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Abstract 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.

Suppose that the random matrix X p × m has a matrix variate normal distribution with the mean matrix Θ and covariance matrix Σ ⊗ Ψ , where Σ and Ψ are known positive definite covariance matrices. This paper studies the Bayesian shrinkage wavelet estimation of the mean matrix Θ under the balanced loss function. Two soft Bayesian shrinkage wavelet estimators are proposed based on two prior distributions: the matrix variate normal N p , m (0 , Λ ⊗ Ψ) , where Λ is a known positive definite covariance matrix, and the improper prior π (Θ) = 1 . Using Bayes estimators as the target estimator and Stein's unbiased risk estimate technique, the soft Bayesian shrinkage wavelet threshold and the soft generalized Bayesian shrinkage wavelet threshold are obtained. Based on the newly proposed thresholds, we derive the soft Bayesian shrinkage wavelet and the soft generalized Bayesian shrinkage wavelet estimators. The performance of the presented theoretical topics is measured through a simulation study and three real examples. The results show that the soft generalized Bayesian shrinkage wavelet estimator outperforms four classical soft shrinkage wavelet estimators and the soft Bayesian shrinkage wavelet estimator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Quantitative thresholds are helpful to define an abnormal DaT SPECT in patients with suspected nigrostriatal degenerative diseases (NSDD). The optimal DaTQUANT threshold for diagnostic accuracy of DaT SPECT across combined movement and cognitive disorder populations has been previously described. Methods: We established optimal DaTQUANT thresholds that enhance the discrimination between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and non-DLB dementia types, as well as between Parkinsonian syndromes (PS) and conditions not characterized by nigrostriatal degeneration (non-PS). Results: Data from a total of 303 patients were used in this retrospective analysis. Posterior putamen of the more affected hemisphere (MAH) was shown to be an accurate single-variable predictor for both DLB and PS and was comparable to the most accurate multi-variable models. Conclusions: Automated quantification with DaTQUANT can accurately aid in the differentiation of DLB from non-DLB dementias and PS from non-PS. Optimal thresholds for assisting a diagnosis of DLB are striatal binding ratio (SBR) ≤ 0.65, z-score ≤ −2.36, and a percent deviation ≤ −0.54 for the posterior putamen of the MAH. Optimal posterior putamen thresholds for assisting a diagnosis of PS are SBR ≤ 0.92, z-score ≤ −1.53, and a percent deviation ≤ −0.33, which are similar to our previously reported posterior putamen threshold values using a blended patient pool from multiple study populations.

Background: The homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) score serves as a promising biomarker to identify patients who are eligible for treatment with PARP inhibitors (PARPi). Previous studies have suggested a 3-biomarker Genomic Instability Score (GIS) threshold of ≥ 42 as a valid biomarker to predict response to PARPi in patients with ovarian cancer and breast cancer. However, the GIS threshold for prostate cancer (PCa) is still lacking. Here, we conducted an exploratory analysis to investigate an appropriate HRD score threshold and to evaluate its ability to predict response to PARPi in PCa patients. Methods: A total of 181 patients with metastatic castration-resistant PCa were included in this study. Tumor tissue specimens were collected for targeted next-generation sequencing for homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes and copy number variation (CNV) analysis. The HRD score was calculated based on over 50,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) distributed across the human genome, incorporating three SNP-based assays: loss of heterozygosity, telomeric allelic imbalance, and large-scale state transition. The HRD score threshold was set at the last 5th percentile of the HRD scores in our cohort of known HRR-deficient tumors. The relationship between the HRD score and the efficacy in 16 patients of our cohort who received PARPi treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Genomic testing was succeeded in 162 patients. In our cohort, 61 patients (37.7%) had HRR mutations (HRRm). BRCA mutations occurred in 15 patients (9.3%). The median HRD score was 4 (ranged from 0 to 57) in the total cohort, which is much lower than that in breast and ovarian cancers. Patients who harbored HRRm and BRCA or TP53 mutations had higher HRD scores. CNV occured more frequently in patients with HRRm. The last 5th percentile of HRD scores was 43 in the HRR-mutant cohort and consequently HRD high was defined as HRD scores ≥43. In the 16 patients who received PARPi in our cohort, 4 patients with a high HRD score achieved an objective response rate (ORR) of 100% while 12 patients with a low HRD score achieved an ORR of 8.3%. Progression-free survival (PFS) in HRD high patients was longer compared to HRD low patients, regardless of HRRm. Conclusions: A HRD score threshold of 43 was established and preliminarily validated to predict the efficacy of PARPi in this study. Future studies are needed to further verify this threshold.

Introduction: Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) is an integral part of pulmonary rehabilitation. It is a therapeutic modality that has demonstrated considerable promise in augmenting respiratory muscle function and overall pulmonary well-being in a range of clinical cohorts. While IMT has been extensively scrutinised in the adult demographic, its efficacy in paediatric populations has remained a relatively underexplored realm. Aim: This systematic review seeks to undertake a meticulous assessment of the existing literature to gauge the potential of IMT in ameliorating respiratory function in children and adolescents. Materials and Methods: The present systematic review includes seven pertinent studies, comprising randomised controlled trials, cohort investigations, and pilot studies published in English from 2018-2023 from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect. The keywords used were paediatric, restrictive lung diseases, obstructive lung diseases, IMT, obesity, neuromuscular disorders, thoracic surgeries, and advanced physiotherapy. Risk of bias assessment was done using the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool. Results: These studies have investigated the impact of IMT on various paediatric cohorts, from athletic populations to those afflicted with neuromuscular disorders, cystic fibrosis, and other respiratory pathologies. Collectively, the findings offer compelling evidence that IMT has the potential to enhance inspiratory muscle strength, endurance, and overall respiratory function in paediatric populations. Conclusion: In light of the findings gleaned from this systematic review, it is evident that IMT possesses the potential to be an efficacious intervention for enhancing respiratory function in the paediatric population and offering the prospect of improved clinical outcomes and an enhanced quality of life for this vulnerable cohort.

