bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A emergência da produção de novidades em territórios “marginalizados”: uma análise a partir do território Alto Camaquã, Rio Grande do Sul
Authors: Neske Marcio Zamboni , Marques Flávia Charão , Borba Marcos Flávio Silva
Published: September 2014

Esse artigo analisa a “produção de novidades” no território Alto Camaquã, localizado no sul do Rio Grande do Sul. A abordagem da produção de novidades tem se constituído como um referencial para pensar a inovação e o conhecimento relacionados a processos de desenvolvimento rural. Busca-se evidenciar as respostas diferenciais que os atores sociais são capazes de criar como forma de resistir e/ou de contornar o regime sociotécnico e científico dominante. Demonstra-se que a emergência de processos inovadores, num contexto de valorização e combinação dos recursos e bens locais, são construções que remetem ao diálogo entre diferentes conhecimentos (científicos e tácitos) e à interação entre distintos atores (humanos e não humanos), que se entrelaçam em redes sociotécnicas, constituídas com o objetivo de contestar o regime sociotécnico prevalente e desafiar a narrativa modernizante de desenvolvimento.
The Epistemological Status of Medicine in the Peri Archaias Iêtrikês
Authors: Noriega-Olmos Simon
Published: September 2014

Neste artigo argumenta-se que, de acordo com o autor de A Medicina Antiga, a medicina não se preocupa e não deve-se preocupar com o ser humano em termos gerais, mas com pessoas individuais. Assim, de acordo com A Medicina Antiga, a medicina é uma ciência do particular e consiste em uma pesquisa empírica. Por esta razão, A Medicina Antiga é talvez o primeiro reconhecimento deliberado do valor científico do conhecimento aproximado do particular.
Prazer e virtude segundo Aristóteles
Authors: Ortegosa Aggio Juliana
Published: September 2014

O presente texto pretende examinar a relação estabelecida por Aristóteles entre prazer e virtude de modo a compreender a seguinte tese aristotélica: o virtuoso não age devido ao prazer, mas necessariamente com prazer. Esta tese será mais bem compreendida com a exposição que faremos da concepção aristotélica de prazer, tal qual elaborada pelo filósofo no segundo tratado do prazer de sua Ética Nicomaqueia. Como veremos, a definição do prazer como um fenômeno cuja existência e natureza dependem inteiramente da existência e natureza da atividade a qual pertence nos permite inferir que o juízo de valor que incide sobre a atividade é o critério de valoração moral do prazer, e não o contrário. Isso significa que o virtuoso julga qual seria a melhor atividade a ser realizada e não qual atividade lhe dará prazer. Com efeito, veremos que o virtuoso deseja realizar certa atividade por ela ser boa e não por ela ser prazerosa, ou seja, embora o prazer não seja a razão da ação, ele será a sua consequência inevitável.
Chrysippus on Retribution and Rehabilitation
Authors: Ferreira Paulo Fernando Tadeu
Published: September 2014

Este artigo argumenta que a resposta de Crisipo à objeção segundo a qual o Destino é incompatível com o fato de algo estar em nosso poder (e, portanto, com a justiça de honras e punições) consiste em uma correção daquilo que se entende por estar em nosso poder (de uma noção em termos de originação última para uma noção em termos de causação autossuficiente) e, pois, em uma correção igualmente daquilo que se entende por justiça em honras e punições (de uma noção em termos retributivos para uma noção em termos reabilitativos).
O que são silogismos perfeitos?
Authors: Fernandes Ferreira Mateus Ricardo
Published: September 2014

Neste artigo é defendida a tese de que a noção aristotélica de perfeição silogística não é completamente arbitrária e reflete características lógicas, apesar de alguns aspectos não lógicos. Em consonância com a sugestão de alguns intérpretes de que a validade dos silogismos em primeira figura se fundamenta no dictum de omni et nullo, será apontado como essa fundamentação se desdobra em procedimentos dedutivos encontrados nos textos de Aristóteles. Tomando definições ou explicitações das proposições categóricas como parâmetro, a perfeição ou imperfeição de um silogismo, independentemente das relações de prova que se adote entre as figuras silogísticas, não se mostra arbitrária.
Flexible ureteroscopic renal stone extraction during laparoscopic ureterolithotomy in patients with large upper ureteral stone and small renal stones
Authors: Kim Myung Ki , You Jae Hyung , Kim Young Gon
Published: September 2014

Introduction: We describe laparoscopic ureterolithotomy with renal stone extraction using a stone basket under flexible ureteroscopy. We describe its efficacy through a laparoscopic port and a ureterotomy site in patients with large upper ureteral stone and small renal stones.Methods: Between January 2009 and February 2012, we performed laparoscopic ureterolithotomy with renal stone extraction using a stone basket under flexible ureteroscopy in 11 patients who had upper ureteral and renal stones. The retroperitoneal approaches were used in all patients using 3-4 trocars.Results: All procedures were performed successfully without significant complications. Mean operative time was 78.5 minutes (range: 52-114 minutes). The mean size of ureteral stone was 19.91 mm (range: 15-25 mm). In addition, 25 renal stones (mean size 7.48 mm, range: 2-12 mm) were removed from 11 patients. The mean length of hospital stay was 3.5 days (range: 2-6 days).Conclusions: Laparoscopic ureterolithotomy with renal stone extraction using a stone basket under flexible ureteroscopy can be considered one of treatment modalities for patients with large upper ureteral stones accompanied by renal stones who are indicated in laparoscopic ureterolithotomy.
Pyélonéphrite xanthogranulomateuse bilatérale focale : à propos d’un cas
Authors: El Yacoubi Souhail , Ziouziou Imad , Zizi Mohamed , Jahid Ahmed , Karmouni Tariq , El Khader Khalid , Koutani Abdellatif , Iben Attya Andaloussi Ahmed
Published: September 2014

