bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modelling biochemical oxygen demand using improved neuro-fuzzy approach by marine predators algorithm
Authors: Adnan Rana Muhammad , Dai Hong-Liang , Kisi Ozgur , Heddam Salim , Kim Sungwon , Kulls Christoph , Zounemat-Kermani Mohammad
Published: August 2023

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is one of the most important parameters used for water quality assessment. Alternative methods are essential for accurately prediction of this parameter because the traditional method in predicting the BOD is time-consuming and it is inaccurate due to inconstancies in microbial multiplicity. In this study, the applicability of four hybrid neuro-fuzzy (ANFIS) methods, ANFIS with genetic algorithm (GA), ANFIS with particle swarm optimization (PSO), ANFIS with sine cosine algorithm (SCA), and ANFIS with marine predators algorithm (MPA), was investigated in predicting BOD using distinct input combinations such as potential of hydrogen (pH), dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), water temperature (WT), suspended solids (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (T-P) acquired from two river stations, Gongreung and Gyeongan, South Korea. The applicability of multi-variate adaptive regression spline (MARS) in determination of the best input combination was examined. The ANFIS-MPA was found to be the best model with the lowest root mean square error and mean absolute error and the highest determination coefficient. It improved the root mean square error of ANFIS-PSO, ANFIS-GA, and ANFIS-SCA models by 13.8%, 12.1%, and 6.3% for Gongreung Station and by 33%, 25%, and 6.3% for Gyeongan Station in the test stage, respectively.
Fuel consumption rate and emissions variability in waste collection services routes: case study of Cascais Ambiente
Authors: Sousa Vitor , Drumond André , Meireles Inês
Published: August 2023

In the design waste collection systems, it is common practice to use a constant specific fuel consumption (e.g. litres per amount of waste collected or distance travelled). This is also the approach used in many cases for fleet management, namely, for decision-making on more fuel-efficient equipment acquisition. However, the specific fuel consumption is not constant and there are spatial and temporal variations. Accounting for this variability becomes relevant if a more refined cost or environmental optimization is intended. The present research effort evaluates the energy intensity of the waste collection service in the Cascais municipality, reporting the differences and the magnitude of the variability for the mixed waste collection service. Statistically significant differences are found between the circuits, the trucks, months of the year and days of the week. It is discussed that extrapolating average fuel consumption rates for decision-making in new waste collection systems may be prone to substantial error.
Associations of plasma NfL, GFAP, and t-tau with cerebral small vessel disease and incident dementia: longitudinal data of the AGES-Reykjavik Study
Authors: van Gennip April C. E. , Satizabal Claudia L. , Tracy Russell P. , Sigurdsson Sigurdur , Gudnason Vilmundur , Launer Lenore J. , van Sloten Thomas T.
Published: August 2023

We investigated the associations of plasma neurofilament light (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and total tau (t-tau) with markers of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) and with incident dementia. We also investigated whether associations of NfL, GFAP, and t-tau with incident dementia were explained by SVD. Data are from a random subsample (n = 1069) of the population-based AGES-Reykjavik Study who underwent brain MRI and in whom plasma NfL, GFAP, and t-tau were measured at baseline (76.1 ± 5.4 years/55.9% women/baseline 2002–2006/follow-up until 2015). A composite SVD burden score was calculated using white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), subcortical infarcts, cerebral microbleeds, and large perivascular spaces. Dementia was assessed in a 3-step process and adjudicated by specialists. Higher NfL was associated with a higher SVD burden score. Dementia occurred in 225 (21.0%) individuals. The SVD burden score significantly explained part of the association between NfL and incident dementia. WMHV mostly strongly contributed to the explained effect. GFAP was not associated with the SVD burden score, but was associated with WMHV, and WMHV significantly explained part of the association between GFAP and incident dementia. T-tau was associated with WMHV, but not with incident dementia. In conclusion, the marker most strongly related to SVD is plasma NfL, for which the association with WMHV appeared to explain part of its association with incident dementia. This study suggests that plasma NfL may reflect the contribution of co-morbid vascular disease to dementia. However, the magnitude of the explained effect was relatively small, and further research is required to investigate the clinical implications of this finding.
Photoemission Electron Microscopy of Blue and UV Surface Plasmons on Nanostructured Aluminum Films
Authors: Jauk Thomas , Ditlbacher Harald , Lackner Florian , Ernst Wolfgang E. , Hohenau Andreas , Krenn Joachim R.
Published: August 2023

We image surface plasmons on aluminum surfaces in the ultraviolet and blue spectral range with photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM). Plasmon excitation is mediated by light incident on straight aluminum ridges with subwavelength cross section on flat aluminum films. We observe interference patterns due to light/plasmon interaction, with distinct periodicity and orientation depending on the light in-plane incidence angle with respect to the ridge orientation. From the interference patterns, we deduce the surface plasmon propagation directions and decay lengths. The latter are remarkably high with 2.8 $$\mu$$
μ
m and 8.4 $$\mu$$
μ
m for excitation wavelengths of 273 nm and 410 nm, respectively. Our results extend PEEM imaging of surface plasmons into the ultraviolet region.
Do Sex Differences and Risk Perception Affect Cannabis Exposure? Results from a Sample of Current Cannabis Users from the European Web Survey on Drugs
Authors: Lorenzetti Valentina , McTavish Eugene , Matias João
Published: August 2023

