bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The economy and career choices scale: Construction and initial validation
Authors: Santilli Sara , Ginevra Maria Cristina , Hartung Paul J. , Soresi Salvatore , Nota Laura
Published: July 2024

Today’s youth have grown up according to a largely neoliberal dominance. To assess youth’s views of the economy in relation to their career choices, we developed the Economy and Career Choices Scale (ECCS). Two studies involving Italian youth were conducted to develop the scale and examine its psychometric properties. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) conducted with two groups of high-school students confirmed the two-factor structure, specifically related to thoughts more consistent with a neoliberal view of the economy and thoughts in tune with a more equitable and supportive conception of it. Moreover, correlational analyses were conducted with the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale and Views of the Future Scale.
Monitoring of controlled ovarian stimulation in IVF
Authors: Kol Shahar , Castillo Farfan Juan Carlos , Trolice Mark P. , Quaas Alexander M.
Published: July 2024

Since the inception of in vitro fertilization (IVF), monitoring of controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) has traditionally involved numerous appointments for ultrasound and laboratory testing to guide medication use and dosing, determine trigger timing, and allow for measures to reduce the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Recent advances in the field of assisted reproductive technology (ART) have called into question the timing and frequency of COS monitoring appointments, as discussed in this commentary.
Bullying Victimization and Out-of-Home Care: The Role of Personal and Social Resources?
Authors: Wiemann Ann-Katrin , Werner Anika , Konrad Kerstin , Niestroj Sophie Charlotte , Steden Sarah , Boecker Maren , Lohaus Arnold
Published: July 2024

Previous studies have indicated that youth in care may represent a high-risk group for bullying victimization. So far, research has focused primarily on problem behavior rather than on potential personal or social resources of youth in care, particularly in the context of bullying victimization. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether youth in care are more likely to experience bullying victimization. Furthermore, it was analyzed if personal and social resources were protective of bullying victimization and whether these associations were moderated by family placement while controlling for lifetime poly-victimization. An online survey was completed by n = 119 youth in care and n = 110 youth in biological families in Germany - with or without a social/biological caregiver. Overall, the results showed that youth in care were 7.41 times more likely to experience bullying victimization than youth in biological families. Personal and social resources did add to the explained variance of current bullying victimization beyond lifetime poly-victimization in the child’s report. In particular, low levels of child-reported parental support and school integration were associated with more bullying victimization. These associations were not moderated by family placement, indicating similar effects for both, youth in care and youth in biological families.
Layering and institutional change: framework plan revision in Norwegian early childhood education and care
Authors: Homme Anne , Ludvigsen Kari , Danielsen Hilde
Published: July 2024

Central among a range of reforms and policy measures aimed at enhancing the quality and social cohesion of Norwegian early childhood education and care (ECEC) services is the 2017 Framework Plan for Kindergartens. In this article, we investigate the policy formation process and how framework plan reform has been carried out by public and private stakeholders at different levels. The reform is explored as institutional layering, referring to theoretical contributions that stress the role of incremental development and gradual institutional change. We ask: What are the policies added, and to what extent do added policies instigate institutional change? This article relies on qualitative document analyses, semistructured interviews, and quantitative survey data. We find high legitimacy for the framework plan in the ECEC sector, and informants broadly regard it as a continuation of earlier versions of the plan. Our analysis further shows that the implementation of the 2017 framework plan reform cannot be viewed in isolation, as it interacts with other reforms, trends, and instruments in the sector. We argue that blending reform design features with existing values and practices adds layers to Norwegian ECEC, instigating change. The analysis points to the need for further research on how national educational reforms are implemented in complex settings and to investigate the relationships between policy design and measures and between policy outcomes and ambitions. The relationships between different measures can be unclear to local implementers. Thus, we stress the importance of considering how reform outcomes depend on intertwined reforms and varying local conditions regarding capacity, norms, and values.
Thermal spray to embed optical fibers for the monitoring and protection of metallic structures
Authors: Rigamonti Daniela , Meneses Costa Hector Reynaldo , Bilotti Gianmarco , Bettini Paolo
Published: July 2024

In the framework of using fiber optics (FO) for structural health monitoring, a true challenge is to fix the fiber onto structures guaranteeing both protection for the former and an effective adhesion on the latter. This work proposes a method to obtain such result via thermal spray technique on metallic structures, allowing its use in the most severe conditions of corrosion and wear. Since the transmission medium between the structure and the sensitive part of the optical fiber is represented by the fiber coating, three differently coated fibers were used on C-40 steel substrate: polyacrylate, polyimide and ORMOCER. In addition, the use of a primer to improve the bond on the substrate was evaluated. The adhesion between FO and metallic coating is evaluated through optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electrons microscopy (SEM) analysis. The functionality is also verified with both thermal and mechanical tests to calibrate the measuring accuracy. The results indicate that the best combination is that of the polyimide fiber, a zinc primer and aluminum coating. The proven qualities are the adhesion at the interface between the metallic coating and the fiber optics, and the preservation of the structural integrity of the fiber itself and its coating, and a precise measurement of strain acquired by fiber Bragg grating sensors (FBGs). The use of the thermal spray process is thus proved to be a solution for the optical fiber and substrate interaction, since it preserves the integrity of the optical fiber, due to the low temperature of the process, adding the protection that the metallic coating offers as well.
A crossed module representation of a 2-group constructed from the 3-loop group $$\Omega ^3G$$
Authors: Mickelsson Jouko
Published: July 2024

