bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Active faulting, 3-D geological architecture and Plio-Quaternary structural evolution of extensional basins in the central Apennine chain, Italy
Authors: Gori Stefano , Falcucci Emanuela , Ladina Chiara , Marzorati Simone , Galadini Fabrizio
Published: March 2017

Abstract. The general basin and range Apennine topographic characteristic is generally attributed to the presently active normal fault systems, whose long-term activity (throughout the Quaternary) is supposed to have been responsible for the creation of morphological/structural highs and lows. By coupling field geological survey and geophysical investigations, we reconstructed the 3-D geological model of an inner tectonic basin of the central Apennines, the Subequana Valley, bounded to the northeast by the southern segment of one of the major active and seismogenic normal faults of the Apennines, known as the Middle Aterno Valley–Subequana Valley fault system. Our analyses revealed that, since the late Pliocene, the basin evolved in a double half-graben configuration through a polyphase tectonic development. An early phase, Late Pliocene–Early Pleistocene in age, was controlled by the ENE–WSW-striking and SSE-dipping Avezzano–Bussi fault, that determined the formation of an early depocentre towards the N–NW. Subsequently, the main fault became the NW–SE-striking faults, which drove the formation during the Quaternary of a new fault-related depocentre towards the NE. By considering the available geological information, a similar structural evolution has likely involved three close tectonic basins aligned along the Avezzano–Bussi fault, namely the Fucino Basin, the Subequana Valley, and the Sulmona Basin, and it has been probably experienced by other tectonic basins of the chain. The present work therefore points out the role of pre-existing transverse tectonic structures, inherited by previous tectonic phases, in accommodating the ongoing tectonic deformation and, consequently, in influencing the structural characteristics of the major active normal faults. This has implications in terms of earthquake fault rupture propagation and segmentation. Lastly, the morpho-tectonic setting of the Apennine chain results from the superposition of deformation events whose geological legacy must be considered in a wider evolutionary perspective. Our results testify that a large-scale basin and range geomorphological feature – often adopted for morpho-tectonic and kinematic evaluations in active extensional contexts, as in the Apennines – just led by range-bounding active normal faults may be actually simplistic, as it could not be applied everywhere, owing to peculiar complexities of the local tectonic histories.
Signature of Arctic first-year ice melt pond fraction in X-band SAR imagery
Authors: Fors Ane S. , Divine Dmitry V. , Doulgeris Anthony P. , Renner Angelika H. H. , Gerland Sebastian
Published: March 2017

Abstract. In this paper we investigate the potential of melt pond fraction retrieval from X-band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on drifting first-year sea ice. Melt pond fractions retrieved from a helicopter-borne camera system were compared to polarimetric features extracted from four dual-polarimetric X-band SAR scenes, revealing significant relationships. The correlations were strongly dependent on wind speed and SAR incidence angle. Co-polarisation ratio was found to be the most promising SAR feature for melt pond fraction estimation at intermediate wind speeds (6. 2 m s−1), with a Spearman's correlation coefficient of 0. 46. At low wind speeds (0. 6 m s−1), this relation disappeared due to low backscatter from the melt ponds, and backscatter VV-polarisation intensity had the strongest relationship to melt pond fraction with a correlation coefficient of −0. 53. To further investigate these relations, regression fits were made both for the intermediate (R2fit = 0. 21) and low (R2fit = 0. 26) wind case, and the fits were tested on the satellite scenes in the study. The regression fits gave good estimates of mean melt pond fraction for the full satellite scenes, with less than 4 % from a similar statistics derived from analysis of low-altitude imagery captured during helicopter ice-survey flights in the study area. A smoothing window of 51 × 51 pixels gave the best reproduction of the width of the melt pond fraction distribution. A considerable part of the backscatter signal was below the noise floor at SAR incidence angles above  ∼  40°, restricting the information gain from polarimetric features above this threshold. Compared to previous studies in C-band, limitations concerning wind speed and noise floor set stricter constraints on melt pond fraction retrieval in X-band. Despite this, our findings suggest new possibilities in melt pond fraction estimation from X-band SAR, opening for expanded monitoring of melt ponds during melt season in the future.
Regional Greenland accumulation variability from Operation IceBridge airborne accumulation radar
Authors: Lewis Gabriel , Osterberg Erich , Hawley Robert , Whitmore Brian , Marshall Hans Peter , Box Jason
Published: March 2017

Abstract. The mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) in a warming climate is of critical interest to scientists and the general public in the context of future sea-level rise. An improved understanding of temporal and spatial variability of snow accumulation will reduce uncertainties in GrIS mass balance models and improve projections of Greenland's contribution to sea-level rise, currently estimated at 0.089 ± 0.03 m by 2100. Here we analyze 25 NASA Operation IceBridge accumulation radar flights totaling  >  17 700 km from 2013 to 2014 to determine snow accumulation in the GrIS dry snow and percolation zones over the past 100–300 years. IceBridge accumulation rates are calculated and used to validate accumulation rates from three regional climate models. Averaged over all 25 flights, the RMS difference between the models and IceBridge accumulation is between 0.023 ± 0.019 and 0.043 ± 0.029 m w.e. a−1, although each model shows significantly larger differences from IceBridge accumulation on a regional basis. In the southeast region, for example, the Modèle Atmosphérique Régional (MARv3.5.2) overestimates by an average of 20.89 ± 6.75 % across the drainage basin. Our results indicate that these regional differences between model and IceBridge accumulation are large enough to significantly alter GrIS surface mass balance estimates. Empirical orthogonal function analysis suggests that the first two principal components account for 33 and 19 % of the variance, and correlate with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and wintertime North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), respectively. Regions that disagree strongest with climate models are those in which we have the fewest IceBridge data points, requiring additional in situ measurements to verify model uncertainties.
Navigating Violence: Fear and Everyday Life in Colombia and Mexico
Authors: Berents Helen , Ten Have Charlotte
Published: March 2017

