bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From colonialism to international aid: Social protection in former French colonies in sub‐Saharan Africa, 1890–2020
Authors: Olié Louis , Delpy Léo , Ballet Jérôme
Published: July 2024

This article examines social protection pathways in the former French colonies in sub‐Saharan Africa. We identify five steps to understanding the patterns and dynamics of social protection in these countries that provide evidence of its exogenous construction. First, we characterize the main developments in social protection systems and policies from their inception, covering the colonial era to the present, underlining the role of colonial legacy and the global social policy framework. Second, we document the similarity of national social protection trajectories and lack of national ownership of the policy problem markedly that characterizes social protection pathways.
Biokatalytische Entstehung von Sesquiterpenoiden
Authors: Püth Nils , Berger R. G. , Krings U. , Ersoy F.
Published: July 2024

Aromastoffe spielen eine Schlüsselrolle in der Lebensmittelindustrie und bei der Kaufentscheidung der Verbraucher. Dabei achten Kunden verstärkt auf die Natürlichkeit der Produkte und nachhaltige Herstellungsverfahren. Um diesen Vorgaben nachzukommen, rücken höhere Pilze als Produzenten von natürlichen Aromastoffen sowie als Quelle für lebensmitteltechnologisch relevante Enzyme zur Herstellung und Qualitätsverbesserung von Lebensmitteln in den Fokus.

Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde der Basidiomycet Cerrena unicolor (Cun) als Sesquiterpenproduzent untersucht. Im Genom des Pilzes konnten mit Hilfe von Sequenzvergleichen 14 Sesquiterpensynthasen (STS) identifiziert werden. Zehn von ihnen wurden anschließend erfolgreich heterolog in Escherichia coli exprimiert, die Enzyme produziert und funktionell charakterisiert. Mittels tryptischem Verdau und anschließendem peptide mass fingerprinting konnten die vorhergesagten Proteinsequenzen bestätigt werden. Die Sequenzvergleiche zeigten STS‐typische konservierte Motive sowie möglicherweise für Cun spezifische Homologien. Für die Untersuchung der Metallionenabhängigkeit wurden zwei STS aus Cun gewählt, die sich sowohl in der Anzahl der Produkte, als auch den produzierten Sesquiterpenen selbst unterschieden. Setzte man andere bivalente Metallionen als Mg2+ für die Zyklisierungsreaktion ein, zeigte sich, dass die ausgewählte Multiprodukt‐Cyclase promiskuitiver als die Cyclase mit nur einem Sesquiterpen als Produkt reagierte.

Weiterhin konnte gezeigt werden, dass agro‐industrielle Nebenströme für die Kultivierung von Cun verwendet werden können und diese Einfluss auf die Sesquiterpenbiosynthese hatten. Eher kohlenhydratreiche Nebenströme wie Kartoffelstärke oder Weizenkleie hatten keinen positiven Einfluss auf die Produktausbeute. Für den lipidhaltigen Rapspresskuchen konnte jedoch eine deutliche Erhöhung der Produktausbeute nachgewiesen werden. Die Hypothese, dass durch β‐Oxidation der Lipide ein Überfluss an Acetyl‐CoA die Sesquiterpenproduktion boostet, konnte mittels 13C‐markiertem Acetat als Medienzusatz experimentell bestätigt werden.
Sensomics‐Analyse von Schlüsselgeschmacksstoffen und Geschmacksmodulatoren in fermentierten asiatischen Lebensmitteln
Authors: Jünger Manon Janina , Hofmann Thomas F.
Published: July 2024

Innerhalb dieser Arbeit wurde das Geschmacksprofil zweier Sojasaucen und Reispasten auf molekularer Ebene aufgeklärt. Mit Hilfe des verwendeten Sensoproteomics‐Ansatzes und den dabei durchgeführten hochauflösenden massenspektrometrischen Techniken konnten hierbei unbekannte geschmacksaktive und ‐modulierende Peptide identifiziert werden. Die zusätzliche Analyse von (nicht) fermentierten Lebensmitteln gibt einen ersten Einblick über das Vorkommen und die Bildung dieser Verbindungen.
Charakterisierung von Isocereuliden, den Isoformen des emetischen Bacillus cereus Toxins Cereulid
Authors: Walser Veronika , Hofmann Thomas F.
Published: July 2024

Neben dem emetischen Bacillus cereus Toxin Cereulid existieren auch zahlreiche eng strukturverwandte Isoformen. Nach chromatographischer Isolierung wurden die chemischen Strukturen der Isocereulide H–N durch Bestimmung der akkuraten m/z, NMR‐Spektroskopie, MSn Sequenzierung und posthydrolytische UPLC‐TOF‐MS Analyse aufgeklärt. Die bisher postulierte Struktur für Isocereulid A wurde revidiert, die Isocereulide H–N hinsichtlich ihrer biologischen Aktivität an HEp‐2 Zellen getestet und eine UPLC‐MS/MS Methode zur parallelen Detektion der Isocereulide A–N erarbeitet.
Comparison of analytical and numerical methods for estimating notch strains**
Authors: Yanchukovich A. , Ahola A. , Björk T. , Sonsino C. M.
Published: July 2024

