inclusion experts, health educators and representatives from leading organisations involved in athlete mental health. Through the consensus process, participants identified 42 concepts that member institutions might consider implementing on their campuses. Concepts were largely focused on organisational policies and practices such as staffing diversity and inclusion, expanded options for clinical support (ie, identity-relevant support groups) and within-organisation accountability. Concepts related to specific areas for stakeholder education were also identified. Institutions have the potential to play an important role in supporting the mental well being of student-athletes of colour, and the present concepts can help inform institutional action. While concepts proposed are believed to be broadly relevant across athletics settings, they would need to be further considered and tailored to reflect setting-specific organisational structures, resources and needs.
Negative consequences of failing to communicate uncertainties during a pandemic: an online randomised controlled trial on COVID-19 vaccines
Authors: Batteux Eleonore , Bilovich Avri , Johnson Samuel G B , Tuckett David
Published: September 2022

Objective

To examine the impact of the government communicating uncertainties relating to COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness on vaccination intention and trust after people are exposed to conflicting information.

Design

Experimental design where participants were randomly allocated to one of two groups.

Setting

Online.

Participants

328 adults from a UK research panel.

Intervention

Participants received either certain or uncertain communications from a government representative about COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, before receiving conflicting information about effectiveness.

Main outcome measures

Vaccination intention and trust in government.

Results

Compared with those who received the uncertain announcement from the government, participants who received the certain announcement reported a greater loss of vaccination intention (d=0.34, 95% CI (0.12 to 0.56), p=0.002) and trust (d=0.34, 95% CI (0.12 to 0.56), p=0.002) after receiving conflicting information.

Conclusions

Communicating with certainty about COVID-19 vaccines reduces vaccination intention and trust if conflicting information arises, whereas communicating uncertainties can protect people from the negative impact of exposure to conflicting information. There are likely to be other factors affecting vaccine intentions, which we do not account for in this study.

Trial registration number

Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/c73px/.
Feasibility of online mindfulness-based interventions for families affected with postpartum depression and anxiety: study protocol
Authors: Tabi Katarina , Bhullar Manreet , Fantu Lenssa , Shulman Barbara , Dueck Royce , Hippman Catriona , Ryan Deirdre , Stewart S Evelyn
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Postpartum depression and anxiety (PPDA) is experienced by up to 20% of families in the first year. The condition impacts not only parents but also their developing child. While mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have shown to be beneficial for this population, many parents do not have access to treatment or find it challenging to commit or complete the treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened some of the challenges that parents face. The ability to find time for needed self-care and health interventions is also affected by limited childcare support. The opportunity to attend a group online may significantly improve the accessibility to group MBI but may also bring challenges. This study aims to examine the feasibility and acceptability of online MBI groups for parents in families affected with PPDA.

Methods and analysis

In this feasibility study, participants will include mothers diagnosed with PPDA and their partners. Two online MBI groups will run simultaneously for 8 weeks: one for mothers with PPDA and another one for their partners. The primary outcome will be feasibility of conducting the online groups, assessed from the facilitators’ perspective, participants’ perspective and attrition throughout the study. The participants’ perspectives on feasibility will be assessed by questions including how difficult it was for them to make it to the sessions, specific obstacles encountered and their scheduling preferences. The facilitators’ perspective will be assessed by frequency of technical difficulties encountered, of disruptions in the online sessions and of episodes where parents leave the screen (eg, to calm their child). Secondary outcomes will include mental health, couple relationship, satisfaction and acceptability which will also be evaluated through participant questionnaires.

