bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of ceramic sanitaryware: focus on the production process and analysis of scenario
Authors: Desole Maria Pia , Fedele Lorenzo , Gisario Annamaria , Barletta Massimiliano
Published: July 2023

The reduction of environmental impact is today the main challenge of the ceramic industry that is always more focusing on materials in line with the principles of economic and environmental sustainability. In this context, this study addresses the implementation of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on the production of ceramic sanitaryware, based on a cradle-to-grave analysis. Specifically, the process was considered from raw materials until the product is manufactured, excluding the disposal phase except for process waste. The analysis of the impact assessment considers three different scenarios: (i) The first examines the current state; (ii) the second considers the recovery of fired waste and water as well as the replacement of firing and annealing ovens with new generation ovens; (iii) the third, in addition to the technologies used in the second, proposes the use of a photovoltaic system to produce green energy and, additionally, a "plant" energy recovery system. The results show how production processes have a considerable impact on the environment, in terms of energy consumption and materials. Moreover, the use of a photovoltaic system together with the recovery of water allows a significant reduction of environmental impacts. In contrast, the crushing processes for the recovery of fired waste worsen the environmental performance of the plant, because of the high consumption of electricity. Therefore, by improving the waste recovery system and adopting the solutions of the third scenario in terms of energy savings, it would be possible to reduce the environmental burden of the production system considerably. At the same time, the use of additional equipment and production processes increases the costs of the manufacturing and has a significant impact on maintenance.
Brain Injury: How Dietary Patterns Impact Long-Term Outcomes
Authors: Patel Palak R. , Armistead-Jehle Patrick , Eltman Nicholas R. , Heath Kelly M. , Cifu David X. , Swanson Randel L.
Published: July 2023

Purpose of Review

Individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at a much greater risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to the general population. This review discusses dietary patterns as a means of addressing modifiable risk factors following TBI exposure. Evidence-based resources for practicing Physiatrists and Brain Injury Medicine specialists pertaining to nutrition education and counseling are also provided.

Recent Findings

We examined Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, plant-based, ketogenic, and intermittent fasting dietary patterns through publications of clinical trials and systematic reviews. While many reviews had significant positive findings, some were limited by generalizability.

While there is extensive literature on the immediate nutrition goals in the inpatient setting following an acute TBI exposure, there is limited literature discussing the nature of diet and nutrition in the post-acute setting. Fortunately, most individuals with TBI exposure survive their initial injury and continue into the recovery phase. The scientific literature supports increased morbidity and mortality with chronic TBI exposure compared to matched counterparts, most notably with CVD. A diet rich in fiber and nutrients but limited in added sugars, saturated fats, and excess calories would likely have the greatest cardiovascular and related neurologic protection. Future studies are needed to assess the specific impact of dietary interventions in the chronic phase of brain injury recovery.
Ramification theory of reciprocity sheaves, II Higher local symbols
Authors: Rülling Kay , Saito Shuji
Published: July 2023

We construct a theory of higher local symbols along Paršin chains for reciprocity sheaves. Applying this formalism to differential forms, gives a new construction of the Paršin–Lomadze residue maps, and applying it to the torsion characters of the fundamental group gives back the reciprocity map from Kato’s higher local class field theory in the geometric case. The higher local symbols satisfy various reciprocity laws. The main result of the paper is a characterization of the modulus attached to a section of a reciprocity sheaf in terms of the higher local symbols.
Towards enhancing ecological validity in user studies: a systematic review of guidelines and implications for QoE research
Authors: Subramanian Sruti , De Moor Katrien , Fiedler Markus , Koniuch Kamil , Janowski Lucjan
Published: July 2023

The concept of conducting ecologically valid user studies is gaining traction in the field of Quality of Experience (QoE). However, despite previous research exploring this concept, the increasing volume of studies has made it challenging to obtain a comprehensive overview of existing guidelines and the key aspects to consider when designing ecologically valid studies. Therefor this paper aims to provide a systematic review of research articles published between 2011 and 2021 that offer insight into conducting ecologically valid user studies. From an initial count of 782 retrieved studies, a final count of 12 studies met the predefined criteria and were included in the final review. The systematic review resulted in the extraction of 55 guidelines that provide guidance towards conducting ecologically valid user studies. These guidelines have been grouped within 8 categories (Environment, Technology, Content, Participant Recruitment, User Behavior, Study Design, Task and data collection) overarching the three main dimensions (Setting, Users and Research Methodology). Furthermore, the review discusses: the flip side of ecological validity, the implications for QoE research, as well as provides a basic visualisation model for assessing the ecological validity of a study. In conclusion, the current review indicates that future research should address more in detail how and when research approaches characterized by high ecological validity (and correspondingly, low internal validity) and those characterized by low ecological validity (and normally high internal validity) can best complement each other in order to better understand the key factors influencing QoE for various types of applications, user segments, settings. Further, we argue that more transparency around the (sub)dimensions of ecological validity with respect to a particular study or set of studies is necessary.
Area-Specific Positioning of Metallic Glass Nanowires on Si Substrate
Authors: Theeda Sumanth , Kumar Golden
Published: July 2023

