Time Behavior Research Articles

A randomised controlled study on efficacy of midazolam and cartoon for decreasing preoperative anxiety in preschool children undergoing strabismus surgery.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect and influence of midazolam and cartoon on postoperative behaviour in reducing preoperative anxiety in preschool children. Three hundred children undergoing monocular strabismus correction were divided into three groups: midazolam (M), cartoon (C), and CM. Preoperative anxiety scores, cooperation scores during anaesthesia induction, awakening time, emergence agitation, and postoperative adverse behaviours were recorded. The preoperative anxiety scores of group CM in the preoperative area and before anaesthesia induction were lower than those of group C and M. Compared with Group C, the cooperation scores of Group M and Group CM decreased significantly. And group M's awakening time was prolonged. The incidence of agitation during awakening and adverse behaviour 1 week after surgery and the cooperation scores in group CM was lower than in groups M and C. The anxiety levels were positively correlated with the agitation and behavioural changes. Watching cartoon videos combined with a low-dose midazolam shows efficacy in reducing preoperative anxiety in children.

Physical and Upconversion Photoluminescence Properties in Nd<sup>3+</sup>-Yb<sup>3+ </sup>Doped Lead Borate Glasses at 980 nm Excitation

Frequency upconversion (UC) photoluminescence (PL) in PbO-B2O3 glass codoped with trivalent ions of neodymium (Nd3+) and ytterbium (Yb3+) is prepared by melt quench method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning carorimetry (DSC) done for structural and thermal studies. Physical properties as density, oxygen packing density, lanthanide ion concentration etc. calculated. Photoluminescence of the sample gives the information of spectral lines, corresponding to the Nd3+ transitions 4G9/2 4I9/2 (at 500 nm), 4G7/24I9/2 (at 550 nm), [4G5/2; 2G7/2] 4I11/2 (at 595 nm) and 4G7/24I13/2 (at 660 nm). The dependence of the UC intensity with the Yb3+ concentration and the time behavior of the UC signal indicated the presence of two energy transfer (ET) pathways involving Nd3+-Yb3+ pairs and Yb3+-Nd3+-Yb3+ triads. Rate-equations for the population densities of the lanthanide energy levels were used to describe the dynamics of the UC emission and to determine the ET rates.

ESG Ratings and CEO Charitable Stock Donations: Is Firm ESG Aligned With CEO Personal Philanthropy?

ABSTRACTIn the evolving landscape of sustainable investing, with unprecedented market attention on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information, our study delves into the relationship between a firm's ESG ratings and the philanthropic behavior of its chief executive officer (CEO), particularly in terms of charitable stock donations. Examining US firms and utilizing comprehensive ESG data from Refinitiv, we find that ESG‐rated firm CEOs engage in greater personal stock donation activity as compared to their non‐ESG counterparts. They also appear to time donations in a less self‐serving manner. When we isolate ESG firms, we find CEOs of the strongest ESG performers exhibit no self‐interested timing behavior. Our study contributes to the sparse literature on CEO charitable behavior, shedding light on the potential alignment between ESG performance at the firm level and genuine, altruistic giving at the CEO level. Such alignment provides valuable insight for investors, policymakers, nonprofit organizations, and researchers interested in the intersection of sustainable investing and executive action.

A broadband X-ray view of the ultraluminous sources in the galaxies ESO 501--023 and IC 5052

We report the results obtained from the analysis of XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of two ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) located in the galaxies ESO 501--023 and IC 5052. To better understand their nature, we studied the spectral and timing behavior of these sources. We used spectral-timing techniques to investigate the presence of possible pulsations in the data. We did not detect any significant pulsations and set upper limits on the pulsed fraction of <9<!PCT!> for and <11<!PCT!> for These sources exhibit typical ULX X-ray spectra and can be well fitted with two thermal components plus a Comptonization tail at high energies. To classify the sources, we compared their spectral parameters with those of other well-known ULXs. Our results show that is in the broadened disk state and is in the hard ultraluminous state. Finally, our results suggest that the sources are likely nonmagnetic, supercritically accreting objects fed by companion stars.

