bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Rise of Atlantic Slavery in the Americas
Authors: Zeuske Michael
Published: June 2023

This chapter examines the development of slavery in the early modern Americas in two major periods. The first period consisted of the co-option and expansion of “pre-Columbian” indigenous slaveries by European colonizers in the different societies of the Americas. The second witnessed the introduction, establishment, and development of Atlantic slavery, which gave rise to a massive slave trade from West Africa to the Americas but also included the adoption and further development of many indigenous forms of slavery. This epoch of colonial Atlantic slavery, which some historians have dubbed “the first slavery,” had taken root by the mid- to late seventeenth century (depending on the region) and lasted more or less until 1800. How did slavery take root in the Americas from the earliest phases of European conquest and how was it characterized? This chapter explores the rise of various slave systems and examines how and why people became enslaved, how their labor was exploited, and how some managed to exit situations of enslavement.
Slavery in the US South
Authors: Pargas Damian A.
Published: June 2023

Between the American Revolution and the US Civil War, the geography of slavery and freedom in North America changed radically. In some respects, this was an age of emancipation. The northern US, Canada, and Mexico all abolished slavery in this period, and the transatlantic slave trade itself was abolished in 1808. In the southern US, however, slavery underwent an enormous expansion—from the Atlantic seaboard to Texas—mainly as a result of the successful introduction of cotton in the newly acquired lands of the southern interior. In the age of the “second slavery,” southern slavery grew at an unprecedented rate and became characterized by a number of unique features, including a slave population that was almost entirely born in slavery; the development of a massive internal slave trade that wrought havoc on slave communities; the dominance of cotton plantation agriculture in the lives of most enslaved people; the adaptation of slavery to urban settings; the curtailment of manumissions; and the rise of a continent-wide refugee crisis, as freedom seekers fled to parts of the continent where slavery had been abolished. This chapter will explore the institution of slavery in one of its most well-known contexts.
Slavery in the Middle East and North Africa
Authors: Montana Ismael M.
Published: June 2023

In the early 1840s and following the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade by several European nations and the United States, European humanitarians—particularly the British—embarked on an earnest campaign to outlaw the vigorous enslaving activities thriving in the Middle East and North Africa. This chapter examines the extent to which the marked increase of enslavement activities and their suppression through the pressure of European abolitionism fits into the saga of the nineteenth-century transformation processes characterized by the rise of European domination of the region. Focusing on the enslavement of Black Africans, the chapter examines the impact of state modernization schemes and the rise of European capitalism on the expansion of enslaving activities and their suppression and argues that no prior historical development has shaped the contours of African slavery in the Middle East and North Africa more than the effects of the nineteenth-century transformation process.
Slavery in Islamic West Africa
Authors: Lofkrantz Jennifer
Published: June 2023

This chapter examines the issues of enslavement, slavery, and pathways to freedom in the nineteenth-century West African states established through revolutionary jihad in what is now mostly contemporary Mali and northern Nigeria. The jihads were primarily anti-slavery movements. Yet, the leaders of these movements were not interested in outlawing slavery for everyone, but in protecting people they considered to be freeborn Muslims from enslavement and in regulating slavery according to their interpretation of the Mālikī madh’hab, the Sunni school of law that was dominant in precolonial Muslim West Africa. Ironically, for states founded with the priority of instituting more “ethical/legal” slavery policies, slavery actually increased in the region as demand for agricultural products produced by enslaved labor, mostly women, increased.
Injection: The Global Spread of Abolitionism
Authors: Mulligan William
Published: June 2023

During the nineteenth century, abolitionist movements developed from small, but vocal, movements in the Atlantic world to establish global networks, based on shared ideas and support for international agreements to ban the slave trade and slavery. The global spread of abolitionism was conditioned by local contexts, particularly religion and economic conditions. This injection essay will conclude by analyzing the impact of the abolitionist movements on the ending of slavery and the limits of their influence.
Slave Labor in Nazi Germany
Authors: Buggeln Marc
Published: June 2023

The National Socialists regarded the population of Eastern Europe, if they were not to be killed or left for dead, as a reservoir of slave labor that would guarantee the Germans a higher standard of living. The Reichsführer SS, Heinrich Himmler, formulated this in unvarnished clarity in his infamous Posen speech from October 4, 1943: “Whether the other peoples live in prosperity or whether they die of hunger, that interests me only to the extent that we need them as slaves for our culture, otherwise it does not interest me.” This chapter examines the use of state-sponsored slave labor in Nazi Germany.
Modern Slavery in the Global Economy
Authors: Lamas Bruno
Published: June 2023

This chapter seeks to clarify the most relevant tensions at stake in the notion of “modern slavery,” considering it less as a discrete set of phenomena than as a controversy around the legitimate modes of perception and representation of various practices of human bondage and exploitation in the global economy. The first section presents the main conceptual steps taken from the abolition of chattel slavery to the umbrella term “modern slavery”; the second section presents an immanent critique of the ongoing classification struggles around “modern slavery”; the third and final section considers the so-called “root causes” and their frameworks.
Injection: An Archaeological Approach to Slavery
Authors: Cameron Catherine M.
Published: June 2023