The quantization of chiral fermions on a 3-manifold in an external gauge potential is known to lead to an abelian extension of the gauge group. In this article, we concentrate on the case of $$\Omega ^3 G$$

Ω
3

G

of based smooth maps on a 3-sphere taking values in a compact Lie group G. There is a crossed module constructed from an abelian extension $$\widehat{\Omega ^3 G}$$

Ω
3

G

^

of this group and a group of automorphisms acting on it as explained in a recent article by Mickelsson and Niemimäki. We shall construct a representation of this crossed module in terms of a representation of $$\widehat{\Omega ^3 G}$$

Ω
3

G

^

on a space of functions of gauge potentials with values in a fermionic Fock space and a representation of the automorphism group of $$\widehat{\Omega ^3 G}$$

Ω
3

G

^

as outer automorphisms of the canonical anticommutation relations algebra in the Fock space.
Projective and External Saturation Problem for Posets
Authors: Pálvölgyi Dömötör , Patkós Balázs
Published: July 2024

We introduce two variants of the poset saturation problem. For a poset P and the Boolean lattice $$\mathcal {B}_n$$

B
n

, a family $$\mathcal {F}$$
F
of finite subsets of $$\mathbb {N}$$
N
, not necessarily from $$\mathcal {B}_n$$

B
n

, is projectiveP-saturated if (i) it does not contain any strong copies of P, (ii) for any $$G\in \mathcal {B}_n\setminus \mathcal {F}$$

G
∈

B
n

\
F

, the family $$\mathcal {F}\cup \{G\}$$

F
∪
{
G
}

contains a strong copy of P, and (iii) for any two different $$F,F'\in \mathcal {F}$$

F
,

F
′

∈
F

we have $$F\cap [n]\ne F'\cap [n]$$

F
∩

[
n
]

≠

F
′

∩

[
n
]

. Ordinary strongly P-saturated families, i.e., families $$\mathcal {F}\subseteq \mathcal {B}_n$$

F
⊆

B
n

satisfying (i) and (ii), automatically satisfy (iii) as they lie within $$\mathcal {B}_n$$

B
n

. We study what phenomena are valid both for the ordinary saturation number $$\text {sat}^{*}(n,P)$$

sat

∗

(
n
,
P
)

and the projective saturation number $$\top \hspace{-10pt}\top \text {sat}(n,P)$$

⊤

⊤
sat
(
n
,
P
)

, the size of the smallest projective P-saturated family. Note that the projective saturation number might differ for a poset and its dual. Motivated by this, we introduce an even more relaxed and symmetric version of poset saturation, external saturation. We conjecture that all finite posets have bounded external saturation number, and prove this in some special cases.
People are STRANGE: towards a philosophical archaeology of self
Authors: Malafouris Lambros
Published: July 2024

Philosophical preoccupation with the hard problem of self-consciousness often takes human becoming for granted. In archaeology, the opposite is the norm. The emphasis is on when and how we became human while the problem of self (how did the ability to think about one’s own self come about? ) is largely neglected. This article suggest that those two aspects of human becoming cannot be meaningfully disentangled: humans are both persons and members of a species. I argue that people are STRANGE. I use the acronym STRANGE to describe the Situated TRANsactional and GEnerative process by which the human species (nature) and the human self (culture) become co-constituted in the lived space of material engagement. I propose that to study this middle space of self-becoming a synergy of enactive and situated perspectives from philosophy and archaeology is needed. Drawing on material engagement theory I sketch out my vision of what this synergy entails based on the notions of self-bounding, enactive in/dividuation, and the situated person perspective. I use the archaeological examples of stone knapping (toolmaking) and early body ornamentation to substantiate some of the main issues and methodological challenges.
A spatio-temporal multi-scale fusion algorithm for pine wood nematode disease tree detection
Authors: Li Chao , Li Keyi , Ji Yu , Xu Zekun , Gu Juntao , Jing Weipeng
Published: July 2024

