bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
β‐Mercaptoethanol‐Enabled Long‐Term Stability and Work Function Tuning of MXene
Authors: Jing Hongyue , Lyu Benzheng , Tang Yingqi , Baek Sungpyo , Park Jin-Hong , Lee Byoung Hun , Lee Jin Yong , Lee Sungjoo
Published: October 2022

The oxidation degradation by unsaturated metal atoms or dangling bonds at MXene edges and defects severely hinders the practical application of MXene. Herein, a passivation scheme for Ti3C2Tx MXene is demonstrated by utilizing a sulfhydryl‐containing molecule, β‐mercaptoethanol (BME), which can significantly suppress the Ti3C2Tx oxidation in various environments, including long‐term storage of Ti3C2Tx aqueous dispersions (2 m), single‐layer Ti3C2Tx‐based devices in humid air (2 m), and high‐temperature environment (12 h). Notably, the nonionic BME does not cause aggregation but maintains the 2D morphology of Ti3C2Tx. A comprehensive investigation of the protection mechanism through density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental characterizations reveals that BME is adsorbed especially at the edges and surface defects of MXene (binding energy −1.70 and −1.05 eV), where the degradation starts. Further, the electron‐donating effect of sulfhydryl groups tunes the work function of Ti3C2Tx from 4.70 to 4.39 eV, resulting in improved carrier‐transport performances in MoS2 field‐effect transistors owing to band alignment, where BME–Ti3C2Tx serves as the source electrode. The described methodology can largely contribute to the ultralong service life of 2D Ti3C2Tx without affecting its excellent properties, thereby promoting the practical application of this emerging material.
Group Styles of Justice or Service: How Ticket Inspectors Manage Contested Citizen Encounters
Authors: Friis Camilla Bank
Published: October 2022

People who interact with citizens in their job often have to use discretion when facing complex situations. Research shows that how people understand their job regulates this use of discretion. Yet, little research has conceptualized how group culture shapes these understandings and discretionary actions in real‐life citizen encounters. This article addresses this gap with a microsociological theory of group culture. To demonstrate the merits of this theory, I use a sample of 11 interviews and 88 body‐worn camera recordings to analyze how ticket inspectors perceive and act in contested ticket‐fining events. The analysis identifies two group styles of moral inspection characterized by tight or loose regulation: justice or service. These styles are associated with the two operating teams in a traffic company and influence how inspectors manage contested events with a risk of escalation. I discuss how these findings contribute to the sociology of culture and enhance the understanding of how group culture shapes discretionary actions in citizen encounters.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Refugees in Greece: A New Challenge for Healthcare Service Provision, Public Health Programmes and Policymaking
Authors: Petelos Elena , Lingri Dimitra , Patestos Dimitris , Lionis Christos
Published: October 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted everyone’s life globally, nevertheless, its impact on refugees and migrants has been particularly profound. This chapter analyses key parameters on the living and healthcare provision conditions for these groups, the obstacles to access and to service provision, and the institutional context in Greece – a country with a large number of refugees and one of the main ports of entry to Europe. The impact of COVID-19 is examined in relation to containment, care provision and preparedness measures, with special reference to the conditions in the refugee settlements and to capturing the measures implemented over the first two years of the pandemic. Comprehensive contextualisation is achieved by examining EU legislation and policies, the Greek care provision system and obstacles to its access; an overview of key characteristics for optimal care delivery is also provided. The existing body of evidence on health and hygiene is reviewed along with key regulatory and legislative aspects, to inform the current debate, research and policy. The role of health information, mediation, public health messaging and risk communication is also briefly examined, together with key considerations in terms of social cohesion and societal resilience. Brief recommendations in terms of health and social policy, with relevance to national and local authorities, and all relevant stakeholders, are made, aiming to reduce the harm, as well as collateral damage, and to inform future policies for public health programmes and care provision for these groups. Given the changing refugee landscape due to the current war in Ukraine, which has resulted in a new wave of displaced persons within the European area, particular attention is needed on the potential disparities that may be created amongst different refugee groups that ought to be protected to the same degree.
Greece’s Emigration During the Crisis Beyond the Brain Drain
Authors: Pratsinakis Manolis
Published: October 2022

How can we appraise and best describe the re-emergence of large-scale emigration from Greece in hindsight, more than ten years since the eruption of the Greek crisis? Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data collected in the context of the EUMIGRE project in the Netherlands and Greater London, this chapter provides an in-depth assessment of Greece’s emigration during the period of the country’s prolonged economic crisis from the perspective of the key actors, the migrants themselves. Focusing on their migration motivations, it explores how the crisis in Greece has altered everyday discourse on emigration and loosened up social constraints towards long distance mobility. It further highlights the significance of the freedom of movement within the EU in shaping the characteristics of the outflow and the experiences and aspirations of the migrants. Three different migrant profiles are singled out, the necessity driven migrants, the career-oriented migrants and the middling transnationals. Moving away from statist and economistic presentations of the phenomenon, the chapter aims to challenge several conventional assumptions underlying the way this outmigration is commonly presented in the Greek public discourse and critically assess the main labels used to describe it namely, brain drain, new migration and crisis-driven migration.
The relationship between executive functioning and addictive behavior: new insights from a longitudinal community study
Authors: Kräplin Anja , Joshanloo Mohsen , Wolff Max , Krönke Klaus-Martin , Goschke Thomas , Bühringer Gerhard , Smolka Michael N.
Published: October 2022

Rationale

Although there is evidence that impaired executive functioning plays a role in addictive behavior, the longitudinal relationship between the two remains relatively unknown.

