bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spectroscopic and Biophysical Methods to Determine Differential Salt‐Uptake by Primitive Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets
Authors: Chen Chen , Yi Ruiqin , Igisu Motoko , Sakaguchi Chie , Afrin Rehana , Potiszil Christian , Kunihiro Tak , Kobayashi Katsura , Nakamura Eizo , Ueno Yuichiro , Antunes André , Wang Anna , Chandru Kuhan , Hao Jihua , Jia Tony Z.
Published: May 2023

α‐Hydroxy acids are prebiotic monomers that undergo dehydration synthesis to form polyester gels, which assemble into membraneless microdroplets upon aqueous rehydration. These microdroplets are proposed as protocells that can segregate and compartmentalize primitive molecules/reactions. Different primitive aqueous environments with a variety of salts could have hosted chemistries that formed polyester microdroplets. These salts could be essential cofactors of compartmentalized prebiotic reactions or even directly affect protocell structure. However, fully understanding polyester–salt interactions remains elusive, partially due to technical challenges of quantitative measurements in condensed phases. Here, spectroscopic and biophysical methods are applied to analyze salt uptake by polyester microdroplets. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is applied to measure the cation concentration within polyester microdroplets after addition of chloride salts. Combined with methods to determine the effects of salt uptake on droplet turbidity, size, surface potential and internal water distribution, it was observed that polyester microdroplets can selectively partition salt cations, leading to differential microdroplet coalescence due to ionic screening effects reducing electrostatic repulsion forces between microdroplets. Through applying existing techniques to novel analyses related to primitive compartment chemistry and biophysics, this study suggests that even minor differences in analyte uptake can lead to significant protocellular structural change.
Recent Advances for High‐Entropy based Layered Cathodes for Sodium Ion Batteries
Authors: Gao Xudong , Zhang Xiaoyu , Liu Xiangyu , Tian Yinfeng , Cai Qiuyun , Jia Min , Yan Xiaohong
Published: May 2023

In recent years, layered oxides have been extensively studied as promising cathode materials for sodium ion batteries. However, layered oxides undergo complex phase transitions during charge‐discharge process, which adversely affects the electrochemical performance. High‐entropy layered oxides as a unique design concept can effectively improve the cycling performance of cathode materials by virtue of the 2D ion migration channels between the layers. Based on the concepts of high‐entropy and layered oxides, this paper reviews the research status of high‐entropy layered oxides in the field of sodium‐ion batteries, focusing on the connection between high‐entropy and layered oxide phase transitions during electrochemical charging and discharging. Finally, the advantages of layered cathode materials based high‐entropy are summarized, and the opportunities and challenges of future high‐entropy layered materials are proposed.
Recent Advances in Wide Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cells: Focus on Lead‐Free Materials for Tandem Structures
Authors: Jang Won Jin , Jang Ho Won , Kim Soo Young
Published: May 2023

A tandem solar cell, which is composed of a wide bandgap (WBG) top sub‐cell and a narrow bandgap (NBG) bottom subcell, harnesses maximum photons in the wide spectral range, resulting in higher efficiency than single‐junction solar cells. WBG (>1.6 eV) perovskites are currently being studied a lot based on lead mixed‐halide perovskites, and the power conversion efficiency of lead mixed‐halide WBG perovskite solar cells (PSCs) reaches 21.1%. Despite the excellent device performance of lead WBG PSCs, their commercialization is hampered by their Pb toxicity and low stability. Hence, lead‐free, less toxic WBG perovskite absorbers are needed for constructing lead‐free perovskite tandem solar cells. In this review, various strategies for achieving high‐efficiency WBG lead‐free PSCs are discussed, drawing inspiration from prior research on WBG lead‐based PSCs. The existing issues of WBG perovskites such as VOC loss are discussed, and toxicity issues associated with lead‐based perovskites are also addressed. Subsequently, the natures of lead‐free WBG perovskites are reviewed, and recently emerged strategies to enhance device performance are proposed. Finally, their applications in lead‐free all perovskite tandem solar cells are introduced. This review presents helpful guidelines for eco‐friendly and high‐efficiency lead‐free all perovskite tandem solar cells.
Bio‐Inspired Subnanofluidics: Advanced Fabrication and Functionalization
Authors: Hou Jue , Zhao Chen , Zhang Huacheng
Published: May 2023

