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Many variables in biological research-from body size to life-history timing to environmental characteristics-are measured continuously (e.g. body mass in kilograms) but analysed as categories (e.g. large versus small), which can lower statistical power and change interpretation. We conducted a mini-review of 72 recent publications in six popular ecology, evolution and behaviour journals to quantify the prevalence of categorization. We then summarized commonly categorized metrics and simulated a dataset to demonstrate the drawbacks of categorization using common variables and realistic examples. We show that categorizing continuous variables is common (31% of publications reviewed). We also underscore that predictor variables can and should be collected and analysed continuously. Finally, we provide recommendations on how to keep variables continuous throughout the entire scientific process. Together, these pieces comprise an actionable guide to increasing statistical power and facilitating large synthesis studies by simply leaving continuous variables alone. Overcoming the pitfalls of categorizing continuous variables will allow ecologists, ethologists and evolutionary biologists to continue making trustworthy conclusions about natural processes, along with predictions about their responses to climate change and other environmental contexts.

Objective assessment of activity via accelerometry can provide valuable insights into dog health and welfare. Common activity metrics involve using acceleration cut-points to group data into intensity categories and reporting the time spent in each category. Lack of consistency and transparency in cut-point derivation makes it difficult to compare findings between studies. We present an alternative metric for use in dogs: the acceleration threshold (as a fraction of standard gravity, 1 g = 9.81 m/s2) above which the animals X most active minutes are accumulated (MXACC) over a 24-hour period. We report M2ACC, M30ACC and M60ACC data from a colony of healthy beagles (n = 6) aged 3-13 months. To ensure that reference values are applicable across a wider dog population, we incorporated labelled data from beagles and volunteer pet dogs (n = 16) of a variety of ages and breeds. The dogs normal activity patterns were recorded at 200 Hz for 24 hours using collar-based Axivity-AX3 accelerometers. We calculated acceleration vector magnitude and MXACC metrics. Using labelled data from both beagles and pet dogs, we characterize the range of acceleration outputs exhibited enabling meaningful interpretation of MXACC. These metrics will help standardize measurement of canine activity and serve as outcome measures for veterinary and translational research.

Many animals alternate between different media, such as air and water, thanks to specific adaptations. Among birds, penguins (Sphenisciformes) have the most extreme morphological, physiological, and behavioural adaptations to their amphibious lifestyle. Their auditory perception of sound, potentially matching different impedances in air and under water, is largely unknown particularly in terms of whether their underwater adaptations may have affected their in-air hearing capacity. In this context, we investigated the hearing ability of four captive Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) in air using psychophysical hearing tests. The 50% hit rate was found to be below 76 dB rms re 20 µPa between 0.250 kHz and 10 kHz, with most sensitive hearing at 2 kHz (mean threshold of 15.3 dB rms re 20 µPa). The four penguins showed large inter-individual variation in sensitivity at a given frequency but within a common audiogram shape. Despite the variability, penguins detected 0.250 kHz at comparably low sound levels (mean = 36.8 dB rms re 20 µPa) after a rapid decline of sensitivity at 0.500 kHz (mean = 64.1 dB rms re 20 µPa). This finding was unexpected, and it is therefore difficult to interpret whether it is an artefact of the methods or a biologically relevant finding. An extensive discussion is presented and suggests that this finding may be biologically relevant but would need further investigation to reveal the underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadcast ephemeris data are essential for the precision and reliability of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) but are highly susceptible to anomalies caused by various interference factors, such as ionospheric and tropospheric effects, solar radiation pressure, and satellite clock biases. Traditional threshold-based methods and manual review processes are often insufficient for detecting these complex anomalies, especially considering the distinct characteristics of different satellite types. To address these limitations, this study proposes an automated anomaly detection method using the IF-TEA-LSTM model. By transforming broadcast ephemeris data into multivariate time series and integrating anomaly score sequences, the model enhances detection robustness through data integrity assessments and stationarity tests. Evaluation results show that the IF-TEA-LSTM model reduces the RMSE by up to 20.80% for orbital parameters and improves clock deviation prediction accuracy for MEO satellites by 68.37% in short-term forecasts, outperforming baseline models. This method significantly enhances anomaly detection accuracy across GEO, IGSO, and MEO satellite orbits, demonstrating its superiority in long-term data processing and its capacity to improve the reliability of satellite operations within the BDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changes in the Antarctic sea ice area are directly related to the changes in the atmosphere and oceans. Determining the Antarctic sea ice distribution is of great significance to the global climate change analysis. The ant colony algorithm adopts a positive feedback mechanism to continuously converge the search process and ultimately approaches the optimal solution, making it easy to find the optimal segmentation threshold for detecting the sea ice distribution. However, the ant colony algorithm has the problems of high computational complexity and easy getting stuck in local optima. In order to better apply the ant colony algorithm to sea ice distribution detection, an improved ant colony algorithm was proposed, which improves the selection of initial clustering centers and the update of pheromone volatilization factors in the ant colony algorithm. We compared the improved ant colony algorithm with iterative algorithm, maximum entropy algorithm, and basic global threshold algorithm, and the results showed that the proposed algorithm is feasible. To further validate the accuracy of the improved ant colony algorithm, we compared the results obtained from MODIS data with the improved ant colony algorithm, iterative algorithm, maximum entropy algorithm, and basic global threshold algorithm for sea ice detection, and the results showed that the accuracy of the proposed algorithm was 4.99%, 3.66%, and 5.46% higher than the other three algorithms, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPurposeMethodsResultsConclusionsThere is a wealth of literature describing the characteristics and proficiencies of clinical teachers, but no description exists of the obstacles that clinical teachers face when aspiring to become a Master Clinical Teacher (MCT). Using Threshold Concepts (TC) theory as an analytical framework can help investigate those potential challenges.This is a mixed-methods research