bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Hybrid Learning Model to Teach Human Physiology Experiments
Authors: Deepika Kamath M. , Qaisar Rizwan , Karim Asima , Elmoselhi Adel , Mussa Bashair M.
Published: July 2023

The declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, had profound effects on educational activities worldwide. As a crisis response measure, the educational institutes had to shift from onsite to online teaching and adopt online learning platforms to ensure a smooth delivery of educational content. However, the efficacy of such teaching methods for laboratory experiments partly remains elusive. We aim to explore students’ perspectives and experiences toward a hybrid approach in conducting human physiology experiments. We designed a teaching model that combines onsite and online learning to provide hands-on experience to medical students without compromising COVID-19 preventive measures. It is a cross-sectional study among Years 1, 2, and 3 medical students. Data was collected through an online survey via a self-administered electronic questionnaire. Data was analyzed using a two-sample t-test using Graph-Pad Prism version 8.01. Our results indicate that the hybrid model was well-received, and students agreed that the hybrid model was time-saving and allowed them to study at their own pace compared to students who did not agree (p < 0.05). A significantly higher number of students found the hybrid model extremely useful and were satisfied with its content (p < 0.05). They recommended continuing this format in the future. The students opined that providing the recorded videos in advance and clarifying their doubts in the prelab sessions prepared them better for the hands-on experience (p < 0.05). Therefore, we recommend maintaining the hybrid learning methods for time-effectiveness and enhance efficiency of learning.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on an Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program in Istanbul
Authors: Gunay Erkan , Gunay Serkan
Published: July 2023

The first case of COVID-19 was reported in March 2020 in Turkey. Following the countrywide restrictions, residency lectures and meetings were suspended. Emergency medicine (EM) residency training was uniquely disturbed because the medical care provided by the hospitals during pandemics was restricted to only emergency admissions. Our hospital is a state-owned Training and Research Academic Centre. Regular scientific conferences and postgraduate training courses are organized by specialty societies and academic staff. We aimed to describe the challenges of residency training during COVID restrictions and reflect the opinions of the emergency medicine residents through an online survey study. Survey results revealed that WhatsApp Group announcements were preferred to email for rapid information distribution. A major challenge during the initial period was following the weekly scientific board meeting guidelines and distributing the updated documents within the department. Adaptation to the online lectures was also challenging. Practical sessions were found to be the most challenging and unattainable by the residents. One-on-one sessions were preferred especially for surgical procedures and ultrasound training. Online courses prepared by the specialty societies were useful for specialty-focused information sharing. WhatsApp is the preferred way for fast information sharing including educational materials and guidelines. Specialty societies are important stakeholders in improving up-to-date materials for distance learning within the EM residency training.
Reusing Alum Sludge as Cement Replacement to Develop Eco-Friendly Concrete Products
Authors: Liu Y. , Zhuge Y. , Duan W.
Published: July 2023

Alum sludge is a typical by-product of the water industry. The traditional sludge management method, disposing of sludge in landfill sites, poses a critical environmental and economic concern due to a significant increase in sludge amount and disposal cost. In this paper, the feasibility of reusing sludge as cement replacement is investigated, and the physical performance and microstructure modification of concrete products made with sludge is discussed. The obtained results indicated that a satisfying pozzolanic reactivity of sludge after calcination at high temperatures and grinding to the appropriate size was identified. When 10% cement was replaced with sludge, the reaction degree of sludge was up to 39%, and the obtained concrete blocks exhibited superior mechanical performance. Based on the microstructural analysis, e.g., x-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and advanced nanoindentation method, the high aluminum content in sludge was incorporated into C–(A)–S–H gel; the original “Al-minor” C–(A)–S–H gel in pure cement paste was converted to ‘Al-rich’ C–(A)–S–H gel. Also, sludge promoted the formation of aluminum-bearing hydrates, such as ettringite and calcium aluminate hydrates (C–A–H). Although the Al incorporation had no significant effect on the hardness and modulus of C–(A)–S–H gel, the homogeneous mechanical properties (hardness and modulus measured with nanoindentation) of binder paste degraded with increasing sludge ash content above 10%, attributing to the lower hardness of unreacted sludge than cement clinker and the relatively lower reaction degree. Using sludge in concrete products offers an economical and environmentally friendly way to dispose of sludge and preserve diminishing natural resources. Also, the reduction of cement usage may contribute to achieving carbon neutrality.
Two spinning Konishi operators at three loops.
Authors: Bianchi Marco S.
Published: July 2023

Abstract

We present the three-point function of two spin-two and one scalar twist-two operators in 𝒩 = 4 SYM up to three perturbative orders at weak coupling, obtained via a direct Feynman diagrammatic calculation.
Alternative treatment of the quark mass in the heavy quark expansion
Authors: Boushmelev Anastasia , Mannel Thomas , Vos K. Keri
Published: July 2023

Abstract

The treatment of the quark mass plays an important role when it comes to increasing the precision of the predictions of the heavy quark expansion for inclusive heavy hadron decays. Various short-distance mass schemes have been invented to minimize the uncertainties induced by the quark mass, which needs to be extracted from other, independent observables. We suggest to replace the quark mass directly by an observable such as e.g. the inverse moments of the cross section for e+e− → hadrons. We investigate this alternative strategy and study its impact on the perturbative series.
Operator growth and black hole formation
Authors: Haehl Felix M. , Zhao Ying
Published: July 2023

