bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mineralogy and geochemistry of Permian–Triassic lateritic‐bauxitic horizons, eastern and central Alborz, Iran: Implications for provenance, palaeogeography, and palaeoclimate
Authors: Abasaghi Forough , Mahboubi Asadollah , Mahmudi Gharaie Mohammad Hosein , Khanehbad Mohammad
Published: September 2022

This paper presents a survey of geological attributes on the lateritic‐bauxitic deposits to examine their provenance, palaeogeography, and palaeoclimate condition in the Permian–Triassic boundary of Alborz Mountain, north Iran. The mineralogical analysis revealed that haematite, quartz, goethite, kaolinite, diaspore, boehmite, and anatase are the major rock‐forming minerals in these deposits. The major oxide composition of samples detected that enrichment of Al2O3 (up to 31.5%) and Fe2O3 (up to 37.9%) led to the formation of laterite, kaolinitic laterite, and bauxitic kaolinite. The distribution of trace and rare elements provides information about the enrichment of deposits concerning immobile elements. Employing geochemical proxies such as Al2O3/TiO2, bivariate diagrams of Eu/Eu* versus Sm/Nd and TiO2/Al2O3, enrichment of samples relative to heavy rare earth elements, and positive Eu anomaly revealed that the deposits originated from intermediate to mafic rocks. Several factors are inferred to be responsible for the transformation of parent rock(s) into lateritic‐bauxitic deposits: The high values of CIA, CIW, and PIA (mostly above 80) and increase of kaolinite point to deep to moderate parent rock(s) weathering, which is consistent with warming and humidity around the Permian–Triassic boundary. In continuation, transportation and trapping of weathered materials above the karstified carbonate bedrock of the Ruteh Formation and environmental interactions induced the formation of new minerals in a transitional environment near the vadose zone. The deposits have a generic correspondence with Palaeotethys Oceanic crustal subduction due to tectonic uplift, exhumation of bedrock, and regional sea‐level fall at the end of Palaeozoic that offered an opportunity for lateritization process.
Technology management in multi‐tier chains: A case study of agency in logistics service outsourcing
Authors: Sternberg Henrik , Mathauer Mathias , Hofmann Erik
Published: September 2022

Shippers and logistics service providers implement information communication technology (ICT) in outsourced logistics to increase efficiency and remedy information asymmetry. However, the nature of outsourced logistics operations can create technology management challenges due to the organizational distances between the technology initiator and the technology users. Here, we apply the lens of positivist agency theory to study four cases of technology management and agency in multi‐tier outsourced logistics services. Our findings suggest that while ICT remedies some information asymmetry, it also creates new information asymmetry—and gives rise to user privacy concerns. Furthermore, the setting of multi‐tier subcontracted logistics services appears to be a critical factor in designing governance mechanisms for effective technology management. In addition to our theoretical contributions to technology management in multi‐tier outsourcing, we offer an empirical account of agency, proposals for future research, and practical suggestions to help managers tackle agency issues that arise from information asymmetry.
Optimal nationalization policy in a heterogeneous mixed oligopoly
Authors: Chen Junlong , Sun Chaoqun , He Ruiyu , Zhang Yibing , Liu Jiali
Published: September 2022

This study constructs a mixed oligopoly model considering product differentiation, the proportion of state‐owned shares, the efficiency gap, and the reform cost, investigates market equilibrium under different competition modes, and discusses the optimal proportion of state‐owned shares. Product differentiation, the proportion of state‐owned shares, and reform costs have complex impacts on the equilibrium results. Complete, partial, and no nationalization may be optimal under certain conditions. The competition mode affects welfare distribution among stakeholders. The government should decide on an optimal nationalization policy according to specific conditions and the market environment.
Epidemiological and molecular study of hemoglobinopathies in Mauritanian patients
Authors: Mahmoud Taher , Sahli Chaima , Hadj Fredj Sondess , Amri Yessine , Othmani Rim , Mohamed Ghaber S. , Zein Ekhtelbenina , Messaoud Taieb
Published: September 2022

Background

Hemoglobinopathies, inherited disorders of hemoglobin (Hb), are the most common hereditary monogenic diseases of the red cell in the world. Few studies have been conducted on hemoglobinopathies in Mauritania. Therefore, the aim of this work is to establish the molecular and epidemiological basis of hemoglobinopathies in a cohort of Mauritanian patients and to determine the haplotype of the β‐globin gene cluster in sickle cell subjects.

Methods

The molecular screening of Hb disorders in 40 Mauritanian patients was done by a polymerase‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for the sickle cell disease (SCD) mutation, a PCR/sequencing method for β‐thalassemia mutations, and by the multiplex polymerase chain reaction method for the α‐thalassemia. The exploration of eight polymorphic sites (SNPs) within the β‐globin gene cluster was conducted by PCR/RFLP method, to identify the HbS haplotypes from the sickle cell subjects.

