bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nest‐site features influence nest survival of the Hellmayr's pipit in extensive cattle‐grazed grasslands
Authors: Colombo Martín A. , Segura Luciano N.
Published: March 2023

The Pampas Grasslands in South America have been almost completely transformed by urbanization and agriculture. Many grassland birds persist only in extensive natural pasturelands, which are under constant pressure from fragmentation, cattle‐grazing, and exotic plant species. Identifying which habitat features affect bird breeding success is important for their conservation in altered habitats, although few studies have been conducted in the Pampas Grasslands. We analyzed the influence of habitat features on the daily nest survival rates (DSR) of the Hellmayr's pipit (Anthus hellmayri), a grassland passerine endemic to South America, in a cattle‐grazed grassland. We evaluated the effects of vegetation features at a nest‐site scale, proximity to habitat edges, cattle density, and temporal factors. During 3 breeding seasons (2017–2020), we confirmed the fate of 90 nests, 25 of which were successful (27.8%). Predation was the most common cause of failure (80%), followed by weather‐induced abandonment (10.8%). Average DSR was 0.9106, with a cumulative survival probability of only 7.4%. The best model indicated that DSR was higher in nests adjacent to grass clumps than in those placed in depressions and followed a quadratic trend with nest age. Clump nests may be better protected from aerial predators and rainfall; hence pipits could be more successful in areas with more grass clumps. The very low nest success raises concern regarding the value of these grazing fields as breeding habitats; we urge authorities and landowners to increase conservation efforts in the remaining natural grasslands in the Pampas.
The German version of the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale—Psychometric properties and normative data for German 8‐ to 17‐year‐olds
Authors: Grothus Susanne , Sommer Ariane , Claus Benedikt B. , Stahlschmidt Lorin , Chorpita Bruce F. , Wager Julia
Published: March 2023

Objectives

Anxiety and depression are internalizing mental disorders often commencing in childhood and manifesting in adolescence. The Revised Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) is an internationally widely used standardized diagnostic tool, but the German version has only been validated in a pediatric chronic pain sample; normative data are not available. The aim of this study is to test its reliability (internal consistency) and validity (factorial, convergent, known‐groups) in a representative German school sample and to provide norm data.

Methods

Data were collected from N = 1562 German schoolchildren (Mage = 12.2; SDage = 2.33; range 8–17 years; 52.4% girls).

Results

Cronbach's α ranged from 0.73 to 0.96 for the total and the six subscales (five anxiety and one depression). Confirmatory factor analysis showed the 6‐factor model had acceptable to good model fit with CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.05, SRMR = 0.05, which was better than 1‐ and 2‐factor models. The (sub)scales correlated moderate to high negatively with health‐related quality of life (−0.31 ≤ τ ≤ −0.51; p < 0.001) and positively with functional impairment (0.31 ≤ τ ≤ 0.48; p < 0.001). Mean scores of anxiety and depression scales were significantly higher in girls and partly in adolescents.

Conclusion

Findings provide support for the good psychometric properties of the German RCADS in a community sample.
Gender in nonprofit organizations: A critical review and research agenda
Authors: Holgersson Charlotte , Hvenmark Johan
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we suggest a research agenda based on a review of literature exploring gender in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) published in key field‐specific journals in nonprofit studies. The literature review shows that gender is often included as an unproblematized variable and that few studies focus on organizational processes that (re)produce gender inequalities and promote gender equality in NPOs. There is thus a need to expand our knowledge concerning gender in NPOs. The purpose of this paper is therefore to contribute to the development of empirical and theoretical work concerning organizational processes that (re)produce gender in NPOs. In order to inspire such endeavors, we outline a research agenda that proposes an understanding of gender informed by gender theory, an acknowledgement of NPOs as arenas where gender is (re)produced, and a development of theories on NPOs as gendered organizations.
Coping with identity threat and health literacy on the quality of life and mental health in students: Structural equation modeling
Authors: Ataei Mina , Esmaelzadeh Saeieh Sara , Yazdkhasti Mansooreh , Jashni Motlagh Alireza
Published: March 2023

Aim

Adolescents face many challenges when entering university. The aim of this study was determined predictor role of coping with identity threat and health literacy on the quality of life and mental health of students.

Methods

This is a descriptive‐analytical study of the structural equation study. Random sampling was performed on 300 students of Alborz University of medical science who were eligible to enter the study. The link of the questionnaires was provided to the students through social networks. The questionnaires were used to study identity threat, mental health, health literacy, and quality of life.

Results

The results of structural equations showed that health literacy has a negative and significant effect (β = −0.22) and identity threat strategy has a negative and significant effect on students' mental health disorder (β = −0.53). Mental health disorders have a negative and significant effect on the quality of life in students (β = −0.49), and health literacy has a positive and significant effect on the quality of life (β = 0.35). Based on Sobel criterion, mental health disorder was a partial mediator for the indirect effect of coping threat strategy on quality of life.

