bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Proteomic analysis and protein structure prediction of Shigella phage Sfk20 based on a comparative study using structure prediction approaches
Authors: Mallick Bani , Dutta Aninda , Mondal Payel , Dutta Moumita
Published: December 2023

Bacteriophages are the natural predators of bacteria and are available abundantly everywhere in nature. Lytic phages can specifically infect their bacterial host (through attachment to the receptor) and use their host replication machinery to replicate rapidly, a feature that enables them to kill a disease‐causing bacteria. Hence, phage attachment to the host bacteria is the first important step of the infection process. It is reported in this study that the receptor could be an LPS which is responsible for the attachment of the Sfk20 phage to its host (Shigella flexneri 2a). Phage Sfk20 bacteriolytic activity was examined for preliminary optimization of phage titer. The phage Sfk20 viability at different saline conditions was conducted. The LC–MS/MS technique used here for detecting and identifying 40 Sfk20 phage proteins helped us to get an initial understanding of the structural landscape of phage Sfk20. From the identified proteins, six structurally significant proteins were selected for structure prediction using two neural network systems: AlphaFold2 and ESMFold, and one homology modeling software: Phyre2. Later the performance of these modeling systems was compared using various metrics. We conclude from the available and generated information that AlphaFold2 and Phyre2 perform better than ESMFold for predicting Sfk20 phage protein structures.
Reproductive safety of trazodone
Authors: Lam Y. W. Francis
Published: December 2023

It is not uncommon for depression and sleep disturbances to occur during pregnancy. Trazodone, a triazolopyridine antidepressant that acts primarily as a serotonin (5‐HT) 2 receptor antagonist, is frequently prescribed at lower doses off‐label for the management of insomnia (Nierenberg et al., 1994).
A comparative study of physical and thermoelectrical characteristics of the new full‐Heusler alloys Ag2TiGa and Ag2VGa with ab initio calculations
Authors: Elkoua I. Ait , Masrour R.
Published: December 2023

This paper will focus on the comparative study of the structural, electronic, magnetic, optical, and thermoelectric properties of the two Heusler systems Ag2TiGa and Ag2VGa in the inverse L21 Hg2CuTi structure. Using the density functional theory‐based wien2k code, which implements the computational methods used in this study, namely GGA, GGA‐mBJ, GGA + U, and GGA + SOC (spin‐orbit coupling). The band structures show that all two structures studied are metallic. The spin density of states of Ag2VGa has evident spin splitting near the Fermi level, and the total magnetic moment of the Ag2VGa structure is 2.19 μB, which indicates that Ag2VGa is magnetic. The full‐Heusler Ag2VGa material can be used as spintronic materials due to their high spin polarization (about 50%). While Ag2TiGa has low polarization so it is bad electronically, but better thermoelectrically than Ag2VGa. So, the full‐Heusler Ag2TiGa material may also be considered as a potential candidate for thermoelectric applications at room temperature. Studies of the two new Heusler alloys may provide a theoretical reference for subsequent theoretical research and experimental synthesis of Ag‐based Heusler alloys.
Modeling of the oxygen defect formation in YCrO3
Authors: Gnidenko Anton , Chigrin Pavel
Published: December 2023

Using the pyrolyzing polymer‐salt compositions method yttrium orthochromite (space group Pnma) was synthesized. A value of oxygen nonstoichiometry and a band gap of 1.64 eV were obtained. With the experimentally determined structural parameters as a basis, we performed ab initio simulations to investigate the defect structure of YCrO. We studied the presence of interstitial oxygen in the YCrO at oxygen nonstoichiometry close to the experimental value and vacancies at the same concentration. Formation energies were estimated for interstitial oxygen atoms and compared with those of oxygen vacancies in the cases neutral and charged supercells. The computational results demonstrate that interstitial oxygen is energetically more favorable than the formation of oxygen vacancies. We considered various configurations of the interstitial oxygen atom within the YCrO crystal lattice and identified two fundamentally distinct types. An analysis of projected densities of states and charge distributions was performed for these configurations. The results indicate that direct intercalation of oxygen atoms is energetically more favorable than the formation of a peroxide species when the Fermi level is close to the conduction band minimum.
Evaluating the performance of instream structures for a stream restoration project in Colorado
Authors: Richer Eric E. , Graf Sam , Kondratieff Matt C.
Published: December 2023