Ethics and dissemination

The study has received ethics approval from the University of British Columbia Children’s and Women’s Research Ethics Board. Study results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

Trial registration number

NCT04617132.
The current understanding of precision medicine and personalised medicine in selected research disciplines: study protocol of a systematic concept analysis
Authors: Brew-Sam Nicola , Parkinson Anne , Lueck Christian , Brown Ellen , Brown Karen , Bruestle Anne , Chisholm Katrina , Collins Simone , Cook Matthew , Daskalaki Eleni , Drew Janet , Ebbeck Harry , Elisha Mark , Fanning Vanessa , Henschke Adam , Herron Jessica , Matthews Emma , Murugappan Krishnan , Neshev Dragomir , Nolan Christopher J , Pedley Lachlan , Phillips Christine , Suominen Hanna , Tricoli Antonio , Wright Kristine , Desborough Jane
Published: September 2022

Introduction

The terms ‘precision medicine’ and ‘personalised medicine’ have become key terms in health-related research and in science-related public communication. However, the application of these two concepts and their interpretation in various disciplines are heterogeneous, which also affects research translation and public awareness. This leads to confusion regarding the use and distinction of the two concepts. Our aim is to provide a snapshot of the current understanding of these concepts.

Methods and analysis

Our study will use Rodgers’ evolutionary concept analysis to systematically examine the current understanding of the concepts ‘precision medicine’ and ‘personalised medicine’ in clinical medicine, biomedicine (incorporating genomics and bioinformatics), health services research, physics, chemistry, engineering, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and to identify their respective attributes (clusters of characteristics) and surrogate and related terms. A systematic search of the literature will be conducted for 2016–2022 using databases relevant to each of these disciplines: ACM Digital Library, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, F1000Research, IEEE Xplore, PubMed/Medline, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science. These are among the most representative databases for the included disciplines. We will examine similarities and differences in definitions of ‘precision medicine’ and ‘personalised medicine’ in the respective disciplines and across (sub)disciplines, including attributes of each term. This will enable us to determine how these two concepts are distinguished.

Ethics and dissemination

Following ethical and research standards, we will comprehensively report the methodology for a systematic analysis following Rodgers’ concept analysis method. Our systematic concept analysis will contribute to the clarification of the two concepts and distinction in their application in given settings and circumstances. Such a broad concept analysis will contribute to non-systematic syntheses of the concepts, or occasional systematic reviews on one of the concepts that have been published in specific disciplines, in order to facilitate interdisciplinary communication, translational medical research and implementation science.
Analysing 11 years of incidence trends, clinicopathological characteristics, and forecasts of colorectal cancer in young and old patients: a retrospective cross-sectional study in an Indonesian national referral hospital
Authors: Rahadiani Nur , Habiburrahman Muhammad , Abdullah Murdani , Jeo Wifanto Saditya , Stephanie Marini , Handjari Diah Rini , Krisnuhoni Ening
Published: September 2022

Objective

To obtain annual incidence trends, understand clinicopathological characteristics, and forecast the future burden of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Indonesia.

Design

11-year retrospective cross-sectional study.

Setting

A national referral hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Participants

Data from 1584 eligible cases were recorded for trends and forecasting analyses; 433 samples were analysed to determine clinicopathological differences between young (<50 years) and old (≥50 years) patients.

Methods

Trend analyses were done using Joinpoint software, expressed in annual percentage change (APC), and a regression analysis was executed to generate a forecasting model. Patients’ characteristics were compared using χ2or non-parametric tests.

Main outcomes

Analysis of trends, forecasting model, and clinicopathological features between the age groups.

Results

A significant increase in APC was observed among old patients (+2.38%) for CRC cases. Colon cancer increased remarkably (+9.24%) among young patients; rectal cancer trends were either stable or declining. The trend for right-sided CRC increased in the general population (+6.52%) and old patients (+6.57%), while the trend for left-sided CRC was stable. These cases are expected to be a significant health burden within the next 10 years. Patients had a mean age of 53.17±13.94, 38.1% were young, and the sex ratio was 1.21. Prominent characteristics were left-sided CRC, tumour size ≥5 cm, exophytic growth, adenocarcinoma, histologically low grade, pT3, pN0, inadequately dissected lymph nodes (LNs), LN ratio <0.05, no distant metastasis, early-stage cancer, no lymphovascular invasion, and no perineural invasion (PNI). Distinct features between young and old patients were found in the histological subtype, number of dissected LN, and PNI of the tumour.