Drought dramatically impacts the autumn phenology of vegetation. However, the underlying mechanisms of vegetation autumn phenology responses to drought in tropical and subtropical forests remain unclear. Here, we employed three fitting methods to extract the end‐of‐photosynthetic‐growing‐season (EOPS) dates and quantified their responses to drought intensity using ridge regression and correlation analysis. Our analysis revealed a general delay in the trend of EOPS at an average rate of 3.6 days per decade from 2001 to 2020 in southern China. The standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) emerged as the primary influencing predictor of EOPS processes, surpassing the impacts of temperature, precipitation, and radiation. Notably, our analysis highlighted a shift in the response of EOPS to drought from delay to advancement when drought intensity exceeded 0.38. Incorporating this reversal phenomenon into EOPS models is crucial for accurately predicting autumn phenology under future escalating drought conditions. Plain Language Summary: Ongoing climate change is substantially altering autumn phenology, and subsequently impacting terrestrial carbon and water balance. Tropical and subtropical forests, being major reservoirs of global carbon, are experiencing notable effects due to escalating drought conditions. However, the underlying mechanisms of its autumn phenology responses to drought remain unclear. We employed three fitting methods to extract the end‐of‐photosynthetic‐growing‐season (EOPS) dates of subtropical and tropical forests and quantified their response to drought intensity through ridge regression and correlation analysis. Our analysis revealed a delay in EOPS across over 70% of the studied forests during the period 2001–2020, and we found that the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) primarily determined the EOPS processes. Interestingly, our analysis demonstrated a shift in the response of EOPS to drought from delay to advancement when drought intensity exceeded 0.38. These findings underscore the existence of a critical threshold in drought severity, beyond which a reversal in the response of EOPS to drought is anticipated. This reversal effect may stem from vegetation's adaptive strategies and environmental constraints. Incorporating this reversal phenomenon into EOPS modeling is imperative for enhancing predictions of autumn phenology and advancing our comprehension of carbon and water balances in forest ecosystems. Key Points: The standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) emerged as the primary influencing predictor factor on EOPS processesIncreasing drought induces contrasting shifts in the autumnal photosynthetic phenology of tropical and subtropical forestsThe effect of drought on autumn photosynthetic vegetation phenology shifts from delay to advancement as drought intensity exceeds 0.38 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaemia in pregnancy is a global problem of significance in all settings. The most common cause is iron deficiency. Large numbers of women are affected, ranging up to 25–30% antenatally and 20–40% postnatally. It is associated with serious adverse outcomes for both the mother and her baby. The risk of low birth weight, preterm birth, postpartum haemorrhage, stillbirth, and neonatal death are all increased in the presence of anaemia. For the infants of affected pregnancies, complications may include neurocognitive impairment. Making an accurate diagnosis during pregnancy has its challenges, which include the choice of thresholds of haemoglobin below which a diagnosis of anaemia in each trimester of pregnancy can be made and, aligned with this question, which are the most appropriate biomarkers to use to define iron deficiency. Treatment with oral iron supplements increases the haemoglobin concentration and corrects iron deficiency. But high numbers of women fail to respond, probably due to poor adherence to medication, resulting from side effects. This has resulted in an increased use of more expensive intravenous iron. Doubts remain about the optimal regimen to of oral iron for use (daily, alternate days, or some other frequency) and the cost-effectiveness of intravenous iron. There is interest in strategies for prevention but these have yet to be proven clinically safe and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrients are essential for the growth of aquatic life; however, in excess, they can result in a decline in water quality, posing serious risks to both human and aquatic organisms. Human activities, such as urbanisation, industry, and farming, can increase the amount of nutrients and other elements that reach receiving waterbodies like Lake Victoria in Uganda, which can be problematic at elevated levels. There is therefore a strong need to evaluate recent changes in pollutant concentrations and their potential negative effects. To contribute to this gap and to explore the pollutant changes in Lake Victoria, a series of water chemistry data (phosphate, nitrate, potassium, ammonium, sodium, sulphate, silica and chlorine) was collected between 2016 and 2023 in Uganda's Napoleon Gulf (NG) and Murchison Bay (MB), primarily by the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE). These locations were chosen based on their vicinity to expanding urban centres and agriculture, and they are also areas where fishing frequently occurs. The datasets were collected at different water depths (0.5–24 m). Data were analysed with the use of IBM's Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 28.0) software and confirmed the excessive concentrations of pollutants within MB compared to NG. The analysis identified the different nutrient types that exceeded internationally recognised thresholds relating to acceptable water quality during the data collection period. Seasonal variations were observed, during the dry season; nutrient levels, however, in NG showed higher nutrient concentrations during the wet season. The study's capacity to inform local authorities and policymakers about such potential major sources of pollution is of crucial importance for beginning to address the potential impacts on human health and aquatic life. [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]

The compressed code of Absolute Moment Block Truncation Coding (AMBTC) consists of quantized values (QVs) and bitmaps. The QVs exhibit greater predictability, and the bitmaps themselves carry more randomness. While existing joint coding and data hiding based methods have focused on compressing the QVs, none of them have addressed the coding of bitmaps. Furthermore, evidence also reveals that the sub-divided bitmaps exhibit a highly uneven pattern distribution. Therefore, we propose an efficient method to compress the bitmaps by representing sub-divided bitmaps as decimal digits. This exploits the varying frequency of certain digits, allowing Huffman encoding for shorter codewords to represent frequently occurring digits. Moreover, we have observed that less frequent digits, which require longer codewords, tend to appear among blocks with smaller difference of QVs. As a solution, we employ an adaptive approach to directly record the original bitmap when the difference is below a specific threshold. Otherwise, we employ Huffman encoding to reduce the code length. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in reducing the storage space required for Lena's bitmaps by 7.36%. Moreover, the reduction in bitrate is more pronounced when the test image exhibits a smooth texture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hiroshima/Nagasaki (H/N) studies by the Radiation Effect Research Foundation have not shown increased leukaemia for acute doses below 200 milli-gray (mGy). By contrast the INWORKS study of leukaemia in workers stated: "This study provides strong evidence of positive associations between protracted low-dose radiation exposure and leukemia". The INWORKS study also claimed increased leukaemia, not including Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia, at cumulative occupational doses of less than 100 mGy. This is contrary to the expectation that the H/N studies would show more severe effects than the worker study because the doses were acute instead of chronic and because the H/N studies included children who had higher rates of radiation induced leukaemia than adults. This paper shows that the INWORKS leukaemia study is consistent with the H/N studies in showing no increase in leukaemia in the low-dose range. In addition, any increase in leukaemia is confined to Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia, possibly from high radiation dose-rates or chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the precision medicine paradigm, it is of interest to identify subgroups that benefit most from the treatment. However, the subgroup often cannot be identified until after a large-scale clinical trial. Clinical trials are often designed under the assumption of no treatment-by-covariate interaction effect and enroll all comers. This makes many patients go through unnecessary treatment and may decrease the efficiency of the trial. We propose a two-stage enrichment design that uses covariate-adjusted response-adaptive (CARA) allocation and a novel interaction pseudo-randomization test to evaluate the interaction effect in the interim analysis for binary and continuous outcomes. A pre-defined alpha level is used as the threshold to decide whether a subgroup will be identified and recruited in the second stage. If a below-threshold interaction effect is found, a regression model will be fit and the stratum with the largest treatment effect will be chosen as the best stratum. The trial will continue to the second stage with patients from the best stratum only. If the p-value from the interim analysis is above the threshold, the trial continues with all patients. The primary aim is to test the treatment effect between treatment groups. Different CARA procedures are compared in terms of Type I error rates, power, and ethical considerations. The CARA procedure that balances better between efficiency and ethics is used in the proposed two-stage enrichment design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identity authentication scheme in vehicular Ad hoc network is one of the effective ways to solve many security and privacy problems in the Internet of Vehicles. However, most of the existing authentication schemes do not focus on single points of failure or information leakage. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposed a threshold-based edgeassisted identity authentication scheme in VANET. On the premise of protecting the real identity information of the vehicle, the solution cooperated with multiple edge nodes to authenticate the vehicle, thereby avoiding the issue of a single point of failure. At the same time, in the initial cooperative authentication stage, the scheme generated a token for rapid switching of identity authentication in the authentication stage, and achieved rapid switching based on identity authentication without interacting with multiple edge nodes, which effectively reduced the authentication delay. If there was an abnormality in the authentication process, the cloud computing center could also track the malicious vehicle, restore its real identity and revoke it. The security analysis and simulation experiments show that the proposed scheme is secure and effective. Finally, it prospected the proposed scheme summarized and the future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how governance and infrastructure moderate the effect of natural resource rents on economic growth using a sample of 110 countries from 2000 to 2018. The empirical evidence is based on panel smooth transition regressions (PSTR). The nexus between economic growth and natural resources is not linear and the underlying non‐linearity is contingent on existing infrastructural and governance levels. Evidence of a "natural resource curse" is apparent in countries with extremely low levels of governance and infrastructural development. The favorable effect of natural resources on economic growth requires a governance threshold of −1.210 and an infrastructure threshold of 2.583, indicating that countries with governance and infrastructure levels higher than these values tend to benefit much more from the wealth of natural resources. Countries identified below the established thresholds are mainly from Africa. Policy implications are discussed with specific emphasis on African countries. Related Articles: Ali, Hamid E., and Shahjahan Bhuiyan. 2022. "Governance, Natural Resources Rent, and Infrastructure Development: Evidence from the Middle East and North Africa." Politics & Policy 50(2): 408–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12451. Asiegbu, Martin F., Okey Marcellus Ikeanyibe, Pius Otu Abang, Okwudili Chukwuma Nwosu, and Chuka Eugene Ugwu. 2024. "Natural Resource Fund Governance and the Institutionalization of Rent Seeking in Nigeria's Oil Sector." Politics & Policy 52(1): 169–95. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12579. Ikeanyibe, Okechukwu M. 2018. "Bureaucratic Politics and the Implementation of Liberalization Reforms in Nigeria: A Study of the Unbundling and Reorganization of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation." Politics & Policy 46(2): 263–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12249. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the risk of urban road waterlogging and the threshold of the influencing factors using software simulation and data analysis. This study selected the road space in the main urban area of Hangzhou City from 2019 to 2021 as the research object. ArcGIS software was used to study the spatial distribution of road waterlogging points. Kernel density analysis and the Geographic Detector (GD) method were used to determine the dominant factors affecting road waterlogging. This study reveals the central clustering distribution characteristics of road waterlogging and the five-level risk zoning of disasters. The simulation results show that the highest-risk areas for road waterlogging in the main urban area of Hangzhou are distributed in Chao Wang Road, Jianguo Middle Road, Jianguo South Road, Hupao Road, Lingyin Road, Fuchunjiang Road, Moganshan Road Sect. 4, and Tianmu Mountain Road Sect. 3. The ranking of the impact factors for road waterlogging was as follows: elevation > vegetation coverage > slope > impervious surface abundance > distance from rivers. Factor threshold for worst flooding is that the elevation of < 15–20 m, a slope of < 8–10°, vegetation coverage of < 10%, and an abundance of impermeable surfaces > 60–70%. Elevation and vegetation coverage were the significant factors with the greatest impact on road space waterlogging. The combination of elevation and vegetation coverage, elevation and slope, and elevation and impervious surface abundance had a greater impact on road waterlogging than the other three combinations. All the interactions of the influencing factors had a nonlinear enhancing effect on urban road waterlogging disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thrombocytopenia is common in preterm neonates and can be associated with hemorrhage. Most platelet transfusions are prophylactic. Previously, higher platelet-count thresholds were recommended for neonates, but this recommendation has been questioned in recent studies. In the PlaNeT2 trial, mortality and serious bleeding were more frequent in neonates with the highest platelet-count threshold than in others. Following this trial, we changed our platelet transfusion practice by lowering the platelet-count threshold for prophylactic transfusion from 50,000 to 25,000/mm3. We conducted a before–after retrospective cohort study to quantify the frequency of platelet transfusions and assess the new protocol by analyzing death and serious hemorrhage events. This retrospective monocentric study included neonates born before 37 weeks of gestation with platelet count < 150,000/mm3 during the 2 years preceding the new platelet transfusion protocol (high prophylactic transfusion threshold, 50,000/mm3) and during the 2 years after the new platelet transfusion protocol (low prophylactic transfusion threshold, 25,000/mm3). The primary outcome was the proportion of neonates receiving at least one platelet transfusion in both groups. We also compared the proportion of deaths and severe hemorrhage events. A total of 707 neonates with thrombocytopenia were identified. In the high-threshold group, 99/360 (27.5%) received at least one platelet transfusion as compared with 56/347 (16.1%) in the low-threshold group (p < 0.001). The groups did not differ in proportion of deaths or severe hemorrhage events. Conclusions: A reduced platelet-count threshold for transfusion allowed for a significant reduction in the number of platelet transfusions without increasing severe