Metals pollution and channel disturbance associated with historical mining, land use, and water development degraded aquatic and riparian habitat along the upper Arkansas River near Leadville, Colorado. Stream restoration was conducted for an 8 km reach to improve aquatic habitat and increase trout populations. Instream structures were prescribed to stabilize streambanks, create diverse stream morphology, and provide overhead cover, refuge, spawning, and overwinter habitat for trout. At least 90% of all structures were expected to be stable and functional 3 years after implementation. The objectives of this study were to investigate structure performance by (1) evaluating the integrity and function of instream structures and (2) evaluating the change in residual pool depths (RPD). Annual surveys utilized a rapid assessment procedure to qualitatively rank integrity, erosion, and deposition at each structure (n = 137). Rankings were investigated with ordinal regression to determine if performance varied by structure type and year. Longitudinal profile surveys were conducted annually and used to estimate RPD for 86 pools. The change in RPD was investigated with repeated measures ANOVA to determine if RPD varied between structure types and changed over time. Results suggest that some structures were more prone to failure, with higher rankings observed for boulder toe, log vanes, log toe, and boulder vanes. Pool depths increased during construction, decreased following the first runoff, and then remained relatively stable in subsequent years. Understanding the performance of instream structures from this case study will help inform the design, evaluation, and expectations for future stream restoration projects.
Research on the sustainable development mode of resource‐oriented regions on plateaus—A case study for Gannan Tibetan autonomous prefecture
Authors: Liu Qian , Li Fujia , Dong Suocheng , Cheng Hao
Published: December 2023

Many resource‐oriented regions on plateaus (RORP) are facing the double threat of ecological destruction and resource exploitation. The traditional development mode will destroy fragile ecosystems in RORP, resulting in substantial environmental governance costs and environmental restoration difficulties. Therefore, realizing the sustainable development of these regions has become a major topic of interest. In this study, we designed a sustainable development mode, that is, “conservation mining‐ecological restoration‐substitute industries‐energy saving and emission reduction” (CESE), for RORP. The integration of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Service and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model and the system dynamics (SD) model were used to evaluate and simulate the comprehensive effect and future trends of the sustainable development mode in the RORP. The evaluation and simulation results clearly show that through long‐term stable operation, this sustainable development mode can alleviate the double threat of the “unbridled development‐fragile ecosystem”(UDFE) and achieve synchronous growth of ecological, economic, and social benefits. Additionally, this study further proposes the potential risks of this mode and directions for iterative improvements, serving as goals of regional optimization and improvement in the future. The sustainable development mode of RORP proposed in this study has important theoretical significance and practical value for mitigating the double threat associated with the development of RORP.
Interfacial Chemistry in Aqueous Lithium‐Ion Batteries: A Case Study of V2O5 in Dilute Aqueous Electrolytes
Authors: Hou Xu , Zhang Leiting , Gogoi Neeha , Edström Kristina , Berg Erik J.
Published: December 2023

Aqueous lithium‐ion batteries (ALIBs) are promising for large‐scale energy storage systems because of the cost‐effective, intrinsically safe, and environmentally friendly properties of aqueous electrolytes. Practical application is however impeded by interfacial side‐reactions and the narrow electrochemical stability window (ESW) of aqueous electrolytes. Even though higher electrolyte salt concentrations (e.g., water‐in‐salt electrolyte) enhance performance by widening the ESW, the nature and extent of side‐reaction processes are debated and more fundamental understanding thereof is needed. Herein, the interfacial chemistry of one of the most popular electrode materials, V2O5, for aqueous batteries is systematically explored by a unique set of operando analytical techniques. By monitoring electrode/electrolyte interphase deposition, electrolyte pH, and gas evolution, the highly dynamic formation/dissolution of V2O5/V2O4, Li2CO3 and LiF during dis‐/charge is demonstrated and shown to be coupled with electrolyte decomposition and conductive carbon oxidation, regardless of electrolyte salt concentration. The study provides deeper understanding of interfacial chemistry of active materials under variable proton activity in aqueous electrolytes, hence guiding the design of more effective electrode/electrolyte interfaces for ALIBs and beyond.
Biochar modifies soil physical properties mostly through changes in soil structure rather than through its internal porosity
Authors: Zanutel Martin , Garré Sarah , Sanglier Patrick , Bielders Charles
Published: December 2023

Besides its carbon sequestration potential, biochar application generally improves soil physical properties, but the magnitude of its impact and the underlying mechanisms remain debated and depend on soil type, biochar application rate, and age. The objective was therefore to determine the effect of biochar application rate and age on physical properties of agricultural soils in a temperate climate. On a silt loam and a sandy loam soils, we compared the physical properties of fresh biochar (1% and 2% w/w) or century‐old biochar (0.5%–1% w/w; 19th‐century kiln sites)‐enriched soil samples with biochar‐free soil samples. Biochar pore network characteristics were determined using helium pycnometry, mercury intrusion porosimetry, scanning electron microscopy observation, and electron dispersive X‐ray spectrometry, whereas location of biochar particles within soil structure was analyzed using optical microscopy observations. Fresh biochar application decreased bulk density by 16.8% and increased saturated water content by 16.0% and macroporosity by 78.8%. These effects were attributed to soil structure improvement rather than to biochar porosity. Soil type and biochar application rate had a limited impact. In the long‐term, biochar effects were mostly nonsignificant, which might result from its fairly low content in kiln sites and from the clogging of its internal porosity by clay particles. Biochar was thus able to improve some soil physical properties in the short‐term, but these effects could no longer be detected in the very long‐term. Further investigating the time rate of change in soil physical properties over several decades following biochar additions to soil would therefore seem particularly relevant.
Lived Residential Schools in Times of Crisis and Change: Debating the School for the Deaf in Borgå Through Experience in the 1930s and 1980s
Authors: Lindberg Hanna
Published: December 2023

