Bidirectional Links Research Articles

A Generic High Bandwidth Data Acquisition Card for Physics Experiments

In high energy physics and nuclear physics experiments, particularly the ones based on a particle accelerator, the data rate from the detector is usually in the order of terabytes per second. These high throughput data from detector front-end electronics (FEEs) need to be transmitted to the back-end computing farm for high-level event selection and building. A data acquisition (DAQ) system with the features of high density, scalable, and easily upgradeable is crucial to simplify the readout architecture of the whole experiment. This article will introduce the design of a generic high bandwidth PCIe card, which can be used as the important input-output card in a scalable DAQ system. It can factorize FEEs from data handling and reduce the amount of custom hardware in favor of scalable detector-independent commercial hardware and software. Besides the 48 channels of bidirectional high-speed fiber optical links with front ends, it also supports to synchronize with the experiment timing system and to fan-out the clock and trigger information with a fixed latency to the FEEs.

Searching for Autonomy before the Transition to Higher Education: How do Identity and Self-Determined Academic Motivation Co-Evolve?

Identity and academic motivation are particularly at stake before the major transition to higher education. However, few studies have explored their changes and their longitudinal bidirectional links. To fill this gap, a three-wave study from the end of the 11th grade to the end of the 12th grade was conducted to explore changes in identity processes and academic motivation and to investigate how they might be interconnected over time. 599 adolescents (mean age 17.4; 59% girls) completed questionnaires containing measures about identity processes and three types of academic motivation: autonomous, controlled, and impersonal. Throughout the study span of one year, four identity processes increased: commitment making, identification with commitment, exploration in breadth and exploration in depth, while the process of ruminative exploration decreased. Simultaneously, late adolescents encountered an increase in impersonal motivation, more salient for boys. The results also revealed unidirectional links from motivation to identity processes, with no gender or age moderator effects: exploration in breadth and exploration in depth were positively predicted by autonomous motivation, ruminative exploration was positively predicted by autonomous, controlled, and impersonal motivation. In addition, impersonal motivation negatively predicted commitment making. On the other hand, identification with commitment positively predicted autonomous motivation. Practical implications are discussed.

Multi-Access Networking with Wireless Ultrasound-Powered Implants.

Multi-access networking with miniaturized wireless implantable devices can enable and advance closed-loop medical applications to deliver precise diagnosis and treatment. Using ultrasound (US) for wireless implant systems is an advantageous approach as US can beamform with high spatial resolution to efficiently power and address multiple implants in the network. To demonstrate these capabilities, we use wirelessly powered mm-sized implants with bidirectional communication links; uplink data communication measurements are performed using time, spatial, and frequency-division multiplexing schemes in tissue phantom. A 32-channel linear transmitter array and an external receiver are used as a base station to network with two implants that are placed 6.5 cm deep and spaced less than 1 cm apart. Successful wireless powering and uplink data communication around 100 kbps with a measured bit error rate below 10-4 are demonstrated for all three networking schemes, validating the multi-access networking feasibility of US wireless implant systems.

Are unpopular children more likely to get sick? Longitudinal links between popularity and infectious diseases in early childhood.

Social stress and inflammatory processes are strong regulators of one another. Considerable evidence shows that social threats trigger inflammatory responses that increase infection susceptibility in both humans and animals, while infectious disease triggers inflammation that in turn regulates social behaviours. However, no previous study has examined whether young children’s popularity and their rate of infectious disease are associated. We investigated the longitudinal bidirectional links between children’s popularity status as perceived by peers, and parent reports of a variety of infectious diseases that are common in early childhood (i.e. common cold as well as eye, ear, throat, lung and gastric infections). We used data from the ‘Matter of the First Friendship Study’ (MOFF), a longitudinal prospective multi-informant study, following 579 Norwegian pre-schoolers (292 girls, median age at baseline = six years) with annual assessments over a period of three years. Social network analysis was used to estimate each child’s level of popularity. Cross-lagged autoregressive analyses revealed negative dose–response relations between children’s popularity scores and subsequent infection (b = –0.18, CI = –0.29, –0.06, and b = –0.13, CI = –0.23, –0.03). In conclusion, the results suggest that children who are unpopular in early childhood are at increased risk of contracting infection the following year.

