bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Growth modes and chemical-phase separation in GaP1−xNx layers grown by chemical beam epitaxy on GaP/Si(001)
Authors: Ben Saddik K. , Fernández-Garrido S. , Volkov R. , Grandal J. , Borgardt N. , García B. J.
Published: November 2023

We investigated the chemical beam epitaxy of GaP1−xNx grown on nominally (001)-oriented Si substrates, as desired for the lattice-matched integration of optoelectronic devices with the standard Si technology. The growth mode and the chemical, morphological, and structural properties of samples prepared using different growth temperatures and N precursor fluxes were analyzed by several techniques. Our results show that, up to x≈0.04, it is possible to synthesize smooth and chemically homogeneous GaP1−xNx layers with a high structural quality. As the flux of the N precursor is increased at a given temperature to enhance N incorporation, the quality of the layers degrades upon exceeding a temperature-dependent threshold; above this threshold, the growing layer experiences a growth mode transition from 2D to 3D after reaching a critical thickness of a few nm. Following that transition, the morphology and the chemical composition become modulated along the [110] direction with a period of several tens of nm. The surface morphology is then characterized by the formation of {113}-faceted wires, while the N concentration is enhanced at the troughs formed in between adjacent (113) and (1¯1¯3). On the basis of this study, we conclude on the feasibility of fabricating homogeneous thick GaP1−xNx layers lattice matched to Si (x=0.021) or even with N content up to x=0.04. The possibility of exceeding a N mole fraction of 0.04 without inducing coupled morphological–compositional modulations has also been demonstrated when the layer thickness is kept below the critical value for the 2D–3D growth mode transition.
Intelligent flow field reconstruction based on proper orthogonal decomposition dimensionality reduction and improved multi-branch convolution fusion
Authors: Yang Maotao , Wang Gang , Guo Mingming , Tian Ye , Zhong Zhiwen , Xu Mengqi , Li Linjing , Le Jialing , Zhang Hua
Published: November 2023

The rapid and accurate reconstruction of the supersonic combustor flow field is of great significance for sensing and predicting the combustion state. Existing deep learning methods pay less attention to the convergence speed of flow field reconstruction, which results in longer training and prediction times for the models. This study proposes a method for reconstructing the flow field in supersonic combustor by combining a reduced-order model based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) with a multi-branch convolutional neural network. This method first analyzes the effectiveness of POD reconstruction. Then, based on the wall pressure data of the supersonic engine combustor, it performs flow field image reconstruction. Finally, through error calculation and gradient updating with low-resolution principal component flow field shadow images obtained from the POD algorithm, the high-precision and efficient prediction of flow field images is achieved. Different equivalence ratio hydrogen fuel combustion experiments were conducted in a pulsed combustion wind tunnel with an incoming flow Mach number of 2.5. The learning model was trained and tested using the dataset obtained from these experiments. Numerous experiments demonstrated that the model can effectively reconstruct the wave structures of complex flow fields. Multiple evaluation indicators indicated that the reconstructed flow field of the combustor shows good agreement with that obtained from ground wind tunnel testing. Furthermore, after introducing the POD dimensionality reduction model, the training time was reduced by 32.03%, effectively improving the training time complexity of the model.
WKB solutions of the Schrödinger equation with a quartic potential
Authors: Xiao C. Z. , Wang Q. , Myatt J. F.
Published: November 2023

The Schrödinger equation with a quartic potential is a fundamental equation describing the physics of stimulated side scattering, but no exact, even approximate solution has been formulated yet. Here, the approximate solutions to such a Schrödinger equation are derived using the WKBJ method under different variables. The solutions are accurate enough in most cases. Eigenvalues and eigenfunctions, which are the most impressive properties of such equations, are also discussed.
Two new species of burrowing scorpions (Urodacidae: Urodacus) from the Pilbara region of Western Australia with identical external morphology†
Authors: Buzatto Bruno A. , Clark Huon L. , Harvey Mark S. , Volschenk Erich S.
Published: November 2023

Two new species of urodacid scorpion are described from the Pilbara region in Western Australia, where they are both patchily distributed along creek lines in the north-east of the region. Urodacus uncinus sp. nov. and Urodacus lunatus sp. nov. are indistinguishable based on external morphology: adults are medium-sized, yellow burrowing scorpions with remarkable sexual dimorphism in the telson, in which males have a uniquely swollen vesicle and an aculeus that is more strongly curved than other known species of Urodacus. The species are superficially similar to Urodacus similis L.E. Koch, 1977 and Urodacus yaschenkoi Birula, 1903 in the morphology of the first four metasomal segments, which are extremely short and not much longer than high. The two new species can only be discerned from each other based on the morphology of their hemispermatophores, which highlights the extremely conserved morphology of species in the genus and suggests that many new species await description with careful examination of their genitalia.
Massive invasion of organellar DNA drives nuclear genome evolution in
Toxoplasma
Authors: Namasivayam Sivaranjani , Sun Cheng , Bah Assiatu B. , Oberstaller Jenna , Pierre-Louis Edwin , Etheridge Ronald Drew , Feschotte Cedric , Pritham Ellen J. , Kissinger Jessica C.
Published: November 2023

