bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determination of lamotrigine in human plasma by HPLC-PDA. Application to forensic samples
Authors: Sánchez-Sellero Inés , Álvarez-Freire Iván , Cabarcos-Fernández Pamela , Janza-Candal Lidia , Tabernero-Duque María Jesús , Bermejo-Barrera Ana María
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Therapeutic drug monitoring of plasma lamotrigine (LTG) has customarily been carried out in order to prevent some its adverse effects. For forensic purposes, determination of LTG in plasma is an useful tool in cases of accidental overdose or suicidal attempts. Currently, there are several analytical methods available including some based on LC tandem mass spectrometry techniques, but simple and accessible LC-UV methods still can be useful for the purpose. Here we report on a new high-performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of lamotrigine in human plasma which has been developed and validated including selectivity, sensitivity, accuracy, precision and recovery studies.

Methods

Lamotrigine and the internal standard chloramphenicol were extracted from plasma using liquid-liquid extraction using small volumes of buffer and ethylacetate. Detection was monitored at 305.7 and 276.0 nm for lamotrigine and chloramphenicol, respectively.

Results

The method was linear concentration dependence within the range of 0.1–10 µg/ml, with a mean coefficient of correlation r = 0.993. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.04 µg/ml and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.1 µg/ml. Intra and interday precision values were lower than 9.0% at all concentrations studied. The intra and interday accuracy values ranged from − 7.6 to 10.1%. Recovery was found to be 98.9% or higher. The method here described was successfully applied to 11 postmortem blood samples received at the Forensic Sciences Institute of Santiago de Compostela (Spain).

Conclusion

A new HPLC method for the determination of lamotrigine in human plasma was developed and validated. A liquid-liquid extraction using small volumes of buffer and ethylacetate was optimized. The proposed method is suitable for forensic toxicological analysis.
Potential scale of industrial outputs of the bronze bell casting industry in 500 BCE China
Authors: Li Kin Sum , Liu Haiwang , Wilson Keith , Chen Xueqing , Lee Kin San , Fang Qin , Qin Xu , Liu Yu , Chun Tsz Hin , Jiang Haoran
Published: April 2024

The potential scale of industrial outputs in the ancient world is often underestimated in current archaeological studies due to the lack of surviving artifacts for validation of the production scale. However, production traces left on extant artifacts can help us reconstruct production methods, and thus reveal the potential scale of production outputs of certain industries, even although there may not be a sufficient number of existing artifacts to demonstrate such volumes. The bronze bell casting industry operating in around 500 BCE in Xinzheng in Henan province, China, can be used as an example to demonstrate the then use by bell casters of the “pattern-block method” to efficiently create multiple bells sharing identical components. With their strong focus on efficiency, production speed, and low production costs, these casters intelligently designed assembly lines and assembled identical components replicated from models to prepare molds for casting. Knowledge of their production methods and currently preserved bells can provide evidence that the bell casting industry produced industrial outputs on a massive scale that was rare in the ancient world. This article also shows how innovative methods such as 3D model superimposition can be used to validate these hypotheses.
Structure and age of ancient walls from the city of Nan, northern Thailand
Authors: Srisunthon Prapawadee , Mueller Daniela , Wilk Jakob , Preusser Frank
Published: April 2024

The structure and age of remains of two ancient walls located in the city of Nan, a former part of the Lanna Kingdom in modern northern Thailand, were investigated. The remains differ in appearance with a well-preserved brick wall present at Mahawong Road (MHW), while an earthwork with a brick reinforcement core is found at Phaya Wat Temple (PWT). We employed an electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) survey and optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL) to determine the buried structure of the earthwork at the PWT site and the production age of bricks from both locations. The ERT results reveal lateral heterogeneous resistivity domains cross-cutting the wall, which presumably relates to the construction of a dam. According to OSL dating, the PWT wall was likely built during the time of the war with Burma that ultimately resulted in a foreign occupation of Nan in the sixteenth century. This structure played a role in both flood mitigation and military defence of the city. The structure at MHW represents a city wall that was built at the end of the nineteenth century after Nan was relocated to its present position and rather reflects representative and social needs.
A Perceived Risk Index Leveraging Social Media Data: Assessing Severity of Fire on Microblogging
Authors: De Maio Carmen , Fenza Giuseppe , Gallo Mariacristina , Loia Vincenzo , Volpe Alberto
Published: April 2024

