bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Is postnatal depression a distinct subtype of major depressive disorder? An exploratory study
Authors: O’ Brien Suzanne , Sethi Arjun , Gudbrandsen Maria , Lennuyeux-Comnene Laura , Murphy Declan G. M. , Craig Michael C. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractPostnatal depression (PND) has an estimated prevalence of 6.5 to 12.9%. In addition to the direct consequences for women, PND also interferes with the maternal-infant interaction, contributing to long-term cognitive and emotional impairments in exposed offspring. It is unclear how PND differs from major depressive disorder (MDD) more generally, and if PND represents a distinct subtype of depression. We explored whether women with a history of PND have specific differences in brain activation associated with sex hormone changes during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, compared to parous women with either a past history of MDD outside of the postnatal period, or an absent history of MDD (‘never depressed’). Thirty mothers (history of PND (n = 10), history of MDD (n = 10), and ‘never depressed’ (n = 10)) underwent blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) acquisition during an emotional faces task. Amygdala activity was analysed using a region of interest (small volume correction) approach. There was a significant reduction in BOLD response to positive emotional faces in the right amygdala in women with a history of PND compared to women with a history of MDD. A similar but non-significant trend was found in the left amygdala in women with a history of PND compared to ‘never depressed’ women. Our findings support the hypothesis that women with vulnerability to PND represent a distinct subgroup of women with a differential sensitivity to changes in sex hormones. Further, albeit highly tentative, they provide a putative biomarker that could assist in detection of women at-risk to PND.
Intelligibility versus comprehension: understanding quality of accessible next-generation audio broadcast
Authors: Shirley Ben , Ward Lauren 
Published: July 2020

AbstractFor traditional broadcasting formats, implementation of accessible audio strategies for hard of hearing people have used a binary, intelligibility-based approach. In this approach, sounds are categorized either as speech, contributing to comprehension of content, or non-speech, which can mask the speech and reduce intelligibility. Audio accessibility solutions have therefore focused on speech enhancement type methods, for which several useful standard objective measures of quality exist. Recent developments in next-generation broadcast audio formats, in particular the roll out of object-based audio, facilitate more in-depth personalisation of the audio experience based on user preferences and needs. Recent research has demonstrated that many non-speech sounds do not strictly behave as maskers but can be critical for comprehension of the narrative for some viewers. This complex relationship between speech, non-speech audio and the viewer necessitate a more holistic approach to understanding quality of experience of accessible media. This paper reviews previous work and outlines such an approach, discussing accessibility strategies using next-generation audio formats and their implications for developing effective assessments of quality.
Disturbance observer enhanced variable gain controller for robot teleoperation with motion capture using wearable armbands
Authors: Huang Darong , Yang Chenguang , Ju Zhaojie , Dai Shi-Lu 
Published: July 2020

AbstractDisturbance observer (DOB) based controller performs well in estimating and compensating for perturbation when the external or internal unknown disturbance is slowly time varying. However, to some extent, robot manipulators usually work in complex environment with high-frequency disturbance. Thereby, to enhance tracking performance in a teleoperation system, only traditional DOB technique is insufficient. In this paper, for the purpose of constructing a feasible teleoperation scheme, we develop a novel controller that contains a variable gain scheme to deal with fast-time varying perturbation, whose gain is adjusted linearly according to human surface electromyographic signals collected from Myo wearable armband. In addition, for tracking the motion of operator’s arm, we derive five-joint-angle data of a moving human arm through two groups of quaternions generated from the armbands. Besides, the radial basis function neural networks and the disturbance observer-based control (DOBC) approaches are fused together into the proposed controller to compensate the unknown dynamics uncertainties of the slave robot as well as environmental perturbation. Experiments and simulations are conducted to demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.