In her chapter, Hanna Lindberg studies experiences of residential schools by focusing on the school for the deaf in Borgå, Finland. The school was the only school for deaf children from Swedish-speaking homes in Finland, and children from all parts of Finland were sent there to receive their education. The residential school was also a fragile institution, and the future of the school was repeatedly discussed. The chapter focuses on two periods of crisis during the 1930s and 1980s, and it analyzes how experiences were brought to the fore in the public dissemination of these crises. By comparing experiences of residential school life during two time periods 50 years apart, the chapter exposes changing conceptions of residential schools, deaf education, and language relations in Finland.
Encountering Benefits for Families: Layers of Lived Social Citizenship in Finland in the 1930s and 1940s
Authors: Harjula Minna
Published: December 2023

Benefits for families with children—the maternity benefit for pregnant women (1938), the family benefit for large low-income families (1943), and the child benefit for all children (1948)—were among the first reforms which broadened social legislation beyond the stigmatized poor relief in Finland. The practices of applying for and receiving the benefits open a view to the emerging institution of social benefits as lived social citizenship. In the chapter, Harjula approaches the encounters between families and local authorities asscenes of experience, which, as situational frames, set limits for the possible experience. The chapter shows how the early social benefits were characterized by many institutional and ideological continuities from poor relief, framing parallel and contradictory lived social citizenship. The chapter concludes by presenting how these competing citizenships as historicallayers of experiencehad a presence in the later practices of the Finnish welfare state.
From Humiliation to Compensation? Experiencing Poverty and Welfare Institutions Among Red Widows from the Civil War, 1918–1945
Authors: Kaarninen Mervi
Published: December 2023

After the Great War, various pension schemes were created in Europe to assist war widows and orphans. Compared with the general European response, the Finnish Civil War of 1918 resulted in two different groups of widows and orphans and divergent practices of aid. The families of the White Army soldiers were assisted by national pensions. The widows and orphans of the Reds were stigmatized as the rebellious, defeated side of the war. The chapter focuses on the Red Widows’ encounters with the Finnish social welfare institution in 1918–1945 to answer the following questions: How did these widows interpret the measures the social welfare system directed to them? What kind of experiences of society did these measures create? How did the two-way social relationship affect the dense community of these widows? The analysis uses the concepts of emotional community and collective experience. The source material consists of the letters of complaint the widows wrote to the Ministry of Social Affairs from 1919 until the middle of the 1940s. The article proceeds via the concepts of humiliation, resistance, compensation, and wounded confidence. The letters describe the process of the experience in the life course of the Red widows, and the concepts serve as tools in the analysis.
The Walled-in Illness: The Twentieth-Century Finnish Tuberculosis Sanatorium as Lived Space
Authors: Hakosalo Heini
Published: December 2023

Medical historians have investigated the twentieth-century tuberculosis sanatorium as an idiosyncratic therapeutic tool and environment, while architectural historians have been interested in the development and prominent representatives of the building type. This chapter focuses on patients as active agents interacting with the sanatorium space. Relying on Michel de Certeau’s distinction between space (espace) and place (lieu), the chapter asks how the sanatorium space was used, modified, sensed, and remembered by (former) patients. The primary source material consists of written reminiscences, letters, diaries, and photographs related to and originating in Finnish twentieth-century sanatoria. The chapter argues that the experience of the institutional space formed a key part of the overall sanatorium and illness experience. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the interaction between the patient and the building was less one-directional and more multiform than commonly assumed. Patients described the sanatorium space frequently, and often in highly emotional and sensory terms, but the way they experienced the space was varied and individual. Although the sanatorium was a highly regulated space, patients could use it creatively. They modified the institutional space, often with the purpose of individualizing and de-institutionalizing it, and frequently used it in ways unintended and unforeseen by the medical and architectural authorities.
Managing Protected Areas: People and Places: Introduction
Authors: Finneran Niall , Hewlett Denise , Clarke Richard
Published: December 2023

For decades, literature on the management of green and blue spaces and their uses has been founded in two distinctive sources. The academic repository, comprised of primarily peer-reviewed journal papers, has tended to detract practitioners for their very nature of academic design, composition, debate and discourse traditionally deployed. Yet within these works, a critical voice on both practice and theory is developed contributing to enhancements in the management of natural spaces.
Significant Spaces: Exploring the Health and Wellbeing Impacts of Natural Environments
Authors: Hewlett Denise , Gray Debra , Gunton Richard , Munro Tom , Agarwal Sheela , Breed Martin , Skelly Chris , Weinstein Philip , Terradillos Ainara , Lavrushkina Natalia , Byrne Danny
Published: December 2023