Abstract

When two particles collide in an asymptotically AdS spacetime with high enough energy and small enough impact parameter, they can form a black hole. Motivated by dual quantum circuit considerations, we propose a threshold condition for black hole formation. Intuitively the condition can be understood as the onset of overlap of the butterfly cones describing the ballistic spread of the effect of the perturbations on the boundary systems. We verify the correctness of the condition in three bulk dimensions. We describe a six-point correlation function that can diagnose this condition and compute it in two-dimensional CFTs using eikonal resummation.
More or less discrimination? Practical feasibility of fairness auditing of technologies for personnel selection
Authors: Mihaljević Helena , Müller Ivana , Dill Katja , Yollu-Tok Aysel , von Grafenstein Maximilian
Published: July 2023

The use of technologies in personnel selection has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, revealing their potential to amplify existing inequalities in recruitment processes. To date, however, there has been a lack of comprehensive assessments of respective discriminatory potentials and no legal or practical standards have been explicitly established for fairness auditing. The current proposal of the Artificial Intelligence Act classifies numerous applications in personnel selection and recruitment as high-risk technologies, and while it requires quality standards to protect the fundamental rights of those involved, particularly during development, it does not provide concrete guidance on how to ensure this, especially once the technologies are commercially available. We argue that comprehensive and reliable auditing of personnel selection technologies must be contextual, that is, embedded in existing processes and based on real data, as well as participative, involving various stakeholders beyond technology vendors and customers, such as advocacy organizations and researchers. We propose an architectural draft that employs a data trustee to provide independent, fiduciary management of personal and corporate data to audit the fairness of technologies used in personnel selection. Drawing on a case study conducted with two state-owned companies in Berlin, Germany, we discuss challenges and approaches related to suitable fairness metrics, operationalization of vague concepts such as migration* and applicable legal foundations that can be utilized to overcome the fairness-privacy-dilemma arising from uncertainties associated with current laws. We highlight issues that require further interdisciplinary research to enable a prototypical implementation of the auditing concept in the mid-term.
Comparative full-field velocimetry of liquid flow within monolithic catalyst carriers via CFD simulations and MRV measurements
Authors: Sadeghi Mehrdad , Ricke Adrian , Pesch Georg R. , Dreher Wolfgang , Thöming Jorg
Published: July 2023

In reaction engineering, reactor performance can be improved in many cases by overcoming transport limitations. This requires detailed analyses of transport phenomena in the catalytic beds. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) velocimetry measurements have been utilized for analyzing mass transport of gas flows within opaque monoliths. Comparisons to full-field computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, however, show significant deviations. In this study, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and 3D-printed monoliths including one open-cell foam (OCF) and one honeycomb were used to demonstrate that both operating fluid and monolith morphology influence the achievable signal-to-noise ratio and resolution of NMR data. The velocity profiles measured by NMR in OCF agreed well with full-field CFD simulations with ± 5% deviation. In addition, the similarity between the simulated and experimental velocity fields was quantified by the similarity index, which is 1 for identical images. A mean value of 0.83 was determined for a 10 PPI OCF. Thus, using PEG as the operating fluid and a 10 PPI OCF allows to improve both spatial resolution by 34% and the quality of agreement by 13 percentage points compared to the published results of gas velocimetry within 20 PPI OCF. We further identified and quantified possible sources of deviation between CFD and MRV velocity fields. By limiting our analysis to velocities higher than 45% of the maximum velocity, we could achieve similarity indices of 0.95–0.99.
A population-based comparison of patients with metastatic esophagogastric carcinoma between Japan and the Netherlands
Authors: Pape Marieke , Vissers Pauline A. J. , Kato Ken , Haj Mohammad Nadia , Klarenbeek Bastiaan , van Laarhoven Hanneke W. M. , Matsuda Tomohiro , Verhoeven Rob H. A.
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Differences exist between Asian and Western patients with esophagogastric cancer, for example in terms of histological subtype and treatment strategies. This study aimed to compare characteristics and treatment between patients with metastatic esophagogastric cancer from Japan and the Netherlands using nationwide cancer registry data.

Methods

Patients diagnosed with metastatic esophageal or gastric cancer were included from the nationwide national cancer registry of Japan (2016–2019) and the Netherlands (2015–2020). Treatment strategies were analyzed using chi-squared tests.

