bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) Program
Authors: Schmidt Michael , Boulanger-Espeut Corinne , Liou Grace , Ma Nan , Torres Sasha , Cersosimo Susan , Bogler Oliver , Zahir Nastaran
Published: March 2024

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) K99/R00 award is intended to help postdoctoral scholars transition in a timely manner to research independence and to foster their development of an impactful cancer research program that is competitive for subsequent independent funding. Here we analyzed factors that impact peer review outcomes and evaluated whether NCI K99/R00 awardees have achieved the goals of the K99/R00 funding mechanism. Our analysis of the K99/R00 review criterion scores demonstrates that while all review criterion scores are positively correlated with the overall impact score, the Research Plan criterion is the strongest predictor of the overall impact score and funding outcomes. In addition, our analysis shows the NCI K99/R00 award facilitated the successful transition of postdoctoral scholars to research independence and enhanced the likelihood of K99/R00 awardees to secure subsequent R01-equivalent NIH grant support although not in an accelerated fashion as originally intended. An NCI K99/R00 award was not determined to be a prerequisite to obtain a faculty position, but for some awardees, it was an asset in that transition. Our results suggest that the NCI K99/R00 award is an important component for training and retention of the next generation of independent cancer researchers and to increasing the percentage of women and promoting the diversity of the cancer research workforce.
Bone health status evaluation in men by means of REMS technology
Authors: Giovanni Adami , Luisa Brandi Maria , Carla Caffarelli , Ernesto Casciaro , Francesco Conversano , Marco Di Paola , Angelo Fassio , Davide Gatti , Francesca Giusti , Stefano Gonnelli , Anna Lombardi Fiorella , Maurizio Muratore , Paola Pisani , Maurizio Rossini
Published: March 2024

Background

Osteoporosis in males is largely under-diagnosed and under-treated, with most of the diagnosis confirmed only after an osteoporotic fracture. Therefore, there is an urgent need for highly accurate and precise technologies capable of identifying osteoporosis earlier, thereby avoiding complications from fragility fractures.

Aims

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and precision of the non-ionizing technology Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry (REMS) for the diagnosis of osteoporosis in a male population in comparison with conventional Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA).

Methods

A cohort of 603 Caucasian males aged between 30 and 90 years were involved in the study. All the enrolled patients underwent lumbar and femoral scans with both DXA and REMS. The diagnostic agreement between REMS and DXA-measured BMD was expressed by Pearson correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman method. The accuracy of the diagnostic classification was evaluated by the assessment of sensitivity and specificity considering DXA as reference.

Results

A significant correlation between REMS- and DXA-measured T-score values (r = 0.91, p < 0.0001) for lumbar spine and for femoral neck (r = 0.90, p < 0.0001) documented the substantial equivalence of the two measurement techniques. Bland-Altman outcomes showed that the average difference in T-score measurement is very close to zero (−0.06 ± 0.60 g/cm2 for lumbar spine and − 0.07 ± 0.44 g/cm2 for femoral neck) confirming the agreement between the two techniques. Furthermore, REMS resulted an effective technique to discriminate osteoporotic patients from the non-osteoporotic ones on both lumbar spine (sensitivity = 90.1%, specificity = 93.6%) and femoral neck (sensitivity = 90.9%, specificity = 94.6%). Precision yielded RMS-CV = 0.40% for spine and RMS-CV = 0.34% for femur.

Conclusion

REMS, is a reliable technology for the diagnosis of osteoporosis also in men. This evidence corroborates its high diagnostic performance already observed in previous studies involving female populations.
Overt hypothyroidism in pregnancy and language development in offspring: is there an association?
Authors: Menotti S. , Mura C. , Raia S. , Bergianti L. , De Carolis S. , Romeo D. M. , Rota C. A. , Pontecorvi A.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Overt hypothyroidism during pregnancy is linked to various obstetric complications, such as premature birth and fetal death. While some studies have shown that maternal hypothyroidism can impact a child's Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and language development, findings are controversial. The aim of this study was to explore the connection between treated maternal hypothyroidism during pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopment, focusing on learning and language and examining related maternal obstetric complications.

Methods

Group 1 included 31 hypothyroid women with elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) (> 10 mU/L, > 10 µIU/mL) during pregnancy, and Group 2 had 21 euthyroid women with normal TSH levels (0.5–2.5 mU/L, 0.5–2.5 µIU/mL). Children underwent neuropsycological assessments using the Griffiths-II scale.

Results

Pregnancy outcome showed an average gestational age at delivery of 38.2 weeks for hypothyroid women, compared to 40 weeks for controls, and average birth weight of 2855.6 g versus 3285 g for controls, with hypothyroid women having children with higher intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) prevalence and more caesarean sections. The 1-min APGAR score was lower for the hypothyroid group's children, at 8.85 versus 9.52. Neuropsychological outcomes showed children of hypothyroid mothers scored lower in neurocognitive development, particularly in the learning and language subscale (subscale C), with a notable correlation between higher maternal TSH levels and lower subscale scores.

