bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dark carbon fixation in stream carbon cycling
Authors: Machado‐Silva Fausto , Bastviken David , Miranda Marcio , Peixoto Roberta Bittencourt , Marotta Humberto , Enrich‐Prast Alex
Published: October 2023

Headwater streams are often characterized by turbulence, organic matter inputs from terrestrial systems, net heterotrophy, and the microbial loop supplying carbon and energy for consumers. However, ecological models overlook dark carbon fixation (DCF), the light‐independent inorganic carbon uptake, mainly based on chemosynthesis, using energy yields from redox reactions. The quantification of microbial biomass production, including DCF, heterotrophic production (HP), gross primary production (GPP), and ecosystem respiration (ER) in lotic aquatic systems, has long yet to be addressed. Here, we investigate HP and DCF in water, sediment, and litter in addition to GPP and ER from streams in pristine rainforests in three distinct sub‐basins of the Amazon River, assessing the variety of turbid, black, and clear waters. We observed mean (min–max) values of microbial biomass production of about 0.1 (0.02–1.2), 3.2 (0.8–14.1), and 0.1 (0.02–0.5) mg C m−2 h−1 in water, sediment, and litter samples, in which DCF : HP showed mean (min–max) values of 0.5 (0.2–2), 0.02 (0.001–0.07), and 0.2 (0.001–0.5). Hence, measurements yielded DCF of similar magnitude as HP in water and litter but significantly lower in sediment, indicating that DCF supplied more carbon to planktonic and litter microbes than in top sediments of streams. Literature comparisons show similar DCF and GPP, both being lower than ER in streams. Finally, we found stream DCF higher than in lentic systems, suggesting that flow and turbulence may accelerate chemosynthesis.
Clustering‐Triggered Emission Liquid Crystalline Polymer Bearing Cholesterol: Tunable Circularly Polarized Luminescence and Room‐Temperature Phosphorescence
Authors: Zhou Mengdie , Zhang Jiafan , Chen Yueyue , Chen Zhong , Yuan Yongjie , Gong Yongyang , Zhang Hailiang
Published: October 2023

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials with clustering‐triggered emission (CTE) characteristic have gradually attracted attention for their unique photophysical properties. However, the majority of reported clusteroluminogens lack chirality and exhibit heterogeneity, making it challenging to achieve a well‐defined helical structure necessary for efficient CPL with high dissymmetry factor (glum). In this paper, chiral liquid crystals are constructed to obtain CTE‐based CPL materials with high glum values. Side chain liquid crystal polymer PM6Chol bearing cholesterol clusteroluminogens are designed and synthesized. PM6Chol‐coated film and PM6Chol thermal‐treated film are also successfully prepared by different film‐forming methods. Both the films inherit the CTE characteristic of cholesterol and show excitation wavelength‐dependent luminescent behavior. However, the two polymer films exhibit different liquid crystal phase structures, with PM6Chol‐coated film being a chiral bilayer smectic C phase and PM6Chol thermal‐treated film being an achiral bilayer smectic A phase. Attributed to helical arrangement of cholesterol, PM6Chol‐coated film emits efficient CPL with glum values up to 1.0 × 10−1. For PM6Chol thermal‐treated film, no CPL signal is detected due to the absence of helical structure. However, it shows obvious room‐temperature phosphorescence with 2.0 s afterglow and 23.9 ms lifetime.
Dynamic interactions between Candida albicans and different streptococcal species in a multispecies oral biofilm
Authors: Lueyar Tenzin Kunchok , Karygianni Lamprini , Attin Thomas , Thurnheer Thomas
Published: October 2023

The oral cavity is colonized by a plethora of bacteria, fungi, and archaea, including streptococci of the mitis group (MSG) and the yeast Candida albicans. This study aims to investigate the role of streptococcal species in the development of oral biofilm and the cross‐kingdom interactions between some of the members of the commensal MSG and the pathogen yeast C. albicans using a multispecies supragingival biofilm model. A total of nine different in vitro biofilms were grown, quantified with culture analyses, and visually examined with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). A four‐species biofilm without any streptococcal species was used as a basic biofilm. In each subsequent inoculum, one species of MSG was added and afterward combined with Streptococcus mutans. The eight‐species biofilm contained all eight strains used in this study. Culture analyses showed that the presence of S. mutans in a four‐species biofilm with Streptococcus oralis or S. oralis subsp. tigurinus did not differ significantly in C. albicans colony‐forming unit (CFU) counts compared to biofilms without S. mutans. However, compared to other mitis species, Streptococcus gordonii combined with S. mutans resulted in the lowest CFUs of C. albicans. Visual observation by CLSM showed that biofilms containing both S. mutans and one species of MSG seemed to induce the formation of filamentous form of C. albicans. However, when several species of MSG were combined with S. mutans, C. albicans was again found in its yeast form.
PKMYT1 induced by YAP/TEAD1 gives rise to the progression and worse prognosis of bladder cancer
Authors: Wang Maoyu , Zhang Chen , Ying Yidie , Hua Meimian , Meng Fang , Wang Ziwei , Liu Anwei , Zeng Shuxiong , Zhang Zhensheng , Xu Chuanliang
Published: October 2023

