bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wetting of rough surfaces in a phase field model
Authors: Wolf Jana , Flieger Yannic , Diewald Felix , Langenbach Kai , Stephan Simon , Hasse Hans , Müller Ralf
Published: March 2023

Surface wetting can be simulated using a phase field approach which describes the continuous liquid‐gas transition with the help of an order parameter. In this publication, wetting of non‐planar surfaces is investigated based on a phase field model by Diewald et al. [1, 2]. Different scenarios of droplets on rough surfaces are simulated. The static equilibrium for those scenarios is calculated using an Allen‐Cahn evolution equation. The influence of the surface morphology on the resulting contact angle is investigated while the width of the phase transition from liquid to gas is varied as a model parameter.
Investigation of turbulent mixing using a stochastic hierarchical parcel swapping mixing model
Authors: Starick Tommy , Schmidt Heiko
Published: March 2023

Turbulent mixing plays an important role in a variety of applications ranging from astrophysics to combustion and even pollutant dispersion. The Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) that resolves all scales is not feasible for most engineering applications since the flow has a wide range of length and time scales, which yields extremely high resolution requirements. Large Eddy Simulations (LES) overcome this limitation by modeling the sub‐grid scale effects. In transported Probability Density Function (PDF) methods, the key challenge is to develop an accurate mixing model. At this point, the Hierarchical Parcel‐Swapping (HiPS) model, introduced by A.R. Kerstein [J. Stat. Phys. 153, 142‐161 (2013)], is an attractive candidate. It is characterized by a computationally efficient representation of the effects of turbulence on a time‐evolving structure of diffusive scalar fields. The interpretation of the diffusive scalar fields or a state space as a binary tree structure is an alternative approach compared to the most common mixing models. The characteristic feature of HiPS is that every level of the tree corresponds to a specific length and time scale, which is based on turbulence inertial range scaling. The state variables only reside at the base of the tree and are understood as fluid parcels. The effects of turbulent advection are represented by stochastic swaps of sub‐trees at rates determined by prevailing turbulent time scales associated with the sub‐trees. The mixing of adjacent fluid parcels is done either instantaneously or at rates consistent with the corresponding diffusion time scales. In this work, HiPS is detailed for the simulation of passive scalar mixing first. Preliminary results for the scalar power spectra, mean square displacement and scalar dissipation rate are shown and reveal a reasonable agreement with experimental findings. Furthermore, the integrated binary tree structure allows to satisfy a large number of criteria for a good mixing model. Considering the reduced order and computational efficiency, HiPS is an attractive candidate for modeling the mixing in transported PDF methods.
Influence of Tyre Characteristics on Periodic Motions for an Understeering Vehicle
Authors: Steindl Alois , Edelmann Johannes , Plöchl Manfred
Published: March 2023

We investigate the dynamics of a two‐wheel vehicle model after deviating from an unstable steady powerslide motion. For a model with brush tyre characteristics we observed that for a range of constant driver inputs (front steering angle, driving torque) the motion converges to a periodic oscillation around a circular path with a very small radius of curvature. In this paper we investigate, how a modified tyre model with decreasing friction coefficient for large slip velocities influences the stability and domain of existence for these periodic motions. We also compare the obtained solutions with those using Pacejka's Magic Formula for the tyre characteristics and find a remarkable good agreement.
Modeling the anisotropic elasto‐plastic material behavior of paper and paperboard at finite deformations
Authors: Kopic-Osmanovic Nadir , Prume Erik , Felder Sebastian , Kloppenburg Greta , Simon Jaan-Willem
Published: March 2023

Accurately modeling the material behavior of paper and paperboard is proven to be highly demanding. Most difficulties arise from the pronounced anisotropic nature of the material. Additionally, differences in the in‐plane and out‐of‐plane behavior as well as non‐isochoric plasticity, which affects the elastic behavior, further deepen the issue at hand. Therefore, an material model is proposed, capable of capturing the anisotropic elasto‐plastic behavior of paper and paperboard. The constitutive framework was derived in a thermodynamically consistent manner, valid for finite deformations, and accounting for the coupling of in‐plane and out‐of‐plane behavior. The influence of the orthotropic anisotropy on the elasto‐plastic material response was introduced through the concept of structural tensors. A slight generalization of the elastic part of the free energy was made in order to incorporate the densification effect. A well known yield criterion was modified in order to account for some inconsistencies. Non‐isotropic hardening was considered by defining a set of coupled internal variables. The model's capabilities were demonstrated by simulating the process of folding and creasing.
Effect of the combination of diuretics, renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitors, and non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs or metamizole (triple whammy) on hospitalisation due to acute kidney injury: A nested case–control study
Authors: Calvo Dulce Maria , Saiz Luis Carlos , Leache Leire , Celaya Maria Concepción , Gutiérrez‐Valencia Marta , Alonso Alvaro , Erviti Juan , Alzueta Natalia , Echeverría Amaya , Garjón Javier , Fontela Carmen , Sanz Lorea , Acín Maria Teresa , Fernández Maria Loreto , Gómez Nerea
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Concomitant use of diuretics, renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors, and non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or metamizole, known as ‘triple whammy’ (TW), has been associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). Nevertheless, there is still uncertainty on its impact in hospitalisation and mortality. The aim of the study was to analyse the association between exposure to TW and the risk of hospitalisation for AKI, all‐cause mortality and the need for renal replacement therapy (RRT).

