bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vitamin C as an Effective Organocatalyst for Three and Four‐Component Synthesis of 1,2,4,5‐tetrasubstituted Imidazoles
Authors: Bhattacharjee Saptadwipa , Basak Puja , Roy Sayani , Saha Kousik , Basu Ananya , Ghosh Pranab
Published: October 2023

An efficient multi‐component synthesis of a wide range of pharmaceutically promising tetrasubstituted imidazoles has been reported using inexpensive and safe organocatalyst, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). Imidazoles display a broad spectrum of activities in biological and pharmaceutical chemistry. Ascorbic acid, an highly effective H‐bond donor organocatalyst successfully accessed one‐pot imidazole synthesis via both three‐component and four‐component strategy. The core advantages of this approach include environmentally benign synthesis, good to excellent yield, high atom economy, use of easily available starting materials, operational simplicity.
N‐Acylated Benzylic Amines via Photocatalytic Hydroarylation of Enamides
Authors: Dickson Jalen L. , Friestad Gregory K.
Published: October 2023

Photocatalytic conditions are reported for hydroarylation of enamides, a reaction that provides benzylic amine structures of importance in synthetic and medicinal chemistry. Hydroarylation of enamides occurs under catalysis by Ru(bpy)3(PF6)2 with blue LED light; versatility is demonstrated by successful hydroarylations with substituents connected via the alkene and amide linkages of the enamide. Electron‐rich arenes and heteroarenes including 1,3,5‐trimethoxybenzene, 2‐naphthol, 2‐methylfuran, pyrrole, and substituted indoles are accommodated.
Analysing the rationality of the Gaia hypothesis
Authors: Xie Jianhua
Published: October 2023

The Gaia hypothesis is often used as the basis for demonstrating environmental integrity in current arguments within the field of ecological philosophy. However, when citing the Gaia hypothesis, people are often vague when defining its connotations and extensions. By analysing the controversies surrounding the Gaia hypothesis, we can achieve an appropriate conception of its ontology, including the blindness of the strong theoretical approach and the rationality of the weak one. Gaia's naturalistic epistemology, holistic methodology and systematic values can thus be discriminated. Gaia has strong significance for allowing human beings to understand the Earth's ecological environment and is an effective ecological holistic theory.
The materials and techniques of The Lamentation of Christ (ca. 1460, Mauritshuis), attributed to Rogier van der Weyden and studio: Combining MA‐XRF, reflectance imaging spectroscopy and paint cross‐section analysis
Authors: Pottasch Carol , van Loon Annelies , Delaney John K. , Dooley Kathryn A.
Published: October 2023

This article highlights a technical examination of The Lamentation of Christ (ca. 1460, Mauritshuis) attributed to Rogier van der Weyden and studio, performed during its recent conservation treatment. The goal of the research was to identify and map pigments used for the final paint and underpaint of the figures using information from non‐invasive chemical mapping and analysis of cross sections, to support the existing attribution of the painting. The results from a MA‐XRF scanner and two hyperspectral reflectance imaging cameras (400–1000 nm; 967–1680 nm) along with those from the analysis of recent paint cross sections and those collected in the 1980s allowed for a comprehensive understanding of the pigments used and their distribution. In general, the results show that the artist achieved a wide variety of colored draperies (robes) of the figures using a limited palette. High‐quality ultramarine and coarse azurite were identified in the different blue draperies, while azurite was also found combined with red lake and lead white to produce the lilac and purple‐toned fabrics. The green robe contains another copper pigment, verdigris, combined with lead‐tin yellow. The various red draperies show subtle differences in hue, obtained by varying the layer stratigraphy and proportions of lead white, vermilion, and red lake. The chemical maps also provided new insights into the original appearance and modeling of some of the draperies, including the unusual brown dress that was found to contain (partly faded) red lake. Comparison with previous technical studies shows that the materials and elaborate build‐ups used to paint The Lamentation are consistent with other paintings by Rogier van der Weyden and his workshop.
Exploring the energy landscape and crystal structures of CrSi2N4
Authors: Skundric T. , Schön J. C. , Zarubica A. , Fonovic M. , Zagorac D.
Published: October 2023

The Cr−Si−N system is of great interest for materials with advanced tribological and mechanical properties. So far, experimental data have been reported on Cr−Si−N coating, nanocrystalline phases, and thin films, together with theoretically predicted 1D and 2D hetero‐structures, and 3D bulk Cr2SiN4 modifications. This study predicts possible bulk Cr−Si−N phases with the composition CrSi2N4. A multi‐methodological approach has been employed to explore the system's energy landscape, where global optimization was combined with data mining and the Primitive Cell for Atom Exchange (PCAE) method. Local optimization of the structure candidates was performed on the DFT level using the GGA‐PBE and the LDA‐PZ approximation. The ten energetically most favorable structure candidates discovered in the CrSi2N4 chemical system mostly exhibited monoclinic symmetry but with a variety of structural features, from zeolite‐like structures to polytypic behavior. Finally, the bulk modulus of these possible modifications was computed for a pressure range of up to 10 GPa.
Role in Phenylpropanoid Biosynthesis of the Grapevine Plastidic Phosphoenolpyruvate Translocator VviPPT1
Authors: Silva Angélica , Noronha Henrique , Ricci Dorotea , Frusciante Sarah , Diretto Gianfranco , Conde Carlos , Granell Antonio , Gerós Hernâni
Published: October 2023

Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), the main precursor of the shikimate pathway in the plastids, is imported from the cytosol through a PEP translocator (PPT). The final product of the shikimate pathway, chorismate, is the precursor for all three aromatic amino acids (AAAs), which are pivotal not only in the production of proteins but as precursors of several primary and secondary metabolites. In this study, pigmented cultured cells from cv Gamay fréaux grapes were used as a model to investigate the role of the plastidal VviPPT1 in grapevine secondary metabolism. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout ofVviPPT1produced a cell line with an obvious visual low anthocyanin phenotype. Besides evident modifications of the metabolome, such as a strong reduction in phenolic acids, flavonols, and stilbenoids, key enzymes of the shikimate and phenylpropanoid pathways were inhibited at the protein activity and/or gene expression level, revealing a complex regulation of secondary metabolism not only dependent on the observed reduction of phenylalanine.
Robotik im stationären Handel
Authors: Kranzer Simon , Portenschlager Lukas , Horn Matthäus , Kozlica Reuf , Müllner Viktoria , Neureiter Tina , Nöbauer Julian , Saßnick Olaf , Schlager Christina , Zniva Robert
Published: October 2023

Um den stationären Handel weiterhin rentabel und effizient zu gestalten, ist der Einsatz von Technologie und Software essenziell. Auch der Einsatz von smarter Robotik ist eine Antwort auf fehlendes Personal und steigende Aufgaben im Laden. Der Artikel gibt einen Überblick über aktuelle und zukünfige Anwendungen von Robotern im stationären Handel und legt Herausforderungen und Potenziale dar.
An adapted cascade model to scale primary school digital education curricular reforms and teacher professional development programs
Authors: El-Hamamsy Laila , Monnier Emilie-Charlotte , Avry Sunny , Chessel-Lazzarotto Frédérique , Liégeois Grégory , Bruno Barbara , Zufferey Jessica Dehler , Mondada Francesco
Published: October 2023

Many countries struggle to effectively introduce Digital Education (DE) to all K-12 students as they lack adequately trained teachers. While cascade models of in-service teacher-professional development (PD) can rapidly deploy PD-programs through multiple levels of trainers to reach all teachers, they suffer from many limitations and are often ineffective. We therefore propose an adapted cascade model to deploy a primary school DE teacher-PD program throughout an administrative region. The model relies on teacher-trainers who (i) are active teachers in the region, (ii) have a prolonged trainer-PD with experts who piloted the teacher-PD program to acquire adult-trainer and DE-related competences, and (iii) are supported by the experts throughout the deployment. To validate the deployment model we used data from 14 teacher-trainers, the 700 teachers they trained, and 350 teachers trained by experts. The teacher-trainer findings demonstrate that the adapted cascade model effectively addresses most cascade models’ limitations. The teacher-related findings further validate the adapted cascade model in terms of perception, motivation and adoption which are at least equivalent to those obtained with the experts. To conclude, the adapted cascade model is an effective means of spreading primary school DE PD-programs at a large scale and can be used in other DE reforms.
Mapping the knowledge domain of green procurement: a review and bibliometric analysis
Authors: Rejeb Abderahman , Rejeb Karim , Kayikci Yasanur , Appolloni Andrea , Treiblmaier Horst
Published: October 2023

The goal of green procurement, also called green purchasing, is to reduce waste and improve operational efficiencies to enhance sustainability. Although this practice has gained importance in recent years and garnered significant scholarly attention, there is a lack of bibliometric studies evaluating the green procurement field. To close this gap, we leverage bibliometrics to comprehensively summarize the literature and identify existing research hotspots and trends. Specifically, we employ bibliometric tools to analyze keywords, identify influential authors, universities, and research areas and reveal the most important publications in terms of citations. The analysis shows that sustainable development, sustainability, green supply chain management, and green public procurement are core topics related to green procurement. The co-citation analysis further reveals five important research clusters in the literature, namely green public procurement, green supply chain management, green supplier selection and evaluation of green performance, networked sustainable procurement, and green procurement in the construction sector. This study makes a contribution to the green procurement literature by summarizing this quickly growing field and providing timely guidance as to future research directions.
Vascular senescence and leak are features of the early breakdown of the blood–brain barrier in Alzheimer’s disease models
Authors: Ting Ka Ka , Coleman Paul , Kim Hani Jieun , Zhao Yang , Mulangala Jocelyne , Cheng Ngan Ching , Li Wan , Gunatilake Dilini , Johnstone Daniel M. , Loo Lipin , Neely G. Gregory , Yang Pengyi , Götz Jürgen , Vadas Mathew A. , Gamble Jennifer R.
Published: October 2023