Pine wood nematode infection is a devastating disease. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing enables timely and precise monitoring. However, UAV aerial images are challenged by small target size and complex surface backgrounds which hinder their effectiveness in monitoring. To address these challenges, based on the analysis and optimization of UAV remote sensing images, this study developed a spatio-temporal multi-scale fusion algorithm for disease detection. The multi-head, self-attention mechanism is incorporated to address the issue of excessive features generated by complex surface backgrounds in UAV images. This enables adaptive feature control to suppress redundant information and boost the model’s feature extraction capabilities. The SPD-Conv module was introduced to address the problem of loss of small target feature information during feature extraction, enhancing the preservation of key features. Additionally, the gather-and-distribute mechanism was implemented to augment the model’s multi-scale feature fusion capacity, preventing the loss of local details during fusion and enriching small target feature information. This study established a dataset of pine wood nematode disease in the Huangshan area using DJI (DJ-Innovations) UAVs. The results show that the accuracy of the proposed model with spatio-temporal multi-scale fusion reached 78.5%, 6.6% higher than that of the benchmark model. Building upon the timeliness and flexibility of UAV remote sensing, the proposed model effectively addressed the challenges of detecting small and medium-size targets in complex backgrounds, thereby enhancing the detection efficiency for pine wood nematode disease. This facilitates early preemptive preservation of diseased trees, augments the overall monitoring proficiency of pine wood nematode diseases, and supplies technical aid for proficient monitoring.
A Narrative Review of Ultrasound-Guided and Landmark-based Percutaneous Cryoneurolysis for the Management of Acute and Chronic Pain
Authors: Gabriel Rodney A. , Seng Eri C. , Curran Brian P. , Winston Paul , Trescot Andrea M. , Filipovski Igor
Published: July 2024

Purpose of Review

Cryoneurolysis refers to the process of reversibly ablating peripheral nerves with extremely cold temperatures to provide analgesia for weeks to months. With ultrasound-guidance or landmark-based techniques, it is an effective modality for managing both acute and chronic pain. In this review, we summarize the reported literature behind its potential applications and efficacy.

Recent Findings

Here, we summarize several studies (from case reports to clinical trials) describing the use of ultrasound-guided and landmark-based cryoneurolysis for acute and chronic pain. Acute pain indications included pain related to knee arthroplasty, limb amputations, mastectomies, shoulder surgery, rib fractures, and burn. Chronic pain indications included chronic knee pain (due to osteoarthritis), shoulder pain, painful neuropathies, postmastectomy pain syndrome, phantom limb pain, facial pain/headaches, foot/ankle pain, inguinal pain, and sacroiliac joint pain.

For both acute and chronic pain indications, more high quality randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to definitively assess the efficacy of cryoneurolysis versus other standard therapies for a multitude of pain conditions.
The Novel-B-Cell-Related Gene Signature Predicts the Prognosis and Immune Status of Patients with Esophageal Carcinoma
Authors: Li Xinhong , Sun Tongyu , Li Hongyan , Liu Juan , Huang Na , Liu Surong
Published: July 2024

Background

The current understanding of the prognostic significance of B cells and their role in the tumor microenvironment (TME) in esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) is limited.

Methods

We conducted a screening for B-cell-related genes through the analysis of single-cell transcriptome data. Subsequently, we developed a B-cell-related gene signature (BRGrisk) using LASSO regression analysis. Patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas cohort were divided into a training cohort and a test cohort. Patients were categorized into high- and low-risk groups based on their median BRGrisk scores. The overall survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and a nomogram based on BRGrisk was constructed. Immune infiltration profiles between the risk groups were also compared.

Results

The BRGrisk prognostic model indicated significantly worse outcomes for patients with high BRGrisk scores (p < 0.001). The BRGrisk-based nomogram exhibited good prognostic performance. Analysis of immune infiltration revealed that patients in the high-BRGrisk group had notably higher levels of immune cell infiltration and were more likely to be in an immunoresponsive state. Enrichment analysis showed a strong correlation between the prognostic gene signature and cancer-related pathways. IC50 results indicated that patients in the low-BRGrisk group were more responsive to common drugs compared to those in the high-BRGrisk group.

Conclusions

This study presents a novel BRGrisk that can be used to stratify the prognosis of ESCA patients and may offer guidance for personalized treatment strategies aimed at improving prognosis.
Solid-state NMR assignment of α-synuclein polymorph prepared from helical intermediate
Authors: Ahlawat Sahil , Mehra Surabhi , Gowda Chandrakala M. , Maji Samir K , Agarwal Vipin
Published: July 2024

Synucleinopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation of α-synuclein protein aggregates in the neurons and glial cells. Both ex vivo and in vitro α-synuclein fibrils tend to show polymorphism. Polymorphism results in structure variations among fibrils originating from a single polypeptide/protein. The polymorphs usually have different biophysical, biochemical and pathogenic properties. The various pathologies of a single disease might be associated with distinct polymorphs. Similarly, in the case of different synucleinopathies, each condition might be associated with a different polymorph. Fibril formation is a nucleation-dependent process involving the formation of transient and heterogeneous intermediates from monomers. Polymorphs are believed to arise from heterogeneous oligomer populations because of distinct selection mechanisms in different conditions. To test this hypothesis, we isolated and incubated different intermediates during in vitro fibrillization of α-synuclein to form different polymorphs. Here, we report 13C and 15N chemical shifts and the secondary structure of fibrils prepared from the helical intermediate using solid-state nuclear magnetic spectroscopy.
Loneliness, peer relationships, and symptoms of depression affect health care service use in adolescence
Authors: Kekkonen Virve , Kraav Siiri-Liisi , Hintikka Jukka , Kivimäki Petri , Kaarre Outi , Tolmunen Tommi
Published: July 2024