Methods

A case–control study nested in a cohort of adults exposed to at least one diuretic or RAAS inhibitor between 2009 and 2018 was carried out within the Pharmacoepidemiological Research Database for Public Health Systems (BIFAP). Patients hospitalised for AKI between 2010 and 2018 (cases) were matched with up to 10 patients of the same age, sex and region of Spain who had not been hospitalised for AKI as of the date of hospitalisation for AKI of the matching case (controls). The association between TW exposure versus non‐exposure to TW and outcome variables was analysed using logistic regression models.

Results

A total of 480 537 participants (44 756 cases and 435 781 controls) were included (mean age: 79 years). The risk of hospitalisation for AKI was significantly higher amongst those exposed to TW [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.36, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.32–1.40], being higher with current (aOR 1.60, 95%CI 1.52–1.69) and prolonged exposure (aOR 1.65, 95%CI 1.55–1.75). No significant association was found with the need of RRT. Unexpectedly, mortality was lower in those exposed to TW (aOR 0.81, 95%CI 0.71–0.93), which may be influenced by other causes.

Conclusion

Vigilance should be increased when diuretics, RAAS inhibitors, and NSAIDs or metamizole are used concomitantly, especially in patients at risk such as elderly patients.
Social media multitasking and college students' academic performance: A situation–organism–behavior–consequence perspective
Authors: Zhao Lei
Published: March 2023

A growing number of researchers have begun to highlight the potential negative effects of the excessive use of social media on college students. In particular, college students engage in social media multitasking, in which they perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Such action could adversely influence their academic performance. Hence, on the basis of the situation–organism–behavior–consequence paradigm, we developed a research model to explore the etiology of social media multitasking and its impact on college students' academic performance. Using partial least squares–structural equation modeling techniques to analyze the survey data of 523 Chinese college students, we found that the fear of missing out (the situation) is positively associated with social media multitasking (the organism), which in turn is positively related to cognitive distraction (the behavior) and ultimately leads to a decline in academic performance (the consequence). Our study deepens the understanding of the phenomenon of social media multitasking among college students and can provide a reference for educators to implement intervention measures.
Natural polymers used in the dressing materials for wound healing: Past, present and future
Authors: Sheokand Bharti , Vats Monika , Kumar Anand , Srivastava Chander Mohan , Bahadur Indra , Pathak Seema R.
Published: March 2023

Wound healing is a complicated system that necessitates an appropriate environment to aid healing. Wound dressing is among the most important external variables in wound repair. Technology advancements have led to the creation of a variety of dressings that treat various wound types by focusing on the four stages of wound healing. Simplicity of application, sterility, antibacterial, non‐adherent, gaseous exchange, non‐toxicity, and other qualities are necessary for wound dressings. In order to fully regenerate and restore the structure and functionality of the skin, the ideal dressing should address the demands of the wound. So, the kind of wound dressing used is based on the type of injury. This review focuses on the different types of natural polymers such as κ‐carrageenan, chitosan, cellulose, gelatin, collagen, alginate, hyaluronic acid, and silk fibroin used in the development of dressing materials such as hydrogels, nanofibers, sponges, films, and various other types of scaffolds owing to their features, for example, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and similarity to human extracellular matrix (ECM) which aids in the healing process. The commercially available products based on these natural polymers are also discussed in the review. However, the majority of the natural polymer‐based wound dressings still exhibit a number of problems like adherence, opaque, fast degradability, and lack of multifunctionality, thus these need to be addressed. A naturally inspired smart wound dressing is the need of the hour which aids in individual stages of healing by monitoring the multiple wound variables such as pH, temperature, electrical potentials and eases the incorporated drug and biological molecules as per wound healing progress with a variety of delivery systems.
Gait speed, muscle strength, and functional status predict 30‐day unplanned hospital readmission of critical care survivors
Authors: de Melo Thiago Araújo , Guimarães Fernando Silva , Silva José Roberto Lapa e
Published: March 2023

Background and Purpose

Despite intense efforts, predicting hospital readmission risks remains an imprecise task. Growing evidence suggests that unmeasured patient‐related factors, such as functional impairment, seem to be strongly associated with acute readmission and have yet to be extensively explored. We hypothesized that gait speed, hand grip strength, and the Functional independence measure (FIM) might be associated with acute rehospitalization rates after an ICU stay.

Methods

In our study, we assessed gait speed using a 10‐m walk test. Muscle strength was determined by a hydraulic handgrip dynamometer and functional status through the FIM. Our primary outcome was the cumulative incidence of the first unplanned early rehospitalization (occurring within 30 days of hospital discharge) for the entire cohort, and a Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the accuracy of gait speed, handgrip strength, and FIM domains in predicting hospital readmission.

