bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Luteolin inhibits spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) binding to angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2
Authors: Zhu Junjie , Yan Huimin , Shi Mengyao , Zhang Min , Lu Jia , Wang Jiabao , Chen Lu , Wang Yu , Li Lin , Miao Lin , Zhang Han
Published: May 2023

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), a respiratory illness that poses a serious threat to global public health. In an essential step during infection, SARS‐CoV‐2 uses the receptor‐binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein to engage with angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in host cells. Chinese herbal medicines and their active components exhibit antiviral activity, with luteolin being a flavonoid that can significantly inhibit SARS‐CoV infection. However, whether it can block the interaction between the S‐protein RBD of SARS‐CoV‐2 and ACE2 has not yet been elucidated. Here, we investigated the effects of luteolin on the binding of the S‐protein RBD to ACE2. By employing a competitive binding assay in vitro, we found that luteolin significantly blocked the binding of S‐protein RBD to ACE2 with IC50 values of 0.61 mM, which was confirmed by the neutralized infection with SARS‐CoV‐2 pseudovirus in vivo. A surface plasmon resonance‐based competition assay revealed that luteolin significantly affects the binding of the S‐protein RBD to the ACE2 receptor. Molecular docking was performed to predict the binding sites of luteolin to the S‐protein RBD‐ACE2 complex. The active binding sites were defined based on published literature, and we found that luteolin might interfere with the mixture at residues including LYS353, ASP30, and TYR83 in the cellular ACE2 receptor and GLY496, GLN498, TYR505, LEU455, GLN493, and GLU484 in the S‐protein RBD. These residues may together form attractive charges and destroy the stable interaction of S‐protein RBD‐ACE2. Luteolin also inhibits SARS‐CoV‐2 spike protein‐induced platelet spreading, thereby inhibiting the binding of the spike protein to ACE2. Our results are the first to provide evidence that luteolin is an anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 agent associated with interference between viral S‐protein RBD‐ACE2 interactions.
Interfacial Origin of Unconventional Spin‐Orbit Torque in Py/γ−$\gamma -$IrMn3
Authors: Kumar Akash , Gupta Pankhuri , Chowdhury Niru , Khan Kacho Imtiyaz Ali , Shashank Utkarsh , Gupta Surbhi , Fukuma Yasuhiro , Chaudhary Sujeet , Muduli Pranaba Kishor
Published: May 2023

Angle‐resolved spin‐torque ferromagnetic resonance measurements are carried out in heterostructures consisting of Py (Ni81Fe19) and a noncollinear antiferromagnetic quantum material IrMn3. The structural characterization reveals that IrMn3 is polycrystalline in nature. A large exchange bias of 158 Oe is found in Py/IrMn3 at room temperature, while IrMn3/Py and Py/Cu/IrMn3 exhibit no exchange bias. Regardless of the exchange bias and stacking sequence, a substantial unconventional out‐of‐plane anti‐damping torque is observed when IrMn3 is in direct contact with Py. The magnitude of the out‐of‐plane spin‐orbit torque efficiency is found to be twice as large as the in‐plane spin‐orbit torque efficiency. The unconventional spin‐orbit torque vanishes when a Cu spacer is introduced between Py and IrMn3, indicating that the unconventional spin‐orbit torque in this system originates at the interface. These findings are important for realizing efficient antiferromagnet‐based spintronic devices via interfacial engineering.
Phantom‐based assessment of motion and needle targeting accuracy of robotic devices for magnetic resonance imaging‐guided needle biopsy
Authors: Antoniou Anastasia , Nikolaou Anastasia , Evripidou Nikolas , Georgiou Andreas , Filippou Antria , Zinonos Vasiliki , Giannakou Marinos , Chrysanthou Antreas , Ioannides Cleanthis , Damianou Christakis
Published: May 2023

Background

The current study proposes simple methods for assessing the performance of robotic devices intended for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)‐guided needle biopsy.

Methods

In‐house made agar‐based breast phantoms containing biopsy targets served as the main tool in the evaluation process of an MRI compatible positioning device comprising a needle navigator. The motion accuracy of mechanical stages was assessed by calliper measurements. Laboratory evaluation of needle targeting included a repeatability phantom test and a laser‐based method. The accuracy and repeatability of needle targeting was also assessed by MRI.

Results

The maximum error of linear motion for steps up to 10 mm was 0.1 mm. Needle navigation relative to the phantom and alignment with the various biopsy targets were performed successfully in both the laboratory and MRI settings. The proposed biopsy phantoms offered tissue‐like signal in MRI and good haptic feedback during needle insertion.