Slaves and other marginalized people may have made up a large proportion of the world’s population in the past, but because of their marginality they are very difficult to find in the archaeological record. This injection reviews the lines of evidence that archaeologists are developing to identify these largely “invisible” people and explore the lives they lived. The discussion considers first state-level societies, and then small-scale societies. Although classical archaeologists have made little use of archaeology to study slavery, North American archaeologists have demonstrated the rich understandings of the slave experience that archaeology can uncover and offer methods that classical archaeologists might adopt. The study of archaeology of slavery in small-scale societies is just beginning but has the potential to transform our understanding of the nature of social relationships among these groups.
Slavery in Medieval Arabia
Authors: Moorthy Kloss Magdalena
Published: June 2023

The Arabian Peninsula remains a blind spot in recent scholarship on slavery in medieval Islamic contexts. Given the limited secondary literature on the subject, this chapter will rely largely on primary sources to provide a case study from Yemen during the eleventh to fifteenth centuries CE. Medieval texts offer rare insights into the lives of enslaved persons during that era, revealing a remarkable breadth of occupations and tasks assigned to them in Yemeni societies. They also provide evidence of slave trading practices from East Africaacross the Red Seato Yemen. Taken together, primary sources sketch a vivid picture of what it meant to be a slave in medieval South Arabia.
Laplace-difference equation for integrated correlators of operators with general charges in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 SYM
Authors: Brown Augustus , Wen Congkao , Xie Haitian
Published: June 2023

Abstract

We consider the integrated correlators associated with four-point correlation functions $$ \left\langle {\mathcal{O}}_2{\mathcal{O}}_2{\mathcal{O}}_p^{(i)}{\mathcal{O}}_p^{(j)}\right\rangle $$

O
2

O
2

O
p

i

O
p

j

in four-dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory (SYM) with SU(N) gauge group, where $$ {\mathcal{O}}_p^{(i)} $$

O
p

i

is a superconformal primary with charge (or dimension) p and the superscript i represents possible degeneracy. These integrated correlators are defined by integrating out spacetime dependence with a certain integration measure, and they can be computed via supersymmetric localisation. They are modular functions of complexified Yang-Mills coupling τ. We show that the localisation computation is systematised by appropriately reorganising the operators. After this reorganisation of the operators, we prove that all the integrated correlators for any N, with some crucial normalisation factor, satisfy a universal Laplace-difference equation (with the laplacian defined on the τ-plane) that relates integrated correlators of operators with different charges. This Laplace-difference equation is a recursion relation that completely determines all the integrated correlators, once the initial conditions are given.
Discrete dark matter mechanism as the source of neutrino mass scales
Authors: Bonilla Cesar , Herms Johannes , Medina Omar , Peinado Eduardo
Published: June 2023

Abstract

The hierarchy in scale between atmospheric and solar neutrino mass splittings is investigated through two distinct neutrino mass mechanisms from tree-level and one-loop-level contributions. We demonstrate that the minimal discrete dark matter mechanism contains the ingredients for explaining this hierarchy. This scenario is characterized by adding new RH neutrinos and SU(2)-doublet scalars to the Standard Model as triplet representations of an A4 flavor symmetry. The A4 symmetry breaking, which occurs at the electroweak scale, leads to a residual ℤ2 symmetry responsible for the dark matter stability and dictates the neutrino phenomenology. Finally, we show that to reproduce the neutrino mixing angles correctly, it is necessary to violate CP in the scalar potential.
Advancing oral immunology for improving oral health
Authors: Deschner James , Schröder Agnes , Weber Manuel , Galler Kerstin , Proff Peter , Kirschneck Christian , Bozec Aline , Jantsch Jonathan
Published: June 2023

Although substantial progress has been made in dentistry in terms of diagnosis and therapy, current treatment methods in periodontology, orthodontics, endodontics, and oral and maxillofacial surgery, nevertheless, suffer from numerous limitations, some of which are associated with a dramatic reduction in the quality of life. Many general mechanisms of inflammation and immunity also apply to the oral cavity and oral diseases. Nonetheless, there are special features here that are attributable, on the one hand, to developmental biology and, on the other hand, to the specific anatomical situation, which is characterized by a close spatial relationship of soft and hard tissues, exposure to oral microbiota, and to a rapid changing external environment. Currently, a comprehensive and overarching understanding is lacking about how the immune system functions in oral tissues (oral immunology) and how oral immune responses contribute to oral health and disease. Since advances in translational immunology have created a game-changing shift in therapy in rheumatology, allergic diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and oncology in recent years, it is reasonable to assume that a better understanding of oral immunology might lead to practice-changing diagnostic procedures and therapies in dentistry and thereby also profoundly improve oral health in general.
Hashed, binned A-buffer for real-time outlier removal and rendering of noisy point clouds
Authors: Sommerhoff Hendrik , Kolb Andreas
Published: June 2023

