bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A circumpolar review of the breeding distribution and habitat use of the snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea), the world’s most southerly breeding vertebrate
Authors: Francis Josie , Wakefield Ewan , Jamieson Stewart S. R. , Phillips Richard A. , Hodgson Dominic A. , Southwell Colin , Emmerson Louise , Fretwell Peter , Bentley Michael J. , McClymont Erin L.
Published: December 2024

Knowledge of the spatial distribution of many polar seabird species is incomplete due to the remoteness of their breeding locations. Here, we compiled a new database of published and unpublished records of all known snow petrel Pagodroma nivea breeding sites. We quantified local environmental conditions at sites by appending indices of climate and substrate, and regional-scale conditions by appending 30 year mean (1992–2021) sea-ice conditions within accessible foraging areas. Breeding snow petrels are reported at 456 sites across Antarctica and subantarctic islands. Although many counts are old or have large margins of error, population estimates available for 222 known sites totalled a minimum of ~ 77400 breeding pairs. However with so many missing data, the true breeding population will be much higher. Most sites are close to the coast (median = 1.15 km) and research stations (median = 26 km). Median distance to the November sea-ice edge (breeding season sea-ice maximum) is 430 km. Locally, most nests occur in cavities in high-grade metamorphic rocks. Minimum air temperatures occur at inland sites, and maxima at their northern breeding limit. Breeding location and cavity selection is likely determined by availability of suitable breeding substrate within sustainable distance of suitable foraging habitat. Within this range, nest sites may then be selected based on local conditions such as cavity size and aspect. Our database will allow formal analyses of habitat selection and provides a baseline against which to monitor future snow petrel distribution changes in response to climate change.
Analysis of systemic serum vancomycin levels following intraarticular application in primary total joint arthroplasty
Authors: R Stauss , P Savov , GH Seeber , S Brand , M Ettinger , JA Beheshty
Published: December 2024

Introduction

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a serious complication following primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA). PJI accounts for 15–25% of revision surgeries, therefore it is associated with PJI is associated with substantial patient morbidity and mortality as well as increased healthcare expenditures due to complex treatment strategies.

Recently, intraoperative local application of vancomycin powder is increasingly being used in primary total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA, TKA) as an additive strategy for PJI prevention. Whereas local vancomycin concentrations have already been investigated in prior studies, evidence on systemic vancomycin levels and potential adverse drug reactions (ADR) is limited. Purpose of this study was to investigate systemic vancomycin levels following intraarticular application in primary TJA.

Materials and methods

This pilot study is a prospective analysis of patients undergoing primary THA and TKA between April and July 2023. One gram of vancomycin powder was applied to the prosthesis prior to wound closure. Serum vancomycin levels were measured at two standardised time points, 24 and 48 h postoperatively.

Results

In total, 103 patients were included, and the patient collective was further stratified by surgical procedure into a THA subgroup (n = 52) and a TKA subgroup (n = 51). Mean serum vancomycin levels showed a significant group difference at both time points (24 h: p < 0.001; 48 h: p = 0.044) with higher serum vancomycin concentrations in the THA cohort. Mean serum vancomycin levels in THA patients were 1.25 μg/ml (range 0.00–7.00 μg/ml) after 24 h and 0.34 μg/ml (range 0.00–4.80 μg/ml) 48 h postoperatively. In TKA, no systemic vancomycin levels were detected. Vancomycin concentrations did not reach therapeutic levels in any patient. No ADR was detected in the whole study collective.

Conclusion

Following intraarticular administration of vancomycin powder, no systemic vancomycin levels within the therapeutic range were detected, thus it may serve as a safe and cost-effective adjunct to strategies for prevention of PJI.
Pollen specialist bee species are accurately predicted from visitation, occurrence and phylogenetic data
Authors: Smith Colleen , Bachelder Nick , Russell Avery L. , Morales Vanessa , Mosher Abilene R. , Seltmann Katja C.
Published: December 2024

An animal’s diet breadth is a central aspect of its life history, yet the factors determining why some species have narrow dietary breadths (specialists) and others have broad dietary breadths (generalists) remain poorly understood. This challenge is pronounced in herbivorous insects due to incomplete host plant data across many taxa and regions. Here, we develop and validate machine learning models to predict pollen diet breadth in bees, using a bee phylogeny and occurrence data for 682 bee species native to the United States, aiming to better understand key drivers. We found that pollen specialist bees made an average of 72.9% of their visits to host plants and could be predicted with high accuracy (mean 94%). Our models predicted generalist bee species, which made up a minority of the species in our dataset, with lower accuracy (mean 70%). The models tested on spatially and phylogenetically blocked data revealed that the most informative predictors of diet breadth are plant phylogenetic diversity, bee species’ geographic range, and regional abundance. Our findings also confirm that range size is predictive of diet breadth and that both male and female specialist bees mostly visit their host plants. Overall, our results suggest we can use visitation data to predict specialist bee species in regions and for taxonomic groups where diet breadth is unknown, though predicting generalists may be more challenging. These methods can thus enhance our understanding of plant-pollinator interactions, leading to improved conservation outcomes and a better understanding of the pollination services bees provide.
Review of atypical optic neuritis
Authors: Žorić Lepša , Čolak Emina
Published: December 2024

