bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Codec Adaptation for Wireless Multimedia Streaming
Authors: Yeh Ping-Cheng , Hsieh Hung-Yun , Wu Zhung-Han , Lee Yen-Chi , Chiang Chun-Cheng , Ou Antonio
Published: September 2012

Due to the time-varying nature of wireless channels and the Internet backbone traffic, it is a challenging task to maintain the quality of wireless multimedia streaming throughout the transmission. An effective solution is to adapt the codec setting based on the wireless channel condition or the Internet backbone state. In this chapter, we present three cross-layer codec adaptation algorithms that adjust the codec setting in real-time based on media access control frame error rate, received signal strength indication, and path bandwidth respectively. Results show that the algorithms are effective in achieving good video quality for wireless multimedia streaming over wireless links.
QoS and Energy Saving Routing and MAC Mechanisms for Wireless Networks
Authors: Gkamas Vasileios , Kokkinos Panagiotis , Varvarigos Emmanouel
Published: September 2012

This chapter describes routing and medium access control (MAC) mechanisms for providing Quality of Service (QoS) together with energy savings in wireless ad hoc networks. The proposed mechanisms operate in a cross-layer optimization logic, in the direction of either minimizing total energy consumption in the network or maximizing network lifetime, while at the same time providing QoS to the end users. The authors present a multi-cost routing approach, where various cost parameters and optimization functions are defined and used for selecting the paths to be followed. Also, routing and MAC protocols are investigated for the case where nodes have variable transmission power capabilities. Finally, the performance of the proposed protocols is evaluated and compared to that of other well-known routing and MAC protocols.
Research on Open Innovation in China
Authors: Naixiao Zhu , Chunhua Huang
Published: September 2012

In the knowledge economy era enterprises experience extremely severe competition the intensity of which may be seen in the rate of technology innovation: finally technological innovation can result in the creation of intellectual property (Wu, 2006). “Even great technologies no longer can be relied upon to earn a satisfactory profit before they become commercialized” (Chesbrough, 2007). The effective ways to achieve the commercial value of intellectual property rights relies on the use of intellectual property. An in-depth study of this subject has important theoretical and practical significance for improving the international competitiveness of Chinese enterprises and for protecting their intellectual property rights.
The Hellenic Framework for Computer Program Copyright Protection Following the Implementation of the Relative European Union Directives
Authors: Alexandropoulou-Egyptiadou Eugenia
Published: September 2012

The huge financial rewards that may be gained from software sales have resulted in computer piracy, an increasing worldwide phenomenon. This situation has posed a challenge to the legislator, who has imposed regulations concerning the protection of software, both at national and international level. The following chapter focuses on the presentation of the current Hellenic legal framework on computer program copyright protection following the implementation of the relative E.U. Directives (Law 2121/1993, as amended). The chapter consists of an introduction focusing on software piracy rates and on the international legal framework of the protection; there is a unit on the right holder, being the subject of software copyright protection; a unit on the field of the protection; a unit on the rights of the author (the moral right, the property right and the resulting powers thereof), focusing on the power of software reproduction and specific cases where the lawful user can carry out acts without the author’s consent; a unit on the consequences of copyright infringement (sanctions at civil, criminal, and administrative level); a unit on the duration of the protection; and finally concluding with final remarks and recommendations.
Indonesian Legal Perspectives on Biotechnology and Intellectual Property Rights
Authors: Litaay Theofransus , Prananingrum Dyah Hapsari , Krisanto Yakub Adi
Published: September 2012

The authors focus their attention on the structure of Indonesian law and policies on biotechnology issues; they also address some issues related to bioethics and research activities and economic activities, such as the issue of bioprospecting and biopiracy on Indonesian biodiversity, and how the legal and governance structure within Indonesia are designed to cope with this issue. An issue that looms large is about intellectual property rights.
Knowledge Worker Faire Compensation
Authors: Costa Gonçalo
Published: September 2012

One of the key characteristics in knowledge management is the importance of human resources. Therefore, main stream literature has been discussing the concept of knowledge worker, its characteristics, and duties versus rights, and human resources policies in its dissimilar perspectives (knowledge workers retention, personal mastery, intellectual property rights, among others). Although, empirical studies seem to disregard if knowledge workers feel that are well compensated, or what dimensions entail faire compensation. Hence, this chapter aims to recognize knowledge workers feeling about faire compensation, and what elements are essential to achieve it through a conceptual framework. For that, the chapter is divided into six sections: the research questions; knowledge worker (key characteristics and responsibilities versus rights); fairness (etymology and the contribution of Rawls); linking the theoretical basis; empirical results (methodological remarks, findings and discussion); future research directions (the surrealist assumption, Dali surrealism and the metaphorical assumption).
Legal Issues Facing Companies with Products in a Digital Format
Authors: Fichtner J. Royce , Simpson Lou Ann
Published: September 2012

