bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bounding the tripartite‐circle crossing number of complete tripartite graphs
Authors: Camacho Charles , Fernández‐Merchant Silvia , Jelić Milutinović Marija , Kirsch Rachel , Kleist Linda , Matson Elizabeth B. , White Jennifer
Published: October 2021

A tripartite‐circle drawing of a tripartite graph is a drawing in the plane, where each part of a vertex partition is placed on one of three disjoint circles, and the edges do not cross the circles. We present upper and lower bounds on the minimum number of crossings in tripartite‐circle drawings of and the exact value for . In contrast to 1‐ and 2‐circle drawings, which may attain the Harary–Hill bound, our results imply that balanced restricted 3‐circle drawings of the complete graph are not optimal.
3D Harmonic and Subharmonic Imaging for Characterizing Breast Lesions
Authors: Forsberg Flemming , Piccoli Catherine W. , Sridharan Anush , Wilkes Annina , Sevrukov Alexander , Ojeda‐Fournier Haydee , Mattrey Robert F. , Machado Priscilla , Stanczak Maria , Merton Daniel A. , Wallace Kirk , Eisenbrey John R.
Published: October 2021

Objective

Breast cancer is the most frequent type of cancer among women. This multi‐center study assessed the ability of 3D contrast‐enhanced ultrasound to characterize suspicious breast lesions using clinical assessments and quantitative parameters.

Methods

Women with suspicious breast lesions scheduled for biopsy were enrolled in this prospective, study. Following 2D grayscale ultrasound and power Doppler imaging (PDI), a contrast agent (Definity; Lantheus) was administrated. Contrast‐enhanced 3D harmonic imaging (HI; transmitting/receiving at 5.0/10.0 MHz), as well as 3D subharmonic imaging (SHI; transmitting/receiving at 5.8/2.9 MHz), were performed using a modified Logiq 9 scanner (GE Healthcare). Five radiologists independently scored the imaging modes (including standard‐of‐care imaging) using a 7‐point BIRADS scale as well as lesion vascularity and diagnostic confidence. Parametric volumes were constructed from time‐intensity curves for vascular heterogeneity, perfusion, and area under the curve. Diagnostic accuracy was determined relative to pathology using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and reverse, step‐wise logistical regression analyses. The κ‐statistic was calculated for inter‐reader agreement.

Results

Data were successfully acquired in 219 cases and biopsies indicated 164 (75%) benign and 55 (25%) malignant lesions. SHI depicted more anastomoses and vascularity than HI (P < .021), but there were no differences by pathology (P > .27). Ultrasound achieved accuracies of 82 to 85%, which was significantly better than standard‐of‐care imaging (72%; P < .03). SHI increased diagnostic confidence by 3 to 6% (P < .05), but inter‐reader agreements were medium to low (κ < 0.52). The best regression model achieved 97% accuracy by combining clinical reads and parametric SHI.

Conclusions

Combining quantitative 3D SHI parameters and clinical assessments improves the characterization of suspicious breast lesions.
Plasma Glutathione and Prodromal Parkinson's Disease Probability
Authors: Charisis Sokratis , Ntanasi Eva , Stamelou Maria , Xiromerisiou Georgia , Maraki Maria , Veskoukis Aristidis S. , Yannakoulia Mary , Kosmidis Mary H. , Anastasiou Costas A. , Giagkou Nikolaos , Dardiotis Efthimios , Hadjigeorgiou Georgios , Sakka Paraskevi , Kouretas Demetrios , Stefanis Leonidas , Scarmeas Nikolaos
Published: October 2021

Background

A decrease in glutathione (GSH) levels is considered one of the earliest biochemical changes in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective

The authors explored the potential role of plasma GSH as a risk/susceptibility biomarker for prodromal PD (pPD) by examining its longitudinal associations with pPD probability trajectories.

Methods

A total of 405 community‐dwelling participants (median age [interquartile range] = 73.2 [7.41] years) without clinical features of parkinsonism were followed for a mean (standard deviation) of 3.0 (0.9) years.

Results

A 1 μmol/L increase in plasma GSH was associated with 0.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1%–0.7%; P = 0.017) less increase in pPD probability for 1 year of follow‐up. Compared with participants in the lowest GSH tertile, participants in the highest GSH tertile had a 12.9% (95% CI, 22.4%–2.2%; P = 0.020) slower rate of increase of pPD probability for 1 year of follow‐up.

Conclusion

Plasma GSH was associated with pPD probability trajectories; therefore, it might assist in the identification of individuals who are likely to reach the threshold for pPD diagnosis more rapidly. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Intra‐articular steroid injections in large joint arthritis: A survey of current practice
Authors: Yaghmour Khaled M. , Loumpardias Georgios A. , Elbahi Amr , M Navaratnam Devaraj , Boksh Khalis , Chong Han Hong , Eastley Nicholas
Published: October 2021

Introduction

Intra‐articular corticosteroid injections are widely used as a management modality for mild large joint osteoarthritis (OA). In contrast, there is little guidance or consensus on the use of steroids in moderate to severe disease. The aim of this study is to explore the current practice of surgeons in relation to the use of therapeutic intra‐articular steroid injections in patients awaiting large joint arthroplasty for OA.

Methods

An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to consultants performing large joint arthroplasty in four National Health Service Trusts. Participants were questioned on their use of intra‐articular therapeutic steroid injections in patients listed for elbow, shoulder, hip or knee arthroplasty. Data was collected over 6 months and analysed using Microsoft Excel.