Protein kinase, membrane‐associated tyrosine/threonine 1 (PKMYT1), which is associated with progression of tumor, is upregulated in a variety of cancers. However, its expression and the underlying molecular mechanisms in the context of bladder cancer (BLCA) remain elusive. Here we found that PKMYT1 expression was markedly higher expression in BLCA, which was correlated with poorer prognosis compared with low expression. Knockdown of PKMYT1 significantly inhibited the BLCA cells proliferation in vivo and in vitro, and migration and invasion, reduced G2/M phase in cell cycle and induced apoptosis. Mechanically, YAP and TEAD1 knockdown suppressed PKMYT1 expression in BLCA cells, whereas overexpression of YAP upregulated PKMYT1 expression and YAP prompted PKMYT1 transcriptional expression via TEAD1‐mediated direct binding to PKMYT1 promotor. Collectively, these findings suggest that PKMYT1, functioning as a direct gene target regulated by YAP/TEAD1, could serve as a potential indicator of progression and prognosis in BLCA. Further, PKMYT1 could serve as a novel therapeutic target for BLCA.
IAEA/WHO postal dosimetry audit methodology for electron beams using radio photoluminescent dosimeters
Authors: Dimitriadis Alexis , Kazantsev Pavel , Chelminski Krzysztof , Titovich Egor , Naida Ekaterina , Magnus Talent , Meghzifene Ahmed , Azangwe Godfrey , Carrara Mauro , Swamidas Jamema
Published: October 2023

Background

Independent dosimetry audits are an important intervention in radiotherapy for quality assurance. Electron beams, used for superficial radiotherapy treatments, must also be tested in dosimetry audits as part of a good quality assurance program to help prevent clinical errors.

Purpose

To establish a new service for IAEA/WHO postal dosimetry audits in electron beams using RPL dosimeters.

Methods

A novel postal audit methodology employing a PMMA holder system for RPLDs was developed. The associated correction factors including holder dependence, energy dependence, dose response non‐linearity, and fading were obtained and tested in a multi‐center (n = 12) pilot study. A measurement uncertainty budget was estimated and employed in analyzing the irradiated dosimeters.

Results

Holder and energy correction factors ranged from 1.004 to 1.010 and 1.019 to 1.059 respectively across the energy range. The non‐linearity and fading correction models used for photon beams were tested in electron beams and did not significantly increase measurement uncertainty. The mean dose ratio ± SD of the multi‐center study was 1.001 ± 0.011. The overall uncertainty budget was estimated as ± 1.42% (k = 1).

Conclusions

A methodology for IAEA/WHO postal dosimetry audits in electron beams was developed and validated in a multi‐center study and is now made available to radiotherapy centers as a routine service.
Do we really know if they are in pain? A cross‐sectional study in hospitalised adult patients in Spain
Authors: Lorenzo Allegue Laura , Laredo Velasco Leonor , Recio Vivas Ana María , Mansilla Domínguez José Miguel , Moñino Ruiz Pedro , Rey Luz Bueno , Font‐Jiménez Isabel , Vargas Castrillón Emilio
Published: October 2023

Aims

To describe the prevalence and characteristics of pain in adult hospitalised patients, as well as to analyse the concordance between patient‐reported and recorded pain and its impact on analgesic management.

Design

A cross sectional study.

Methods

The study was performed on a sample of 611 patients, from October to December 2017. Data were obtained from patient interviews, review of medical and nursing records and review of electronic prescribing.

Results

The prevalence of pain at the time of the interview was 36.7%. The median VAS score was 4. 90% of the patients had their pain assessed within the last 24 h; however, concordance between patient‐reported pain and recorded pain in the nursing record was slight.

Conclusion

Pain is still often documented inadequately. Despite the wide use of analgesics, half of the patients with moderate to severe pain do not have adequate pain management. A systematic assessment and recording of pain promotes appropriate analgesic prescription.

Implications for the profession and patient care

The findings of our study provide insight into the main gaps in the correct management of pain in hospitalised patients. A systematic assessment and recording of the pain suffered by the patient facilitates its control and allows a better management of the analgesic prescription by the physician. This information could help hospital managers to develop training programmes on pain assessment and on the importance of doctor–nurse collaboration to improve pain management, increasing the quality of care and reducing hospital costs.