Biological ion channels can realize high‐speed and high‐selective ion transport through the protein filter with the sub‐1‐nanometer channel. Inspired by biological ion channels, various kinds of artificial subnanopores, subnanochannels, and subnanoslits with improved ion selectivity and permeability are recently developed for efficient separation, energy conversion, and biosensing. This review article discusses the advanced fabrication and functionalization methods for constructing subnanofluidic pores, channels, tubes, and slits, which have shown great potential for various applications. Novel fabrication methods for producing subnanofluidics, including top‐down techniques such as electron beam etching, ion irradiation, and electrochemical etching, as well as bottom‐up approaches starting from advanced microporous frameworks, microporous polymers, lipid bilayer embedded subnanochannels, and stacked 2D materials are well summarized. Meanwhile, the functionalization methods of subnanochannels are discussed based on the introduction of functional groups, which are classified into direct synthesis, covalent bond modifications, and functional molecule fillings. These methods have enabled the construction of subnanochannels with precise control of structure, size, and functionality. The current progress, challenges, and future directions in the field of subnanofluidic are also discussed.
HF‐Free Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis of Nano‐Micro‐Sized K2SiF6:Mn4+ for MicroLED Color Conversion
Authors: Tian Houdao , Seto Takatoshi , Wang Yuhua
Published: May 2023

Micro‐light‐emitting diodes (MicroLED) are considered to be the next generation of ideal display devices, with chip size requirements of less than 50 µm. To meet its micron‐scale pixel size, submicron luminescent materials are needed. Mn4+ doped fluoride phosphor, K2SiF6:Mn4+(KSFM) as a red luminescent material with excellent narrow‐band emission sensitivity to human eyes, has great potential as a color conversion material for full‐color MicroLED. However, it is difficult to obtain small‐size KSFM efficiently by conventional synthesis methods. Here, a simple HF‐free strategy for the rapid batch synthesis of nano‐micro‐sized KSFM based on a microwave‐assisted method is reported. The synthesized KSFM shows uniform morphology, average particle size is less than 0.2 µm, and has 89.3% internal quantum efficiency under 455 nm excitation. It exhibits excellent thermal stability (97.4%@423 K of the integrated emission intensity at 298 K) and prominent moisture resistance (81.9% of its initial relative emission intensity after immersing in water for 30 min). By employing it as a red emitter, the authors fabricate high‐performance white LEDs with high luminous efficacy of 116.1 lm W−1 and wide color gamut of 130.4% NTSC. In addition, self‐luminous red‐emitting arrays with a pixel size of 20 × 40 µm are constructed by nanoimprinting as‐synthesized KSFM.
Understanding Coating Thickness and Uniformity of Blade‐Coated SnO2 Electron Transport Layer for Scalable Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Siegrist Severin , Nandi Pranjal , Kothandaraman Radha K. , Abdessalem Aribia , Tiwari Ayodhya N. , Fu Fan
Published: May 2023

The low‐cost and fully solution‐based perovskite photovoltaic devices can be upscaled by using the blade coating method. However, control of the charge transport layers thickness on nanometer scale is challenging since the inherent nature of the blade coating process unavoidably induces thickness gradients along the coating direction of blade coated layer. Herein, the film thickness and the uniformity of blade‐coated SnO2 colloidal dispersions in the Landau–Levich regime are systematically studied by varying the substrate temperature, the dispensed solution volume, and the solution concentration as well as the coating speed. It is shown that the advancing meniscus height heavily influences the SnO2 film thickness. As the solution is consumed during the coating process, the meniscus height decreases and hence the film thickness, yielding poor uniformity of the blade‐coated layer. To improve the thickness uniformity, the dispensed solution volume is used to reduce the alteration of the advancing meniscus height along the coating direction and minimize the capillary flow with the appropriate substrate temperature. This study provides crucial insights toward the successful upscaling of perovskite solar cells by blade coating.
Mean stress effect in high‐frequency mechanical impact (HFMI)‐treated welded steel railway bridges
Authors: Al‐Karawi Hassan , Shams‐Hakimi Poja , Pétursson Hans , Al‐Emrani Mohammad
Published: May 2023

The need for new railway bridges is driven by the growing volume of transportation demands for both passenger and freight traffic on railway networks. In the design of these bridges, the fatigue limit state is a criterion that usually limits the allowable applied load level and thus also the utilization of the high strength of the steel material. Therefore, improving the fatigue performance of welded details by high‐frequency mechanical impact (HFMI) treatment leads to a more efficient design. However, the fatigue performance of HFMI‐treated welds is known to be affected by the mean stress and this needs to be considered in the design of treated welded details in steel bridges. This is rather straightforward if the bridge is subjected to cycles from one type of train but becomes cumbersome when several different sets of trains (e. g. axle loads, axle distances) cross the bridge. In this article, a factor to take the mean stress effect (including self‐weight and traffic load variations) into account is derived from traffic data measured in Sweden. Moreover, the mean stress effect is also predicted using the different fatigue load models in the Eurocode. These models either consist of one‐load patterns such as LM71, SW/0, and SW/2 or are composed of different trains with different combinations. It was found that the mean stress effect is underestimated by the first group of models. On the other hand, the mean stress predicted by the light traffic mix is found to be close to that calculated using real traffic data, while other mixes (standard and heavy) underestimate the mean stress effect. Therefore, a correction factor to account for the mean stress effects in real traffic is derived (called here λHFMI). This factor can be used to correct the design stress range for fatigue verification of HFMI‐treated welded details in railway bridges.
Forecasting the impact of meteorological parameters on air pollutants in Andhra Pradesh using machine learning techniques
Authors: Teja Kambhampati , Mozumder Ruhul Amin , Laskar Nirban
Published: May 2023

