bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tests of reproductive skew theory: a review and prospectus
Authors: Olivier Laure A. , Higginson Andrew D.
Published: October 2023

Reproductive skew refers to the unequal partitioning of reproduction by same-sex members of a social group. The concession, restraint and tug-of-war skew models attempt to predict which social and ecological factors influence skew, whilst assuming different power dynamics and making contrasting predictions. The factors underpinning within-species variation in skew remain unclear, despite decades of research. Individuals vary in both the benefit of leaving the group to breed (outside option) and in the contribution they make to group productivity if they stay. Variation is likely among several aspects of individual quality, so that individuals and species may show different associations between the subordinate's outside option and group productivity. Yet, no existing skew models allow for variation in this association, here named the quality-productivity coefficient (QPC). If high subordinate quality is associated with being a good helper, for instance if both help and quality improve with age, the QPC would be positive. If, instead, there is a trade-off or other contrast between breeding ability and helping effect, then the QPC will be negative. Here, we incorporate the QPC and derive new predictions for the concession, restraint and tug-of-war models, that sometimes changed their predictions. We review the empirical tests of the association of skew with relatedness, dominant’s competitive advantage, group productivity and subordinate’s outside option. From 16 studies available to calculate an effect size, relatedness correlated positively with skew; yet overall most of 45 studies reported no association. The association of skew with the outside option was negative or null, fitting the restraint and tug-of-war models. The mostly non-significant effect of group productivity supported the three models. Our review highlights future fruitful avenues for the study of cooperative breeding, especially more work to assess the association between subordinate’s outside option and subordinate’s effect on group productivity.
Intra-articular delivery of geraniol encapsulated by pH/redox-responsive nanogel ameliorates osteoarthritis by regulating oxidative stress and inflammation
Authors: Pan Jun , Cai Youzhi , Zhang Chi , Xu Sanzhong
Published: October 2023

Osteoarthritis (OA) remains a challenging condition due to limited drug bioavailability within the avascular and dense cartilage matrix. This study introduces a pH/redox-responsive nanogel for enhanced delivery of geraniol in OA therapy. We investigated geraniol's role in preventing chondrocyte matrix degradation and designed a pH/redox-responsive nanogel as a delivery platform. Our methods included Western blot, histological staining, and immunohistochemistry. Geraniol treatment reduced Keap1 expression while elevating Nrf2 and HO-1 levels, effectively inhibiting cartilage matrix degradation. The pH/redox-responsive nanogel further enhanced geraniol’s therapeutic impact. Our study demonstrates that geraniol encapsulated within a pH/redox-responsive nanogel mitigates OA by regulating oxidative stress and inflammation. This innovative approach holds potential as an effective OA therapeutic strategy.
Open up to Curiosity
Authors: Heisser Ronald
Published: October 2023

Curiosity is a fundamental impulse which propels human beings to seek, and discover satisfying answers to life’s deep questions. Capturing small but memorable moments of personal discovery, I highlight an element of curiosity within everyone’s control: one’s choices to be open. I provide a series of personal anecdotes and analogies, to illustrate real examples of how choice, experience, and resultant curiosity are interrelated. Often, the most revealing discoveries are those which can be made during one’s routine, daily life. Here, I place emphasis on observations of the moon, previously demonstrated to help develop curiosity in students (Duckworth, 1986). With an understanding that personal experience impacts curiosity as much, if not more, than one’s natural inclinations, individuals can wield their curiosity to find interest in and appreciation for subjects that would otherwise miss their attention. Often, this perspective is best gained when shared by another curious person.
Artificial intelligence for prediction of biological activities and generation of molecular hits using stereochemical information
Authors: Pereira Tiago O. , Abbasi Maryam , Oliveira Rita I. , Guedes Romina A. , Salvador Jorge A. R. , Arrais Joel P.
Published: October 2023

In this work, we develop a method for generating targeted hit compounds by applying deep reinforcement learning and attention mechanisms to predict binding affinity against a biological target while considering stereochemical information. The novelty of this work is a deep model Predictor that can establish the relationship between chemical structures and their corresponding $$pIC_{50}$$

p
I

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50

values. We thoroughly study the effect of different molecular descriptors such as ECFP4, ECFP6, SMILES and RDKFingerprint. Also, we demonstrated the importance of attention mechanisms to capture long-range dependencies in molecular sequences. Due to the importance of stereochemical information for the binding mechanism, this information was employed both in the prediction and generation processes. To identify the most promising hits, we apply the self-adaptive multi-objective optimization strategy. Moreover, to ensure the existence of stereochemical information, we consider all the possible enumerated stereoisomers to provide the most appropriate 3D structures. We evaluated this approach against the Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 7 (USP7) by generating putative inhibitors for this target. The predictor with SMILES notations as descriptor plus bidirectional recurrent neural network using attention mechanism has the best performance. Additionally, our methodology identify the regions of the generated molecules that are important for the interaction with the receptor’s active site. Also, the obtained results demonstrate that it is possible to discover synthesizable molecules with high biological affinity for the target, containing the indication of their optimal stereochemical conformation.
When Biobanks Meet Religion: Association Between Religiosity and Attitudes of Polish Medical Students Toward Biobanking of Human Biological Material for Research Purposes
Authors: Domaradzki Jan , Walkowiak Dariusz
Published: October 2023