Results

ROC analysis indicated that the gait speed (AUC 0.96 95% CI 0.93 to 0.99), FIM score (AUC 0.96 95% CI 0.94 to 0.99) and handgrip strength (0.85 95% CI 0.76 to 0.94) were considered accurate predictors of unplanned readmission in the population studied. Additionally, we found that each 0.1 m/s lower gait speed was associated with a 10% higher odd of unplanned readmissions.

Conclusion

Hence, our results suggest gait speed, handgrip strength and functional status demonstrated high potential to contribute to the determination of 30‐day unplanned hospital readmission prediction of critical care survivors.
Excited states of aurocarbons: CASPT2 and CCSD(T) calculations of C2Au2 and C2Au4
Authors: Vrška Dávid , Neogrády Pavel , Kellö Vladimir , Urban Miroslav , Pitoňák Michal
Published: March 2023

We present CASPT2 calculations of vertical excitation energies for low‐lying singlet and triplet states of auroderivatives of acetylene and ethylene representing small model aurocarbons. Data are supplemented by CCSD(T) results for triplet states. All four considered species, namely linear C2Au2 molecule and three conformers of the C2Au4 molecule—Au2C2Au2 (tetraauroethylene, the analog of the parent ethylene molecule) and – and –adducts of the Au2 molecule with the auroacetylene exhibit considerable lowering of low‐lying excitation energies when compared with their parent acetylene and ethylene molecules. Singlet and triplet excitation energies of diauroacetylene drop by 57% and 48%, respectively, and of tetraauroethylene, by 68% and 56% when compared with their respective parent molecules. Even more is lowered the singlet–triplet energy gap. We stress the importance of the dynamical correlation in CASPT2 calculations and discuss problems with selection of the appropriate active space in aurocarbons.
Multiple complications of advanced IPF in an individual patient presentation
Authors: Ledger Thomas , Braude Stanley
Published: March 2023

We report a patient with advanced idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), who in a single presentation experienced three complications of the disease: an acute exacerbation, spontaneous pneumomediastinum, and platypnoea‐orthodeoxia syndrome. Despite there being no definitive evidence‐based treatment for an acute exacerbation, we report a marked improvement with high‐dose steroids. This case also highlights the importance in IPF patients of considering pneumomediastinum as a cause of non‐cardiac chest pain, as well as platypnoea‐orthodeoxia in those with positional dyspnoea.
Shifting the paradigm for phosphorus fertilization in the advent of the fertilizer crisis
Authors: Bastida Felipe , Siles José A. , García Carlos , García‐Díaz Celia , Moreno José L.
Published: March 2023

Crop production and food security will be challenged by the availability of phosphate rock and its derived phosphorus (P) fertilizers in the coming decades. Croplands around the world have traditionally received huge amounts of P fertilizers. However, P can quickly become unavailable in soil due to its fast adsorption or fixation on the surface of soil particles. Here, we propose the use of microbially mediated mechanisms of soil‐borne populations to solubilize historically accumulated P over years. We argue that microbially mediated solubilization of P can be enhanced through elemental imbalances that intentionally alter the soil carbon:nitrogen:P ratio, enabling a greater P demand by some soil microbial populations. This strategy may potentially reduce our dependence on conventional and exhausting P fertilizers, but the main caveats are also discussed.
Cage‐Like Sodalite‐Type Porous Organic Salts Enabling Luminescent Molecule's Incorporation and Room‐temperature Phosphorescence Induction in Air
Authors: Sei Hiroi , Oka Kouki , Sotome Hikaru , Miyasaka Hiroshi , Tohnai Norimitsu
Published: March 2023

Expression of room‐temperature phosphorescence (RTP) in organic materials requires complicated molecular design and specific intermolecular interactions, and therefore types of RTP materials are restricted. This work presents cage‐like sodalite‐type porous organic salts (s‐POSs) as host materials for luminescent molecules to induce RTP, using tetrasulfonic acid with an adamantane core and triphenylmethylamines that are modified with substituents in the para‐positions of benzene rings (TPMA‐X). By adding a representative luminescent molecule (pyrene) to a reaction solution during construction of s‐POSs, the molecule is incorporated in a facile manner. s‐POSs with a heavy halogen atom (X: Iodine) on the pore surface give heavy atom effects, suppression of thermal vibration, and protection from oxygen, for the incorporated molecule, which induce its RTP even in air. This strategy can be applied to various luminescent molecules, which may lead to the achievement of RTP of various colors.
Recent Organic Photosensitizer Designs for Evoking Proinflammatory Regulated Cell Death in Antitumor Immunotherapy
Authors: Sun Xuan , Li Min , Wang Peng , Bai Qingqing , Cao Xuchen , Mao Duo
Published: March 2023