The rates of cannabis use have been narrowing between sexes over the past decade, and there are sex differences in the perception of cannabis use-related risks, yet it remains unexamined whether sex and risk perception interact to predict cannabis consumption levels. We aimed to examine for the first time how sex, risk perception, and their interaction affect cannabis consumption, accounting for age, alcohol use, mode of administration, education, employment status, and country via general linear mixed models. We conducted the European Web Survey on Drugs in 16 countries from 2016 to 2018. People who used cannabis at the time of the study included 6500 males and 2921 females, with a median age of 22 years. There was no risk perception-by-sex interaction effect on cannabis consumption. Greater past-month cannabis dosage in grams and frequency (days used/past month) were reported by males and by persons who reported having a perception of no risk and of a slight risk versus a moderate-to-high-risk perception. The findings may inform discussions on public health messaging aimed at alleviating cannabis-related harms in males and females who use cannabis.
A discriminative information-theoretical analysis of the regularity gradient in inflectional morphology
Authors: Marzi Claudia , Pirrelli Vito
Published: August 2023

Over the last decades, several independent lines of research in morphology have questioned the hypothesis of a direct correspondence between sublexical units and their mental correlates.Word and paradigmmodels of morphology shifted the fundamental part-whole relation in an inflection system onto the relation between individual inflected word forms and inflectional paradigms. In turn, the use of artificial neural networks of densely interconnected parallel processing nodes for morphology learning marked a radical departure from a morpheme-based view of the mental lexicon. Lately, in computational models of Discriminative Learning, a network architecture has been combined with an uncertainty reducing mechanism that dispenses with the need for a one-to-one association between formal contrasts and meanings, leading to the dissolution of a discrete notion of the morpheme.

The paper capitalises on these converging lines of development to offer a unifying information-theoretical, simulation-based analysis of the costs incurred in processing (ir)regularly inflected forms belonging to the verb systems of English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. Using Temporal Self-Organising Maps as a computational model of lexical storage and access, we show that a discriminative, recurrent neural network, based on Rescorla-Wagner’s equations, can replicate speakers’ exquisite sensitivity to widespread effects of word frequency, paradigm entropy and morphological (ir)regularity in lexical processing. The evidence suggests an explanatory hypothesis linking Word and paradigm morphology with principles of information theory and human perception of morphological structure. According to this hypothesis, the ways more or less regularly inflected words are structured in the mental lexicon are more related to a reduction in processing uncertainty and maximisation of predictive efficiency than to economy of storage.
Efficacy and safety of vacuum-assisted excision (VAE) of fibroadenomas: experience in a tertiary centre
Authors: Carriero Serena , Depretto Catherine , Cozzi Andrea , Della Pepa Gianmarco , D’Ascoli Elisa , Irmici Giovanni , Tamburrano Chiara , Ballerini Daniela , Bonanomi Alice , Scaperrotta Gianfranco Paride
Published: August 2023

Purpose

To evaluate the technical success and efficacy rates of US-guided percutaneous vacuum-assisted excision (VAE) of breast fibroadenomas, also assessing procedural complications and long-term patient satisfaction rates.

Materials and methods

The institutional database of a tertiary breast cancer referral centre was retrospectively reviewed to retrieve all women with fibroadenomas who underwent US-guided VAE between May 2011 and September 2019. We subsequently included in this study all fibroadenomas with a maximum diameter of 3 cm at US and an available histological confirmation obtained by core-needle biopsy before VAE. Immediately after VAE, technical success (defined as the correct VAE execution) and the occurrence of procedural complications were evaluated. Imaging follow-up (US ± mammography) after 6, 12, 24 and 36 months was performed to evaluate technical efficacy (defined as the absence of fibroadenoma recurrence at 6-month follow-up). Long-term patient satisfaction was evaluated with telephonic interviews in October 2022.

Results

We retrospectively included 108 women (median age 46 years) with 110 fibroadenomas diagnosed at core-needle biopsy with a median lesion size at US of 12 mm. Technical success was obtained in 110/110 VAEs (100%). Minor procedural complications (haematomas) occurred in 7/110 VAEs (6%), whereas 8/110 patients had a fibroadenoma recurrence at 6-month follow-up, resulting in a 93% technical efficacy (102/110 VAEs). All patients available for telephonic follow-up (104/104, 100%) reported high satisfaction with VAE results.

