bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From “Am I just too old for this?” To “Hey – I think I could do that!”: a collaborative self-study of the implementation of blended synchronous learning in initial teacher education
Authors: McCaw Christopher T. , Mendus Alys , Boyer Abbey , Cameron Scott , Leve Annabelle , Messer Ray
Published: September 2023

Blended Synchronous Learning (BSL) refers to when students located in physical classrooms learn together with peers who attend remotely, via networked digital technologies. The Covid-19 pandemic, along with ambitions to increase flexibility in learning delivery mode for students, has led to the increased implementation of BSL in tertiary education. The current evidence-base around BSL provides important principles for its use, but relatively little research has examined the experiences of teaching staff in depth. This article uses a self-study methodology to explore educators’ experiences of BSL implementation in a post-graduate Initial Teacher Education course in Australia. Six teaching staff, all co-researchers for the study, contributed reflective data, and engaged in analysis and interpretation of the data via structured critical friendships. Insights related to four key themes were derived from the analysis: institutional and pedagogical factors; educator wellbeing, self-efficacy and professional identity; staffing support; and collegial professional learning. The implementation of BSL, while aligned with existing recommendations, produced significant challenges for educators in relation to institutional support and training, pedagogical practices, operation of BSL technologies, professional identity and self-efficacy. Cognitive overload was a prominent feature of the BSL teaching experience. On the whole, while drawing on existing skills and teaching experience, educators held significant concerns with the overall quality of student learning in BSL—especially for remote students. Training, practice, technical and co-teaching support, as well as collegial relationships, were important mediators of educator experience. The findings suggest that the implementation of BSL requires substantial investment in staffing, training, skill development, and opportunities for authentic, meaningful practice and prototyping. The findings also affirm the value of timely, organisationally supported and collaborative professional learning as part of BSL implementation.
A Pilot Randomised Control Trial Exploring the Feasibility and Acceptability of Delivering a Personalised Modular Psychological Intervention for Anxiety Experienced by Autistic Adults: Personalised Anxiety Treatment-Autism (PAT-A)
Authors: Rodgers Jacqui , Brice Samuel , Welsh Patrick , Ingham Barry , Wilson Colin , Evans Gemma , Steele Katie , Cropper Emily , Le Couteur Ann , Freeston Mark , Parr Jeremy R.
Published: September 2023

Anxiety is commonly experienced by autistic people and impacts on quality of life and social participation. New anxiety interventions are required to effectively meet the needs of autistic people. Personalised Anxiety Treatment-Autism (PAT-A©) is a bespoke, modular approach to treating anxiety in up to 12 sessions. This study explored the feasibility and acceptability of delivering PAT-A© in the UK National Health Service (NHS). A single-blind randomised controlled trial design. Thirty-four autistic adults were recruited via clinical services and randomised to receive either PAT-A© or enhanced treatment as usual (CCSP). Outcome assessments relating to anxiety, quality of life and related constructs were completed at baseline, immediately post intervention; and at 3 and 12 months. Seventy-one percent of the PAT-A© group and 65% of the CCSP met diagnostic threshold for at least three anxiety disorders. Retention was good across both groups, with 82% (N = 14/17) completing the full course of PAT-A© and 71% (N = 12/17) attending both psychoeducational sessions in CCSP. 94% in PAT-A© and 82% in CCSP completed some follow up assessment 3 months post-intervention. Thematic analysis of interview data revealed that many participants valued the personalised approach, developed transferable skills and experienced positive changes to their anxiety. Participants were willing to be recruited and randomised, PAT-A© was feasible to deliver in the NHS and the trial methods and materials were acceptable. Our findings indicate that a fully powered clinical and cost-effectiveness trial of PAT-A© is warranted.
Mental Health of Mothers and Children During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross-sectional Study on a Large Sample of Italian Families
Authors: Spina Giulia , Giordano Francesca , Cristofolini Flavia , Landoni Marta , Grazioli Silvia , Viggiani Cristina , Gnagnarella Camilla , Simione Luca
Published: September 2023

Individuals and communities worldwide have been affected by COVID-19, resulting in stress and emotional instability. Families faced a massive disruption of daily routines, with increased psychological problems for both parents and children. In this cross-sectional study, we explored the emotional impact that health crises have had on Italian families, and in particular on mothers. Nine hundred and seventy-five Italian mothers of children aged 3–18 years participated in this study by completing a survey about maternal and child mental health. The mother’s psychological state was assessed using the GHQ and the PSS, while the children’s psychological state with the SDQ. We also collected family socio-demographic information. We conducted a path analysis through structural equation modeling on this data, with the hypothesis that socio-demographic variables and mothers’ psychological state were related, as well as mothers’ psychological condition and children’s well-being. Our results demonstrated how, during the lockdown, mothers reported a worsening in their psychological state. Furthermore, we found that both educational level and housing type were positively associated with maternal psychological well-being, while remote working was associated with decreased well-being. Maternal mental health had a strong relationship with reported children’s psychological problems. Mothers’ perceived stress was related to decreased prosociality and increased hyperactivity, emotional difficulties, and behavioral problems, while mothers’ general discomfort and depression were related to increased peer problems and emotional problems. This result supports helping mothers find a new balance between work, family, and children as a way to improve family functioning and well-being, as well as children’s mental health and resilience.
The entrepreneurial university and development of large-scale research infrastructure: exploring the emerging university function of collaboration and leadership
Authors: Rådberg Kamilla Kohn , Löfsten Hans
Published: September 2023

