bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Injection‐compression molding process on optical quality optimization of plastic lens array
Authors: Lin Chao‐Ming , Lin Yuan‐Qing
Published: August 2023

Plastic lens arrays (PLAs) have the advantages of a light weight and a compact size. However, their optical performance is often degraded by warpage, caused by the accumulation of residual stress during the injection molding process. Accordingly, the present study employs mold flow analysis simulations and a Taguchi‐Gray relational analysis (GRA) framework to optimize the processing parameters of the injection compression molding (ICM) process. The analyses focus specifically on the effects of the mold temperature, melt temperature, injection velocity, packing pressure, packing time, and compression gap on the optical path difference (OPD) and lens center displacement (LCD) of the fabricated lens array. The results confirm that the optimized processing parameters significantly improve the OPD, LCD, birefringence, and imaging properties of the PLA compared to those of a PLA fabricated using standard molding conditions.
Prevalence of suspected autism spectrum disorder and attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder in a Japanese clinical sample with gambling disorder: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: So Ryuhei , Sato Yoshitaka , Hashimoto Nozomu , Furukawa Toshi A.
Published: August 2023

Aim

Studies show gambling disorders are associated with attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The association between gambling disorders and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has not been well studied, although ASD is often comorbid with ADHD and is associated with gaming disorder. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of ASD and ADHD traits comorbid with gambling disorders and to examine the relationships between these traits and gambling problems in a clinical population.

Methods

This single‐site cross‐sectional study was conducted at a Japanese addiction outpatient clinic treating gambling disorders. The Autism‐Spectrum Quotient (AQ) test and the Adult ADHD Self‐Report Scale (ASRS) were used to screen ASD and ADHD. The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) was used to assess the severity of the gambling problems. We calculated the prevalence of suspected ASD and ADHD with 95% confidence intervals (CI) based on a binomial distribution and performed univariate analyses to examine the relationships between the AQ and ASRS scores and the total PGSI score.

Results

We included 97 of 197 potential participants. After screening the participants using the AQ and ASRS, we found that the prevalence of ASD traits was 29.8% (95% CI: 21.0%–40.2%), while the prevalence of ADHD traits was 26.0% (95% CI: 17.9%–36.2%). Univariate regression analyses revealed that the total AQ score was inversely associated with the total PGSI score. However, the total ASRS score and some ASRS subscores were positively associated with the total PGSI score.

Conclusion

ASD and ADHD may be prevalent among patients with gambling disorders in clinical settings.
Flexural property characterization and structure analysis of graphene‐reinforced polyphenylene sulfide prepared via low‐cost pellet‐based material extrusion additive manufacturing
Authors: Wang Zhaogui , Xu Pengbo , Zhou Kexuan , Bi Chengping , Sun Ji'an
Published: August 2023

This paper proposed a low‐cost and high‐efficient method incorporating the graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) into polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) as the feedstock of the pellet‐based material extrusion additive manufacturing (pMEAM). GNP/PPS particles with varying mass fractions are pre‐mixed by a mechanical mixer and then directly processed through a low‐cost screw‐based pMEAM system. The mechanical flexural properties of the samples are measured. The differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis are performed to explore the thermal‐related behavior of the samples. The optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy are used for the characterization of the microstructures of the samples. The results indicate that the addition of GNP enhances the mechanical properties and thermal stability of PPS and GNP/PPS composites. Specifically, the flexural strength and modulus of the 0.05 wt.% GNP/PPS composite material increased by 21.7% and 17.5%, respectively. Nevertheless, an excessive amount of GNP can lead to decreased bending strength and other unstable mechanical properties. Microstructures of the prepared samples show that an increased fraction of graphene nanofillers reduces the hardness of the composites. Overall, the GNP/PPS prepared via our low‐cost pMEAM method exhibits a promising mechanical performance and can be further applied to large‐scale engineering applications for rapid productions.

Highlights

A low‐cost and efficient method is employed to rapidly prototype GNP/PPS composites, employing a combination of pellet‐based material extrusion additive manufacturing and high‐speed mechanical mixing.

The mechanical and thermal properties of the GNP/PPS composites are notably improved by the addition of GNP fillers, resulting in increased flexural strength and stiffness, and higher material crystallinity.

Micro‐ and meso‐structural analysis reveals the uniform dispersion of graphene fillers in the interlayers, which potentially contributes to the improved mechanical properties, despite the presence of inherent micro‐voids.

