bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mpox on Reddit: a Thematic Analysis of Online Posts on Mpox on a Social Media Platform among Key Populations
Authors: Hong Chenglin
Published: August 2023

The 2022–2023 mpox outbreak has disproportionately impacted gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). The US CDC recommended individuals to explore safer sexual practices that minimize the potential risk of exposure and also strongly encouraged for eligible individuals to prioritize vaccination. This study aimed to analyze social media data related to mpox on Reddit since the mpox outbreak and identify themes associated with the impact on social behaviors and social processes among targeted population. Publicly available data were collected from the social media Reddit. We extracted the summarized mpox-related posts since the beginning of May 2022 from popular subreddits that were popular among GBMSM. We thematically analyzed the content to identify the overall themes related to the GBMSM’s responses to the outbreak. There is an overall increase in the number of daily mpox-related posts, with three upticks in late May, late July, and early August 2022, which may correspond to the dates that the first mpox case was identified in the USA, the WHO declared a global public health emergency, and the US Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency. Four themes were identified: (1) changes in sexual behaviors and social activities; (2) mpox vaccine attitude, uptake, and hesitancy; (3) perceived and experienced stigma and homophobia, and mental distress; and (4) online information-seeking and mutual aid and support. GBMSM changed their sexual behaviors and social activities to mitigate their exposure to the virus during this outbreak and actively sought and shared information about mpox vaccination in their respective settings, while some were hesitant due to concerns about side effects and potential effectiveness. Perceived and experienced stigma and discrimination on gay- and same sex-identify have impacted GBMSM’s mental health. Interventions to promote the mpox vaccine must address the historical medical mistrust and vaccine hesitancy among GBMSM.
How Employment Generates Social Integration: Trends Towards Disintegration and Over-Integration in the Hyper-Work Society
Authors: Grimm Natalie , Hense Andrea , Vogel Berthold
Published: August 2023

Using an analytical framework that further develops Jahoda’s ideas and distinguishes between two manifest and five latent mechanisms for the production of employment-based social integration, three research questions are examined: How does employment generate social integration in German welfare capitalism? How have these employment-based integration mechanisms changed in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) since the Second World War? What dangers to social integration can be identified because of these changes? The manifest mechanisms establish socio-economic integration directly via employment or indirectly through de-commodifying welfare state interventions. The latent mechanisms ensure that social relationships can be formed by providing a time structure, extending social contacts, enabling participation in collective goals, offering collective identities and activating people. We analyse different social orders at the macro-level (labour and social legislation), meso-level (company structures, industrial relations, work environments) and micro-level (employment relationships, household models, action orientations, subjective identifications) of society to identify conditions that promote or endanger social integration. On the one hand, the danger of over-integration (reflected in the term “hyper-work society”), which arises from generalising employment-related performance and exploitation criteria, erects integration barriers for other forms of social integration beyond employment because alternative premises for organising one’s life are devalued by predominantly adopting capitalist criteria of social recognition. On the other hand, the binding power of employment and the integrative power of workplaces are weakened by disintegrative trends such as insecure employment, blurring organisational boundaries, as well as fragmentation of employment and social relations, jeopardising social integration through employment.
The Philosophy of Anti-Dumping as the Affirmation of Life
Authors: Gare Arran
Published: August 2023

Michael Marder in Dump Philosophy claims that that there has been so much dumping with modern civilization that we now live in a dump, with those parts of our environment not contaminated by dumping, now rare. The growth of the dump is portrayed as the triumph of nihilism, predicted by Nietzsche as the outcome of life denying Neoplatonist metaphysics. Marder’s proposed solution, characterized as “undumping”, is to accept the dump and to promote reinterpretations and informal communities within the dump. It is argued here that Marder provides great insight into our current situation and its causes; however, his proposed solution is too weak. To respond to the situation described, it is argued, it is necessary to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy dumping, or more broadly, healthy and unhealthy participation in nature. To make this distinction, it is necessary see humans as ecosystems and components of ecosystems, including the global ecosystem, as these have been characterized by anti-reductionist ecologists. Ecosystems can be healthy or unhealthy. Dumping and dumps should be identified as problematic outputs when they damage the health of ecosystems. The products of human activity not destined to be consumed or used for further productive activity, can then be identified and judged according to whether they augment or damage ecosystems’ health. Dumping should be severely restricted. This should be associated with making a commitment to life and its value, and living to augment life, developing the social and economic forms and institutions that facilitate living in this way.
Bile duct injury after cholecystectomy: timing of surgical repair should be based on clinical presentation. The experience of a tertiary referral center with Hepp-Couinaud hepatico-jejunostomy
Authors: Giuliante Felice , Panettieri Elena , De Rose Agostino M. , Murazio Marino , Vellone Maria , Mele Caterina , Clemente Gennaro , Giovannini Ivo , Nuzzo Gennaro , Ardito Francesco
Published: August 2023