In the 21st century, air pollution has emerged as a significant problem all over the globe due to a variety of activities carried out by humans, such as the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization. SO2, NO2, and NH3 are the key components contributing to air pollution. Moreover, these air pollutants have a significant connection to several climatic characteristics, such as the speed of the wind, the relative humidity, the temperature, the amount of precipitation, and the surface pressure. As a result, machine learning (ML) is regarded as a more effective strategy for predicting air quality than more conventional approaches such as probability and statistics, among others. In the research, Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Random Forest (RF), and Multi‐Linear Regression (MLR) algorithms are used to make predictions about air quality, and MSE (Mean Squared Error), RMSE (Root Mean Square Error), MAE (Mean Squared error), and R2 are used to determine how accurate the predictions are.
Toward a green economy: The nexus between economic and environmental factors in MENA countries, ARDL bounds approach
Authors: Idris Fawzia Mohammed , Seraj Mehdi , Ozdeser Huseyin
Published: May 2023

With the transition of the global economy toward a green economy, it is important to analyze the elements that can either support or impede this transformation. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the potential of the green economy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries by analyzing the correlation between economic and environmental factors. The objective of this study is to explore the potential of the green economy in MENA countries by analyzing key factors such as access to clean fuel, GDP, and CO2 emissions. The study aims to distinguish between long‐ and short‐term effects, assess the presence of a long‐run relationship or co‐integration between the parameter estimates, and evaluate the progress of MENA countries toward a green economy based on the impact of economic, and environmental factors. Using quarterly and seasonally adjusted data from 2000 to 2018, the auto‐regressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique was employed to examine the co‐integration of the factors in the long and short terms. Multiple cointegration techniques were also used to determine the feasibility of a green economy by analyzing the relationship between access to clean fuel for technology and cooking, GDP, and CO2 emissions. The study's findings indicate a clear long‐ and short‐term relationship between the analyzed factors, as confirmed by the error correction model (ECM) which suggests that the variables are cointegrated and potentially relevant. Additionally, the result of the autoregressive distributed lag bound test shows that the green economy variables, GDP, CO2 emissions, and access to clean fuel, are cointegrated in the long‐term.
BVA photo winners unveiled
Authors: Mills Georgina
Published: May 2023

Georgina Mills reveals the top shots in this year's BVA Veterinary Photographer of the Year competition.
International qualification enabled study abroad and a global presidential role
Authors: van Nierop Ellen
Published: May 2023

Studying veterinary medicine in her home country of Holland was denied to Ellen van Nierop so the travel bug bit and she trained in Belgium, set up a practice in Ecuador, and became WSAVA president.
Debridement and primary closure of a mesenteric duodenal perforation in a dog
Authors: Edwards Laura , Belda Beatriz , Risselada Marije
Published: May 2023

A 7‐year‐old male mixed intact breed dog was presented with a 6‐day history of lethargy and anorexia. A linear foreign body was diagnosed and an exploratory laparotomy performed. The foreign body was pushed orad and removed via gastrotomy. Two mesenteric duodenal perforations were found: one at the level of the common bile duct and a second at the duodenal flexure. Both lesions were debrided and primarily closed in a simple interrupted appositional pattern. A gastrostomy tube and closed suction drain were placed routinely. The dog recovered without complications and ate voluntarily the first day postoperatively. The drain and gastrostomy tube were removed without incident at 4 and 15 days, respectively. Five months postoperatively the dog was reported to be clinically normal. Debridement and primary closure may represent an alternative to more extensive surgery with rerouting for duodenal perforations in select cases.
Data-Driven Development in Public Sector: How Agile Product Teams Maneuver Data Privacy Regulations
Authors: Barbala Astri , Sporsem Tor , Stray Viktoria
Published: May 2023

Datafication processes, the ongoing strive for making organizations data-driven, have in recent years entailed data-focused software projects and more interdisciplinary teamwork. Simultaneously as agile product teams have been directed towards increased use of data for software development, stronger data protection regulations such as GDPR have further complexified the software developer role, whose responsibilities and expectations now expand far beyond mere coding. Seeking to develop an understanding of how data-intensive product teams in the public sector maneuver the legal hurdles emerging in the wake of data governance, this paper builds on 19 interviews with members of two agile product teams in the Norwegian organizations NAV and Entur. Our findings indicate that including a legal expert in the team can boost confidence in data handling practices and avoid delays in deliveries, but it requires effort to synchronize and overcome interdisciplinary barriers.
Real-Life Water-Scrum-Fall: Insights from Large Companies in Czech Republic
Authors: Křivánková Michaela , Remta Daniel
Published: May 2023

