bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nephroblastoma-specific dysregulated gene SNHG15 with prognostic significance: scRNA-Seq with bulk RNA-Seq data and experimental validation
Authors: Chang Mengmeng , Li Ding , Su Li , Ding Chen , Lu Zhiyi , Gao Hongjie , Sun Fengyin
Published: March 2024

Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common malignancy of the genitourinary system in children. Currently, the Integration of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) and Bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis of heterogeneity between different cell types in pediatric WT tissues could more accurately find prognostic markers, but this is lacking. RNA-Seq and clinical data related to WT were downloaded from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) database. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 15 (SNHG15) was identified as a risk signature from the TARGET dataset by using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, differentially expressed analysis and univariate Cox analysis. After that, the functional mechanisms, immunological and molecular characterization of SNHG15 were investigated at the scRNA-seq, pan-cancer, and RNA-seq levels using Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), ESTIMATE, and CIBERSORT. Based on scRNA-seq data, we identified 20 clusters in WT and annotated 10 cell types. Integration of single-cell and spatial data mapped ligand-receptor networks to specific cell types, revealing M2 macrophages as hubs for intercellular communication. In addition, in vitro cellular experiments showed that siRNAs interfering with SNHG15 significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of G401 cells and promoted the apoptosis of G401 cells compared with the control group. The effect of siRNAs interfering with SNHG15 on EMT-related protein expression was verified by Western blotting assay. Thus, our findings will improve our current understanding of the pathogenesis of WT, and they are potentially valuable in providing novel prognosis markers for the treatment of WT.
Non-invasive Thermohydrodynamic Approach for Fast Cell Manipulation at the Microscale
Authors: de la Asunción-Nadal Víctor , Pacheco Marta , Jurado-Sánchez Beatriz , Lapeira Estela , Aginagalde Maialen , Bou-Ali M. Mounir , Escarpa Alberto
Published: March 2024

Thermal gradients have emerged as a promising technique for manipulating and sorting biological material at the microscale, holding considerable potential in lab-on-a-chip technology. Herein, we propose a non-invasive thermohydrodynamic approach for fast cell manipulation using a microfluidic open-to-air device. Cell discrimination is achieved by simply changing the temperature gradient toward the control of the convective effect on their displacement. First, the size and morphology/roughness-based motion capabilities were modeled using polystyrene (PS) microparticles with different sizes (5 and 20 μm) and polycaprolactone (PCL) microspheres, respectively. Computational fluid dynamics simulations of the generated flow were also carried out to demonstrate the influence of both the thermohydrodynamic and Marangoni effects in the PS particle displacement, where the thermally induced convective effect was not enough to move the microparticles inside the channel, but the combination of thermally induced convection together with the Marangoni effect. Indeed, small particles (5 μm) followed a full convective path, whereas the bigger ones (20 μm) exhibited a rolling motion on the substrate from the cold side to the hot side. Also, the relationship between in-flow speed and PCL (≈ 20 μm) surface roughness confirmed the driving force of this convection-based approach. Then, the microfluidic device was successfully used to separate Henrietta Lacks cancer cells (HeLa) from red blood (RBCs) and fibroblast (HFF-1) cells. To this end, thermal gradients were tailored to achieve the desired thermohydrodynamic effect, showing a highly versatile performance. Both cell models (HeLa-RBCs and HeLa-HFF-1), due to rationale tweaking of the imposed temperature gradients (ΔT = 10 K, 303–293 K, and ΔT = 5 K, 303–298 K), were efficiently separated in less than 5 and 60 s, respectively; with excellent cell viabilities. The proposed microfluidic approach holds considerable promise for thermohydrodynamic sorting and manipulation of biological material by non-invasive methods using portable instrumentation. The potential parallelization of the thermal-convective approach opens new avenues for early disease diagnosis (liquid biopsies) or the study of biological systems, even at physiological temperatures with a potential impact in cell (organ)-on-a-chip technologies.
Thermal deformation monitoring of a highway bridge: combined analysis of geodetic and satellite-based InSAR measurements with structural simulations
Authors: Lorenz R. , Petryna Y. , Lubitz C. , Lang O. , Wegener V.
Published: March 2024

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of civil engineering structures is experiencing an increasing progress in the last decades. The present work focuses on the static behavior of a highway bridge due to environmental temperature effects. The goal of the present study was to test the applicability of the satellite-based synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) for deformation monitoring of a large, curved highway bridge and to compare the obtained results with alternative measurement techniques like classical geodesy surveying and with an advanced computer simulation. Such a comparison is quite rare and provides an important insight into the accuracy, efficiency and limitations of the InSAR technique in the context of SHM. Especially interesting was the question whether the InSAR technique is suitable for blind monitoring of a cluster of bridges in the region of interest. The present study shows that a pre-knowledge about each structure can be very important for a reliable interpretation of the InSAR measurement results. The second challenge of the study was to overcome several objective difficulties of combining and comparing quite different monitoring techniques that result from different sampling rates, measurement points and other specific features and sensitivities. Nevertheless, a suitable approach has been developed and implemented in the present study for the InSAR and total station measurements, providing new results and important knowledge about novel SHM techniques.
Relative controllability of linear state-delay fractional systems
Authors: Mahmudov Nazim I.
Published: March 2024