Objectives

In a prospective-longitudinal community study, we tested the hypothesis that lower executive functioning is associated with more addictive behavior at one point in time and over time.

Methods

Three hundred and thirty-eight individuals (19–27 years, 59% female) from a random community sample were recruited into three groups: addictive disorders related to substances (n = 100) or to behaviors (n = 118), or healthy controls (n = 120). At baseline, participants completed nine executive function tasks from which a latent variable of general executive functioning (GEF) was derived. Addictive behavior (i.e., quantity and frequency of use, and number of DSM-5 criteria met) were assessed using standardized clinical interviews at baseline and three annual follow-ups. The trajectories of addictive behaviors were examined using latent growth curve modeling.

Results

At baseline, we found weak to no evidence of an associations between GEF and addictive behavior. We found evidence for an association between a lower GEF at baseline and a higher increase in the quantity of use and a smaller decrease in frequency of use over time, but no evidence for an association with an increase in the number of DSM-5 criteria met.

Conclusions

Lower EFs appear to lead to a continuing loss of control over use, whereas addictive disorders may develop secondarily after a long period of risky use. Previous etiological models assuming lower EF as a direct vulnerability factor for addictive disorders need to be refined.
Determining Toxic Potencies of Water-Soluble Contaminants in Wastewater Influents and Effluent Using Gene Expression Profiling in C. elegans as a Bioanalytical Tool
Authors: Karengera Antoine , Verburg Ilse , Sterken Mark G. , Riksen Joost A. G. , Murk Albertinka J. , Dinkla Inez J. T.
Published: October 2022

With chemical analysis, it is impossible to qualify and quantify the toxic potency of especially hydrophilic bioactive contaminants. In this study, we applied the nematode C. elegans as a model organism for detecting the toxic potency of whole influent wastewater samples. Gene expression in the nematode was used as bioanalytical tool to reveal the presence, type and potency of molecular pathways induced by 24-h exposure to wastewater from a hospital (H), nursing home (N), community (C), and influent (I) and treated effluent (E) from a local wastewater treatment plant. Exposure to influent water significantly altered expression of 464 genes, while only two genes were differentially expressed in nematodes treated with effluent. This indicates a significant decrease in bioactive pollutant-load after wastewater treatment. Surface water receiving the effluent did not induce any genes in exposed nematodes. A subset of 209 genes was differentially expressed in all untreated wastewaters, including cytochromes P450 and C-type lectins related to the nematode’s xenobiotic metabolism and immune response, respectively. Different subsets of genes responded to particular waste streams making them candidates to fingerprint-specific wastewater sources. This study shows that gene expression profiling in C. elegans can be used for mechanism-based identification of hydrophilic bioactive compounds and fingerprinting of specific wastewaters. More comprehensive than with chemical analysis, it can demonstrate the effective overall removal of bioactive compounds through wastewater treatment. This bioanalytical tool can also be applied in the process of identification of the bioactive compounds via a process of toxicity identification evaluation.

Graphical abstract
Potential Breeding Strategies for Improving Salt Tolerance in Crop Plants
Authors: Afzal Muhammad , Hindawi Salah El Sayed , Alghamdi Salem Safer , Migdadi Hussein H. , Khan Muhammad Altaf , Hasnain Muhammad Usama , Arslan Muhammad , Habib ur Rahman Muhammad , Sohaib Muhammad
Published: October 2022

Salinity is one of the significant abiotic stresses that negatively affect plant production processes, growth, and development, which ultimately reduce yield. Plants adapt specific mechanisms to withstand saline conditions and activate diverse salt tolerance genes to counter osmotic and oxidative stresses induced by salinity. Genetic development in salinity tolerance is quite complex, while advancement has made less progress than expectation over the past few decades. Generating an explosion of genetics- and genomics-related information and technology in recent decades pledge to deliver innovative and advanced resources for the potential production of tolerant genotypes. Despite considerable progress in defining the primary salinity tolerance mechanisms, main obstacles are yet to be solved in the translation and incorporation of the resulting molecular knowledge into the plant breeding activities. Diverse approaches are proposed to enhance plant breeding efficacy to increase plant productivity in saline environments. Understanding the genetics of salt tolerance is a difficult task because multiple genes and pathways are involved. Important advances in tools and methods for updating and manipulating plant genomics knowledge provide detailed insights and dissect the salinity tolerance mechanism accomplished by the breeding goals. Genome-wide analyses (GWA) identify SNP variations and functional effects that appear to be the way of the future for developing salinity-tolerant plants. Gene discovery to manipulate the molecular mechanisms which underlie the complex phenotype of salinity tolerance methods, identification of genes, QTL, association mapping, linkage, and functional genomics, such as transcript identifying and proteins related to salinity, is necessary. The present analysis also discussed some of the opportunities and challenges, focusing on molecular breeding strategies used in conjunction with other crop development approaches to growing elite salt-tolerant lines.
Ratings of perceived exertion from a submaximal 20-m shuttle run test predict peak oxygen uptake in children and the test feels better
Authors: Kasai Daiki , Tsiros Margarita D. , Eston Roger , Parfitt Gaynor
Published: October 2022