integrating an exploratory survey and semi-structured interviews. The authors used a systematic approach to develop the survey and administered it to physicians in a large pediatrics department, using the results to inform the interview process. In the interview phase, the authors used purposive sampling of trainees, early-career clinical teachers, and departmentally recognized MCTs. The authors conducted reflexive thematic analysis on the qualitative data using TC as a framework, deriving areas of Troublesome Knowledge (TK) and subsequently conceptualizing TCs.The survey phase yielded 143 responses with 303 narrative comments. The interview phase comprised three focus groups and eleven individual interviews with MCTs. Four themes were identified that conceptualize as TCs with associated areas of TK, including: Embracing continual personal and professional evolution; Cultivating shared vulnerability for authentic engagement and learning; Empowering learners for self-discovery and transformation; and Navigating the complexities of clinical teaching.The identified TCs and associated TKs provide insights into clinical teachers’ experience in becoming MCTs. These findings can inform faculty development efforts and the individual career development of clinical teachers and also underscore the dynamic and multi-faceted nature of clinical teaching and the ongoing evolution required to excel in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threshold protocol game is a graphical game that models the adoption of an idea or product through a population. There are two states players may take in the game, and the goal of the game is to motivate the state that begins in the minority to spread to every player. Here, the threshold protocol game is defined, and existence results are studied on infinite graphs. Many generalizations are proposed and applied. This work explores the impact of graph topology on the outcome of the threshold protocol game and consequently considers finite graphs. By exploiting the well-known topologies of complete and complete bipartite graphs, the outcome of the threshold protocol game can be fully characterized on these graphs. These characterizations are ideal, as they are given in terms of the game parameters. More generally, initial conditions in terms of game parameters that cause the preferred game outcome to occur are identified. It is shown that the necessary conditions differ between non-bipartite and bipartite graphs because non-bipartite graphs contain odd cycles while bipartite graphs do not. These results motivate the primary result of this work, which is an exhaustive list of achievable game outcomes on bipartite graphs. While possible outcomes are identified, it is noted that a complete characterization of when game outcomes occur is not possible on general bipartite graphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical games describe strategic interactions among a specified network of players. The threshold protocol game is a graphical game that models the adoption of a lesser-used product in a population when individuals benefit by using the same product. The threshold protocol game has historically been considered using infinite, simple graphs. In general, however, players might value some relationships more than others or may have different levels of influence in the graph. These traits are described by weights on graph edges or vertices, respectively. Relative comparisons on arbitrarily weighted graphs have been studied for a variety of graphical games. Alternatively, graph labelings are functions that assign values to the edges and vertices of graphs based on a particular set of rules. This work demonstrates that the outcome of the threshold protocol game can be characterized on a magic square-generalization labeled graph. There are a variety of graph labelings that generalize the concept of magic squares. In each, the labels on similar sets of graph elements sum to a constant. The constant sums of magic square-generalization labelings mean that each player experiences a constant level of influence without needing to specify the value of players relative to one another. The game outcome is compared across different types and features of labelings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of stepwise landslides, characterized by displacement exhibiting a step-like pattern, is often influenced by reservoir operations and seasonal rainfall. Traditional early warning models face challenges in accurately predicting the sudden initiation and cessation of displacement, primarily because conventional indicators such as rate or acceleration are ineffective in these scenarios. This underscores the urgent need for innovative early warning models and indicators. Viewing step-like displacement through the lens of three phases—stop, start, and acceleration—aligns with the green-yellow-red warning paradigm of the Traffic Light System (TLS). This study introduces a novel early warning model based on the TLS, incorporating jerk, the derivative of displacement acceleration, as a critical indicator. Empirical data and theoretical analysis validate jerk's significance, demonstrating its clear pattern before and after step-like deformations and its temporal alignment with the deformation's conclusion. A comprehensive threshold network encompassing rate, acceleration, and jerk is established for the TLS. The model's application to the Shuiwenzhan landslide case illustrates its capability to signal in a timely manner the onset and acceleration of step-like deformations with yellow and red lights, respectively. It also uniquely determines the deformation's end through jerk differential analysis, which is a feat seldom achieved by previous models. Furthermore, leveraging the C5.0 machine learning algorithm, a comparison between the predictive capabilities of the TLS model and a pure rate threshold model reveals that the TLS model achieves a 93% accuracy rate, outperforming the latter by 7 percentage points. Additionally, in response to the shortcomings of existing warning and emergency response strategies for this landslide, a closed-loop management framework is proposed, grounded in the TLS. This framework encompasses four critical stages: hazard monitoring, warning issuance, emergency response, and post-event analysis. We also suggest support measures to ensure implementation of the framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global rubber industry is seeking alternatives to the widely-used antiozonant, N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD), due to its environmental toxicity concerns when used in automobile tires. These substantial research and development efforts on new antiozonants for rubber are hindered by a general inability to characterize the fundamental physical parameter of ozone-induced tearing energy threshold for crack growth, which underlies the practical ozone resistance of rubber products. Therefore, this paper presents, for the first time, a novel experimental–numerical combined approach to determine the tearing energy threshold in rubber exposed to ozone, which is a key criterion for assessing the resistance of rubber to ozone crack growth. The approach is based on in-situ optical analysis of ozone crack growth on the rubber surface and the determination of the crack growth rate when the rubber is stretched. Subsequently, the growth rates form the basis for calculating the energy release rates at the crack tips using the finite element method in Ansys software. By