Conclusions

The proposed methods could be valuable in the process of validating the accuracy of MRI‐guided biopsy robotic devices in both laboratory and real environments.
Semi‐supervised inference for nonparametric logistic regression
Authors: Wang Tong , Tang Wenlu , Lin Yuanyuan , Su Wen
Published: May 2023

We consider the problem of estimating the nonparametric function in nonparametric logistic regression under semi‐supervised framework, where a relatively small size labeled data set collected by case‐control sampling and a relatively large size of unlabeled data containing only observations of predictors are available. This problem arises in various applications when the outcome variable is expensive or difficult to be observed directly. A two‐stage nonparametric semi‐supervised estimator based on spline method is proposed to estimate the target regression function by maximizing the likelihood function of the labeled case‐control data. The unlabeled data are used in the first stage for estimating the density function that involves in the likelihood function. The consistency and functional asymptotic normality of the semi‐supervised two‐stage estimator are established under mild conditions. The proposed method, by making use of the unlabeled data, produces more efficient estimation of the target function than the traditional supervised counterpart. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated through extensive simulation studies. An application is illustrated with an analysis of a skin segmentation data.
Ligand‐Assisted Self‐Assembly of 3D Perovskite Nanocrystals into Chiral Inorganic Quasi‐2D Perovskites (n = 3) with Ligand‐Ratio‐Dependent Chirality Inversion
Authors: Wu Yue , Zhao Tianzhe , Shao Xiao , Chen Junyu , Zhang Tianyong , Li Bin , Jiang Shuang
Published: May 2023

Chiral inorganic quasi‐2D perovskites are prepared by self‐assembling 3D perovskites in solution for the first time. The quasi‐2D perovskite synthesized is a pure‐phase perovskite with  = 3 and is periodically arranged, which is a big breakthrough in quasi‐2D inorganic perovskites.  With the individual chiral CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (NCs) assemble into quasi‐2D perovskite, the g‐factor significantly improved (≈5 × 10−3). In addition, the chiroptical activity of quasi‐2D perovskites is explored to be improved with the lateral size increasing. In the first stage of assembly, chiral optical activity is increased due to the lateral size‐dependent optical activity, while the changes in the later stages are attributable to the chiral morphology. Interestingly, chirality inversion is found to be correlated to the number of ligands. It is believed that different conformers of chiral ligands caused by steric hindrance of the original ligand oleylamine result in opposite circular dichroism (CD) polarities. The chirality inversion phenomenon is universal, regardless of the choice of ligands. This work opens up a new path for the synthesis of quasi‐2D perovskites and provides more opportunities for the modulation of chiral optical activity.
Ti3C2TX MXene Ink Direct Writing Flexible Sensors for Disposable Paper Toys
Authors: Pei Yangyang , An Jianing , Wang Ke , Hui Zengyu , Zhang Xiaoli , Pan Hongqing , Zhou Jinyuan , Sun Gengzhi
Published: May 2023

Flexible electronics have gained great attention in recent years owing to their promising applications in biomedicine, sustainable energy, human‐machine interaction, and toys for children. Paper mainly produced from cellulose fibers is attractive substrate for flexible electronics because it is biodegradable, foldable, tailorable, and light‐weight. Inspired by daily handwriting, the rapid prototyping of sensing devices with arbitrary patterns can be achieved by directly drawing conductive inks on flat or curved paper surfaces; this provides huge freedom for children to design and integrate “do‐it‐yourself (DIY)” electronic toys. Herein, viscous and additive‐free ink made from Ti3C2TX MXene sediment is employed to prepare disposable paper electronics through a simple ball pen drawing. The as‐drawn paper sensors possess hierarchical microstructures with interweaving nanosheets, nanoflakes, and nanoparticles, therefore exhibiting superior mechanosensing performances to those based on single/fewer‐layer MXene nanosheets. As proof‐of‐concept applications, several popular children's games are implemented by the MXene‐based paper sensors, including “You say, I guess,” “Emotional expression,” “Rock‐Paper‐Scissors,” “Arm wrestling,” “Throwing game,” “Carrot squat,” and “Grab the cup,” as well as a DIY smart whisker for a cartoon mouse. Moreover, MXene‐based paper sensors are safe and disposable, free from producing any e‐waste and hazard to the environment.
New Strategy: Molten Salt‐Assisted Synthesis to Enhance Lanthanide Upconversion Luminescence
Authors: Du Pengye , Lei Pengpeng , Liang Yuan , An Ran , Zhang Hongjie
Published: May 2023

Lanthanide‐doped upconversion luminescent materials (LUCMs) have attracted much attention in diverse practical applications because of their superior features. However, the relatively weak luminescence intensity and low efficiency of LUCMs are the bottleneck problems that seriously limit their development. Unfortunately, most of the current major strategies of luminescence enhancement have some inherent shortcomings in their implementation. Here, a new and simple strategy of molten salt‐assisted synthesis is proposed to enhance lanthanide upconversion luminescence for the first time. As a proof‐of‐concept, a series of rare earth oxides with obvious luminescence enhancement are prepared by a one‐step method, utilizing molten NaCl as the high‐temperature reaction media and rare earth chlorides as the precursors. The enhancement factors at different reaction temperatures are systematically investigated by taking Yb3+/Er3+ co‐doped Y2O3 as an example, which can be enhanced up to more than six times. In addition, the molten salts are extended to all alkali chlorides, indicating that it is a universal strategy. Finally, the potential application of obtained UCL materials is demonstrated in near‐infrared excited upconversion white light‐emitting diodes (WLEDs) and other monochromatic LEDs.
Ohwia caudata extract relieves the IL‐17A‐induced inflammatory response of synoviocytes through modulation of SOCS3 and JAK2/STAT3 activation
Authors: Lu Cheng‐You , Kuo Chia‐Hua , Kuo Wei‐Wen , Hsieh Dennis Jine‐Yuan , Wang Tso‐Fu , Shih Cheng‐Yen , Lin Pi‐Yu , Lin Shinn‐Zong , Ho Tsung‐Jung , Huang Chih‐Yang
Published: May 2023

