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With relevant chemical space growing larger and larger by the day, the ability to extend computational tractability over that larger space is of paramount importance in virtually all fields of science. The solution we aim to provide here for this issue is in the form of the generalized many-body expansion for building density matrices (GMBE-DM) based on the set-theoretical derivation with overlapping fragments, through which the energy can be obtained by a single Fock build. In combination with the purification scheme and the truncation at the one-body level, the DM-based GMBE(1)-DM-P approach shows both highly accurate absolute and relative energies for medium-to-large size water clusters with about an order of magnitude better than the corresponding energy-based GMBE(1) scheme. Simultaneously, GMBE(1)-DM-P is about an order of magnitude faster than the previously proposed MBE-DM scheme [F. Ballesteros and K. U. Lao, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 18, 179 (2022)] and is even faster than a supersystem calculation without significant parallelization to rescue the fragmentation method. For even more challenging systems including ion–water and ion–pair clusters, GMBE(1)-DM-P also performs about 3 and 30 times better than the energy-based GMBE(1) approach, respectively. In addition, this work provides the first overlapping fragmentation algorithm with a robust and effective binning scheme implemented internally in a popular quantum chemistry software package. Thus, GMBE(1)-DM-P opens a new door to accurately and efficiently describe noncovalent clusters using quantum mechanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization process that is characterized by radical expansion of urban built up areas and rural urban migration has produced a new type of neighbourhood called Urban Village. In rapidly developing and urbanising countries like India and China, numerous urban villages dot the urban landscape and display typical characteristics of high density housing, migrant settlement, and a deteriorated urban environment. These urban villages are a result of dynamics of land use transformation of agricultural land resulting in an urbanized rural context and population. This research paper discusses some approaches that have been researched to address the sustainable development of urban villages. Sustainable development rests on social, economic and environmental aspects that have been largely ignored in urban planning policies. This research paper compiles the attempt to apply the principles of sustainable development through a multidisciplinary perspective in an undergraduate studio of urban design. The students documented and analysed an urban village, Alipur on Gurgaon Sohna Road in Haryana, through the lens of sustainable development. The proposed interventions pose solutions grounded in social, economic and environmental aspects. This perhaps is an indication that addressing the interconnected layers and issues could generate guidelines for steering urban village towards sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to raise awareness of how design methods can significantly influence the visual perception and contextual relationship of contemporary extensions and historical buildings. This study focuses on assessing the design elements that affect visual perception and contextual relationship in 15 contemporary extensions designed by different architects. First, the authors reviewed the literature on restoration, conservation and contemporary extensions, and then generated a questionnaire. The authors surveyed 223 respondents. A mixed qualitative and quantitative evaluation model was established. SPSS was used to evaluate and analyze the 15 selected contemporary extensions and 223 survey samples. The results indicated that contemporary extensions are considered successful when designed using a method compatible with the historical buildings in congruence with related literature and hypothesis. For the buildings examined within this research, no examples were found that copied historical buildings within the scope of visual perception. Despite rich variety, contemporary extensions have been rarely investigated within the scope of visual perception and context relationship. This paper is among the few works that investigate contemporary extensions using approaches of visual perception and context relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cluster expansion (CE) provides a general framework for first-principles-based theoretical modeling of multicomponent materials with configurational disorder, which has achieved remarkable success in the theoretical study of a variety of material properties and systems of different nature. On the other hand, there remains a lack of consensus regarding what is the optimal strategy to build CE models efficiently that can deliver accurate and robust prediction for both ground state energetic properties and statistical thermodynamic properties at finite temperature. There have been continuous efforts to develop more effective approaches to CE model building, which are further promoted by recent tremendous interest of applying machine learning techniques in materials research. In this Perspective, we present a critical review of recent methodological developments in building CE models for multicomponent materials, with particular focus on different approaches and strategies proposed to address cluster selection and training data generation. We comment on the pros and cons of different methods in a general formalism and present some personal views on the prospects of theoretical approaches to multicomponent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sorbicillinoid