bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extranuclear function of Arabidopsis HOOKLESS1 regulates pleiotropic developmental processes in a non‐cell‐autonomous manner
Authors: Nobusawa Takashi , Matsushima Naoya , Ueda Hiroaki , Yumoto Emi , Asahina Masashi , Kusaba Makoto
Published: February 2025

N‐acetyltransferase HOOKLESS1 (HLS1) in Arabidopsis, a recognized pivotal factor in hook formation, is also implicated in multifaceted developmental processes including plastochron and leaf senescence. However, its molecular function remains to be elucidated.

We utilized LC‐MS for plant hormone quantification and implemented a series of molecular genetic and physiological approaches to analyze HLS1 functions.

Our findings indicate that HLS1 functions in tissues distant from its expression sites in the regulation of apical hook formation, plastochron, and leaf senescence, implying its non‐cell‐autonomous mode of action. We observed that extranuclear localization of HLS1 can complement the hls1 phenotype, suggesting a revision of our understanding that HLS1 is a nuclear‐specific histone acetyltransferase. The double mutant of HLS1 and its paralog shows highly pleiotropic and enhanced phenotypes similar to those of the double mutant of the putative carboxypeptidase gene ALTERED MERISTEM PROGRAM1 (AMP1) and its paralog. Genetic analysis revealed that HLS1 and AMP1 act in the same genetic pathway to regulate the plastochron. No significant differences in the contents of known plant hormones were observed in the hls1 mutant.

HLS1 is an N‐acetyltransferase that functions in a non‐cell‐autonomous manner across pleiotropic developmental phenomena in conjunction with AMP1, potentially independent of known plant hormone signaling.
Prevalence of overweight and obesity in incarcerated individuals in developed and developing countries: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Mosomi Leonida Nyarwaba , Aceves‐Martins Magaly , Johnstone Alexandra M. , de Roos Baukje
Published: February 2025

We systematically assessed evidence of overweight and obesity prevalence, and possible determinants, in people who experience incarceration globally. We searched Embase, Medline, and Cochrane databases. Overweight and obesity proportions were pooled into a meta‐analysis and compared with national prevalences.

Seventy‐one studies met the inclusion criteria; 38 were included in the meta‐analysis. Studies in high‐income countries reported higher proportions of overweight and obesity (73.3%, 95% CI 73.1, 73.5) than upper‐middle‐income countries (66.1%, 95% CI 64.1, 67.7) and lower‐middle‐income countries (52.8%, 95% CI 47.1, 58.1). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in female incarcerated individuals was higher than that in the general population (RD 11.7%, 95% CI 9.1, 14.3), especially in low and middle‐income countries (RD 35.1%, 95% CI 29.4, 40.7). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in male incarcerated individuals was lower than that in the general population in all income categories (RD ‐10.8%, 95% CI ‐13.2, −8.4). Incarcerated individuals in low and lower‐middle‐income countries were less likely to achieve sufficient energy intake, fruit/vegetable intake, and sufficient physical activity, compared with high‐ and upper‐middle‐income countries.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in incarcerated populations differed between developed and developing countries. Future research should focus on female incarcerated individuals, especially in lower‐middle‐income countries.
The rational design of a Rhodamine fluorescent probe enables the selective detection and bioimaging of salicylic acid in plants under abiotic stress
Authors: Wang Jinjing , Yang Xiaoyan , Fan Lijun , Ye Haojie , Hao Gefei , Wang Peiyi
Published: February 2025

Abiotic stress severely hinders plant growth and development, resulting in a considerable reduction in crop yields. Salicylic acid (SA) serves as a central signal mediating abiotic stress responses in plants. Real‐time fluorescence tracking using specific probes can enhance our understanding of the SA‐triggered modulation underlying these events. However, in complicated living plant microenvironments, selective recognition and bioimaging of SA is a great challenge for scientists due to the severe background interference and SA analogues. Herein, an efficient fluorescence probing technology employing a highly selective rhodamine probe—phoxrodam was developed, which realizes the precise bioimaging of SA in salt‐stressed plant seedlings. Experimental findings reveal that phoxrodam demonstrates exceptional selectivity (fluorescence intensity: IPhoxrodam+SA/IPhoxrodam+SA analogues > 4.29‐fold), high sensitivity (limit of detection = 6.42 nM, fluorescence quantum yield: ΦPhoxrodam+SA = 0.36) and good anti‐interference properties. Furthermore, we confirmed that phoxrodam accurately detects SA in the roots of salt‐stressed wheat seedlings, the low‐temperature resistance of Nicotiana benthamiana and the heavy metal resistance of pea seeds, using in vivo confocal imaging. This study provides a feasible strategy for efficiently tracking plant signalling molecules and promotes the in‐depth research of SA‐mediated physiological mechanisms, laying a key foundation for the future development of new immune activation inducers.
Neuropsychiatric symptom‐related role and activity restrictions by relatives: focusing on the gender of older adults with suspected dementia
Authors: Fujita Yu , Kato Yuka , Oba Hikaru , Hashimoto Nana , Narumoto Jin
Published: February 2025

