General Terms Research Articles

A Kantian Analysis of the Contemporary Views on Nothings and Absences

This paper aims at contributing to the contemporary literature on nothings and absences from a Kantian perspective. To achieve its aim, the article is structured in two main sections. The first investigates nihil privativum’s metaphysical-epistemological, cognitive, and linguistic aspects, shedding light on its enduring relevance and multifaceted nature. The analysis begins by elucidating nihil privativum’s negativity, highlighting the distinctions between its material and formal senses, and explores the epistemological intricacies of accessing knowledge concerning nothings and absences. Engaging with contemporary perspectives within the framework of Kant's philosophy, it demonstrates the enduring applicability of Kantian framework in addressing contemporary philosophical debates. Furthermore, the section delves into the linguistic dimension of nihil privativum, examining the distinctions between various forms of nothings and absences and the classification of terms denoting contradictory nothings. The second section begins with exploring the cognitive aspect of nihil privativum, yet this time as a general and abstract concept, unveiling the step-by-step process involved in its formation. The second section ends by an analysis of the linguistic aspect of ‘nihil privativum’ as a rigid general term, arguing for its rigidity as a general abstract term by logical necessity, which is shown through two thought experiments within the discourse of possible worlds. The paper concludes that in the material sense, nothings and absences are not perceivable, in their formal sense they are conceptually representable, and as a general and abstract term ‘nihil privativum’ is rigid, containing all particular nihil privativa in its extension and designating the property of ‘being non-existent or absent’ in all possible worlds.

Fixing detailed balance in ancilla-based dissipative state engineering

Dissipative state engineering is a general term for a protocol which prepares the ground state of a complex many-body Hamiltonian using engineered dissipation or engineered environments. Recently, it was shown that a version of this protocol, where the engineered environment consists of one or more dissipative qubit ancillas tuned to be resonant with the low-energy transitions of a many-body system, resulted in the combined system evolving to reasonable approximation to the ground state. This potentially broadens the applicability of the method beyond nonfrustrated systems, to which it was previously restricted. Here we argue that this approach has an intrinsic limitation because the ancillas, seen as an effective bath by the system in the weak-coupling limit, do not give the detailed balance expected for a true zero-temperature environment. Our argument is based on the study of a similar approach employing linear coupling to bosonic ancillas. We explore overcoming this limitation using a recently developed open quantum systems technique called pseudomodes. With a simple example model of a one-dimensional quantum Ising chain, we show that detailed balance can be fixed, and a more accurate estimation of the ground state obtained, at the cost of two additional unphysical dissipative modes and the extrapolation error of implementing those modes in physical systems. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Rheumatological Diseases and Lower Extremity Edema: A Lymphoscintigram Study

“Lymphedema” is commonly used as a generic term to describe any form of leg swelling; 25% of patients referred to our center with “lymphedema” do not have the condition. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the lymphatic function of subjects with rheumatologic disease. Five individuals with a rheumatologic disease and leg edema underwent a lymphoscintigram. All individuals had normal lymphatic function. Patients presenting with lower extremity swelling and a rheumatologic condition do not have lymphedema. The etiology of their leg swelling is by mechanisms other than lymphatic dysfunction.

Death-associated protein kinase 1 prevents hypoxia-induced metabolic shift and pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell proliferation in PAH

Pulmonary hypertension (pH) is a general term used to describe high blood pressure in the lungs from any cause. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive, and fatal disease that causes the walls of the pulmonary arteries to tighten and stiffen. One of the major characteristics of PAH is the hyperproliferation and resistance to apoptosis of vascular cells, which trigger excessive pulmonary vascular remodeling and vasoconstriction. The death-associated protein DAP-kinase (DAPK) is a tumor suppressor and Ser/Thr protein kinase, which was previously shown to regulate the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α. Against this background, we now show that DAPK1 regulates human pulmonary smooth muscle cell (hPASMC) proliferation and energy metabolism in a HIF-dependent manner. DAPK1 expression is downregulated in pulmonary vessels and PASMCs of human and experimental PH lungs. Reduced expression of DAPK1 in hypoxia and non-hypoxia PAH-PASMCs correlates with increased expression of HIF-1/2α. RNA interference-mediated depletion of DAPK1 leads to fundamental metabolic changes, including a significantly decreased rate of oxidative phosphorylation associated with enhanced expression of both HIF-1α and HIF-2α and glycolytic enzymes, as hexokinase 2 (HK2), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), and an integrator between the glycolysis and citric acid cycle, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1). DAPK1 ablation in healthy donor hPASMCs leads to an increase in proliferation, while its overexpression provides the opposite effects. Together our data indicate that DAPK1 serves as a new inhibitor of the pro-proliferative and glycolytic phenotype of PH in PASMCs acting via HIF-signaling pathway.

