bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the performance of PBL parametrizations in WRF model for front enhanced SES simulation in istanbul megacity
Authors: KARA Yiğitalp , Özdemir Emrah Tuncay
Published: September 2024

Sea-effect snow (SES) is a meteorological phenomenon resulting from cold air moving over warmer waters. Accurate prediction of SES is vital for emergency management, transportation, and water resource planning. A thundersnow event in Istanbul from 17–19 February 2015 caused significant disruptions, with traffic and flights affected, highways temporarily closed, and trees falling due to heavy snowfall. This study investigates the influence of different parameterization schemes in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model on SES simulations. Six distinct PBL parameterization schemes were used in a series of WRF simulations. In addition, the following factors pivotal to SES event have also been investigated: 1000–500 hPa thickness, total and latent heat fluxes, radar and satellite analyses, temperature gradients, wind shear, inversion levels, and atmospheric stability indices. Additionally, the formation of SES during the cold front transition further contributed to these elements in the Black Sea region. The simulations displayed notably high total heat flux and latent heat flux values, particularly following the passage of the cold front. Furthermore, the northeast-southwest oriented SES cloud, distinguished by its banded structure, was successfully validated using radar and satellite imagery. However, it's worth noting that the model positioned it farther west than its actual location. This study highlights the challenges in precise prediction and analysis of such convective activities. In this thundersnow event, the local closure schemes, particularly MYNN in first place and second MYJ, demonstrated superior performance compared to non-local schemes within the parameterization options.
Two versus three magnesium screws for osteosynthesis of mandibular condylar head fractures: a finite element analysis
Authors: Schönegg Daphne , Müller Günter T. , Blumer Michael , Essig Harald , Wagner Maximilian E. H.
Published: September 2024

Objectives

Previous finite element analyses (FEA) have shown promising results for using two titanium screws in treating mandibular condylar head fractures but limited mechanical stability of a two-screw osteosynthesis with magnesium screws. Given the potential benefits of magnesium screws in terms of biocompatibility and resorption, this study aimed to compare two- and three-screw osteosynthesis solutions for a right condylar head fracture (AO CMF type p) with magnesium screws with a FEA.

Materials and methods

A previously validated finite element model simulating a 350 N bite on the contralateral molars was used to analyze von Mises stress within the screws, fragment deformation, and fracture displacement. All screws were modeled with uniform geometric specifications mirroring the design of Medartis MODUS® Mandible Hexadrive cortical screws.

Results

The three-screw configuration demonstrated lower values for all three parameters compared to the two-screw scenario. There was a 30% reduction in maximum von Mises stress for the top screw and a 46% reduction for the bottom screw.

Conclusions

Fracture treatment with three magnesium screws could be a valuable and sufficiently stable alternative to the established treatment with titanium screws. Further studies on screw geometry could help improve material stability under mechanical loading, enhancing the performance of magnesium screws in clinical applications.

Clinical relevance

The use of magnesium screws for osteosynthesis of mandibular condylar head fractures offers the benefit of reducing the need for second surgery for hardware removal. Clinical data is needed to determine whether the advantages of resorbable screw materials outweigh potential drawbacks in condylar head fracture treatment.
The computational complexity of finding stationary points in non-convex optimization
Authors: Hollender Alexandros , Zampetakis Manolis
Published: September 2024

Finding approximate stationary points, i.e., points where the gradient is approximately zero, of non-convex but smooth objective functions f over unrestricted d-dimensional domains is one of the most fundamental problems in classical non-convex optimization. Nevertheless, the computational and query complexity of this problem are still not well understood when the dimension d of the problem is independent of the approximation error. In this paper, we show the following computational and query complexity results:

The problem of finding approximate stationary points over unrestricted domains is $${\textsf{PLS}} $$
PLS
-complete.

For $$d = 2$$

d
=
2

, we provide a zero-order algorithm for finding $$\varepsilon $$
ε
-approximate stationary points that requires at most $$O(1/\varepsilon )$$

O
(
1
/
ε
)

value queries to the objective function.

We show that any algorithm needs at least $$\Omega (1/\varepsilon )$$

Ω
(
1
/
ε
)

queries to the objective function and/or its gradient to find $$\varepsilon $$
ε
-approximate stationary points when $$d=2$$

d
=
2

. Combined with the above, this characterizes the query complexity of this problem to be $$\Theta (1/\varepsilon )$$

Θ
(
1
/
ε
)

.

For $$d = 2$$

d
=
2

, we provide a zero-order algorithm for finding $$\varepsilon $$
ε
-KKT points in constrained optimization problems that requires at most $$O(1/\sqrt{\varepsilon })$$

O
(
1
/

ε

)

value queries to the objective function. This closes the gap between works of Bubeck and Mikulincer and Vavasis and characterizes the query complexity of this problem to be $$\Theta (1/\sqrt{\varepsilon })$$

Θ
(
1
/

ε

)

.