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related disease, with loss of integrity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) being an early feature. Cellular senescence is one of the reported nine hallmarks of aging. Here, we show for the first time the presence of senescent cells in the vasculature in AD patients and mouse models of AD. Senescent endothelial cells and pericytes are present in APP/PS1 transgenic mice but not in wild-type littermates at the time of amyloid deposition. In vitro, senescent endothelial cells display altered VE-cadherin expression and loss of cell junction formation and increased permeability. Consistent with this, senescent endothelial cells in APP/PS1 mice are present at areas of vascular leak that have decreased claudin-5 and VE-cadherin expression confirming BBB breakdown. Furthermore, single cell sequencing of endothelial cells from APP/PS1 transgenic mice confirms that adhesion molecule pathways are among the most highly altered pathways in these cells. At the pre-plaque stage, the vasculature shows significant signs of breakdown, with a general loss of VE-cadherin, leakage within the microcirculation, and obvious pericyte perturbation. Although senescent vascular cells were not directly observed at sites of vascular leak, senescent cells were close to the leak area. Thus, we would suggest in AD that there is a progressive induction of senescence in constituents of the neurovascular unit contributing to an increasing loss of vascular integrity. Targeting the vasculature early in AD, either with senolytics or with drugs that improve the integrity of the BBB may be valid therapeutic strategies.
Phenoage and longitudinal changes on transthoracic echocardiography in Alström syndrome: a disease of accelerated ageing?
Authors: Patel Leena , Roy Ashwin , Alvior Amor Mia B , Yuan Mengshi , Baig Shanat , Bunting Karina V. , Hodson James , Gehmlich Katja , Lord Janet M , Geberhiwot Tarekegn , Steeds Richard P.
Published: October 2023

Alström syndrome (AS) is an ultra-rare disorder characterised by early-onset multi-organ dysfunction, such as insulin resistance, obesity, dyslipidaemia, and renal and cardiovascular disease. The objective is to explore whether AS is a disease of accelerated ageing and whether changes over time on echocardiography could reflect accelerated cardiac ageing. Cross-sectional measurement of Phenoage and retrospective analysis of serial echocardiography were performed between March 2012 and November 2022. The setting is a single national tertiary service jointly run by health service and patient charity. Forty-five adult patients aged over 16 years were included, 64% were male and 67% of White ethnicity. The median Phenoage was 48 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 35–72) in the 34 patients for whom this was calculable, which was significantly higher than the median chronological age of 29 years (IQR: 22–39, p<0.001). Phenoage was higher than chronological age in 85% (N=29) of patients, with a median difference of +18 years (IQR: +4, +34). On echocardiography, significant decreases were observed over time in left ventricular (LV) size at end-diastole (average of 0.046 cm per year, p<0.001) and end-systole (1.1% per year, p=0.025), with significant increase in posterior wall thickness at end-diastole (0.009 cm per year, p=0.008). LV systolic function measured by global longitudinal strain reduced (0.34 percentage points per year, p=0.020) and E/e’lat increased (2.5% per year, p=0.019). Most AS patients display a higher Phenoage compared to chronological age. Cardiac changes in AS patients were also reflective of accelerated ageing, with a reduction in LV size and increased wall thickening. AS may be a paradigm disease for premature ageing.
The Role of Calcination Temperature in the Self-cleaning Functionality of Urea-Doped TiO2 Prepared through In Situ Heat-Assisted Sol–Gel Synthesis
Authors: Lukong Valantine Takwa , Chukwuati Christopher Nonso , Ukoba Kingsley , Jen Tien-Chien
Published: October 2023

In this study, urea-doped titanium dioxide (urea-TiO2) nanoparticles were synthesized through an in situ heat-assisted sol–gel technique using titanium (IV) isopropoxide as the precursor for titanium dioxide and urea as a nitrogen source. The nanoparticles were calcined at 300, 500, and 700 °C to study the effect of the calcination temperature on their function as self-cleaning material. The nanoparticles were characterized using a scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscope for morphology, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy for structure, UV–Vis, and photoluminescence spectroscopy for optical analysis. The self-cleaning study was carried out by letting samples degrade methylene blue and Rhodamine-B under UV irradiation. The morphological analysis reveals particle size distribution with more disparity at higher calcination temperatures. At lower calcination temperatures, the dopant caused high clustering of particles, keeping them linked together in muddy form and layers. Structural analysis showed that the particles were nanostructured with average crystallite sizes ranging from 2.35 to 16.13 nm and phase transformation from anatase to rutile after calcining at 700 °C. The nitrogen presence created a lattice disorder in the TiO2 structure, and the impact of higher calcination temperature on the nanoparticles further shifted the band toward a higher wavenumber under FTIR analysis. The optical bandgap reduced from 3.29 eV at 300 °C to 3.09 eV at 700 °C. The determined values of the rate constant from the photodegradation test showed that the highest rate was obtained at 700 °C, indicating enhanced self-cleaning functionality with an increase in calcination temperature of urea-TiO2.
The Clinical Impact of Change in the C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio in Gastric Cancer Patients Who Receive Curative Treatment
Authors: Aoyama Toru , Maezawa Yukio , Hashimoto Itaru , Hara Kentaro , Komori Keisuke , Otani Kazuki , Kazama Keisuke , Sawazaki Sho , Numata Masakatsu , Kawahara Shinnosuke , Cho Haruhiko , Morita Junya , Segami Kenki , Tanabe Mie , Yukawa Norio , Saito Aya , Rino Yasushi , Ogata Takashi , Oshima Takashi
Published: October 2023

Background

Recently, change in the C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) has become a promising prognostic marker in some malignancies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical impact of change in the CAR in gastric cancer patients who received curative resection.