There is now considerable evidence that access to good quality green and/or blue spaces is good for peoples’ health and wellbeing. Concomitantly, there has been increasing emphasis, in national policies, on finding ways to use the natural environment as a key resource to support people’s health: all of which has been accelerated since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, key research gaps remain. This chapter reviews what we do and don’t know about the impact of nature on people’s health. We argue that the integration of research with planning tools is key to achieving environmental planning and development that is beneficial to health. We consider the challenges of conducting evidence-based research that involves people and natural environments and provide directions for future research that can support policies that have the potential to make full use of green and blue spaces to enhance people’s health and wellbeing.
Islam and Engagements with Nature; Theology and Practice
Authors: Welch Christina , Rahman Fahima B.
Published: December 2023

This chapter explores Islamic engagements with nature both in theology and in lived practice. The lived practice section focusses on the experiences of Fahima (F), an observant Muslim woman living in an urban part of North England. Her reflections on being a Muslim experiencing first-hand National Parks and other nature-based spaces in Britain are put into a broader Islamic focus by considering Islamic ecology more widely by Christina (C), a Religious Studies scholar. Starting by an overview of relevant Islamic theology, this chapter grounds Fahima’s praxis in sacred text and spiritual ritual, before examining in brief the wealth of global Islamic interactions in and with natural spaces.
Impacts and Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic for Protected and Conserved Area Management
Authors: Sharma Mitali , Ferreira Mariana Napolitano , Golden Kroner Rachel , Pasha Mohammad K. S.
Published: December 2023

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has taken millions of lives and has had a significant impact on societal norms. It has also affected nature and wildlife in numerous ways. Protected and Conserved Areas (PCAs), key interventions to safeguard nature, have only recently started to be discussed in the context of the pandemic even though natural spaces provide substantial ecological, social and economic value. PCAs are also important for reducing the risk of future pandemics as they can reduce land-use change—the main driver of emerging zoonotic diseases. This chapter aims to highlight the ecological, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on PCAs and lessons learned for PCA management to strengthen their ecological and societal values. The ecological impacts of the pandemic on PCAs included increased illegal logging and poaching, and increased risks to species such as bats and apes. The social impacts included reduced ranger welfare from overworking and staff cuts, and increased risks for local communities and Indigenous peoples who rely on PCAs. Lastly, the economic impacts included reduced funding for PCAs, which threatens livelihoods and increases conservation threats. Based on these impacts, key recommendations include strengthening regulations and protection measures, increasing benefit sharing and increasing diverse sources of funding, particularly in more affected regions, such as Latin America and Africa. Additionally, the IUCN Green List and a One Health approach can be used for improved PCA management and recovery.
Climate Change—Protected Areas as a Tool to Address a Global Crisis
Authors: Cannizzo Zachary J. , Belle Elise M. S. , Smith Risa B. , Mommsen Tom P.
Published: December 2023

Climate change is a pervasive and ongoing threat to natural and human communities around the globe, and protected areas are not exempt from its impacts. However, protected areas are also a powerful and increasingly utilised tool to enhance climate mitigation and increase the adaptation of human and natural communities alike. From the protection of ecosystems that draw carbon out of the atmosphere and protect human communities, to the ability to help species move to more favourable conditions and adapt to a changing environment, protected areas have the potential to aid the global fight to address the climate crisis while reinforcing their ‘traditional’ role to protect biodiversity.
Artificial Intelligence and Decision Making in Health: Risks and Opportunities
Authors: Fernandes Márcia Santana , Goldim José Roberto
Published: December 2023

The use of systems that include Artificial Intelligence (AI) imposes an assessment of the risks and opportunities associated with their incorporation in the health area. Different types of AI present multiple ethical, legal and social challenges. AI systems involved incorporated with new imaging and signal processing technologies. AI systems in the area of communication have made it possible to carry out previously non-existent interactions and facilitate access to data and information. The greatest concern involves the areas of planning, knowledge and reasoning, as AI systems are directly associated with the decision-making process. So, the central objective of this chapter is to reflect and suggest recommendations, with the foundation of the Complex Bioethics Model, about the decision-making process in health with AI support, considering risks and opportunities. The chapter is organized in two parts: (1) The decision-making processes in health and AI; (1.1) The health area the use of AI and decision-making processes: opportunities and risks to treat electronic health records (EHR) and (2) Complex Bioethics Model (CBM) and AI.
AI Instruments for Risk of Recidivism Prediction and the Possibility of Criminal Adjudication Deprived of Personal Moral Recognition Standards: Sparse Notes from a Layman
Authors: Marques Pedro Garcia
Published: December 2023

In what follows lies a recount of a concerned criminal lawyer, a layman, as he observes the change foreshadowed by AI in the field of individual risk recidivism assessment for the purposes of criminal penalty imposition on convicted felons. The text will therefore reflect upon the nature of that assessment when promoted by new AI programs based on actuarial-meaning statistically derived-information. It then proceeds to compare that risk recidivism assessment with the one undertaken within the current traditional human paradigm. Identifying the ensuing challenges set by the technological alternatives on the very survival of criminal law’s principiological mainstays. A final note will be drawn on what is lacking in the technological proposal, for all its technical upsides and perceived advantages. The approach here changes. From literature one will bring to the fore the very human account that lies at the center of anything resembling judgment. Both the judgment of the individual being assessed and the one of the court doing the assessment. Human as they both are, one heeds the kind of humanity an entire science—that of law—and its specific approach must acknowledge. Exactly that humanity that seems to be lacking in the technological AI proposals.
The Relevance of Deepfakes in the Administration of Criminal Justice
Authors: Durães Dalila , Freitas Pedro Miguel , Novais Paulo
Published: December 2023

