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Inter-disciplinarity and bridging disciplinary boundaries is a practice that scholars often strive for within higher education research. Kinesiology encompasses many aspects such as physical activity, physical education and community. In this article, the two fields of leisure studies and physical education are analyzed as a means to argue that these fields have overlapping messages that are currently being missed within scholarship. Using the theory of boundary crossing, this paper will argue that as a result of missing these current messages, we are at risk of disconnecting education from the social context of leisure. As a result of such analysis, this paper presents conclusions on ways in which research and practice can seek to strengthen the connection between these contexts and open new lines of enquiry that would be fruitful to explore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore questions regarding the Minkowski sum of the boundaries of convex sets. Motivated by a question suggested to us by V. Milman regarding the volume of ∂K +∂T where K and T are convex bodies, we prove sharp volumetric lower bounds for the Minkowski average of the boundaries of sets with connected boundary, as well as some related results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work introduces a new metaheuristic called attention-boundary algorithm (ABA). It offers a new approach in exploiting the boundaries of the space. The boundaries have 50 percent probability to be chosen as initial solution while the rest 50 percent probability is uniformly distributed within the space. Then, there is 50 percent probability that a solution is restarted at the boundaries if stagnation takes place. ABA employs three references for its directed searches which are the randomly solution within space, the middle of all better units plus the most optimal unit, and a randomly chosen unit within swarm. ABA is then implemented to find the optimal solution of 23 standard functions and four engineering design problems including pressure vessel, speed reducer, welded beam, and spring design problems. In this assessment, ABA is confronted with five metaheuristics including carpet weaver optimization (CWO), dollmaker optimization algorithm (DOA), hiking optimization (HO), total interaction optimization (TIA), and pufferfish optimization algorithm (POA). The result reveals that ABA is better than CWO, DOA, HO, TIA, and POA in 21, 17, 23, 18, and 16 functions consecutively in managing 23 standard functions. Meanwhile, ABA is on the best in handling speed reducer, third best in handling the pressure vessel design problem, and on the fourth best in handling spring and welded beam design problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article consistently elaborates the extra‐contextual nature of metaphysical knowledge. Metaphysicsis seen as a semantic construction of culture that produces a certain type of thinking, memory, and identification: that is, subjectivity, and sociality as an ethical and axiological model of interaction with the world and the Other. The paper argues that metaphysics is a kind of orientation in space and that culture is a semiotic way of world orientation, or collection of spaces into an intelligible structure, a specific characteristic of human existence in the universe. Indeed, metaphysics through the space of culture allows one to experience the universe empirically as unity, to assume the presence of meaning. Based on the analysis, the paper summarizes the definition of the phenomenon of culture as a specifically human way of mastering space and controlling time, consciousness as a topology of reflective practices, and virtual reality technology as a space of pure metaphysics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We derive asymptotic properties of penalized estimators for singular models for which identifiability may break and the true parameter values can lie on the boundary of the parameter space. Selection consistency of the estimators is also validated. The problem that the true values lie on the boundary is solved by our previous results applicable to singular models, besides, penalized estimation and non-ergodic statistics. To overcome non-identifiability, we consider a suitable penalty such as the non-convex Bridge and the adaptive Lasso that stabilize the asymptotic behavior of the estimator and shrink inactive parameters. Then the estimator converges to one of the most parsimonious values among all the true values. The oracle property can also be obtained even if likelihood ratio tests for model selection are labor intensive due to singularity of models. Examples are: a superposition of parametric proportional hazard models and a counting process having intensity with multicollinear covariates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to develop a general parametric estimation theory that allows the derivation of the limit distribution of estimators in non-regular models where the true parameter value may lie on the boundary of the parameter space or where even identifiability fails. For that, we propose a more general local approximation of the parameter space (at the true value) than previous studies. This estimation theory is comprehensive in that it can handle penalized estimation as well as quasi-maximum likelihood estimation (in the ergodic or non-ergodic statistics) under such non-regular models. In penalized estimation, depending on the boundary constraint, even the concave Bridge estimator does not necessarily give selection consistency. Therefore, we describe some sufficient condition for selection consistency, precisely evaluating the balance between the boundary constraint and the form of the penalty. An example is penalized MLE of variance components of random effects in linear mixed models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During embryonic development, Wnt signaling influences both proliferation and sensory formation in the cochlea. How this dual nature of Wnt signaling is coordinated is unknown. In this study, we define a novel role for a Wnt-regulated gene, Mybl2, which was already known to be important for proliferation, in determining the size and patterning of the sensory epithelium in the murine cochlea. Using a quantitative spatial analysis approach and analyzing Mybl2 loss-of-function, we show that Mybl2 promoted