In fatigue assessments, local strains and stresses can be easily evaluated using accurate finite element analysis in a case of an individual fatigue‐critical notch or structural detail. In practical design and analysis of global models, the consideration of local notch effects using suitable estimation rules in the combination with linear elastic analysis is reasonable. Various notch rules exist but the current knowledge lacks understanding how applicable different notch rules are for estimating notch strains from elastic stresses. This work studies the Neuber′s rules for sharp and mild notches, Glinka′s equivalent strain energy density method, the correction of Neuber′s rule proposed by Sonsino for mild notches, as well as the Seeger‐Beste method. The application of different estimation rules for notch strains, applied to the elastic‐perfectly plastic steel material and to Ramberg‐Osgood material model for the aluminum material, including work hardening effect, was studied in this work by comparing the estimations with the corresponding experimental data and finite element analysis results. The Neuber′s rule for mild notches and Sonsino′s averaging method gave best correlations with the experimental data and numerical (finite element analysis) results and can be thus recommended for such analyses in compatible cases studied in this work.
Microstructure and properties of tungsten‐40 wt.–% copper composites fabricated by binder jet 3D printing
Authors: Tian Y.F. , Sun J. , Xu Z.Q. , Meng X.Q. , Chen Z. , Tang J.Y. , Tao P. , Luo L.M. , Wu Y.C.
Published: July 2024

In this work, the tungsten‐copper composites were fabricated by binder jet 3D printing technology. The effects of different printing layer thicknesses (50 μm to 100 μm) on the green density and green strength were investigated. Then, under the optimal layer thickness, the effects of different sintering temperatures (1300 °C to 1600 °C) on the microstructure and densification of tungsten‐40 wt.–% copper composites were studied. The experimental results showed that when the printing layer thickness was set as a lower value (50 μm), the tungsten‐40 wt.–% copper green part had the best strength and its density reached a maximum value of 60.73 %. After sintering for green parts printed with 50 μm layer thickness, the relative density, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity of sintered parts first increased and then decreased with increasing sintering temperature. In our experiments, the tungsten‐40 wt.–% copper sample fabricated by binder jet 3D printing with a printing layer thickness of 50 μm under a sintering temperature of 1500 °C displayed the best properties, in which the relative density, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity were 97.04 %, 228 W⋅m−1⋅K−1 and 46.5 % IACS, respectively.
Wärmeleitfähigkeit in Abhängigkeit der Zusammensetzung einer AlSi10MnMg‐Sekundärlegierung
Authors: Kortsch‐Banzhaf J. , Höing S. , Kallien L. , Merkel M.
Published: July 2024

AlSi10MnMg‐Legierungen werden mit verschiedenen Eisen‐, Kupfer‐ und Zinkkonzentrationen untersucht. Neben den variierten Legierungskonzentrationen werden unterschiedliche Wärmebehandlungen (F, T5 und T7) durchgeführt und anschließend auf ihre Wärmeleitfähigkeit und Wärmekapazität untersucht. Hergestellt werden die Prüfkörper mit Kokillenguss. Der Hintergrund der Untersuchungen ist die schlechte Recyclingbarkeit von Aluminiumlegierungen mit Legierungsbestandteilen von Eisen, Kupfer und Zink, da es bislang keine wirtschaftliche Methode gibt, diese Legierungsbestandteile zu entfernen. Zur Bestimmung des Einflusses der Legierungselemente Eisen, Kupfer und Zink werden Messungen der Wärmeleitfähigkeit und Wärmekapazität mit einer Hot‐Disk mit transienter Messmethode durchgeführt.
Highly Active and Stable P2O5 Catalysts Supported on Mesoporous Silica Promoted with Ce for the O‐Methylation of Catechol
Authors: Hong Runduo , Sheng Yao , Zhou Linkai , Zhang Lifan , Zou Xiujing , Shang Xingfu , Lu Xionggang , Wang Xueguang
Published: July 2024

P2O5 has been widely used as an acid‐base catalyst for the O‐methylation of catechol to guaiacol due to its suitable acid strength; however, its stability, which is a significant concern for industrial applications, has not seen significant breakthroughs. Herein, we developed a facile impregnation strategy to synthesize Ce promote P2O5 supported on mesoporous silica (CeP/SBA). The CeP/SBA‐500 carbonized at 500 °C exhibited the highest catalytic activity with a catechol conversion of 71.5 %. The high activity stems from the addition of Ce, forming CePO4, which exhibits improved surface acidity compared to P2O5. Importantly, chemisorption and in situ infrared studies revealed that CePO4 shows stronger adsorption of catechol, which then rapidly converts to guaiacol. The CeP/SBA‐500 exhibits excellent stability with no activity decrease after 10 h of continuous flow reaction, attributed to the absence of a decrease in CePO4 surface acidity.
Covalently Linked Pigment@TiO2 Hybrid Materials by One‐Pot Solvothermal Synthesis
Authors: Sailer Frank , Moura Hipassia M. , Purkait Taniya , Vogelsang Lars , Sauer Markus , Foelske Annette , Winter Rainer F. , Ponrouch Alexandre , Unterlass Miriam M.
Published: July 2024