Violence and insecurity are often read as totalising narratives of communities in parts of Latin America, flattening the complexity of everyday life and the responses of occupants who suffer from fear. In this article we draw on ethnographic research undertaken in los Altos de Cazucá in Colombia and in San Luis Potosí in Mexico. While both sites are distinct locations with different historic, economic, social and political contexts they share features of communities affected by violence and insecurity: distrust of institutions of the state; rationalisations for managing violence in daily life; and narratives of fear that appear woven through the fabric of conversations. However, fear and violence are not all-encompassing experiences and individuals in both these communities describe practices of navigation of violence that draw on positive communal experiences. This article explores how, in these communities where violence comes to be expected but never normalised, people navigate their everyday lives.
Punishment, Democracy and Transitional Justice in Argentina (1983-2015)
Authors: Zysman Quirós Diego Arturo
Published: March 2017

Latin America has neither suffered the majority of mass atrocities in the contemporary world nor the worst of them but, after a sustained period of transition to democracy, it holds the record for the most domestic trials for human rights abuses. Argentina is an emblematic case in Latin America and the world. Due to the early development of its human rights trials, their social impact and their scale, it has a leading role in what is known as ‘the justice cascade’. Until recently, leading scholars in sociology of punishment have studied the penality of ‘ordinary crimes’ through causally deep and global narratives largely from the perspective of the Global North. State crimes and regional paths of transitional justice have been neglected in their accounts. This paper will question this state of affairs – or ‘parallelism’ – through an exploration of the punishment of both ‘common crimes’ and ‘state crimes’ in Argentina, thus contributing to the growing body of scholarship on southern criminology.
Confronting the North’s South: On Race and Violence in the United States
Authors: Currie Elliot
Published: March 2017

More than any other ‘Northern’ country, the United States is distinctive in the degree to which its social, economic, and cultural development has been entwined with the global South from the beginning: and we cannot adequately understand the state of crime and punishment in the US without taking that uniquely ‘Southern’ history into account. In this paper, I sketch some of the dimensions of one crucial reflection of that Southern legacy: the extraordinary racial disparities in the experience of violent death between African-Americans and Whites. These disparities contribute substantially to radically different patterns of life and death between the races, and constitute a genuine social and public health emergency. But their structural roots remain largely unaddressed; and in some respects, the prospects for seriously confronting these fundamental inequalities may be receding.
The Place of Rural in a Southern Criminology
Authors: Donnermeyer Joseph Francis
Published: March 2017

A substantial proportion of the world’s population remains rural, despite decades of urbanisation. Further, most of this rural population lies south of the equator. Therefore, it is incumbent on the emerging fields of rural criminology and global southern criminology to mutually reinforce each other’s scholarly development. To this end, this article engages three selected issues associated with agriculture and food – agricultural victimisation, food security, and farmworker abuse and trafficking – and discusses them in terms of the advancement of a global southern criminology. The article concludes with acknowledgement of many more rural crime issues that have particular salience to the global South and warns of new dangers in the development of hegemonic binaries (Carrington, Hogg and Sozzo 2016) and homogenous categories of knowledge (Connell 2007) if they fail to inform each other.
The Asian Criminological Paradigm and How It Links Global North and South: Combining an Extended Conceptual Toolbox from the North with Innovative Asian Contexts
Authors: Liu Jianhong
Published: March 2017

In their recent seminal paper ‘Southern Criminology’, Carrington, Hogg and Sozzo (2016) address the issue of the global divide between South/North relations in the hierarchal production of criminological knowledge. They point out that the divide privileges theories, assumptions and methods that are largely based on the empirical specificities of the global North. Carrington et al. contend that the dominance of global North criminology has led to a severe underdevelopment of criminology in the global South, except ‘in Asia, with the establishment of the Asian Criminological Society and its journal’ (Liu 2009, in Carrington et al. 2016: 3). Carrington et al. propose an important task of bridging the global divide through further developing criminology in the global South. My present paper reviews the development of Asian criminology under the framework of the Asian Criminological Paradigm (Liu 2009). I primarily review the conceptual and theoretical developments, to suggest strategies that can contribute to the task of bridging the gap between global North and South. What Asian criminology has done is expand the theoretical tool box originally developed in the global North through the strategies of transportation of theories, elaboration of theories, and proposing new concepts and theories based on the empirical grounds of Asian contexts.
Teaching ethics through court judgments in Finance, Accounting, Economics and Business
Authors: Ramírez Rafael Robina
Published: March 2017