Conclusion

US-guided VAE is a safe and effective procedure for the excision of fibroadenomas, representing a viable alternative to surgery, with a low complication rate and high patient satisfaction.
Improving instrument detection for a robotic scrub nurse using multi-view voting
Authors: Badilla-Solórzano Jorge , Ihler Sontje , Gellrich Nils-Claudius , Spalthoff Simon
Published: August 2023

Purpose

A basic task of a robotic scrub nurse is surgical instrument detection. Deep learning techniques could potentially address this task; nevertheless, their performance is subject to some degree of error, which could render them unsuitable for real-world applications. In this work, we aim to demonstrate how the combination of a trained instrument detector with an instance-based voting scheme that considers several frames and viewpoints is enough to guarantee a strong improvement in the instrument detection task.

Methods

We exploit the typical setup of a robotic scrub nurse to collect RGB data and point clouds from different viewpoints. Using trained Mask R-CNN models, we obtain predictions from each view. We propose a multi-view voting scheme based on predicted instances that combines the gathered data and predictions to produce a reliable map of the location of the instruments in the scene.

Results

Our approach reduces the number of errors by more than 82% compared with the single-view case. On average, the data from five viewpoints are sufficient to infer the correct instrument arrangement with our best model.

Conclusion

Our approach can drastically improve an instrument detector’s performance. Our method is practical and can be applied during an actual medical procedure without negatively affecting the surgical workflow. Our implementation and data are made available for the scientific community (https://github.com/Jorebs/Multi-view-Voting-Scheme).
Topological Regularity for Solutions to the Generalised Hopf Equation
Authors: Martin Gaven , Yao Cong
Published: August 2023

The generalised Hopf equation is the first order nonlinear equation defined on a planar domain$$\Omega \subset {\mathbb {C}}$$Ω⊂C, with data$$\Phi $$Φa holomorphic function and$$\eta \ge 1$$η≥1a positive weight on$$\Omega $$Ω,$$\begin{aligned} h_w\,\overline{h_{\overline{w}}}\,\eta (w) = \Phi . \end{aligned}$$hwhw¯¯η(w)=Φ.The Hopf equation is the special case$$\eta (w)={\tilde{\eta }}(h(w))$$η(w)=η~(h(w))and reflects thathis harmonic with respect to the conformal metric$$\sqrt{{\tilde{\eta }}(z)}|dz|$$η~(z)|dz|, usually$$\eta $$ηis the hyperbolic metric. This article obtains conditions on the data to ensure that a solution is open and discrete. We also prove a strong uniqueness result.
Genetics of Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis and Ossification of the Spinal Ligaments
Authors: Kato Hajime , Braddock Demetrios T. , Ito Nobuaki
Published: August 2023

Purpose of Review

The study aims to provide updated information on the genetic factors associated with the diagnoses ‘Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis’ (DISH), ‘Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament’ (OPLL), and in patients with spinal ligament ossification.

Recent Findings

Recent studies have advanced our knowledge of genetic factors associated with DISH, OPLL, and other spinal ossification (ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament [OALL] and the yellow ligament [OYL]). Several case studies of individuals afflicted with monogenic disorders, such as X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH), demonstrate the strong association of fibroblast growth factor 23-related hypophosphatemia with OPLL, suggesting that pathogenic variants inPHEX,ENPP1, andDMP1are associated with FGF23-phosphate wasting phenotype and strong genetic factors placing patients at risk for OPLL. Moreover, emerging evidence demonstrates that heterozygous and compound heterozygousENPP1pathogenic variants inducing ‘Autosomal Recessive Hypophosphatemic Rickets Type 2’ (ARHR2) also place patients at risk for DISH and OPLL, possibly due to the loss of inhibitory plasma pyrophosphate (PPi) which suppresses ectopic calcification and enthesis mineralization.

Our findings emphasize the importance of genetic and plasma biomarker screening in the clinical evaluation of DISH and OPLL patients, with plasma PPiconstituting an important new biomarker for the identification of DISH and OPLL patients whose disease course may be responsive to ENPP1 enzyme therapy, now in clinical trials for rare calcification disorders.
3D automatic liver and spleen assessment in predicting overt hepatic encephalopathy before TIPS: a multi-center study
Authors: Chen Xiaoqiong , Wang Tao , Ji Zhonghua , Luo Junyang , Lv Weifu , Wang Haifang , Zhao Yujie , Duan Chongyang , Yu Xiangrong , Li Qiyang , Zhang Jiawei , Chen Jinqiang , Zhang Xiaoling , Huang Mingsheng , Zhou Shuoling , Lu Ligong , Huang Meiyan , Fu Sirui
Published: August 2023

Background

Overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE) should be predicted preoperatively to identify suitable candidates for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) instead of first-line treatment. This study aimed to construct a 3D assessment-based model to predict post-TIPS overt HE.

Methods

In this multi-center cohort study, 487 patients who underwent TIPS were subdivided into a training dataset (390 cases from three hospitals) and an external validation dataset (97 cases from another two hospitals). Candidate factors included clinical, vascular, and 2D and 3D data. Combining the least absolute shrinkage and operator method, support vector machine, and probability calibration by isotonic regression, we constructed four predictive models: clinical, 2D, 3D, and combined models. Their discrimination and calibration were compared to identify the optimal model, with subgroup analysis performed.

