bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patient-derived organoids of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma for subtype determination and clinical outcome prediction
Authors: Matsumoto Kazuhide , Fujimori Nao , Ichihara Kazuya , Takeno Ayumu , Murakami Masatoshi , Ohno Akihisa , Kakehashi Shotaro , Teramatsu Katsuhito , Ueda Keijiro , Nakata Kohei , Sugahara Osamu , Yamamoto Takeo , Matsumoto Akinobu , Nakayama Keiichi I. , Oda Yoshinao , Nakamura Masafumi , Ogawa Yoshihiro
Published: April 2024

Background

Recently, two molecular subtypes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have been proposed: the “Classical” and “Basal-like” subtypes, with the former showing better clinical outcomes than the latter. However, the “molecular” classification has not been applied in real-world clinical practice. This study aimed to establish patient-derived organoids (PDOs) for PDAC and evaluate their application in subtype classification and clinical outcome prediction.

Methods

We utilized tumor samples acquired through endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy and established a PDO library for subsequent use in morphological assessments, RNA-seq analyses, and in vitro drug response assays. We also conducted a prospective clinical study to evaluate whether analysis using PDOs can predict treatment response and prognosis.

Results

PDOs of PDAC were established at a high efficiency (> 70%) with at least 100,000 live cells. Morphologically, PDOs were classified as gland-like structures (GL type) and densely proliferating inside (DP type) less than 2 weeks after tissue sampling. RNA-seq analysis revealed that the “morphological” subtype (GL vs. DP) corresponded to the “molecular” subtype (“Classical” vs. “Basal-like”). The “morphological” classification predicted the clinical treatment response and prognosis; the median overall survival of patients with GL type was significantly longer than that with DP type (P < 0.005). The GL type showed a better response to gemcitabine than the DP type in vitro, whereas the drug response of the DP type was improved by the combination of ERK inhibitor and chloroquine.

Conclusions

PDAC PDOs help in subtype determination and clinical outcome prediction, thereby facilitating the bench-to-bedside precision medicine for PDAC.
Diabetes as a risk factor for pneumococcal disease and severe related outcomes and efficacy/effectiveness of vaccination in diabetic population. Results from meta-analysis of observational studies
Authors: Silverii Giovanni Antonio , Gabutti Giovanni , Tafuri Silvio , Sarti Francesca , Pratesi Anna , Clerico Alessandra , Fornengo Riccardo , Greco Carla , Irace Concetta , Sordi Valeria , Sorice Gian Pio , Cavallo Massimiliano , Ponziani Maria Chantal , Mannucci Edoardo , Dicembrini Ilaria ,   the SID-AMD-SItI Working Group on Diabetes, Vaccines
Published: April 2024

Aims

To collect all available evidence on the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) as a risk factor for pneumococcal disease incidence and related complications, and on the efficacy/effectiveness of vaccines in patients with DM.

Methods

Two distinct systematic searches on MEDLINE, Cochrane, ClinicalTrials.gov and EMBASE databases were performed, one for each meta-analysis, collecting all observational (cohort and case–control) studies and randomized clinical trials performed on humans up to June 1st, 2023.

Results

We retrieved 36 observational studies comparing risk for pneumococcal disease and related complications in people with or without DM, and 11 studies (1 randomized clinical trial and 10 observational studies) assessing conjugated and polysaccaridic vaccines efficacy/effectiveness on preventing such outcomes. People with DM were at higher risk for Invasive Pneumococcal Disease (unadjusted OR 2.42 [2.00; 2.92]); Case-Fatality Rate (unadjusted OR 1.61 [1.25; 2.07], Pneumococcal pneumonia (unadjusted OR 2.98 [2.76; 3.22), and Intensive care unit admission for pneumococcal disease (unadjusted OR 2.09 [1.20; 3.66]). In diabetic individuals vaccinated with conjugated vaccine, incidence of pneumonia specific for vaccine type in a clinical trial (OR 0.237 [0.008; 0.704]), and hospitalization for overall pneumonia during the year following the polysaccharide vaccination in observational studies (unadjusted OR 0.63 [0.45–0.89]) were significantly lower in comparison with unvaccinated DM subjects, with no significant differences for other outcomes.

Conclusions

People with diabetes mellitus are at higher risk for less favourable course of pneumococcal disease and should be therefore targeted in vaccination campaigns; more evidence needs to be collected on vaccination outcomes in people with diabetes.
Determining the value of the abdominal core health quality collaborative to support regulatory decisions
Authors: Poulose B. K. , Avila-Tang E. , Schwartzman H. , Bisgaard T. , Jørgensen L. N. , Gibeily G. , Schick A. , Marinac-Dabic D. , Rosen M. J. , Pappas G.
Published: April 2024

Purpose

The study objective is to document value created by real-world evidence from the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative (ACHQC) for regulatory decisions. The ACHQC is a national effort that generates data on hernia repair techniques and devices.