Results

The proportion of patients with metastatic esophageal (16.0% vs 34.2%) and gastric cancer (14.9% vs 45.2%) were lower in Japan compared to the Netherlands. Japanese patients with metastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) or gastric cancer (GC) were more often male and older compared to Dutch patients. Proportion of patients with metastatic disease who received surgical resection was higher in Japan compared to the Netherlands (EAC 9.3 vs 1.4%, p < 0.001; ESCC 10.7% vs 2.3%, p < 0.001; GC 12.0% vs 3.6% p < 0.001). Proportion of patients who received systemic therapy was also higher (EAC 44.8% vs 30.4%, p < 0.001; ESCC 26.6% vs 12.0%, p < 0.001; GC 50.7% vs 35.8% p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Japanese patients less often presented with metastatic esophagogastric cancer and more often underwent surgical resection or received systemic therapy compared to Dutch patients. Further investigation should elucidate what the deliberations are in both Japan and the Netherlands and if more patients in the Netherlands could benefit from surgical resection or systemic therapy and whether this would translate in better survival and quality of life.
Algebraic Restriction Codes and Their Applications
Authors: Aggarwal Divesh , Döttling Nico , Dujmovic Jesko , Hajiabadi Mohammad , Malavolta Giulio , Obremski Maciej
Published: July 2023

Consider the following problem: You have a device that is supposed to compute a linear combination of its inputs, which are taken from some finite field. However, the device may be faulty and compute arbitrary functions of its inputs. Is it possible to encode the inputs in such a way that only linear functions can be evaluated over the encodings? I.e., learning an arbitrary function of the encodings will not reveal more information about the inputs than a linear combination. In this work, we introduce the notion of algebraic restriction codes (AR codes), which constrain adversaries who might compute any function to computing a linear function. Our main result is an information-theoretic construction AR codes that restrict any class of function with a bounded number of output bits to linear functions. Our construction relies on a seed which is not provided to the adversary. While interesting and natural on its own, we show an application of this notion in cryptography. In particular, we show that AR codes lead to the first construction of rate-1 oblivious transfer with statistical sender security from the Decisional Diffie–Hellman assumption, and the first-ever construction that makes black-box use of cryptography. Previously, such protocols were known only from the LWE assumption, using non-black-box cryptographic techniques. We expect our new notion of AR codes to find further applications, e.g., in the context of non-malleability, in the future.
Stakeholder perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 on oncology services: a qualitative study
Authors: Butow Phyllis , Havard Polly E. , Butt Zoe , Juraskova Ilona , Sharpe Louise , Dhillon Haryana , Beatty Lisa , Beale Philip , Cigolini Maria , Kelly Brian , Chan Raymond J. , Kirsten Laura , Best Megan C. , Shaw Joanne
Published: July 2023

Background

As COVID-19 spread across the globe, cancer services were required to rapidly pivot to minimise risks without compromising outcomes for patients or staff. The aim of this study was to document changes to oncology services as a result of COVID-19 from the perspectives of both providers and receivers of care during the initial phase of the pandemic.

Methods

Participants were recruited between June and December 2020 through an email invitation via professional or consumer organisations, two hospital-based oncology services and snowballing. Semi-structured interviews focused on health service changes and their impacts, which were then analysed by thematic analysis.

Results

Thirty-two patients, 16 carers and 29 health professionals were recruited. Fifteen patients (n = 47%) had localised disease, and 19 (n = 59%) were currently receiving treatment. Oncology staff included oncologists, palliative care physicians, nurses, allied health and psychosocial practitioners. Four themes arose from the data: safety, increased stress and burnout, communication challenges and quality of cancer care.

Conclusions

There is an ongoing need for cancer-specific information from a single, trusted source to inform medical practitioners and patients/carers. More data are required to inform evidence-based guidelines for cancer care during future pandemics. All stakeholders require ongoing support to avoid stress and burnout.
Changes in How Climate Forces the Vegetation of Southern Africa
Authors: Higgins Steven I. , Conradi Timo , Ongole Shasank , Turpie Jane , Weiss Joshua , Eggli Urs , Slingsby Jasper A.
Published: July 2023

Global climatic changes are altering ecosystem structure and functioning, yet detecting and forecasting such change is difficult. In this study, we use the concept of a phytoclime—a region where climate favours the growth of similar combinations of plant types—to examine how changes in climate forcing may impact on regional vegetation. We use species distribution data to estimate the parameters of a physiological plant growth model for 5006 vascular plant species common to southern Africa. Plant type suitability surfaces are calculated as the average climatic suitability of locations for all species belonging to a plant type. We calculated plant type suitability surfaces for ten different plant types. The resulting surfaces were used to produce a spatial classification of phytoclimes, which we interpret as regions that can climatically support particular plant type combinations. We use the phytoclime definitions and climatologies from five global circulation models (GCMs) simulating three shared economic pathways (SSPs) to forecast how the climatic forcing underlying the phytoclimes will change. Our analyses forecast that change in phytoclime state will be widespread throughout the region. There were, however, substantial differences in the timing of when changes would occur. The central interior of the region was forecast to change earlier than the arid west and southern coast. These differences in timing were driven by differences in the responses of trees, succulents, C3 and C4 grasses to the GCMs forecast aridification of the region’s central interior. Phytoclime modelling provides an indication of the potential of a region’s climate to support different plant types; it thereby provides forecasts of the potential impacts of climate change on regional vegetation structure and functioning.
A continuum of context in informational privacy transmissions: insights from people with disabilities in Vietnam
Authors: Rohman Abdul , Dang-Pham Duy , Pitaloka Dyah , Erlina Erlina , Prastyani Ade
Published: July 2023

