bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A non‐target geographical origin screening of botrytized wines through comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography coupled with high‐resolution mass spectrometry
Authors: Koljančić Nemanja , Gomes Adriano A. , Špánik Ivan
Published: July 2023

One of the most effective methods for gaining insight into the composition of trace‐level volatile organic characteristics of wine products is through the use of a comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography‐high resolution mass spectrometry (GC × GC‐HRMS) technique. The vast amount of data generated by this method, however, can often be overwhelming requiring exhaustive and time‐consuming analysis to identify significant statistical characteristics. The use of advanced chemometric software can achieve the same or even higher efficiency. This study aimed to identify differences based on geographical locations by analyzing the volatile organic compounds in the composition of botrytized wines from Slovakia, Hungary, France, and Austria. The volatile organic compounds were extracted by solid‐phase microextraction and analyzed using GC × GC‐HRMS. The data obtained from the analysis underwent Fisher‐ratio (F‐ratio) tile‐based analysis to identify statistically significant differences. Principal component analysis demonstrated a significant distinction between wine samples based on geographical location, using only 10 statistically significant features with the highest F‐ratio. In the samples, the following compounds were analyzed: methyl‐octadecanoate, 2‐cyanophenyl‐β‐phenylpropionate, α‐ionone, n‐octanoic acid, 1,2‐dihydro‐1,1,6‐trimethyl‐naphthalene, methyl‐hexadecanoate, ethyl‐pentadecanoate, ethyl‐decanoate, and γ‐nonalactone. These, all play an important role in cluster pattern observed on principal component analysis results. Additionally, hierarchical cluster analysis confirmed this.
Liquid‐Core Optical Fibers—A Dynamic Platform for Nonlinear Photonics
Authors: Chemnitz Mario , Junaid Saher , Schmidt Markus A.
Published: July 2023

Softphotonics has emerged as a new discipline that utilizes soft matter (i.e., liquids, gels, bio‐materials) as waveguide materials with versatile functionalities. The flexible properties of soft matter show great potential for further exploiting nonlinear in‐fiber phenomena to gain more insights into their fundamental dynamics and to inspire a new generation of broadband optical light sources and signal processors that are adaptable, reconfigurable, and biocompatible. In particular, incorporating solvents with extraordinary temperature sensitivity, miscibility, and nonlinearity into optical fibers has spawned a series of inventions and fundamental scientific findings over the last decades. This review highlights the current state of development of nonlinear photonics in liquid‐filled fibers. The current state of knowledge in the linear and nonlinear material properties of the most prominent solvents (CS2, CCl4, C2Cl4, benzene and its derivatives) are revisited, and recent advances in nonlinear liquid‐core fiber optics, including a special highlight on phenomena that are unique to liquids, such as modified solitary states and local dispersion control are summarized. Finally, the leading scientific challenges for advancing the field, which highlights liquid‐core fibers as a rich platform for science and technology, are discussed.
THE POWER OF INTERCONNECTION: FRANCES HESSELBEIN IN HER OWN WORDS
Authors: Bailey Darlyne
Published: July 2023

The author, Professor, and Dean Emeritus at Bryn Mawr College's Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, writes about her long‐standing relationship with Frances Hesselbein. The article revolves around an interview in late 2016 between Bailey and Hesselbein for a special issue of the multidisciplinary journal Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping. According to the author, the “issue focused on the relationship between the individual and organizations…” and it centers around Hesselbein's professional career, beginning with her leadership of the Girl Scouts of the USA in the mid‐1970s.
THE IMPORTANCE OF LEGACY IN THE LIFE AND WORK OF FRANCES HESSELBEIN
Authors: Dittmar James K.
Published: July 2023

The author, the founder, and director of the M.S. in Organizational Leadership program at Geneva College, writes about his friendship with Frances Hesselbein, a fellow Pennsylvanian. He writes about the importance of legacy and personal/family history within Frances’ work and leadership. This is especially true for her upbringing in the small city of Johnstown. “For Frances,” he writes, legacy “was a direct connection to her past: a past that played a significant role in her maturity as a person and servant leader.” He recounts many years of Frances’ family history, and discusses a tour he and his wife spent with Frances in that area, in which they spent “a memorable day touring various places that were special to Frances.”
GRACE IN CHARACTER, FRANCES HESSELBEIN’S WAY
Authors: Kolditz Tom
Published: July 2023

The author founded the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University, designed and directed the Leadership Development Program at the Yale School of Management, and was Head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at West Point, retiring as a Brigadier General. He worked directly with Frances Hesselbein at West Point, and recounts that “anyone who knew Frances reveled in her respect for others—one of the Army’s key values. But her ability to demonstrate those values in her controlled, polite, graciousness to others was truly remarkable. In the 21 years, I was privileged to know her, I studied her intently as a leader. Her grace gave her the ability to influence others gently but firmly—“no one can say ‘no’ to Frances” was a popular adage, and the absolute truth.”
HOW A GREAT MENTOR & A GREAT MISSION CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND THE WORLD
Authors: Perez Torin
Published: July 2023