Toxoplasma gondii
is a zoonotic protist pathogen that infects up to one third of the human population. This apicomplexan parasite contains three genome sequences: nuclear (65 Mb); plastid organellar, ptDNA (35 kb); and mitochondrial organellar, mtDNA (5.9 kb of non-repetitive sequence). We find that the nuclear genome contains a significant amount of NUMTs (nuclear integrants of mitochondrial DNA) and NUPTs (nuclear integrants of plastid DNA) that are continuously acquired and represent a significant source of intraspecific genetic variation. NUOT (nuclear DNA of organellar origin) accretion has generated 1.6% of the extant
T. gondii
ME49 nuclear genome—the highest fraction ever reported in any organism. NUOTs are primarily found in organisms that retain the non-homologous end-joining repair pathway. Significant movement of organellar DNA was experimentally captured via amplicon sequencing of a CRISPR-induced double-strand break in non-homologous end-joining repair competent, but not
ku80
mutant,
Toxoplasma
parasites. Comparisons with
Neospora caninum
, a species that diverged from
Toxoplasma
~28 mya, revealed that the movement and fixation of five NUMTs predates the split of the two genera. This unexpected level of NUMT conservation suggests evolutionary constraint for cellular function. Most NUMT insertions reside within (60%) or nearby genes (23% within 1.5 kb), and reporter assays indicate that some NUMTs have the ability to function as
cis
-regulatory elements modulating gene expression. Together, these findings portray a role for organellar sequence insertion in dynamically shaping the genomic architecture and likely contributing to adaptation and phenotypic changes in this important human pathogen.
Rewriting the Indian other
Authors: Hamdan Mohammed
Published: November 2023

This article reexamines the colonial representation of Indians in Rudyard Kipling’s “The Story of Muhammad Din”
through a postcolonial resistant translation from English to Arabic. Set in India, Kipling’s short story depicts the buried
Anglo-Indian conflict between the world perspectives of an adult Englishman and an Indian child. To this Indian child, Muhammad
Din, existence is situated at the crossroads of an intense personal and national struggle for power, freedom, and independence.
The dominant presence of the colonial law, which is embodied in the English doctor’s presumed authority and strict medical
discourse in Kipling’s narrative, fashions a negative and inferior representation of Muhammad Din and his father Imam. Moreover,
the impersonal style of narration, which is noted in the final scene of Muhammad’s death, enhances a colonial desire of the
English to accentuate a rigorous sense of Englishness and national superiority that cannot be compromised. By offering a
postcolonial translation of Kipling’s story in Arabic, however, Arab readers re-conceptualize or re-imagine
othered Indians – here Muhammad Din – as central post-colonial agents who also function as vital sources of
artistic or creative power that is necessary to deflate colonial authoritative agency in Kipling’s colonial text.
Danmu-assisted learning through back translation
Authors: Chen Xuemei
Published: November 2023

Based on a new type of online data, danmu comments, this article examines the reception of the
English-dubbed Chinese drama Journey to the West (Season II). This drama was adapted from a classic Chinese novel
of the same title. Studies on dubbing reception have focused on how audiences understand and appreciate dubbing products. However,
this article approaches dubbing reception from the perspective of usability, conceiving reception as using translations for
certain purposes. I first collected danmu comments on the dubbed version from Bilibili, the most popular
danmu video-sharing website in China. A multimodal discourse analysis of these comments shows that the dubbed
Journey has been used for Chinese viewers to learn English. Danmu interface functions like a
“blackboard” to provide back translations for viewers, helping them better understand the English lines. By proposing the concept
“danmu-assisted learning through back translation,” this study argues that dubbed material could be useful in
language learning. Such informal language learning may inspire the industry to develop a danmu-based learning
software for foreign languages, which could be applied in a pedagogical setting. This article reveals new temporal features of
danmu subtitling, including antecedent, concurrent, and delayed danmu translations,
potentially facilitating learning in various ways. It also contributes methodologically to AVT reception studies by using
danmu comments to study viewers in a naturalistic setting without researcher intervention.
Factors affecting voice onset time in English stops
Authors: Chen Chun-yin Doris , Liu Wei-yun Winona , Yeh Tzu-Fen Nellie
Published: November 2023

This study investigates the voice onset time (VOT) of L2 English stops produced by native speakers of Chinese at
different L2 proficiency levels. Four factors were examined: English proficiency, gender, place of articulation, and vowel
context. High and low achievers of English were recruited as the experimental groups and native speakers of English as the control
group. Each group consisted of 16 participants, 8 males and 8 females. Each participant took part in a read-aloud task, in which
the target words were presented in an embedded sentence.

