bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A perspective into ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone and lactides: effect of, ligand, catalyst structure and system dynamics, on catalytic activity and polymer properties
Authors: Munzeiwa W. A. , Omondi Bernard Owaga , Nyamori V. O.
Published: February 2024

Polylactic acid (PLAs) and polycaprolactones (PCLs) are emerging to be polyesters of choice because they are biodegradable and biocompatible. The industrial viable method currently used for their production is catalytic ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of their respective cyclic ester monomers. The catalyst is at the core of ROP chemical transformation and as such research is dedicated towards the innovation of more efficient and selective catalysts. Catalyst structural features greatly influence catalyst performance in ROP, and this review discusses the effects of ligand and catalyst structure and system dynamics, on catalytic activity and polymer properties. The effects of associated catalyst components such as initiating groups, ligand chirality, and stereochemical in relation to catalyst activity and polymer properties were also reviewed. The effects of metal nuclearity and catalyst flexibility on catalytic activity were also reviewed. The effect of solvent and temperature was briefly considered.

Graphical abstract
Einfluss des sozioökonomischen Status auf Art und Häufigkeit notärztlicher Einsätze
Authors: Arrich Jasmin , Dammann Ulrike , Reichel Jens , Behringer Wilhelm
Published: February 2024

Hintergrund

In den vergangenen Jahren hat die Anzahl der notärztlichen Rettungsdiensteinsätze signifikant zugenommen und die adäquate Gesundheitsversorgung vor Herausforderungen gestellt. Studien haben gezeigt, dass ein niedrigerer sozioökonomischer Status (SES) mit einer höheren Inanspruchnahme der notfallmedizinischen Einrichtungen verbunden ist. Ziel dieser Studie war es, einen möglichen Zusammenhang zwischen dem sozioökonomischen Status und den notärztlichen Einsätzen zu finden und diesen hinsichtlich der Erstdiagnose und der Erkrankungsschwere weiter zu charakterisieren.

Methoden

Im Rahmen einer retrospektiven Kohortenstudie wurden die Protokolle der im Jahr 2019 in Jena durchgeführten notärztlichen Einsätze analysiert. Der SES wurde auf Aggregatebene anhand der Wohngebiete der PatientInnen über Indikatoren wie Armutsverteilung, Jugendarbeitslosigkeit, Wohnfläche je Einwohner und Migrationshintergrund definiert. Die Endpunkte der Analyse waren die notärztliche Einsatzrate, die Erstdiagnose und die Erkrankungsschwere der PatientInnen. Die Resultate wurden für das Alter und das Geschlecht der PatientInnen angepasst.

Ergebnisse

Die notärztlichen Einsatzraten lagen für PatientInnen in sozioökonomisch benachteiligten Gebieten um 33 % höher als in den anderen Gebieten Jenas (adjustierte Odds ration (OR) 1,33; 95 %-Konfidenzintervall (KI) 1,25–1,42). Bei PatientInnen mit niedrigerem SES war die Erstdiagnose einer psychiatrischen Erkrankung um 63 % häufiger (OR 1,63; 95 %-KI 1,26–2,10), die einer pulmonalen Erkrankung um 37 % häufiger (OR 1,37; 95 %-KI 1,06–1,80) als bei PatientInnen mit einem höheren SES. Der SES hatte keinen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Erkrankungsschwere der PatientInnen.

Diskussion

Ein niedrigerer SES ist in bestimmten Wohngebieten mit einer relevant höheren Rate an notärztlichen Einsätzen und einem höheren Anteil an psychiatrischen und pulmologischen Erstdiagnosen vergesellschaftet. Dies könnte ein Indikator für eine strukturelle Unterversorgung der regulären medizinischen Einrichtungen und eine höhere Krankheitsbelastung in Gebieten mit niedrigerem SES sein. Es bedarf weiterer gezielter Interventions- und Evaluationsstudien, um die Ursachen des erhöhten Aufkommens an notärztlichen Einsätzen zu identifizieren, die reguläre Gesundheitsversorgung dieser Gebiete zu verbessern und Rettungsdienste und nachgeschaltete Notfallzentren zu entlasten.

Graphic abstract
Locating network trees by a bilevel scheme
Authors: Greco Luigi , Guarino Lo Bianco Serena , Mallozzi Lina
Published: February 2024

In this paper we investigate how to choose an optimal position of a specific facility that is constrained to a network tree connecting some given demand points in a given area. A bilevel formulation is provided and existence results are given together with some properties when a density describes the construction cost of the networks in the area. This includes the presence of an obstacle or of free regions. To prove existence of a solution of the bilevel problem, that is framed in Euclidean spaces, a lower semicontinuity property is required. This is obtained proving an extension of Goła̧b’s theorem in the general setting of metric spaces, which allows for considering a density function.
Leveraging privacy profiles to empower users in the digital society
Authors: Di Ruscio Davide , Inverardi Paola , Migliarini Patrizio , Nguyen Phuong T.
Published: February 2024