hemorrhage events. What is Known: • A recent randomized trial suggested that restrictive platelet-count thresholds for platelet transfusion could be beneficial for preterm neonates. What is New: • On lowering the platelet-count threshold for transfusion from 50,000 to 25,000/mm3, the number of transfusions significantly decreased without increasing severe hemorrhage events in a neonatal intensive care unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal seam water injection is the most basic and effective dust control technology used on the coal mining face. Numerical simulations are helpful for predicting the humidity range of coal seam water injection. The results can provide guidance for the field design of coal seam water injection process parameters. In order to understand the influence of coal seam water injection pressure and water injection time on the coal seam wetting effect, this paper uses the Fluent 17.0 software system to study the process parameters of the coal seam water injection seepage process under different conditions. It is found that in the process of coal seam water injection, with the increase in water injection pressure and the prolongation of water injection time, there is a specific threshold value for the change in coal seam permeability. Only when the water injection pressure and time increase to the threshold value will the permeability of the coal seam be significantly enhanced and the wetting effect improved. The pressure threshold of the mine is 15 MPa–20 MPa, and the time threshold is the first 42 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a repulsive Dirac delta potential in one dimensional Euclidean space. We classify the global dynamics of even solutions with the same action as the high-frequency ground state standing wave solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Quantitative thresholds are helpful to define an abnormal DaT SPECT in patients with suspected nigrostriatal degenerative diseases (NSDD). The optimal DaTQUANT threshold for diagnostic accuracy of DaT SPECT across combined movement and cognitive disorder populations has been previously described. Methods: We established optimal DaTQUANT thresholds that enhance the discrimination between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and non-DLB dementia types, as well as between Parkinsonian syndromes (PS) and conditions not characterized by nigrostriatal degeneration (non-PS). Results: Data from a total of 303 patients were used in this retrospective analysis. Posterior putamen of the more affected hemisphere (MAH) was shown to be an accurate single-variable predictor for both DLB and PS and was comparable to the most accurate multi-variable models. Conclusions: Automated quantification with DaTQUANT can accurately aid in the differentiation of DLB from non-DLB dementias and PS from non-PS. Optimal thresholds for assisting a diagnosis of DLB are striatal binding ratio (SBR) ≤ 0.65, z-score ≤ −2.36, and a percent deviation ≤ −0.54 for the posterior putamen of the MAH. Optimal posterior putamen thresholds for assisting a diagnosis of PS are SBR ≤ 0.92, z-score ≤ −1.53, and a percent deviation ≤ −0.33, which are similar to our previously reported posterior putamen threshold values using a blended patient pool from multiple study populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision making is an intrinsic and complex aspect of social work practice, requiring consideration of diverse but connected aspects. Decisions are often required as to whether a situation requires protective state intervention or whether it reaches the criteria for public or charitable services. Such instances of deciding whether or not a situation is 'on one side of the line or the other' are referred to in this article as 'threshold judgements'. This article draws on experiences and material from a range of social work contexts to explore generalisable theory-informed understandings of 'threshold judgements' and 'threshold decisions' to develop knowledge and skills on this topic. The article outlines signal detection theory and evidence accumulation ('tipping point') theory and discusses these as ways to understand the key concepts underpinning threshold decisions in social work. We then argue that although these threshold concepts are a necessary part of decision making in social work, as in many other aspects of life, they are not sufficient. Operationalising such decisions requires some form of sense-making. Naturalistic decision making and heuristic models of judgement are discussed as frameworks for practice which seem to be useful in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although numerous theoretical references have been made to subliminal stimuli in filmmaking, no quantitative studies to date have sought to specify their temporal limits. Since the 1920s, several filmmakers have aimed to elicit an emotional impact on the viewer through the inclusion of isolated frames, which supposes the minimum possible temporal extension in films. Through two experiments, this study analysed the threshold between subliminal and supraliminal stimuli in films containing potential subliminal stimuli comprising one to four frames, played at frame rates of 25, 30, and 60 frames per second. The first experiment involved asking participants to view a film excerpt, including these stimuli, and then answer a survey. The second required participants to identify potentially subliminal stimuli whilst viewing a film clip. The stimuli analysed could not be defined as subliminal for 100% of viewers for any number of frames per frame rate, but were predominantly unidentified for one-frame stimuli in films played at 24 or 30 frames per second, and one- to three-frame stimuli in films played at 60 frames per second. Furthermore, three- and four-frame stimuli at 24 and 30 frames per second were found to be supraliminal, whilst the results for two-frame stimuli played at 24 or 30 and four-frame stimuli played at 60 frames per second were inconclusive. Future research is needed to analyse the effect of the nature of the image used as a stimulus and its location within a shot or in a cut between shots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Poyang Lake Wetland, an internationally significant ecosystem, frequently experiences drought during the flood season. However, the total impact of extreme drought on wetland vegetation remains poorly understood. This study determined the standardised precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and analysed drought trends within the Poyang Lake Basin. Additionally, spatiotemporal variations in wetland vegetation under drought conditions were examined by analysing the mean normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) values and categorising NDVI classifications. The key factors affecting wetland vegetation and its respective thresholds were determined. The Poyang Lake Basin has experienced increasing aridity over the past 3 years. In response to this trend, the wetland vegetation area in Poyang Lake expanded, whereas vegetation greenness declined. Notably, in the year following an extreme drought, Poyang Lake's vegetation greenness was lower than that during the same period in previous years. Regardless, the correlation analysis showed no significant relationship between the SPEI values and the wetland vegetation greenness; however, water level changes significantly impacted the wetland vegetation, with a correlation coefficient of −0.89 (p < 0.001). A critical water level of 14 m was identified as the threshold at which sudden changes in the mean NDVI were observed. This research offers valuable insights into hydrological management strategies to protect Poyang Lake Wetland's vegetation under drought conditions. Future studies should enhance the differentiation of drought tolerance among different wetland plant species, thereby achieving differentiated hydrological management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem services (ESs) serve as the foundation for sustaining human life and development, with vegetation status playing a crucial role in influencing the supply of these services. This study focuses on the Yellow River Basin (YRB), where we quantitatively examined the main ESs indicators from 2010 to 2020. We explored the trends in fractional vegetation cover (FVC) and ESs, as well as the constraint relationship between FVC and total ecosystem services (TES). The findings are as follows. (1) From 2010 