bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiple system atrophy-associated oligodendroglial protein p25α stimulates formation of novel α-synuclein strain with enhanced neurodegenerative potential
Authors: Ferreira Nelson , Gram Hjalte , Sorrentino Zachary A. , Gregersen Emil , Schmidt Sissel Ida , Reimer Lasse , Betzer Cristine , Perez-Gozalbo Clara , Beltoja Marjo , Nagaraj Madhu , Wang Jie , Nowak Jan S. , Dong Mingdong , Willén Katarina , Cholak Ersoy , Bjerregaard-Andersen Kaare , Mendez Nicolas , Rabadia Prakruti , Shahnawaz Mohammad , Soto Claudio , Otzen Daniel E. , Akbey Ümit , Meyer Morten , Giasson Benoit I. , Romero-Ramos Marina , Jensen Poul Henning
Published: May 2021

Pathology consisting of intracellular aggregates of alpha-Synuclein (α-Syn) spread through the nervous system in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. The discovery of structurally distinct α-Syn polymorphs, so-called strains, supports a hypothesis where strain-specific structures are templated into aggregates formed by native α-Syn. These distinct strains are hypothesised to dictate the spreading of pathology in the tissue and the cellular impact of the aggregates, thereby contributing to the variety of clinical phenotypes. Here, we present evidence of a novel α-Syn strain induced by the multiple system atrophy-associated oligodendroglial protein p25α. Using an array of biophysical, biochemical, cellular, and in vivo analyses, we demonstrate that compared to α-Syn alone, a substoichiometric concentration of p25α redirects α-Syn aggregation into a unique α-Syn/p25α strain with a different structure and enhanced in vivo prodegenerative properties. The α-Syn/p25α strain induced larger inclusions in human dopaminergic neurons. In vivo, intramuscular injection of preformed fibrils (PFF) of the α-Syn/p25α strain compared to α-Syn PFF resulted in a shortened life span and a distinct anatomical distribution of inclusion pathology in the brain of a human A53T transgenic (line M83) mouse. Investigation of α-Syn aggregates in brain stem extracts of end-stage mice demonstrated that the more aggressive phenotype of the α-Syn/p25α strain was associated with an increased load of α-Syn aggregates based on a Förster resonance energy transfer immunoassay and a reduced α-Syn aggregate seeding activity based on a protein misfolding cyclic amplification assay. When injected unilaterally into the striata of wild-type mice, the α-Syn/p25α strain resulted in a more-pronounced motoric phenotype than α-Syn PFF and exhibited a “tropism” for nigro-striatal neurons compared to α-Syn PFF. Overall, our data support a hypothesis whereby oligodendroglial p25α is responsible for generating a highly prodegenerative α-Syn strain in multiple system atrophy.
Identification of retinoblastoma binding protein 7 (Rbbp7) as a mediator against tau acetylation and subsequent neuronal loss in Alzheimer’s disease and related tauopathies
Authors: Dave Nikhil , Vural Austin S. , Piras Ignazio S. , Winslow Wendy , Surendra Likith , Winstone Joanna K. , Beach Thomas G. , Huentelman Matthew J. , Velazquez Ramon
Published: May 2021

Evidence indicates that tau hyper-phosphorylation and subsequent neurofibrillary tangle formation contribute to the extensive neuronal death in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related tauopathies. Recent work has identified that increased tau acetylation can promote tau phosphorylation. Tau acetylation occurs at lysine 280 resulting from increased expression of the lysine acetyltransferase p300. The exact upstream mechanisms mediating p300 expression remain elusive. Additional work highlights the role of the epigenome in tau pathogenesis, suggesting that dysregulation of epigenetic proteins may contribute to acetylation and hyper-phosphorylation of tau. Here, we identify and focus on the histone-binding subunit of the Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase (NuRD) complex: Retinoblastoma-Binding Protein 7 (Rbbp7). Rbbp7 chaperones chromatin remodeling proteins to their nuclear histone substrates, including histone acetylases and deacetylases. Notably, Rbbp7 binds to p300, suggesting that it may play a role in modulating tau acetylation. We interrogated Rbbp7 in post-mortem brain tissue, cell lines and mouse models of AD. We found reduced Rbbp7 mRNA expression in AD cases, a significant negative correlation with CERAD (neuritic plaque density) and Braak Staging (pathogenic tau inclusions) and a significant positive correlation with post-mortem brain weight. We also found a neuron-specific downregulation of Rbbp7 mRNA in AD patients. Rbbp7 protein levels were significantly decreased in 3xTg-AD and PS19 mice compared to NonTg, but no decreases were found in APP/PS1 mice that lack tau pathology. In vitro, Rbbp7 overexpression rescued TauP301L-induced cytotoxicity in immortalized hippocampal cells and primary cortical neurons. In vivo, hippocampal Rbbp7 overexpression rescued neuronal death in the CA1 of PS19 mice. Mechanistically, we found that increased Rbbp7 reduced p300 levels, tau acetylation at lysine 280 and tau phosphorylation at AT8 and AT100 sites. Collectively, these data identify a novel role of Rbbp7, protecting against tau-related pathologies, and highlight its potential as a therapeutic target in AD and related tauopathies.
Forensic investigative issues in a fireworks production factory explosion
Authors: Baldino Gennaro , Stassi Chiara , Mondello Cristina , Bottari Antonio , Vanin Stefano , Ventura Spagnolo Elvira
Published: May 2021