Results

The 3D model showed better discrimination than did the 2D model (training: 0.719 vs. 0.691; validation: 0.730 vs. 0.622). The model combining clinical and 3D factors outperformed the clinical and 3D models (training: 0.802 vs. 0.735 vs. 0.719; validation: 0.816 vs. 0.723 vs. 0.730; all p < 0.050). Moreover, the combined model had the best calibration. The performance of the best model was not affected by the total bilirubin level, Child–Pugh score, ammonia level, or the indication for TIPS.

Conclusion

3D assessment of the liver and the spleen provided additional information to predict overt HE, improving the chance of TIPS for suitable patients. 3D assessment could also be used in similar studies related to cirrhosis.

Graphical abstract
Identifying hostile versus paternalistic classism profiles: a person-based approach to the study of ambivalent classism
Authors: Sainz Mario
Published: August 2023

Research on ambivalent classism suggests that individuals can manifest classism not only in a hostile and explicit manner but also in a condescending and paternalistic form. However, researchers have not determined the existence of individual profiles or population subgroups that show this ambivalence pattern. Therefore, to assess the existence of different profiles based on their manifestation of ambivalent classism, we carry out a latent profile analysis with a national representative sample (N = 1536). We identify different classist profiles among the population, including a minority of individuals who score low on both dimensions of classism (low generalized classists, 8.65%) and another minority who score high on both hostile and paternalism classism (high generalized classists, 8.13%). Further, we discovered that most of the population adhered to a moderated classism profile, endorsing both dimensions of classism (moderately generalized classist, 40.95%) or to an ambivalent profile, scoring low in hostile classism and high in paternalistic attitudes (paternalistic classists, 42.25%). The likelihood of adhering to the different profiles seems to be related to the individual’s level of education and system justification beliefs. Those individuals who score higher on system justification and with lower educational attainment are more willing to be highly generalized classists rather than be part of other profiles. Profiles also differ to an extent regarding concerns about economic inequality and social attitudes, with moderate and highly generalized classists being less concerned about economic inequality and less willing to support poor groups. We discuss the implications for developing targeted interventions aimed to confront classism patterns for each profile.
The role of social marketing in achieving the planet sustainable development goals (SDGs)
Authors: Rodriguez-Sanchez Carla
Published: August 2023

Changing the way citizens behave toward sustainability is essential to achieve the SDGs. Citizens can help create a more prosperous planet for future generations by making sustainable decisions and engaging in environmentally friendly behaviors. This position paper draws attention to how social marketing can encourage pro-environmental behavior conducive to achieving the environmental Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN) as part of the 2030 Agenda. The paper also offers critical analysis of earlier studies employing a social marketing approach to influence participants’ behavior in favor of environmental sustainability. Recommendations for social marketing practitioners and researchers are provided. These recommendations center on two issues: how to develop and implement successful environmental social marketing programs and how to use communication more effectively.
Trophic ecology and seasonal occurrence of two Red List fish species in the Western Baltic Sea—two of a kind?
Authors: Oesterwind Daniel , Köhler Linda , Paar Martin , Henseler Christina , Kriegl Michael , Gogina Mayya , Schubert Hendrik , Arbizu Pedro Martínez
Published: August 2023

Improving the conservation status and the management of Red List species requires knowledge on the biology and distribution of the organisms as well as an evaluation of the appropriateness of management measures. This study provides information on the trophic ecology and seasonal abundances of two Red List fish species from the Western Baltic Sea, snake blenny Lumpenus lampretaeformis (Walbaum, 1792), classified as “critically endangered” according to the German Red List, and eelpout, Zoarces viviparus (Linnaeus, 1758), classified as “near threatened” based on the HELCOM Red List. Beam trawl surveys were conducted to document abundances of both species in summer and winter in a marine protected area (MPA), where mobile bottom-contacting fishing gears will be excluded in the near future. The MPA is located in the German EEZ (exclusive economic zone) and aims to protect sandbank and reef habitats. Stomach content and stable isotope analyses (nitrogen and carbon) were performed to examine the diet of eelpout and snake blenny. To be able to position the two fish species in the food web, stable isotopes of macrozoobenthos, POM (particulate organic matter) and sand goby (Pomatoschistus minutus) were analysed as well. Eelpout and snake blenny were present in the study area in summer and winter, but reached higher abundances in summer. Diet composition overlapped strongly reflected by a similar trophic level, indicating potential food competition of the two species. Prey items were dominated by macrozoobenthos (Mollusca, Annelida, Arthropoda). Our study provides new information on the trophic position and seasonal abundance of the two fish species within an area soon to be placed under protection from mobile bottom-contact fishing. It therefore also provides a baseline to evaluate potential positive repercussions following the exclusion of mobile bottom-contacting fishing gears and might thus help to increase the understanding of fishing impacts on benthic ecosystems contributing to more effective conservation and management measures.
Estimates of protection levels against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 in Germany before the 2022/2023 winter season: the IMMUNEBRIDGE project
Authors: Lange Berit , Jaeger Veronika K. , Harries Manuela , Rücker Viktoria , Streeck Hendrik , Blaschke Sabine , Petersmann Astrid , Toepfner Nicole , Nauck Matthias , Hassenstein Max J. , Dreier Maren , von Holt Isabell , Budde Axel , Bartz Antonia , Ortmann Julia , Kurosinski Marc-André , Berner Reinhard , Borsche Max , Brandhorst Gunnar , Brinkmann Melanie , Budde Kathrin , Deckena Marek , Engels Geraldine , Fenzlaff Marc , Härtel Christoph , Hovardovska Olga , Katalinic Alexander , Kehl Katja , Kohls Mirjam , Krüger Stefan , Lieb Wolfgang , Meyer-Schlinkmann Kristin M. , Pischon Tobias , Rosenkranz Daniel , Rübsamen Nicole , Rupp Jan , Schäfer Christian , Schattschneider Mario , Schlegtendal Anne , Schlinkert Simon , Schmidbauer Lena , Schulze-Wundling Kai , Störk Stefan , Tiemann Carsten , Völzke Henry , Winter Theresa , Klein Christine , Liese Johannes , Brinkmann Folke , Ottensmeyer Patrick F. , Reese Jens-Peter , Heuschmann Peter , Karch André
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Despite the need to generate valid and reliable estimates of protection levels against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe course of COVID-19 for the German population in summer 2022, there was a lack of systematically collected population-based data allowing for the assessment of the protection level in real time.