The author, an anti‐racism educator, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader, first met Frances Hesselbein at a book talk in New York City by Joan Kuhl, also an author in this special issue of Leader to Leader. The author and Frances “quickly became friends of the heart,” and his mentor. He recounts that “Frances sat front and center at my TED Talk in 2016, and when I did a keynote in 2018 at my alma mater—Lafayette College in Easton, PA. With both invitations, without hesitation she said “I’ll be there” and in typical Frances fashion she arrived earlier than everyone else so she could get the best seat.” He continues: “You’ve got to find a mentor who believes in you. A mentor who wants you to be heard. A mentor who asks you and knows what your mission is, so they can marvel when you bring that mission to life, and guide you if you go astray.”
FRANCES HESSELBEIN: THE MOST KIND‐HEARTED LEADER OF OUR TIME
Authors: Reiss Robert
Published: July 2023

The author, who conducted over 1,000 interviews on the nationally syndicated The CEO Show, and is Publisher of The CEO Forum Magazine, writes about his friendship with Frances Hesselbein. He recounts particular, lasting memories of their time together, and “that highlight the ways Frances demonstrated that greatness as a leader in her everyday interactions.” He believes that even after turning 100, she “retained the joy of a child” and “stayed so young at heart.” She relished human contact and placed an emphasis on looking one’s best. In the author’s 2013 Forbes article about her, he quotes Frances’ advice for leaders: “Practice self‐awareness, self‐evaluation, and self‐improvement, if we are aware that our manners – language, behavior, and actions – are measured against our values and principles, we are able to more easily embody the philosophy, leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do.”
FRANCES HESSELBEIN AND PETER DRUCKER: MASTERCLASSES IN PRODUCTIVE LONGEVITY
Authors: Rosenstein Bruce
Published: July 2023

The author is the managing editor of Leader to Leader, who has written two books about Frances Hesselbein's longtime friend and collaborator Peter Drucker. He notes their productive longevity, characterized by each being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor, at an advanced age: Frances at 82 and Peter at 92. The two did not meet and start collaborating until the early 1980s, when Frances was in her mid‐sixties and Peter in his early‐seventies. Frances lived to be 107 and Peter to almost 96. Their professional collaborations are recounted, and legacies are assessed. The author writes that “their striving for excellence resonated with their readers and followers. Their drive for excellence never wavered. And their success was aided by recognizing the limits of aging, and working around those limits.”
THE LESSONS AND LEGACY OF FRANCES HESSELBEIN—MY PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON A BELOVED MENTOR AND FRIEND
Authors: Shambaugh Rebecca
Published: July 2023

The author is the founder of Women in Leadership and Learning, one of the first leadership development programs for women in the country, and leads her own consulting firm, SHAMBAUGH Leadership. She knew Frances Hesselbein for nearly a quarter century. She notes that “Frances used her strengths generously and selflessly in the service of others, and in doing so, became a driving force shaping timeless leadership principles and management philosophy.” She further recounts indelible impressions of Frances’ quiet power: “She saw in others what was not visible to them and reinforced the power of purpose that is the foundation for what we do and why we thrive. She never failed to leave you with something vital to strive for or do. She always expected you to not only be your best self, but to reach beyond what you thought you were capable of.”
The impact of service robots on consumer response: Examining the roles of consumers' service expertise and technology expertise
Authors: Zheng Xiaoyun , Wang Yao‐Chin , Wei Wei , Zhang Lu , Huo Da
Published: July 2023

Service robots as an example of service innovation has been of great interest to researchers as it could produce greater value‐in‐use for consumers during service encounters. However, the question of how and why service robots may affect consumers remains inadequately understood. Leveraging service‐dominant logic and the heuristic‐systematic model, Study 1 examines the impacts of service innovation types on brand equity and the moderating role of consumer expertise. Study 2 explores whether cognitive and emotional trust can bridge the underlying mechanism. We find that consumers with higher levels of service expertise rate firms with supportive innovation (vs. interactive innovation) higher in brand equity. On the other hand, service novices rate firms with both types of service innovation similarly. Emotional trust significantly mediates the effect mentioned above. In addition, consumers with high technology expertise will better recognize firms' service innovation efforts regardless of innovation type. Our findings extend the service innovation literature by demonstrating how individual‐level factors such as consumer expertise help explain the relationships between various types of service robots and consumer response. Moreover, we reveal the importance for service brands to invest in different service robots based on target groups and build emotional trust with consumers.
Children's Oncology Group's 2023 blueprint for research: Diversity and health disparities
Authors: Winestone Lena E. , Beauchemin Melissa P. , Bona Kira , Kahn Justine , Prasad Pinki , Robles Joanna M. , Velez Maria C. ,   the Diversity and Health Disparities Committee
Published: July 2023