Fires represent a significant threat to the environment, infrastructure, and human safety, often spreading rapidly with wide-ranging consequences such as economic losses and life risks. Early detection and swift response to fire outbreaks are crucial to mitigating their impact. While satellite-based monitoring is effective, it may miss brief or indoor fires. This paper introduces a novel Perceived Risk Index (PRI) that, complementing satellite data, leverages social media data to provide insights into the severity of fire events. In the light of the results of statistical analysis, the PRI incorporates the number of fire-related tweets and the associated emotional expressions to gauge the perceived risk. The index’s evaluation involves the development of a comprehensive system that collects, classifies, annotates, and correlates social media posts with satellite data, presenting the findings in an interactive dashboard. Experimental results using diverse datasets of real-fire tweets demonstrate an average best correlation of 77% between PRI and the brightness values of fires detected by satellites. This correlation extends to the real intensity of the corresponding fires, showcasing the potential of social media platforms in furnishing information for emergency response and decision-making. The proposed PRI proves to be a valuable tool for ongoing monitoring efforts, having the potential to capture data on fires missed by satellites. This contributes to the development to more effective strategies for mitigating the environmental, infrastructural, and safety impacts of fire events.
Analysis and optimisation of titanium alloy sandwich structures for thermal protection
Authors: Nieke Philipp , Chopovda Valerie , Rattenbury Nicholas J. , Cater John E.
Published: April 2024

The heat transfer through additively manufactured Ti–6Al–4V sandwich structures has been investigated by simulating a one-dimensional multi-layer transient problem for heat fluxes up to

$$100\,\, {\hbox {kW}}\,{\hbox {m}}^{-2}$$

100

kW

m

-
2

. A previously published model for graded titanium foam insulation has been adapted, and its performance was validated experimentally for the additively manufactured titanium alloy samples. The optimal solidity distribution to minimise the peak temperature for a transient heat flux has been produced for a given sample mass and total thickness. The optimal distribution consists of three layers: the two outer layers are solid, the middle layer has the lowest possible solidity, and most of the material is distributed furthest from the applied heat flux.
Structural entropy minimization combining graph representation for money laundering identification
Authors: Wang Shaojiang , Wang Pengcheng , Wu Bin , Zhu Yifan , Luo Wei , Pan Yicheng
Published: April 2024

Money laundering identification (MLI) is a challenging task for financial AI research and application due to its massive transaction volume, label sparseness, and label bias. Most of the existing MLI methods focus on individual-level abnormal behavior while neglecting the community factor that money laundering is a collaborative group crime. Furthermore, the massive volume of transactions and the issue of label shifting also impede the application of supervised or semi-supervised models. To this end, this paper proposes an efficient community-oriented algorithm, namely SEGE, to identify money laundering based on structural entropy minimization (SEM) with graph embedding in an unsupervised approach. Experiments on both a private real-world money laundering network and a public synthetic dataset show that our SEGE algorithm derives prominent performance and outperforms the parameterized learning-based graph representation methods. Moreover, we find that there are pervasive sub-communities in the real-world money laundering network. Based on our local algorithm, we propose a real combat strategy against the money laundering group, in which when we have several scattered suspicious accounts in the transaction network, we are able to retrieve the whole money laundering group by the union of sub-communities with both high precision and high recall rates.
A hydro-climatic approach for extreme flood estimation in mountainous catchments
Authors: Bashirgonbad Mohammad , Moghaddam Nia Alireza , Khalighi-Sigaroodi Shahram , Gholami Vahid
Published: April 2024

Prediction of rainfall-runoff process, peak discharges, and finally flood hydrograph is essential for flood risk management and river engineering projects. In most previous studies in this field, the precipitation rates have been entered into the models without considering seasonal and monthly distribution. In this study, the daily precipitation data of 144 climatology stations in Iran were used to evaluate the seasonal and monthly pattern of flood-causing precipitation. Then, by determining the rainy seasons and seasonal fit of precipitation with a probabilistic model and using regional precipitation, a semi-distributed conceptual model of rainfall-runoff (MORDOR-SD) was trained and validated using the observed discharge data. Flood prediction was performed using climatic data, modeling of hydrological conditions, and extreme flow data with high performance. According to the results, the Nash–Sutcliffe and Kling–Gupta coefficients were 0.69 and 0.82 for the mean daily streamflow, 0.98 and 0.98 for the seasonal streamflow, 0.98 and 0.94 for the maximum discharges, and 0.57 and 0.78 for low flows, respectively. Moreover, the maximum daily discharges in different return periods were estimated using the results of the MORDOR-SD model, considering the probability distribution function of the probabilistic model of central precipitation (MEWP), the probabilistic model of adjacent precipitation, and probability distribution function of the previous precipitation. Finally, the extreme flows were predicted and compared using different methods including the SCHADEX, regional flood analysis, GRADEX, and AGREGEE. The results showed that the methods GRADEX, AGREGEE, and SCHADEX have the highest performance in predicting extreme floods, respectively.
Ex vivo, in vivo and in silico studies of corneal biomechanics: a systematic review
Authors: Mascolini Maria Vittoria , Toniolo Ilaria , Carniel Emanuele Luigi , Fontanella Chiara Giulia
Published: April 2024

