bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hidden Markov model‐based approach on real‐time output reachable set synthesis for discrete‐time nonlinear Markovian jump systems
Authors: Feng Zhiguang , Feng Bo , Li Liya , Zhang Naifu , Jiang Zhengyi
Published: May 2023

This note addresses the asynchronous state‐feedback control (ASC) for delay nonlinear Markovian jump systems (DNMJSs) subject to reachable set boundary. Under taking time‐varying delays and external disturbance into consideration, Takagi‐Sugeno fuzzy model is adopted to approximate the nonlinear dynamics systems. Although the assumption about time‐delay is practical, it will cause subsystem modes to be not synchronous with the controller modes. As a consequence, the description method of the nonsynchronous phenomenon is introduced, which is a hidden Markov model. Furthermore, an available ASC is designed and all reachable states of the system is constrained within the compact ellipsoidal boundary to guarantee the safe operation of the DNMJSs. The existence conditions of the desired ASC are obtained via solving a group of feasible linear matrix inequalities. Finally, some numerical simulations are provided to verify the availability of the proposed method in this article.
SMART RHESINs—Superparamagnetic Magnetite Architecture Made of Phenolic Resin Hollow Spheres Coated with Eu(III) Containing Silica Nanoparticles for Future Quantitative Magnetic Particle Imaging Applications
Authors: Feye Julia , Matthias Jessica , Fischer Alena , Rudolph David , Treptow Jens , Popescu Radian , Franke Jochen , Exarhos Annemarie L. , Boekelheide Zoe A. , Gerthsen Dagmar , Feldmann Claus , Roesky Peter W. , Rösch Esther S.
Published: May 2023

Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a powerful and rapidly growing tomographic imaging technique that allows for the non‐invasive visualization of superparamagnetic nanoparticles (NPs) in living matter. Despite its potential for a wide range of applications, the intrinsic quantitative nature of MPI has not been fully exploited in biological environments. In this study, a novel NP architecture that overcomes this limitation by maintaining a virtually unchanged effective relaxation (Brownian plus Néel) even when immobilized is presented. This superparamagnetic magnetite architecture made of phenolic resin hollow spheres coated with Eu(III) containing silica nanoparticles (SMART RHESINs) was synthesized and studied. Magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS) measurements confirm their suitability for potential MPI applications. Photobleaching studies show an unexpected photodynamic due to the fluorescence emission peak of the europium ion in combination with the phenol formaldehyde resin (PFR). Cell metabolic activity and proliferation behavior are not affected. Colocalization experiments reveal the distinct accumulation of SMART RHESINs near the Golgi apparatus. Overall, SMART RHESINs show superparamagnetic behavior and special luminescent properties without acute cytotoxicity, making them suitable for bimodal imaging probes for medical use like cancer diagnosis and treatment. SMART RHESINs have the potential to enable quantitative MPS and MPI measurements both in mobile and immobilized environments.
Recent Advances in Low‐Dimensional Nanomaterials for Photodetectors
Authors: Kim Jaehyun , Lee Junho , Lee Jong‐Min , Facchetti Antonio , Marks Tobin J. , Park Sung Kyu
Published: May 2023

New emerging low‐dimensional such as 0D, 1D, and 2D nanomaterials have attracted tremendous research interests in various fields of state‐of‐the‐art electronics, optoelectronics, and photonic applications due to their unique structural features and associated electronic, mechanical, and optical properties as well as high‐throughput fabrication for large‐area and low‐cost production and integration. Particularly, photodetectors which transform light to electrical signals are one of the key components in modern optical communication and developed imaging technologies for whole application spectrum in the daily lives, including X‐rays and ultraviolet biomedical imaging, visible light camera, and infrared night vision and spectroscopy. Today, diverse photodetector technologies are growing in terms of functionality and performance beyond the conventional silicon semiconductor, and low‐dimensional nanomaterials have been demonstrated as promising potential platforms. In this review, the current states of progress on the development of these nanomaterials and their applications in the field of photodetectors are summarized. From the elemental combination for material design and lattice structure to the essential investigations of hybrid device architectures, various devices and recent developments including wearable photodetectors and neuromorphic applications are fully introduced. Finally, the future perspectives and challenges of the low‐dimensional nanomaterials based photodetectors are also discussed.
Recent Advances in Metal‐Organic Framework‐Based Nanomaterials for Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction
Authors: Han Bo , Liu Jiawei , Lee Carmen , Lv Chade , Yan Qingyu
Published: May 2023

The production of ammonia under moderate conditions is of environmental and sustainable importance. The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (E‐NRR) method has been intensively investigated in the recent decades. Nowadays, the further development of E‐NRR is largely hindered by the lack of competent electrocatalysts. Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) are considered as the next‐generation catalysts for E‐NRR, featuring their tailorable structures, abundant active sites and favorable porosity. To present a comprehensive review on both the fundamental and advanced development in MOFs catalyst‐based E‐NRR field, this paper first introduces the basic principles of E‐NRR, including the reaction mechanism, major apparatus components, performance criteria, and ammonia detection protocols. Next, the synthesis and characterization methods for MOFs and their derivatives are discussed. In addition, a reaction mechanism study via density functional theory calculations is also presented. After that, the recent advancement of MOF‐based catalysts in the E‐NRR field as well as the modification approaches on MOFs for E‐NRR optimization is elaborated. Finally, the current challenges and outlook of MOF catalyst‐based E‐NRR field are emphasized.
Heterostructured PHI‐PTI/Li+Cl− Carbon Nitrides for Multiple Photocatalytic Applications
Authors: Galushchinskiy Alexey , Pulignani Carolina , Szalad Horatiu , Reisner Erwin , Albero Josep , Tarakina Nadezda V. , Pelicano Christian Mark , García Hermenegildo , Savateev Oleksandr , Antonietti Markus
Published: May 2023