While biobanking is expanding globally, the empirical evidence concerning the impact of religion on future healthcare professionals’ awareness and willingness to donate biospecimens for biobank research is lacking. To understand how medical students’ religious beliefs can fuel their questions regarding how biospecimens would be stored, cared for, and used, we conducted a survey among 1500 medical students at Poznań University of Medical Sciences. Our findings suggest that, while both religious and nonreligious students supported the idea of biobanking of human biological material and were willing to donate for research purposes, nonreligious students felt more positive toward biobanking, supported the idea of establishing biobanks in Poland more often, and were more eager to donate most types of tissues and to participate in biobank research. Religious beliefs were also associated with medical students’ perception of benefits and risks resulting from biobanking, perceived trust toward various biobank institutions, and preferred type of consent.
Cataphryxus zapoteca sp. nov. (Isopoda, Bopyridae) and new hosts and records of bopyrid isopods from the Mexican Eastern Pacific
Authors: Romero-Rodríguez Jesús , Álvarez Fernando
Published: October 2023

Based on the examination of diverse crustacean taxa collected along the Mexican Pacific and deposited in the Colección Nacional de Crustáceos of the Instituto de Biología, UNAM, six species of bopyrid isopods were detected. New hosts and localities are reported for Munidion pleuroncodis Markham, 1975, Probopyrus pacificensis Román-Contreras, 1993, Probopyrus markhami Román-Contreras, 1996, Progebiophilus bruscai Salazar-Vallejo & Leija-Tristán, 1990 and Schizobopyrina striata (Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1929). Cataphryxus zapotecasp. nov., is described as abdominal parasite of the shrimp Lysmata galapagensis Schmitt; this bopyrid is the second species described in the genus Cataphryxus Shiino, 1936 and the first registered on the American continent. Taxonomic characters, distribution and some reproductive data for five of the six species examined are provided in order to update the knowledge of this parasite group in this Eastern Pacific region.
Genome-wide association study for growth traits in Blanco Orejinegro and Romosinuano cattle
Authors: Bejarano Diego H. , Martínez Rodrigo A. , Rocha Juan F.
Published: October 2023

Growth traits are economically important characteristics for the genetic improvement of local cattle breeds. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) provide valuable information to enhance the understanding on the genetics of complex traits. The aim of this study was to perform a GWAS to identify genomic regions and genes associated to birth weight, weaning weight adjusted for 240 days, 16 months, and 24 months weight in Romosinuano (ROMO) and Blanco Orejinegro (BON) cattle. A single-step genomic-BLUP was implemented using 596 BON and 569 ROMO individuals that were genotyped with an Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip. There were 25 regions of interest identified on different chromosomes, with few of them simultaneously associated with two or more growth traits and some were common to both breeds. The gene mapping allowed to find 173 annotations on these regions, from which 49 represent potential candidate genes with known growth-related functions in cattle and other species. Among the regions that were associated with several growth traits, that at 24 – 27 MB of BTA14, has important candidate genes such as LYPLA1, XKR4, TMEM68 and PLAG1. Another region of interest at 0.40–0.77 Mb of BTA23 was identified in both breeds, containing KHDRBS2 as a potential candidate gene influencing body weight. Future studies targeting these regions could provide more knowledge to uncover the genetic architecture underlying growth traits in BON and ROMO cattle. The genomic regions and genes identified in this study could be used to improve the prediction of genetic merit for growth traits in these creole cattle breeds.
Lymphadenectomy before and after radical cystectomy: does this affect the radicality? A prospective randomized comparative study
Authors: Moeen Ahmed M. , Hameed Diaa A. , Mostafa Mohamed G. , Shaban Shimaa H.
Published: October 2023

Purpose

To compare the oncological outcome of performing ePLND before or after RC in 200 patients in a prospective randomized manner.

Materials and methods

From January 2014 to December 2019, 200 patients with T2-T3b N0M0 BCa were included in the current study after signing an informed consent. Patients were divided into two groups, 100 in each one. Group I underwent ePLND before RC, whereas group II underwent ePLND after RC. Postoperative evaluation included clinical, laboratory, and radiographic studies.

Results

Patients’ characteristics were comparable between both groups. The mean operative time excluding that of urinary diversion was significantly shorter in group II than in group I (p = 0.01). The mean number of LNs removed was 25 ± 6 in group I and 32 ± 8 in group II (p = 0.141). Intraoperative complications occurred in four patients in the form of external iliac artery and vein injury [two in each group (p = 0. 245)]. Postoperative complications were comparable between both groups with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.375). Oncological failure occurred in 28 patients [16 (17.6%) in group I and 12 (22%) in group II (p = 0.389)].