Reporting method

The study has adhered to the relevant EQUATOR guidelines, according to The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies.
“The constant worry”: Urinary incontinence self‐management in rural women: A qualitative study
Authors: Klein Abbey Jo , Eisenhauer Christine , Mollard Elizabeth , Alappattu Meryl , Shade Marcia Y. , Struwe Leeza , Berger Ann M.
Published: October 2023

Urinary incontinence (UI) is experienced by approximately 60% of women in the United States and has a negative impact on self‐esteem, sexual function, social participation, and quality of life. Rural women, who are underrepresented in the UI literature, face many health disparities and unique barriers to accessing care. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore UI self‐management behaviors in rural women with UI, including the contextual factors that influence their approach to self‐management. This study recruited rural women, ages 30−60 years, using purposive sampling via social media. Demographic information was collected. A semi‐structured interview guide was used to conduct individual, in‐depth interviews via Zoom. Interview data were analyzed using qualitative description. Sections of interview text were coded using a priori and emergent codes, grouped into categories, and distilled into themes. A total of 31 participants (mean age = 47.2 years) met inclusion/exclusion criteria, enrolled, and completed the study. Qualitative analysis revealed rural as a cross‐cutting theme and five major themes: self‐management behaviors, familial influence, medical encounters, talking about UI, and resource scarcity. Participants described the rural environment as having a substantial impact on their approach to UI self‐management. Specifically, rural social enmeshment made seeking care for UI in rural communities challenging. Findings shed light on how the rural environment influences various aspects of UI self‐management in midlife women. Diverse perspectives in UI self‐management are needed to advance knowledge in this field.
A volumetric heat source model for the approximation of the melting pool in laser beam welding
Authors: Hartwig Philipp , Scheunemann Lisa , Schröder Jörg
Published: October 2023

Laser beam welding is a metal fusion technique that, with its high advance speed and low thermal distortion, is used more frequently nowadays in industry. During welding, the solidification front is located in the so‐called mushy zone, which forms the transition region between the completely solidified and mixture zone of solid and fluid material behind the laser beam. In this zone, various process parameters can lead to the formation of included melt areas that may cause cracking when they solidify and shrink. The properties of the solidification region are influenced by several parameters. Factors such as welding speed, temperature gradient, and chemical composition affect the likelihood of solidification cracking. To study the heat affected zone more accurately, different models describing the melting pool in finite element approaches using a heat source are discussed. The goal is to develop a volumetric heat source model based on the conical model, which closely represents the temperature distribution illustrated by the Lamé curves. Boundary value problems are presented to showcase the results.
Economic fatigue damage monitoring for vehicle fleets using the scattering transform
Authors: Heindel Leonhard , Wendrock Fabian , Hantschke Peter , Kästner Markus
Published: October 2023

Vehicle monitoring is an important prequisite for predictive maintenance applications. Virtual sensors can be deployed to establish relationships between fatigue related quantities of interest and readily available measurement data, which reduces the costs of monitoring for vehicle fleets. This work describes a data‐driven virtual sensing approach using the scattering transform and principal component analysis. These data transformations are used to obtain a reduced representation of acceleration data, which is suitable for the identification of fatigue critical events during vehicle operation. Results of a previous study using an eBike demonstrator are summarized and the methodology is applied to experimental data of a sensor equipped light rail vehicle. In both applications, fictitious fatigue damage contributions are estimated accurately and physical interpretations of the reduced representation are found.
Identification of obstructive sleep apnea in children with obesity: A cluster analysis approach
Authors: Gatt Dvir , Ahmadiankalati Mojtaba , Voutsas Giorge , Katz Sherri , Lu Zihang , Narang Indra
Published: October 2023

Background

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a heterogeneous disorder with a prevalence of 25%–60% in children with obesity. There is a lack of diagnostic tools to identify those at high risk for OSA.

Method

Children with obesity, aged 8–19 years old, were enrolled into an ongoing multicenter, prospective cohort study related to OSA. We performed k‐means cluster analysis to identify clinical variables which could help identify obesity related OSA.

Results

In this study, 118 participants were included in the analysis; 40.7% were diagnosed with OSA, 46.6% were female and the mean (SD) body mass index (BMI) and age were 39.7 (9.6) Kg/m², and 14.4 (2.6) years, respectively. The mean (SD) obstructive apnea‐hypopnea index (OAHI) was 11.0 (21.1) events/h. We identified two distinct clusters based on three clustering variables (age, BMI z‐score, and neck‐height ratio [NHR]). The prevalence of OSA in clusters 1 and 2, were 22.4% and 58.3% (p = 0.001), respectively. Children in cluster 2, in comparison to cluster 1, had higher BMI z‐score (4.7 (1.1) versus 3.2 (0.7), p < 0.001), higher NHR (0.3 (0.02) versus 0.2 (0.01), p < 0.001) and were older (15.0 (2.2) versus 13.7 (2.9) years, p = 0.09), respectively. However, there were no significant differences in sex and OSA symptoms between the clusters. The results from hierarchical clustering were similar to k‐means analysis suggesting that the resulting OSA clusters were stable to different analysis approaches.