Combining our results with a recent result of Fearnley et al., we show that finding approximate KKT points in constrained optimization is reducible to finding approximate stationary points in unconstrained optimization but the converse is impossible.
Learning bivariate scoring functions for ranking
Authors: Nardini Franco Maria , Trani Roberto , Venturini Rossano
Published: September 2024

State-of-the-art Learning-to-Rank algorithms, e.g., $$\lambda$$
λ
MART, rely on univariate scoring functions to score a list of items. Univariate scoring functions score each item independently, i.e., without considering the other available items in the list. Nevertheless, ranking deals with producing an effective ordering of the items and comparisons between items are helpful to achieve this task. Bivariate scoring functions allow the model to exploit dependencies between the items in the list as they work by scoring pairs of items. In this paper, we exploit item dependencies in a novel framework—we call it the Lambda Bivariate (LB) framework—that allows to learn effective bivariate scoring functions for ranking using gradient boosting trees. We discuss the three main ingredients of LB: (i) the invariance to permutations property, (ii) the function aggregating the scores of all pairs into the per-item scores, and (iii) the optimization process to learn bivariate scoring functions for ranking using any differentiable loss functions. We apply LB to the $$\lambda$$
λ
Rank loss and we show that it results in learning a bivariate version of $$\lambda$$
λ
MART—we call it Bi-$$\lambda$$
λ
MART—that significantly outperforms all neural-network-based and tree-based state-of-the-art algorithms for Learning-to-Rank. To show the generality of LB with respect to other loss functions, we also discuss its application to the Softmax loss.
Parent Training for Disruptive Behaviors in Referred Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Breider Simone , de Bildt Annelies , Greaves-Lord Kirstin , Dietrich Andrea , Hoekstra Pieter J. , van den Hoofdakker Barbara J.
Published: September 2024

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether face-to-face and therapist-assisted online (i.e., blended) behavioral parent training are effective on reducing disruptive behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in routine mental health care. Ninety-seven children with ASD (4–13 years; 76 boys) were randomized to face-to-face parent training, blended parent training, or a waitlist control condition. We assessed treatment effects on parent-rated child noncompliance (primary outcome) and irritability (secondary outcome). This involved comparing both formats separately to the control condition using linear regression models. Child behaviors at 6 months follow-up were also examined. Children in the face-to-face parent training condition improved significantly more on noncompliance and irritability than children in the waitlist condition and improvements sustained to 6 months follow-up. Children in the blended condition did not improve more than children in the waitlist condition and attrition was high. Our results extend findings from efficacy studies to routine mental health care and advocate the use of face-to-face parent training for disruptive behaviors in children with ASD. More research into blended parent training programs for children with ASD and disruptive behaviors in routine mental health care should be conducted to draw more definite conclusions about the value of blended parent training for these children. Trial registration number NL4712; date of registration 22–10–2014.
The Integrated Model: Dynamic Changes in Mother–Child Relationship in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Wong Anne Chun Miao , Ho Rainbow Tin Hung
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aimed to examine the explicit and implicit aspects of mother–child relationship to explain changes in the relationship led by changes in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV) over time. The explicit mother–child relationship involves verbal and conscious communications, while the implicit relationship consists of nonverbal and nonconscious interactions.

Method

Grounded Theory was employed to assert the participant perspectives as most important. Participants included 33 Chinese mother–child survivors (13 mothers and 20 children) who were residents and ex-residents of a shelter for abused women and their children in Hong Kong. Data on their explicit relationship was collected from qualitative individual interviews. An art-based method, Joint Painting Procedure (JPP), was applied to obtain dyadic mother–child data on their implicit relationship.

Results

The integrated model, “Dynamic changes in mother–child relationship in the context of IPV”, was grounded in three main parts of findings. First, the participants’ intersecting social identities and backgrounds. Second, the changes in their explicit relational dynamics led by the transitions in the context of IPV. Third, their bidirectional and reciprocal implicit relational dynamics elicited through their JPP and post-painting discussions.

Conclusion

The integrated model has significant implications for professional interventions at the post-separation stage. First, IPV is an intersectional social problem requiring social and policy changes, and consideration of diversities among mother–child survivors. Second, the mother–child relationship and the context of IPV are dynamic and changing instead of static. Third, the implicit relationship provides a new dimension for professional interventions to strengthen the mother–child relationship.
Traits Underlying Experimentally Evolved Dispersal Behavior in Tribolium castaneum
Authors: Pointer Michael D. , Spurgin Lewis G. , Vasudeva Ramakrishnan , McMullan Mark , Butler Simon , Richardson David S.
Published: September 2024

