bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On Bewilderment, Education and Opening Spaces for Creativity and Emergent Educational Futures
Authors: Chave Sarah
Published: June 2024

In this chapter, I argue for the importance in education of space for bewildering questions: questions for which no-one yet knows the answer and where letting-go of certainty and acceptance of ambiguity is possible. This is especially important in this era of climate and ecological emergency where the emergence of new ways of thinking and being are urgently needed. In addition, there needs to be space for positive conceptions of ‘the wild’ and a be-wilder-ing of education processes themselves towards more demanding, rebellious, ruptive educational futures. This is a challenging move for Westernised pedagogy and its increasing desire to ‘sanitise’ knowledge.

I examine how encouraging aporia—literally lacking a poros, a path—can contribute to opening up ruptural spaces which embrace doubt and see within doubt ‘the questions that make a new understanding possible’ (Burbules, 1997, p. 40, Aporia: Webs, passages, getting lost, and learning to go on. In Philosophy of education 1997: A publication of the philosophy of education society (annual) (pp. 33–43). Philosophy of Education Society). I then draw on a range of thinkers including Arendt, Buber, The Crex Collective and hooks to foreground encounters, creative entwinings and care-ful, attentive listening which can re-centre more-than-human voices and forge new relationships. I argue that such embodied practices have potential to open relationships based on ‘aimance’ (Khatibi, 1995, Le livre de l’aimance. Editions Marsam) and what Snaza (2020, p. 108, Love and bewilderment: On education as affective encounter. In B. Dernikos, N. Lesko, S. McCall, & A. Niccolini (Eds.), Mapping the affective turn in education: Theory, research and pedagogies (pp. 108–121). Routledge) calls ‘possibilities of love beyond the limit of the human’.
Simple Rules for Riding the Emotional Roller Coaster
Authors: Shepherd Dean A. , Patzelt Holger , Breugst Nicola
Published: June 2024

This chapter offers simple rules for riding the emotional roller coaster. These simple rules are: Don’t ignore your negative emotions; running a venture can be exhausting, so make sure you manage your entrepreneurial energy right; follow your entrepreneurial passion; build your emotional intelligence; pursue moderate stress at work to enhance life; and build your team’s emotional intelligence to enhance its performance.
Simple Rules for Recognizing Opportunities
Authors: Shepherd Dean A. , Patzelt Holger , Breugst Nicola
Published: June 2024

This chapter offers simple rules for recognizing opportunities. These simple rules include when others constrain your career, look for an entrepreneurial career; invest effort to build expertise from your experience; don't be fooled by your experience; use entrepreneurship as a channel to express yourself; to design value, look for disruptions; motivate creativity to generate opportunities; and adopt an entrepreneurial mindset to learn and generate new things.
Simple Rules for Engaging External Stakeholders
Authors: Shepherd Dean A. , Patzelt Holger , Breugst Nicola
Published: June 2024

This chapter offers simple rules for engaging external stakeholders. These simple rules are: build a circle of trusted advisors and listen to them; don’t journey alone, involve others because entrepreneurship needs to be a social endeavor; when it comes to building relationships, do not always go for what is easy and natural; engage others in dialogue like a “good” professor does in a case discussion; emphasize inquiry with others, (instead of advocacy) for generating creative and innovative outcomes; to access resources, learn how to tell a good story; know your worth and communicate it to others for effective pricing; and ask for help.
Automated Reasoning for Mathematics
Authors: Avigad Jeremy
Published: June 2024

Throughout the history of automated reasoning, mathematics has been viewed as a prototypical domain of application. It is therefore surprising that the technology has had almost no impact on mathematics to date and plays almost no role in the subject today. This article presents an optimistic view that the situation is about to change. It describes some recent developments in the Lean programming language and proof assistant that support this optimism, and it reflects on the role that automated reasoning can and should play in mathematics in the years to come.
On the (In-)Completeness of Destructive Equality Resolution in the Superposition Calculus
Authors: Waldmann Uwe
Published: June 2024

Bachmair’s and Ganzinger’s abstract redundancy concept for the Superposition Calculus justifies almost all operations that are used in superposition provers to delete or simplify clauses, and thus to keep the clause set manageable. Typical examples are tautology deletion, subsumption deletion, and demodulation, and with a more refined definition of redundancy joinability and connectedness can be covered as well. The notable exception is Destructive Equality Resolution, that is, the replacement of a clause $$x \not \approx t \vee C$$

x
≉
t
∨
C

with $$x \notin \textrm{vars}(t)$$

x
∉
vars
(
t
)

by $$C\{x \mapsto t\}$$

C
{
x
↦
t
}

. This operation is implemented in state-of-the-art provers, and it is clearly useful in practice, but little is known about how it affects refutational completeness. We demonstrate on the one hand that the naive addition of Destructive Equality Resolution to the standard abstract redundancy concept renders the calculus refutationally incomplete. On the other hand, we present several restricted variants of the Superposition Calculus that are refutationally complete even with Destructive Equality Resolution.
Certified MaxSAT Preprocessing
Authors: Ihalainen Hannes , Oertel Andy , Tan Yong Kiam , Berg Jeremias , Järvisalo Matti , Myreen Magnus O. , Nordström Jakob
Published: June 2024

Building on the progress in Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solving over the last decades, maximum satisfiability (MaxSAT) has become a viable approach for solving -hard optimization problems. However, ensuring correctness of MaxSAT solvers has remained a considerable concern. For SAT, this is largely a solved problem thanks to the use of proof logging, meaning that solvers emit machine-verifiable proofs to certify correctness. However, for MaxSAT, proof logging solvers have started being developed only very recently. Moreover, these nascent efforts have only targeted the core solving process, ignoring the preprocessing phase where input problem instances can be substantially reformulated before being passed on to the solver proper.

