bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Experience of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training in People with Urinary Incontinence: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Giardulli Benedetto , Coppola Ilaria , Testa Marco , Buccarella Ottavia , Battista Simone
Published: July 2024

Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT) is the first primary solution to improve urinary incontinence (UI) symptoms, but many challenges stems from certain PFMT-related practices. Exploring PFMT experience will help to increase treatment satisfaction, enjoyment, and empowerment. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the experience of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) in Italian people with UI. A qualitative semi-structured interview study was conducted. The interviews’ transcriptions were analysed using a constructionist epistemology lens and adopting the “Reflexive Thematic Analysis”. Sixteen Italian participants (Women N = 10, Men = 6) with UI who experienced PFMT were interviewed. Four themes were generated: (1) ‘Learn to Control the Unconscious Consciously’ as participants learned to control continence through active exercises; (2) ‘Starting PFMT, Changing Mind’ as they realised they can have an active role in managing their condition; (3) ‘Into the unknown intimacy’, as they bridged the gap in their (mis)understanding of the pelvic floor area, overcoming the discomfort linked to intimacy; (4) The Importance of Not Being Alone in this Process’, as the participants emphasised the paramount role of the physiotherapists in the healing process. To conclude, in people with UI, PFMT enhanced pelvic floor knowledge and understanding, fostering awareness, positive mindset, and symptom relief. The physiotherapist's pivotal role as an educator and empathetic guide in exercise programs, along with a preference for active exercises. Overall, our results proved that PFMT has positive consequences in people’s beliefs and mindset about and in the management of UI.
Digital Violence Against Women: Is There a Real Need for Special Criminalization?
Authors: Polyzoidou Vagia
Published: July 2024

Social networking and rapid digital evolution have created a brand-new framework of human behaviours and habits. Of course, the majority of them already existed over the centuries but in a different form; as a result, conventional assaults towards legal interests of specific individuals have initially transformed into electronic and then into cyber(-)crimes (p.e. from conventional pornography to internet pornography or cyber/digital pornography including sometimes even virtual pornography via pseudo images and totally AI generated pictures). When discussion comes to gender-based violence, in particular violence against women and domestic violence, we realize that abuses and violations of their fundamental human rights could take place either online or offline; furthermore, both similarities and differences in old and new behaviours, and consequently in crime formations (“actus reus”) and in perpetrators’ “modus operandi” could easily be found and categorized. This paper will not discover the causes or the elements behind the various digital abuses against women; its first purpose is to gather the various crime behaviours against women and reach some conclusions by a methodically comparative bibliographic and legislative research. Besides, tackling gender-based violence –in particular violence against women and domestic violence- consists one of the main contemporary concerns of every liberal state. CoE’s contribution to it –through Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) but even via ECHR’s case law- is indisputable. At the same time, European Union is trying to end gender-based violence through its member states with a new legal instrument (a proposed Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence), whose results are expected to be more direct and -hopefully- more effective. The main target of this paper is to present and examine the specific form of digital crime against women and girls as long as the majority of crimes nowadays takes place digitally; notwithstanding the fact that pandemic and post pandemic era have definitely determined criminals’ modus operandi. At the end of the day, someone has to answer: how Criminal Law faces the new aforementioned behaviours, based on the fundamental theory of legal interest and leading to a justified (extra) standardization? And even more: where does this “plus” in penalties (: aggravation) for behaviours that combine characteristics of digital and gender-based criminality come from?
Conceptual Engineering and the Philosophical Fallacies of Language
Authors: Hinton Martin
Published: July 2024

Conceptual Engineering, the practice of stipulating a change in the meaning of a word in order to improve it in some fashion, for some end, has proved a popular topic among philosophers of language in recent times. Deutsch (Philos Stud 177:3935–3957, 2020) has argued that it has received an undue degree of interest since its implementation falls onto one of the horns of a dilemma: either the change to be effected is in the global semantic meaning of the given word/concept, in which case it is infeasible, or it is merely in the local speaker-meaning, in which case it is largely trivial. I suggest, however, that there is a deeper, more troubling, objection to Conceptual Engineering. My criticism does not strictly take the form of a dilemma, since some cases may fall upon both horns at once and others may be able to squeeze through the gap, but it does involve highlighting two potential weaknesses of the project: one of those, as with Deutsch, is the danger of triviality, although it is not concerned only with the division between semantic and speaker meaning. It seems clear that there are cases where a particular authority or legislature has the capacity to alter a word’s legal meaning; others where certain groups may discuss the best way to use a technical term, each putting forward their preferred suggestions; and individual speakers are at liberty to choose to use a word with a particular intention. None of this is new, nor controversial, and, thus, is largely trivial. In all cases, but particularly where meanings are manipulated without due authority, inexplicitly, or in order to further a particular theoretical conception, however, there is a strong chance that the engineer will be led to commit one of the fallacies of language to which philosophy is particularly vulnerable (Hinton Evaluating the language of argument, Springer, Cham, 2021). These include fallacies of vagueness, equivocation, and persuasive definition. In this paper, I use examples to illustrate the likely fallaciousness of conceptual redefinitions and highlight in particular the ‘Philosophical Fallacy’, outlined by Nelson (A theory of philosophical fallacies.Translated by Leal F, Carus D. Springer, Cham 2016). I conclude that, as a method for philosophers, Conceptual Engineering is, in broad terms, either trivial or fallacious.
Mutual Expected Rationality in Online Sharing: An Agent-Based Model Study
Authors: Rich Patricia , Genot Emmanuel
Published: July 2024