Results

The epidemiological study of our patients showed a high incidence in the Senegal River area (52.5%) and a high ethnic prevalence for the Heratin (47.5%) and the Pular (35%). Molecular study allowed us to identify eight different mutations in our sample analyzed. They are respectively: HbS (HBB:c.20A>T) (68.75%), Cd44 ‐C (HBB:c.135delC) (8.75%), −29A>G (HBB:c.‐79A>G) (4.8%), −α‐3.7 (g.34164_37967del3804) (3.75%), IVS‐II‐849A>G (HBB:c.316‐2A>G) (2.25%) and Cd24T>A (HBB:c.75T>A), Hb Siirt (HBB:c.83C>G) and HbC (HBB:c.19G>A) each with (1.25%). Six different haplotypes are being explored among the SCD subjects with the Senegal haplotype as the most prevalent (66.7%), followed by Benin (10%), Arab‐Indians (6.7%), Bantu (3.3%), and two atypical haplotypes.

Conclusion

Our findings enrich the epidemiological data in our population and could contribute to the establishment of a strategy of prevention and management through screening, genetic counseling, and prenatal diagnosis of Hemoglobinopathies in the Mauritanian population.
Enhanced deep residual network for bone classification and abnormality detection
Authors: Yao Jun , Guo Zhilin , Yu Wei
Published: September 2022

Purpose

A two‐stage deep learning framework for bone classification and abnormality detection is proposed based on X‐rays. The primary focus is on improving the speed of orthopedic disease diagnosis and helping physicians reduce the probability of false diagnoses.

Methods

The method is based on two stages. In the first stage, one classifier with ResNeXt50 as the backbone is used to classify bones to eliminate the effect of bone type differences on abnormality detection. In the second stage, seven anomaly detectors are trained based on each type of training data. The seven detectors tested the seven results of the first stage, respectively. Pretrained models, data augmentation, focal loss, label smoothing loss, LR‐attenuation and early stopping are used to improve performance and reduce the risk of overfitting.

Results

Experiments are based on the largest dataset for bone abnormality detection, MURA. In the first stage for bone classification, we got an accuracy of 96.69%, a sensitivity of 96.69%, a specificity of 99.46%, and an F1 score of 96.42%. In the second stage for abnormality detection, we got an accuracy of 84.15%, a sensitivity of 84.15%, a specificity of 87.50%, an F1 score of 84.10%, a Cohen's Kappa of 0.72, and an area under the ROC curve (AUC) score of 0.90.

Conclusions

Compared with other excellent convolutional neural network models, the framework's effectiveness was verified with better accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, Cohen's Kappa score, and AUC score for bone classification and abnormality detection.
Ultrasound‐guided motor unit scanning electromyography
Authors: Maitland Stuart , Hall Julie , McNeill Andrew , Stenberg Ben , Schofield Ian , Whittaker Roger
Published: September 2022

Introduction/Aims

Measuring the spatial dimensions of a single motor unit remains a challenging problem, and current techniques, such as scanning electromyography (EMG), tend to underestimate the true dimensions. In this study we aimed to estimate more accurately the dimensions of a single motor unit by developing a clinically applicable scanning EMG protocol that utilizes ultrasound imaging to visualize and target a transect through the center of a single motor unit.

Methods

Single motor unit twitches in the tibialis anterior muscles of healthy volunteers were elicited via stimulation of the fibular nerve, visualized with ultrasound, and targeted with an intramuscular EMG electrode. The electrode was moved by hand in small steps through the motor unit territory. Ultrasound video output was synchronized to EMG capture, and the needle position was tracked at each step.

Results

Eight recordings from six participants were collected. The technique was quick and easy to perform (mean time, 6.1 minutes) with reasonable spatial resolution (mean step size, 1.85 mm), yielding motor unit territory sizes between 1.53 and 14.65 mm (mean, 7.15 mm).

Discussion

Ultrasound‐guided motor unit scanning EMG is a quick and accurate method for obtaining a targeted motor unit transect. This combination of two readily available clinical tools provides insights into the dimensions and internal structure of the motor unit as a marker for neuromuscular conditions.
Finishing the Last Lap: Experimental Evidence on Strategies to Increase Attainment for Students Near College Completion
Authors: Bettinger Eric P. , Castleman Benjamin L. , Choe Alice , Mabel Zachary
Published: September 2022

Nearly half of students who enter college do not graduate. The majority of efforts to increase college completion have focused on supporting students before or soon after they enter college, yet many students drop out after making significant progress towards their degree. In this paper, we report results from a multi‐year, large‐scale experimental intervention conducted across five states and 20 broad‐access public colleges and universities to support students who are late in their college career but still at risk of not graduating. The intervention provided these “near‐completer” students with personalized text messages that encouraged them to connect with campus‐based academic and financial resources, reminded them of upcoming and important deadlines, and invited them to engage (via text) with campus‐based advisors. We find little evidence that the message campaign affected academic performance or attainment in either the full sample or within individual higher education systems or student subgroups. The findings suggest low‐cost nudge interventions may be insufficient for addressing barriers to completion among students who have made considerable academic progress.
Culture–sex interaction in self‐report empathy: The theory and meta‐analyses
Authors: Zhao Qing , Zhou Lili , Ren Qiaoyue , Lu Xuejing , Sun Xiaoxiao , Neumann David L. , Dai Qin , Hu Li
Published: September 2022