Protecting privacy and ethics of citizens is among the core concerns raised by an increasingly digital society. Profiling users is common practice for software applications triggering the need for users, also enforced by laws, to manage privacy settings properly. Users need to properly manage these settings to protect personally identifiable information and express personal ethical preferences. This has shown to be very difficult for several concurrent reasons. However, profiling technologies can also empower users in their interaction with the digital world by reflecting personal ethical preferences and allowing for automatizing/assisting users in privacy settings. In this way, if properly reflecting users’ preferences, privacy profiling can become a key enabler for a trustworthy digital society. We focus on characterizing/collecting users’ privacy preferences and contribute a step in this direction through an empirical study on an existing dataset collected from the fitness domain. We aim to understand which set of questions is more appropriate to differentiate users according to their privacy preferences. The results reveal that a compact set of semantic-driven questions (about domain-independent privacy preferences) helps distinguish users better than a complex domain-dependent one. Based on the outcome, we implement a recommender system to provide users with suitable recommendations related to privacy choices. We then show that the proposed recommender system provides relevant settings to users, obtaining high accuracy.
Embedding Owner-Manager Values in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Context: A Lockean Conceptualisation
Authors: Oldham Simon
Published: February 2024

The salience of owner-manager values to small and medium sized enterprise (SME) engagement with ethics and social responsibility is well documented. Despite this, understanding of how these values are transposed into and become embedded within the culture, norms and practices of SMEs remains limited. Through drawing on a sample of SMEs in the South West of England, this paper identifies the mechanisms which owner-managers seek to use to embed their values within their organisations—rational values sharing, affective values sharing and building values-aligned relationships—while distinguishing a number of barriers they meet in the process. It further builds on previous research and explicates such embedding processes by means of discerning and providing rich descriptions of eight key owner-manager values. The work of Alain Locke on values is drawn on theoretically to frame the embedding of such values as a reflexive, ongoing process, while the utility of his work—largely absent from the field of business ethics so far—is highlighted.
Performance of urine samples compared to cervical samples for detection of precancer lesions among HPV-positive women attending colposcopy clinic in Mexico City
Authors: Meneses-León Joacim , Hernández-Salazar Sonia , Torres-Ibarra Leticia , Hernández-López Rubí , Rivera-Paredez Berenice , Robles-Rivera Karina , Lazcano-Ponce Eduardo , García-Vera Alba , Godínez-Pérez Mélany , León-Maldonado Leith , Salmerón Jorge
Published: February 2024

Background

High-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) detection in self-collected urine samples (SeCUS) may be a promising alternative for cervical cancer screening because of its greater acceptability, as long as it can offer comparable sensitivity to clinician-collected cervical samples (CCoS) for detecting precancer lesions.

Objective

To evaluate the performance of the SeCUS compared to that of the CCoS for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3) detection among hrHPV-positive women receiving colposcopy in Mexico City using different specific extended HPV typing procedures: HPV16/18, HPV16/18/35/39/68 or HPV16/18/35/39/68/31.

Methods

From March 2017 to August 2018, 4,158 female users of the cervical cancer screening program at Tlalpan Sanitary Jurisdiction in Mexico City were invited to participate in the FRIDA-Tlalpan study. All participants provided ≥ 30 mL of SeCUS, and then a CCoS was obtained with Cervex-Brush®, which was used for hrHPV typing. Participants who tested positive for hrHPV in CCoS were referred for colposcopy for diagnostic confirmation, and all SeCUS of these women were also tested for hrHPV typing.

Results

In total, 561 hrHPV-positive women were identified by CCoS via colposcopy, and 82.2% of the SeCUS of these women were also hrHPV positive. From both CCoS and SeCUS, 7 cases of CIN3 were detected. Considering HPV16/18 typing, CCoS and SeCUS detected 4 cases of CIN3, but after HPV16/18/35/39/68/31 extension typing, both CCoS and SeCUS detected all 7 of the CIN3 cases among the hrHPV-positive women.

Conclusions

Using extended hrHPV typing based on HPV16/18/35/39/68/31, our results suggest that the performance of SeCUS may be equivalent to that of CCoS for detecting CIN3 lesions. Although our results are inconclusive, they support the hypothesis that SeCUS may be an attractive alternative worthy of further research.
Assessment of extreme records in environmental data through the study of stochastic orders for scale mixtures of skew normal vectors
Authors: Arevalillo Jorge M , Navarro Jorge
Published: February 2024

Scale mixtures of skew normal distributions are flexible models well-suited to handle departures from multivariate normality. This paper is concerned with the stochastic comparison of vectors that belong to the family of scale mixtures of skew normal distributions. The paper revisits some of their properties with a proposal that allows to carry out tail weight stochastic comparisons. The connections of the proposed stochastic orders with the non-normality parameters of the multivariate model are also studied for some popular distributions within the family. The role played by these parameters to tackle the non-normality of multivariate data is enhanced as a result. This work is motivated by the analysis of multivariate data in environmental studies which usually collect maximum or minimum values exhibiting departures from normality. The implications of our theoretical results in addressing the stochastic comparison of extreme environmental records is illustrated with an application to a real data study on maximum temperatures in the Iberian Peninsula throughout the last century. The resulting findings may elucidate whether extreme temperatures are evolving for such a long period.
Whole-genome resequencing identifies exonic single-nucleotide variations in terpenoid biosynthesis genes of the medicinal and aromatic plant common sage (Salvia officinalis L.)
Authors: Ceylan Fatima , Uncu Ayse Ozgur , Soyturk Patat Aysenur , Uncu Ali Tevfik
Published: February 2024