Background

As cognitive function declines, relatives may restrict the roles and activities they consider older adults unable to continue independently performing. We examined the characteristics of these role and activity restrictions by relatives among older adults prior to their first visit to a memory clinic for an official diagnosis, focusing on gender and the diagnosis of dementia. Additionally, we examined the relationship between role and activity restrictions by relatives and the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) controlling for older adults' gender.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of 213 older adults. First, we calculated descriptive statistics for the characteristics of role and activity restrictions by relatives. Second, we examined the association between these roles and activity restrictions and NPS using multivariate logistic regression analysis controlling for older adults' gender, diagnosis, and presence of a cohabitant.

Results

The rate of role and activity restrictions by relatives was 21.6%. Of the older adults experiencing these restrictions, 78.3% were women, and 34.8% had mild cognitive impairment. The most common role and activity restriction was money‐related. Role and activity restrictions were associated with the NPS of hyperactivity, psychosis. Hyperactivity was related to men.

Conclusions

Hyperactivity psychosis may be more strongly related to family involvement than other NPS. These findings highlight the importance of avoiding premature role and activity restrictions among older adults with suspected dementia.
Guardians and Spenders in the Budgetary Process: More Than One Type of Relations
Authors: Shpaizman Ilana
Published: February 2025

The budget is the outcome of bargaining between spenders and guardians. Most research on budgeting sees all spenders as a unitary actor. This article argues, instead, that there are different relations at play between guardians and each spending ministry. Based on a comparison between four social ministries in Israel, it shows that these relations differ in terms of the level of involvement of guardians in spenders' budgetary inputs and outputs, ranging from near‐complete autonomy within existing budget limits to tight budgetary control and interference in policymaking. The difference is a function of the perceived risk of overspending or ineffectiveness. When the guardian's level of involvement is high, the dynamic between the parties can be conflictual if they do not share the same policy ideas. In a conflictual dynamic, spenders have more chances of forcing their will on guardians if they can use their political power to stand up to them.
Predicting Physical Activity Intentions, Habits, and Action Plans in Finnish Parent–Child Dyads
Authors: Phipps Daniel J. , Saarinen Milla , Green Weldon T. , Lintunen Taru , Knittle Keegan , Hagger Martin S.
Published: February 2025

Physical activity levels among early adolescents and their parents are insufficient for health benefits. Identifying modifiable determinants in parent–child dyads can inform future research and interventions. We tested a partial least squares path model based on the integrated behavior change model in insufficiently active Finnish parent–child dyads (n = 88), including measures of autonomous and controlled motivation, social cognition constructs (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control), intention, planning, and habits. Autonomous motivation predicted attitude in both samples, but only predicted subjective norms and perceived behavioral control in children. Attitude in turn predicted intention, planning, and habit, in the child sample, but only intention and planning in parents. Perceived behavioral control predicted intention and planning only in children, while subjective norm had minimal effects in either sample. Autonomous motivation and attitude consistently determined intention and planning for both parents and children, highlighting their importance in future research and interventions.
Impacts of the Accreditation Process for Undergraduate Medical Schools: A Scoping Review
Authors: Girotto Leticia C. , Machado Karynne B. , Moreira Roberta F. C. , Martins Milton A. , Tempski Patrícia Z.
Published: February 2025

Objective

The objective of this study is to identify, synthesize and communicate research findings; identify research gaps; and formulate recommendations for future research regarding the impact of the accreditation process on undergraduate medical schools around the world.

Method

This scoping review followed the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses–extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA‐ScR). The electronic search was performed up to March 2024 to identify studies that investigated the impact of the accreditation process on undergraduate medical schools. Two independent reviewers performed the selection process and extracted data from the included studies to perform a qualitative analysis.

Results

The search identified 5148 references. After the selection process, 31 studies from 14 countries were included for data extraction. Studies highlighted five main themes: curricular and governance changes, continuous quality improvement, students' performance, school recognition and student satisfaction, and accreditation data sharing proposal. Three studies presented negative points related to accreditation process.

Conclusion

The accreditation process induced both positive impacts and negative burdens for undergraduate medical schools. Continuous quality improvement is a common element identified by studies to help stakeholders ensure that accreditation improves the quality of medical education and, consequently, the health care provided. Experiences with accreditation should be shared and reported to improve the quality of medical education worldwide. Future studies must be carried out with a clear description of the domains and criteria considered during the accreditation process as well as the outcome measures used.
Tenoscopic‐guided resection of the manica flexoria utilizing radiofrequency energy. A proof of concept study
Authors: Barton Charlotte K. , Nelson Brad B. , Winther Taylor M. , Maker Tristan C. , Goodrich Laurie R.
Published: February 2025

Objective

To develop and optimize a tenoscopic technique for resection of the manica flexoria utilizing a radiofrequency probe.