Dominant species stabilize pollination services through response diversity, but not cross-scale redundancy.

Substantial evidence suggests that biodiversity can stabilize ecosystem function, but how it does this is less clear. In very general terms, the hypothesis is that biodiversity stabilizes function because having more species increases the role of compensatory dynamics, which occur when species in a community show different responses to the environment. Here, we focus on two forms of compensatory dynamics, cross-scale redundancy (CSR) and response diversity (RD). CSR occurs when species respond to a disturbance at different scales such that scale-specific disturbances do not negatively affect all species. RD occurs when species contributing to the same function show different responses to an environmental change. We developed a new analytical approach that can compare the strength of CSR and RD in the same dataset and used it to study native bee pollination of blueberry at 16 farms that varied in surrounding agricultural land use. We then asked whether CSR and RD among bee species are associated with the stability of blueberry pollination. Although CSR and RD were both present, only RD was associated with higher stability of pollination. Furthermore, the effects of RD on stability were due to a single widespread species, Andrena bradleyi, that is a specialist on blueberry and, unlike other bee species, was highly abundant at farms surrounded by intensive blueberry agriculture. Thus, the stabilizing effect we observed was attributable to an "identity effect" more than to species richness per se. Our results demonstrate how CSR and RD can be empirically measured and compared and highlight how the theoretical expectations of the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning field are not always upheld when confronted with real-world data.

The impact of early life experiences on inhibitory control and working memory

IntroductionAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a general term for a large group of nonequivalent situations that have the potential to traumatise a child. This risk factor is caused by a sensitive period of brain development, which is based on myelination, creation of synaptic connections and pruning. Dramatic environmental events during this period, such as history of institutionalisation, can disrupt optimal developmental pathways, leaving biological scars for life.MethodsThe focus of this study was to investigate the impact of institutionalisation on the development of inhibitory control and working memory in three groups of children matched for age (n = 130; 7.1 ± 2.0 years): (1) early institutionalised (n = 35; age of placement: 6.9 ± 10.6 months; duration of placement: 14.6 ± 10.4 months); (2) late institutionalised (n = 29; age of placement: 49.3 ± 30.6 months; the duration of placement: 16.0 ± 19.4 months); (3) never institutionalised (n = 66).ResultsResults showed that the early institutionalised group had the lowest scores on tests of inhibitory control (p = 0.03), working memory (p = 0.03) and retrieval-based learning (p = 0.04), while the results of the group of late institutionalised children do not differ significantly from never institutionalised.DiscussionThe existence of a sensitive period during the first 18 months of a child’s life is discussed, which determines the formation of the retrieval-based learning mechanism and of inhibiting ineffective experience, for which executive functions are responsible.

Validation of the Italian version of the Eating-Related Eco-Concern Questionnaire: insights into its relationship with orthorexia nervosa

IntroductionUrgent calls for research on the relationship between climate change concerns and eating disorder risk have been made. This study aimed to validate an Italian version of the Eating-Related Eco-Concern Questionnaire (EREC), a brief unidimensional measure of eating behaviors related to eco-concern.MethodsSix hundred and sixty-three adults (85% females, mean age 37 ± 12 years) completed the EREC, Climate Change Worry Scale (CCWS), Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q), Eating Habits Questionnaire for orthorexia nervosa symptoms (EHQ-21), and questions on dietary habits and motivations, and past experiences of extreme climate events.ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis results indicated that the original one-factor model showed acceptable fit to the data after including the error covariation between two pairs of items. Internal consistency was adequate, and EREC scores correlated positively and strongly with CCWS scores. Participants scored significantly lower in EREC than in CCWS, indicating greater climate-related concerns in general terms than relating specifically to eating. While EREC was unrelated to EDE-Q scores, weak-to-moderate correlations were observed with EHQ-21 subscale and total scores. Pro-environmental and/or ethical reasons for current diet and personal experience of extreme climate events were associated with significantly higher EREC scores.DiscussionThe Italian EREC appears to be a valid and reliable tool for the screening of eating-related concerns and behaviors related to climate change. Ecological concerns may represent a healthy adaptive response, but the EREC can serve as a valuable tool to identify individuals whose eating behaviors related to eco-concern might warrant further clinical attention due to potential risks of developing rigid or unhealthy patterns.