Since their discovery in ancient China, fireworks rapidly spread throughout the world, where they have always been used to celebrate either popular or private events. Their use is nonetheless related to several risks, especially within production factories, since several injuries or even death can occur following an accidental ignition. In cases of major disasters related to fireworks explosions, stating the accidental or intentional nature of the event might prove challenging, thus raising the need of a multidisciplinary approach. In this regard, we here discuss the case of an accidental explosion that occurred in a fireworks production factory, accountable for five deaths and two hospitalisations.
The impact of maternal care and blood glucose availability on the cortisol stress response in fasted women
Authors: Bentele Ulrike U. , Meier Maria , Benz Annika B. E. , Denk Bernadette F. , Dimitroff Stephanie J. , Pruessner Jens C. , Unternaehrer Eva
Published: May 2021

Individuals with a history of low maternal care (MC) frequently present a blunted, yet sometimes also show an increased cortisol stress response. Fasted individuals with low blood glucose levels who are exposed to acute stress typically show an attenuated response pattern in this endocrine marker. Despite well-documented metabolic dysregulations after low MC, a possible interaction of both factors has not been investigated yet. Here, we examined the effects of MC and blood glucose concentration on various aspects of the stress response. Fasted women (N = 122, meanage = 22.12, sdage = 2.56) who experienced either very high, high, or low MC (based on the Parental Bonding Instrument) were randomly assigned to consume grape juice (condition sugar), or water (condition water) prior to being exposed to the Trier-Social-Stress-Test for groups. Salivary cortisol and alpha amylase, blood glucose, and mood ratings were assessed repeatedly. Using multilevel mixed models, we replicated the boosting effect of glucose on the cortisol stress response. While we found neither an effect of MC, nor an interaction between MC and blood glucose availability on the cortisol stress response, we observed an effect of MC on the amylase stress response. We discuss the results in the light of links between various stress/energy systems that possibly mediate health-related MC effects.
The role of diabetes mellitus on the formation of severe odontogenic abscesses—a retrospective study
Authors: Rahimi-Nedjat Roman Kia , Sagheb Keyvan , Sagheb Kawe , Hormes Maike , Walter Christian , Al-Nawas Bilal
Published: May 2021

Objectives

To analyze the correlation of diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia with severe odontogenic abscesses.

Materials and methods

Records of all patients in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University who underwent inpatient treatment for severe odontogenic abscesses between 2010 and 2016 were evaluated retrospectively regarding diabetes anamnesis, maximum and fasting blood sugar count, and duration until discharge. In order to compare the numbers to a general maxillofacial group, all patients who received inpatient treatment in 2013 for any diagnosis other than an abscess of the head and neck region were analyzed as well, and the numbers were correlated.

Results

In total, 977 abscess patients were found in the analyzed period. 7.0% of the patients had a known diagnosis of diabetes mellitus type II and 0.6% of type I. Correlation with the general group showed that abscesses were significantly more likely in diabetics as well as patients with abnormal maximum and fasting blood sugar counts. These patients also needed significantly longer inpatient treatment.

Conclusions

Diabetics and patients with abnormal glucose tolerance show significantly higher numbers of severe odontogenic abscesses and might therefore benefit from earlier escalation of antibiotic medication.

Clinical relevance

Severe odontogenic abscesses are one of the most frequent diagnoses in maxillofacial practice. Adjusting the therapeutic approach for diabetics or patients with abnormal blood sugar counts might help to prevent the development of abscesses.
External validation of a rapid, non-invasive tool for periodontitis screening in a medical care setting
Authors: Nijland N. , Overtoom F. , Gerdes V. E. A. , Verhulst M. J. L. , Su N. , Loos B. G.
Published: May 2021

Objectives

Medical professionals should advise their patients to visit a dentist if necessary. Due to the lack of time and knowledge, screening for periodontitis is often not done. To alleviate this problem, a screening model for total (own teeth/gum health, gum treatment, loose teeth, mouthwash use, and age)/severe periodontitis (gum treatment, loose teeth, tooth appearance, mouthwash use, age, and sex) in a medical care setting was developed in the Academic Center of Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) [1]. The purpose of the present study was to externally validate this tool in an outpatient medical setting.

Materials and methods

Patients were requited in an outpatient medical setting as the validation cohort. The self-reported oral health questionnaire was conducted, demographic data were collected, and periodontal examination was performed. Algorithm discrimination was expressed as the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCC). Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated. Calibration plots were made.

Results

For predicting total periodontitis, the AUROCC was 0.59 with a sensitivity of 49% and specificity of 68%. The PPV was 57% and the NPV scored 55%. For predicting severe periodontitis, the AUROCC was 0.72 with a sensitivity of 54% and specificity of 81%. The PPV was 34% and the NPV 81%.

