bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How to protect privacy in a datafied society? A presentation of multiple legal and conceptual approaches
Authors: Gstrein Oskar J. , Beaulieu Anne
Published: January 2022

The United Nations confirmed that privacy remains a human right in the digital age, but our daily digital experiences and seemingly ever-increasing amounts of data suggest that privacy is a mundane, distributed and technologically mediated concept. This article explores privacy by mapping out different legal and conceptual approaches to privacy protection in the context of datafication. It provides an essential starting point to explore the entwinement of technological, ethical and regulatory dynamics. It clarifies why each of the presented approaches emphasises particular aspects and analyses the tensions that arise. The resulting overview provides insight into the main strengths and limitations of the different approaches arising from specific traditions. This analytic overview therefore serves as a key resource to analyse the usefulness of the approaches in the context of the increasing datafication of both private and public spheres.

Specifically, we contrast the approach focusing on data subjects whose data are being ‘protected’ with others, including Fair Information Practice Principles, the German right to ‘informational self-determination’, and the South American ‘habeas data’ doctrine. We also present and contrast emerging approaches to privacy (differential privacy, contextual integrity, group privacy) and discuss their intersection with datafication. In conclusion, we put forth that rather than aiming for one single solution that works worldwide and across all situations, it is essential to identify synergies and stumbling blocks between the various regulatory settings and newly emerging approaches.
The synergistic action of cyclodextrin-based adsorbent and advanced oxidation processes for sulfamethoxazole removal from water
Authors: Rizzi V. , Romita R. , Gómez-López V. M. , Gubitosa J. , Gabaldón J. A. , Gorbe M. I. Fortea , Gómez-Morte T. , Cosma P. , Fini P.
Published: January 2022

In this work, the removal of sulfamethoxazole from water was studied by adsorption on a cyclodextrin–epichlorohydrin copolymer and through Advanced Oxidation Processes. The adsorption was efficient and fast, requiring only 10 min to reach the equilibrium; it was also highly favored, with adsorption efficiency higher than 80%, at slightly acidic pH and at room temperature. The desorption of sulfamethoxazole was obtained by raising the temperature to 80 °C. The regenerated polymer has been reused multiple times without any loss in performance, allowing a reduction in costs associated with the process. As an alternative method to regenerate the adsorbent material, the photodegradation of sulfamethoxazole adsorbed on the polymer alone and in the presence of TiO2 as a catalyst through continuous irradiation with UV light and Pulsed Light  was attempted and studied. For this purpose, polymeric adsorbents containing different amounts of TiO2 were synthesized and tested. The Pulsed Light  showed the highest efficiency since it allowed the complete removal of sulfamethoxazole, regardless of the presence of TiO2 which, however, reduces adsorption efficiency of the material. Furthermore, a qualitative assessment of formed pulsed light by-products was also attempted. The remains of SMX in solution were decomposed by Pulsed Light technology and the effect of the presence of hydrogen peroxide on the photodegradation process was also studied. Despite the presence of by-products after Advanced Oxidation Processes, the procedure proposed in this work is effective and easy to apply to water treatment plants, thanks to the use of environmental-friendly adsorbents and light sources.

Graphical abstract
Making space for plural ontologies in fisheries governance: Ireland’s disobedient offshore islands
Authors: Brennan Ruth
Published: January 2022

This paper contributes to the growing body of literature that engages with ontological scholarship on fisheries management and governance, and more generally, to debates on environmental governance. It argues that fisheries governance is an ontological challenge that raises questions of culture, equity, legitimacy and inclusion/exclusion, requiring more context-sensitive and politically aware fisheries governance approaches. By engaging with the concept of political ontology, and drawing from empirical research carried out in Ireland’s offshore islands, five ontological assumptions are identified that underpin Irish fisheries governance and management policies and practices and categorised as social-historical, ecological, geographical, technocratic and markets-driven. Articulating and examining these assumptions provide insights into why policy objectives aimed at supporting small-scale fisheries and their communities may, in practice, not be effective when they are operationalised within a governance paradigm designed around the realities of large-scale, full-time, highly mobile and more economically productive operators. Despite the efforts of ontologically disobedient islanders, the enactment of these ontological assumptions into the dominant world of fisheries governance inhibits the emergence of possible worlds that would enact Irish island inshore fisheries through island logics. The paper concludes that the squeeze on Ireland’s island inshore fishers is not simply spatial, it is ontological. A dominant fisheries ontology has been created by the interplay of ontological assumptions. This dominant ontology undermines the State’s critical policy to maintain and manage Irish fisheries as a public resource in order to avoid the concentration of fishing opportunities into the hands of large and powerful fishing interests.
Toward Entity Alignment in the Open World: An Unsupervised Approach with Confidence Modeling
Authors: Zhao Xiang , Zeng Weixin , Tang Jiuyang , Li Xinyi , Luo Minnan , Zheng Qinghua
Published: January 2022