Study design

Experimental study.

Animals

Eighteen cadaver limbs and two experimental horses.

Methods

Tenoscopic‐guided resection of the manica flexoria using radiofrequency energy proceeded sequentially by transection of the medial, lateral and proximal borders. The technique was performed in ex vivo limbs and then in vivo to replicate clinical scenarios. Time to complete resection of the manica flexoria (mean ± SD) and complications was recorded. Limbs were dissected and scored for features of transection and collateral injury on a 15‐point scale (15 was optimal). Tenocyte viability and histology were performed on tissues from the in vivo procedures.

Results

Transection of the manica flexoria was achieved in all limbs (18/18 ex vivo and 8/8 in vivo). Surgery time was 30.6 ± 12.7 minutes (ex vivo) and 26.1 ± 7.5 minutes (in vivo). Limb scores representing iatrogenic damage and resection borders revealed an average ex vivo score of 14.3 ± 0.67 and live horse score of 14.8 ± 0.43. Histology and live/dead staining did not identify changes in tissue architecture and revealed minimal cell death following radiofrequency exposure.

Conclusion

The described technique, utilizing radiofrequency energy, is a successful approach for safe transection of the manica flexoria. The procedure allowed for complete symmetric resection of the manica flexoria with minimal iatrogenic damage to surrounding tissues.

Clinical significance

Resection of a torn manica flexoria may be technically challenging and utilization of sharp instrumentation risks accidental iatrogenic damage. Resection using radiofrequency represents a feasible alternative technique.
A randomised, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study to determine the analgesic efficacy, safety and tolerability of VPX638 administered topically to painful wounds
Authors: Golledge Jonathan , Parra Sergio , Aldons Pat M. , Frescos Nicoletta , Iseli Rebecca K. , Pardey Toni M. , Pretorius Casper F. , Shum Omar R. , Yates Paul A. , Bascoul Cécile B. , Doolittle Dannette K. , Rege Ajay A. , Thanawala Vaidehi J. , Giles Heather , Woodward Michael C.
Published: February 2025

New analgesics are needed for painful wounds. Multiple reports suggest that topical sevoflurane may have analgesic effects. This placebo‐controlled randomised trial evaluated the analgesic efficacy and safety of VPX638 (topical sevoflurane). Seventy‐eight participants with painful wounds, were enrolled at eight Australian centres and randomly allocated to receive 2 × 5 mL of VPX638 (N = 39) or placebo (N = 40) during one wound dressing change. Numerical pain rating scores and use of opioids were recorded for 24 h. The primary endpoint was pain during wound cleaning, secondary endpoints evaluated pain for 24 h after drug application and opioids use. There was no significant difference in mean pain scores during wound cleaning between VPX638 and placebo (0.854; p = 0.23). The mean differences in summed pain intensity difference from baseline suggested VPX638 provided greater analgesia compared to placebo over 8 h (p < 0.02), 12 h (p < 0.01) and 24 h (p < 0.05) and significantly longer duration of analgesia, 24.3 h for VPX638 versus 7.1 h for placebo (p < 0.01). In the 24 h after drug administration, participants receiving VPX638 had a 50% decrease in opioid use over 24 h compared with placebo. VPX638 appeared safe and well‐tolerated. In conclusion, this small placebo‐controlled randomised trial suggested that VPX638 provides analgesia and is opioid‐sparing for up to 24 h after wound cleaning. It supports the need for further evaluation of the benefit of VPX638 as a topical analgesic for painful wounds.
Sport and the Promise of Artificial Intelligence: Human and Machine Futures
Authors: Millington Brad , Naraine Michael L. , Wanless Liz , Safai Parissa , Manley Andrew
Published: February 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the capacity to deliver generative, complex, and powerful functions and decisions. Sport offers a unique site for AI development and implementation, yet the sociological significance of AI in sport remains understudied. We consider sport-based AI applications en route to describing the promise of AI in sport in four ways: (a) the promise of supercharged data parsing at scale, (b) the promise of supercharged precision, (c) the promise of supercharged personalization; and (d) the promise of supercharged prediction. We argue in turn that AI is an emergent cultural form in sport that foregrounds labor automation as a pathway to efficiency but also brings potential for substantial disruption. We further contend that sport is a use case for AI at a moment when the legitimacy of AI is intensely debated.
Simulation Analysis of a Highly Sensitive Biosensor for Early Detection of Cancer Cells Based on a 1D Photonic Crystal
Authors: Zaman Numayer Andalib , Nayan Md. Faysal , Raihan Md. Arif , Fuad Mahamudul Hassan , Ahmed Tanvir , Mahmud Russel Reza
Published: February 2025