In this paper, our focus is on exploring the relative controllability of systems governed by linear fractional differential equations incorporating state delay. We introduce a novel counterpart to the Cayley-Hamilton theorem. Leveraging a delayed perturbation of the Mittag-Leffler function, along with a determining function and an analog of the Cayley-Hamilton theorem, we establish an algebraic Kalman-type rank criterion for assessing the relative controllability of fractional differential equations with state delay. Moreover, we articulate necessary and sufficient conditions for relative controllability criteria concerning linear fractional time-delay systems, expressed in terms of a new $$\alpha $$
α
-Gramian matrix and define a control which transfer the system from any initial state to any final state within a given time. The theoretical findings are exemplified through the presentation of illustrative examples.
Incidence and Mitigation of Corneal Pseudomicrocysts Induced by Antibody–Drug Conjugates (ADCs)
Authors: Lindgren Ethan S. , Yan Rongshan , Cil Onur , Verkman Alan S. , Chan Matilda F. , Seitzman Gerami D. , Farooq Asim V. , Huppert Laura A. , Rugo Hope S. , Pohlmann Paula R. , Lu Janice , Esserman Laura J. , Pasricha Neel D.
Published: March 2024

Purpose of Review

This study is to highlight the incidence of corneal pseudomicrocysts in FDA-approved antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), and success of preventive therapies for pseudomicrocysts and related ocular surface adverse events (AEs).

Recent Findings

ADCs are an emerging class of selective cancer therapies that consist of a potent cytotoxin connected to a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that targets antigens expressed on malignant cells. Currently, there are 11 FDA-approved ADCs with over 164 in clinical trials. Various AEs have been attributed to ADCs, including ocular surface AEs (keratitis/keratopathy, dry eye, conjunctivitis, blurred vision, corneal pseudomicrocysts). While the severity and prevalence of ADC-induced ocular surface AEs are well reported, the reporting of corneal pseudomicrocysts is limited, complicating the development of therapies to prevent or treat ADC-related ocular surface toxicity.

Three of 11 FDA-approved ADCs have been implicated with corneal pseudomicrocysts, with incidence ranging from 41 to 100% of patients. Of the six ADCs that reported ocular surface AEs, only three had ocular substudies to investigate the benefit of preventive therapies including topical steroids, vasoconstrictors, and preservative-free lubricants. Current preventive therapies demonstrate limited efficacy at mitigating pseudomicrocysts and other ocular surface AEs.
Narrative review of data supporting alternate first-line therapies over metformin in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Andraos John , Smith Shawn R. , Tran Amanda , Pham David Q.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Metformin has been the first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus as monotherapy or concomitantly with other glucose-lowering therapies due to its efficacy, safety, and affordability. Recent studies on the cardioprotective and renoprotective benefits of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) have influenced guidelines on diabetes management to consider these newer agents as alternative first-line therapies. This paper explores the literature supporting the use of these newer medications alone as a first-line agent in place of metformin.

Methods

A review of citations from the most recent guidelines along with a literature search via PubMed was completed to review (1) what, historically, made metformin first-line (2) if newer agents’ benefits remain when used without metformin (3) how newer agents compare against metformin when used without it.

Results

Evaluation of the historical literature was completed to summarize the key findings that support metformin as a first-line therapy agent. Additionally, an assessment of the literature reveals that the benefits of these two newer classes are independent of concomitant metformin therapy. Finally, studies have demonstrated that these newer agents can be either non-inferior or sometimes superior to metformin when used as monotherapy.

Conclusion

GLP-1 RA and SGLT-2i can be considered as first line monotherapies for select patients with high cardiovascular risks, renal disease, or weight loss requirements. However, pharmacoeconomic considerations along with lesser long-term safety outcomes should limit these agents’ use in certain patients as the management of diabetes continues to transition towards shared-decision making.
Public Health Risks of PFAS-Related Immunotoxicity Are Real
Authors: Bline Abigail P. , DeWitt Jamie C. , Kwiatkowski Carol F. , Pelch Katherine E. , Reade Anna , Varshavsky Julia R.
Published: March 2024

Purpose of Review

The discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment and humans worldwide has ignited scientific research, government inquiry, and public concern over numerous adverse health effects associated with PFAS exposure. In this review, we discuss the use of PFAS immunotoxicity data in regulatory and clinical decision-making contexts and question whether recent efforts adequately account for PFAS immunotoxicity in public health decision-making.

Recent Findings

Government and academic reviews confirm the strongest human evidence for PFAS immunotoxicity is reduced antibody production in response to vaccinations, particularly for tetanus and diphtheria. However, recent events, such as the economic analysis supporting the proposed national primary drinking water regulations and clinical monitoring recommendations, indicate a failure to adequately incorporate these data into regulatory and clinical decisions.

