bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
More help than harm: surgery for metastatic spinal cord compression is associated with more favorable overall survival within a propensity score analysis
Authors: Leitner Lukas , Bratschitsch Gerhard , Kostwein Anna , Sadoghi Patrick , Smolle Maria , Leithner Andreas , Posch Florian
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Indication for surgical decompression in metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) is often based on prognostic scores such as the modified Bauer score (mBs), with favorable prognosis suggestive of surgery and poor prognosis of non-surgical management. This study aimed to clarify if (1) surgery may directly affect overall survival (OS) aside from short-term neurologic outcome, (2) explore whether selected patient subgroups with poor mBs might still benefit from surgery, and (3) gauge putative adverse effects of surgery on short-term oncologic outcomes.

Methods

Single-center propensity score analyses with inverse-probability-of-treatment-weights (IPTW) of OS and short-term neurologic outcomes in MSCC patients treated with or without surgery between 2007 and 2020.

Results

Among 398 patients with MSCC, 194 (49%) underwent surgery. During a median follow-up of 5.8 years, 355 patients (89%) died. MBs was the most important predictor for spine surgery (p < 0.0001) and the strongest predictor of favorable OS (p < 0.0001). Surgery was associated with improved OS after accounting for selection bias with the IPTW method (p = 0.021) and emerged as the strongest determinant of short-term neurological improvement (p < 0.0001). Exploratory analyses delineated a subgroup of patients with an mBs of 1 point who still benefited from surgery, and surgery did not result in a higher risk of short-term oncologic disease progression.

Conclusion

This propensity score analysis corroborates the concept that spine surgery for MSCC associates with more favorable neurological and OS outcomes. Selected patients with poor prognosis might also benefit from surgery, suggesting that even those with low mBs may be considered for this intervention.
Urinary metabolites associate with the presence of diabetic kidney disease in type 2 diabetes and mediate the effect of inflammation on kidney complication
Authors: Shi Caifeng , Wan Yemeng , He Aiqin , Wu Xiaomei , Shen Xinjia , Zhu Xueting , Yang Junwei , Zhou Yang
Published: May 2023

Aims

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the one of the leading causes of end-stage kidney disease. Unraveling novel biomarker signatures capable to identify patients with DKD is favorable for tackle the burden. Here, we investigated the possible association between urinary metabolites and the presence of DKD in type 2 diabetes (T2D), and further, whether the associated metabolites improve discrimination of DKD and mediate the effect of inflammation on kidney involvement was evaluated.

Methods

Two independent cohorts comprising 192 individuals (92 DKD) were analyzed. Urinary metabolites were analyzed by targeted metabolome profiling  and inflammatory cytokine IL-18 were measured by ELISA. Differentially expressed metabolites were selected and mediation analysis was carried out.

Results

Seven potential metabolite biomarkers (i.e., S-Adenosyl-L-homocysteine, propionic acid, oxoadipic acid, leucine, isovaleric acid, isobutyric acid, and indole-3-carboxylic acid) were identified using the discovery and validation design. In the pooled analysis, propionic acid, oxoadipic acid, leucine, isovaleric acid, isobutyric acid, and indole-3-carboxylic acid were markedly and independently associated with DKD. The composite index of 7 potential metabolite biomarkers (CMI) mediated 32.99% of the significant association between the inflammatory IL-18 and DKD. Adding the metabolite biomarkers improved the discrimination of DKD.

Conclusions

In T2D, several associated urinary metabolites were identified to improve the prediction of DKD. Whether interventions aimed at reducing CMI also reduce the risk of DKD especially in patients with high IL-18 needs further investigations.
Incidence of acute neurosurgery for traumatic brain injury in children—a nationwide analysis from 1998 to 2018
Authors: Möttönen Julius , Ponkilainen Ville T. , Iverson Grant L. , Luoto Teemu , Mattila Ville M. , Kuitunen Ilari
Published: May 2023

Background

Most of moderate and severe pTBIs are managed conservatively, but in some cases neurosurgical interventions are needed. The incidence rates of acute pTBI neurosurgery vary considerably between countries and operation types. Our goal was to assess the incidence of acute pTBI neurosurgery in Finland.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective Finnish register-based cohort study from 1998 to 2018. We included all patients that were 0 to 17 years of age at the time of the TBI. The incidence rates of patients with pTBI undergoing neurosurgery and the rates for specific operation types were calculated per 100,000 person-years. We compared the annual incidences with incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We stratified patients to three age categories: (i) 0 to 3 years of age, (ii) 4 to 12 years of age, and (iii) 13 to 17 years of age.

Results

The total number of neurosurgeries for acute pTBI during the study period was 386, and the cumulative incidence was 1.67 operations per 100,000 person-years. The cumulative incidence during the 21-year follow-up was highest at the age of 16 (IRR 4.78, CI 3.68 to 6.11). Boys had a 2.42-time higher cumulative incidence (IRR 2.35, CI 1.27 to 3.99) than girls (IRR 0.97, CI 0.35 to 2.20). The most common neurosurgery was an evacuation of an intracranial hemorrhage (n = 171; 44.3%).

