bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The biological essence of synthetic lethality: Bringing new opportunities for cancer therapy
Authors: Ge Meiyi , Luo Jian , Wu Yi , Shen Guobo , Kuang Xi
Published: March 2024

Synthetic lethality (SL), a genetic concept, has revolutionized the development of antitumor therapies by providing avenues to target previously “undruggable” targets with enhanced specificity for tumor cells over normal tissue. The principles of SL have expanded beyond genetic definitions to encompass biological functions, including genome stability, cell cycle regulation, cell death mechanisms, cellular metabolism, cell–cell interactions, and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Tumor cells with inactivated survival pathways are sensitive to therapeutic inhibition of compensatory mechanisms, while normal cells remain unaffected. Exploiting SL based on functional contexts has the potential to significantly improve cancer patient survival by reducing resistance to targeted therapies and enhancing antitumor efficacy when combined with other treatment modalities. This review explores the underlying mechanisms of synthetic lethality interactions (SLI) characterized by biological functions in individual cancer cells and the TME. We also provide a comprehensive summary of strategies for leveraging the dynamic nature of SLI to overcome therapeutic resistance. Additionally, we discuss various approaches and models for screening and designing potent SL agents tailored to the specific needs of cancer patients, as well as strategies for combining SL drugs in tumor treatment. This review offers valuable insights into harnessing SL as a promising avenue for precision cancer therapy.
Trendbericht Analytische Chemie 2024
Authors: Gauglitz Günter , Bodensteiner Michael , Bohleber Pascal , Clases David , Dahms Marcel , Engelhard Carsten , Haider Markus , Hayen Heiko , Herbst‐Irmer Regine , Jäger Martin , Kramell Annemarie E. , Legner Robin , Matysik Frank‐Michael , Pöthig Alexander , Rädle Matthias , Seifert Stephan , Steinhauser Georg , Wolter Kathrin
Published: March 2024

Mehrdimensionale Trenntechniken sowie Kopplungstechniken verbessern weiter die Auflösung in der Analytik. In der Elementanalytik beeindrucken neue Entwicklungen der Massenspektrometrie mit induktiv gekoppeltem Plasma, in der Archäometrie zerstörungsfreie In‐situ‐Analysen. Der 3‐D‐Druck treibt die elektroanalytische Forschung voran, und die Prozessanalytik setzt auf Lab‐on‐a‐Chip und vermeldet Neues bei der Raman‐Spektroskopie mit Flüssigkernlichtleitern.
Nicht nur zum Abstempeln: Moleküle auf Marken
Authors: Schmid Rolf
Published: March 2024

Auch wer sich neuester Technik und Fortschritt verschließt, kommt nicht an der Wissenschaft vorbei: Für Traditionsliebhaber hat China Sonderbriefmarken zu Fortschritten der Chemie und Biochemie herausgebracht.
Farbwelten: Kunst ist (fast) immer Chemie
Authors: Albus Stefan
Published: March 2024

Frühe Kunstschaffende betrieben oft Chemie – freilich ohne dies zu wissen. Später bereicherte die chemische Industrie mit ihren Produkten die Farbpalette. Heute gelingt Künstlerisches sogar mit Massenproduktionsverfahren.
Bilanz BASF 2023: Mehr herstellen mit weniger Leuten
Authors: Bulmahn Maren
Published: March 2024

Der Umsatz des Chemiekonzerns BASF ist im Jahr 2023 um etwa ein Fünftel gesunken. Nun verstärkt er seine Sparmaßnahmen. Für Forschung und Entwicklung hat er einen neuen Supercomputer gestartet.
Mixen und Mahlen statt Lösen und Rühren
Authors: Hering‐Junghans Christian
Published: March 2024

Manche Synthesen erfordern ungewöhnliche Reaktionstechniken oder Versuchsaufbauten – da läuft auch mal ein Küchenmixer im Labor. Und was klassisch in homogener Lösung in einem organischen Lösemittel unter Rückfluss reagiert, kann auch mechanochemisch in einer Kugelmühle funktionieren. So lassen sich sogar Moleküle realisieren, die als in Lösung unmöglich herstellbar gelten.
Nachruf: Reinhard Kirmse (1947 – 2023)
Authors: Abram Ulrich , Köhler Klaus
Published: March 2024

Reinhard Kirmse war maßgeblich daran beteiligt, die EPR‐Spektroskopie für die anorganische und Koordinationschemie in Deutschland zugänglich zu machen.
Why minors volunteer—A mixed‐method study of motivational factors in underage Generation Z volunteers in Europe
Authors: Hauser‐Oppelmayer Anna , Korac Sanja
Published: March 2024

Motivational factors in young volunteers are a long‐standing research issue, but evidence on Generation Z, and particularly minor volunteers, is thin. Furthermore, most studies have been conducted in the Anglo‐American context, even though motives have been shown to differ across countries. The present article explores motivational factors of young (underage) philanthropists belonging to Generation Z in a European country—Austria. The study tests widely researched motivational factors in a yet underrepresented population, but also captures further factors that motivate minors to volunteer for a specific nonprofit organization. We follow a two‐tiered mixed‐method approach: first, qualitative data yielded from 12 expert interviews are used to amend, adapt, and further inform a quantitative survey. Second, seven focus groups with 48 young volunteers were conducted to compare and contrast motivational factors with quantitative results, but also to capture further motivational factors. The results show that the widely applied Volunteer Functions Inventory and factors rooted in Self‐Determination Theory capture some, but not all motivational factors in the specific group of Generation Z minor volunteers in central Europe. This research highlights factors that may be specific to the study group: the role of the supervisory team, the types of activities, and the aspect of voluntariness.
Ground tire rubber and coffee silverskin as sustainable fillers in EPDM compounds for rubber‐to‐steel bonded systems in roofing applications
Authors: Bragaglia Mario , Paleari Lorenzo , Nanni Francesca
Published: March 2024