proliferation in the inner sulcus domain but limited the size of the sensory domain by influencing their adjoining boundary position via Jag1 regulation during development. Mybl2 loss-of-function simultaneously decreased proliferation in the inner sulcus and increased the size of the sensory domain, resulting in a wider sensory epithelium with ectopic inner hair cell formation during late embryonic stages. These data suggest that progenitor cells in the inner sulcus determine boundary formation and pattern the sensory epithelium via MYBL2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bimodal-structured Mg–15Gd binary alloy with 45% volume fraction of elongated grains and 55% of dynamically recrystallized (DRXed) grains is fabricated by the extrusion process. The precipitating behavior correlating with the evolution of mechanical properties is systematically characterized during the subsequent aging treatment at 200 °C. The extruded alloy presents an outstanding strength with tensile yield strength of 466 MPa and ultimate tensile strength of 500 MPa at peak aging condition, while the elongation drops from 9.2% in extrusion state to 3.1%. It is found there obviously exist a rapidly decreasing range of ductility at the early stage of aging. Just during this time, the nano precipitates form preferentially at lamellar dislocation boundaries (LDBs) within the elongated grains, but there is no dense and uniform precipitation in the matrix. The results suggest that the low elongation in the aged Mg–15Gd alloy is mainly attributed to the nano precipitates prior formed at the LDBs with a high density in the elongated grains. The related mechanism has been clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of urban governance, the concept of community is often regarded as the fundamental unit for the delivery of public services. People strive to tackle diverse challenges, such as social segregation and rigid bureaucracy, through the lens of community development. Hence, a precise articulation of this concept is crucial. However, "community" can refer to either a physical area or a group of people, resulting in multiple definitions. The boundary of a community may be defined in various ways. Consequently, a paradox arises: people may enthusiastically explore the suitability of a community for providing public services, but without exactly clarifying where the discussed community itself is. This ambiguity can cause confusion in practical applications of the concept of community, resulting in a decrease in the effectiveness of community governance, the neglect of social attributes, and the undermining of public nature. This conceptual article advocates for a new approach to defining communities, one that integrates sociological components while also having a concrete spatial anchor. It proposes substituting the idea of a clear-cut "boundary" with a buffer "frontier" (or "boundary," depending on the author's intended meaning) as a means of demarcating the community. By comparing the conceptual characteristics of "frontier" and "boundary," we believe that this substitution can eliminate the yes-or-no binary determination inherent in the traditional community concept. In addition, by adopting the concept of "amenity," we aim to provide a more tangible anchor for identifying the boundaries of a community, clarifying ambiguities, and offering guidance for subsequent research operationalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use conflicts (LUCs), as a spatial manifestation of the conflicts in the human-land relationships, have a profound impact on regional sustainable development. For China's metropolitan junction areas (MJAs), the existence of "administrative district economies" has made the issue of LUCs more prominent. Based on a case study of the central Chengdu-Chongqing region, we conducted an exploratory spatial data analysis of the evolutionary process of regional LUCs. Furthermore, structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the dynamic mechanism of LUCs in MJAs, with a particular emphasis on exploring the influences of administrative boundary. The results showed that from 2010 to 2020, LUCs in the central Chengdu-Chongqing region continued to worsen, and the spatial process conflict and spatial structure conflict indices increased by more than 30.0%. The intensification of LUCs in the central Chengdu-Chongqing region from 2010 to 2020 was mainly the result of the deterioration of conflicts in evaluation units with low conflict levels. LUCs in China's metropolitan areas generally presented a circular gradient distribution, weakening from the core to the periphery, but there were some strong isolated conflict zones in the outer regions. LUCs in China's MJAs were the result of interactions among multiple factors, e.g., natural environment, socio-economic development, policy and institutional processes, and administrative boundary effects. Administrative boundary affected the flow of socio-economic elements, changing the supply-and-demand competition of stakeholders for land resources, consequently exerting an indirect influence on LUCs. This study advances the theory of the dynamic mechanism of LUCs, and provides theoretical support for the governance of these conflicts in transboundary areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bimodal-structured Mg–15Gd binary alloy with 45% volume fraction of elongated grains and 55% of dynamically recrystallized (DRXed) grains is fabricated by the extrusion process. The precipitating behavior correlating with the evolution of mechanical properties is systematically characterized during the subsequent aging treatment at 200 °C. The extruded alloy presents an outstanding strength with tensile yield strength of 466 MPa and ultimate tensile strength of 500 MPa at peak aging condition, while the elongation drops from 9.2% in extrusion state to 3.1%. It is found there obviously exist a rapidly decreasing range of ductility at the early stage of aging. Just during this time, the nano precipitates form preferentially at lamellar dislocation boundaries (LDBs) within the elongated grains, but there is no dense and uniform precipitation in the matrix. The results suggest that the low elongation in the aged Mg–15Gd alloy is mainly attributed to the nano precipitates prior formed at the LDBs with a high density in the elongated grains. The related mechanism has been clarified.

