bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficient 3D Mapping and Modelling of Indoor Scenes with the Microsoft HoloLens: A Survey
Authors: Weinmann Martin , Wursthorn Sven , Weinmann Michael , Hübner Patrick
Published: October 2021

The Microsoft HoloLens is a head-worn mobile augmented reality device. It allows a real-time 3D mapping of its direct environment and a self-localisation within the acquired 3D data. Both aspects are essential for robustly augmenting the local environment around the user with virtual contents and for the robust interaction of the user with virtual objects. Although not primarily designed as an indoor mapping device, the Microsoft HoloLens has a high potential for an efficient and comfortable mapping of both room-scale and building-scale indoor environments. In this paper, we provide a survey on the capabilities of the Microsoft HoloLens (Version 1) for the efficient 3D mapping and modelling of indoor scenes. More specifically, we focus on its capabilities regarding the localisation (in terms of pose estimation) within indoor environments and the spatial mapping of indoor environments. While the Microsoft HoloLens can certainly not compete in providing highly accurate 3D data like laser scanners, we demonstrate that the acquired data provides sufficient accuracy for a subsequent standard rule-based reconstruction of a semantically enriched and topologically correct model of an indoor scene from the acquired data. Furthermore, we provide a discussion with respect to the robustness of standard handcrafted geometric features extracted from data acquired with the Microsoft HoloLens and typically used for a subsequent learning-based semantic segmentation.
Konstruktivistische Identitätspolitik
Authors: Schubert Karsten , Schwiertz Helge
Published: October 2021

Identitätspolitik wird heute in der politischen Öffentlichkeit und der politischen Theorie auf ähnliche Weise kritisiert. Ein zentraler Topos dieser Kritik ist, dass Identitätspolitik essentialisierend sei: Sie schreibe Subjekte auf deren soziale Position fest und ergehe sich in einer Politik der Partikularität, die zu Spaltungen der nationalen Bürgerschaft und des demokratischen Diskurses (kommunitaristische und liberale Position) und zu Spaltungen innerhalb gesellschaftskritischer Bewegungen führe (kritische Position). Entgegen dieser einseitigen Kritik schlagen wir mit dem Konzept der „konstruktivistischen Identitätspolitik“ eine andere Deutung vor: Wir zeigen, dass politische Identitäten nicht essentialistisch gegeben sind, sondern aus sozialen und politischen Konstruktionsprozessen hervorgehen; dass sie aktiv durch politische (Sub-)Kulturen und Bewegungen hergestellt, erlernt und praktiziert werden. In diesen Konstruktionsprozessen wird politische Artikulations- und Handlungsfähigkeit hergestellt, die Subjekte befähigt, Herrschafts- und Diskriminierungsverhältnisse zu kritisieren. Im Anschluss an die radikale Demokratietheorie argumentieren wir, dass die so ermöglichten partikularen politischen Perspektiven der Identitätspolitik weder die Demokratie noch die Solidarität in gesellschaftskritischen Bewegungen gefährden, sondern zu deren weiterer Demokratisierung beitragen, indem sie die universell gedachten Prinzipien der Demokratie in partikularen Auseinandersetzungen aktualisieren. Während identitätspolitische Konstruktionsprozesse zwar immer wieder zu Essentialisierungen tendieren und Ausschlüsse produzieren, ist deren kritische Reflexion der Identitätspolitik inhärent. Dieses Verständnis ermöglicht auch eine Kritik solcher Identitätspolitiken, die sich nicht an den demokratischen Werten der Gleichheit und Freiheit orientieren und kritische Selbstreflexion blockieren. Nach einem Überblick der gegenwärtigen Identitätspolitik-Kritik erarbeiten wir dieses konstruktivistische Verständnis im Anschluss an die seit den 1980er Jahren geführten Debatten der feministischen und postkolonialen Theorie. Darauf aufbauend entwickeln wir den Begriff der konstruktivistischen Identitätspolitik systematisch, indem wir drei Aspekte differenzieren: Subjektivierung, Artikulation und Repräsentation. Wir beziehen uns hierzu auf Ansätze von Foucault, Rancière, Laclau/Mouffe und Hall und illustrieren die jeweiligen Aspekte anhand migrantischer Selbstorganisierungen sowie schwuler Kultur und queerer Kritik.
Dimensionality reduction for k-distance applied to persistent homology
Authors: Arya Shreya , Boissonnat Jean-Daniel , Dutta Kunal , Lotz Martin
Published: October 2021

Given a set P of n points and a constant k, we are interested in computing the persistent homology of the Čech filtration of P for the k-distance, and investigate the effectiveness of dimensionality reduction for this problem, answering an open question of Sheehy (The persistent homology of distance functions under random projection. In Cheng, Devillers (eds), 30th Annual Symposium on Computational Geometry, SOCG’14, Kyoto, Japan, June 08–11, p 328, ACM, 2014). We show that any linear transformation that preserves pairwise distances up to a $$(1\pm {\varepsilon })$$