comparing the calculated energy release rates and experimentally measured crack growth rates, the energy release rate interval corresponding to the threshold tearing energy is determined. Based on this approach, the tearing energy threshold for carbon black reinforced natural rubber exposed to ozone was found to be a maximum of 2.12 J/m2. This value is 96% lower than the threshold for the non-ozone-exposed specimens. In conclusion, this novel methodology was able to determine the ozone threshold tearing energy and represents a powerful, unique tool for an efficient future development of environmentally friendly antiozonants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of heat stress on milk production (test day milk yield) and compositional traits (fat%, protein%, fat yield, protein yield) as well as to observe the pattern of response to increasing heat load on these traits in Jersey crossbred cows, maintained at ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Eastern Regional Station, Kalyani, West Bengal, India. The weather information, obtained from the NASA POWER database based on the location of the farm latitude and longitude, was used to calculate the Temperature Humidity Index (THI). To analyze the data, a linear model was fitted to the milk production and compositional records, which were adjusted for additive genetic effect of animal, permanent environmental effect of animals and known environmental sources of variations. Subsequently, a segmented linear regression model was fitted, and the least squares estimates of production and composition traits in different classes of THI were used as the dependent variable. Two THI break-points (BP) for milk yield and one THI BP for fat yield, protein %, and protein yield were found. The first and second BP for milk yield was at THI 59 and 77, respectively, with a significant decline in milk yield of -0.04 kg/unit of THI at second BP. The BP for fat and protein yield was at THI 76, with a decline rate of -1.18 and − 0.61 g/unit of THI increase, respectively. The findings revealed the significant adverse effects of THI on milk production and composition traits in Jersey crossbred cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a globally prevalent and economically devastating natural disaster that significantly affects agricultural production. The North China Plain (NCP) comprises China's largest cultivation region for winter wheat, Nevertheless, the impact of seasonal drought on the net primary productivity (NPP) of winter wheat in the NCP has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, this study evaluated the impacts of different drought types on NPP losses to reveals variations in farmers' strategies for coping with drought. In this paper, we divided the NCP into humid area (HA) and semiarid area (SA), using the palmer drought severity index (PDSI) to represent natural agricultural drought (NAD) and the vegetation health index (VHI) to signify actual agricultural drought (AAD), with winter wheat NPP losses serving as an indicator of drought impact. Results showed that NPP losses in both HA and SA increased from the 1980s to the 2000s, and then gradually decreased in the 2010s. Spatial analysis indicated that winter wheat was more sensitive to NAD in HA than in SA, with the strongest correlation between NPP and VHI observed in March in HA and in April in SA. Despite the inconsistency between PDSI and VHI, the responsiveness of winter wheat to drought heightened with the advancement of phenological development, suggesting that farmers did not adopt suitable irrigation strategies based on actual climatic conditions. Although precipitation remained a primary driving factor for NAD, temperature and radiation gradually emerged as the dominant causes of AAD. Our results contribute to a better understanding of regional carbon cycling and the improved management of winter wheat production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can be a serious complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). CMV viral load is routinely monitored, and pre-emptive therapy is initiated to prevent CMV viremia from developing into CMV organ disease based on institutional thresholds. There is no established universal threshold for pre-emptive therapy and many centers utilize different strategies. Allogeneic HCT recipients at WVU Medicine from 2009 to 2021 were routinely initiated on pre-emptive CMV treatment for a PCR viral threshold above 4000 IU/mL. Adult patients with quantifiable values below this threshold, were analyzed to evaluate the rate of spontaneous clearance without initiation of CMV-directed therapy, during their first episode of CMV reactivation. This study excluded any patients that received letermovir prophylaxis. Sixty patients were included in the analysis. The spontaneous clearance rate was 60 %. The risk factors that were associated with a lower spontaneous clearance rate were reactivation within thirty days after transplant (p = 0.031), presence of graft-versus-host-disease (p = 0.031), and CMV PCR values of 2500–4000 IU/mL (p = 0.02). Although these patients had lower rates of spontaneous clearance, they still spontaneously cleared in 42 %, 42 %, and 43 % of the cases, respectively. Delaying pre-emptive treatment until a CMV PCR value of 4000 IU/mL is reached appears appropriate and decreases unnecessary treatment toxicity and resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the performance of a lower predicted postoperative (ppo) forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) or diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) (ppo-FEV1/ppoDLCO) threshold to predict cardiopulmonary complications after minimally invasive surgery (MIS) lobectomy. Background: Although MIS is associated with better postoperative outcomes than open surgery, MIS uses risk-assessment algorithms developed for open surgery. Moreover, several different definitions of cardiopulmonary complications are used for assessment. Methods: All patients who underwent MIS lobectomy for clinical stage I to II lung cancer from 2018 to 2022 at our institution were considered. The performance of a ppoFEV1/ppoDLCO threshold of <45% was compared against that of the current guideline threshold of <60%. Three different definitions of cardiopulmonary complications were compared: Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS), and Berry and colleagues' study. Results: In 946 patients, the ppoFEV1/ppoDLCO threshold of < 45% was associated with a higher proportion correctly classified [79% (95% CI, 76%-81%) vs 65% (95% CI, 62%-68%); P< 0.001]. The complication with the biggest difference in incidence between ppoFEV1/ppoDLCO of 45% to 60% and >60% was prolonged air leak [33 (13%) vs 34 (6%); P< 0.001]. The predicted probability curves for cardiopulmonary complications were higher for the STS definition than for the ESTS or Berry definitions across ppoFEV1 and ppoDLCO values. Conclusions: The ppoFEV1/ppoDLCO threshold of <45% more accurately classified patients for cardiopulmonary complications after MIS lobectomy, emphasizing the need for updated riskassessment guidelines for MIS lobectomy to optimize additional cardiopulmonary function evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clarifying the nonlinear impacts of vegetation cover on production-living-ecological function (PLEF) coordination is essential to ecological restoration regulation and sustainable land use. However, the threshold effect of vegetation cover on PLEF coordination, particularly in