Fitting a log binomial regression model using standard software can result in numerical difficulties because its functional form does not restrict the estimated probabilities to values not exceeding unity. The common approaches to resolve the issue are to introduce a constraint to limit the results of each iteration. However, if the ML solution lies on the boundary of the allowable parameter space, some fitted probabilities are equal to unity (named as boundary vector). The common approaches have trouble dealing with those boundary vectors and can only reach somewhere before the ML solution. Previously a remedy has been proposed, but without the details necessary to implement it. Here we provide these details, including formulae for estimating the covariances essential to implement the method, an explanation of inter-dependency between coefficient estimates, and a proof that the method can be implemented in general. Code written for R implements choice of fitting algorithms, finding appropriate starting values, identifying the covariate vector(s) with a fitted probability of unity, and strategies for covariate ordering to handle the issues caused by the common values in two distinct boundary vectors. The model-fitting results are compared with two alternative methods by simulation and example data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 poses a global health crisis, necessitating precise diagnostic methods for timely containment. However, accurately delineating COVID-19-affected regions in lung CT scans is challenging due to contrast variations and significant texture diversity. In this regard, this study introduces a novel two-stage classification and segmentation CNN approach for COVID-19 lung radiological pattern analysis. A novel Residual-BRNet is developed to integrate boundary and regional operations with residual learning, capturing key COVID-19 radiological homogeneous regions, texture variations, and structural contrast patterns in the classification stage. Subsequently, infectious CT images undergo lesion segmentation using the newly proposed RESeg segmentation CNN in the second stage. The RESeg leverages both average and max-pooling implementations to simultaneously learn region homogeneity and boundary-related patterns. Furthermore, novel pixel attention (PA) blocks are integrated into RESeg to effectively address mildly COVID-19-infected regions. The evaluation of the proposed Residual-BRNet CNN in the classification stage demonstrates promising performance metrics, achieving an accuracy of 97.97%, F1-score of 98.01%, sensitivity of 98.42%, and MCC of 96.81%. Meanwhile, PA-RESeg in the segmentation phase achieves an optimal segmentation performance with an IoU score of 98.43% and a dice similarity score of 95.96% of the lesion region. The framework’s effectiveness in detecting and segmenting COVID-19 lesions highlights its potential for clinical applications.

Existing research suggests that elite clubs exist in venture capital markets, but a standard for determining their size and composition is lacking. This paper addresses this challenge by using the weighted k-means sorting algorithm to construct a research framework for elite clubs. Validating the framework with investment events data from China’s venture capital market (2001–2018), intriguing findings emerge. The ranking of Venture Capitalists (VCs) follows a power-law distribution, providing evidence for elite clubs’ existence. The analysis identifies a turning point in the score curve, serving as a valuable indicator for club boundaries. Elite clubs demonstrate relatively high stability, maintaining advantages and elite status in future competitions. Empirical validation confirms the proposed framework’s superior stability compared to existing methods. Importantly, elite club members outperform non-elites significantly. This paper effectively identifies elite clubs in the Chinese venture capital market, helping other VCs recognize potential partners, access high-quality information, and enhance investment performance.

This study presents a novel approach for simultaneous inversion of the key reservoir parameters like horizontal permeability, vertical permeability, skin, and boundary distances for spatial distribution across the grid cells in a 3D single well reservoir model (SWRM). These parameters are first estimated from the standard pressure transient analysis of well test pressure and rate data, which also act as a priori for the inverse problem. A field-worthy layer cake geological model is prepared based on the prior information obtained from pressure transient analysis, followed by a sequential flow simulation of field well test operation. The simulation results provide the model pressure versus rate data as the synthetic data for this study. A cost function is defined incorporating the well test pressure data and model pressure data, which would determine the convergence. The inversion process is to optimize the spatial distribution of reservoir parameters to minimize the difference between the measured pressure transient data and the modelled one, which is obtained from the multiphase fluid flow simulator that solves the implicit black-oil fluid-flow diffusivity equations at every step. A Gauss-Newton (GN) inversion scheme is used for the inversion. The reliability of inversion results depends on the accuracy of priori reservoir parameters fed to the solver, which can be refined if required through uncertainty parameter optimization (UPO). This approach helps to obtain a faster and reliable update of reservoir parameters in a layer cake homogeneous geomodel, hereby introducing the required heterogeneity. This increases the confidence and reliability of a geomodel, which is further used for various production prediction strategies.