Conclusions

Considering the effect of mental health and health literacy on the quality of life and the effectiveness of coping strategies, it is recommended to evaluate the mental health and health literacy of students in universities and provide educational programs for identity coping in the early years after entering the university.
Investigation of charge dynamics in the corona‐aged silicone rubber alumina nanocomposite
Authors: Thangabalan B. , Sarathi R. , Harid N. , Griffiths H.
Published: March 2023

The effect of corona aging on the surface potential dynamics and charge trap characteristics of silicone rubber alumina nanocomposite are examined using surface potential decay measurement. The aging was carried out by exposing the specimens to corona stress generated by a high‐frequency AC multi needle‐plane electrode system. The results show that the addition of alumina filler increases the surface potential decay time and maximum trap energy. A reduction in trap depth is observed with the corona aging, and the addition of alumina filler limits the degradation and change in charge trap distribution. The results of an analysis of the space charge behavior of different nanocomposites and their comparison are presented. The space charge variation analysis was carried out under the applied electric field of 20 kV/mm at room temperature using the pulsed electro‐acoustic technique (PEA). Based on the results, the charge density, electric field, and charge trap distribution were deduced. It is concluded that the space charge concentration and enhancement in the electric field of the aged material increases with aging duration and it is maximum in the case of 60 min corona‐aged pure silicone rubber. Analysis of the recovery of the charge dynamics of the sample after corona discharges at the different time intervals shows that the recovery of trap distribution is faster for a virgin sample and slower for the sample with 5 wt% of alumina.
Surface modification of silica with polymethylmethacrylate‐co‐methacrylic acid for enhancement of self‐healing performance of natural rubber composites based on metal thiolate ionic network
Authors: Rehman Abdul , Ismail Hanafi , Sani Noor Faezah Mohd , Majid Noor Aishatun , Othman Nadras , Shuib Raa Khimi
Published: March 2023

Polymethylmethacrylate‐co‐methacrylic acid (PMMA‐co‐MAA) was utilized for surface improvement of silica to be used as reinforcement in self‐healing natural rubber based on metal thiolate ionic network. The amount of PMMA‐co‐MAA was varied at 1, 3, and 5 wt% of silica content and the optimized PMMA‐co‐MAA was utilized to investigate the self‐healing NR/silica composites at different filler loading (5, 10, 20, and 30 phr). The graft polymerization of PMMA‐co‐MAA on silica was confirmed using FTIR spectroscopy and grafting percentage was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Intermolecular diffusion occurred at the fractured area was detected using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the results revealed that the composite tensile and tear performance increased 22%–70% with healing efficiency percentage ranging between 70% and 97% depending on the silica loading.
Detonation of high explosives containing phosphorus(V) nitride, P3N5
Authors: Koch Ernst‐Christian , Cudziło Stanisław , Trzciński Waldemar A. , Paszula Józef
Published: March 2023

Composition A4 (RDX/wax, 94/6 wt %) modified with additional phosphorus(V) nitride, P3N5 (CAS‐No.: [12136‐91‐3]) and aluminum does not show increased detonation velocity, Gurney energy or blast pressure when compared with the baseline formulation. The general failure of P3N5 to contribute to the detonation performance is understood to result from the low negative enthalpy of formation of P3N5 that makes this compound a “heat sink” in the detonation and post detonation zone. A formulation containing both P3N5 and Al (RDX/P3N5/Al/wax: 50.76/36/10/3.24 wt %) shows superior luminosity and temperature of the post detonation fireball when compared with both Comp A4 and even aluminized Comp A4 (Hexal=RDX/Al/wax: 65.8/30/4.2 wt %). The superior luminosity is understood to be due to formation of aluminum phosphate, AlPO4 a material with high optical emissivity which however, decomposes above T=1600 °C.
Prognostic factors of overall and prostate‐specific antigen‐progression‐free survival in metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer patients treated with 177Lu‐PSMA‐617. A single‐center prospective observational study
Authors: Telli Tugce , Tuncel Murat , Karabulut Erdem , Aksoy Sercan , Erman Mustafa , Akdogan Bulent , Caglar Meltem
Published: March 2023

Background

Metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is characterized by heterogeneity among patients as well as therapy responses due to diverse genetic, epigenetic differences, and resistance mechanisms. At this stage of the disease, therapy modalities should be individualized in light of the patients' clinical state, symptoms, and genetic characteristics. In this prospective study, we aimed to evaluate the outcome of patients with mCRPC treated with 177Lutetium labeled PSMA‐617 therapy (PSMA‐RLT), as well as baseline and therapy‐related parameters associated with survival.

Methods

This prospective study included 52 patients who received two to six cycles of PSMA‐RLT. Primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and prostate‐specific antigen (PSA)‐progression‐free survival (PFS). 18F‐Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and 68Ga‐PSMA (PSMA) Positron Emission Tomography/Computer Tomography (PET/CT) scans were performed for a comprehensive assessment of tumor burden and heterogeneity. Biochemical, imaging, clinical, and therapy‐related parameters were analyzed with the Kaplan–Meier, log‐rank, and Cox regression analyses to predict OS and PFS.

