bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of grafting with wild tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium and Solanum habrochaites) rootstocks on growth and leaf mineral accumulation in salt stress
Authors: Aydin Alim
Published: April 2024

The positive response of grafting by tolerant rootstocks or scion-stock interactions on yield and fruit traits of tomatoes under saline conditions is attributed to several physiological and biochemical changes. In this study, we investigated some tolerance mechanisms by which grafting on wild rootstocks in tomatoes can prevent or minimize the effects of salt stress in plants under hydroponics conditions. Two tomato cultivars H2274 and Galaxy were grafted onto three S. pimpinellifolium, three S. habrochaites, S. lycopersicum L. × S. pimpinellifolium and S. lycopersicum L. × S. Habrochaites hybrid tomato genotypes. Plants were grown in hydroponic culture at two electrical conductivity (EC) levels (control at 1.5 dSm-1 and salt at 8.0 dSm-1). Salt stress led to a significant reduction in biomass growths of both grafted and nongrafted tomatoes. However, the plants that are least affected by salt stress are those grafted on wild tomato rootstocks. Leaf nutrient contents were significantly affected by rootstocks under both control and salt stress conditions. In this study, under saline conditions, plants grafted on wild rootstocks had higher N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Mn, Fe, Zn and B contents in leaf tissues and lower Na and Cl contents than ungrafted plants. Biochemical and physiological results revealed that S. pimpinellifolium and S. habrochaites have inherited salt tolerance from their genetic background. These wild tomato genotypes can be used as rootstocks in tomato breeding programs to develop salt-tolerant tomatoes or in grafting techniques under saline irrigation conditions.
Flexibility in Enhancing Supply Chain Resilience: Developing a Resilience Capability Portfolio in the Event of Severe Disruption
Authors: Chowdhury Md Maruf Hossan , Chowdhury Priyabrata , Quaddus Mohammed , Rahman Kazi Waziur , Shahriar Sakib
Published: April 2024

The current study aimed to determine alternative configurations of supply chain resilience strategies for managing supply chain performance (SCP) during a severe disruption. To do this, a multi-method and multi-study approach was adopted. Phase 1 of the study employed a qualitative approach to explore supply chain risk factors and their mitigation strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Phase 2, the quality function deployment technique was used alongside quantitative case studies to determine the most critical risk factors and most crucial resilience strategies. The final phase, Phase 3, used fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to determine the alternative portfolio of strategies for SCP to create flexibility when employing resilience strategies. The results revealed that implementing resilience strategies alone is ineffective in improving SCP, while resilience strategies combined with the nullification of risk factors enhance SCP. The study also revealed two alternative configurations of resilience strategies to tackle the relevant risk factors. These findings can be used to guide managers toward identifying the most suitable configuration of resilience strategies to manage severe and unprecedented supply chain risk. The alternative configurations of resilience strategies can also provide flexibility to managers in deciding the best course of action for their firms.
Spain as a Democratic State Governed by the Rule of Law and the Catalan Secessionist Process
Authors: Ubillos Juan María Bilbao
Published: April 2024

This work begins by recalling the characteristic features of the political system and model of territorial division of power established in the 1978 Spanish Constitution after a complicated but successful process of transition to democracy. Spain was constituted as a politically decentralized, social and democratic state governed by the rule of law, a compromise solution between the centralist tradition and the demands of peripheral nationalisms. Although this original formula has been progressively deployed with clearly positive results, it has come under threat from the challenge posed by the secessionist forces in Catalonia and the Basque Country, seriously endangering coexistence. In this regard, the work first analyses the Ibarretxe Plan, the confederal proposal of the president of the Basque government approved in 2004 by the Basque Parliament and rejected by the lower house of the Spanish Parliament. It then examines the most relevant sequences of the secessionist process that has unfolded in Catalonia over the last decade and which culminated in October 2017 in an illegal referendum and the unilateral declaration of independence approved by the regional parliament. It also analyses the response of Spanish institutions to attempts at constitutional rupture and its possible impact on the democratic quality of Spain and its reputation as a state governed by the rule of law.
Power System Resilience: The Role of Electric Vehicles and Social Disparities in Mitigating the US Power Outages
Authors: Loni Abdolah , Asadi Somayeh
Published: April 2024