Conclusion

The incidence of neurosurgeries for pTBIs has been stable from 1998 to 2018. The incidence was highest at the age of 16, and boys had higher incidence than girls.
Quantity discrimination by kittens of the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus)
Authors: Szenczi Péter , Martínez-Byer Sandra , Chacha Jimena , Hudson Robyn , Bánszegi Oxána
Published: May 2023

Quantitative abilities are well described in many species and in diverse life situations, including in the adult domestic cat. However, such abilities have been much less studied during ontogeny. In the present study we examined spontaneous quantity discrimination by pre-weaning age kittens in two-way food choice experiments. In Experiment 1, 26 kittens performed 12 trials with different ratios between the number of same-size food items. In Experiment 2, 24 other kittens performed eight trials with different ratios between the size of two food items. We found, in general, that the kittens discriminated between the different amounts of food and spontaneously chose the larger one, but that their choice was influenced by the ratio of difference. The kittens in Experiment 1 chose the larger number of same-size food items if the ratio was smaller than 0.4 and in Experiment 2 they chose the larger pieces of food if the ratio between the items was smaller than 0.5. Because the kittens’ choice was not influenced by the absolute number of food items or the numerical difference between them in Experiment 1, it suggests that their cognitive performance relied on an analog magnitude system rather than on an object file system during the quantity discrimination tasks. We discuss our results considering the ecological and social background of cats and compare it with the performance of previously studied species.
Surgical management of symptomatic hemangioma of the geniculate ganglion: fascicular-sparing resection or grafting?
Authors: Giotta Lucifero Alice , Luzzi Sabino , Rabski Jessica , Meredith David , Kadri Paulo Abdo do Seixo , Al-Mefty Ossama
Published: May 2023

Geniculate ganglion hemangioma (GGH) is rarely presented in the neurosurgical literature. It extends extradurally on the middle fossa floor and displaces the intratemporal part of the facial nerve. Surgical treatment is advisable at early symptoms. Proposed techniques include fascicular-sparing resection or nerve interruption with grafting. No definitive conclusions exist about the superiority of a certain technique in preserving facial nerve integrity and function. Through the description of a surgically managed symptomatic GGH, we herein discuss literature data about the surgical results of fascicular-sparing resection versus grafting. A PRISMA-based literature search was performed on the PubMed database. Only articles in English and published since 1990 were selected and furtherly filtered based on the best relevance. Statistical comparisons were performed with ANOVA. One hundred sixteen GGHs were collected, 56 were treated by fascicular-sparing resection, and 60 were treated by grafting. The facial function was improved, or unchanged, in 53 patients of the fascicular-sparing group and 30 patients of the grafting one. Sixty-five patients achieved a good (House–Brackmann (HB) grade III) postoperative facial outcome, of which 47 and 18 belonged to the fascicular-sparing and grafting group, respectively. Greater efficacy of the fascicular-sparing technique in the achievement of a better facial outcome was found (p = 0.0014; p = 0.0022). A surgical resection at the earliest symptoms is critical to preserve the facial nerve function in GGHs. Fascicular-sparing resection should be pursued in symptomatic cases with residual facial function (I–III HB). Conversely, grafting has a rationale for higher HB grades (V–VI). Broader studies are required to confirm these findings and turn them into new therapeutic perspectives.
Neopterin Levels in Bonobos Vary Seasonally and Reflect Symptomatic Respiratory Infections
Authors: Kreyer Mélodie , Behringer Verena , Deimel Caroline , Fruth Barbara
Published: May 2023

As environmental changes exacerbate the threat coming from infectious diseases in wild mammal species, monitoring their health and gaining a better understanding of the immune functioning at the species level have become critically important. Neopterin is a biomarker of cell-mediated immune responses to intracellular infections. We investigated the variation of urinary neopterin (uNeo) levels of wild, habituated bonobos (Pan paniscus) in relation to individual and environmental factors. We used 309 urine samples collected between 2010 and 2018 at the LuiKotale field site, DRC. Based on current knowledge on zoo-housed conspecifics and closely related species, we predicted uNeo levels to increase (1) during infections, (2) with increasing age, (3) over the gestation period and in estrous females; and (4) to vary seasonally. Our results showed uNeo levels varied over a one-year period and increased in individuals showing respiratory symptoms. Contrary to chimpanzees, uNeo levels did not vary with age or female reproductive status, possibly due to our small sample size. Our study provides a baseline for a better understanding of bonobo’s immunocompetence in the context of socio-ecological pressures and for monitoring the health of wild populations.
Aerosols’ variability and their relationship with climatic parameters over West Africa
Authors: Ochei Michael , Oluleye Ayodeji , Wolke Ralf , Pratt Dawn , Njie Teeda
Published: May 2023

