bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Runaway State Building: How Political Parties Shape States in Postcommunist Eastern Europe
Authors: O'Dwyer Conor
Published: January 2007

Why has the rate of expansion of postcommunist state administrations varied so widely among countries that are at comparable stages of economic transition, have similar formal institutions, and have been equally exposed to the dynamics of EU integration? Based on a close comparison of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, the author argues that the critical factor in postcommunist state building is the robustness of party competition. The legacy of communism creates strong pressures for patronage politics, which swells the administration, but it is party competition that determines whether the predisposition to patronage politics in fact becomes the practice of patronage politics. The number of state administrative personnel has expanded significantly more in countries where party system development has stalled, and party competition has failed to constrain the party(ies) of government.
When Do (Imposed) Economic Sanctions Work?
Authors: Hovi Jon , Huseby Robert , Sprinz Detlef F.
Published: January 2007

Previous research has documented only a modest success rate for imposed sanctions. By contrast, the success rate is higher in cases that are settled at the threat stage. In this article, the authors provide new insights about the circumstances under which sanctions cause behavioral change only after being imposed. First, the target must initially underestimate the impact of sanctions, miscalculate the sender's determination to impose them, or wrongly believe that sanctions will be imposed and maintained whether it yields or not. Second, the target's misperceptions must be corrected after sanctions are imposed. A game-theoretical model with incomplete information is used to develop and clarify the argument.
The Maimed Body and the Tortured Soul: Holocaust Survivors in American Film
Authors: Levinson Julian
Published: January 2007

This article explores how changing modalities of cinematic representation generate new forms of Holocaust awareness and response. It contends that the two phases of Holocaust response in America--the first marked by reticence, the second by a wide proliferation of public discourse--can each be associated with distinct strategies of representing survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. The first strategy draws attention to the maimed body of the victim; the second delves into the tortured psyche of the victim. This transformation can be seen by examining the technical innovations of Sidney Lumet's 1965 film, The Pawnbroker, which incorporates flashbacks to represent involuntary memory and to encourage viewer empathy with the survivor figure.
Social Discourse Analysis: Outlines of a Research Project
Authors: Angenot Marc
Published: January 2007

In this foundational text for the large scale project that produced several major works, including 1889: Un �tat de discours social, Marc Angenot describes the project of amassing and assessing every French text written, and every utterance uttered in 1889, as a way of establishing a range of topics, opinions, argumentative strategies, current usages, in short, the "social discourse" of a single year. As ambitious as it is monumental, this article offers a program for understanding an era in our history, while providing a series of guidelines for studying any utterance and any text, which demands nothing less than the need for it to be considered against the backdrop of discourses within which it was made, and which made it possible.
What Can Literature Do? From Literary Sociocriticism to a Critique of Social Discourse
Authors: Angenot Marc , Barsky Robert F
Published: January 2007

Implicitly refuting Sartre's famous What is Literature?, as well as all versions of literary analyses that look to discover the uniquely original and extra-contextual elements of the literary text (and the genius of their authors), Angenot offers a fresh new assessment of the role literature plays in a given social discourse compendium. Along the way, he portrays the literary text as that which speaks after all other discourses have had their say, not to offer a more profound or original perspective, but to simply re-cast what is already "thinkable" and "sayable" within the prevailing social discourse. If literature does fulfill a particular role, says Angenot, it is by conveying to the reader a carnivalesque sense that when it comes to knowledge claims made in other domains, "it ain't necessarily so."
"You Cannot Transform the History of Ideas Into a Comic Strip": An Interview with Marc Angenot
Authors: Barsky Robert F , Angenot Marc
Published: January 2007

This interview between Robert Barsky and Marc Angenot engages the central themes of Angenot's work while providing a sense of the ties that bind the diverse corpus of work together. This wide-ranging discussion shows the breadth of the materials under examination and, moreover, the array of tools he brings along with him for the task; along the way, he describes his efforts to unearth both the consistencies that are at the base of any discourse hegemony and the absurdities, contradictions, and scandals that flow through its dialogical veins.
Critical Productions of Discourse: Angenot, Bakhtin, Foucault
Authors: Leps Marie-Christine
Published: January 2007

This paper correlates Marc Angenot's theory of social discourse to the transgredient notions of the dialogical in Mikhail Bakhtin, and of governmentality in Michel Foucault. Together these three concepts allow a close investigation of the material/textual production of hegemonic truths, as well as an exploration of the means of transforming such truths and elaborating new forms of subjectivity and agency. Angenot, Bakhtin, and Foucault deploy the concept of discourse differently, yet their texts variously attribute a crucial role to fiction in the cultural production of knowledge and power relations. Together, their historical analyses set forth an eminently pertinent set of theoretical and methodological tools for contemporary cultural studies.
Besinnung and What May the Century Amount To: On or About or Because of Marc Angenot as Goad and Stimulus
Authors: Suvin Darko
Published: January 2007