Electrical power systems with their components such as generation, network, control and transmission equipment, management systems, and electrical loads are the backbone of modern life. Historical power outages caused by natural disasters or human failures show huge losses to the economy, environment, healthcare, and people’s lives. This paper presents a systematic review on three interconnected dimensions of (1) electric power system resilience (2) the electricity supply for/through Electric Vehicles (EVs), and (3) social vulnerability to power outages. This paper contributes to the existing literature and research by highlighting the importance of considering social vulnerability in the context of power system resilience and EVs, providing insights into addressing inequities in access to backup power resources during power outages. This paper first reviews power system resilience focusing on qualitative and quantitative metrics, evaluation methods, and planning and operation-based enhancement strategies for electric power systems during prolonged outages through microgrids, energy storage systems (e.g., battery, power-to-gas, and hydrogen energy storage systems), renewable energy sources, and demand response schemes. In addition, this study contributes to in-depth examination of the evolving role of EVs, as a backup power supply, in enhancing power system resilience by exploring the EV applications such as vehicle-to-home/building, grid-to-vehicle, and vehicle-to-vehicle or the utilization of second life of EV batteries. Transportation electrification has escalated the interdependency of power and transportation sectors, posing challenges during prolonged power outages. Therefore, in the next part, the resilient strategies for providing electricity supply and charging services for EVs are discussed such as deployments of battery swapping technology and mobile battery trucks (MBTs), as well as designing sustainable off-grid charging stations. It offers insights into innovative solutions for ensuring continuous electricity supply for EVs during outages. In the section on social vulnerability to power outages, this paper first reviews the most socioeconomic and demographic indicators involved in the quantification of social vulnerability to power outages. Afterward, the association between energy equity on social vulnerability to power outages is discussed such as inequity in backup power resources and power recovery and restoration. The study examines the existing challenges and research gaps related to the power system resilience, the electric power supply for/through EVs, social vulnerability, and inequity access to resources during extended power outages and proposes potential research directions to address these gaps and build upon future studies.
MTVE: Magdeburg tool for video experiments
Authors: Bershadskyy Dmitri , Ghadwal Sunil , Greif Jannik
Published: April 2024

MTVE is an open-source software tool (citeware) that can be applied in laboratory and online experiments to implement video communication. The tool enables researchers to gather video data from these experiments in a way that these videos can be later used for automatic analysis through machine learning techniques. The browser-based tool comes with an easy user interface and can be easily integrated into z-Tree, oTree (and other experimental or survey tools). It provides the experimenters control over several communication parameters (e.g., number of participants, resolution), produces high-quality video data, and circumvents the Cocktail Party Problem (i.e., the problem of separating speakers solely based on audio input) by producing separate files. Using some of the recommended Voice-to-Text AI, the experimenters can transcribe individual files. MTVE can merge these individual transcriptions into one conversation.
A spray-on environmentally friendly degradable mulch material and its high efficiency in controlling above-ground biomass of weeds in greenhouse experiments
Authors: Kirchinger Michael , Holzknecht Elias , Redl Markus , Steinkellner Siegrid , Emberger Peter , Remmele Edgar
Published: April 2024

This study describes a novel spray-on mulch material as an alternative to currently used weed control methods. The mulch material is based on renewable raw materials, mainly rapeseed oil, starch and sodium alginate.

Laboratory tests were conducted to obtain a mulch material with the best possible properties. Formulations with different ingredients were prepared and tested for their material properties. The formulations were investigated for potential shrinkage tendency and heat resistance as well as water resistance. Further tests such as resistance to mould infestation and aerobic degradability according to DIN EN ISO 17556 were carried out with the formulation that performed best in the previous tests. Mould resistance was enhanced by adding sodium benzoate. In the laboratory experiment, the CO2 decomposition rate was about 30% after seven weeks. With the favouritised variant, which was found step by step through the experiments, an outdoor field test was carried out to investigate the durability under natural conditions over the vegetation period. In the field, the mulch material maintained its function for six months. In the greenhouse, the effect of the mulch material on weeds was studied. It was found that the mulch material showed a high efficiency in controlling above-ground biomass of Elymus repens, Amaranthus retroflexus, and Setaria viridis. In addition, the biomass of the roots of Amaranthus retroflexus and Elymus repens was reduced. Further studies are on the way to elucidate field suitability and the weed suppressive effect under different environmental conditions.
A normative approach to radicalization in social networks
Authors: Bouttier Vincent , Leclercq Salomé , Jardri Renaud , Denève Sophie
Published: April 2024

In recent decades, the massification of online social connections has made information globally accessible in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, this has been accompanied by a dramatic surge in extreme opinions, without a clear solution in sight. Using a model performing probabilistic inference in large-scale loopy graphs through exchange of messages between nodes, we show how circularity in the social graph directly leads to radicalization and the polarization of opinions. We demonstrate that these detrimental effects could be avoided if the correlations between incoming messages could be decreased. This approach is based on an extension of Belief Propagation (BP) named Circular Belief Propagation (CBP) that can be trained to drastically improve inference within a cyclic graph. CBP was benchmarked using data from Facebook© and Twitter©. This approach could inspire new methods for preventing the viral spreading and amplification of misinformation online, improving the capacity of social networks to share knowledge globally without resorting to censorship.
Comparison of mass housing schemes delivery strategies condition in Ilorin, Nigeria toward a sustainable mass housing delivery
Authors: Oladimeji S. B. , Abubakar-Kamar A. T. , Odunjo O. O. , Adeoye D. O.
Published: April 2024