Interpretation

BMI, NHR, and age are easily obtained in a clinical setting and can be utilized to identify children at high risk for OSA.
Implementation of Stable Nonvolatile Resistive Switching Behaviors in TiO2 Nanoparticle‐Incorporated 2D Layered Halide Perovskite‐Based Devices
Authors: Zhu Yuanyuan , Chen Mengyao , Wang Lixin , Wei Hong , Zhou Jing , Zou Changwei , Liu Yong , Xiong Rui , Wang Hongjun
Published: October 2023

2D organic–inorganic layered halide perovskites have received tremendous interest as promising materials in electronics owing to their outstanding physical properties. However, the quantum confinement effect leads to the suppression of ion migration in the out‐of‐plane direction, restricting their applications in resistive switching (RS) memories with vertical structure. Herein, the 2D layered perovskite incorporated with TiO2 nanoparticles, denoted as TiO2–PEA2PbBr4, is employed, as the functional layers to construct RS memory devices with Al/TiO2–PEA2PbBr4/ITO structure. As compared to pure 2D layered perovskite counterparts without switching behaviors, the Al/TiO2–PEA2PbBr4/ITO memories demonstrate stable bipolar RS behaviors, along with striking characteristics, including the relatively centralized set/reset voltages, a large on/off ratio (≈102), and a long retention time (104 s). In addition, the devices also present the multilevel storage capability by controlling the compliance current. Moreover, the RS behaviors are attributable to the formation/rupture of synergy bromine and oxygen vacancy conductive filaments, owing to their migration/distribution of oxygen/bromine ions under electric fields. The oxide nanoparticles incorporation route provides an effective strategy for improving RS performance in 2D layered perovskite‐based RS memories.
Maternal high intake of vitamin B12 and folate reduces the risk of adverse birth outcomes among HIV negative pregnant women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Authors: Lweno Omar N. , Kalinjuma Aneth V. , Hertzmark Ellen , Noor Ramadhani A. , Urassa Willy , Fawzi Wafaie W.
Published: October 2023

Poor dietary intake of vitamin B12 and folate before and during pregnancy has been associated with adverse birth outcomes. This relationship has not been rigorously evaluated in Tanzania. We performed secondary analyses of data collected during the perinatal study, a double‐blind trial that investigated the effect of vitamin supplements on perinatal outcomes in Tanzania between 2001 and 2004. In this analysis, we used log‐binomial models to investigate the adequacy of vitamin B12 and folate intake among 7633 mothers and the association of vitamin B12 and folate intake during pregnancy with low birth weight, preterm birth (PTB), small for gestational age and foetal death. Sixty‐seven percent of women had vitamin B12 intake below the recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) of 2.6 mcg for pregnant women, and 98% of women had folate intake below the RDA of 600 mcg for pregnant women. Compared with women in the lowest tertile of vitamin B12 intake women in the highest tertile were 26% less likely to have PTB (relative risk [RR] = 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65, 0.84) and 36% less likely to have severe PTB (RR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.83). Compared with women in the lowest tertile of folate intake women in the highest tertile were 21% less likely to have PTB (RR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.69, 0.89) and 21% less likely to have severe PTB (RR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.69, 0.89). The provision of an adequate supply of these nutrients before and during pregnancy would improve pregnancy outcomes in Tanzania.
Adaptive boundary observer network design for the consensus on the estimation of a class of parabolic partial differential equation systems
Authors: Cai Mingxing , Yuan Yuan , Luo Biao , Xu Xiaodong , Dubljevic Stevan
Published: October 2023

This work develops a network of adaptive boundary observers and studies the agreement between state and parameter estimates for a single target parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) system in the presence of structured and unstructured uncertainties. It is assumed that the unknown parameters take the form of either a structured uncertainty with unknown constant parameters or an unstructured uncertainty that can be neutralized by a radial basis function neural networks with unknown weights. The proposed adaptive observers consisting of agents in the network follow the structure of adaptive identifiers for the considered target PDE systems with the insertion of a penalty term in both the state and parameter estimates. Different from earlier efforts, the proposed adaptive laws include a penalty term of the mismatch between the parameter and state estimates generated by the other adjacent agents, which helps to accelerate the estimation of uncertainties. Additionally, the effects of these modifications on the agreement amongst the state and parameter estimates are investigated. Theoretical proofs are provided to show that the proposed approach guarantees the exponential convergence of estimation errors in the case of structured uncertainties and the ultimate boundedness of estimation errors in the case of unstructured uncertainties. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the design methods.
Measuring epistemic knowledge development related to scientific experimentation practice: A construct modeling approach
Authors: Lee Hee‐Sun , Gweon Gey‐Hong , Webb Aubree , Damelin Dan , Dorsey Chad
Published: October 2023

This study addresses the measurement of high school students' epistemic knowledge associated with scientific experimentation (EKSE) which concerns how scientific experimentation generates knowledge and why that knowledge is justified. Based on philosophical, educational standards, and literature analyses, an EKSE construct is characterized as (1) underlying students' decisions and reasoning elicited during experiment design, data collection/measurement, and data analysis/interpretation and (2) progressing in five levels of sophistication: no information, nascent, dogmatic, contextualized, and reflective. This study psychometrically examined the structure of the EKSE construct using the construct modeling approach. An instrument was designed to ask students decisions and reasoning encountered while carrying out the activities embedded in experimental inquiry. High school students took the instrument as a pretest and a posttest to a physics curriculum where they learned to carry out independent scientific experiments. Results indicate that (1) all decisions and reasoning taking place during experiment design, data collection/measurement, and data analysis/interpretation contribute to the EKSE construct, (2) epistemic knowledge develops in the hypothesized order, (3) scientifically aligned decisions are likely to occur when students' epistemic knowledge is at or higher than the dogmatic level, and (4) students' EKSE can improve after engaging in a curriculum that encourages independent scientific experimentation with materials. Implications of these results and further research are discussed.
Loci of Greed in a Caribbean Paradise: Land Conflicts in Bocas del Toro, Panama
Authors: Thampy Gayatri
Published: October 2023