Companies that deal in products in a digital format, such as magazines, newspapers, e-books, music, movies, games, or software, face unique legal challenges because they attempt to earn a profit by selling or licensing material that is easily copied and inexpensive to reproduce. This chapter discusses the four general categories of intellectual property law—patents, trade secrets, trademarks, and copyrights—and describes how each applies to products in a digital format. This chapter ends with a brief discussion of the changing societal norms toward copyright infringement for digital products and possible directions for future research.
Information Agents, Social Web and Intellectual Property
Authors: Anguera de Sojo Áurea , Serradilla Francisco
Published: September 2012

In recent years, due to the development of the information society, there has been a substantial change in regulating certain legal aspects in the field of intellectual property. Focusing on the Internet, legally it is trying to protect, on the one hand, user interests in use and private access to information in order to ensure security and protection of the data exchanged on the Web and, on the other hand, to ensure respect and protection of copyright of the work as well as the sui generis right of database makers. The picture is extremely complicated as interests and rights that may collide with each other must be combined. In the case of Internet access to different content that is offered on the Web, there is also another problem. In many cases we are not only faced with the problem of determining who owns the rights or who is the author, but a new way of creating content through collaboration or automated software agents is spreading that is radically different from the traditional model which makes it even more complicated to establish the intellectual property regime and the rights derived thereof.
Is DRM the Great Spoiler in the IDM Marketplace?
Authors: Balgayev Ilyas , Shyan Phng Jia , Win Kaung Myat
Published: September 2012

Digital Rights Management (DRM) has been a popular option employed by firms to deal with piracy issues. The rationale of DRM, the expected benefits for firms, and their implications in the Interactive Digital Media (IDM) marketplace are presented. Using the VISOR framework, the chapter also analyses the impacts of DRM based in the IDM marketplace, and to suggest if DRM is the great spoiler in the IDM marketplace. Studies have shown that the advantages brought by DRM to firms go beyond what would be needed for an efficient provision of digital goods. The chapter concludes with some recommendations and suggestions whether DRM is the great spoiler in the IDM marketplace.
Creative Networks of Practice Using Web 2.0 Tools
Authors: Orava Jukka , Worrall Pete
Published: September 2012

This paper examines the professional implications for teachers and managers in new and evolving forms of professional development using Web 2.0 tools in a European context. Research findings are presented from the “Creative Use of Media” learning event developed through a European eTwinning Learning Lab initiative in spring of 2009. The Creative use of the Media online learning event supported a series of initiatives celebrating the European Year of Creativity and Innovation and involved 135 participants from 27 countries. The key objective was to introduce a range of learning themes constructed around a phenomenon-based inquiry model, which supported interdisciplinary approaches and collaborative online learning methodologies to stimulate new teaching and learning rationales. Digital Web 2.0 technology was used as an independent creative medium and as a powerful facilitating tool to enhance and blend with the more traditional forms of visual, audiovisual and multimedia inquiry. In developing models encapsulating risk taking and experimentation this online learning project supported a general principle that future education models and professional development would be based on social learning and “customer-driven collaborative knowledge building” in relation to open source materials.
The Application of Data Mining to Evaluate the Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative Treatment Modalities in a National Medicare Database
Authors: Sharkey Phoebe D. , Hsu Wesley , Batra Sachin , Rigamonti Daniele
Published: September 2012

This paper reports on a case study applying data mining techniques to large Medicare claims databases to discover insights related to the comparative cost effectiveness of two alternative treatment modalities for treating brain tumors in the elderly. The authors evaluate the cost effectiveness of open surgery, radiosurgery, or a combination of the two. The study applies data mining algorithms including data preparation, classification, association, and predictive modeling techniques to reveal insights into the costs of alternative health care practice patterns. The results suggest radiosurgery appears to be less costly compared to surgical resection in the Medicare-eligible population. The authors also identified the fact that African Americans comprised a smaller percentage of patients receiving radiosurgery. The study demonstrates that data mining methods can be applied to large complex Medicare claims files to identify and extract undiscovered knowledge to guide medical decision making and public policy.
Explaining Involuntary Spinoffs from Teams
Authors: Rao T. V. S. Ramamohan
Published: September 2012

A firm consists of different teams with each of them producing a separate product (which may be related to other products of the firm). In turn, each team has individuals of different talents (though some talents may be substitutable across products) who work together to achieve synergies. Some team members may find it advantageous to induct new talents into an existing team and/or introduce new products based on their experience. The firm will efficiently integrate a new product by forming a new team if it (a) has the organizational capabilities to translate potential synergies to reality, (b) can accommodate the strategic bargaining power of the existing team members in resource allocation across talents, and (c) can attract and coordinate the efficient combination of talents. A Spinoff, i.e., the production of the new product in a separate firm, will occur if any one, or more, of these conditions is not satisfied. A variant of the CES function can be shown to provide the most efficient analytical device to examine the stability of teams and spinoffs when teams cannot maintain such cohesion.
Consumer Ethnocentrism
Authors: Cutura Marija
Published: September 2012