In developing nations such as Nigeria, the housing industry lacks appropriate and highquality housing. One of the housing development concepts and shelter delivery systems in practice in developing nations Nigeria inclusive are public, private and public–private. These three delivery strategies involves in mass housing production, although the bulk of these mass housing are not sustainable. This study examines at the conditions of mass housing delivered by the public, public–private, and private sectors in Ilorin, Nigeria. Quantitative and qualitative research approaches were employed for the study and both primary and secondary data were utilised. Multistage sampling technique was adopted to sample 27% of the 4166 households’ population. A set of questionnaire was administered to 1125 household heads, from 895 houses of the Public, 203 of public–private–partnership and 27 of private developers. Data were evaluated with descriptive statistics and multiple analyses of variance (MANOVA) to get the variation in housing elements condition based on the three-delivery strategy. According to the study, private had walls with highest percentage of very good (41.0%), good conditions (51.6%), and public had walls with 33.1% very good, 36.6% good conditions. However, 13.0% of PPP wall are in poor condition, and 80.1% of walls are only fair, comparisons of the condition of housing elements in the three strategies revealed that all the parameters of houses were found to have significant differences with p values reported for the comparison were observed to be less than 0.05 confidence level (p < 0.05). The study suggests among others that public–private partnership delivery strategy should be given more attention by the government to ensure good quality delivery and sustainability of mass housing.
Research on Multi-objective Optimization Model of Power Storage Materials Based on NSGA-II Algorithm
Authors: Hu Zixi , Liu Shuang , Yang Fan , Geng Xiaodong , Huo Xiaodi , Liu Jia
Published: April 2024

Aiming at the problems of slow convergence speed and low precision probability of multi-objective optimization of energy storage materials, a multi-objective optimization model of energy storage materials based on NSGA-II algorithm was proposed. The association rule set of storage materials in the joint supply chain operation performance management system is extracted, and the rough vector feature distribution set multi-objective optimization method is used to decompose and optimize the characteristics of storage materials in the joint supply chain operation performance management system. Using NSGA-II optimization analysis method, this paper summarizes the power storage materials under the joint supply chain operation performance management system, and summarizes three kinds of inventory control: periodic inventory, inventory coding, and computerized inventory. Combined with the positive regression learning method of organizational operational performance, the multi-objective optimization decision of electric storage materials under the joint supply chain operational performance management system is realized. The simulation results show that under the joint supply chain operation performance management system, the proposed method reaches the optimal convergence after 65 iterations, the convergence speed is fast, and the accuracy probability reaches 1.000 after 80 iterations, which solves the problems of slow convergence speed and low accuracy probability, and has a good scheduling ability of energy storage materials.
Biofilm Formation by Hospital-Acquired Resistant Bacteria Isolated from Respiratory Samples
Authors: Ben-Amram Hila , Azrad Maya , Cohen-Assodi Jackie , Sharabi-Nov Adi , Edelstein Shimon , Agay-Shay Keren , Peretz Avi
Published: April 2024

Background

Hospital-acquired resistant infections (HARI) are infections, which develop 48 h or more after admission to a healthcare facility. HARI pose a considerably acute challenge, due to limited treatment options. These infections are associated bacterial biofilms, which act as a physical barrier to diverse external stresses, such as desiccation, antimicrobials and biocides. We assessed the influence of multiple factors on biofilm production by HARI -associated bacteria.

Methods

Bacteria were isolated from samples of patients with respiratory HARI who were hospitalized during 2020–2022 in north Israel. Following antibiotic susceptibility testing by disc diffusion or broth microdilution, biofilm formation capacities of resistant bacteria (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiela pneumonia, and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii) was assessed using the crystalline violet staining method. Data regarding season, time to infection, bacterial species, patient age and gender, year, and medical department were collected from the patient medical records.

Results

Among the 226 study isolates, K. pneumonia was the most prevalent (35.4%) bacteria, followed by P. aeruginosa (23.5%), and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (21.7%). A significantly higher rate of HARI was documented in 2022 compared to 2020–2021. The majority of isolates (63.3%) were strong biofilm producers, with K. pneumonia (50.3%) being most dominant, followed by P. aeruginosa (29.4%). Biofilm production strength was significantly affected by seasonality and hospitalization length, with strong biofilm production in autumn and in cases where hospitalization length exceeded 30 days.

Conclusion

Biofilm production by HARI bacteria is influenced by bacterial species, season and hospitalization length.
A Holistic Approach to Cardiometabolic and Infectious Health in the General Population of Reunion Island: The REUNION Study
Authors: Pokeerbux Mohammad Ryadh , Mavingui Patrick , Gérardin Patrick , Agrinier Nelly , Gokalsing Erick , Meilhac Olivier , Cournot Maxime
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Reunion Island is a French overseas department in the South West Indian Ocean with a unique multi-ethnic population. Cardiovascular diseases are the most common chronic conditions with higher prevalences of hypertension and diabetes compared to mainland France. Moreover, Reunion Island is particularly exposed to vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya and dengue. Our objective is to describe the prevalence of cardiometabolic and infectious diseases in Reunion Island and explore causal mechanisms linking these diseases.