family is a large class of natural products known for their structural variety and strong, diverse biological activities. A special member of this family, sorbicillactone A, the first nitrogen-containing sorbicillinoid, exhibits potent anti-leukemic and anti-HIV activities and possesses a unique structure formed from sorbicillinol, alanine, and fumaric acid building blocks. To facilitate in-depth biological and structure-activity relationship studies of this promising natural product, we developed a chemoenzymatic approach that provides access to sorbicillactone A and several analogs with excellent yields under precise stereochemical control. The key steps of the highly convergent, stereoselective, and short route are the enantioselective oxidative dearomatization of sorbillin to sorbicillinol catalyzed by the enzyme SorbC and the subsequent Michael addition of a fumarylazlactone building block. Additionally, our synthetic findings and bioinformatic analysis suggest that sorbicillactone A is biosynthetically formed analogously. Sorbicillactone A is a nitrogen-containing sorbicillinoid that displays various bioactivities, identified from a sponge-derived Penicillium chrysogenum strain. The first and so far obly total synthesis of sorbicillactone A led to the racemate in 12 linear steps and a 0.13% overall yield. Here, the authors develop a chemoenzymatic stereoselective total synthesis of sorbicillactone A in 4 steps and 11% yield by using the enzyme SorbC for the enantioselective oxidative dearomatization of sorbillin to sorbicillinol followed by addition of an azlactone unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates diverse classes of multidimensional Weyl and Doss ρ -almost periodic functions in a general measure setting. This study establishes the fundamental structural properties of these generalized ρ -almost periodic functions, extending previous classes such as m-almost periodic and (equi-)Weyl-p-almost periodic functions. Notably, a new class of (equi-)Weyl-p-almost periodic functions is introduced, where the exponent p > 0 is general. This paper delves into the abstract Volterra integro-differential inclusions, showcasing the practical implications of the derived results. This work builds upon the extensions made in the realm of Levitan N-almost periodic functions, contributing to the broader understanding of mathematical functions in diverse measure spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most building materials exhibit hygroscopic behavior, wherein they absorb or release moisture from the surrounding environment until equilibrium is reached. This behavior can lead to expansion and shrinkage of the building materials, posing a risk of cracking mortar structures at an early stage. This research aims to enhance our understanding and control of the hydrothermal behavior of mortar by incorporating sorption phenomena and intrinsic its characteristics. The goal is to predict the behavior of mortar structures in relation to environmental factors and minimize the occurrence of cracks and ruptures. The hygroscopic behavior can be characterized by sorption isotherms, which describe the moisture adsorption and desorption over a relative humidity range of 0% to 95%. Experimental data obtained through the standard static gravimetric method were successfully utilized to determine the hygroscopic properties of mortar cement. The results demonstrated that the sorption behavior of mortar can be estimated based on its specific area, enabling prediction of the sorption behavior of the studied building material. The spreading pressure and average pore radius of mortar increase with rising relative humidity at a given temperature, resulting in surface shrinkage. Moreover, the increase in average pore volume in high relative humidity areas leads to various pathologies in building materials, particularly affecting their durability. The numerical values of the mean pore radius for mortar cement align with the experimental results, indicating an exponential relationship between the average pore radius and the relative humidity in the range of 1% to 90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the expansion of urban buildings has caused buildings and road surfaces to absorb large amounts of heat energy during the summer, exacerbating the heat island effect. The application of thermoelectric cement matrix composites can convert the surface heat energy of roads and buildings into electrical energy. The performance enhancement for thermoelectric cementitious composites is shown by the addition of carbon materials and metal oxides, and great research progress has been made. The current research on metal oxides as functional fillers is mostly for monomeric metal oxides and less for binary metal oxides. In this study, (Ca 0.87 Ag 0.1 La 0.03) 3 Co 4 O 9 was produced by co-precipitation, and a strategy to enhance the thermoelectric characteristics of thermoelectric cement matrix composites was suggested. To reduce surface defects, this approach involved pretreating the (Ca0.87Ag0.1La0.03)3Co4O9 with hydrochloric acid. Using acid etching to transform the metal oxides' morphology from granular to layered, the interface was expanded, improving carrier scattering and, in turn, the Seebeck coefficient. The thermoelectric characteristics of cement substrates with low content, acid-treated (Ca 0.87 Ag 0.1 La 0.03) 3 Co 4 O 9 , and a fixed mass fraction of expanded graphite were compared to a control group without acid treatment. The results showed that the method resulted in an increase of the Seebeck coefficient to −100.5 μV/°C and the introduction of nano-silver inclusions caused an increase of the conductivity to 13.5S/cm. The improvement of