The current environment of business and financial corruption in Spain has increased in recent years. In order to reduce the scope of this problem, the Spanish Criminal Code (L.O. 1/2015) has introduced codes of conduct and ethics to encourage a new culture of respecting laws for companies and employees. An Educational Innovation Group at the University of Extremadura has proposed a cross-sectional model to study ethics, in an effort to address concerns about the consequences of illegal acts in society and companies. Students in Business, Finance and Accounting are required to practice ethical decision-making through court judgments in order to develop “ethical competences”. These competences are included in the European Higher Education Area and the Official University Education in Spain, specifically in the Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October through cross-sectional competences within the academic programmes. The results of the study show that a high percentage of students validate this methodology as a way of improving ethical decision-making skills at University that will be applied to future business practices.
Investigating the Factors Influencing Parent Toy Purchase Decisions: Reasoning and Consequences
Authors: Al Kurdi Barween
Published: March 2017

The purpose of this study is to explore and verify the main determinants of parent toy-choice decision-making by using a theoretical model for toy-selection decisions and exploring toy-purchasing behaviour empirically. After reviewing a large number of previous studies, this study’s model was developed and designed. A variety of determinants were identified and then categorized into six main broad categories, namely, purpose-of-using related factors, emotional-related factors, educational-related factors, cost-related factors as well as child and parent demographic-related factors. A quantitative methodology was adopted to test the study’s model by drawing on six hypotheses, which were then tested statistically. A self-administrative survey was developed to collect the preliminary data from customers (mainly parents) who had been involved in toy purchasing by applying the convenience sampling method. The study hypotheses were tested and the findings were also discussed in-depth.The study found that parent toy purchase decision id derived by a set of factors which are purposes of using-related factors, emotional-related factors, informational-related factors, cost-related factors, children demographical-related factors and parental demographical-related factors.
The Moderating Role of Employees’ Humor Styles on the Relationship between Job Stress and Emotional Exhaustion
Authors: Oktug Zeynep
Published: March 2017

In today’s work conditions, job stress and emotional exhaustion are serious threats for the health of employees. Previous research suggests a relationship between job stress and emotional exhaustion. The way individuals use humor has been associated with different coping strategies. The aim of this study is to investigate the moderating role of employees’ humor styles on the relationship between job stress and emotional exhaustion. 116 participants completed self-reported measures assessing their job stress, emotional exhaustion and humor styles. For data analyses a series of hierarchical moderated regression analyses were conducted. The findings show that self-enhancing and self-defeating humor styles have moderating effects on the relationship between job stress and emotional exhaustion. As the level of self-enhancing humor increases, the effect of job stress on emotional exhaustion is attenuated, on the other hand, as the level of self-defeating humor increases, the effect of job stress on emotional exhaustion is intensified. Findings regarding the effects of employees’ humor styles are discussed.
CONTEMPORARY CONTEXTS OF THE MEANING OF THE TERM “DISABILITY” – IMPLICATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF FUNCTIONING, DISABILITY AND HEALTH (ICF)
Authors: Byra Stanisława , Boczkowska Magdalena , Duda Marlena
Published: March 2017

The article provides a theoretical analysis of the contemporary contexts of the meaning of the term “disability.” Starting with the original medical model, through the social and biopsychosocial model, it shows the concept development process. Reference is made to the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps and its modified version - the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. The article explains the concept of disability included in ICF and focuses mainly on the various contexts of its meaning. The analysis presented in the paper shows the complexity of the phenomenon of disability itself, different dimensions of disability experience, the role of personal and contextual factors, as well as the complex nature of relationships between the individual components of ICF: functioning, disability and health.
ADAPTATION OF THE MOTIVATED STRATEGIES FOR LEARNING QUESTIONNAIRE (MSLQ) (P.R. PINTRICH, E.V. DE GROOT, 1990) TO THE POLISH LANGUAGE BY A. DŁUŻNIEWSKA AND I. KUCHARCZYK
Authors: Kucharczyk Izabella , Dłużniewska Agnieszka
Published: March 2017

The aim of this study was to adapt P.R. Pintrich and E.V De Groot's Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (1990) to Polish conditions. The adaptation procedure included the translation of the original version into Polish, followed by back translation. The Questionnaire was designed to assess motivation and learning strategies used by students. This is a 44-item instrument that uses a 7-point Likert scale. This instrument has two sections: One is designed to measure students' motivational orientations: (1) Self-Efficacy (confidence that one's abilities are sufficient to succeed), (2) Intrinsic Value (the reason why one engages in the task), and (3) Test Anxiety (emotional aspect of the task); the other is intended to measure learning strategies: (4) Self-Regulated Learning Strategies and (5) Self-Regulation. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire is based on a general cognitive view of motivation and learning strategies.
Edere (in Angliis) vel perire [publish (in English) or perish]
Authors: Roca Cladera Josep
Published: March 2017

Edere in Angliis oportet, nec officium habendum est. Mundus plurale est neque imperiosa postulata imponenda sunt in academico mundo. Nostrae editionis consilium est conferre ut hic status rerum mutet et rursus repetere linguae latinae principatum velut validum instrumentum renovationis scientiae, rationis artisque.
A New Septum in the Female Breast
Authors: Awad Mostafa Abdel Rahman , Sherif Mahmoud Magdi , Sadek Eaman Yahya , Helal Hesham Aly , Hamid Wafaa Raafat Abdel
Published: March 2017

Background Understanding the female breast fascial system is of paramount importance in breast surgery. Little was written about breast ligaments. Most articles refer to Cooper's work without further anatomical studies. Lately, a horizontal septum has been described conveying nerves and vessels to the nipple areola complex.

