bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The interactome of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and its role in male fertility: A critical review
Authors: Ribeiro João C. , Rodrigues Bernardo C. , Bernardino Raquel L. , Alves Marco G. , Oliveira Pedro F.
Published: September 2024

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)‐regulated chloride and bicarbonate ion channel found in many human cells. Its unique biochemical characteristics and role as a member of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)‐binding cassette transporters superfamily are pivotal for the transport of several substrates across cellular membranes. CFTR is known to interact, physically and functionally, with several other cellular proteins. Hence, its properties are essential for moving various substances across cell membranes and ensuring correct cell functioning. Genetic mutations or environmental factors may disrupt CFTR's function resulting in different possible phenotypes due to gene variations that affect not only CFTR's function, localization, and processing within cells, but also those of its interactors. This has been reported as an underlying cause of various diseases, including cystic fibrosis. The severe clinical implications of cystic fibrosis have driven intense research into the role of CFTR in lung function but its significance to fertility, particularly in men, has been comparatively understudied. However, ongoing and more recent research into CFTR and its interacting proteins in the testis or specific testicular cells is beginning to shed light on this field. Herein, we provide a comprehensive and up‐to‐date overview of the CFTR, its interactome, and its crucial role in male reproduction, highlighting recent discoveries and advancements in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved. The comprehension of these complex interactions may pave the way for potential therapeutic approaches to improve fertility of men suffering from alterations in the function of CFTR.
Determinants of HBeAg loss during follow‐up of a multiethnic pediatric cohort
Authors: Mutimer David , Atabani Sowsan F. , Brown Maxine , Logan Jacqueline , Kelgeri Chayarani
Published: September 2024

Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) loss is a key event in the natural history of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. The rate and determinants of HBeAg loss depend upon cohort characteristics at baseline. Few studies have examined the age‐dependent rate, and none have examined the effect of patient sex and ethnicity on the age‐dependant rate. The study of age‐dependent rates requires the identification and long‐term follow‐up of a pediatric cohort. We have studied the age‐dependent rate of HBeAg loss, and the rate of HBeAg loss measured from baseline, in a multi‐ethnic cohort of 454 pediatric patients. During observation, HBeAg loss was observed in 121/303 (39.9%) HBeAg‐positive patients. The rate of HBeAg loss was greater in the second versus the first and third decades of life. The age‐related rate of HBeAg loss was clearly affected by patient sex and ethnicity, with earlier loss observed for males and for White versus both South Asian and Chinese ethnicities. When measured from baseline, Chinese patients had a slower rate of HBeAg loss in comparison with White patients. In multivariate analysis of HBeAg loss during prolonged follow‐up, male sex, older age, and White ethnicity were associated with HBeAg loss, but antiviral treatment was not.
Vertically Integrated Self‐Monitoring AlGaN‐Based Deep Ultraviolet Micro‐LED Array with Photodetector Via a Transparent Sapphire Substrate Toward Stable and Compact Maskless Photolithography Application
Authors: Yu Huabin , Yao Jikai , Memon Muhammad Hunain , Luo Yuanmin , Gao Zhixiang , Luo Dongyang , Wang Rui , Wang Zixun , Chen Wei , Wang Linjun , Li Shuiqing , Zheng Jinjian , Zhang Jiangyong , Liu Sheng , Sun Haiding
Published: September 2024

Drawing inspiration from modern integrated circuit systems composed of various electronic components built on a single silicon platform, the emerging integrated photonics can also follow a similar trend in the pursuit of expanded optical functionalities in constructing compact optoelectronic systems. Herein, vertically integrated a micro‐scale light‐emitting diode (micro‐LED) array with a photodetector (PD) side‐by‐side through a transparent sapphire substrate is proposed. The downward emitted photons from the micro‐LEDs can easily transmit through the transparent sapphire and then be captured by the PD fabricated on the backside of the sapphire. Additionally, by integrating a feedback electrical circuit, a self‐stabilized light output power is demonstrated from the micro‐LED array in such vertically integrated LED/PD architecture, which cannot only monitor the fluctuation of light intensity from the micro‐LED array over time but also provide a constant output feedback to ensure a stable light output power. Such a compact and stable DUV light source composed of micro‐LED array is then employed for constructing a DUV maskless photolithography system. To best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of maskless photolithography based on DUV micro‐LED active matrix. The proposed vertically‐stacked optical device architecture by leveraging the transparent substrate offers a new path toward the realization of future integrated photonic systems.
A highly accurate numerical method for solving boundary value problem of generalized Bagley‐Torvik equation
Authors: Buranay Suzan Cival , Chin Mtema James , Mahmudov Nazim I.
Published: September 2024

A highly accurate numerical method is given for the solution of boundary value problem of generalized Bagley‐Torvik (BgT) equation with Caputo derivative of order
by using the collocation‐shooting method (C‐SM). The collocation solution is constructed in the space
as piecewise polynomials of degree at most
and has continuous derivative on the considered domain. Furthermore, under some smoothness, conditions of the exact solution convergence analysis are given. Numerical investigation is carried on several examples, and besides showing the justification of theoretical results, comparisons with existing numerical methods are also given. Results indicate that C‐SM gives highly accurate results and is efficient both in computational time and storage.
Improved expressions of noise parameters for InP HEMTs
Authors: Lyu Yuanting , Li Zhichun , Zhang Ao , Gao Jianjun
Published: September 2024