Impact of timing of repair on outcomes of patients repaired with Hepp-Couinaud hepatico-jejunostomy (HC-HJ) after bile duct injury (BDI) during cholecystectomy remains debated. This is an observational retrospective study at a tertiary referral hepato-biliary center. HC-HJ was always performed in patients without sepsis or bile leak and with dilated bile ducts. Timing of repair was classified as: early (≤ 2 weeks), intermediate (> 2 weeks, ≤ 6 weeks), and delayed (> 6 weeks). 114 patients underwent HC-HJ between 1994 and 2022: 42.1% underwent previous attempts of repair at referring institutions (Group A) and 57.9% were referred without any attempt of repair before referral (Group B). Overall, a delayed HC-HJ was performed in 78% of patients; intermediate and early repair were performed in 17% and 6%, respectively. In Group B, 10.6% of patients underwent an early, 27.3% an intermediate, and 62.1% a delayed repair. Postoperative mortality was nil. Median follow-up was 106.7 months. Overall primary patency (PP) attainment rate was 94.7%, with a 5- and 10-year actuarial primary patency (APP) of 84.6% and 84%, respectively. Post-repair bile leak was associated with PP loss in the entire population (odds ratio [OR] 9.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.64–57.87, p = 0.012); no correlation of PP loss with timing of repair was noted. Treatment of anastomotic stricture (occurred in 15.3% of patients) was performed with percutaneous treatment, achieving absence of biliary symptoms in 93% and 91% of cases at 5 and 10 years, respectively. BDI can be successfully repaired by HC-HJ regardless of timing when surgery is performed in stable patients with dilated bile ducts and without bile leak.
Cohomology Rings of Toric Bundles and the Ring of Conditions
Authors: Hofscheier Johannes , Khovanskii Askold , Monin Leonid
Published: August 2023

The celebrated BKK Theorem expresses the number of roots of a system of generic Laurent polynomials in terms of the mixed volume of the corresponding system of Newton polytopes. In Pukhlikov and Khovanskiĭ (Algebra i Analiz 4(4):188–216, 1992), Pukhlikov and the second author noticed that the cohomology ring of smooth projective toric varieties over$${\mathbb {C}}$$Ccan be computed via the BKK Theorem. This complemented the known descriptions of the cohomology ring of toric varieties, like the one in terms of Stanley–Reisner algebras. In Sankaran and Uma (Comment Math Helv 78(3):540–554, 2003), Sankaran and Uma generalized the “Stanley–Reisner description” to the case of toric bundles, i.e., equivariant compactifications of (not necessarily algebraic) torus principal bundles. We provide a description of the cohomology ring of toric bundles which is based on a generalization of the BKK Theorem, and thus extends the approach by Pukhlikov and the second author. Indeed, for every cohomology class of the base of the toric bundle, we obtain a BKK-type theorem. Furthermore, our proof relies on a description of graded-commutative algebras which satisfy Poincaré duality. From this computation of the cohomology ring of toric bundles, we obtain a description of the ring of conditions of horospherical homogeneous spaces as well as a version of Brion–Kazarnovskii theorem for them. We conclude the manuscript with a number of examples. In particular, we apply our results to toric bundles over a full flag varietyG/B. The description that we get generalizes the corresponding description of the cohomology ring of toric varieties as well as the one of full flag varietiesG/Bpreviously obtained by Kaveh (J Lie Theory 21(2):263–283, 2011).
Postmenopausale Hormonersatztherapie: Anleitung für die Praxis!
Authors: Lerchbaum Elisabeth
Published: August 2023

Bis zu 85 % aller peri- bzw. postmenopausalen Frauen leiden unter klimakterischen Beschwerden wie Hitzewallungen, Schlafstörungen, depressiver Verstimmung, Herzbeschwerden und urogenitalen Problemen. Dennoch erhalten nur ca. 3 % eine menopausale Hormonsersatztherapie (MHT), was in erster Linie auf die Veröffentlichung der Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)-Studie 2002 zurückzuführen ist, in welcher ein Zusammenhang zwischen der MHT und einem erhöhten kardiovaskulären Risiko sowie einem höheren Risiko für ein invasives Mammakarzinom gezeigt wurde. Dazu ist kritisch anzumerken, dass die Frauen zum Zeitpunkt des Therapiestarts im Schnitt 63 Jahre alt waren und mit einem synthetischen Gestagen behandelt wurden. Bei Frauen < 60 Jahren konnte u. a. eine Risikoreduktion für Kolonkarzinome, Frakturen, Diabetes mellitus Typ 2 und die Mortalität gezeigt werden. Der Therapiestart einer MHT bei Frauen bis zu 60 Jahren bzw. innerhalb von 10 Jahren nach der letzten Menses scheint aus heutiger Sicht sicher und effektiv zu sein, als Indikation sind klimakterische Beschwerden zu sehen. Zur Anwendung kommt eine Kombinationstherapie aus 17β-Östradiol (oral oder transdermal) und einem natürlichen Progesteron (als zyklische oder kontinuierliche Therapie), von synthetischen Gestagenen ist aufgrund des ungünstigeren Nutzen-Risiko-Profils abzuraten. Eine Östrogenmonotherapie sollte nur bei Frauen nach einer Hysterektomie erfolgen. Wenn die letzte Menses bereits im Alter von < 45 Jahren (frühe Menopause) oder < 40 Jahren (vorzeitige Menopause) erfolgt ist, dann sollte eine Hormonersatztherapie (HRT) erfolgen. Für diese besteht eine klare Indikation auch zur Prävention chronischer Krankheiten wie z. B. kardiovaskulären Erkrankungen und einer Osteoporose.
Vision-guided robot application for metal surface edge grinding
Authors: Li Chunlei , Dun Xiaofeng , Li Liang , Nan Rui
Published: August 2023