Nous présentons l’observation clinique d’un cas rare de pyélonéphrite xanthogranulomateuse (PXG) bilatérale chez un jeune patient âgé de 17 ans. La découverte progressive de l’infection a débuté par l’apparition de lombalgies bilatérales évoluant depuis un mois, sans autre signe associé. L’urotomodensitométrie penchait en faveur de deux masses rénales bilatérales, soit une masse polaire inférieure droite et une masse polaire supérieure gauche, toutes deux de densité tissulaire. Une biopsie écho guidée a suggéré la présence d’une réaction inflammatoire non spécifique. Une néphrectomie partielle polaire inférieure droite a été effectuée devant la forte présomption de tumeurs rénales malignes. Finalement, l’histologie a orienté le diagnostic vers une PXG. Il s’agit, à notre connaissance, du sixième cas de PXG focale bilatérale rapporté dans la littérature. Notre patient a reçu un traitement antibiotique à base de fluoroquinolone pendant un mois. L’évolution clinique s’est avérée bonne, et les lésions visibles à la tomodensitométrie se sont entièrement résorbées au bout d’un mois. Le patient vit toujours après un an et présente une fonction rénale normale.
Kształtowanie się flory porostów zasiedlających głazy narzutowe [Formation of lichen flora populating erratic blocks]
Authors: Lipnicki Ludwik
Published: September 2014

The thesis includes the results of over ten years' research and observations of the population process of epilithic lichens on the newly exposed surfaces of erratic boulders. The research was carried out in the 'Kręgi Kamienne' Archaeological and Nature Reserve located in the Tucholskie Forest (N Poland). The thesis presents the seąuence of population and the quantitative changes of pioneering lichens. The following phases of initial stage of succession, which have lasted for at least 30 years, were distinguished and characterized: the phase of pulverulent lichens, the beginning phase of Lecidea fuscoatra domination and the phase of boulders population by Porpidia and Rhizocarpon genera species. The optimal stage was specified on the basis of initial population of foliose lichens and formation of epilithic lichen associations.
Formowanie się flory porostów na słomianych strzechach budynków [Formation of lichen flora on straw-thatched roofs]
Authors: Lipnicki Ludwik
Published: September 2014

The thesis includes the results of over ten years' research and observations of lichens on the straw-thatched roofs. The research sites were the villages located inside and on the edge of the vast lowland forests in Poland. The thatched roofs made of straw, which has been laid out for 1–50 years, were examined. Duration of the population process and quantitative changes of pioneering lichens were analysed. The following phases of the initial stage of formation of lichen flora were distinguished and characterized: the phase of occurrence of crustose lichens ('the straw thatch'), the phase of expansion of cup-moss ('the cup-moss thatch') and the phase of a shared domination of lichens and mosses ('the grey-green thatch'). The morphological and ecological features of pioneering lichens were revealed.
Roślinność łąk Bolimowskiego Parku Krajobrazowego [Vegetation of meadows of the Bolimów Nature Park]
Authors: Kucharski Leszek , Pisarek Włodzimierz
Published: September 2014

The study presents the characterization of the Bolimów Nature Park meadow vegetation, which is formed by 22 plant associations and communities of the class Molinio-Arrhenatheretea. The disappearing components of the park are: Molinietum caeruleae, Cirsio-Polygonetum and Arrhenatheretum elatioris. The lagest areas are overgrown by the phytocoenoses of Deschampsietum caespitosae and Alopecuretum pratensis. The active protection of the meadow vegetation is carried on in the "Polana Siwica" Reserve.
Roślinność synantropijna Bolimowskiego Parku Krajobrazowego [The synanthropic vegetation of Bolimów Nature Park]
Authors: Warcholińska Aurelia U.
Published: September 2014

This paper present the result of researches on the synanthropic vegetation of the Bolimów Nature Park. In the study area 25 synanthropic associations and 1 community, of the Secalietea, Chenopodietea, Artemisietea and Planlaginetea classes, were identified. Species richness and the structure of communities were stated on the basis of the published material and field observations. Its phytosociological characteristics and conditions of occurrence arę given. Moreover, local habitat variability and distribution as well as causes of threat and possibility of protection of the associations were presented.
Stan obecny i kierunki zmian roślinności nieleśnej Kampinowskiego Parku Narodowego [Current stale and directions of change of non-forest vegetation of the Kampinos National Park]
Authors: Michalska-Hejduk Dorota
Published: September 2014