How does profanity contribute to community at work? While obscene talk might be viewed as contrary to the establishment of collegial ties, such discourse can, under the right circumstances, reinforce group sociality as well as challenge hierarchical control. In some sites of labor, participants are permitted—even expected—to use "bad language." Rather than undermining local culture, this form of communication supports it by revealing the intensity of salient moments. We situate profanity as a means of deepening group membership (affiliation), defining a status hierarchy (division), and delineating boundaries (distinction). Not all workplaces are characterized by profanity, but those that are we label "obscenity factories," emphasizing the production of community through conversational deviance. To examine this process, we utilize descriptive ethnographies of trauma doctors in war zones, restaurant cooks, wildland firefighters, and correction officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 poses a global health crisis, necessitating precise diagnostic methods for timely containment. However, accurately delineating COVID-19-affected regions in lung CT scans is challenging due to contrast variations and significant texture diversity. In this regard, this study introduces a novel two-stage classification and segmentation CNN approach for COVID-19 lung radiological pattern analysis. A novel Residual-BRNet is developed to integrate boundary and regional operations with residual learning, capturing key COVID-19 radiological homogeneous regions, texture variations, and structural contrast patterns in the classification stage. Subsequently, infectious CT images undergo lesion segmentation using the newly proposed RESeg segmentation CNN in the second stage. The RESeg leverages both average and max-pooling implementations to simultaneously learn region homogeneity and boundary-related patterns. Furthermore, novel pixel attention (PA) blocks are integrated into RESeg to effectively address mildly COVID-19-infected regions. The evaluation of the proposed Residual-BRNet CNN in the classification stage demonstrates promising performance metrics, achieving an accuracy of 97.97%, F1-score of 98.01%, sensitivity of 98.42%, and MCC of 96.81%. Meanwhile, PA-RESeg in the segmentation phase achieves an optimal segmentation performance with an IoU score of 98.43% and a dice similarity score of 95.96% of the lesion region. The framework's effectiveness in detecting and segmenting COVID-19 lesions highlights its potential for clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brittle fractures of iron and steel above twinning temperatures are caused by cementite grain boundary wall cracks. These were revealed by an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). At temperatures below the ductile–brittle transition (DBT), cracks must propagate longitudinally within cementite walls until the stress is sufficiently high for the cracks to propagate across ferrite grains. Calculations using these concepts correctly predict the stress and temperature at the DBT required for fractures to occur. At temperatures above the DBT for hypoeutectoid ferritic steels, dislocations must fracture the walls transversely. That will permit pent-up dislocations to pass through the fractured region of the walls into the adjoining grains. Subsequently, there is rapid multiplication of dislocations at the opposite side of the walls by emission. This causes a rapid drop in stress toward the lower yield point. Here, the walls completely surround all of the grains. Where the walls are segmented, such as in iron, dislocations can pass around the walls, resulting in a gradual change from elastic to plastic deformation. The Cottrell atmosphere theory of yielding is not supported experimentally. It was the best available until later experiments, including those using the AFM, were performed. Methods are presented here giving yield strength versus temperature and also the parameters for the Hall–Petch and Griffith equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) camps are liminal work environments in which work and personal life are blended. In such context, an important characteristic is the limitation to one’s freedom to carry out actions that usually occur outside of work contexts (e.g., choosing when to eat dinner), which we refer to as ‘personal autonomy limitation’. The role of personal autonomy limitation for FIFO workers’ mental health has not been systematically investigated at a larger scale. We test whether personal autonomy limitation predicts workers’ psychological distress and their psychological work detachment while they are at their residential home. We also investigate the moderating role of roster ratios (i.e., the ratio of days workers spend on site and at home) on these hypothesized associations. Online survey data from 1547 Australian resources sector FIFO workers showed that higher levels of perceived personal autonomy limitation in FIFO camps predicted greater psychological distress, with this effect partially mediated by lower detachment from work whilst at home. Roster ratio did not moderate the direct or mediated relationships between personal autonomy limitation in FIFO camps and worker psychological distress. The findings identify personal autonomy limitation as a work design characteristic that is relevant to FIFO and other workers’ mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on intricate carvings and runic inscriptions on the Franks Casket, particularly focusing on the "risci" label in a scene featuring a horse, a hooded figure, and various objects. Topics include interpretation of the word "bita" in relation to the horse or possibly the objects held by the female figure; and as well as the significance of other runic labels like "mægi.