The transmission of informational privacy has become a fertile ground for debate among competing actors affected by the proliferation of information communication technologies. Contexts are among the factors that shape the flow of informational privacy. The existing discussion however has been mainly dominated by perspectives from the Global North and the able-bodied. In response, based on interview data collected from people with disabilities (PwD) living in Vietnam, this study offers the continuum of context in informational privacy transmissions as a concept to illuminate the types, the levels, and the interest of the transmission and the capability of PwD to manage the flow of their informational privacy. The concept has the potential to enrich the existing discussion by providing more nuance and dynamic of informational privacy transmissions situated in the Global South and among groups who have been historically marginalized.
Stemflow infiltration hotspots near-tree stems along a soil depth gradient in a mixed oak–beech forest
Authors: Hemr Ondřej , Vichta Tomáš , Brychtová Martina , Kupec Petr , Žižlavská Nikola , Tomášová Gabriela , Deutscher Jan
Published: July 2023

In an upland forested micro-catchment during the growing season, we tested soil responses to precipitation events as well as soil water content (SWC). We asked ourselves if what is the difference of SWC response to precipitation events depending on the presence and proximity of a tree? The environmental heterogeneity of the small 7.5-ha headwater area was captured by soil probes at specific locations: (i) probe measurements of SWC at 10-, 30-, 60-, and 100-cm depths; (ii) resolution of near-tree (NT) and between-tree (BT) positions; and (iii) resolution of four slope classes. The results revealed significant differences between the hydrological responses of the soil. NT soils had faster infiltration but were also faster to dry out when compared to BT soils, which were less affected by the presence of trees. Water input threshold values, measured as the precipitation amount needed to cause a significant increase in SWC, were also significantly different, with NT positions always lower than BT positions. Total infiltration of the topmost NT and BT soil layers reached 185 and 156 mm during the study period, corresponding to 43% and 36% of the total 434 mm of precipitation, respectively. Infiltration into the deepest horizon was significantly higher in NT soils, where it reached 114 mm (26%) as opposed to 9 mm (2%) in BT soils, and was indicative of significant vertical hydraulic bypass flow in the proximity of trees. These observations contribute to better understanding the hydrological processes, their nonlinearity, and the expansion of conceptual hydrological models.
Avena sterilis ssp. ludoviciana (Durieu) Control in Wheat Through Integration of Tillage, Seeding Rate, and Herbicide Application
Authors: Mahajan Gulshan , Chauhan Bhagirath Singh
Published: July 2023

Avena sterilis ssp. ludoviciana (Durieu) is a problematic weed in the wheat crop of Australia. Pinoxaden is an effective herbicide for the control of this weed. However, late cohorts of A. ludoviciana escape from the early application of pinoxaden and produce seeds. This research investigated the integrated effect of tillage systems (no-tillage and conventional tillage), seeding rates (100 and 200 seeds m−2), and weed control treatments (nontreated control and pinoxaden application at Z12 and Z33 stages of wheat) on Avena ludoviciana control and wheat yield. The wheat yield remained similar in no-tillage and conventional tillage systems; however, the no-tillage system helped in reducing A. ludoviciana seed production by 28% compared with the conventional tillage system. In the nontreated control, the increased seeding rate of wheat reduced A. ludoviciana biomass and seed production by 33 and 66%, respectively, compared with the low seeding rate. These results suggest that a high seeding rate could be useful in the organic production of wheat. Application of pinoxaden at Z12 and Z33 stages of wheat resulted in an improvement in grain yield by 170 and 150%, respectively, compared with the nontreated control. At both seeding rates, the application of pinoxaden at the Z33 stage of wheat reduced weed seed production by 99% compared with the nontreated control. These results implied that the delayed application of pinoxaden at the Z33 stage of wheat effectively reduced weed biomass and seed production of A. ludoviciana without compromising grain yield as the yield in this treatment was similar to the pinoxaden application at the Z12 stage.
The trade-off frontier for ESG and Sharpe ratio: a bootstrapped double-frontier data envelopment analysis
Authors: Boubaker Sabri , Le Tu D. Q. , Manita Riadh , Ngo Thanh
Published: July 2023

The trade-off between the returns and the risks associated with the stocks (i.e., the Sharpe ratio, SR) is an important measure of portfolio optimization. In recent years, the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) has increasingly proven its influence on stocks’ returns, resulting in the evolvement from a two-dimensional (i.e., risks versus returns) into a multi-dimensional setting (e.g., risks versus returns versus ESG). This study is the first to examine this setting in the global energy sector using a (slacks-based measures, SBM) ESG-SR double-frontier double-bootstrap (ESG-SR DFDB) by studying the determinants of the overall ESG-SR efficiency for 334 energy firms from 45 countries in 2019. We show that only around 11% of our sampled firms perform well in the multi-dimensional ESG-SR efficient frontier. The 2019 average (in)efficiency of the global energy sector was 2.273, given an efficient level of 1.000. Besides the differences in the firm’s input/output utilization (regarding their E, S, G, and SR values), we found that the firm- (e.g., market capitalization and board characteristics) and country-level characteristics (e.g., the rule of law) have positive impacts on their ESG-SR performance. Such findings, therefore, are essential not only to the (responsible) investors but also to managers and policymakers in those firms/countries.
Interventions for Young Children’s Mental Health: A Review of Reviews
Authors: Hudson Jennifer L. , Minihan Savannah , Chen Wenting , Carl Talia , Fu Michele , Tully Lucy , Kangas Maria , Rosewell Linda , McDermott Emma A. , Wang Yiwen , Stubbs Thomas , Martiniuk Alexandra
Published: July 2023