Two series of novel carbon nitride photocatalysts, Rho‐CN (“rhodizonate‐doped carbon nitride”) and Rho‐CN‐TC (Rho‐CN treated in potassium thiocyanate melt), are synthesized in a multistep fashion via copolymerization of cyanamide with potassium rhodizonate. The formed ionic carbon nitrides are composed of poly(triazine imide) (PTI/Li+Cl−) and potassium poly(heptazine imide) (K‐PHI) phases and provide a broad absorption range up to 800 nm. The photocatalysts are characterized by several techniques (including diffuse reflectance ultraviolet–visible, powder X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, and electrochemical methods) and studied in a series of photocatalytic reactions, including red light‐promoted benzylamine oxidation, dual photoredox/nickel C–N cross‐coupling, and hydrogen peroxide evolution. The optimal ratio of rhodizonate dopant in its mixture with cyanamide is found to be 0.5 mol%. The performance of the newly synthesized materials is comparable to the activities of the benchmark catalysts K‐PHI and CN‐OA‐m (defective poly(heptazine imide) doped with oxamide), while not requiring more expensive nitrogen sources for preparation, like 5‐aminotetrazole, or multiple oven cycles.
The oldest evidence of brooding in a Devonian blastoid reveals the evolution of new reproductive strategies in early echinoderms
Authors: Álvarez‐Armada Nidia , Bauer Jennifer E. , Waters Johnny A. , Rahman Imran A.
Published: May 2023

Brooding of young is a reproductive strategy observed in many extant echinoderms, but the evolutionary history of this behaviour is largely unknown due to the scarcity of examples preserved in the fossil record. Here, synchrotron x‐ray tomography is used to describe an exceptionally preserved specimen of the Devonian blastoid echinoderm Hyperoblastus reimanni. The coelomic cavity appears completely preserved in a coiled arrangement partially enclosing organs associated with the digestive, haemal and axial systems. The vault region of the coelom surrounds four structures interpreted as three internally brooded larvae and a gonad. The presence of putative larvae brooded internally in this specimen sheds new light on the reproductive strategies used by blastoids, suggesting they were sexually dimorphic and that internal brooding was acquired early in the group's history. The acquisition of brooding may have been linked to high clastic sediment influx associated with the Appalachian Orogeny, which would have been detrimental to the survival of larvae living at the soupy sediment–water interface.
Nitrate corrosion resistance of concrete with nanoparticles under dry–wet cycles
Authors: Zhang Maohua , Cui Jiyin , Han Yue , Sun Shanghui , Liu Ke
Published: May 2023

The concrete of harbor wharf is in the environment of multifactor erosion. Under the coupled effects of dry–wet cycles and nitrate erosion, the durability of marine concrete gradually decreases. Therefore, it is an important issue to improve the durability of concrete. The changes of concrete durability are investigated under the coupled effects of dry–wet cycles and nitrate erosion, and the concrete durability are improved by adding nanoparticles. Nano‐concretes are made by adding different amounts of nano‐SiO2 and nano‐Al2O3 to plain concrete. The relative dynamic elastic modulus of nano‐concretes and the NO3− content are measured as indicators to evaluate the durability of nano‐concretes. The microstructure of nano‐concretes is analyzed through scanning electron microsope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS）. The test results show that relative dynamic elastic modulus of nano‐concretes is increased obviously, and NO3− content of nano‐concrete at different depths is lower than that of plain concrete under the same number of dry–wet cycles. NO3− content of nano‐concrete is lower than that of plain concrete. Nanoparticles can optimize the pore structure of concrete and generate more C‐S‐H gels. Therefore, concrete durability can be efficiently increased through adding nano‐SiO2 and nano‐Al2O3 under the coupled effects of dry–wet cycles and nitrate erosion.
Prenatal exome sequencing analysis in fetuses with central nervous system anomalies
Authors: Zhi Y. , Liu L. , Wang H. , Chen X. , Lv Y. , Cui X. , Chang H. , Wang Y. , Cui S.
Published: May 2023

Objective

To evaluate the utility of prenatal exome sequencing (pES) in fetuses with central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of fetuses identified to have CNS abnormality on prenatal ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance imaging. All fetuses were first analyzed by chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA). Fetuses with a confirmed aneuploidy or causal pathogenic copy‐number variant (CNV) on CMA did not undergo pES analysis and were excluded, while those with a negative CMA result were offered pES testing.

Results

Of the 167 pregnancies included in the study, 42 (25.1%) were identified to have a pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) variant. The diagnostic rate was significantly higher in fetuses with a non‐isolated CNS abnormality than in those with a single CNS abnormality (35.7% (20/56) vs 14.5% (8/55); P = 0.010). Moreover, when a fetus had three or more CNS abnormalities, the positive diagnostic rate increased to 42.9%. A total of 25/42 (59.5%) cases had de‐novo mutations, while, in the remaining cases, mutations were inherited and carried a significant risk of recurrence. Families whose fetus carried a P/LP mutation were more likely to choose advanced pregnancy termination than those with a variant of uncertain significance, secondary/incidental finding or negative pES result (83.3% (25/30) vs 41.3% (38/92); P < 0.001).

