bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Many Are Too Many? Analyzing Dockless Bike-Sharing Systems with a Parsimonious Model
Authors: Zheng Hongyu , Zhang Kenan , Nie Yu (Marco) , Yan Pengyu , Qu Yuan
Published: October 2023

Using a parsimonious model, this paper analyzes a dockless bike-sharing (DLB) service that competes with walking and a generic motorized mode. The DLB operator chooses a fleet size and a fare schedule that dictate the level of service (LOS) as measured by the access time or the walking time taken to reach the nearest bike location. The market equilibrium is formulated as a solution to a nonlinear equation system over which three counterfactual design problems are defined to maximize (i) profit, (ii) ridership, or (iii) social welfare. The model is calibrated with empirical data collected in Chengdu, China, and all three counterfactual designs are tested against the status quo. We show the LOS of a DLB system is subject to rapidly diminishing returns to the investment on the fleet. Thus, under the monopoly setting considered herein, the current fleet cap set by Chengdu can be cut by up to three quarters even when the DLB operator aims to maximize ridership. This indicates the city’s fleet cap decision might have been misguided by the prevailing conditions of a competitive yet highly inefficient market. For a regulator seeking to influence the DLB operator for social good, the choice of policy instruments depends on the operator’s objective. When the operator focuses on profit, limiting fare is much more effective than limiting fleet size. If, instead, it aims to grow market share, then setting a limit on fleet size becomes a dominant strategy. We also show, both analytically and numerically, that the ability to achieve a stable LOS with a low rebalancing frequency is critical to profitability. A lower rebalancing frequency always rewards users with cheaper fares and better LOS even for a profit-maximizing operator.

Funding: This research was partially supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation [Grant CMMI 1922665] and the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 71971044].

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2022.0304 .
Edge-enhanced microscopy of complex objects using scalar and vectorial vortex filtering
Authors: Zangpo Jigme , Kawabe Tomohiro , Kobayashi Hirokazu
Published: October 2023

Recently, a 4f system containing a q-plate has been used to perform edge detection and enhancement of amplitude or phase objects. However, only a few studies have concentrated on edge enhancement of complex phase-amplitude objects. Here we experimentally verified the functional difference between scalar and vectorial vortex filtering with the q-plate using an onion cell as a complex object and the vectorial vortex filtering successfully enhanced the edges of phase and amplitude objects in the phase-amplitude object. One problem, however, is indistinguishability of the equally-enhanced edges of the phase and amplitude objects. To address this issue, we propose a method to isolate the edge of the phase object from the edge of the amplitude object using off-axis beam illumination. We theoretically calculated the isolation of the edge of the phase object from the amplitude object, and verified via numerical simulations.
Synchrotron-based x ray fluorescence ghost imaging
Authors: Manni Mathieu , Ben-Yehuda Adi , Klein Yishai , Lukic Bratislav , Kingston Andrew , Rack Alexander , Shwartz Sharon , Viganò Nicola
Published: October 2023

X ray fluorescence ghost imaging (XRF-GI) was recently demonstrated for x ray lab sources. It has the potential to reduce the acquisition time and deposited dose by choosing their trade-off with a spatial resolution while alleviating the focusing constraints of the probing beam. Here, we demonstrate the realization of synchrotron-based XRF-GI: we present both an adapted experimental setup and its corresponding required computational technique to process the data. This extends the above-mentioned potential advantages of GI to synchrotron XRF imaging. In addition, it enables new strategies to improve resilience against drifts at all scales and the study of previously inaccessible samples, such as liquids.
Maximum-likelihood estimation in ptychography in the presence of Poisson–Gaussian noise statistics
Authors: Seifert Jacob , Shao Yifeng , van Dam Rens , Bouchet Dorian , van Leeuwen Tristan , Mosk Allard P.
Published: October 2023

Optical measurements often exhibit mixed Poisson–Gaussian noise statistics, which hampers the image quality, particularly under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions. Computational imaging falls short in such situations when solely Poissonian noise statistics are assumed. In response to this challenge, we define a loss function that explicitly incorporates this mixed noise nature. By using a maximum-likelihood estimation, we devise a practical method to account for a camera readout noise in gradient-based ptychography optimization. Our results, based on both experimental and numerical data, demonstrate that this approach outperforms the conventional one, enabling enhanced image reconstruction quality under challenging noise conditions through a straightforward methodological adjustment.
Interpretable inverse-designed cavity for on-chip nonlinear photon pair generation
Authors: Jia Zhetao , Qarony Wayesh , Park Jagang , Hooten Sean , Wen Difan , Zhiyenbayev Yertay , Seclì Matteo , Redjem Walid , Dhuey Scott , Schwartzberg Adam , Yablonovitch Eli , Kanté Boubacar
Published: October 2023