To determine the efficacy of intervention programs for young children (4–9 years) with emerging mental health needs, we conducted a review of meta-analytic and systematic reviews of the intervention literature. Of 41,061 abstracts identified and 15,076 screened, 152 review articles met the inclusion criteria. We reviewed interventions across multiple disciplines targeting: (1) general mental health concerns; (2) internalizing symptoms; (3) externalizing symptoms; (4) anxiety; (5) depression; (6) trauma; (7) symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; and (8) mental health concerns associated with autism spectrum disorder. Substantial evidence was found for the efficacy of behavioral and cognitive behavioral interventions for general mental health concerns, externalizing symptoms (generally, as well as ADHD, conduct, and other behavioral symptoms) and internalizing symptoms (generally, as well as anxiety) aged 4–9 years. Emerging evidence was identified for interventions targeting trauma symptoms, depression symptoms, and social, emotional and behavioral symptoms in autism spectrum disorder in children aged 4–9 years. Currently there is only limited emerging evidence regarding non-behavioral or non-cognitive behavioral interventions for programs targeting children ages 4–9 years where the aim is to deliver an evidence-based program to improve child social, emotional and/or behavioral functioning. Given the recent rises in mental health needs reported in children, targeted behavioral-and/or cognitive behavior therapy-based interventions should be made widely available to children (and their families) who experience elevated symptoms.
AI, Behavioural Science, and Consumer Welfare
Authors: Mills S. , Costa S. , Sunstein C. R.
Published: July 2023

This article discusses the opportunities and costs of AI in behavioural science, with particular reference to consumer welfare. We argue that because of pattern detection capabilities, modern AI will be able to identify (1) new biases in consumer behaviour and (2) known biases in novel situations in which consumers find themselves. AI will also allow behavioural interventions to be personalised and contextualised and thus produce significant benefits for consumers. Finally, AI can help behavioural scientists to “see the system,” by enabling the creation of more complex and dynamic models of consumer behaviour. While these opportunities will significantly advance behavioural science and offer great promise to improve consumer outcomes, we highlight several costs of using AI. We focus on some important environmental, social, and economic costs that are relevant to behavioural science and its application. For consumers, some of those costs involve privacy; others involve manipulation of choices.
Smart nesting: estimating geometrical compatibility in the nesting problem using graph neural networks
Authors: Abdou Kirolos , Mohammed Osama , Eskandar George , Ibrahim Amgad , Matt Paul-Amaury , Huber Marco F.
Published: July 2023

Reducing material waste and computation time are primary objectives in cutting and packing problems (C &P). A solution to the C &P problem consists of many steps, including the grouping of items to be nested and the arrangement of the grouped items on a large object. Current algorithms use meta-heuristics to solve the arrangement problem directly without explicitly addressing the grouping problem. In this paper, we propose a new pipeline for the nesting problem that starts with grouping the items to be nested and then arranging them on large objects. To this end, we introduce and motivate a new concept, namely the Geometrical Compatibility Index (GCI). Items with higher GCI should be clustered together. Since no labels exist for GCIs, we propose to model GCIs as bidirectional weighted edges of a graph that we call geometrical relationship graph (GRG). We propose a novel reinforcement-learning-based framework, which consists of two graph neural networks trained in an actor-critic-like fashion to learn GCIs. Then, to group the items into clusters, we model the GRG as a capacitated vehicle routing problem graph and solve it using meta-heuristics. Experiments conducted on a private dataset with regularly and irregularly shaped items show that the proposed algorithm can achieve a significant reduction in computation time (30% to 48%) compared to an open-source nesting software while attaining similar trim loss on regular items and a threefold improvement in trim loss on irregular items.
Beta-TCP scaffolds with rationally designed macro-micro hierarchical structure improved angio/osteo-genesis capability for bone regeneration
Authors: Feng Jianlang , Liu Junjie , Wang Yingqu , Diao Jingjing , Kuang Yudi , Zhao Naru
Published: July 2023

The design of hierarchical porous structure in scaffolds is crucial for bone defect regenerative repair. However, bioceramic materials present a challenge in precisely constructing designed micropores owing to the limitation of forming process. To investigate micropore shape influences bone regeneration in bioceramic scaffolds with macropores, hierarchical porous scaffolds with interconnective macropores (~400 μm) and two types of micropores (spherical and fibrous) were prepared using a combination of direct ink writing (DIW) and template sacrifice methods. Compared to the scaffold with spherical micropores, the scaffold with highly interconnected fibrous micropores significantly improved cell adhesion and upregulated osteogenic and angiogenetic-related gene expression in mBMSCs and HUVECs, respectively. Furthermore, in vivo implantation experiments showed that hierarchical scaffolds with fibrous micropores accelerated the bone repair process significantly. This result can be attributed to the high interconnectivity of fibrous micropores, which promotes the transportation of nutrients and waste during bone regeneration. Our work demonstrates that hierarchical porous scaffold design, especially one with a fibrous micropore structure, is a promising strategy for improving the bone regeneration performance of bioceramic scaffolds.