This paper presents a novel technique to fabricate metallic nanowires in selective areas on a Si substrate. Thermoplastic drawing of viscous metallic glass from cavities etched in Si can produce metallic nanowires. The length and diameter of nanowires can be controlled by adjusting the drawing conditions without changing the Si mold. A thin metal shadow mask is stacked above the Si mold during thermoplastic drawing to fabricate the nanowires only in specific locations. The mask restricts the flow of metallic glass to predefined shapes on the mask, resulting in the formation of nanowires in selected areas on Si. An Al foil-based mask made by a benchtop vinyl cutter is used to demonstrate the proof-of-concept. Even a simple Al foil mask enables the positioning of metallic nanowires in selective areas as small as 200 µm on Si. The precision of the vinyl cutter limits the smallest dimensions of the patterned areas, which can be further improved by using laser-fabricated stencil masks. Results show that a single row of metallic glass nanowires can be patterned on Si using selective thermoplastic drawing. Controllable positioning of metallic nanowires on substrates can enable new applications and characterization techniques for nanostructures.
For financial illiteracy
Authors: Dunn Bill
Published: July 2023

Financial literacy is a dangerous illusion. The article builds on existing critiques, notably the work of Lauren Willis, to show that the discourse of financial literacy education raises fundamental epistemological issues about the nature of financial markets and financial behaviour. The difficulties of achieving financial literacy are ill conceived simply as the outcomes of market imperfections. Instead, structural inequalities, financial reform, and the nature of financial assets preclude consumers from achieving adequate levels of financial competence and the claim that they can do so diverts attention from the causes of unequal economic outcomes.
X-ray diffraction performance of thermally distorted crystals
Authors: Yang Chuan , Liu Tao , Hu Kai , Zhu Ye , Dong Xiaohao , Xu Zhongmin , Feng Chao , Zhang Weiqing
Published: July 2023

The development of high-brightness X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs), such as hard X-ray self-seeding free electron lasers and XFEL oscillators (XFELOs), brings a severe challenge to the crystal monochromator due to a strong non-uniform thermal load. The distortion caused by spatial temperature gradients can severely affect the optical performance of crystals. Therefore, this paper presents a model to estimate the performance of non-uniform thermally distorted crystals. The model not only takes into account thermal strain, slope error and incident angle deviation, but also considers temperature-dependent factors such as the Debye–Waller factor and electric susceptibility. Our investigation indicates that the Debye–Waller factor reduces the height and bandwidth of rocking curves, and the impact of the electric susceptibility is tiny. The proposed model can describe the distortion of the reflectivity and transmissivity curves of non-uniform thermally loaded crystals and can be applied in the design of crystal monochromators, crystal splitters, crystal compressors and XFELOs.
Compressibility effects on the secondary instabilities of the circular cylinder wake
Authors: Rolandi Laura Victoria , Fontane Jérôme , Jardin Thierry , Gressier Jérémie , Joly Laurent
Published: July 2023

With a growing interest in low Reynolds number compressible flows, compressibility effects on the secondary instabilities developing on the circular cylinder periodic wake are investigated. The unsteady and time-averaged two-dimensional flows are characterised for Reynolds numbers

${{Re}} \in [200;350]$

and Mach numbers up to

${{M}}_{\infty }=0.5$

, revealing different flow structures which influence the characteristics of the secondary unstable modes. The two-dimensional time-periodic solution is used as the base state for a global linear stability analysis performed by means of Floquet theory coupled with a time-stepping finite-difference approach of the nonlinear operator. The influence of compressibility on mode A and mode B secondary instabilities which are responsible for the three-dimensionalisation of the two-dimensional periodic wake is analysed. A stabilising or a destabilising effect of compressibility is observed on mode A, depending on the Reynolds number and the spanwise wavelength of the mode, while mode B is stabilised by the increase of the Mach number. Compressibility is indeed found to decrease the mode kinetic energy production due to base flow shear conversion, which drives the growth of mode B. This results in a delay of the three-dimensionalisation process of the wake due to compressibility.
Dynamics of a surfactant-laden viscoelastic thread in the presence of surface viscosity
Authors: Li Fang , He Dongdong
Published: July 2023

As is known, the presence of surfactants can profoundly influence the dynamics of Newtonian viscous threads. Also, it is known that non-Newtonian viscoelastic threads behave differently from Newtonian ones, particularly in the nonlinear regime. A naturally arising question is how surfactants affect the dynamic behaviour of non-Newtonian viscoelastic threads. To gain some insights into it, we build a one-dimensional model for an Oldroyd-B/finitely extensible nonlinear elastic-Peterlin approximation (FENE-P) viscoelastic liquid thread covered with an insoluble surfactant monolayer based on the slender body theory. A parametric study is performed to examine the effects of the dimensionless numbers related to the surfactant, including the initial concentration, the Marangoni number, the surface Péclet number, the shear Boussinesq number and the dilatational Boussinesq number. It is found that the formation of the beads-on-a-string structure can be greatly delayed by the surfactant. At large values of the surface Péclet number, the exponential thinning of the Oldroyd-B viscoelastic thread is little influenced, but the surfactant may lead to the disappearance of secondary droplets. At moderate values of the surface Péclet number, the surfactant induces the formation of secondary droplets. The primary droplets are axially stretched by the Marangoni or surface viscous stresses and evolve into a prolate or a more singular shape eventually. The surfactant can delay the pinch-off of the FENE-P viscoelastic thread to a great extent, but it affects little the decrease in the minimum thread radius prior to pinch-off when the surface Péclet number is large.
Asymmetric cellular bi-stability in the gap between tandem cylinders
Authors: Aasland Tale E. , Pettersen Bjørnar , Andersson Helge I. , Jiang Fengjian
Published: July 2023