Empathy is sharing and understanding others' emotions. Recently, researchers identified larger Western–Asian cultural differences in self‐report empathy with females relative to males (i.e., the culture–sex interaction theory). Neglecting this phenomenon, previous researchers focused on identifying the cultural impact on empathy per se and reported divergent results. This meta‐analysis aims to reveal the heterogeneity of the earlier publications and decode the heterogeneity as per the culture–sex interaction. The current results suggested the following: First, the cultural impact on empathy increased along with three sex stratification categories (male‐only, mixed‐sex, and female‐only, in that order). Second, the effect size statistically differed between the binary classifications of sex (female‐only > male‐only). Third, the mixed‐sex samples' effect size was positively regressed on the samples' sex ratio (i.e., percentage of females). The current results revealed the heterogeneity of previous publications and highlighted the significance of the culture–sex interaction effect on empathy for future investigations.
Copolymerization of propylene with higher α‐olefin using supported titanium catalyst system
Authors: Patil Harshad R. , Chauhan Sanjay , Mishra Anurag , Choudhury Rudra Prasad , Gupta Virendrakumar
Published: September 2022

Copolymers of propylene/1‐octene and propylene/1‐hexene were synthesized in slurry phase polymerization using MgCl2/TiCl4/Diester based catalyst system. The Al/Do (co‐catalyst/external donor), Al/Ti (co‐catalyst/catalyst) mole ratio variations were investigated for effect on polymerization and copolymer properties. Incorporation of comonomer (1‐hexene and 1‐octene) has influenced the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of resultant copolymers as well as isotacticity. The differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) results showed lower melting point for propylene/1‐hexene than propylene/1‐octene copolymer. The gel permeation chromatography (GPC) study indicated broad MWD of both type of copolymers compared to homo PP. The 13C NMR has also been performed to quantitatively evaluate incorporation of comonomer in polymer backbone. Propylene copolymerizaiton with hexene resulted in the copolymer which have relatively higher amount of 1‐hexene compared to 1‐octene incorporation in copolymer of propylene/1‐octene with similar catalyst system explain the reason for lower peak melting points.
Dermoscopy findings and histopathological comparison of cutaneous mast cell tumour in a dog
Authors: Pereira Alessandra Vieira , Villalobos Wendie Roldán , Boleira Manuela
Published: September 2022

A 4‐year‐old intact, female, Boxer dog was presented for a 3‐month history of non‐pruritic nodule on the right hind limb. Dermoscopy with polarized light was made, and a non‐pigmented lesion with a reddish colour at the periphery, yellowish central area with chrysalis, thin telangiectasias in the reticular vascular pattern and polymorphic vessels surrounding the homogeneous area was observed. Later, cytological examination was performed, and a presumptive diagnosis of mast cell tumour was ascribed. An excisional biopsy of the nodule was taken, and histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of cutaneous mast cell tumour. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of dermoscopy of cutaneous mast cell tumour in dogs.
Online Doctoral Education
Authors: Lee Kyungmee
Published: September 2022

This chapter discusses different factors underpinning the development of online doctoral education and pedagogical concerns influencing the design of online doctoral programs. The rapid development of online doctoral education has been guided by recent changes in doctoral education and distance education contexts, both conceptually and empirically. To develop a comprehensive understanding of the nature of online doctoral education, 47 journal articles concerning the design of existing online doctoral programs were systematically selected and reviewed. The review results demonstrate that online doctoral education is a complex entity developed and influenced by a dynamic interplay among multiple factors relevant to different aspects of online higher education, professional doctoral education and internationalized education. However, there has been a lack of holistic research approaches to develop a comprehensive understanding of online doctoral education. In particular, literature grounded in online higher education and professional doctoral education scholarship has not been effectively integrated and synthesized, creating an unhelpful chasm. Within the chasm, a range of pedagogical concerns and contradictions have emerged in online doctoral programs, which can be understood and addressed only when online doctoral educators have a holistic perspective bridging the two. Therefore, while the present review reveals valuable insights into online doctoral education research and practice, it also suggests that more research needs to be conducted using a more comprehensive theoretical understanding of online doctoral students and their experiences.
Two-parameter link functions, with applications to negative binomial, Weibull and quantile regression
Authors: Miranda-Soberanis V. F. , Yee Thomas W.
Published: September 2022

One-parameter link functions play a fundamental role in regression via generalized linear modelling. This paper develops the general theory fortwo-parameter links in the very large class of vector generalized linear models by using total derivatives applied to a composite log-likelihood within the Fisher scoring/iteratively reweighted least squares algorithm. We solve a four-decade old problem with an interesting history as our first example: the canonical link for negative binomial regression. The remaining examples are fitting Weibull regression using both the mean and quantile directly compared to GAMLSS, and performing quantile regression based on the Gaussian distribution. Numerical examples based on real and simulated data are given. The methods described here are implemented by the and packages, available on CRAN. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Nanomedicine and drug delivery to the retina: current status and implications for gene therapy
Authors: Tawfik Mohamed , Chen Fang , Goldberg Jeffrey L. , Sabel Bernhard A.
Published: September 2022