Methods

The REUNION study is an ongoing French prospective study. From January 2022, 2,000 consenting participants (18–68 years old) are being recruited from the general population according to polling lists and random generation of cellphone number. Baseline examination consists of (i) general health examination, assessment of cardiovascular risk factors, markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, bronchial obstruction, neuropathic and autonomic dysfunction, (ii) questionnaires to determine sociodemographic characteristics, diet, exposure to vector-borne diseases, mental health and cognitive functions, social inequalities in health and ethnic origins, (iii) biological sampling for determination of cardiovascular risk factors, seroprevalence of infectious diseases, innovative lipid biomarkers, advanced omics, composition of intestinal, periodontal and skin microbiota, and biobanking.

Conclusions

The REUNION study should provide new insights into the prevalence of cardiometabolic and infectious diseases, as well as their potential associations through the examination of various environmental pathways and a wide range of health aspects.
Evaluation of Office and Ambulatory Central Blood Pressure and Augmentation Index by Two Methods and Their Changes After Lifestyle or Medical Interventions in Hypertension
Authors: Gyöngyösi Helga , Batta Dóra , László Andrea , Torzsa Péter , Kőrösi Beáta , Nemcsik-Bencze Zsófia , Cseprekál Orsolya , Tislér András , Nemcsik János
Published: April 2024

Objective

Central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) and augmentation index (Aix) can be evaluated in office and also in ambulatory condition, during 24-h monitoring. The aim of our study was to measure cSBP and Aix in the office and in 24-h setting cSBP with two calibration methods and also Aix. Thereafter, we aimed to compare their changes after the initiation of lifestyle modifications or antihypertensive medications.

Methods

Office cSBP and Aix were measured with the tonometric PulsePen device (PP-cSBP, PP-Aix, respectively), while 24-h ambulatory cSBP and Aix (24 h-Aix) were evaluated with Mobil-O-Graph. For the calculation of 24-h cSBP both systolic/diastolic and systolic/mean BP calibration methods were considered (24 h-cSBPC1 and 24 h-cSBPC2, respectively). In new hypertensive patients (HT) the measurements were repeated 3 months after the initiation of antihypertensive medication while in white-coat hypertensive patients (WhHT) 12 months after lifestyle modifications.

Results

105 patients were involved including 22-22 HT and WhHT subjects, respectively. PP-cSBP (128 ± 13 mmHg,) was higher than 24 h-cSBPC1 (118 ± 9 mmHg, p < 0.05), but equal with 24 h-cSBPC2 (131 ± 11 mmHg). PP-Aix (14 ± 14%) was lower than 24 h-Aix (22 ± 7%, p < 0.05). For medical intervention PP-cSBP (Δ16 mmHg) decreased more, than 24 h-cSBPC1 (Δ10 mmHg, p < 0.05) and 24 h-cSBPC2 (Δ9 mmHg, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Office tonometric and 24 h oscillometric cSBP values differ depending on the calibration. When examining the effect of antihypertensive treatment, the more marked changes in office tonometric cSBP suggests its higher variability compared with 24 h oscillometric central SBP. During follow-up, the two calibration methods of 24 h-cSBP seems not to be interchangeable.
Outdoor recreational activities and mental well-being of geriatric people in Bangladesh: structural equation modelling
Authors: Tohan Mortuja Mahmud , Ahmed Faysal , Juie Israt Jahan , Kabir Anamul , Rahman Md. Ashfikur
Published: April 2024

The mental health well-being of elderly individuals in Bangladesh is often neglected at home and nationally. Non-medical interventions become a crucial mental health solution for the population, with outdoor recreational activities, identified as an influential determinants. This study, conducted in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, aims to explore the relationship between outdoor recreational activities and mental well-being, utilizing the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach. Interviewing 514 older adults, the study considered four dimensions: park activities, social involvement, sports participation, and outdoor hobbies and tourism. The final model indicates that all four dimensions significantly and positively impact the mental well-being of elderly individuals, with sports participation showing the greatest positive effect. Together, these dimensions account for 75.12% of the variance in mental well-being. The nature of the relationship suggests that an increase in outdoor recreational activity corresponds to improved mental well-being. This paper reinforces the idea that engagement in outdoor activities contributes to positive mental health outcomes, aligning with the new physical activity guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO) that emphasize the positive relationship between outdoor recreations and life satisfaction. This study strongly recommends people should actively engage in outdoor recreational activities. Additionally, it urges government and private organizations to prioritize the maintenance of public open spaces as essential contributors to the mental well-being of the older population.
A qualitative inquiry of minimalistic mindset outcomes on Iranian English language teachers’ well-being
Authors: Ghafouri Mohammad , Hassaskhah Jaleh
Published: April 2024