Conclusions

EPLND before and after RC has comparable oncological outcomes. The stage of the disease, the time since the first diagnosis till RC and the surgeon experience in performing meticulous ePLND are more important. In absence of oncological superiority, the timing of ePLND should be judged according to the patient-related factors to facilitate safe RC with minimal morbidity.
DeepFTSG: Multi-stream Asymmetric USE-Net Trellis Encoders with Shared Decoder Feature Fusion Architecture for Video Motion Segmentation
Authors: Rahmon Gani , Palaniappan Kannappan , Toubal Imad Eddine , Bunyak Filiz , Rao Raghuveer , Seetharaman Guna
Published: October 2023

Discriminating salient moving objects against complex, cluttered backgrounds, with occlusions and challenging environmental conditions like weather and illumination, is essential for stateful scene perception in autonomous systems. We propose a novel deep architecture, named DeepFTSG, for robust moving object detection that incorporates single and multi-stream multi-channel USE-Net trellis asymmetric encoders extending U-Net with squeeze and excitation (SE) blocks and a single shared decoder network for fusing multiple motion and appearance cues. DeepFTSG is a deep learning based approach that builds upon our previous hand-engineered flux tensor split Gaussian (FTSG) change detection video analysis algorithm which won the CDNet CVPR Change Detection Workshop challenge competition. DeepFTSG generalizes much better than top-performing motion detection deep networks, such as the scene-dependent ensemble-based FgSegNet_v2, while using an order of magnitude fewer weights. Short-term motion and longer-term change cues are estimated using general-purpose unsupervised methods—flux tensor and multi-modal background subtraction, respectively. DeepFTSG was evaluated using the CDnet-2014 change detection challenge dataset, the largest change detection video sequence benchmark with 12.3 billion labeled pixels, and had an overall F-measure of 97%. We also evaluated the cross-dataset generalization capability of DeepFTSG trained solely on CDnet-2014 short video segments and then evaluated on unseen SBI-2015, LASIESTA and LaSOT benchmark videos. On the unseen SBI-2015 dataset, DeepFTSG had an F-measure accuracy of 87%, more than 30% higher compared to the top-performing deep network FgSegNet_v2 and outperforms the recently proposed KimHa method by 17%. On the unseen LASIESTA, DeepFTSG had an F-measure of 88% and outperformed the best recent deep learning method BSUV-Net2.0 by 3%. On the unseen LaSOT with axis-aligned bounding box ground-truth, network segmentation masks were converted to bounding boxes for evaluation, DeepFTSG had an F-Measure of 55%, outperforming KimHa method by 14% and FgSegNet_v2 by almost 1.5%. When a customized single DeepFTSG model is trained in a scene-dependent manner for comparison with state-of-the-art approaches, then DeepFTSG performs significantly better, reaching an F-Measure of 97% on SBI-2015 (+ 10%) and 99% on LASIESTA (+ 11%). The source code, pre-trained weights, and video demo for DeepFTSG are available at https://github.com/CIVA-Lab/DeepFTSG.
Aquatic therapy improves self-reported sleep quality in fibromyalgia patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Bravo Cristina , Rubí-Carnacea Francesc , Colomo Iolanda , Sánchez-de-la-Torre Manuel , Fernández-Lago Helena , Climent-Sanz Carolina
Published: October 2023

Background

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of aquatic therapy on pain, sleep quality, psychological symptoms, quality of life, and health status in people diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

Methods

We searched PubMed, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, PEDro and Scopus databases. Articles were eligible if they were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) analysing the effects of aquatic therapy in adult people diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and published by October of 2022 in English or Spanish. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was employed to conduct the methodological quality assessment of the encompassed studies, and the overall quality of evidence for each comparison was determined using the GRADE approach.

Results

Of 375 articles found, 22 met the inclusion criteria. Forest plot analysis of Pittsburgh sleep quality index at short- and mid-term follow-up showed a trend in favour of aquatic therapy, although not statistically significant, with weighted mean difference (WMD) = -1.71 (95% CI: -4.17 to -0.75, p = 0.17). Heterogeneity was substantial (χ2 = 8.74, df = 5 (p < 0.000001; I2 = 95%). Relating the pain outcome by fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ) short term showed a trend in favour of the aquatic therapy group with WMD = −5.04 (95% CI: − 9.26 to − 0.82, p =  = 0.02) with heterogeneity χ2 = 11.07, df = 4 (p = 0.03; I2 = 64%). Great heterogeneity was found between trials in medium term.

Conclusion

This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated the effectiveness of aquatic therapy as an adjunct treatment to usual care in people suffering from fibromyalgia. Aquatic therapeutic exercise improves the symptomats of sleep quality, pain, and quality of life of adults with fibromyalgia. Further research on long-term outcomes may contribute to the currently available evidence.
Exploring the dynamic effect of economic growth on carbon dioxide emissions in Africa: evidence from panel PMG estimator
Authors: Espoir Delphin Kamanda , Sunge Regret , Bannor Frank
Published: October 2023