Models of content-sharing behavior on online social media platforms typically represent content spread as a diffusion process modeled on contagious diseases; users’ behavior is modeled with single-agent decision theory. However, social media platforms are interactive spaces where users care about reactions to, and further spread of, the content they post. Thus, social media interaction falls under the intended use cases for game theory. In contrast to existing models leaving strategic reasoning out, we capture agents’ social media decisions within a cognitive hierarchy framework, which can be interpreted as making formally precise how agents make strategic choices based on mutual expectations of rationality. Analytically, we identify limit cases in which a platform can be swamped with content that no agents personally like but all expect to elicit reactions (think obvious fake-news). We then use agent-based simulations to show that a range of more realistic cases give rise to similar outcomes.
Enhancing the Range and Reliability of the Spacer Layer Imaging Method
Authors: MacLaren Alexander , LaMascus Parker , Carpick Robert W.
Published: July 2024

The spacer layer imaging method (SLIM) is widely used to measure the thickness of additive and lubricant films, in lubricant development and evaluation, and for fundamental research into elastohydrodynamic lubrication and tribofilm formation mechanisms. The film thickness measurement, as implemented on several popular tribometers, provides powerful, non-destructive in-situ mapping of film topography with nanometre-scale height sensitivity. However, the results can be highly sensitive to experimental procedure, machine condition, and image analysis, in some cases reporting unphysical film thickness trends. The prevailing image analysis techniques make it challenging to interrogate these errors, often hiding their multivariate nonlinear behaviour from the user by spatial averaging. Herein, several common ‘silent errors’ in the SLIM measurement, including colour matching to incorrect fringe orders, and colour drift due to the optical properties of the system or film itself, are discussed, with examples. A robust suite of novel a priori and a posteriori methods to address these issues, and to improve the accuracy and reliability of the measurement, are also presented, including a novel, computationally inexpensive circle-finding algorithm for automated image processing. In combination, these methods allow reliable mapping of films up to at least 800 nm in thickness, representing a significant milestone for the utility of SLIM applied to elastohydrodynamic contact.

Graphical abstract
Potato Leaf Disease Classification Using Optimized Machine Learning Models and Feature Selection Techniques
Authors: Radwan Marwa , Alhussan Amel Ali , Ibrahim Abdelhameed , Tawfeek Sayed M.
Published: July 2024

The diseases that particularly affect potato leaves are early blight and the late blight, and they are dangerous as they reduce yield and quality of the potatoes. In this paper, different machine learning (ML) models for predicting these diseases are analysed based on a detailed database of more than 4000 records of weather conditions. Some of the critical factors that have been investigated to determine correlations with disease prevalence include temperature, humidity, wind speed, and atmospheric pressure. These types of data relationships were comprehensively identified through sophisticated means of analysis such as K-means clustering, PCA, and copula analysis. To achieve this, several machine learning models were used in the study: logistic regression, gradient boosting, multilayer perceptron (MLP), and support vector machine (SVM), as well as K-nearest neighbor (KNN) models both with and without feature selection. Feature selection methods such as the binary Greylag Goose Optimization (bGGO) were applied to improve the predictive performance of the models by identifying feature sets pertinent to the models. Results demonstrated that the MLP model, with feature selection, achieved an accuracy of 98.3%, underscoring the critical role of feature selection in improving model performance. These findings highlight the importance of optimized ML models in proactive agricultural disease management, aiming to minimize crop loss and promote sustainable farming practices.
Endoluminal Vacuum Therapy as Effective Treatment for Patients with Postoperative Leakage After Metabolic Bariatric Surgery—A Single-Center Experience
Authors: Gensthaler L. , Stauffer M. , Jedamzik J. , Bichler C. , Nixdorf L. , Richwien P. , Eichelter J. , Langer F. B. , Prager G. , Felsenreich D. M.
Published: July 2024

Background

Metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is standardized and safe. Nevertheless, complications such as anastomotic leakage (AL) or staple-line leakage (SLL) can occur. In upper GI or colorectal surgery, endoluminal vacuum therapy (EVT) offers a therapeutic alternative to revisional surgery. Data on EVT in patients with leakage after MBS remain scarce. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of EVT and its potential as endoscopic alternative to revisional surgery.

Material and Methods

All patients treated for AL or SLL with EVT after MBS between 01/2016 and 08/2023 at the Department for General Surgery, Medical University Vienna, were included in this retrospective, single-center study. Therapeutic value of EVT as management option for acute postoperative leakage after MBS in daily practice was evaluated. Statistical analyses were performed descriptively.