Methods

Two retrospective cohort evaluations compared cost and time of ACHQC analyses to traditional postmarket studies. The first analysis was based on 25 reports submitted to the European Medicines Agency of 20 mesh products for post-market surveillance. A second analysis supported label expansion submitted to the Food and Drug Administration, Center for Devices and Radiological Health for a robotic-assisted surgery device to include ventral hernia repair. Estimated costs of counterfactual studies, defined as studies that might have been done if the registry had not been available, were derived from a model described in the literature. Return on investment, percentage of cost savings, and time savings were calculated.

Results

45,010 patients contributed to the two analyses. The cost and time differences between individual 25 ACHQC analyses (41,112 patients) and traditional studies ranged from $1.3 to $2.2 million and from 3 to 4.8 years, both favoring use of the ACHQC. In the second label expansion analysis (3,898 patients), the estimated return on investment ranged from 11 to 461% with time savings of 5.1 years favoring use of the ACHQC.

Conclusions

Compared to traditional postmarket studies, use of ACHQC data can result in cost and time savings when used for appropriate regulatory decisions in light of key assumptions.
Proxemics-net++: classification of human interactions in still images
Authors: Jiménez-Velasco Isabel , Zafra-Palma Jorge , Muñoz-Salinas Rafael , Marín-Jiménez Manuel J.
Published: April 2024

Human interaction recognition (HIR) is a significant challenge in computer vision that focuses on identifying human interactions in images and videos. HIR presents a great complexity due to factors such as pose diversity, varying scene conditions, or the presence of multiple individuals. Recent research has explored different approaches to address it, with an increasing emphasis on human pose estimation. In this work, we propose Proxemics-Net++, an extension of the Proxemics-Net model, capable of addressing the problem of recognizing human interactions in images through two different tasks: the identification of the types of “touch codes” or proxemics and the identification of the type of social relationship between pairs. To achieve this, we use RGB and body pose information together with the state-of-the-art deep learning architecture, ConvNeXt, as the backbone. We performed an ablative analysis to understand how the combination of RGB and body pose information affects these two tasks. Experimental results show that body pose information contributes significantly to proxemic recognition (first task) as it allows to improve the existing state of the art, while its contribution in the classification of social relations (second task) is limited due to the ambiguity of labelling in this problem, resulting in RGB information being more influential in this task.
Attached and free-living crustose coralline algae and their functional traits in the geological record and today
Authors: Teichert Sebastian
Published: April 2024

Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are important ecosystem engineers and carbonate producers today and in the geological past. While there is an increasing number of publications on CCA every year, it is evident that there are many misunderstandings and inconsistencies in the assignment of CCA to taxonomic and functional groups. This is partly because CCA are treated by biologists, ecologists and palaeontologists as well as covered by studies published in journals ranging from geo- to biosciences, so that there is often a mixture of terminology used and differing scientific focus. In this review, a comprehensive overview is given on what is known about CCA, their functional traits and their roles in environments from the present and the past. In this context, some bridges are built between the commonly different viewpoints of ecologists and palaeontologists, including suggesting a common and straightforward terminology, highlighting and partially merging different taxonomic viewpoints as well as summarizing the most important functional traits of CCA. Ideally, future studies should seek to quantitatively analyse potential implications for CCA and their associated organisms under ongoing global change.
Hermite kernel surrogates for the value function of high-dimensional nonlinear optimal control problems
Authors: Ehring Tobias , Haasdonk Bernard
Published: April 2024

Numerical methods for the optimal feedback control of high-dimensional dynamical systems typically suffer from the curse of dimensionality. In the current presentation, we devise a mesh-free data-based approximation method for the value function of optimal control problems, which partially mitigates the dimensionality problem. The method is based on a greedy Hermite kernel interpolation scheme and incorporates context knowledge by its structure. Especially, the value function surrogate is elegantly enforced to be 0 in the target state, non-negative and constructed as a correction of a linearized model. The algorithm allows formulation in a matrix-free way which ensures efficient offline and online evaluation of the surrogate, circumventing the large-matrix problem for multivariate Hermite interpolation. Additionally, an incremental Cholesky factorization is utilized in the offline generation of the surrogate. For finite time horizons, both convergence of the surrogate to the value function and for the surrogate vs. the optimal controlled dynamical system are proven. Experiments support the effectiveness of the scheme, using among others a new academic model with an explicitly given value function. It may also be useful for the community to validate other optimal control approaches.
“I felt like a little kind of jolt of energy in my chest”: embodiment in learning in continuing professional development for general practitioners
Authors: Vestergaard Stense Kromann , Risor Torsten
Published: April 2024

