bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Video question answering supported by a multi-task learning objective
Authors: Falcon Alex , Serra Giuseppe , Lanz Oswald 
Published: March 2023

AbstractVideo Question Answering (VideoQA) concerns the realization of models able to analyze a video, and produce a meaningful answer to visual content-related questions. To encode the given question, word embedding techniques are used to compute a representation of the tokens suitable for neural networks. Yet almost all the works in the literature use the same technique, although recent advancements in NLP brought better solutions. This lack of analysis is a major shortcoming. To address it, in this paper we present a twofold contribution about this inquiry and its relation with question encoding. First of all, we integrate four of the most popular word embedding techniques in three recent VideoQA architectures, and investigate how they influence the performance on two public datasets: EgoVQA and PororoQA. Thanks to the learning process, we show that embeddings carry question type-dependent characteristics. Secondly, to leverage this result, we propose a simple yet effective multi-task learning protocol which uses an auxiliary task defined on the question types. By using the proposed learning strategy, significant improvements are observed in most of the combinations of network architecture and embedding under analysis.
Group agents, moral competence and duty-bearers: the update argument
Authors: de Haan Niels 
Published: March 2023

AbstractAccording to some collectivists, purposive groups that lack decision-making procedures such as riot mobs, friends walking together, or the pro-life lobby can be morally responsible and have moral duties. I focus on plural subject- and we-mode-collectivism. I argue that purposive groups do not qualify as duty-bearers even if they qualify as agents on either view. To qualify as a duty-bearer, an agent must be morally competent. I develop the Update Argument. An agent is morally competent only if the agent has sufficient positive and negative control over updating their goal-seeking states. Positive control involves the general ability to update one’s goal-seeking states, whereas negative control involves the absence of other agents with the capacity to arbitrarily interfere with updating one’s goal-seeking states. I argue that even if purposive groups qualify as plural subjects or we-mode group agents, these groups necessarily lack negative control over updating their goal-seeking states. This creates a cut-off point for groups as duty-bearers: Organized groups may qualify as duty-bearers, whereas purposive groupscannotqualify as duty-bearers.
A composite measure for patient-reported outcomes in orthopedic care: design principles and validity checks
Authors: Schöner Lukas , Kuklinski David , Geissler Alexander , Busse Reinhard , Pross Christoph 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
The complex, multidimensional nature of healthcare quality makes provider and treatment decisions based on quality difficult. Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures can enhance patient centricity and involvement. The proliferation of PRO measures, however, requires a simplification to improve comprehensibility. Composite measures can simplify complex data without sacrificing the underlying information.

Objective and methods
We propose a five-step development approach to combine different PRO into one composite measure (PRO-CM): (i) theoretical framework and metric selection, (ii) initial data analysis, (iii) rescaling, (iv) weighting and aggregation, and (v) sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. We evaluate different rescaling, weighting, and aggregation methods by utilizing data of 3145 hip and 2605 knee replacement patients, to identify the most advantageous development approach for a PRO-CM that reflects quality variations from a patient perspective.

Results
The comparison of different methods within steps (iii) and (iv) reveals the following methods as most advantageous: (iii) rescaling via z-score standardization and (iv) applying differential weights and additive aggregation. The resulting PRO-CM is most sensitive to variations in physical health. Changing weighting schemes impacts the PRO-CM most directly, while it proves more robust towards different rescaling and aggregation approaches.