This is an article in two parts. Part 1, "Besinnung: Remembrance, Recollection, Reasoning Again," approaches, starting from Augustine's Confessions, Marc Angenot's "social discourse theory" and his article "Pour en finir avec les �tudes litt�raires." In the spirit of Nietzsche's maxim "You should be closest to a friend with your heart when you resist him," the great strengths of Angenot's approaches are pointed out, as well as limits of and reservations about a Foucauldian discourse theory that cannot accommodate fiction. Part 2, "What May the Century Amount to," is a set of independent theses in a sustained dialogue with Angenot's work.
Impact of Newborn Skin-Cleansing With Chlorhexidine on Neonatal Mortality in Southern Nepal: A Community-Based, Cluster-Randomized Trial
Authors: Tielsch James M. , Darmstadt Gary L. , Mullany Luke C. , Khatry Subarna K. , Katz Joanne , LeClerq Steven C. , Shrestha Shardaram , Adhikari Ramesh
Published: January 2007

OBJECTIVE. Hospital-based data from Africa suggest that newborn skin-cleansing with chlorhexidine may reduce neonatal mortality. Evaluation of this intervention in the communities where most births occur in the home has not been done. Our objective was to assess the efficacy of a 1-time skin-cleansing of newborn infants with 0.25% chlorhexidine on neonatal mortality.

METHODS. The design was a community-based, placebo-controlled, cluster-randomized trial in Sarlahi District in southern Nepal. Newborn infants were cleansed with infant wipes that contained 0.25% chlorhexidine or placebo solution as soon as possible after delivery in the home (median: 5.8 hours). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality by 28 days. After the completion of the randomized phase, all newborns in study clusters were converted to chlorhexidine treatment for the subsequent 9 months.

RESULTS. A total of 17530 live births occurred in the enrolled sectors, 8650 and 8880 in the chlorhexidine and placebo groups, respectively. Baseline characteristics were similar in the treatment groups. Intention-to-treat analysis among all live births showed no impact of the intervention on neonatal mortality. Among live-born infants who actually received their assigned treatment (98.7%), there was a nonsignificant 11% lower neonatal mortality rate among those who were treated with chlorhexidine compared with placebo. Low birth weight infants had a statistically significant 28% reduction in neonatal mortality; there was no significant difference among infants who were born weighing ≥2500 g. After conversion to active treatment in the placebo clusters, there was a 37% reduction in mortality among low birth weight infants in the placebo clusters versus no change in the chlorhexidine clusters.

CONCLUSIONS. Newborn skin-wiping with chlorhexidine solution once, soon after birth, reduced neonatal mortality only among low birth weight infants. Evidence from additional trials is needed to determine whether this inexpensive and simple intervention could improve survival significantly among low birth weight infants in settings where home delivery is common and hygiene practices are poor.
Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Following Myeloablative Therapy and Autologous Transplantation of CD34+-Selected Peripheral Blood Progenitor Cells
Authors: Witzens-Harig Mathias , Heilmann Conny , Hensel Manfred , Kornacker Martin , Benner Axel , Haas Rainer , Fruehauf Stefan , Ho Anthony D.
Published: January 2007

Graft engineering by CD34+ selection of peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) has been used in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with the aim to reduce relapse related to tumor cells within the graft. From September 1995 to January 2000, 39 patients with newly diagnosed (n = 31) or relapsed (n = 8) NHL were treated in our institution with myeloablative therapy followed by CD34+ selected autologous PBPC transplantation. Thirty-one patients were diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, and eight patients with mantle-cell lymphoma. All patients had advanced disease (26% of patients stage III and 74% stage IV, Ann Arbor classification). Induction therapy resulted in a complete remission in 17 patients and a partial remission in 22 patients. PBPC were mobilized after cytotoxic chemotherapy with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support. CD34+ selection was performed using immunomagnetic beads (Baxter Isolex 300SA or 300i Magnetic Cell Separation System). Most patients (85%) received total body irradiation and high-dose cyclophosphamide as myeloablative regimen. Twelve patients also received rituximab 375 mg/m2 before radiation and before the start of the cyclophosphamide treatment. The mean CD34+ cell number for transplantation was 6.5 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg of body weight. Platelet recovery (>20,000/μl median on day 13) and leukocyte recovery (>1,000/μl median on day 12) were within expected range. The estimated median follow-up was 47 months. The probabilities of freedom from progression, overall survival, and event-free survival 4 years after transplantation were 96%, 90%, and 87%, respectively, for patients with follicular lymphoma and 42%, 63%, and 33%, respectively, for patients with mantle-cell lymphoma. Risk factors for relapse were age and extranodal manifestation of disease. The rate of lethal infections in the 12-month follow-up period was 8%. We conclude that CD34+ selection of autologous transplants following myeloablative therapy is feasible and results in long-term remission in the majority of patients, but the procedure is probably related to a higher rate of lethal infections.
Comparison theorems for noncanonical third order nonlinear differential equations
Authors: Mojsej Ivan , Ohriska Ján
Published: January 2007

The aim of our paper is to study oscillatory and asymptotic properties of solutions of nonlinear differential equations of the third order with quasiderivatives. We prove comparison theorems on property A between linear and nonlinear equations. Some integral criteria ensuring property A for nonlinear equations are also given. Our assumptions on the nonlinearity of f are restricted to its behavior only in a neighborhood of zero and a neighborhood of infinity.
Effect of dimethylmaleate and phorone on glutathione content of Setaria cervi (Nematoda: Filarioidea) during in vitro incubation
Authors: Gupta S. , Banu N. , Srivastava A.
Published: January 2007