Aerosols’ influences on Earth’s climate have been documented by several authors. This ranges from scattering and reflecting of shortwave radiation (direct effect) which is also regarded as the “Whitehouse Effect,” to the ability to act as condensation nuclei (indirect effect) which results in cloud droplet formation. This broad summary of aerosol’s effect on earth’s climate has in turn affected some other weather variables either positively or negatively depending on people’s perspectives. This work was done in a view to ascertaining some of these claims by determining the statistical significance of some certain aerosol’s relationships with some selected weather variables. This was done over six (6) stations across the West African region to represent the climatic zones from the rainforest around the coasts to the desert of the Sahel. Data used consist of aerosol types (biomass burning, carbonaceous, dust, and PM2.5) and climatic types (convective precipitation, wind speed, and water vapor) over a period of 30 years, with the python and ferret programs explicitly used for the graphical analyses. Climatologically, locations close to the point source seem to record more of the presence of the pollutants than the farthest ones. Results indicated that aerosols were more pronounced in the dry months of NDJF over the rainforest region depending on the latitudinal position of the location. The relationship result showed a negative correlation between convective precipitation and aerosols, except carbonaceous. But the strongest relationship can be found between water vapor and the selected aerosol types.
Evaluating the use of UV photoluminescence for surveying the immature stages of rare butterflies: a case study using the Black Hairstreak (Satyrium pruni)
Authors: Tilley Gareth J. , Anderson Max , Stewart Alan J. A.
Published: May 2023

Conservation of rare and elusive butterflies can benefit from the use of contrasting survey techniques to confirm their presence and to understand the lifecycle in more detail. This case study trialed different survey techniques for all stages of the lifecycle (ova, larva, pupa and adult) to assess their value for monitoring Black Hairstreak (Satyrium pruni) populations in Britain.

Daytime surveys for well camouflaged ova, larvae and pupae yielded little success. However, the novel use of UV flashlights in nocturnal surveys for photoluminescent larvae was found to be an effective technique when compared to surveying adult butterflies. Critically, combined surveying for larvae and adults provides unique insights into the behaviour of the species at different stages in the lifecycle and, when used in combination, gives a more holistic understanding of the true nature of a colony of Black Hairstreak butterflies.

Implications for insect conservation: our results show that the novel use of nocturnal surveys for larvae with UV flashlights is a valuable technique for surveying for Black Hairstreak butterflies. It therefore has potential to be used in conjunction with other survey techniques for assessing the health of a colony and supporting conservation at different stages of the lifecycle of the butterfly.
Combined and distributional effects of EPL reduction and hiring incentives: an assessment using the Italian “Jobs Act”
Authors: Ardito Chiara , Berton Fabio , Pacelli Lia
Published: May 2023

After two decades of labour market reforms at the margin, the great recession created political scope to reduce the employment protection still benefitting the workers on open-ended contracts. To support employment levels, these policies have generally been combined with generous employment subsidies. While the theoretical and empirical literature on the two interventions taken in isolation appear generally abundant, almost nothing is known when they come combined. Analogously, no evidence is available on their distributional effects. This paper aims to fill these two gaps by means of counterfactual models estimated on high-frequency employer-employee-linked Italian data. Taking advantage of the quasi-experimental conditions created by the reforms enforced in Italy in 2015, we fit a (non-linear) difference-in-differences strategy into a competing risks duration model. We find prompt sensitivity of small firms to the incentives, while the large ones waited until they were combined with lower firing costs. Small firms substitute temporary for permanent employment, while larger ones do not seem inclined to forego fixed-term contracts, possibly for a probationary period. The reforms have benefitted domestic workers over foreigners, prime-age and older individuals over the young, and those with higher human capital. No gender effects emerge. Small firms operating in non-innovative sectors carry the bulk of heterogeneity effects. Finally, analysis on duration of newly activated open-ended contracts reveals a transitory effect, as separations jumped once the subsidies came to an end.
The Effect of Different Stabilisers on Stability and Photothermal Profiling of Gold Nanorods
Authors: Khoza Karabo Kamogelo , Lebepe Thabang Calvin , Mbaz Gracia it Mwad , Oluwafemi Oluwatobi Samuel
Published: May 2023

The photothermal application of gold nanorods (AuNRs) as a photothermal agent has gained popularity due to their optical, photothermal and biological properties. However, AuNRs are synthesised using a biotoxic surfactant (cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide) which limits their biological applications. Though different techniques have been established to address this challenge using different stabilizers or passivating agents, the effect of these stabilizers on AuNRs' colloidal stability, thermal stability, and photothermal conversion efficiency still need to be investigated. In this study, we evaluated the effect of different polymers or stabilisers; two synthetic polymers [methoxy polyethylene glycol thiol (mPEG-SH) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)] and one biopolymer (gelatin) on the stability and photothermal properties of AuNRs. AuNRs absorbing around 800 nm were synthesised and coated with these three stabilisers. The colloidal stability of the as-synthesised material was evaluated in Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI-1640) using Ultraviolet–Visible–Near-Infrared (UV–Vis–NIR). The results show that PEG@AuNRs was more stable in both media due to fewer functional groups on its structure to bond with ions and protein. PVP@AuNRs showed good thermal stability under heat incubation (at 37, 50 and 70 °C) for 24 h because of its high thermal decomposition properties, while PEG@AuNRs proved superior in improving the AuNRs heat generation. In addition, coating with different polymers did not affect the photothermal ability of AuNRs. This study demonstrated that it is crucial to choose polymers with less functional groups when coating nanoparticles for biological application.
Measuring human mobility in times of trouble: an investigation of the mobility of European populations during COVID-19 using big data
Authors: Guardabascio Barbara , Brogi Federico , Benassi Federico
Published: May 2023