In this paper two waste fillers, namely ground tire rubber (GTR) and coffee silverskin (CSS, a waste bio‐product from the coffee‐making process), have been used to produce sustainable ethylene‐propylene‐diene monomer (EPDM) rubber compounds vulcanized on steel sheets to fabricate rubber‐to‐steel bonded systems for industrial roofing applications. The compounds have shown good mechanical performances, with elastic moduli in the range of 13–16 MPa, tensile strength of 13–20 MPa and elongation at break >400%, and strong adhesion to the metal substrate. Moreover, the rubber‐to‐steel bonded systems present good sound insulation properties (mean sound transmission loss [STL] of 39 dB and noise level reduction in simulated hailstones impact tests of 62 dB with respect to bare steel 73 dB). Accelerated UV‐ and thermal‐aging tests have shown excellent adhesion of the compounds to the metal substrate with the CSS acting as an antioxidant agent preventing excessive polymer degradation. The selected waste‐derived materials result in promising fillers for more sustainable rubber compounds.

Highlights

Waste fillers were used to produce sustainable rubber compounds.

Rubber‐to‐steel bonded systems for roofing applications were produced.

Rubber‐to‐steel bonded systems have good sound insulation properties.

Rubber‐to‐steel bonded systems have excellent adhesion.

Coffee silverskin filler acts as an antioxidant agent.
Synergistic cytotoxicity effect of ultrasound and plasma microbubble in glioblastoma 3D tumor sphere model
Authors: Wanigasekara Janith , Cullen Patrick J. , Tiwari Brijesh , Curtin James F.
Published: March 2024

The combined application of ultrasound (US) and plasma microbubble (PMB) is a promising technology against glioblastoma (GBM). Here, we determined the effects of US and PMB (alone and combined) on U‐251 MG GBM and A431 epidermoid carcinoma spheroids under different conditions. The synergistic treatment of US‐ and PMB‐induced tumor sphere cell death in a time‐, dose‐, treatment frequency‐, and reactive oxygen species dependent manner, while multiple treatments augmented this effect. Synergistic treatments significantly reduced three‐dimensional GBM spheroid regrowth and cell proliferation while inducing cytotoxicity, spheroid shrinkage, and damage to the tumor microenvironment. PMB‐induced cytotoxicity throughout the tumor sphere, likely via long‐lived reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (H2O2, NO2−, and NO3−) and other reactive species.
Event‐triggered differential private distributed fusion estimation for sensor networks with unknown cross‐correlations
Authors: Liang Yuan , Sun Huiyu , Li Yinya , Chen Ye , Cong Jinliang
Published: March 2024

Recently, preserving privacy and reducing energy consumption become important concerns of sensor networks. However, existing privacy‐preserving estimation methods cause many needless data transmissions, which results in energy waste. Besides, these methods generates fusion estimates with heavy computational burdens, due to needing calculating cross‐covariance matrices of each pair of local estimation errors. Worse still, these cross‐covariances are often unavailable in actual sensor networks. In view of these problems, a novel framework of event‐triggered (ET) differential private distributed fusion estimation is proposed. Within this framework, an ET mechanism is designed to schedule transmissions of local estimates for reducing communication consumptions. Then, with using local perturbation mechanism, conditions for achieving differential privacy and dealing with eavesdroppers which can eavesdrop and fuse local estimates are provided. Based on covariance intersection fusion rule, an ET differential private fusion method is developed, which can guarantee fusion results uniformly stable in spite of completely unknown cross‐covariances. Finally, simulation results verify that the proposed method can preserve privacy and reduce communication consumptions without using cross‐covariances, at the cost of only slight decline of estimation performance.
A new In Situ Oxidized 2D Layered MnBi2Te4 Cathode for High‐Performance Aqueous Zinc‐Ion Battery
Authors: Dai Jiaao , Zhang Shaojun , Wang Fei , Wen Li , Sun Yuhao , Ren Ke , Xu Yaohua , Zeng Wei , Wang Siliang
Published: March 2024

Recently, aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) with the superior theoretical capacity, high safety, low prices, and environmental protection, have emerged as a contender for advanced energy storage. However, challenges related to cathode materials, such as dissolution, instability, and structural collapse, have hindered the progress of AZIBs. Here, a novel AZIB is constructed using an oxidized 2D layered MnBi2Te4 cathode for the first time. The oxidized MnBi2Te4 cathode with large interlayer spacing and low energy barrier for zinc ion diffusion at 240 °C, exhibited impressive characteristics, including a high reversibility capacity of 393.1 mAh g−1 (0.4 A g−1), outstanding rate performance, and long cycle stability. Moreover, the corresponding aqueous button cell also exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. To demonstrate the application in practice in the realm of flexible wearable electronics, a quasi‐solid‐state micro ZIB (MZIB) is constructed and shows excellent flexibility and high‐temperature stability (the capacity does not significantly degrade when the temperature reaches 100 °C and the bending angle exceeds 150°). This research offers effective tactics for creating high‐performance cathode materials for AZIBs.
Real‐Time and High‐Resolution Monitoring of Neuronal Electrical Activity and pH Variations Based on the Co‐Integration of Nanoelectrodes and Chem‐FinFETs
Authors: Bettamin Luca , Mathieu Fabrice , Marty Florent H. , Blatche Marie Charline , Gonzalez‐Dunia Daniel , Suberbielle Elsa , Larrieu Guilhem
Published: March 2024