Method

The present study included 458 patients who underwent curative treatment for gastric cancer between 2013 and 2017. The prognosis and clinicopathological parameters were compared between patients who showed a high-change in CAR and those who showed a low-change in CAR.

Results

The OS stratified by each clinical factor was compared using a log-rank test, and a significant difference was observed using a 0.05 change in CAR. When the patient background factors were compared between the high-change (change in CAR ≥ 0.05) and low-change (change in CAR < 0.05) groups, the median age, sex ratio, T factor, and N factor were similar. In the low-change group, the OS rates at 3 and 5 years after surgery were 94.1% and 87.6%, respectively, which amounted to a significant difference from the low-change group, with rates of 83.6 and 77.5% in the high-change group. In the low-change group, the RFS rates at 3 and 5 years after surgery were 90.1% and 85.1%, respectively, while those in the high-change group 77.6 and 75.2%. The univariate and multivariate analyses of factors associated with OS and RFS showed that the change in CAR was a significant prognostic factor.

Conclusions

The change in CAR is a significant risk factor and promising prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients.
Representationalism and Olfactory Valence
Authors: Skrzypulec Błażej
Published: October 2023

One of the crucial characteristics of the olfactory modality is that olfactory experiences commonly present odours as pleasant or unpleasant. Indeed, because of the importance of the hedonic aspects of olfactory experience, it has been proposed that the role of olfaction is not to represent the properties of stimuli, but rather to generate a valence-related response. However, despite a growing interest among philosophers in the study of the chemical senses, no dominant theory of sensory pleasure has emerged in the case of human olfaction. The aim of this paper is to develop an argument based on the way in which olfactory valence is neurally encoded; one that demonstrates an advantage of the indicative representational approach to olfactory valence over approaches that characterise valence in terms of desires or commands. The argument shows that it is plausible to understand olfactory valence, at least in part, in terms of indicative representations.
Root Development and Subsoil 15N-labelled N Uptake in Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)
Authors: Porte Anne , Bellingrath-Kimura Sonoko D. , Schmidtke Knut
Published: October 2023

The aim of this study was to investigate fertiliser-derived N uptake of soybean from different depths of the soil under field conditions. In addition, soybean root growth in sandy and loess soil was evaluated to understand the impact of site and soybean variety characteristics on soybean N uptake under continental conditions in Central Europe. Root analysis to determine rooting depth and root length density (RLD) was carried out using the profile wall method at three growth stages and two soybean cultivars (Glycine max (L.) Merr. cvs. Merlin and Sultana) in three consecutive years at two locations in eastern Germany. Fertiliser-derived N uptake of soybean from the soil surface and the subsoil was determined at 0.3 and 0.6 m depths using 15N-labelled nitrate N. Root studies showed that soybean roots grew up to 1.4 m on sandy and loess soil sites. Root length densities of up to 2.4 cm cm−3 were documented in the topsoil. By means of 15N application, soybean was shown to take up 15% of the surface-applied nitrogen in the dry growing season and 67 % in high rainfall years, between 19 and 77 % of the nitrogen placed at 0.3 m soil depth, and between 2 and 64 % of the nitrogen placed at 0.6 m soil depth by flowering. The field trials showed that soybeans can absorb a high proportion of the nitrogen placed in the subsoil by flowering time. Due to a well-developed root system reaching deep into the soil, soybeans are able to cover their N demand from soil-borne sources and secure yield formation during dry periods by water uptake from the subsoil.
Explainability and transparency in the realm of digital humanities: toward a historian XAI
Authors: El-Hajj Hassan , Eberle Oliver , Merklein Anika , Siebold Anna , Shlomi Noga , Büttner Jochen , Martinetz Julius , Müller Klaus-Robert , Montavon Grégoire , Valleriani Matteo
Published: October 2023

The recent advancements in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) translated to an increased adoption of AI technology in the humanities, which is often challenged by the limited amount of annotated data, as well as its heterogeneity. Despite the scarcity of data it has become common practice to design increasingly complex AI models, usually at the expense of human readability, explainability, and trust. This in turn has led to an increased need for tools to help humanities scholars better explain and validate their models as well as their hypotheses. In this paper, we discuss the importance of employing Explainable AI (XAI) methods within the humanities to gain insights into historical processes as well as ensure model reproducibility and a trustworthy scientific result. To drive our point, we present several representative case studies from the Sphaera project where we analyze a large, well-curated corpus of early modern textbooks using an AI model, and rely on the XAI explanatory outputs to generate historical insights concerning their visual content. More specifically, we show that XAI can be used as a partner when investigating debated subjects in the history of science, such as what strategies were used in the early modern period to showcase mathematical instruments and machines.
Numerical simulation of the pressure characteristics of the pulsed jet actuator
Authors: Zhu T. , Pan Y. , Morrison J.
Published: October 2023

