bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emerging Strategies in Stimuli‐Responsive Silk Architectures
Authors: Jaya Prakash Niranjana , Sarkar Supriya Sanatkumar , Kandasubramanian Balasubramanian
Published: March 2023

The utilization of implantable devices beseeches highly invasive surgeries considering the adversaries in the insertion of large, impliable devices through the body channels, which necessitate the development of implantable devices using biocompatible shape memory polymers. Silk displays prodigious heterogeneity in its genetic structure and physical properties in accordance with the spinning and storage process, where proteins undergo folding and unfolding. The stimuli‐responsive nature of silk can be explained with the help of the structural morphology and composition of the material, where the hydrogen bonds in β‐sheet domains and amorphous region act as switch points and net points, respectively. This review provides a primary attempt to enswathe all the literature available to date on the stimuli‐responsive nature of silk and silk‐based materials as a natural and biodegradable alternative for commercially used synthetic shape memory materials taking their elastomeric nature and reduction in glass transition temperature into account. Further constitutive model using the continuum approach has been utilized to explain the anisotropic elasticity damping effect and plastic deformation based on the α‐helix chains, β‐sheets, and β‐spiral structures. The practicability to develop biomedical devices such as patient‐specific‐injectable scaffolds, drug carriers, and artificial muscles has been encompassed in this article.
The Effects of Methoxylated Isoindigo on the Optical and Charge Transport Properties of the Corresponding Polymers
Authors: Xiong Zihan , Wen Wei , Zhu Yifei , Mu Youbing , Zhao Zhiyuan , Lan Zhenggang , Wan Xiaobo , Liu Yunqi
Published: March 2023

Although the effects of electron‐deficient group substitution on isoindigo on the corresponding conjugated polymers are extensively studied, the modification of isoindigo core with electron‐rich groups has not been investigated. It is envisioned that the introduction of the methoxy group on isoindigo will not only tune the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of the corresponding polymers but also introduce O···S “conformation lock” to increase the coplanarity of the polymers, which should facilitate hole transport. Herein, the syntheses of two methoxylated isoindigos and the investigations on the charge transport behaviors of their copolymers with bisthiophene (2T) and bisthiazole (2Tz) are reported. It is found that the substitution positions have a drastic influence on the UV–vis absorption and electrochemical properties for both monomers and polymers. Theoretical calculations and single crystal structure analysis confirm the existence of O···S “conformation lock”, however, both methoxy substitutions also change the aggregation behaviors of the corresponding polymers to a mixed face‐on/edge‐on orientation which has an adverse effect for charge transport. Among the four polymers, the polymer of 5,5'‐methoxylated isoindigo and 2T exhibit the best hole mobility of 1.9 × 10−1 cm2 V−1 s−1.
The Role of Crosslinker Molecular Structure on Mechanical and Light‐Actuation Properties in Liquid Crystalline Networks
Authors: Donato Simone , Martella Daniele , Salzano de Luna Martina , Arecchi Giulia , Querceto Silvia , Ferrantini Cecilia , Sacconi Leonardo , Brient Pierre‐Louis , Chatard Camille , Graillot Alain , Wiersma Diederik S. , Parmeggiani Camilla
Published: March 2023

Phase behavior modulation of liquid crystalline molecules can be addressed by structural modification at molecular level. Starting from a rigid rod‐like core reduction of the symmetry or increase of the steric hindrance by different substituents generally reduces the clearing temperature. Similar approaches can be explored to modulate the properties of liquid crystalline networks (LCNs)—shape‐changing materials employed as actuators in many fields. Depending on the application, the polymer properties have to be adjusted in terms of force developed under stimuli, kinetics of actuation, elasticity, and resistance to specific loads. In this work, the crosslinker modification at molecular level is explored towards the optimization of LCN properties as light‐responsive artificial muscles. The synthesis and characterization of photopolymerizable crosslinkers, bearing different lateral groups on the aromatic core is reported. Such molecules are able to strongly modulate the material mechanical properties, such as kinetics and maximum tension under light actuation, opening up to interesting materials for biomedical applications.
Stationary anisotropic Stokes, Oseen and Navier–Stokes systems: Periodic solutions in ℝn
Authors: Mikhailov Sergey E.
Published: March 2023

First, the solution uniqueness, existence and regularity for stationary anisotropic (linear) Stokes and generalised Oseen systems with constant viscosity coefficients in a compressible framework are analysed in a range of periodic Sobolev (Bessel‐potential) spaces in
. By the Galerkin algorithm and the Brower fixed point theorem, the existence of solution to the stationary anisotropic (nonlinear) Navier–Stokes incompressible system is shown in a periodic Sobolev space for any
. Then the solution uniqueness and regularity results for stationary anisotropic periodic Navier–Stokes system are established for
.
Dynamical behaviors of a stochastic HIV/AIDS epidemic model with treatment
Authors: Zhao Xiaoqi , Dong Lingzhen
Published: March 2023