Fibroblast‐like synoviocytes accumulation, proliferation and activation, and the subsequent inflammatory mediators production play a key role in the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is well established that Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) signaling triggers inflammation, and induces cytokine levels in RA. Ohwia caudata have long been used against many disorders. However, in RA, the effects of O. caudata have not been elucidated. In the current study, synoviocytes were used to evaluate the suppressive effects of O. caudate extract (OCE) on the pro‐inflammatory cytokines production. In vitro, the underlying mechanisms by which OCE inhibits inflammatory response through regulation of suppressors of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) and JAK2/STAT3 expression in IL‐17A‐treated HIG‐82 synoviocytes were investigated. The results demonstrated that the proliferation of IL‐17A‐challenged cells were increased in comparison with non‐stimulated control cells. The synoviocyte proliferation was decreased significantly of OCE concentrations in dose dependent manner. The p‐JAK2, p‐STAT3, interleukin (IL)‐1β, and IL‐6 were reduced in IL‐17A‐challenged cells treated with OCE. Furthermore, AZD1480 (a JAK2‐specific inhibitor) or WP1066 (a STAT3‐specific inhibitor) affected the inflammatory mediators production in IL‐17A‐challenged synoviocytes, and OCE failed to mitigate the IL‐17A‐induced inflammatory mediators and SOCS3, acting as a feedback inhibitor of the JAK/STAT3 pathway, in the presence of SOCS3 siRNA, indicating that the beneficial effects of OCE on the regulation of inflammatory response homeostasis were dependent on SOCS3 and the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. Our study also showed that SOCS3 was markedly activated by OCE in RA fibroblast‐like synoviocytes, thereby decreasing the JAK/STAT3 pathway, and the IL‐1β, and IL‐6 activation. Thus, O. caudate should be further investigated as a candidate anti‐inflammatory and anti‐arthritic agent.
Sensitivity of a homogeneous and isotropic second‐gradient continuum model for particle‐based materials with respect to uncertainties
Authors: La Valle Gabriele , Abali Bilen Emek , Falsone Giovanni , Soize Christian
Published: May 2023

This work concerns the probabilistic analysis of particle‐based materials. More precisely, this work is devoted to the stochastic modeling of the geometric and constitutive microscale parameters associated with particle‐pair interactions of an existing model for particle‐based materials. Such an issue is addressed with a probabilistic methodology that relies on the maximum entropy principle from information theory. After defining and improving the chosen second‐gradient continuum model for particle‐based materials, it is shown that for micro‐homogeneous and micro‐isotropic materials, the involved microscale parameters turn out to be statistically independent. More precisely, the particle‐pair distance between two consecutive particles is a uniformly distributed random variable and the specific micro‐scale stiffness parameters are Gamma‐distributed random variables. A homogeneous and isotropic 2D concrete plate subjected to an axial load is considered for illustration purposes. A stochastic solver based on Monte Carlo numerical simulations and mixed finite element (FE) method are chosen. The FE discretization is applied to the weak formulation of the equivalent continuum model with random mechanical properties. On the contrary, the particle‐pair distance and the micro‐scale stiffness parameters, which are the parameters of the boundary value problem formulated for the equivalent continuum model, are modeled as random variables. Finally, uncertainties propagation is discussed and statistical fluctuations of the macro mechanical response are found to be significant.
On higher-spin $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 supercurrent multiplets
Authors: Kuzenko Sergei M. , Raptakis Emmanouil S. N.
Published: May 2023

Abstract

We elaborate on the structure of higher-spin $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 supercurrent multiplets in four dimensions. It is shown that associated with every conformal supercurrent $$ {J}_{\alpha (m)\overset{\cdot }{\alpha }(n)} $$

J

α

m

α
⋅

n

(with m, n non-negative integers) is a descendant $$ {J}_{\alpha \left(m+1\right)\overset{\cdot }{\alpha}\left(n+1\right)}^{ij} $$

J

α

m
+
1

α
⋅

n
+
1

ij

with the following properties: (a) it is a linear multiplet with respect to its SU(2) indices, that is $$ {D}_{\beta}^{\Big(i}{J}_{\alpha \left(m+1\right)\overset{\cdot }{\alpha}\left(n+1\right)}^{jk\Big)}=0 $$

D
β

(
i

J

α

m
+
1

α
⋅

n
+
1

jk
)