Graphical Abstract
A tri-layer decellularized, dehydrated human amniotic membrane scaffold supports the cellular functions of human tenocytes in vitro
Authors: Mao Yong , John Nikita , Protzman Nicole M. , Long Desiree , Sivalenka Raja , Azimi Shamshad , Mirabile Brandon , Pouliot Robert , Gosiewska Anna , Hariri Robert J. , Brigido Stephen A.
Published: July 2023

Differences in scaffold design have the potential to influence cell-scaffold interactions. This study sought to determine whether a tri-layer design influences the cellular function of human tenocytes in vitro. The single-layer decellularized, dehydrated human amniotic membrane (DDHAM) and the tri-layer DDHAM (DDHAM-3L) similarly supported tenocyte function as evidenced by improved cell growth and migration, reduced dedifferentiation, and an attenuated inflammatory response. The tri-layer design provides a mechanically more robust scaffold without altering biological activity.

Graphical Abstract
Improving exploration strategies in large dimensions and rate of convergence of global random search algorithms
Authors: Noonan Jack , Zhigljavsky Anatoly
Published: July 2023

We consider global optimization problems, where the feasible region $${\mathcal {X}}$$
X
is a compact subset of $$\mathbb {R}^d$$

R

d

with $$d \ge 10$$

d
≥
10

. For these problems, we demonstrate that the actual convergence of global random search algorithms is much slower than that given by the classical estimates, based on the asymptotic properties of random points, and that the usually recommended space exploration schemes are inefficient in the non-asymptotic regime. Moreover, we show that uniform sampling on entire $${\mathcal {X}}$$
X
is much less efficient than uniform sampling on a suitable subset of $${\mathcal {X}}$$
X
, and that the effect of replacement of random points by low-discrepancy sequences can be felt in small dimensions only.
EpiGeostats: An R Package to Facilitate Visualization of Geostatistical Disease Risk Maps
Authors: Ribeiro Manuel , Azevedo Leonardo , Pereira Maria João
Published: July 2023

With the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Portugal, a geostatistical tool was developed to model the spatial distribution of COVID-19 risk to support decision-making and policymakers. Based on a block direct sequential simulation algorithm, the model provides detailed disease risk estimates and associated spatial uncertainty. However, uncertainty is difficult to visualize with the estimated risk, and is usually overlooked as a tool to support decision-making. Ignoring uncertainty can be misleading in evaluating risk, since the amount of uncertainty varies throughout the spatial domain. The EpiGeostats R package was developed to solve this problem, since it integrates the geostatistical model and visualization tools to deliver a single map summarizing disease risk and spatial uncertainty. This paper briefly describes the methodology and package functions implemented for interfacing with the tools in question. The use of EpiGeostats is illustrated by applying it to real data from COVID-19 incidence rates on mainland Portugal. EpiGeostats is a powerful tool for supporting decision-making in the context of epidemics, since it combines a well-established geostatistical model for disease risk mapping with simple and intuitive ways of visualizing results, which prevent fine-scale inference in regions with high-risk uncertainty. The package may be used for similar problems such as mortality risk, or applied to other fields such as ecology or environmental epidemiology.
Integration of state machine graphical animation and Maude to facilitate characteristic conjecture: an approach to lemma discovery in theorem proving
Authors: Bui Dang Duy , Tran Duong Dinh , Ogata Kazuhiro , Riesco Adrian
Published: July 2023

State Machine Graphical Animation (called SMGA) is a visualization tool that assists formal methods experts in conjecturing characteristics of a protocol/system. The characteristics guessed by using the tool can be used as lemma candidates to theorem prove that the protocol/system satisfies its desired properties. Because previous work has shown that interaction in SMGA is one promising factor to foster assistance, in this paper, we revise SMGA equipping it with various interactive features in order to help human users in conjecturing lemmas. Moreover, we integrate SMGA and Maude, a declarative language and high-performance tool, so that the revised version of SMGA (called r-SMGA) can use some powerful features of Maude, such as parsing associative-commutative binary operators as well as context-free grammars, reachability analysis, and model checking. We conduct a case study with the Suzuki-Kasami protocol to demonstrate the usefulness of these new features. In the case study, some characteristics are conjectured and confirmed with these features. Based on the guessed characteristics and assistance of r-SMGA, we successfully prove that the protocol enjoys the mutual exclusion property. Finally, we propose guidelines that can help users to conjecture characteristics using r-SMGA. Our result shows that the graphical animation approach is useful for lemma conjecture in theorem proving. The formal verification is a part of the case study.
Asymptotics, Trace, and Density Results for Weighted Dirichlet Spaces Defined on the Half-line
Authors: Capone Claudia , Kałamajska Agnieszka
Published: July 2023

We give an analytic description for the completion of $$C_0^\infty (\mathbb {R}_+)$$

C
0
∞

(

R
+

)

, where $$\mathbb {R}_+= (0,\infty )$$

R
+

=

(
0
,
∞
)

, in Dirichlet space $$D^{1,p}(\mathbb {R}_+, \omega ):= \{ u \, :\mathbb {R}_+\rightarrow {{\mathbb {R}}}: u\ $$