Controlled ovarian stimulation and progesterone supplementation affect vaginal and endometrial microbiota in IVF cycles: a pilot study
Authors: Carosso Andrea , Revelli Alberto , Gennarelli Gianluca , Canosa Stefano , Cosma Stefano , Borella Fulvio , Tancredi Annalisa , Paschero Carlotta , Boatti Lara , Zanotto Elisa , Sidoti Francesca , Bottino Paolo , Costa Cristina , Cavallo Rossana , Benedetto Chiara 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Purpose
Does controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) and progesterone (P) luteal supplementation modify the vaginal and endometrial microbiota of women undergoing in vitro fertilization?

Methods
Fifteen women underwent microbiota analysis at two time points: during a mock transfer performed in the luteal phase of the cycle preceding COS, and at the time of fresh embryo transfer (ET). A vaginal swab and the distal extremity of the ET catheter tip were analyzed using next-generation 16SrRNA gene sequencing. Heterogeneity of the bacterial microbiota was assessed according to both the Bray-Curtis similarity index and the Shannon diversity index.

Results
Lactobacillus was the most prevalent genus in the vaginal samples, although its relative proportion was reduced by COS plus P supplementation (71.5 ± 40.6% vs. 61.1 ± 44.2%). In the vagina, an increase in pathogenic species was observed, involving Prevotella (3.5 ± 8.9% vs. 12.0 ± 19.4%), and Escherichia coli-Shigella spp. (1.4 ± 5.6% vs. 2.0 ± 7.8%). In the endometrium, the proportion of Lactobacilli slightly decreased (27.4 ± 34.5% vs. 25.0 ± 29.9%); differently, both Prevotella and Atopobium increased (3.4 ± 9.5% vs. 4.7 ± 7.4% and 0.7 ± 1.5% vs. 5.8 ± 12.0%). In both sites, biodiversity was greater after COS (p < 0.05), particularly in the endometrial microbiota, as confirmed by Bray-Curtis analysis of the phylogenetic distance among bacteria genera. Bray-Curtis analysis confirmed significant differences also for the paired endometrium-vagina samples at each time point.

Conclusions
Our findings suggest that COS and P supplementation significantly change the composition of vaginal and endometrial microbiota. The greater instability could affect both endometrial receptivity and placentation. If our findings are confirmed, they may provide a further reason to encourage the freeze-all strategy.
Investigation on binary copper-based catalysts used in the ethanol steam reforming process
Authors: Hamryszak Łukasz , Madej-Lachowska Maria , Kulawska Maria , Ruggiero-Mikołajczyk Małgorzata , Samson Katarzyna , Śliwa Michał 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe use of copper-based binary catalysts, Cu/Zr oxides and Cu/Al oxides, has been examined to produce hydrogen from ethanol in the ethanol steam reforming process. The examined catalysts were compared with non-noble bicomponent catalysts consisting of oxides of nickel and cobalt: Ni/Zr Co/Zr, Ni/Al and Co/Al, prepared and tested in the identical way. Catalytic tests were carried out in the fixed-bed reactor in the temperature range 433–873 K for initial molar ratio of ethanol to water equal to 1:3. Ethanol conversion approached near 100%. Catalysts were characterized by XRD, TPR. Cu/Zr oxides. The catalyst showed very good selectivity. It is significant that carbon monoxide appeared only above 600 K and its selectivity has not exceeded 3% in the higher temperature range. No methane has been detected. Hydrogen yield was relatively stable in the temperature range from 513 to 873 K. Similarly, in the presence of Cu/Al oxides neither CO nor CH4 were found in the products. The correlation between activity of examined catalysts and textural properties was not found.
Proof-Theoretic Analysis of the Logics of Agency: The Deliberative STIT
Authors: Negri S. , Pavlović E. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractA sequent calculus methodology for systems of agency based on branching-time frames with agents and choices is proposed, starting with a complete and cut-free system for multi-agent deliberative STIT; the methodology allows a transparent justification of the rules, good structural properties, analyticity, direct completeness and decidability proofs.
Who are Volunteers in Urban China?