Language teaching is a tense occupation wherein countless negative stressors such as students’ misbehaviors, low income, assessment issues, and personal conflicts might threaten the well-being and happiness of teachers. Thus, cultivating a flexible mindset responsive enough to tackle various stressors has become a promising research scope. In this vein, minimalism, as a worldview that helps people reduce unwanted and excessive distractors, might be a possible solution that would possibly reduce the teachers’ life and occupation stressors and cultivate their well-being-related strengths. However, the concept has been ignored in educational domains. Therefore, the present exploratory study sheds light on the minimalistic mindset of 34 Iranian English language teachers, recruited through purposeful sampling method and partook in an interview. Their answers were analyzed through thematic analysis to see whether minimalistic mindsets of teachers contribute to their welfare or not. The analyses of the qualitative data signaled that the findings would contribute to the educational psychology and language education literature by suggesting that teachers with minimalistic worldviews towards life are less stressed and concerned about distractors and are more prone to value inner peace, tolerance, and rapport in their personal and professional life.
DeepCraft: imitation learning method in a cointelligent design to production process to deliver architectural scenarios
Authors: Buš Peter , Dong Zhiyong
Published: April 2024

The recent advancements in digital technologies and artificial intelligence in the architecture, engineering, construction, and operation sector (AECO) have induced high demands on the digital skills of human experts, builders, and workers. At the same time, to satisfy the standards of the production-efficient AECO sector by reducing costs, energy, health risk, material resources, and labor demand through efficient production and construction methods such as design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA), it is necessary to resolve efficiency-related problems in mutual human‒machine collaborations. In this article, a method utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), namely, generative adversarial imitation learning (GAIL), is presented then evaluated in two independent experiments related to the processes of DfMA as an efficient human‒machine collaboration. These experiments include a) training the digital twin of a robot to execute a robotic toolpath according to human gestures and b) the generation of a spatial configuration driven by a human's design intent provided in a demonstration. The framework encompasses human intelligence and creativity, which the AI agent in the learning process observes, understands, learns, and imitates. For both experimental cases, the human demonstration, the agent's training, the toolpath execution, and the assembly configuration process are conducted digitally. Following the scenario generated by an AI agent in a digital space, physical assembly is undertaken by human builders as the next step. The implemented workflow successfully delivers the learned toolpath and scalable spatial assemblies, articulating human intelligence, intuition, and creativity in the cocreative design.
TFPsocialmedia: a public dataset for studying Turkish foreign policy
Authors: Mehmetcik Hakan , Ganiz Murat Can , Koluk Melih , Yüksel Galip , Yılmaz Muslim , İnce Muhammed Mustafa , Tortumlu Emre
Published: April 2024

Objectives

This data note introduces the TFPsocialmedia dataset, designed to aid social media researchers investigating Turkish Foreign Policy (TFP). With over 180 thousand tweets from 3597 accounts across 27 countries, the dataset encompasses intricate social and communication networks. It facilitates analysis of political actors, public perceptions of foreign policy, and policy-related events around TFP. This study illuminates Turkey’s representation within the Twitter community and highlights the efficacy of Twitter data in foreign policy analysis.

Data description

The TFPsocialmedia dataset offers a comprehensive social media data for understanding Turkish Foreign Policy. Curated tweets capture nuances of political discourse, while the social network structure enables insightful research on public perceptions and foreign policy events. Researchers can employ the dataset to unravel online portrayals of Turkey and explore the utilization of Twitter data in foreign policy analysis. This resource is particularly valuable for scholars seeking a deep dive into the digital dimensions of international relations.
Sustainable construction and quality of improved columns with three types of water-cement ratios on deep mixing method in Saga Lowland, Kyushu, Japan
Authors: Usui Hirofumi , Some Donzala David , Sindete Mathiro José , Hino Takenori
Published: April 2024

In this study, we investigated the application of the deep mixing method (DMM) to cohesive soil in the Saga Lowland of Kyushu, Japan. The study focused on examining three types of water-cement ratio (W/C) conditions, with a constant addition of cement-based binder (C). Due to the soft clay nature of the Saga Lowland, frequent ground settlement and deformation occur, necessitating measures to prevent adverse effects on the surrounding environment. The objective of this research is to provide a valuable approach to optimizing the quality of the improved columns while minimizing ground displacement in an environmentally considerate manner. In Saga Lowland, it is common to fix the W/C ratio at 1.0 and vary the cement content. Through experimental construction for improved columns on the field, the study confirmed that W/C values of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 influence the quality of the improved structure. A higher W/C value of 1.5 resulted in a more fluid cement slurry due to a higher injection rate (IR = 23.9%), as evidenced by statistical analysis revealing higher average unconfined compressive strength ( $$\overline{{q }_{u}}$$