=
0
and $$ {\overline{D}}_{\dot{\beta}}^{\Big(i}{J}_{\alpha \left(m+1\right)\overset{\cdot }{\alpha}\left(n+1\right)}^{jk\Big)}=0 $$

D
¯

β
̇

(
i

J

α

m
+
1

α
⋅

n
+
1

jk
)

=
0
; and (b) it is conserved, $$ {\partial}^{\beta \overset{\cdot }{\beta }}{J}_{\beta \alpha (m)\overset{\cdot }{\beta}\overset{\cdot }{\alpha }(n)}^{ij}=0 $$

∂

β

β
⋅

J

βα

m

β
⋅

α
⋅

n

ij

=
0
. Realisations of the conformal supercurrents $$ {J}_{\alpha (s)\overset{\cdot }{\alpha }(s)} $$

J

α

s

α
⋅

s

, with s = 0, 1, …, are naturally provided by a massless hypermultiplet and a vector multiplet. It turns out that such supercurrents and their linear descendants $$ {J}_{\alpha \left(s+1\right)\overset{\cdot }{\alpha}\left(s+1\right)}^{ij} $$

J

α

s
+
1

α
⋅

s
+
1

ij

do not occur in the harmonic-superspace framework recently described by Buchbinder, Ivanov and Zaigraev. Making use of a massive hypermultiplet, we derive non-conformal higher-spin $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 supercurrent multiplets. Additionally, we derive the higher symmetries of the kinetic operators for both a massive and massless hypermultiplet. Building on this analysis, we sketch the construction of higher-derivative gauge transformations for the off-shell arctic multiplet Υ(1), which are expected to be vital in the framework of consistent interactions between Υ(1) and superconformal higher-spin gauge multiplets.
Massive theta lifts
Authors: Berg Marcus , Persson Daniel
Published: May 2023

Abstract

We use Poincaré series for massive Maass-Jacobi forms to define a “massive theta lift”, and apply it to the examples of the constant function and the modular invariant j-function, with the Siegel-Narain theta function as integration kernel. These theta integrals are deformations of known one-loop string threshold corrections. Our massive theta lifts fall off exponentially, so some Rankin-Selberg integrals are finite without Zagier renormalization.
Dilaton at the LHC: complementary probe of composite Higgs
Authors: Bruggisser Sebastian , von Harling Benedict , Matsedonskyi Oleksii , Servant Géraldine
Published: May 2023

Abstract

The dilaton is predicted in various extensions of the standard model containing sectors with an approximate spontaneously-broken conformal invariance. As a Goldstone boson of a spontaneously broken symmetry, the dilaton can naturally be one of the lightest new physics particles, and therefore may be the first new physics imprint observed in collider experiments. In particular, it can arise in composite Higgs models which are often assumed to have approximate conformal invariance in the UV. The dilaton is then a composite state, generated by the same sector that produces the Higgs. We continue the exploration of composite dilaton signatures at the LHC, using the latest experimental data and analysing the future detection prospects. We elaborate on the connection of the dilaton properties with the properties of the Higgs potential, clarifying in particular the relation between the scale relevant for electroweak fine tuning and the scale controlling the dilaton couplings. This relation is then used to derive the experimental sensitivity to the dilaton in natural composite Higgs scenarios, which reaches ~ 3 TeV in dilaton mass for generic parameter choices. At the same time, we show that dilaton searches are a complementary direction to probe Higgs boson compositeness, with the sensitivity comparable or exceeding that of Higgs coupling measurements.
Hamming Sandwiches
Authors: Eberhard Sean
Published: May 2023

We describe primitive association schemes $${\mathfrak {X}}$$
X
of degree n such that $$\textrm{Aut}({\mathfrak {X}})$$

Aut
(
X
)

is imprimitive and $$|\textrm{Aut}({\mathfrak {X}})| \ge \exp (n^{1/8})$$

|
Aut

(
X
)

|

≥
exp

(

n

1
/
8

)

, contradicting a conjecture of Babai. This and other examples we give are the first known examples of nonschurian primitive coherent configurations (PCC) with more than a quasipolynomial number of automorphisms. Our constructions are “Hamming sandwiches”, association schemes sandwiched between the dth tensor power of the trivial scheme and the d-dimensional Hamming scheme. We study Hamming sandwiches in general, and exhaustively for $$d \le 8$$

d
≤
8

. We revise Babai’s conjecture by suggesting that any PCC with more than a quasipolynomial number of automorphisms must be an association scheme sandwiched between a tensor power of a Johnson scheme and the corresponding full Cameron scheme. If true, it follows that any nonschurian PCC has at most $$\exp O(n^{1/8} \log n)$$

exp
O
(

n

1
/
8

log
n
)

automorphisms.
Student mistakes and teacher reactions in bedside teaching
Authors: Rubisch Hannah P. K. , Blaschke Anna-Lena , Berberat Pascal O. , Fuetterer Cornelia S. , Haller Bernhard , Gartmeier Martin
Published: May 2023