Owing to the extensive functionalities of GNP, the proposed method offers a promising and viable alternative for the rapid fabrication of industrial parts and tooling on a large scale.
A review of three commonly used brief dyslexia rating scales
Authors: Storie Michelle S. , Joseph Laurice M. , Gillespie Theresa , McDougal James
Published: August 2023

The use of brief dyslexia rating scales is increasing given current dyslexia legislation efforts across the United States. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the historical context of the use of brief dyslexia rating scales, strengths, and limitations of using these measures, criteria for selecting these measures, and a review of three commonly used brief dyslexia rating scales in the United States. A discussion of how brief dyslexia rating scales can be used in conjunction with other forms of assessment is also provided. Implications for practice on using brief dyslexia rating scales are addressed in the context of both assessment and intervention.
Transcriptional analysis in multiple barley varieties identifies signatures of waterlogging response
Authors: Miricescu Alexandra , Brazel Ailbhe Jane , Beegan Joseph , Wellmer Frank , Graciet Emmanuelle
Published: August 2023

Waterlogging leads to major crop losses globally, particularly for waterlogging‐sensitive crops such as barley. Waterlogging reduces oxygen availability and results in additional stresses, leading to the activation of hypoxia and stress response pathways that promote plant survival. Although certain barley varieties have been shown to be more tolerant to waterlogging than others and some tolerance‐related quantitative trait loci have been identified, the molecular mechanisms underlying this trait are mostly unknown. Transcriptomics approaches can provide very valuable information for our understanding of waterlogging tolerance. Here, we surveyed 21 barley varieties for the differential transcriptional activation of conserved hypoxia‐response genes under waterlogging and selected five varieties with different levels of induction of core hypoxia‐response genes. We further characterized their phenotypic response to waterlogging in terms of shoot and root traits. RNA sequencing to evaluate the genome‐wide transcriptional responses to waterlogging of these selected varieties led to the identification of a set of 98 waterlogging‐response genes common to the different datasets. Many of these genes are orthologs of the so‐called “core hypoxia response genes,” thus highlighting the conservation of plant responses to waterlogging. Hierarchical clustering analysis also identified groups of genes with intrinsic differential expression between varieties prior to waterlogging stress. These genes could constitute interesting candidates to study “predisposition” to waterlogging tolerance or sensitivity in barley.
The News Media Bargaining Code: Impacts on Australian journalism one year on
Authors: Bossio Diana , Barnet Belinda
Published: August 2023

The Australian News Media Bargaining Code (NMBC) is the first successful legislative attempt to compel digital platforms to pay news media organisations for third party news content. This paper focuses on the NMBC after its first year to explore whether the Code was successful in meeting one of its publicly stated purposes; supporting public interest journalism. We argue that the Code delivered outcomes that met the ACCC's policy objectives around an industry power imbalance, but there are several issues that remain unaddressed. Using semi‐structured interviews from Australian news media executives involved in negotiations with Meta and Google during the initial implementation of the Code, we explore: (a) how news organisations used financial compensation provided by agreements under the Code, (b) how individual organisational priorities were framed and articulated, and (c) whether these actions have supported public interest journalism in Australia. Our findings indicate that many of issues with the Code have emerged mostly from the unintended impacts of the Code, including: lack of designation of platforms within the legislation, the registration criteria for news outlets eligible to enter negotiation, and the definition of stakeholder relationships within the legislation.
Is digital intervention for fear of cancer recurrence beneficial to cancer patients?: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Kang Namgu , Yu Eun‐Seung
Published: August 2023

Objective

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of digital and face‐to‐face interventions in reducing fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) among individuals with cancer.

Methods

This study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for evaluating the efficacy of psychological interventions for FCR published between July 2018 and December 2021. We searched for research papers using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane and assessed their quality using the Revised Cochrane risk‐of‐bias tool for randomized trials.

Results

Of the 2113 identified studies, we analyzed 17 samples (N = 1482) from 14 studies, of which 13 were RCTs. The overall sample showed a moderate effect size (Hedges' g = 0.607; 0.356 to 0.858; p < 0.001; I2 = 81.29%) in FCR reduction. The overall effect size was 0.621 (95% CI, 0.276 to 0.966; p < 0.001; I2 = 81.78%) for face‐to‐face interventions and 0.517 (95% CI, 0.093 to 0.941; p = 0.017; I2 = 83.19%) for digital interventions. The difference between the two effect sizes was not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Our meta‐analysis suggests that digital interventions are moderately effective in reducing FCR, similar to face‐to‐face interventions. However, given the high degree of heterogeneity, this conclusion should be interpreted with caution. Further studies are required to identify the most effective digital interventions and the populations that may benefit from them.
Pathogenic mutation hotspots in protein kinase domain structure
Authors: Medvedev Kirill E. , Schaeffer R. Dustin , Pei Jimin , Grishin Nick V.
Published: August 2023

Control of eukaryotic cellular function is heavily reliant on the phosphorylation of proteins at specific amino acid residues, such as serine, threonine, tyrosine, and histidine. Protein kinases that are responsible for this process comprise one of the largest families of evolutionarily related proteins. Dysregulation of protein kinase signaling pathways is a frequent cause of a large variety of human diseases including cancer, autoimmune, neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular disorders. In this study, we mapped all pathogenic mutations in 497 human protein kinase domains from the ClinVar database to the reference structure of Aurora kinase A (AURKA) and grouped them by the relevance to the disease type. Our study revealed that the majority of mutation hotspots associated with cancer are situated within the catalytic and activation loops of the kinase domain, whereas non‐cancer‐related hotspots tend to be located outside of these regions. Additionally, we identified a hotspot at residue R371 of the AURKA structure that has the highest number of exclusively non‐cancer‐related pathogenic mutations (21) and has not been previously discussed.
Evaporation of Dynamical Horizon with the Hawking Temperature in the K‐essence Emergent Vaidya Spacetime
Authors: Majumder Bivash , Ray Saibal , Manna Goutam
Published: August 2023

