bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
On the convergence of the gradient descent method with stochastic fixed-point rounding errors under the Polyak–Łojasiewicz inequality
Authors: Xia Lu , Massei Stefano , Hochstenbach Michiel E. 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
In the training of neural networks with low-precision computation and fixed-point arithmetic, rounding errors often cause stagnation or are detrimental to the convergence of the optimizers. This study provides insights into the choice of appropriate stochastic rounding strategies to mitigate the adverse impact of roundoff errors on the convergence of the gradient descent method, for problems satisfying the Polyak–Łojasiewicz inequality. Within this context, we show that a biased stochastic rounding strategy may be even beneficial in so far as it eliminates the vanishing gradient problem and forces the expected roundoff error in a descent direction. Furthermore, we obtain a bound on the convergence rate that is stricter than the one achieved by unbiased stochastic rounding. The theoretical analysis is validated by comparing the performances of various rounding strategies when optimizing several examples using low-precision fixed-point arithmetic.
Unitary Time Evolution in Quantum Mechanics is a Stronger Physical Postulate than Linear Time Evolution
Authors: Parker Edward 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Discussions of quantum mechanics often loosely claim that time evolution logically must be unitary, in order for the probabilistic interpretation of the amplitudes of the state vector to make sense at all times. We discuss from first principles whether this claim is true: if we assume only that the time-evolution operator is linear, then does the stronger requirement that it be unitary follow from the other axioms of quantum mechanics? The answer is subtle. We discuss two mathematically distinct but physically equivalent formulations of the axioms of quantum mechanics, and consider generalizing each to postulate only that time evolution is linear. Within one formulation, the unitarity of time evolution follows logically from the other axioms – but within the other formulation, it does not. Allowing the time-evolution operator to be (a priori) arbitrarily linear does not change the physical observables in one formulation of quantum mechanics, but changes the other formulation to a distinct (internally consistent) physical theory that allows new phenomenology like (e.g.) faster-than-light communication. Therefore, the unitarity of time evolution is arguably better thought of as a logically independent and experimentally falsifiable axiom of quantum mechanics, not as a tautological consequence of the other axioms.
Evolutionary Constraints: Gauss’ Law as a Toy Model for Gluing
Authors: Bengtsson Ingemar , Rácz István 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
It is possible to solve the Einstein constraint equations as an evolutionary rather than an elliptic system. Here we consider the Gauss constraint in electrodynamics as a toy model for this. We use a combination of the evolutionary method with the gluing construction to produce initial data for an electromagnetic pulse surrounded by vacuum. It turns out that solving the evolutionary form of the constraint is straightforward, and explicitly yields the desired type of initial data. In contrast, proving the existence of a solution to the same problem within the elliptic setting requires sophisticated arguments based on functional analysis
Patterns of phenotypic variation in Gossypium turneri: a wild cotton with a restricted distribution in Sonora, Mexico
Authors: Yescas-Romo Karla Fabiola , Hayano-Kanashiro Corina , Molina-Freaner Francisco 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Crop wild relatives (CWR) represent important genetic resources for crop improvement. Gossypium turneri, a wild cotton species with a restricted distribution in the Sonoran Desert of northwestern Mexico, has been identified as a potential breeding resource for cotton improvement. While several agronomically important traits have been previously identified through limited observations from only one location within its range, phenotypic variation in this xerophytic species has not been thoroughly studied. This study aimed to describe the pattern of phenotypic variation in floral and leaf traits along the three known populations of G. turneri and identify traits of agronomic interest. Leaves and flowers through its distribution range were collected and quantitative and qualitative attributes were analyzed. Phenotypic variation in flowers and leaves was predominantly found among individuals within populations, with a smaller proportion occurring between populations, likely due to the species’ restricted distribution. Interpopulation variation in leaf traits was probably influenced by differences in local rainfall, whereas flower traits exhibited minimal interpopulation variation, likely due to similarities in pollinator composition. Some traits of interest for cotton improvement were identified, such as polymorphic bracts and production of anthers without pollen among flowers. This desert-adapted wild cotton offers valuable traits with potential for adaptation of cultivated cotton to water- and heat-stressed environments.