The Children's Oncology Group (COG) Diversity and Health Disparities Committee's (DHDC's) mission is to guarantee the highest standard of care for children and adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer regardless of ethnic, racial, gender, or socioeconomic background. We strive to identify and address issues of disparity within the existing scientific structure of COG and to support research across COG to improve survival by ensuring equitable access to COG‐sponsored clinical trials. We are committed to advance COG‐led research identifying mechanistic drivers of disparities and, concurrently, evaluating interventions to alleviate disparities in the COG trial setting. As trials identify the most promising therapies, diverse representation is critical to ensure that findings are relevant to everyone. Factors impacting clinical trial participation among vulnerable populations are complex, consisting of barriers at societal, systems, and individual levels. Recent efforts by investigators within DHDC demonstrated that trial‐embedded collection of family‐reported sociodemographic data and social determinants of health (SDoH) is feasible and acceptable in the context of COG. Diversity in the pediatric oncology workforce is essential and one potential approach to improving representation on clinical trials. To support and retain diverse oncology providers and researchers, a Minority Young Investigator Award (MYIA) was created to facilitate opportunities for graduating trainees and YIs with an interest in childhood cancer disparities research within COG. Although there are challenges to achieve the DHDC's priorities, only through collaboration and support for this work we will be able to elucidate mechanisms underlying inferior survival outcomes for historically marginalized children and AYA, and more importantly, implement interventional investigation to improve outcomes.
In‐depth analysis of the xanthine oxidase inhibitors of Cicer arietinum L.‐based receptor–ligand affinity coupled with complex chromatography
Authors: Hou Wanchao , Niu Huazhou , Liu Zhen , Zhang Yuchi , Li Sainan , Liu Chunming
Published: July 2023

Introduction

Cicer arietinum L. is the choice of health food for people with diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. As an essential source of high‐nutrition legumes, it is also an important source of dietary isoflavones.

Objectives

In order to improve the preparation efficiency of natural plants, a rapid biological activity screening and preparation of xanthine oxidase inhibitors from C. arietinum L. was established.

Methods

Xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibitors were rapidly screened using ultrafiltration liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UF‐LC–MS) based on receptor–ligand affinity. The change in XOD activity was evaluated by enzymatic reaction kinetics measurement. The potential bioactive compounds were verified through molecular docking. In addition, the biological activity of ligands screened was separated and purified by complex chromatography. The structures of the compounds were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Results

Three active ingredients, namely daidzin, daidzein, calycosin with XOD binding affinities were identified and isolated from the raw plant materials via semi‐preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), 0–60 min, 5–50% B and countercurrent chromatography (CCC) (ethyl acetate/acetic acid/water [5:0.8:10, v/v/v]).

Conclusion

This study will help to elucidate the mechanisms of action of natural plants of interest at the molecular level and could also provide more opportunities for the discovery and development of new nutritional value from other natural resources.
Scalar Field Evolution at Background and Perturbation Levels for a Broad Class of Potentials
Authors: Leon Genly , Chakraborty Saikat , Ghosh Sayantan , Solanki Raja , Sahoo P.K. , González Esteban
Published: July 2023

In this paper, a non‐interacting scalar field cosmology with an arbitrary potential using the f‐deviser method that relies on the differentiability properties of the potential is investigated. Using this alternative mathematical approach, a unified dynamical system analysis at a scalar field's background and perturbation levels with arbitrary potentials is presented. For illustration, a monomial and double exponential potential is considered. These two classes of potentials comprise the asymptotic behavior of several classes of scalar field potentials, and, therefore, they provide the skeleton for the typical behavior of arbitrary potentials. Moreover, the linear cosmological perturbations in the matterless case by considering three scalar perturbations: the evolution of the Bardeen potentials, the comoving curvature perturbation, the so‐called Sasaki‐Mukhanov variable, or the scalar field perturbation in uniform curvature gauge is analyzed. Finally, an exhaustive dynamical system analysis for each scalar perturbation is presented, including the evolution of Bardeen potentials in the presence of matter.
Therapeutic effect of Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim. leaves on ischemic stroke via the microbiota–gut–brain axis
Authors: Wang Rongjin , Sun Yuzhen , Wang Meiyuan , Li Hanlin , Liu Shu , Liu Zhongying
Published: July 2023

Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim. leaves (ESL) are widely used to treat ischemic stroke (IS); however, the specific mechanism remains unclear. The microbiota–gut–brain axis plays a critical role in IS and has become a potential therapeutic target. This study aimed to reveal and verify the therapeutic effect of ESL on IS through the microbiota–gut–brain axis. Ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry‐based untargeted/targeted metabolomics combined with 16S rRNA microbiota sequencing strategy were used to investigate the regulatory effect of ESL on the metabolism and intestinal microenvironment after IS. Lactobacillus reuteri and Clostridium butyricum were used to treat rats with IS to verify that elevated levels of probiotics are key factors in the therapeutic effect of ESL. The results showed that IS significantly altered the accumulation of 41 biomarkers, while ESL restored their concentrations back to normal. Moreover, ESL alleviated the dysbiosis of gut microbiota brought on by IS, by reducing the abundance of pathogens and increasing the abundance of probiotics (e.g., Lactobacillus reuteri and Clostridium butyricum); this could reduce post‐stroke injury, thereby having a certain protective effect on IS. This study reveals that ESL plays an important role in treating IS through the microbiota–gut–brain axis, maintaining metabolic homeostasis in vivo.
Seismic behavior of RC columns under high active confinement force
Authors: Wang Qiang , Qin Wei‐yang , Gong Kai‐yuan , Lu Chun‐ling , Zhu Wan‐xu
Published: July 2023