Nowadays, it is challenging to distinguish between genuine content created by humans or deepfake created by deepfakes algorithms. Therefore, it is in the interests of society and nations to have systems that can notice and evaluate the content without human intervention. This paper presents the challenges of artificial intelligence, specifically machine learning and deep learning, in the fight against deepfake. In addition, it presents the relevance that deepfakes may have in the administration of criminal justice.
Antitrust Law and Coordination Through Al-Based Pricing Technologies
Authors: Schmidt-Kessen Maria José , Huffman Max
Published: December 2023

Price is the core element of commercial transactions and an important parameter of competition. One of antitrust law’s aims is to ensure that market prices form under the laws of supply and demand, and not after the whims of monopolists or cartelists. Innovations in computer and data science have brought about pricing technologies that rely on advanced analytics or machine learning (ML) techniques, which could strengthen existing bargaining power disparities in part by supporting price coordination among competitors.

Existing research establishes a theoretical framework for competitive harm through coordination, showing that pricing technologies can lead to near-cartel price levels while avoiding anti-cartel prohibitions. This contribution builds on that framework, taking into account up to date empirical, game-theoretic, and computer science literature on pricing technologies to produce a taxonomy of those technologies. We then employ a comparative approach to identify the legal effects of various pricing technologies at a more granular level under EU and US antitrust law. The contribution supports greater understanding between economists and policy-makers regarding the analysis and treatment of AI-based pricing technologies.
Security and Privacy
Authors: Correia Miguel , Rodrigues Luís
Published: December 2023

Computer security or cybersecurity is concerned with the proper functioning of computer systems despite the actions of adversaries. Privacy is about a person or group ability to control how, when, and to what extent their personally identifiable information is shared. The chapter starts by defining security and privacy and explaining why they are problems. Then, it presents some of the scientific and technological achievements in the two areas, highlighting some research trends. Afterwards, the chapter relates security and privacy to the main topics of the book: machine learning as part of artificial intelligence. Finally, the chapter illustrates the relevance of ML in the area using censorship resistance as an example.
Féminisme: Translations, Transfers, and Transformations
Authors: Gehmacher Johanna
Published: December 2023

This chapter examines Käthe Schirmacher’s most successful book, Die moderne Frauenbewegung (1905, 2nd edition 1909), and compares it with its less comprehensive precursor, Le féminisme aux États-Unis, en France, dans la Grande-Bretagne, en Suède, et en Russie (1898), and the German book’s English translation The Modern Woman’s Rights Movement. A Historical Survey (1912). Drawing on a conceptual history approach, it analyses strategies of transfer, self-translation, and translation between these books; the chapter also discusses the transfers and transformations of the French key term ‘féminisme’ in a broader context and traces the translations of the term in German and English and of the German term ‘Frauenbewegung’ in English and French. In so doing it complicates the history of the term ‘feminism’ and argues that it changed its meaning more than once between languages and over time before becoming a clearly defined and established concept.
Interpreting and Translating Transnational Activism
Authors: Gehmacher Johanna
Published: December 2023

This chapter takes the case of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA) to discuss the relevance of translation and interpretation for transnational political movements. It asks how the IWSA dealt with the diversity of languages among their delegates and analyses the (at times entangled) roles of the interpreters and journalists in the context of the regular transnational conferences and on the board of the organisation. The chapter gauges how translation was used to facilitate the transfer of political arguments, but also helped to reinforce hierarchies of cultures and languages.
‘Suffragettes’ in Germany: Translating Militancy
Authors: Gehmacher Johanna
Published: December 2023

This chapter examines Schirmacher’s 160-page history of the suffragette movement (which was to remain the only German book on the subject for several decades), its contexts and receptions in the German-speaking countries and beyond. I begin by exploring Schirmacher’s first references to the British militants and briefly outline the events and political stances on which she reported. I then discuss her decision to write a favourable book on the suffragettes in the context of her personal situation as well as the various controversies she was involved in at the time. Examining Schirmacher’s account of the movement and the arguments she used to explain militant strategies to a German audience, I analyse the ways in which she used and rendered the material available to her and how she transformed their messages according to her agenda. The last two parts of the chapter give insights into the book’s considerable impact in various arenas, its contemporary reception, its translation into Polish, and its re-publications in the 1970s and 1980s.
Backsliding Rule of Law and “Stabilitocracy” in Montenegro
Authors: Đuković Mirko
Published: December 2023