Entity alignment (EA) aims to discover the equivalent entities in different knowledge graphs (KGs). It is a pivotal step for integrating KGs to increase knowledge coverage and quality. Recent years have witnessed a rapid increase of EA frameworks. However, state-of-the-art solutions tend to rely on labeled data for model training. Additionally, they work under the closed-domain setting and cannot deal with entities that are unmatchable. To address these deficiencies, we offer an unsupervised framework that performs entity alignment in the open world. Specifically, we first mine useful features from the side information of KGs. Then, we devise an unmatchable entity prediction module to filter out unmatchable entities and produce preliminary alignment results. These preliminary results are regarded as the pseudo-labeled data and forwarded to the progressive learning framework to generate structural representations, which are integrated with the side information to provide a more comprehensive view for alignment. Finally, the progressive learning framework gradually improves the quality of structural embeddings and enhances the alignment performance. Furthermore, noticing that the pseudo-labeled data are of various qualities, we introduce the concept of confidence to measure the probability of an entity pair of being true and develop a confidence-based unsupervised EA framework . Our solutions do not require labeled data and can effectively filter out unmatchable entities. Comprehensive experimental evaluations validate the superiority of our proposals .
Pericardial dual mesh uptake on PET scan mimicking residual mesothelioma; a case report
Authors: Kakamad Fahmi H. , Ali Rebaz M. , Mohammed Diyar A. , Salih Abdulwahid M. , Hussein Dahat A. , Mustafa Mohammed Q. , Mohammed Shvan H. , Hussein Shakhawan I.
Published: January 2022

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive cancer that typically arises from the mesothelial linings of the lungs. The current study presents a rare case of MPM with a good clinical response to chemotherapy, associated with pericardial dual mesh uptake in PET scan upon follow up.

Case presentation:

A 33-year-old male presented with dyspnea, severe headache for a period of a month. He had history dendritic cell sarcoma which had been managed by 21 cycles of radiotherapy. Chest x. ray showed multiple pleural based masses. Chest computed tomography scan showed multiple lobulated pleural masses involving right hemithorax. Pleural biopsy showed epithelial type-mesothelioma. The patient underwent 3 sessions of combination chemotherapy followed by pleurectomy. The patient's response to chemotherapy was optimal and 5 month-PET scan follow up showed uptake by the implanted mesh.

Discussion:

MPM is reported to be directly linked to asbestos exposure with poor prognosis. The current optimal management regarding MPM is lacking. Even though PET scan is highly sensitive, sites of infections, inflammation, and healing of surgical scars have been reported to show uptake, leading to a false positive result.

Conclusion:

The best therapeutic approach regarding MPM can be multimodal therapies that include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy before and after surgery. PET scan follow up of patients with previous mesh implantations can show uptake and mimic malignancy.

Highlights
CO2-Laser therapy and Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Filippini Maurizio , Porcari Irene , Ruffolo Alessandro F. , Casiraghi Arianna , Farinelli Miriam , Uccella Stefano , Franchi Massimo , Candiani Massimo , Salvatore Stefano
Published: January 2022

Background

Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) is a widespread condition with a great impact on quality of life and self-image.

Aim

We aimed to systematically review the current literature on CO2-Laser therapy efficacy for the treatment of GSM.

Methods

MEDLINE and Embase databases were systematically queried in December 2020 Studies included women with a diagnosis of Vulvo-Vaginal Atrophy (VVA) or GSM without an history of gynaecological and/or breast cancer, pelvic organ prolapse staged higher than 2, pelvic radiotherapy or Sjogren’s Syndrome. The quality of the evidence was assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias tool. This study is registered on PROSPERO, number CRD42021238121.

Outcomes

Effects of CO2-Laser therapy on GSM symptoms assessed through subjective or objective efficacy measurement methods.

Results

A total of 803 articles were identified. Of these, 25 studies were included in this review for a total of 1,152 patients. All studies showed a significant reduction in VVA and/or GSM symptoms (dryness, dyspareunia, itching, burning, dysuria). The pooled mean differences for the symptoms were: dryness -5.15 (95% CI:-5.72,-4.58; P < .001; I2:62%; n = 296), dyspareunia -5.27 (95% CI:-5.93,-4.62; P < .001; I2:68%; n = 296), itching -2.75 (95% CI:-4.0,-1.51; P < .001; I2:93%; n = 281), burning -2.66 (95% CI:-3.75, -1.57; P < .001; I2:86%; n = 296) and dysuria -2.14 (95% CI:-3.41,-0.87; P < .001; I2:95%; n = 281). FSFI, WHIS and VMV scores also improved significantly. The pooled mean differences for these scores were: FSFI 10.8 (95% CI:8.41,13.37; P < .001; I2:84%; n = 273), WHIS 8.29 (95% CI:6.16,10.42; P < .001; I2:95%; n = 262) and VMV 30.4 (95% CI:22.38,38.55; P < .001; I2:24%; n = 68). CO2-Laser application showed a beneficial safety profile and no major adverse events were reported.

Clinical Implications

Vaginal laser treatment resulted in both a statistically and clinically significant improvement in GSM symptoms. FSFI improved significantly in all 8 included studies but it reached a clinically relevant level only in 2 of them.

Strengths & Limitations

The strength of the current meta-analysis is the comprehensive literature search. We reported data from a high number of patients (1,152) and high number of laser applications (more than 3,800). The main limitations are related to the high heterogeneity of the included studies investigating laser effects. Moreover, most of them are single center and nonrandomized studies.