The Bocas del Toro archipelago on the Caribbean side of Panama has seen the rise of tourism as the dominant and almost exclusive industry since the early 1990s. The archipelago has been in the national limelight since 2000 due to the abundance of land conflicts sparked by “residential tourism,” resort development and subsequent land speculation. In response, the Panamanian government has attempted to evolve a regulatory system that fosters economic growth through foreign investment in the region while also appeasing and controlling citizen, expatriate retiree, and investor angst due to the burgeoning conflicts. This article examines the motivations behind the regulatory mechanisms enacted, as well as the motivations of various actors involved by identifying various loci of greed that anchor the accusations of greed to particular social actors. In the process, it examines the discourses used by these actors to interpret, ignore, or modify the regulatory framework within the context of the land conflicts in order to serve their interests. I suggest that it is necessary to operationalize the concept of greed to allow for systematic cross‐cultural comparisons. Studying narratives of greed and the associated social actors helps us understand how greed is emically defined and allows us to move past subjective moral judgments.
The Problem of Greed in Economic Anthropology: Sumptuary Laws and New Consumerism in China
Authors: Bosco Joseph
Published: October 2023

Until recently, greed was kept in check in China by two forms of nonreligious restriction on consumption, the sumptuary laws of the imperial period and by politically imposed austerity of the collective era. Sumptuary laws in Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) China, enforced Confucian notions of hierarchy, modesty, and restraint and limited the display and spending of the wealthy. In contrast, political and social pressures led the masses in Mao's China to dress virtually alike. Though there were significant, albeit small, variations in clothing among urban residents, the apparent homogeneity in consumption was as much the result of poverty as of political commitment. Post‐1979, hyperconsumerism has swept aside all traditional restrictions and reservations on conspicuous display. This is illustrated by the rapid acceptance of foreign brands of shampoo beginning in the 1990s. The discourse of greed and excess focuses on individual motivation, as is common in the thinking of individualizing capitalism. The case of shampoo in China shows that the present push to greater consumption, just like the past restrictions on consumption, is based not on individual motivation or personality, but on the cultural logic of the system itself.
Fair Output Limit Determination Method of Wind Farms to Reduce Curtailed Power by Demand Response
Authors: Sugawara Daichi , Saitoh Hiroumi , Ito Naoki , Kakeda Katsuhiro
Published: October 2023

In an electric power system with a large number of renewable energy sources such as wind farms (WFs), the WF's output would be curtailed in order to maintain the supply–demand balance when it is predicted that there would be excess power generation in the entire system. In this case, it is important to ensure fairness among WFs from the viewpoint of the curtailed outputs and to minimize the total of the curtailed power. In this paper, we propose a measure to simultaneously achieve a reduction in curtailed power and a fair upper limit using demand response. The validity of the proposed measures is confirmed by numerical calculations. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
RETRACTED: Calcitriol suppresses gastric cancer progression and cisplatin resistance by inhibiting glycolysis and M2 macrophage polarization through inhibition of mTOR activation
Authors: Jie Li , Hengyue Wang , Ting Han
Published: October 2023

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a critical role in tumor progression, with macrophages and tumor cells interacting within the TME, influencing cancer development. Despite the known anticancer properties of calcitriol, its role in the TME remains uncertain. This study aimed to explore the effects of calcitriol on macrophages and cancer cells in the TME and its impact on gastric cancer cell proliferation and cisplatin resistance. In vitro TME models were established using conditioned medium from gastric cancer cells (CCM) and macrophages (MCM) treated with or without calcitriol. The results revealed that calcitriol treatment suppressed the expression of glycolysis‐related genes and proteins (GLUT1, HKII, LDHA) in MCM‐induced gastric cancer cells, leading to increased cancer cell apoptosis and reduced viability, along with decreased Cyclin D1 gene expression. Moreover, calcitriol treatment inhibited mTOR activation in MCM‐induced gastric cancer cells. Additionally, calcitriol hindered CCM‐induced M2 macrophage polarization by reducing CD206 expression and increasing TNFα gene expression in THP1‐derived macrophages, attenuating cisplatin resistance. These findings suggest that calcitriol may impede gastric cancer progression by targeting glycolysis and M2 macrophage polarization through the regulation of mTOR activation in the TME.
Phenethyl isothiocyanate and irinotecan synergistically induce cell apoptosis in colon cancer HCT 116 cells in vitro
Authors: Lai Kuang‐Chi , Chueh Fu‐Shin , Ma Yi‐Shih , Chou Yu‐Cheng , Chen Jaw‐Chyun , Liao Ching‐Lung , Huang Yi‐Ping , Peng Shu‐Fen
Published: October 2023

