bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The business case for sustainability reporting in SMEs: consultants' and academics' perceptions
Authors: Castilla‐Polo Francisca , Guerrero‐Baena M. Dolores
Published: April 2023

The main aim of this paper is to provide insights into how the business case for sustainability reporting (SR) in SMEs is perceived by two groups of experts (consultants and academics). In particular, we examine how these two groups prioritize a set of costs and benefits associated with this type of reporting. The study draws on the best–worst method, a multicriteria decision‐making technique. Interviews were conducted with consultants and academics to gather detailed information about their perceptions regarding the costs and benefits that may be derived from the implementation of SR in SMEs. Consultants identified “competitive advantage” and “reputation and legitimacy” as the most relevant potential benefits of implementing SR in SMEs, while academics identified the “economic cost” as the most important criterion to be considered in the decision‐making process. Experts' perceptions of the business case for sustainability may encourage nonreporting SMEs to engage in sustainability. The identified gap between consultants and academics in the prioritization of costs and benefits is especially relevant to the emerging field of SR in SMEs. The study addresses an important topic from across the social and environmental accounting literature, the business case for SR in SMEs.
Tunable Molecular Electrodes for Bistable Polarization Screening
Authors: Spasojevic Irena , Santiso José , Caicedo José Manuel , Catalan Gustau , Domingo Neus
Published: April 2023

The polar discontinuity at any ferroelectric surface creates a depolarizing field that must be screened for the polarization to be stable. In capacitors, screening is done by the electrodes, while in bare ferroelectric surfaces it is typically accomplished by atmospheric adsorbates. Although chemisorbed species can have even better screening efficiency than conventional electrodes, they are subject to unpredictable environmental fluctuations and, moreover, dominant charged species favor one polarity over the opposite. This paper proposes a new screening concept, namely surface functionalization with resonance‐hybrid molecules, which combines the predictability and bipolarity of conventional electrodes with the screening efficiency of adsorbates. Thin films of barium titanate (BaTiO3) coated with resonant para‐aminobenzoic acid (pABA) display increased coercivity for both signs of ferroelectric polarization irrespective of the molecular layer thickness, thanks to the ability of these molecules to swap between different electronic configurations and adapt their surface charge density to the screening needs of the ferroelectric underneath. Because electron delocalization is only in the vertical direction, unlike conventional metals, chemical electrodes allow writing localized domains of different polarity underneath the same electrode. In addition, hybrid capacitors composed of graphene/pABA/ferroelectric have been made with enhanced coercivity compared to pure graphene‐electode capacitors.
A blockchain‐based privacy‐preserving advertising attribution architecture: Requirements, design, and a prototype implementation
Authors: Liu Yang , Lin Liangjie , Jiang Lin , Zhang Weizhe , Wang Xuan , Gheisari Mehdi , Gong Tao , Gao Chao , Najafabadi Hamid Esmaeili
Published: April 2023

In the era of digital marketing, advertisements have become an indispensable part. One of the central challenges is advertising attribution which explains the amount of contribution every publisher has with the conversions. However, through observation, we have found that current advertising platforms attribution, advertisers attribution, or third‐party platforms attribution all have the problems of trust, data leakage, and data forgery. To fill the gap, our work's main contribution is combining blockchain with advertising attribution to propose an architecture for improving the privacy‐preserving degree and amount. In the proposed architecture, publishers, and advertisers can store real‐time data on a blockchain. The attribution results are credible because blockchain is decentralized, tamper‐proof, and traceable. We combine privacy set intersection and zero‐knowledge proof technology to increase the privacy of flowing data. In addition, we describe a preliminary prototype in which publishers, advertisers, and advertising platforms can get the corresponding attribution details. To show its effectiveness, we analyze it from different perspectives, including communication cost, attribution accuracy, and time cost. The results show that our communication cost has significantly reduced compared to the recent studies.
Rational Engineering of 2D Materials as Advanced Catalyst Cathodes for High‐Performance Metal–Carbon Dioxide Batteries
Authors: Liu Fu , Zhou Jingwen , Wang Yunhao , Xiong Yuecheng , Hao Fengkun , Ma Yangbo , Lu Pengyi , Wang Juan , Yin Jinwen , Wang Guozhi , Yu Jinli , Yan Yan , Zhu Zonglong , Zeng Jie , Fan Zhanxi
Published: April 2023

Given the unique characteristic of integrating CO2 conversion and renewable energy storage, metal–CO2 batteries (MCBs) are expected to become the next‐generation technology to address both environmental and energy crises. As involving complex gas–liquid–solid three‐phase interfacial reactions, cathodes of MCBs can significantly affect the overall battery operation, thus attracting much research attention. Compared to conventional materials, 2D materials offer great opportunities for the design and preparation of high‐performance catalyst cathodes, especially showing superior bifunctional electrocatalytic capacity for rechargeable MCBs. The inherent high‐specific‐surface area and diverse structural architectures of 2D materials enable their flexible and rational engineering designs toward kinetically favorable metal–CO2 electrochemistry. Herein this review, the cutting‐edge progresses of 2D materials‐based catalyst cathodes are presented in MCBs. The reaction mechanisms of various MCBs, including both nonaqueous and aqueous systems, are systematically introduced. Then, the design criteria of catalyst cathodes, and the merits and demerits of 2D materials‐based catalyst cathodes are discussed. After that, three representative engineering strategies (i.e., defect control, phase engineering, and heterostructure design) of 2D materials for high‐performance MCBs are systematically described. Finally, the current research advances are briefly summarized and the confronting challenges and opportunities for future development of advanced MCB cathodes are proposed.
Non‐Interleaved Four‐Channel Metasurfaces for Simultaneous Printing and Holographic Imaging
Authors: Gou Yue , Ma Hui Feng , Sun Shi , Zhang Tai Yi , Wu Liang Wei , Wang Zheng Xing , Zheng Sen , Cui Tie Jun
Published: April 2023

