Month: August 2024

Use of the CONSIDER statement by eye health researchers when conducting and reporting research involving Indigenous peoples: an online survey

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Abstract

Background

Indigenous peoples experience worse eye health compared to non-Indigenous peoples. Service providers and researchers must avoid perpetuating this inequity. To help achieve this, researchers can use the CONSolIDated critERia for strengthening the reporting of health research involving Indigenous peoples (CONSIDER) statement. This study aimed to identify the degree to which the CONSIDER statement has been used by eye health researchers when conducting and reporting research with an Indigenous component, and how they perceive its relevance in their future research.

Methods

We used purposive sampling to recruit eye health researchers from any country who have undertaken research with an Indigenous component. The online survey collected quantitative and qualitative data and was analysed using descriptive statistics and reflexive thematic analysis. Responses were gathered on a four-point Likert scale (1 to 4), with four being the most positive statement.

Results

Thirty-nine eye health researchers from nine countries completed the survey (Aotearoa New Zealand, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, Peru); almost two-thirds (n = 24) undertake epidemiological research. On average, participants disclosed only ‘sometimes’ previously reporting CONSIDER items (2.26 ± 1.14), but they thought the items were relevant to eye health research and were motivated to use these guidelines in their future research. Some participants requested clarity about how CONSIDER aligned with existing guidelines, and when and how to apply the statement. Others shared rich experiences of the benefits to their research of Indigenous leadership and collaboration.

Conclusions

The CONSIDER statement is perceived as a valuable tool by these eye health researchers, and there are opportunities to maximise uptake and use, including increasing awareness of the statement, clarity about when it applies, and availability of institutional-level support.

Cognitive and affective perspective taking amongst adolescent offenders with variants of callous–unemotional traits

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Abstract

Evidence suggests that associations between antisocial behaviour, callous–unemotional (CU) traits and cognitive empathy (e.g. perspective taking) vary depending on more fine-grained dimensions of these constructs. This study examined associations between adolescent antisocial behaviour and individual differences in cognitive and affective perspective taking ability. Based on current theory regarding distinct variants of CU traits, we further tested whether the correlates of CU traits differed amongst youth with high versus low levels of anxiety. Participants were 130 male adolescents (81 youth offenders; 49 non-offenders) aged 13–20 years, of predominantly Caucasian and Aboriginal Australian ethnicity. Perspective taking skills were indexed using performance-based testing, and self-report data was collected on CU traits and anxiety in a cross-sectional design. Offender status was associated with poorer cognitive and affective perspective taking. In addition, associations between CU traits and perspective taking skills were moderated by anxiety. Specifically, CU traits were associated with poorer skills for second-order cognitive perspective taking amongst high-anxiety youth, whereas CU traits were associated with better cognitive and affective perspective taking skills amongst low-anxiety youth. More fine-grained assessment of such factors stands to enhance understanding of, and effective intervention for, antisocial youth.

Ecological sensitivity and its driving factors in the area along the Sichuan–Tibet Railway

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Abstract

Understanding spatial and temporal characteristics and driving factors of ecological sensitivity are an essential prerequisite for effectively managing environmental changes and steering the rational use of land resources. This study employed the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Coefficient of Variation methods to calculate the weights of ten indicators from 2000 to 2018. Then, spatiotemporal change patterns of ecological sensitivity along the Sichuan–Tibet Railway were analyzed. At the same time, four individual parameters, including soil erosion, land use status, topographic factors, and climate conditions, were evaluated to create a multi-perspective understanding of the entire ecological sensitivity. The key factors affecting ecological sensitivity were explored through a geographic detector model. The results indicate that the ecological sensitivity along the Sichuan–Tibet Railway is predominantly high or moderate, with higher sensitivity observed in the western regions and lower sensitivity in the eastern regions. From 2000 to 2018, the ecological environment showed a trend of deterioration, and the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of the four parameters are closely related to the extensive ecological sensitivity. Based on the GeoDetector results, the spatial distribution of ecological sensitivity is mainly related to digital elevation model, precipitation, and air temperature. The interaction between different factors can enhance the effect on ecological sensitivity. The interaction between precipitation and Vegetation Coverage (FVC) has the largest effect.