Purpose

To determine the validity and test–retest reliability of using ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) elicited during a submaximal 20-m Shuttle Run Test (20mSRT) to predict VO2peakin children and investigate acute affective responses.

Methods

Twenty-five children (14 boys; age, 12.8 ± 0.7 years; height, 162.0 ± 9.3 cm; mass, 49.9 ± 7.7 kg) completed four exercise tests (GXT, 2 submaximal 20mSRT, maximal 20mSRT). The Eston–Parfitt RPE scale was used, and affect was measured with the Feeling Scale. Submaximal 20mSRT were terminated upon participants reporting RPE7. The speed-RPE relationship from the submaximal 20mSRTs was extrapolated to RPE9 and 10 to predict peak speed and then used to estimate VO2peak.

Results

Repeated measures ANOVA to examine the validity of using submaximal RPE to predict VO2peakresulted in a Gender main effect (boys = 46.7 ± 5.1 mL kg−1 min−1; girls = 42.0 ± 5.1 mL kg−1 min−1) and Method main effect (p < 0.01). There were significant differences between measured and estimated VO2peakfrom the maximal 20mSRT, but not between measured and estimated VO2peakat RPE9 and RPE10. Intraclass correlation analysis revealed excellent reliability (~ 0.9) between the two submaximal 20mSRTs. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in end-test affect were reported between submaximal and maximal trials in girls, but not in boys, with girls feeling less negative at the end of the submaximal trials.

Conclusions

The results of this study provide evidence that RPE reported during a submaximal 20mSRT can be used to predict VO2peakaccurately and reliably. In this study, the submaximal 20mSRT ending at RPE7, provided better predictions of VO2peakwhile minimising aversive end-point affect, especially in girls.
Increased rate of respiratory symptoms in children with Down syndrome: a 2-year web-based parent-reported prospective study
Authors: Eijsvoogel Noortje B. , Verstegen Ruud H. J. , van Well Gijs Th. J. , van Hout Roeland W. N. M. , de Vries Esther
Published: October 2022

To compare the incidence of respiratory symptoms and short-term consequences between children with Down syndrome and children from the general population, we conducted a prospective parent-reported observational study. Children with Down syndrome (≤ 18 years) were included between March 2012 and June 2014. Caregivers received a baseline questionnaire with follow-up 1–2 years after inclusion. Caregivers received a weekly questionnaire about respiratory symptoms, fever, antibiotic prescriptions, doctor’s visits, and consequences for school and work attendance. Children with Down syndrome were compared to a cohort of the general population (“Kind en Ziek” study) with similar weekly questionnaires. A total of 9,011 childweeks were reported for 116 participants with Down syndrome (75% response rate). The frequency of respiratory symptoms was higher in children with Down syndrome than in children from the general population (30% vs 15.2%). In addition, symptoms subsided later (around 8 vs 5 years of age). The seasonal influence was limited, both in children with Down syndrome and children from the general population. Consequences of respiratory disease were significant in children with Down syndrome compared to children from the general population, with a higher rate of doctor’s visits (21.3% vs 11.8%), antibiotic prescriptions (47.8% vs 26.3%), and absenteeism from school (55.5% vs 25.4%) and work (parents, 9.4% vs 8.1%).

  Conclusion: Children with Down syndrome have a higher frequency of respiratory symptoms and symptoms last until a later age, confirming the impression of professionals and caregivers. Individualized treatment plans might prevent unfavorable consequences of chronic recurrent respiratory disease in children with Down syndrome.What is Known:• Children with Down syndrome have an altered immune system and are prone to a more severe course of respiratory tract infections.• The overall conception is that patients with Down syndrome suffer from respiratory tract infections more often.What is New:• Children with Down syndrome suffer from respiratory symptoms more frequently than children from the general population.• The respiratory symptoms in children with Down syndrome subside at a later age compared to children from the general population.
Large-scale pedigree analysis highlights rapidly mutating Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats for differentiating patrilineal relatives and predicting their degrees of consanguinity
Authors: Ralf Arwin , Montiel González Diego , Zandstra Dion , van Wersch Bram , Kousouri Nefeli , de Knijff Peter , Adnan Atif , Claerhout Sofie , Ghanbari Mohsen , Larmuseau Maarten H. D. , Kayser Manfred
Published: October 2022