We analyse interactions between teachers and students during video-recorded bedside teaching sessions in internal medicine, orthopaedics and neurology. Multiple raters used a high-inference categorical scheme on 36 sessions. Our research questions concern the types of student mistakes, clinical teachers’ reactions to them and if they use different strategies to address different types of mistakes. We used a Poisson model and generalized mixed models to analyse these research questions. Most frequently, students made reproduction mistakes. Relatively high rates of rejection and a similar prevalence of low and high levels of elaboration and correction time for students were observed. Reproduction mistakes were associated with the highest level of rejection and the lowest level of elaboration. High levels of elaboration were observed when students were applying skills in new situations. Students were most often allowed time to correct when mistakes in the areas of analysis or application of skills and knowledge had occurred. There is a decrease in the rate of making mistakes for neurology and orthopaedics compared to internal medicine. Reproduction mistakes influence significantly the outcome feedback compared to application mistakes. Analytic and reproduction mistakes influence elaboration significantly compared to application mistakes. We found a significant effect whether the lecturer allows time for correction of reproduction mistakes compared to application mistakes. These results contribute to the understanding of interactive, patient-centred clinical teaching as well as student mistakes and how teachers are reacting to them. Our descriptive findings provide an empirical basis for clinical teachers to react to student mistakes in didactically fruitful ways.
A comparison between TOPSIS and SAW methods
Authors: Ciardiello Francesco , Genovese Andrea
Published: May 2023

The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) are among the most employed approaches for aggregating performances in Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM). TOPSIS and SAW are two MCDM methods based on the value function approach and are often used in combination with other MCDM methods in order to produce rankings of alternatives. In this paper, first, we analyse some common features of these two MCDM methods with a specific reference to the additive properties of the value function and to the sensitivity of the value function to trade-off weights. Based on such methodological insights, an experimental comparison of the results provided by these two aggregation methods across a computational test is performed. Specifically, similarities in rankings of alternatives produced by TOPSIS and SAW are evaluated under three different Minkowski distances (namely, the Euclidean, Manhattan and Tchebichev ones). Similarities are measured trough a set of statistical indices. Results show that TOPSIS, when used in combination with a Manhattan distance, produces rankings which are extremely similar to the ones resulting from SAW. Similarities are also Experimental results confirm that rankings produced by TOPSIS methods are closer to SAW ones when similar formal properties are satisfied.
Barriers and facilitators to effective cervical cancer screening in Belize: a qualitative analysis
Authors: Mittal Avni , Neibart Shane S. , Kulkarni Abha , Anderson Taylor , Hudson Shawna V. , Beer Natalia Largaespada , Einstein Mark H. , Kohler Racquel E.
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Belize has among the highest cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates of Latin American and Caribbean countries. This study evaluates the perspectives of key stakeholders for cervical cancer screening in Belize and identifies the barriers and facilitators for providing equitable access to prevention services.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews discussing cervical cancer screening were conducted with key stakeholders across the six districts of Belize in 2018. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically; themes were organized by levels of the social-ecological model.

Results

We conducted 47 interviews with health care providers (45%), administrators (17%), government officials (25%), and other stakeholders (13%). Majority (78%) of interviews were from the public sector. Perceived barriers to cervical cancer screening were identified across multiple levels: (1) Individual Patient: potential delays in Pap smear results and fear of a cancer diagnosis; (2) Provider: competing clinician responsibilities; (3) Organizational: insufficient space and training; (4) Community: reduced accessibility in rural areas; and (5) Policy: equipment and staffing budget limitations. The main facilitators we identified included the following: (1) at the Community level: resource-sharing between public and private sectors and dedicated rural outreach personnel; (2) at the Policy level: free public screening services and the establishment of population-based screening.

Conclusion

Despite free, publicly available cervical cancer screening in Belize, complex barriers affect access and completion of management when abnormal screening tests are identified. Provider workload, education outreach, and additional funding for training and facilities are potential areas for strengthening this program and increasing detection and management for cervical cancer control.
Strong decreases in genetic diversity despite high gene flow for a solitary bee
Authors: Suni Sevan , Hernandez Melissa
Published: May 2023

Many organisms live in landscapes that include fragments of natural habitat interspersed with agricultural or urban areas. In such areas, dispersal across human-dominated landscapes may be important for the maintenance of genetic diversity within habitat fragments. Understanding the extent to which dispersal occurs across fragmented habitat and how genetic diversity changes over time is particularly important for bee populations. Population sizes of many bee species are declining, which can have profound negative impacts on both agricultural pollination and the fitness of wild plants. We quantified dispersal across 100 km of mixed landscapes in southern Costa Rica for the solitary bee species Euglossa championi, and we quantified changes in genetic diversity over an eleven-year period. Our SNP-based analysis revealed high dispersal across the geographic area and no evidence that deforestation restricted dispersal. However, we found strong decreases in genetic diversity over time. Expected heterozygosity decreased by 28% over eleven years, regardless of the amount of forest that surrounded sites. Our results suggest that while high dispersal over deforested landscapes may render E. championi less susceptible to land use change than species that show restricted dispersal, the strong decrease in genetic diversity within sites over time suggests this species may warrant conservation monitoring.
Out-of-the-box library support for DBMS operations on GPUs
Authors: Subramanian Harish Kumar Harihara , Gurumurthy Bala , Durand Gabriel Campero , Broneske David , Saake Gunter
Published: May 2023