Methods During the surgical dissection of the lower part of the breast, in supero-medial technique for breast reduction operations, a fascial septum between the lower two quadrants was detected. This fibrous septum was studied through anatomic dissection of breast tissues during routine breast reshaping procedures that was done on 30 female patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed preoperatively in all cases and correlated with the intraoperative findings. In the other five cases, outside the clinical study, the imaging was done during routine investigation for breast swellings.

Results A vertical septum was identified in the lower part of the breast, lying at the breast meridian between the two lower quadrants. It is a tough bi-laminated structure that extends from the middle of the infra-mammary crease caudally to nipple-areola complex cranially and from the pectoral fascia posteriorly to the overlying skin anteriorly. This was proved by MRI findings.

Conclusions This study describes a new inferior vertical septum which separates the lower half of the breast into two definite anatomical compartments: medial and lateral.
Osseointegrated Finger Prostheses Using a Tripod Titanium Mini-Plate
Authors: Manrique Oscar J. , Ciudad Pedro , Doscher Matthew , Lo Torto Federico , Liebling Ralph , Galan Ricardo
Published: March 2017

Background Digital amputation is a common upper extremity injury and can cause significant impairment in hand function, as well as psychosocial stigma. Currently, the gold standard for the reconstruction of such injuries involves autologous reconstruction. However, when this or other autologous options are not available, prosthetic reconstruction can provide a functionally and aesthetically viable alternative. This study describes a novel technique, known as a tripod titanium mini-plate, for osseointegrated digit prostheses, and reviews the outcomes in a set of consecutive patients.

Methods A retrospective review of patients who underwent 2-stage prosthetic reconstruction of digit amputations was performed. Demographic information, occupation, mechanism of injury, number of amputated fingers, and level of amputation were reviewed. Functional and aesthetic outcomes were assessed using the quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (Q-DASH) scale and a visual analog scale (VAS) score, respectively. In addition, complications during the postoperative period were recorded.

Results Seven patients were included in this study. Their average age was 29 years. Five patients had single-digit amputations and 2 patients had multiple-digit amputations. Functional and aesthetic outcomes were assessed using the Q-DASH score (average, 10.4) and VAS score (average, 9.1), respectively. One episode of mild cellulitis was seen at 24 months of follow-up. However, it was treated successfully with oral antibiotics. No other complications were reported.

Conclusions When autologous reconstruction is not suitable for digit reconstruction, prosthetic osseointegrated reconstruction can provide good aesthetic and functional results. However, larger series with longer-term follow-up are required in order to rule out the possibility of other complications.
Autologous Fat Grafting as a Last Resort for Unsustainable Pain in a Woman with Multiple Osteochondromas
Authors: Negenborn Vera Lidwina , Moerman Esther , Ham Simon Johannes
Published: March 2017

Multiple osteochondromas (MO) is characterized by the formation of osteochondromas throughout the entire body. Although the evidence regarding its pathogenesis is well understood, no curative treatment for the disorder is available. Patients can be treated symptomatically by surgical removal of painful osteochondromas. Unfortunately, some patients still suffer from severe pain, even after surgery. We report on a case concerning a 48-year-old woman with a history of MO who presented with persistent pain after surgical removal of a symptomatic osteochondroma of the left scapula and multiple symptomatic osteochondromas of the left foot and trochanteric region. Several interventions to reduce the pain did not have any lasting effect. Subsequently, she was treated with autologous fat grafting (AFG). After each session she was pain-free for at least one year and reported only partial recurrence of the pain. This is the first case report describing AFG for the treatment of pain after both surgical removal of an osteochondroma and symptomatic osteochondromas in a patient suffering MO with promising results. The treatment is more effective and clearly continues to remain active longer than injection therapy or pain medication. Future studies are necessary to confirm our results.
Basal tolerance to heat and cold exposure of the spotted wing drosophila,Drosophila suzukii
Authors: Enriquez Thomas , Colinet Hervé
Published: March 2017