Conclusion

pES improved the identification of genetic disorders in fetuses with CNS anomalies without a chromosomal abnormality or CNV identified on CMA, regardless of the number of CNS anomalies and presence of extracranial abnormality. We also demonstrated that pES findings can significantly impact parental decision‐making. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Waste Self-reporting for Software Development Productivity Improvement
Authors: Sallin Marc , Kropp Martin , Anslow Craig , Biddle Robert
Published: May 2023

Little research has been done on enabling software development teams to self-report waste to assist in productivity improvement. This study created a waste categorization and survey for teams to identify and quantify wasteful activities. Developers from a Swiss company used the survey for three weeks. Participants found the survey helpful for identifying waste but there was little evidence that self-reported waste correlated with improved performance.
Klimaerwärmung und Elementarschadenversicherung
Authors: Günther Dirk-Carsten
Published: May 2023

Die Klimaerwärmung hat unmittelbare Bedeutung in der Elementarschadenversicherung. Diesem Versicherungszweig kommt eine immer größere Bedeutung zu. Gleichzeitig steigen die Probleme für den Versicherer, da bei der zwar langsam, aber stetig wachsenden Versicherungsdichte bei gleichzeitig höherer Schadeneintrittswahrscheinlichkeit die Schadenbelastungen mittelfristig sehr stark anwachsen werden. Dabei stellen sich gerade im Bereich der Elementarschadenversicherung − und dort insbesondere bei Überschwemmungsschäden − eine Fülle von Rechtsfragen. Zahlreiche Rechtsprobleme sind dabei höchstrichterlich noch nicht entschieden und beschäftigen Wissenschaft und Praxis. Bei Hochwasserkatastrophen wie beispielsweise im Ahrtal im Juli 2021 stellen sich auch rechtliche Überlegungen, ob eine Haftung des Staates für die Schäden in Betracht kommt. Auch wird die Frage nach Einführung einer Elementarschadenpflichtversicherung nach solchen verheerenden Naturkatastrophen immer wieder hochaktuell werden.
Risikowahrnehmung und Risikowirklichkeit
Authors: Müller-Peters Horst
Published: May 2023

Risiken sind in unserem Leben omnipräsent. Unsere subjektive Einschätzung von Risiken weicht aber erheblich und in systematischer Weise von den objektiv gegebenen Gefahrenlagen ab. Dies führt einerseits zu übertriebenen Ängsten und Sorgen, andererseits aber auch zu unterbliebener Absicherung und Risikovorsorge. In diesem Kapitel werden auf theoretischer und empirischer Basis typische Abweichungen dargestellt und erklärt − sei es im Verkehr, rund um das Eigentum, bei Elementarrisiken oder auch in Bezug auf Kriminalität, Krankheit oder Altern. Auf dieser Basis werden Empfehlungen für einen rationaleren Umgang − ob im privaten oder im beruflichen Kontext − mit dem Thema Risiko, Vorsorge und Versichern abgeleitet.
Risikowahrnehmung durch und nach Corona
Authors: Eichner Daniel , Fritsch Christian , Kothe Gina-Luisa , Kühner Sina , Remond Yannik , Warnke Jonas
Published: May 2023

Pandemien, Naturkatastrophen, Terroranschläge und andere Großschadenereignisse verändern die Risikowahrnehmung der Bevölkerung. Sie lassen die von ihnen ausgehenden Gefahrenpotenziale für die Öffentlichkeit sichtbar werden. Dieses Kapitel beschäftigt sich mit den allgemein vorherrschenden Einflussfaktoren auf die Risikowahrnehmung und wie diese auf spezifische Großschadenereignisse − bspw. die Corona-Pandemie − übertragbar sind. Dabei zeigt sich, dass Experten und Expertinnen hinsichtlich potenzieller Risiken vorausschauender denken, während die Bevölkerung sich auf aktuelle Risiken konzentriert. Im Vergleich verschiedener Katastrophen wird deutlich, dass die Entwicklung der Angst vor ähnlichen Ereignissen nach dem Eintritt nur temporär ansteigt und anschließend nach durchschnittlich ca. drei Jahren wieder auf das Vorkrisenniveau abfällt. Die vorliegenden Daten lassen dies in ähnlicher Form auch für die Corona-Pandemie vermuten; aufgrund der sehr dynamischen Lage zum Zeitpunkt der Erstellung des Beitrags ist eine endgültige Bestätigung oder Widerlegung allerdings noch nicht möglich. Im Rahmen der Forschung wird zudem deutlich, dass nach einer Katastrophe Deutschland jeweils nur für das spezifisch eingetretene Risiko Vorsorgemaßnahmen ergreift, eine grundsätzliche Resilienz des Staates jedoch nicht zu beobachten ist.
Risiko und Alterssicherung
Authors: Goecke Oskar
Published: May 2023