Developing new approaches amenable to the measurement of neuronal physiology in real‐time is a very active field of investigation, as it will offer improved methods to assess the impact of diverse insults on neuronal homeostasis. Here, the development of an in vitro bio platform is reported which can record the electrical activity of cultured primary rat cortical neurons with extreme sensitivity, while simultaneously tracking the localized changes in the pH of the culture medium. This bio platform features passive vertical nanoprobes with ultra‐high signal resolution (several mV amplitude ranges) and Chem‐FinFETs (pH sensitivity of sub‐0.1 pH units), covering an area as little as a neuronal soma. These multi‐sensing units are arranged in an array to probe both chemically and electrically an equivalent surface of ≈ 0.5 mm2. A homemade setup is also developed which allows recording of multiplexed data in real‐time (10 ps range) from the active chem‐sensors and passive electrodes and which is used to operate the platform. Finally, a proof‐of‐concept is presented for a neuro‐relevant application, by investigating the effect on neuronal activity of Amyloid beta oligomers, the main toxic peptide in Alzheimer's Disease, which reveals that exposure to amyloid beta oligomers modify the amplitude, but not the frequency, of neuronal firing, without any detectable changes in pH values along this process.
Nanoscintillator Coating: A Key Parameter That Strongly Impacts Internalization, Biocompatibility, and Therapeutic Efficacy in Pancreatic Cancer Models
Authors: Aubrun Fulbert Clémentine , Chaput Frédéric , Stelse‐Masson Sarah , Henry Maxime , Chovelon Benoit , Bohic Sylvain , Brueckner Dennis , Garrevoet Jan , Moriscot Christine , Gallet Benoit , Vollaire Julien , Nicoud Olivier , Lerouge Frédéric , Denis‐Quanquin Sandrine , Jaurand Xavier , Jacquet Thibault , Nomezine Anthony , Josserand Véronique , Coll Jean‐Luc , Ravanat Jean‐Luc , Elleaume Hélène , Bulin Anne‐Laure
Published: March 2024

Pancreatic cancer is associated with a poor prognosis despite multimodal treatments. To improve the efficacy of radiotherapy, the use of nanoscintillators is emerging. Made of high‐Z elements, they absorb X‐rays more efficiently than tissues and can locally enhance the radiation dose provided they have accumulated near tumor cells. This study focuses on the role of the coating, a key parameter that controls both in vitro and in vivo properties of nanoparticles, including their internalization, biocompatibility, and therapeutic efficacy. Polyethylene glycol and tripolyphosphate molecules are used to coat lanthanum fluoride nanoscintillators, and their properties are evaluated on pancreatic cancer models. The experiments demonstrate a higher internalization of the nanoparticles when coated with tripolyphosphate, in both 2D and 3D culture models, correlating with greater efficacy under X‐rays, which may be associated with higher radiation dose‐enhancement. The nanoparticles are also injected intravenously in healthy or tumor‐bearing mice in order to study their toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and biodistribution. Despite a strong liver and spleen accumulation, especially for the tripolyphosphate‐coated nanoparticles, no toxicity is observed for either coating. Because they show promising radiation dose‐enhancement in vitro in both culture models and a limited toxicity in vivo, polyethylene glycol‐coated nanoparticles are good candidates for biomedical applications.
Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes Containing Viologen‐Modified Phenylpyridine Ligands as Electroluminochromic Active Molecules for Information Display
Authors: Wang Xuecheng , Chen Kun , Xu Dandong , Wu Shuzi , Wu Pengcheng , Ji Zhixin , Kuang Jianru , Zhang Kenneth Yin , Liu Shujuan , Zhao Qiang
Published: March 2024

Electroluminochromic (ELC) materials have garnered significant research interest because of their potential applications in lighting, displaying, and sensing. These materials exhibit reversible modulation of photoluminescence under low‐voltage stimuli. Here five phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes are reported featuring viologen‐substituted 2‐phenylpyridine (Vppy) ligands acting as electroactive components. Four of the complexes are bis‐cyclometalated and coordinated with either neutral bipyridine derivatives or negatively charged 2‐picolinate. The remaining complex is heteroleptic tris‐cyclometalated, containing one Vppy and two 2‐phenylquinoline ligands. Upon photoexcitation, the bis‐cyclometalated complexes exhibit orange to red phosphorescence originating from mixed triplet metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer (3MLCT) and intraligand (3IL) dπ(Ir)/π(Vppy) → π*(Vppy) state, whereas the tris‐cyclometalated complex is non‐emissive due to a low Ir(IV/III) oxidation potential favoring oxidative quenching by the viologen pendants. When the cationic viologens are electrochemically reduced to their neutral form, the bis‐cyclometalated complexes show a remarkable blue‐shift in their phosphorescence maxima due to increased energy levels of the Vppy molecular orbitals. In the case of the tris‐cyclometalated complex, reduction of the viologen groups interrupts the quenching process, leading to a luminescence turn‐on. These complexes are used to develop ELC devices, which exhibit reversible luminescence response in terms of color or on‐off switching under a low voltage of 2 V.
Performance Potential for Locally Contacted Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Tabi Grace Dansoa , Peng Jun , Mozaffari Naeimeh , Catchpole Kylie R. , Weber Klaus J. , Duong The , White Thomas P. , Walter Daniel
Published: March 2024