Long time dynamics of the 𝑢^{𝑝} Klein-Gordon equation on general rectangular tori

We address two interesting questions in the theory of the u p u^p Klein-Gordon equation defined on the general rectangular tori. First, we show the existence and uniqueness of solutions using an explicit combinatorial analysis under the exponential decay assumption in the Fourier space. The second question is the long time behavior of such a solution. In a weakly nonlinear setting, we can prove that the nonlinear solution is asymptotic to the linear solution.

Impact of Providing a Personalized Data Dashboard on Ecological Momentary Assessment Compliance Among College Students Who Use Substances: Pilot Microrandomized Trial.

The landscape of substance use behavior among young adults has observed rapid changes over time. Intensive longitudinal designs are ideal for examining and intervening in substance use behavior in real time but rely on high participant compliance in the study protocol, representing a significant challenge for researchers. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of including a personalized data dashboard (DD) in a text-based survey prompt on study compliance outcomes among college students participating in a 21-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study. Participants (N=91; 61/91, 67% female and 84/91, 92% White) were college students who engaged in recent alcohol and cannabis use. Participants were randomized to either complete a 21-day EMA protocol with 4 prompts/d (EMA Group) or complete the same EMA protocol with 1 personalized message and a DD indicating multiple metrics of progress in the study, delivered at 1 randomly selected prompt/d (EMA+DD Group) via a microrandomized design. Study compliance, completion time, self-reported protocol experiences, and qualitative responses were assessed for both groups. Levels of compliance were similar across groups. Participants in the EMA+DD Group had overall faster completion times, with significant week-level differences in weeks 2 and 3 of the study (P=.047 and P=.03, respectively). Although nonsignificant, small-to-medium effect sizes were observed when comparing the groups in terms of compensation level (P=.08; Cohen w=0.19) and perceived burden (P=.09; Cohen d=-0.36). Qualitative findings revealed that EMA+DD participants perceived that seeing their progress facilitated engagement. Within the EMA+DD Group, providing a DD at the moment level did not significantly impact participants' likelihood of completing the EMA or completion time at that particular prompt (all P>.05), with the exception of the first prompt of the day (P=.01 and P<.001). Providing a DD may be useful to increase engagement, particularly for researchers aiming to assess health behaviors shortly after a survey prompt is deployed to participants' mobile devices. RR2-10.2196/57664.

Phase transition in porous materials: effects of material parameters and deformation regime on mass conservativity

AbstractPhase transition in porous materials is relevant within different engineering applications, such as freezing in saturated soil or pancake sea ice. Mathematical descriptions of such processes can be derived based on Biot’s consolidation theory or the Theory of Porous Media. Depending on parameters such as density ratio, permeability or compressibility of the solid matrix, either small or finite deformations occur. Numerical solution procedures for the general, finite deformation case, suffers from instabilities and high computational costs. Simplifications, assuming small deformations, increases stability and computational efficiency. Within this work shortcomings of simplified theories based on Biot and linearisations of the Theory of Porous Media (TPM) are systematically studied. In order to determine the interaction of the different model parameters a non-dimensional model for poro-elasticity is presented. Based on a characteristic test-case including phase-transition and consolidation, the simplified models are compared to the fully non-linear TPM, focusing on mass errors as well as the time behaviour of the solution. Taking further into account the efficiency of discretisation based on different primal variables and finite-element-spaces, a guideline for selecting an appropriate combination of model, kinematic assumption and discretisation scheme is presented.

The synchronized dynamic release behavior of microplastics during farmland soil erosion process

Microplastics (MPs) are widespread in farmland soil. However, the risks associated with their loss through soil erosion remain unknown. This study investigates the occurrence and behavior of MPs in farmland soil in a southeastern coastal area of China, focusing on their synchronized dynamic release during soil erosion scenarios. The results showed that the abundance of MPs in the tested farmland soil ranged from 2.40×104 to 1.04×105 items·kg-1. MPs predominantly appear as fragments and particles, with sizes concentrated between 30-100 μm. During the process of soil erosion, characterized by rapid soil subsidence, the amount of MPs released into water bodies initially decreases, averaging a reduction of 1.08×104 items·kg-1. This is followed by an average increase of 1.89×104 items·kg-1. The competition between the adsorption, collision, and sedimentation of soil particles and the desorption and release of settled particles, determines this behavior. This pattern is strongly related to the physicochemical properties and mechanical composition of the soil. Deep learning predictions revealed that, without external influences, 49.42% of MPs in farmland soil could be synchronously released into water bodies during erosion. The analysis shows that MPs exhibit dynamic behavior in time and space, posing serious threats to aquatic ecosystems. Controlling soil erosion in farmland is crucial for the source management of MP migration.