GPU accelerated query execution is still ongoing research in the database community, as GPUs continue to be heterogeneous in their architectures varying their capabilities (e.g., their newest selling point: tensor cores). Hence, many researchers come up with optimal operator implementations for a specific device generation involving tedious operator tuning by hand. Alternatively, there is a growing availability of GPU libraries providing optimized operators for various applications. However, the question arises of how mature these libraries are and whether they are fit to replace handwritten operator implementations not only w.r.t. implementation effort and portability but also performance. In this paper, we investigate various general-purpose libraries that are both portable and easy to use for arbitrary GPUs to test their production readiness on the example of database operations. To this end, we develop a framework to show the support of GPU libraries for database operations that allows a user to plug-in new libraries and custom-written code. Our framework allows for easy pluggability of new libraries for query execution using a simple task model. Using this framework, we develop multiple libraries (ArrayFire, Thrust, and boost.compute) supporting many database operations. We use these libraries to experiment with different devices to see the impact of the underlying device. Based on our experiments, we see a significant diversity in terms of performance among libraries. Furthermore, one of the fundamental database primitives—hashing, and thus hash joins—is currently not supported, leaving important tuning potential unused.
The association of a combined healthy lifestyle with the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer subtypes in the Netherlands Cohort Study
Authors: van den Brandt Piet A.
Published: May 2023

The association between combined healthy lifestyle and postmenopausal breast cancer risk has been studied in various cohort studies, but only few evaluated the association with estrogen/progesterone (ER/PR) receptor subtypes of breast cancer, with inconsistent results. The relationship of a healthy lifestyle score (HLS) with risk of postmenopausal breast cancer (subtypes) was investigated in the Netherlands Cohort Study. In 1986, 62,573 women aged 55–69 years provided information on dietary and lifestyle habits. The HLS was derived from information on smoking, body mass index, physical activity, Mediterranean diet adherence, and alcohol intake. After 20.3 years of follow-up, multivariable case-cohort analyses were based on 2321 incident breast cancer cases, and 1665 subcohort members with complete data on lifestyles and confounders. The HLS showed a statistically significant inverse relationship with postmenopausal breast cancer risk, in a linear fashion. A one-point increment of the HLS was accompanied by a Hazard Ratio (HR) reduction of 20% for overall breast cancer. The associations between HLS and risk of ER/PR breast cancer subtypes were also significantly inverse, except for ER- breast cancer where the inverse association did not reach statistical significance. Per HLS-increment of one point, the HR reduction ranged from 14% for ER-breast cancer to 29% for ER + PR- breast cancer. These findings suggest that adhering to a combination of healthy modifiable lifestyle factors may substantially reduce the risk of overall postmenopausal breast cancer and its hormone receptor subtypes.
Semantic Information and the Complexity of Deduction
Authors: Panahy Salman
Published: May 2023

In the chapter “Information and Content” of their Impossible Worlds, Berto and Jago provide us with a semantic account of information in deductive reasoning such that we have an explanation for why some, but not all, logical deductions are informative. The framework Berto and Jago choose to make sense of the above-mentioned idea is a semantic interpretation of Sequent Calculus rules of inference for classical logic. I shall argue that although Berto and Jago’s idea and framework are hopeful, their definitions do not capture what is intended. This is so because the definitions are solely based on the logical complexity of an argument and they fail to capture the richness of the non-logical content of that argument. Then I will suggest some amendments to address this problem. Finally, I will extend the application of the definitions to first-order logic. It shall be observed that in some classical deductions, applying contraction may lead to hiding some epistemic impossibilities. This happens when formulae which contribute different propositions to the proof get contracted at the quantified level.
Local Ties as Self-Reported Constraints to Internal Migration in Spain
Authors: Thomassen Jonne A. K. , Palomares-Linares Isabel , Venhorst Viktor A. , Mulder Clara H.
Published: May 2023

The internal migration literature has identified various factors that deter migration and encourage staying, but has been less concerned with people’s own reports about what makes it difficult for them to migrate or makes them want to stay. We explore factors that make it difficult to change the place of residence—from here on denoted as constraints—reported in the Spanish survey on Attitudes and Expectations of Spatial Mobility in the Labour Force (N = 3892). These constraints were uniquely asked from all respondents through an open-ended question, regardless of their migration intentions. We find that many self-reported constraints correspond to factors that have previously been associated with decreased migration propensities. In order of frequency, respondents reported ties to family and friends, ties to their residential environment, financial limitations, and ties to work as constraints to migration. Our results further show that the likelihood of mentioning ties to family and friends as constraints decreased with age, was higher for women than for men and for people who lived close to most of their social network than for those who did not. Mentioning ties to the residential environment as constraints was positively associated with being partnered, and also with living in one’s birthplace. People who were unemployed were less likely to mention ties to work and were more likely to report financial limitations as constraints than people who had a permanent contract—whereas being self-employed was positively associated with mentioning ties to the residential environment.
Does Market Performance (Tobin’s Q) Have A Negative Effect On Credit Ratings? Evidence From South Korea
Authors: Lim Hyoung-Joo , Mali Dafydd
Published: May 2023