In the past decades, immunotherapy has achieved a series of clinical successes in the field of cancer. However, existing therapeutic options usually show a low immune response to solid tumors caused by immunosuppressive “cold” tumor microenvironment (TME). Several types of proinflammatory regulated cell death (RCD), mainly including ferroptosis and pyroptosis, have been studied recently, which can provide proinflammatory signals and immunogenicity necessary for remodeling TME and activating an antitumor immune response. A variety of chemotherapeutic drugs are proven to be effective in the proinflammatory RCD induction of tumor cells, but several adverse effects and intrinsic drug resistance usually occur in the therapeutic process, greatly hindering their further clinical application. The emerging organic photosensitizer (PS)‐based materials open new possibilities to effectively activate proinflammatory RCD through precise spatiotemporal regulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species‐associated signaling pathways, which can overcome many challenges encountered in current proinflammatory RCD‐mediated immunotherapy. In this review, the recent design strategies of PS probes are detailly summarized and their potential advantages for tumor‐specific proinflammatory RCD induction are discussed. Moreover, the representative examples in cancer immunotherapy are highlighted and future perspectives in this emerging field are proposed.
Topological network design toward high‐performance vegetable oil–based elastomers
Authors: Yu Shuangjian , Li Yeqing , Wu Siwu , Tang Zhenghai , Zhang Liqun , Guo Baochun
Published: March 2023

As a kind of bio‐derived feedstock, vegetable oil (VO) shows great potential to replace petroleum‐based monomers to develop sustainable polymer materials because of its easy availability, low cost, bio‐renewable, and environmentally friendly nature. However, due to the high cross‐linking density and amorphous nature, directly cured VOs generally tend to be brittle and weak. To date, it is still difficult to adopt VOs and their derivatives as structural materials to prepare high‐performance elastomers. To address this important issue, a multi‐scale topology design strategy was proposed in this work. First, topology regulation and functionalization of VO‐based networks were realized by managing functional groups proportion during the bulk polymerization of epoxidized soybean oil with dimer fatty acids. Furthermore, a second polymer (SN) network was introduced into the VO‐based network as a protective layer via interfacial cross‐links. The generated VO‐based elastomers (VOEs) exhibit unprecedented comprehensive properties (VO content ≥70 wt.%, Tg as low as −24.4°C, toughness up to 6.8 MJ/m3). Besides, the VOEs also exhibit excellent reprocessability and self‐healing capability. Overall, this work developed a novel kind of VOEs with significant comprehensive advantages and provided important inspiration for the preparation of high‐performance elastomers through multi‐scale topology regulation.
Microstructures of Choline Amino Acid based Biocompatible Ionic Liquids
Authors: Dhattarwal Harender S. , Kashyap Hemant K.
Published: March 2023

Bio‐compatible ionic liquids (Bio‐ILs) represent a class of solvents with peculiar properties and exhibit huge potential for their applications in different fields of chemistry. Ever since they were discovered, researchers have used bio‐ILs in diverse fields such as biomass dissolution, CO2 sequestration, and biodegradation of pesticides. This review highlights the ongoing research studies focused on elucidating the microscopic structure of bio‐ILs based on cholinium cation ([Ch]+) and amino acid ([AA]−) anions using the state‐of‐the‐art
and classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The microscopic structure associated with these green ILs guides their suitability for specific applications. ILs of this class differ in the side chain of the amino acid anions, and varying the side chain significantly affects the structure of these ILs and thus helps in tuning the efficiency of biomass dissolution. This review demonstrates the central role of the side chain on the morphology of choline amino acid ([Ch][AA]) bio‐ILs. The seemingly matured field of bio‐ILs and their employment in various applications still holds significant potential, and the insights on their microscopic structure would steer the field of target specific application of these green ILs.
Gated‐Attention Model with Reinforcement Learning for Solving Dynamic Job Shop Scheduling Problem
Authors: Gebreyesus Goytom , Fellek Getu , Farid Ahmed , Fujimura Shigeru , Yoshie Osamu
Published: March 2023

Job shop scheduling problem (JSSP) is one of the well‐known NP‐hard combinatorial optimization problems (COPs) that aims to optimize the sequential assignment of finite machines to a set of jobs while adhering to specified problem constraints. Conventional solution approaches which include heuristic dispatching rules and evolutionary algorithms has been largely in use to solve JSSPs. Recently, the use of reinforcement learning (RL) has gained popularity for delivering better solution quality for JSSPs. In this research, we propose an end‐to‐end deep reinforcement learning (DRL) based scheduling model for solving the standard JSSP. Our DRL model uses attention‐based encoder of Transformer network to embed the JSSP environment represented as a disjunctive graph. We introduced Gate mechanism to modulate the flow of learnt features by preventing noise features from propagating across the network to enrich the representations of nodes of the disjunctive graph. In addition, we designed a novel Gate‐based graph pooling mechanism that preferentially constructs the graph embedding. A simple multi‐layer perceptron (MLP) based action selection network is used for sequentially generating optimal schedules. The model is trained using proximal policy optimization (PPO) algorithm which is built on actor critic (AC) framework. Experimental results show that our model outperforms existing heuristics and state of the art DRL based baselines on generated instances and well‐known public test benchmarks. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
A House of Homes: On the Multiscalarity and Ambivalence of Homemaking in a Multicultural Condominium in Italy
Authors: Cancellieri Adriano
Published: March 2023