Rapidly mutating Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (RM Y-STRs) were suggested for differentiating patrilineally related men as relevant in forensic genetics, anthropological genetics, and genetic genealogy. Empirical data are available for closely related males, while differentiation rates for more distant relatives are scarce. Available RM Y-STR mutation rate estimates are typically based on father–son pair data, while pedigree-based studies for efficient analysis requiring less samples are rare. Here, we present a large-scale pedigree analysis in 9379 pairs of men separated by 1–34 meioses on 30 Y-STRs with increased mutation rates including all known RM Y-STRs (RMplex). For comparison, part of the samples were genotyped at 25 standard Y-STRs mostly with moderate mutation rates (Yfiler Plus). For 43 of the 49 Y-STRs analyzed, pedigree-based mutation rates were similar to previous father–son based estimates, while for six markers significant differences were observed. Male relative differentiation rates from the 30 RMplex Y-STRs were 43%, 84%, 96%, 99%, and 100% for relatives separated by one, four, six, nine, and twelve meioses, respectively, which largely exceeded rates obtained by 25 standard Y-STRs. Machine learning based models for predicting the degree of patrilineal consanguinity yielded accurate and reasonably precise predictions when using RM Y-STRs. Fully matching haplotypes resulted in a 95% confidence interval of 1–6 meioses with RMplex compared to 1–25 with Yfiler Plus. Our comprehensive pedigree study demonstrates the value of RM Y-STRs for differentiating male relatives of various types, in many cases achieving individual identification, thereby overcoming the largest limitation of forensic Y-chromosome analysis.
An analytical method to design annular microfilaments with uniform temperature
Authors: Bíró Ferenc , Deák András , Bársony István , Samotev Nikolay , Dücső Csaba
Published: October 2022

Due to their complex electro-thermal characteristics microhotplates used in environmental gas sensors require careful design to exhibit uniform temperature and low power dissipation during the expected long time operation. The layout design becomes more complex if the multiple operational parameters required by the battery operation and the driver and readout logic are considered. In this paper, we describe a simple analytical filament design procedure to determine the dimensions of the annular metal filament exhibiting uniform surface temperature without additional heat distribution layer. The presented method operates with the cumulative thermal losses towards the ambient and heat conduction via the membrane. Moreover, it handles the operation requirements like the targeted temperature in the atmospheric environment, supply voltage range, current density, filament layer thickness and its coverage ratio. The efficacy of the method is demonstrated by electrical and thermal characterisation of the manufactured devices having 150 µm diameter active area. The microheater achieves the targeted 500 °C operation temperature with 1.4–1.55 V supply. The temperature non-uniformity along the filament was measured by Spectral pyrometry and was found to decrease from ± 3.5% to ± 1% when the temperature was raised from 530 to 830 °C.
The effect of risk on trust attitude and trust behavior in interaction with information and decision automation
Authors: Hoesterey Steffen , Onnasch Linda
Published: October 2022

Situational risk has been postulated to be one of the most important contextual factors affecting operator’s trust in automation. However, experimentally, it has received only little attention and was directly manipulated even less. To close this gap, this study used a virtual reality multi-task environment where the main task entailed making a diagnosis by assessing different parameters. Risk was manipulated via the altitude, the task was set in including the possibility of virtually falling in case of a mistake. Participants were aided either by information or decision automation. Results revealed that trust attitude toward the automation was not affected by risk. While trust attitude was initially lower for the decision automation, it was equally high in both groups at the end of the experiment after experiencing reliable support. Trust behavior was significantly higher and increased during the experiment for the decision automation supported group in the form of less automation verification behavior. However, this detrimental effect was distinctly attenuated under high risk. This implies that negative consequences of decision automation in the real world might have been overestimated by studies not incorporating risk.
A Note on Asymptotics Between Singular and Constrained Control Problems of One-Dimensional Diffusions
Authors: Saarinen Harto , Lempa Jukka
Published: October 2022

We study the asymptotic relations between certain singular and constrained control problems for one-dimensional diffusions with both discounted and ergodic objectives. In the constrained control problems the controlling is allowed only at independent Poisson arrival times. We show that when the underlying diffusion is recurrent, the solutions of the discounted problems converge in Abelian sense to those of their ergodic counterparts. Moreover, we show that the solutions of the constrained problems converge to those of their singular counterparts when the Poisson rate tends to infinity. We illustrate the results with drifted Brownian motion and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process.
What are clinically relevant performance metrics in robotic surgery? A systematic review of the literature
Authors: Younes Melissa M. , Larkins Kirsten , To Gloria , Burke Grace , Heriot Alexander , Warrier Satish , Mohan Helen
Published: October 2022

