bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
On Multi-image Random Grids by Arbitrary Transformations
Authors: Buckley Neil , Nagar Atulya Kumar , Secco Emanuele Lindo 
Published: January 2024

AbstractRandom grids are a method for visual secret sharing, whereby a secret image is encoded into a number of shares, each of which is maximally entropic. There has been growing interest in hiding multiple images in a scheme, such that additional images are revealed by stacking the shares in different ways. This paper proposes a metaheuristic method for generating schemes that allow for a wide range of transformations, or even combinations thereof, to reveal an arbitrary number of secret images. Up to 10 multi-secrets are shown in this paper, as well as hiding multiple secrets in a general access structure. To remove noise from these schemes an algorithm is proposed to extract the information from the noise, and in all cases, relative contrasts are given. In one example, six images are hidden in two shares, such that the mean relative contrast under OR-stacking is 0.152, under XOR-stacking 0.278, and with noise removed, it is 0.74. In an example hiding 10 images in two shares, the values are respectively 0.136, 0.206 and 0.679, respectively.
TCRSCANet: Harnessing Temporal Convolutions and Recurrent Skip Component for Enhanced RUL Estimation in Mechanical Systems
Authors: Wahid Abdul , Breslin John G. , Intizar Muhammad Ali 
Published: January 2024

AbstractEstimating the remaining useful life (RUL) of critical industrial assets is of crucial importance for optimizing maintenance strategies, enabling proactive planning of repair tasks, enhanced reliability, and reduced downtime in prognostic health management (PHM). Deep learning-based data-driven approaches have made RUL prediction a lot better, but traditional methods often do not look at the similarities and differences in the data, which lowers the accuracy of the estimates. Previous attempts to use Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks for RUL prediction have failed because they depend on learned features for regression at the very end of the time step. The single objective function for estimation also constrains the learned representations, which has an impact on RUL estimation. The goal of this study is to find out how to predict the RUL of mechanical systems using complex sensor data. To do this, we present a data-driven framework called temporal convolution, along with a recurrent skip component and an attention mechanism network called TCRSCANet. It uses a combination of temporal convolution, recurrent skip parts, and an attention mechanism to make RUL estimation more accurate. The recurrent skip component finds long-term patterns in time series data, while temporal convolution pulls out high-level features from longer sequences. Finding hidden representations and degradation-development interactions between features at each window position in the input matrix is what the attention layer does to focus on the most important information for RUL estimation. The proposed methodology is tested and validated against the well-established C-MAPSS dataset, which focuses on aircraft degradation. The TCRSCANet model is better at predicting RUL as compared to other state-of-the-art methods because it uses the root mean square error (RMSE) and a scoring function to measure performance. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of the recurrent skip component and attention mechanisms for determining how long an industrial asset will be valuable.
Employing toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement reactions for biomedical applications
Authors: Souza Keziah Jacob , Agrawal Deepak K. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractDynamic DNA nanotechnology belongs to a larger umbrella of DNA nanotechnology that primarily uses DNA as a nanoscopic material to build mobile structures and cascaded reaction networks powered by DNA oligonucleotides. A widely used mechanism to construct a dynamic DNA system is toehold-mediated strand displacement reactions (TMSDRs). TMSDRs are easy to engineer because of the known base-pairing rules that follow the Watson–Crick model of DNA, sequence-dependent binding rates, and energies of DNAs, whose secondary structure is predictable. Due to these attributes, TMSDRs have been used to develop enzyme-free isothermal reaction networks with remarkable applications in diagnostics, therapeutics and DNA computing. In this review, we briefly introduce the working principle of TMSDRs, in silico design considerations, and diverse input and output signals that can be processed through TMSDRs. We then summarize recent applications where TMSDRs are successfully employed in detecting clinically relevant targets such as single nucleotide polymorphisms and variants, microRNAs and whole cells and to develop programmable drug delivery vehicles and regulation therapies including transcriptional and protein regulations. We also discuss TMSDRs driven biomedical applications of DNA hydrogels and DNA computing. Finally, we discuss the challenges in each of these applications and the prospects of TMSDRs in biomedical engineering.