The concept of consumer ethnocentrism describes consumers’ feelings, attitudes, and behavior towards domestic products as subjects of pride and identity. As one of the most researched phenomena in the international marketing literature, consumer ethnocentrism is often considered an important informal barrier for international trade. Considering the fact that consumer ethnocentrism is becoming relevant for international marketing practice, the main goal of this chapter is to provide better understanding of this concept based on the analysis of consumer ethnocentrism studies. Implications of empirical studies mostly depend on the capability and range of generalization of their results. Analysis in this chapter is focused on comparability issues as a basic starting point for findings generalization and marketing implication improvements. The purpose of the analysis is to derive the most important guidelines for comprehensive consumer-centric strategies based on the studies of consumer ethnocentrism.
Relationship Quality in Services
Authors: Athanasopoulou Pinelopi
Published: September 2012

In today’s highly competitive environment, the development of successful relationships with customers is considered a significant competitive advantage. Thus, the maintenance and enhancement of Relationship Quality (RQ) becomes critical for service providers. This chapter aims to analyse the concept of RQ and its antecedents and consequences in the area of services, account for its development and evolution through the last 2 decades, identify the developmental trends in the literature, and offer directions for future research. The field has become more specialised with age and the only area of convergence is the use of trust, satisfaction, and commitment as dimensions of RQ. However, lately RQ is conceptualised as a single dimension concept based on buyer’s perception. Researchers use antecedents that are buyer-related, seller-related, or relationship-related, and the most important consequence investigated is customer loyalty. Lately, RQ research emphasises the importance of the environment effect (technology, economy, culture, etc.), is focusing on multi-industry or multi-country studies, and investigates the relationship of RQ with other major concepts such as service quality.
Implications of Relationship Marketing Indicators to Enable Organizational Growth
Authors: Shams S. M. Riad
Published: September 2012

This chapter accentuates various Relationship Marketing (RM) perspectives of grown organizations, with a focus on Stakeholder Causal Scope (SCS) to realize how RM has been facilitating organizational growth. Nineteen RM indicators and four broad growth strategies are evolved from a multi-case study of five grown sports organizations, where the organizations have been utilizing these RM indicators through market offerings (products and services). The analysed market offerings are proportionate with at least one of the growth strategies, and centred on broadening profound SCS, where all involved stakeholders have the contributory scope, while they work interdependently towards mutually beneficial diverse goals. Therefore, the joint effort of the grown organizations and their commercial partners, and the subsequent RM indicators and SCS-centred market offerings sustain their growth. A SCS-centred RM model to enable organizational growth has been developed from the synthesis. The RM model emerges as viable across industries and markets.
Customer-Centric Strategies in Place Marketing
Authors: Guido Gianluigi , Peluso Alessandro M. , Prete M. Irene , Amatulli Cesare , Pino Giovanni , Pace Cinzia
Published: September 2012

This chapter reports the results of a survey articulated into two complementary studies, performed in four districts located in Italy. These studies assess the opportunity to design destination branding strategies on the basis of customers’ perceptions, providing a framework to quantitatively determine the identity of a local district and its perceived image. The chapter proposes that the perceived image of a place can be examined through the concept of perceived personality as adapted to a place, labeled as “destination personality,” and analyzed using the Big Five Model (Digman, 1990). The main contribution of the research consists in presenting a methodology for the evaluation of the consistency between the identity, the image, and the perceived personality of a district. Results demonstrate the strong validity of the destination personality construct as a conceptual tool to analyze the perceived images of local districts, and show how findings may be particularly useful for Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) to design effective marketing strategies capable of attracting and retaining resources.
A Perception of Prejudice in Face-to-Face Retail Services
Authors: Palmeira Mirian , Palmeira Denise , Maria dos Santos Cassia
Published: September 2012

The aim of this study is to identify customers’ perception of prejudice related to age, gender and appearance in face-to-face retail services. The results, through quantitative research, Likert-scale process and simple statistics, show that young women (51.28%) and men (36.36%), and older men and women(68.42% women, 36.36% men) have perceived that well-dressed young female customer receive face-to-face retail services prior to everybody else if there is not a clear queuing process in the retail area, and almost both young women (48.72%) and men (48.48%) and the older groups (31.58% of the women and 63.64% of men) believe that a badly-dressed young man is the last to have the service. Retail companies should provide training to their staff to avoid behaviour that leads customers to believe that there is prejudice in the service process and develop a clear queuing system in the face-to-face retail service spatial environment.
Predictability of extreme values in geophysical models
Authors: Sterk A. E. , Holland M. P. , Rabassa P. , Broer H. W. , Vitolo R.
Published: September 2012