the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity has increased the power factor to 13.8μWm−1K−2. This study proposes a method to improve the thermoelectric properties of cement matrix composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has proposed a new five‐dimensional financial inclusion index (FII) incorporating important indicators of digital financial services and insurance services to evaluate the scenario of financial inclusion across 136 countries for the year 2017. Here, dimensions have been created depending upon the characteristics of variables. To carry out the analysis, we have used the two‐stage principal component method. First, all five dimension indices (geographic outreach, demographic outreach, access, usage population, and usage volume) have been constructed, and then finally, the composite FII has been computed. One important addition in building this index is the inclusion of insurance‐related and digital finance‐related variables, which have not been included in previous cross‐country studies. Another contribution of this study is the identification of the dimension(s) that ultimately have the greatest influence on the financial inclusion score. We discovered that dimensions (access and usage population) constructed based on demand‐side factors dominate the level of financial inclusion. Therefore, top‐ranking countries in the access and usage population index are more likely to score higher than others in the FII. This underlines the relevance of demand‐side factors as indicators of financial inclusion over supply‐side factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertical extensions of existing buildings can be realized through Intermediate Isolation System (IIS): the extension, equipped with a base isolation system on the rooftop of the existing building, can work as a mass damper, thus reducing the seismic demand on the old structure. The idea proposed in this paper is to predict the elastic or inelastic response of the existing structure in the IIS configuration by means of the results of simple linear analyses. Parametric response spectrum analyses are performed on simplified two degree‐of‐freedom models by varying the mass ratio and the periods of both the existing building and the new isolated vertical extension. So‐called IIS design spectra are derived, and the results are provided as design charts. Given the period of the existing building and the mass ratio, the period of the new isolated vertical extension is selected to obtain the required/desired response of the existing building. For existing buildings working in the elastic field, the designer can derive the response of the existing building by utilizing the IIS design spectra as design charts. For existing building working in the inelastic field, the design charts can still be adopted, though within a more complex procedure, which accounts for two limit behaviors that the extended building exhibits in the inelastic field. The outlined design procedure is applied to some case studies and validated through the comparison with the results of nonlinear time history analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augmented reality (AR) technology has emerged as a promising solution that can potentially reduce head-down time and increase situational awareness during navigation operations. It is also useful for remote operation centers where video feeds from remote ships can be "augmented" with data and information. In this article, we introduce a user interface design concept that supports ship navigation by showing data about points of interest in AR. This approach enables users to view and interact with relevant data in the maritime environment by bridging the gap between digital information and real-world features. The proposed concept can provide operational data from various maritime systems, such as radar, GPS, AIS, or camera systems, empowering users with a wealth of information about their surroundings. Developed through an iterative user-centered design process, it was built as an extension to the OpenBridge design system, an open-source platform facilitating consistent design in maritime workplaces. Furthermore, we use this concept to propose a design framework that paves the way for establishing new standards for AR user interface design in the maritime domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning practice is confronted with seemingly contradictory challenges, such as the qualitative and quantitative provision of housing paired with reducing land consumption. To address this apparent dilemma, legislators are increasingly relying on densification. However, a fundamental prerequisite (and often a significant challenge) for this is the availability of the land required. Recent planning law reforms in Germany and Switzerland aim to increase the effectiveness and speed at which land is made available for inner development, thus meeting the seemingly conflicting planning policy goals. This paper compares recent legislative efforts in Germany and Switzerland using the comparative law method. The German Building Land Mobilization Act includes amendments to the Building Code (Baugesetzbuch) and the Building Use Ordinance (Baunutzungsverordnung), intended to enable faster activation of building land and the creation of more affordable housing. To this end, the amendment expands existing instruments for the activation of building land and introduces simplifications to the planning law. In Switzerland, the Spatial Planning Act has been partially revised to achieve inner urban development through precise regulations on the expansion of building zones and instruments to ensure the implementation of zoning plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher-order theories