Results

A total of 42 surgeons were included in the study with the majority performing lower limb arthroplasty (73%). About 21 (50%) surgeons indicated they would perform injections in the patient group of interest. Two would perform an unlimited number of injections, whilst the remainder would perform between one and three injections. Respondents most commonly indicated they would tell patients that an injection would provide between 6 and 12 weeks of benefit (14 of 39 surgeons, 36%). Most injecting surgeons (88%) leave 4 months between an injection and subsequent arthroplasty due to increased risk of infection if surgery is performed sooner.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates variation in practice in the use of intra‐articular steroids in the analysed patient group, and the way surgeons council their patients. National or specialist society guidelines may help to reduce this variation in practice.
The tensor Golub–Kahan–Tikhonov method applied to the solution of ill‐posed problems with a t‐product structure
Authors: Reichel Lothar , Ugwu Ugochukwu O.
Published: October 2021

This paper discusses an application of partial tensor Golub–Kahan bidiagonalization to the solution of large‐scale linear discrete ill‐posed problems based on the t‐product formalism for third‐order tensors proposed by Kilmer and Martin (M. E. Kilmer and C. D. Martin, Factorization strategies for third order tensors, Linear Algebra Appl., 435 (2011), pp. 641‐658). The solution methods presented first reduce a given (large‐scale) problem to a problem of small size by application of a few steps of tensor Golub–Kahan bidiagonalization and then regularize the reduced problem by Tikhonov's method. The regularization operator is a third‐order tensor, and the data may be represented by a matrix, that is, a tensor slice, or by a general third‐order tensor. A regularization parameter is determined by the discrepancy principle. This results in fully automatic solution methods that neither require a user to choose the number of bidiagonalization steps nor the regularization parameter. The methods presented extend available methods for the solution for linear discrete ill‐posed problems defined by a matrix operator to linear discrete ill‐posed problems defined by a third‐order tensor operator. An interlacing property of singular tubes for third‐order tensors is shown and applied. Several algorithms are presented. Computed examples illustrate the advantage of the tensor t‐product approach, in comparison with solution methods that are based on matricization of the tensor equation.
New benchmark problems for verification of the curve‐to‐surface contact algorithm based on the generalized Euler–Eytelwein problem
Authors: Konyukhov Alexander , Shala Shqipron
Published: October 2021

Development of the numerical contact algorithms for finite element method usually concerns convergence, mesh dependency, etc. Verification of the numerical contact algorithm usually includes only a few cases due to a limited number of available analytic solutions (e.g., the Hertz solution for cylindrical surfaces). The solution of the generalized Euler–Eytelwein, or the belt friction problem is a stand alone task, recently formulated for a rope laying in sliding equilibrium on an arbitrary surface, opens up to a new set of benchmark problems for the verification of rope/beam to surface/solid contact algorithms. Not only a pulling forces ratio , but also the position of a curve on a arbitrary rigid surface withstanding the motion in dragging direction should be verified. Particular situations possessing a closed form solution for ropes and rigid surfaces are analyzed. The verification study is performed employing the specially developed Solid‐Beam finite element with both linear and ‐continuous approximations together with the Curve‐to‐Solid Beam (CTSB) contact algorithm and exemplary employing commercial finite element software. A crucial problem of "contact locking" in contact elements showing stiff behavior despite the good convergence is identified. This problem is resolved within the developed CTSB contact element.
Obesity and cancer death in white and black adults: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Brown Justin C. , Yang Shengping , Mire Emily F. , Wu Xiaocheng , Miele Lucio , Ochoa Augusto , Zabaleta Jovanny , Katzmarzyk Peter T.
Published: October 2021

Objective

This study aimed to determine whether race modifies the association between obesity and cancer death.

Methods

The Pennington Center Longitudinal Study included 18,296 adults; 35.0% were male and 34.3% were Black. The primary end point was death from cancer.

Results

During a follow‐up of 14.3 years, 346 cancer deaths occurred. Among men, race modified the association of BMI and cancer death (pinteraction = 0.045); compared with a BMI of 22 kg/m2, a BMI of 35 in White men was associated with a hazard ratio of 1.74 (95% CI: 1.38‐2.21), and in Black men, the hazard ratio was 0.64 (95% CI: 0.45‐0.90). Among women, race did not modify the association of BMI and cancer death (pinteraction=0.43); however, compared with a BMI of 22, a BMI of 35 in White women was associated with a hazard ratio of 1.42 (95% CI: 1.18‐1.70) and in Black women, the hazard ratio was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.82‐1.20).