Abstract. Extreme value theory in deterministic systems is concerned with unlikely large (or small) values of an observable evaluated along evolutions of the system. In this paper we study the finite-time predictability of extreme values, such as convection, energy, and wind speeds, in three geophysical models. We study whether finite-time Lyapunov exponents are larger or smaller for initial conditions leading to extremes. General statements on whether extreme values are better or less predictable are not possible: the predictability of extreme values depends on the observable, the attractor of the system, and the prediction lead time.
Entry modes of European firms in Vietnam
Authors: Simonet Daniel
Published: September 2012

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to explore the entry modes of EU firms setting up operations in Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach: we use a case study approach on Haymarket, Cadbury, Creative Education, Fairchild, Aventis and Artemisinin and Farming International using interviews from managerial professionals in Vietnam. Findings: Despite the fact that Vietnam has been opening up for more than 20 years, licensing is the preferred entry mode because of the risks involved in venturing with local firms; that preference signals a low level commitment and a high perception of risk and state interference. In line with Vietnam transition to state - rather than private market - capitalism, a foreign company opting for a joint-venture will do so with a state-owned rather than privately-owned company. The choice of a subsidiary can be explained by the lack of trust in partners and institutions, not by improvement in the socio-political environment.Limitations: In determining the entry mode strategy, the paper focuses on the Uppsala school’s “psychic distance” (e.g. cultural distance, lack of trust) rather than on firm-specific advantages (Rugman, 1980; 2006).Key-words: international entry mode; emerging markets; subsidiary; joint-venture; India; Vietnam
Empirical Studies for the Assessment of the Effectiveness of Design Patterns in Migration between Software Architectures of Embedded Applications
Authors: Lakhani Farah , Pont Michael J.
Published: September 2012

Two main architectures used to develop software for modern embedded applications are “event triggered” (ET) and “time triggered” (TT). ET designs involve creating systems which handle multiple interrupts; by contrast, only one interrupt is ever enabled in a TT design, and this interrupt is usually linked to a timer “Tick.” Although TT architectures are widely used in safety-related designs, they are less familiar to developers of mainstream embedded systems. The work on this research began from the premise that—for a broad class of systems—the use of a TT architecture would improve reliability. The overall goal of the work presented here was to identify ways in which the effort involved in migrating between existing ET architectures and “equivalent” TT architectures could be reduced. The specific goal of the research was to explore whether the use of an appropriate set of design patterns could assist developers who wished to migrate between ET and TT designs. An empirical evaluation of the efficacy of a newly proposed pattern collection is described in this paper. The results of these trials demonstrate that the proposed collection of patterns has the potential to support developers by helping them to take appropriate decisions during the migration process.
Indoor Tanning within UK Young Adults: An Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour Approach
Authors: Dodd Lorna J. , Forshaw Mark J. , Williams Stella
Published: September 2012

The indoor tanning industry poses a long-term public health risk. Despite the adverse health effects, indoor tanning seems to be gaining considerable popularity. The study examined indoor tanning intentions and behaviour within UK young adults using an extended theory of planned behaviour model, which included variables on “appearance reasons to tan,” “perceived susceptibility to damaging appearance,” “perceived susceptibility to health consequences,” and “tanning knowledge.” The model was successful in predicting indoor tanning intentions and behaviour (explained 17% and 71%, resp.). An interesting outcome was the magnitude of the variable “appearance reasons to tan.” A current tanned appearance therefore seemed to outweigh any adverse future appearance or health consequences caused by indoor tanning. Appearance-focused interventions to reduce such behaviour may now prove to be efficacious within a UK sample.
Is the response to humans consistent over productive life in dairy cows?
Authors: Haskell MJ , Bell DJ , Gibbons JM
Published: September 2012

Dairy cattle have a high level of interaction with humans throughout their productive life. Welfare and productivity are affected if cows find these interactions aversive, so tests assessing fear of humans have been included in welfare assessment protocols. Practicality issues suggest that all animals on large farms cannot be tested. If a sub-sample is chosen, then animal factors affecting the response must be investigated. To assess the effect of age, 114 Holstein cows were tested at regular intervals across their productive lifetime. Animals were tested at 12-15 months of age, first breeding, prior to first calving, then at early, mid and late lactation for 1st and 2nd lactations and into their 3rd lactation. The test involved approaching each cow when standing in the passageway of the barn with sufficient space to retreat. Response was recorded on a 0-8 incremental scale, and several qualitative terms were scored using sliding scales from absence to full presence. There was a significant effect of age on response. Cows became more approachable with increasing age, up until the middle of the first lactation, with no further change beyond this stage. Cows became more at ease and less nervous with increasing age. Individual cow within-group rankings for tests at each stage showed correlation with rankings in the following stage. As this is a single-farm study, further research is necessary to assess interaction of factors such as housing, breed and quality of human handling on the long-term development of fear of humans. However, the results suggest that the age of the animal tested affects the response, and that animals of different age groups should be tested when a sub-sampling is required to assess welfare on large farms.
Challenges to implementing animal welfare standards in New Zealand
Authors: O’Connor CE , Bayvel ACD
Published: September 2012