Conclusions

Epidemiological trends and forecasting analyses of CRC cases in Indonesian patients showed an enormous increase in colon cancer in young patients, a particularly concerning trend. Additionally, young patients exhibited particular clinicopathological characteristics that contributed to disease severity.
Rate of glycaemic control and associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with insulin-based therapy at selected hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia: a multicentre cross-sectional study
Authors: Sendekie Ashenafi Kibret , Belachew Eyayaw Ashete , Dagnew Ephrem Mebratu , Netere Adeladlew Kassie
Published: September 2022

Objectives

This study was aimed to determine the level of glycaemic control and associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with insulin-based therapy.

Designs

Institutional-based multicentre cross-sectional study design was employed to conduct this study.

Settings

The diabetes follow-up clinics of selected hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia.

Participants

Adult patients with T2DM treated with insulin-based therapy at the selected hospitals who met the eligibility criteria were the study participants.

Main outcome measures

Good glycaemic control; when fasting blood glucose (FBG) level ranged from 70 to 130 mg/dL, and FBG <70 and >130 mg/dL was considered poor glycaemic control. A logistic regression model was used to identify determinants of poor glycaemic control. A p<0.05 at 95% CI was statistically significant.

Results

Of 403 study participants, 54.8% were males with a mean age of 55.03±10.8 years. Though patients with T2DM were treated with insulin-based therapy, most of the participants (72.5%) could not achieve the target FBG. The overall mean FBG was 177.1±54.3, and far from the target glucose level. Patients who could not practise self-monitoring of blood glucose were found more likely to have poor glycaemic control compared with those who practised self-monitoring (p<0.001). Whereas patients who had a normal body mass index (p=0.011) and who were treated with premixed insulin-based therapy (p=0.04) were found less likely to have poor glycaemic control compared with patients with obesity and who received NPH insulin based-regimens, respectively.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that a significant proportion of the study samples could not achieve glycaemic targets and the average blood glucose was far higher than the recommended glycaemic target level. Insulin initiation and titration, considering the determinants of glycaemic control, could be recommended to achieve target glycaemic levels.
Attitudes of mothers attending public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to neonatal sunlight exposure: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Ashebir Yohannes Godie , Sebsibe Girum Teshome , Gela Debela , Kebede Mekonen Adimasu
Published: September 2022

Background

Sunlight exposure helps the body produce vitamin D, prevents rickets and is used for neonatal jaundice treatment. Good neonatal sunlight exposure is exposing the neonate to sunlight in the morning, 8:00 to 10:00, for 30 to 60 min. However, little is known about the practice of neonatal sunlight exposure among mothers in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the practices and factors associated with neonatal sunlight exposure among mothers attending public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 mothers attending public hospitals in Addis Ababa. Study participants were selected using a systematic random sampling method. The collected data were entered into Epi-data V.4.6 and exported to SPSS V.26 for analysis. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted.

Results

The practice of neonatal sunlight exposure among mothers was 27.1%. Neonatal age of 16–28 days (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.99, 95% CI 1.15 to 3.44), family members of 4–6 (aOR 1.86, 95% CI 1.08 to 3.21) and ≥7 (aOR 4.43, 95% CI 1.54 to 12.78), living in compound/villa houses (aOR 2.59, 95% CI 1.26 to 5.33), complete antenatal care (ANC) follow-up (aOR 2.79, 95% CI 1.49 to 5.22), delivery at term (aOR 2.54, 95% CI 1.06 to 6.07), poor knowledge of sunlight exposure (aOR 0.40, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.71) and no fear of sunlight exposure (aOR 1.83, 95% CI 1.08 to 3.12) were factors associated with the practice of neonatal sunlight exposure.