A one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal-based novel photonic biosensor is introduced for detecting cancerous cells that grow in different parts of the human body. The proposed sensor has been designed with an alternate arrangement of Si and CaF2 that has a defect layer in the middle of the structure. The widely known transfer matrix method has been utilized to compute the transmission spectra. The performance of the sensor is determined by the resonant wavelength shift in the transmission spectra by varying different parameters such as the angle of incidence and the thickness of the sample defect layer. Because each cell in the human body has a separate refractive index, performance parameters have been calculated separately for each type of cancer for accuracy. The reported sensor shows a high average sensitivity of 1705.82 nm per RIU for different cancerous cells. It also exhibits high quality factor (62216.41) and figure of limit (103,651.68 per RIU) with a very low detection limit (1.2945E-06 RIU). The proposed 1D structure has a compact design, is easy to fabricate, is cost effective and may be used in other biosensing applications as well.
MEGA: A computational framework to simulate the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Authors: Bruna-Rosso Claire , Boussen Salah
Published: February 2025

The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a critical condition that necessitates mechanical ventilation (MV) to ensure sufficient ventilation and oxygenation for patients. Intensivists employ various therapeutic tools such as adjusting Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) levels or positioning the patient prone. However, practitioners encounter several challenges when dealing with ARDS: High variability among patients, Limited understanding of underlying mechanisms

As a result, decision-making by physicians largely relies on experience. Yet, having the ability to estimate the likelihood of a patient responding to different therapeutic approaches would hold significant clinical value. Moreover, gaining a deeper understanding of the biomechanical and physiological phenomena underlying patient responses could inform the development of new MV strategies for ARDS management. To address these challenges, a coupled physio-mechanical computational framework based on patient CT-scan data was conceived and implemented. Simulations were conducted for prone positioning and PEEP-increment scenarios. The model results qualitatively align with both literature data and clinical measurements. However, some results diverge quantitatively from clinical measurements, emphasizing the necessity for thorough model calibration. Nonetheless, this serves as a proof of concept that the developed framework could be valuable in supporting intensivists' decision-making processes.
Using Deep Learning to Estimate Vibration Comfort of Large‐Scale Shake Table During Operation
Authors: Zhang Minte , Guo Tong , Zong Yueran , Xu Weijie , Soh Chee Kiong
Published: February 2025

Shake tables are useful earthquake simulation tools for structural seismic experiment, but they may also inadvertently induce vibrations to nearby buildings while in operation. Accelerating the comfort level quantification process of these vibrations before conducting a shake table test is necessary. To this end, this paper focuses on the influence of vibration introduced by a 6 × 9 m large‐scale shake table at Southeast University and presents a one‐dimensional convolutional neural network–based deep learning approach to efficiently estimate the vibration comfort of the shake table laboratory and surrounding buildings. Based on the on‐site structural vibration monitoring of shake table test, a three‐dimensional numerical model of the shake table–soil–surrounding building system is established and validated through the finite element method, and thus a dataset comprising 12,215 groups of input (i.e., peak acceleration values and time‐history of the triaxial ground motion) and output (i.e., three‐directional acceleration response for nine measuring points of surrounding buildings) data is simulated. Thereafter, the deep learning network is trained with 80% of the dataset and tested with the remaining 20%. The test results indicate that the approach enables the network to directly extract dynamic features from triaxial ground motion accelerations and to accurately estimate the weighted acceleration level (WAL) of nine different locations at the surrounding buildings. Finally, the optimized network is verified through an actual shake table experimental test on a self‐centering concrete structure, which confirms the superior performance of the proposed approach on shake table–induced vibration comfort estimation. The approach is also beneficial for researchers to design reasonable loading scenarios before conducting shake table tests.
Restoration of the Tumor Suppressor Function of Y220C-Mutant p53 by Rezatapopt, a Small Molecule Reactivator
Authors: Puzio-Kuter Anna M. , Xu Lizhong , McBrayer Mary Kate , Dominique Romyr , Li Hongju H. , Fahr Bruce J. , Brown Alyssa M. , Wiebesiek Amy E. , Russo Brandon M. , Mulligan Chris L. , Yang Hong , Battaglia Josh , Robell Kimberly A. , Thomas Dafydd H. , Huang Kuo-Sen , Solovyov Alexander , Greenbaum Benjamin D. , Oliner Jonathan D. , Davis Thomas W. , Dumble Melissa L. , Johnson Melissa L. , Xiong Shunbin , Yang Peirong , Lozano Guillermina , Fellous Marc M. , Vu Binh T. , Schram Alison M. , Levine Arnold J. , Poyurovsky Masha V.
Published: February 2025

Restoration of the tumor suppressor function of tumor-associated p53 mutants, including the Y220C substitution, has posed a significant challenge for therapeutic discovery. Here, we describe rezatapopt (PC14586), part of a series of compounds designed to reactivate the p53 Y220C mutant. These compounds restore p53 tumor suppressor function by correcting its conformation and enabling it to bind DNA and activate downstream target genes, thus inducing anti-proliferative changes in tumor cells. Our findings are supported by biochemical and structural analysis, in vitro and in vivo transcriptomics, and functional data, revealing the recovery of multiple aspects of the wild type p53 program. These compounds demonstrate potent anti-tumor activity in preclinical models as single agents and in combination with immunotherapy. Currently, rezatapopt is being evaluated in a registrational Phase 2 clinical trial for patients with advanced solid tumors harboring the TP53 Y220C mutation.
Memory Objects, Homemaking and Translation as Affective Labour in Fadia Faqir’s My Name Is Salma
Authors: Alhussein Akkad
Published: February 2025