This paper details the invention of a tensioning and anchoring device based on the “wedge‐cutting effect” that can tension and anchor multi‐layer carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) fabric. To achieve a high active confinement effect on an RC column, the device is characterized by its capability to lift the applied prestress to the greatest extent and minimize prestress loss. All eight RC columns with identical structural dimensions were designed and fabricated, including three unstrengthened and five strengthened columns. The seismic performance test and finite element simulation were conducted under a low cyclic reciprocating load. The test parameters include active confinement force and axial compression ratio, with active confinement force varying as a function of the number of layers of CFRP fabric. The results indicate that the seismic performance of RC columns with high active confinement can be significantly improved. Under a high axial compression ratio, the maximum displacement ductility coefficient and ultimate drift ratio of specimens strengthened with four layers of prestressed CFRP fabrics can increase by 87% and 152%, respectively, while the energy consumption can increase by 4.3 times. Additionally, the ultimate horizontal bearing capacity can be raised by 41%. The seismic performance of strengthened columns increases with the increase of active confinement, particularly under high axial compression. The finite element model is in good accord with the experiment. With an increase in active confinement force, the properties of confined concrete and CFRP are utilized to a greater extent, and more energy is dissipated by the opening and closing of numerous micro cracks.
A duodenal diverticulum in a deerhound
Authors: Dillberger John E. , Tobias Jarvon , Labelle Philippe
Published: July 2023

A 23‐month‐old, spayed, female deerhound experienced an acute onset of anorexia and regurgitation. The initial regurgitant contained leaves and grass, but over the next 24 hours, it changed to dark brown granular material consistent with digested blood. Radiography revealed a dilated segment of bowel caudal to the liver, suggesting mechanical or functional intestinal obstruction. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a roughly spherical, 6‐cm diameter diverticulum in the proximal duodenum, which was removed by resection and anastomosis. The dog made an uneventful recovery. To date, duodenal diverticula have been reported predominantly in young Boxers. This is the first report of a duodenal diverticulum in a deerhound.
Refining analytic approximation based estimation of mixed multinomial probit models by parameter selection
Authors: Rodenburger Daniel
Published: July 2023

Applying analytic approximations for computing multivariate normal cumulative distribution functions has led to a substantial improvement in the estimability of mixed multinomial probit models, both in terms of accuracy and especially in terms of computation time. This paper makes a contribution by presenting a possible way to improve the accuracy of estimating mixed multinomial probit model covariances based on the idea of parameter selection using cross-validation. Comparisons to the MACML approach indicate that the proposed parameter selection approach is able to recover covariance parameters more accurately, even when there is a moderate degree of independence between the random coefficients. The approach also estimates parameters efficiently, with standard errors tending to be smaller than those of the MACML approach, which can be observed by means of a real data case.
High-dimensional approximation with kernel-based multilevel methods on sparse grids
Authors: Kempf Rüdiger , Wendland Holger
Published: July 2023

Moderately high-dimensional approximation problems can successfully be solved by combining univariate approximation processes using an intelligent combination technique. While this has so far predominantly been done with either polynomials or splines, we suggest to employ a multilevel kernel-based approximation scheme. In contrast to those schemes built upon polynomials and splines, this new method is capable of combining arbitrary low-dimensional domains instead of just intervals and arbitrarily distributed points in these low-dimensional domains. We introduce the method and analyse its convergence in the so-called isotropic and anisotropic cases.
Development of a novel certified reference material for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in whey protein powder
Authors: Lobsiger Simon , Märki Lena , Mallia Silvia , Umbricht Gisela , Sprecher Hanspeter , Breitruck Kathrin , Obkircher Markus
Published: July 2023

Matrix-based certified reference materials (CRMs) play a central role in the analysis of food contaminants for ensuring measurement accuracy and comparability, as they exhibit the same matrix effects during sample preparation and measurement as the food sample under investigation. However, the availability of such CRMs is still limited. This is also true for matrix CRMs containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), for which maximum levels in food are set in the EU by the Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 and in Switzerland by the regulation SR 817.022.15. Therefore, a whey protein powder–based certified reference material (WP-CBR001) was developed according to the requirements of ISO 17034 and the recommendations of ISO Guide 35:2017 containing the four PAHs benz[a]anthracene (BaA), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), and chrysene (Chr). We show that the choice of solvent is of crucial importance to extract the PAHs completely from this matrix. Only polar and protic solvents such as methanol or water provided access for complete extraction of the PAHs. In contrast, nonpolar and polar aprotic solvents, such as n-hexane or ethyl acetate, exhibited only very low extraction efficiencies below 20%. The certified mass fractions and expanded uncertainties (k = 2) were (3.17 ± 0.32) µg/kg BaA, (4.18 ± 0.48) µg/kg BaP, (4.73 ± 0.49) µg/kg BbF, and (2.85 ± 0.33) µg/kg Chr. These values were verified by an interlaboratory comparison study and by the gravimetric mass fractions obtained from production data.