Methods

In the IMMUNEBRIDGE project, we harmonised data and biosamples for nine population-/hospital-based studies (total number of participants n = 33,637) to provide estimates for protection levels against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 between June and November 2022. Based on evidence synthesis, we formed a combined endpoint of protection levels based on the number of self-reported infections/vaccinations in combination with nucleocapsid/spike antibody responses (“confirmed exposures”). Four confirmed exposures represented the highest protection level, and no exposure represented the lowest.

Results

Most participants were seropositive against the spike antigen; 37% of the participants ≥ 79 years had less than four confirmed exposures (highest level of protection) and 5% less than three. In the subgroup of participants with comorbidities, 46–56% had less than four confirmed exposures. We found major heterogeneity across federal states, with 4–28% of participants having less than three confirmed exposures.

Conclusion

Using serological analyses, literature synthesis and infection dynamics during the survey period, we observed moderate to high levels of protection against severe COVID-19, whereas the protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection was low across all age groups. We found relevant protection gaps in the oldest age group and amongst individuals with comorbidities, indicating a need for additional protective measures in these groups.
Market-Based Environmental Policies in the Power Sector
Authors: Siddiqui Afzal S. , Tanaka Makoto , Chen Yihsu
Published: August 2023

Purpose of Review

So-called Green New Deals aim to decarbonise the power sector via market-based instruments. Consequently, engineering-economic models for analysing the sustainable-energy transition have proliferated. This review categorises existing approaches and identifies areas for extending the state of the art.

Recent Findings

We cluster the extant literature into two groups: engineering/operational research (M1) and environmental economics (M2). While M1 focuses on the power sector’s technical and spatio-temporal aspects, M2’s emphasis is on incentives and externalities. Depending on the nature of the research question, either perspective (or both) may be suitable.

Since the envisaged electrification of the wider economy implies tighter coupling between formerly distinct sectors, e.g., power and heat, both M1 and M2 will have to adapt to the new paradigm in terms of methodology and application areas. Here, eliciting coordinating mechanisms, enhancing algorithms for solving hierarchical models, soft linking bottom-up and top-down models, and crafting robust environmental policy in face of uncertainty over externalities are some of the vistas for future research.
Contagion Went Viral: Microbiology, Entertainment Media and the Public Understanding of Science
Authors: Chambers Amy C.
Published: August 2023

Purpose of Review (research questions)

How has the COVID-19 pandemic influenced how movies are used in public health crises? What made Contagion (2011) the key example? Why is it important for scientists to understand the role of entertainment media in public understanding of science (PUS)?

Recent Findings

Microbiology on the Hollywood screen—and in particular, the way we talk about pandemics—has changed since COVID-19 hit. Imagined futures of the end of humanity have taken on a renewed relevance. The pandemic has inspired writers across a number of science/medical humanities fields to explore PUS and public pandemic preparedness.

Microbiology movies like Contagion became valuable sources of distraction and information. Their apparent accuracy and authenticity were because of the scientists. Contagion caught the public’s imagination because of its investment in representing the realities of science that offered a pathway through the pandemic instead of another dead (at the) end dystopian disaster.
Human Macrophage- and Osteoclast-Based Constructs Do Not Induce Ectopic Bone Formation
Authors: Husch Johanna F. A. , Coquelin Laura , Chevallier Nathalie , van Dijk Natasja W. M. , Leeuwenburgh Sander C. G. , van den Beucken Jeroen J. J. P.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

An increasing body of evidence suggests that bone resorbing osteoclasts are important—but as yet underrated—cellular initiators of bone formation. Furthermore, macrophages also have shown stimulatory effects on the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Consequently, we here investigated whether human macrophage- and osteoclast-laden carrier materials can induce ectopic bone formation upon subcutaneous implantation in nude mice.