Conclusion
Combining multiple PRO provides a holistic picture of patients’ health improvement. The PRO-CM can enhance patient understanding and simplify reporting and monitoring of PRO. However, the development methodology of a PRO-CM needs to be justified and transparent to ensure that it is comprehensible and replicable. This is essential to address the well-known problems associated with composites, such as misinterpretation and lack of trust.
Is the maximum entropy production just a heuristic principle? Metaphysics on natural determination
Authors: Sánchez-Cañizares Javier 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe Maximum Entropy Production Principle (MEPP) stands out as an overarching principle that rules life phenomena in Nature. However, its explanatory power beyond heuristics remains controversial. On the one hand, the MEPP has been successfully applied principally to non-living systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium. On the other hand, the underlying assumptions to lay the MEPP’s theoretical foundations and range of applicability increase the possibilities of conflicting interpretations. More interestingly, from a metaphysical stance, the MEPP’s philosophical status is hotly debated: does the MEPP passively translate physical information into macroscopic predictions or actively select the physical solution in multistable systems, granting the connection between scientific models and reality? This paper deals directly with this dilemma by discussing natural determination from three angles: (1) Heuristics help natural philosophers to build an ontology. (2) The MEPP’s ontological status may stem from its selection of new forms of causation beyond physicalism. (3) The MEPP’s ontology ultimately depends on the much-discussed question of the ontology of probabilities in an information-theoretic approach and the ontology of macrostates according to the Boltzmannian definition of entropy.
Phylogenetic divergence associated with climate oscillations and topology illustrates the dispersal history of Formosan sambar deer (Rusa unicolor swinhoii) in Taiwan
Authors: Li Kuan-Yi , Hsiao Chen , Yen Shih-Ching , Hung Chien-Yi , Lin You-Zhu , Jheng Sheng-Wun , Yu Pei-Ju , Hwang Mei-Hsiu , Weng Guo-Jing , Chen Ku-Lin , Lin Shu-Fen , Chang Shih-Wei , Wang Ying , Ju Yu-Ten 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe island of Taiwan represents an ideal context for studying the effects of climatic oscillations and topographic variation on large herbivores due to its varied tropical to sub-tropical climate zones at different elevational ranges. We explored the phylogenetics of Formosan sambar deer (Rusa unicolor swinhoii) using the control region of the mitochondrial genome. We detected 18 haplotypes among 454 sequences across the island and grouped them into six regions based on SAMOVA, with 68.78% variance among regions. A Bayesian phylogenetic dendrogram revealed two spatially segregated genetic clades. Neutrality tests and Bayesian skyline plots uncovered different demographic expansion histories for the two clades. We further tested divergence times and chronology to propose potential phylogenetic scenarios, which were examined using approximate Bayesian computation. Finally, we present a credible hypothesis for a glacial refugium in the northern part of the Central Mountain Range. Subsequent secondary contact between the two clades during interglacial periods has led to the extant genetic structure of Formosan sambar deer.
From ultra-low friction to superlubricity state of black phosphorus: Enabled by the critical oxidation and load
Authors: Li Qiang , Su Fenghua , Chen Yanjun , Sun Jianfang 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBased on the density functional theory (DFT), we investigate the friction properties of inevitable oxidized black phosphorus (o-BP). o-BP with the weaker interlayer adhesion exhibits their great potential as a solid lubricant. At the zero load, the friction property of o-BP is adjusted by its oxidation degree. Expressly, ultra-low friction of P4O2 (50% oxidation, O : P = 2 : 4 = 50%) is obtained, which is attributed to the upper O atoms with lower sliding resistance in the O channel formed by lower layer O atoms. More attractive, we observe superlubricity behavior of o-BP at the critical load/distance due to the flattening potential energy surface (PES). The flattening PES is controlled by the electrostatic role for the high-load (P4O3, O : P = 3 : 4 = 75%), and by the electrostatic and dispersion roles for the low-load (P4O2). Distinctly, the transform from ultra-low friction to superlubricity state of black phosphorus (BP) can be achieved by critical oxidation and load, which shows an important significance in engineering application. In addition, negative friction behavior of o-BP is a general phenomenon (Z > Zmin, Zmin is the interlayer distances between the outermost P atoms of minimum load.), while its surface-surface model is different from the fold mechanism of the tip-surface model (Z0 < Z < Zmin, Z0 is the interlayer distances between the outermost P atoms of equilibrium state.). Thus, this phenomenon cannot be captured due to the jump effect with instability of the atomic force microscopy (AFM) (Z > Zmin). In summary, o-BP improves the friction performance and reduces the application limitation, comparing to graphene (Gr), MoS2, and their oxides.
Influence of aging treatment on mechanical properties and wear resistance of medium manganese steel reinforced with Ti(C,N) particles
Authors: Cai Zhihui , Wang Shangkun , Zhou Yanjun , Dong Jiayi , Ma Lifeng , Liu Shilong 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIn this study, the hot rolled medium manganese steel containing titanium was solution treated at 1,000 °C and followed by aging treatment at 500, 550, and 600 °C. The influence of aging treatment on mechanical properties and wear resistance of medium manganese steel reinforced with Ti(C,N) particles was investigated. It was found that the matrix of medium manganese steel was austenite. The austenite grain size was refined, and Ti(C,N) particles were precipitated after aging treatment. Compared to that of the as-hot rolled sample, the initial hardness of 500 °C aged sample increased by 9.5% to 312.86 HV, whose impact energy was more than doubled to 148.5 J. As the aging temperature raised to 600 °C, the initial hardness changed slightly. However, the impact energy dropped significantly to 8 J due to the aggregation of Mn at the grain boundaries. In addition, the main wear mechanisms of the samples were fatigue wear and abrasive wear. It was worth noting that 500 °C aged sample exhibited the best wear resistance under a 300 N applied load, whose wear loss was just half of the as-hot rolled sample. The relationship between wear loss and mechanical properties indicated that the wear resistance of medium manganese steel was independent of the initial hardness. The large difference in the wear resistance was predominately due to the outstanding work hardening ability of 500 °C aged sample, whose strengthening mechanisms were contributed from transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) effect, dislocation strengthening, twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) effect, and precipitation strengthening.
Applying surface tension as pressure boundary condition in free surface flow analysis by moving particle simulation method
Authors: Tsujimura Hiroki , Kubota Kenichi , Sato Tetsuya 
Published: March 2023