In this work, we demonstrate how pseudo-Boolean proof logging can be used to certify the correctness of a wide range of modern MaxSAT preprocessing techniques. By combining and extending theVeriPBandCakePBtools, we provide formally verified end-to-end proof checking that the input and preprocessed output MaxSAT problem instances have the same optimal value. An extensive evaluation on applied MaxSAT benchmarks shows that our approach is feasible in practice.
An Empirical Assessment of Progress in Automated Theorem Proving
Authors: Sutcliffe Geoff , Suttner Christian , Kotthoff Lars , Perrault C. Raymond , Khalid Zain
Published: June 2024

The TPTP World is a well established infrastructure that supports research, development, and deployment of Automated Theorem Proving (ATP) systems. This work uses data in the TPTP World to assess progress in ATP from 2015 to 2023.
Tableaux for Automated Reasoning in Dependently-Typed Higher-Order Logic
Authors: Niederhauser Johannes , Brown Chad E. , Kaliszyk Cezary
Published: June 2024

Dependent type theory gives an expressive type system facilitating succinct formalizations of mathematical concepts. In practice, it is mainly used for interactive theorem proving with intensional type theories, with PVS being a notable exception. In this paper, we present native rules for automated reasoning in a dependently-typed version (DHOL) of classical higher-order logic (HOL). DHOL has an extensional type theory with an undecidable type checking problem which contains theorem proving. We implemented the inference rules as well as an automatic type checking mode in Lash, a fork of Satallax, the leading tableaux-based prover for HOL. Our method is sound and complete with respect to provability in DHOL. Completeness is guaranteed by the incorporation of a sound and complete translation from DHOL to HOL recently proposed by Rothgang et al. While this translation can already be used as a preprocessing step to any HOL prover, to achieve better performance, our system directly works in DHOL. Moreover, experimental results show that the DHOL version of Lash can outperform all major HOL provers executed on the translation.
The Naproche-ZF Theorem Prover (Short Paper)
Authors: De Lon Adrian
Published: June 2024

Naproche-ZF is a new experimental open-source natural theorem prover based on set theory; formalizations in Naproche-ZF are written in a controlled natural language embedded into
"Image missing" and proof gaps are filled in with automated theorem provers. Naproche-ZF aims to scale natural theorem proving beyond chapter-sized formalizations. In contrast to the $$\mathbb {N}$$
N
aproche system, the new system uses an extensible grammar-based approach, has more efficient proof automation, and enables larger interconnected formalizations based on a standard library.
Wie lassen sich biologische Phänomene erklären? – Metawissen über biologische Erklärungstypen für den Biologieunterricht
Authors: Hammann Marcus , Trommler Friederike , Krüger Dirk
Published: June 2024

Dieser Beitrag thematisiert die Vielfalt biologischer Erklärungstypen, kontrastiert die Erklärungstypen gegeneinander und verdeutlicht das Entwickeln und Finden von Erklärungen als abduzierendes Schließen. Dies geschieht in der Annahme, dass das fachspezifische Wissenschaftsverständnis von Lehrenden und Lernenden entwickelt werden kann, indem sie Metawissen über die Entstehung und Vielfalt biologischer Erklärungstypen erwerben. Dabei sollen Fragestellungen, Vorgehensweisen bei der Beantwortung der Fragestellungen und korrespondierende Erklärungstypen im Zusammenhang miteinander unterrichtet werden. Drei Erklärungstypen werden in diesem Beitrag charakterisiert und der Mehrwert einer Differenzierung dieser Typen für den Biologieunterricht wird analysiert. Speziell wird argumentiert, dass fehlendes Metawissen über die Vielfalt biologischer Erklärungstypen bei Lernenden eine mögliche Ursache dafür darstellen kann, dass die Funktion eines Merkmals als die alleinige Ursache für die Entstehung des Merkmals im Laufe der Evolution angeführt wird. Hierbei handelt es sich um eine unangemessene teleologische Erklärung. Eine weitere aus fehlendem Metawissen resultierende Verwechslungsmöglichkeit besteht zwischen funktionalen und mechanistischen Erklärungen.
Statistical modeling and optimization of heavy metals (Pb and Cd) adsorption from aqueous solution by synthesis of Fe3O4/SiO2/PAM: isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamic
Authors: Osman Huseyn , Uğurlu Mehmet , Vaizoğullar Ali İmran , Atasoy Muhammet , Chaudhary Abdul Jabbar
Published: July 2024

