bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Honing your AI prompts for more effective results
Authors: Talarico Donna
Published: October 2023

A few months ago, I was watching an episode of Star Trek: Discovery. Just deemed acting captain, the character Saru has a conversation with the ship's computer about leadership qualities. He wasn’t getting the answers he’d hoped for, but he pressed on, rephrasing the question, getting more specific answers each time.
Stable Broadband Bright Green Emission of Self‐trapped Excitons Triggered by Sb3+ Doping in Zero‐Dimensional Cs3BiCl6
Authors: Chen Rong , Wang Shanping , Lin Fang , Zheng Yongzhuo , Zhang Wanxv , Wang Juan , Guo Fengwan
Published: October 2023

Low‐dimensional lead‐based metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have many exceptional photoelectric capabilities thanks to the 6 s2 electron structure of lead ion (Pb2+). Pb2+′s toxicity, however, has prevented its widespread development and use. Finding ions in the valence layer that have a comparable electrical structure thus makes sense as Pb2+ replacements. In this work, all inorganic zero‐dimensional (0D) Cs3BiCl6 single crystal was synthesized by the anti‐solvent crystallization method. There is no obvious photoluminescence (PL) phenomenon for Cs3BiCl6 at room temperature (RT). It is found that the extremely strong exciton‐phonon interaction leads to seriously non‐radiative recombination. After doping with Sb3+, Cs3BiCl6: Sb achieved broadband emission with a significant Stokes shift, the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) up to 15.85 %, which has a microsecond PL decay lifetime and excellent environmental stability. Systematic spectroscopic characterizations unveil the PL mechanism of Cs3BiCl6: Sb is self‐trapped excitons (STEs) emission, and theoretical calculation revealed the indirect bandgap properties of Cs3BiCl6 and Cs3BiCl6: Sb.
Modulation of electronic structures in N‐doped TiO2(B) for hydrogen evolution: A density functional theory study
Authors: He Yilei , Wei Yanze , Wang Zumin , Zhou Xu , Yu Ranbo
Published: October 2023

N‐doping is an effective technique for enhancing the exploitation of TiO2 under visible light, thanks to the level of doping introduced. It is also important to explore N‐doping in the metastable polymorph TiO2(B), which is renowned for its applications in energy materials. In order to investigate the impact of N‐doping on the optical properties of TiO2(B), a systematic comparison of the electronic structural and optical properties of pure and N‐doped TiO2(B) was conducted using density function theory (DFT) calculations. The results indicate that N‐doping is more thermodynamically favorable at the O site with four coordinated atoms. Upon N‐doping, impurity states emerged within the bandgap of TiO2(B), leading to a significant reduction in the energy gap. Consequently, N‐doping primarily enhances the absorbance of visible light, which is crucial for photocatalysis. Furthermore, the adsorption energy of H at the (0 0 1) surface of N‐doped TiO2(B) decreased by 2.75 eV, providing valuable insight for the design of TiO2(B) with exceptional photo‐ and electro‐catalytic performance.
The London, Paris and De Bilt sub‐daily pressure series
Authors: Cornes Richard C. , Jones Phil D. , Brandsma Theo , Cendrier Denis , Jourdain Sylvie
Published: October 2023

The construction of sub‐daily pressure series is described for the cities of London (GB) and Paris (FR). The series extend back 1692 and 1748, respectively, and as such they represent two of the longest sub‐daily series of barometric pressure available. These series are updated from the previously documented London and Paris daily series and offer more homogeneous series, and in the case of the London series a more temporally complete sequence of data. A pairwise homogenization procedure has been applied to the two series alongside the long series of pressure that exists for De Bilt (NL). The De Bilt series has been available for some time in the International Surface Pressure Dataset (ISPD), but further quality control and homogeneity‐checking procedures have been applied to the data in this paper and therefore the three series are released together in this dataset. The series are of immediate interest for understanding changes to storm activity across the English Channel and North Atlantic region over an extended timeframe but may also be assimilated into reanalysis datasets such as the 20th‐century reanalysis.
The relation between social acceptance and school well‐being in early childhood
Authors: van der Wilt Femke
Published: October 2023

The present study investigated the relation between social acceptance and school well‐being in early childhood. Additionally, it was explored whether this relation depended on gender and age. In total, N = 311 children (aged 4–7) participated. Social acceptance was assessed with a peer nomination method and school wellbeing was measured with a parent questionnaire. Outcomes of hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated a positive relation between social acceptance and school wellbeing. Regarding the role of gender and age, outcomes indicated that social acceptance was related to school wellbeing only for girls (not boys) and only for younger children (not older children). Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Evolution of the characterization of horizontally aligned organic light‐emitting molecules and their recent progress of molecular design
Authors: Lee Jian Haur , Chen Chin‐Ti
Published: October 2023