In the gap region of tandem cylinders, within the reattachment regime, bi-stability is seen to be cellular. Direct numerical simulations at a Reynolds number of 500, and a gap ratio of 3.0, show that shedding of gap vortices occurs in spanwise cells, with lengths between 0.3 and 2.7 cylinder diameters. These unstable vortex cells tend to be asymmetric with respect to the gap centreline, so that vortices are repeatedly shed from just one gap shear layer for several periods. The unstable cells appear within the basic spanwise cell structure dictated by the three-dimensional instability, and their cell lengths do not exceed those of the basic cells. Unstable cells intermittently become spanwise coherent, and this leads to a significant increase in drag amplitude. The mode change in the gap is associated with low-frequency variation of the reattachment and separation points on the downstream cylinder, causing low-frequency modulation of the vortex formation length.
Survey-scale discovery-based research processes: Evaluating a bespoke visualisation environment for astronomical survey data
Authors: Fluke C. J. , Vohl D. , Kilborn V. A. , Murugeshan C.
Published: July 2023

Next-generation astronomical surveys naturally pose challenges for human-centred visualisation and analysis workflows that currently rely on the use of standard desktop display environments. While a significant fraction of the data preparation and analysis will be taken care of by automated pipelines, crucial steps of knowledge discovery can still only be achieved through various level of human interpretation. As the number of sources in a survey grows, there is need to both modify and simplify repetitive visualisation processes that need to be completed for each source. As tasks such as per-source quality control, candidate rejection, and morphological classification all share a single instruction, multiple data (SIMD) work pattern, they are amenable to a parallel solution. Selecting extragalactic neutral hydrogen (Hi) surveys as a representative example, we use system performance benchmarking and the visual data and reasoning methodology from the field of information visualisation to evaluate a bespoke comparative visualisation environment: theencubevisual analytics framework deployed on the 83 Megapixel Swinburne Discovery Wall. Through benchmarking using spectral cube data from existing Hisurveys, we are able to perform interactive comparative visualisation via texture-based volume rendering of 180 three-dimensional (3D) data cubes at a time. The time to load a configuration of spectral cubes scale linearly with the number of voxels, with independent samples of 180 cubes (8.4 Gigavoxels or 34 Gigabytes) each loading in under 5 min. We show that parallel comparative inspection is a productive and time-saving technique which can reduce the time taken to complete SIMD-style visual tasks currently performed at the desktop by at least two orders of magnitude, potentially rendering some labour-intensive desktop-based workflows obsolete.
Phenotypic distinctions in depression and anxiety: a comparative analysis of comorbid and isolated cases
Authors: Gao Y. Nina , Coombes Brandon , Ryu Euijung , Pazdernik Vanessa , Jenkins Gregory , Pendegraft Richard , Biernacka Joanna , Olfson Mark
Published: July 2023

Background

Anxiety and depression are frequently comorbid yet phenotypically distinct. This study identifies differences in the clinically observable phenome across a wide variety of physical and mental disorders comparing patients with diagnoses of depression without anxiety, anxiety without depression, or both depression and anxiety.

Methods

Using electronic health records for 14 994 participants with depression and/or anxiety in the Mayo Clinic Biobank, a phenotype-based phenome-wide association study (Phe2WAS) was performed to test for differences between these groups across a broad range of clinical diagnoses observed in the electronic health record. Additional analyses were performed to determine the temporal sequencing of diagnoses.

Results

Compared to patients diagnosed only with anxiety, those diagnosed only with depression were more likely to have diagnoses of obesity (OR 1.75; p = 1 × 10−27), sleep apnea (OR 1.71; p = 1 × 10−22), and type II diabetes (OR 1.74; p = 9 × 10−18). Compared to those diagnosed only with depression, those diagnosed only with anxiety were more likely to have diagnoses of palpitations (OR 1.91; p = 2 × 10−25), benign skin neoplasms (OR 1.61; p = 2 × 10−17), and cardiac dysrhythmias (OR 1.45; p = 2 × 10−12). Patients with comorbid depression and anxiety were more likely to have diagnoses of other mental health disorders, substance use disorders, sleep problems, and gastroesophageal reflux relative to isolated depression.