Hybrid materials (HMs) combine the high diversity of functionalities of organic compounds with properties typical for inorganic materials, such as high mechanical strength or high thermal stability. Herein, HMs combining organic pigment molecules and TiO2 as inorganic component, with covalently linked components, i.e., so‐called class II HMs, are reported. The synthesis of such HMs is intrinsically challenging, as the apolar organic pigment component and the inorganic polar TiO2 component require different conditions for their respective formation. Herein, we circumvent this issue by employing solvothermal synthesis in superheated isopropanol, which through temperature tunability of the solvent properties allows for both generating and linking both components in one‐pot. First, it is shown that an organic benzimidazole‐based pigment molecule designed for readily binding to Ti can be synthesized solvothermally. Second, new class II titanium‐based HMs are generated from Ti(OiPr)4 and pigment precursors in a solvothermal reaction. The pigment@TiO2 HMs feature significant porosity and are structurally identified as layered structures of lepidocrocite‐like TiO2 linked via pigment molecules. These layered HMs assemble into hierarchical nanoflowers, and depending on the pigment segments, different interlayer spacings in between inorganic layers are observed. Third, the pigment@TiO2 materials are shown to be usable as electrode materials in lithium‐ion batteries.
Long noncoding RNA VPS9D1‐AS1 promotes the progression of endometrial cancer via regulation of the miR‐187‐3p/S100A4 axis
Authors: Ren Wei , Ouyang Ling
Published: July 2024

VPS9D1‐AS1 functions as an oncogene in many cancers. However, its role and potential mechanism in the progression of endometrial cancer (EC) are not fully understood. VPS9D1‐AS1 levels in EC and adjacent normal tissues were investigated using the TCGA‐UCEC cohort and 24 paired clinical samples. The roles of VPS9D1‐AS1 and miR‐187‐3p in cell cycle, proliferation, and apoptosis were evaluated by loss‐ and gain‐of‐function experiments. In addition, the effect of VPS9D1‐AS1 on tumor growth was further investigated in vivo. Rescue experiments were performed to investigate the involvement of the miR‐187‐3p/S100A4 axis in VPS9D1‐AS1 knockdown‐mediated antitumor effects. VPS9D1‐AS1 was highly expressed in EC tissues. VPS9D1‐AS1 knockdown, similar to miR‐187‐3p overexpression, significantly inhibited cell proliferation, inhibited colony formation, induced cell cycle arrest, and facilitated apoptosis of KLE cells. MiR‐187‐3p bound directly to VPS9D1‐AS1 and the 3′UTR of S100A4. Furthermore, VPS9D1‐AS1 negatively regulated miR‐187‐3p while positively regulating S100A4 expression in EC cells. MiR‐187‐3p knockdown or S100A4 overexpression partially reversed the tumor suppressive function of VPS9D1‐AS1 knockdown. The results suggest that VPS9D1‐AS1 affects EC progression by regulating the miR‐187‐3p/S100A4 axis. This may provide a promising therapeutic target to help treat EC.
Addressee Honorifics as an Interactional Resource for Socialization in Korean Adult–Child Interaction
Authors: Bae Eun Young , Song Gahye , Jeong Seunggon
Published: July 2024

This study examines how addressee honorifics, recognized as an index of deference and respect, are utilized as an interactional resource for socialization in Korean adult–child interaction. This study analyzes 62 instances of adults’ use of Korean addressee honorific utterances to children collected from video recordings of five different families using multimodal discourse analytic and language socialization frameworks. The study identifies three major environments where addressee honorification serves as a tool for socializing children into socio-moral values of Korean society: a) giving compliments, b) showing gratitude, and c) issuing directives. In these interactional environments, addressee honorification is used alongside semiotic resources to evaluate children’s behaviors and draw attention to the action and content of honorific utterances. The analysis of status-incongruent and creative or performative uses of adults’ addressee honorifics further demonstrates that honorifics, which are sometimes employed for politeness and deference toward addressees, do also serve as resources for fostering social awareness, social responsiveness, and courtesy in children. This may contribute to children becoming competent members of Korean society who think, feel, and act in accordance with Korean cultural norms and expectations.
Solidarity Through Negotiated Interactional Identities in Korean
Authors: Park Mee-Jeong
Published: July 2024