Irinotecan (IRI), an anticancer drug to treat colon cancer patients, causes cytotoxic effects on normal cells. Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), rich in common cruciferous plants, has anticancer activities (induction of cell apoptosis) in many human cancer cells, including colon cancer cells. However, the anticancer effects of IRI combined with PEITC on human colon cancer cells in vitro were unavailable. Herein, the aim of this study is to focus on the apoptotic effects of the combination of IRI and PEITC on human colon cancer HCT 116 cells in vitro. Propidium iodide (PI) exclusion and Annexin V/PI staining assays showed that IRI combined with PEITC decreased viable cell number and induced higher cell apoptosis than that of IRI or PEITC only in HCT 116 cells. Moreover, combined treatment induced higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+ than that of IRI or PEITC only. Cells pre‐treated with N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine (scavenger of ROS) and then treated with IRI, PEITC, or IRI combined with PEITC showed increased viable cell numbers than that of IRI or PEITC only. IRI combined with PEITC increased higher caspase‐3, ‐8, and ‐9 activities than that of IRI or PEITC only by flow cytometer assay. IRI combined with PEITC induced higher levels of ER stress‐, mitochondria‐, and caspase‐associated proteins than that of IRI or PEITC treatment only in HCT 116 cells. Based on these observations, PEITC potentiates IRI anticancer activity by promoting cell apoptosis in the human colon HCT 116 cells. Thus, PEITC may be a potential enhancer for IRI in humans as an anticolon cancer drug in the future.
Interrogating Young Children's Itineraries for Writing: Promoting Disciplinary Literacy through Personal Digital Inquiry
Authors: Wargo Jon M. , Giunco Kierstin
Published: October 2023

Offering a heuristic to apprentice young children into the disciplines, we examine how one multiage classroom teacher leveraged the resources of personal digital inquiry to forward students’ knowledge building.
A microbial inhibition assay in microplates using Bacillus licheniformis for detection of enrofloxacin and sulfamethazine in chicken spiked kidney, liver and muscle tissues
Authors: Mirzaie Sara , Jamiri Fahimeh , Javanmard Dakheli Majid , Mirdamadi Saeed
Published: October 2023

Background

The presence of antimicrobial drugs residues in animal products at levels higher than the maximum residue level (MRL) may have adverse effects on consumer health such as allergic reactions and resistance development. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor animal products for the presence of antimicrobial residues.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the detection limit of microbial inhibition assay (MIA) in microplate by using of Bacillus licheniformis as indicator microorganism for two antibiotics, enrofloxacin (ENR) and sulfamethazine (SMT), in broiler chicken's kidney, liver and muscle tissue samples.

Methods

Spiked tissues samples for the two antibiotics were analysed separately by this method. The results of the assay were evaluated by the determination of the absorbance after mean 3.47 h of incubation at 45°C.

Results

Results showed that the detection limits of MIA for ENR and SMT in kidney (124.03 and 23.21 μg/kg, respectively) and liver (90.02 and 62.03 μg/kg, respectively) as well as SMT in muscle (46.95 μg/kg) were lower than EU (European Union) – MRL, whereas the detection limit for ENR in muscle was slightly higher than MRL (136.3 μg/kg compared to 100 μg/kg MRL). Furthermore, the MIA in the current study was found to be more sensitive to SMT than ENR (92% and 88% sensitivity rate, respectively). No false‐positive was observed in the assay.

Conclusions

Based on the results, the MIA investigated in this study had the potential to detect ENR and SMT residues in broiler chicken kidney, liver and muscle tissues at levels below or close to EU – MRL but offered lower capability for the detection of ENR compared with SMT in kidney and muscle tissue samples.
Accidental cardiac puncture during pericardiocentesis in a dog
Authors: Sansby Emma , Borland Karla , Michou Joanne
Published: October 2023

A 12‐year‐old, male, neutered, crossbreed dog, with a bodyweight of 7.6 kg, was diagnosed with a moderate volume of pericardial effusion with cardiac tamponade using point‐of‐care ultrasound. Initial bloodwork revealed moderate anaemia (packed cell volume 23%) and hyperlactataemia (2.3 mmol/L). During pericardiocentesis, accidental cardiocentesis and drainage of 16.5 mL/kg of blood occurred, resulting in an increased heart rate, hypotension and alterations in the electrocardiogram trace amplitude. The patient received 25 mL/kg of packed red blood cells, and was discharged from hospital the next day. Unfortunately, the pericardial effusion reoccurred 7 days later. The patient was diagnosed with an epicardial mass, and euthanased 48 hours later.
The risk and strain of working during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Berg Janine , Soares Sergei
Published: October 2023

Key workers suffered higher mortality rates from COVID‐19 than non‐key workers, as a result of their greater exposure to the virus.

However, mortality rates varied among key workers, with transport workers suffering the highest mortality rates.