To be more protective of public health, we recommend using all relevant immunotoxicity data to inform current and future PFAS-related chemical risk assessment and regulation. Biological measures of immune system effects, such as reduced antibody levels in response to vaccination, should be used as valid and informative markers of health outcomes and risks associated with PFAS exposure. Routine toxicity testing should be expanded to include immunotoxicity evaluations in adult and developing organisms. In addition, clinical recommendations for PFAS-exposed individuals and communities should be revisited and strengthened to provide guidance on incorporating immune system monitoring and other actions that can be taken to protect against adverse health outcomes.
The need for the GREAT+ score to predict relapse in Graves’ disease: a questionnaire among patients and internal medicine specialists
Authors: Jansen H. I. , Heuveling van Beek C. , Bisschop P. H. , Heijboer A. C. , Bruinstroop E. , Boelen A.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Graves’ disease (GD) is an auto-immune cause of hyperthyroidism. First-line treatment often consists of a 12–18 month course of antithyroid drugs (ATD). After discontinuation of ATD, GD relapses in approximately 50% of patients. The ‘Graves recurrent event after therapy+ ’ (GREAT+) score may predict individual relapse chances after ATD discontinuation more accurately based on clinical and laboratory parameters at diagnosis. We investigated the need for the GREAT+ score through an online questionnaire among GD patients and physicians treating GD.

Methods

An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed to patients and physicians between June 2022 and August 2023.

Results

The questionnaire was completed by 532 patients and 44 physicians. Results showed that 94% of patients were interested in knowing their GREAT+ score at the start of treatment. 55% would consider definite treatment (radioiodine/thyroidectomy) as first-line treatment in case of a high relapse chance. 98% of the physicians indicated the GREAT + score would support patient counseling. 84% may change their advice for first-line treatment if a patient has a high relapse chance based on the score.

Conclusion

Patients and physicians considered the GREAT+ score as a valuable addition to the current available information which could change treatment decisions. Therefore, external validation of the GREAT+ score is justified to implement this score in clinical practice.
Professional Development and Scholarly Activity Weeks to Enhance the Master Adaptive Learner and Foster Future Educators
Authors: Javed Britani , Allgood Aaron , Jaqua Breanne
Published: March 2024

One osteopathic medical school designated 4 weeks per year in the first-year curriculum to Professional Development and Scholarly Activity. The aim of these weeks is to foster the development of Master Adaptive Learners. This metacognitive learning theory promotes adaptive expertise which supports students as educators in a variety of settings.
Solvent Extraction of Manganese and Zinc from Chloride Leach Solution of Spent Zn–C Batteries with DEHPA in Benzene Diluent
Authors: Abdelraheem Mohamed Taha Osman , Aras Ali , Taner Hasan Ali , Agacayak Tevfik
Published: March 2024

The applicability of utilizing solvent extraction processes of manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) from chloride leachate of spent zinc–carbon (Zn–C) batteries has been studied by using di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (DEHPA) as an extractant agent. The effect of five factors (equilibrium pH, O/A ratio, temperature, extractant concentration, and diluent type) were investigated. According to the results gained, the appropriate solution pH level for DEHPA was found to be 6.5. With DEHPA (20%, v/v), 77.50% Mn and 100% Zn were extracted, within 15 min contact time at a 1:1 aqueous/organic ratio and 50 °C temperature. Also, a McCabe–Thiele diagram was drawn and one single-step extraction for Zn and a two-stage process for Mn were needed to achieve the highest extraction efficiency. ΔH as a thermodynamic parameter was calculated and found to be 18.39 kJ/mol for Mn and − 245.50 kJ/mol for Zn, respectively, indicating that the extraction process was endothermic for Mn and exothermic for Zn. A desirable stripping of Mn and Zn from the loaded organic phase could be obtained using a stripping solution of 6 M HCl.

Graphical Abstract
Thermodynamic Investigations for Combustion-Assisted Synthesis of Lithium Orthosilicate Powders
Authors: Benzeşik Kağan , Yücel Onuralp
Published: March 2024

The study investigates the combustion-assisted synthesis of lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4) powders for potential CO2 capture applications. Technical-grade lithium carbonate and metallic silicon powders were used as starting materials. Synthesis conditions were explored across temperatures ranging from 500 to 900 °C and different holding durations. Thermodynamic modeling using FactSage 8.2 software suggested that Li4SiO4 production is feasible at temperatures of 700 °C and higher with metallic silicon as the silicon source, which was confirmed experimentally. Characterization of the synthesized powders involved X-ray diffraction, specific surface area determination, particle size distribution analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and CO2 uptake tests. Despite having the lowest Li4SiO4 content as 83.7%, the sample synthesized at 700 °C with 45 min of holding time showed the best CO2 uptake performance as 12.80 wt% while having the lowest crystallite size value (126.58 nm), the highest specific surface area value (4.975 m2/g) and the lowest average particle size value (10.85 µm) which are highly effective on the CO2 uptake performance of such solid sorbents. The study concludes that while challenges remain in achieving optimal CO2 capture performance, it lays a foundation for utilizing lithium orthosilicate in carbon capture applications.