Healthy cornea guarantees the refractive power of the eye and the protection of the inner components, but injury, trauma or pathology may impair the tissue shape and/or structural organization and therefore its material properties, compromising its functionality in the ocular visual process. It turns out that biomechanical research assumes an essential role in analysing the morphology and biomechanical response of the cornea, preventing pathology occurrence, and improving/optimising treatments. In this review, ex vivo, in vivo and in silico methods for the corneal mechanical characterization are reported. Experimental techniques are distinct in testing mode (e.g., tensile, inflation tests), samples’ species (human or animal), shape and condition (e.g., healthy, treated), preservation methods, setup and test protocol (e.g., preconditioning, strain rate). The meaningful results reported in the pertinent literature are discussed, analysing differences, key features and weaknesses of the methodologies adopted. In addition, numerical techniques based on the finite element method are reported, incorporating the essential steps for the development of corneal models, such as geometry, material characterization and boundary conditions, and their application in the research field to extend the experimental results by including further relevant aspects and in the clinical field for diagnostic procedure, treatment and planning surgery. This review aims to analyse the state-of-art of the bioengineering techniques developed over the years to study the corneal biomechanics, highlighting their potentiality to improve diagnosis, treatment and healing process of the corneal tissue, and, at the same, pointing out the current limits in the experimental equipment and numerical tools that are not able to fully characterize in vivo corneal tissues non-invasively and discourage the use of finite element models in daily clinical practice for surgical planning.
Application of seismic refraction and MASW methods for investigating the Spillway Fault trace along the western side of the Aswan High Dam, Egypt
Authors: Hamed Ahmed , Fat-Helbary Raafat El-Shafie , Mohamed Abdel-Monem , El-Faragawy Karrar Omar , Gaber Ahmed Abd El , Meneisy Ahmed M.
Published: April 2024

An earthquake of local magnitude ML = 4.6 occurred on November 7, 2010, 4.5 km northwest of the Aswan High Dam on the Spillway Fault. In the Aswan metropolitan region this earthquake was felt intensely. As no surface rupture was found, the focal mechanism and the distribution of seismic activity was one of the tools used for finding fault dimensions. The composite fault-plane solutions for the observed events on the Spillway Fault showed a left lateral strike-slip faulting with normal-fault component striking NNW-SSE. Also, remote sensing techniques were applied for the detection and identification of the geomorphology and geometry of the Spillway Fault. In this research, sub-surface layers and structures are delineated utilizing near-surface seismic techniques. Furthermore, the area’s supposed path and position of the Spillway Fault are also investigated. Two active seismic techniques, Seismic Refraction and Multi-Channel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW), are utilized for recording near-surface seismic wave data at 9 sites. The seismic refraction profiles are conducted as a 2D cross-section on the trace of the detected Spillway Fault in the study area to evaluate the maximum depth of penetration of the P-wave for fault investigation. The constructed 2D seismic and structural sections from P-wave results show that the obtained average depth of about 30 m. In addition, the estimated P-wave velocities extend from 600 m/s to over 6500 m/s. Some lateral variation in the seismic wave velocities in all layers may represent fault zones. Moreover, the 1D MASW technique is conducted to estimate the velocities of the shear wave for the upper 30 m (Vs30) to provide the site classes and soil characteristics along both sides of the detected Spillway Fault trace in the study area. The calculated Vs30 values emphasized the idea of the existence of a normal dip-slip fault trace which divides the study area into two different lithological parts. The first part is located on the eastern side and characterized by almost class B (hard rock, according to NEHRP classification), while the other part is located to the west, and shows almost class type C (denoted as dense soil and soft rock soil).
Tai chi, irisin and cognitive performance: a clinical and biological investigation in older adults
Authors: Guazzarini Anna Giulia , Mancinetti Francesca , Bastiani Patrizia , Scamosci Michela , Cecchetti Roberta , Boccardi Virginia , Mecocci Patrizia
Published: April 2024

Background

Skeletal muscle is the main source of circulating irisin, both at rest and during physical activity. Previous studies have suggested that irisin can improve cognitive abilities.

Aims

We explored whether six months of Tai Chi (TC) practice can modulate such a relationship in healthy older persons.

Methods

This is a prospective clinical study to evaluate the effects of TC practice as compared with low intensity exercise (LI) and no exercise (NE) control groups on plasmatic irisin levels and cognitive performance. Forty-two healthy older persons were stratified into three groups according to physical activities. Biochemical assay and cognitive functions were assessed at the baseline and after six months.

Results

A significant change was found in circulating irisin levels in TC as compared with NE group (p = 0.050) across time. At six months in TC group irisin levels significantly correlated with a verbal memory test (p = 0.013) controlled by age and education.