In this paper, by using Itô's formula, we study the dynamic behaviors of a stochastic human immune deficiency virus (HIV) model, which describes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) with the effect of treatment. First, we discuss the global positivity of the solution to such a model with positive initial value. Then, we consider the limiting behavior of the solution. Moreover, we obtain the sufficient condition to guarantee the extinction of AIDS. Meanwhile, by constructing an appropriate Lyapunov function, we prove that the solution has a unique ergodic stationary distribution under a certain assumptions. Finally, we illustrate the validity of our results by numerical simulations.
Study of compatibility between a 3T MR system and detector modules for a second‐generation RF‐penetrable TOF‐PET insert for simultaneous PET/MRI
Authors: Dong Qian , Adams Zander , Watkins Ronald D. , Lee Brian J. , Chang Chen‐Ming , Sacco Ilaria , Levin Craig S.
Published: March 2023

Background

Simultaneous positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) has shown promise in acquiring complementary multiparametric information of disease. However, designing these hybrid imaging systems is challenging due to the propensity for mutual interference between the PET and MRI subsystems. Currently, there are integrated PET/MRI systems for clinical applications. For neurologic imaging, a brain‐dedicated PET insert provides superior spatial resolution and sensitivity compared to body PET scanners.

Purpose

Our first‐generation prototype brain PET insert (“PETcoil”) demonstrated RF‐penetrability and MR‐compatibility. In the second‐generation PETcoil system, all analog silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) signal digitization is moved inside the detectors, which results in substantially better PET detector performance, but presents a greater technical challenge for achieving MR‐compatibility. In this paper, we report results from MR‐compatibility studies of two fully assembled second‐generation PET insert detector modules.

Methods

We studied the effect of the presence of the two second‐generation TOF‐PET insert detectors on parameters that affect MR image quality and evaluated TOF‐PET detector performance under different MRI pulse sequence conditions.

Results

With the presence of operating PET detectors, no RF noise peaks were induced in the MR images, but the relative average noise level was increased by 15%, which led to a 3.1 to 4.2‐dB degradation in MR image signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). The relative homogeneity of MR images degraded by less than 1.5% with the two operating TOF‐PET detectors present. The reported results also indicated that ghosting artifacts (percent signal ghosting (PSG) ⩽ 1%) and MR susceptibility artifacts (0.044 ppm) were insignificant. The PET detector data showed a relative change of less than 5% in detector module performance between running outside and within the MR bore under different MRI pulse sequences except for energy resolution in EPI sequence (13% relative difference).

Conclusions

The PET detector operation did not cause any significant artifacts in MR images and the performance and time‐of‐flight (TOF) capability of the former were preserved under different tested MR conditions.
Impact of region of interest definition on visual stimulation‐based cerebral vascular reactivity functional MRI with a special focus on applications in cerebral amyloid angiopathy
Authors: van Harten Thijs W. , van Rooden Sanneke , Koemans Emma A. , van Opstal Anna M. , Greenberg Steven M. , van der Grond Jeroen , Wermer Marieke J. H. , van Osch Matthias J. P.
Published: March 2023

Cerebral vascular reactivity quantified using blood oxygen level‐dependent functional MRI in conjuncture with a visual stimulus has been proven to be a potent and early marker for cerebral amyloid angiopathy. This work investigates the influence of different postprocessing methods on the outcome of such vascular reactivity measurements. Three methods for defining the region of interest (ROI) over which the reactivity is measured are investigated: structural (transformed V1), functional (template based on the activation of a subset of subjects), and percentile (11.5 cm3 most responding voxels). Evaluation is performed both in a test–retest experiment in healthy volunteers (N = 12), as well as in 27 Dutch‐type cerebral amyloid angiopathy patients and 33 age‐ and sex‐matched control subjects. The results show that the three methods select a different subset of voxels, although all three lead to similar outcome measures in healthy subjects. However, in (severe) pathology, the percentile method leads to higher reactivity measures than the other two, due to circular analysis or “double dipping” by defining a subject‐specific ROI based on the strongest responses within each subject. Furthermore, while different voxels are included in the presence of lesions, this does not necessarily result in different outcome measures. In conclusion, to avoid bias created by the method, either a structural or a functional method is recommended. Both of these methods provide similar reactivity measures, although the functional ROI appears to be less reproducible between studies, because slightly different subsets of voxels were found to be included. On the other hand, the functional method did include fewer lesion voxels than the structural method.
Single breath‐hold three‐dimensional whole‐heart T2 mapping with low‐rank plus sparse reconstruction
Authors: Si Dongyue , Kong Xiangchuang , Guo Rui , Cheng Lan , Ning Zihan , Chen Zhensen , Chen Shuo , Herzka Daniel A. , Ding Haiyan
Published: March 2023