The findings reveal the importance of occupational safety and health (OSH) protections, as well as the benefits of working in formal workplaces with collective representation, as this enabled many key workers to better cope with the increased demands and risks of working during the pandemic. The chapter also delves into the experience of key enterprises that provided goods and services deemed essential by governments and who faced many challenges operating, including managing disrupted supply chains, financial uncertainty, declines in investment, problems with staffing, and implementing emergency OSH guidelines. These issues were more acute for micro and small enterprises.
Sectoral investments to support key workers and enterprises
Authors: Berg Janine , Duman Anil , Ananian Sévane
Published: October 2023

Investments in physical and social infrastructure in key sectors are necessary for improving working conditions and strengthening business continuity. Such investments lay the foundation for creating resilient economies and societies with the capacity to withstand, adapt to and transform in the face of shocks and crises. This chapter addresses the importance of investments in health and long‐term care, resilient food systems and enterprise resilience.
Aggregating Images for Time Series
Authors: Gandhi Ujaval
Published: October 2023

Many remote sensing datasets consist of repeated observations over time. The interval between observations can vary widely. Many applications, however, require computing aggregations of data at time intervals different from those at which the datasets were produced. This chapter will cover the techniques for aggregating individual images from a time series at a chosen interval. We will take the CHIRPS time series of rainfall for one year and aggregate it to create a monthly rainfall time series.
Data Fusion: Merging Classification Streams
Authors: Cardille Jeffrey A. , Boothman Rylan , Villamor Mary , Perez Elijah , Willis Eidan , Pelletier Flavie
Published: October 2023

As the ability to rapidly produce classifications of satellite images grows, it will be increasingly important to have algorithms that can shift through them to separate the signal from inevitable classification noise. The purpose of this chapter is to explore how to update classification time series by blending information from multiple classifications made from a wide variety of data sources. In this lab, we will explore how to update the classification time series of the Roosevelt River found in Fortin et al. (Remote Sens Environ 238, 2020). That time series began with the 1972 launch of Landsat 1, blending evidence from 10 sensors and more than 140 images to show the evolution of the area until 2016. How has it changed since 2016? What new tools and data streams might we tap to understand the land surface through time?
GEEDiT—Digitizing from Satellite Imagery
Authors: Lea James
Published: October 2023

Earth surface margins and features are often of key interest to environmental scientists. A coastline, the terminus of a glacier, the outline of a landform, and many other examples can help illustrate past, present, and potential future environmental change. The information gained from these features can be used to achieve greater understanding of the underlying processes that are controlling these systems, to monitor their responses to ongoing environmental changes, and to assess and inform wider socio-economic impacts at local to global scales.
Collaborating in Earth Engine with Scripts and Assets
Authors: Szeto Sabrina H.
Published: October 2023

Many users find themselves needing to collaborate with others in Earth Engine at some point. Students may need to work on a group project, people from different organizations might want to collaborate on research together, or people may want to share a script or an asset they created with others. This chapter will show you how to collaborate with others and share your work.
Combining R and Earth Engine
Authors: Aybar Cesar , Montero David , Barja Antony , Herrera Fernando , Gonzales Andrea , Espinoza Wendy
Published: October 2023

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce rgee, a non-official API for Earth Engine. You will explore the main features available in rgee and how to set up an environment that integrates rgee with third-party R and Python packages. After this chapter, you will be able to combine R, Python, and JavaScript in the same workflow.
Health Applications
Authors: Nekorchuk Dawn
Published: October 2023

The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate how Google Earth Engine may be used to support modeling and forecasting of vector-borne infectious diseases such as malaria. In doing so, the chapter will also show how Earth Engine may be used to gather data for subsequent analyses outside of Earth Engine, the results of which can then also be brought back into Earth Engine.
Mangroves II—Change Mapping
Authors: de Sousa Celio , Lagomasino David , Fatoyinbo Lola
Published: October 2023

The purpose of this chapter is to present two methods of land cover extent change detection: map-to-map and map-to-image using anomaly data. In a map-to-map approach, changes are extracted by subtracting a two-date pair of land cover extent maps: that is, time 2 (T2) extent minus time 1 (T1) extent. By comparison, a map-to-image approach uses a baseline extent map within which changes are calculated based on a T2 image where the change classes are defined by threshold values.
Creating Presence and Absence Points
Authors: Engelstad Peder , Carver Daniel , Young Nicholas E.
Published: October 2023

The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate a method to generate your own presence and absence data and distribute those samples using specific ecological characteristics found in remotely sensed imagery. You will see that even when field data is unavailable, you can still digitally sample a landscape and gather information on current or past ecological conditions.
Introduction: The Future of Consumption
Authors: Bäckström Kristina , Egan-Wyer Carys , Samsioe Emma
Published: October 2023