Exploring prosocial behaviors in times of a pandemic: Individuals’ lay perspective versus scientific measurements

AbstractHumanitarian crises like the Covid‐19 pandemic pose significant challenges to society, prompting scientific debate on whether such situations elicit more prosocial or more selfish behavior. Despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, current evidence indicates a continued display of various prosocial behaviors. This research aims to enhance the understanding of what constitutes prosocial behavior from both individuals’ lay and scientific perspectives. For this purpose, we analyzed lay perspectives via an open question in a representative survey (N = 446) and qualitatively categorized the reported prosocial behaviors inductively with content analysis. The qualitative content analysis revealed three clusters of prosocial behaviors: promoting the welfare of others, health‐protective measures, and supporting society. Additionally, we conducted a systematic literature review to identify the scientific perspective view (i.e., focusing on the empirical measurements) on prosocial behaviors studied during the pandemic. Although behaviors promoting the welfare of others (e.g., donations) were the most commonly studied in the literature review, participants reported more health‐protective behavior, such as hand‐washing, which was not traditionally considered to be prosocial before the pandemic. The comparison between individuals’ lay and scientific perspectives highlighted some prosocial behaviors that warrant future investigation (e.g., supporting the economy, home office).

A class of free boundary problems describing the local-nonlocal cross-diffusion models with two species in ecology

We study a class of free boundary problems describing the local-nonlocal cross-diffusion models with two species in ecology. The first is a native species with nonlocal cross-diffusion, and the second is an invasion species with local cross-diffusion. Since the local and nonlocal cross-diffusions are taken into account, the models are described by the strongly coupled systems of integral and differential equations. In addition, the position of each free boundary is determined by the Stefan condition. By using the transformations of function and variable, various estimates and contraction mapping theorem, we show the global existence, uniqueness and regularity of solutions for the free boundary problems. Besides, the long time behavior of the solution for a special type of local-nonlocal cross-diffusion competition model is also obtained.

Lower and upper bounds of decay to the d-dimensional magneto-micropolar equations

This paper mainly investigates the large time behavior of the magneto-micropolar equations with zero angular viscosity in Rd (d = 2, 3). The main difficulties lie in the presence of linear curl terms and the lack of micro-rotation velocity dissipation. By utilizing the effect of velocity dissipation and damping term in the equation of micro-rotational velocity, we prove the non-uniform decay and the upper bounds of decay estimates of the global solutions. Furthermore, the lower bounds of decay estimates are shown by making full use of the structure of this system and by introducing a combined quantity. The approach used here can also be applied to derive the lower and upper bounds of decay for the magneto-micropolar equations with full dissipation. We remark that the lower bounds are new even for the fully dissipative system.

Injectable, in-situ forming, tunable, biocompatible gelatin hydrogels for biomedical applications.

Gelatin hydrogels have drawn attention for their diverse biomedical applications due to their flexible physiochemical properties. However, such gelatin hydrogels are made of toxic crosslinkers and photoinitiators, restricting their non-invasive deep tissue application. The in-situ forming chemical crosslinked without such toxic crosslinker and UV light has not been explored under physiological conditions. This study establishes a simple method to fabricate an injectable click-chemistry-based in-situ forming gelatin hydrogel in a physiological environment (without toxic UV or photoinitiator) with tunable physiochemical properties to modulate cellular response. Using Divinyl Sulfone (DVS) modification, gelatin hydrogel (GelVS) is optimized with tunable degradation properties, moduli (100 Pa -1000 Pa), gelation time, swelling, degradation, and viscoelastic behaviour. The in-vitro results using fibroblast and stem cells show that the hydrogel and its precursors were cytocompatible with diverging feedback of cells as the modulus varies. The in-vivo analysis for injectability, degradation, and biocompatibility of the GelVS hydrogel displays their biocompatible nature and lasts up to 30 days at the injecting site. Overall results indicate that DVS-modified GelVS hydrogel will be a great system with tunable physicochemical properties to modulate favorable cellular response for tissue regeneration and non-invasive deep tissue application.