Inverse design is a powerful tool in wave physics for compact, high-performance devices. To date, applications in photonics have mostly been limited to linear systems and it has rarely been investigated or demonstrated in the nonlinear regime. In addition, the “black box” nature of inverse design techniques has hindered the understanding of optimized inverse-designed structures. We propose an inverse design method with interpretable results to enhance the efficiency of on-chip photon generation rate through nonlinear processes by controlling the effective phase-matching conditions. We fabricate and characterize a compact, inverse-designed device using a silicon-on-insulator platform that allows a spontaneous four-wave mixing process to generate photon pairs at a rate of 1.1 MHz with a coincidence to accidental ratio of 162. Our design method accounts for fabrication constraints and can be used for scalable quantum light sources in large-scale communication and computing applications.
Wolbachia infection at least partially rescues the fertility and ovary defects of several new Drosophila melanogaster bag of marbles protein-coding mutants
Authors: Wenzel Miwa , Aquadro Charles F.
Published: October 2023

The D. melanogaster protein coding gene bag of marbles (bam) plays a key role in early male and female reproduction by forming complexes with partner proteins to promote differentiation in gametogenesis. Like another germline gene, Sex lethal, bam genetically interacts with the endosymbiont Wolbachia, as Wolbachia rescues the reduced fertility of a bam hypomorphic mutant. Here, we explored the specificity of the bam-Wolbachia interaction by generating 22 new bam mutants, with ten mutants displaying fertility defects. Nine of these mutants trend towards rescue by the wMel Wolbachia variant, with eight statistically significant at the fertility and/or cytological level. In some cases, fertility was increased a striking 20-fold. There is no specificity between the rescue and the known binding regions of bam, suggesting wMel does not interact with one singular bam partner to rescue the reproductive phenotype. We further tested if wMel interacts with bam in a non-specific way, by increasing bam transcript levels or acting upstream in germline stem cells. A fertility assessment of a bam RNAi knockdown mutant reveals that wMel rescue is specific to functionally mutant bam alleles and we find no obvious evidence of wMel interaction with germline stem cells in bam mutants.
Meeting the 2030 END TB goals in the wake of COVID-19: A modelling study of countries in the USAID TB portfolio
Authors: Arinaminpathy Nimalan , Mukadi Ya Diul , Bloom Amy , Vincent Cheri , Ahmedov Sevim
Published: October 2023

Progress towards the 2030 End TB goals has seen severe setbacks due to disruptions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. For governments and international partner organizations supporting the global TB response, there is a need to assess what level of effort is now needed to reach these goals. Using mathematical modelling, we addressed this question for the countries being supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We aggregated the 24 countries in the USAID portfolio into three geographical country groups: South Asia; sub-Saharan Africa; and Central Asian Republics/Europe (CAR/EU). From 2023 onwards we modelled a combination of interventions acting at different stages of the care cascade, including improved diagnostics; reducing the patient care seeking delay; and the rollout of a disease-preventing vaccine from 2025 onwards. We found that in all three country groups, meeting the End TB goals by 2030 will require a combination of interventions acting at stages of the TB care cascade. Specific priorities may depend on country settings, for example with public-private mix playing an important role in countries in South Asia and elsewhere. When a vaccine becomes available, its required coverage to meet the 2030 goals will vary by setting, depending on the amount of preventive therapy that has already been implemented. Monitoring the number-needed-to-test to identify 1 person with TB in community settings can provide a useful measure of progress towards the End TB goals.
MAPPinfo ‐ mapping quality of health information: Validation study of an assessment instrument
Authors: Kasper Jürgen , Lühnen Julia , Hinneburg Jana , Siebenhofer Andrea , Posch Nicole , Berger-Höger Birte , Grafe Alexander , Småstuen Milada Cvancarova , Steckelberg Anke
Published: October 2023

Background

Health information is a prerequisite for informed choices–decisions, made by individuals about their own health based on knowledge and in congruence with own preferences. Criteria for development, content and design have been defined in a corresponding guideline. However, no instruments exist that provide reasonably operationalised measurement items. Therefore, we drafted the checklist, MAPPinfo, addressing the existing criteria with 19 items.

Objectives

The current study aimed to validate MAPPinfo.

Methods

Five substudies were conducted subsequently at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany and the Medical University of Graz, Austria: (1) to determine content validity through expert reviews of the first draft, (2) to determine feasibility using ‘think aloud’ in piloting with untrained users, (3) to determine inter-rater reliability and criterion validity through a pretest on 50 health information materials, (4) to determine construct validity using 50 developers’ self-declarations about development methods as a reference standard, (5) to determine divergent validity in comparison with the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) (expanded) Scale. The analyses used were qualitative methods and correlation-based methods for determining both inter-rater reliability and validity.

Results

The instrument was considered by experts to operationalise the existing guidelines convincingly. Health and nursing science students found it easy to understand and use. It also had good interrater reliability (mean of T coefficients = .79) and provided a very good estimate of the reference standard (Spearman’s rho = .89), implying sound construct validity. Finally, comparison with the EQIP instrument revealed important and distinct areas of similarities and differences.