This review article surveys the organic small molecular materials, light‐emitting for most of them, being studied for the molecular alignment or orientation in thin films. Following a chronicle order, three practical characterization techniques, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE), angle‐dependent photoluminescence (ADPL), and grazing incidence wide‐angle x‐ray scattering (GIWAXS) have been used to probe phosphorescence, thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials, as well as those of non‐phosphorescence and non‐TADF materials.
A machine learning approach for the automated classification of bulk sp2 and sp3 carbon materials
Authors: daFonseca Bruno G. , Thind Sapanbir S. , Booth Ian , Brolo Alexandre G.
Published: October 2023

Principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were used to classify different types of carbon material based on their Raman spectra. The selected reference materials were highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), diamond‐like carbon (DLC), glassy carbon (GC), hydrogenated graphite‐like carbon (GLCH), and hydrogenated polymer‐like carbon (PLCH). These materials vary in crystallinity, predominant carbon hybridization, and hydrogen content. The training dataset was Raman spectra collected from commercial samples (HOPG, DLC, GC) and samples synthesized in our laboratory (GLCH, PLCH). The Raman spectra were collected using 532 nm laser excitation. The classification model revealed that the first principal component (PC1) was the determinant source of information to separate the crystalline from the amorphous carbon samples. PC2 allowed the separation of amorphous material with different levels of hybridization (sp2 and sp3). Finally, both PC2 and PC3 contributed to separate materials with different levels of hydrogenation. The classification model was tested using a library of Raman spectra of carbon materials reported in the literature, and the results showed a high accuracy prediction (97%). The model presented here provides an avenue for automated classification of carbon materials using Raman spectroscopy and machine learning.
Design of Plurifunctional Cyclocarbonates and their Use as Precursors of Poly(hydroxyurethane) Thermosets: A Review
Authors: Helbling Péroline , Hermant Fabien , Petit Morgane , Vidil Thomas , Cramail Henri
Published: October 2023

Polyhydroxyurethanes (PHUs) are promising polymers to replace polyurethanes (PUs), classically obtained by the isocyanate‐alcohol route. Various application fields of PUs, for example, foams or coatings, require the use of thermosetting polymers. Hence, a great deal of effort is devoted to the development of PHU thermosets in the recent literature. This review highlights the different strategies developed through the years to synthesize plurifunctional cyclic carbonates, also called poly(cyclic carbonate)s, and whose functionality ≥3 is a prerequisite for the synthesis of thermosetting PHUs. A special emphasize is accorded to the safe and eco‐friendly synthetic approaches (e.g., phosgene‐free, use of renewable reactants). In addition, the curing strategies implemented to overcome the low reactivity of the monomers and the limitations related to the transitions of the growing networks (i.e., viscosification, gelation, vitrification) are described. In the end, the curing of PHUs under mild thermal conditions, down to room temperature, is described. Such curing conditions are uncommon for PHU thermosets and are paving the way to much anticipated applications such as coatings, adhesives, or 3D‐printing.
Flexible multi‐purpose integrated RF/shim coil array for MRI and localized B0 shimming
Authors: Overson Devon Karl , Darnell Dean , Robb Fraser , Song Allen W. , Truong Trong‐Kha
Published: October 2023

Purpose

To develop a flexible, lightweight, and multi‐purpose integrated parallel reception, excitation, and shimming (iPRES) coil array that can conform to the subject's anatomy and perform MR imaging and localized B0 shimming in different anatomical regions with a high SNR, shimming performance, ease of positioning, and subject comfort.

Methods

A four‐channel flexible iPRES coil array was constructed by enabling RF and direct currents to flow on the same flexible coil elements for imaging and shimming, respectively. Shimming experiments were performed with the coil array wrapped around the knee or neck of healthy subjects to demonstrate its high shimming performance and versatility. Additionally, its SNR and shimming performance in the knee were compared to those obtained with the coil array wrapped around a larger rigid tube designed to fit most knee sizes.

Results

Shimming with the coil array wrapped around the knee or neck resulted in an average reduction in B0 RMSE of 50.1% and 40.5% relative to first‐order and second‐order spherical harmonic shimming, respectively, and substantially reduced distortions in DWI images. In contrast, shimming the knee with the coil array wrapped around the rigid tube only provided a 29.6% reduction in B0 RMSE, whereas the SNR was reduced by 58.7%.

Conclusion

The flexible iPRES coil array can conform to different anatomical regions and perform imaging and localized B0 shimming with a higher SNR, shimming performance, ease of positioning, and comfort compared to a rigid iPRES coil array, which should be valuable for many applications throughout the human body.
Topology optimization of fluid‐structure interaction problems with total stress equilibrium
Authors: Abdelhamid Mohamed , Czekanski Aleksander
Published: October 2023

This work extends force coupling in the topology optimization of fluid‐structure interaction problems from hydrostatic to total stresses through the inclusion of viscous stress components. The superconvergent patch recovery technique is implemented to remove the discontinuities in velocity derivatives over the finite elements boundaries. The sensitivity analysis is derived analytically for the superconvergent patch recovery approach and further verified through the use of the complex‐step derivative approximation method. Numerical examples demonstrate a differentiation in the optimized designs using pressure versus total stress coupling depending on the flow characteristics of the design problem.
Structure and properties of bottlebrush polyelectrolyte complexes
Authors: Stevens Kaden C. , Tirrell Matthew V.
Published: October 2023