Background. A combination of traditional and agile methodologies into so-called “hybrid approaches” are today’s reality. The intention is to attempt maximization of benefits from both approaches. Water-Scrum-Fall is a methodology for hybrid approaches. However, there are no specific guidelines described for Water-Scrum-Fall. Aim. Explore and describe the reality of Water-Scrum-Fall in selected large companies in the Czech market. Method. Exploratory multiple-case study – four companies, eight participants. Semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Results. Insights into real-life Water-Scrum-Fall including involved roles, associated events, and typically created artifacts. Conclusion. In examined companies, modified agile methodologies are used as part of Water-Scrum-Fall, while their benefits are not fully unlocked due to poor implementations. However, project success rate is high. Hybrid approaches still require rigorous analysis before the development is started, which strongly limits the agility in the following development phase. Customer involvement or feedback loop is omitted in the development process. We accompany poor implementations with the unpreparedness of companies to fully adopt Agile, and missing senior roles, like scrum masters, to educate teams and organizations in proper agile practices.
A Novel Technique to Assess Agile Systems for Stability
Authors: Healy Robert , Dey Tapajit , Conboy Kieran , Fitzgerald Brian
Published: May 2023

Agile systems, like the Kanban and Scrum frameworks, are built on assumptions of sustainability and stability, however, there is little empirical evidence on whether such systems are stable in practice or not. Therefore, in this study we aim to inspect the stability of Agile systems by leveraging the concept of stability described in Queueing Theory. We define a novel metric, the Stability Metric, as a way of assessing queueing systems, especially Agile systems. We inspect 926 Jira projects in 14 organizations with over 1.6 million product backlog items using this metric. The analysis showed that 72.89% of these Jira projects were not stable and stable systems, on average, had product backlog sizes 10 times shorter than unstable ones. These results suggest that while the goal of Agile is to create a sustainable, stable way of working, this is not guaranteed, and a better understanding of systems and queues may be required to help design, create, coach, and maintain optimal Agile systems.
A Lean Approach of Managing Technical Debt in Agile Software Projects – A Proposal and Empirical Evaluation
Authors: Aldaeej Abdullah , Nguyen-Duc Anh , Gupta Varun
Published: May 2023

Technical Debt Management (TDM) includes activities such as identifying, measuring, and prioritizing technical debt. It is mainly performed to proactively mitigate the risk of losing the maintainability and evolvability of the software product which results in reducing the team velocity. Despite the importance of TDM, its adoption in software companies remain limited. Software companies are witnessing high market demand and competition that make delivering customer value outweighs the effort invested in TDM activities. Since the impacts of technical debt are uncertain and evident only in the long run, it is more difficult for companies with very limited resources to proactively spend their resources on TDM. In this paper, we propose a lean approach to facilitate the adoption of TDM in software companies with very limited resources. Based on this approach, TDM is driven by project management metrics, such as team or sprint velocity, and velocity variance. We conducted an initial evaluation of the concept of this approach through a short survey of 43 software project/product managers. Most of the survey respondents have a positive impression about our approach, which will encourage us to proceed further using more robust empirical evaluation.
An Empirical Study About the Instability and Uncertainty of Non-functional Requirements
Authors: Viviani Luiz , Guerra Eduardo , Melegati Jorge , Wang Xiaofeng
Published: May 2023

Managing non-functional requirements (NFRs) has been a challenge in software development for many years. These requirements are typically used to make important architectural decisions early in the project, which can be problematic if they are uncertain or unstable. When this uncertainty is not considered when designing the software architecture, changes are often costly and sometimes even unfeasible. Some empirical studies on the subject have already been carried out, but few have focused on the perspective of professionals with extensive experience on the changes and uncertainties of NFRs. This work aims to expand the understanding about the management, clarity and validation of NFRs to fill this gap in the literature. To achieve this goal, a survey was carried out with professionals to find out how NFRs were managed and validated. For the research design, instead of generic questions, the questionnaire focused on some specific types of NFRs to induce participants to recall and report concrete situations. As a result, 40 valid responses were obtained, most from professionals with more than 10 years of experience. The results reveal that a significant number of NFRs were defined after the delivery of software increments (more than 30%) and that revision and change occurred in about a third of the NFRs. Hence, this study presents evidence that NFRs, as the functional ones, can also be uncertain and change frequently, requiring agile approaches and techniques to evolve the software architecture to consider this uncertainty.
Striving for Freedom in a Large-Scale Agile Environment with an Entrepreneurial Mindset of a Product Owner
Authors: Niva Piret , Paasivaara Maria , Hyrynsalmi Sami
Published: May 2023