Dispersal is an important behavior in many animals, with profound effects on individual fitness and the evolutionary trajectories of populations. This is especially true within taxa with particular life-history strategies, for example those that exploit ephemeral habitat. Further, dispersal is commonly seen to be part of behavioral syndromes - suites of traits that covary across behavioral contexts. The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae), is a major post-harvest crop pest responsible for large losses through the infestation of stored grain. In this system dispersal is known to have a strong genetic basis and differential artificial selection on dispersal traits produces strong phenotypic divergence. However, it is unknown which traits are able to rapidly evolve to produce these results, or which behavioral components underlie differences in dispersal. Using replicate lines of T. castaneum previously selected for divergent dispersal behavior, we test for correlated activity and movement patterns, morphology and substrate surface use. We find robustly repeatable associations between the dispersal phenotype and higher activity, straighter paths, larger body size (but not relative leg length) and increased tendency to remain at the surface of fodder. Together our results suggest that dispersal is part of a syndrome of traits in T. castaneum, and must be treated as such when considering the evolution of dispersal in this system, and in attempting to predict and control its spread.
Population-based survival analysis of primary spinal chordoma in the US from 2000 to 2020
Authors: Agner Kevin E. , Larkins Michael C.
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Chordomas are rare malignant tumors that occur primarily in the axial skeleton. We seek to analyze trends affecting five-year overall survival (5y OS) among patients with primary spinal chordomas (PSC) of the vertebrae and sacrum/pelvis.

Methods

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program was used to identify patients with PSC (ICD-O-3 histology codes 9370/3, 9371/3, and 9372/3) of the spine or sacrum/pelvis. Multivariate and univariate survival analyses were conducted to assess demographic, disease, or treatment characteristic trends.

Results

Eight-hundred-ninety-six patients diagnosed with PSC were identified. Patients 0–54 years at diagnosis had improved 5y OS compared to those either 55–69 years (HR = 1.78; p = 0.046) or those between 70 and 85 + years (HR = 3.92; p < 0.001). Histology impacted 5y OS: Cox regression demonstrated variance among the three histologies assessed (p < 0.001), while univariate analysis demonstrated patients with dedifferentiated chordoma (1.0% of cohort; 33.3% [1.9,64.7]) and chondroid chordoma (2.0% of cohort; 52.5% [26.1,78.9]) had decreased 5y OS compared to those with general chordoma (72.2% [68.8,75.6]; p < 0.001). Nonmarried patients had decreased 5y OS on univariate analysis (65.2% [59.4,71.0] versus 76.2% [72.0,80.4]), with widowed patients being the primary driver of this on subanalysis. Treatment with gross total resection was associated with increased 5y OS (HR = 0.22, p < 0.001), as was treatment with radiotherapy (HR = 0.69, p = 0.030).

Conclusion

Patient age and marital status were significant demographic factors associated with changes in 5y OS among those with PSC. PSC histology is a potentially important prognostic factor in the management of disease.
Incorporation of undissolved lime from previous applications can ameliorate subsoil acidity promptly and improve crop performance on sandy soils of the semi-arid regions of Western Australia
Authors: Azam Gaus , Rahman Md Shahinur
Published: September 2024

Background and aims

Repeated surface application of lime for managing subsoil acidity is slow and ineffective, resulting in an accumulation of undissolved lime (carbonate) in the topsoil. We investigated the impact of the incorporation of undissolved lime into the subsoil to improve acidity and crop performance.

Methods

The undissolved lime in 2-cm layers of topsoil (0–10 cm) from three long-term experiments in Western Australia was measured. Both limed and unlimed topsoil with the acidic subsoil of the same profile was incubated at eight incorporation rates for six weeks, followed by growing barley and wheat in the incubated soil for two weeks to assess the impact on soil acidity and crop root architecture, respectively. Furthermore, a three-year-long field experiment was conducted following strategic tillage in limed and control plots to assess the impact on soil acidity and performance of wheat, canola and barley.

Results

A significant amount of undissolved lime was concentrated in the topsoil, amounting to 1.7, 1.8 and 1.3 t/ha for the limed plots at Wongan Hills, Northam and Merredin, respectively. Incubation of 5–25% topsoil after incorporation with the acidic subsoil was enough to ameliorate subsoil acidity and to improve root length density by up to 13-fold depending on undissolved lime content in topsoils and soil type. In the field experiment, the incorporation of undissolved lime also significantly improved subsoil acidity and canola performance.

Conclusion

We concluded that the incorporation of topsoil containing sufficient undissolved lime with acidic subsoil may offer a quick amelioration of subsoil acidity.
Familias con Orgullo: Pilot Study of a Family Intervention for Latinx Sexual Minority Youth to Prevent Drug Use, Sexual Risk Behavior, and Depressive Symptoms
Authors: Estrada Yannine , Lozano Alyssa , Tapia Maria I. , Fernández Alejandra , Harkness Audrey , Scott Dalton , Lee Tae Kyoung , Rahman Abir , Prado Guillermo
Published: September 2024