Results

Median OS and PSA‐PFS were 17.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.2–20.2) and 6.6 months (95% CI: 4.5–8.8), respectively. Primary resistance to PSMA‐RLT (hazard ratio [HR]: 12.57, 95% CI: 2.4–65.2, p: 0.003), <30% PSA response rate after first cycle of PSMA‐RLT (HR: 1.016, 95% CI: 1.006–1.03, p: 0.003), FDG > PSMA disease (HR: 4.9, 95% CI: 1.19–20.62, p: 0.03), PSA doubling time (PSA DT) of ≤2.4 months (HR: 15.7, 95% CI: 3.7–66.4, p: <0.0001), and low hemoglobin levels (HR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.41–0.83, p: 0.003) were correlated with poor OS in the multivariate analysis. Bone scintigraphy >  PSMA disease (HR: 5.6; 95% CI: 1.8–17, p: 0.002) and high C‐reactive protein (HR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1–1.7, p: 0.001) were significant predictive biomarkers for PFS in the multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

PSA response rate and pattern to PSMA‐RLT are the most important predictors of survival in patients receiving PSMA‐RLT. Being a strong predictive biomarker, combined FDG and PSMA PET can be helpful for the decision of PSMA‐RLT eligibility.
Divulging the Potential of Sodium Carbide Thin Film for Semiconductor Applications
Authors: Swapna Mohanachandran Nair Sindhu , Sankararaman Sankaranarayana Iyer
Published: March 2023

The work reported in this article is an attempt to introduce the least explored sodium carbide as a thin film and to explore its semiconducting behavior. The sodium carbide thin film deposited by the radio frequency sputtering technique is subjected to morphology, structure, and spectroscopic characterizations. The floral petal‐like morphology, understood from the field‐emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images, helps in enhancing interaction with the radiation that is revealed through the UV–visible absorption spectrum. X‐ray diffraction, photoelectron and Raman spectroscopic analyses confirm that the film is sodium carbide. The optical emission behavior of the sodium carbide thin film in the blue region is unveiled through the photoluminescence spectrum, power spectrum, color purity, and chromaticity diagram. Employing the refractive index and extinction coefficient values from the specular reflectance data, optical and electrical conductivities, nonlinear refractive index, linear and nonlinear optical susceptibility, dissipation factor, and surface and volume energy loss functions and their wavelength dependence due to interfacial polarization are investigated. The transfer matrix method is used to understand the spatial variation of the induced electric field and optical current density.
Pathogen spreading during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Understanding a global phenomenon
Authors: Crabb Peter B.
Published: March 2023

This study examined news media reports published during the early months of the COVID‐19 pandemic that described people spitting, coughing, and otherwise spreading respiratory fluids to other people and objects. A search of a news archive yielded more than 800 news articles published during March, April, and May, 2020, from which N = 325 cases of intentional pathogen spreading were identified. This was during the early part of the pandemic when the world was still trying to reach an understanding of how to deal with the pandemic. Collected news articles showed that cases of intentional pathogen spreading were reported to have occurred in 14 countries on 5 continents on most days (78.3%) of the 3‐month period considered. In 43% of cases, perpetrators claimed to be infected with the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. Frontline key workers, passersby, and retail workers were the most frequent targets. The findings suggest that more needs to be learned about intentional pathogen spreading behavior, with the goals of reducing its occurrence in future pandemics and protecting vulnerable targets.
Cooperation between Coherent Control and Noises in Quantum Metrology
Authors: Chen Yu , Miao Zibo , Yuan Haidong
Published: March 2023

In this article, the cooperation between coherent control and noises in open spin systems is studied, aiming to demonstrate that such cooperation can provide new possibilities for parametrization in quantum metrology. The cooperative scheme proposed here outperforms the standard scheme, with higher precision achieved. More specifically, the effect of cooperative interaction between coherent control and noises in conventional single‐spin systems described by Lindblad master equations is illustrated, with the magnitude of a magnetic field taken as the parameter to be estimated and encoded in the noisy dynamics besides the Hamiltonian. The scenarios of both spontaneous emission and dephasing noise have been analyzed, where the associated quantum Fisher information has been given. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that in the realm where quantum metrology is mostly applied in practice, the precision limit under the cooperative scheme in the presence of noises can surpass the ultimate precision limit under the unitary dynamics. On the other hand, multiple‐spin systems have also been considered. It is shown that the coupling between different spins can help realize non‐local parametrization under the cooperative scheme, with the ground state made entangled. This thus leads to the improvement of precision limit, which has been proved and visualized in this article.
Metabolomic interplay between gut microbiome and plasma metabolome in cardiac surgery‐associated acute kidney injury
Authors: Bai Yunpeng , Huang Wendong , Jiang Xinyi , Xu Wang , Li Ying , Wang Yirong , Huang Sumei , Wu Kunyong , Hu Linhui , Chen Chunbo
Published: March 2023

Rationale

Cardiac surgery‐associated acute kidney injury (CSA‐AKI) is a prevalent complication of cardiac surgery, which may be associated with a great risk of developing chronic kidney disease and mortality. This study aimed to investigate the possible links between gut microbiota metabolism and CSA‐AKI.