AbstractA model that introduces surface tension as a pressure boundary condition, named the surface tension as pressure (STP) model, was developed for free surface flow analyses by the moving particle simulation (MPS) method. The STP model assigns to surface particles the liquid pressure of Laplace’s formula. The model is an alternative to previous models that apply surface tension as volume force such as the continuum surface force model. Problems that appeared when using the volume force models, such as the dependencies of calculation results on particle resolution and pressure gradient accuracy, were solved by using the STP model. Calculations predicted the theoretical values of the internal pressure of a 3D spherical droplet and the oscillation period of a 2D elliptic droplet over a wide range of surface tension coefficients and droplet sizes with errors less than 10%. Since the STP model is easy to implement, does not increase computation cost from previous models, and does not require surface reconstruction or additional marker particles, the model is suitable for practical and large-scale free surface flow problems that involve violent deformation of the liquid surface such as liquid atomization.
No Compelling Evidence that Self-Reported Personality Traits Explain Basal Testosterone and Cortisol’s Associations with Status-Relevant Behavior
Authors: Casto Kathleen V. , Prasad Smrithi , Josephs Robert A. , Zilioli Samuele , Welker Keith , Maslov Alexander , Jones Amanda C. , Mehta Pranjal H. 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Objective
A goal of behavioral neuroendocrinology is to understand how basal hormone levels relate to behavior. Studies of human participants sometimes measure self-reported personality traits, in addition to or instead of direct behavioral observation. Although personality traits often predict their respective behaviors, whether personality explains hormone-behavior relationships remains unclear.

Methods
We obtained data from eight previous studies (total N = 985) that examined baseline testosterone and cortisol as predictors of status-relevant behavior (competitiveness, dominance, risk-taking, aggression, affiliation, and social status). We tested whether the previously reported hormone-behavior relationships are mediated by self-reported personality traits (e.g., trait dominance, prestige, extraversion). As a secondary research question, we also tested whether trait dominance moderated the testosterone-behavior relationships.

Results
As expected, self-reported personality traits often predicted status-relevant behaviors, but there was little evidence that traits also correlated with basal testosterone or the testosterone × cortisol interaction. Across all eight studies, personality traits did not significantly mediate hormone-behavior relationships. Indeed, the effect sizes of the hormone-behavior relationships were robust to the inclusion of personality traits as covariates. Further, we did not find strong or consistent evidence that trait dominance moderates the testosterone-behavior association.

Conclusion
Results suggest that basal testosterone and cortisol predict status-related behavior independent of self-reported personality. We discuss how these results may have broader implications for the physiological mechanisms by which testosterone and cortisol influence behavior, a process that could be unconscious and automatic. We also discuss alternative explanations, limitations, and future directions.
Lyapunov exponents and entropy for divergence-free Lipschitz vector fields
Authors: Bessa Mário 
Published: March 2023

AbstractLet $$\mathfrak {X}^{0,1}_\nu (M)$$

X

ν

0
,
1

(
M
)

be the subset of divergence-free Lipschitz vector fields defined on a closed Riemannian manifold M endowed with the Lipschitz topology $$\Vert \,{\cdot }\,\Vert _{0,1}$$

‖

·

‖

0
,
1

where $$\nu $$
ν
is the volume measure. Let $$\mathfrak {X}^{0,1}_{\nu ,\ell }(M)\subset \mathfrak {X}^{0,1}_\nu (M)$$

X

ν
,
ℓ

0
,
1

(
M
)

⊂

X

ν

0
,
1

(
M
)

be the subset of vector fields satisfying the $$\ell $$
ℓ
-property, a property that implies $$C^1$$

C
1

-regularity $$\nu $$
ν
-almost everywhere. We prove that there exists a residual subset "Equation missing" with respect to $$\Vert \,{\cdot }\,\Vert _{0,1}$$

‖

·

‖

0
,
1

such that Pesin’s entropy formula holds, i.e. for any "Equation missing" the metric entropy equals the integral, with respect to $$\nu $$
ν
, of the sum of the positive Lyapunov exponents.
Uncovering the Link Between the Theoretical and Probabilistic Models of the Global Production Function: A Copula Approach
Authors: Sánchez-Vargas Armando , Márquez-Estrada José Manuel , Hernández-Ramírez Eric 
Published: March 2023