A crucial element of any surgical training program is the ability to provide procedure-specific, objective, and reliable measures of performance. During robotic surgery, objective clinically relevant performance metrics (CRPMs) can provide tailored contextual feedback and correlate with clinical outcomes. This review aims to define CRPMs, assess their validity in robotic surgical training and compare CRPMs to existing measures of robotic performance. A systematic search of Medline and Embase databases was conducted in May 2022 following the PRISMA guidelines. The search terms included Clinically Relevant Performance Metrics (CRPMs) OR Clinically Relevant Outcome Measures (CROMs) AND robotic surgery. The study settings, speciality, operative context, study design, metric details, and validation status were extracted and analysed. The initial search yielded 116 citations, of which 6 were included. Citation searching identified 3 additional studies, resulting in 9 studies included in this review. Metrics were defined as CRPMs, CROMs, proficiency-based performance metrics and reference-procedure metrics which were developed using a modified Delphi methodology. All metrics underwent both contents and construct validation. Two studies found a strong correlation with GEARS but none correlated their metrics with patient outcome data. CRPMs are a validated and objective approach for assessing trainee proficiency. Evaluating CRPMs with other robotic-assessment tools will facilitate a multimodal metric evaluation approach to robotic surgery training. Further studies should assess the correlation with clinical outcomes. This review highlights there is significant scope for the development and validation of CRPMs to establish proficiency-based progression curricula that can be translated from a simulation setting into clinical practice.
Effects of covid-induced lockdown on inhabitants’ perception of indoor air quality in naturally ventilated homes
Authors: Fernández-Agüera Jesica , Domínguez-Amarillo Samuel , Campano Miguel Ángel , Al-Khatri Hanan
Published: October 2022

The intensified indoor living during the spring 2020 lockdown, with enhanced user awareness of the prevailing conditions in their homes, constituted a natural stress test for the housing design in place today. Surveys conducted during this period have yielded lessons for designing better intervention strategies for the residential sector, taking into account the systematic morphological and economic limitations of the buildings concerned. These considerations should inform the development of policies and strategies for improving environmental quality compatible with lower residential energy consumption and higher quality of life. This study explores the effect of occupant behaviour on home ventilation and the perception of the impact of indoor air quality on user health before and during lockdown. The method deployed consisted in monitoring environmental variables and conducting user surveys before and after restrictions came into force. The findings showed that prior to lockdown, occupants were unaware of or paid little heed to changes in indoor air quality, failed to perceive stuffiness, and, as a rule, reported symptoms or discomfort only at night during the summer months. During lockdown, however, users came to attach greater importance to air quality, and a greater sensitivity to odours and a heightened awareness of CO2 concentration prompted them to ventilate their homes more frequently. In the spring of 2020, occupants also indicated a wider spectrum of indisposition, in particular in connection with sleep patterns.
Sleep and Stroke: Opening Our Eyes to Current Knowledge of a Key Relationship
Authors: Brunetti Valerio , Rollo Eleonora , Broccolini Aldobrando , Frisullo Giovanni , Scala Irene , Della Marca Giacomo
Published: October 2022

Purpose of Review

To elucidate the interconnection between sleep and stroke.

Recent Findings

Growing data support a bidirectional relationship between stroke and sleep. In particular, there is strong evidence that sleep-disordered breathing plays a pivotal role as risk factor and concur to worsening functional outcome. Conversely, for others sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movements of sleep, REM sleep behavior disorder), the evidence is weak. Moreover, sleep disturbances are highly prevalent also in chronic stroke and concur to worsening quality of life of patients.

Promising novel technologies will probably allow, in a near future, to guarantee a screening of commonest sleep disturbances in a larger proportion of patients with stroke.

Sleep assessment and management should enter in the routinary evaluation of stroke patients, of both acute and chronic phase. Future research should focus on the efficacy of specific sleep intervention as a therapeutic option for stroke patients.
C5aR1 promotes the progression of colorectal cancer by EMT and activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway
Authors: Xu Duo , Li Meirong , Ran Longyan , Li Xiaochen , Sun Xingwang , Yin Tao
Published: October 2022

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant cancers in human, and its incidence increases gradually every year. Metastasis is an important factor leading to tumor development. The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been proved to be closely related to tumor metastasis, yet its related mechanism in CRC remains to be explored.

Methods

We obtained the differentially expressed gene C5aR1 with SETDB1 stable overexpression and knockdown cells by RNA-seq. Cell proliferation was tested by CCK8 and colony formation assay. Migration and invasion of CRC cells were determined by the wound healing and transwell invasion assay. The potential pathway of C5aR1 in CRC was preliminarily studied by western blotting.

Results

Sequencing results showed that C5aR1 was the most differentially expressed gene. By changing the expression of C5aR1 in CRC cells, this study found that C5aR1 promoted the proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion of CRC cells in vitro. C5aR1 accelerated the EMT process and the expression of C5aR1 altered the molecular expression of key proteins in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Conclusion

C5aR1 promotes the development of CRC and accelerates the EMT process. Furthermore, C5aR1 may involve in the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway in CRC.
Procedural texture patterns for encoding changes in color in 2.5D treemap visualizations
Authors: Limberger Daniel , Scheibel Willy , van Dieken Jan , Döllner Jürgen
Published: October 2022

Treemaps depict tree-structured data while maintaining flexibility in mapping data to different visual variables. This work explores how changes in data mapped to color can be represented with rectangular 2.5D treemaps using procedural texture patterns. The patterns are designed to function for both static images and interactive visualizations with animated transitions. During rendering, the procedural texture patterns are superimposed onto the existing color mapping. We present a pattern catalog with seven exemplary patterns having different characteristics in representing the mapped data. This pattern catalog is implemented in a WebGL-based treemap rendering prototype and is evaluated using performance measurements and case studies on two software projects. As a result, this work extends the toolset of visual encodings for 2.5D treemaps by procedural texture patterns to represent changes in color. It serves as a starting point for user-centered evaluation.