Problems of Translating Cultural Vocabulary: A Case Study on The Translation of Indonesian Folktales

This study investigates the translation strategies employed in rendering culturally-laden vocabulary from Indonesian into Japanese, focusing on the folktale “Bujang Sembilan: Legenda Danau Maninjau”. The objective is to identify the translation techniques used and analyze their effectiveness in conveying cultural nuances and meanings. A qualitative descriptive method was employed, analyzing 33 sentences containing cultural terms. The findings reveal several issues, including the loss of cultural meaning through the use of general terms, inaccurate adaptations, and a lack of supplementary explanations. The study concludes that a combination of transliteration, adaptation, and explanatory notes is crucial for accurately conveying the cultural richness of the source text. This approach ensures that the target audience grasps not only the literal meaning but also the cultural significance embedded within the original vocabulary.

Sclerite ray canals in the Cambrian coeloscleritophoran Chancelloria from North Greenland (Laurentia)

AbstractA sclerite of Chancelloria from the Henson Gletscher Formation (Cambrian Stage 4) of North Greenland preserves phosphatised central ray canals within the sclerite rays, confirming the extension of epithelial tissue into the sclerite interior. The canals fill the basal foramina and extend as thin central tubes within the lumen towards the apex of the individual rays, developing longitudinal ridges distally. In general terms they resemble the robust central canal of Sinosachites (= Thambetolepis), although the leaf-like sclerites of this halkieriid develop an extensive pattern of lateral canals and tubules not seen in the conical rays of Chancelloria. This internal similarity between chancelloriid and halkieriid calcareous sclerites adds support to the notion that coeloscleritophores are a paraphyletic group in which parallel episodes of calcareous mineralisation of pre-bilaterian and bilaterian coeloscleritophoran stocks took place in the early Cambrian from a sclerotised but non-mineralised, chancelloriid-like, eumetazoan ancestor.

Non-orderliness in Image and Design

‘Non-order’ is a general term for an order of image organisation that aims to break the routine and subvert people's visual perception habits, and its goal is to highlight visual characteristics and attract the audience's eyeballs. In the information age, in order to satisfy people's visual needs, order-breaking design is an ‘alternative’ form, and this paper examines the characteristics and relationship between order and disorder through the discussion of visual complexity, diversity of imagery, and innovation of visual communication design. The two are only different forms of imagery composition, and both of them construct the visual order in order to achieve the purpose of expression.

Head and Neck Lymphatic Malformations

Vascular anomalies correspond to a group of lesions related to disorders of vascular development, which to date remain a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for treating physicians. Lymphatic malformations (LM) are congenital malformations that manifest as benign hamartomatous tumors of the lymphatic vessels with a marked predilection for the head, neck and oral cavity. In general terms, LM are classified as macrocystic, microcystic or a combination of both depending on the size of the lesion, which can lead to anatomical alterations and even functional deficits. The aim of this article is to provide a brief and accurate review of head and neck lymphatic malformations considering their clinical aspects, imaging tools and treatment options.

Features of the representation of architectural space in the painting works of Giorgio de Chirico

This article describes the features of the depiction of architectural space in the paintings of the surrealist artist Giorgio de Chirico. In general terms, surrealism is described as an artistic style of the early twentieth century, its emergence, distinctive features and semantic tasks; The questions in relation to Giorgio de Chirico are examined in more detail: from what architectural objects and constituent elements is the urban space of his paintings formed, what objects are the main semantic parts, the general universal architectural model of the formation of such a space in de Chirico’s compositions is described. The article describes the semiotic structure used by the master, reveals the concept and meaning of the term “metaphysical painting”, ways of reading a surreal work of art, and the playful nature of the interaction between the artist and the viewer. The article analyzes in detail the methods and features of constructing the internal space of the metaphysical works of this master, showing the constituent elements, methods, techniques, and techniques for organizing the composition of the painting. The significance of the image of architectural space in de Chirico’s works on modern man and the use of his artistic experience in our time is described.