Graphical abstract
Fetal Pulmonary Venous Return: From Basic Research to the Clinical Value of Doppler Assessment
Authors: Portela Dias J. , Guedes-Martins L.
Published: July 2023

The fetal pulmonary circulation represents less than 25% of the fetal cardiac output. In comparison with the pulmonary arteries, studies on pulmonary veins are few and limited, and many questions remain to be answered. The literature reports that pulmonary veins play an important role in regulating vascular flow, forming an active segment of the pulmonary circulation. The development of more sophisticated ultrasonography technology has allowed the investigation of the extraparenchymal pulmonary veins and their waveform. The recognition of the pulmonary vein anatomy in echocardiography is important for the diagnosis of anomalous pulmonary venous connections, with a significant impact on prognosis. On the other hand, the identification of the normal pulmonary vein waveform seems to be a reliable way to study left heart function, with potential applicability in fetal and maternal pathology. Thus, the goal of this narrative review was to provide a clinically oriented perspective of the available literature on this topic.
Identifying the influence of bubble size and position on crater formation during underwater nanosecond laser ablation of stainless steel
Authors: van der Linden S. , Hagmeijer R. , Römer G. R. B. E.
Published: July 2023

Underwater laser ablation can be employed both as a means to produce nanoparticles and to texturize surfaces of various materials. In this approach, a stationary or flowing water layer above the target surface confines laser induced plasma which cools to form short lived cavitation bubbles, positively influencing the amount of removed material per laser pulse. Plasma and cavitation bubble evolution additionally give rise to bubbles which may persist in the water throughout the ablation process. These bubbles are known to have a detrimental effect on material removal rates particularly in stationary water, but the quantitative influence of bubble dimensions and position on removed material volume is currently unknown. Here we show the laser intensity profile changes induced by bubbles located at 0–0.4 Rayleigh lengths above a stainless steel surface and couple these changes to removed crater volume. Our results show that water flowing at Reynolds numbers in the range of 1–100 positively contribute to crater volumes for pulse frequencies up to 1 kHz. At 1 kHz, it was found bubbles have insufficient time to flow from the vicinity of the laser spot, regardless of the Reynolds number within the range investigated. These conclusions assist in selecting an appropriate combination of laser and flow conditions to optimize laser ablation material removal rate.
SFF-RTI: an active multi-light approach to shape from focus
Authors: Lewis David A. , Chatoux Hermine , Mansouri Alamin
Published: July 2023

In this paper, we propose a methodology for the fusion of shape from focus and reflectance transformation imaging. This fusion of two seemingly disparate methods of computational imaging is proposed with the purpose of leveraging their strengths in understanding overall surface structure (low-frequency detail) and surface texture/micro-geometry (high-frequency detail), respectively. This fusion is achieved by our new proposal of the integration of varying light images at different focus distances. We compare three methods of integration: the mean gradient response, the maximum gradient response, and the full vector gradient (FVG). The validation of the tested methods was conducted using different focus measure window sizes and multi-light integration methods to provide a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of the proposed method. The FVG is determined to provide a higher-quality shape recovery of a complex object with the trade-off of increasing the scope of the image acquisition.
Lifestyle-Medikament Vitamin D. Was gibt es an Evidenz?
Authors: Lange Uwe , Schulz Nils , Klemm Philipp
Published: July 2023

Eine Unterversorgung von 25(OH)Vitamin‑D3 (Calcidiol) besteht in vielen Ländern mit mäßiger Sonnenlichteinstrahlung, langen Wintern und nur mäßigem Fischkonsum. Risikogruppen für einen Vitamin‑D3-Mangel stellen ältere Personen über 65 Jahre dar, geriatrische Personen in Pflegeheimen, Säuglinge und Kinder/Jugendliche. Somit bestehen auch in Deutschland viele Situationen, welche eine Vitamin-D-Substitution rechtfertigen. Aktuell wird Vitamin‑D3 jedoch als „Wunderwaffe“ gegen alles angepriesen. Aber wie sieht die Datenlage aus? Wo kann es helfen und wo nicht?
Use and efficacy of dry-mouth interventions in Sjögren’s disease patients and possible association with perceived oral dryness and patients’ discomfort
Authors: Assy Z. , van Santen J. S. , Brand H. S. , Bikker F. J.
Published: July 2023

Objectives

Sjögren’s disease (SjD) patients use various interventions to relief their oral dryness. However, the use and efficacy of these interventions have only partially been evaluated. The present study aims to investigate whether there is an association between the perceived oral dryness and discomfort of SjD patients and their use of specific interventions.