Adolescents’ health behavior is promoted by their social relationships, and social isolation may affect their health and use of health care services. No previous studies have examined the quality of social relationships and health care service use from adolescence to young adulthood. We investigated the associations between the quality of the social relationships, depression, and the utilization of primary health care services by adolescents and young adults. The participants (n = 793, aged 13-18 years) were from a general population sample who attended a five-year follow-up study. Data on health care service utilization were obtained from primary health care registers. Self-rated questionnaires were used at two time points, and the associations between the number of visits to health services and background factors were analyzed using generalized linear models. The mediating effect of depressive symptoms on the relationship between loneliness and health service use was assessed with a simple mediation model. Young age, female gender, and symptoms of depression associated with a higher number of visits to health care services during the follow-up period. Loneliness in males and poor relationships with peers in females associated with a lower number of health care service visits. Furthermore, the effect of loneliness on health service visits was mediated by symptoms of depression. The quality of social relationships in adolescence may affect the utilization of health care services, and the role of social relationships in health care service utilization differs between males and females.
Constructing diagnostic signature of serum microRNAs using machine learning for early pan-cancer detection
Authors: Xu Yuyan , Liao Wei , Chen Huanwei , Pan Mingxin
Published: July 2024

Background

Cancer is a major public health concern and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Various studies have reported the use of serum microRNAs (miRNAs) as non-invasive biomarkers for cancer detection. However, large-scale pan-cancer studies based on serum miRNAs have been relatively scarce.

Methods

An optimized machine learning workflow, combining least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analyses, recursive feature elimination (RFE), and fourteen kinds of machine learning algorithms, was use to screen out candidate miRNAs from 2540 serum miRNAs and constructed a potent diagnostic signature (Cancer-related Serum miRNA Signatures) for pan-cancer detection, based on a serum miRNA expression dataset of 38,223 samples.

Result

Cancer-related Serum miRNA Signatures performed well in pan-cancer detection with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.999, 94.51% sensitivity, and 99.49% specificity in the external validation cohort, and represented an acceptable diagnostic performance for identifying early-stage tumors. Furthermore, the ability of multi-classification of tumors by serum miRNAs in pancreatic, colorectal, and biliary tract cancers was lower than that in other cancers, which showed accuracies of 59%, 58.5%, and 28.9%, respectively, indicating that the difference in serum miRNA expression profiles among a small number of tumor subtypes was not as significant as that between cancer samples and non-cancer controls.

Conclusion

We have developed a serum miRNA signature using machine learning that may be a cost-effective risk tool for pan-cancer detection. Our findings will benefit not only the predictive diagnosis of cancer but also a preventive and more personalized screening plan.
STEPS (Study To Examine Parent, Patient/Dental Provider Systems) to Prevent Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-Related Cancers: A Piloted Dental Patient and Provider Evaluation of Current and Future HPV Education
Authors: Jordan Kelsey H. , Stephens Julie A. , Niles Kaleigh , Hoffmeyer Nina , Pennell Michael L. , Oliveri Jill M. , Paskett Electra D.
Published: July 2024

Oropharyngeal human papillomavirus (HPV) cancers are prevalent, but HPV education in dental clinics is uncommon. The purpose of this study was to evaluate dental provider and patient knowledge from, attitudes towards, and preferences for HPV education, then assess perceptions of existing HPV educational materials for use at dental visits. Appalachian Ohio dental patients (n = 13) and general/pediatric dental providers (n = 10) completed an initial, close-ended survey on current HPV knowledge and HPV educational attitudes, participation, and resource preferences. Select individuals reviewed existing HPV educational videos and toolkits via virtual focus groups (n = 9) or independent review surveys (n = 6). Using a discussion guide, participants responded to overall, visual, auditory, and content satisfaction statements, orally (focus groups) or with Likert scales (independent reviews). Surveys were summarized with frequencies/percentages; transcripts were qualitatively coded to identify potential material modifications. Dental providers and patients were more comfortable with HPV and oral cancer education (87% and 96%, respectively) and screening (96%) than with HPV vaccine education (74%) and referrals (61%) during dental visits. Providers were neither sharing HPV educational materials (80%) nor initiating educational conversations with dental patients (100%). The American Cancer Society videos and the “Team Maureen” toolkit were the most liked resources (i.e., fewer negative/disagree statements) by all participant groups. Findings indicate that future dental HPV educational efforts should be informed by currently available materials. Additional interventions are needed to promote dental provider discussions and sharing of educational materials with patients to increase education and promotion of the HPV vaccine and reduce oropharyngeal cancers.
Integration of bio-inspired limb-like structure damping into motor suspension of high-speed trains to enhance bogie hunting stability
Authors: Zhang Heng , Ling Liang , Stichel Sebastian , Zhai Wanming
Published: July 2024