Longitudinal Study of Sleep and Internalizing Problems in Youth Treated for Pediatric Anxiety Disorders.

The current study examined prospective bidirectional links between dysregulated sleep, and anxiety and depression severity across 4years, among youth with a history of anxiety disorder. Participants were 319 youth (age 11-26years), who previously participated in a large multisite randomized controlled trial for the treatment of pediatric anxiety disorders, Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS), and subsequently enrolled in a naturalistic follow-up, Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Extended Long-term Study (CAMELS), an average of 6.5years later. They participated in four annual visits that included self-report items of dysregulated sleep and semi-structured multi-informant interviews of anxiety and depression. Dysregulated sleep was bidirectionally associated with clinician-rated anxiety and depression symptom severity across adolescence and young adulthood. However, these bidirectional relationships were attributable to youth mean levels of dysregulated sleep, and anxiety and depression severity over the 4 years. Elevations in dysregulated sleep at each visit, relative to mean levels, did not predict worse anxiety or depression severity 1 year later. Likewise visit-specific elevations in anxiety and depression severity, as opposed to average levels, did not predict higher levels of dysregulated sleep at the next visit. Having higher levels of dysregulated sleep or more severe internalizing problems across the four-year period, as opposed to reporting a relative increase in symptom severity at a particular visit, posed greater risk for poor mental health. Interventions should continue to assess and treat persistent sleep problems alongside anxiety and depression.

Experimental Mitigation of Atmospheric Turbulence Effect Using Pre-Signal Combining for Uni- and Bi-Directional Free-Space Optical Links With Two 100-Gbit/s OAM-Multiplexed Channels

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate the mitigation of atmospheric turbulence effects using phase patterns that apply the inverse transmission matrix for pre-compensation in the 200-Gbit/s free-space orbital angular momentum (OAM) multiplexed optical link. In this link, two OAM channels are multiplexed, each carrying a 100-Gbit/s quadrature-phase shift keying (QPSK) signal. In the uni-directional (forward) link, a combination of two OAM modes is generated using a designed phase pattern in each of the two channels. After the two channels are multiplexed, each OAM mode will carry the combination of signals from both channels. Such beams could perform the inverse function of turbulence-induced crosstalk. We explore the link performances including crosstalk and bit error rate (BER) under 6 different turbulence realizations with a Fried parameter of 1-mm. We find the following: (a) the inter-channel crosstalk is reduced by up to 21 dB; (b) the inter-channel crosstalk is below −10 dB for the 6 turbulence realizations when the compensation is applied; (c) a BER below the FEC limit could be realized for the 6 turbulence realizations with an optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of 16.8 dB for the uni-directional link with the compensation. Moreover, the post-compensation is also investigated for the two 100-Gbit/s OAM-multiplexed backward channels in the bi-directional link. For the backward channels, the phase patterns are used to mitigate turbulence-induced crosstalk at the receiver for backward channels, and the inter-channel crosstalk is reduced by up to 16 dB.

Crosstalk-Aware Counter-Propagating Core Assignment to Reduce Inter-Core Crosstalk and Capacity Wastage in Multi-Core Fiber Optical Networks

Inter-core crosstalk causes serious signal impairment in a multi-core fiber (MCF) optical network. With the extensive usage of data centers, traffic demands become increasingly asymmetric, leading to significant overall capacity wastage if the network is designed with bidirectional links. To alleviate these effects in an MCF optical network, we consider assigning the fiber cores asymmetrically, in a counter-propagating manner. This not only reduces the inter-core crosstalk between counter-propagating fiber cores significantly but also allows the flexibility of assigning different numbers of fiber cores in the opposite directions of a fiber link, thereby avoiding network capacity wastage arising from bidirectional traffic demand asymmetry. To evaluate the benefits of the proposed strategy, we consider the routing, spectrum, and core assignment (RSCA) problem for the MCF optical network. An integer linear programming (ILP) model and an auxiliary graph based heuristic algorithm are developed to optimize network spectrum resource utilization. Simulation studies show the effectiveness of the proposed crosstalk-aware core counter-propagation strategy, which can significantly outperform its counterpart, i.e., the co-propagation scheme, in terms of the total number of MCFs used and average inter-core crosstalk. In addition, the proposed RSCA heuristic algorithm is efficient to perform close to the ILP model, which can minimize the number of MCFs used and crosstalk between neighboring cores.