(
1
±
ε
)

multiplicative factor, must preserve the persistent homology of the Čech filtration up to a factor of $$(1-{\varepsilon })^{-1}$$

(
1
-
ε
)

-
1

. Our results also show that the Vietoris-Rips and Delaunay filtrations for the k-distance, as well as the Čech filtration for the approximate k-distance of Buchet et al. [J Comput Geom, 58:70–96, 2016] are preserved up to a $$(1\pm {\varepsilon })$$

(
1
±
ε
)

factor. We also prove extensions of our main theorem, for point sets (i) lying in a region of bounded Gaussian width or (ii) on a low-dimensional submanifold, obtaining embeddings having the dimension bounds of Lotz (Proc R Soc A Math Phys Eng Sci, 475(2230):20190081, 2019) and Clarkson (Tighter bounds for random projections of manifolds. In Teillaud (ed) Proceedings of the 24th ACM Symposium on Computational Geom- etry, College Park, MD, USA, June 9–11, pp 39–48, ACM, 2008) respectively. Our results also work in the terminal dimensionality reduction setting, where the distance of any point in the original ambient space, to any point in P, needs to be approximately preserved.
p-Multilevel Preconditioners for HHO Discretizations of the Stokes Equations with Static Condensation
Authors: Botti Lorenzo , Di Pietro Daniele A.
Published: October 2021

We propose a p-multilevel preconditioner for hybrid high-order (HHO) discretizations of the Stokes equation, numerically assess its performance on two variants of the method, and compare with a classical discontinuous Galerkin scheme. An efficient implementation is proposed where coarse level operators are inherited using $$L^2$$

L
2

-orthogonal projections defined over mesh faces and the restriction of the fine grid operators is performed recursively and matrix-free. Both h- and k-dependency are investigated tackling two- and three-dimensional problems on standard meshes and graded meshes. For the two HHO formulations, featuring discontinuous or hybrid pressure, we study how the combination of p-coarsening and static condensation influences the V-cycle iteration. In particular, two different static condensation procedures are considered for the discontinuous pressure HHO variant, resulting in global linear systems with a different number of unknowns and matrix non-zero entries. Interestingly, we show that the efficiency of the solution strategy might be impacted by static condensation options in the case of graded meshes.
Distributed responsibility in human–machine interactions
Authors: Strasser Anna
Published: October 2021

Artificial agents have become increasingly prevalent in human social life. In light of the diversity of new human–machine interactions, we face renewed questions about the distribution of moral responsibility. Besides positions denying the mere possibility of attributing moral responsibility to artificial systems, recent approaches discuss the circumstances under which artificial agents may qualify as moral agents. This paper revisits the discussion of how responsibility might be distributed between artificial agents and human interaction partners (including producers of artificial agents) and raises the question of whether attributions of responsibility should remain entirely on the human side. While acknowledging a crucial difference between living human beings and artificial systems culminating in an asymmetric feature of human–machine interactions, this paper investigates the extent to which artificial agents may reasonably be attributed a share of moral responsibility. To elaborate on criteria that can justify a distribution of responsibility in certain human–machine interactions, the role of types of criteria (interaction-related criteria and criteria that can be deferred from socially constructed responsibility relationships) is examined. Thereby, the focus will lay on the evaluation of potential criteria referring to the fact that artificial agents surpass in some aspects the capacities of humans. This is contrasted with socially constructed responsibility relationships that do not take these criteria into account. In summary, situations are examined in which it seems plausible that moral responsibility can be distributed between artificial and human agents.
Lisocabtagene Maraleucel in Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Kharfan-Dabaja Mohamed A. , Yassine Farah , Moustafa Muhamad Alhaj , Iqbal Madiha , Murthy Hemant
Published: October 2021

Lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) is an autologous CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell product, with a CD3Z activatory domain connected to 4-1BB costimulatory domain. Liso-cel, unlike the other two approved products–axicabtagene ciloleucel and tisagenlecleucel–is manufactured separately from CD4 and CD8 T cells and then administered as a sequential infusion of the two components at equal target doses. The approval of liso-cel was based on the results of Transcend NHL 001, a single-arm, open-label, multicenter, seamless design trial that enrolled 344 patients, of whom 269 received conforming liso-cel. The most common histology was diffuse large B cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (DLBCL NOS; n = 137, 51%) followed by DLBCL transformed from indolent lymphomas (n = 78, 29%). Encouraging results were reported, yielding an objective response rate across all dose levels of 73% [complete remission (CR) = 53%], with an estimated duration of response at 1 year of 55% for all patients and 65% for those achieving a CR. The estimated 12-month overall survival was 58% for all patients and 86% for those achieving a CR. Cytokine release syndrome and neurological adverse events were reported in 42% and 30%, respectively. This review summarizes the evidence on the safety and effectiveness of liso-cel, resulting in its addition to the current treatment armamentarium of relapsed or refractory large B cell lymphoma.
Practical Psychopharmacology
Authors: Goldberg Joseph F. , Stahl Stephen M. , Schatzberg Alan F.
Published: October 2021