In this article, we propose a set of new expressions of four noise parameters for InP high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices based on PRC noise equivalent circuit model. The effects of gate‐to‐drain capacitance, drain‐to‐source conductance as well as extrinsic resistances have been taken into account. High consistency between measured and modeled noise parameters for 70 nm HEMT with 2 × 30 μm gate width in the frequency range 8–50 GHz are given by the expressions. Great usability is demonstrated for determination of small signal and noise model parameters extraction.
Log‐periodic antenna effect on modulated signals in regions of negative group delay
Authors: Junker Gregory P. , Yunker Kenneth A.
Published: September 2024

In frequency regions where ultra‐wide band log‐periodic antennas exhibit negative group delay (NGD), the effect of higher‐order modes upon amplitude‐modulated signals is examined using convolution theory. It is shown that in these frequency regions, the group delay and the effect of the higher order modes upon amplitude‐modulated signals vary throughout the antenna's radiation pattern. It is also shown that the signal time advances predicted by the NGD are due to signal distortion when undesired higher‐order modes are present on the antenna.
Reduced physiology‐induced temporal instability achieved with variable‐flip‐angle fast low‐angle excitation echo‐planar technique with multishot echo planar time‐resolved imaging
Authors: Hu Zhangxuan , Berman Avery J. L. , Dong Zijing , Grissom William A. , Reese Timothy G. , Wald Lawrence L. , Wang Fuyixue , Polimeni Jonathan R.
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Echo planar time‐resolved imaging (EPTI) is a new imaging approach that addresses the limitations of EPI by providing high‐resolution, distortion‐ and T2/ blurring–free imaging for functional MRI (fMRI). However, as in all multishot sequences, intershot phase variations induced by physiological processes can introduce temporal instabilities to the reconstructed time‐series data. This study aims to reduce these instabilities in multishot EPTI.

Theory and Methods

In conventional multishot EPTI, the time intervals between the shots comprising each slice can introduce intershot phase variations. Here, the fast low‐angle excitation echo‐planar technique (FLEET), in which all shots of each slice are acquired consecutively with minimal time delays, was combined with a variable flip angle (VFA) technique to improve intershot consistency and maximize signal. A recursive Shinnar‐Le Roux RF pulse design algorithm was used to generate pulses for different shots to produce consistent slice profiles and signal intensities across shots. Blipped controlled aliasing in parallel imaging simultaneous multislice was also combined with the proposed VFA‐FLEET EPTI to improve temporal resolution and increase spatial coverage.

Results

The temporal stability of VFA‐FLEET EPTI was compared with conventional EPTI at 7 T. The results demonstrated that VFA‐FLEET can provide spatial‐specific increase of temporal stability. We performed high‐resolution task‐fMRI experiments at 7 T using VFA‐FLEET EPTI, and reliable BOLD responses to a visual stimulus were detected.

Conclusion

The intershot phase variations induced by physiological processes in multishot EPTI can manifest as specific spatial patterns of physiological noise enhancement and lead to reduced temporal stability. The VFA‐FLEET technique can substantially reduce these physiology‐induced instabilities in multishot EPTI acquisitions. The proposed method provides sufficient stability and sensitivity for high‐resolution fMRI studies.
Compressed sensing reconstruction for high‐SNR, rapid dissolved 129Xe gas exchange MRI
Authors: Pilgrim‐Morris Jemima H. , Collier Guilhem J. , Munro Ryan S. , Norquay Graham , Stewart Neil J. , Wild Jim M.
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Three‐dimensional hyperpolarized 129Xe gas exchange imaging suffers from low SNR and long breath‐holds, which could be improved using compressed sensing (CS). The purpose of this work was to assess whether gas exchange ratio maps are quantitatively preserved in CS‐accelerated dissolved‐phase 129Xe imaging and to investigate the feasibility of CS‐dissolved 129Xe imaging with reduced‐cost natural abundance (NA) xenon.

Methods

129Xe gas exchange imaging was performed at 1.5 T with a multi‐echo spectroscopic imaging sequence. A CS reconstruction with an acceleration factor of 2 was compared retrospectively with conventional gridding reconstruction in a cohort of 16 healthy volunteers, 5 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, and 23 patients who were hospitalized following COVID‐19 infection. Metrics of comparison included normalized mean absolute error, mean gas exchange ratio, and red blood cell (RBC) image SNR. Dissolved 129Xe CS imaging with NA xenon was assessed in 4 healthy volunteers.

Results

CS reconstruction enabled acquisition time to be halved, and it reduced background noise. Median RBC SNR increased from 6 (2–18) to 11 (2–100) with CS, and there was strong agreement between CS and gridding mean ratio map values (R2 = 0.99). Image fidelity was maintained for gridding RBC SNR > 5, but below this, normalized mean absolute error increased nonlinearly with decreasing SNR. CS increased the mean SNR of NA 129Xe images 3‐fold.

