bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Management, regulation and environmental impacts of nitrogen fertilization in Northwestern Europe under the Nitrates Directive; a benchmark study
Authors: van Grinsven H. J. M. , ten Berge H. F. M. , Dalgaard T. , Fraters B. , Durand P. , Hart A. , Hofman G. , Jacobsen B. H. , Lalor S. T. J. , Lesschen J. P. , Osterburg B. , Richards K. G. , Techen A.-K. , Vertès F. , Webb J. , Willems W. J.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. Implementation of the Nitrates Directive (NiD) and its environmental impacts were compared for member states in the Northwest of the European Union (Ireland, UK, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, Northern France and Germany). The main sources of data were national reports for the third reporting period for the NiD (2004–2007) and results of the MITERRA-EUROPE model. Implementation of the NiD in the considered member states is fairly comparable regarding restrictions for where and when to apply fertilizer and manure, but very different regarding application limits for N fertilization. Issues of concern and improvement of the implementation of the NiD are accounting for the fertilizer value of nitrogen in manure, and relating application limits for total nitrogen (N) to potential crop yield and N removal. The most significant environmental effect of the implementation of the NiD since 1995 is a major contribution to the decrease of the soil N balance (N surplus), particularly in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, The Netherlands and the UK. This decrease is accompanied by a modest decrease of nitrate concentrations since 2000 in fresh surface waters in most countries. This decrease is less prominent for groundwater in view of delayed response of nitrate in deep aquifers. In spite of improved fertilization practices, the southeast of The Netherlands, the Flemish Region and Brittany remain to be regions of major concern in view of a combination of a high nitrogen surplus, high leaching fractions to groundwater and tenacious exceedance of the water quality standards. On average the gross N balance in 2008 for the seven member states in EUROSTAT and in national reports was about 20 kg N ha−1 lower than by MITERRA. The major cause is higher estimates of N removal in national reports which can amount to more than 50kg N ha−1. Differences between procedures in member states to assess nitrogen balances and water quality and a lack of cross boundary policy evaluations are handicaps when benchmarking the effectiveness of the NiD. This provides a challenge for the European Commission and its member states as the NiD remains an important piece of legislation for protecting drinking water quality in regions with many private or small public production facilities and controlling aquatic eutrophication from agricultural sources.
A 500 kyr record of global sea-level oscillations in the Gulf of Lion, Mediterranean Sea: new insights into MIS 3 sea-level variability
Authors: Frigola J. , Canals M. , Cacho I. , Moreno A. , Sierro F. J. , Flores J. A. , Berné S. , Jouet G. , Dennielou B. , Herrera G. , Pasqual C. , Grimalt J. O. , Galavazi M. , Schneider R.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. Borehole PRGL1-4 drilled in the upper slope of the Gulf of Lion provides an exceptional record to investigate the impact of late Pleistocene orbitally-driven glacio-eustatic sea-level oscillations on the sedimentary outbuilding of a river fed continental margin. High-resolution grain-size and geochemical records supported by oxygen isotope chronostratigraphy allow reinterpreting the last 500 ka upper slope seismostratigraphy of the Gulf of Lion. Five main sequences, stacked during the sea-level lowering phases of the last five glacial-interglacial 100-kyr cycles, form the upper stratigraphic outbuilding of the continental margin. The high sensitivity of the grain-size record down the borehole to sea-level oscillations can be explained by the great width of the Gulf of Lion continental shelf. Sea level driven changes in accommodation space over the shelf cyclically modified the depositional mode of the entire margin. PRGL1-4 data also illustrate the imprint of sea-level oscillations at millennial time-scale, as shown for Marine Isotopic Stage 3, and provide unambiguous evidence of relative high sea-levels at the onset of each Dansgaard-Oeschger Greenland warm interstadial. The PRGL1-4 grain-size record represents the first evidence for a one-to-one coupling of millennial time-scale sea-level oscillations associated with each Dansgaard-Oeschger cycle.
Evolutionary aesthetics as a meeting point of philosophy and biology
Authors: Chmielewski Adam
Published: June 2012

Metaphysics, or the knowledge of what there is, has been traditionally placed at the pinnacle of philosophical hierarchy. It was followed by theory of knowledge, or epistemology. Practical knowledge of proper modes of conduct, ethics, came third, followed by aesthetics, treated usually in a marginal way as having to do only with the perception of the beautiful. The hierarchy of philosophical disciplines has recently undergone a substantial transformation. As a result, ethics has assumed a central role. The aim of this paper is to suggest that the hierarchy of philosophical disciplines is not yet complete and that one further step needs to be taken. According to the claim advocated here, it is not metaphysics, epistemology or ethics, but aesthetics that is the first and foremost of all philosophical disciplines. This claim is argued for by references to findings of evolutionary aesthetics, especially to Charles Darwin's idea of sexual selection as elaborated in The Descent of Man. I also argue that Darwinian approach to morality is, and should be, derivable from an Darwinian aesthetics which lies at the core of his conception of sexual selection.
Eating and Reading Hiromi Goto
Authors: Harris Lisa
Published: June 2012

Hiromi Goto uses salted sour plums, cucumber and tonkatsu to expose the limits of reading and eating as ways of knowing gender and race. Ultimately, Goto argues, "difference exists, all cannot be understood." The narrator of Goto’s fictocriticism, Not Your Ethnic Body, describes herself through food to challenge how the female Japanese-Canadian body is consumed through writing. Yet she makes herself unpalatable to readers by prompting them to recoil and, thereby, to question their own reading practice.