Beyond informality: ‘Nimble peri-urban land transactions’ - how migrants on the margins trade, access and hold land for settlement
Authors: Bhanye Johannes 
Published: January 2024

AbstractHow do migrants on the margins trade, access, and hold land for settlement? This ethnographic inquiry based on a case study of Malawian migrants in peri-urban Zimbabwe revealed the practice of ‘Nimble peri-urban land transactions’—encompassing not only the extralegal and informal aspects of land transactions but also emphasising flexibility, agility, conviviality and invisibility in land acquisition. What sets ‘Nimble peri-urban land transactions’ apart from the characterisation of conventional informal land transactions is the profound role played by ‘conviviality’ in creating a congenial atmosphere for acquiring and securing land rights. Individuals in convivial connections act as essential intermediaries, witnesses, and mediators in land deals. Their contributions are instrumental in maintaining spatial orderliness within the community, demonstrating that informal land transactions are not always chaotic or disorderly as perceived but can adhere to a well-structured set of ‘nimble’ norms and mechanisms that regulate land access and ownership. Nimble peri-urban land transactions not only provide a lifeline to individuals and families seeking a place to call home but also contribute to the overall urbanisation and development of peri-urban areas. Thus, the study challenges prevailing notions of land governance by emphasising the importance of recognising and comprehending not only the ‘informality’ but also the ‘nimble transactions’ that characterise land markets in peri-urban areas. It calls for a more holistic approach to land governance, acknowledging that rigid formalities alone may not adequately address the unique needs and realities of marginalised populations in these contexts.
Changing the culture: impact of a diagnostic stewardship intervention for urine culture testing and CAUTI prevention in an urban safety-net community hospital
Authors: Mena Lora Alfredo J. , Hua Jessica , Ali Mirza , Krill Candice , Takhsh Eden , Bleasdale Susan C. 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Cultures from urinary catheters are often ordered without indication, leading to possible misdiagnosis of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), increasing antimicrobial use, and C difficile. We implemented a diagnostic stewardship intervention for urine cultures from catheters in a community hospital that led to a reduction in cultures and CAUTIs.
Evaluation of a Disaster Preparedness Curriculum and Medical Students’ Views on Preparedness Education Requirements for Health Professionals
Authors: Schilly Kayla , Huhn Madelyn , Visker Joseph D. , Cox Carol 
Published: January 2024

AbstractObjective:In general, medical students perceive themselves as inadequately prepared to assist in disasters. This study evaluated the impact of a disaster preparedness curriculum and medical students’ views toward required preparedness education for health care professionals.Methods:A comprehensive disaster preparedness curriculum was evaluated on its effect on medical students’ views on preparedness education requirements, preparedness, and prior disaster training using self-report survey methodology.Results:Results provide evidence to support curricular effectiveness in significantly increasing initial participant views of health professionals’ education requirements, perceived preparedness for integrating professional roles into the emergency response system, and confidence in exposure risk assessment and triage skills. Most participants possessed limited recent prior disaster training and drill experience. Most interestingly, the majority consistently believed throughout the study that disaster preparedness training should be a medical license mandate.Conclusions:For those instructing current medical students in disaster preparedness, it is suggested that a curriculum be chosen that can create participant initial anticipation, awareness, and belief in the importance of and need for disaster preparedness training. Further investigation is recommended into the relationship between students’ perceived training importance and any future curriculum delivery efforts on behalf of required or mandatory preparedness offerings in continuing professional development.
When Law Is Silent: How to Compensate for the Harm to the Health or Property in the Absence of a Particular Harm-Doer?