Graphical Abstract
DUDES: Deep Uncertainty Distillation using Ensembles for Semantic Segmentation
Authors: Landgraf Steven , Wursthorn Kira , Hillemann Markus , Ulrich Markus
Published: March 2024

The intersection of deep learning and photogrammetry unveils a critical need for balancing the power of deep neural networks with interpretability and trustworthiness, especially for safety-critical application like autonomous driving, medical imaging, or machine vision tasks with high demands on reliability. Quantifying the predictive uncertainty is a promising endeavour to open up the use of deep neural networks for such applications. Unfortunately, most current available methods are computationally expensive. In this work, we present a novel approach for efficient and reliable uncertainty estimation for semantic segmentation, which we call Deep Uncertainty Distillation using Ensembles for Segmentation (DUDES). DUDES applies student-teacher distillation with a Deep Ensemble to accurately approximate predictive uncertainties with a single forward pass while maintaining simplicity and adaptability. Experimentally, DUDES accurately captures predictive uncertainties without sacrificing performance on the segmentation task and indicates impressive capabilities of highlighting wrongly classified pixels and out-of-domain samples through high uncertainties on the Cityscapes and Pascal VOC 2012 dataset. With DUDES, we manage to simultaneously simplify and outperform previous work on Deep-Ensemble-based Uncertainty Distillation.
Radical imagination and reimagining the space of curriculum for democracy
Authors: Davies Tanya
Published: March 2024

School-level education in Australia, and in other parts of the world, is currently directed by forces of conformity and compliance. These forces are typically characterised by doctrines of standards and standardisation, and metrics of accountability and performance. Yet, education in Australia is simultaneously underwritten by values of democracy, equity and justice. The tension between conformity and compliance, and education for democracy produces an ethical and practical struggle for teachers. Recent research tells us that education driven by conformity and compliance de-democratises the experience of schooling for both teachers and young people, while also undermining efforts to cultivate democracy across generations. Drawing on Lefebvre, this paper offers a spatial account of curriculum that opens new spaces of possibility and imagination for doing curriculum work beyond compliance. Curriculum in this paper is theorised across a triad of conceived, perceived, and lived space. This theorisation offers a way to describe how the administrative and regulatory spaces of official curriculum and policy cut across and entangle with the everyday and lived curriculum spaces of teachers and young people. The situated intersections of these spaces shape the way curriculum is enacted and experienced in local settings. I bring bell hooks’ pedagogy of imagination into conversation with this theorisation to propose how the perceived and lived spaces of curriculum might be reimagined as radical spaces of possibility that enable an education that is at its heart democratic, and that works for democracy and social justice.
Expanding the phenotypic spectrum of LHCGR signal peptide insertion variant: novel clinical and allelic findings causing Leydig cell hypoplasia type II
Authors: Hassan Heba Amin , Mazen Inas , Elaidy Aya , Kamel Alaa K , Eissa Noura R. , Essawi Mona L.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Leydig cell hypoplasia (LCH) type II is a rare disease with only a few cases reported. Patients presented with hypospadias, micropenis, undescended testes, or infertility. In this study, we report a new patient with compound heterozygous variants in the LHCGR gene and LCH type II phenotype. Methods: Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed followed by Sanger sequencing to confirm the detected variants in the patient and his parents. Results: A novel missense variant (p.Phe444Cys) was identified in a highly conserved site and is verified to be in trans with the signal peptide’s 33-bases insertion variant. Conclusion: Our research provides a more comprehensive clinical and genetic spectrum of Leydig cell hypoplasia type II. It highlighted the importance of WES in the diagnosis of this uncommon genetic disorder as well as the expansion of the genotype of LCH type II.
The Next Horizon of Drug Development: External Control Arms and Innovative Tools to Enrich Clinical Trial Data
Authors: Zou Kelly H. , Vigna Chelsea , Talwai Aniketh , Jain Rahul , Galaznik Aaron , Berger Marc L. , Li Jim Z.
Published: March 2024