Glutathione metabolism represents a prospective target for antifilarial drug design, and therefore, the alterations in glutathione (GSH) content of filarial worms by known mammalian GSH depletors i.e. dimethylmaleate (DMM) and phorone were first thought for investigation in model filarial worms Setaria cervi. The dose dependent GSH depletion was achieved when these worms were incubated at 37°C for 6 h in Hanks balanced salt solution with varying concentrations (10–250 μM) of DMM or phorone. During the short incubation period of 6 h, 250 μM of DMM and phorone declined more than 90 % of the GSH content of filarial worms.
The Tree of Knowledge
Authors: Doernberg Harry
Published: March 2024

In this narrative medicine essay, a medical student uses the analogy of a mature tree to describe the difference in knowledge of his medical school teachers compared with sapling first-year medical students.
Accountable Care Organization Leader Perspectives on the Medicare Shared Savings Program
Authors: Khullar Dhruv , Schpero William L. , Casalino Lawrence P. , Pierre Reekarl , Carter Samuel , Civelek Yasin , Zhang Manyao , Bond Amelia M.
Published: March 2024

Importance

The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) includes more than 400 accountable care organizations (ACOs) and is among the largest and longest running value-based payment efforts in the US. However, given recent program reforms and other changes in the health care system, the experiences and perspectives of ACO leaders remain incompletely characterized.

Objective

To understand the priorities, strategies, and challenges of ACO leaders in MSSP.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this qualitative study, interviews were conducted with leaders of 49 ACOs of differing sizes, leadership structures, and geographies from MSSP between September 29 and December 29, 2022. Participants were asked about their clinical and care management efforts; how they engaged frontline clinicians; the process by which they distributed shared savings and added or removed practices; and other factors that they believed influenced their success or failure in the program.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Leader perspectives on major themes related to ACO initiatives, performance improvement, and the recruitment, engagement, and retention of clinicians.

Results

Of the 49 ACOs interviewed, 34 were hospital-associated ACOs (69%), 35 were medium or large (>10 000 attributed beneficiaries) (71%), and 17 were rural (35%). The ACOs had a mean (SD) tenure of 8.1 (2.1) years in MSSP. Five major themes emerged: (1) ACO leaders reported a focus on annual wellness visits, coding practices, and care transitions; (2) leaders used both relationship-based and metrics-based strategies to promote clinician engagement; (3) ACOs generally distributed half or more of shared savings to participating practices; (4) ACO recruitment and retention efforts were increasingly influenced by market competition; and (5) some hospital-associated ACOs faced misaligned incentives.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, the ACO leaders reported varied approaches to promoting clinician alignment with ACO goals, an emphasis on increasing annual wellness visits, and new pressures related to growth of other care models. Policymakers hoping to modify or expand the program may wish to incorporate these perspectives into future reforms.
Recognition of Genetic Conditions After Learning With Images Created Using Generative Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Waikel Rebekah L. , Othman Amna A. , Patel Tanviben , Ledgister Hanchard Suzanna , Hu Ping , Tekendo-Ngongang Cedrik , Duong Dat , Solomon Benjamin D.
Published: March 2024

Importance

The lack of standardized genetics training in pediatrics residencies, along with a shortage of medical geneticists, necessitates innovative educational approaches.

Objective

To compare pediatric resident recognition of Kabuki syndrome (KS) and Noonan syndrome (NS) after 1 of 4 educational interventions, including generative artificial intelligence (AI) methods.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This comparative effectiveness study used generative AI to create images of children with KS and NS. From October 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023, US pediatric residents were provided images through a web-based survey to assess whether these images helped them recognize genetic conditions.

Interventions

Participants categorized 20 images after exposure to 1 of 4 educational interventions (text-only descriptions, real images, and 2 types of images created by generative AI).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Associations between educational interventions with accuracy and self-reported confidence.

Results

Of 2515 contacted pediatric residents, 106 and 102 completed the KS and NS surveys, respectively. For KS, the sensitivity of text description was 48.5% (128 of 264), which was not significantly different from random guessing (odds ratio [OR], 0.94; 95% CI, 0.69-1.29; P = .71). Sensitivity was thus compared for real images vs random guessing (60.3% [188 of 312]; OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.15-2.00; P = .003) and 2 types of generative AI images vs random guessing (57.0% [212 of 372]; OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.04-1.69; P = .02 and 59.6% [193 of 324]; OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.12-1.94; P = .006) (denominators differ according to survey responses). The sensitivity of the NS text-only description was 65.3% (196 of 300). Compared with text-only, the sensitivity of the real images was 74.3% (205 of 276; OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.08-2.18; P = .02), and the sensitivity of the 2 types of images created by generative AI was 68.0% (204 of 300; OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.77-1.66; P = .54) and 71.0% (247 of 328; OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.92-1.83; P = .14). For specificity, no intervention was statistically different from text only. After the interventions, the number of participants who reported being unsure about important diagnostic facial features decreased from 56 (52.8%) to 5 (7.6%) for KS (P < .001) and 25 (24.5%) to 4 (4.7%) for NS (P < .001). There was a significant association between confidence level and sensitivity for real and generated images.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, real and generated images helped participants recognize KS and NS; real images appeared most helpful. Generated images were noninferior to real images and could serve an adjunctive role, particularly for rare conditions.
Self‐Formation of SnCl2 Passivation Layer on SnO2 Electron‐Transport Layer in Chloride–Iodide‐Based Perovskite Solar Cell
Authors: Howlader Ashraful Hossain , Dipta Shahriyar Safat , Tarique Walia Binte , Qi Yulun , Pratik Ayush , Yin Yao , Hossain Md Anower , Uddin Ashraf
Published: March 2024