Families are key in the healthy development of Latinx sexual minority youth (Latinx SMY), a group that experiences behavioral, mental, and sexual health disparities. Despite this, there are no family-based interventions for Latinx SMY and their families to prevent drug use, sexual risk behaviors, and depressive symptoms. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the preliminary impact (i.e., estimated effect sizes) of Familias con Orgullo (FcO) and examine its feasibility and acceptability among 30 Latinx SMY and their parents. Parents and adolescents were randomized to FcO or a control condition and assessed pre/post-intervention. Feasibility was measured based on session completion and effect sizes. Focus groups were conducted to evaluate intervention acceptability. Findings showed promising effects favoring FcO on parent-adolescent communication (d = 0.46) and parental involvement (d = 0.34). There were also promising effects favoring FcO on suicidal thoughts (OR = 0.75) and depression symptoms (OR = 0.69). Finally, 100% of the adolescents in FcO either continued to remain drug-free or transitioned from current use to no use (from baseline to post-intervention) compared to 74% in the control. Effect sizes for condomless sex, parental monitoring, and positive parenting were small. Session completion (above 80%) and focus group findings indicated strong feasibility and acceptability. FcO holds promise for reducing drug use and depressive symptoms and improving family functioning among Latinx SMY.
Deep shared learning and attentive domain mapping for cross-domain recommendation
Authors: Gheewala Shivangi , Xu Shuxiang , Yeom Soonja
Published: September 2024

Cross-domain recommendations (CDR) present a viable solution and are increasingly used to address the cold-start problem. Recently, CDR methods are utilizing deep models to generate latent preferences from context vectors or rating matrices and transfer these preferences between domains. However, many of these models focus on learning latent preferences using domain-related information and often disregard preference patterns from the contrary domain. Incorporating the contrary domain preference patterns into deep models can improve the generation of more effective latent representations. Moreover, existing CDR models face challenges in effectively transferring mapped preferences between domains due to the large features disparity between them. In this study, we tackle these problems and present a novel Deep Shared Learning and Attentive Domain Mapping (DSAM) approach for CDR. Specifically, we propose a variant of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) called shared learning LSTM, which incorporates the learning of cross-domain preference patterns alongside domain-specific user/item embeddings derived from textual reviews to dynamically generate shared contextual representations in each domain. We further exploit a multi-head self-attentive network to match item-specific knowledge from the source and target domains into different subspaces. We aggregate this learned knowledge to predict rating scores for cold-start users in the target domain. We efficiently optimize this framework in an end-to-end fashion. Experimental results on five real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach against various groups of recommendation models. Additionally, we provide insights to help understand the model architecture and its robustness in handling cold-start users.
Convex semi-infinite programming algorithms with inexact separation oracles
Authors: Oustry Antoine , Cerulli Martina
Published: September 2024

Solving convex semi-infinite programming (SIP) problems is challenging when the separation problem, namely, the problem of finding the most violated constraint, is computationally hard. We propose to tackle this difficulty by solving the separation problem approximately, i.e., by using an inexact oracle. Our focus lies in two algorithms for SIP, namely the cutting-planes (CP) and the inner-outer approximation (IOA) algorithms. We prove the CP convergence rate to be in O(1/k), where k is the number of calls to the limited-accuracy oracle, if the objective function is strongly convex. Compared to the CP algorithm, the advantage of the IOA algorithm is the feasibility of its iterates. In the case of a semi-infinite program with a Quadratically Constrained Quadratic Programming separation problem, we prove the convergence of the IOA algorithm toward an optimal solution of the SIP problem despite the oracle’s inexactness.
Days Not at Home: Association of Vulnerability with Healthcare Utilization After Hospitalization for Heart Failure
Authors: Welch Sarah A. , Di Gravio Chiara , Schildcrout Jonathan S. , Trochez Ricardo , Shi Yaping , Nair Devika , Vasilevskis Eduard E. , Mixon Amanda S. , Bell Susan P. , Kripalani Sunil
Published: September 2024

Background

Heart failure (HF) hospitalizations are characterized by vulnerability in functioning and frequent post-discharge healthcare utilization in both acute and post-acute settings.

Objective

To determine, in patients hospitalized for decompensated HF, the association of vulnerability with (1) detailed forms of post-discharge healthcare utilization, and (2) days spent away from home after initial hospital discharge.

Design

Secondary analysis of a prospective longitudinal cohort study from a single-center academic institution in the USA.

Participants

Adults admitted with acute decompensated HF who were discharged alive.

Main Measures

The Vulnerable Elders Survey 13 (VES-13) measured functional vulnerability at baseline. The primary outcome was the Highest Healthcare Utilization (HHU) 90 days post-discharge, from the following ordered categories: at home, emergency room visit, skilled nursing facility stay, hospital readmission, or death. The secondary outcome was the proportion of days not at home (DNAH) within the first 90 days. Analyses were performed using a partial proportional odds model with adjustment for demographics and health characteristics.

Key Results

A total of 806 patients were included with median age 65, interquartile range [IQR] 55–73 years. Fewer than half (N = 345 [43%]) of patients remained alive and at home during 90-day follow-up. There were 286 [35%] hospital readmissions and 70 [8.7%] participants died. The median DNAH was 3 [IQR 0–16]. Increased vulnerability was associated with (1) HHU, (2) higher odds of utilizing healthcare or dying versus being at home alive 90 days post-discharge (OR 1.81 [95% CI, 1.35, 2.42]), and (3) higher odds of DNAH in the first 90 days (OR 1.55 [95% CI, 1.27, 1.89]).