Non-forest communities in the western part of the Kampinos National Park were studied in the years 1991 – 1998 with regard to their phytosociological diversity and dynamic processes currently underway in them. A total of 323 phytosociological releves were prepared by the widely used method of Braun-Blanquet. These releves served as basis for identification of 31 associations and 7 meadow and sedge communities of undetermined level. 15 syntaxa were recorded in the Phragmitetea class, 18 syntaxa – in the Molinio-Arrhenatheretea class, 2 associations in the Scheuchzerio-Caricetea class, as well as 3 grassland associations from Koelerio glaucae-Corynephoretea canescentis and Nardo-Callunetea classes. In order to determine the character and direction of changes in phytocoenoses, 4 basic ecological processes have been distinguished – fluctuation, degeneration, regeneration and secondary succession. Within secondary succession, recreative, creative and anthropogenically forced secondary succession were distinguished.
Czerwona lista porostów zagrożonych w Puszczy Kozienickiej [Red List of threatened lichens in the Kozienicka Old-growth Forest]
Authors: Cieśliński Stanisław
Published: September 2014

The first regional list of threatened lichens and allied fungi is presented. The list is a result of investigation studies in the Kozienicka Old-growth Forest, in forests located between the Vistula and Radomka Rivers, in Central Poland. The status of threat to the lichen and allied fungi species listed has been determined according to the Red List Categories by IUCN (2001, version 3.1). The data obtained were compared with historical ones. Changes of the species main frequency were used as an additional indicator of their threat status. The Red List includes 144 taxa of lichens, lichenicolous and saprobic fungi, which constitute 61.8% of the local biota and 9% of Polish biota. The status of threatened biota has the following categories: Regionally Extinct (RE) - 13 taxa, Critically Endangered (CR) - 26, Endangered (EN) - 31, Vulnerable (VU) - 23, NearThreatened (NT) -17, Least Concern (LC) -14 and Data Deficient (DD)-20. Epiphytic lichens of forest and roadside trees as well as forest epixylic arę the most threatened ones.
Bryophytes in the Bolimów Landscape Park
Authors: Saderska Anna , Filipiak Ewa , Pisarek Włodzimierz
Published: September 2014

The paper summarizes the results of the autors'own studies on the bryophytes of the Bolimów Landscape Park, Central Poland, from the years 1982-1985 and 1996-1999, together with records from the literature (1972-1998). Distributional data for 15 species of liverwort and 128 species of moss are presented with reference to the ATMOS - square grid system. Among them there are 28 protected species in Poland and 6 species are threatened in Poland. The analysed liverwort and moss flora contained 9 mountain species. An analysis of the range of frequencies shows that about 60.1% of bryophytes are very rare in this area.
Globalização econômica, políticas públicas e exclusão social
Authors: Carvalho David Ferreira
Published: September 2014

Neste artigo, o autor discute os impactos da globalização econômica no mercado de trabalho, apresentando os problemas que as inovações tecnológicas podem provocar nesse mercado e especula sobre alguns processos de difusão tecnológica dos complexos eletroeletrônicos e da biotecnologia. Discute também, sobre as possibilidades do aumento do desemprego e vislumbra alternativas com base no terceiro setor. A última parte do trabalho traz uma análise dos paradoxos da globalização tecnológica e indagações sobre o futuro do capitalismo.
Geophysical Survey on the Coast of Peru: The Early Prehispanic City of Gallinazo Group in the Viru Valley
Authors: Millaire Jean-François , Eastaugh Edward
Published: September 2014

Recent geophysical survey at the early urban center of the Gallinazo Group in the Virú Valley highlights the potential for a multifaceted approach to remote sensing on the desert coast of South America and underscores the value of these well-established techniques for the rapid and detailed mapping of complex urban architecture. The Gallinazo Group (100 B.C.-A.D. 700) was an early city home to a population of between 10,000 and 14,400 people living in a network of agglutinated houses, plazas, public buildings, and alleyways. In 2008, detailed analysis of the site was undertaken, integrating traditional excavation techniques, soil coring, magnetometry, and ground-penetrating radar to gain a better understanding of the urban morphology of the site. The results of this fieldwork were extremely successful, with large areas of the urban layout being mapped in great detail. This article presents results from our survey, highlighting the potentials and limitations of each technique.
Alluvial Stratigraphy and the Search for Preceramic Open-air Sites in Highland Mesoamerica
Authors: Borejsza Aleksander , Frederick Charles D. , Alatorre Luis Morett , Joyce Arthur A.
Published: September 2014

The Preceramic archaeological record of highland Mesoamerica is biased toward rockshelter sites. We advocate more fieldwork in streamside settings, where open-air sites are likely to be found for reasons related both to the systemic context of hunter-gatherer lifeways and to the geoarchaeological context of site burial and preservation. Predicting site location requires attention to the peculiar nature and behavior of incised ephemeral streams (barrancas) and to the complex alluvial stratigraphic sequences that they leave behind. Four case studies—from the Mexican states ofTlaxcala, México, Morelos, and Oaxaca—reconstruct the geometry and age structure of late Quaternary alluvium from exposures in cutbanks, brickyards, and purposefully dug trenches. We identify deeply buried locales with the remains of extinct megafauna, intentionally set fires, and lithic debitage. We distinguish between geographical areas, stream reaches, and time intervals that do or do not hold much promise for further research. The fragmentary nature of the alluvial record and the paucity of sites can be explained by changes in stream behavior wrought by agricultural land use and are conditioned by the intensity and antiquity of agriculture in any given area. Deposits and sites of Paleoindian age may be more commonly preserved than those of Archaic age.
Materializing Power through Practice in the Late Postclassic Naco Valley, Northwestern Honduras
Authors: Schortman Edward M. , Urban Patricia A.
Published: September 2014