Conclusion

The data suggest that CO2-Laser is a safe energy-based therapeutic option for the management of VVA and/or GSM symptoms in postmenopausal women; however, the quality of the body of evidence is “very low” or “low”.
Talking About Sexuality with Youth: A Taboo in Psychiatry?
Authors: Bungener Sara L. , Post Laura , Berends Inez , Steensma Thomas D. , de Vries Annelou L.C. , Popma Arne
Published: January 2022

Background

Young people who have psychiatric problems are more likely than their peers to endure difficulties during their sexual and gender identity development.

Aim

This study aims to examine the communication between mental health care providers and their patients about the topics of relations, sexuality and gender identity, including a description of professionals’ attitudes toward these topics and the factors that contribute to and inhibit communication.

Methods

Study participants (n = 242, response rate = 31%) were a representative sample of a large multicenter cohort of 768 mental health care professionals (eg, medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, group counselors, parent counselors) of 7 institutions and 5 solo practices in the Netherlands, who completed a survey on communication about sexuality and gender identity with their young patients (age 12–21 years).

Outcomes

Sexuality and gender identity are infrequently discussed by mental health care providers with their young patients or their patients’ parents.

Results

Of the study sample, 99.5 % valued sexuality as an important topic to discuss with their patients. However, only 17.1% of the professionals reported that they discussed sexuality-related issues with the majority (>75%) of their patients (adolescents: 19.9%, parents: 14.4%) Additionally, only 2.3 % of the participants discussed gender nonconformity regularly with patients. Information about sexual side effects of prescribed medication was infrequently (20.3%) provided: antidepressants (40.0%), antipsychotics (34.0%), benzodiazepines (5.1%) and stimulants (2.4%). The most frequently cited reasons for not discussing these topics were a lack of awareness, own feelings of discomfort, and the patients’ supposed feelings of shame. There was no gender differences observed.

Clinical implications

Recommendations for professionals include to be aware of these topics, initiating age-appropriate conversation and use inclusive language.

Strengths and limitations

The present study included a diverse and representative group of mental health care professionals. Frequency of sexual communication was based on self-report, which brings a risk of bias.

Conclusion

Despite a recognized need to engage in age-appropriate communication about sexuality and gender identity in youth mental health care, mental health providers seem to remain hesitant to discuss such topics.
Late Paleozoic Southward Migration of the Dananhu Arc in the Eastern Tianshan (NW China)
Authors: Mao Qigui , Ao Songjian , Windley Brian F. , Song Dongfang , Sang Miao , Tan Zhou , Wang Hao , Li Rui , Xiao Wenjiao
Published: January 2022

The process of continental growth and closure of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean are controversial. To address this problem, we report new geochemical and geochronological data of granitic rocks along a N‐S corridor of the Dananhu arc. These rocks yield 401–270 Ma U‐Pb zircon ages. The arc‐related granites are enriched in the light rare earth elements (LREE), Rb, Ba, Th, Sr and Pb, but depleted in Nb and Ta, and have high zircons values of εHf(t) (+7.7−+19.6) and εNd(t) (+5.4−+7.2); they were possibly generated by partial melting of juvenile intermediate or mafic arc crust. A 356 Ma high‐K calc‐alkaline granite has high Ga/Al (3.28–3.37), low Mg# (14–16), and high zircon εHf(t) (+8.9−+12.0); it can be classified as A2‐type‐granite, suggesting it was a product of substantial fractional crystallization of a mantle‐derived arc‐related magma in an intra‐arc extensional setting. The youngest granite (254 Ma) is an adakite‐like granite which is characterized by high Sr/Y (26–38), depletion in heavy rare earth elements (HREE), and high εNd(t) (+7.0) and εHf (t) (+10.4 to +15.4) values, most likely it was derived from a subducted oceanic slab. Therefore, all the granitic rocks formed in subduction‐related settings. The granitic rocks are generally young southwards from the Kezier area (ca. 401–335 Ma) to the Tuwu area (334–315 Ma), and to the Kanguer area (ca. 280–254 Ma), indicating that the arc grew southwards, and the Paleo‐Asian Ocean closed possibly after 254 Ma. Therefore, our data provide a robust constraint on the prolonged growth of the Altaids.
Comparative Study of the Variability of the Non‐Migrating Tide DE3 Using WACCM‐X Simulations and TIMED/SABER Observations
Authors: Li Xing , Ren Zhipeng , Cao Jinbin , Yu Yiqun , Wang Yuhan , Zhou Xu
Published: January 2022