Optic neuritis (ON), an inflammatory optic neuropathy, is among the most common causes of visual loss. In its initial clinical appearance, ON may have unilateral or bilateral presentation, and anterior (papillitis) or retrobulbar localization. Traditionally, cases are divided into typical and atypical ON. In the Western hemisphere, most typical cases of optic nerve inflammation are associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, ON may also be associated with a series of disorders of known or initially undetected origin. Atypical ON has a somewhat different clinical picture from typical ON, and encompasses neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease (NMOSD), myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), idiopathic recurrent neuroretinitis (NR), chronic relapsing inflammatory ON (CRION), ON within systemic autoimmune diseases, paraneoplastic and neuritis during or after infectious diseases or vaccination. The causes should be meticulously worked up, to address the therapeutic and prognostic challenges posed by these conditions. Here, we provide a brief overview of atypical ON, as encountered in our clinical practice, and additionally discuss the possible occurrence of optic neuropathies other than inflammatory and other ocular diseases within these disorders.
Ablative radiofrequency microplasma for lateral dermatochalasis-indications and treatment recommendations
Authors: Nemet Arie Y. , Solomon-Cohen Efrat , Aronovich Anna , Nemet Malachy , Hilewitz Daniel , Nemet Achia , Baruch Kaplan , Akerman Lehavit
Published: December 2024

To determine in which cases ablative radiofrequency microplasma is preferred for the treatment of lateral dermatochalasis over a surgical approach as well as discussing each method's benefits and limitations. Twenty-one patients underwent 3 interventions of plasma exeresis. Photographic and RCM images were acquired at baseline and 4 weeks after final plasma exeresis. The eyes were categorized into 3 groups based on the dermatochalasis severity (1- mild, 2- moderate, 3- severe). Additionally, a further division was conducted to assess the degree of enhancement observed after the treatment (1- slight improvement, 2- moderate improvement, 3- significant improvement). The classifications and assessments were performed by was graded by two trained dermatologists as blinded observers. A total of 21 eyes with a mean age of 54 years (range45-67 years) and 100% females were included in this study. The severity of dermatochalasis directly affects the clinical improvement (P=0.039) and the higher the severity, the more the improvement (R = -0.62). Noninvasive ablative microplasma may offer safe and effective therapy for upper eyelid dermatochalasis and can even be performed in patients at surgical risk. However, it may be suitable for grades 0 and 1 of DC. For more advanced grades a surgical solution achieves better results for the treatment of dermatochalasis of the upper eyelid.
Emotions shape attitudes towards wolf conservation management in the Italian Alps
Authors: Trebo Sarah , Cary E. , Wartmann F. M.
Published: December 2024

Across Europe, wolves are recolonizing former habitats, but frictions between wolves and people remain a challenge. Better understanding of attitudes towards existing management practices is essential to devise wolf management that better considers societal aspects. In this study, we focus on a case study in the Italian Alps, where we conducted a quantitative survey to investigate attitudes towards wolf management. We used multiple regression analysis to determine which factors such as emotions and knowledge or belonging to a particular stakeholder group explained variations in attitudes towards wolf management. We found that almost half of our respondents felt scared about the presence of wolves, and that people who had less factually correct knowledge about wolves were more afraid than people who had better factual knowledge. Farmers reported significantly higher ratings of anger, fear, and frustration than the general population. We found that anger and fascination were significant predictors for attitudes towards management, but that fear, factual knowledge, education level and connectedness to nature were not. Our findings support further stakeholder engagement to take seriously and address the range of emotions of stakeholders that impact public support for wolf management and co-existence in the cultural landscapes of the Italian Alps.
SBAS DInSAR and in situ monitoring of the Šumljak landslide (SW Slovenia) dynamics driven by rainfall and piezometric-level fluctuation
Authors: Debevec Jordanova Galena , Popović Zdenka , Yastika Putu Edi , Shimizu Norikazu , Oštir Krištof , Verbovšek Timotej
Published: December 2024