This paper aimed to explore the emerging university function of collaboration and leadership in developing large-scale research infrastructure (LRI). A qualitative approach, drawing from both primary and secondary data, was employed to delve deeper into the roles and aspects of the entrepreneurial university pertinent to LRI development. The study highlighted the need for the entrepreneurial university to establish a strategic direction for collaboration and leadership in LRIs. A conceptual model was crafted that delineated the central role of the entrepreneurial university, segmenting the findings into three research elements: (1) research and education (2) collaboration, and (3) utilization and impact. Actor perspectives from both academia and industry were included. The findings emphasized that entrepreneurial universities had to engage more robustly with external actors to foster practical research applications. Universities were found to require a more synergistic role. The model proposed that entrepreneurial universities should classify actors not only by their viewpoint but also by their potential role in LRI. Key actors were identified as belonging to LRI and multi-academic environments, with some being directly involved, while others were indirectly or peripherally engaged. Directly involved actors, including numerous academic and industrial users, had a clear understanding of LRI utility and engagement, whereas indirectly involved ones were curious yet unsure about LRI interaction.
UCoDe: unified community detection with graph convolutional networks
Authors: Moradan Atefeh , Draganov Andrew , Mottin Davide , Assent Ira
Published: September 2023

Community detection finds homogeneous groups of nodes in a graph. Existing approaches either partition the graph into disjoint,non-overlapping, communities, or determine onlyoverlappingcommunities. To date, no method supports both detections of overlapping and non-overlapping communities. We propose UCoDe, aunifiedmethod for community detection in attributed graphs that detects both overlapping and non-overlapping communities by means of a novel contrastive loss that captures node similarity on a macro-scale. Our thorough experimental assessment on real data shows that, regardless of the data distribution, our method is either the top performer or among the top performers in both overlapping and non-overlapping detection without burdensome hyper-parameter tuning.
Undetected pseudoprogressions in the CeTeG/NOA-09 trial: hints from postprogression survival and MRI analyses
Authors: Zeyen Thomas , Paech Daniel , Weller Johannes , Schäfer Niklas , Tzaridis Theophilos , Duffy Cathrina , Nitsch Louisa , Schneider Matthias , Potthoff Anna-Laura , Steinbach Joachim Peter , Hau Peter , Schlegel Uwe , Seidel Clemens , Krex Dietmar , Grauer Oliver , Goldbrunner Roland , Zeiner Pia Susan , Tabatabai Ghazaleh , Galldiks Norbert , Stummer Walter , Hattingen Elke , Glas Martin , Radbruch Alexander , Herrlinger Ulrich , Schaub Christina
Published: September 2023

Purpose

In the randomized CeTeG/NOA-09 trial, lomustine/temozolomide (CCNU/TMZ) was superior to TMZ therapy regarding overall survival (OS) in MGMT promotor-methylated glioblastoma. Progression-free survival (PFS) and pseudoprogression rates (about 10%) were similar in both arms. Further evaluating this discrepancy, we analyzed patterns of postprogression survival (PPS) and MRI features at first progression according to modified RANO criteria (mRANO).

Methods

We classified the patients of the CeTeG/NOA-09 trial according to long vs. short PPS employing a cut-off of 18 months and compared baseline characteristics and survival times. In patients with available MRIs and confirmed progression, the increase in T1-enhancing, FLAIR hyperintense lesion volume and the change in ADC mean value of contrast-enhancing tumor upon progression were determined.

Results

Patients with long PPS in the CCNU/TMZ arm had a particularly short PFS (5.6 months). PFS in this subgroup was shorter than in the long PPS subgroup of the TMZ arm (11.1 months, p = 0.01). At mRANO-defined progression, patients of the CCNU/TMZ long PPS subgroup had a significantly higher increase of mean ADC values (p = 0.015) and a tendency to a stronger volumetric increase in T1-enhancement (p = 0.22) as compared to long PPS patients of the TMZ arm.