Conclusion

Fetuses born to hypothyroid mothers appeared to be at higher risk of IUGR and reduced APGAR score at birth. Neurocognitive development seemed to affect language performance more than the developmental quotient. This alteration appeared to correlate with the severity of hypothyroidism and its duration.
Relationship between diabetic peripheral neuropathy and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: an observational study
Authors: Zúnica-García S. , Blanquer-Gregori J. J. , Sánchez-Ortiga R. , Jiménez-Trujillo M. I. , Chicharro-Luna E.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The main study goal is to assess the relationship between adherence to the mediterranean diet (MD) and the presence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods

Observational pilot study of 174 patients diagnosed with T2DM. Sociodemographic and anthropometric variables, physical activity, smoking habits, blood biochemical parameters and comorbidities were recorded. The presence of alterations in sensitivity to pressure, pain, thermal and vibration was explored. Good MD adherence was a score  ≥  9 the 14-point MD adherence questionnaire (MEDAS-14).

Results

The study population consisted of 174 patients (61.5% men and 38.5% women), with a mean age of 69.56 ± 8.86 years; 19% of these patients adhered to the MD. The score obtained in the MEDAS-14 was higher in patients who did not present alterations in sensitivity to pressure (p = 0.047) or vibration (p = 0.021). The patients without diabetic peripheral neuropathy were more likely to comply with the MD and had a higher score on the MEDAS-14 (p = 0.047). However, multivariate analysis showed that only altered sensitivity to pressure was associated with adherence to the MD (altered sensitivity OR = 2.9; 95%CI 1.02–8.22; p = 0.045).

Conclusions

Although the patients with DPN had lower scores on the MEDAS questionnaire and therefore poorer adherence to the mediterranean diet, the only parameter significantly associated with the MD was that of sensitivity to pressure (monofilament test).
In a world of Open Finance, are customers willing to share data? An analysis of the data-driven insurance business
Authors: Grassi Laura
Published: March 2024

In the financial system, the customers’ willingness to share their data is pivotal, because otherwise, banks and insurance companies are powerless to build on customer data. The key step now is to understand whether there is such willingness and what form it takes. In this study, we investigate how willing customers are to share various kinds of data (on physical health, home, driving style, travel, family, social networks) with their insurance company, in return for different rewards (customised products and services, reduced insurance claims risk and insurance premiums adjusted to personal habits and behaviour). Applying the privacy calculus framework to 1501 responses in a web-based survey, we found that rewards, especially when financial, such as insurance premium benefits, play a pivotal role in driving customer decisions about sharing data. Furthermore, customers associate the data they are asked to share with different levels of privacy, influencing their willingness to share. We also found that, when customers are asked to share various kinds of data in return for different rewards, their own personal innovativeness comes into play. Our findings suggest that, in the data-driven insurance business, different rewards offered in return for specific types of data could help companies minimise the “data acquisition cost” and maximise the data collected. In the era of open data, insurers can explore the many opportunities for segmentation, but new kinds of financial exclusion could emerge, resulting in potential biases and thus misinterpretations should analytics and artificial intelligence models be built upon these premises.
Greener and cheaper: green monetary policy in the era of inflation and high interest rates
Authors: Aguila Nicolás , Wullweber Joscha
Published: March 2024

In recent years central bankers have devoted increased attention to the question of whether and how to intervene to address the growing environmental and climate crisis. The climate intervention debate gained momentum during a period of low inflation and loose monetary policy in core economies – a time characterised by near zero interest rates and large asset purchase programmes. Since 2021, however, the macroeconomic context has changed. Against this background, the paper analyses the contradictory and problematic nature of the direction monetary policy has taken in reaction to higher inflation. It argues that higher interest rates delay the green transformation by raising the cost of sustainable investments, and that the resulting delay also hampers prospects for achieving price stability. The paper concludes that the present macroeconomic environment demands a ‘greener and cheaper’ monetary policy approach designed to address the environmental and climate crisis and also to simultaneously fight inflation.
Building Detection from SkySat Images with Transfer Learning: a Case Study over Ankara
Authors: Sawa Kanako , Yalcin Ilyas , Kocaman Sultan
Published: March 2024

The detection and continuous updating of buildings in geodatabases has long been a major research area in geographic information science and is an important theme for national mapping agencies. Advancements in machine learning techniques, particularly state-of-the-art deep learning (DL) models, offer promising solutions for extracting and modeling building rooftops from images. However, tasks such as automatic labelling of learning data and the generalizability of models remain challenging. In this study, we assessed the sensor and geographic area adaptation capabilities of a pretrained DL model implemented in the ArcGIS environment using very-high-resolution (50 cm) SkySat imagery. The model was trained for digitizing building footprints via Mask R‑CNN with a ResNet50 backbone using aerial and satellite images from parts of the USA. Here, we utilized images from three different SkySat satellites with various acquisition dates and off-nadir angles and refined the pretrained model using small numbers of buildings as training data (5–53 buildings) over Ankara. We evaluated the buildings in areas with different characteristics, such as urban transformation, slums, regular, and obtained high accuracies with F‑1 scores of 0.92, 0.94, and 0.96 from SkySat 4, 7, and 17, respectively. The study findings showed that the DL model has high transfer learning capability for Ankara using only a few buildings and that the recent SkySat satellites demonstrate superior image quality.
Various frameworks for integrating image and video streams for spatiotemporal information learning employing 2D–3D residual networks for human action recognition
Authors: Yosry Shaimaa , Elrefaei Lamiaa , ElKamaar Rafaat , Ziedan Rania R.
Published: March 2024