Results

Twenty-one patients were treated with EVT within the observational period of 7 years. In 11 cases (52.4%), the index surgery was a primary bariatric intervention; in 10 cases (47.6%), a secondary surgery after initial MBS was performed. Favored approach was a combination of revisional surgery and EVT (n = 18; 85.7%), intermediate self-expanding metal stent (SEMS) in 16 (76.2%) cases. EVT was changed six times (0–33) every 3–4 days. Mean EVT time was 25.1 days (3–97). No severe associated complications were detected and EVT showed an efficacy of 95.2%.

Conclusion

This small case series supports the trend to establish EVT in daily clinical practice when revisional surgery after MBS is needed, thus preventing further reoperation and reducing associated morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients.

Graphical Abstract
Machine learning facilitated the modeling of plastics hydrothermal pretreatment toward constructing an on-ship marine litter-to-methanol plant
Authors: Cheng Yi , Pan Qiong , Li Jie , Zhang Nan , Yang Yang , Wang Jiawei , Gao Ningbo
Published: July 2024

An onboard facility shows promise in efficiently converting floating plastics into valuable products, such as methanol, negating the need for regional transport and land-based treatment. Gasification presents an effective means of processing plastics, requiring their transformation into gasification-compatible feedstock, such as hydrochar. This study explores hydrochar composition modeling, utilizing advanced algorithms and rigorous analyses to unravel the intricacies of elemental composition ratios, identify influential factors, and optimize hydrochar production processes. The investigation begins with decision tree modeling, which successfully captures relationships but encounters overfitting challenges. Nevertheless, the decision tree vote analysis, particularly for the H/C ratio, yielding an impressiveR2of 0.9376. Moreover, the research delves into the economic feasibility of the marine plastics-to-methanol process. Varying payback periods, driven by fluctuating methanol prices observed over a decade (ranging from 3.3 to 7 yr for hydrochar production plants), are revealed. Onboard factories emerge as resilient solutions, capitalizing on marine natural gas resources while striving for near-net-zero emissions. This comprehensive study advances our understanding of hydrochar composition and offers insights into the economic potential of environmentally sustainable marine plastics-to-methanol processes.
PrEP Method Switching: Will it Yield Greater Coverage of HIV Protection? Applying Lessons Learned from Family Planning to Guide Future Research in the Context of PrEP Choice
Authors: McGuire Courtney , Atieno Margaret A. , Hoke Theresa , Jeckonia Patriciah , K’orimba Kevin , Lorenzetti Lara , Ngure Kenneth , Niyibeshaho Marie Merci , Njuguna Njambi , Torjesen Kristine , Fonner Virginia
Published: July 2024

Purpose of Review

Despite the growing availability of oral PrEP, coverage remains suboptimal. Through the introduction of additional PrEP methods, including vaginal rings and long-acting injectable formulations, health systems globally are on the cusp of offering PrEP methods that vary by route of administration, efficacy, and frequency of use. With PrEP choice, it will be important to explore PrEP use patterns to better understand how the ability to choose and switch products affects coverage and continuation. In this review, we draw parallels with family planning (FP) by summarizing how method choice and product switching affected contraceptive coverage globally, synthesize what is known about PrEP product switching, and outline evidence gaps to help guide future research on PrEP switching in the context of choice.

Recent Findings

Decades of research in FP has demonstrated that product switching is common and can lead to more satisfaction and increases in contraceptive use. While research on PrEP product switching is nascent, findings suggest switching is common, and that providing more than one PrEP option can increase coverage. Key evidence gaps include understanding product switching in the context of full versus constrained choice, switching in the context of temporary need, and developing interventions that promote product switching for those who could benefit.

Providing choice and allowing people to start, stop, and switch products according to their needs and desires is a core component of a rights-based approach to HIV prevention. More research is needed to better understand what drives use patterns, including switching, and how to leverage choice to improve coverage. Standard definitions —some of which have been proposed in this review—are needed to inform comparable measurement. Finally, there is a need to holistically frame PrEP use to acknowledge changes in need over the life course, thus making method switching a standard part of HIV prevention.
Depleted Housing Elicits Cardiopulmonary Dysfunction After a Single Flaming Eucalyptus Wildfire Smoke Exposure in a Sex-Specific Manner in ApoE Knockout Mice
Authors: Fiamingo Michelle , Toler Sydnie , Lee Kaleb , Oshiro Wendy , Krantz Todd , Evansky Paul , Davies David , Gilmour M. Ian , Farraj Aimen , Hazari Mehdi S.
Published: July 2024