Despite the lack of guidance available for practitioners, extensive polypharmacy has become the primary method of treating patients with severe and chronic mood, anxiety, psychotic or behavioral disorders. This ground-breaking new book provides an overview of psychopharmacology knowledge and decision-making strategies, integrating findings from evidence-based trials with real-world clinical presentations. It adopts the approach and mind-set of a clinical investigator and reveals how prescribers can practice 'bespoke psychopharmacology', tailoring care to the individualized needs of patients. Practitioners at all levels of expertise will enhance their ability to devise rationale-based treatments, targeting manifestations of dysfunctional neural circuitry and dimensions of psychopathology that cut across conventional psychiatric diagnoses. Presented in a user-friendly, practical, full-colour layout and incorporating summary tables, bullet points, and illustrative case vignettes, it is an invaluable guide for all healthcare professionals prescribing psychotropic medications, including psychiatry specialists, primary care physicians, and advanced practice registered nurses.
Stahl's Illustrated Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Stahl Stephen M. , Mignon Laurence , Muntner Nancy
Published: October 2021

As with Stahl's Essential Psychopharmacology, 3rd edition and The Prescriber's Guide, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a heavily illustrated title with a fun approach to theories. Stahl has been at the heart of significant advances in the treatment of ADHD in the past ten years, as new psychopharmacologic medications and cognitive and behavioral therapy techniques have been introduced into practice. The visual learner will find that these books make psychopharmacology concepts easy to master, while the non-visual learner will enjoy a shortened text version of complex psychopharmacology concepts. Novices to the series will find that the well-structured graphics and visual vocabulary can help build a vivid conception of complex pharmacologies. The complementary tables and algorithms provide clinical strategies and tips for drug dosaging, and the Suggested Reading section at the end of each book is an invaluable tool to guide the reader to more in-depth learning on particular concepts.
Stahl's Illustrated Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia
Authors: Stahl Stephen M. , Muntner Nancy
Published: October 2021

As with Stahl's Essential Psychopharmacology and The Prescriber's Guide, Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia is a full-colour title with a fun approach to theories. Stahl has been at the heart of many recent advances in the understanding of pain psychology, which has been reflected in the development of a new and wide variety of psychopharmologic and non-psychopharmologic pain medications. The visual learner will find that these books make psychopharmacology concepts easy to master, while the non-visual learner will enjoy a shortened text version of complex psychopharmacology concepts. Readers will find that the well-structured vocabulary combines with tables and algorithms to help build a vivid conception of current clinical strategies. The title is essential reading for pharmaceutical and mental health professionals, neurologists and pain management specialists. The Suggested Reading section at the end of the book is an invaluable tool for more in-depth learning on particular concepts.
Stahl's Illustrated Sleep and Wake Disorders
Authors: Stahl Stephen M. , Morrissette Debbi Ann , Muntner Nancy
Published: October 2021

Stahl's Illustrated Sleep and Wake Disorders is a concise and highly illustrated guide to the environmental, neurobiological and genetic factors that influence sleep and wakefulness, with evidence-based guidance for the accurate diagnosis and optimal treatment of various sleep/wake disorders. All of the titles in the Stahl's Illustrated series are designed to be fun. Concepts are illustrated by full-color images that will be familiar to all readers of Stahl's Essential Psychopharmacology and The Prescriber's Guide. The visual learner will find that these books make psychopharmacology concepts easy to master, while the non-visual learner will enjoy a shortened text version of complex psychopharmacology concepts. Within each book, each chapter builds on previous chapters, synthesizing information from basic biology and diagnostics to building treatment plans and dealing with complications and comorbidities.
Impact of a Disaster Drill on Waiting Times in a Pediatric Emergency Department
Authors: Asenjo Silvia , López-González Aitor , Muñoz-Santanach David , Trenchs Victoria , Luaces Carles , Parra Cristina
Published: October 2021

Objective:

Emergency departments should improve their preparedness for mass casualty incidents (MCIs) through periodic drills. These exercises are conducted while maintaining regular care. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a disaster drill in a pediatric emergency department (PED) on real patients’ waiting times.

Methods:

On September 10, 2019, a 4-h disaster drill was conducted in the PED of a tertiary pediatric hospital, with minimal staff reinforcement (2 nurses). Cases were real patients that came to the PED during the drill. The patients that visited the PED the day before were the control group. Variables analyzed were: age, sex, destination, triage level, time-to-triage, time-to-physician, length of PED stay, and percentage of patients visited within the optimal time according to triage level.

Results:

Sixty-eight patients (case group) and 63 patients (control group) were analyzed; both groups were comparable except for the median age. There were no differences in time-to-triage, time-to-physician, and length of PED stay between the 2 groups. The percentage of patients visited within optimal time according to triage level was higher in the case group.