Typical point-based rendering algorithms cannot directly handle large outliers or high amounts of noise without either a costly pre-processing of the point cloud or using multiple render passes. In this paper, we propose an A-buffer-based approach that directly renders unprocessed point clouds and filters out outliers in real time, without introducing additional render passes. The core concept of our approach uses bins along each pixel ray in which intermediate information is accumulated. To improve storage efficiency, we extend the binned A-buffer approach using per-ray bin hashing. Our method significantly improves visual quality when rendering noisy point clouds with varying noise levels and large outliers, while only requiring little performance and memory overhead compared to traditional point rendering methods.
The effect of GP-2250 on cultured virus-negative Merkel cell carcinoma cells: preliminary results
Authors: Gambichler Thilo , Majchrzak-Stiller Britta , Peters Ilka , Becker Jürgen C. , Strotmann Johanna , Abu Rached Nessr , Müller Thomas , Uhl Waldemar , Buchholz Marie , Braumann Chris
Published: June 2023

Background

Even in the novel immunotherapy era, Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) remains challenging in its treatment. Apart from Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) associated MCC, this cancer is linked in about 20% of cases to ultraviolet-induced mutational burden frequently causing aberrations in Notch and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathways. The recently developed agent GP-2250 is capable to inhibit growth of cells of different cancers, including pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of GP-2250 on MCPyV-negative MCC cells.

Methods

Methods We employed three cell lines (MCC13, MCC14.2, MCC26) which were exposed to different GP-2250doses. GP-2250’s effects on cell viability, proliferation, and migration were evaluated by means of MTT, BrdU, and scratch assays, respectively. Flow cytometry was performed for the evaluation of apoptosis and necrosis. Western blotting was implemented for the determination of AKT, mTOR, STAT3, and Notch1 protein expression.

Results

Cell viability, proliferation, and migration decreased with increasing GP-2250 doses. Flow cytometry revealed a dose response to GP-2250 in all three MCC cell lines. While the viable fraction decreased, the share of necrotic and in a smaller amount the apoptotic cells increased. Regarding Notch1, AKT, mTOR, and STAT3 expression a comparatively time- and dose-dependent decrease of protein expression in the MCC13 and MCC26 cell lines was observed. By contrast, Notch1, AKT, mTOR, and STAT3 expression in MCC14.2 was scarcely altered or even increased by the three dosages of GP-2250 applied.

Conclusions

The present study indicates GP-2250 having anti-neoplastic effects in MCPyV-negative tumor cells in regard to viability, proliferation, and migration. Moreover, the substance is capable of downregulating protein expression of aberrant tumorigenic pathways in MCPyV-negative MCC cells.
Auswirkungen der Online-Lehre auf die Psychotherapieausbildung. Eine Mixed-Method-Studie an der Sigmund Freud PrivatUniversität Wien
Authors: Akgün Adalet , Forghani Roxane , Fiegl Jutta , Tilkidzhieva Elitsa
Published: June 2023

Die pandemiebedingte Umstellung auf die Online-Lehre im Jahr 2020 stellte die Psychotherapieausbildung vor neue Herausforderungen, vor allem, weil der persönliche Kontakt und die Praxiserfahrung für die Ausbildung in diesem Beruf so wesentlich sind. Ausgehend von den Erfahrungen der Auszubildenden wurden in dieser explorativen Querschnittsstudie (Mixed-Methods-Design) die Auswirkungen der Online-Lehre auf die Psychotherapieausbildung an der Sigmund Freud PrivatUniversität Wien untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Auszubildenden – trotz einiger Herausforderungen – im allgemeinen positive Erfahrungen mit der Online-Lehre gemacht haben und in der Lage waren, sich an die neuen Umstände anzupassen. Gleichzeitig zeigte sich, dass die psychotherapeutische Ausbildung Online nur bedingt möglich ist, da u. a. die in der Präsenz gemachten Erfahrungen nicht vollständig Online erlebt werden konnten.
Simulation Study on the Tribological Characteristics in the Meshing Contact in the Context of the Load Carrying Capacity Calculation of Internal Gears with Unbalanced Sliding Conditions
Authors: Geitner Michael , Preintner Sebastian , Tobie Thomas , Stahl Karsten
Published: June 2023

Planetary gearboxes are characterized by a high power density and a compact design with coaxial in- and output. Consequently, planetary gear units are frequently used in many practical applications, e.g. in wind energy and industrial transmission systems as well as in automotive applications such as automatic transmissions. As a result of the scaling-up of the required system power, the risk of flank damages increased during the last decade. Certain damage types, such as pitting and micropitting, occur predominantly in contact areas of negative specific sliding on the tooth flank surface. Unlike external gears, internal gears offer the possibility of positioning the pitch point C outside of the active profile. Depending on the gear design, this allows a complete avoidance of negative specific sliding either on the planet or on the ring gear. In contrast, the corresponding gear is subjected to negative specific sliding only. It can be assumed that the lifetime regarding flank damages of each meshing partner can be affected by different positions of the pitch point and the resulting differences in the specific sliding, which allows an optimization of the full gear system, taking into account e.g. the load carrying capacity reserves for different material pairings. It is to be noted that such gear designs are already part of some practical applications.