Conclusions

While depression and anxiety are closely related, this study suggests that phenotypic distinctions exist between depression and anxiety. Improving phenotypic characterization within the broad categories of depression and anxiety could improve the clinical assessment of depression and anxiety.
Decolonising Development Studies
Authors: Kapoor Ilan
Published: July 2023

This article explores ways of decolonising Development Studies by: (1) examining the discipline’s tendencies towards what some have called ‘imperial amnesia’, that is, proclivities towards disavowing if not erasing European colonialism, most evident in 1950s–1960s Modernisation theory, but also more recently in the work of such analysts as Bruce Gilley and Nigel Biggar; (2) considering the opportunities and perils of ‘epistemic decolonisation’, that is, ways of decolonising knowledge production in the discipline, including the limits of ‘non-Eurocentric’ pedagogies; and (3) reflecting on forms of material decolonisation (e.g., the reduction of socioeconomic inequalities by improving better access to education or resisting the corporatisation of publicly funded research) that need to accompany any epistemic decolonisation for the latter to be meaningful.
Pluriversal sovereignty and the state of IR
Authors: Parasram Ajay
Published: July 2023

IR proceeds on a Eurocentric ontological assumption that sovereignty has universal validity today. How can IR be decolonised, when in spite of countless examples of the enactment of ‘sovereignty otherwise’, the discipline remains unconcerned with the fact that the logic of sovereignty remains uni-versal. The question is as much political as it is intellectual, because as a discipline, we have allowed the inertia of our professional rhythms to marginalise pluri-versal sovereignty, or the organisation of sovereignty along different ontological starting points. I argue IR must abandon its disciplinary love affair with uni-versal sovereignty. The tendency to ‘bring in’ new perspectives by inserting them into an already ontologically constituted set of assumptions works to protect IR’s Eurocentricity, which makes disciplinary decolonisation untenable. I propose that as a starting point, IR needs to be more mature about recognising the decolonisations that are happening under our very feet if we are to stand a chance at disciplinary level decolonisation. As an illustrative example, I explore an ongoing collision of settler-colonial and Mi’kmaw sovereignty through the issue of lobster fisheries in Mi’kma’ki, or Nova Scotia as the territory is known to Canadians.
Establishing Music Therapy as an Alternative to Reducing Compassion Fatigue among Health Workers
Authors: Rahayu Dwi Sri , Atmoko Adi , Muslihati M. , Setyowati Arbin Janu , Mudjijanti Fransisca
Published: July 2023

Compassion fatigue is a condition that occurs in individuals who are continuously involved in providing care or emotional support to others who are experiencing suffering or difficulties. This condition can affect the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of health professionals. The results of a literature review show that music therapy can effectively reduce stress levels, emotional exhaustion, and burnout symptoms associated with compassion fatigue. This article proposes the use of music therapy as an effective alternative to reduce compassion fatigue.
Cross-language interference in bilinguals with neurodegenerative disorders
Authors: Calabria Marco
Published: July 2023

The aim of the study is to explore the differential effects of neurodegenerative disorders on cross-language interference and facilitation, by comparing the performance in a bilingual Stroop task of Catalan–Spanish bilinguals with different neurodegenerative disorders [Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), n = 16; Alzheimer's disease (AD), n = 16; and Parkinson's disease (PD), n = 16)] and healthy controls (n = 14). Interference is the difference in naming latencies between the incongruent (colour words not matching with their ink colour) and control (non-colour words) conditions. Facilitation is the difference between the control and congruent conditions (colour words matching with their ink colour).

The results showed that AD and MCI patients, but not PD, showed a larger interference effect than healthy controls. Nevertheless, the patient groups showed the same facilitation effect as healthy controls.

The contribution of cortical and subcortical brain areas to cross-language interference suppression is discussed in relation to the type of brain degeneration.
Lunar Surface Model Age Derivation: Comparisons Between Automatic and Human Crater Counting Using LRO‐NAC and Kaguya TC Images
Authors: Fairweather J. H. , Lagain A. , Servis K. , Benedix G. K.
Published: July 2023

Dating young lunar surfaces, such as impact ejecta blankets and terrains associated with recent volcanic activities, provides critical information on the recent events that shaped the surface of the Moon. Model age derivation of young or small areas using a crater chronology is typically achieved through manual counting, which requires a lot of small impact craters to be tediously mapped. In this study, we present the use of a Crater Detection Algorithm (CDA) to extract crater populations on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter—Narrow Angle Camera (LRO‐NAC) and Kaguya Terrain Camera images. We applied our algorithm to images covering the ejecta blankets of four Copernican impact craters and across four young mare terrains, where manually derived model ages were already published. Across the eight areas, 10 model ages were derived. We assessed the reproducibility of our model using two populations for each site: (a) an unprocessed population and (b) a population adjusted to remove contaminations of secondary and buried craters. The results showed that unprocessed detections led to overestimating crater densities by 12%–48%, but “adjusted” populations produced consistent results within <20% of published values in 80% of cases. Regarding the discrepancies observed, we found no significant error in our detections that could explain the differences with crater densities manually measured. With careful processing, we conclude that a CDA can be used to determine model ages and crater densities for the Moon. We also emphasize that automated crater datasets need to be processed, interpreted and used carefully, in unity with geologic reasoning. The presented approach can offer a consistent and reproducible way to derive model ages.
Intense Desert Dust Event in the Northern Adriatic (March 2020); Insights From the Numerical Model Application and Chemical Characterization Results
Authors: Mifka Boris , Telišman Prtenjak Maja , Kavre Piltaver Ivna , Mekterović Darko , Kuzmić Josipa , Marciuš Marijan , Ciglenečki Irena
Published: July 2023