This paper presents the first attempt at establishing the dynamics of the Šumljak debris slide by using a multidisciplinary approach, including long-term inclinometer and piezometer measurements and a time-series analysis of SAR images for displacement vector estimation. The Šumljak landslide is located in the Rebrnice area, SW Slovenia, where the regional highway Razdrto-Nova Gorica runs through and poses a threat to the highway viaduct’s stability. By combining both ascending and descending Sentinel-1 data, we have estimated 3D displacement vectors for the landslide, providing insights into the usability of the technique for this kind of slow-moving landslides. Furthermore, we have combined and compared the SBAS DInSAR results to the displacements measured by inclinometer to evaluate the rate of displacement of the landslide and the viaduct. The inclinometer measurement results show that the landslide has a single sliding plane between the flysch colluvium and the slope deposits and provide the proof of the enlargement of the sliding area above its main scarp. The displacement vectors are spatially heterogenous, suggesting that different sites have different velocities and slightly different directional vectors. These results partly comply with the InSAR results. We further discussed the estimated vectors of displacement and the possible mechanism of movements. By using the piezometric data, we studied the groundwater level fluctuation in relation to daily rainfall and its influence on the displacements. Our findings show a correlation between the movements and the wet/dry season, indicating that the landslide is driven by rainfall and consequently groundwater level fluctuation. In 2020, the groundwater level rise was smaller than in the years before due to less rainfall, resulting in lower velocity of the landslide (5.5 mm/year) than in 2019 (7 mm/year).
Depressive Symptoms and HIV Viral Suppression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Huang Bishan , Younger Alitasha , Gallant Mary P. , O’Grady Thomas J.
Published: December 2024

Previous research suggests that depression impacts HIV outcomes, including viral suppression. This meta-analysis quantifies the association between depression and HIV viral suppression. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, and OVID to identify studies published through 2012 to 2022. The software Rayyan was used to evaluate eligibility of studies, and the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines were used for abstracting data. A random effects meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4.1. Of the 1911 articles screened, 16 studies were included covering 80,103 participants. The results showed individuals without depression were more likely to achieve HIV viral suppression or undetectable viral load compared to individuals with depression (OR 1.30; 95%CI 1.15, 1.48; I2 = 76%). Subgroup analysis indicated this effect was significant among the general population of people living with HIV (n = 75,353; OR 1.32; 95%CI 1.12, 1.55; I2 = 85%) and cisgender women living with HIV (n = 4553; OR 1.28; 95%CI 1.09, 1.50; I2 = 16%), but not among cisgender men living with HIV (most identified as men who have sex with men) (n = 197; OR 2.13; 95%CI 0.43, 10.61; I2 = 83%). This meta-analysis shows a significant positive association between the absence of depression and achieving HIV viral suppression overall and among the subgroup of cisgender women. Public health interventions for people living with HIV should include strategies to identify and address the depressive symptoms that impact adherence to treatment, increase the risk of psycho-behavioral co-morbidities, and exacerbate social or structural factors impeding viral suppression.
Least angle sparse principal component analysis for ultrahigh dimensional data
Authors: Xie Yifan , Wang Tianhui , Kim Junyoung , Lee Kyungsik , Jeong Myong K.
Published: December 2024

Principal component analysis (PCA) has been a widely used technique for dimension reduction while retaining essential information. However, the ordinary PCA lacks interpretability, especially when dealing with large scale data. To address this limitation, sparse PCA (SPCA) has emerged as an interpretable variant of ordinary PCA. However, the ordinary SPCA relies on solving a challenging non-convex discrete optimization problem, which maximizes explained variance while constraining the number of non-zero elements in each principal component. In this paper, we propose an innovative least angle SPCA technique to address the computational complexity associated with SPCA, particularly in ultrahigh dimensional data, by sequentially identifying sparse principal components with minimal angles to their corresponding components extracted through ordinary PCA. This sequential identification enables solving the optimization problem in polynomial time, significantly reducing computational challenges. Despite its efficiency gains, our proposed method also preserves the main attributes of SPCA. Through comprehensive experimental results, we demonstrate advantages of our approach as a viable alternative for dealing with the computational difficulties inherent in ordinary SPCA. Notably, our method emerges as an efficient and effective solution for conducting ultrahigh dimensional data analysis, enabling researchers to extract meaningful insights and streamline data interpretation.
Detection of Energetic Low Dimensional Subspaces in Spatio-Temporal Space in Turbulent Pipe Flow
Authors: Shahirpour Amir , Egbers Christoph , Sesterhenn Jörn
Published: December 2024

Low dimensional subspaces are extracted out of highly complex turbulent pipe flow at $$Re_{\tau }=181$$

R

e
τ

=
181

using a Characteristic Dynamic Mode Decomposition (CDMD). Having lower degrees of freedom, the subspaces provide a more clear basis to detect events which meet our understanding of large-scale coherent structures. To this end, a temporal sequence of state vectors from direct numerical simulations are rotated in space-time such that persistent dynamical modes on a hyper-surface are found travelling along its normal in space-time, which serves as the new time-like coordinate. The main flow features are captured with a minimal number of modes on a moving frame of reference whose velocity matches that of the most energetic scale. Reconstruction of the candidate modes in physical space gives the low rank model of the flow. The structures living in this subspace have long lifetimes, posses wide range of length-scales and travel at group velocities close to that of the moving frame of reference. The modes within this subspace are highly aligned, but are separated from the remaining modes by larger angles. We are able to capture the essential features of the flow like the spectral energy distribution and Reynolds stresses with a subspace consisting of about 10 modes. The remaining modes are collected in two further subspaces, which distinguish themselves by their axial length scale and degree of isotropy.
Mapping potential environmental impacts of alien species in the face of climate change
Authors: Kumschick Sabrina , Journiac Lysandre , Boulesnane-Genguant Océane , Botella Christophe , Pouteau Robin , Rouget Mathieu
Published: December 2024