The New Zealand Animal Welfare Act 1999 imposes a duty of care on all owners and persons in charge, to provide for the physical, health and behavioural needs of the animals in their care. The Act provides for the development of codes of welfare by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) and gives legal status to the minimum standards that they contain when issued by the Minister of Agriculture. Codes are used to promote appropriate behaviour, establish minimum standards of animal care and encourage best practice by those in charge of animals. One of the main challenges in developing codes of welfare is to integrate the various, and often conflicting, social, ethical, economic and production management value judgments, with the available science, in a way that does not stifle innovation or require frequent alteration of the codes. In New Zealand we believe this is best achieved using minimum standards which are designed as animal-orientated statements of desired welfare outcomes, accompanied by one or more indicators by which achievement of the outcome can be measured or objectively assessed. Codes are primarily directed at educating the owners or persons in charge of animals of their legal obligations, encouraging voluntary compliance, and supporting industries in the development of compliance and quality assurance programmes. The challenge is to develop a consistent, whole-of-system approach to animal welfare compliance that focuses on interventions which encourage voluntary compliance or deter non-compliance before offending becomes serious and animal welfare is unnecessarily compromised. The aim of this paper is to describe New Zealand's policy, which is to develop outcome-based welfare standards, to promote and demonstrate maximum voluntary industry compliance with them, and to ensure that any serious breaches are detected and responded to effectively.
The effects of driving events on the stability and resting behaviour of cattle, young calves and pigs
Authors: Cockram MS , Spence JY
Published: September 2012

The welfare of animals in transit may be affected by driving events, such as acceleration, braking and cornering. The relationships between driving events and the behavioural responses of the animals were examined. A single-deck, non-articulated vehicle was fitted with a video-recording system, GPS and tri-axial accelerometer. Two drivers each drove three standard journeys (two 3-h stages on different types of roads) for each animal type. Six different groups of five cattle(Bos taurus), ten calves and ten pigs(Sus scrofa)were each transported on separate journeys. Cattle stood still for most of each journey. Calves spent more time lying down during the second stage of the journey than during the first. Although pigs spent some of the time lying down, they spent more time sitting down and this time was greatest on a motorway and during the second stage of the journey. Frequent adjustments to maintain stability were required in response to acceleration, braking, cornering and rough road surfaces. Some animals experienced repeated falls. Falls occurred after a series of different types of events. The fewest losses of balance occurred on the motorway. As a motorway is a limited access multi-lane carriageway not crossed on the same level by other traffic lanes, the driver does not normally undertake frequent vehicular adjustments to respond to road features. Therefore, motorways give animals an opportunity to rest and avoid discomfort from repetitive driving events. If drivers anticipate potential driving events and prepare for them, it will reduce the likelihood and severity of losses of stability.
Cardiac troponin T as a serum biomarker of respiratory impairment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Koch Teresa , Fabian Rachel , Weinhold Leonie , Koch Franz‐W. , Barakat Saman , Castro‐Gomez Sergio , Grehl Torsten , Bernsen Sarah , Weydt Patrick
Published: June 2024

Objective

Informative biomarkers are an urgent need in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Serum cardiac troponin T is elevated in the majority of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and increases with disease progression. We sought to establish the informative value of cardiac troponin T with regard to respiratory function, a major prognostic factor in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Methods

In this retrospective observation, we analyzed two independent hospital‐based cohorts (d = discovery cohort; v = validation cohort) regarding serum cardiac troponin T (nd = 298; nv = 49), serum neurofilament light chain (nd = 117; nv = 17), and respiratory tests (nd = 93; nv = 49).

Results

Serum cardiac troponin T, in contrast to serum neurofilament levels, was associated with the respiratory domain of the revised amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale and with pulmonary function parameters, namely forced vital capacity % (r = −0.45, p = 0.001) and slow vital capacity % (r = −0.50, p = 0.001).

Serum cardiac troponin T reliably discriminated benchmarks of slow vital capacity <80% (AUC 0.73, 95% CI 0.62–0.84) and <50% (AUC 0.80, 95% CI 0.68–0.93), forced vital capacity <80% (AUC 0.72, 95% CI 0.61–0.83) and <50% (AUC 0.79, 95% CI 0.67–0.91).

Interpretation

Our findings position cardiac Troponin T as a valuable serum biomarker in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, complementing neurofilaments and expanding the understanding of underlying physiological mechanisms. In clinical practice, serum cardiac troponin T can flag benchmarks of compromised respiratory function.
Proteomic networks of gray and white matter reveal tissue‐specific changes in human tauopathy
Authors: Johnson Ashlyn G. , Dammer Eric B. , Webster James A. , Duong Duc M. , Seyfried Nicholas T. , Hales Chadwick M.
Published: June 2024

Objective

To define tauopathy‐associated changes in the human gray and white matter proteome.