The relationship between economic growth and environmental pollution continues to attract significant research interest for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers all over the globe. Theoretically, the environmental benefit of economic growth should be greater than its negative externality with higher level of development. However, from the African perspective, countries with higher economic performances often face several environmental challenges, which raises the doubt whether economic growth helps or constrains environmental quality improvement. Under the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis, this study re-examined the effect of economic growth on CO2 emissions conditional on the dynamics of urbanization, renewable energy, and good governance across 47 African countries using panel data from 1996 to 2019. We employ panel cointegration tests to establish whether there is a long-run equilibrium relationship among our variables. We also apply pooled mean group ARDL (PMG-ARDL) techniques and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality test to determine the long- and short-run effects of economic growth, urbanization, renewable energy consumption, and good governance on CO2 emissions. The results from the PMG estimator validate the EKC hypothesis since a 1% surge in GDP per capita increases emissions by 0.61% in the long run, while a 1% increase in its square decreases emissions by 0.03%. In the short-run, economic growth does not exercise any significant effect on emissions. Furthermore, results indicate a significantly negative and positive long-run effect of renewable energy and governance, respectively. Finally, our causality test shows bidirectional relationship between CO2 emissions and all the explanatory variables. Henceforth, we provided policy implications based on the study’s results.
New model for the automatic detection of anthracnose in mango fruits based on Vis/NIR hyperspectral imaging and discriminant analysis
Authors: Velásquez Carlos , Prieto Flavio , Palou Lluís , Cubero Sergio , Blasco José , Aleixos Nuria
Published: October 2023

Anthracnose is one of the most relevant diseases of mango crops in producing regions, affecting 60% of production. Currently, its detection is carried out in late stages by human visual inspection. Hyperspectral imaging systems allow the development of non-destructive solutions to inspect and detect internal damage. This work aimed to develop a system for detecting anthracnose in mango fruits using Vis–NIR hyperspectral imaging and discriminant analysis. The usefulness of three-dimensionality reduction methods to minimise redundancy in the spectral data and to obtain a compact number of wavelengths that effectively allow the detection of anthracnose symptoms in mango fruits is also explored. As a result, a classification model based on discriminant analysis and Pearson correlation coefficient was obtained, showing the potential of hyperspectral data to robustly allow the detection of anthracnose symptoms with full or reduced spectra. The findings reported in this study can serve as the basis for developing an anthracnose detection system in mango fruits with multispectral cameras.
Indicators to evaluate quality of care in head and neck cancer in Spain
Authors: Hernández Juan Jesús Cruz , Arrula Virginia Arrazubi , Álvarez Yolanda Escobar , Castaño Almudena García , de Castro Juan José Grau , Docampo Lara Iglesias , Sorrosal Julio Lambea , Segura Pedro Pérez , Domínguez Antonio Rueda , Campos-Lucas Francisco J. , Rodríguez Irene Santamaría , Bessa Maria , Gratal Paula , Caballero-Martínez Fernando , Martín Diana Monge , Antón-Rodríguez Cristina , López Rafael
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to develop a set of criteria and indicators to evaluate the quality of care of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC).

Methods

A systematic literature review was conducted to identify valuable criteria/indicators for the assessment of the quality of care in HNC. With the aid of a technical group, a scientific committee of oncologists specialised in HNC used selected criteria to propose indicators that were evaluated with a two-round Delphi method. Indicators on which consensus was achieved were then prioritised by the scientific committee to develop a final set of indicators.

Results

We proposed a list of 50 indicators used in the literature or developed by us to be evaluated with a Delphi method. There was consensus on the appropriateness of 47 indicators in the first round; the remaining 3 achieved consensus in the second round. The 50 indicators were scored to prioritise them, leading to a final selection of 29 indicators related to structure (3), process (22), or outcome (4) and covering diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and health outcomes in patients with HNC. Easy-to-use index cards were developed for each indicator, with their criterion, definition, formula for use in real-world clinical practice, rationale, and acceptable level of attainment.

Conclusions

We have developed a set of 29 evidence-based and expert-supported indicators for evaluating the quality of care in HNC, covering diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and health outcomes.
Quantile coherency of futures prices in palm and soybean oil markets
Authors: Fousekis Panos
Published: October 2023

The objective of the present work is to investigate the contemporaneous price co-movement in the futures markets of soybean and palm oil. This is pursued using quantile coherency (a statistical tool that allows for both frequency- and quantile-dependent linkages between stochastic processes) and daily futures prices from 2015 to 2023. The empirical findings suggest: (a) The co-movement between palm and soybean oil prices is not very high and, at the same time, it is asymmetric; prices in the two markets are more likely to crash than to boom together. (b) The intensity of co-movement tends to increase monotonically with the time-scale considered. However, the bulk of the adjustments to shocks tend to be completed within 1 month; the differences between coherency estimates in the medium- and in the long-run are rather small. (c) Price co-movement appears to be driven by both pure (short-run) contagion as well as by fundamental-based (long-run) contagion.
Candida in COVID-19: Gut-Lung Axis, Dysbiosis, and Infections
Authors: Kordalewska Milena , Perlin David S.
Published: October 2023

Purpose of Review

This review discusses the connections between the gut-lung axis, gut and respiratory tract dysbiosis, and Candida bloodstream, oral, and respiratory infections in COVID-19 patients.