We contend that political structures emerge in the course of interpersonal dealings conducted by people organized within overlapping social networks. It is through these webs that resources needed to define and achieve goals and exert control over others are mobilized. Elites seeking to construct hierarchies and concentrate power must restructure the preexisting matrix of networks to redirect the flow of assets to their benefit. In doing so, they seek to create an affiliation that transcends loyalties to extant social groups while securing for themselves positions of preeminence within the overarching affiliation. Such social engineering involves manipulating the material symbols by which interpersonal ties are made tangible and imbued with emotional significance. The resulting political structures are less nested sets of stable territorial groups than dynamic networks of networks through which assets are deployed in the practices by which power is exercised. This perspective is used to describe Late Postclassic (A.D. 1300-1532) political processes in the Naco Valley, northwestern Honduras, calling attention to how power of various sorts took shape through complex relations among diverse people and varied things orchestrated within overlapping social networks. The implications of a network approach for studying political processes generally are also considered.
La restructuration de l’expérience au cours de la première année d’enseignement : un accès au processus identitaire du débutant1
Authors: Dumoulin Marie-Josée
Published: September 2014

Cet article aborde le processus de restructuration de l’expérience au cours de la première année d’enseignement au primaire. D’inspiration interactionniste, l’étude puise à une théorie de l’apprentissage expérientiel et adapte les principes de continuité et de transaction au champ de l’enseignement. La méthodologie mise sur un dispositif mentoral, servant le double registre de la formation et de la recherche, dans l’esprit de l’approche collaborative. Les résultats de l’analyse par théorisation ancrée illustrent le processus de restructuration à partir d’un « cadre expérientiel » reconstruit chez l’une des participantes et se transigeant dans l’expérience à travers trois logiques transactionnelles. L’éclairage porté sur la restructuration laisse entrevoir un double mouvement identitaire où se jouent un soi opératoire et un soi unifié.
Le développement du pouvoir d’agir au sein des relations parents-professionnels en contexte d’intervention précoce
Authors: Girard Karoline , Miron Jean-Marie , Couture Germain
Published: September 2014

Les services offerts aux enfants sollicitent de plus en plus les ressources familiales. La famille devient un partenaire privilégié et non seulement un bénéficiaire de services. Cette transformation teinte les relations entre parents et professionnels où chacun doit s’ajuster à cette nouvelle réalité. Le développement du pouvoir d’agir (DPA - traduction du terme « empowerment ») des parents s’inscrit dans cette transformation où les interventions professionnelles se fondent sur des valeurs de partenariat et de collaboration. Le développement du pouvoir d’agir (DPA) constitue un cadre conceptuel pour l’intervention auprès de la famille et se définit autant comme un processus qu’un résultat. Par ce processus, le parent développe une perception de contrôle et fait davantage appel aux ressources. Cet article présente les résultats d’une recherche portant sur les expériences parentales qui soutiennent le DPA. Les données ont été recueillies auprès de parents d’enfants recevant des services en Centre de réadaptation en déficience intellectuelle et en troubles envahissants du développement (CRDITED). Nos premières analyses indiquent qu’à travers les expériences habilitantes décrites pas les parents, les relations parents-professionnels constituent un des facteurs déterminant pour le DPA des familles.
1700-talsstudier och vetenskapsutveckling: tankar om Marie-Christine Skuncke
Authors: Wittrock Björn
Published: September 2014

In the first part of the essay, three profiles of scholarly engagement are discerned. In the oeuvre of Marie-Christine Skuncke two of these types of engagement are prominent, namely those that pertain to a widening of a scholarly field and an opening up of conceptually new fields of investigation and imagination. Her career encompasses studies of literary forms of expressiveness, in particular in opera and theatre, which she links to studies of rhetoric, rules of governance and of princely upbringing . She has also rendered contributions to the study of the emergence of new public spheres. This research is characterized by an understanding that includes attention to both national, cultural, and disciplinary traditions. In the second part, the focus is on the rationale of temporal demarcations in historical research and in particular in what sense eighteenth-century studies may constitute a scholarly field except in purely pragmatic terms. The relatively arbitrary nature of demarcations in the writing of national histories is highlighted. Analogously, a tradition among global historians is noted to emphasize economic and political transformations relative to cultural and conceptual ones. Marie-Christine Skuncke has however joined a growing number of scholars who transcend these limitations and who engage in the writing of global historical developments from a vantage point that recognizes the cultural and intellectual underpinnings of institutional transformations.
The Changing Shapes of Knowledge in Spain 1627–1726: From Dreams and Discourses to Universal Critical Theater
Authors: Davenport Randi Lise
Published: September 2014