Conclusion

This study revealed that 27.1% of mothers had good sunlight exposure. Advanced neonatal age, larger family, living in compound/villa houses, complete ANC visits and term delivery were associated with good practices, whereas poor knowledge and fear of sunlight exposure were associated with poor practices. Therefore, interventions focusing on these findings are required to improve the practice of neonatal sunlight exposure.
An autonomy-based approach to assisted suicide: a way to avoid the expressivist objection against assisted dying laws
Authors: Braun Esther
Published: September 2022

In several jurisdictions, irremediable suffering from a medical condition is a legal requirement for access to assisted dying. According to the expressivist objection, allowing assisted dying for a specific group of persons, such as those with irremediable medical conditions, expresses the judgment that their lives are not worth living. While the expressivist objection has often been used to argue that assisted dying should not be legalised, I show that there is an alternative solution available to its proponents. An autonomy-based approach to assisted suicide regards the provision of assisted suicide (but not euthanasia) as justified when it is autonomously requested by a person, irrespective of whether this is in her best interests. Such an approach has been put forward by a recent judgment of the German Federal Constitutional Court, which understands assisted suicide as an expression of the person’s right to a self-determined death. It does not allow for beneficence-based restrictions regarding the person’s suffering or medical diagnosis and therefore avoids the expressivist objection. I argue that on an autonomy-based approach, assisted suicide should not be understood as a medical procedure but rather as the person’s autonomous action.
Estimating potential tree height in Pinus radiata plantations using airborne laser scanning data
Authors: Gavilán-Acuña Gonzalo , Coops Nicholas C. , Tompalski Piotr , Mena-Quijada Pablo
Published: September 2022

Representing the spatial distribution of trees and competition interactions in growth models improves growth prediction and provides insights into spatially explicit forecasts for precise silvicultural interventions. However, this information is rarely taken into account over large areas because obtaining the spatial distribution of individual trees and estimating their competition is both expensive and time consuming. Airborne laser scanning enables rapid estimation of tree height and other attributes over large areas. In this study, we implemented an individual tree detection approach to first extract tree attributes of Pinus radiata D. Don plantations, and second to use this spatially explicit information on tree location and competition to forecast potential tree height, defined as a maximum projected tree height at rotation age. To do so, using a chronosequence of tree heights, we developed a tree height growth model using a Chapman–Richards function, utilizing the effect of inter-tree competition and stand-level top height (TH) on the tree height growth. The results showed that using chronosequence of heights, competition, and TH resulted in accurate predictions of potential tree height (root mean square error = 2.9 m; mean absolute percentage error = 0.154%). We concluded that individual tree height growth is significantly influenced by competition, with increased competition values associated with reductions in potential height growth by 22.2% at 30 years.
An Aquarium of Machines
Authors: Lachenmyer Nathan S. , Akasha Sadiya
Published: September 2022

This paper describes the public art installation In Love With The World by artist Anicka Yi, which embodies a complex virtual ecosystem of autonomous agents in a physical space. The agents, called Aerobes, are inspired by the lifecycle of the Aurelia sp. jellyfish, and use artificial life techniques designed by the authors to simulate the behavior of two distinct phenotypes. These agents are embodied in the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall using lighter-than-air soft robotics utilizing helium that can respond to museum visitors through sensors embedded in the space. By creating organic-looking fully autonomous agents that are capable of real-time interaction, we hope to create an experience that causes viewers to question what living with machines might feel like in a speculative far-future, and to imagine an alternative form of artificial intelligence that is neither threatening to humanity nor subservient to it, but exists in an altogether parallel track as a new form of life.
The Ghost in The Machine
Authors: Elran Sharan R. , Zoran Amit R.
Published: September 2022

This paper proposes a new perspective on the role of computers in the re-materialization of ancient artifacts, highlighting issues of conservation, self-expression, and authorship in creative processes. Specifically, our approach allows all of the creative spirits (i.e., creative agencies) taking part in the making process---from the ancient makers, to the digital craftsperson, to the making machine itself---to be represented in the final outcome. The paper explores the evolution of our technique through three projects that rely on both digital and traditional making practices. We introduce the notion of a digital spirit, which allows for a holistic and respectful integration of diverse making agencies in a unified hybrid practice.
Three Stage Drawing Transfer
Authors: Twomey Robert
Published: September 2022

This project creates a visual-mental-physical circuit between a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), a co-robotic arm, and a five-year-old child. From training images to the latent space of a GAN, through pen on paper to a live human collaborator, it establishes a series of translational stages between humans and non-humans played out through the medium of drawing. Trained on a subset of the Rhoda Kellogg Child Art Collection, the neural network at the center of this piece learns its own representations of these images. The generated results, synthetic children's drawings, are of interest both for being outside of adult conventions and learned expression-like Dubuffet's art brut or Surrealist automatism-and for how they align machine learning with the human act of learning to draw.