This chapter reflects on homemaking within a multicultural condominium called Hotel House, located in the small Italian town of Porto Recanati, where almost 2000 people live, 95% of them being migrants. The research was carried out through a lengthy participant observation within both the domestic and communal spaces of the condominium. Reflecting on the research work conducted in Hotel House, the chapter explores four main aspects: (a) the ethical and practical implications of entering other people’s homes, focusing the analysis on the field access and the researcher’s positionality; (b) the daily material and affective construction of multisensory atmospheres and landscapes in the domestic spaces of Hotel House; (c) the ambivalence of the practices of sociability and mutual aid that take place in the domestic spaces of Hotel House, with particular regard to Senegalese families; (d) the multiscalarity of homemaking and its potential emergence outside of the boundaries of domestic spaces.
Chaos and operator growth in 2d CFT
Authors: Khetrapal Surbhi
Published: March 2023

Abstract

We study the out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC) in a zero temperature 2d large-c CFT under evolution by a Liouvillian composed of the Virasoro generators. A bound was conjectured in [1] on the growth of the OTOC set by the Krylov complexity which is a measure of operator growth. The latter grows as an exponential of time with exponent 2α, which sets an upper bound on the Lyapunov exponent, ΛL≤ 2α. We find that for a two dimensional zero temperature CFT, the OTOC decays exponentially with a Lyapunov exponent which saturates this bound. We show that these Virasoro generators form the modular Hamiltonian of the CFT with half space traced out. Therefore, evolution by this modular Hamiltonian gives rise to thermal dynamics in a zero temperature CFT. Leveraging the thermal dynamics of the system, we derive this bound in a zero temperature CFT using the analyticity and boundedness properties of the OTOC.
Hey Alexa, why are you called intelligent? An empirical investigation on definitions of AI
Authors: Caluori Lucas
Published: March 2023

This paper seeks to examine the questions of what criteria definitions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) use to define AI, what the disagreements that revolve around the term AI are based on, and what correlations can be drawn to other parameters. Framed as a problem of classification, a random sample of 45 definitions from various text sources was subjected to a qualitative content analysis. The criteria found are concluded in five dimensions, namely (1) learning ability, (2) human likeness, (3) state of “mind”, (4) complexity of the problem, and (5) successfulness. Further, the results support the view that there is no consensus neither on which of these criteria are crucial to define AI nor on how these criteria must be fulfilled. By opposing the frequencies of the dimensions found with the metadata collected, it can be seen that most of these, e.g., country, scientific field, or gender of the author, are statistically independent of content variables, while the medium in which the definition was published shows a strong correlation. Since different mediums target different purposes and different readers, it must be taken into account that writing a definition of AI is to be seen in the context of its distribution area and its goal.
Mammal-related Cryptosporidium infections in endemic reptiles of New Zealand
Authors: Garcia-R Juan C. , Pita Anthony B. , Velathanthiri Niluka , Pas An , Hayman David T. S.
Published: March 2023

New Zealand’s endemic reptile fauna is highly threatened and pathogens causing infectious diseases may be a significant risk to already endangered species. Here, we investigate Cryptosporidium infection in captive endemic New Zealand reptiles. We found two mammal-related Cryptosporidium species (C. hominis and C. parvum) and six subtypes from three gp60 families (Ib, Ig and IIa) in 12 individuals of captive endemic Tuatara, Otago and Grand skinks, and Jewelled and Rough geckos. Cryptosporidium serpentis was identified in two Jewelled geckos using 18S. In New Zealand, C. hominis and C. parvum are associated with infections in humans and introduced domestic animals but have also been recently found in wildlife. Our finding of Cryptosporidium infection in endemic reptiles can help inform strategies to monitor the conservation of species and manage potential introductions of pathogens to in-situ and ex-situ populations.
$$\hbox {U}^p$$-Net: a generic deep learning-based time stepper for parameterized spatio-temporal dynamics
Authors: Stender Merten , Ohlsen Jakob , Geisler Hendrik , Chabchoub Amin , Hoffmann Norbert , Schlaefer Alexander
Published: March 2023