When Law is Good for Your Health: Mitigating the Social Determinants of Health through Access to Justice

Abstract Access to justice research over two decades has documented the health-harming effects of unmet legal needs. There is growing evidence of bidirectional links between law and health demonstrating that social and economic problems with a legal dimension can exacerbate or create ill health and, conversely that ill-health can create legal problems. Independently, social epidemiological research documents gross and widening inequalities in health, largely explained by social determinants such as income, housing, employment, and education. Although legal issues are embedded in most social determinants of health, law has been largely invisible in social determinants discourse, research and interventions. This article argues that legal services have an important role to play in mitigating many of the socio-economic determinants that disproportionately impact the health of low income and vulnerable groups. It describes the international practitioner-led movement of Health Justice Partnership through which lawyers work with healthcare teams to address the root causes of ill health rather than focusing on physical and psychological manifestations of negative social determinants. Finally, the article attempts to delineate the evolving field of health justice, advancing a transdisciplinary research agenda that could strengthen both public health and access to justice research by moving beyond the limitations of single discipline approaches. Noting the vigorous policy emphasis in law and health on prevention and partnership to address the twin challenges of access to justice and health inequalities, the article ends with a plea for policy coordination that acknowledges shared responsibility across government for improving the health of the public.

Exploring the Relationship Between Food Insecurity, Gender Roles and HIV/AIDS Among Tonga Carers of Disabled Children of Binga in Zimbabwe

Many people are reluctant to access voluntary counselling and testing services for fear of stigma and the implications of death often associated with a positive HIV diagnosis. This study however noted how Tonga females residing in Binga, one of Zimbabwe’s poorest and most food insecure districts, were eager for an HIV positive result in order to secure food handouts from Non-Governmental Organisations. Using a conceptual framework developed by Weiser and colleagues for understanding the bidirectional links between food insecurity and HIV/AIDS linkages, this paper explored the relationship between food insecurity, gender roles and HIV/AIDS. Qualitative in-depth interviews, participant observation and focus group discussions were conducted with 53 caregivers and four healthcare personnel. Data were analysed using content analysis. The findings show the interrelationship between food insecurity, gender roles and HIV/AIDS entwined in a vicious cycle that heightens vulnerability to and worsens the severity of each condition. The findings from this study can help in informing policy interventions geared towards HIV/AIDS, gender inequality and food insecurity.

An efficient approach for measuring semantic relatedness using Wikipedia bidirectional links

The measurement of the semantic relatedness between concepts is an important fundamental research topic in natural language processing. The link-based model is the most promising relatedness method in Wikipedia-based measures because its manually defined links in Wikipedia are refined and close to the semantics of humans. This paper proposes a Wikipedia two-way link model to extend the existing Wikipedia one-way out-link model, which has a low dimension and a high efficiency, as well as being easy to implement and repeat. First, this model utilizes the out-links and in-links of concepts in Wikipedia to combine into a bidirectional link vector for concept semantic interpreter and uses a TF*IDF-based bidirectional weight method to uniformly calculate the strength of the mutual association between a given concept and its out-link or in-link concept. Second, we propose a disambiguation strategy based on the social awareness of senses that directly sorts the out-links within a disambiguation page in the order in which they occur in the disambiguation page and adopts an adjustable threshold to determine how many senses will be selected. Moreover, we also propose new vector similarity metrics based on logarithm and exponent to improve the comprehensive performance of the semantic relatedness measurements based on Wikipedia links. The experimental results on some well-recognized datasets demonstrate that our model surpasses the existing popular Naive Explicit Semantic Analysis (Naive-ESA) and Wikipedia Out-Link vector-based Measure (WOLM) methods in the current Wikipedia versions and that our bidirectional link model significantly improves the performance of the existing one-way link model in practical applications.