Conclusions

In this diverse cohort of adults, having obesity was associated with an increased risk of cancer death in White men and women. In contrast, having obesity was associated with a reduced risk of cancer death in Black men and did not influence risk in Black women.
Novel biocomposite from polyamide 11 and jute fibres: the significance of fibre modification with SiO2 nanoparticles
Authors: Van Cong Do , Giang Nguyen Vu , Trung Tran Huu , Tuan Pham Quoc , Thai Nguyen Thi , Tham Do Quang , Van Tien Mai , Quang Dang Viet
Published: October 2021

Jute fibres (JFs) and polyamide 11 (PA11) are naturally originated materials that, individually, have been widely employed for the manufacture of biocomposites. However, their simultaneous use in an environmentally friendly JFs/PA11 biocomposite that combines the advantages of both materials has received little attention. Therefore, this study investigated the possible fabrication of a biocomposite based on JFs and PA11. Since the dispersion, adhesion and interfacial interaction between JFs and resin matrix are usually poor, the possibility of improving those characteristics was explored via chemical modification. Accordingly, two modification routes were used: alkali treatment and SiO2 nanoparticle deposition. Both modified and unmodified fibres were blended with PA11 for biocomposite production. Various techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, mechanical property analysis and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize fibre and biocomposite samples. The results indicated that thermal and mechanical stability of JFs were considerably improved as a result of modification. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of unmodified fibres was 303.75 MPa and 12.32 GPa, which then increased to 483.66 MPa and 483.66 GPa, respectively, as a result of SiO2 nanoparticle deposition on the fibre surface. Because of SiO2 nanoparticle modification, the interaction and adhesion between JFs and PA11 matrix were improved, which led to increases of 58.3%, 11.7% and 45.9% in tensile strength, impact strength and Young's modulus. The success of this study provides a novel route to produce a complete biocomposite from JFs and PA11, which could become a promising alternative to conventional synthetic polymer composites. © 2021 Society of Industrial Chemistry.
Zwitterionic copolymer modified polyethersulphone/sulfonated polysulphone membranes for enhancing dye/salt selective separation
Authors: Liu Gansheng , Tao Ran , Hu Mengyang , Liu Xiaowei , Matindi Christine , Kadanyo Sania , Chen Rui , Mao Liuyong , Fang Kuanjun , Li Jianxin
Published: October 2021

Two monomers, positively charged N,N‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and negatively charged monomer sodium vinylsulfonate (VSA), were employed to generate a zwitterionic copolymer layer on the surface of PES/SPSf blend membrane via UV‐light grafting. The effect of monomer concentration and irradiation time on the properties of the modified membranes was studied. Results showed that the degree of grafting (DG) accelerated with the increase in monomer concentration and irradiation time. The zeta potential of the zwitterionic membrane was tailored from negative (−21.4 mV) to positive charge (+30.8 mV) by varying the concentration DMAEMA monomer and irradiation time. Optimized membrane fabrication conditions were 15 g L−1 of DMAEMA and 10 min irradiation time (Mc15). The molecular weight cut‐off of Mc15 was calculated to be 40 kDa, while the zeta potential was found to be +8.56 mV (pH = 7). Mc15 showed excellent rejection rates for both positively and negatively charged dyes. In contrast Mc15 maintained low rejection rates for Na2SO4 (<10%) and high dye/salt selective separation performance (retention rates for basic blue 26 and Na2SO4 were 97 and 6.5%) over long continuous operation (50 h). In summary, our study provides tailoring implementation strategies to enhance dye/salt selective separation of tight ultrafiltration membranes.
Spirulina‐based composites for 3D‐printing
Authors: Fredricks Jeremy L. , Iyer Hareesh , McDonald Robin , Hsu Jeffrey , Jimenez Andrew M. , Roumeli Eleftheria
Published: October 2021

With material consumption increasing, the need for biodegradable materials derived from renewable resources becomes urgent, particularly in the popular field of 3D‐printing. Processed natural fibers have been used as fillers for 3D‐printing filaments and slurries, yet reports of utilizing pure biomass to 3D‐print structures that reach mechanical properties comparable to synthetic plastics are scarce. Here, we develop and characterize slurries for extrusion‐based 3D‐printing comprised of unprocessed spirulina and varying amounts of cellulose fibers (CFs). Tuning the micro‐morphology, density, and mechanical properties of multilayered structures is achieved by modulating the CF amount or drying method. Densified morphologies are obtained upon desiccator‐drying, while oven incubation plasticizes the matrix and leads to intermediate densities. Freeze‐drying creates low‐density foam microstructures. The compressive strengths of the structures follow the same trend as their density. CFs are critical in the denser structures, as without the fibers, the samples do not retain their shape while drying. The compressive strength and strain to failure of the composites progressively increase with increasing filler content, ranging between 0.8 and 16 MPa and 12%–47%, respectively, at densities of 0.51–1.00 g/cm3. The measured properties are comparable to other biobased composites and commercial plastic filaments for 3D‐printing.
A Flexible and Moisturizing Multilayer Microporous Sponge Copolymerized with Keratin and Alginate
Authors: Dai Fengli , Li Tao , Zhang Yaping , He Yufeng , Song Pengfei , Wang Rongmin
Published: October 2021

Feather keratin (FK), a kind of low‐cost natural biopolymer with strong mechanical properties, was pretreated by sodium hydroxide solution, and then reacted with N‐hydroxy succinimide (NHS) coupled sodium alginate (SA) (SA‐NHS), which afforded multilayer microporous materials (FK‐SA sponge) of keratin combining alginate, and its performance as wound dressing was measured. Its structure and properties were characterized by Fourier‐Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TG/ DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), absorption capacity, water retention and water vapor transmittance. The antimicrobial properties and release behavior were also studied. Under the condition of pH 7.4, the cumulative release rate of model drug‐loaded FK‐SA sponge got to 74 % within 13 hrs. Meanwhile, FK‐SA sponge supported benzalkonium chloride, a typical broad‐spectrum bactericide, has excellent antibacterial activity and unique biodegradability. That means this multilayer microporous sponge is expected to be used as wound dressing in the clinical nursing field and continuous drug delivery carrier in the biomedical field.
Rapid and Highly Selective BODIPY Based Turn‐Off Colorimetric Cyanide Sensor**
Authors: Kaya Serdal
Published: October 2021