Conclusion

The combination of survival and MRI analyses identified a subgroup of CCNU/TMZ-treated patients with features that sets them apart from other patients in the trial: short first PFS despite long PPS and significant increase in mean ADC values upon mRANO-defined progression. The observed pattern is compatible with the features commonly observed in pseudoprogression suggesting mRANO-undetected pseudoprogressions in the CCNU/TMZ arm of CeTeG/NOA-09.
Did Old English Verse Have a “Morphological” Metre?
Authors: Goering Nelson
Published: September 2023

The revision of the four-position theory of Old English metre by Yakovlev (2008) has had a considerable impact, both for its simplification of Sievers’ (1893) metrical principles, and for its supposed shift to a “morphological” rather than an “accentual” metrical type. I contextualize Yakovlev’s important contribution to metrical theory, highlighting that his main innovations are to eliminate the principle that every verse should have two lifts, and to collapse the metrical notions of “lift” and of “half-lift” into a single type of unit, the “strong position”. These major and thoughtful innovations are unconnected to the supposed “morphological” aspect of Yakovlev’s system, which consists of arbitrary and unmotivated stipulations of certain classes of syllables as inherently strong or weak. Calling the metre “morphological” on this basis is at best misleading, placing too much emphasis on a marginal component of the system. Moreover, the definitions of strong and weak positions are better explained with reference to linguistic stress: elements bearing some degree of stress (primary or secondary) are strong, while those bearing no stress are weak. Such a reframing leads to a slight revision of Yakovlev’s theory to incorporate the “rule of the coda” (Fulk, 1992). The result is a version of Yakovlev’s theory which is both theoretically simpler and more descriptively adequate, but in which the label “morphological” lacks even the limited and inapt validity of the original version. This reintroduction of stress into the system does not, however, make the theory “accentual”, and it remains better characterized as an “alliterative-syllabic” view of the metre (Cable, 1991).
Numerically efficient full-vectorial rational Chebyshev pseudo-spectral modal analysis for optical Waveguides
Authors: Said Afaf , Obayya Salah
Published: September 2023

In this paper, an efficient full-vectorial modal analysis based on the rational Chebyshev pseudo-spectral method (V-RCPSM) is introduced to analyze 3 dimensional (3D) structures that are invariant along one spatial variable. Such structures are essential in silicon photonics and plasmonics applications where permittivity profiles with high-index contrast need precise treatment of the interface boundary conditions. Besides, such structures are open in general. Hence, good domain truncation is important. Our method handles these challenges via hybrid usage of the domain decomposition technique where the electromagnetic field is expanded in terms of Chebyshev functions in homogeneous regions, while the rational Chebyshev functions are used for semi-infinite homogeneous domains. The boundary conditions are rigorously imposed along the interfaces, a step that maintains the known exponential convergence rate of Chebyshev functions. Chebyshev functions have the ability to capture the correct rapid variation of the electromagnetic fields at the interfaces of the high-index-contrast waveguides using only a few basis functions; a critical feature for accurate mode computation. To show the accuracy and efficiency of our new approach, we studied rib and plasmonic waveguides and compared the results with those obtained using other full-vectorial approaches such as the finite elements method (FEM). Our developed approach has achieved a huge reduction in computational resources over the FEM.
A Potential of Legal Terminology to be Translated: The Case of ‘Regulation’ Translated into Ukrainian
Authors: Pavliuk Nataliia
Published: September 2023

The study focuses on the translatability of EU terminology into Ukrainian, with a specific emphasis on the term ‘regulation’. It explores the challenges and considerations involved in translating legal terms, particularly within the context of EU legislative acts. The concept of translatability potential is substantiated in the article. It is seen as language pair-dependent, influenced by the availability of similar legal concepts in the target law system, equivalent terms in the target language, and other factors. The research delves into the levels of translatability potential of legal terms, taking into consideration the existence of identical concepts in the target legal system, the mono- or polysemic semantic structure of the source term, and the established translation practices accepted by legal professionals. Based on these criteria, legal terms are classified into categories of high, upper-medium, lower-medium, and low translatability potentials. The article applies these criteria to analyse the translatability potential of the term ‘EU regulation’ in Ukrainian legal discourse. The distinction between legal terms and legal concepts are highlighted, and the concepts are considered to be mental representations associated with linguistic units. The corpus method and concept analysis are employed to analyse the impact of the context on the actualisation of specific components of semantic structure and, correspondingly, specific concepts. The use of the terms in ordinary and legal discourse is under analysis, as well as different Ukrainian translations of ‘regulation’ for each concept it manifests. Finally, the semantic structures of the term ‘EU regulation’ and its Ukrainian translation ‘peглaмeнт (rehlament)’ are compared to reveal the semantic shifts caused by translation. The concept and semantic analyses are conducted to explore the realisation of the translatability potential and see if the best option provided by the potential of the term was selected to meet the high requirements of legal translation.
Mineralogy of the Venus Surface
Authors: Gilmore Martha S. , Darby Dyar M. , Mueller Nils , Brossier Jérémy , Santos Alison R. , Ivanov Mikhail , Ghail Richard , Filiberto Justin , Helbert Jörn
Published: September 2023