The Interplay between the One and the Others: Multiple Cultural Identifications and Social Networks

AbstractThis article proposes a social network approach to the study of multiple cultural identifications. We argue that social network theory and social network methodology are essential for a truly dynamic examination of how multiple cultural identifications develop and how they are negotiated. This article starts by defining some relevant concepts (i.e., cultural identification, Bicultural Identity Integration, social networks), and then goes on to integrate these concepts into a micro–meso‐level framework by discussing the bidirectional links between cultural identifications and social networks (i.e., their content and their structure). We, then, explicate how social and cultural psychology can gain theoretically and methodologically from social network analysis. Finally, we conclude with some recommendations for researchers who seek to include social networks in their approach, and also discuss general and specific policy implications.

Pulling away: Links among disengaged couple communication, relationship distress, and depressive symptoms.

Interpersonal theories of depression suggest that how couples communicate helps to explain bidirectional links between depressive symptoms and relationship distress. Disengaged and aversive couple communication should help explain these links. However, most research examining associations among couple communication, depressive symptoms and relationship distress have focused on aversive communication behaviors. Thus, this research examined associations among depressive symptoms, disengaged couple communication, and relationship distress in 2 studies. Study 1 examined cross-sectional associations using 2 heterogeneous samples of individuals in romantic relationships assessed via online survey. Study 2 examined the associations over 2 time points using Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling with data provided by newlywed couples. The first aim was to examine whether depressive symptoms were uniquely associated with disengaged couple communication after controlling for relationship distress and aversive couple communication. The second aim was to test whether disengaged couple communication explained the bidirectional associations between depressive symptoms and relationship distress controlling for aversive communication. Results for Aim 1 were consistent across studies. Depressive symptoms were uniquely associated with disengaged couple communication. Results for Aim 2 indicate that disengaged couple communication uniquely explains bidirectional associations between co-occurring relationship distress and depressive symptoms; and husbands' disengaged communication explains the association between husbands' depressive symptoms and husbands decline in relationship satisfaction. Results indicate there are unique contributions of disengaged couple communication for interpersonal theories of depression and suggest the importance of helping couple-members to effectively and meaningfully engage with one another. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

ANALYZING THE INTERESTS AND INTERACTION OF THE PARTICIPANTS OF A TRANSPORT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

The subject matter of the article is the communication processes of stakeholders in transport system development projects. The goal is to analyze the interests of the stakeholders of a transport project, taking into account the main differences in this industry. The article solves the following problem : the features of transport infrastructure project management are considered; the main interests of the stakeholders for transport infrastructure development projects are highlighted and their interests are analyzed; a model of interaction among stakeholders at different stages of the project life cycle is built. The following methods are applied: value approach, structural models, optimization models. The following results are obtained: the requirements of standards for project management are analyzed regarding the value approach and project management by stakeholders; the main characteristics of the transport project are considered, they include the impact on the nature of the social and economic development of a region, significant cost, duration, the interaction of state bodies and private firms; the set of stakeholders in the transport project are identified; the specific characteristics of the management of transport projects by various stakeholders are analyzed, they are expectations, goals, roles, the level of responsibility and related actions. Asymmetric and symmetric types of communications in the project are considered; a model of stakeholder relations is built as a network where there is a project manager in the centre who is connected with all other peaks and stakeholder peaks that are connected with each other, the model is formalized as a graph with multiple vertices and bidirectional links; a model of the process of interchanging the resources of project participants during its implementation is developed, the model contains resource flows (direct and inverse), takes into account the impact of stakeholders that change over the stages of the life cycle of a transport system development project. Conclusions . The conducted analysis of the interests and interaction of the project participants is the basis for developing a model for minimizing the imbalance of stakeholders' resources. The results are based on the value approach and can be used when making decisions on managing communications of a transport infrastructure development project.

The social brain and heart rate variability: Implications for psychotherapy.