The combination of machine vision and grinding robots can be visualized as a collaboration between human eyes and limbs to achieve a deep integration between external perception and execution actions. This combination will give the grinding robot more operability and flexibility, which will enable it to better realize the purpose of replacing humans with machines. In response to the demand for flexible grinding of titanium surface edges proposed by a titanium manufacturer, this paper conducts an in-depth study on the prototype system of vision-guided grinding robots and related applications. Firstly, this study analyzes the shortcomings of the existing robotic regrinding process and achieves the improvement of the regrinding process by introducing machine vision technology. Subsequently, this study further utilizes machine vision and image processing algorithms to achieve high-quality recognition and high-precision positioning of metal surface edges. Then, the D–H parameter model of the regrinding robot is established, and the planning and simulation of the regrinding trajectory is carried out using the position information of the identified regrinding edges. Finally, the simulation-validated grinding trajectory is introduced into the grinding robot, and the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is verified by actual grinding experiments.
Data re-uploading with a single qudit
Authors: Wach Noah L. , Rudolph Manuel S. , Jendrzejewski Fred , Schmitt Sebastian
Published: August 2023

Quantum two-level systems, i.e., qubits, form the basis for most quantum machine learning approaches that have been proposed throughout the years. However, higher dimensional quantum systems constitute a promising alternative and are increasingly explored in theory and practice. Here, we explore the capabilities of multi-level quantum systems, so-called qudits, for their use in a quantum machine learning context. We formulate classification and regression problems with the data re-uploading approach and demonstrate that a quantum circuit operating on a single qudit is able to successfully learn highly non-linear decision boundaries of classification problems such as the MNIST digit recognition problem. We demonstrate that the performance strongly depends on the relation between the qudit states representing the labels and the structure of labels in the training data set. Such a bias can lead to substantial performance improvement over qubit-based circuits in cases where the labels, the qudit states, and the operators employed to encode the data are well-aligned. Furthermore, we elucidate the influence of the choice of the elementary operators and show that a squeezing operator is necessary to achieve good performances. We also show that there exists a trade-off for qudit systems between the number of circuit-generating operators in each processing layer and the total number of layers needed to achieve a given accuracy. Finally, we compare classification results from numerically exact simulations and their equivalent implementation on actual IBM quantum hardware. The findings of our work support the notion that qudit-based algorithms exhibit attractive traits and constitute a promising route to increasing the computational capabilities of quantum machine learning approaches.
Advances in deep concealed scene understanding
Authors: Fan Deng-Ping , Ji Ge-Peng , Xu Peng , Cheng Ming-Ming , Sakaridis Christos , Van Gool Luc
Published: August 2023

Concealed scene understanding (CSU) is a hot computer vision topic aiming to perceive objects exhibiting camouflage. The current boom in terms of techniques and applications warrants an up-to-date survey. This can help researchers better understand the global CSU field, including both current achievements and remaining challenges. This paper makes four contributions: (1) For the first time, we present a comprehensive survey of deep learning techniques aimed at CSU, including a taxonomy, task-specific challenges, and ongoing developments. (2) To allow for an authoritative quantification of the state-of-the-art, we offer the largest and latest benchmark for concealed object segmentation (COS). (3) To evaluate the generalizability of deep CSU in practical scenarios, we collected the largest concealed defect segmentation dataset termed CDS2K with the hard cases from diversified industrial scenarios, on which we constructed a comprehensive benchmark. (4) We discuss open problems and potential research directions for CSU.
Virtual Trade in a Changing World
Authors: Marjit Sugata , Das Gouranga G. , Mandal Biswajit
Published: August 2023

Virtual economic transactions have radically transformed the way we think about trade and markets in closed and open economies. Continuous decline in costs of information and communications and setting up of phenomenally large number of virtual platforms have brought in 'Time' as an essential element in the discourse on international trade. This work delves deep into the issue of how Time enters as a major catalyst of international trade and virtual transactions. This changes the way we look at ideas of comparative advantage, factor mobility, growth, income distribution, and allied concepts. A key result is that greater physical distance might encourage trade contrary to what we are accustomed to accept.
Farming Under Drought: An Analysis of the Factors Influencing Farmers’ Multiple Adoption of Water Conservation Practices to Mitigate Farm-Level Water Scarcity
Authors: Apio Alfred Tunyire , Thiam Djiby Racine , Dinar Ariel
Published: August 2023

This paper investigates the factors that drive farmers’ simultaneous adoption of six water conservation practices (WCPs) and the intensity of their adoption. We estimate farmers’ adoption of these WCPs with a multivariate probit model, and for the intensity of their adoption, an ordered probit model is estimated. Our results show that gender, age, education, and farm size (among other factors) influence the probability and extent of adoption of WCPs. Furthermore, combinations like drip and/or sprinkler irrigations and cover cropping, drip and/or sprinkler irrigations and intercropping (among others) are complements, suggesting the bundling of these WCPs.
Topographic modulation of outlet glaciers in Greenland: a review
Authors: Catania Ginny , Felikson Denis
Published: August 2023