Simultaneous realization of printing and holographic images has become an emerging and promising technology for optical storage and anti‐counterfeiting, which can significantly enhance the information capacity and security of an optical system. Herein, a non‐interleaved four‐channel metasurface based on opposite‐chirality‐coexisted meta‐atoms is proposed, which can simultaneously support four independent circular polarization (CP) information channels, including two near‐field printing channels and two far‐field holography channels. In addition, due to the chiral resonance properties, the operation frequencies of these four polarization channels can also be flexibly designed to simultaneously achieve polarization multiplexing and frequency multiplexing. As a proof of concept, two four‐channel metasurfaces, one of which works at a single frequency and the other works at two different frequencies, are designed and validated numerically and experimentally. It is shown in the results that two printing and two holographic images with different handedness can be stored at one frequency or two different frequencies through the flexible design of metasurface. This four‐channel metasurface provides a new avenue for the design of future photonic devices with highly integrated and multiple functionalities, and may have an advantage in diverse potential applications, such as advanced anti‐counterfeits, optical data storage, and image displays.
Typification of three Linnaean names in the Byttnerioideae (Malvaceae)
Authors: Dorr Laurence J.
Published: April 2023

Types are designated for the names of three species of Byttnerioideae (Malvaceae) described by Linnaeus. These include lectotypes for the names Hermannia triphylla and Melochia supina (= M. corchorifolia), and a neotype for the name Theobroma augustum (≡ Abroma augustum). Two of the type designations are illustrations and one is a specimen. The identity of H. triphylla has long been uncertain but the lectotype designated here fixes the name as a species of papilionoid legume, which reflects current usage, and a new combination in Lotononis (Fabaceae) is proposed.
Enzymatic hydrolysis extraction and quality assessment of fish oil from Patin catfish (Pangasius Hypophthalmus)
Authors: Indera Nur Izzaidah Muhammad , Iberahim Nur Izzati , Lutpi Nabilah Aminah , Dahalan Farrah Aini , Hamdzah Myzairah
Published: April 2023

This study aimed to characterize the extraction of fish oil and investigate the oil quality of Patin catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) using the enzymatic hydrolysis technique. The selected parameters were the concentration of enzymes, temperature, and reaction time. Patin catfish available across Southeast Asia is one of the species most accessible to fast‐growing Malaysian population and one of the most convenient food supply alternatives. In this research, alcalase was used as the source of enzyme to obtain the oil yield percentage. The optimization of the recovery process of Patin catfish oil using enzymatic hydrolysis technique was conducted using the multifactor experiments software Design of Experiments (DoE), which obtained an optimum condition for the oil yield percentage at 55.3°C with a 1.2% enzyme concentration for 3 h. The percentage of oil yield obtained was 10.90%. The fish oil was further characterized via the FTIR spectroscopy analysis at 4000–700 cm−1. The investigation of the oil quality was conducted based on analysis test. The acid value test gives 2.24 mg KOH/g, peroxide with 4 meq/kg, and p‐anisidine analysis leads to 0.895.
Reproductive history does not compromise subsequent live birth and perinatal outcome following in‐vitro fertilization: analysis of 25 329 first frozen–thawed embryo transfer cycles without preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy
Authors: Chen D. , Xu Q. , Mao X. , Zhang J. , Wu L.
Published: April 2023

Objective

To investigate the effect of women's reproductive history on live‐birth rate and perinatal outcome after first frozen–thawed embryo transfer (FET) without preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of women who had undergone their first FET cycle between January 2014 and December 2020 at a university‐affiliated fertility center. No transferred embryo underwent preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy. The women were categorized into five groups based on their reproductive history: no previous pregnancy; previous termination of pregnancy (TOP); previous pregnancy loss; previous ectopic pregnancy (EP); and previous live birth. The women with no previous pregnancy were considered as the reference group. The primary outcome was the live‐birth rate and secondary endpoints included rates of positive pregnancy test, clinical pregnancy, pregnancy loss and EP as well as perinatal outcomes such as birth weight and preterm birth. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to control for a number of potential confounders, including age, body mass index, education level, duration and cause of infertility, insemination method, type of endometrial preparation, number of embryos transferred, embryo developmental stage, quality of the embryos transferred, year of treatment and endometrial thickness. Additionally, propensity score matching (PSM) was used to check the robustness of the main findings.