Exploring the activated charcoal adsorption column to improve cosmetic grade C-phycocyanin purification from Spirulina
Authors: Payne Eric J. R. , Griffiths Melinda , Harrison Susan T. L. , Fagan-Endres Marijke A. 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
This study investigates the effectiveness of activated charcoal, a common adsorbent, in various packed column configurations in the context of a process to purify C-phycocyanin (C-PC) from Spirulina. The adsorption column performance is considered in isolation and as part of purification trains, which include chitosan treatment and ammonium sulfate precipitation. Operating parameters of interest included activated charcoal particle size, solution retention time in the column and concentration of the Spirulina crude extract used. The feed was a low purity crude extract and the final target was cosmetic grade C-PC (purity > 1.5). A slower column feed flowrate and smaller activated charcoal particle size were shown to improve the degree of C-PC purification via adsorption. Variation of the crude extract concentration did not have a significant effect. In all cases, high C-PC recoveries over the column were achieved. However, use of a single activated charcoal adsorption column was not able to purify the C-PC to cosmetic grade. Cosmetic grade purity (of between 1.68 ± 0.18 and 2.61 ± 0.44) was reached by coupling the column with chitosan treatment and ammonium sulfate precipitation when using a lower feed concentration of 2.60 ± 0.07 mg C-PC mL−1. A higher concentration feed could not be purified to cosmetic grade within this investigation, confirming that feed concentration affects the efficiency of the activated charcoal column in combination with the other downstream process steps. The overall process had better yields and was able to accommodate a higher concentration of C-PC than reported in literature.
Early Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Provides Rapid Leukocyte and Immune Reconstitution in AK2 Patient Identified by TREC Newborn Screening
Authors: Cicek Alphan , Schuster Friedhelm R. , Boyle Janel O. , Hoenig Manfred , Meisel Roland , Ghosh Sujal 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Reticular dysgenesis (RD) is a rare inborn error of immune cell formation defined by severe combined immunodeficiency, agranulocytosis and sensorineural deafness. We report a case of successful haploidentical maternal hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in a boy with RD detected by TREC newborn screening. The patient was admitted to our hospital at 2 weeks of age and was kept in laminar-air flow / hepa-filtered isolation until HSCT was performed at 8 weeks of age with a busulfan, fludarabine conditioning regime. Except few episodes of acute skin graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) the peritransplant period was uneventful. The patient was discharged 7 weeks post-HSCT. At 18 months of age cochlear implants were placed. The patient was thriving well, showed full donor chimerism and a T cell count > 1000 TCRab + CD3 + cells/µl after one year. Our case highlights that severely immune-compromised patients with RD benefit from early diagnosis by newborn screening, immediate isolation to prevent infections, and early haploidentical HSCT to overcome neonatal neutropenia and establish protective immunity.
A Service Conception of Democratic Authority
Authors: Satola Alexander P. 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Joseph Raz’s service conception of authority grounds the moral justification of authority in its capacity to help agents do what they have most reason to do. Critics of the service conception have argued that the service conception is inadequate as a conception of democratic authority because it cannot accord due weight to the role of democratic procedures in the justification of legitimate political authority. In this paper, I argue that the service conception can account for democratic procedures when respect for democracy is understood as a secondary reason to accept the legitimacy of an authority. The distinction between primary and secondary justifications of authority underlines my reply to the procedural democratic objection and sheds light on the meaning of ‘normal’ justification in the context of practical authority. Thus, in the paper, after introducing the service conception and its background theory of practical reason, I then examine and reject the arguments underlying the procedural democratic objection. The service conception highlights the limits of democratic authority, but it also illuminates the value of democracy and clarifies its role in a sound justification of legitimate authority.
Methods to Observe Tribological Failures in Self-Mated Steel Contacts
Authors: Koly Farida Ahmed , Bhattacharjee Arnab , Murthy Nikhil , Gould Benjamin , Ajayi Oyelayo , Walck Scott , Martin Cinta Lorenzo , Berkebile Stephen , Burris David L. 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Scuffing, a type of wear found in highly stressed or poorly lubricated contacts, is characterized by a rapid increase in friction and severe plastic deformation of the near-surface material. Scuffing has proven difficult to study because it initiates unpredictably, progresses rapidly, and typically develops within an inaccessible contact interface. Although there have been successful in-situ studies of scuffing in real-time, the transparent counter body needed for these studies changes the interactions between the surfaces and the lubricant, which affects the scuffing process in unknown ways. This paper describes the development of X-ray-compatible tribometry to study the scuffing of self-mated steels in-situ and in real-time. The method uses a crossed cylinders configuration with a thin (500 μm thick) stationary component and a small (≈200 μm) contact width to maximize X-ray interactions with atoms within the stress field generated by the contact. The resulting instrument and method are used to benchmark the scuffing response of self-mated 52,100 steel under tribologically challenging ‘oil-off’ lubrication conditions. The results demonstrate reliable scuffing in this configuration despite the relatively small contact areas and loads used. Following scuffing, gross plastic deformation was observed on both surfaces along with significant subsurface grain refinement and flow only on the stationary surface, which experienced constant contact. Interestingly, high friction initiated at specific locations of the migratory surface, which experienced intermittent contact, and then propagated across the track over time, suggesting that local conditions of the migratory surface dominated friction leading into the failure event.