major function-oriented zones (MFZs), has yet to receive attention. This study selected Xiangyang City, China, as the case area to identify the impact threshold of vegetation cover on PLEF coordination from the perspectives of the region as a whole and MFZ, respectively. The results showed that the PLEF coordination was high in the center and east while low in the west. For production-ecological function, 51.46% of the area was primarily coordinated and above, while for production-living function, 61.35% of the city area was severely uncoordinated. Vegetation cover was high in the west and low in the east. A negative correlation existed between vegetation cover and PLEF coordination. Urban built-up areas with lower vegetation cover showed higher levels of PLEF coordination, whereas western mountainous regions with higher vegetation cover demonstrated lower levels of PLEF coordination. Furthermore, vegetation cover exhibited a pronounced threshold effect on PLEF coordination, featuring conspicuous regional variations. The identified thresholds of vegetation cover for PLEF coordination in key development, agricultural production, and key ecological function zones were 0.3896, 0.2272, and 0.8161, respectively. Our study provides scientific references for the impact assessment of ecological restoration and the synergistic enhancement of land functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the asymmetric effect of military expenditure on economic growth in Nigeria. Furthermore, it determines the threshold level of military expenditure that spurs or hinders economic growth in Nigeria. To achieve the study's objectives, the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) and dynamic threshold autoregressive (TAR) techniques are applied as estimation techniques to data from 1981 to 2020. The findings from the study show that (1) positive shocks in military expenditure negatively impact economic growth in the short run, while the effect turns positive in the long run. (2) Negative military expenditure shocks negatively influenced economic growth in Nigeria in both periods. (3) The result from the threshold regression found a threshold value of 0.579 for military expenditure. Based on these findings, policymakers must consider the inherent tendency of asymmetry and nonlinearity in military expenditure when formulating policies related to government spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For all integers n ≥ k > d ≥ 1 , let m d (k , n) be the minimum integer D ≥ 0 such that every k-uniform n-vertex hypergraph H with minimum d-degree δ d (H) at least D has an optimal matching. For every fixed integer k ≥ 3 , we show that for n ∈ k N and p = Ω (n - k + 1 log n) , if H is an n-vertex k-uniform hypergraph with δ k - 1 (H) ≥ m k - 1 (k , n) , then a.a.s. its p-random subhypergraph H p contains a perfect matching. Moreover, for every fixed integer d < k and γ > 0 , we show that the same conclusion holds if H is an n-vertex k-uniform hypergraph with δ d (H) ≥ m d (k , n) + γ n - d k - d . Both of these results strengthen Johansson, Kahn, and Vu's seminal solution to Shamir's problem and can be viewed as "robust" versions of hypergraph Dirac-type results. In addition, we also show that in both cases above, H has at least exp ((1 - 1 / k) n log n - Θ (n)) many perfect matchings, which is best possible up to an exp (Θ (n)) factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human thermoregulation models are valuable for predicting the thermoregulatory response of the human body under diverse environmental conditions, especially in situations where conducting experiments would be dangerous. In the current study, variation in thermoregulatory response between men and women is investigated using a 2-D, gender-specific thermoregulation model. The model's passive system consists of 12 segments and is developed using the Pennes bioheat equation and finite difference method. The active system accounts for all regulatory responses, including counter-current heat exchange, respiratory heat loss, and the threshold. The model is validated using available experimental results in literature. The developed code analyzes the effectiveness of different thermoregulatory defense mechanisms in both males and females under hot and cold environments. Results suggest that shivering and sweating are the most effective defense mechanisms under cold and hot conditions, respectively, for both genders. Gender-based disparities in mean skin temperature during sudden cold exposure, revealing that men consistently display higher temperatures due to their greater capacity for active shivering resulting from higher muscle mass. Extended exposure of people with spinal cord injury to high temperatures may pose a risk to their lives as the core temperature can rise uncontrollably. During therapeutic hypothermia, skin temperatures are notably more affected than core temperatures, with this effect being particularly pronounced in hot ambient conditions for both males and females. However, females display elevated temperatures for the head and feet during hot exposures, whereas males exhibit higher temperatures for the chest during cold exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the twin‐width of the Erdős‐Rényi random graph G(n,p)$$ G\left(n,p\right) $$. We unveil a surprising behavior of this parameter by showing the existence of a constant p∗≈0.4$$ {p}^{\ast}\approx 0.4 $$ such that with high probability, when p∗≤p≤1−p∗$$ {p}^{\ast}\le p\le 1-{p}^{\ast } $$, the twin‐width is asymptotically 2p(1−p)n$$ 2p\left(1-p\right)n $$, whereas, when 0p>1−p∗$$ 1>p>1-{p}^{\ast } $$, the twin‐width is significantly higher than 2p(1−p)n$$ 2p\left(1-p\right)n $$. In addition, we show that the twin‐width of G(n,1/2)$$ G\left(n,1/2\right) $$ is concentrated around n/2−3nlogn/2$$ n/2-\sqrt{3n\kern0.2em \log \kern0.2em n}/2 $$ within an interval of length o(nlogn)$$ o\left(\sqrt{n\kern0.2em \log \kern0.2em n}\right) $$. For the sparse random graph, we show that with high probability, the twin‐width of G(n,p)$$ G\left(n,p\right) $$ is Θ(np)$$ \Theta \left(n\sqrt{p}\right) $$ when (726lnn)/n≤p≤1/2$$ \left(726\kern0.2em \ln \kern0.2em n\right)/n\le p\le 1/2 $$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We study the effects of quantity thresholds (such as drug amount) used to divide offenses into subsections on sentencing decisions by professional sentencers Methods: In a vignette experiment, 200 Czech prosecutors recommended a length of prison sentence in drug possession and theft cases Results: We provide experimental evidence that quantity thresholds increase the recommended average prison sentence by 10 to 55%. We develop a conceptual framework that decomposes the effect of quantity thresholds into two opposing effects: the severity and the reference effects. We provide suggestive evidence for the existence of severity and reference effects. Using new parametric measures of ordinal (in)justice, we further quantify the effect of thresholds on the probability of an ordinally just sentence for a given level of tolerance. Conclusions: Quantity thresholds, designed to limit sentencing disparities, introduce a different source of disparity which might substantially limit the net benefits of such provisions Preregistration: AEARCTR-0006023 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 27 July 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea declined Luxembourg’s request for provisional measures in the ‘Zheng He’ case. Following two orders of the International Court of Justice, this marked the third consecutive decision in which provisional measures were denied. The question asked in this Note is whether this signals the end of a low threshold for granting provisional measures. Two points of view are possible: either the undertakings given by the respondents are being taken more seriously, or international courts have grown at least somewhat frustrated with the frequent requests for provisional measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Objectives Methods Results Conclusions Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is an immune response to chemical haptens, involving induction and elicitation phases. Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) reviewing the skin sensitisation potential for all ingredients and using chemical‐specific induction thresholds for skin allergens remains the current best approach for the safety evaluation of consumer products. However, elicitation thresholds have utility in secondary protection for pre‐sensitised consumers.The objectives were to (1) review the current elicitation threshold database, (2) evaluate whether predicted relationships between chemical induction and elicitation potencies enable elicitation threshold prediction and (3) discuss elicitation threshold utility as a secondary method of consumer protection.In total, 28 publications (with 39 elicitation datasets) were included in non‐linear regression analysis to derive elicitation thresholds for 22 allergens, including fragrances, preservatives and metals.The median elicitation threshold (ED10) for the expanded database was 0.95 μg/cm2, which supports previously published general elicitation thresholds. The derived ED10 for each chemical had only weak to moderate correlation with corresponding induction thresholds, thus limiting suitability as the predictive model.Assessment of current EU fragrance allergen labelling and sensitiser labelling under the globally harmonised system in the context of general and chemical‐specific elicitation thresholds shows that current practices are health protective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT An ecosystem shifts to an alternative stable state when a threshold of accumulated pressure (i.e. direct impact of environmental change or human activities) is exceeded. Detecting this threshold in empirical data remains a challenge because ecosystems are governed by complex interlinkages and feedback loops between their components and pressures. In addition, multiple feedback mechanisms exist that can make an ecosystem resilient to state shifts. Therefore, unless a broad ecological perspective is used to detect state shifts, it remains questionable to what extent current detection methods really capture ecosystem state shifts and whether inferences made from smaller scale analyses can be implemented into ecosystem management. We reviewed the techniques currently used for retrospective detection of state shifts detection from empirical data. We show that most techniques are not suitable for taking a broad ecosystem perspective because approximately 85% do not combine intervariable non‐linear relationships and high‐dimensional data from multiple ecosystem variables, but rather tend to focus on one subsystem of the ecosystem. Thus, our perception of state shifts may be limited by methods that are often used on smaller data sets, unrepresentative of whole ecosystems. By reviewing the characteristics, advantages, and limitations of the current techniques, we identify methods that provide the potential to incorporate a broad ecosystem‐based approach. We therefore provide perspectives into developing techniques better suited for detecting ecosystem state shifts that incorporate intervariable interactions and high‐dimensionality data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinearity in count time series is commonly encountered in practice. To better explain the nonlinear phenomena in count time series, this article introduces a new threshold INAR(1) model using the idea of serially dependent innovation. The proposed model contains some existing INAR(1) models as special cases and establishes a connection between the threshold INAR(1) model and the threshold INARCH(1) model. The basic probabilistic and statistical properties of the new model are investigated. Model parameters, including the threshold variable, are estimated by the conditional least squares, modified quasi-likelihood and conditional maximum likelihood methods. Asymptotic properties and numerical results of the estimates are also studied. An application to the monthly trading volume of stock B in Shanghai Stock Exchange is conducted to show the practicability of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) are a tool to assess otolith function and a component of sensor specific vestibular diagnostics. The aim of the present study was to measure VEMP trough bone conducted (BC) stimulation using the B250 prototype and to report amplitudes, latencies and threshold levels for patients before resection of a sporadic unilateral vestibular schwannoma (VS) in order to assess function regarding to the reported nerve of origin. Twenty-seven participants (9 male/18 female) with a mean age of 55.9 years (SD: 10.8) were included for the analysis. In the side contralateral to the tumor, in 24 (89%) of the patients cVEMP could be measured, while oVEMP were recordable in 20 patients (74%). For patients with inferior vestibular nerve of origin (n = 11), cVEMP amplitudes of the affected side were significantly lower as compared to the non-affected side, while the force threshold level was increased. No statistically significant differences were observed for neither, oVEMP amplitudes nor threshold levels in the group with superior vestibular nerve of origin (n = 7). Across groups, p13 latency was significantly increased in the affected ear while all other VEMP latencies were not different between the ears. The B250 transducer was applicable to all participants of the clinical cohort. The sample size, however, was too low for a reliable statistical analysis and only allowed for exploratory analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a pioneering investigation into affective pragmatics through the perspective of Darwinian Biolinguistics, an interdisciplinary field at the nexus of biological and linguistic principles. Anchored in Darwin's theory of evolution and the latest developments in neurobiology, this study delves into the influence of biological factors---especially those pertaining to the brain's emotional processing on pragmatic communication. The research posits that human emotional responses, inherent in our biological constitution, profoundly influence the usage and interpretation of language in social interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the level of awareness of the population, an HIV/AIDS model is developed, which focused on the first 95% plan developed by UNAIDS. The threshold R0$$ {R}_0 $$ of model and the expressions of the disease‐free equilibrium and the endemic equilibrium are calculated, proving the existence of backward bifurcation. Backward bifurcation is caused by the imperfect protection rate of susceptible population due to education. Using China's actual data for parameter fitting, it is found that new HIV infections are on an upward trend. In response to this phenomenon, publicity and education, condoms, screening, and treatment of infected populations are considered as control measures. It is concluded that