Conclusions:

Conducting an MCI drill in the PED, with minimal staff reinforcement, was not detrimental to real patients’ waiting times.
Red Alert: It Is Time to Strengthen the Medical Knowledge of Noncompressible Torso Hemorrhage Among Health-Care Workers
Authors: Zhang Hua-yu , Guo Yong , Tang Hao , Huang Xiao-ying , Liu Dong , Han Yu-zhuo , Chen Peng , Li Yang , Zhang Lian-yang
Published: October 2021

Objective:

Noncompressible torso hemorrhage (NCTH) is a major challenge in prehospital bleeding control and is associated with high mortality. This study was performed to estimate medical knowledge and the perceived barriers to information acquisition among health-care workers (HCWs) regarding NCTH in China.

Methods:

A self-administered and validated questionnaire was distributed among 11 WeChat groups consisting of HCWs engaged in trauma, emergency, and disaster rescue.

Results:

A total of 575 HCWs participated in this study. In the knowledge section, the majority (87.1%) denied that successful hemostasis could be obtained by external compression. Regarding attitudes, the vast majority of HCWs exhibited positive attitudes toward the important role of NCTH in reducing prehospital preventable death (90.4%) and enthusiasm for continuous learning (99.7%). For practice, fewer than half of HCWs (45.7%) had heard of NCTH beforehand, only a minority (14.3%) confirmed they had attended relevant continuing education, and 16.3% HCWs had no access to updated medical information. The most predominant barrier to information acquisition was the lack of continuing training (79.8%).

Conclusions:

Knowledge and practice deficiencies do exist among HCWs. Obstacles to update medical information warrant further attention. Furthermore, education program redesign is also needed.
Should Ketamine Not Be Banned? A Scoping Review
Authors: Usman Mohammed Adinoyi
Published: October 2021

Objectives:

Although the importance of ketamine in clinical practice and in resource-poor settings and disaster zones, several attempts were made to reschedule it because of the issues around its misuse. Resisting future moves to reschedule ketamine is important for its continuous availability where needed. This scoping review addresses the question of whether ketamine should or should not be banned and the state of preparedness of low resource settings if ketamine petitions become successful in the future.

Methods:

A search was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar to identify articles published in the English language from March 2015 to August 2020. The articles were searched with a wide range of priori search terms related to the research questions. The selection of articles was based on relevance and eligibility.

Results:

Seventy-five articles were selected and grouped into 4 ethical themes. The search revealed that several articles addressed the importance of ketamine, pharmacology, misuse, supply, and consequences of a ketamine ban; however, none addressed how resource-poor countries should prepare for a future without the overreliance of ketamine.

Conclusion:

Four ketamine petitions in about 10 years are an indication that another may resurface soon; therefore, it is important to continue to study the clinical importance of ketamine while discouraging its overreliance for clinical practice.
Embedding Human Dignity Standards into Biotechnology Patents: The Role of Morality Clauses
Authors: LONDOÑO-LÁZARO María Carmelina , CÓRDOBA-MARENTES Juan F.
Published: October 2021

This paper proposes an approach to the debate on how to reconcile international trade and human rights, explaining the minimum content of the ordre public and morality clauses (OPMCs) as the recognition of international human rights law (IHRL) standards in trade law and intellectual property law. Within the context of a multicultural and globalised society, in which trade and economic interests are protected worldwide and morality seems to be a culture-based concept, the primary considerations of IHRL embedded in these pivot clauses serve as a universal defence for human beings and a safeguard to the coherence of the human-centred international system. In particular, this study argues that the OPMCs allow for the enforcement of three standards derived from human dignity in the wider spectrum of biotechnology and scientific research, even constituting legitimate limits to the economic exploitation of biotechnological inventions.
Flexibility of Lyapunov exponents
Authors: BOCHI J. , KATOK A. , RODRIGUEZ HERTZ F.
Published: October 2021

We outline the flexibility program in smooth dynamics, focusing on flexibility of Lyapunov exponents for volume-preserving diffeomorphisms. We prove flexibility results for Anosov diffeomorphisms admitting dominated splittings into one-dimensional bundles.
Geometric vertex decomposition and liaison
Authors: Klein Patricia , Rajchgot Jenna
Published: October 2021

Geometric vertex decomposition and liaison are two frameworks that have been used to produce similar results about similar families of algebraic varieties. In this paper, we establish an explicit connection between these approaches. In particular, we show that each geometrically vertex decomposable ideal is linked by a sequence of elementary G-biliaisons of height

$1$

to an ideal of indeterminates and, conversely, that every G-biliaison of a certain type gives rise to a geometric vertex decomposition. As a consequence, we can immediately conclude that several well-known families of ideals are glicci, including Schubert determinantal ideals, defining ideals of varieties of complexes and defining ideals of graded lower bound cluster algebras.
FINITE RELATION ALGEBRAS
Authors: KOUSSAS JAMES MATHEW
Published: October 2021

We will show that almost all nonassociative relation algebras are symmetric and integral (in the sense that the fraction of both labelled and unlabelled structures that are symmetric and integral tends to
$1$
), and using a Fraïssé limit, we will establish that the classes of all atom structures of nonassociative relation algebras and relation algebras both have
$0$
–
$1$
laws. As a consequence, we obtain improved asymptotic formulas for the numbers of these structures and broaden some known probabilistic results on relation algebras.
Rice varietal selection in Bangladesh: Does it matter who in the farm household makes the decisions?
Authors: Begho Toritseju
Published: October 2021