Cyanide ion (CN− ion) is one of the most harmful inorganic pollutants wasted by various industrial processes. Although some spectroscopic methods are being used, these methods need advanced instrumentation and have high detection limits. Because of this, rapid, low‐cost and sensitive methods are highly required to detect CN− ion. Chemosensor application is one of the most useful methods for selective detection of the target analyte. BODIPY (boradiazaindacene) dyes are one of the promising candidates for these types of applications because of the unique optical and photophysical properties. Here, we report the first application of the meso‐formyl‐BODIPY dye‐based, rapid and naked‐eye CN− ion sensor application depending on the reaction of CN− ion and aldehyde functionality of the meso‐formylated BODIPY derivative (BODIPY‐BAL). Absorption and emission experiments were successfully conducted. Additionally, colorimetric tests were performed in solution and on test strips. The limit of detection of the chemosensor was calculated as 10.4 μM. Real sample experiments in seawater were also performed and CN− ion was detected at 50 μM concentration, which is the limit level of CN− ion concentration causes acute effects determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Pyrrole‐Fused Benzoxazinones/Quinoxalinones: Molecular Dynamic Simulation, Antiproliferative and Antibacterial Activities
Authors: Selvendran Suresh , Das Souvik , Waidha Kamran , Venkatesan Swathi , Balamurali M. M. , Basu Biswarup , Rajendran Saravanakumar
Published: October 2021

A series of novel pyrrole fused benzoxazinones/quinoxalinones has been evaluated for antiproliferative activity against breast cancer cell line, MCF7 and treatment‐resistant triple‐negative breast cancer cell line MDA‐MB‐231. Among which pyrroloquinoxalinones exhibited higher cytotoxicity. Furthermore, they showed insignificant cellular cytotoxicity in normal human cell HEK293T when treated with their respective IC50 concentrations. In silico molecular docking, study suggests that the inhibitory mechanism of pyrroloquinoxalinones probably mediated via modulation of breast cancer targets such as VEGFR2 and EGFR. The stability of target protein (VEGFR2 and EGFR)‐ligand (pyrroloquinoxalinones) interactions was validated by Molecular dynamic simulation (50 ns). Additionally, pyrrolobenzoxazinones/quinoxalinones were evaluated for in vitro antibacterial activity against Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacterial strains. All the compounds exhibited significant antibacterial activity (IC50 0.034–15.4 μM) towards the tested bacterial strains. These findings indicate that pyrrolobenzoxazinones/quinoxalinones are valuable scaffolds for the development of potent anticancer and antibacterial compounds.
Effect of Different Levels of Phosphorus on the Efficiency of Fermentation by Lactobacillus and Physicochemical Properties of Potato Starch
Authors: Li Meng , Wang Ruoyang , Xu Yihan , Liang Fengzhu , Yang Tiankui , Zhang Jianhua
Published: October 2021

The effect of different levels of phosphorus on the process of amylolytic Lactobacillus fermentation and physicochemical properties of potato starch samples are investigated. The low‐phosphorus starch (LPS), medium‐phosphorus starch (MPS), and high‐phosphorus starch (HPS) samples, the phosphorus contents in which are 422.7, 729.5, and 936.2 mg kg–1, respectively, are selected for fermentation. The maximum rate of Lactobacillus fermentation is observed in HPS, and the lowest rate of fermentation is recorded for MPS. The effect of phosphorus content on fermentation rate shows a different tendency from enzymatic hydrolysis. The process of fermentation exerted significant effects on the thermodynamic properties of MPS and HPS (p < 0.05). Fermentation is also found to exert significant effects on the pasting properties (exception: pasting temperatures) of potato starch samples (p < 0.05). It also influenced the properties of adhesiveness, springiness, and resilience of HPS gels and the chewiness and gumminess of MPS gels (p < 0.05). The principal component analysis results suggested that phosphorus and fermentation significantly affect the physicochemical properties of potato starch that is used to make different staple food items.
Path Following Control Strategy for Underactuated Unmanned Surface Vehicle Subject to Multiple Constraints
Authors: Mu Dongdong , Wang Guofeng , Fan Yunsheng
Published: October 2021

This paper is concerned with the path following control for an underactuated unmanned surface vehicle (USV) subject to modeling error and input saturation under time‐varying external disturbances. In this note, a novel trajectory linearization control (TLC) method is first introduced in the design of path following controller for an unmanned surface vessel. Adaptive line‐of‐sight (LOS) algorithm is used in the navigation strategy, which not only solves the sideslip angle problem caused by external disturbances but also optimizes the convergence speed. The neural network minimum learning parameter (MLP) method is used to compensate for modeling errors and external disturbances. Compared with multi‐layer neural networks, MLP solves the problem of ‘dimension disaster’. Meanwhile, in order to increase the robustness of the system, adaptive technology is employed to compensate for the compensation error of MLP. In addition, an auxiliary dynamic system is introduced into the controller design to address potential input saturation issue. Considering the above practical conditions, it is more convenient for the engineering implementation of the proposed control path following the control system. Using Lyapunov stability analysis theory, it is proven that all error signals in the system are uniformly ultimately bounded. Finally, two simulation experiments are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed control strategy. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Identification of RNA Binding Partners of CRISPR-Cas Proteins in Prokaryotes Using RIP-Seq
Authors: Sharma Sahil , Sharma Cynthia M.
Published: October 2021