The project layers many kinds of agency and embodiment: from the thousands of anonymous children who produced the original artwork used as training data, through the co-robot drawing from GAN-generated imagery, to the human child's active perception and graphic response to the robot. These questions of where we search for the other; when we attribute autonomy and intelligence; and why we might wish to escape our human subjectivities speak to core issues in the design and use of AI systems. This project is one attempt to think through those questions in an embodied way.
Enhancing Revisitation in Touchscreen Reading for Visually Impaired People with Semantic Navigation Design
Authors: Li Zhichun , Jiang Yu , Liu Xiaochen , Zhao Yuhang , Yu Chun , Shi Yuanchun
Published: September 2022

Revisitation, the process of non-linearly returning to previously visited regions, is an important task in academic reading. However, listening to content on mobile phones via a screen reader fails to support eyes-free revisiting due to its linear audio stream, ineffective text organization, and inaccessible interaction. To enhance the efficiency and experience of eyes-free revisiting, we identified visually impaired people's behaviors and difficulties during text revisiting through a survey (N=37) and an observation study (N=12). We proposed a series of design guidelines targeting high precision, high flexibility, and low workload in interaction, and iteratively designed and developed a reading prototype application. Our implementation supports dynamic text structure and is supplemented by both linear and non-linear layered text navigation. The evaluation results (N=8) show that compared to existing methods, our prototype improves the clarity of text understanding and fluency of revisiting with reduced workload.
SwipePass
Authors: Chen Yongliang , Ni Tao , Xu Weitao , Gu Tao
Published: September 2022

Pattern lock-based authentication has been widely adopted in modern smartphones. However, this scheme relies essentially on passwords, making it vulnerable to various side-channel attacks such as the smudge attack and the shoulder-surfing attack. In this paper, we propose a second-factor authentication system named SwipePass, which authenticates a smartphone user by examining the distinct physiological and behavioral characteristics embedded in the user's pattern lock process. By emitting and receiving modulated audio using the built-in modules of the smartphone, SwipePass can sense the entire unlocking process and extract discriminative features to authenticate the user from the signal variations associated with hand dynamics. Moreover, to alleviate the burden of data collection in the user enrollment phase, we conduct an in-depth analysis of users' behaviors under different conditions and propose two augmentation techniques to significantly improve identification accuracy even when only a few training samples are available. Finally, we design a robust authentication model based on CNN-LSTM and One-Class SVM for user identification and spoofer detection. We implement SwipePass on three off-the-shelf smartphones and conduct extensive evaluations in different real-world scenarios. Experiments involving 36 participants show that SwipePass achieves an average identification accuracy of 96.8% while maintaining a false accept rate below 0.45% against various attacks.
Examining and Promoting Explainable Recommendations for Personal Sensing Technology Acceptance
Authors: Newn Joshua , Kelly Ryan M. , D'Alfonso Simon , Lederman Reeva
Published: September 2022

Personal sensing is a promising approach for enabling the delivery of timely and personalised recommendations to improve mental health and well-being. However, existing research has revealed numerous barriers to personal sensing acceptance. This paper explores the influence of explanations on the acceptability of recommendations based on personal sensing. We conducted a qualitative study using five plausible personal sensing scenarios to elicit prospective users' attitudes towards personal sensing, followed by a reflective interview. Our analysis formed six nuanced design considerations for personal sensing recommendation acceptance: user personalisation, appropriate phrasing, adaptive capability, users' confidence, peer endorsement, and sense of agency. Simultaneously, we found that the availability of an explanation at each personal sensing layer positively influenced the willingness of the participants to accept personal sensing technology. Together, this paper contributes a better understanding of how we can design personal sensing technology to be more acceptable.
Geryon
Authors: Deng Kaikai , Zhao Dong , Han Qiaoyue , Wang Shuyue , Zhang Zihan , Zhou Anfu , Ma Huadong
Published: September 2022