This paper examines whether rice adoption decision differs between sole decision-making and collaborative decision-making in which household members jointly decide on rice varietal selection. Overall, the results show that the majority of rice farmers currently cultivate older rice varieties. The average varietal age is 22 years. Adopters and non-adopters are significantly different in several observed characteristics; however, most of the differences are small. Specifically, between adopter and non-adopters, there is a statistically significant difference in the average varietal age of rice grown, the number of plots owned, varietal trait preferences, seed sources, contact with agricultural extension agents and risk preference. The results of the double-hurdle regression estimation are unconvincing for a difference between household decision-making structures, indicating that it does not matter who in the farm household makes the decisions on rice varietal selection. To encourage the adoption of improved rice varieties and reduce the average varietal age, the focus should be on improving access to agricultural land and extension contact. Besides, aligning varietal trait with farmers’ preferences and organising farm demonstrations is crucial.
The Materiality of English Suicide Letters, c. 1700 – c. 1850
Authors: Sbaraini Ella
Published: October 2021

Scholars have explored eighteenth-century suicide letters from a literary perspective, examining issues of performativity and reception. However, it is fruitful to see these letters as material as well as textual objects, which were utterly embedded in people's social lives. Using thirty manuscript letters, in conjunction with other sources, this article explores the contexts in which suicide letters were written and left for others. It looks at how authors used space and other materials to convey meaning, and argues that these letters were epistolary documents usually meant for specific, known persons, rather than the press. Generally written by members of the ‘lower orders’, these letters also provide insight into the emotional writing practices of the poor, and their experiences of emotional distress. Overall, this article proposes that these neglected documents should be used to investigate the emotional and material contexts for eighteenth- and nineteenth-century suicide. It also argues that, at a time when the history of emotions has reached considerable prominence, historians must be more attentive to the experiences of the suicidal.
See No Evil, Speak No Evil? Morality, Evolutionary Psychology, and the Nature of International Relations
Authors: Rathbun Brian C. , Pomeroy Caleb
Published: October 2021

A central theme in the study of international relations is that anarchy requires states to set aside moral concerns to attain security, rendering IR an autonomous sphere devoid of ethical considerations. Evolutionary and moral psychology, however, suggest that morality emerged to promote human success under such conditions. It is not despite anarchy but because of anarchy that humans have an ethical sense. Our argument has three empirical implications. First, it is almost impossible to talk about threat and harm without invoking morality. Second, state leaders and the public will use moral judgments as a basis, indeed the most important factor, for assessing international threat, just as research shows they do at the interpersonal level. Third, foreign policy driven by a conception of international relations as an amoral sphere will be quite rare. Word embeddings applied to large political and nonpolitical corpora, a survey experiment in Russia, and an in-depth analysis of Hitler's foreign policy thought suggest that individuals both condemn aggressive behavior by others and screen for threats on the basis of morality. The findings erode notions of IR as an autonomous sphere and upset traditional materialist–ideational dichotomies.
Longitudinal clinical and functional outcome in distinct cognitive subgroups of first-episode psychosis: a cluster analysis
Authors: Oomen Priscilla P. , Begemann Marieke J. H. , Brand Bodyl A. , de Haan Lieuwe , Veling Wim , Koops Sanne , van Os Jim , Smit Filip , Bakker P. Roberto , van Beveren Nico , Boonstra Nynke , Gülöksüz Sinan , Kikkert Martijn , Lokkerbol Joran , Marcelis Machteld , Rosema Bram-Sieben , de Beer Franciska , Gangadin Shiral S. , Geraets Chris N. W. , van ‘t Hag Erna , Haveman Yudith , van der Heijden Inge , Voppel Alban E. , Willemse Elske , van Amelsvoort Therese , Bak Maarten , Batalla Albert , Been Agaath , van den Bosch Marinte , van den Brink Truus , Faber Gunnar , Grootens Koen P. , de Jonge Martin , Knegtering Rikus , Kurkamp Jörg , Mahabir Amrita , Pijnenborg Gerdina H. M. , Staring Tonnie , Veen Natalie , Veerman Selene , Wiersma Sybren , Graveland Ellen , Hoornaar Joelle , Sommer Iris E. C.
Published: October 2021

Background

Cognitive deficits may be characteristic for only a subgroup of first-episode psychosis (FEP) and the link with clinical and functional outcomes is less profound than previously thought. This study aimed to identify cognitive subgroups in a large sample of FEP using a clustering approach with healthy controls as a reference group, subsequently linking cognitive subgroups to clinical and functional outcomes.

Methods

204 FEP patients were included. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using baseline brief assessment of cognition in schizophrenia (BACS). Cognitive subgroups were compared to 40 controls and linked to longitudinal clinical and functional outcomes (PANSS, GAF, self-reported WHODAS 2.0) up to 12-month follow-up.