Results

In total, 25 329 women were included in the final analysis. On univariate analysis, each reproductive‐history type except for previous EP was significantly associated with worse pregnancy outcome following in‐vitro fertilization (IVF), including rates of positive pregnancy test, clinical pregnancy, pregnancy loss and live birth, when compared with the group of women with no previous pregnancy. However, after correcting for several potential confounders, the differences in rates of live birth, pregnancy loss, positive pregnancy test and clinical pregnancy were no longer significant between the study and control groups on multivariable regression models, while the risk of EP after embryo transfer was elevated among women with a previous TOP or EP. There was no increased risk of adverse perinatal outcome associated with reproductive history compared with the control group. Notably, similar results were obtained from the PSM models, confirming the robustness of the main findings.

Conclusion

Relative to women without a previous pregnancy, those with a prior TOP, pregnancy loss, EP or live birth did not have compromised live‐birth rate or perinatal outcomes following FET without preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy, with the exception of an increased risk of EP in those with prior TOP or EP. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
ASPRE trial: effects of aspirin on mean arterial blood pressure and uterine artery pulsatility index trajectories in pregnancy
Authors: Rolnik D. L. , Syngelaki A. , O'Gorman N. , Wright D. , Poon L. C. , Nicolaides K. H.
Published: April 2023

Objectives

The mechanism by which aspirin prevents pre‐eclampsia is poorly understood, and its effects on biomarkers throughout pregnancy are unknown. We aimed to investigate the effects of aspirin on mean arterial pressure (MAP) and mean uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA‐PI) using repeated measures from women at increased risk of preterm pre‐eclampsia.

Methods

This was a longitudinal secondary analysis of the Combined Multimarker Screening and Randomized Patient Treatment with Aspirin for Evidence‐Based Pre‐eclampsia Prevention (ASPRE) trial using repeated measures of MAP and UtA‐PI. In the trial, 1620 women at increased risk of preterm pre‐eclampsia were identified using the Fetal Medicine Foundation algorithm at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks, of whom 798 were randomly assigned to receive 150 mg/day aspirin and 822 were assigned to receive placebo daily from 11–14 weeks to 36 weeks of gestation or delivery, whichever came first. MAP and UtA‐PI were measured at baseline and follow‐up visits at 19–24, 32–34 and 36 weeks of gestation. Generalized additive mixed models with treatment by gestational age interaction terms were used to investigate the effects of aspirin on MAP and UtA‐PI trajectories over time.

Results

Among 798 participants in the aspirin group and 822 in the placebo group, there were 5951 MAP and 5942 UtA‐PI measurements. Trajectories of raw and multiples of the median (MoM) values of MAP did not differ significantly between the two groups (MAP MoM analysis: P‐value for treatment by gestational age interaction, 0.340). In contrast, trajectories of raw and MoM values of UtA‐PI showed a significantly steeper decline in the aspirin group than in the placebo group, with the difference mainly driven by a more pronounced reduction before 20 weeks of gestation (UtA‐PI MoM analysis: P‐value for treatment by gestational age interaction, 0.006).

Conclusions

In women at increased risk of preterm pre‐eclampsia, 150 mg/day aspirin initiated in the first trimester does not affect MAP but is associated with a significant decrease in mean UtA‐PI, particularly before 20 weeks of gestation. © 2023 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Tachyonic production of dark relics: a non-perturbative quantum study
Authors: Kainulainen Kimmo , Koskivaara Olli , Nurmi Sami
Published: April 2023

Abstract

We study production of dark relics during reheating after the end of inflation in a system consisting of a non-minimally coupled spectator scalar field and the inflaton. We derive a set of renormalized quantum transport equations for the one-point function and the two-point function of the spectator field and solve them numerically. We find that our system can embody both tachyonic and parametric instabilities. The former is an expected result due to the non-minimal coupling, but the latter displays new features driven by a novel interplay of the two-point function with the Ricci scalar. We find that when the parametric instability driven by the two-point function takes place, it dominates the total particle production. The quantitative results are also found to be highly sensitive to the model parameters.
Optimized Algorithms and Hardware Implementation of Median Filter for Image Processing
Authors: Draz H. H. , Elashker N. E. , Mahmoud Mervat M. A.
Published: April 2023

Image processing algorithms are essential for clarifying the image and improving the ability to recognize distinct characteristics of the image. The field of digital image processing is widespread in several research and technology applications. In many of these applications, the existence of impulsive noise in the obtained images is one of the most frequent problems. The median filter is a strong method to remove the impulsive noise; it effectively eliminates salt and pepper noise from the image. The main target of this paper is to investigate efficient median filter units to be connected to a general-purpose processor (GPP) for FPGA-based embedded systems. The paper exposes three novel techniques, two of them specially for median filtering techniques and the third one is used to get the maximum number of any 9 elements array. The proposed algorithms are inspired by the Median Of Median (MOM) algorithm. The first two techniques are tested for filtering$$3 \times 3$$3×3image windows and optimized for producing the expected result in high accuracy, short time, and reduced number of comparisons. The last technique is tested for a 9 elements array for extracting the maximum number in same high efficiency manner. Furthermore, the three proposed techniques are implemented leveraging the advantage of the parallel processing and the FPGA flexible resources to satisfy the real-time processing constraints. A comparison between the first two proposed filtering units and their counterparts in the literature is included. The comparison reveals the superiority of the first technique in terms of accuracy with fewer comparators than previously published techniques. Besides, the paper illustrates how the concept beyond the proposed techniques can be used to perform the maximum pooling for convolution neural networks.
On a Conjecture of De Giorgi About the Phase-Field Approximation of the Willmore Functional
Authors: Bellettini Giovanni , Freguglia Mattia , Picenni Nicola
Published: April 2023