The phenomenon of the self‐formation of a passivation layer at the interface of the perovskite/electron‐transport layer (ETL) is observed. FA0.6MA0.4PbI3−xClx perovskite thin film is deposited on a SnO2 nanoparticle thin‐film ETL. It is observed from the depth‐resolved spectroscopy that the Sn2+ ion migrates toward the perovskite layer within the ETL. At the same time, Cl− ion also migrates toward ETL within the perovskite layer. This unique ion migration phenomenon leads us to conclude that a passivating SnCl2 layer is formed at the perovskite/ETL interface. It is found that this SnCl2 layer at the interface works as a passivation layer like Al2O3. There is a significant effect of this self‐formed passivating layer behind the improvement of the device's efficiency and stability. It is believed that this SnCl2 passivation layer helps to reduce the recombination loss at the interface and boosts the performance of the perovskite solar cell (PSC). The perovskite/hole‐transport layer is also passivated with octylammonium bromide. Finally, the PSC offers a photoconversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.81% under 1 sun and AM1.5 G condition. Again, it maintains more than 80% of PCE under open‐air room conditions, white light emitting diode, and 85 °C continuous heating for more than 12 h without encapsulation.
Dual Functional Microcapsule based on Monodisperse Short PEG Amphiphile for Drug Encapsulation and Protein Affinity Controlled Release
Authors: Ketkar Rohit N. , Dey Paritosh , Sodnawar Triveni , Sharma Shilpy , M Manikandan , Dutta Choudhury Sharmistha , Sadhukhan Nabanita
Published: March 2024

A short monodisperse poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and a neutral organic rotamer conjugate TEG‐BTA‐2 amphiphile was designed for the construction of a stimuli‐responsive switchable self‐assembled structure for drug encapsulation by noncovalent interaction and targeted controlled delivery. A short PEG, tetraethylene glycol (TEG) was covalently attached with a neutral organic rotamer benzothiazole dye (BTA‐2) affording the neutral TEG‐BTA‐2 (<500 D). The TEG‐BTA‐2 is self‐assembled into a microsphere in an aqueous medium, but remarkably undergoes morphology change switching to a rice‐like microcapsule for curcumin encapsulation. Curcumin‐loaded microcapsules were stable in an aqueous solution, however, were noticed disintegrating upon the addition of BSA protein. This is possibly due to an interaction with BSA protein leading to a protein affinity‐controlled curcumin release in a neutral PBS buffer. Moreover, cell internalization of the neutral amphiphile TEG‐BTA‐2 into A549 cells was observed by fluorescence microscopy, providing an opportunity for application as a molecular vehicle for targeted drug delivery and monitoring.
Resolvins protect against diabetes‐induced colonic oxidative stress, barrier dysfunction, and associated diarrhea via the HO‐1 pathway
Authors: Yu Ting , Chen Die , Qi Hongyan , Lin Lin , Tang Yurong
Published: March 2024

Diabetes is associated with increased oxidative stress, leading to altered tight junction formation and increased apoptosis in colonic epithelial cells. These changes may lead to intestinal barrier dysfunction and corresponding gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with diabetes, including diarrhea. The aim of this study was to characterize the effect and mechanism of Resolvin D1 (RvD1) on diabetes‐induced oxidative stress and barrier disruption in the colon. Mice with streptozotocin‐induced diabetes were treated with RvD1 for 2 weeks, then evaluated for stool frequency, stool water content, gut permeability, and colonic transepithelial electrical resistance as well as production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis, and expression of tight junction proteins Zonula Occludens 1 (ZO‐1) and occludin. The same parameters were assessed in human colonoid cultures subjected to elevated glucose. We found that RvD1 treatment did not affect blood glucose, but normalized stool water content and prevented intestinal barrier dysfunction, epithelial oxidative stress, and apoptosis. RvD1 also restored ZO‐1 and occludin expression in diabetic mice. RvD1 treatment increased phosphorylation of Akt and was accompanied by a 3.5‐fold increase in heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) expression in the epithelial cells. The protective effects of RvD1 were blocked by ZnPP, a competitive inhibitor of HO‐1. Similar findings were observed in RvD1‐treated human colonoid cultures subjected to elevated glucose. In conclusion, Oxidative stress in diabetes results in mucosal barrier dysfunction, contributing to the development of diabetic diarrhea. Resolvins prevent ROS‐mediated mucosal injury and protect gut barrier function by intracellular PI3K/Akt activation and subsequent HO‐1 upregulation in intestinal epithelial cells. These actions result in normalizing stool frequency and stool water content in diabetic mice, suggesting that resolvins may be useful in the treatment of diabetic diarrhea.
Tolerability of a piezoelectric microneedle electroporator in human subjects
Authors: Lu Chao‐Yi , Rohilla Pankaj , Felner Eric I. , Byagathvalli Gaurav , Azizoglu Erkan , Bhamla M. Saad , Prausnitz Mark R.
Published: March 2024