In perovskite solar cells (PSCs), a common characteristic of highly effective interface passivation materials is low conductivity. Gains in voltage are thus often disproportionately offset by resistive losses. Local contact approaches can minimize this trade‐off and have a proven track record in conventional silicon photovoltaics. Indeed, recent record efficiencies for centimeter‐scale PSCs exploit architectures where the passivation layer partially covers the perovskite‐transport layer interface. Herein, a three‐dimensional numerical device model is used to determine practical performance limits to local contact geometries and consider both the optimum contact dimensions and the trade‐offs involved in relaxing these dimensions for ease of fabrication. It is observed that the potential for substantial power conversion efficiency (PCE) increases with local contacts. In devices where power loss occurs solely through recombination at the contacted interface, PCE can be enhanced by up to 10% absolute compared to a full‐area contact. However, optimum PCEs depend on contacts on the order of nanometers. It is shown that more fabrication‐friendly micrometer‐scale contacts still boost PCE, but the absolute enhancement falls short due to the relatively low bulk perovskite charge carrier diffusion length. This may ultimately motivate methods of interface engineering that produce “effective” local contact geometries at nanometer scales, such as via self‐forming layers.
Characterization of Physicochemical Properties of Annealed Corn Flour and Starch: A Verification of Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Purnomo Eko Hari , Yang Habibah Ring , Faridah Didah Nur , Mojiono Mojiono
Published: March 2024

This study examines the effects of annealing process (temperature 50 °C, moisture content of 80%, for 20 h) on physicochemical characteristics (proximate composition, content of resistant starch (RS) and amylose, degree of starch digestibility, shape and size of starch granules, crystallinity, and starch gelatinization profile) of corn flour and corn starch. Two stages of experiment are as follows: 1) verifying the results of the meta‐analysis of corn starch and flour modification by annealing method and 2) analyzing their physicochemical properties. As a result, annealing significantly improves RS content in both groups, reaching 14.18% in annealed corn flour (AF) (compared to 3.27% in native corn flour (NF)) and 21.87% in annealed corn starch (AS) (compared to 3.82% in native corn starch (NS)). The present work also confirms that the treatment unaltered birefringence properties of all samples. Moreover, pasting properties of corn starch and flour demonstrate remarkable changes. The peak viscosity of AS and NS is higher than AF and NF. In addition, gelatinization seems to occur at similar temperature, but needs extra time for starting gelatinization. XRD analysis reveals A‐type crystalline for all samples, while FTIR analysis evidenced that annealing process alters the regions of amorphous and crystalline.
Elias Magnus Fries's fungus exsiccatiScleromyceti Sueciae: New light on the obscure “fascicle nine”
Authors: Karakehian Jason M. , Pfister Donald H. , Miller Andrew N.
Published: March 2024

Elias Magnus Fries's fungus exsiccatiScleromyceti Sueciaedocuments specimens cited in several of Fries's publications that are now considered sanctioning works in the nomenclature and taxonomy of several groups of fungi. The first eight fascicles of the first edition of theScleromyceti Sueciaewere issued periodically during the years 1819–1822. Each fascicle was issued as a bound booklet that included, among other information, a printed title page with a date, and an index followed by 30–40 specimens. A ninth fascicle that concluded the first edition was issued without a date. Scholars of theScleromyceti Sueciaeinferred an approximate date of issuance of mid‐1825 based on Fries's correspondence, but they were uncertain whether fascicle nine was issued as a booklet or on loose sheets. In addition, the location of the printed index to fascicle nine that they studied was unclear. We obtained images of a complete, original copy of fascicle nine from the collections of the Natural History Museum of Denmark of the University of Copenhagen. This copy proves that fascicle nine was issued as a bound booklet like the previous eight fascicles and contained a printed index and printed specimen labels. Because of the apparent rarity of a complete, original copy of fascicle nine, we describe the copy at the Natural History Museum of Denmark and provide images of the index. We discuss potential problems in typifying names from material issued in theScleromyceti Sueciaesecond edition. Using an example from fascicle nine, we discuss Fries's omissions, errors, and lapses in citing specimens.
Synergistic enhancement of toughness and flame retardation for cyanate ester composites through hyperbranched polyborosiloxane
Authors: Wei Bin , Liu Rui , Qi Guoquan , Feng Guangpeng , Li Zheng , Zhang Yifeng , Yan Hongxia
Published: March 2024