Data are versatile objects that can travel across contexts. While data's travels have been widely discussed, little attention has been paid to the sites from where and to which data flow. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork in two connected data-intensive laboratories and the concept of domestication, we explore what it takes to bring data 'home' into the laboratory. As data come and dwell in the home, they are made to follow rituals, and as a result, data are reshaped and form ties with the laboratory and its practitioners. We identify four main ways of domesticating data. First, through storytelling about the data's origins, data practitioners draw the boundaries of their laboratory. Second, through standardization, staff transform samples into digital data that can travel well while ruling what data can be let into the home. Third, through formatting, data practitioners become familiar with their data and at the same time imprint the data, thus making them belong to their home. Finally, through cultivation, staff turn data into a resource for knowledge production. Through the lens of domestication, we see the data economy as a collection of homes connected by flows, and it is because data are tamed and attached to homes that they become valuable knowledge tools. Such domestication practices also have broad implications for staff, who in the process of 'homing' data, come to belong to the laboratory. To conclude, we reflect on what these domestication processes—which silence unusual behaviours in the data—mean for the knowledge produced in data-intensive research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the identity formation of Latvian migrants who have moved to the United Kingdom in large numbers over the last 20 years. Latvians are forced to reconfigure their cultural and social belonging in the new multicultural society. Identity formation is seen in this article as boundary work that contingently excludes and includes various cultures and social positions. The article is based on semi-structured interviews and cross-sectional surveys. By combining qualitative and quantitative data, the article focuses on transnational positioning and in-group relations of Latvian migrants. Likewise, relations with migrants from other countries and the imagined locals, or 'genuine Englishmen,' are examined in the light of boundary-making. The results, among other things, illustrate how structurally embedded discourses and practices help Latvians rationalize the maintenance and the crossing of symbolic boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) are emerging as a promising approach for educational change by closing the gap between educational research and practice. However, these partnerships face several challenges, such as addressing cultural differences as well as relationship-building in a historically unbalanced relationship between researchers and practitioners. Scholars have argued that these cultural differences, also called boundaries, have learning potential if approached constructively, but that we need to know more about what characterizes them in an educational context. The aim of this study is to contribute to our understanding of frameworks for RPPs. By analysing 45 hours of video recordings from meetings in an RPP between four researchers and 300 practitioners, the study offers a characterization of seven different boundaries organized into three different boundary themes: a) prerequisites for collaboration, b) collaborative practices, and c) collaborative content. Moreover, the different boundaries affect the positioning of different actors in the RPP. For example, depending on the boundary expressed, teachers are positioned as either flawed implementers or co-inquirers. We argue that the boundaries and different participant positions within the RPPs they reinforce may affect their learning potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper applies Juri Lotman’s theory of the semiosphere to utopian studies with the aim of identifying the principal components and mode of functioning of classic utopian discourse. Without questioning the ultimate result of any interaction within a utopian dialogic situation, which necessarily demonstrates the superiority of the ideal world (no-place/ou-topos) over the external world of imperfection (e.g. Europe or America), it is argued that the encounter between the utopian and non-utopian semiospheres offers an interesting starting point for a discussion of intercultural translation and dialogicity involving two different mechanisms of sign production. Contrary to its ‘real-world’ counterpart, where the sign production is governed by asymmetry, binarism, replacement, and diversification, the utopian semiosphere relies on the truthfulness of signs, all-encompassing semioticity, unifying enhancement, and homogeneity. The hyperbolization of the opposition between the ideal state and the external world is metonymically reflected in the construction of the utopian state itself, with its centre and periphery radically polarized and separated by the impassable internal boundary. Although typical representations of the external utopian boundary foreground its distinctly separative function, multiple acts of the intercultural exchange between representatives of the two semiospheres expose the boundary’s translatory function.

ABSTRACTAdditive manufacturing in construction typically consists of ground-based platforms. Introducing aerial capabilities offers scope to create or repair structures in dangerous or elevated locations. The Aerial Additive Manufacturing (AAM) project has developed a pioneering approach using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV, ‘drones’) to deposit material during self-powered, autonomous, untethered flight. This study investigates high and low-density foams autonomously deposited as structural and insulation materials. Drilling resistance, mechanical, thermal and microscopy tests investigate density variation, interfacial integrity and thermal stability. Autonomous deposition is demonstrated using a flying UAV and robotic arm. Results reveal dense material at interfaces and directionally dependent cell expansion during foaming. Cured interfacial regions are vulnerable to loading parallel to interfaces but resistant to perpendicular loading. Mitigation of trajectory printing errors caused by UAV flight disturbance is demonstrated by a stabilising end effector, with trajectory errors ≤10 mm. AAM provides a significant development towards on-site automation in construction.HighlightsAerial Additive Manufacturing (AAM) releases additive manufacturing (AM) for construction applications from ground-based and tethered restraints.Multiple self-powered flying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) can deposit layers of polyurethane foam in planned trajectories.High-density polyurethane foam and low-density foam can be suitable for structural and insulating layers, respectively.Laboratory tests, including drilling resistance, demonstrate the high-density of interfacial boundary regions in relation to material located away from a boundary.The challenges of reducing lateral deformation of extruded material are evaluated, and improved flight stabilisation provided by an end effector keeping trajectory errors within 10 mm is demonstrated.