Common sage (Salvia officinalis L.), the type species of the genus Salvia, is a historically acknowledged medicinal and aromatic plant that is utilized in several different industries for manufacturing diverse end products, including food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal hygiene products and insect repellants. The medical uses of sage essential oil terpenoids have made these secondary metabolites a focus of medical/pharmaceutical chemistry research. In the present work, the common sage genome was resequenced and assembled, and the protein-encoding gene content was annotated. The terpenoid biosynthesis gene repertoire, which includes 75 terpene synthase and 67 terpenoid backbone biosynthesis pathway genes, was predicted and located on assembly scaffolds, revealing tandem duplication blocks on the chromosomes. Variant analysis identified 188 variable single-nucleotide loci in the coding sequences of sage terpenoid biosynthesis genes. A total of 24,570 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in the common sage total exome, representing a database of potential variable loci for targeted genotyping research. Given that terpene synthase activity is highly prone to modulation by point mutations and that the genotype plays an important role in the complex traits of terpenoid composition, single-nucleotide polymorphisms located in coding sequences constitute candidate functional markers that can be associated with terpenoid compositional traits in future research.
The effects of salinity on the distribution and survival of two exotic ostracods in the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Mestre Alexandre , Sorlí Raül , Mesquita-Joanes Francesc
Published: February 2024

Recent research highlighted the need to include experimental estimates of tolerance limits to varying environmental conditions when investigating what factors limit species distributions. However, most niche approaches are only based on the statistical dependence between environmental and occurrence data. Here, we combined field data with survival experiments to assess the role of salinity as a limiting factor in the distribution of two species of exotic ostracods from the Iberian Peninsula. Vizcainocypria viator is a free-living species associated with rice fields and Ankylocythere sinuosa is a commensal of the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). Experiments and field data indicate that the distribution of V. viator is limited by adult survival at low and high salinities (below electrical conductivity of 0.6 mS/cm and above 10 mS/cm). In the case of A. sinuosa, the analysis of field data shows that its prevalence is negatively affected by high salinity, whereas experiments indicate an optimal survival at high salinities (conductivity above 10.2 mS/cm), thus suggesting that high salinity may impact A. sinuosa distribution indirectly through affecting host traits (e.g. reduced activity). The habitat of close ancestors (marine versus non-marine respectively for A. sinuosa and V. viator) most likely explains the contrasting differences in salinity tolerance between both ostracod species.
Better to Grow Up Poor in a Richer Place? Social Housing, Neighbourhood Comparisons, and English Teenagers’ Well-Being
Authors: Bezzo Franco Bonomi , Vanhuysse Pieter
Published: February 2024

How does being comparatively socio-economically disadvantaged within their neighbourhood affect the lived experiences of young teenagers? We explore this question on a sample of 13 to 15-year-old teenagers living in social housing in England. We explore three major domains of young teenagers’ well-being: (a) their sense of generally leading a bad life, (b) conflictual family interactions, and (c) unhappy social interactions with their peers. We find that living in a social housing estate within a less deprived neighbourhood does not negatively affect teenagers’ general sense of leading a bad life and does not increase conflictual family interactions. But it does make them less likely to report unhappy social interactions with their peers, indicating a positive effect of social mixing at the neighbourhood level.
Interplay of intrinsic motivation and well-being at school
Authors: Grassinger Robert , Landberg Monique , Määttä Sami , Vasalampi Kati , Bieg Sonja
Published: February 2024

Feeling well at school is crucial for both young people’s healthy self-development and their intrinsic learning motivation. Both concepts, subjective well-being and intrinsic motivation, are central to self-determination theory, but their reciprocal relationship is not studied very well. We hypothesized that the concepts affect each other directly: Students who are intrinsically motivated feel well at school due to positive emotions and the strive for understanding the learning content, which is an intrinsic motivation immanent. Beyond, students who feel well at school are intrinsically motivated, because subjective well-being represents an intrinsic value of the learning situation. This hypothesis is tested using a sample of 773 secondary school students (mean age: 12.7 years, SD = 1.8), who were answering questionnaires at the beginning (T1), at mid (T2) and at the end (T3) of a school year. The data were analyzed using a cross-lagged panel model. The results gave evidence on cross-lagged effects and an indirect effect from subjective well-being to intrinsic motivation to subjective well-being.
Ki-67 labeling index predicts tumor progression patterns and survival in patients with atypical meningiomas following stereotactic radiosurgery
Authors: Umekawa Motoyuki , Shinya Yuki , Hasegawa Hirotaka , Morshed Ramin A. , Katano Atsuto , Shinozaki-Ushiku Aya , Saito Nobuhito
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This study investigated whether Ki-67 labeling index (LI) correlated with clinical outcomes after SRS for atypical meningiomas.

Methods

This retrospective study examined 39 patients with atypical meningiomas who underwent SRS over a 10-year study period. Ki-67 LI was categorized into 3 groups: low (< 5%), intermediate (5%–10%), and high (> 10%). Local tumor control rates (LCRs), progression-free rates (PFRs), disease-specific survival (DSS) rates, and adverse radiation-induced events (AREs) were evaluated.