CRISPR-Cas systems consist of a complex ribonucleoprotein (RNP) machinery encoded in prokaryotic genomes to confer adaptive immunity against foreign mobile genetic elements. Of these, especially the class 2, Type II CRISPR-Cas9 RNA-guided systems with single protein effector modules have recently received much attention for their application as programmable DNA scissors that can be used for genome editing in eukaryotes. While many studies have concentrated their efforts on improving RNA-mediated DNA targeting with these Type II systems, little is known about the factors that modulate processing or binding of the CRISPR RNA (crRNA) guides and the trans-activating tracrRNA to the nuclease protein Cas9, and whether Cas9 can also potentially interact with other endogenous RNAs encoded within the host genome. Here, we describe RIP-seq as a method to globally identify the direct RNA binding partners of CRISPR-Cas RNPs using the Cas9 nuclease as an example. RIP-seq combines co-immunoprecipitation (coIP) of an epitope-tagged Cas9 followed by isolation and deep sequencing analysis of its co-purified bound RNAs. This method can not only be used to study interactions of Cas9 with its known interaction partners, crRNAs and tracrRNA in native systems, but also to reveal potential additional RNA substrates of Cas9. For example, in RIP-seq analysis of Cas9 from the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni (CjeCas9), we recently identified several endogenous RNAs bound to CjeCas9 RNP in a crRNA-dependent manner, leading to the discovery of PAM-independent RNA cleavage activity of CjeCas9 as well as non-canonical crRNAs. RIP-seq can be easily adapted to any other effector RNP of choice from other CRISPR-Cas systems, allowing for the identification of target RNAs. Deciphering novel RNA-protein interactions for CRISPR-Cas proteins within host bacterial genomes will lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms and functions of these systems and enable us to use the in vivo identified interaction rules as design principles for nucleic acid-targeting applications, fitted to each nuclease of interest.
Knowing Well-being: A History of Data
Authors: Oman Susan
Published: October 2021

What is well-being? Well-being has become synonymous with the multi-billion-dollar wellness industry, whilst also being rooted in ancient philosophy and religious practices. It has no universal definition across time, place or scientific discipline, yet the very term ‘statistics’ was invented to measure human happiness.

This chapter contextualises the history of well-being data and development as one which is tied to political and technological change, firstly, in the desire to monitor human welfare, and secondly, for policy. Public management strategies embraced economic approaches to auditing, as a means to define value and efficiency in social policy choices. The chapter considers how well-being data became co-opted into an ostensibly rational process of decision-making and evaluation, becoming a tool of policy—for good and bad.
Getting a Sense of Big Data and Well-being
Authors: Oman Susan
Published: October 2021

Can Big Data improve understanding of well-being and can they harm well-being? The chapter opens by asking what even is ‘Big Data’, and is ‘it’ actually new when large datasets have been valuable in understanding population-level health, wealth and well-being for 6000 years. It reviews the failed promises of Big Data to predict and prevent pandemics, including COVID-19, comparing new data infrastructures with old ones. It presents examples and case studies of social media data and data mining on large scales, and for smaller organisations to understand how we feel. We find there are more limits to Big Data and new data technologies to understand well-being than are made explicit, and question the ethics of Big Data insights and their monetary value in the context of well-being.
Well-being, Values, Culture and Society
Authors: Oman Susan
Published: October 2021

This chapter looks at the relationship between culture and well-being. It introduces how the ‘the culture-well-being relationship’ is invoked in advocacy for culture’s role in social policy, resting on a philosophical lineage. It demonstrates how this relationship has been theorised, naturalised and popularised to become ‘common sense’ for some, while its use in policy has seen it institutionalised, operationalised, metricised and monetised. This chapter reviews this process through a brief survey of cultural policy, asking who decides which—or whose—culture is good for society from Victorian to contemporary cultural value debates. This chapter presents the increasing presence of well-being data in this story, as well as the role of cultural measures in national well-being data from the UK to Bhutan.
Extending LCA Methodology for Assessing Liquid Biofuels by Phosphate Resource Depletion and Attributional Land Use/Land Use Change
Authors: Keller Heiko , Fehrenbach Horst , Rettenmaier Nils , Hemmen Marie
Published: October 2021

Many pathways towards reaching defossilization goals build on a substantially increased production of bio-based products and energy carriers including liquid biofuels. This is, amongst others, limited by land and phosphorous availability. However, it is challenging to adequately capture these limitations in LCA using state-of-the-art LCI and LCIA methods. We propose two new methods to overcome these challenges: (1) attributional land use and land use change (aLULUC) evenly attributes LU-/LUC-related burdens (emissions) occurring in a country to each hectare of cropland used in that country and (2) phosphate rock demand as a stand-alone resource indicator for a finite resource that cannot be replaced. Approach, calculations and used factors are described for both methods, and exemplary results for biofuels are presented. We conclude that both methods can yield additional insight and can support finding solutions for current challenges in agriculture.
Translating LCA Evidence into Performance-Based Policy Criteria for the Photovoltaic Product Group
Authors: Espinosa Nieves , Dodd Nicholas , Villanueva Alejandro
Published: October 2021