This article illustrates the changing shapes of knowledge in Spain in the period spanning from the Baroque (ca. 1600–1680) to the pre-Enlightenment (ca. 1730). Scepticism and the dichotomies engaño – desengaño (illusion – disillusion) and ser – parecer (reality – appearances) were at the heart of the Baroque obsession with the foundations of knowledge, which culminated in an epistemological crisis. In the pre-Enlightenment, epistemological preoccupations were directed towards error instead of desengaño, notably in the writings of the Benedictine monk Benito Jerónimo Feijoo (1676–1764), who was a key figure in the divulgation of the ‘new science’ and ‘new philosophy’ in Spain. The epistemic value of the concept desengaño is examined here by contrasting Feijoo’s essay on philosophical scepticism in his Teatro Crítico Universal. Discursos varios en todo género de materias, para desengaño de errores comunes (Universal Critical Theater. Varied discourses on all kinds of matters to the disillusion of common errors, 1726–1739) with the use of scepticism in the Baroque author Francisco de Quevedo’s Sueños y discursos de verdades descubridoras de abusos, vicios y engaños, en todos los oficios y estados del mundo (Dreams and discourses on truths revealing abuses, vices and deceptions in all the professions and estates of the world) published a hundred years earlier (1627).
System och föränderlighet i synen på det svenska bergsbruket under 1700-talet
Authors: Rydén Göran
Published: September 2014

[no abstract]
Design methodology to enhance high impedance surfaces performances
Authors: Grelier M. , Lepage A. C. , Begaud X. , Jousset M. , Mallégol S.
Published: September 2014

A methodology is introduced for designing wideband, compact and ultra-thin high impedance surfaces (HIS). A parametric study is carried out to examine the effect of the periodicity on the electromagnetic properties of an HIS. This approach allows designers to reach the best trade-off for HIS performances.
A comparative study of circulating tumor cell isolation and enumeration technologies in lung cancer
Authors: M Saini Volga , Oner Ezgi , Ward Mark P. , Hurley Sinead , Henderson Brian David , Lewis Faye , Finn Stephen P. , Fitzmaurice Gerard J. , O'Leary John J. , O'Toole Sharon , O'Driscoll Lorraine , Gately Kathy
Published: August 2024

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have potential as diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers in solid tumors. Despite Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of CTC devices in various cancers, the rarity and heterogeneity of CTCs in lung cancer make them technically challenging to isolate and analyze, hindering their clinical integration. Establishing a consensus through comparative analysis of different CTC systems is warranted. This study aimed to evaluate seven different CTC enrichment methods across five technologies using a standardized spike‐in protocol: the CellMag™ (EpCAM‐dependent enrichment), EasySep™ and RosetteSep™ (blood cell depletion), and the Parsortix® PR1 and the new design Parsortix® Prototype (PP) (size‐ and deformability‐based enrichment). The Parsortix® systems were also evaluated for any differences in recovery rates between cell harvest versus in‐cassette staining. Healthy donor blood (5 mL) was spiked with 100 fluorescently labeled EpCAMhigh H1975 cells, processed through each system, and the isolation efficiency was calculated. The CellMag™ had the highest recovery rate (70 ± 14%), followed by Parsortix® PR1 in‐cassette staining, while the EasySep™ had the lowest recovery (18 ± 8%). Additional spike‐in experiments were performed with EpCAMmoderate A549 and EpCAMlow H1299 cells using the CellMag™ and Parsortix® PR1 in‐cassette staining. The recovery rate of CellMag™ significantly reduced to 35 ± 14% with A549 cells and 1 ± 1% with H1299 cells. However, the Parsortix® PR1 in‐cassette staining showed cell phenotype‐independent and consistent recovery rates among all lung cancer cell lines: H1975 (49 ± 2%), A549 (47 ± 10%), and H1299 (52 ± 10%). Furthermore, we demonstrated that the Parsortix® PR1 in‐cassette staining method is capable of isolating heterogeneous single CTCs and cell clusters from patient samples. The Parsortix® PR1 in‐cassette staining, capable of isolating different phenotypes of CTCs as either single cells or cell clusters with consistent recovery rates, is considered optimal for CTC enrichment for lung cancer, albeit needing further optimization and validation.
Ion‐Exchange Doping of Semiconducting Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Hawkey Angus , Dash Aditya , Rodríguez‐Martínez Xabier , Zhao Zhiyong , Champ Anna , Lindenthal Sebastian , Zharnikov Michael , Kemerink Martijn , Zaumseil Jana
Published: August 2024

Semiconducting single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are a promising thermoelectric material with high power factors after chemical p‐ or n‐doping. Understanding the impact of dopant counterions on charge transport and thermoelectric properties of nanotube networks is essential to further optimize doping methods and to develop better dopants. This work utilizes ion‐exchange doping to systematically vary the size of counterions in thin films of small and large diameter, polymer‐sorted semiconducting SWCNTs with AuCl3 as the initial p‐dopant and investigates the impact of ion size on conductivity, Seebeck coefficients, and power factors. Larger anions are found to correlate with higher electrical conductivities and improved doping stability, while no significant effect on the power factors is found. Importantly, the effect of counterion size on the thermoelectric properties of dense SWCNT networks is not obscured by morphological changes upon doping. The observed trends of carrier mobilities and Seebeck coefficients can be explained by a random resistor model for the nanotube network that accounts for overlapping Coulomb potentials leading to the formation of an impurity band whose depth depends on the carrier density and counterion size. These insights can be applied more broadly to understand the thermoelectric properties of doped percolating disordered systems, including semiconducting polymers.
A Multiferroic Spin‐Crossover Molecular Crystal
Authors: Ai Yong , Hu Zhao‐Bo , Weng Yan‐Ran , Peng Hang , Qi Jun‐Chao , Chen Xiao‐Gang , Lv Hui‐Peng , Song Xian‐Jiang , Ye Heng‐Yun , Xiong Ren‐Gen , Liao Wei‐Qiang
Published: August 2024