Glioma is the most common malignant tumor of the nervous system in recent centuries, and the incidence rate of glioma is increasing year by year. Its invasive growth and malignant biological behaviors make it one of the most challenging malignant tumors. Maximizing the resection range (EOR) while minimizing the impact on normal brain tissue is crucial for patient prognosis. Changes in metabolites produced by tumor cells and their microenvironments might be important indicators. As a powerful spectroscopic technique, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has many advantages, including ultra-high sensitivity, high specificity, and non-invasive features, which allow SERS technology to be widely applied in biomedicine, especially in the differential diagnosis of malignant tumor tissues. This review first introduced the clinical use of responsive SERS probes. Next, the sensing mechanisms of microenvironment-responsive SERS probes were summarized. Finally, the biomedical applications of these responsive SERS probes were listed in four sections, detecting tumor boundaries due to the changes of pH-responsive SERS probes, SERS probes to guide tumor resection, SERS for liquid biopsy to achieve early diagnosis of tumors, and the application of free-label SERS technology to detect fresh glioma specimens. Finally, the challenges and prospects of responsive SERS detections were summarized for clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 14 December 2021, the extraordinary event called "touching the Sun" has been heralded as a "monumental moment for solar science", in which the Parker Solar Probe opened up a new frontier of research for Space exploration, proposing the challenge of reaching, studying, and even "touching" our Sun at close range. The consequences of this event are scientific but also metaphysical and transcendental, offering the opportunity to reflect on the complex reality and meaning of the "boundaries" as opportunities for relationships and then for ethics. In this paper, I would like to propose an attempt to develop a possible discussion for an extension of Space Sustainability as an ethical guide for humanity which, as it goes out into outer Space, is helped to rediscover new, expanded dimensions of perception along the path of mystery and humility, in order to return back to Earth enriched for new relationships in pursuit of the common good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider nonparametric kernel estimation of density functions in the bounded-support setting having known support $ [a,b] $ [ a , b ] using a boundary-adaptive kernel function and data-driven bandwidth selection, where a and b are finite and known prior to estimation. We observe, theoretically and in finite sample settings, that when bounds are known a priori this kernel approach is capable of outperforming even correctly specified parametric models, in the case of the uniform distribution. We demonstrate that this result has implications for modelling a range of densities other than the uniform case. Furthermore, when bounds $ [a,b] $ [ a , b ] are unknown and the empirical support (i.e. $ [\min (x_i),\max (x_i)] $ [ min (x i) , max (x i) ]) is used in their place, similar behaviour surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The body is at the forefront of the relationship between space and sexuality, and its materiality is the basis on which social and individual conceptions of sex and gender are constructed. In this paper, we use the notion of body borders to approach the way trans persons experience heteronormativity in their bodies. Defined as those elements placed on body physicality that produce social distinctions and reorganize people's social conditions, body borders are important in the processes of sex differentiation and gender oppression that negatively affect trans persons’ processes of identification/disidentification. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 10 of 43 trans persons from a wider study, who expressed their gender identities at different levels of intensity, we differentiate between four important body borders: man/woman, puberty, inside/outside and liminal zone. The findings reveal that body borders rely to a great extent on the gaze of others and are problematic for trans persons, especially at the beginning of their transition processes, or when their bodies are perceived as more androgynous. Although the experience of body borders is oppressive and causes conflicts to trans persons, they do not impede them from opening up possibilities for new models of transgender identities which defy non-heteronormative ideals and subvert the current gender regulation, which supports these borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a comparative analysis of the accuracy of cadastral parcel positions in Himare, utilizing different methods including the state cadastre agency (ASHK), orthophoto 2007-2015 data and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements. The cadastral parcel positions are crucial for land administration and management, making accuracy a paramount concern. Through a comprehensive examination, this research evaluates the positional accuracy of cadastral parcels by comparing ASHK data with orthophoto 2007-2015 imagery, as well as GNSS measurements. The study employs statistical analyses and spatial techniques to assess discrepancies and similarities among the different datasets. Findings from this research provide insights into the effectiveness and reliability of cadastral data sources in Himare, shedding light on potential discrepancies and areas for improvement in cadastral mapping and land management practices. Such insights are essential for enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of cadastral systems, thereby contributing to better-informed decision-making processes and sustainable land development in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: There is an urgent need to stop the biodiversity loss in European agricultural landscapes. These landscapes, due to their fragmentation, include a lot of edges, many of them between habitats of different quality in terms of biodiversity. Objectives: Here, we ask how plant species richness is distributed from the interior of protected semi-natural grassland into the interior of adjacent crop fields, and which species groups determine the observed patterns. Methods: At grassland–crop field interfaces in two German landscapes, we sampled the vegetation along transects extending 32 m into both habitats. Based on theory, we fitted different models to visualize the species richness curve along transects and selected the best model via AIC. Results: The best fitting model for all species was monotone over the interface with a minimum in the field and a maximum in the grassland. This shape was driven by the generalists, showing the same pattern, while grassland specialists showed a sigmoid curve with an increase only in the grassland. Arable specialists had a peak at the field edge and decreased towards the grassland. Curves for Ellenberg indicator values for moisture, nutrients and light showed the same shape as the overall species curve, yet with an inverse pattern for light. Conclusions: This is the first study revealing gradual responses of plant species richness at the grassland–crop field interface with a high spatial resolution. As these adjacent habitats influence each other far into their neighbourhood, attention should be given when conserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, particularly in case of often small and scattered protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To detect and locate the boundary line between paddy and brown rice in separation equipment. Methods: A method based on straight-line edge detection was proposed by performing model matching with different color features. Converted the resulting images to grayscale and applied the linear edge detection algorithm to locate the target position. Results: Our approach reduced the error to within 5% and significantly improved recognition accuracy compared to traditional methods. Conclusion: Proposed method has a small recognition error, making it suitable for identifying the boundary between paddy and brown rice.