AbstractWe provide micro foundations for the global production function (GPF) based on the standard microeconomic model, and we develop a parallel probabilistic model with similar properties. The theoretical and probabilistic models of the GPF are integrated in the context of a technology choice problem. We construct a primitive, named the augmented transformation function, to obtain a GPF and its associated joint distribution that includes the output and labor-saving and capital-saving technological innovations. This type of primitive allows us not only to derive the theoretical GPF but also to consistently build a link between the substitutability microparameters (elasticities) and the probabilistic parameters (correlations). We find that the shape of the GPF is determined by all the relations among technological innovations and output and the way they are combined.
Two-stage multi-sensor fusion positioning system with seamless switching for cooperative mobile robot and manipulator system
Authors: Yang Manman , Yang Erfu 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe stoppage of a mobile platform is generally scheduled to feed parts for machines on production lines, such as fenced industrial robotic manipulators. A non-stop mobile robotic part feeding system can contribute to production efficiency and flexibility but contains several challenging tasks. For example, the industrial robotic manipulator needs to perceive the positions of the mobile robot accurately and robustly before grasping the supplies when the mobile robot moves around. Thus, based on the relative distance between the two robots, an interaction mode of the integrated robotic system consisting of a fixed robotic manipulator and a mobile robot is developed for robotic interaction. In order to accurately and robustly perceive the positions of a mobile robot, two different positioning approaches for the robotic manipulator positioning mobile robot in an indoor environment are utilised. One approach is ultrasonic sensors fused with inertia measurement units (IMU) by extended Kalman filter (EKF). Furthermore, an outlier rejection mechanism is implemented to escape outliers from ultrasonic measurement. Another positioning approach is achieved by detecting an ArUco marker with visual sensor. Lastly, a positioning switching strategy according to the visual sensor state allows the robotic manipulator to reposition the mobile robot seamlessly. According to the static experiments, EKF-based positioning approach fusing IMU with ultrasonic sensor can export high-accuracy (the root mean square error is 0.04 m) and high-precision (the standard deviation is 0.0033 m) in positioning while keeping a high update frequency of 181.9 HZ in static positioning. Evaluations through dynamic experiments demonstrate that the proposed positioning system can suppress the positioning drifts over time in comparison with wheel encoder-based positioning method. The two-stage repositioning strategy can support the robotic manipulator to identify the positions of the mobile robot robustly, even in the case when the visual sensor is occluded.
Fast Columnar Physics Analyses of Terabyte-Scale LHC Data on a Cache-Aware Dask Cluster
Authors: Eich Niclas , Erdmann Martin , Fackeldey Peter , Fischer Benjamin , Noll Dennis , Rath Yannik 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe development of an LHC physics analysis involves numerous investigations that require the repeated processing of terabytes of data. Thus, a rapid completion of each of these analysis cycles is central to mastering the science project. We present a solution to efficiently handle and accelerate physics analyses on small-size institute clusters. Our solution uses three key concepts: vectorized processing of collision events, the “MapReduce” paradigm for scaling out on computing clusters, and efficiently utilized SSD caching to reduce latencies in IO operations. This work focuses on the latter key concept, its underlying mechanism, and its implementation. Using simulations from a Higgs pair production physics analysis as an example, we achieve an improvement factor of 6.3 in the runtime for reading all input data after one cycle and even an overall speedup of a factor of 14.9 after 10 cycles, reducing the runtime from hours to minutes.
Classification method of shale gas analytic stages and its application
Authors: Keying Zhao , Kai Mu 
Published: March 2023

AbstractChina is rich in shale gas resources, and improving the oil recovery of shale gas wells is one of the hot issues in the current research. The production of shale gas wells releases shale gas by reducing formation pressure by repeated fracturing. In this paper, the curvature of shale desorption efficiency curve is analyzed to study the pressure suitable for formation shale gas release. According to the inflection point and stagnation point of the curvature curve, the starting pressure, sensitive pressure and turning pressure are obtained. the curvature curve can be divided into four stages: sensitive desorption, rapid desorption, slow desorption and inefficient desorption. In actual exploitation, shale desorption cannot go through all four desorption stages, and can be determined according to the ratio of $$V_{L} /P_{L}$$

V
L

/

P
L

. When the ratio is greater than 2.59, there are four integral stages in shale desorption, and the larger the ratio is, the longer the sensitive desorption stage is. At 1.0–2.59, there are three stages of desorption; at 0.54–1, there are only two stages; below 0.54, there are only low efficiency stage. The isothermal adsorption study on the core samples of the Upper Paleozoic in Yulin area of Ordos Basin shows that the shale of the Upper Paleozoic in the study area has more starting pressure and turning pressure, and less sensitive pressure, and the ratio of $$V_{L} /P_{L}$$

V
L

/

P
L

is between 0.5 and 2.0. Generally, the isotherm adsorption curve can be divided into three stages: fast desorption, slow desorption and low efficiency desorption. The low efficiency desorption stage contributes the most to the productivity of Upper Paleozoic shale in this area, and the slow desorption is supplementary. According to the desorption stage and pressure node in shale mining, the formation pressure can be appropriately reduced to improve shale gas recovery efficiency.