Method

We applied tandem mass tagged labeling and mass spectrometry, consensus, and ratio weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) to gray and white matter sampled from postmortem human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The sampled tissues included control as well as Alzheimer's disease, corticobasal degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, frontotemporal degeneration with tau pathology, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Results

Only eight proteins were unique to gray matter while six were unique to white matter. Comparison of the gray and white matter proteome revealed an enrichment of microglial proteins in the white matter. Consensus WGCNA sorted over 6700 protein isoforms into 46 consensus modules across the gray and white matter proteomic networks. Consensus network modules demonstrated unique and shared disease‐associated microglial and endothelial protein changes. Ratio WGCNA sorted over 6500 protein ratios (white:gray) into 33 modules. Modules associated with mitochondrial proteins and processes demonstrated higher white:gray ratios in diseased tissues relative to control, driven by mitochondrial protein downregulation in gray and upregulation in white.

Interpretation

The dataset is a valuable resource for understanding proteomic changes in human tauopathy gray and white matter. The identification of unique and shared disease‐associated changes across gray and white matter emphasizes the utility of examining both tissue types. Future studies of microglial, endothelial, and mitochondrial changes in white matter may provide novel insights into tauopathy‐associated changes in human brain.
Intraoperative rapid molecular diagnosis aids glioma subtyping and guides precise surgical resection
Authors: Li Jia , Han Zhe , Ma Caizhi , Chi Huizhong , Jia Deze , Zhang Kailiang , Feng Zichao , Han Bo , Qi Mei , Li Gang , Li Xueen , Xue Hao
Published: June 2024

Objective

The molecular era of glioma diagnosis and treatment has arrived, and a single rapid histopathology is no longer sufficient for surgery. This study sought to present an automatic integrated gene detection system (AIGS), which enables rapid intraoperative detection of IDH/TERTp mutations.

Methods

A total of 78 patients with gliomas were included in this study. IDH/TERTp mutations were detected intraoperatively using AIGS in 41 of these patients, and they were guided to surgical resection (AIGS detection group). The remaining 37 underwent histopathology‐guided conventional surgical resection (non‐AIGS detection group). The clinical utility of this technique was evaluated by comparing the accuracy of glioma subtype diagnosis before and after TERTp mutation results were obtained by pathologists and the extent of resection (EOR) and patient prognosis for molecular pathology‐guided glioma surgery.

Results

With NGS/Sanger sequencing and chromosome detection as the gold standard, the accuracy of AIGS results was 100%. And the timing was well matched to the intraoperative rapid pathology report. After obtaining the TERTp mutation detection results, the accuracy of the glioma subtype diagnosis made by the pathologists increased by 19.51%. Molecular pathology‐guided surgical resection of gliomas significantly increased EOR (99.06% vs. 93.73%, p < 0.0001) and also improved median OS (26.77 vs. 13.47 months, p = 0.0289) and median PFS (15.90 vs. 10.57 months, p = 0.0181) in patients with glioblastoma.

Interpretation

Using AIGS intraoperatively to detect IDH/TERTp mutations to accurately diagnose glioma subtypes can help achieve maximum safe resection of gliomas, which in turn improves the survival prognosis of patients.
Dynamic event‐triggered adaptive neural nonsingular fixed‐time attitude control for multi‐UAVs systems
Authors: Wang Huanqing , Li Muxuan , Shen Haikuo
Published: June 2024

This article looks into the dynamic event‐triggered fixed‐time adaptive attitude control problem for nonlinear six‐rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with external disturbances. The multiple six‐rotor UAVs considered are regarded as nonlinear multi‐agent systems (MASs), and each subsystem has multiple inputs. Under the framework of backstepping recursive design, an effective adaptive fixed‐time control method is proposed by combining neural networks (NNs) technology and fixed‐time theory. NNs are utilized to handle unknown nonlinearity and unmodeled parts in attitude systems. The hyperbolic tangent function is ushered to address the singularity problem that may occur in the derivative of the controller, thereby averting the phenomenon of chattering. For the sake of alleviating the correspondence burden of multiple UAVs attitude systems, a modified dynamic event‐triggered mechanism (DETM) is ushered. The developed controller swears for that all signals of the six‐rotor UAV attitude systems are bounded and the tracking errors converge to a small neighborhood of the origin within a fixed‐time interval. Eventually, with the help of simulation results, the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme was verified.
An Injectable Hydrogel Composing Anti‐Inflammatory and Osteogenic Therapy toward Bone Erosions Microenvironment Remodeling in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Liu Xingzhu , Zhang Qin , Cao Yi , Hussain Zahid , Xu Mingsheng , Liu Yuanshan , Ullah Ismat , Lu Zhongzhong , Osaka Akiyoshi , Lin Jun , Pei Renjun
Published: June 2024