Results

Three distinct cognitive clusters emerged: relative to controls, we found one cluster with preserved cognition (n = 76), one moderately impaired cluster (n = 74) and one severely impaired cluster (n = 54). Patients with severely impaired cognition had more severe clinical symptoms at baseline, 6- and 12-month follow-up as compared to patients with preserved cognition. General functioning (GAF) in the severely impaired cluster was significantly lower than in those with preserved cognition at baseline and showed trend-level effects at 6- and 12-month follow-up. No significant differences in self-reported functional outcome (WHODAS 2.0) were present.

Conclusions

Current results demonstrate the existence of three distinct cognitive subgroups, corresponding with clinical outcome at baseline, 6- and 12-month follow-up. Importantly, the cognitively preserved subgroup was larger than the severely impaired group. Early identification of discrete cognitive profiles can offer valuable information about the clinical outcome but may not be relevant in predicting self-reported functional outcomes.
Comprehending socio-relational factors of mental wellbeing in the oldest old within Nordic and Mediterranean countries
Authors: Castelletti Chiara , Martín-María Natalia , Cresswell-Smith Johanna , Forsman Anna K. , Nordmyr Johanna , Ådnanes Marian , Donisi Valeria , Amaddeo Francesco , Miret Marta , Lara Elvira
Published: October 2021

Socio-relational aspects are essential for mental wellbeing (MWB), especially in the oldest old age. Our study aims to explore the socio-relational aspects related to MWB in accordance with the experiences of the oldest old of four European countries; and to examine how these differ between Mediterranean and Nordic people. A total of 117 participants aged 80+ years old were recruited, and 23 focus groups were performed. Qualitative content analysis identified five main themes. Family seemed to be the most important driver of the MWB of the oldest old, followed by relationships with close friends. Participants felt better when they had a sense of being needed, cared for, and connected. Loneliness and isolation negatively affected MWB, although solitude was appreciated. Differences appeared between Mediterranean and Nordic regions. Initiatives to promote positive interactions with family and friends, as well as social activities within the community, may contribute to strengthening MWB in the oldest old.
A dynamic adaptive grating algorithm for AIS-based ship trajectory compression
Authors: Ji Yuanyuan , Qi Le , Balling Robert
Published: October 2021

Automatic identification system (AIS)-based ship trajectory data are important for analysing maritime activities. As the data accumulate over time, trajectory compression is needed to alleviate the pressure of data storage, migration and usage. The grating algorithm, as a vector data compression algorithm with high compression performance and low computation complexity, has been considered as a very promising approach for ship trajectory compression. This algorithm needs the threshold to be set for each trajectory which limits the applicability over a large number of different trajectories. To solve this problem, a dynamic adaptive threshold grating compression algorithm is developed. In this algorithm, the threshold for each trajectory is dynamically generated using an effective approaching strategy. The developed algorithm is tested with a complex trajectory dataset from the Qiongzhou Strait, China. In comparison with the traditional grating method, our algorithm has improved advantages in the ease of use, the applicability to different trajectories and compression performance, all of which can better support relevant applications, such as ship trajectory data storage and rapid cartographic display.
Deforestation risk in the Peruvian Amazon basin
Authors: Rojas Eduardo , Zutta Brian R , Velazco Yessenia K , Montoya-Zumaeta Javier G , Salvà-Catarineu Montserrat
Published: October 2021

The prevention of tropical forest deforestation is essential for mitigating climate change. We tested the machine learning algorithm Maxent to predict deforestation across the Peruvian Amazon. We used official annual 2001–2019 deforestation data to develop a predictive model and to test the model’s accuracy using near-real-time forest loss data for 2020. Distance from agricultural land and distance from roads were the predictor variables that contributed most to the final model, indicating that a narrower set of variables contribute nearly 80% of the information necessary for prediction at scale. The permutation importance indicating variable information not present in the other variables was also highest for distance from agricultural land and distance from roads, at 40.5% and 14.3%, respectively. The predictive model registered 73.2% of the 2020 early alerts in a high or very high risk category; less than 1% of forest cover in national protected areas were registered as very high risk, but buffer zones were far more vulnerable, with 15% of forest cover being in this category. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use 19 years of annual data for deforestation risk. The open-source machine learning method could be applied to other forest regions, at scale, to improve strategies for reducing future deforestation.
Segments: An alternative rainfall problem
Authors: ACHTEN PETER
Published: October 2021

Elliot Soloway’s Rainfall problem is a well-known and well-studied problem to investigate the problem-solving strategies of programmers. Kathi Fisler investigated this programming challenge from the point of view of functional programmers. She showed that this particular challenge gives rise to five different high-level solution strategies, of which three are predominant and cover over 80% of all chosen solutions. In this study, we put forward the Segments problem as an alternative challenge to investigate the problem-solving skills of functional programmers. Analysis of the student solutions, their high-level solution strategies, and corresponding archetype solutions shows that the Segments problem gives rise to seven different high-level solution strategies that can be further divided into 17 subclasses. The Segments problem is particularly suited to investigate problem-solving skills that involve list processing and higher-order functions.
Resource endowments and the problem of small change: insights from two American mints, 1600–1700
Authors: Knodell Jane E. , Vizcarra Catalina M.
Published: October 2021