In a large-scale agile environment, a Product Owner receives requests from many different directions. Freedom to influence the direction of the product and push ideas forward sometimes requires saying “no”. This is a case study that has been made by interviewing several Product Owners or people working in a Product Owner type of role. The case company, which is a large financial organization, encourages Product Owners to take responsibility by valuing an entrepreneurial mindset. This research examines whether it is possible to exercise entrepreneurial freedom in the Product Owner’s work, and how much freedom the Product Owner has in the direction of the product, i.e. whether they have the freedom to say “no”. A total of 18 Product Owners, and those in similar roles, as well as managers from the case company, were interviewed. The findings show that the role of the Product Owner needs to be clarified in order to have more freedom to act. Prioritizing is difficult and saying “no” is more difficult than desired. Product Owners find the urge for an entrepreneurial attitude understandable, however, it does not seem to fit perfectly into the everyday work life of a Product Owner in a large-scale set-up. When the understanding of the role deepens, Product Owners could have greater freedom to make their products successful.
Sustaining Agility: Organizational Change, Factors and Theoretical Lenses
Authors: Barroca Leonor , Sharp Helen , Deshpande Advait , Gregory Peggy , Papadeas Stavros
Published: May 2023

Agile organizations have to deal regularly with change and at the same time adapt to sustain agility. In this paper, we present an initial study to identify factors considered when changes need to be made to sustain agility. We used a novel data collection approach, critical decision method (CDM), and investigated three theoretical lenses, paradox theory, situation awareness and shared mental models, to explore the kind of practical consequences they help to uncover. This paper presents the findings of this initial study together with reflections on the data collection method and the three theoretical lenses. Three key dimensions relevant to sustaining agility emerge from the use of these theoretical lenses: teams vs organization; understanding the environment vs the impact of change internally; and understanding “now” vs looking into the future.
The Role of Responsiveness to Change in Large Onboarding Campaigns
Authors: Smite Darja , Moe Nils Brede
Published: May 2023

Onboarding is a process of organizational socialization of the new hires, that includes recruitment, orientation, training, coaching and support. While onboarding individuals into an organization is a rather straightforward task, little is known about 1) onboarding hundreds of developers and 2) doing it on a distance in outsourcing situations. Furthermore, the subject of sustainable growth with respect to organizational capabilities and culture is often overlooked. This paper reports findings from an exploratory multi-case study of two large onboarding campaigns. We collected empirical data from interviews, retrospectives, onboarding documentation and onsite visits. Based on the empirical study, onboarding hundreds of software engineers in a complex agile product development environment which lacks documentation and puts high demands on engineers’ knowledge and skills is a challenging and costly endeavor. To save the costs and for practical reasons, large-scale onboarding is organized in batches with the first batch trained onsite, and the later batches trained internally. We report challenges faced in the two cases and discuss possible solutions. One core finding is that a good plan combined with the organizational agility, i.e., the responsiveness to change, together with organizational maturity determined the success of organizational scaling. The presented cases contribute to the scarce research on knowledge transfer and onboarding in a large-scale agile context.
Management von Komplexität am Beispiel von Covid-19
Authors: Lechleuthner Alexander
Published: May 2023

Die Bekämpfung der Corona-Pandemie ist nicht nur kompliziert (das heißt in Teilen nur von Experten und Expertinnen verstehbar), sondern auch komplex (das heißt selbst von Experten und Expertinnen nur schwer prognostizierbar). In 2021 blieb die Corona-Pandemie mit den bis dahin bekannten Varianten in Deutschland unter anderem durch kontaktreduzierende Maßnahmen, die zusätzlich zu Basismaßnahmen (wie Masken oder AHA-L-Regeln) eingesetzt wurden, beherrschbar − auch bei einem steilen Anstieg der Krankenhausbelegung, die die intensivmedizinische Versorgung gefährdete.

Dieses Kapitel kann natürlich im Kontext des sehr dynamischen Pandemiegeschehens (mit immer neuen Virusmutationen wie etwa der Omikron-Variante) nur eine Momentaufnahme darstellen.
Personalrisikomanagement und der Beitrag des ivwKöln
Authors: Arnold Rolf
Published: May 2023

In der wissenschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Risikomanagement der Unternehmen stehen insbesondere finanzielle und technische Risiken im Vordergrund. Personal als eine wesentliche Ressource für den unternehmerischen Erfolg und die mit Personal verbundenen Risiken sind dagegen weniger Gegenstand des wissenschaftlichen Diskurses. Im Talentmanagementansatz lassen sich wesentliche Ansätze eines Risikomanagementansatzes aufzeigen. Für das Talentmanagement eines Unternehmens sind dabei auch externe Kooperationspartner relevant. Das Institut für Versicherungswesen (ivwKöln) fördert seit 50 Jahren als Kooperationspartner der Versicherungsbranche das Talentmanagement der Unternehmen in der Versicherungsbranche. Dadurch werden Beiträge zum Management der Personalrisiken, insbesondere in Verbindung mit der Akquisition, der Bindung und der Motivation von Personal geleistet.
Fallübergreifende Betrachtung: Spannungslagen I
Authors: Lüthi Katharina
Published: May 2023