of gravity are extensions to general relativity (GR) motivated mainly by high-energy physics searching for GR ultraviolet completeness. They are characterized by the inclusion of correction terms in the Einstein–Hilbert action that leads to higher-order field equations. In this paper, we propose investigating inflation due to the GR extension built with all correction terms up to the second-order involving only the scalar curvature R, namely, R 2 , R 3 , R □ R . We investigate inflation within the Friedmann cosmological background, where we study the phase space of the model, as well as explore inflation in slow-roll leading-order. Furthermore, we describe the evolution of scalar perturbations and properly establish the curvature perturbation. Finally, we confront the proposed model with recent observations from Planck, BICEP3/Keck, and BAO data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a heterocyclic merging approach to construct novel indazolo‐piperazines and indazolo‐morpholines. Starting from chiral diamines and amino alcohols, novel regiochemically (1,3 and 1,4) and stereochemically diverse (relative and absolute) cohorts of indazolo‐piperazines and indazolo‐morpholines were obtained within six or seven steps. The key transformations involved are a Smiles rearrangement to generate the indazole core structure and a late‐stage Michael addition to build the piperazine and morpholine heterocycles. We further explored additional vector diversity by incorporating substitutions on the indazole aromatic ring, generating a total of 20 unique, enantiomerically pure heterocyclic scaffolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have been conducted to expand the application of coal and coal by-products to building materials and other commodities. Researchers have presented the development of char brick from coal and coal by-products, but the methodology presented is time consuming, expensive, and not feasible. This study presents the development of char bricks from coal-derived pyrolyzed char and fly ash (FA) using the traditional mixing method, which is effective, economical, and less time consuming. This work considered different curing conditions to understand the mechanism of interaction of the char with the FA. The properties of the char brick are quantified using different methods such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity. The outcome of this study shows that the compressive strength of char brick exceeds the minimum 14 MPa for buildings with the addition of FA, a higher thermal insulation to improve the building energy efficiency, and a lower bulk density to reduce overall building loads and construction costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The salt interpretation can be quite time‐intensive and challenging. Full‐waveform inversion, as a data‐driven optimization algorithm with full wavefield modelling, has become one of the essential tools for earth model building. However, full‐waveform inversion application in the complex salt geology, especially with streamer data collection, is limited, whereas the ocean‐bottom node with ultra‐long offsets and low frequencies unleashes the power of full‐waveform inversion. Sparse ocean‐bottom node acquisition has become a standard approach to improve the earth model building by the addition of ultra‐long offsets and possibly low frequencies. The new survey designs with ocean‐bottom node coupled with simultaneous shooting can be deployed on a regional basis covering thousands of square kilometres in a cost‐effective manner. In complex geological settings, including irregular salt geometry, salt interpretation has a direct impact on subsalt imaging. The recent development of robust objective functions allows full‐waveform inversion work with sparse ocean‐bottom node surveys in the deep‐water environment as the Gulf of Mexico to build and refine the salt geometries and correct the background velocity error in subsalt, uncovering the structural configuration of the basin that has not been seen before. Although full‐waveform inversion mostly employs the acoustic wave equation, we know that the high velocity boundaries in the earth model may require elastic wavefield propagation. Increased physics in full‐waveform inversion allows us to interrogate the power of elastic full‐waveform inversion versus acoustic full‐waveform inversion, and here, we demonstrate that elastic full‐waveform inversion has an advantage over acoustic full‐waveform inversion despite the extra cost associated with implementing the more complete physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Nitrogen enrichment and biodiversity affects the stoichiometry of plants, soils, and soil microbes. However, combined effects of nitrogen addition and biodiversity on interactions among the stoichiometry of plants, soils, and soil microbes (stoichiometric networks, PSMNs) have largely been overlooked, even though PSMNs are likely critical predictors of ecosystem structure and functions. Methods: To quantify effects of nitrogen addition and plant species richness on stoichiometric relations among plants, soils, and soil microbes, a common garden experiment with two nitrogen addition levels (0 and 6 g N m− 2 year− 1) and four plant species richness levels (1, 2, 4, and 8 species) was conducted in which those driving factors were manipulated. Results: Nitrogen addition had minor effects on most stoichiometries of plant–soil–microbes, but plant species richness showed significant association with most stoichiometries. With nitrogen addition, increases in soil ammonium nitrogen led to a decrease in PSMNs connectivity but an increase in modularity. Plant species richness was negatively associated with network connectivity but positively correlated with modular complexity because of changes in soil nutrient availability and increased niche differentiation. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate mechanistic links of biodiversity with the stoichiometry of plant–soil–microbes and stoichiometric networks, suggesting that biodiversity loss and resources decrease under global changes may enable a looser complexity in whole ecosystem element structure as indicated by the stoichiometric network architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the poor flow pattern such as bias flow and vortex in the inlet building of the expansion pump station project, the method of arranging diversion piers is adopted to optimize the flow pattern in the project, but its structural parameters are usually adjusted according to experience, which cannot easily achieve the optimal effect.In order to determine the optimal structural opening parameters of the diversion pier, this study uses the opening length, width, height and spacing of the diversion pier as design variables. The test scheme is designed based on the central composite design method. The axial velocity uniformity is used as the evaluation index. The response surface model is constructed for optimization analysis, and the optimal parameter combination for the opening of the diversion pier is determined. Numerical simulation is carried out under the optimal parameter combination. It is found that the error between the actual value and the predicted value of the response surface model is only 0.33%, and the axial velocity uniformity increases by 11.17% compared with the original scheme, which has significantly improved the flow pattern of the forebay. The results indicate that the established response surface model can reflect the relationship between the evaluation index and the design variables, and the method can be applied to the structural parameter optimization of the rectification measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of highly predictive analysis for designing cementitious composite with improved thermal and hygroscopic performance for building and construction poses a significant challenge. To investigate new potential applications, cement pastes have been prepared using a cement, sand, and crystallization admixture, with highly hygroscopic polymer additions (SA-PA) of sodium polyacrylate and/or recycled polyamide fibers. The porosity evolution was investigated at different curing stages and after heat treatment at 200 °C, the temperature at which the paste dehydrates quickly without structural changes. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic shear tests, thermal conductivity, and diffusivity measurements were carried out on the cement pastes to assess their microstructure. The behavior of the cement pastes varied with polymer additions and thermal treatments; ka−0.5 must be maximized in heat storage applications, where a and k are thermal diffusivity and conductivity, respectively. In contrast, the product a0.5k−1 must be maximized in energy-efficient insulation. Cement pastes with SA-PA exhibited the highest values of both 9.191 102 m−2 K−1 s0.5 W and 1.088 10−3 m2 K s−0.5 W−1, respectively. After the thermal treatment at 200 °C, SA-PA samples maintained the highest heat-storing performance of 6.258 102 m−2 K−1 s0.5 W, while the samples with SA-PA and polyamide fibers performed better in energy-efficient insulation, demonstrating performance of 2.552 10−3 m2 K s−0.5 W−1. These results, discussed in terms of pore size distribution, suggest potential applications in the building field and are valuable for designing plaster and concrete for applications such as thermal and hygroscopic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the construction domain, there is a growing emphasis on sustainability, resource efficiency, and energy optimisation. Light-gauge steel panels (LGSPs) stand out for their inherent advantages including lightweight construction and energy efficiency. However, the effective management of thermal efficiency, particularly addressing thermal bridges, is crucial. This paper conducts a detailed numerical investigation into the thermal performance of LGSPs, examining varied insulation ratios. Thermal finite element (FE) models were initially developed using the THERM software and validated against code predictions and results available in the literature. A comprehensive parametric study explored different insulation ratios, insulation materials, and wall thicknesses, discovering their impact on thermal transmittance (U-value). Key findings revealed that U-value correlated with insulation material conductivity, with E-PLA insulation exhibiting the lowest values, and increasing wall thickness resulted in decreased U-values. It was found that a strategic use of insulation yielded a U-value reduction of over 65%. New simplified design approaches were developed, featuring insulation ratios linked to accurate U-value predictions for LGSP configurations. The new design approaches were found to provide more accurate and consistent U-value predictions. Moreover, optimum insulation ratios for new builds and existing building extensions were found to be around 0.9 and 0.7 for 275 mm and 325 mm thick walls, respectively. These proposed energy-efficient solutions, facilitated through advanced design, are well-aligned with net-zero construction objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the historical development of the vertical extensions of unreinforced masonry buildings in the Eixample district of Barcelona and their impact on the seismic behaviour. Existing masonry buildings of Eixample present significant seismic risk because, despite the low to moderate seismic hazard of Barcelona, they show a marked vulnerability given their average height of six storeys and the substantial slenderness of the walls. Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the vertical extensions, known as remuntes in Catalan, were a common solution to the increasing demographic demand of the city. In their majority, these vertical extensions add a structural irregularity that represents a potential vulnerability factor not yet investigated. The present study focuses on Eixample's remuntes, including their historical development, the description of their structural features, and the identification of their most representative configurations in the existing building stock. A seismic analysis based on the Finite Element Method is presented on a reference model without extensions and three others with the most recurrent configurations of remuntes. The seismic response is investigated through pushover analysis. The results provide a better understanding of the negative impact of the vertical extensions on the seismic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Given rapid global urban development, increases to impervious surfaces, urban population growth, building construction, and energy consumption result in the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon. However, the spatial extent of UHIs is not clearly mapped in many UHI studies based on a remote sensing approach. Therefore, we developed a method to extract the spatial extent of the UHI during the period from 2000 to 2021 in Nanjing, China, and explored the impact of urban two- and three-dimensional expansion on UHI spatial extent and UHI intensity. After cropland effects (i.e., bare soil) were eliminated, our proposed method combines the Getis-Ord-Gi* and the standard deviation of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI STD) to extract the UHI area from Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 images using land surface temperature (LST) spatial autocorrelation characteristics and the seasonal variation of vegetation. Our results show the following: (1) Bare farmland has a large influence on the extraction results of UHI—combined with the seasonal variation characteristics of NDVI STD, the impact of bare soil on UHI extraction was highly reduced, strongly improving the accuracy of UHI extraction. (2) The dynamics of the UHI area are consistent with the changes in the built-up area in Nanjing at both spatial and temporal scales, but with the increase of the urban green ratio, the UHI area of mature urban areas trends to decrease due to the cooling effect of green space. (3) The accumulation of population and GDP promote the vertical expansion of urban buildings. When the two-dimensional expansion of the city reaches saturation, the UHI intensity is primarily affected by three-dimensional urban expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease is an incurable disorder that accounts for up to 70% of all dementia cases. While the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia has increased by more than 160% in the last 30 years, the rates of undetected cases remain critically high. The present work aims to address the underdetection of Alzheimer's disease by proposing four logistic regression models that can be used as a foundation for community-based screening tools that do not require the participation of medical professionals. Our models make use of individual clock drawing errors as well as complementary patient data that is highly available and easily collectible. All models were controlled for age, education, and gender. The discriminative ability of the models was evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, and calibration plots were used to assess calibration. Finally, decision curve analysis was used to quantify clinical utility. We found that among 10 possible CDT errors, only 3 were informative for the detection of Alzheimer's disease. Our base regression model, containing only control variables and clock drawing errors, produced an AUC of 0.825. The other three models were built as extensions of the base model with the step-wise addition of three groups of complementary data, namely cognitive features (semantic fluency score), genetic predisposition (family history of dementia), and cardio-vascular features (BMI, blood pressure). The addition of verbal fluency scores significantly improved the AUC compared to the base model (0.91 AUC). However, further additions did not make a notable difference in discriminatory power. All models showed good calibration. In terms of clinical utility, the derived models scored similarly and greatly outperformed the base model. Our results suggest that the combination of clock symmetry and clock time errors plus verbal fluency scores may be a suitable candidate for developing accessible screening tools for Alzheimer's disease. However, future work should validate our findings in larger and more diverse datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth models approach (GMA) has become increasingly prominent in Comparative Political Economy over the last years. While it has originally been developed for advanced economies, there is a growing number of applications for developing countries. This raises the question of how readily transferable the GMA concepts are to the peripheral capitalist experience. This paper explores the analytical building blocks for an extension of the GMA to developing economies from post-Keynesian-structuralist perspective. It argues that in a developing country context supply-side considerations will be more important and build on structuralist theory to understand the 'real' constraints in the developing countries' growth process. It uses Minskyan theory to understand how currency hierarchy creates financial causes for international economic stratification. As a consequence, the role of the state is more crucial than in advanced economies, but at the same time states are more vulnerable. This paper concludes by reflecting on the key concepts of GMA, finance-led, export-led and state-led growth in the light of developing economies and identifying neoliberal as well developmentalist versions of these. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Instituto de Botánica Darwinion (CONICET and ANCEFyN) was founded by the end of 1910 in the San Martín district by Cristóbal María Hicken as his private botanical research laboratory. Its name honors Charles Darwin for his brilliant theory of biological evolution. In 1924, Cristóbal M. Hicken made public his desire to bequeath the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion to the National State, a fact that only materialized in 1934. But in the early '30s, he decided to move the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion to a new building located in the San Isidro district, built especially to contain the institute and also his retirement home. After 87 years of existence and five building extensions, the historic building of the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion of San Isidro maintains its integrity and attracts the attention of both the public and architecture and design professionals. Based on the study of building characteristics and the thought of Cristóbal M. Hicken, the main objective of this work is to evaluate whether the external and internal structure of the historic Darwinion building in San Isidro, together with the ornamentation and distribution of original functions of each room, respond only to an aesthetic and functional design or if, in addition, they have a symbolic meaning, a vision of the world, a silent message for those who want (and know how) to understand. With this central purpose as a guide, we carried out a multidisciplinary investigation to reconstruct Cristóbal M. Hicken's vision in the design of the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion of San Isidro. We started from the analysis of the original building in the San Martín district in search of any possible design background, to then focus the attention entirely on the building in San Isidro. Plans, public documents, correspondence, historical photographs, academic and dissemination articles of the time, pre-Hispanic South American ethnographic information, Argentine historical information between 1860 and 1930, and interviews with relatives and historians were studied. In short, the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion in San Isidro was created as a museum and a laboratory plus a home. The design of the museum agrees with the concept of "temple of Botany" manifested by Cristóbal M. Hicken himself, and whose first sign is observed in the etymology of the name of the institute. Its ornamentation is eclectic, since it combines symbols of Andean pre-Hispanic cultures with symbols of Western civilization, and it is structured according to each room (portal, front rooms, herbarium, library) and orientation (towards the street or towards the inner garden). This ornamentation works like a discourse in symbolic key with multiple messages for the visitor: it reflects an original, foundational, and ancient Argentine identity, which in turn communicates that the Darwinion is a place where a silent and fertile unveiling of the knowledge, of the secrets of evolution, takes place protected from evils and misfortunes by Nature itself. The design plan of the institute, the portal, the access terrace, and the internal garden convey desirable masonic values through the symbolic language, typical and traditional of Freemasonry. Likewise, we show evidence of Dr. Cristóbal M. Hicken's great interest in Andean pre-Hispanic cultures, of his refined knowledge of Greco-Roman mythology, his belonging to Argentine Freemasonry and consequent ability to symbolic language, and his knowledge of construction, cosmology, and analytic geometry. For these reasons, and considering his participation in the supervision of the building work declared by the newspapers of his time, the probable direct intervention of Cristóbal M. Hicken is proposed both in the design of the building of the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion of San Isidro, as well as in the design of its ornamentation. In addition, evidence is provided of the possible intervention of Arturo Prins and Fernando de Estrada in the project of the building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cement mortars are commonly used in building works for the execution of enclosures and exterior rehabilitation of facades. The incorporation of plant-based additives enables the development of ecofriendly construction materials. In this work, a physical and mechanical characterisation of cement mortars with the incorporation of hemp in three morphologies (fibre, powder and pellet) was conducted. The results show how the additions of hemp powder and pellets with a partial replacement of natural aggregate reduce the final density of cement mortars and their thermal conductivity by more than 16% and 19%, respectively. On the other hand, the addition of hemp fibres reduces shrinkage during the setting of cement mortars, improving their flexural strength and increasing their durability. For this reason, it is possible to recommend the use of these mortars with the addition of natural hemp fibres without prior surface treatment to improve the physical-mechanical properties of these construction materials and extend their application field as ecofriendly materials for masonry work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]