Results

The median follow-up periods were 26 months. SRS was performed at a median prescription dose of 18 Gy for tumors with a median Ki-67 LI of 9.6%. The 3-year LCRs were 100%, 74%, and 25% in the low, intermediate, and high LI groups, respectively (p = 0.011). The 3-year PFRs were 100%, 40%, and 0% in the low, intermediate, and high LI groups (p = 0.003). The 5-year DSS rates were 100%, 89%, and 50% in the low, intermediate, and high LI groups (p = 0.019). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis showed a significant correlation of high LI with lower LCR (hazard ratio [HR], 3.92; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18–13.04, p = 0.026), lower PFR (HR 3.80; 95% CI 1.46–9.88, p = 0.006), and shorter DSS (HR 6.55; 95% CI 1.19–35.95, p = 0.031) compared with intermediate LI. The ARE rates were minimal (8%) in the entire group.

Conclusion

Patients with high Ki-67 LI showed significantly more tumor progression and tumor-related death. Ki-67 LI might offer valuable predictive insights for the post-SRS management of atypical meningiomas.
Painlevé analysis, Painlevé–Bäcklund, multiple regular and singular kink solutions of dynamical thermopherotic equation drafting wrinkle propagation
Authors: Yan Li , Raza Nauman , Jannat Nahal , Baskonus Haci Mehmet , Basendwah Ghada Ali
Published: February 2024

The thermophoretic motion (TM) system with a variable heat transmission factor, based on the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation, is used to model soliton-like thermophoresis of creases in graphene sheets. Painlevé test is employed to discover that the equation is Painlevé integrable. Then an auto-Bäcklund transformation using the truncated Painlevé expansion is obtained. Concerning the additional variables, the auto-Bäcklund transformations convert the nonlinear model to a set of linear partial differential equations. Finally, various explicit precise solutions based on the acquired auto-Bäcklund transformations are investigated and the researched solutions are illustrated in 3D, 2D and contour plots. Furthermore, the Cole-Hopf transformation is used in conjunction with Hirota’s bilinear technique to get multiple regular and singular kink solutions.
Modelling the effects of p-modulation doping in InAs/InGaAs quantum dot devices
Authors: Maglio Benjamin , Jarvis Lydia , Tang Mingchu , Liu Huiyun , Smowton Peter M.
Published: February 2024

A modelling routine has been developed to quantify effects present in p-modulation doped 1.3 μm InAs/InGaAs quantum dot laser and modulator devices. Utilising experimentally verified parameters, calculated modal absorption is compared to measurements, prior to simulation of structures under reverse and forward bias. Observed broadening and a reduction of absorption in p-doped structures is attributed primarily to increased carrier scattering rates and can bring benefit when structures are configured as optical modulators with enhancements in the figure of merit. However, increased carrier scattering limits the maximum modal gain that can be achieved for lasers. The state filling caused by p-doping only marginally reduces absorption but assists laser operation with increased differential gain and gain magnitude at lower current densities.
IPD3, a master regulator of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis, affects genes for immunity and metabolism of non-host Arabidopsis when restored long after its evolutionary loss
Authors: Hornstein Eli D. , Charles Melodi , Franklin Megan , Edwards Brianne , Vintila Simina , Kleiner Manuel , Sederoff Heike
Published: February 2024

Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis (AM) is a beneficial trait originating with the first land plants, which has subsequently been lost by species scattered throughout the radiation of plant diversity to the present day, including the model Arabidopsis thaliana. To explore if elements of this apparently beneficial trait are still present and could be reactivated we generated Arabidopsis plants expressing a constitutively active form of Interacting Protein of DMI3, a key transcription factor that enables AM within the Common Symbiosis Pathway, which was lost from Arabidopsis along with the AM host trait. We characterize the transcriptomic effect of expressing IPD3 in Arabidopsis with and without exposure to the AM fungus (AMF) Rhizophagus irregularis, and compare these results to the AM model Lotus japonicus and its ipd3 knockout mutant cyclops-4. Despite its long history as a non-AM species, restoring IPD3 in the form of its constitutively active DNA-binding domain to Arabidopsis altered expression of specific gene networks. Surprisingly, the effect of expressing IPD3 in Arabidopsis and knocking it out in Lotus was strongest in plants not exposed to AMF, which is revealed to be due to changes in IPD3 genotype causing a transcriptional state, which partially mimics AMF exposure in non-inoculated plants. Our results indicate that molecular connections to symbiosis machinery remain in place in this nonAM species, with implications for both basic science and the prospect of engineering this trait for agriculture.
Environmental Energy Production and Wastewater Treatment Using Synthesized Pd Nanoparticles with Biological and Photocatalytic Activity
Authors: Tiri Rima Nour Elhouda , Aygun Aysenur , Bekmezci Muhammed , Gonca Serpil , Ozdemir Sadin , Kaymak Gullu , Karimi-Maleh Hassan , Sen Fatih
Published: February 2024