Die Verfahrensrationalität beider Gebietskörperschaften stelle ich nun vergleichend und im Verlauf des Projektarbeitsbogens dar. Die Typen gesellschaftlicher Integration und deren Intensität beschreibe ich zunächst in Bezug auf den Aufgabenkomplex Kernaktivitäten herstellen und entlang der Arbeitsphasen im Bereich der Strategien. Darauf folgen die offenen Codes zum Aufgabenkomplex Spannungslagen ausbalancieren.
Kommunikationsmedien der Handlungs- Verfahrens- und Ergebnisrationalität
Authors: Lüthi Katharina
Published: May 2023

Mithilfe des Aufgabenkomplexes Handlungslogiken antizipieren stelle ich nun noch die Investition von Kommunikationsmedien entlang der Arbeitsphasen dar. Damit kann ich zeigen, dass der Aufbau eines (kommunalen) Bildungsmanagements (auf kommunaler Ebene) am meisten durch Sprachinvestition (25 Codes), gleichgewichtig durch Macht- (11 Codes) und Reputationsinvestition (10 Codes) und am wenigsten durch Geldinvestition (4 Codes) erfolgt. Bei der Beschreibung der Kommunikationsmedien orientiere ich mich erstens an der Frage, welche Phasen und damit Rationalitäten im Projektarbeitsbogen ein Kommunikationsmedium bespielt.
All plus four point (A)dS graviton function using generalized on-shell recursion relation
Authors: Albayrak Soner , Kharel Savan
Published: May 2023

Abstract

This paper presents a calculation of the four gravitons amplitude in (Anti)-de Sitter space, focusing specifically on external gravitons with positive helicity. To achieve this, we employ a generalized recursion method that involves complexifying all external momentum of the graviton function, which results in the factorization of AdS graviton amplitudes and eliminates the need for Feynman-Witten diagrams. Our calculations were conducted in three boundary dimensions, with a particular emphasis on exploring cosmology and aiding the cosmological bootstrap program. To compute the expression, we utilized the three-dimensional spinor helicity formalism. The final expression was obtained by summing over residues of physical poles, and we present both symbolic and numerical results. Additionally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of this approach, and highlight potential opportunities for future research.
Impact of indirect CP violation on Br(KS → μ+μ−)ℓ=0
Authors: Brod Joachim , Stamou Emmanuel
Published: May 2023

Abstract

The decay KS → (μ+μ−)ℓ=0, with the final muon pair in an angular-momentum zero state, is a sensitive probe of short-distance physics. It has recently been shown how to extract this branching ratio from neutral kaon decay data. We point out that the impact of indirect CP violation on the standard-model prediction of this mode, while nominally of order |ϵK| ∼ 10−3, is enhanced by a large amplitude ratio and leads to a shift of the branching ratio Br(KS → μ+μ−)ℓ=0 by a few percent, depending on the size of a relative phase that can be extracted from data. We also update the standard-model prediction of the short-distance contribution.
One-loop matrix element emulation with factorisation awareness
Authors: Maître D. , Truong H.
Published: May 2023

Abstract

In this article we present an emulation strategy for one-loop matrix elements. This strategy is based on the factorisation properties of matrix elements and is an extension of the work presented in [1]. We show that a percent-level accuracy can be achieved even for large multiplicity processes. The point accuracy obtained is such that it dwarfs the statistical accuracy of the training sample which allows us to use our model to augment the size of the training set by orders of magnitude without additional evaluations of expensive one-loop matrix elements.
Overexpression of VIRMA confers vulnerability to breast cancers via the m6A-dependent regulation of unfolded protein response
Authors: Lee Quintin , Song Renhua , Phan Dang Anh Vu , Pinello Natalia , Tieng Jessica , Su Anni , Halstead James M. , Wong Alex C. H. , van Geldermalsen Michelle , Lee Bob S.-L. , Rong Bowen , Cook Kristina M. , Larance Mark , Liu Renjing , Lan Fei , Tiffen Jessamy C. , Wong Justin J.-L.
Published: May 2023

Virilizer-like m6A methyltransferase-associated protein (VIRMA) maintains the stability of the m6A writer complex. Although VIRMA is critical for RNA m6A deposition, the impact of aberrant VIRMA expression in human diseases remains unclear. We show that VIRMA is amplified and overexpressed in 15–20% of breast cancers. Of the two known VIRMA isoforms, the nuclear-enriched full-length but not the cytoplasmic-localised N-terminal VIRMA promotes m6A-dependent breast tumourigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we reveal that VIRMA overexpression upregulates the m6A-modified long non-coding RNA, NEAT1, which contributes to breast cancer cell growth. We also show that VIRMA overexpression enriches m6A on transcripts that regulate the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway but does not promote their translation to activate the UPR under optimal growth conditions. Under stressful conditions that are often present in tumour microenvironments, VIRMA-overexpressing cells display enhanced UPR and increased susceptibility to death. Our study identifies oncogenic VIRMA overexpression as a vulnerability that may be exploited for cancer therapy.
The small index property for countable superatomic boolean algebras
Authors: Truss J. K.
Published: May 2023

It is shown that all the countable superatomic boolean algebras of finite rank have the small index property.
Laws for generalised interior operations in semigroups
Authors: Stokes Tim
Published: May 2023