Montenegro has been praised for advancing the farthest in the EU accession process. Each EU candidate state must align its legal, political, and economic framework with the acquis. The negotiation process has lasted for ten years, and although much has been achieved in harmonizing the legislation, progress reports warn that implementation needs to be improved. The core of the rule of law is effective judicial protection. Montenegro adopted the necessary amendments to its Constitution in 2013 and carried out justice reform as expected by its Western partners; however, the rule of law backsliding has become evident. This chapter analyzes the transition process and its effects on the rule of law. It identifies the extrinsic and intrinsic layers of reform that correlate with the ongoing institutional and constitutional crises. In this framework, the chapter shows the vulnerability of the legal system against political constraints such as ethnopolitical division, partocracy, hegemony, and “stabilitocracy.” The Constitutional Court was held hostage by opposing political blocks failing to elect judges. The chapter suggests that Montenegro is officially in the fourth transition period, potentially presenting an opportunity for a radical turn in political culture amidst the rising populism and contested geopolitical issues. The country needs to be freed from hegemonic tendencies in governance with a new constitutional framework that would secure respect for the rule of law.
Two-loop form factors for diphoton production in quark annihilation channel with heavy quark mass dependence
Authors: Becchetti Matteo , Bonciani Roberto , Cieri Leandro , Coro Federico , Ripani Federico
Published: December 2023

Abstract

We present the computation of the two-loop form factors for diphoton production in the quark annihilation channel. These quantities are relevant for the NNLO QCD corrections to diphoton production at LHC recently presented in [1]. The computation is performed retaining full dependence on the mass of the heavy quark in the loops. The master integrals are evaluated by means of differential equations which are solved exploiting the generalised power series technique.
New boundary conditions in Einstein-scalar gravity in three dimensions
Authors: Anabalón Andrés , González Hernán A. , Neira-Gallegos Aníbal , Oliva Julio
Published: December 2023

Abstract

We analyze the backreaction of a class of scalar field self-interactions with the possibility of evolving from an AdS vacuum to a fixed point where the scalar field potential vanishes. Exact solutions which interpolate between these regions, ranging from stationary black hole to dynamical spacetimes are constructed. Their surface charges are finite but non-integrable. We study the properties of these charges on the solutions. In particular, we show that the integrable part of the charges provides a realization of the conformal algebra by means of a modification of the Dirac bracket proposed by Barnich and Troessaert. The latter construction allows for a field dependent central extension, whose value tends to the Brown-Henneaux central charge at late times.
p → ∞ limit of tachyon correlators in (2, 2p + 1) minimal Liouville gravity from classical Liouville theory
Authors: Artemev A.
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Previously it was suggested, motivated by correspondence with JT gravity, that tachyon correlators in (2, 2p+1) minimal Liouville gravity (MLG) in the p → ∞ (semiclassical) limit should be interpreted as moduli space volumes for constant curvature surfaces with conical defects. In this work we propose that these volumes are associated with Kähler metrics on moduli spaces introduced by Zograf and Takhtajan, for which the classical Liouville action is a Kähler potential. We check this proposal by numerical calculation of these Kähler metrics and associated volumes for the simplest example of genus 0 surface with 4 conical defects, using conformal field theory. A peculiar property of MLG correlators is proportionality to number of conformal blocks in a certain region of parameter space; in a particular limiting case, we check this property for the volumes following from classical Liouville action and thus provide an analytic confirmation of our proposal.
Hazard characterization of Alternaria toxins to identify data gaps and improve risk assessment for human health
Authors: Louro Henriqueta , Vettorazzi Ariane , López de Cerain Adela , Spyropoulou Anastasia , Solhaug Anita , Straumfors Anne , Behr Anne-Cathrin , Mertens Birgit , Žegura Bojana , Fæste Christiane Kruse , Ndiaye Dieynaba , Spilioti Eliana , Varga Elisabeth , Dubreil Estelle , Borsos Eszter , Crudo Francesco , Eriksen Gunnar Sundstøl , Snapkow Igor , Henri Jérôme , Sanders Julie , Machera Kyriaki , Gaté Laurent , Le Hegarat Ludovic , Novak Matjaž , Smith Nicola M. , Krapf Solveig , Hager Sonja , Fessard Valérie , Kohl Yvonne , Silva Maria João , Dirven Hubert , Dietrich Jessica , Marko Doris
Published: December 2023