The purpose of the current study was to develop and evaluate a three‐dimensional single Breath‐hOLd cardiac T2 mapping sequence (3D BOLT) with low‐rank plus sparse (L + S) reconstruction for rapid whole‐heart T2 measurement. 3D BOLT collects three highly accelerated electrocardiogram‐triggered volumes with whole‐heart coverage, all within a single 12‐heartbeat breath‐hold. Saturation pulses are performed every heartbeat to prepare longitudinal magnetization before T2 preparation (T2‐prep) or readout, and the echo time of T2‐prep is varied per volume for variable T2 weighting. Accelerated volumes are reconstructed jointly by an L + S algorithm. 3D BOLT was optimized and validated against gradient spin echo (GraSE) and a previously published approach (three‐dimensional free‐breathing cardiac T2 mapping [3DFBT2]) in both phantoms and human subjects (11 healthy subjects and 10 patients). The repeatability of 3D BOLT was validated on healthy subjects. Retrospective experiments indicated that 3D BOLT with 4.2‐fold acceleration achieved T2 measurements comparable with those obtained with fully sampled data. T2 measured in phantoms using 3D BOLT demonstrated good accuracy and precision compared with the reference (R2 > 0.99). All in vivo imaging was successful and the average left ventricle T2s measured by GraSE, 3DFBT2, and 3D BOLT were comparable and consistent for all healthy subjects (47.0 ± 2.3 vs. 47.7 ± 2.7 vs. 48.4 ± 1.8 ms) and patients (50.8 ± 3.0 vs. 48.6 ± 3.9 vs. 49.1 ± 3.7 ms), respectively. Myocardial T2 measured by 3D BOLT had excellent agreement with 3DFBT2 and there was no significant difference in mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation. 3D BOLT showed excellent repeatability (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.938). The proposed 3D BOLT achieved whole‐heart T2 mapping in a single breath‐hold with good accuracy, precision, and repeatability on T2 measurements.
Phase‐shifted transverse relaxation orientation dependences in human brain white matter
Authors: Pang Yuxi
Published: March 2023

This work aimed to demonstrate an essential phase shift
for better quantifying
and
in human brain white matter (WM), and to further elucidate its origin related to the directional diffusivities from standard diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
was integrated into a proposed generalized transverse relaxation model for characterizing previously published
and
orientation dependence profiles in brain WM, and then comparisons were made with those without
. It was theorized that anisotropic diffusivity direction
was collinear with an axon fiber subject to all eigenvalues and eigenvectors from an apparent diffusion tensor. To corroborate the origin of
,
orientation dependences referenced by
were compared with those referenced by the standard principal diffusivity direction
at b‐values of 1000 and 2500 (s/mm2). These
orientation dependences were obtained from
‐weighted images (b = 0) of ultrahigh‐resolution Connectome DTI datasets in the public domain. A normalized root‐mean‐square error (
) and an
‐test were used for evaluating curve‐fittings, and statistical significance was considered to be a p of 0.05 or less. A phase‐shifted model resulted in significantly reduced
compared with that without
in quantifying various
and
profiles, both in vivo and ex vivo at multiple
fields. The
profiles based on
manifested a right‐shifted phase (
) at two b‐values, while those based on
became free from
. For all phase‐shifted
and
profiles,
generally depended on the directional diffusivities by
, as predicted. In summary, a ubiquitous phase shift
has been demonstrated as a prerequisite for better quantifying transverse relaxation orientation dependences in human brain WM. Furthermore, the origin of
associated with the directional diffusivities from DTI has been elucidated. These findings could have a significant impact on interpretations of prior
and
datasets and on future research.
Deep learning inversion method of tunnel resistivity synthetic data based on modelling data
Authors: Liu Benchao , Guo Qian , Tang Yuting , Jiang Peng
Published: March 2023

Different water‐bearing geological structures in front of the tunnel face are the main cause of tunnel water inrush disasters, affecting tunnel constructionsafety. Due to the narrow tunnel space and the limited data that can be detected, the traditional linear inversion method for detecting them has multiple solutions. In this paper, we establish a database with complex models, including water‐bearing geological structures usually encountered during tunnel construction. Then we build a complex nonlinear relationship mapping between the tunnel face observation data and the resistivity model through the deep neural network algorithm (electrical resistivity inversion network tunnel, ERTInvNet‐T for short). ERTInvNet‐T first uses a fully connected network to extract the tunnel depth features from the observed data, from which a three‐dimensional geoelectric model of the tunnel is then generated by a three‐dimensional deconvolutional network. At the same time, there is a problem with the uneven spatial distribution of the sensitivity of the data to the model. Therefore, depth weighting information constraint based on the distance factor is added to the loss function, which improves the network algorithm's learning ability for different detection positions of the tunnel. The validity of the proposed method is verified by a large number of numerical simulation experiments.
Raise awareness about stalking, follow key strategies for stalking investigations
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: March 2023

College students are the most likely demographic in America to experience stalking — but 43% of those who have been stalked wouldn't qualify it as such. That's according to data from Help in Crisis. This means that students on your campus might not be aware of just how prevalent or problematic stalking is — including the ways it can escalate into other forms of violence — or even, indeed, what behaviors qualify as stalking.
Consider the destructive nature of fake consensus
Authors: Freebairn‐Smith Laura
Published: March 2023

In this column, I'm going to address the concept of fake or overused consensus in decision‐making. Leaders in the United States often default to seeking consensus, seeing it as the holy grail of group decision‐making, believing that this is the only way or a good way to ensure buy‐in to the decision. There are several problems with this choice of decision‐making style, including but not limited to:
Learn to lead across generations
Authors: McCarthy Claudine
Published: March 2023