In 1991 De Giorgi conjectured that, given $$\lambda >0$$

λ
>
0

, if $$\mu _\varepsilon $$

μ
ε

stands for the density of the Allen-Cahn energy and $$v_\varepsilon $$

v
ε

represents its first variation, then $$\int [v_\varepsilon ^2 + \lambda ] d\mu _\varepsilon $$

∫

[

v
ε
2

+
λ
]

d

μ
ε

should $$\Gamma $$
Γ
-converge to $$c\lambda {\text {Per}}(E) + k \mathcal {W}(\Sigma )$$

c
λ
Per
(
E
)
+
k
W
(
Σ
)

for some real constant k, where $${\text {Per}}(E)$$

Per
(
E
)

is the perimeter of the set E, $$\Sigma =\partial E$$

Σ
=
∂
E

, $$\mathcal {W}(\Sigma )$$

W
(
Σ
)

is the Willmore functional, and c is an explicit positive constant. A modified version of this conjecture was proved in space dimensions 2 and 3 by Röger and Schätzle, when the term $$\int v_\varepsilon ^2 \, d\mu _\varepsilon $$

∫

v
ε
2

d

μ
ε

is replaced by $$ \int v_\varepsilon ^2 {\varepsilon }^{-1} dx$$

∫

v
ε
2

ε

-
1

d
x

, with a suitable $$k>0$$

k
>
0

. In the present paper we show that, surprisingly, the original De Giorgi conjecture holds with $$k=0$$

k
=
0

. Further properties of the limit measures obtained under a uniform control of the approximating energies are also provided.
Loss of hypothalamic MCH decreases food intake in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Bolborea Matei , Vercruysse Pauline , Daria Tselmen , Reiners Johanna C. , Alami Najwa Ouali , Guillot Simon J. , Dieterlé Stéphane , Sinniger Jérôme , Scekic-Zahirovic Jelena , Londo Amela , Arcay Hippolyte , Goy Marc-Antoine , de Tapia Claudia Nelson , Thal Dietmar R. , Shibuya Kazumoto , Otani Ryo , Arai Kimihito , Kuwabara Satoshi , Ludolph Albert C. , Roselli Francesco , Yilmazer-Hanke Deniz , Dupuis Luc
Published: April 2023

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is associated with impaired energy metabolism, including weight loss and decreased appetite which are negatively correlated with survival. Neural mechanisms underlying metabolic impairment in ALS remain unknown. ALS patients and presymptomatic gene carriers have early hypothalamic atrophy. The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) controls metabolic homeostasis through the secretion of neuropeptides such as orexin/hypocretin and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH). Here, we show loss of MCH-positive neurons in three mouse models of ALS based on SOD1 or FUS mutations. Supplementation with MCH (1.2 µg/d) through continuous intracerebroventricular delivery led to weight gain in male mutant Sod1G86R mice. MCH supplementation increased food intake, rescued expression of the key appetite-related neuropeptide AgRP (agouti-related protein) and modified respiratory exchange ratio, suggesting increased carbohydrate usage during the inactive phase. Importantly, we document pTDP-43 pathology and neurodegeneration in the LHA of sporadic ALS patients. Neuronal cell loss was associated with pTDP-43-positive inclusions and signs of neurodegeneration in MCH-positive neurons. These results suggest that hypothalamic MCH is lost in ALS and contributes to the metabolic changes, including weight loss and decreased appetite.
The role of Pcdh10 in neurological disease and cancer
Authors: Zhen Yilan , Pavez Macarena , Li Xinying
Published: April 2023

Background

Protocadherin 10 (PCDH 10), a member of the superfamily of protocadherins, is a Ca2+-dependent homophilic cell-cell adhesion molecule expressed on the surface of cell membranes. Protocadherin 10 plays a critical role in the central nervous system including in cell adhesion, formation and maintenance of neural circuits and synapses, regulation of actin assembly, cognitive function and tumor suppression. Additionally, Pcdh10 can serve as a non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic indicator for various cancers.

Methods

This paper collects and reviews relevant literature in Pubmed.