q
u

¯

), and a lower coefficient of variation (CV). The defective rate of 10% (qudr) from the design standard strength shows that values are lowest for Case 2, followed by Case 3 and then Case 1. Comparing the values of Case 2 and Case 3, it is observed that in Case 3, with a higher W/C, the CV is lower.. Regarding horizontal ground displacement (Sh), Case 3 exhibited a Sh value of 2.0 to 6.5 mm, significantly lower than Saga prefecture standards (20 mm). This outcome is attributed to reduced viscosity during mixing, leading to improved fluidity and minimal lateral displacement of the soil–cement columns (which often results in lateral ground uplift). Even though with a higher W/C = 1.5, the implementation cost remains the same, but the constructed structure would be of higher quality and smaller displacement, with the overall structure corresponding to the standard quality. The study includes the specific geotechnical conditions of the Saga Lowland and the scope of experimentation. Nonetheless, in terms of the applicability and optimization of DMM in Saga Lowland, the findings provide practical guidance for engineers in selecting W/C ratio and IR during construction for future DMM implementations, thereby contributing to the development of long-lasting infrastructure and sustainable societal development.
The curing performances of lead-contaminated soil conditioned with modified phosphorus β-hemihydrate gypsum cemented materials
Authors: Huang Xuquan , Wang Ruting , Zhao Xiaorong , Jiang Mingming , Tan Yunzhi , Wang Haojie
Published: April 2024

A novel modified phosphorus β-hemihydrate gypsum (MPG) cementing material was developed to solidify lead-contaminated soil. The solidification effects of lead in the contaminated soil with MPG and Portland cement (PC) as curing agent were contrasted by the unconfined compressive strength (UCS), pH and leaching toxicity of solidified soil. The solidification mechanism of lead contaminated soil was analyzed by XRD, BET, SEM and EDS. The results demonstrated that when the addition of binder increased from 24 to 30%, the UCS of MPG solidified body became higher than that of PC solidified body by 14.7–18.8%. The pH of MPG solidified body was 9.81–10.69, which was 15.17–22.08% lower than that of PC solidified body. The lead leaching concentration of MPG solidified body decreased continuously with the curing time and became lower than the limit of hazardous waste content (5 mg L−1) stipulated in Chinese standards after 7-day curing. The results of microscopic analysis revealed that the main components of MPG solidified body were ettringite (AFt), reticulated gel of calcium silicate hydrated (C–S–H), lead phosphate ([Pb10(PO4)6(OH)2]) and lead sulfate (PbSO4) precipitation. The covering of C–S–H on soil particles and the ion exchange between lead and AFt contributed jointly to the stabilization of lead in the solidified soil. This is a valuable application exploitation study for the treatment of Pb contaminated soil and reutilization of waste phosphorus gypsum.
Increasing the robustness of Escherichia coli for aromatic chemicals production through transcription factor engineering
Authors: Zhou Xiao-Ling , Zhang Meng-Sang , Zheng Xing-Run , Zhang Zhi-Qian , Liu Jian-Zhong
Published: April 2024

Engineering microbial cell factories has been widely used to produce a variety of chemicals, including natural products, biofuels, and bulk chemicals. However, poor robustness limits microbial production on an industrial scale. Microbial robustness is essential to ensure reliable and sustainable production of targeted chemicals. In this study, we developed an approach to screen transcription factors to improve robustness using CRSPRa technology. We applied this approach to identify some transcription factors to increase the robustness of Escherichia coli to aromatic chemicals. Activation of hdfR, yldP, purR, sosS, ygeH, cueR, cra, and treR increased the robustness of E. coli to phenyllactic acid. Upregulation of some transcription factors also improved the robustness to caffeic acid (cra) or tyrosol (cra, cueR, treR, soxS, hdfR and purR). Our study demonstrated that transcription factor engineering using CRISPRa is a powerful method to increase microbial robustness. This research provides new approaches to efficiently find genes responsible for increasing microbial robustness.
Ideological and Cultural Policy as Speech Policy: An Overlooked Aspect of Free Speech in China (1940s–2000s)
Authors: Zuo Yilu
Published: April 2024

Free speech scholars have been preoccupied with laws, regulations, judicial opinions, and other traditional “legal” materials. However, this article examines an often-overlooked object in at least studying China’s speech rights—the ideological and cultural policy of the party-state. The party-state’s ideological and cultural policy has not only, for better or worse, profoundly shaped speech rights in China; and more significantly and paradoxically, it also contains the seed that might promote China’s speech rights in the future. The party-state has had a long and deep-rooted tradition of promoting a democratic culture; by tracing the development of this tradition from the 1940s to the 2000s, this article argues that it may provide a new context and angle for thinking about people’s right to cultural construction and perhaps free speech in general in China.
How The “Great Resignation” and COVID Unemployment Have Eroded the Employer Sponsored Insurance Model and Access to Healthcare
Authors: Weismann Miriam F.
Published: April 2024