Structural variation of polyelectrolytes has been shown to play an important role in altering polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) properties in recent years. However, molecular‐level details such as polyelectrolyte architecture remain underdeveloped. Here, we use a combination of ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), atom‐transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), and postpolymerization reactions to create densely branched bottlebrushes of poly(dimethylamino ethyl methcacrylate) and poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate) with high molecular weights (MDa), which we then convert into fully charged and densely branched bottlebrushes of poly(trimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PTMAEMA) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PAA). We investigate the structure and properties of bottlebrush polyelectrolyte complexes (BPECs) using optical microscopy, rheology, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo‐TEM), and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). Bottlebrush polyelectrolyte complexes are white solids, which exhibit gel‐like mechanical properties, which we attribute to sidechain interpenetration. Using a combination of Cryo‐TEM and SAXS, we are able to outline the structural development of BPECs, detailing how the network topology, sidechain conformation, and interdigitation spacing changes as a function of salt. Our results provide a foundation for further exploration of branched architectures within polyelectrolyte complexation.
Rapid soil harvesting using a novel soil auger system for farm‐scale soil carbon estimates
Authors: Jensen Kelsey H. , Faehndrich Chloe S. , Colzani Eliana , McClure Morgan L. , Covey Kristofer
Published: October 2023

Soil sampling at the landscape scale is increasingly in demand for assessing C sequestration projects in agroecosystems. Efforts to decrease sampling costs across large areas have thus far largely ignored improved soil harvesting tools as a means of decreasing sampling time and effort. Rigorous analysis of trade‐offs in speed and accuracy among soil harvesting methods is needed. Here, we compare two different methods of soil sampling soil, a standard push probe and a novel drill‐auger system, which were used to collect soils for analysis of total C by dry combustion. We designed sampling plots to compare soil C concentrations at increasing spatial scales to understand the difference in soil C concentrations between methods relative to spatial heterogeneity. We sampled two farms in Upstate New York, one conventional and one organically managed, to assess the impact of these methods across relevant farm practices. We found that probe and auger methods provide indistinguishable soil carbon estimates at both farms. The difference between paired probe and auger samples taken less than 0.15 m apart was 0.22%, an amount equivalent to the difference in C concentrations at points 2 m apart and less than the difference at points 10 m apart. Using the soil auger was up to three times faster than using the push probe—a saving of 7 h of sampling time to inventory the two farms studied. Lowering inventory cost is a critical step in demonstrating the feasibility of soil carbon sequestration as a component of climate smart agriculture. The results presented indicate that the drill‐auger system is preferable to the push probe method for farm‐scale soil carbon inventory.
Benefit or burden? An exploratory analysis of the impact of anti‐money laundering regulations on sustainable development in developing economies
Authors: Ajide Folorunsho M. , Ojeyinka Titus Ayobami
Published: October 2023

Over the years, efforts have been put in place to address money laundering activities including financial crime and illicit funding controls. These efforts have been recognized to promote financial integrity and effective governance systems. They have been further adjudged by the United Nations' sustainable development (Goal‐16) with a major concern to achieve peaceful, just and inclusive development. Previous studies reveal that money laundering activities have major implications for economic growth. However, little is known about the main implications of anti‐money laundering (AML) regulations on sustainable development. On this note, this study contributes to the ongoing debate by investigating the relationship between AML regulations and sustainable development in 72 developing economies, consisting 29 upper middle income, 33 low middle income and 10 low income countries. Using instrumental variable generalized method of moment (IV‐GMM), panel quantile estimation technique and dynamic panel threshold analysis, the findings are as follows. First, AML regulations promote sustainable development. Second, the panel quantile regression reveals that countries with moderate AML regulations attain higher sustainable development than those with excessive regulations. Further results on regional analysis show that AML regulations are more effective in Latin America, South Asia, Europe & Central Asia and Middle East & North Africa than in Sub‐Saharan Africa and East Asia & Pacific. These results are robust and stable after conducting a number of robustness analyses. The study suggests that effective AML regulations should be moderate and well‐implemented to further improve economic, social and environmental sustainability in developing countries.
Phylogenomic analyses support a new infrageneric classification of Pourthiaea (Maleae, Rosaceae) using multiple inference methods and extensive taxon sampling
Authors: Liu Guang‐Ning , Ma Dai‐Kun , Zhang Yu , Hodel Richard G.J. , Xie Si‐Yu , Wang Hui , Jin Ze‐Tao , Li Fu‐Xing , Jin Shui‐Hu , Zhao Liang , Xu Chao , Wei Yu , Liu Bin‐Bin
Published: October 2023