Materials and methods

A cross-sectional study was performed among SjD patients, who completed several questionnaires to assess the severity of their oral dryness and an inventory of dry-mouth interventions. The perceived efficacy of each intervention was reported on a 5-point Likert-scale.

Results

The questionnaires were returned by 92 SjD patients. For relief of oral dryness, they mostly used “eating fruit”, “drinking tea”, “moistening the lips”, “drinking water, and “drinking small volumes” (> 50%). Three interventions had a frequency of use ranging from 2–6 times/day, whereas, “drinking water” and “drinking small volumes” showed higher frequencies (> 14). The highest overall efficacy (≥ 3.5) was reported for “chewing gum” and “using a mouth gel”. Furthermore, various dry-mouth interventions showed significant associations with oral dryness scores and/or patients’ discomfort. For example, “drinking small volumes” and “using XyliMelts” were associated with the Bother Index score.

Conclusion

Great variation was found in the use of dry-mouth interventions by the participants and the severity of the oral dryness and/or patients’ discomfort seemed to affect their choice of intervention. Notably, the mostly used interventions did not show the highest reported efficacy.

Clinical relevance

These findings might help SjD patients and clinicians in their choice of effective dry-mouth interventions.
Aligning social networks and co-designed visions to foster systemic innovation in the Alps
Authors: Blanco Victor , Luthe Tobias , Bruley Enora , Grêt-Regamey Adrienne
Published: July 2023

Mountain regions face substantial challenges and opportunities arising from global change. The capacity of mountain regions for (systemic) innovation will be determinant to the success of system transformations envisioned by social actors of mountain communities. By analysing the social networks of two regions in the Alps and relating them to desired future visions of sustainable regional development, we provide insights about innovative capacities in mountain regions and propose how to strengthen these capacities in order to support regional transformations. In particular, we analyse innovation systems’ collaboration networks to evaluate the innovative capacity of communities, co-construct visions with mountain stakeholders, and assess innovation requirements to meet these visions. Accordingly, we propose changes to the collaboration networks for addressing regional innovation system (RIS) capacities to help achieve visions through systemic innovation. Our analysis furthers the understanding on the type and magnitude of regional innovation system changes required to more effectively address desired transformative visions in mountain regions. We close by discussing implications of our approach for the assessment of innovative capacity and the transformation of mountain regions.

Graphical Abstract
Ramsey pricing: a simple example of a subordinate commodity
Authors: Bertoletti Paolo
Published: July 2023

We present preferences exhibiting a so-called subordinate good, namely a commodity such that the willingness to pay for it increases when the consumption of all goods increases proportionally, and thus receives a negative price-cost margin according to Ramsey pricing. We also show that its Bertrand equilibrium price is above its Cournotian price.
An Explainable MRI-Radiomic Quantum Neural Network to Differentiate Between Large Brain Metastases and High-Grade Glioma Using Quantum Annealing for Feature Selection
Authors: Felefly Tony , Roukoz Camille , Fares Georges , Achkar Samir , Yazbeck Sandrine , Meyer Philippe , Kordahi Manal , Azoury Fares , Nasr Dolly Nehme , Nasr Elie , Noël Georges , Francis Ziad
Published: July 2023

Solitary large brain metastases (LBM) and high-grade gliomas (HGG) are sometimes hard to differentiate on MRI. The management differs significantly between these two entities, and non-invasive methods that help differentiate between them are eagerly needed to avoid potentially morbid biopsies and surgical procedures. We explore herein the performance and interpretability of an MRI-radiomics variational quantum neural network (QNN) using a quantum-annealing mutual-information (MI) feature selection approach. We retrospectively included 423 patients with HGG and LBM (> 2 cm) who had a contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CE-T1) MRI between 2012 and 2019. After exclusion, 72 HGG and 129 LBM were kept. Tumors were manually segmented, and a 5-mm peri-tumoral ring was created. MRI images were pre-processed, and 1813 radiomic features were extracted. A set of best features based on MI was selected. MI and conditional-MI were embedded into a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) formulation that was mapped to an Ising-model and submitted to D’Wave’s quantum annealer to solve for the best combination of 10 features. The 10 selected features were embedded into a 2-qubits QNN using PennyLane library. The model was evaluated for balanced-accuracy (bACC) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) on the test set. The model performance was benchmarked against two classical models: dense neural networks (DNN) and extreme gradient boosting (XGB). Shapley values were calculated to interpret sample-wise predictions on the test set. The best 10-feature combination included 6 tumor and 4 ring features. For QNN, DNN, and XGB, respectively, training ROC-AUC was 0.86, 0.95, and 0.94; test ROC-AUC was 0.76, 0.75, and 0.79; and test bACC was 0.74, 0.73, and 0.72. The two most influential features were tumor Laplacian-of-Gaussian-GLRLM-Entropy and sphericity. We developed an accurate interpretable QNN model with quantum-informed feature selection to differentiate between LBM and HGG on CE-T1 brain MRI. The model performance is comparable to state-of-the-art classical models.
Illegal trade of pangolins in India with international trade links: an analysis of seizures from 1991 to 2022
Authors: Gomez Lalita , Joseph Tito , Heinrich Sarah , Wright Belinda , D’Cruze Neil
Published: July 2023