Conclusion

This review describes the latest research understanding the role of Pcdh10 in neurological disease and human cancer, highlighting the importance of scrutinizing its properties for the development of targeted therapies and identifying a need for further research to explore Pcdh10 functions in other pathways, cell types and human pathologies.
Molecular detection of Wolbachia and Bartonella as part of the microbiome of phlebotomine sand flies from Chiapas, Mexico
Authors: Lozano-Sardaneta Yokomi N. , Marina Carlos F. , Torres-Monzón Jorge A. , Sánchez-Cordero Víctor , Becker Ingeborg
Published: April 2023

Phlebotomine sand flies are dipterans of relevance due to their role as vectors of several pathogens worldwide. Bacteria in the gut of sand flies possibly affect their vectorial capacity and competence to transmit parasites. A retrospective study was performed in sand fly specimens that had previously been collected in four localities of the state of Chiapas during the period 2009–2011 to detect Wolbachia and Bartonella and their possible coinfection with Leishmania. For the molecular detection of bacteria, we used primers and conditions that had previously been reported. A total of 531 sand fly specimens of 10 species were analyzed. Four Wolbachia strains were detected in five sand fly species, showing a prevalence of 8.6%. All the Wolbachia strains had previously been reported in other taxa. In one sand fly species, we also detected a new lineage of Bartonella evidenced by a phylogenetic analysis. No sand fly specimens showed coinfections of these bacteria and Leishmania. The bacteria found in the phlebotomine sand flies are possibly transmitted by plant-mediated horizontal transmission and during blood meal feeding.
Plasma cell-free DNA promise monitoring and tissue injury assessment of COVID-19
Authors: Jin Xin , Wang Yanqun , Xu Jinjin , Li Yimin , Cheng Fanjun , Luo Yuxue , Zhou Haibo , Lin Shanwen , Xiao Fei , Zhang Lu , Lin Yu , Zhang Zhaoyong , Jin Yan , Zheng Fang , Chen Wei , Zhu Airu , Tao Ye , Zhao Jingxian , Kuo Tingyou , Li Yuming , Li Lingguo , Wen Liyan , Ou Rijing , Li Fang , Lin Long , Zhang Yanjun , Sun Jing , Yuan Hao , Zhuang Zhen , Sun Haixi , Chen Zhao , Li Jie , Zhuo Jianfen , Chen Dongsheng , Zhang Shengnan , Sun Yuzhe , Wei Peilan , Yuan Jinwei , Xu Tian , Yang Huanming , Wang Jian , Xu Xun , Zhong Nanshan , Xu Yonghao , Sun Kun , Zhao Jincun
Published: April 2023

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is a complex disease that affects billions of people worldwide. Currently, effective etiological treatment of COVID-19 is still lacking; COVID-19 also causes damages to various organs that affects therapeutics and mortality of the patients. Surveillance of the treatment responses and organ injury assessment of COVID-19 patients are of high clinical value. In this study, we investigated the characteristic fragmentation patterns and explored the potential in tissue injury assessment of plasma cell-free DNA in COVID-19 patients. Through recruitment of 37 COVID-19 patients, 32 controls and analysis of 208 blood samples upon diagnosis and during treatment, we report gross abnormalities in cfDNA of COVID-19 patients, including elevated GC content, altered molecule size and end motif patterns. More importantly, such cfDNA fragmentation characteristics reflect patient-specific physiological changes during treatment. Further analysis on cfDNA tissue-of-origin tracing reveals frequent tissue injuries in COVID-19 patients, which is supported by clinical diagnoses. Hence, our work demonstrates and extends the translational merit of cfDNA fragmentation pattern as valuable analyte for effective treatment monitoring, as well as tissue injury assessment in COVID-19.
Video-based training of situation awareness enhances minimally invasive surgical performance: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Kowalewski Karl-Friedrich , Seifert Laura , Kohlhas Laura , Schmidt Mona Wanda , Ali Seher , Fan Carolyn , Köppinger Karl Felix , Müller-Stich Beat Peter , Nickel Felix
Published: April 2023

Background

Many training curricula were introduced to deal with the challenges that minimally invasive surgery (MIS) presents to the surgeon. Situational awareness (SA) is the ability to process information effectively. It depends on general cognitive abilities and can be divided into three steps: perceiving cues, linking cues to knowledge and understanding their relevance, and predicting possible outcomes. Good SA is crucial to predict and avoid complications and respond efficiently. This study aimed to introduce the concept of SA into laparoscopic training.

Methods

This is a prospective, randomized, controlled study conducted at the MIS Training Center of Heidelberg University Hospital. Video sessions showing the steps of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) were used for cognitive training. The intervention group trained SA with interposed questions inserted into the video clips. The identical video clips, without questions, were presented to the control group. Performance was assessed with validated scores such as the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) during LC.

Results

72 participants were enrolled of which 61 were included in the statistical analysis. The SA-group performed LC significantly better (OSATS-Score SA: 67.0 ± 11.5 versus control: 59.1 ± 14.0, p value = 0.034) and with less errors (error score SA: 3.5 ± 1.9 versus control: 4.7 ± 2.0, p value = 0.027). No difference in the time taken to complete the procedure was found. The benefit assessment analysis showed no difference between the groups in terms of perceived learning effect, concentration, or expediency. However, most of the control group indicated retrospectively that they believed they would have benefitted from the intervention.