This paper shows how Korean speakers use different strategies to increase solidarity among newly acquainted interlocutors in performing common tasks by co-constructing through the negotiation process of their interactional identities and adjusting themselves to the right level of intimacy and/or politeness within the given interaction. According to (Swann, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 53:1038–1051, 1987), 2008), “identity negotiation” refers to the processes where interactants try to find a balance between their interactional and identity-related goals, keeping a conflict-free relation between their interpersonal and intrapersonal interactions. The ways in which Korean speakers negotiate their situational and interactional identity will be illustrated using excerpts taken from TV talk shows, reality shows, or dramas where different participants achieve what is considered an adequate level of intimacy with their conversational partners within the given tasks as the show participants. In interactions where Korean speakers meet for the first time, it is very common to see how they exchange personal information. Among them, interlocutors’ age is very often exchanged at the very early stage of their encounter. In many reality shows and talk shows on Korean TV, participants often start their first-time encounter by asking about their age and work-related backgrounds. Interlocutors achieve an increased level of intimacy by assigning newinteractional identities to themselves, that of (a) friends (=same age), (b) siblings (=different age), or (c) senior/junior (work-related). Oftentimes, this process is streamlined by adjusting their speech styleand/or address terms that match their newly constructed identities in order to successfully perform their common tasks.
Pediatric Electrocardiogram-Based Deep Learning to Predict Secundum Atrial Septal Defects
Authors: Mayourian Joshua , Geggel Robert , La Cava William G. , Ghelani Sunil J. , Triedman John K.
Published: July 2024

Secundum atrial septal defect (ASD2) detection is often delayed, with the potential for late diagnosis complications. Recent work demonstrated artificial intelligence-enhanced ECG analysis shows promise to detect ASD2 in adults. However, its application to pediatric populations remains underexplored. In this study, we trained a convolutional neural network (AI-pECG) on paired ECG–echocardiograms (≤ 2 days apart) to detect ASD2 from patients ≤ 18 years old without major congenital heart disease. Model performance was evaluated on the first ECG–echocardiogram pair per patient for Boston Children’s Hospital internal testing and emergency department cohorts using area under the receiver operating (AUROC) and precision-recall (AUPRC) curves. The training cohort comprised of 92,377 ECG–echocardiogram pairs (46,261 patients; median age 8.2 years) with an ASD2 prevalence of 6.7%. Test groups included internal testing (12,631 patients; median age 7.4 years; 6.9% prevalence) and emergency department (2,830 patients; median age 7.5 years; 4.9% prevalence) cohorts. Model performance was higher in the internal test (AUROC 0.84, AUPRC 0.46) cohort than the emergency department cohort (AUROC 0.80, AUPRC 0.30). In both cohorts, AI-pECG outperformed ECG findings of incomplete right bundle branch block. Model explainability analyses suggest high-risk limb lead features include greater amplitude P waves (suggestive of right atrial enlargement) and V1 RSR’ (suggestive of RBBB). Our findings demonstrate the promise of AI-pECG to inexpensively screen and/or detect ASD2 in pediatric patients. Future multicenter validation and prospective trials to inform clinical decision making are warranted.
Recurrent double-conditional factor model
Authors: Fieberg Christian , Liedtke Gerrit , Poddig Thorsten
Published: July 2024

In economic applications, the behavior of objects (e.g., individuals, firms, or households) is often modeled as a function of microeconomic and/or macroeconomic conditions. While macroeconomic conditions are common to all objects and change only over time, microeconomic conditions are object-specific and thus vary both among objects and through time. The simultaneous modeling of microeconomic and macroeconomic conditions has proven to be extremely difficult for these applications due to the mismatch of dimensions, potential interactions, and the high number of parameters to estimate. By marrying recurrent neural networks with conditional factor models, we propose a new white-box machine learning method, the recurrent double-conditional factor model (RDCFM), which allows for the modeling of the simultaneous and combined influence of micro- and macroeconomic conditions while being parsimoniously parameterized. Due to the low degree of parameterization, the RDCFM generalizes well and estimation remains feasible even if the time-series and the cross-section are large. We demonstrate the suitability of our method using an application from the financial economics literature.
Generative adversarial networks for handwriting image generation: a review
Authors: Elanwar Randa , Betke Margrit
Published: July 2024

Handwriting synthesis, the task of automatically generating realistic images of handwritten text, has gained increasing attention in recent years, both as a challenge in itself, as well as a task that supports handwriting recognition research. The latter task is to synthesize large image datasets that can then be used to train deep learning models to recognize handwritten text without the need for human-provided annotations. While early attempts at developing handwriting generators yielded limited results [1], more recent works involving generative models of deep neural network architectures have been shown able to produce realistic imitations of human handwriting [2–19]. In this review, we focus on one of the most prevalent and successful architectures in the field of handwriting synthesis, the generative adversarial network (GAN). We describe the capabilities, architecture specifics, and performance of the GAN-based models that have been introduced to the literature since 2019 [2–14]. These models can generate random handwriting styles, imitate reference styles, and produce realistic images of arbitrary text that was not in the training lexicon. The generated images have been shown to contribute to improving handwriting recognition results when augmenting the training samples of recognition models with synthetic images. The synthetic images were often hard to expose as non-real, even by human examiners, but also could be implausible or style-limited. The review includes a discussion of the characteristics of the GAN architecture in comparison with other paradigms in the image-generation domain and highlights the remaining challenges for handwriting synthesis.
Pioneers of cortical cytoarchitectonics: the forgotten contribution of Herbert Major
Authors: Larner Andrew J. , Triarhou Lazaros C.
Published: July 2024