Metallic nanoparticles have attracted great attention in catalytic, medical diagnosis, and treatment research in recent years. The formation of palladium nanoparticles using rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extract was carried out using the green synthesis method. The plant was extracted using 70% ethanol by microwave techniques. The novelty of this study is the investigation of the biological activities of green synthesis of Pd nanoparticles, such as DNA cleavage activity, antimicrobial activity, DPPH scavenging activity, and its electro-catalytic performance in alcohol oxidation. Additionally, photocatalytic activities were also evaluated. The characterization of synthesized palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) was performed by UV-spectrometry, XRD, FTIR, and TEM. According to TEM results, Pd nanoparticles were observed to have a spherical shape and an average particle size of 4.91 nm. The Pd NPs showed the photodegradation of MB solution by up to 79.9% at 120 min. The newly synthesized plant-mediated green synthesized Pd NPs showed the max and the min antimicrobial activity at 16 µg/mL and 256 µg/mL against L. pneumophila and C. albicans, respectively. The current density ratio of 48.22 mA/cm2 obtained in the study indicates that the obtained materials may be of interest in different applications. According to the results obtained, a direct relationship of extract use is observed in the synthesis of Pd nanoparticles and is a good way to reduce and stabilize metal salts. It has been determined that green Pd NPs have potential for use in energy production from alcohol oxidation and in medical applications.
Histological types of brain tumors diagnosed at the Kenyatta National Hospital between 2016 and 2019: a retrospective study
Authors: Gesaka Samwel Rema , Okemwa Parmenas Minda , Mwachaka Philip Maseghe
Published: February 2024

Purpose

To determine the histological types of brain tumors diagnosed at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.

Methods

This retrospective study retrieved patient-archived records at the Kenyatta National Hospital for the period 2016–2019. The histological types of brain tumors were assessed according to age, sex, and the WHO classification for CNS tumors using the GNU PSPP version 1.6.2-g78a33 software. Results were presented in tables and figures.

Results

During the study period, brain tumors appeared to increase gradually; however, there was a decline in 2018. During the study period, 345 brain tumor records were retrieved. Data on age were missing 33 records; hence, 312 records were included for age analyses. The mean age for the pediatrics and adults was 9 (± 5 SD) and 45 (± 14 SD) years, respectively. 88 (28.2%) and 224 (71.8%) tumors were diagnosed among pediatrics and adults, respectively. Most tumors, 60 (19.2%) were reported in patients aged ≤ 10 years, followed by 55 (17.6%), 48 (15.4%), and 47 (15.1%) in patients aged 31–40, 51–60, and 41–50, years, respectively. In both pediatrics and adults, most tumors were diagnosed in females aged ≤ 10 years and 31–40 years, respectively. Overall, two peaks were observed in patients aged 5–15 years and 40–45 years. Gliomas, 43 (48.9%) and medulloblastomas, 21 (23.9%) were the most common tumors in pediatrics, whereas meningiomas, 107 (47.8%) and gliomas, 70 (31.3%) were the most common tumors in adults. Most pediatric and adult tumors were benign with 50 (56.8%) and 157 (70.1%) cases, respectively. Low-grade gliomas and medulloblastomas were the commonest benign and malignant tumors among pediatrics, with 31 (62%) and 21 (55.3%) cases, respectively. Conversely, meningiomas and high-grade gliomas were the most common benign and malignant tumors in adults, with 106 (67.5%) and 44 (65.7%) cases, respectively.

Conclusion

This study highlights the existing burden of brain tumors in Kenya and data from KNH may be representative of the national burden of BTs. This study lays a foundation for subsequent clinical and epidemiological studies and emphasizes the need to adopt existing reporting standards to help realize a complete picture of the burden of brain tumors in Kenya.
Superconductivity for Nuclear Fusion: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Haack Julia
Published: February 2024

Within fusion research and development, there are three main categories of fusion devices: magnetic confinement fusion, inertial confinement fusion, and magneto-inertial confinement. The focus on achieving power production has historically centered around magnetic confinement fusion, employing devices such as tokamaks, stellarators, and spheromaks. The plasma confinement in these machines relies on powerful magnetic fields generated from large, complex electromagnetic systems containing superconducting coils. Superconductivity, or the flow of current without resistance at low temperatures, allows the electromagnets to fulfill the demanding requirements of fusion devices. Analyzing the history of superconducting magnets in the application of fusion energy production provides necessary insight into the current state of the technology and allows for identification of current and future trends in research and development. Throughout its history, fusion research has experienced cyclic periods of depression followed by renewed interest. Breakthroughs in superconducting technologies have played a part in stimulating these periods of renaissance, cementing its role as an enabling technology for fusion. Future trends in research aim to address several challenges in using superconducting magnets in fusion devices, including manufacturing difficulties, irradiation and long-term availability, quench detection and protection, and finally the high cost of the materials and cryogenic cooling. The resolution of these issues is crucial for advancing fusion devices toward practical energy production.
Valorization of pyrolytic plastic-derived char for adsorption of wastewater contaminants: a kinetic and thermodynamic investigation
Authors: Barracco F. , Parisi E. , Pipitone G. , Simone E. , Bensaid S. , Fino D.
Published: February 2024