D

1
,
p

(

R
+

,
ω
)

:
=
{
u

:

R
+

→
R
:
u

is locally absolutely continuous on $$\mathbb {R}_+\, and \, \Vert u^{'}\Vert _{L^p(\mathbb {R}_+, \omega )}<\infty \}$$

R
+

a
n
d

‖

u

′

‖

L
p

(

R
+

,
ω
)

<
∞
}

, for given continuous positive weight $$\omega $$
ω
defined on $$\mathbb {R}_+$$

R
+

, where $$1<p<\infty $$

1
<
p
<
∞

. The conditions are described in terms of the modified variants of the $$B_p$$

B
p

conditions due to Kufner and Opic from 1984, which in our approach are focusing on the integrability of $$\omega ^{-p/(p-1)}$$

ω

-
p
/
(
p
-
1
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near zero or near infinity. Moreover, we propose applications of our results to: obtaining new variants of Hardy inequality, interpretation of boundary value problems in ODE’s defined on the half-line with solutions in $$D^{1,p}(\mathbb {R}_+, \omega )$$

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p

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, new results from complex interpolation theory dealing with interpolation spaces between weighted Dirichlet spaces, and for deriving new Morrey type embedding theorems for our Dirichlet space.
Economic effects of litigation risk on corporate disclosure and innovation
Authors: Schantl Stefan F. , Wagenhofer Alfred
Published: July 2023

Empirical studies on the relationship between shareholder litigation and corporate disclosure obtain mixed results. We develop an economic model to capture the endogeneity between disclosure and litigation. Equilibrium disclosure is determined by two countervailing effects of litigation, a deterrence effect and an insurance effect. We derive four key results. (i) Decreasing litigation risk leads to less disclosure of very bad news, due to a weakening of the deterrence effect, but to more disclosure of weakly bad news, due to a weakening of the insurance effect. (ii) Given a sufficiently large information asymmetry, litigation risk dampens (boosts) overall disclosure of bad news for low (high) litigation risk firms. (iii) Capital markets respond more to the disclosure of bad news than of good news if the deterrence effect is strong, which arises if both insiders’ penalties and litigation risk are high. (iv) In an extension, we highlight real effects of litigation on corporate innovation and establish that innovation first decreases and then increases (strictly decreases) with litigation risk if insiders’ penalties are small (large). We reconcile our findings with results from a large set of U.S.-based empirical studies and make several novel predictions.
Phase angle as a marker of outcome in hospitalized pediatric patients. A systematic review of the evidence (GRADE) with meta-analysis
Authors: Fernández-Jiménez Rocío , Martín-Masot Rafael , Cornejo-Pareja Isabel , Vegas-Aguilar Isabel M. , Herrador-López Marta , Tinahones Francisco J. , Navas-López Víctor Manuel , Bellido-Guerrero Diego , García-Almeida José Manuel
Published: July 2023

Phase angle (PhA) is a valuable tool for evaluating the nutritional and inflammatory status, which can accompany acute and severe disorders. PhA is a cellular health biomarker, whose value is particularly substantial due to the negative consequences of these situations in the pediatric population. Relevant literature was collected with the aim of comprehensively analysing the evidence on the association between an altered PhA can serve as a predictive-marker for mortality and poor-outcomes in at-risk-pediatric patients. Understanding this relationship could have significant implications for identifying high-risk individuals and implementing timely interventions. A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted in the primary electronic databases from inception until January 2023. Overall, four studies with a total of 740 patients were eligible for our analysis. Evidence demonstrates that PhA is associated with nutritional status, reflecting undernutrition and changes in body composition related to illness. This review suggests that PhA can indeed be used as an indicator of nutritional status and a tool for predicting prognosis, including mortality and poor-outcomes, in hospitalized pediatric patients. A low PhA was associated with a significant mortality risk [RR:1.51;95%CI (1.22–1.88),p = 0.0002;I2 = 0%,(p = 0.99)] and an increased complications risk [OR:8.17;95%CI (2.44–27.4),p = 0.0007;I2 = 44%,(p = 0.18)]. These findings highlight the importance of taking a comprehensive approach to clinical nutrition, integrating multiple evaluation aspects to establish an accurate diagnosis and personalized therapeutic plans. While PhA emerges as a valuable tool for assessing the risk of malnutrition and as a prognostic-indicator for poor-outcomes in pediatric patients. Further future studies are needed to focus on investigating this relationship in larger and diverse population to strengthen the evidence base.