Methods

A prospective cohort of patients who underwent cardiac surgery was continuously recruited, who were further divided into CSA‐AKI group and Non‐AKI group based on clinical outcomes. Their faecal and plasma samples were collected before surgery and were separately analysed by nontargeted and targeted metabolomics. The differential metabolites related to CSA‐AKI were screened out using statistical methods, and altered metabolic pathways were determined by examining the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database.

Results

Nearly 1000 faecal metabolites were detected through high‐resolution mass spectrometry (MS) and bioinformatics at high and mid confidence levels, and 49 differential metabolites at high confidence level may perform essential biological functions and provide potential diagnostic indicators. Compared with the Non‐AKI group, the patients in the CSA‐AKI group displayed dramatic changes in gut microbiota metabolism, including amino acid metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, purine metabolism and ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters. Meanwhile, 188 plasma metabolites were identified and quantified by tandem MS, and 34 differential plasma metabolites were screened out between the two groups using univariate statistical analysis. These differential plasma metabolites were primarily enriched in the following metabolic pathways: sulphur metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, tryptophan metabolism and ABC transporters. Furthermore, the content of indole metabolites in the faecal and plasma samples of the CSA‐AKI group was higher than that of the Non‐AKI group.

Conclusions

Patients with CSA‐AKI may have dysbiosis of their intestinal microbiota and metabolic abnormalities in their gut system before cardiac surgery. Thus, some metabolites and related metabolic pathways may be potential biomarkers and new therapeutic targets for the disease.
Demonstration and evaluation of commercial and municipal equipment for urban biological decontamination
Authors: Hayes Colin , Calfee Michael Worth , Boe Timothy
Published: March 2023

Large‐scale biological contamination incidents pose unique yet significant challenges to remediation operations. Previous incidents have demonstrated the utility of readily available commercial and municipal equipment for conducting remediation tasks. Preidentification and evaluation of such equipment could reduce lag time for response initiation and enhance overall response effectiveness and efficiency. The current study aimed to identify commercial and municipal equipment that could be beneficial in wide‐area biological remediation operations. Equipment were identified by market research, their utility was assessed by a group of subject matter experts, and a subset of those equipment was observed under operational conditions in a realistic urban environment. Observations and feedback from demonstration participants are presented within the article. This information is intended to support rapid decision‐making following large‐scale biological incidents, broaden the universe of potentially useful equipment to support the response, enhance response operations, and reduce the impact on the public.
Phase transitions and noise sensitivity on the Poisson space via stopping sets and decision trees
Authors: Last Günter , Peccati Giovanni , Yogeshwaran D.
Published: March 2023

Proofs of sharp phase transition and noise sensitivity in percolation have been significantly simplified by the use of randomized algorithms, via the OSSS inequality (proved by O'Donnell et al. and the Schramm–Steif inequality for the Fourier‐Walsh coefficients of functions defined on the Boolean hypercube. In this article, we prove intrinsic versions of the OSSS and Schramm–Steif inequalities for functionals of a general Poisson process, and apply these new estimates to deduce sufficient conditions—expressed in terms of randomized stopping sets—yielding sharp phase transitions, quantitative noise sensitivity, exceptional times and bounds on critical windows for monotonic Boolean Poisson functions. Our analysis is based on a new general definition of “stopping set”, not requiring any topological property for the underlying measurable space, as well as on the new concept of a “continuous‐time decision tree”, for which we establish several fundamental properties. We apply our findings to the ‐percolation of the Poisson Boolean model and to the Poisson‐based confetti percolation with bounded random grains. In these two models, we reduce the proof of sharp phase transitions for percolation, and of noise sensitivity for crossing events, to the construction of suitable randomized stopping sets and the computation of one‐arm probabilities at criticality. This enables us to settle an open problem suggested by Ahlberg et al. (a special case of which was conjectured earlier by Ahlberg et al. on noise sensitivity of crossing events for the planar Poisson Boolean model with random balls whose radius distribution has finite ‐moments and also show the same for planar confetti percolation model with bounded random balls. We also prove that critical probability is for the planar confetti percolation model with bounded, ‐rotation invariant and reflection invariant random grains. Such a result was conjectured by Benjamini and Schramm in the case of fixed balls and proved by Müller, Hirsch and Ghosh and Roy in the case of balls, boxes and random boxes, respectively; our results contain all previous findings as special cases.
Defective TiO2−x for High‐Performance Electrocatalytic NO Reduction toward Ambient NH3 Production
Authors: Li Zixiao , Zhou Qiang , Liang Jie , Zhang Longcheng , Fan Xiaoya , Zhao Donglin , Cai Zhengwei , Li Jun , Zheng Dongdong , He Xun , Luo Yongsong , Wang Yan , Ying Binwu , Yan Hong , Sun Shengjun , Zhang Jing , Alshehri Abdulmohsen Ali , Gong Feng , Zheng Yinyuan , Sun Xuping
Published: March 2023