Goto rarely provides secure ideological footing in her prose; although there is space to gender or racialize her characters, she never confirms the legitimacy of such assumptions. The narrator of The Kappa Child is ambiguously gendered, for example, and has an ambivalent relationship to cucumbers. The family meal in Chorus of Mushrooms interrupts food’s conciliatory role in multicultural exchange. Goto’s work demonstrates that culinary authenticity, when tied to a particular place or racial identity, is always socially constructed and subject to change.
Reading the Real: An Illustrated Tour of Montreal’s Marché Jean-Talon
Authors: Musgrave Sarah
Published: June 2012

The slogan of Montreal's Marché Jean-Talon is "When country comes to town."  An afternoon stroll through the city's largest public food market suggests that the word applies in both senses: country, as in the rural landscape, and country, as in the nations of the world. In surveying the cornucopia of place-based messages that greet potential shoppers, this paper positions the farmers’ market as a site for the consumption of authentic and authenticated foods, and thus a suitable microcosm for the exploration of larger issues related to consumer trends towards provenance purchasing, origin labelling, and the promotion of place as the primary marker of alimentary authenticity in the wider food marketplace.
De Versailles à Niamey. Le patrimoine constitutionnel canado-britannique du Québec et sa participation au sein de la Francophonie, 1968-1970
Authors: Meren* David
Published: June 2012

Cet article analyse les événements entourant le débat sur la nature de la participation du Québec au sein de la Francophonie, de l’affaire Gabon (1968) jusqu’à la deuxième conférence de Niamey (1970), afin d’explorer les origines et les inspirations de l’activité internationale du Québec. Les récits antérieurs ont mis l’accent sur l’intérêt manifesté par les néonationalistes pour le développement de relations avec la France et la communauté internationale francophone et sur l’idée que le Québec devait se projeter sur la scène internationale afin de protéger ses juridictions constitutionnelles contre les empiétements fédéraux. Cet article soutient que toute analyse des circonstances entourant la participation du Québec à l’institutionnalisation de la Francophonie et des efforts qu’il déploie pour affirmer sa « capacité internationale » doit aussi tenir compte de l’évolution parallèle du Canada vers la souveraineté internationale d’une part, et du fait que les actions posées par le Québec s’inspirent en partie de son patrimoine constitutionnel canado-britannique d’autre part. Pour le Québec, l’appui de la France s’avère certes crucial pour l’obtention et le maintien d’une place à la table de la Francophonie. Pourtant, en accord avec les éléments pragmatiques et gradualistes de sa culture politique –un legs de son patrimoine britannique –, le Québec a dû, tout au long de ce processus, faire preuve de prudence dans ses relations avec la France, tant il est vrai que la compréhension qu’a Paris des réalités et des enjeux québécois demeurait imparfaite.
L’autre visage de l’américanité québécoise. Les frères O’Leary et l’Union des Latins d’Amérique pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale1
Authors: Demers Maurice
Published: June 2012

Cette étude analyse le rôle de l’Union des Latins d’Amérique (ULA) durant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale en traitant de la portée et du sens contextuel du discours de la latinité développé lors de ses rencontres. L’américanité québécoise latinisée véhiculée par les représentants de l’Union des Latins avait ceci d’original qu’elle réconciliait la continentalité constitutive de la nation et son héritage français par l’évocation d’une culture latine partagée par les centaines de millions d’hispanophones et de lusophones des Amériques. Les perspectives de l’ULA favorisaient par ailleurs un décloisonnement des relations internationales du Québec. Alors que le conflit mondial isolait le Canada français de l’Europe, limitant ses relations étrangères au continent anglo-protestant le ceinturant, plusieurs Québécois joignirent l’ULA pour se divertir, étudier la culture latino-américaine et se réinventer une géopolitique plus favorable à la survie de la nation canadienne-française. Au-delà des mondanités, les rencontres de l’Union des Latins acquirent une signification particulière au fil de la guerre puisqu’elles constituaient un espace où l’avenir du Canada français pouvait être discuté sans trop risquer la censure. L’association rassembla des nationalistes de l’Université de Montréal, des membres influents de la petite bourgeoisie montréalaise et une partie importante de la classe politique canadienne-française pour promouvoir un rapprochement culturel et politique entre Latins du Nord et du Sud. Des nationalistes radicaux comme les frères O’Leary y rencontraient d’ardents fédéralistes comme T. D. Bouchard pour discuter de transnationalisme latin avec les diplomates latino-américains en poste à Montréal, ce qui finit quand même par provoquer un certain malaise à Ottawa.
Proposed Increases in Government Authority Over Research Misconduct Proceedings
Authors: Caron Minal M. , Barnes Mark , Bierer Barbara E.
Published: June 2024

This Viewpoint discusses changes proposed by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Research Integrity that would shift control of research misconduct proceedings from institutional oversight to federal authority.
Mothers' negative focus during memory‐sharing conversations is linked to negative interpretation and memory biases in young children
Authors: Principe Gabrielle F. , Greenberg Daniel L. , Cibischino Amanda W.
Published: June 2024