to 2020, FVC, landscape aesthetics (LA), soil conservation (SC), food production (FP), and TES in the YRB demonstrated an upward trend, whereas water yield (WY) exhibited a downward trend. (2) A constraint relationship exists between FVC and LA, SC, WY, and TES, with the constraint line taking on a hump-like shape. (3) The threshold value of the constraint line between FVC and LA, SC, WY, and TES are approximately 80%. Below this value, FVC does not impose a constraint effect on LA, SC, WY, and TES, but above 80%, a strong constraint effect emerges, leading to a reduction in LA, SC, WY, and TES. These results offer a valuable data reference for guiding future vegetation restoration and ecological engineering efforts in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vernal pools—small seasonal wetlands—provide critical breeding habitat for many species but are under-protected in environmental regulation. Because vernal pools are not rare in the northeastern United States, regulatory emphasis is typically placed on protecting "significant" vernal pools yet scientific criteria for determining thresholds for conservation significance remain poorly developed. We used an evidence-based approach to identify thresholds of pool significance based on populations of breeding amphibians in five ecoregions and across urbanization gradients of New York State, where a recent revision to wetland law allows regulation based on amphibian productivity. We combined existing population survey data with new surveys to yield a dataset of 587 pools for estimating statistical distributions of productivity of two indicator species: spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). Spotted salamander egg mass counts were significantly lower in highly developed landscapes. Larger pools were generally more productive for both species yet no single habitat feature reliably predicted high egg mass counts. Pool incidence and productivity also varied regionally: the Hudson-Mohawk region hosted the most known vernal pools and highest egg mass counts and the Lake Plain region the fewest known pools. Our dataset yielded threshold options for guiding pool protection that varied by the proportion of pools targeted. We suggest a lower standard for protecting pools in high-development areas and that presence of other pool-breeding indicator species could also qualify pools for significance. These recommendations can guide regulators in affording protection critical to small wetland habitats specific to regional and landscape contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient receptor potential vanilloid‐1 (TRPV1) is a capsaicin receptor that employs use‐dependent desensitization to protect highly evolved mammals from noxious heat damage in response to repeated or constant heat stimuli. However, the underlying structural factor or motif has not been precisely resolved. In this computational study, the graph theory‐based grid thermodynamic model was used to reveal how temperature‐dependent noncovalent interactions, as identified in the 3D structures of rat TRPV1, could develop a well‐organized fluidic grid‐like mesh network. This network features various topological grids constrained as thermosensitive rings that range in size from the biggest to the smallest, governing distinct structural and functional traits of the channel in response to different temperature degrees. After discovering that heat unfolding of three specific biggest grids, one in the closed state and two in the open state, respectively, causes the reversible activation at 43°C and thermal inactivation between 56°C and 61°C, a smaller random grid was also found to be responsible for irreversible inactivation and use‐dependent desensitization from the pre‐open closed state within the temperature range of 43°C–61°C. Thus, these two distinct inactivation pathways of TRPV1 may be involved in protecting those mammals against noxious heat damage. Key Points: A perturbation at the protein–water interface was accompanied by partial heat or cold unfolding of the membrane protein.A reversible or irreversible gating transition of an ion channel may result from a specific or random interaction between two active sites, respectively.Kinetically driven protein aggregation was not the cause of thermodynamically trapped irreversible inactivation, but rather a later stage of partial heat‐induced unfolding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the accuracy of detecting ischemic core volume using computed tomography perfusion (CTP) in patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke compared to diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) as the reference standard. Methods: This retrospective monocentric study included patients who underwent CTP and DW-MRI for suspected acute ischemic stroke. The ischemic core size was measured at DW-MRI. The detectability threshold volume was defined as the lowest volume detected by each method. Clinical data on revascularization therapy, along with the clinical decision that influenced the choice, were collected. Volumes of the ischemic cores were compared using the Mann–Whitney U test. Results: Of 83 patients who underwent CTP, 52 patients (median age 73 years, IQR 63–80, 36 men) also had DW-MRI and were included, with a total of 70 ischemic cores. Regarding ischemic cores, only 18/70 (26%) were detected by both CTP and DW-MRI, while 52/70 (74%) were detected only by DW-MRI. The median volume of the 52 ischemic cores undetected on CTP (0.6 mL, IQR 0.2–1.3 mL) was significantly lower (p < 0.001) than that of the 18 ischemic cores detected on CTP (14.2 mL, IQR 7.0–18.4 mL). The smallest ischemic core detected on CTP had a volume of 5.0 mL. Among the 20 patients with undetected ischemic core on CTP, only 10% (2/20) received thrombolysis treatment. Conclusions: CTP maps failed in detecting ischemic cores smaller than 5 mL. DW-MRI remains essential for suspected small ischemic brain lesions to guide a correct treatment decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the forming mechanism of metal jet under electromagnetic loading, numerical simulation for electromagnetic coupled jet forming was realized by using AUTODYN software with secondary development. Through secondary development, the magnetic pressure on the liner during the collapse process is calculated iteratively, which enables numerical simulation for electromagnetically coupled jets. The influence and threshold condition of electromagnetic parameters for jet forming are obtained through this. The results show that the head velocity and length of the jet are improved for liner without a tip. The electromagnetic parameters and structural parameters need to match with each other. The head velocity and effective length of the jet increase with the increase in wall thickness and cone angle. The liner diameter has little effect on the head velocity and effective length of the jet. The head velocity and effective length of the jet first increase and then decrease with the increase in cone radius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence technology is receiving more and more attention in structural health monitoring. Fatigue crack detection in steel box girders in long-span bridges is an important and challenging task. This paper presents a semantic segmentation network model for this task based on DeepLabv3+, ResNet50, and active learning. Specifically, the classification network ResNet50 is re-tuned using the crack image dataset. Secondly, with the re-tuned ResNet50 as the backbone network, a crack semantic segmentation network was constructed based on DeepLabv3+, which was trained with the assistance of active learning. Finally, optimization for the probability threshold of the pixel category was performed to improve the pixel-level detection accuracy. Tests show that, compared with the crack detection network based on conventional ResNet50, this model can improve MIoU from 0.6181 to 0.7241. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates the nonlinear contagion, tail dependence, and Granger causality relations with TAR-TR-GARCH–copula causality methods for daily Bitcoin, Fintech, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions in addition to examining these series for entropy, long-range dependence, fractionality, complexity, chaos, and nonlinearity with a dataset spanning from 25 June 2012 to 22 June 2024. Empirical results from Shannon, Rényi, and Tsallis entropy measures; Kolmogorov–Sinai complexity; Hurst–Mandelbrot and Lo's R/S tests; and Phillips' and Geweke and Porter-Hudak's fractionality tests confirm the presence of entropy, complexity, fractionality, and long-range dependence. Further, the largest Lyapunov exponents and Hurst exponents confirm chaos across all series. The BDS test confirms nonlinearity, and ARCH-type heteroskedasticity test results support the basis for the use of novel TAR-TR-GARCH–copula causality. The model estimation results indicate moderate to strong levels of positive and asymmetric tail dependence and contagion under distinct regimes. The novel method captures nonlinear causality dynamics from Bitcoin and Fintech to energy consumption and CO2 emissions as well as causality from energy consumption to CO2 emissions and bidirectional feedback between Bitcoin and Fintech. These findings underscore the need to take the chaotic and complex dynamics seriously in policy and decision formulation and the necessity of eco-friendly technologies for Bitcoin and Fintech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: There are controversies about screening strategy and cut-off levels for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Here, we aimed to identify optimal cut-off values for 50-gram oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) in high and low risk pregnant women. Methods: A total of 500 patients who underwent two step OGTT were divided into two groups as GDM (n=31) and controls (n=469). Moreover, patients were grouped as high (n=114) and low risk (n=386) for GDM. Having= 2 risk factors such as family history of type-2 diabetes, obesity, glucosuria, previous history of GDM, macrosomia and diabetic complications were accepted as high risk. Demographic data, OGTT results, birth characteristics were recorded and compared between groups. A cut-off value for 50-gram OGTT was evaluated in low and high risk groups. Results: The 50-gram OGTT value above 140 mg/dL discriminated GDM with 100% sensitivity and 92.11% specificity in all patients (AUC=0.969, P<0.001). The prevalence of GDM was 19.3% in high and 2.3% in low risk group. The 50-gram OGTT value above 140 mg/dL discriminated GDM with 100% sensitivity and 94.57% specificity in high risk patients (AUC=0.992, P<0.001). Furthermore, 50-gram OGTT value above 149 mg/dL discriminated GDM with 100% sensitivity and 93.63% specificity in low risk patients (AUC=0.976, P<0.001). Conclusions: Although screening in low risk population is a debating issue worldwide, our local guidelines still recommend screening all pregnant women. We suggest that performing 100-gram OGTT only in patients who have higher values than 149 mg/dL in 50-gram OGTT can be an alternative screening strategy in low risk group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The critical force (CF) concept, differentiating steady and non-steady state conditions, extends the critical power paradigm for sport climbing. This study aimed to validate CF for finger flexors derived from the 4 min all-out test as a boundary for the highest sustainable work intensity in sport climbers. Methods: Twelve participants underwent multiple laboratory visits. Initially, they performed the 4 min intermittent contraction all-out test for CF determination. Subsequent verification visits involved finger-flexor contractions at various intensities, including CF, CF −2 kg, CF −4 kg, and CF −6 kg, lasting for 720 s or until failure, while monitoring muscle-oxygen dynamics of forearm muscles. Results: CF, determined from the mean force of last three contractions, was measured at 20.1 ± 5.7 kg, while the end-force at 16.8 ± 5.2 kg. In the verification trials, the mean time to failure at CF was 440 ± 140 s, with only one participant completing the 720 s task. When the load was continuously lowered (−2 kg, −4 kg, and −6 kg), a greater number of participants (38%, 69%, and 92%, respectively) successfully completed the 720 s task. Changes of muscle-oxygen dynamics showed a high variability and could not clearly distinguish between exhaustive and non-exhaustive trials. Conclusions: CF, based on the mean force of the last three contractions, failed to reliably predict the highest sustainable work rate. In contrast, determining CF as the end-force of the last three contractions exhibited a stronger link to sustainable work. Caution is advised in interpreting forearm muscle-oxygen dynamics, lacking sensitivity for nuanced metabolic responses during climbing-related tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the management of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and the challenges in determining fluid balance and blood transfusion thresholds. The authors analyze a clinical trial and find that positive fluid balance is associated with lower hemoglobin levels and an increased risk of secondary infarctions and unfavorable neurologic outcomes. Packed red cell transfusions are also found to be predictive of worse neurologic outcomes. The study suggests that careful, goal-directed circulation management is crucial for maximizing favorable functional outcomes in patients with aSAH. The article emphasizes the importance of maintaining a mean daily neutral fluid balance and targeting euvolemia, while also highlighting the need for consensus among healthcare professionals on definitions and personalized management. It raises questions about the implementation of fluid balancing and the design of randomized trials for fluid management strategies. Overall, the article provides practical insights for managing patients with aSAH. [Extracted from the article]

Accurate prediction of subsoil compaction in cropland areas is important for food security and sustainable agricultural production development. This study evaluated the validity and advantages of the soil compaction stratification ratio (SR) as an indicator for assessing the risk of subsoil compaction and presented a theoretical framework for predicting and evaluating subsoil compaction risk. Geographic information system and remote sensing technologies were utilized in combination with a state‐of‐the‐art ensemble machine learning model to quantitatively predict the spatial distribution and uncertainty of subsoil compaction risk in croplands. The results showed that the subsoil bulk density (BD) was significantly greater than the topsoil BD in Shaanxi Province, China. Compared with that of the subsoil BD, the stratification ratio of the bulk density (SRBD) exhibited greater sensitivity to subsoil compaction, and it accurately reflected spatial variations in subsoil compactness. The SRBD exhibited obvious spatial heterogeneity, and the mean annual precipitation, elevation, and mean land surface temperature substantially influenced its spatial distribution. The critical thresholds of the SRBD for the low‐risk, medium‐risk, and high‐risk groups were 1.01, 1.21, and 1.32, respectively. Low subsoil compaction dominated in the mountainous and hilly areas, whereas the Guanzhong Plain and Hanzhong Basin exhibited medium levels of subsoil compaction. Some croplands in the central Guanzhong Plain experienced severe subsoil compaction issues. In conclusion, the soil compaction SR was found to be an effective indicator of subsoil compaction by effectively eliminating soil background differences. This approach has potential applications in cropland management, digital soil mapping, and early warning of soil compaction risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, some time series models are formed to accommodate several aspects: the reciprocal relationship between variables, the influence of exogenous variables, spatial relationships, and nonlinear relationships between variables. Threshold vector autoregressive with exogenous variables (E-TVAR) is formed to overcome the reciprocal relationship between variables, the influence of exogenous variables, and the nonlinear relationship between variables (Tsagkanos et al. 2018). Spatial vector autoregressive (SpVAR) of Beenstock-Felsenstein (2019) can capture the phenomenon of the relationship between endogenous variables and spatial influence. However, these models cannot consider all four aspects simultaneously. Some economic variables, such as inflation and money outflow, are reciprocally related, influenced by metric exogenous variables, interrelated between regions, and have a nonlinear relationship (Islam-Ahmed 2023, Hendayanti et al. 2017, Yuhan-Sohibien 2018, Suhartono et al. 2018). Therefore, this study aims to propose the TSpVARX