Conclusions

In this cohort of patients hospitalized for decompensated HF, vulnerability predicted higher levels of healthcare utilization, as well as total days not at home in the 90 days following hospitalization. Vulnerability may have clinical applications to identify patients at greatest need for comprehensive, patient-centered discharge planning.
Comparing head-mounted and handheld augmented reality for guided assembly
Authors: Leins Nicolas , Gonnermann-Müller Jana , Teichmann Malte
Published: September 2024

Different Augmented Reality (AR) displays are becoming more commonly used for work since AR promises benefits by offering support, e.g., with additional information or hints. However, most research compares AR with traditional work support, like paper-based or web-based instructions. Since various AR technologies offer device-specific advantages and disadvantages, different AR technologies are more or less suitable to offer support without overwhelming or distracting the worker. Research, therefore, needs to derive empirical results from comparing different AR displays to derive concrete recommendations for action on the use and design of AR for specific contexts. To address this research gap, this experimental study investigates the effect of video-see-through head-mounted AR (Varjo XR-3) vs. handheld AR (Apple iPad) on performance (time and committed failure), motivation, and cognitive load for guided assembly. The study results reveal that both AR displays can successfully guide people in guided assembly tasks. On a descriptive level, the head-mounted AR device reveals slightly better results in terms of time and committed failures. Notably, the impact of technical restrictions on the study results was still evident. Accordingly, further investigation of device-specific differences is of continuing importance.
Rapamycin Treatment Reduces Brain Pericyte Constriction in Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Beard Daniel J. , Brown Lachlan S. , Morris Gary P. , Couch Yvonne , Adriaanse Bryan A. , Karali Christina Simoglou , Schneider Anna M. , Howells David W. , Redzic Zoran B. , Sutherland Brad A. , Buchan Alastair M.
Published: September 2024

The contraction and subsequent death of brain pericytes may play a role in microvascular no-reflow following the reopening of an occluded artery during ischemic stroke. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition has been shown to reduce motility/contractility of various cancer cell lines and reduce neuronal cell death in stroke. However, the effects of mTOR inhibition on brain pericyte contraction and death during ischemia have not yet been investigated. Cultured pericytes exposed to simulated ischemia for 12 h in vitro contracted after less than 1 h, which was about 7 h prior to cell death. Rapamycin significantly reduced the rate of pericyte contraction during ischemia; however, it did not have a significant effect on pericyte viability at any time point. Rapamycin appeared to reduce pericyte contraction through a mechanism that is independent of changes in intracellular calcium. Using a mouse model of middle cerebral artery occlusion, we showed that rapamycin significantly increased the diameter of capillaries underneath pericytes and increased the number of open capillaries 30 min following recanalisation. Our findings suggest that rapamycin may be a useful adjuvant therapeutic to reduce pericyte contraction and improve cerebral reperfusion post-stroke.
Permanently Rotate the Winning Team
Authors: Eichenberger Reiner , Frey Bruno S.
Published: September 2024

International business is highly dynamic, diverse, and innovative. In such an environment, the institution of a single CEO exhibits several major drawbacks: The interests and strategies of the CEO and other top managers are often not well aligned, allocating so much power to one person is risky, and the change of a CEO entails large costs due to discontinuities in strategy. The standard alternative to a single CEO is a top management team working collectively. Its decisions tend to be poorly focused and insufficiently implemented as its members often cater more to the interests of their department or service unit than to the success of the whole firm.

Based on a comparative economic analysis of the top-managers’ incentives, we argue that a novel governance institution of a rotating chief executive officer is better adapted to international business. Our proposal combines the two traditional systems by regularly rotating the CEO position among the members of a leadership team. The special interests of the various branch managers are checked as they are integrated into pursuing the overall goals of the firm. Rotation contributes to overcoming the specific interests and silo mentality of the various sections and departments in a firm. We discuss how the new institution can be designed, assess its most important advantages and the problems involved, and relate it to other rotating leadership systems in the modern economy, in history and in politics.
Traditional and digital entrepreneurial ecosystems: a framework of differences and similarities
Authors: Lado Alexandre , Castro-Abancens Ignacio , Moreno-Menéndez Ana M. , Casillas José C.
Published: September 2024

Entrepreneurial ecosystems in various geographical areas of the world are often compared in the context of entrepreneurship research. There are far fewer comparative studies on different types of ecosystems. In this study, a traditional entrepreneurial ecosystem based in Canada is compared with a digital entrepreneurial ecosystem specializing in life sciences, in Switzerland, bridging the gap between both and yielding previously unknown insights. The aim is twofold: to decipher both the differences and the similarities between the two models and to describe the predominant type of entrepreneurship in each case. The method consisted of a quantitative study of socio-economic data in combination with the administration of a qualitative analysis of interviews with—industry, government, and university—experts with links to one or the other ecosystem. The main findings showed that the traditional ecosystem had varied entrepreneurial support, public financial support, and collaborative networks between SMEs and start-ups, whereas in the specialized digital ecosystem, business support tended to be sector-specific with private financial support and networks emerging between multinationals and start-ups. Our study contributes to entrepreneurship research by showing that high-tech industries such as biotechnology and medical technology manage to go beyond a purely digital approach in digital ecosystems. The generic nature of the high-tech industries within the traditional ecosystem was the main driver of traditional entrepreneurship, while the sector-specific approaches of the industries within the specialized digital ecosystems were shown to drive innovative entrepreneurship.
Strength Lab AI: a mixture-of-experts deep learning approach for limit state analysis and design of monolithic and laminate structures made of glass
Authors: Kraus Michael A. , Bischof Rafael , Riedel Henrik , Schmeiser Leon , Pauli Alexander , Stelzer Ingo , Drass Michael
Published: September 2024