A compressible large eddy simulation (LES) is performed to study a pulsed jet actuator that is used to control a turbulent axisymmetric bluff body wake. The actuator is driven at low-frequency (
$f = 200$
Hz,
$S{t_\theta } = 0.029$
) and high amplitude (
${C_\mu } = 0.034$
). The numerical scheme and a suitable boundary condition for the pulsed jet are validated, showing good agreement with experimental results. A comparison of the velocity boundary condition and the moving boundary condition shows that, in the vicinity of the orifice/slot and in the downstream region, the results from these two methods are identical, while the fluid behaviour inside the cavity shows difference. An analysis of the pulsed jet actuator shows that the phase lag of the cavity pressure is determined by the integration of the diaphragm motion and the pulsed jet. The mean total pressure distribution shows that the total pressure loss is concentrated in the vicinity of the slot. Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) on the pressure field is used to extract coherent structures which oscillate with the same frequency as that of the diaphragm motion. Some small-scale high-frequency structures are also apparent.
Using Merrill's First Principles and Revised Bloom's Taxonomy to Select and Design H5P for a Visual Literacy OER.
Authors: Miller Marty
Published: October 2023

This article will outline how Merrill's first principles of education and the Taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives were leveraged to scaffold the construction of an OER visual literacy tool. It will demonstrate how each object of these two guides can be paired with specific H5P activities. The outcome of this tool is to build upon students’ visual literacy knowledge so that they can analyse a work of art while gradually removing their reliance on detailed or frequent prompts.
Local Worker and Excavation Director Relationships in Anatolia in the Mid-Twentieth and Early Twenty-First Centuries
Authors: Baysal Emma L.
Published: October 2023

In many areas of the world, archaeological research relies on workers without formal training in archaeology or apparent direct input into archaeological knowledge production. While these workers may appear to have little agency within the excavation process, and no direct participation in research outcomes, their role is more complex. Examples of local and international archaeological teams working in Türkiye in the mid-twentieth century and today are used here to explore the articulation of worker roles in field archaeology, as portrayed in field reports. The author assesses the language associated with team members in acknowledgements of their presence and status and examines how relationships are developed and maintained. Awareness of knowledge accumulation among local archaeological workers was articulated in the 1960s and proved advantageous to both workers and directors. Recent reports show little acknowledgement of worker presence, showing that multivocality has had no significant impact in this area of archaeological knowledge production.
(Re)Reading Monique Wittig: Domination, Utopia, and Polysemy
Authors: Szymanski J. A.
Published: October 2023

This article offers a rereading of Monique Wittig's philosophical writing on sex, gender, and sexuality against some of the major criticisms that have led to limited engagement with her work. I argue that reorienting our understanding of Wittig's lesbian-feminism away from notions of sexuality per se enables us to read her in terms of a larger project that takes aim at the primacy of phallocentrism in how we understand subjectivity. In doing so, I establish and situate three themes in her feminism that have remained largely unremarked upon in contemporary philosophical treatments of her work: domination, utopianism, and polysemy. Part of this reorientation also involves taking seriously the place of language in her philosophy and examining the ways in which she textually expresses the “lesbian” in her literature—a facet similarly underexamined. Although the account of Wittig's philosophy given here is by no means definitive, I aim through this preliminary re-evaluation to provide a richer reading of Wittig's work against prevailing criticism, demonstrate her continuing relevance to feminist thought, and present further avenues of investigation.
From the Mayer–Vietoris spectral sequence to überhomology
Authors: Caputi Luigi , Celoria Daniele , Collari Carlo
Published: October 2023

We prove that the second page of the Mayer–Vietoris spectral sequence, with respect to anti-star covers, can be identified with another homological invariant of simplicial complexes: the

$0$

-degree überhomology. Consequently, we obtain a combinatorial interpretation of the second page of the Mayer–Vietoris spectral sequence in this context. This interpretation is then used to extend the computations of bold homology, which categorifies the connected domination polynomial at

$-1$

.
Encountering the Bible from Subaltern Sources
Authors: Dickerson Dennis C.
Published: October 2023

Mark A. Noll's insightful and comprehensive survey of the Bible as foundational to American history skillfully nuances this contested topic. While some might describe the United States as a Bible republic, Noll, in stunningly dense detail and documentation, correctly calls the nation a Bible civilization. In drawing this crucial distinction, Noll demonstrates that the Bible and Biblical literacy underlay discourse about politics, culture, and citizenship while at the same time he shows that religious neutrality was enshrined as a national norm in not privileging in the civic sphere one religion over another. After the “proprietary” churches that once exercised disproportionate influence in the public square yielded to a competitive religious marketplace, Methodists emerged in buttressing the body politic through the power of private piety. This disengagement from overt public involvements—a signature attribute of Wesleyan whites—paralleled what the American Bible Society designed in maintaining Biblical primacy in the life of the nation. Distribution of scriptures, especially on the expanding frontier, without doctrinal note or denominational advocacy would sustain the Bible as a glue holding together the American polis and sustaining this body of scriptures as “America's book.”
Mind the gap: Why is there no general purpose ideographic system?
Authors: Sterelny Kim
Published: October 2023

Morin has identified an intriguing puzzle about human communication systems, and one element of the solution: Inscriptional sign systems pose more coordination problems, making sender/receiver coadaptation more difficult. But I reject his view of written language, concluding that inscriptional sign systems can be generalist. The upshot is a cost-based proposal about why generalist ideographic systems are essentially unknown.
A bigger problem for ideography: The pervasiveness of linguistic structure
Authors: Harbour Daniel
Published: October 2023