Graphical Abstract
Differential effects of arsenite and arsenate on rice (Oryza sativa) plants differing in glutathione S-transferase gene expression
Authors: Pandey Ambika , Wu Lin-Bo , Murugaiyan Varunseelan , Schaaf Gabriel , Ali Jauhar , Frei Michael
Published: July 2023

Contamination of paddy soils with arsenic (As) can cause phytotoxicity in rice and increase the accumulation of arsenic in grains. The uptake and accumulation of As in rice depends on the different As species present in the soil. Plants detoxify As by conjugating and sequestering xenobiotic compounds into vacuoles using various enzymes. However, the severity of damage induced by arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)), as well as the roles of glutathione S-transferase in detoxifying these As species in rice, are not fully understood. In this study, we developed plant materials overexpressing a glutathione S-transferase gene OsGSTU40 under the control of the maize UBIL promoter. Through systematic investigations of both wild-type Nipponbare (Oryza sativa L., ssp. japonica) and OsGSTU40 overexpression lines under chronic or acute stress of As, we aimed to understand the toxic effects of both As(III) and As(V) on rice plants at the vegetative growth stage. We hypothesized that (i) As(III) and As(V) have different toxic effects on rice plants and (ii) OsGSTU40 played positive roles in As toxicity tolerance. Our results showed that As(III) was more detrimental to plant growth than As(V) in terms of plant growth, biomass, and lipid peroxidation in both chronic and acute exposure. Furthermore, overexpression of OsGSTU40 led to better plant growth even though uptake of As(V), but not As(III), into shoots was enhanced in transgenic plants. In acute As(III) stress, transgenic plants exhibited a lower level of lipid peroxidation than wild-type plants. The element composition of plants was dominated by the different As stress treatments rather than by the genotype, while the As concentration was negatively correlated with phosphorus and silicon. Overall, our findings suggest that As(III) is more toxic to plants than As(V) and that glutathione S-transferase OsGSTU40 differentially affects plant reactions and tolerance to different species of arsenic.
Life cycle assessment of microalgal cultivation medium: biomass, glycerol, and beta-carotene production by Dunaliella salina and Dunaliella tertiolecta
Authors: de Souza Celente Gleison , de Cassia de Souza Schneider Rosana , Julich Jennifer , Rizzetti Tiele Medianeira , Lobo Eduardo Alcayaga , Sui Yixing
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Dunaliella is a halophilic genus of microalgae with high potential in the global food market. The microalgal cultivation process contributes to not only economic impact but also environmental impact, especially regarding the artificial medium composition. In this context, a life cycle assessment was carried out to analyze the impacts associated with the components of the modified Johnson medium (MJM) and to predict the best scenarios to cultivate Dunaliella tertiolecta and Dunaliella salina for biomass, glycerol, and beta-carotene production.

Method

Two chains were analyzed separately: (1) Dunaliella salina (strain DF 15) cultivated in 8 scenarios combining different nitrogen (0.1 and 1.0 g L−1 KNO3) and magnesium (1.1–2.3 g L−1 MgCl2.6H2O) concentrations to produce biomass, glycerol, and beta-carotene and (2) Dunaliella tertiolecta (strain CCAP 19/30) cultivated in 5 scenarios combining different nitrogen (0.1 and 1.0 g L−1 KNO3) and salt (116.9–175.4 g L−1 sea salt) concentrations to produce biomass and glycerol. In addition, we evaluated the potential of cultivating these species to reduce the carbon footprint of the proposed scenarios.

Results and discussion

For D. salina, S5 (1 g L−1 KNO3, 1.1 g L−1 MgCl2.6H2O) had the lowest environmental damage for biomass (74.2 mPt) and glycerol production (0.95 Pt) and S3 (0.1 g L−1 KNO3, 1.9 g L−1 MgCl2.6H2O) for beta-carotene (3.88 Pt). T4 (1 g L−1 KNO3, 116.9 g L−1 sea salt) was the best for D. tertiolecta for biomass (74 mPt) and glycerol (0.49 Pt). “Respiratory inorganics,” “Non-renewable energy,” and “Global warming” were the most impacted categories. “Human health,” “Climate change,” and “Resources” had the highest share of all damage categories. All the scenarios presented negative carbon emission after proposing using brine as alternative salt source: S5 was the best scenario (− 157.5 kg CO2-eq) for D. salina and T4 for D. tertiolecta (− 213.6 kg CO2-eq).

Conclusion

The LCA proved its importance in accurately predicting the optimal scenarios for MJM composition in the analyzed bioproducts, as confirmed by the Monte Carlo simulation. Although the absolute values of impacts and productivity cannot be directly compared to large-scale cultivation, the validity of the LCA results at this scale remains intact. Productivity gains could outweigh the impacts of “surplus” MJM components. Our study showcased the potential of combining D. salina and D. tertiolecta cultivation with CO2 capture, leading to a more environmentally friendly cultivation system with a reduced carbon footprint.
Expanding or defending legitimacy? Why international organizations intensify self-legitimation
Authors: Schmidtke Henning , Lenz Tobias
Published: July 2023

Recent decades have seen an intensification of international organizations’ (IOs) attempts to justify their authority. The existing research suggests that IO representatives have scaled up self-legitimation to defend their organizations’ legitimacy in light of public criticism. In contrast, this article demonstrates that IOs intensify self-legitimation to mobilize additional support from relevant audiences when their authority increases. We argue that self-legitimation aims primarily to achieve proactive legitimacy expansion instead of reactive legitimacy protection. We develop this argument in three steps. First, we draw on organizational sociology and management studies to theorize the connection between self-legitimation and an organization’s life stages. Second, we introduce a novel dataset on the self-legitimation of 28 regional IOs between 1980 and 2019 and show that the intensity of self-legitimation evolves in phases. Third, we provide a multivariate statistical analysis and a brief vignette on the African Union, both of which indicate that IOs that shift from unanimity or consensus to majority voting tend to intensify self-legitimation.