Conducting clinical trials (CTs) has become increasingly costly and complex in terms of designing and operationalizing. These challenges exist in running CTs on novel therapies, particularly in oncology and rare diseases, where CTs increasingly target narrower patient groups. In this study, we describe external control arms (ECA) and other relevant tools, such as virtualization and decentralized clinical trials (DCTs), and the ability to follow the clinical trial subjects in the real world using tokenization. ECAs are typically constructed by identifying appropriate external sources of data, then by cleaning and standardizing it to create an analysis-ready data file, and finally, by matching subjects in the external data with the subjects in the CT of interest. In addition, ECA tools also include subject-level meta-analysis and simulated subjects’ data for analyses. By implementing the recent advances in digital health technologies and devices, virtualization, and DCTs, realigning of CTs from site-centric designs to virtual, decentralized, and patient-centric designs can be done, which reduces the patient burden to participate in the CTs and encourages diversity. Tokenization technology allows linking the CT data with real-world data (RWD), creating more comprehensive and longitudinal outcome measures. These tools provide robust ways to enrich the CT data for informed decision-making, reduce the burden on subjects and costs of trial operations, and augment the insights gained for the CT data.
Excursus on modulation spaces via metaplectic operators and related time-frequency representations
Authors: Cordero Elena , Giacchi Gianluca
Published: March 2024

We provide a comprehensive overview of the theoretical framework surrounding modulation spaces and their characterizations, particularly focusing on the role of metaplectic operators and time-frequency representations. We highlight the metaplectic action which is hidden in their construction and guarantees equivalent (quasi-)norms for such spaces. In particular, this work provides new characterizations via the submanifold of shift-invertible symplectic matrices. Similar results hold for the Wiener amalgam spaces.
Anthropomorphism and AI hype
Authors: Barrow Nicholas
Published: March 2024

As humans, we have an innate tendency to ascribe human-like qualities to non-human entities. Whilst sometimes helpful, such anthropomorphic projections are often misleading. This commentary considers how anthropomorphising AI contributes to its misrepresentation and hype. First, I outline three manifestations (terminology; imagery; and morality). Then, I consider the extent to which we ought to mitigate it.
Vulnerability and adaptation of maize smallholder farmers to climate change: a Sub-Saharan African context
Authors: Mugisho Gilbert Mubalama , Ngalo Luc Murhandikire , Lukeba Fabrice Nfuamba
Published: March 2024

This study analyzed smallholder maize farmers' perceptions of climate change vulnerability and adaptation strategies in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The study used a cross-sectional quantitative approach, with smallholder farmers selected based on farm size (less than 10 hectares). Using simple random sampling techniques, 210 smallholder farmers in South Kivu Province was selected from October and November 2021. The data were analyzed using frequency analysis, non-parametric Mann–Whitney U-tests, Tobit regression model and structural equations modeling, which demonstrated that demographic and socioeconomic factors influenced smallholder farmers' perceptions and adaptation strategies to climate change. The findings revealed that the level of education, size of the field, and activities of smallholder farmers had significant effects on climate change perception and adaptation strategies. Smallholder farmers' perceptions had a negative (p < 1%) influence on maize smallholder farmers' adaptation to climate change. Common efforts should be made to encourage smallholder farmers to feel committed enough to implement climate change adaptation measures that are effective in mitigating or preventing climate change risk. The results of this study would have implications for policies to support maize smallholder farmers in their efforts to mitigate and resilient to climate change in sub-Saharan Africa. Firstly, the promotion of climate literacy must be sufficient to provide farmers with information on climate and forecasting. Secondly, to empower smallholder farmers with means and resources to prevent and reduce the effects of climate change. Lastly, enhancing the current environment for the agriculture sector will advance community inclusivity and food security.
Participation of Indigenous Peoples in Decision Making Over Deep-Seabed Mining
Authors: Morgera Elisa
Published: March 2024

In this essay, I reflect on the challenges and opportunities in ensuring the genuine and meaningful participation of Indigenous peoples at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), with a view to giving due consideration to Indigenous peoples’ human rights and integrating their knowledge into international decisions on deep-seabed mining. The essay begins with an assessment of how the current limitations in transparency and public participation in the practice of the ISA1 constitute barriers for the participation of Indigenous peoples. I then argue that existing international human rights obligations require Indigenous peoples’ participation at the ISA and that entry points within the ISA regime already exist to comply with these obligations. I conclude by emphasizing the need to support meaningful participation by Indigenous peoples through social sciences expertise and the involvement of independent international human rights experts, to actively address any biases vis-à-vis Indigenous knowledge.
On the Cultural Stakes of Deep Seabed Mining
Authors: Arato Julian , Jaeckel Aline , Lixinski Lucas
Published: March 2024

Ownership over the deep seabed and its mineral riches was unsettled until well into the twentieth century. Yet, by the 1960s, a remarkable spirit of universalism prevailed. States declared the deep seabed to be the common heritage of [hu]mankind, determining that its exploitation and protection would require collective management. The seabed beyond national jurisdiction (or, the “Area”)1 spans roughly half of the surface of the Earth. It contains critical minerals, such as cobalt and copper, which technological advances have rendered increasingly within reach. States have worked collectively and proactively to regulate the near-future exploitation of the deep seas, thus far acting squarely within the law of the sea. As the possibilities of commercial mining appear clearly on the horizon, and as the impacts of mineral extraction come more and more sharply into view, the time has come to reassess whether the (monumental) concept of common heritage—part of the law of the sea—is enough to balance equities among states, mining companies, and human populations affected by mining. Is the current law capable of adequately preserving fairness and equity among all stakeholders in isolation from the legal regimes for human rights, environmental protection, cultural heritage, and the protection of Indigenous peoples and local communities? These regimes emphasize that deep seabed mining is not just an economic pursuit, it is also one that affects the lives and identities of individuals and peoples—and provide legal tools and strategies for harmonizing those interests. Yet established rules and norms around participatory governance and cultural rights have been all but ignored within recent international negotiations about how to regulate seabed mining.
The Free-Riding Issue in Contemporary Organizations: Lessons from the Common Good Perspective
Authors: Frémeaux Sandrine , Mercier Guillaume , Grevin Anouk
Published: March 2024