Surface mineralogy records the primary composition, climate history and the geochemical cycling between the surface and atmosphere. We have not yet directly measured mineralogy on the Venus surface in situ, but a variety of independent investigations yield a basic understanding of surface composition and weathering reactions in the present era where rocks react under a supercritical atmosphere dominated by CO2, N2 and SO2 at ∼460 °C and 92 bars. The primary composition of the volcanic plains that cover ∼80% of the surface is inferred to be basaltic, as measured by the 7 Venera and Vega landers and consistent with morphology. These landers also recorded elevated SO3 values, low rock densities and spectral signatures of hematite consistent with chemical weathering under an oxidizing environment. Thermodynamic modeling and laboratory experiments under present day atmospheric conditions predict and demonstrate reactions where Fe, Ca, Na in rocks react primarily with S species to form sulfates, sulfides and oxides. Variations in surface emissivity at ∼1 μm detected by the VIRTIS instrument on the Venus Express orbiter are spatially correlated to geologic terrains. Laboratory measurements of the near-infrared (NIR) emissivity of geologic materials at Venus surface temperatures confirms theoretical predictions that 1 μm emissivity is directly related to Fe2+ content in minerals. These data reveal regions of high emissivity that may indicate unweathered and recently erupted basalts and low emissivity associated with tessera terrain that may indicate felsic materials formed during a more clement era. Magellan radar emissivity also constrain mineralogy as this parameter is inversely related to the type and volume of high dielectric minerals, likely to have formed due to surface/atmosphere reactions. The observation of both viscous and low viscosity volcanic flows in Magellan images may also be related to composition. The global NIR emissivity and high-resolution radar and topography collected by the VERITAS, EnVision and DAVINCI missions will provide a revolutionary advancement of these methods and our understanding of Venus mineralogy. Critically, these datasets must be supported with both laboratory experiments to constrain the style and rate weathering reactions and laboratory measurements of their NIR emissivity and radar characteristics at Venus conditions.
Jupiter Science Enabled by ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
Authors: Fletcher Leigh N. , Cavalié Thibault , Grassi Davide , Hueso Ricardo , Lara Luisa M. , Kaspi Yohai , Galanti Eli , Greathouse Thomas K. , Molyneux Philippa M. , Galand Marina , Vallat Claire , Witasse Olivier , Lorente Rosario , Hartogh Paul , Poulet François , Langevin Yves , Palumbo Pasquale , Gladstone G. Randall , Retherford Kurt D. , Dougherty Michele K. , Wahlund Jan-Erik , Barabash Stas , Iess Luciano , Bruzzone Lorenzo , Hussmann Hauke , Gurvits Leonid I. , Santolik Ondřej , Kolmasova Ivana , Fischer Georg , Müller-Wodarg Ingo , Piccioni Giuseppe , Fouchet Thierry , Gérard Jean-Claude , Sánchez-Lavega Agustin , Irwin Patrick G. J. , Grodent Denis , Altieri Francesca , Mura Alessandro , Drossart Pierre , Kammer Josh , Giles Rohini , Cazaux Stéphanie , Jones Geraint , Smirnova Maria , Lellouch Emmanuel , Medvedev Alexander S. , Moreno Raphael , Rezac Ladislav , Coustenis Athena , Costa Marc
Published: September 2023

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) will provide a detailed investigation of the Jovian system in the 2030s, combining a suite of state-of-the-art instruments with an orbital tour tailored to maximise observing opportunities. We review the Jupiter science enabled by the JUICE mission, building on the legacy of discoveries from the Galileo, Cassini, and Juno missions, alongside ground- and space-based observatories. We focus on remote sensing of the climate, meteorology, and chemistry of the atmosphere and auroras from the cloud-forming weather layer, through the upper troposphere, into the stratosphere and ionosphere. The Jupiter orbital tour provides a wealth of opportunities for atmospheric and auroral science: global perspectives with its near-equatorial and inclined phases, sampling all phase angles from dayside to nightside, and investigating phenomena evolving on timescales from minutes to months. The remote sensing payload spans far-UV spectroscopy (50-210 nm), visible imaging (340-1080 nm), visible/near-infrared spectroscopy (0.49-5.56 μm), and sub-millimetre sounding (near 530-625 GHz and 1067-1275 GHz). This is coupled to radio, stellar, and solar occultation opportunities to explore the atmosphere at high vertical resolution; and radio and plasma wave measurements of electric discharges in the Jovian atmosphere and auroras. Cross-disciplinary scientific investigations enable JUICE to explore coupling processes in giant planet atmospheres, to show how the atmosphere is connected to (i) the deep circulation and composition of the hydrogen-dominated interior; and (ii) to the currents and charged particle environments of the external magnetosphere. JUICE will provide a comprehensive characterisation of the atmosphere and auroras of this archetypal giant planet.
Boolean Connexive Logic and Content Relationship
Authors: Klonowski Mateusz , Estrada-González Luis
Published: September 2023