Although it is well established that wildfire smoke exposure can increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, the combined effects of non-chemical stressors and wildfire smoke remains understudied. Housing is a non-chemical stressor that is a major determinant of cardiovascular health, however, disparities in neighborhood and social status have exacerbated the cardiovascular health gaps within the United States. Further, pre-existing cardiovascular morbidities, such as atherosclerosis, can worsen the response to wildfire smoke exposures. This represents a potentially hazardous interaction between inadequate housing and stress, cardiovascular morbidities, and worsened responses to wildfire smoke exposures. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of enriched (EH) versus depleted (DH) housing on pulmonary and cardiovascular responses to a single flaming eucalyptus wildfire smoke (WS) exposure in male and female apolipoprotein E (ApoE) knockout mice, which develop an atherosclerosis-like phenotype. The results of this study show that cardiopulmonary responses to WS exposure occur in a sex-specific manner. EH blunts adverse WS-induced ventilatory responses, specifically an increase in tidal volume (TV), expiratory time (Te), and relaxation time (RT) after a WS exposure, but only in females. EH also blunted an increase in isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) and the myocardial performance index (MPI) 1-week after exposures, also only in females. Our results suggest that housing alters the cardiovascular response to a single WS exposure, and that DH might cause increased susceptibility to environmental exposures that manifest in altered ventilation patterns and diastolic dysfunction in a sex-specific manner.
Granulation Patterns of Functional Corticotroph Tumors Correlate with Tumor Size, Proliferative Activity, T2 Intensity-to-White Matter Ratio, and Postsurgical Early Biochemical Remission
Authors: Durmuş Elif Tutku , Kefeli Mehmet , Mete Ozgur , Çalışkan Sultan , Aslan Kerim , Onar Mustafa Arda , Çolak Ramis , Durmuş Buğra , Cokluk Cengiz , Atmaca Ayşegül
Published: July 2024

Unlike somatotroph tumors, the data on correlates of tumor granulation patterns in functional TPIT lineage pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (corticotroph tumors) have been less uniformly documented in most clinical series. This study evaluated characteristics of 41 well-characterized functional corticotroph tumors consisting of 28 densely granulated corticotroph tumors (DGCTs) and 13 sparsely granulated corticotroph tumors (SGCTs) with respect to preoperative clinical and radiological findings, tumor proliferative activity (including mitotic count and Ki-67 labeling index), and postoperative early biochemical remission rates. The median (interquartile range (IQR)) tumor size was significantly larger in the SGCT group [16.00 (16.00) mm in SGCT vs 8.5 (9.75) mm in DGCT, p = 0.049]. T2-weighted signal intensity and T2 intensity (quantitative) did not yield statistical significance based on tumor granulation; however, the T2 intensity-to-white matter ratio was significantly higher in SGCTs (p = 0.049). The median (IQR) Ki-67 labeling index was 2.00% (IQR 1.00%) in the DGCT group and 4.00% (IQR 7.00%) in the SGCT group (p = 0.043). The mitotic count per 2 mm2 was higher in the SGCT group (p = 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, the sparse granulation pattern (SGCT) remained an independent predictor of a lower probability of early biochemical remission irrespective of the tumor size and proliferative activity (p = 0.012). The current study further supports the impact of tumor granulation pattern as a biologic variable and warrants the detailed histological subtyping of functional corticotroph tumors as indicated in the WHO classification of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors. More importantly, the assessment of the quantitative T2 intensity-to-white matter ratio may serve as a preoperative radiological harbinger of SGCTs.
TMEM106B Knockdown Exhibits a Neuroprotective Effect in Parkinson’s Disease via Decreasing Inflammation and Iron Deposition
Authors: Liu Yumei , Qin Kunpeng , Jiang Chunyan , Gao Jinzhao , Hou Binghui , Xie Anmu
Published: July 2024

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is closely related to iron accumulation and inflammation. Emerging evidence indicates that TMEM106B plays an essential role in PD. But whether TMEM106B could act on neuroinflammation and iron metabolism in PD has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the pathological mechanisms of inflammation and iron metabolism of TMEM106B in PD. 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)- and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced SH-SY5Y cells and mice were treated with LV-shTMEM106B and AAV-shTMEM106B to construct PD cellular and mouse models. Pole tests and open-field test (OFT) were performed to evaluate the locomotion of the mice. Immunohistochemistry and iron staining were used to detect TH expression and iron deposition in the SN. Iron staining was used to measure the levels of iron. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6)), NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), and Ferroportin1 (FPN1)). Knockdown of TMEM106B improved motor ability and rescued dopaminergic (DA) neuron loss. TMEM106B knockdown attenuated the increases of TNF-α, IL-6, NLRP3 inflammasome, and DMT1 expression in the MPP+ and MPTP-induced PD models. Furthermore, TMEM106B knockdown also increases the expression of FPN1. This study provides the first evidence that knockdown of TMEM106B prevents dopaminergic neurodegeneration by modulating neuroinflammation and iron metabolism.
The Urban Soundscapes of a Studentified Neighbourhood in the City of Tshwane, South Africa
Authors: Gregory James J. , Rikhotso Allan E.
Published: July 2024