Authors: Liu Fengqin , Zhang Xiulan 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAlthough government-organized volunteering is common in China, the Chinese government has also sought to encourage the development of grassroots volunteer service organizations (VSOs) given the tremendous social service burden and the complexity of social governance. Motivated by the lack of systematic studies on volunteering in China, this study explores predictors of volunteering in urban China using data from the 2013 Survey on Philanthropic Behaviors of Urban Citizens in China. The findings indicate that generalized trust, membership in the Chinese Communist Party and type of work unit are significantly associated with the government-organized volunteering. Similar to Western countries, education, religiosity and social capital variables all help in explaining grassroots VSO-organized volunteering. Interestingly, the association between grassroots VSO-organized volunteering and trust in the central government with regard to both participation probability and time devoted to volunteering is significantly positive, whereas the association between grassroots VSO-organized volunteering and trust in local government, for both participation probability and time devoted to volunteering, is significantly negative.
Optimal Design of Experiments for Hybrid Nonlinear Models, with Applications to Extended Michaelis–Menten Kinetics
Authors: Huang Yuanzhi , Gilmour Steven G. , Mylona Kalliopi , Goos Peter 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBiochemical mechanism studies often assume statistical models derived from Michaelis–Menten kinetics, which are used to approximate initial reaction rate data given the concentration level of a single substrate. In experiments dealing with industrial applications, however, there are typically a wide range of kinetic profiles where more than one factor is controlled. We focus on optimal design of such experiments requiring the use of multifactor hybrid nonlinear models, which presents a considerable computational challenge. We examine three different candidate models and search for tailor-made D- or weighted-A-optimal designs that can ensure the efficiency of nonlinear least squares estimation. We also study a compound design criterion for discriminating between two candidate models, which we recommend for design of advanced kinetic studies.Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear on-line
Erreichbarkeit: Symptom oder Merkmal der Arbeit? Was bedeutet das Ergebnis für die Arbeitsgestaltung?
Authors: Göllner Melanie , Rau Renate 
Published: July 2020

ZusammenfassungZiel der Untersuchung war es zu klären, ob sich die Arbeitsmerkmale erreichbar Beschäftigter von denen ohne Erreichbarkeit unterscheiden. Daher wurde die Arbeit von Erreichbaren (n = 79) und von nicht Erreichbaren (n = 48) mittels objektiv-bedingungsbezogener Arbeitsanalysen über eine Arbeitsschicht hinweg analysiert. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich, dass die Arbeit ständig Erreichbarer in fast allen Merkmalen entsprechend der DIN EN ISO 6385 (2016) gesundheitsförderlich gestaltet ist. Sie weist im Vergleich zur Arbeit nicht Erreichbarer eine signifikant höhere Vollständigkeit, höhere Handlungs‑/Entscheidungsspielräume, umfassendere Rückmeldungen und Informationen zur Arbeitsorganisation, höhere Kooperationsanforderungen und kognitive Anforderungen, aber auch eine höhere Arbeitsintensität auf. Diskutiert werden die Ergebnisse hinsichtlich der möglichen Zeitverluste aufgrund signifikant häufigerer Störungen/Unterbrechungen und fehlender Berücksichtigung von Zeit für die Erfüllung kooperativer und kognitiver Anforderungen. Diese Zeitverluste bieten in Kombination mit dem hohen Handlungs‑/Entscheidungsspielraum eine Erklärungsmöglichkeit für das Auftreten von Erreichbarkeit als eine Form der Kompensation fehlender Zeit.Praktische Relevanz: In der bisherigen Erreichbarkeitsforschung fanden Merkmale der regulären Arbeit wenig Beachtung. Erreichbarkeit wurde i. d. R. als eigenständiges Merkmal der Arbeit und nicht als Symptom für eine bestimmte Art der Arbeitsgestaltung betrachtet. Durch die Berücksichtigung von Erreichbarkeit als Symptom anderer Arbeitsmerkmale eröffnen sich neue Gestaltungsansätze.