In this study, magnetic material was synthesized using iron salts, then silicon-specific material was used to gain porosity, straight-chain polyacrylamide (PAM) was modified to give the surface functional properties, and the final product synthesized Fe3O4/SiO2/PAM nanocomposite material. Heavy metal (Pb and Cd) removal studies were carried out with the synthesized composite material, considering the central composite design and response surface methodology (CCD-RSM) optimization model. The effects of various parameters, for example, the initial concentration, pH, adsorbent dose, temperature and contact time, were investigated as a part of this study. To optimize these parameters, the CCD-RSM model was applied to design the experiments. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to evaluate statistical parameters and investigate interactions of variables. In the designed experimental set, the amount of adsorbent (30 mg), pH 7.0 value, temperature (40 °C), initial concentration of Pb (80 mg/L) and Cd (20 mg/L) and 90 min contact time were determined as the optimum conditions. The high coefficient of determination of both metals showed good agreement between experimental results and predicted values (R2 0.99; 0.95). TEM, SEM, XRD, FTIR, BET and Zeta potential analyses were performed to characterize the structure and morphology of the adsorbent. In Pb2+ and Cd2+ heavy metal removal studies, maximum adsorption capacities were determined as 66.54 and 13.22 mg/g, respectively. Additionally, adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic modeling studies were conducted. Features such as large surface area and high adsorption capacity of the synthesized nanoparticles were observed. In this study, Fe3O4/SiO2/PAM demonstrated its potential as an effective adsorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions present in simulated wastewater samples. In particular, we can say that the material has a strong selectivity, as well as a high affinity for Pb(II) ions.
Optimising landslide initiation modelling with high-resolution saturation prediction based on soil moisture monitoring data
Authors: Halter Tobias , Lehmann Peter , Wicki Adrian , Aaron Jordan , Stähli Manfred
Published: July 2024

It has been widely recognised that the degree of soil wetness before precipitation events can be decisive for whether or not shallow rainfall-induced landslides occur. While there are methods to measure and/or model soil wetness in complex topography, they often exhibit limitations in spatial or temporal resolution, hindering their application in regional landside initiation modelling. In this study, we address the need for high-resolution predictions of initial saturation before rainfall events by employing data-driven linear regression models. The models were trained using in-situ soil moisture data collected from six measurement stations located in a landslide-prone region in Switzerland. Various topographic attributes, along with multiple antecedent rainfall and evapotranspiration variables were tested as input for the models. The final model consisted of five measurable variables, including cumulative antecedent rainfall, cumulative evapotranspiration, and the topographic wetness index (TWI). The model effectively reproduced the observed spatial and temporal variability of the in-situ measurements with a coefficient of determination R2 = 0.62 and a root mean square error RMSE = 0.07. Subsequently, we applied the regression model to predict the spatial soil saturation at the onset of actual landslide triggering rainfall events and integrated these patterns into the hydromechanical model STEP-TRAMM. The results demonstrate improvements in predicting observed landslide occurrences compared to simulations assuming spatially uniform initial saturation conditions, highlighting the importance of in-situ measurements and a realistic extrapolation of such data in space and time for accurate modelling of shallow landslide initiation.
Site-specific genetic and functional signatures of aortic endothelial cells at aneurysm predilection sites in healthy and AngII ApoE−/− mice
Authors: Brückner Alexander , Brandtner Adrian , Rieck Sarah , Matthey Michaela , Geisen Caroline , Fels Benedikt , Stei Marta , Kusche-Vihrog Kristina , Fleischmann Bernd K. , Wenzel Daniela
Published: July 2024

Aortic aneurysm is characterized by a pathological dilation at specific predilection sites of the vessel and potentially results in life-threatening vascular rupture. Herein, we established a modified “Häutchen method” for the local isolation of endothelial cells (ECs) from mouse aorta to analyze their spatial heterogeneity and potential role in site-specific disease development. When we compared ECs from aneurysm predilection sites of healthy mice with adjacent control segments we found regulation of genes related to extracellular matrix remodeling, angiogenesis and inflammation, all pathways playing a critical role in aneurysm development. We also detected enhanced cortical stiffness of the endothelium at these sites. Gene expression of ECs from aneurysms of the AngII ApoE−/− model when compared to sham animals mimicked expression patterns from predilection sites of healthy animals. Thus, this work highlights a striking genetic and functional regional heterogeneity in aortic ECs of healthy mice, which defines the location of aortic aneurysm formation in disease.
From single to universal: tiny lesion detection in medical imaging
Authors: Zhang Yi , Mao Yiji , Lu Xuanyu , Zou Xingyu , Huang Hao , Li Xinyang , Li Jiayue , Zhang Haixian
Published: July 2024