Urban environments produce distinctive and diverse soundscapes. The challenge of noise in particular impacts city dwellers and urban livability. There is an abundance of research focused on noise pollution with a limited but growing research interest in urban soundscapes. Few studies, however, explore the unique soundscapes and challenges of noise in neighbourhoods that have undergone studentification. Indeed, the development of student housing, the concentration of a student population, and the clustering of activities related to spaces of student consumption produce unique and often polluted soundscapes. Using three ethnographic soundwalks and a survey with students from the University of Pretoria, this paper explores the soundscapes of Hatfield, a neighbourhood that has undergone studentification. This paper seeks to understand the challenges related to urban noise and how this impacts students. It was found that noise has unique spatio-temporal characteristics impacting student’s ability to manage noise. Indeed, noise emanating from traffic and entertainment establishments is perceived to be the most disruptive. It is recommended that urban planners, property developers, architects, and urban managers need to be aware of the unique and often polluted soundscapes that are associated with a studentified neighbourhood. This awareness could inform better urban planning, architectural and urban design, and policies on the management of noise levels within these types of neighbourhoods.
Pembrolizumab monotherapy survival benefits in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer: a systematic review of real-world data
Authors: Macioch Tomasz , Krzakowski Maciej , Gołębiewska Klaudia , Dobek Małgorzata , Warchałowska Natalia , Niewada Maciej
Published: July 2024

The efficacy of pembrolizumab in the treatment-naïve non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients was proved in the KEYNOTE-024 randomized trial. The aim of this systematic literature review was to identify and summarize the real world evidence (RWE) of overall survival (OS) in previously untreated patients with NSCLC receiving pembrolizumab monotherapy. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed (MEDLINE®) and EMBASE databases. Analyses were focused on survival data (median OS and survival rates at specific time points). To explore the population comparable with the KEYNOTE-024 study, we focused on studies enrolling at least 50% of patients at stage IV of cancer and ECOG performance status 0–2. A total of 41 RWE studies covering over 7600 advanced NSCLC patients naïve to systemic treatment were identified. Overall, survival outcomes reported in those studies vary considerably (median OS range: 3.0–34.6 months). Most RWE studies reported median OS shorter to that reported in KEYNOTE-024 (26.3 months), but about half of reported OS medians were in range of 95% confidence interval for OS as reported in KEYNOTE-024 trial (18.3–40.4 months). Patients with similar characteristics of stage and performance status to those of KEYNOTE-024 trial benefited the same with pembrolizumab monotherapy as their survival outcomes (18.9–22.8 months) were consistent with those reported in the clinical trial. RWE data showed substantially worse outcomes in patients with ECOG-PS 2+ compared to ECOG-PS 0–1 patients.
Construction and validation of the prognostic nomogram model for patients with diffuse-type gastric cancer based on the SEER database
Authors: Huang Ting , Chan ChuiPing , Zhou Heran , Hu Keke , Wang Lu , Ye Zhifeng
Published: July 2024

Objective

The prognostic factors of diffuse GC patients were screened the prognostic nomogram was constructed, and the prediction accuracy was verified.

Methods

From 2006 to 2018, there were 2877 individuals pathologically diagnosed with diffuse gastric cancer; the clinicopathological features of these patients were obtained from the SEER database & randomly divided into a training cohort (1439) & validation cohort (1438).To create prognostic nomograms & choose independent prognostic indicators to predict the overall survival (OS) of 1, 3, & 5 years, log-rank & multivariate COX analysis were utilized & discrimination ability of nomogram prediction using consistency index and calibration curve.

Results

Age, T, N, M, TNM, surgical status, chemotherapy status, & all seven markers were independent predictors of OS (P < 0.05), & a nomogram of OS at 1, 3, & 5 years was created using these independent predictors. The nomogram's c-index was 0.750 (95% CI 0.734 ~ 0.766), greater than the TNM staging framework 0.658 (95%CI 0.639 ~ 0.677); the c-index was 0.753 (95% CI 0.737 ~ 0.769) as well as superior to the TNM staging mechanism 0.679 (95% CI 0.503–0.697). According to the calibration curve, the projected survival rate using the nomogram & the actual survival rate are in good agreement.

Conclusions

Prognostic nomograms are useful tools for physicians to assess every individual's individualised prognosis & create treatment strategies for those with diffuse gastric cancer. They can reliably predict the prognosis for individuals with diffuse gastrointestinal carcinoma.
Nanoparticles in liposomes: a platform for increased antibiotic selectivity in multidrug resistant bacteria in respiratory tract infections
Authors: Fakhoury Nathalie E. , Mansour Samar , Abdel-Halim Mohammad , Hamed Mostafa M. , Empting Martin , Boese Annette , Loretz Brigitta , Lehr Claus-Michael , Tammam Salma N.
Published: July 2024