Conclusion

CS reconstruction of dissolved 129Xe imaging improved image quality with decreased scan time, while preserving key gas exchange metrics. This will benefit patients with breathlessness and/or low gas transfer and shows promise for NA‐dissolved 129Xe imaging.
Are Otolaryngologists Seeing More Cough? Longitudinal Trends and Patterns
Authors: Xu James R. , Saraswathula Anirudh , Bryson Paul C. , Carroll Thomas L. , Akst Lee M.
Published: September 2024

Objective

Otolaryngologists play an increasing role in managing cough, but little data exists examining the demographics of this patient population and the referral patterns that influence their access to care. This study sought to elucidate these factors using a longitudinal, nationwide database to minimize sampling bias and identify trends representative of the national population.

Study Design

Nationally representative survey.

Setting

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS).

Methods

Visits with a diagnosis and chief complaint of cough between 2005 and 2019 in NAMCS were examined. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to compare patient demographics between visits to surgical specialists, medical specialists, and primary care physicians.

Results

Otolaryngologists made up more than 84% of surgical specialist visits. There was a 0.52% [0.20%‐0.84%] increase per year in the proportion of visits attributed to surgical specialists. Based on a sensitivity analysis of the multivariable model, Hispanic patients (adjusted odds ratio, aOR: 0.88 [0.78‐0.99] vs White) and patients living outside of metropolitan areas (aOR: 0.77 [0.61‐0.99] vs living within) were less likely to see surgical specialists than primary care doctors for their cough. Patients who were referred (aOR: 1.47 [1.28‐1.72] vs not referred) and with chronic cough (aOR: 1.47 [1.23‐1.75] vs acute/subacute) were more likely to see a surgical specialist.

Conclusion

Otolaryngologists are increasingly called upon to evaluate and consider treatment for cough. Identifying patient groups with limited access underscores the need for enhanced education about otolaryngologists' roles and integrated care approaches to improve access to specialized cough treatment.

Level of Evidence

Level 4.
Caregivers of children with asthma alarmed by climate change: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Godse Sanjiv , Shabanova Veronika , Ragavan Maya I. , Mitchell Mark , Chen Laura , Flom Julie D. , Sheares Beverley J.
Published: September 2024

Background

Climate change poses significant health risks, with children being particularly vulnerable to its adverse health effects. Children with asthma are expected to have worsening disease due to increased exposure to heat, air pollution, mold from flooding, and pollen. Understanding caregiver perspectives on these health harms is crucial for informing public health policy and education. Therefore, we aimed to explore caregiver perceptions of climate change‐related health risks to children with asthma.

Methods

In this cross‐sectional study, a survey instrument was created and distributed to caregivers of children with asthma during their visits to pulmonology clinics located in an urban northeastern US setting and via email.

Results

Among 198 completed surveys, 78% of participants reported high levels of concern about climate change, with most respondents agreeing that climate change has already impacted their child's health. Examples provided by respondents included worsening asthma control due to air pollution, wildfire events, pollen exposure, and rapid changes in weather. Respondents who self‐identified as female had greater concern. Most respondents agreed that these topics should be further discussed with their child's doctor. Although, barriers to such discussions were noted by the respondents.

Conclusion

Caregivers of children with asthma have high levels of concern regarding climate change and report adverse impacts on their child's asthma. Clinicians caring for children with asthma should consider discussing the respiratory health impacts of climate change with caregivers. However, barriers to these discussions need further examination.
Back to basics: lung volumes on pediatric chest X‐rays—pitfalls and diagnostic implications
Authors: Zouvani Antrea , Venkatakrishna Shyam Sunder B. , Schoeman Sean , Simsek Onur , Bharde Pravinkumar , Ramirez Suarez Karen I. , Goussard Pierre , Otero Hansel J. , Andronikou Savvas
Published: September 2024

Evaluating lung “volumes” when interpreting pediatric chest radiographs is useful for supporting the diagnosis of lung pathology in children. Lung volumes can be estimated using semi‐objective criteria such as anterior rib counting. Estimating lung volumes is one advantage plain radiographs have over other imaging modalities such as ultrasound or even cross‐sectional imaging (Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, where volumes can be calculated, but remain difficult to quickly be appreciated subjectively or semi‐objectively in clinical practice). Lung hyperinflation is often a surrogate of air‐trapping and may be suggestive of diseases such as bronchiolitis. Identifying under‐inspired chest radiographs is also important to avoid misinterpreting findings related to low lung volumes as pathology, which is a significant diagnostic pitfall in children. This pictorial review will demonstrate the method for evaluating lung volumes, specifically for identifying lung hyperinflation as a surrogate of air‐trapping and under‐inspiration for avoiding false positive diagnoses.
Study of explosion relief mechanisms in lateral explosion relief conduits of gas pipelines
Authors: Huang Yong , Cao Linna , Hou Linjiang , Ge Xiukun , Luo Zibiao
Published: September 2024