Pangolins have become one of the most intensely poached and trafficked mammal species, exploited mainly for the food and traditional medicine trade. Intense and continued illegal exploitation for commercial trade has become the leading cause of pangolin declines in parts of Asia and Africa. Recent research has illustrated the growing threat this poses to pangolins in India. India is home to two species of pangolin, the Indian Pangolin Manis crassicaudata and the Chinese Pangolin M. pentadactyla, which have been assessed as endangered and critically endangered respectively. Pangolin seizures in India between 1991 and 2022 were analysed to gain a better understanding of illegal trade dynamics. A total of 426 seizures were collated, involving an estimated 8603 pangolins. The frequency of pangolin seizures increased over time as did the volume of estimated pangolins seized. This could be due to a range of different factors including rising poaching and trade levels, increased law enforcement and reporting, and awareness. Nevertheless, on the ground, investigations by the Wildlife Protection Society of India strongly indicate that the escalating poaching and trade in pangolins is driven by lucrative market demands from beyond India’s borders, with a growing focus on the trade in live pangolins. Enforcement efforts appear to be undermined by low prosecution rates with only 1.4% of recorded seizures resulting in successful convictions. Asian pangolins have rapidly disappeared from their natural range and been locally extirpated in many parts of East and Southeast Asia. India’s pangolin species are at similar risk if poaching and trafficking levels continue unmitigated.
Multi-field coupling and free vibration of a sandwiched functionally-graded piezoelectric semiconductor plate
Authors: Fang Xueqian , He Qilin , Ma Hongwei , Zhu Changsong
Published: July 2023

Sandwiched functionally-graded piezoelectric semiconductor (FGPS) plates possess high strength and excellent piezoelectric and semiconductor properties, and have significant potential applications in micro-electro-mechanical systems. The multi-field coupling and free vibration of a sandwiched FGPS plate are studied, and the governing equation and natural frequency are derived with the consideration of electron movement. The material properties in the functionally-graded layers are assumed to vary smoothly, and the first-order shear deformation theory is introduced to derive the multi-field coupling in the plate. The total strain energy of the plate is obtained, and the governing equations are presented by using Hamilton’s principle. By introducing the boundary conditions, the coupling physical fields are solved. In numerical examples, the natural frequencies of sandwiched FGPS plates under different geometrical and physical parameters are discussed. It is found that the initial electron density can be used to modulate the natural frequencies and vibrational displacement of sandwiched FGPS plates in the case of nano-size. The effects of the material properties of FGPS layers on the natural frequencies are also examined in detail.
Regional habitat suitability for aquatic and terrestrial invasive plant species may expand or contract with climate change
Authors: Nikkel Emma , Clements David R. , Anderson Delia , Williams Jennifer L.
Published: July 2023

The threat of invasive species to biodiversity and ecosystem structure is exacerbated by the increasingly concerning outlook of predicted climate change and other human influences. Developing preventative management strategies for invasive plant species before they establish is crucial for effective management. To examine how climate change may impact habitat suitability, we modeled the current and future habitat suitability of two terrestrial species, Geranium lucidum and Pilosella officinarum, and two aquatic species, Butomus umbellatus and Pontederia crassipes, that are relatively new invasive plant species regionally, and are currently spreading in the Pacific Northwest (PNW, North America), an area of unique natural areas, vibrant economic activity, and increasing human population. Using North American presence records, downscaled climate variables, and human influence data, we developed an ensemble model of six algorithms to predict the potential habitat suitability under current conditions and projected climate scenarios RCP 4.5, 7.0, and 8.5 for 2050 and 2080. One terrestrial species (P. officinarum) showed declining habitat suitability in future climate scenarios (contracted distribution), while the other terrestrial species (G. lucidum) showed increased suitability over much of the region (expanded distribution overall). The two aquatic species were predicted to have only moderately increased suitability, suggesting aquatic plant species may be less impacted by climate change. Our research provides a template for regional-scale modelling of invasive species of concern, thus assisting local land managers and practitioners to inform current and future management strategies and to prioritize limited available resources for species with expanding ranges.
Examining the Impact of Climate Change on Residential Footing Design in Australia: A Case Study Analysis
Authors: Sun Xi , Li Jie , Ren Gang
Published: July 2023