Emerging Needs for Creative Mitigation: Recent Trends in Archaeology and Historic Preservation in Albania
Authors: Bejko Lorenc 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis article discusses recent trends in archaeological and historic preservation practices in Albania that are leading to new and innovative approaches to what is often termed “mitigation.” To understand this in an Albanian context, it is necessary to review the historical, political, and social context that has shaped the stand of this postcommunist society toward its past as well as the role that this context plays in heritage practices today. I argue that the nationalistic approach toward heritage as a key component of “nation building” in the twentieth century still resonates strongly in the current discourse. This review leads to the conclusion that standard mitigation based on avoidance, recovery/excavation, and documentation phases is the most dominant practice. Experience has shown that this is not always effective in the harmonization of conflicting interests. Public-private benefits, definition of values and significance associated with historic properties, and costs of requested mitigations have all made it clear in the last decade that alternative solutions must be found, even within the rigid boundaries of the existing legal framework. The concept of “creative mitigation” is emerging as a logical need in the practice of historic preservation.
The Origins of Cartesian Dualism
Authors: DIKA TAREK R. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn the recently discovered Cambridge manuscript, widely regarded as an early draft ofRules for the Direction of the Mind, Descartes does not describe the mind as a ‘purely spiritual’ force ‘distinct from the whole body’. This has led some readers to speculate that Descartes did not embrace mind-body dualism in the Cambridge manuscript. In this article, I offer a detailed interpretation of Descartes's mind-body dualism in the established Charles Adam and Paul Tannery edition ofRules, and argue that, while differences between the Cambridge manuscript and the established version ofRulesare significant, the relevant passages in the Cambridge manuscript preclude interpretation along both materialist and hylomorphic lines. I then offer an account of the development of Descartes's mind-body dualism between the Cambridge manuscript and the established version ofRules. What the Cambridge manuscript reveals is not Descartes before dualism, but rather Cartesian dualism in its barest form.
Explicit asymptotics on first passage times of diffusion processes
Authors: Dassios Angelos , Li Luting 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWe introduce a unified framework for solving first passage times of time-homogeneous diffusion processes. Using potential theory and perturbation theory, we are able to deduce closed-form truncated probability densities, as asymptotics or approximations to the original first passage time densities, for single-side level crossing problems. The framework is applicable to diffusion processes with continuous drift functions; in particular, for bounded drift functions, we show that the perturbation series converges. In the present paper, we demonstrate examples of applying our framework to the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck, Bessel, exponential-Shiryaev, and hypergeometric diffusion processes (the latter two being previously studied by Dassios and Li (2018) and Borodin (2009), respectively). The purpose of this paper is to provide a fast and accurate approach to estimating first passage time densities of various diffusion processes.
Samples with a limit shape, multivariate extremes, and risk
Authors: Balkema Guus , Nolde Natalia 
Published: July 2020

AbstractLarge samples from a light-tailed distribution often have a well-defined shape. This paper examines the implications of the assumption that there is a limit shape. We show that the limit shape determines the upper quantiles for a large class of random variables. These variables may be described loosely as continuous homogeneous functionals of the underlying random vector. They play an important role in evaluating risk in a multivariate setting. The paper also looks at various coefficients of tail dependence and at the distribution of the scaled sample points for large samples. The paper assumes convergence in probability rather than almost sure convergence. This results in an elegant theory. In particular, there is a simple characterization of domains of attraction.
Fluctuation identities for Omega-killed spectrally negative Markov additive processes and dividend problem
Authors: Czarna Irmina , Kaszubowski Adam , Li Shu , Palmowski Zbigniew 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn this paper, we solve exit problems for a one-sided Markov additive process (MAP) which is exponentially killed with a bivariate killing intensity
$\omega(\cdot,\cdot)$
dependent on the present level of the process and the current state of the environment. Moreover, we analyze the respective resolvents. All identities are expressed in terms of new generalizations of classical scale matrices for MAPs. We also remark on a number of applications of the obtained identities to (controlled) insurance risk processes. In particular, we show that our results can be applied to the Omega model, where bankruptcy takes place at rate
$\omega(\cdot,\cdot)$
when the surplus process becomes negative. Finally, we consider Markov-modulated Brownian motion (MMBM) as a special case and present analytical and numerical results for a particular choice of piecewise intensity function
$\omega(\cdot,\cdot)$
.