To lead effectively, student affairs professionals need to learn to lead in different ways that are tailored to fit each of the five generations represented on today's college campuses, according to Dr. Tim Elmore, millennial expert and the Founder and CEO of Growing Leaders, who spoke at the annual convention for the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
Design of an Online Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry System to Study Gas Evolution from Cells with Lean and Volatile Electrolytes
Authors: Sim Richard , Langdon Jayse , Manthiram Arumugam
Published: March 2023

Gas evolution in high‐energy Li‐ion batteries remains a pervasive problem for a multitude of chemistries, jeopardizing the electrochemical performance and safety for consumers of electric vehicles. Many electrode–electrolyte degradation processes evolve gasses that may be detected in‐situ with online electrochemical mass spectrometry (OEMS). In this work, details are provided for the setup and validation of an OEMS system that operates well under lean and volatile electrolyte conditions. Quite notably, the OEMS cells with only 40 µL of electrolyte and intermittent headspace sampling exhibit comparable electrochemical performance to flooded coin‐cells. It is demonstrated that the onset time, shape, and magnitude of the gas evolution profiles calculated from mass spectrometer measurements match well to a known pressure reference through the use of an empirically determined fraction of removal. The off‐gassing characteristics from a set of layered‐oxide materials, NMC532, NMC811, and LNO, are used to further validate the OEMS setup against the literature. It is shown that many of the features present in the OEMS curves for equivalent systems from other groups are captured by this OEMS system. At an upper cut‐off voltage of 4.4 V, LNO exhibits an intense release of CO2, O2, and CO gas relative to NMC532 and NMC811.
Experimental research and numerical simulations of the actual response flat slab in case of column loss
Authors: Buda‐Ożóg Lidia , Zięba Joanna , Sieńkowska Katarzyna , Nykiel Damian
Published: March 2023

This study reports the influence of tie reinforcement on the load‐bearing capacity of a flat plate slab in a failure situation due to the removal of an edge column. The results are based on numerical model analysis, experimental investigations, and analytical estimation. A numerical model was developed using the ATENA FEM program and validated based on the test results of the materials used. Experimental studies on the edge column removal were carried out for three models of 16 field flat plate slabs with varying degrees of tie reinforcement. Furthermore, the columns removed in Models M1 and M2 were near the corner edge columns, whereas in Model M3, they were the middle edge columns. The behavior of a reinforced concrete flat plate subjected to large deflections was estimated analytically based on the current literature and compared with the results obtained from numerical analyses and experimental investigations. During the experimental investigations, many traditional and modern techniques were used to measure the strains and displacements of reinforcing steel and concrete.
Phylogeny of Rubus (Rosaceae): Integrating molecular and morphological evidence into an infrageneric revision
Authors: Huang Ti‐Ran , Chen Jian‐Hui , Hummer Kim E. , Alice Lawrence A. , Wang Wen‐He , He Yi , Yu Sheng‐Xiang , Yang Ming‐Feng , Chai Tuan‐Yao , Zhu Xiang‐Yun , Ma Lan‐Qing , Wang Hong
Published: March 2023

Rubus (Rosaceae), one of the most complicated angiosperm genera, contains about 863 species, and is notorious for its taxonomic difficulty. The most recent (1910–1914) global taxonomic treatment of the genus was conducted by Focke, who defined 12 subgenera. Phylogenetic results over the past 25 years suggest that Focke's subdivisions of Rubus are not monophyletic, and large‐scale taxonomic revisions are necessary. Our objective was to provide a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the genus based on an integrative evidence approach. Morphological characters, obtained from our own investigation of living plants and examination of herbarium specimens are combined with chloroplast genomic data. Our dataset comprised 196 accessions representing 145 Rubus species (including cultivars and hybrids) and all of Focke's subgenera, including 60 endemic Chinese species. Maximum likelihood analyses inferred phylogenetic relationships. Our analyses concur with previous molecular studies, but with modifications. Our data strongly support the reclassification of several subgenera within Rubus. Our molecular analyses agree with others that only R. subg. Anoplobatus forms a monophyletic group. Other subgenera are para‐ or polyphyletic. We suggest a revised subgeneric framework to accommodate monophyletic groups. Character evolution is reconstructed, and diagnostic morphological characters for different clades are identified and discussed. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, we propose a new classification system with 10 subgenera: R. subg. Anoplobatus, R. subg. Batothamnus, R. subg. Chamaerubus, R. subg. Cylactis, R. subg. Dalibarda, R. subg. Idaeobatus, R. subg. Lineati, R. subg. Malachobatus, R. subg. Melanobatus, and R. subg. Rubus. The revised infrageneric nomenclature inferred from our analyses is provided along with synonymy and type citations. Our new taxonomic backbone is the first systematic and complete global revision of Rubus since Focke's treatment. It offers new insights into deep phylogenetic relationships of Rubus and has important theoretical and practical significance for the development and utilization of these important agronomic crops.
Pre‐analytical and analytical variability of reticulocyte counts in dogs
Authors: Franchi Roberta , Giraldi Marco , Bertazzolo Walter , Bartolini Francesca , Di Maria Francesca Maria , Paltrinieri Saverio
Published: March 2023

Background

Automated fluorescence‐based haematology analysers are now available for reticulocyte enumeration in veterinary medicine, but manual counting is still largely used. This study aimed to evaluate potential sources of analytical and pre‐analytical errors when performing automated and manual counts.