In the age of big data availability, data-driven techniques have been proposed recently to compute the time evolution of spatio-temporal dynamics. Depending on the required a priori knowledge about the underlying processes, a spectrum of black-box end-to-end learning approaches, physics-informed neural networks, and data-informed discrepancy modeling approaches can be identified. In this work, we propose a purely data-driven approach that uses fully convolutional neural networks to learn spatio-temporal dynamics directly from parameterized datasets of linear spatio-temporal processes. The parameterization allows for data fusion of field quantities, domain shapes, and boundary conditions in the proposed U$$^p$$

p

-Net architecture. Multi-domain U$$^p$$

p

-Net models, therefore, can generalize to different scenes, initial conditions, domain shapes, and domain sizes without requiring re-training or physical priors. Numerical experiments conducted on a universal and two-dimensional wave equation and the transient heat equation for validation purposes show that the proposed U$$^p$$

p

-Net outperforms classical U-Net and conventional encoder–decoder architectures of the same complexity. Owing to the scene parameterization, the U$$^p$$

p

-Net models learn to predict refraction and reflections arising from domain inhomogeneities and boundaries. Generalization properties of the model outside the physical training parameter distributions and for unseen domain shapes are analyzed. The deep learning flow map models are employed for long-term predictions in a recursive time-stepping scheme, indicating the potential for data-driven forecasting tasks. This work is accompanied by an open-sourced code.
Japanese single-center experience of abdominal aortic aneurysm repair over 20 years: should open or endovascular aneurysm repair be performed first?
Authors: Yamanaka Katsuhiro , Hamaguchi Mari , Chomei Shunya , Inoue Taishi , Kono Atsunori , Tsujimoto Takanori , Koda Yojiro , Nakai Hidekazu , Omura Atsushi , Inoue Takeshi , Yamaguchi Masato , Sugimoto Koji , Okada Kenji
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The present study analyzed the outcomes of our experience with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair over 20 years using endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) with commercially available devices or open aortic repair (OAR) and reviewed our surgical strategy for AAA.

Methods

From 1999 to 2019, 1077 patients (659 OAR, 418 EVAR) underwent AAA repair. The OAR and EVAR groups were compared retrospectively, and a propensity matching analysis was performed.

Results

EVAR was first introduced in 2008. Our strategy was changed to an EVAR-first strategy in 2010. Beginning in 2018, this EVAR-first strategy was changed to an OAR-first strategy. After propensity matching, the overall survival in the OAR group was significantly better than that in the EVAR group at 10 years (p = 0.006). Two late deaths due to AAA rupture were identified in the EVAR group, although there were no significant differences between the OAR and EVAR groups with regard to the freedom from AAA-related death at 10 years. The rate of freedom from aortic events at 10 years was significantly higher in the OAR group than in the EVAR group (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

The rates of freedom from AAA-related death in both the OAR and EVAR groups were favorable, and the rate of freedom from aortic events was significantly lower in the EVAR group than in the OAR group. Close long-term follow-up after EVAR is mandatory.
Presence and simulator sickness predict the usability of a virtual reality attention task
Authors: Voinescu Alexandra , Petrini Karin , Stanton Fraser Danaë
Published: March 2023

Attention is the ability to actively process specific information within one’s environment over longer periods of time while disregarding other details. Attention is an important process that contributes to overall cognitive performance from performing every day basic tasks to complex work activities. The use of virtual reality (VR) allows study of the attention processes in realistic environments using ecological tasks. To date, research has focused on the efficacy of VR attention tasks in detecting attention impairment, while the impact of the combination of variables such as mental workload, presence and simulator sickness on both self-reported usability and objective attention task performance in immersive VR has not been examined. The current study tested 87 participants on an attention task in a virtual aquarium using a cross-sectional design. The VR task followed the continuous performance test paradigm where participants had to respond to correct targets and ignore non-targets over 18 min. Performance was measured using three outcomes: omission (failing to respond to correct targets), commission errors (incorrect responses to targets) and reaction time to correct targets. Measures of self-reported usability, mental workload, presence and simulator sickness were collected. The results showed that only presence and simulator sickness had a significant impact on usability. For performance outcomes, simulator sickness was significantly and weakly associated with omission errors, but not with reaction time and commission errors. Mental workload and presence did not significantly predict performance. Our results suggest that usability is more likely to be negatively impacted by simulator sickness and lack of presence than performance and that usability and attention performance are linked. They highlight the importance of considering factors such as presence and simulator sickness in attention tasks as these variables can impact usability.
A representation formula for slice regular functions over slice-cones in several variables
Authors: Dou Xinyuan , Ren Guangbin , Sabadini Irene
Published: March 2023

The aim of this paper is to extend the so called slice analysis to a general case in which the codomain is a real vector space of even dimension, i.e. is of the form $${\mathbb {R}}^{2n}$$

R

2
n

. This is a new setting which contains and encompasses in a nontrivial way other cases already studied in the literature and which requires new tools. To this end, we define a cone $${\mathcal {W}}_{\mathcal {C}}^d$$

W

C

d

in $$[{\text {End}}({\mathbb {R}}^{2n})]^d$$

[
End

(

R

2
n

)

]

d

and we extend the slice topology $$\tau _s$$

τ
s

to this cone. Slice regular functions can be defined on open sets in $$\left( \tau _s,{\mathcal {W}}_{\mathcal {C}}^d\right) $$