Synthesis of green ammonia (NH3) via electrolysis of nitric oxide (NO) is extraordinarily sustainable, but multielectron/proton‐involved hydrogenation steps as well as low concentrations of NO can lead to poor activities and selectivities of electrocatalysts. Herein, it is reported that oxygen‐defective TiO2 nanoarray supported on Ti plate (TiO2−x/TP) behaves as an efficient catalyst for NO reduction to NH3. In 0.2 m phosphate‐buffered electrolyte, such TiO2−x/TP shows competitive electrocatalytic NH3 synthesis activity with a maximum NH3 yield of 1233.2 µg h−1 cm−2 and Faradaic efficiency of 92.5%. Density functional theory calculations further thermodynamically faster NO deoxygenation and protonation processes on TiO2−x (101) compared to perfect TiO2 (101). And the low energy barrier of 0.7 eV on TiO2−x (101) for the potential‐determining step further highlights the greatly improved intrinsic activity. In addition, a Zn‐NO battery is fabricated with TiO2−x/TP and Zn plate to obtain an NH3 yield of 241.7 µg h−1 cm−2 while providing a peak power density of 0.84 mW cm−2.
Constructing Additives Synergy Strategy to Doctor‐Blade Efficient CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells under a Wide Range of Humidity from 45% to 82%
Authors: Li Hengyue , Feng Xiangxiang , Huang Keqing , Lu Siyuan , Wang Xinyue , Feng Erming , Chang Jianhui , Long Caoyu , Gao Yuanji , Chen Zhihui , Yi Chenyi , He Jun , Yang Junliang
Published: March 2023

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as one of the most promising and competitive photovoltaic technologies, and doctor‐blading is a facile and robust deposition technique to efficiently fabricate PSCs in large scale, especially matching with roll‐to‐roll process. Herein, it demonstrates the encouraging results of one‐step, antisolvent‐free doctor‐bladed methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3, MAPbI3) PSCs under a wide range of humidity from 45% to 82%. A synergy strategy of ionic‐liquid methylammonium acetate (MAAc) and molecular phenylurea additives is developed to modulate the morphology and crystallization process of MAPbI3 perovskite film, leading to high‐quality MAPbI3 perovskite film with large‐size crystal, low defect density, and ultrasmooth surface. Impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.34% is achieved for doctor‐bladed PSCs under the humidity over 80% with a device structure of ITO/SnO2/MAPbI3/Spiro‐OMeTAD/Ag. It is the highest PCEs for one‐step solution‐processed MAPbI3 PSCs without antisolvent assistance. The research provides a facile and robust large‐scale deposition technique to fabricate highly efficient and stable PSCs under a wide range of humidity, even with the humidity over 80%.
Carbon Microstructure Dependent Li‐Ion Storage Behaviors in SiOx/C Anodes
Authors: Sun Qing , Li Jing , Yang Maoxiang , Wang Shang , Zeng Guifang , Liu Hongbin , Cheng Jun , Li Deping , Wei Youri , Si Pengchao , Tian Yanhong , Ci Lijie
Published: March 2023

SiOx anode has a more durable cycle life than Si, being considered competitive to replace the conventional graphite. SiOx usually serves as composites with carbon to achieve more extended cycle life. However, the carbon microstructure dependent Li‐ion storage behaviors in SiOx/C anode have received insufficient attention. Herein, this work demonstrates that the disorder of carbon can determine the ratio of inter‐ and intragranular Li‐ion diffusions. The resulted variation of platform characteristics will result in different compatibility when matching SiOx. Rational disorder induced intergranular diffusion can benefit phase transition of SiOx/C, benefiting the electrochemical performance. Through a series of quantitative calculations and in situ X‐ray diffraction characterizations, this work proposes the rational strategy for the future optimization, thus achieving preferable performance of SiOx/C anode.
Wafer‐Scale Single Crystal Hexagonal Boron Nitride Layers Grown by Submicron‐Spacing Vapor Deposition
Authors: Wang Gaokai , Huang Jidong , Zhang Siyu , Meng Junhua , Chen Jingren , Shi Yiming , Jiang Ji , Li Jingzhen , Cheng Yong , Zeng Libin , Yin Zhigang , Zhang Xingwang
Published: March 2023

The direct growth of wafer‐scale single crystal two‐dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) layer with a controllable thickness is highly desirable for 2D‐material‐based device applications. Here, for the first time, a facile submicron‐spacing vapor deposition (SSVD) method is reported to achieve 2‐inch single crystal h‐BN layers with controllable thickness from monolayer to tens of nanometers on the dielectric sapphire substrates using a boron film as the solid source. In the SSVD growth, the boron film is fully covered by the same‐sized sapphire substrate with a submicron spacing, leading to an efficient vapor diffusion transport. The epitaxial h‐BN layer exhibits extremely high crystalline quality, as demonstrated by both a sharp Raman E2g vibration mode (12 cm−1) and a narrow X‐ray rocking curve (0.10°). Furthermore, a deep ultraviolet photodetector and a ZrS2/h‐BN heterostructure fabricated from the h‐BN layer demonstrate its fascinating properties and potential applications. This facile method to synthesize wafer‐scale single crystal h‐BN layers with controllable thickness paves the way to future 2D semiconductor‐based electronics and optoelectronics.
Towards low‐carbon transition: Coordinating development and decarbonisation in rural logistics
Authors: Bian Xiaoyu , Xu Jing
Published: March 2023