Writing systems display ubiquitous linguistic structure, from the recursive syntactic properties of their glyphs to the morphology/phonology of their combinatorics. This extends to Ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Sumerian ideograms. Pure ideography requires switching this influence off. The pervasive linguistic tinge to the fabric of writing systems suggests that the chances of breaking what Morin terms language's lock-in effect are slim.
Chinese offers a test for universal cognitive processes
Authors: Yan Ming , Kliegl Reinhold
Published: October 2023

The Chinese writing system is unique in its implementation of graphemic, phonological, morphological, and semantic features. We add nuances to its portrait in the target article and highlight research on radically different timelines of phonological and semantic activation during reading of Chinese and alphabetic script, paving the way for the identification of universal and culture-specific cognitive processing.
Multiple recurrence and popular differences for polynomial patterns in rings of integers
Authors: ACKELSBERG ETHAN , BERGELSON VITALY
Published: October 2023

We demonstrate that the phenomenon of popular differences (aka the phenomenon of large intersections) holds for natural families of polynomial patterns in rings of integers of number fields. If K is a number field with ring of integers
$\mathcal{O}_K$
and
$E \subseteq \mathcal{O}_K$
has positive upper Banach density
$d^*(E) = \delta > 0$
, we show, inter alia:

(1)

if
$p(x) \in K[x]$
is an intersective polynomial (i.e., p has a root modulo m for every
$m \in \mathcal{O}_K$
) with
$p(\mathcal{O}_K) \subseteq \mathcal{O}_K$
and
$r, s \in \mathcal{O}_K$
are distinct and nonzero, then for any
$\varepsilon > 0$
, there is a syndetic set
$S \subseteq \mathcal{O}_K$
such that for any
$n \in S$
,
\begin{align*} d^* \left( \left\{ x \in \mathcal{O}_K \;:\; \{x, x + rp(n), x + sp(n)\} \subseteq E \right\} \right) > \delta^3 - \varepsilon. \end{align*}
Moreover, if
${s}/{r} \in \mathbb{Q}$
, then there are syndetically many
$n \in \mathcal{O}_K$
such that
\begin{align*} d^* \left( \left\{ x \in \mathcal{O}_K \;:\; \{x, x + rp(n), x + sp(n), x + (r+s)p(n)\} \subseteq E \right\} \right) > \delta^4 - \varepsilon; \end{align*}

(2)

if
$\{p_1, \dots, p_k\} \subseteq K[x]$
is a jointly intersective family (i.e.,
$p_1, \dots, p_k$
have a common root modulo m for every
$m \in \mathcal{O}_K$
) of linearly independent polynomials with
$p_i(\mathcal{O}_K) \subseteq \mathcal{O}_K$
, then there are syndetically many
$n \in \mathcal{O}_K$
such that
\begin{align*} d^* \left( \left\{ x \in \mathcal{O}_K \;:\; \{x, x + p_1(n), \dots, x + p_k(n)\} \subseteq E \right\} \right) > \delta^{k+1} - \varepsilon. \end{align*}

These two results generalise and extend previous work of Frantzikinakis and Kra [21] and Franztikinakis [19] on polynomial configurations in
$\mathbb{Z}$
and build upon recent work of the authors and Best [2] on linear patterns in general abelian groups. The above combinatorial results follow from multiple recurrence results in ergodic theory via a version of Furstenberg’s correspondence principle. The ergodic-theoretic recurrence theorems require a sharpening of existing tools for handling polynomial multiple ergodic averages. A key advancement made in this paper is a new result on the equidistribution of polynomial orbits in nilmanifolds, which can be seen as a far-reaching generalisation of Weyl’s equidistribution theorem for polynomials of several variables:

(3)

let
$d, k, l \in \mathbb{N}$
. Let
$(X, \mathcal{B}, \mu, T_1, \dots, T_l)$
be an ergodic, connected
$\mathbb{Z}^l$
-nilsystem. Let
$\{p_{i,j} \;:\; 1 \le i \le k, 1 \le j \le l\} \subseteq \mathbb{Q}[x_1, \dots, x_d]$
be a family of polynomials such that
$p_{i,j}\left( \mathbb{Z}^d \right) \subseteq \mathbb{Z}$
and
$\{1\} \cup \{p_{i,j}\}$
is linearly independent over
$\mathbb{Q}$
. Then the
$\mathbb{Z}^d$
-sequence
$\left( \prod_{j=1}^l{T_j^{p_{1,j}(n)}}x, \dots, \prod_{j=1}^l{T_j^{p_{k,j}(n)}}x \right)_{n \in \mathbb{Z}^d}$
is well-distributed in
$X^k$
for every x in a co-meager set of full measure.
A chromosome map of Belgica antarctica Jacobs (Diptera: Chironomidae) from Antarctica, including chromosome variability
Authors: Michailova Paraskeva , Kovalenko Pavlo A. , Serga Svitlana , Parnikoza Ivan , Kozeretska Iryna , Convey Peter
Published: October 2023