Recent Findings

COVID-19–related dysfunction in the intestinal barrier together with gut and lung dysbiosis played an important role in disease pathophysiology, which affected host immune homeostasis giving rise to prominent systemic and respiratory bacterial and fungal infections. Higher incidence of Candida bloodstream infections driven by accumulation of “classic” risk factors in severely ill COVID-19 patients was noted. Moreover, numerous C. auris outbreaks, characterized by high clonality of the strains, were reported from all around the world. Unlike other Candida species, C. auris colonization and infection cases most likely resulted from nosocomial transmission.

Infections due to Candida species in severely ill COVID-19 patients reflected the overall immune dysregulation and were largely driven by gut and respiratory tract dysbiosis.
Recent Trends in Edible Packaging for Food Applications — Perspective for the Future
Authors: Kumar Nishant , Pratibha  , Prasad Jaishankar , Yadav Ajay , Upadhyay Ashutosh , Neeraj  , Shukla Shruti , Petkoska Anka Trajkovska , Heena  , Suri Shweta , Gniewosz Małgorzata , Kieliszek Marek
Published: October 2023

Edible packaging plays an important role in protecting food products from physical, mechanical, chemical, and microbiological damages by creating a barrier against oxidation, water, and controlling enzymatic activation. The employment of active agents such as plant extracts, essential oils, cross-linkers, and nanomaterials in edible packaging promises to improve mechanical, physical, barrier, and other properties of edible materials as well as food products. In the current review, we have compiled information on the recent advances and trends in developing composite (binary and ternary) edible packaging for food application. Several types of active agents such as essential oils, plant extracts, cross-linking agents, and nanomaterials as well as their functions in edible packaging (active composite) have been discussed. The present study provides the collective information about the high- (high-pressure homogenizer, ultrasonication, and microfludizer) and low-energy (phase inversion temperature and composition and spontaneous emulsification) methods for developing nanoformulations. In addition, concepts of comprehensive studies required for developing edible coatings and films for food packaging applications, as well as overcoming challenges like consumer acceptance, regulatory requirements, and non-toxic scaling up to the commercial applications, have also been discussed.
Experimental and Numerical Investigations of the Fatigue Life of AA2024 Aluminium Alloy-Based Nanocomposite Reinforced by TiO2 Nanoparticles Under the Effect of Heat Treatment
Authors: Mahan Hamid M. , Konovalov S. V. , Najm Sherwan Mohammed , Mihaela Oleksik , Trzepieciński Tomasz
Published: October 2023

Using aluminium metal matrix nanocomposites has recently gained increased attention in the industry due to their high strength and ductility. In this paper, TiO2 nanoparticles in volume percentages of 5 wt. % were added to the AA2024 alloy using the stir casting method. Using a novel powder injection system, TiO2 nanoparticles with an average particle size of 30 ± 5 nm was added to the matrix. The influence of TiO2 content on the fatigue life before and after heat treatment was studied. The results showed the fatigue properties of AA2024 with TiO2 nanoparticles increased after heat treatment. The optimum improvement in fatigue properties was obtained at 5 wt. % TiO2 after heat treatment, with an improving fatigue life in 14.71% compared with sample based. This is due to an increased number of fine precipitates besides its uniformly distributed after heat treatment. The fatigue life of the composite materials with added nanoparticles was investigated using a finite element-based ANSYS workbench. There was a good match between what happened in the experiments and what happened to the numerical fatigue strength. For the composite materials, the difference between the experimental and numerical values of fatigue strength was not greater than 4% for the matrix. The results also, indicated that, after ageing, the precipitate-free zone at the inter-dendritic zone disappeared or became smaller. However, after adding 5 wt. % of titanium and, also, performing heat treatment, it is not possible to precipitate the Al2CuMg precipitates, and, instead of it, the Al3TiCu and Al7TiCu phases precipitates have been formed.
Estrogen receptor α interaction of zearalenone and its phase I metabolite α-zearalenol in combination with soy isoflavones in hERα-HeLa-9903 cells
Authors: Grgic Dino , Novak Barbara , Varga Elisabeth , Marko Doris
Published: October 2023

Risk assessment primarily relies on toxicological data of individual substances, with limited information on combined effects. Recent in vitro experiments using Ishikawa cells, an endometrial carcinoma cell line expressing both estrogen receptor isoforms, demonstrated interactive effects of phyto- and mycoestrogens. The mycoestrogens, zearalenone (ZEN), and α-zearalenol (α-ZEL) exhibited significantly enhanced estrogenic responses in the presence of isoflavones (ISF), depending on substance ratios and concentrations. This study investigated the impact of phyto- and mycoestrogen combinations on estrogenic response following OECD guideline 455, utilizing hERα-HeLa-9903 cells. Test substances included mycoestrogens (ZEN and α-ZEL) and isoflavones (genistein (GEN), daidzein (DAI), and S-equol (EQ), a gut microbial metabolite of DAI). Mycoestrogens were tested in the range of 0.001 to 100 nM, while isoflavones were used at concentrations 1000 times higher based on relevant occurrence ratios. Results showed that ZEN and α-ZEL induced ERα-dependent luciferase expression in concentrations above 1 nM and 0.01 nM, respectively. However, ISF caused a superinduction of the luciferase signal above 1 µM. A superinduction is characterized by an unusually strong or heightened increase in the activity of the luciferase enzyme. This signal is not affected by the estrogen receptor antagonist 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OH-TAM), which was additionally used to verify whether the increase of signal is a true reflection of receptor activation. This superinduction was observed in all combinations of ZEN and α-ZEL with ISFs. Contrary to the luciferase activity findings, RT-qPCR experiments and a stability approach revealed lower real ERα activation by ISFs than measured in the ONE-Glo™ luciferase test system. In conclusion, the OECD protocol 455 appears unsuitable for testing ISFs due to their superinduction of luciferase and interactions with the test system, resulting in experimental artifacts. Further studies are necessary to explore structure–activity relationships within polyphenols and clarify the test system’s applicability.
Explorative behavior allows the successful finding of ephemeral food resources in the wild
Authors: Wirowska Martyna , Iwińska Karolina , Borowski Zbigniew , Brzeziński Marcin , Solecki Paweł , Boratyński Jan S.
Published: October 2023