To elucidate the mechanism of lateral relief conduits in combustible gas pipelines, this study proposes an experimental pipeline system equipped with a sidewall conduit. Furthermore, the research utilizes the standard two‐dimensional k‐ε model in conjunction with the Zimont combustion model for numerical simulation. Four different configurations were investigated by varying the position and the number of lateral explosion relief conduits. This paper mainly analyzes the impact of lateral conduits on the propagation of flames, overpressure, and flow fields within the pipeline during an explosion. The results indicate that the combined effect of the horizontal force from the main pipe's end relief and the longitudinal force within the lateral explosion relief conduit creates an acute angle between the flow directions in the lateral conduit and the adjacent main pipe. The branch pipe near the ignition end of the main pipeline has a significant effect on restricting flame propagation. Additionally, the two lateral explosion relief conduits facilitate pressure relief more efficiently. It was also found that relief ports upstream of the flame front inhibit flame propagation, while those downstream may induce it.
Lessons from an explosion accident in Linyuan Petrochemical Park of Taiwan: From the perspectives of process safety management
Authors: Chen Chan‐Cheng , Li Chi‐Yang , Marquez Jazmine Aiya D. , Wang Qingsheng
Published: September 2024

This study examines a tragic explosion at Linyuan Petrochemical Park in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, resulting in two fatalities, two severe injuries, and significant financial losses. Taiwan's Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) investigation attributed the incident to a ruptured Ethyl Propyl Diene Monomer (EPDM) rubber hose during catalyst changeover, releasing flammable liquids and triggering a violent vapor cloud explosion. Because of lacking process safety information (PSI), the plant manager failed to identify the risk of incompatibility between EPDM rubber and olefin and failed to replace the EPDM hose with a compatible material or select a carbon steel pipe timely. By not carefully considering the impact of facility siting in the process hazard analysis, TASCO also was unaware that the control room was too close to the process area. As a result, the control room was destroyed at the onset of the accident. Inadequate Management of Change (MOC) impeded the hazard identification for the catalyst changeover procedure, thereby failing to identify defects in this operating procedure. Finally, a false level alarm caused the operator to partially close the control valve downstream of the hose, indirectly leading to the pipe rupture, and this highlights a lack of Mechanical Integrity (MI) in this plant.
Refugee journey infrastructures: Exploring migration trajectories from South Sudan to Uganda
Authors: Talleraas Cathrine , Erdal Marta Bivand , Larssen Marianne F. , Tollefsen Andreas F.
Published: September 2024

This article investigates the nature of refugee journeys by triangulating open‐ended, closed, and spatial survey data collected among South Sudanese refugees in Northern Uganda. While much research focuses on migration pathways across borders into the Global North, knowledge about refugees' journeys within their countries of origin or to neighbouring countries is limited. By targeting refugees' initial journeys out of conflict settings, we shed light on this little‐studied aspect of the refugee experience, with the aim to contribute to a better understanding of refugees' choices en route. We scrutinise the geographies and dynamics of refugee journeys, including the impact of conflict and violence, travel companions, information sources, assistance, and modes of transportation. We further analyse the links between these experiences and the complexity, length, and duration of refugees' journeys, aiming to map the varying significance of what refugees face during their journeys. Drawing on the migration infrastructure literature, we adapt and apply these concepts to refugee journeys, enhancing our understanding of refugees' initial journeys within and out of conflict settings, conceptualised as refugee journey infrastructures.
Dynamic risk assessment framework for fire of power critical infrastructure: The case study of UHV converter transformer
Authors: Feng Jian Rui , Zhao Mengke , Yu Guanghui , Kang Ning , Zhang Jiaqing , Guo Yi , Lu Shouxiang
Published: September 2024

To enhance the fire protection level of critical infrastructure through scientific risk assessment, a dynamic risk assessment framework is proposed in this study. This framework, which was developed based on the principles and techniques of system safety engineering, caters to the unique features of critical infrastructure. The framework facilitates dynamic risk assessment of critical infrastructure and serves as a key driver for its advancement. Fault Tree Analysis is applied for the main failure analysis, which functioned to understand the causes of system failure and find the best way to control the risks. Event Tree Analysis is used to accident consequence analysis and simulated the accident process. Analytic Hierarchy Process is utilized for risk assessment indicators and weight calculation, with a novel approach to expert weight allocation and a dynamic indicator system. Based on the aforementioned methods, a systematic assessment of fire risk is conducted for the ultra‐high voltage (UHV) converter transformer by identifying potential hazards, main failures, and accident consequences. A dynamic indicator system is then established for the assessment of fire risk associated with the UHV converter transformer.
A non‐approximate method for generating G$G$‐optimal RSM designs
Authors: Hansen Hyrum J. , Walsh Stephen J. , Pan Rong
Published: September 2024

We present a nonapproximate computational method for generating ‐optimal designs in response surface methodology (RSM) settings using Gloptipoly, a global polynomial optimizer. Traditional approaches use a grid approximation for computing a candidate design's ‐score. Gloptipoly can find the global optimum of high‐order polynomials thus making it suitable for computing a design's ‐score, that is, its maximum scaled prediction variance, which, for second‐order models, is a quartic polynomial function of the experimental factors. We demonstrate the efficacy and performance of our method through comprehensive application to well‐published examples, and illustrate, for the first time, its application to generating ‐optimal designs supporting models of order greater than 2. This work represents the first non‐approximate computational approach to solving the ‐optimal design problem. This advancement opens new possibilities for finding ‐optimal designs beyond second‐order RSM models.
Sea‐level rise and firms' financial structure decisions
Authors: Ai Mengchao , Bai John (Jianqiu) , Shen Chen
Published: September 2024