The study of cortical cytoarchitectonics and the histology of the human cerebral cortex was pursued by many investigators in the second half of the nineteenth century, such as Jacob Lockhart Clarke, Theodor Meynert, and Vladimir Betz. Another of these pioneers, whose name has largely been lost to posterity, is considered here: Herbert Coddington Major (1850–1921). Working at the West Riding Asylum in Wakefield, United Kingdom, Major’s thesis of 1875 described and illustrated six-layered cortical structure in both non-human primates and man, as well as “giant nerve cells” which corresponded to those cells previously described, but not illustrated, by Betz. Further journal publications by Major in 1876 and 1877 confirmed his finding of six cortical strata. However, Major’s work was almost entirely neglected by his contemporaries, including his colleague and sometime pupil at the West Riding Asylum, William Bevan-Lewis (1847–1929), who later (1878) reported the presence of both pentalaminar and hexalaminar cortices. Bevan-Lewis’s work was also later credited with the first illustration of Betz cells.
Expecting politeness: perceptions of voice assistant politeness
Authors: Duffau Elise , Fox Tree Jean E.
Published: July 2024

We examined how politeness perception can change when used by a human or voice assistant in different contexts. We conducted two norming studies and two experiments. In the norming studies, we assessed the levels of positive politeness (cooperation) and negative politeness (respecting autonomy) conveyed by a range of politeness strategies across task (Norming Study 1) and social (Norming Study 2) request types. In the experiments, we tested the effect of request type and imposition level on the perception of written requests (Experiment 1) and requests spoken by a voice assistant (Experiment 2). We found that the perception of politeness strategies varied by request type. Positive politeness strategies were rated as very polite with task requests. In contrast, both positive and negative politeness strategies were rated as very polite with social requests. We also found that people expect agents to respect their autonomy more than they expect them to cooperate. Detailed studies of how request context interacts with politeness strategies to affect politeness perception have not previously been reported. Technology designers might find Tables 4 and 5 in this report especially useful for determining what politeness strategies are most appropriate for a given situation as well as what politeness strategies will evoke the desired feeling (autonomy or cooperation).
Fine-Tuned Large Language Model for Extracting Patients on Pretreatment for Lung Cancer from a Picture Archiving and Communication System Based on Radiological Reports
Authors: Yasaka Koichiro , Kanzawa Jun , Kanemaru Noriko , Koshino Saori , Abe Osamu
Published: July 2024

This study aimed to investigate the performance of a fine-tuned large language model (LLM) in extracting patients on pretreatment for lung cancer from picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) and comparing it with that of radiologists. Patients whose radiological reports contained the term lung cancer (3111 for training, 124 for validation, and 288 for test) were included in this retrospective study. Based on clinical indication and diagnosis sections of the radiological report (used as input data), they were classified into four groups (used as reference data): group 0 (no lung cancer), group 1 (pretreatment lung cancer present), group 2 (after treatment for lung cancer), and group 3 (planning radiation therapy). Using the training and validation datasets, fine-tuning of the pretrained LLM was conducted ten times. Due to group imbalance, group 2 data were undersampled in the training. The performance of the best-performing model in the validation dataset was assessed in the independent test dataset. For testing purposes, two other radiologists (readers 1 and 2) were also involved in classifying radiological reports. The overall accuracy of the fine-tuned LLM, reader 1, and reader 2 was 0.983, 0.969, and 0.969, respectively. The sensitivity for differentiating group 0/1/2/3 by LLM, reader 1, and reader 2 was 1.000/0.948/0.991/1.000, 0.750/0.879/0.996/1.000, and 1.000/0.931/0.978/1.000, respectively. The time required for classification by LLM, reader 1, and reader 2 was 46s/2539s/1538s, respectively. Fine-tuned LLM effectively extracted patients on pretreatment for lung cancer from PACS with comparable performance to radiologists in a shorter time.
Silicon-infused bacterial cellulose: in situ bioprocessing for tailored strength and surface characteristics
Authors: Greenhope Peregrine C. G. , Loh Joshua , Gilmour Katie A. , Zhang Meng , Haworth Luke , Xie Ming , Dade-Robertson Martyn , Jiang Yunhong
Published: July 2024

In this study we investigate the use of in situ bioprocessing for the production and surface modification of bacterial cellulose (BC) with silicon additives. The surface properties and tensile strength of the BC were studied and compared with plain BC. The effect the modification exhibited on the survivability of the bacteria was assessed by optical density measurements and found that the addition of the modification marginally slowed growth in the case of Tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) and did not affect the growth in the case of Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). Characterisation of the modified BC was carried out using FTIR, EDX and confirmed the presence of silicon in the material. The width of fibres in the microstructure of BC was measured using SEM. Two different silicon modifications were used to modify the BC, it was shown that the TMOS modification decreased the tensile strength but that the TEOS increased the tensile strength of the BC fibres compared to plain BC. In addition, we found that the washing conditions of 1% NaOH (w/v), industrial methylated spirit (IMS), and deionised water (DI) showed some impact on the properties of the samples, particularly the IMS produced a reduced contact angle in the modified samples. However, the contact angle increased in the case of TEOS modification with the NaOH wash. In conclusion this study shows a novel method of modifying BC materials in-situ using silicon additives for increased tensile strength and the potential for tuneable hydro interactions.
Clinical features of retinal detachment treated with segmental scleral buckling
Authors: Wu Meng-Chiao , Lee Yi-Yang , Kuo Hsi-Kung
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Our study aims to evaluate the surgical outcomes and clinical features of retinal detachment (RD) cases treated with segmental scleral buckling (SB), elucidating the role of segmental SB as a vital option in specific situations during the current era.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 128 eyes with primary rhegmatogenous RD that underwent segmental scleral buckling between November 2008 and December 2020. Clinical features and success rates were recorded and analyzed.