Conclusions

The new instrument is ready for use as a screening instrument without the need for training. According to its underpinning concept the instrument exclusively comprises items which are justified by either ethics or research evidence, implying negligence of not yet evidence based, however, potentially important criteria. Further research is needed to complete the body of evidence-based criteria, aiming at an extension of the guideline and MAPPinfo.

Trial registration number

AsPredicted22546; date of registration: 24 July 2019.
Temporal changes in zooplankton indicators highlight a bottom-up process in the Bay of Marseille (NW Mediterranean Sea)
Authors: Garcia Théo , Bănaru Daniela , Guilloux Loïc , Cornet Véronique , Gregori Gérald , Carlotti François
Published: October 2023

Sixteen years (2005–2020) of zooplankton monitoring in the Bay of Marseille (N-W Mediterranean Sea) are analyzed in relation to physical, meteorological, climatic and biotic data. Samples were collected every two weeks by a vertical haul (0–55 m) of a 200 μm plankton net. Different indices characterizing the mesozooplankton are compared: biomass dry weight of four size fractions between 200 and 2000 μm; abundances of the whole of the mesozooplankton and of 13 main taxonomic groups defined from plankton imagery; seasonal onset timing of each zooplankton group; and two other types of indices: the first characterized diversity based on abundance data, and the second was derived from zooplankton size spectra shape. The clearest pattern in the environmental compartment was an overall decreasing trend in nutrients, shifts in phytoplankton metrics (i.e. size structure and particulate organic matter), and changes in winter conditions (i.e. increasing temperatures, precipitation and NAO). Interannual patterns in the mesozooplankton community were: (i) a decrease of total abundance (ii) a decrease in biomass for the four size fractions, with an earlier decrease for the 1000–2000 μm size fraction (in 2008); (iii) a reduced dominance of copepods (calanoids and oithonoids) and a concomitant increase in abundance of other taxonomic groups (crustaceans, pteropods, chaetognaths, salps) which induced higher diversity; (iv) a first shift in size spectra towards smaller sizes in 2009, when the 1000–2000 μm size fraction biomass decreased, and a second shift towards larger sizes in 2013 along with increased diversity; and (iv) a later onset in the phenology for some zooplankton variables and earlier onset for salps. Concomitant changes in the phytoplankton compartment, winter environmental conditions, zooplankton community structure (in size and diversity) and zooplankton phenology marked by a shift in 2013 suggest bottom-up control of the pelagic ecosystem.
A Community of Shared Future for Mankind: A study on the news discourse of environmental cooperation in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative
Authors: Liu Niwen , Yasin Megat Al Imran , Alsagoff Syed Agil , Ng Chwee Fang , Li Mengyu
Published: October 2023

‘The Belt and Road Initiative’ (B&R) was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September and October 2013 and is now actively supported and participated by more than 100 countries and international organizations. B&R has become a hot topic all over the world since its inception. However, the environmental issues arising from this Initiative should not be underestimated. The concept of ‘A Community of Shared Future for Mankind’ is being promoted under the context of globalization, and there has been a lot of coverage in the mainstream media from various countries on the topic of environmental cooperation along B&R. This study takes a sample of reports on the ‘Belt and Road Environmental Cooperation’ from July 2021 to August 2022 and uses Van Dijk’s theory of news discourse analysis to analyze 20 articles in depth. This study attempts to explore the kind of thematic structure and lexical style that the mainstream newspapers from different countries use to report the environmental cooperation among the countries along B&R, also the implications of such a thematic structure and lexical style, and the characteristics of the discourse construction of mainstream newspapers in different countries. The research has found that B&R countries are used to holding a positive attitude to make a report and seek international cooperation. The headlines are mostly made up of nouns, and both direct and indirect quotations are used. Besides, to enhance the truth of the report, different number types are also involved; the theme structures are often made up of a two-level hierarchy.
Information provision and decision-making in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm: A qualitative study of patient experience
Authors: Lecouturier Jan , Stansby Gerry , Thomson Richard G.
Published: October 2023

Introduction

Shared decision making (SDM) refers to patients and health care professionals working together to reach a decision about treatment/care. In abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) treatment options are influenced by patients’ clinical characteristics, their preferences, and potential trade-offs between alternative interventions. This is a prime example of where SDM is essential to ensure the right decision is made for the right patient, yet we have little understanding of what happens in practice. This study explored patient experiences to understand SDM practice in AAA surgery.

Methods

We used a qualitative approach to describe, and identify improvements to, current treatment decision making in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery. Two groups of patients were interviewed: those at the point of discussing treatment options (with corresponding digitally recorded consultation data) and following surgical intervention from one hospital. Framework analysis was used.

Results

Fifteen patients were interviewed, seven at the point of discussing treatment options and eight following surgical intervention. Timing, format and sources of information, verbal framing of interventions and level of patient engagement were key themes. Four areas for improvement were identified: earlier provision and more detailed written information along with signposting to quality on-line information; both intervention options, risks, benefits, and consequences, were not always discussed; some clinicians were somewhat directive in the decision-making process; and patients’ treatment values/preferences were not explored–the only example was in one of the eight recorded consultations. Patients could feel overwhelmed by the information and decision and fearful of the impending surgery.