The uncharacteristically extreme outbreak of particulate matter took place over the Balkan region from 27 to 30 March 2020. Observations at air quality stations in Croatia recorded hourly PM10 concentrations up to 412 μgm−3. The meteorological analysis shows that the increase in PM10 concentrations was primarily due to the advection of dust from the deserts east of the Caspian Sea. The anticyclone north of Croatia and the cyclone over Anatolia formed a strong pressure gradient driving transport from the east. Both back trajectories and satellite products pointed to the dry Aral Sea as the main source of dust. A dust plume influenced the PM10 increase observed in Croatia, starting at the easternmost air quality stations. The modeling study shows that the vertical extent of the dust plume was up to ∼2 km. However, the chemical and morphological (scanning electron microscope analysis) composition of PM10 at the sites in the northeastern Adriatic Sea showed mainly the presence of Saharan dust. Prior to the advection of the Asian dust, the transport of Saharan dust, driven by Sharav cyclone, was observed in the PM10 values at several stations in the Adriatic Sea and on the Croatian mainland on 26 March 2020. Modeling results showed that the Saharan dust transport occurred at altitudes below ∼8 km. The mixing of the Asian and Saharan dust plumes over the Balkans was favored by the subsidence due to anticyclonic high‐pressure conditions and is the most likely explanation for the observed PM chemical and morphological results.
Adaptive Coda‐Wave Imaging With Voronoi Tessellation
Authors: Mao Shujuan , Ellsworth William L. , Beroza Gregory C.
Published: July 2023

Reconstructions of Green's functions by ambient noise interferometry enable the imaging of the Earth's subsurface. Coda waves from reconstructed Green's functions can be utilized to perform time‐dependent imaging of processes that vary substantially at daily to monthly time scales in the crust. Time‐lapse Coda‐Wave Imaging (CWI) can detect tiny changes in seismic velocity with high temporal resolution. While previous studies on CWI have mainly focused on the descriptions of coda waves' propagation, little attention has been paid to choosing effective inversion algorithms that are suitable for CWI. Here we address this issue by developing a pragmatic inversion approach based on Voronoi tessellation with mesh cells adapted to coda‐wave sensitivity kernels. Using seismic stations in Central California, we present both synthetic and real data imaging to demonstrate that this approach stabilizes the inversion, is computationally efficient, and provides spatially adaptive resolution. We further propose a heuristic approach for a quantitative assessment of spatial resolution based on multi‐scale checkerboard tests.
Brazilian Water Security Threatened by Climate Change and Human Behavior
Authors: Ballarin André S. , Sousa Mota Uchôa José Gescilam , dos Santos Matheus S. , Almagro André , Miranda Ianca P. , da Silva Pedro Gustavo C. , da Silva Greicelene J. , Gomes Júnior Marcus N. , Wendland Edson , Oliveira Paulo Tarso S.
Published: July 2023

Water scarcity is a growing concern globally, with climate change and increasing population exacerbating the issue. Here, we introduce a new framework for assessing water availability in 708 Brazilian catchments that considers the effect of CO2 concentrations on potential evapotranspiration, uses CMIP6 bias‐corrected climate change simulations, and presumes an open water balance assumption, while considering the human‐aspect by incorporating water demand projections. We note an average reduction of water security in 81% of the analyzed catchments by 2100. Among these catchments, 37% presented a reduction of future water availability, while 63% undergo a worse scenario due to an increase in human water use, which highlights the role of the human aspect in water security assessment. Our study shows important aspects for both advancing future water availability studies and for drawing a picture of the impacts of changes in climate and water use on Brazilian future water security that may be useful for water resources management practices and advancing hydrologic studies.
Broad applications of sensors based on laser-scribed graphene
Authors: Lau Kuen Yao , Qiu Jianrong
Published: July 2023

Sensors based on graphene materials have promising applications in the fields of biology, medicine and environment etc. A laser-scribed graphene provides a versatile, low-cost, and environmental friendly method for stress, bio, gas, temperature, humidity and multifunctional integrated sensors.
Premature aging of skeletal stem/progenitor cells rather than osteoblasts causes bone loss with decreased mechanosensation
Authors: Yang Ruici , Cao Dandan , Suo Jinlong , Zhang Lingli , Mo Chunyang , Wang Miaomiao , Niu Ningning , Yue Rui , Zou Weiguo
Published: July 2023

A distinct population of skeletal stem/progenitor cells (SSPCs) has been identified that is indispensable for the maintenance and remodeling of the adult skeleton. However, the cell types that are responsible for age-related bone loss and the characteristic changes in these cells during aging remain to be determined. Here, we established models of premature aging by conditional depletion ofZmpste24(Z24) in mice and found thatPrx1-dependentZ24deletion, but notOsx-dependentZ24deletion, caused significant bone loss. However,Acan-associatedZ24depletion caused only trabecular bone loss. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) revealed that two populations of SSPCs, one that differentiates into trabecular bone cells and another that differentiates into cortical bone cells, were significantly decreased inPrx1-Cre; Z24f/fmice. Both premature SSPC populations exhibited apoptotic signaling pathway activation and decreased mechanosensation. Physical exercise reversed the effects ofZ24depletion on cellular apoptosis, extracellular matrix expression and bone mass. This study identified two populations of SSPCs that are responsible for premature aging-related bone loss. The impairment of mechanosensation inZ24-deficient SSPCs provides new insight into how physical exercise can be used to prevent bone aging.
Rapid prediction of cementitious initial sorptivity via surface wettability
Authors: Kabir Hossein , Garg Nishant
Published: July 2023