Results

A total of 128 eyes were included. The patient’s ages ranged from 12 to 72 years, with a median age of 45. Most of the eyes were phakic (97%). Regarding the type of break, 47% were holes, and flap tears were found in 68 cases (53%). The break locations were superior-temporal (54%), inferior-temporal (31%), superior-nasal (9.5%), and inferior-nasal (5.5%). The length of the SB applied ranged from 3.5 to 8.0 clock hours, with a median of 6.0. Primary success was achieved in 121 eyes, and recurrence occurred in 7 eyes. All recurrent RD cases reattached after undergoing secondary VT. The causes of failure included 2 break reopens, 1 missed break, and 4 eyes with proliferative vitreoretinopathy. The single-surgery anatomic success (SSAS) rate for segmental SB was 94.5%. The final success rate was 100%.

Conclusions

For phakic, low complexity retinal detachment in our study, segmental scleral buckling emerges as a surgical option with a high primary success rate and a lower incidence of complications.
Heuristic approaches for non-exhaustive pattern-based change detection in dynamic networks
Authors: Loglisci Corrado , Impedovo Angelo , Calders Toon , Ceci Michelangelo
Published: July 2024

Dynamic networks are ubiquitous in many domains for modelling evolving graph-structured data and detecting changes allows us to understand the dynamic of the domain represented. A category of computational solutions is represented by the pattern-based change detectors (PBCDs), which are non-parametric unsupervised change detection methods based on observed changes in sets of frequent patterns over time. Patterns have the ability to depict the structural information of the sub-graphs, becoming a useful tool in the interpretation of the changes. Existing PBCDs often rely on exhaustive mining, which corresponds to the worst-case exponential time complexity, making this category of algorithms inefficient in practice. In fact, in such a case, the pattern mining process is even more time-consuming and inefficient due to the combinatorial explosion of the sub-graph pattern space caused by the inherent complexity of the graph structure. Non-exhaustive search strategies can represent a possible approach to this problem, also because not all the possible frequent patterns contribute to changes in the time-evolving data. In this paper, we investigate the viability of different heuristic approaches which prevent the complete exploration of the search space, by returning a concise set of sub-graph patterns (compared to the exhaustive case). The heuristics differ on the criterion used to select representative patterns. The results obtained on real-world and synthetic dynamic networks show that these solutions are effective, when mining patterns, and even more accurate when detecting changes.
Voices from within: Tracing Chinese Public Perceptions of Democracy in the New Era
Authors: Yang Duancheng , Zhou Yuan , Chu Yun-han
Published: July 2024

Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) emphasis on whole process people’s democracy and democracy with Chinese characteristics, the type of democracy desired by the Chinese people remains debatable. Using two nationwide surveys conducted in 2015 and 2019, this study examines how ordinary Chinese people view democracy during Xi Jinping’s new era. Acknowledging the constraints of conventional methodologies, this study adopts a novel approach that uses automated text analysis to dissect open-ended survey responses about democracy. The results reveal that Chinese citizens primarily associate democracy with freedom of speech, consultation, and minben rather than competitive elections. Furthermore, this study reveals that a higher level of education, more frequent internet usage, and higher household income are positively correlated with a liberal perspective on democracy. This suggests that although the Chinese communist regime may not face immediate pressure to implement open elections, growing support for consultation and freedom may necessitate a greater focus on procedural democracy building by the CCP. By supplementing traditional research methods, this study contributes to a better understanding of China’s regime resilience and its potential future trajectories.
Fear of cancer recurrence and change in hair cortisol concentrations in partners of breast cancer survivors
Authors: Fenech Alyssa L. , Soriano Emily C. , Asok Arun , Siegel Scott D. , Morreale Michael , Brownlee Hannah A. , Laurenceau Jean-Philippe
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Partners of breast cancer (BC) survivors report high rates of psychological distress including fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). Research suggests that partners may have poorer physical health outcomes than the general population, but little research has examined the physiological biomarkers by which distress may impact partner health outcomes. The current study examined the associations between FCR and changes in hair cortisol among BC partners.

Methods

Male partners (N = 73) of early-stage BC survivors provided hair samples during two visits, one after completion of survivors’ adjuvant treatment (T1) and again 6 months later (T2). Two subscales from the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory and one subscale from the Concerns about Recurrence Scale comprised a latent FCR factor at T1. A latent change score model was used to examine change in cortisol as a function of FCR.