The impact of climate change on building performance is anticipated to be significant, affecting both present and future constructions on clay soils. In Australia, the Thornthwaite Moisture Index (TMI) is widely used to classify climate zones and determine the characteristic ground movement for designing residential footings. However, the existing TMI map provided by the Australian Standard AS2870 for Victoria, Australia, is based on meteorological data from 1940 to 1960, an outdated and thus potentially insufficient basis for current and future climate scenarios. To address this challenge, the study endeavours to develop an updated TMI map using weather data over a 20-year period (1994–2013) with predictions for 2030 and 2070 based on climate models to visualize climate zone changes. The updated TMI map shows significant changes in climate zones and suggests that current footing designs may be inadequate for future weather conditions. A case study was conducted to evaluate the influence of climate change on footing size and construction material cost. The findings indicate that the footing constructed in 1992 is inadequate for the projected climatic conditions of 2070. Coping with such severe weather scenarios necessitates larger footing sizes and upgrading steel reinforcements, raising the material cost by approximately 111%.
Touching and Being Touched During Physiotherapy Exercise Instruction
Authors: Keel Sara , Caviglia Cornelia
Published: July 2023

This contribution focuses on a physiotherapy consultation in which the first author of the contribution is the patient and the second author is the physiotherapist. It features analysis of video excerpts in which (1) the physiotherapist instructs the patient how to do an exercise and (2) the patient turns the physiotherapist's instructions into a course of action while (3) the physiotherapist monitors, assesses, guides, and corrects the patient's instructed actions by deploying touch. The investigation draws on video-recordings and transcriptions of the physiotherapist’s and the patient’s interaction during the exercise instructions, the authors’ experience of touching/being touched during these instructions, and their shared understandings as discussed during data-sessions devoted to select video-clips of exercise instructions. In a learning process, the instructor’s instructional corrections are critical: they provide learners with relevant specifications and explanations as to how instructed actions and/or remedial actions are to be accomplished. Whereas monitoring and touching the patient allows the physiotherapist to feel, assess, correct, and guide the patient’s instructed actions, being touched permits the patient to feel how the physiotherapist’s touch resonates beyond locally circumscribed body contact and adapt her movements accordingly. Our contribution thus reveals touching/being touched configurations that establish joint attention and action on extended sensoriality as forming constitutive parts of a dynamic sensorimotor process of inter- and intrabodily resonance, which is challenging to investigate.
Co-designing psychosis simulated patient scenarios with mental health stakeholders for pharmacy curricula
Authors: Ung Tina X. , O’Reilly Claire L. , Moles Rebekah J. , El-Den Sarira
Published: July 2023

Background

Pharmacists need knowledge and confidence to support people living with mental illness. Evidence-based educational materials for pharmacy students to provide psychosis care is limited.

Aim

To co-design, content validate and pilot-test, with mental health stakeholders, simulated patient scenarios to educate and assess students in providing psychosis care.

Method

Mental health consumers were invited to co-design three simulated patient scenarios (first-episode psychosis, carer of someone living with schizophrenia, non-adherence to antipsychotics), guided by published and psychometrically-tested materials. A panel of mental health stakeholders participated in two rounds of content validation (RAND/UCLA appropriateness model). Round 1 involved individual survey completion to calculate item content validity index (I-CVI) for relevance/clarity, content validity ratio for essentiality and overall scale content validity index (S-CVI/Ave and S-CVI/UA) scores for each scenario. Scores analyses and feedback comments informed revisions. Round 2 involved a panel meeting to discuss revisions and finalise content. The scenarios were then pilot-tested with pharmacy students.

Results

Two consumers participated in co-design, nine stakeholders in content validation. All items showed excellent content validity for relevance/clarity. Eleven items were revised for essentiality, discussed, then re-rated at the panel meeting for consensus. The scenarios were pilot-tested with pharmacy students (n = 15) and reported to be realistic and relevant to future practice, contributing to students’ confidence in supporting people experiencing mental health symptoms or crises.

Conclusion

Partnering with mental health stakeholders has enabled co-design of authentic, content valid educational materials for pharmacy students to provide psychosis care, in preparation for future provision of mental health support.
A two-stage approach for Bayesian joint models: reducing complexity while maintaining accuracy
Authors: Alvares Danilo , Leiva-Yamaguchi Valeria
Published: July 2023

Several joint models for longitudinal and survival data have been proposed in recent years. In particular, many authors have preferred to employ the Bayesian approach to model more complex structures, make dynamic predictions, or use model averaging. However, Markov chain Monte Carlo methods are computationally very demanding and may suffer convergence problems, especially for complex models with random effects, which is the case for most joint models. These issues can be overcome by estimating the parameters of each submodel separately, leading to a natural reduction in the complexity of the joint modelling, but often producing biased estimates. Hence, we propose a novel two-stage approach that uses the estimations from the longitudinal submodel to specify an informative prior distribution for the random effects when estimating them within the survival submodel. In addition, as a bias correction mechanism, we incorporate the longitudinal likelihood function in the second stage, where its fixed effects are set according to the estimation using only the longitudinal submodel. Based on simulation studies and real applications, we empirically compare our proposal with joint specification and standard two-stage approaches considering different types of longitudinal responses (continuous, count and binary) that share information with a Weibull proportional hazard model. The results show that our estimator is more accurate than its two-stage competitor and as good as jointly estimating all parameters. Moreover, the novel two-stage approach significantly reduces the computational time compared to the joint specification.