Conclusions

More emphasis should be placed on the provision of full information and the exploration of patient values and preferences for treatment. Clinician training and support for patients, including decision aids, could facilitate the decision-making process. Providing written information earlier and guidance on reliable on-line resources would benefits patients and their families.
Periodontitis promotes bacterial extracellular vesicle-induced neuroinflammation in the brain and trigeminal ganglion
Authors: Ha Jae Yeong , Seok Jiwon , Kim Suk-Jeong , Jung Hye-Jin , Ryu Ka-Young , Nakamura Michiko , Jang Il-Sung , Hong Su-Hyung , Lee Youngkyun , Lee Heon-Jin
Published: October 2023

Gram-negative bacteria derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), also known as outer membrane vesicles, have attracted significant attention due to their pathogenic roles in various inflammatory diseases. We recently demonstrated that EVs secreted by the periodontopathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) can cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and that their extracellular RNA cargo can promote the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-α, in the brain. To gain more insight into the relationship between periodontal disease (PD) and neuroinflammatory diseases, we investigated the effect of Aa EVs in a mouse model of ligature-induced PD. When EVs were administered through intragingival injection or EV-soaked gel, proinflammatory cytokines were strongly induced in the brains of PD mice. The use of TLR (Toll-like receptor)-reporter cell lines and MyD88 knockout mice confirmed that the increased release of cytokines was triggered by Aa EVs via TLR4 and TLR8 signaling pathways and their downstream MyD88 pathway. Furthermore, the injection of EVs through the epidermis and gingiva resulted in the direct retrograde transfer of Aa EVs from axon terminals to the cell bodies of trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons and the subsequent activation of TG neurons. We also found that the Aa EVs changed the action potential of TG neurons. These findings suggest that EVs derived from periodontopathogens such as Aa might be involved in pathogenic pathways for neuroinflammatory diseases, neuropathic pain, and other systemic inflammatory symptoms as a comorbidity of periodontitis.
Susurros en las tinieblas. Las mujeres en el mundo rural valenciano durante la Baja Edad Media
Authors: Royo Pérez Vicent
Published: October 2023

En este artículo, se analiza la situación de las mujeres en el mundo rural valenciano durante la Baja Edad Media. La atención se focaliza en las integrantes de la clase campesina, es decir, aquellas mujeres que no ejercen ningún tipo de poder político o jurisdiccional. Se parte de la hipótesis de que tienen una lógica y activa participación en el funcionamiento de las empresas domésticas y en el tejido social de las comunidades rurales, mediante la implementación de una serie de prácticas que se ajustan a la moralidad imperante y, al mismo tiempo, adquieren ciertos rasgos diferenciadores. Para ello, se analizan fuentes tan diversas como registros reales, cartularios señoriales, protocolos notariales y ordenanzas municipales. El objetivo es elaborar una primera visión del colectivo femenino en su conjunto y aprehender las transformaciones que experimenta la condición de las mujeres en el mundo rural entre los siglos XIII-XV.
Reflexiones y comentarios: una lectura del libro Il Medioevo degli Alberi. Piante e Paesaggi d’Italia (Secoli XI-XV) de Alfio Cortonesi
Authors: Martín Gutiérrez Emilio
Published: October 2023

Este comentario crítico gira en torno al reciente libro de Alfio Cortonesi titulado Il Medioevo degli alberi. Piante e paesaggi d’Italia (secoli XI-XV). Tomando en consideración las investigaciones de base realizadas en los últimos años, el autor propone una síntesis interpretativa de especial relevancia que puede ser considerada un modelo a seguir en los próximos años.
Protagonistas colaterales de la historia monástica en el ámbito rural. Procesos históricos locales y génesis documental en los primeros textos del archivo del monasterio de Oseira
Authors: Justo Sánchez Daniel , Álvarez López Francisco José
Published: October 2023

Este artículo ofrece una investigación acerca de cómo las sociedades locales aparecen representadas en la documentación del monasterio de Oseira antes y después de su fundación (1025-1199). A partir del estudio de las tradiciones diplomáticas y gráficas ursarienses, así como de una lectura histórica de sus textos, este trabajo confirma la existencia de un filtro monástico que se hace presente en los documentos en los que interviene directamente el monasterio desde el momento de su fundación. Además de resaltar cómo dicho filtro se intuye en los múltiples aspectos que conforman la génesis documental (desde la materialidad de los propios diplomas a la redacción de su contenido o a su estructura diplomática), se ofrecen también varios estudios de caso que destacan cómo la información acerca de las sociedades locales se ve relegada una vez establecidos los intereses propios de la institución monástica. El corpus seleccionado para este estudio, que incluye documentación previa a la fundación del monasterio, así como aquella inmediatamente posterior, confirma que dicho filtro afecta principalmente, aunque no exclusivamente, a la documentación producida con posterioridad a la fundación monástica.
Learning Languages without Humans:
Authors: Chan Rachel Suet Kay
Published: October 2023

Context: In the era of online learning, institutions, instructors, and students are presented with an array of technological advancments, which they can use for personal learning, heutagogy, or autodidacticism at their own convenience.