This article discusses historical evidence from the Potosi mint and Massachusetts Bay mint that illustrates the importance of the resource endowment (in this case silver) for the provision of small change. We show that the availability of silver was fundamental in shaping incentives. The relative scarcity of silver in Massachusetts Bay contributed to the small scale of the mint's operations, and implied that neither the monetary authority nor the mintmaster faced a significant tradeoff between drawing seigniorage from the mint and the production of small-denomination coins. In contrast, in the Viceroyalty of Peru, the abundance of silver, and the consequent large level of production of the mint's heavy peso coin, heightened the tradeoff between the fiscal and monetary objectives of the coinage. We suggest that these incentives negatively affected the production of fractionary coinage in the Peruvian viceroyalty, whereas in Massachusetts Bay the production of small-denomination coins was the norm.
Vernon Lee: Slow Serialist and Journalist at the Fin de Siècle
Authors: Hughes Linda K.
Published: October 2021

To expand understanding of imbricated journalism and high aestheticism at the fin de siècle, this essay examines Vernon Lee's journalism and slow essay serials, a form spread over space (viz., different periodicals) and marked by irregular temporal issue of installments before finding new cohesion when retroactively constructed as a book. Lee's prolific periodical publication, especially her aesthetic criticism, is rarely approached as journalism. Newly available letters and Lee's negotiations with editors clarify the occluded history of Lee's journalism and her slow essay serials, a distinctive serial form at the fin de siècle, which this article conceptualizes in closing.
Empathic communication in dignity therapy: Feasibility of measurement and descriptive findings
Authors: Bylund Carma L. , Taylor Greenberry , Mroz Emily , Wilkie Diana J. , Yao Yingwei , Emanuel Linda , Fitchett George , Handzo George , Chochinov Harvey Max , Bluck Susan
Published: October 2021

Objective

Dignity therapy (DT) is a guided process conducted by a health professional for reviewing one's life to promote dignity through the illness process. Empathic communication has been shown to be important in clinical interactions but has yet to be examined in the DT interview session. The Empathic Communication Coding System (ECCS) is a validated, reliable coding system used in clinical interactions. The aims of this study were (1) to assess the feasibility of the ECCS in DT sessions and (2) to describe the process of empathic communication during DT sessions.

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis of 25 transcripts of DT sessions with older cancer patients. These DT sessions were collected as part of larger randomized controlled trial. We revised the ECCS and then coded the transcripts using the new ECCS-DT. Two coders achieved inter-rater reliability (κ = 0.84) on 20% of the transcripts and then independently coded the remaining transcripts.

Results

Participants were individuals with cancer between the ages of 55 and 75. We developed the ECCS-DT with four empathic response categories: acknowledgment, reflection, validation, and shared experience. We found that of the 235 idea units, 198 had at least one of the four empathic responses present. Of the total 25 DT sessions, 17 had at least one empathic response present in all idea units.

Significance of results

This feasibility study is an essential first step in our larger program of research to understand how empathic communication may play a role in DT outcomes. We aim to replicate findings in a larger sample and also investigate the linkage empathic communication may have in the DT session to positive patient outcomes. These findings, in turn, may lead to further refinement of training for dignity therapists, development of research into empathy as a mediator of outcomes, and generation of new interventions.
Diversity of white Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundataPoir.) cultivars from Benin as revealed by agro-morphological traits and SNP markers
Authors: Agre Paterne A. , Dassou Anicet G. , Loko Laura E. Y. , Idossou Roger , Dadonougbo Eric , Gbaguidi Anicet , Mondo Jean M. , Muyideen Yusuf , Adebola Patrick O. , Asiedu Robert , Dansi Alexandre A. , Asfaw Asrat
Published: October 2021

White Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundataPoir.) is indigenous to West Africa, a region that harbours the crop's tremendous landrace diversity. The knowledge and understanding of local cultivars’ genetic diversity are essential for properly managing genetic resources, conservation, sustainable use and their improvement through breeding. This study aimed to dissect phenotypic and molecular diversity of white yam cultivars from Benin using agro-morphological and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Eighty-eight Beninese white Guinea yam cultivars collected through a countrywide ethnobotanical survey were phenotyped with 53 traits and genotyped with 9725 DArT-SNP. Multivariate analysis using phenotypic traits revealed 30 traits as most discriminative and explained up to 80.78% of cultivars’ phenotypic variation. Assessment of diversity indices such as Shannon–Wiener (H′), inverse Shannon (H.B.), Simpson's (λ) index and Pilou evenness (J) based molecular and phenotypic data depicted a moderate genetic diversity in Beninese white Guinea yam cultivars. Genetic differentiation of cultivars among country production zones was low due to the high exchange of planting materials among farmers of different regions. However, there was high genetic diversity within regions. Hierarchical clusters (HCs) on phenotypic data revealed the presence of two groups while HCs based on the SNP markers and the combined analysis identified three genetic groups. Our result provided valuable insights into the Beninese white Guinea yam diversity for its proper conservation and improvement through breeding.
Hidden Casualties: The Links between Armed Conflict and Intimate Partner Violence in Colombia
Authors: Svallfors Signe
Published: October 2021