Risk maps are a useful tool to prioritise sites for management and allocate resources where they are most needed as they can show us where impacts of biological invasions are most likely to happen or expected to be largest. Given the pace of global changes, we need to understand not only the risks under current conditions, but future risks taking these changes into account. In this study, we use Australian acacias alien to South Africa as a case study to model their potential distribution under future climate change to map their potential impacts at the middle and end of the century and the uncertainty related to three socio-economic pathways and five climatic models. The resulting risk maps across South Africa are a pioneering attempt to combine impacts of alien species with potential future distributions. We found that although climatic suitability and therefore the risk is predicted to decrease under climate change in 51,4% of the country’s area, the opposite is predicted for 26% of the area and the highly vulnerable fynbos biome remains an area with high projected impacts. Such risk maps can help us prioritise management actions and aid the development of suitable plans to protect biodiversity under current and future climate conditions. However, they have to be interpreted with caution and we highlight some shortcomings around species distribution models in general, vulnerability of ecosystems to the potential impacts, data gaps on impacts, as well as currently benign or unknown invaders, which are not included in the projections.
Heterogeneous conservation corridors of remnant vegetation protect biodiversity in South African timber mosaics
Authors: Samways Michael J. , Gaigher René , Deacon Charl , Pryke James S.
Published: December 2024

It is urgent now to place greater emphasis on harmonising conservation of indigenous biodiversity with food and fibre production. This is especially important in countries like South Africa which support high levels of irreplaceable biodiversity. The local timber industry has responded to this challenge by retaining large-scale networks of conservation corridors of historic ecosystems in the forestry landscape. The corridors consist mostly of grassland, with patches of indigenous forest, thickets, wetlands, ponds, and rivers. The motivation is to future proof compositional and functional biodiversity for ecological resilience in these production environments in a rapidly changing world. We synthesise here the substantial evidentiary research on the effectiveness of conservation corridors in plantation forestry-dominated landscapes in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot. We focus on six emergent themes: 1. corridor dimensions, orientation, and connectivity, 2. heterogeneity at different spatial scales, 3. maintaining aquatic and terrestrial habitat quality in the conservation corridors, 4. biodiversity value of conservation corridors relative to protected areas, 5. the plantation matrix, and 6. assessment of corridor network performance. Results show the importance of prioritising large, high quality conservation corridors, especially those with a high number of natural features and variety of environmental conditions, both terrestrial and aquatic. Alien clearing, grazing control, and appropriate fire regimes should be prioritised in these corridors. Where possible we need to retain, restore, or replicate the natural ecological regimes. Overall, this conservation approach in commercial forestry landscapes helps to conserve indigenous biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, improves connectivity across afforested landscapes while also having sustainable timber production, thereby safeguarding the resilience of these working landscapes well into the future.
A new bandit setting balancing information from state evolution and corrupted context
Authors: Galozy Alexander , Nowaczyk Sławomir , Ohlsson Mattias
Published: December 2024

We propose a new sequential decision-making setting, combining key aspects of two established online learning problems with bandit feedback. The optimal action to play at any given moment is contingent on an underlying changing state that is not directly observable by the agent. Each state is associated with a context distribution, possibly corrupted, allowing the agent to identify the state. Furthermore, states evolve in a Markovian fashion, providing useful information to estimate the current state via state history. In the proposed problem setting, we tackle the challenge of deciding on which of the two sources of information the agent should base its action selection. We present an algorithm that uses a referee to dynamically combine the policies of a contextual bandit and a multi-armed bandit. We capture the time-correlation of states through iteratively learning the action-reward transition model, allowing for efficient exploration of actions. Our setting is motivated by adaptive mobile health (mHealth) interventions. Users transition through different, time-correlated, but only partially observable internal states, determining their current needs. The side information associated with each internal state might not always be reliable, and standard approaches solely rely on the context risk of incurring high regret. Similarly, some users might exhibit weaker correlations between subsequent states, leading to approaches that solely rely on state transitions risking the same. We analyze our setting and algorithm in terms of regret lower bound and upper bounds and evaluate our method on simulated medication adherence intervention data and several real-world data sets, showing improved empirical performance compared to several popular algorithms.
Investigating the dynamics of managerial dialogue in HE merger reform
Authors: Bleiklie Ivar , Frølich Nicoline , Michelsen Svein
Published: December 2024