Blindness affects more than 60 million people worldwide. Retinal disorders, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and glaucoma, are the leading causes of blindness. Finding means to optimize local and sustained delivery of drugs or genes to the eye and retina is one goal to advance the development of new therapeutics. Despite the ease of accessibility of delivering drugs via the ocular surface, the delivery of drugs to the retina is still challenging due to anatomic and physiologic barriers. Designing a suitable delivery platform to overcome these barriers should enhance drug bioavailability and provide a safe, controlled, and sustained release. Current inventions for posterior segment treatments include intravitreal implants and subretinal viral gene delivery that satisfy these criteria. Several other novel drug delivery technologies, including nanoparticles, micelles, dendrimers, microneedles, liposomes, and nanowires, are now being widely studied for posterior segment drug delivery, and extensive research on gene delivery using siRNA, mRNA, or aptamers is also on the rise. This review discusses the current state of retinal drug/gene delivery and highlights future therapeutic opportunities.
Trajectory of health-related quality of life during the last year of life in patients with advanced non-small–cell lung cancer
Authors: Kristensen Are , Grønberg Bjørn Henning , Fløtten Øystein , Kaasa Stein , Solheim Tora Skeidsvoll
Published: September 2022

Background

The aims of this study were to assess the trajectory of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during the last year of life in patients with advanced non-small–cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to explore when and to what degree deterioration of symptoms and physical functioning accelerate towards the end of life.

Methods

Data from two RCTs of first-line chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC was analyzed. HRQOL was assessed repeatedly using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and LC13. Changes in HRQOL scores were investigated relative to the time of death.

Results

The study sample included 730 patients, with a median of four HRQOL assessments per patient (range 1–9). Fatigue, dyspnea, appetite loss, and cough were the most pronounced symptoms in all phases of the disease trajectory. The deterioration rates of global quality of life, physical function, and key symptoms were relatively slow until 4 months before death. Then, the decline accelerated, and for physical function, fatigue, and dyspnea, there was a very rapid decline in the last 2 months.

Conclusions

Patients with advanced NSCLC experience a high symptom burden that worsens over time, especially in the last 4 months. Regular symptom monitoring may help identify where patients are in the disease trajectory, serve as a trigger for changes in anticancer and symptomatic treatment, and facilitate discussions about end-of-life care.
Norms of Constatives
Authors: Gaszczyk Grzegorz
Published: September 2022

According to the normative approach, speech acts are governed by certain norms. Interestingly, the same is true for classes of speech acts. This paper considers the normative treatment of constatives, consisting of such classes as assertives, predictives, suggestives, and more. The classical approach is to treat these classes of illocutions as species of constatives. Recently, however, Simion (Shifty Speech and Independent Thought: Epistemic Normativity in Context, Oxford University Press, 2021) has proposed that all constatives (i) are species of assertion, and (ii) are governed by the knowledge norm. I defend the classical treatment of constatives and show that Simion’s conclusion is untenable. No taxonomy of speech acts can accommodate such a view. More importantly, we can test whether a particular speech act is an assertion or not. I propose five tests of assertion, the passing of which is a necessary condition for being an assertion. Some constative speech acts fail these tests. Thus, contrary to Simion, not all constatives can be regarded as species of assertion.
Optimized fractional-order Butterworth filter design in complex F-plane
Authors: Mahata Shibendu , Herencsar Norbert , Kubanek David , Goknar I. Cem
Published: September 2022

This paper introduces a new technique to optimally design the fractional-order Butterworth low-pass filter in the complex F-plane. Design stability is assured by incorporating the critical phase angle as an inequality constraint. The poles of the proposed approximants reside on the unit circle in the stable region of the F-plane. The improved accuracy of the suggested scheme as compared to the recently published literature is demonstrated. A mixed-integer genetic algorithm which considers the parallel combinations of resistors and capacitors for the Valsa network is used to optimize the frequency responses of the fractional-order capacitor emulators as part of the experimental verification using the Sallen–Key filter topology. The total harmonic distortion and spurious-free dynamic range of the practical 1.5th-order Butterwoth filter are measured as 0.13% and 62.18 dBc, respectively; the maximum and mean absolute relative magnitude errors are 0.03929 and 0.02051, respectively.
Intestinal permeability in patients with IgA nephropathy and other glomerular diseases: an observational study
Authors: Seikrit Claudia , Schimpf Judith I. , Wied Stephanie , Stamellou Eleni , Izcue Ana , Pabst Oliver , Rauen Thomas , Lenaerts Kaatje , Floege Jürgen
Published: September 2022

Background

A dysregulated ‘gut-kidney axis’ may contribute to immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). We studied whether IgAN patients have disturbed intestinal permeability.