Conclusions

The performance of the algorithm for severe periodontitis is found to be sufficient in the current medical study population. Further external validation of periodontitis algorithms in non-dental school populations is recommended.

Clinical relevance

Because general physicians are obligated to screen patients for periodontitis, it is our general goal that they can use a prediction model in medical settings without an oral examination.
The Effect of Stress Management Programs on Physiological and Psychological Components of Stress: The Influence of Baseline Physiological State
Authors: Hoareau Violette , Godin Christelle , Dutheil Frédéric , Trousselard Marion
Published: May 2021

Military personnel are particularly exposed to stressful events, and overexposure to stress is both physically and mentally unhealthy. While stress management programs, such as the Tactics of Optimized Potential (TOP) and Heart Coherence (HC) have been implemented, their efficiency remains to be evaluated. The objective of this randomized control trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of the two programs among a young male population of 180 military fire fighter recruits. Based on two psychological, and one physiological measurement, namely heart rate variability (HRV), we found that both TOP and HC programs significantly increased HRV. This is promising as we know that higher HRV is consistent with better health, in most cases. Moreover, the TOP program significantly reduced perceived stress and negative mood, unlike the HC program. Combining these results, we conclude that while both TOP and HC programs influence physiological measurements, only the TOP modifies psychological evaluations. Finally, we distinguished the effects of the programs on two samples characterized by their HRV level. For the low HRV group, both programs tended to increase their HRV level, while for the high HRV group neither program had a significant effect.
Numbers don’t speak for themselves: strategies of using numbers in public policy discourse
Authors: Jablonka Eva , Bergsten Christer
Published: May 2021

In mathematics education, there is general agreement regarding the significance of mathematical literacy (also quantitative literacy or numeracy) for informed citizenship, which often requires evaluating the use of numbers in public policy discourse. We hold that such an evaluation must accommodate the necessarily fragile relation between the information that numbers are taken to carry and the policy decisions they are meant to support. In doing so, attention needs to be paid to differences inhowthat relation is formed. With this in mind, we investigated a public discourse that heavily relied on numbers in the context of introducing, maintaining, and easing the rules and regulations directed to contain the spread of the virus SARS-CoV-2 during the first epidemic wave of COVID-19 in Germany with its peak in early April 2020. We used a public-service broadcasting outlet as data. Our theoretical stance is affiliated with post-structuralist discourse theory. As an outcome, we identified four major related strategies of using numbers, which we namedrationalisation,contrast,associationandrecharging. In our view explicit attention to these strategies as well as identifying new ones can aid the task of furthering critical mathematical literacy.
New exact solutions for microscale gas flows
Authors: Williams Hollis
Published: May 2021

We present a number of exact solutions to the linearised Grad equations for non-equilibrium rarefied gas flows and heat flows. The solutions include the flow and pressure fields associated to a point force placed in a rarefied gas flow close to a no-slip boundary and the temperature field for a point heat source placed in a heat flow close to a temperature jump boundary. We also derive the solution of the unsteady Grad equations in one dimension with a time-dependent point heat source term and the Grad analogue of the rotlet, a well-known singularity of Stokes flow which corresponds to a point torque.
Interpolating bit-vector formulas using uninterpreted predicates and Presburger arithmetic
Authors: Backeman Peter , Rümmer Philipp , Zeljić Aleksandar
Published: May 2021

The inference of program invariants over machine arithmetic, commonly called bit-vector arithmetic, is an important problem in verification. Techniques that have been successful for unbounded arithmetic, in particular Craig interpolation, have turned out to be difficult to generalise to machine arithmetic: existing bit-vector interpolation approaches are based either on eager translation from bit-vectors to unbounded arithmetic, resulting in complicated constraints that are hard to solve and interpolate, or on bit-blasting to propositional logic, in the process losing all arithmetic structure. We present a new approach to bit-vector interpolation, as well as bit-vector quantifier elimination (QE), that works by lazy translation of bit-vector constraints to unbounded arithmetic. Laziness enables us to fully utilise the information available during proof search (implied by decisions and propagation) in the encoding, and this way produce constraints that can be handled relatively easily by existing interpolation and QE procedures for Presburger arithmetic. The lazy encoding is complemented with a set of native proof rules for bit-vector equations and non-linear (polynomial) constraints, this way minimising the number of cases a solver has to consider. We also incorporate a method for handling concatenations and extractions of bit-vector efficiently.
Novel synthesis and electrochemical investigations of ZnO/C composites for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Thauer E. , Zakharova G. S. , Andreikov E. I. , Adam V. , Wegener S. A. , Nölke J. -H. , Singer L. , Ottmann A. , Asyuda A. , Zharnikov M. , Kiselkov D. M. , Zhu Q. , Puzyrev I. S. , Podval’naya N. V. , Klingeler R.
Published: May 2021