Graphical Abstract
The role of Experiential Avoidance and related factors in eating disorders: a systematic review
Authors: Gulacan Dilan , Gunay-Oge Rumeysa , Inozu Mujgan 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Current treatments for eating disorders generally aim to identify and reduce maladaptive regulation strategies and develop adaptive strategies. Nevertheless, there is a need to improve interventions when treatment failures, high mortality and relapse rates are taken into consideration. This study examines the role of experiential avoidance, a transdiagnostic concept that is addressed in many therapy approaches, in eating disorder symptomatology and factors associated with experiential avoidance. The findings are expected to significantly contribute to current treatment approaches, especially acceptance and mindfulness-based approaches. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched on 15 December 2023 using relevant keywords and no publication date restrictions were used. As a result of the screening, 17 articles were found. The findings revealed that there were strong and significant relationships between experiential avoidance and eating disorder symptoms. In this relationship, emotion regulation, rumination, mindfulness and anxiety sensitivity concepts of experiential avoidance were found to be important modulatory factors. The results obtained are important in terms of understanding the cognitive, social and emotional motivations underlying eating behaviour and determining appropriate intervention approaches for eating disorders. The findings are discussed in line with the relevant literature, theoretical framework and current approaches. Consistent and inconsistent aspects of the findings, possible causes and suggestions for their elimination were made.
Im Übergang
Authors: Stetter Manuel 
Published: February 2025

Zusammenfassung
Bestattungen dienen nicht nur dem Trost der Hinterbliebenen und der Würdigung der Verstorbenen. Sie können auch als soziale Praktiken der Familienkonstitution analysiert werden. Anhand von Datenmaterialien aus einem ethnografischen Forschungsprojekt versucht der Beitrag, verschiedene Facetten des funeralen doing family herauszuarbeiten. Familien kommen damit als Größen in Betracht, die deutlich über einen bloßen ’Kontext’ ritualisierter Übergangspraktiken hinausgehen. Bestattungen sind gesellschaftliche Orte einer lebendigen familialen Ritualkultur, in der Familie sozial konstituiert wird.
The Role of Methadone and Regional Anesthesia in the Management of Patients Undergoing Complex Spinal Surgery
Authors: Cil Hemra , Buren Marc 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Purpose of Review
The population of complex spine surgery patients continues to expand. Despite the application of multiple perioperative strategies, postoperative pain is a significant problem for the spine patient population. This review presents and increases awareness of new interventions, including methadone and regional anesthetic techniques, to improve the perioperative management of patients undergoing complex spine surgeries.

Recent Findings
Erector spinae plane (ESP) block is a safe, simple, and novel technique that should be considered in spine patients for opioid-sparing analgesia. Local anesthetic adjuvants that have been used to prolong the analgesic duration of regional blocks can be used during the ESP block.

Summary
Instead of intermittent administration of shorter-acting opioids like hydromorphone, methadone should be considered for longer and less uneven periods of pain control. Regional block techniques like ESP and Thoracolumbar interfascial plane (TLIP) blocks can provide high-quality analgesia. Randomized trials in larger patient populations are needed to provide better data on these interventions.
Environmental Factors Influencing Dissolved Organic Carbon Concentrations in Afromontane Catchments
Authors: Harrison Rowena , van Tol Johan , Amiotte Suchet Philippe , Thevenot Mathieu , Mathieu Olivier 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Dissolved organic carbon is attributed to several environmental factors, including climate, hydrology, land cover and management, soil type, and topography. This study aimed to gain an understanding of the various environmental factors driving the temporal patterns of DOC export in Afromontane catchments. Through the installation of piezometers as well as two UV–Vis high frequency probes installed within two Afromontane catchments (named CP-VI and CP-IX), water samples were analysed for DOC. The average DOC concentration per day was calculated and used to compare DOC concentrations against the daily rainfall, daily average water temperature, daily average turbidity, daily average conductivity, and daily streamflow discharge. Results of the study show that DOC concentrations followed seasonal trends of precipitation as well as the connectivity of flow paths between wetlands and stream networks. A statistical difference was recorded between terrestrial and wetland areas (CP-VI: p = 0.043 and CP-IX: p =  < 0.0001) as well as between soils groups (CP-VI: p = 0.001 and CP-IX: p = 0.041), with the more saturated soil group recording the higher DOC concentrations in both catchments. DOC concentration variability is closely linked to distinct DOC source zones and their hydrologic connectivity to the stream network. In particular, the drying and wetting cycles of individual wetland systems as well as specific saturation zones influenced both the baseflow connectivity as well as the overland flow during wetter periods and during rainfall events. The connectivity of wetlands to streams within both catchments plays a vital role in the attenuation and export of DOC within these watersheds.