Free riding involves benefiting from common resources or services while avoiding contributing to their production and maintenance. Few studies have adequately investigated the propensity to overestimate the prevalence of free riding. This is a significant omission, as exaggeration of the phenomenon is often used to justify control and coercion systems. To address this gap, we investigate how the common good approach may mitigate the flaws of a system excessively focused on free-riding risk. In this conceptual paper featuring illustrative vignettes, we argue that the common good perspective is realistic and effective in preventing this excessive attention by promoting trust as an unconditional gift and a response to vulnerability. We discuss the common good perspective’s originality over the dominant approaches and propose a set of ethical and managerial recommendations that may be the best protection against this excessive focus and maybe even against free riding itself.
Le droit à l’expression sexuelle chez les personnes âgées vivant en milieu d’hébergement : comment concilier le consentement et les troubles neurocognitifs?
Authors: Langevin Louise
Published: March 2024

Contrairement aux préjugés, les personnes aînées ne sont pas asexuelles ou post-sexuelles. Elles sont titulaires de droits sexuels, reconnus dans de nombreux textes législatifs. Cependant, la mise en œuvre de ces droits pose des défis, particulièrement pour les personnes aînées vivant en établissement et souffrant de problèmes neurocognitifs. Le Code criminel interdit tout contact sexuel entre personnes qui ne sont pas en mesure de consentir ou lorsqu’un des partenaires ne peut consentir. Cette règle a été critiquée parce qu’elle nie le droit à l’expression sexuelle de personnes aînées incapables de consentir en raison de maladies neurocognitives. Mon étude analyse un enjeu majeur en matière de lutte contre la maltraitance envers les personnes aînées : comment reconnaître et respecter à la fois le droit à l’expression sexuelle des personnes aînées vivant en établissement et leur droit à la sécurité, lorsque les maladies neurocognitives altèrent l’aptitude à consentir.
Measles Outbreak in Lebanon: July 2023
Authors: Helou Mariana , Mouawad Yara , El Ters Fadi , Husni Rola
Published: March 2024

After the beginning of the Syrian crisis, increased rates of infectious diseases were reported. Lebanon, a neighboring country with a major socioeconomic crisis, witnessed a measles outbreak since July 2023, with 519 reported suspected cases. Half of the cases were under 5 y of age, most of them were unvaccinated. The mass displacement of refugees from conflict areas in Syria to Lebanon and the low vaccination coverage have made the situation more challenging. Further efforts are required in Lebanon to address identified gaps to prevent or at least better control future outbreaks.
A simple analytical model for turbulent kinetic energy dissipation for self-similar round turbulent jets
Authors: Kewalramani Gagan , Ji Bowen , Dossmann Yvan , Becker Simon , Gradeck Michel , Rimbert Nicolas
Published: March 2024

This work presents a simple analytical model for the streamwise and radial variations of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation in an incompressible round turbulent jet. The key assumptions in the model are: similarity in the axial velocity profile with a Gaussian shape, axisymmetric flow and the dominance of radial derivatives of the mean velocity over axial direction derivatives (similar to boundary layer theory). Initially, a simplified eddy-viscosity relation for turbulent stresses is derived using the algebraic stress model by Gatski & Speziale (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 254, 1993, pp. 59–78). Subsequently, with this eddy-viscosity relation, the relation for variations of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation is formulated using the conservation of turbulent kinetic energy. To extract the necessary constants of the model, experimental velocity statistics for round jets are obtained through particle image velocimetry measurements. The experimental results of the mean entrainment coefficient for turbulent jets are also analysed. When comparing the radial variation of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation from the model with experimental results at Reynolds number

$1.4\times 10^5$

and numerical results at Reynolds number

$1200$

from the available literature, we observe a maximum error of

$10\,\%$

and

$15\,\%$

, respectively. Finally, using the validated model, we analyse the impact of mean velocity evolution parameters on the behaviour of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation and discuss its potential significance in future studies.
Eddy-viscosity-improved resolvent analysis of compressible turbulent boundary layers
Authors: Fan Yitong , Kozul Melissa , Li Weipeng , Sandberg Richard D.
Published: March 2024

