bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Changing Landscape of Water Resources Planning in England
Authors: Leonard Ali , Amezaga Jaime , Blackwell Richard , Lewis Elizabeth , Kilsby Chris
Published: January 2025

Water resources planning in England has undergone a significant transformation from a fragmented, piecemeal approach to a more strategic, multi-scale framework. This shift is a response to the pressing need for increased resilience in the face of climate change, population growth, and environmental pressures. Recognising the limitations of existing planning frameworks established during privatisation, new national, regional, company, and sub-regional frameworks have emerged to address gaps and enhance strategic planning efforts. Understanding the critical pathway dependencies, opportunities, and constraints allows reforms to be designed and implemented with a better chance of success. Several key features characterise water resources planning in England. Firstly, the systems are inherently complex and fragmented, requiring tailored approaches rather than one-size-fits-all solutions. Secondly, planning operates within a neoliberal framework emphasising economic efficiency. Thirdly, subjective concepts like risk, uncertainty, and value are managed through technical quantitative methods which can pose challenges for transparency. Fourthly, while legislation often operates in silos, there is a growing demand for more integrated planning approaches. Funding and regulatory powers play crucial roles in water resources planning. Access to capital is influenced by the institutional environment and broader economic and political factors, with government and regulators ultimately holding power over the framework. Companies, driven by the profit motive, are responsible for detailed planning and delivery, regulated by standards and reputational incentives. Public participation is framed as consumer engagement. Aligning incentives for public good with financial rewards and ensuring effective regulation are vital for the framework’s success.
Accelerated epigenetic ageing after burn injury
Authors: Sullivan Jack , Nicholson Thomas , Hazeldine Jon , Moiemen Naiem , Lord Janet M.
Published: January 2025

Individuals who suffer a major burn injury are at higher risk of developing a range of age-associated diseases prematurely leading to an increase in mortality in adult and juvenile burn injury survivors. One possible explanation is that injury is accelerating the biological ageing process. To test this hypothesis, we analysed DNA methylation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from adult burn-injured patients (> 5%TBSA) upon admission to hospital and 6 months later, to calculate an epigenetic clock value which can be used to determine biological age. Fifty-three burn-injured participants (mean age 45.43 years, 49 male, mean TBSA 37.65%) were recruited at admission and 34 again 6 months post injury (mean age 40.4 years, 34 male, mean TBSA 30.91%). Twenty-nine healthy controls (mean age 43.69 years, 24 male) were also recruited. Epigenetic age acceleration at admission by PhenoAge was + 7.2 years (P = 8.31e-5) but by month 6 was not significantly different from healthy controls. PCGrimAge acceleration was + 9.23 years at admission (P = 5.79e-11) and remained 4.18 years higher than in controls by month 6 (P = 2.64e-6). At admission, the burn-injured participants had a Dunedin PACE of ageing score 31.65% higher than the control group (P = 2.14e-12), the equivalent of + 115 days per year of biological ageing. Six months post injury the Dunedin PACE of ageing remained significantly higher (+ 11.36%, 41 days/year) than in the control group (P = 3.99e-5). No differences were seen using the Horvath and Hannum clocks. Enrichment analysis revealed that key pathways enriched with burn injury related to immune function, activation, and inflammation. The results reveal that epigenetic age, specifically the PACE of ageing and PCGrimAge, was accelerated in burn-injured adults at admission, with some return towards control values by 6 months. That these two clocks are built upon morbidity outcomes suggests that the injury is invoking a biological response that increases the risk of disease. Burn injury in adults induces epigenetic changes suggestive of an acceleration of the ageing process, which may contribute to the increased morbidity and mortality in these patients.
Diversity Coaching!? Eine begrifflich-konzeptionelle Annäherung anhand einer systematischen Literaturanalyse
Authors: Kornau Angela
Published: January 2025

Diversität im Arbeitsleben zu fördern und Diskriminierung zu reduzieren, steht seit Jahren auf der Agenda vieler Organisationen. Es verwundert daher nicht, dass auf dem Coachingmarkt eine gewisse Entwicklung hin zu diversitätssensiblen Coachingangeboten zu beobachten ist – zumeist an Menschen gerichtet, die von Diskriminierung betroffen sind. Ziel dieses Artikels ist es, anhand einer systematischen Literaturanalyse einen differenzierten Überblick über den wissenschaftlichen Diskurs zum Thema Diversity Coaching zu geben. Es wird ein konzeptioneller Orientierungsrahmen entwickelt, der nicht nur auf die Ausgestaltung des Coachingprozesses eingeht, sondern auch auf mögliche Zielgruppen, übergeordnete Zielsetzungen und Rahmenbedingungen von Diversity Coaching.
Evaluation of using grip strength and hand muscle cross-sectional area to predict secondary fractures post distal radius fracture
Authors: Kong Matthew Tsz Kin , Fang Christian , Yung Colin Shing Yat , Kwok Theresa , Leung Keith , Leung Frankie
Published: January 2025

Grip strength measurement, as a surrogate of sarcopenia diagnosis, effectively predicts secondary fracture risk in distal radius fracture patients. This simple tool enhances clinical practice by identifying high-risk patients for targeted interventions, potentially preventing or reversing functional decline and recurrent fractures.