Belgica antarctica Jacobs (Diptera: Chironomidae) is the only endemic insect found in the Antarctic Peninsula region and has stimulated considerable research interest. Due to recent rapid changes in regional climate in Antarctica, there is growing interest in studying the responses of this species to environmental changes, in particular at the chromosomal level. Chromosomal inversions are known to play an important role in speciation and adaptation in many insect species, but their frequencies in natural populations are poorly understood. In the current study, we provide the first standard polytene chromosome map for B. antarctica, which will enable the precise location of chromosomal abnormalities in future studies. We further analysed chromosomal polymorphisms in fourth-instar larvae collected from two different locations on Galindez Island, Argentine Islands, western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. We found four previously reported and two new inherited inversions, and we discuss their possible adaptive role in response to environmental stressors in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Our data provide a foundation for future studies exploring the potential role of B. antarctica chromosomal polymorphisms in adaptation to the changing environment.
A question of change: Putting five complementary measures to the test with French polar interrogatives
Authors: Dion Nathalie
Published: October 2023

This paper explores how five key complementary features of variable systems—overall rates, variant conditioning, productivity, contextual dispersion, and diffusion in the community—must be marshaled to provide a more comprehensive characterization of change in progress. We illustrate by revisiting a robustly variable sector of Canadian French morphosyntax whose variants are known to be in flux: the polar interrogative domain. Analyses extend the timeline of Elsig (2009)/Elsig and Poplack’s (2006) diachronic analysis by an additional twenty-five years, bringing 2,000+ questions produced by 133 speakers to bear on developments occurring over a period of nearly a century and a half of spontaneous Québec French speech. Results underscore the need to consider more than rates and conditioning in the study of language change. Linguistic dispersion and diffusion in the community provide crucial insight into the mechanics of the transition period and contribute to identifying shifts in variant productivity at each point in time.
Epidemiology of Trauma-Related Hemorrhage and Time to Definitive Care Across North America: Making the Case for Bleeding Control Education
Authors: Jones Allison R. , Miller Justin , Brown Michelle
Published: October 2023

Introduction:

Uncontrolled trauma-related hemorrhage remains the primary preventable cause of death among those with critical injury.

Study Objective:

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the types of trauma associated with critical injury and trauma-related hemorrhage, and to determine the time to definitive care among patients treated at major trauma centers who were predicted to require massive transfusion.

Methods:

A secondary analysis was performed of the Pragmatic, Randomized, Optimal Platelet and Plasma Ratios (PROPPR) trial data (N = 680). All patients included were predicted to require massive transfusion and admitted to one of 12 North American trauma centers. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize patients, including demographics, type and mechanism of injury, source of bleeding, and receipt of prehospital interventions. Patient time to definitive care was determined using the time from activation of emergency services to responder arrival on scene, and time from scene departure to emergency department (ED) arrival. Each interval was calculated and then summed for a total time to definitive care.

Results:

Patients were primarily white (63.8%), male (80.3%), with a median age of 34 (IQR 24-51) years. Roughly one-half of patients experienced blunt (49.0%) versus penetrating (48.2%) injury. The most common types of blunt trauma were motor vehicle injuries (83.5%), followed by falls (9.3%), other (3.6%), assaults (1.8%), and incidents due to machinery (1.8%). The most common types of penetrating injuries were gunshot wounds (72.3%), stabbings (24.1%), other (2.1%), and impalements (1.5%). One-third of patients (34.5%) required some prehospital intervention, including intubation (77.4%), chest or needle decompression (18.8%), tourniquet (18.4%), and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR; 5.6%). Sources of bleeding included the abdomen (44.3%), chest (20.4%), limb/extremity (18.2%), pelvis (11.4%), and other (5.7%). Patients waited for a median of six (IQR4-10) minutes for emergency responders to arrive at the scene of injury and traveled a median of 27 (IQR 19-42) minutes to an ED. Time to definitive care was a median of 57 (IQR 44-77) minutes, with a range of 12-232 minutes. Twenty-four-hour mortality was 15% (n = 100) with 81 patients dying due to exsanguination or hemorrhage.

Conclusion:

Patients who experience critical injury may experience lengthy times to receipt of definitive care and may benefit from bystander action for hemorrhage control to improve patient outcomes.
Multifaceted role of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) signaling pathway in human health and disease
Authors: Panwar Vivek , Singh Aishwarya , Bhatt Manini , Tonk Rajiv K. , Azizov Shavkatjon , Raza Agha Saquib , Sengupta Shinjinee , Kumar Deepak , Garg Manoj
Published: October 2023