In this comprehensive study, based on extensive taxon sampling, we performed phylogenomic analyses of plastome and nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) datasets. We employed multiple inference methods, including concatenated and coalescent‐based strategies, to generate an accurate phylogeny of the woody Rosaceae genus Pourthiaea. The nrDNA phylogeny of Pourthiaea strongly supports three major clades, which are consistent with morphology. However, the plastid tree provides an alternative phylogenetic topology, indicating cytonuclear discordance which could be explained by frequent hybridizations between and among the species of Pourthiaea. Considering evidence from morphology and phylogenomic data, we propose a new infrageneric classification for Pourthiaea, consisting of three sections: P. sect. Pourthiaea, P. sect. Amphidoxae sect. nov., and P. sect. Impressivenae sect. nov.
The generalized Born oscillator and the Berry-Keating Hamiltonian
Authors: Giordano Francesco , Negro Stefano , Tateo Roberto
Published: October 2023

Abstract

In this study, we introduce and investigate a family of quantum mechanical models in 0 + 1 dimensions, known as generalized Born quantum oscillators. These models represent a one-parameter deformation of a specific system obtained by reducing the Nambu-Goto theory to 0 + 1 dimensions. Despite these systems showing significant similarities with $$ \textrm{T}\overline{\textrm{T}} $$
T

T
¯

-type perturbations of two-dimensional relativistic models, our analysis reveals their potential as interesting regularizations of the Berry-Keating theory. We quantize these models using the Weyl quantization scheme up to very high orders in ħ. By examining a specific scaling limit, we observe an intriguing connection between the generalized Born quantum oscillators and the Riemann-Siegel θ function.
Beyond the Csiszár–Körner Bound: Best-Possible Wiretap Coding via Obfuscation
Authors: Ishai Yuval , Korb Alexis , Lou Paul , Sahai Amit
Published: October 2023

A wiretap coding scheme (Wyner in Bell Syst Tech J 54(8):1355–1387, 1975) enables Alice to reliably communicate a message m to an honest Bob by sending an encoding c over a noisy channel $$\textsf{ChB}$$
ChB
, while at the same time hiding m from Eve who receives c over another noisy channel $$\textsf{ChE}$$
ChE
. Wiretap coding is clearly impossible when $$\textsf{ChB}$$
ChB
is a degraded version of $$\textsf{ChE}$$
ChE
, in the sense that the output of $$\textsf{ChB}$$
ChB
can be simulated using only the output of $$\textsf{ChE}$$
ChE
. A classic work of Csiszár and Korner (IEEE Trans Inf Theory 24(3):339–348, 1978) shows that the converse does not hold. This follows from their full characterization of the channel pairs $$(\textsf{ChB},\textsf{ChE})$$

(
ChB
,
ChE
)

that enable information-theoretic wiretap coding. In this work, we show that in fact the converse does hold when considering computational security; that is, wiretap coding against a computationally bounded Eve is possible if and only if$$\textsf{ChB}$$
ChB
is not a degraded version of $$\textsf{ChE}$$
ChE
. Our construction assumes the existence of virtual black-box obfuscation of specific classes of “evasive” functions that generalize fuzzy point functions and can be heuristically instantiated using indistinguishability obfuscation. Finally, our solution has the appealing feature of being universal in the sense that Alice’s algorithm depends only on $$\textsf{ChB}$$
ChB
and not on $$\textsf{ChE}$$
ChE
.
A systematic mapping study on security for systems of systems
Authors: Olivero Miguel Angel , Bertolino Antonia , Dominguez-Mayo Francisco José , Escalona María José , Matteucci Ilaria
Published: October 2023

In the late twentieth century, the term “System of Systems” (SoS) became popular to describe a complex system made up of a combination of independent constituent systems. Since then, several studies have been conducted to support and assess SoS management, functionality, and performance. Due to the evolutionary nature of SoS and the non-composability of the security properties of its constituent systems, it is difficult to assess or evaluate SoS security. This paper provides an up-to-date survey on SoS security, aimed at stimulating and guiding further research efforts. This systematic mapping study (SMS) focuses on SoS security, privacy, and trust. Our SMS identified 1828 studies from 6 digital libraries, 87 of which were selected that presented approaches analyzing, evaluating, or improving security. We classified these studies using nine research questions that focused on the nature of the studies, the studied SoS, or the study validation. After examining the selected studies, we identified six gaps and as many future work directions. More precisely, we observed that few studies examine SoS problems and instead propose specific solutions, making it challenging to develop generalizable approaches. Furthermore, the lack of standardization has hindered the reuse of existing approaches, making it difficult for solutions to be generalized to other SoS. In addition, the lack of descriptions of industrial environments in the literature makes it difficult to design realistic validation environments. As a result, the validation of new SoS research remains a challenge in the field.
Towards A Literature of Actions: Green Informational Picturebooks and Critical Engagement with Fighting Climate Change
Authors: Rybak Krzysztof
Published: October 2023