Dynamics of classical solutions of a multi-strain diffusive epidemic model with mass-action transmission mechanism.

We study a diffusive epidemic model and examine the spatial spreading dynamics of a multi-strain infectious disease. In particular, we address the questions of competitive-exclusion or coexistence of the disease's strains. Our results indicate that if one strain has its local reproduction function spatially homogeneous, which either strictly minimizes or maximizes the basic reproduction numbers, then the phenomenon of competitive-exclusion occurs. However, if all the local reproduction functions are spatially heterogeneous, several strains may coexist. In this case, we provide complete information on the large time behavior of classical solutions for the two-strain model when the diffusion rate is uniform within the population and the ratio of the local transmission rates is constant. Particularly, we prove the existence of two critical superimposed functions that serve as threshold values for the ratio of the transmission rates and that of the recovery rates. Furthermore, when the populations' diffusion rates are small, our result on the asymptotic profiles of coexistence endemic equilibria indicate a spatial segregation of infected populations.

An Extreme Radio Fluctuation of Pulsar B1929+10

We report the detection of an extreme flux decrease accompanied by clear dispersion measure (DM) and rotation measure (RM) variations for pulsar B1929+10 during the 110 minute radio observation with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope. The radio flux decreases by 2–3 orders of magnitude within a rapid timescale of about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the variations of DM and RM are approximately 0.05 pc cm−3 and 0.7 rad m−2, respectively. Frequency-dependent analysis of DM indicates an extremely weak chromatic DM feature, which does not notably affect the radiative behavior detected. Moreover, the pulsar timing analysis shows an additional time delay from 100 μs to 400 μs in the event. These results are speculated to be due to the eclipse and bend for the radio emission of pulsar B1929+10 by a highly dense outflow from the pulsar. This not only impacts the intrinsic radio emission feature but also affects the pulsar timing behavior. Nevertheless, a plasma lens effect lasting around 20 minutes could also be responsible for the event.

DESAFIOS DE SEGURANÇA NAS INSTITUIÇÕES FINANCEIRAS DIGITAIS: ATAQUES MALWARE E MECANISMOS DE SEGURANÇA

Financial institutions face increasing challenges related to information security due to the intensification of cyber attacks, particularly threats such as malware and ransomware. This study aims to critically analyze these risks and evaluate the effectiveness of current technological tools and current regulations in preserving the supervision and confidentiality of digital financial systems. To this end, we adopted an exploratory and qualitative approach, based on a comprehensive literature review. Research has revealed that the adoption of artificial intelligence, especially through neural networks and machine learning algorithms, has proven effective in identifying attacks and containing malicious behavior in real time. Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS), combined with multifactor authentication protocols and biometric technologies, have brought benefits to the identity verification and fraud protection process. It is concluded that effectively combating malware attacks requires the adoption of advanced security mechanisms, such as machine learning, multifactor authentication and blockchain, integrated with artificial intelligence. This combination enables rapid detection and response to suspicious behavior, strengthening data protection in digital financial institutions.

Effect of Size-Controlled Nanofluid on Mechanical Properties, Microstructure, and Rheological Behavior of Cement Slurry for Oil Well Cementing.

The optimal design of cement slurry by balancing various cement additives and cement is critical for effective oil well cementation job. However, given adverse circumstances of application, existing additives may not be sufficient to perform suitably in challenging conditions, leading to premature cement hydration, formation of microcracks, and gas channeling pathways. Thus, this study explores the use of a single-step silica nanofluid (NP size: 5-10, 90-100, and 250-300 nm and concentration: 1, 3, and 5 wt %) as an additive and explores its effect on thickening time, fluid loss, and rheological behavior of class G cement slurry at high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) conditions (135 °C and 3625 psi). The improvement in thickening time, fluid loss, and rheology of conventional slurry was greater for low NP size than the nanofluid of high NP size: the nanofluid size, e.g., 5-10 nm, and concentration (1 wt %) were found to accelerate the thickening time by 30-40% while reducing fluid loss from 38 mL (no silica, slurry CS) to 30 mL (with silica, slurry C1). The rheological behavior was studied via shear (viscosity) and dynamic (elastic moduli, G') modes to evaluate the viscosity, hysteresis, and elastic response of slurry with and without nanofluid. The inclusion of nanofluid slightly reduced the slurry viscosity; however, all slurries exhibited shear thinning with superior fitting with the power law model. As compared to slurry CS, hysteresis of slurry C1 was least dependent on shear deformation, and thus, it showed that it almost matched viscosity profiles during loading and unloading cycles. The addition of silica was found to maintain the original properties of cement slurry, establishing that cement had not agglomerated, and no sedimentation was observed even at shear rates of 1000 s-1. The results of this study greatly promote the use of silica nanofluid as an important additive in class G cement for cementation operations, which is unlikely with a two-step nanofluid where nanoparticles are expensive, and upon mixing, they tend to agglomerate and make large size clusters.