The spotted wing Drosophila,Drosophila suzukii, is a new pest in Europe and America which causes severe damages, mostly to stone fruit crops. Temperature and humidity are among the most important abiotic factors governing insect development and fitness. In many situations, temperature can become stressful thus compromising survival. The ability to cope with thermal stress depends on basal level of thermal tolerance. Basic knowledge on temperature-dependent mortality ofD. suzukiiis essential to facilitate management of this pest. The objective of the present study was to investigateD. suzukiibasal cold and heat tolerance. Adults and pupae were subjected to six low temperatures (−5–7.5 °C) and seven high temperatures (30–37 °C) for various durations, and survival-time-temperature relationships were investigated. Data showed that males were globally more cold tolerant than females. At temperature above 5 °C, adult cold mortality became minor even after prolonged exposures (e.g., only 20% mortality after one month at 7.5 °C). Heat tolerance of males was lower than that of females at the highest tested temperatures (34, 35 and 37 °C). Pupae appeared much less cold tolerant than adults at all temperatures (e.g., Lt50at 5° C: 4–5 d for adultsvs.21 h for pupae). Pupae were more heat tolerant than adults at the most extreme high temperatures (e.g., Lt50at 37 °C: 30 min for adultsvs.4 h for pupae). The pupal thermal tolerance was further investigated under lowvs.high humidity. Low relative humidity did not affect pupal cold survival, but it reduced survival under heat stress. Overall, this study shows that survival ofD. suzukiiunder heat and cold conditions can vary with stress intensity, duration, humidity, sex and stage, and the methodological approach used here, which was based on thermal tolerance landscapes, provides a comprehensive description ofD. suzukiithermal tolerance and limits.
Rare Disease Innovation at the FDA—Opportunities for Implementation
Authors: Shore Carolyn K. , Worku Tequam L. , Kahn Jeffrey
Published: October 2024

This Viewpoint discusses new pathways for researchers to seek collaboration when conducting studies on treatments for rare diseases and conditions.
Primary Cutaneous Nocardiosis
Authors: Hu Mingjia , Bao Fangfang , Zhang Furen
Published: October 2024

This case report describes a woman in her 20s with lesions on the right ring finger that evolved into pustules.
Comparing Deprivation vs Vulnerability Index Performance Using Medicare Beneficiary Surgical Outcomes
Authors: Rollings Kimberly A. , Noppert Grace A. , Griggs Jennifer J. , Ibrahim Andrew M. , Clarke Philippa J.
Published: October 2024

Importance

Health care researchers, professionals, payers, and policymakers are increasingly relying on publicly available composite indices of area-level socioeconomic deprivation to address health equity. Implications of index selection, however, are not well understood.

Objective

To compare the performance of 2 frequently used deprivation indices using policy-relevant outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing 3 common surgical procedures.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study examined outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries (65 to 99 years old) undergoing 1 of 3 common surgical procedures (hip replacement, knee replacement, or coronary artery bypass grafting) between 2016 and 2019. Index discriminative performance was compared for beneficiaries residing in tracts with high- and low-deprivation levels (deciles) according to each index. Analyses were conducted between December 2022 and August 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Tract-level deprivation was operationalized using 2020 releases of the area deprivation index (ADI) and the social vulnerability index (SVI). Binary outcomes were unplanned surgery, 30-day readmissions, and 30-day mortality. Multivariable logistic regression models, stratified by each index, accounted for beneficiary and hospital characteristics.

Results

A total of 2 433 603 Medicare beneficiaries (mean [SD] age, 73.8 [6.1] years; 1 412 968 female beneficiaries [58.1%]; 24 165 Asian [1.0%], 158 582 Black [6.5%], and 2 182 052 White [89.7%]) were included in analyses. According to both indices, beneficiaries residing in high-deprivation tracts had significantly greater adjusted odds of all outcomes for all procedures when compared with beneficiaries living in low-deprivation tracts. However, compared to ADI, SVI resulted in higher adjusted odds ratios (adjusted odds ratios, 1.17-1.31 for SVI vs 1.09-1.23 for ADI), significantly larger outcome rate differences (outcome rate difference, 0.07%-5.17% for SVI vs outcome rate difference, 0.05%-2.44% for ADI; 95% CIs excluded 0), and greater effect sizes (Cohen d, 0.076-0.546 for SVI vs 0.044-0.304 for ADI) for beneficiaries residing in high- vs low-deprivation tracts.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study of Medicare beneficiaries, SVI had significantly better discriminative performance—stratifying surgical outcomes over a wider range—than ADI for identifying and distinguishing between high- and low-deprivation tracts, as indexed by outcomes for common surgical procedures. Index selection requires careful consideration of index differences, index performance, and contextual factors surrounding use, especially when informing resource allocation and health care payment adjustment models to address health equity.
Fault Isolation and Fault‐Tolerant Control Design for Non‐Gaussian Stochastic Distribution Control Systems With Multiple Sensor Faults
Authors: Wang Letao , Yao Lina
Published: October 2024

A fault isolation, estimation and fault‐tolerant control algorithm is proposed for non‐Gaussian stochastic distribution control systems with disturbance and multiple sensor faults. Sensor faults are represented as actuator faults virtually, and an observer is devised to detect the sensor fault occurrence time. Then two subsystems are separated by the expanded system through introducing the coordinate transformation matrices. One subsystem contains only sensor faults and does not contain disturbance and the other contains sensor faults and disturbance, which provides convenience for fault isolation. The faults are estimated respectively by the multiple fault isolation observers with the same number of sensors. A fault‐tolerant control scheme is proposed after getting the fault information to compensated sensor faults and track the desired probability density function. Finally, a MATLAB simulation example is used to verify the feasibility of the algorithm.
Robust Fuzzy Adaptive Fault‐Tolerant Control for a Class of Second‐Order Nonlinear Systems
Authors: Abdelhamid Bounemeur , Mohamed Chemachema
Published: October 2024