For the first time, ZnO/C composites were synthesized using zinc glycerolate as a precursor through one-step calcination under a nitrogen atmosphere. The effect of the heat treatment conditions on the structure, composition, morphology as well as on the electrochemical properties regarding application in lithium-ion batteries are investigated. The products obtained by calcination of the precursor in nitrogen at 400—800 °C consist of zinc oxide nanoparticles and amorphous carbon that is in-situ generated from organic components of the glycerolate precursor. When used as anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the as-prepared ZnO/C composite synthesized at a calcination temperature of 700 °C delivers initial discharge and charge capacities of 1061 and 671 mAh g−1 at a current rate of 100 mA g−1 and hence 1.5 times more than bare ZnO, which reaches only 749/439 mAh g−1. The native carbon improves the conductivity, allowing efficient electronic conductivity and Li-ion diffusion. By means of ex-situ XRD studies a two-step storage mechanism is proven.
Postcolonial theory and Canada’s health care professions: bridging the gap
Authors: Wilmot Stephen
Published: May 2021

In recent years there have been several calls in professional and academic journals for healthcare personnel in Canada to raise the profile of postcolonial theory as a theoretical and explanatory framework for their practice with Indigenous people. In this paper I explore some of the challenges that are likely to confront those healthcare personnel in engaging with postcolonial theory in a training context. I consider these challenges in relation to three areas of conflict. First I consider conflicts around paradigms of knowledge, wherein postcolonial theory operates from a different base from most professional knowledge in health care. Second I consider conflicts of ideology, wherein postcolonial theory is largely at odds with Canada’s political and popular cultures. And finally I consider issues around the question of Canada’s legitimacy, which postcolonial theory puts in doubt. I suggest ways in which these conflicts might be addressed and managed in the training context, and also identify potential positive outcomes that would be enabling for healthcare personnel, and might also contribute to an improvement in Canada’s relationship with its indigenous peoples.
Health-related quality of life in patients with autoimmune hepatitis
Authors: Michel Maurice , Spinelli Francesca , Grambihler Annette , Labenz Christian , Nagel Michael , Kaps Leonard , Huber Yvonne , Galle Peter R. , Wörns Marcus-Alexander , Schattenberg Jörn M.
Published: May 2021

Background

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a rare chronic liver disease. Impaired health-related quality of life (HRQL) contributes to the overall disease burden. At current, only limited data related to the impact of treatment response on HRQL are available.

Objective

The aim of the study was to determine the impact of biochemical remission on HRQL.

Methods

Patients with AIH were prospectively enrolled between July 2018 and June 2019. A liver disease-specific tool, the chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ) and the generic EQ-5D-5L were used to quantify HRQL. Treatment response was assessed biochemically by measurement of immunoglobulin G, ALT and AST. The cohort was divided into two groups according to their biochemical remission status in either complete vs. incomplete remission. Clinical as well as laboratory parameters and comorbidities were analysed using univariable and multivariable analysis to identify predictors of poor HRQL.

Results

A total of 116 AIH patients were included (median age: 55; 77.6% female), of which 9.5% had liver cirrhosis. In this cohort, 38 (38.4%) showed a complete and 61 (61.6%) an incomplete biochemical remission at study entry. The HRQL was significantly higher in patients with a complete as compared to an incomplete biochemical remission (CLDQ overall score: 5.66 ± 1.15 vs. 5.10 ± 1.35; p = 0.03). In contrast, the generic EQ-5D-5L UI-value was not different between the groups. Multivariable analysis identified AST (p = 0.02) and an incomplete biochemical remission (p = 0.04) as independent predictors of reduced HRQL (CLDQ total value).

Conclusion

Patients with a complete biochemical remission had a significantly higher HRQL. Liver-related quality of life in patients living with AIH is dependent on the response to immunosuppressive treatment.
Influence of technical and electrical equipment in life cycle assessments of buildings: case of a laboratory and research building
Authors: Hoxha E. , Maierhofer D. , Saade M.R.M , Passer A.
Published: May 2021

Purpose

A detailed assessment of the environmental impacts of the building requires a substantial amount of data that is time- and effort-consuming. However, limitation of the system boundary to certain materials and components can provide misleading impact calculation. In order to calculate the error gap between detailed and simplified assessments, the purpose of this article is to present a detailed calculation of the environmental impacts of the building by including in the system boundary, the technical, and electrical equipment.

Method

To that end, the environmental impacts of a laboratory and research building situated in Graz-Austria are assessed following the EN-15978 norm. Within the system boundaries of the study, the material and components of building fabric, technical, and electronic equipment for the building lifecycle stages of production, construction, replacement, operational energy and water, and end-of-life are considered. The input data regarding the quantity of materials is collected from the design and tendering documents, invoices, and from discussion with the head of the building’s construction site. Primary energy and global warming potential indicators are calculated on the basis of a functional unit of 1 m2 of energy reference area (ERA) per year, considering a reference building service life of 50 years.