Spatial mobility is a distinctive feature of human history and has important repercussions in many aspects of societies. Spatial mobility has always been a subject of interest in many disciplines, even if only mobility observable from traditional sources, namely migration (internal and international) and more recently commuting, is generally studied. However, it is the other forms of mobility, that is, the temporary forms of mobility, that most interest today’s societies and, thanks to new data sources, can now be observed and measured. This contribution provides an empirical and data-driven reflection on human mobility during the COVID pandemic crisis. The paper has two main aims: (a) to develop a new index for measuring the attrition in mobility due to the restrictions adopted by governments in order to contain the spread of COVID-19. The robustness of the proposed index is checked by comparing it with the Oxford Stringency Index. The second goal is (b) to test if and how digital footprints (Google data in our case) can be used to measure human mobility. The study considers Italy and all the other European countries. The results show, on the one hand, that the Mobility Restriction Index (MRI) works quite well and, on the other, the sensitivity, in the short term, of human mobility to exogenous shocks and intervention policies; however, the results also show an inner tendency, in the middle term, to return to previous behaviours.
Subsidizing private childcare in a universal regime
Authors: Räsänen Tapio , Österbacka Eva
Published: May 2023

All families in Finland have the freedom to choose between subsidized home care, universal public childcare, and private childcare. We study the impact of the introduction of private childcare subsidies in Finland. Private childcare subsidies have causal effects on take-up but no impact on home care or employment among women with small children. Instead, private services seem to crowd out public childcare. Private services have a socioeconomic gradient by mother’s education that steepens when the subsidy increases. Families’ preferences between home care, public childcare, and private childcare do not explain the result.
What are the main environmental impacts and products contributing to the biodiversity footprint of EU consumption? A comparison of life cycle impact assessment methods and models
Authors: Sanyé-Mengual Esther , Biganzoli Fabrizio , Valente Antonio , Pfister Stephan , Sala Serenella
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Recent developments in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) target at better addressing biodiversity impacts, including the extended modeling of drivers of biodiversity loss. This led to the development of multiple LCIA methods addressing the area of protection of ecosystem quality (i.e, biodiversity loss) over time. This paper aims at systematically comparing available operational LCIA methods and models for assessing the main drivers of biodiversity impacts of EU consumption and unveiling similarities and differences among current methods.

Methods

This paper compares the biodiversity impacts of EU consumption by implementing eight LCIA methods and models: five full LCIA methods (namely, LC-IMPACT, Impact World + , Ecological Scarcity 2013, ReCiPe 2016, and Stepwise), a land-use intensity-specific LCIA model, and two approaches based on the GLOBIO model. The EU Consumption Footprint model is adopted as case study. The comparative analysis between the assessed methods aimed at identifying convergent and divergent results regarding the drivers of biodiversity impacts of EU consumption. The analysis focused on four different levels: impact category, representative product (modeled consumed products), inventory process, and elementary flow. The agreement among the methods in defining an element as relevant was evaluated. Finally, gaps among methods were assessed in terms of coverage of impact categories and elementary flows.

Results and discussion

The analysis unveiled that there is a certain level of agreement among available LCIA methods and models regarding the most contributing impact categories and products to the overall biodiversity footprint due to EU consumption. Land use, climate change, and ecotoxicity had a major contribution to overall impacts, thereby highlighting their role as drivers of biodiversity loss. Biodiversity impacts were due to a limited number of consumed products, where food (meat), mobility, and household goods were identified as top contributors. Most contributing inventory processes and elementary flows were associated to most contributing representative products (e.g, animal feed). The relevance and presence of elementary flows in LCIA methods and models were heterogeneous for most of the impact categories.