Learning in medical education encompasses a broad spectrum of learning theories, and an embodiment perspective has recently begun to emerge in continuing professional development (CPD) for health professionals. However, empirical research into the experience of embodiment in learning in CPD is sparse, particularly in the practice of general medicine. In this study, we aimed to explore general practitioners’ (GPs’) learning experiences during CPD from an embodiment perspective, studying the appearance of elements of embodiment—the body, actions, emotions, cognition, and interactions with the surroundings and others—to build an explanatory structure of embodiment in learning. We drew on the concepts of embodied affectivity and mutual incorporation to frame our understanding of embodiment. Four Danish and three Canadian GPs were interviewed to gain insight into specific learning experiences; the interviews and the analysis were inspired by micro-phenomenology, augmented with a complex adaptive systems approach. We constructed an explanatory structure of learning with two entrance points (disharmony and mundanity), an eight-component learning phase, and an ending phase with two exit points (harmony and continuing imbalance). All components of the learning phase—community, pride, validation, rehearsal, do-ability, mind-space, ambiance, and preparing for the future—shared features of embodied affectivity and mutual incorporation and interacted in multi-directional and non-linear ways. We discuss integrating the embodiment perspective into existing learning theories and argue that CPD for GPs would benefit from doing so.
Recommendations for 46,XX Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Across Two Decades: Insights from the North American Differences of Sex Development Clinician Survey
Authors: Gardner Melissa , Khorashad Behzad Sorouri , Lee Peter A. , Kogan Barry A. , Sandberg David E.
Published: April 2024

Several aspects of clinical management of 46,XX congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) remain unsettled and controversial. The North American Disorders/Differences of Sex Development (DSD) Clinician Survey investigated changes, over the last two decades, in clinical recommendations by specialists involved in the management of newborns with DSD. Members of the (Lawson Wilkins) Pediatric Endocrine Society and the Societies for Pediatric Urology participated in a web-based survey at three timepoints: 2003–2004 (T1, n = 432), 2010–2011 (T2, n = 441), and 2020 (T3, n = 272). Participants were presented with two clinical case scenarios—newborns with 46,XX CAH and either mild-to-moderate or severe genital masculinization—and asked for clinical recommendations. Across timepoints, most participants recommended rearing the newborn as a girl, that parents (in consultation with physicians) should make surgical decisions, performing early genitoplasty, and disclosing surgical history at younger ages. Several trends were identified: a small, but significant shift toward recommending a gender other than girl; recommending that adolescent patients serve as the genital surgery decision maker; performing genital surgery at later ages; and disclosing surgical details at younger ages. This is the first study assessing physician recommendations across two decades. Despite variability in the recommendations, most experts followed CAH clinical practice guidelines. The observation that some of the emerging trends do not align with expert opinion or empirical evidence should serve as both a cautionary note and a call for prospective studies examining patient outcomes associated with these changes.
Terrestrial and marine POC export fluxes estimated by 234Th–238U disequilibrium and δ13C measurements in the East China Sea shelf
Authors: Zhong Qiangqiang , Huang Dekun , Wang Qiugui , Du Jinzhou , Zhang Fule , Lin Jing , Yu Tao
Published: April 2024

The use of 234Th–238U disequilibrium has been widely employed to estimate the sinking flux of particulate organic carbon (POC) from the upper sea and ocean. Here, the deficits of 234Th relative to 238U in the water column and the carbon isotope signature (δ13C) of POC in the East China Sea (ECS) Shelf were measured, which was used to distinguish the fraction of marine and terrestrial POC export fluxes. In the ECS Shelf, very strong deficits of 234Th relative to 238U were observed throughout the water column, with 234Th/238U activity ratios ranging from 0.158 ± 0.045 to 0.904 ± 0.068 (averaging 0.426 ± 0.159). The residence times of particle reactive radionuclide 234Th (τTh–T) in the ECS shelf water varied between 9 and 44 days, which is significantly shorter than that in the continental slope area or the basin area. This phenomenon indicates that there is a more rapid particle scavenging process in the ECS shelf water compared to the continental slope and basin upper water. By applying a two-end-member mixing model based on the δ13C, the fraction of terrestrial POC was estimated to be 0 to 74% (mean: 30 ± 22%) and the fraction of marine POC was in the range of 25% to 100% (mean: 70 ± 22%). Fluxes of marine and terrestrial POC settling to the seafloor exhibited significant spatial differences among different stations, ranging from 11 to 129 mmol C/m2/day and from 2.6 to 38 mmol C/m2/day, respectively. The averaged terrestrial POC fluxes in the southern and northern ECS Shelf were similar (~ 21 to 24 mmol C/m2/day), while the marine POC fluxes in the north (86 ± 37 mmol C/m2/day) were approximately four times higher than those in the south (26 ± 20 mmol C/m2/day). Interestingly, the estimated export flux of both marine and terrestrial POC were approximately one order of magnitude higher than the previously reported burial fluxes of POC (ranging from 1.1 ± 0.1 to 11.4 ± 1.1 mmol C/m2/day) in the underlying bottom sediments, indicating that the majority (> 90%) of both terrestrial and marine POC exported from the upper water column are degraded in the sediments of the ECS Shelf. This “carbon missing” phenomenon can greatly be attributed to rapid decomposition by other processes (including microbial reworking, cross-shelf transport, and possible consumption by benthic organisms). Our findings highlight the dynamic nature of carbon cycling in the continental shelf and the need for further research to understand these processes and improve carbon budget assessments.
Clinico–pathologic factors and survival of patients with breast cancer diagnosed with de novo brain metastasis: a national cancer database analysis
Authors: Hijazi Ali , Mohanna Mohamed , Sabbagh Saad , Herrán María , Dominguez Barbara , Sarna Kaylee , Nahleh Zeina
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Patients with Breast Cancer (BC) with Brain Metastasis (BCBM) have poor survival outcomes. We aimed to explore the clinico–pathologic and therapeutic factors predicting the survival in patients with de novo BCBM using the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