Methods

Automated and two‐operator double‐blind manual reticulocyte counts were performed on 15 blood samples. The intra‐assay variation of the automated and manual counts and the interoperator variation in the manual counts were then calculated. In addition, the effects of storage were evaluated using samples refrigerated at 4°C or stored at room temperature for 2, 4, 12, 24, 48 or 72 hours after sampling.

Results

Intra‐assay coefficients of variation were lower for automated counts than for manual counts. Comparison between automated and mean total manual reticulocyte count showed no significant differences. In both refrigerated samples and those stored at room temperature, an increase in reticulocyte count was recorded only after 72 hours. Staining artefacts occurred only in one stored sample counted manually.

Limitations

The presence of cytoplasmic particles other than RNA can cause misinterpretation of cells, leading to an erroneous reticulocyte count.

Conclusion

The use of an automated analyser is preferable for reticulocyte enumeration in dogs. Common storage conditions seem to minimally affect reticulocyte evaluation; however, it is recommended to perform the analysis as soon as possible after sampling.
Teacher Education in the Nordic Remake: How Transnational Policymaking Transforms Regional Collaboration
Authors: Krejsler John Benedicto
Published: March 2023

Since the 1990s, teacher education policies and programmes in Nordic countries have been increasingly shaped by their profound involvement in international and transnational collaborations. Today, the OECD’s PISA and the IEA’s Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) define how European national school policy is talked about and organized, and the Bologna Process has become pivotal for how teacher education is thought about and organized. Thus, Nordic collaboration has largely been transformed in the sense that Nordic countries gain perspective in transnational collaborations by comparing their performances with those of other Nordic countries and adapting the agendas for Nordic collaborations to larger international and transnational agendas.

This chapter demonstrates how teacher education in the Nordic countries has been reshaped by these developments in three key areas: (1) the impact of the transnational turn in education policy, in particular the Bologna Process; (2) how this turn has been driven by increasing primacy of Anglo-American educational norms (evidence, standards-based education, coupling the market with education, etc.); and (3) the impact of the transnational turn in school policy reform on the framing of teacher education in both discourse and practice.
Efficient Continuous Latency Monitoring with eBPF
Authors: Sundberg Simon , Brunstrom Anna , Ferlin-Reiter Simone , Høiland-Jørgensen Toke , Brouer Jesper Dangaard
Published: March 2023

Network latency is a critical factor for the perceived quality of experience for many applications. With an increasing focus on interactive and real-time applications, which require reliable and low latency, the ability to continuously and efficiently monitor latency is becoming more important than ever. Always-on passive monitoring of latency can provide continuous latency metrics without injecting any traffic into the network. However, software-based monitoring tools often struggle to keep up with traffic as packet rates increase, especially on contemporary multi-Gbps interfaces. We investigate the feasibility of using eBPF to enable efficient passive network latency monitoring by implementing an evolved Passive Ping (ePPing). Our evaluation shows that ePPing delivers accurate RTT measurements and can handle over 1 Mpps, or correspondingly over 10 Gbps, on a single core, greatly improving on state-of-the-art software based solutions, such as PPing.
Uniqueness of some cylindrical tangent cones to special Lagrangians
Authors: Collins Tristan C. , Li Yang
Published: March 2023

We show that if an exact special Lagrangian $$N\subset {\mathbb {C}}^n$$

N
⊂

C

n

has a multiplicity one, cylindrical tangent cone of the form $${\mathbb {R}}^{k}\times {\textbf{C}}$$

R

k

×
C

where $${\textbf{C}}$$
C
is a special Lagrangian cone with smooth, connected link, then this tangent cone is unique provided $${\textbf{C}}$$
C
satisfies an integrability condition. This applies, for example, when $${\textbf{C}}= {\textbf{C}}_{HL}^{m}$$

C
=

C

HL

m

is the Harvey-Lawson $$T^{m-1}$$

T

m
-
1

cone for $$m\ne 8,9$$

m
≠
8
,
9

.
Financial production and the subprime mortgage crisis
Authors: Tori Daniele , Caverzasi Eugenio , Gallegati Mauro
Published: March 2023