Conclusion

Our results suggest the potential benefits for cognitive health of TC practice by irisin levels modulation.
Memristive crossbar-based circuit design of back-propagation neural network with synchronous memristance adjustment
Authors: Yang Le , Ding Zhixia , Xu Yanyang , Zeng Zhigang
Published: April 2024

The performance improvement of CMOS computer fails to meet the enormous data processing requirement of artificial intelligence progressively. The memristive neural network is one of the most promising circuit hardwares to make a breakthrough. This paper proposes a novel memristive synaptic circuit that is composed of four MOS transistors and one memristor (4T1M). The 4T1M synaptic circuit provides flexible control strategies to change memristance or respond to the input signal. Applying the 4T1M synaptic circuit as the cell of memristive crossbar array, based on the structure and algorithm of the back-propagation (BP) neural network, this paper proposes circuit design of the memristive crossbar-based BP neural network. By reusing the 4T1M memristive crossbar array, the computations in the forward-propagation process and back-propagation process of BP neural network are accomplished on the memristive crossbar-based circuit to accelerate the computing speed. The 4T1M memristive crossbar array can change all the cells’ memristance at a time, accordingly, the memristive crossbar-based BP neural network can realize synchronous memristance adjustment. The proposed memristive crossbar-based BP neural network is then evaluated through experiments involving XOR logic operation, iris classification, and MNIST handwritten digit recognition. The experimental results present fewer iterations or higher classification accuracies. Further, the comprehensive comparisons with the existing memristive BP neural networks highlight the advantages of the proposed memristive crossbar-based BP neural network, which achieves the fastest memristance adjustment speed using relatively few components.
China as a Threat and Balancing Behavior in the Realm of Emerging Technologies
Authors: Papageorgiou Maria , Can Muhammed , Vieira Alena
Published: April 2024

In the last years, China and the United States of America (US) have engaged in unprecedented competition in emerging technologies (ETs), in a context of China’s growing presence and shifting position in the international system. Drawing on data between 2017 and 2023 and strategic decisions, such as bans and export controls directed at China’s companies and the changing alignment posture of Western states, we employ the Balance of Threat (BoT) theory to examine China’s changing aggregate power, offensive capabilities and aggressive intentions, while also establishing the vanishing importance of the geographic dimension. We then turn to the behavior of the US and Western states by drawing on the BoT theory, which suggests balancing as a prime strategy to counter the threat and identify instances of the formation of a balancing coalition against China. We demonstrate how the notion of threat in ETs can be approached and conclude with a characterization of balancing in the domain of ETs that resonates with the notion of “gradual balancing”, in addition to outlining suggestions for future studies.
Occurrence and Distribution of Plastispheres in Coastal Sediments and Waters along the Maharashtra Coast, India
Authors: Verma Chandani R. , Pise Manoj , Hýsek Štěpán , Źółtowska Sonia , Kumkar Pradeep , Kalous Lukáš , Gosavi Sachin M.
Published: April 2024

Microplastics can promote microbial colonisation and biofilm growth, thus being referred to as “plastispheres”. The global plastic pollution surge is likely to adversely impact ecology and human health by providing a novel habitat for microbial communities. Even though microplastics in marine environments have been the subject of in-depth research, plastispheres have recently received attention. Thus, the current study investigates the prevalence and distribution of plastispheres along the Maharashtra coast of India, considering their plausible implications for ecology and human health. Microplastics were isolated from sediment and water samples obtained from 10 sampling sites. Subsequently, these microplastic particles were subjected to ATR-FTIR and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses to ascertain their chemical composition, surface topography, and presence of attached biofilms. The predominant polymers composing the microplastic particles were polypropylene (42.8%), polyethylene (28.6%), polystyrene (14.3%), and polyvinyl chloride (14.3%). SEM analysis revealed the presence of topographical structures and degradation effects, facilitating microbial attachment on the microplastic surface. About 50% of the microplastic particles tested positive for biofilms, with over 66% of those collected from Girgaon and Malvan beaches exhibiting biofilm presence. These positively screened particles also displayed comparatively rough surface structures, likely enhancing microbial colonisation. Microplastic ageing and polymer type could positively affect microbial colonisation. Diatoms and fungal hyphae exhibit varied interactions with microplastic polymers. Notably, microplastics host various reproductive stages of fungi, as evidenced by filamentous networks, mycelia, and conidiophores.
A research landscape on customer co-creation value: a systematic literature network analysis
Authors: Bosisio Jessica
Published: April 2024

Customer co-creation value has become a widely used term to describe an active, creative, and social collaboration process between producers and customers, in order to help companies assess the value of customers. Therefore, customers become active participants in an innovation process and have always been identified as a co-creator of value. Although the topic of customer co-creation value represents an emerging phenomenon in the business ecosystem, extant literature appears largely unexplored, and a recent systematic review is missing. This paper thus aims to bridge the gap by carrying out a systematic literature network analysis. By analyzing the citation network, the keywords co-occurrence, and the global citation score retrieved from Scopus, this document explores how the literature has evolved over time, which papers played a key role in the progress of knowledge, which methodological approaches dominated, and the existence of promising research areas that have been scarcely explored or that have involved scholars in recent years.
Fact-finding surveys on role of flood fighting in present-day Japan and future prospects: case studies of Yodo River and Yamato River
Authors: Sato Hirokazu
Published: April 2024