Results and discussion

The primary energy indicator of the building is equal to 1698 MJ/m2ERA/year. The embodied impacts are found to be responsible for 28% of which 6.4% is due to technical and electronic equipment. Furthermore, the embodied impacts for the global warming potential, equal to 28.3 kg CO2e/m2ERA/year, are responsible for 73%. Together, technical and electrical equipment are the largest responsible aspects, accounting for 38% of the total impacts. Simplified and detailed result comparisons show a gap of 29% and 7.7% for global warming and primary energy indicators. These differences were from the embodied impacts and largely from the exclusion of electrical equipment from the study’s system boundary.

Conclusions

Technical and electrical equipment present a significant contribution to the overall environmental impacts of the building. Worthy of inclusion in the system boundary of the study, the environmental impacts of technical and electrical equipment must be calculated in detail or considered with a reliable ratio in the early design phase of the project. Further research is necessary to address the detailed impact calculation of the equipment and notably the minimization of their impacts.
Simulation-to-real domain adaptation with teacher–student learning for endoscopic instrument segmentation
Authors: Sahu Manish , Mukhopadhyay Anirban , Zachow Stefan
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Segmentation of surgical instruments in endoscopic video streams is essential for automated surgical scene understanding and process modeling. However, relying on fully supervised deep learning for this task is challenging because manual annotation occupies valuable time of the clinical experts.

Methods

We introduce a teacher–student learning approach that learns jointly from annotated simulation data and unlabeled real data to tackle the challenges in simulation-to-real unsupervised domain adaptation for endoscopic image segmentation.

Results

Empirical results on three datasets highlight the effectiveness of the proposed framework over current approaches for the endoscopic instrument segmentation task. Additionally, we provide analysis of major factors affecting the performance on all datasets to highlight the strengths and failure modes of our approach.

Conclusions

We show that our proposed approach can successfully exploit the unlabeled real endoscopic video frames and improve generalization performance over pure simulation-based training and the previous state-of-the-art. This takes us one step closer to effective segmentation of surgical instrument in the annotation scarce setting.
Kompetenzen und Wege der Kompetenzentwicklung in der Industrie 4.0
Authors: Blumberg Verena Simone Lore , Kauffeld Simone
Published: May 2021

Die fortschreitende Digitalisierung verändert die Arbeitswelt auch in der industriellen Fertigung nachhaltig. Digitale Werkerassistenzsysteme wie Datenbrillen und Smartwatches unterstützen Mitarbeitende mit kontextsensitiven Informationen. Die Einführung dieser Technologien und die Veränderung von Arbeitsabläufen stellen neue Kompetenzanforderungen an Beschäftigte, ermöglichen aber auch veränderte Wege des Lernens. Ziel dieses Beitrags der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) ist es, zukünftig benötigte Kompetenzen für Beschäftigte in der Produktion sowie mögliche Wege der Kompetenzentwicklung zu identifizieren. Dazu wurden 76 halbstrukturierte Interviews mit Teilnehmenden aus den Expertenclustern Wissenschaft, Politik und betriebliche Praxis durchgeführt und inhaltsanalytisch ausgewertet. Als Ergebnisse der Studie ist ein Kompetenzmodell für Beschäftigte in der Produktion entstanden, das auf der etablierten Unterscheidung in die Kompetenzfacetten Fach‑, Methoden‑, Sozial- und Selbstkompetenz aufbaut. Zusätzlich wurde die digitale Kompetenz als Querschnittskompetenz ergänzt. Besonders relevant wird über alle Expertengruppen hinweg die IT-Anwendungskompetenz eingeschätzt. Bei den identifizierten Wegen der Kompetenzentwicklung werden zunehmend selbstinitiierte Lernformate bedeutsam, die die Möglichkeiten der Digitalisierung nutzen. Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse können als Ausgangspunkt für die Entwicklung betrieblicher Kompetenzmodelle und -entwicklungsprogramme genutzt werden.
Impact assessment of citizen science: state of the art and guiding principles for a consolidated approach
Authors: Wehn Uta , Gharesifard Mohammad , Ceccaroni Luigi , Joyce Hannah , Ajates Raquel , Woods Sasha , Bilbao Ane , Parkinson Stephen , Gold Margaret , Wheatland Jonathan
Published: May 2021

Over the past decade, citizen science has experienced growth and popularity as a scientific practice and as a new form of stakeholder engagement and public participation in science or in the generation of new knowledge. One of the key requirements for realising the potential of citizen science is evidence and demonstration of its impact and value. Yet the actual changes resulting from citizen science interventions are often assumed, ignored or speculated about. Based on a systematic review of 77 publications, combined with empirical insights from 10 past and ongoing projects in the field of citizen science, this paper presents guidelines for a consolidated Citizen Science Impact Assessment framework to help overcome the dispersion of approaches in assessing citizen science impacts; this comprehensive framework enhances the ease and consistency with which impacts can be captured, as well as the comparability of evolving results across projects. Our review is framed according to five distinct, yet interlinked, impact domains (society, economy, environment, science and technology, and governance). Existing citizen science impact assessment approaches provide assessment guidelines unevenly across the five impact domains, and with only a small number providing concrete indicator-level conceptualisations. The analysis of the results generates a number of salient insights which we combine in a set of guiding principles for a consolidated impact assessment framework for citizen science initiatives. These guiding principles pertain to the purpose of citizen science impact assessments, the conceptualisation of data collection methods and information sources, the distinction between relative versus absolute impact, the comparison of impact assessment results across citizen science projects, and the incremental refinement of the organising framework over time.
Polish mathematics education periodicals in times of educational reform after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact
Authors: Swoboda Ewa , Karpiński Marcin , Zambrowska Małgorzata
Published: May 2021