This article investigates selected environmental informational picturebooks in which – often in both the main text and the peritext – readers find brief descriptions of actions they can take to change their habits and save the planet. The analysis focuses on lists of tasks incorporated into books and considers whether such sections (and, potentially, whole books) invite critical engagement. This ability seems crucial in times of fake news and the need for conscious action and political engagement in climate issues. In the first part, the theoretical framework on informational picturebooks is presented, and the importance of peritextual elements is stressed, as well as the critical thinking that may be fostered by a nonfiction text, referring to Joe Sutliff Sanders’ concept of “a literature of questions” (date?). Four international picturebooks are then discussed, representing both ‘traditional’ (Müll by Gerda Raidt and Śmieciogród by Ola Woldańska-Płocińska) and ‘new’ children’s nonfiction (Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari and Felicita Sala and Greta and the Giants by Zoë Tucker and Zoe Persico). The analysis demonstrates that green informational picturebooks may be perceived as both eco-activist books and books about eco-activism as they present certain tasks and encourage the readers to take actions; hence, the term “a literature of actions” has been proposed, as these books seem to trigger little critical thinking. The reason green informational picturebooks are unlikely to foster critical engagement may be that fighting the climate crisis is crucial to ensure humanity’s future wellbeing.
Relationship between nonperfusion area from widefield optical coherence tomography angiography and macular vascular parameters in diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Konno Ami , Ishibazawa Akihiro , De Pretto Lucas , Shimouchi Akito , Omae Tsuneaki , Song Young-Seok
Published: October 2023

Purpose

To evaluate the relationship between the nonperfusion area (NPA) from widefield optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and macular vascular parameters in diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Methods

In total, 51 eyes from 51 patients with proliferative DR (PDR) or moderate/severe non-PDR were included. Widefield OCTA using the Zeiss Plex Elite 9000 was performed. A semi-automatic algorithm calculated the percentages of the NPA within the total image. Macular OCTA (3 × 3 mm and 6 × 6 mm area) was scanned using the RTVue-XR Avanti. Vessel density (VD) was automatically separated into the superficial (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP), and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) measurements were computed according to the parafoveal (1–3 mm) and perifoveal (3–6 mm) regions.

Results

A negative correlation was found between the average VD of the SCP and DCP obtained 3 × 3 mm and 6 × 6 mm area and the NPA. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the temporal–perifoveal region most negatively correlated with the NPA (r =  − 0.55, p < 0.0001). No correlation was found between FAZ measurements and DR severity (area, p = 0.07; perimeter, p = 0.13).

Conclusion

Diabetic macular nonperfusion was significantly associated with the NPA from widefield OCTA. In particular, the temporal–perifoveal DCP disorder may be a sensitive indicator of wide NPA.
Where the Grass is Greener — Large-Scale Phenological Patterns and Their Explanatory Potential for the Distribution of Paleolithic Hunter-Gatherers in Europe
Authors: Maier Andreas , Tharandt Louise , Linsel Florian , Krakov Vladislav , Ludwig Patrick
Published: October 2023

A unique property of the Paleolithic record is the possibility to observe human societies in large areas and over long periods of time. At these large spatial and temporal scales, a number of interesting phenomena can be observed, such as dynamics in the distribution of populations in relation to equally large-scale environmental patterns. In this paper, we focus on phenological patterns of vegetation and discuss their explanatory potential for differences in site densities in different periods and parts of Europe. In particular, we present a case-transferable approach to diachronically estimate the timing of the vegetation period and resulting phenological gradients. We discuss results for two complementary case studies. First, we look at the Aurignacian in Western and Central Europe, a period of dynamic population dispersal in a topographically heterogeneous region. Second, we focus on the Middle and Late Upper Paleolithic in the East European Plain, a period after the arrival of anatomically modern humans in a topographically rather uniform area. We visualize phenological trajectories and boundaries otherwise invisible in the archaeological record with certain explanatory potential for the observed archaeological patterns. Importantly, we do not intend to reconstruct specific plant communities or dispersal routes of animals or humans. Rather, we aim at highlighting gradients which in themselves and on small temporal scales might be comparatively weak, but over the course of millennia may potentially influence the distribution of animal biomass and human populations by biasing the aggregate of at times opposing actions of individuals towards particular directions.
Ion currents through the voltage sensor domain of distinct families of proteins
Authors: Arcos-Hernández César , Nishigaki Takuya
Published: October 2023

The membrane potential of a cell (Vm) regulates several physiological processes. The voltage sensor domain (VSD) is a region that confers voltage sensitivity to different types of transmembrane proteins such as the following: voltage-gated ion channels, the voltage-sensing phosphatase (Ci-VSP), and the sperm-specific Na+/H+ exchanger (sNHE). VSDs contain four transmembrane segments (S1–S4) and several positively charged amino acids in S4, which are essential for the voltage sensitivity of the protein. Generally, in response to changes of the Vm, the positive residues of S4 displace along the plasma membrane without generating ionic currents through this domain. However, some native (e.g., Hv1 channel) and mutants of VSDs produce ionic currents. These gating pore currents are usually observed in VSDs that lack one or more of the conserved positively charged amino acids in S4. The gating pore currents can also be induced by the isolation of a VSD from the rest of the protein domains. In this review, we summarize gating pore currents from all families of proteins with VSDs with classification into three cases: (1) pathological, (2) physiological, and (3) artificial currents. We reinforce the model in which the position of S4 that lacks the positively charged amino acid determines the voltage dependency of the gating pore current of all VSDs independent of protein families.
Implementation of different relationship estimate methodologies in breeding value prediction in kiwiberry (Actinidia arguta)
Authors: Mertten Daniel , Baldwin Samantha , Cheng Canhong H. , McCallum John , Thomson Susan , Ashton David T. , McKenzie Catherine M. , Lenhard Michael , Datson Paul M.
Published: October 2023