The results showed that the effects of L2 proficiency were significant in that high achievers outperformed low
achievers who were affected by L1 negative transfer more seriously when producing native-like English stops. Additionally, when
producing English stops, velar stops had significantly greater VOT values than either bilabial or alveolar ones. However, no
significant gender differences were found. Male and female participants produced similar VOT values in English stops. Last, the
vowel context was also a significant factor. The VOT lengths differed according to the context of a following vowels. More
specifically, the VOT of a stop is significantly longer when followed by a tense vowel.
Mass identifications and mythical violence
Authors: Prestifilippo Agustín Lucas
Published: November 2023

Whoever intends to answer the question about how collective identities are articulated today in capitalist
societies cannot ignore the task of conceptually and empirically articulating two differentiated issues: on the one hand, the
anomic situations of disintegration, in which the individualizing logic of neoliberal ideology takes center stage; on the other,
the emergence of new phenomena of social authoritarianism in different strata where the psycho-affective dynamics of community
identifications become especially relevant. In this article I will analyze the mechanisms of communitarian subjectivation deployed
by neoliberalism in the time of its crisis. For this purpose, I examine some oral narratives extracted from a qualitative study of
Argentine society, in which the interlocutors thread hypotheses about issues of public significance such as social inequality, the
role of the State in our crisis context and the rights of immigrants.
Dealing with the dual demands of expertise and democracy
Authors: Padmos Henrike , te Molder Hedwig , Koole Tom
Published: November 2023

Credible expertise is no longer a given in our contemporary democracy: for knowledge to be authoritative, experts
must take into account a wider audience than just scientific colleagues. This study uses conversation analysis and discursive
psychology to investigate how experts deal with this role in practice. We show that experts in a Dutch public hearing on GM food
orient to ‘speaking on behalf of the public’ without undermining their status as experts. They do this by (1) animating but not
overlapping the voices of the public (2) speaking on behalf of ‘the consumer’ and (3) presenting hypothetical public opinions. In
this way, experts reconcile what they treat as the dual requirement of distance to support an expert opinion and the proximity to
the public required for good democracy. We further discuss what implications this research has for the role of experts in a modern
democracy.
Preparation of Bi2Te3 Based on Saturable Absorption System and Its Application in Fiber Lasers
Authors: Wang 王 Haoyu 浩宇 , Xiao 肖 Yue-Jia 悦嘉 , Liu 刘 Qi 齐 , Xing 邢 Xiao-Wei 笑伟 , Yang 杨 Hu-Jiang 胡江 , Liu 刘 Wen-Jun 文军
Published: November 2023

Fiber laser is a fundamental component of laser systems and is of great significance for development of laser technology. Its pulse output can be divided into Q-switched and mode-locked. Achieving ultrashort pulse with narrower pulse duration and higher power is the focus of current research on mode-locked lasers. As an important component of fiber laser systems, saturable absorber (SA) can modulate losses in the optical cavity and generate pulses, enabling the laser system to achieve pulse output under long-term normal operating conditions better. Therefore, expanding the selection range of materials with better saturable absorption properties to improve the quality of pulse output is an important topic in current research. Here, the second generation topological insulator Bi2Te3 single crystal is prepared, and a ring fiber laser system is built with the Bi2Te3 SA. The mode-locked pulse with a pulse duration of 288 fs and a signal-to-noise ratio of 80.202 dB is realized. This result verifies that Bi2Te3, as a member of topological insulator, has good saturable absorption characteristics, and has broad prospects for the application research in lasers.
Probing the strongly correlated magnetic state of Co2C nanoparticles at low temperatures using μSR
Authors: Roy Nirmal , Mahato P C , Saha Suprotim , Telling M , Lord J S , Adroja D T , Banerjee S S
Published: November 2023

Co2C nanoparticles (NPs) are amongst transition metal carbides whose magnetic properties have not been well explored. An earlier study (Roy et al 2021 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter
33 375804) showed that a pellet made from Co2C NPs exhibits exchange bias (EB) effect below a temperature, T
EB = 50 K and a spin glass (SG) feature emerges below T
SG = 5 K. In the current study we use magnetic, electrical transport, specific heat, and muon spin rotation (μSR) measurements to explore further the magnetic properties of a pellet made with 40 nm diameter pure Co2C NPs. We uncover the onset of Kondo localization at Kondo temperature T
K (= 40.1 K), which is close to the onset temperature (T
EB) of the EB effect. A crossover from the Kondo-screened scenario to the Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida interaction-dominated regime is also observed for T < T
K. Temperature-dependent specific heat measurement further supports the Kondo localization scenario in the pellet and shows the heavy fermionic nature of the strongly correlated electronic state in Co2C. The zero field μSR asymmetry spectra in the low-temperature regime are characterized by two distinct fast and slow relaxation rates. The spectra show the absence of long-range magnetic order in the sample. However, our analysis suggests the NPs-pellet shows the presence of a dominant magnetically disordered fraction and a smaller fraction with short-range order. Muons in the disordered fraction exhibit a slower relaxation rate, while muons in the smaller fraction with short-range order exhibit a faster relaxation rate. We observe an increase in this fast relaxation rate between T
EB and T
SG. This increase below T
EB ∼ 50 K suggests a slowing down of the fluctuating local magnetic environment around muons. Transverse field-μSR asymmetry spectra show the emergence of a stable, multi-peaked local magnetic field distribution in the pellet below T
EB. Longitudinal field μSR spectra shows distinct changes in the dynamics of fluctuations suggesting the presence of a frozen glassy like state below 6 K. Based on our results, we suggest that below T
EB, the pellet of Co2C NPs develops a magnetic interface that separates the two magnetic fractions; one is a disordered fraction, and the other is a fraction with short-range order. The exchange interaction that sets in below T
EB at the interface couples the two fractions, leading to a suppression of the fluctuations. With the suppression of magnetic fluctuations below T
EB, strong correlation effects in the electronic state of Co2C lead to Kondo localization.
A fast detection method for building wood measurement based on interval type-2 fuzzy model
Authors: Wang Chunyan , Xu Silu , Gui Qihao , Jin Man
Published: November 2023