Purpose

To evaluate grip strength and hand muscle cross-sectional area as predictors of secondary fracture risk in patients with a history of distal radius fracture (DRF), serving as surrogates of the diagnosis of sarcopenia.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study of 745 DRF patients was analyzed with their grip strength data using Cox proportional hazards regression, receiver operating characteristic analysis, and Kaplan–Meier analysis to predict secondary fracture risk over an average of 12 years. Hand muscle cross-sectional area was similarly analyzed.

Results

Patients with a history of DRF were predicted to have a 4.1% higher likelihood of experiencing a secondary fracture per kilogram reduction in their grip strength (p < 0.008), independent of age and sex. Patients were categorized as high-risk (≤ 16 kg), moderate-risk (17–24 kg), or low–risk (≥ 25 kg) (p < 0.001). High-risk patients showed a 2.2-fold (95% CI = 1.55–3.17) higher recurrent fracture risk compared to low-risk patients. Cumulative secondary fracture probabilities of the high-risk group patients at 5, 10, and 15 years were estimated to be 16%, 30%, and 54%, respectively.

Conclusions

Grip strength measurement, as a surrogate of sarcopenia diagnosis, effectively predicts secondary fracture risk in patients with DRF. This simple tool could improve clinical practice by identifying high-risk patients for targeted interventions to prevent recurrent fractures or even reverse functional decline.
Approach to Endocrine Hypertension: A Case-Based Discussion
Authors: Borozan Sanja , Kamrul-Hasan A. B. M. , Shetty Sahana , Pappachan Joseph M.
Published: January 2025

Purpose of Review

Hypertension remains a major chronic disease morbidity across the world, even in the twenty-first century, affecting ≈40% of the global population, adversely impacting the healthcare budgets in managing the high incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) complications and mortality because of elevated blood pressure (BP). However, evaluation and management of endocrine hypertension are not optimal in clinical practice. With three unique clinical case scenarios, we update the evidence base for diagnostic evaluation and management of endocrine hypertension in this review to inform appropriate day-to-day clinical practice decisions.

Recent Findings

Although most individuals with high BP suffer from essential hypertension (≈85%), some patients may have a clear underlying etiology (termed secondary hypertension), and a significant proportion of these patients have endocrine hypertension (≈10%) consequent to hormone excess from dysfunction of one or more endocrine glands. Even if a relatively common disease in the general population, the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment of endocrine hypertension is often delayed because of poor awareness among clinicians, including primary care providers and physicians in the secondary care settings.

An accurate and timely diagnosis of endocrine hypertension is crucial to potentially cure or at least properly manage these patients because the consequences of delays in diagnosis can be catastrophic, with markedly higher end-organ complications such as CVD, chronic kidney disease, and even premature mortality among sufferers.
Neonatal central nervous system infection by Ureaplasma species is rare, but relevant: results from a multicenter nationwide surveillance study
Authors: Silwedel Christine , Schnee Sarah V. , Liese Johannes , Henrich Birgit , Härtel Christoph , Speer Christian P. , Glaser Kirsten
Published: January 2025

Purpose

Ureaplasma species (spp.) are relevant contributors to preterm birth but may also cause invasive infections particularly in very immature preterm infants. This study aimed to assess the incidence of neonatal Ureaplasma infections of the central nervous system (CNS).

Methods

A nationwide epidemiological study on Ureaplasma CNS infection in preterm and term neonates and infants below 12 months of age was conducted between 10/2019 and 09/2022, using the German Pediatric Surveillance Unit (ESPED).

Results

Over a period of three years, five infants with Ureaplasma meningitis were reported, amended by three cases treated in our own hospital. All infants had a history of extreme preterm birth. Clinical presentation varied and included non-specific neurological symptoms, such as developmental delay, in some cases, and acute, sepsis-like conditions in others, with increased apneas, irritability, and seizures. As the most consistent finding, internal hydrocephalus was reported, paralleled by pathological cerebrospinal fluid assessment characterized by mild pleocytosis, persistently elevated protein levels, and remarkably low or undetectable glucose levels, prompting further diagnostics. Treatment protocols varied and included off-label regimens. Ureaplasma eradication was verified by negative CSF-PCR and/or culture in most cases. Despite successful eradication, long-term neurological impairment was present in all infants.

Conclusion

Although seemingly rare, Ureaplasma-driven neuroinflammation relevantly contributes to long-term morbidity of affected preterm infants.
Nursing consultation for patients and relatives in an inpatient setting—a systematic review
Authors: Riege Alexandra , Sommer Luca-Sophie , Petersen-Ewert Corinna
Published: January 2025

Background

Demographic changes are leading to a significant shortage of skilled nurses, with a 50% increase in care needs predicted by 2030. By 2035, an additional 493,000 nurses will be needed in Germany, particularly in inpatient care. After the introduction of a new concept of long-term care needs in Germany in 2017 and the associated formulation of care-related tasks, nursing consultation is becoming increasingly important for care professionals. There is a call for an enhanced integration of nursing consultation in Germany to improve care quality amid these challenges.

Aims

The aim of this work is to show the diversity and necessity of nursing advice in the inpatient setting.