Performance ranking of multiple CORDEX-SEA sensitivity experiments: towards an optimum choice of physical schemes for RegCM over Southeast Asia

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Abstract

This study conducted and evaluated 44 experiments using the non-hydrostatic version of the regional climate model RegCM4 (RegCM4-NH) and an additional three experiments with RegCM version 5 (RegCM5) over Southeast Asia for the period 2010–2015. The initiative was part of the coordinated regional climate downscaling experiment—Southeast Asia (CORDEX-SEA) project, in preparation for downscaling the latest coupled model intercomparison project Phase 6 (CMIP6) global climate models (GCMs). The RegCM4-NH experiments, forced by the ERA5 reanalysis, were configured using combinations of four cumulus, three planetary boundary layer (PBL), and three explicit moisture schemes. The spatiotemporal variability of simulated 2 m-temperature and rainfall for 2010–2015 was evaluated against observational datasets. The best experiments demonstrated reasonable reproduction of observed annual cycles and spatial distribution, while many exhibited unrealistic biases. A score ranking system was implemented to objectively compare the performance of experiments, enabling the identification of top-ranked experiments for Southeast Asia. The ensemble mean of the 44 RegCM4-NH experiments exhibited commendable performance, ranking 11th overall. Furthermore, the three additional RegCM5 experiments did not yield improved results compared to RegCM4-NH under the same physical configuration, suggesting that opting for RegCM4-NH would be a prudent choice for the CORDEX-SEA community in the forthcoming CMIP6 downscaling cycle for Southeast Asia.

Population genetics of caribou in the Alaska-Yukon border region: implications for designation of conservation units and small herd persistence

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Abstract

Better knowledge of genetic relationships between the Fortymile caribou herd and its neighbors is needed for conservation decision-making in Canada. Here, we contribute the first fine-scale analysis of genetic population structure in nine contiguous caribou herds at the geographic boundaries between Barren-ground and Northern Mountain caribou, and at the Alaska-Yukon border. Using pairwise differentiation metrics, STRUCTURE, and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) to analyze 15 microsatellite loci in 379 caribou, we found complex patterns of genetic differentiation. The Fortymile was the only herd assigned to more than one genetic cluster, indicative of its history as a larger herd whose range expansions and gene flow to other herds were likely important to maintaining diversity across a functioning genetic metapopulation. Some small herds (Chisana, Klaza, and White Mountains) were genetically distinct, while others (Hart River, Clear Creek, Mentasta) exhibited little differentiation from herds they occasionally overlap, including herds assigned to different conservation units (DUs). This genetic connectivity does not result from demographic connectivity, as episodic contact during rut, rather than herd switching, is the likely mechanism. Unusually, one small herd (White Mountains) maintained genetic differentiation despite rut overlap with Fortymile. Our data reveal that some herds with different ecological and behavioral attributes are demographically independent but nonetheless genetically connected. Thus, we suggest that managing caribou for an appropriate level of genetic connectivity, while also supporting herd persistence, will be essential to conserve caribou genetic diversity in the region.

Hidden Histories of Captive and Enslaved Maya Women in the Indigenous Americas

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Abstract

Few archaeological studies of Pre-Columbian Maya peoples mention enslaved individuals. While ethnohistoric texts attest to the likelihood of Indigenous Maya enslavement practices before the arrival of Spanish conquistadores and friars, archaeologists are reluctant to consider such practices and peoples into interpretative frameworks because of their tremendous ambiguity in the archaeological record. This paper embraces and probes the ambiguity of the archaeological record to interrogate the possibility of hidden histories of captive and enslaved Maya individuals in general and captive and enslaved Maya women in particular during the Classic and Postclassic periods. It argues that such women cannot be found in particular types of artifacts or hieroglyphic texts but at the intersection of names and landscapes.

Tropical mobola plum (Parinari Curatellifolia): a full characterization of wood and bark within the scope of biorefineries

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Abstract

Parinari curatellifolia is the main species used to produce charcoal in Angola. Its chemical, anatomical, and thermal properties were analyzed. The bark is dark grey, rough, and corky, and the wood is brown to yellow-red. Compared to wood, bark fibers presented lower length, lumen, and wall thickness. There is not much difference between height and cell numbers of rays. Sieve tube elements appear solitary or in small groups (2–3 cells), and vessels were of two diameter classes but diffuse-porous. Bark basic density was lower than wood (505 kg.m− 3vs. 580 kg.m− 3). The mean chemical composition from bark vs. wood of P. curatellifolia was ash (3.2% vs. 1.6%), total extractives (12.2% vs. 10.0%), total lignin (42.4% vs. 28.4%), and suberin 5.4%. Families identified by GC-MS from DCM extracts were predominated by fatty acids in wood and triterpenoid contents in bark. Bark and wood had higher antioxidant activity in FRAP and DPPH methods. The bark had a monomeric lignin composition richer in guaiacyl-units (25.9% vs. 22.5%) and lower syringyl-units (5.7% vs. 8.5%). Potassium was the most abundant mineral, while the least was cadmium found in wood and bark. Regarding thermal properties, bark presented higher moisture content (9.0% vs. 8.0%), ash (3.33% vs. 1.61%), total volatiles (27.5% vs. 20.7%), lower fixed carbon (69.1% vs. 77.7%) and higher heating value (20.9 MJ/kg vs. 19.1 MJ/kg). According to these characteristics, both biomasses are interesting for developing more value-added products (e.g., charcoal, bio-chemicals with phytochemistry and pharmacology activities) besides burning under the context of biorefineries.