Results

Partners were on average 59.65 years of age (SD = 10.53) and non-Hispanic White (83%). Latent FCR at T1 was positively associated (b = 0.08, SE = 0.03, p = .004, standardized β = .45) with change in latent hair cortisol from T1 to T2.

Conclusions

Results indicated that greater FCR was associated with increases in hair cortisol in the months following adjuvant treatment. This is one of the first studies to examine the physiological correlates of FCR that may impact health outcomes in BC partners.

Implications for Cancer Survivors.

Findings highlight the need for further research into the relationship between FCR and its physiological consequences. Interventions to address partner FCR are needed and may aid in improving downstream physical health outcomes.
Just Around the Corner: How Cross-ethnic Solidarity Is Established Between Locals and the Asylum-Seekers and Refugees in a Local NGO
Authors: Ng Isabella
Published: July 2024

The paper examines how an NGO, established by a group of Hong Kong students, an academic (myself) and a group of asylum-seekers and refugees from South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, have worked through different barriers to create a network which builds on diversity to achieve cross-ethnic solidarity within the local community. It seeks to understand what makes a cross-ethnic solidarity network work in a local community. Using the concept of solidarity, the study looks into how the local NGO builds on a mix of diversity of race and gender and (non-)citizenship status to establish solidarity through community activities, advocacy and friendship. Based on ongoing ethnography between 2014 and 2020 and continuous activism work through 2014 until current, and interviews with 50 members of a local NGO, I argue that empowerment through solidarity needs to adopt a ‘neighbourhood’ approach based on mutual support, respect for diversity and empathy when building a solidarity network. An organization which takes on a ‘community’ and ‘neighbourhood’ approach by establishing friendship, focusing on relational aspect amongst local people and the asylum-seekers, is very effective in creating a lasting solidarity with trust. The study shows how solidarity built on differences could work effectively when migrants are in the host countries. More importantly, the results suggest that local population will need to take a more proactive approach to connect to the migrant community so as to build solidarity and achieve recognition and support from a wider community.
Implementing a new Research Data Alliance recommendation, the I-ADOPT framework, for the naming of environmental variables of continental surfaces
Authors: Charly Coussot , Isabelle Braud , Véronique Chaffard , Brice Boudevillain , Galle Sylvie
Published: July 2024

To improve data usage in an interdisciplinary context, a clear understanding of the variables being measured is required for both humans and machines. In this paper, the I-ADOPT framework, which decomposes variable names into atomic elements, was tested within the context of continental surfaces and critical zone science, characterized by a large number and variety of observed environmental variables. We showed that the I-ADOPT framework can be used effectively to describe environmental variables with precision and that it was flexible enough to be used in the critical zone science context. Variable names can be documented in detail while allowing alignment with other ontologies or thesauri. We have identified difficulties in modeling complex variables, such as those monitoring fluxes between different environmental compartments and for variables monitoring ratios of physical quantities. We also showed that, for some variables, different decompositions were possible, which could make alignments with other ontologies and thesauri more difficult. The precision of variable names proved inadequate for data discovery services and a non-standard label (SimplifiedLabel) had to be defined for this purpose. In the context of open science and interdisciplinary research, the I-ADOPT framework has the potential to improve the interoperability of information systems and the use of data from various sources and disciplines.
Analyzing Left-Truncated Samples with the Cox Model in the Presence of Missing Covariates
Authors: Vazquez Omar , Locke Hayley M. , Xie Sharon X.
Published: July 2024

Delayed enrollment of subjects into a time-to-event study may result in a sample with biased outcome and covariate distributions. Additionally, missing covariate data may arise in these studies when information is difficult to collect due to patient burden or high testing costs. Some common missing data strategies, such as multiple imputation (MI) and augmented inverse probability weighting (AIPW), involve modeling the distribution of the missing covariate, which may be inaccurate with a left-truncated sample. Through simulation studies, we explore the performance of these methods in estimating Cox regression parameters under a variety of truncation and missing data scenarios. We find that MI and AIPW may be approximately unbiased when truncation is very low. Otherwise, biased estimation of the covariate distribution can cause MI to perform poorly. Similarly, AIPW may rely more heavily on correct estimation of the probability of having non-missing covariates in some settings. We apply these approaches to a Parkinson’s disease dementia biomarker study. In analyzing left-truncated data with missing covariates, careful consideration of the data characteristics and method assumptions is needed to obtain valid results.
Pancreatic cancer cell- and cancer-associated fibroblast-derived exosomes in disease progression, metastasis, and therapy
Authors: Chen Yijun , Kleeff Jörg , Sunami Yoshiaki
Published: July 2024

Exosomes play a crucial role in the progression and spread of pancreatic cancer, serving not only as promoters of tumor growth and organ-specific metastasis but also as promising biomarkers and targets for treatment. These nano vesicles enhance intercellular communication by transferring bioactive molecules, such as proteins and RNAs, between cells. This process significantly affects cancer cell dynamics, including their proliferation, migration, and invasion, while also contributing to drug resistance. Our review focuses on the crucial interactions between cancer cells and fibroblasts mediated by exosomes within the pancreatic cancer microenvironment. We delve into how exosomes from both cancer-associated fibroblasts and the cancer cells themselves drive tumor progression through various mechanisms, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition and facilitating metastasis to specific organs like the lungs and liver. The potential of leveraging exosomes for therapeutic interventions is also explored, highlighting the importance of understanding their role in cell communication as a step forward in developing more effective pancreatic cancer treatments.
Predicting lymph node metastasis in colorectal cancer patients: development and validation of a column chart model
Authors: Niu Xiaoqiang , Cao Jiaqing
Published: July 2024

Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is one of the crucial factors in determining the optimal treatment approach for colorectal cancer. The objective of this study was to establish and validate a column chart for predicting LNM in colon cancer patients. We extracted a total of 83,430 cases of colon cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, spanning the years 2010–2017. These cases were divided into a training group and a testing group in a 7:3 ratio. An additional 8545 patients from the years 2018–2019 were used for external validation. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were employed in the training set to identify predictive factors. Models were developed using logistic regression, LASSO regression, ridge regression, and elastic net regression algorithms. Model performance was quantified by calculating the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval. The results demonstrated that tumor location, grade, age, tumor size, T stage, race, and CEA were independent predictors of LNM in CRC patients. The logistic regression model yielded an AUC of 0.708 (0.7038–0.7122), outperforming ridge regression and achieving similar AUC values as LASSO regression and elastic net regression. Based on the logistic regression algorithm, we constructed a column chart for predicting LNM in CRC patients. Further subgroup analysis based on gender, age, and grade indicated that the logistic prediction model exhibited good adaptability across all subgroups. Our column chart displayed excellent predictive capability and serves as a useful tool for clinicians in predicting LNM in colorectal cancer patients.
From curiosity to wonder in religious education
Authors: Corcoran Paul
Published: July 2024

This study argues that religious education is uniquely positioned to resist and transcend contemporary dialectics of wonder that serve to diminish, commodify, or instrumentalize the place of wonder in society today. Wonder is traditionally characterized by a sense of importance that accompanies our encounters with mystery. In a world less comfortable with interiority and less willing to accept the sense of ignorance true wonder presupposes, the contemplative element of wonder has largely evaporated, to be replaced by a more fleeting (Schinkel in Stud Philos Educ 39(5):479–492, 2019, 481) and less challenging ‘curiosity’. Curiosity favours mastery over mystery; it elides the puzzlement or contemplation inherent in traditional understandings of wonder. In pedagogical settings, curiosity is increasingly advanced at a catalyst that motivates and directs the inquiry of the learner. However, educational literature continues to note a worrying absence of any kind of wonder in classrooms today (Jirout et al. in Front Psychol 13:875161, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.875161). This study will suggest that the advancement of wonder as curiosity in education only reinforces the very sense of apathy it is designed to counteract in its students. If wonder is recast as curiosity—a ‘skill’ that leads reliably to the ‘right answer’—students will inevitably find quicker, more efficient means to arrive at the required information. Religious education is uniquely equipped to supplement inquisitive curiosity with a more contemplative wonder that eschews easy answers. In doing so, it would equip students to grapple with what modern society has become so adept at evading: the “stubborn there-ness” (Arendt in Medina J, Wood D (eds) Truth: engagements across philosophical traditions. Blackwell Publishing, London, 2005, p. 310) of mystery that characterizes the most meaningful questions of our existence.
Application of digital image correlation in aerospace engineering: structural health monitoring of aircraft components
Authors: Mallya Ravindra , Uchil Amol Kiran , Shenoy Satish B. , Pai Anand
Published: July 2024

Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is a vital optical measurement technique that finds diverse applications in the domain of mechanics of materials. In aerospace applications, DIC has excellent scope in structural health monitoring of aircraft components. Aircraft wings, one of the critical components are subjected to different loads during flight. Ground testing and In-flight testing of wings can benefit substantially by DIC monitoring. DIC can be utilized to analyze the time-based variation in the speckle pattern or grid, applied to the wing’s surface. High-resolution images processed through a suitable correlation software helps decipher the data into stress and strain contours. Thus, any potential material failure or component defects can be identified. DIC also finds a role in flutter analysis, enabling the scrutiny of wing vibrations and deformations. In this review, the applications of DIC in analysis of aircraft components has been taken up, as in-flight structural health monitoring is a critical activity for a safe flight.
Recent advances in the treatment of pancreatic cancer
Authors: Ma Yongsu , Zhang Fusheng , Yang Yinmo
Published: July 2024

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most aggressive gastrointestinal malignancies, characterized by rapid progression and early onset of metastasis, leading to a dismal prognosis for patients. In the recent past, substantial progress has been conducted recently in managing PC, encompassing various treatment modalities such as chemotherapy, neoadjuvant therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Particularly in 2023, several noteworthy studies have contributed to optimizing neoadjuvant treatment regimens and exploring novel approaches that involve targeted therapies and immunotherapies for PC. These advancements hold promise for improving overall survival outcomes and enhancing quality of life for patients with pancreatic cancer. This commentary summarizes the new advances in systemic therapy for pancreatic cancer in 2023.