In the K‐essence Vaidya Schwarzschild spacetime, the dynamical horizon equation to measure the mass‐loss due to Hawking radiation and the tunneling formalism (Hamilton‐Jacobi method) to calculate the hawking temperature is applied. Assuming the Dirac‐Born‐Infeld kind of non‐standard action for the K‐essence here, the background physical spacetime is a static spherically symmetric black hole, and the K‐essence scalar field to be a function only of either forward or backward time is constrained. The K‐essence emergent gravity and the generalizations of Vaidya spacetime have been linked by Manna et al. In this paper, Sawayama's modified description of the dynamical horizon to show that the obtained findings deviate from the standard Vaidya spacetime geometry are used.
Effects of regional crop rotations on autumn insect pests in winter oilseed rape
Authors: Hausmann Johannes , Heimbach Udo , Gabriel Doreen , Brandes Meike
Published: August 2023

Background

Chemical control of insect pests in oilseed rape (OSR) is becoming increasingly difficult due to the development of resistance and restrictive insecticide approvals in Europe. At the same time, there is a lack of preventive and alternative control measures. Crop rotation mostly fails to control insects due to their mobility; however, changing regional cropping densities can dilute or concentrate pest pressure. In this study, we investigated whether the local occurrence of Psylliodes chrysocephala and Delia radicum, serious insect pests in winter OSR, is influenced by distance from the previous year's OSR fields and how changes in OSR rape cropping density at a regional scale (up to 10 km radius) affect pest pressure.

Results

Abundance of P. chrysocephala in yellow water traps decreased with increasing distance to previous year's OSR. Estimated catches in the first 3 weeks of migration were about 68–76% lower at 10 km distance compared to 1 km in autumn 2019 and 2020. However, in both seasons P. chrysocephala was able to disperse over distances of 10 km. Probability of root damage by D. radicum was affected by changes of OSR cropping area at a spatial scale of 2.5 km radius; it increased if acreage of OSR decreased. Furthermore, aphid infestation was lower when OSR was distant in the previous year.

Conclusion

This study could enable field‐specific risk assessment and prediction of pest pressure. To decide about the effectiveness of cropping breaks at a regional level as a preventive crop protection measure, more knowledge on other pest species and antagonists is needed. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Endophytic Bacillus subtilis H17‐16 effectively inhibits Phytophthora infestans, the pathogen of potato late blight, and its potential application
Authors: Zhang Jiaomei , Huang Xiaoqing , Yang Shidong , Huang Airong , Ren Jie , Luo Xunguang , Feng Shun , Li Peihua , Li Zhengguo , Dong Pan
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND

As a highly prevalent epidemic disease of potato, late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans poses a serious threat to potato yield and quality. At present, chemical fungicides are mainly used to control potato late blight, but long‐term overuse of chemical fungicides may lead to environmental pollution and human health threats. Endophytes, natural resources for plant diseases control, can promote plant growth, enhance plant resistance, and secrete antifungal substances. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find some beneficial endophytes to control potato late blight.

RESULTS

We isolated a strain of Bacillus subtilis H17‐16 from potato healthy roots. It can significantly inhibit mycelial growth, sporangia germination and the pathogenicity of Phytophthora infestans, induce the resistance of potato to late blight, and promote potato growth. In addition, H17‐16 has the ability to produce protease, volatile compounds (VOCs) and form biofilms. After H17‐16 treatment, most of the genes involved in metabolism, virulence and drug resistance of Phytophthora infestans were down‐regulated significantly, and the genes related to ribosome biogenesis were mainly up‐regulated. Moreover, field and postharvest application of H17‐16 can effectively reduce the occurrence of potato late blight, and the combination of H17‐16 with chitosan or chemical fungicides had a better effect than single H17‐16.

CONCLUSION

Our results reveal that Bacillus subtilis H17‐16 has great potential as a natural fungicide for controlling potato late blight, laying a theoretical basis for its development as a biological control agent. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Cross‐resistance and redundant killing of Vip3Aa resistant populations of Helicoverpa zea on purified Bt proteins and pyramided Bt crops
Authors: Kennedy Haley , Kerns David L , Head Graham P , Yang Fei
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND

Pyramiding Bt proteins is a key strategy to delay insect resistance development. However, the durability of pyramided Bt crops for controlling insect pests is threatened by cross‐resistance among Bt proteins, which can ultimately contribute to resistance development. The corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, is a major agricultural pest of pyramided Bt crops. Previous studies have examined cross‐resistance and redundant killing of Cry resistance in H. zea, but such information is lacking for Vip3Aa resistance in this pest. Here, we evaluated cross‐resistance and redundant killing of Vip3Aa‐resistant H. zea to purified Bt proteins, as well as Bt corn and Bt cotton.