Excellent flame resistance is supposed to be taken into consideration for electronic packaging materials due to the spontaneous combustion of short circuits, except for good mechanical and dielectric properties. Herein, a hyperbranched polyborosiloxane (HPSiB) flame retardant was synthesized via a simple one‐pot transesterification as a multifunctional additive for cyanate ester (CE) resin. The HPSiB with many active terminals features good compatibility with the resin matrix, while catalyzing the curing reaction that conducts at a lower temperature. With as little as 2 wt% HPSiB incorporated, the HPSiB/bisphenol A cyanate ester (BADCy) resin achieves a UL‐94 V0 rating and 32.4% LOI value, and its peak heat release and total smoke production are simultaneously reduced. Its flexural strength and impact strength were significantly enhanced by 30.0% and 85.4%. Besides, the minimum values of dielectric constant and loss can reach 2.77 and 0.0024 at 10 GHz, which are, respectively, reduced by 7.9% and 88.5%. The integration of unique hyperbranched SiOB backbone of HPSiB with CE crosslinked network was responsible for the enhanced overall performance. This work paves a facile strategy to develop multifunctional flame retardant as a promising candidate for the high‐performance electronic packaging materials.

Highlights

A novel hyperbranched polyborosiloxane flame retardant was synthesized.

HPSiB shows good compatibility and catalyzes the curing reaction of CE resin.

HPSiB/CE resin with significantly enhanced flame retardancy was obtained.

Simultaneously high toughness and low dielectric loss were achieved.

Hyperbranched structure containing SiOB chains led to the great enhancement.
Development of thermally assisted OH PLIF temperature measurement method based on a single femtosecond laser
Authors: Huang Sibo , Shimura Masayasu , Tanahashi Mamoru
Published: March 2024

Recently, OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) using the broadband, ultrashort femtosecond-duration (fs-duration) and the thermally assisted vibrational transfer in excited state has been investigated in flames. In this present work, we first measured temperature by thermally assisted OH laser-induced fluorescence (TALF) method with a single ultrashort broadband fs laser. In the experiment, the fs excitation of OH at ultraviolet wavelength is followed by fluorescence detection from two different vibrational bands. The ratio of two measured (1–0) and (0–0) band fluorescence is calibrated with calculated temperature using Chemkin PRO PRIMIX. The calibrated results are used in measuring temperature distributions in different laminar flames. It is found that TALF method using the fs laser can detect 2D temperature distribution in the burnt area with high OH fluorescence signal. However, OH chemiluminescence brings inevitable noise at the flame front that the TALF method does not perform well. And because (1–0) band fluorescence is so weak, the noise from the camera sensor and imaging intensifier (I.I.) remains at the measured temperature imaging. In conclusion, quantitative temperature measurement based on OH TALF based on a single broadband, ultrashort fs laser can be applied in laminar flames with high frequency by a simple experiment setup.
The first finding of the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii in Greece calls for rapid measures
Authors: Karaouzas Ioannis , Kapakos Yiannis , Fytilis Konstantinos , Leris Ioannis , Kalaitzakis Nektarios , Kouraklis Petros , Perdikaris Costas , Kalogianni Eleni
Published: March 2024

This contribution presents the first record of the invasive non-native red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) in Greece and the Balkans. The crayfish was found during a fish monitoring expedition in the lower reaches of the Vosvozis River, near the city of Komotini, Thrace (northeastern Greece). The finding of P. clarkii in Greece expands the southernmost geographical range of the species in the Balkans and calls for immediate actions in preventing its further expansion to other water bodies and towards strict control of aquarium trade.
Correction to: Mathematical models of neuronal growth
Authors: Oliveri Hadrien , Goriely Alain
Published: March 2024

Correction to: Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology (2022) 21:89–118 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10237-021-01539-0
Role of albumin infusion in cirrhosis-associated complications
Authors: Heybe Mohamed A. , Mehta Kosha J.
Published: March 2024

Cirrhosis is an advanced-stage liver disease that occurs due to persistent physiological insults such as excessive alcohol consumption, infections, or toxicity. It is characterised by scar tissue formation, portal hypertension, and ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity) in decompensated cirrhosis. This review evaluates how albumin infusion ameliorates cirrhosis-associated complications. Since albumin is an oncotic plasma protein, albumin infusion allows movement of water into the intravascular space, aids with fluid resuscitation, and thereby contributes to resolving cirrhosis-induced hypovolemia (loss of extracellular fluid) seen in ascites. Thus, albumin infusion helps prevent paracentesis-induced circulatory dysfunction, a complication that occurs when treating ascites. When cirrhosis advances, other complications such as spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and hepatorenal syndrome can manifest. Infused albumin helps mitigate these by exhibiting plasma expansion, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory functions. In hepatic encephalopathy, albumin infusion is thought to improve cognitive function by reducing ammonia concentration in blood and thereby tackle cirrhosis-induced hepatocyte malfunction in ammonia clearance. Infused albumin can also exhibit protective effects by binding to the cirrhosis-induced proinflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL6. While albumin administration has shown to prolong overall survival of cirrhotic patients with ascites in the ANSWER trial, the ATTIRE and MACHT trials have shown either no effect or limitations such as development of pulmonary oedema and multiorgan failure.  Thus, albumin infusion is not a generic treatment option for all cirrhosis patients. Interestingly, cirrhosis-induced structural alterations in native albumin (which lead to formation of different albumin isoforms) can be used as prognostic biomarkers because specific albumin isoforms indicate certain complications of decompensated cirrhosis.
Structures Supporting Virtuous Moral Agency: An Empirical Enquiry
Authors: Vriens Dirk , de Wit Riki A. M. , Groß Claudia
Published: March 2024