However, the existing analytical approaches within standardized load carrying capacity calculation methods are typically based on investigations considering external gears with balanced sliding conditions. Systematic results on internal gear designs with pitch point positioned outside of the active profile are not available.

Within this paper, extended theoretical studies on the tribological characteristics of different internal gear designs are presented. Therefore, a reference geometry with balanced sliding conditions is compared to internal gears with pitch point below respectively above the active profile. The focus of the studies is the analysis of the lubricant film thickness and the contact temperature in the meshing contact. Referring to this, a high-order TEHL contact simulation model was used. The results of the numerical analysis with the FZG calculation software TriboMesh are compared to different analytical approaches in the context of the calculation of load carrying capacity to derive recommendations for the design of internal gears.
Phytophagy of Nesidiocoris tenuis triggers the response of Trichogramma achaeae to tomato plants infested by Tuta absoluta
Authors: Cascone Pasquale , Tabebordbar Fatemeh , Cencetti Gabriele , Michelozzi Marco , Shishehbor Parviz , Guerrieri Emilio , Giorgini Massimo
Published: June 2023

The generalist predator Nesidiocoris tenuis, an effective biological control agent of numerous pests of the tomato crops, can also trigger plant defence mechanisms (direct and indirect) due to its phytophagous behaviour. In southern Europe, Nesidiocoris tenuis is frequently released in tomato greenhouses to control the invasive pest Tuta absoluta, sometimes combined with another biocontrol agent, the egg parasitoid Trichogramma achaeae. In this study, using olfactometer bioassays, we showed that the modification of the volatile chemical profile induced by the plant feeding activity of the mirid made tomato plants more attractive to T. achaeae, both in the absence and in the presence of T. absoluta eggs or larvae. This result was discussed in relation to difference observed among the chemical profiles of the volatile organic compounds released by tomato plants punctured by N. tenuis, without or in combination with T. absoluta infestation. We found that a few compounds (e.g.β-pinene and myrcene) could play a role in the foraging behaviour of T. achaeae in this scenario. Overall, our data support the emerging idea of an ecological role of N. tenuis, in addition to its predatory activity, in making tomato crops more resilient against the attack of pests, including T. absoluta.
Micromechanical Loading Studies in Ex Vivo Cultured Embryonic Rat Bones Enabled by a Newly Developed Portable Loading Device
Authors: Zhang Zhengpei , Zaman Farasat , Nava Tobia Sebastiano , Aeppli Tim R. J. , Gutierrez-Farewik Elena M. , Kulachenko Artem , Sävendahl Lars
Published: June 2023

Mechanical loading has been described as having the potential to affect bone growth. In order to experimentally study the potential clinical applications of mechanical loading as a novel treatment to locally modulate bone growth, there is a need to develop a portable mechanical loading device enabling studies in small bones. Existing devices are bulky and challenging to transfer within and between laboratories and animal facilities, and they do not offer user-friendly mechanical testing across both ex vivo cultured small bones and in vivo animal models. To address this, we developed a portable loading device comprised of a linear actuator fixed within a stainless-steel frame equipped with suitable structures and interfaces. The actuator, along with the supplied control system, can achieve high-precision force control within the desired force and frequency range, allowing various load application scenarios. To validate the functionality of this new device, proof-of-concept studies were performed in ex vivo cultured rat bones of varying sizes. First, very small fetal metatarsal bones were microdissected and exposed to 0.4 N loading applied at 0.77 Hz for 30 s. When bone lengths were measured after 5 days in culture, loaded bones had grown less than unloaded controls (p < 0.05). Next, fetal rat femur bones were periodically exposed to 0.4 N loading at 0.77 Hz while being cultured ex vivo for 12 days. Interestingly, this loading regimen had the opposite effect on bone growth, i.e., loaded femur bones grew significantly more than unloaded controls (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that complex relationships between longitudinal bone growth and mechanical loading can be determined using this device. We conclude that our new portable mechanical loading device allows experimental studies in small bones of varying sizes, which may facilitate further preclinical studies exploring the potential clinical applications of mechanical loading.
Intelligent techniques in e-learning: a literature review
Authors: Ilić Miloš , Mikić Vladimir , Kopanja Lazar , Vesin Boban
Published: June 2023