Angesichts der sich abzeichnenden demografischen Entwicklung in Deutschland ist die Sicherung der Altersversorgung gesamtgesellschaftlich, aber auch für jeden Einzelnen eine Herausforderung. Es wird untersucht, was die Grundvoraussetzung für eine Alterssicherung ist, sowie aus volkswirtschaftlicher Perspektive die Determinanten der Alterssicherung bestimmt. Hier stellt sich heraus, dass die demografische Entwicklung dabei ein wichtiger Faktor ist, aber nicht der entscheidende. Die Investitionen in den volkswirtschaftlichen Kapitalstock sind der Schlüssel der Alterssicherung! Den Kapitalmärkten fällt dabei eine Schlüsselrolle zu, da sie die Aufgabe haben, Sparer und Investoren zusammen zu führen. Dies führt direkt zur Frage nach dem Rendite-Risiko-Profilen langfristiger Sparverträge, denn auf den Kapitalmärkten werden vor allem Erwartungen und Risiken eingepreist. In einem Abschnitt zum intergenerationalen Risikoausgleich werden auch Perspektiven für die Weiterentwicklung der Lebensversicherung aufgezeigt. Hieraus können sich auch neue Impulse für die betriebliche Altersversorgung ergeben.
Sicherheitsversprechen im Wandel
Authors: Jannusch Tim , Ressel Juliane , Völler Michaele
Published: May 2023

Sicherheit ist eine zentrale Grundlage für Freiheit, Lebensqualität und Wohlstand in einer modernen Gesellschaft. Als vielschichtiges Alltagsphänomen erfährt der Sicherheitsbegriff eine kontinuierliche Erweiterung, die durch soziale, wirtschaftliche und politische Veränderungen angetrieben wird. Daraus ergeben sich sowohl neue Herausforderungen als auch Potenziale für die deutsche Versicherungswirtschaft, deren zentrale gesellschaftliche Funktion aus der hoch entwickelten Kernkompetenz in der Risikoidentifikation, -bewertung und -übernahme resultiert.

Bislang verspricht das immaterielle Kernprodukt von Versicherungen eine in die Zukunft gerichtete Leistung, die erst im Anschluss an ein Schadenereignis fällig wird – was obendrein nur von einem Bruchteil der Versicherten erlebt wird. Durch den zielgerichteten Einsatz neuer Technologien bietet sich für die Assekuranz jedoch die Chance, ihre Rolle von „Verstehen und Schützen“ hin zu „Vorhersagen und Verhindern“ weiterzuentwickeln. Diese Entwicklung wird als Anlass genommen, das traditionelle Leistungsversprechen am Beispiel der Sicherheit junger Fahrer kritisch zu hinterfragen. In aktuellen Studien der WHO zählen junge Autofahrer weltweit zu den am meisten gefährdeten Verkehrsteilnehmern. Dies führt neben Produktivitätsverlusten und hohen medizinischen Kosten vor allem zu weitreichenden Belastungen im privaten Umfeld. In diesem Zusammenhang wird diskutiert, ob die Telematik-Versicherung als verhaltensbasiertes Produkt ein geeignetes Werkzeug für den antizipativen Umgang mit Risiken ist. Dadurch wird ein Beitrag zur Debatte rund um das Thema Sicherheit geleistet.
Kritische Erfolgselemente: Spannungslagen II
Authors: Lüthi Katharina
Published: May 2023

Die Ergebnisrationalität beider Gebietskörperschaften stelle ich mit dem Aufgabenkomplex Spannungslagen ausbalancieren der Phase Strategien umsetzen und verstetigen entlang der Arenen dar. Eine vergleichende Gesamtübersicht grenzüberschreitender Professionalität im Zusammenhang mit dem Einsatz von Kommunikationsmedien schließt das Kapitel ab.
Grenzüberschreitende Professionalisierung und gesellschaftliche Integration
Authors: Lüthi Katharina
Published: May 2023

Die im Literaturteil dieser Arbeit entfalteten Perspektiven verstehe ich als Denk- werkzeuge, die ich nun heranziehe, um die Ergebnisse des empirischen Teils an den Diskurs der Politik anzuschließen. Die Grounded Theory einer Governance grenzüberschreitender Professionalisierung und gesellschaftlicher Integration führe ich in einer Bedingungsmatrix zusammen (vgl. 13.1), deren Komponenten ich im Zuge der nun folgenden Kapitel darstelle. Die Institutionalisierung des BMK und KBM erfolgt in Arenen, die ich als Integrationsräume lese.
Arbeitskomponenten der Governance-Forschung
Authors: Lüthi Katharina
Published: May 2023

Bei der Auswertung des Datenmaterials orientiere ich mich erstens an der Fragestellung, welchen Beitrag ein kommunales Bildungsmanagement zur Erhöhung der kollektiven Handlungsfähigkeit leistet. In einem zweiten Schritt frage ich, inwiefern sich diese kollektive Handlungsfähigkeit an System- und Sozialintegration orientiert. Die Arbeitsphase Rahmenbedingungen klären wirft Handlungserfordernisse in allen Arenen gleichzeitig auf.
Is the horizon of an eternal black hole really smooth?
Authors: Itzhaki Nissan
Published: May 2023

Abstract

We point out that in many eternal black holes, including a Schwarzschild eternal black hole and an eternal black hole in AdS5, instant folded strings are created in the past wedge and render the region just outside the horizon singular. We also make a conjecture regarding instant folded D-branes and discuss their possible implications for eternal black holes. In particular, we argue that the bulk modes responsible for Poincare recurrence, when it occurs in the dual quantum field theory, are either instant folded strings or instant folded D-branes.
Dispensable role of Rac1 and Rac3 after cochlear hair cell specification
Authors: Nakamura Takashi , Sakaguchi Hirofumi , Mohri Hiroaki , Ninoyu Yuzuru , Goto Akihiro , Yamaguchi Taro , Hishikawa Yoshitaka , Matsuda Michiyuki , Saito Naoaki , Ueyama Takehiko
Published: May 2023