Problem: Can you learn a new language entirely on your own, without meeting people directly?

Method: Quasi-experiment & autoethnography.

Solution: Based on my experience, I offer this roadmap with the inclusion of possibilities of free to use learning apps, and suggested syllabus for autodidacts seeking to level up or upskill, for learning a language, in this case French.
Avaliação do crescimento de propágulos e plântulas de espécies de mangue em diferentes sedimentos
Authors: Kitagami Beatriz Eiko , Felizardo Kauan Xavier , Silva Lana Lopes da , Oliveira Patricia Fernanda Bueno de , Oliveira Rhauã Carlos Florido de , Francisco Thales Gonçalves , Lignon Marília Cunha
Published: October 2023

Manguezais são ecossistemas de grande importância ecológica e econômica, devido aos serviços ecossistêmicos que oferecem para as comunidades humanas. Diversas áreas de manguezal estão localizadas próximas a regiões urbanizadas, o que contribui com a degradação desses ambientes, devido a inúmeros impactos antrópicos. O conhecimento sobre as características morfológicas do solo é essencial para auxiliar propostas de conservação e restauração desses ecossistemas. Dessa forma, o presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o crescimento de propágulos e plântulas das espécies Rhizophora mangle (mangue vermelho), Avicennia schaueriana (mangue preto) e Laguncularia racemosa (mangue branco) em diferentes tipos de sedimentos. O experimento utilizou um delineamento inteiramente casualizado, contendo três tratamentos (A: 100% areia; L: 100% lama; e misto, M: 50% areia + 50% lama), com três repetições cada, totalizando nove propágulos por espécie e 27 mudas no total. As amostras foram mantidas em ambiente com boa iluminação, regadas com água doce e medidas semanalmente, durante 15 semanas (de agosto a novembro de 2022). Todos os propágulos tiveram 100% de germinação nos três tipos de sedimento. Para verificar se os tratamentos tinham efeitos significativamente diferentes no desenvolvimento das mudas, foi realizada uma análise de variância e o Teste de Scott-Knott. Foi observado que os substratos lama e misto mostraram os melhores resultados de crescimento para as três espécies. O sedimento misto pode ser uma boa alternativa para o cultivo de mudas de mangue e projetos de restauração de manguezais, uma vez que demanda menos sedimento fino (lama) do próprio ecossistema.
Composition and seasonal variation of capitellidae from Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Authors: Beltrão Mayara Carneiro , Cunha Natalia Joana Rebello da , Diehl Fernando Luiz
Published: October 2023

The objective of this study was to provide information about the structure and composition of the Capitellidae family in Balneário Camboriú, as well as evaluate its space-time variations. Four sampling campaigns were carried out at 16 stations, distributed in the Camboriú River and Balneário Camboriú Bay. A total of 1,769 ind.m² were collected and identified into five taxa: Capitella sp.; Capitella cf. nonatoi; Heteromastus sp., Heteromastus similis and Mediomastus cf. californiensis. The most abundant taxon was M. californiensis, showing the highest number of individuals during autumn, followed by Capitella cf. nonatoi in the summer. The distribution of M. californiensis was more related to the opportunistic habit of the species than to seasonality, while Capitella cf. nonatoi distribution was related to the high concentration of organic matter from the Camboriú River, which may be the result of residents and tourists visiting the city in the summer. These results denote the Capitellidae family bioindicator potential for anthropogenic disturbances.
Zinc and graphene oxide composites as new protective coatings for oil and gas pipes
Authors: Asghar M. Sajid Ali , Amir Muhammad , Hussain Umer , Sabri Mohammed M.
Published: October 2023

A method was developed to obtain a durable coating consisting of zinc and graphene oxide (Zn-GO) in order to reduce the mechanical wear and tear rate of oil and gas pipelines made of steel. Graphene oxide was obtained from graphite by wet chemical oxidation (unmodified and modified Hummers’ method) using potassium permanganate and sulfuric acid. The process was carried out at various temperatures. The steel was covered with an ultrathin layer of Zn-GO using the electrophoretic deposition method. The GO particle size (< 90 nm) was confirmed by XRD and laser analysis. For GO particles obtained by the modified Hummers’ method, a significant correlation was observed in the scratch (R2 = 0.87) and the Vickers microhardness tests (R2 = 0.93), which indicates a lower wear rate of Zn-GO-coated steel.
Rheological properties of polypropylene composites with calcium carbonate under high shear rates
Authors: Kloziński Arkadiusz , Lewandowski Krzysztof , Mirowski Jacek , Barczewski Mateusz , Jakubowska Paulina
Published: October 2023