Online learning has become increasingly important, having in mind the latest events, imposed isolation measures and closed schools and campuses. Consequently, teachers and students need to embrace digital tools and platforms, bridge the newly established physical gap between them, and consume education in various new ways. Although literature indicates that the development of intelligent techniques must be incorporated in e-learning systems to make them more effective, the need exists for research on how these techniques impact the whole process of online learning, and how they affect learners’ performance. This paper aims to provide comprehensive research on innovations in e-learning, and present a literature review of used intelligent techniques and explore their potential benefits. This research presents a categorization of intelligent techniques, and explores their roles in e-learning environments. By summarizing the state of the art in the area, the authors outline past research, highlight its gaps, and indicate important implications for practice. The goal is to understand better available intelligent techniques, their implementation and application in e-learning context, and their impact on improving learning in online education. Finally, the review concludes that AI-supported solutions not only can support learner and teacher, by recommending resources and grading submissions, but they can offer fully personalized learning experience.
Enhancing the online student experience through the application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to research methods learning and teaching
Authors: Seymour Mairead
Published: June 2023

This paper documents the process and outcomes of redesigning an online research methods module for taught postgraduate students using Universal Design for Learning (UDL). It also explores the effectiveness of UDL-informed design and practice to support the development of social, cognitive and teacher presence as defined under the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. The paper is based on findings from an online survey with students taking a research methods module as part of their Master of Arts (MA) programme. The findings point to a number of UDL-informed structures and practices that supported students’ engagement on the module. These include (a) accessibility of the online learning resources (b) weekly structure and signposting (c) online peer connection and collaboration and (d) lecturer communication. It was also established that UDL, as applied in the redesign of this module, supported the development of cognitive, teaching and social presence. The conclusion of this paper is that UDL-informed design and practice has the potential to influence online learning in multiple and interdependent ways; in its own right and through its application in developing cognitive, social and teaching presence. The findings highlight the benefits of adopting UDL for wider application, particularly in the context of growing diversity in student populations in higher education.
Estimation of Uncertainties in Soil Using MCMC Simulation and Effect of Model Uncertainty
Authors: Rana Himanshu , Pandit Bhardwaj , Sivakumar Babu G. L.
Published: June 2023

The simulation of field conditions for seismically induced slope failures incorporates model uncertainties, which account for the difference between simulated and observed slope behaviour. The quantification of this uncertainty is mandatory to understand the field response of the geotechnical system and make decisions for geotechnical systems. Previous studies have partially studied uncertainty for slope systems under seismic loading. To this aim, this study proposes a methodology based on probabilistic back analysis to estimate uncertainties in soil parameters considering the observed slope response under seismic loading. The proposed method involves support vector regression (SVR) model to map the relationship between soil parameters and seismically induced slope displacement. The SVR model is generated using the data from the numerical simulation of slope system under seismic loading using FLAC 2D. Further, the developed SVR model is used for probabilistic back analysis using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation. The Noto Hanto earthquake in 2007 and the subsequent slope failure along Noto Yuryo Road, Japan, are considered as a case study to validate the proposed methodology. The results of the case study show that the updated or inferred soil parameters have less variability than the prior distribution. Further, the uncertainties in the slope system influence the inferred soil parameters. Hence, a parametric study is conducted to investigate the effect of model uncertainty on the posterior statistics of soil parameters. The study results facilitate a better understanding of the slope deformation mechanism and the effect of model uncertainty on the updated statistics of soil parameters.
Guideline-directed medical therapy for HFrEF: sequencing strategies and barriers for life-saving drug therapy
Authors: Malgie Jishnu , Clephas Pascal R. D. , Brunner-La Rocca Hans-Peter , de Boer Rudolf A. , Brugts Jasper J.
Published: June 2023

Multiple landmark trials have helped to advance the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) significantly over the past decade. These trials have led to the introduction of four main drug classes into the 2021 ESC guideline, namely angiotensin-receptor neprilysin inhibitors/angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors. The life-saving effect of these therapies has been shown to be additive and becomes apparent within weeks, which is why maximally tolerated or target doses of all drug classes should be strived for as quickly as possible. Recent evidence, such as the STRONG-HF trial, demonstrated that rapid drug implementation and up-titration is superior to the traditional and more gradual step-by-step approach where valuable time is lost to up-titration. Accordingly, multiple rapid drug implementation and sequencing strategies have been proposed to significantly reduce the time needed for the titration process. Such strategies are urgently needed since previous large-scale registries have shown that guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) implementation is a challenge. This challenge is reflected by generally low adherence rates, which can be attributed to factors considering the patient, health care system, and local hospital/health care provider. This review of the four medication classes used to treat HFrEF seeks to present a thorough overview of the data supporting current GDMT, discuss the obstacles to GDMT implementation and up-titration, and identify multiple sequencing strategies that could improve GDMT adherence.