Accurate and automatic detection of tiny lesions in medical imaging plays a critical role in comprehensive cancer diagnosis, staging, treatment, follow-up, and prognosis. Numerous deep learning (DL) based studies have focused on single lesions, providing highly sensitive identification and precise localization. On the other hand, some recent studies have started to concentrate on whole-body lesions, as they could provide systemic clinical support. This paper presents a single-to-universal review of DL studies on tiny lesion detection in medical imaging, with a particular emphasis on detection models and techniques, as well as the data-related aspects such as modality, dimension, and dataset. A wide range of tasks are covered, including traditional single lesion detection tasks such as lung nodules, breast masses, thyroid nodules, and diseased lymph nodes, as well as the emerging task of universal lesion detection. Moreover, the paper provides in-depth analysis and discussion, with the hope of inspiring future research endeavors.
On the Flow Past a Three-Element Wing: Mean Flow and Turbulent Statistics
Authors: Montalà Ricard , Lehmkuhl Oriol , Rodriguez Ivette
Published: July 2024

Large eddy simulations (LES) on the flow past the 30P30N three-element high-lift wing at a moderate Reynolds number $$Re_c=750,000$$

R

e
c

=
750
,
000

and three different angles of attack $$\alpha =5$$

α
=
5

, 9 and $$23^\circ $$

23
∘

are conducted. The main focus is on the time-averaged statistics of the turbulent flow. The form drag noticeably increases with the angle of attack, while viscous drag remains roughly constant and contributes minimally to the total drag. This is associated with the significant pressure peaks found in the main element with increasing angles of attack and hence, the development of stronger adverse pressure gradients. At $$\alpha =23^\circ $$

α
=

23
∘

, this leads to the development of a prominent wake downstream this element that eventually evolves into a visible recirculation region above the flap, indicating the onset of stall conditions. In the flap, strong adverse pressure gradients are observed at small angles of attack instead, i.e., $$\alpha =5$$

α
=
5

and $$9^\circ $$

9
∘

. This is attributed to the flap’s deflection angle with respect to the main wing, which causes a small separation of the boundary layer as the flow approaches the trailing edge. At the stall angle of attack, i.e., $$\alpha =23^\circ $$

α
=

23
∘

, the spread of the main element wake maintains attached the flow near the flap wall, thus mitigating the pressure gradient there and preventing the flow to undergo separation. The shear layers developed on the slat and main coves are also analysed, with the slat shear layer showing more prominence. In the slat, its size and intensity noticeably decrease with the angle of attack as the stagnation point moves towards the slat cusp. Conversely, the size of the shear layer developed in the main element cavity remains approximately constant regardless of the angle of attack. At the lower angles of attack, i.e., $$\alpha =5$$

α
=
5

and $$9^\circ $$

9
∘

, the development of the shear layer is anticipated by the turbulent separation of the flow along the pressure side of the main wing, leading to increased levels of turbulence downstream. At the higher angle of attack, i.e., $$\alpha =23^\circ $$

α
=

23
∘

, the shear layer is originated by the cavity separation and transition to turbulence occurs within the cavity.
Priority conservation areas for protected saproxylic beetles in Romania under current and future climate scenarios
Authors: Mirea Marian D. , Miu Iulia V. , Popescu Viorel D. , Brodie Bekka S. , Chiriac Silviu , Rozylowicz Laurentiu
Published: July 2024

Climate change threatens species and ecosystems globally, including forest ecosystems that support rich invertebrate diversity. Saproxylic beetles, that depend on old-growth trees and deadwood, are facing increasing pressure. Consequently, conserving these beetles has become a priority for EU Member States. We developed ensemble species distribution models for five saproxylic beetles for current and three future time horizons under two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways and two Global Circulation Models. We used a systematic conservation planning approach to assess the effectiveness and resilience to climate change of the Romanian Natura 2000 network for saproxylic beetles while identifying areas for prospective protected area expansion to meet EU conservation targets. Our study revealed that under all scenarios and time horizons, the saproxylic beetles may lose over 80% of their suitable habitat and restrict their distribution to higher elevations. According to the conservation prioritization analysis, we found that, when considering 30% of the landscape as being protected, an average of 85% of species distribution is retained within priority areas overlapping the Carpathian Mountains, while for the current protected area coverage (18% of Romania’s terrestrial area), the existing Natura 2000 network does not perform satisfactorily, with only ~ 30% of the saproxylic species distributions falling within the network. Our results corroborate previous findings on saproxylic beetle range shifts and contractions due to climate change. Furthermore, our findings question the effectiveness of the current Natura 2000 network, as it is currently inadequate for protecting these species. To achieve the goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 of protecting at least 30% of the EU’s territory, we advocate the expansion of the Natura 2000 sites to future suitable saproxylic beetle habitats.
Invasive fractional-flow-reserve prediction by coronary CT angiography using artificial intelligence vs. computational fluid dynamics software in intermediate-grade stenosis
Authors: Peters Benjamin , Paul Jean-François , Symons Rolf , Franssen Wouter M.A. , Nchimi Alain , Ghekiere Olivier
Published: July 2024