Healing bone erosions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains greatly challenging via biomaterial strategies. Given the unsuccessful innate bone erosion healing due to an inflammatory disorder, over‐activated osteoclasts, and impaired osteoblasts differentiation, RA pathogenesis‐guided engineering of an innovative hydrogel platform is needed for remodeling osteoimmune and osteogenic microenvironment of bone erosion healing. Herein, in situ adaptable and injectable interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogel is developed through an ingenious combination of a bio‐orthogonal reaction between hyaluronic acid (HA) and collagen, along with effective electrostatic interactions leveraging bisphosphonate (BP)‐functionalized HA macromers (HABP) and nanorod shaped zinc (Zn)‐doped biphasic calcium phosphate (ZnBCP). IPN hydrogel exhibits exceptional adaptability to the local shape complexity at bone erosions, and by integrating ZnBCP and HABP, a multi‐stage releasing platform is engineered, facilitating controlled cargo delivery for remodeling more anti‐inflammatory M2 cells and reducing over‐activated osteoclastic activities, thereby reconstructing the bone regeneration microenvironment. Sustainedly co‐delivering multiple ions (calcium and phosphate) can display excellent osteogenic properties and be conducive to the bone formation process, by effects of osteogenesis‐associated cell differentiation. Overall, the introduced bioactive IPN hydrogel therapy remodels the osteoimmune environment by synergistic pro‐inflammation‐resolving, osteogenesis, and anti‐osteoclastic activities, displaying excellent bone reconstruction in the collagen‐induced arthritis rabbit model.
Engineered Probiotic Bio‐Heterojunction with Robust Antibiofilm Modality via “Eating” Extracellular Polymeric Substances for Wound Regeneration
Authors: Qin Miao , Zhang Xiumei , Ding Haiyang , Chen Yanbai , He Wenxuan , Wei Yan , Chen Weiyi , Chan Yau Kei , Shi Yiwei , Huang Di , Deng Yi
Published: June 2024

The compact three‐dimensional (3D) structure of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) within biofilms significantly hinders the penetration of antimicrobial agents, making biofilm eradication challenging and resulting in persistent biofilm‐associated infections. To address this challenge, a solution is proposed: a probiotic bio‐heterojunction (P‐bioHJ) combining Lactobacillus rhamnosus with MXene (Ti3C2) quantum dots (MQDs)/FeS heterojunction. This innovation aims to break down the saccharides in EPS, enabling effective combat against biofilm‐associated infections. Initially, the P‐bioHJ targets saccharides through metabolic processes, causing the collapse of EPS and allowing infiltration into bacterial colonies. Simultaneously, upon exposure to near‐infrared (NIR) irradiation, the P‐bioHJ produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thermal energy, deploying physical mechanisms to combat bacterial biofilms effectively. Following antibiofilm treatment, the P‐bioHJ adjusts the oxidative environment, reduces wound inflammation by scavenging ROS, boosts antioxidant enzyme activity, and mitigates the NF‐κB inflammatory pathway, thereby accelerating wound healing. In vitro and in vivo experiments confirm the exceptional antibiofilm, antioxidant/anti‐inflammatory, and wound‐regeneration properties of P‐bioHJ. In conclusion, this study provides a promising approach for treating biofilm‐related infections.
Digitalization of Colorimetric Sensor Technologies for Food Safety
Authors: Mazur Federico , Han Zifei , Tjandra Angie Davina , Chandrawati Rona
Published: June 2024

Colorimetric sensors play a crucial role in promoting on‐site testing, enabling the detection and/or quantification of various analytes based on changes in color. These sensors offer several advantages, such as simplicity, cost‐effectiveness, and visual readouts, making them suitable for a wide range of applications, including food safety and monitoring. A critical component in portable colorimetric sensors involves their integration with color models for effective analysis and interpretation of output signals. The most commonly used models include CIELAB (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage), RGB (Red, Green, Blue), and HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value). This review outlines the use of color models via digitalization in sensing applications within the food safety and monitoring field. Additionally, challenges, future directions, and considerations are discussed, highlighting a significant gap in integrating a comparative analysis toward determining the color model that results in the highest sensor performance. The aim of this review is to underline the potential of this integration in mitigating the global impact of food spoilage and contamination on health and the economy, proposing a multidisciplinary approach to harness the full capabilities of colorimetric sensors in ensuring food safety.
Realizing Room‐Temperature Ferromagnetism in Molecular‐Intercalated Antiferromagnet VOCl
Authors: Liu Chaocheng , Li Zhi , Chen Zheng , Hu Jiyu , Duan Hengli , Wang Chao , Feng Sihua , Liu Ruiqi , Zhang Guobin , Cao Jiefeng , Niu Yuran , Li Qian , Li Pai , Yan Wensheng
Published: June 2024