Humans evolved within the mammalian line as a highly social species. Indeed, sociality has been a major driver of human social intelligence. From birth, social relationships have emotional and self-regulating properties and operate through different body systems. This paper will explore how heart rate variability (HRV), an index of the vagal regulation of the heart and a central element of the physiological underpinnings of sociality, is related to mental health problems, with important implications for psychotherapy. We conducted a narrative review of the literature on the bi-directional links between prosocial motivations, HRV, and psychophysiological functioning. HRV is associated not only with the ability to downregulate physiological arousal, but also with a variety of psychological and behavioural variables which are usually the target of psychotherapeutic interventions. A modern neurovisceral integration model can be employed to explain the complex intercorrelation between HRV and psychophysiological functioning. In particular, the link between HRV, the experience of inter- and intrapersonal safeness, and the inhibitory function of the prefrontal cortex will be explored in the context of prosocial motives, such as compassion, that alleviate and help prevent mental health difficulties. Our knowledge of the social brain and its physiological underpinnings might influence important elements of a therapeutic intervention, from the initial assessment of patient's difficulties to the evaluation of therapy outcomes. Social relationships have emotional and self-regulating properties. The experience of inter- and intrapersonal safeness is connected to prosocial motives, such as compassion, and the inhibitory function of the prefrontal cortex. Social relationships and compassion influence different body systems, such as the vagus nerve. Many forms of psychopathology represent the activation of evolved, defensive strategies especially in contexts where there are few stimuli indicating safeness and social support. Heart rate variability predicts psychotherapy outcome.

Does one Size Fit All?-Linking Parenting With Adolescent Substance Use and Adolescent Temperament.

Using longitudinal Swedish data from 1,373 early-adolescent youths, this study aims to answer the question of whether the previously established protective function of parental knowledge and its sources-adolescent disclosure, parental solicitation, and parental control-on substance use among early-adolescents is moderated by the adolescent's temperament. Adolescent temperament moderated several links between parental knowledge and its sources and adolescent substance use. The most pronounced moderating results were found for those adolescents with fearless, socially detached and thrill-seeking tendencies. For these "detached thrill-seekers", bidirectional links between adolescent disclosure and substance use, and negative links between parental solicitation and substance use were found. We recommend, therefore, that adolescent temperament is considered when designing parenting programs.

Developmental Links Between Externalizing Behavior and Student–Teacher Interactions in Male Adolescents With Psychiatric Disabilities

Students exhibiting challenging externalizing behaviors may benefit from supportive interactions with teachers. However, if students show high levels of externalizing behaviors, this may negatively impact on student–teacher interactions, and vice versa. We therefore examined bidirectional developmental links between student–teacher interactions and externalizing behavior of male adolescents placed in special education because of psychiatric disabilities. Participants were 584 adolescents (Mage = 15.0 years, SD = 1.7) and their teachers from 14 Dutch special education schools. At 3 time points, student-reports of student–teacher interactions and teacher-reports of adolescents' externalizing behavior were collected. Using autoregressive cross-lagged models, results indicate that externalizing behavior predicted decreases in supportive interactions (β = −.09, p = .02), but not in negative interactions. Student–teacher interactions did not show a significant influence on externalizing behavior. Our results highlight externalizing behavior as an important target for interventions intended to improve student–teacher interactions.

Bidirectional association between depressive symptoms and carotid atherosclerosis in community-based older adults in China

We explored the bidirectional association between depressive symptoms and measures of carotid atherosclerosis. This study included 1155 participants aged 55 years and older. Depressive symptoms was assessed by 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30) score. Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT), carotid plaques and carotid stenosis were measured at both common carotid arteries using an edge detection system. In part 1, we explored the risk of CCA-IMT on depressive symptoms. We identified a significantly increased risk of depressive symptoms with the severity of carotid atherosclerosis. ORs (95%CI) of CCA-IMT thickening, carotid plaque and carotid stenosis for depressive symptoms were 1.48(0.72–3.03), 2(1.03–3.85) and 5.29(2.16–12.97) comparing with normal CCA-IMT in adjusting all potential risk factors models. When using carotid atherosclerosis as a continuous variable, the OR for depressive symptoms was 1.32 (95%CI 1.16–1.49) with every 0.1mm elevated in CCA-IMT after adjustment for all potential confounders. In part 2, we explored the risk of depressive symptoms on carotid atherosclerosis. We found elevated depressive symptoms significantly increased the risk of carotid atherosclerosis in multi-factor adjusted models [OR (95%CI): 1.65(1.10–2.47)]. When using depressive symptoms as a continuous variable, the ORs for carotid artery atherosclerosis were 1.32 (95%CI 1.16–1.49) with every 1 GDS-30 score elevated after adjustment for all convenient risk factors. The current study demonstrated the bidirectional links of carotid atherosclerosis measures with depressive symptoms. More cohort study and clinical trial focusing on the issue need to be explored in the future.