Graphical abstract
Laparoscopic versus open repair of perforated peptic ulcers: analysis of outcomes and identification of predictive factors of conversion
Authors: Tartaglia Dario , Strambi Silvia , Coccolini Federico , Mazzoni Alessio , Miccoli Mario , Cremonini Camilla , Cicuttin Enrico , Chiarugi Massimo
Published: October 2022

Background

The surgical treatment for perforated peptic ulcers (PPUs) can be safely performed laparoscopically. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of patients who received different surgical approaches for PPU and to identify the predictive factors for conversion to open surgery.

Methods

This retrospective study analyzed patients treated for PPUs from 2002 to 2020. Three groups were identified: a complete laparoscopic surgery group (LG), a conversion to open group (CG), and a primary open group (OG). After univariate comparisons, a multivariate analysis was conducted to identify the predictive factors for conversion.

Results

Of the 175 patients that underwent surgery for PPU, 104 (59.4%) received a laparoscopic-first approach, and 27 (25.9%) required a conversion to open surgery. Patients treated directly with an open approach were older (p < 0.0001), had more comorbidities (p < 0.0001), and more frequently had a previous laparotomy (p = 0.0001). In the OG group, in-hospital mortality and ICU need were significantly higher, while the postoperative stay was longer. Previous abdominal surgery (OR 0.086, 95% CI 0.012–0.626; p = 0.015), ulcer size (OR 0.045, 95% CI 0.010–0.210; p < 0.0001), and a posterior ulcer location (OR 0.015, 95% CI 0.001–0.400; p = 0.012) were predictive factors for conversion to an open approach.

Conclusion

This study confirms the benefits of the laparoscopic approach for the treatment of PPUs. Previous laparotomies, a greater ulcer size, and a posterior location of the ulcer are risk factors for conversion to open surgery during laparoscopic repair.
An over review of desertification in Xinjiang, Northwest China
Authors: Yu Xiang , Lei Jiaqiang , Gao Xin
Published: October 2022

Desertification research in arid and semi-arid regions has always been actively pursued. In China, the problem of desertification in Xinjiang has also received extensive attention. Due to its unique geography, many scholars have conducted corresponding research on the desertification status of Xinjiang. In this paper, we comprehensively reviewed desertification in Xinjiang, and compared the underlying mechanisms of desertification and the status of desertification conditions after the implementation of ecological control projects. On a larger scale, desertification in Xinjiang can be divided into soil salinization inside oases and sandy desertification on the edges of oases. Human activities are considered the main cause of desertification, but natural factors also contribute to varying degrees. Research on the mechanisms of desertification has effectively curbed the development of desertification, but unreasonable use of land resources accelerates the risk of desertification. For desertification control, there are several key points. First, desertification monitoring and the early warning of desertification expansion should be strengthened. Second, monitoring and reversing soil salinization also play an important role in the interruption of desertification process. It is very effective to control soil salinization through biological and chemical methods. Third, the management of water resources is also essential, because unreasonable utilization of water resources is one of the main reasons for the expansion of desertification in Xinjiang. Due to the unreasonable utilization of water resources, the lower reaches of the Tarim River are cut off, which leads to a series of vicious cycles, such as the deterioration of ecological environment on both sides of the river and the worsening of desertification. However, in recent years, various desertification control projects implemented in Xinjiang according to the conditions of different regions have achieved remarkable results. For future studies, research on the stability of desert-oasis transition zone is also significantly essential, because such investigations can help to assess the risk of degradation and control desertification on a relatively large scale.
Rachitismo ipofosfatemico legato al cromosoma X (XLH) nel paziente adulto
Authors: Marcucci Gemma , Brandi Maria Luisa
Published: October 2022

Sommario

Il rachitismo ipofosfatemico legato al cromosoma X (XLH) è una rara malattia congenita caratterizzata da perdita renale del fosfato e conseguente ipofosfatemia. I pazienti adulti con XLH possono presentare manifestazioni cliniche molto variabili da forme lievi a più gravi, comprendenti: osteomalacia, fratture e pseudofratture, deformità ossee, dolore osseo, malattie dentali, entesopatie (calcificazioni dei legamenti e giunzioni teno-ossee), debolezza muscolare, malattie articolari degenerative, rigidità, ridotta mobilità articolare e ridotta funzionalità fisica, e perdita dell’udito. La risposta al trattamento convenzionale con supplementazioni di fosfato e calcitriolo/alfacalcidolo risulta insoddisfacente in molti pazienti, senza alcun effetto sostanziale sul decorso della patologia e con potenziali complicanze endocrinologiche e renali a lungo termine. Recentemente, sono state pubblicate delle linee guida comprendenti raccomandazioni e suggerimenti sulla gestione clinica e farmacologica dei pazienti affetti da XLH anche in età adulta. Tuttavia, ad oggi, non c’è un consenso generale sulle indicazioni di trattamento nei pazienti adulti. In questa Rassegna descriveremo le principali caratteristiche cliniche dell’XLH nell’adulto, vantaggi e limiti della terapia convenzionale, delle nuove terapie e le prospettive future.
How Did Corona Crisis Managers in Germany Make Sense of the Psychosocial Situation?
Authors: Lüttschwager Nils , Stelzmann Daniela , Gerhold Lars , Sterl Sebastian
Published: October 2022