The repeatable among-individual variation in behavior (animal personality) is considered to affect fitness. The variation in personality traits is shaped by complex evolutionary mechanisms involving energy allocation and resource acquisition. However, an association between personality and individual performance in energy gain in the natural environment still seems underexplored. The aim of our study was to test a hypothesis that consistent individual variation in behavior affects the energy acquisition of unpredictable food resources. We predicted that more explorative individuals would be finding ephemeral food resources with higher probability than those less explorative. The quasi-experiment with ‘random-walking-feeders’ was performed to assess the use of unpredictable food resources in the natural habitat occupied by free-ranging arboreal rodents — edible dormice Glis glis. A repeated open field test at laboratory conditions was conducted to assess whether male dormice show consistent among-individual variation in behavior. The open field test analysis indicated two main components of dormice behavior: exploration and boldness, from which only the first one was repeatable and thus considered as a component of animal personality. The probability of finding a feeder increased with exploration, independently of dormice age and body size. The results indicate that exploration can be considered an adaptive trait that improves energy acquisition. We suggest that the behavioral among-individual variation within populations persists due to the usage of distinct foraging strategies in the face of fluctuations in food resources availability.
Creativity in Crisis: Re-envisioning Higher Education in Myanmar’s Spring Revolution
Authors: Wong Mary Shepard , Kareng David
Published: October 2023

In the spring of 2022, we (a teacher–educator from the USA and a Kachin graduate research assistant) interviewed 14 participants from Myanmar who were engaging in an unprecedented educational re-imagining during the Spring Revolution following the 2021 military coup that gripped the county. Three preliminary findings of our study focus on creativity in crisis in higher education, which we categorized as actors, actions, and procedures, or who, what, and how. ‘Who’ refers to actors and their creativity in forming new alliances among inter-ethnic and inter-generational educators and activists to remake education. ‘What’ refers to creativity in content in addressing inequity and ‘fake history’ in the national curriculum. ‘How’ addresses creativity in the delivery of education in the midst of extreme challenges and opposition. This look into the way crises can lead to creativity in education, with a focus on higher education, presents a unique opportunity to witness how grassroots actors in Myanmar are seeking to transform higher education in a ‘radical bureaucratic overhaul,’ as one participant put it, making it more inclusive, critical, and just.
Differential scanning calorimetry of aluminium EN AB-42000 alloy rheocasting semi-solid in different stage heating rates
Authors: Abdulrahman Kawan M. , Gonda Viktor , Réger Mihály
Published: October 2023

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used to identify the thermal histories of samples to analyse and diagnose production and quality concerns connected to industrial rheocasting semi-solid alloy, that had undergone different tempers of aluminium alloy EN AB-42000 alloy. In this study, the solidus temperatures of several alloy samples are investigated using thermodynamic calculations and DSC observations in this work. The balance of important characteristics, including pseudo-eutectic, thermal sensitivity, heat flow, and enthalpies behaviour, of Al alloys has been investigated using experimental data from DSC and solid fractions. In addition, the choice of heating rates is critical as high rates can blur the two peaks in the mushy zone, while low rates lead to slower measurements. Using smaller sample weights and slower rates is preferable to obtain more accurate results. Analysing the shape of the fs curve, exact composition, and a reference composition without contaminants is essential for understanding complex behaviours, including pseudo-eutectic phenomena. The thermal sensitivity of compositions also plays a crucial role in the analysis. Despite heat flow decreasing with decreased sample weight, the measurement limit can still be exceeded at high heating or cooling rates (20 °C/min) during the eutectic reaction. The eutectic reaction exhibits higher peaks with enthalpies ranging from 360 to 430 mJ/g. However, drawing conclusions regarding trends in heating versus cooling or comparing low-mass and higher-mass samples can be challenging. The non-equilibrium transformation of the eutectic occurs within a more confined temperature range. Increasing rates lead to overlapping reactions, resulting in complex thermal behaviour.
A Micromechanical Modeling Approach for the Estimation of the Weathering-Induced Degradation of Wind Turbine Blades
Authors: Kucher Michael , Johst Philipp , Lizaranzu Miguel , Lahuerta Francisco , Böhm Robert
Published: October 2023

Glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRPs) are widely used as composite material for a variety of applications such as wind turbine blades (WTBs). During their operating time, these GFRP structures are exposed to natural weathering conditions, such as low and elevated temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, and moisture. These weathering phenomena influence the material’s mechanical properties due to material aging and the degradation of the composite’s mechanical properties. For a reliable lifetime assessment and the design of a repurposed application of WTBs, the quantification of GFRP’s degradation is required. For this reason, the aim of the current study is to numerically estimate the combined effects of weathering on the mechanical properties of GFRP. Therefore, the effective elastic properties of a unidirectional GFRP composite were determined considering representative volume elements. The required numerical modeling was performed using finite element analysis. The mechanical properties of glass fibers, epoxy resin and their relationship with individual natural aging phenomena were used based on the existing literature values. As a result of the micromechanical modeling, the change of temperature and moisture absorption have the highest effect on the elastic properties on the epoxy resin and thus also on the GFRP composite. The used numerical approach enables a preliminary estimation of environmental-based degradation phenomena of GFRP which can be used at an early stage of developments of composite structures, the reuse of composites or for planning experimental studies considering degradation of these composite materials.
Nitrate attenuates cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury by promotion of mitophagy and reduction of oxidative stress
Authors: Wang Haibo , Song Chunyan , Chen Feng , Liu Xiu , Hu Liang , Zhang Chunmei , Wang Songlin , Li Wenbin
Published: October 2023

Cisplatin, an anticancer drug, has limited its clinical application due to its severe nephrotoxicity, such as acute kidney injury (AKI). Damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria caused by cisplatin are toxic to the cell by producing reactive oxygen species and releasing cell death factors. Mitophagy is the mechanism of selective degradation of these damaged mitochondria via autophagy, that is critical to cellular homeostasis and viability. In this study, the protective functions of inorganic nitrate against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity are assessed. Our results in vitro show that nitrate significantly reduced the apoptosis of HK2 or NRK52E cells induced by cisplatin treatment. Furthermore, dietary nitrate notably alleviates the tubular and glomerular damages as well as the loss of renal function in cisplatin-induced AKI mice models. These protective effects are closely related to downregulation of cell apoptosis and reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Mechanistically, inorganic nitrate treatment promotes the activation of mitophagy mediated by the PINK1-PRKN/PARK2 pathway, which plays an important role in the maintenance of mitochondrial quality, helping renal tubular cells to survive and recover from cisplatin stress. These novel findings suggest that inorganic nitrate supplementation deserve further exploration as a potential treatment in patients with cisplatin-induced renal injury.
State-of-the-art review on pressure infiltration behavior of bentonite slurry into saturated sand for TBM tunneling
Authors: Qin Su , Cheng Yang , Zhou Wan-Huan
Published: October 2023

The pressure infiltration behavior of bentonite slurry (a mixture of water and bentonite) in front of a slurry tunnel boring machine (TBM) determines the effectiveness of tunnel face support when tunneling through saturated sand. This paper provides a comprehensive review of relevant studies, encompassing the rheology of bentonite slurry, laboratory experiments, numerical simulations for modeling slurry infiltration in sand, and an exploration of the membrane behavior of filter cake. The review found that variations in test conditions for bentonite slurry are the primary contributing factor leading to discrepancies in rheological measurement results. Conventional column-based slurry infiltration tests often impose a high hydraulic gradient on the soil sample, making the observations from these tests incomparable to real tunnel scenarios where the hydraulic gradient is much lower. Two primary slurry infiltration types were identified: one involving an external filter cake alongside an infiltration zone, and the other featuring solely an infiltration zone. The filter cake effectively stops further infiltration of bentonite and serves as a media for transferring the slurry pressure to the soil skeleton. Owing to the viscoplastic properties of bentonite slurry, a decrease in flow velocity fosters an increase in rheological resistance, thereby aiding in the stabilization of the excavation process. The inclusion of fine sand, seawater, and liquids with acidic or heavy metal properties could notably undermine both the characteristics of bentonite slurry and the sealing capacity of the filter cake. Hence, it becomes crucial to effectively control the workability of bentonite slurry throughout the process of slurry TBM tunneling.
BIG IN REVERSE MATHEMATICS: MEASURE AND CATEGORY
Authors: SANDERS SAM
Published: October 2023

The smooth development of large parts of mathematics hinges on the idea that some sets are ‘small’ or ‘negligible’ and can therefore be ignored for a given purpose. The perhaps most famous smallness notion, namely ‘measure zero’, originated with Lebesgue, while a second smallness notion, namely ‘meagre’ or ‘first category’, originated with Baire around the same time. The associated Baire category theorem is a central result governing the properties of meagre (and related) sets, while the same holds for Tao’s pigeonhole principle for measure spaces and measure zero sets. In this paper, we study these theorems in Kohlenbach’s higher-order Reverse Mathematics, identifying a considerable number of equivalent and robust theorems. The latter involve most basic properties of semi-continuous and pointwise discontinuous functions, Blumberg’s theorem, Riemann integration, and Volterra’s early work circa 1881. All the aforementioned theorems fall (far) outside of the Big Five of Reverse Mathematics, and we investigate natural restrictions like Baire 1 and quasi-continuity that make these theorems provable again in the Big Five (or similar). Finally, despite the fundamental differences between measure and category, the proofs of our equivalences turn out to be similar.
UNIFORM BOUNDS FOR
$\operatorname {GL}(3)\times \operatorname {GL}(2)$
L-FUNCTIONS
Authors: Huang Bingrong
Published: October 2023