Automatic measurement detection in the process of wood processing can effectively improve production efficiency and yield to promote upgrading the wood processing industry. Therefore, this article researches visual detection technology for wood surface measurements and proposes a construction wood measurement detection method based on interval type-2 fuzzy theory. This method overcomes the problem of increasing heterogeneity and similarity of homogeneous areas on the wood surface, which increases the difficulty of measurement detection. Firstly, the Gaussian model is improved by establishing a wood measurement image feature model that considers rate neighborhood relationships as the basic model. Then, the basic model is fuzzified to construct an interval type-2 fuzzy model (IT2FM) to characterize the uncertainty features of the modeling and achieve measurement detection of building wood. We conducted experiments using a wood measurement detection dataset to study the influence of the construction form of IT2FM on wood measurement detection and evaluated the results using kappa values. The detection accuracy of this method is improved by about 10% compared to traditional machine learning and deep learning methods, and it only takes about 3–5 s to run the program. The experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively suppress the noise generated by wood measurement detection and prevent missed detection. It can achieve high-quality measurement detection of wood dead knots, loose knots, and cracked parts.
An efficient high dynamic range 3D shape reconstruction method based on double phase-shifting profilometry
Authors: Wang Jianhua , Yang Yanxi
Published: November 2023

Phase-shifting profilometry is the most widely used wrapped phase extraction method due to the advantages of high accuracy and resolution, robust to noise. However, due to the local specular reflection of the measured surfaces and the limited camera dynamic range, some pixels of the captured fringes become intensity saturated, thus introducing wrapped phase error. In this work, we simulate the Fourier spectrum of the saturated fringe and represent the saturated fringe approximately by a third-order Fourier series. Subsequently, we establish the saturation-induced wrapped phase error model. According to this model, it can be found that for the N-step phase-shifting method, the spatial frequency of the saturation-induced wrapped phase error is N times of that of the ideal wrapped phase. We phase shift the N-step phase-shifting fringe sequence π/N to generate the additional phase-shifting fringe sequence, and thus generate the opposite saturation-induced wrapped phase error. Finally, the saturation-induced wrapped phase error can be greatly reduced by fusing the wrapped phases of the two sets of phase-shifting fringe sequences. Compared with the traditional method and the adaptive projection fringe method, the phase error of the double N-step phase-shifting method is reduced by 67.63% and 65.2%, respectively.
A synergistic approach to enhance sensitivity and selectivity of room temperature operable ammonia gas sensor with humidity assistance using RGO/WO3 nanocomposite
Authors: Tripathi Divya , Chauhan Pratima , Rawat Ravindra Kumar
Published: November 2023

In this study, the fabrication of an ultrahigh selective NH3 gas sensor based on RGO/WO3 nanocomposite has been proposed. The hydrothermal method was employed to synthesize the RGO/WO3 nanocomposite. The formation of RGO/WO3 nanocomposite and the elemental composition, structure and morphology of the as-synthesized materials were confirmed through an array of analytical techniques, including XRD, Raman, FT-IR, XPS and TEM. For gas sensing applications, pure RGO and RGO/WO3 have effectively spin-coated onto the interdigitated electrodes (IDE’s) based on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) respectively, and their sensitivity towards NH3 was tested. Gas sensing characteristics of prepared materials were analyzed at room temperature (25 °C) under different relative humidity (RH) levels. The developed RGO/WO3 sensor was subjected to different NH3 concentrations, demonstrating a high sensing response of 89% towards 500 ppm NH3 under 11%–97%–11% RH conditions. Notably, the sensor exhibited rapid response and recovery times with an average response time of 92 s and recovery time of 26 s when exposed to 500 ppm NH3 under the specified RH conditions. To gauge the material selectivity, the prepared nanocomposite was exposed to a range of volatile organic compounds and the results showcased the sensor’s remarkable selectivity and sensitivity specifically toward NH3 vapor. This superior performance can be attributed to the abundant active sites and the excellent electron transport properties inherent to the RGO component. Importantly, the RGO/WO3 sensor displayed high reproducibility and consistent responses, with minimal degradation (1.98% degradation) over 30 d at 11%–97%–11% RH. Furthermore, we examined the sensor’s response with varying levels of relative humidity to assess its potential for real-world applications. The sensor exhibited extremely low power consumption, outperforming a commercially available metal oxide sensor while operating at ambient temperature. The robust performance of RGO/WO3 coupled with low power requirements and ambient temperature operation, positions it as a promising candidate for next-generation gas sensing technologies.
The first probe of a FLASH proton beam by PET
Authors: Abouzahr F , Cesar J P , Crespo P , Gajda M , Hu Z , Klein K , Kuo A S , Majewski S , Mawlawi O , Morozov A , Ojha A , Poenisch F , Proga M , Sahoo N , Seco J , Takaoka T , Tavernier S , Titt U , Wang X , Zhu X R , Lang K
Published: November 2023