The rheological properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and its composites with unmodified and stearic acid-modified calcium carbonate (5, 10, 20, 30 wt.%) were investigated. The processability factor K of the composites was determined based on changes in the mass flow rate (MFR). The assessment of rheological properties was carried out at high shear rates, in the injection process, using a special on-line measuring head. Measurements were performed at a temperature of 230°C, in the range of apparent shear rate from 19,100 to 101,900 s-1, based on the Ostwald-de Waele power-law model. It has been shown that the behavior of polymer composites during processing (flow resistance, flow, and viscosity curves, MFR) depends on the degree of filling, the type of filler used and the range of shear rates.
Synthesis of molecularly printed methyl methacrylate-based polymers for the detection of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and dibutyl phthalate
Authors: Fauziah St. , Soekamto Nunuk Hariani , Prastawa Budi , Rasyid Herlina , Haedar Nur , Hustim Muralia , Marlina Marlina , Sulaiman Magfirah , Sapar Ajuk
Published: October 2023

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) were obtained by precipitation polymerization for the detection of DEHP and DBP from polymer packaging in drinking water. MIP was obtained by cross-linking DEHP and DBP with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM). FTIR, SEM-EDS, UV-Vis and SAA were used to determine properties of polymers (MIP_DEHP, MIP_DBP). The obtained materials were characterized by a mesoporous structure with small, uniform, and porous grains. The surface area and total pore volume of MIP_DEHP were more than twice smaller than MIP_DBP, with a slightly larger pore diameter. Lower C content may indicate the formation of MIP_DEHP and MIP_DBP. The FTIR method confirmed the presence of functional groups –CH, –CO, –C=C and –C=O. The adsorption capacity of MIP_DEHP and MIP_DBP was 0.68 mg/g and 1.06 mg/g, respectively, and was consistent with the Freundlich isothermal adsorption model.
Hemorrhagic meningioma with pulmonary metastasis: Case report and literature review
Authors: Cao Xuan , He Qiaowei , Ding Mingzeng , Kong Wei , Yin Changyou , Zhao Wei , Wang Yanbin
Published: October 2023

Meningiomas are extra-axial neoplasms that originate from the arachnoid cap cells located on the inner surface of the meninges. Approximately 36% of central nervous system tumors are meningiomas. Based on earlier findings to be benign in most cases, they are categorized as slow-growing tumors that form gradually over time. Meningiomas are usually asymptomatic and discovered inadvertently. They rarely present with immediate clinical symptoms or abrupt hemorrhagic strokes. However, tumor hemorrhage can be fatal in high-grade meningiomas, particularly those with vascularization. We describe a 58-year-old man who was hospitalized after experiencing an unexpectedly acute headache. The right cerebellar hemisphere and vermis cerebellar hemorrhage were detected on computed tomography (CT), and the cerebellar hemorrhage was explained by a diagnosis of hypertension. When additional analysis of the patient’s chest CT indicated lung mass lesions, we assumed that the lung cancer had spread to the brain. However, the pathological outcomes of a guided definite pulmonary aspiration biopsy, in conjunction with resection of the cerebellar tumor, suggested a subtentorial meningioma with ruptured hemorrhage and pulmonary meningioma metastasis. The patient was transferred to a hospital closer to home for ongoing follow-up and, after 2 months, he had recovered well.
Precise glucose measurement in sodium fluoride-citrate plasma affects estimates of prevalence in diabetes and prediabetes
Authors: Heilmann Geronimo , Trenkamp Sandra , Möser Clara , Bombrich Maria , Schön Martin , Yurchenko Iryna , Strassburger Klaus , Rodríguez Marcos Matabuena , Zaharia Oana-Patricia , Burkart Volker , Wagner Robert , Roden Michael
Published: October 2023

Objectives

Estimates of glucose concentrations vary among types of blood samples, which impact on the assessment of diabetes prevalence. Guidelines recommend a conversion factor to calculate plasma glucose from measurements of glucose in whole blood. The American Diabetes Association recommends the use of blood drawing tubes containing sodium fluoride (NaF) and citrate, which have not yet been evaluated regarding possible differences in glucose concentration and conversion factors. Thus, we compared glucose measurements in NaF-citrate plasma and venous whole blood and estimated the impact of differences on diabetes and prediabetes prevalence.

Methods

Glucose differences were calculated by Bland-Altman analysis with pairwise comparison of glucose measurements from whole blood and NaF-citrate plasma (n=578) in clinical studies of the German Diabetes Center. Subsequently, we computed the impact of the glucose difference on diabetes and prediabetes prevalence in the population-based National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Results

Even upon conversion of whole blood to plasma glucose concentrations using the recommended conversion factor, mean glucose concentration difference remained 4.72 % higher in NaF-citrate plasma. Applying the higher glucose estimates, increases the population-based diabetes and prediabetes prevalence by 13.67 and 33.97 % or more than 7.2 and 13 million people in NHANES, respectively. Additional economic burden could be about 20 $ billion per year due to undiagnosed diabetes.