This article analyses memory and nostalgia objects in Fadia Faqir’s novel My Name Is Salma as a form of embodied remembering and cultural translation in everyday material life. Through the protagonist’s transcultural experiences and daily encounters, the novel draws attention to the creative uses of migrant nostalgia in diasporic space as a means of negotiating the intricacies of body, memory, home and identity. Migrant homebuilding and cultural translation through objects are examined as performative and embodied memory. This, I argue, becomes in the uprooting of migration a valuable strategy that connects the migrant with lost homely geographies and allows translation between past and present. Reading the novel through this lens also shows that homely objects and rituals related to food and other nostalgic attachments from home are embedded in discourses of power, race and gender and informed by experiences of trauma and hegemony.
Improving building extraction from high-resolution aerial images: Error correction and performance enhancement using deep learning on the Inria dataset
Authors: Ekiz Serdar , Acar Ugur
Published: February 2025

Extracting buildings from images is crucial for urban management, urban planning, and post-disaster change detection. Over the years, various approaches have been tried, but the recent application of deep learning has greatly improved the success of such studies. In this study, the Inria dataset was used, consisting of 180 high-resolution aerial images.

The study compared the performance of various architectures. DeepLabv3+ emerged as the most successful, with Accuracy, IoU, and F1 Scores of 96.77%, 89.85%, and 94.53%, respectively. Attention U-Net followed, scoring 95.31%, 85.49%, and 91.95%. U-Net, tested with different encoders, achieved average results of 97.22%, 84.78%, and 90.79%. SE-ResNeXt-50 was the best-performing encoder, followed by SE-ResNet-50, ResNeXt-50, and ResNet-50. UNet++ achieved 94.48% Accuracy, 83.09% IoU, and 90.45% F1 Score, while U2Net obtained 94.09%, 82.26%, and 89.88%, making them less successful.

When examining the models under challenging conditions, SE-ResNeXt-50 was the most robust, successfully handling scenarios like occlusion by trees and complex indoor gardens. Conversely, Attention U-Net and UNet++ were more prone to errors, particularly when vehicles were parked near buildings or in the presence of shipping containers, where false positives were common. ResNet-50 struggled with concrete gardens, while U2Net showed better results in scenarios involving indoor gardens.

These results, compared to other studies using the same dataset with different pixel sizes, show that eliminating erroneous data and resizing images can enhance the performance of deep learning networks. Therefore, by refining the data and adjusting the image sizes, models can make more accurate and efficient building detections.
Sources of Racial-Ethnic Socialization Messages Across Latine Adolescents’ Egocentric Social Networks
Authors: Satinsky Emily N. , Rudrabhatla Asha , Mateo Santana Adrelys , Carreon Eduardo , Iyer Mythili , Manzur Andrea , Velasquez Keyrin , Valente Thomas W. , Galán Chardée A.
Published: February 2025

Racial-ethnic discrimination is ubiquitous among Latine adolescents and is a major risk factor for mental health problems. Racial-ethnic socialization (RES)—the transmission of messages about race and racism—is protective for Latine adolescents. Yet, the RES literature primarily focuses on parents as RES agents. Using a novel social network approach, this pilot feasibility study aimed to identify other sources of RES. Forty-four Latine adolescents (50.0% male; Mage = 14.0; SD = 1.90; range = 10–17) completed a social network interview. Participants named up to 20 important people in their life (i.e., alters) and reported the content of RES messages provided by each alter. Adolescents then completed a brief survey assessing the acceptability of the social network interview. Participants named an average of 10.6 alters ( SD = 4.20; range = 4–20). Alters from the immediate family, extended family, peer, school, and community networks provided RES messages. Furthermore, most participants (88.6%) found the interview easy to complete, and a few offered suggestions for improvement. This exploratory study outlines an innovative approach to study the complexities of RES. The data provide a nuanced understanding of the multiple, simultaneous sources of RES in this population and present opportunities to develop strengths-based RES interventions.
Fields, Frames and Fundamental Rights: The Campaign to Elevate Occupational Safety and Health at the International Labour Organization (ILO)
Authors: Silva Vicente , Thomas Huw
Published: February 2025

This article focuses on how unions mobilise collective action in the strategic action field of global labour governance. Few studies show how unions take advantage of global governance institutions. To address this, we analyse the 25-year-long campaign to elevate occupational safety and health to a Fundamental Principle and Right at Work at the International Labour Organization (ILO). Building on social movement theory (SMT), we argue that the elevation was made possible through the framing strategies deployed by the workers’ group that were able to mobilise support from governments, and actors external to the ILO, thus demobilising the employers. In drawing on rich qualitative data, our findings extend SMT by analysing how unions externally frame their demands at the supranational level and the context in which framing occurs.
Optimization design of aviation centrifugal pump based on synthetical loss model
Authors: Fu Jiangfeng , Zhong Shijie , Liu Xianwei , Zhao Chenhui
Published: February 2025