The tendency of cementitious systems to absorb and transmit liquid through capillary pores is often characterized by initial sorptivity, which is an important indicator of long-term durability. However, sorptivity measurements, which are based on the continuous mass change of specimens exposed to water, are labor-intensive (up to 6 h of continuous measurements). Here, we exploit the fundamental surface-wetting characteristics of cementitious systems to estimate their sorptivity in a rapid fashion, i.e., in a matter of few minutes. In a series of 63 distinct paste systems of varying w/c ratios (0.4–0.8), subject to a range of curing periods (1–7d), we establish strong correlations (adjusted R2 ≥ 0.9) between the initial sorptivity (~6 h) and dynamics of drop spreading (contact angle ~0.5 s, drop residence time <10 min). These results elucidate rapid pathways in estimating initial sorptivity and durability of a broad variety of hydrated cementitious matrices.
Association of loneliness with suicide risk and depression in individuals with schizophrenia: moderating effects of self-esteem and perceived support from families and friends
Authors: Chen Yi-Lung , Jian Cian-Ruei , Chang Yu-Ping , Chao Shu-Ru , Yen Cheng-Fang
Published: July 2023

Loneliness is prevalent among individuals with mental illnesses. This cross-sectional survey study examined the moderating effects of self-esteem and perceived support from families and friends on the association of loneliness with suicide risk and depression in individuals with schizophrenia. In total, 300 participants (267 with schizophrenia and 33 with schizoaffective disorder) completed the University of California, Los Angeles, Loneliness Scale (Version 3); suicide module of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview; Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; Family and Friend Adaptability, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve Index; and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Moderation analysis was performed to examine the moderating effects of self-esteem and perceived support from families and friends on the association of loneliness with suicide risk and depression. The results found that self-esteem was significantly associated with a reduced magnitude of depression in participants with loneliness. In addition, perceived support from friends was significantly associated with a reduced magnitude of suicide risk in participants with loneliness. Our findings indicate the importance of intervention programs that strengthen support from friends and self-esteem in reducing suicide risk and depression among lonely individuals with schizophrenia.
AFM methods for studying the morphology and micromechanical properties of the membrane of human buccal epithelium cell
Authors: Torkhov N. A. , Buchelnikova V. A. , Mosunov A. A. , Ivonin I. V.
Published: July 2023

Using AFM methods in air under normal conditions in a wide range of local force effects ($${F}_{const}$$

F

const

< 40 μN) the relief, functional micromechanical properties (elasticity coefficient $$K$$
K
, Young’s modulus $$E$$
E
, elastic $${\Delta h}_{dfrm}$$

Δ
h

dfrm

and plastic $${\Delta h}_{stiff}$$

Δ
h

stiff

deformations) and adhesive properties (work $$A$$
A
of adhesive forces $${F}_{adh}={F}_{adh}(x;y)$$

F

adh

=

F

adh

(
x
;
y
)

) of the membranes of living adult cells of human buccal epithelium were studied in the presence of a protective layer < 100 nm of buffer solution that prevented the cells from drying. Almost all geometric and functional characteristics of the membrane in the local approximation at the micro- and nanolevels are affected by size effects and obey the laws of fractal geometry. The Brownian multifractal relief of the membrane is characterized by dimension $${D}_{f}$$

D
f

< 2.56 and irregularities < 500 nm vertically and < 2 μm horizontally. Its response to elastic (≤ 6 nN), active (6–21 nN), or passive (> 21 nN) stimulation ($${F}_{const}$$

F

const

) is a non-trivial selective process and exhibits a correspondingly elastic ($$K=$$

K
=

67.4 N/m), active ($$K=$$

K
=

80.2 N/m) and passive ($$K=$$

K
=

84.5 N/m) responses. $$K=K({F}_{const})$$

K
=
K
(

F

const

)

and $$E=E({F}_{const})$$

E
=
E
(

F

const

)

depend on $${F}_{const}$$

F

const

. Having undergone slight plastic deformations $${\Delta h}_{stiff}$$

Δ
h

stiff

< 300 nm, the membrane is capable of restoring its shape. We mapped ($$E=E(x;y)$$

E
=
E
(
x
;
y
)

, $${D}_{f}$$

D
f

= 2.56; $${\Delta h}_{dfrm}={\Delta h}_{dfrm}(x;y)$$

Δ
h

dfrm

=

Δ
h

dfrm

(
x
;
y
)

, $${D}_{f}$$

D
f

= 2.68; $${\Delta h}_{stiff}={\Delta h}_{stiff}(x;y)$$

Δ
h

stiff

=

Δ
h

stiff

(
x
;
y
)

, $${D}_{f }$$

D
f

= 2.42, $$A=A\left(x;y\right)$$

A
=
A

x
;
y

and $${F}_{adh}={F}_{adh}(x;y)$$

F

adh

=

F

adh

(
x
;
y
)

) indicating its complex cavernous structure.
Determination of optimal daily light integral (DLI) for indoor cultivation of iceberg lettuce in an indigenous vertical hydroponic system
Authors: Gavhane Kishor P. , Hasan Murtaza , Singh Dhirendra Kumar , Kumar Soora Naresh , Sahoo Rabi Narayan , Alam Wasi
Published: July 2023