Coronary computed angiography (CCTA) with non-invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) calculates lesion-specific ischemia when compared with invasive FFR and can be considered for patients with stable chest pain and intermediate-grade stenoses according to recent guidelines. The objective of this study was to compare a new CCTA-based artificial-intelligence deep-learning model for FFR prediction (FFRAI) to computational fluid dynamics CT-derived FFR (FFRCT) in patients with intermediate-grade coronary stenoses with FFR as reference standard. The FFRAI model was trained with curved multiplanar-reconstruction CCTA images of 500 stenotic vessels in 413 patients, using FFR measurements as the ground truth. We included 37 patients with 39 intermediate-grade stenoses on CCTA and invasive coronary angiography, and with FFRCT and FFR measurements in this retrospective proof of concept study. FFRAI was compared with FFRCT regarding the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy for predicting FFR ≤ 0.80. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy of FFRAI in predicting FFR ≤ 0.80 were 91% (10/11), 82% (23/28), 67% (10/15), 96% (23/24), and 85% (33/39), respectively. Corresponding values for FFRCT were 82% (9/11), 75% (21/28), 56% (9/16), 91% (21/23), and 77% (30/39), respectively. Diagnostic accuracy did not differ significantly between FFRAI and FFRCT (p = 0.12). FFRAI performed similarly to FFRCT for predicting intermediate-grade coronary stenoses with FFR ≤ 0.80. These findings suggest FFRAI as a potential non-invasive imaging tool for guiding therapeutic management in these stenoses.
Knowledge graph embedding closed under composition
Authors: Zheng Zhuoxun , Zhou Baifan , Yang Hui , Tan Zhipeng , Sun Zequn , Li Chunnong , Waaler Arild , Kharlamov Evgeny , Soylu Ahmet
Published: July 2024

Knowledge Graph Embedding (KGE) has attracted increasing attention. Relation patterns, such as symmetry and inversion, have received considerable focus. Among them, composition patterns are particularly important, as they involve nearly all relations in KGs. However, prior KGE approaches often consider relations to be compositional only if they are well-represented in the training data. Consequently, it can lead to performance degradation, especially for under-represented composition patterns. To this end, we propose HolmE, a general form of KGE with its relation embedding space closed under composition, namely that the composition of any two given relation embeddings remains within the embedding space. This property ensures that every relation embedding can compose, or be composed by other relation embeddings. It enhances HolmE’s capability to model under-represented (also called long-tail) composition patterns with limited learning instances. To our best knowledge, our work is pioneering in discussing KGE with this property of being closed under composition. We provide detailed theoretical proof and extensive experiments to demonstrate the notable advantages of HolmE in modelling composition patterns, particularly for long-tail patterns. Our results also highlight HolmE’s effectiveness in extrapolating to unseen relations through composition and its state-of-the-art performance on benchmark datasets.
A tropical-algebraic method for the control of timed event graphs with partial synchronization
Authors: Schafaschek Germano , Hardouin Laurent , Raisch Jörg
Published: July 2024

This paper studies a scenario in which the occurrence of one or more events in a discrete event system is subject to external restrictions which may change unexpectedly during run-time. The system is modeled as a timed event graph (TEG) and, in this context, the presence of the aforementioned external restrictions has become known as partial synchronization (PS). This phenomenon arises naturally in several applications, from manufacturing to transportation systems. We develop a formal and systematic method to compute optimal control signals for TEGs in the presence of PS, where the control objective is tracking a given output reference as closely as possible and optimality is understood in the widely-adopted just-in-time sense. The approach is based on the formalism of tropical semirings — in particular, the min-plus algebra and derived semiring of counters. We claim that our method expands modeling and control capabilities with respect to previously existing ones by tackling the case of time-varying PS restrictions, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been dealt with before in this context.
Bayesian design methods for improving the effectiveness of ecosystem monitoring
Authors: Thilan A. W. L. Pubudu , Peterson Erin , Menéndez Patricia , Caley Julian , Drovandi Christopher , Mellin Camille , McGree James
Published: July 2024

Adaptive design methods can be used to make changes to survey designs in ecosystem monitoring to ensure that informative data are collected in an ongoing, cost-effective, and flexible manner. Such methods are of particular benefit in environmental monitoring as such monitoring is often very costly and in many cases consists of only a few sampling sites from which inference about a larger geographical region is needed. In addition, ecological processes are continuously changing, and monitoring programs must account for both known and unknown drivers, so making changes to data collection plans over time may be needed based on the current state and understanding of the process of interest. Through considering a Long-term Monitoring Program of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, this paper aims to develop adaptive design approaches to efficiently monitor coral health through the consideration of a statistical model that accounts for both spatial variability and time-varying disturbance patterns. In particular, to develop this model, we considered time-varying disturbance data that have been reproduced at a fine spatial resolution for uniform representation over the study region. By adopting our proposed approach, we show that adaptive designs are able to significantly reduce survey effort while still remaining effective in, for example, quantifying the effects of different environmental disturbances.
Survival outcomes and healthcare utilization between immigrant patients and Danish-born patients with hematological cancers: a Danish population-based study
Authors: Baech Joachim , Jakobsen Lasse Hjort , Simonsen Mikkel Runason , Severinsen Marianne Tang , Frederiksen Henrik , Niemann Carsten Utoft , Brown Peter , Jørgensen Judit Mészáros , Dann Eldad J. , Johnsen Søren Paaske , El-Galaly Tarec Christoffer
Published: July 2024