An improved resolvent analysis is proposed in the regime of compressible turbulent boundary layers. To better model nonlinear processes in the input, the resolvent framework is augmented by adding eddy viscosity. To this end, we propose two eddy-viscosity models: a modified Cess eddy-viscosity model coupling the compressibility transformation and outer-layer correction, and a new eddy-viscosity model based on an empirical relationship and mixing-length theory. Both are incorporated into the resolvent operator to examine the performance of the eddy-viscosity-improved resolvent-based reduced-order modelling. Results of the augmented resolvent analysis are compared qualitatively and quantitatively with the first leading mode of spectral proper orthogonal decomposition, by checking the profiles and cross-spectral densities of velocities, density and temperature in two hypersonic turbulent boundary layers under different wall conditions. Higher accuracy of the turbulence prediction is achieved by adding the proposed eddy-viscosity models, particularly for the energetic cycle in the outer-layer region where strong nonlinear energy transfer exists.
Reassessment of ‘Captorhinikos’ chozaensis, an early Permian (Cisuralian: Kungurian) captorhinid reptile from Oklahoma and north-central Texas
Authors: Jung Jason P. , Sues Hans-Dieter
Published: March 2024

‘Captorhinikos’ chozaensis Olson, 1954 is a captorhinid eureptile with multiple tooth rows from the lower Permian (Cisuralian: Kungurian) Clear Fork Group of north-central Texas and the Hennessey Formation of Oklahoma. It has five maxillary and four dentary tooth rows. We re-examined the available specimens referred to ‘Captorhinikos’ chozaensis to elucidate aspects of its skeletal structure and assess its phylogenetic relationships. Our parsimony analysis confirmed previous suggestions that this taxon is not referable to the same taxon as Captorhinikos valensis Olson, 1954 (type species of the genus) and ‘Captorhinikos’ parvus Olson, 1970 and thus is placed in its own new genus, Sumidadectes. It also recovered Sumidadectes chozaensis n. comb. as the earliest-diverging moradisaurine captorhinid.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/0f89869a-1889-4d90-b721-a89ba5f40c4b
Pardo Soldiers’ Historical Claims in Late Eighteenth-Century Cuba
Authors: Hontanilla Ana
Published: March 2024

José Maldonado and Manuel José Castellanos were two Cuban pardo veterans who, in search of military status, rank, and salary, petitioned the court, making arguments that would prove subversive to the racial order. As Maldonado justified his entitlement to rank and Castellanos his to rank or salary, they recovered family narratives dating from when pardo and moreno commandants had enjoyed real power. Under the guise of symbolic recognition, new regulations greatly reduced black militias’ autonomy. These militiamen acted as de facto historians, legal interpreters, and activists during times of institutional and historical change. While they did succeed in recording their families’ past, their petitions for rank and salary were denied.
Working in the dream factory: gendering women's film labour under Fascism
Authors: Mereu Keating Carla
Published: March 2024

This article draws on a broad range of under-explored historical sources to document the career trajectories of the women who worked in the Italian film industry between 1930 and 1944. Challenging established histories that normalise male dominance in Italian cinema during and after Mussolini's regime, the article sheds light on women's overlooked contribution to Italy's sound film industry and explores the multilayered, shifting dimension of their precarious and gendered labour. Engaging with key questions raised by historians of Italian Fascism and by feminist research in film and media history, the article delineates intersectional barriers to film employment faced by women in the years of the dictatorship and points to their historical legacy.
MONITORING OF MODERN CARBON FRACTION IN DISPOSABLE PACKAGING
Authors: Gill Komal Aziz , Michczyńska Danuta J , Michczyński Adam , Piotrowska Natalia
Published: March 2024

Radiocarbon (14C) methodology was used to investigate the presence of biocarbon in different bio-based disposable packaging products. Packaging waste contributes to a municipal solid waste, which is increasing environmental concerns and resulting in the enhancement of EU regulations that aim to reduce packaging waste. The 14C amount in samples reflects how much of the biocarbon has been used. In this study, the concentration of 14C was determined in commonly used types of disposable packaging, such as cups, plates, straws, cutlery, and baking paper. Samples were made of materials such as paper, wheat bran, sugarcane, and wood. The mean concentration of the 14C isotope, measured by the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) technique, is greater than 100 pMC in all tested samples, indicating that the samples are modern. The relatively high 14C concentration values in the waterproof layer of the sample indicate that bioplastic, rather than plastic, was used in its production. The highest 14C isotope concentration values were measured for samples that used the oldest biomass (wood and paper), and the lowest for products from current crops (sugarcane and wheat bran), which is consistent with the trend of changes in 14C concentration in the biosphere. The study also addresses the problem of heterogeneity and representativeness of subsamples.
Interventions targeting social determinants of mental disorders and the Sustainable Development Goals: a systematic review of reviews
Authors: Oswald Tassia Kate , Nguyen Minh Thu , Mirza Luwaiza , Lund Crick , Jones Hannah Grace , Crowley Grace , Aslanyan Daron , Dean Kimberlie , Schofield Peter , Hotopf Matthew , Das-Munshi Jayati
Published: March 2024