In dioecious crops such as Actinidia arguta (kiwiberries), some of the main challenges when breeding for fruit characteristics are the selection of potential male parents and the long juvenile period. Currently, breeding values of male parents are estimated through progeny tests, which makes the breeding of new kiwiberry cultivars time-consuming and costly. The application of best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) would allow direct estimation of sex-related traits and speed up kiwiberry breeding. In this study, we used a linear mixed model approach to estimate narrow sense heritability for one vine-related trait and five fruit-related traits for two incomplete factorial crossing designs. We obtained BLUPs for all genotypes, taking into consideration whether the relationship was pedigree-based or marker-based. Owing to the high cost of genome sequencing, it is important to understand the effects of different sources of relationship matrices on estimating breeding values across a breeding population. Because of the increasing implementation of genomic selection in crop breeding, we compared the effects of incorporating different sources of information in building relationship matrices and ploidy levels on the accuracy of BLUPs’ heritability and predictive ability. As kiwiberries are autotetraploids, multivalent chromosome formation and occasionally double reduction can occur during meiosis, and this can affect the accuracy of prediction. This study innovates the breeding programme of autotetraploid kiwiberries. We demonstrate that the accuracy of BLUPs of male siblings, without phenotypic observations, strongly improved when a tetraploid marker-based relationship matrix was used rather than parental BLUPs and female siblings with phenotypic observations.
Between policing and literary criticism: Habsburg censorship of literature in Lombardy-Venetia
Authors: Syrovy Daniel
Published: October 2023

The article looks at censors’ statements from the Venice State Archive and asks whether the parallels between censors speaking on literary texts and the mode of literary criticism can be productively analyzed with the help of these archival materials. The Venetian censorship bureau, established in 1814/15 in the context of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia and forming part of Habsburg Empire, is a welcome source given the comparative paucity of censors’ statements in other parts of the Empire in the early nineteenth century and during the pre-revolutionary Vormärz period. In particular, the paper examines a set of censors’ statements from 1818, containing on the whole arguments in favor of the publication of manuscripts (or circulation of foreign books). Among them figure a number of justification strategies employed by the censors, which point beyond the usual censorship categories of offences against religion, the authorities and morals. The paper looks at various statements on “modern classical” texts (e.g. Schiller’s “Song of the Bell”, Ossian, James Thomson), as well as the ways censors developed in order to engage with contemporary literature. The main case study in this respect is dedicated to the Italian translation of a historical novel by Jane Porter, The Scottish Chiefs (1810), published as I capi scozzesi in 1822–23. The way censors reflected critical discourses on the one hand, and reacted to materials from the books on the other, immediately situates them in the context of literary criticism and the statements themselves are found to constitute a valuable source for book history, the history of reading, as well as for the development of censorship in the nineteenth century.
A synthesis of women’s participation in small-scale fisheries management: why women’s voices matter
Authors: Chambon Mouna , Miñarro Sara , Alvarez Fernandez Santiago , Porcher Vincent , Reyes-Garcia Victoria , Tonalli Drouet Huran , Ziveri Patrizia
Published: October 2023

While women globally make up nearly half of the fisheries workforce, their contribution to the sector has long been overlooked with implications for fisheries management. To assess women’s participation in small-scale fisheries (SSF) management and related socio-cultural, environmental, and economic impacts, we conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature (n = 124 case studies). Women had no or limited participation in more than 80% of the examined case studies reporting their participation level in SSF management. Women’s exclusion from SSF management resulted in negative outcomes, whereas their active participation was associated with various positive impacts at multiple scales. Most of the documented impacts were socio-cultural, suggesting a gap in documenting environmental impacts stemmed from women’s participation in SSF management. Importantly, most impacts reported affected the social-ecological system scale, suggesting that gender inclusion may contribute to improving the management of SSF social-ecological systems. We conclude by highlighting the need to foster gender perspectives in data collection methods used in fisheries research, in SSF management, and in ecological research on SSF social-ecological systems.
Establishing a valid cohort of patients with acromegaly by combining the National Patient Register with the Swedish Pituitary Register
Authors: Robèrt J. , Tsatsaris E. , Berinder K. , Bonelli L. , Burman P. , Dahlqvist P. , Höybye C. , Olsson D. S. , Ragnarsson O. , Vouzouneraki K. , Åkerman A.-K. , Ekman B. , Edén Engström B.
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The aim of this study was to establish a valid national cohort of patients diagnosed with acromegaly by combining data from the general National Patient Register (NPR) and the disease-specific Swedish Pituitary Register (SPR).