We study how environmental risks induced by the potential inundation associated with sea‐level rise affects firms' financial structure decisions. We find that firm leverage decreases with inundation risks associated with sea‐level rise. To establish causality, we consider firms' relocation of their headquarters, a propensity score matching estimator, and a difference‐in‐differences estimator around the release of the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and find that our results are robust. The negative relation between inundation risks due to sea‐level rise and financial leverage is more pronounced for firms with more geographically concentrated operations, firms with more close rivals, and firms that are non‐investment grade. SLR risk‐affected firms shift more towards equity and away from debt in their capital raising efforts and have a relatively higher weight of their leverage in short‐term debt. Our findings highlight firms' proactive adjustment and adaptation to long‐term environmental risks.
Finance for sustainability: A systematic review on crowdfunding for renewable energy projects
Authors: Mukherjee Abhishek , Griffiths Paul , Sinha Paresha , Deol Sahil
Published: September 2024

This systematic literature review examines the existing research on crowdfunding for renewable energy (RE) projects, with the purpose of identifying the factors that influence the need and the success of such crowdfunding campaigns, and the findings discuss the potential role of the public sector, and offer future research directions. The review synthesizes and analyses findings from 33 peer‐reviewed articles published between 2016 and 2023 in leading journals like the Journal of Cleaner Production, Energy Economics, and Journal of Business Research. The results show that crowdfunding can be an effective source of financing for RE projects, particularly in developing countries where traditional financing options are limited. The review identifies financial characteristics, communication and marketing strategies, media coverage, project category, and message framing as key factors that influence the success of crowdfunding campaigns for RE projects. The potential role of the public sector in supporting crowdfunding is also discussed, including creating an enabling environment, providing funding and technical assistance, promoting the benefits of RE and crowdfunding, addressing regulatory and information barriers, and collaborating with other stakeholders. Finally, the review identifies compelling areas for future research.
A Novel Acoustic Modulation of Oscillating Thin Elastic Membrane for Enhanced Streaming in Microfluidics and Nanoscale Liposome Production
Authors: Vardin Ali Pourabdollah , Aksoy Faruk , Yesiloz Gurkan
Published: September 2024

Liposomes are widely utilized in therapeutic nanosystems as promising drug carriers for cancer treatment, which requires a meticulous synthesis approach to control the nanoprecipitation process. Acoustofluidic platforms offer a favorable synthesis environment by providing robust agitation and rapid mixing. Here, a novel high‐throughput acoustofluidic micromixer is presented for a solvent and solvent‐free synthesis of ultra‐small and size‐tunable liposomes. The size‐tunability is achieved by incorporating glycerol as a new technique into the synthesis reagents, serving as a size regulator. The proposed device utilizes the synergistic effects of vibrating trapped microbubbles and an oscillating thin elastic membrane to generate vigorous acoustic microstreaming. The working principle and mixing mechanism of the device are explored numerically and experimentally. The platform exhibits remarkable mixing efficacy for aqueous and viscous solutions at flow rates up to 8000 µL/h, which makes it unique for high‐throughput liposome formation and preventing aggregation. As a proof of concept, this study investigates the impact of phospholipid type and concentration, flow rate, and glycerol on the size and size distribution of liposomes. The results reveal a significant size reduction, from ≈900 nm to 40 nm, achieved by merely introducing 75% glycerol into the synthesis reagents, highlighting an innovative approach toward size‐tunable liposomes.
Numerical Simulation of Blast Furnace Hearth Maintenance Measures
Authors: Liu Pengbo , Cheng Shusen , Wei Xingwen , Liu Zhao , Zhao Wei , Volkova Olena
Published: September 2024

Herein, a thermofluid–solid coupling model with erosion structure is established based on a blast furnace (BF) with a volume of 5500 m3. The temperature distribution of the hearth and the thickness of the solidified iron layer are studied under five hearth protection measures. It is found that the thickness of the solidified iron layer can be increased by the reduction of the production rate, closing the tuyere, increasing the taphole length, tapping through two opposite tapholes, and increasing cooling intensity. In particular, the reduction of the production rate is the most effective way to increase the thickness of solidified iron layer. In the case of the two tapholes that are near the erosion area for tapping, the solidified iron layer is found to be the thinnest. The validity of the model is verified by the thermocouple temperature of the hearth at different periods.
Evaluating the therapeutic effect of different forms of silymarin on liver status and expression of some genes involved in fat metabolism, antioxidants and anti‐inflammatory in older laying hens
Authors: Faryadi Samira , Sheikhahmadi Ardashir , Farhadi Ayoub , Nourbakhsh Himan
Published: September 2024

Background

Silymarin, the predominant compound of milk thistle, is an extract took out from milk thistle (Silybum marianum) seeds, containing a mixture of flavonolignans with strong antioxidant capability.

Methods

The experiment was conducted using 70 Lohmann LSL‐Lite hens at 80 weeks of age with 7 treatments each with 10 replicates. Treatments included: (1) control diet without silymarin, (2) daily intake of 100 mg silymarin powder/kg body weight (BW) (PSM100), (3) daily intake of 200 mg silymarin powder/kg BW (PSM200), (4) daily intake of 100 mg nano‐silymarin/kg BW (NSM100), (5) daily intake of 200 mg nano‐silymarin/kg BW (NSM200), (6) daily intake of 100 mg lecithinized silymarin/kg BW (LSM100) and (7) daily intake of 200 mg lecithinized silymarin/kg BW (LSM200). The birds were housed individually, and diets were fed for 12 weeks.