Complex background segmentation for noncontact cable vibration frequency estimation using semantic segmentation and complexity pursuit algorithm

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Abstract

This paper proposes a new complex background segmentation method based on the modified fully convolutional network semantic segmentation for noncontact cable vibration frequency estimation. The estimation of frequency from video data is challenged by the presence of background object motion, which directly impacts the accuracy of the video-based method. To address this issue, image tests were carried out among the existing model (U2-Net) to explore the effect of the efficient channel attention (ECA) and convolutional block attention module (CBAM) on cable segmentation performance. As a result, a relative optimal model was identified. This modified model was then used to remove the complex background, while retaining the vibration signals specific to the cable. Subsequently, phase matrices encoding cable vibration were calculated using a phase-based motion estimation algorithm at various cable locations. The modal response of the cable vibration was estimated using the complexity pursuit (CP) algorithm from the segmented video. Finally, the vibration frequency of the cable was estimated. The proposed method was validated on a small-scale cable model. The results are in good agreement with the values sampled by the accelerometer, with an average relative error of 4.50%. This estimation shows the significant potential of the proposed method in structural health monitoring.

A three-stage detection algorithm for automatic crack-width identification of fine concrete cracks

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Abstract

Semantic image segmentation is extensively used for automatic concrete crack detection. In previous studies on semantic image segmentation, concrete images were usually labeled as crack and noncrack zones, and recognition models were then trained using artificial neural networks. However, there is not enough edge information in concrete images for the trained model to identify effectively fine concrete cracks (widths < 0.1 mm). Furthermore, complex backgrounds in concrete images can cause false detections. To improve efficiency and reduce false detections, this study develops a three-stage automatic crack-width identification method for fine concrete cracks. First, a full crack skeleton information identification based on image segmentation is proposed. The performance of the mainstream image segmentation architectures, PSP-Net, Seg-Net, U-Net, and Res-Unet, are compared and analyzed, demonstrating that the Res-Unet-based crack skeleton segmentation is the most accurate at fine-crack detection and able to solve the information loss problem that occurs when learning the imbalanced data of fine concrete cracks. Second, a fractal dimension (FD)-based false detection removal process is applied to discriminate true cracks and false detections. The results show that false detections (line-like curves, shadows, and surface stains) can be removed, increasing the matching rate from 0.6476 to 0.8351. Finally, the FD features of the crack skeleton with maximum widths < 0.1 mm, crack widths in the range of 0.1–0.2 mm, and crack widths > 0.2 mm are calculated. Findings illustrate that the values of the FD feature for the three crack-width ranges are suitable for quantitative characterization of identified crack widths.

Symbiosexuality: A Review of Discourses of Attraction to the “Third Force” Created by People in Relationships

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Abstract

Symbiosexuality, the individual experience of attraction to people in relationships, has not been examined as a lived experience. Lack of recognition and examination of symbiosexuality is surprising when one considers studies of romantic and sexual desires and behaviors associated with more than two people. Also evident in the existence of the sexual identity label known as the unicorn and easily found in essays, memoirs, and dating apps, this attraction proves salient. Further, we find evidence of symbiosexuality outside Western discourses on desire and sexuality. Dominant conceptions and assumptions about sexuality and desire including mononormativity, respectability politics within polyamorous communities, and current conceptions of desire within western discourse contribute to symbiosexual invisibility. This invisibility harms several sexual minority groups, especially women and gender minorities within these groups. The purpose of this review is to describe and provide evidence of the phenomenon of symbiosexuality. Through a queer-feminist lens, I argue that recognition of symbiosexuality will fill a knowledge gap in the field of sexuality studies on the nature and shape of human sexual attractions and may be validating and/or empowering to those experiencing these types of attractions.