Over the past decade, there is a growing global call for low carbon development. However, there is no adequate low‐carbon policies to address the trade‐off between rural logistics development and low‐carbon goals. Jiangsu is one of the pilot sites for most of China's policy reforms and has the potential to develop a low carbon transformation of rural logistics. Therefore, we provide an in‐depth analysis of the above trade‐offs from an industrial perspective by integrating the key features of rural logistics into a unified framework and modelling a rural logistics system dynamic model using rural logistics in Jiangsu as a case study. We compare the development trend of Jiangsu's rural logistics industry from 2021 to 2030 under the traditional development model, the green image policy, the fixed carbon policy and the fixed carbon tax rebate policy. The findings show that, first, in the absence of policy intervention, rural logistics in Jiangsu will not actively adopt any low‐carbon behaviour, which will lead to an inevitable rise in CO2. Second, the simulation results in fixed carbon policy show that the policies that impose excessive burdens on rural logistics are invalid rural logistics that need enough funds to develop their own supply capacity and carbon abatement capacity. Third, the green image policy is more advantageous in addressing the trade‐offs between rural logistics development and the low‐carbon transition, which not only avoids burdening rural logistics but also improves the supply capacity of rural logistics by increasing the demand for rural logistics. Finally, the government can implement the green image policy in the early stage and then introduce the carbon tax rebate policy in the middle stage to improve and increase the capacity of the rural logistics sector to embrace low carbon transition, which can help implement subsequently implement the carbon tax rebate policy.
Microbial and solute transport through intact vadose zone cores of heterogeneous alluvial gravel under variably saturated conditions
Authors: Banasiak Laura J. , Weaver Louise , Humphries Bronwyn , Dann Rod , Blaurock Martina , Gosses Moritz , Pang Liping , Close Murray
Published: March 2023

The movement of bacterial and viral pathogens through soil and vadose zone and subsequently into groundwater is a major public health concern. There are relatively few studies on the transport and fate of microbes through variably saturated vadose zone media compared with their transport in the soil and saturated groundwater zones. In this study, we investigated the transport of Escherichia coli, F‐RNA bacteriophage MS2, and a conservative solute tracer bromide through three intact vadose zone cores, under saturated (discharge rate ∼100 mm h−1) and unsaturated (discharge rate 10 and 0.5 mm h−1) flow conditions. The vadose zone media were sandy gravel overlying a sand lens in core 1, a heterogeneous SG mix in core 2, and SG with an open framework gravel lens through the middle of the core in core 3. The three flow regimes resulted in different transport characteristics through each of the cores. As expected, microbial transport through all cores was higher under saturated conditions, compared with unsaturated conditions. Overall, E. coli removal was consistently greater than that of MS2 phage irrespective of core media or flow conditions. There were relatively minor removals (factors of 1–2.5) of both microbes under saturated conditions, reductions of 2–3 orders of magnitude under the high flow unsaturated conditions, and almost complete removal (4 to >5 orders of magnitude) under the low flow unsaturated conditions. The much greater removal of microbes under unsaturated conditions has significant implications and potential benefits for land management decisions.
Medicine and Mobility in Nineteenth-Century British Literature, History, and Culture: An Introduction
Authors: Dinter Sandra , Schäfer-Althaus Sarah
Published: March 2023

The introduction to this volume charts the major historical and cultural transformations of medicine and mobility in nineteenth-century Britain and the ways in which they interconnect. Sandra Dinter and Sarah Schäfer-Althaus explore the professionalisation, institutionalisation, and commercialisation of medical practice and research in conjunction with the effects of the transport revolution on British national and colonial identity, class, and gender. Registering the ambiguities, contradictions, and (dis-)continuities of these processes, they identify how medicine and mobility constituted, influenced, and transformed each other. The authors subsequently survey current positions and crossovers in mobility studies and the medical humanities, demonstrating how theoretical and methodological paradigms of both fields potentially inform each other. After setting the scene, the introduction presents the three conceptual sections of the volume and summarises the individual contributions.
Forced Migration and Evolving Responses to Queer Identity in the Muslim Family
Authors: Munir Laine , Noor Anila
Published: March 2023

Scholarship on asylum seekers after they arrive in Europe often overlooks their families still at home. This chapter presents the case study of a transgender Muslim who has been awaiting asylum in Greece since 2018 and interrogates how his family experienced his persecution and flight from Pakistan. The data builds on international fieldwork with more than 20 queer asylum seekers in Pakistan and Europe to examine the question of how LGBTQIA+ refugees and their families navigate their vulnerabilities, everyday (in)securities and consequent strategic responses. The study employs the critical theory of transnational intersectionality to analyse multiple identities and fluid social connections across time and place. On the basis of six in-depth interviews, we explore the insecurities experienced by the asylum seeker’s family while the young man was in Pakistan and describe the family’s three shared stages of strategic responses: hiding, asserting religiosity and, finally, migration. The chapter also draws on official asylum applications, NGO reports, first-person written narratives and audio recordings collected over 6 months to illustrate how the youth’s life and departure balanced his individual needs for gender expression with the family’s collective need for relational well-being, everyday security and acceptance by their Islamic community.
‘She Died While Missing Us’: Experiences of Family Separation Among African Refugees in Israel
Authors: Yaron Mesgena Hadas , Baraka Usumain
Published: March 2023