Globally, mental disorders account for almost 20% of disease burden and there is growing evidence that mental disorders are socially determined. Tackling the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), which address social determinants of mental disorders, may be an effective way to reduce the global burden of mental disorders. We conducted a systematic review of reviews to examine the evidence base for interventions that map onto the UN SDGs and seek to improve mental health through targeting known social determinants of mental disorders. We included 101 reviews in the final review, covering demographic, economic, environmental events, neighborhood, and sociocultural domains. This review presents interventions with the strongest evidence base for the prevention of mental disorders and highlights synergies where addressing the UN SDGs can be beneficial for mental health.
Multi-objective optimization approach for coverage path planning of mobile robot
Authors: Sharma Monex , Voruganti Hari Kumar
Published: March 2024

Coverage path planning (CPP) is a subfield of path planning problems in which free areas of a given domain must be visited by a robot at least once while avoiding obstacles. In some situations, the path may be optimized for one or more criteria such as total distance traveled, number of turns, and total area covered by the robot. Accordingly, the CPP problem has been formulated as a multi-objective optimization (MOO) problem, which turns out to be a challenging discrete optimization problem, hence conventional MOO algorithms like Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-2 (NSGA-II) do not work as it is. This study implements a modified NSGA-II to solve the MOO problem of CPP for a mobile robot. In this paper, the proposed method adopted two objective functions: (1) the total distance traveled by the robot and (2) the number of turns taken by the robot. The two objective functions are used to calculate energy consumption. The proposed method is compared to the hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA) and the traditional genetic algorithm (TGA) in a rectilinear environment containing obstacles of various complex shapes. In addition, the results of the proposed algorithm are compared to those generated by HGA, TGA, oriented rectilinear decomposition, and spatial cell diffusion and family of spanning tree coverage in existing research papers. The results of all comparisons indicate that the proposed algorithm outperformed the existing algorithms by reducing energy consumption by 5 to 60%. This paper provides the facility to operate the robot in different modes.
BETWEEN SUMNER AND GALTON: A FURTHER LOOK AT ALBERT GALLOWAY KELLER’S SOCIOLOGY
Authors: Fiorito Luca , Erasmo Valentina
Published: March 2024

Largely forgotten today, Albert Galloway Keller was one of the foremost sociologists of his time. A brilliant scholar and a staunch disciple of William Graham Sumner, Keller spent his entire academic career at Yale, first as a student and then as professor of the Science of Society, the chair formerly held by his mentor. The main coordinates of Keller’s sociology are to be found in his major work, Societal Evolution (1915), where he sought to apply Charles Darwin’s mechanism of variation, selection, and transmission to Sumner’s general scheme. Although Keller gave priority to social variables, his evolutionary sociology retained many elements of the typically Progressive Era preoccupations with heredity and the biological quality of individuals. The aim of this paper is to examine in some detail Keller’s views on eugenics and related issues, and to assess whether and to what extent these biologically deterministic elements played a role in his Darwinian approach to institutional change.
Environmental impact of Norwegian self-selected diets: comparing current intake with national dietary guidelines and EAT-Lancet targets
Authors: Lengle Julie Marie , Michaelsen Bjøntegaard Marie , Hauger Carlsen Monica , Jafarzadeh Sepideh , Frost Andersen Lene
Published: March 2024

Objectives:

Dietary environmental impact in a Norwegian adult population was estimated for six environmental impact categories. Moreover, environmental benefits of scenario diets complying with the Norwegian Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) and the EAT-Lancet reference diet were assessed.

Design:

The current diet of Norwegian adults was estimated according to 24-h dietary recall data from a national dietary surveillance survey (Norkost 3). Scenario diets were modelled to represent the Norwegian FBDG and the EAT-Lancet healthy reference diet. Dietary environmental impact in terms of global warming potential, freshwater and marine eutrophication, terrestrial acidification, water use and transformation and use of land was estimated for the current and scenario diets using environmental impact data representative of the Norwegian market. Significant associations between impact and gender/educational attainment were assessed at P < 0·05.

Setting:

Norway.

Participants:

Adults (n=1787) aged 18–70 years who participated in the Norkost 3 survey (2010–2011).

Results:

Environmental impact varied significantly by gender and educational attainment. The food groups contributing most to environmental impact of Norwegian diets were meat, dairy, beverages, grains and composite dishes. Compared with the current Norwegian diet, the FBDG scenario reduced impacts from 2 % (freshwater eutrophication) to 32 % (water use), while the EAT-Lancet scenario reduced impacts from 7 % (marine eutrophication) to 61 % (land use). The EAT-Lancet scenario resulted in 3–48 % larger reductions in impact than the FBDG scenario.

Conclusions:

The Norwegian FBDG, while not as environmentally friendly as the EAT-Lancet reference diet, can still be an important tool in lessening environmental burden of Norwegian diets.