The recently observed FLASH effect related to high doses delivered with high rates has the potential to revolutionize radiation cancer therapy if promising results are confirmed and an underlying mechanism understood. Comprehensive measurements are essential to elucidate the phenomenon. We report the first-ever demonstration of measurements of successive in-spill and post-spill emissions of gammas arising from irradiations by a FLASH proton beam. A small positron emission tomography (PET) system was exposed in an ocular beam of the Proton Therapy Center at MD Anderson Cancer Center to view phantoms irradiated by 3.5 × 1010 protons with a kinetic energy of 75.8 MeV delivered in 101.5 ms-long spills yielding a dose rate of 164 Gy s−1. Most in-spill events were due to prompt gammas. Reconstructed post-spill tomographic events, recorded for up to 20 min, yielded quantitative imaging and dosimetric information. These findings open a new and novel modality for imaging and monitoring of FLASH proton therapy exploiting in-spill prompt gamma imaging followed by post-spill PET imaging.
Effect of silver doping on electrical characteristics of aluminum/HfO2/p-silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor devices
Authors: Demir A , Pakma O , Kariper I A , Özden Ş , Avci N
Published: November 2023

In this study, undoped and silver (Ag) doped hafnium oxide (HfO2) thin films were prepared by sol-gel dipping method and their effect as an interface material in a p-Si-based metal-oxide-semiconductor device was investigated for the first time. The structural effects of Ag doping were investigated using x-ray diffraction patterns. Al/HfO2:Ag/p-Si devices were fabricated using these films, and their electrical properties were characterized by measuring current-voltage (I–V) curves at room temperature. The ideality factor values of the devices decreased from 4.09 to 2.20 as the Ag doping ratio increased. Simultaneously, the barrier height values increased from 0.60 eV to 0.81 eV. The calculated series resistance values, determined by two different methods, demonstrated that the lowest resistance values were obtained at a 1% Ag doping ratio. Furthermore, the interface state densities were found to vary with the doping ratio. The improvement in electrical parameters resulting from Ag doping can be attributed to the reduction in molar volume due to structural phase transformation. The decrease in the ideality factor suggests enhanced carrier transport efficiency, while the increase in barrier height indicates improved energy band alignment at the metal/semiconductor interface.
Density and temperature profiles after low-Z and high-Z shattered pellet injections on DIII-D
Authors: Lvovskiy A. , Matsuyama A. , O’Gorman T. , Shiraki D. , Herfindal J.L. , Hollmann E.M. , Marini C. , Boivin R. , Eidietis N.W. , Lehnen M.
Published: November 2023

In this work we utilize the recently upgraded Thomson scattering diagnostic to resolve density and temperature plasma profiles after pure deuterium and mixed neon/deuterium shattered pellet injections (SPIs) on DIII-D. This allows us to study individual components of the staggered scheme proposed for disruption mitigation on ITER, consisting of a low-Z material SPI followed by a delayed high-Z SPI. Obtained spatio-temporal density profiles exhibit very different dynamics after dominantly neon and pure deuterium SPIs. The neon SPI causes a fast radiative plasma collapse in a few milliseconds and results in almost flat density profile once the impurity mixes with the plasma during and after the thermal quench (TQ). The deuterium SPI leads to a disruption delayed by ten and more milliseconds, but very limited core fueling can be observed before the disruption. Even during and after the TQ, the edge deuterium density significantly exceeds the core density. 1D transport modeling suggests that this poor core fueling can be explained by strong outward grad-B-induced drift of the injected deuterium. Preliminary simulations show that larger pellet shards and greater injected quantity can be used to improve the penetration of the low-Z material into the core. These results call for optimization and further evaluation of the staggered SPI on ITER.
Exploring the intersection of Design and Biology in today’s industry.
Authors: Vuylsteke Bert , Detand Jan , Ostuzzi Francesca
Published: November 2023