Alongside its immediate consequences for physical health, the current Coronavirus pandemic and the associated containment measures have led to multiple psychosocial consequences for the population. While virus containment is the main motive of crisis management, there is, so far, little evidence on how crisis management actors consider findings about the psychosocial state of the German population. This paper therefore examines the role of psychosocial consequences within the work of crisis management organizations during the Corona pandemic in Germany. Against the theoretical background of the sensemaking concept, 14 qualitative interviews were conducted with decision-makers from municipal and state administrations, public health departments, aid organizations, and critical infrastructure organizations. Our results indicate that crisis managers perceive aspects related to the psychosocial situation as relevant, but in a very selective way. They use different and often non-scientific sources to acquire knowledge about the psychosocial consequences. In sum, these aspects do not play a major role in decision-making processes. We argue that the perception and processing of psychosocial consequences depend in particular on the organizational context such as goals, plausibility assumptions, identity conceptions, and problem frames. In order to extend theoretical models of psychosocial crisis management, more detailed knowledge of sensemaking processes in crisis management organizations is necessary.
Peridynamic Surface Elasticity Formulation Based on Modified Core–Shell Model
Authors: Oterkus Selda , Oterkus Erkan
Published: October 2022

Continuum mechanics is widely used to analyse the response of materials and structures to external loading conditions. Without paying attention to atomistic details, continuum mechanics can provide us very accurate predictions as long as continuum approximation is valid. There are various continuum mechanics formulations available in the literature. The most common formulation was proposed by Cauchy 200 years ago and the equation of motion for a material point is described by using partial differential equations. Although these equations have been successfully utilised for the analysis of many different challenging problems of solid mechanics, they encounter difficulties when dealing with problems including discontinuities such as cracks. In such cases, a new continuum mechanics formulation, peridynamics, can be more suitable since the equations of motion in peridynamics are in integro-differential equation form and do not contain any spatial derivatives. In nano-materials, material properties close to the surfaces can be different than bulk properties. This variation causes surface stresses. In this study, modified core–shell model is utilised to define the variation of material properties in the surface region by considering surface effects. Moreover, directional effective material properties are obtained by utilising analytical and peridynamic solutions.
Energy practices and population cohorts: the case of Mexico
Authors: Bardazzi Rossella , Pazienza Maria Grazia , Sanin Maria Eugenia
Published: October 2022

Developing countries are advancing towards universal energy access with high fertility rates and young population. Socio-demographic and economic evolutions will influence future energy consumption patterns. Herein, we use Mexico as a case study to estimate determinants of residential electricity consumption as well as the importance that a shift in generational preferences has on such energy demand. We build an original pseudo-panel of Mexican households to separately estimate generational and age effects on the use of electricity. Our findings are in line with the few studies performed for developed countries, but the magnitudes are four times stronger. This means that, as they grow older, younger generations in Mexico increase their electricity consumption at a much faster rate than in developed countries. This may represent a significant obstacle in the way of meeting future energy demand, particularly in the context of the energy transition.
Ratiocination
Authors: Sung Winnie
Published: October 2022

In this paper, I analyse the nature of a particular form of theoretical reasoning—ratiocination. Ratiocination is purposeful, self-conscious, deliberatively controlled reasoning. I will argue that ratiocination concludes when the ratiocinator believes that she ought to believep. In Section 1, I suggest that the way a reasoner’s mind moves in ratiocination is different from the way her mind moves in non-ratiocinative reasoning. Such a difference should motivate an analysis that focuses just on ratiocination. In Section 2, I provide a general characterisation of ratiocination and distinguish it from non-ratiocinative reasoning. I draw a distinction between non-deliberative rational control and deliberative rational control. I then argue that the ratiocinator always exercises the latter. Since theoretical reasoning is a norm-governed activity and since ratiocination involves deliberatively controlled reasoning, the ratiocinator necessarily tries to control her mental movements in a way that is in line with the normative requirements of this activity. In Section 3, I argue that ratiocination ends when the ratiocinator believes that she ought to believep. I further explain the nature of the ‘ought’ in the ratiocinator’s belief that she ought to believep. In Section 4, I address possible objections to the account on offer and explain why my account does not undermine our general understanding of the nature of theoretical reasoning. I explain that my claim is compatible with the claim that reasons to be rational are transparent to reasons to believep. I also discuss why the ratiocinator’s belief that she ought to believepis not an intermediate stage in ratiocination. Finally, I argue that ratiocination, as described, is compatible with the claim that belief is truth-governed.
Lubricated axisymmetric gravity currents of power-law fluids
Authors: Gyllenberg Ayala A. , Sayag Roiy
Published: October 2022