Motivated by interior operators and by analogous generalisations of closure operators to semigroups in general, we define left, right and two-sided interior operations on a semigroup S in terms of a distinguished set of idempotents E using the natural order. In the left-sided case, we require that for all $$s\in S$$

s
∈
S

, there is a largest $$e\in E$$

e
∈
E

under the natural order such that $$es=e$$

e
s
=
e

. We generalise them using suitable Green-like relations, and characterise the resulting classes of unary and biunary semigroups as quasivarieties or varieties.
Refinement of the Superomedial Pedicle Technique: A New Approach to Breast Reshaping Following Reduction
Authors: Jasionowska Sara , Murugesan Log , Pasha Terouz , King Ian C. C. , Cavale Naveen
Published: May 2023

Introduction

We present an alteration of the superomedial pedicle technique in breast reduction to control lateral fullness and create a more natural and contoured breast during reshaping. This approach has been adopted by the senior author (NC) in 79 patients over the past 4 years.

Methods

A wise pattern skin incision is used, and the nipple–areola complex (NAC) is maintained on a de-epithelialized superomedial pedicle. Instead of fully releasing the pedicle from the lateral parenchyma for rotation and inset, a bridge of tissue between the pedicle on its most posterior aspect and the lateral pillar is maintained. Key holding sutures are subsequently placed in Scarpa’s fascia for reshaping.

Results

We find that with this refinement, the connection with the lateral pillar pulls the lateral parenchyma medially and superiorly when the pedicle is rotated into its new position, adding a natural curve to the side. The superior medial pedicle is still attached in its postero-lateral aspect to the lateral pillar and theoretically, will provide an even more robust vascular supply to the NAC. In our series, three patients developed minor skin healing issues amenable to treatment with dressings. No one suffered from nipple loss or other serious complications, and no dog ear revisions were required.

Conclusions

We present a simple alteration of the superomedial pedicle technique that we believe results in improved breast contouring. Our experience suggests that this simple adaptation is safe, effective, and reproducible.

Level of Evidence IV

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Analysis of synoptic weather patterns of heatwave events
Authors: Ventura Sergi , Miró Josep Ramon , Peña Juan Carlos , Villalba Gara
Published: May 2023

Heatwaves (HWs) are expected to increase both in duration and intensity in the next decades, but little is known about their synoptic and mesoscalar behavior, which is especially important in mid-latitude regions. Most climate research has focused on temperature analysis to characterize HWs. We propose that a combination of temperature and synoptic patterns is a better way to define and understand HWs because including atmospheric circulation patterns provides information about different HW structures that can irregularly affect the territory, and illustrate this approach at the regional and urban scales using the Iberian Peninsula and the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona as case studies. We first select HW events from 1950 to 2020 and apply a multivariate analysis to identify synoptic patterns based on mean sea level pressure, geopotential height at 500 hPa, and maximum daily 2 m temperature. The results indicate that four synoptic patterns reproduce at least 50% of the variance in HWs, namely, “stationary and stable”, “dynamic and advective”, “stationary and advective”, and “dynamic, advective and undulated”. Next, we apply the analysis to the Representative Concentration Pathway future scenarios (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 from the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) to determine how these synoptic trends can change in the future. The analysis shows that the four synoptic patterns continue to explain 55 to 60% of the variance in HWs. Future HW events will be characterized by an increase in geopotential height at 500 hPa due to the northward shift of the anticyclonic ridge. This is especially true for RCP8.5, which simulates business as usual incrementing fossil fuel use and additionally shows an increase in atmospheric dynamism in north advections from all directions in comparison with RCP4.5. These findings point to the importance of considering the geopotential height in HW prediction, as well as the direction of advections.
Trends in the prevalence and incidence of ulcerative colitis in Japan and the US
Authors: Yamazaki Michiyo , Chung Hsingwen , Xu Youran , Qiu Hong
Published: May 2023

Purpose

To estimate and compare annual prevalence and incidence, and demographic characteristics of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in Japan and the United States (US).

Methods

All patients with UC were identified from large employment-based healthcare claims databases (Japan Medical Data Center [JMDC] in Japan and IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database [CCAE] in the US), from 2010 to 2019. Cases were confirmed using International Classification of Disease-9/10 codes with/without Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical codes. Annual age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates were estimated for the JMDC by direct standardization using the CCAE as the standard population.

Results

Patients with UC were younger in Japan than in the US and men were affected more than women, whereas the reverse was true in the US. Annual prevalence per 100,000 population increased significantly from 5 in 2010 to 98 in 2019 in Japan and from 158 to 233 in the US. Prevalence increased in men more than in women and in all age groups in Japan, whereas increases were observed similarly in men and women, and in the 6 to < 65-year age groups in the US. Annual incidence per 100,000 person-years increased significantly over time in both sexes and in all age groups in Japan, with higher increases in women and in ≥ 18 year-olds. UC incidence rates did not change over time in the US.