Conclusion

This study suggests that video-based SA training for laparoscopic novices has a positive impact on performance and error rate. SA training should thus be included as one aspect besides simulation and real cases in a multimodal curriculum to improve the efficiency of laparoscopic surgical skills training.
Microbiota-gut-brain axis: relationships among the vagus nerve, gut microbiota, obesity, and diabetes
Authors: Longo Susanna , Rizza Stefano , Federici Massimo
Published: April 2023

Aims

The purpose of this review is to explore the interconnected pathways of the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA), focusing on the roles of the vagus nerve and glucagon like peptide-1 in appetite control, and in the development of obesity and diabetes.

Methods

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity are metabolic disorders whose prevalence has significantly increased in recent decades and is expected to increase every year, to pandemic proportions. These two pathologies often coexist and have substantial public health implications. The term “diabesity” defines the pathophysiological connection between overweight and T2DM. The gut microbiota affects many aspects of the host. Beyond the regulation of intestinal functions and the activation of immune responses, the gut microbiota plays a role in central nervous system functions (i.e., mood, and psychiatric conditions associated with stress and memory) and is a central regulator of metabolism and appetite.

Results

The MGBA involves pathways such as the autonomic and enteric nervous systems, the hypothalamic– pituitary–adrenal axis, the immune system, enteroendocrine cells, and microbial metabolites. Notably, the vagus nerve plays an essential role in eating behavior by modulating appetite and learning nutritional preferences.

Conclusions

Because of its enteroendocrine cell-mediated interaction with the gut microbiota, the vagus nerve may provide a potential pathway through which gut microorganisms influence host feeding behavior and metabolic control of physiological and pathological conditions.
Development of Gambling Behaviour and Its Relationship with Perceived Social Support: A Longitudinal Study of Young Adult Male Gamblers
Authors: Bickl Andreas M. , Kraus Ludwig , Loy Johanna K. , Kriwy Peter , Sleczka Pawel , Schwarzkopf Larissa
Published: April 2023

Young adult men who gamble frequently face an elevated risk of developing gambling-related problems. So far, little is known about how changing levels of perceived social support interact with the course of gambling behaviour and gambling-related problems in this population. Using data from a prospective single-arm cohort study (Munich Leisure Time Study), we applied hierarchical linear models to investigate the longitudinal association of changes in perceived emotional and social support (hereafter PESS; operationalized as ENRICHD Social Support Instrument score) with gambling intensity, gambling frequency, and fulfilled criteria for gambling disorder. Pooling data from three time points (baseline, 12-month and 24-month follow-ups) to assess two 1-year intervals, these models disentangle the associations of (a) “level of PESS” (cross-sectional, between participants) and (b) “changes in individual PESS” (longitudinally, within-participants). Among the 169 study participants, higher levels of PESS were associated with fewer gambling-related problems (− 0.12 criteria met; p = 0.014). Furthermore, increasing individual PESS was associated with lower gambling frequency (− 0.25 gambling days; p = 0.060) and intensity (− 0.11 gambling hours; p = 0.006), and fewer gambling-related problems (− 0.19 problems; p < 0.001). The results suggest a mitigating influence of PESS on gambling behaviour and gambling-related problems. Increasing individual PESS appears more decisive for this pathway than high initial levels of PESS. Treatment and prevention strategies that activate and reinforce beneficial social resources in people with gambling-related problems are recommended and promising.
Mutta: a novel tool for E2E web mutation testing
Authors: Leotta Maurizio , Paparella Davide , Ricca Filippo
Published: April 2023

Mutation testing is an important technique able to evaluate the bug-detection effectiveness of existing software test suites. Mutation testing tools exist for several languages, e.g., Java and JavaScript, but no solutions are available for managing the mutation testing process for entire web applications, in the context of end-to-end (E2E) web testing. In this paper, we propose Mutta, a novel tool able to automate the entire mutation testing process. Mutta mutates the various server source files of the target web application, runs the E2E test suite against the mutated web applications, and finally collects the test outcomes. To evaluate Mutta, we designed a case study using the mutated versions of the target web application with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of two different approaches to E2E web testing: (1) test cases based on classical assertions and (2) test cases relying on differential testing. In detail, Mutta has been executed on two web applications, each equipped with different test suites to compare assertions with differential testing. In this scenario, Mutta generated a large number of mutants (more than 15k overall), took into account the coverage information to consider only the mutants actually executed, deployed the mutated web app, ran the entire E2E test suites (about 87k tests runs overall), and finally, it correctly saved the test suite results. Thus, results of the case study show that Mutta can be successfully employed to automate the entire mutation testing process of E2E web test suites and, therefore, can be used in practice to evaluate the effectiveness of different test suites (e.g., based on different techniques, E2E frameworks, or composed by a different number of test scripts).
Self-supervised zero-shot dehazing network based on dark channel prior
Authors: Xiao Xinjie , Ren Yuanhong , Li Zhiwei , Zhang Nannan , Zhou Wuneng
Published: April 2023

Most learning-based methods previously used in image dehazing employ a supervised learning strategy, which is time-consuming and requires a large-scale dataset. However, large-scale datasets are difficult to obtain. Here, we propose a self-supervised zero-shot dehazing network (SZDNet) based on dark channel prior, which uses a hazy image generated from the output dehazed image as a pseudo-label to supervise the optimization process of the network. Additionally, we use a novel multichannel quad-tree algorithm to estimate atmospheric light values, which is more accurate than previous methods. Furthermore, the sum of the cosine distance and the mean squared error between the pseudo-label and the input image is applied as a loss function to enhance the quality of the dehazed image. The most significant advantage of the SZDNet is that it does not require a large dataset for training before performing the dehazing task. Extensive testing shows promising performances of the proposed method in both qualitative and quantitative evaluations when compared with state-of-the-art methods.