RESULTS

Diet bioassays demonstrated high susceptibility of Vip3Aa‐resistant H. zea to Cry1Ac, Cry1A.105, and Cry2Ab2 purified proteins. No Vip3Aa‐susceptible, ‐heterozygous, or ‐resistant H. zea could survive on pyramided Bt corn containing Cry1 and/or Cry2 proteins. Complete redundant killing was observed in pyramided Bt corn containing Cry1 and/or Cry2 proteins against Vip3Aa resistance in H. zea. Vip3Aa‐susceptible, ‐heterozygous, and ‐resistant H. zea exhibited survival rates ranging from 0.0% to 22.5% on pyramided Bt cotton with Cry1 and/or Cry2 proteins. Incomplete to complete redundant killing was observed for Vip3Aa‐resistant H. zea on pyramided Bt cotton containing Cry1 and/or Cry2 proteins.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that Vip3Aa‐resistant H. zea does not exhibit positive cross‐resistance to Cry1 or Cry2 proteins. In addition, most pyramided Bt crops showed complete or nearly complete redundant killing of Vip3Aa‐resistant H. zea. These results indicate that a pyramiding strategy would often be effective for managing Vip3Aa resistance in regions of the United States where H. zea has not evolved resistance to Cry1 and Cry2 toxins. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Multi‐Subband Polar Optical Phonon Scattering in InAlN/AlN/GaN Heterostructures
Authors: Li Qun , Li Yao , Zhang Yachao , Zhang Jincheng
Published: August 2023

The high density of two‐dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in InAlN/AlN/GaN heterostructures results in significant occupation of higher subbands, it is thus imperative to consider multi‐subband occupation and inter‐subband scattering in the calculations of polar optical phonon (POP) scattering. The physical parameters, such as subband energies, wave functions of the four lowest subbands, and Fermi level of InAlN/AlN/GaN heterostructures, are calculated by solving the Schrödinger–Poisson equations and applied to the multi‐subband POP scattering model. The dependence of mobility, which is limited by multi‐subband POP scattering, on temperature and 2DEG density is studied. The results show that multi‐subband occupation and inter‐subband scattering play important roles in electron transport. The higher subbands contribute 26% to room‐temperature electron mobility. Two simplified POP scattering models, which either ignore multi‐subband occupation or simplify the in‐scattering processes are evaluated. The results show that both simplified models introduce significant deviations in the mobilities that are limited by POP scattering. The relative magnitudes of mobility in each subband depend on the energy dependence of momentum relaxation time and the energy distribution of each subband.
Adaptive designs for best treatment identification with top‐two Thompson sampling and acceleration
Authors: Wang Jixian , Tiwari Ram
Published: August 2023

We consider outcome adaptive phase II or phase II/III trials to identify the best treatment for further development. Different from many other multi‐arm multi‐stage designs, we borrow approaches for the best arm identification in multi‐armed bandit (MAB) approaches developed for machine learning and adapt them for clinical trial purposes. The best arm identification in MAB focuses on the error rate of identification at the end of the trial, but we are also interested in the cumulative benefit of trial patients, for example, the frequency of patients treated with the best treatment. In particular, we consider Top‐Two Thompson Sampling (TTTS) and propose an acceleration approach for better performance in drug development scenarios in which the sample size is much smaller than that considered in machine learning applications. We also propose a variant of TTTS (TTTS2) which is simpler, easier for implementation, and has comparable performance in small sample settings. An extensive simulation study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach in multiple typical scenarios in drug development.
Compound continuum manipulator for surgery: Efficient static‐based kinematics
Authors: Su Jing , Zhang Gang , Wei Hangxing , Song Rui , Du Fuxin
Published: August 2023

Background

The combination of various continuum manipulators is a potential solution to break the bottleneck of continuum manipulators. However, continuum manipulators dissatisfy the constant curvature assumption due to the influence of joints.

Methods

In this paper, a mechanics‐based kinematic model of the compound continuum manipulator is proposed, which indicates that the curvature is non‐constant. The static model of the manipulator is established, and the relationship of the bending angles is obtained. An efficient static‐based Inverse Kinematic Algorithm using Polynomial Curve (IKAPC) of the manipulator is proposed. The polynomial curve is used to fit the end trajectory of the first manipulator.

Results

The simulation results show that the IKAPC is 354 times faster than the Levenberg‐Marquardt algorithm. The experimental results show that the mechanics‐based model improves the position accuracy by 3.75 times over the constant curvature method.