Human action recognition has been identified as an important research topic in computer vision because it is an essential form of communication and interplay between computers and humans to assist computers in automatically recognizing human behaviors and accurately comprehending human intentions. Inspired by some keyframe extraction and multifeatured fusion research, this paper improved the accuracy of action recognition by utilizing keyframe features and fusing them with video features. In this article, we suggest a novel multi-stream approach architecture made up of two distinct models fused using different fusion techniques. The first model combines convolutional neural networks in two-dimensional (2D-CNN) with long-short term memory networks to glean long-term spatial and temporal features from video keyframe images for human action recognition. The second model is a three-dimensional convolutional neural network (3D-CNN) that gathers quick spatial–temporal features from video clips. Subsequently, two frameworks are put forth to explain how various fusion structures can improve the performance of action recognition. We investigate methods for video action recognition using early and late fusion. While the late-fusion framework addresses the decision fusion from the two models' choices for action recognition, the early-fusion framework examines the impact of early feature fusion of the two models for action recognition. The various fusion techniques investigate how much each spatial and temporal feature influences the recognition model's accuracy. The HMDB-51 and UCF-101 datasets are two important action recognition benchmarks used to evaluate our method. When applied to the HMDB-51 dataset and the UCF-101 dataset, the early-fusion strategy achieves an accuracy of 70.1 and 95.5%, respectively, while the late-fusion strategy achieves an accuracy of 77.7 and 97.5%, respectively.
Revisit: derivation of induction heating power equation for a conductive metal sphere
Authors: Lu Junfeng
Published: March 2024

Currently, we are in the research of magnetic induction heating by using conductive metal particles. The technology (comes from a phenomenon known as the “skin effect”) generates heat produced by electrical eddy currents on metal particle’s surfaces. However, till now, the power equation to describe the energy consumption of the eddy current on a single particle surface still remains ambiguous. William R. Smythe derived this equation for metal ball. A minor error was clearly located in his derivation result. Today, similar ambiguous power equation is still adopted by researchers. In order to clarify this ambiguous situation and make our further deep study on particle-based induction heating process, in this paper, I revisit the derivation of the power equation with richful results.
Water management scheme based on prioritized deep deterministic policy gradient for proton exchange membrane fuel cells
Authors: Xiang De , Cheng Yijun , Li Qingxian , Wang Qiong , Liu Liangjiang
Published: March 2024

To effectively tackle the intricate and dynamic challenges encountered in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), this paper introduces a model-free reinforcement learning approach to address its water management issue. Recognizing the limitations of conventional reinforcement learning methods such as Q-learning in handling the continuous actions and nonlinearity inherent in PEMFCs water management, we propose a prioritized deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) method. This method, rooted in the Actor-Critic framework, leverages double neural networks and prioritized experience replay to enable adaptive water management and balance. Additionally, we establish a PEMFCs water management platform and implement the prioritized DDPG method using "Tianshou", a modularized Python library for deep reinforcement learning. Through experimentation, the effectiveness of our proposed method is verified. This study contributes to advancing the understanding and management of water dynamics in PEMFCs, offering a promising avenue for enhancing their performance and reliability.
Paving the Way for the Electrified Future of Flight: Safety Criteria Development for Integrating Structural Batteries in Aircraft
Authors: Di Mauro G. , Guida M. , Olivares G. , Gomez L. M.
Published: March 2024

Within the global push towards environmental sustainability, the aviation industry is increasingly investigating electrification as a potential solution to reduce emissions and combat climate change. However, traditional battery integration faces significant drawbacks due to their limited energy and power densities, which negatively impact aircraft weight and performance. In this scenario, structural batteries are gaining interest, since they combine energy storage and load-bearing capabilities in multifunctional material structures, thus potentially eliminating barriers to the electrification of the air transport sector. While this novel technology holds immense potential, its integration raises new and unique airworthiness concerns. The present activity aims to support the development of aircraft certification requirements for structural batteries. Recognizing the dual nature of this technology, the proposed approach seeks to maintain or even enhance the current level of safety in both normal and emergency flight conditions.
Effect of olive-pruning fibres as reinforcements of alkali-activated cements based on electric arc furnace slag and biomass bottom ash
Authors: Gómez-Casero M. A. , Sánchez-Soto P. J. , Castro E. , Eliche-Quesada D.
Published: March 2024