Methods

In a prospective, cross sectional, pilot study we assessed intestinal permeability in 35 IgAN patients, 18 patients with non-IgAN glomerulonephritides (GNs) and 19 healthy controls. After an overnight fast, trial participants ingested a multi-sugar solution and samples were obtained from 0 to 2, 2 to 5- and 5 to 24-h urine portions. Urinary sugar concentrations were quantified using isocratic ion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography. Indices of small intestinal permeability (0–2-h lactulose/L-rhamnose (L/R) ratio), distal small intestinal and proximal colonic permeability (2–5-h sucralose/erythritol (S/E) ratio) and colonic permeability (5–24-h sucralose/erythritol (S/E) ratio) were evaluated. Associations between groups and indices of intestinal permeability were investigated by a linear mixed model.

Results

Small intestinal permeability (0–2 h L/R-ratio) was significantly increased in patients with glomerular diseases versus healthy controls. More precisely, increased small intestinal permeability was exclusively noted in non-IgAN GN patients, whereas IgAN patients exhibited a trend towards elevated small intestinal permeability. In total, 54% of patients with IgAN and 67% of non-IgAN GN patients had increased small intestinal permeability. Neither distal small intestinal and proximal colonic permeability nor colonic gut permeability indices (i.e., 2–5 h and 5–24 h S/E ratios) were significantly different between controls and any of the GN patient groups.

Conclusion

The present single center pilot study suggests that disturbed intestinal permeability is common in patients with glomerular diseases and is not specific for IgAN.

Trial registration number

German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00021533, Date: 24.04.2020.

Graphical abstract
Virtual reality intervention effects on future self-continuity and delayed reward preference in substance use disorder recovery: pilot study results
Authors: Shen Yitong I. , Nelson Andrew J. , Oberlin Brandon G.
Published: September 2022

Sustained remission from substance use disorder (SUD) is challenged by high relapse rates, which provides opportunities for novel clinical interventions. Immersive virtual reality (VR) permits delivering synthetic experiences that feel real and actualizes otherwise impossible scenarios for therapeutic benefit. We report on the feasibility of an immersive VR intervention designed to increase valuation of the future by enhancing future self-continuity and leveraging future self-discrepancy with personalized future selves as SUD recovery support. Twenty-one adults in early SUD recovery (< 1 year) interacted with versions of themselves age-progressed fifteen years from two different behavioral trajectories: an SUD Future Self and a Recovery Future Self. The future selves’ interactive monologs include personalized details and voice for a lifelike interaction within a time travel vignette. Before and following the intervention, participants rated future self-continuity and performed delay discounting. Following the intervention, daily images of the Recovery Future Self were sent to participants’ smartphones for thirty days. The VR intervention generated no adverse events, was well tolerated (presence, liking, and comfort), and significantly increased future self-continuity and delayed reward preference (doubling delay tolerance). The intervention also reduced craving,ps < 0.05. Thirty days later,n = 18 remained abstinent; importantly, increased future self-similarity persisted. Abstainers’ future self-similarity increased following VR. All individual participants showing increased future self-similarity post-VR remained abstinent, and all participants who relapsed showed either reduced or zero effect on future self-similarity. Post-intervention semi-structured interviews revealed emotional engagement with the experience. VR simulation of imagined realities reifies novel clinical interventions that are practicable and personalized. The current study demonstrates an implementation readily applied in the clinic and shows promise for facilitating SUD recovery. Creative collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and VR developers has great potential to revolutionize mental health interventions and expand the range of tools for clinicians targeting SUD and other disorders.
Holochain: a novel technology without scalability bottlenecks of blockchain for secure data exchange in health professions education
Authors: Kıyak Yavuz Selim , Poor Alex , Budakoğlu Işıl İrem , Coşkun Özlem
Published: September 2022

The efficacy of health professions education (HPE) is more and more reliant on leveraging new technologies as they emerge. The nascent “Web 3.0” is shifting us away from traditional centralized architectures for capture and storage of information, and aims to decentralize and distribute it. Blockchain has received a large amount of attention as a promising “Web 3.0” technology and has been applied in the HPE setting. In this paper we argue that blockchain has two core issues which have prevented its widespread adoption: scalability and environmental impact. The architecture of blockchain means that all participating nodes must store and validate all of the data. This creates a large amount of overhead, which does not scale well. Similarly, there is growing awareness that the energy requirements of validating blockchain transactions run counter to global efforts to mitigate climate change. Holochain, however, is a novel Web 3.0 technology that aims to overcome both of these issues. Its architecture is fundamentally different to blockchain, by virtue of being “agent-centric” rather than “data-centric”. That is, each piece of data does not need to be globally validated—and yet Holochain can still guarantee data validity and integrity. We identify that specific challenges in the HPE setting—tracking educational activities, accountable mechanisms for observing entrustable professional activities, and validation of third-party certification and credentialing—can all be achieved elegantly in Holochain, without experiencing any of the disadvantages evidenced in blockchain.
Creep response of fiber-reinforced composites: a review
Authors: Katouzian Mostafa , Vlase Sorin , Marin Marin , Öchsner Andreas
Published: September 2022