Antibiotic resistance is a cause of serious illness and death, originating often from insufficient permeability into gram-negative bacteria. Nanoparticles (NP) can increase antibiotic delivery in bacterial cells, however, may as well increase internalization in mammalian cells and toxicity. In this work, NP in liposome (NP-Lip) formulations were used to enhance the selectivity of the antibiotics (3C and tobramycin) and quorum sensing inhibitor (HIPS-1635) towards Pseudomonas aeruginosa by fusing with bacterial outer membranes and reducing uptake in mammalian cells due to their larger size. Poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid NPs were prepared using emulsion solvent evaporation and incorporated in larger liposomes. Cytotoxicity and uptake studies were conducted on two lung cell lines, Calu-3 and H460. NP-Lip showed lower toxicity and uptake in both cell lines. Then formulations were investigated for suitability for oral inhalation. The deposition of NP and NP-Lip in the lungs was assessed by next generation impactor and corresponded to 75% and 45% deposition in the terminal bronchi and the alveoli respectively. Colloidal stability and mucus-interaction studies were conducted. NP-Lip showed higher diffusion through mucus compared to NPs with the use of nanoparticle tracking analyzer. Moreover, the permeation of delivery systems across a liquid-liquid interface epithelial barrier model of Calu-3 cells indicated that NP-Lip could cause less systemic toxicity upon in-vivo like administration by aerosol deposition. Monoculture and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm with Calu-3 cells co-culture experiments were conducted, NP-Lip achieved highest toxicity towards bacterial biofilms and least toxicity % of the Calu-3 cells. Therefore, the NP- liposomal platform offers a promising approach for enhancing antibiotic selectivity and treating pulmonary infections.

Graphical abstract
A whole-body mechanistic physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling of intravenous iron
Authors: Fan Xiaoqing , Cao Kangna , Wong Raymond S. M. , Yan Xiaoyu
Published: July 2024

Iron is essential for every cell of the mammalian organism. Iron deficiency is a major public health issue worldwide. Intravenous (IV) iron therapy has been used to treat anemia. However, IV iron therapy is known far away from ideal because the quantitative relationship between the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of IV iron under different iron statuses remains unclear. Patients are known to suffer adverse effects from excessive iron accumulation. Our objective was to develop a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model of iron in mice and validate its application for predicting iron disposition in rats and humans. Previously published data on iron were collected for constructing the PBPK model of iron in mice, and then extrapolated to rats and humans based on physiologically and chemically specific parameters relevant to each species. The PBPK model characterized the distribution of iron in mice successfully. The model based on extrapolation to rats accurately simulated the ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) PK profiles in rat tissues. Similarly, the observed and simulated serum PK of FCM in humans were in reasonable agreement. This mechanistic whole-body PBPK model is useful for understanding and predicting iron effects on different species. It also establishes a foundation for future research that incorporates iron kinetics and biodistribution, along with related clinical experiments. This approach could lead to the development of effective and personalized iron deficiency anemia treatments.

Graphical Abstract

Major components and processes of whole-body systemic iron trafficking.
Incorporating long-tail data in complex backgrounds for visual surface defect detection in PCBs
Authors: Zhu Liying , Wang Sen , Chen Mingfang , Shen Aiping , Li Xuangang
Published: July 2024

High-quality printed circuit boards (PCBs) are essential components in modern electronic circuits. Nevertheless, most of the existing methods for PCB surface defect detection neglect the fact that PCB surface defects in complex backgrounds are prone to long-tailed data distributions, which in turn affects the effectiveness of defect detection. Additionally, most of the existing methods ignore the intra-scale features of defects and do not utilize auxiliary supervision strategies to improve the detection performance of the network. To tackle these issues, we propose a lightweight long-tailed data mining network (LLM-Net) for identifying PCB surface defects. Firstly, the proposed Efficient Feature Fusion Network (EFFNet) is applied to embed intra-scale feature associations and multi-scale features of defects into LLM-Net. Next, an auxiliary supervision method with a soft label assignment strategy is designed to help LLM-Net learn more accurate defect features. Finally, the issue of inadequate tail data detection is addressed by employing the devised Binary Cross-Entropy Loss Rank Mining method (BCE-LRM) to identify challenging samples. The performance of LLM-Net was evaluated on a homemade dataset of PCB surface soldering defects, and the results show that LLM-Net achieves the best accuracy of mAP@0.5 for the evaluation metric of the COCO dataset, and it has a real-time inference speed of 188 frames per second (FPS).
Extractability and mineralogical evaluation of rare earth elements from Waterberg Coalfield run-of-mine and discard coal
Authors: Modiga Agnes , Eterigho-Ikelegbe Orevaoghene , Bada Samson
Published: July 2024

This study explores the extraction of rare earth elements (REEs) from high-ash run-of-mine and discard coal sourced from the Waterberg Coalfield. Three distinct methods were employed: (1) ultrasonic-assisted caustic digestion; (2) direct acid leaching; and (3) ultrasonic-assisted caustic-acid leaching. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was utilized to quantify REEs in both the coals and resultant leachates. Leaching the coals with 40% NaOH at 80 °C, along with 40 kHz sonication, yielded a total rare earth element (TREE) recovery of less than 2%. Notable enrichment of REEs was observed in the run-of-mine and discard coal by 17% and 19%, respectively. Upon employing 7.5% HCl, a recovery of less than 11.0% for TREE was achieved in both coal samples. However, leaching the caustic digested coal samples with 7.5% HCl significantly enhanced the TREE recovery to 88.8% and 80.0% for run-of-mine and discard coal, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis identified kaolinite and quartz as the predominant minerals. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive microanalysis revealed monazite and xenotime as the REE-bearing minerals within the coal samples. These minerals were found either liberated, attached to, or encapsulated by the clay-quartz matrices. Further mineralogical assessments highlighted the increased REE concentrations in coals post-caustic digestion and subsequent recovery during acid leaching. This increase was attributed to the partial dissolution of kaolinite encapsulating the RE-phosphates and the digestion of REE-bearing minerals. Notably, undissolved REE-bearing elements in the caustic-acid-leached coal indicated the necessity of harsh leaching conditions to augment REE recovery from these coal samples.
Contribution to the Fracture Mechanics Characterization of Repair Welding of Thick-Walled Ductile Cast Iron Components
Authors: Trubitz Peter , Grützner Steffen , Krüger Lutz
Published: July 2024