Graphical Abstract

Sequencing strategies for GDMT implementation. GDMT: guideline-directed medical therapy; ACEi: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB: Angiotensin II receptor blocker; ARNi: angiotensin receptor–neprilysin inhibitor; BB: beta-blocker; MRA: mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist; SGLT2i: sodium–glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor
Evolutionary finance: a model with endogenous asset payoffs
Authors: Evstigneev I. V. , Hens T. , Vanaei M. J.
Published: June 2023

Evolutionary Finance (EF) explores financial markets as evolving biological systems. Investors pursuing diverse investment strategies compete for the market capital. Some “survive” and some “become extinct”. A central goal is to identify evolutionary stable (in one sense or another) investment strategies. The problem is analyzed in a framework combining stochastic dynamics and evolutionary game theory. Most of the models currently considered in EF assume that asset payoffs are exogenous and depend only on the underlying stochastic process of states of the world. The present work develops a model where the payoffs are endogenous: they depend on the share of total market wealth invested in the asset.
On the construction of LIECE models for the serotonin receptor 5-HT$$_{\text {2A}}$$R
Authors: Shahraki Aida , Selent Jana , Kolb Peter
Published: June 2023

Computer-aided approaches to ligand design need to balance accuracy with speed. This is particularly true for one of the key parameters to be optimized during ligand development, the free energy of binding ($$\Delta$$
Δ
G$$_{\text {bind}}$$

bind

). Here, we developed simple models based on the Linear Interaction Energy approximation to free energy calculation for a G protein-coupled receptor, the serotonin receptor 2A, and critically evaluated their accuracy. Several lessons can be taken from our calculations, providing information on the influence of the docking software used, the conformational state of the receptor, the cocrystallized ligand, and its comparability to the training/test ligands.
Informant Discrepancy in Report of Parent-adolescent Conflict as a Predictor of Hopelessness among Depressed Adolescents: A Replication Study
Authors: Rognli Erling W. , Fjermestad Krister W.
Published: June 2023

More knowledge is needed about how family factors influence depression features in adolescents. We aimed to replicate a previous small sample study showing that higher discrepancy between adolescents and caregivers in report of conflict predicted more hopelessness in adolescents with major depression. The current sample comprised 417 adolescent and maternal caregiver dyads. The adolescents were aged between 12 and 17 years (55.4% female, 44.6% male). The sample was drawn from the Treatment of Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). Analyses were conducted using latent difference score modelling, item response theory, and linear regression in a Bayesian framework. Higher adolescent-perceived conflict relative to caregiver-perceived conflict predicted more adolescent hopelessness. This replicated the original findings in a much larger sample. Adolescent gender did not influence the associations. Addressing divergence in adolescent and parent perceptions of conflict may be relevant to ameliorate hopelessness in treatment of adolescents with depression.
“They Protect us as if they were our Mom” Masking Attitudes from Freelist Survey Data and Qualitative Interviews in San Diego School Communities
Authors: Omaleki V. , Gonzalez A. Flores , Hassani A. , Flores M. , Streuli S. , Guerra A. Wishard , Fielding-Miller R.
Published: June 2023

Background: Despite being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 due to a lack of structural support, marginalized communities have been largely ignored in the politically polarized debate over school masking. In response to this, we sought to explore masking attitudes by centering the voices of parents and children at historically marginalized, predominantly Hispanic schools in southern California. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study with parents and children attending 26 low-income predominantly Hispanic-serving elementary schools. A random sample of parents was asked to provide a freelist of words they associate with masking. A subset of parents with children aged 4–6 was recruited from these surveys to participate in parent-child interviews (PCI). We calculated Smith’s salience index for all unique items, stratifying by language (English/Spanish). Item salience guided PCI thematic analysis for additional context and meaning. Results: 648 participants provided 1118 unique freelist items in English and Spanish. 19 parent-child pairs were interviewed, 11 in Spanish and 8 in English. The most salient words were “safety”(0.37), “protection”(0.12), “prevention”(0.05), “health”(0.04), “good”(0.03), “can’t breathe”(0.03), “necessary”(0.02), “care”(0.02), “precaution”(0.02), and “unnecessary”(0.02). Spanish speakers had a more favorable view of masking than English speakers, particularly regarding “protection” (0.20 vs 0.08) and “prevention” (0.10 vs 0.02). Discussion: Masking is an affordable individual-level risk mitigation that protects the communities that have inequitably shouldered the burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend that policymakers prioritize the views of those most impacted when deciding on risk mitigation policies like school masking.
Stochastic Entropy Production: Fluctuation Relation and Irreversibility Mitigation in Non-unital Quantum Dynamics
Authors: Fiorelli Eliana , Gherardini Stefano , Marcantoni Stefano
Published: June 2023