In this brief, an optimal active fuzzy fault‐tolerant control (OAFFTC) scheme is proposed for a class of unknown perturbed multi‐input multi‐output (MIMO) nonlinear systems with nonaffine nonlinear actuator faults and time‐varying sensor faults. The control strategy can handle automatically (online updating) with three additives (bias, drift, and loss of accuracy) along with one multiplicative (loss of effectiveness) sensor faults and nonlinear state‐dependent actuator faults. In order to deal with uncertain system dynamics, sensor and actuator faults, and external disturbances, fuzzy systems (FSs) and backstepping techniques were combined to provide the adaptive control term as well as a robust control term. Butterworth filter is used to get rid the algebraic loop problem. The suggested robust term, can deal with approximation errors of the fuzzy systems (FSs). To automatically optimize the adaptive parameters and the starting conditions, particle swarm optimization (PSO) approach is introduced. The Lyapunov approach is employed to demonstrate the closed‐loop system's stability. To assess the efficacy and correctness of the suggested scheme, quadrotor dynamic model is performed on the simulation part.
Lavage cytology diagnosed by immunostaining may be a poor prognostic factor in pathological stage III colorectal cancer
Authors: Nankaku Akitoshi , Yamaoka Yusuke , Shiomi Akio , Kagawa Hiroyasu , Manabe Shoichi , Oishi Takuma , Tone Kiyoshi , Notsu Akifumi , Kinugasa Yusuke
Published: October 2024

Aim

To clarify the prognostic impact of positive lavage cytology diagnosed by immunostaining on long‐term outcomes following curative resection for pathological stage III colorectal cancer (CRC).

Method

We retrospectively investigated patients who underwent radical resection and intraoperative lavage cytology (LCY) simultaneously for pathological stage III primary CRC between 2005 and 2017. All LCY specimens were evaluated by Papanicolaou staining and immunostaining for carcinoembryonic antigen and Ber‐EP4. Only Class V diagnosed by either staining method was defined as positive LCY, and patients were classified into two groups: a positive lavage cytology (LCY+) group; and a negative lavage cytology (LCY−) group. Overall survival (OS) and relapse‐free survival (RFS) were compared between groups. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify clinicopathological factors affecting OS and RFS.

Results

Among 708 patients with pathological stage III CRC, 30 patients (4.2%) showed positive LCY. OS and RFS were significantly lower in the LCY(+) group than in the LCY(−) group. Five‐y OS rates in the LCY(+) and LCY(−) groups were 58.7% and 91.0%, respectively, and 5‐y RFS rates were 28.8% and 76.6%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that positive LCY was independently associated with lower OS and RFS. In the LCY(+) group, the proportion of patients with negative Papanicolaou staining but positive immunostaining was 20.0% (6 of 30). No significant differences in OS and RFS were evident between those patients and patients with positive results for both Papanicolaou staining and immunostaining.

Conclusion

Positive LCY as diagnosed by immunostaining may represent a poor prognostic factor for pathological stage III CRC.
Inter‐prefectural and urban–rural regional disparities in rectal cancer and rectal resections: A Japanese nationwide population‐based cohort study from 2014 to 2019
Authors: Kido Masamitsu , Arita Tomohiro , Shoda Katsutoshi , Shimizu Hiroki , Kiuchi Jun , Nanishi Kenji , Yan Luying , Otsuji Eigo
Published: October 2024

Aim

This observational study aimed to elucidate the regional disparities in rectal cancer (RC) and rectal resections (RRs) across Japan.

Methods

The annual incidence of RC, and number of all RRs and board‐certified surgeons by the Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery were examined by prefecture in Japan from 2014 to 2019. The surgical approaches were broken down by open and laparoscopic. Disparities in 47 prefectures and urban–rural disparities were evaluated using the Gini coefficient and unpaired t‐test.

Results

The annual national average incidence of RC was 50 127 and the number of all RRs was 39 903. Gini coefficients for RC, and laparoscopic and all RRs were <0.2, indicating low inequality. There was no significant difference between urban and rural prefectures in the number of RRs, despite a significantly higher incidence of RC in rural prefectures and a significantly higher number of board‐certified surgeons in urban prefectures (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

RC and laparoscopic and all RRs exhibited minimal inter‐prefectural disparities. The urban–rural analysis revealed significant differences in the incidence/number of RC and board‐certified surgeons between urban and rural prefectures, despite minor differences in RRs regardless of approach. This pattern suggests a potential migration of surgical services from rural to urban areas. This preliminary study is expected to contribute to a basic epidemiological database for RC and RRs.
Programmable light‐driven soft actuator enabled by structurally anisotropic liquid crystalline network
Authors: Deng Zhaoping , Chen Xinyu , Deng Xinrui , Yang Jiangmin , Zhou Shuai , Chen Jingyu , Wang Peixiang , Yang Huai , Lan Ruochen
Published: October 2024