Conclusions

The results of this study highlight the importance of impact category coverage in the assessment of biodiversity impacts. Limited coverage of impact categories (e.g, methods limited to assess land use) might underestimate the impacts of other drivers of biodiversity loss, especially climate change and ecotoxicity. Further efforts are required to assess the effects of spatial regionalization and the inclusion of missing drivers, recently developed in LCIA.
Investigation of Novel Nano-carbide WC/CoCr Coatings Applied by HVAF
Authors: Bobzin K. , Wietheger W. , Burbaum E. , Johann L. M. , Rempe L. J. , Matikainen V. , Kanerva U. , Karhu M. , Lagerbom J. , Kaunisto K. , Lartigue J.-F.
Published: May 2023

Wear leads to high material and energy losses in various industries. The manufacturing of novel nano-carbide WC/CoCr powder feedstock materials promises a further increase in the performance of thermally sprayed wear protection coatings. A novel experimental powder and a commercial ultra-fine carbide WC/CoCr reference are thermally sprayed onto a 1.0038 substrate by High Velocity Air Fuel (HVAF) spraying. The specimens are metallographically prepared and analyzed by means of light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Vickers Hardness testing is conducted by micro-indentation, and the porosities are determined by optical image analysis. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analysis is used to investigate the phase retention. Fine nanocrystalline WC structures are preserved in the dense coatings. A significant effect of powder type on the porosity of the coating was found. No systematic relationships could be identified between the coating structure and the two parameter settings. It was possible to influence decarburization via both the powder type and the selected parameters. The resulting experimental and commercial nanostructured WC/CoCr coatings exhibit high, narrow hardness values with medians of 1.400 < HV0.3 < 1.470. The novel nanostructured coating can contribute to reduced wear and therefore improve the efficient utilization of critical raw materials like tungsten.
Inhibition of TNF-α Oncogene Expression by Artemisia Annua L. Extract Against Pioglitazone Side Effects in Male Albino Mice
Authors: Botrous Silvia , Elmaghraby Ayaat , El-Achy Samar , Mustafa Yehia , Badr Effat , Haggag Amany , Abdel-Rahman Salah
Published: May 2023

Pioglitazone (Actos) is one of the most recent oral antidiabetic drugs for treating the second type of diabetes mellitus as a common chronic and lifelong disease, but with harmful side effects. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Artemisia annua L. extract against the Actos drug side effects in the male albino mice. In present study, the use of Actos drug alone induced hepatotoxicity, renal inflammation, hematological disorders and bladder cancer, which are manifested by biochemical abnormalities and histopathological changes, moreover, the severity of toxicity depends on its dose. In contrast, the concurrent treatment with both Actos drug (45 mg/kg) and Artemisia extract (4 g/kg) was effective against the harmful side effects of the Actos drug. Where, the biochemical, hematological and histopathological investigations showed that the hepatotoxicity, renal inflammation, hematological disorders and histopathological changes were improved using combination of Actos and Artemisia extract. In addition, the results of TNF-ɑ oncogene expression levels in bladder tissues were significantly decreased by about 99.99% using the mix of both Actos drug and Artemisia extract. In conclusion, these findings reveal that the Artemisia annua extract on TNF-ɑ oncogene expression level is very significant and effective natural product against harmful side effects of pioglitazone which associated with an increased risk of incident bladder cancer among people, but for application more studies must be achieved in that field.
The Role of Trainers in Implementing Virtual Simulation-based Training: Effects on Attitude and TPACK Knowledge
Authors: Polikarpus Stella , Luik Piret , Poom-Valickis Katrin , Ley Tobias
Published: May 2023

Virtual simulations (VS) are gaining more popularity in vocational education and training (VET) to train professional competencies. However, implementing VS into organisations requires the involvement of trainers in, and the development of their knowledge to fulfil a meaningful approach to integrating this technology into teaching. In the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences (EASS) VS have been used for more than a decade to train and assess rescue and police staff work and related competencies such as decision-making and problem-solving. As there is a lack of research as to the role of trainers in the implementation process of virtual simulation-based training (VSBT) in organisations, a survey among EASS trainers (N = 146) was used to reveal their role in the implementation, their attitudes towards the use of VS and their Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). While attitudes grow more positive with the use of VS and especially with training others to use it, integrated knowledge about using technology in training seems to depend on the active participation of trainers in its creation. We discuss the important role of involving trainers in the implementation of VS-based training to ensure the successful use of VS in vocational education.
The Topological State Derivative: An Optimal Control Perspective on Topology Optimisation
Authors: Baumann Phillip , Mazari-Fouquer Idriss , Sturm Kevin
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we introduce the topological state derivative for general topological dilatations and explore its relation to standard optimal control theory. We show that for a class of partial differential equations, the shape-dependent state variable can be differentiated with respect to the topology, thus leading to a linearised system resembling those occurring in standard optimal control problems. However, a lot of care has to be taken when handling the regularity of the solutions of this linearised system. In fact, we should expect different notions of (very) weak solutions, depending on whether the main part of the operator or its lower order terms are being perturbed. We also study the relationship with the topological state derivative, usually obtained through classical topological expansions involving boundary layer correctors. A feature of the topological state derivative is that it can either be derived via Stampacchia-type regularity estimates or alternately with classical asymptotic expansions. It should be noted that our approach is flexible enough to cover more than the usual case of point perturbations of the domain. In particular, and in the line of (Delfour in SIAM J Control Optim 60(1):22–47, 2022; J Convex Anal 25(3):957–982, 2018), we deal with more general dilatations of shapes, thereby yielding topological derivatives with respect to curves, surfaces or hypersurfaces. To draw the connection to usual topological derivatives, which are typically expressed with an adjoint equation, we show how usual first-order topological derivatives of shape functionals can be easily computed using the topological state derivative.
Toward an analysis of water resources components through the Budyko approach in a large-scale framework, Iran
Authors: Mianabadi Ameneh , Pourreza-Bilondi Mohsen
Published: May 2023