The demand for transparent building envelopes, particularly glass facades, is rising in modern architecture. These facades are expected to meet multiple objectives, including aesthetic appeal, durability, quick installation, transparency, and both economic and ecological efficiency. At the heart of facade design, particularly for structural glass elements, lies the assurance of structural integrity for ultimate and serviceability limit states with a requisite level of reliability. However, current structural engineering assessments for glass and glass laminate designs, especially in the geometrically non-linear setting, are time-consuming and require significant expertise. This study develops a customized Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) neural network architecture to overcome current limitations. It calibrates it on synthetically generated stress and deformation data obtained via parametrized Finite-Element-Analysis (FEA) of glass and glass laminate structures under both geometrically linear and nonlinear conditions for several joint support and loading conditions. Our findings reveal that the MoE model outperforms baseline models in predicting laminate deflections and stresses, offering a substantial increase in computational efficiency, compared to traditional linear and non-linear FEA, at high accuracy. The MoE is integrated within a novel web-based glass design and verification tool called Strength Lab AI and provided to the engineering public for future use. These results have profound implications for advancing engineering practice, offering a robust tool for the intricate structural design and analysis of glass and glass laminate structures.
Stainless and low-alloy steels additively manufactured by micro gas metal arc-based directed energy deposition: microstructure and mechanical behavior
Authors: Dornelas Paulo Henrique Grossi , Farias Francisco Werley Cipriano , da Silva Tadeu C. , da Cruz Payão Filho João , Ramos A. S. , Oliveira J. P. , Santos Telmo G.
Published: September 2024

Rising demands for miniaturization in industries such as aerospace and electronics have motivated advancements in metal additive manufacturing (AM), resulting in downscaled strategies using direct-energy deposition (DED) processes, now termed micro-DED (µ-DED). Within this context, micro gas metal arc DED (μ-GMA) has demonstrated the ability to deposit layers approximately 1 mm wide with a build rate of 30 cm3/h, positioning this technology between GMA-based DED and other µ-DED processes in terms of regarding dimensional accuracy and build rate. Despite promising initial results, further evaluation of the process impact on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of various alloys is necessary due to the pioneering nature of μ-GMA. The present work focuses on the evaluation of the microstructure (via scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, thermodynamic simulations, and electron backscatter diffraction analyses) and mechanical behavior (using nanoindentation maps) of single-layer depositions of low alloy and stainless steels using μ-GMA. In addition, traditional GMA-based DED using larger diameter wires was employed to deposit comparably alloys for further discussion. μ-GMA successively deposited a low-alloy steel with a microstructure composed of ferrite and martensite–austenite constituents, achieving a nanohardness (NH) of 3.1 GPa and an elastic modulus (NE) of 196 GPa. In addition, μ-GMA additively manufactured stainless steel with a microstructure composed of a γ matrix and δ-ferrite, exhibiting an NH of 3.7 GPa and an NE of 188 GPa. These results for both deposited materials are comparable to those reported in the literature for regular GMA-based DED depositions, indicating that this new variant has promising potential as a printing technology for small and detailed parts.
Enhancing manufacturing and post-processing properties of WAAM ER110 HSLA steel: in situ hot forging + post-deposited heat treatment effects on surface quality and specific cutting energy
Authors: Fonseca Pedro P. , Duarte Valdemar R. , Farias Francisco Werley Cipriano , Cota Bruno Silva , Silva Tiago , Santos Telmo G. , Machado Carla M.
Published: September 2024

This work focuses on the influence of post-deposited heat treatments (PDHT) on the properties and machinability of high-strength low-alloy steel (HSLA) samples, produced by WAAM and the forged (HF-WAAM) variant. An adequate combination of deposition parameters was established, and the manufactured specimens were 3D scanned to evaluate the surface quality. Effects of normalizing and quenching & tempering (Q&T) heat treatments on the microstructure were assessed through optical microscopy and SEM, and the influence on the material hardness and electrical conductivity was evaluated. Orthogonal cutting experiments were conducted to determine the specific cutting energy (SCE), a crucial indicator of the cutting performance and machinability characteristics of the work material. The results revealed a significant SCE decrease when cutting the WAAM and HF-WAAM samples subjected to PDHT, with 8% and 38% decreases for pot-normalization, and 22% and 27% reductions after Q&T, compared to the as-built condition. No significant differences were registered when machining between the WAAM and HF-WAAM variants. HF-WAAM samples after PDHT show superior hardness, without compromising the cutting energy consumption. However, the geometrical features, namely the significant increase of the surface waviness of the hot-forged parts (≈70%) must be considered, being a critical factor to avoid possible undesirable machining effects.
Towards a Generalized Bayesian Model of Reconstructive Memory
Authors: Xu Zihao , Hemmer Pernille , Zhang Qiong
Published: September 2024