The indoor cultivation of lettuce in a vertical hydroponic system (VHS) under artificial lighting is an energy-intensive process incurring a high energy cost. This study determines the optimal daily light integral (DLI) as a function of photoperiod on the physiological, morphological, and nutritional parameters, as well as the resource use efficiency of iceberg lettuce (cv. Glendana) grown in an indoor VHS. Seedlings were grown in a photoperiod of 12 h, 16 h, and 20 h with a photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 200 µmol m−2 s−1 using white LED lights. The results obtained were compared with VHS without artificial lights inside the greenhouse. The DLI values for 12 h, 16 h, and 20 h were 8.64, 11.5, and 14.4 mol m−2 day−1, respectively. The shoot fresh weight at harvest increased from 275.5 to 393 g as the DLI increased from 8.64 to 11.5 mol m−2 day−1. DLI of 14.4 mol m−2 day−1 had a negative impact on fresh weight, dry weight, and leaf area. The transition from VHS without artificial lights to VHS with artificial lights resulted in a 60% increase in fresh weight. Significantly higher water use efficiency of 71 g FW/L and energy use efficiency of 206.31 g FW/kWh were observed under a DLI of 11.5 mol m−2 day−1. The study recommends an optimal DLI of 11.5 mol m−2 day−1 for iceberg lettuce grown in an indoor vertical hydroponic system.
Serum inflammatory biomarkers are associated with increased choroidal thickness in keratoconus
Authors: Pinheiro-Costa João , Lima Fontes Mário , Luís Carla , Martins Sandra , Soares Raquel , Madeira Dulce , Falcão-Reis Fernando , Carneiro Ângela
Published: July 2023

Inflammation may play a significant role in Keratoconus (KC), but the relationship between inflammatory markers and choroidal thickness (CT) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate serum inflammatory markers and correlate them with the choroidal profile of KC patients and control subjects. Forty patients with KC and 26 age-matched control subjects were enrolled in a cross-sectional case–control study. Choroidal profile was studied with a Spectralis Heidelberg apparatus and venous blood samples were collected. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte/HDL ratio (MHR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and systemic immune inflammation index (SII) were calculated. Serum inflammatory biomarkers IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alfa were also analyzed. KC group presented thicker choroids in each evaluated point when compared to the control group (subfoveal CT 417.38 ± 79.79 vs 299.61 ± 76.13, p < 0.001 for all measured locations). Mean values of NLR, PLR and SII were significantly higher in patients with KC (NLR p = 0.001; PLR p = 0.042; SII p = 0.007). Although KC patients presented higher mean levels of MHR, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α than control group, no significant differences were achieved. Positive correlations were found between subfoveal CT and NLR and SII (0.408, p = 0.001 and 0.288, p = 0.019 respectively). The results presented are in favor of a relationship between the increased CT and inflammatory mechanisms in KC patients. The elevated serum inflammatory indices NLR, SII and PLR provide additional evidence of a role for systemic inflammation in the pathophysiology of KC.
Predicting phytochemical diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) across eco-climatic zones and elevation in Uttarakhand using Generalized Additive Model
Authors: Tiwari Deepti , Kewlani Pushpa , Gaira Kailash S. , Bhatt Indra D. , Sundriyal R. C. , Pande Veena
Published: July 2023

The present study uses a systematic approach to explore the phytochemical composition of medicinal plants from Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya. The phytochemical composition of medicinal plants was analyzed based on (i) the presence of different chemical groups and (ii) bioactive compounds. The Generalized Additive Model (GAM) analysis was used to predict the occurrence of chemical groups and active compounds across different eco-climatic zones and the elevation in Uttarakhand. A total of 789 medicinal plants represented by 144 taxonomic families were screened to explore the phytochemical diversity of the medicinal plants of Uttarakhand. These medicinal plant species are signified in different life forms such as herbs (58.86%), shrubs (18.24%), trees (17.48%), ferns (2.38%), and climbers (2.13%). The probability of occurrence of the chemical groups found in tropical, sub-tropical, and warm temperate eco-climatic zones, whereas active compounds have a high Probability towards alpine, sub-alpine, and cool temperate zones. The GAM predicted that the occurrence of species with active compounds was declining significantly (p < 0.01), while total active compounds increased across elevation (1000 m). While the occurrence of species with the chemical group increased, total chemical groups were indicated to decline with increasing elevation from 1000 m (p < 0.000). The current study is overwhelmed to predict the distribution of phytochemicals in different eco-climatic zones and elevations using secondary information, which offers to discover bioactive compounds of the species occurring in the different eco-climatic habitats of the region and setting the priority of conservation concerns. However, the study encourages the various commercial sectors, such as pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, chemical, food, and cosmetics, to utilize unexplored species. In addition, the study suggests that prioritizing eco-climatic zones and elevation based on phytochemical diversity should be a factor of concern in the Himalayan region, especially under the climate change scenario.
Automatic stridor detection using small training set via patch-wise few-shot learning for diagnosis of multiple system atrophy
Authors: Ahn Jong Hyeon , Lee Ju Hwan , Lim Chae Yeon , Joo Eun Yeon , Youn Jinyoung , Chung Myung Jin , Cho Jin Whan , Kim Kyungsu
Published: July 2023