Method

A systematic literature search was conducted of the databases PubMed and Cochrane, focusing on title and abstract with the keywords “patient,” “relatives,” “nursing consultation,” and “inpatient setting” based on the PCC scheme (Patient, Concept, Context). After removing duplicates, 443 articles remained and were filtered according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 26 studies investigating the topics and effects of nursing consultation on patients and relatives were selected for inclusion in the review. The selected studies were summarized with regard to the research questions and evaluated according to their quality.

Results

The studies encompass a broad spectrum of nursing consultations across various specialist fields, with notable emphasis on pediatrics, oncology, and intensive care. Thematically, the consultations addressed a diverse range of care phenomena, most frequently focusing on anxiety, family-centeredness, HIV, and cancer. The studies showcased a variety of counseling formats, including group and individual sessions, telephone consultations, and multimedia telemedicine, underscoring the adaptability of nursing consultations to patient needs. Notably, the outcomes of nursing consultations were positive, showcasing significant improvements in mental health, patient compliance, nutritional status, and overall quality of life, among other benefits.

Conclusion

Recommendations for nursing practice can be derived from the review, suggesting a focus on prevalent nursing phenomena for counseling across patient populations to improve outcomes. While nursing consultations are well-established in oncology and pediatrics, there is potential for expansion in other specialized areas, such as intensive care. Notably, certain aspects like family-centered care are not adequately covered, indicating a need for further research.
AI-driven autonomous adaptative feedback welding machine
Authors: von Querfurth Benedikt , Belhout Shems-Eddine , Knaak Christian , Mann Stefan , Abels Peter , Holly Carlo , Tatman Jonathan , Barborak Darren , Hargadine Mitch
Published: January 2025

The gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) is a primary method for nuclear component fabrication and repair. Recent advancements in monitoring and automation technologies have made the shift toward fully automated arc welding more feasible, reducing the necessity for continuous human oversight. Two artificial intelligence-based networks were developed that utilize sensor-based feedback on a mechanized GTAW head. We present an image-based semantic segmentation convolutional neural network that identifies crucial features such as the weld pool, groove, wire, and electrode based on which geometric measurements are derived. A separate novel neural network predicts the weld bead geometry for multi-pass welds and inconsistent groove geometries. The application of both neural networks is a pre-requisite that enables the autonomous planning and execution of multi-pass welds to fill a groove.
Green intelligence: the AI content of green technologies
Authors: Biggi Gianluca , Iori Martina , Mazzei Julia , Mina Andrea
Published: January 2025

This paper investigates the contribution of artificial intelligence (AI) to environmental innovation. Leveraging a novel dataset of USPTO patent applications from 1980 to 2019, it explores the domain of green intelligence (GI), defined as the application of AI algorithms to green technologies. Our analyses reveal an expanding landscape where AI is indeed used as a general-purpose technology to address the challenge of sustainability and acts as a catalyst for green innovation. We highlight transportation, energy, and control methods as key applications of GI innovation. We then examine the impact of inventions by using measures and econometric tests suitable to establish (1) how AI and green inventions differ from other technologies and (2) what specifically distinguishes GI technologies in terms of quality and value. Results show that AI and green technologies have a greater impact on follow-on inventions and display greater originality and generality. GI inventions stand out even further in these dimensions. However, when we examine the market response to these inventions, we find positive results only for AI, indicating a mismatch between the technological vis-à-vis market potential of green and GI technologies, arguably due to greater uncertainty in their risk-return profiles.
Geometric and topological aspects of the passage from local to global invertibility
Authors: Xavier Frederico
Published: January 2025

As a refinement of the global invertibility problem, we address the issue of estimating the cardinality of a prescribed fiber

$$F^{-1}(q)$$

F

-
1

(
q
)

of a locally invertible map solely in terms of objects that are naturally associated to q itself. The following is a prototypical result. Let

$$F:\mathbb {R}^n \rightarrow \mathbb {R}^n$$

F
:

R

n

→

R

n

be a local diffeomorphism,

$$n\ge 3$$

n
≥
3

, and

$$q\in F(\mathbb {R}^n)$$

q
∈
F
(

R

n

)

. We show that q is assumed exactly once by F if the pre-image of every 2-plane containing q, when viewed as a geometric surface in Euclidean n-space, is conformally diffeomorphic to

$$\mathbb {R}^2$$

R

2

. The proofs of this and other theorems involve geometric constructions, the Poincaré-Hopf theorem, the Bôcher theorem on positive harmonic functions, condensers on Riemann surfaces, and elliptic estimates. We conclude with a section that is devoted to invertibility problems related to various aspects of dynamics, algebraic and differential geometry, real and complex analysis. The paper is written in a semi-expository style, as an invitation to global injectivity.
On Siegel’s product formulas for quadratic forms over algebraic number fields in higher dimensional cases
Authors: Kojima Hisashi , Sakata Hiroshi
Published: January 2025