We present here some Boolean connexive logics (BCLs) that are intended to be connexive counterparts of selected Epstein’s content relationship logics (CRLs). The main motivation for analyzing such logics is to explain the notion of connexivity by means of the notion of content relationship. The article consists of two parts. In the first one, we focus on the syntactic analysis by means of axiomatic systems. The starting point for our syntactic considerations will be the smallest BCL and the smallest CRL. In the first part, we also identify axioms of Epstein’s logics that, together with the connexive principles, lead to contradiction. Moreover, we present some principles that will be equivalent to the connexive theses, but not to the content connexive theses we will propose. In the second part, we focus on the semantic analysis provided by relating- and set-assignment models. We define sound and complete relating semantics for all tested systems. We also indicate alternative relating models for the smallest BCL, which are not alternative models of the connexive counterparts of the considered CRLs. We provide a set-assignment semantics for some BCLs, giving thus a natural formalization of the content relationship understood either as content sharing or as content inclusion.
Modeling construction and demolition waste quantities in Tanta City, Egypt: a synergistic approach of remote sensing, geographic information system, and hybrid fuzzy neural networks
Authors: Elshaboury Nehal , AlMetwaly Wael M.
Published: September 2023

A waste management strategy needs accurate data on the generation rates of construction and demolition waste (CDW). The objective of this study is to provide a robust methodology for predicting CDW generation in Tanta City, one of the largest and most civilized cities in Egypt, based on socioeconomic and waste generation statistics from 1965 to 2021. The main contribution of this research involves the fusion of remote sensing and geographic information systems to construct a geographical database, which is employed using machine learning for modeling and predicting the quantities of generated waste. The land use/land cover map is determined by integrating topographic maps and remotely sensed data to extract the built-up, vacant, and agricultural areas. The application of a self-organizing fuzzy neural network (SOFNN) based on an adaptive quantum particle swarm optimization algorithm and a hierarchical pruning scheme is introduced to predict the waste quantities. The performance of the proposed models is compared against that of the FNN with error backpropagation and the group method of data handling using five evaluation measures. The results of the proposed models are satisfactory, with mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), normalized root mean square error (NRMSE), determination coefficient, Kling–Gupta efficiency, and index of agreement ranging between 0.70 and 1.56%, 0.01 and 0.03, 0.99 and 1.00, 0.99, and 1.00. Compared to other models, the proposed models reduce the MAPE and NRMSE by more than 92.90% and 90.64% based on fivefold cross-validation. The research findings are beneficial for utilizing limited data in developing effective strategies for quantifying waste generation. The simulation outcomes can be applied to monitor the urban metabolism, measure carbon emissions from the generated waste, develop waste management facilities, and build a circular economy in the study area.
The biocide triclosan as a potential developmental disruptor in Mytilus early larvae
Authors: Balbi Teresa , Miglioli Angelica , Montagna Michele , Piazza Davide , Risso Beatrice , Dumollard Remi , Canesi Laura
Published: September 2023

The broadly utilized biocide triclosan (TCS) is continuously discharged in water compartments worldwide, where it is detected at concentrations of ng-µg/L. Given its lipophilicity and bioaccumulation, TCS is considered potentially harmful to human and environmental health and also as a potential endocrine disruptor (ED) in different species. In aquatic organisms, TCS can induce a variety of effects: however, little information is available on its possible impact on invertebrate development. Early larval stages of the marine bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis have been shown to be sensitive to environmental concentrations of a number of emerging contaminants, including EDs. In this work, the effects of TCS were first evaluated in the 48 h larval assay in a wide concentration range (0.001–1,000 μg/L). TCS significantly affected normal development of D-veligers (LOEC = 0.1 μg/L; EC50 = 236.1 μg/L). At selected concentrations, the mechanism of action of TCS was investigated. TCS modulated transcription of different genes involved in shell mineralization, endocrine signaling, ceramide metabolism, and biotransformation, depending on larval stage (24 and 48 h post-fertilization-hpf) and concentration (1 and 10 μg/L). At 48 hpf and 10 μg/L TCS, calcein staining revealed alterations in CaCO3 deposition, and polarized light microscopy showed the absence of shell birefringence due to the mineralized phase. Observations by scanning electron microscopy highlighted a variety of defects in shell formation from concentrations as low as 0.1 μg/L. The results indicate that TCS, at environmental exposure levels, can act as a developmental disruptor in early mussel larvae mainly by interfering with the processes of biomineralization.
Translocation signatures of major elements in halophytes from hypersaline environments: the case study from Sečovlje Salina (Republic of Slovenia)
Authors: Kovač Nives , Hauptman Žan , Dolenec Matej , Škornik Iztok , Šmuc Nastja Rogan
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Hypersaline environments are extremely vulnerable and important ecological niches. Because much knowledge has focused on the distribution of heavy metals in these areas, the detailed behavior of key major elements in hypersaline environments has not been elucidated in detail.

This research aims to define the distribution, translocation pathways, and mobility patterns of the major elements in hypersaline sediments and halophytes.

Materials and methods

Samples of Sarcocornia fruticosa plants were collected from evaporation (ES) and crystallization (CA) sites in the Sečovlje Salina area (Republic of Slovenia). The major element contents were measured by digestion in HNO3 then aqua regia and analyzed by ICP-MS for ultra-low detection limits. Rhizo-sediments from EA and CA were processed using sequential extraction analysis to determine the precise fractionation of Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, and Na. To determine the translocation patterns of individual major elements in S. fruticosa, two indices were calculated: bioconcentration (BCF) and translocation factor (TF). Differences and similarities between samples and elements were highlighted using Statistica VII and Grapher 8 statistical software and Ward’s method, respectively.