In this work, alkali-activated composites using electric arc furnace slag (50 wt%) and biomass bottom ash (50 wt%) were manufactured, adding olive-pruning fibres as reinforcement. The objective of adding fibres is to improve the flexural strength of composites, as well as to prevent the expansion of cracks as a result of shrinkage. For this reason, composites reinforced with olive-pruning fibres (0.5–2 wt%) untreated and treated with three different solutions to improve matrix–fibre adhesion were manufactured. Treatments developed over fibres were a 10 wt% Na2SiO3 solution, 3 wt% CaCl2 solution and 5 wt% NaOH solution. Mechanical properties, physical properties, thermal properties and the microstructure of composites by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were studied to demonstrate the improvement. Alkaline treatment degraded fibre surface, increasing the matrix–fibre adhesion, and as a consequence, flexural strength increased up to 20% at 90 days of curing. Optimal results were obtained with composites reinforced with 1 wt% of olive-pruning fibre treated by a 10 wt% Na2SiO3 solution. Higher quantity of olive-pruning fibre leads to local agglomeration, which weakens the matrix–fibre adhesion. The effect on the compressive strength is less evident, since the addition of fibres produces an admissible decrease (between 0 and 9% using 0.5 or 1 wt% of fibres), except in composites that use olive pruning treated with 10 wt% Na2SiO3 solution, where values remain stable, similar or better to control paste. A greater ductility of the matrix in all composites was observed. Furthermore, the alkali-activated cement matrix was bonded to olive-pruning fibre better than untreated fibre, as it is shown in SEM images. Thus, the results showed that olive-pruning fibres could be used as reinforcement in the manufacturing of alkali-activated materials when they are treated with alkali solutions.
Impact of the Higher-Order Reactive Nonlinearity on High-Amplitude Dissipative Solitons
Authors: Latas S. C. , Ferreira M. F.
Published: March 2024

In this work, the impact of the higher-order reactive nonlinearity on very high-amplitude solitons of the cubic–quintic complex Ginzburg–Landau equation is investigated. These high amplitude pulses were found in a previous work in the normal and anomalous dispersion regimes, starting from a singularity found by Akhmediev et al. We focus mainly in the normal dispersion regime, where the energy of such pulses is particularly high. In the presence of the higher-order reactive nonlinearity effect, pulse formation are observed for much higher absolute values of dispersion. Under such effect, the amplitude and the energy of the VHA pulses decrease, while their spectral range shrinks. Numerical computations are in good agreement with the predictions based on the method of moments, in the absence of the higher-order reactive nonlinearity effect. However, in the presence of this effect such agreement becomes mainly qualitative. A region of existence of the very high-amplitude pulses was found in the semi-plane defined by the normal dispersion and nonlinear gain.
Data sharing and exchanging with incentive and optimization: a survey
Authors: Liu Liyuan , Han Meng
Published: March 2024

As the landscape of big data evolves, the paradigm of data sharing and exchanging has gained paramount importance. Nonetheless, the transition to efficient data sharing and exchanging is laden with challenges. One of the principal challenges is incentivizing diverse users to partake in the data sharing and exchange process. Users, especially those in potential competitive positions, often exhibit reluctance towards sharing or exchanging their data, particularly if they perceive the rewards as inadequate. Given this context, it’s imperative to institute an incentive mechanism that’s not only computationally efficient and secure but also provides both monetary and trustworthy inducements. This study introduces a taxonomy of incentive-based data sharing and exchanging, structured around its lifecycle, and elucidates the challenges inherent in each phase. We classify incentive mechanisms into monetary and non-monetary categories, postulating that the concomitant use of both types of incentives is more effective for data sharing and exchanging applications. Subsequent sections provide an overview of extant literature pertinent to each phase of the data sharing and exchanging lifecycle. In conclusion, we underscore the prevailing challenges in this domain and advocate for intensified efforts to refine the design of incentive mechanisms in data sharing and exchanging.
Formation of secondary microplastics during degradation of plastics originating from the MV X-Press Pearl maritime disaster
Authors: Gunawardhana G. M. S. S. , Perera U. L. H. P. , Ratnayake Amila Sandaruwan , Weerasingha W. A. D. B. , Subasinghe H. C. S.
Published: March 2024