Analyzing the water resources components and connecting these components in the large-scale framework lead the decision makers and scientists to find better innovative and more effective solutions to water crisis challenges. Hence, in this study, the trend in the water balance components during 1984–2010 has been analyzed in all 30 major basins in Iran through the Budyko framework considering the role of nature and humans in the water systems. The results show that the evaporation ratio (E/P) is higher than one in the hyper-arid and arid areas, especially in the years with less precipitation. It indicates that in these regions, the basins are under non-steady-state conditions and do not follow the Budyko framework. The trend analysis shows that in the western parts of the country, precipitation is considerably decreasing, leading to less runoff and available surface water and more demand for groundwater extraction. However, the basins in these areas are still under steady-state conditions with inconsiderable water crises. We argue that policymakers need to provide appropriate long-term plans for drought and climate change adaptation focusing on groundwater management to avoid the critical water challenges in these areas.
On arclength problem for analytic functions
Authors: Chudziak Małgorzata , Nunokawa Mamoru , Sokół Janusz , Trybucka Edyta
Published: May 2023

Let $${\mathcal {A}}$$
A
be the class of functions $$\begin{aligned} g(z)=z+\sum _{n=2}^{\infty }a_nz^n \end{aligned}$$

g

(
z
)

=
z
+

∑

n
=
2

∞

a
n

z
n

which are analytic in the unit disk $${\mathbb {D}}=\{z:|z|<1\}$$

D
=
{
z
:
|
z
|
<
1
}

. We denote by C(r, g) the closed curve which is the image of $$|z|=r<1$$

|
z
|
=
r
<
1

under the mapping $$w=g(z)$$

w
=
g
(
z
)

, furthermore we denote by L(r, g) the length of C(r, g). In this paper we are interested in finding the maximum of the length L(r, f) as f(z) runs through all members of a fixed class of functions.
Association Between Uterine Volume and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Reproductive Outcomes of Infertile Patients with Adenomyosis
Authors: Zhang Wen , Pan Ningning , Han Bing , Li Xiaoxue , Li Rong , Ma Caihong , Qiao Jie
Published: May 2023

To explore the association between uterine volume and in vitro fertilization (IVF) reproductive outcomes of infertile patients with adenomyosis, we performed a retrospective cohort study of infertile patients with adenomyosis who underwent IVF from January 2009 to December 2019 in our clinical center. Patients were divided into five groups according to the uterine volume before the IVF cycle. A line graph was drawn to demonstrate the linear trend of IVF reproductive outcomes with uterine volume. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore the association between uterine volume of adenomyosis patients and IVF reproductive outcomes in first fresh embryo transfer (ET) cycle, first frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycle, and per ET cycle. Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression were conducted to evaluate the association between uterine volume and cumulative live birth. A total of 1155 infertile patients with adenomyosis were included. Clinical pregnancy rate showed no significant correlation with uterine volume in first fresh ET cycle, first FET cycle, and per ET cycle; miscarriage rate showed an upward trend with uterine volume increasement, in which the uterine volume turning point was 8 weeks of gestation; live birth rate showed a downward trend with turning point of 10 weeks of gestation. Subsequently, patients were divided into two groups (uterine volume ≤ 8 weeks of gestation vs. uterine volume > 8 weeks of gestation). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that patients with a uterus larger than 8 weeks of gestation had a higher miscarriage rate and a lower live birth rate in all ET cycles. Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression demonstrated lower cumulative live birth rate in patients with a uterine volume larger than 8 weeks of gestation. IVF reproductive outcome gets worse as uterine volume increases in infertile patients with adenomyosis. Adenomyosis patients with a uterus larger than 8 weeks of gestation had a higher miscarriage rate and a lower live birth rate.
Melatonin increases collagen content accumulation and Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 secretion in cultured human cardiac fibroblasts
Authors: Drobnik Marta , Tomaszewska Agnieszka , Ryżko Joanna , Kędzia Aleksandra , Gałdyszyńska Małgorzata , Piera Lucyna , Rydel Justyna , Szymański Jacek , Drobnik Jacek
Published: May 2023

Background

The extracellular matrix serves as a scaffold for cardiomyocytes, allowing them to work in accord. In rats, collagen metabolism within a myocardial infarction scar is regulated by melatonin. The present study determines whether melatonin influences matrix metabolism within human cardiac fibroblast cultures and examines the underlying mechanism.

Methods

The experiments were performed on cultures of cardiac fibroblasts. The Woessner method, 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative PCR were used in the study.