The causes of the 2007-8 subprime crisis continue to be the subject of much debate, with explanations ranging from de-regulation and fraudulent behavior to global imbalances and rising inequality. However, a comprehensive analysis of the endogenous forces that made the crisis inevitable has yet to be presented. This paper offers a ‘structural’ interpretation of the crisis by synthesising insights from conventional financial economics and the Minskyian and Schumpeterian literature. While highlighting the innovative character of US financial firms evolving from credit providers to producers of financial commodities, we stress the key features of their path towards financial fragility.  We contend that financial institutions were able to achieve progressively unsustainable positions due to the ‘enforced indebtedness’ of US households, which played a functional, albeit secondary, role in the development of the crisis.
The bifurcation and topography of the posterior tibial artery within the tarsal tunnel
Authors: Marchese B. , McDonald A. , McGowan H.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The tarsal tunnel (TT) is a fibro-osseous anatomical space coursing from the medial ankle to the medial midfoot. This tunnel acts as a passage for both tendinous and neurovascular structures, including the neurovascular bundle containing the posterior tibial artery (PTA), posterior tibial veins (PTVs) and tibial nerve (TN). Tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS) is the entrapment neuropathy that describes the compression and irritation of the TN within this space. Iatrogenic injury to the PTA plays a significant role in both the onset and exacerbation of TTS symptoms. The current study aims to produce a method to allow clinicians and surgeons to easily and accurately predict the bifurcation of the PTA, to avoid iatrogenic injury during treatment of TTS.

Methods

Fifteen embalmed cadaveric lower limbs were dissected at the medial ankle region to expose the TT. Various measurements regarding the location of the PTA within the TT were recorded and multiple linear regression analysis performed using RStudio.

Results

Analysis provided a clear correlation (p < 0.05) between the length of the foot (MH), length of hind-foot (MC) and location of bifurcation of the PTA (MB). Using these measurements, this study developed an equation (MB = 0.3*MH + 0.37*MC – 28.24 mm) to predict the location of bifurcation of the PTA within a 23° arc inferior to the medial malleolus.

Conclusions

This study successfully developed a method whereby clinicians and surgeons can easily and accurately predict the bifurcation of the PTA, to avoid iatrogenic injury that would previously lead to an exacerbation of TTS symptoms.
Computational aspects of experimental designs in multiple-group mixed models
Authors: Prus Maryna , Filová Lenka
Published: March 2023

We extend the equivariance and invariance conditions for construction of optimal designs to multiple-group mixed models and, hence, derive the support of optimal designs for first- and second-order models on a symmetric square. Moreover, we provide a tool for computation of D- and L-efficient exact designs in multiple-group mixed models by adapting the algorithm of Harman et al. (Appl Stoch Models Bus Ind, 32:3–17, 2016). We show that this algorithm can be used both for size-constrained problems and also in settings that require multiple resource constraints on the design, such as cost constraints or marginal constraints.
Sum Index, Difference Index and Exclusive Sum Number of Graphs
Authors: Haslegrave John
Published: March 2023

We consider two recent conjectures made by Harrington, Henninger-Voss, Karhadkar, Robinson and Wong concerning relationships between the sum index, difference index and exclusive sum number of graphs. One conjecture posits an exact relationship between the first two invariants; we show that in fact the predicted value may be arbitrarily far from the truth in either direction. In the process we establish some new bounds on both the sum and difference index. The other conjecture, that the exclusive sum number can exceed the sum index by an arbitrarily large amount, follows from known, but non-constructive, results; we give an explicit construction demonstrating it. Simultaneously with the first preprint of this paper appearing, Harrington et al. updated their preprint with two counterexamples to the first conjecture; however, their counterexamples only give a discrepancy of 1, and only in one direction. They therefore modified the conjecture from an equality to an inequality; our results show that this is still false in general.
Grounding the Selectionist Explanation for the Success of Science in the External Physical World
Authors: van der Merwe Ragnar
Published: March 2023

I identify two versions of the scientific anti-realist’s selectionist explanation for the success of science: Bas van Fraassen’s original and K. Brad Wray’s newer interpretation. In Wray’s version, psycho-social factors internal to the scientific community – viz. scientists’ interests, goals, and preferences – explain the theory-selection practices that explain theory-success. I argue that, if Wray’s version were correct, then science should resemble art. In art, the artwork-selection practices that explain artwork-success appear faddish. They are prone to radical change over time. Theory-selection practices that explain theory-success in science are however not faddish. They are mostly stable; that is, long-lived and consistent over time. This is because scientists (explicitly or implicitly) subscribe to what I will call the testability norm: scientific theories must make falsifiable claims about the external physical world. The testability norm and not psycho-sociology explains the theory-selection practices that explain theory-success in science. Contra Wray, scientific anti-realists can then maintain that the external physical world (as expressed in the testability norm) explains theory-success.
Classical Density Functional Theory: Representability and Universal Bounds
Authors: Jex Michal , Lewin Mathieu , Madsen Peter S.
Published: March 2023

We provide upper and lower bounds on the lowest free energy of a classical system at given one-particle density$$\rho (x)$$ρ(x). We study both the canonical and grand-canonical cases, assuming the particles interact with a pair potential which decays fast enough at infinity.
Sliding modes of high codimension in piecewise-smooth dynamical systems
Authors: Guglielmi Nicola , Hairer Ernst
Published: March 2023