The sustainable management of plastic waste is one of the challenges of our time due to the high percentage of landfilling. One of the strategies is its thermal treatment via pyrolysis, but it is associated with the production of a char, necessitating a proper valorization pathway. In this work, we investigated for the first time the use as adsorbent of a real plastic-derived char obtained as such from a pyrolysis pilot plant. This is a novel approach with respect to literature, where the char is typically obtained as desired product. The adsorbent was characterized via several techniques, and methylene blue was chosen as representative contaminant of wastewater. The inorganic component (80 wt.%) was mainly associated with the presence of rod-like structures, rich in Si, while the organic fraction showed the occurrence of aromatic components. Under the thermodynamic point of view, Langmuir isotherm effectively fitted the experimental data (R2 = 0.98), while the kinetic results were well described by a pseudo-second-order law (R2 > 0.99). The negative Gibbs free energy highlighted that the adsorption process was spontaneous, and the enthalpy change (∆H0 = 7.18 kJ/mol) revealed the endothermic nature of the process, in a range characteristic of physisorption phenomena. Overall, this study highlights that a low-value char, derived from a real plastic waste, can be a promising valuable alternative to expensive adsorbents thanks to its adsorption capacity of 5.8 mg/g without prior activation treatments, hence being a starting point for the development of a holistic approach in plastic waste management.
A note on the rate of convergence of integration schemes for closed surfaces
Authors: Zavalani Gentian , Shehu Elima , Hecht Michael
Published: February 2024

In this paper, we issue an error analysis for integration over discrete surfaces using the surface parametrization presented in Praetorius and Stenger (Arch Numer Softw 1(1):2022, 2022) as well as prove why even-degree polynomials utilized for approximating both the smooth surface and the integrand exhibit a higher convergence rate than odd-degree polynomials. Additionally, we provide some numerical examples that illustrate our findings and propose a potential approach that overcomes the problems associated with the original one.
Effectiveness of oral semaglutide on glucose control and body weight up to 18 months: a multicenter retrospective real-world study
Authors: Bonora B. M. , Russo G. , Leonetti F. , Strazzabosco M. , Nollino L. , Aimaretti G. , Giaccari A. , Broglio F. , Consoli A. , Avogaro A. , Fadini G. P. ,   For the GLIMPLES Study Investigators
Published: February 2024

Aim

Oral semaglutide, an innovative orally administered GLP-1 receptor agonist for type 2 diabetes (T2D) management was herein evaluated for its effectiveness in a multi-center retrospective real-world study.

Methods

We included new-users of oral semaglutide from 18 specialist care centres and collected retrospective data on baseline clinical characteristics. Updated values of HbA1c and body weight were analyzed using the mixed model for repeated measures.

Results

The study included 166 individuals with T2D, predominantly men (64.5%), with a mean age of 64.4 years and a mean diabetes duration of 10.1 years. In the majority of patients (68.3%) oral semaglutide was used as a second-line drug, mostly with metformin. At baseline, mean BMI was 28.9 kg/m2 and HbA1c was 7.5%. During the 18-month observation period, oral semaglutide demonstrated significant reductions in HbA1c, with a maximum change of − 0.9%, and 42.1% of patients achieved HbA1c values below 7.0%. Additionally, there was a substantial reduction in body weight, with an estimated change of − 3.4 kg at 18 months, and 30.3% of patients experienced a 5% or greater reduction in baseline body weight. Only 24.2% of patients reached the 14 mg dose. Subgroup analysis revealed that baseline HbA1c > 7%, persistence on drug, not being on a prior therapy with DPP-4 inhibitors, and loosing 5% or more the initial body weight were associated with greater HbA1c reductions.

Conclusion

This study supports oral semaglutide as an effective option for T2D treatment, offering improved glucose control and weight management in a real-world setting.
Approaches to Design an Efficient, Predictable Global Post-approval Change Management System that Facilitates Continual Improvement and Drug Product Availability
Authors: Vinther Anders , Ramnarine Emma , Gastineau Thierry , O’Brien Laura , Brehm Oliver , Fryrear David
Published: February 2024

The complexity and inter-connectedness of operating in a global world for drug product supply has become an undeniable reality, further underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic. For Post-Approval Changes (PACs) that are an inevitable part of a product’s commercial life, the impact of the growing global regulatory complexity and related drug shortages has brought the GlobalPACManagement System to an inflection point in particular for companies that have their products marketed in many countries.

This paper illustrates through data analyzed for the first time from 145,000 + PACs for 156 countries, collected by 18 global pharma companies over a 3-year period (2019–2021), how severe the problem of global regulatory complexity is. Only PACs requiring national regulatory agency (NRA) approval prior to implementation were included in the data set. 1 of the 156 country NRAs approved all submitted PACs within a period of 6 months. The 6-month timeline was chosen because it is the recommended review timeline for major changes in the WHO guidance for vaccines and biotherapeutic products. 10 out of the 156 (6%) countries had no more than 10% of the PACs reviewed and approved in > 6 months. In 33 (22%) countries more than half of the PACs took > 6 months for approval. It is rare that the same PAC is approved globally within 6 months as individual NRAs take from a few months to years (in some cases > 5 years) for their review.

The global PAC management complexity has steadily grown over the past 20 years. Attempts thus far to solve this problem have not made any meaningful difference. Senior leaders and decision-makers across the interdependent components of the complex Global PAC Management System (industry and regulators) must come together and collaboratively manage the problem holistically with the objective of ensuring global drug product availability instead of continuing with distinct stakeholder or country-focused solutions, which can tend to worsen the problem.