Fungi of the genus Alternaria are ubiquitous plant pathogens and saprophytes which are able to grow under varying temperature and moisture conditions as well as on a large range of substrates. A spectrum of structurally diverse secondary metabolites with toxic potential has been identified, but occurrence and relative proportion of the different metabolites in complex mixtures depend on strain, substrate, and growth conditions. This review compiles the available knowledge on hazard identification and characterization of Alternaria toxins. Alternariol (AOH), its monomethylether AME and the perylene quinones altertoxin I (ATX-I), ATX-II, ATX-III, alterperylenol (ALP), and stemphyltoxin III (STTX-III) showed in vitro genotoxic and mutagenic properties. Of all identified Alternaria toxins, the epoxide-bearing analogs ATX-II, ATX-III, and STTX-III show the highest cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic potential in vitro. Under hormone-sensitive conditions, AOH and AME act as moderate xenoestrogens, but in silico modeling predicts further Alternaria toxins as potential estrogenic factors. Recent studies indicate also an immunosuppressive role of AOH and ATX-II; however, no data are available for the majority of Alternaria toxins. Overall, hazard characterization of Alternaria toxins focused, so far, primarily on the commercially available dibenzo-α-pyrones AOH and AME and tenuazonic acid (TeA). Limited data sets are available for altersetin (ALS), altenuene (ALT), and tentoxin (TEN). The occurrence and toxicological relevance of perylene quinone-based Alternaria toxins still remain to be fully elucidated. We identified data gaps on hazard identification and characterization crucial to improve risk assessment of Alternaria mycotoxins for consumers and occupationally exposed workers.
Great potential of flaxseed mucilage
Authors: Kučka Matúš , Harenčár Ľubomír , Ražná Katarína , Nôžková Janka , Kowalczewski Przemysław Łukasz , Deyholos Michael , Dziedzic Krzysztof , Rybicka Iga , Zembrzuska Joanna , Kačániová Miroslava , Ivanišová Eva , Gažo Ján , Čerteková Simona , Tomka Marián
Published: December 2023

Mucilage is one of the key components of flaxseed (which is also called linseed), and exhibits unique functional properties such as high water-holding capacity, and foamability. As a result, flaxseed mucilage has applications in food, agriculture, medicine and other industries. The composition and functional properties of mucilage vary between genotypes. To explore this variation, we characterized the mucilage of nine diverse varieties of flaxseed according a range of parameters including: morphology, mucilage content, fibre content, minerals, phenolic acids, polyphenols, antimicrobial activity, and antioxidant activity. We found significant differences between the genotypes in almost all of the parameters tested. Furthermore, we found a strong correlation between several of these parameters, including antioxidant activity, hydroxycinnamic acid, and sugar content. Antimicrobial activity against Gram positive bacteria was correlated with fibre content and potassium content, while chlorogenic acid content was correlated with suppression of Gram negative bacteria. These results provide a framework for crop improvement further development of functional and value-added products from flaxseed.
Anesthesia/surgery-induced learning and memory dysfunction by inhibiting mitophagy-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome inactivation in aged mice
Authors: Lu Jian , Zong Youming , Tao Xiaoyan , Dai Hongyu , Song Jiale , Zhou Hongmei
Published: December 2023

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common postoperative complication, not only affects the quality of life of the elderly and increases the mortality rate, but also brings a greater burden to the family and society. Previous studies demonstrated that Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome participates in various inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. However, possible mitophagy mechanism in anesthesia/surgery-elicited NLRP3 inflammasome activation remains to be elucidated. Hence, this study clarified whether mitophagy dysfunction is related to anesthesia/surgery-elicited NLRP3 inflammasome activation. POCD model was established in aged C57BL/6 J mice by tibial fracture fixation under isoflurane anesthesia. Morris Water Maze (MWM) was used to evaluate learning and memory abilities. We found that in vitro experiments, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly facilitated NLRP3 inflammasome activation and mitophagy inhibition in BV2 cells. Rapamycin restored mitophagy and improved mitochondrial function, and inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by LPS. In vivo experiments, anesthesia and surgery caused upregulation of hippocampal NLRP3, caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and interleukin-1β (IL-1 β), and downregulation of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3II (LC3II) and Beclin1 in aged mice. Olaparib inhibited anesthesia/surgery-induced NLRP3, ASC, and IL-1β over-expression in the hippocampus, while upregulated the expression of LC3II and Beclin1. Furthermore, Olaparib improved cognitive impairment in older mice. These results revealed that mitophagy was involved in NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated anesthesia/surgery-induced cognitive deficits in aged mice. Overall, our results suggested that mitophagy was related in NLRP3 inflammasome-induced cognitive deficits after anesthesia and surgery in aged mice. Activating mitophagy may have clinical benefits in the prevention of cognitive impairment induced by anesthesia and surgery in elderly patients.
LncRNA-mir3471-limd1 regulatory network plays critical roles in HIBD
Authors: Sun Li , Wan Jun , Sun Bin , Tian Qiuyan , Li Mei , Xu Li-Xiao , Feng Chen-Xi , Tong Xiao , Feng Xing , Yang Xiaofeng , Ding Xin
Published: December 2023