Life cycle assessment has the potential to generate valuable information and knowledge for policy makers, as insights can be gained by applying LCA to the development of policy criteria. This potential has been used in the development of a number of EU policy instruments aimed at photovoltaic products, i.e. Ecodesign, Energy Labelling, the EU Ecolabel and Green Public Procurement. They are the regulatory and voluntary policy instruments for sustainable production and consumption at the European Commission. Each instrument has different market objectives; e.g. Ecodesign sets mandatory minimum requirements for products entering the EU market, while the EU Ecolabel is a voluntary instrument to differentiate the most sustainable choices. An eight-step approach based on the Ecodesign methodology including a systematic LCA review has been used with a focus on the information needs of the policy instruments and an interpretation of the results per component/substance. Through the identification of hotspots at the component level and at life cycle stages, it has been possible to translate them into criteria.
Research Activities on LCA and LCM in Poland
Authors: Foltynowicz Zenon , Kłos Zbigniew Stanisław
Published: October 2021

The main goal of this paper is to present the history and actual situation in research on LCA and LCM in Poland. This task will be performed by reviewing the different activities and their results in this field, from the very beginning. The paper includes the review of the activities of LCA/LCM main research centres in Poznań (Poznań University of Technology (PUT), Poznań University of Economics and Business (PUEB)), Cracow (Polish Academy of Sciences, AGH University of Science and Technology, Cracow University of Economics), Zielona Góra (University of Zielona Góra), Bydgoszcz (UTP University of Science and Technology), Katowice-Gliwice (Silesian University of Technology), Częstochowa (Częstochowa University of Technology) and Szczecin (ZUT Western Pomeranian University of Technology). LCA/LCM researches are also performed in several smaller research groups in R&D centres. In the end of the paper, some conclusions referring to the actual situation of research on LCA/LCM, dealing with critical evaluation of the LCA/LCM centres in Poland location, issues and problems addressed, areas of the projects covered and the desired activities in the future, are presented.
Is Environmental Efficiency Compatible with Economic Competitiveness in Dairy Farming? A Case Study of 80 Luxembourgish Farms
Authors: Lioy Rocco , Battheu-Noirfalise Caroline , Lehnen Aline , Reding Roman , Dusseldorf Tom
Published: October 2021

The aim of the study was to investigate both environmental and economic performances of Luxembourgish dairy farms in order to assess possibilities and limits of improving economic competitiveness via increasing environmental efficiency. In the environmental field, four LCA impact categories (carbon footprint, energy consumption, acidification, eutrophication) were analysed, while in the economic field, costs, incomes and profit of the farms were investigated. A main result was that a sustainable dairy production with less environmental impact in all considered categories is also of advantage in terms of farm competitiveness. The most efficient farms reach also the highest profit. The case study proves that a high environmental performance is not only of advantage in terms of economic competitiveness, but is even a necessary prerequisite for best economic performances.
Applying the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to Estimate the Environmental Impact of Selected Phases of a Production Process of Forming Bottles for Beverages
Authors: Bałdowska-Witos Patrycja , Kasner Robert , Tomporowski Andrzej
Published: October 2021

The study concerns the current issues of the impact of packaging on the natural environment. The main goal was to analyse the life cycle (LC) of a beverage bottle made of polyethylene terephthalate. The functional unit comprised a total of 1000 PET bottles with a capacity of 1 l. The limit of the adopted system included steps from the moment of delivery of preforms to the production plant until they were properly shaped in the process of forming beverage bottles. Excluded from the system were the further stages of the production process, such as beverage bottling, labelling or storage/distribution. The processes related to the transport and storage of the raw material were also excluded. The LCA analysis was performed using the program of the Dutch company Pre Consultants called SimaPro 8.4.0. The “ReCiPe 2016” method was selected for the interpretation of lists of emitted chemicals. The results of the tests were presented graphically on bar charts and verified and interpreted.
A Grammar for Transformative Urbanism
Authors: Pellissery Sony , Gómez Aristizábal Juliana
Published: October 2021

The problems that engulf Southern cities are huge. There is a tendency towards solutions based on models encountered elsewhere emerging as deeper problems when only the symptoms are treated. Therefore, in this concluding chapter, we propose a model that transforms urban development as a process from within. Our arguments are on two levels. On the first level, we propose a grammarian alternative—primarily since it has the potential to challenge the rational models that are overemphasized in urban-planning practice. We also consider that such a grammarian approach could suit the search for a non-deductive model of multiple centres. On the second level, we propose a communication model whereby this grammarian alternative could be operationalized. We show that an autopoietic reproduction of urban space takes place through interaction between social order and natural order. Space for intervention, towards transformative urbanism, can be found in this communication process. There is a need to direct this autopoietic process by picking up on the codes from societal norms. In Southern urbanism, these codes are the experiences of suffering, violence, in-betweenness, social identity, harmony, and context-specific sociocultural practices. Transformative urbanism depends on the ways in which these codes are leveraged by collectives of citizens in the urban-planning process.
What Is “Informal Jewish Education”?
Authors: Chazan Barry
Published: October 2021

The term “informal” or “experiential” education has become an important concept in the language of contemporary education. Eight defining characteristics of this term are presented in this chapter.
Marke und Markenkommunikation
Authors: Albisser Matthias
Published: October 2021