The paper presents the results obtained in modeling the creep phenomenon of unidirectional composites reinforced with fibers. Thus, several models that have proven their validity and results obtained with their help are discussed. Analyzing a multitude of models described in the paper presented in references the authors describe the most used by the researchers. The micromechanical model, the homogenization method, the finite element method and the Mori–Tanaka formalism are described. These methods are most used in engineering applications studies in the last time. Following the analysis of each method, the advantages and disadvantages are presented and discussed. The results obtained are compared with experimental determinations. The application of the methods is done to composite materials reinforced with aligned carbon fiber. The methods are, sure, valid for every type of composite reinforced with fibers. Since the creep of materials is a frequently encountered phenomenon in practice, the knowledge of material properties and the existence of convenient calculation models become important for designers, which is why the paper presents the most used calculation methods to model this behavior.
Unity through Division
Authors: Fossati Diego
Published: September 2022

Indonesia, like many other countries around the world, is currently experiencing the process of democratic backsliding, marked by a toxic mix of religious sectarianism, polarization, and executive overreach. Despite this trend, Indonesians have become more, rather than less, satisfied with their country's democratic practice. What accounts for this puzzle? Unity Through Division examines an overlooked aspect of democracy in Indonesia: political representation. In this country, an ideological cleavage between pluralism and Islamism has long characterized political competition. This cleavage, while divisive, has been a strength of Indonesia's democracy, giving meaning to political participation and allowing a degree of representation not often observed in young democracies. While the recent resurgence of radical Islam and political polarization in Indonesian politics may have contributed to democratic erosion, these factors have simultaneously clarified political alternatives and improved perceptions of representation, in turn bolstering democratic participation and satisfaction. This compelling book effectively challenges the wisdom of the role of Islam in Indonesian political life and provides a fresh analysis for debates on democratic backsliding in Indonesia and beyond.
India before Europe
Authors: Asher Catherine B. , Talbot Cynthia
Published: September 2022

India is a land of enormous diversity. Cross-cultural influences are everywhere in evidence, in the food people eat, the clothes they wear, and in the places they worship. This was ever the case, and at no time more so than in the India that existed from c. 1200 to 1750, before European intervention. In this thoughtfully revised and updated second edition, readers are taken on a richly illustrated journey across the political, economic, religious, and cultural landscapes of India – from the Ghurid conquest and the Delhi Sultanate, through the rise and fall of the southern kingdom of Vijayanagara and their successors, to the peripheries of empire, to the great court of the Mughals. This was a time of conquest and consolidation, when Muslims and Hindus came together to create a literary, material, and visual culture which was uniquely their own and which still resonates today.
Twentieth-Century Music in the West
Authors: Perchard Tom , Graham Stephen , Rutherford-Johnson Tim , Rogers Holly
Published: September 2022

This is the first introductory survey of western twentieth-century music to address popular music, art music and jazz on equal terms. It treats those forms as inextricably intertwined, and sets them in a wide variety of social and critical contexts. The book comprises four sections – Histories, Techniques and Technologies, Mediation, Identities – with 16 thematic chapters. Each of these explores a musical or cultural topic as it developed over many years, and as it appeared across a diversity of musical practices. In this way, the text introduces both key musical repertoire and critical-musicological approaches to that work. It historicises music and musical thinking, opening up debate in the present rather than offering a new but closed narrative of the past. In each chapter, an overview of the topic's chronology and main issues is illustrated by two detailed case studies.
A preregistered vignette experiment on determinants of health data sharing behavior
Authors: Silber Henning , Gerdon Frederic , Bach Ruben , Kern Christoph , Keusch Florian , Kreuter Frauke
Published: September 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted the importance of high-quality data for empirical health research and evidence-based political decision-making. To leverage the full potential of these data, a better understanding of the determinants and conditions under which people are willing to share their health data is critical. Building on the privacy theory of contextual integrity, the privacy calculus, and previous findings regarding different data types and recipients, we argue that established social norms shape the acceptance of novel practices of data collection and use. To investigate the willingness to share health data, we conducted a preregistered vignette experiment. The scenarios experimentally varied the vignette dimensions by data type, recipient, and research purpose. While some findings contradict our hypotheses, the results indicate that all three dimensions affected respondents’ data sharing decisions. Additional analyses suggest that institutional and social trust, privacy concerns, technical affinity, altruism, age, and device ownership influence the willingness to share health data.
Sex and Gender in the Mesolithic: Adults and Children from the Strøby Egede Burial, Køge Bugt, Denmark
Authors: GRON KURT J. , MEIKLEJOHN CHRISTOPHER , PEDERSEN KRISTOFFER BUCK , STEWART NICOLAS A. , ALEXANDERSEN VERNER , SØRENSEN LASSE , MONTGOMERY JANET
Published: September 2022