τ
s

,

W

C

d

and a number of results can be proved in this framework, among which a representation formula. This theory can be applied to some real algebras, called left slice complex structure algebras. These algebras include quaternions, octonions, Clifford algebras and real alternative $$*$$

∗

-algebras but also left-alternative algebras and sedenions, thus providing brand new settings in slice analysis.
Estimation of left ventricular activation sequence in patients with heart failure using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography
Authors: Hara Hideyuki , Igarashi Tazuru , Kaida Toyoji , Murakami Masami , Ito Hiroshi , Niwano Shinichi , Ako Junya
Published: March 2023

Evaluation of longitudinal strain (LS) from two-dimensional echocardiography is useful for global and regional left ventricular (LV) dysfunction assessment. We determined whether the LS reflects contraction process in patients with asynchronous LV activation. We studied 144 patients with an ejection fraction ≤ 35%, who had left bundle branch block (LBBB, n = 42), right ventricular apical (RVA) pacing (n = 34), LV basal- or mid-lateral pacing (n = 23), and no conduction block (Narrow-QRS, n = 45). LS distribution maps were constructed using 3 standard apical views. The times from the QRS onset-to-early systolic positive peak (Q-EPpeak) and late systolic negative peak (Q-LNpeak) were measured to determine the beginning and end of contractions in each segment. Negative strain in LBBB initially appeared in the septum and basal-lateral contracted late. In RVA and LV pacing, the contracted area enlarged centrifugally from the pacing site. Narrow-QRS showed few regional differences in strain during the systolic period. The Q-EPpeak and Q-LNpeak exhibited similar sequences characterized by septum to basal-lateral via the apical regions in LBBB, apical to basal regions in RVA pacing, and lateral to a relatively large delayed contracted area between the apical- and basal-septum in LV pacing. Differences in Q-LNpeaks between the apical and basal segments in delayed contracted wall were 107 ± 30 ms in LBBB, 133 ± 46 ms in RVA pacing, and 37 ± 20 ms in LV pacing (p < 0.05, between QRS groups). Specific LV contraction processes were demonstrated by evaluating the LS distribution and time-to-peak strain. These evaluations may have potential to estimate the activation sequence in patients with asynchronous LV activation.
Effectiveness of Blended Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Versus Treatment as Usual for Depression in Routine Specialized Mental Healthcare: E-COMPARED Trial in the Netherlands
Authors: Kemmeren L. L. , van Schaik A. , Draisma S. , Kleiboer A. , Riper H. , Smit J. H.
Published: March 2023

Background

The general aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of blended Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (bCBT) as compared to Treatment as Usual (TAU) for depression in specialized routine mental healthcare in the Netherlands. We further explored a range of secondary outcome variables, including quality of life, clinical response, remission and reliable improvement, as well as clinical deterioration and potential negative effects of treatment.

Methods

n = 103 patients with Major Depressive Disorder were recruited as part of the E-COMPARED project, and randomly allocated to bCBT (n = 53) or TAU (n = 50). Measurements took place at baseline, 3-, 6- and 12-months follow-up. Treatment effects were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models for repeated measures.

Results

Depressive symptoms significantly declined and quality of life significantly improved over time in both bCBT and TAU during 12-months follow-up. No significant interaction effects between treatment group and assessment point were found. Likewise, there were no significant differences between the two treatment groups on secondary outcomes. Patients following bCBT went from severe to mild symptom severity, along with large within-group effects.

Conclusion

Applying bCBT in routine specialized mental health care seems promising, but is a relatively new form of treatment that is still under development and more research is needed.

Clinical Trial Registration

Netherlands Trials Register NTR4962. Registered on 5 January 2015.
Self-reported and digital-trace measures of computer science students’ self-regulated learning in blended course designs
Authors: Han Feifei , Ellis Robert A.
Published: March 2023

This study investigated the extent to which self-report and digital-trace measures of students’ self-regulated learning in blended course designs align with each other amongst 145 first-year computer science students in a blended “computer systems” course. A self-reported Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire was used to measure students’ self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, test anxiety, and use of self-regulated learning strategies. Frequencies of interactions with six different online learning activities were digital-trace measures of students’ online learning interactions. Students’ course marks were used to represent their academic performance. SPSS 28 was used to analyse the data. A hierarchical cluster analysis using self-reported measures categorized students as better or poorer self-regulated learners; whereas a hierarchical cluster analysis using digital-trace measures clustered students as more active or less active online learners. One-way ANOVAs showed that: 1) better self-regulated learners had higher frequencies of interactions with three out of six online learning activities than poorer self-regulated learners. 2) More active online learners reported higher self-efficacy, higher intrinsic motivation, and more frequent use of positive self-regulated learning strategies, than less active online learners. Furthermore, a cross-tabulation showed significant (p < .01) but weak association between student clusters identified by self-reported and digital-trace measures, demonstrating self-reported and digital-trace descriptions of students’ self-regulated learning experiences were consistent to a limited extent. To help poorer self-regulated learners improve their learning experiences in blended course designs, teachers may invite better self-regulated learners to share how they approach learning in class.
Cross-game learning and cognitive ability in auctions
Authors: Giebe Thomas , Ivanova-Stenzel Radosveta , Kocher Martin G. , Schudy Simeon
Published: March 2023