Bed topography is a critical parameter for determining the modern-day and future dynamics of ice sheets and their outlet glaciers. This is because the topography controls the state of stress for glaciers. At glacier termini, topography can influence the timing of terminus retreat by controlling access to warm ocean waters and/or by influencing the ability of a glacier terminus to retreat over bed bumps (moraines). Inland from the terminus, the topography can also influence where glacier retreat and thinning can stabilize. In part, this is because of knickpoints in bed topography created through glacial erosion that may influence the extent to which thinning can diffuse inland for an individual glacier and thus, the timing and magnitude of long-term mass loss. Here we provide a review of the current literature on these topics. While much of the reviewed literature assumes that topography is stable on relevant timescales to humans, new research suggests that topography may change much faster than previously thought and this further complicates our ability to project future outlet glacier change.
On the kernel of the -Generalized fourier transform
Authors: Gorbachev Dmitry , Ivanov Valerii , Tikhonov Sergey
Published: August 2023

For the kernel

$B_{\kappa ,a}(x,y)$

of the

$(\kappa ,a)$

-generalized Fourier transform

$\mathcal {F}_{\kappa ,a}$

, acting in

$L^{2}(\mathbb {R}^{d})$

with the weight

$|x|^{a-2}v_{\kappa }(x)$

, where

$v_{\kappa }$

is the Dunkl weight, we study the important question of when

$\|B_{\kappa ,a}\|_{\infty }=B_{\kappa ,a}(0,0)=1$

. The positive answer was known for

$d\ge 2$

and

$\frac {2}{a}\in \mathbb {N}$

. We investigate the case

$d=1$

and

$\frac {2}{a}\in \mathbb {N}$

. Moreover, we give sufficient conditions on parameters for

$\|B_{\kappa ,a}\|_{\infty }>1$

to hold with

$d\ge 1$

and any a.

We also study the image of the Schwartz space under the

$\mathcal {F}_{\kappa ,a}$

transform. In particular, we obtain that

$\mathcal {F}_{\kappa ,a}(\mathcal {S}(\mathbb {R}^d))=\mathcal {S}(\mathbb {R}^d)$

only if

$a=2$

. Finally, extending the Dunkl transform, we introduce nondeformed transforms generated by

$\mathcal {F}_{\kappa ,a}$

and study their main properties.
A mixed methods evaluation of a World Health Organization competency-based training package for foundational helping skills among pre-service and in-service health workers in Nepal, Peru and Uganda
Authors: Pedersen Gloria A. , Shrestha Pragya , Akellot Josephine , Sepulveda Alejandra , Luitel Nagendra P. , Kasujja Rosco , Contreras Carmen , Galea Jerome T. , Moran Leydi , Neupane Vibha , Rimal Damodar , Schafer Alison , Kohrt Brandon A.
Published: August 2023

Health systems globally demand more competent workers but lack competency-based training programs to reach their goals. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a competency-based curriculum (EQUIP-FHS) for trainers and supervisors to teach foundational helping knowledge, attitudes and skills, guided by the WHO/UNICEF EQUIP platform, to improve the competency of in-service and pre-service workers from various health and other service sectors. A mixed-methods, uncontrolled before-and-after trial was conducted in Nepal, Peru, and Uganda from 2020 to 2021. Trainees’ (N = 150) competency data were collected during 13 FHS trainings. Paired t-tests assessed pre- to post-change in ENACT competency measures (e.g., harmful, helpful). Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. EQUIP-FHS trainings, on average, were 20 h in duration. Harmful behaviors significantly decreased, and helpful behaviors significantly increased, across and within sites from pre-to post-training. Qualitatively, trainees and trainers promoted the training and highlighted difficult competencies and areas for scaling the training. A brief competency-based curriculum on foundational helping delivered through pre-service or in-service training can reduce the risk that healthcare workers and other service providers display harmful behaviors. We recommend governmental and nongovernmental organizations implement competency-based approaches to enhance the quality of their existing workforce programming and be one step closer to achieving the goal of quality healthcare around the globe.
Prediction of the phase difference between large-scale velocity and Reynolds stress fluctuations in wall turbulence
Authors: Cui G. , Jacobi I.
Published: August 2023

A resolvent-based model was used to predict the phase-difference profile between velocity and stress coherent motions measured in a high Reynolds number channel flow as a proxy for predicting large- and small-scale turbulent interactions. The resolvent model is based on the transfer-function approach for scale interactions in wall turbulence proposed in Jacobiet al.(J. Fluid Mech., vol 914, 2021, pp. 1–27), but incorporates a quasi-empirical weighting scheme to construct composite mode shapes that represent the realistic dispersion of convection velocities associated with the large scales of turbulence. The weighting scheme was derived from the observed similarity between the spectral region where the resolvent operator is low rank and the streamwise spectral energy density of wall-bounded turbulence, and was found to be superior to both single-convection velocity models and models based on linearly weighted modes, when compared with cross-spectral phase calculations from a channel flow computation. The ability to predict the phase relationship between large-scale coherent motions and their associated stress fluctuations allows for refining and extending resolvent-based models of turbulence to describe small-scale features of wall-bounded flows.
Robustness of energy landscape controllers for spin rings under coherent excitation transport
Authors: O’Neil Sean P. , Langbein Frank C. , Jonckheere Edmond , Shermer Sophie
Published: August 2023