Flood mitigation efforts (flood fighting), including raising awareness among local residents, have been crucial in Japan to reduce damage during flood events. In this study, interviews were conducted with three flood fighting management bodies on the Yodo and Yamato Rivers, which still have strong flood fighting corps, and field investigations were performed focusing on the actual operation of flood fighting warehouses, which serve as infrastructure bases for flood fighting. Targets included the flood fighting affairs associations on the left and right banks for the Yodo River and that on the right bank for the Yamato River. The survey results showed that with the progress of flood control measures and river improvement, opportunities to conduct actual flood fighting work during floods decreased in all cases in recent years, but flood fighting techniques and knowledge were passed on through exercises and drills. In addition, the flood fighting warehouses were well managed and maintained their functions as material and equipment storage places and as waiting and meeting places for flood fighting corps members. Considering the intensification of external flood forces due to future extreme weather changes, it was deemed that the role of the flood fighting corps is expected to increase in importance, and it was judged that preparations were being made to respond to this trend. On the other hand, there were some challenges in terms of securing a sufficient number of members due to the shortage resulting from the aging of the corps members and maintaining warehouses from a budgetary standpoint.
Predicting the wicking rate of nitrocellulose membranes from recipe data: a case study using ANN at a membrane manufacturing in South Korea
Authors: Dissanayake Janith , Kang Sung Bong , Park Jihoon , Yinbao Fang , Park Sungryul , Lee Min-Ho
Published: April 2024

Lateral flow assays have been widely used for detecting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A lateral flow assay consists of a Nitrocellulose (NC) membrane, which must have a specific lateral flow rate for the proteins to react. The wicking rate is conventionally used as a method to assess the lateral flow in membranes. We used multiple regression and artificial neural networks (ANN) to predict the wicking rate of NC membranes based on membrane recipe data. The developed ANN predicted the wicking rate with a mean square error of 0.059, whereas the multiple regression had a square error of 0.503. This research also highlighted the significant impact of the water content on the wicking rate through images obtained from scanning electron microscopy. The findings of this research can cut down the research and development costs of novel NC membranes with a specific wicking rate significantly, as the algorithm can predict the wicking rate based on the membrane recipe.

Graphical abstract

Correlation matrix displaying the distribution of the variables and linear correlations
Horticultural potential of chemical biology to improve adventitious rooting
Authors: Pincelli-Souza Renata P. , Tang Qian , Miller Brandon M. , Cohen Jerry D.
Published: April 2024

The first reports that auxins promoted root formation in cuttings and that indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) was a particularly effective treatment date from the early 1930s. Since its introduction into horticultural practice, the focus on improvements in the rooting of plants has been largely on the proper use of auxins to enhance adventitious rooting (AR) as well as to increase the range of plants where it can be effective. In this review, we focus on new ideas that might build on what is known about auxin induction of AR. We explore what the evolution in chemical biology has opened through novel high-throughput screening tools to explore auxin regulation of plant development and what it might add to our understanding and potential to produce new tools for the manipulation of AR. The potential for using stronger auxin analogues, alternative indolealkanoic acids, compounds that alter β-oxidation of IBA and other indolealkanoic acids, auxin conjugates, inhibitors of auxin conjugation, inhibitors of endogenous auxin biosynthesis, as well as other plant hormones and compounds that inhibit the production or mimic the effects of signals that might be involved in AR are all discussed. The expectation is that a summary of these advances in our understanding of the chemical biology important to AR might increase the use and exploration of new ideas for the improvement in the practical approaches to advance horticultural rooting methods.
Disability and Healing in Greek and Roman Myth
Authors: Laes Christian
Published: April 2024

Disability and Healing in Greek and Roman Myth takes its readers to stories, in versions known and often unknown. Disabilities and diseases are dealt with from head to toe: from mental disorder, over impairment of vision, hearing and speaking, to mobility problems and wider issues that pertain to the whole body. This Element places the stories in context, with due attention to close reading, and pays careful attention to concepts and terminology regarding disability. It sets Graeco-Roman mythology in the wider context of the ancient world, including Christianity. One of the focuses is the people behind the stories and their 'lived' religion. It also encourages its readers to 'live' their ancient mythology.
Survey of Canadian Physician Use of Botulinum Toxin A (BoNT-A) for Paratonia: Real World Insights
Authors: Kleiner Galit , Ismail Farooq , Khan Omar , Pilieci Christopher , Truong Linda , Boulias Chris
Published: April 2024

Paratonia is a form of hypertonia characterized by an inability to relax muscles in the setting of cognitive impairment. Paratonia results in pain, refusal of care, and caregiver burden. We sent surveys to 67 Canadian physiatrists and neurologists regarding their experience treating paratonia with botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A). Twenty-seven survey respondents were included in the analysis. Thirteen percent of survey respondents treating paratonia with BoNT-A reported a significant clinically relevant improvement; 74% endorsed a moderately clinically relevant improvement; 13% endorsed a slight clinically relevant improvement. Ninety percent of survey respondents endorsed significant barriers in treating paratonia with BoNT-A.
Professionalisierung der DGPs-Strukturen
Authors: Vaterrodt Bianca , Abele-Brehm Andrea , Gollwitzer Mario , Stemmler Gerhard
Published: April 2024