Conclusion

Ten-year trends in epidemiology of UC differ between Japan and the US. The data point to a growing disease burden in both countries that warrants investigation of measures for prevention and treatment.
Challenges in the interdisciplinary treatment of leakages after left-sided colorectal surgery: endoscopic negative pressure therapy, open-pore film drainage therapy and beyond
Authors: Scognamiglio Pasquale , Seeger Anja , Reeh Matthias , Melling Nathaniel , Karstens Karl F , Rösch Thomas , Izbicki Jakob R , Kantowski Marcus , Tachezy Michael
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The treatment of anastomotic leakage after left colorectal surgery remains challenging. Since its introduction, endoscopic negative pressure therapy (ENPT) has proven to be advantageous, reducing the necessity of surgical revision. The aim of our study is to present our experience with endoscopic treatment of colorectal leakages and to identify potential factors influencing treatment outcome.

Methods

Patients who underwent endoscopic treatment of colorectal leakage were retrospectively analyzed. Primary endpoint was the healing rate and success of endoscopic therapy.

Results

We identified 59 patients treated with ENPT between January 2009 and December 2019. The overall closure rate was 83%, whereas only 60% of the patients were successfully treated with ENPT and 23% needed further surgery. The time between diagnosis of leakage and uptake of endoscopic treatment did not influence the closure rate, but patients with chronic fistula (> 4 weeks) showed a significantly higher reoperation rate than those with an acute fistula (94% vs 6%, p = 0.01).

Conclusion

ENPT is a successful treatment option for colorectal leakages, which appears to be more favorable when started early. Further studies are still needed to better describe its healing potential, but it deserves an integral role in the interdisciplinary treatment of anastomotic leakages.
M-wave changes caused by brief voluntary and stimulated isometric contractions
Authors: Rodriguez-Falces Javier , Malanda Armando , Navallas Javier , Place Nicolas
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Under isometric conditions, the increase in muscle force is accompanied by a reduction in the fibers’ length. The effects of muscle shortening on the compound muscle action potential (M wave) have so far been investigated only by computer simulation. This study was undertaken to assess experimentally the M-wave changes caused by brief voluntary and stimulated isometric contractions.

Methods

Two different methods of inducing muscle shortening under isometric condition were adopted: (1) applying a brief (1 s) tetanic contraction and (2) performing brief voluntary contractions of different intensities. In both methods, supramaximal stimulation was applied to the brachial plexus and femoral nerves to evoke M waves. In the first method, electrical stimulation (20 Hz) was delivered with the muscle at rest, whereas in the second, stimulation was applied while participants performed 5-s stepwise isometric contractions at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 100% MVC. The amplitude and duration of the first and second M-wave phases were computed.

Results

The main findings were: (1) on application of tetanic stimulation, the amplitude of the M-wave first phase decreased (~ 10%, P < 0.05), that of the second phase increased (~ 50%, P < 0.05), and the M-wave duration decreased (~ 20%, P < 0.05) across the first five M waves of the tetanic train and then plateaued for the subsequent responses; (2) when superimposing a single electrical stimulus on muscle contractions of increasing forces, the amplitude of the M-wave first phase decreased (~ 20%, P < 0.05), that of the second phase increased (~ 30%, P < 0.05), and M-wave duration decreased (~ 30%, P < 0.05) as force was raised from 0 to 60–70% MVC force.

Conclusions

The present results will help to identify the adjustments in the M-wave profile caused by muscle shortening and also contribute to differentiate these adjustments from those caused by muscle fatigue and/or changes in Na+–K+ pump activity.
IgG4-related sclerosing thyroiditis (Riedel-Struma): a review of clinicopathological features and management
Authors: Czarnywojtek Agata , Pietrończyk Krzysztof , Thompson Lester D. R. , Triantafyllou Asterios , Florek Ewa , Sawicka-Gutaj Nadia , Ruchała Marek , Płazinska Maria Teresa , Nixon Iain J. , Shaha Ashok R. , Zafereo Mark , Randolph Gregory William , Angelos Peter , Al Ghuzlan Abir , Agaimy Abbas , Ferlito Alfio
Published: May 2023

We present a thorough review of the literature on Riedel thyroiditis (RT) with emphasis on aetiology, diagnosis and management, using the PubMed, Sinomed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. Although the exact aetiology of RT remains obscure, the histopathological features are consistent with a localized form of IgG4-related systemic disease (IgG4-RSD). Nevertheless, IgG4-RSD as a systemic fibroinflammatory disorder per se rarely affects the thyroid in the context of multiorgan manifestations. The initial diagnosis of RT is based on clinical history and imaging, but confirmation by histopathological examination is mandatory. In contrast to the historical surgical approach, glucocorticosteroid therapy is currently considered first line therapy, in line with the RT currently being viewed as a manifestation of, or analogous to, IgG4-RSD. For disease relapse, immunomodulatory agents (azathioprine, methotrexate, rituximab) can be used.