Prior knowledge has long been known to shape reconstruction from memory. An individual stimulus from a category is often remembered to be closer to the center of that category than its true location. This effect, together with more complex memory effects that involve prior knowledge at multiple levels of abstraction, has been successfully explained by the Category Adjustment Model (CAM; Huttenlocher et al. 2000) and its extensions. However, recent experimental results diverge from CAM’s predictions showing that reconstructive memory for atypical category examples is influenced by the category center less than that of typical category examples. To unify these findings, we propose a generalized Bayesian model of reconstructive memory, called the generalized CAM model (g-CAM). We demonstrate through simulations that g-CAM can account for previously known effects of reconstructive memory, while additionally capturing recent empirical findings involving atypical category examples.
Did the one-child policy accelerate gender equality in China? A cross-country difference-in-differences analysis
Authors: Fang Zhenhuan , Guo Guang
Published: September 2024

Classic feminist theories have long emphasized high fertility as the main cause of gender inequality and predict that a significant reduction in fertility would lead to reduced gender inequality. In this project, we investigate whether the one-child policy accelerated gender equality in China. We measure gender inequality by Gender Development Index (GDI), Gender Inequality Index (GII), maternal mortality ratio, and infant mortality rate at the national level from China and five populous middle-income countries in an analysis of difference in differences (DiD). A cross-country DiD sets up a framework in which China with the treatment of the one-child policy could be compared with the control countries without the treatment of the policy. Our analysis shows that China lowered GII by additional 20%, maternal mortality ratio by additional 10% and infant mortality rate by additional 6% relative to the five comparison countries during the period of the one-child policy.
Drugs with glutamate-based mechanisms of action in psychiatry
Authors: Chrobak Adrian Andrzej , Siwek Marcin
Published: September 2024

Psychopharmacotherapy of major psychiatric disorders is mostly based on drugs that modulate serotonergic, dopaminergic, or noradrenergic neurotransmission, either by inhibiting their reuptake or by acting as agonists or antagonists on specific monoamine receptors. The effectiveness of this approach is limited by a significant delay in the therapeutic mechanism and self-perpetuating growth of treatment resistance with a consecutive number of ineffective trials. A growing number of studies suggest that drugs targeting glutamate receptors offer an opportunity for rapid therapeutic effect that may overcome the limitations of monoaminergic drugs. In this article, we present a review of glutamate-modulating drugs, their mechanism of action, as well as preclinical and clinical studies of their efficacy in treating mental disorders. Observations of the rapid, robust, and long-lasting effects of ketamine and ketamine encourages further research on drugs targeting glutamatergic transmission. A growing number of studies support the use of memantine and minocycline in major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. Amantadine, zinc, and Crocus sativus extracts yield the potential to ameliorate depressive symptoms in patients with affective disorders. Drugs with mechanisms of action based on glutamate constitute a promising pharmacological group in the treatment of mental disorders that do not respond to standard methods of therapy. However, further research is needed on their efficacy, safety, dosage, interactions, and side effects, to determine their optimal clinical use.
Multi-view clustering analysis of mega-city regions based on intercity flow networks
Authors: Wu Zhiqiang , Zhao Gang , Xu Haowen , Qiao Renlu , Zhao Qian
Published: September 2024

With the booming of Big Data and the Internet of Things, various urban networks have been built based on intercity flow data, and how to combine them to learn a more comprehensive understanding of mega-city regions is becoming more and more indispensable. In this paper, we designed a graph-based multi-view clustering method based on graph learning to explore the mega-city region structures from multi-source data. An example of clustering analysis consists of the people flow network, cargo flow network, and information flow network, covering 88 cities from Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei Province, Shandong Province, Henan Province, Jiangsu Province, Anhui Province, Shanghai, and Zhejiang Province in China is used to illustrate the applicability of the idea in super mega-city region scale studies. Utilizing the proposed clustering method, a unified network representation is calculated, and 5 mega-city regions, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Cluster, Henan Cluster, Shandong Cluster, Shanghai-Jiangsu-Anhui Cluster, and Zhejiang Cluster, are detected based on intercity flow networks. City-to-city flows, including Luan-Taizhou, Lianyungang-Chuzhou, and Xuzhou-Bengbu of the people network, Shanghai-Hangzhou, Suzhou-Shanghai, and Shanghai-Ningbo of the cargo network, Shanghai-Hangzhou, Bozhou-Jinhua, and Huaibei-Bozhou of the information network, are suggested to be further enhanced to facilitate the ongoing nationwide constructions of urban agglomerations in China. The multi-view clustering method proved to be a helpful calculation framework for mega-city region analysis, which would also be considered as a substantial foundation for further urban explorations with more advanced graph learning techniques.
Mating disruption of the tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on greenhouse tomatoes
Authors: Huang Junxia , Wu En , Yang Chunxi , Han Xiangyu , Zhang Jinghang , Cao Mengyu , Deng Fengzhi , Guo Qianshuang , Du Yongjun
Published: September 2024