that can contain all four of these simultaneously. We conduct a theoretical study to prove the consistent and asymptotically normal properties of the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) estimator in the g-th regime of the TSpVARX model. In addition, we also conduct a simulation study with some scenarios to evaluate the performance of the MLE estimator in the TSpVARX model. After we conduct theoretical studies and simulations, the TSpVARX model is applied to predict the inflation and money outflow of Yogyakarta, Solo, and Semarang. Our study shows that TSpVARX is better than SpVARX in predicting the inflation of those three cities and the money outflow of Semarang based on the root mean square error (RMSE) and and symmetric mean absolute percentage error (SMAPE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal contamination in Yantrailer, Tina, and Maternity dumpsites soils within Jos was investigated. Twelve samples were collected at two different sampling points at depths of 40 cm and 80cm in each sampling point. The samples were air-dried and subjected to X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis to determine their elemental composition. XRF analysis detected the presence of Molybdenum (Mo), Zirconium (Zr), Strontium (Sr), Rubidium (Rb), Uranium (U), Thorium (Th), Lead (Pb), Arsenic (As), Zinc (Zn), Tungsten (W) and Copper (Cu). The higher value of Zr (394.396-499.054 mg/kg) at 80 cm depth than the Zr value (406.581-444.142 mg/kg) at 40 cm from Yantrailer suggests a geogenic contamination source. Higher values of Zr (915.985-935.203mg/kg) at 80 cm depth than its value (663.403-746.535 mg/kg) at 40 cm depth from Tina dumpsite indicates a geogenic contamination source. The higher value of Zr (594.659-654.508 mg/kg) at 40 cm depth than its value (521.707-565.414 mg/kg) at 80 cm depth from the maternity dumpsite indicates an anthropogenic contamination source. Higher values of Mo, Zr, U, and Th at 80 cm depth than at 40 cm depth from Yantrailer and Tina dumpsites indicate geogenic sources while higher values of Zr, Th, Sr, and Zn at 40 cm depth than at 80 cm depth from maternity dumpsites suggest anthropogenic contamination sources. The higher concentrations of Sr and Zn at 40 cm depth than at 80 cm depth from Yantrailer and Tina dumpsites indicate anthropogenic contamination sources. The soils underlying the dumpsites in the study area have been contaminated with heavy metals from anthropogenic and/or geogenic sources. The anthropogenic sources could be associated with the decomposition of domestic and industrial wastes which have eventually been leached into the underlying soils while geogenic sources of contamination could be associated with weathering and dispersion of heavy metals from underlying mineralization and parent rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We adapted the percentage intensity approach to monitor accelerations and decelerations allowing players’ individualisation. Forty-two players were monitored during four microcycles via global navigation satellite system devices. Raw velocity and time data were collected to calculate acceleration and deceleration magnitudes according to specific starting speed intervals, and the efforts intensities were established as very low (<25% of the maximal effort), low (25–50%), moderate (50–75%) and high (>75%). Linear regressions and Pearson correlation (r) analysed the relationship between maximal efforts and starting speeds; additionally, mean paired differences compared efforts magnitudes between subsequent starting speed intervals. Most very low intensity accelerations (86%) and decelerations (79%) started from <5 km.h−1. Correlation between maximal efforts and starting speeds were r = −0.97 (p < .001) for acceleration, and r = −0.94 (p < .01) for deceleration. Maximal acceleration decreased as starting speed increases (very large effect sizes), but deceleration is less starting speed dependent (unclear to large effect sizes). This adaptation allows practitioners to individualise accelerations and decelerations classification during real-life scenarios, leading to a more precise training prescription. The very low intensity interval could be excluded to consider only relevant efforts. Maximal acceleration should be collected for each starting speed interval because accelerations are starting speed dependents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) is an integral part of pulmonary rehabilitation. It is a therapeutic modality that has demonstrated considerable promise in augmenting respiratory muscle function and overall pulmonary well-being in a range of clinical cohorts. While IMT has been extensively scrutinised in the adult demographic, its efficacy in paediatric populations has remained a relatively underexplored realm. Aim: This systematic review seeks to undertake a meticulous assessment of the existing literature to gauge the potential of IMT in ameliorating respiratory function in children and adolescents. Materials and Methods: The present systematic review includes seven pertinent studies, comprising randomised controlled trials, cohort investigations, and pilot studies published in English from 2018-2023 from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect. The keywords used were paediatric, restrictive lung diseases, obstructive lung diseases, IMT, obesity, neuromuscular disorders, thoracic surgeries, and advanced physiotherapy. Risk of bias assessment was done using the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool. Results: These studies have investigated the impact of IMT on various paediatric cohorts, from athletic populations to those afflicted with neuromuscular disorders, cystic fibrosis, and other respiratory pathologies. Collectively, the findings offer compelling evidence that IMT has the potential to enhance inspiratory muscle strength, endurance, and overall respiratory function in paediatric populations. Conclusion: In light of the findings gleaned from this systematic review, it is evident that IMT possesses the potential to be an efficacious intervention for enhancing respiratory function in the paediatric population and offering the prospect of improved clinical outcomes and an enhanced quality of life for this vulnerable cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an examination of the conditional characteristic function, first hitting time problem and bond pricing under the CIR process with a threshold setting, also known as CIRT. To investigate the conditional characteristic function of CIRT, we solve an equation associated with the infinitesimal generator and its domain. Using a similar approach, we solve the bond pricing problem by introducing the sharpe ratio. All the results we were able to get are in closed form. Sensitive analysis is provided under various coefficients using graphical representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article asks how military ethics should respond to adversaries deliberately conducting hostilities below the threshold of war. Three options are considered: a novel, limited force paradigm; an expanded hostilities paradigm, i.e., within the law of armed conflict; and an international law enforcement paradigm derived primarily from human rights law. None is problem-free. Mindful of under-deployed classic just war reasoning arguments for discrimination between vices opposed to peace, this article argues against an expanded hostilities paradigm and shows that the retributive, 'equilibrium of justice' test used sometimes to support such an expansion is necessary but not sufficient. It explains the need for further examination of whether/how Aquinas and his interpreters can/should conceive of actions under the paradigm of war occurring against non-state actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadence thresholds have been widely used to categorize physical activity intensity in health-related research. We examined the convergent validity of two cadence-based intensity classification approaches against a machine-learning-based intensity schema in 84,315 participants (≥ 40 years) with wrist-worn accelerometers. Validity study. Both cadence-based methods (one-level cadence, two-level cadence) calculated intensity-specific time based on cadence-thresholds while the two-level cadence identified stepping behaviors first. We used an overlapping plot, mean absolute error, and Spearman's correlation coefficient to examine agreements between the cadence-based and