Results

Scanning electron microscopy showed that NSM was produced with the average particle size of 20.30 nm. Silymarin treatment improved serum antioxidant enzyme activity. All groups receiving silymarin showed a decrease in liver malondialdehyde content, expression of fatty acid synthase, tumour necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 6 (IL‐6) genes in the liver, and hepatic steatosis than the control, except those fed the PSM100 diet. There were decreases in liver dry matter and fat contents, non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocyte ballooning, and an increase in glutathione peroxidase gene expression and a decrease in iNOS gene expression in birds fed the NSM100, NSM200, LSM100 and LSM200 diets compared to the control group. Moreover, all groups receiving silymarin showed a significant decrease in liver weight compare to the control group.

Conclusions

Overall, the effects of silymarin when converted to NSM or LSM and offered at the level of 200 mg/kg BW were more pronounced on the hepatic variables and may be useful in the prevention of the liver disease in older laying hens.
Effects of High‐Fructose Corn Syrup Addition to Broiler Diets on Performance, Carcass Yield, Visceral Weights, Gut pH and Some Blood Parameters
Authors: Şen Gökhan , Demirci Mehmet , Evci Şevket , Şenol Ali , Karsli Mehmet Akif
Published: September 2024

Background

This study hypothesizes that using different amounts of high‐fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in broiler diets may improve performance.

Objectives

This study aimed to determine the effects of HFCS added to broiler diets on performance, cecum pH and some biochemical parameters.

Methods

A total of 120 Ross 308 chicks at the age of 0 day were divided into three main groups with four subgroups each. The groups consisted of a control (CON), low‐HFCS and high‐HFCS groups. The CON group received a diet containing no HFCS, the low‐HFCS diet contained 50 mg/kg HFCS, and the high‐HFCS diet contained 100 mg/kg HFCS. Body weight gain, feed consumption, carcass weight, visceral weight and cecum pH values were examined as performance parameters. Blood samples were taken at the end of the experiment and used to spectrophotometrically determine triglyceride, total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL‐CHO), low‐density lipoprotein (LDL‐CHO), glucose (GLU), creatinine (CRE), uric acid and insulin concentrations, as well as aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities and oxidative stress markers. Proinflammatory cytokine levels were measured using ELISA test kits.

Results

Feed consumption and body weight gain of the high‐HFCS group decreased (p < 0.01). The feed conversion rate was negatively affected in both HFCS groups compared to the CON group (p < 0.01). The carcass yields of the groups linearly decreased with the increase of HFCS (p < 0.001). Serum LDL cholesterol (p < 0.05) and GLU (p < 0.01) levels were significantly lower in the HFCS groups than the CON. Serum CRE levels were higher in the low‐HFCS group compared to the other groups (p < 0.001). The oxidative stress index (OSI) levels were lower in the low‐HFCS group than the CON group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The addition of 100 mg/kg HFCS to broiler diets negatively affected performance parameters, but HFCS supplementation positively affected biochemical parameters. In particular, low‐HFCS supplementation decreased the OSI, indicating that it could possibly reduce oxidative stress. Accordingly, HFCS could be added to broiler diets at a level of 50 mg/kg.
Thermal, mechanical, flammability properties, and morphologies of polypropylene/calcium carbonate‐based on carbon nanomaterials and layered silicates composites: A future perspective of new sheet material for flooring application
Authors: Mapossa António Benjamim , Mohammad Mehdipour Narges , Sundararaj Uttandaraman
Published: September 2024

Polyvinyl chloride/calcium carbonate (PVC/CaCO3) composites are widely used in the construction industry to fabricate flooring materials. However, PVC materials have raised concern due to the large quantity of plasticizers introduced during PVC product processing. Studies have reported that volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) are toxic with side effects on human health and the environment. Therefore, polypropylene (PP) is proposed as an alternative polymer for developing calcium carbonate‐based polymer composite sheets for flooring applications with improved thermal, mechanical, and flammability properties. This work reviews the scientific and technological advances in the field of polypropylene/calcium carbonate–carbon nanomaterials or clay nanocomposites to develop a better understanding of how to develop superior nanocomposites for use in flooring applications. This work explores various studies about the synergistic effect of combining nanofillers (i.e., carbon nanomaterials or layered clays) with intumescent flame retardants and the synergist effect of nanofillers (i.e., multi‐walled carbon nanotubes/montmorillonite) without intumescent flame retardants on thermal, mechanical, flammability properties, and morphologies of polypropylene. The generated information will facilitate the design of flooring materials based on PP with improved thermal, mechanical, and flammability properties. Therefore, it was confirmed that there is a relationship between the morphology (dispersion state of nanofillers in the PP), and mechanical properties, as well as the flammability of PP composites.