In this paper we present a study of the most important Polish periodicals of the last 30 years that are related to mathematics education. Our research aim was to analyse how the changes in mathematics education that were caused by a new political situation in Poland were reflected in education journals. Journals that shaped Polish mathematics education varied significantly. We analysed both those journals that have a long history and those that arose spontaneously, thus reflecting the mood of this time of great change. Our analysis leads to the conclusion that journals, where the authors are mostly mathematics scientists or university lecturers, turned out to be in different to shifts in the educational system. A characteristic tendency reflecting the mood of times of change was the creation of new magazines, which were to be forums for sharing views on teaching mathematics. It turns out, however, that the journals created after 1990 had quite a short lifespan. Education journals that were directed to teachers for decades constituted a platform for discussion of new ideas and teaching styles, too. They offered a place to exchange opposing views. However, this situation slowly ceased to apply.
A multi-technique tomography-based approach for non-invasive characterization of additive manufacturing components in view of vacuum/UHV applications: preliminary results
Authors: Grazzi Francesco , Cialdai Carlo , Manetti Marco , Massi Mirko , Morigi Maria Pia , Bettuzzi Matteo , Brancaccio Rosa , Albertin Fauzia , Shinohara Takenao , Kai Tetsuya , Fedrigo Anna , Di Giovanni Adriano , Arneodo Francesco , Torres Rodrigo , Al-Ketan Oraib , Elhashemi Jumaanah , Taccetti Francesco , Giuntini Lorenzo
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we have studied an additively manufactured metallic component, intended for ultra-high vacuum application, the exit-snout of the MACHINA transportable proton accelerator beam-line. Metal additive manufacturing components can exhibit heterogeneous and anisotropic microstructures. Two non-destructive imaging techniques, X-ray computed tomography and Neutron Tomography, were employed to examine its microstructure. They unveiled the presence of porosity and channels, the size and composition of grains and intergranular precipitates, and the general behavior of the spatial distribution of the solidification lines. While X-ray computed tomography evidenced qualitative details about the surface roughness and internal defects, neutron tomography showed excellent ability in imaging the spatial density distribution within the component. The anisotropy of the density was attributed to the material building orientation during the 3D printing process. Density variations suggest the possibility of defect pathways, which could affect high vacuum performances. In addition, these results highlight the importance of considering building orientation in the design for additive manufacturing for UHV applications.

Graphical Abstract
Stability of the Non-abelian X-ray Transform in Dimension $$\ge 3$$
Authors: Bohr Jan
Published: May 2021

Non-abelian X-ray tomography seeks to recover a matrix potential $$\Phi :M\rightarrow {\mathbb {C}}^{m\times m}$$

Φ
:
M
→

C

m
×
m

in a domain M from measurements of its so-called scattering data $$C_\Phi $$

C
Φ

at $$\partial M$$

∂
M

. For $$\dim M\ge 3$$

dim
M
≥
3

(and under appropriate convexity and regularity conditions), injectivity of the forward map $$\Phi \mapsto C_\Phi $$

Φ
↦

C
Φ

was established in (Paternain et al. in Am J Math 141(6):1707–1750, 2019). The present article extends this result by proving a Hölder-type stability estimate. As an application, a statistical consistency result for $$\dim M =2$$

dim
M
=
2

(Monard et al. in Commun Pure Appl Math, 2019) is generalised to higher dimensions. The injectivity proof in (Paternain et al. in Am J Math 141(6):1707–1750, 2019) relies on a novel method by Uhlmann and Vasy (Invent Math 205(1):83–120, 2016), which first establishes injectivity in a shallow layer below $$\partial M$$

∂
M

and then globalises this by a layer stripping argument. The main technical contribution of this paper is a more quantitative version of these arguments, in particular, proving uniform bounds on layer depth and stability constants.
Weak Slice Regular Functions on the n-Dimensional Quadratic Cone of Octonions
Authors: Dou Xinyuan , Ren Guangbin , Sabadini Irene , Yang Ting
Published: May 2021

In the literature on slice analysis in the hypercomplex setting, there are two main approaches to define slice regular functions in one variable: one consists in requiring that the restriction to any complex plane is holomorphic (with the same complex structure of the complex plane), the second one makes use of stem and slice functions. So far, in the setting of several hypercomplex variables, only the second approach has been considered, i.e. the one based on stem functions. In this paper, we use instead the first definition on the so-called n-dimensional quadratic cone of octonions. These two approaches yield the same class of slice regular functions on axially symmetric slice-domains, however, they are different on other types of domains. We call this new class of functions weak slice regular. We show that there exist weak slice regular functions which are not slice regular in the second approach. Moreover, we study various properties of these functions, including a Taylor expansion.
Long-term survival of 11 years with multidisciplinary therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis to the ovary and peritoneum: a case report
Authors: Motegi Satoko , Yokoo Takeshi , Nozawa Ryosuke , Azumi Rie , Kawata Yuzo , Ogawa Kohei , Setsu Toru , Mizuno Ken-ichi , Nishino Koji , Umezu Hajime , Kawai Hirokazu , Suda Takeshi , Terai Shuji
Published: May 2021