The MV X-Press Pearl maritime incident had a profound impact on the marine and coastal ecosystems along the west coast of Sri Lanka. Considerable quantities of plastic pellets, specifically nurdles or pellets measuring less than 5 mm and estimated at 1680 tonnes, were released into the Indian Ocean. A notable portion of these plastic pellets/primary microplastics (MPs), has the potential to degrade into secondary MPs. The objective of this study was to investigate and understand the degradation process of plastic pellets into secondary MPs under the extreme conditions of fire and exposure to chemicals during the MV X-Press Pearl maritime disaster. Beach sand samples were collected from 40 locations along the affected west coast of Sri Lanka, at both mean sea level and the berm. An additional 20 samples were collected for a background study covering the entire coastline of Sri Lanka. The Wet Peroxide Oxidation (WPO) process was employed to separate microplastics, and observations of secondary MP quantities were recorded. Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopic (FTIR) analysis was carried out to identify functional groups of MPs. The variance in average values of secondary MPs at mean sea level (large MPs (i.e. size > 0. 5 mm) = 33 ± 56 items per 1 mm2 and total MPs (i.e. observed through microscope under 40× magnification) = 61 ± 66 items per 1 mm2) and the berm (large = 61 ± 154 items per 1 mm2 and total MPs = 106 ± 165 items per 1 mm2) suggested significant dispersal of large quantities of MPs to other areas in the Indian Ocean with oceanic currents. The baseline average value of secondary total MPs in other coastal areas of the country was approximately 53 ± 66 items per 1 mm2. The positive correlation between large and total secondary MPs and plastic pellets pollution index indicates that a considerable amount of plastic pellets were degraded into secondary MPs within 6 to 8 days after the accident, under the influence of nitric acid and heat/fire. These secondary MPs are mainly composed of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), as identified by FTIR observations. Consequently, these lightweight polymers have the potential to spread across a wider region, posing a severe environmental threat on a global scale as a transoceanic marine pollutant.
The Problem of Private Health Insurance
Authors: Murray Susan F.
Published: March 2024

Financial markets, actors, institutions and technologies are increasingly determining which kinds of services and 'welfare' are available, how these are narrated, and what comes to represent the 'common sense' in the policy world and in everyday life. This Element problematises the rationale and operation of one such financial technology, private health insurance, and the industry it inhabits. It offers a cross-disciplinary overview of the various drivers of these markets in middle-income countries and their appeal for development institutions and for governments. Using a range of illustrative case examples and drawing on critical scholarship it considers how new markets are pursued and how states are entangled with market development. It reflects on how the private health insurance sector in turn is shaping and segmenting health systems, and also our ideas about rights, fairness and responsibility.
The Language of Romance Crimes
Authors: Carter Elisabeth
Published: March 2024

Exploring the interplay of love, money and threat in romance fraud, this Element reveals how language is used to persuade, manipulate, and threaten without causing alarm. It provides the first empirical examination of criminal interactions-in-action that exposes and tracks the grooming process and manipulation techniques from first contact with the fraudster, to the transition between romance and finance, and requests for money and intimate images, before morphing into explicit threats and acts of sextortion. Through the use of a range of interactional methodologies and real romance fraud messages, a new type of criminality in the form of 'romance fraud enabled sextortion' is revealed. The insights contained in this work have clear implications for future directions of academic exploration and practitioner efforts to protect the public. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Attitude maneuver planning and robust tracking control for flexible satellite
Authors: Sun L. , Duan S. , Huang H. , Zhang T. , Zhao X.
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we investigate the attitude manoeuver planning and tracking control of the flexible satellite equipped with a coilable mast. Due to its flexible beamlike structure, the coilable mast experiences bending and torsional modal vibrations in multi-direction. The complex nonlinear coupling and other external disturbances significantly impact the achievement of high-precision attitude control. To overcome these challenges, a robust attitude tracking controller is proposed for easy implementation by the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS). The controller consists of a disturbance compensator, feedforward controller and output feedback controller. The compensator, based on a Nonlinear Disturbance Observer (NDO), effectively compensates for the cluster disturbances caused by vibrations, environmental factors and parameter perturbations. The feedforward controller tracks the desired path in the nominal satellite model. Furthermore, the output feedback controller enables large-angle manoeuver control of the satellite and evaluates the suppression effect of the controlled output on the observation error of cluster disturbances used the${L_2}$-gain. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed controller successfully achieves high-precision attitude tracking control during large-angle manoeuvering.
Snake words in Estonia: Language, nature and extinction in Andrus Kivirähk’s The Man Who Spoke Snakish
Authors: Howard Alfie , Nelson Diane
Published: March 2024

This article discusses Estonian author Andrus Kivirähk’s novel The Man Who Spoke Snakish in the context of language extinction and biocultural diversity. The novel is set in Medieval Estonia, but the viewpoint of the protagonist as a speaker of a vanishing language from a vanishing culture resonates with the lived experience of millions of people who have lost lifeways and livelihoods to colonisation and cultural assimilation. The fictitious language of Snakish allows its speakers to integrate fully into the natural world and to form complex interdependent relationships with non-human animals. This web of nature, culture and language is destroyed by a colonising society that is anthropocentric, ecologically destructive and socially hierarchical, and which views nature as something to exploit or fear. The novel explores the emotions of grief and loss for both a culture and an ecosystem heading for extinction.
Finite skew braces of square-free order and supersolubility
Authors: Ballester-Bolinches A. , Esteban-Romero R. , Ferrara M. , Pérez-Calabuig V. , Trombetti M.
Published: March 2024

The aim of this paper is to studysupersolubleskew braces, a class of skew braces that encompasses all finite skew braces of square-free order. It turns out that finite supersoluble skew braces have Sylow towers and that in an arbitrary supersoluble skew braceBmany relevant skew brace-theoretical properties are easier to identify: For example, a centrally nilpotent ideal ofBisB-centrally nilpotent, a fact that simplifies the computational search for the Fitting ideal; also,Bhas finite multipermutational level if and only if$(B,+)$is nilpotent.