Parent‐guided reminiscing helps children learn how to interpret and recollect personal experiences. These interpretive abilities are important because many experiences are ambiguous, and a tendency toward negative interpretation is associated with emotional disorders. Here, we explore whether naturally‐occurring variations in parent‐guided reminiscing are associated with children's interpretation and recall of novel ambiguous events. Mothers and their children (aged 5–6 years) reminisced about three shared negative events. Next, children were read several stories that described ambiguous social situations and were asked to invent endings that involved making an inference about motives of others in the stories. Later, children were asked questions to elicit story recall. Mothers who used more negative terms during reminiscing had children who were more likely to invent negative story endings and distort story recall negatively. Thus, mothers who frame memory‐sharing conversations with children negatively might put them at risk for developing negative interpretation and memory biases.
An Intelligent, Recyclable, Biomass Film for Adaptive Day‐Night and Year‐Round Energy Savings
Authors: Zeng Zhi‐Wei , Tang Bo , Zeng Fu‐Rong , Chen Hao , Chen Shi‐Qiang , Liu Bo‐Wen , Wang Yu‐Zhong , Zhao Hai‐Bo
Published: June 2024

Passive radiative cooling is a zero‐energy technology vital for mitigating the energy crisis. However, achieving intelligent thermal management across varying weather conditions (day/night and summer/winter) while maintaining sustainability is a significant challenge. Here, a recyclable biomass film engineered for adaptive, year‐round energy conservation is introduced. This film utilizes porous acetyl cellulose (AC) as a cooling‐side matrix, enabling efficient radiative cooling during hot days (8.5 °C reduction) and minimizing overcooling on cold nights (only 2.5 °C reduction). This performance is facilitated by high solar reflectance (96.3%) and broad‐spectrum infrared emission (95.4%), optimizing atmospheric thermal regulation. The reverse side, coated with carbon black (CB), demonstrates superior solar heating (20.9 °C increase), allowing for effortless switching between cooling and heating by flipping the film. Further, the film employs a solvent‐responsive ethyl cellulose (EC) adhesion, ensuring durability, complete recycling, and reuse. With ultraviolet (UV) resistance, self‐cleaning, and durability, coupled with intelligent thermal management, this work provides new ideas for advanced radiative heat management materials, enabling adaptive control during both daytime/nighttime and summer/winter.
Functional Prototissues Using Artificial Cells as Building Blocks and Their Biomedical Applications
Authors: Zhang Xiangxiang , Li Chao , Yang Boyu , Wang Weichen , Zhao Jingjing , Zhao Wan , Dong Mingdong , Han Xiaojun
Published: June 2024

The construction of living systems from the bottom‐up helps to explore the complex processes of life and to understand their working mechanism. Prototissues, constructed using artificial cells as building blocks, mimic life systems at a high‐order tissue level, whilst artificial cells usually mimic living cells at the individual cell level. The 3D biomimetic prototissues demonstrate exceptional performances and collective functions, which reveal the working mechanisms of living tissues and hold promising potential for biomedical applications. This review systematically summarized the research progress of the field of prototissues. The engineering methods for fabricating two types of prototissues are introduced first, followed by the functions of prototissues including collective behaviors and signal communications, as well as their biomedical applications. The challenges and future trends are proposed at the end of the paper.
Sophisticated Structural Ceramics Shaped from 3D Printed Hydrogel Preceramic Skeleton
Authors: Xu Xin , Wang Yixian , Liu Desheng , Yang Xingxing , Lu Yaozhong , Jiang Pan , Wang Xiaolong
Published: June 2024

Shaping ceramic materials into sophisticated architecture with 3D hierarchical structure is desirable in multiapplication yet remains challenge due to their brittle and stiff nature. Herein, a new method to achieve ceramic architectures with unsupported and large‐spanning structure by shaping vat photopolymerization 3D printed hydrogel preceramic skeleton with unique flexible and deformable character is proposed. Specifically, the present photopolymerizable hydrogel preceramic achieves one stone, two birds: the photosensitive polymer matrix coupled with ceramic nanoparticles for the first shaping by vat photopolymerization 3D printing and the secondary plasticity of the 3D printed ceramic body through flexible shape deformation of hydrogel networks. Inorganic binder aluminum dihydrogen phosphate serves as hydrogel dispersion medium to achieve ultralow shrinkage photopolymerization ceramic. Compared with conventional polymer‐derived photocuring ceramics, the linear shrinkage of lamina structure is solely 2%, and which of cubic ceramic structure is just 13.3%. More importantly, one 3D printed preceramic is conducted to reshape repeatedly myriad constructions, realizing reusability of intrinsic brittle ceramic, improving manufacturing fault tolerance rate. Finally, a variety of paradigms for ceramic structure applications are proposed toward stereo circuit, biomedicine, and catalytic applications, breaking the limitation of intrinsic brittleness of ceramic in high‐precision manufacturing of complex ceramic devices.
Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance in Vacancy‐Filling Heuslers due to Kondo‐Like Effect
Authors: Chen Jiajun , Dong Zirui , Li Qizhu , Ge Binghui , Zhang Jiye , Zhang Yubo , Luo Jun
Published: June 2024