We herein report a rare case of HCC metastases to the ovary and peritoneum in a 61-year-old female patient who has achieved 11-year survival with multidisciplinary therapy. The patient was diagnosed with HCC during balloon angioplasty performed for Budd–Chiari syndrome in 1994 and underwent partial hepatectomy twice. Five years after the second hepatectomy, allochronic recurrence of a single nodule detected in S8 was treated by radiofrequency ablation, followed by percutaneous ethanol injection therapy and stereotactic body radiotherapy. However, her α-fetoprotein level rose to 1862 ng/mL within one year and computed tomography revealed a large pelvic tumor suggesting HCC metastasis to the ovary. The subsequent laparotomy revealed one 11-cm left ovarian tumor, one small right ovarian nodule, and numerous peritoneal nodules. Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and peritoneal resection of as many nodules as possible were performed. Combination therapy with intravenous 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin and ramucirumab monotherapy effectively suppressed tumor progression with maintenance of hepatic functional reserve, and she has achieved long-term survival of 11 years, illustrating that multidisciplinary therapy with favorable hepatic functional reserve maintenance can contribute to long-term survival in HCC with extrahepatic spread.
Misconceptions, conceptual pluralism, and conceptual toolkits: bringing the philosophy of science to the teaching of evolution
Authors: Reydon Thomas A. C.
Published: May 2021

This paper explores how work in the philosophy of science can be used when teaching scientific content to science students and when training future science teachers. I examine the debate on the concept of fitness in biology and in the philosophy of biology to show how conceptual pluralism constitutes a problem for the conceptual change model, and how philosophical work on conceptual clarification can be used to address that problem. The case of fitness exemplifies how the philosophy of science offers tools to resolve teaching difficulties and make the teaching of scientific concepts more adequate to the actual state of affairs in science.
Tangutidines A–C, Three Amphoteric Diterpene Alkaloids from Aconitum tanguticum
Authors: Li Hao-Yi , Yan Bing-Chao , Wei Li-Xin , Sun Han-Dong , Puno Pema-Tenzin
Published: May 2021

Three new diterpene alkaloids, tangutidines A–C (1–3), and four known alkaloids (4–7) were isolated from the whole plant of Aconitum tanguticum, from which amphoteric diterpene alkaloids (1–3) were obtained for the first time. The structures of 1–3 were elucidated by detailed interpretation of spectroscopic data, including MS and NMR data. All of them were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities.

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An Advanced Operation Mode with Product-Service System Using Lifecycle Big Data and Deep Learning
Authors: Ren Shan , Zhang Yingfeng , Sakao Tomohiko , Liu Yang , Cai Ruilong
Published: May 2021

As a successful business strategy for enhancing environmental sustainability and decreasing the natural resource consumption of societies, the product-service system (PSS) has raised significant interests in the academic and industrial community. However, with the digitisation of the industry and the advancement of multisensory technologies, the PSS providers face many challenges. One major challenge is how the PSS providers can fully capture and efficiently analyse the operation and maintenance big data of different products and different customers in different conditions to obtain insights to improve their production processes, products and services. To address this challenge, a new operation mode and procedural approach are proposed for operation and maintenance of bigger cluster products, when these products are provided as a part of PSS and under exclusive control by the providers. The proposed mode and approach are driven by lifecycle big data of large cluster products and employs deep learning to train the neural networks to identify the fault features, thereby monitoring the products’ health status. This new mode is applied to a real case of a leading CNC machine provider to illustrate its feasibility. Higher accuracy and shortened time for fault prediction are realised, resulting in the provider’s saving of the maintenance and operation cost.
Achieving Approximate Global Optimization of Truth Inference for Crowdsourcing Microtasks
Authors: Cui Lizhen , Chen Jing , He Wei , Li Hui , Guo Wei , Su Zhiyuan
Published: May 2021