We consider piecewise-smooth dynamical systems, i.e., systems of ordinary differential equations switching between different sets of equations on distinct domains, separated by hyper-surfaces. As is well-known, when the solution approaches a discontinuity manifold, a classical solution may cease to exist. For this reason, starting with the pioneering work of Filippov, a concept of weak solution (also known as sliding mode) has been introduced and studied. Nowadays, the solution of piecewise-smooth dynamical systems in and close to discontinuity manifolds is well understood, if the manifold consists locally of a single discontinuity hyper-surface or of the intersection of two discontinuity hyper-surfaces. The present work presents partial results on the solution in and close to discontinuity manifolds of codimension 3 and higher.
What are you reading? From core journals to trendy journals in the Library and Information Science (LIS) field
Authors: Safón Vicente , Docampo Domingo
Published: March 2023

In this study, we present an objective, replicable methodology to identify trendy journals in any consolidated discipline. Trendy journals are those most read by authors who are currently publishing within the scope of the discipline. Trendy journal lists differ from consolidated lists of top core journals; the latter are very stable over time, mainly reflecting reputational factors, whereas the former reveal current influences not yet captured by studies based on bibliometric indicators or expert surveys. We apply our methodology to identify trendy journals among 167 titles indexed in the Web of Science category of the Information Science & Library Science (LIS) research area. Our list of trendy journals represents the most influential journals nowadays in the LIS discipline, challenging to some extent the core LIS journal list and journal category lists ordered by citations (e.g., by the Journal Impact Factor). Our results show that Scientometrics is the journal that bears the most influence on current production when not corrected for journal size and that Quantitative Science Studies—a small, relatively new journal not yet assigned a Journal Impact Factor nor present on any list of core LIS journals—is the journal that has shown the most significant recent influence when controlling for size.
Ecohydrogeochemistry of the Slikken van Flakkee, a former tidal wetland in the Netherlands
Authors: van der Weiden M. J. J. , van Haperen A. M. M. , Kanters T. J. , Wassen M. J.
Published: March 2023

The Slikken van Flakkee, a former tidal wetland in the Grevelingen, the Netherlands, has been changing under freshening conditions since 1971; in that year, the salty Grevelingen estuary was closed from the North Sea as part of the Dutch Delta Works. Our research aimed to analyse vegetation development over 1972–2016 and relates succession to quantified ecohydrogeochemical processes in the Slikken van Flakkee. We analysed succession and physico-chemical conditions at 63 monitoring locations. Based on extensive fieldwork in 2016 and 2017, we quantified the identified geochemical processes via inverse modelling and applied Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) to search for interrelations with vegetation. Nine per cent of the 229 observed plant species are rare and threatened or vulnerable, according to the Dutch Red List. Succession series showed a development from saline pioneer communities towards grassland and shrub vegetation dependent on management measures (grazing and mowing versus spontaneous development), desalinisation and geochemical processes, of which dissolution of carbonates appeared to be the dominant one. During desalinisation, the water-type shifted from NaCl towards CaHCO3. The CCA confirmed the impact of geochemical and texture variables, elevation and management on vegetation. Grazing and mowing led to species-rich grasslands and forb vegetation harbouring twice as many species than the spontaneously developed area after 50 years, demonstrating the importance of active nature management. We argue that hydrological-geochemical modelling is necessary to support policy-making before deciding on the partial re-establishment of the tide in Lake Grevelingen.
Anti-inflammatory maistemonine-class alkaloids of Stemona japonica
Authors: Tan Cheng -Yong , Shi Bao-Bao , Bao Mei-Fen , Cai Xiang-Hai
Published: March 2023

Three hitherto undescribed Stemona alkaloids, named stemajapines A–C (1–3), along with six known alkaloids (4–9), were isolated and identified from the roots of Stemona japonica (Blume) Miq. (Stemonaceae). Their structures were established by the analysis of the mass data, NMR spectra, and computational chemistry. Stemjapines A and B were degraded maistemonines without spiro-lactone ring and skeletal methyl from maistemonine. Concurrence of alkaloids 1 and 2 revealed an undescribed way to form diverse Stemona alkaloids. Bioassay results disclosed the anti-inflammatory natural constituents stemjapines A and C with IC50 values of 19.7 and 13.8 µM, respectively, compared to positive control dexamethasone with 11.7 µM. The findings may point out a new direction of Stemona alkaloids inaddition to its traditional antitussive and insecticide activities.
Are German National Accounts informationally efficient?
Authors: Döhrn Roland
Published: March 2023

National accounts are subject to major revisions. To improve the reliability of first release data, it is important to know whether subsequent revisions show systematic patterns. Or, in other words, whether national accounts are informationally efficient in the sense that all available information is incorporated into the data. This paper used annual data to test three dimensions of informational efficiency: weak efficiency, strong efficiency, and Nordhaus efficiency. The weak efficiency tests found GDP revisions to be noise, whereas revisions of several GDP components showed systematic patterns. Strong efficiency tests found covariations of GDP revisions with some indicators. Business survey results in particular have the potential to reduce the extent of revisions. Finally, Nordhaus efficiency tests found some indication of revision stickiness.
Experiences of Users with an Online Self-Guided Mental Health Training Program Using Gamification
Authors: van der Lubbe L. M. , Gerritsen C. , Klein M. C. A. , Rodgers R. F. , Hindriks K. V.
Published: March 2023