Based on the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere extension (WACCM‐X) model outputs and Thermosphere‐Ionosphere‐Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED)/Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) observations, we examine the global structures and temporal variations, that is, climatological and meteorological characteristics, of the daily diurnal eastward propagating non‐migrating temperature tide with zonal wavenumber 3 component (DE3), which could drive the ionospheric longitudinal structure wavenumber 4 structure (WN4), from 2003 to 2012 within the ±45° latitudes in the Mesosphere and low thermosphere (MLT) region (with altitude of 75–108 km). For the climatological characteristics (i.e., long‐term variability such as inter‐ and intra‐annual variations), both the WACCM‐X model outputs and TIMED/SABER observations show that the DE3 tides have stronger amplitudes during boreal later summer and early autumn (July, August, and September), and show Quasi‐biennial oscillation phenomenon. Meanwhile, only the WACCM‐X model presents a weak peak of the DE3 in boreal winter (December, January, and February). As to the meteorological characteristics (i.e., short‐term variability such as day‐to‐day variations), it is found that: (a) the short‐term variabilities from both the model outputs and observations are stronger at low‐latitudes (<30°) and high altitudes (>100 km); (b) the two datasets display an obvious semi‐annual variation of the DE3 day‐to‐day variabilities with the monthly standard deviations larger during the solstices; (c) only from the WACCM‐X model outputs, the short‐term variability of the DE3 exhibit an annual variation with the monthly standard deviations larger in boreal winter, which is related to the small peak in the DE3 tidal amplitudes. Comparing the absolute amplitudes, the contribution of the wave phases play more important roles in the short‐term variation of the temperature DE3 tidal component from both the WACCM‐X model outputs and TIMED/SABER observations. Overall, the WACCM‐X model outputs can well reproduce the temporal variation of the non‐migrating tide DE3 in the MLT region, especially the day‐to‐day variability.
Two Contrasting Exhumation Scenarios of Deeply Subducted Continental Crust in North Pakistan
Authors: Zhang Dingding , Ding Lin , Chen Yi , Schertl Hans‐Peter , Qasim Muhammad , Jadoon Umair Khan , Wang Houqi , Li Jinxiang , Zhang Liyun , Yue Yahui , Xie Jing
Published: January 2022

In Western Himalayan Syntaxis, the India‐Asia continental collision occurred at ca. 50 Ma, while its uplift history and exhumation mechanism are still in dispute despite decades of studies. A new type of eclogite was found in Naran, located ca. 30 km southwest of the Upper Kaghan Valley. Phase equilibrium calculations and thermobarometer performed on the Naran eclogite documented the peak‐P metamorphic condition of 720–780°C at 2.4–2.8 GPa. Two further exhumation stages were identified with the first one at high‐P granulite‐facies conditions of 750–800°C at 1.6–1.9 GPa, and the second at amphibolite‐facies conditions of 550–630°C at 0.5–0.8 GPa. SIMS U‐Pb dating of metamorphic zircons yielded an age of 46 ± 2 Ma, which is interpreted to constrain the high‐P metamorphism age along the northwestern margin of the Indian plate. SIMS U‐Pb dating of rutile yielded a cooling age of 26 ± 3 Ma, which is interpreted as cooling age in the amphibolite facies. The average speculated exhumation rate of the Naran massif (∼3 mm a−1) was much lower than that recovered from the Upper Kaghan Valley massif (86–143 mm a−1). The tectonic and metamorphic evolution of the whole Western Himalayan Syntaxis shows the difference in temporal and spatial change within the Paleogene era, indicating the inconsistent exhumation histories of the continental slices. Such a multi‐slice exhumation process was probably related to the closure of the Neo‐Tethys ocean and the break‐off of the Indian lithospheric slab.
Moisture Sources for Precipitation Associated With Major Hurricanes During 2017 in the North Atlantic Basin
Authors: Pérez‐Alarcón Albenis , Coll‐Hidalgo Patricia , Fernández‐Alvarez José C. , Sorí Rogert , Nieto Raquel , Gimeno Luis
Published: January 2022

The 2017 North Atlantic tropical cyclone season was among the most active in the last two decades, with 17 named storms, of which six reached the major hurricane (MH) intensity: Harvey, Irma, Jose, Lee, Maria, and Ophelia. In this study, the water vapor sources for precipitation for these six MHs were examined using a Lagrangian approach. The particle dispersion model, FLEXPART, was used to identify moisture sources. Overall, the North Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico were identified as the main moisture sources, supplying ∼75%–85% of the atmospheric humidity gained by tropical cyclones, which resulted in precipitation associated with the MHs. However, the South Atlantic Ocean also contributed considerable humidity (∼14%–20%), and the remaining ∼1%–5% originated from the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. The accumulated moisture uptake higher than the 90th percentile generally appeared within approximately 3° to 5° of the TC trajectory.
Large Daytime Molecular Chlorine Missing Source at a Suburban Site in East China
Authors: Chen Qianjie , Xia Men , Peng Xiang , Yu Chuan , Sun Peng , Li Yuanyuan , Liu Yuliang , Xu Zhengning , Xu Zheng , Wu Rongrong , Nie Wei , Ding Aijun , Zhao Yu , Wang Tao
Published: January 2022

Molecular chlorine (Cl2) affects atmospheric oxidative capacity by generating chlorine radicals upon photolysis, but it is poorly simulated in atmospheric chemistry models. In this study, we observed up to 40 ppt Cl2 around noon at a suburban site in East China, and used a box model with up‐to‐date chlorine chemistry and comprehensive observational constraints to investigate Cl2 formation mechanisms. The standard model run with traditional Cl2 formation mechanisms underestimates the observed Cl2 by almost one order of magnitude around noon. The daytime Cl2 missing source was estimated, accounting for on average (69 ± 5)% of daytime Cl2 production for the 1‐week study period. It is likely caused by photochemistry within the aerosols, based on its correlation with observed environmental factors, such as sunlight intensity and aerosol abundances. With the daytime Cl2 missing source implemented into the model, the chlorine radical abundance increases by a factor of 4 in the afternoon, enhancing the oxidation of volatile organic compounds. A good understanding of daytime Cl2 formation mechanisms is critical while assessing the impacts of chlorine chemistry on air quality and climate.
Thermal Structure and Aerosols in Mars’ Atmosphere From TIRVIM/ACS Onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter: Validation of the Retrieval Algorithm
Authors: Guerlet S. , Ignatiev N. , Forget F. , Fouchet T. , Vlasov P. , Bergeron G. , Young R. M. B. , Millour E. , Fan S. , Tran H. , Shakun A. , Grigoriev A. , Trokhimovskiy A. , Montmessin F. , Korablev O.
Published: January 2022