Patients and methods

The NCDB was queried for patients with BC between 2010 and 2020. Survival analysis with Kaplan–Meier curves and log rank tests were used to find median overall survival (OS) in months (95% CI) across the different variables. A multivariate cox regression model was computed to identify significant predictors of survival.

Results

Out of n = 2,610,598 patients, n = 9005 (0.34%) had de novo BCBM. A trend of decreasing OS was observed with increasing age, Charlson–Deyo score (CDS), and number of extracranial metastatic sites. The highest median OS was observed in the Triple Positive and the lowest OS in the Triple Negative subgroup. Based on treatment regimen, combination of systemic therapy and local therapy achieved the highest OS. A positive trend in OS was observed in the BC subgroup analysis with targeted therapy demonstrating a survival benefit when added to systemic therapy.

The multivariate cox regression model showed that age, race, ethnicity, insurance, median income, facility type, CDS, BC subtype, metastatic location sites, and treatment combinations received were significantly associated with risk of death. Receiving only local treatment for BM without systemic therapy more than doubled the risk of death compared to combining it with systemic therapy.

Conclusions

This analysis suggests that treatment of systemic disease is the major factor influencing survival in patients with BCBM. Moreover, targeted therapy with anti–HER2 increased survival when added to systemic therapy explaining the highest median OS noted in the Triple Positive subgroup.
Beach day or deadly heatwave? Content analysis of media images from the 2021 Heat Dome in Canada
Authors: Tetzlaff Emily J. , Goulet Nicholas , Yapici Nihal , Gorman Melissa , Richardson Gregory R.A. , Enright Paddy M. , Kenny Glen P.
Published: April 2024

During extreme heat events (EHEs) the public often learns about health protective actions through the media. Visual news coverage can act as a powerful tool to help convey complex health protective actions to the public. Despite the importance of images in helping the public understand the risk, there has been no systematic analysis to assess what images have been used by media outlets in Canada during EHEs. This paper helps to fill that gap by analyzing how the Canadian media visually communicated the risks of extreme heat to the public during the unprecedented 2021 Heat Dome. A review of thousands of online news media articles published about the 2021 Heat Dome in Canada was conducted on five subscription news databases. Overall, 845 images were coded to identify denotative, connotative, and ideological content. Only 16% of these published images implied that heat was dangerous, of which only 40% depicted people, and 46% implied human suffering. Our findings demonstrate that the majority of images used in Canadian news coverage on the 2021 Heat Dome are incompatible with, and frequently contradict, evidence-based heat protective actions. Governments, public health agencies, and other stakeholders engaged in distributing heat preparedness messaging (e.g., journalists) should prioritize improving the images of extreme heat in news coverage to align with evidence-based public health messages. With rising global temperatures due to climate change and the associated increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events, prioritizing these actions is critically important to offset the threat posed to public health.
Special directions on the finite affine plane
Authors: Kiss Gergely , Somlai Gábor
Published: April 2024

In this paper we study the number of special directions of sets of cardinality divisible by p on a finite plane of order p, where p is a prime. We show that there is no such a set with exactly two special directions. We characterise sets with exactly three special directions which answers a question of Ghidelli in negative. Further we introduce methods to construct sets of minimal cardinality that have exactly four special directions for small values of p.
A multi-metric approach to characterize variability in Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) use of Lake Ontario and two barrier-protected coastal wetlands
Authors: Wilson Kylee B. , Altenritter Matthew E.
Published: April 2024

Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) inhabit both nearshore and coastal wetland habitats of the Laurentian Great Lakes throughout their lifetime and are known to exhibit different movement life histories. However, uncertainty persists in the spatial extent of this variation and in the duration of habitat use. To explore these uncertainties, we used a multi-metric approach that included water and otolith microchemistry and tissue stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N). The ratio of manganese to calcium in otoliths was used to identify transitional movements between nearshore Lake Ontario and wetland habitats while carbon and nitrogen tissue isotope ratios revealed variable duration of wetland inhabitance. Our research suggests that the multi-metric approach was useful for addressing questions that could not be answered by one method alone. Our results demonstrate individual differences in duration of coastal wetland habitat residence among Yellow Perch, which may influence their susceptibility to recreational harvest. As Yellow Perch are an important species of consideration for management agencies such as the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, exposing such diversity is important when considering the potential for differential contributions of individuals with variable movement life histories to overall population stability and resilience over time.
First report of four dagger nematode species of the genus Xiphinema (Nematoda: Longidoridae) from banana in Syria using an integrative approach
Authors: Ali Nadine , Vicente Cláudia S. L. , Mota Manuel , Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez Carlos
Published: April 2024