Mating disruption is an important component of the integrated management system for the tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick). This study showed that the dosage in the tubing dispensers is closely related to their attractiveness. E3Z8Z11-14:Ac and the binary mixture of E3Z8Z11-14:Ac and E3Z8-14:Ac at a dosage of 80 mg and a placement density of 900 polyethylene (PE) tube dispensers/ha significantly reduced the numbers of T. absoluta adults, larvae and damaged tomato leaves. When the adult density was low in the greenhouse, the relationship between the placement density of dispensers (x) and the number of moths caught (y) was y=310.6-1.06x+0.0008x2, which is a typical competitive mating disruption. However, when the adult density was high, the regression equation was y=-1.112x+959.4. Both passive and active dispensers significantly reduced the damage rate and larval population, but the 900 tube dispensers/ha and active aerosol dispensers had the best control results. The effects of the competitive passive dispensers and the placement density of dispensers were influenced by the adult density. At high density, 900 tube dispensers/ha were required.
Numerical simulation of different aircraft sub-floor structures during ditching
Authors: Wang B. , Nie L. , Ren Y.
Published: September 2024

To enhance the impact resistance capacity and ensure the floatability of aircraft after ditching, the slamming response of three types of aircraft sub-floor structures are investigated including the flat, cylindrical and ellipsoidal under floor. A coupled Finite Element-Smooth Particle Hydrodynamic (FE-SPH) method is employed with focus on non-linear structural collapse in fluid-structure interaction. The material is defined by bilinear elastic plastic law, and the strain rate effect is taken into account. Further, comparison and analyses are performed in terms of acceleration, local pressure and strains at different speeds. Results show that conventional flat sub floor structures perform poorly during ditching due to excessive peak acceleration and pressure. By contrast, the peak acceleration of ellipsoidal under floor is lower at all measured speeds and the pressure on the sides is reduced. Moreover, the ellipsoidal sub-floor with bi-directional curvature generates smaller plastic strain and deflection of skin, demonstrating better mechanical properties in water impact scenarios.
A Tale of the Tails: The Value of a Statistical Life at the Tails of the Age Distribution
Authors: Kniesner Thomas J. , Viscusi W. Kip
Published: September 2024

The considerable literature on the value of a statistical life (VSL) documents the wage-mortality risk trade-offs for the working population. Regulatory analyses often must monetize risks to populations at the tails of the age distribution. Because of the longer life expectancy for children, there have been proposals to add a premium to their VSL, which would generate an inconsistency with revealed preference estimates of the VSL trajectory over the life cycle. The shorter life expectancy among older people has led to various arbitrary senior discounts for seniors’ life expectancy. Application of the value of a statistical life year (VSLY) can address valuation of small changes in life expectancy. Examples of inappropriate age adjustments that we discuss include practices by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Predicting the non-thermal pressure in galaxy clusters
Authors: Sullivan Andrew , Shabala Stanislav , Power Chris , Bottrell Connor , Robotham Aaron
Published: September 2024

We investigate the relationship between a galaxy cluster’s hydrostatic equilibrium state, the entropy profile, K, of the intracluster gas, and the system’s non-thermal pressure (NTP), within an analytic model of cluster structures. When NTP is neglected from the cluster’s hydrostatic state, we find that the gas’ logarithmic entropy slope,

$k\equiv \mathrm{d}\ln K/\mathrm{d}\ln r$

, converges at large halocentric radius, r, to a value that is systematically higher than the value

$k\simeq1.1$

that is found in observations and simulations. By applying a constraint on these ‘pristine equilibrium’ slopes,

$k_\mathrm{eq}$

, we are able to predict the required NTP that must be introduced into the hydrostatic state of the cluster. We solve for the fraction,

$\mathcal{F}\equiv p_\mathrm{nt}/p$

, of NTP,

$p_\mathrm{nt}$

, to total pressure, p, of the cluster, and we find

$\mathcal{F}(r)$

to be an increasing function of halocentric radius, r, that can be parameterised by its value in the cluster’s core,

$\mathcal{F}_0$

, with this prediction able to be fit to the functional form proposed in numerical simulations. The minimum NTP fraction, as the solution with zero NTP in the core,

$\mathcal{F}_0=0$

, we find to be in excellent agreement with the mean NTP predicted in non-radiative simulations, beyond halocentric radii of

$r\gtrsim0.7r_{500}$

, and in tension with observational constraints derived at similar radii. For this minimum NTP profile, we predict

$\mathcal{F}\simeq0.20$

at

$r_{500}$

, and

$\mathcal{F}\simeq0.34$

at

$2r_{500}$

; this amount of NTP leads to a hydrostatic bias of

$b\simeq0.12$

in the cluster mass

$M_{500}$

when measured within

$r_{500}$

. Our results suggest that the NTP of galaxy clusters contributes a significant amount to their hydrostatic state near the virial radius and must be accounted for when estimating the cluster’s halo mass using hydrostatic equilibrium approaches.