Conclusions

The recommended conversion factor is not valid for NaF-citrate plasma. Systematic bias of glucose measurements due to sampling type leads to clinically relevant higher estimates of diabetes and prediabetes prevalence.
Intra-operative test electrode and electrical auditory brainstem response after preoperative assessment in cochlear implant candidacy
Authors: Polterauer Daniel , Mandruzzato Giacomo , Neuling Maike , Polak Marek , Müller Joachim , Hempel John Martin
Published: October 2023

Introduction: Over the last years, in doubt of cochlear implant (CI) candidacy, assessment of excitability of the auditory nerve is performed with pre-operative tests. These tests are the pre-operative (pre-op.) performed electrical auditory brainstem (EABR) and the late response (EALR) recorded with trans-tympanic promontory stimulation in local anesthesia. But in some cases after such preoperative tests there is still doubt about the excitability of the auditory pathway. The most reliable EABR is recorded with using stimulation via the CI. However, before CI implantation,, an intra-cochlear test electrode could be used in order to achieve similar EABR results. Methods: In doubtful cases of patients who underwent pre-op. EABR, we performed EABR by a test electrode, part of the auditory nerve test system. This measurement was used to confirm the pre-operative results just before CI implantation. Additionally, EABR using CI stimulation was performed intra-operatively right after the CI implantation to confirm EABR using the test stimulation electrode results. Results: Six subjects were included in this study. They were tested by pre-op. EABR (n=6), pre-op. EALR (n=5), intra-op. EABR using test electrode (n=6), intraop. EABR via CI (n=6), and post-op. EABR (n=2), and postop. EALR (n=2). In two cases, intra-operative EABR showed a positive, i.e. clearly measureable, response whereas there was a doubtful response in pre-op. EABR. Intra-op. EABRs (test electrode and CI stimulation) showed the same results in all cases. Waveforms of EABR using test electrode look similar to EABR using CI stimulation but with more defined peaks compare to the pre-op. EABR. In one case with all-over positive EABR, pre-op. EALR, and post-operative EALR were matching. Conclusion: Intra-op. EABR using test electrode was easy to record and it shows similar results to EABR using CI stimulation. Intra-op. EABR using test electrode may help in confirming the results of not clear preop. EABR with a minimal increase in recording time.
Out of the mouths of babes: children and the formation of the Río de la Plata Spanish address system
Authors: Moyna María Irene , Sanz-Sánchez Israel
Published: October 2023

This paper analyzes the effects of child language acquisition as a critical factor in a morphological change, namely, the replacement of the etymologically singular second person paradigm (tuteo) by its plural counterpart (voseo) in 19th century Río de la Plata Spanish. The account applies a sociohistorical model which proposes that young children can function as language change agents in environments characterized by unpredictable input variation, lack of normative mechanisms, and the emergence of peer networks among young learners. The model is then applied to explain the rapid generalization of voseo in the late 1800s, a well-documented but poorly understood process. This change was nestled in an environment characterized by the rapid breakdown and reshaping of social networks through country-to-city migration and massive immigration, and by the resulting contact between L1 and L2 speakers of Iberian and non-Iberian varieties. Our account hypothesizes that successive cohorts of children actuated the various stages of this change, by relying on child language acquisition biases in the learning of verbal morphology observed across Romance varieties. This study combines archival evidence and sociohistorical information with present-day acquisitional data. The latter offers a piece often missing in sociohistorical accounts of language change.
Legitimation Crisis: Notes on Benjamin Buchloh’s Method
Authors: Spaulding Daniel
Published: October 2023

This article seeks to determine the basis for judgments on works of art in the writings of the art historian and critic Benjamin Buchloh. I argue that Buchloh’s judgments are not Kantian aesthetic judgments, nor are they consequentialist moral or political judgments as to the positive or negative effects of artworks. Rather, Buchloh’s judgments are based upon an implicit principle of ‘legitimacy’ or ‘credibility’ that is distinct from the mere possibility of specific artistic practices. I identify several factors that, for Buchloh, are involved in determining the legitimacy of any work of art. In the process I highlight apparent contradictions that result from Buchloh’s rhetoric, specifically his tendency to conflate constitutive conditions of possibility with normative value judgments. For Buchloh, it is only through a successful negotiation of these factors that an artwork succeeds in constituting itself as a meaningful ‘enunciation’ within the structuring system of artistic practice at a given moment.
Rapid Processing of Observed Touch through Social Perceptual Brain Regions: An EEG-fMRI Fusion Study
Authors: Lee Masson Haemy , Isik Leyla
Published: October 2023