The design and analysis of controllers to regulate excitation transport in quantum spin rings presents challenges in the application of classical feedback control techniques to synthesize effective control and generates results in contradiction to the expectations of classical control theory. This paper examines the robustness of controllers designed to optimize the fidelity of an excitation transfer to uncertainty in system and control parameters. We use the logarithmic sensitivity of the fidelity error as the robustness measure, drawing on the classical control analog of the sensitivity of the tracking error. Our analysis shows that quantum systems optimized for coherent transport demonstrate significantly different correlation between error and the log-sensitivity depending on whether the controller is optimized for readout at an exact time T or over a time-window T ± Δ/2.
Multi-phase ecological change on Indian subcontinent from the late Miocene to Pleistocene recorded in the Nicobar Fan
Authors: House Brian , Pickering Kevin T. , Norris Richard
Published: August 2023

Modern grasslands on the Indian subcontinent, North and South America, and East Africa expanded widely during the late Miocene – earliest Pleistocene, likely in response to increasing aridity. Grasses utilizing the C4 photosynthetic pathway are more tolerant of high temperatures and dry conditions, and because they induce less C isotope fractionation than plants using the C3 pathway, the expansion of C4 grasslands can be traced through the δ13C of organic matter in soils and terrigenous marine sediments. We present a high-resolution record of the elemental and isotopic composition of bulk organic matter in the Nicobar Fan sediments from IODP Site U1480, off western Sumatra, to elucidate the timing and pace of the C3–C4 plant transition within the ∼1.5 × 106 km2 catchments of the Ganges/Brahmaputra river system, which continue to supply voluminous Himalaya-derived sediments to the Bay of Bengal. Using a multi-proxy approach to correct for the effects of marine organic matter and account for major sources of uncertainty, we recognize two phases of C4 expansion starting at ∼7.1 Ma, and at ∼3.5 Ma, with a stepwise transition at ∼2.5 Ma. These intervals appear to coincide with periods of Indian Ocean and East Asian monsoon intensification, as well as the expansion of Northern Hemisphere glaciation starting at ∼2.7 Ma. Our data from the deep sea for a multi-phased C4 expansion on the Indian subcontinent are in agreement with terrestrial data from the Indian Siwaliks.
PREDISTRIBUTION AGAINST RENT-SEEKING: THE BENEFIT PRINCIPLE’S ALTERNATIVE TO REDISTRIBUTIVE TAXATION
Authors: Delmotte Charles
Published: August 2023

The distributive justice literature has recently formulated several tax proposals, with limitarians or property-owning democrats proposing new or higher taxes on wealth or capital income intended to decrease the growing wealth gap. This essay joins this debate on inequality and redistributive taxation through the lens of the “benefit principle for public policy.” This principle says that specific rules and institutions are acceptable to the extent that they create benefits for all individuals in society, or at least don’t make anyone worse off. This benefit principle opposes wealth accumulation to the extent that wealth was generated through rent-seeking—that is, income unrelated to economic productivity, which is not embedded in mutually beneficial exchanges. I maintain, however, that ruling out rent-seeking requires not ex post taxation, but primarily a more “predistributive corrective policy,” that is, reconfiguration of market institutions to prevent wealth accumulation through rent-seeking in the first place. The alternative response is, thus, not to tackle inequality as such but to reform the market to promote the occurrence of mutually beneficial exchange.
DEATH AND TAXES: A LIBERTARIAN REAPPRAISAL
Authors: Fleischer Miranda Perry
Published: August 2023

Imagine two friends. Anna inherits nothing and works for every penny she has, while Mary inherits millions. How should a world that respects individual autonomy and private property rights treat Anna’s earnings and Mary’s inheritance? Should it tax them the same, or tax one more heavily than the other? If the latter, which one? The conventional wisdom holds that although some “right” libertarian theories justify taxing income, none justify taxing inheritances. Such taxes are “expropriations” and “an especially cruel injury” that “run[] roughshod over [a] deceased’s interest in the ends his property will serve.” This essay explores the standard libertarian objections to taxing gifts and bequests and argues that libertarians overstate their case when distinguishing the taxation of gratuitous transfers from other types of taxation. At minimum, the benefit theory of taxation embraced by many minimal statists and classical liberals mandates that the receipt of gifts and bequests should be taxed to the recipient. Moreover, the goals of curbing inherited political power and preventing wealthy families from insulating their members from market competition provide two additional explanations for why taxing inheritances to recipients is compatible with classical liberal values.
Old Saxon and Middle Low German Adverbs of Degree: A Case of Diachronic Discontinuity?
Authors: Visser Lourens
Published: August 2023