Stridor is a rare but important non-motor symptom that can support the diagnosis and prediction of worse prognosis in multiple system atrophy. Recording sounds generated during sleep by video-polysomnography is recommended for detecting stridor, but the analysis is labor intensive and time consuming. A method for automatic stridor detection should be developed using technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning. However, the rarity of stridor hinders the collection of sufficient data from diverse patients. Therefore, an AI method with high diagnostic performance should be devised to address this limitation. We propose an AI method for detecting patients with stridor by combining audio splitting and reintegration with few-shot learning for diagnosis. We used video-polysomnography data from patients with stridor (19 patients with multiple system atrophy) and without stridor (28 patients with parkinsonism and 18 patients with sleep disorders). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to propose a method for stridor detection and attempt the validation of few-shot learning to process medical audio signals. Even with a small training set, a substantial improvement was achieved for stridor detection, confirming the clinical utility of our method compared with similar developments. The proposed method achieved a detection accuracy above 96% using data from only eight patients with stridor for training. Performance improvements of 4%–13% were achieved compared with a state-of-the-art AI baseline. Moreover, our method determined whether a patient had stridor and performed real-time localization of the corresponding audio patches, thus providing physicians with support for interpreting and efficiently employing the results of this method.
Kinematic running resistance of an urban rail vehicle undercarriage: a study of the impact of wheel design
Authors: Semenov Stanislav , Mikhailov Evgeny , Kovtanets Maxim , Sergienko Oksana , Dižo Ján , Blatnický Miroslav , Gerlici Juraj , Kostrzewski Mariusz
Published: July 2023

Urban railway vehicles are important means of transport in towns and cities due to their high capacity, power source, and low running resistance, which make them efficient for operation. Although these properties are considered advantages, there is still room for improvement in their operational efficiency. The main objective of this article is to investigate the impact of railway wheel design on the level of kinematic running resistance, which is expressed as the amount of mechanical energy losses during the interaction of wheels with rails. This research focuses on simulation computations of two variants of wheel design schemes: the traditional design scheme (TKS) and a perspective design scheme (PKS) characterized by a rotating flange independently of the wheel tread surface. Two undercarriage multibody models have been created, one with TKS and one with PKS, and simulation computations have been performed for running speeds of 10 km/h, 20 km/h, 30 km/h, and 40 km/h on track models in curves with radii of 20, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 m. The evaluated indicators affecting the level of mechanical energy losses were creep forces, slip velocities, and average power. The most important findings of this study are that the PKS design scheme resulted in lower values of all assessed parameters.
Evaluating initial responses to brolucizumab in patients undergoing conventional anti-VEGF therapy for diabetic macular edema: a retrospective, single-center, observational study
Authors: Hirano Takao , Kumazaki Akane , Tomihara Ryuji , Ito Syun , Hoshiyama Ken , Murata Toshinori
Published: July 2023

Our retrospective, single-center, observational study aimed to evaluate the initial responses to intravitreal injection of brolucizumab (IVBr) in patients undergoing anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy for diabetic macular edema (DME). In total, 23 eyes of 20 patients with DME treated with at least one intravitreal injection of ranibizumab or aflibercept within one year and then switched to IVBr were included. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and macular volume (MV) on optical coherence tomography images were evaluated just before the most recent conventional anti-VEGF (ranibizumab/aflibercept) injection therapy (V1), one month after the most recent traditional anti-VEGF therapy (V2), just before the first IVBr (V3), and one month after the first IVBr (V4). BCVA, CMT, MV, and presence of intraocular inflammation (IOI) were evaluated at each visit. Anterior chamber flare values were also examined at V3 and V4. BCVA showed significant improvement at V2 (0.30 ± 0.23) than V1 (0.39 ± 0.29) and at V4 (0.34 ± 0.26) than V3 (0.48 ± 0.34) (P = 0.002, P < 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed between V2 and V4 (P = 0.257). CMT was significantly thinner at V2 (346.8 ± 90.2 µm) than V1 (495.5 ± 123.8 µm), and at V4 (322.2 ± 95.7 µm) than V3 (536.5 ± 166.0 µm) (P < 0.001, P < 0.001), but no significant difference was observed between V2 and V4 (P = 0.140). MV was significantly smaller at V2 (11.6 ± 2.0 mm3) than V1 (12.6 ± 1.9 mm3) and at V4 (11.2 ± 2.0 mm3) than V3 (12.6 ± 2.0 mm3) (P < 0.001, P < 0.001), and even significantly smaller at V4 than V2 (P = 0.009). No patient had IOI. No significant changes were observed in anterior chamber flare values between V3 and V4 (25.6 ± 14.6 vs. 24.0 ± 11.5 photon count/ms; P = 0.543). Both CMT and MV significantly reduced without any adverse events one month after switching from conventional anti-VEGF to IVBr therapy for DME, including IOI. MV was significantly lower for IVBr than anti-VEGF therapy after one month of treatment. Therefore, brolucizumab may be a viable treatment option for DME patients considering switching from conventional anti-VEGF agents for various reasons, such as poor response or inability to extend dosing intervals.