Highlights

New advances in carbon nanomaterials and clays‐based PP/CaCO3 composites

The relationship between preparation, structure, property, and mechanisms

The synergism effect of inorganic flame retardants, multifunctionality, and flooring application

Challenges and future outlook on the development of PP/CaCO3 /inorganic FR
Synoptic map heritage of the National Research Institute of Meteorology of Academia Sinica in the 1930s
Authors: Du Shunhua
Published: September 2024

The Beiji Pavilion Observatory, also referred to as the National Research Institute of Meteorology, Academia Sinica, is a meteorological observatory in China. Research indicates that as early as the 1930s, the surface synoptic maps drawn up by the National Research Institute of Meteorology of Academia Sinica in the identification of fronts and air masses reflect the polar front theory, including some synoptic analysis principles, had been introduced to China. It offers a different perspective to traditional ‘Western’ theory. China assimilated many ideologies from the West and internalised them within Chinese meteorology.
N-gram Based Authorship Analysis in Indonesian Text: Evidence Case Study in Authorship Dispute Cases
Authors: Puspitasari Devi Ambarwati , Sutrisno Adi , Fakhrurroja Hanif
Published: September 2024

Threats through anonymous letters continue to be reported in Indonesia. Threatening letters are being sent via SMS, e-mail, and private messaging apps such as WhatsApp. Authorship analysis is commonly used to determine the author of an anonymous text. The study uses N-gram tracing to determine the author of an anonymous letter by analyzing three sets of texts from three unique authors. The data was analyzed by determining, tracing, and computing N-grams in each set of texts being compared, both at the character and word levels. Statistical tests were also performed during the data analysis stage, utilizing the similarity comparison method and the Jaccard Coefficient calculation to assess the accuracy of N-gram tracing in identifying authors. Character analysis of N-grams reveals that, as the smallest N-unit, characters play an essential role in authorship attribution. Data analysis at the word level reveals that, lexically, word choice is the most dominating and influential linguistic element of authorship attribution in defining the author's profile and accurately distinguishing one author from another.
The Diffusion of English-Medium Instruction at Higher Education in Indonesia: Towards English as an Academic Lingua Franca
Authors: Muttaqin Syariful , Chuang Hsueh-Hua , Liu Han-Chin
Published: September 2024

There is an increasing trend in adopting English-medium instruction (EMI) as an academic lingua franca in response to higher education internationalization. Considered as an innovation in content teaching, its adoption rate at Indonesian higher education remains questionable. Using the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) frameworks, this paper aims to explore the EMI attributes regarding its relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability and to examine the relationships between the EMI perceived attributes and the attitudes and behavioral intention towards EMI among university students in the Indonesian context. This study is a mixed-method study. The quantitative data were collected using Likert-scale questionnaires from 125 students from two reputable universities, while the qualitative data were obtained through focus-group discussions. The quantitative data were statistically analyzed using SmartPLS to address the research problems. Thematic analysis was employed for the qualitative data for explaining and clarifying the quantitative findings. The findings show that EMI is considered very highly advantageous and compatible, highly observable and trialable, and surprisingly low in complexity to learn content courses. In addition, the EMI perceived relative advantages and compatibility that were predictive to the students’ attitudes toward EMI. Finally, perceived relative advantages, trialability, and observability of EMI were predictive to the students’ behavioral intention to enroll in EMI. EMI is therefore worth applying at higher education institutions in Indonesia as an approach to enhance both students’ content understanding and English competence and to support Indonesian universities’ internationalization vision.
A Preliminary Report: Examining Pre-service Teacher Education, Teaching Practices, and Linguistic Diversity in the Indonesian Context
Authors: Stroupe Richmond , Halimi Sisilia Setiawati
Published: September 2024

Covering an area of approximately 1.8 million square kilometers, and including a vast number of ethnic and linguistic groups, encompassing approximately 700 indigenous and minority languages, from varying cultural backgrounds, Indonesia presents a unique opportunity to examine how its education system addresses such a variety of needs across such a diverse context. Any second language education including English presents unique challenges in such a linguistically diverse landscape. Examining how such an education system addresses these challenges would be useful for policy makers, administrators, teacher educators, and teachers throughout the region as these stakeholders are faced with similar challenges in other Asian countries and beyond. In order to investigate how the Indonesian educational system prepares and responds to such a complex environment, participants for the current ongoing research project are drawn from four groups: Current preservice language educators, teacher educators, graduated/practicing teachers, and institutional leaders (principles, headmasters, etc.). In-depth individual or group interviews were conducted with members of each of the four groups. Classroom observations were also conducted with practicing teachers and are used to confirm information gathered through interviews as to actual practice in the language-learning classroom. The results of such research could be instrumental in providing a better understanding of the current situation of English language teacher education and teaching practice in Indonesia, as well as how to plan for future curricular developments. The results could also not only be valuable to policymakers and planners in Indonesia and across the Asian region but beyond in other contexts where learners represent a variety of linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
Collocation of Preposition Terhadap in Indonesian Language: A Corpus-Based Analysis
Authors: Notonegoro Raya Jayawati Ratnawilis Amanah , Suhardijanto Totok
Published: September 2024