A nematological survey was conducted between 2021 and 2022 in banana fields distributed in two major banana-producing regions in the western coast of Syria. As a result, six populations of Xiphinema spp. identified as X. diffusum, X. pachtaicum, X. simile, X. vuittenezi and X. zagrosense were isolated from the rhizosphere of banana plants (Musa sp.) and characterized using morphological and molecular data based on two rRNA genes (D2–D3 expansion segments of the 28S, and ITS fragments) and partial region of the cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI mtDNA) sequences. Moreover, the molecular identification of the endosymbionts of these populations was also performed using the complete 16S rDNA gene. The phylogenetic relationships of the recovered species of nematodes and respective endosymbionts were reconstructed. Candidatus Xiphinematobacter sp. (OR196969; OR196971) and Ca. Xiphinematobacter sp. (OR196970) were detected in X. diffusum and X. simile, respectively, and clustered together with other Ca. Xiphinematobacter sp.A and sp.I respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report of X. diffusum, X. simile, X. vuittenezi and X. zagrosense parasitizing banana in Syria, extending the geographical distribution of these species within the Mediterranean Basin.
The Link between Family Financial Socialization in Adulthood and Investment Literacy of P2P Investors
Authors: Legenzova Renata , Leckė Gintarė
Published: April 2024

This paper examines how family financial socialization in adulthood is linked to the development of investment literacy among individual family members within the context of innovative financial services, specifically peer-to-peer (P2P) lending. Our findings revealed that P2P lending investors engage in a moderate level family financial socialization suggesting that family, as a key financial socialization agent in childhood and adolescence, maintains its role in adulthood. Additionally, such investors possess a high-level investment knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Explicit family financial socialization has a significant and positive effect on the individuals’ investment knowledge, skills, and attitudes, while the effect of implicit financial socialization is significant but negative for knowledge and attitudes. Such findings suggest that family discussion among adult members result in higher, while observations of family members’ investment behavior led to lower investment literacy. Our study found no significant moderating effect of the strength of social ties indicating that dynamics of family relations neither strengthen nor weaken proximal socialization outcomes. The analysis of differences across demographic groups unveiled statistically significant distinctions concerning respondents’ gender, income, and education. These results provide important insights for stakeholders, underscoring the significant role family socialization in adulthood plays in shaping individuals’ investment literacy, particularly of those investing on P2P lending platforms.
Navigating Through the Digital Workplace: Measuring Leader Digital Competence
Authors: op ´t Roodt Helen , Bracht Eva M. , van Dick Rolf , Hernandez Bark Alina S.
Published: April 2024

In a modern digital workplace, leaders must have the necessary skills to lead employees virtually. Despite its high practical and theoretical relevance, a consensus on crucial digital competencies for virtual leaders is lacking, hindering a systematic exploration of the leader’s role in facilitating technology use. In the present article, we propose a new concept and instrument to assess leader digital competence (LDC). After reviewing the literature, we establish three dimensions of LDC, centering around the leader’s ability and inclination to select, promote, and enable technology and digital media among their employees. We provide support for the scale's convergent, discriminant, criterion-related, and incremental validity using four independent samples (N

1
 = 156, N

2
 = 309, N

3
 = 201, N

4 employee = 452, N

4 leader = 93). Furthermore, results support the reliability and factor structure with the three proposed dimensions of the 10-item LDC scale. The findings demonstrate that the scale represents a psychometrically sound instrument, useful for further examining conditions for effectiveness in the virtual environment. Future research should aim to advance the understanding of antecedents and situational factors that influence the relevance of LDC and its impact on employee, team, and organizational outcomes.
Fourth-Order Conservative Non-splitting Semi-Lagrangian Hermite WENO Schemes for Kinetic and Fluid Simulations
Authors: Zheng Nanyi , Cai Xiaofeng , Qiu Jing-Mei , Qiu Jianxian
Published: April 2024

We present fourth-order conservative non-splitting semi-Lagrangian (SL) Hermite essentially non-oscillatory (HWENO) schemes for linear transport equations with applications for nonlinear problems including the Vlasov–Poisson system, the guiding center Vlasov model, and the incompressible Euler equations in the vorticity-stream function formulation. The proposed SL HWENO schemes combine a weak formulation of the characteristic Galerkin method with two newly constructed HWENO reconstruction methods. The new HWENO reconstructions are meticulously designed to strike a delicate balance between curbing numerical oscillation and introducing excessive dissipation. Mass conservation naturally holds due to the weak formulation of the semi-Lagrangian discontinuous Galerkin method and the design of the HWENO reconstructions. We apply a positivity-preserving limiter to maintain the positivity of numerical solutions when needed. Abundant benchmark tests are performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed SL HWENO schemes.
Green and Atom Economical Route to High Compressive Strength Lignin Oil-Sulfur Composites
Authors: Tisdale Katelyn A. , Dona Nawoda L. Kapuge , Maladeniya Charini P. , Smith Rhett C.
Published: April 2024