In this work, we study the stochastic entropy production in open quantum systems whose time evolution is described by a class of non-unital quantum maps. In particular, as in Phys Rev E 92:032129 (2015), we consider Kraus operators that can be related to a nonequilibrium potential. This class accounts for both thermalization and equilibration to a non-thermal state. Unlike unital quantum maps, non-unitality is responsible for an unbalance of the forward and backward dynamics of the open quantum system under scrutiny. Here, concentrating on observables that commute with the invariant state of the evolution, we show how the non-equilibrium potential enters the statistics of the stochastic entropy production. In particular, we prove a fluctuation relation for the latter and we find a convenient way of expressing its average solely in terms of relative entropies. Then, the theoretical results are applied to the thermalization of a qubit with non-Markovian transient, and the phenomenon of irreversibility mitigation, introduced in Phys Rev Res 2:033250 (2020), is analyzed in this context.
Experiences of Physical Activity, Healthy Eating and Quality of Life During and Following Pregnancy in Overweight and Obese Postpartum Women
Authors: Hanley Stephanie J. , Varley Ian , Sale Craig , Elliott-Sale Kirsty J.
Published: June 2023

Objectives

This retrospective study explored the experiences of women with overweight or obesity regarding physical activity, diet and quality of life leading up to, during, and following pregnancy.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive design was adopted, whereby data collected through semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Throughout the interviews, individuals were asked to describe their barriers to a healthy lifestyle during and following pregnancy.

Results

Ten women (34.5 ± 5.2 years old, BMI 30.4 ± 3.5 kg·m− 2) who were between 12 and 52 weeks postpartum participated. A range of themes were identified when discussing barriers to physical activity and healthy eating during and following pregnancy. For example, tiredness, especially in the third trimester of pregnancy, and a lack of support at home, was often cited as preventing engagement in exercise and healthy eating practices. A lack of convenience when attending exercise classes, medical complications following the birth and the cost of attending pregnancy-specific classes were identified as barriers to exercise engagement. Cravings and nausea were identified as barriers to healthy eating during pregnancy. Quality of life was positively associated with exercise and healthy eating, whilst a lack of sleep, loneliness and a loss of freedom since the baby had arrived negatively influenced quality of life.

Discussion

Postpartum women with overweight and obesity experience many barriers when attempting to engage in a healthy lifestyle during and following pregnancy. These findings can be used to inform the design and delivery of future lifestyle interventions in this population.
Exogenous interleukin-1 beta stimulation regulates equine tenocyte function and gene expression in three-dimensional culture which can be rescued by pharmacological inhibition of interleukin 1 receptor, but not nuclear factor kappa B, signaling
Authors: Beaumont Ross Eric , Smith Emily Josephine , Zhou Lexin , Marr Neil , Thorpe Chavaunne T. , Guest Deborah Jane
Published: June 2023

We investigated how Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) impacts equine tenocyte function and global gene expression in vitro and determined if these effects could be rescued by pharmacologically inhibiting nuclear factor-κB (NF-KB) or interleukin 1 signalling. Equine superficial digital flexor tenocytes were cultured in three-dimensional (3D) collagen gels and stimulated with IL-1β for two-weeks, with gel contraction and interleukin 6 (IL6) measured throughout and transcriptomic analysis performed at day 14. The impact of three NF-KB inhibitors on gel contraction and IL6 secretion were measured in 3D culture, with NF-KB-P65 nuclear translocation by immunofluorescence and gene expression by qPCR measured in two-dimensional (2D) monolayer culture. In addition, daily 3D gel contraction and transcriptomic analysis was performed on interleukin 1 receptor antagonist-treated 3D gels at day 14. IL-1β increased NF-KB-P65 nuclear translocation in 2D culture and IL6 secretion in 3D culture, but reduced daily tenocyte 3D gel contraction and impacted > 2500 genes at day 14, with enrichment for NF-KB signaling. Administering direct pharmacological inhibitors of NF-KB did reduce NF-KB-P65 nuclear translocation, but had no effect on 3D gel contraction or IL6 secretion in the presence of IL-1β. However, IL1Ra restored 3D gel contraction and partially rescued global gene expression. Tenocyte 3D gel contraction and gene expression is adversely impacted by IL-1β which can only be rescued by blockade of interleukin 1 receptor, but not NF-KB, signalling.
MDM2- an indispensable player in tumorigenesis
Authors: Zafar Aasma , Khan Muhammad Jawad , Naeem Aisha
Published: June 2023

Murine double minute 2 (MDM2) is a well-recognized molecule for its oncogenic potential. Since its identification, various cancer-promoting roles of MDM2 such as growth stimulation, sustained angiogenesis, metabolic reprogramming, apoptosis evasion, metastasis, and immunosuppression have been established. Alterations in the expression levels of MDM2 occur in multiple types of cancers resulting in uncontrolled proliferation. The cellular processes are modulated by MDM2 through transcription, post-translational modifications, protein degradation, binding to cofactors, and subcellular localization. In this review, we discuss the precise role of deregulated MDM2 levels in modulating cellular functions to promote cancer growth. Moreover, we also briefly discuss the role of MDM2 in inducing resistance against anti-cancerous therapies thus limiting the benefits of cancerous treatment.
Structure-preserving integrators based on a new variational principle for constrained mechanical systems
Authors: Kinon Philipp L. , Betsch Peter , Schneider Simeon
Published: June 2023