Microtask crowdsourcing is a form of crowdsourcing in which work is decomposed into a set of small, self-contained tasks, which each can typically be completed in a matter of minutes. Due to the various capabilities and knowledge background of the voluntary participants on the Internet, the answers collected from the crowd are ambiguous and the final answer aggregation is challenging. In this process, the choice of quality control strategies is important for ensuring the quality of the crowdsourcing results. Previous work on answer estimation mainly used expectation–maximization (EM) approach. Unfortunately, EM provides local optimal solutions and the estimated results will be affected by the initial value. In this paper, we extend the local optimal result of EM and propose an approximate global optimal algorithm for answer aggregation of crowdsourcing microtasks with binary answers. Our algorithm is expected to improve the accuracy of real answer estimation through further likelihood maximization. First, three worker quality evaluation models are presented based on static and dynamic methods, respectively, and the local optimal results are obtained based on the maximum likelihood estimation method. Then, a dominance ordering model (DOM) is proposed according to the known worker responses and worker categories for the specified crowdsourcing task to reduce the space of potential task-response sequence while retaining the dominant sequence. Subsequently, a Cut-point neighbor detection algorithm is designed to iteratively search for the approximate global optimal estimation in a reduced space, which works on the proposed dominance ordering model (DOM). We conduct extensive experiments on both simulated and real-world datasets, and the experimental results illustrate that the proposed approach can obtain better estimation results and has higher performance than regular EM-based algorithms.
Advances on marine-derived natural radioprotection compounds: historic development and future perspective
Authors: Abraham Reinu E. , Alghazwi Mousa , Liang Qi , Zhang Wei
Published: May 2021

Natural extracts and compounds from marine resources have gained intensive scientific and industry attention for radioprotective activities in the past ten years. However, the marine-derived radioprotectants have been studied against UV-rays, gamma (γ)-rays and X-rays for more than 30 years. This review aims to identify key marine-derived extracts/compounds and their modes of action studied for radioprotective activities from 1986 to 2019. A comprehensive survey was conducted to establish the trend in terms of the publications each year and the countries of origin. A total of 40 extracts and 34 natural compounds showing radioprotective activities against UV-rays, gamma (γ)-rays and X-rays were identified from a range of marine plants and animals. These extracts and compounds are broadly categorized into polysaccharides, phlorotannins, carotenoids and mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). Macroalgae and microalgae were found to be the dominant sources of polysaccharides, phlorotannins and carotenoids. MAAs were mainly identified in algae, sponges, sea cucumber and corals that showed significant UV-absorbing activities. A number of radioprotective mechanisms were shown by these compounds, predominantly free radicals scavenging, inhibition of apoptosis, UV-ray absorption and DNA damage-repair signaling pathways. While these bio-discoveries warrant further investigation and development of radioprotective therapeutics, however, the lack of clinical studies is a major obstacle to be tackled in the future.
Enabling Reuse in Extended Producer Responsibility Schemes for White Goods: Legal and Organisational Conditions for Connecting Resource Flows and Actors
Authors: Dalhammar Carl , Wihlborg Emelie , Milios Leonidas , Richter Jessika Luth , Svensson-Höglund Sahra , Russell Jennifer , Thidell Åke
Published: May 2021

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes have proliferated across Europe and other parts of the world in recent years and have contributed to increasing material and energy recovery from waste streams. Currently, EPR schemes do not provide sufficient incentives for moving towards the higher levels of the waste hierarchy, e.g. by reducing the amounts of waste through incentivising the design of products with longer lifespans and by enhancing reuse activities through easier collection and repair of end-of-life products. Nevertheless, several municipalities and regional actors around Europe are increasingly promoting reuse activities through a variety of initiatives. Furthermore, even in the absence of legal drivers, many producer responsibility organisations (PROs), who execute their members’ responsibilities in EPR schemes, are considering promoting reuse and have initiated a number of pilot projects. A product group that has been identified as having high commercial potential for reuse is white goods, but the development of large-scale reuse of white goods seems unlikely unless a series of legal and organisational barriers are effectively addressed. Through an empirical investigation with relevant stakeholders, based on interviews, and the analysis of two case studies of PROs that developed criteria for allowing reusers to access their end-of-life white goods, this contribution presents insights on drivers and barriers for the repair and reuse of white goods in EPR schemes and discusses potential interventions that could facilitate the upscale of reuse activities. Concluding, although the reuse potential for white goods is high, the analysis highlights the currently insufficient policy landscape for incentivising reuse and the need for additional interventions to make reuse feasible as a mainstream enterprise.
An historical analysis of united states experiences using stamp-based revenues for wildlife conservation and habitat protection
Authors: Cohen Joel I. , Altman Steven
Published: May 2021

In the United States, the transition from unchecked hunting, habitat loss, and species endangerment to an ongoing environmental awakening has been examined through various lenses. Despite this gradual perspective shift, recent reports continue to warn of global declines in species and habitat diversity. As the need for biodiversity conservation grows, nations lag behind in their conservation obligations, creating a funding gap. This paper addresses an untapped potential for funding available from stamp revenue as generated in the United States. We begin with an historical summary of wildlife philatelics and end with specialized stamps providing for biodiversity revenue generation. After the publication ofSilent Spring, stamp diversification increased due to the recognition of additional environmental and conservation needs, leading to stamp-based revenue as one means to mitigate funding gaps. Having introduced this term, we provide evidence of its potential to fund biodiversity and animal conservation. Historically, stamp-based revenues began with Migratory Bird Hunting license stamps, followed by the semi-postal Amur tiger cub stamp, and eventually local and state stamps whose purchase provides funding for local conservation needs. Specific successful philatelic funding mechanisms are discussed from the United State, with an eye to future development and expansion intentionally in support of conservation and biodiversity.