Structural design optimization for the centrifugal pumps is a promising way for achieving configurations with high mechanical efficiency and stability, but the accurate synthetical loss assessment of the centrifugal pump has been a great challenge during this process. The aim of this work is to develop models and methods for hydraulic optimization of the centrifugal pump. First, an optimization platform is established based on a Synthetical Loss Assessment (SLA) model, which consists of parametric modelling, computation of synthetical efficiency, validation of CFD numerical simulation, as well as intelligent optimization module. With the SLA model, the functional relationship of the loss with design parameters has been established. With the synthetical efficiency as target, an evolutionary optimization algorithm is performed together with the SLA model for searching the optimal structural configuration. Using CFD simulation, the pump performance is examined and compared for the structural configurations before and after optimization. By experimental examination, it is shown that the prediction accuracy of the proposed SLA model is 1.5% higher than that of CFD computation. It is also concluded from the CFD simulation results that, the optimized pump show more uniform static pressure distribution, weaker axial dissymmetry and smaller area of low pressure in the entrance; and volutes with either rectangular cross-section or trapezoidal cross-section result in significant reduction of backflow at the volute tongue compared to the prototype pump. It is ultimately concluded that, the configuration of optimization design shows higher working and suction performances than the prototype one.
Ecospirituality
Authors: Billet Matthew I. , Baimel Adam , Schaller Mark , Norenzayan Ara
Published: February 2025

Many people in many cultures have a spiritual connection with nature. Research is beginning to reveal the implications of this “ecospiritual” orientation for two great challenges of our times: preserving the well-being of the natural environment and of ourselves. This article provides an overview of the current research on ecospirituality, with a focus on its role in supporting, and sometimes inadvertently hindering, environmental preservation and human well-being.
Myth and accounting failure: The case of Ferrovia Leopolda 1842–1859
Authors: Antonelli Valerio , Miley Frances Myfanwy , Read Andrew Farley , Cafaro Emanuela Mattia , D'Alessio Raffaele , Rossi Roberto
Published: February 2025

Accounting practices can be interpreted as a ‘myth’ for their capacity to provide a narrative with symbolic value. Myths create a language that becomes generally adopted and taken for granted. Informed by the work of Barthes and the literature about accounting and myth, this study analyses the reason why the first Tuscany Railway company, the Società Anonima della Strada Ferrata Leopolda (‘SASFL’) decided to align itself to the British railways in building its accounting system. Through an in-depth analysis of the original documentation (agreements, statutes, financial statements) of the SASFL for the period 1841 to 1860, the article demonstrates how, despite the non-superiority of British railways accounting practices, the Società Anonima, attracted by the ‘myth’ of British railway technology, privileged the adoption of this kind of accounting representation over the others.
Special education teachers’ emotional labor strategies and its relationship with job burnout in China: The moderating role of psychological capital
Authors: Wang Yan , Fu Wangqian , Xu Sisi
Published: February 2025

Background: Educators are often viewed as emotional laborers who must be attuned to the emotional challenges of their profession and adept at managing their feelings, while a few studies that pay attention on the emotional labor strategies for special education teachers in China. Objective: The study aimed to understand the current situation of emotional labor strategies of special education teachers in China, to examine the relationship between different emotional labor strategies and job burnout, as well as the moderating effect of psychological capital. Methods: We applied Emotional Labor strategies, Job-burnout, and Psychological Capital to investigate 349 special education teachers teaching students with developmental disabilities. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to explore the moderating role of psychological capital in the relationship between special education teachers’ emotional labor strategies and job burnout. Results: We found the three emotional labor strategies applied by special education teachers were natural acting, deep acting and surface acting from high to low. The emotional labor strategies of special education teachers were negatively correlated with their job burnout. Besides, psychological capital played a moderating role in the relationship of teachers’ deep acting and job burnout, and the association of teachers’ nature acting and job burnout. Conclusions: Special education teachers would use emotional labor strategies to deal with complex emotional events in their work, and it's related to their burnout. Strengthening psychological capital training for special education teachers is an important strategy to reducing their job-burnout as well.
The role of tele-herbal consultations in workplace wellness
Authors: Hajialiasgari Fatemeh , Bagheri Kian , Anastasio Albert , Ghahremani Zahra , Shariat Ardalan
Published: February 2025

Background: 

Musculoskeletal disorders are widespread among sedentary office workers, impacting both their physical and mental well-being. There is increasing interest in incorporating herbal interventions as part of a holistic approach to address these challenges, blending traditional and culturally relevant treatments with modern techniques to enhance overall health and wellness.