A new variational principle for mechanical systems subject to holonomic constraints is presented. The newly proposed GGL principle is closely related to the often used Gear-Gupta-Leimkuhler (GGL) stabilization of the differential–algebraic equations governing the motion of constrained mechanical systems. The GGL variational principle relies on an extension of the Livens principle (sometimes also referred to as Hamilton–Pontryagin principle) to mechanical systems subject to holonomic constraints. In contrast to the original GGL stabilization, the new approach facilitates the design of structure-preserving integrators. In particular, new variational integrators are presented, which result from the direct discretization of the GGL variational principle. These variational integrators are symplectic and conserve momentum maps in the case of systems with symmetry. In addition to that, a new energy–momentum scheme is developed, which results from the discretization of the Euler–Lagrange equations pertaining to the GGL variational principle. The numerical properties of the newly devised schemes are investigated in representative examples of constrained mechanical systems.
A PDE-constrained optimization method for 3D-1D coupled problems with discontinuous solutions
Authors: Berrone Stefano , Grappein Denise , Scialò Stefano
Published: June 2023

A numerical method for coupled 3D-1D problems with discontinuous solutions at the interfaces is derived and discussed. This extends a previous work on the subject where only continuous solutions were considered. Thanks to properly defined function spaces a well posed 3D-1D problem is obtained from the original fully 3D problem and the solution is then found by a PDE-constrained optimization reformulation. This is a domain decomposition strategy in which unknown interface variables are introduced and a suitably defined cost functional, expressing the error in fulfilling interface conditions, is minimized constrained by the constitutive equations on the subdomains. The resulting discrete problem is robust with respect to geometrical complexity thanks to the use of independent discretizations on the various subdomains. Meshes of different sizes can be used without affecting the conditioning of the discrete linear system, and this is a peculiar aspect of the considered formulation. An efficient solving strategy is further proposed, based on the use of a gradient based solver and yielding a method ready for parallel implementation. A numerical experiment on a problem with known analytical solution shows the accuracy of the method, and two examples on more complex configurations are proposed to address the applicability of the approach to practical problems.
Household and Individual Digitisation and Deprivation: A Comparative Analysis Between Italian and Spanish Regions
Authors: González-Relaño Reyes , Lucendo-Monedero Angel Luis , Ivaldi Enrico
Published: June 2023

Despite the progress of the information society, there are currently still notable differences between the access to, and usage of, information and communication technologies (ICTs) and Internet for a broad range of activities by individuals in the regions of Italy and Spain. These differences could be related to features of material and social deprivation. With 13 variables of the 40 NUTS 2 of Italy and Spain, deriving from EUROSTAT regional statistics for 2018, the aim is to respond to the following questions. Is there a relationship between the variables of ICT access and usage by households and individuals and those of social and material deprivation in the regions analysed? What is the interrelationship? Are there differences between Spanish and Italian regions in the behaviour of spatial and regional factors? Factor analysis was used to discover the relationship between variables; spatial patterns were identified by means of spatial autocorrelation; and a typology of regions has been identified by using cluster analysis. The results show that there is a relationship between the variables of ICT access and usage by households and individuals and those of deprivation in Spanish and Italian regions, and indicate that the advanced and daily use of Internet in households is negatively associated with the variables of social deprivation; and the regions with higher levels of per capita income and daily access to Internet have less employment-linked material deprivation. These results also reveal the existence of a north–south spatial pattern in both countries, and six types of regions with homogeneous characteristics have been identified.
The Effect of Groundwater Level on Forced Convection Heat Transfer from a Buried Cylinder
Authors: Oi Tsubasa , Kimura Shigeo , Utanohara Yoichi , Vynnycky Michael
Published: June 2023

The effect of groundwater level on forced convection heat transfer from a cylinder of 1 m in diameter buried at a depth of 10 m is studied numerically. The porosity and permeability of the soil are fixed at 0.5 and 1.0 × 10–11 m2, respectively, throughout the present study, while the inlet velocity U0 and the position of the phreatic surface (h), measured from the center of the cylinder, are varied in the ranges from 10–9 to 10–3 m s−1 and from − 4 to 4 m, respectively. Under these conditions, the heat fluxes on the cylinder are computed numerically. Various approximate solutions are also proposed and compared with those obtained numerically. The heat transfer results are also presented in nondimensional form for generality. The paper is divided into three parts, depending on the relative positions of the phreatic surface to the heated cylinder. First, the heat transfer rates are analyzed when the phreatic surface is above the cylinder, so that the cylinder is completely submerged in the water. In the second case, the phreatic surface is assumed to lie below the cylinder, so that the cylinder is left in the water-free space. In the third case, the phreatic surface is in contact with the cylinder surface, so that the cylinder is partially submerged in groundwater. For the above respective cases, three different approximate analyses are presented, and their validities and limitations are evaluated in comparison with the numerical calculations.