Results and discussion

The obtained results confirmed that halophyte plants take up large amounts of the essential micronutrient Na due to high salinity, and that macronutrients (Ca, Mg, P, and S) are intensively translocated from the roots to the upper parts of the plant. The overall trend in translocation signature for major elements, distinguished by BCF and TF factor calculations, emphasizes that root tissues accumulate a significant amount of major elements and that accumulation depends on individual major elements. It also showed that the major elements Ca, Mg, Na, P, and S are highly translocated within plants, while the mobility of Al, Fe, and K is limited.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the major elements are vital macronutrients for halophytes, but their accumulation in the roots and further translocation within the plant depend on individual elements and their dynamics. The translocation pattern of the major elements can be justified as follows: Ca is an essential element for plant growth, maintenance, and membrane integrity; Mg is a specific component of chlorophyll; Na is present because of the hypersaline environment; P is a key component of plant metabolic processes; S represents an important component of enzymes and other key proteins; Al and Fe are preferentially accumulated in roots; and plant leaves are generally undersupplied with K. The presented results are of great importance for the general knowledge and use/application of halophytes in agriculture and biotechnology.
Evaluation of a newly designed deep learning-based algorithm for automated assessment of scapholunate distance in wrist radiography as a surrogate parameter for scapholunate ligament rupture and the correlation with arthroscopy
Authors: Keller Gabriel , Rachunek Katarzyna , Springer Fabian , Kraus Mathias
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Not diagnosed or mistreated scapholunate ligament (SL) tears represent a frequent cause of degenerative wrist arthritis. A newly developed deep learning (DL)-based automated assessment of the SL distance on radiographs may support clinicians in initial image interpretation.

Materials and Methods

A pre-trained DL algorithm was specifically fine-tuned on static and dynamic dorsopalmar wrist radiography (training data set n = 201) for the automated assessment of the SL distance. Afterwards the DL algorithm was evaluated (evaluation data set n = 364 patients with n = 1604 radiographs) and correlated with results of an experienced human reader and with arthroscopic findings.

Results

The evaluation data set comprised arthroscopically diagnosed SL insufficiency according to Geissler’s stages 0–4 (56.5%, 2.5%, 5.5%, 7.5%, 28.0%). Diagnostic accuracy of the DL algorithm on dorsopalmar radiography regarding SL integrity was close to that of the human reader (e.g. differentiation of Geissler’s stages ≤ 2 versus > 2 with a sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 78% compared to 77% and 80%) with a correlation coefficient of 0.81 (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

A DL algorithm like this might become a valuable tool supporting clinicians’ initial decision making on radiography regarding SL integrity and consequential triage for further patient management.
Secondary diabetes mellitus in pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas
Authors: Moustaki Melpomeni , Paschou Stavroula A. , Vakali Elena , Xekouki Paraskevi , Ntali Georgia , Kassi Evanthia , Peppa Melpomeni , Psaltopoulou Theodora , Tzanela Marinella , Vryonidou Andromachi
Published: September 2023

Secondary diabetes mellitus (DM) in secretory pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) is encountered in up to 50% of cases, with its presentation ranging from mild, insulin resistant forms to profound insulin deficiency states, such as diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state. PPGLs represent hypermetabolic states, in which adrenaline and noradrenaline induce insulin resistance in target tissues characterized by aerobic glycolysis, excessive lipolysis, altered adipokine expression, subclinical inflammation, as well as enhanced gluconeogenesis and glucogenolysis. These effects are mediated both directly, upon adrenergic receptor stimulation, and indirectly, via increased glucagon secretion. Impaired insulin secretion is the principal pathogenetic mechanism of secondary DM in this setting; yet, this is relevant for tumors with adrenergic phenotype, arising from direct inhibitory actions in beta pancreatic cells and incretin effect impairment. In contrast, insulin secretion might be enhanced in tumors with noradrenergic phenotype. This dimorphic effect might correspond to two distinct glycemic phenotypes, with predominant insulin resistance and insulin deficiency respectively. Secondary DM improves substantially post-surgery, with up to 80% remission rate. The fact that surgical treatment of PPGLs restores insulin sensitivity and secretion at greater extent compared to alpha and beta blockade, implies the existence of further, non-adrenergic mechanisms, possibly involving other hormonal co-secretion by these tumors. DM management in PPGLs is scarcely studied. The efficacy and safety of newer anti-diabetic medications, such as glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists and sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is), as well as potential disease-modifying roles of metformin and SGLT2is warrant further investigation in future studies.
Neuronal Stem Cells from Late-Onset Alzheimer Patients Show Altered Regulation of Sirtuin 1 Depending on Apolipoprotein E Indicating Disturbed Stem Cell Plasticity
Authors: Jung Matthias , Jung Juliane-Susanne , Pfeifer Jenny , Hartmann Carla , Ehrhardt Toni , Abid Chaudhry Luqman , Kintzel Jenny , Puls Anne , Navarrete Santos Anne , Hollemann Thomas , Riemann Dagmar , Rujescu Dan
Published: September 2023

Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex multifactorial disease. The greatest known risk factor for late-onset AD is the E4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE), while increasing age is the greatest known non-genetic risk factor. The cell type-specific functions of neural stem cells (NSCs), in particular their stem cell plasticity, remain poorly explored in the context of AD pathology. Here, we describe a new model that employs late-onset AD patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to generate NSCs and to examine the role played by APOE4 in the expression of aging markers such as sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in comparison to healthy subjects carrying APOE3. The effect of aging was investigated by using iPSC-derived NSCs from old age subjects as healthy matched controls. Transcript and protein analysis revealed that genes were expressed differently in NSCs from late-onset AD patients, e.g., exhibiting reduced autophagy-related protein 7 (ATG7), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2). Since SIRT1 expression differed between APOE3 and APOE4 NSCs, the suppression of APOE function in NSCs also repressed the expression of SIRT1. However, the forced expression of APOE3 by plasmids did not recover differently expressed genes. The altered aging markers indicate decreased plasticity of NSCs. Our study provides a suitable in vitro model to investigate changes in human NSCs associated with aging, APOE4, and late-onset AD.
Intermediate Ricci Curvatures and Gromov’s Betti number bound
Authors: Reiser Philipp , Wraith David J.
Published: September 2023

We consider intermediate Ricci curvatures $$Ric_k$$

R
i

c
k

on a closed Riemannian manifold $$M^n$$

M
n

. These interpolate between the Ricci curvature when $$k=n-1$$

k
=
n
-
1

and the sectional curvature when $$k=1$$

k
=
1

. By establishing a surgery result for Riemannian metrics with $$Ric_k>0$$

R
i

c
k

>
0

, we show that Gromov’s upper Betti number bound for sectional curvature bounded below fails to hold for $$Ric_k>0$$

R
i

c
k

>
0

when $$\lfloor n/2 \rfloor +2 \le k \le n-1.$$

⌊
n
/
2
⌋
+
2
≤
k
≤
n
-
1
.

This was previously known only in the case of positive Ricci curvature (Sha and Yang in J Differ Geom 29(1):95–103, 1989, J Differ Geom 33:127–138, 1991).
When it is ok to give the Robot Less: Children’s Fairness Intuitions Towards Robots
Authors: Ayalon Oshrat , Hok Hannah , Shaw Alex , Gordon Goren
Published: September 2023

Children develop intuitions about fairness relatively early in development. While we know that children believe other humans care about distributional fairness, considerably less is known about whether they believe other agents, such as robots, do as well. In two experiments (N = 273) we investigated 4- to 9-year-old children’s intuitions about whether robots would be upset about unfair treatment as human children. Children were told about a scenario in which resources were being split between a human child and a target recipient: either another child or a robot across two conditions. The target recipient (either child or robot) received less than another child. They were then asked to evaluate how fair the distribution was, and whether the target recipient would be upset. Both Experiment 1 and 2 used the same design, but Experiment 2 also included a video demonstrating the robot’s mechanistic “robotic” movements. Our results show that children thought it was more fair to share unequally when the disadvantaged recipient was a robot rather than a child (Experiment 1 and 2). Furthermore, children thought that the child would be more upset than the robot (Experiment 2). Finally, we found that this tendency to treat these two conditions differently became stronger with age (Experiment 2). These results suggest that young children treat robots and children similarly in resource allocation tasks, but increasingly differentiate them with age. Specifically, children evaluate inequality as less unfair when the target recipient is a robot, and think that robots will be less angry about inequality.
Efficacy of statistical algorithms in imputing missing data of streamflow discharge imparted with variegated variances and seasonalities
Authors: Gao Yongbo , Taie Semiromi Majid , Merz Christoph
Published: September 2023

Streamflow missing data rises to a real challenge for calibration and validation of hydrological models as well as for statistically based methods of streamflow prediction. Although several algorithms have been developed thus far to impute missing values of hydro(geo)logical time series, the effectiveness of methods in imputation when the time series are influenced by different seasonalities and variances have remained largely unexplored. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of five different statistical algorithms in imputation of streamflow and groundwater level missing data under variegated periodicities and variances. Our performance evaluation is based on the streamflow data, procured from a hydrological model, and the observed groundwater data from the federal state of Brandenburg in Northeast Germany. Our findings revealed that imputations methods embodying the time series nature of the data (i.e., preceding value, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), and autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity model (ARCH)) resulted in MSEs (Mean Squared Error) that are between 20 and 40 times smaller than the MSEs obtained from the Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, which do not consider this quality. ARCH and ARIMA excelled in imputing missing values for hydrological time series, specifically for the streamflow and groundwater level data. ARCH outperformed ARIMA in both the streamflow and groundwater imputation under various conditions, such as without seasonality, with seasonality, low and high variance, and high variance (white noise) conditions. For the streamflow data, ARCH achieved average MSEs of 0.0000704 and 0.0003487 and average NSEs of 0.9957710 and 0.9965222 under without seasonality and high variance conditions, respectively. Similarly, for the groundwater level data, ARCH demonstrated its capability with average MSEs of 0.000635040 and average NSEs of 0.9971351 under GWBR1 condition. The effectiveness of ARCH, originated from econometric time series methods, should be further assessed by other hydro(geo)logical time series obtained from different climate zones.
Hydroxytyrosol recovery from olive pomace: a simple process using olive mill industrial equipment and membrane technology
Authors: Romeu Maria F. C. , Bernardo Jorge , Daniel Carla I. , Costa Nuno , Crespo João G. , Silva Pinto Luís , Nunes da Ponte Manuel , Nunes Ana V. M.
Published: September 2023