Vision-based drone-view object detection suffers from severe performance degradation under adverse conditions (e.g., foggy weather, poor illumination). To remedy this, leveraging complementary mmWave radar has become a trend. However, existing fusion approaches seldom apply to drones due to i) the aggravated sparsity and noise of point clouds from low-cost commodity radars, and ii) explosive sensing data and intensive computations leading to high latency. To address these issues, we design Geryon, an edge assisted object detection system on drones, which utilizes a suit of approaches to fully exploit the complementary advantages of camera and mmWave radar on three levels: (i) a novel multi-frame compositing approach utilizes camera to assist radar to address the aggravated sparsity and noise of radar point clouds; (ii) a saliency area extraction and encoding approach utilizes radar to assist camera to reduce the bandwidth consumption and offloading latency; (iii) a parallel transmission and inference approach with a lightweight box enhancement scheme further reduces the offloading latency while ensuring the edge-side accuracy-latency trade-off by the parallelism and better camera-radar fusion. We implement and evaluate Geryon with four datasets we collect under foggy/rainy/snowy weather and poor illumination conditions, demonstrating its great advantages over other state-of-the-art approaches in terms of both accuracy and latency.
Use It-No Need to Shake It!
Authors: Wu Chuxiong , Li Xiaopeng , Zuo Fei , Luo Lannan , Du Xiaojiang , Di Jia , Zeng Qiang
Published: September 2022

Implicit authentication for traditional objects, such as doors and dumbbells, has rich applications but is rarely studied. An ongoing trend is that traditional objects are retrofitted to smart environments; for instance, a contact sensor is attached to a door to detect door opening (but cannot tell "who is opening the door"). We present the first accurate implicit-authentication system for retrofitted everyday objects, named MoMatch. It makes an authentication decision based on a single natural object use, unlike prior work that requires shaking objects. MoMatch is built on the observation that an object has a motion typically because a human hand moves it; thus, the object's motion and the legitimate user's hand movement should correlate. The main challenge is, given the small amount of data collected during one object use, how to measure the correlation accurately. We convert the correlation measurement problem into an image comparison problem and resolve it using neural networks successfully. MoMatch does not need to profile the user's biometric information and is resilient to mimicry attacks.
Towards Ubiquitous Personalized Music Recommendation with Smart Bracelets
Authors: Li Jiayu , He Zhiyu , Cui Yumeng , Wang Chenyang , Chen Chong , Yu Chun , Zhang Min , Liu Yiqun , Ma Shaoping
Published: September 2022

Nowadays, recommender systems play an increasingly important role in the music scenario. Generally, music preferences are related to internal and external conditions. For example, mood state and ongoing activity will affect users' music preferences. However, conventional music recommenders cannot capture these conditions since they only utilize the online data but ignore the impact of physical-world information. In this paper, we leverage the contexts from low-cost smart bracelets for ubiquitous personalized recommendation to meet users' music preference. We first conduct a large-scale questionnaire survey, which illustrates moods, activities, and environments will affect music preferences. Then we perform a one-week field study among 30 participants, where they receive personalized music recommendation and record preferences and mood. Meanwhile, participants' context information is collected with bracelets. Analyses on the data demonstrate significant relationships between music preference, mood, and bracelet contexts. Furthermore, we propose a novel Multi-task Ubiquitous Music Recommendation model (MUMR) to predict personalized music preference with bracelet contexts as input and mood prediction as an auxiliary task. Experiments show significant improvement in music recommendation performances with MUMR. Our work demonstrates the possibility of ubiquitous personalized music recommendations with smart bracelets data, which is an encouraging step towards building recommender systems aware of physical-world contexts.
SpARklingPaper
Authors: Drey Tobias , Janek Jessica , Lang Josef , Puschmann Dietmar , Rietzler Michael , Rukzio Enrico
Published: September 2022