Methods

Human osteoclast precursors were isolated and differentiated toward macrophages. Subsequently, these macrophages were seeded onto two types of cell carrier materials (i.e., electrospun polymeric scaffolds and devitalized bovine bone granules) and differentiated for 14 days toward osteoclasts. DNA assay and fluorescent nuclei staining were performed. Osteoclast differentiation was assessed by a tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-activity assay, TRAP, and immunocytochemical staining for β3 integrin. After 60 days of implantation into nude mice, specimens were retrieved, histologically processed, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) as well as for TRAP to study ectopic bone formation and osteoclast activity, respectively.

Results

Osteoclast precursors limitedly adhered to both material types. Osteoclast-laden samples showed increased intracellular gross TRAP-activity on both cell carrier types, TRAP staining on polymeric electrospun scaffolds, and positive β3 integrin staining on decellularized bovine bone granules compared to the macrophage-laden materials. We observed that only the positive control samples loaded with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) induced ectopic bone formation and TRAP signal.

Conclusion

We conclude that neither human macrophage- nor osteoclast-laden constructs are capable to induce ectopic bone formation under the current experimental set-up.

Lay summary

Interestingly, increasing amounts of evidence suggest that osteoclasts—the cells responsible for breaking down bone tissue—can trigger bone formation. Therefore, we here aimed to study whether blood-derived macrophages and osteoclasts can induce bone formation in vivo. Consequently, we generated human macrophage- and osteoclast-laden constructs using two types of scaffold materials and implanted them underneath the skin of nude mice. Although we confirmed the presence of macrophages and osteoclasts on the materials, we found no signs of bone formation.
A carbon footprint: the full water cycle in the Balearic Islands
Authors: Cruz-Pérez Noelia , Rodríguez-Martín Jesica , García Celso , Rodríguez-Lozano Pablo , Tirado Dolores , García-Gil Alejandro , Santamarta Juan C.
Published: August 2023

The integral urban water cycle of the Balearic Islands (Spain) is composed of desalination plants, extraction wells, water distribution networks, treatment plants and sewerage systems. This article presents the results of the carbon and water footprint of each of the islands that form the Balearic archipelago, finding differences between those islands with a greater contribution of groundwater, such as Mallorca, and those that are fed exclusively with desalinated water, such as Formentera. Water consumption on these islands is highly seasonal, which results in peaks in demand, which are mainly supplied by desalination. This article aims to be the starting point for assessing the water and energy status of the facilities related to drinking water consumption in the archipelago to be able to take measures aimed at ecological transition in this sector. The results obtained show that seawater desalination plants have the largest carbon footprint, mainly due to their high electricity consumption.
A novel metric to measure spatio-temporal proximity: a case study analyzing children’s social network in schoolyards
Authors: Nasri Maedeh , Baratchi Mitra , Tsou Yung-Ting , Giest Sarah , Koutamanis Alexander , Rieffe Carolien
Published: August 2023

The present study aims to infer individuals’ social networks from their spatio-temporal behavior acquired via wearable sensors. Previously proposed static network metrics (e.g., centrality measures) cannot capture the complex temporal patterns in dynamic settings (e.g., children’s play in a schoolyard). Moreover, existing temporal metrics overlook the spatial context of interactions. This study aims first to introduce a novel metric on social networks in which both temporal and spatial aspects of the network are considered to unravel the spatio-temporal dynamics of human behavior. This metric can be used to understand how individuals utilize space to access their network, and how individuals are accessible by their network. We evaluate the proposed method on real data to show how the proposed metric impacts performance of a clustering task. Second, this metric is used to interpret interactions in a real-world dataset collected from children playing in a playground. Moreover, by considering spatial features, this metric provides unique knowledge of the spatio-temporal accessibility of individuals in a community, and more clearly captures pairwise accessibility compared with existing temporal metrics. Thus, it can facilitate domain scientists interested in understanding social behavior in the spatio-temporal context. Furthermore, We make our collected dataset publicly available for further research.
The Promise of Affective Language for Identifying and Intervening on Psychopathology
Authors: Nook Erik C.
Published: August 2023

We are in dire need of innovative tools for reducing the global burden of psychopathology. Emerging evidence suggests that analyzing language (i.e., the words people use) can grant insight into an individual's emotional experiences, their ability to regulate their emotions, and even their current experiences of psychopathology. As such, linguistic analyses of people’s everyday word use may be a diagnostic marker of emotional well-being, and manipulating the words people use could foster adaptive emotion regulation and mental health. Given the ubiquity of language in everyday life, such language-based tools for measuring and intervening in emotion and mental health can advance how we identify and treat mental illnesses at a large scale. In this paper, I outline the promise of this approach and identify key problems we must solve if we are to make it a reality. In particular, I summarize evidence connecting language, emotion, and mental health for three key constructs: sentiment (i.e., the valence of one’s language), linguistic distancing (i.e., using language to separate oneself from distressing stimuli), and emotion differentiation (i.e., using words to specifically identify one’s emotions). I also identify open questions in need of attention for each of these constructs and this area of research as a whole. Overall, I believe the future is bright for the application of psycholinguistic approaches to mental health detection and intervention.
Overview of methods and considerations for the photodynamic inactivation of microorganisms for agricultural applications
Authors: Islam Md Tariqul , Sain Madeline , Stark Colin , Fefer Michael , Liu Jun , Hoare Todd , Ckurshumova Wenzi , Rosa Cristina
Published: August 2023