The shifting of the shoreline is a natural phenomenon closely related to the existence of watercourses. One of its consequences is the need to periodically update the real estate cadastre with regard to parcel boundaries and their owners. Land use types use are also subject to updates, which bears particular significance in this context. This article presents the most essential practical aspects of establishing the shoreline in Poland, including the identification of property boundaries located in the immediate vicinity of watercourses. The main problems associated with conducting the process of demarcating land under water are discussed using selected technical reports as examples. Attention is drawn to the numbering of parcels resulting from the implementation of the analyzed procedure, as well as the precision of recording surface areas. Moreover, the consequences of changing the natural watercourse shoreline and the limitations imposed on property ownership rights are presented, along with the issue of compensation claims.

The study is devoted to the explanation of the influence of hot plastic deformation on the properties of railway wheels. The shape of individual elements of the wheel provides for a different degree of hot compression, which determines the mechanism for the development of the recrystallization at austenite. With a decrease in the degree of the hot deformation, a certain proportion of grains with a low energy of linear stretching are formed in austenite. As a result, of the low mobility of such boundaries, the likelihood of preservation of part of the substructural state of the austenite increases, which should affect the formation of a colony of perlite during the cooling of the carbon steel. Against background preservation and a dependence of strength properties on the dispersion of the pearlite colony, the appearance in austenite of grain boundaries with a low energy of linear tension leads to a qualitative change in the plastic properties of railway wheel steel. The increase in plasticity of carbon steel with an increase in dispersion of the pearlite colony is due to a decrease in the effect of solid solution hardening and an increase in the role of the ferrite-cementite interface in the development processes of strain hardening carbon steel. The results obtained can be useful for improving the technology of manufacturing all-rolled railway wheels.

This paper examines the kinds of boundaries laid by residents of mixed-tenure housing communities and how distinctions are rationalized. Based on interview data on a densely mixed community (both owner-occupied and social housing apartments mixed with stairwells) in Helsinki, Finland, I observe how residents outline their neighbourhood. Based on the analysis, urban anonymity was the most significant repertoire defining communal life, followed by others such as sense of home and fiscal prudence. In densely mixed settings, residents are forced to witness each other’s domestic life; thus, dense social mixing can prevent prejudices between tenure groups. The study results contribute to the understanding of cultural repertoires in hierarchical relationships vis-à-vis each other, creating varying contexts and defining the lived realities in communities. Empirically, the results question prevailing images of troublesome tenants and well-behaved owners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copy number variation (CNV) has been increasingly recognized as a type of genomic/genetic variation that plays a critical role in driving human diseases and genomic diversity. CNV detection and analysis from cancer genomes could provide crucial information for cancer diagnosis and treatment. There still remain considerable challenges in the control-free calling of CNVs accurately in cancer analysis, although advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology have been inspiring the development of various computational methods. Herein, we propose a new read-depth (RD)-based approach, called CNVbd, to explore CNVs from single tumor samples of NGS data. CNVbd assembles three statistics drawn from the density peak clustering algorithm and isolation forest algorithm based on the denoised RD profile and establishes a back propagation neural network model to predict CNV bins. In addition, we designed a revision process and a boundary search algorithm to correct the false-negative predictions and refine the CNV boundaries. The performance of the proposed method is assessed on both simulation data and real sequencing datasets. The analysis shows that CNVbd is a very competitive method and can become a robust and reliable tool for analyzing CNVs in the tumor genome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigate the geometry and topology of compact Einstein-type manifolds with nonempty boundary. First, we prove a sharp boundary estimate and as consequence we obtain, under certain hypotheses, that the Hawking mass is bounded from below in terms of area. Then we give a topological classification for its boundary. Finally, we deduce some classification results for compact Einstein-type manifolds with positive constant scalar curvature and assuming a pointwise inequality for the traceless Ricci tensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in‐plane seismic performance of cold‐formed steel‐framed gypsum partition walls (hereinafter referred to as partition walls) varies with boundaries provided by surrounding members, causing differences in repair time. The studies that explicitly consider the influence of boundary members are limited and remain at the preliminary stage of qualitative analysis. Most existing