Hunting stability is an important performance criterion in railway vehicles. This study proposes an incorporation of a bio-inspired limb-like structure (LLS)-based nonlinear damping into the motor suspension system for traction units to improve the nonlinear critical speed and hunting stability of high-speed trains (HSTs). Initially, a vibration transmission analysis is conducted on a HST vehicle and a metro vehicle that suffered from hunting motion to explore the effect of different motor suspension systems from on-track tests. Subsequently, a simplified lateral dynamics model of an HST bogie is established to investigate the influence of the motor suspension on the bogie hunting behavior. The bifurcation analysis is applied to optimize the motor suspension parameters for high critical speed. Then, the nonlinear damping of the bio-inspired LLS, which has a positive correlation with the relative displacement, can further improve the modal damping of hunting motion and nonlinear critical speed compared with the linear motor suspension system. Furthermore, a comprehensive numerical model of a high-speed train, considering all nonlinearities, is established to investigate the influence of different types of motor suspension. The simulation results are well consistent with the theoretical analysis. The benefits of employing nonlinear damping of the bio-inspired LLS into the motor suspension of HSTs to enhance bogie hunting stability are thoroughly validated.
Influence of wind-blown sand content on the mechanical quality state of ballast bed in sandy railways
Authors: Chi Yihao , Xiao Hong , Zhang Zhihai , Wang Yang , Qian Zhongxia , Zhao Weize
Published: July 2024

During the operation of sandy railways, the challenge posed by wind-blown sand is a persistent issue. An in-depth study on the influence of wind-blown sand content on the macroscopic and microscopic mechanical properties of the ballast bed is of great significance for understanding the potential problems of sandy railways and proposing reasonable and adequate maintenance and repair strategies. Building upon existing research, this study proposes a new assessment indicator for sand content. Utilizing the discrete element method (DEM) and fully considering the complex interactions between ballast and sand particles, three-dimensional (3D) multi-scale analysis models of sandy ballast beds with different wind-blown sand contents are established and validated through field experiments. The effects of varying wind-blown sand content on the microscopic contact distribution and macroscopic mechanical behavior (such as resistance and support stiffness) of ballast beds are carefully analyzed. The results show that with the increase in sand content, the average contact force and coordination number between ballast particles gradually decrease, and the disparity in contact forces between different layers of the ballast bed diminishes. The longitudinal and lateral resistance of the ballast bed initially decreases and then increases, with a critical point at 10% sand content. At 15% sand content, the lateral resistance is mainly shared by the ballast shoulder. The longitudinal resistance sharing ratio is always the largest on the sleeper side, followed by that at the sleeper bottom, and the smallest on the ballast shoulder. When the sand content exceeds 10%, the contribution of sand particles to stiffness significantly increases, leading to an accelerated growth rate of the overall support stiffness of the ballast bed, which is highly detrimental to the long-term service performance of the ballast bed. In conclusion, it is recommended that maintenance and repair operations should be promptly conducted when the sand content of the ballast bed reaches or exceeds 10%.
Production efficiency of wheat farmers in the Arsi Zone, Oromia Region of Ethiopia
Authors: Agazhi Zenaye Degefu , Mada Melkamu , Alemu Mebratu
Published: July 2024

Wheat is a cereal crop that contributes to food security; thus, Ethiopia must boost the production efficiency of wheat to meet the sustainable development goal of eradicating hunger and poverty. Consequently, a significant revolution is occurring in the Ethiopian wheat industry to improve production and productivity. Therefore, it is critical to understand the current level of wheat farmers’ efficiency, as its production is highly influenced by existing agricultural technologies and climate change, which makes it dynamic. Accordingly, this study employed the parametric Cobb–Douglas stochastic frontier and two-limit Tobit models to evaluate wheat farmers’ efficiency and determine their drivers in Ethiopia’s largest wheat-producing area, the Arsi Zone. A multistage sampling strategy was applied to obtain a representative sample of 422 wheat farmers. The model’s output suggested that the average technical, allocative, and economic efficiency scores were 80.8%, 88.1%, and 71.3%, respectively. It is confirmed that wheat farmers’ efficiencies can increase with household head age, education level, livestock ownership, contact with extension agents, wheat mechanization, and involvement in non/off-farm activities but decrease with household distance from the main market and total land holdings. To realize the potential gains from wheat cultivation in Ethiopia, the government needs to develop policies and strategies that enhance farmers’ education, livestock production, and extension contact, facilitate infrastructure, market development, and wheat mechanization, and promote non/off-farm activities.
Barriers to women’s participation in higher engineering education: a qualitative assessment of the role of social networks of students in a Ghanaian university
Authors: Omari Rose , Akuffobea-Essilfie Mavis , Baah-Tuahene Sylvia , Hagan Elizabeth , Sarpong-Anane Afua Bonsu , Asabo Rankine , Akon-Yamga Gordon , Kouevi Teko Augustin
Published: July 2024