Baseline Body Mass Predicts Average Depressive Symptoms over the Next Two Decades for White but Not Black Older Adults.

Background: Although obesity and depression have a bidirectional association, this link may vary based on race. The current study tested racial variation in bidirectional links between depressive symptoms and body mass index (BMI) over 24 years of follow-up in older adults over the age of 50 in the United States. We hypothesized weaker bidirectional links in Blacks compared to Whites. Methods: Data came from waves 1 to 12 (1990 to 2014) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), an ongoing state-of-the-art national cohort. The study followed a representative sample of Americans (n = 15,194; 2,200 Blacks and 12,994 Whites) over the age of 50. Dependent variables were average depressive symptoms and BMI over 24 years, based on measurements every other year, from 1990 to 2014. Independent variables included baseline depressive symptoms and BMI. Covariates included age, gender, marital status, veteran status, and activities of daily living. Structural equation models were fitted to the data for data analysis. Results: In the pooled sample, bidirectional associations were found between BMI and depressive symptoms as baseline BMI predicted average depressive symptoms over time and baseline depressive symptoms predicted average BMI over 24 years. Racial differences were found in the bidirectional association between BMI and depressive symptoms, with both directions of the associations being absent for Blacks. For Whites, baseline BMI predicted average depressive symptoms over the next 24 years. Conclusion: Reciprocal associations between BMI and depressive symptoms over a 24-year period among individuals over the age of 50 vary for Blacks and Whites. As these associations are stronger for Whites than Blacks, clinical and public health programs that simultaneously target comorbid obesity and depression may be more appropriate for Whites than Blacks.

Transactional links between adolescents’ and friends’ victimization during the first two years of secondary school: The mediating role of likeability and friendship involvement

AbstractThe goals of this study were to examine to what extent lower likeability at the group level and lower friendship involvement can explain the bidirectional links between adolescents’ own and their friends’ victimization over time. We tested these processes by applying a cross‐lagged path model to a sample of 621 adolescents. Data were collected at four time points over the two first years of secondary school. Participants were asked to identify same grade friends within their school; classroom peer nominations were used to assess participants’ likeability as well as participants’ and friends’ level of peer victimization. Results showed bidirectional associations between adolescents’ own and their friends’ victimization by peers within the first year of secondary school. Moreover, the relation between adolescents’ own victimization at the end of the first year and their friends’ victimization next year was mediated by decreased adolescents’ likeability at the group level. Inversely, their friends’ victimization at the end of the first year predicted lower levels of adolescents’ own likeability over time, which in turn predicted adolescents’ own subsequent levels of victimization. Friends’ victimization also predicted adolescents’ lower friendship involvement during the first year, which in turn predicted decreased likeability, and ultimately higher levels of victimization.

Coping, Attributions, and Health Functioning Among Adolescents with Chronic Illness and Their Parents: Reciprocal Relations Over Time.

The purpose of the study was to identify bidirectional and longitudinal links between attributions, coping, and health functioning among adolescents with chronic illness and their parents. Religious/spiritual coping, attributional styles, and health functioning were assessed among adolescents with chronic illness at two time points approximately 21months apart. Parental coping and attributions at both time points were also measured. Longitudinal links between variables were tested using an autoregressive cross-lagged path model; adolescent age and disease differences were evaluated via multigroup modeling. Poorer adolescent health functioning at baseline predicted higher use of parent optimistic attributional style at follow-up. Adolescent optimistic attributional style at baseline predicted more positive and less negative religious/spiritual coping at follow-up; adolescent negative religious/spiritual coping at baseline predicted more positive religious/spiritual coping at follow-up. Parent optimistic attributional style and positive religious/spiritual coping at baseline predicted the same constructs among adolescents at follow-up. With respect to age differences, parental negative religious/spiritual coping at baseline was associated with poorer health functioning among younger, but not older, adolescents at follow-up. There were no disease differences in the model. Important links were identified in this family-based model of coping, attributions, and health functioning. The results highlight specific targets for interventions to improve health functioning and coping among adolescents with chronic illness, including parental religious/spiritual coping and adolescent attributional style.