Spin‐crossover (SCO) ferroelectrics with dual‐function switches have attracted great attention for significant magnetoelectric application prospects. However, the multiferroic crystals with SCO features have rarely been reported. Herein, a molecular multiferroic Fe(II) crystalline complex [FeII(C8‐F‐pbh)2] (1‐F, C8‐F‐pbh = (1Z,N'E)‐3‐F‐4‐(octyloxy)‐N’‐(pyridin‐2‐ylmethylene)‐benzo‐hydrazonate) showing the coexistence of ferroelectricity, ferroelasticity, and SCO behavior is presented for the first time. By H/F substitution, the low phase transition temperature (270 K) of the non‐fluorinated parent compound is significantly increased to 318 K in 1‐F, which exhibits a spatial symmetry breaking 222F2 type ferroelectric phase transition with clear room‐temperature ferroelectricity. Besides, 1‐F also displays a spin transition between high‐ and low‐spin states, accompanied by the d‐orbital breaking within the t2g4eg2 and t2g6eg° configuration change of octahedrally coordinated FeII center. Moreover, the 222F2 type ferroelectric phase transition is also a ferroelastic one, verified by the ferroelectric domains reversal and the evolution of ferroelastic domains. To the knowledge, 1‐F is the first multiferroic SCO molecular crystal. This unprecedented finding sheds light on the exploration of molecular multistability materials for future smart devices.
Evaluation of spectroscopic techniques for on‐site drug testing of festival seizures
Authors: Meert N. , Eliaerts J. , Van Durme F. , Wille S. M. R. , Samyn N.
Published: August 2024

Despite the fact that drugs of abuse are illegal, a drug‐free festival still remains an utopia in most settings. For law enforcement purposes, it is necessary to rapidly determine whether controlled substances are involved. On‐site testing is a challenging task because drugs appear in different physical forms and concentrations. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of two spectroscopic techniques, Raman and Fourier transform‐infrared (FT‐IR), for the testing of drug seizures at a dance festival. First, samples were measured through packaging with Raman. Subsequently, homogenized samples were analysed with FT‐IR. For MDMA tablets, a chemometric model was applied on the FT‐IR spectra for the dose estimation. After the festival, results were confirmed in the forensic laboratory with gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC‐FID). In total, 166 samples of which 90 tablets, 53 powders, 16 crystals and 7 liquids were analysed. MDMA, cocaine and ketamine were the top three drugs seized. The Raman technique was suitable for powders and crystals (sensitivity of 100% and 81%, respectively). However, in comparison with FT‐IR, Raman performance was lower for the analysis of liquids (sensitivity of 67%) and ‘ecstasy’‐like tablets (sensitivity of 41%). Overall, sensitivities above 95% were obtained with FT‐IR. The MDMA doses of the tablets, determined on‐site, ranged between 52 mg and 336 mg MDMA hydrochloride. For a quick identification of a variety of drugs on‐site, the combination of Raman and FT‐IR is recommended. It should be emphasized that optimized settings, in‐house libraries and analysis by trained operators are essential to obtain correct results.
Support for Advanced Nuclear Power Growing in the United States
Authors: Cartwright Echo D.
Published: August 2024

Global clean energy and decarbonization goals are forcing governments around the world to take a hard look at their energy resource portfolios and future plans for meeting increasing electricity demand. While the last several years have seen a significant uptick in the deployment of solar, both terrestrial and offshore wind, and battery storage here in the United States, nuclear energy is once again being considered a critical energy generation source. Nuclear power, and in particular small modular nuclear reactors, are being considered as carbon‐free power generation sources to strategically meet new loads.
Self‐defined former smokers consume the highest opioid quantities following knee and shoulder arthroscopy
Authors: Abdel Khalik Hassaan , Shanmugaraj Ajaykumar , Ekhtiari Seper , Horner Nolan S. , Gazendam Aaron , Simunovic Nicole , Ayeni Olufemi R. ,   NO PAin Investigators
Published: August 2024

Purpose

To identify risk factors associated with increased postoperative opioid consumption and inferior pain outcomes following knee and shoulder arthroscopy.

Methods

Using the data set from the NonOpioid Prescriptions after Arthroscopic Surgery in Canada (NO PAin) trial, eight prognostic factors were chosen a priori to evaluate their effect on opioid consumption and patient‐reported pain following arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgery. The primary outcome was the number of oral morphine equivalents (OMEs) consumed at 2 and 6 weeks postoperatively. The secondary outcome was patient‐reported postoperative pain using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 2 and 6 weeks postoperatively. A multivariable linear regression was used to analyse these outcomes with eight prognostic factors as independent variables.

Results

Tobacco usage was significantly associated with higher opioid usage at 2 (p < 0.001) and 6 weeks (p = 0.02) postoperatively. Former tobacco users had a higher 2‐week (p = 0.002) and cumulative OME (p = 0.002) consumption compared to current and nonsmokers. Patients with a higher number of comorbidities (p = 0.006) and those who were employed (p = 0.006) reported higher pain scores at 6 weeks. Patients in the ‘not employed/other’ category had significantly lower pain scores at 6 weeks postoperatively (p = 0.046).