To improve thermoelectric efficiency, various tactics have been employed with considerable success to decouple intertwined material attributes. However, the integration of magnetism, derived from the unique spin characteristic that other methods cannot replicate, has been comparatively underexplored and presents an ongoing intellectual challenge. A previous research has shown that vacancy‐filling Heuslers offer a highly adaptable framework for modulating thermoelectric properties. Here, it is demonstrated how intrinsic magnetic‐electrical‐thermal coupling can enhance the thermoelectric performance of vacancy‐filling Heusler alloys. The materials, Nb0.75Ti0.25FeCrxSb with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1, feature a fraction of magnetic Cr ions that randomly occupy the vacancy sites of the Nb0.75Ti0.25FeSb half‐Heusler matrix. These alloys achieve a remarkable thermoelectric figure of merit (zT) of 1.21 at 973 K, owing to increased Seebeck coefficient and decreased thermal conductivity. The mechanism is primarily due to the introduction of magnetism, which increases the density‐of‐states effective mass (reaching levels up to 15 times that of a free electron's mass) and simultaneously reduces the electronic thermal conductivity. Mass and strain‐field fluctuations further reduce the lattice thermal conductivity. Even higher zT values can potentially be achieved by carefully balancing electron mobility and effective mass. This work underscores the substantial prospects for exploiting magnetic‐electrical‐thermal synergies in cutting‐edge thermoelectric materials.
A Fully‐Bioresorbable Nanostructured Molybdenum Oxide‐Based Electrode for Continuous Multi‐Analyte Electrochemical Sensing
Authors: Fernandes Catarina , Franceschini Filippo , Smets Jorid , Deschaume Olivier , Rusli Nurul , Bartic Carmen , Ameloot Rob , Baert Kitty , Ustarroz Jon , Taurino Irene
Published: June 2024

Bioresorbable electrochemical sensors remain mostly unexplored despite their ability to provide continuous in situ measurements of critical biomarkers. The primary challenge arises from the direct exposure of the electrodes’ thin metal films to biofluids, which poses difficulties in ensuring both proper operational lifetimes and sensing performance. Molybdenum (Mo) presents itself as a promising biometal due to its uniquely gradual dissolution in biofluids, facilitated by the formation of a slower‐dissolving MoOx surface layer. Consequently, carefully engineered MoOx films can endow transient electrochemical sensors with unparalleled stability during extended operational lifetimes. Herein an unprecedented sensor architecture achieved via the unique pairing of sputtered Mo and MoOx thin films, probed as a pH and dissolved oxygen sensor is reported. Compared to a bare Mo electrode, a bilayer Mo+MoOx electrode subjected to post‐deposition annealing (400 °C, 60 min, N2 environment) displayed a largely improved stability (>24 h) in solution and demonstrated predictable functionality during ongoing film dissolution at 37 °C. Collectively, this work establishes a pioneering strategy for the fabrication of reliable and clinically relevant implantable electrochemical sensors.
Flexible, Wearable Mechano‐Acoustic Sensors for Real‐Time, Wireless Monitoring of Low Frequency Body Sounds
Authors: Hoang Trung Thien , Cunio Alexander Mark , Zhao Sinuo , Nguyen Thanh‐Vinh , Peng Shuhua , Liaw Stephanie , Barber Tracie , Zhang Jin , Farajikhah Syamak , Dehghani Fariba , Do Thanh Nho , Phan Hoang‐Phuong
Published: June 2024

Measurements of low‐frequency physiological signals, such as heart rate and pulse waves, play an essential role in biomedical applications for the early diagnosis of abnormal cardiovascular activities. Recent advances in flexible mechanical electronics represent a novel concept of miniaturized, wearable sensors for heart rate measurement that can be used in ambulatory environments. However, most mechanical sensors require the sensing element to be placed directly on the skin surface, which can lead to performance degradation or device damage due to significant skin deformation or external forces from skin‐object interactions. This work addresses this challenge by developing soft, stretchable mechano‐acoustic sensing platforms where all sensing components are not directly subjected to skin movement or deformation. Instead, this design allows cardiovascular pulse waves to propagate through a hollow, flexible microchannel, to vibrate the piezoresistive sensing element. Experimental studies demonstrate a complete wireless sensing system capable of detecting pulse waves and heart rates, with results consistent with those of commercially available devices. The proposed sensing concept allows for the develop of other wireless and flexible sensing systems such as a flexible air‐channel pad for detecting swallowing patterns from users’ laryngeal movements, facilitating a non‐invasive and remote platform for potential monitoring, and assessment of dysphagia.
Mapping Brain Synergy Dysfunction in Schizophrenia: Understanding Individual Differences and Underlying Molecular Mechanisms
Authors: Ding Chaoyue , Li Ang , Xie Sangma , Tian Xiaohan , Li Kunchi , Fan Lingzhong , Yan Hao , Chen Jun , Chen Yunchun , Wang Huaning , Guo Hua , Yang Yongfeng , Lv Luxian , Wang Huiling , Zhang Hongxing , Lu Lin , Zhang Dai , Zhang Zhanjun , Wang Meng , Jiang Tianzi , Liu Bing
Published: June 2024