The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter monitors the Martian atmosphere through different spectral intervals in the infrared light. We present a retrieval algorithm tailored to the analysis of spectra acquired in nadir geometry by Thermal InfraRed channel in honor of professor Vassilii Ivanovich Moroz (TIRVIM), the thermal infrared channel of ACS. Our algorithm simultaneously retrieves vertical profile of atmospheric temperature up to 50 km, surface temperature, and integrated optical depth of dust and water ice clouds. The specificity of the TIRVIM data set lies in its capacity to resolve the diurnal cycle over a 54 sol period. However, it is uncertain to what extent can the desired atmospheric quantities be accurately estimated at different times of day. Here we first present an Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE). We produce synthetic observations at various latitudes, seasons and local times and run our retrieval algorithm on these synthetic data, to evaluate its robustness. Different sources of biases are documented, in particular regarding aerosol retrievals. Atmospheric temperature retrievals are found robust even when dust and/or water ice cloud opacities are not well estimated in our OSSE. We then apply our algorithm to TIRVIM observations in April–May 2018 and perform a cross‐validation of retrieved atmospheric temperature and dust integrated opacity by comparisons with thousands of colocated Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) retrievals. Most differences between TIRVIM and MCS atmospheric temperatures can be attributed to differences in vertical sensitivity. Daytime dust opacities agree well with each other, while biases are found in nighttime dust opacity retrieved from TIRVIM at this season.
Seasonal Tidewater Glacier Terminus Oscillations Bias Multi‐Decadal Projections of Ice Mass Change
Authors: Felikson D. , Nowicki S. , Nias I. , Morlighem M. , Seroussi H.
Published: January 2022

Numerical, process‐based simulations of tidewater glacier evolution are necessary to project future sea‐level change under various climate scenarios. Previous work has shown that nonlinearities in tidewater glacier and ice stream dynamics can lead to biases in simulated ice mass change in the presence of noisy forcings. Ice sheet modeling projections that are used in the IPCC Assessment Report 6 (AR6) utilize atmospheric and oceanic forcings at annual temporal resolution, omitting any higher frequency forcings. Here, we quantify the effect of seasonal (<1 year) tidewater glacier terminus oscillations on decadal‐scale (30 years) mass change. We use an idealized geometry to mimic realistic tidewater glacier geometries and investigate the impact of the magnitude of seasonal oscillations, bed slope at the glacier terminus, and basal friction law. We find that omitting seasonal terminus motion results in biased mass change projections, with up to an 39% underestimate or 25% overestimate of mass loss when seasonality is neglected, depending on bed slope and magnitude of oscillations. The bias is most sensitive to the magnitude of the seasonal terminus oscillations and exhibits very little sensitivity to choice of friction law. Although omitting seasonal terminus motion may bias mass change projections of individual glaciers, further work is needed to investigate the impact on ice sheet mass change projections. In order to achieve this, seasonality in atmospheric and oceanic forcings must be adequately represented and observations of seasonal terminus positions and tidewater glacier thickness changes must be acquired to evaluate numerical models.
Mapping a River Beneath the Sea
Authors: Krastel Sebastian , Mosher David
Published: January 2022

A recent expedition mapped one of the world’s longest submarine channels, revealing previously undiscovered physical features and raising questions about its unusual origin and shape.
How Climate Change Shaped the Amazon’s Land and Life
Authors: Dzombak Rebecca
Published: January 2022

Ice Age climate swings shaped the equatorial basin’s terrain—and possibly its ecology—faster than previously thought.
A brief review on the synthesis, characterisation and analytical applications of nitrogen doped carbon dots
Authors: Naik Vaibhav M. , Bhosale Sheshanath V. , Kolekar Govind B.
Published: January 2022

The analytical applications of NCDs as an optical sensor for sensing broad range species such as various cations and anions, molecules, and biologically important species, and gases, pH and temperature.
Band structure engineering of W replacement in ReSe2 nanosheets for enhancing hydrogen evolution
Authors: Guo Xiaowei , Wu Tong , Zhao Siwei , Fang Yuqiang , Xu Shumao , Xie Miao , Huang Fuqiang
Published: January 2022

Re0.7W0.3Se2 has the best performance in 0.5 M H2SO4 with a Tafel slope of 65.3 mV dec−1, an overpotential of 141 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm−2.
Fluorescent Zn(ii) frameworks with multicarboxylate and pyridyl N-donor ligands for sensing specific anions and organic molecules
Authors: Zhao Shu-Man , Qiu Zhao-Feng , Xu Zou-Hong , Huang Zi-Qing , Zhao Yue , Sun Wei-Yin
Published: January 2022