Conclusion

Former smoking status was significantly associated with increased post‐operative opioid consumption following knee and shoulder arthroscopy at 2 and 6 weeks postoperatively. Increased pain was found to be significantly associated with employment status and an increasing number of comorbidities at 6 weeks postoperatively. These findings can aid clinicians in identifying and mitigating increased opioid utilization as well as worse pain outcomes in high‐risk patient populations.

Level of Evidence

Level III, cohort study.
When digital spaces matter: The influence of uniqueness and place attachment on self‐identity expression with brands using generative AI on the metaverse
Authors: Farah Maya F. , Ramadan Zahy , Nassereddine Yaman
Published: August 2024

Generative artificial intelligence technologies are transforming brand‐customer interactions by offering highly personalized and dynamic virtual experiences. This underscores the importance of studying their significant impact on customer experiences in the Metaverse. Accordingly, the study aims to explore how users' attachment to the Metaverse relates to the underlying psychological drivers of customer engagement with brands using generative AI in the digital realm. A mixed‐method approach was adopted, beginning with an exploratory study that involved in‐depth interviews with 24 participants to gain an initial understanding of consumers' psychological and behavioral reactions to brands in the Metaverse. An empirical study was then conducted, surveying 407 UK‐based users of virtual worlds who interacted with brands using generative AI on these platforms. The goal was to understand how the need for uniqueness influences self‐identity expression and to examine how these factors are affected by attachment to virtual places. The research highlights the nuanced relationship between the pursuit of uniqueness and the integration of brand narratives into one's identity particularly when supported by highly personalized, adaptive AI technologies.
Chemical treatment, fibre length, and fibre loading affecting the mechanical and morphological characteristics of flax fibre/polylactic acid (PLA) green composites developed by injection moulding
Authors: Debnath M. , Chakraborti P. , Rao G. S.
Published: August 2024

This paper presents the parametric investigation and optimization of various chemical treatment parameters that affect the mechanical performance of the green composite. The injection moulding method was used to produce the green composites using flax fibre (FF) and polylactic acid (PLA). The chemical parameters chosen to investigate their effects are chemical type (sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, and potassium hydroxide), chemical concentrations (1 %, 2 %, and 3 % (w/v)), and duration for fibre treatment (2 h, 4 h, and 6 h). The mechanical performance of the green composites was assessed by evaluating the various properties namely strength, modulus, and elongation under tensile, share, flexural, and compression loading conditions. The morphological study was also performed to examine the failure behavior of the composite after mechanical testing. The effect of fibre length (2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, and 6 mm) and fibre loading (10 wt.%, 20 wt.%, and 30 wt.%) on the performance of the flax fibre (FF)/polylactic acid (PLA) composite was also investigated. The fibre dispersion, fibre orientation, and fibre length retention were investigated to assess the characteristics of fibre during injection moulding of the developed flax fibre (FF)/polylactic acid (PLA) composite.
Software‐assisted automated detection and identification of “unknown” analogues of benzodiazepines in liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis
Authors: Marder Dana , Gutman Ori , Bretler Uriel , Katz Yiffat , Yishai‐Aviram Lilach , Drug Eyal
Published: August 2024

Rationale

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) construct a large group of psychoactive drugs acting as depressants of the central nervous system (CNS) and used in medicine as sedatives and anxiolytic and antiepileptic agents. The illicit use of these materials is a worldwide problem, and for many years, part of the benzodiazepines have been abused as rape drugs. For example, flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) is most commonly linked by media reports to drug‐facilitated sexual assaults, more commonly referred to as “date rape.” Furthermore, there are growing concerns for other misuses of these drugs. Over the last few years, there was an increase in the number, type, and availability of new psychoactive substances (NPS) belonging to the benzodiazepine group, challenging standard forensic labs to fully identify the chemical structure of new, unknown benzodiazepines.

Methods

This work demonstrates a new application of the automated tool for the detection and identification of benzodiazepine analogues using high‐resolution‐accurate‐mass LC‐MS analysis, followed by “Compound Discoverer” (CD) software data processing, to automatically detect various benzodiazepine analogues by picking peaks and compare them to in silico calculated modifications made on a predefined basic backbone. Subsequently, a complete structural elucidation for the proposed molecular formula is obtained by MS/MS data analysis of the suspected component.

Results

This method was found to be useful for the automated detection and putative identification of a series of nine “unknown” benzodiazepine analogues, at concentrations in the low ng/mL range.

Conclusions

We hereby present a general demonstration of this powerful tool for the forensic community in the detection and identification of hazardous unknown compounds.
The Pneumothorax And Symptom Evaluation (PASE) study: Bendopnoea in patients with pneumothorax
Authors: Iacopetta Bianca M. , Donaghy Michaela , Charlesworth Chloe , Peddle‐McIntyre Carolyn J. , Tan Ai Ling , Lee Y. C. Gary
Published: August 2024

Background

Pneumothorax can cause distressing breathlessness, however the effect of the accumulated air in the pleural space and its association with diaphragmatic function and symptoms of breathlessness is not well understood. Bendopnoea is an evolving clinical symptom that has been demonstrated as clinically useful in some heart and lung conditions. Whether bendopnoea is present in patients with pneumothorax, and its potential clinical usefulness has not yet been investigated. The PASE study is a pilot study to explore the incidence and clinical relevance of bendopnoea in patients with pneumothorax and may provide better understanding of pneumothorax related dyspnoea.