The paper argues that the empirical study of public policy making almost exclusively deals with structural arrangements and power relations, while giving insufficient attention to how policy entrepreneurs in government develop policy initiatives through venue selection, framing, and dialogue. Drawing on insight from theories of public policymaking and organizational decision-making, public management, and on data from a case study of higher education merger reform in Norway, the article provides a conceptual and empirical contribution by suggesting the significance of managerial dialogue — highlighting a specific combination of dialogue, power asymmetries, managerialism, and venue selection as important elements in higher education reform policymaking.
Multi-layer process control in selective laser melting: a reinforcement learning approach
Authors: Vagenas Stylianos , Al-Saadi Taha , Panoutsos George
Published: December 2024

Powder bed fusion (PBF) is an original additive manufacturing technique for creating 3D parts layer-by-layer. While there are numerous benefits to this process, the complex undergoing physical phenomena are challenging to analytically model and interpret. Hence, integrated and control-oriented 3D models are lacking in the current literature. As a result, the state of the art in process control for the powder bed fusion (PBF) process is not as advanced as in other manufacturing processes. Reinforcement learning is a machine learning, data-driven mathematical and computational framework that can be used for process control while addressing this challenge (lack of control-oriented models) effectively. Its flexible formulation and its trial-and-error nature make reinforcement learning suitable for processes where the model is intricate or even unknown. The focus of this research work is selective laser melting, which is a laser-based PBF process. For the first time in the literature we demonstrate the benefits of a reinforcement learning process control framework for multiple layers (complete 3D parts) and we highlight the importance of stability during training. The presented case studies confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control framework, directly addressing heat accumulation issues while demonstrating effective overall process control, hence opening up opportunities for further research and impact in this area.
Thermal excitation of carriers at tail states and recombination rate in hydrogenated amorphous silicon
Authors: Ogihara Chisato
Published: December 2024

Measurements of low-energy photoluminescence (PL) in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) have been performed by means of frequency-resolved spectroscopy. Temperature variation of radiative recombination rate of electron–hole pairs and thermal excitation of carriers at the tail states are discussed. The results suggest that the tail electrons do not contribute to the PL of the energy lower than 1.0 eV. Experimental results are quantitatively explained by considering a two-level system instead of the tail states.
Physical and Emotional Impacts of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse: Distinctions by Relationship Status and Offence Type
Authors: Blom Niels , Obolenskaya Polina , Phoenix Jessica , Pullerits Merili
Published: December 2024

Purpose

Intimate partner violence and abuse has a detrimental impact on victim-survivors’ health and wellbeing. However, intimate partners include a range of different relationship types, which are rarely differentiated or contrasted in research. Here, we investigate whether different types of intimate partners commit different types of violence/abuse and whether the injury and wellbeing impact on victim-survivors varies by intimate partner relationship type.

Methods

We estimate models for victim-survivors’ emotional impact and injuries using the Crime Survey for England and Wales (2001–2020). Intimate partner relationships are differentiated into four groups (current versus former partner, and spouses/partners versus boy/girlfriends). Violence and abuse are grouped into physical violence/abuse, sexual violence/abuse, threats, and economic crimes.

Results

For both men and women, offences committed by current partners are more likely to involve physical violence/abuse than offences by former partners. Ordered logit models indicate that female victim-survivors of physical violence/abuse or economic crimes experience more severe emotional impacts when the perpetrator is their current or former spouse/partner compared to a current or former boy/girlfriend. Women’s risk of injuries from physical violence and economic offences are higher when committed by current compared to former partners. Few differences are identified for men’s emotional impact and injuries.

Conclusion

The type of intimate partner relationship is associated with type of violence/abuse experienced, and for women, with the resulting emotional impact and injury. Future research and policies aimed at reducing harms from intimate partner violence and abuse and supporting victim-survivors should therefore consider distinctions in relationships to deliver more targeted interventions.
The Belgian traditional macroseismic (BTM) database of the twentieth century
Authors: Neefs Ben , Van Noten Koen , Vanneste Kris , Camelbeeck Thierry
Published: December 2024

Macroseismic intensity data have been gathered continuously in Belgium since the start of the twentieth century. In this study, we review the applied survey practices used over the previous century: from small-scale ad-hoc improvised surveys to the mass distribution of collective questionnaire versions sent to local authorities. The variety of survey methodologies causes a high degree of heterogeneity within the resulting macroseismic data, increasing the uncertainty in macroseismic applications that rely on homogeneous data. We thoroughly re-evaluated the original source material and intensity scale conversions in order to create the Belgian Traditional Macroseismic (BTM) database, a comprehensive compilation of 20th-century macroseismic data in which all sources are properly referenced. The BTM database currently consists of 23,950 intensity data points (IDPs) on the European Macroseismic Scale for 80 felt earthquakes, ranging from 2.4 to 5.8 on the local magnitude (ML) scale. Each IDP is provided with a source type and each earthquake is attributed a data quality parameter that indicates the level of uncertainty associated with its IDP source quality. The publication of the BTM database facilitates the use of Belgian macroseismic data for a variety of seismological purposes and allows us to summarize the overall seismic impact on Belgium for the duration of a century. Like in many other parts of the world, traditional procedures have practically been discontinued in Belgium in favour of an online enquiry. However, the potential for high-quality data following a traditional survey methodology is still large and we strongly recommend its continuation.
Claiming Relevance for Social Science and the Humanities: Relevance Expressions Across Methodological Divides
Authors: Hellström Tomas , Jacob Merle
Published: December 2024