In this work, pilot-scale nanofiltration was used to obtain aqueous solutions rich in hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol from olive oil by-products. A large-scale simple process involving olive mill standard machinery (blender and decanter) was used for the olive pomace pre-treatment with water. The aqueous extract was then directly fed to a nanofiltration unit and concentrated by reverse osmosis. Final concentration factors ranged between 7 and 9 for hydroxytyrosol and between 4 and 7 for tyrosol. The final aqueous solution, obtained as retentate stream of reverse osmosis, was highly concentrated in hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol and their concentrations remained stable over at least 14 months.
Investigation of Surakhani light crude oil compounds as a case study using modern spectroscopic techniques
Authors: Yolchuyeva Ulviyya , Japharova Rena , Khamiyev Matlab , Alimardanova Fakhranda
Published: September 2023

The complex application of modern analysis methods (FT-IR, NMR, GC–MS and UV/Vis) allowed us to study in detail the composition of the crude Surakhani light oil with a complex composition. An accurate and comprehensive study of the composition of crude oils makes it easier to find the necessary field of application for them. For this purpose, the studied crude oil was separated into two fractions, such as paraffinic–naphthenic and aromatic (groups 1st, 2nd, 3rd and tar), by absorption column chromatography. The results show that Surakhani light oil is a paraffin–naphthene-based oil that contains 74% of paraffin–naphthene, 11.15% of aromatic hydrocarbons and 14.8% of gases. It has been shown that the aromatic group of compounds is mainly composed of mono- and bicyclic compounds and has alkyl chains with different lengths and branches (with the presence of methylene and methine groups). Based on the parameters of the structural group, it was found that the portion of H atoms in the aromatic nucleus and alkyl chain was 4.4–20.1% and 79.9–95.6%, respectively. The degree of aromaticity of the separated aromatic group is approximately 50%, which proves that these compounds are alkylated. The structure of the isolated paraffin–naphthene fraction has also been investigated by spectroscopic techniques, and it has been determined that this fraction is composed of iso- and cycloalkanes with alkyl chains of different lengths. As it is seen from the obtained results, unlike the other oils existing on the Absheron Peninsula, Surakhani light oil consists of one- and two-ring naphthene and isostructured paraffinic hydrocarbons. The composition of this petroleum mainly consists of isosubstituted alkyl cycloalkanes and relict, viz. biologically active hydrocarbons such as sterane and hopane used in medicine. It seems that the methodology developed for the petroleum industry can be used in other fields such as medicine.

Graphical abstract
Metaverse and tourism development: issues and opportunities in stakeholders’ perception
Authors: Fazio Gioacchino , Fricano Stefano , Iannolino Salvatore , Pirrone Claudio
Published: September 2023

In recent years, understanding how the managers of tourism attractors (such as archaeological parks, museums, seaside resorts, nature reserves, etc...) adopt, refuse, integrate, and benefit from the digital transformation has received growing interest. In addition, consistent case-study literature highlights how adopting technologically advanced tools can generate positive externalities for the territories in which such attractors are located. However, it is still unclear how different tourism stakeholders value including Metaverse tools in their strategies. In this paper, we explore stakeholders’ preferences for embedding metaverse tools in their strategy, and we check for the existence of cluster of preferences. The study applies a recent development of Q-methodology which allows substituting classical q-statements formulation with multi-attribute and multi-level formulations. Data are collected by involving stakeholders from Sicilian territories. The results of this exploratory study demonstrate that the use of the Metaverse tool is influenced by the perception of the stakeholders and confirm the existence of heterogeneous preferences among groups of stakeholders, as expected in a diffusion model of innovation. The dominant point of view considers a full awareness of the metaverse tools and perceives them as slightly worse than the social ones. Some stakeholders do not have adequate knowledge of the Metaverse. We can argue that we are still in a moment of transition in the diffusion of the Metaverse between the phase of persuasion and that of evaluation and decision on the basis of the impact effects of the Metaverse on competitiveness within the tourism sector. The critical mass may not have been reached yet in the adoption rate of Metaverse innovation.