Seeing social touch triggers a strong social-affective response that involves multiple brain networks, including visual, social perceptual, and somatosensory systems. Previous studies have identified the specific functional role of each system, but little is known about the speed and directionality of the information flow. Is this information extracted via the social perceptual system or from simulation from somatosensory cortex? To address this, we examined the spatiotemporal neural processing of observed touch. Twenty-one human participants (seven males) watched 500-ms video clips showing social and nonsocial touch during electroencephalogram (EEG) recording. Visual and social-affective features were rapidly extracted in the brain, beginning at 90 and 150 ms after video onset, respectively. Combining the EEG data with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from our prior study with the same stimuli reveals that neural information first arises in early visual cortex (EVC), then in the temporoparietal junction and posterior superior temporal sulcus (TPJ/pSTS), and finally in the somatosensory cortex. EVC and TPJ/pSTS uniquely explain EEG neural patterns, while somatosensory cortex does not contribute to EEG patterns alone, suggesting that social-affective information may flow from TPJ/pSTS to somatosensory cortex. Together, these findings show that social touch is processed quickly, within the timeframe of feedforward visual processes, and that the social-affective meaning of touch is first extracted by a social perceptual pathway. Such rapid processing of social touch may be vital to its effective use during social interaction.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTSeeing physical contact between people evokes a strong social-emotional response. Previous research has identified the brain systems responsible for this response, but little is known about how quickly and in what direction the information flows. We demonstrated that the brain processes the social-emotional meaning of observed touch quickly, starting as early as 150 ms after the stimulus onset. By combining electroencephalogram (EEG) data with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, we show for the first time that the social-affective meaning of touch is first extracted by a social perceptual pathway and followed by the later involvement of somatosensory simulation. This rapid processing of touch through the social perceptual route may play a pivotal role in effective usage of touch in social communication and interaction.
Akkermansia muciniphila induces slow extramedullary hematopoiesis via cooperative IL‐1R/TLR signals
Authors: Wang Yuxin , Morishima Tatsuya , Sezaki Maiko , Sato Ryo , Nakato Gaku , Fukuda Shinji , Kobiyama Kouji , Ishii Ken J , Li Yuhua , Takizawa Hitoshi
Published: October 2023

Bacterial infections can activate and mobilize hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from the bone marrow (BM) to the spleen, a process termed extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH). Recent studies suggest that commensal bacteria regulate not only the host immune system but also hematopoietic homeostasis. However, the impact of gut microbes on hematopoietic pathology remains unclear. Here, we find that systemic single injections of Akkermansia muciniphila (A. m.), a mucin‐degrading bacterium, rapidly activate BM myelopoiesis and slow but long‐lasting hepato‐splenomegaly, characterized by the expansion and differentiation of functional HSPCs, which we term delayed EMH. Mechanistically, delayed EMH triggered by A. m. is mediated entirely by the MYD88/TRIF innate immune signaling pathway, which persistently stimulates splenic myeloid cells to secrete interleukin (IL)‐1α, and in turn, activates IL‐1 receptor (IL‐1R)‐expressing splenic HSPCs. Genetic deletion of Toll‐like receptor‐2 and ‐4 (TLR2/4) or IL‐1α partially diminishes A. m.‐induced delayed EMH, while inhibition of both pathways alleviates splenomegaly and EMH. Our results demonstrate that cooperative IL‐1R‐ and TLR‐mediated signals regulate commensal bacteria‐driven EMH, which might be relevant for certain autoimmune disorders.
Results of Training for Secondary School Students to the Interpretation of Educational Material in Biology
Authors:   M. E. Evseviev Mordovian State Pedagogical University, Markinov Ivan Fedorovich , Jakunchev Mihail Aleksandrovich ,   M. E. Evseviev Mordovian State Pedagogical University, Semenova Natalia Gennadievna ,   M. E. Evseviev Mordovian State Pedagogical University, Kapustina Yulia F. ,   M. E. Evseviev Mordovian State Pedagogical University
Published: October 2023

In the article, interpretation is characterized as a theoretical method and a logical procedure, which together provide increased efficiency in the cognition of living objects. Students’ mastery of interpretation is better carried out in stages – propaedeutic, basic and diagnostic. They were implemented in experimental work in grades 5–9, on the basis of which significant results were obtained in terms of knowledge and skills. For their diagnosis, criteria with corresponding indicators and control tasks of four levels of complexity have been developed. Data from a pedagogical experiment indicate an increase in the efficiency of students’ cognition of living objects using interpretation tools. Purpose of the article. Presentation of the results of preparing students in grades 5–9 to interpret educational material in biology. Research methodology. The priority methodological basis is an activity-based approach, which involves the use of interpretation by students to expand the capabilities of educational biological cognition. Research methods. Methods of the theoretical level – analysis of published sources on the stated topic, systematization and generalization of research material. Empirical level methods – pedagogical experiment, diagnostics of learning results, interpretation, elementary mathematical calculations of the obtained data. Conclusion. The use of interpretation as a theoretical method and logical procedure in the preparation of students in biology can increase the efficiency of their knowledge of living objects. The diagnostic criteria and indicators proposed by the authors, as well as multi-level control tasks, make it possible to objectively evaluate the results of preparing secondary school students to interpret educational material in biology.