Electroporation, or the use of electric pulses to facilitate the intracellular delivery of DNA, RNA, and other molecules, is a well‐established technique, that has been demonstrated to significantly augment the immunogenicity of DNA/mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. However, the clinical translation of traditional electroporators has been limited due to high costs, large size, complex user operation, and poor tolerability in humans due to nerve stimulation. In prior work, we introduced ePatch: an ultra‐low‐cost, handheld, battery‐free electroporator employing a piezoelectric pulser coupled with a microneedle electrode array that showed enhanced immunogenic responses to an intradermal SARS‐CoV‐2 DNA vaccine in mice. The current study shifts focus from efficacy to tolerability, hypothesizing that ePatch's microneedle array, which localizes the electric field to the superficial skin strata, will minimize nerve stimulation and improve patient comfort. We tested this hypothesis in 14 healthy adults, monitoring pain and other potential adverse effects associated with electroporation. Compared to the insertion of a traditional hypodermic needle, the ePatch was less painful. Adverse effects such as pain, tenderness, erythema and swelling at the application sites were minimal, transient, and statistically indistinguishable between the experimental and placebo ePatch application, suggesting excellent tolerability towards electroporation. In summary, ePatch has a favorable tolerability profile in humans and offers the potential for the safe use of electroporation in a variety of clinical settings, including DNA and mRNA vaccination.
Fabrication of biomimetic scaffold through hybrid forming technique
Authors: Celik Dilek , Ustundag Cem Bulent
Published: March 2024

Bone tissue engineering procedures require the use of a scaffold with a sufficiently porous structure, which serves as a three‐dimensional template for cell attachment, followed by tissue regeneration and vascularization both in vitro and in vivo. This study aimed to create scaffold material with a unique hybrid forming that met these parameters. Slip casting and freeze‐drying processes were used with a hybrid forming approach to create a bone scaffold based on hydroxyapatite (HA) mimicking the structure of cortical and cancellous bones, respectively. HA was synthesized by the wet chemical precipitation method. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis‐differential thermal analysis, Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller, He Pycnometer, and scanning electron microscope analyses were performed to characterize the scaffold. According to analysis results, HA particle size was found at 137.8 nm. The optimum sintering temperature was determined to be 1300°C. The specific surface area of the HA powder was measured as 55.11 m2/g. The total open porosity of the hybrid scaffold was calculated as 70%. Scaffold successfully substituted both cancellous and cortical layers of bone regarding structural characteristics, porosity, and mechanical strength. Considering morphological characteristics, a hybrid scaffold might facilitate vascularization, osteoinduction, and osteoconduction. Research findings suggest that the hybrid design strongly resembled natural bone and is suitable for both load‐bearing and non‐bearing bones.
In Situ Detection of Nucleic Acids in Extracellular Vesicles via Membrane Fusion
Authors: Feng Jianzhou , Gong Yanli , Li Qianqian , Yang Chaoyong , An Yu , Wu Lingling
Published: March 2024

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) carry diverse biomolecules (e. g., nucleic acids, proteins) for intercellular communication, serving as important markers for diseases. Analyzing nucleic acids derived from EVs enables non‐invasive disease diagnosis and prognosis evaluation. Membrane fusion, a fundamental cellular process wherein two lipid membranes merge, facilitates cell communication and cargo transport. Building on this natural phenomenon, recent years have witnessed the emergence of membrane fusion‐based strategies for the detection of nucleic acids within EVs. These strategies entail the encapsulation of detection probes within either artificial or natural vesicles, followed by the induction of membrane fusion with EVs to deliver probes. This innovative approach not only enables in situ detection of nucleic acids within EVs but also ensures the maintenance of structural integrity of EVs, thus preventing nucleic acid degradation and minimizing the interference from free nucleic acids. This concept categorizes approaches into universal and targeted membrane fusion strategies, and discusses their application potential, and challenges and future prospects.
Estimating multivariate ecological variables at high spatial resolution using a cost‐effective matching algorithm
Authors: Renne Rachel R. , Schlaepfer Daniel R. , Palmquist Kyle A. , Lauenroth William K. , Bradford John B.
Published: March 2024