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a protein kinase that controls cellular metabolism, catabolism, immune responses, autophagy, survival, proliferation, and migration, to maintain cellular homeostasis. The mTOR signaling cascade consists of two distinct multi-subunit complexes named mTOR complex 1/2 (mTORC1/2). mTOR catalyzes the phosphorylation of several critical proteins like AKT, protein kinase C, insulin growth factor receptor (IGF-1R), 4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K), transcription factor EB (TFEB), sterol-responsive element-binding proteins (SREBPs), Lipin-1, and Unc-51-like autophagy-activating kinases. mTOR signaling plays a central role in regulating translation, lipid synthesis, nucleotide synthesis, biogenesis of lysosomes, nutrient sensing, and growth factor signaling. The emerging pieces of evidence have revealed that the constitutive activation of the mTOR pathway due to mutations/amplification/deletion in either mTOR and its complexes (mTORC1 and mTORC2) or upstream targets is responsible for aging, neurological diseases, and human malignancies. Here, we provide the detailed structure of mTOR, its complexes, and the comprehensive role of upstream regulators, as well as downstream effectors of mTOR signaling cascades in the metabolism, biogenesis of biomolecules, immune responses, and autophagy. Additionally, we summarize the potential of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) as an important modulator of mTOR signaling. Importantly, we have highlighted the potential of mTOR signaling in aging, neurological disorders, human cancers, cancer stem cells, and drug resistance. Here, we discuss the developments for the therapeutic targeting of mTOR signaling with improved anticancer efficacy for the benefit of cancer patients in clinics.
Incorporation of multiple supramolecular binding sites into a robust MOF for benchmark one-step ethylene purification
Authors: Wu Enyu , Gu Xiao-Wen , Liu Di , Zhang Xu , Wu Hui , Zhou Wei , Qian Guodong , Li Bin
Published: October 2023

One-step adsorption separation of C2H4 from ternary C2 hydrocarbon mixtures remains an important and challenging goal for petrochemical industry. Current physisorbents either suffer from unsatisfied separation performance, poor stability, or are difficult to scale up. Herein, we report a strategy of constructing multiple supramolecular binding sites in a robust and scalable MOF (Al-PyDC) for highly efficient one-step C2H4 purification from ternary mixtures. Owing to suitable pore confinement with multiple supramolecular binding sites, Al-PyDC exhibits one of the highest C2H2 and C2H6 uptakes and selectivities over C2H4 at ambient conditions. The gas binding sites have been visualized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies, unveiling that the low-polarity pore surfaces with abundant electronegative N/O sites provide stronger multiple supramolecular interactions with C2H2 and C2H6 over C2H4. Breakthrough experiments showed that polymer-grade C2H4 can be separated from ternary mixtures with a maximum productivity of 1.61 mmol g−1. This material can be prepared from two simple reagents using a green synthesis method with water as the sole solvent, and its synthesis can be easily scaled to multikilogram batches. Al-PyDC achieves an effective combination of benchmark separation performance, high stability/recyclability, green synthesis and easy scalability to address major challenges for industrial one-step C2H4 purification.
Strategies for remediating the impact of math anxiety on high school math performance
Authors: Pizzie Rachel G. , Kraemer David J. M.
Published: October 2023

Students with math anxiety experience excessive levels of negative emotion, including intrusive and distracting thoughts, when attempting to learn about math or complete a math assignment. Consequently, math anxiety is associated with maladaptive study skills, such as avoidance of homework and test preparation, creating significant impediments for students to fulfill their potential in math classes. To combat the impact of math anxiety on academic performance, we introduced two classroom-based interventions across two samples of high school math students: one intervention focused on emotion regulation (ER) using cognitive reappraisal, a technique for reframing an anxious situation, and the other intervention encouraged students to improve their study habits. The Study Skills (SS) intervention was associated with increased grades for highly anxious students during the intervention period, whereas the ER intervention was less efficacious in countering anxiety-related decreases in grade performance. The SS intervention encouraged highly math-anxious students to incorporate self-testing and overcome avoidant behaviors, increasing academic performance and ameliorating performance deficits associated with increased anxiety that were observed in both groups prior to intervention, and that persisted in the ER group. Notably, the benefits observed for the SS group extended to the post-intervention quarter, indicating the potential lasting effects of this intervention. These results support the hypothesis that using better study strategies and encouraging more frequent engagement with math resources would help highly-anxious students habituate to their math anxiety and ameliorate the negative effects of anxiety on performance, ultimately increasing their math comprehension and academic achievement.
Validation of the volumetric flow cytometry for bovine sperm concentration
Authors: Gloria Alessia , Bracco Claudia , Antenucci Emiliana , Contri Alberto
Published: October 2023

Sperm concentration is a stronghold of the andrological evaluation and the production of insemination doses. The use of haemocytometers, although considered the gold standard, is difficult to apply in field conditions because it is subjective and time-consuming. The present study was designed to validate the volumetric flow cytometry (volFC) in order to estimate bovine sperm concentration, comparing it with the performances of haemocytometer, NucleoCounter, and flow cytometry with the use of fluorospheres. Compared with other methods, volFC appeared less affected by large dilution of the sample, with similar concentrations calculated in the range of dilution 1:200–1:800. Using volFc the population detected on the basis of morphological criteria and fluorescence of DNA better represents the real concentration of sperm in the sample. The volFC showed high repeatability compared with the haemocytometer (coefficient of variation 1.85% and 4.52%, respectively) and stable performances with cryopreserved samples, with negligible effects of the medium components. The present study showed that volFC is as accurate and precise as other techniques to estimate sperm concentration in bovine fresh and frozen semen, but it is less affected by operative conditions, such as sample dilution. The possibility to quantify sperm functional subpopulations by volFC could potentially implement the study of the relationship between sperm attributes and fertility.