In this paper, the Chief Quality Officers (CQOs) from 18 of the largest innovator pharma companies (see Acknowledgements) are speaking with One-Voice-of-Quality for PACs (1VQ for PACs Initiative). They are recommending a set of 8 approaches to activate a holistic transformation of the Global PAC Management System. This article presents their view on the problem of global regulatory complexity for managing PACs, it’s impact on continual improvement and the risk to drug product supply, as well as approaches that can help alleviate the problem.
Magnesium cements and their carbonation curing: a state-of-the-art review
Authors: Haque M. Aminul , Dai Jian-Guo , Zhao Xiao-Ling
Published: February 2024

The Portland cement (PC) production industry is a key contributor of CO2 emission. The demand of cement is mounting day by day due to the rapid infrastructure development in the world. Consequently, CO2 discharge from the construction sector is continuously increasing and accounts for about 8% of the total CO2 emission, which becomes a global concern nowadays. Wide applications of eco-friendly cements can significantly reduce the CO2 release. Therefore, use of magnesium cements (MCs) might be a promising solution to ease such concern. As a rapid hardening cement, MCs can be characterized as low-carbon due to their lower embodied energy and carbon storage ability during the service. This review mainly summarizes the findings of previous studies related to the carbonation performances of PC blended with magnesia and MCs products, and particularly, the influence of Accelerated carbonation curing (ACC) process on the properties of MCs and corresponding CO2 sequestration performance. The effects of ACC on mechanical strength, hydration and mineral carbonation mechanisms, pore structures, pore solution pH and thermal properties are discussed. The limitations of existing research are also discussed, which may provide the directions for future research and development of MC material products.
Reusable magnetically-modified Enteromorpha prolifera-based biochar hydrogels: competitive removal mechanism for metal-organic dye composite contaminants
Authors: Song Zihan , Liu Yonglin , Liu Lin , Yang Chuanxi , Tian Wei , Duan Baorong , Fang Xu , Ren Yunke , Zhang Mingkun , Xiong Si , Gong Yuzhuo , Sun Haofen , Wang Weiliang
Published: February 2024

Dyes and heavy metals pollute the environment. Biochar-based hydrogel is an excellent adsorbent, but the competitive adsorption mechanism associated with the removal of pollutants using biochar is yet to be understood in detail. Biochar was prepared following the process of high-temperature lysis of marine green tide (Enteromorpha prolifera). The prepared biochar was cross-linked with water-soluble chitosan and compounded with nano-Fe3O4 to synthesize magnetically-modified Enteromorpha prolifera-based biochar hydrogel (MM-EBC-HD). The competitive removal performance of the hydrogel was studied, and the pollutant removal mechanism was analyzed against a binary system consisting of common environmental pollutants (methyl orange [MO] and hexavalent chromium [Cr (VI)]. The physical and chemical properties of the composites were studied before and after contaminant removal, and the associated pollutant removal mechanisms were analyzed by SEM, EDS, FTIR, XRD, and XPS techniques. The effects of pH, temperature and initial pollutant concentration on the adsorption performance of the materials were examined. The maximum adsorption of MO on MM-EBC-HD was 71.18 mg g−1, and adsorption equilibrium was attained at approximately 60 min. Electrostatic forces, hydrophobic bonds, and hydrogen bonds were exploited for MO adsorption. And the maximum adsorption amount of Cr (VI) was recorded to be 115.41 mg g−1, and equilibrium was attained in approximately 10 min. Electrostatic and ion exchange effects were exploited to adsorb Cr (VI) efficiently. The MO and Cr (VI) adsorption processes could be explained by the second-order kinetic model and Langmuir adsorption isotherms, respectively. The adsorption performance recorded for the binary adsorption system was poorer than that recorded for the single adsorption system for both pollutants. MO and Cr (VI) adsorption decreased from 74.88% to 47.65% and from 62.33% to 42.4%, respectively. Competition between MO and Cr (VI) in the dual system can be attributed to the presence of amino and hydroxyl groups. The MO–Cr complex, which was more compact in structure than a single contaminant, was formed, allowing few reactive groups to be exposed to the surface of the hydrogel. Additionally, MM-EBC-HD nanocomposites presented a recovery rate of 87% after 5 cycles and thus could be used to avoid adsorbents-caused environmental hazards.