The design and fabrication of advanced soft actuators with programmable actuation are highly desirable in constructing intelligent soft robots. In this work, a programmable light‐driven liquid crystalline network (LCN)‐based soft actuator was judiciously designed and prepared by constructing structural anisotropy across the thickness of the film. A three‐dimensional (3D) deformable LCN actuator was realized by polymerization‐induced phase separation of small‐molar‐weight monomers and polymer networks. The resultant anisotropic LCN displays anisotropic microscale nanoporous architecture across the thickness in addition to uniform alignment at the molecular scale. The actuation behaviors of LCN film are tunable by adjusting the size and distribution of nanopores in LCN bulk via changing polymerization conditions and monomer components. More importantly, the nanoporous LCN film can be harnessed as a promising template to achieve diverse light responsiveness by changing the photothermal dyes via a feasible washing and refilling process, demonstrating a reprogrammable light‐driven soft actuator.
A Room‐Temperature Lithium‐Restocking Strategy for the Direct Reuse of Degraded LiFePO4 Electrodes
Authors: Yang Dan , Fang Zhou , Ji Yongsheng , Yang Ying , Hou Jingrong , Zhang Zhenyan , Du Weichen , Qi Xiaoqun , Zhu Zhenglu , Zhang Renyuan , Hu Pei , Qie Long , Huang Yunhui
Published: October 2024

The sustainable development of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries calls for efficient recycling technologies for spent LFP (SLFP). Even for the advanced direct material regeneration (DMR) method, multiple steps including separation, regeneration, and electrode refabrication processes are still needed. To circumvent these intricacies, new regeneration methods that allow direct electrode reuse (DER) by rejuvenating SLFP electrodes without damaging its structure are desired. Here, a 0.1 M lithium triethyl borohydride/tetrahydrofuran solution, which has the proper reductive capability to reduce Fe3+ in SLFP to Fe2+ without alloying with the aluminum current collector, is selected as the lithiation/regeneration reagent to restock the Li loss and regenerate SLFP electrodes. By soaking the SLFP electrodes in the lithiation solution, we successfully rejuvenated the crystal structure and electrochemical activity of SLFP electrodes with structural integrity within only 6 minutes at room temperature. When being directly reused, the regenerated LFP electrodes deliver a high specific capacity of 162.6 mAh g−1 even after being exposed to air for 3 months. The DER strategy presents significant economic and environmental benefits compared with the DMR method. This research provides a timely and innovative solution for recycling spent blade batteries using large‐sized LFP electrodes, boosting the closed‐loop development of LFP batteries.
Artificial Electron Channels Enable Contact Prelithiation of Li‐Ion Battery Anodes with Ultrahigh Li‐Source Utilization
Authors: Yue Xinyang , Yao Yu‐Xing , Zhang Jing , Yang Si‐Yu , Hao Wei , Li Zeheng , Tang Cheng , Chen Yuanmao , Yan Chong , Zhang Qiang
Published: October 2024

Contact prelithiation is widely used to compensate for the initial capacity loss of lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, the low utilization of the Li source, which suffers from the deteriorated contact interfaces, results in cycling degeneration. Herein, Li−Ag alloy‐based artificial electron channels (AECs) are established in Li source/graphite anode contact interfaces to promote Li‐source conversion. Due to the shielding effect of the Li−Ag alloy (50 at. % Li) on Li‐ion diffusion, the dry‐state interfacial corrosion is restricted. The unblocked electronic conduction across the AEC‐involved interface not only facilitates the Li‐source conversion but also accelerates the prelithiation kinetics during the wet‐state process, resulting in an ultrahigh Li‐source utilization (90.7 %). Implementing AEC‐assisted prelithiation in a LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 pouch cell yields a 35.8 % increase in energy density and stable cycling over 600 cycles. This finding affords significant insights into the construction of an efficient prelithiation technology for the development of high‐energy LIBs.
Total Synthesis of Ryanodane Diterpenoids Garajonone and 3‐epi‐Garajonone
Authors: Qiao Jin‐Bao , Meng Long , Pei Jia‐Yi , Shao Hui , Zhao Yu‐Ming
Published: October 2024

Ryanodane diterpenes are structurally complex natural products that are well‐known for their high degree of oxidation and the challenges associated with synthesizing them within the terpene class. Herein, we present a two‐stage synthetic strategy that draws inspiration from the broad biosynthesis of terpenes, allowing us to achieve the first chemical synthesis of garajonone, a ryanodane diterpenoid that occurs naturally at low abundance, as well as its epimer, 3‐epi‐garajonone. The key to this success lies in the rapid construction of the carbon framework of the target molecule by employing an early‐stage palladium‐catalyzed Heck/carbonylative esterification cascade annulation, followed by successive late‐stage selective redox manipulation to establish the desired oxidation state of the molecule. This research not only showcases the synthesis of garajonone and its epimer but also provides a platform for the chemical synthesis of other members and analogs of this complex diterpenoid family.
A Doubly meso‐α Linked N‐Confused Porphyrin Tape Silver(III) Complex Comprising an Antiaromatic Pyrrolo[2,3‐f]indole Segment
Authors: Nakai Akito , Iwanaga Osamu , Tanaka Takayuki , Osuka Atsuhiro
Published: October 2024