To elucidate the brain‐wide information interactions that vary and contribute to individual differences in schizophrenia (SCZ), an information‐resolved method is employed to construct individual synergistic and redundant interaction matrices based on regional pairwise BOLD time‐series from 538 SCZ and 540 normal controls (NC). This analysis reveals a stable pattern of regionally‐specific synergy dysfunction in SCZ. Furthermore, a hierarchical Bayesian model is applied to deconstruct the patterns of whole‐brain synergy dysfunction into three latent factors that explain symptom heterogeneity in SCZ. Factor 1 exhibits a significant positive correlation with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) positive scores, while factor 3 demonstrates significant negative correlations with PANSS negative and general scores. By integrating the neuroimaging data with normative gene expression information, this study identifies that each of these three factors corresponded to a subset of the SCZ risk gene set. Finally, by combining data from NeuroSynth and open molecular imaging sources, along with a spatially heterogeneous mean‐field model, this study delineates three SCZ synergy factors corresponding to distinct symptom profiles and implicating unique cognitive, neurodynamic, and neurobiological mechanisms.
Forty‐two years of no‐tillage and cover cropping improved soil oxygen availability and resilience
Authors: Lussich Facundo , Dhaliwal Jashanjeet Kaur , Wright Wesley , Saha Debasish
Published: June 2024

Healthy soil air–water balance is critical for crop growth. Conservation agricultural practices improve soil physical properties to influence soil oxygen availability. We evaluated the impact of 42 years of hairy vetch (HV) cover cropping (CC), and no‐tillage (NT) on soil oxygen dynamics during a cotton growing season experiencing multiple intensive rain events in silt loam soil. The HV and NT treatments exhibited higher growing season soil oxygen availability (p < 0.05) and experienced three to four times fewer hours of oxygen limitation (i.e., oxygen concentration <10%) as compared to no cover crop (NC) and conventional tillage (CT) treatments. After a heavy rainfall, NT–HV treatment exhibited the highest soil oxygen availability, followed by NT–NC, CT–HV, and CT–NC treatments (p < 0.05). While CC and/or NT treatments quickly regained soil oxygen status within 24 h after saturating rain events, CT–NC suffered from sub‐optimal soil aeration until the third day after rainfall cessation. The combination of CC with NT practices enhanced soil oxygen availability and resilience to extreme precipitation events.

Core Ideas

Long‐term cover cropping and no‐tillage practices enhanced soil oxygen availability following extreme precipitation events.

Cover cropping and no‐tillage practices reduced the duration of anoxia experienced by cotton crops during the growing season by three‐ to four‐fold.

Combined cover cropping and no‐tillage implementation exhibited the most significant impact in mitigating immediate soil oxygen stress after heavy rainfall events.
Biological maturation, fat mass and cardiorespiratory fitness in prepubescent girls: A mediation analysis
Authors: Luz Leonardo Gomes de Oliveira , da Silva Danilo Rodrigues Pereira , Henrique Rafael dos Santos , Giudicelli Bruno Barbosa , Coelho e Silva Manuel João
Published: June 2024

Background

The association between indicators of maturation and measures of physical fitness are not well correlated and vary according to chronological age, sex, body size, and motor characteristics. It is known that chronological age, maturation, and fat mass are significant predictors of cardiorespiratory fitness in girls, however, the contributions of fat mass to the relationship between maturation and endurance performance are still unclear.

Objective

The current study aimed to examine whether the association between somatic maturation and running performance in the 20‐m shuttle‐run in girls is mediated by estimated fat mass.

Methods

The sample comprised 67 girls, aged 8.00–8.99 years. Stature, body mass, and skinfolds were measured. Estimates of body composition and predicted mature stature (PMS) were then calculated. Current stature was expressed as a percentage of PMS and somatic maturation was given by z‐scores of the percentage of PMS. Mediation analysis was performed using the bias‐corrected bootstrap approach with 5000 resamples in order to obtain estimates of total, direct, and indirect effects of z‐scores of the percentage of PMS on 20‐m shuttle‐run performance mediated by fat mass.

Results

The results show that fat mass mediated the negative effect of biological maturation on 20‐m shuttle‐run performance in the observed sample of prepubescent girls (Indirect effect: β = −0.177, 95%CI: −0.291 to −0.059).

Conclusion

Although the participants were prepubescent girls, poorer aerobic running performance appeared to be partly due to increased levels of fat mass.
The formation approaches of volatile compounds in Chinese traditional hot‐pressed fragrant rapeseed oil
Authors: Wang Xiangyu , Li Xiaolong , Hui Ju , Huang Honggang , Sun Dongzhe , Chu Baijun , Zhao Huimin
Published: June 2024

Hot‐pressed fragrant rapeseed oil (HFRO) is a traditional edible oil in China, prized for its special flavor, which includes fresh, spicy, pungent and roasted fragrance. The fresh fragrance is mainly brought by aldehydes, ketones, esters, alcohols and other substances produced by fat oxidation. The pungent fragrance is mainly caused by thiocyanates and isothiocyanates produced by the degradation of glucosinolates. Roasting aroma is usually brought by pyrazines and furans produced by Maillard reaction. Both the composition of the rapeseed and the processing techniques employed are critical in shaping these flavor components. An optimal processing temperature for HFRO is around 150°C. Rapeseed varieties with higher glucosinolates content are preferred for producing oils with a pronounced spicy, whereas those with lower glucosinolates levels are suitable for a stronger roasted aroma. The moisture content of the rapeseed should ideally be maintained between 10% and 15% to optimize flavor development. This study elucidates the primary pathways for volatile compound production in HFRO and discusses future prospects and research directions for the enhancement of rapeseed oil, offering a scientific foundation for the modern processing and quality control of rapeseed oil.
Similarity calculation based on homomorphic encryption
Authors: Chen Abel C. H.
Published: June 2024