This article addresses the issue of how Social Science and Humanities (SSH) researchers frame and argue relevance, where there are no explicit expectations to do so. It uses research project reports submitted to a Swedish research council, to distil and further analyze ‘relevance expressions’. These expressions illustrate some methodological differences along the lines of the long-standing distinction between nomothetic (generalization oriented) and idiographic (case /description oriented). We extracted relevance claims from a database of project abstracts and reports from the following fields: History, Linguistics, Political Science and Psychology. We interrogated these statements for possible differences with respect to how relevance is expressed. The study finds differences in the way that nomothetic and idiographic expressions imply, argue or derive support for relevance, and that these may be somewhat associated with fields, although with certain qualifications. Importantly, relevance expressions can be viewed as epistemic operations that occur in degrees of concretization, broadly or narrowly formulated, and in different levels of everyday and technical expressions. A key insight is that relevance in SSH appears to be closely associated with the way subjects relate to the empirical. This ultimately lends support for the application of the nomothetic/idiographic as a conceptual, albeit not exhaustive, analytical approach to understanding the relevance of SSH.
Stereo vision from space to track tree fall incident
Authors: Alibakhshi Sara , Valbuena Ruben , Heinlein Daniel , Häme Lauri , Pellikka Petri
Published: December 2024

Forests are essential for regulating the climate, enhancement of air quality, and the preservation of biodiversity. However, tree falls pose significant risks to infrastructure, particularly powerlines, leading to widespread blackouts and substantial damage. Traditional methods for monitoring tree fall risks, such as field surveys, are often costly, time-consuming, and lack real-time capabilities. While airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) provides precise data for monitoring tree fall risks, it still faces challenges related to frequency of data acquisition and high costs. In response to the European Space Agency's call for more cost-effective monitoring approaches, this study investigates the potential of using very high-resolution optical satellite data, specifically from Pléiades satellite imagery, for assessing tree fall risks to powerlines. Key forest structure metrics such as canopy complexity using the Rumple Index, canopy height, as well as distance to powerlines were analyzed across four study sites in Finland and Switzerland. Sites with simpler canopy structures exhibited stronger correlations between stereo and LiDAR height measurements (R2 values up to 0.64). Stereo-based measurements can overall provide acceptable accuracy (ca. 96.57%) in detecting trees compared with LiDAR data. The results demonstrated that the Rumple Index can identify areas with simpler canopy structures, where stereo-based height measurements yield high accuracy. These findings suggest the potential of hybrid approaches that integrate both stereo imagery and airborne LiDAR data, tailored to site-specific characteristics, for accurate risk assessments. This study contributes to the ongoing efforts in developing an understanding of vegetation management along powerlines, to inform decision-makers in their endeavors to identify and mitigate risks associated with tree falls.
Photodegradation of Dacarbazine Catalyzed by Vitamin B2 and Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide Under Visible-Light Irradiation
Authors: Kimura Yuka , Suga Mayuko , Nakamura Kayo , Tabata Hidetsugu , Oshitari Tetsuta , Natsugari Hideaki , Takahashi Hideyo
Published: December 2024

Purpose

Drug photodegradation is a matter of great concern because it can result in potency loss and adverse side effects. This study examines the light-induced degradation of dacarbazine catalyzed by vitamin B2 and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) under light-emitting diode (LED) or fluorescent light irradiation.

Methods

Dacarbazine was irradiated with LED (405 nm) or fluorescent light in the presence of various equivalents of vitamin B2 or FAD. The photodegradation of the drug in D2O was monitored by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Results

Dacarbazine dissolved in D2O decomposed in the presence of vitamin B2 or FAD under irradiation with LED or fluorescent light. The decomposition products were 2-azahypoxanthine 2, which has previously been observed after light irradiation in the absence of vitamin B2, and 1H-imidazole-5-carboxamide 6, a new product formed in the presence of vitamin B2. Irradiation with LED light was more effective than irradiation with fluorescent light in degrading dacarbazine.

Conclusion

Vitamin B2 and FAD induced dacarbazine photodegradation. Thus, the interfusion of vitamin B2 or FAD under excessive light exposure should be avoided during the intravenous administration of dacarbazine.