This article examines the intersection of design and biology in today’s industry. The study is divided into two stages, with the first stage exploring the terminology and definitions associated with the commonly used term ‘biomaterial’ through a comprehensive search and qualitative analysis. The results suggest the need to reconsider the labelling of materials, moving away from the generic term ‘biomaterial’ towards more specific descriptors such as ‘biobased’, ‘biodegradable’, or ‘biomanufactured’. By enhancing the understanding and communication surrounding biological material streams, this study contributes to the field. Additionally, the study identifies that the focus lies more in the design process associated with these materials rather than their materiality alone, as exemplified by the four identified lenses: ‘origin’, ‘production’, ‘use’, and ‘end-of-life’. This aligns with the concept of ‘biodesign’, which aims to reestablish a synergistic relationship between mankind and nature. This resulted in the suggestion of a new biodesign model comprised of these four lenses. The findings of the first stage prompted the initiation of the ongoing second stage, which aims to uncover the motives and design processes underlying biodesign practices by conducting extensive expert interviews and qualitative analysis. The ultimate objective is to identify the gaps that impede the professional implementation of biodesign in today’s industry. The authors plan to publish the findings of this ongoing research in a future academic publication.
Regulatory T cells in inflamed liver are dysfunctional in murine primary biliary cholangitis
Authors: Lin Chia-I , Wang Yu-Wen , Liu Chih-Yu , Chen Hung-Wen , Liang Pi-Hui , Chuang Ya-Hui
Published: November 2023

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by immune-mediated destruction of intrahepatic small bile ducts. CD8 T cells play a critical role in biliary destruction. However, regulatory T cells (Tregs) have also been identified in the portal tracts of PBC patients. This study tested the hypothesis that hepatic Tregs in PBC were dysfunctional in suppressing immune responses in disease by using our human PBC-like autoimmune cholangitis (AIC) mouse model induced by 2-octynoic acid-conjugated ovalbumin (2-OA-OVA). Our results showed that female and male mice immunized with 2-OA-OVA developed AIC; however, female AIC mice had more severe liver inflammation and fibrosis than male AIC mice. Levels of functional effector CD8 T cells and their chemoattractants, CXCL9 and CXCL10, in the liver were markedly elevated in female AIC mice than in male AIC mice. These results reinforce that CD8 T cells are the primary effector cells in PBC. The number of hepatic Tregs in AIC mice was also higher than in saline-treated mice, but there was no difference between male and female AIC mice. The suppressive function of AIC Tregs was evident despite a discrepancy in the changes in their co-inhibitory receptors and inhibitory cytokines. However, the expansion of hepatic Tregs by low-dose IL-2 treatment did not reduce immune responses to AIC, which may be due to the dysfunction of Tregs in inhibiting T cells. In conclusion, the function of Tregs in the inflamed liver of PBC was insufficient, and low-dose IL-2 treatment could not restore their function to suppress pathological immune responses. Transferring normal Tregs or directly targeting effector CD8 T cells may be beneficial for treating PBC.
A multivariable normal tissue complication probability model for predicting radiation-induced hypothyroidism in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients in the modern radiotherapy era
Authors: Wongwattananard Siriporn , Prayongrat Anussara , Srimaneekarn Natchalee , Hayter Anthony , Sophonphan Jiratchaya , Kiatsupaibul Seksan , Veerabulyarith Puvarith , Rakvongthai Yothin , Ritlumlert Napat , Kitpanit Sarin , Kannarunimit Danita , Lertbutsayanukul Chawalit , Chakkabat Chakkapong
Published: November 2023

Radiation-induced hypothyroidism (RHT) is a common long-term complication for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) survivors. A model using clinical and dosimetric factors for predicting risk of RHT could suggest a proper dose–volume parameters for the treatment planning in an individual level. We aim to develop a multivariable normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) model for RHT in NPC patients after intensity-modulated radiotherapy or volumetric modulated arc therapy. The model was developed using retrospective clinical data and dose–volume data of the thyroid and pituitary gland based on a standard backward stepwise multivariable logistic regression analysis and was then internally validated using 10-fold cross-validation. The final NTCP model consisted of age, pretreatment thyroid-stimulating hormone and mean thyroid dose. The model performance was good with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.749 on an internal (200 patients) and 0.812 on an external (25 patients) validation. The mean thyroid dose at ≤45 Gy was suggested for treatment plan, owing to an RHT incidence of 2% versus 61% in the >45 Gy group.
Scandinavia And Beyond
Authors: Robinson Jane
Published: November 2023

The clerk should have known better. Thomas Cook himself had been conducting willing (and thrillingly, self-consciously intrepid) tourist parties to the North Cape since 1875, nearly twenty years before the jaunty Mrs Tweedie and her friend made their choice. Norway was not that unconventional. Mind you, there does seem to be a certain air of sternness about most northern journeys that is lacking in the southerly saunter of the Continental traveller, more of a sense of challenge, but the meeting of challenges was never the sole prerogative of men. Or even commercial travellers. Try taking a new-born baby to Spitsbergen, for example, or giving birth in the bitter Russian steppes.
Physiological Measurements with Radionuclides in Clinical Practice
Authors: Peters A M , Myers M J
Published: November 2023