Methods

Patients ≥ 18 years of age at diagnosis of acromegaly reported from 1991 to 2018 who were registered in the NPR and/or SPR were included. The diagnosis of acromegaly was considered correct for patients identified in both registers or confirmed through chart review. Medical records were reviewed in two of Sweden´s six health care regions if the patient was reported only in the NPR. An algorithm for the NPR, with criteria requiring multiple diagnosis registrations and tumour and/or surgery codes, was constructed to reduce the number of patients to review in the remaining four regions.

Results

A total of 1866 patients were identified. Among these, 938 were reported in both registers. After application of the algorithm and chart review, the diagnosis was confirmed for 83 of the 906 patients found only in the NPR. Among 22 patients only registered in the SPR, a review of medical records confirmed acromegaly in 13. This resulted in a total of 1034 cases with acromegaly during the study period. The incidence rate of acromegaly in Sweden 1991–2018 was calculated to 4.0/million/year in the entire population and 5.1/million/year among subjects ≥ 18 years of age.

Conclusion

The combination of the SPR and NPR established a valid cohort of patients diagnosed with acromegaly and increased the estimated incidence in Sweden.
Teaching Skills Training for Pre-clinical Medical Students Through Weekly Problem-Based Learning Teaching Topic Presentations and Directed Feedback
Authors: Schreck Gregory , Netski Dale , Simanton Edward , Kalili Rosalie
Published: October 2023

Problem

Medical students commonly encounter scenarios in which they are charged with teaching medical content, but studies find a paucity of teaching skills training especially in the pre-clerkship phase of undergraduate medical programs.

Intervention

Videos lessons were created to instruct on five teaching skills identified as useful for presenting short lessons on medical topics: effective learning objectives, appropriate lesson complexity, audience engagement, relevance to practice, and resource selection. A rubric was generated to assess the performance level of each teaching skill.

Context

First-year medical students viewed the video lessons and were instructed to implement these teaching skills for the creation and delivery of weekly learning issue (LI) presentations within a problem-based learning (PBL) course. PBL facilitators assessed students by using the rubric to assign a score of 0–2 corresponding to the level of skill performance.

Impact

Scores in every dimension of our LI assessment rubric showed significant improvement above week 1 at the end of the initial 4 weeks of practice and assessment. Follow-up assessment showed durable performance and significant improvement for 3 out of 5 at weeks 8 and 12.

Lessons Learned

Our novel framework was effective in fostering the adoption and implementation of five teaching skills among first-year medical students over a 4-week period, with most skills remaining durable over 12 weeks. Furthermore, end-of-course surveys showed that students found feedback received using the framework helpful in improving their LIs, and faculty reported that student LI presentation quality improved overall.
The correlation between honesty-humility and attitude toward counterfeit luxury
Authors: Reinhardt Nina , Reinhard Marc-André , Bittner-Fäthke Gerrit
Published: October 2023

This research focuses on the relation between Honesty-Humility and attitude toward counterfeit luxury. Honesty-Humility is defined as the tendency to be fair in dealing with others. Given that the act of knowingly purchasing a counterfeit could be judged as morally questionable, immodest, and manipulative, we predicted that people lower in Honesty-Humility would report more positive attitudes toward counterfeit luxury. Given that related research from behavioral research revealed Honesty-Humility to be the key predictor for unethical behavior, we further predicted this association to remain robust even when controlling for relevant control variables (i.e., self-concept, risk aversion, materialism, and Honesty-Propriety). As expected, two preregistered online studies (Study 1: N = 566; Study 2: N = 501) revealed that people with higher Honesty-Humility scores reported more of a negative attitude toward counterfeit luxury. This effect was mainly driven by the Fairness-facet of Honesty-Humility, and only materialism proved to be a further significant predictor for attitude toward counterfeit consumption. The role of the Honesty-Humility factor in research on counterfeit consumption is discussed, directions for future research are given, and as practical implication, first approaches are developed that possible intervention campaigns against counterfeit consumption should consider.
Reviews and prospects in satellite range scheduling problem
Authors: Li Shuwei , Yu Qingyun , Ding Hao
Published: October 2023

With the increasing number of space satellites, the demand for satellite communication (including maneuvering, command uploading and data downloading) has also grown significantly. However, the actual communication resources of ground station are relatively limited, which leads to an oversubscribed problem. How to make use of limited ground station resources to complete satellite communication requests more fully and efficiently in the strict visible time is the focus of satellite range scheduling research. This paper reviews and looks forward to the research on Satellite Range Scheduling Problem (SRSP). Firstly, SRSP is defined as the scheduling problem of establishing communication between satellites and ground stations, and the classification and development of SRSP are introduced. Then, this paper analyzes three common problem description models, and establishes a mathematical model based on the analysis of optimization objectives and constraints. Thirdly, this paper classifies and summarizes the common solving methods of SRSP, and analyzes their characteristics and application scenarios. Finally, combined with the work in this paper, the future research direction of SRSP is envisioned.
Multifunctional carbon dots in nanomaterial surface modification: a descriptive review
Authors: Al Ragib Abdullah , Al Amin Ahmed , Alanazi Yousef Mohammed , Kormoker Tapos , Uddin Minhaz , Siddique Md. Abu Bakar , Barai Hasi Rani
Published: October 2023