The product formula for the measure of representations of a quadratic form over the rational number field was found by Siegel, and were generalized by Fractman to the higher-dimensional case over totally real algebraic number fields. We prove product formulas for quadratic forms over arbitrary algebraic number fields and generalize formulas given by Siegel and Fractman to the case of arbitrary algebraic number fields.
Refinement of the Co-Content function, through an integration of a polynomial fit of $$I-{I}_{sc}$$. Part 2 application to experimental current–voltage curves
Authors: Rangel-Kuoppa Victor-Tapio
Published: January 2025

In this article Part 2 of this series of articles, the methodology proposed in Part 1, namely, the fitting to a polynomial of the current minus the short-circuit current, i.e.,

$$I-{I}_{sc}$$

I
-

I

sc

, to calculate the Co-Content function

$$\left(CC\left(V,I\right)\right)$$

C
C

V
,
I

and extract the five solar cell parameters, i.e., the shunt resistance

$$\left({R}_{sh}\right)$$

R

sh

, the series resistance

$$\left({R}_{s}\right)$$

R
s

, the ideality factor

$$\left(n\right)$$

n

, the light current

$$\left({I}_{lig}\right)$$

I

lig

, and the saturation current

$$\left({I}_{sat}\right)$$

I

sat

, (within the one-diode solar cell model), is implemented on reported Current–Voltage (IV) curves found in the literature, both for laboratory made solar cells, as for and single-crystalline silicon (x-Si), multi-crystalline silicon (m-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), amorphous silicon (a-Si) tandem and triple-junction, amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon, heterojunction with intrinsic thin-layer (HIT), and amorphous silicon/microcrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules.
African American Gothic in the Era of Black Lives Matter
Authors: Wester Maisha
Published: January 2025

This Element explores twenty-first century Black Gothic literature and film as it responds to American anti-Blackness and as they illustrate a mode of Black Gothic fiction termed Black Lives Matter (BLM) Gothic. The various texts express frustration, rage, and sorrow over the failures of previous civil rights fights. Intended as an introduction to a complex mode, this Element explores the three central themes in BLM Gothic texts and defines the mode's pattern of tropes. The first section reviews the depictions of American anti-Blackness, and defines the mode's pattern of tropes reveal the necropolitical mechanisms at play in US systemic racism. The second section explores the ways the fictions 'make whiteness strange' in order to destabilize white normativity and shatter the power arising from such claims. The final section examines the costs of waging war against racial oppression and the power of embracing 'monstrosity'.
The Bible's First Kings
Authors: Faust Avraham , Farber Zev I.
Published: January 2025

Saul, David, and Solomon are dominant figures in the Hebrew Bible, rulers of an expanding Israelite polity before it dissolved into two separate kingdoms. Saul's paranoid jealousy, David's killing the Philistine champion Goliath with a slingshot, and Solomon's meeting the Queen of Sheba are familiar stories to many people, but what is the truth behind the texts? While scholars long believed these three monarchs to have been historical personalities, over the past three decades many have questioned the historicity of this United Monarchy, some doubting even the existence of its founding fathers. This book robustly argues that the Israelite kingdom of the Bible was a real mini-empire, and that Saul, David, and Solomon were kings of consequence – even if the biblical stories reimagine their lives to glorify and vilify them. Combining fresh archaeological evidence with astute readings of key texts, the authors offer a compelling reconstruction of this fascinating ancient polity which, though it lasted less than a hundred years, has bequeathed a remarkable religious and cultural legacy to the western world. Written in a clear and engaging style, this book will be of interest to scholars and general audiences alike.
Weekly Options on Grain Futures
Authors: Diersen Matthew , Wang Zhiguang
Published: January 2025

We analyze 2017–2021 data to examine whether weekly options offer unique insights compared to regular options on grain futures. These weeklies, increasingly popular for short-term use around major United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports, are found to be more effective in predicting near-term volatility, challenging the conventional view of longer-dated options’ superiority. However, they overprice realized volatility by 420 basis points (bps) for corn and 280 bps for soybeans. Major USDA reports add a premium of 650 bps for corn and 240 bps for soybeans, highlighting a trend toward more time-sensitive trading strategies, though the long-term impact on market efficiency of weeklies remains subdued.
The pacification model in Port-au-Prince and Rio de Janeiro as a prefiguration of Bolsonarismo? Reflections on the far-right turn and the role of military-religious actors in security governance in Brazil
Authors: D. E. Campos Rodrigo , Finazzi João Fernando
Published: January 2025

While much critical scholarship has pointed out that liberal peacebuilding can contribute to consolidating authoritarianism in host countries, little is known about the political effects in the deployer country. This article analyses the relationship between foreign and domestic peace processes and far-right forces in Brazil. We ask if Brazil’s leadership role in the United Nations’ Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (2004–17) and its own domestic pacification efforts in Rio de Janeiro with the Pacifying Police Units (2008–14) contributed to the strengthening of the far right in Brazil. Relying on a combination of literature review, document analysis, and fieldwork interviews, we argue that Brazil’s engagement in liberal peacebuilding processes strengthened the far right in Brazil in two important ways. The first was through a military capture of politics, as a large portion of the military elite that participated in both interventions enabled the military to take a more prominent role in Brazil’s domestic politics. Second, Port-au-Prince and Rio de Janeiro became crucial sites for experimentation with a range of policy ideas that Bolsonaro later capitalised on, namely, a punitive turn in security policies and the mobilisation of conservative Evangelical actors and morals to support and justify the military occupation.
Common Ways to See Differently: Race, Mestizaje, and Criollismo as Seen by Blind People in Chile and Venezuela
Authors: Angosto-Ferrández Luis
Published: January 2025