In the summer of 1986 a mass grave was discovered along the bank of the river Tryggevælde Å where it empties into Køge Bugt, the bay south of modern Copenhagen, Denmark. The human remains, dating to the late Mesolithic Ertebølle culture, consisted of eight individuals of multiple ages, rangingc.35–45 years old to newborn children. Four were arranged on one side of the grave, with four on the other, placed head to foot. How they were related and what befell them is a mystery. Herein, we present a bioarchaeological assessment of these individuals for the first time and apply an acid etch-based analysis of dimorphic sex chromosome-linked tooth enamel peptides to confirm their biological sex. Our results allow a direct connection between engendered grave treatment and biological sex in non-adult individuals as young asc.4 years of age. We conclude with a discussion of the possible circumstances of their deaths and their possible relationships to one another.
Spontaneous spin-valley polarization in NbSe2 at a van der Waals interface
Authors: Matsuoka Hideki , Habe Tetsuro , Iwasa Yoshihiro , Koshino Mikito , Nakano Masaki
Published: September 2022

A proximity effect at a van der Waals (vdW) interface enables creation of an emergent quantum electronic ground state. Here we demonstrate that an originally superconducting two-dimensional (2D) NbSe2 forms a ferromagnetic ground state with spontaneous spin polarization at a vdW interface with a 2D ferromagnet V5Se8. We investigated the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) of the NbSe2/V5Se8 magnetic vdW heterostructures, and found that the sign of the AHE was reversed as the number of the V5Se8 layer was thinned down to the monolayer limit. Interestingly, the AHE signal of those samples was enhanced with the in-plane magnetic fields, suggesting an additional contribution to the AHE signal other than magnetization. This unusual behavior is well reproduced by band structure calculations, where the emergence of the Berry curvature along the spin-degenerate nodal lines in 2D NbSe2 by the in-plane magnetization plays a key role, unveiling a unique interplay between magnetism and Zeeman-type spin-orbit interaction in a non-centrosymmetric 2D quantum material.
Batch effects removal for microbiome data via conditional quantile regression
Authors: Ling Wodan , Lu Jiuyao , Zhao Ni , Lulla Anju , Plantinga Anna M. , Fu Weijia , Zhang Angela , Liu Hongjiao , Song Hoseung , Li Zhigang , Chen Jun , Randolph Timothy W. , Koay Wei Li A. , White James R. , Launer Lenore J. , Fodor Anthony A. , Meyer Katie A. , Wu Michael C.
Published: September 2022

Batch effects in microbiome data arise from differential processing of specimens and can lead to spurious findings and obscure true signals. Strategies designed for genomic data to mitigate batch effects usually fail to address the zero-inflated and over-dispersed microbiome data. Most strategies tailored for microbiome data are restricted to association testing or specialized study designs, failing to allow other analytic goals or general designs. Here, we develop the Conditional Quantile Regression (ConQuR) approach to remove microbiome batch effects using a two-part quantile regression model. ConQuR is a comprehensive method that accommodates the complex distributions of microbial read counts by non-parametric modeling, and it generates batch-removed zero-inflated read counts that can be used in and benefit usual subsequent analyses. We apply ConQuR to simulated and real microbiome datasets and demonstrate its advantages in removing batch effects while preserving the signals of interest.
Inhibition of UBA6 by inosine augments tumour immunogenicity and responses
Authors: Zhang Lei , Jiang Li , Yu Liang , Li Qin , Tian Xiangjun , He Jingquan , Zeng Ling , Yang Yuqin , Wang Chaoran , Wei Yuhan , Jiang Xiaoyue , Li Jing , Ge Xiaolu , Gu Qisheng , Li Jikun , Wu Di , Sadler Anthony J. , Yu Di , Xu Dakang , Gao Yue , Yuan Xiangliang , He Baokun
Published: September 2022

Anti-cancer immunity and response to immune therapy is influenced by the metabolic states of the tumours. Immune checkpoint blockade therapy (ICB) is known to involve metabolic adaptation, however, the mechanism is not fully known. Here we show, by metabolic profiling of plasma samples from melanoma-bearing mice undergoing anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 combination therapy, that higher levels of purine metabolites, including inosine, mark ICB sensitivity. Metabolic profiles of ICB-treated human cancers confirm the association between inosine levels and ICB sensitivity. In mouse models, inosine supplementation sensitizes tumours to ICB, even if they are intrinsically ICB resistant, by enhancing T cell-mediated cytotoxicity and hence generating an immunologically hotter microenvironment. We find that inosine directly inhibits UBA6 in tumour cells, and lower level of UBA6 makes the tumour more immunogenic and this is reflected in favourable outcome following ICB therapy in human melanomas. Transplanted mouse melanoma and breast cancer cells with genetic ablation of Uba6 show higher sensitivity to ICB than wild type tumours. Thus, we provide evidence of an inosine-regulated UBA6-dependent pathway governing tumour-intrinsic immunogenicity and hence sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibition, which might provide targets to overcome ICB resistance.
Liver group 2 innate lymphoid cells regulate blood glucose levels through IL-13 signaling and suppression of gluconeogenesis
Authors: Fujimoto Masanori , Yokoyama Masataka , Kiuchi Masahiro , Hosokawa Hiroyuki , Nakayama Akitoshi , Hashimoto Naoko , Sakuma Ikki , Nagano Hidekazu , Yamagata Kazuyuki , Kudo Fujimi , Manabe Ichiro , Lee Eunyoung , Hatano Ryo , Onodera Atsushi , Hirahara Kiyoshi , Yokote Koutaro , Miki Takashi , Nakayama Toshinori , Tanaka Tomoaki
Published: September 2022