As functional imaging becomes increasingly important in radiology, practitioners in a wide range of disciplines need to understand more about the quantitive aspects of physiology and pathophysiology. In straightforward language, this book integrates the principles and mathematics of measurements with physiological systems to which the quantitive problems are applied. Although there is an emphasis on clinical management with radionuclides and quantitive procedures in nuclear medicine, this book has been written with all practitioners in mind and also therefore embraces techniques based on non-radioactive indicators, including contrast agents used in CT, MRI, and ultrasound. Starting from basic mathematics, the book describes the measurement of fundamental physiological variables, like transit time, clearance, and blood flow, and goes on to cover the perpheral circulation and microvascular solute transfer, the pharmacokinetics of agents routinely used in nuclear medicine, as well as scintillation detectors, data processing, and quantification. In separate chapters, measurements in the heart, lung, gastrointestinal tract, liver, blood, genitourinary tract, brain, and skeleton are discussed, and the book finishes with a chapter on questions and worked answers.
Basic mathematics
Authors: Peters A M , Myers M J
Published: November 2023

This chapter introduces the reader to the math ematics relevant to physiological quantification in nuclear medicine. It starts from the very basics and is aimed at the mathematically timid. Several rules can be used to guide you through the equations in nuclear medicine. Firstly, however complicated they may look, they almost always contain only two variables, one dependent on the other. Secondly, the complexity of the equations is often the result of the ‘constants’ present, which can, in any event, often be ‘lumped’ together. So, look at the equation, and do not allow yourself to be discouraged by the symbols. Deciphering the symbols can be daunting, and this is why an attempt has been made to use the same symbol for a given variable throughout this book. Another useful exercise to adopt when looking at an equation, is to study the units of each variable and constant.
Scintillation detectors, data processing and quantification
Authors: Peters A M , Myers M J
Published: November 2023

The radionuclides of interest in nuclear medicine are almost all emitters of gamma photons. Many useful radionuclides also emit beta particles but it is the gamma emissions for which scintillation detectors are generally designed. Positron emitters are also included since, after emission from the nucleus, a positron travels only millimeters before encountering an electron. The two particles annihilate with the conversion of their masses into two gamma photons emitted from the point of annihilation in opposite directions to each other. It is these photons that are detected in positron cameras.
The peripheral circulation and microvascular solute transfer
Authors: Peters A M , Myers M J
Published: November 2023

The blood flow requirements for the second function are several times those for the first. Metabolically determined blood flow exhibits reactive hyperaemia and autoregulation, both of which are under local nervous control, whereas blood flow for the purpose of heat regulation is under the control of central neuronal regulation and influenced by temperature changes elsewhere. Local warming produces local vasodilatation of resistance vessels and arteriovenous anastomoses but, as core temperature rises, vasodilatation in skin occurs elsewhere.
The lung
Authors: Peters A M , Myers M J
Published: November 2023

The essential force leading to lung expansion is the difference between atmospheric (or mouth) pressure and intrapleural pressure — the transpul-.monary pressure. Because of the opposing elastic recoils of lung and chest wall, intrapleural pressure is negative at the end of quiet expiration. It then becomes increasingly negative during inspiration and returns towards its resting level during expiration.
Motherhood and Mental Health
Authors: Brockington Ian
Published: November 2023

Maternal mental health is of vital importance. Many mothers, caring for infants and small children, suffer depression or other psychiatric disorders. It is essential that they are understood because a great deal can be done to help them. This book sets out to display the variety of disorders which occur during pregnancy and the puerperium, which make childbearing the most complex psychological event in human experience. it provides a summary of our knowledge, set in an historical context, as a foundation for research. There are chapters on infertility, mental health during pregnancy, postpartum disorders, infant loss, the mother-infant relationship, child abuse, infanticide, the effects on the family, and services for mentally-ill mothers. There are 300 case descriptions and personal accounts. THe book is written for all those in the medical, nursing and social professions, and voluntary agencies, who seek to help mothers in difficulty.
Child abuse and neglect
Authors: Brockington Ian
Published: November 2023

Children have been mutilated, enslaved in the mines and mills, and brutally punished since the beginning of recorded time The humanitarian movement in the eighteenth century, which led to the abolition of slavery, also turned its attention to the beating of children, initially by their masters at school and in the factory. Zacchias, in 1726, was the first medical man to study the lesions produced by flagellation.
Maintaining and improving the standards of surgical practice
Authors: Greig J D , Quick C R G
Published: November 2023

The principal aim of healthcare should be to prevent illness or at least to provide healthcare that is timely, appropriate, effective, efficient, and acceptable to the patient. It should also result in a favourable outcome in both the short term and the long term. At the same time, recovery after treatment should be uncomplicated and complete, while treatment should not predispose to secondary disorders (for example, susceptibility to infection or new malignancies following chemotherapy).
Recovery from surgery
Authors: Ackroyd Briony , Quick Clive R
Published: November 2023

During the Second World War a British Army order decreed that patients must be kept in bed for 21 days after inguinal herniorrhaphy, and up until recently, it was usual for patients to stay in hospital for 6 days after a hernia repair. Now day-case surgery or overnight stay for hernia repair is the norm. Established notions about the rate of recovery after any surgical operation have undergone gradual evolution towards shorter hospital stays and more rapid return to normal activities, in line with improved surgical techniques and, particularly, improved anaesthetic techniques. However, there are still large differences between one surgeon’s practice and another’s with regard to the same operation. Each firmly held but often conflicting view is often based purely on tradition or intuition rather than scientific evidence, and in any case, scientific evidence is often lacking. Economic arguments for shorter stays are often pressed by healthcare purchasers and providers, but there is often little rationale for any of particular practices other than ‘experience’ and tradition.
Organ transplantation
Authors: Ahmad Nial , Friend Peter J
Published: November 2023