Overbidding in sealed-bid second-price auctions (SPAs) has been shown to be persistent and associated with cognitive ability. We study experimentally to what extent cross-game learning can reduce overbidding in SPAs, taking into account cognitive skills. Employing an order-balanced design, we use first-price auctions (FPAs) to expose participants to an auction format in which losses from high bids are more salient than in SPAs. Experience in FPAs causes substantial cross-game learning for cognitively less able participants but does not affect overbidding for the cognitively more able. Vice versa, experiencing SPAs before bidding in an FPA does not substantially affect bidding behavior by the cognitively less able but, somewhat surprisingly, reduces bid shading by cognitively more able participants, resulting in lower profits in FPAs. Thus, ‘cross-game learning’ may rather be understood as ‘cross-game transfer’, as it has the potential to benefit bidders with lower cognitive ability whereas it has little or even adverse effects for higher-ability bidders.
Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match: geometric, variational, and evolutionary implications of criteria for tag affinity
Authors: Moreno Matthew Andres , Lalejini Alexander , Ofria Charles
Published: March 2023

Genetic programming and artificial life systems commonly use tag matching to decide interactions between system components. However, the implications of criteria used to determine affinity between tags with respect evolutionary dynamics have not been directly studied. We investigate differences between tag-matching criteria with respect to geometric constraint and variation generated under mutation. In experiments, we find that tag-matching criteria can influence the rate of adaptive evolution and the quality of evolved solutions. Better understanding of the geometric, variational, and evolutionary properties of tag-matching criteria will facilitate more effective incorporation of tag matching into genetic programming and artificial life systems. By showing that tag-matching criteria influence connectivity patterns and evolutionary dynamics, our findings also raise fundamental questions about the properties of tag-matching systems in nature.
Once highly productive, forever highly productive? Full professors’ research productivity from a longitudinal perspective
Authors: Kwiek Marek , Roszka Wojciech
Published: March 2023

This longitudinal study explores persistence in research productivity at the individual level over academic lifetime: can highly productive scientists maintain relatively high levels of productivity. We examined academic careers of 2326 Polish full professors, including their lifetime biographical and publication histories. We studied their promotions and publications between promotions (79,027 articles) over a 40-year period across 14 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) disciplines. We used prestige-normalized productivity in which more weight is given to articles in high-impact than in low-impact journals, recognizing the highly stratified nature of academic science. Our results show that half of the top productive assistant professors continued as top productive associate professors, and half of the top productive associate professors continued as top productive full professors (52.6% and 50.8%). Top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top transitions in productivity classes occurred only marginally. In logistic regression models, two powerful predictors of belonging to the top productivity class for full professors were being highly productive as assistant professors and as associate professors (increasing the odds, on average, by 179% and 361%). Neither gender nor age (biological or academic) emerged as statistically significant. Our findings have important implications for hiring policies: hiring high- and low-productivity scientists may have long-standing consequences for institutions and national science systems as academic scientists usually remain in the system for decades. The Observatory of Polish Science (100,000 scientists, 380,000 publications) and Scopus metadata on 935,167 Polish articles were used, showing the power of combining biographical registry data with structured Big Data in academic profession studies.
Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes in Alexandria and North-West Delta, Egypt
Authors: Elmassry Ahmed , Ahmed Islam S. H. , Adly Noha , Torki Marwan
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this research was to estimate the prevalence of DR in Alexandria and the North-West Delta region.

Methods

All diabetic patients attending the general ophthalmology clinics (Group 1), diabetic internal medicine clinics (Group 2), or reached out in the local communities (Group 3) were eligible to participate. Fundus photographs were graded according to the Scottish DR grading system by three independent UK-certified graders. Adjudication by a consultant was done when needed.

Results

Out of 11,033 screened patients, 10,811 had a gradable fundus photograph in at least one eye and were included. The numbers of cases in groups 1, 2 and 3 were 3940, 2826, and 4045, respectively. Males represented 38.35% of the cases. Mean age was 55 ± 12.63. For the whole sample, groups 1, 2 and 3, the DR prevalence was 32.49, 46.4%, 29.13%, and 21.29%, respectively. The prevalence of proliferative DR (grade R4) was 6.16%, 11.83%, 5.02%, and 1.45%, respectively, and of referable maculopathy (Grade M2) was 19.95%, 31.42%, 15.92%, and 11.59%, respectively.

In univariate analysis, older age, higher random blood glucose, and longer DM duration were associated with a higher risk of both DR and referable diabetic maculopathy. This association was maintained in multivariate analysis for the high random blood glucose level and the longer duration of DM (but not for the older age).

Conclusion

A significantly higher prevalence of DR, grades R4 and M2 was found in the hospital-recruited patients than in diabetics from the local communities.