Antimicrobial resistance in agriculture is a global concern and carries huge financial consequences. Despite that, practical solutions for growers that are sustainable, low cost and environmentally friendly have been sparse. This has created opportunities for the agrochemical industry to develop pesticides with novel modes of action. Recently the use of photodynamic inactivation (PDI), classically used in cancer treatments, has been explored in agriculture as an alternative to traditional chemistries, mainly as a promising new approach for the eradication of pesticide resistant strains. However, applications in the field pose unique challenges and call for new methods of evaluation to adequately address issues specific to PDI applications in plants and challenges faced in the field. The aim of this review is to summarize in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo/in planta experimental strategies and methods used to test and evaluate photodynamic agents as photo-responsive pesticides for applications in agriculture. The review highlights some of the strategies that have been explored to overcome challenges in the field.
Techno-economic analysis of converting low-grade heat into electricity and hydrogen
Authors: Zhao Yanan , Li Mingliang , Long Rui , Liu Zhichun , Liu Wei
Published: August 2023

Low-grade heat recovery has received increasing attention as an essential contributor to improving overall energy utilization efficiency and facilitating the carbon neutrality commitment. Here, we developed a techno-economic analysis model of converting low-grade heat into electricity and hydrogen via the osmotic heat engine (OHE) and power-to-gas facility to alleviate the dilemma of lacking practical application scenarios of waste heat. The contribution margin is optimized in real time by either sending the electricity generated by the OHE into the electrolyzer for hydrogen production or selling it at market price in Wuhan, China, thus to identify the economically viable OHE costs under different conditions. Results show that the allowed heat engine cost is significantly impacted by the capacity factor, lifetime and discount rate. The effect of the capacity size of power-to-gas facility on allowed heat engine cost strongly depends on the hydrogen price. The allowed OHE cost increases with the elevating waste heat temperature for each heat transfer scenario. The hybrid energy system can be economically competitive compared with current mature technologies when the waste heat temperature is higher than 68 ℃ and 105 ℃ for fluid and air as heat transfer fluid, respectively. The economically viable heat engine cost is expected to gradually decline from 50,043 ¥/kW to 18,741 ¥/kW within next 15 years. Incentive policy would boost the economic viability of converting low-grade heat into electricity and hydrogen.
Statistical Analysis of Design Aspects of Various YOLO-Based Deep Learning Models for Object Detection
Authors: Sirisha U. , Praveen S. Phani , Srinivasu Parvathaneni Naga , Barsocchi Paolo , Bhoi Akash Kumar
Published: August 2023

Object detection is a critical and complex problem in computer vision, and deep neural networks have significantly enhanced their performance in the last decade. There are two primary types of object detectors: two stage and one stage. Two-stage detectors use a complex architecture to select regions for detection, while one-stage detectors can detect all potential regions in a single shot. When evaluating the effectiveness of an object detector, both detection accuracy and inference speed are essential considerations. Two-stage detectors usually outperform one-stage detectors in terms of detection accuracy. However, YOLO and its predecessor architectures have substantially improved detection accuracy. In some scenarios, the speed at which YOLO detectors produce inferences is more critical than detection accuracy. This study explores the performance metrics, regression formulations, and single-stage object detectors for YOLO detectors. Additionally, it briefly discusses various YOLO variations, including their design, performance, and use cases.
FDA approves first leadless dual-chamber pacing system; A breakthrough in therapy of bradycardia
Authors: Ali Eman
Published: August 2023

More than 700,000 pacemakers (PMs) are implanted worldwide each year, with more than 250,000 deployed in the United States. Leadless cardiac pacemakers (LPCs) are an alternative to conventional pacemakers because they do not require permanent transvenous leads while alleviating bradyarrhythmias. An innovation in the field of pacing systems called ‘dual chamber pacing system’ has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval which is a safe, non-invasive, and efficacious procedure as documented by a landmark clinical study. It succeeded in its pre-established safety and performance goals, with definite procedural success, atrial pacing and reliable atrioventricular (AV) synchrony. Despite its hailing success, the system continues to undergo transformation and development, and requires further longitudinal data to reaffirm its safety and efficacy.
A Family-Centered Signed Language Curriculum to Support Deaf Children's Language Acquisition
Authors: Zarchy Razi M. , Geer Leah C.
Published: August 2023