Tobin’s Q is an established measure of firm performance, based on investor confidence. However, the association between Tobin’s Q and credit ratings is not well-established in the literature. Using a sample of Korean listed firms over the 2001–2016 sample period, Probit regression analysis shows that overall, Tobin’s Q is positively associated with credit ratings. However, for firms with a > 1 (1 <) Tobin’s Q ratio, a negative (positive) relationship exists. Moreover, in independent regressions, a threshold level if found where the effect of Tobin’s Q on credit ratings changes from being positive (0.2), to negative (0.3). To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to demonstrate that credit rating agencies are nuanced when making default risk assessments. Specifically, that in South Korea, a threshold level exists, at which increasing Tobin’s Q values reduce credit ratings. Empirical evidence of the different association between Tobin’s Q (market confidence) and credit ratings can extend the literature and offer insights to market participants. Furthermore, because Tobin’s Q is a commonly used proxy for financial performance in accounting lectures, the study has practical implications for academics in classrooms.
A Society Can Always Decide How to Decide: A Proof
Authors: Suzuki Takahiro , Horita Masahide
Published: May 2023

Infinite regress lies within every democratic procedural choice. If society members try to select an appropriate rule [social choice correspondence (SCC)] entirely endogenously, they will need an appropriate rule to choose such a rule. However, this should also be selected by an appropriate rule to choose a rule to choose a rule, and so on. This paper explores how to solve this infinite regress. A preference profile over the set of alternatives is said to converge if, at a sufficiently high level, every feasible SCC in the menu ultimately results in the same alternative, and hence, further regress has no effective meaning. A menu is said to be convergent if all preference profiles converge under the menu (i.e., infinite regress can “always” be resolved). First, we characterize the convergent menus under a special case. Then, we prove two general possibility theorems: (1) there exists a menu of SCCs that is strongly convergent (i.e., the outcome is uniquely determined); (2) any set of scoring rules can be extended to a superset that is asymptotically convergent for a large society (i.e., the probability of a convergent profile occurring goes to one as the population goes to infinity). Therefore, such a large society can “almost always” resolve the infinite regress by adding multiple SCCs. These theorems are expected to build new ground for SCCs in a distinct way from the axiomatic characterizations of standard social choice theory.
Structural, magnetic, and optical properties of ZnFe2O4/RO (RO = CdO, NiO, Ga2O3, SnO2, and TiO2) nanocomposites
Authors: Roumaih Kh. , Ismail S. M. , Labib Sh. , Helal Ahmed
Published: May 2023

The sol–gel method is used to prepare the nanocomposites ZF/RO (ZF = ZnFe2O4, RO = CdO, NiO, Ga2O3, SnO2, and TiO2). The XRD showed that the ZF/RO nanocomposite' crystal structure contained many phases, and the lattice properties and crystal size of the ZF were affected by the presence of the RO traces. All samples have surfaces that resemble nanoflakes that vary in size based on the SEM pictures; however, the ZF/Cd sample has a nanotube microstructure. ESR and VSM were measured at room temperature and showed ferrimagnetic behavior for all samples. The optical properties showed the band gaps for ZF, ZF/Cd, ZF/Ga, ZF/Ni, ZF/Sn, and ZF/Ti nanocomposites were 1.773, 1.789, 1.786, 1.763, 1.822, and 1.835 eV, respectively. The spectral PL intensity of ZF/Sn, ZF/Cd, and ZF/Ti nanocomposites is partially low compared to the spectrum for the ZF, and vice versa for ZF/Ni and ZF/Ga, which show an increase in the recombination for e−/h+. ZF/RO nanocomposites' practical sunlight consumption ability and recombination of photoinduced charge carriers account for their photocatalytic efficacy. This study is part of a research project investigating the relationship between two compounds with different structures and properties.
Behaviour and stability of thermodilution signals in a closed extracorporeal circuit: a bench study
Authors: Stanger Elia J. , Berger David C. , Jenni Hansjörg , Bachmann Kaspar F.
Published: May 2023

Thermodilution is the gold standard for cardiac output measurement in critically ill patients. Its application in extracorporeal therapy is limited, as a portion of the thermal indicator is drawn into the extracorporeal circuit. The behaviour of thermodilution signals in extracorporeal circuits is unknown. We investigated thermodilution curves within a closed-circuit and assessed the impact of injection volume, flow and distance on the behaviour of the thermodilution signals and catheter constants. We injected 3, 5, 7 and 10 ml of thermal indicator into a heated closed circuit. Thermistors at distances of 40, 60, 80, and 100 cm from the injection port recorded the thermodilution signals (at flow settings of 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 L/min). Area under the curve (AUC), rise time, exponential decay and catheter constants were analysed. Linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate the impact of circuit flow, distance and injection volume. Catheter positioning did not influence AUC (78 injections). Catheter constants were independent of flow, injection volume or distance to the injection port. The distance to the injection port increased peak temperature and rise time and decreased exponential time constant significantly. The distance to the injection port did not influence catheter constants, but the properties of the thermodilution signal itself. This may influence measurements that depend on the exponential decay of the thermodilution signal such as right ventricular ejection fraction.
Physical Violence and Scapegoating Within the Family: An Exploration of Biblical Texts and Contemporary Psychology
Authors: Poljak Lukek Saša , Pate Tanja , Gostečnik Christian
Published: May 2023