For the spheroidal graphite cast iron materials, also known as ductile cast iron (DCI), EN-GJS-400-18-LT and EN-GJS-450-18, different welding procedures were examined for potential repair welding. A repair weld was performed on thick cast iron plates using the optimum procedure in each case. The weld was evaluated for all areas of the welded joint (weld metal, fusion line/heat-affected zone and base metal). In addition to the metallographic microstructural analysis, the characterization of the repair weld was carried out by means of hardness distribution measurements, static tensile testing and notched bar impact testing as well as fracture mechanics investigations under static and under cyclic loading in a wide load ratio range. On this basis, a generalized description of cyclic crack growth could be made according to the NASGRO® MODEL. NASGRO® is a fracture mechanics and fatigue crack growth software. In accordance with the possible operating conditions of repair-welded, thick-walled components, the static and impact tests were performed in the temperature range down to $$-$$
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Competing roles of microstructure and defects on the mechanical properties of laser-powder bed fused Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo alloy
Authors: Kaushik Harish Chandra , Shakerin Sajad , Korayem Mahdi Habibnejad , Mohammadi Mohsen , Hadadzadeh Amir
Published: July 2024

Using different volumetric energy densities (

$${E}_{\text{v}}$$

E
v

), the microstructure, texture, and defect evolution in laser-powder bed fused (PBF-LB/M) Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo (Ti-6242) alloy is studied. PBF-LB/M Ti-6242 rods were manufactured using different

$${E}_{\text{v}}$$

E
v

ranging from 41.67 to 66.67 J/mm3. The

$${E}_{\text{v}}$$

E
v

is varied by setting the scan speed to 1000 mm/s, 1200 mm/s, 1400 mm/s, and 1600 mm/s. The mechanical properties (yield strength, tensile strength, and strain at fracture) were then studied under quasi-static loading conditions. It is observed that the strength of the sample printed using the lowest

$${E}_{\text{v}}$$

E
v

is lower than the other conditions due to the formation of the lack of fusion defects. In addition, the sample printed with the highest

$${E}_{\text{v}}$$

E
v

consists of redeposited process by-products that result in the lowest ductility. The microstructure and texture of the samples were studied using electron backscatter diffraction. The results show that microstructural features including α′ lath width, dislocation density, and lath orientation (texture) were almost identical under different

$${E}_{\text{v}}$$

E
v

. Therefore, the variations in mechanical properties may not controlled completely by the microstructure. The defect analysis is conducted employing X-ray computed tomography. The defect characteristics change from keyhole to lack of fusion by varying the

$${E}_{\text{v}}$$

E
v

. The volume fraction of defects in the samples is in the range of 0.0005–0.007%, which seems to be negligible. However, the fractography analysis shows the dominance of defects in controlling the mechanical properties. This study proves the sensitivity of PBF-LB/M Ti-6242 to defects as the mechanical properties were defect-driven rather than microstructure-driven.
Decent Work, Fair Globalisation and the Dreadful ‘J’ Word
Authors: Baxi Upendra
Published: July 2024

Long before the term “decent work” became widely recognised, V.V. Giri, B.R. Ambedkar and others emphasised its importance. Work that traps people in bondage or poverty or exposes them to hazards, discrimination or insecurity, prevents individuals and the economies they contribute to from advancing and reaching their full potential. Today, as newer forms of work such as gig work and platform work emerge, it is essential for the law to continuously evolve to protect the interests of all workers. Law without justice is incomplete. Various agencies, including the legal system, the state, enforcement authorities, the civil society, among others, must work together to deliver justice to the broader population, principally the weak and disempowered. In a world where inequality is rising dramatically, justice must not elude the people.
Taming diffusion model for exemplar-based image translation
Authors: Ma Hao , Yang Jingyuan , Huang Hui
Published: July 2024

Exemplar-based image translation involves converting semantic masks into photorealistic images that adopt the style of a given exemplar. However, most existing GAN-based translation methods fail to produce photorealistic results. In this study, we propose a new diffusion model-based approach for generating high-quality images that are semantically aligned with the input mask and resemble an exemplar in style. The proposed method trains a conditional denoising diffusion probabilistic model (DDPM) with a SPADE module to integrate the semantic map. We then used a novel contextual loss and auxiliary color loss to guide the optimization process, resulting in images that were visually pleasing and semantically accurate. Experiments demonstrate that our method outperforms state-of-the-art approaches in terms of both visual quality and quantitative metrics.
A long-term perspective on collecting Indian agricultural statistics: reviewing the purposes, methods, and implications for Indian development policy
Authors: Fennell Shailaja
Published: July 2024