This article explores understandings of race, mestizaje, and criollismo among blind people in Chile and Venezuela. It demonstrates that visually perceived markers are not self-evidently constitutive of race as a social category. Participants show sound knowledge of racialized categories but also reveal significant differences in the identification of racial markers and in the way that race informs their understandings of mestizaje and criollismo in Chile and Venezuela. In Chile, where racial markers convey identity fixity and intersect overtly with social class categorizations, mestizaje and criollismo are conceptualized as separate elements of national identity. In Venezuela, where racial markers convey more identity porosity, mestizaje and criollismo are conceptualized as intertwined foundations of national identity. These social configurations counter naturalizing conceptualizations of race and enable a reconsideration of how different notions of admixture continue to permeate ideals of personhood and social relations in Latin American countries. They also erode academic conceptualizations of race that unwittingly contribute to legitimize the naturalization of race in public discourse—and potentially in governmental policy and practice.
Automorphisms of fine curve graphs for nonorientable surfaces
Authors: Kimura Mitsuaki , Kuno Erika
Published: January 2025

The fine curve graph of a surface was introduced by Bowden, Hensel, and Webb as a graph consisting of essential simple closed curves in the surface. Long, Margalit, Pham, Verberne, and Yao proved that the automorphism group of the fine curve graph of a closed orientable surface is isomorphic to the homeomorphism group of the surface. In this paper, based on their argument, we prove that the automorphism group of the fine curve graph of a closed nonorientable surface

$N$

of genus

$g \geq 4$

is isomorphic to the homeomorphism group of

$N$

.
The Currency of Crisis
Authors: Roberts William Clare
Published: January 2025

According to Eich, “the history of political thinking about money” accumulates in “layers of crisis,” since crises provoke “an openness to new ideas” that interrupts the calm reproduction of meaning (xiii–xiv). Couldn’t we apply this insight to the history of critical democratic theory? Running through and beneath its explicit excavation of the political thought attending and provoked by monetary crises of the past, Eich’s book also turns up traces of what we could call a crisis of democracy and a crisis of critique. I attend to these traces to ask what we might learn from Eich’s book about the limits and internal tensions of critical theory.
Love Me: From Politics to Ethics at the Berliner Ensemble
Authors: Cornish Matt
Published: January 2025

Reading the news about theatre in Germany during the past few years, it is hard to avoid the impression that something new is happening: a theatre culture that long emphasized politics now just as often emphasizes ethics. There were the 2022 protests in Munich over claimed anti-Semitism in the play Vögel (Birds of a Kind) by Wajdi Mouawad, which led the Metropoltheater to cancel its planned production. Nicolas Stemann and Benjamin von Blomberg tried to make programming and ensemble changes to the Schauspielhaus Zürich, which they co-led, but the institution's governing board decided not to renew their contracts amid accusations that the theatre had become too “woke” for its audiences. Most prominently, a new artistic team at the prestigious Theatertreffen festival in Berlin curated in 2023 a series of events to coincide with its traditional presentation of the year's ten “most notable” productions. These events included a “Responsibility Treffen” that looked “at how we can show our responsibility toward those who have lost the personal and structural circumstances necessary for working in the theatre.”
The British Council and the Marat/Sade Controversy
Authors: Hudson James
Published: January 2025

One of the world's most enduring and successful cultural diplomacy organizations, the British Council (BC) has played a prominent role in promoting and exporting British theatre, literature, and language across the globe since its founding in 1934. A key component of the BC's self-proclaimed remit of “forging links between Britain and other countries through cultural exchange,” the organization's Drama Division has over its lifetime worked to sponsor and facilitate the overseas touring of a significant number of British theatrical enterprises, exporting both large-scale national company productions with substantial casts and a repertoire of shows, as well as individual actors, directors, and academics embarking on speaking tours. From the stage, renowned actors and star names such as Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Vivien Leigh, Peggy Ashcroft, and John Gielgud were routinely chosen by the BC to appear in series of “theatrical manifestations,” serving in dual capacities both as actors in productions and ambassadors for a nation—the word “manifestation” being the BC's own preferred terminology used to refer to the export of a cultural event during the middle of the past century. Yet unlike comparable accounts of the relationship between the Arts Council and theatre, we possess no systematic study of the BC's involvement in this field, meaning that fundamental questions about the nature, range, and impact of the BC's cultural activity remain unanswered. Indeed, until comparatively recently, the history of the BC has failed to generate much scholarly interest at all, but the nature of its imbrication within British theatrical culture in particular remains severely occluded.
Flying in the Cage: Iranian Theatre Directors’ Creativity in the Face of Censorship
Authors: TAJEDDIN MEHDI
Published: January 2025