publicity and education is the primary strategy. This measure can not only effectively reduce the number of infected populations but also effectively increase the awareness rate of HIV‐infected populations. It is recommended to use condoms and have fewer sexual partners during sexual contact. Numerical simulation verifies that early stage publicity and education are much more important than post‐infection screening and treatment measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, pure-tone audiometry remains the gold standard for clinical auditory testing. However, pure-tone audiometry is time-consuming and only provides a discrete estimate of hearing acuity. Here, we aim to address these two main drawbacks by developing a machine learning (ML)-based approach for fully automated bone-conduction (BC) audiometry tests with forehead vibrator placement. Study 1 examines the occlusion effects when the headphones are positioned on both ears during BC forehead testing. Study 2 describes the ML-based approach for BC audiometry, with automated contralateral masking rules, compensation for occlusion effects and forehead-mastoid corrections. Next, the performance of ML-audiometry is examined in comparison to manual and conventional BC audiometry with mastoid placement. Finally, Study 3 examines the test-retest reliability of ML-audiometry. Our results show no significant performance difference between automated ML-audiometry and manual conventional audiometry. High test-retest reliability is achieved with the automated ML-audiometry. Together, our findings demonstrate the performance and reliability of the automated ML-based BC audiometry for both normal-hearing and hearing-impaired adult listeners with mild to severe hearing losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF) verification stands out as one of the most formidable endeavors in the realm of forecast verification. Traditional verification methods are not suitable for high-resolution forecasting products in some cases. Therefore, the SAL (structure, amplitude and location) method was proposed as a method of object-based spatial verification that studies precipitation verification in a certain range, which is combined with factors including structure, amplitude and location of the targets. However, the setting of the precipitation threshold would affect the result of the verification. This paper presented an improved method for determining the precipitation threshold using the QPF from ECMWF, which is an ensemble forecast model and three-source fusion product that was used in China from 1 July to 31 August 2020, and then the results obtained with this method were compared with the other two traditional methods. Furthermore, the SAL and the traditional verification methods were carried out for geometric, simulated and real cases, respectively. The results showed the following: (1) The proposed method in this paper for determining the threshold was more accurate at identifying the precipitation objects. (2) The verification area size was critical for SAL calculation. If the area selected was too large, the calculated SAL value had little significance. (3) ME (Mean Error) could not identify the displacement between prediction and observation, while HSS (Heidke Skill Score) was sensitive to the displacement of the prediction field. (4) Compared with the traditional verification methods, the SAL method was more straight forward and simple, and it could give a better representation of prediction ability. Therefore, forecasters can better understand the model prediction effect and what needs to be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanolasers based on emerging dielectric cavities with deep sub‐wavelength confinement of light offer a large light‐matter coupling rate and near‐unity spontaneous emission factor, β$\beta$. These features call for reconsidering the standard approach to identifying the lasing threshold. Here, a new threshold definition is suggested, taking into account the recycling process of photons when β$\beta$ is large. This threshold reduces to the classical balance between gain and loss in the limit of macroscopic lasers, but qualitative as well as quantitative differences emerge for nanolasers. In particular, this new threshold identifies the onset of a transition regime, where the quantum statistics of the emitted light evolve into the Poissonian statistics of a coherent state. It is shown that the threshold with photon recycling consistently marks the onset of the change in the second‐order intensity correlation, g(2)(0)$g^{(2)}(0)$, toward coherent laser light, irrespective of the laser size and down to the case of a single emitter. In contrast, other threshold definitions may well predict lasing in light‐emitting diodes. An overview of different threshold definitions proposed in the literature is provided and their predictions are compared when going from macroscopic to microscopic lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global transition towards environmentally friendly energy sources plays a major role in addressing both energy security and climate change. Brazil is at the forefront of this transition due to its rich natural resources and increasing investments in biofuels. Therefore, this investigation examines the consumption patterns and interactions between ethanol, primarily sourced from sugarcane, and gasoline within Brazil's energy framework. Ethanol's renewability, reduced environmental impact, and superior combustion characteristics position it as a feasible substitute for traditional fossil fuels. Nonetheless, obstacles like competition for land use and inadequate distribution infrastructure impede its widespread acceptance. This study explores the economic interaction between ethanol and gasoline, focusing on pricing dynamics and regional influences. Using consumer preferences and the accessibility of ethanol, this research identifies a range of price ratios within which consumer preferences shift from gasoline to ethanol in various Brazilian regions. The study also classifies Brazilian states into three distinct ranges based on the ethanol-to-gasoline price ratio in 2023 for a granular analysis of the economic dynamics influencing fuel choice. The research identifies states with competitive and dominant ethanol markets by examining the interplay between ethanol market share, fuel prices, and the adoption of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) in the country. Lastly, the findings support the importance of regional economic conditions and the influence of price ratios on consumer behavior, highlighting that ethanol's market share does not always correlate with favorable pricing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of levomethadone/fenpipramide and metamizole alone and in combination on acute nociception. METHODS: 8 healthy, adult Beagles were used in 2 separate randomized, complete crossover, experimental trials (threshold testing and determination of minimal alveolar concentration [MAC]) with masked observers. In both trials, treatments were 0.2 mg·kg-1 levomethadone/fenpipramide (L), 75 mg·kg-1 metamizole (M), or their combination (LM). In conscious dogs, mechanical thresholds were determined using constantly rising force. Thermal thresholds were measured via ramped contact heat. The MAC of sevoflurane was determined using the bracketing method with electrical stimulus (50 V, 50 Hz, 10 ms) before and 1 and 4 hours after treatment. RESULTS: Mechanical thresholds in L and LM were significantly increased above baseline (BL) for 165 minutes and above M for 135 minutes. Percent thermal threshold excursion significantly increased above BL in L for 75 minutes and in LM for 135 minutes. In L and LM, the percent thermal threshold excursion was significantly higher than in M from 15 to 75 or 135 minutes, respectively. In L and LM, the MAC of sevoflurane was significantly reduced at 1 hour compared to BL and M. CONCLUSION Duration but not the magnitude of thermal antinociception of levomethadone/fenpipramide was increased by metamizole. Mechanical antinociception in awake dogs and anesthetic-sparing effects of levomethadone/fenpipramide were not altered. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Coadministration of levomethadone/fenpipramide and metamizole to increase antinociception is not justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, winter temperatures are rising, and snowpack is shrinking or disappearing entirely. Despite previous research and published literature reviews, it remains unknown whether biomes across the globe will cross important thresholds in winter temperature and precipitation that will lead to significant ecological changes. Here, we combine the widely used Köppen–Geiger climate classification system with worst-case-scenario projected changes in global monthly temperature and precipitation to illustrate how multiple climatic zones across Earth may experience shifting winter conditions by the end of this century. We then examine how these shifts may affect ecosystems within corresponding biomes. Our analysis demonstrates potential widespread losses of extreme cold (<−20°C) in Arctic, boreal, and cool temperate regions. We also show the possible disappearance of freezing temperatures (<0°C) and large decreases in snowfall in warm temperate and dryland areas. We identify important and potentially irreversible ecological changes associated with crossing these winter climate thresholds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Nigeria, where rainfall plays a pivotal role in agriculture and disaster management, assessing the accuracy of satellite rainfall estimates at various thresholds is imperative. This study assesses the areal averages of nine satellite precipitation estimates (SPEs) against 48 ground-based raingauge observations in Nigeria. Employing categorical statistical metrics and compromise programming, the research assesses the performance of SPEs at seven rainfall thresholds. Results reveal that 82–94% of rainfall estimates align with ground truth, while 5–14% of rainy days are incorrectly detected by raingauges. Notably, SPEs tend to overestimate low rain between 1 mm and 5 mm d−1 and underestimate low heavy rain rates (10 mm ≤ rain < 20 mm), impacting flood monitoring and disaster preparedness. Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (CPCC), Tropical Applications of Meteorology using SATellite and ground-based observations (TAMSAT) African Rainfall Climatology And Time series (TARCAT), and Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) emerge as more reliable SPEs, particularly in highland regions. This research underscores the importance of choosing appropriate satellite precipitation estimates for enhanced disaster preparedness and resource management across different Nigerian regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global surge in reported cases of COVID-19 and the possibility of further outbreaks necessitates the development of new instruments to aid healthcare professionals in the earlier detection and monitoring of patients. Lung Ultrasound (LUS) examination is increasingly being used to detect symptoms of COVID-19 disease, according to growing data from throughout the world. Numerous features of ultrasound imaging make it well-suited for frequent clinical application: LUS may identify lung participation in the initial stages of the disease, is portable enough to be carried around in a protective covering, and can be used for screening in long-term care residences, camps, and other settings out of the clinic when other imaging techniques are not possible. The purpose of this article is to segment the COVID region from LUS. Acquiring LUS image data is the first step in the research workflow, which concludes with validating the segmented model. The COVID region is separated from the LUS region through the use of several pre-processes, including filtering and image enhancement, and the development of a segmentation model, including threshold, region-based, edge-based, and a neoteric segmentation approach. To choose the most effective model, we use the model accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the sufficiency theory of justice in health, justice requires that people have equal access to adequate health. In this article, I lay out the structure of this view and I assess its distributive implications for setting priority (i) between health needs across persons and (ii) between health care spending and other societal goods. I argue, first, that according to the sufficiency theory, deficiency in health cannot be completely offset by providing other societal goods. And, second, that it can prevent the medicalization of societies by stressing that improvements beyond the level of adequate health have relatively little weight, if any, from the standpoint of justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Research on the institutional environment, corruption, and FDI highlights an important facilitating relationship between these factors. The effect of corruption on FDI vis-à-vis the grabbing hand vs. the helping hand hypotheses has been previously examined with suggestions that both hypotheses can co-exist under the assumption that the FDI-corruption relationship depends on the level of institutions. This study revisits this relationship for 34 African countries over the 2005 to 2019 period using the dynamic panel threshold model, which allows for an endogenous threshold variable. Previous studies that have examined this relationship using a threshold regression approach are either not based exclusively on African countries (where the implication of this relationship is more salient) or use a threshold regression that assumes exogeneity of the threshold variable. This study examines the facilitating nature of governance measures – political stability, government effectiveness, rule of law and regulatory quality – on the corruption-FDI relationship. The results indicate significant threshold effects and shows that while the grabbing hand hypothesis is consistent with the data irrespective of the institutional proxy used, the helping hand hypothesis is sensitive to the choice of governance. These results agree with the strand of literature that supports a weak helping hand hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A paradoxical nonlinear phenomenon called post-inhibitory facilitation (PIF) has been observed in the superior olive neuron for precise sound localization, which means that an inhibitory synaptic current appearing earlier than an excitatory one does not suppress but facilitates a spike for a short interval between the two currents. Although the PIF is reproduced for type III excitability/non-bifurcation and mediated by a fast low-threshold potassium current (IKLT), contradictorily, explained with a negative threshold related to type II excitability/Hopf bifurcation, even if in the absence of the IKLT. In the present paper, explanations to the seemingly contradictory nonlinear and ionic current mechanisms