It has been argued that organizational structures (the way tasks are defined, allocated, and coordinated) can influence moral agency in organizations. In particular, low values on different structural parameters (functional concentration, specialization, separation, and formalization) are said to foster an organizational context (allowing for relating to the goals and output of the organization, moral deliberation, and social connectedness) that is conducive to moral agency. In this paper, we investigate the relation between the organizational structure and moral agency in the case of a.s.r. (a large Dutch insurance company). While our empirical results fit the thesis that low values on structural parameters positively relate to moral agency, they also refine our understanding of the influence of structural parameters. In particular, our data suggest that the influence of functional concentration not only depends on whether it is low, but also on the type of criterion used for identifying business units; they suggest that the specific organizational context may put a limit to lowering design parameters and points at several non-structural factors that have an influence on the relation between structure and moral agency. In all, the paper contributes to a more detailed understanding of the conditions conducive to moral agency in organizations.
Classifying pseudo-ovals, translation generalized quadrangles, and elation Laguerre planes of small order
Authors: Monzillo Giusy , Penttila Tim , Siciliano Alessandro
Published: March 2024

We provide classification results for translation generalized quadrangles of order less than or equal to 64, and hence, for all incidence geometries related to them. The results consist of the classification of all pseudo-ovals in $$\textrm{PG}(3n-1,2)$$

PG
(
3
n
-
1
,
2
)

, for $$n=3,4$$

n
=
3
,
4

, and that of the pseudo-ovals in $$\textrm{PG}(3n-1,q)$$

PG
(
3
n
-
1
,
q
)

, for $$n=5,6$$

n
=
5
,
6

, such that one of the associated projective planes is Desarguesian.
Prym representations of the handlebody group
Authors: Bader Philipp
Published: March 2024

Let S be an oriented, closed surface of genus g. The mapping class group of S is the group of orientation preserving homeomorphisms of S modulo isotopy. In 1997, Looijenga introduced the Prym representations, which are virtual representations of the mapping class group that depend on a finite, abelian group. Let V be a genus g handlebody with boundary S. The handlebody group is the subgroup of those mapping classes of S that extend over V. The twist group is the subgroup of the handlebody group generated by twists about meridians. Here, we restrict the Prym representations to the handlebody group and further to the twist group. We determine the image of the representations in the cyclic case.
Higher resonance schemes and Koszul modules of simplicial complexes
Authors: Aprodu Marian , Farkas Gavril , Raicu Claudiu , Sammartano Alessio , Suciu Alexander I.
Published: March 2024

Each connected graded, graded-commutative algebraAof finite type over a field$$\Bbbk $$kof characteristic zero defines a complex of finitely generated, graded modules over a symmetric algebra, whose homology graded modules are called the(higher) Koszul modulesofA. In this note, we investigate the geometry of the support loci of these modules, called theresonance schemesof the algebra. When$$A=\Bbbk \langle \Delta \rangle $$A=k⟨Δ⟩is the exterior Stanley–Reisner algebra associated to a finite simplicial complex$$\Delta $$Δ, we show that the resonance schemes are reduced. We also compute the Hilbert series of the Koszul modules and give bounds on the regularity and projective dimension of these graded modules. This leads to a relationship between resonance and Hilbert series that generalizes a known formula for the Chen ranks of a right-angled Artin group.
Who lives there now? Residualisation of social housing in Austria
Authors: Angel Stefan , Mundt Alexis
Published: March 2024

Across Europe, there is a trend to re-focus social housing on the most economically vulnerable groups (“residualisation”). We investigate whether this trend is also observed in Austria, a conservative welfare state with a social housing system open to a broad range of households and a long tradition of municipal housing. Using data from 1995 to 2018, we estimate residualisation indicators that compare the income of social housing tenants with other housing sectors. Based on tenants’ income, we find that municipal housing has become more residualised. This contrasts with Austria’s social housing allocation policy, where generous income limits remain important cornerstones. For limited-profit housing associations (LPHAs), we observe a smaller residualisation trend (mainly outside the capital Vienna), which has gained momentum since the early 2010s. This remedies the Austrian peculiarity that the LPHA sector was a middle-income tenure rather than a safety net for the poor. For both types of social housing, a growing income gap with owners is noticeable.
Family Functioning, Identity Commitments, and School Value among Ethnic Minority and Ethnic Majority Adolescents
Authors: Mastrotheodoros Stefanos , Hillekens Jessie , Miklikowska Marta , Palladino Benedetta Emanuela , Lionetti Francesca
Published: March 2024

Ethnic minority youth show worse school adjustment than their ethnic majority peers. Yet, it remains unclear whether this gap can be explained by differences in family functioning and consequent identity commitments. This study examined (1) whether family functioning relates to identity commitments over time and (2) whether identity commitments impact later school value (3) among minority and majority adolescents. Minority (N = 205, Mage = 16.25 years, 31.1% girls) and majority adolescents (N = 480, Mage = 15.73 years, 47.9% girls) participated in this preregistered three-wave longitudinal study (T1: March-April 2012; T2: October 2012; T3: March-April 2013). Dynamic Panel Models revealed that most within-person cross-lagged associations were not significant in the total sample. Yet, multigroup analyses revealed differences between groups: Stronger identity commitments related to lower school value among minority adolescents, but were unrelated to school value among majority adolescents over time. Additionally, higher school value increased identity commitments among minority youth, yet it decreased identity commitments among majority youth over time. The findings highlight the differential interplay between identity commitments and school adjustment for minority and majority adolescents, with important implications for their future life chances.
Protopanaxadiols Eliminate Behavioral Impairments and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Parkinson’s Disease Mice Model
Authors: Zhao Jindong , Wang Ji , Zhao Kunying , Zhang Yuxiao , Hu Weiyan
Published: March 2024