The surface properties of nanomaterials are an important consideration in most scientific and technological applications. Several methodologies can maneuver these properties while surface modification is the most common technique. Carbon Dots (CDs) are viable competitive materials for their pacific environment, chemical inertness, tunable photoluminescence, low cost, eco-friendliness, biocompatibility, schematic surface functionalization, and sophisticated utilization in nanomaterial’s surface modification. The nanoparticle surface attribute is modified for a specific purpose to use in several applications by dint of the tunable properties of CDs. Multifunctional CDs have a great potential to replace traditionally toxic and costly quantum dots through surface modification. This review presents how multifunctional CDs conjugated with other nanoparticles take an active part in medicine and biomedical fields with chemical and physical collaborations. Moreover, the basics of conjugate formation by different chemical and physical interactions of functional molecules are appraised from multiple perspectives. This article also describes different modification mechanisms followed by properties of the modified nano-conjugates. The surface modification affects fluorescence quantum yields, complexation potential, fluorescent coloring, and quenching capabilities. Resultant-modified nanoconjugates are powerful surfaces for drug delivery, biosensing, bioimaging, analysis, and therapeutic methods. Finally, the most fruitful current challenges and further possibilities are discussed in the conclusion section.

Graphical Abstract
Representatives of similarity classes of matrices over PIDs corresponding to ideal classes
Authors: Knight Lucy , Stasinski Alexander
Published: October 2023

For a principal ideal domain
$A$
, the Latimer–MacDuffee correspondence sets up a bijection between the similarity classes of matrices in
$\textrm{M}_{n}(A)$
with irreducible characteristic polynomial
$f(x)$
and the ideal classes of the order
$A[x]/(f(x))$
. We prove that when
$A[x]/(f(x))$
is maximal (i.e. integrally closed, i.e. a Dedekind domain), then every similarity class contains a representative that is, in a sense, close to being a companion matrix. The first step in the proof is to show that any similarity class corresponding to an ideal (not necessarily prime) of degree one contains a representative of the desired form. The second step is a previously unpublished result due to Lenstra that implies that when
$A[x]/(f(x))$
is maximal, every ideal class contains an ideal of degree one.
From “Atomic Spies” to Turkish-American Relations: The Cold War in Turkish Children's Magazines in the 1950s
Authors: Solomonovich Nadav
Published: October 2023

This article examines the representation of the Cold War in Turkish children's magazines in the 1950s, contributing to the current literature on children in the Middle East and the cultural Cold War. My main argument is that Turkish children's magazines played an important role in educating and indoctrinating children to support Turkey's pro-Western stance during the early part of the Cold War in two ways. The first was the production of new local content in the form of articles, stories, and comics that introduced terms and institutions relevant to the Turkish experience of the Cold War as part of the Western camp. Additionally, stories and comics reflected anxieties typical of the Cold War, such as fear of espionage and fifth columns. Second, American comics, translated into Turkish, or in some cases repurposed existing comics, instilled in Turkish children American concepts such as capitalism and consumerism.
Foreign Influence and the Legitimacy of Constitution Building in South Sudan
Authors: Akech Joseph Geng
Published: October 2023

Many countries write their constitutions with some form of international involvement. Internationalized constitutional assistance has been made easier by technology as well as trade and political exigencies. The question, therefore, is: How does this inevitable foreign influence impact constitutional legitimacy? This article discusses this question and asserts that foreign influence interacts with three approaches of constitutional design to shape constitutional legitimacy: (a) popular participation, (b) elites’ contracts, and (c) transnational constitutional implants. Such a transactional relationship is referred to as the “three-stone legitimacy theory”, which implicates both the internal and the external legitimacy of a constitution. The former means citizens’ acceptance that a constitution meets their aspirations, while the latter refers to the international community's satisfaction with the resulting constitution as guaranteeing the universal democratic ethos. The article ends with a proposition conceptualized as a “blueprint” for a democratic constitutional legitimacy in South Sudan.
First record of the Atlantic soft pout Melanostigma atlanticum (Teleostei, Zoarcidae) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Siapatis Apostolos , Markakis Konstantinos , Tsagarakis Konstantinos
Published: October 2023

This paper reports the first record of the Atlantic soft pout Melanostigma atlanticum Koefoed, 1952, from the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The specimen was caught in a pelagic trawl during a research trip carried out north of the island of Crete (Greece) in December 2019. The fish measured 66.1 mm in total length and weighed 0.810 g. The presence of M. atlanticum in the eastern Mediterranean Sea indicates that the geographical distribution of the species is not restricted only to the western part of it but spreads throughout the basin. Melanostigma atlanticum is typically found in the deep sea, where limited surveys and research have resulted in major data gaps. The lack of recording of the species until recently in the eastern Mediterranean Sea is attributed to the species' small size and slender body shape that allow it to escape traditional fishing gears, as well as the low trawling activity in depths greater than 400 m and the lack of surveys targeting the mesopelagic fish communities.