Simulation models are valuable tools for estimating ecosystem response to environmental conditions and are particularly relevant for investigating climate change impacts. However, because of high computational requirements, models are often applied over a coarse grid of points or for representative locations. Spatial interpolation of model output can be necessary to guide decision‐making, yet interpolation is not straightforward because the interpolated values must maintain the covariance structure among variables. We present methods for two key steps for utilizing limited simulations to generate detailed maps of multivariate and time series output. First, we present a method to select an optimal set of simulation sites that maximize the area represented for a given number of sites. Then, we introduce a multivariate matching approach to interpolate simulation results to detailed maps for the represented area. This approach links simulation output to environmentally analogous matched sites according to user‐defined criteria. We demonstrate the methods with case studies using output from (1) an individual‐based plant simulation model to illustrate site selection, and (2) an ecosystem water balance simulation model to illustrate interpolation. For the site selection case study, we identified 200 simulation sites that represented 96% of a large study area (1.12 × 106 km2) at a ~1‐km resolution. For the interpolation case study, we generated ~1‐km resolution maps across 4.38 × 106 km2 of drylands in North America from a 10 × 10 km grid of simulated sites. Estimates of interpolation errors using cross validation were low (<10% of the range of each variable). Our point selection and interpolation methods, which are available as an easy‐to‐use R package, provide a means of cost‐effectively generating detailed maps of expensive, complex simulation output (e.g., multivariate and time series) at scales relevant for local conservation planning. Our methods are flexible and allow the user to identify relevant matching criteria to balance interpolation uncertainty with areal coverage to enhance inference and decision‐making at management‐relevant scales across large areas.
Sediment particle tracking data for the Carpathian reservoir under climate and land use change scenarios
Authors: Szalińska Ewa , Hachaj Paweł S. , Szlapa Monika , Orlińska‐Woźniak Paulina , Wilk Paweł
Published: March 2024

Although the Carpathian Mts. area is considered as extremely prone to surface erosion which results in capacity loss of the dammed reservoirs, a lack of data to follow details of this process is perceivable. The research of the selected sediment fractions transport tracking was conducted using the capabilities of the digital platform—Macromodel DNS (Discharge‐Nutrient‐Sea) for the catchment with drinking water reservoir in the Polish part of Western Carpathian. The continuity of sediment transport simulation in two hydrologically different elements of the catchment—the river and the reservoir—was possible due to consolidation of two models in the platform—SWAT (Soil & Water Assessment Tool) and AdH/PTM (Adaptive Hydraulics Model/Particle Tracking Model). The result of those modules' integration was a database for tracking the individual sediment fractions delivered to the reservoir and deposited in specific reservoir zones. The implementation of climate and land use change scenarios allowed additionally to analyse the estimation of those processes in the future. The simulation outcomes consist of daily flows and monthly sediment loads at the reservoir inflow and the individual sediment particle fractions deposition location inside of the reservoir.
Global Chert Database: A summary record of global chert samples
Authors: Wang Chenyu , Zhong Hanting , Yan Han , Gao Lingxue , Huang Hu , Hou Mingcai
Published: March 2024

Chert is a sedimentary rock abundant and conspicuous throughout the geologic record. It serves as an essential geological archive and is vital for palaeogeographic reconstruction. The Chert Database Working Group is part of the OneSediment Working Groups of the Deep‐time Digital Earth (DDE) Big Science Program. To facilitate the sharing of chert information and promote chert research, we have compiled a summary of literature containing chert information worldwide and established the Global Chert Database (GCDB). The main body of the current database consists of seven data tables, each providing details on references, lithology, depositional age, geographic location, depositional environment and geochemical information for each sample. As of December 2023, the GCDB contains 8417 sample data from 617 pieces of literature, which can be downloaded from the ‘DDE Data Publish & Repository’.
Paid family leave and the fight against hunger: Evidence from New York
Authors: Kim Jiyoon , Lenhart Otto
Published: March 2024

We examine the effects of New York's paid family leave (PFL) policy, introduced in January 2018, on food security. While researchers evaluating PFL policies in the past have mostly focused on employment and health outcomes, we believe that an improved understanding of potential impacts on food security is pivotal as it is directly related to the health and well‐being of mothers and new‐borns during the postnatal months. Our analysis uses two primary data sets—Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS‐FSS) and Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Estimating difference‐in‐differences and triple difference models, we show that New York's PFL reduced the prevalence of low food security by 36% in both datasets. The positive effects are more sizable for households with low‐educated heads and families with incomes under 185% of the Federal Poverty Line. These findings highlight that paid leave benefits lead to a larger reduction in food insecurity among disadvantaged families and thus have the potential to reduce existing societal inequalities. When examining potential mechanisms through which New York's PFL law improves food security, we show that the policy increased food expenditures, increased labor force participation, particularly by mothers, and improved parental health.
A systematic derivatization technique for characterization of ethoxylates by GC and GCMS
Authors: Ali Asraf A. , Bhat Ganesh , Al‐Ghamdi Ibrahim , Cao Wenjie , Kumar Arun , Iali Wissam , Narayan K. C. , Ghazwani Qasem
Published: March 2024

Ethoxylation is one of the common industrial process in which ethylene oxide (EO) is added to compounds containing active hydrogen atom (OH, COOH, SH, NH, etc.) to form surfactants. Alcohol ethoxylates are a major class of non‐ionic surfactants composed of an alkyl chain combined with few EO units. They are widely used in homecare products, personal care products, textiles, oilfield, construction, lubricants, food, paper, leather. The analysis of these ethoxylates possess several challenges since they contain ‘n’ number of EO units (n > 1). With increase in “n,” the product becomes more and more viscous and the boiling point increases making it difficult to analyze by normal gas chromatography (GC) technique. This paper describes a method of derivatizing these ethoxylates so that they can be eluted on a high temperature GC. BSTFA (N, O‐bis (trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide) is used as the derivatizing agent (silylating agent). The ethoxylate combines with BSTFA to form the corresponding trimethylsilylated (TMS) product, which have comparatively lower boiling point. Thus, we detect trimethyl silyl product, which is the resemblance for the ethoxylated product. In this paper, we present a quantitative GC method for the ethoxylates of a few simple alcohols (2‐ethyl hexanol, glycerin), and complex vegetable oils (castor oil). The products formed during the reaction have also been identified on a gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometer (GCMS). GCMS shows the mass corresponding to the TMS derivatized product. The derivatization technique not only helps in increasing the volatility of these compounds but also improves the chromatographic efficiency, selectivity, and enhances the detectability.
A unique combination of horror and longing: Traumatic grief in post–October 7, 2023, Israel
Authors: Hasson‐Ohayon Ilanit , Horesh Danny
Published: March 2024