Objective: 

This commentary aims to highlight the role of utilizing electronic platforms to provide consultations regarding herbal medicine (or tele-herbal consultations) in managing musculoskeletal disorders and impacting pain relief, changes in psychological well-being, and improvements in workplace productivity among sedentary office workers.

Methods: 

This study discusses the influence of herbal treatments on both physical and psychological dimensions of musculoskeletal disorders, offering insights into holistic healing approaches, based on previously published papers. It also highlights the feasibility and acceptance of tele-herbal consultations.

Results: 

The data gathered from previous studies shows that herbal interventions can enhance both subjective physical performance and psychological well-being in office workers. Tele-herbal consultation may be a culturally sensitive solution to provide pain relief and improvements in workplace productivity.

Conclusion: 

Although the findings of previous studies are encouraging, further research is needed to establish standardized tele-herbal protocols that can effectively relieve pain, boost well-being, and promote a more active, health-conscious lifestyle for office workers. Ultimately, these interventions could lead to improvements in workplace productivity.
Cities and Their Neighbors: Examining the Rural–Urban Divide on a Local Scale
Authors: Witkovsky Benny
Published: February 2025

In recent years, the rural–urban divide has become one of the defining features of American partisan politics. Usually conceptualized as a regional phenomenon, discussions of the rural–urban divide often overlook geographic polarization on the local scale and its impact on cities, urban governance, and urban problems. This research note draws attention to the growing political divide between adjacent rural and urban communities. First, this note demonstrates a method for conceptualizing and measuring the rural–urban divide on a local level. Second, through a case study of Wisconsin cities, it illustrates how the local divide has grown around nearly every city regardless of size, region, or type. Finally, this note explores several theoretical challenges that a growing local divide poses to cities and urban governance.
EXPRESS: Performing While Transforming: Andrew H. Van de Ven's Enduring Contributions to Management Scholarship
Authors: Bartunek Jean , Garud Raghu , Langley Ann , Schilli Katharina , Sun Yunchen
Published: February 2025

This essay pays tribute to Andrew H. Van de Ven’s (1945-2022) contributions to management theory and practice. We highlight Andy’s views on organizational phenomena as evolving processes, and show how he applied these, as well as his own engaged scholarship, to develop novel insights on innovation, and organizational change, amongst other topics. His approach to scholarship, which involved working to transform existing understandings of management theory and practice even as he performed them in his own academic activities, serves as an enduring legacy for emerging and seasoned scholars in our field.
Agent-based Modeling to Benchmark Macroprudential Limits vs RW Add-ons
Authors: Nechitailo Vladimir , Penikas Henry
Published: February 2025

Basel III has given rise to the active use of the macroprudential tools in the area of the banking regulation. The older and hence more frequently used one is the increase in the capital cost for the highly-risky loans (i.e., risk-weight add-ons). The more novel one is the quantitative limit without the direct capital cost implication. The regulators are limited in time to experiment when designing and introducing new regulatory tools. To respond to prudential regulators’ needs and to offer a regulatory toolbox for an appropriate experiment, we develop a banking system agent-based model (ABM). Due to experimenting with 70 ABM simulation scenarios, we are able to document the specific conditions that shape the efficiency of the macroprudential tools to limit credit and systemic risks, as well as to accumulate capital buffers to withstand prospective losses. First, we recommend considering the opportunity of new players’ entry. Second, we argue that the macroprudential tools are more efficient in normal times, rather than in the turbulent ones. Third, we recommend introducing banking-system-wide limits in addition to the bank-specific ones. We expect it to be of value for the regulators primarily in developing economies like Argentine, Thailand, as well as in part of developed ones like Ireland, Slovakia.
COVID-19 recognition from chest X-ray images by combining deep learning with transfer learning
Authors: Zhang Chang-Jiang , Ruan Lu-Ting , Ji Ling-Feng , Feng Li-Li , Tang Fu-Qin
Published: February 2025

Objective

Based on the current research status, this paper proposes a deep learning model named Covid-DenseNet for COVID-19 detection from CXR (computed tomography) images, aiming to build a model with smaller computational complexity, stronger generalization ability, and excellent performance on benchmark datasets and other datasets with different sample distribution features and sample sizes.

Methods

The proposed model first extracts and obtains features of multiple scales from the input image through transfer learning, followed by assigning internal weights to the extracted features through the attention mechanism to enhance important features and suppress irrelevant features; finally, the model fuses these features of different scales through the multi-scale fusion architecture we designed to obtain richer semantic information and improve modeling efficiency.