Engineering is critical for socio-economic development, however only a few women participate in engineering education and careers. This study aimed to identify the types of negative information propagated by the social networks of engineering students that could create barriers to students, and particularly women’s retention in engineering education and careers, and assess whether they influence men and women differently. The study was exploratory hence six focus group discussions were conducted with undergraduate engineering students in their second, third, and fourth years of study in a Ghanaian university. An interview guide was used to, among others, examine the perceptions and misconceptions of students’ social networks about engineering and the negative information that circulates within the networks. Demotivating information from students’ social networks were mainly misconceptions such as (1) engineering is too difficult and strenuous for women, and only meant for strong and well-built people, (2) engineering negatively affects women’s beauty and body image, (3) engineering makes women unfashionable and unattractive, and (4) engineering is a threat to marital and family lives. Both female and male students were negatively affected by misinformation about engineering being difficult and having limited job prospects as well as societal preferences for other programmes such as medicine. The misinformation could serve as a barrier, especially for students lacking ‘faith and the spirit of perseverance’ to pursue and graduate from engineering programmes. While efforts are being made to bridge the gender gap in engineering education and careers, there are misconceptions and misinformation that can hinder progress toward achieving the desired gender parity. Educational policies must integrate gender-responsive strategies including addressing the socio-cultural and stereotypical factors and public misconceptions. There is a need to provide strategic counselling services to engineering students to be able to cope with the effects of negative information from their social networks especially during the early years of their studies in the universities.
Criteria for stopping high-flow nasal oxygen for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Pan Jason Timothy , See Kay Choong
Published: July 2024

High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) has been widely promoted during the COVID-19 pandemic to circumvent invasive mechanical ventilation. While there are several reported benefits, randomized trials demonstrate inconsistent variable success. We hypothesize that this is due to variable stopping criteria. This systematic review’s purpose is to review these criteria and investigate any associations with HFNC outcomes. We searched PubMed and EMBASE for all English-language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2022, focusing on respiratory rate as a threshold for escalation of respiratory support. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on trial failure criteria, and intubation and mortality benefits were studied. Fisher’s exact test was performed following a 5% level of significance. Of the 22 RCTs included, 4 (18.2%) reported significant intubation benefits and 1 (0.05%) reported significant mortality benefit. The presence of objective failure criteria with a prespecified high respiratory rate threshold (35 breaths per minute or higher) had a significant effect on intubation rate reduction (P = 0.02). However, this result might be limited by the heterogeneity of the included studies. Further RCTs are required to confirm this conclusion. Given that a high respiratory rate threshold was associated with a reduction of intubation without increasing mortality, we hypothesize that among patients receiving HFNC who were eventually not intubated, the avoidance of intubation led to better clinical outcomes, while among eventually intubated patients, delays led to poorer outcomes.
The IPCC and the Politics of Writing Climate Change
Authors: Hughes Hannah
Published: July 2024

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is one of the most significant global assessment bodies established, and it provides the most authoritative and influential assessments of climate change knowledge. This book examines the history and politics of the organisation, and how this shapes its assessment practice and the climate knowledge it produces. Developing a new methodology, this book focuses on the actors, activities, and forms of authority affecting the IPCC's constructions of climate change. It describes how social, economic, and political dynamics influence all aspects of the organisation and its work. The book contributes to understanding the place of science in politics and politics in science, and offers important insights for designing new knowledge bodies for global environmental agreement-making. It is indispensable for students and researchers in environmental studies, international relations, and political science, as well as policymakers and anyone interested in the IPCC.
Aggressive Aerosol Mitigation Policies Reduce Chances of Keeping Global Warming to Below 2C
Authors: Wood R. , Vogt M. A. , McCoy I. L.
Published: July 2024

Aerosol increases over the 20th century delayed the rate at which Earth warmed as a result of increases in greenhouse gases (GHGs). Aggressive aerosol mitigation policies arrested aerosol radiative forcing from ∼1980 to ∼2010. Recent evidence supports decreases in forcing magnitude since then. Using the approximate partial radiative perturbation (APRP) method, future shortwave aerosol effective radiative forcing changes are isolated from other shortwave changes in an 18‐member ensemble of ScenarioMIP projections from phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). APRP‐derived near‐term (2020–2050) aerosol forcing trends are correlated with published model emulation values but are 30%–50% weaker. Differences are likely explained by location shifts of aerosol‐impacting emissions and their resultant influences on susceptible clouds. Despite weaker changes, implementation of aggressive aerosol cleanup policies will have a major impact on global warming rates over 2020–2050. APRP‐derived aerosol radiative forcings are used together with a forcing and impulse response model to estimate global temperature trends. Strong mitigation of GHGs, as in SSP1‐2.6, likely prevents warming exceeding 2C since preindustrial but the strong aerosol cleanup in this scenario increases the probability of exceeding 2C by 2050 from near zero without aerosol changes to 6% with cleanup. When the same aerosol forcing is applied to a more likely GHG forcing scenario (i.e., SSP2‐4.5), aggressive aerosol cleanup more than doubles the probability of reaching 2C by 2050 from 30% to 80%. It is thus critical to quantify and simulate the impacts of changes in aerosol radiative forcing over the next few decades.
Amazonian Tectonic Evolution of Ceraunius and Tractus Fossae, Mars, and Implications for Local Magmatic Sources
Authors: Shahrzad Stephanie , Bramham Emma K. , Piazolo Sandra , Thomas Mark , Byrne Paul K.
Published: July 2024