Given a finite presentation of the structure skew brace$G(X,r)$associated with a finite nondegenerate solution of the Yang–Baxter equation (YBE), there is an algorithm that decides if$G(X,r)$is supersoluble or not. Moreover, supersoluble skew braces are examples of almost polycyclic skew braces, so they give rise to solutions of the YBE on which one can algorithmically work on.
Strategies, Symbols, and Subjectivities: The Continuities between War Rape and Lesbo-Phobic Rape
Authors: Westman Claire Stephanie
Published: March 2024

Research into war rape has shown that rape is not incidental to the general violence of war but is instead an integral part of war strategies. Such research makes it clear that in the context of war, rape serves to injure women on an individual level, but has the more strategic effect of fracturing communal bonds. Similarly, the growing body of research investigating the reasons for, and consequences of, the rape of lesbian women, indicates that these rapes have far-reaching consequences for lesbian communities and serves to reinforce patriarchal heteronormativity. While there is much research around both war and lesbo-phobic rape, the aim of this paper is to bring this research together in order examine lesbo-phobic rape through the lens of war rape theory. This paper aims to show how both “forms” of rape appear to hinge on the meanings assigned to women during peacetime and how both lead to the destruction of individual victims and their communities, while bolstering the subjectivities of the perpetrators and increasing the bonds of those complicit in such violence. The use of the theoretical understandings of war rape thus enriches the understandings of lesbo-phobic rape and shows that there are many continuities between the two.
The impact of fluphenazine withdrawal: a mirror-image study
Authors: Meehan S. , Moran S. , Rainford A. , McDonald C. , Hallahan B.
Published: March 2024

Background:

Fluphenazine decanoate licenced as a long-acting injectable (LAI) first-generation antipsychotic (FGA) was withdrawn from sale in 2018. This study evaluates if its withdrawal resulted in increased relapse rates of psychosis in an Irish patient cohort and examines which prescribed alternative antipsychotic medications were associated with more optimal outcomes.

Methods:

Fifteen participants diagnosed with a psychotic disorder were included. A mirror-image study over 24-months’ pre-and post-withdrawal of fluphenazine was conducted. Kaplan-Meier survival and proportional hazards analyses were conducted. The impact of alternate antipsychotic agents (LAI flupenthixol compared to other antipsychotic medications) was evaluated. Semi-structured interviews with participants examined subjective opinions regarding the change in their treatment.

Results:

Seven participants (46.7%) relapsed in the 24-month period subsequent to fluphenazine discontinuation compared to one individual (6.7%) in the previous identical time-period (p = 0.035). Flupenthixol treatment was associated with reduced relapse rates compared to other antipsychotics (χ2 = 5.402, p = 0.02). Thematic analysis revealed that participants believed that the discontinuation of fluphenazine deleteriously impacted the stability of their mental disorder.

Conclusion:

The withdrawal of fluphenazine was associated with increased relapse rate in individuals previously demonstrating stability of their psychotic disorder. While acknowledging the limitation of small sample size, preliminary evidence from this study suggests that treatment with the first-generation antipsychotic (FGA) flupenthixol was associated with a lower risk of relapse compared to SGAs. Reasons for this lower risk of relapse are not fully clear but could be related to dopamine hypersensitivity with this treatment change.
Tohfeye Ziyarat (Souvenir of Pilgrimage): Religious Mobility and Public Health in Late Qajar Iran, c. 1890–1904
Authors: Eskandari Sarah
Published: March 2024

Following the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, long-distance pilgrimage to Islamic holy sites expanded and quickened, resulting in the spread of cholera among travelers. The necessity of taking circuitous routes to holy cities both inside and outside Iran significantly exacerbated the spread of cholera. Although potential factors such as inadequate public health infrastructure and ineffective quarantine measures contributed to the dissemination of cholera, overall religious mobility in the form of pilgrimage primarily factored behind cholera's spread. Analyzing the influence of religious mobility and rituals sheds light on how pilgrims, as contagions, dealt with the pandemic and the treatment they received from authorities, members of host societies, and individuals within and outside Iran during the cholera pandemics of the1890s and early 1900s.
Local flow topology of a polymer-laden turbulent boundary layer
Authors: Warwaruk Lucas , Ghaemi Sina
Published: March 2024

Fine-scale flow motions are measured in a Newtonian and polymer drag-reduced turbulent boundary layer (TBL) at a common momentum thickness Reynolds number

$Re_{\theta }$

of 2300. Relative to the Newtonian TBL, the polymer-laden flow has a 33 % lower skin-friction coefficient. Three-dimensional (3-D) particle tracking velocimetry is used to measure the components of the velocity gradient tensor (VGT), rate of deformation tensor (RDT) and rate of rotation tensor (RRT). The invariants in these tensors are then used to distinguish the different types of fine-scale flow motions – a method called the