Rac small GTPases play important roles during embryonic development of the inner ear; however, little is known regarding their function in cochlear hair cells (HCs) after specification. Here, we revealed the localization and activation of Racs in cochlear HCs using GFP-tagged Rac plasmids and transgenic mice expressing a Rac1-fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor. Furthermore, we employed Rac1-knockout (Rac1-KO, Atoh1-Cre;Rac1flox/flox) and Rac1 and Rac3 double KO (Rac1/Rac3-DKO, Atoh1-Cre;Rac1flox/flox;Rac3−/−) mice, under the control of the Atoh1 promoter. However, both Rac1-KO and Rac1/Rac3-DKO mice exhibited normal cochlear HC morphology at 13 weeks of age and normal hearing function at 24 weeks of age. No hearing vulnerability was observed in young adult (6-week-old) Rac1/Rac3-DKO mice even after intense noise exposure. Consistent with prior reports, the results from Atoh1-Cre;tdTomato mice confirmed that the Atoh1 promoter became functional only after embryonic day 14 when the sensory HC precursors exit the cell cycle. Taken together, these findings indicate that although Rac1 and Rac3 contribute to the early development of sensory epithelia in cochleae, as previously shown, they are dispensable for the maturation of cochlear HCs in the postmitotic state or for hearing maintenance following HC maturation.

Key messages

Mice with Rac1 and Rac3 deletion were generated after HC specification.

Knockout mice exhibit normal cochlear hair cell morphology and hearing.

Racs are dispensable for hair cells in the postmitotic state after specification.

Racs are dispensable for hearing maintenance after HC maturation.
A review on immunomodulatory effects of BPA analogues
Authors: Kodila Anja , Franko Nina , Sollner Dolenc Marija
Published: May 2023

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a known endocrine disruptor found in many consumer products that humans come into contact with on a daily basis. Due to increasing concerns about the safety of BPA and the introduction of new legislation restricting its use, industry has responded by adopting new, less studied BPA analogues that have similar polymer-forming properties. Some BPA analogues have already been shown to exhibit effects similar to BPA, for example, contributing to endocrine disruption through agonistic or antagonistic behaviour at various nuclear receptors such as estrogen (ER), androgen (AR), glucocorticoid (GR), aryl hydrocarbon (AhR), and pregnane X receptor (PXR). Since the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a draft re-evaluation of BPA and drastically reduced the temporary tolerable daily intake (t-TDI) of BPA from 4 mg/kg body weight/day to 0.2 ng/kg body weight/day due to increasing concern about the toxic properties of BPA, including its potential to disrupt immune system processes, we conducted a comprehensive review of the immunomodulatory activity of environmentally abundant BPA analogues. The results of the review suggest that BPA analogues may affect both the innate and acquired immune systems and can contribute to various immune-mediated conditions such as hypersensitivity reactions, allergies, and disruption of the human microbiome.
Hybrid algorithm for the detection of turbulent flame fronts
Authors: Chaib Oussama , Zheng Yutao , Hochgreb Simone , Boxx Isaac
Published: May 2023

This paper presents a hybrid and unsupervised approach to flame front detection for low signal-to-noise planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) images. The algorithm combines segmentation and edge detection techniques to achieve low-cost and accurate flame front detection in the presence of noise and variability in the flame structure. The method first uses an adaptive contrast enhancement scheme to improve the quality of the image prior to segmentation. The general shape of the flame front is then highlighted using segmentation, while the edge detection method is used to refine the results and highlight the flame front more accurately. The performance of the algorithm is tested on a dataset of high-speed PLIF images and is shown to achieve high accuracy in finely wrinkled turbulent hydrogen-enriched flames with order of magnitude improvements in computation speed. This new algorithm has potential applications in the experimental study of turbulent flames subject to intense wrinkling and low signal-to-noise ratios.

Graphic abstract
Why phylogenetic signal of traits is important in ecosystems: uniformity of a plant trait increases soil fauna, but only in a phylogenetically uniform vegetation
Authors: Molleman F. , Rossignol N. , Ponge J. F. , Peres G. , Cluzeau D. , Ruiz-Camacho N. , Cortet J. , Pernin C. , Villenave C. , Prinzing A.
Published: May 2023

Phylogenetically closely related plant species often share similar trait states (phylogenetic signal), but local assembly may favor dissimilar relatives and thereby decouple the diversity of a trait from the diversity of phylogenetic lineages. Associated fauna might either benefit from plant trait diversity, because it provides them complementary resources, or suffer from it due to dilution of preferred resources. We hence hypothesize that decoupling of trait and phylogenetic diversity weakens the relationship between the plant-trait diversity and the abundance and diversity of associated fauna. Studying permanent meadows, we tested for combined effects of plant phylogenetic diversity and diversity of two functional traits (specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content) on major groups of soil fauna (earthworms, mites, springtails, nematodes). We found that only in phylogenetically uniform plant communities, was uniformity in the functional traits associated with (i) high abundance in springtails, and (ii) high abundance of the sub-group that feeds more directly on plant material (in springtails and mites) or those that are more prone to disturbance (in nematodes), and (iii) high diversity in all three groups tested (springtails, earthworms, nematodes). Our results suggest that soil fauna profits from the resource concentration in local plant communities that are uniform in both functional traits and phylogenetic lineages. Soil fauna would hence benefit from co-occurrence of closely related plants that have conserved the same trait values, rather than of distantly related plants that have converged in traits. This might result in faster decomposition and a positive feedback between trait conservatism and ecosystem functioning.
Perfusion assessment by fluorescence time curves in esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction: a prospective clinical study
Authors: Joosten J. J. , Slooter M. D. , van den Elzen R. M. , Bloemen P. R. , Gisbertz S. S. , Eshuis W. J. , Daams F. , de Bruin D. M. , van Berge Henegouwen M. I.
Published: May 2023

Background

Intraoperative perfusion assessment with indocyanine green fluorescence angiography (ICG-FA) may reduce postoperative anastomotic leakage rates after esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction. This study evaluated quantitative parameters derived from fluorescence time curves to determine a threshold for adequate perfusion and predict postoperative anastomotic complications.