Censorship in Iranian theatre sometimes prevents artists from staging some of the scenes in their plays. Among these are scenes involving embracing, kissing, raping and so on, or scenes containing ideological or political themes. Occasionally, after omitting such scenes, theatre directors try to find suitable alternatives and create a similar effect. The present research, with an analytical–descriptive approach, seeks to focus on alternative solutions, as well as creative models, developed by Iranian directors to circumvent social-regulatory censorship and identify alternatives in performances. In this research, I conduct a comparative analysis of five selected theatre recordings. Using the available theatre recordings, this paper examines the original text of the plays, identifies the omissions resulting from censorship, and analyses directors’ alternative solutions. This research demonstrates that artists use their creativity to express themes, analyses and aesthetic points in the face of censorship and obstacles. The paper focuses on eight creative-performance models that are executed using symbols and auditory elements instead of visual elements, and the function of narrative, stage design, stage direction, costume design, props and cross-dressing as devices to circumvent censorship.
The effect of the global language context on bilingual language control during L1 reading
Authors: Parshina Olga , Smirnova Anna , Goldina Sofya , Bainbridge Emily
Published: January 2025

The proactive gain control hypothesis suggests that the global language context regulates lexical access to the bilinguals’ languages during reading. Specifically, with increasing exposure to non-target language cues, bilinguals adjust the lexical activation to allow non-target language access from the earliest word recognition stages. Using the invisible boundary paradigm, we examined the flow of lexical activation in 50 proficient Russian-English bilinguals reading in their native Russian while the language context shifted from a monolingual to a bilingual environment. We gradually introduced non-target language cues (the language of experimenter and fillers) while also manipulating the type of word previews (identical, code-switches, unrelated code-switches, pseudowords). The results revealed the facilitatory reading effects of code-switches but only in the later lexical processing stages and these effects were independent of the global language context manipulation. The results are discussed from the perspective of limitations imposed by script differences on bilingual language control flexibility.
Unravelling the nonlinear generation of designer vortices with dielectric metasurfaces
Authors: Coudrat Laure , Boulliard Guillaume , Gérard Jean-Michel , Lemaître Aristide , Degiron Aloyse , Leo Giuseppe
Published: January 2025

Vortex beams are currently drawing a great deal of interest, from fundamental research to several promising applications. While their generation in bulky optical devices limits their use in integrated complex systems, metasurfaces have recently proven successful in creating optical vortices, especially in the linear regime. In the nonlinear domain, of strategic importance for the future of classical and quantum information, to date orbital angular momentum has only been created in qualitative ways, without discussing discrepancies between design and experimental results. Here, we demonstrate and analyze the generation of high-purity second harmonic (SH) optical vortices via dielectric meta-holograms. Through full-wave simulations and a proper fabrication protocol, we achieve efficient frequency doubling of an unstructured pump beam into SH vortices with topological charges from 1 to 10. Interferometric and modal-purity measurements confirm the generation of high-quality SH vortices with minimal deviations from the intended design thanks to a quasi-local control over the SH phase. Through systematic comparisons between experimental data and semi-analytical calculations, we also provide a clear insight into the occurrence of ghost vortices in the metasurface-generated harmonic beams, highlighting the importance of simple designs that can be readily transposed into fabricated devices with high fidelity. Our findings underscore the potential of nonlinear dielectric metasurfaces for versatile structured-light generation and manipulation, paving the way for future developments in integrated photonic systems.
Active learning-assisted directed evolution
Authors: Yang Jason , Lal Ravi G. , Bowden James C. , Astudillo Raul , Hameedi Mikhail A. , Kaur Sukhvinder , Hill Matthew , Yue Yisong , Arnold Frances H.
Published: January 2025

Directed evolution (DE) is a powerful tool to optimize protein fitness for a specific application. However, DE can be inefficient when mutations exhibit non-additive, or epistatic, behavior. Here, we present Active Learning-assisted Directed Evolution (ALDE), an iterative machine learning-assisted DE workflow that leverages uncertainty quantification to explore the search space of proteins more efficiently than current DE methods. We apply ALDE to an engineering landscape that is challenging for DE: optimization of five epistatic residues in the active site of an enzyme. In three rounds of wet-lab experimentation, we improve the yield of a desired product of a non-native cyclopropanation reaction from 12% to 93%. We also perform computational simulations on existing protein sequence-fitness datasets to support our argument that ALDE can be more effective than DE. Overall, ALDE is a practical and broadly applicable strategy to unlock improved protein engineering outcomes.
Effects of described demonstrator ability on brain and behavior when learning from others
Authors: Selbing Ida , Becker Nina , Pan Yafeng , Lindström Björn , Olsson Andreas
Published: January 2025

Observational learning enables us to make decisions by watching others’ behaviors. The quality of such learning depends on the abilities of those we observe, but also on our beliefs about those abilities. We have previously demonstrated that observers learned better from demonstrators described as high vs. low in ability, regardless of their actual performance. The current study aimed to conceptually replicate these findings, and explore the neural mechanisms involved. Forty-five participants performed an observational learning task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We hypothesized that participants would perform better when demonstrators were described as having high vs. low ability. Unexpectedly, participants performed equally well regardless of described demonstrator ability. The behavioral effects of biased observational learning seem to be driven by mentalizing processes together with general learning and decision-making processes.
Faster implicit motor sequence learning of new sequences compatible in terms of movement transitions
Authors: Dyck Susanne , Klaes Christian
Published: January 2025