The free base form of doubly meso‐α linked N‐confused porphyrin (NCP) tape 3 was successfully synthesized via Ir(I) mediated intramolecular coupling. The following silver complexation afforded the Ag(III) complex of doubly meso‐α linked NCP tape 4. While 3 exhibited 38π aromatic characters, 4 exhibited not only 18π aromatic NCP‐type characteristics but also a decent antiaromatic contribution of 12π pyrrolo[2,3‐f]indole segment, as probed by NMR spectra, absorption spectra, and DFT calculations.
PDOSPERT: A New Scale to Predict Domain‐Specific Risk‐Taking Behaviors in Times of a Pandemic
Authors: Guenther Benno , Galizzi Matteo M. , Sanders Jet G.
Published: October 2024

Understanding risk tolerance is crucial for predicting and changing behavior across various domains, including health and safety, finance, and ethics. This remains true during a crisis, such as the COVID‐19 pandemic, and leads to a key question: Do current risk measures reliably predict risk‐taking in the drastically different context of a pandemic? The Domain Specific Risk‐Taking (DOSPERT) scale, one of the most widely used risk‐taking measures, assesses self‐reported risk‐taking in response to 30 risky situations across five domains. With the hypothetical risks of the DOSPERT being based on prepandemic circumstances, we estimate that three out of four of its risk‐taking situations were not possible due to preventive measures or did not reflect risk‐taking in times of COVID‐19. In addition, COVID‐19 brought forth new behaviors deemed risky. With an aim to better predict risk‐taking in times of a pandemic, we introduce the Pandemic DOSPERT (PDOSPERT). We summarize three preregistered online studies with 1254 UK participants to validate the scale against the original DOSPERT and three other common risk‐taking measures. We also test its ability to predict pandemic risk‐related behaviors at three points in time over 2 years. Overall, we find that the PDOSPERT scale significantly improves predictions for pandemic‐related risk behavior as compared to the original DOSPERT. In particular, the health/safety subscale is significantly and strongly associated with pandemic‐related risk behavior. We not only validate a pandemic‐specific risk task but also introduce a template for developing context‐ and domain‐sensitive measures for risk‐taking in the future.
Attenuation of p38 MAPK/NF‐κB/TRPV1/CGRP is involved in the antinociceptive effect of hesperidin methyl chalcone and taxifolin in paclitaxel‐induced peripheral neuropathy
Authors: Abd Elaleem Wafaa S. , Ghaiad Heba R. , Abd Elmawla Mai A. , Shaheen Amira A.
Published: October 2024

Paclitaxel (PTX)‐induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN) is a disabling side effect of PTX, which adversely affects the life quality of cancer patients. Flavonoids such as hesperidin methyl chalcone (HMC) and taxifolin (TAX) can alleviate neuropathic pain via their anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective, and antinociceptive properties. The current study aimed to assess the efficacy of HMC and TAX in preventing PIPN individually or in combination. Pretreatment with HMC and TAX mitigated PTX‐induced mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia, cold allodynia, and thermal hyperalgesia as well as restore the normal histological architecture. Remarkably, neuropathic pain was relieved by suppression of nerve growth factor (NGF), p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), and transient receptor potential vanilloid type‐1 (TRPV1), which ultimately lead to reduced calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP). Furthermore, both HMC or TAX enhanced nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2), leading to elevated glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) along with lowered malondialdehyde (MDA), which in turn, downregulated nuclear factor kappa B P65 (NF‐κB P65) and its phosphorylated form and eventually reduced tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) and interleukin‐1 beta (IL‐1β) then lowered the apoptotic indices. Promisingly, the combination of both agents was superior to each drug alone through targeting more diverse signaling pathways and achieving synergistic and comprehensive therapeutic effects. In conclusion, pretreatment with HMC and TAX separately or in combination alleviated PIPN via modulating NGF/p38 MAPK/NF‐κB P65/TRPV1/CGRP pathway.
Alpinia officinarum Hance Essential Oil as Potent Antipseudomonal Agent: Chemical Profile, Antibacterial Activity, and Computational Study
Authors: Belamine Habiba , El Ghallab Yassine , Zahid Bouchra , Kadiri Fatimazahra , Kasrati Ayoub , Ait Haj Said Amal
Published: October 2024

Alpinia officinarum Hance, is an aromatic and medicinal herb with a very interesting history and prominent chemical and biological prospects. We aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity of Alpinia officinarum essential oil and the preferred molecular targets of its constituents together with their pharmacokinetic properties and toxicity profile. According to GC‐MS analysis, eucalyptol was the main compound (27.52 %) identified in Alpinia officinarum essential oil, followed by α‐terpineol, and β‐sesquiphellandrene. As opposed to the weak antiradical activity estimated by DPPH and ABTS tests, the essential oil caused inhibition of all the bacteria following well‐diffusion and microdilution methods, especially the gram‐negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. It displayed exceptionally remarkable activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa by totally inhibiting its growth on the agar plate exceeding the effect of chloramphenicol standard. This bactericidal effect was confirmed by very low MIC and MBC values of 0.82 and 6.562 μg/mL, respectively. The molecular docking showed interesting binding affinity between the major compounds and various drug targets in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, also good pharmacokinetic and toxicity behavior. These encouraging findings are particularly relevant in light of the increasingly pressing challenge to find alternative substances with antibacterial aptitude to address the issue of antibiotic resistance among infectious bacteria.