Three new Zn(ii)-based frameworks were fabricated and their fluorescence and sensing properties for specific anions and organic molecules such as benzaldehyde (BZH) and nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) were examined.
The relationship between the structure and functionality of essential PUFA delivery systems based on sodium caseinate with phosphatidylcholine liposomes without and with a plant antioxidant: an in vitro and in vivo study
Authors: Semenova Maria G. , Antipova Anna S. , Martirosova Elena I. , Chebotarev Sergey A. , Palmina Nadezhda P. , Bogdanova Natalya G. , Krikunova Natalya I. , Zelikina Daria V. , Anokhina Maria S. , Kasparov Valery V.
Published: January 2022

The main relationships between the molecular parameters and functionalities of a delivery system for essential long-chain PUFAs.
Oral administration ofLactobacillus delbrueckiienhances intestinal immunity through inducing dendritic cell activation in suckling piglets
Authors: Peng Wei , Li Ying-Hui , Yang Guan , Duan Jie-Lin , Yang Ling-Yuan , Chen Li-Xiang , Hou Shu-Ling , Huang Xing-Guo
Published: January 2022

Lactobacillus delbrueckii (LAB) modulates intestinal immunity through inducing DC maturation and activation, which is related to activation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.
Self-association and gel formation during sedimentation of like-charged colloids
Authors: Xu Xufeng , de With Gijsbertus , Cölfen Helmut
Published: January 2022

We quantitatively study like-charged colloids in concentrated dispersion by sedimentation–diffusion-equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation. Surprisingly, we find that like-charged colloids attract at high concentration and gel phase is formed.
Visual detection of glucose by hydrogen peroxide test strips
Authors: Shi Lu , Jiao Ruijuan , Liu Wei , Li Baoxin , Jin Yan
Published: January 2022

Glucose is measured by H2O2 test strips within 5.08 min and directly by GOD-functionalized H2O2 test strips within 2 min.
Adsorption of nitrogen oxides on modified BN nanosheets: improved gas sensing and functionalization
Authors: Lu Yunhua , Tian Jiangling , Zhang Jun’an , Zhang Qingwei , Li Lei , Xu Yanjie
Published: January 2022

DFT simulation of nitrogen oxide adsorption over modified defective BN nanosheets.
AgNPs/nGOx/Apra nanocomposites for synergistic antimicrobial therapy and scarless skin recovery
Authors: Zhao Ming , Zhou Mingqing , Gao Peng , Zheng Xueyun , Yu Wen , Wang Zhenyuan , Li Jingchao , Zhang Jiaheng
Published: January 2022

Schematic illustration of the synthesis of the AgNPs/nGOx/Apra nanocomposites and the method by which they were delivered.
Multi‐objective optimal configuration of stand‐alone microgrids based on Benders decomposition considering power supply reliability
Authors: Wei Wei , Wang Herong , Hou Kai , Ji Ledong
Published: January 2022

Power supply reliability (PSR) is a critical factor in the optimal configuration of stand‐alone microgrids. Considering the impact of the failure outage of power generation and energy storage equipment, as well as the uncertainty of renewable energy on PSR, a multi‐objective bi‐level mixed‐integer optimisation model is proposed. Based on Benders decomposition, the model is decoupled into a master problem (MP) of the equipment optimal configuration considering economy and environmental conservation and a sub‐problem (SP) of the PSR check. Considering the load importance hierarchy, two types of slack variables are introduced into the SP to ensure both the reliable power supply of important loads and the PSR of the system. Through interactive iteration of the MP and SP, the complexity of the optimisation model is considerably reduced, improving the solution efficiency while ensuring the rationality of the optimal configuration scheme. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed model is verified by a typical stand‐alone wind–photovoltaic–diesel–battery microgrid system and analysed in terms of the impact of reliability requirement and energy storage on the configuration scheme and algorithm convergence.
Effect of serum protein on cell internalization of silica nanoparticles
Authors: Choi Jae Won , Kim In Young , Kwak Minjeong , Kim Jaeseok , Yoon Sohee , Jang Hyun Jun , Lee Tae Geol , Heo Min Beom
Published: January 2022

Nanomaterials such as silica (SiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) are used in various fields owing to their unique properties, especially in biomedical applications. It has been reported that these particles induce different kinds of toxicity in various cells; therefore, it is very important to perform multifaceted analyses for accurate nanotoxicity evaluation. Most existing studies have primarily been conducted in the presence of serum, which could agglutinate SiO2 NPs, making it difficult to maintain the original size of the NPs and potentially causing errors in toxicity evaluation. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of serum proteins on the toxicity and internalization of SiO2 NPs. The toxicity of three types of monodisperse SiO2 NPs was examined in a serum‐free environment using human liver cancer (HepG2) cells and lung cancer (A549) cells. It was observed that the toxicity is significantly reduced by protein corona formation. The size‐dependent effect of SiO2 NPs on apoptosis and necrosis was also investigated, and it was observed that both apoptosis and necrosis occur under serum‐free or low‐concentration serum conditions after exposure of the cell lines to SiO2 NPs. These findings suggest that serum proteins are among the most important factors to be considered while evaluating the cytotoxicity of nanomaterials.
Using scaffolds as drug delivery systems to treat bone tumor
Authors: Wang Caifeng , Ma Zijiu , Yuan Kemeng , Ji Tianjiao
Published: January 2022