Authors: Ryzhenkov Anatoliy , Anisimov Aleksey 
Published: January 2024

AbstractLegal rules aimed at compensation for the harm caused by a particular state, individual, or legal entity (for example, oil pollution of the sea due to a tanker accident) are well studied and constantly used in scientific literature and international law practice. Meanwhile, every year, the number of cases of harm when the particular guilty party cannot be established grows; this is why it is almost impossible to compensate for the harm caused. Such cases include collisions of satellites causing space debris; the consequences of climate change for agriculture, forestry, and the health of citizens; and the pollution of the World Ocean with plastic debris, ballast water, and abandoned nets.There are more such cases at the national level. After studying acts of international environmental law, national legislation, and several examples from judicial practice, we show that compensation for the harm caused to life, health, or property in the absence of a particular harm-doer is difficult or impossible to prove. This is why actions that can prevent subjectless environmental harm are taken at the national level in certain countries by developing measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change, licensing space activities, and taking preventive measures against the formation of plastic debris and its pollution of the seas, etc. This trend should be continued, and the experience gained by certain states should be used in developing new acts of international environmental law. This will ensure the next step towards preventing environmental harm where it is impossible to establish the doer’s name.
The Role of the Clergy in the Establishment and Consolidation of Pahlavi I (1925–1941)
Authors: Kojuri Gashniani Yunos , Bagheri Dolatabadi Ali , Fattahizadeh Abouzar 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIn Iran, the writing of history has consistently been intertwined with political decisions, and official historiography written after the Islamic Revolution is no exception. The majority of books and articles on Pahlavi I have inherited this historiographic tradition, and are thus highly politicized, particularly around the topic of the role of the clergy during this era. Official narratives of this period are based on two representations: portraying intellectuals and Britain as the sole forces involved in bringing Reza Shah to power and consolidating his rule, while concealing the role of the clergy, or depicting this social group as the sole opposition to his government. This article aims to assess this binary narrative and answer the following question: What role did the clergy play in establishing and consolidating Reza Shah's reign? Research findings indicate that neither of these claims are accurate, as the clergy played a key role in the transfer of power from the Qajar to Pahlavi dynasties by supporting Reza Khan during his ministry, participating in the coup on February 22, 1921 (3 Esfand 1299), and supporting him in the Constituent Assembly. Further, the majority of clergy not only did not play the role of opposition, but indeed actively participated in the governmental institutions of the era. This research utilizes a historical-documentary approach to examine the subject.
Religious Dissociation and Liberal Separation: Inside a Christian Brotherhood and a Masonic Lodge
Authors: Hill Graham 
Published: January 2024

AbstractRecent years have seen a flourishing of everyday experimentations with the category of religion: the “spiritual but not religious,” “religionless” Christians, and many more. Why is there such proliferation of popular experimentation with—and often distancing from—the category of religion? This article explores two such cases of experimentation, a religion-disavowing evangelical Christian brotherhood in Mexico and a Masonic lodge in Switzerland, and shows how, in these two cases, disavowing religion is in part a response to problems associated with a founding principle of liberalism, the separation of private conscience from public citizenship. Subjects of liberal separation are vulnerable to feelings of cloistered conscience and hollow citizenship, problems that are inherent to liberal separation, as evidenced by Freemasonry’s age-old experimentations. These problems are also, however, exacerbated by dwindling popular faith in the institutions of religion and liberal democracy, as evidenced by contemporary evangelical trends of which the Christian brotherhood is exemplary. Such experimentations can be distinguished between those that collapse conscience and citizenship and those that defend the separation while still looking for indirect connections. This contrast is also highlighted by the comparison of religion-disavowing evangelical Christians and Freemasonry.
ON THE CUMULATIVE DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION OF THE VARIANCE-GAMMA DISTRIBUTION
Authors: GAUNT ROBERT E. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractWe obtain exact formulas for the cumulative distribution function of the variance-gamma distribution, as infinite series involving the modified Bessel function of the second kind and the modified Lommel function of the first kind. From these formulas, we deduce exact formulas for the cumulative distribution function of the product of two correlated zero-mean normal random variables.
MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS FOR -LAPLACIAN EQUATIONS WITH NONLINEARITY SUBLINEAR AT ZERO
Authors: LIU SHIBO 
Published: January 2024

AbstractWe consider the Dirichlet problem for
$p(x)$
-Laplacian equations of the form
$$ \begin{align*} -\Delta_{p(x)}u+b(x)\vert u\vert ^{p(x)-2}u=f(x,u),\quad u\in W_{0}^{1,p(x)}(\Omega). \end{align*} $$
The odd nonlinearity
$f(x,u)$
is
$p(x)$
-sublinear at
$u=0$
but the related limit need not be uniform for
$x\in \Omega $
. Except being subcritical, no additional assumption is imposed on
$f(x,u)$
for
$|u|$
large. By applying Clark’s theorem and a truncation method, we obtain a sequence of solutions with negative energy and approaching the zero function
$u=0$
.
The Image of God and Immediate Emancipation: David Walker’s Theological Foundation of Equality and the Rejection of White Supremacy
Authors: Haspel Michael 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIn the 1820s it was predominantly Black abolitionists who opposed gradualist abolitionism and the concept of colonization, while, in general, White abolitionists opposed slavery, viewing it as seductive or as sin in itself, but did not want full emancipation for Blacks. Therefore, David Walker’s Appeal from 1829 is a central document in that it calls for immediate and full emancipation as well as opposition to racism and White supremacy. This article argues that the shift in political aim of Black radical abolitionists correlates with an innovation in theological foundation. Walker grounds his quest for immediate and full emancipation in an egalitarian concept of imago Dei. It is this theological foundation that became influential in radical abolitionist discourse and was employed by Maria M. Stewart as well as William Lloyd Garrison. As a result of research on Walker’s theological innovation, it comes to the fore that he most likely was influenced by Black Freemasonry, especially Prince Hall.
Efendilik: Civility, Urbanity, and Homohistoricism in Contentious Istanbul
Authors: Erol Onursal 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThis paper forwards the concept of homohistoricism as a historicism that narrativizes the nation's past as the site of illicit or authentic relations/affections that have the power to pervert or rescue the public sphere in the present-now. In the case of contemporary Turkey, I identify republican, Islamist, and queer homohistoricisms as divergent political projects with interconnected rationales. I analyze two sets of primary materials on queer contention from Istanbul's Gezi Park uprising: Protest records (fliers, brochures, zines, pictures, banners, posters) from Kislak Center's “Gezi Park Protests 2013” collection and the meeting minutes from 657 neighborhood forums produced and archived by the protestors. I argue that queer homohistoricism in Turkey as a contentious repertoire of invoking nostalgic visions of Ottoman cosmopolitanism and urban civility may succeed in authenticating a certain kind of queer politics, but would do so at the expense of perpetuating just as authentic mechanisms of oppression.
Factor Model Comparisons with Conditioning Information
Authors: Ferson Wayne E. , Siegel Andrew F. , Wang Junbo L. 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
We develop methods for testing factor models when the weights in portfolios of factors and test assets can vary with lagged information. We derive and evaluate consistent standard errors and finite sample bias adjustments for unconditional maximum squared Sharpe ratios and their differences. Bias adjustment using a second-order approximation performs well. We derive optimal zero-beta rates for models with dynamically trading portfolios. Factor models’ Sharpe ratios are larger but standard test asset portfolios’ maximum Sharpe ratios are larger still when there is dynamic trading. As a result, most of the popular factor models are rejected.