Educational apps support learning, but handwriting training is still based on analog pen- and paper. However, training handwriting with apps can negatively affect graphomotor handwriting skills due to the different haptic feedback of the tablet, stylus, or finger compared to pen and paper. With SpARklingPaper, we are the first to combine the genuine haptic feedback of analog pen and paper with the digital support of apps. Our artifact contribution enables children to write with any pen on a standard paper placed on a tablet's screen, augmenting the paper from below, showing animated letters and individual feedback. We conducted two online surveys with overall 29 parents and teachers of elementary school pupils and a user study with 13 children and 13 parents for evaluation. Our results show the importance of the genuine analog haptic feedback combined with the augmentation of SpARklingPaper. It was rated superior compared to our stylus baseline condition regarding pen-handling, writing training-success, motivation, and overall impression. SpARklingPaper can be a blueprint for high-fidelity haptic feedback handwriting training systems.
Design and Deconstruction of Chemical Process Flow Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Zhang Yinbing
Published: September 2022

Chemical process design is something that researchers must do before conducting chemical reaction experiments, and this step is crucial for the entire chemical production. Because even if the relevant basic information of the institute is obtained, most of the above data have not been verified by experiments, and researchers need to confirm through experiments. In addition, because the market demand for chemical process products is very large, the types of chemical substances are increasing, chemical equipment and instruments are becoming more and more complex, and these require researchers to design and study in advance. This ensures the smooth production of products and the safety of researchers. However, the expansion of the equipment scale and the complexity of the equipment make it more and more difficult to design the chemical process flow. There are many influencing factors and levels to be considered when designing the process, and the data is also very difficult to predict and classify. In order to solve these problems, this study discussed the countermeasures to deal with chemical process flow design in depth. Using the method of deep learning, the problem of chemical process design was analyzed, and the performance of the method was experimentally studied. The results show that the chemical process flow based on deep learning is better than other process designs, and its accuracy rate is higher than 94% in 10 experiments, which is higher than the other three methods. It can be seen that this chemical process method can meet the needs of the current chemical process, and the product quality and work efficiency are greatly improved.
Cloud Improvement Model of Niche Width and Its Application in Tram Evaluation
Authors: Pu Jiaozi , Liu Zongxin
Published: September 2022

Niche theory is one of the most important theories and tools in ecology. Niche width is a concept used to measure the position and role of an individual or population in a biological community. However, in the measurement of niche width, due to the unique characteristics of ecosystems, evaluators often give information based on subjective judgment to describe the status of ecological factors. Natural language is used to describe the state of ecological factors, and all the observed values come from the subjective judgment of the language value of the evaluator and have fuzziness and randomness at the same time. To achieve scientific and reasonable decision evaluation, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the fuzziness and randomness of complex systems. The cloud model is used to improve the niche width model, aimed at solving ecological factors under natural language information assignment and niche width evaluation. It is applied to measure tram niche width, which is the typical ecological factor value assignment using natural language thinking.
Application of Blockchain Technology Based on Privacy Data Protection in RMB Internationalization Path
Authors: Yi Yang
Published: September 2022

With the integration of industrial Internet of Things technology and traditional industries, industrial Internet of Things has profoundly changed the production mode, organization mode, and business model of traditional industries. While people are enjoying the convenience brought by the Internet, their concerns about personal privacy are gradually increasing. Maintaining the value stability of RMB payment means and the security and efficiency of RMB settlement system are the key measures to promote the internationalization of RMB. Aiming at the problem of data insecurity and untrustworthiness in traditional information systems, this paper proposes a data protection technology for information systems based on blockchain. In the hierarchical authority information system, multichain structure is adopted to divide the authority of nodes in each layer, so that only the nodes with corresponding authority can access and operate data. Private digital currency, which is based on blockchain technology and represented by payment token and stable currency, helps to improve the defects of the agent banking model but increases additional market risks and trust risks. Blockchain technology adopts special networking technology and consensus mechanism. Therefore, in blockchain privacy protection, the focus of blockchain privacy protection is identity information and transaction information.