Conclusion

This paper is critical for solving the inverse kinematics of the compound continuum manipulator.
Greening African economy: The role of Chinese investment and trade
Authors: Chen Xi , Liu Binyi , Tawiah Vincent , Zakari Abdulrasheed
Published: August 2023

Global warming and the rapid depletion of natural assets have made many countries anxious to find green growth strategies, including global partnerships and international business. China has positioned itself as the right partner for sustainable growth and development in Africa through different engagement routes. In this study, we employ fixed effects on a sample of 27 countries over 17 years to examine the impact of China's foreign direct investment and trade on green growth in Africa. Our results show that China's investment and trade affect green growth differently. We find that foreign direct investment and export have a negative impact on green growth. Contrarily, we find importation from China to increase green growth. Our results suggest that the growing presence of China in Africa through direct investment and exportation of natural resources is likely to hamper achieving the Sustainable Development Growth goals. However, countries can harness some benefits from importing sustainable products from China. Our study extends the green growth literature and informs policymakers of the need to pay attention to the effects of growing Chinese‐Africa engagement on attaining sustainable and greener growth. The results are robust to different identification techniques, including two‐stage least square and system generalised method of movement.
From low‐hanging fruit to high‐impact sustainability transformations: unpacking dynamics of intra‐ and interorganizational capability traps
Authors: Struben Jeroen , Kapmeier Florian
Published: August 2023

Why are organizations and markets slow to transform toward sustainability despite the abundant well‐recognized opportunities it provides? An important subset of the phenomena this question addresses involves decision‐makers recognizing the existence of opportunities but failing to undertake ambitious, effective, sufficient, or timely action. Building on existing research on capability traps, market formation, and managing sustainability, we focus on the forces constraining organizations from developing the capabilities and market infrastructures required for sustainability transformations. We characterize types of sustainability initiatives and, using causal loop diagramming, visualize structures that enable and constrain how organizations can navigate individually and collectively worse‐before‐better dynamics resulting from uncertain, nonlinear, and delayed returns. Being under day‐to‐day pressures and deeply intertwined within their environment, organizational actors find it difficult to recognize, undertake, maintain, and coordinate necessary efforts internally and externally. We discuss research implications and directions for future research on avoiding these traps and accelerating sustainability transformations. © 2023 The Authors. System Dynamics Review published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of System Dynamics Society.
Primary Penile Melanoma and Genital Lichen Sclerosus
Authors: Dear Kate , Kravvas Georgios , Sim Sharmaine , Mastoraki Evanthia , James Mariel , Watchorn Richard , Haider Aiman , Ellery Peter , Freeman Alex , Alnajjar Hussain M. , Muneer Asif , Bunker Christopher B.
Published: August 2023

Background

There is a well-established association between squamous cell cancer and genital lichen sclerosus (GLSc). Although there have been several reported cases of vulval melanoma (MM) associated with LSc, particularly in the paediatric population, fewer cases of male genital (M) GLSc and penile (Pe)MM have been published.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to explore further the relationship between PeMM and MGLSc by reviewing all the cases managed by our multidisciplinary service over a finite period.

Methods

All patients known to our tertiary urology and male genital dermatology service with a diagnosis of PeMM and where histology was available for review were identified over an 11-year period (2011–2022). The histology was reviewed by two independent, mutually ‘blinded’ histopathologists. Photographs and clinical notes, where available, were retrospectively reviewed by two independent dermatologists for signs or symptoms of LSc.

Results

Eleven patients with PeMM were identified for review. Histopathological examination found evidence of LSc in nine patients, and review of clinical photos corroborated the presence of LSc in three. Overall, features of LSc were present in nine out of eleven cases (82%).

Conclusion

The presence of LSc in 9 out of 11 cases of PeMM is suggestive of a causative relationship between LSc and PeMM. This may be due to chronic melanocytic distress created by chronic inflammation secondary to LSc.
Synergistic Promotion of the Photocatalytic Preparation of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) from Oxygen by Benzoxazine and Si─O─Ti Bond
Authors: Liu Baoliang , Zhang Wenkai , Zhang Qikun , Guan Yintao , Lu Zaijun
Published: August 2023

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is considered one of the most important chemical products and has a promising future in photocatalytic preparation, which is green, pollution‐free, and hardly consumes any non‐renewable energy. This study involves the preparation of benzoxazine with Si─O bonds via the Mannich reaction, followed by co‐hydrolysis to produce photocatalysts containing benzoxazine with Si─O─Ti bonds. In this study, a benzoxazine photocatalyst with Si─O─Ti bonds is synthesized and characterized using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The size and elemental distribution of the nanoparticles are confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The photocatalytic synthesis of H2O2 is tested using the titanium salt detection method, and the rate is found to be 7.28 µmol h−1. Additionally, the catalyst exhibits good hydrolysis resistance and could be reused multiple times. The use of benzoxazine with Si─O─Ti bonds presents a promising experimental and theoretical foundation for the industrial production of H2O2 through photocatalytic synthesis.
Proton Self‐Doped Polyaniline with High Electrochemical Activity for Aqueous Zinc‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Yin Chengjie , Pan Chengling , Pan Yusong , Hu Jinsong , Fang Guozhao
Published: August 2023