Pre-pandemic, employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) covered 175 million workers and their dependents, the equivalent of 49% of the country’s total population. ESI, a valuable tax preference to employer and employee alike, spurred worker job dependence on employers resulting in access to healthcare dependent upon continued employment. With the advent of the pandemic and the dramatic increase in unemployment, the number of uninsured increased by more than 2.7 million people. Then, unemployment proliferated further by an unprecedented exit from the workforce dubbed the “Great Resignation.” Over 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs in a movement characterized as a general labor strike. The pandemic opened the floodgates to workers’ concerns about COVID safety in the workplace, wage stagnation despite increases in the cost of living, enduring job dissatisfaction, and increased demand for a remote-working environment. Data shows that the unemployed shifted to the Affordable Care Act marketplace or to the public payer option, Medicaid, for coverage. This shift signals a change, post-pandemic, away from the destabilizing system of access to care based on employment and unwanted job dependence and provides a policy argument favoring the more stabilizing influence of public insurance options in the health insurance market.
Speech and Suicide—The Line of Legality
Authors: Newman Justine L.
Published: April 2024

While physician-assisted suicide legislation is being drafted and passed across the United States, a gray-area continues to exist in regard to the legality of a lay person’s assistance with suicide. Several high-profile cases have been covered in the media, namely that of Michelle Carter in Massachusetts and William Melchert-Dinkel in Minnesota, but there is also a growing volume of anonymous pro-suicide materials online. Pro-suicide groups fly under the radar and claim to help those desiring to take their own lives. This paper aims to identify the point at which an individual or group can be held civilly or criminally liable for assisting suicide and discusses how the First Amendment can be used to shield authors from such liability.
Abortion Access for Women in Custody in the Wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health
Authors: Herr Allison
Published: April 2024

The United States Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization made it drastically harder for women to access abortions. The Dobbs decision has had a disproportionate impact on women who are incarcerated or on some form of community supervision such as probation or parole. This Note analyzes a potential right to an abortion for women involved in the criminal justice system, even those living in states that have banned or deeply restricted abortion access after the Dobbs decision. In doing so, this Note looks for different constitutional avenues to protect incarcerated women’s right to an abortion, including under the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Read It Three Times, Then Read It Again: How Nursing Homes Use “Responsible Party” Clauses in Admission Agreements to Charge Relatives for Their Loved Ones’ Care
Authors: Perez Benavides Jason J.
Published: April 2024

This Note explores an alarming, decades-old trend that has received renewed attention from enforcement agencies and the media: nursing homes suing family members and friends ("relatives") for residents’ unpaid bills. As justification, nursing homes point to “responsible party” clauses within admission agreements signed by relatives during the admission process. Undeterred by the 1987 Federal Nursing Home Reform Act’s (FNHRA) prohibition on requiring relatives to act as financial guarantors in exchange for residents’ admission, nursing homes use carefully worded “responsible party” clauses to obtain virtually the same result: relatives’ total liability for residents’ unpaid balances. Relatives are frequently caught off-guard by these lawsuits; many who sign admission agreements do so without a proper understanding of the potential liability they are assuming and have limited (if any) access to residents’ assets. This problem is aggravated by several aspects of the admission process that disadvantage relatives, such as the stressful and emotional nature of admission, the complicated language in admission agreements, and the inadequate—at times, misleading—guidance provided by nursing homes. This Note examines the tension between the FNHRA’s financial protections for relatives and nursing homes’ admission practices and use of “responsible party” clauses. Furthermore, this Note proposes solutions aimed at better informing relatives of the legal risks associated with “responsible party” clauses.
After an Earthquake: The Comparison of Psychological Status of Resident and Earthquake Survivor Cancer Patients
Authors: Beypinar Ismail
Published: April 2024

Objective:

Natural disasters such as earthquakes can have a significant impact on cancer treatment and care. The objective of the study was to evaluate the psychological effect of the earthquake on survivor cancer patients compared to regular cancer patients.

Methods:

Cancer patients who were evacuated from earthquake sites and referred for the continuation of their treatment, as well as regular resident patients were included in the study. The resident cancer patients were compared with the study population as a control group. DASS-21 forms were filled based on patients’ declarations.

Results:

Forty-six patients were earthquake survivors and 55 were resident cancer patients. Stress scores were significantly higher in earthquake survivors (P = 0.021). In contrast, there was no difference in stratified groups due to DASS-21 categorization in stress scores while depression and anxiety subgroups had significant differences (P = 0.012; P < 0.001). Also, women significantly had a worse outcome in the depression and anxiety categories (P = 0.028; P = 0.021) while no difference was observed in men.