Autonomy or control? An agent-based study of self-organising versus centralised task allocation
Authors: Wang Shaoni , Dang Yanzhong , Jager Wander , Zoethout Kees 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Teams comprised of exceptional individuals are often thought to excel in performance, but the reality is that even such teams can face challenges in group environments. Problems like excessive coordination and declining motivation can undermine a team’s productivity. This study seeks to improve team cooperation through task allocation while addressing individual needs. However, conventional research methods struggle to capture the complexities of individual interactions and adaptability. Thus, the study employs Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) to investigate the impact of task allocation on team performance, both in centralised (top–down) and self-organising (bottom–up) approaches. The study uncovers several key findings: (a) assigning tasks of appropriate difficulty level can significantly improve team performance and satisfaction; (b) the self-organising task allocation approach excels in enhancing group satisfaction, highlighting the importance of providing employees with a sense of autonomy and control over their work; (c) the study identifies that the performance of teams under centralised and self-organising approaches is contingent on the team’s developmental stage, emphasising the need for tailored management strategies that align with the team’s current stage of development. The study challenges the conventional belief that exceptional individual performance automatically translates to outstanding team performance. It underscores the importance of recognising the role of individual needs and management strategies in shaping team dynamics, and ultimately, team performance.
Impact of a cerebrospinal fluid diagnostic stewardship intervention on quantity of tests, length of stay, antibiotic prescriptions, and cost
Authors: Pathak Aaron , Shay Sabra , Lasco Todd , Al Mohajer Mayar 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Redundant and low-value cerebrospinal fluid analysis for suspected meningitis can increase costs and antimicrobial use. Our diagnostic stewardship intervention limited available infectious disease cerebrospinal fluid assays to seven common tests, including a multiplex polymerase chain reaction panel. There was no significant difference in the cost of testing or clinical outcomes.
Lifestyle risk factors for overweight and obesity among rural Indian adults: a community-based prospective cohort study
Authors: Rai Rajesh Kumar , Bromage Sabri , De Neve Jan-Walter , Barik Anamitra 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
India’s nutrition transition has led to an increased burden of overweight/obesity (body mass index of ≥23 kg/m2), driven by lifestyle factors like poor diet, inactivity, and substance use, prompting public health interventions. However, these interventions lack supporting evidence, especially in rural areas, hindering effective strategies for this population. To address this evidence gap, this study used cohort data (baseline: 2018–19, follow-up: 2022–23) from the Birbhum Population Project (West Bengal, India) to analyse lifestyle risk factors and their association with incidence and remission of overweight/obesity among adults aged ≥18 years (sample: 8,974). Modified Poisson regression model was employed to attain the study objective. From 2017–2018 to 2022–2023, the prevalence of overweight/obesity increased from 15.2% (95% CI: 14.1%–16.4%) to 21.0% (95% CI: 19.7%–22.3%) among men and from 24.1% (95% CI: 22.9%–25.2%) to 33.8% (95% CI: 32.5%–35.1%) among women. Overall, 23.0% (95% CI: 21.8%–24.3%) of adults experienced incidence of overweight/obesity, while 13.9% (95% CI: 12.4%–15.6%) experienced remission. Use of motor vehicles among unemployed participants was associated with incident overweight/obesity (relative risk or RR: 1.058; 95% CI: 1.023–1.095; P: 0.001). Vigorous activity at home (including gardening, yard work, and household chores) was linked to higher odds of recovering from overweight/obesity (RR: 1.065; 95% CI: 1.008–1.125; P: 0.025). Frequent tobacco use (often/daily vs. none) was inversely associated with remission of overweight-obesity (RR: 0.689; 95% CI: 0.484–0.980; P: 0.038), as was each 1 ml in alcohol consumption (RR: 0.995; 95% CI: 0.991–0.999; P: 0.022). Discouraging habitual motor vehicle use may help prevent overweight/obesity, while promoting home-based activities may aid remission, particularly for women who are at higher risk for overweight/obesity.
The Shadow of the Law: Adversarial Formalism in Prisoner-Staff Relations
Authors: Durand Corentin 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
The law is commonly described as one of the major forces shaping contemporary correctional institutions. However, we still lack a satisfactory understanding of how it has affected power relations behind bars. Drawing from two ethnographies of French correctional facilities, this article finds that changes to the material environment where incarcerated people and correctional staff interact have altered the relational economy of prisons and jails more than legal actions have. To avoid litigation, prison administrators design and use countless graphic artifacts, which has further reshaped the adversarial nature of social relations in prisons and jails. This bureaucratic approach has introduced the form of the law into the most banal of everyday communications between prisoners and authorities, replacing the informal asymmetrical interpersonal negotiations that have traditionally maintained order. Building on Robert Kagan’s typology of modes of policy making and dispute resolution, I re-examine power relations in contemporary French prisons and jails as a tension between formal and informal framings as well as hierarchical and participatory organizations of authority. I call this hybrid relational economy, where the force of the law lies mostly in its formal shadow, adversarial formalism.