Graphical Abstract
Political philosophy of mind: inverting the concepts, expanding the niche
Authors: Tzima Sofia , Slaby Jan
Published: December 2024

This text maps out a territory for political philosophy of mind, with emphasis on habit, affect and an expanded notion of the social niche. We first survey the historical development of classic philosophy of mind towards the articulation of political philosophy of mind and discuss further influences for the field. We then outline commitments to relationality, dynamism, and emergence, to adopt a post-cognitivist view of cognition as embodied and situated, as ongoing dynamic interaction with the environment. We propose to move beyond the user/resource framework dominant in extended mind approaches and to surpass what Jesper Aagaard calls the “dogma of harmony” prevalent in 4E approaches. Moving beyond the individual subject, towards situated agents shaped by institutional procedures, social domains and subjectification practices, we highlight the role of affect and habit in processes of societal mind-shaping. We propose a critical methodology: inverting key concepts from philosophy of mind to bring out their ambivalent standing amidst oppressive and exploitative social structures, thereby expanding the purview of the socio-material niches in which cognitive and affective capacities are developed and expressed. We discuss work on habit in the enactivist and pragmatist traditions to put our method of concept inversion and niche expansion to work. The article is meant to be an introduction and invitation to join an emerging scholarly effort at the intersection of philosophy of mind, 4E cognitive science and social as well as political philosophy.
Association between cardiovascular health and perceived quality of life in ethnically diverse adults: insights from the Community of Mine study using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7
Authors: Ambeba E. J. , Sears D. D. , Benmarhnia T. , Natarajan L. , Zamora S. , Alismail S. , Tribby C. P. , Jankowska M. M.
Published: December 2024

Purpose

The association between cardiovascular health (CVH) with perceived quality of life (PQoL) and variations by sex and Hispanic ethnicity is not well understood.

Methods

This study included 583 participants (42% Hispanic, 56% female, mean age 59 years). Linear regression modeled the covariate-adjusted associations between CVH, using the combined 7 components of Life’s Simple 7 (LS7; ideal and intermediate, compared to poor), and PQoL (total and physical, social, and cognitive health domains). For individual LS7 components, we assessed effect modification by sex and Hispanic ethnicity.

Results

Compared to individuals with poor CVH, those with intermediate (β [95% CI] = 0.22 [0.09, 0.35]) and ideal (β [95% CI] = 0.22 [0.08, 0.36]) CVH had higher overall PQoL. This effect was dominated by the physical PQoL domain. Of LS7 components, ideal body mass index (BMI) (β [95% CI] = 0.17 [0.03, 0.31]) and physical activity (β [95% CI] = 0.26 [0.12, 0.40]) were associated with overall PQoL. Ideal diet (β [95% CI] = 0.32 [0.08, 0.56]) and fasting plasma glucose (β [95% CI] = 0.32 [0.06, 0.58]) were associated with the physical PQoL domain. A higher PQoL score was associated with intermediate BMI in women, and physical PQoL was associated with smoking for women. A BMI*Hispanic interaction resulted in larger associations between intermediate/ideal BMI and physical PQoL in non-Hispanics.

Conclusion

Ideal or intermediate CVH health factors and health behaviors were associated with higher PQoL. Sex and ethnicity differences suggest that perceived quality of life is associated with BMI for women and non-Hispanics.
On locally rationalizable social choice functions
Authors: Brandt Felix , Dong Chris
Published: December 2024

We consider a notion of rationalizability, where the rationalizing relation may depend on the set of feasible alternatives. More precisely, we say that a choice function is locally rationalizable if it is rationalized by a family of rationalizing relations such that a strict preference between two alternatives in some feasible set is preserved when removing other alternatives. It is known that a choice function is locally rationalizable if and only if it satisfies Sen’s $$\gamma$$
γ
. We expand the theory of local rationalizability by proposing a natural strengthening of $$\gamma$$
γ
that precisely characterizes local rationalizability via PIP-transitive relations. Local rationalizability permits a unified perspective on social choice functions that satisfy $$\gamma$$
γ
, including classic ones such as the top cycle and the uncovered set as well as new ones such as two-stage majoritarian choice and split cycle. We give simple axiomatic characterizations of some of these using local rationalizability and propose systematic procedures to define social choice functions that satisfy $$\gamma$$
γ
.
Plasma extracellular vesicles carry immune system-related peptides that predict human longevity
Authors: Zhang Xin , Ma Sisi , Naz Syeda Iffat , Soderblom Erik J. , Aliferis Constantin , Kraus Virginia Byers
Published: December 2024