Methods

This prospective cohort study included consecutive patients who underwent FA-guided esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction between August 2020 and February 2022. After intravenous bolus injection of 0.05-mg/kg ICG, fluorescence intensity was registered over time by PINPOINT camera (Stryker, USA). Fluorescent angiograms were quantitatively analyzed at a region of interest of 1 cm diameter at the anastomotic site on the conduit using tailor-made software. Extracted fluorescence parameters were both inflow (T0, Tmax, Fmax, slope, Time-to-peak) as outflow parameters (T90% and T80%). Anastomotic complications including anastomotic leakage (AL) and strictures were documented. Fluorescence parameters in patients with AL were compared to those without AL.

Results

One hundred and three patients (81 male, 65.7 ± 9.9 years) were included, the majority of whom (88%) underwent an Ivor Lewis procedure. AL occurred in 19% of patients (n = 20/103). Both time to peak as Tmax were significantly longer for the AL group in comparison to the non-AL group (39 s vs. 26 s, p = 0.04 and 65 vs. 51 s, p = 0.03, respectively). Slope was 1.0 (IQR 0.3–2.5) and 1.7 (IQR 1.0–3.0) for the AL and non-AL group (p = 0.11). Outflow was longer in the AL group, although not significantly, T90% 30 versus 15 s, respectively, p = 0.20). Univariate analysis indicated that Tmax might be predictive for AL, although not reaching significance (p = 0.10, area under the curve 0.71) and a cut-off value of 97 s was derived, with a specificity of 92%.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated quantitative parameters and identified a fluorescent threshold which could be used for intraoperative decision-making and to identify high-risk patients for anastomotic leakage during esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction.

A significant predictive value remains to be determined in future studies.
An open-access database for the assessment of particle damper simulation tools
Authors: Biondani Fabio , Morandini Marco , Ghiringhelli Gian Luca , Cordisco Potito , Terraneo Mauro
Published: May 2023

A particle damper (PD) is an enclosure partially filled with small particles that can help to dampen the vibration of a structure. Despite its simplicity, the reliable prediction of the behavior of such a device in arbitrary operative conditions appears to be very difficult due to the complex non-linear interactions between the particles and the system. An experimental methodology is defined with the aim of minimizing the bias due to the PD non-linear response. The effect of the mutual orientation of motion, gravity, and enclosure and of different disturbance inputs on the performance of a PD is investigated in order to make available a set of reference experimental results for correlation purposes with prediction tools. An open-access database, gathering all the test results, is made available.

Graphical abstract
GradeAid: a framework for automatic short answers grading in educational contexts—design, implementation and evaluation
Authors: del Gobbo Emiliano , Guarino Alfonso , Cafarelli Barbara , Grilli Luca
Published: May 2023

Automatic short answer grading (ASAG), a hot field of natural language understanding, is a research area within learning analytics. ASAG solutions are conceived to offload teachers and instructors, especially those in higher education, where classes with hundreds of students are the norm and the task of grading (short)answers to open-ended questionnaires becomes tougher. Their outcomes are precious both for the very grading and for providing students with “ad hoc” feedback. ASAG proposals have also enabled different intelligent tutoring systems. Over the years, a variety of ASAG solutions have been proposed, still there are a series of gaps in the literature that we fill in this paper. The present work proposes GradeAid, a framework for ASAG. It is based on the joint analysis of lexical and semantic features of the students’ answers through state-of-the-art regressors; differently from any other previous work, (i) it copes with non-English datasets, (ii) it has undergone a robust validation and benchmarking phase, and (iii) it has been tested on every dataset publicly available and on a new dataset (now available for researchers). GradeAid obtains performance comparable to the systems presented in the literature (root-mean-squared errors down to 0.25 based on the specific tuple $$\langle $$
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dataset-question$$\rangle $$
⟩
). We argue it represents a strong baseline for further developments in the field.
Towards accountability-centred practices: governance in OSCEs subordinating patient and practitioner clinical experience
Authors: Kearney Grainne P. , Corman Michael K. , Johnston Jennifer L. , Hart Nigel D. , Gormley Gerard J.
Published: May 2023

New public management ideals and standards have become increasingly adhered to in health professions education; this is particularly apparent in high-stakes assessment, as a gateway to practice. Using an Institutional Ethnographic approach, we looked at the work involved in running high-stakes Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs) throughout an academic year including use of observations, interviews and textual analysis. In our results, we describe three types of ‘work’—standardising work, defensibility work and accountability work–summarising these in the discussion as an Accountability Circuit, which shows the organising role of texts on people’s work processes. We show how this form of governance mandates a shift towards accountability-centred practices, away from practices which are person-centred; this lens on accountability-centring during high-stakes assessments invites critique of the often-unquestioned emphasis of new public management in health professions education.
Talking Ethics Early in Health Data Public Private Partnerships
Authors: Landers Constantin , Ormond Kelly E. , Blasimme Alessandro , Brall Caroline , Vayena Effy
Published: May 2023