Deaf children experience language deprivation at alarmingly high rates. One contributing factor is that most are born to non-signing hearing parents who face insurmountable barriers to learning a signed language. This Element presents a case for developing signed language curricula for hearing families with deaf children that are family-centered and focus on child-directed language. Core vocabulary, functional sentences, and facilitative language techniques centered around common daily routines allow families to apply what they learn immediately. Additionally, Deaf Community Cultural Wealth (DCCW) lessons build families' capacity to navigate the new terrain of raising a deaf child. If early intervention programs serving the families of young deaf children incorporate this type of curriculum into their service delivery, survey data suggest that it is both effective and approachable for this target population, so the rates of language deprivation may decline.
The Rule of Justice: The Compassionate Application of Law to Life
Authors: Abella Rosalie Silberman
Published: August 2023

I graduated from law school in 1970 and I’ve been proud every day since of being a lawyer. My father was a lawyer, as are our two sons, and I’ve always seen lawyers as democracy’s warriors: the people who protect rights and by protecting rights protect justice. You law students are the future democracy warriors—actually, the future of democracy full stop—so this lecture is dedicated to you and to the hope that you will make justice your transcendent preoccupation, no matter what you decide to do with your law degree. You are, after all, in law school where you have a window on what the law says—guided by your professors—and a window on what the law looks like outside the walls of your classrooms—guided by watching the news.
Efficacy of a far-ultraviolet-C light technology for continuous decontamination of air and surfaces
Authors: Memic Samir , Osborne Andrew O. , Cadnum Jennifer L. , Donskey Curtis J.
Published: August 2023

A wall-mounted, far-ultraviolet-C light technology reduced aerosolized bacteriophage MS2 by >3 log10 plaque-forming units within 30 minutes. Vegetative bacterial pathogens on steel disk carriers in the center of the room were reduced by >3 log10 after 45 minutes of exposure, but Candida auris and Clostridioides difficile spores were not.
Hacking Nuclear Stability: Wargaming Technology, Uncertainty, and Escalation
Authors: Schneider Jacquelyn , Schechter Benjamin , Shaffer Rachael
Published: August 2023

How do emerging technologies affect nuclear stability? In this paper, we use a quasi-experimental cyber-nuclear wargame with 580 players to explore three hypotheses about emerging technologies and nuclear stability: (1) technological uncertainty leads to preemption and escalation; (2) technological uncertainty leads to restraint; and (3) technological certainty leads to escalation through aggressive counterforce campaigns. The wargames suggest that uncertainty and fear about cyber vulnerabilities create no immediate incentives for preemptive nuclear use. The greater danger to strategic stability lies in how overconfidence in cyber exploits incentivizes more aggressive counterforce campaigns and, secondarily, how vulnerabilities encourage predelegation or automation. Both of these effects suggest worrisome relationships between cyber exploits and inadvertent nuclear use on one hand and cyber vulnerabilities and accidental nuclear use on the other hand. Together, these findings reveal the complicated relationship between pathways to escalation and strategic stability, highlighting the role that confidence and perhaps-misplaced certainty—versus uncertainty and fear—play in strategic stability.
Policy paradigm modes: explaining USA antitrust law changes in the 1970s
Authors: Arslan Melike
Published: August 2023

This article advances the theory of policy paradigms by investigating when paradigms are rigid, constraining alternative perspectives and policy options, and when instead they are more flexible, allowing actors to overcome paradigmatic restrictions and differences. Departing from the existing theories on policy paradigms, I conceptualize paradigm rigidity and flexibility as characteristics that develop endogenously within the policy-making process, shaped by the types of policy changes that are proposed and discussed and by the types of framing strategies policy actors employ to support their proposals. Policy paradigms can therefore have both rigid and flexible modes within the same policy area and in the same period. Conceiving paradigms in modes helps us better understand how policies change when there are competing paradigms and exogenous crises. I illustrate this empirically with an analysis of the debates surrounding four antitrust (competition) policy change proposals in the USA during the 1970s.
Methodology of identifying customary international law applicable to cyber activities
Authors: Pomson Ori
Published: August 2023

What is striking about recent scholarship on the application of customary international law to cyber activities is how little has been dedicated to the preliminary question of how one identifies the applicability of existing rules of customary international law to cyber operations. Yet, the answer to this preliminary question holds the key to answering many of the questions which arise regarding whether existing rules of customary international law apply to cyber activities. This article seeks to answer the preliminary question. After providing background on the nature of customary international law, and in light of recent scholarly trends and what is often implied in literature on cyber activities, it makes the argument that rules of customary international law are not interpretable. Accordingly, reference must be made to state practice accepted as law for the purpose of identifying applicable customary international law; the article provides guidance on how this should be done. For a precedent of state practice to be relevant to determining the existence of a customary rule applicable to a cyber activity, pursuant to the International Court’s jurisprudence, the precedent must not have significant distinguishing features from the cyber activity concerned. For determining whether a precedent of opinio juris recognizes the existence of a customary rule applicable to the cyber activity, it is necessary to determine whether the relevant state pronouncement intended to accept as law a rule applicable thereto. In anticipation of objections, the article also addresses the practicability of the approach laid out.