Lignin is the most abundant natural source of aromatics but remains underutilized. Elemental sulfur is a plentiful by-product of fossil fuel refining. Herein we report a strategy for preparing a durable composite by the one-pot reaction of elemental sulfur and lignin oil comprising lower molecular weight lignin derivatives. A lignin oil-sulfur composite (LOS90) was prepared by reacting 10 wt. % lignin oil with 90 wt. % elemental sulfur. The composite could be remelted and reshaped over several cycles without loss of properties. Results from the study showed that LOS90 has properties competitive with or exceeding values for commercial ordinary Portland cement and brick formulations. For example, LOS90 displayed impressive compressive strength (22.1 MPa) and flexural strength (5.7 MPa). LOS90 is prepared entirely from waste materials with 98.5% atom economy of composite synthesis, a low E factor of 0.057, and lignin char as the only waste product of the process for its preparation. These results suggest the potential applications of lignin and waste sulfur in the continuous efforts to develop more recyclable and sustainable materials.
Understanding university-industry collaboration: a social exchange perspective on the entrepreneurial university
Authors: Marques Carla Susana , Ferreira João J. , Marques Carlos Peixeira , Leal Carmem
Published: April 2024

The aim of this study is threefold: firstly, to assess how the support provided by universities for academic collaboration with the industry may foster collaborative behaviour, based on academics’ perceptions of the benefits and costs of collaboration. Secondly, the research seeks to unravel the perceived benefits and costs of university-industry (U-I) collaboration among academic staff within three distinct Higher Education Institutes (HEI) located in three different countries. Thirdly, analyse the impacts of these perceived benefits and costs on U-I collaboration behaviour. To reach these purposes, this study used a quantitative approach involving 214 academic staff from three HEI located in Portugal, Poland, and Türkiye, who answered a questionnaire about their collaboration behaviours and their perceptions regarding support provided by the HEI and their personal benefits and costs of engaging in collaborative behaviour. Results from a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) suggest that perceived support diminishes the costs and favours the benefits. Nevertheless, the perceived collaboration costs generally outweigh the benefits. Increasing U-I collaboration implies a more efficient support and the results from this study point to the need to design a system of extrinsic rewards benefiting the heavy collaborators.
Selenoprotein W engages in overactive osteoclast differentiation in multiple myeloma
Authors: Kim Hyunsoo , Oh Jiin , Kim Min Kyoung , Lee Kyung Hee , Jeong Daewon
Published: April 2024

Background

Patients with multiple myeloma exhibit malignant osteolytic bone disease due to excessive osteoclast formation and function. We recently identified that osteoclastogenic stimulator selenoprotein W (SELENOW) is upregulated via ERK signaling and downregulated via p38 signaling during receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF)-κΒ ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation. In the intrinsic physiological process, RANKL-induced downregulation of SELENOW maintains proper osteoclast differentiation; in contrast, forced overexpression of SELENOW leads to overactive osteoclast formation and function.

Methods and results

We observed that SELENOW is highly expressed in multiple myeloma-derived peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and mature osteoclasts when compared to healthy controls. Also, the level of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), a pathological osteoclastogenic factor, is increased in the PBMCs and serum of patients with multiple myeloma. ERK activation by TNFα was more marked and sustained than that by RANKL, allowing SELENOW upregulation. Excessive expression of SELENOW in osteoclast progenitors and mature osteoclasts derived from multiple myeloma facilitated efficient nuclear translocation of osteoclastogenic transcription factors NF-κB and NFATc1, which are favorable for osteoclast formation.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest a possibility that feedforward signaling of osteoclastogenic SELENOW by TNFα derived from multiple myeloma induces overactive osteoclast differentiation, leading to bone loss during multiple myeloma.
Bifurcation structures of a two-dimensional piecewise linear discontinuous map: analysis of a cobweb model with regime-switching expectations
Authors: Gardini Laura , Radi Davide , Schmitt Noemi , Sushko Iryna , Westerhoff Frank
Published: April 2024

We consider the bifurcations occurring in a two-dimensional piecewise-linear discontinuous map that describes the dynamics of a cobweb model in which firms rely on a regime-switching expectation rule. In three different partitions of the phase plane, separated by two discontinuity lines, the map is defined by linear functions with the same Jacobian matrix, having two real eigenvalues, one of which is negative and one equal to 0. This leads to asymptotic dynamics that can belong to two or three critical lines. We show that when the basic fixed point is attracting, it may coexist with at most three attracting cycles. We have determined their existence regions, in the two-dimensional parameter plane, bounded by border collision bifurcation curves. At parameter values for which the basic fixed point is repelling, chaotic attractors may exist - either one that is symmetric with respect to the basic fixed point, or, if not symmetric, the symmetric one also exists. The homoclinic bifurcations of repelling cycles leading to the merging of chaotic attractors are commented by using the first return map on a suitable line. Moreover, four different kinds of homoclinic bifurcations of a saddle 2-cycle, leading to divergence of the generic trajectory, are determined.
The soft underbelly of complexity science adoption in policymaking: towards addressing frequently overlooked non-technical challenges
Authors: Nel Darren , Taeihagh Araz
Published: April 2024