numerical models used for partition walls also lack the simulation of boundaries. Our study focuses on the influence of vertical boundaries on the seismic performance of partition walls. The damage locations of partition walls with different vertical boundaries were recorded during quasi‐static tests, and the repair time was evaluated. Data collected by potentiometers and an image‐based displacement measurement system quantifies the influence of boundaries on the rigid body motion and deformation in a mechanism. A numerical model incorporating boundaries based on the damage and mechanism was proposed and validated to predict the repair time. The presented results provide a potential solution for improved detailing with consideration on repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep problems in preschoolers are becoming increasingly prominent, and the association between sleep status and anxiety symptoms has attracted growing attention. However, studies investigating the relationship between bedtime and nighttime sleep duration in preschoolers and their anxiety symptoms remain scant. We used the large sample data from the Longhua Cohort Study of Children in Shenzhen, China (LCCS) to analyze the association between bedtime and sleep in preschoolers and their anxiety symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 69,138 preschoolers in Longhua District, Shenzhen, China was conducted in 2022. Data on sociodemographic characteristics of families, bedtime, nighttime sleep duration of preschoolers, and their anxiety symptoms (measured by the Spence Preschool Children Anxiety Scale) were collected through a structured questionnaire completed by the parents. Using binary logistic regression models, the relationship between bedtime, nighttime sleep duration, and childhood anxiety symptoms was examined. Results: The bedtimes of preschoolers were concentrated between 21:01-22:00 (52.41%). Among the preschoolers, 38.70% had bedtimes later than 22:00, and 75.49% had insufficient nighttime sleep duration. The positive screening rate for anxiety symptoms among preschoolers was 3.50%. After adjusting for confounding factors using binary logistic regression models, compared with preschoolers with bedtime ≤21:00, The OR (95%CI) values of anxiety in preschoolers with bedtime ≥23:01, 22:01-23:00 and 21:01-22:00 were 2.86 (2.21-3.69), 1.51 (1.27-1.79) and 1.48 (1.26-1.76), respectively. Compared with those with sufficient nighttime sleep duration, the OR (95%CI) of children with nighttime sleep duration less than 9 h was 1.36 (1.23-1.51). Conclusion: An association exists between bedtime and nighttime sleep duration in preschoolers and their anxiety symptoms. Preschoolers with 21:00 for bedtime and a nighttime sleep duration of 10 h may have lower anxiety symptoms. These findings support the importance of adequate sleep for preventing anxiety symptoms in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper applies Juri Lotman’s theory of the semiosphere to utopian studies with the aim of identifying the principal components and mode of functioning of classic utopian discourse. Without questioning the ultimate result of any interaction within a utopian dialogic situation, which necessarily demonstrates the superiority of the ideal world (no-place/ou-topos) over the external world of imperfection (e.g. Europe or America), it is argued that the encounter between the utopian and non-utopian semiospheres offers an interesting starting point for a discussion of intercultural translation and dialogicity involving two different mechanisms of sign production. Contrary to its ‘real-world’ counterpart, where the sign production is governed by asymmetry, binarism, replacement, and diversification, the utopian semiosphere relies on the truthfulness of signs, all-encompassing semioticity, unifying enhancement, and homogeneity. The hyperbolization of the opposition between the ideal state and the external world is metonymically reflected in the construction of the utopian state itself, with its centre and periphery radically polarized and separated by the impassable internal boundary. Although typical representations of the external utopian boundary foreground its distinctly separative function, multiple acts of the intercultural exchange between representatives of the two semiospheres expose the boundary’s translatory function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive manufacturing in construction typically consists of ground-based platforms. Introducing aerial capabilities offers scope to create or repair structures in dangerous or elevated locations. The Aerial Additive Manufacturing (AAM) project has developed a pioneering approach using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV, 'drones') to deposit material during self-powered, autonomous, untethered flight. This study investigates high and low-density foams autonomously deposited as structural and insulation materials. Drilling resistance, mechanical, thermal and microscopy tests investigate density variation, interfacial integrity and thermal stability. Autonomous deposition is demonstrated using a flying UAV and robotic arm. Results reveal dense material at interfaces and directionally dependent cell expansion during foaming. Cured interfacial regions are vulnerable to loading parallel to interfaces but resistant to perpendicular loading. Mitigation of trajectory printing errors caused by UAV flight disturbance is demonstrated by a stabilising end effector, with trajectory errors =10 mm. AAM provides a significant development towards on-site automation in construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]