As preposition, terhadap is polysemous since it has different meanings according to its context. The authors suspect that the context which causes that is collocation or the frequent co-occurrence of words on either side of terhadap. The research question of this research is how collocation affects the meaning of terhadap in a sentence. This research aims to explain what causes terhadap to be polysemous. The method used in this research is a mixed method. This research is corpus-based and uses 6.578 tokens from Korpus Universitas Indonesia. The analysis is carried out by examining the collocate of terhadap and pointing the characteristics of terhadap in a sentence. As a result, (1) preposition terhadap is polysemous because it is flanked by a different combination of collocates. (2) preposition terhadap has three different meanings in a sentence, ‘pada’ (T1), ‘kepada’ (T2), and ‘untuk’ (T3). (3) T1 is flanked by an abstract noun, adjective, and verb (left), and an abstract noun and non-living concrete noun (right). (4) T2 is flanked by an abstract noun (left) and persona noun (right). (5) Lastly, T3 is flanked by abstract nouns on its left and right. This research will not only benefit linguistic community but also the field of language teaching.
Measurement of energy resolution with the NEXT-White silicon photomultipliers
Authors:   The NEXT collaboration, Contreras T. , Palmeiro B. , Almazán H. , Para A. , Martínez-Lema G. , Guenette R. , Adams C. , Álvarez V. , Aparicio B. , Aranburu A. I. , Arazi L. , Arnquist I. J. , Auria-Luna F. , Ayet S. , Azevedo C. D. R. , Bailey K. , Ballester F. , del Barrio-Torregrosa M. , Bayo A. , Benlloch-Rodríguez J. M. , Borges F. I. G. M. , Brodolin A. , Byrnes N. , Cárcel S. , Castillo A. , Cebrián S. , Church E. , Cid L. , Conde C. A. N. , Cossío F. P. , Dey E. , Díaz G. , Dickel T. , Echevarria C. , Elorza M. , Escada J. , Esteve R. , Felkai R. , Fernandes L. M. P. , Ferrario P. , Ferreira A. L. , Foss F. W. , Freixa Z. , García-Barrena J. , Gómez-Cadenas J. J. , González R. , Grocott J. W. R. , Hauptman J. , Henriques C. A. O. , Hernando Morata J. A. , Herrero-Gómez P. , Herrero V. , Hervés Carrete C. , Ifergan Y. , Jones B. J. P. , Kellerer F. , Larizgoitia L. , Larumbe A. , Lebrun P. , Lopez F. , López-March N. , Madigan R. , Mano R. D. P. , Marques A. P. , Martín-Albo J. , Martínez-Vara M. , Miller R. L. , Mistry K. , Molina-Canteras J. , Monrabal F. , Monteiro C. M. B. , Mora F. J. , Navarro K. E. , Novella P. , Nuñez A. , Nygren D. R. , Oblak E. , Palacio J. , Parmaksiz I. , Pazos A. , Pelegrin J. , Pérez Maneiro M. , Querol M. , Redwine A. B. , Renner J. , Rivilla I. , Rogero C. , Rogers L. , Romeo B. , Romo-Luque C. , Santos F. P. , dos Santos J. M. F. , Seemann M. , Shomroni I. , Silva P. A. O. C. , Simón A. , Soleti S. R. , Sorel M. , Soto-Oton J. , Teixeira J. M. R. , Teruel-Pardo S. , Toledo J. F. , Tonnelé C. , Torrent J. , Trettin A. , Usón A. , Valle P. R. G. , Veloso J. F. C. A. , Waiton J. , Yubero-Navarro A.
Published: September 2024

Abstract

The NEXT-White detector, a high-pressure gaseous xenon time projection chamber, demonstrated the excellence of this technology for future neutrinoless double beta decay searches using photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) to measure energy and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) to extract topology information. This analysis uses 83mKr data from the NEXT-White detector to measure and understand the energy resolution that can be obtained with the SiPMs, rather than with PMTs. The energy resolution obtained of (10.9 ± 0.6)%, full-width half-maximum, is slightly larger than predicted based on the photon statistics resulting from very low light detection coverage of the SiPM plane in the NEXT-White detector. The difference in the predicted and measured resolution is attributed to poor corrections, which are expected to be improved with larger statistics. Furthermore, the noise of the SiPMs is shown to not be a dominant factor in the energy resolution and may be negligible when noise subtraction is applied appropriately, for high-energy events or larger SiPM coverage detectors. These results, which are extrapolated to estimate the response of large coverage SiPM planes, are promising for the development of future, SiPM-only, readout planes that can offer imaging and achieve similar energy resolution to that previously demonstrated with PMTs.
Explicit entropic proofs of irreversibility theorems for holographic RG flows
Authors: Deddo Evan , Liu James T. , Pando Zayas Leopoldo A. , Saskowski Robert J.
Published: September 2024

Abstract

We revisit the existence of monotonic quantities along renormalization group flows using only the Null Energy Condition and the Ryu-Takayanagi formula for the entanglement entropy of field theories with anti-de Sitter gravity duals. In particular, we consider flows within the same dimension and holographically reprove the c-, F -, and a-theorems in dimensions two, three, and four. We focus on the family of maximally spherical entangling surfaces, define a quasi-constant of motion corresponding to the breaking of conformal invariance, and use a properly defined distance between minimal surfaces to construct a holographic c-function that is monotonic along the flow. We then apply our method to the case of flows across dimensions: there, we reprove the monotonicity of flows from AdSD+1 to AdS3 and prove the novel case of flows from AdS5 to AdS4.