Surgery is the principal strategy to treat osteosarcoma and other types of bone tumors, but it causes bone defects that cannot be healed spontaneously. After surgery, patients still need to receive radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy to prevent tumor recurrence and metastasis, which leads to systemic side effects. Bone scaffolds exhibit the potentials to load cargos (drugs or growth factors) and act as drug delivery systems (DDSs) in the osteosarcoma postoperative treatment. This review introduces current types of bone scaffolds and highlights representative works using scaffolds as DDSs to treat osteosarcomas. Challenges and perspectives in the scaffold-based DDSs are also discussed. This review may provide references to develop effective and safe strategies for osteosarcoma postoperative treatment.
Electrically responsive materials based on dibutyl phathalate plasticized poly(lactic acid) and spherical fullerene
Authors: Thummarungsan Natlita , Pattavarakorn Datchanee , Sirivat Anuvat
Published: January 2022

Carbon-based electromechanical actuators, capable of reversible shape changes in response to electrical stimuli, have found many potential utilizations such as robotic artificial muscles, micro-pumps, and sensitive switches. In this work, electroactive materials based on the dibutyl phathalate (DBP) plasticized poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and fullerene (C60) were produced by a simple solvent casting method. The PLA composites exhibited fast and reversible responses under electrical stimulus. The highest storage modulus response was obtained from the 1.0%v/v C60/PLA/DBP at 23.51 × 105 Pa under the 1.5 kV mm−1 electric field. In the bending experiment, the PLA composites bended towards the anode from the attractive force between the negative charges of the induced dipole moments namely the carbonyl groups in PLA and DBP and the π-conjugated electrons of C60 and the positive electrode. The C60/PLA/DBP composite with a small C60 content (0.1%v/v) yielded the maximum bending distance of about 6.0 mm within 10 s and the highest dielectrophoresis force of 1.01 mN at 550 V mm−1. Thus, the electrically responsive PLA composites fabricated here with the short response time and high bending deformation are demonstrated here to be promising biobased materials towards actuator applications.
Highly flexible and conductive stainless-steel thread based piezoelectric coaxial yarn nanogenerators via solution coating and touch-spun nanofibers coating methods
Authors: Uddin Md Mazbah , Blevins Brianna , Yadavalli Nataraja Sekhar , Pham Minh Thien , Nguyen Tho Duc , Minko Sergiy , Sharma Suraj
Published: January 2022

The concept of nanogenerators (NGs) based on textiles was introduced to impart functional attributes to textiles for developing smart textiles and integrating wearable electronics of various functionalities. The human body can generate sufficient mechanical energy that can be harvested by the piezoelectric NGs (PENGs) and used to power up low power consuming wearable electronics. Two simple and easy approaches for coating a highly conductive weave-able metal electrode with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric polymer to construct two different types of coaxial yarn-based PENGs (Y-PENGs) are presented in this paper. The proposed techniques result in the in-situ formation of the β phase of the PVDF. The Y-PENGs are based on facile solution coating and touchspun nanofibers (TSNFs) coating of the inner electrode. The solution-coated Y-PENG (SC-YPENG) showed 5.12 V of peak open-circuit voltage (V
oc) and 41.25 nA of peak short circuit current (I
sc). Whereas the TSNFs coated Y-PENG (NFC-YPENG) showed 5.08 V of peak V
oc and 29.1 nA of peak I
sc. In a series connection, the average peak V
oc were synergized by ∼2.53 and ∼2.4 factor respectively for the SC-YPENG and the NFC-YPENG. The Y-PENGs were able to charge capacitors and run LEDs. Additionally, our coated inner electrode shows great flexibility, thereby it could be knitted or woven into smart textiles to run wearable electronics sustainably.
Exploring the half-lives of extremely long-lived α emitters *
Authors: Fan Jingya , Xu Chang
Published: January 2022

Naturally occurring α emitters with extremely long half-lives are investigated using the latest experimental data. Within the time-dependent perturbation theory, α decay with a rather narrow width is treated as a quasi-stationary problem by dividing the potential between the α particle and daughter nucleus into a stationary part and a perturbation. The experimental α decay half-lives of seven available long-lived α emitters with

y are reproduced with a good accuracy. It is also found that the deformation effect should be treated carefully for long-lived nuclei, especially with low

values. Predictions of the α decay half-lives of twenty naturally occurring nuclei are provided, namely,

Ce,

Nd,

Sm,

Dy,

Er,

Yb,

W,

Os,

Pt, and

Pb. These nuclei are energetically unstable to α decay with low decay energies and extremely long decay half-lives. In particular, the candidates

Os and

Sm are strongly recommended for future experiments.
Influence of electron density, temperature and decay energy on β–decay rates in a stellar environment *
Authors: Liu Shuo , Xu Chang
Published: January 2022