In recent years, some homomorphic encryption algorithms have been proposed to provide additive homomorphic encryption and multiplicative homomorphic encryption. However, similarity measures are required for searches and queries under homomorphic encrypted ciphertexts. Therefore, this study considers cosine similarity, angular similarity, Tanimoto similarity, and soft cosine similarity and combines homomorphic encryption algorithms for similarity calculation to propose homomorphic encryption‐based cosine similarity (HE‐CS), homomorphic encryption‐based angular similarity (HE‐AS), homomorphic encryption‐based Tanimoto similarity (HE‐TS), and homomorphic encryption‐based soft cosine similarity (HE‐SCS). This study proposes mathematical models to prove the proposed homomorphic encryption‐based similarity calculation methods and gives practical cases to explain the feasibility of the proposed HE‐CS, HE‐AS, HE‐TS, and HE‐SCS. Furthermore, this study proposes normalized entropy and normalized Gini impurity as evaluation factors to measure the randomness and confusion of ciphertext. In experiments, the values of normalized entropy and normalized Gini impurity are higher than 0.999, which indicates significant differences between plaintexts and ciphertexts. Moreover, the encryption time and decryption time of the proposed homomorphic encryption‐based similarity calculation methods have been evaluated under different security strengths.
ℓ2−ℓ∞ tracking control for multidelayed systems under accumulation‐based event‐triggered protocol
Authors: Li Huan , Wei Guoliang , Ju Yamei , Hu Hongxiao
Published: June 2024

In this paper, the tracking control problem is investigated for a class of discrete‐time multidelayed systems under the accumulation‐based event‐triggered protocol. The considered phenomena of multidelays, which are extremely common in the real world, include the time‐varying delays and the constant delays. The accumulation‐based event‐triggered protocol is deployed in the communication from sensors to the remote tracking controller in order to alleviate the communication burden. By utilizing the Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional and matrix inequality technology, sufficient conditions are presented to guarantee the exponential stability of the tracking error and the
performance, and the controller gain is subsequently designed. Finally, a simulation example is conducted to verify the validity of the developed tracking control scheme.
Finite time stability of ρ‐Caputo neural network systems
Authors: Rhaima Mohamed , Chen Liping , Mchiri Lassaad , Ben Makhlouf Abdellatif
Published: June 2024

In this article, we will examine the finite time stability (FTS) of
‐Caputo neural network fractional systems (NNFS) with an order of
. Utilizing technical inequalities such as Gronwall and Hölder inequalities, we present some FTS results. Two numerical examples are provided to illustrate the theoretical findings.
Impact of immune checkpoint inhibitors on survival outcomes in advanced gastric cancer in Japan: A real‐world analysis
Authors: Kadono Toru , Iwasa Satoru , Hirose Toshiharu , Hirano Hidekazu , Okita Natsuko , Shoji Hirokazu , Takashima Atsuo , Kato Ken
Published: June 2024

Background

Nivolumab was approved for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer in 2017 in Japan. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of nivolumab in a real‐world clinical setting.

Methods

This single‐institutional retrospective study included patients with advanced gastric or esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma and a history of first‐line chemotherapy with platinum‐based doublet or triplet regimens between 2010 and 2020. To assess the impact of nivolumab on survival, the patients were divided based on the year of nivolumab approval into a pre‐2017 (2010–2016) group and a post‐2017 (2017–2020) group.

Results

From a total of 1918 patients, 1093 were excluded. There were 533 patients in the pre‐2017 group and 292 in the post‐2017 group. Immune checkpoint inhibitors were used significantly more often in the post‐2017 group than in the pre‐2017 group (8.6% vs. 47.9%). Median overall survival was significantly longer in the post‐2017 group (16.9 vs. 13.9 months; hazard ratio [HR] 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63–0.90; p < 0.01). The proportion of patients transitioning to third‐line treatment was higher in the post‐2017 group than in the pre‐2017 group (56.3% vs. 43.8%, p < 0.01). Median survival outcomes following progression on second‐line treatment were significantly longer in the post‐2017 group (4.3 vs. 3.2 months; HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.57–0.86; p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The proportion of patients transitioning to third‐line treatment and survival outcomes following progression on second‐line treatment have improved since the approval of nivolumab. This drug might help to prolong overall survival in real‐world practice.
Breathing techniques in the treatment of depression: A scoping review and proposal for classification
Authors: French Jasmine , Brown Richard J. , Bell Tobyn
Published: June 2024

Background

Breathing practices are increasingly being utilised in therapeutic interventions for mental health problems, including depression. One of the challenges of evaluating the impact of breathing exercises on the treatment of depression is the variability in the type of exercises used.

Aims

To bring greater clarity in this area, this scoping review aimed to identify, categorise and synthesise breathing interventions that have been evaluated for depression, in order to inform further research and reviews.

Method

A thematic synthesis approach was used to analyse the descriptions of breathing interventions in order to categorise these via their common features.