On October 7, 2023 (10/7), Hamas militants brutally attacked Israeli towns and villages surrounding the Gaza Strip, resulting in the killing of more than 1100 people, most of whom were civilians slaughtered in their own homes. The killings occurred under highly traumatic circumstances, including shooting, the burning of homes, hunting down people who attempted to escape, and severe sexual assault. Thus, many Israelis today experience a unique mix of both posttraumatic and severe grief reactions. Traumatic grief (TG) is often defined as a condition that results from the death of a significant other and includes symptoms similar to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that are specifically related to the deceased, such as intrusive thoughts and memories about the deceased and hypervigilance expressed by constantly looking for them or cues associated with them. However, whereas definitions, phenomenological descriptions, and clinical illustrations of PTSD are abundant and widely validated, TG has yet to receive formal diagnostic status. In this paper, we aim to reexamine TG in the context of post‐10/7 Israel. We argue that TG is a critical concept for clinicians working in Israel and other conflict‐exposed areas of the world today, as it accurately captures the painful mix of grief‐ and trauma‐related symptoms. We also suggest potential explanations for the lack of acknowledgment of TG as a formal diagnosis and discuss the possible role of historical events in the formation of new, relevant psychiatric diagnoses.
Risk and maintenance factors in body‐focused repetitive behaviours
Authors: Moritz Steffen , Penney Danielle , Hoyer Luca , Schmotz Stella
Published: March 2024

Background

Body‐focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs), such as skin picking and trichotillomania, are conditions at the interface of dermatology and psychiatry.

Objectives

We asked individuals with various BFRBs about their habits and preferences preceding the onset of their BFRB(s). We also inquired about the emotions (positive, negative or mixed) accompanying the habit to explore predisposing and maintenance factors.

Methods

A sample of 201 individuals with mixed BFRBs were recruited online. We administered the Generic BFRB Scale (GBS‐36) and the newly developed Somatic and Habitual Predisposition to BFRB Scale as well as the Ambivalence Towards BFRB Rating.

Results

Most participants reported both positive and negative feelings towards engaging in BFRBs, with only a minority (41.8%) indicating predominantly negative feelings. The study speaks to somatic and habitual predisposing factors that are topographically related to specific conditions (e.g., dislike of one's skin and skin impurities preceding skin picking, dislike of one's nails and brittle nails preceding nail biting, tendency to scarring and injuries preceding lip‐cheek biting).

Conclusions

Our study speaks to important somatic and habitual predisposing factors in BFRBs. Positive feelings accompanying BFRBs may act as an important maintenance factor in BFRBs. Our results may inform new therapeutic approaches to treating or preventing BFRBs.
A conservative algorithm based on a hybrid block method and tension B‐spline differential quadrature method for Rosenau–KdV–RLW equation
Authors: Kaur Anurag , Kanwar V. , Ramos Higinio
Published: March 2024

In this study, the authors present a uniform algebraic trigonometric tension B‐spline‐based differential quadrature method combined with an optimized hybrid block method to numerically solve the Rosenau–KdV–RLW equation. The discrete mass and energy have been calculated, showing that they are conserved, thus indicating the efficiency and accuracy of the present approach. The method outperforms other methods and does not require linearization, allowing it to be directly implemented for solving nonlinear partial differential equations.
Effect of Surface Acidity/Basicity of Cr/Zn−BEA Zeolite Catalysts on Performance in CO2‐PDH Process
Authors: Orlyk Svitlana M. , Kapran Andriy Y. , Chedryk Valeriy I. , Nychiporuk Yurii M. , Kyriienko Pavlo I. , Dzwigaj Stanislaw
Published: March 2024

The influence of adding Cr(III) compounds into Zn−BEA zeolite samples (with silicate modulus Si/Al=17, 100, and 1000) on the redox and acid–base characteristics of Cr/Zn−BEA zeolites were studied, and their catalytic properties in propane dehydrogenation with CO2 to propylene. It was established (based on the XRD, low–temperature (77 K) ad/desorption of N2, TPR−H2, TPD−MSC−NH3(CO2), C3H8(C3H6), FTIR−Py data) that the acid–base characteristics of the surface of bifunctional Cr/Zn−BEA catalysts, namely the amount, strength, and nature (Lewis and Brønsted sites), determine their activity/selectivity, and operation stability in the process of CO2−PDH. This indicates that over Cr/Zn−BEA catalysts, the process runs along the route of direct propane dehydrogenation combined with the reverse water gas shift reaction.
Regio‐ and Stereo‐Selective Synthesis of (E)‐β‐Alkenyl Boronates by Phosphene‐Free CuI‐Catalyzed Hydroboration and Carboboration of Alkynes and Access to Allyl‐Vinyl Ethers
Authors: Behera Minati , Prakash Das Jaya
Published: March 2024