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play crucial roles in aging. In this National Institutes on Aging-funded study, we sought to identify circulating extracellular vesicle (EV) biomarkers indicative of longevity. The plasma EV proteome of 48 older adults (mean age 77.2 ± 1.7 years [range 72–80]; 50% female, 50% Black, 50% < 2-year survival, 50% ≥ 10-year survival) was analyzed by high-resolution mass spectrometry and flow cytometry. The ability of EV peptides to predict longevity was evaluated in discovery (n = 32) and validation (n = 16) datasets with areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs). Longevity-associated large EV (LEV) plasma subpopulations were mainly related to immune cells (HLA-ABC+, CD9+, and CD31+) and muscle cells (MCAD+ and RyR2+). Of 7960 identified plasma EV peptides (519 proteins), 46.4% were related to the immune system and 10.1% to muscle. Compared with short-lived older adults, 756 EV peptides (131 proteins) had a higher abundance, and 130 EV peptides (78 proteins) had a lower abundance in long-lived adults. Among longevity-associated peptides, 437 (58 proteins) were immune system related, and 12 (2 proteins) were muscle related. Using just three to five plasma EV peptides (mainly complement components C2-C6), we achieved high predictive accuracy for longevity (AUC range 0.91–1 in a hold-out validation dataset). Our findings suggest that immune cells produce longevity-associated plasma EVs and elucidate fundamental mechanisms regulating aging and longevity. EV longevity predictors suggest there may be merit in targeting complement pathways to extend lifespan, for instance, with any one of the multiple complement inhibitors currently available or in clinical development.
Windowed anisotropic local inverse distance-weighted (WALID) interpolation method for riverbed mapping
Authors: Fleit Gábor
Published: December 2024

Digital elevation models (DEMs) are pivotal in river engineering and management, making their accuracy paramount. This paper introduces a novel interpolation method that addresses the challenges of data point distributions, anisotropic river topography, and meandering rivers. The windowed anisotropic local inverse distance-weighted (WALID) method is tested and compared with conventional methods through a case study. Elevation data are generated from multi-beam echosounder data to mimic conventional cross-sectional measurements, while ground truth data provides qualitative comparisons. Root-mean-square error and volumetric differences are used as criteria for validation and comparison. Sensitivity analysis of the method’s free parameters demonstrated its robustness. Notably, the proposed algorithm exhibited superior volumetric accuracy compared to other methods when considering literature recommendations for optimal transect spacing.
Changes in Healthcare Professionals’ Practice Behaviors Through an Educational Intervention Targeting Weight Bias
Authors: Velazquez Amanda , Coleman Karen J. , Kushner Robert F. , Nadglowski Joseph F. , Nece Patricia M. , Zhang Jing , Tomiyama A. Janet
Published: December 2024

Objective

Weight bias is pervasive in healthcare and leads to worse patient outcomes. A uniquely designed 4-h continuing medical education (CME) intervention was assessed for changing healthcare professionals’ (HCPs’) weight biases and clinical practice behaviors.

Design

The intervention used a (1) pre/post design examining CME attendees’ self-reported weight bias at baseline, after, and 4- and 12-month follow-up, and (2) post/post design examining obesity practice behaviors 12 months after intervention in attendees and non-attendees.

Setting

Single medical center service area within Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

Participants

All HCPs (n = 472) from the target service area were eligible to attend. Analyses were done with 218 HCPs who attended and 89 who did not.

Methods and Analysis

The intervention contained theory-based elements of changing attributions of responsibility of obesity, increasing empathy, creating self-awareness of weight bias, and creating a bias-free culture. For pre/post analyses, the primary outcome was self-reported weight bias. For comparative analyses of CME attendees and non-attendees, the outcomes were electronic medical record–confirmed rates of obesity diagnosis and referrals to evidence-based obesity treatments in the 12 months following the CME intervention.

Results

Self-reported negative obesity stereotypes were significantly reduced compared to baseline while self-reported empathy and confidence in caring for patients with obesity were significantly increased immediately post intervention and were maintained at 4- and 12-month follow-up. After adjusting for years in practice, race/ethnicity, gender, profession type, practice type, and panel size, HCPs who attended the CME intervention had significantly increased odds (range 60–212%) of diagnosis and obesity-related referrals in the 12 months following the CME intervention when compared to HCPs who did not attend.

Conclusion and relevance

This intervention has promise to be a scalable program that goes beyond impacting HCP’s self-reported weight bias and also changes HCPs’ clinical practice behaviors related to obesity treatment.
Laboratory-Based Micro-X-ray Computed Tomography of Energy Materials at Idaho National Laboratory
Authors: Chuirazzi William , Kancharla Rahul Reddy , Morankar Swapnil
Published: December 2024

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has implemented laboratory-based micro-X-ray computed tomography in a laboratory equipped for the examination of highly radioactive samples. This capability provides nondestructive three-dimensional volumetric information on samples to inform subsequent traditional destructive examinations as well as real-world inputs for high-fidelity scientific modeling. Samples can be imaged with spatial resolutions ranging from several hundred nm/voxel up to ~ 100 µm/voxel. The best usable spatial resolution achieved to date is 384 nm/voxel with this instrument, while the highest radiological dose rate of a sample imaged is ~ 60 R/h β/γ on contact. Advanced data analysis, including custom tomographic reconstruction and segmentation methods, have also been developed to support this capability. In addition to traditional digital X-ray radiography and tomography, this instrument is also able to visualize in situ tensile and compression testing as well as perform diffraction contrast tomography. This work describes the X-ray computed tomography post-irradiation examination capabilities at INL, as well as detailing a variety of applications this instrument has examined.