New information that is compatible with pre-existing knowledge can be learned faster. Such schema memory effect has been reported in declarative memory and in explicit motor sequence learning (MSL). Here, we investigated if sequences of key presses that were compatible to previously trained ones, could be learned faster in an implicit MSL task. Participants trained a motor sequence before switching to a completely new sequence, to a compatible sequence with high overlap in ordinal positions, or to an incompatible sequence with low overlap, while the compatible and incompatible sequences had the same overlap in movement transitions. We observed accelerated learning in the Compatible and Incompatible groups compared to the New group, if participants trained for 3 sessions before switching to the altered sequence. Overall, our study suggests facilitative learning of implicit motor sequences that are compatible in movement transitions, if the previous sequence has been trained extensively.
Predictive modelling and identification of critical variables of mortality risk in COVID-19 patients
Authors: Daramola Olawande , Kavu Tatenda Duncan , Kotze Maritha J. , Marnewick Jeanine L. , Sarumi Oluwafemi A. , Kabaso Boniface , Moser Thomas , Stroetmann Karl , Fwemba Isaac , Daramola Fisayo , Nyirenda Martha , van Rensburg Susan J. , Nyasulu Peter S.
Published: January 2025

South Africa was the most affected country in Africa by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, where over 4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 102,000 deaths have been recorded since 2019. Aside from clinical methods, artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions such as machine learning (ML) models have been employed in treating COVID-19 cases. However, limited application of AI for COVID-19 in Africa has been reported in the literature. This study aimed to investigate the performance and interpretability of several ML algorithms, including deep multilayer perceptron (Deep MLP), support vector machine (SVM) and Extreme gradient boosting trees (XGBoost) for predicting COVID-19 mortality risk with an emphasis on the effect of cross-validation (CV) and principal component analysis (PCA) on the results. For this purpose, a dataset with 154 features from 490 COVID-19 patients admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU) of Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, during the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020 was retrospectively analysed. Our results show that Deep MLP had the best overall performance (F1 = 0.92; area under the curve (AUC) = 0.94) when CV and the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) were applied without PCA. By using the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) model to interpret the mortality risk predictions, we identified the Length of stay (LOS) in the hospital, LOS in the ICU, Time to ICU from admission, days discharged alive or death, D-dimer (blood clotting factor), and blood pH as the six most critical variables for mortality risk prediction. Also, Age at admission, Pf ratio (PaO2/FiO2 ratio), troponin T (TropT), ferritin, ventilation, C-reactive protein (CRP), and symptoms of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were associated with the severity and fatality of COVID-19 cases. The study reveals how ML could assist medical practitioners in making informed decisions on handling critically ill COVID-19 patients with comorbidities. It also offers insight into the combined effect of CV, PCA, and SMOTE on the performance of ML models for COVID-19 mortality risk prediction, which has been little explored.
Iron metabolism in a mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Yilmaz Dilay , Tharehalli Umesh , Paganoni Rossana , Knoop Paul , Gruber Andreas , Chen Yuexin , Dong Rui , Leithäuser Frank , Seufferlein Thomas , Leopold Kerstin , Lechel André , Vujić Spasić Maja
Published: January 2025

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains the most prevalent type of primary liver cancer worldwide. p53 is one of the most frequently mutated tumor-suppressor genes in HCC and its deficiency in hepatocytes triggers tumor formation in mice. To investigate iron metabolism during liver carcinogenesis, we employed a model of chronic carbon tetrachloride injections in liver-specific p53-deficient mice to induce liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and subsequent carcinogenesis. A transcriptome analysis of liver carcinoma was employed to identify p53-dependent gene expression signatures with subsequent in-depth analysis of iron metabolic parameters being conducted locally within liver cancers and at systemic levels. We show that all mutant mice developed liver cancer by 36-weeks of age in contrast to 3.4% tumors identified in control mice. All liver cancers with a p53-deficient background exhibited a local iron-poor phenotype with a “high transferrin receptor 1 (Tfr1) and low hepcidin (Hamp)” signature. At systemic levels, iron deficiency was restricted to female mice. Additionally, liver tumorigenesis correlated with selective deficits of selenium, zinc and manganese. Our data show that iron deficiency is a prevalent phenomenon in p53-deficient liver cancers, which is associated with alterations in Hamp and Tfr1 and a poor prognosis in mice and patients.
A systematic review of machine learning applications in predicting opioid associated adverse events
Authors: Ramírez Medina Carlos R. , Benitez-Aurioles Jose , Jenkins David A. , Jani Meghna
Published: January 2025