Graphical Abstract
Study of the Frequency and Specificity of Red Cell Antibodies in Patients with Hemoglobinopathies
Authors: Wilson Manal M. , El Masry Manal M. W. , El-Ghamrawy Mona Kamal , El-Hadi Nessma Abd , Abou-Elalla Amany A.
Published: April 2023

Patients with thalassemia and sickle cell disease (SCD) require blood transfusions as part of their supportive care. However, one of the most serious side effects of this treatment is the risk of red cell alloimmunization. The goal of this study was to assess the prevalence and Specificity of red cell alloimmunization in Egyptian thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia patients. This study included 200 multi transfused Egyptian patients, one hundred and forty patients with transfusion dependent thalassaemia and sixty patients with sickle cell anaemia, who were attending the Paediatric Children Hospital-Cairo University at the period from March 2019 to October 2019. Alloantibody identification was made by Diamed- ID microtyping system. In the studied groups both thalassemia and sickle patients, the prevalence of alloimmunization was 22/200 (11%) patients. The two most often alloantibodies were, antibodies against Kell antigen (37%) and against E antigen (30%). The prevalence of alloimmunization was more in females in comparison to males, but it did not reach statistical significance and patients with thalassemia major had higher alloimmunization rates than other studied groups but was not statistically significant. In the D negative patients in the research group, alloimmunization demonstrated a statistically significant difference (p = 0.01). Age, gender, age of transfusion onset and splenectomy were not contributing factors to the antibody presence in the group of patients being investigated. Before receiving blood transfusions, extended red blood cell phenotyping should be thought of as a crucial procedure for hemoglobinopathies patients who would likely have several transfusions. It is advised that haemoglobinopathies patients in Egypt be checked through phenotyping of RBC units for Kell and all Rh antigens to be phenotyped before starting transfusion in these patients which is also standard of care for these patients presently.
Moving forward better marketing for a better world: a path for new research opportunities
Authors: Rashkova Yanina , Moi Ludovica
Published: April 2023

The topic of marketing as a source of a “better world” is gaining rising importance in academia and practice. It represents an opportunity to move towards the development of a more prosperous, fair, and equitable society. Nevertheless, questions remain about how organizations could comprehensively form and nurture marketing for good. In this paper, we display a critical review of the most widely accepted theoretical approaches related to better marketing for a better world (BMBW) to seek new research perspectives. We contribute to extending prior literature by presenting its main criticalities, articulating them around three clusters of shortcomings in view of how recent literature is evolving. Based on this analysis, we then recommend avenues for future research and associated research questions to stimulate and advance further scholarly investigations.
Simulation of pyroshock environment and effect rules of shock response spectrum
Authors: Wang W. , Huang K. , Zhao F.
Published: April 2023

The high-frequency and high-amplitude pyroshock environment during the service of the spacecraft will cause damage to the equipment. Here, we develop a shock test device based on air cannon to simulate the above pyroshock environment. Then, a finite element model was established by explicit dynamic software ANSYS/LS-DYNA, and the simulation results were proved to be consistent with the test data. Based on the theory of Shock Response Spectrum (SRS), the effects of device parameters such as pressure, bullet material and resonant plate material on SRS were investigated via numerical simulation and shock test. This study shows that the amplitude of SRS increases with the increase of pressure in the range of 0.15–0.60 MPa, and the break frequency amplitude has a square root function relationship with the pressure. Additionally, the high-frequency amplitude of SRS was affected by the energy transfer efficiency of the bullet.
Vocabularies of Motive for Corporate Social Responsibility: The Emergence of the Business Case in Germany, 1970–2014
Authors: Lohmeyer Nora , Jackson Gregory
Published: April 2023

The business case constitutes an important instrumental motive for corporate social responsibility (CSR), but its relationship with other moral and relational motives remains controversial. In this article, we examine the articulation of motives for CSR among different stakeholders in Germany historically. On the basis of reports of German business associations, state agencies, unions, and nongovernmental organizations from 1970 to 2014, we show how the business case came to be a dominant motive for CSR by acting as a coalition magnet: the vocabulary was used strategically by key policy entrepreneurs, while being ambiguous for flexible interpretations by different stakeholders, and thereby growing in attractiveness. As a resulting discourse coalition emerged among business, state, and civil society actors, the moral and relational motives for CSR became increasingly marginalized. The article offers a new approach to studying motives and contributes to understanding the complementary or competing nature of different motives for CSR.
Mass Immunizations: A Pocket Guide
Authors: Rice Kathleen , Backer Howard , McFadden Honda , Bode Jessica , Metzner Mitch , Noste Erin , Devereaux Asha V.
Published: April 2023