Overall survival (OS) for patients with a hematological cancer may differ between immigrant and Danish-born patients due to disparities in socioeconomic status, health literacy, and language proficiency. This cohort study aimed to investigate survival and hospitalization according to immigrant status while controlling for confounders. Patients with newly diagnosed hematological cancer in 2000–2020 were identified in the Danish nationwide hematological registers and stratified into Danish-born, Western, and non-Western patients. Patients were followed from diagnosis until death, 31st December 2021, or emigration, whichever came first. Crude OS, standardized OS, and 5-years OS differences were computed using flexible parametric models and hazard ratios using Cox regression. Number of hospitalization days in the year before and after diagnosis, respectively, were calculated using Poisson regression. A total of 2,241 immigrants and 41,519 Danish-born patients with a hematological cancer were included. Standardized 5-years OS was similar between groups with 58% (95% confidence interval 57–58%) for Danish-born patients, 57% (55–60%) for Western, and 56% (53–58%) for non-Western immigrant patients. Subgroup analyses identified OS differences in selected subgroups. Non-Western immigrant patients had 1.3 (0.5–2.1) more hospitalization days in the year before diagnosis and an adjusted incidence rate ratio of hospitalization days of 1.14 (1.13–1.15) in the year after diagnosis compared with Danish-born patients. In conclusion, there were no overall differences in survival when comparing immigrant patients to Danish-born patients after controlling for relevant confounders. Healthcare utilization was slightly higher among non-Western immigrant patients before and after diagnosis, but differences were small on an individual patient level.
Environmental relevance monitoring and assessment of ochreous precipitates, hydrochemistry and water sources from abandoned coal mine drainage
Authors: Tran Tuan Quang , Riechelmann Sylvia , Banning Andre , Wohnlich Stefan
Published: July 2024

This study investigated the mineralogical and chemical characteristics of ochreous precipitates and mine water samples from abandoned Upper Carboniferous hard coal mines in an extensive former mining area in western Germany. Mine water characteristics have been monitored and assessed using a multi-methodological approach. Thirteen mine water discharge locations were sampled for hydrochemical analysis, with a total of 46 water samples seasonally collected in the whole study area for stable isotopic analyses. Mineralogical composition of 13 ochreous precipitates was identified by a combination of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM/EDS). Results showed that abandoned mine drainage was characterized by circumneutral pH, Eh values ranging from 163 to 269 mV, relatively low concentrations of Fe and Mn, and was dominated by HCO3− > SO42− > Cl− > NO3−and Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+. Goethite and ferrihydrite were the dominant precipitated Fe minerals, with traces of quartz, dolomite, and clay minerals. Some metal and metalloid elements (Mn, Al, Si, and Ti) were found in the ochreous sediments. The role of bacteria in the formation of secondary minerals was assessed with the detection ofLeptothrix ochracea. The δ18O and δ2H values of mine water plotted on and close to the GMWL and LMWLs indicated local derivation from meteoric water and represented the annual mean precipitation isotopic composition. Results might help to develop strategies for the management of water resources, contaminated mine water, and public health.
Integrating space syntax and system dynamics for understanding and managing change in rural housing morphology: a case study of traditional village houses in Düzce, Türkiye
Authors: Gökçen Dilara , Özbayraktar Mehtap
Published: July 2024

This study analyses the changes in rural dwellings influenced by social and cultural evolution. The evolution of rural dwellings is associated with changes in living standards and attitudes, resulting in a transformation into units that focus on aesthetics and functionality rather than just shelter. The fieldwork in Düzce Province, Turkey, was supported by questionnaires, oral history interviews, satellite images, and photographs. The analysis of spatial change in rural houses was conducted using space syntax analysis and system dynamics analysis. The study aims to examine physical changes in rural dwellings, evaluate ‘spatial change’ through interactive application of the concepts of ‘spatial analysis’ and ‘complex system analysis’, preserve the authenticity and continuity of rural dwellings against change to improve the quality of life, and propose intervention strategies and scenarios for addressing changing problems. The findings indicate that traditional houses can be sustained and at the same time the authenticity of the dwelling can be preserved in its spatial context. This study is significant for comprehending the evolutionary change in rural housing and integrating it into planning processes.
Ductile shear damage micromechanisms studied by correlative multiscale nanotomography and SEM/EBSD for a recrystallized aluminum alloy 2198 T8
Authors: Kong Xiang , Hurst Mathias , Helfen Lukas , Gaslain Fabrice , Baumbach Tilo , Suhonen Heikki , Morgeneyer Thilo F.
Published: July 2024