Absorption probabilities for Gaussian polytopes and regular spherical simplices
Authors: Kabluchko Zakhar , Zaporozhets Dmitry 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe Gaussian polytope
$\mathcal P_{n,d}$
is the convex hull of n independent standard normally distributed points in
$\mathbb{R}^d$
. We derive explicit expressions for the probability that
$\mathcal P_{n,d}$
contains a fixed point
$x\in\mathbb{R}^d$
as a function of the Euclidean norm of x, and the probability that
$\mathcal P_{n,d}$
contains the point
$\sigma X$
, where
$\sigma\geq 0$
is constant and X is a standard normal vector independent of
$\mathcal P_{n,d}$
. As a by-product, we also compute the expected number of k-faces and the expected volume of
$\mathcal P_{n,d}$
, thus recovering the results of Affentranger and Schneider (Discr. and Comput. Geometry, 1992) and Efron (Biometrika, 1965), respectively. All formulas are in terms of the volumes of regular spherical simplices, which, in turn, can be expressed through the standard normal distribution function
$\Phi(z)$
and its complex version
$\Phi(iz)$
. The main tool used in the proofs is the conic version of the Crofton formula.
Limit theorems for sequential MCMC methods
Authors: Finke Axel , Doucet Arnaud , Johansen Adam M. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBoth sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) methods (a.k.a. ‘particle filters’) and sequential Markov chain Monte Carlo (sequential MCMC) methods constitute classes of algorithms which can be used to approximate expectations with respect to (a sequence of) probability distributions and their normalising constants. While SMC methods sample particles conditionally independently at each time step, sequential MCMC methods sample particles according to a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) kernel. Introduced over twenty years ago in [6], sequential MCMC methods have attracted renewed interest recently as they empirically outperform SMC methods in some applications. We establish an
$\mathbb{L}_r$
-inequality (which implies a strong law of large numbers) and a central limit theorem for sequential MCMC methods and provide conditions under which errors can be controlled uniformly in time. In the context of state-space models, we also provide conditions under which sequential MCMC methods can indeed outperform standard SMC methods in terms of asymptotic variance of the corresponding Monte Carlo estimators.
SSIEA: a hybrid evolutionary algorithm for supporting conceptual architectural design
Authors: Wang Likai , Janssen Patrick , Ji Guohua 
Published: July 2020

AbstractSignificant research has been undertaken focusing on the application of evolutionary algorithms for design exploration at conceptual design stages. However, standard evolutionary algorithms are typically not well-suited to supporting such optimization-based design exploration due to the lack of design diversity in the optimization result and the poor search efficiency in discovering high-performing design solutions. In order to address the two weaknesses, this paper proposes a hybrid evolutionary algorithm, called steady-stage island evolutionary algorithm (SSIEA). The implementation of SSIEA integrates an island model approach and a steady-state replacement strategy with an evolutionary algorithm. The combination aims to produce optimization results with rich design diversity while achieving significant fitness progress in a reasonable amount of time. Moreover, the use of the island model approach allows for an implicit clustering of the design population during the optimization process, which helps architects explore different alternative design directions. The performance of SSIEA is compared against other optimization algorithms using two case studies. The result shows that, in contrast to the other algorithms, SSIEA is capable of achieving a good compromise between design diversity and search efficiency. The case studies also demonstrate how SSIEA can support conceptual design exploration. For architects, the optimization results with diverse and high-performing solutions stimulate richer reflection and ideation, rendering SSIEA a helpful tool for conceptual design exploration.