Middle Low German is generally considered to be a direct successor to Old Saxon. However, later dialects, including Middle Low German, differ from Old Saxon with respect to a number of features, which is unexpected under a direct succession relationship. To account for the presence of such features, some scholars attribute them to High German influence on Middle Low German (Wolff 1934, Stiles 1995, Stiles 2013). Others, however, hypothesize that written Old Saxon (which provides the basis for the comparison) was an artificial grapholect that reflected Old English and Franconian conventions rather than a genuine spoken language (Collitz 1901, Rooth 1973, Doane 1991:45–46). This paper further contributes to this discussion by examining the systems of degree adverbs in Old Saxon and Middle Low German. Based on data from different corpora, it is shown that the system in Old Saxon resembles the one in Old English, while the Middle Low German system is comparable to the systems in Middle High German and Early Middle Dutch. It is concluded that an explanation based solely on language contact is problematic, and that the grapholect hypothesis has more explanatory power.*
The Dichotomy of Wet and Dry Trends Over India by Aerosol Indirect Effects in CMIP5 Models
Authors: Rai Pradeep Kumar , Sarangi Chandan , Arun N. , Kuiry S. N. , Leung L. Ruby
Published: August 2023

Aerosol‐cloud interactions, also known as aerosol indirect effect (AIE), substantially impact rainfall frequency and intensity. Here, we analyze NEX‐GDDP, a multimodel ensemble of high‐resolution (0.25°) historical simulations and future projections statistically downscaled from 21 CMIP5 models, to quantify the importance of AIE on extreme climate indices, specifically consecutive dry days (CDD), consecutive wet days (CWD), and simple daily intensity index (SDII). The 21 NEX‐GDDP CMIP5 models are classified into models with reliable (REM) and unreliable (UREM) monsoon climate simulated over India based on their simulations of the climate indices. The REM group is further decomposed based on whether the models represent only the direct (REMADE) or the direct and indirect (REMALL) aerosol effects. Compared to REMADE, including all aerosol effects significantly improves the model skills in simulating the observed historical trends of all three climate indices over India. Specifically, AIE enhances dry days and reduces wet days in India in the historical period, consistent with the observed changes. However, by the middle and end of the 21st century, there is a relative decrease in dry days and an increase in wet days and precipitation intensity. Moreover, the REMALL simulated future CWD and CDD changes are mostly opposite to those in REMADE, indicating the substantial role of AIE in the future projection of dry and wet climates. These findings underscore the crucial role of AIE in future projections of the Indian hydroclimate and motivate efforts to accurately represent AIE in climate models.
The Present and Future Role of Rice‐Animal Co‐Culture Systems in Meeting Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Chen Jie , Gao Guoping , Zhang Wenbo , Zhao Zhen , Penuelas Josep
Published: August 2023

Rice‐animal co‐culture (RAC) systems are an integrated farming approach to mitigate the diverse challenges facing the food system. Studies of the production potential and ecological mechanisms of RAC systems have demonstrated natural advantages over traditional production systems. The quantification of the advantages and the potential promotion of RAC systems at regional and global scales, however, remains unclear. Writing in Earth's Future, Cui et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002984) comprehensively assessed an ecological RAC system and identified the potential benefits of global promotion using a meta‐analysis. In this commentary, we contextualized Cui et al.'s (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002984) study and further theoretically clarified the connections of RAC systems to the various sustainable development goals (SDGs) and targets, with references to the officially released list of SDG indicators. Moreover, we discussed the limitation of the current studies and pointed out some potential directions for future research to understand the present and future roles of RAC systems in meeting the multiple SDGs.
The 2022 Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to train physiotherapists in the management of people with spinal cord injuries: a qualitative and quantitative analysis of learners’ experiences and its impact
Authors: Glinsky Joanne V. , Ilha Jocemar , Xiong Yuan , Gomez Guillermo , Rostagnor Stephan , Martín-Manjarrés Soraya , Tranter Keira , Muldoon Stephen , Weerts Eric , Harvey Lisa A.
Published: August 2023

Study design

Observational.

Objectives

To determine the learners’ experience and the impact of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) conducted to teach physiotherapists about the management of people with spinal cord injuries (SCI).

Methods

A SCI MOOC for physiotherapists was run in 5 different languages at the end of 2022. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from different sources including registration details, pre- and post-MOOC Knowledge Assessments, a post-MOOC Evaluation, social media posts and online tracking of websites and emails. The data were used to answer four key questions: (i) what was the reach of the MOOC, (ii) what did participants think about the MOOC (iii) did the MOOC change participants’ knowledge and/or confidence, and (iv) did the MOOC change participants’ clinical practice or the way they teach others?

Results

25,737 people from 169 countries registered for the MOOC. 98% of participants who completed the Evaluation (n = 2281) rated the MOOC as either “good” or “very good”. Participants’ knowledge improved by a median (IQR) of 25% (10 to 45%) (n = 4016 participants) on the MOOC Knowledge Assessment. Participants reported changes in confidence, and intentions to change clinical practice and incorporate what they had learnt into the way they teach others in response to the MOOC.