Between 2006 and 2013, approximately 64,000 African migrants and refugees entered Israel across the border with Egypt. Most of them arrived from Eritrea, Darfur and South Sudan. Due to Israel’s harsh migration laws and asylum policies, African refugees are not granted a legal status, which means, among other things, prolonged family separation with no prospects for family reunification. In this chapter, we explore the experiences of family separation among Sudanese and Eritrean refugees. In particular, we aim to understand the causes of family separation and how refugees who have been separated for years from their immediate and extended families live with the insecurity caused by separation. The data draws on ten semi-structured interviews, including eight with Sudanese and Eritrean refugees residing in Israel. In addition, we draw on our long-term experience of and activism with the asylum-seeker community in Israel. The findings suggest that while refugees experience administrative violence and are unable to change immigration regimes, they may however find ways to regain their sense of security, such as cultivating alternative social relationships and passing on their language and traditions to the next generation.
For the Greater Good: The Economic and Social Impacts of Irregular Migration on Families in Benin City, Nigeria
Authors: Akhigbe Allwell Oseahume , Effevottu Efetobor Stephanie
Published: March 2023

This chapter examines irregular migrants’ motivation for leaving Nigeria and the subsequent impact of their migration to Europe on the family left behind in Benin City, a migration hub. This chapter argues that young African migrants embody the family’s hopes for upward social mobility amidst extreme poverty; family members often prompt the migratory project and contribute their financial, spiritual and material resources to make the migration journey possible. In this way, despite the dangers related to irregular migration, particularly during the journey to Europe, families risk sacrificing some of their members in search of a better future. This chapter considers the following two questions: How do Nigerian irregular migrants in Europe contribute to the economic security of the families left behind? And what is the social impact of their absence? This qualitative study was carried out in Benin City and is based on 30 interviews with family members left behind by irregular migrants in Europe. The chapter reveals that while families reap benefits from the irregular migration of their kith and kin in the form of upward social mobility, migration inevitably results in strained family ties.
Grounding Dynamics of Labour Control and Labour Agency in GPNs Through an ‘Extended Single Embedded Case Study Design’
Authors: López Tatiana
Published: March 2023

This chapter introduces the research design and methodology of this study. It starts by setting out the key philosophical assumptions underpinning this study, characterised by a constructivist or reflexive research approach. Drawing on Burawoy’s extended case study method and Yin’s single embedded case study model, the chapter then develops an ‘extended single embedded case study’ design for studying the interrelations between place-specific dynamics of labour control and labour agency, and broader governance dynamics in the garment GPN. The chapter further illustrates how, for this study, the Bangalore export-garment cluster was constructed as a single case with three local garment unions representing embedded sub-units of analysis. Thereafter, the data collection process through participant observations and in-depth interviews is described. In this context, the chapter discusses challenges and strategies for interviewing managers and state actors as well as workers and unions in light of the power relations, which structure interactions between the researcher and the research subjects. The chapter concludes by outlining the data preparation, analysis and interpretation process.
Union Agency in the Bangalore Export-garment Cluster: Linking Spaces of Organising, Spaces of Collaboration and Spaces of Contestation
Authors: López Tatiana
Published: March 2023

This chapter analyses the networked agency strategies of three local garment unions in the Bangalore export-garment cluster. Drawing on the heuristic of three interrelated spaces of labour agency constructed by unions—spaces of organising, spaces of collaboration and spaces of contestation—the chapter highlights the various challenges for building sustained union bargaining power vis-à-vis employers. These challenges result on the one hand from the tight labour control regime and on the other hand from unions’ engagement with consumer organisations and donor NGOs from the Global North: When unions rely on financial support from NGOs instead of members’ contributions to fund their operations, and on moral power exercised by consumer organisations instead of associational power exercised by workers, unions risk constructing spaces of organising, collaboration and contestation that provide limited opportunities for workers and organisers to develop strategic capacities. Consequently, unions’ associational and organisational power remains limited. In contrast, when unions strategically use moral power resources from consumers to open up spaces for workplace organising and collective bargaining, this can enable unions to enhance their bargaining position vis-à-vis employers and thereby bring about sustained improvements for workers.
Generalized symmetries of topological field theories
Authors: Gripaios Ben , Randal-Williams Oscar , Tooby-Smith Joseph
Published: March 2023

Abstract

We study generalized symmetries in a simplified arena in which the usual quantum field theories of physics are replaced with topological field theories and the smooth structure with which the symmetry groups of physics are usually endowed is forgotten. Doing so allows many questions of physical interest to be answered using the tools of homotopy theory. We study both global and gauge symmetries, as well as ‘t Hooft anomalies, which we show fall into one of two classes. Our approach also allows some insight into earlier work on symmetries (generalized or not) of topological field theories.
Migration of Risk Classification Between the JAES Versus ATA guidelines for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Yamazaki Haruhiko , Masudo Katsuhiko , Rino Yasushi
Published: March 2023

Background

This study aimed to investigate outcomes in the same cohort of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) risk‐stratified according to the Japan Association of Endocrine Surgery (JAES) and American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines.