2D van der Waals (vdW) magnets are gaining attention in fundamental physics and advanced spintronics, due to their unique dimension‐dependent magnetism and potential for ultra‐compact integration. However, achieving intrinsic ferromagnetism with high Curie temperature (TC) remains a technical challenge, including preparation and stability issues. Herein, an applicable electrochemical intercalation strategy to decouple interlayer interaction and guide charge doping in antiferromagnet VOCl, thereby inducing robust room‐temperature ferromagnetism, is developed. The expanded vdW gap isolates the neighboring layers and shrinks the distance between the V‐V bond, favoring the generation of ferromagnetic (FM) coupling with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Element‐specific X‐ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) directly proves the source of the ferromagnetism. Detailed experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the charge doping enhances the FM interaction by promoting the orbital hybridization between t2g and eg. This work sheds new light on a promising way to achieve room‐temperature ferromagnetism in antiferromagnets, thus addressing the critical materials demand for designing spintronic devices.
Bifunctional Catalysts for CO2 Reduction and O2 Evolution: A Pivotal for Aqueous Rechargeable Zn−CO2 Batteries
Authors: Gupta Divyani , Mao Jianfeng , Guo Zaiping
Published: June 2024

The quest for the advancement of green energy storage technologies and reduction of carbon footprint is determinedly rising toward carbon neutrality. Aqueous rechargeable Zn–CO2 batteries (ARZCBs) hold the great potential to encounter both the targets simultaneously, i.e., green energy storage and CO2 conversion to value‐added chemicals/fuels. The major descriptor of ARZCBs efficiency is allied with the reactions occurring at cathode during discharging (CO2 reduction) and charging (O2 evolution) which own different fundamental mechanisms and hence mandate the employment of two different catalysts. This presents an overall complex and expensive battery system which requires a concrete solution, while the development and application of a bifunctional cathode catalyst toward both reactions could reduce the complexity and cost and thus can be a pivotal for ARZCBs. However, despite the increasing research interest and ongoing research, a systematic evaluation of bifunctional catalysts is rarely reported. In this review, the need of bifunctional cathode catalysts for ARZCBs and associated challenges with strategies have been critically assessed. A detailed progress examination and understanding toward designing of bifunctional catalyst for ARZCBs have been provided. This review will enlighten the future research approaching boosted performance of ARZCBs through the development of efficient bifunctional cathode catalysts.
Co‐Assembly of Polyoxometalates and Porphyrins as Anode for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Liu Yanchun , Zhou Xianggang , Qiu Tianyu , Yao Ruiqi , Yu Feiyang , Song Tingting , Lang Xingyou , Jiang Qing , Tan Huaqiao , Li Yingqi , Li Yangguang
Published: June 2024

Polyoxometalates (POMs) have been considered one of the most promising anode candidates for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) in virtue of their high theoretical capacity and reversible multielectron redox properties. However, the poor intrinsic electronic conductivity, low specific surface area, and high solubility in organic electrolytes hinder their widespread applications in LIBs. Herein, a novel hybrid nanomaterial is synthesized by co‐assembling POMs and porphyrins (PMo12/CoTPyP) through a facile solvothermal method. The POM clusters are stabilized by porphyrin units through electrostatic interactions, which simultaneously realize the uniform dispersion of POMs and porphyrin units. Benefiting from the generated sub‐1 nm channels for fast ion transport and the synergistic effect between evenly distributed PMo12 clusters and high‐conductive CoTPyP units, the LIB based on the optimized PMo12/CoTPyP anode exhibits significantly improved Li+ storage capability as well as superior rate and cycling performance. The results of density functional theory simulations further reveal that the co‐assembly of PMo12 and CoTPyP can accelerate the mobility of Li+ and electrons, which in turn promotes the enhancement of LIBs performance. This work paves a strategy for synthesizing POMs–based anode materials with simultaneously high dispersibility, redox activity, and stability.
Growth‐Induced Extinction Development of Gold Nanoclusters as Signal Transducers for Quantitative Immunoassays
Authors: Kim Bong‐Geun , Choi Yu Rim , Kim Yerin , Yoon Sang Bin , Hwang Sukyeong , Lee Suk Joong , Na Hyon Bin
Published: June 2024

Signal transducers are crucial in bioassay platforms for converting target detection into recordable signals. Commonly used color development for immunoassays involves enzymes and colorimetric substrates. However, due to cost and environmental issues, practical point‐of‐care testing requires alternative signal transducers. Growth‐induced extinction (absorption and scattering) of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) is proposed as a novel approach for quantitative immunoassays. AuNCs devoid of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) are used as seeds for growth reactions. Through reactions with a growth solution comprised of gold precursor and mild reductant, AuNCs of varying concentrations underwent controlled growth, resulting in nanoparticles of different sizes exhibiting distinct LSPR‐mediated extinction bands. Notably, the seed concentration exhibited a robust correlation with the resulting extinction of the grown particles on a small scale of 110 µL for a 96‐well microplate platform. To demonstrate this signal transduction mechanism, immunosorbent assays are performed using the conjugates of AuNC and detection antibody. The sandwich‐type assay successfully quantified a model antigen, human immunoglobulin G (hIgG), by monitoring LSPR wavelength and absorbance. This assay demonstrated a working range of 0.001–1 µg mL−1 and limit of detection of 1.19 ng mL−1. Signal transducers using the growth of AuNCs offer new alternative candidates for immunoassay platforms.