The deepening integration of social-technical systems creates immensely complex environments, creating increasingly uncertain and unpredictable circumstances. Given this context, policymakers have been encouraged to draw on complexity science-informed approaches in policymaking to help grapple with and manage the mounting complexity of the world. For nearly eighty years, complexity-informed approaches have been promising to change how our complex systems are understood and managed, ultimately assisting in better policymaking. Despite the potential of complexity science, in practice, its use often remains limited to a few specialised domains and has not become part and parcel of the mainstream policy debate. To understand why this might be the case, we question why complexity science remains nascent and not integrated into the core of policymaking. Specifically, we ask what the non-technical challenges and barriers are preventing the adoption of complexity science into policymaking. To address this question, we conducted an extensive literature review. We collected the scattered fragments of text that discussed the non-technical challenges related to the use of complexity science in policymaking and stitched these fragments into a structured framework by synthesising our findings. Our framework consists of three thematic groupings of the non-technical challenges: (a) management, cost, and adoption challenges; (b) limited trust, communication, and acceptance; and (c) ethical barriers. For each broad challenge identified, we propose a mitigation strategy to facilitate the adoption of complexity science into policymaking. We conclude with a call for action to integrate complexity science into policymaking further.
Nicotinamide Mononucleotide and Nicotinamide Riboside Reverse Ovarian Aging in Rats Via Rebalancing Mitochondrial Fission and Fusion Mechanisms
Authors: Arslan Nazli Pinar , Taskin Mesut , Keles Osman Nuri
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This study examined the effects of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and nicotinamide riboside (NR) on folliculogenesis and mitochondrial dynamics (fission and fusion mechanisms) in ovaries of middle-aged female rats.

Methods

Experimental groups were young, middle-aged (control), middle-aged + NMN and middle-aged + NR. NMN was administered at a concentration of 500 mg/kg intraperitoneally but NR at a concentration of 200 mg/kg by gavage. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were analyzed by ELISA. Hematoxylin-eosin staining sections were used for histopathological examination and follicles-counting. Expression levels of mitochondrial fission (Drp1, Mff and Fis1) and fusion (Mfn1, Mfn2, Opa1, Fam73a and Fam73b) genes as well as Sirt1 gene were analyzed by RT-PCR. Expression levels of fission-related proteins (DRP1, MFF, FIS1 and SIRT1) were analyzed by Western Blot.

Results

Higher ovarian index, more corpus luteum and antral follicles were detected in NMN and NR groups compared to the control. NMN or NR could rebalance LH/FSH ratio. The control group was determined to possess higher expression levels of fission genes and lower expression levels of fusion genes when compared the young group. In comparison with the control group, both NMN and NR group were found to exhibit less mitochondrial fission but more mitochondrial fussion. Higher gene and protein levels for Sirt1 were measured in NMN and NR groups compared to the control group.

Conclusion

This study reveals that NMN alone or NR alone can rebalance mitochondrial dynamics by decreasing excessive fission in middle-aged rat ovaries, thus alleviating mitochondrial stress and correcting aging-induced folliculogenesis abnormalities.
The good life as the life in touch with the good
Authors: Lovett Adam , Riedener Stefan
Published: April 2024

What makes your life go well for you? In this paper, we give an account of welfare. Our core idea is simple. There are impersonally good and bad things out there: things that are good or bad period, not (or not only) good or bad for someone. The life that is good for you is the life in contact with the good. We’ll understand the relevant notion of ‘contact’ here in terms of manifestation: you’re in contact with a value when it is manifest in parts of your life or parts of your life are manifest in it. So, the more the good is manifest in your life, or your life manifest in the good, the better for you. The more the bad is manifest in your life, or your life manifest in the bad, the worse for you. We’ll argue that this account is extensionally adequate: it explains the welfare value of achievements, friendships, knowledge, pleasures and virtues. Moreover, it has a number of explanatory virtues: it’s unified, elegant and explanatorily powerful. So, we’ll suggest, it’s an excellent account of welfare, and in many ways superior to its main competitors.
The presumption of realism
Authors: Franzén Nils
Published: April 2024

Within contemporary metaethics, it is widely held that there is a “presumption of realism” in moral thought and discourse. Anti-realist views, like error theory and expressivism, may have certain theoretical considerations speaking in their favor, but our pretheoretical stance with respect to morality clearly favors objectivist metaethical views. This article argues against this widely held view. It does so by drawing from recent discussions about so-called “subjective attitude verbs” in linguistics and philosophy of language. Unlike pretheoretically objective predicates (e.g., “is made of wood”, “is 185 cm tall”), moral predicates embed felicitously under subjective attitude verbs like the English “find”. Moreover, it is argued that the widespread notion that moral discourse bears all the marks of fact-stating discourse is rooted in a blinkered focus on examples from English. Cross-linguistic considerations suggest that subjective attitude verbs are actually the default terms by which we ascribe moral views to people. Impressions to the contrary in English have to do with some unfortunate quirks of the term “think”.
The use of ChatGPT to find similar institutions for institutional benchmarking
Authors: Bornmann Lutz , Lepori Benedetto
Published: April 2024