machine-learning methods. We also evaluated agreements between methods based on practically-important-difference (moderate-to-vigorous-physical activity: ± 20 min/day, moderate-physical activity: ± 15, vigorous-physical activity: ± 2.5, light-physical activity: ± 30). The group-level (median) minutes of moderate-to-vigorous- and moderate-physical activity estimated by one-level cadence were within the range of practically-important-difference compared to the machine-learning method (bias of median: moderate-to-vigorous-physical activity, − 3.5, interquartile range [− 15.8, 12.2]; moderate-physical activity, − 6.0 [− 17.2, 4.1]). The group-level vigorous- and light-physical activity minutes derived by two-level cadence were within practically-important-difference range (vigorous-physical activity: − 0.9 [− 3.1, 0.5]; light-physical activity, − 1.3 [− 28.2, 28.9]). The individual-level differences between the cadence-based and machine learning methods were high across intensities (e.g., moderate-to-vigorous-physical activity: mean absolute error [one-level cadence: 24.2 min/day; two-level cadence: 26.2]), with the proportion of participants within the practically-important-difference ranging from 8.4 % to 61.6 %. One-level cadence showed acceptable group-level estimates of moderate-to-vigorous and moderate-physical activity while two-level cadence showed acceptable group-level estimates of vigorous- and light-physical activity. The cadence-based methods might not be appropriate for individual-level intensity-specific time estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to develop a rapid measuring method for canopy density of Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) habitat, the images of the habitat are captured from 1 meter off the ground. Then, a canopy density calculating method is established based on an adaptive bimodal threshold segmentation algorithm. The accuracy of the proposed method is evaluated and compared with two methods based on Otsu’s algorithm and iterative algorithm, respectively. The results show that the accuracy of the method based on the adaptive bimodal threshold segmentation algorithm is the highest (absolute error: 0.018±0.016) among these three methods. Please note that the accuracy is higher for images captured on cloudy days as compared to the images captured on sunny days. Moreover, the accuracy is highest for the images with low canopy density (absolute error: 0.006±0.004), and is relatively low for the images with high canopy density (absolute error: 0.020±0.016). The adaptive bimodal threshold segmentation method satisfies the accuracy requirements of canopy density of Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I consider the interaction between architectural space and embodied spiritual experience. In an example of a South African Dutch Reformed Church building designed by architect Roelof Uytenbogaardt in the town of Welkom, and the church of the light in Osaka Japan, by Tadao Ando, these aspects are highlighted and read through the lens of metaphor, phenomenological architectural interpretation, and image studies. These differing lines of inquiry are brought together, if we accept architectural theorist Juhani Pallasmaa's premise (1996, 2005) that architecture can direct our consciousness back to the world, to our own sense of self and embodied being; and we in turn base our analysis on art historian Ellen Esrock's (2010) concepts concerning emphatic bodily projection; it may be argued that new insight into the way architecture underscores embodied spiritual experiences could be gained. The selected church building is analysed from a phenomenological point of view, emphasising architectural features, the interpretation of the metaphors of light and threshold, and how architectural space may contribute to congregants' experience during a service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Society uses the following mechanism to decide on the supply of an experience good. Each agent can choose whether or not to contribute to the good. Contributions are collected, and the good is supplied whenever total contributions exceed a threshold. We study the case where the good is excludable, agents have a common value, and each agent receives a private signal about the common value. We study how such collective decisions perform in terms of information aggregation, social efficiency, and market traction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanisms that prevent accidental activation of the PINK1/Parkin mitophagy circuit on healthy mitochondria are poorly understood. On the surface of damaged mitochondria, PINK1 accumulates and acts as the input signal to a positive feedback loop of Parkin recruitment, which in turn promotes mitochondrial degradation via mitophagy. However, PINK1 is also present on healthy mitochondria, where it could errantly recruit Parkin and thereby activate this positive feedback loop. Here, we explore emergent properties of the PINK1/Parkin circuit by quantifying the relationship between mitochondrial PINK1 concentrations and Parkin recruitment dynamics. We find that Parkin is recruited to mitochondria only if PINK1 levels exceed a threshold and then only after a delay that is inversely proportional to PINK1 levels. Furthermore, these two regulatory properties arise from the input-coupled positive feedback topology of the PINK1/Parkin circuit. These results outline an intrinsic mechanism by which the PINK1/Parkin circuit can avoid errant activation on healthy mitochondria.

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.

The study analyzed hourly extreme precipitation events in Chongqing and its six sub-regions from 2011 to 2021 during the warm season. Results showed uneven distribution of the 99.7th percentile hourly extreme precipitation threshold, with lower thresholds along the Yangtze River valley and higher thresholds in the Daba Mountains and Wuling Mountains. Both hourly extreme precipitation amount (HEPA) and intensity (HEPI) exhibited higher values in surrounding areas and lower values in the center, with the western, northeast, and southeastern regions experiencing the highest values. Spatial distribution of hourly extreme precipitation frequency varied, with higher frequencies in the northwestern and southern parts of Chongqing. Interannually, hourly extreme precipitation amount slightly increased, while intensity fluctuated. Monthly peak values for amount, frequency, and intensity occurred in July or August, and on a daily scale, the periods from 03:00 to 07:00 and 17:00 to 21: 00 exhibited higher values for amount and frequency, while the period from 11 :00 to 16:00 showed lower values. In summary, the study provided insights into the spatial and temporal patterns of hourly extreme precipitation events in Chongqing and its sub-regions during the warm season, highlighting variations in thresholds, distribution, and trends over the studied period.

AbstractSocioeconomic hardships are often advocated as the drivers of radicalization, but the existing research shows mixed evidence for this relationship. This study argues that socioeconomic hardships should increase the likelihood of radicalization only for sufficiently religious people, thereby implying a non-linear relationship. The study suggests that as a result of the lower opportunity costs of extreme acts during socioeconomic hardships, the likelihood of committing or supporting such acts for obtaining religiously inspired mental rewards should be the highest for the economically disadvantaged, religious individuals. The study tests this hypothesis through the non-linear threshold regression method developed by Hansen (2000), using survey data from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Results indicate that radicalization has a statistically significant positive relationship with indicators of the individual level socioeconomic conditions such as the perceptions of poor economic prospects, individual relative deprivation, injustice, and inequality only above the religiosity threshold. These findings support the hypothesis that socioeconomic hardships (or the perception of these) drive radicalization only in sufficiently religious people. This implies that apart from security-centric approaches, radicalization can also be deterred by increasing the opportunity costs of political violence through socioeconomic improvements. Moreover, promoting balanced/diverse religious views may also help check radicalization.