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries are promising energy storage devices due to their low cost, good ionic conductivity, and high safety. Conductive polyaniline is a promising cathode because of its redox activity, but because the neutral electrolyte protonates only weakly, it displays limited electrochemical activity. A polyaniline cathode is developed with proton self‐doping from manganese metal–organic frameworks (Mn–MOFs) that alleviates the deprotonation and electrochemical activity concerns arising during the charge/discharge process. The MOFs carboxyl group provides protons to prevent deprotonation and allows the polyaniline to reach a high zinc storage redox activity. The proton self‐doped polyaniline cathode has a superior specific capacity (273 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1), a high rate property (154 mAh g−1 at 20 A g−1), and excellent cyclability retention (87% over 4000 cycles at 15 A g−1). This research provides fresh insight into the development of innovative polymers as cathode materials for high‐performance AZIBs.
Numerical Simulation and Experimental Research on the Quenching Process of 1045 Steel Based on Thermo–Fluid–Solid Coupling Model
Authors: Liu Ganhua , Deng Shiyi , Huo Xiaodong
Published: August 2023

In the numerical simulation research on quenching, the heat transfer coefficient is an important input parameter. However, owing to its complexity and various influencing factors, the measured results are not universal and will significantly increase the simulation complexity and error. This article proposes a new numerical simulation method for quenching processes by extending the simulation domain and introducing the coupled heat exchange between the liquid quenching medium and workpiece, replacing the role of the heat transfer coefficient in the numerical simulation. The method is validated through experimental studies on 1045 steel rod quenched in water, with the maximum relative errors of the simulation results compared to the experimental results being 3.6%, 9%, and 5.1% for hardness, cooling curve, and residual stress, respectively. Furthermore, the article investigates the effect of different flow parameters of quenching media on the quenching effect. Under the studied conditions, the 1045 steel rod has the lowest risk of cracking and the highest hardness value when quenched in water at 50 °C. The proposed method improves the universality and convenience of numerical simulation for the quenching process and can be used to guide the formulation of quenching process parameters when the heat transfer coefficient is unknown.
Exposing the hazards of teaching 19th century genetic science
Authors: McCartney Jason
Published: August 2023

Science should provide students an accurate and contemporary education on genetic influence, particularly how it impacts trait variability and developmental norms. Stories involving familial, racial, and sexual differences routinely appear in the popular media and sales of over‐the‐counter genetic tests are mounting. Unfortunately, research suggests genetic curricula in secondary education and university courses have little impact on genetic literacy; instead they appear to amplify genetic essentialism. This position paper reports on genetic essentialism, the impact of three components of science education (teachers, students, curriculum), and critiques existing genetic lessons in two prevalent scientific disciplines, biology and psychology. Two entrenched 19th century genetic paradigms (e.g., Mendelian inheritance and behavioral genetics) are specifically examined. The paper closes with specific recommendations for improving students' genetic literacy including important contemporary genetic science (e.g., epigenetics) and instructional approaches (e.g., learning progression, refutational teaching).
Epidemiology and identification of Eimeria species affecting poultry in East Gojjam Zone, North West Ethiopia
Authors: Cheru Hailehizeb , Tamrat Habtamu , Hailemelekot Mussie , Cassini Rudi , Belayneh Negus
Published: August 2023

Background

Despite the expansion of modernized poultry farming in Ethiopia, the presence of high prevalence of Eimeria species is the bottleneck in the sector causing high morbidity and mortality rate in poultry.

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence and identify Eimeria species and investigate the major risk factors.

Method

A cross‐sectional study was conducted from November 2019 to April 2020 in East Gojjam Zone, North West Ethiopia. A total of 384 chickens were used. Both floatation and McMaster coprological techniques were employed. Univariate and multinomial logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio for the associated risk factors. Analysis of variance was used to analyse differences in Eimeria oocyst counts among the groups.

Results

Overall prevalence of Eimeria species in poultry from the study area was 26.5%. Age (OR = 0.25, p = 0.001), management system (OR = 12.44, p = 0.001) and production system (OR = 0.37, p = 0.001) were found significantly (p < 0.05) associated with the risk of Eimeria species in poultry. The mean Eimeria oocyst count was significantly different by age and management system (F = 6.526, p = 0.002), (F = 5.369, p = 0.005), respectively. The mean Eimeria oocyst count was significantly greater in 6–12 weeks (p = 0.004) and <6 weeks of age (p = 0.025). A total of 6 Eimeria species were identified. Eimeria tenella (46.07%), Eimeria necatrix (24.5%) and Eimeria acervulina (8.82%) were the most common Eimeria species encountered.