Dynamic characteristics of commercial Adaptive Cruise Control across driving situations: Response time, string stability, and asymmetric behavior

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is a popular feature for long-distance highway driving due to its convenience. Research has been conducted on the driving characteristics of commercial ACC vehicles that could impact road capacity and congestion. While response time and string stability are major characteristics, previous studies have often overlooked their variations across driving situations. This study analyzes the dynamic characteristics of commercial ACC, including response time, string stability, and asymmetric behavior across different driving situations. A method is proposed to extract the response time of commercial ACC vehicles during cruising, decelerating, and accelerating situations, using cross-correlation and acceleration threshold methods. Phenomena that influence string stability are categorized based on driving situations focusing on their origin and features. This study identifies patterns in asymmetric behavior and presents a car-following model calibration process that incorporates observed features using the OpenACC dataset. The findings reveal distinct variations in response time across different driving situations, escalating in the sequence of deceleration, cruising, and acceleration. String instability during deceleration is influenced by the vehicle’s response time, while during acceleration, it stems from an expanded gap reduction process. ACC vehicles exhibit asymmetric behavior, with a reduced tolerance for gap changes. The Helly model, which integrates response times, asymmetric behavior, and maximum acceleration, accurately simulates vehicle movement and string instability. The observed variations in response time and asymmetric behavior across driving situations provide an understanding of the traffic hysteresis of commercial ACC vehicles. Furthermore, our analysis suggests that achieving string stability requires diverse approaches for each driving situation.

“Whenever I help her, I am also expecting her vagina in return”: a qualitative analysis to explore men’s and adolescent girls’ perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sexual behaviour and health of adolescent girls in rural western Kenya

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic caused school closures, which intensified the negative sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including increases in transactional sexual partnerships, gender-based violence,...

On the large time behaviour of the solutions of an evolutionary-epidemic system with spatial dispersal.

This paper investigates some properties of the large time behaviour of the solutions of a spatially distributed system of equations modelling the evolutionary epidemiology of a plant-pathogen system. The model takes into account the phenotypic trait and the mutation of the pathogen, which is described by a non-local operator. We roughly speaking prove that the solutions separate the phenotype trait from the spatio-temporal evolution in the large time asymptotic. This feature is obtained by investigating the positive and bounded entire solutions of the problem, that are shown to exhibit such a separation of the variables property, by reformulating them as the positive solutions of suitable integral equations in some ordered Banach space. In addition, some numerical simulations are performed to support our theoretical results.

Angular Bloch oscillations and their applications

Abstract To advance inertial navigation, we present the scheme for a compact quantum sensor which is based on the quantum phenomenon of the angular Bloch oscillations and measuring exclusively the angular acceleration of slow external rotation. We study the dynamics of ultra-cold atoms confined in a toroidal trap with a ring-lattice along the azimuth angle, realized with the superposition of two copropagating Laguerre–Gaussian beams. In the presence of external rotation with a small angular acceleration, or a prescribed linear chirp between the two beams, the measured angular momentum of the trapped atoms exhibits a specific periodic behaviour in time, which we call as the angular Bloch oscillations. This quantum phenomenon is shown to be a key element of fruitful applications for (i) an efficient transfer of quantized angular momentum from the light to the atoms by controlling the chirp, and (ii) the direct determination of the angular acceleration of external rotation by measuring the Bloch period.