The purpose of this study was to identify the target genes of tcon_00044595, elucidate its activation site, and provide novel insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of neonatal hypoxic–ischemic brain damage (HIBD). Through homologous blast analysis, we identified predicted target sequences in the neighboring regions of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) tcon_00044595, suggesting that limd1 is its target gene. Starbase was utilized to identify potential candidate microRNAs associated with the lncRNA. The interaction between the candidate microRNAs and limd1 was investigated and validated using various experimental methods including in vitro cell culture, cell transfection, dual fluorescence reporter detection system, and real-time PCR. Homology alignment analysis revealed that the lncRNA tcon_00044595 exhibited a 246 bp homologous sequence at the 3' end of the adjacent limd1 gene, with a conservation rate of 68%. Analysis conducted on Starbase online identified three potential microRNA candidates: miR-3471, miR-883a-5p, and miR-214-3p. Intracellular expression of the limd1 gene was significantly down-regulated upon transfection with miR-3471, while the other two microRNAs did not produce noticeable effects. Luciferase reporter assays identified two interaction sites (UTR-1, UTR-2) between miR-3471 and the limd1 3ʹUTR, with UTR-1 exhibiting a strong influence. Further CCK8 assay indicated a protective role of miR-3471 during low oxygen stroke in HIBD. The potential regulatory relationship between lncRNA (tcon_00044595), miR-3471, and the target gene limd1 suggests their involvement in the occurrence and development of HIBD, providing new insights for investigating the underlying mechanisms and exploring targeted therapeutic approaches for HIBD.
Quantifying cup overhang after total hip arthroplasty: standardized measurement using reformatted computed tomography and association of overhang distance with iliopsoas impingement
Authors: Marth Adrian A. , Ofner Christian , Zingg Patrick O. , Sutter Reto
Published: December 2023

Objectives

Currently, there is no standardized measurement method for evaluating cup overhang (CO) in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). We propose a novel, standardized method of measuring overhang distance in patients following primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) on computed tomography (CT) images after multiplanar reformation and compare it to a previously proposed measurement method on sagittal CT images.

Materials and methods

This retrospective study included patients who underwent primary THA with an anterior approach. Patients with cup overhang (CO) and iliopsoas impingement (IPI) were identified by clinical and imaging data. Uncorrected overhang distance (ODu) was evaluated on orthogonal sagittal CT images while corrected overhang distance (ODc) was evaluated on reformatted sagittal CT images corrected for pelvic rotation and aligned with the plane of the cup face.

Results

Out of 220 patients with THA, 23 patients (10.4%) with CO and 16 patients (7.3%) with IPI were identified. CO was significantly associated to IPI (p < 0.001). The inter- and intrareader agreement was almost perfect for ODc (κ = 0.822, κ = 0.850), whereas it was fair and moderate for ODu (κ = 0.391, κ = 0.455), respectively. The discriminative ability of ODc was excellent (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.909 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.784–1.000)) in the receiver operating characteristic analysis. Conversely, AUC for ODu was poor, measuring 0.677 (95% CI 0.433–0.921).

Conclusion

We implemented a novel measurement method for CT images reformatted at the plane of the cup face to assess overhang distance in patients with CO following THA.

Clinical relevance statement

While further validation is necessary, the proposed method is characterized by its high reproducibility and might be used to predict the occurrence of iliopsoas impingement in patients with cup overhang following total hip arthroplasty.

Key Points

• A novel, standardized method of measuring cup overhang distance in patients following primary total hip arthroplasty on CT images is proposed.

• Cup overhang was associated to iliopsoas impingement. The proposed method was reproducible and showed excellent prediction of iliopsoas impingement in patients with cup overhang.

• This method can be implemented in clinical practice when assessing CT images of patients with cup overhang for iliopsoas impingement.
Abdominal lymphocele following multi-level anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) managed with a laparoscopic peritoneal window: case report and review of the literature
Authors: Collins Andrew P. , Freise Christopher E. , Hiramoto Jade , Clark Aaron J. , Theologis Alekos A.
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Lymphocele formation following anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) is not common, but it can pose diagnostic and treatment challenges. The purpose of this case is to report for the first time the treatment of a postoperative lymphocele following a multi-level ALIF using a peritoneal window made through a minimally invasive laparoscopic approach.

Methods

Case report.

Results

A 74-year-old male with a history of prostatectomy and pelvic radiation underwent a staged L3–S1 ALIF (left paramedian approach) and T10-pelvis posterior instrumented with L1–5 decompression/posterior column osteotomies for degenerative scoliosis and neurogenic claudication. Three weeks after surgery, swelling of the left abdomen and entire left leg was reported. Computed tomography of the abdomen/pelvis demonstrated a large (19.2 × 12.0 × 15.4 cm) retroperitoneal fluid collection with compression of the left ureter and left common iliac vein. Fluid analysis (80% lymphocytes) was consistent with a lymphocele. Percutaneous drainage for 4 days was ineffective at clearing the lymphocele. For more definitive management, the patient underwent an uncomplicated laparoscopic creation of a peritoneal window to allow passive drainage of lymphatic fluid into the abdomen. Three years after surgery, he had no back or leg pain, had achieved spinal union, and had no abdominal swelling or left leg swelling. Advanced imaging also confirmed resolution of the lymphocele.

Conclusions

In this case report, creation of a peritoneal window minimally invasively via a laparoscope allowing passive drainage of lymphatic fluid into the abdomen was safe and effective for management of an abdominal lymphocele following a multi-level ALIF.