Graphical Abstract
A revisit of the normalized eight-point algorithm and a self-supervised deep solution
Authors: Fan Bin , Dai Yuchao , Seo Yongduek , He Mingyi
Published: February 2024

The normalized eight-point algorithm has been widely viewed as the cornerstone in two-view geometry computation, where the seminal Hartley’s normalization has greatly improved the performance of the direct linear transformation algorithm. A natural question is, whether there are and how to find other normalization methods that can further improve the performance for each input sample. In this paper, we provide a novel perspective and propose two contributions to this fundamental problem: (1) we revisit the normalized eight-point algorithm and make a theoretical contribution by presenting the existence of different and better normalization algorithms; (2) we introduce a deep convolutional neural network with a self-supervised learning strategy for normalization. Given eight pairs of correspondences, our network directly predicts the normalization matrices, thus learning to normalize each input sample. Our learning-based normalization module can be integrated with both traditional (e.g., RANSAC) and deep learning frameworks (affording good interpretability) with minimal effort. Extensive experiments on both synthetic and real images demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach.
Adaptive neural network anti-disturbance control of a cable-driven flexible-joint-based underwater vehicle manipulator system with dead-zone input nonlinearities via multiple neural observers
Authors: Wang Hongdu , Zhang Ning , Shah Umer Hameed , Li Ming , Hou Dongdong
Published: February 2024

To achieve the requirements of lightweight, low energy consumption, and low inertia of an underwater vehicle manipulator system, a cable-driven manipulator is installed on the underwater vehicle to form a cable-driven flexible-joint-based underwater vehicle manipulator system (CDFJ–UVMS). The CDFJ–UVMS is a complex nonlinear system subject to model uncertainties, complex marine environment disturbances, and actuator dead-zone nonlinearity. To design track controllers, the CDFJ–UVMS dynamics is divided into two parts: known and unknown. Subsequently, a radial basis function neural network is adopted to approximate the unknown nonlinearity. A neural network performance observer is constructed, whose estimation error is then used to design a novel neural disturbance observer (NDO) to estimate the total disturbance. Finally, an adaptive neural network control method is proposed for the CDFJ–UVMS based on the NDO, neural network compensator, and neural performance observer. The stability of the closed-loop system is analyzed using the Lyapunov method. The proposed control algorithm is applied to a CDFJ–UVMS with two cable-driven joints and compared with other control methods to show the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm.
Multi-scale spatial features and temporal attention mechanisms: advancing the accuracy of ENSO prediction
Authors: Tao Shengen , Li Yanqiu , Gao Feng , Fan Hao , Dong Junyu , Gan Yanhai
Published: February 2024

The exponential progression in oceanic observational technology has fostered the accumulation of substantial time series data pivotal for predictions in ocean meteorology. Foremost among the phenomena observed is El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a critical determinant in the interplay of global ocean atmosphere interactions, with its severe manifestations inducing extreme meteorological conditions. Therefore, precisely predicting ENSO events carries immense gravitas. Historically, predictions hinged primarily on dynamic models and statistical approaches; however, the intricate and multifaceted spatiotemporal dynamics of ENSO events have often impeded the accuracy of these traditional methodologies. A notable lacuna in contemporary research is the insufficient exploration of long-term dependencies within oceanic data and the suboptimal integration of spatial information derived from spatiotemporal data. To address these limitations, this study introduces a forward-thinking ENSO prediction framework synergizing multiscale spatial features with temporal attention mechanisms. This innovation facilitates a more profound exploration of temporal and spatial domains, enhancing the retention of extensive-period data while optimizing the use of spatial information. Preliminary analyses executed on the global ocean data assimilation system dataset attest to the superior efficacy of the proposed method, underscoring a substantial improvement over established methods including SA-convolutional long short-term memory, particularly in facilitating long-term predictions.The source code and datasets are provided. The code is available at https://github.com/tse1998/ENSO-prediction.
WaterPairs: a paired dataset for underwater image enhancement and underwater object detection
Authors: Chen Long , Dong Xirui , Xie Yunzhou , Wang Sen
Published: February 2024

Due to its importance in marine engineering and aquatic robotics, underwater image enhancement works as a preprocessing step to improve the performance of high-level vision tasks such as underwater object detection and recognition. Although several studies exhibit that underwater image enhancement algorithms can boost the detection accuracy of detectors, no work has focused on studying the relationship between these two tasks. This is mainly because current underwater datasets lack either bounding box annotations or high-quality reference images, based on which detection accuracy or image quality assessment metrics are calculated. To examine how underwater image enhancement methods affect underwater object detection tasks, we provide a large-scale underwater object detection dataset with both bounding box annotations and high-quality reference images, namely, the WaterPairs dataset. The WaterPairs dataset offers a platform for researchers to comprehensively study the influence of underwater image enhancement algorithms on underwater object detection tasks. We will release our dataset at https://github.com/IanDragon/WaterPairs once this paper is accepted.
Validity of matched-field source localization in under-ice shallow water
Authors: Liu Chonglei , Zhang Yangfan , Yin Li , Huang Haining
Published: February 2024

Underwater source localization, such as matched-field processing (MFP), triangulation, and waveguide invariant, have been extensively investigated in temperate oceans. Seasonal or yearlong ice floes or ice cover exist in high-latitude sea regions and the polar ocean. In under-ice shallow water, sound interacts frequently with ice and sea bottom, which results in dramatic reflection, attenuation, and modal dispersion. The boundary effects generate more uncertainties in model-based source localization methods, for example, the MFP method. In this work, we develop the preliminary scheme of the under-ice MFP. The performances of the incoherent Bartlett and minimum variance algorithms are verified by real data collected by a 12-element Vertical line array with a space of 1 m for a source (650–750 Hz) at 2.7-km range and 5-m depth in the northern Yellow Sea in winter. The experimental findings demonstrate that the range error is within 2% and the depth error is within 10%. The error primarily originates from the uncertainty of sea bottom parameters.