The damage mechanisms of ductile fracture under shear loading of an aluminum alloy 2198T8R were studied using flat thin-sheet samples. One sample was loaded until 85% of the failure displacement and then unloaded, and another one was loaded up to failure. To overcome the inherent shortcomings of nanotomography concerning the investigation of flat samples, synchrotron nano-laminography was applied to the pre-loaded sample and provided structural information down to the nanometer scale, allowing ductile damage nucleation and evolution to be studied. The damage features, including flat cracks and intermetallic particle-related damage, were visualized in 3D from the highly-deformed shear band region. Using nano-laminography, no nano-voids were found. The damaged shear ligament was also observed after polishing via destructive correlative scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) which suggests that the detrimental flat cracks were both intergranular and transgranular. The flat cracks were related to highly-deformed bands. No nano-voids could be found using SEM analysis. Fractography on the second broken sample revealed that the flat cracks contained hardly observable nanometer-sized dimples. The final coalescence region was covered by sub-micrometer-sized dimples, inside which dispersoid particles were present. The fact that no nano-void was found for the pre-deformed sample implies that the nucleation, growth and coalescence of these sub-micrometer-sized voids occur at late stages of the loading history.
Graphene-based Sm-doped Co-ferrite for environmental applications
Authors: Ramadan Rania , Shafaay Amira S.
Published: July 2024

A graphene-based Sm-doped Co-ferrite CoSmFe-G nanosample was created using the citrate auto-combustion method. It acts as an antibacterial agent and heavy metal remover. The sample’s physical properties were analyzed using various techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), zeta potential, and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements. The XRD results confirmed the presence of a single-phase cubic spinel structure. The experimental results indicated that doping with graphene and samarium significantly altered the magnetic properties of CoSmFe-G nanoparticles, reducing the saturation magnetization (MS) values to 35.759 emu/g. The sample showed antibacterial properties against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, with inhibition zones measuring 12–14.5 mm in diameter. Additionally, the sample exhibited efficient (Pb2+) adsorption, with a maximum removal capacity of 99.8% and a multilayer adsorption mechanism indicated by the pseudo-second-order isotherm and Freundlich model matching. The study explores the binding interactions for lead removal and highlights the potential of using graphene-based Sm-doped Co-ferrite (CoSmFe-G) nano samples as a bio-adsorbent and antibacterial agent. This could lead to practical and efficient solutions for water disinfection.
Electronic structure and delithiation mechanism of vanadium and nickel doped Li2MnPO4F cathode material for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Chen Rui , Luo Jiaolian , Yang Anqi , Xie Zhenyu , Elnaggar Ashraf Y. , Liu Baosheng , El-Bahy Salah M. , Guo Zhanhu
Published: July 2024

This study calculates the energy band structure and density of states of Lithium manganese fluorophosphate (Li2MnPO4F, a lithium transition metal phosphate compounds) using the first-principles plane-wave pseudopotential approach within the density-functional theory. The model of Li2M0.5Mn0.5PO4F (M = V, Ni) with transition metal doped Mn sites is constructed by using the CASTEP module. The calculation findings indicate that the transition metal doping can regulate the energy band structure of the intrinsic system, and Li2MnPO4F makes the band gap decrease, and the volume increase with the Li ions of being deintercalated, and the electrons can be readily stimulated from the valence band to the conduction band. The findings indicate that Li2MnPO4F is a favorable cathode material for high-voltage lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The introduction of vanadium (V) and nickel (Ni) doping reduces the band gap, facilitating an easier excitation of electrons from the valence band to the conduction band. This study provides a theoretical study of new cathode materials for high performance LIBs.
Musculoskeletal Health and Work: Development and Internal–External Cross-Validation of a Model to Predict Risk of Work Absence and Presenteeism in People Seeking Primary Healthcare
Authors: Archer Lucinda , Peat George , Snell Kym I. E. , Hill Jonathan C. , Dunn Kate M. , Foster Nadine E. , Bishop Annette , van der Windt Danielle , Wynne-Jones Gwenllian
Published: July 2024

Purpose

To develop and validate prediction models for the risk of future work absence and level of presenteeism, in adults seeking primary healthcare with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD).

Methods

Six studies from the West-Midlands/Northwest regions of England, recruiting adults consulting primary care with MSD were included for model development and internal–external cross-validation (IECV). The primary outcome was any work absence within 6 months of their consultation. Secondary outcomes included 6-month presenteeism and 12-month work absence. Ten candidate predictors were included: age; sex; multisite pain; baseline pain score; pain duration; job type; anxiety/depression; comorbidities; absence in the previous 6 months; and baseline presenteeism.

Results

For the 6-month absence model, 2179 participants (215 absences) were available across five studies. Calibration was promising, although varied across studies, with a pooled calibration slope of 0.93 (95% CI: 0.41–1.46) on IECV. On average, the model discriminated well between those with work absence within 6 months, and those without (IECV-pooled C-statistic 0.76, 95% CI: 0.66–0.86). The 6-month presenteeism model, while well calibrated on average, showed some individual-level variation in predictive accuracy, and the 12-month absence model was poorly calibrated due to the small available size for model development.