The heavily faulted Martian terrains of Ceraunius Fossae and Tractus Fossae, south of the Alba Mons volcano, have previously only been considered as parts of larger tectonic studies of Alba Mons, and consequently the complexity of the faulting remains unclear. As these terrains are in the midst of the large Tharsis volcanoes, the study of their surface deformation has the potential to help unravel the volcano‐tectonic deformation associated with the growth of Tharsis as well as to decipher details of the magma‐tectonic processes responsible for graben formation. Here, we distinguish between faults and collapse structures based on image and topographic evidence. We mapped ∼12,000 faults, which we grouped into three distinct fault groups based on orientation, morphology, and relative ages. These show a temporal evolution in the mapped fault orientations from NE to N‐S to NW with associated changes in stress orientations. We also mapped collapse features and categorized them into four different groups: pit‐crater chains, catenae, u‐shaped troughs and chasmata. Examining the four collapse structure groups reveals that they are likely four progressive stages in the erosional evolution of pit‐crater chains. Together, this revealed a structural history heavily influenced by lateral diking from both local (radial to Alba Mons, Pavonis Mons and Ascraeus Mons) and regional (radial to Tharsis) sources, and vertical diking from a proposed Ceraunius Fossae centered magma source. This, along with an updated crater size‐frequency distribution analysis of the unit ages, reveals a highly active tectonic and magmatic environment south of Alba Mons in the Middle Amazonian.
Scale‐Dependent Inter‐Catchment Groundwater Flow in Forested Catchments: Analysis of Multi‐Catchment Water Balance Observations in Japan
Authors: Oda Tomoki , Iwasaki Kenta , Egusa Tomohiro , Kubota Tayoko , Iwagami Sho , Iida Shin'ichi , Momiyama Hiroki , Shimizu Takanori
Published: July 2024

Inter‐catchment groundwater flow (IGF) plays an essential role in streamflow generation and water quality in forested headwaters. Multiple factors are thought to contribute to IGF, including climate, topographical, and geological factors. However, studies have not clarified the relationships between IGF and catchment properties in the headwater catchments due to the lack of observational data at scales smaller than 100 ha. This study examined possible factors influencing IGF using random forest analysis based on annual water balance data from 152 forested catchments ranging from 0.09 to 9400 ha in Japan. The results showed that catchment scale had the greatest influence on IGF, and IGF tended to decrease with increasing catchment area at scales of less than 10 ha. The average IGF stabilized around zero in catchments greater than 10 ha. The averaged IGF trend with catchment scale indicated more outward groundwater flow in catchments smaller than 10 ha, but no relationship between IGF and catchment size in catchments larger than 10 ha. The variability in IGF decreased with catchment size and was lowest at 10–100 ha. The decrease in variability in catchments less than 100 ha was mainly due to river confluence and the increased variability in catchments larger than 100 ha indicated potential observation errors increase in catchments of this size.
Long-term health in individuals born preterm or with low birth weight: A cohort study
Authors: Amadou Coralie , Ancel Pierre-Yves , Zeitlin Jennifer , Ribet Céline , Zins Marie , Charles Marie-Aline
Published: July 2024

Background

To measure the association of prematurity and non-preterm low birth weight (LBW) with several long-term health outcomes.

Methods

We selected adult participants from the Constances cohort. Associations between preterm birth (<37 weeks versus ≥37 weeks) and outcomes were measured using modified Poisson regression with adjustment for participant age and parental history. We used the same modeling methods to measure the association between LBW (i.e., <sex-specific 10th percentile) and outcomes in participants born ≥ 37 weeks. We tested for an interaction between exposures and sex.

Results

Among 30,295 participants, preterm birth (5.2%) was associated with (RR[CI95]): obesity (1.25[1.08–1.46]), hypertriglyceridemia (1.23[1.07–1.42]), high LDL-cholesterol (1.16[1.05–1.28]), high blood pressure (HBP) (1.22[1.08–1.36]), metabolic syndrome (1.35[1.06–1.71]), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (1.26[1.08–1.47]), allergic and atopic symptoms (1.06[1.01–1.12]), and lack of tertiary education (1.11[1.02–1.20]). Women had a significantly higher risk of hypertriglyceridemia and metabolic syndrome. In non-preterm participants, LBW was associated with prediabetes/diabetes (1.30[1.12–1.52]), HBP (1.22[(1.12–1.33]) and lack of tertiary education (1.13[1.07–1.20]), whereas the risk of obesity (0.83[0.73–0.95]) and abdominal obesity (0.84[0.76–0.93]) was reduced.