Whilst the clinical practice of organ transplantation is com paratively recent, its potential has been appreciated for a great deal longer. In 1902 the French surgeon Alexis Carrell published his pioneering work on vascular anastomosis which became the basis of the current practice of solid organ transplantation (Carrel 1902). In the same year Emerich Ullmann, a Viennese surgeon first described experimental kidney transplantation (Ullmann 1902). It was also Carrel who observed the phenomena responsible for the failure of allografts and called these ‘biological factors’ (Carrel 1910).
Perianal surgery
Authors: Lunniss Peter
Published: November 2023

Patients, and indeed many non-surgical clinicians, tend to describe most anal conditions under the umbrella terms ‘haemorrhoids’ (pertaining to bleeding) or ‘piles’ (pertaining to prolapse). Rectal bleeding is one of the most common symptoms referred to surgical outpatient clinics and most causes relate to problems within the anal canal. However, patients with anal problems also present with anal pain, discharge, and soiling, and it is important to be able to evaluate the symptoms in relation to the likely diagnosis. This depends primarily on taking an adequate history. Managing the problem hinges upon a thorough understanding of the relevant anatomy and physiology. Whereas most cases present as elective problems, the inflammatory complications associated with pathology in this area also present as surgical emergencies and the trainee needs to be able to recognize them.
Mind
Authors: Cutting J
Published: November 2023

A number of issues will be addressed in this section. Some of them have been touched on in other parts of the book, particularly Chapter 1. Here I shall consider them systematically, although not in detail if they have been covered elsewhere.
Body composition
Authors: Bender David A , Bender Arnold E
Published: November 2023

In order to determine appropriate levels of energy and nutrient intake, a number of different authorities have defined ‘Reference Man and Woman’, intended to be a sensible average of the diverse human population. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reference man is aged 25, living in a temperate climate and performing moderate physical work. He weighs 65 kg, while the FAO reference woman weighs 55 kg. These body weights are a mean of the lower weights in less-developed countries (which are generally tropical rather than temperate) and those in western Europe and north America, which are significantly higher on average. The International Commission on Radiological Protection Reference Man weighs 70 kg, and the Reference Woman 58 (see Table 2.4), while the Scientific Committee for Food of the European Union (1993) based its estimates of requirements on both desirable weights (66 kg for men and 57 kg for women) and observed mean weights (75 kg for men and 62 kg for women). The US Recommended Dietary Allowances (National Research Council 1989) are based on the median weights for age, 79 kg for men and 63 kg for women).
The physiology of feeding and digestion
Authors: Bender David A , Bender Arnold E
Published: November 2023

The gastrointestinal tract (see Fig. 6.1) has two main functions. 1. The digestion of foods by hydrolysis of complex carbohydrates to simple sugars, triacylglycerols and phospholipids to free fatty acids and glycerol, and proteins to small peptides and free amino acids. Digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth, and that of proteins and lipids in the stomach, although in all three cases the main site of digestion is the upper small intestine. 2. The absorption of the products of digestion occurs mainly in the lower small intestine. The primary function of the large intestine is the absorption of water and mineral salts, although some absorption also occurs here, and the intestinal flora (see section 6.2.2.1) synthesize significant amounts of some nutrients.
Lipids: fats and oils
Authors: Bender David A , Bender Arnold E
Published: November 2023

Fat provides some 40 per cent of the energy intake in developed countries, yielding 37 kJ (9 kcal) per gram. As discussed in section 5.5.2, fat is synthesized in the body as the major reserve of metabolic fuel, either from dietary lipids · or from carbohydrates and amino acids surplus to immediate requirements. Table 8.1 shows the desirable and average intakes of different classes of fat in UK, and Table 8.2 the major sources of fat in the average diet; for reference intakes of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids see section 8.1.1.3.
Overweight and obesity
Authors: Bender David A , Bender Arnold E
Published: November 2023

Since the 1940s The Metropolitan Life Assurance Company has published tables of desirable ranges of body weight for height, based on actuarial experience of the health risks of overweight. The results of a number of large epidemiological studies show the relationship between body weight and mortality. Data from two such studies are shown in Tables 11.1 and 11.2; more detailed information on causes of excess mortality from these two studies is shown in Tables 11.11, 11.12, and 11.13. The American Cancer Society Study followed 750 000 subjects for 15 years. The 1979 Build and Blood Pressure Study (Stamler et al. 1980) collated data from 25 life insurance companies in the USA and Canada-a total of 4.2 million policies issued and 106 000 deaths. This was the basis for the 1983 Metropolitan Life Assurance Company tables of weight for height (Metropolitan Life Assurance Company 1983). In both studies mortality was lowest at weights 10-15 per cent below the population mean, increasing both with overweight and significant underweight. Many studies of overweight and mortality have been reviewed by Kushner (1993).