Results

Thirty papers were included in the final synthesis. Main themes developed from thematic synthesis were related to procedural aspects of breathing interventions, namely: attention and awareness, using the body and senses, and paced breathing. Clinical implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Regulation of Autophagy Signaling Pathways by Ginseng Saponins: A Review
Authors: Zhuang Zhu‐Jun , Li Fa‐Jing , Lv Di , Duan Heng‐Qian , Chen Lin‐Yi , Chen Peng , Shen Zhi‐Qiang , He Bo
Published: June 2024

Ginseng saponins (ginsenosides), bioactive compounds derived from ginseng, are widely used natural products with potent therapeutic properties in the management of various ailments, particularly tumors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and immune system disorders. Autophagy, a highly regulated and multistep process involving the breakdown of impaired organelles and macromolecules by autophagolysosomes and autophagy‐related genes (ATGs), has gained increasing attention as a potential target for ginsenoside‐mediated disease treatment. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent research advances in the understanding of autophagy‐related signaling pathways and the role of ginsenoside‐mediated autophagy regulation. By delving into the intricate autophagy signaling pathways underpinning the pharmacological properties of ginsenosides, we highlight their therapeutic potential in addressing various conditions. Our findings serve as a comprehensive reference for further investigation into the medicinal properties of ginseng or ginseng‐related products.
Antileishmanial and Antifungal Activities of Volatile Oils from Cinnamomum Cassia Bark and Schinus Molle Leaves
Authors: da Silva Aternoskaires S. R. , Fernandes Cassia C. , dos Santos Daiane A. , Mazza Marya C. M. , Silva Jackson B. A. , Magalhães Lizandra G. , Pires Regina H. , Miranda Mayker L. D. , Crotti Antônio E. M.
Published: June 2024

This study reports on the chemical composition and antileishmanial and anticandidal activities of volatile oils (VOs) of Schinus molle dried leaves (SM), Cinnamomum cassia branch bark (CC) and their blends. Major constituents of SM were spathulenol (26.93 %), β‐caryophyllene (19.90 %), and caryophyllene oxide (12.69 %), whereas (E)‐cinnamaldehyde (60.11 %), cinnamyl acetate (20.90 %) and cis‐2‐methoxycinnamic acid (10.37 %) were predominant in CC. SM (IC50=21.45 μg/mL) and CC (IC50=23.27 μg/mL) displayed good activity against L. amazonensis promastigotes, besides having good or moderate activity against nine Candida strains, with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values ranging from 31.25 to 250 μg/mL. While the three SM and CC blends were not more active than the VOs tested individually, they exhibited remarkably high antileishmanial activity, with IC50 values ranging between 3.12 and 7.04 μg/mL, which is very similar to the IC50 of amphotericin B (positive control).
Borophene: Synthesis, Chemistry, and Electronic Properties
Authors: Wang Kai , Choyal Shilpa , Schultz Jeremy F. , McKenzie James , Li Linfei , Liu Xiaolong , Jiang Nan
Published: June 2024

As a neighbor of carbon in the periodic table, boron exhibits versatile structural and electronic configurations, with its allotropes predicted to possess intriguing structures and properties. Since the experimental realization of two‐dimensional (2D) boron sheets (borophene) on Ag(111) substrates in 2015, the experimental study of the realization and characteristics of borophene has drawn increasing interest. In this review, we summarize the synthesis and properties of borophene, which are mainly based on experimental results. First, the synthesis of borophene on different substrates, as well as borophane and bilayer borophene, featuring unique phases and properties, are discussed. Next, the chemistry of borophene, such as oxidation, hydrogenation, and its integration into heterostructures with other materials, is summarized. We also mention a few works focused on the physical properties of borophene, specifically its electronic properties. Lastly, the brief outlook addresses challenges toward practical applications of borophene and possible solutions.
Effect of multi‐tubes and eccentricity on melting performance of honeybee wax thermal energy storage system: A comprehensive numerical study and experimental validation
Authors: Khajuria Shubam , Vikas  , Kumar Himanshu , Yadav Ankit , Arıcı Müslüm
Published: June 2024

When it comes to solar thermal power systems, a latent heat energy storage unit is one possible solution to the imbalance in supply and demand. On a shell‐tube type heat storage system, computational and experimental research was done to determine how to charge a heat storage system using honeybee wax‐biodegradable phase change material. This paper examines the impact of single, double, and triple inner heat transfer fluid tubes on the melting properties of bee wax in relation to vertical and horizontal eccentricity. Through the experimental examination of a lab‐scale prototype, the computational model was verified. A computational model was used to investigate the impact of eccentricity on different configurations for the melting process. Utilizing multiple tubes significantly shortened the charging time, according to the system analysis. In a vertically downward direction, melting time reduced as eccentricity increased. Compared to the single tube concentric case, the maximum melting time reduction for the single‐, double‐, and triple‐tube cases was 63.7%, 67.0%, and 68.34%, respectively.
Probabilistic assessment of bearing capacity of skirted foundation under combined loadings with a rigid base
Authors: Mancer Fouzi , Bouaicha Alaoua , Chwała Marcin , Mabrouki Abdelhak
Published: June 2024