Conclusion

The MOOC provided an efficient way to increase physiotherapists’ knowledge about the physiotherapy management of people with SCI. Participants enjoyed the MOOC, and indicated an intention to change clinical practice and the way they taught others.
Association between cumulative psychosocial adversity in the family and ADHD and autism: a family-based cohort study
Authors: Kanina Aleksandra , Larsson Henrik , Sjölander Arvid , Butwicka Agnieszka , Taylor Mark J. , Martini Miriam I. , Lichtenstein Paul , Lundberg Frida E. , Onofrio Brian M. D’ , Rosenqvist Mina A.
Published: August 2023

Cumulative exposure to psychosocial adversity at an early age has been shown to be a risk factor for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism that often co-occur. However, it is not clear if this association reflects a causal effect or familial confounding. We aimed to assess whether cumulative psychosocial adversity in the family increases the risk for ADHD and autism in offspring while accounting for unmeasured familial confounding. We used a population-based cohort of 1,877,901 individuals born in Sweden between 1990 and 2009. Participants were followed from the age of 3 until 2013, with a median follow up time of 13.8 years. We created a cumulative index based on 7 psychosocial adversity factors. We used Cox regression to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) relating neurodevelopmental conditions to cumulative psychosocial adversity. To address familial confounding, the analyses were repeated in groups of relatives of different kinship: siblings and half-siblings and cousins. A dose-response relationship was observed between cumulative exposure to psychosocial adversity and ADHD at a general population level (covariate adjusted HRs (aHRs) with 95% confidence intervals ranged from 1.55 [one adversity; 1.53–1.58] to 2.65 [ ≥ 4 adversities; 1.98–3.54]). No clear dose-response relation was seen for autism (aHRs ranged from 1.04 [.59–1.84] to 1.37 [1.30–1.45]). HRs of ADHD and autism decreased with increasing level of kinship in the analysis of relatives. Cumulative exposure to psychosocial adversity was associated with both ADHD and autism in the general population, these associations were partly explained by unmeasured familial confounding between relatives. This highlights the need for using family-based designs in studies of psychosocial adversity and ADHD and autism.
Greatly enhanced tunneling electroresistance in ferroelectric tunnel junctions with a double barrier design
Authors: Xiao Wei , Zheng Xiaohong , Hao Hua , Kang Lili , Zhang Lei , Zeng Zhi
Published: August 2023

We propose that the double barrier effect is expected to enhance the tunneling electroresistance (TER) in the ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs). To demonstrate the feasibility of this mechanism, we design a model structure of Pt/BaTiO3/LaAlO3/Pt/BaTiO3/LaAlO3/Pt double barrier ferroelectric tunnel junction (DB-FTJ), which can be considered as two identical Pt/BaTiO3/LaAlO3/Pt single barrier ferroelectric tunnel junctions (SB-FTJs) connected in series. Based on density functional calculation, we obtain the giant TER ratio of 2.210 × 108% in the DB-FTJ, which is at least three orders of magnitude larger than that of the SB-FTJs of Pt/BaTiO3/LaAlO3/Pt, together with an ultra-low resistance area product (0.093 KΩμm2) in the high conductance state of the DB-FTJ. Moreover, it is possible to control the direction of polarization of the two single ferroelectric barriers separately and thus four resistance states can be achieved, making DB-FTJs promising as multi-state memory devices.
Single-cell multiomic analysis of thymocyte development reveals drivers of CD4+ T cell and CD8+ T cell lineage commitment
Authors: Steier Zoë , Aylard Dominik A. , McIntyre Laura L. , Baldwin Isabel , Kim Esther Jeong Yoon , Lutes Lydia K. , Ergen Can , Huang Tse-Shun , Robey Ellen A. , Yosef Nir , Streets Aaron
Published: August 2023

The development of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells in the thymus is critical to adaptive immunity and is widely studied as a model of lineage commitment. Recognition of self-peptide major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II by the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) determines the CD8+ or CD4+ T cell lineage choice, respectively, but how distinct TCR signals drive transcriptional programs of lineage commitment remains largely unknown. Here we applied CITE-seq to measure RNA and surface proteins in thymocytes from wild-type and T cell lineage-restricted mice to generate a comprehensive timeline of cell states for each T cell lineage. These analyses identified a sequential process whereby all thymocytes initiate CD4+ T cell lineage differentiation during a first wave of TCR signaling, followed by a second TCR signaling wave that coincides with CD8+ T cell lineage specification. CITE-seq and pharmaceutical inhibition experiments implicated a TCR–calcineurin–NFAT–GATA3 axis in driving the CD4+ T cell fate. Our data provide a resource for understanding cell fate decisions and implicate a sequential selection process in guiding lineage choice.
Evaluating the role of the nuclear microenvironment in gene function by population-based modeling
Authors: Yildirim Asli , Hua Nan , Boninsegna Lorenzo , Zhan Yuxiang , Polles Guido , Gong Ke , Hao Shengli , Li Wenyuan , Zhou Xianghong Jasmine , Alber Frank
Published: August 2023

The nuclear folding of chromosomes relative to nuclear bodies is an integral part of gene function. Here, we demonstrate that population-based modeling—from ensemble Hi-C data—provides a detailed description of the nuclear microenvironment of genes and its role in gene function. We define the microenvironment by the subnuclear positions of genomic regions with respect to nuclear bodies, local chromatin compaction, and preferences in chromatin compartmentalization. These structural descriptors are determined in single-cell models, thereby revealing the structural variability between cells. We demonstrate that the microenvironment of a genomic region is linked to its functional potential in gene transcription, replication, and chromatin compartmentalization. Some chromatin regions feature a strong preference for a single microenvironment, due to association with specific nuclear bodies in most cells. Other chromatin shows high structural variability, which is a strong indicator of functional heterogeneity. Moreover, we identify specialized nuclear microenvironments, which distinguish chromatin in different functional states and reveal a key role of nuclear speckles in chromosome organization. We demonstrate that our method produces highly predictive three-dimensional genome structures, which accurately reproduce data from a variety of orthogonal experiments, thus considerably expanding the range of Hi-C data analysis.
Machine learning-based prediction of longitudinal cognitive decline in early Parkinson’s disease using multimodal features
Authors: Almgren Hannes , Camacho Milton , Hanganu Alexandru , Kibreab Mekale , Camicioli Richard , Ismail Zahinoor , Forkert Nils D. , Monchi Oury
Published: August 2023

Patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) often suffer from cognitive decline. Accurate prediction of cognitive decline is essential for early treatment of at-risk patients. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a multimodal machine learning model for the prediction of continuous cognitive decline in patients with early PD. We included 213 PD patients from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) database. Machine learning was used to predict change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score using the difference between baseline and 4-years follow-up data as outcome. Input features were categorized into four sets: clinical test scores, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, brain volumes, and genetic variants. All combinations of input feature sets were added to a basic model, which consisted of demographics and baseline cognition. An iterative scheme using RReliefF-based feature ranking and support vector regression in combination with tenfold cross validation was used to determine the optimal number of predictive features and to evaluate model performance for each combination of input feature sets. Our best performing model consisted of a combination of the basic model, clinical test scores and CSF-based biomarkers. This model had 12 features, which included baseline cognition, CSF phosphorylated tau, CSF total tau, CSF amyloid-beta1-42, geriatric depression scale (GDS) scores, and anxiety scores. Interestingly, many of the predictive features in our model have previously been associated with Alzheimer’s disease, showing the importance of assessing Alzheimer’s disease pathology in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Certification of qubits in the prepare-and-measure scenario with large input alphabet and connections with the Grothendieck constant
Authors: Diviánszky Péter , Márton István , Bene Erika , Vértesi Tamás
Published: August 2023

We address the problem of testing the quantumness of two-dimensional systems in the prepare-and-measure (PM) scenario, using a large number of preparations and a large number of measurement settings, with binary outcome measurements. In this scenario, we introduce constants, which we relate to the Grothendieck constant of order 3. We associate them with the white noise resistance of the prepared qubits and to the critical detection efficiency of the measurements performed. Large-scale numerical tools are used to bound the constants. This allows us to obtain new bounds on the minimum detection efficiency that a setup with 70 preparations and 70 measurement settings can tolerate.
Development of chitin nanofiber coatings for prolonging shelf life and inhibiting bacterial growth on fresh cucumbers
Authors: Tanpichai Supachok , Pumpuang Laphaslada , Srimarut Yanee , Woraprayote Weerapong , Malila Yuwares
Published: August 2023

The widespread usage of petroleum-based polymers as single-use packaging has had harmful effects on the environment. Herein, we developed sustainable chitin nanofiber (ChNF) coatings that prolong the shelf life of fresh cucumbers and delay the growth of pathogenic bacteria on their surfaces. ChNFs with varying degrees of acetylation were successfully prepared via deacetylation using NaOH with treatment times of 0–480 min and defibrillated using mechanical blending. With longer deacetylation reaction times, more acetamido groups (–NHCOCH3) in chitin molecules were converted to amino groups (–NH2), which imparted antibacterial properties to the ChNFs. The ChNF morphologies were affected by deacetylation reaction time. ChNFs deacetylated for 240 min had an average width of 9.0 nm and lengths of up to several μm, whereas rod-like structured ChNFs with a mean width of 7.3 nm and an average length of 222.3 nm were obtained with the reaction time of 480 min. Furthermore, we demonstrated a standalone ChNF coating to extend the shelf life of cucumbers. In comparison to the rod-like structured ChNFs, the 120 and 240-min deacetylated ChNFs exhibited a fibril-like structure, which considerably retarded the moisture loss of cucumbers and the growth rate of bacteria on their outer surfaces during storage. Cucumbers coated with these 120 and 240-min deacetylated ChNFs demonstrated a lower weight loss rate of ⁓ 3.9% day−1 compared to the uncoated cucumbers, which exhibited a weight loss rate of 4.6% day−1. This protective effect provided by these renewable ChNFs holds promising potential to reduce food waste and the use of petroleum-based packaging materials.
Colour information biases facial age estimation and reduces inter-observer variability
Authors: Hsieh Jean Y. J. , Boyce W. Paul , Goddard Erin , Clifford Colin W. G.
Published: August 2023

Age estimation is a perceptual task that people perform automatically and effortlessly on a daily basis. Colour has been identified as one of the facial cues that contributes to age perception. To investigate further the role of colour in age perception, we manipulated the chromatic content of facial images holistically. In Experiment 1, images were shown in colour or grey scale; in Experiment 2, images were shown with red–green contrast increased or decreased; in Experiment 3, images were shown with modified yellow–blue contrast. We examined whether the presence of chromatic information biases the perception of age and/or affects inter-observer variability in age judgements, and whether specific chromatic information affects the perception of age. We found that the same face tended to be judged as younger with increased red–green contrast compared to decreased red–green contrast, suggesting that red–green contrast directly affects age perception. Inter-observer variability in age ratings was significantly lower when participants were asked to rate colour compared with grey scale versions of images. This finding indicates that colour carries information useful cues for age estimation.