The Colombian peace process was internationally celebrated for its unprecedented focus on women's experiences of war, but the everyday violence women that may face in their homes was not acknowledged. This article explores the links between exposure to local armed conflict violence and individual women's experiences of intimate partner violence. I combine pooled nationally representative data on individual women's experiences of intimate partner violence with information about the intensity of conflict during 2004–16. Results of fixed-effects linear probability models show that conflict was generally linked to a slightly elevated risk of women experiencing emotional, physical, and sexual violence perpetrated by their partner. Among women who had experienced intimate partner violence, conflict was related to an increased probability of being partnered at interview, which could reflect women staying in abusive relationships because conflict normalizes violence or increases women's reluctance to leave those relationships.
Frontline yet at the back of the queue – improving access and adaptations to CBT for Black African and Caribbean communities
Authors: Lawton Leila , McRae Melissa , Gordon Lorraine
Published: October 2021

This paper focuses on the Black minority ethnic population (Black British, Black African, Black Caribbean) and uses the term BME in reference to this group. Only 6.2% of BME people access psychological intervention for common mental disorders. In provision of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) the diversity in global majority populations1requires culturally specific informed and responsive approaches. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme needs to be accountable, culturally congruent and strategic, to ensure accessibility and improve outcomes for BME people. According to the Mental Health Foundation (2019), a higher percentage of Black, Asian and other minority ethnic populations (BAME) are diagnosed with common, severe and complex mental health disorders. Despite the weight of literature on this, little has changed. The NHS Implementation Plan outlines trajectories for increased access and reduced attrition within mental health services, addressing inequalities for BAME populations.

Evidence-based guidance and audits for provision of culturally sensitive and adapted therapies are presented in the pioneering (IAPT) BAME Positive Practice Guide (PPG). However, there are no funding arrangements or formal integrated frameworks to support implementation. The COVID-19 global pandemic and the high-profile death of George Floyd tragically exposed and highlighted the consequences of systemic racism. Understanding of the importance of service and clinical anti-racist practice is imperative for CBT therapists. Implementation of the BAME PPG audit tool ensures review of race equity in access, engagement, adaptation and workforce within IAPT and other mental health services. This could transform lives.

Key learning aims

(1)

To understand the barriers (individual, societal and systemic) to accessing psychological therapies such as CBT and the impact on CBT treatment outcomes specifically for black minority ethnic (BME) populations.

(2)

To recognise barriers to implementation of formal frameworks for equitable access to psychological therapies such as CBT for BME communities.

(3)

To assist services and therapists to implement evidence-based learning, on cultural adaptations, to address barriers in access, retention and completion of CBT.

(4)

To provide examples of services that have taken successful actions to address the issues identified in the earlier points.
Stream Transport and Substrate Controls on Nitrous Oxide Yields From Hyporheic Zone Denitrification
Authors: Winnick M. J.
Published: October 2021

Rivers and streams act as globally significant sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere, in part through denitrification reactions that will increase in response to ongoing anthropogenic nitrogen loading. While many factors that contribute to the release of N2O relative to inert dinitrogen (N2) are well described, the ability to predict N2O yields from streams remains a fundamental challenge. Here, I revisit results from the second Lotic Intersite Nitrogen eXperiments (LINX II) in the context of turbulent hyporheic exchange. Denitrification efficiency, or the fraction of nitrate delivered to the streambed by stream turbulence that is chemically reduced, emerges as the single best predictor of N2O yields and underpins the first statistically significant models of inter‐site N2O yields. This mechanistic connection is supported by reactive transport modeling of hyporheic zone denitrification representing advective flowpaths, flowpath mixing, and diffusion‐dominated anoxic microzones. Simulated N2O yields are inversely correlated with denitrification efficiency; however, advective models are unable to capture low LINX II N2O yields at low denitrification efficiencies. Hyporheic zone mixing exacerbates this inability to capture observed N2O yields via the promotion of N2O release from fast, oxic flowpaths. Instead, anoxic microzones are required to account for LINX II observations through consistently low N2O yields and the consumption of upstream‐produced N2O. Together, these results provide a framework for controls on stream N2O yields and suggest that stream corridor restoration designs aimed at increasing the capacity of hyporheic zones to remediate nitrate loading, as opposed to increasing hyporheic exchange, will also reduce proportional N2O emissions.
New Report Puts the Amazon Rain Forest on the Main Stage at COP26
Authors: Rodrigues Meghie
Published: October 2021

The Science Panel for the Amazon prepares to launch its first report, the most comprehensive document on the rain forest so far.
Thirsty Plants Pull Water from Bedrock
Authors: Kornei Katherine
Published: October 2021

Shrubs and trees across the United States routinely sip water stored in bedrock, a discovery that has implications for the terrestrial water cycle.