In this paper, we prove uniform bounds for
$\operatorname {GL}(3)\times \operatorname {GL}(2) \ L$
-functions in the
$\operatorname {GL}(2)$
spectral aspect and the t aspect by a delta method. More precisely, let
$\phi $
be a Hecke–Maass cusp form for
$\operatorname {SL}(3,\mathbb {Z})$
and f a Hecke–Maass cusp form for
$\operatorname {SL}(2,\mathbb {Z})$
with the spectral parameter
$t_f$
. Then for
$t\in \mathbb {R}$
and any
$\varepsilon>0$
, we have
$$\begin{align*}L(1/2+it,\phi\times f) \ll_{\phi,\varepsilon} (t_f+|t|)^{27/20+\varepsilon}. \end{align*}$$
Moreover, we get subconvexity bounds for
$L(1/2+it,\phi \times f)$
whenever
$|t|-t_f \gg (|t|+t_f)^{3/5+\varepsilon }$
.
A Global Analysis of Transgender Rights: Introducing the Trans Rights Indicator Project (TRIP)
Authors: Williamson Myles
Published: October 2023

To what extent do countries protect the rights of transgender people? How does this differ from legal protections countries offer sexual orientation minorities? What conditions are beneficial for advancing trans rights? Limitations in data availability and accessibility make answering these types of trans-specific questions difficult. To address this shortcoming, I introduce a new dataset. The Trans Rights Indicator Project (TRIP) provides insight into the legal situations transgender people faced in 173 countries from 2000 to 2021. The dataset currently includes 14 indicators that capture the presence or absence of laws related to criminalization, legal gender recognition, and anti-discrimination protections. I then use this data to discuss the global status of transgender rights throughout the period and compare these trends to sexual orientation rights. Finally, I conclude with a preliminary analysis of three institutional and cultural factors that may help explain variation in transgender rights throughout the world.
The practice of the UN Security Council pertaining to the environment and armed conflict, 1945–2021
Authors: Kapoor Radhika , Lewis Dustin A.
Published: October 2023

Contemporary ecological and climate crises have thrown into sharp relief debates around what roles and responsibilities, if any, international security bodies ought to have in addressing environment-related matters. Building on a wider catalogue of the United Nations Security Council's practice concerning the environment, in this article, we provide a snapshot of the Council's practice pertaining in particular to the environment and armed conflict. In addition to setting out key aspects relating to the personal, geographical and temporal scope of that practice, we identify four armed-conflict-related substantive themes arising in the Security Council's actions in this area: (1) relations between conflict and natural resources; (2) relations between conflict and adverse environment-related phenomena; (3) relations between conflict and chemical and biological weapons; and (4) adverse impacts of conflict on the environment. Through this examination, we aim in part to provide stakeholders with a more extensive and detailed basis on which to evaluate what actions the Council has taken – and, by inference, which actions it has not taken – with respect to the environment and armed conflict.
The Theory of Hermann Rorschach
Authors: Andronikof Anne
Published: October 2023

Abstract: We trace the development of Hermann Rorschach’s ideas, from his early experiments, interests, and his medical thesis (1912) on reflex hallucinations to the writing of Psychodiagnostics ( 1921 ) in order to demonstrate that he was in the process of constructing a global theory of personality. The key to his experimentation with inkblots was the notion of representational or perceptual conflict, the psychological functioning of the tested person being reflected in the way responses are chosen. He conceived personality as a dynamic structure with a psychic apparatus that operates our relationships with the external and internal worlds of experience, thus highlighting the workings of the conscious/preconscious systems.
A Translation and Validation of the Dispositional Greed Scale in Spanish
Authors: Estrada-Mejia Catalina , Zeelenberg Marcel , Breugelmans Seger M.
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Greed is best defined as the “experience of desiring to acquire more and the dissatisfaction of never having enough” ( Seuntjens, Zeelenberg, Breugelmans, & Van De Ven, 2015 , p. 518). The Dispositional Greed Scale ( Seuntjens, Zeelenberg, Van De Ven, & Breugelmans, 2015 ) is most often used to measure greed and has been validated for various languages, although not for Spanish. We present the first Spanish translation of the DGS. We tested two parallel translations of the scale ( N = 305) using two related but distinct words for greedy: codicioso and avaricioso. Both translations showed unidimensional factor structure, with acceptable reliability. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showed evidence for scalar equivalence of both translations. A comparison with data from a previous English version of the scale showed evidence of metric equivalence. Additionally, we found the expected relationships between greed and envy, materialism, need for achievement, and self-improvement. We conclude the DGS-Spanish has been successful in capturing the essential features of the DGS.