Conclusion:

Recent earthquakes in Turkey had psychological negative effects on oncology patients. The increased stress, depression, and anxiety levels were observed in earthquake survivors who were evacuated from the disaster zone and compared to the control group.
Regorafenib and glioblastoma: a literature review of preclinical studies, molecular mechanisms and clinical effectiveness
Authors: Mongiardi Maria Patrizia , Pallini Roberto , D'Alessandris Quintino Giorgio , Levi Andrea , Falchetti Maria Laura
Published: April 2024

Glioblastoma IDH wild type (GBM) is a very aggressive brain tumour, characterised by an infiltrative growth pattern and by a prominent neoangiogenesis. Its prognosis is unfortunately dismal, and the median overall survival of GBM patients is short (15 months). Clinical management is based on bulk tumour removal and standard chemoradiation with the alkylating drug temozolomide, but the tumour invariably recurs leading to patient's death. Clinical options for GBM patients remained unaltered for almost two decades until the encouraging results obtained by the phase II REGOMA trial allowed the introduction of the multikinase inhibitor regorafenib as a preferred regimen in relapsed GBM treatment by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 2020 Guideline. Regorafenib, a sorafenib derivative, targets kinases associated with angiogenesis (VEGFR 1-3), as well as oncogenesis (c-KIT, RET, FGFR) and stromal kinases (FGFR, PDGFR-b). It was already approved for metastatic colorectal cancers and hepatocellular carcinomas. The aim of the present review is to focus on both the molecular and clinical knowledge collected in these first three years of regorafenib use in GBM.
Sharp well-posedness for the cubic NLS and mKdV in
Authors: Harrop-Griffiths Benjamin , Killip Rowan , Vişan Monica
Published: April 2024

We prove that the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation (both focusing and defocusing) is globally well-posed in

$H^s({{\mathbb {R}}})$

for any regularity

$s>-\frac 12$

. Well-posedness has long been known for

$s\geq 0$

, see [55], but not previously for any

$s<0$

. The scaling-critical value

$s=-\frac 12$

is necessarily excluded here, since instantaneous norm inflation is known to occur [11, 40, 48].

We also prove (in a parallel fashion) well-posedness of the real- and complex-valued modified Korteweg–de Vries equations in

$H^s({{\mathbb {R}}})$

for any

$s>-\frac 12$

. The best regularity achieved previously was

$s\geq \tfrac 14$

(see [15, 24, 33, 39]).

To overcome the failure of uniform continuity of the data-to-solution map, we employ the method of commuting flows introduced in [37]. In stark contrast with our arguments in [37], an essential ingredient in this paper is the demonstration of a local smoothing effect for both equations. Despite the nonperturbative nature of the well-posedness, the gain of derivatives matches that of the underlying linear equation. To compensate for the local nature of the smoothing estimates, we also demonstrate tightness of orbits. The proofs of both local smoothing and tightness rely on our discovery of a new one-parameter family of coercive microscopic conservation laws that remain meaningful at this low regularity.
On the ergodic theory of the real Rel foliation
Authors: Chaika Jon , Weiss Barak
Published: April 2024

Let

${{\mathcal {H}}}$

be a stratum of translation surfaces with at least two singularities, let

$m_{{{\mathcal {H}}}}$

denote the Masur-Veech measure on

${{\mathcal {H}}}$

, and let

$Z_0$

be a flow on

$({{\mathcal {H}}}, m_{{{\mathcal {H}}}})$

obtained by integrating a Rel vector field. We prove that

$Z_0$

is mixing of all orders, and in particular is ergodic. We also characterize the ergodicity of flows defined by Rel vector fields, for more general spaces

$({\mathcal L}, m_{{\mathcal L}})$

, where

${\mathcal L} \subset {{\mathcal {H}}}$

is an orbit-closure for the action of

$G = \operatorname {SL}_2({\mathbb {R}})$

(i.e., an affine invariant subvariety) and

$m_{{\mathcal L}}$

is the natural measure. These results are conditional on a forthcoming measure classification result of Brown, Eskin, Filip and Rodriguez-Hertz. We also prove that the entropy of

$Z_0$

with respect to any of the measures

$m_{{{\mathcal L}}}$

is zero.
When Is a Decision Automated? A Taxonomy for a Fundamental Rights Analysis
Authors: Palmiotto Francesca
Published: April 2024

This Article addresses the pressing issues surrounding the use of automated systems in public decision-making, specifically focusing on migration, asylum, and mobility. Drawing on empirical data, this Article examines the potential and limitations of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Artificial Intelligence Act in effectively addressing the challenges posed by automated decision-making (ADM). The Article argues that the current legal definitions and categorizations of ADM fail to capture the complexity and diversity of real-life applications where automated systems assist human decision-makers rather than replace them entirely. To bridge the gap between ADM in law and practice, this Article proposes to move beyond the concept of “automated decisions” and complement the legal protection in the GDPR and AI Act with a taxonomy that can inform a fundamental rights analysis. This taxonomy enhances our understanding of ADM and allows to identify the fundamental rights at stake and the sector-specific legislation applicable to ADM. The Article calls for empirical observations and input from experts in other areas of public law to enrich and refine the proposed taxonomy, thus ensuring clearer conceptual frameworks to safeguard individuals in our increasingly algorithmic society.