Methods

A total of 1044 patients with PTC who underwent initial thyroidectomy at Yokohama City University Medical Center between January 2000 and June 2022 were included.

Results

According to the JAES guidelines, 480 (46%), 386 (37%), and 178 (17%) patients were classified as low, intermediate, or high risk, respectively. Furthermore, according to the ATA guidelines, 590 (57%), 261 (25%), and 193 (18%) patients were reclassified as low, intermediate, or high risk, respectively. Among 1044 patients with PTC, the 10‐year cause‐specific survival (CSS) rates of patients with JAES low and intermediate risk were 99.7 and 98.6%, respectively, and there was no statistically difference (p = 0.096). However, the 10‐year CSS rates of patients with ATA low and intermediate risk were 100 and 99.5%, respectively (p = 0.007). Among 1001 patients with M0 PTC, the 10‐year distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS) rates of patients with JAES intermediate and high risk were 94.2, and 76.7%, respectively (p < 0.001). However, the 10‐year DMFS rates of patients with ATA intermediate and high risk were 88.1 and 86.6%, respectively (p = 0.233), and there was no statistically difference.

Conclusions

Both JAES and ATA risk classifications properly stratified the PTC patients. Furthermore, the ATA risk classification more precisely extracted patients with better and worse prognoses.
Good clinical scores, no evidence of excessive anterior tibial translation, a high return to sport rate and a low re-injury rate is observed following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using autologous hamstrings augmented with suture tape
Authors: Ebert Jay R. , Edwards Peter , Annear Peter T.
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Augmented anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) techniques have been proposed to reduce the high reported re-injury rates and low rates of return to sport (RTS). This study reports clinical outcomes, RTS and re-injury rates in patients undergoing ACLR using autologous hamstrings augmented with suture tape.

Materials and methods

A total of 53 patients were prospectively recruited, undergoing ACLR using hamstrings with suture tape augmentation, combined with a structured rehabilitation programme. Outcomes were collected to 24 months, including patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), KT-1000 measurements, peak isokinetic knee strength and a four hop test battery. Limb Symmetry Indices (LSIs) were calculated for performance measures, whilst RTS rates, re-tears and re-operations were presented.

Results

There were no significant side-to-side differences in anterior tibial translation between the operated and non-operated knees at 6 months (p = 0.433), with no increase (p = 0.841) in side-to-side anterior tibial translation from 6 to 24 months. At 24 months, 98.0% of patients demonstrated normal (< 3 mm) or near normal (3–5 mm) side-to-side differences. LSIs for peak knee extensor torque (p < 0.0001) and the single (p = 0.001), triple (p = 0.001) and triple crossover (p < 0.0001) hop tests for distance significantly improved. All PROMs significantly improved (p < 0.0001), with 70.2% and 85.7% of patients actively participating in pivoting sports at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Three patients underwent secondary procedures for meniscal symptoms. One patient suffered an ACL re-tear (17 months), with no further ipsilateral or contralateral injuries.

Conclusion

ACLR with suture tape augmentation demonstrated no evidence of excessive anterior tibial translation, high-scoring PROMs, sound performance scores, a high rate of RTS and low re-injury rate.
An efficient edge/cloud medical system for rapid detection of level of consciousness in emergency medicine based on explainable machine learning models
Authors: El-Rashidy Nora , Sedik Ahmed , Siam Ali I. , Ali Zainab H.
Published: March 2023

Emergency medicine (EM) is one of the attractive research fields in which researchers investigate their efforts to diagnose and treat unforeseen illnesses or injuries. There are many tests and observations are involved in EM. Detection of the level of consciousness is one of these observations, which can be detected using several methods. Among these methods, the automatic estimation of the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) is studied in this paper. The GCS is a medical score used to describe a patient’s level of consciousness. This type of scoring system requires medical examination that may not be available with the shortage of the medical expert. Therefore, the automatic medical calculation for a patient’s level of consciousness is highly needed. Artificial intelligence has been deployed in several applications and appears to have a high performance regarding providing automatic solutions. The main objective of this work is to introduce the edge/cloud system to improve the efficiency of the consciousness measurement through efficient local data processing. Moreover, an efficient machine learning (ML) model to predict the level of consciousness of a certain patient based on the patient’s demographic, vital signs, and laboratory tests is proposed, as well as maintaining the explainability issue using Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) that provides natural language explanation in a form that helps the medical expert to understand the final prediction. The developed ML model is validated using vital signs and laboratory tests extracted from the MIMIC III dataset, and it achieves superior performance (mean absolute error (MAE) = 0.269, mean square error (MSE) = 0.625, R2 score = 0.964). The resulting model is accurate, medically intuitive, and trustworthy.