Currently, there are no effective therapies to cure Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is the second most common neurodegenerative disease primarily characterized by motor dysfunction and degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Protopanaxadiols (PPDs), including 20 (R)- protopanaxadiol (R-PPD) and 20 (S)- protopanaxadiol (S-PPD), are main metabolites of ginsenosides. The role of ginsenosides in neurodegenerative diseases has been thoroughly studied, however, it is unknown whether PPDs can attenuate behavioral deficits and dopaminergic neuron injury in PD model mice to date. Here, we administered PPDs to MPTP-induced PD model mice and monitored the effects on behavior and dopaminergic neurons to investigate the effects of R-PPD and S-PPD against PD. Our results showed that R-PPD and S-PPD (at a dose of 20 mg/kg, i.g.) treatment alleviated MPTP (30 mg/kg, i.p.) induced behavioral deficits. Besides, R-PPD and S-PPD protected MPP+-induced neuron injury and mitochondrial dysfunction, and reduced the abnormal expression of Cyt C, Bax, caspase-3 and Bcl-2. These findings demonstrate that R-PPD and S-PPD were potentially useful to ameliorate PD.
Conformable modeling of normalization and recursional electromagnetic fields of spacelike magnetic curves
Authors: Körpinar Talat , Körpinar Zeliha , Özdemir Hatice
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we investigate spacelike magnetic curves according to Bishop frame. Firstly, we present conformable derivatives of Lorentz magnetic fields of these magnetic curves. Moreover, we calculate the conformable derivatives of the normalization and recursional electromagnetic vector fields. Finally, we give conformable energies of normalization and recursional electromagnetic fields related to spacelike magnetic curves.
Investigating the new perspectives of Caudrey–Dodd–Gibbon equation arising in quantum field theory
Authors: Şahinkaya Abdullah Furkan , Kurt Ali , Yalçınkaya İbrahim
Published: March 2024

The main purpose of the paper is obtaining the analytical results for beta fractional Caudrey–Dodd–Gibbon equation which is used to resolve complex problems in fluid dynamics, chemical kinetics, plasma physics, quantum field theory, crystal dislocations, and nonlinear optics by using auxiliary method. Beta derivative is a useful fractional operator due to satisfying basic properties of integer order derivative and also, allows us using chain rule and wave transform to turn nonlinear fractional partial differential equations into integer order ordinary differential equations. By the way many analytical methods can be applied to these equations. In order to understand the physical features of the solutions, 3D and 2D graphical illustrations are given. Finally, authors expect that the obtained solutions may give a deep insight for the explanation of physical phenomena in the fluid dynamics, chemical kinetics, plasma physics, quantum field theory, crystal dislocations, and nonlinear optics.
Les passages juridiques des faits aux normes
Authors: Moor Pierre
Published: March 2024

Tout ce qui n’est pas reconnu par le droit comme norme juridique est traité par lui comme un fait—normes sociales, connaissances scientifiques, mœurs, événements, etc. Le droit, système autoréférentiel, institue les compétences et les procédures par lesquelles une assertion quelconque, portant sur des faits, devient une norme juridique. Le présent texte analyse les différents lieux de passage par lesquels des faits peuvent ainsi être reconnus par le droit comme normes juridiques. Il analyse d’abord la réception et la construction des faits à considérer comme pertinents au regard de la norme applicable. Il introduit ensuite le concept de notions juridiques indéterminées, dont le sens ne peut être concrétisé que par référence à des faits de toute nature, ce qui requiert une argumentation propre à justifier cette référence. Les faits sont donc construits avant qu’une autorité instituée par le droit décide de leur donner la forme abstraite d’une norme juridique. Cette construction va être structurée comme un récit, dont la cohérence doit être assurée par référence à des schémas tirés de l’expérience sociale, de telle manière qu’elle puisse être acceptée comme raisonnable par la collectivité. Le juge comme le législateur apparaissent alors sous la double face d’une fonction juridique et d’un individu plongé dans la société, ce qui les met en mesure faire du droit avec des faits en les comprenant l’un et les autres.
How the Doctrine of Double Effect Rhetoric Harms Patients Seeking Voluntary Assisted Dying
Authors: Kendal E.
Published: March 2024

Victoria’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 (Vic) became the first state law to permit VAD in Australia under limited circumstances from June 2019. Before this, many palliative care physicians relied on the doctrine of double effect (DDE) to justify the use of pain relievers for terminally ill patients that were known to hasten death. The DDE claims that there is a morally significant difference between intending evil and merely foreseeing some bad side-effect will occur as a result of one’s actions. This article argues that the legacy of the DDE is promoting inequitable access to VAD in Victoria due to the assumption that death represents an “evil” for the patient and that the intentions of physicians providing VAD cannot be trusted. The latter claim relies on two common objections to the DDE: the risk of “purifying the intentions” and the issue of “closeness” when evaluating moral acts under this theory.
Analyzing user activity on Twitter during long-lasting crisis events: a case study of the Covid-19 crisis in Spain
Authors: Esquirol Bernat , Prignano Luce , Díaz-Guilera Albert , Cozzo Emanuele
Published: March 2024