Methods

PASE is a prospective study. Eligible patients are assessed at baseline (pre air drainage/lung reinflation) and in patients whose pneumothorax resolves once the lung has re‐expanded (post conservative management or air drainage procedure). Outcome measures include the incidence of bendopnoea, correlation of the associated symptoms (pain and breathlessness) to the severity of bendopnoea and the size of pneumothorax; and correlation with clinical outcome (i.e., response to air drainage/lung reinflation). The study will recruit 50 participants.

Discussion

This is the first study to explore bendopnoea in patients with pneumothorax. The presence and significance of bendopnoea in relation to clinical and physiological parameters in patients with pneumothorax requires investigation. The findings of this study may further current understanding of dyspnoea related pneumothorax.

Trial Registration

Name of the registry: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry

Trial registration number: ACTRN12623001109695p.

URL of the trial registry record for this trial: https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=386631&isReview=true

Date of registration: Registered on 24 October 2023.

Funding of the trial: This study has not received grant support. The study is sponsored by the Institute for Respiratory Health, a not‐for‐profit organisation.

Name and contact information for the trial sponsor: Mr Bi Lam; Finance manager. Level 2, 6 Verdun Street, Nedlands, WA 6009.

Role of sponsor: The funder is not involved in the planning of the study, gathering, analysing, and interpreting the data, or in preparing the manuscript.

Protocol version: 1.
Zusammenfassung und Ausblick
Authors: Pelster Clemens
Published: August 2024

In diesem Kapitel werden die wesentlichen Erkenntnisse der Arbeit zusammengefasst und ein Ausblick auf mögliche Entwicklungen und weiteren Forschungsbedarf gegeben.
A hidden 2d CFT for self-dual Yang-Mills on the celestial sphere
Authors: Bu Wei , Seet Sean
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Self-dual Yang-Mills theory admits an underlying infinite dimensional symmetry algebra, which has been obtained from mode expansion of Mellin transformed 4d scattering amplitudes and separately, Koszul duality on twistor space. In this paper, we propose to derive an explicit 2d realization of the algebra by performing a particular gauge transformation on the twistor action for self-dual Yang-Mills. The gauge parameter used in the transformation generates pure gauge connections corresponding to large gauge transformations on 4d Minkowski space, which localises part of the twistor action to a ℂℙ1 on ℂ* reduction of twistor space. Under a projection, it can be mapped to the celestial sphere at the light-cone cut of the origin on $$ \mathcal{I} $$
I
. Geometrically, this is the common boundary celestial sphere shared by Euclidean AdS3 or Lorentzian dS3 slices of Minkowski space. We comment on the geometric meaning of the derivation from the perspective of minitwistor spaces of the 3d slices embedded in 4d Minkowski space. Using the action functional of this 2d CFT, we compute its stress-energy tensor and central charge. By a further marginal deformation, we calculate correlation functions of current algebra generators purely from the 2d side which reproduce full 4d tree-level form factors.
Decreased AMPK/SIRT1/PDK4 induced by androgen excess inhibits human endometrial stromal cell decidualization in PCOS
Authors: Hong Ling , Xiao Shan , Diao Lianghui , Lian Ruochun , Chen Cong , Zeng Yong , Liu Su
Published: August 2024

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age. Ovulatory dysfunction is recognized as a primary infertile factor, however, even when ovulation is medically induced and restored, PCOS patients continue to experience reduced cumulative pregnancy rates and a higher spontaneous miscarriage rate. Hyperandrogenism, a hallmark feature of PCOS, affects ovarian folliculogenesis, endometrial receptivity, and the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Decidualization denotes the transformation that the stromal compart of the endometrium must undergo to accommodate pregnancy, driven by the rising progesterone levels and local cAMP production. However, studies on the impact of hyperandrogenism on decidualization are limited. In this study, we observed that primary endometrial stromal cells from women with PCOS exhibit abnormal responses to progesterone during in vitro decidualization. A high concentration of testosterone inhibits human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) decidualization. RNA-Seq analysis demonstrated that pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) expression was significantly lower in the endometrium of PCOS patients with hyperandrogenism compared to those without hyperandrogenism. We also characterized that the expression of PDK4 is elevated in the endometrium stroma at the mid-secretory phase. Artificial decidualization could enhance PDK4 expression, while downregulation of PDK4 leads to abnormal decidualization both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, testosterone excess inhibits IGFBP1 and PRL expression, followed by phosphorylating of AMPK that stimulates PDK4 expression. Based on co-immunoprecipitation analysis, we observed an interaction between SIRT1 and PDK4, promoting glycolysis to facilitate decidualization. Restrain of AR activation resumes the AMPK/SIRT1/PDK4 pathway suppressed by testosterone excess, indicating that testosterone primarily acts on decidualization through AR stimulation. Androgen excess in the endometrium inhibits decidualization by disrupting the AMPK/SIRT1/PDK4 signaling pathway. These data demonstrate the critical roles of endometrial PDK4 in regulating decidualization and provide valuable information for understanding the underlying mechanism during decidualization.