The liver stores glycogen and releases glucose into the blood upon increased energy demand. Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) in adipose and pancreatic tissues are known for their involvement in glucose homeostasis, but the metabolic contribution of liver ILC2s has not been studied in detail. Here we show that liver ILC2s are directly involved in the regulation of blood glucose levels. Mechanistically, interleukin (IL)-33 treatment induces IL-13 production in liver ILC2s, while directly suppressing gluconeogenesis in a specific Hnf4a/G6pc-high primary hepatocyte cluster via Stat3. These hepatocytes significantly interact with liver ILC2s via IL-13/IL-13 receptor signaling. The results of transcriptional complex analysis and GATA3-ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, and scRNA-seq trajectory analyses establish a positive regulatory role for the transcription factor GATA3 in IL-13 production by liver ILC2s, while AP-1 family members are shown to suppress IL-13 release. Thus, we identify a regulatory role and molecular mechanism by which liver ILC2s contribute to glucose homeostasis.
Reverse osmosis membrane biofouling: causes, consequences and countermeasures
Authors: Hoek Eric M. V. , Weigand Timothy M. , Edalat Arian
Published: September 2022

Biofouling has been referred to as “the Achilles heel” of reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology; the main cause being polyamide RO membranes lack of chlorine tolerance. Biofouling increases the operating cost of water treatment by increasing RO system feed pressure (i.e., energy demand) and increasing membrane cleaning frequency, which increases downtime and reduces membrane useful life. For waters with known high biofouling potential, plant designs also may require more extensive pretreatment, which increases capital and operating costs as well as the footprint of a desalination plant. It is known from the literature that the three keys to fending off biofouling in RO systems and/or recovering from biofouling once it takes root include (1) understanding site-specific processes governing biofilm formation, (2) implementing effective biofouling pretreatment ahead of RO membranes, and (3) monitoring biofouling to enable more proactive and effective RO membrane cleaning. Herein, we present four case studies of RO membrane biofouling in seawater, municipal wastewater, brackish groundwater and industrial wastewater. Next, we describe what is known about the causes and consequences of bacterial biofilm formation and growth through a process level RO membrane biofouling model. Finally, we review common biofouling control methods including pre-treatment, chemical cleaning and the most common strategies for monitoring biofouling in RO membrane systems.
Laser cleaning and Raman analysis of the contamination on the optical window of a rubidium vapor cell
Authors: Gádoros Patrik , Czitrovszky Aladár , Nagy Attila , Holomb Roman , Kocsányi László , Veres Miklós
Published: September 2022

In this work, we present the laser cleaning of a Rubidium vapor cell and the Raman analysis of the contaminant material to be removed. The optical window of the vapor cell had gradually lost transparency due to the development of an opaque layer of unknown composition at the inner side during the normal operation of the cell. Laser cleaning was successfully performed by a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser focusing the beam inside the cell, avoiding any possible damage to the window. A single laser pulse was enough to clear away the black discoloration at the focal spot and locally restore the transparency of the window. The Raman spectra of the deposit showed peaks not yet described in the literature. Comparison with known Rubidium germanate spectra and simulation results strongly suggested that the unknown material was Rubidium silicate.
Skin microbiota analysis in patients with anorexia nervosa and healthy-weight controls reveals microbial indicators of healthy weight and associations with the antimicrobial peptide psoriasin
Authors: Hermes Britt M. , Rademacher Franziska , Chung Cecilia , Tiegs Gisa , Bendix Marie-Christin , de Zwaan Martina , Harder Jürgen , Baines John F.
Published: September 2022

Anorexia nervosa (AN), a psychiatric condition defined by low body weight for age and height, is associated with numerous dermatological conditions. Yet, clinical observations report that patients with AN do not suffer from infectious skin diseases like those associated with primary malnutrition. Cell-mediated immunity appears to be amplified in AN; however, this proinflammatory state does not sufficiently explain the lower incidence of infections. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important components of the innate immune system protecting from pathogens and shaping the microbiota. InDrosophila melanogasterstarvation precedes increased AMP gene expression. Here, we analyzed skin microbiota in patients with AN and age-matched, healthy-weight controls and investigated the influence of weight gain on microbial community structure. We then correlated features of the skin microbial community with psoriasin and RNase 7, two highly abundant AMPs in human skin, to clarify whether an association between AMPs and skin microbiota exists and whether such a relationship might contribute to the resistance to cutaneous infections observed in AN. We find significant statistical correlations between Shannon diversity and the highly abundant skin AMP psoriasin and bacterial load, respectively. Moreover, we reveal psoriasin significantly associates withAbiotrophia, an indicator for the healthy-weight control group. Additionally, we observe a significant correlation between an individual’s body mass index andLactobacillus, a microbial indicator of health. Future investigation may help clarify physiological mechanisms that link nutritional intake with skin physiology.