Machine learning has increasingly been applied to predict opioid-related harms due to its ability to handle complex interactions and generating actionable predictions. This review evaluated the types and quality of ML methods in opioid safety research, identifying 44 studies using supervised ML through searches of Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed and SCOPUS databases. Commonly predicted outcomes included postoperative opioid use (n = 15, 34%) opioid overdose (n = 8, 18%), opioid use disorder (n = 8, 18%) and persistent opioid use (n = 5, 11%) with varying definitions. Most studies (96%) originated from North America, with only 7% reporting external validation. Model performance was moderate to strong, but calibration was often missing (41%). Transparent reporting of model development was often incomplete, with key aspects such as calibration, imbalance correction, and handling of missing data absent. Infrequent external validation limited the generalizability of current models. Addressing these aspects is critical for transparency, interpretability, and future implementation of the results.
Structure and function of a β-1,2-galactosidase from Bacteroides xylanisolvens, an intestinal bacterium
Authors: Nakazawa Yutaka , Kageyama Masumi , Matsuzawa Tomohiko , Liang Ziqin , Kobayashi Kaito , Shimizu Hisaka , Maeda Kazuki , Masuhiro Miho , Motouchi Sei , Kumano Saika , Tanaka Nobukiyo , Kuramochi Kouji , Nakai Hiroyuki , Taguchi Hayao , Nakajima Masahiro
Published: January 2025

Galactosides are major carbohydrates that are found in plant cell walls and various prebiotic oligosaccharides. Studying the detailed biochemical functions of β-galactosidases in degrading these carbohydrates is important. In particular, identifying β-galactosidases with new substrate specificities could help in the production of potentially beneficial oligosaccharides. In this study, we identify a β-galactosidase with novel substrate specificity from Bacteroides xylanisolvens, an intestinal bacterium. The enzyme do not show hydrolytic activity toward natural β-galactosides during the first screening. However, when α-d-galactosyl fluoride (α-GalF) as a donor substrate and galactose or d-fucose as an acceptor substrate are incubated with a nucleophile mutant, reaction products are detected. The galactobiose produced from the α-GalF and galactose is identified as β-1,2-galactobiose using NMR. Kinetic analysis reveals that this enzyme effectively hydrolyzes β-1,2-galactobiose and β-1,2-galactotriose. In the complex structure with methyl β-galactopyranose as a ligand, the ligand is only located at subsite +1. The 2-hydroxy group and the anomeric methyl group of methyl β-galactopyranose faces in the direction of subsite −1 and the solvent, respectively. This observation is consistent with the substrate specificity of the enzyme regarding linkage position and chain length. Overall, we conclude that the enzyme is a β-galactosidase acting on β-1,2-galactooligosaccharides.
Discovery of bicyclic borane molecule B14H26
Authors: Zhang Xiaoni , Fujino Tomoko , Ando Yasunobu , Tsujikawa Yuki , Wang Tianle , Nakashima Takeru , Sakurai Haruto , Yamaguchi Kazuki , Horio Masafumi , Mori Hatsumi , Yoshinobu Jun , Kondo Takahiro , Matsuda Iwao
Published: January 2025

The discovery of fullerene following the synthesis of graphene marked a paradigm shift in chemistry. Here, we report the discovery of biycycloborane, arising from the synthesis of borophane (hydrogen boride). Uniquely, this synthesis method involves a decomposition mechanism rather than traditional atom-by-atom assembly, marking an unique approach to constructing complex borane structures. The mass spectrometry unveiled that the stable molecule has a mass of 178 in atomic mass unit with a stoichiometry of B14H26. Optical spectra and simulations further evidenced its bicyclic structure, featuring fulvene-like heptagons or octagons. This borane molecule, analogous to cyclic hydrocarbons, adopts a unit configuration with a three-center two-electron (3c-2e) bonding, akin to diborane. The B14H26 molecule has been historically anticipated as a distant descendant of the dodecahedron borane, but it was born from the hydrogen boride sheet with a non-symmorphic symmetry. The discovery of biycycloborane expands the frontiers of boron chemistry, promising advancements in boron-based nanomaterials and beyond.
Hollow structured medium entropy transition metal selenide CoNiFe-Se@NC enables high performance of sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Si Weijie , Lai Siyuan , Jiang Wendan , Miao Kanghua , Wang Chao , Wang Hongyu , Kang Xiongwu
Published: January 2025

Hollow and disordered CoNiFe-Se@NC enables high-performance sodium-ion storage by enhancing ion diffusion and maintaining structural stability.
Molecular interactions between surface-active ionic liquids based on 2-hydroxyethylammonium laurate with gabapentin: electrical conductivity and surface tension studies
Authors: Bagheri Mohammad , Ghaffari Fariba , Shekaari Hemayat , Mokhtarpour Masumeh , Golmohammadi Behrang
Published: January 2025

Surface active ionic liquids (SAILs): unlocking new potential for pharmaceutical advancements.
Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) yielding medicinally relevant rings: a recent update and chemical space analysis of the scaffolds
Authors: Tandi Mukesh , Sharma Vaibhav , Gopal Balasubramanian , Sundriyal Sandeep
Published: January 2025

We have reviewed the recently reported multicomponent reactions (MCRs) yielding cyclic frameworks in a single pot from simple building blocks under mild conditions. These MCRs may prove to be useful for drug discovery projects.
Quantitative analysis and identification of magnesium alloys using fs-LA-SIBS combined with machine learning methods
Authors: Liu Jun , Wang Ji , Li Xiaopei , Lin Hai , Liu Tiancheng , Zhou Bingyan , He Xiaoyong
Published: January 2025

This work employs the femtosecond laser-ablation spark-induced breakdown spectroscopy (fs-LA-SIBS) technique for the quantitative analysis of magnesium alloy samples.