The motion of glaciers over their bedrock or drops of fluid along a solid surface can become unstable when these substrates are lubricated. Previous studies modelled such systems as coupled gravity currents (GCs), consisting of one fluid that lubricates the flow of another fluid, and having two propagating fronts. When both fluids are Newtonian and discharged at constant flux, global similarity solutions were found. However, when the top fluid is strain-rate softening, experiments have shown that each fluid front evolved with a different exponent. Here, we explore theoretically and numerically such lubricated GCs consisting of axisymmetric spreading of a power-law fluid on top of a Newtonian fluid, where each fluid volume grows in time like$t^{\alpha }$. We find that the structure imposed by the non-Newtonian flow precludes general self-similarity, unlike purely Newtonian GCs. Consequently, we identify outstripping solutions in which the inner fluid front outstrips the outer fluid front. Despite the absence of a general global similarity solution, we find similarity solutions in several asymptotic limits. These include the purely Newtonian limit for any$\alpha$, the case of$\alpha =5$for a general power-law fluid, asymptotic limits in the viscosity ratio, and in the vicinity of the fluid fronts. Many of our theoretical predictions are found to be consistent with recent laboratory experiments. Discrepancies suggest the presence of hydrofracturing or wall slip near the fronts, and potentially, a progressive significance of extensional stresses as front outstripping is approached.
Antarctic iceberg distribution revealed through three decades of systematic ship-based observations in the SCAR International Iceberg Database
Authors: Orheim Olav , Giles A. Barry , Moholdt Geir , (Jo) Jacka T. H. , Bjørdal Are
Published: October 2022

In 1981, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research endorsed a program for ship-based collection of Antarctic iceberg data, to be coordinated by the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI). From the austral summers 1982/1983 to 1997/1998, icebergs were recorded from most, and up to 2009/10 by fewer research vessels. The NPI database makes up 80% of the SCAR International Iceberg Database presented here, the remainder being Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition observations. The database contains positions of 374 142 icebergs resulting from 34 662 observations. Within these, 298 235 icebergs are classified into different size categories. The ship-based data are particularly useful because they include systematic observations of smaller icebergs not covered by current satellite-based datasets. Here, we assess regional and seasonal variations in iceberg density and total quantities, we identify drift patterns and exit zones from the continent, and we discuss iceberg dissolution rates and calving rates. There are significant differences in the extent of icebergs observed over the 30 plus years of observations, but much of these can be ascribed to differences in observation density and location. In the summer, Antarctic icebergs >10 m in length number ~130 000 of which 1000 are found north of the Southern Ocean boundary.
Memory and the urban environment: experiencing the streets of Severan Timgad
Authors: Lamare Nicolas
Published: October 2022

This article draws on the notion of collective memory to address the experience of urban space in antiquity. Focusing on Timgad in the Severan period as a case study, it mainly engages with the city plan and its streets, the public buildings that lined them, and their honorific inscriptions. Based on top-down and bottom-up processes, it highlights how the built landscape was staged to create a memory of the urban space and its development, but also how the inhabitants themselves were able to contribute to fostering this memory through everyday urban practices.
ERDŐS–LIOUVILLE SETS
Authors: CHALEBGWA TABOKA PRINCE , MORRIS SIDNEY A.
Published: October 2022

In 1844, Joseph Liouville proved the existence of transcendental numbers. He introduced the set
$\mathcal L$
of numbers, now known as Liouville numbers, and showed that they are all transcendental. It is known that
$\mathcal L$
has cardinality
$\mathfrak {c}$
, the cardinality of the continuum, and is a dense
$G_{\delta }$
subset of the set
$\mathbb {R}$
of all real numbers. In 1962, Erdős proved that every real number is the sum of two Liouville numbers. In this paper, a set W of complex numbers is said to have the Erdős property if every real number is the sum of two numbers in W. The set W is said to be an Erdős–Liouville set if it is a dense subset of
$\mathcal {L}$
and has the Erdős property. Each subset of
$\mathbb {R}$
is assigned its subspace topology, where
$\mathbb {R}$
has the euclidean topology. It is proved here that: (i) there exist
$2^{\mathfrak {c}}$
Erdős–Liouville sets no two of which are homeomorphic; (ii) there exist
$\mathfrak {c}$
Erdős–Liouville sets each of which is homeomorphic to
$\mathcal {L}$
with its subspace topology and homeomorphic to the space of all irrational numbers; (iii) each Erdős–Liouville set L homeomorphic to
$\mathcal {L}$
contains another Erdős–Liouville set
$L'$
homeomorphic to
$\mathcal {L}$
. Therefore, there is no minimal Erdős–Liouville set homeomorphic to
$\mathcal {L}$
.