Limited evidence of autocorrelation signaling upcoming affective episodes: a 12-month e-diary study in patients with bipolar disorder
Authors: Ludwig V. M. , Reinhard I. , Mühlbauer E. , Hill H. , Severus W. E. , Bauer M. , Ritter P. , Ebner-Priemer U. W. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractBackgroundIncreased autocorrelation (AR) of system-specific measures has been suggested as a predictor for critical transitions in complex systems. Increased AR of mood scores has been reported to anticipate depressive episodes in major depressive disorder, while other studies found AR increases to be associated with depressive episodes themselves. Data on AR in patients with bipolar disorders (BD) is limited and inconclusive.MethodsPatients with BD reported their current mood via daily e-diaries for 12 months. Current affective status (euthymic, prodromal, depressed, (hypo)manic) was assessed in 26 bi-weekly expert interviews. Exploratory analyses tested whether self-reported current mood and AR of the same item could differentiate between prodromal phases or affective episodes and euthymia.ResultsA total of 29 depressive and 20 (hypo)manic episodes were observed in 29 participants with BD. Self-reported current mood was significantly decreased during the two weeks prior to a depressive episode (early prodromal, late prodromal), but not changed prior to manic episodes. The AR was neither a significant predictor for the early or late prodromal phase of depression nor for the early prodromal phase of (hypo)mania. Decreased AR was found in the late prodromal phase of (hypo)mania. Increased AR was mainly found during depressive episodes.ConclusionsAR changes might not be better at predicting depressive episodes than simple self-report measures on current mood in patients with BD. Increased AR was mostly found during depressive episodes. Potentially, changes in AR might anticipate (hypo)manic episodes.
Reconstruction and analysis of the transmission network of African swine fever in People’s Republic of China, August 2018–September 2019
Authors: Akhmetzhanov Andrei R. , Jung Sung-mok , Lee Hyojung , Linton Natalie M. , Yang Yichi , Yuan Baoyin , Nishiura Hiroshi 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Introduction of African swine fever (ASF) to China in mid-2018 and the subsequent transboundary spread across Asia devastated regional swine production, affecting live pig and pork product-related markets worldwide. To explore the spatiotemporal spread of ASF in China, we reconstructed possible ASF transmission networks using nearest neighbour, exponential function, equal probability, and spatiotemporal case-distribution algorithms. From these networks, we estimated the reproduction numbers, serial intervals, and transmission distances of the outbreak. The mean serial interval between paired units was around 29 days for all algorithms, while the mean transmission distance ranged 332 –456 km. The reproduction numbers for each algorithm peaked during the first two weeks and steadily declined through the end of 2018 before hovering around the epidemic threshold value of 1 with sporadic increases during 2019. These results suggest that 1) swine husbandry practices and production systems that lend themselves to long-range transmission drove ASF spread; 2) outbreaks went undetected by the surveillance system. Efforts by China and other affected countries to control ASF within their jurisdictions may be aided by the reconstructed spatiotemporal model. Continued support for strict implementation of biosecurity standards and improvements to ASF surveillance is essential for halting transmission in China and spread across Asia.
Maternal cognitive functioning and psychopathology predict quality of parent-child relationship in the context of substance use disorder: A 15-month longitudinal study
Authors: Porreca Alessio , De Carli Pietro , Filippi Bianca , Bakermans-Kranenburg Marian J. , van IJzendoorn Marinus H. , Simonelli Alessandra 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThis longitudinal study aimed to investigate the role of maternal cognitive functioning and psychopathology in parent-child relationship quality during residential treatment for mothers with Substance Use Disorder (SUD), in order to identify factors that may enhance or limit intervention effects.We assessed cognitive functioning (Esame Neuropsicologico Breve-2 [ENB-2]) and psychopathology (Symptom Checklist-90 Revised [SCL-90-R]) in 60 mothers diagnosed with SUD (Mage = 30.13 yrs; SD = 6.79) at treatment admission. Parent-child relationship quality was measured during free-play interactions using the Emotional Availability Scales every three months from admission (Child Mage = 17.17m; SD = 23.60) to the 15th month of the residential treatment.A main effect of maternal psychopathology and an interaction effect of time and cognitive functioning were found. More maternal psychopathology predicted lower mother-child relationship quality. Mothers with higher cognitive functioning presented a better treatment trajectory, with an increase in mother-child relationship quality, whereas mothers with lower cognitive functioning showed a decrease in relationship quality after initial improvement.These findings suggest that maternal psychopathology and cognitive functioning may influence the treatment of parent-child relationships in the context of SUD, although causality is not yet established. Implications for assessment and intervention are discussed.