Numerous state, national, and global resources exist for planning and executing mass vaccination campaigns. However, they are disparate and can be complex. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for clear, easy to use mass vaccination resources. Meanwhile, annual influenza vaccination, as well as outbreaks such as mpox, demonstrates the need for continued emphasis on timely and effective vaccinations to mitigate outbreaks. This pocket guide seeks to combine relevant resources and basic steps for setting up a mass vaccination clinic, utilizing experience from COVID-19 mass vaccination sites.
What is transformative law?
Authors: Kjaer Poul F.
Published: April 2023

In the western context, law has two functions. It upholds normative expectations and it transforms social phenomena. The latter is expressed through the form-giving function of law, as law designates particular social phenomena, such as, for example, economic, political or religious. Inside such overarching categories, further subcategories can moreover be observed. In relation to economic processes, the legal institutions of competition, contract, corporation and property are, for example, classical examples of the form-giving function of law. The dual function of law is briefly illustrated through a genealogy of imaginaries of law distinguishing between four historically dominant types of law: ‘Law as purpose’; ‘law as a tool’; ‘law as an obstacle’; and ‘law as reflexivity-initiation’. On this background, ten core dimensions of what might become a new episteme of transformative law are fleshed out with the aim of answering the question to what extent it can act as an alternative to the previous four types of law.
Investigations of shock–boundary layer interaction dynamics using high-bandwidth pressure field imaging
Authors: Jenquin Chase , Johnson Ethan C. , Narayanaswamy Venkat
Published: April 2023

The large-scale pulsations of shock-induced separation with length scale that significantly exceeds the incoming boundary layer thickness are investigated. The shock–boundary layer interaction (SBLI) unit is generated by an inward-turning axisymmetric compression ramp at an inflow Mach number of 2.5. A substantial region surrounding the centre azimuth exhibited mean and dynamic flow features that are consistent with two-dimensional separation. Two-dimensional highly resolved maps of surface pressure field are obtained using fast-response pressure-sensitive paint fluorescence imaging at 40 kHz repetition rate. The measurement domain covered significant regions of the incoming boundary layer through the relaxing boundary layer downstream of the reattachment as well as over 25 boundary layer thicknesses in the azimuthal direction. These measurements provide new insights into the spanwise coupling of the SBLI unit in addition to its inherent dynamics. The power spectral density (PSD) of the centreline pressure exhibits very good agreement with theoretical models and complementary measurements using fast-response pressure transducers, which served to validate the pressure field measurements. Detailed examination of the PSD reveals strong agreement with the literature, which includes the peak Strouhal number of the separation and reattachment shock motions as well as the downward frequency shift along the separation bubble. Furthermore, the pressure fluctuation maps reveal streamwise-elongated structures just downstream of the ramp leading edge that persist well downstream of the reattachment. A time sequence of conditional average pressure fluctuation maps is constructed surrounding isolated pressure excursions in the intermittent region. This sequence, along with two-point cross correlation analysis, provides critical information about the flow processes that drive the separation bubble pulsations in the SBLI units with large separation scales. Overall, the imbalance in the mass within the separation bubble appears to be the critical mechanism that drives the separation bubble pulsations. Furthermore, the pressure perturbations originating at azimuthally offset locations are also observed to influence the separation bubble dynamics.
A compressible multi-scale model to simulate cavitating flows
Authors: Madabhushi Aditya , Mahesh Krishnan
Published: April 2023

We propose a compressible multi-scale model that (i) captures the dynamics of both large vapour cavities (resolved vapour) and micro-bubbles (unresolved vapour), and (ii) accounts for medium compressibility. The vapour mass, momentum and energy in the compressible homogeneous mixture equations are explicitly decomposed into constituent resolved and unresolved components that are independently treated. The homogeneous mixture of liquid and resolved vapour is tracked as a continuum in an Eulerian sense. The unresolved vapour terms are expressed in terms of subgrid bubble velocities and radii that are tracked in a Lagrangian sense using a novel ‘

$kR$

-

$RP$

equation’ (k, constant multiple; R, bubble size; RP, Rayleigh-Plesset). The

$kR$

-

$RP$

equation is formally derived in terms of the pressure at a finite distance (

$kR$

) from the bubble while accounting for the effects of neighbouring bubbles;

$p(kR)$

may therefore be either a near-field or far-field pressure. The equation exactly recovers the classical Rayleigh–Plesset and Keller–Miksis equations in the limits that

$k$

and

$c$

(speed of sound) become very large. Also, the results are independent of

$k$

for a single bubble for all

$k$

, and for multiple bubbles when

$kR < d$

(where

$d$

denotes separation distance). Numerical results show this robustness of the model to the choice of

$k$

, which can be different for each bubble. The multi-scale model is validated for the collapse of a single resolved/unresolved bubble. Its ability to capture inter-bubble interactions is demonstrated for multiple bubbles exposed to an acoustic pulse. The model is then applied to a problem where resolved and unresolved bubbles co-exist. Finally, it is validated using a cluster of

$1200$

bubbles exposed to a strong acoustic pulse. The results show the impact of the bubble cluster on the transmitted and reflected waves and the shielding effect where bubbles at the edge of the cluster shield the interior bubbles by dampening the incident acoustic wave.