In evaluative bibliometrics and higher education studies, one is frequently confronted with the task of comparing institutions with similar institutions. In this Letter to the Editor, a simple approach is discussed which applies ChatGPT. Although the approach seems to produce promising results (tested with an example at the level of research institute and of a university), it is necessary to investigate it systematically based on a sample including many institutions before it should be applied in research evaluation. The challenge in systematic investigations is that ChatGPT provides the user with different answers on the sane request (missing reliability).
Recurrent neural network and long short-term memory models for audio copy-move forgery detection: a comprehensive study
Authors: Akdeniz Fulya , Becerikli Yaşar
Published: April 2024

One of the most pressing challenges in audio forgery detection—a major topic of signal analysis and digital forensics research—is detecting copy-move forgery in audio data. Because audio data are used in numerous sectors, including security, but increasingly tampered with and manipulated, studies dedicated to detecting forgery and verifying voice data have intensified in recent years. In our study, 2189 fake audio files were produced from 2189 audio recordings on the TIMIT corpus, for a total of 4378 audio files. After the 4378 files were preprocessed to detect silent and unsilent regions in the signals, a Mel-frequency-based hybrid feature data set was obtained from the 4378 files. Next, RNN and LSTM deep learning models were applied to detect audio forgery in the data set in four experimental setups—two with RNN and two with LSTM—using the AdaGrad and AdaDelta optimizer algorithms to identify the optimum solution in the unlinear systems and minimize the loss rate. When the experimental results were compared, the accuracy rate of detecting forgery in the hybrid feature data was 76.03%, and the hybrid model, in which the features are used together, demonstrated high accuracy even with small batch sizes. This article thus reports the first-ever use of RNN and LSTM deep learning models to detect audio copy-move forgery. Moreover, because the proposed method does not require adjusting threshold values, the resulting system is more robust than other systems described in the literature.
Enhancing microspore embryogenesis in diploid potato (Solanum tuberosum L. ssp. tuberosum) germplasm
Authors: Ferrie Alison M.R. , Brost Jennifer M.
Published: April 2024

Doubled haploidy (DH) technology has been utilized in cultivated tetraploid potato (Solanum tuberosum L. ssp. tuberosum) to accelerate crop improvement; however very little work has been done with the diploid species. Experiments were undertaken to improve microspore embryogenic response in the diploid germplasm. Several factors influencing embryogenic responses were evaluated. An increase in calcium nitrate, a reduction in the plant growth regulators 6-benzyladenine (BA) and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), as well as an incubation temperature of 28 °C resulted in an increase in callus production and, in some cases, embryo-like structures. Validation of the modified protocol was conducted with both diploid and tetraploid potato germplasm with responses from both diploid and tetraploid. Monoploid and di-haploid plants were also regenerated from these microspore-derived calli.
Generation and characterization of cerebellar granule neurons specific knockout mice of Golli-MBP
Authors: Miyazaki Haruko , Nishioka Saki , Yamanaka Tomoyuki , Abe Manabu , Imamura Yukio , Miyasaka Tomohiro , Kakuda Nobuto , Oohashi Toshitaka , Shimogori Tomomi , Yamakawa Kazuhiro , Ikawa Masahito , Nukina Nobuyuki
Published: April 2024

Golli–myelin basic proteins, encoded by the myelin basic protein gene, are widely expressed in neurons and oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system. Further, prior research has shown that Golli–myelin basic protein is necessary for myelination and neuronal maturation during central nervous system development. In this study, we established Golli–myelin basic protein-floxed mice to elucidate the cell-type-specific effects of Golli–myelin basic protein knockout through the generation of conditional knockout mice (Golli–myelin basic proteinsfl/fl; E3CreN), in which Golli–myelin basic proteins were specifically deleted in cerebellar granule neurons, where Golli–myelin basic proteins are expressed abundantly in wild-type mice. To investigate the role of Golli–myelin basic proteins in cerebellar granule neurons, we further performed histopathological analyses of these mice, with results indicating no morphological changes or degeneration of the major cellular components of the cerebellum. Furthermore, behavioral analysis showed that Golli–myelin basic proteinsfl/fl; E3CreN mice were healthy and did not display any abnormal behavior. These results suggest that the loss of Golli–myelin basic proteins in cerebellar granule neurons does not lead to cerebellar perturbations or behavioral abnormalities. This mouse model could therefore be employed to analyze the effect of Golli–myelin basic protein deletion in specific cell types of the central nervous system, such as other neuronal cells and oligodendrocytes, or in lymphocytes of the immune system.