This article adopts a long-term perspective to examine Indian agricultural data: from crop yields for estimating food output, the examination of food prices and wages for calculating income and living standards, to the status of food consumption to ascertain hunger and malnutrition. The focus will be on the evaluation of how the new statistical data collection methods that emerged in the early decades of twentieth century have impacted the field of development economics in India. It makes the case that the emergence of survey methods data that were initially created by officials and later on by professionals employed in institutions in India were novel and began to gain attention in the international sphere. It proceeds to underline the importance of these statistical databases for identifying the minimum standard of living to escape poverty as an important measure for ascertaining how national development strategy could reduce poverty and hunger and also shows that these databases proved to be a core resource for unpicking recent puzzles regarding food and nutrition levels among the poorer sections of society. Additionally, the article engages with more recent estimation methods where survey-based agricultural statistical databases have been incorporated in multi-scalar indices alongside meteorological and ecological data to create more informative agricultural databases to advance the objective of sustainable agricultural development in India.
Evaluating pumice as a sustainable raw material in porcelain tile production: impact on technical properties
Authors: Bayer Ozturk Zahide , Karaca Yusuf , Kurama Semra , Ubay Elif
Published: July 2024

Pumice, a porous rock resulting from the rapid cooling of tuff fragments during volcanic activity, exhibits a spongy texture and light color due to its low density. Found predominantly in Central Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia, it has drawn interest for industrial applications. This study delved into utilizing micronized pumice within the porcelain tile manufacturing process. Comparative analyses were conducted between formulations incorporating micronized pumice and the standard ceramic tile recipe. In place of feldspar, micronized pumice was introduced at concentrations of 3%, 5%, and 7%, while clay was substituted with micronized pumice at concentrations of 3%, 5%, 7%, and 10% by weight. The prepared bodies were fired in an industrial kiln at 1210 °C for 54 min, and various physical and mechanical properties were evaluated. These included viscosity, sieve residue, green strength pre-firing, firing shrinkage, water absorption, firing strength, and firing color after-firing. The results indicated that the samples incorporating micronized pumice closely matched the physical and mechanical properties of the standard porcelain tile. Phase and microstructural analyses revealed the presence of mullite and quartz phases. Notably, micronized pumice demonstrated promise as a substitute for clay or feldspar, with the optimal usage rate determined to be 7% in the porcelain tile recipe. This indicates that pumice has the potential to be an alternative raw material in the production of porcelain tiles.
Conflict Processing Is Unaffected by Stimulus Duration Across Multiple Visual Tasks: Evidence for Transient over Permanent Activation Models
Authors: Ellinghaus Ruben , Liepelt Roman , Mackenzie Ian G. , Mittelstädt Victor
Published: July 2024

Permanent activation models of conflict tasks assume that the distractor constantly provides input into the response selection process as long as the stimulus is presented, whereas transient activation models assume that the influence of distractors is independent of stimulus duration. In the present study, we contrasted the prediction of these two architectures across different visual conflict tasks with manual responses. Specifically, we investigated the effects of short (150 ms) versus response-terminated stimulus duration on the delta plot (DP) slopes in a classic and accessory Simon task (Experiment 1), in a classic Simon and Eriksen flanker task (Experiment 2), and in a word-based (semantic) Simon and classic Stroop task (Experiment 3). Contrary to permanent activation models, all experiments revealed that the DP slopes were largely unaffected by stimulus duration. This result pattern is consistent with transient activation models such as the diffusion model for conflict tasks (DMC). Coherently, DMC was successfully fitted to the data. Importantly, the $$\tau $$
τ
parameter reflecting the time course of distractor activation, as well as other parameters, were largely unaffected by stimulus duration. In conclusion, our results suggest that distractor activation in visual conflict tasks with manual responses is transient rather than permanent, and stimulus duration generally has no meaningful influence on conflict processing.
Electrochemical biosensors for point-of-care testing
Authors: Kim Jinsol , Jeong Juho , Ko Seung Hwan
Published: July 2024

即时检验（POCT）是一种在患者身边进行疾病诊断和监测的做法，与仅在医学实验室或其他临床环境中进行的传统治疗不同。由于缺乏能够促进有效医疗测试的便携式医疗设备，POCT在最近过去较少见。然而这一领域近期呈现出增长态势，得益于诊断技术的进步、设备的小型化，以及可穿戴电子设备的快速发展。在这些发展中，电化学传感器因其高灵敏度、紧凑的尺寸并且经济实惠而在POCT领域引起了兴趣。它们被用于从疾病诊断到健康状况监测的各种应用。在本文中，我们探讨了电化学传感器的最新进展、制造它们的方法以及可以使用的各种传感机制。此外，我们还探究了如何将酶、抗体和核酸适配体等特定生物识别元素固定于电极表面，以及这些传感器在现实世界即时检验中的应用方式。