Results

We evaluated our model and compared it with advanced models on three publicly available chest radiology datasets of different types, one of which is the baseline dataset, on which we constructed the model Covid-DenseNet, and the recognition accuracy on this test set was 96.89%, respectively. With recognition accuracy of 98.02% and 96.21% on the other two publicly available datasets, our model performs better than other advanced models. In addition, the performance of the model was further evaluated on external test sets, trained on data sets with balanced sample distribution (experiment 1) and unbalanced sample distribution (experiment 2), identified on the same external test set, and compared with DenseNet121. The recognition accuracy of the model in experiment 1 and experiment 2 is 80% and 77.5% respectively, which is 3.33% and 4.17% higher than that of DenseNet121 on external test set. On this basis, we also changed the number of samples in experiment 1 and experiment 2, and compared the impact of the change in the number of training set samples on the recognition accuracy of the model on the external test set. The results showed that when the number of samples increased and the sample features became more abundant, the trained Covid-DenseNet performed better on the external test set and the model became more robust.

Conclusion

Compared with other advanced models, our model has achieved better results on multiple datasets, and the recognition effect on external test sets is also quite good, with good generalization performance and robustness, and with the enrichment of sample features, the robustness of the model is further improved, and it has better clinical practice ability.
Modeling municipal solid waste generation in Macau: A synthetic approach
Authors: Lan Qing , Guo Haonan , Cai Tianji
Published: February 2025

With the development of urbanization during the past few decades, municipal solid waste generated in urban areas has posed serious challenges to the local environment in many cities around the world, such as Macau. Residential and touristic activities are the two primary sources of solid waste in Macau; however, it is still unclear how to predict solid waste generation and which indicators of these two sources could be used to do so. Taking advantage of data published by government agencies in Macau from 2010 to 2021, our study explores the possibility of using publicly available data to predict the trend of monthly municipal solid waste generation in Macau. In particular, we adopt a machine learning strategy and compare six predictive models that implement both conventional and state-of-the-art machine learning methods. Our results indicate that the generalized additive model outperformed the rest of the models in predicting municipal solid waste generation in Macau and is more suitable when data present strong seasonality and potential domain shift. Consistent with the previous literature, both population-level and household-level factors contribute to municipal solid waste generation, including population density, income level, household energy consumption, and household size. In addition, our results confirm that tourism activities—especially tourists’ spending on non-tradable goods and services—positively affect municipal solid waste generation.
Influences of Process Parameters on Thermophysiological Comfort of Mechanically Recycled PET and Wool-blended Woven Fabrics
Authors: Gupta Anant , Bajya Mukesh , Choudhary Awadhesh Kumar , Jajpura Lalit
Published: February 2025

Large volumes of plastic waste are currently being generated, posing a significant challenge for waste management. Refurbishing plastic waste into value-added textile products is one of the potent options for handling waste. There is a need to design fabrics from recycled materials without compromising the essential properties. This research article focuses on the impact of incorporating recycled polyester fibre with wool into woven fabric for suiting applications. This research explores the influences of yarn blend, linear density and twist multiplier on the thermophysiological comfort of mechanically recycled polyester and wool-blended woven fabrics. Fabric comfort was assessed based on instrumental parameters, such as air permeability, water vapour permeability, moisture management, thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, thermal absorptivity and surface roughness. It is observed that increasing the amount of recycled polyester fibre improved the thermal conductivity, air and moisture vapour transmission, fabric roughness and moisture management. Higher wool content improved the thermal insulation. Finer yarn samples demonstrated enhanced air and water vapour permeability. Coarser fabric samples showed higher surface roughness, better thermal resistance and moisture management. Increasing the yarn twist multiplier increased the fabric roughness and enhanced air, thermal and moisture vapour transmission, thermal absorptivity, and overall moisture management, but it also reduced thermal resistance in fabrics.
Developing an Intervention Program Based on a Cohort of Sonographers’ Occupational Burnout Experience and Mitigating Associated Factors to Improve Worker Well-Being
Authors: Callpani Veneta
Published: February 2025

Objective:

The aim of this study was to explore and understand sonographers’ occupational burnout experience and develop a curriculum for an intervention program, to mitigate this type of distress.

Materials and Methods:

A convergent parallel mixed-method design was employed to better understand sonographers’ experience of occupational burnout and develop a curriculum for an intervention program that targets specific needs of sonographers. The quantitative data were collected via an online survey, which included demographic questions, ranking factors that contribute to burnout on a 5-point Likert scale, and prevalence and feelings around conflict at work. Simultaneously, qualitative data were gathered through semistructured interviews conducted remotely with eight sonographers.

Results:

A total of 104 sonographers responded to the survey and eight sonographers participated in the online interview. Most of the participants were females (83.5%), working full-time (88.5%). Among this cohort, 60.6% self-reported experiencing burnout. In both qualitative and quantitative data, the experience of conflict at work was reported as stress or anxiety provoking. Stress management and conflict resolution were the most rated topics that participants wanted to be included in the intervention program. A total of 46.1% respondents from the survey reported being interested in participating in such a program.

Conclusion:

This study explored sonographers’ occupational burnout experience to develop a curriculum for an intervention program, tailored to their needs. The study findings indicated that this cohort of sonographers were aware of burnout and open to participating in an intervention program. Based on the results of this study, a group therapy curriculum was developed to help sonographers deal with conflict at work, managing stress, and mitigating occupational burnout.