Conclusion

The prevalence of Eimeria species was higher in poultry in North West Ethiopia. Therefore, tailor‐made intervention is required to mitigate risk factors and reduce the prevalence of Eimeria species in poultry from the study area.
Adoption of rainwater harvesting as a sustainable approach to improving the climate resilience of small landholders in Kenya
Authors: Mutschinski Kristin , Coles Neil A.
Published: August 2023

The African Water Vision 2025 emphasized the disadvantages of the rural population in the context of water supply infrastructure, water management, and access. The vision extolled the virtues of providing improved decentralized governance and localized actions to deliver on this agenda. Furthermore, policies and investment should support climate resilience, by strengthening the security and availability of adequate water quality and quantity in rural communities, for example, by mainstreaming the adoption of rainwater harvesting systems. This is reflected in the government policy alignment towards enabling a devolution of responsibilities to regional and local political structures, while addressing concerns linked with water availability, climate change, and its impact on a country's water resources in Kenya. Despite efforts through different strategic plans and policies, there is a perceived gap between the general understanding of the importance of the RWH system at the national level and actions at the operational level in the counties. An absence of formal policy frameworks and coordination of investments has resulted in insufficient adoption and implementation of RWH systems in Kenya to date. This is despite the fact that in some counties, RWH systems are considered a key solution for increasing climate resilience and suggestions for improvement have been formulated by the affected communities. This analysis shows that RWH systems strengthen the resilience of rural populations but are dependent on a well‐formulated governmental structure, which could be improved by refining national policies and investment in RWH systems.
Agnostic Label-Only Membership Inference Attack
Authors: Monreale Anna , Naretto Francesca , Rizzo Simone
Published: August 2023

In recent years we are witnessing the diffusion of AI systems based on powerful Machine Learning models which find application in many critical contexts such as medicine and financial market. In such contexts, it is important to design Trustworthy AI systems while guaranteeing privacy protection. However, some attacks on the privacy of Machine Learning models have been designed to show the threats of exposing such models. Membership Inference is one of the simplest privacy threats faced by Machine Learning models. It is based on the assumption that an adversary, observing the confidence of the model prediction, can infer whether a particular record was used for training the classifier. A variant, called Label-Only attack, exploits the adversary’s knowledge of the training data statistics to infer the record membership without accessing the confidence score of the prediction. In this paper, we propose a variant of the Label-Only attack, called Aloa, which estimates the prediction confidence exploiting a mechanism that is completely agnostic to the input data distributions. In fact, it requires neither statistical knowledge of the data nor the type of variables. Experimental results show better performance of our attack with respect to the competitors.
Bootstrapping the gap in quantum spin systems
Authors: Nancarrow Colin Oscar , Xin Yuan
Published: August 2023

Abstract

In this work we report on a new bootstrap method for quantum mechanical problems that closely mirrors the setup from conformal field theory (CFT). We use the equations of motion to develop an analogue of the conformal block expansion for matrix elements and impose crossing symmetry in order to place bounds on their values. The method can be applied to any quantum mechanical system with a local Hamiltonian, and we test it on an anharmonic oscillator model as well as the (1 + 1)-dimensional transverse field Ising model (TFIM). For the anharmonic oscillator model we show that a small number of crossing equations provides an accurate solution to the spectrum and matrix elements. For the TFIM we show that the Hamiltonian equations of motion, translational invariance and global symmetry selection rules imposes a rigorous bound on the gap and the matrix elements of TFIM in the thermodynamic limit. The bound improves as we consider larger systems of crossing equations, ruling out more finite-volume solutions. Our method provides a way to probe the low energy spectrum of an infinite lattice from the Hamiltonian rigorously and without approximation.
The catchment area of groomed jets at NNLL
Authors: Pathak Aditya
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Groomed jet observables have a dynamical catchment area which plays a key role in determining the leading nonperturbative power corrections and the impact of the underlying event. Based on field-theoretic arguments, certain moments of the groomed jet radius Rg capture the entirety of the kinematic and grooming parameter dependence of these effects. These moments can be computed perturbatively in the soft drop operator expansion region where these corrections are small, but yet significant to be relevant for precision physics. A precise determination of these moments is thus crucial to faithfully isolate the universal contributions of hadronization and the underlying event. Building on a previously developed effective field theory framework for the doubly differential soft drop groomed jet mass and groomed jet radius measurement, we present here a calculation of these moments at next-to-next-to-leading-logarithmic (NNLL) accuracy including matching into the plain jet mass region. We compare our predictions for these moments against parton-shower Monte Carlo simulations and find good agreement. These results have applications for precision physics with soft drop jet mass such as determination of the strong coupling constant and the top quark mass and for improving hadronization models.
Baby skyrmion in two-component holographic superfluids
Authors: Yao Shunhui , Tian Yu , Yang Peng , Zhang Hongbao
Published: August 2023

Abstract

In the two-component Ginzburg-Landau theory of superfluidity, a pair of fractional vortices form a composite type of topological defect, usually referred to as a baby skyrmion. In this paper, we initiate the construction of such a baby skyrmion in the holographic model of two-component superfluids. As a result, two types of baby skyrmion configurations are found, where the monopole-type of one is constructed directly by solving the static equations of motion while the dipole-type of one is obtained by resorting to the time evolution method. In addition, we find that the existence of these two types of baby skyrmion depends on the inter-component coupling, reminiscent of the situation in the baby skyrmion model.
Microscopic entanglement wedges
Authors: de Mello Koch Robert
Published: August 2023