Data access and data sharing are vital to advance medicine. A growing number of public private partnerships are set up to facilitate data access and sharing, as private and public actors possess highly complementary health data sets and treatment development resources. However, the priorities and incentives of public and private organizations are frequently in conflict. This has complicated partnerships and sparked public concerns around ethical issues such as trust, justice or privacy—in turn raising an important problem in business and data ethics: how can ethical theory inform the practice of public and private partners to mitigate misaligned incentives, and ensure that they can deliver societally beneficial innovation? In this paper, we report on the development of the Swiss Personalized Health Network’s ethical guidelines for health data sharing in public private partnerships. We describe the process of identifying ethical issues and engaging core stakeholders to incorporate their practical reality on these issues. Our report highlights core ethical issues in health data public private partnerships and provides strategies for how to overcome these in the Swiss health data context. By agreeing on and formalizing ethical principles and practices at the beginning of a partnership, partners and society can benefit from a relationship built around a mutual commitment to ethical principles. We present this summary in the hope that it will contribute to the global data sharing dialogue.
Endorsement of scientific inquiry promotes better evaluation of climate policy evidence
Authors: Hughes Jessica E. , Sauer James D. , Drummond Aaron , Brumby Laura E. , Palmer Matthew A.
Published: May 2023

Public and scientific consensus about climate change do not align. Problematically, higher scientific knowledge has been associated with lower acceptance of climate information among those with more conservative socio-political ideologies. Positive attitudes towards science can attenuate this effect. We investigated the association between endorsement of scientific inquiry (ESI) and decision-making with scientific evidence about climate policies. Participants rated support for 16 climate policies accompanied by weaker or stronger evidence. In study 1 (N = 503), higher ESI was associated with greater discernment between strongly and weakly evidenced climate policies, irrespective of worldview. In studies 2 (N = 402) and 3 (N = 600), an ESI intervention improved discrimination, and, in study 3, increased ESI specifically for hierarchical/individualistic participants. Unlike ESI, the link between scientific knowledge and evaluation of evidence was influenced by worldview. Increasing ESI might improve the evaluation of scientific evidence and increase public support for evidence-based climate policies.
Research on the integrated development of agriculture and tourism in inner Mongolia
Authors: Fu Longtian , Xu Zhenyu , Chen Qin , Zhang Qi , Zou Zixiu , Li Luluo , Yturralde Chere’ Cato , Valencia Lita Gayrama
Published: May 2023

The coordinated development of agriculture and tourism is very important. On the basis of the index system of the predecessors, the development effect index after the integration of the subsystems is added, so as to construct the evaluation index system of the integrated development of agriculture and tourism in Inner Mongolia. The entropy weight method is used to set the weight value for each index, and the panel data from 2001 to 2019 collected from the Inner Mongolia Statistical Yearbook and the China Yearbook are analyzed with the coupled coordination degree model. The research results show that the development of agriculture and tourism in Inner Mongolia has been highly coupled since 2004; it has been reluctantly coordinated from 2007 until 2019 to achieve high-quality coordination; from 2001 to 2011, the development of tourism lagged behind the development of agriculture, while after 2012, the development of agriculture has been lagging behind the tourism industry. Wang (Asia Pac J Tour Res 24(6):550–562, 2019), Li and Du (Sustainability 13(10), 2021) had got similar conclusions. The article puts forward suggestions from two aspects. On the one hand, using the tourism as the trigger for the development of agriculture tourism by developing more agricultural-related tourism products so as to fully tap the tourism attributes of agriculture. The marketing of tourism products should be consciously inclined to agriculture; on the other hand, the promoting the development of tourism can be realized by adopting modern agriculture, which includes cultivating new types of large agricultural households, supporting the development of large and medium-sized farms, promoting the development of green agriculture and industrialized and three-dimensional agriculture. The modern agriculture can be deeply integrated with the tourism industry, thereby promoting the development of tourism. The research results and suggestions put forward in this paper have certain reference significance for the coordinated development of agriculture and tourism in Inner Mongolia and Southeast Asia.
Biphasic calcium phosphate doped with zirconia nanoparticles for reconstruction of induced mandibular defects in dogs: cone-beam computed tomographic and histopathologic evaluation
Authors: Taha Said K. , Hassan Elham A. , Mousa Sahar , El-Bassyouni Gehan T. , Shalash Heba N. , Abdel Hamid Mohamed A.
Published: May 2023

The present study aimed to evaluate osteogenic potential and biocompatibility of combining biphasic calcium phosphate with zirconia nanoparticles (4Zr TCP/HA) compared to biphasic calcium phosphate (TCP/HA) for reconstruction of induced mandibular defects in dog model. TCP/HA and 4Zr TCP/HA scaffolds were prepared. Morphological, physicochemical, antibacterial, cytocompatibility characterization were tested. In vivo application was performed in 12 dogs where three critical-sized mandibular defects were created in each dog. Bone defects were randomly allocated into: control, TCP/HA, and 4Zr TCP/HA groups. Bone density and bone area percentage were evaluated at 12 weeks using cone-beam computed tomographic, histopathologic, histomorphometric examination. Bone area density was statistically increased (p < 0.001) in TCP/HA and 4Zr TCP/HA groups compared to control group both in sagittal and coronal views. Comparing TCP/HA and 4Zr TCP/HA groups, the increase in bone area density was statistically significant in coronal view (p = 0.002) and sagittal view (p = 0.05). Histopathologic sections of TCP/HA group demonstrated incomplete filling of the defect with osteoid tissue. Doping with zirconia (4Zr TCP/HA group), resulted in statistically significant increase (p < 0.001) in bone formation (as indicated by bone area percentage) and maturation (as confirmed by Masson trichrome staining) compared to TCP/HA group. The newly formed bone was mature and organized with more trabecular thickness and less trabecular space in between. Physicochemical, morphological and bactericidal properties of combining zirconia and TCP/HA were improved. Combining zirconia and TCP/HA resulted in synergistic action with effective osteoinduction, osteoconduction and osteointegration suggesting its suitability to restore damaged bone in clinical practice.