Results

Melatonin treatment lowered the total cell count within the culture, elevated necrotic and apoptotic cell count as well as augmented cardiac fibroblast proliferation, and increased total, intracellular, and extracellular collagen within the fibroblast culture; it also elevated type III procollagen α1 chain expression, without increasing procollagen type I mRNA production. The pineal hormone did not influence matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) release or glycosaminoglycan accumulation by cardiac fibroblasts. Melatonin increased the release of Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 (FGF-2) by human cardiac fibroblasts, but cardiotrophin release was not influenced.

Conclusion

Within human cardiac fibroblast culture, collagen metabolism is regulated by melatonin. The profibrotic effect of melatonin depends on the elevation of procollagen type III gene expression, and this could be modified by FGF-2. Two parallel processes, viz., cell elimination and proliferation, induced by melatonin, lead to excessive replacement of cardiac fibroblasts.
A study on the effect of repeated heating on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of cooking oils used by fried food vendors of Lucknow city
Authors: Mishra Sunita , Firdaus M. A. , Patel Monika , Pandey Gajanan
Published: May 2023

The degradation in the oil quality used by street food vendors during frying operations is an important health concern due to the toxic compounds produced in it. An effective strategy is to detect the oil quality by determining its physicochemical and antioxidant properties to prevent the use of potentially harmful oil. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of frying oils used by local fried food vendors of Lucknow city, India. Oil samples as fresh, after 5th batch and 10th batch of repeated frying (total 15 samples), were collected from five randomly selected street food vendors consumed regularly by the local people. All the samples were analyzed by evaluating physicochemical properties such as specific gravity (SG), viscosity, free fatty acid (FFA), iodine value (IV), peroxide value (PV) and saponification value (SV) using standard methods. The results revealed that almost all repeated frying oils collected were above the permissible limit for FFA, IV, and PV. It was noted that the highest values were obtained in 10th batch of repeated frying oils. On the other hand, slight variation was noted for the SG and SV in all oil samples. Increased usage of the repeated frying oils also resulted in a decrease in total phenolic content and total flavonoid content as compared to values obtained in fresh oil samples. In conclusion, the analysis shows that the repeated frying of vegetable cooking oil degrades its physicochemical and antioxidant qualities, thus should not be consumed.

Graphical Abstract
Blameworthiness, slips, and the obvious need to pay enough attention: an internalist response to capacitarians
Authors: Yates Thomas A.
Published: May 2023

Capacitarianism says that an agent can be non-derivatively blameworthy for wrongdoing if at the time of their conduct the agent lacked awareness of the wrong-making features of their conduct but had the capacity to be aware of those features. In this paper, I raise three objections to capacitarianism in relation to its verdict of the culpability of so-called “slips” and use these objections to support a rival (“accessibility internalist”) view which requires awareness of wrong-making features for non-derivative blameworthiness. The objections are that (1) the rival internalist view is just as capable of explaining the culpability of paradigm cases of slips; (2) there are some cases of slips without dispositional awareness of wrong-making features that capacitarians wrongly deem culpable; and (3) capacitarianism cannot adequately ground the reasonable expectation to avoid slips (as Fernando Rudy-Hiller has argued). I then argue that an internalist can simultaneously ground a reasonable expectation to avoid slips and account for slips’ culpability by pointing to the satisfaction of a novel epistemic condition: it is (dispositionally) obvious to the slipping agent that they need to pay enough attention to what they are doing, and how to pay enough attention, to reliably achieve the goal that they have set out to achieve.
A review on bauxite residue usage in air pollution control
Authors: Dwivedi Samridhi , Zehra Farheen , Shukla Neha , Rajanikanth B. S. , Lawrence Alfred J.
Published: May 2023

Exhausts or emission from industries/automobiles/indoor appliances is one of the most prominent sources of air pollution. Innumerable noxious gases have been identified and been recurrently treated through various technologies from past many decades. Cumulative studies suggest that air pollutants affect the respiratory and cardiovascular systems along with the central nervous system, may it be directly or indirectly. In particular, acquaintances to such air pollutants in early life can lead to developmental delays and may stunt neurological development. This review presents the recent technologies that have been tested at the laboratory level as well as in situ utilizing one of the abundantly available industrial wastes, i.e. red mud. Unlike the conventional expensive catalysts, red mud provides a cheaper alternative in the treatment of toxic exhaust gases from various sources. Furthermore, the review identifies the gap through which experts from other disciplines can explore the employment of red mud in the comprehensive spectrum of pollution control.
Completing the Picture of the Depression Housing Crisis
Authors: Harris Richard
Published: May 2023

The Depression housing crisis caused enormous distress, with social, economic and political implications. The roles and experiences of some major players are well established. Tenants were evicted. National statistics on foreclosures show that many property owners lost their homes. Lending institutions went under. Municipalities struggled when property tax receipts fell. The federal government stepped in, establishing new programs and agencies, with long-term consequences.