for the PIF are presented in a modified model containing the IKLT. Firstly, the modified model exhibits Hopf bifurcation/type II for weak or zero IKLT, in addition to non-bifurcation/type III for strong IKLT which resembles the original models. Secondly, the PIF can be evoked for types III and II with a positive threshold, which presents novel conditions for the PIF. Thirdly, with the excitatory current considered, some traditional positive thresholds become novel negative thresholds, which presents successful explanations to the novel PIF modulated by the IKLT and the inhibitory and excitatory synapses. The novel PIF appears for a strong and relatively slow inhibitory synaptic current which can induce membrane potential reduced to run across the negative threshold, while not for weak or fast inhibitory current or not for novel positive thresholds related to fast excitatory synapses. Finally, the PIF with short time interval appears for type III with fast dynamics, which is mainly mediated by the fast IKLT, resembling the experiment. The PIF with wide interval appears for type II with slow dynamics, which is mediated by the weak IKLT and/or the slow leak current (IL), presenting a novel current to mediate the PIF. The bifurcation/excitability, novel threshold surface, IKLT and IL, and inhibitory and excitatory synapses present a comprehensive viewpoint on the PIF and the potential modulations to obtain the PIF with short interval for the precise sound localization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare, using state‐of‐the‐art psychophysical tests, the olfactory function of patients complaining and not complaining of olfactory hypersensitivity. Study Design: Retrospective cross‐sectional. Setting: The Smell and Taste Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Methods: University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) scores were obtained from 148 patients complaining of hyperosmia and 494 patients with no such complaints; detection threshold test scores were obtained from 77 and 483 patients of these respective groups. The effects of subject group, age, and sex on the test scores were assessed using analyses of variance. Categorical variables were evaluated by χ2. Responses to items within a detailed intake questionnaire, for example, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI‐II), were also evaluated. Results: Unexpectedly, those complaining of hyperosmia had lower olfactory test scores than those with no such complaints (respective UPSIT means [95% confidence interval [CIs]] = 27.86 (26.85, 28.87) and 32.19 (31.67, 32.71); P <.001; respective threshold means (log vol/vol) = −4.49 (−4.89, −4.09) and −5.22 (−5.36, −5.06); P <.001). Remarkably, 70.95% of the self‐identified hyperosmics exhibited mild to severe microsmia. The hyposmia complainers also exhibited elevated BDI scores (11.02 [9.53, 12.51] vs 7.58 [6.80, 8.34]). Conclusion: When objectively tested, many patients who complain of hypersensitivity to odors are actually less sensitive to them. The basis of this phenomenon is unclear. It could reflect the presence of emotionally disturbing altered smell sensations, or one or more comorbidities, such as hypochondria or osmophobia. These findings point to the importance of objective testing of persons with complaints of chemosensory dysfunction and reiterate the inaccuracy of self‐reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic segmentation techniques for remote sensing scene understanding have significantly advanced, enhancing the refined Earth observation. However, most methods highly depend on extensive annotated data, leading to performance deterioration in complex high-resolution remote sensing cross-domain scenes, where variations in image conditions and environments are prevalent. Domain adaptive semantic segmentation (DASS) has been proposed to mitigate the reliance on dense and costly annotations, typically using stagewise training. This article addresses three key challenges in existing DASS methods: 1) insufficient warmup training, limiting potential performance gains; 2) rigid pseudolabel threshold settings in self-training (ST) result in performance bottlenecks; 3) entropy-based prediction bias alone fails to effectively identify high-confidence noise early in ST. To address these issues, we propose a novel threshold-free pseudolabel learning framework, TPL-DA. During the warmup stage, we introduce a multiview bidirectional consistency learning mechanism within a teacher–student architecture. This mechanism employs a bias-free data augmentation strategy, fostering consistent bidirectional predictions in teacher–student networks, thereby enhancing domain generalization and feature robustness. Our multiscale context-enhanced prediction module further amplifies this. In the ST stage, we propose a dynamic threshold-free pseudolabel learning strategy that utilizes well-aligned feature prototypes in the feature space to guide pseudolabel generation in the probability space, eliminating the threshold constraints. In addition, we model uncertainty using relative entropy and incorporate it into the optimization objective to manage high-confidence noise. Extensive experiments on the LoveDA, Potsdam, and Vaihingen datasets demonstrate that TPL-DA consistently outperforms existing methods and popular benchmarks, significantly enhancing DASS performance across diverse cross-domain scenes.

Background and objective: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is associated with reduced muscle and increased fat mass in patients with prostate cancer. However, the threshold for body composition changes associated with survival during ADT remains unclear. This study aimed to identify body composition change thresholds for all-cause mortality during ADT. Methods: We enrolled 538 patients with prostate cancer (332 and 206 in the derivation and external validation cohorts, respectively) who underwent radiotherapy and ADT at two tertiary centers. Computed tomography (CT) images at baseline and 6 mo after ADT initiation were retrieved for an analysis. Skeletal muscle index (SMI), subcutaneous adipose tissue index (SATI), and visceral adipose tissue index (VATI) were measured using CT at the L3 vertebral level. Optimal thresholds for body composition changes were determined using the Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) method and validated using a Cox proportional hazard model. Key findings and limitations: Changes in SMI, SATI, and VATI were the three most important features for predicting all-cause mortality. SMI change was inversely associated with the all-cause mortality risk, and changes in the SATI and VATI showed a U-shaped relationship with the all-cause mortality risk. SMI loss (≥4.0%), SATI gain (≥15.0%), and VATI gain (≥12.0%) were independently associated with an increased all-cause mortality risk (SMI loss: hazard ratio, 6.79, p

Background: The published experience with restrictive and liberal blood transfusion approaches in pediatric intensive care units (ICUs) is not extensive. We investigated the outcomes of restrictive compared to liberal transfusion strategies in critically ill children. Methods: A search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Web of Science until February 16, 2024. The first 300 results from Google Scholar and records from the clinicaltrials.gov registry were manually screened. Backward and forward citation searches were also performed. We included randomized controlled trials examining outcome measures of children aged