$\varDelta$

-criterion. Joint probability density functions (j.p.d.f.s) of the VGT invariants,

$Q$

and

$R$

, for the Newtonian TBL produce the familiar tear-drop pattern, commonly seen in direct numerical simulations of Newtonian turbulence. Relative to the Newtonian TBL, the polymer-laden flow has significantly attenuated values of

$R$

, implying an overall reduction in fluid stretching. The invariants in the RDT,

$Q_D$

and

$R_D$

, imply that straining motions of the polymeric flow are more two dimensional compared with the Newtonian flow. Moreover, j.p.d.f.s of

$Q_D$

and the invariant in the RRT

$Q_W$

, suggest that the flow consists of fewer biaxial extensional events and more shear-dominated flow. Few, if any, experimental investigations have measured the 3-D structure of fine-scale motions in a Newtonian and polymer drag-reduced TBL using the

$\varDelta$

-criterion. We provide the first experimental evidence that supports the notion that an attenuation of fluid stretching, particularly biaxial straining motions, is central to the mechanism of polymer drag reduction.
Language and executive function relationships in the real world: insights from deafness
Authors: Figueroa Mario , Botting Nicola , Morgan Gary
Published: March 2024

Executive functions (EFs) in both regulatory and meta-cognitive contexts are important for a wide variety of children’s daily activities, including play and learning. Despite the growing literature supporting the relationship between EF and language, few studies have focused on these links during everyday behaviours. Data were collected on 208 children from 6 to 12 years old of whom 89 were deaf children (55% female; M = 8;8; SD = 1;9) and 119 were typically hearing children (56% female, M = 8;9; SD = 1;5). Parents completed two inventories: to assess EFs and language proficiency. Parents of deaf children reported greater difficulties with EFs in daily activities than those of hearing children. Correlation analysis between EFs and language showed significant levels only in the deaf group, especially in relation to meta-cognitive EFs. The results are discussed in terms of the role of early parent–child interaction and the relevance of EFs for everyday conversational situations.
s-Process Enriched Evolved Binaries in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds
Authors: Menon Meghna , Kamath Devika , Mohorian Maksym , Van Winckel Hans , Ventura Paolo
Published: March 2024

Post-asymptotic giant branch stars (post-AGB) in binary systems, with typical orbital periods between

$\sim\!100$

to

$\sim$

1 000 days, result from a poorly understood interaction that terminates their precursory AGB phase. The majority of these binaries display a photospheric anomaly called ‘chemical depletion’, thought to arise from an interaction between the circumbinary disc and the post-AGB star, leading to the reaccretion of pure gas onto the star, devoid of refractory elements due to dust formation. In this paper, we focus on a subset of chemically peculiar binary post-AGBs in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds (MCs). Our detailed stellar parameter and chemical abundance analysis utilising high-resolution optical spectra from VLT+UVES revealed that our targets span a

$T_{\rm eff}$

of 4 900–7 250 K and [Fe/H] of −0.5 - −1.57 dex. Interestingly, these targets exhibit a carbon ([C/Fe] ranging from 0.5 - 1.0 dex, dependant on metallicity) and s-process enrichment (

$\textrm{[s/Fe]}\,\geq\!1$

dex) contrary to the commonly observed chemical depletion pattern. Using spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting and period–luminosity–colour (PLC) relation methods, we determine the luminosity of the targets (2 700–8 300

$\rm L_{\odot}$

), which enables confirmation of their evolutionary phase and estimation of initial masses (as a function of metallicity) (1–2.5

$\textrm{M}_{\odot}$

). In conjunction with predictions from dedicated ATON stellar evolutionary models, our results indicate a predominant intrinsic enrichment of carbon and s-process elements in our binary post-AGB targets. We qualitatively rule out extrinsic enrichment and inherited s-process enrichment from the host galaxy as plausible explanations for the observed overabundances. Our chemically peculiar subset of intrinsic carbon and s-process enriched binary post-AGBs also hints at potential variation in the efficiency of chemical depletion between stars with C-rich and O-rich circumbinary disc chemistries. However, critical observational studies of circumbinary disc chemistry, along with specific condensation temperature estimates in C-rich environments, are necessary to address gaps in our current understanding of disc-binary interactions inducing chemical depletion in binary post-AGB systems.
HORACE, ODES 3.13: INTERTEXTS AND INTERPRETATION
Authors: Sir I.-K.
Published: March 2024