Atomic Hydrogen Interaction with Transition Metal Surfaces: A High-Throughput Computational Study.

Hydrogen adatoms are involved in many reactions catalyzed by Transition Metal (TM) surfaces, such as the Haber-Bosch process or the reverse water gas shift reaction, key to our modern society. Any rational improvement on such a catalyst requires an atomistic knowledge of the metal↔hydrogen interaction, only attainable from first-principles calculations on suited, realistic models. The present thorough density functional theory study evaluates such H interaction at a low coverage on most stable surfaces of bcc, fcc, and hcp TMs. These are (001), (011), and (111) for bcc and fcc TMs and (0001), (101̅0), and (112̅0) for hcp, covering 27 TMs and 81 different TM surfaces in total. In general terms, the results validate, while expanding, previous assessments, revealing that TM surfaces can be divided into two main groups, one in the majority where H2 would be thermodynamically driven to dissociate into H adatoms, located at heights of ∼0.5 or ∼1.0 Å, and another for late TMs, generally with a d 10 electronic configuration, where H2 adsorption with no dissociation would be preferred. No trends in H adsorption energies are found down the groups, but yes along the d series, with a best linear adjustment found for the d-band center descriptor, especially suited for close-packed fcc and hcp TMs surfaces, with a mean absolute error of 0.15 eV. Gibbs free adsorption energies reveal a theoretical volcano plot where fcc TMs are best suited, but with peak Pt performance displaced due to dispersive force inclusion in the method. Still, the volcano plot with respect to the experimental logarithm of the exchanged current density polycrystalline data is far from being valid for a quantitative assessment, although useful for a qualitative screening and to confirm the trends computationally observed.

Danish Lexicography between Tradition and Innovation: Digital Dictionaries and Needs-adapted Glosses

Abstract This article deals with Danish lexicography in the light of the current technological and commercial paradigm shift. It shows that the publication of printed dictionaries has almost ceased, and that most new dictionaries are either digital or digitised versions of older dictionaries. The article focuses first on three very different general dictionaries of Danish, Den Danske Ordbog, Den Danske Netordbog og Retskrivningsordbogen, each of which is described in general terms, with some critical observations and comments. It then lists a number of important dictionaries dealing with Danish dialects, culture and linguistic heritage since the 12th century. It also briefly discusses the challenges posed by an outdated business model from the print era, which has resulted in all traditional publishers closing down, leaving most dictionaries that do not benefit from public funding in the hands of a single major provider. The worrying result is that many of these dictionaries, including some essential bilingual and specialised dictionaries, are no longer being properly updated. Finally, examples are given of how traditional lexicographical glosses have found new life in digital software, such as reading and writing assistants.

ABOUT WORK IN PROGRESS IN THE CONTEXT OF INTRALOGISTICS

The current paper attempts, briefly and in general terms, to present the need for work-in-progress for the normal flow of the production process. This ensures the rhythmicity and continuity of the flow of production. The basis for achieving these two characteristics is also the so-called reserve, which should be in sufficient quantity.

Solubility of Sulfamerazine in Acetonitrile + Ethanol Cosolvent Mixtures: Thermodynamics and Modeling.

Sulfamerazine (SMR) is a drug used as an antibacterial agent in the treatment of some pathologies, such as bronchitis, prostatitis and urinary tract infections. Although this drug was developed in 1945 and, due to its toxicity, was partially displaced by penicillin, due to the current problem of bacterial resistance, compounds such as SMR have regained validity. In this context, the thermodynamic study of SMR in cosolvent mixtures of acetonitrile (MeCN) + ethanol (EtOH) at nine temperatures (278.15-318.15 K) is presented. The solubility of SMR was determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, following the guidelines of the shake-flask method. The solubility process was endothermic in all cases; thus, the minimum solubility was reached in pure EtOH at 278.15 K, and the maximum solubility was reached in pure MeCN at 318.15 K. Both the solution process and the mixing process were entropy-driven. On the other hand, the solubility data were modeled by using the van't Hoff-Yalkowsky-Roseman model, obtaining an overall average relative deviation of 3.9%. In general terms, it can be concluded that the solution process of SMR in {MeCN (1) + EtOH (2)} mixtures is thermodependent, favored by the entropy of the solution and mixture; additionally, the van't Hoff-Yalkowsky-Roseman model allows very good approximations to be obtained and is a simple model that starts from only four experimental data.