Conclusion

Preterm birth and non-preterm LBW are both risk factors for several adult outcomes. However, regarding excess fat storage, their long-term effect seems to be in the opposite direction.

Impact statement

Preterm birth is associated with a higher long-term risk of obesity, whereas low birth weight is not.

This study improves the understanding of the common idea that low birth weight is associated with a long-term risk of obesity, whereas it might depend on the cause of low birth weight.

These findings provide new insights into the difficult distinction between the long-term adverse health effects of preterm birth and low birth weight.
Differential signalling requirements for RIPK1-dependent pyroptosis in neutrophils and macrophages
Authors: Yow See Jie , Rosli Safwah Nasuha , Hutchinson Paul E. , Chen Kaiwen W.
Published: July 2024

TLR4 and TNFR1 signalling promotes potent proinflammatory signal transduction events, thus, are often hijacked by pathogenic microorganisms. We recently reported that myeloid cells retaliate Yersinia blockade of TAK1/IKK signalling by triggering RIPK1-dependent caspase-8 activation that promotes downstream GSDMD and GSDME-mediated pyroptosis in macrophages and neutrophils respectively. However, the upstream signalling events for RIPK1 activation in these cells are not well defined. Here, we demonstrate that unlike in macrophages, RIPK1-driven pyroptosis and cytokine priming in neutrophils are driven through TNFR1 signalling, while TLR4-TRIF signalling is dispensable. Furthermore, we demonstrate that activation of RIPK1-dependent pyroptosis in neutrophils during Yersinia infection requires IFN-γ priming, which serves to induce surface TNFR1 expression and amplify soluble TNF secretion. In contrast, macrophages utilise both TNFR1 and TLR4-TRIF signalling to trigger cell death, but only require TRIF but not autocrine TNFR1 for cytokine production. Together, these data highlight the emerging theme of cell type-specific regulation in cell death and immune signalling in myeloid cells.
Reduced speech coherence in psychosis-related social media forum posts
Authors: Plank Laurin , Zlomuzica Armin
Published: July 2024

The extraction of linguistic markers from social media posts, which are indicative of the onset and course of mental disorders, offers great potential for mental healthcare. In the present study, we extracted over one million posts from the popular social media platform Reddit to analyze speech coherence, which reflects formal thought disorder and is a characteristic feature of schizophrenia and associated psychotic disorders. Natural language processing (NLP) models were used to perform an automated quantification of speech coherence. We could demonstrate that users who are active on forums geared towards disorders with a higher degree of psychotic symptoms tend to show a lower level of coherence. The lowest coherence scores were found in users of forums on dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. In contrast, a relatively high level of coherence was detected in users of forums related to obsessive–compulsive disorder, anxiety, and depression. Users of forums on posttraumatic stress disorder, autism, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder exhibited medium-level coherence. Our findings provide promising first evidence for the possible utility of NLP-based coherence analyses for the early detection and prevention of psychosis on the basis of posts gathered from publicly available social media data. This opens new avenues for large-scale prevention programs aimed at high-risk populations.
Is volumetric pricing for drinking water an effective revenue strategy in rural Mali?
Authors: Wagner Johannes , Koehler Johanna , Dupuis Mikael , Hope Rob
Published: July 2024

Africa lags behind the world on operational and financial progress to maintain safe drinking water services. In rural Mali, we explore the implications of monthly flat fee contributions and volumetric (pay-as-you-fetch) payments for water use and revenue generation. By assessing 4413 months of data across 177 handpumps, we find that once payment modalities switch from volumetric payments to monthly flat fees, a waterpoint registers a more than three-times higher monthly revenue. While flat fees cover a higher share of the operational costs of providing reliable water services, a subsidy gap persists. Flat fees appear to stimulate daily water use which more than doubles compared to volumetric payments. We estimate that a 1 °C increase in average monthly temperature is associated with 180 more litres of water used every day per handpump, emphasising the importance of climate-resilient water supplies. Based on these insights, we discuss the role of professional service delivery models to support reliable drinking water services for rural communities.
Direct observation of translational activation by a ribonucleoprotein granule
Authors: Chen Ruoyu , Stainier William , Dufourt Jeremy , Lagha Mounia , Lehmann Ruth
Published: July 2024

Biomolecular condensates organize biochemical processes at the subcellular level and can provide spatiotemporal regulation within a cell. Among these, ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules are storage hubs for translationally repressed mRNA. Whether RNP granules can also activate translation and how this could be achieved remains unclear. Here, using single-molecule imaging, we demonstrate that the germ cell-determining RNP granules in Drosophila embryos are sites for active translation of nanos mRNA. Nanos translation occurs preferentially at the germ granule surface with the 3′ UTR buried within the granule. Smaug, a cytosolic RNA-binding protein, represses nanos translation, which is relieved when Smaug is sequestered to the germ granule by the scaffold protein Oskar. Together, our findings uncover a molecular process by which RNP granules achieve localized protein synthesis through the compartmentalized loss of translational repression.