Graphical Abstract
Reactivity of Health-Related Quality of Life to Perceived Stress: The Buffering Role of Psychosocial Resources in a Longitudinal Study of Adults with and Without HIV
Authors: Serrano Vanessa B. , Pasipanodya Elizabeth C. , Montoya Jessica L. , Heaton Robert K. , Jeste Dilip V. , Moore David J.
Published: May 2023

People with HIV now have increased longevity; however, their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) still lags significantly compared to people without HIV. Perceived stress negatively impacts HRQoL, whereas psychosocial resources are linked to better HRQoL. This longitudinal analysis aims to explore the buffering role of psychosocial resources on the relationship between HRQoL and perceived stress. Participants (N = 240) included 142 persons with HIV (PwH) and 98 without HIV, M(SD) = 50.9(8.1) years. Multilevel models over four study years examined longitudinal relationships between HRQoL (outcome) and perceived stress (predictor) and potential moderation by psychosocial resources (personal mastery, social support, and resilience) by HIV serostatus. Among PwH only, personal mastery (p = 0.001), social support (p = 0.015), and resilience (p = 0.029) were associated with an attenuated effect of perceived stress (less negative slopes) for physical HRQoL over time. Bolstering personal mastery, social support, and resilience may have relevance for improving physical well-being among PwH.
A deep learning framework for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease on MRI images
Authors: Arafa Doaa Ahmed , Moustafa Hossam El-Din , Ali Hesham A. , Ali-Eldin Amr M. T. , Saraya Sabry F.
Published: May 2023

Numerous medical studies have shown that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was present decades before the clinical diagnosis of dementia. As a result of the development of these studies with the discovery of many ideal biomarkers of symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, it became clear that early diagnosis requires a high-performance computational tool to handle such large amounts of data, as early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease provides us with a healthy opportunity to benefit from treatment. The main objective of this paper is to establish a complete framework that is based on deep learning approaches and convolutional neural networks (CNN). Four stages of AD, such as (I) preprocessing and data preparation, (II) data augmentation, (III) cross-validation, and (IV) classification and feature extraction based on deep learning for medical image classification, are implemented. In these stages, two methods are implemented. The first method uses a simple CNN architecture. In the second method, the VGG16 model is the pre-trained model that is trained on the ImageNet dataset but applies the same model to the different datasets. We apply transfer learning, meaning, and fine-tuning to take advantage of the pre-trained models. Seven performance metrics are used to evaluate and compare the two methods. Compared to the most recent effort, the proposed method is proficient of analyzing AD, moreover, entails less labeled training samples and minimal domain prior knowledge. A significant performance gain on classification of all diagnosis groups was achieved in our experiments. The experimental findings demonstrate that the suggested designs are appropriate for basic structures with minimal computational complexity, overfitting, memory consumption, and temporal regulation. Besides, they achieve a promising accuracy, 99.95% and 99.99% for the proposed CNN model in the classification of the AD stage. The VGG16 pre-trained model is fine-tuned and achieved an accuracy of 97.44% for AD stage classifications.
Venous thromboembolism recurrence among one-and-done direct oral anticoagulant users: a retrospective longitudinal study
Authors: Alberts Mark , Zhdanava Maryia , Pilon Dominic , Caron-Lapointe Gabrielle , Lefebvre Patrick , Bookhart Brahim , Kharat Akshay
Published: May 2023

Background

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are the American Society of Hematology guideline-recommended treatment for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the United States (US).

Aim

To compare risk of VTE recurrence between patients who, following the first fill, discontinued (“one-and-done”) versus those who continued (“continuers”) DOACs.

Method

Open source US insurance claims data (04/1/2017 to 10/31/2020) were used to select adult patients with VTE initiated on DOACs (index date). Patients with only one DOAC claim during the 45-day landmark period (starting on the index date) were classified as one-and-done and the remaining as continuers. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to reweight baseline characteristics between cohorts. VTE recurrence based on the first post-index deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism event was compared using weighted Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazard models from landmark period end to clinical activity or data end.

Results

27% of patients initiating DOACs were classified as one-and-done. After weighting, 117,186 and 116,587 patients were included in the one-and-done and continuer cohorts, respectively (mean age 60 years; 53% female; mean follow-up 15 months). After 12 months of follow-up, the probability of VTE recurrence was 3.99% and 3.36% in the one-and-done and continuer cohorts; the risk of recurrence was 19% higher in the one-and-done cohort (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] = 1.19 [1.13, 1.25]).

Conclusion

Substantial proportion of patients discontinued DOAC therapy after the first fill, which was associated with significantly higher risk of VTE recurrence. Early access to DOACs should be encouraged to reduce the risk of VTE recurrence.