System response time and optimal path

Abstract In this work we study, in general terms, the optimal path for an out-of-equilibrium process from a geometric perspective constructed from a probability density function belonging to the exponential family (PDFE). With this objective we have constructed the speed of entropy production for a system out of equilibrium. This speed of entropy production is not determined with respect to the clock time t but rather with respect to a dimensionless time ξ t associated with a characteristic response time of each system λ t . In this context, we demonstrate that the constant entropy production speed condition leads to the system moving on a geodesic of the manifold constructed from the probability density function. In the last part of this work we apply our general results to study the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process (OU), which is a well-known stochastic process that strictly speaking describes the velocity of a Brownian particle under the influence of friction. As the system evolves we find that dimensionless time ξ t passes slower than clock time t.

Challenges in service robot devices for elderly motion assistance

Abstract Motion assistance for elderly people is a field of application for service robotic systems that can be characterized by requirements and constraints of human–machine interaction and by the specificity of the user’s conditions. The main aspects of characterization and constraints are examined for the application of service systems that can be specifically conceived or adapted for elderly motion assistance by having to consider conditions of motion deficiency and muscular strength weakness as well as psychological aptitudes of users. The analysis is discussed in general terms with reference to elderly people who may not even suffer from specific pathologies. Therefore, the discussion focuses on the need for motion exercise in proper environments, including domestic ones and frame familiar to a user. The challenges of such applications oriented toward elderly users are discussed as requiring research and design of solutions in terms of specific portability, user-oriented operation, low costs, and clinical-physiotherapeutic functionality. Results of the author’s team experiences are presented as an example of problems and attempted solutions to meet the new challenges of service systems for motion assistance applications for elderly people.

Terrain Analysis According to Multiscale Surface Roughness in the Taklimakan Desert

Surface roughness, interpreted in the wide sense of surface texture, is a generic term referring to a variety of aspects and scales of spatial variability of surfaces. The analysis of solid earth surface roughness is useful for understanding, characterizing, and monitoring geomorphic factors at multiple spatiotemporal scales. The different geomorphic features characterizing a landscape exhibit specific characteristics and scales of surface texture. The capability to selectively analyze specific roughness metrics at multiple spatial scales represents a key tool in geomorphometric analysis. This research presents a simplified geostatistical approach for the multiscale analysis of surface roughness, or of image texture in the case of images, that is highly informative and interpretable. The implemented approach is able to describe two main aspects of short-range surface roughness: omnidirectional roughness and roughness anisotropy. Adopting simple upscaling approaches, it is possible to perform a multiscale analysis of roughness. An overview of the information extraction potential of the approach is shown for the analysis of a portion of the Taklimakan desert (China) using a 30 m resolution DEM derived from the Copernicus Glo-30 DSM. The multiscale roughness indexes are used as input features for unsupervised and supervised learning tasks. The approach can be refined both from the perspective of the multiscale analysis as well as in relation to the surface roughness indexes considered. However, even in its present, simplified form, it can find direct applications in relation to multiple contexts and research topics.

Systemic therapy for head and neck cancer-highlights of the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Systemic therapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), in contrast to local therapy, is avery general term for the use of drugs that affect the entire organism. Immunotherapy is asubtype of systemic therapy, although the boundaries are hard to define, since the immune system is likely to play an essential role in all treatments. This article focuses on systemic therapy. All abstracts and presentations on systemic therapy of HNSCC from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2024 annual congress were assessed for relevance. The main contributions were reviewed and summarized. For the first time, arandomized trial demonstrated asurvival advantage for systemic therapy in patients with apoor performance status over best supportive care (BSC). Clinical studies using antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) show apromising response. In addition, the neoadjuvant approach was resumed through various study approaches. Even in patients with areduced general condition, systemic therapy can lead to asubstantial improvement in overall survival. The systemic therapy approach remains exciting for HNSCC, with new substances and areas of application not only in the palliative situation.