Zusammenfassung: In diesem Beitrag werden die wesentlichen Schritte der Professionalisierung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs) hinsichtlich ihrer Strukturen, Verwaltung, Kooperationen und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit betrachtet. Neben relevanten Satzungsänderungen, die zur Etablierung der Fachgruppen und des Fakultätentags Psychologie führten, waren die Einrichtung der Geschäftsstelle in Berlin, die Gründung des TransMit-Zentrums für wissenschaftlich-psychologische Dienstleistungen sowie der Ausbau nationaler und internationaler Kooperationen von besonderer Bedeutung. Die Professionalisierung der Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und der internen Kommunikation profitierten insbesondere von der Digitalisierung.
Slovene Translation of the Difficulties in Suicidal Behaviors Intervention Questionnaire (DSBQ)
Authors: Podlogar Tina , Žvelc Gregor , De Leo Diego
Published: April 2024

Abstract: Background: Mental health professionals encounter numerous difficulties when working with suicidal clients. To understand these difficulties in clinical practice better, a valid instrument measuring them is needed. Aims: This study aimed to translate the Difficulties in Suicidal Behaviors Intervention Questionnaire (DSBQ) to Slovene, validate it, and explore Slovenian professionals’ experiences with it. Method: The participants were 106 professionals (19 men, 87 women), aged 26–66 years. Apart from the DSBQ, scales on attitudes toward suicide prevention and coping strategies in difficult clinical situations were used. The data were collected between October 2017 and January 2019. Results: Although slightly diverging from the originally reported component structure, the Slovene translation of the DSBQ measures difficulties in working with suicidal clients with acceptable/good reliability and sensitivity, and adequate construct validity. Slovenian professionals most commonly experience difficulties related to working with children, followed by technical, system and setting, and other types of difficulties. Limitations : The sample of participants was relatively heterogeneous. Conclusion: Further studies of the DSBQ structure and validity, as well as difficulties, especially those related to working with children/adolescents and facing the theme of death, are warranted. Considering the difficulties most frequently reported in this investigation, more efforts are also needed in Slovenia to address technical and logistic aspects.
Predicting Future Trends of Terrestrial Dissolved Organic Carbon Transport to Global River Systems
Authors: Nakhavali Mahdi (André) , Lauerwald Ronny , Regnier Pierre , Friedlingstein Pierre
Published: April 2024

A fraction of CO2 uptake by terrestrial ecosystems is exported as organic carbon (C) through the terrestrial‐aquatic continuum. This translocated C plays a significant role in the terrestrial C balance; however, obtaining global assessments remains challenging due to the predominant reliance on empirical approaches. Leaching of dissolved organic C (DOC) from soils to rivers represents an important fraction of this C export and is assumed to drive a large proportion of the net‐heterotrophy of river systems and the related CO2 emissions. Using the model JULES‐DOCM, we projected DOC leaching trends over the 21st century based on three scenarios with high (RCP 2.6), intermediate (RCP 4.5), and low (RCP 8.5) climate mitigation efforts. The RCP 8.5 scenario led to the largest DOC leaching increase of +42% to 395 Tg C yr−1 by 2100. In comparison, RCP 2.6 and RCP 4.5 led to increases of 10% and 21%, respectively. Under RCP 8.5, the sub‐tropical zone showed the highest relative increase of 50% above current levels. In the boreal and tropical zones, the simulations revealed similar increases of 48% and 41%, respectively. However, given the pre‐eminence of the tropics in DOC leaching, the absolute increment is markedly substantial from this region (+59 Tg C yr−1). The temperate zone displayed the lowest relative increase with 35%. Our analysis identified the rising atmospheric CO2 concentration and its fertilizing effect on terrestrial NPP as the main reason for the future increase in DOC leaching.
On The Effective Capacity Performance Analysis Over Nakagami‐m Distribution‐Based Double‐Shadowed Rician Fading Channel
Authors: Ranjan Rajnish K. , Chowdhury Atanu , Ghoshal Dibyendu
Published: April 2024

The practical applications within the domain of the fifth generation (5G) and the emerging beyond 5G network necessitate a high data transmission rate along with minimal achievable delay. With this objective in focus, the maximum capacity is extensively quantified through the utilization of the delay‐constrained effective capacity (EC) technique, which stands in contrast to Shannon's ergodic capacity. The current study is engaged in the analysis of EC within a delay‐limited wireless system operating in a double‐shadowed Rician (DSR) fading channel. Within this channel, only the Nakagami‐m distribution concept has been applied to both the dominant and secondary shadowing components of the proposed network model. A new exact closed‐form expression for EC within the DSR fading channel has been derived using the Fox‐H function. Furthermore, an analysis has been conducted for both high and low signal‐to‐noise ratios to provide further insights and explanations for the proposed model. It is worth noting that the results obtained from both simulation and analytical methods exhibit substantial similarity, revealing interdependence among various parameters present in the proposed model.
Predictors for survival in patients with Alzheimer’s disease: a large comprehensive meta-analysis
Authors: Zheng Xiaoting , Wang Shichan , Huang Jingxuan , Li Chunyu , Shang Huifang
Published: April 2024