A pandemic crisis like the Covid-19 outbreak is a complex event, involving numerous aspects of the social life on multiple temporal scales. Focusing on the Spanish Twittersphere, we characterized users' activity behavior across the different phases of the Covid-19 first wave. Firstly, we analyzed a sample of timelines of different classes of users from the Spanish Twittersphere in terms of their propensity to produce new information or to amplify information produced by others. Secondly, by performing stepwise segmented regression analysis and Bayesian switchpoint analysis, we looked for a possible behavioral footprint of the crisis in the statistics of users’ activity. We observed that generic Spanish Twitter users and journalists experienced an abrupt increment of their tweeting activity between March 9 and 14, in coincidence with control measures being announced by regional and state-level authorities. However, they displayed a stable proportion of retweets before and after the switching point. On the contrary, politicians represented an exception, being the only class of users not experimenting this abrupt change and following a completely endogenous dynamics determined by institutional agenda. On the one hand, they did not increment their overall activity, displaying instead a slight decrease. On the other hand, in times of crisis, politicians tended to strengthen their propensity to amplify information rather than produce it.
Exploring vocational outcomes, quality of life, and social inclusion in patients with spinal cord injuries following vocational rehabilitation in India
Authors: Li Alan , Wang Ziru , Khan Raabia , Ponnusamy Ramasubramanian , Krishna Dinesh , Nowrouzi-Kia Behdin
Published: March 2024

Study design

We conducted a mixed-methods sequential explanatory study. In India, most spinal cord injuries (SCI) occur within low socioeconomic status populations, typically resulting in poor vocational outcomes post-injury and difficulty reintegrating into the community. This study will increase our understanding of how vocational rehabilitation affects patients with SCI.

Objectives

This study aims to understand the factors affecting vocational outcomes, quality of life and social inclusion for patients who have completed the Amar Seva Sangam (ASSA’s) rehabilitation program, by examining both quantitative and qualitative measures.

Methods

Conducted at the University of Toronto, we used self-administered questionnaires via REDCap for quantitative data collection and semi-structured interviews for qualitative data collection to capture aspects of lived SCI experience for five participants.

Results

Thirty-two participants completed the quantitative phone questionnaire of which 17 were paraplegic and 15 were quadriplegic. Four themes emerged including physical barriers to employment, social inclusion of SCI patients, low income, and state of mental health.

Conclusion

This study provided a detailed examination of demographic information and lived experiences of ASSA participants. The findings will be relevant and applicable to both clinical and public health sectors in SCI rehabilitation in India and other low- and middle-income countries by directing rehabilitation programs to better address areas of function that allow patients to find success following rehabilitation.
Early Modern Atlantic Cities
Authors: Dantas Mariana , Hart Emma
Published: March 2024

The Atlantic World was an oceanic system circulating goods, people, and ideas that emerged in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century. European imperialism was its motor, while its character derived from the interactions between peoples indigenous to Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Much of the everyday workings of this oceanic system took place in urban settings. By sustaining the connections between these disparate regions, cities and towns became essential to the transformations that occurred in this early modern era. This Element, traces the emergence of the Atlantic city as a site of contact, an agent of colonization, a central node in networks of exchange, and an arena of political contestation. Cities of the Atlantic World operated at the juncture of many of the core processes in a global history of capitalism and of rising social and racial inequality. A source of analogous experiences of division as well as unity, they helped shape the Atlantic world as a coherent geography of analysis.
Emulation of Cloud Microphysics in a Climate Model
Authors: Perkins W. Andre , Brenowitz Noah D. , Bretherton Christopher S. , Nugent Jacqueline M.
Published: March 2024

We present a machine learning based emulator of a microphysics scheme for condensation and precipitation processes (Zhao‐Carr) used operationally in a global atmospheric forecast model (FV3GFS). Our tailored emulator architecture achieves high skill (≥94%) in predicting condensate and precipitation amounts and maintains low global‐average bias (≤4%) for 1 year of continuous simulation when replacing the Fortran scheme. The stability and success of this emulator stems from key design decisions. By separating the emulation of condensation and precipitation processes, we can better enforce physical priors such as mass conservation and locality of condensation, and the vertical dependence of precipitation falling downward, using specific network architectures. An activity classifier for condensation imitates the discrete‐continuous nature of the Fortran microphysics outputs (i.e., tendencies are identically zero where the scheme is inactive, and condensate is zero where clouds are fully evaporated). A temperature‐scaled conditional loss function ensures accurate condensate adjustments for a high dynamic range of cloud types (e.g., cold, low‐condensate cirrus clouds or warm, condensate‐rich clouds). Despite excellent overall performance, the emulator exhibits some deficiencies in the uppermost model levels, leading to biases in the stratosphere. The emulator also has short episodic skill dropouts in isolated grid columns and is computationally slower than the original Fortran scheme. Nonetheless, our challenges and strategies should be applicable to the emulation of other microphysical schemes. More broadly, our work demonstrates that with suitable physically motivated architectural choices, ML techniques can accurately emulate complex human‐designed parameterizations of fast physical processes central to weather and climate models.