This article argues that the literary contexts of Horace's Odes 3.13, especially archaic Greek poetry, have been relatively neglected by scholars, who have focussed on identifying the location of the fons Bandusiae and on understanding the significance of the sustained description of the kid sacrifice. This study presents a more holistic interpretation of the ode by exploring Horace's interactions with previously unnoticed (Alcaeus, frr. 45 and 347) and underappreciated (Hes. Op. 582–96) archaic Greek poetic intertexts, which also offer a fresh perspective on earlier debates. Horace's use of Alcaeus’ fr. 45, a key intertext, firmly places the fons Bandusiae within the literary landscape of Horace's Sabine estate, and offers a structural and argumentative model for Odes 3.13; further, Alcaean and Hesiodic allusions also suggest that the kid is sacrificed as a surrogate for Horace for keeping him safe. These conclusions are used to offer a new interpretation of the ode on metapoetic, political and philosophical levels, and to explore how these different aspects of the ode interact with Horace's other odes.
Saving China and admiring Japan: Cultural traitor Qian Daosun
Authors: Kato Naoko
Published: March 2024

Qian Daosun (1887–1966) was imprisoned for collaborating with the Provisional Government in North China under Japanese occupation, and to this day he is labelled as hanjian (traitor). Yet, Qian was first and foremost a cultural literatus, librarian, and an exceptional translator with an in-depth understanding of Japanese culture and languages. This article examines the crucial role that Japan and the Japanese language played for Chinese cultural literati in their quest to save China. It also brings to the forefront the dilemmas and agonizing choices Qian faced in his attempt to promote Sino-Japanese cultural exchange in the midst of war, in particular as a librarian. Wartime libraries are highly contested sites of selection, destruction, censorship, preservation, confiscation, and knowledge production. An added layer of complexity was Japan’s cultural policy in China that promoted Japanese-language collections and governed libraries such as the Beijing1 Modern Science Library where Qian worked. What exacerbated Qian’s dilemmas was his upbringing, which led him to form close personal connections with like-minded Japanese literati. Lastly, this article revisits the hanjian label by comparing Qian’s fate to that of other librarians and returned students of Japan, such as May Fourth writer Lu Xun and patriotic bibliophile Zheng Zhenduo. By deliberately examining May Fourth writers alongside hanjian and Japanese intermediaries, the intention is to dismount arbitrary labels and divisions that have set them apart and against each other in the resistance versus collaboration dichotomy.
From collaboration to commemoration: Zhang Wojun and the ambiguities of identity for intellectuals from Taiwan
Authors: Smith Craig A.
Published: March 2024

This article examines Zhang Wojun (1902–1955) and the memory of his ‘collaboration’ with Japan during the Second World War. A Taiwanese-born writer and educator who lived in Beijing for 25 years, his drifting identity was full of ambiguities. Although he was one of the key intellectuals behind Taiwan’s New-Old Literatures Debate and responsible for introducing many May Fourth ideas to Taiwan, he also played an important role in bringing Japanese literature and thought into Chinese discourse during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. During the war, he continued to teach in Beijing and travelled to Japan to attend the Greater East Asia Writers’ conferences. Some of his works from this period call for the Chinese people to support the empire and eradicate Western culture and literature from Asia, but many of his writings also indicate a strong sense of Chinese nationalism.

This article considers the memories of Zhang, his various intellectual contributions, and his oeuvre, arguing that his collaboration must be understood and contextualized within his intellectual landscape through a research methodology that examines continuities and change across decades of his life and work.
Executive functioning, behavior, and white matter microstructure in the chronic phase after pediatric mild traumatic brain injury: results from the adolescent brain cognitive development study
Authors: Betz Anja K. , Cetin-Karayumak Suheyla , Bonke Elena M. , Seitz-Holland Johanna , Zhang Fan , Pieper Steve , O'Donnell Lauren J. , Tripodis Yorghos , Rathi Yogesh , Shenton Martha E. , Koerte Inga K.
Published: March 2024

Background

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is common in children. Long-term cognitive and behavioral outcomes as well as underlying structural brain alterations following pediatric mTBI have yet to be determined. In addition, the effect of age-at-injury on long-term outcomes is largely unknown.

Methods

Children with a history of mTBI (n = 406; Mage = 10 years, SDage = 0.63 years) who participated in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study were matched (1:2 ratio) with typically developing children (TDC; n = 812) and orthopedic injury (OI) controls (n = 812). Task-based executive functioning, parent-rated executive functioning and emotion-regulation, and self-reported impulsivity were assessed cross-sectionally. Regression models were used to examine the effect of mTBI on these domains. The effect of age-at-injury was assessed by comparing children with their first mTBI at either 0-3, 4-7, or 8-10 years to the respective matched TDC controls. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), both MRI-based measures of white matter microstructure, were compared between children with mTBI and controls.

Results

Children with a history of mTBI displayed higher parent-rated executive dysfunction, higher impulsivity, and poorer self-regulation compared to both control groups. At closer investigation, these differences to TDC were only present in one respective age-at-injury group. No alterations were found in task-based executive functioning or white matter microstructure.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that everyday executive function, impulsivity, and emotion-regulation are affected years after pediatric mTBI. Outcomes were specific to the age at which the injury occurred, suggesting that functioning is differently affected by pediatric mTBI during vulnerable periods. Groups did not differ in white matter microstructure.