In this paper, thedecay rates in the magnetic field of a neutron star are investigated under different conditions of electron density, temperature, and decay energy. By considering the influence of magnetic field on the electron spectrum, we improve the Takahashi–Yokoi model and perform the calculations ofdecay rates for the nickel (Ni) isotopes, which are the typical neutron-rich nuclei participating in the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process). It is found that thedecay rates are increased significantly in the extremely strong magnetic field (G). Furthermore, we find oscillation ofdecay rates with the increase of magnetic field strength, implying that the magnitude ofdecay rates is closely related to not only the decay energy but also the environmental electron density. In contrast, the impact of temperature on thedecay rates is found to be negligible in the range ofKK.
Preparation, characterization, and genotoxicity of Polyvinyl alcohol-single-wall carbon nanotubes (PVA/SWCNTs) nanocomposites for tissue engineering applications
Authors: Anis Badawi , Khalil Wagdy K B , Kamel Nagwa A , Abd El-Messieh Salwa L
Published: January 2022

In the last decade, the synthesis and use of carbon nanotubes and their polymeric composites are increasing. However, there is no sufficient information about the safety of using single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in the biomedical field. In this study, novel polymeric nanocomposites based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and different concentrations of single-wall carbon nanotubes PVA/SWCNTs (0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 wt%) have been prepared. The pro-inflammatory response and genotoxicity of these nanocomposites were tested for tissue engineering applications. Characterisation of the nanocomposites was carried out through Raman spectroscopy, UV spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), dielectric and conductivity measurements in addition to tensile strength σ

B
and elongation at break ε

B
measurements. The research was expanded to look into the ability of different nanocomposite concentrations to cause oxidative stress and DNA damage in male rats’ lung tissues. The comet assay and gene expression analyses are used to assess the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative DNA damage. According to the findings, SWCNTs were distributed uniformly throughout the PVA matrix up to 1 wt% with physical interaction between them. When the SWCNT content increased, the electrical conductivity increased and the mechanical characteristics of the films were modified. In groups of rats exposed to PVA/SWCNTs 3 wt% nanocomposites, ROS production, DNA damage, and the expression levels of TNF-, p53, and CYP1A2 genes all rose significantly. The findings suggested that SWCNTs with a concentration of up to 1wt% could be a good candidate for improving physical properties of PVA and the nanocomposites could be used in neural, bone or cartilage tissue regeneration.
Efficacy and Safety of Letibotulinumtoxin A in the Treatment of Glabellar Lines: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter, Placebo-Controlled Phase 3 Study
Authors: Mueller Daniel S , Prinz Valentina , Adelglass Jeffrey , Cox Sue Ellen , Gold Michael H , Kaufman-Janette Joely , Nestor Mark S , Taylor Susan , Frank Konstantin
Published: January 2022

Background

Letibotulinumtoxin A (Hugel, Inc., Chuncheon, Republic of Korea and CROMA Pharma, Leobendorf, Austria) is a newly manufactured neurotoxin derived from Clostridium botulinum strain CBFC26.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of letibotulinumtoxin A in reducing glabellar line severity (GLS) and to evaluate long-term safety and efficacy following repeated injections.

Methods

In this prospective, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled Phase III clinical trial, 355 subjects with moderate to severe glabella frown lines received injections of 20 U of letibotulinumtoxin A or placebo. GLS, onset and duration of effect, time to retreatment, and adverse events were evaluated. Response to treatment was defined as a GLS score of 0 or 1 (assessed by the subject and the investigator) and an improvement at Week 4 of ≥2 points in GLS score relative to baseline.

Results

At 4 weeks, 78.6% of the active treatment subjects were responders based on the investigator’s assessment and 68.8% based on the subject’s assessment, resulting in a composite responder rate of 64.7% for the active treatment group, whereas the corresponding rate was 0.0% in the placebo group (P < 0.001). Subjects noted a substantial improvement in GL severity as early as Day 2, with the median time to onset of effect being 3 days. The mean [standard deviation] time until first retreatment for the letibotulinumtoxin A group was 127.26 [65.6] days. Letibotulinumtoxin A was well tolerated.

Conclusions

Letibotulinumtoxin A demonstrates high efficacy and a convincing safety profile in the treatment of glabellar lines.

Level of Evidence: 2
Revisiting hematopoiesis: applications of the bulk and single-cell transcriptomics dissecting transcriptional heterogeneity in hematopoietic stem cells
Authors: Monga Isha , Kaur Karambir , Dhanda Sandeep Kumar
Published: January 2022

Hematopoietic system (HS) is one of the most unique, adaptive and comprehensive developmental systems on which various other body systems relies on. It consists of a central pool of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) differentiating into lymphoid and myeloid lineage by series of gradual loss of stemness potential. Thus, this highly coordinated phenomenon of blood cell renewal ensures robust immunity and limits autoimmunity. Any disease, chronic infection or stress interrupts HS homeostasis and breaks HSCs’ dormancy, thereby activating HSCs to meet the peripheral demand for different immune cells via their expansion and differentiation into more lineage-restricted progenitors, primarily within the bone marrow (BM) in adult life. Therefore, a greater understanding of the overall regulatory landscape of HSC homeostasis and their perturbations is critical for dissecting protective immunity versus autoimmunity. Recent advancements in next-generation sequencing (NGS) viz genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic and proteogenomic methods at bulk as well as single-cell levels have increased our apprehension for HSC working model. In this review, we discussed the recent findings and computational methods used to unravel the new HSC model revised over the classical model.