Young adulthood is a period of high risk for the development of mental health concerns. Increasing well-being among young adults is important to prevent mental health concerns and their consequences. Self-compassion has been identified as a modifiable trait with the potential to protect against mental health concerns. An online self-guided mental health training program using gamification was developed and the user experience was evaluated in a 6-week experimental design. During this period, 294 participants were allocated to use the online training program via a website. User experience was assessed via self-report questionnaires, and interaction data for the training program were also collected. Results showed that those who completed the intervention (n= 47) visited the website on average 3.2 days a week, with a mean of 45.8 interactions during the 6 weeks. Participants report positive user experiences of the online training, on average a System Usability Scale Brooke (1) score of 79.1 (out of 100) at the end-point. Participants showed positive engagement with story elements of the training, based on an average score of 4.1 (out of 5) in the evaluation of the story at the end-point. This study found the online self-compassion intervention for youth to be acceptable, although some features seem preferred by users as compared to others. Gamification in the form of a guiding story and a reward structure seemed to be a promising element for successfully motivating participants and serving as a guiding metaphor for self-compassion.
Optimal stable Ornstein–Uhlenbeck regression
Authors: Masuda Hiroki
Published: March 2023

We prove asymptotically efficient inference results concerning an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck regression model driven by a non-Gaussian stable Lévy process, where the output process is observed at high frequency over a fixed period. The local asymptotics of non-ergodic type for the likelihood function is presented, followed by a way to construct an asymptotically efficient estimator through a suboptimal, yet very simple preliminary estimator.
Impact of urban and peri-urban growth on arable land (1976–2029) in a medium sized city of Shire Indaselassie, North Western Tigray, Ethiopia
Authors: Gidey Eskinder , Gitet Solomon , Mhangara Paidamwoyo , Dikinya Oagile , Hishe Solomon , Girma Atkilt , Gebremeskel Gidey , Lottering Romano , Zenebe Amanuel , Birhane Emiru
Published: March 2023

Urban and peri-urban areas have been growing rapidly globally due to population increase and other factors. However, poor urban land use planning caused remarkable impacts on the loss of potentially arable land. This study aimed to analyze the spatio-temporal patterns of urban and peri-urban expansion and its impact on arable land in the Shire Indaselassie city, North Western Tigray. Multi-temporal and spectral Landsat images were used as an input and processed using TerrSet, ERDAS imagine 2015, and ArcGIS 10.8.1 softwares. The Cellular Automata-Markov Chain model was used to predict the future urban and peri-urban areas. Pearson correlation coefficient was applied to examine the association among the population, urban, peri-urban growth, and its impact on arable land in Stata/SE v14. The findings revealed that urban and peri-urban lands increased by 7.5 km2 (22.1%) and 1.0 km2 (2.9%), while arable land decreased by − 0.1 km2 (− 0.2%) from 1976 to 2019. It is also predicted to increase by 1.0 km2 (2.80%) and 0.9 km2 (2.70%) until 2029, while arable land is anticipated to shrink by − 1.0 km2 (− 3.0%). The relationship among population growth, urban, and peri-urban land shows positive (r = 0.942, p = 0.058; r = 0.985, p = 0.016). However, arable land has been negatively correlated with population growth, urban, and peri-urban lands (r =  − 0.610, p = 0.392). The result of this research is indispensable for urban planners and decision makers to optimize urban and peri-urban expansion related information without jeopardizing the size of arable lands.
N-Cadherin-Functionalized Nanofiber Hydrogel Facilitates Spinal Cord Injury Repair by Building a Favorable Niche for Neural Stem Cells
Authors: Yang Kaiyuan , Yang Jia , Man Weitao , Meng Zhe , Yang Chun-Yi , Cao Zheng , Liu Jun , Kim Kunkoo , Liu Yaosai , Yang Shuhui , Guo Yi , He Zhijun , Ma Chao , Wang Guihuai , Wang Xiumei
Published: March 2023

The inhospitable niche at the injury site after spinal cord injury (SCI) brings several challenges to neural stem cell (NSC) therapy, such as limited NSC retention and neuronal differentiation. Biomaterial-based stem cell transplantation has become a promising strategy for building a favorable niche to stem cells. Herein, an aligned fibrin nanofiber hydrogel modified with N-Cadherin-Fc (AFGN) was fabricated by electrospinning and biochemical conjugation to deliver NSCs for SCI repair. The AFGN hydrogel provides multimodal cues, including oriented nanofibrous topography, soft stiffness, and specific cell binding ligand, for directing NSC functions and nerve regeneration. The conjugated N-Cadherin-Fc recapitulated the homophilic cell–cell interaction for NSCs’ adhesion on AFGN and modulated cellular mechanosensing in response to AFGN for NSC differentiation. In addition, the AFGN hydrogel carrying exogenous NSCs was implanted in a rat 2 mm-long complete transected SCI model and significantly promoted the grafted NSCs retention, immunomodulation, neuronal differentiation, and in vivo integration with inherent neurons, thus finally achieved renascent neural relay formation and an encouraging locomotor functional recovery. Altogether, this study represents a valuable strategy for boosting NSC-based therapy in SCI regeneration by engineering an NSC-specific niche.

Graphical abstract