Die Kapitel 2, 3 und 4 legen die theoretischen Grundlagen dieser Arbeit dar, die den Einfluss von Brand Content als eine Form der Markenkommunikation auf das Markenimage untersucht. Dazu werden in diesem Kapitel die Begriffe Marke, Markenidentität, Markenimage, Markenpositionierung und Markenkommunikation beleuchtet.
Userperspektive auf Brand Content: Der Uses-and-Gratifications-Ansatz
Authors: Albisser Matthias
Published: October 2021

Im vorangegangenen Kapitel über «Marke» wurde unter anderem auf die Markenkommunikation eingegangen. Die klassische Markenkommunikation folgt einer Unternehmensperspektive, anhand welcher funktionale oder emotionale Nutzen vermittelt werden und ein entsprechendes Markenimage aufgebaut werden soll. Durch die Informationsflut und ein selbstbestimmtes Userverhalten im digitalen Raum muss sich Markenkommunikation jedoch zunehmend an den Usern ausrichten und diesen einen Mehrwert bieten. Dieses Kapitel fokussiert anhand des Uses-and-Gratifications-Ansatzes auf diese Userperspektive.
A. I. Schtscherbakow: die erste moderne Theorie der Ätiologie und der Pathogenese von Magen- und Zwölffingerdarmgeschwüren
Authors: Balalykin Dmitry A.
Published: October 2021

Die Geschichte der Wissenschaft ist reich an Entdeckern, die der Vergessenheit anheimgefallen sind. Die russische Vorrangstellung bei der Erforschung der Ätiologie und der Pathogenese des Magen- und Zwölffingerdarmgeschwürs ist ein Beispiel für eine Serie vergessener Entdeckungen. Die Schriften gegenwärtiger Therapeuten – Gastroenterologen und Chirurgen –, die sich mit Problemen der Magenchirurgie befassen, bieten dem Leser eine breite Auswahl von Antworten auf die Frage, wer wann die modernen Vorstellungen zu Ätiologie und Pathogenese des Magen- und Zwölffingerdarmgeschwürs formuliert hat.
Critical long-range vector model in the UV
Authors: Chakraborty Soumangsu , Goykhman Mikhail
Published: October 2021

Abstract

We study interacting critical UV regime of the long-range O(N) vector model with quartic coupling. Analyzing CFT data within the scope of ϵ- and 1/N-expansion, we collect evidence for the equivalence of this model and the critical IR limit of the cubic model coupled to a generalized free field O(N) vector multiplet.
Adverbial -s as last resort
Authors: Corver Norbert
Published: October 2021

This article examines the grammatical behavior of Dutch adverbs featuring so-called adverbial -s. This will be done on the basis of three questions: Firstly, what is the grammatical nature of adverbial -s? Secondly, in which structural configurations does it appear? Thirdly, what does adverbial -stell us about the existence of adverbs as a separate part of speech? The article provides the following three answers to these questions: Firstly, adverbial -sis an affixal manifestation of the categorizing headsnanda(so-called -s-Support). Secondly,nandaexternalize as -swhen the raised root that forms an amalgam with the categorizing head is silent or a bound root. Thirdly, “adverbs” featuring adverbial -sare nominal, adjectival or adpositional expressions with an articulated syntactic structure. Some of these syntactic structures correspond to the so-called construct state. In short, linguistic expressions featuring adverbial -sdo not support the idea that adverbs form a separate part of speech.
Allokation knapper medizinischer Ressourcen auf COVID-19-PatientInnen. Ergebnisse einer Vignettenstudie
Authors: Schmidt Julia , Kriwy Peter
Published: October 2021

Ziel der Studie

In der vorliegenden Studie werden Knappheitsentscheidungen von medizinischen Laien bei der Behandlung von COVID-19(„Coronavirus Disease 2019“)-Patienten untersucht.

Methodik

In den multivariaten clusterkorrigierten Regressionen werden die Antworten auf 1802 Fallsituationen einer Vignettenstudie ausgewertet, die von 181 medizinischen Laien eingeschätzt wurden.

Ergebnisse

Jüngere Patienten, Männer, Erkrankte mit hohen Genesungschancen, eigenen Kindern und einem Beruf in einem Krankenhaus werden von den medizinischen Laien bevorzugt eingestuft.

Schlussfolgerung

Medizinische Laien wenden bewusst oder unbewusst soziale Kriterien der Entscheidungsfindung bei Knappheit der medizinischen Ressourcen an, die aus professioneller medizinischer und ethischer Sicht unzulässig sind. Zur Einschätzung der Akzeptanz in der allgemeinen Bevölkerung sollte dieser Umstand berücksichtigt werden.
Whole-body MRI: detecting bone metastases from prostate cancer
Authors: Nakanishi Katsuyuki , Tanaka Junichiro , Nakaya Yasuhiro , Maeda Noboru , Sakamoto Atsuhiko , Nakayama Akiko , Satomura Hiroki , Sakai Mio , Konishi Koji , Yamamoto Yoshiyuki , Nagahara Akira , Nishimura Kazuo , Takenaka Satoshi , Tomiyama Noriyuki
Published: October 2021

Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) is currently used worldwide for detecting bone metastases from prostate cancer. The 5-year survival rate for prostate cancer is > 95%. However, an increase in survival time may increase the incidence of bone metastasis. Therefore, detecting bone metastases is of great clinical interest. Bone metastases are commonly located in the spine, pelvis, shoulder, and distal femur. Bone metastases from prostate cancer are well-known representatives of osteoblastic metastases. However, other types of bone metastases, such as mixed or inter-trabecular type, have also been detected using MRI. MRI does not involve radiation exposure and has good sensitivity and specificity for detecting bone metastases. WB-MRI has undergone gradual developments since the last century, and in 2004, Takahara et al., developed diffusion-weighted Imaging (DWI) with background body signal suppression (DWIBS). Since then, WB-MRI, including DWI, has continued to play an important role in detecting bone metastases and monitoring therapeutic effects. An imaging protocol that allows complete examination within approximately 30 min has been established. This review focuses on WB-MRI standardization and the automatic calculation of tumor total diffusion volume (tDV) and mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value. In the future, artificial intelligence (AI) will enable shorter imaging times and easier automatic segmentation.
Height of Water Pool in the Roll Nip of Secondary Cooling Zone in Continuous Slab Caster: Application of Open Channel Hydraulics
Authors: Khani Somayeh , Palkowski Heinz , Schwerdtfeger Klaus
Published: October 2021

In continuous casting of steel, the strand is cooled in the upper part of the secondary cooling zone with water sprayed by nozzles towards the strand surface. The water accumulates in the nip of the lower roll of a roll pair, forming a water pool which then drains off towards the ends of the roll. In the present work, open channel hydraulics was applied for computation of the water pool height in the nip between roll and strand in continuous slab casting. The differential equation describing the change of pool height for the spatially varied flow with increasing discharge was solved with the Runge–Kutta technique using as boundary condition the pool height at the end of the nip. The effects of the Manning friction factor n and the energy coefficient α were determined in sets of computation. It was shown that the hydraulic theory could predict water profiles in the nip of continuous casting rolls to a good approximation.
The Relative Importance of “Cooperative Context” and Kinship in Structuring Cooperative Behavior
Authors: Fisktjønmo Guro Lovise Hole , Næss Marius Warg , Bårdsen Bård-Jørgen
Published: October 2021

Kin relations have a strong theoretical and empirical basis for explaining cooperative behavior. Nevertheless, there is growing recognition that context—the cooperative environment of an individual—also shapes the willingness of individuals to cooperate. For nomadic pastoralists in Norway, cooperation among both kin and non-kin is an essential predictor for success. The northern parts of the country are characterized by a history of herder-herder competition exacerbating between-herder conflict, lack of trust, and subsequent coordination problems. In contrast, because of a history of herder-farmer competition, southern Norway is characterized by high levels of between-herder coordination and trust. This comparative study investigates the relative importance of “cooperative context” and kinship in structuring cooperative behavior using an experimental gift game. The main findings from this study were that in the South, a high level of cooperation around an individual pushes gifts to be distributed evenly among other herders. Nevertheless, kinship matters, since close kin give and receive larger gifts. In contrast, kinship seems to be the main factor affecting gift distribution in the North. Herders in the North are also concerned with distributing gifts equally, albeit limiting them to close kin: the level of intragroup cooperation drives gifts to be distributed evenly among other closely related herders. The observed regional contrasts in cooperative decisions fit with the different historical levels of conflict and trust in the two regions: whereas herders in the South are affected by both cooperative context and kinship, kinship seems to be the main determinant of cooperation in the North.
Influence of alkyl chain length in ionic liquid based drilling mud for rheology modification: a review
Authors: Zamir Asif , Elraies Khaled A. , Rasool Muhammad Hammad , Ahmad Maqsood , Ayoub Muhammad , Abbas Muhammad Adeem , Ali Imtiaz
Published: October 2021

The research has shown successful application of ionic liquids (ILs) as drilling fluid additives for modifying the mud rheology. Ionic liquids are tuneable solvents comprising of hundreds of combination of various cations and anions. The cationic portion mainly comprises of a side alkyl chain which plays an important role in altering the drilling fluid properties. This review mainly focusses on finding the impact of alkyl chain length on yield point, plastic viscosity and filtration properties of water based mud at room temperature. The paper also incorporates the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis carried out on various ionic liquids by different research groups which confirms how the intercalation between ionic liquid and Na-Bt (Sodium Bentonite) changes the structure of clay and thus alters the rheology of the mud. It can be concluded that ionic liquids act as rheology modifiers by intercalating between the clay layers and thus changing the d-spacing of the clay. Moreover, the hydrophobicity, polarity and solubility of alkyl chain play an important role in altering the wettability and dispersion behavior of clay which modify the filtration as well as rheological properties of the mud.
The many facets of the Estrada indices of graphs and networks
Authors: Estrada Ernesto
Published: October 2021

The Estrada index of a graph/network is defined as the trace of the adjacency matrix exponential. It has been extended to other graph-theoretic matrices, such as the Laplacian, distance, Seidel adjacency, Harary, etc. Here, we describe many of these extensions, including new ones, such as Gaussian, Mittag–Leffler and Onsager ones. More importantly, we contextualize all of these indices in physico-mathematical frameworks which allow their interpretations and facilitate their extensions and further studies. We also describe several of the bounds and estimations of these indices reported in the literature and analyze many of them computationally for small graphs as well as large complex networks. This article is intended to formalize many of the Estrada indices proposed and studied in the mathematical literature serving as a guide for their further studies.