A convenient and operationally trivial protocol to access synthetically versatile vinylboronates through CuI catalyzed hydroboration and carboboration of alkynes utilizing bis(pinacolato)diboron (B2pin2) as the boron precursor in a 1, 10‐phenanthroline (phen) ligand environment is reported. This is a highly efficient and practical method for the synthesis of regio‐ and stereoselective (E)‐β‐vinylboronates from simple aromatic and aliphatic alkynes. These organoboron compounds have further been utilized for the synthesis of allyl‐vinyl ethers, which are potential starting materials for the Claisen rearrangement via an improved CuII mediated coupling of allyl alcohols and vinylboronates. The vinylboronates were also subjected to Suzuki‐Miyaura cross coupling reaction, allowing access to the corresponding tri‐ and tetra‐substituted alkenes with good isolated yields.
Blended Membrane of Polyethylene‐Glycol‐Grafted‐PIM‐1 and Tröger's Base Polymer for the Separation of Pentose and Hexose
Authors: Liang Jin , Wang Xiaoxin , Yu Dongsheng , Luo XiTao , Liang Xiangfeng , Su Zhongliang , Shou Qinghui
Published: March 2024

Monosaccharides are vital building blocks in bioengineering applications; however, their extraction from intricate mixtures is challenging and uses substantial amounts of energy. Polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) offer an innovative avenue for separating monosaccharides. We modified PIM‐1membranes to improve the glucose/xylose separation by incorporating polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (mPEG). The optimal mPEG (molecular weight: 1000 Da; mass fraction: 2.5 %; solvent: methanol) delivered a xylose separation coefficient of 2.62. With the hybrid membrane of PIM‐1‐mPEG (50 w.t.%) and hydrophilic Tröger's base polymerer (DMBP‐TB, 50 w.t.%), the separation factor for xylose/glucose in an aqueous solution was 2.51 for single‐stage running and 11.32 after five‐stage running. There are large fractions of micropores for PIM‐1‐mPEG, and there is difference on solute‐membrane interactions for pentose/hexose, which are regarded to be the main driving force for the high pentose/hexose selectivity in methanol. The blending of PIM‐1‐mPEG and DMBP‐TB, integrates the microporosity and hydrophilicity, finally endues the high pentose/hexose selectivity in aqueous solution. These microporous membranes are promising materials for efficiently separating monosaccharides and jnl> small organic molecules while minimizing energy consumption. We established a solid foundation for further exploring microporous membranes for various applications, notably in bioengineering.
Enhancing Photo and Electrocatalytic Activity of Graphene Quantum Dots/Manganese Oxide Nanostructures for Visible Light Photocatalytic and Hydrogen Peroxide Sensing Applications
Authors: Rajkumar Palanisamy , Sethuraman Venkatesan , Ramadoss Manigandan , Thirumal Vediyappan , Asaithambi Sankaiya , Yoo Kisoo , Kim Jinho
Published: March 2024

Designing and developing high‐efficiency multifunctional catalysts materials is a significant challenge. In this view, we synthesized Graphene Quantum Dots (gQDs)/Gadolinium Manganese Oxide (GMO) nanostructures for photocatalytic dye degradation and hydrogen peroxide sensing. The structural, optical, composition, and morphology properties of the gQDs/GMO nanostructures were analyzed by using various analytical tools. The gQDs/GMO catalyst shows higher degradation efficiency compared to pure catalysts under visible light irradiation which is due to the large surface area, lower band gap, small amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and synergetic effect of gQDs/GMO. Furthermore, we extensively investigate the nonenzymatic H2O2 sensing and the gQDs/GMO catalytic materials show higher sensing behavior. From our results, the gQDs embedded in gadolinium‐modified manganese oxide (gQDs/GMO) serve as an efficient photocatalyst material for environmental pollutant degradation under visible light irradiation with and the sensitive electrocatalyst for nonenzymatic H2O2 sensing applications.
Teaching English and the Grammatical Use of the Pronoun: Queer(y)ing the Teaching of Writing
Authors: Pickering Jordan , van Leent Lisa
Published: March 2024

In Australia, and indeed in many countries around the globe, teaching pronouns for reading comprehension and cohesion in writing in English language classrooms is not only a curriculum directive but a social justice imperative. In this paper, we combine the teaching of pronouns in English with social justice concepts of political representation and cultural recognition for gender equity. We engage a gender‐expansive understanding of the term gender, beyond a male and female binary, and recognize that children identify with and express genders that are non‐binary. For gender equity to progress and for children to have parity of participation for learning English, gender‐expansive understandings about language such as pronouns is important for engaging in socially just teaching and learning in English language classrooms. This paper presents three resources related to teaching about pronouns in primary school contexts using a gender‐expansive understanding. Children must see themselves represented in the language that they are immersed in, learning in, and learning about. Here we offer gender‐expansive teaching practices for teaching pronouns in the English language classroom.