Abstract

We study the holographic duality between the free O(N) vector model and higher spin gravity. Conserved spinning primary currents of the conformal field theory (CFT) are dual to spinning gauge fields in the gravity. Reducing to independent components of the conserved CFT currents one finds two components at each spin. After gauge fixing the gravity and then reducing to independent components, one finds two components of the gauge field at each spin. Collective field theory provides a systematic way to map between these two sets of degrees of freedom, providing a complete and explicit identification between the dynamical degrees of freedom of the CFT and the dual gravity. The resulting map exhibits many features expected of holographic duality: it provides a valid bulk reconstruction, it reproduces insights expected from the holography of information and it provides a microscopic derivation of entanglement wedge reconstruction.
Just accountability structures – a way to promote the safe use of automated decision-making in the public sector
Authors: Hirvonen Hanne
Published: August 2023

The growing use of automated decision-making (ADM) systems in the public sector and the need to control these has raised many legal questions in academic research and in policymaking. One of the timely means of legal control is accountability, which traditionally includes the ability to impose sanctions on the violator as one dimension. Even though many risks regarding the use of ADM have been noted and there is a common will to promote the safety of these systems, the relevance of the safety research has been discussed little in this context. In this article, I evaluate regulating accountability over the use of ADM in the public sector in relation to the findings of safety research. I conducted the study by focusing on ongoing regulatory projects regarding ADM, the Finnish ADM legislation draft and the EU proposal for the AI Act. The critical question raised in the article is what the role of sanctions is. I ask if official accountability could mean more of an opportunity to learn from mistakes, share knowledge and compensate for harm instead of control via sanctions.
Blurring the moral limits of data markets: biometrics, emotion and data dividends
Authors: Bakir Vian , Laffer Alexander , McStay Andrew
Published: August 2023

This paper considers what liberal philosopher Michael Sandel coins the ‘moral limits of markets’ in relation to the idea of paying people for data about their biometrics and emotions. With Sandel arguing that certain aspects of human life (such as our bodies and body parts) should be beyond monetisation and exchange, others argue that emerging technologies such as Personal Information Management Systems can enable a fairer, paid, data exchange between the individual and the organisation, even regarding highly personal data about our bodies and emotions. With the field of data ethics rarely addressing questions of payment, this paper explores normative questions about data dividends. It does so by conducting a UK-wide, demographically representative online survey to quantitatively assess adults’ views on being paid for personal data about their biometrics and emotions via a Personal Information Management System, producing a data dividend, a premise which sees personal data through the prism of markets and property. The paper finds diverse attitudes based on socio-demographic characteristics, the type of personal data sold, and the type of organisation sold to. It argues that (a) Sandel’s argument regarding the moral limits of markets has value in protecting fundamental freedoms of those in society who are arguably least able to (such as the poor); but (b) that contexts of use, in particular, blur moral limits regarding fundamental freedoms and markets.
Similar outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in paediatric and adult populations: a 1‐year follow‐up of 506 paediatric operations in Denmark
Authors: Madsen Maria Østergaard , Warming Susan , Rathcke Martin Wyman , Faunø Peter , Nielsen Torsten Grønbech , Herzog Robert Bennike , Lundgaard‐Nielsen Mathilde , Kourakis Anette Holm , Lind Martin , Krogsgaard Michael Rindom
Published: August 2023

Purpose

To present 1‐year results after all paediatric anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions in Denmark (5.9 M inhabitants) for the 10½ year period, 1 July 2011 to 31 December 2021.

Methods

All children who had an ACL reconstruction were enrolled. They were asked to complete Pedi‐IKDC preoperatively and at 1‐year follow‐up. Independent observers performed pivot shift test and instrumented laxity assessment preoperatively and at 1‐year follow‐up.

Results

The median age of the 506 children (47.2% girls) was 14.3 years (9.3–15.9). The Pedi‐IKDC score increased from preoperatively 61.6 ± 15.8 (mean ± SD) to 85.9 ± 13.0 at 1‐year follow‐up (p < 0.0001). There were concomitant injuries (to meniscus and/or cartilage) in 49.9%, but these children had preoperative and follow‐up Pedi‐IKDC scores similar to the scores for children with isolated injury to ACL (n. s.). Instrumented anterior laxity was 4.3 ± 1.4 (mean ± SD) mm preoperatively and 1.4 ± 1.4 mm at follow‐up (p < 0.0001). Preoperatively, 3% had no pivot shift whilst this was the case for 68% postoperatively (p < 0.0001). Twenty‐five children (5.6%) had 4 mm instrumented laxity or more relative to the unoperated knee at follow‐up. Two patients (0.4%) had an operatively treated deep infection, three (0.5%) were operated on for reduced range of motion and two (0.4%) had a revision ACL reconstruction.

Conclusion

ACL reconstruction resulted in a clinically meaningful increase in Pedi‐IKDC, an improved instrumented stability, a reduction in the grade of pivot shift and the complication rate was low at 1‐year follow‐up. The risk of graft insufficiency at 1‐year follow‐up was the same as in an adult population.

Level of Evidence

II.