The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is increasing as the population ages, and patients with AD have a poor prognosis. However, knowledge on factors for predicting the survival of AD remains sparse. Here, we aimed to systematically explore predictors of AD survival. We searched the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases for relevant literature from inception to December 2022. Cohort and case-control studies were selected, and multivariable adjusted relative risks (RRs) were pooled by random-effects models. A total of 40,784 reports were identified, among which 64 studies involving 297,279 AD patients were included in the meta-analysis after filtering based on predetermined criteria. Four aspects, including demographic features (n = 7), clinical features or comorbidities (n = 13), rating scales (n = 3) and biomarkers (n = 3), were explored and 26 probable prognostic factors were finally investigated for AD survival. We observed that AD patients who had hyperlipidaemia (RR: 0.69) were at a lower risk of death. In contrast, male sex (RR: 1.53), movement disorders (including extrapyramidal signs) (RR: 1.60) and cancer (RR: 2.07) were detrimental to AD patient survival. However, our results did not support the involvement of education, hypertension, APOE genotype, Aβ42 and t-tau in AD survival. Our study comprehensively summarized risk factors affecting survival in patients with AD, provided a better understanding on the role of different factors in the survival of AD from four dimensions, and paved the way for further research.
Sprouty genes regulate activated fibroblasts in mammary epithelial development and breast cancer
Authors: Li Jiyong , Ma Rongze , Wang Xuebing , Lu Yunzhe , Chen Jing , Feng Deyi , Zhou Jiecan , Xia Kun , Klein Ophir , Xie Hao , Lu Pengfei
Published: April 2024

Stromal fibroblasts are a major stem cell niche component essential for organ formation and cancer development. Fibroblast heterogeneity, as revealed by recent advances in single-cell techniques, has raised important questions about the origin, differentiation, and function of fibroblast subtypes. In this study, we show in mammary stromal fibroblasts that loss of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) negative feedback regulators encoded by Spry1, Spry2, and Spry4 causes upregulation of signaling in multiple RTK pathways and increased extracellular matrix remodeling, resulting in accelerated epithelial branching. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that increased production of FGF10 due to Sprouty (Spry) loss results from expansion of a functionally distinct subgroup of fibroblasts with the most potent branching-promoting ability. Compared to their three independent lineage precursors, fibroblasts in this subgroup are “activated,” as they are located immediately adjacent to the epithelium that is actively undergoing branching and invasion. Spry genes are downregulated, and activated fibroblasts are expanded, in all three of the major human breast cancer subtypes. Together, our data highlight the regulation of a functional subtype of mammary fibroblasts by Spry genes and their essential role in epithelial morphogenesis and cancer development.
Association of intensive blood pressure management with cardiovascular outcomes in patients using multiple classes of antihypertensive medications: a post-hoc analysis of the STEP Trial
Authors: Zhang Kaipeng , Song Qirui , Bai Jingjing , Cai Jun
Published: April 2024

High medication burden is associated with poor treatment effect and high risk of cardiovascular outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the association between the antihypertensive medication burden and cardiovascular outcomes in the STEP trial. This post-hoc analysis of the STEP trial enrolled 8511 participants, including 8041 with low burden and 470 with high burden. High antihypertensive medication burden was defined as being treated with ≥3 different classes of prescribed antihypertensive medications. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular outcomes. Fine-Gray model was used in this study. Among all participants, high antihypertensive medication burden was associated with a higher risk of the primary outcome compared with low medication burden (HR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.03–2.24), which was consistent in the standard group (HR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.20–3.18) and the intensive group (HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.57–2.13; Pinteraction = 0.18). The beneficial effects of intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) control on the primary outcome remained significant in the high burden group (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.19–0.95) and the low burden group (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.63–0.98; Pinteraction = 0.18). At 24 months, the percentage of participants achieving the target SBP was lower in the high medication burden group (risk ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.89–0.98). In both standard and intensive treatment groups, participants with a high medication burden were harder to achieve the target SBP (Pinteraction = 0.65). High antihypertensive medication burden was associated with worse SBP control and a greater risk of cardiovascular events. Intensive SBP control showed cardiovascular benefits in both medication burden groups. Trial registration: STEP ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03015311. Registered 2 January 2017.
Extracellular vesicles and their effect on vascular haemodynamics: a systematic review
Authors: Cheung Sharon W. Y. , Chamley Lawrence W. , Barrett Carolyn J. , Lau Sien Yee S.
Published: April 2024