It is often said that we live in a consumer society. This does not just mean that we buy things regularly but also that consumption is an integral part of our daily lives. We have learned to think of ourselves as consumers, rather than citizens, in a variety of situations. Against this backdrop, retail organisations hold a strategically important position, not least because of the space they occupy between producers and consumers. Retailers have a key role in steering consumption and mediating choice. They have the power to shape conversations about socially important issues, such as sustainability, and can nudge consumers to make better choices. It is clear that retail and consumption are intertwined in complex ways, both symbiotic and antagonistic. Despite this, they have often been studied in different ways by separate groups of researchers rather than being seen as integrated. In this book, we seek to rectify this by exploring the ways in which three different consumption trends will transform the retail industry. This book is distinctive because of the way it links future consumption trends with pragmatic actions that retailers can take to prepare in the present. It is essential reading for retail managers who want to know how future consumption trends will affect the industry, as well as students and researchers of retail and consumption who wish to better understand how these interdependent fields are linked.
Vegan Consumption: Insights into the Consumer-driven Emergence of the Vegan Market
Authors: Lamarche-Beauchesne Rachel
Published: October 2023

Veganism represents an all-encompassing lifestyle movement that impacts the consumer’s ongoing decision-making. Through caring for both the wellbeing of oneself and that of distant others, veganism represents personal agency and empowerment in the marketplace. In its attempt to modify established cultural norms dictating acceptable engagement between humans and animals, veganism continues to grow in terms of its visibility. Through individuals adopting the lifestyle, and through the development of compliant products made available in traditional retail spaces, veganism has become an important part of future consumption discourses. Framed by the theory of Consumer-Driven Market Emergence, this chapter unpacks the organic growth of the vegan market. By delving into the early emergence of the vegan ideology, discussing examples of community entrepreneurs, and presenting market catalysts, the different phases of market emergence offer a clearer understanding of how the vegan market has come to flourish. While it is representative of a bottom-up approach to market development, veganism is suggested to have gained increased acceptance through traditional retailers and brands, which have come to legitimise this lifestyle by both carrying and developing compliant products. Actionable insights are offered to retailers and product developers, and implications for future research are suggested.
(When) Is it Worth Investing in the Personal Service Encounter?
Authors: Egan-Wyer Carys , Valentin Sofia , Parsmo Åsa
Published: October 2023

Many retail chains believe that the personal service encounter is the solution to declining sales figures. Via a large-scale study of Swedish fashion consumers, we demonstrate, that this may not necessarily be the case. We argue that retailers can potentially save money and convert more customers by providing a more automated journey, which includes self-service technologies, for some customers, and reserving personal service encounters for those that need it to be converted. The retail industry has a lot to gain (financially) from facilitating a more automated customer acquisition while streamlining and prioritising store employees’ time where it will generate most returns. Based on our findings, we suggest that the successful retail stores of the future will be the ones that can answer the following question: When is it worth investing in the personal service encounter and when are self-service technologies more appropriate? This chapter will help them to do so.
Into the Metaverse: Technological Advances Shaping the Future of Consumer and Retail Marketing
Authors: Shahriar Hossain
Published: October 2023

This chapter explores how technological advances can shape our future consumption, marketing, and society. Using a McLuhanian theoretical lens, and the metaverse as an illustrative example of emerging technological development, the chapter unpacks the marketing and socio-political implications of technological advances. It delves into how brands have been using the current rendition of the metaverse to shape consumption, expanding our understanding of marketing in the metaverse. Taking stock of these examples, which point toward a mixed reality future, the chapter concisely highlights how marketers can navigate such a hybrid phygital future. The chapter ends by asking readers to consider the socio-cultural and politico-legal implications of the technological advances shaping our future. A techno-political matrix is presented that envisions alternative future scenarios that can help us both understand the implications of technological advances and anticipate potential future changes. The chapter enriches the research frontiers of digital marketing and retail.
Introduction
Authors: Dodds Phil
Published: October 2023

Scales are neither natural nor neutral but actively and constantly produced and practised, with real political effects. Human-geographical and anthropological scholarship has demonstrated this with special attention to political-economic and social processes, but the project of understanding how cultural practices produce scale remains unfinished. A review of music research shows that it tends to use scalar categories (e.g. local, urban, regional, global, world) in varyingly critical ways, and as a field it therefore has both most to gain from and most to offer to a fuller conceptualisation of the cultural production of scale. In particular, music scholars should treat scales as open questions, and as phenomena potentially produced through musical practices, rather than as stable categories upon which to base, or with which to frame, other arguments. Attending to how music harnesses, manipulates, contests and constructs the scales that have been more commonly used to frame and explain it enables a richer musicological analysis and a deeper understanding of the world’s geographies.
Grundlegende Begriffe: Journalismus und seine Publika
Authors: Körner Theresa
Published: October 2023

Die zentralen Begriffe dieser Arbeit sind automatisierter Journalismus und Vertrauen. Beide werden in Kapitel 3 beziehungsweise in Kapitel 4 ausführlich besprochen. Um das Forschungsvorhaben umsetzen zu können und eine fundierte Dokumentation der Studienergebnisse zu leisten, ist die Definition weiterer grundlegender Begriffe notwendig, die im Folgenden kurz skizziert werden. Ziel der Ausführungen ist es, eine Arbeitsgrundlage für die Operationalisierung der Begriffe zu schaffen und weniger die Kontroversen im Fach zur jeweiligen Begriffsbestimmung – zum Beispiel zur Definition von Journalismus – in Gänze nachzuvollziehen.