Other parts of the story have been neglected. Many borrowers surrendered their properties voluntarily, rather than await foreclosure. As vacancies rose and rents fell, landlords, many owning only one or two properties and/or renting part of their own homes, struggled. Neglected sources show they defaulted at a higher rate than homeowners. Among lenders, private individuals held more mortgages than any type of institution. Relying on investment income, many had a hard time. Both landlords and private lenders made concessions to avoid having to evict or foreclose, mitigating the effects of the Depression on tenants and borrowers. Sources exist to document local variations in the role of landlords and private lenders. These can give us a fuller picture of the Depression, one that still has relevance today.
Non-modal perturbation growth in a laminar jet: an experimental study
Authors: Ivanov O.O. , Ashurov D.A. , Gareev L.R. , Vedeneev V.V.
Published: May 2023

It is known that, apart from the growth of instability modes, the non-modal (algebraic) mechanism of linear growth plays an important role in near-wall flows. In unbounded flows, including submerged jets, the theoretical analysis of the non-modal growth mechanism started only in the last decade; this mechanism has not yet been identified in experiments. In the present work, experiments were conducted on the excitation of a non-modal ‘lift-up’ growth mechanism. Special wavy structures (deflectors) were introduced into a laminar round submerged jet, which excited a roller-like transverse motion. Based on experimental results, we definitely identify the non-modal ‘lift-up’ growth mechanism of introduced disturbances. The development of perturbations in the experiment qualitatively corresponds to the theoretically calculated optimal perturbations. The features of the transition to turbulence caused by non-modal growth are considered.
THE ROLE OF AN NSI IN A PANDEMIC
Authors: Diamond Ian
Published: May 2023

It is an enormous privilege for me to present the Deane–Stone lecture. As a young academic at the University of Southampton, I read so much of the work that came out of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and was always impressed. Also, as an undergraduate and as a master’s student at the London School of Economics, Sir Richard Stone and Professor Phyllis Deane featured prominently on my reading list. In my opinion, they were pioneers of economic measurement and, today, economists benefit hugely from their legacy.
Women in Legislative Studies: Improving Gender Equality
Authors: Powell Eleanor Neff , Schwindt-Bayer Leslie , Sin Gisela
Published: May 2023

Representation of women in the field of legislative politics is remarkably small and the absence of women has wide-ranging ramifications. In Fall 2019, we surveyed 361 women that we identified as studying legislative politics within political science to understand why women’s representation in legislative studies is so low and what we can do about it. We found that many women study legislatures, but they do not always identify as scholars of legislative studies, often do not join the Legislative Studies Section, and tend to prioritize other journals overLegislative Studies Quarterly, the official journal of the section. In this article, we discuss several solutions to the problem of women’s underrepresentation in legislative studies, including the new Women in Legislative Studies initiative.
HOW INDUSTRIALIZATION BECAME THE CORE OF RAÚL PREBISCH’S THOUGHT
Authors: Calcagno Adriana
Published: May 2023

This paper focuses on the intellectual path through which Raúl Prebisch placed industrialization at the center of his economic thought and policy recommendations. It shows how the changing international context of the 1930s and 1940s made him depart from laissez-faire and adopt countercyclical policies, gradually abandoning the agrarian export-led growth model and finally embracing industrialization as the new growth strategy for Argentina and Latin America.
Sulfur cycling connects microbiomes and biogeochemistry in deep-sea hydrothermal plumes
Authors: Zhou Zhichao , Tran Patricia Q , Adams Alyssa M , Kieft Kristopher , Breier John A , Fortunato Caroline S , Sheik Cody S , Huber Julie A , Li Meng , Dick Gregory J , Anantharaman Karthik
Published: May 2023

In globally distributed deep-sea hydrothermal vent plumes, microbiomes are shaped by the redox energy landscapes created by reduced hydrothermal vent fluids mixing with oxidized seawater. Plumes can disperse over thousands of kilometers and their characteristics are determined by geochemical sources from vents, e.g., hydrothermal inputs, nutrients, and trace metals. However, the impacts of plume biogeochemistry on the oceans are poorly constrained due to a lack of integrated understanding of microbiomes, population genetics, and geochemistry. Here, we use microbial genomes to understand links between biogeography, evolution, and metabolic connectivity, and elucidate their impacts on biogeochemical cycling in the deep sea. Using data from 36 diverse plume samples from seven ocean basins, we show that sulfur metabolism defines the core microbiome of plumes and drives metabolic connectivity in the microbial community. Sulfur-dominated geochemistry influences energy landscapes and promotes microbial growth, while other energy sources influence local energy landscapes. We further demonstrated the consistency of links among geochemistry, function, and taxonomy. Amongst all microbial metabolisms, sulfur transformations had the highest MW-score, a measure of metabolic connectivity in microbial communities. Additionally, plume microbial populations have low diversity, short migration history, and gene-specific sweep patterns after migrating from background seawater. Selected functions include nutrient uptake, aerobic oxidation, sulfur oxidation for higher energy yields, and stress responses for adaptation. Our findings provide the ecological and evolutionary bases of change in sulfur-driven microbial communities and their population genetics in adaptation to changing geochemical gradients in the oceans.