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released from all cell types studied to date and act as intercellular communicators containing proteins, nucleic acids and lipid cargos. They have been shown to be involved in maintaining homoeostasis as well as playing a role in the development of pathology including hypertension and cardiovascular disease. It is estimated that there is 109–1010 circulating EVs/mL in the plasma of healthy individuals derived from various sources. While the effect of EVs on vascular haemodynamic parameters will be dependent on the details of the model studied, we systematically searched and summarized current literature to find patterns in how exogenously injected EVs affected vascular haemodynamics. Under homoeostatic conditions, evidence from wire and pressure myography data demonstrate that injecting isolated EVs derived from cell types found in blood and blood vessels resulted in the impairment of vasodilation in blood vessels ex vivo. Impaired vasodilation was also observed in rodents receiving intravenous injections of human plasma EVs from cardiovascular diseases including valvular heart disease, acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction and end stage renal disease. When EVs were derived from models of metabolic syndromes, such as diabetes, these EVs enhanced vasoconstriction responses in blood vessels ex vivo. There were fewer publications that assessed the effect of EVs in anaesthetised or conscious animals to confirm whether effects on the vasculature observed in ex vivo studies translated into alterations in vascular haemodynamics in vivo. In the available conscious animal studies, the in vivo data did not always align with the ex vivo data. This highlights the importance of in vivo work to determine the effects of EVs on the integrative vascular haemodynamics.
Flexible calorimetric flow sensor with unprecedented sensitivity and directional resolution for multiple flight parameter detection
Authors: Gong Zheng , Di Weicheng , Jiang Yonggang , Dong Zihao , Yang Zhen , Ye Hong , Zhang Hengrui , Liu Haoji , Wei Zixing , Tu Zhan , Li Daochun , Xiang Jinwu , Ding Xilun , Zhang Deyuan , Chen Huawei
Published: April 2024

The accurate perception of multiple flight parameters, such as the angle of attack, angle of sideslip, and airflow velocity, is essential for the flight control of micro air vehicles, which conventionally rely on arrays of pressure or airflow velocity sensors. Here, we present the estimation of multiple flight parameters using a single flexible calorimetric flow sensor featuring a sophisticated structural design with a suspended array of highly sensitive vanadium oxide thermistors. The proposed sensor achieves an unprecedented velocity resolution of 0.11 mm·s−1 and angular resolution of 0.1°. By attaching the sensor to a wing model, the angles of attack and slip were estimated simultaneously. The triaxial flight velocities and wing vibrations can also be estimated by sensing the relative airflow velocity due to its high sensitivity and fast response. Overall, the proposed sensor has many promising applications in weak airflow sensing and flight control of micro air vehicles.
Global energy use and carbon emissions from irrigated agriculture
Authors: Qin Jingxiu , Duan Weili , Zou Shan , Chen Yaning , Huang Wenjing , Rosa Lorenzo
Published: April 2024

Irrigation is a land management practice with major environmental impacts. However, global energy consumption and carbon emissions resulting from irrigation remain unknown. We assess the worldwide energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with irrigation, while also measuring the potential energy and carbon reductions achievable through the adoption of efficient and low-carbon irrigation practices. Currently, irrigation contributes 216 million metric tons of CO2 emissions and consumes 1896 petajoules of energy annually, representing 15% of greenhouse gas emissions and energy utilized in agricultural operations. Despite only 40% of irrigated agriculture relies on groundwater sources, groundwater pumping accounts for 89% of the total energy consumption in irrigation. Projections indicate that future expansion of irrigation could lead to a 28% increase in energy usage. Embracing highly efficient, low-carbon irrigation methods has the potential to cut energy consumption in half and reduce CO2 emissions by 90%. However, considering country-specific feasibility of mitigation options, global CO2 emissions may only see a 55% reduction. Our research offers comprehensive insights into the energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with irrigation, contributing valuable information that can guide assessments of the viability of irrigation in enhancing adaptive capacity within the agricultural sector.
Organocatalytic desymmetrization provides access to planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophanes
Authors: Dočekal Vojtěch , Koucký Filip , Císařová Ivana , Veselý Jan
Published: April 2024

Planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophanes consist of two functionalized benzene rings connected by two ethylene bridges. These organic compounds have a wide range of applications in asymmetric synthesis, as both ligands and catalysts, and in materials science, as polymers, energy materials and dyes. However, these molecules can only be accessed by enantiomer separation via (a) time-consuming chiral separations and (b) kinetic resolution approaches, often with a limited substrate scope, yielding both enantiomers. Here, we report a simple, efficient, metal-free protocol for organocatalytic desymmetrization of prochiral diformyl[2.2]paracyclophanes. Our detailed experimental mechanistic study highlights differences in the origin of enantiocontrol of pseudo-para and pseudo-gem diformyl derivatives in NHC catalyzed desymmetrizations based on whether a key Breslow intermediate is irreversibly or reversibly formed in this process. This gram-scale reaction enables a wide range of follow-up derivatizations of carbonyl groups, producing various enantiomerically pure planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophane derivatives, thereby underscoring the potential of this method.