Conclusions

The developed models predict 6-month work absence and presenteeism with reasonable accuracy, on average, in adults consulting with MSD. The model to predict 12-month absence was poorly calibrated and is not yet ready for use in practice. This information may support shared decision-making and targeting occupational health interventions at those with a higher risk of absence or presenteeism in the 6 months following consultation. Further external validation is needed before the models’ use can be recommended or their impact on patients can be fully assessed.
Convex Predictor–Nonconvex Corrector Optimization Strategy with Application to Signal Decomposition
Authors: Girometti Laura , Huska Martin , Lanza Alessandro , Morigi Serena
Published: July 2024

Many tasks in real life scenarios can be naturally formulated as nonconvex optimization problems. Unfortunately, to date, the iterative numerical methods to find even only the local minima of these nonconvex cost functions are extremely slow and strongly affected by the initialization chosen. We devise a predictor–corrector strategy that efficiently computes locally optimal solutions to these problems. An initialization-free convex minimization allows to predict a global good preliminary candidate, which is then corrected by solving a parameter-free nonconvex minimization. A simple algorithm, such as alternating direction method of multipliers works surprisingly well in producing good solutions. This strategy is applied to the challenging problem of decomposing a 1D signal into semantically distinct components mathematically identified by smooth, piecewise-constant, oscillatory structured and unstructured (noise) parts.
The determinants of European universities patenting and co-patenting with companies
Authors: Wolszczak-Derlacz Joanna
Published: July 2024

This study examines the determinants of European universities patenting and co-patenting with companies. The analysis takes into account more than 400 universities from 17 countries over the period 2011–2018. We test several determinants of the commercial activity of universities, such as: student enrolment (size), age, public or private nature of the institution, students per academic staff, publications per academic staff (research orientation), non-academic staff per academic staff, funding structure (core and third-party budget) and prior patent activity. We estimate two-part models with zero-inflated negative binomial/zero-inflated beta regressions, which estimate separately the impact of the determinant of patenting (count data/proportion of joint company-university patents) and the probability of no patenting. The results indicate that the main determinants of universities patenting and co-patenting with companies are: size, age, research orientation and funding structure. As for patents per se, the determinants of starting patenting are the same as continuing patenting, while for joint company-university patents, most of the determinants differently affect starting joint-patenting than increasing the proportion of co-patents with companies in all patents.
A low-cost UWB microwave imaging system for early-stage breast cancer detection
Authors: Hammouch Nirmine , Rghioui Amine , Ammor Hassan , Oubrek Mohamed , Lloret Jaime
Published: July 2024

In this paper, a modern and effective approach with high resilience for microwave imaging of breast tumor detection using 12 antennas is presented. The proposed antenna array operates from 3.1 GHz to 11.6 GHz according to FCC frequencies, which enables the imaging system to mix two advantages at the same time, deep penetration, and high resolution for accurate image acquisition. The suggested antenna array has a compact size of 21 × 21 × 12 cm3, this allows for the integration of as many elements as feasible, provided that the coupling between them remains within an acceptable range. This ensures improved accuracy and resolution in the resulting image. The 3D system is arranged in a circular manner around the phantom to cover all breast positions. A measurement campaign will then be made in different scenarios to detect the tumor using two artificial breasts with and without tumor, their dielectric properties and physiological arrangement approximate those of a natural breast. The proposed microwave imaging system can detect and identify all targets, making it one of the most effective systems for detecting breast tumors.
Intraoperative radiotherapy after neurosurgical resection of brain metastases as institutional standard treatment– update of the oncological outcome form a single center cohort after 117 procedures
Authors: Kahl Klaus-Henning , Krauss Philipp E. , Neu Maria , Maurer Christoph J. , Schill-Reiner Sabine , Roushan Zoha , Laukmanis Eva , Dobner Christian , Janzen Tilman , Balagiannis Nikolaos , Sommer Björn , Stüben Georg , Shiban Ehab
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) is the predominant method for the irradiation of resection cavities after resection of brain metastases (BM). Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) with 50 kV x-rays is an alternative way to irradiate the resection cavity focally. We have already reported the outcome of our first 40 IORT patients treated until 2020. Since then, IORT has become the predominant cavity treatment in our center due to patients´ choice.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of all patients who underwent resection of BM and IORT between 2013 and August 2023 at Augsburg University Medical Center (UKA).

Results

We identified 105 patients with 117 resected BM treated with 50 kV x-ray IORT. Median diameter of the resected metastases was 3.1 cm (range 1.3 – 7.0 cm). Median applied dose was 20 Gy. All patients received standardized follow-up (FU) including three-monthly MRI of the brain. Mean FU was 14 months, with a median MRI FU for patients alive of nine months. Median overall survival (OS) of all treated patients was 18.2 months (estimated 1-year OS 57.7%). The observed local control (LC) rate of the resection cavity was 90.5% (estimated 1-year LC 84.2%). Distant brain control (DC) was 61.9% (estimated 1-year DC 47.9%). Only 16.2% of all patients needed WBI in the further course of disease. The observed radio necrosis rate was 2.6%.

Conclusion

After 117 procedures IORT still appears to be a safe and appealing way to perform cavity RT after neurosurgical resection of BM with low toxicity and excellent LC.