To understand physical violence in the family, it is important to define the role of the victim. The term “scapegoat” is a universal anthropological concept, often used in sociological theories, where a certain group of people and/or minorities are often victimized or blamed (e.g., social ills). We may note that the phenomenon of scapegoating is most clearly expressed in the Bible. Therefore, we will use relevant biblical texts that refer to parental use of corporal punishment in which a child is scapegoated and/or victimized by parental violence. In this sense, the Bible is the most profound explanation and manifestation of the cultural, social, and especially religious development of humanity. At the same time, the concept of scapegoating is also demonstrated in psychology and therapy, where it also serves as a basis for understanding, for example, physical violence in the family, and where it is also crucial to define the role of the victim. In this article, therefore, we will explain the biblical background of this concept and highlight two basic dynamics of violence against children in the family: when the child is the “scapegoat” for unresolved tensions in the family and when the child becomes the “sacrifice” or victim of the dysregulated emotional response of his or her parents.
On some properties of Lévy vectors and their variations
Authors: Klinga Paweł , Nowik Andrzej
Published: May 2023

We investigate some properties of Lévy vectors of vector series Σn∈ω vn. We consider a generalization of an example from [P. Klinga, Rearranging series of vectors on a small set, J. Math. Anal. Appl., 424(2):966–974, 2015] proving that for a special class of vector series, there exists a subseries that has no convergent subseries with the sum range equal to the plane. To prove this result, we introduce a useful notion of a Lévy supervector and prove some of its properties.
Audio SIMO system based on visible light communication using cavity LEDs
Authors: Eltokhy Mostafa A. R. , Abdel-Hady Mohamed , Haggag Ayman , El-Bendary Mohsen A. M. , Ali Hisham , Hosny Tarek
Published: May 2023

The necessity for access to a high data rate has been the motivation behind expanding new technologies. The increasing of wireless devices has caused the radio wave spectrum to become congested. Additionally, radio waves cannot be used in EMI-vulnerable places. Hence, the interest in visible light communication (VLC) offers real alternatives to radio-based communications. This paper focuses on the use of visible light as a data communication medium and introduces a designed audio SIMO (Single-Input-Multi-Output) data transmission system from point to multipoint to demonstrate the functionality of the VLC system in audio transmission through modulated LEDs light. The system is made up of the transmitting unit and multi-receiving units. The transmitting unit consists of three stages: audio in, preamplifier, and white LEDs array that transmits the data using the ON-OFF keying (OOK) modulation technique to all receivers. On the other hand, the receiving unit consists of three receivers that have different photodetectors aspects with fixed distances separation between them. The line of sight (LOS) communication between transmitter and receivers for the purpose to transfer audio data has been employed. Based on the LOS link, simulation and experimental analysis have been done in multiple semi-angles for studying the output performance of receivers and the characteristics of the white LEDs such as luminous intensity and received power at 20,45 and 70 semi-angle at half-power through MATLAB® software.
Mapping subsurface defects and surface deformation along the artificial levee of the Lower Tisza River, Hungary
Authors: Sheishah Diaa , Kiss Tímea , Borza Tibor , Fiala Károly , Kozák Péter , Abdelsamei Enas , Tóth Csaba , Grenerczy Gyula , Páll Dávid Gergely , Sipos György
Published: May 2023

Artificial levees along alluvial rivers are major components of flood-risk mitigation. This is especially true in the case of Hungary, where more than one-third of the country is threatened by floods and protected by an over 4200-km-long levee system. Most of such levees were built in the nineteenth century. Since then, several natural and anthropogenic processes, such as compaction and erosion, might have contributed to these earth structures' slow but steady deformation. Meanwhile, as relevant construction works were scarcely documented, the structure and composition of artificial levees are not well known. Therefore, the present analysis mapped structural differences, possible compositional deficiencies, and sections where elevation decrease is significant along a 40-km section of the Lower Tisza River. Investigations were conducted using real-time kinematic GPS and ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Onsite data acquisition was complemented with an analysis using a Persistent Scatterer Synthetic Aperture Radar to assess general surface deformation. GPR profiles showed several anomalies, including structural and compositional discontinuities and local features. The GPR penetration depth varied between 3 and 4 m. According to height measurements, the mean elevation of the levee crown decreased by 8 cm in 40 years. However, the elevation decrease reached up to 30 cm at some locations. Sections affected by structural anomalies, compositional changes, and increased surface subsidence are especially sensitive to floods when measurement results are compared with flood phenomena archives.