Skirted foundations are critical components in offshore applications where combined loads are common in deep‐water environments. Their ultimate capacity under VH (vertical‐horizontal) combined loading is traditionally determined using VH failure envelopes, which are primarily constructed using numerical methods. These methodologies, however, frequently ignore the spatial variability inherent in seabed soils due to geological formations. This paper investigates the effect of spatial variability of undrained shear strength and embedment ratio impact on the capacity of skirted foundations subjected to VH combined loading. For this, OptumG2 software is used to perform Monte Carlo simulation combined with random finite element limit analysis. This paper investigates the stochastic analysis of bearing capacity and failure envelopes, with a particular emphasis on understanding the effect of spatial correlation on undrained shear strength. The study focuses on the horizontal scale of fluctuation and the soil strength heterogeneity index, shedding insight on previously undiscovered areas. Novel findings highlight how a rigid base affects VH failure envelopes and offer insights into evaluating the vertical bearing capacity of skirted foundations. [Correction added on 8 July 2024, after first online publication: The above statement has been updated in this version.]
A cross‐language analysis of disclosure properties: Evidence from Hong Kong
Authors: Do Chuong , Hu Kent Haochuan , Nabar Sandeep
Published: June 2024

Using the setting of Hong Kong, we examine how the linguistic properties of financial disclosure differ across languages. We exploit the requirement that firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange publish annual reports in two languages, English and Chinese. We find that for the same firm, English reports are more positive, convey more uncertainty, and focus more on the past and present and less on the future, than Chinese reports. We also find that English (Chinese) reports are more likely to manage their tone by varying the frequency of positive (negative) words. Finally, the stock market only reacts positively to tone management in Chinese reports. Overall, the results suggest that there are significant and fundamental differences in the linguistic properties of English and Chinese reports and that such differences have material implications for how investors perceive the reports.
Isolation and quantification of L1CAM‐positive extracellular vesicles on a chip as a potential biomarker for Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Li Danyu , Zou Siyi , Huang Ziyang , Sun Congcong , Liu Guozhen
Published: June 2024

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) carry disease‐specific molecular profiles, demonstrating massive potential in biomarker discovery. In this study, we developed an integrated biochip platform, termed EVID‐biochip (EVs identification and detection biochip), which integrates in situ electrochemical protein detection with on‐chip antifouling‐immunomagnetic beads modified with CD81 antibodies and zwitterion molecules, enabling efficient isolation and detection of neuronal EVs. The capability of the EVID‐biochip to isolate common EVs and detect neuronal EVs associated with Parkinson's disease in human serum is successfully demonstrated, using the transmembrane protein L1‐cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) as a target biomarker. The EVID‐biochip exhibited high efficiency and specificity for the detection of L1CAM with a sensitivity of 1 pg/mL. Based on the validation of 76 human serum samples, for the first time, this study discovered that the level of L1CAM/neuronal EV particles in serum could serve as a reliable indicator to distinguish Parkinson's disease from control groups with AUC = 0.973. EVID‐biochip represents a reliable and rapid liquid biopsy platform for the analysis of complex biofluids offering EVs isolation and detection in a single chip, requiring a small sample volume (300 µL) and an assay time of 1.5 h. This approach has the potential to advance the diagnosis and biomarker discovery of various neurological disorders and other diseases.
Causal inference under selection on observables in operations management research: Matching methods and synthetic controls
Authors: Yılmaz Övünç , Son Yoonseock , Shang Guangzhi , Arslan Hayri A.
Published: June 2024

The majority of recent empirical papers in operations management (OM) employ observational data to investigate the causal effects of a treatment, such as program or policy adoption. However, as observational data lacks the benefit of random treatment assignment, estimating causal effects poses challenges. In the specific scenario where one can reasonably assume that all confounding factors are observed—referred to as selection on observables—matching methods and synthetic controls can assist researchers to replicate a randomized experiment, the most desirable setting for drawing causal inferences. In this paper, we first present an overview of matching methods and their utilization in the OM literature. Subsequently, we establish the framework and provide pragmatic guidance for propensity score matching and coarsened exact matching, which have garnered considerable attention in recent OM studies. Following this, we conduct a comprehensive simulation study that compares diverse matching algorithms across various scenarios, providing practical insights derived from our findings. Finally, we discuss synthetic controls, a method that offers unique advantages over matching techniques in specific scenarios and is expected to become even more popular in the OM field in the near future. We hope that this paper will serve as a catalyst for promoting a more rigorous application of matching and synthetic control methodologies.
Mechanochemical Tailoring of Lignin Structure: Influence of Different Particle Sizes in the Organosolv Process
Authors: Bergrath Jonas , Zeppetzauer Franz , Rumpf Jessica , Kamm Birgit , Putz Robert , Kling Hans‐Willi , Schulze Margit
Published: June 2024

The autocatalyzed ethanolic organosolv process is gaining increasing attention for the sulfur‐free isolation of lignin, which is subsequently used as a renewable substitute for various fossil‐based applications. For the first time, the mechanochemical influence of seven different particle sizes of two different biomasses on the respective organosolv lignin structure is examined. Wine pruning (Pinot Noir) and wine pomace (Accent) are used for organosolv process with particle sizes ranging from 2.0–1.6 mm to less than 0.25 mm. As particle size decreases, the weight‐average molecular weight increases, while the total phenol content decreases significantly. Additionally, the distribution of the lignin‐typical monolignols and relevant substructures, as determined by two‐dimensional heteronuclear nuclear magnetic resonance spectra single quantum coherence (HSQC), is observed. The degree of grinding of the biomass has a clear chemical–structural influence on the isolated HG and HGS organosolv lignins. Therefore, it is crucial to understand this influence to apply organosolv lignins in a targeted manner. In the future, particle size specifications in the context of the organosolv process should be expressed in terms of distribution densities rather than in terms of a smaller than specification.